Monthly Musings: An Easier Week

Patty at Good Better Best hosts this monthly sharing of tips, tricks, and conversation starters. We all like finding ways to make our everyday lives just a bit easier, whether it's streamlining the morning rush out the door or simplifying dinners and chores. This month's musings focus on tips for making the week easier. I could use some ideas, and I hope I have something useful to contribute as well. Maybe I just need the reassurance that I'm not the only one with a bit more chaos and disorder in my routines than I'd like!

1. Paper planner, digital calendar or other option? 

I mostly rely on my Google calendar to keep track of all the things, though I also have a wall calendar by my desk, and a weekly paper meal planning and grocery list calendar on the fridge. For appointments and schedules and when we have hockey tickets, that's on the digital calendar. Bills that are due are on the wall calendar. Birthdays are on both. 

2. Meal planning, meal prep or wing it?

This is another combination answer. I am lousy at prepping meals ahead of time, but I really need to plan the meals at least a few days out so I know what I'm doing when I get home from work, and what I need to grab at the grocery on the way home. The meal planning calendar on my fridge helps, and I also quickly jot shopping list items on it so they won't be forgotten. I use the Plan To Eat website and app to keep track of my recipes and plug them into a meal plan. I don't always use this feature, but it also can create a shopping list for me based on my meal plan. It is really handy to have my meal plan and the recipes right on my phone so I can refer to it while on the go!

(Disclosure: The link and the button contain my affiliate link, which means I'll get a small commission for the referral.)

 

3. Do you choose your outfit the night before?

Hardly ever. For work, I usually wear t-shirt and jeans, so no planning required. I do think on Saturday night what I'm going to wear to church on Sunday. 

4. Tips for managing laundry and ironing

Now that there's just the two of us, it shouldn't be that hard to manage, but I still tend to leave clean laundry in a basket and don't get it put away in a timely manner. Oops.

At this point, I basically do laundry three times a week. Often the clean laundry stays in the dryer until the next day before it gets put away. I do try to remember to hang up anything that might need ironing (pretty much just hubby's dress shirts) right away so that when I do the ironing, it's mostly touch up. I only iron once every two or three weeks.

5. Grocery shop instore or online?

I shop in the store. I have been saying for months that I need to just bite the bullet and place my order in the app and pick it up, but I haven't done it yet. I feel like it would take the same amount of time, just during my workday on my phone instead of in the store. 

6. Best tips for getting out the door in the morning without chaos?

Again, with just the two of us and no kids, my job is pretty easy. My husband gets up a bit before me and wakes me. I always get the coffee ready the night before so it is brewed by the time I get downstairs. I have a pretty good system for packing our lunches so most days that goes pretty quickly. I hand him his coffee and lunch and he heads out. Then I have about 40 to 45 minutes before I have to leave. I finish packing my lunch, then go back upstairs to finish getting ready. It's during this time that I listen to my morning devotional as well. (I have the First15 app on my phone for this) I have a little time drink a cup of coffee, check email, and sometimes even spend a few minutes doing something blog-related. I have an alarm set on my phone to count me down to the time I need to be out the door. Without that I would get sidetracked and "do just this one thing" for way too long. My preferred route to work is one that sticks to a "back road" for as far as possible before getting onto the highway. It takes a few minutes longer, but I consider it so worth it because the highway is so stressful.

7. Share your easiest dinners for crazy weeks

I try to keep burger patties in the freezer for a quick meal. We go with Breakfast for Dinner sometimes when I'm out of ideas or just don't have the energy to make dinner. 

8. Best tips to keep your house organized during the week

I've been failing spectacularly at this so far in 2026! LOL My plan is that I spend some time on Tuesday evenings whipping the kitchen and dining room back into shape, and some time on Thursday evening cleaning the bedrooms and bathrooms. Anything that needs more time has to be tackled on the weekends. But honestly, I've been getting only the barest minimum done lately and keep saying I'll catch up and give things a really good proper clean on Saturday . . . and when Saturday gets here I don't get everything done. That said, I find it does help me stay on track when I have a clear expectation of which job should get done on which day.

