I have become a huge fan of the Food Network. It’s become my channel of choice. Now there are several shows that I must watch including Ace of Cakes and Challenge.

It’s fun to watch to see what creations those talented folks come up with. It makes me really think that I should be able to plan a week of meals easily if they can think of new dishes and meals every day.

I’m always amazed at how little they measure but just know how much a cup is by how much fits in their hands. I guess that’s from cooking a lot. When I don’t measure, it makes my husband nervous. Hopefully one day I will be able to guesstimate so well.

Aside from HGTV, Food Network is the only network that I can just watch no matter what is on. It inspires me to cook more which I know my family appreciates. Or at least will when I’m a better cook.

Today I did something I’ve never done before. I made a special place for my shoes and then organized them by placing them in plastic shoe boxes.

These shoe boxes are cheap and are great for small shoes. My husband’s shoes will just have to hang out on the shelf because I doubt we can find a cheap plastic box to put these in. I’ve tried shoe racks and other shoe storage solutions but never stick with them for very long. I really like these shoe boxes and hope that this is a solution that I can stick with.

Our closet space is very limited. In fact, we don’t have a closet in our bedroom, so there isn’t really a spot for us to hide our shoes. So by using these shoe boxes on the bottom row of a bookshelf creates a clean, neat shoe storage spot.

This is just one small step in hoping living a more organized life. There’s still much to do but it’s nice to have at least one small part done.

Anybody a FlyLady? I was years ago but have decided to give it a try again. All I really remember is to shine your sink each night before you go to bed. I always feel better when I have a clean sink and no dishes awaiting me first thing in the morning.

I definitely need some motivation when it comes to cleaning out clutter. So I think FlyLady will be a big help. I know I can spend 15 minutes de-cluttering. I also like the idea of taking a garbage bag and going through the house to throw 27 things away. There are some items that I can eBay or give away. But there are some things that I’m not sure anybody will be able to use as it might be broken or missing pieces. If it’s a large enough item, I could try it on Freecycle or Craig’s List just to see if anyone has a need for it.

I’m hoping by doing the FlyLady principles that I can de-clutter as well as keep a cleaner house. A messy house just in general makes me less productive.

This week I have been spending cleaning up the three-year-old’s room. Her toys are located throughout the house and she has way too much stuff. So I’ve been going through her toys – much to her dislike. It’s amazing that I put something in the giveaway pile and she immediately picks it up and plays with it. Unbelievable.

I had considered getting her some sort of bin toy storage solution but really didn’t want to shell out the money for one as I just didn’t think it would hold that much. So yesterday I ran across a three drawer rolling cart for $10. It works well to hold a lot of her toys. I could use a second one. Even if I buy two then I’ve only spent $20 and have a very versatile storage system that she can use for a long time. Sure those cute colorful character bins are cute but she will only like those for a few years. I’m always interested in buying versatile storage solutions that can be moved around the house.

The Swiffer Sweeper is a product that has truly changed how I clean for the better. Although I write about household and cleaning tips, I hate to clean. That’s why I love products that make it easier.

I remember when the Swiffer Sweeper first hit the market. I looked everywhere for one but they were always sold out. Finally I found a Scotch version of the Swiffer and got it. It worked well but after about a year I couldn’t find the refills anymore. It was an important lesson that when and innovative product comes onto the market to buy that brand.

I did finally get a Swiffer Sweeper and have enjoyed it ever since. It makes cleaning so easy and fast. The sweeper picks up so much that the broom misses. Sometimes after I sweep I Swiffer especially when the little one was crawling around on the floor. The wet pads really help to clean the floor when you don’t have time to mop. It’s very light-weight and a breeze to push around the floor. Even the three-year-old enjoys using the Swiffer. So any product that makes cleaning ‘fun’ I’m all for it.

The Swiffer pivots around corners and under tight spots. Of course I don’t think I’ve tried a Swiffer product I have been disappointed with its performance.

But don’t take my word for it. Do you want your own Swiffer Sweeper? Well we’re giving one away. Just leave a comment(no spam please) on this post to be entered into the random drawing that will take place around noon on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009. Open to U.S. and Canadian residents. The winner will be emailed and also posted on the Geeky Housewife blog.

If you are looking for more room while taking a shower, then switch to hotel shower curtain rod. This circular rod really adds the room in the shower.

We have a small bathtub that my husband never liked because of its size. We bought one of these rods and it has added a lot of room in that tight spot. My husband now has plenty of space to take his shower.

The shower rod was about $30 but you won’t need another shower curtain as your current one should still fit. It’s a cheap way to add some shower space to a small tub. It also adds an some interest to the bathroom, too.

Between the cell phones, Nintendo DS and digital cameras, we have quite a few chargers lying around.  Organizing all those chargers is a job, There are just so many that it can be confusing to keep track of them all.

When we have fewer electronics that needed to be charged, I used a 6 outlet extension cord and just kept them all plugged in at the same time. I could just turn off the extension cord when I wasn’t charging something. I took my label maker and labeled each plug so that it was easy to find the cord you were looking for. Now that we have more cords than outlets, it’s a little chaotic. Right now our best solution is to keep all the chargers in the same place and use the same outlet for everything. At least when we go to look for a charger we know where it is even if it may take a few minutes to find the right one.

Have you ever noticed the different color bread ties and wondered what that was all about? I had noticed but thought it was just for different breads like how milk has different color caps. Well that’s not the case but there is meaning behind it.

The colored bread ties signify which day the bread is delivered to the store. Bread is usually delivered five days a week. Most bread makers use blue to mark Monday and then proceed alphabetically for the rest of the week. Green on Tuesday, red on Thursday, white on Friday, and yellow on Saturday. Some bakeries may use a different system, so this may not be the case all the time.

So, the next time you see bread being delivered to your local store, check those bread ties. It’s always nice to have a side quest when grocery shopping. Today I bought bread with a red tie. Today the bread man was there but didn’t think to check the bread ties. From now on I will be as I love fresh bread.

Today I have been cleaning out our storage trailer. A lot of items have been in storage for years, and as I was going through it today, I just had to question myself as to why I am keeping all of this stuff.

I find it hard to let go of stuff. I’m a hoarder and that scares me sometimes. I don’t want to grow old and have so much stuff that I can’t manage it. Then it’ll be left for someone to take care of when I’m gone. I don’t want clutter and mountains of junk to be my legacy. So I’ve been trying lately just to let things go.

‘Clean House’ has become one of my favorite shows. I watch it to get the courage to let some things go. I did good today as I have another truckload to donate. I think we will be down to two boxes – mostly books, yearbooks, and items I just can’t part with. We still have a lot of comics and some other items that I want to try to sell on eBay.

I threw away today letters from high school that I had been keeping for whatever reason. I used to love to read old letters but now it just seems like ancient history and not really relevant to my life. With that in mind, it is making is easier to let things go.

My husband would love to live as minimalists. The first time he brought up the idea I balked at it but now I’m thinking it might be a good idea. That is, if we can ever thin down our stuff to a small, manageable amount.

Congratulations to the five Cutie’s winners. Stephanie S, Cricket, Tracy, Glamorous Life, and Ann.

Check your email for a message from me. I’ve heard from most of the winners and will pass your information along to the contest sponsor.