Do you ever have one of those, “Why didn’t I think of that?” moments? You see a great idea and it’s not some out-of-this-world thing, it’s a strong, basic concept that will be useful long-term and to a wide audience.

That’s what I found in the PackIt. It’s a freezable lunch bag! So simple, yet so useful! My husband packed his lunch in it last week. He was able to keep his lunch on his desk and by the time he ate it, about 6 hours later, it was still well chilled! That never happens!

Its interior can be wiped clean with a wash cloth. It freezes when it’s folded, so it doesn’t take up much room in the freezer, plus it’s one less item of clutter in the freezer. It has a roomy interior so it can hold a full lunch, yet it’s not so large as to be unwieldy for kids. You can also put in room-temperature foods and the PackIt will chill it. Wowza!

NEWSFLASH-I just found out the PackIt is TSA approved!! I’m leaving on a trip in a couple of weeks and while I’ll be traveling all day, my flights are short and no food is available. Packing a lunch or buying something at the airport are the only options. The PackIt will be a life saver on this journey!

I love the PackIt so much I really want to write a raving, glamorous review. But it isn’t “that kind” of product. It’s in ingenious workhorse that should be in every household…really one per person! I can’t fathom why you’d buy any other kind of lunchbox…unless it is a Wonder Woman aluminum number, but that’s just more for looks.

Grab a PackIt or two…or one in every color!

Tags: baby

UPDATE-Groupon refused to honor their error. I don’t believe it was done intentionally, but I still believe they should have honored what was originally posted. Groupon did give us a refund.

Long story short, Groupon CHANGED the deal after I made a purchase. Want more details? Read on…

On December 11th I purchased a Groupon for 6 people to take a 2 hour snowmobile adventure. On the Groupon it said “they will take you to the trailhead.” The map showed the address as the Safeway in a nearby town where the company would pick you up, drive you over a snowy pass and deliver you to the trailhead. When I made my reservation a few weeks ago, the confirmation from the company mentioned a $30 per person fee for transportation over Snoqualmie Pass and to the trailhead. I re-checked the Groupon, the fine print, etc. and there was no mention of this. I emailed the company to confirm that they would indeed pick us up in the town shown and the map and I pointed out what the Groupon said. I didn’t hear anything back. On Tuesday I was going to print off a copy of the Groupon to fax to the company to ensure our ride.

 At that time I saw Groupon had CHANGED THE DEAL after 2136 people had made the purchase.

Here’s the original deal. I wish I could get the picture to show up here, but here is the text:

The Company
Action Adventures

Locations
Safeway at North Bend Outlet Mall
460 SW Mt. Si Blvd.
North Bend, Washington 98045
Get Directions
Until mankind first stepped outside in 1934, nature was thought to be a fanciful myth, like yogurt or the clutch hitter. Spend a few hours frolicking through the fresh air of truth with today’s Groupon for a guided snowmobile tour of the Cascade Mountains from Action Adventures. Choose between two tour options:
For $59, you get a guided day tour (a $125 value).
For $89, you get a guided moonlight tour (a $195 value).
Groupon buyers can upgrade to a more expensive tour for an additional fee and will also receive 10% off their next adventure.
Action Adventures is an adrenaline-pumping tour company that accommodates both romantic interludes and thrilling quests with snowmobiles, ATVs, and horseback riding. During a guided snowmobile tour, outdoor explorers get to cruise for two hours through the Snoqualmie Pass area’s 100 miles of winding trails. After watching a quick safety instructional video, Action Adventures will transport you to the trailhead. The company’s guileless guides are expert riders skilled at reading the mountain, weather, and the Farmers’ Almanac. They’ll keep each rider safe during a day of ridge-rocketing and outracing avalanches. And few activities other than honeymooning with The Flash combine magical romance with exhilarating speed like snowmobiling by moonlight. Both tours will warm winter-whipped bones with a tasty hot beverage afterward.
Action Adventures outfits all riders with a sled and all the cold weather gear a freshly sheared polar bear could ever need, including snow pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, and goggles.
Weekends fill up quickly, so plan ahead when making your reservation.

  Doesn’t that make it sound like transportation is included? And believe me, I clicked on every link, I read through the fine print. It was NOT LISTED.

