My Team

First and foremost: Oh. My. Goodness. It is absolutely ridiculous how long it has been since I wrote a blog post! I truly apologize for that. Good news is: we have plenty to cover! Bad News Is: I have missed you all! Moving On...

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a team to make a celebrity red-carpet-ready. Well, it takes
multiple planners to keep me on track! I am not kidding! Jump on instagram and search some tags like "plannernerd" or "plannerjunkie." You will see that I am not alone! I have three planners. Yes, three. However, they all serve a slightly different purpose. If you think that's a lot, (again) hop on instagram and see just how many women join me in utilizing more than 1 planner! So what all do I use these for? I am so glad you asked!

1. My FoxyDori, made by Kelly - one of the sweetest Etsy sellers you will ever meet. It's fuschia (she calls it DragonFruit. Who cares?! It's gorgeous!), with my initials in the bottom right corner....Perfection.
So, What's In It? My MayDesigns notebooks, all of which serve their own individual purpose. This planner is all about me: my schedule, personal goals, personal to-do list, etc.. And it goes everywhere with me.

• An Agenda: This helps me keep track of the most important parts of my day (to do lists, errands, things to remember, etc.)
  
• An Address Book: Sometimes, I have a card in my purse to mail, but I have forgotten to write (or finish writing) the address. This is where my on-the-go address book comes in handy!
• A Meal Planner: This includes a weekly space to write out the meals for each day, and another space to write out my grocery list! So handy.
  
• A Budget Book: I'm terrible about writing out expenses AFTER I get home. I usually end up shredding the receipts before I remember to write them down in my check register or my budget tracker. This allows me to keep up with expenses WHEN they happen!
  
• A Notebook: This is just plain lined notebook paper. I use this to write down to-do lists, doodle, or even write important info given to me while I'm on the go.
  

2. My Erin Condren Life Planner. This planner is a little more broad in terms of what I write in it/plan in it. This is more of a "family" planner, but still is mostly focused on my personal daily to-do lists. I plan out any important events for J (my hubby) or T (my stepson) in here as well. Family member's birthdays, as well as their important events are noted in here as well. This planner frequently makes an appearance out in public with me, but doesn't necessarily travel everywhere I go.

• Weekly Spreads Include: Birthdays, daily to-do lists, errands to run, doctors' appointments, work check lists, my daily work schedule, reminders, etc.
  
• Monthly Spreads Include: Birthdays, Big events (i.e., anniversaries, graduations), vacations/trips, when my stepson visits, my husband's retreats. I also use my notes section on each month to track my PTO so that I make sure I don't go over!

3. My Inkwell Press Planner. This is truly a family planner. It lives on my bartop in my kitchen. This has everything going on in our family in one place: J's work schedule, my work schedule, T's visits, J's Honey-Do list, my goals for around the house each week, meal plans, work out goals, etc.. What I really love about this planner is the extra notes pages after each month and the goals page included each month. It's great for a business-minded woman (OR a woman on a mission to get out of debt!). While mine is not personalized on the cover, it does generally come with personalization. I ordered mine on sale when personalization was no longer offered.

• Weekly Spreads Include: Both of our work schedules broken down by time each day, dinner plan, work out plan, pay days, honey-do list, errands to run, and weekly goals for around the house.
  
• Monthly Spreads Include: Pay Days (we get paid on different days of the month), T's visits, big events, J's retreats, our vacations, my call weekends, etc. 

See?! It really does take a village to keep me on track!  Hopefully, this helps provide you with some inspiration on how to utilize multiple planners. My recommendation is to make your smallest planner your go-to on-the-go planner with your larger planners being more flexible to stay at home. If you like my magnetic clips, check out OliClip on etsy. Like the stickers you see?! Check out my instagram (@mrshenleyplans) for vendors or stay tuned for a new weekly blog feature (Coming Soon!): My Favorite Etsy Vendors.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cleaning Your Home On a Busy Schedule

I hate clutter. Let's establish that first. I like a fairly clean home, but I rarely have a whole lot of time to put into cleaning. My big cleaning days are Sundays, but what about the rest of the week? I have little more than 15-30 minutes to spare each day. I tried the FlyLady system - it's great. BUT my home isn't big enough to spend 15 minutes in the same room each day for 1 week. I would run out of things to do or clean up! So I've formed my own system (and my own "cleaning commandments"), which I have outlined below to share with you! I used the FlyLady model as inspiration for my BusyWife schedule/commandments. Follow with me OR make your own!

