Pasta Lunch and Grandma's Recipe Box

Welcome to the {Not Just} Homemaking Party! My mom, Christy, is sharing today. Hope you're having a blessed week!

I wonder if sometimes my great, great, great grandmother just pulled some random items out of her icebox and cellar pantry on a Saturday morning and decided to make lunch out of bits and dabs of food stock on hand?

Maybe while grandma was sitting at the table watching her family enjoy the impromptu meal she had prepared, she decided to write it down and put it in a little box for next time, so she would not forget the ingredients she used. Maybe each time that she "made up" an incredible dish she would place the instructions in the little box. And so, the recipe box was invented and passed down generation to generation.

Here is my random, quick, and easy pasta lunch I served yesterday with a salad and crackers. Of course, I wrote it down and placed the recipe card in my little box!

Quick and Easy Pasta Lunch
Prepare 1 boneless chicken breast by dusting with salt and pepper. Then bake for 30 minutes at 350º. Cool slightly and cut into cubes. In a large skillet, add cubed chicken, a small package of cooked angel hair pasta, 1 pound of grated white cheddar cheese, 1 pint sour cream, 1/4 c. of chicken broth, 1 TB olive oil, 1/4 c. melted butter, basil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper, to taste. Linking with:

How to Organize Homeschool Notebooks with Scotch® Tape #SchoolYearReady #Ad #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SchoolYearReady #CollectiveBias

I've loved the beginning of the school year my whole life. Not only was I a social butterfly who couldn't wait to see her friends again, I also loved picking out new school supplies. The feeling of a freshly sharpened pencil on a newly opened notebook. Aaahhh!! I remember just sitting contemplating what would be my first words put down in a new "spiral". I wanted them to be profound, but they were usually something more like, "Dear Carrie (BFF), How's it goin'? Good here." I still love new school supplies---especially if they're cute! Last weekend, I hit Walmart for some new things for our homeschool and found some great products from Scotch® Tape.

When I was a kid, I loved to do art projects. All. Day. Long. These usually involved lots of tape and I remember my mom having a green plaid roll just like this one in her desk drawer. My kids are the same way now and there's usually several rolls stashed in my desk drawers for them. That's why I bought myself a super cute pink tape dispenser. They'll have their green rolls of Scotch® Magic™ Tape in the drawer and I'll have my dispenser on top---and a hands-off rule!

Even though we're not starting our lessons until after my England trip in mid-September, I'm still taking some time to prepare so it's not so overwhelming when I get home. Today I'm sharing the really easy way I keep multiple kids' notebooks organized, making my night time reviewing and correcting time super simple. I've been using this method for a long time. It's fast and inexpensive. All you need is a notebook, scissors, tape, a pen, and some sturdy paper like card stock.

I shopped for Scotch® Magic™ Tape at Walmart in the shipping supplies section. Since I have Etsy and eBay stores, I visit this section a lot to grab the things I'll need for mailing my sales. There's a large selection of Scotch® products here--great for home and homeschool.

One of my biggest issues with reviewing and correcting my kids' work is that I have a difficult time telling their handwriting apart. They write their names on the fronts of their notebooks, but I don't want to be flipping around the book when I'm just trying to go through them really quick. So, I make tabs that stick out the sides of the notebooks that indicate their names and the subject. It makes it easy for them to find their books in a large pile, as well.

I begin by cutting a piece of card stock to measure 2"x4". 

Then I fold it in half, open it up, and write the child's name on each side.

Finally, I tape each side down to the cover of the notebook.

Voila! Super easy and a huge time saver! What are some of your easy homeschooling hacks? Let me know and visit the 3M Social Hub for more great uses for Scotch® Magic™Tape.

Organizing a Homemaking Notebook #EraseStress #Ad #cbias

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EraseStress #CollectiveBias

My family loves to tease me about my obsessive tendencies regarding schedules. Even (waaaay back) when we only had a couple of kids, I was really strict about meal and bed times. In my opinion, everything runs better on a schedule. I'm definitely the queen of organizational systems and even if most of them don't actually get implemented how I imagined them, even the smallest amount of planning and prep goes a long way. I love to use different colored pens when writing out my schedules. This helps to keep me on track, but the downside is that pen isn't as easily corrected as pencil. With Pilot's FriXion Erasable Pens, I can organize my notebooks and charts how I like without having to worry about messy scribbles.

I like to keep a homemaking notebook---something to keep all my important daily notes and tasks in one place. As time goes on, this will serve as a record of my years at home with young children, chronically many of our special memories and reminding me how I did certain things. I have it set up like a student's binder with tabs for easy reference and a zippered pouch to hold my pens, crayons, and other necessities. 

Last weekend, I took Selah and Lynzie (AKA: Link) out to do errands with me. We stopped in at Target to grab a package of red, blue, and black FriXion Erasable Gel Pens. I love using gel pens and the fact that they erase completely is a huge bonus. They can even be removed from fabric so I don't have to worry about messes in my purse or the pocket of my apron. There's even an upcoming deal for them, only at Target. August 23-29, save 20% off 3 packs of FriXion clicker pens in assorted and black varieties.

I like to create "at a glance" calendars to hang near my desk where I work and make additions and changes to our schedule. I use the red pen to write in activities for which we need to leave the house and the blue pen for activities that we'll stay home for. This helps keep me from overlapping activities during times that we'll need a grown up at home to watch the littlest kids.

A second place I use a color-coded system is on my daily menu plan. The blue ink indicates items that are in the freezer and will need to be thawed ahead of time. The red ink is for things that go in the slow cooker and will need to be prepared first thing in the morning. The black ink is for things that can be made shortly before meal time. I'm notorious for having a great dinner idea, only to find that I'd forgotten to thaw it out so this solution works great for me!

Thirdly, I use a color-coded system for the kids' school work. Red ink means they need to deal with things they've done previously like correct assignments from the day before or reread chapters. The blue ink gives them their assignments for the day and the black ink designates notes I've left them and want them to acknowledge. I'm now up to six kids doing daily homeschooling assignments so this system helps keep things organized and moving steadily for all of us. 

Besides all the great ways these pens help me stay organized, there's an even better perk to purchasing them. With each purchase of Pilot's FriXion Erasable pens, you can help Pilot support STOMP Out Bullying programs to erase negative bullying behaviors and replace them with productive solutions.

Through 2016, Pilot will be making a minimum of a $125,000 donation to STOMP Out Bullying. STOMP Out Bullying, the leading national bullying and cyberbullying prevention organization, helps build awareness and funds educational programs designed to reduce bullying in schools across the nation.

Let me know how you keep yourself organized for a smoothly running home. I'd also love to hear if you give FriXion Erasable Gel pens a try.