9. Share your easiest breakfast

We almost never eat breakfast so my easy breakfast is my cup of coffee! 

10. Share your best overall tip not covered yet

I don't think I have anything. I'm not really known for my organization skills! I try to have routines that make the quick everyday maintenance things automatic. I don't always remember to do those things, but the house runs more smoothly when I do. And I might not get a detailed deep clean done as often as I should, but the basics are done as I go, so things are generally tidy and quite acceptable.

What are your best tips for keeping your home running smoothly? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm linking up with Monthly Musings hosted by Patty at Good Better Best.

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 ©2006-2026 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

Everyday Images #82

Welcome to my ongoing challenge and reminder to myself to take photos somewhat regularly. I'm not a photographer, but I enjoy taking everyday photos of things I find interesting or want to remember later, and I'm more likely to notice interesting things when I'm intentionally watching for them. Having some prompts that are open to interpretation has helped me pay a little more attention to what's around me. Here's how it works: Every two weeks I have a few words and phrases to focus on, and I try to find opportunities to take pictures of these things each week. The link-up post will be here every other Thursday, sharing my photos and offering a link-up for participants to share theirs. Right below the link-up is where you'll find the next set of prompts. 

February Prompts - Everyday Images #82

~~~~~

pages

numbers

at home (monthly)

red

window view

selfie (quarterly)

architecture

~~~~~

pages - I've amassed quite a lot of pages of sheet music

numbers

at home (monthly)

red

window view - the view from my car window (while at a red light!) one foggy morning

selfie (quarterly)

architecture - despite having visited a Frank Lloyd Wright house last week, I still chose the Delaware City Hall building for this prompt. Scroll down to the bonus section for the FLW photos!

 And a few bonus photos:

Our Valentines Day outing was a visit to the Central Ohio Home and Garden Show. A friend works for one of the vendors, and offered us passes for that day.

We especially enjoyed the garden/outdoor displays. One featured the National Parks, recreating miniatures of a few Parks scenes such as Old Faithful, and had student artwork showing Parks scenery as well. 

miniature "Old Faithful"

My friend Dee understood the assignment better than I did,
and posed as if taking a bite of the plastic burger

Lots of nods to the upcoming 250th birthday celebration for the USA too.

Ended the day by trying out Biggby Coffee, and will be back!

On the 15th, we met up with our kids in Delaware to check out a small art museum.

Featured works by an artist that uses found objects that would otherwise be trash. These large installations are mostly made from lengths of garden hose and electric  cables. I think these would be kind of neat in a backyard area, don't you? They are unusual.

Also wandered around town and checked out a couple of shops. Were really tempted to eat at Bun's Restaurant, based solely on their iconic neon sign over the street, but ultimately went to a little burger place.

This past weekend we visited Westcott House in Springfield. It was our second tour of this Frank Lloyd Wright house. 

Got a close up look at magnolia buds - never realized how much they resemble pussy willows, and I wouldn't have expected that.

And within hours of seeing those signs of spring, it was winter again:

This little spot of color is an example of why I try to do Everyday Images. I noticed it at my feet and wondered whether there was a story about how it got there. 

I am sharing my photos every other Thursday, along with my prompts for the next two weeks. You can use all or some of the prompts for your own photo posts, or none of the prompts and just link up a post featuring your photos. Simple rules: Your posts must be family-friendly; the photos must be your own; and the post must be mostly photos. If you do share I'd appreciate a mention and link to A Fresh Cup of Coffee on your post.

The Everyday Images link-up is posted every other Thursday, and is open for two weeks.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

February/March Prompts - Everyday Images #83

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colorful

moon

from above

river

delicate

neighborhood spot (quarterly)

minimalist

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©2006-2026 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Sound Off - Wednesday Hodgepodge

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  America celebrates turning 250 years old this year. Primary cities set to lead the celebrations on July 4th are Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C. Other significant locations for celebrating will be Charleston SC and the 'historic triangle' which includes Jamestown-Williamsburg-Yorktown Virginia.

