Good-bye Microwave - Part 2

So it's been a few days since we retired our microwave. I kept a list on the refrigerator and wrote down each time that I missed having the microwave. After 5 days, this is what I have:

I Miss My Microwave When....
I warm up my cooling cup of coffee
I melt cheese on top of stuff
I heat lanolin to soak with wool diaper covers
I forgot to take something out of the freezer for dinner until 4:00 p.m.
I heat syrup for pancakes
I melt/soften butter for cooking
I warm up leftovers for lunch

So okay, none of these really seem to be pressing issues. Most of them are really just convenience uses. I'm finding that, of course, there is always an alternative way to heat/warm/defrost/melt something. Sometimes that way is more time consuming. I already have problems with patience. I don't have any. So this has been good for me to have to wait more than 60 seconds to heat up my lunch.

I'm not saying that I'm thrilled with the situation, but I've decided to give it some more time. Maybe this is just microwave withdrawals? Only time will tell.

On the bright side, I LOVE having all of this extra space on my kitchen counter top. My husband keeps putting things there to fill up the space, but I keep moving them. I like looking at the open space, and it's been great to be able to spread out a little more when cooking.

Making Our Home a Haven

This is my first time participating in the Making Your Home a Haven Monday that is hosted at Tammy's Recipes.

This week's topic is morning routines. The mornings in our home are a little hectic because it is the busiest time of day for me as a work from home mom. I am so blessed to have my husband home to help out most days. Since I am so busy, I do already have a routine down, but of course there is always room for improvement. Here's a list of 5 things that I'm going to try to get done EVERY morning:

1. Snuggle with hubby for 10 mins. after alarm before getting out of bed. This simple routine adds so much intimacy to our relationship, especially on those super busy days when we don't get to have a lot of face time.

2. Mommy time: 30 mins. for me before everyone else gets up to pray, read the bible, and drink coffee.

3. Take a break to eat breakfast with the family. I'm working at breakfast time, but I can usually schedule things to have a few minutes free to sit down at the table and eat with my husband and son. I love the flexibility of working from home!

4. Put clean dishes away. Work slows down for me around 10:00 a.m., and my wonderful husband has done the breakfast dishes, so I like to make sure that I put them away.

5. Wipe down the bathroom after showers, hair and makeup routines are done.

A lot of these things happen most of the time, but I am going to work on making sure they happen every morning. It's so great to have small goals to work toward the larger ideal of making our home a haven for our family!

K-Mart Double Coupons

I made a trip to K-Mart today to take advantage of their double coupons up to $2 deal. This is what I came home with:



Rubbermaid Produce Saver - 2 c. size
Maybelline mascara 2pk
Sally Hansen nail polish
First Aid cloth tape
Wet Ones
Schick Xtreme 3 razors - 6pk
Satin Care shave gel
Band-aids
Tweezers

After coupons and tax the total was: $11.05. Not bad, considering several of the items were on my list, and I would have been buying them in the next week or two anyway. I always try to get things on my shopping list early, so I can hold off for a couple of weeks and watch the sales. This time that method paid off!

I know not all stores are participating, so call and check first if you're not sure. Good Luck!

Menu Plan Monday

This week's menu planning was super easy. We're leaving town Friday morning to spend some time with my family, so I'm off the hook for the weekend. We also had some changes in our menu last week, so I had some meals that I carried over to this week.

Monday: Veggie Burgers & Fries

Tuesday: Meatloaf & Rice

Wednesday: Squash Soup & Homemade Bread

Thursday: Eat up all the leftovers before we leave town!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Out of town

Hoping you have a great Monday! For other yummy Menu Plan Monday ideas, visit Organizing Junkie.

Simplistic Saturday

We've been working diligently at adding more simplicity into our life. I've often found that adding simplicity means subtracting a lot of other "stuff" and making my priorities match my values.

This week was spring break for the schools here. While we don't have children in school yet, it does affect our lives because my husband's counseling practice consists mainly of children, teens, and families.

It was great to have him home with us more this week. In order to take advantage of this break, I decided to say no to a few play dates and mom's group activities. It's not always easy to say no to these things, especially when you feel like other mom's rely on you to be there. I also miss the socialization time with other mom, but there is definitely a time and place for these things. My marriage and family are my priorities.

Instead, we stayed home and spent time together. Yesterday afternoon my husband, who loves woodworking, had a chance to build a spice rack for me that he's been planning for a couple of weeks. While he worked, me and my son were in the yard with him, playing in the sand box and enjoying our dogs. It was so wonderfully simple!

Part of my simple living plan is to designate one day a week for a day of rest. This day is Sunday. So no post tomorrow, but check back on Monday for my meal plan posting and more.

What have you done this week to add more simplicity to your life?