When the brand Method first came out, I gave it a try in an effort to reduce the amount of harsh cleaning chemicals I use in my home. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with its cleaning ability, and soon moved back to my old products.

Sometime later, a friend introduced me to using vinegar (diluted with a little water). I love it! The smell goes away quickly - or you can add scented oil to it - and it cleans up messes with ease. Vinegar has some natural anti-bacterial properties, so that’s a big plus in the kitchen. I just use a small spray bottle, and I estimate between 1 to 2 parts (vinegar to water) to as strong as 2 to 3 parts (vinegar to water). Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

For some additional great cleaning tips, check out this post by Crunchy Domestic Goddess.

About 10 days ago, I wrote about my revelations with eating on my other blog, Spaghettipie, and I outlined a plan that I would follow to nurture healthier habits. I’m happy to say that I’ve lost a couple pounds already. More importantly, I’ve had quality time with God every day since then and am back to memorizing Scripture. I feel renewed and refreshed. Better yet, I’m seeing a change in my decision-making process regarding food that does not leave me feeling guilty or dissatisfied.

I’m also reading a book by Chantal Hobbs called Never Say Diet. Now, I can’t say I recommend this book for everyone. I think some personalities may struggle with her approach more than others. But here are few of the points that have influenced my thinking.

• Make healthy living and healthy choices a full-time job. It’s not optional, so it can’t be set aside for another time.
• You have to start with your mind. Eliminate all of the excuses. Yes, all of them.
• It’s okay to leave a meal still a little bit hungry. Our natural instinct is to fill ourselves. Choose a healthy portion, and then stop. Just because you feel hungry does not mean that you should eat. (But don’t not eat, either)

I love that the first few chapters in her book deal with the mindset aspect before any plans or discussion of eating habits. That’s exactly the realization I came to, so her thoughts resonated with me.

I’d love to hear any other thoughts on maintaining (or making the transition to) a healthier lifestyle!

I was looking for a fun craft to do with my 2.5-year-old daughter, and stumbled across this great idea from Family Fun. If you have never visited their website or seen their magazine, take some time to peruse their great ideas.

For this project, I taped the contact paper down on my daughter’s table. We cut out hearts and flowers from patterned paper, used stickers, and I had a bag full of different shaped sequins. When we finished, I covered her project with a second piece of contact paper, and then cut the entire project into three bookmarks. I punched a hole in the top, tied a ribbon, and wrote “Happy Mother’s Day” on the top with a Sharpie.

We will definitely do this project again, though, as we both had a great time (and made little mess!).

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Clear Con-Tact paper
Masking tape
Flat stickables, such as felt scraps, tissue paper squares, crepe paper streamers, ribbon pieces, cut-up calendars and magazines, and feathers

DIRECTIONS
1. Begin by taping a piece of Con-Tact paper, sticky side facing out, to a wall or a low table. Set out bowls of small, flat stickables nearby (see the materials list).
2. Now let your toddler explore the sticky feeling of the paper first with his hands, then by placing the items against the paper. Once he gets the hang of it, just sit back and enjoy the show.
3. Preserve the collage with a second piece of Con-Tact paper. Frame the artwork with colored masking tape around the edges.
4. Keep the fun going! Make a theme collage, such as a nature collage with flowers and leaves or a color collage of all things blue.

Tips:
Getting Started with Creative Projects for Little Hands
1. Keep it safe. Make sure supplies are labeled nontoxic and are not choking hazards. Discourage kids from putting supplies in their mouths.
2. Set it up. Designate an art area in your home with an easel or a low table where young artists can stand to work (this is usually easier for them).
3. Don’t rush. Make sure you allow plenty of time for setup, exploration, and cleanup.
4. Don’t stress over mess. Set things up so cleanup is easier for you, then try to relax and let your child have fun.
5. Write it down. Before you forget, write the date on your child’s creation and, if she’s talking, what she said about it.

I opened our recent cell phone bill yesterday and nearly fell out of my chair. We recently switched our plan to the “Favorite 5’s” plan offered by T-Mobile. We’ve been long time customers and have been happy with their service. Before choosing the plan, we analyzed a couple phone bills and knew that the change was definitely positive for my husband. 75% of his calls are indeed to the same 5 people. The move for me was a little less certain, but we decided to try it.

I knew this past month would be a little over because I coordinated a large fundraising banquet. We don’t have a home phone right now, so all of the calling was done on my cell phone. Needless to say, I was on the phone a LOT more than I thought.

So now I’m left with trying to figure out some answers. Do I watch my minutes like a hawk and just take care not to go over? Do my husband and I get separate plans that make sense for each of our calling habits? Do we up our minutes? Or do we go back to a land line? Bottom line, I need to be a better steward of my time and money. Any thoughts from those of you out there?