Now it says in at least 3 places that there is a $30 fee and it shows two locations on the map, one where you can pay to get a ride over the pass and one where you can drive yourself. In addition, if you would like to purchase optional insurance, it’s $50 per person. This also was not disclosed on the original Groupon.

When I contacted Groupon they said they were sorry for the confusion. WHAT? That’s not confusion, that’s fraud! Here’s part of their email:

Really very sorry for the confusion. We are aware of the situation and are in the midst of sending out an announcement to clarify what is going on with the $30 fee for the transportation.

Now, here I sit 60 hours away from this snowmobile adventure with no response from Groupon. I contacted the company and they said it was Groupon’s fault. Fine. Then Groupon ought to pay for the ride to the trailhead.

What do you think? Am I justifiably angry or is this just a little error?

Tags: buyer beware, groupon, groupon fraud

First of all, if you’d like to enter to win a Starbucks gift pack, read and enjoy, then write a comment below!

In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you I am Kathi Lipp’s first stalker. See, I was heading to my first ever MOPS convention. As a stay-at-home mom with two kids under 2, I was feeling pretty excited to get away, I mean, explore my full role in motherhood. As part of my research (crazy, late night, online sessions learning everything possible about the convention sessions, hotel layout, local restaurants, etc.) I found a list of vendors. I clicked on Kathi’s link to The Husband Project and was so impressed I immediately emailed her to tell her how much I loved her book concept. She emailed me back. I said I would see her at the convention and she christened me her first stalker!

I own all 3 of Kathi’s books and I love them all. They share a similar layout: each one is full of 21 daily projects to help you focus on one specific area of your life. Each of the 21 chapters is bite-sized, perfect for busy women. Kathi’s writing style is “girlfriend-over-coffee-chat” style. It cracks me up! She is so funny and so real, sharing her very real struggles…ones that she’s overcome and ones she continues to work on.

In The Me Project, Kathi asks us to really take time to develop our God-given dreams. Pretty huge goal for 21 days, right? Well, this book is designed to get you started, get the ball rolling, to focus on your dreams. This isn’t simply a book to read, it is a book to DO.

Kathi suggests starting small…learn to decorate cakes, walk a 5K, plant a garden, or redecorate a room. I decided I wanted to do something splashy…either plant a garden or decorate a room (there is no “re” in my house…we’ve lived here two years and we have exactly 2 pictures on the walls…nothing to “re”decorate here). Oh, and maybe lose weight since I had been attending Weight Watchers for over a month with dire results.  I prayed about it and thought about it and really tried to decide on the best project. Wouldn’t it be great to have lovely vegetables sprouting and perhaps a small cutting garden? Or finally decorate the dreaded “long room?” When I spoke with Mr. Mouthy, he bluntly stated I needed to focus on my health. He wasn’t trying to be mean. He knows, and I do to, that diabetes runs in my family. I’ve been told by a doctor that it isn’t a matter of “if” but a matter of “when.” In January, I had declared my word of the year to be HEALTH. He was only saying what I didn’t want to admit. Think about it…if you had an extra grand, would you rather decorate a room (I know, that’s an IKEA/Walmart budget) or install a new hot water heater? I would pick the splashy project. However, sometimes you just need to replace the hot water heater.

So, with my project selected (get healthy, more specifically, lose weight and begin a workout routine), I began the 21 projects.

One of the first projects is to really seek God’s guidance and confirmation on your selected project. This was a tricky one for me…would God be against me getting healthy? I suppose He might, if it’s in an unhealthy manner or taking time away from my family. But in general, I think He’s okay with it. My only complaint about this book is that there was little differentiation between small and large projects. I think the concept of a Board of Directors is a fantastic idea for a large, life-changing project, like completely switching careers, but for a smaller goal, like the suggestions in the book, it seems excessive.

Many of the projects were very helpful. For example, how can I find time to pursue my goal? What resources do I need? There were lots of suggestions for getting the support you need…finding accountability partners, building a mentor relationship, setting up a Board of Directors, etc. All very helpful. There were lots of small steps suggested…even if you can’t charge after your goal, can you create a list of 20 minute projects to move you forward?

