Melissa's Idea Garden

Well, here we are...another WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer! Often on the first week of the month, we get to ask questions of others instead of offering our tips, but this month, Shannon has asked us to share our best WFMW posts. I have two to share, but I also have a question.

My question is: my daughter seriously burnt some popcorn this weekend in the microwave. I have cleaned out the sooty remnants, but it still smells like burnt popcorn whenever we use it. Do you have any suggestions about how I can deoderize my microwave?

Now for a couple of my most popular WFMW posts:

WFMW: Grocery Shopping, Lists, Coupons, Sales

Our Children's Chores and Allowance

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, here we are...another WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer! You can always find great tips at WFMW, so be sure to click the link and check out what other pearls of wisdom people are offering today!

What works for me is freebies. When funds were tight last fall, freebies helped. Free samples of shampoo, garbage bags, dishwashing detergent, and pet food are just some of the freebies I received that helped me to stretch our dollars. So I decided I would like to share freebies with you on a regular basis. Here are today's list of freebies. Be sure to come back everyday for the latest ones I can find.

Children Freebies (Baby Stuff too)

1. Coupon for Free Hannah Montana Karaoke CD - Club Libby Lu B&M
2. Free florida seafood coloring/activity books and brochures

Educational Freebies

1. Salvador Dalí Society ~ Doorway to Dalí DVD ~ $2 Shipping Fee
2. http://www.flinnsci.com/Sections/NewTeacher/kit_request.asp

Continue reading "WFMW: Fabulous Freebies- March 26, 2008" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, here we are...another WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer! You can always find great tips at WFMW, so be sure to click the link and check out what other pearls of wisdom people are offering today!

My tip for this week is to stop eating second rate chocolate. I love chocolate and have for a long, long, long time...I guess at this point, I am what you would call 'addicted'. Not many days go by without a desire on my part to have some chocolate. I have tried not buying chocolate, but still the cravings come and then I find myself substituting other things.

So I got to thinking that perhaps, I should try a different approach. Instead of trying to deny myself chocolate, I am going to let myself have chocolate, but a limited amount. I have tried this in the past, but I have always tried it with run of the mill candy bars. Now don't get me wrong Reeses Cups and Milky Ways are tasty, but they seem to just make me want more. I would get a bag, and instead of just eating one, I would eat several.

It occured to me that if I got a better piece of candy, a richer piece of candy, that I might eat less. So I went out and bought some top notch dark chocolate. I bought some Lindt and Ghiradelli. I bought the 65% to 85% types of dark chocolate. I got some that were plain chocolate and I got some that were flavored. Lindt makes a chocolate bar called Intense Orange and one called Intense Mint. So far these are on the top of my list. I let myself have a block of one of these bars after lunch and one after supper. It makes the taste buds so very, very happy!

So, if you struggle with chocolate and would like to eat less, consider allowing yourself to eat better.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, here we are...another WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer! You can always find great tips at WFMW, so be sure to click the link and check out what other pearls of wisdom people are offering today!

My tip for today is one I picked up from the mother of a friend. We often go to booksales together, my friend, Carole, and I. I overheard her mother, Betty, say something about taking out her notebook to see if she had such and such a book. Turns out she likes a few very prolific authors so she keeps the titles of the books she hasn't read written down so she can remember when she is at a book sale.

I thought this was a great idea. I write down books I am looking for in my little notebook (a miniature composition looking thing). It also means I have paper on hand to give people my phone number or email address and it is handy for jotting down blogging ideas in or gift ideas.

And that is something that works for me!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, here we are...back to WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer! You can always find great tips at WFMW, so be sure to click the link and check out what other pearls of wisdom people are offering today!

My tip for today may be one you already use. I learned it a couple of years ago from my mother-in-law. When I take the trash bag out of my trash can, I don't just get out one bag to replace it. I grab several. I drop all but one into the bottom of the trash can. Then I put the remaining one into the trash can in the correct manner.

Then the next time I have to remove trash, there is a bag already in there and it saves a trip to the sink where I store the trashbags under. I do this with all of my trashcans. It only saves a few moments and steps, but those add up!

Two more trash tips:

1. For small trash cans, use the plastic bags from Walmart, Target, etc. They are free, abundant, and it is recycling.

2. Buy Simple Tie trashbags from Sam's. You get 300 in a box. They last forever!. They are better quality than most cheap bags and they are inexpensive. I believe I paid less than 10 dollars for them, but I have had them so long, I honestly forget!

