2013 Challenge Schedule & How It All Works

CREDITS: Fonts - Kimberly Geswein; Digital Paper - JW Illustrations

After a lot of planning, I have decided to focus on planning for the January 2013 challenge. I was going to go with rooms, but there are so many other blogs doing rooms, that I decided to plan for each room throughout the year.

Other blogs hosting organization parties for the new year:
A Bowl Full of Lemons {in conjunction with lots of other blogs}
Peter Walsh {on Facebook}
Delightful Order
Apartment Therapy

Here's how the challenges will work:
- You follow along, completing what you feel comfortable with and tweaking whatever you need to make it work for you. I, by no means, expect you to follow along with me and do everything the same way. Not every idea I have works for everyone. Make it work for you!
- There's no set schedule for each day. So if you miss a day, or jump in later on, you can just choose where to begin. Anyone can join in at any time.
- At the end of the month {during the last week} you can share your progress on The Nest Effect. I'll have a link party set up, so if you have a blog, you can link up. If you don't blog, commenting works just as well.
- I want these challenges to be helpful for everyone. I encourage you to leave comments, share blog posts, email me, etc. We can all learn from each other - so if you have an idea, please share!
- If you have any questions, please ask!

I will be back tomorrow with the first post for the January planning series! Today Chris and I are searching through the apartment for items to donate. Our goal for 2013 is to simplify in our lives.

Here's the schedule I decided on for 2013. Each month I will focus on a different area. I hope this is helpful for you! {This schedule is tentative. I may change it, if need be.}

CREDITS: Fonts - Kimberly Geswein; Digital Paper - JW Illustrations

Money – #getthrifty {Sponsored by eMeals}

This week we begin a new year. With every new year comes resolutions. There are generally 3 major areas most of us choose to focus on each year - losing weight/getting healthy, becoming organized, and/or saving money. I admit, I jump on that wagon each year, too. I didn't last long in 2012 - it was a rough year all around. I'm choosing a different approach this year, which you will hear all about over the next month.

eMeals has teamed up with me again for 2013, and has tips that go along with those 3 general goal areas. Friday we focused on losing weight/getting healthy. Saturday we focused on getting organized. Today we focus on saving money.

Are you wanting to get your family on a budget this year? Use this simple budget form to get the process started. Fail to plan, plan to fail!

Chris and I have some serious student loan debt. It's not pretty. I signed up for Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover website and have already created our budget for January. I've set up all of our debts in the debt snowball tracker. We're going to do this.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by eMeals. Graphics in this post have been provided by eMeals.
eMeals is a meal planning service that creates budget friendly menus for you, based on your family's needs - this includes eating style, family size, and favorite grocery store. Each week, your meal plan is emailed to you, complete with simple and creative family-friendly recipes. Each entree includes a suggested side dish as well. Along with your meal plan, you receive a detailed grocery list, organized by section and coordinated with the weekly sales at selected stores.
eMeals is also recommended by Dave Ramsey.
Save 15% on an eMeals subscription with coupon code newyear.

Get Organized – #getorganized {Sponsored by eMeals}

Next week we begin a new year. With every new year comes resolutions. There are generally 3 major areas most of us choose to focus on each year - losing weight/getting healthy, becoming organized, and/or saving money. I admit, I jump on that wagon each year, too. I didn't last long in 2012 - it was a rough year all around. I'm choosing a different approach this year, which you will hear all about over the next month.

eMeals has teamed up with me again for 2013, and has tips that go along with those 3 general goal areas. Friday we focused on losing weight/getting healthy. Today we focus on getting organized. {My specialty!}

How much time do you spend going back and forth from the grocery store for the little things? Use this printable to solve the problem. This list with an eMeals meal plan is all you need for your weekly planning needs.

The kitchen is one place that needs daily TLC. Counters need to be wiped down daily. The microwave needs to be cleaned each week. The pantry needs to be purged every month or so. To stay on top of these tasks, use a chore list as a reminder. Simply put the list on the fridge of what needs to be done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to keep your kitchen organized and clean.

