Buying in Bulk ~ A snapshot

Labels: In the Kitchen, Keeping My Home

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 6:00 AM 1 Comments

Being on the receiving end for a while

I was so excited to stumble on Our Simple Country Life a few weeks ago... and more excited to learn that she would be doing a series on Intentional Homemaking.  Ahhh...

Let me tell you... with baby number 4 coming, normal busy-ness, and a desire to be intentional myself... I'm going to let Our Simple Country Life feed this Suzy Homemaker meets Proverbs 31 for a while.  I'll probably insert a Suzy meets P31 post of my own here and there as I'm led, but in the mean time, join us over at Our Simple Country Life on Wednesdays for inspiration and challenges in being an Intentional Homemaker!

I'll be there!

Labels: Home Making, Keeping My Home, Life Lessons for Mommy, Suzy meets P31

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 11:39 AM 0 Comments

This weeks plans

When the weather is nice, we try to spend as much time outside as possible!

Just today I've implemented a new schedule.  A much looser and hopefully more forgiving one than those I've attempted over the last couple months.  It's my hope that I'll get to the house, the homeschooling and the projects without the stress and failure.  Hmmm... we'll see. :)  And I've deliberately made it so that baby's feedings should fit right in once she's here and we've normalized a bit. 

Most of today has been behind.  It all came from not starting the week fresh.  Nope... instead the day started with a mound of laundry on the couch and dishes in the sink.  But I'm not letting it get me down.  I trudge forward.  (You?)

My girl's treasures!

We missed much of our inside play time and abridged our outside play significantly (but we did go outside!!!)  This is the hour I've scheduled for our "discovery" play time (one of these days I'll post our updated and more realistic schooling goals for this year.)  We did get to our Disciplined Learning at the table and did most of what I'd hoped, but this was running behind too.

Lunch... late.  But don't worry, nap time was right on schedule.  At least close enough for me.  And now it's quiet in the house (mostly).  Though I did get the beans on, they're running a bit late.  And the bread didn't get made... again.  Oh well.  Maybe tomorrow!

On the plus side?  I have 5 meals in the freezer for after baby comes (most of them made last week!)  My sewing machine is all better, so I've been making progress on the sewing front. 

Baby Shower gift this weekend!

I love how it turned out!

• Monday:  Ranch Beans (x2 for the freezer!)
• Tuesday:  Easy Lasagna  (divided to put half in the freezer!), garlic bread, and salad
• Wednesday:  Saucy Broccoli Chicken Bake (x2 for the freezer!) with Cheese Bread (divided to put half in the freezer!) and salad
• Thursday:  Tacos (1.5 pounds meat divided into thirds... 2 portions for freezer), refried beans (+ some for the freezer!)
• Friday:  Chicken Pot Pie (x2 for freezer)
• Saturday:  Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli, salad, texas toast

This is a very assuming menu, I know.  Should I fail to make something on a given night, it's bump to next week.  And hopefully by then, it'll all be in the freezer!!!


Other plans this week include working on Sweet Pea's quilt (the piecing of the top is completed, I just have the boarder [with some applique] left to do before sandwiching and quilting!), My Beloved's quilt (I'll pick at this one in between others), and starting to look at Sweet Pea's spring/summer wardrobe needs.


Do you have any special plans this week???

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby, In the Kitchen, Keeping My Home

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:42 PM 0 Comments

2012 "Homesteading" Goals... In the house

From one of those meals I actually cooked at home!

Ok... so these could be considered good, old fashioned, homemaking goals.  Or goals for the keeper at home.  Or any other name you want to give it.  These goals would be goals if we weren't on a path to become "homesteaders" one day.  But to keep everything symmetrical, and since a "homestead" contains both an outside and an inside, I'm keeping it my "Homesteading" Goals.  And since tomorrow is the last day of January and we will officially be in the second month of the new year (and thus, the year really won't be new anymore), I figure I should get these goals posted, let alone written!

In the sidebar you'll see my list of goals before baby comes (just over 6 weeks now!).  That list may or may not grow longer as I think of things and will hopefully show my progress as time passes (though my new sewing machine is having a problem so I won't be sewing tonight... hopefully that will be fixed soon so I can continue to work on those projects!  'Cause I was really starting to feel like I was making headway.)  All this to say... I won't mention "before baby" specific goals in this post.  Anymore.  Sorry.  

So what are my homemaking goals for this year?  To be honest, they are vast.  And they range from all sorts of topics like cleaning to mothering to personal to whatever else my life touches in the day to day.  Because, really, doesn't it all play into our homes?  So I guarantee that not every one of my goals will be listed here.  In some cases I'll generalize (you'll appreciate me for that)... in others, maybe not so much.