BusyWife Commandments:

1. Always wash/rinse your dishes (and/or place all dishes from the meal in the dishwasher) after every meal. And wipe down the counters after dinner every night. And wipe off the kitchen table after dinner every night (It will literally take you no longer than 5 minutes).

2. Sort mail immediately: trash what's junk, read and trash "quick reads" (ex: church fliers, coupons, invitations - make sure to RSVP!), save and file important mail (i.e., bills, bank statements, etc.)

3. Put your shoes up immediately after taking them off. Yes, seriously. I don't care if you plan on wearing them again in 15 minutes. Chances are you won't, and if you truly do, then you know exactly where they are!

4. File important papers immediately. None of this "Oh I'll get to it in a minute." Do it. Now.

5. Plan 1 day per week to perform deep cleaning activities (i.e., dust, mop, clorox, etc.).

6. Purge at least twice per year. Clothes, toys, pantry items, kitchen supplies. We all have those clothes we never wear, toys the kids haven't looked at in months, spices that are expired, hot cocoa that's been sitting in the pantry for 3 years (untouched), coffee mugs we never use any more, lunch boxes that were bought with good intentions. You get it - be brutally honest with yourself and purge it!

7. Always make your bed every morning. Always - it will instantly make the room seem cleaner and more organized! Plus, things don't get lost in the sheets when you climb into bed.

8. Put away your clean laundry as soon as it is folded/dried/ready. No one (including you) wants to look at it on the couch or in the laundry basket for a week.

Cleaning:

Inspired by FlyLady, I have divided my home into zones. Each zone gets my attention for 15-20 minutes one day per week. Sundays are my "Deep Clean Day," so I have 6 zones. To me, the lower floor is more important because that's what guests see. That's why those areas are towards the top of my list. That way, these zones/areas are cleaned earlier in the week, and I don't have to stress if I have dinner guests Friday night! Below is my list of zones and the simple tasks I perform in each zone for 15-20 minutes.

Zone 1 - Front Entrance/Living Room: Clean off coffee table and end table. Sweep floor. Purge magazines (anything older than 6 months is recycled - hubby knows this and clips any articles/recipes he wants to keep). Put any shoes away (hubby loves to leave his shoes laying around). Fluff sofa cushions, fold throw blankets, straighten throw pillows, roll up computer/extension cords so that no one trips.

Zone 2 - Kitchen/Dining Room/Half Bathroom: Sweep floor, wipe down counters, clean stove top, wipe kitchen table down (use a little elbow grease!), clean mirror in bathroom, wipe down sink(s), purge fridge.

Zone 3 - Stairs/Upstairs Hallway: Hang up any coats laying on the stairs. Take stack on stairs to appropriate rooms (we have a knack for placing items that need to go upstairs on the stairs and just walking around said items for 1 week), vacuum hallway, straighten pictures in stairwell, clean up toys/miscellaneous items in the upstairs hallway.

Zone 4 - Upstairs Bathroom: Wipe down counter, dust off shelves, clorox spray in toilet, sweep floor, clean up hair off shower wall/floor, unclog drain (if needed), clorox soak for shower curtain (if needed), wipe down mirror, put random toiletry items/medication bottles into designated areas.

Zone 5 - Little T's Room: Put away toys, change sheets, put up books, throw away Happy Meal toys, vacuum floor.

Zone 6 - Master Bedroom: put away clothes on the floor, clean off/organize bedside tables, clean off dresser, put jewelry away, change sheets, vacuum floor.

Sunday: Deep Cleaning Day

Downstairs: Dust & wipe down all tables/shelves off. Mop floor. Clean windows, sliding glass doors. Dust picture frames on wall and tables. Sort through miscellaneous items that have collected on various pieces of furniture and keep what's important. Toss what's junk.

Upstairs: Mop bathroom floor, wipe down windows in all rooms, dust bedroom furniture, dust blinds in all rooms, clean shower/bathtub and toilet.

