Life is good!

I am in a very good place in my life right now, so I decided I would spread the joy around.

Realizing and acknowledging the good things in your life helps you so much. So many people are negative about life and live to complain and focus on the bad in everything. Sure, we all have bad stuff going on in our life, but do you know what? It is up to you to change your way of thinking and not dwell on things that bring you down. Thoughts are like magnets; if you think of a few good things in your life they will bring forth more good thoughts and memories. The same goes for bad thoughts. I find I can spiral downward once I have a few things go wrong and end up in a deep, dark place that is quiet a challenge to dig myself out of.

I have a few helpful tips that will make your days happy if you follow them:

Smile at and say “Hi” to a stranger today! Pick your person wisely, but while you are out for your walk or walking to the GO train or whatever, smile and say “Hi!” to someone. It will surprise you how this simple thing can make both yours and someone else’s day!

Take time to give a genuine compliment to someone each day. Making someone feel good about themself will also make you feel happy.

Greet people with a smile and a Hi whenever you can. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by a fabulous family, great friends, and a job working with people I love. I truly believe that greeting people with a big smile and a nice hello can put people at ease and make mostly all situations better!

Someone once told me a long time ago that every night when you are going to bed think of 5 things you are thankful for. This was one of the best tips I have ever received! When you remind yourself right before dozing off to sleep of things you are thankful for, that puts your mind in a good place and helps you fall asleep.

Please give these a try, you’ll be glad you did, trust me!

Remember….You can’t always control what happens, you can ONLY control how you react to what happens.❤️

Your Simply Susan quick and dirty tip of the day! 😊💛

Look good, work hard, feel great!

“I look jacked!!!”😃😄At least that’s what my husband said to me when he got home from the gym the other day.

Now he was only half kidding, but what he was referring to was that he saw himself in the mirror in the changeroom after his workout and thought to himself “I look jacked!”.

Now truth is, he probably didn’t look much different after his workout than he did an hour earlier before his workout, but I think this is important to share because he felt good. Just working out made him feel better about himself, and that’s my message.

Whether it’s a walk through the neighbourhood, a training run for a 5 km race, a zumba class, or a Crossfit WOD, it’s amazing how a little activity or exercise can make you feel better about yourself!

So get out there, and get active, you’ll better doing it.

Your Simply Susan Quick Tip of the day!😆

 

 

The Spatula! Hot, Sexy, and ohh sooo Useful!!!😆

And now for something completely different in my fit2borganized blog……..

It has come to my attention that there is a very underused utensil in everyone’s kitchen that needs to get some attention……the SPATULA!!! 😆

This is one utensil that has so many uses, but from what I have seen isn’t given the attention it deserves.

Personally, I like to have a few sizes and varieties on hand. It is definitely my most favourite and most utilized kitchen utensil, but only by me ( in my household of 4!!)

I will grab it to cook with (heat resistant one) & use it for scraping, scrambling, stirring, flipping, mixing, among a billion other things!

I always use it for scraping the last bit of batter, sauce, topping, and whatever it is you are making. My family doesn’t do this and I hate cleaning a bowl and seeing so much stuff left behind! Pet peeve for sure!

One use people don’t seem to bother with using it to clean out your peanut butter jar (or any jar for that matter, mayo, ketchup, jam)!! You can get a whole other sandwich from the jar just by using a spatula. It seems that most people can’t be bothered and just use their knife and leave it at that! Nooooooooo! ! Get out that spatula instead and use this to make your sandwich and use every last but in that jar.

Now,  I got this awesome tip from my dad….he uses it for cleaning by putting a cloth over the end! It is the perfect skinny width to get into those tiny, skinny places. It works perfectly to get into those crevasses and cracks!

I strongly encourage you all to invest in a few varieties of spatulas and start using them regularly today! They really are the best, most useful, easy-to-clean, underused utensil!

Your Simply Susan useful tip of the day! 😆

 

Children learn what they live👌

If you have children, teaching them to do chores or to cook simple meals is giving them important life skills that will not only benefit them, but everyone!

Most children are capable and happy to help out if they know they are appreciated for doing it.  Find something age-appropriate that they can help out with on a daily or weekly basis, and, if you need to, reward them with a weekly allowance for helping to take care of the house.

Chore examples are:  filling the dishwasher, setting and clearing the table before and after meals, dusting, taking care of pets, collecting and taking out garbage and recycling, collecting laundry and sorting it, washing dishes, cooking simple meals, or helping in meal preparation.

By letting your children know that what they are doing is a big help, and compensating them with praise or a reward shows them that their contribution to the family home is truly appreciated. Hopefully though your children have already realized this!😆

I believe that children need to learn to help out and take pride in their house.  If they take part in caring for their house, hopefully they will want continue this as they grow up.

We all think it is easier and faster to do things ourselves but by giving children the responsibility of having to take care of certain things on their own gives them pride of ownership. If you are always doing everything for them how are they ever going to learn to take care of themselves??

If you take the time to teach your children these important life skills, you are helping them toward an independent future.  Isn’t that what all parents want for their kids.!?!

Your Simply Susan tip of the day! 😆

Being organized, What does it mean?

Being organized means putting forth a little more effort now to make things easier moving forward.

Becoming organized is changing how you think. From when you walk in the door and put your keys down in a standard spot you always use, to filling the dishwasher in such a way that makes it easier to empty.

It’s keeping your hats and mitts in one easy access basket by the front door.  There are so many things you could start doing today that will make life easier tomorrow….as long as you keep it up!!!
Once you start thinking in an organized way, things start to fall in place and get easier. Trust me. I wasn’t always this organized! Growing up I didn’t care about it as much, or see the benefit of it as I do now. Don’t get me wrong though, my mom had places for things and everything was kept quite clean and tidy. I just realized when I became a parent and bought a house that being organized and using these basic rules across the board not only keeps me happy, but my family as well!
Organizing is taking the time to do things the right way first with schedules, organizing bins, folders, any system you can put in place for yourself or your family that makes things easier and more automatic.
So many people are in such a hurry these days and need to get places fast, and get things done quickly. So, what you need to do is to first take some time to figure out what isn’t working and find a way to make yourself more efficient.