Hope my tips today are of use to you! If you want to read my other WFMW posts, just go to my main page, scroll down and click on the WFMW category.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, here we are...back to WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer! You can always find great tips at WFMW, so be sure to click the link and check out what other pearls of wisdom people are offering today!

My tip for this week is how to cut down on your large piles of laundry. Do you ever think back to in the 1800s when most people only had a couple of outfits? For example they would wear one of two dresses during the week and another on Sunday. Of course, washing was a lot more difficult back then too. So between not having a lot of income and the difficulty of the chore, they kept their clothing to a minimum.

Nowadays, we have tons of clothes. I have two dressers and one nightstand full of clothing. I have clothes in the closet and probable a few other places too. My kids have lots of clothing, my husband has lots of clothes. And for the older ones of us, there are the skinny clothes and the fat clothes... but I digress.

So, to cut down on the laundry you are doing, my suggestion is to only wash clothes that are dirty.

Think about it:

Continue reading "WFMW: Cutting Down On Laundry" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATE! Rebecca from Rebecca's Walk and Mamacita from Big Tall Fresh Air were the random winners of this giveaway! Thanks to all who commented and I wish I had more to give away!

Well, here we are...back to WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer!

I try to start my days with 30 minutes of devotional time. I have found that when I do, that the rest of my day runs more smoothly. Even though sometimes, I think that I should spend the time on it because I have a million other things to do and something won't get done if I do it, it never turns out that way. Everything else gets done and I feel more at peace while doing it. Now don't get me wrong, there are days, that my devotions get put off til lunch time, bed time or get missed completely, but my goal and what works best for me is to start my day off in the Word of God.

Continue reading "WFMW: Daily Devotions, Book Review (101 Cups of Water) and a Giveaway!" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, here we are...back to WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer!

I don't like to sit idle. There are so many things I enjoy doing, that sitting idle is difficult for me. While I am sitting having conversations, I have a terrible habit of thinking of the other things I should be doing or could be doing. This divides my attention and makes me a poor listener. So, I have found a way to help me get past this. A way that helps me to be a good friend and to satisfy my inner A type personality. I crochet, knit, embroider or do needlepoint. These are all activities that are fairly easy to carry with me and that enable me to talk and get something done at the same time. Of these, I find knitting and crocheting to be the most conducive to paying attention during a conversation. And I find them to be relaxing as well. That's what works for me, perhaps it will work for you too.

Continue reading "WFMW: Staying Busy While Being Friendly" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, here we are...back to WFMW hosted by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer!

I hope each and everyone of you had a lovely Christmas break!

I was visiting a friend's blog (Scribbit) and she was talking about a situation that had occured during their Christmas celebration. You know...child gets gift and child doesn't like gift...This is one of the many things that can happen when you have children. They are after all children and it is our job to help them learn social manners. Now, we won't always be able to anticipate every situation and then we will have to have ways in mind to respond, but some things we can head off at the pass.

For instance, my mom and stepdad's home is full of antique toys, and other interesting antique items (tea cups, butter churns) that just beg for children to look at them and touch them. They also are very particular about their home...don't slide chairs across the floor for instance. So before we go, I remind them of how they are to behave while at Grandma's. Because we don't have these same issues in our home, it is not something they are used to.

Another area I am working on with my daughter is getting her and her friend to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water between Sunday School and Church. They had been getting into a habit of getting up during the service to do these things. Now they are getting into a better habit and a less disruptive one.

Continue reading "WFMW: Prepping Children for New and Not-So New Situations" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Yep, it's time for Shannon's WFMW over at Rocks in My Dryer. This week she is looking for a Christmas theme. My regular readers may have already seen this, but for new visitors, I thought I would share how we manage to keep snowflakes in our house even when there isn't snow on the ground. For other Christmas craft ideas you can visit my previous Christmas craft post. And for other wonderful Christmas tips, be sure to visit Rocks in My Dryer. !

We all love snow...lots and lots of snow! So, when we put up our Christmas Decorations, we hang our homemade paper snowflakes. They actually are left hanging when we take down the Christmas decorations. We keep them up until when I take down the St. Patrick's day decorations...the green decor with the snowflakes if very pretty.

If you want to make some of your own snowflakes, check out these websites:

Fun virtual snowflakes

Instructions for paper snowflakes

We were blessed with some sleet and snow this morning that we weren't expecting. For just a few moments, I got to see snow falling behind my Christmas tree (which is in front of our French doors). It was lovely...just wish it had lasted longer.

