Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

You know that little bag of magnet rocks you bought at the science museum that seemed so cool at the time, but you promptly forgot about? Go dig it out of whatever cold, dark corner it's hiding in. Those magnet rocks make awesome fridge magnets. They hold better than any of my "real" fridge magnets. Plus, they look really cool on your fridge.

Bonus tip: Check if your front door is magnetic. This was one of the most awesome discoveries in our apartment. It basically triples our "refrigerator door" space!

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

If it smells like poop in a hot car after traveling, look for that sippy cup you put milk in. Do it quick before it explodes!

(Submitted by Scatterbrained Homemaker)

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

If the kefir is ready, but you don’t feel like straining it right now, just stick it in the fridge. This halts the culturing process without hurting the grains, and you can neglect the kefir for a little bit longer without it becoming too potent to consume. Put it in front of something you use daily, though, like the Brita pitcher, so you don’t forget about it for too long.

(If I need to halt my kefir for more than a day, I put it in the fridge right after adding the grains to fresh milk. You can leave it for up to a week this way.)

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

If you don’t have time to clean the whole kitchen, at least stack all the dirty dishes together on one section of counter, and clean the empty counter. Half a clean counter looks cleaner than a half-clean counter.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Remember those dirty dishes I told you to go ahead and put in a cardboard box in the backyard a month ago? Yeah, that's what I thought. Go bring them inside. Now, before you forget again.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Put a hamper in every room where dirty laundry tends to get dropped on the floor. Bedrooms and bathrooms are obvious choices, but consider a small hamper (or basket) near the couch in the living room, where socks get stripped off, or in the kitchen for dirty towels.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Don't own anything irreplaceable.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Babyproofing is annoying and time-consuming. I recommend passive resignation as an alternative. Move deadly hazards, like chemicals, and fragile things, like glassware, to top shelves. Then, just let the baby play with whatever is in the cabinets she can reach. Potatoes and pots and pans are the best toys, anyhow.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Light fixtures with multiple bulbs just give you that many more opportunities to put off replacing burnt-out bulbs. Four bulbs is almost as bright as five, and three bulbs is almost as bright as four. And really, two bulbs uses so much less energy than five - I'm not being lazy, I'm saving the planet!

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Keep a stack of red party cups in your cabinet in front of the glasses, with a Sharpie for labeling tucked right inside the top cup.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Hate breaking down cardboard recycling? Just give a box to your kid and let them have at it. Before you know it that box will be more than broken down!

(Submitted by Trish)

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

While the kids are taking their bath, pre-treat today's stained clothes in the bathroom sink. You're just sitting there supervising, you might as well be productive.

*Note: I realize that this almost qualifies as a Good Housewife Tip. I almost didn't post it, but then I remembered that the children of Good Housewives don't get stained clothes in the first place.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Making meatloaf for dinner, but didn't plan far enough ahead? Split the meat into two smaller loaves (or four much smaller loaves) and shave 20 minutes or more off the cooking time!

Don't have four loaf pans? No problem! I never use loaf pans for meatloaf. I just shape my meat into approximately loaf-like shapes and line them up on my broiler pan. The fat drips through the cracks this way, leaving your meatloaf leaner, and there's more crispy outside bits (everyone's favorite part of the meatloaf, anyhow).

What's that? You like baked potatoes with your meatloaf, but now they won't cook in time, because your meatloaf will be done too quickly? Just microwave them for a few minutes (2-3 minutes per potato) before throwing them in the oven to give them a head start.

Look at that, three tips in one post! Guess what we're having for dinner tonight!

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Break cleaning tasks down in your head into smaller component tasks. It’s easier to find five minutes (and the accompanying motivation) to clean the toilet, then find five minutes later to clean the sink, then find 10 minutes another time to clean the tub, etc. than it is to find half an hour to clean the bathroom. You can also check more things off your to-do list this way, and feel more productive.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

When company is coming, make hot apple cider. The simmering spices will make your house smell so great that they won’t even notice the stinky trash smell.

Crappy Housewife Recipe: Sunday Soup

When you're sick of leftovers, here's a handy way to give them new life:

Sunday Soup

1. On Friday, get a rotisserie chicken (or other cooked meat on the bone) for dinner from your favorite grocery store's deli department. This week, I sent Jeremy, and he came back with BBQ ribs and chicken.

2. After dinner, pick any leftover meat from the carcass and throw all the bones in a pot with just enough water to cover. (It's okay to use the bones that people ate right off of, because they will cook for long enough to kill any germs.)

Bonus Tip: If you used a pot to cook potatoes or vegetables for dinner, don't bother washing it. Just empty it and use it for your broth.

3. Look in the fridge for limp celery, dried out carrots, and any other "not rotten, but not pretty" vegetables you can find. Add them to the pot. You can add seasonings if you want, but I don't bother, since the meat I get from the grocery store is well-seasoned.

4. Bring the whole pot to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for an hour and a half, or until you are heading to bed and suddenly remember that there is broth on your stove.

5. Strain off the bones and veggies, and return the broth to the pot. Let it cool a bit, then stick the whole pot in your fridge.

6. On Sunday, take the pot out of the fridge. Skim the congealed fat off the top of the broth, then put the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil.

7. Rummage through your fridge and dig out soupifyable leftovers. This week, it was peas, beans, chicken (picked from the bones on Friday), and pasta with fresh tomatoes and corn. Be creative. You might be surprised how many things can go in the pot. Leftover casseroles make the soup into a cream-style soup, leftover soups make it extra-soupy. Cooked rice works well, too. If you don't have any leftover starches, add some dried noodles first, then when they are almost done, add all the already-cooked foods.

8. Simmer everything until heated through. If any of the leftovers were near their "Hmm, maybe we should toss that" date, cook them for a little longer before eating.

9. Eat and enjoy!

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

When company is coming for dinner, break out the good paper plates.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

Find another Crappy Housewife and take turns cleaning each other’s houses. It’s a lot easier to clean someone else’s house than your own, and it’s a lot easier to clean your own house when someone is helping you. Besides, adult conversation is adult conversation, even when it's over dirty dishes.

Added bonus: If you both have kids, they can entertain each other while you clean, rather than interrupting you every five minutes to play with them. So you'll actually get more done together than one of you could ever get done in twice the time.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

If you take an article of clothing out of the washer and notice that it has a stain you forgot to pre-treat, don't throw it in the dryer. The dryer will just cook the stain in so it will be impossible to get out. Air dry it, and save it for "around the house" wear this week, and pre-treat the stain next time laundry day rolls around. It's not as effective as pre-treating it before the first washing, but it at least gives it a fighting chance.

Crappy Housewife Tip of the Day

If guests are on their way, and you don’t have time to do the dishes, throw all the dirty dishes in a box and stick it in the backyard or the basement (just don’t forget to bring it back inside after they leave).

Yeah, even I am ashamed of this one.