|
 |
|
|
Frugal Friday: Baby food
 Do you buy baby food for your daughter or do you make it? When I see pictures of your shopping trips I do not see any foods that you could use to make baby food. I have two boys 8 and 3 and a baby girl 8 months. I was just curious. It seems like I am spending a lot on baby food these last couple of months. -Mandy Great question, Mandy! Having only had two little children so far, I'm no expert when it comes to parenting, so I'll just share what we've done with our girls. Each child and family is different so please do what works best for your family. Here's what has worked for us: 1. I nurse exclusively for the first six months. For me, nursing is easy, simple, a great post-pregnancy weight-loss program, the best nourishment for my child, and it's free. (Well, it is unless you count all the extra food I consume while nursing!) 2. We start introducing a few foods here and there at around six months. This is normally in the form of just giving the child a couple of tastes of banana or vegetables a few times per week. I usually mash up something that I'm already eating and offer a few bites. Nursing continues like usual. Kathrynne wasn't really interested in food until around a year so she didn't do much besides nurse and taste things here and there for the first year. Kaitlynn, on the other hand, is quite interested in food. However, she is still mostly nursing, while eating small amounts of table food a few times each day. 3. We start encouraging our children to eat small meals three times per day at around a year old. We stick with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains first and then gradually add in other foods. By this time, a child can easily eat soft table foods (or fruits/veggies mashed in the baby food grinder) so we'll just offer the child whatever fruit or veggies we're eating at a meal plus some homemade bread or other wholegrain finger foods. As our child catches on to eating more, nursing is, in turn, gradually reduced to only 3-4 times per day (usually once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once before bed) and will continue to be replaced more and more by table food over the next six to twelve months. (I weaned Kathrynne at 18 months, I plan to nurse Kaitlynn at least that long unless she weans herself sooner.) I personally see store-bought baby food as one of the most overpriced items ever, so I don't buy it except on the rare occasion when I can get it for free. I've made baby food up ahead of time and frozen it in ice cubes before, but I found that didn't work very well for us. Now we pretty much just offer whatever foods we are already eating. Since I normally make homemade bread every few days and we eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, it's quite simple to have something for the baby to eat from what we're already eating.  I do recommend you invest in a simple baby food grinder (they are about $10) and then just make sure you plan fruits and vegetables into your menus that your baby can eat. If it's something which can't just be easily mashed with a fork, stick a small bit in the grinder when you sit down at the table, grind it up for them, and you're good to go! So that's how we keep our babies nutritiously fed without spending a lot of extra money. I'd love to hear what works for others. Tell us about it in your Frugal Friday post this week or leave a comment!--------------- Join in Frugal Friday! Have a tip, resource, idea, or thought related to frugality? Post about it on your blog and then come back here and share the link with us below. Remember to keep it family-friendly. Thanks for participating. Labels: In the Kitchen, Mothering
This Week in Books - Weeks 9, 10, and 11
Once again, I've gotten behind in posting what I've been reading, so here's what I've read over the last three weeks:
(No pictures of the books as Blogger is being fussy and won't post them for me.)
The 15-Minute Meal Planner by Emilie Barnes and Sue Gregg - I was really excited to read this book hoping that it would give me further inspiration to be more organized and efficient in the kitchen. Sadly, I found it to be rather boring, tedious, and lacking in new-to-me information and I ended up skimming a lot of it. If you are completely new to healthy eating or kitchen management, I'm sure there might be a lot of useful information in it. However, I found it to not live up to its name--it includes a lot of information on things one should be doing and should not doing when it comes to healthy eating, but this book was short on practical, real-life, down-to-earth, "how do I plan a healthful menu in a matter of minutes?" type of help. If you've read it and feel differently, I'd love to hear. Maybe I just had too high of hopes for it and that's why I was disappointed.
Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney - I loved this book and would highly recommend that all Christian women get a copy and read it. It would also be excellent to go through with your older daughters or in a group of a few women--like I had the privilege of doing the last few months! I especially appreciated Carolyn's encouragement for us to remember the reason why we do everything we do--that our lives might be a testimony to the world of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. Read the foreword and first chapter here. Hand That Rocks the Cradle: 400 Classic Books for Children by Nathaniel Bluedorn - As we're in the process of building our library and looking for wholesome read-aloud books, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of 400 classic book reviews. The reviews are alphabetized by author and each is given a rating of the level recommended to read it to. I added a long list of books to our library list from this book and was very inspired to continue making reading a high priority to our children--even when they are young. Read the introduction here. See sample pages of this book here.Bible Reading:Finished Ruth and Judges and am trying to get back on track with reading four chapters/day as sickness threw me off. Labels: Reviews
Home: The center for ministry, productivity, outreach, and evangelism
Megan commented on an earlier post and asked:I have a question though that I can't seem to find much information on, and I'm hoping you can help. I currently do not have children but will be coming home to be a SAHW in the fall. I'm worried that I won't have enough to do, especially since kids will not be involved. Any help/ideas? In our current culture, home has become so neglected that many people haven't the slightest idea what its purpose is outside of a place to sleep, relax, and sometimes eat. Home has lost its noble place in society so much that people can't imagine what there is to do there all day long. Any woman who dares consider staying home full-time is made out to be a unintelligent woman living with half her brain tied behind her back. Whatever happened to home being the center of the family, a haven of refreshment, a thriving metropolis of productivity? Instead of homes, we have elaborate McMansions that are devoid of life. They might look pretty to the observer (Thanks to hired maids and interior decorators!), but they are usually just houses, not homes. They sit there empty and lifeless while the occupants live a hectic, frenetic, 100-mile-an-hour life in the fast lane--trying to get ahead, trying to get to the top of the corporate ladder, trying to squish in as many activities as can possibly be had outside the home. We don't have to follow along in this madness; our families deserve something better. Let's make the sacrifices and take the effort to give our families a beautiful, welcoming home which is the heart of the family and the center for outreach to the world. Maybe our home isn't furnished very expensively and maybe it isn't very big, but we can do our best to recapture the nobility and rightful place of home in our society--beginning with our own home. Mrs. Stanley Sherman says in her article titled "Plenty to Do At Home": When you make a determined decision to dedicate yourself to marriage, home, and family, the list of things to do at home is endless. I concur. Although children are a wonderful addition to the home, children do not make a home, nor should children be the only reason for staying home. If your husband wants you to work full-time outside the home and he is not open to any creative alternatives, by all means do it. However, I think most men would readily give up the relatively small amount of extra money brought in by a second income to have a wife who truly embraced her role as a "keeper at home". Being a "keeper at home" does not imply a woman is chained to the kitchen sink and never steps foot beyond her doorstep. Instead, it illustrates a beautiful picture of one of the most important things a woman can invest her life in--glorifying God by nurturing the culture of her home. As Lanier Ivester says in her article, "I am a Stay-at-Home Wife": According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the word "keeper" means literally a guard, a stayer at home, one who is domestically inclined.
