Although I am still recovering from surgery, I am trying to use the time wisely. Since I can’t put weight on my foot, I am doing a lot of seated work. Intentional is the way I want to live my life. Too often, we are going through life reacting to our circumstances instead of working toward the goals we want to achieve. So, Intentional is my word of the year and intentionally plan my goals for this year.
This post contains affiliate link in which I receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Intentional Personal Goals
I am desperately trying to give up soda. Having been a soda addict for years and knowing how bad it is for me, it is still a struggle to give it up. I have a blog post coming up with my plan on how to do it.
Every year I read the Bible all the way through and I still learn something new every time. I am looking for a new yearly devotional if anyone has one they love. Last year, I used Savor and loved it
.Intentional Health
Tacking healthy habits onto something I already do or exchange an unhealthy habit for a healthier one I’ve read is a great way to make them stick. I am drinking more water, each time I feel hungry I reach for the water first. Exercising at least 3 days per week even while healing. I have found a great many videos on Youtube to exercise with an injured foot including exercises in bed. and Sit and Be Fit were all great. Just because one part of my body is injured is no excuse for not exercising. It just has to be modified.
Intentional Marriage
It is so easy as the years go by to take your spouse for granted. I plan to be intentional in praying for my husband, showing him respect and love. We made plans for date nights bimonthly, taking time to talk beyond the surface stuff, go away for our anniversary and read/ listen to ways to improve our marriage.
Intentional Parenting
I’ve been reading Parenting Teens with Love and Logic. There is some great stuff in there. It is parenting from the offensive instead of the defensive position. Our youngest will be a teenager in 2 months. And what worked with one child might not work at all with the next child. You need to find their “hot spot.” I am working on being firmer, sometimes I can be to soft and need to be more logical.
Intentional Homemaking
I have been watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix lately. When we moved it was horrible. We have too much stuff! I plan on eliminating a lot of things in our home. I’m working on a plan to teach my children to cook more. and that’s something I enjoy. I’d love to try making some of the bakery items from The British Baking Show Masterclass.
Intentional with my Blog
I plan to be more intentional about posting on a regular schedule of Mondays and Thursdays. I would love to answer more questions for you for the struggles in your life. And soon there will be a free subscribers area. Freebies!
Do you have a word of the year? What is your plan to make it happen?
Mom life is hard. Getting everyone fed, with healthy foods, and on a budget is even harder. So I’m sharing my favorite products to make your life and dinners a little easier.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.”
Instant Pot
As you know from my last post, that I love my Instant Pot. I can cook cheaper cuts of meat that fall apart that when you pick them up, they’re that tender. And if I forget to thaw it, you can put your meat in and still have dinner, only a little bit later.
Accessories
This accessory pack has the basics you will use. I love making the sou-vide egg bites and trying different flavors. The springform pan makes cheesecake a breeze. Making rich flavorful stock with the steamer basket is a cinch since all you do is pull out the basket. Yum, Stock ready and waiting for you.B
Stack N’ Cook Pans
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these Stack N’ Cook pans. I make custard in them almost every week. All kinds of casseroles, quiches, puddings and reheating leftovers go in these pans. It has 2 lids, 1 has holes to let the steam out. And they stack so you can have different foods in each pan.
Food Sealer
I use my food sealer to save money. When I buy meat by the case, I repackage it in meal-sized portions. You can also cook directly in the bags. I have a marinade container that quickly infuses meats.
Slow Cooker
I use my slow cooker to start supper after breakfast. I make up a lot of freezer meals and then, it’s just dumping and cook. And coming in after being out of your home; the smells are incredible.
Stand Mixer
Having a stand mixer makes cooking faster, easier and uses more variety. Cakes, breads, pies, muffins and you can even shred your cooked chicken in your mixer. I can leave it mixing and work on another part of dinner while it’s kneading my bread.
Freezer Meals
Mega Cooking is my all time favorite for freezer cooking.
Both of these cookbooks not only have the main dishes but sides, desserts, and sauces. I use them all the time. Not Your Mother’s Freezer Book also has meal plans done for you.
Imersion Blender
I use my Immersion Blender to use in a hurry or for small jobs in the kitchen. But my favorite way to use this is in pureeing soups. I puree part of the vegetables to thicken the soup instead of using a thickener. More veggies in for healthier eating.
Vitamix
I have had a Vitamix for over 20 years. They make quick healthy smoothies, pulverizing the ice so it’s just nice and creamy. Fruit ice cream, soups, sauces, mayo just to name a few of the many dishes that can be made in your Vitamix.
What are your favorite products for getting meals on the table?
We have moved and are living in a camper this summer. Our camper has a very small kitchen with teeny tiny counters. So while I love to cook I have had to get very creative. My instant pot has become my best friend. Both because it takes the place of many different appliances in the kitchen and because it is cooler cooking with it in the kitchen.
