Housecleaning Tips

Last year I was asked to speak at Mom's Time Out and I spoke on Proverbs 31 and managing a home.  I had an earlier post with ideas for getting meals and laundry organized.  Here are some of the house cleaning tips and ideas that I had gathered.

The biggest thing that's helped me to get cleaning organized is to list the chores that need done and split them up between the days of the week.  Dust on Mondays, mop on Tuesdays etc.  I use a printable cleaning list that I found here:  http://moneysavingmom.com/money-saving-mom-search-results?cx=007411191005105397513%3Aunk5vrqj0se&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=cleaning+lists

I love using this.  I find that I'm getting more done and feel less stress because I don't have things floating around in my head and weighing on me. 

Another thing that can help is to have your kids can do chores.  Sometimes it's more work to have little people help but there are things they should be able to do.  This list gives good ideas for age appropriate chores.  http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/chore_list.htm    My kids make their beds, set the table, unload the dishwasher, clean their rooms, and feed the dog.  You can make your kids a fun chore chart, give allowance or give some kind of positive reinforcement.  I use a chart with my kids that I made from excel.  When they get ten star stickers they get to pick something out of the prize box.   http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/  This site has lots of different charts you can make.

Put your printed chart into a clear sleeve to make it reusable you can use a dry erase marker on it to check off things that get done.  

Scheduling – I'm not organized enough to to this but I am sure those who are get more accomplished than I do.  To schedule, you plan out each hour of your day, start by keeping track for a few days and see where time wasters are.  Decide on anchors for the day and fill in from there.  Meal times, baby feedings, naps, bedtimes are examples of anchors -things that will stay the same every day.

Other ways to make the most of your time:

-     Power clean – set a timer for 3-5 min and clean like crazy in each room

-     Clean bathroom while kids are in the bathtub

-     Full in/full out - make the most of your trips through the house, grab things to put away as you go.  I always take out the trash around noon when our mail gets here.

-     Use shower time – use sponge with cleaner to wipe down shower before you clean yourself
-    Set goals for your day and make a list - sounds basic but sometimes we forget the basics.  If you make a list of what you want to get done you're more likely to do it.

-     Keep 1 room sacred – my kids are not allowed in my bedroom

-     Color code your kids – give that color dishes etc.

-     Go through house and purge – it’s easier to manage less stuff

-     Figure out how you work best - take the time to figure out your strengths/weaknesses.  I work best in the morning and middle of the night.  

-     Try to fully clean the kitchen right after dinner and start the dishwasher.  Then unload before bed and you get to start the day with a clean kitchen. 
-   If you're up in the night with kids find something you can do.  Mine are older now so if they are up at night they're usually getting a snack and don't need me holding them.  While they're eating I unload the dishwasher, change over a load of laundry, or sweep.

How to Fry an Egg on the Sidewalk

It is HOT here!  I think 109 today and 111 tomorrow.   I took the kids outside to fry eggs on the sidewalk.  Most people who are from here have probably already done this but I have not.  I looked online to see how to do it - just in case there was more to it than cracking the egg and waiting.  I found lots of videos and found this one helpful.

http://www.howcast.com/videos/17480-How-to-Fry-an-Egg-on-the-Sidewalk

I didn't know if we would need the tinfoil to help conduct heat.  It did help and also made it less messy.  I'm all for making things less messy.  This project kindof worked.  It was too hot outside to sit around with the magnifying glass and mirror so we just let them sit.  Of the three eggs we tried, the one that worked the best is the one that got a bit scrambled when cracked.  The yoke cooks faster than the white so that makes sense.

 I'm not sure why we brought along salt and pepper cuz I knew we wouldn't be eating these.  Kinda seems like you can't cook eggs without salt and pepper though...

It was too hot outside to sit here doing this.

 This scrambled up egg is cooking faster.  This is how it looks after over an hour of sitting there.

After 1.5 hours the yoke is starting to cook on this egg.  No action with the white yet though.

The yoke is starting to cook with the sidewalk egg too so I don't know that the tinfoil made much of a difference between these two eggs.

 After three hours I'm callin' it.  This was an interesting project.