We women are gatekeepers--no matter what battles are raging in our culture, we have been entrusted with the culture of our own homes, a culture within which tremendous ministry can take place, both to our families as well as the ones God brings into our lives. And for me, even though He has not blessed us with children yet, that is a full-time job. I believe with all my heart that home is about so much more than scrubbing floors, washing dishes, and bathing babies. Although those are definitely usually parts of our duty as homemakers, we need to look beyond the day-to-day activities and see the bigger picture. We have the incredible opportunity to bring glory and honor to our husband and to the Lord through how we use our time at home. Take a few days and study Proverbs 31:10-31. What an example of productivity, frugality, and abundant, fruitful living this woman was! Spend time reading through each verse and make a list of the various pursuits, ministries, and activities this woman was involved in. By the time you are finished with this exercise, you'll probably realize that there are a world of possibilities available for a stay-at-home wife. When we are home full-time, we have more freedom and energy to be able to better help our husband and be a powerful asset to him: We can become a skilled home economist--stretching the resources we have as far as they can go, becoming more knowledgeable concerning finances and investing, keeping track of budgeting, bill-paying, and record-keeping, perhaps even investing some of our time into entrepreneurial ideas to further contribute to our family's income. We can become an efficient home manager--setting up a household schedule, overseeing household repairs (or completing some of them ourselves), redecorating the home using yard sale finds, cooking nourishing and wholesome meals, making our home a haven of hospitality and evangelism. And when our home and priorities are in order, we can begin looking for opportunities to minister from our home--praying for those who are struggling, lodging missionaries, making meals for needy families, organizing ministries to the poor, reaching out to our neighbors, writing letters of encouragement, teaching young women, helping busy moms, ministering to the elderly and widows... the possibilities are wide open and endless! Personally speaking, I was a stay-at-home wife for about two years, before we had Kathrynne. I had no lack of things to keep me productive and useful. It was so wonderful to be able to devote the bulk of my time and energy to helping my husband and easing his load--especially while he was enduring the rigors of law school. By being home, I had time to plan menus, shop frugally, and make nutritious meals for my husband. I was able to make sure he had his shirts ironed and clean socks to wear. I was able to research out the best buy on items and make phone calls and run errands for him. I was able to take the time to make a nutritious sack lunch for Jesse to take to school or work everyday, saving us hundreds of dollars in food bills. Not only was I available to meet my husband's needs, but I was able to expand his ministry. With school and work, he didn't have much extra time to be able to help and serve others, so I could do things as his "ambassador". I was able to go and help other families in their homes with their laundry, cleaning, cooking, and homeschooling. I made meals for needy families and took care of the details of our home so that we could practice hospitality. I also spent a great deal of time reading, keeping up with current events, writing, and studying in order to help facilitate interesting discussions around our dinner table. It was also during these two years that I was able to learn how to start and run a business. One of my husband's dreams was for us to have a home business and through this time I had at home before children, I was able to make his dream a reality. If I had been out pursuing my own career, I never would have had the hours to devote to this. So, Megan, let me encourage you: there are a thousand things one can do from home to glorify God and bless others. The most important thing is that you seek to make your home a God-glorifying place and you devote yourself to doing everything you can to make your husband successful. Focus on these two things and you'll never run out of things to do. And I can imagine your husband will not be disappointed either! I'd love to hear from the rest of you: What have you done from home to glorify God, bless your husband, and minister to others? Tell us about it. What encouragement do you have for Megan?
(Note: Some of this post was taken from Recapture the Nobility of Home--a post I wrote in July of 2006.)
Labels: Home Management and Organization, Making Your Home a Haven, Marriage
Perspective
I was busily working in the kitchen making lactation cookies last night and just happened to pop on to check my email while the cookies were baking. My heart jumped into my throat as I opened up an email from my longtime friend Kristy and learned that her husband had drowned in a boating accident on Sunday. I've known Kristy for ten years and seen her go through a lot of pain, anguish, and heartbreak over that time period. I couldn't have been more excited when she got married 10 weeks ago--finally realizing her dream of becoming a wife. Now this. My heart aches, breaks, and agonizes for her pain and loss. There are no words. And to think I was stressing over lactation issues.If you have a moment today, would you please consider heading over to Kristy's blog here and leaving her a comment letting her know you are praying for her? She could really use as much support from Believers around the world as possible right now. Related: Read more here, here, here, and here.