Making Any System Work For You: 

Ultimately, it boils down to what works best for you, your family, and your schedule. Get your kids involved, too (particularly if they are younger - they want to be a "big help."). If they understand from the beginning that this is something they need to contribute to, then they will be less disgruntled later when you ask for help! Rules apply to everyone (making beds, putting up shoes), and there will be less griping 3 hours later when you ask kids (or hubby) to pick up their shoes. 

Let things go. There are some things you aren't going to be able to change in your family. My dad is constantly leaving his tie on my mom's desk in the kitchen. She's truly given up (after 30+ years of marriage, I would, too!) on this issue and happily carries his tie up to the closet every night. Some things are negotiable, so be a little more flexible on those issues!

My New Favorite iPad App

I love to cook - when I have time. While most of you know from previous blog posts that J does the majority of the cooking, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy scavenging for some amazing-sounding recipes! We really do enjoy cooking together (remember our second date?). Recently, my mom introduced me to this amazing iPad app for the kitchen: RecipeBook. When she initially purchased it, the app cost $2.99. Now it's $3.99. I don't generally make a habit of buying iPad apps. I personally think that it is a waste of money, but I did purchase this app. I am so happy that I did! Whenever I find a recipe that sounds great, I transfer it into this app. From there, I can email it to J (who has the same app). He can then transfer it into the app on his iPad and use it to make dinner! Super simple!

So, to demonstrate, I've included a little mini tutorial to show you a little bit of what this app is all about! I found this amazing-sounding recipe on Pinterest: Roasted Cauliflower & Gruyere Soup. I opened up the actual webpage that this recipe was found on and copied the link.

I then opened up my RecipeBook app and selected "Import Recipe from Online" under the menu options.

From there, you can import the recipe in a snap! The directions on the app are actually really well-written and easy to understand. The best part is, the app will create a grocery list on demand! Pretty awesome, huh?!

I hope you enjoy this app! Let me know if you want to swap some recipes! :)

What's In Your Bag?, Episode 3

Kerri is a very sweet Mommy of three that I met in a Facebook group for planner addicts, such as myself. She sells Origami Owl, which is an adorable way to express yourself with jewelry without a huge price tag! I received one from my mother-in-law for Christmas, and I wear it tons! Check out her site! :) Kerri's husband works long hours, as he is in his LAST year of residency! There's no better person to show off how to stay organized on the go than Kerri! I hope you enjoy, and a very special thanks to Kerri for sharing how she keeps it all together! 

1. The bag: my amazing leather Whipping Post tote. This bag holds everything I need for 3 kids, planner items, and wallet (I have 2 in diapers!).

2. What's in my bag: 
- My Erin Condren
- Louis Vuitton Cluth (carry hair elastics, hand sanitizer and lip gloss)
- My Origami Owl yellow cosmetic pouch (Carries lotion and sunscreen)
- My hot pink Origami Owl business card holder
- Diapers, wipes, change of clothes for each kids
- Briber tools (M&Ms & stickers)
- My In A Pikle (A Mommy Must-Have!)
- Quick snacks squeeze pouches
- Sunglasses
- Sophie, the Teething Giraffe
- Lovie Blanket for my baby

3. I'm obsessed with my Orla Kiely (cosmetic organizer), and I use it to house all my planner goodies! Below shows the inside, which is filled with EC stickers, Post-Its (another must have on the go), pens, labels, and travel washi tape that I wrapped around business cards.

4. My gorgeous EC planner & Nate Berkus pouch (also pictured with the Orla Kiely). I use my planner to balance schedules and crazy family life with 3 babies: Bills, To-Dos, my Origami Owl business (mostly tax info). I love washi tape & stickers.

5. A closer look at the planner! (How sweet is this picture of her 3 kiddos?!)

6. A Monthly View of My EC Planner. I finally came up with a monthly view I enjoy! Just a touch of washi, my husband's schedule, birthdays, and small dot stickers mark when a bill is due. 