Boundaries with Kids

Oh my word I'm so tired!  This has been such a busy week.  The things we're doing are fun and I'm glad we get to do them but I'll be glad for next week to get here.  The kids are getting tired.  Today my six year old had some drama and threw the mother of all fits.  I mean a HUGE fit in a public place.  That does not happen often for us.  I'm sure that every mom goes through it and I know that I did exactly what I needed me to do to handle it but it did make me think though.  It reminded me of how important it is to train my children and the younger they are the better.  When a one year old disobeys it's easy to pick them up and make them do what you want.  At a certain age though they get bigger and you cannot physically make them do anything.  I think it was a Dr. Dobson book where I read that the most important lesson a two year old should learn is that they need to obey.  And they need to obey the first time you tell them to do something.

I am wishy washy and busy and so I have a hard time staying on top things.  But because I'm busy and have four kids is all the more reason to make sure that I make them obey the first time. I do not have time to tell kids over and over to do something.  It is good for kids to understand the reason behind our instructions but first they need to obey.  There could be a serious situation where I need them to do what I say instantly or they'll get hurt and won't have time to explain myself.

This book  "Boundaries With Kids" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend is a good read.  It talks about the reasons kids need boundaries and how to implement them. It gets very specific too - naming specific behavior problems and what you can do about them. After the day I had today, I need to go back to see what they say about fit throwing and tantrums!

The authors say that the three roles of parents are to be a guardian, manager, and source. The actress Judy Garland was a twit.  Her manager fluffed her along and gave her a good nudge to get out there and she did great.  But she needed her manager.  Someone who could encourage her, tell her to knock it off and just get out there already!  My oldest needs a manager.  She's a twit and full of drama but is completely fine once she gets there.  Knowing her well enough to know that about her is my job.  I need to remain calm and not let the drama bother me.  It's not about me and she needs to know her mom is tough enough to handle her.  It makes kids insecure when they think (or know) that they are tougher than their parents.

Tonight I'm going to bed at peace knowing that I handled today the way I needed to.  I am feeling an extra sense of urgency to get my crunk together with the rest of these monsters though.  Think I'd better reread this book!

Sticker ideas

My 3 year old loves stickers but he can't ever get them off.  I like using stickers for keeping kids busy so if I have to stand there and take every sticker off so he can put it someplace then that kindof defeats the purpose.  I can't remember where I saw this idea but it works really well.

 Peel off all of the extras from the sticker sheet leaving only the stickers behind.  Then those little fingers can get the stickers off by themselves.

I had to sacrifice a monkey for this one but I think it's a great idea.  Cut a sticker in half and place in shoes so that your toddler can remember which shoe goes on which foot.

It's not about me

If you run into someone at the store, at church, or while picking up your kids and they are short/snippy with you, what's the first thing that goes through your mind?  I usually think "what did I do??" and then rack my brain thinking of the times I've spent with that person and what I could have possible done or said to upset them.  Or I might get defensive and then go about my day being frustrated that that person has blighted my lovely mood with their crabby's.  Chances are both responses are wrong.  Most likely it was not about me to begin with.  Who knows what is going on with that person but to jump to the assumption that their bad mood is all about me is showing a selfish heart.  When we think that everything is "all about me" we are being ineffective for God.  We instead need to focus on what is true.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

If we know for a fact that we have offended someone or sinned against them then we need to go to them, ask forgiveness and seek restoration.  Matthew 18:15-20 shows how we are to handle conflict with other believers.  If we do not know anything for a fact, then we are not thinking on what is true.  We are wasting precious energy and head space and being selfish.  Instead of making assumptions, we should just ask the person "Did I upset you in some way?".  Most likely we haven't and they can then tell us what is wrong.  And depending on what is wrong we can help them if by no other way than to pray for them.

Self-focus is time consuming and takes energy.  Instead we should direct our energies to thinking of others.  Thinking like a servant.  Worrying also takes energy.  There is a freedom and sense of peace that comes when  we quit worrying and quit thinking of ourselves.  It is freeing to not worry about others moods and assume that they have to do with us.  In the book Loving God with All Your Mind author Elizabeth George says this  "I have stopped wondering what others might be thinking or what I might have done wrong.  My guesses are just that.  They're guesses rather than fact, reality or truth....As I stopped analyzing my every move and second guessing other people's ideas about me, I experienced more peace and greater openness in my relationships."  Elizabeth George is talking about friend relationships here but this can also apply to our relationship with our kids.  Not everything they do is about us.  I forget this often and assume that if they're acting badly, it's about me.  Or if they're acting good, it's about me.  Sometimes it might be but I need to remember to not take too much credit either way because it's not always about me.

