Helping Your Kids Prepare for a Move

Yesterday I helped a couple of our teenage foster daughters prepare for a move into a new home. In our organization, Shelter Care, our girls live with a permanent set of house parents for most of the month. Each house of girls (three houses) comes to stay with us for about a week every month for "relief." This gives their houseparents some time off during the month.

Shelter Care recently purchased a house to replace a current one which could only house two girls. This one will allow us to provide a home for three girls.

So I helped our girls go through their bedrooms. We got rid of stuff they no longer needed or wanted. We organized items into categories: winter clothes, memories, sewing/crafts, school supplies, books, hygiene/cosmetic products, etc.

This allowed them to see what they have, how much they have in each category, and what kind of storage they will need when they move. We put things in clear storage containers or labeled boxes so they know exactly what is in each when they unpack.
Then we hauled a couple of loads over to the new house and put their boxes in their new rooms.

I think it's going to be nice for them to start over, organize their stuff, and create a system to maintain their organization. I have a feeling I might be involved in that aspect, too!

If you are moving, taking some time with your child to go through the same process is really rather freeing. It's a time to enjoy memories and special possessions, realize growth as certain items are no longer meaningful, and anticipate a new beginning and adventure!

Foil - A Griller's Friend

Memorial Day Weekend is the official start of grilling season, but we grill whenever we have a chance! In the summertime, I love trying to figure out menus that are cooked entirely on the grill, in the microwave, or not cooked at all.

Foil can be used in many ways to make this possible. Baked potatoes can be baked on the grill - adding oil, herbs or your choice of seasonings before you wrap each one in foil. They take 45-60 minutes - turn several times. Sweet potatoes don't take as long, but are just as easy!

Corn on the cob can be wrapped in foil and grilled as well. You don't even need to remove the silks, as they come off easily after cooking. You may want to add an ice cube or some butter before you wrap it up. Grill 15-30 minutes, turning frequently.

An easy way to grill vegetables is inside a foil envelope. Place grillable veggies on an open piece of foil - squashes, asparagus, peppers, mushrooms, and onions (in small pieces). Toss with Italian dressing or another marinade. Fold the foil to make a loose envelope. Grill approximately 20 minutes, turning frequently.

When all the grilling is done, use the foil to clean off the grill, according to Woman's Day, June 1 issue (www.womansday.com)! Crunch it into a ball and rub it across the grate - how easy is that?

For more grilling recipes and ideas, see the summer months in our Hassle Free Dinners CD - 52 weeks of dinner menus, instructions, and grocery lists (www.1-2-3GetOrganized.com).

Score: Squirrels 1, Bev 0

When I looked outside at my herbs today, they were all dug up, compliments of the squirrels! I was so disappointed!

My husband suggested that if we waited to plant from seeds again we'd have herbs by August! I agreed and admitted defeat. So we went out this evening and bought herb plants. We did go ahead and water the herb seeds, however, hoping that some might come up. Parsley is the only area that wasn't destroyed, so we may have massive quantities of parsley this year!

My next door neighbor commiserated with me and suggested chili pepper. So once we watered, I sprinkled my garlic oil repellant and chili powder on the top of the soil in the planters. I wonder if it will effect the taste of the herbs? I will continue to try some herbs from seed - I really do want to succeed at this!

I'm experimenting with some new varieties - at least to me. Dwarf curry, lime basil, and stevia an herb that is sweeter than sugar. I'm going to try mixing it with my mint leaves when I make mint tea (with no tea) this summer.

More Reviews by Multitasking Mama

Multitasking Mama has reviewed Three Steps to Planning Dinner and Hassle Free Dinners, part of our 1-2-3...Get Organized series on her terrific blog! Click on her link on the right.

Dinner in 10 - Herbed Tilapia

Herbed tilapia has become one of my favorite dishes since last summer. One night I just picked a handful of various herbs - cilantro, parsley, chives, and basil. I cut them up with scissors, sprinkled some olive oil in a nonstick pan and threw in the herbs for a minute or so on medium high heat.

Placed the tilapia filets on top of the herbs and cooked until I could see white around the edges - they are very thin and cook very quickly. Turned them over for another few minutes. Seasoned to taste. If you're not a big fish fan (I'm not) tilapia is ideal - it doesn't taste real fishy. If you don't have fresh herbs, used dried ones to your taste.

In the meantime, microwave some broccoli, steam some frozen corn, and cut up some watermelon. A quick, fresh meal!

Feed the Squirrels? - Hah!

The other day one of our teenage foster daughters suggested we feed the squirrels in our back yard. Feed the squirrels? Hah! I think she was a little surprised at my reaction.

I think I have done my part. When we lived in Maryland, we had a dwarf plum tree which grew the best plums in the world. The first year that the tree really produced, we had so many plums we were giving them away!

Until the squirrels discovered how good they were. They would climb up the tree, pick a plum, take a few bites, and throw it down on the ground. The last year we were there, they ate all the plums on the tree - we didn't even get one! You see, plums don't ripen well when picked early - we tried. The squirrels would pick them just before they were ripe and discard them.

My husband thought it was nice that we were providing food for God's creatures. I would stand guard by the door and run out and shoo them away. Feed the squirrels? Hah!

When we moved here to Ohio, we planted raspberries and blueberries. Last year we watched with eager anticipation as a few berries of each kind started budding and growing. One day we went out to check on our berries and they were all gone! And the squirrels were getting fatter. Feed the squirrels? Hah! Visions of pea shooters were dancing in my head!

In late winter this year, we noticed that we had our own personal lawn aerating system, compliments of the squirrels, as they dug up their buried treasure. We still have bald spots in our yard as a result of their thoughtfulness. Feed the squirrels? Hah! We've done our part!

Remember the herb garden I planted from seed in planters? It's been a little chilly this spring, so it has taken a while for the little sprigs to show their heads. One day I went to check on them, and someone had been digging in my planters!!! Now visions of air guns were dancing in my head!!!

However, I have a found a much more humane way to deal with my squirrel issues. Repels-All Animal Repellent by Shot Gun (I find the brand name somewhat comorting!). Lest you worry, it does no harm to animals or to plants - the main ingredient is garlic oil. Yes, my garden is fragrant, but it is in tact! So far.

It is supposed to repel armadillos, beavers, birds, cats, crows, chipmunks, deer, groundhogs, mice, pocupines, rabbits, raccoons, rats, skunks, and shrews. Hmmm ... I just noticed squirrels are not on the list. We'll see.

It rains a lot here in Ohio, so I've reapplied it. I sprinkled it in my herb garden, around the berry bushes, and I'm keeping watch. We have lots of berries on our bushes this year - a dream of mine for years - to be able to walk outside and pick berries for our fruit salad! If I have to, I'll go buy nets to cover the bushes!

Feed the squirrels? Hah! I've done my part!

Another Multitasking Mama Review

Multitasking Mama's review of our Three Steps to Organizing Your Office is posted on her blog. Check it out and enter her contest by clicking her link in my links list on the right! She has an amazing site!