How did this impact me? Before I started The Me Project, I had attended Weight Watchers for about 6 weeks and lost exactly 2 pounds. Sad. In reality, I had lost more than that, but I had gained a lot too, so a net loss of 2 pounds.  Once I started, I lost over 2 pounds in my first week! I set up a daily accountability email with one of my fellow Weight Watchers. I set up a mentoring relationship with a fitness expert, one of my co-workers. She is a tremendous resource on fitness. In addition, several years ago her weight was similar to mine, so she’s very inspiring as a role model, as well. I’m only a few weeks in, but I can already see a difference. Taking small steps every day really will help me meet my goal.

Beyond that, The Me Project really helped me see the bigger picture. I don’t simply want to lose weight to look good, I want to be healthy to see my girls grow up and have their own kids. I want to have energy and stamina to be an active Mommy. I want to BEAT diabetes and make that doctor eat his words…in a nice way, of course.

The Me Project is more than a book, it’s a resource. I anticipate pulling out this book any time I am facing a challenge or want to jump-start a project. This is the kind of book that will be dog eared and well worn over time.

(San Jose, CA) Has that rush to make (and break) New Year’s resolutions already waned? According to Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, taking small steps every day will not only help you stay committed to your goal, “but will also help you ultimately achieve that goal when obstacles come up. Author Kathi Lipp wants you and your friends to live out those dreams—and have some fun along the way.

From the Publisher:

As women, we forget the goals and dreams of our younger years. The busyness of everyday life gets 
in the way. To-do lists replace goals. The Me Project provides women with fun and creative ways to bring back the sense of purpose and vitality that comes with living out the plans and dreams God has planted in our hearts. Kathi Lipp’s warm tone and laugh-out-loud humor motivates women to take daily steps toward intentional goals. The end result? We get back our lives and enjoy living in the confidence of a purposeful life in spite of our chaotic schedules.

This handy guide coaches women to do one simple thing toward achieving our goals each day for three weeks. A woman experiencing the exhilaration of a rediscovered life offers more as a wife, mother, friend, volunteer, career woman.

Finding the balance between living day-to-day with purpose while pursuing the passions God has placed in our hearts is a delicate pursuit. In this refreshing, insightful book, 
Kathi lays out a doable plan that makes sense and helps make our God-given dreams 
a reality. Never stop dreaming, because women who dare to dream do make the world 
a better place. 

—Jean Blackmer
    author of MomSense: A Common Sense Guide to Confident Mothering
    Publishing Manager, MOPS International www.MOPS.org

About the author:

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. For more information visit her website: www.kathilipp.com

Deluxe Starbucks Coffee Gift Basket

• Three 2.5-oz. bags of Starbucks coffee
    (Sumatra, House Blend, and French Roast)

• Tazo black tea

• Starbucks marshmallow cocoa

• Almond roca

• Almond roca buttercrunch toffee cookies

• White chocolate and raspberry cookies

• 2 Starbucks mugs

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$62 value

Three Super-Simple Kick Starts for Living Your Dreams 
– in the next 15 minutes
by Kathi Lipp

Is there a dream that God has given you, but you are waiting until the kids are grown and you have money in the bank before you get started? You may not be able to enroll in a month long pastry making class or take a week off of work to get started on your novel, but today you can take three little baby steps to making your dream a day-to-day reality.

1.Go Public with It
It’s a little scary to tell the world what you want to do when you grow up—but this is one little step could get you closer to living your dream than almost any other. Plus—it takes very little time and you don’t have to raid your kid’s college fund to make it happen.

When you gather up all your courage and tell your best friend, “I want to learn how to paint,” suddenly she remembers an old art book she has laying around she would love to give you, or her friend from church who teaches art classes. The people you know and love want to be a resource. Give them the privilege of being a part of making your dream happen. 
 
2.Join an Online Group
This is one of the simplest—and cheapest—ways to start exploring your passion. Find out who else is talking about restoring antiques and listen to their conversation. Start by Googling your interest along with the term “online groups.”  You will be amazed with the number of people who want to talk about the proper way to care for 1950’s lunchboxes as much as you do.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Pray
 
I remember the first time I put an offer in on a house—I wanted it more than I had wanted almost anything else in my life. While I knew that I had dozens of other people praying on my behalf, I was too scared to pray. 
 
