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Donna Marie
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...in the kitchen? Just when the piles grow higher and school is in the thick of your time and concentration and you have to run out yet again to bring someone somewhere or pick up groceries.... 
I am spoiled. I have teen kids that are more than willing to help in the kitchen. Sometimes that backfires on me in that I lose my "place" in the kitchen..Its kinda like having weak muscles...I forget how to ride that bike and have to relearn how to have some rhythm in the kitchen and get a good turn over of dishes and produce and argh...everything!!
So, here I am standing in the threshold of my kitchen. I see some dishes done, some neglected  , a failing fridge that is breaking like crazy and needs to be cleaned ...I have no idea what is in my freezer and I have clutter. Oh yeah, I have company coming over in 2 days for a party....and it is too small for us and is making dh think very seriously of yet another remodeling project
Do you have little tricks to get yourself to dig in and re-order your kitchen universe?  I really do need some upgrades that would make this place run better, but meanwhile we still have to eat. I tried to convince my family that eating was such a drain of our time and resources and we should just give it up this year...LOL..but they didn't go for it...wonder why 
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Finding Elegant Simplicity
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Mimip
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Donna, I sooooo feel you right now!!!!
I NEED some meal planning time in this house and with no older kids and a VERY tight budget, I dread the kitchen!
Cookbooks totally overwhelm me and it does not help that I really am not a good good cook. 
We live in S. FLA so all those wonderful soups and crockpot dishes simply make me want to sweat.
Tuning it for some great advice....
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Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
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Donna Marie
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I hear you Mimi! I am trying to get more in touch with my inner Jen Mac.... Love you, Jenn! 
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Finding Elegant Simplicity
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CrunchyMom
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Donna Marie wrote:
| I hear you Mimi! I am trying to get more in touch with my inner Jen Mac.... Love you, Jenn! |
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Well, one thing I do is go look at the organizing and menu planning posts at Jenn's blog I imagine that might be what Jenn does, too, when she gets overwhelmed 
After my youngest was born in March, I subscribed to a menu planning service (Fresh 20) that gave a shopping list and a menu plan for each week and followed it rather faithfully for several weeks.
It was pricey, but healthier than the equally pricey option of grabbing take out and more frugal than letting food go to waste. I stopped when we started getting our CSA veggies since that was unpredictable, but it was a good jump start to get me going and making things in the kitchen again.
I would recommend something like that for getting motivated. Even your "helpers" can follow it, and you don't have to commit to it forever, but just a few weeks of new foods and having all the thinking done for me was a great kitchen pick me up.
Also, you might just take a few days to deep clean the kitchen. When all my cupboards are organized and counters cleared, etc..., its often like having a brand spankin' new kitchen! Maybe if you can just hold your nose and focus on the kitchen for a couple of days, you can find your new baseline for maintenance.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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SeaStar
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Along with Lindsay's suggestion of cleaning the kitchen, a fun thing to do is a "kitchen challenge".
While you are gathering ideas here, go through all your food (pantry, fridge, freezer) and challenge yourself to use up what you already have.
This would be fun to do with your teens... have a contest to see who can come up with the best meal using what you already have. Let the family vote.
Winner can have a week off kitchen duty.
At the end you will have a cleaner kitchen with more space to start using some of the brilliant ideas that will being coming to you here (though not from me... I am perfectly happy to have popcorn for dinner 5 nights a week )
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JodieLyn
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When you have helpers, have them give you a couple of meals each that they'll be in charge of.. then you can incorporate those into your plan and figure out the food for them.. and work around those meals for leftovers and shopping.
When I'm lost in the kitchen I either 1) make a list of everything that needs to be used up or 2) make a list of favorite meals that most everyone likes (ask the others their favorite meals if you're coming up blank)
And then I at least have something in front of me to work with.
Mimi - check out the crockpot dishes that are like the pulled (bbq) pork that you serve as sandwiches. Even during the summer I make large pots of beans (in the electric roaster set out on the patio) not because anyone want to eat a bowl of hot bean soup. But because we would use them for burritos as refried beans.
And that's one of my "go to meals" when we need something fast, when nothing sounds good, when there's not much in the house, when prices at the grocery store hurt.. bean burritos makes everyone happy. (though if the prices keep going up someone here is gonna have to make the tortillas instead of buying them)
I've noticed lately whereas I've always enjoyed the challenge of grocery shopping to get the best deals and keep our costs down.. even when our money was really tight.. the prices right now leave me feeling depressed. I told dh I'm not worried about post partum depression but this post grocery shopping depression is hard.
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Donna Marie wrote:
| I hear you Mimi! I am trying to get more in touch with my inner Jen Mac.... Love you, Jenn! |
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Love you back!
Wish I could pop over for an intense, get-your-hands-all-in-it-clean-the-kitchen weekend!
 I'd bring you a new/old vintage apron to wear! Nothing like a pretty and cheery new apron to get the clean up rolling!
