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!

where have I been?

Anywhere, but at my computer apparently :) Wow, it's been 3 weeks since I posted something! Time flies when you're having fun! Oh yeah, and when you are chasing kids, cleaning house, making meals, vacationing, sleeping, and enjoying summer too!

Being it's been so long you are going to get my random ramblings today...

First, ever since my last post I have gotten a couple great suggestions for "cleaning lady" experts. I googled a few and found one I LOVE. My newest project is this: The House That Cleans Itself. I am studying this like a college student (okay, maybe more like when I was in high-school since I worked harder then :) If you haven't come across this gal yet, check. her. out!!! Serious organizing and making sense of my house cleaning routine. I do have to say my house is getting more messier right now then cleaner, but it is temporary while I complete the process that Mindy suggests. Stay tuned!
http://www.mindystarnsclark.com/house.php

Second, I have decided that all mom's no matter where they are at at 2pm should get a 20 minute power nap everyday. I think it should be a law or something. Seriously.

Third, my husband and I are celebrating our anniversary this month and I need a creative idea for him. These are my guidelines: free or cheap, can happen within 2-4 hours, guy friendly, something different. Suggestions may be dropped off in the comment box :) Thank you.

Fourth, I love sleeping in a tent with my kids. That first breathe of fresh air in the morning is amazing and their cute little faces all conked out are pretty cute too.

Fifth, I can't stop eating Nutter Butter's lately. Dang it.

Sixth, summer goes waaaaaayyyy faster then winter. What's up with that!?!?

Seventh, I really want to make more time to chase fireflies and sip on lemonade this month with my family.

Eighth, my laundry is almost totally caught up!!! Hallelujah!

Ninth, I really, really love my friends. A lot.

Tenth and last, I hope you do something fun with your family for the fourth. Even if you just eat a picnic in your backyard, go for a bike ride, take naps together, blow bubbles, or watch fireworks on TV. Happy Fourth of July Folks!!!

More ramblings next time :)

a cleaning what?

This is the response I got from my mom once when I told her I had a cleaning schedule.

"A cleaning WHAT?" she said.

"Yeah, you know... a cleaning schedule." I responded.

It sounded normal in my head, but when I said it out loud I got an opposite response. Oh well. I don't mind being a bit non-normal from time to time. For my sanity about 5 years ago I made myself a cleaning schedule. And I love it! I was going crazy trying to keep up with my house cleaning. I decided having little ones in the house was going to cause me to stay in this crazy stage at least for the next 10 years until we were done with the little kid stages. 10 years is a long time to feel crazy. Part of what was so stressful was feeling like I was never going to find time to get to a certain chore. They just piled up on me and I would go to bed feeling very defeated in the "proverbs 31 woman" area of my life. Not that she only keeps a tidy and efficient running house, but it is a big part of her duties I assume.

Finally, I decided to try a schedule. Sounds a bit much, but it worked! I sat at my computer and typed a little trial schedule of when things needed to be done. As I tried it, I tweaked it a bit and now I have what I like to call my "mama's master house schedule"! Beautiful!

What do I love so much about it? Well... let me tell you! I love that I wake up each day and know what needs to be done. I love that when it is a Thursday and I see my weekend is full and I know my bathrooms need cleaned really bad, I can relax, because bathroom cleaning day is just a few days away and I have already carved time out to do this task. I love that I don't have to feel overwhelmed cleaning a bunch of rooms all at once. I love that my oldest knows when it is bedroom cleaning day and he just does it now. Awesome. I love that random cleaning things get done... like baseboard cleaning, window washing, and getting cobwebs down...without having to stress about when the last time was they were cleaned or if ever? I love that when my husband is bored on a Saturday I can look at my last week's cleaning list and see what may have been missed due to a sick kid, a field trip, or doctor appointments. And then I love giving them to him when he can't possibly think of anything to do :) I love knowing my house is running in a somewhat organized chaos mode. It's still considered organized even if no-one can tell but me, right?

Yes, my Type A cleaning schedule has made me a bit more sane for a few more years. Thank goodness, because we all know there is more important things to stress about then whether or not our homes are clean!!!

Mama's Master House Schedule

Sunday :: Day of rest
Monday :: Bathrooms
Tuesday :: Floors (sweep & vacuum/mop every other week)
Wednesday :: Dust
Thursday :: Bedrooms
Friday :: Basement
Saturday :: Catch up day from anything not finished during week

:: Do laundry daily as needed
:: Clean & change sheets on bed every other Thursday

Wash Windows :: Inside every month, outside in May & October
Baseboards :: Clean in January & July
Cobwebs :: Feb, May, August, November
Outside :: Care for as needed