Of the cities listed, how many have you seen in person? Of the cities listed which would you most like to visit this year? Any plans to do so? What's one place in America you think everyone should see? If you're not American what's one place in the US you'd like to see?

 

I have driven through Boston, but we didn't have time to really see anything there. I've been to Philadelphia quite a few times as we lived in south Jersey for a few years. We've visited New York a couple of times. We lived in Maryland for about twenty-six years, so I've also been to Washington DC many times. I haven't been to Charleston or the 'historic triangle'. Yet. Jamestown-Williamsburg-Yorktown is the area on the list I'd most like to visit, although it's very unlikely to happen this year. I do think all Americans should visit Washington DC at least once. See the Capitol building and the White House at least from the outside. Definitely see the Lincoln Memorial and the war memorials on the Mall. Pick one or two of the Smithshonian Museums to vist. Must see. And while you're in that general area, you should also visit one of the national battlefields from the War Between the States - Monocacy, Antietam, Manassas, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania, Harpers Ferry, and Gettysburg are all in that general area. Different war, but Fort McHenry in nearby Baltimore is also very interesting.

 

2. Three sounds you love to hear?

Happy giggles from a little kid (especially if it's my granddaughter), birdsong and birdcalls (even crows and jays!), rain on the roof of a covered porch.

3. Three sounds you hate to hear?

 Crunching or scraping metal (sounds like a vehicle accident), sound system feedback, a fork scraping a plate. I would have said nails on a chalkboard, but thankfully that's a seldom heard sound any more, with whiteboards and electronic chalkboards being more common.

4.  February 24th is/was National Tortilla Chip Day. Are you a fan? With salsa, guacamole, queso, or just plain please? Do you like nachos? with what on top? Is there anything (besides nachos) you make that calls for tortilla chips?

 I do like tortilla chips, but they're not often my first choice. I like them best with queso or plain, but I also like them with a little salsa. I don't eat guac. I really like nachos, and my favorite toppings are meat (burrito beef), lots of cheese, sour cream, and a little hot sauce. We use tortilla chips to scoop up Vault Dip* or buffalo chicken dip, but off the top of my head I can't think of anything that calls for the tortilla chips as an actual ingredient.

*see the random thought for info about Vault Dip

 

5.  We March into March with next week's Hodgepodge . . . what's one thing on your March calendar that makes you smile?

 St Patricks Day makes me smile because my annual box of Lucky Charms is such a treat. Other things on my calendar that bring a smile are: a one-day women's conference I'm planning to attend, a Blue Jackets game, and Sweet Adelines Regional Convention. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Vault Dip is a very simple crockpot appetizer dip - scrambled fried ground beef, shredded cheese, and canned chili/tomatoes (Rotel) seasoned with lots of chili powder and some hot sauce. It got its name because I used to make it regularly to serve at church youth group when I was a youth leader. Our youth building was a renovated bank building so it was named The Vault, and the youth group is known as Vault Youth. Obviously all four of our kids were members of Vault Youth during their teen years, and my husband and I both were adult sponsors/leaders for the group for years. I loved hanging out with those kids and Vault was so much fun. Crazy to think that the teens I worked with are all grown up and many have families of their own now. My own former Vault Youth kids have all taken their turn serving as kids or youth ministry volunteers, and are all servant leaders in their church now. The son pictured below in one of the Vault t-shirts is now a church board member!

My son wearing his Vault Youth t-shirt - 10 years ago!

How would you sound off on any of the questions? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

I host the Wednesday Quotes link-up every other Wednesday. Stop by and share a few thoughts and quotes on the current topic here: WQ - Living Responsibly. I host the Everyday Images photo link-up every other Thursday. And find the Scripture and a Snapshot link-up here every Sunday.

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email. 

 ©2006-2026 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.