Being still
 Thank you very much for your helpful ideas yesterday. You really blessed me with your wise, encouraging words and your sage advice. Anyone who knows me, knows that I struggle with attempting to do too much and add too many things to my plate. I often seem to only have two speeds--running or completely shut down. Motherhood has forced me to slow down and it's been a good thing. But this incident has reminded me just how much more I need to learn about taking seasons of rest when it is needed. I don't always have to be checking things off my to-do list or viewing quality in the form of accomplishment. I already know this in my head, but actually doing it is another thing altogether. There's nothing like the complete inability to nourish your child as a great big flashing cue from the Lord that I needed to slow down and take it easy. And so, since I realized that getting my milk supply back wasn't something I could just schedule to do in three weeks, I overcame my "Martha" tendencies and took today off. Completely off.I did nothing besides eat, drink, nurse, snuggle with the girls, and read. Oh and I think I ran one load of laundry. And that's it. Can I just say how much fulfillment there was in taking time to sit, smile, talk, laugh, and read lots of books with my girls without worrying about anything else? My home isn't the cleanest, I'm behind on laundry, and I think we're having sandwiches for dinner, but I feel so refreshed and relaxed. Best of all, the lactation problem is improving. Slowing down wasn't so hard after all. In fact, I'm thinking we ought to do this more often! I like the rhythm and order that our normal schedule brings to our home (and we'll be talking more about that later this week in our Finding Time series!), but sometimes I think we all need to step back and take time to just be still. At least I know I do.
Graphic from All PostersLabels: Mothering
Input requested--especially from nursing moms
This is one of those "for females only" types of posts, so if you're one of my three male readers, consider yourself warned. Ahem.For the rest of you ladies--especially those of you who have been or are nursing moms--I could use some help and input: Have you ever experienced a dramatic decrease in milk supply as the result of sickness/high fever?I'm sure I don't really need to explain why I'm asking this question, but yes, being miserably sick this weekend (I was more sick than I can remember being in years!) seems to have severely affected my milk supply. I'm guessing the high fever depleted my body and I also probably didn't drink enough--even though I tried to remember to drink as much as possible. I could really use some suggestions, encouragement, or ideas as I've never had this happen before and I admit that I'm somewhat stressing over this. Or maybe more than somewhat. And I'm not normally a person to get easily stressed out about things. So, help me out here, please: Has this happened to you before? Is this normal? What can I do to restore my milk supply?
Thanks for helping out this young mama who still needs to learn more than a thing or two about resting in the Lord! Labels: Mothering
Making Your Home a Haven Monday: Getting Your Home Back in Order
 Whether you had sickness at your home this weekend like us or you just had a busy weekend, your home could likely use some basic all-purpose pick up and cleaning today. So instead of tackling a big Spring cleaning project like we've been doing for the last few weeks, today I encourage you to spend some extra time getting your home back in order. I'm devoting two hours today to getting things back in order around here--want to join me? Two Hour Quick Clean Up*Before starting, spend time at least a short time in God's Word and prayer. Refresh your spirit with the promises and encouragement found in Scripture so that you will be well-prepared for the day and whatever challenges it holds. I also encourage you to be showered and dressed to your shoes. There's something about being fresh and dressed for the day which helps me work so much faster and stay on track so much better. Don't ask me what it is, but it really works for me! And now you're ready to roll...
1. Put on an apron, turn on some uplifting music, light a candle, and start a load of laundry.2. Go to the kitchen sink and wash, dry, and put away the dishes. Then, shine the sink (ala FlyLady!) and wipe down the counter tops. Try to get this completely finished in 30 minutes or less. 3. Set the timer for 15 minutes and briskly go through the house and pick up as many items as you can which are out of place and return them to their proper places (and if it's trash, throw it out!). 4. Switch the laundry in your washer to your dryer or clothesline and start another load of laundry.5. Take some all-purpose cleaner and a few rags and go quickly spray and wipe down all the bathrooms. Remember, this is just a simple spray and wipe of your bathrooms which should only take five minutes maximum per bathroom. Save the heavy-duty cleaning for later! 6. Do a quick sweep and mop of your kitchen and bathroom floors if they need this (and if your home is anything like our home, they will need this!). 7. Vacuum the main living areas of your home--don't worry about moving furniture or going over every inch of carpet, just make sure and hit the main traffic areas. 8. Pull the laundry out of the dryer and fold and put it away. Switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer, and start another load in the washer if you still have more laundry to do. You're done! Make a pot of tea or coffee (or a glass of iced tea or lemonade since Spring is finally here!) and put your feet up for a few moments. Way to go! Your whole family will enjoy the fruits of your labors. Adapted from Keeping the Home's Emergency Quick Clean. Please edit or add to it to suit your home and family's needs!
-----------------------
Join in the fun! Post about your two hour quick clean up (with before and after pictures!) or share anything else related to making your home a haven and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be inspired and motivated. Don't have a blog? Tell us about your accomplishments in the comments section.Labels: Making Your Home a Haven
He is risen!
