Holiday cleaning - quick and easy

With Holiday Season in full swing you will either be entertaining at some point or at the very least having houseguests.  With all of the hustle and bustle this time of year brings, when will you find time to clean??

Here are some good cleaning tips and tricks that will hopefully help you get the cleaning done fast so you can move on to the fun stuff!

1.     Do your kids have tons of little toys that you would love to clean but don’t want to take the time to wash each individual piece (I’m looking at you legos!)?  Throw them in a mesh laundry bag and toss them into the washing machine or dish washer.

2.     Want to bake cookies but you are grossed out by your rusted cookie sheet?  Simply sprinkle with baking soda, then hydrogen peroxide, then another layer of baking soda and let it sit for a few hours.  Wipe off with a damp paper towel and your cookie sheet will look like new again!

3.     Clean off ceiling fans without getting dust in your face by sliding an old pillow case over the blade and wipe the blade off inside the pillow case!

4.     Ready to use the brand new Holiday plates you bought for your party?  But those dang stickers won’t come off.  Easy fix – put them in a bowl of warm water and a scoop of Oxy-Clean for 30 minutes.  The labels will just float right off!

5.     I don’t have this problem anymore because we don’t have carpet – BUT with two girls in our house with long thick hair we always had hair on the carpet and it drove me nuts!!  Take a squeegee and scrape across the carpet and all of the hair will come right up.

Okeedokee that is all for now.  I think I will do part 2 after the Holidays for some clean up after all of the decorations have been put away!

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A few months ago I committed myself to doing something I have never done before....run a half marathon!!  The race is in March and my official training start date was yesterday.  I am following a specific training program to get me ready for the race.  Yesterday I was to do 30 minutes of cross training which is basically anything cardio related that is not running.  So my daughter has gymnastics practice so I utilized the time and did the elliptical while watching her practice. 

Today's workout was 30 minutes of strength training. Because my son has karate tonight, I have no time to workout after work, so I woke up at 4:30 am to get my workout in at home with one of my favorite videos.  I love working out in the morning because I love the peace of the quiet house and I love the feeling of being done with my workout before the day even begins.

I am going to bring you all on this journey with me.  So be prepared for lots of sweaty selfies and posts about my training.  Who knows, maybe I will inspire one of you to do a half marathon as well!!

My favorite sanity saving tips

Busy Sports Moms have limited time for chores and other household duties.  Unfortunately they haven't invented a way to add hours to the day - yet.

I have compiled some of my favorite tips and tricks that I have used over the years to help save my sanity (a little).  I hope you get some use out of them as well!

1.  This is one of my most used cleaning tips: Try using a timer.  Sometimes, you   need to be able to focus on a single task in order to really get it done.  Set the timer for 10 minutes and start tackling a chore.  Once the timer is done, time to move on to the next chore. It's amazing how much you can get done if you’re trying to beat the clock!

2.  Remember all those beautiful ribbons that came on your kid's birthday gifts?  Don’t toss them, use them to tie around your sheet sets in the closet so you'll never have to look for stray pillowcases or bottom sheets again. 

3.  Keep your old bank check boxes and use them as dividers for the dreaded junk drawer. They are great at keeping all the junk separated out

4.  Keep all of your instructions and warranties in a three-ring binder so you won't be stuck sifting through paper stacks.  You can buy those clear plastic sleeves pretty cheap and that way you don’t have to punch holes in the papers

5.  Hang collapsing shelves from a closet rod and prepare your child's outfits for the week on Sunday nights

6.  If you're still in the infant stage, stick a plastic hook on the back of a high chair to hold bibs.

7.  Use old shoeboxes to hold your kids crayons and colored pencils, pencils, erasers or anything else they need for homework time.  And put it away once you are done.

8.  Use a shoe caddy to store games and snacks on a long road trip. If you hang the shoe caddy over the back of the front passenger seat, your kids will be able to easily reach the toys/games/headphones they want without you having to dig through a never-ending bag.

A TRUE Beginner's Program

I am doing something new here thanks to an ingenious new concept.  I am asking for your help in finding 6-8 people who are really struggling to get started in fitness.  These people want to get started, but don’t really know HOW to get started. I am offering a 60 day group that is designed to help people just like this.

Maybe not you, maybe you can think of a friend or family member that would benefit from a true beginner’s workout program. This is an introductory fitness program, designed for those people who need a slow start.  The workouts are simple, doable, and made to change your body right away—regardless of your age or fitness level.

Will you help me find 6-8 people who would like my help? No trips to gyms or fitness centers required. You are in the privacy of your own home.

If you know anyone, please share this information with them.  I am super excited to be able to reach a whole new set of people with this brand new program!! 

Please click the link below to add your name to the interest list and I will be in touch

Interest list for beginner's program

New group alert!!

This amazing woman is the creator of one of my most favorite programs. The last time I ran a group for her program, the 12 participants in it lost 82 pounds and 82.25 inches together. IN THREE WEEKS! I am going to run a new group because I know a lot of you are feeling like me right now, a little out of shape from all of the summer BBQs and vacations! 

Just fill out this form with your email address and I will send you more info!

New group info

Overnight Oats part 2!

A while back I posted about trying overnight oats for the first time.  It was a big hit with my daughter and I try to make it every week so she can have it in the mornings.  I like to have it once or twice a week myself instead of my usual shake.

But as anyone on the west coast can tell you we have been having an insane heat wave and the thought of eating something warm in the mornings was just not doing it for me.  So I saw a post a friend of mine made about overnight oats in the fridge that you eat cold and I thought I would give it a try.  OH MY GOODNESS was it amazing!!!  I literally did not want to stop eating it.

Here is the recipe for you all to try.  It really is hearty and yummy and healthy!  It hits the spot for sure, and keeps you satisfied like a good breakfast should.  And did I mention it is pretty much grab and go?  Which is KEY for us busy moms.

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup almond milk
1 TBSP honey
1 TBSP chia seeds
2/3 cup frozen or fresh fruit

Combine all ingredients except fruit into a bowl and stir well.  Pour half the mixture into a mason jar and top with fruit.  Repeat layers, put the lid on and put it in the fridge overnight.  It stores well for at least 5 days.  You can mix it up any way you want it really.  Peanut butter, cocoa powder, various fruits.  The choices really are endless.  Enjoy!!

Girls (and boys) just wanna have fun!!

According to a survey done by The Athletic Footwear Association, the #1 reason kids play their favorite sport is TO HAVE FUN!!! Sure we want to be sure they are picking up skills and putting in a good effort, BUT if they are not having fun they will NOT keep playing! 

Very good read if you have a minute....
http://www.insideyouthsports.org/2014/08/motivation-and-young-athlete-p

art-2.html