Is your House a Mess or is your Home a Mess?

One of the biggest struggle to me in every day motherhood is finding the balance between the kids and the house. If the house is messy, it's hard to enjoy time with the kids, but when I'm cleaning, I'm missing out on spending time with them. It's an endless circle of needing my sanity and not having stuff piled everywhere, but also feeling guilty about not spending enough time with my babies.

  How do you find the balance? Routines, schedules and planning helps, but I haven't found anything that worked great for me. Our lives are very busy with church, school and activities so schedules don't always work out.

 Here is what I'm learning, thanks to some really wise things my parents said last month when they were here that stuck with me.
 Instead of thinking, "I'm going crazy, the house is a mess,"
 I've been trying to think, "how is my home?"

 Is there a general sense of cheerfulness and joy in our home? Are we treating each other with kindness? Am I being patient and loving to the kids even when I don't want to? If so, the pile of laundry on the couch and the crumbs on the kitchen floor are ok, because we have the important stuff covered.

 When people are coming over and I'm cleaning, I get stressed out very easily. I become snappy with  my husband and the kids because I want everything perfect. I'm working hard to change, to focus on what is really important and realize that people really don't care if our home is immaculate. While I can't say that I won't do that again (because no one is perfect) I'm trying to let go. If it's not immaculately perfect, well, you know what? I have 4 kids that I'm raising, they make messes and people totally understand that.

 My sister in law and the kids came over the other day and, naturally, I was trying to straighten up before she got here. The laundry pile on the couch was neglected and she literally walked in the door, sat down, and started folding my laundry. Not a word spoken about it, just us chatting about life. She's a Mom of 5 and she gets it. Instead of stressing over the mess, I knew I had done the best I could and she picked up the slack, while our 9 children ran around happily.

 Next time you're stressing about the house, ask yourself how your home is. If your home is a mess, take a deep breath, regroup, change your attitude and the kids will follow suit.

 Enjoy these days, Mamas. It's up to us to keep the spirit of our home joyful and looking to Jesus!

Life Changer: 15 Minutes of De-cluttering a Day

I started a 6 week weight loss/healthy living challenge almost 5 weeks ago. I'll probably do a blog post with how I ate and exercised and what my results were when it's all over, but this will be about one of the healthy habits I chose to do during these 6 weeks.

 15 minutes of decluttering a day.

 As soon as I saw it on the list of choices, I knew it was the one for me! I struggle with keep my house orderly, and honestly if you have small kids I don't know how you wouldn't struggle with that. Anyway, I knew that the push to do something extra each day was the perfect motivation for me. Plus, because the challenge is a "game" with points, if I didn't do it I would have to subtract daily points and nobody wants to do that!

 Each day, I choose a small area. A corner in my room, a closet, a drawer, laundry room shelves, even a basket of toys. Shockingly (haha) I haven't run out of an area to de-clutter yet! 

 It's super simple, even for the busiest of people.

 1) Pick an area to declutter or straighten up

 2) Set a timer for 15 minutes

 3) De-cluttter!

 4) Leave it when the timer goes off. This might be the hardest part. Whatever you're not done with, leave until the next day, so you don't get carried away. The idea is small amounts of time every day to keep it fast and easy. Slow and steady wins the race! ;)

 That's It!

 Over the weeks I've seen little areas in my house that I've been avoiding shape up, and it's so nice to open a drawer or look at a corner and see it neat and tidy. It's SO simple, but pretty much life changing!


And now I leave you with some pictures of a baby eating watermelon.

Happy Friday!

Routines, Love and Orderliness

 I am the last girl to have a set schedule, but I love a good routine. Some people thrive on schedules, but I just can't do it. I've tried. Our church is busy and we're often out pretty late, so our day starts at a different time each day, depending on the time we got to bed the night before. The daily routine is the same, it's just not always done at the same time.

 This week we settled back into a routine after Christmas vacation, and it felt good. I've been sick for over 3 weeks now, but I finally have an antibiotic in me that is kicking a bad sinus infection.  In fact, today was the first day in 3 weeks that I didn't have a headache and need to take ibuprofen to function. Besides a lot of blowing my nose and a scratchy voice, I'm starting to feel normal! The kids have had coughs and colds on and off, but they seem to be on the mend as well.

