Wash Wednesday: The Holiday Septic Tank Shock

You may feel a little overstuffed from the holidays, but imagine how your sink feels. You've crammed items down the sink all week. Prepping, cooking and then cleaning. Think before you garbage dispose it.

Statistics show that there are more plumber calls the day after Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. I know this all too well in the time I worked at American Home Shield. And it's not just the kitchen sink. Dishwashers back up and, if you think about it, you've had more visitors in your home than normal. More visitors equal more toilet flushes. The sink, the dishwasher, the toilet...all of this can be a perfect storm for septic pipes and tanks. I know, it's not what you want to think about while cooking, but it could save you a lot of money in the long run.

Scrape your plates into the garbage and rinse them before putting them in the dishwasher. You may have a garbage disposal, but  be sure to use it properly.

Your garbage disposal is not a trash can. It's for small food pieces that may not go down your pipes. Never put rice, pasta or bones in your disposal. If you find it is not coming on, there is a reset button under the bottom of the disposal. Push it and see if that works.



ALWAYS run water before, during and after running the disposal. This is necessary for it to work properly. And keep your disposal clean. I put egg shells in my disposal to clean it. I also like to use Plink in my system. I have found these at Bed, Bath and Beyond. They clean the disposal and make the kitchen smell great.

As far as the restrooms go, please inform your family and guests that only toilet paper and bodily fluids should be flushed. No paper towels, no feminine products and no diapers. The last thing you need is a clogged potty.

Good luck and have fun. Just think twice before putting something down the pipes.

Tip Tuesday: Making Your Holiday Dollar Stretch

The holidays can be a difficult time. We're stretched thin for time AND money. Buying gifts, buying food, buying decorations...it can all be a little overwhelming. Here's a few easy and quick tips that will help you mange time, find the better deals and save a little money.

Do your research. Price check and compare. Some stores will offer a price adjustment if you purchase something and still have the receipt.

Clip coupons. It may seem time consuming but is worth it. I like to make a game out of it. I try to save more each time I go shopping. Now, be careful that you only buy products that you'd normally buy. Don't buy something you'll  never use just because you have a $1.00 off coupon.

Get a twitter account. Tweets are easy and quick to read. Quite often, they have good links to amazing deals. A few of the folks I follow are @mommysavers and @retailmenot. Mommysavers is also a blog that you can read if you don't want to open a twitter account. You can see it at www.mommysavers.com.

Follow www.woot.com. There are some great  deals on that website. One deal, one day.

Trust your instinct. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. Go with your gut. You're a mom. You've got that instinct now.

Get creative with the leftovers. We'll be profiling good leftover meals in the next few weeks.

Make Monday: Cute Turkey Centerpieces

Need a cute centerpiece for Thanksgiving? Here's an idea for a project for kids that will keep them busy while you're basting, chopping and baking. Make sure you handle the hot glue first and let them decorate!

Supplies:
1 bottle cap from a pop bottle
whole walnut in shell
hazelnut (filbert) in shell
silk leaf
Sharpie marker
scraps of yellow and red felt

Hot glue the walnut to the pop bottle. Glue the hazelnut on top for the head, cut a wattle and beak as shown in the picture. Glue the leaf on the back for the tail. Using the marker, make eyes for the Turkey.

Salvation Sunday: Recharging Your Spirit

I notice, quite often, that spirituality can be like a battery. And just like a battery, it needs recharging. When I was a kid, our Church was on my walk home from school. At times when I felt my spirit was low, I would often stop in the Church and say a prayer or two. It made me feel like my spirit battery was recharged. I'm finding that it seems to be a little bit harder to charge my spirit. Maybe it's the daily pressures and stresses that I, as an adult, now face. Whatever it may be, by spirit battery still needs charging. The last thing I want is for it to go to empty.

This weekend we travelled back to my hometown for my son's baptism. We are having all of our children baptised at the same Church I was baptised at and where we were married. Makes for easier record keeping.

On Saturday my Parents suggested we go to Mass at St. Patrick's on Cedar, a Church out in the middle of the country. I was excited.  I love that Church. It's old (as in has no bathrooms it's so old), it's in the middle of the country and it has history. I needed a recharge of my Spirit, as I was feeling a bit low.

I find that going back to my roots helps to ground me. Maybe that's why it helps to recharge my spiritual battery. St. Patrick's is an Irish Catholic Church, located at the intersection of gravel road and gravel road, surrounded by acres of farmland. It has a small cemetery on the grounds behind the Church. My Great-Great Grandfather Mike Gormally is buried there.

To me, nothing grounds me more and recharges my spirit than Catholic Mass at an old Church next to a farm field. My roots. I am from a family of Iowa farmers. No matter how long I live in the city, the fresh country air and dark black Iowa soil is my home.


I snapped this picture on our way in to Church. St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Cedar. My Spirit Charger.

Shuffle Saturday: A Book for a Conservative Family (with Children)

I recently purchased and read "Help! Mom! Hollywood's in My Hamper" a book by Katherine DeBrecht. While it's not a great read for my toddler, my preschooler liked it and understood the message from it. You don't HAVE to follow what Hollywood and the Stars wear, say and believe. Just because they are Stars doesn't mean that they are an "EXPERT" as they claim to be.

The story opens with two sisters wanting to save money for a bike. Just then Daisy Smears (you see where this is going) pops out of the hamper and convinces the girls to spend all of their money on a silly old flower pot hat. One of the girls claim their mother has old flowerpots in the garage but Daisy Smears informs them they have to have a specific flower pot, as it is "All the rage". She takes all of the girls money and gives them flower pots to wear.

Needing more money for the bike, they babysit. After returning from the job, Rayonna tells the girls to buy her special Rayonna pants, Onion perfume "It's OR-GAN-IC", that they need to "strike a pose" in their new clothes. They told her they couldn't wear them to church and she informed them of "Toenailology" and that "smelling your feet unlocks all of the secrets of the universe". Yeah, you know who she's talking about now.

Once again, the girls are out of  money and have to babysit. Upon their return, the final Star pops out of their hamper. Barbara Buttersand is a "funny girl" and tries to convince  the girls that their parents have to vote for someone who doesn't have values. Besides, she's a star and knows everything.

This book, while amusing and does have a point, really doesn't seem like a book for little ones. My preschooler enjoys it, but it doesn't move fast enough for my toddler. I enjoyed this book myself. I realized who the author was talking about and found it rather amusing. You might too! The author also includes a biography of each star she mentions so you can get a better idea of who she is talking about. It's a cute and clever book that has a message.