 The day dawned dark and heavy On that first day of the week, The mourners were bewildered, Overwhelmed, and torn by grief. All their hopes had come to nothing, All their dreams were crushed and gone. They had thought He was the promised King. How could they have been so wrong? So many questions pierced their souls As they neared the tomb that day. But their grief soon turned to wonder When they heard the angel say He is risen!He is not deadHe is risen just as He said.Death could not keep Him,Tell all who seek Him,He is risen! He is not here!In a world that's dark and heavy There are people who still seek, Their hearts are still bewildered, Confused, and torn by grief. All their hopes have come to nothing, All their dreams are crushed and gone. They have not met the risen Lord, And they wonder what's gone wrong. So many questions pierce their souls And they search to find the truth. Will you lead them to the empty tomb? Will you share with them the news? He is risen!He is not deadHe is risen just as He said.Death could not keep Him,Tell all who seek Him,He is risen from the dead!Lyrics by my sister, Brigette Shevy Copyright 2007 The Wilds Labels: Faith
A Week with Auntie Gretchen - Friday - Day 7
Since I was sick on Friday, Gretchen took care of the girls by herself. I was so thankful she was here to help because there was no way I could have managed myself while feeling that miserable! The day was rather uneventful, but she did get a few pictures...  The carrot/orange smoothie Gretchen made for me--yum!  Gretchen set her camera's timer and snapped this picture of she and the girls headed out for an afternoon walk.  Our two little girlies--don't they look like they have quite the personalities? It is loads of fun to see them interact, especially now that Kaitlynn can communicate more! Sadly, Gretchen had to leave on Friday evening. We are so grateful she came to visit--not only was it a lot of fun, but she was also a great help. And, despite Jesse being sick and then me coming down with sickness, too, we managed to get all the projects done off of my to-do list. Yay! Speaking of Gretchen, her "I Can Sew" ebook package special offer is only good through Monday. Be sure and get yours while the getting's good!Labels: Pictures
A Week with Auntie Gretchen - Thursday - Day 6
  Don't I look happy?!  We took a walk to the library in the afternoon. Kathrynne road her trike all the way there and back and thought it was just about the coolest thing ever!  Coloring--one of Kathrynne's very favorite things to do at the library. They have little tables, crayons, and coloring sheets and we make use of them every week. Don't ask me why it is so much more fun to color at the library than at home!  Yours truly making fruit salad for dinner. (Gretchen said I must post this picture since I had only posted one other picture of me from this week! So there you go, Gretchen!) After dinner, Gretchen babysat while Jesse and I went out for a dessert and coffee date. It's been ages since we've had a babysitter and been able to do that so it was wonderful. However, I started feeling very feverish about halfway through so we came home and I collapsed and have been in bed ever since with this really nasty flu! Labels: Pictures
Frugal Friday: Brain-fried
 I came down with the same nasty flu earlier today that my husband had last week so my post idea for this week will have to wait until next week--my fever seems to be burning up all coherent brain cells! So, please make up for my lack of great ideas by leaving your link to your blog post with thoughts or tips on frugality below! And it's back to bed to rest and recuperate for me...Labels: Frugal Friday
A Week with Auntie Gretchen: Wednesday - Day 5
We failed to get many pictures on Wednesday, but here's one from the picnic on the deck:  The weather has been so beautiful the past few days so Kathrynne has especially been enjoying finally getting to play outside again after so many months of cold and snow! I've not been blogging much this week because we've been occupied with other things around here but I hope you've been enjoying seeing a little peek into things here with the pictures I've been sharing. And don't worry, I have plenty of posts swirling in my brain and I'll be back to blogging soon! We spent the morning getting some extra business work done, the rest of the cleaning and laundry finished, and now we're heading out for a walk and an outing at the library. Should be fun! I hope you all are having a lovely day, and maybe you're getting some of this beautiful weather, too! Labels: Pictures
A Week with Auntie Gretchen: Tuesday - Day 4
 Our failed attempt at making homemade soft pretzels. After my flopped homemade bagel attempt, I have decided that I just am no good at making any kind of homemade bread that needs to be boiled and then baked.  Gretchen working on my laptop and getting the "I Can Sew" ebook promotion all put together. (Have you gotten your package yet, by the way?)  Cutting Kathrynne's hair for the first time--I decided to let Gretchen do the honors since hair-cutting is not really my forte!  Kathrynne did really well, despite her initial apprehension.  "Hmm, I'm not so sure about this new hair cut." "Mommy, do you think it looks cute?' Aunties are the greatest! Labels: Pictures
Guest Post: Tips and Tools for Using Time Wisely
 Guest Post from Kristy Howard at Homemaker's Cottage
I'm 26 years old and my husband and I have been blessed with two little girls--ages 4 years and 19 months--and are expecting a baby in May. My husband is a pastor and we are, obviously, very involved in our church. Learning to manage my time wisely has been a must, simply because there are only 24 hours in a day and so much to be accomplished!
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some tools and habits that have greatly helped me in using time wisely over the last few years of motherhood:
Put God first. This probably sounds cliche, but it's amazing how much smoother my day goes-- and how much more I actually get accomplished--when I purposefully take time to spend in God's Word and prayer. Even a mere 10 or 15 minutes in the morning (or afternoon or evening, as the case may be) makes a huge impact on both my mood and my day--it changes my perspective, puts a song in my heart, and I honestly think that the Lord has a way of stretching the minutes in my day when I honor Him!
I might also add that it is just as important to put God first in your week--faithful church attendance is not only demonstrating obedience to Scripture, but opens the door for God to bless you and your family in many ways: spiritually, emotionally, and even materially and physically. God honors those who honor Him!
Keep a daily schedule for myself and our children. I enjoy routine and order, so this comes pretty easily for me. I've found that charts, lists, and schedules add a certain "predictability" to our day that helps things go much more smoothly.