I like these verses and thinking they are fairly fitting.

Romans 12:3
 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves

This book is on my "to read" list.  Have you read it?  It looks good and seems to go along with this post and I wish I had already read it.  This is the book description:

What are the marks of a supernaturally changed heart? This is one of the questions the Apostle Paul addresses as he writes to the church in Corinth. He s not after some superficial outward tinkering, but instead a deep rooted, life altering change that takes place on the inside. In an age where pleasing people, puffing up your ego and building your résumé are seen as the methods to make it , the Apostle Paul calls us to find true rest in blessed self forgetfulness. In this short and punchy book, best selling author Timothy Keller, shows that gospel humility means we can stop connecting every experience, every conversation with ourselves and can thus be free from self condemnation. A truly gospel humble person is not a self hating person or a self loving person, but a self forgetful person. This freedom can be yours...

As I go through this week my prayer is that I remember it's not about me.  I'm praying that I remember to put others first and take every thought captive so I can be useful to Him.

Setting goals as a mom

One thing that successful people have in common is that they set goals.  They set goals, reevaluate those goals, make changes, set new goals, and so on.  Have you spent much time thinking about what your goals as a mom are?  And what your goals for your children are?  Is it to have fun?  To help them  get an education and career?  To see them happily married?  That they would grow to know Christ?  Anything we do that's in line with God's plan is going to have a greater chance of success.  What do you think God wants for your children?  I think first and foremost would be that our children would know and love Him.  That they would know and love God's word and that they would live with a Kingdom focus.  Anything that they do without those things is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 2:11
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.

It's easy to lose focus and forget what's important.  To get sidetracked by behavior and success.   Why does it matter that our kids are obedient?  Is it because we want to look good or because we want what's best for them?   Is it really important that your child be college educated if they do not know and love God?  What's the point?  This post by Lysa Terkeurst was a good reminder of what's important.  She says that our goal should not be to raise good kids but to raise God-following adults.  http://www.mops.org/page.php?pageid=3325

If that's our goal then how to we go about it?  I think first is to think about what is going into their little minds.  What are they watching or reading?  Not everything has to be about God but if I can choose bible songs, bible shows, and bible books I want to.  Especially at this phase of life.  These kids are so precious and I can see already how fast the time is going.  Right now they love hearing about God and going to Sunday school but that won't always be the case.  Some day I will probably have to drag sullen kids to church.  But right now I don't.  They are excited to get to go and this is the time when it's important to fan that flame.  

What else can we do to help them grown into God-following adults?  Surround them with Godly people.  Take them to Sunday School, and things like VBS, and Awana.  Pray that God brings Godly people into their lives and steer them away from friendships that will not be good for them.  And be an example.  I can do all those things but if I'm living like a heathen none of it will be as effective.  My kids need to see me reading my bible and praying.  They need to see me going to church and Bible studies.  And they need to see me serving others.  

I don't know that my children will grow up to be God following adults.  They were created with their own free will and they will make their own choices in life no matter what I do.  But I am going to do everything possible to lead them in the right direction and to help them make the right choices.  And then I'm gonna pray!  As moms we are held responsible for how we raise our children and it's our job, not anyone else's, to teach them about Jesus.  

Proverbs 22:6

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it

I want this next verse to apply to me.  I want to raise my kids to follow God and raise their families to follow God.  I want my family tree to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.

Proverbs 17:6

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

Moving to CA

I am from Montana but have lived in California for almost 14 years.  I think I'm used to life here now but it's taken a while and it was a big adjustment at first.  Everything is different here.  The weather, food, landscape, pace of life, and how people think about just about everything.  Even the bugs are different!  All of my family is in Montana.  I'm very lucky and get to see them pretty often, but the more kids I've had the harder it is to travel.  I have missed getting to see my nieces and nephews grow up.  I've missed weddings, graduations, and funerals.  I've been back to Montana for one Christmas and one Thanksgiving.  I think I spent our first year of marriage crying.  Every holiday away was so hard.  Now it's not the big holidays that I'm the most homesick, but the every day things.  I miss the smaller holidays like Mother's and Father's Day.  I miss getting to see my family on birthdays and I miss that I can't ever just have them over for dinner.

