Tips for Busy Moms: Cleaning Reusable Shopping Bags

by Jennifer Worthington Lower

As the idea of “going green” has become completely ingrained in our way of living, reusable shopping bags are practically a no-brainer. I have a rotating selection of 10-15 bags that get carried in the back of my car (cloth, recycled material, and insulted).

Something that I never really thought about was keeping them clean.  It sounds gross, but I figured I am just carrying groceries from the store to the car and from the car to our house.  They get put back into the car on our next trip out.  How are they getting dirty?

Well, we are putting ourselves at huge risk for cross contamination,and possibly, food poisoning.  When we were dealing with the after math of Hurricane Irene, I packed up our dairy and meats from the refrigerator and took them to my parent’ house, where they had electricity.  When I removed the meats, I realized that one of the packages had leaked into the bottom of the bag.  I almost didn’t see it.  What if I hadn’t?

I cleaned the bag  with a disinfectant wipe, but I decided to do a search online to see how I should move forward.  How many times had I missed the nastiness on the bottom of the bag.  I searched “How to clean reusable shopping bags” and I found a  study performed by The Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ and The School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA that concluded that:

• Consumers almost never wash reusable bags
• Large numbers of bacteria were found in every reusable bag, but none in new bags or plastic bags
• Coliform bacteria including E. coli were found in half of the bags tested
• Bacteria were capable of growth when stored in the trunks of cars
• A potential significant risk of bacterial cross contamination exists from using reusable bags to carry groceries
• Hand or machine washing reduced the numbers of bacteria in reusable bags by >99.9%
• They are calling for printed instructions on reusable bags that they be washed between uses or the need to separate raw foods from other food products.

After reading that, I threw away all of my older bags.  I am only going to buy and keep high quality insulated bags and cloth bags that can be washed in the washing machine from here on out.  Is my decision a little less “green”?  Initially, yes.  But once I am able to acquire these specific types of bags, I shouldn’t have to purchase or retire any bags for quite a while.  It’s a live and learn thing.  I made the mistake once.  I won’t do it again.

Does this information surprise you?  have you ever suspected that reusable shopping bags may have been the culprit when someone became ill?


Jen is Wife to a wonderful man who has been the love of her life since she was 15 years old, Mother to two adorable munchkins under the age of three and an Entrepreneur who spends her free time writing and crafting. You can hear more from Jen at MamaZen, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Tips for Busy Moms: Plan Ahead Meals

by Jennifer Worthington Lower

I am not a big cook. I would love to be, but I have a few problems.

#1 I have a crazy schedule

#2 It’s just me and two toddlers eating most meals together because hubby works nights and is on his own schedule.

#3 I have what I have dubbed “Culinary ADD.” This means that I get all fired up about making something and then about 15 minutes into it I lose steam and get distracted. I burn a lot of things this way (not proud of myself).

One of my favorite ways to pacify my guilt over this is to make meals ahead of time that will keep in the refrigerator or freezer that I can easily put on the table.

Here are a few of our family favorites:

• Chili (freezes well)
• Quiche
• Marinated chicken breast (great for dinners or chopped in salads)
• Pasta salad
• Waldorf chicken salad.

Sometimes we opt for bigger lunches (especially on the weekends) and these are all great midday meal ideas! I know that there is a whole community of people who make freezer meals and have them at the ready. I have been intrigued by this idea for a while and I am trying to build a library of meals that will freeze well and are going to appease the little ones.

Are you a make ahead meal mom? What are some of your favorites? Please feel free to comment if you are interested in our family recipes and to share your own!!

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Jen is Wife to a wonderful man who has been the love of her life since she was 15 years old, Mother to two adorable munchkins under the age of two and an Entrepreneur who spends her free time writing. You can hear more from Jen at MamaZen, and on Facebook and Twitter.

Monday Tips for Busy Moms: Outings With Toddlers

When I first brought home my second child I had no idea how I was supposed to travel with two babies.  I  knew other people did it somehow, I had seen it, but how?  Remember that I have a very “spirited” little girl who is challenging on outings, so that is where my worry came from.  I was concerned for her safety if I had to turn my attention to her brother.

Now, my youngest is almost eighteen months old and things are very different.  Like any mother, I meet new challenges everyday, but I don’t feel completely overwhelmed.  The key to this is creating a routine for myself.  The most challenging place for me is always the grocery store.  I like to be able to focus so that I can price check and keep track of my coupons but I also need my full attention on my children.

Before I leave the house I make sure that my list and coupons are in order so I only need to glance at them.  Secondly, on the car ride to the store is have a conversation with my oldest about her behavior and how she would prefer to travel through the store.  This is a big part of our battle.  She likes to pick the cart with the car on the front and then decide once we’re in the store that she wants the kind with the bench, or any number of random choices that the store offers now. She gets to make a choice and then that is what she must stay with.