We try to keep naps, bedtime, and wake-up-time on a basic routine. I don't plan to be out grocery shopping--or otherwise away from home--during the girls' nap time. I plan our menu once-a-week; nothing elaborate or complicated, but it helps to know at a glance what I need to do to get the next meal underway.
That being said, I am not "married" to our daily schedule. We enjoy a spontaneous "family day" with daddy every little bit, and the break from the routine does us all some good! On days when things get way off track, we simply pick up the next day and start over.
Set goals for each day and week. This ties right in with the daily schedule, since both give me a real sense of direction in my day. Instead of getting up in the morning with no clue as to what needs to be done or how I'm going to accomplish it, I know that my "goal" for each morning is to get several things accomplished before lunch: dress the girls and myself, makes beds, eat breakfast, tidy up the house a bit, start Amy's school, begin lunch preparations, maybe throw a load of laundry in the washer, or fold and put away a basket of clean towels, etc.
I strive to keep my goals both practical and attainable, that way I'm not frustrated all day and feel like I'm running against my own clock. On the other hand, reaching the end of a busy day knowing I've gotten done what I needed for to that day--even if it's only a few mundane tasks- gives me a wonderful sense of accomplishment!
Multi-task! I guess this is something that every mother has to learn to do eventually! For instance, I often load the dishwasher or start lunch preparations while Amy works on her school and Emily colors at the kitchen table. Getting a meal going in the crock pot frees me up to do housework, grocery shop, or spend some time with the girls and Jeremy while lunch is being cooked without much effort on my part. While I am only one mommy and can only do so much at once, it's amazing what can get done when I resist the tendency to have a one-track mind!
Don't own a television. I might add to this, we watch very few movies--maybe one a week. Our girls have several favorite DVDs they are permitted to watch, but overall we spend very little time glued to the monitor.
I was once asked, "What do you do all day?" when I mentioned to an individual that we don't own a TV. I replied, "Believe me, there's plenty to do!" My point and case exactly!
Obviously there are other "time wasters" besides TV, but this seems to be a major one for many families. We've found it's rather difficult to idle away hours of your time in front of a television set if you don't even own one! :)
Take life in bite-size pieces. I used to be an "all or nothing" girl. If the house was a mess, I spent the entire day cleaning it from top to bottom. If the laundry basket was overflowing with dirty clothes, I washed, dried, folded, ironed and put away laundry until it was completely finished.
I am now a mother with two small children and am expecting another baby to boot--"all or nothing" would probably mean "nothing" on most days!! Instead of sitting around the house moaning at all the work to be done, I tackle the tasks at hand in bite-size pieces. If there are 6 loads of dirty clothes waiting to be washed, I may set a goal for that day to get 3 loads washed, folded and put away; the next day I try to finish the remaining 3 loads.
I no longer have time to spend hours at the ironing board pressing Jeremy's shirts, pants and slacks; instead, I make it a priority to iron a few shirts or jeans as they are washed, that way he at least has enough ironed clothing to get him through a few days. True, his closet is still full of mostly wrinkled shirts, but by the time he needs another one I'll probably have several more ready. Spending 20 or 30 minutes at the ironing board is a bite-size job compared to ironing a closet full of wrinkled shirts--I bite off what I can handle and enjoy the feeling of getting something accomplished, regardless of what else is still waiting to be done.
Last night we got in a little later than usual from church, and I found the house unacceptably cluttered with toys. Instead of launching into a frenzied cleaning spell at 9:30 at night, the girls and I went through all the rooms of the house and put the misplaced toys, books, and other "stuff" into a baby doll buggy. It took all of 5 minutes to do and I felt better about not having to wake up to a mess. This morning, I put away everything in the baby buggy and that was that.
I love what Martha Greene put in her weekly reminder in this year's Yearbook for the Homemaker: "Don't get overwhelmed; JUST DO THE NEXT THING!" That's good advice!
Strive for perfection, but leave room for reality. Obviously no day is perfect. Even on "really good days", I go to bed knowing that more tasks and responsibility await me with the dawning of the next day. While I keep a list of things I'd like to see accomplished during the day and week--and plan how I'll get them done--I'm learning to make room for interruptions, delays and distractions.
For instance, I plan to keep my home orderly and neat, but also realize it's not a "sin" if an extra day or two goes by before I get to the dusting or vacuuming. I would love for our girls' room to always stay moderately organized, but I realize it's more important for me to spend an evening reading books or playing dolls with them than to constantly be on their case to clean, clean, clean.
Yes, my children are being trained dailyto keep their toys put away and enjoy an orderly environment, but being a mother also entails putting up with a little imperfection now and then. I strive to enjoy my family along the way and incorporate them into my daily tasks, even if they "slow me down" a bit. :) Expecting a few imperfections along the way makes it a lot easier to keep my smile and joyful spirit in place when things go "crazy", as days occasionally do.
These "tips" are nothing new but they certainly work for us! I look forward to learning more along the way... especially when baby #3 makes his arrival in a few months! :) -Kristy Howard is a full-time wife to Jeremy, and Mama to Amy, Emily, and Keith (who is due the first of May!). She loves love reading, writing, baking, gardening, shopping frugally, and learning how to better care for her wonderful family. Visit her blog, Homemaker's Cottage, for more encouragement.