One more thing... since we are adding baby number four (5 and under) in approximately 6 weeks and I know I will see some set backs as we adjust to being a family of 6 in 700 square feet, I'm establishing the goal "date" as being by the end of the year.  Hopefully in most cases I'll see these goals met way earlier than that, but since these are goals for 2012, I'm allowing myself all year to see victory without having "missed the mark" on any one of them. :)

Here we go:

• To establish a house cleaning routine I can follow... and to actually follow it faithfully!  (i.e. to have a clean home... to my husband's standards, not mine!)
• To plan and actually prepare meals (i.e. to eat at least 20 out of 21 meals a week at home... without getting take out)
• To have a meek and quiet spirit (a life long quest to be sure... but I'd love to see actual progress this year!)
• To stop yelling!
• To live life "on purpose" (home, marriage, children... all of it!)
• To seek to tie heart strings between me and my children.  
• To do more sewing for my home and family.

So there you have it.  I'm sure there are more... and I'm sure there are little steps to each of these big goals.  But now you can see a bit of my heart... and I've taken the time to put it down for my own review down the road!

Ultimately I wanted to list a single goal for this post...

1. To find, buy, and move to a new home.

But since I have no control over that at. all.  We'll stick with the ones I listed above.  What are your goals for your home this year?  


Joining in here.

Labels: Home Making, Homesteading, In the Kitchen, Keeping My Home, Raising Children

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 10:09 PM 1 Comments

The next step

Friday we cleared off that kitchen table (or wherever you take your meals) and got started on washing those dishes.  How'd you do?  Did you keep up with it over the weekend?  You are the only one who can do this.  Let me tell you, after we got the kids in bed for nap time yesterday afternoon, I was looking forward to bringing out my sewing machine and working on a project.  I was so excited to get started that I fully intended to leave the breakfast/lunch dishes in the sink for later.  Then I reminded myself that choosing a "something fun" over my responsibility to keep up this home was a selfish choice (after all, My Beloved would have to look at that mess all afternoon too!... and who knows how badly it would set back dinner) and that I needed to just "do it enyway".

So I did.  At least, I decided, I could rinse and organize them.  But as I finished that part up, I decided it's not all that much more to just get them washed and I'd be so much happier if I did.  And I was right.  I didn't want to be washing those dishes instead of working on my quilt, but as I was washing up the last few things, I felt so good.  I'd done right.  If you do well, will you not be accepted?

Yes!


So this morning... did you wake up to clean dishes and cleared table???  I do hope so!  And I hope that, no matter how hard it was to make yourself do it (I know that sometimes it can be the hardest thing there is!), you felt that sense of accomplishment at what you'd done.  You took care of your home... fulfilling your God given role!  (If not?  Every morning is new!  Don't beat yourself up... get going!)

Now, don't stop there!  There is much more to breaking out of depression and keeping your home and caring for your family than just dishes.  We're just taking these things one step at a time.  You can do this!  But trying to do it all at once probably won't work for you.  You'll just give up and end up back in bed focusing on your failure.  Don't do it!

So where do we go from here???  There is no particular order all this should be done in.  I'm just picking the next logical one for me.  The way I see it, now that your dishes are done and your table is cleared, the next priority is to feed your family!

Don't forget, these steps I'm walking you through are assuming you're starting all over.  Maybe you've been sick so long you don't know how to begin again.  Perhaps you've been depressed and unable to cope.  Maybe others have been helping out since the birth of your last baby and you are feeling the need to get back on track yourself but don't know how.  Whatever the reason, you've decided (or I've told you) that it's time to "stop being lazy, get up, and do your job!"  (Again... I'm talkin' to myself here!)

How many nights have I failed to have a dinner ready for my family.  And justifiable or not, it always leaves me feeling miserable.  I turn into a grumpy mommy, a downcast wife.  Instead of being able to greet my sweet husband at the door with a smile and a kiss, I am laden with guilt, knowing I've let him down again.  I haven't done my job!

So let's do our job!

The most important part about this is to have a plan of some kind.  Your plan with look different than mine, I guarantee!  And, hopefully, your plan will grow as this "keeper at home" thing gets easier for you.  For now, let's start as easy as possible.  Again, this will look different for each of you... it all depends where you're starting out.

For those of you who've been reading here a while, you may know that we aim to eat a pretty healthy diet... cooking from scratch as much as possible (this is certainly the reason we end up eating out as much as we do... I fail regularly and don't have a back up plan!)  I must warn you that what I'm about to propose is nothing like that.  What I'm about to sit here and tell you may leave some of you confused about what we do in our home.  I'm not telling you what is right for us.  The purpose of these posts is to help you get up and get going.  I want to start where you may be.  Take these tips and adjust them to fit where you are.

Now that I've said that... let's get started!

