And the Winners Are...

Congratulations to the two Doodlepak winners...

Ann C

Tricia C

And as a special treat, Doodlepak has agreed to offer all Chickenville readers 10% off any order placed in the month of June. All you have to do it call or email them directly and tell them you heard about Doodlepak from Chickenville and they will discount your order. That includes the grown up version of the Doodlepak, called the Purse Pak. I keep mine in the car so I can write down a note to teacher or friend, directions to somewhere or a reminder to myself when I get home.

Rice on the Cheap

THIS is the way to buy rice for cheap. Head to your local asian grocery store and buy a 25 lb bag for $20.  Spending $20 might seem like a lot, but it works out to only 80 cents per pound. Compare that to smaller bags of plain old long grain rice which has no flavor for more money. [Sidenote: I will be posting soon about my backup pantry to show you how we store this large amount of rice, flour and sugar.] We love jasmine rice which has a sweet smell and flavor, sushi rice which is shorter grain, firm yet tender. Thai sticky rice which is...wait for it....sticky. Basmati is perfect for Indian dishes since it has a nutty fluffy texture. We don't eat brown rice mainly because it does not keep as well as white rice. It will spoil too quickly to purchase in bulk.

We eat rice lots of ways, but here are some of our favorites:

jasmine: for anything that you would use long grain for, stroganoff, pad thai, pesto chicken, Cuban black beans and rice, paella, coconut curry, with smoked sausages, peppers and onions or as a base for Parmesan Fish

sushi rice: as stand alone side dish, especially sprinkled with sushi seasoning, as a base for any stir fry, fried rice, bee bim bop

sticky rice: perfect for rice pudding, the kids also love it with a seasoning over the top made off salt, sugar and sesame seeds, this is rice you can make into rice balls or other crazy shapes to make it fun

basmati rice: with mango chicken, tandoori chicken, palak paneer, masaman curry or any other indian dish (can also be used like jasmine)

We have a super duper rice cooker that I LOVE. It's a Zorirushi and in our house it serves no other purpose than cooking rice. You can use your rice cooker for oatmeal or actual rice dishes like black beans and rice, but I've heard it will affect the flavor of any other rice you cook afterwards. We (really MacGyver) are rice purists. This means the rice cooker is an expensive piece of equipment used only for cooking rice, but it does a perfect job every time and we eat rice often, so for us, it is worth it. Before using the rice cooker I had to pay more attention when cooking rice and would often make it too soggy or too crispy or even burn the bottom. Now it doesn't matter what kind of rice I'm cooking because the Zojirushi cooks it perfectly each time.

I do recommend performing the ritual washing of the rice to rinse away the starchy residue that is leftover after milling (no matter if you use a rice cooker or a pot on the stove). This will give your rice a fluffiness and make the grains separate well. Tradition says you do it three times and rinse completely each time. I'm not so good about really rinsing each time, but I give the rice a good swish with my hands and then pour off most of the water three times. After rinsing you add the appropriate amount of cold water (according to the marks on the side of the cooker) and push "cook". It's that easy. You can start the cooker at a pre-set time with the time cooking or cook it whenever and the cooker will keep it warm until you are ready. This is one appliance that won't sit around like that waffle maker you never use!



Jasmine Rice

Extra or Off Season Clothing Storage

This is the BEST system for storing extra clothes. We do not have big closets in our house, so I have to rotate the clothes we keep in our drawers and closets from winter/ fall to summer/ spring. The off season clothing gets stored in Rubbermaid Roughneck Boxes and put into the attic. They are small enough to transport on those awful pull down attic stairs without a death defying balancing act. Or you can always drop them down from the attic (which I have been known to do) if you are in a hurry and can't wait for anyone to help. They are sturdy enough they won't crack and if you toss them just right you can actually keep the lid on. That takes years of practice, because it's a skill.

I also use these same kind of bins for the kid's clothes. I have kept most of their clothes for the next baby. That means I'm not buying any clothes for Sausage Boy because I have everything left over from #1 Son. It's all stored in the lovely labeled bins. I use cardstock white paper with packing tape over it for the label so it comes right off when I need to change what is inside. The kids' clothes are labeled with "3T Girls Summer” or "12-18 mos Boy" and stored in order so I can find exactly what I need when we are ready for the next size up. I even keep the bigger sizes that people give us in bins for the future.