Graphic from AllPosters.com Labels: Finding Time, Home Management and Organization
 "Homemaking--being a full-time wife and mother--is not a destructive drought of uselessness but an overflowing oasis of opportunity; it is not a dreary cell to contain your talents and skills but a brilliant catalyst to channel creativity and energies into meaningful work; it is not a rope for binding your productivity in the marketplace, but reins for guiding your posterity in the home; it is not an oppressive restrain of intellectual prowess for the community, but a release of wise instruction to your own household; it is not the bitter assignment of inferiority to your person, but the bright assurance of the ingenuity of God's plan for complementarity of the sexes, especially as worked out in God's plan for marriage; it is neither limitation of gifts available nor stinginess in distributing the benefits of those gifts, but rather the multiplication of a mother's legacy to the generations to come and the generous bestowal of all God meant a mother to give to those He entrusted to her care."
-Dorothy Kelley Patterson, Where's Mom? The High Calling of Wives and Mothers, pg. 47 (I highly recommend this book--read my review here.) Labels: Homemaking
Baking soda, take two
 I know I've been singing the praises of baking soda recently, but let me tell you, this stuff really works.This week I direly needed to clean out the trash cans and had the bright idea to sprinkle some baking soda in them. A little water and scrubbing later and they were not only clean but clean-smelling, too. And stranger than strange was the fact that I actually enjoyed cleaning out the trashes. Maybe I've been breathing in too many baking soda fumes or something? Oh yeah, I forgot, it's non-toxic. Well anyway, it's inexpensive, non-toxic, and easy and that works for me! Labels: Home Management and Organization
Save 60% This Week - A Step-By-Step Guide to Learning to Sew!
 Do you have a daughter who would love to learn how to sew but you don't have time to teach her or hundreds of dollars to spend on lessons? Well, help is here with my sister's brand-new I Can Sew series!Designed for girls ages 8 and older, the I Can Sew series starts at the very beginning teaching basic sewing skills in a thorough, engaging, and step-by-step manner. Each booklet includes beginner sewing projects complete with detailed instructions and illustrations. While practicing your newly-learned sewing techniques, you'll make a baby doll blanket, decorative pillow, pincushion, pillow case, baby bib, hair scrunchie, and a drawstring bag. Plus, throughout the series, you'll study about women from Scripture who serve as Godly examples to us! Through the end of this week, my sister is offering my readers all three of her ebooks at the package price of only $5.97--that's a 60% savings!I can't recommend these ebooks highly enough--my sister did an excellent job on them and I know every one of you with young daughters will want to purchase your own copy. And at such a great bargain, it's a no-brainer! Click here to buy your copy today.Labels: Special Offers
A Week with Auntie Gretchen: Monday - Day 3
 Monday morning Gretchen and I had fun dressing Kathrynne up in a funky outfit--I suppose you could say we had the 80s look going complete with the high ponytail!  We then worked part of the morning on spring-cleaning the Master Bedroom. Kathrynne and I pulled the bed apart and cleaned and vacuumed under it. Well, Kathrynne mostly played "slide" on the mattresses! She didn't want me to put the bed back together!  While we worked on the bedroom, Gretchen cleaned out our bathroom closet. (Don't ask me what the dolly was doing in there!)  Much better!  And Kathrynne and Gretchen had to get a fun picture in the bathroom mirror, too. Labels: Pictures
A Week with Auntie Gretchen: Sunday - Day 2
 After church on Sunday and the fellowship dinner afterwards, we came home for naps and then fresh orange/apple/carrot juice and waffles for dinner.  Yummy! (See the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook? My mom gave that to me when I got married and it is my all-time favorite cookbook for everyday recipes. I used it countless times and only had one recipe flop!)   Washing dishes! Kathrynne can stay busily occupied with dish-washing for thirty minutes or longer. And she actually does a pretty good job of it. She's certainly my right-arm-in-training! Labels: Pictures
I can't do this alone
I have no clue how to parent, teach, and train a three-year-old. No clue.I've done the baby thing twice and both girls have survived so I guess the thought of having another baby or two or ten is really not too overwhelming to me (okay, I admit, the ten babies thing is rather mind-boggling!). But then the babies grow up and become three-year-olds. Raising three-year-olds? I really haven't the foggiest idea! Everyday there seems to be a new adventure or challenge which brings me back on my knees before the Lord begging for wisdom and direction because I have none in and of myself and feel very inadequate to be parenting a three-year-old. It hit me again last night. Kathrynne has been begging to do school and is quickly progressing through learning her letters and numbers. At the rate she's going, she very likely could be reading soon (though her enthusiasm could also die at any moment, too!). As I pondered the thought of teaching a first-grader, I started panicking, "I don't know how to do this! What have I gotten myself into?!"I realize anew just how much I need God's grace--everyday, every hour, every moment. Without His help, I'd have never made it this far. And somehow, He will carry me through parenting of three-year-olds, and thirteen-year-olds, and beyond. Labels: Mothering
A Week with Auntie Gretchen: Day 1
My 20-year-old sister, Gretchen, is staying with us for a week and since she and I both love taking pictures and she offered to help me upload them to my blog, we thought it'd be fun to share a glimpse into our week.  Gretchen joined me for my Saturday morning planning session at Panera. She brought her laptop along and did some business work while I read my Bible, mapped out the week, and worked for a little while on my laptop. Oh and drank tea--lots of tea! What's a planning session without tea?!  Saturday's projects all planned. When it's just a simple day where we're not following our daily schedule, I usually write a to-do list in a spiral notebook instead of using my normal daily planner pages.  And then we took pictures of Panera cups from different angles and Gretchen taught me a few new tricks with my digital camera.  Why do Gretchen's pictures always turn out so much better than mine?!  We came home to find the girls just waking up and ready for baths!  Making pumpkin rolls (note the laptop which had the recipe pulled up on it).  Two cooks in the kitchen!  After dinner, we headed to The Cheesecake Factory for some delicious cheesecake!  Here's my piece of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake--I almost managed to eat the whole thing in one setting!  Kaitlynn--who seems to be changing and learning new things everyday. She just learned her first word ("mama") and her first sign ("all done"). Can you believe she's almost nine months old? Labels: Pictures
Guest Post: Instilling organization in your children from an early age
Today is the last day to get the Bargain Ebook Package for $5! Be sure to get your copy here. Guest Post from Laura at Heavenly HomeMakers
As my husband and I work to raise our four sons, organization is a must. Now, I'm not talking about organizing their books on the shelf using the Dewey Decimal System or color coding their action figures in special containers. Hey, it's a good day at our house if they happen to be wearing clothes that match.
