Kitchen Patrol: Dirty to Clean in 10 Minutes

The summer after my Freshman year in college, I worked at a summer camp as a "kitchie". KP duty for a whole month. While it wasn't the most glamorous job- it taught me a lot. The kitchen was huge and had to be kept very clean and very organized. We ran a tight ship and meals and clean up were always really efficient. I loved that everything had its place and that there was a process and procedure for everything. It fit well with my Type-A tendencies.

I'm far from my college days but a few lessons from that summer have stuck with me.

Despite my best intentions, my kitchen now goes from nice and neat to chaos in the blink of an eye. With 4 people in and out all day it doesn't take long before my kitchen looks like this:
**Warning: It's about to get real!

This is what breakfast, lunch, and baking a snack looks like in my world!

This would logically be a major cause of stress. However, I have a few tricks that help me turn that mess into a clean kitchen in 10 minutes. Here's how:

First, I unload the dishwasher. This is made easier by the Pampered Chef Tool Turn-About. I don't have to sort cooking utensils or shove them into drawers. They quickly slip into one of the compartments and I'm done.

My cast iron skillet lives on my stove. I cook with it almost every day. There's no sense in burying it in a cabinet. Speaking of cabinets, I make sure my kitchen cabinets are organized efficiently.

After I unload the dishwasher, I re-load it. Shocking, I know. The important note here is that I only un-load and re-load once a day. Yep, that's right. I don't like to do this chore, so I do it daily and I let the dirty dishes pile up on one side of the sink. Sometimes not everything fits, so the "extra dishes" stay on the right side of the sink waiting their turn. I realize that this won't work for everyone but it's one of my sanity saving tricks.

Loading the dishwasher typically clears 1/2 of my counter space. The other 1/2 is cleared by putting things in their place and throwing away trash. I'm not sure how so much trash ends up on the counter- mere feet from the trash can. It's one of life's mysteries.

I save time putting things away because I keep my most used stuff on the counter. My tool turn-about, my canisters, knife block, etc. This eliminates the step of having to pick them up and put them away- it's more efficient. Now I don't take this too far. There are a lot of things that are still out of sight, what you see are the things I use daily and they are pretty :-)

Once everything has found its home and the dishwasher is running, I take the last 45 seconds to wipe the counters down with Clorox Wipes. Man, are these things amazing! They make quick work of stuck on food, crumbs, and spills. I love how they go from counter to sink to stove. This is the real secret to how fast I can clean my kitchen- they just make it so easy!

So there you have it. 10 minutes, once a day, clean kitchen tips and tricks. Once a week I clean the floors and sink to stay on top of things. But I love having a clean kitchen every evening!

What's your secret to a cleaner, more efficient kitchen? I'd love to know!

DIY Super Easy Art Board

Ready for summer? Ready for all the down time? Ready for the "mom, I'm bored" when they just woke up 30 minutes ago?

Well, I am ready for summer, and I'm semi-prepared for the perceived boredom.

This little DIY Art Board is super easy and can accommodate chalk art, crayons, markers, even paint! In other words- I hope it entertains my kids for 45-ish minutes a day.

What you'll need:

Chalkboard contact paper or paint

Medium metal cookie sheet

2 clothes pins

• Either place the contact paper on the cookie sheet, or paint it with the chalk board paint.
• Use the clothes pins to hold down paper any kid of paper you want when you aren't using the chalk board.
• Use your favorite art supplies and enjoy!

I told you it was easy :-)

You can take this outside, curl up in a chair, sit at a table, or use it in the car. It's versatile!

I hope it gets you 45 minutes peace once the "I'm bored" sets in.

Key Lime Pie Greek Frozen Yogurt

Ever since I made my strawberry chocolate chip greek frozen yogurt, my mind has been swirling with visions of other yummy flavor combos. Key lime pie, strawberry peach (I did make this- recipe to come another day), blueberry pomegranate, s'mores... the list goes on and on!

I love anything key lime. Shove a piece of key lime pie in front of me and I'll probably do just about anything you want me to do. That's serious love, people.