 Brooklynne jumped back into school without missing a beat, which I wasn't expecting but was very thankful for! We learned which letters need "help" when they stand end of words, and now we're working on silent "e" at the end of words. She grasps concepts very quickly, something she did not inherit from me. I'm thinking her Nonnie and daddy get the credit for that one. In Math she's adding simple number problems and couting by 10's. All very exciting to me!

Nathan turned 10 months, is pulling himself up and starting to walk along furniture. Funny thing is, he still doesn't officially crawl. He can scoot around super fast, and he gets up on his knees and tries to crawl but isn't quite there yet. He can also climb the stairs, something I'm not really ready to start dealing with yet. Where did the time go?!

Despite a few weeks of sickness, there is still plenty of lovin' going on around here, as usual. Sometimes I feel like my heart might explode when I see spontaneous hugs, kisses and smiles and hear the laughter that always accompanies it. It blesses my soul.

The first week of the New Year has been amazing. I'm working on reading through my Bible in 90 days and it's been life changing already! I read while I feed Nathan, while Brookie writes or reads during school, and yes, even in the bathroom. Basically I'm reading every spare minute I get to meet my quota of 12-16 chapters a day. It's been really, really good for me. Also, tonight we purchased totes of various sizes to help me in my organizing campaign. I want to simplify and make my house as practical as possible to keep neat and tidy. I realize with 3 kids it isn't possible 24/7. but as long as everything has a place, it makes clean up that much easier. I'm excited about pleasing the Lord in the area of orderliness in my home, since he is a God of order.

 Hope you all are settling into your routine, as well. and enjoying this New Year!

Let the Balloon Touch the Ground

Did you ever play the game "don't let the balloon touch the ground" as a kid? It was our favorite. Now I'm playing it every day as a Mom, only they are real life balloons. One is housework, one is laundry, one is child training, one is schooling, one is cooking, music practice, meal planning, grocery shopping, daily devotions, exercise... etc, etc, etc.

 Keeping them all up in the air is a daunting task. It's a good day if I'm keeping 3 or 4 up at the same time. Most days, I'm prioritizing what needs to be done and what can wait. School can't wait, kids can't wait, hubby can't wait. No matter what, those are always my first priority.
 Sometimes, I purposely let some fall so I can pick up the neglected ones and keep those afloat for a little while. It's all about balance and finding the middle ground. Too many times I'm out of breath, arms flailing,  running like a crazy person all over the room. My constant battle is to learn what is important that day and go with it, despite the feelings of failure in other areas. The balloon might be small, wrinkly and dusty by the time I pick it up and toss it in the air again, but at least I know it won't be on the ground forever.

 Find what is important today and go with it. Sometimes there are days when I don't spend much time with the kids because I cannot stand my house looking like it does for one more minute. Other days, I'm the fun Mom and we go places and do kid stuff. I've always known that I couldn't do it all, but now I'm learning to be ok with it.

This weekend has been good. I'm preparing for family to visit, so I'm working on de-cluttering (we hated when my dad said that, and now look at me) each closet and room. This project has been going on for a few months, because, well, that's how long it takes with 3 kids who need attention every day. All 2,640 square feet of my house is never, ever clean at once. Maybe someday I'll get there, when my kids are grown and I have a lot more time, but I'll never stop trying! :)

For now, I have decided to prioritize and let some balloons touch the ground, for my own sanity. It feels good.

It's a Beautiful Thing

Garbage, that is. Sometimes. These 9 bags all came from my pantry--never used wedding presents, boxes and bags that weren't being used, medicine that expired and non-perishables that, for lack of a better word, perished.

 The spring cleaning is going amazing. I'm getting more done than I thought, and amazingly, I'm keeping up with the rest of the house as well. I'm happy, the kids are happy and of course my husband is happy. ;)

The best part is, because of the very limited internet use I've allowed myself this week, I'm able to spend a lot more time with my children. I'm taking on extra projects and enjoying my babies all at the same time. I'm one blessed Mama!