I'm talking about organizing/prioritizing what we most feel like they need to learn and do in order for them to become the godly men we desire for them to be. We focus on three key elements in order that we as parents will be organized, and so that our children will learn organization for themselves. School Work House Work Spiritual Training While these are three separate elements, we really feel like they all go together and cannot truly be separated into actual categories. We want our boys to learn that all that they learn and do is for the glory of God. Here are some specifics of how we organize our days and how we work to train our boys to learn to organize: *We do most of our "sit-down" school work Monday through Thursday. I write a list for each boy in their individual assignment notebook. They know that these assignments must be done by the end of the week (and certainly before they ask to make any plans with friends on Saturday!). The boys then choose to organize their individual school work any way that works best for them (with direction from us if they need it, of course). *Fridays are our cleaning days. I usually write one list on a marker board of all the housework the boys need to do for the day. They look at the list and organize it themselves into who will do what.
For instance, all if I have written on the list "Clean Bathrooms", they then discuss and decide who will clean the toilets, who will wash the sinks, who will sweep and who will mop. These discussions don't always go as pleasantly as one would hope, but usually they work everything out pretty well. It's kind of fun to listen to their corporate "who's gonna clean what" meeting! *We have found that meal times are perfect for Biblical instruction. (It's about the only time these boys are sitting still and quiet all at the same time!) During breakfast, I read from the Bible to them. During lunch, we work on memorizing scripture. During dinner, Daddy usually takes over with more memory work. We also use our dinner time to tell Daddy all the things we did and learned for the day.
This has been a great way to reinforce lessons learned and godly behaviors. I like to "brag" to Daddy in front of the boys when I am particularly proud of something they have done. You should see the boys beam. Pleasing their daddy is very important to them. Because my husband and I have taken the time to implement these fairly simple organizational elements, our boys have naturally learned to make plans and organize themselves as they get older. It's been a blessing to watch. We still have a long way to go, and it all goes back to "working to be organized." Training the kids towards better organization is a certainly a work in progress. -Laura Coppinger has been married to Matt for 13 years and is mom of four boys ages 3-10. Visit her blog for more encouragement and practical homemaking ideas.
Have you gotten your Bargain Ebook Package yet? In it, you'll find great tips for making your kitchen more functional, ideas for making your kitchen more kid-friendly, and lots of delicious recipes using old-fashioned ingredients! It's only $5 for all 6 ebooks (plus some bonuses!) through tonight! What about you? How do you help instill organization in your children? I'd love to hear your ideas and tips!Labels: Home Management and Organization, Mothering
Making Your Home a Haven Monday: Spring-Cleaning the Master Bedroom
 "Homemaking--if pursued with energy, imagination, and skills--has much challenge and opportunity, success, failure, growth and expansion, perks and incentives as any corporation, plus something no other position offers--working for people you love most and want to please the most!"
-Dorothy Kelley Patterson, Where's Mom? The High Calling of Wives and Mothers, pg. 47 (I highly recommend this book--read my review here.)
I loved the above quote and hope all it encourages all of you who are homemakers, homemakers-in-training, or wanna-be homemakers today! And with that encouragement, today's Making Your Home a Haven assignment is to Spring-Clean your Master Bedroom! Following Monica's lead, I'm planning to: -Pick up and put all out of place items away -Wash all the sheets and bedding -Dust -Spot-clean the walls -Organize my dresser drawers -Vacuum--including underneath our bed -And maybe more if I have enough time! I'll be back later with before and after pictures and some more thoughts on schedules and routines continued from last week.-------------------- Join in the fun! Post about your bedroom cleaning (with before and after pictures!) or share anything else related to making your home a haven and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be inspired and motivated. Labels: Homemaking, Making Your Home a Haven
Finding Time: Tips from Readers
 Missed the first posts in this series? Start here.
From Kathi: My kids are 2, 3, and 5, and the older two go to two different preschools. Our preschool mornings were absolutely insane until I instituted this rule: Everyone must be up and dressed to shoes *with teeth brushed* before breakfast. I know it seems odd to brush teeth before eating, but otherwise I spent the next hour nagging all three to finish breakfast so we had time to do their teeth before we had to leave. Now, when it's time to go, I just take the remaining plates away and we're out the door! It puts a whole different spin on the morning.
I know a lot of people do laundry every day, and I tried that for years, but it just didn't work for me. With three messy young kids, I definitely have the clothes to do it every day, but the process seemed to be taking up way too much of my waking hours. So I revised it. Now I have three laundry days: kids' laundry on Monday and Friday and my and husband's laundry on Wednesday I separate the kids' and adults' loads because I find it far quicker to sort little clothes OR big clothes rather than trying to find a tiny onesie in a pile of men's XL undershirts!