When I moved here, it was surprising how few people had empathy for what I was going through.  God was faithful though and sent a several people into my life who understood and prayed me through those early years.  At times the encouragement He sent came from unexpected places.  Once I was at a women's retreat and a women told me that someday my grandchildren would talk about how brave I was.  Brave to have left my family and started a new life in a place so far away.  I didn't feel brave at the time.  I felt sad, lonely, and homesick.  But the encouragement was timely and gave me the boost I needed to get through a rough time.

I don't know what exactly God wanted me to learn from those early years of homesickness but I know this.  God is sovereign.  I was following what God had for me and God had a plan for me here.  I love living here now and am thankful that is is such a good place to raise kids.  I love the mild weather and being near the beach and the mountains.  I love being surrounded by farms and wonderful produce.  I love that we can homeschool and have lots of other friends that homeschool too.  God is also faithful and has given me family in Christ when my earthly family couldn't be near.

Psalm 18:6
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

I'm thankful for the people that God has brought into my life here.  They have helped me through finishing college, my time as an accountant, having four babies (one being very high risk), moving three times and working at raising my kids to know God.  I'm looking forward to seeing what else He has for me here.

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Fruits of the Spirit - Peace and Patience

I recently read this book by Elizabeth George and liked it.  It's about growing in the fruit of the spirit and I loved the descriptions and applications she used.


Galatians 5:22-23 
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  

When she talked about these fruits she split them up into attitudes (love, joy, and peace), actions (patience, kindness, and goodness) and applications (faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).  But first what does it mean to walk in the spirit?  On p.14 she says "In simple terms, walking by the Spirit means living each moment in submission to God.  Walking by the Spirit means seeking to please Him with the thoughts we choose to think, the words we choose to say, and the actions we choose to take.  And walking by the Spirit means letting Him guide us each step of the way.  It's letting Him work within us so that we can bring glory to God."   We can't do this without spending time in God's word and spending time in prayer.

I most enjoyed reading about peace and patience.  There are other facets of peace but when I think of it I think of being without conflict or strife.   Accepting God's sovereignty is one way that I have felt peace.  God is completely in control and anything that happens has been allowed by Him.  We can be crabby, annoyed, and frustrated by things in life or we can remember that God is in control and allowed it.  A hypothetical situation that comes to mind is if you try a new church and have a bad experience.  Maybe the the people aren't welcoming or you feel a bit ignored.  So you go on to a different church - it's wonderful and becomes your church home.  If God intended for that to be your home church and your spiritual growth flourishes there, don't you think that maybe He allowed for the bad experience at the first church because that's not where He wanted you to be?  If that's the case, there is no reason then to complain about that church and harbor bad feelings about it.  God meant it for good.  Move on!  And I bet you'll have a peace that you wouldn't have had otherwise.

The description Elizabeth George uses for patience is doing nothing.  The phlegmatic in me loved this because I can totally do that!  She says if you want to walk in patience when you've been hurt, wronged, or ill treated, do nothing!  Instead of reacting and doing something outwardly negative and harmful and sinful, inwardly resist in patience.  Doing nothing gives you and me time (even a second) to do something - to pray, to reflect, and to plan to respond in a righteous manner.  Oh how many times I wish I would have had the wisdom to have done (or said) nothing.  It's so much easier to react.  Especially with children!

Peace and patience are fruits (results) of the spirit but are also things God tells us to do.  We can't have peace or patience unless we work at it.  

Colossians 3:12
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience

Psalm 34:14
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Playing Favorites

I love sibling relationships - in shows, books, real life... whatever.  I think it would be so interesting to do a study on siblings in the Bible.  My husband and I wanted a large family with kids close in age so they could have siblings for playmates.  Neither of us had that but we grew up with parents who came from large families.  We both had lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.  I only had one brother but he was a good one.  He was the one who taught me how to turn on the shower, tell time, and tie my shoes.  Then when I was older he taught me to change a tire, shoot a gun, and drive.  He left home when I was in the fifth grade so most of my memories of him were from early childhood and then later in life.  He went to college and then into the Coast Guard.  Anytime he was home he made time for me and spent time teaching me.  He did the normal amount of pesky brother things and wasn't always the best role model, but overall he did a great job and my life has been much better because of the impact he's had.