Let's assume your normal is no plan at 5pm.  Been there!  And let's assume that you're either too depressed to think long on any one topic or that you have so many young children than you're too distracted to think long on any one topic.  Either way, it's near impossible to come up with a plan... all. day. long.  Been there too!  I'll also assume that the answer found is either to pick up fast food or to let each man, woman and child fend for themselves.

My recommendation?  This is not the time to try getting impressive meals on the table.  It's so tempting to go from never have dinner ready to wanting to surprise our husbands with his favorite... or something really nice.

Just get something on the table!  But you must plan ahead.  Here is a very simple "getting started" menu plan:

• Monday:  Frozen pizza, bag of premixed salad greens with dressing
• Tuesday:  Hotdogs and Baked Beans (start with a can of Baked Beans, cut up hot dogs and warm together in a pan.  Serve in a bowl.  Easy.
• Wednesday: Chicken Strips with Shake and Bake, ketchup or Ranch Dressing for dip, mac n cheese, celery sticks
• Thursday:  Cheese burgers (buy the pre-made burgers in the frozen foods section for extra ease!) and frozen steak or crinkle fries
• Friday: Velveeta Zesty BBQ Chicken (or other flavor), apple wedges
• Saturday: Tacos (ground beef/turkey, taco seasoning packet, lettuce, tomato, cheese, etc.), refried beans
• Sunday:  Hamburger Helper (check link for coupon!), baby carrots, applesauce

Again, remember... we are all starting at different places.  Some of you have never used any of these products before and others already have some of them in your pantry.  Some of you were used to a less processed approach to meals before things started to unravel at home... this is just a place to start.  Not every week will look like this for you.  Maybe you'll use only a few of these to give you a couple days to come up with something more.  Perhaps you'll need to repeat this menu for a whole month.

Perhaps you're ready for a little bit more than this, but not much.  Do your own thing!   Here are a couple more ideas... 5 dinners in a bag, Betty Crocker Recipe finder.

Later this week I'll try to share a less processed "getting started" menu for you.

In the mean time... keep those dishes done.  And don't let "failure" keep you from starting again!


Participating with Meal Plan Monday!

Labels: Depression, In the Kitchen, Keeping My Home

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 4:29 PM 0 Comments

Part 3... in which I am harsh

This is where I'd like to blend this "part 2" post about depression with my Suzy meets Proverbs 31 post.  And why?  Because the message is the same.

Stop being lazy, get up, and do your job!

Harsh?  Maybe.  But it's as much to myself as it is to you.

Why are our houses, children and lives a mess?  Because we're not doing our jobs.

Have you ever thought about what life would be like if our husbands did their work the way we do ours?  They'd surely be fired and we'd be without income, food, and possibly even home.  Imagine.

If you were back out in the work force, chances are your employer wouldn't care that your kids are sick (or you for that matter), the work still needs to be done.  We are so blessed to be working for our husbands, but how often do we take their love and patience with us for granted?  Too often.

Your home, your children, all the meals, etc... those are your job.  And the only way to feel the satisfaction in your work is for you to do them.  If you do well, will you not be accepted?

Leaving these undone, or even leaving them for someone else to do will eventually lead to depression... if not marital problems!  And this just compounds itself with each new day of laziness.

Now, don't let this put you further into depression and despair.  It would be easy to do, I know.  I've pointed out failure.  You feel it (I often do).  And it's all your fault.  These things may be true, but the answer is not to let it go on.  The answer is to do something about it.  But you certainly will not be able to do something about it on your own.  You must first seek Him!  Worship.  Find a piece of paper or your journal and make a list of everything you have to be thankful for.

Now, with the little bit of energy that gives you, get up!  Make that bed, fold up the blanket on the couch.  Fluff pillows.  And don't sit back down.  Push through.  Recite that list of thankful things if you need to.  Ask God for every step you must take... literally!

Then start small.  Go clear off the kitchen table.  Move all those dishes from the last couple days to the sink (or counter around it if it's full).  It seems like a big job, but just moving dishes isn't so bad.  You can do it. Find a clean wash cloth and get it wet.  Wipe off that cleared table.  Get it cleared all the way!  Is there clutter piled up there too???  I love this method of clearing a space!!!  (Her methods of cleaning are great in general!... I'll be reading over them again myself.)

Now you have a cleared table.  Just look at it.  Let the absence of visual clutter energize you a little bit.  Don't give up.  It's so easy to sit back down and read another blog post now, but it will trap you again.  Move to that kitchen sink.  You don't have to wash them right now.  Tell yourself that.  You're just going to organize them for later.  Rinse them and sort into piles on the counter.  I find that once dishes are all organized, they never look as bad as they did.  Do you have a dishwasher???  Put them right in there instead of stacking on the counter.  Then the job is done!  Fill it once and stack the rest, but empty that sink!

