The Power of Fifteen Minutes

When I came downstairs this morning, the mess from the weekend stared back at me. It was a teensy bit overwhelming because I didn't really know where to start in putting the house back together.

For some reason, when I was away at the writer’s conference, the children took it to mean that they didn’t have to do chores. Since my secret for looking like I’m a decent housekeeper is to make sure that my front entryway, living room and dining room always look presentable (because people can see those areas if they come to the door) I started there, just in case someone drops by. Of course, the kids will be catching up on their chores after school today.

I also updated my family calendar (where I write everyone’s schedule) from April to May. (I know, it's May 9th. Sadly, I don't have any excuse for that.)

So now I really should put some laundry in and start on the kitchen and family room. I also need to put some final touches on my family night and stick dinner in the crockpot. But I don’t want to. I’d rather sit and work on my writing because I got so many great ideas from the conference this past weekend.

This is where Flylady comes in and her power of fifteen minutes. I love Flylady and even though I don’t follow everything she advocates for an organized home, I love her idea of the power of fifteen minutes and I use it all the time because it works so well for me and my kids. So I can spend fifteen minutes writing down some of the writing ideas I had for my writing while Barney is on, spend fifteen minutes in the kitchen where the kids (even the little ones) can help, fifteen minutes working on my family night, you get the idea. And I am always surprised by how much I get done in fifteen minutes. You should try it!

What I'm Doing for Family Night Tonight

My two year old’s favorite game is hide and seek. So, tonight I will put a little cardboard sign on a string around her neck that says, “Eternal Life.” Then she will hide and the rest of us (teens, tweens etc.) will be seeking, “eternal life.” Then we will sit down and talk about what we have to do to gain eternal life. (Keep the commandments, read our scriptures, follow the Savior, etc..) Maybe I’ll have the two year old hide a few times and talk about a different thing we should be doing each time we find her. Then we’ll look in the index and Bible dictionary of the scriptures and see what we can find about eternal life in the scriptures. Closing prayer and the eternally good chocolate cake should round out the evening. Simple, yet fun for everyone! (I know the teens will probably roll their eyes, but hey, that’s the best I’ve got for today.)

What I'm Making for Dinner

Here’s what I’m throwing in my crockpot for dinner. It’s one of my family’s favorites and is so easy I do it all the time.

Italian Crockpot Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. Cream cheese
½ c. milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 pkg (0.7 oz) Italian dressing mix.

Combine cream cheese, milk, soup, and Italian dressing mix in crockpot and mix well. Add chicken. Cook on low for 6-7 hours and serve over rice.