So here are some tips on cooking in a really small kitchen.
Eliminate unnecessary items in the kitchen
Make sure everything that is in your kitchen you’ll actually use. A lot. I have packed many of the items I only use on occasion like cake decorating supplies and specialty pans. I packed most of my bigger pans and duplicates away too. I also only kept out about half of my utensils. I just have to wash dishes more. But since we don’t have a dishwasher, that way I have to keep up with it too
. Make what is in your kitchen do double duty.
As I said my Instant Pot is my best friend in the kitchen. I have made roasts in it; taco meat, custards, cakes, potatoes, eggs, breakfast casseroles, and so many more things. Just search for IP recipe of whatever you are looking for. You can find either a Youtube video or recipe for just about anything you want to make. My daughter wants to try steamed bread next week.
Keep Up with the Cleaning
Make sure you keep up with the dishes. When you only have two feet of counter space you don’t want it covered up with dirty dishes. Keep the dishes washed after every meal. I know it’s something that I should have always done but it hasn’t always been. But when there’s not a dishwasher and you have to look at them you’ll be glad for empty sinks and counters. I’m hoping this habit will carry over to our new house.
Watch How Much You Buy
The hardest thing for me cooking in a small kitchen is not actually in the kitchen. It’s in the grocery store. I have to watch how much I buy. I used to love stocking up on great bargains. But it’s not a great bargain if you have no room for it or end up throwing it out. And that’s no matter what size your kitchen is.
Simpler Cooking
While I love to cook, camper life is not always conducive to gourmet or even large recipes. I’ve learned to cook pizza on the grill. I didn’t want to turn on the oven when it’s 90 degrees. We make a lot of grilled meats for easy cooking. I make a lot of 1 pot meals either in the Instant Pot or on the stove. We try not to turn on the oven. I still want to eat healthy though so it’s not all sandwiches and s’mores. If it’s not a one-pot meal it’s usually a grilled meat and vegetable and maybe rice or potatoes for the children. I try to keep fruits and vegetables on hand for snacks.
Be Thankful for the Kitchen You Have
While I know my kitchen is temporary, I know many of you have permanent tiny kitchens. My daughter, when she moved into her apartment felt ready to cry when she saw her kitchen. It’s very small. But she is efficient and makes the most of what space she has. She even puts meals up in her freezer each month. She uses a seal a meal to make as much as possible fit in her freezer at a time. She uses her kitchen very efficiently.
So, what tips do you have for cooking in a really small kitchen?
:This post contains affiliate links. When you click through, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.
What I Liked About Productivity Boot Camp
Jordan had so many great tips and tricks she pulled out of her “Mary Poppin’s” bag. With high energy, I now know how she pulled them out of her bag and learned how to block schedule. She has a great preview of block scheduling on YouTube.
She takes you by the hand and helps you personalize a schedule just for you, finding the pain points you need to solve to make your day, month and year run smoothly. Jordan is funny and sensitive to many issues that all moms go through. From getting everyone out the door to getting her children fed, she has some grat mom hacks.
Why You Need Producivity Boot Camp
I have gotten more done after using Jordan Page’s Productivity Boot Camp than any other method I’ve ever heard. I’ve been using Pomdoro method and it seems like just when I’m on a roll, the timer dings. As a mom of 10, I think I’ve learned a lot about getting things done but, I now know even more. I was using some of these techniques, but this puts them all together. She walks you step by step and week by week into becoming a productivity ninja.
But Is it Worth the Money?
Yes. Definitely, yes! If you have ever felt like you’re floundering and not getting enough done. If you’ve ever felt like everyone else has it more together. And if you have dreams and goals that aren’t fulfilled and now all you can dream about is getting the laundry all done. which, btw, is never all done. Then, this is for you. Jordan states repeatedly that perfection is a myth. And while every day has not gone exactly according to plan, I have still accomplished more than usually do.
Its hard to believe that it’s almost time for my children to go back to school. We only have 2 in school at home now. They are in grades 7th and 9th. So while they can do most of their own back to school routines, I need to set them up.
So now is the time to be set up back to school routines. There are many little details we can do to make it easier on both ourselves and our children. Routines for breakfast and getting out the door in the morning. Routines for after school, homework and where to put everything. And a new routine for mom too.
Breakfast
Whether you make them breakfast or they get it themselves you need a breakfast routine. I do a mixture of both. I have a list of what they can eat and make for themselves. I made bags of frozen smoothie packs. There is a variety of cereal. I try to make ahead waffles that they can pull from the freezer and eat. I make a bowl of eggs with hash browns and sausage or ham mixed together to make breakfast burritos. I also make little bags of oatmeal packets for them to eat. Some days I do make breakfast of eggs and toast or pancakes.