Nate's gone tonight, so my in-laws are taking me and the kids out for dinner to one of my favorite places--Jason's Deli. Hope you all enjoy your weekend. Happy Friday!

Spring Cleaning

It's almost March and that means spring cleaning time around here. Today I completed 3 out of 5 areas that I wanted to get done--and kept up with normal housework and tried a new recipe for dinner tonight! It feels so good to be accomplishing so much! 

 I'm doing this by taking an internet break for a while. I'll be on occasionally at night after things are calmed down (like now) and I'm too tired to do anything else, but for the most part I'll be hibernating from Facebook, photography forums, blogs and craigslist. Coincidently, my phone is broken right now, so I'm not doing much talking or texting. It's still usable but has to be sitting flat while being used--not exactly the best situation for a busy Mom. 

  I'm excited to get every nook and cranny of the 2600 square feet that is my "domain" de-cluttered and spotless! I'm also going to be working on decorating the upstairs of my house. I already sent in some pictures to get developed for Brookie's room after we organized her closet this morning. 

 I'll be back soon--probably with the new recipe I tried tonight. It was very simple, quick and easy to make, nutritious and the kids loved it! That's a keeper in my book. 

 And because every post is better with a picture...here's my little guy happily enjoying his Valentine's cookie the other day. :)

Pink Frosted Memories

There are a few things in my every day life that as a Mom I have to get done. For my own spiritual, emotional and physical well being (and sanity!), I must:

• Read my Bible
• Clean the House
• Work Out
• Sit down and spend time with my kids

Sadly, the last on the list often gets put exactly how it is above--last on the list. The kids play or watch me as I wash dishes, clear counter tops, vacuum and put toys away. Brookie watches a movie and Joey sleeps while I work out. Usually I read my Bible to/with them, but it doesn't always work out that they are both awake.

In other words, I do not spend enough time with my kids. It's hard to sit down and read to them or talk and laugh with them when there are dishes in the sink, but I am learning once again to make it priority!

The other day I decided that we would make frosted sugar cookies for Valentines Day together. It took several hours. Brookie helped me with every step, and Joey smiled at us from his exersaucer. It was a great day. My house was a disaster at the end of the day, but me and my kiddos were bonded and had such a fun time. So worth it!

Here are pictures of our day. Because it was so much more about baking cookies. It was about making memories!

What have you done to make a memory today?

Crisis at my House

***UPDATE!!!***
My hubby sprayed all of the doorways and entry points so that no more bugs can get in without suffering a horrible death. I KNEW he would come through for me!!! Now I just have to clean out my pantry! :)


Something is living in my pantry.
The other night I opened the door of the pantry and I see a HUGE cockroach crawling around on my syrup, trying to get in and savor the sweetness no doubt. I screamed, shuttered and closed the door. When I finally got up the courage to open the door again and kill the dreaded thing, he was gone.
Every time I open my pantry I am scared to see him again. Or his wife. Or their many, many offspring, relatives and friends that I am SURE are scurrying around in there somewhere.
I need to clean it out to get rid of any temptation that they may have to enter again, but I am SCARED TO DEATH!!!
So I'm hoping that my knight in shining armor will help me, or at least be nearby with a shoe when I clean it.
Pray for me--mainly that this crisis will soon pass and that God would give me the strength to do what I need to do. ;)

Spring Cleaning!

JulieMom is hosting this great clean home carnival. I will admit, I have never commented on her blog and she doesn't even know me. I sort of know her as she is a missionary. I pulled the link for her blog off of Vicki;s blog. Anyway, April 1st is known to all of us as April Fools, and instead, she is encouraging us to be WISE woman and do something profitable around our house! You can read all the details here! I've been cleaning and organizing so hopefully by April first I will have all that de-cluttering DONE! If you are a daughter and don't have your own house, you can always start in your room--c'mon, whens the last time you looked under your bed? Or under the clothes in your closet?--and even offer to help your Mom with other areas in the house, like a counter or shelf that ends up being a throw-all, a messy closet, desk, or even the fridge!!! :) Let's all be wise woman in these next few weeks and on April First! Who's with me?