Our oldest is a very good oldest child.  Sometimes it seems like a "baby" of the family accidentally got stuck there but in our case she's a pretty classic oldest child.  Both of our two older girls forget to be good big sisters to their little brother sometimes though.  At times like these I remind them that God chose them to be his big sister and it's their job to treat him well and take care of him.  Being a big sister is a very important job.  The best big sister I can think of from the Bible was Miriam - Moses older sister.  When Moses was put in a basket she watched at a distance to see what would happen.  Pharaoh's daughter found him and took pity on him and Miriam offered to go find a Hebrew nurse - their mom.  What a special way God used Moses sister in his life.  If you have more than one child, God not only chose you to be their mom but chose the children He wanted as siblings.  It's not all about you.  There is no reason your children can't be close, even if they are years apart in age.  It's your responsibility to see that they treat each other well.  And it's your responsibility to treat them fairly.

Life isn't fair.  You know that and your kids will learn that.  Not everything has to always be equal for your children.  But you do need to treat them fairly and do for one what you would do for the other.  How can you expect your children to be friends if you pay for things for one child that you do not pay for with the other?  Or spend time doing things with one child that you expect the other to do on their own?  There are lots of examples of children in the Bible who's parents played favorites and those stories show how it affects the relationships of the children.  Genesis 37:4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.  Joseph's brothers hated him so much that they sold him into slavery!  Now we know that God used that for good but the brothers were still held accountable for their sin.  I do not ever want to cause my children to sin because of how I treat them.  

I think it's natural to identify with one child over others.  Sometimes you will click with one child more or just have more in common with them and that's ok.  Being a mom is a hard job and one of those hard things is working at knowing and loving your children equally.  God tells us not to exasperate our children and another way we can do that is by asking our children to do our jobs.  Parents sometimes ruin the relationships their kids could have with each other by having one child be the parent.  If you allow one child to act like your partner in parenting how can they go on to have a normal sibling relationship with their siblings?  

One of my goals as a mom is to see that my children grow up to be good friends.  The health of our family tree depends on it and generations of people will be affected.  Have you spent much time thinking this far ahead?  Your children will have children and they will be cousins.  Do you have special memories with your cousins?  I do!  Your children will be aunts and uncles that have a big impact on their nieces and nephews.  Do you have aunts and uncles that impacted your life?  I do!  It all starts with my kids relationships to each other though.  Oh Lord I need your help with this!

Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

The Stuck Kitten

Our family recently acquired this.  Or we're
at least trying it out for a week.

We weren't looking for a kitten, I've got enough to do.  But a friend needed to find her a home quick.

She is very cute and the kids love her.  The problem is she keeps climbing up on top of our RV and getting stuck.  She has spent more time up there than on the ground.  Every evening after work, my husband goes out to get her down.  The sweet man is out there in his work clothes climbing on top of things and rescuing this kitten.  Again.

It struck me yesterday how much this is like our Heavenly Father.  No matter how many times we get stuck, He comes to rescue us again.

Luke 15:3-7
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Girls can lift weights too

My mom always said to not be the enemy of your spouses dreams.  Meaning, if you marry someone who you know loves cats and has always dreamed of having a pet cat, don't be surprised or act like a jerk if someday your spouse wants to get a cat.  Now she maybe should have qualified her statement because I ended up marrying someone who has LOTS of dreams.  We have a kitchen full of gadgets, bookshelves packed with books and a garage full of other "dreams".  It's hard to keep up with all these dreams and to be honest, one of needs to stay grounded in reality.  But being married to a dreamer is also pretty great.  Because of my hubby's many interests and hobbies I now know what a chocolate genoise cake is.  I know the basics of smoking meat, making a cutting board, and drip line irrigation.  I've gone camping, done P90x, listened to John MacArthur, and have my own boxing gloves.  I'm so thankful my husband has tons of interests!  He can be hard to keep up with but I'd be living a narrow little life if it weren't for him.

His more recent interests have been about health and fitness and  I'm so thankful that he's taking care of his body  Part of his reason for this phase is that he wants to be around for his children and I.  He's putting us first and I love that! My husband had read several books by Lou Schuler and told me about all the wonders of weight lifting.


