It's March once again and that means that Easter is almost here and Spring is in the air!

This month's edition has some quick and easy Easter Recipies for your Easter Dinner.

With Spring in mind, we're bringing you 10 easy tips to less clutter to help you with your spring cleaning. Ok. So I'm not really big on Spring Cleaning, but if you've ever thought about it these are some easy ways to start!

This past month's online poll on the age of your child(ren) came out pretty even, but you have to read the results and see our new poll in the "Ramblings" section at the end of the Newsletter.

As usual, I'd like to take this moment to welcome all of our new subscribers and bid a 'welcome back' to our returning ones.

• March's Recipes
  • Jelly Bean Brittle
  • Honey Glazed Easter Ham
    
• It's Spring Cleaning Time!
  
• Ramblings
  • SPRING!

• Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• Spread the jelly beans evenly over the foil.
• In a soup pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring, boil for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the syrup begins to turn golden and reaches the hard crack stage (see Note).
• Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the butter, baking soda, and salt (the mixture will foam).
• Continue stirring for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture is shiny.
• Pour over the jelly beans and spread quickly with a spatula that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray.
• Allow to cool completely, then invert onto a clean work surface.
• Remove the foil, then break into bite-sized pieces.

• Serve, or store in an airtight container.

  NOTE: To easily determine the hard crack stage, drop a bit of the mixture from a teaspoon into a glass of cold water. If it hardens and forms strands in the water, then it has reached the hard crack stage. If not, continue to cook the mixture, then test it again after a bit.
  

• Place ham and lemon-lime soda into crock pot.
• Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours (high 3 to 4 hours).
• Thirty minutes before serving, combine honey, mustard, cloves, and cinnamon, and 3 tbs drippings from bottom of crock pot.
• Spread glaze over ham and continue cooking.
• Let ham stand for 15 minutes before serving.

• NOTE: Can be cooked in an oven at 325 for 2 hours covered if you don't have a crock pot, but a crock pot will work better

QUICK CLUTTER CONTROL: 10 TIPS FOR A TIDIER HOME
by Colleen Moulding

1. Whenever you have a few minutes to spare put away five or ten items that are not in their correct place. These could be toys that the kids have left somewhere, letters that need filing away or odd socks that need putting in a drawer.

2. Dump junk mail the moment you receive it. Deal with other mail at least once a week filing away what you need to keep in an indexed concertina file, card or plastic file wallets or even large brown envelopes.

3. The five boxes method. This will clear clutter from any room or area of the house, but can look awful while in progress. Set aside a time when you won't be disturbed, put on a tape of upbeat music and have a treat in the fridge for lunch.

First job is to label the boxes - Rubbish, Give Away/Sell, Keep, Sentimental and Not Sure. You then go through everything in the area consigning each item to one of the boxes. Theoretically, by the time you have got rid of the Rubbish and Give Away/Sell boxes, you should have enough space to store the Sentimental and put the Keep items back in an orderly way. The Not Sure box should be sealed up, stored in basement or attic and if not needed after six months or one year, given away unopened, so that you're not tempted to keep the contents all over again.

4. Be ruthless. If you haven't used an item in the last two years you are not likely to need it again. Do you really want a clutter free, streamlined home or not?

5. If you can't face an entire room, break the job down into manageable tasks - the kitchen junk drawer, the letter pile, the hats, coats and shoes area. That way you won't be put off decluttering as just too big a task.

6. Treat yourself to items that make staying tidy easier. Cardboard storage boxes are great for sewing and craft items, Christmas decorations, treasures that your children have made. Plastic or fabric hanging shoe bags are perfect for storing small toys and dolls or for hair brushes, clips, cosmetics and toiletries. Invest in some of those drawer dividers that separate drawers into a dozen little compartments - but don't fill them with junk!

7. Clean and put away fifty per cent of your ornaments. Not only will this give your home a more modern minimalist look, you will get your dusting done in half the time.

8. Consider enlisting the help of a family member or friend to be your organizing buddy. She helps you with your house - you help with her clutter disposal. Hearing yourself try to explain why you need a whole kitchen cupboard full of plastic containers can help you get them into that Rubbish box.

9. Don't keep buying things. Stop and think, do I really need this and have I got somewhere to keep this? Some people work on a one in, one out system, i.e. if you buy a new sweater, toy for the children etc. then one goes to the charity shop
or is given to a friend.

10. Don't give up. It will take time. All the clutter didn't come into your home in one day and you won't get rid of it all in one day. Keep on sorting, dumping, tidying and labelling, cut back on bringing new clutter home and it is a battle that
can be won. You will have more time, a neat home and less stress as a reward for your efforts.

© Colleen Moulding
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Colleen Moulding is a freelance writer based in the South of England. She is also owner/editor of All That Women Want.com a magazine, web guide and resource for women everywhere. Channels for home, parenting, computing, travel, food, fashion, entertainment, seasonal sites, what kids want, shopping, books and writing, working from home, women's business, antiques, something different and lots more. Subscribe to the free monthly e-zine by sending a blank e-mail to: allthatwomenwant-subscribe@onelist.com

Ah spring. The time of renewing life: Flowers bloom, trees bud, grass grows, and those dust bunnies that have been hiding all winter seem to come out of hibernation!

I'm not a "Spring Cleaning" kind of person but I do find with the brighter days it is much easier to see the dust that has piled up over the winter.

Ok, so you say it's easier to keep scrubbing all winter long -- you may be right. But there's something about a season that throws us into darkness before 5pm that makes that so hard to do. Here in Calgary, the summer months bring daylight that last until almost 11pm. I'm more apt to get up off my behind and do something in the evening if it's bright out. When it's dark and cold, well all I want to do is snuggle in.

One of the best ways to enjoy the spring and summer is with a garden. If you don't live in a house that makes gardening possible, don't overlook container gardening. My 6 years in Public Housing taught me that I can make the outside of my house come alive with containers stuffed full of beautiful blooms. Yes, ok, it's only March, but it's time to start planning and dreaming. For those of you energetic enough to grow gardens from seed it's almost time to start some serious thinkig about that!

Monster Dust Bunnies aside, I'm just happy that Spring is almost here. I made it through another cold, dark winter! Now, if someone can just tell old man winter to stop dumping the white stuff in Calgary, I'll be happy!

This months poll (at the bottom of the page) asks the simple question "do you do spring cleaning?" Please take part and answer our poll (Please Note: Our server that provides our polls is down. They will return to the site when th eserver is more dependable)

For those who took part, last months poll ended up as follows:

How old are your children?

Well folks, that's it for another month. As usual, if you have any suggestions or contributions let me know! We're always up to suggestions and recipes sent in also have the chance to be included on the website.

Jill Lassaline, editor
Single Parents World