Now... you don't have to do this next part right away (but sometimes I find that I can just use the momentum I've already created and go for it), but start with some of the dishes.  Don't fill the sink with soapy water if that's seems too big a job.  Just put some soap on the brush or cloth and tackle one stack of bowls or plates or flatware.  Just one.  Move them to the other side of the sink.  When that stack is done, rinse and set in the dish drainer.  Can you do just one more stack?  A few cups?  That one pan?  Just keep doing them as long as you can.   Anything you can do will be better!  And then look at all you've accomplished.  YOU accomplished.  YOU did it!  YOURSELF!  Thank God for the ability to do something today.  This was your first step!

But what if kids are all over the place and you can't stop to do so much?  Wait till nap time, set up something for them to color on that newly cleared table, or ask that person (grandma, friend, husband, etc.) who has been helping you because you just couldn't do it alone if they will play with the kids for a while so you can tackle this job.  Don't let them do the job for you... you have to do the cleaning.  It's important that it be your work that brings order.

Keep picking at those dishes until they are gone.  If you stop to rest because you just can't do more now, set a timer and rest for 15 minutes.  Read a book to the kids, watch them perform tricks on the floor, close your eyes, read your Bible or another book, or work on that list of thankful things.  Include on that list that you cleared the table!!!  That you pushed through and did your job!  How exciting!!!

Monday I intend to have a next step for you if you still struggle to know how to break through this depression to conquer your home.  If it's all just too overwhelming!

But what will I do all weekend?  It's just going to fall apart again!

No, it won't.  Your job over the weekend is to keep picking at those dishes and to keep up with them.  Don't let meals get you down, or laundry, or messes other places.  Spend your time in the kitchen if you need to.  Just work on keeping up with what you've started.  Do those dishes right after meals!  Now that the room is in some bit of order, include the kids in clearing the table.  Even a 2 year old can clear their own cup to the sink or counter.  Make it your goal to start Monday morning with all the dishes washed.

And I wonder what else you may be able to tackle once all those dishes are clean and put away.  Perhaps you'll be surprised by the energy to wipe down the counter, or the stove.  Or to declutter the counter top the way you did the table.  But you don't have to... this weekend, just keep those dishes clean and that table cleared between meals and use.  It's not that much... and if you fall behind, start again the way you did today.  You can do it!!

I'm praying for you!!!!


Part 4: The Next Step

Labels: Depression, Keeping My Home, Suzy meets P31

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:16 AM 0 Comments

Preparing for Evacuation Type Emergencies

I love Homestead Revivals Preparedness Challenge. Proverbs 31:21 says "When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet." Basically... when hard times came, she was prepared!

We never know what's going to happen. Whether we are preparing for the colds of winter or the droughts of summer, we are to be prepared. From house fires to earthquakes and nuclear disasters, there are all sorts of things to be prepared for. And these last few require being prepared to grab and go in a hurry, don't they.


This week I've begun working on "leave in a hurry" bags. It's been tough for me to do because I keep thinking of all the things we'd be leaving behind in that sort of situation and I'm not really ok with that. But then I have to remind myself that this is a last resort sort of thing. What would we need to really survive for a few days until help arrived, or we could get somewhere else? There are all sorts of things, and I hope to be more prepared this next week... but what I have done so far is gather some kid clothes. Something warm and comfy for late night or cold weather, some long sleeves and "pants" options, and a pair warm weather clothes for each. Combined with whatever they would be wearing when the "disaster" strikes, and they should be dressed for whatever.

It's not much... but it's a start. How much more glad will I be if I can "have no fear for my household" in one of those situations... because I've prepared ahead!

Join Homestead Revival today for some more preparedness ideas... and link up your own!

Labels: Homesteading, Keeping My Home

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 8:36 AM 3 Comments

Be all there

I believe it was Jim Elliot who said, "Wherever you are, be all there." I happened upon this quote the other day and it has stuck with me.

"Wherever you are...."

Most of the time I'm here. Home. I really don't go anywhere... and when I do, I'm never alone. But mostly... I'm home.

But am I "all there"? No. Sad to say, I'm not often "all [here]". 1 Timothy 5:13 mentions widows, young widowed women, who become idlers (obviously a bad thing), "going about from house to house...." I certainly don't have the time, inclination or energy to be going about from "house to house." Forget about the fact that we have only one car.

I do however have [ahem] time to sit at my computer and read blog after blog. And as they say, the internet is the new way to be "going about from house to house." Another way to do this is on the phone, but I knew of this one early on and (most of the time) make a point of limiting phone talking. But computer time is tricky. You can sit down quick to check email or look up a recipe for dinner and before you know it you're just looking at one (more) quick thing and an hour has passed by.

And so many days I'd rather dwell in someone else's beautiful "blog-life" (that is the little part of their life that they let us see) than to live in the messy one here.