He went to great lengths to peak my interest and even bought the book Lou wrote for women, read it himself and then just told me different parts of it.  I finally gave in and started joining my husband for these weight lifting workouts.  We've exercised together before and I loved it, I just wasn't interested in lifting weights.  But now, after doing it for six months and using the work out plans in this book I love it.  I've read the book and would recommend it!
It's called "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler. It's funny, well written, and very informative.  Pardon the very long quote, but here is an intro to the book:

     The First thing you'll notice about this book is that it's a diet and workout guide for women, written by someone who isn't a woman.  In my career as a nonwoman, I've written at least four books for men.  I've been fitness editor at Men's Fitness magazine and fitness director at Men's Health, and when I wasn't writing for either of those magazines I did some articles for Men's Journal. I used to write a weblog called Male Pattern Fitness, on which I wrote primarily about the health and fitness issues affecting men. 
     And yet every time I explain the premise of this book to a woman, the reaction is something like this "Oh, hell yeah!" or "How long do I have to wait?"  Those responses have nothing to do with my charm or good looks - I can produce sworn statements attesting to my deficiencies in both areas - and everything to do with the quality of information about strength training specifically targeted to women.
     At a certain point, just about every woman who's ever picked up a dumbbell or walked into gym reaches the same conclusion; "I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and it isn't working."  The reason: What you've been told to do isn't what you're supposed to do.  In the quarter century since the idea that women could benefit from strength training kicked in, a powerfully counterproductive notion rose in tandem.  That's the idea that women should use exercises and techniques different from those used by men.

I can't say enough good things about this book.  It goes on to talk about all the different myths of weight-lifting and the truths we need to embrace if we actually want to see change in our bodies.

Here is a link to a list of some of the benefits of weight lifting.  http://weighttraining.about.com/od/benefitsofweighttraining/a/benefits.htm  I think the very best one is that it increases bone density and strength.  Can you believe it - it increases your bone density!!  It's also good for weight management, improving strength and balance, boosts immunity, improves sleep and increases self confidence.  Women obsess about weight loss and here's another article that addresses that part of weight lifting:  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-fitness-jewel-why-havent-i-lost-weight.html

I couldn't find her exact quote but once author Lysa TerKeurst said that it was a blessing that she wasn't born thin and perfect looking.  If she had been, she wouldn't be motivated to exercise, drink lots of water, and work at being healthy.  This was a nice way to look at things on a morning when I really felt like eating cookies for breakfast.  These verses are also good reminders.  This passage is talking about sexual immorality but I think could be applied to also taking care of ourselves with a healthy lifestyle.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

And here's another good one.  What is your goal for working out?  If it is purely for earlthy selfish reasons of having a hot bod, then maybe you should rethink some things...

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Managing the Home - getting started and menu planning

The other day I was out running errands and got a glimpse of myself in the rear view mirror.  I was HORRIFIED at my eyebrows.  They were out of control!!  I had no idea when I'd plucked them last and it showed!  When I got home I told my husband that he needed to tell me when that happened and he was so confused.  Like "you do something with your eyebrows?"   :)   It's easy to be so busy taking care of our family that we forget to do things like that for ourselves.  Maybe for you it's not your eyebrows but painting your toes or something as basic and being able to eat!  Finding the balance of taking care of our families and finding time for ourselves can be hard.  I read somewhere that when taking care of our families we should focus on the people first and then the building.   I liked that because sometimes it's hard to know where to start.  The main physical needs our people have are food and clothing.  Getting those two areas organized will help our homes to run more smoothly and give us more time for ourselves (hopefully).

When I had my first baby I was OVERWHELMED by the job of taking care of this fussy kid on top of a husband.  My wise mama told me to start by making a menu.  If I had my meals figured out for the week that would take some of the stress off.  And it did!  Menu planning can help save time and money.  Most people find that the fewer trips to the store they make, the less money they spend.  And with four kids now it's a lot of work to run to the store if I've forgotten something. I started menu planning by making a list of the meals my family would eat.  Then I print out blank calendars for each month and fill in with meals.  http://www.printfree.com/Calendars.htm  One way to simplify it is to have similar meals on each day of the week.  Chicken on Mondays, hamburger on Tuesdays, something easy on Fridays etc.  I don't follow my menu exactly but if I make my grocery list based on what I need for the recipes then I at least know I have those ingredients in the house.