Thank you Kerri for taking some time to share how you keep it all together on-the-go! :)

Marinated Chicken

J and I have recently fallen in love with a new Lawry's marinade: Herb and Garlic.  It's amazing, to put it quite simply. If you want to plan ahead, take a gallon size freezer plastic bag, toss your chicken breasts, thighs, etc. in and drown it in marinade! If you are scrambling to get something put together for dinner, then just slather the marinade on the chicken as you grill it! Totally just as delicious! Can you tell by now that I love items and recipes that provide options?!

J and I prefer to marinate the chicken overnight at minimum, sometimes even marinating the chicken for 48 hours (even better for those of you that plan way ahead!). So, here's how we do it.  Thaw out one pack of chicken breasts (3-4 breasts), thighs, etc. Once thawed out, go ahead and toss the chicken into a plastic bag.  I use a gallon-sized freezer bag.  Drown it in the marinade. I mark the time that I put everything in the bag so that the chicken can marinate for at least 22-24 hours. Pop it in the fridge for the night/following day (or 2 days as we do sometimes!). Make sure to lay it flat on the fridge shelf so that the chicken is not getting marinated unevenly! If you remember, flip over the following morning to make sure that every part of the chicken gets equal cover time!

Once the chicken has marinated for long enough, we grill it (best way to cook it, in my opinion). J loves to grill so that there is a bit of char on the meat. At first, I was a little turned off by it because I thought he was intentionally burning the meat.  Then I realized, he's just adding a little extra crisp and flavor, and I came to love it.  I mean, how good does this look?:

The best part of this marinade is that the chicken will go with essentially anything.  We ate it with spinach ravioli and marinara sauce (Check it out here!) a few weeks ago.  Tonight, we experimented and ate it with coleslaw - a summer staple for us. It was equally as amazing! Of course, I ate my signature dessert as a side, but who's keep track right?! ;)

Want to spice this recipe up? Why not toss some shrimp into the marinade bag, as well?! Quarter some red potatoes, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and rosemary and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (Depends on how crispy you like your taters!). Now that's a meal!

What's In Your Bag?, Episode 2

Torri and I met through a group of ladies obsessed with organizing, planners, and purses.  As a sales rep for Jewell, she always has so many neat products that allow her to keep her purses SO organized! The products she utilizes and sells are so neat! Torri has chosen to show us several different Jewell products that she uses on a regular basis to keep it together!

Just one favorite bag?! How can a girl pick just one favorite? Well, of course, I have multiple favorites that I carry depending on what I am doing that particular day (going to work, shopping, or a date with the hubby!). All of my favorite handbags hold BOTH of my Gillios, too! Luckily, I have found a brand that allows me to change handbags so easily and keep them organized!  Jewell handbags and accessories have changed my life and my purse! You can imagine my excitement when both of my Gillio planners fit into one bag!! 

Speaking of Gillio's, I don't know how I ever survived without them! I carry two planners in my bag(s): a Medium Compagna and a Pocket Mia Cara! I use my Compagna for my month and daily views.  A note section is there for anything I need to jot down and refer to quickly.  I also have grocery list printouts that I use, so I can start my list as I think of things!  I have a section for "to-do" lists and section for contacts.

I have finally found Planner Peace with Piaric inserts (you can find her on Facebook!). The quality of the paper is fabulous, but what I like most is that I get the best of all planner worlds. I have a place to write down the flow for each day and sections broken into priority, routine, to do, coming up & notes.  My very favorite part of my two Gillio's is the amazing back pocket that I can fit fold full size sheets of paper in half! For me, that was a huge selling point and justification on spending that much money on a Gillio - or two! 

I use my Pocket Mia Cara for managing my checking accounts. I own 2 businesses so between those accounts and my personal accounts, it can be a bit overwhelming.  I use "account register" pages from the PolkaDotPosiePrint on etsy and cut them down to fit in my pocket! Primarily, that is what I use my Pocket Mia Cara for.  It was much better than carrying around 5 checkbook registers - and much cuter, too!

