February 16, 2007
The Monthly Organizer
March 2007
Monthly Motivation
 Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings
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Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won'ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.
This is one of my favorite poems from the children's poetry classic Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.
Whenever I am feeling as though I am about to take on the impossible, instead of giving up, I remind myself of this poem and reading this book to my son is a great way to end a day with a few giggles before bedtime.
Monthly Organization Tip
A recent conversation with a co-worker brought this idea to the forefront of my mind. My co-worker was telling me about how frantic her mornings are and that it is a miracle she even makes it out the door most mornings. During the conversation she mentioned that she still picks out clothing for her 11 year old son every morning and delivers them to him while he sits on the couch watching televison!Needless to say I was appalled. When she asked for my advice I immediately told her that her son is old enough to choose his own clothes and having him do so would free up some of her time each morning.
Help teach your children organization from an early age. Get a closet organizer that enables you to choose all of their school outfits for the week so they know exactly what to put on each day.
As your child grows older and starts to remember which outfits go together, let him place the outfits in the organizer himself every Sunday. He will feel proud that he can match his own clothes and will feel in control when he gets to choose which day he will wear each outfit. Not to mention how much easier it will make your morning routine!
Money Saving Tip
If you work and your company offers a retirement plan, you should be participating in it. Financial experts say that you should always pay yourself first and contributing to a retirement plan is a great way to start this process even if your budget is so tight that you do not feel you can contribute to any other kind of savings account right now.Most companies offer a match for the funds you contribute to your retirement account. Taking advantage of this match is like getting free money. For example, let's say you earn $50,000.00 per year and your company will match 100% of your contributions, up to 5% of your salary. You contribute 5% which would be approximately $208.00 per month and your employer give you $208.00 per month for free. That's double your money. You should always strive to contribute at least the maximum match that your company offers. This way you are getting the most free money possible.
A great way to continue to increase your retirement savings without really seeing a decrease in your take-home pay is to coordinate an increase in your savings percentage with your annual salary increase. Your salary increase will be a little less, but you will be adding to your savings without even noticing it.
Recipe of the Month
I made my favorite lasagna the other day and I was excited because I hadn't had it in so long that it was even more of a special treat.However, after having it for dinner that night and lunch the next day I was ready for a break, but there was still so much leftover and I hate to waste food.
Fortunately, my husband and his friend grew hungry while working in the garage and finished it off, but the situation made me think about how to avoid this problem of too many leftovers in the future.
I decided that the next time I make lasagna I will actually separate the ingredients and make two smaller pans. One to bake and eat immediately and one to build in a disposable foil pan that I can cover and freeze for later.
However, there is an alternative if you are looking for a quick and easy lasagna that can be thrown together in minutes and can be made to suit any size family.
Simply use cheese filled ravioli in place of both the lasagna noodles and the ricotta cheese layer. You don't even have to cook or defrost the ravioli first.
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of large, cheese filled frozen ravioli
- 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (with or without meat)
- 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (optional)
- 1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of any size baking dish. Place a layer of the frozen ravioli to cover the bottom of the dish. Continue layering, adding spinach, sauce, mozzarella, parmesan. Repeat layering until the dish is full. Top with sauce and mozzarella.
Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy.
Entertaining Idea
 Irish Traditional Cooking: Over 300 Recipes from Ireland's Heritage
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Who better to guide us in an Irish celebration than Dorina Allen, who is known as the Julia Child of Ireland. So gather your friends and family together and create a traditional Irish feast this March 17th.
From the Publisher
More than 300 traditional dishes, each recipe is complemented by tips, tales, historical insights and common Irish customs, many of which have been passed down from one generation to the next through the greatest of oral traditions.
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