Why consider organizing with a weekly meal plan? Save time, save money, and live your life without spending every day after work at the store, picking up dinner.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by eMeals. Graphics in this post have been provided by eMeals.
eMeals is a meal planning service that creates budget friendly menus for you, based on your family's needs - this includes eating style, family size, and favorite grocery store. Each week, your meal plan is emailed to you, complete with simple and creative family-friendly recipes. Each entree includes a suggested side dish as well. Along with your meal plan, you receive a detailed grocery list, organized by section and coordinated with the weekly sales at selected stores.
eMeals is also recommended by Dave Ramsey. 
Save 15% on an eMeals subscription with coupon code newyear.

Lose Weight/Get Healthy – #gethealthy {Sponsored by eMeals}

Next week we begin a new year. With every new year comes resolutions. There are generally 3 major areas most of us choose to focus on each year - losing weight/getting healthy, becoming organized, and/or saving money. I admit, I jump on that wagon each year, too. I didn't last long in 2012 - it was a rough year all around. I'm choosing a different approach this year, which you will hear all about over the next month.

eMeals has teamed up with me again for 2013, and has tips that go along with those 3 general goal areas. Today we focus on losing weight/getting healthy.

With so many people wanting to lose weight and eat healthy this new year, we should know what our calorie intake needs to be based on age and activity level. Check out the chart below to become knowledgeable about your family's calorie needs.

{Please know that eMeals and I are not promoting that children need to lose weight and count calories by any means with this chart. The point of this post is also being healthy. Part of being healthy is ensuring you're eating enough calories each day as well. This is something that is important for growing children.}

How do you actually lose weight? Cutting 500 calories from your daily calorie intake will help you achieve their goal. Sounds easy, right? Okay, maybe not. The graphic below is true though - it takes a plan in order to achieve this. I, personally, have tried counting my calories several times in the past. It's too much work for me. I honestly do better with cutting calories when I'm not counting them and using a meal plan. This helps me because I know ahead of time what I'm eating. I can make the changes prior to cooking to make meals low-fat or sugar-free.

To lose weight, a simple chart for tracking your daily calorie count goal vs actual intake will help you stick to a plan. You have to have some kind of accountability - and if recording this info does it for you, then go for it.

I have blogged before about losing weight and while everything I've written in the past still holds true, things have changed for me. My goal this year is not to lose weight. My goal is to be healthy - to be conscious of what I'm putting inside of my body each time I eat.

I have a one year membership to eMeals {which I received as compensation for being part of their blogging network}. We're looking to cut food costs in 2013 so we can start tackling our student loan debt. A meal plan definitely helps accomplish this. While I've been meal planning for years, eMeals automatically chooses meals for me that match with the weekly sales at my grocery store - saving me money each week. I was able to select that our family size is just two, so the meal sizes are smaller {less waste}. We're using the classic meal style right now - but I may later switch to the low fat plan. The recipes are quick and simple to make - which is a must for me with my busy schedule. Even Chris has no problem whipping up dinner with the simplicity of each recipe. =]

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by eMeals. Graphics in this post have been provided by eMeals.
eMeals is a meal planning service that creates budget friendly menus for you, based on your family's needs - this includes eating style, family size, and favorite grocery store. Each week, your meal plan is emailed to you, complete with simple and creative family-friendly recipes. Each entree includes a suggested side dish as well. Along with your meal plan, you receive a detailed grocery list, organized by section and coordinated with the weekly sales at selected stores.
eMeals is also recommended by Dave Ramsey. 
Save 15% on an eMeals subscription with coupon code newyear.

Avoid Moving Day Disasters: Learn What Not To Do {Guest Post}

Broken mirrors, flat tires, crazy prices and in an unlucky person's world, a runaway mattress on the freeway – it's the epitome of a horrific moving day. But unless it's happened to us, we tend to share our condolences or roll our eyes and move on with our lives. If it's your turn to move and you want to avoid any of those experiences, skip these pitfalls and you should be all right.