I'm certain I'm not the only one to ever feel this way.

And the ironic part is that it is all so much messier when I'm sitting there at that computer. The house remains uncleaned. Children play, left to themselves to bicker or be wild. Mommy loses her patience because what she is doing is being interrupted. And children are being put off with a "wait" or "not right now, mommy's finishing this" or "in a minute."

I've been thinking of Jesus these past few days, as it relates to His ministry and this quote by Jim Elliot. "Wherever you are, be all there." Story after story in Scripture shows us that Jesus was never too busy, never too distracted. Wherever he was, he was all there.

This is so easy to talk about. So easy to decide we need to change. Actually being "all here", all day -- every day... that's harder.

But this is my heart. Day 2 of the 31 Days to Clean challenges me to add life to my home. Day 3 gives me a list of 10 things that could do that. But for me, breathing fresh life into my home needs to begin with me... being. all. here.


Find other "31 Days" thoughts from this week here to learn why I want to clean!


Linking up...

Labels: Keeping My Home, Raising Children, Suzy meets P31

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:53 PM 1 Comments

Why do I want a clean home???

That is the question Sarah Mae has asked us on day one of these 31 Days to Clean. And I'm so glad she asked. I'm so thankful for this whole challenge in the first place! It's just the perfect next step for Suzy meets Proverbs 31! It pushes me into the getting my house clean steps while still letting me focus on being diligent to my daily tasks and putting off laziness! She's doing the thinking for me... while leading me to do some heart work on these topics too.

Day 1... I had to ask myself, why do I want a clean home? Really.

There could be so many reasons.

So I sit here thinking. Health, for one. Apparently this hasn't been enough for me (apparently none of the following reasons have been) or I would be better at it. But, oh how I want it to be! How it should be! Especially since my Tornado has allergies to both dust and mold, among other things. So in motivation's simplest form, I should clean for the health of it.

But what else? Clean is comfortable! Rather I could say not clean is not comfortable! Tripping over toys is not a comfortable way tot live. Crumbs and dirt stuck to the bottom of your feet and socks is not comfortable. Sitting on or having to push over laundry before sitting down is not comfortable! And just imagine how much more comfortable a bed would be if it were properly aired out and covers straightened daily... laundered regularly!

Clean is also restful... relaxing! Doesn't matter who you are. If things are dirty, messy, cluttered and/or unorganized, it is not restful or relaxing. I may be able to ignore it all and live with it like this, but there is still a constant inner nagging about what still needs to be done. And I'm in this house all day everyday. Now imagine my sweet husband who works all day for us and comes home to this unorganized mess. I want him to want to come home. And once he's here I want him to find rest... refuge. As his eyes travel around the room I want him to feel peace. To smile. Not to feel like he really should get up and help me by doing this or that which has gone undone yet again.

Clean is safe too. This is true especially in food safety, but also with toys or projects that are left strewn about. Toys can be tripped over. Spills, puddled on the floor, can be slipped in. Knives or scissors left out grabbed up by mistake... cutting. Plus so many other hazards awaiting.

Then there is this... clean is pleasing! Pleasing to the eye as you walk into a room or look around. Pleasing to smell instead of whatever that smell is we can never seem to figure out. Pleasing to the touch. Instead of gritty or coarse, it could be smooth and... well... clean!

I want my home to be clean for all these reasons for me. But how much more do I want my home to be all these things for my sweet husband and my precious children!


So there you go. Now... how to put it in a succinct little paragraph of a "mission statement"???

Clean is healthy. Clean is comfortable. Clean is restful. Clean is safe. Clean is pleasing.

It's my hope that one day "home" will be all these things too.

And before I "sign off", it's occurring to me that "clean" is at least one more thing (I hate to limit what else I might have missed). Clean is also love! It's certainly not the only way I show it, but it most certainly is one of the big ones!



Have you purchased your copy of 31 Days to Clean (I don't get anything out of it... really! I'm just excited to step into this next part of Suzy meets P31!)... there's still time to join in!

Labels: Keeping My Home, Life Lessons for Mommy, Suzy meets P31

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:57 PM 2 Comments

Coming in May... um... tomorrow?

Ok... so how did that happen??? How did tomorrow become May? Or is it the other way around? How did May become tomorrow? That one sounds more like it.


So (since I've procrastinated it for a week or so), "coming up in May"... I'm going to be participating in "31 Days to Clean" with Sarah Mae. I've purchased her new ebook (and looked over it too... it's worth it from what I see!) and I'm ready to go. It may be just what we need to help us along on this Suzy meets P31 project of mine. Regardless... it should help get things clean around here. Will you join me???

(UPDATED: Join over at Joyful Mothering to do this with a group!)