Getting Out the Door
Our hardest back to school routine is getting out the door. This year the children have to walk to school so we will have a couple of practice days and time them. We will get up and run through their routines so they have them down pat. The biggest part of getting out the door in the morning actually happens the night before.
Evening Routine
This is a game changer. Having a good night time routine makes your morning go smoothly. The days I am to busy or if we’re gone the night before our mornings can be chaos.
This is our evening routine. After supper and cleaning up we start on our evening routine. We look at our calendar for the next day and make sure we have everything needed in backpacks for kiddos or me my purse or in the car. I do this to after repeatedly forgetting things. We lay out clothing for the next day and have showers. Everything I can possibly do the night before I try and get done. It makes mornings run much smoother. Only then we can watch a movie or veg out until bedtime.
Afternoon Routine
We have always had our children do their homework as soon as they get home from school. Now I know many people do this differently. We tell them many times, different families, different standards. They get a snack, hopefully, healthy like fruit or veggies and dip. But there are a few days I will make treats. They’ll have hot cookies the first day from school. But that’s not an everyday snack. I am retraining myself to eat healthy and training my children that the best snacks are fruits and veggies. So I try and keep a couple kinds of fruit in the house, usually what’s on sale. I keep veggies cut up in the fridge and peanut butter or ranch for dipping. There are also smoothie packs to make a quick drink if they have to be somewhere else.
As I shared in the last post here we have had a lot of new things happening. New decisions, new move, new school, new church, new (temporary) home. I told my children we have a new adventure awaiting. We’re moving into a camper. Yeah! I keep telling them it will be an adventure, but I’m not sure whether it’s to convince them or me. Maybe both.
Learning about Campers
I have been watching lots of Youtube camper vlogs. Camper tours, camper organization, fulltime camper living, camper hacks, and getting along in a camper. Although sometimes it’s hard to get along in a large apartment so I think this will be a challenge with losing over 1400 square feet. Through these, I have learned a lot of new things. I now know that Command hooks are my new best friend; with the Instapot coming in at a close second. I know more about grey and black water tanks than I ever wanted to know. Oh, and Sailor showers. Most rv’s have a cut-off water value that you turn off after you get wet to use soap and shampoo and then turn on again to rinse. With only a 6-gallon hot water heater my teenage daughter will not be a happy camper. Ha ha.
Packing
Since we are moving into a camper it makes packing more of a challenge. I have packing that goes into storage, packing for the camper and the in-between stuff. Things I don’t need now, but I will need to be able to access when I need to. Like clothes. I have 2 big closets that are almost 6 feet long. Now I have 1 6 inch closet. Yikes!
Minimalism
I think most campers or rvers must be minimalists. Otherwise, you would never have room to walk. I just never thought I would be one. I have a daughter who is a minimalist. She came over a few months ago and helped me with my kitchen. We took out 6 boxes to Goodwill and 4 bags to the trash. But I know even that won’t be enough. I am actually astonished at how much stuff we actually have. Trying to pare down to what will fit and not be too crowded will be a difficult job. I think I will actually put in the stuff in the camper I want to keep and then box up the rest. We do have a garage there so I can put boxes in there that we’ll need later in front. Like winter clothes. Although I haven’t packed them yet. We had snow here, on spring break.
We’re Moving into a Camper
So our camper was delivered tonight. That was one thing I asked while looking because we have no way to haul it. I lot of them looked at me strangely. Why have a camper unless you’re moving? This will be our home forever how long it takes until we have a house. A house is just a place. A home is the people there and what you make of it. One of my favorite books is First We Have Coffee. It is about a minster’s wife and my favorite line in the book is “Where we have heart room, we have house room.” So while our house may be small, my heart is big and I love to have guests over. So we’ll have the crowds over in the summer with big backyard BBQs and small dinners in the winter.
A Simpler Season of Life
I sat waiting on the patio for the camper to arrive and the stars felt brighter and closer. I didn’t hear one siren wailing in the night. It was peaceful. I know moving to a small town will still have problems. But they won’t be the same problems. I won’t have my daughter coming home from school after another code blue saying” No big deal. they just found a list and a picture of a gun in somebodies locker.” They’ve had 1 code blue in 5 years here. The congestion on the road is usually a horse and buggy or a farm tractor. I’m looking forward to a slower pace of life. A simpler season of life. Less stuff. More time. Less hustle. More Peace.
A New Season of Life
So I’m looking forward to this new season of life. We’ll only have 2 children at home. That’s a first in 30 years. We’ll have a much smaller space, a lot to do with the property itself but not a lot of cleaning. I hope more time to enjoy. Enjoy each other, family and friends.
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