And I'd spray you with a favorite perfume because ALL my boys are TOTALLY into Mom smelling pretty and they ALL got me different perfumes for Christmas...and here's a crazy thing...it's kinda nice smelling pretty while cleaning out the fridge!
And then, we'd enlist olders to take care of littlers for the day, placating them with ANY convenience food that exists in the house, and allowing an obscene amount of movie time on the tv.
And turn on fun music! Rosemary Clooney. Celtic Woman. Jazz. ANYTHING that makes you smile and sets a cheery atmosphere!
Then, I'd empty your cupboards and pantry onto the table, floor, wherever, and we'd dump old stuff, and reorganize food as it goes back in!
We'd find 2 or 3 things from your cupboards - bowl, tea set, mug, wooden bowl - 2 or 3 random anythings that you think are pretty and make you smile. We'd find a special place for those out somewhere - so they can make you smile more!
We'd do the same thing with the fridge - empty it ENTIRELY, totally wipe it down, put a towel under the edges of the fridge, get a scrub brush and a degreaser and SCRUB THE HANDLES AND ICKY OUTSIDE where the kids have left their mark...you know what I'm talkin' bout right? And, we'd use whatever we can find to cover up little nicks in the fridge paint (white-out if the fridge is white, model paint that exists in the boys room for any other color (like silver for stainless), acrylic paint from the craft stash if we have to.) Hey - it's a temporary fix and spruce up!
Time for a short tea/coffee break. I'll have coffee au' lait and we'll chat about something super important....like....our hair!!!!
Back to work...time to empty every drawer! YUCK! So many crumbs and pasta pieces - where did all that come from? Vacuum them out. Wipe them out. Line them with something happy....something on hand...any wallpaper remnants lying around? Contact paper? Laminated scrapbook paper would do! Refill the drawers thoughtfully! We'd chat about how you work in the kitchen - where you do most of your prep work? Where the girls tend to work the most? What are their favorite tools? We'd put the tools most frequently used in spots that make sense and THEN we'd SERIOUSLY CONSIDER purging a bunch of that excess stuff. A good knife does just about everything you need - so do we need 14 other gadgets that basically do something a good knife would do? Nope! We'd smile as we put a bunch of redundant stuff in a big box to be given away! And you'd start to smile with all the room you have!
The girls would walk in and we'd give them a BIG HUG! They'd comment on our progress and we'd send them out with cheese and apple slices for the littles!
We'd scrub the sink...THOROUGHLY! Ah! A clean sink.
And then we'd scrub the cooktop!
More coffee and tea with leftover cheese and apples! We'd sit down at the table and I'd show you emealz which will spit out a week's worth of menus cued to your favorite grocery store, a menu that makes use of the store's sales for the week which would save you lots of time (no more figuring out menus) and money (because if you clip a few coupons in addition to using a menu that takes advantage of sales you CAN SAVE BIG!). There is a fee - you can subscribe for as little as 3 months for $21, but I have really enjoyed it. We've been in a rut lately, and so I tried it and I love it! emealz will also accommodate various special diets like a diabetic/lower carb diet, or gluten free.
After looking at emealz, if you decided that wasn't for you, I'd help you get your little menu system refreshed. And we'd decide on a simple menu plan for your party and we would IMMEDIATELY email everyone invited and politely request that they bring a simple dish to share!!!
We'd clean the windows (what a HUGE difference clean windows make!!!!) and toss the curtains into the wash. And...I'd look out the windows - is it cheery out there? Do gardens need weeding? Could you put a birdfeeder out there? We'd quickly scramble so that the view from your kitchen is cheery and inspiring!
We'd pop in your closet and pick out something that would look FABULOUS for your party, throw a brilliant scarf and earrings together, and I'd leave a little perfume sampler so you can smell fabulous for your party!!!
Last, but not least, we'd talk about delegating some maintenance chores to those super helpful kiddos so that dishes don't pile up, crumbs aren't left under the table, tables and surfaces get wiped regularly.
Then, in my fantasy world, I'd whisk you out for dinner and wine where we would spend the entire night talking about our favorite books....because the kids would be behaving like angels at home! I'd give you a hug and come back to my mountains, leaving you refreshed in your sparkly, pretty kitchen with a plan for your party! WHEW!!!! What a FANTASTIC AND BUSY WEEKEND!!!!
Sending all the inspiring thoughts that I can muster your way!!!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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Oh look...I was cross-posting and all our friends popped by to help out, too! Oh, I love chatting about hair and kitchens with bunches of people! Aprons all-round!!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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And wine. Any good kitchen clean out involves a delicously big glass of wine in the evening as a little reward! 
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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And...can I just say how HILARIOUS IT IS that I can manage to combine perfume, hair, kitchen re-organization and inspiration, books and wine all into the same theme???
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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Donna Marie
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Jen! You are AMAZING!!!!!
and funny!