Also in May is this great series on "homemaking for girls"! This woman has my heart! Just as we've been talking about in Suzy meets P31, so many of us never really learned to keep our homes. This month Homegrown Mom is helping us train our daugthers! YEY for her! Hop over and read her vision! :)

Labels: Home Making, Keeping My Home, Passing it On, Raising Children

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 8:15 AM 0 Comments

My Dailies: A Work in Progress

We talked last week about why it's important to have a schedule for our daily tasks around the house. Truly, it doesn't work for me to fly by the seat of my pants in this area (does it really work for any of us to live like that all the time?) I may start out fine, but by the end of the day, I may have started a hundred tasks, but none of them are finished (including dinner) and the house is still in disarray!

Sigh.

But I'm not a schedule person!

It's true. I'm not. I am no good at routine because it gets so old. When I need to do the same thing the same way everyday I start to go crazy.

At least, that's the way I feel. Come to think of it, I tend to give up (for that reason) before too many days are accomplished.

Like it or not ladies... we need to do this routine thing... follow these schedules we set for ourselves. If you don't like it... aren't a schedule person... then just "do it enyway"! Do it, get it over with, and move on to the rest of your day!

That is my goal!

So I started with a schedule. I'm really good at this part. I love making schedules and lists and such. I'm a planner!

What I'm not is a follow-througher. Not at all!

But I'm determined... so I made myself up a new schedule of "dailies". I followed Copperswife's example for now... and I'm tweaking it as needed to fit our family. I just liked the way hers worked. It's pretty detailed... and I like that. I need that if anything is ever going to get clean around here.

So here it is... not for you to copy down, but to show you how I'm doing it. Hopefully to encourage you to make your own. (Note: * means that this is Tornado's job [he's 4], ** means this is Sweet Pea's job [she just turned 3]... not that they always do them without help or that I even make them do it everyday. It's a work in progress... training!)

(Oh, and the green things are the "kitchen duty" part of the day... it helps me see what needs to be done in there after breakfast!)

• Dress, Hair, Shoes

• Swish and Swipe Bathroom

• Pull back bed covers to air bedding

• Start Laundry and Recycle throughout day (Washer to dryer, dryer to folding, folding to put away and ironing)

• Put away Dishes/Wipe Counters

• Make Breakfast

• Clear breakfast dishes *,**

• Shake out bibs into trash and fold *

• Wash dishes **

• Wipe Table *

• Scour and/or wash kitchen sink

• Spray and Wipe kitchen counters, moving things aside to wipe underneath *

• Spray and Wipe stove top

• Wipe oven front **

• Wipe upper cupboard doors

• Wipe lower cupboard doors **

• Grind flour (if necessary)

• Sweep Floor **

• Hang up dish clothes and towels neatly *

• Check dinner menu and defrost any frozen ingredients

• Make beds (everyone makes own bed and mom checks)

• Tidy bedrooms (laundry and toys, surfaces, dusting, etc)

• Tidy living room *,**

• Vacuum living room *

• 5 Minute de-clutter (of some cluttered space)
  

• Scheduled cleaning (more on this later)
  

• Fold and put away laundry *, **

• Make lunch

• Clear lunch dishes *,**

• Shake out bibs into trash and fold or take to wash *

• Wash dishes **

• Wipe table and counters *

• Hang/straighten towels and dish clothes **

• Iron (anything from the day's laundry)

• Make diner

• Tidy for Daddy *, **

• Clear table *,**

• Shake out bibs into trash and fold or take to wash *

• Wash dishes **

• Wipe table and counters*

• Clean stove

• Clean sink

• Hang/straighten towels and dish clothes or take to wash **

• Review day and make notes for tomorrow

So... I imagine this looks like a lot. It did to me at first too. But really, once I'm in a routine of doing it, it shouldn't take too long at all. In addition to that... I'm really working to change my mindset about work. (I love this post by the way... and it's becoming my inspiration for a whole [in progress] philosophy of child raising... not to mention life!)


So here it is "in living color". It lives above my sink (and often my drying dishes) so that I can see it and check it often. One day, when I feel like I won't be changing it for a while, I'll laminate it so that sink spray and food splatter don't get it all messed up!


Have you put together your schedule??? I'll be sharing how this week goes with the schedule at the end! I hope you'll share too!

By the way... Those first three things rarely happen in the first part of the day... if ever. It's all a goal... remember!


Joining in...

Labels: Home Making, Keeping My Home, Suzy meets P31

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 3:04 PM 6 Comments

Seeking Out a Schedule: Why it's important

Here we are... another Monday of another week.

All too often Monday is "catch up day" in our home and today is no exception. Somehow the weekend always seems to take over, leaving in it's wake piles of laundry, dishes and projects. And I do mean piles!