I recently posted over on my other blog some thoughts around weight loss and what my plan is to tackle it, I’d love for you to read those posts and let me know what you think.

On a related note, I’m working on loading recipes to my Summer Food blog. I’m trying to post some nutrition facts about each recipe, and I stumbled upon an easy-to-use nutrition calculator for your recipes. In order to add some of my own foods, I had to join the website. I went ahead and signed up for a couple of their newsletters while I was at it (one specifically for recipes), and tonight I actually began to explore the site. So far, I’m really enjoying what I’m finding there. I think I’ll actually try their plan and interacting on the website for a little bit. I’ll let you know, but I’m curious to know if anyone out there has heard of Spark People? If so, what’s your experience?

I recently heard the following statistics:

For every minute over 30 minutes that you spend shopping in the grocery store, you spend an average of 50 cents more per minute.

Shoppers without a grocery list spend on average 40% more than those who go with a list.

On average, shoppers spend $14 per “quick trip” in to the grocery store to grab just a couple items.

I hadn’t really thought about that kind of statistics before, but it makes total sense to me. Supermarkets rely on impulse buys, utilizing those end cap and checkout displays wisely. I’ve gone into a grocery store numerous times and come out with more than what was on my list, just because I received a good deal or the product looked good.

In an effort to be good stewards of our money, we would do well to prepare in advance for going to the grocery store. Make a list, and stick to it. Cut down on those quick trips for forgotten items. Menu plan so you know exactly what you need.

Just some initial thoughts. Anyone else have some to add?

Hello all, and welcome back to Stewardship Living! As I mentioned, I have decided to revamp and refocus this blog. My hope is to provide you with more resources and more thoughts to reflect upon related to stewardship. I am always open to your suggestions!

Here’s my basic plan for posting. I’m continuing with a particular focus for each day, but I’m going to define the categories much more broadly. I’ll do my best to post three times a week.

Mondays - Stewarding our Bodies: Health-related topics, recipes, meal plans, etc.

Tuesdays - Stewarding our Resources: Organizing tips, environmental issues, green resources, financial thoughts, etc.

Thursdays - Stewarding our Relationships: Family building activities, marriage and parenting resources, devotional thoughts, etc.

I look forward to exploring these topics with you! Off we go!

It’s been quite a while since I posted on this blog. Quite frankly, I was stuck on what to do with it. I want to continue to offer helpful content and stay focused on the idea of holistic stewardship, but I was in a rut for what to post. I’ve been rethinking it, and I’m close to relaunching the site. Stay tuned! I’m coming back!

In the next couple weeks, things may be a little quieter than normal (as you’ve probably already noticed!). I’m trying to work through revamping this blog just a little bit, so that I continue offering useful information without making writing this blog a full time job. I welcome any suggestions of what you’d like to see. And in the meantime, you can always find me over at my other blog, Spaghettipie.

This week, I’m finally getting to the Cabbage Soup Diet from my detox plan. Here’s what the week looks like (although I reserve the right to modify and add protein if I get too snarly.)

Monday: Cabbage soup and all fruit except bananas.

Tuesday: Cabbage soup and all vegetables. Dinner can include a big baked potato with butter.
Try to eat green, leafy vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas, and corn.

Wednesday: Oatmeal*, Cabbage soup, fruit, and vegetables. (No baked potatoes).
I’m going to stick with my oatmeal three times per week regimen, but will refrain from adding any sort of fat. The diet says if you haven’t cheated, you should have lost between 5-7 pounds by this day.

Thursday: Cabbage soup, bananas and skim milk.
I’ll probably substitute low-fat yogurt for skim milk because I just don’t drink milk. Eat a minimum of three bananas and drink as much milk as possible. You need the potassium and the carbs, proteins and calcium lessen your sweet craving.

Friday: Oatmeal*, Cabbage soup, beef, and tomatoes.
You can have 10-20 ounces of beef and a can of tomatoes or as many as six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water to was away uric acid in your body.

Saturday: Oatmeal*, Cabbage soup, beef and vegetables.
No baked potatoes, but as much as you want of everything else.

Sunday: Cabbage soup, brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice, vegetables.

*my own addition, not part of the prescribed diet

A few notes about the diet itself:
You can eat as much soup as you want each day.
You must eat at least one bowl of the soup per day.
You can drink unsweetened tea, cranberry juice, or water.
You should go off the diet 24 hours before any intake of alcohol.
You can eat skinless chicken in the place of meat.
If you follow and don’t cheat, you should lose between 10-17 pounds and cleanse your system of impurities.
You can use the 7-day eating plan as often as you like.
No fried foods, bread, alcohol or carbonated drinks (of any kind).

For more menu planning inspiration, check out Org Junkie.