Some things I do (apart from the few I mentioned above) are:

1. Dealing with paperwork right away as it comes in the door (recycle bin, file, make a note of dates in my planner etc.)
2. Placing my phone/purse/wallet in a designated spot.
3. Have a charging station where all devices are charged in one spot.
4. Menu planning for the week.
5. Put clothes away or in the laundry after wearing them.
6. Keep a list on your phone or planner where you can add items you regularly use that you have run out of.
7. Put things back after you use them (books, magazines, appliances etc.)
8. Putting reminders in your calendar for due dates as soon as you find out about them.

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head.  It does take some time, but putting things away and keeping “like” items together and all in one spot saves time.  Keeping regularly used items in the same spot becomes a habit in no time and is worth it!

Your Simply Susan tip of the day! 😍

 

 

Did I…..? Short and sweet

When both of my children were younger I found myself repeatedly asking them if they did certain things before they left for school each morning. After verbally asking them each day and having them still forget, I decided I had to try another approach.

I decided to write each one out a list of what they needed to have done (not automatic things) before leaving each day.

I would put it on each of their walls at their eye level right below their light switch so it was the last thing they saw before leaving their room. I find children respond to, and work very well when given visuals.

This definitely worked and I no longer had to ask them these questions every day.  Not only that, but these checked off items became a habit for them eventually.

I use visuals a lot and find that we can all use them in our lives.

Simple ideas like this help to make life easier for us all.

Making “Good mornings” better.

Mornings can be the busiest time of the day for many families. So, what I like to do is prepare as much as I can the night before.

The first thing I do is get the coffee maker set up and ready to go with mugs and vitamins ready and waiting.

The next thing I do is get out lunch/snack bags and line them up on the counter. From here I get out the containers I am goung to use.

I then cut up fruits and vegetables and divide them into the containers.  If you can, make sandwiches or salads the night before too. I then fill water bottles and put all this stuff into the fridge ready to go for the morning.

If you use prepackaged snacks get them next and put them in the bags.

One tip you could try is to make a quick list of  healthy snacks and  lunch food ideas, and put the number each person needs beside each, and post it on your fridge.  This way, if you are feeling exceptionally tired, you can just pull a “no-brainer” and quickly grab whichever of these items you have on hand.  Having the list readily available will take the leg and brain work out of this task!

The last thing I do is put out bowls and spoons for the cereal!

That’s it! It all takes me only about 10-15 minutes, but in the morning I just have to fill the bags, eat, and get everyone out the door.

I still have plenty of evening time left to put my feet up and chill!

Fridge Fudge….

Did that get your attention???  It sure would get mine! 🙂

 

Okay, but seriously, here are a few handy tips to get daily tasks done, and keep on top of due dates!

The first tip I have is to use an available space that is visible to you.  I like to use my fridge as I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  I am a bit of a neat freak, so I like to use this space, while making sure that it doesn’t become too cluttered.

I also use fridge clips to keep this week’s recipes handy.

 

 

I have a white board that I use daily to keep track of what I need to do that day.  I, for one, love erasing each item as I complete it, so to write down tasks to complete is very satisfying!  Give yourself an attainable list that you will be able to complete, otherwise you’ll put it off or won’t do it at all.

 

 

 

The next tip I have is about due dates.  If, for example, you have library books out, or a form that needs to be filled out, signed, or sent back, place it on a clip on your fridge. You can even highlight the due dates to make them stand out more and you’ll get them back on time.

 

So, while not as yummy as fudge, it will be satisfying in a whole different way!

Please comment or send me messages if there are topics of interest to you, my loyal followers.

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Plugs, and Cords, and Powerbars…..Oh My!!!

I learned a tip a few years back that I think is simple and easy for anyone to do.  Everyone has power bars in their house that are loaded up with cords.  Well, using those milk bag ties you throw out each week, instead, write on each what the cord is for in permanent marker and plug the cord in .  Keep the tie at the power bar end so that when you want to unplug something, you can just quickly look to see which one it is and do it!  None of this”…….is this the cord for the monitor???”
Another quick tip I learned is to attach binder clips to where you keep your mobile devices plugged in and this keeps the cord handy to plug anything in easily! 🙂

fit2borganized can also be found on pinterest!  Pin me!! 🙂

Weekly meal plan and grocery list

One idea many people have noticed when they are in my kitchen, is the weekly menu on my fridge, from which I make my weekly grocery list.

I have collected favourite recipes and keep them in labelled files (dinner favourites, slow cooker meals, meatless Monday’s, etc.) , along with my cookbooks.  I sit down at the beginning of the week and make a menu, then grocery list based on these planned meals.  If you can plan and organize ahead, it will save you over-buying in the grocery store, buying unnecessary items, and buying overly-processed foods.  I am not a chef or anything, but I have lots of great recipes and websites that I use that are simple, tasty, and don’t have too many ingredients, or anything too exotic or difficult to find in your average grocery store.

There is nothing better than getting home at the end of the day and not having to figure out what food you have in the house and then have to figure out what to make for dinner that night!  I used to dread about 3 pm every day when I would think “uuuhhhhh, what do I have in the freezer and can thaw for dinner tonight?”  Now, all I do is look at the menu the day before or the morning of and take whatever needs to be taken out of the freezer out to defrost, and then make-it later.

Try it today!

PLEASE LEAVE ME COMMENTS, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!