Continue reading "WFMW: Snowflakes - Paper and Virtual" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

We try to do different things during the Christmas season to remind the children that it is important to give rather than receive during the holidays. And we try to encourage them to think of people and pick out gifts that mean something to them. We also try to teach them that the thought behind the gift is more important that the price tag.

So ever since my stepsons were small, when Christmas time arrives, we get them to sit down and list everyone they want to buy a gift for. We encourage them to buy a gift for family members if they forget, but usually they don't. Sometimes they save up money to buy Christmas presents with, but when money has been tight and they haven't had that opportunity, then we give them money and they decide how to divvy it up. Usually they will pick a friend or two to purchase a 'nicer' gift for, and then we visit the Everything's a dollar store. They each have a list and as they pick items, they write them down on the list so they remember who is for what(this is more to make me happy - I forget, but they remember). Usually they have 20-30 people on their list.

They get a kick out of picking out, paying for and wrapping these special gifts. And it gives them an opportunity to remember that Christmas isn't just about getting presents. We have also made gifts for them to give in the past too.

That's what works for me! I hope it will be helpful to you! If you have tips you would like to share or if you want to read other great ideas, go check out this weeks Works For Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer!

And below you will find a list of my previous WFMW posts.

Continue reading "WFMW: Encouraging My Children To Give Christmas Gifts" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This week, Shannon is looking for the following:

It's 5:15 pm, the kids are hungry, you have a headache, hubby is almost home, and the pantry has three things in it. What is your BEST last-minute meal recipe?

Isn't that what TV dinners are for? Pizza Delivery? Applebee's Curbside service? Our favorite meal in these situations would be eggs, toast and fruit...you can never go wrong with breakfast for supper! But, just in case you are looking for a more 'complicated meal idea', you are going to have to keep looking...we go for simple around here!

Continue reading "WFMW: Last Minute Meal Idea" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

When I was spending my last Christmas at home before going to college, my mother handed me a treasured gift. She gave me a metal box full of recipes that over the years I had enjoyed or ones that she thought I would enjoy in the future. Among those recipes were ones from my both of my grandmothers, my great grandmothers and friends of my mom. As I began to cook on my own, I added recipes from in-laws, friends, and magazines. Now that I am on the web all of the time, I am picking up yummy recipes here.

So back over the summer, I began a project. I didn't want to have to copy a recipe every time someone wanted one and I wanted to pass on the legacy that my mom had given me to those in my own family. So I set down and put every recipe I had into Microsoft Word. I sorted them by types of dishes (appetizers, drinks, desserts, pork, poultry, etc) into their own folder. Then I burned my recipe folder onto CDs and gave one to my stepsons, gave one to my mom, my stepmother and I have given several away as gifts. Currently there are about 500 recipes in my file. To add new recipes, I pull them out of magazines and add them periodically to my file. When I burn my next disk, they will be included. The one thing I hadn't figured out what to do with was recipes I ran across while blogging.

Continue reading "WFMW: Organizing Recipes" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

I love getting freebies. Not only do they make going to the mail a much happier event (people don't send letters much anymore so my mailbox seems to be full of bills and junk). But freebies add some fun to our life! They enable us to have some things that otherwise we wouldn't have. I have even received items that I have then given away in contests on my blog or as gifts to people. And some freebies have enabled me to learn about a product without an upfront investment. If I like it, great! If I don't, then I have saved myself some money!

Here are some places I frequent for great contest links and freebies!

Laura Williams Musings - she was just voted #5 out of the top 20 contest blogs out there! I have won so many great things thanks to her daily contest posts! It is a must stop every day for me.

Free Stuff Times - this site lists free stuff that you can get from all over the web.

International Freebies For All - tired of seeing for U.S. residents only, then check out this site!

It's All Free Online- another freebie website

Continue reading "WFMW: Freebies and Contests!" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

I like to do a lot of things! I enjoy needlepoint, reading, playing video games, playing cards with my kids. I hate times when I am forced to wait somewhere away from home because I sit and think about what I could be doing. So I have a way around this. I never go anywhere without the current book I am reading and I always have a pack of cards in my pocketbook...always. And if I know I am going to be someplace where I need to be more attentive than having my nose stuck in a book, I take my needlepoint (somplace like gymnastics). That way, if the car breaks down and i have to wait for a jumpstart, i have a book to read. If the kids are bored, I have cards to play.