I didn’t want God to tell me no. I was afraid to pray until my co-worker Kim asked me (in a loving, kind way), why I didn’t believe that God wanted His best for me. Don’t be
afraid to pray—as with anything amazing in my life, the path is never what I expected,
but it has always been obvious that God’s hand has been on it the whole way.

Tags: book review, Giveaway, Kathi Lipp, the me project

Did you know that fatal poisonings in Washington State increased 395% from 1990 to 2006, and 85 percent of poisoning deaths involved medicines in 2006? Children and teens are at an especially high risk for accidental deaths and poisonings involving medicines.

Take Back Your Meds is a website promoting a need for safe disposal of medication. Why?

• Safe Disposal to Reduce Drug Abuse. Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country. In Washington State, almost 11% of teens use medicines for non-medical reasons – a rate that’s among the highest in the nation. The abuse of medicines by teens often results in medical emergencies or fatal overdoses. Most abusers of medicines, including teens, get the drugs from a friend or relative – not from a drug dealer. A safe medicine take-back program gets potentially dangerous leftover drugs out of our homes
• Safe Disposal to Reduce Accidental Poisonings.  Unwanted medicines left in the home endanger our children, seniors and pets. Poisonings from prescription and over-the-counter medicines are increasing. About half of the 37,000 phone calls to the Washington Poison Center concern young children who have been poisoned by medicines found at home. Getting rid of unwanted medicines at a take-back program is an important part of being safe in the home.
• Safe Disposal to Reduce Medicines in the Environment. Large amounts of powerful medicines go unused or expire and the way we dispose of them makes a difference for our waters and our environment. For years, the advice was to flush our drugs or mix them with kitty litter and throw them in the garbage. Flushing drugs sends them directly into our waters, harming the environment.  Drugs thrown in the garbage are available for others to take and use, and can still get into the environment.  Returning medicines to a take-back program is the only environmentally sound method for disposing of unused medicines.

What you can do now:

1.  Dispose of your medicines safely – return them to one of these temporary locations. 

2,  Tell your friends, family members and others to safely dispose of their medicines.

3.  Safely store medicines in your home by locking them in a drawer or cabinet or a medication lock box.  

4.   Find out about efforts to create a statewide program so all people in Washington State can safely dispose of their unused medicines. 

5. Learn how medicine take back programs work.

Do you like free money? Yeah, I’m a fan, too.  Last year I started using SwagBucks and so far I’ve earned nearly $100 in Amazon gift cards. “Wait a sec, Miss Mouthy, can I earn free money too?” You betcha!

First you need to sign up for a SwagBucks account. Easy. (BTW, when you use this link, I get credit, so thanks!) Then, start searching! To earn the most SwagBucks, install it as your primary search tool. The website makes it super easy to download their toolbar. I “search” for nearly every website I use…gmail, facebook, whatever. Yes, it takes an extra step, but I’m earning dough, people!

You can also earn SwagBucks my taking surveys, buying products through SwagBucks, turning in cell phones and lots of other ways. It’s pretty painless.

In the SwagBucks store, you can buy gift cards (the $5 Amazon is my fave and the best value…I ran a spreadsheet…I’m nerdy like that), actual products or you can enter sweepstakes.  Some people save their gift cards to pay for Christmas or buy jackets for the homeless…I hoard them to buy silly stuff for myself that I would never actually pay for (see recent purchase of Jillian Michaels wii game).

What’s the catch? For you, nothing. The way SwagBucks earns it’s keep is this…many of the websites presented are “sponsored” meaning those folks paid SwagBucks to pop their website up on the results. This is just like Google’s “sponsored” links, which are all featured at the top. SwagBucks places the sponsored links throughout the results. They are clearly marked “sponsored” but since they are intermixed, you are less likely to skip over them.

Now, if I’m doing some serious research, I go back to google. If I’m heading to a specific website or finding random information, I hit up SwagBucks.

Ready to earn free money? Head over to SwagBucks and get searching!

Ready for your New Year’s Resolution? I LOVE to make resolutions and goals. I follow through on…exactly…zero of them. Arg! A few weeks ago I found a really cool website I think is going to help me stay on track.