Another way to make meals for your family is to do batch cooking or make freezer meals.  I haven't done this in a while but should because it's so nice on busy days to have something in the freezer to pull out for dinner.  Something that's healthier than frozen pizza.  Batch cooking means you make a bunch of things at once - for me it means I double a recipe and freeze half.  You can search online for recipes that freeze well - I have found most of mine on http://www.food.com/  and searched for OAMC (once a month cooking).  These are some of the recipes I have tried and liked:

http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-chicken-oamc-79944
http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-packets-oamc-50767
http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-stuffed-shells-oamc-57772
http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-salsa-dump-chicken-oamc-107570
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-black-bean-salsa-chicken-oamc-103572
http://www.food.com/recipe/oamc-chicken-divan-352419
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-teriyaki-chicken-oamc-252650
http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-chicken-oamc-429659

Here are some other ideas for making the "meals" part of life easier.  The first is to clean as you cook.  This makes after dinner clean up easier.  Sounds basic but it's easy to forget the basics sometimes.  Next, do your food prep things like grating cheese in the morning or when baby is napping.  I think that one of the hardest things about having babies is getting dinner cooked.  For some reason it seems to be their fussiest time of day so if I could get as much done beforehand as possible, it made the last half of the day easier.  I cook dinner in the morning when I can too (if it's a meal that can be reheated).  That is the time of day I would prefer to be in the kitchen and the kids are less fussy then.  When you have young children it's a treat to get to clean dinner up right after dinner.  Usually I've had to leave it till after they are in bed because we had to go from dinner to bath time in order to get them in bed on time.  Now that my kids are a little older I work at getting dinner cleaned up right after we eat and that is when the kids go outside to play.  If I start the dishwasher then, I can unload it before bed making the next morning that much easier.

I have friends that use http://emeals.com/ and find it helpful.  For a small fee you can select the type of recipes you'd like (gluten free, clean eating, regular) and they'll send you the menus and grocery lists.  I mentioned Food.com for freezer meals and also like http://allrecipes.com/ to find recipes.  You can search by ingredient, check ratings, and read reviews.

So - that's the food part of my post.  Now to laundry.  How do you organize your laundry?  I do laundry by room because less sorting makes it easier for me to put away.  My two oldest kids share a room so that's one or two loads a week.  The other two kids also share a laundry basket, then there is towels, bedding, husbands work clothes (and anything that needs ironed), our regular clothes, and our whites.  I used to do all laundry on one day of the week.  I didn't do other chores that day - just laundry.  We have too much with a family of six,  so now I do some every day.  I use a weekly cleaning list to organize my household chores   Each day of the week has different chores and certain loads of laundry on it.  http://moneysavingmom.com/downloads/household-management-forms  If you do and put away just one load a day, the laundry might not be so overwhelming.  And if you're not good about ironing, get rid of the clothes that really need it.  The middle of the night can be a good time to start a load/put a load in the dryer, if you're getting up with kids.

I am always interested in how people organize their days, their chores, and the work of running a home.  I have more info for getting the house clean but for today hope you can find something useful!

Pet Peeves

Years ago I remember sitting down and making a list of my pet peeves.  I don't know why I did this.  I think that I said "Oh that's my biggest pet peeve!" about something but then got to wondering if it really was and what were my others.  So I went around for a week thinking "Oh that bugs me"  and "that bugs me too!" and jotting them all down.  And pretty soon all I had on my mind were complaints. This verse came to mind and brought me to my senses.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

These are the kinds of things we are to be thinking about.  If I have a pet peeve on my mind, it might be true but isn't noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy - so why am I wasting precious head space thinking about it?  To think of this verse another way, God tells us not to think about things that aren't true, aren't pure, aren't lovely... This isn't a suggestion it's a command and to not follow God's commands is to sin.  

I really enjoyed this book by Elizabeth George.  She talks about how to take every thought captive, win over worry, live one day at a time, and put the past in the past.  Here is a quote from the book that I really liked.  I'm sorry it's so long.  
         A healthy thought life - a thought life that is pleasing to God - comes out of a close relationship with Him.  ....  Through His Word, God calls us to use our mind to think about what is true and real.  Once we determine what is true and real, we can then function according to these facts instead of our feelings or fantasies.  When we aren't functioning according to what is real, it is much like trying to function when you have the fever or the flu.  You know how limited you are when you're not healthy.  Even though you continue to fulfill your responsibilities  something is missing.  The demands of each task and your body's ability to respond are out of sync   You may do your work, but thee is little, if any, enthusiasm.  Many times tasks are half done or done poorly.  Poor physical healthy means less energy and lesser performance.  The same thing happens in the spiritual realm.  Like a virus, our thoughts have the ability to drain our energy and cripple our usefulness.  Our thoughts can, however, also be a source of strength when we dwell on the powerful truths of Scripture and let God work through those truths to change our way of thinking.