Below you will see pictures of my favorite bags. Happy Day! For the sake of boring you, I've narrowed down my favorites to 4 bags.
Style Icon 

Foolproof Fashionista

Diamond District

Style Setter

Now let me share with you what Jewell is. My Jewell Handbags allow me to customize the inside of my purses to fit my needs and lifestyle (with the patent-pending pockets and fashion organizers).  I love that my handbag gives back to women! 10% of every purchase goes to non-profit groups that empower women and girls.  I love that my handbag provides me the opportunity to own my own boutique business where I can achieve my "Why" in life.  Wow! Can you believe a handbag can do all that?! Now you see why I can't just pick one handbag, right? And you guessed it! I clearly can't pick just one Gillio either! 

If you like what you see and/or want to organize your life and handbag, I would love to help you make it happen! Check out my website: all of my information is found there. I would love to help you in any way that I can!  www.myjewellstyle.com/TorriJ

Happy organizing and planning!

My New Favorite Snack (Or Dessert)

My dessert the other night - YUM!

In my recent quest to eat more healthy and exercise in attempts to lose weight for my upcoming wedding, I found a new love.  I mean we've all heard of apples and peanut butter right?! Well...I like peanut butter, but not enough to eat it outright.  So I've found a new semi-source of protein (And sweetness!)....Drumroll please....Nutella! Yes, I have become slightly addicted to the sweet, hazelnutty flavor that is Nutella.  So, what have I tried it on?

• Bananas - ok, but not as good as the ole' bananas and peanut butter.  You can't beat an oldie but goodie!
• Bread - again, just ok...but straight up Nutella on gluten-free bread ain't all that hot.
• Apples - good (better than bananas), but still not what I was searching for. 
• Strawberries - yes ma'am! This was by far the BEST combination I tried! Just think: sweet, wonderful strawberries and thick, hazelnut Nutella.  It's a match literally made in heaven.

I've gotten so bad about eating it for an after-work snack and then again for dessert! J laughs at me constantly because we have started going through Nutella like some people go through water! But, seriously, look at the picture below and tell me that doesn't look good! Now, run out to the store and get you some strawberries and Nutella (and wine...always some wine!).  Start enjoying!

What's In Your Bag?

The following post is written by guest blogger, Maisy...I met Maisy in a group for people obsessed with Erin Condren (a life planner we both happen to have and love to decorate).  When I started asking for volunteers for my first "What's In Your Bag" post, Maisy generously volunteered.  She is a fellow blogger, but she blogs on sexual wellness.  Her blog is The Momfia.  I will warn you - I was a little surprised at what I saw at first, BUT it IS a sexual health and wellness blog, so keep your mind open. Maisy was kind enough to open up her life-on-the-go (aka her purse!) to us. So everyone, say hello to Maisy...and her bag!!!

1: My bag. I got it on sale from Target for $12.99. I'm very thrifty.

2: My May monthly overview of my Erin Condren LP. I think the Erin Condren company is very shady, but they make a product that can't be competed with. So I'm kinda stuck.

3: How I use it: errands, water intake, Bible study, tracking meds (I have lupus). I'm very organized, and I'd be lost without my Erin Condren Life Planner. Even just decorating it calms my anxiety.

4: Inside the purple bag (which I got from Etsy): Lupus medications that I often need while on the go, Garnier hand lotion, my reading glasses (Guess), and my wallet clutch. And yes, I really DO carry redbull everywhere - it's an addiction.

5: Inside the pink bag is all my makeup, tissues, and hand sanitizer. I'm a mother, so a First Aid Kit is always a necessity! Ear plugs because my better half lives 500 miles away, and I fly to him a lot. A prayer journal and my current read (The Christian Homemakers Handbook by Pat Ennis). The small phone: I've found, personally, it's worth the $10 a month to have a burner line that I can keep my main cell number to myself. So business calls or calls from my gym all go to the one in the photos

6: The blue small bag is full of feminine products of all types. The pink bag is full of random things you never know you may need (toothbrush, floss, inhaler, liquid bandaid, and a Schick on the go razor!).

7: My tablet (it's very very very old - 2011. If anyone is selling a cheap one, feel free to holla), notepad, and ear buds.

Maisy was also kind enough to show how she utilizes her Erin Condren Life Planner in more detail!

Below are her journal dashboards.

Below are the clear zip pouches that come with EC Life Planners and Take Note! Notebooks. Look how Maisy has utilized them to store her various planner accessories!

So - now that you've seen Maisy's bag. What's in YOUR bag?!