If you've been following the blog for any amount of time, you probably also know about my obsession with greek yogurt (and Starbucks). Key lime pie + greek yogurt = one happy marriage.

Just a couple of things before we get to the recipe...

1. The greek yogurt freezes really hard. There isn't a creamy consistency because there isn't any fat, so I suggest pulling it out of the freezer 30-45 minutes before you want to indulge. It'll be the perfect consistency.

2. The base I use for all of my recipes: 2 cups 0% plain greek yogurt + 3 tbsp. sugar. From there, you can add anything your little heart desires! You could also use a 2% greek yogurt for a slightly creamier consistency. I haven't tried it, so if you do, let me know how it turns out!

3. Make this gluten-free by using s'morables in place of graham crackers!

Key Lime Pie Greek Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients
2 C. plain greek yogurt
4 tbsp. key lime juice (freshly squeezed or store bought)
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt, key lime juice, and sugar. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until well combined. Set aside.

Add yogurt mixture to your ice cream maker and churn according to your machine's instructions.

Add graham cracker crumbs at the very end of the churning cycle. You can also layer the crumbs as you pack the frozen yogurt into its container instead of incorporating them throughout.

Pack frozen yogurt into a freezer safe container, freeze, and enjoy!

How Does My Garden Grow? {Part 4: Gardening Tips}

Oh how I love my little container garden. Now that the weather is warmer here in Oklahoma, my plants are growing like crazy!

I've had a few bumps in the road. We had a random frost that turned my basil brown, my two-almost-three-year-old pulled my green beans out, and two of my three lettuces mysteriously died.

I've made a few changes since the last time I posted {read that here}. I planted some marigolds and some onions. I replanted my green bean and carrot seeds. I've figured out fertilizing and watering patterns. In general, everything is doing well and I am anxiously awaiting my first pickings!

Here are some helpful hints and tips for a few things I've discovered over the past few weeks...

Fertilize once a week. I've been using coffee. Yes, coffee. I read somewhere (and I'm sorry I haven't found my exact source, but I know if you search Pinterest you will find similar advice) that sprinkling coffee grounds on your soil will fertilize and keep bugs away. IT WORKS! Last year my strawberry plants had tiny little bugs all over them, not this year! Coffee really is wonderful- in more ways than one.

Container #1- Basil, Cilantro, Strawberries, Onions, and Peppers + Marigolds

 *Strawberries take a couple of years to really get established so don't get discouraged your first year.

*Basil and Cilantro love warm weather. Their leaves may brown if it gets too cold- but as soon as it warms up again they will rebound.

Control the bugs. I've planted marigolds right in two of my containers, and the third one is very close to a pot of marigolds so it still works. Marigolds are fragrant enough to keep a lot of bugs away. Apparently mosquitos don't like them too, we shall see... between the marigolds and fertilizing with coffee my plants have been pest free so far.

Container #2- Tomatoes, Onions, Green Beans (I think I have had a GB plant sprout but I'm not 100% sure because I didn't plant it that way... stay tuned) + Marigolds

*Confession- the onions were a total impulse buy. I'm not sure if I'm taking care of them properly or not, but they are thriving so far.

*Tomatoes need support. I'm weaving the vines in and out of the cage so that I can have more than one plant supported by the same cage

*Tip for marigolds- once the flowers start to wilt, pinch off the blooms; this encourages faster regrowth.

Water in the evening. When it's really hot outside, water evaporates quickly. By watering your plants in the evening, you give them all night to soak up the water. If you water in the morning or afternoon most of the water you are giving the plants will evaporate. Give them a good soaking in the evening (pour water directly on the soil as much as possible) and your plants will be well hydrated to face the heat of the next day.

Container #3- Mint, Broccoli, Carrots, and Lettuce

*Lettuce doesn't love too much sun. I positioned the container so that there was a shadow on the 3 lettuce plants I had. For some unknown reason, 2 of them didn't make it.

  *I had to completely replant my carrot seeds. I moved them outside too early and a hard freeze did in the originals.