We’ve all heard it takes 21 days to create a habit. That’s what HabitForge.comis all about. You set your goal, then you get a daily email. When the email arrives, just click Yes or No. That will take you to the HabitForge website, which tells you how many days in a row you’ve completed your new habit (or haven’t done your bad habit).

If you miss a day, the tracker goes right back to 0. Arg!

My favorite feature is the motivation section. What is the positive reward of your habit? What is the negative consequence of your habit?

For example, I’m working on using our Sonicare every day. Plain brushing is quicker, but a root canal gave me motivation to take the 4 minutes per day. So, every day, I get an email that asks, “Were you successful yesterday at brushing with the Sonicare?” My negative consequence is, “You don’t want another root canal, do you?” and my positive is, “Healthy, shiny teeth.”

Accountability is also very helpful in striving for a goal. There is an option to share your goal and your progress with other HabitForge.com users, too.

If you are ready to embark on a new goal, habit or resolution, then HabitForge is for you!

Tags: accountability, goal setting, Goals, habitforge, habits, New Year's Resoultions, review blog, sonicare, website review

One of the most popular Christmas presents my girls received was Zingo. It’s tagline says, “Bingo with a Zing!”

Each player gets a Zingo card with 9 simple pictures. Each picture also has the matching word. When everyone is ready, use the “Zinger” to bring forward two picture tiles. If that matches a spot on your card, be the first to shout out the word and you get the tile. The first player to get blackout yells “Zingo” and wins.

Pretty simple. One feature I really like is one side has just a little competition for each tile. The other side of the card has more competition for each tile, meaning the same word shows up on lots of cards. When we’ve played, it usually ends up a matter of luck to determine the winner. This works so well because my older daughter can almost always grab the tile before my younger one. This evens the playing field. It also helps the whole “do I let my child win” dilemma. It’s often out of your hands.

The game goes quickly so there are lots of chances to be the winner. An entire round takes about 5 minutes. It’s really simple with no complicated rules. Our entire family has enjoyed it. There are also several bilingual versions including Spanish, French and Hebrew.

The game manufacturers say this game can help with image and vocabulary recognition, matching, memory, concentration, and social interaction. I suppose that’s true. However, the biggest benefit I see is having a game we can all play together.

I’m planning to stock up on these. The price is right and  it is the perfect unisex birthday gift to have stashed away in your gift closet!

Tags: birthday gifts, children's product reviews, fun board games, kids board games, unisex board games, Zingo

I love deals. I’ve been known to buy things just because they are on sale. I know, shocking. But this is one deal EVERYONE needs to know about!

Groupon.com is a website that offers killer deals targeted to your geographic area. The deals very widely! Here are a few of my recent purchases:

• Trapeze Lessons-$30 for a one hour lesson. This sounds like so much fun! At it’s actual price of $70, I wouldn’t consider it, but at that price, I can’t pass it up! 
• Dinners Done Right-$49 for six meal, normally $104. I love Dinners Done Right…delicious meals in my freezer, just waiting for “one of those days.”
• Nordstrom Rack-$25 for a $50 gift card. ‘Nuf said. 
• Snowmobile Tour-$59 instead of $125. I cannot WAIT to use this one! 2 hour tour incuding snowmobile (of course…that would be totally lame without the snowmobile), guide, and all the snow clothes you could need.
• Seattle Times Sunday delivery-I can’t remember how much it was, but it was a great deal.
• Overnight at the Roosevelt Hotel-$129 for overnight in hot tub room, parking and a $40 dining credit. I SO wish I would have bought a dozen of these!

There have been other items I haven’t purchased, but I’ve been very interested in. Pole dancing? Sugaring (similar to waxing)?  There are tons of gift certificates for restaurants, online deals, spa services and more. I’m serious, you will be amazed!!

There are so many great deals…if you get the daily email, you will surely find something in the first couple of weeks. If you don’t, I will give you a full refund!

The way it works is this: a deal is posted, typically at 50% of more. If a certain number of people (the group) buys it, the deal is on! It’s the bulk purchasing that helps get the lower price. I have never seen a deal NOT go, so don’t let that keep you up at night.