We also use some of these bins for holiday decorations. I have one labeled "Halloween" and three labeled "Easter". They come in various sizes so I can choose how much space I'll need. Like having big ones for those awkward Easter baskets. I love, love, love the way they stack securely so I can stack 'em high, using my vertical space instead of horizontal. I will stack them four high if they are against a wall and three high when they are free standing.

Rubbermaid bins are:

• Durable, rugged storage boxes are shatter resistant down to 0 degrees fahrenheit (and I've heard stories where they have found them after fires with the contents intact)
• Sturdy, built-in handles allow for easy carrying (and they slide really well on carpet!)
• Snap-on, stay-tight lids help keep contents dry and dust-free
• All units are stackable for saving valuable storage space (even most different gallon sizes)
• Comes in 10, 14, 18, 25 and 31 gallon size

It's great to put your clothes (and the kids' clothes) away for a season because when you bring them out they feel new again. Or maybe they feel dated and you realize it's time to get rid of something. Whenever we take a bin out I always find a few things that can be given away. These bins also made moving a little easier because everything was already boxed up and labeled.

Help Yourself Oatmeal

I was out with some girlfriends the other night and a discussion of oatmeal came up. Most of the ladies said they wished their families ate oatmeal since it's cheap and nutritious. For some reason their kids didn't like oatmeal. That prompted a discussion about how my family LOVES to have oatmeal. Why would it be any different served at my house you ask?

I set up a chip and dip tray with toppings in the middle of the table.  Then I make a big pot of plain oatmeal (if I'm really on top of things I cook the oatmeal in my rice cooker with the timer).  Everyone gets a bowl full and then chooses their own toppings. The two-year old had milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and dried strawberries that we dried last summer.  I chose dried apples, pecans, craisins, and brown sugar for a yummy fall taste.

This chip and dip tray idea also works for us when we have taco night or when we make our own pizzas. Really just a way to re-purpose something we wouldn't ordinarily use often.

Car Seat Fallout

This is not pretty, not appetizing, but surely I'm not the only one who has experienced this??? I cleaned out the carseats today and when I was finished shaking, banging and dumping, this is what I found. Dried string cheese, raisins, pretzels, Cheerios, the ubiquitous Goldfish, and TONS of hair barrettes. Here I was thinking the barrettes were all being lost at preschool. Noooooo, they had all fallen into the carseat black hole. Tell me I'm not alone.

Passing the Gene On

Ever since I had kids I'm a firm believer in the fact that they are born with certain tendencies (you know that whole nurture v. nature debate). I mean, it's not like I taught my 5 year old how to organize the pantry - not that I haven't been tempted. 

One day, I found him messing around in our snack drawer and I thought he was grabbing something to eat without asking.  When I asked him what he was doing, he replied, "I'm organizing the snack drawer Mom."  Duh!

Like these drawers?  We have one for snacks, treats, baby stuff (like extra spoons and sippy cups), an "instant drawer" for hot chocolate packets, popcorn and more and a cracker drawer. They are from the Container Store and labeled so everyone knows what goes where and it keeps all of those little things from getting lost in the pantry. It's also nice to have one place to contain all of the treats that come in from school, the bank, Halloween, etc.

It Puts Itself Away

I love this system for keeping ornaments safe and secure. The really fragile ones get wrapped in tissue paper, but most are pretty safe ensconced in cardboard. Cheap, easy and perfect!

Wrapping Up Organizing

Getting ready for Christmas wrapping each year I set up a folding table downstairs and roll out my Container Store wire cart with all my wrapping supplies like bows, ribbons, tape, scissors, tags and tissue paper (this stuff is in all colors, so it works for gift wrapping birthday presents too).  Then I have a rubbermaid container that has boxes of all sizes (you can just barely see it underneath the table). The cart, the table, the container and lastly a gift wrap container gets me all ready for wrapping in small doses as time permits.  Of course, having a roaring fire in the background and Christmas carols going really brings out the joy.

Gingerbread Houses

I come by my organizational skills honestly.  This is a photo of how my mom arranges the candy for my kids to make gingerbread houses each year. She puts a small amout in each muffin section. Now, why didn't I think of that??