Each laundry day requires about three loads, so I start the first one the night before, throw it in the dryer and the second load in the washer as soon as I get up, set my timer to get ready for the third load, and if all goes well, all laundry should be washed and dried by 10 a.m. or so without much effort. I then give my 5- and my 3-year-olds their own baskets of clothes to put away. No, they don't do it perfectly, but I've learned not to obsess over whether a 5-year-old boy's T-shirts are perfectly folded in his drawers...
My last tip is also laundry related. It seems like a lot of work at first, but it makes the dreaded sock-sorting chore a lot easier in the end. First, I buy all the kids plain white socks, so that I can bleach them if necessary. Second, I mark each pair with a black fabric pen: one dot for the oldest, two dots for the middle child, and three dots for the youngest (this is not my original idea--I took it off another website long ago--wish I could remember which!).
As I'm passing down socks, I simply add another dot if it's going to the next child. Then, on wash day I throw all the socks into a couple of large mesh lingerie bags. The bags go in both the washer and dryer. Voila! No missing socks when I'm ready to fold! From Amy:Stay away from time bandits like tv, telephone, and computer. Use your caller ID and answering machine.
Avoid too many activities or trips out of the house. Each trip will drain your energy and change your focus.
Plan your meals. Stick with regular meals, like Monday- Spaghetti, Tuesday- Chicken, Wednesday- Fish, etc. so you won't spend so much time trying to figure out what to plan for dinner. Brown hamburger or form patties or meatloaf to freeze as soon as you come home from the store.
Put laundry in the washer before bedtime. If you have a timer on your washer set it, if not then it will be ready for you to run in the morning.
Deal with junk mail immediately, so it doesn't pile up. Before going upstairs or to another room see if anything needs to be picked up and carried away. From K. Quinn at Homemaking Organized:When I was working 8 to 5 in the corporate world many people asked me how I managed to get so much done. We were not parents at the time but I was learning to play the piano, sewing clothing, baking all the time , and just getting a lot done. Here are some of the things which have helped me keep on task:
Starting my day on the right track. In God's presence with my Bible and prayer. Like Elizabeth George says, it just seems like everything else runs smoother when you start it off with the Lord.
Lists are at the top of my must have tools for time management. I used them in college, in the work force and continue to use them to manage my home and especially in the care of the children I care for as a foster parent.
We all know television is a huge time waster. A good friend of mine made a decision with her husband to severely cut back on their TV time and they were amazed at how much they were able to get done without being tied to the couch. We have not had a television in all of our married life.
My timer set for 15 minutes is a life-saver for me! I can clean my bathroom, take out the garbage and vacuum the house, make dinner, clean the kitchen, clean up the house after a family get together, even take a nap. You would be amazed at how long 15 minutes really is when you use that timer. You'll be anxious for it to go off it seems like such a long time. It's also a great tool to get the whole family involved in. Children find it a great game to see who can clean up first. And with your younger children they get excited running around helping mom. Have a great time management tip or sanity-saver to share? Feel free to comment or email me!
Labels: Finding Time
Frugal Friday: Keep it simple
 If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know that one of my mantras is "keep it simple." I think we all have a tendency to overspend, over-complicate, and overwhelm ourselves and, in the process, miss out on some of the beauty of simplicity. Last night our family enjoyed a wonderfully simple outing as a family which required almost no effort on our parts and cost us hardly anything. The weather was beautiful here yesterday and we were all feeling a bit of "cabin fever" after lots of cold and snow. So instead of our usual evening at home, we hopped in the van and went to the park for an evening walk until dusk. We were able to show the girls numerous deer up close, got stuck in some mud as we tried to detour off the path (not a good idea!), and Jesse and I found ourselves constantly chuckling over the girls' antics. We also got some good exercise, some fresh air, and lots of family time. When the last rays of sunlight could no longer be seen, we headed for Taco Bell and bought a few things off the Value Menu to share with lots of laughter and conversation. The whole evening cost us only a few dollars and it was so relaxing, enjoyable, and simple. These uncomplicated, inexpensive, and quality times together can be some of the richest and most meaningful memories ever... at least we think so! Has your family enjoyed a simple and low-cost family activity or outing recently? If so, tell us about it!--------------------- Join in Frugal Friday! Have a tip, resource, idea, or thought related to frugality? Post about it on your blog and then come back here and share the link with us below. Remember to keep it family-friendly. Thanks for participating. Labels: Family fun, Frugal Friday
Lessons from a little child
 A few days ago, I was having a bad afternoon. Nothing was really wrong--except my attitude. I was feeling frazzled for no reason and it was the little things which were "getting to me" and causing me to be short and snippy with the girls. Finally, Jesse walked in the door and I was never so glad to see him! And would you know what the first words were out of Kathrynne's mouth? "Mama's soo beautiful!"Say what, Kathrynne? When I should have been snuggling, playing, laughing, and enjoying you and your sister, I was instead feeling frustrated and irritated. Despite this, you overlooked my bad attitude and exclaimed how beautiful you think I am! Kathrynne's simple comment immediately convicted me of how ugly my attitude had been for the past hour. After repenting of it and thinking some more on her comment, this verse came to mind: "...Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
The next time someone else mistreats me or has a less-than-beautiful attitude towards me, I hope I remember to be like Kathrynne and overlook the ugliness and instead love this person and see them as | | |
I do recommend you invest in a simple baby food grinder (they are about $10) and then just make sure you plan fruits and vegetables into your menus that your baby can eat. If it's something which can't just be easily mashed with a fork, stick a small bit in the grinder when you sit down at the table, grind it up for them, and you're good to go!