Hastily Pack Up on Your Own

Nothing is more stressed than putting off packing until the weekend you plan to move. With so many other things take care of, there undoubtedly isn't time for color coding boxes or triple wrapping breakables. Throwing your belongings in a box with a bit of tissue paper ensures only one thing: items are bound to be lost, damaged or destroyed during your move. Take your time to pack up or hire someone to do it for you.

Don't Research Your Moving Company

Not all moving companies are created equal. According to Smartmoney.com, the Council of Better Business Bureaus reported complaints about movers has multiplied from nearly 3,800 in 1997 to more than 9,200 in 2007. Seemingly legitimate companies are hiring illegitimate drivers who are mishandling items and overcharging customers. Put in the extra effort before you make a deal. The Better Business Bureau is a good place to start.

Forget the Weather Forecast

Packing and planning aren't a guarantee everything will work out great; something unexpected will happen. In this case, the weather could be your biggest downfall when moving. Even if you don't generally check the weather forecast, do it before you move. Even if there isn't a chance of rain, have plastic sheeting, old towels and tarps handy to protect furniture, wood and other items that would be ruined if wet.

No Inventory? No Problem!

Without proof, debating the conditions of items with a moving company will be an unsuccessful battle of "he said, she said." If you don't want the responsibility of replacing broken belongings, create an inventory sheet and fill out a condition report with the mover. Take photos of your items and require a receipt signed by you and the mover listing the condition your items were in before the move.

Let Your Animals (and Kids) Roam Free

You know that sinking feeling when you feel like you are forgetting something but can't remember what it is? On moving day, you don't want the answer – Fluffy – to come to you when you are 300 miles away. Keep pets and kids away during the moving process. Hire a baby or pet sitter and not just to keep them out of the way. Cats, especially, like to explore and the inside of a moving van might be extra enticing. Even if your kids and pets are safely secured, give the truck a once over before packing up for good. Stray animals or neighborhood kids could have let their curiosity get the best of them and wound up in the back in between the mattresses and kitchen table.

Written by:

Jyoti Gupta New to the world of real estate, Jyoti is excited to make the transition from writing about real estate and providing helpful tips to first time buyers and renters, since she was a property lawyer before she decided to change her career.

Free Printable: Medication Tracker

It's the season of sickness.{That sounds awful, but it's true.}

Before my school's holiday break, for two weeks, I had at least 4 students absent each day. Something was going around. Luckily, my immune system is finally nice and strong from working with kids for the last 5 years.

Last week, a reader emailed me and asked if I would make a medication tracker for logging info regarding giving children medicine. I couldn't be happier to do that for all of you. I don't have children of my own yet, but I can totally understand why tracking this info is so important for families. I hope this free printable is helpful for you!

Check out my other free printables!

Free Printable {for a limited time}: Colorful Polka Dot & Chevron 2013 Calendar - EXPIRED

Who doesn't love a little color with a cute design?

From now until Wednesday, December 26th @ 9 P.M. {MT}, you can download my colorful polka dot & chevron 2013 monthly calendar for free.

I've noticed lately online that there are lots of you who prefer a Monday start week, so I also have that version available.

Please feel free to share this post, but do not share the file directly with others. Do not upload this file to the internet. Thank you!

Be sure to download the files from Google Drive{from the file menu within Drive, not your browser - then select download}. After Wednesday night, the calendars won't be accessible through Google Drive.

download 2013 calendar - Sunday start

download 2013 calendar - Monday start
These calendars are no longer available for free. Available in my Etsy store for $3.

Merry Christmas! =]

Inspired to Complete 26 Acts

I was inspired last night.

I was on Twitter and came across a tweet from DonorsChoose. It had the tag #26acts. I clicked it, out of curiosity, to see what it was all about. Initially I was thinking it was a way I could possibly get my current project funded. Then I realized it was even bigger than my own needs/wants. It consumed the rest of my night.

I read a news story on NBC by Ann Curry about the 26 Acts of Kindness campaign. Then I saw the BuzzFeed post with pictures from 26 Acts. I joined the Facebook page and read what others are doing. I started reading the #26acts tweets on Twitter. I decided that I had to join in.