But weekends, or even catch up days, are not what I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about the everyday. Ann does such a great job reminding us how special the everyday is... but I have to admit to you. I struggle with celebrating today. I struggle with making today special.

I know that I can make each day sacred by remembering. Acknowledging. But how can I make each day special for my children when I'm so far behind, the house is so cluttered, and I don't have a handle on my priorities... my schedule... my duties.

Why is it that I feel the need to turn down a little ones request to read a story when I've just spent a heap of time sitting at the computer? Oh, but I need to finish those dishes. Fold that laundry. Organize that shelf. Start dinner.

On the days I determine to make a difference, I may not turn on the computer, but I walk around in circles. Accomplishing bits of this and that... but not really making a dent. I struggle with bringing out a fun activity or planning and extra special this or that for my kids when the house is in such disarray. Yet it's all so overwhelming. How do I conquer this towering mountain of duty so that I can enjoy a nice hike in the foothills with my children? (And so that my sweet husband can come home to a welcoming refuge at the end of his work day instead of a house of chores that still need to be done?) Is there hope?

I think there is. And, no... I'm not there yet. But, oh how I want to be there! How about you?

I've already started (I have to work ahead a little so I can have my thoughts about me for posting!) and I'm already starting to see a little progress... however slight! :)

I believe I mentioned that I wouldn't be sharing too much new info in this Suzy Series. It has everything to do with the fact that I've not arrived yet. I'm still searching. Experimenting. Learning! I do have a few links to share with you though... on the subject of creating a daily schedule.

We're doing this in baby steps, remember? Please don't be overwhelmed with how each of these ladies do things. I don't want you to grab one system and force it upon yourself, and certainly don't combine them all and expect yourself to be able to thrive at it. This week I just want you to read through some of them... and others you may find (share with us if you know of others!) Take a look... make some notes. Perhaps try your hand at making your own schedule of "dailies" (using these as inspiration). Start trying to follow some sort of routine/schedule if you have the nerve. But don't get discouraged. Whatever you come up with this week is only a first (of many) draft! I have a working copy, that I'll share with you Friday, hanging above my kitchen sink. I've already made several changes from the original as I learn how it needs to be tweaked to fit my family. And most of all... I've never yet, in the two weeks since I've started working on it, done everything on my list!

Remember... when starting a new routine, it's a goal you are working toward. Don't give it all up because it's not working after a week. Just keep picking at it.

We'll talk more about that at the end of the week or so. For now... happy reading!

Scheduled Homemaking ~ The Dailies
Daily House Cleaning for Homes with Small Children
Daily Tasks for a Clean Kitchen
Some Tricks of the Trade

I know there are more all over the internet... let me know if you find any!


Wanna start at the beginning??? Follow this link:

Labels: Keeping My Home, Suzy meets P31

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:23 PM 2 Comments

My Strengths... not something I'd put on an application

My sister-in-law said something in an email this morning that caught me off guard:

"I also have been really enjoying your blog, a lot of my weeknesses are your strengths...."

She said a few more things, but since I didn't ask her if I could post it... nor tell her I was going to (surprise!), I'll keep it to myself.


Thanks for your email A... I'm thrilled you are enjoying my blog and that my... ehem... strengths are an encouragement to you.


Just in case others of you don't know about them, I decided to dedicate an entire post to my strengths. Toot my own horn, if you will.

Here they are... in no particular order:

I'm excellent at surfing! I can blog hop with the best of them... wasting hours upon hours in front of my computer.

I'm no slouch at wasting time in general. Coupled with the computer thing... I can dilly dally at just about anything to avoid actually doing what I should be doing.

I'm well practiced at loosing my temper and displaying anger to and directed at my children on a regular basis.

I'm the best complainer in our house... even better than the children I'm pretty sure. But just to be fair... I've had longer to practice.

I tend to have a critical spirit.

I'm lazy! More than happy to take the easy way out. This applies to cooking, cleaning, exercise... you name it!

I'm inconsistent... especially with disciplining my children.

I'm exceptional at letting my emotions and thoughts run away with me.

I'm obsessive! Nope... can't get me to let something go once I've decided to let it bother me.

I'm (ehem) "assertive"... (read: loud, forceful, pushy, obnoxious. You know... opposite of meek and gentle)

I'm selfish! You don't have to watch long (from your hidden perch that is) to see me putting myself before my husband and children. And I do it all the time too.

I'm neglectful of my husbands desires and preferences! I let our house remain cluttered and don't clean it very often even though I know what a blessing it would be for him to live in a clean and tidy home.


Oh golly... I could go on, but I'm feeling a little full of myself.

So let's see... just to balance things out, I'll share what I'm working on too.

All. of. the. above!


Just in case I've lost a few of you. I'm calling these things my "strengths" because they are the ones I'm good at... that I don't even have to think about to do them. Not because they are good things!