The next thing I do is make sure that I have the cart cover for my son arranged for easy carrying.  I have noticed that the stores with “parent with child” parking tends to be too far from a cart corral for my comfort.  I either park right next to the carts (but this doesn’t give me the option for the special carts because they are always at the front of the store) or I make sure that the cart cover is attached to me/my bag so that I have a free hip for the youngest and a free hand for the oldest.
I then make sure my daughter is settled in whatever contraption she has chosen and then I arrange my son with his cart cover .

I carry one of those shopping bag hooks that you see on strollers in the mall in my purse so that it is available whether I am using the stroller or a shopping cart.  This way I can hang my bag from the cart handle and have everything within reach without having it drop form my shoulder constantly.
Once I have all of these things in order, we usually have a smooth ride.  The occasional outburst is expected, but I can handle it because I know it is probably coming.

I envy the mothers who fly by the seat of their pants and can do whatever, whenever.  I want to be the kind of parent who can take anything that comes at them and make the best of it , but I am not made that way.  Routine gives me comfort and I find it aids not only me, but my children because they know what to expect as well.

How do you make outings a breeze (or something like that…)?

Monday Tips for Busy Moms: Organizing for Daily Life

by Jennifer Worthington Lower

As you can imagine, I’m sure, I love to read organization books and magazines to get ideas for my own life, to help others and to share with readers. I have been in spring cleaning mode which sends organization into overdrive and I like to organize, not only my home, but my life as well. With all of the time I spend trying to think ahead and multitask, I somehow run out of steam when it comes to a “night before” routine. I get to it sometimes, but I usually get involved in things after the kids go to bed and before I know it I’m up way past my bedtime.

Sleep is a huge priority and I am a much nicer person when I get adequate rest, so off to bed I will go.

I have been reading about various tips and systems to implement to make getting out the door in the morning easier and I thought I would share them with you here. Basically, you want to get anything done that can be done ahead of time- Lunches packed, clothes laid out, bags together and maybe even a breakfast table set up.

One system that has come back to me a few times is the daily bin or shelf idea. It is recommended to set up a series of bins (or whatever would work for you and your family) for each day of the week. This gives everything that comes through the door with a deadline a home. Soccer practice on Thursday? Cleats and shin guards are in the bin. Piano lessons on Tuesday? Books and sheet music are ready to go. Something that I am terrible at is unloading my own stuff and sorting it. I will make sure my husband and kids are set and then I will let just wing it when it comes to my things. I figure, at least everyone else is going to be fine, and it will be my own fault if I forget my own stuff. I should not feel that way, but it happens. If I were to implement the bin system, I would save myself the trouble and sore shoulder from lugging unneeded junk around with me everyday.

I have also heard that some families successfully use a folder system or pockets on the refrigerator to keep organized. One folder per family member contains their schedules, forms, assignments, etc…. Everything is in one central location so Mom and Dad can keep track while each child is ultimately responsible for their own things. This would work well for school aged children. Mine are young so we don’t have much paper accumulation yet, but we will. One last thing that I will mention is the master schedule. This can be a hardcopy, paper and pen type calendar or you online calendars synced on your computer and smart phone. Everyone’s assignments and appointments are written in one place and all birthdays, holidays and special events are recorded. I like to have an online and paper copy of this. I always have my phone with me and it would seem to be the most convenient, but I like to write things down. The act of writing it seems to stick with me better than typing it on a key pad. I try to keep my online calendars up to date with my hard copy so there are no mistakes and everyone has a copy at their disposal.

I hope this can inspire you to try something new to make your days run smoothly. What do you do already that helps you organize your life?

Monday Tips For the Working Mom: Donations

I am in full de-clutter mode at home right now. We are in the middle of a bedroom renovation (for ourselves!) to allow everyone to have their own rooms. The kids are growing faster than I can keep track of, I have clothing from pre-pregnancy that will never be worn again and my husband and In-Laws are clearing out additional spaces to make room for our needs as a growing family.
I hate the idea of throwing anything out. I could definitely be a hoarder if left on my own, but I have reached a point where I can (usually) draw a line for myself about what can be kept and for how long. Then it needs to go. Donation is perfect because everyone benefits from it. I can get stuff out of our house that is perfectly good, just not necessary for us anymore, and someone else can use it. The downside to donating is getting it to the donation center. I don’t know about everyone else, but two little ones in car seats and boxes of stuff that needs to be carried into the center ends up being a time consuming fiasco.
We recently found out that the Vietnam Veterans of America do free pick up! I have gotten flyers about various organizations doing scheduled pick ups, but I never get ready in time. With the Veterans, you can schedule your own pick up. They come rain or shine and leave an invoice. You don’t even need to be home. Leave your donations on the front porch and you are done! I also love that they take virtually anything- books, toys, clothing, electronics, household items, etc….
If you are interested in donating to those in need, visit http://www.pickupplease.org or call 800-775-VETS.

By Jennifer Worthington Lower