26 acts of kindness for the 26 victims in Newtown, CT. What a way to honor those lost. An absolutely brilliant way to take a stand against a tragedy.

So far I've completed 3 acts of kindness.

I donated to two teachers on DonorsChoose.org and completed their project funding for them. Two completely random teachers who are in high poverty schools. Bless them.

I recently received an email from a reader who was asking for my help in tackling her cluttered home. She sounded overwhelmed and completely lost. I hear you. I want to help. I emailed her one of my PDF sets to help her get organized and will help her turn her life around, as much as I possibly can.

I have more plans for this week. I'm going to the mall tomorrow. I plan to leave some notes with gift cards. I am going to pay for the person's meal who is after me during my Thursday McDonalds breakfast stop and Thursday Jimmy Johns lunch run. {Thursdays are my "bad" days. lol}

Two weeks ago Lyndsey at A Year of Many Firsts posted about random acts of kindness she's doing with her first grade students. She's so sweet and has so many free {and amazing} resources for teachers - including her We Are Kind Kids RACK packet. I decided to do this with my students.

We're in a brand new school with lots of volunteers, one part-time {yet full-time} custodian, overworked secretaries, principal, and special education staff, and an absolutely amazing teaching assistant shared in our grade. We're so grateful. My grade level teaching partner and I emphasize respect and responsibility on a daily basis in our classrooms. We share our classes 50/50 now {I'm teaching language arts, science, and art to both 4th grade classes, so I get each class for half of the day}, so it's like all 53 of them are "mine". I couldn't be happier. Since we have the same values in our classroom, the acts of kindness seemed like something that the kids would enjoy and would be able to easily participate in. Boy, was I right!

We spent 30 minutes one afternoon creating cards for the staff in our school that seem to be "overlooked" during the holidays. Teachers always get lots of gifts from students, but we wanted those who make our school run smoothly to know that we appreciate them and everything they do for us. I should have taken pictures of the cards - they were amazing. Thank yous to the "lunch ladies" who are moms that volunteer their time each day to help serve students lunch. Thank yous for the custodian who works a double to help keep our school clean. Thank yous for the women on recess duty who freeze with the kids outside just so we can have a 40 minute lunch. Thank yous for the office secretaries who help call home, take care of sick and "broken" students, deliver our never ending package deliveries of classroom supplies to our classroom door, and everything else they do for us. Thank yous to parents who have donated laptops and a printer to our classroom. Thank yous to our incredible teaching assistant who has taken it upon herself to become part of our 4th grade family and fits right in perfectly with both my teaching partner, our kids, and me. We would be lost without her. {And if you're reading this, Laura, just know I mean every word.}

We are blessed at our school. I feel incredibly lucky to have been offered {and accepted} this position. I wasn't sure about it at first, but now I can't imagine anything else. It's been a really long, hard road since the beginning of the year, but the students have shown me that they are worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears I've put in for them. They are the reason everything else in my life has taken the back seat over the last few months.

My students and the faculty at my school are the reason I am choosing to complete these 26 acts this month. I am grateful.

Will you join me? I'd love to hear what acts of kindness you're completing! Leave comments, links to your own blog posts, links to pictures via Instagram or Twitter, anything. Please share to help inspire!

Paleo Hummus Recipe from E-Meals

E-Meals has been an amazing sponsor on The Nest Effect for the last year. Here's another great recipe to share.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped 
• ½ cup tahini 
• ⅓ cup lemon juice 
• ⅓ cup olive oil 
• 3 garlic cloves 
• 1½ teaspoons cumin 
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

1. Combine all ingredients in the base of a food processor, and process until smooth. 
2. Serve with crisp raw veggies, such as carrots, celery sticks, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, or cucumber slices, for dipping.

Apple Cranberry Pie Recipe from E-Meals

E-Meals has been an amazing sponsor on The Nest Effect for the last year. They have sent me a few recipes to share with you. I think this recipe for Apple Cranberry Pie sounds amazing.