To use your Groupon, just print off the certificate and show it. Or, better yet, download the Groupon app! Then you have all your Groupons on hand for “spur of the moment” purchases. Not the trapeze class. I’m afraid you might get hurt if you do that spur of the moment.

Ready? Just go to Groupon, pick your city, enter your email and you’ll start getting daily deals emailed to you. When you are ready to make a purchase, you’ll need to set up an account, but it’s super simple.

HINT: If you are taking a trip, begin monitoring the Groupon for that area. It could save you some serious change on your trip!

Tags: deal of the day, groupon, hot deal, Roosevelt hotel, seattle times

Have you ever opened your Bible at random and hoped God would speak to you, yet ended up pointing at a verse about how many cubits long the temple curtains should be? Have you ever read through your Bible in a year, only to discover you did indeed read it (perhaps in 2 years instead of 1), yet you don’t remember a thing? Is everything you know about Scripture handed down from your pastor or a small group leader?

If any of these describe you, then you need A Modern Girl’s Guide to Bible Study by Jen Hatmaker. This book is truly life changing. The tone is friendly, girlfriend-to-girlfriend. The author seems to know me and the struggles I’ve had in setting aside time for successful Bible study time.

After taking time to work through this book, you will have tools and courage to study the Bible on your own. None of the ideas are “out there.” As a matter of fact, you have probably heard of every single idea in the book. But, at least for me, I’ve never heard them presented in a comprehensive, compelling way that moved me to action.

After 8 weeks, I am still meeting God each morning. The time is richer than I ever could have imagined. Please, if you considering buying this book, just do it! You won’t be sorry!

**Disclaimer**I bought this book with my own money. I wasn’t asked to review this book. I just love it and want everyone of my readers to read it!

Tags: Bible Study, Bible Study for Mom, How do I study the Bible?, How do you study the Bible?, Jen Hatmaker, Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study

I wish I had an orderly house. I really do. I wish if a friend knocked on the door I could graciously allow them in, offer a piece of homemade goodies and a cup of tea. Perhaps I would need to stack three magazines that were spread into a fan instead of in a stack .

Instead, my house in in a constant state of disaster. Sometimes really disastrous, sometimes just a little disastrous. Always somewhere in between. To me, cleaning house usually means picking up. I don’t actually clean. Just tidy and pick up.

I have tried. Believe me, I have tried. I tried FlyLady, whom I love dearly. However, it just didn’t work out. I was so into Motivated Moms for a time, but it sort of faded away. I have a bazillion books on home management, housework, whatever. Still I sit in chaos.

Enter Let’s Clean Up! This combines my love of computers and technology with my desire for an orderly house. Notice I didn’t say my complete hatred of housework!

Anyway, Let’s Clean Up is a comprehensive and completely customizable program. You can try it for 30 days free and when you are ready, which I know you will be, it’s only $9.95.

To start, download the program. Simple. Next, build a cleaning schedule. The program has a suggested program you can build from or you can start from scratch. I decided to go with what they had and tweak it. Have I mentioned I’m pretty much lazy to the core? Anyhoo, I made sure each room in my house was represented. Then, I went through the list to tweak it a bit.

Now comes the magic…when you are ready to clean, just print out your list! You can have one big list or have chores assigned to people in your family. You can even rotate chores!

Once you do your cleaning, go back into the program and mark off what you’ve completed. A little window even pops up to say, “You’ve completed 67 chores!” or whatever. I love positive feedback of any and every kind!

Next time you are ready to clean, print up your new list. YOU determine how frequently to complete which chores. Vacuum once per week and dust every 6 weeks? Sure thing! You can even set your typical day of cleaning or set different chores for different days of the week.

The customer service is excellent! I had a question about seasonal chores, like washing our outdoor furniture. I got an email response within minutes. This was while I was still in my free trial stage, too. I was throughly impressed!

There are so many ways to customize this program. I still can’t believe it’s only 10 bucks. That is the deal of the century!

So, what do you think? Ready to give it a try? Check out Let’s Clean Up!

**Disclaimer**I bought my own copy of Let’s Clean Up. I wasn’t given a copy and I wasn’t asked to write this review. This is strictly me sharing a new favorite find.

Tags: flylady alternatives, housekeeping, housekeeping checklist, let's clean up