I was thinking of getting a new vintage apron made tonight and some new dishtowels in something pretty. And I think that finding pretty in unexpected little ways will help me tons! I have the kids taking the curtains down to be washed as we speak and I put my dd in the kitchen sink so she can reach the tops of the inside of the windows over it! I am sending my teenaged son outside on the ladder...I have an old fashioned 1923 house and that is how you get windows clean in 1923...LOL
I never thought of making things pretty OUTSIDE the window. I had a Catholic dad say that "real Catholics don't get the January doldrums because we KNOW HOW TO PARTY! ...it isn't Lent YET!" 
I so needed your post. I am laughing and hugging my M mug (a large polka-dotted mug with a big M on it for supermom from my superkids) and feeling encouraged!
I want to live near you!!
I need some serious girl time. I have no one here that understands that whole homeschooling mother culture thing as only 4realers do!
If I find something good in there...I will share! I love you Jen!...I love all of you!!
hi-ho-hi-ho it's off to work I go...
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Finding Elegant Simplicity
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Mackfam
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GREAT JOB enlisting everyone to help you get this project rolling!
And the great thing about us gals here is that....even if we are all far removed from each other....when you take a short break and are sitting down with your tea/coffee....just pop over here and we can talk about all those important things that girls like to chat about when they've been cleaning the kitchen...like HAIR!!!!
Happy-cheery-inspiring kitchen cleaning thoughts coming your way, Donna Marie!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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JodieLyn
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oh Jen, that's hilarious
Speaking of kitchen pretties though. I've started crocheting some new dish cloths (the washcloth size, not towels). And so that's kinda fun and pretty to have new dishcloths and in colors I've picked and ones I've made myself. Plus it's giving me that time of sitting and crocheting in the evenings without it being a huge project.
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G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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ekbell
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I don't have kitchen windows and it's past time to clean and refreshing the kitchen 
What I have done in the past is write down an inspirational motto or prayer on the white tile over the sink with colorful white board crayons (very handy on for most smooth, non-porous surfaces, including sheet protectors and good for all ages).
Any suggestions for a new motto/prayer?
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And, I have a little gift for you to skim through on one of your first coffee breaks, Donna Marie....
Pretty Little Ways
Love your ideas of the new dishtowels - that IS very cheery!!!! I really cheered up my kitchen about a year ago with some simple flour sack towels that were printed with this reddish/crimson print - all french. Tres chic! I found them on ebay for about $5 for 30 - !!!!!!!!!
And Jodie's hand crocheted dishcloths sound so inspiring! Love the idea of doing something for your kitchen - in colors you enjoy! VERY, very inspiring!
Hey - I might have to get in my kitchen and scrub with you just so we can be united in our kitchen cleaning effort!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Donna Marie
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We JUST saw a peregrine falcon outside our window!! God just sent a little pretty outside our kitchen window!!
I love inspiration!!
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Finding Elegant Simplicity
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ekbell wrote:
Any suggestions for a new motto/prayer? |
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This is one of my favorites - but I don't have any pretty tile to write on:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
(Psalm 51:10)
I've always like the idea as I work to make clean/tidy spaces, of the work that must go into making my heart clean as well - and working with a steadfast spirit is definitely something I need to be reminded of from time to time.
Good luck finding an inspiring quote, ekbell!
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Jen Mackintosh
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lapazfarm
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On a slightly different note: whenever I find myself lacking inspiration in the menu-planning department, I watch a few cooking shows (Iron Chef, Top Chef, Jaimie at Home, etc) and that usually gets my creative juices flowing. I RARELY, if ever, use any of the recipes from these shows, but I do find that just watching them inspires me to be more creative in my menu choices,makes me think more about balance of flavors and presentation, and encourages me to try different side dishes or flavor profiles I haven't used in a while.
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Angi
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I do love a good vintage apron, that tends to get me motivated. But alas, the ONE that I own seems to be AWOL since the move. I cannot do anything other than clean and tidy, we are in a rental.
For menu planning, I take the kids to the library, and look through cookbooks found in the children's department - they have easier meals in them.
Our current fave is Rachel Ray 30 Min Meals for Kids, Just do not make the hot dog pizzas 
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JodieLyn
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ekbell wrote:
| Any suggestions for a new motto/prayer? |
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I pick quotes depending on what's bothering me.. so when I start to feel worried and fussy about future events I put
Quote:
| Matthew 6:34. Be not therefore solicitous for to morrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. |
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where I can see it often.
Or when I know it's just my attitude about my circumstances getting in my way I like.
Quote:
| "The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our disposition, and not our circumstances." - Martha Washington |
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I find this one inspiring too
Quote:
| True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost. -Arthur Ashe |
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And when a bit of humor about the situation feels nice
Quote:
| "Now, HERE, you see, it takes all the running YOU can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" - Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll |
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And I really enjoy comtemplating the refrain from John Denver's song "Matthew"
Quote:
Joy was just the thing that he was raised on.
Love was just the way to live and die.
Gold was just the windy Kansas wheat fields.
Blue, just the kansas summer skies.
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And I saw this somewhere and find it to be a good reminder
Quote:
Peace: It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: What do you do to inspire yourself...