Ingredients

• 2 refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box 
• 1 ½ cups sugar 
• ⅓ cup flour 
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon 
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 
• 3 cups peeled, diced apple 
• 3 cups fresh cranberries (or frozen, thawed) 
• Vanilla ice cream 

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
2. Press one pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
4. Add cheese, apples, and cranberries, and toss to combine. 
5. Pour into crust-lined pie plate. 
6. Top pie with second crust, pressing together edges of crusts to seal, and flute if desired. 
7. Cut several slits in the top crust. 
8. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. 
9. * If the crust starts to get too brown before the apples are tender, use strips of aluminum foil to cover edges of crust. Remove from oven and cool 20-30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Let's Do This!

CREDITS: Background - JW Illustrations; Frame - Graphics from the Pond; Font - Kimberly Geswin

It Has Arrived... The Surface

Maybe you've heard, maybe not.

I was asked to blog for Microsoft as a Windows Champion for the next year for the Windows 8 launch. How could I resist? After all, I am truly a PC to the core. {I only have an iPad because my school gave each teacher one to use in the classroom}. I'm loyal to all things Microsoft and Android, naturally. =]

I was sent a Microsoft Surface PC/tablet to test out Windows 8. I received it on Wednesday, and I'm absolutely loving it. My students were amazed by it yesterday at school. They've all seen the commercials on TV and were so excited that they were seeing it in person. It was so funny.

More to come on my new toy! I can tell already this is going to make creating printables so much easier via touch!

More information {provided by Microsoft} on the Surface:

Surface with Windows RT has a widescreen HD display that provides a larger view of your TV shows and movies. It feels great in your hands and when you want to put it down, Surface’s integrated kickstand is there when you need it, and disappears and doesn’t get in the way when you don’t. When you want to get something done, simply click in either Touch Cover—a unique and innovative pressure-sensitive keyboard that’s 3mm thin and doubles as a cover that protects your screen, and is available in a variety of colors so people can express their personal style— or Type Cover, which adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel that’s only 2mm more. Surface also comes with a full-size USB, enabling connectivity with literally hundreds of millions of devices, as well as a microSD card slot for adding almost limitless storage.
Price: Starting at $499.00

And if you're looking to upgrade, Windows 8 is also currently available via electronic download for $39.99 on windows.com!

For more Windows 8 info from Microsoft, check out the Windows Experience Blog.

I am a Windows Champions blogger and I received loan of a laptop and may receive other equipment from Microsoft to assist me in evaluating Microsoft products and services for my blogging activity.

Neighbor Christmas Gift Idea: Brownie Mix & Plate {Free Printable}

As requested by some readers, I've changed the wording on yesterday's cookie mix gift tags to brownie mix.

Neighbor Christmas Gift Idea: Cookie Mix & Plate {Free Printable}

Krystal, the secretary at my school, is keeping me busy, making printables for her and others at my school. I made superhero themed cake pop tags for her son's birthday, which turned out super cute. {As soon as I find out what the terms of use are for the clip art, I'll possibly share the tags.}

Last night I made cookie tags for neighbor gifts. She's giving cookie mix with a Christmas plate. I couldn't find any examples of the two together online, so here's the cookie mix gift ideas I found on Pinterest instead.

Source: familycircle.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

Source: eatinonthecheap.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

Source: foodformyfamily.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

Here's the tag I made, which you can download for free.

Updated: Free Printables Page

I have given the Free Printables page a makeover. It's so much easier to navigate and see everything I have available for free download. All you have to do is click on the thumbnail of the document you want to download, and it will open in Google Drive. From there you can download the file to your computer.

Free Printable: 2013 Calendar

I've had several emails asking if I was going to create a 2013 calendar to share on my blog. Honestly, I wasn't going to. I was selling it in my Etsy store only, but want to share for free now.

Please DO NOT download the file and then upload it anywhere online. I had this happen a bunch of times throughout 2012, which is why I waited so long to share the 2013 calendar. The first time I find it elsewhere on the internet, I'm going to take it down. Please just don't do it. You may pin the image on this post to share the calendar with others, though.