tip #1

If you've been reading you know I am working my way through the book "The House That Cleans Itself". Loving it, but man is it some serious leg work to get to where I want to be! At any given time right now you may walk into my house and see hoards of "things" in one room or the other. Tackeling every square inch of my house, while ridding of some, and reorganizing of others makes for a bit messy looking home. It's temporary I keep telling myself. I know all this hassle right now is going to be worth it once I get things in a functionable order for our living arrangements here and now.

So, here it is... tip #1 I want to pass on! Set up "cleaning stations" in every main living area of your home. A cleaning station consists of Windex easy wipes and Clorox or off brand wipes. So far I have 5 stations. Upstairs bathroom, downstairs bathroom/laundry room, living room, family room, and kitchen/dining room. When I have 5 mintes to clean a room my basic supplies for a quick clean are right at my fingertips tucked away in cute baskets unseen to the human eye. And lets not kid ourselves...5 minutes is pushing it for time I have to clean rooms most days! For example, I sneak away into the bathroom to do my morning deeds and without my kids even noticing I'm really gone yet, I quick clean the mirror, wipe down the counter, toilet seat area, and bathtub. It's not "deep cleaning", but it is maintaining until I take advantage of my main cleaning time scheduled on it's own bathroom day. 5 minutes tops and I'm back playing Candyland and painting choo choo trains. Easy enough!

What I like about it? I don't spend those first few minutes walking over to get my cleaning tub with all my supplies, cleaning, and the putting everything away back in the downstairs closet. It's quick, simple, and done! So far the only negative I've noticed is buying the wipes can add to cleaning expenses, but it seems to be worth my sanity for this season of life. My family room has never stayed so clean since I added it's own cleaning station!!

Try it out! Set up a few stations and let me know how it goes! More time for playing with our kids! Whoo-hoo!

really...only 5 minutes?

I read today that getting outdoors can really brighten a person's mood. Do you know how long it takes to be outside to do this? FIVE minutes! Wow. Who doesn't have 5 minutes each day to step outside and breath in God's creation? As moms, we have many days that feel long and hard and never ending. We typically love these long days with our little one's pitter pattering through our homes, our minds, and our hearts... but for the days when you get a bit crabby, yell at your kids too much, spill your coffee, get no laundry done, and forget to take the video's back... step outside. Five minutes to take in your surrounding, see some green or some white depending on the season (around here anyways), and just listen to nature. Ahhhh, I feel more peaceful just visualizing it.

Today it is 94 degrees here and humid. Stepping outside sounds.... yuck a little bit. Unless of course I can step out into this....


...but I can't. So, I settled for the community pool instead and came home just as refreshed! It's amazing what being outdoors does for one's spirit. Next time you need a little something to help your day go better... take 5... and you know where! Get outdoors!

sweet corn time!!!

There are many things I love about the Midwest. There are also many things I love about living surrounded by farmers and agriculture. I have many memories as a little girl, following my dad up and down corn rows in my bare feet as he rips off ear upon ear of sweet corn. We would then sit on turned over 5 gallon buckets and husk sweet corn all night and throw the fresh ears of corn into a tin bowl that my mom would come and get every 10 minutes or so. As my mom worked to boil and freeze corn, we would eat multiple ears of corn dripping in butter for dinner. Mmmmmmm, so good!

I love sweet corn and I'm not sure if it has to do with the fond memories of the project it was for me with my parents or because it taste so darn good! Either way, summer and sweet corn go hand in hand at our house. I made a call today to a local farmer and was thrilled when he said I could bring my boys to come pick our own corn and take home with us. What a great trip it will be to have my own children follow me up and down the corn field as we work together to gather our own yumminess. Some childhood traditions are sure worth passing on!

laugh a little

Children laugh 146 times a day... adults laugh only 4 times a day... no wonder so many adults are unhappy! Find a little humor in your life today!

Moms- your family will thank you!!!

where to start?

Sitting in my living room with a new mommy the other day brought me so much joy. I love hearing how women transition into being mother's. It is such a precious moment that women who are blessed with children get to experience. What isn't joy filled about that?!?! As all new mom's know... there are many happy joy feelings, but also can be overwhelming, tired, and hormonal feelings. For some mom's who decide to change lifestyles and become a stay home mom it can be a big transition! As we chatted about this and she asked for some advice from a mom who hasn't figured it all out yet, but has been in the home for a handful of years, I came up with just a few things. Mostly things I learned along the way or read from some great author in a book!

I know this blog has mom's reading it! Please share your greatest tips for becoming a stay home mom or even a new mom!

A few from this ole mom...

Have a schedule or at least a routine. Kids and schedules are hard to keep, but routines can be followed. I think children function better with routine, as do mommy's!

Get up before your kids if possible. You will be much more ready to tackle your day with a little time for yourself and you won't start behind! Trying to catch up all day is one heck of a long and tiring day.

Schedule in some Bible time when you are making your new schedule! While you are at it, try including some rec/play time for you & your kids (you'll be amazed how easy it is to get the kids playing and then do your own thing- make time to just play with your kids. You will go to sleep at night much easier knowing you did :)

Pray. Pray for your children, your husband, yourself, your home. Big believer in prayer! Amen!

Teach your children. As you look for new purpose in your new position as stay home mom, add teacher to your list of responsibilities. Teach them about everything. The Word of God, bugs, plants, numbers, making friends, cooking, playing, sharing, just everything.

It is a great time in your life when that bundle of joy arrives and you have a new path to walk down. A bit scary too. Where do you start? Where did you start? Like most mom's say... follow your heart and you can't go wrong.

a first

Yesterday we had a non-traditional July 4th kind of day. It was raining cats and dogs here, so we opted to not go ahead with our picnic and firework party plans. Instead, we had a movie date :) For the first time our entire family headed to the movie theatre! We are kind of picky about what we let our kids watch, but Toy Story 3 was rated G and had good reviews and our boys love Toy Story 1. So off to Toy Story we went! To begin this beautiful date we all napped on the huge couch in our family area. I LOVE napping with all of us piled into one area. We woke up in time for the matinee, packed a few essentials in a bag, and took off! Holy cow, apparently everyone else in our town had the same idea! We stood in line outside of the movie theatre doors and by the time we got up there they told us we could not sit together because they were so full. Rats! We decided to drive to a nearby town showing the movie an hour later.

Turns out, this was the best thing yet! Pulling up to an old theatre with the magical movie lights and sign gleaming was so fun! The kids loved it! (okay, so did I!) It had a small town feel inside... first names between most of the people inside, best customer service at the concession counter, and the small cozy theatre. Sure, we missed the stadium seating and the surround sound and the super duper big screen with a picture perfect clear view... but, we got a quiet, cozy, laid back, friendly, old time feel for the movie scene. I was so happy we came here with our kids for their first movie together as a family! It proved to be a great back up plan!

The movie was cute and our 2 year old even sat through it (happy!!). There were only 2 times I cringed when they used the word "idiot" and the rest was a wonderful story about growing up, friendship, serving one another, and fun adventures. We highly recommend it! But, you must watch the first 2 before you see this one!! At first I was a bit bummed we didn't do our July 4th festivities. But by evening I was totally thrilled with what our day had become. What a great surprise!

Sometimes, the back up plan is better then our original plans. Often times I think I have the ultimate plan for my life and become frustrated when it doesn't pan out. If only I'd let go from the beginning and let God show me His plans... maybe I'd find another cozy classic old movie theatre to snuggle into!