I Love to Paint

So this is what I was doing when the movers were unloading everything - painting.  I actually really love painting and since all the rooms were labeled and all the boxes were labeled, I didn't have to direct the movers, so I decided to paint.  I know it's a little obsessive!  We painted the kids bedrooms before we moved in, but I wasn't happy with the paint color I chose for our bedroom once I got the cut in done, so I was redoing it.  A long time ago I used to be a commercial painter and I painted rental houses and schools (uggh oil based paint). From those experiences I consider myself an accomplished painter (course we are NOT talking artistically painting here).  I like to paint walls - the end. I love using Benjamin Moore paint as it covers very well. benjaminmoore.com So here are so simple tips to make painting easier and really you can pick up and leave off as necessary so any person (even a busy one) can do it...

• prep work is essential (and boring).
• take off the outlet covers and screw the screws which invariably get lost back into the outlet holes (thanks Dad)
• patch any holes or mark with drywall compound, see http://www.ehow.com/video_4150_patch-hole-drywall.html for great detailed instructions (i love ehow.com for learning new things)
• cut in (my favorite part) which means use a brush to paint all of the edges of the wall.  you need a good brush here with no frayed edges, pros like Purdy, but I really prefer BM again, just a good and cheaper.  I have a 2", angled brush that I love and take very good care of for cutting in.
• for good cutting in, you never dip your brush all the way in the paint, only the tip. you get a fair amount of the paint and carefully tap off the excess (don't scrape it on the side of the can, just tap inside the can wall) then the key is to turn your brush sideways and make a fat line of paint.  You should be able to see where the paint is going so you don't have to tape ANYTHING.
• after your finish cutting in the top, bottom and corners, you roll the walls
• using a roller means you have to have a drop cloth, but you really shouldn't get paint on anything unless you have an accidental drip.  keep wet lines between strokes and use paint, that's the thing i see often, not enough paint used
• both your brush and your roller can be wrapped in foil and put in a grocery bag to keep from drying out for up to two days, making getting the paint off your hands the hardest part about stopping
• throw away your roller cover when you are done - they are cheap and a huge pain to clean but you most clean your brush.  Using a wire brush made for this purpose (and scraping old paint off exteriors) is the best tool - invest.

Moving Sucks

Okay, so I'm sure my Aunt will cringe over that title, but there is just no other way to say it - moving (especially with kids) really stinks!  I mean, I used to move every year when I was single and it was no big deal - find a few friends, load the truck, unload, have pizza and a beers and you're done.  Not now - with three kids, one of which is a newborn and therefore nursing - this is NO FUN.  I want my mommy (who thankfully did come to help pack and unpack).  I do have some tips for making this nightmare a bearable situation.

1. pack clothes and toys like you are going on vacation - everything else gets packed several weeks before the move - they will love opening their "new" toys in the new place
2. use one room as the "packed" room and put all of the boxes in there, stacked as high as you can
3. label all the boxes with the room AND contents and if you are using movers, number all the boxes so you can check them all off at your new place
4. get LOTS of boxes, more than you think you'll ever need and put everything possible in them.  yes, it's easier to pack the pillows in trashbags, but it's not easier for movers to load and unload bags instead of boxes - remember boxes stack, bags don't
5. craigslist is a great place for free boxes (contact me if you want my secret way for more boxes)
6. purchase packing paper, do not use free newspaper because the ink gets everywhere and then everything has to be washed - really do you want to do MORE work?
7. pack books in smaller sturdy paper boxes. you know the kind that reams of paper are sold in and offices use?
8. use wardrobe boxes for tall outdoor things like rakes, shovels, brooms and big light things like couch pillows and giant stuffed animals
9. stretch wrap your furniture if your movers won't, it's like industrial strength plastic wrap and it's amazing (incidentally to tear it just poke your fingers through it and then it will tear easily...see what working at Home Depot taught me?)
10. most important - do a little at a time - taking breaks, playing with the kids, reading the paper, those are the things that keep you sane

Not everyone thinks it's an upstairs office, to them it might be just another bedroom.  I labeled every room in the house to make it easier for the movers to unload without my direction.