And my kids follow my example. They don't leave the house without something to occupy themselves with in the car. We live 30 minutes from most anywhere. And they like to keep busy. One time, when they were visiting with friends in town, Sharee told them they were going to run to the grocery store (5 minutes away and my friend shops daily). Jack told her just a minute that he had to go to the bathroom (I train my kids to use the restroom before we leave because unless they want to go behind a tree, it will be thirty minutes before the next bathroom). And then he started gathering his stuff. Sharee said 'Jack, we are only going to be gone for about 15-20 mintues. Jack was flabbergasted! What!? We wouldn't even have reached our destination by then! Even though Jack is not in the Boy Scouts, he certainly agrees with their motto!

Previous WFMW Posts:

WFMW: Local Auctions and Book Sales

WFMW: Keeping Up With Library Books

WFMW: Increasing Traffic

WFMW: Grocery Shopping, Lists, Coupons, Sales

Works for Me Wednesday: Saving Money

WFMW:Our Children's Chores and Allowance

Works For Me Wednesday: Adding income to our Single Income Family

That's what works for me! I hope it will be helpful to you! If you have tips you would like to share or if you want to read other great ideas, go check out this weeks Works For Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This weeks WFMW is backwards. Instead of giving advice, I get to ask for it. And I can't wait to hear the answers to this one!

Why is it that when your house is quiet, the children are all getting along and there is harmony in the air...why is it that that changes the instant they realize you have placed a phone call? Suddenly, there are arguments, things that are needed right away and injuries that need to be tended to? I have been trying to deal with this problem since my step sons were young...16 years, and still I have no full proof way! I would love to hear how you handle this problem.

And in exchange for your wisdom, I am going to share three contests that I am running on my blog....all for free books and all you have to do is comment! It doesn't get any better than that!

Win High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain - Ends 6 pm November 9th.

Win One of Five Autographed Copies of The Meeting of Anni - Ends November 11th

Win When The Morning Comes by Cindy Woodsmall -Ends November 6 pm 14th

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

I love yard sales, flea markets, auctions, estate tag sales and book sales. You never know what cool stuff you are going to find at a great price! But I don't get the local paper, so sometimes it is hard to keep up with local events like this. However I have found a couple of websites to help.

There is the Auction Zip website. You simply choose your state and look around. You can even get information regarding upcoming auctions in your area emailed to you.

Do you like books? Want to pay great prices for them? Well, then you are going to love Book Sale Finder.com. Find out all the libraries and other book sales going on in your area! Visit the website and you can set up a profile so thtat reminders will be mailed to you!

And one last little tidbit...I use this particular site when researching books to sell on eBay. It gives me an idea of what prices I should be asking for my books. Addall is also a great way to find rare books that you are looking for. I have never looked up a book that didn't show up on Addall.

Be sure to check out other great ideas over at Rocks in My Dryer

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Do you have trouble keeping up with library books? Are your fines getting large enough that you are worried the library police may show up at your door? (Don't laugh, this has actually happened). What would you say if I told you I have only once paid an overdue library fine and I am honestly still not sure how it happened. I think the library made an error, but I had no way to prove it, so I just paid what they said I owed.

Well, here is what we do. Our library is set up where we can view the list of books we have checked out by going online. So even though they give me a lovely receipt when I check my books out, that always ends up in the recycling bin. We keep up with our books via the Internet.

We go to the library the same day each week. Currently, that day is Tuesday. When we come home with our treasures, we have a place beside a bookshelf in our den where books are displayed. Katrina has a stack and Jack has a stack. We place our library bag beside their stacks. When they finish a book, it goes into the bag. I started this with them when they are young and they are good about following through with it.

Then on Tuesday morning, I will pull up each of our accounts and see if anything is due that day. If it isn't in the bag, I will see if I can renew it. If i can't renew it because someone else has a hold or we have already renewed it once, I pull it out of the kid's stack and put it into the bag and off to the library it goes.

That's what works for me! I hope it will be helpful to you! If you have tips you would like to share or if you want to read other great ideas, go check out this weeks Works For Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

It is a blog eat blog world out there...how does one rise up in the ranks and get more traffic? Between February and August 15th of this year, I had about 400 visitors. I blogged sporadically, but it was also hard starting all over again. I had previously had a blog site over at Homeschoolblogger. While I loved the community there, I began thinking of using my blog as part of a business venture and I wanted to have my own domain name, so I moved. In the 18 months I had been at HSB, I had received somewhere around 13,000 visitors. That was a pretty cool number. I had received visitors from well over 100 different countries. I let all of that go to start again...that was tough! Since the middle of August, I have had over 3000 visitors! In two months! How did I accomplish that change?

Well, here are some things which have worked for me.

Continue reading "WFMW: Increasing Traffic" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)