Catch up on the "How does my garden grow" series here:
{Part 1}
{Part 2}
{Part 3}

Here are some fun before and after shots, just one month and one week-ish apart:

 What a difference a month can make!

Favorite Warm Weather Drinks

I know I've been talking about the weather-a lot- in my last few posts... but it was a looooong winter and the warm sunshine just makes me happy! Not to mention, this entire week has been above 60- which means the kids have had a ton of outside time to run off energy. ;)

When the warm weather arrives, I ditch my coffee machine and coffee mugs and switch them for cold cups, my espresso machine, and blender!

Here are a few of my favorite warm weather drinks:

Summer smoothies- the possibilities are endless. The kids love to make up their own combinations, too!

 Passion Tea Lemonade- homemade and frozen style!

Easy iced mocha- perfect to get anyone through the day!

My basic green smoothie is a daily necessity. Gotta get the greens in somehow!

Teacher Appreciation Week: DIY Thank You Card

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Let's all take a minute to thank the teachers in our lives. My mom is a teacher and I know how dedicated teachers are to their students. Their work day doesn't end when their students are dismissed and chances are they were hard at work long before the first student walked into their classroom every morning.

Teaching is a calling. It's not a profession that just anyone can be successful at.

I've always had a great appreciation for teachers, this feeling has grown since my own kiddo has started school.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and to celebrate I waned to share this little idea with you. I'm not a big fan of overwhelming teachers with trinkets and candy. I try to make teacher gifts meaningful and with a purpose.

This year, I made cards for the teacher's in our lives. Since my son is in Pre-K they have been working on handwriting and practicing their letters. I had the idea to make a card using his handwriting. Rather than just having him write "thank you" inside a card, I decided to try something different.

Yesterday, I had my son write "thank you" in sidewalk chalk. We added some decoration and then I took a picture:

I went to Walmart.com and used their online photo department to create a 5x7 card. I picked it up the same day and have it ready to go!

My son's school PTA has suggested a different gift for each day of the week- Tuesday is "card day".

Personalized gifts are always so nice. I hope that my son's teachers understand how much I appreciate all that they do!

Other gifts I am giving this week:
Starbucks gift card {"sweet treat" day}
Flower + Seeds {flower day}
Target Gift Card {teacher's favorite gift day}

What are you giving for Teacher Appreciation Week?

Family Dinner Time: Conversation Starters

I've posted before about the importance of "family dinner time". Sometimes it's difficult to start new lines of conversation. We get stuck in a rut of "how was your day?" and "so what do you want to do this weekend?"

There are great games, printables, and other resources to spice up the conversation; but I figured it wouldn't hurt to share a few of my favorites. Since I have a 5 year old and an almost-3 year old I have to keep the conversation funny and super simple.

So here's how I get them talking:

• If you could be any superhero which one would you be? Why? (you can interchange "superhero" for whatever the obsession of the week is- "dinosaur", "animal", "Octonaut" all work, too)
• What do you think the birds are talking about when they chirp? (again, interchange the animal and their "noise")
• Do you think Reggie (our dog) likes to watch tv? What do you think his favorite show is? Why? (or some equally silly imaginative question)
• If you could be in the Lego Movie, which character would you want to be? Why?
• What do you want to build with Legos later?
• How many bubbles do you think are in the bath tub when you take a bath?

Can you see what I'm doing here? It's all about using their imagination to answer questions about things that are important to them. You may not have to ask more than one question because the conversation will start to flow naturally- that's great!

My husband and I love to sit back and listen to the funny responses; and the kids think it's so silly when we answer the questions, too!

The whole idea is to make the meal a special and fun part of the day. There shouldn't be stress or pressure at the dinner table. Sometimes it's difficult when you know you want your kids to eat and they aren't- but you want to create a comfortable environment and then the eating part will come.

There are so many ways that quality dinner conversation can enhance your family- it's good for kids, it's good for parents, it's a family thing.

If you have a question that you love to ask your kids- shout it out! We love comments!!