Perhaps you've gotten the idea that I'm doing this "Suzy Homemaker meets Proverbs 31" series because I've arrived. Quite the contrary... I'm doing it for me. Not for you. (Ok, I'm sharing it here for you too.) And for the record... I didn't brush my hair today. And maybe not yesterday either. So much for my first challenge!

As far as wife and mother, homemaker, woman, servant, follower, disciple (etc... you get the idea) goes... I'm a giant failure!

This is why I am so grateful for grace!

Without God's grace, I'd be lost in a sea of hopelessness! But because of grace, I am rejoicing! Learning to give thanks in every trial, disappointment, failure. Because when I am weak, He is strong! Thank God for grace... that he can still use me in my weakness... that he chooses to do so!

So don't strive to emulate my example... my family... my skills. Walk with me as we strive together to learn what it means to keep our homes for the Lord, to serve one another in love, and ultimately to be more like Him!

Labels: Keeping My Home, Raising Children, Reflections, Suzy meets P31

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 9:47 PM 0 Comments

What's on the Table Tuesday

Sigh.

I've been trying to get this post done all day. All. Day. Especially since I've decided (and have been waiting a week for this) that on Tuesdays I'd post a "What's on the Table Tuesday" post. And here it is. Tuesday... night. Ooops!

Oh well.

I could tell you about how I finally sat down to start this post officially at 8 this evening once the kids were in bed, only to get a call from the couple taking our kids tomorrow (so we could do an important business meeting) canceling due to sickness. I then spent the next hour and a half on the phone trying to figure out a back up plan with a back up plan. I could tell you about all that...but I won't.

I could also tell you that I haven't been blogging this week because I've been trying to be good and get things done around the house and pay extra attention to the kids and take care of some business things during nap time and try not to "waste" time on the computer so I find other things to do that aren't mopping... but again, I won't.

What I will do is jump right into what I have to share with you! Projects! Or project as the case may be.

Here it is... my first official finished project since beginning this renewed hobby of sewing/quilting. (ok... so the dress I made Sweet Pea count too I guess.)

So let me tell you about it...

First off... it's small.

Yep. Smaller than I was thinking actually. But small is ok with me for a couple reasons:

1. I wanted it to be short enough that I wouldn't have to move it when we sat down to eat, as our messiest eater (Sweet Pea) sits at the end of the table. Won't be a problem!

2. Pink is not really my decor... I've made this with Sweet Pea's birthday decorations in mind. So... when we're done using it for that day, I'm planning to tuck it away for a future day when she has her own (pink) room so it can go on the dresser or something.

3. It will make a lovely table runner for a kid sized table when tea parties become the rage around here!


Aren't these little Prairie Points adorable?!? I'm not creative enough to come up with them on my own. I've been spending time over at Pleasant Home lately, just drooling over her cleverness! We don't celebrate Halloween here, but I had to try this!

And my first attempt looks pretty good, doesn't it?


Until you see this!

Yep, it's gimpy... on All. Four. Corners.

I decided not to tear it ALL out to try to fix and redo... especially since it's deliberately a first project for learning and practicing.

You also can't see all the (many) mistakes in the quilting. (I took pictures, but they just weren't showing it all that well.) I've never machine quilted before last week... and this is the first thing I wasn't planning to immediately throw away that I've ever tried a free motion foot on. I chose to stipple it because that is how I intend to do Tornado's quilt once I have enough practice on smaller/simpler projects.

Not only did I cross lines (a big no no in stippling) several times, but the stitch length variations leave something (big) to be desired. Then there is the several areas where the tension issues show that I quite clearly have some work to do in matching the speed of my hands with the pressure on my foot pedal.

All in all, though, I'm thrilled with this first little project. I knew the above issues would be there and that is exactly the reason for some of these early projects. I'm getting my feet wet, if you were.

I also got a good start on the birthday banner I'm planning to make for SPs birthday. No pics to share though... sorry. I need a couple things for it, and they are on sale this weekend, so I'll be working on it more.


Oh, and I bought more fabric. We made our way (far our of our way) to a quilting shop to pick up something I needed and they were having a sale!

I didn't have a plan for it when I bought it... but I think I do now. Some of it anyway. I've never bought fabric anywhere but Joanns... this is the nicest feeling fabric I've ever touched! That may include clothes too. I'm afraid to cut it, but I can't wait to sew on it either!


How about you??? Do you have anything on the table??? (I say on the table because that's where I do my sewing... on our kitchen table. Your "table" could be in your craft room, in your lap, or anywhere else.) Are you working on any little projects? I'd love to know about it... and if you have posted on it, leave me a link so I can check out!

Labels: As it happens..., Keeping My Home, With These Hands

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:55 PM 2 Comments