If we focus our thoughts on the things that bug us or ways we've been hurt, we will not only be unhappy but it will cripple our usefulness.  I want to be be useful to God. I want to have a sweet disposition and for people to love being near me because I'm pleasant to be around.  Have you ever tasted an old green olive?  It's nasty because it's been sitting in it's own juice for too long.  (Maybe it was nasty to begin with depending on whether or not you like green olives but you get the point)  How many people do you know that are like that?  Who are crabby and bitter because they've been sitting in their own juice for too long?  Complaining and focusing on our frustrations will drain us of energy, cripple our usefulness and cause others to sin.  Oh Lord may I never do that!  May I take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5) and 

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.  

Alone time

I remember the very first time I felt baby flutters.  I was pregnant with our oldest and I was laying in bed.  When I felt it, I thought "I'm not alone!"  Having young children makes you so appreciative of time you get to spend alone.  It's hard to fine that time when you have little people constantly needing you.  Everyone needs alone time though - even Jesus sought time away.

I used to think I was a morning person.  It was a surprise to realize that I'm actually really crabby when I first wake up.  Don't you love it when you suddenly realize something about yourself?  My children have always been early risers and I hated that the first thing they heard was a "WHY are you awake!" from their crabby mama.  Now I they are not allowed to come out of their rooms until 6:30am but they are usually awake before that.  In order to not be crabby with them,  I've discovered I need to be awake at least thirty minutes before they are (two cups of coffee also really helps.) So that makes 6am.  If I want to have a morning quiet time, that makes 5:30am.  And if I want to exercise too that makes 5am.  So.  5am is early.  And it takes some adjusting.  If I want to wake up that early I need to go to bed before 11pm (my favorite time to go to bed).  I don't keep this schedule every day, but on the days that I do our house runs so much smoother.

Now one of my favorite times of day is 5am.  It's the one time of day that I have to myself without someone needing something from me.    When could you carve out a little time for yourself?  Nap time?  After the kids are in bed for the night?  You don't have to wake up early to do it, that's just what works for me.  It's helpful to think through what you want out of your day and plan around it.  Even Jesus sought time for himself!

Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Luke 5:26
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Help your children too!

I have learned a few things from being a mom.  If you let a kid play in the sink you have 7.2 minutes before they get carried away and there's water everywhere.  I now know that ibuprofen lasts six hours and Tylenol four hours, so if there's a fever at night use the former.  I know that one symptom of an ear infection is eye goop, Caillou is the most annoying show ever, and in our town girls may play tee-ball but do not play in Rookies.  The average child weighs 20 pounds at 1 year and kids start losing their teeth around 5.  The cream for athletes foot called Clotrimazole works great for diaper rash, a child will not grow up with mental problems if you don't breast feed, their brains will not turn to mush if they watch TV, and if your child misbehaves it's not necessarily because you are screwing them up.

They say that no one knows a child better than their mother.  That's bunk because I've seen lots of oblivious mothers.  But a a mother Should know her child well.  Getting to know your child is something you have to work at and trust God about.  When I had my first child I read to her lots.  I mean LOTS.  She was very verbal and talked early and I thought it was because of me.  Then I had my second child and read to her lots too.  She was not as verbal.  It was a good thing to realize that my first child did not have certain gifts because of me.  She had them because God created her that way.  It's my job as a mom to recognize my kids gifts and encourage (push?) them in that direction.  My mom was wonderful at this.  If she thought I might be good at drawing, she bought me drawing books.  If I showed interest in horses I got riding lessons which she figured out how to pay for in a creative way.  What is your child good at or what are they interested in?  How can you help them?

This is a good book.  It talks about the different types of temperaments and helps understand your child's personality type.

This is another good book that talks about the different ways kids give/receive love.





If we continually treat our kids like someone they are not, we cause stress.  The Bible tells us not to do that.

Ephesians 6:4  Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Work at getting to know your kids.  In the process you will probably get to know yourself a little better too and we always have room for improvement.  Our children are precious to God and He has a plan for each of them.  Pray for them!  You are going to mess up but God is good and can redeem anything.   This is another good book and is about the different ways we can pray for our kids.

God chose you to be their mother and that's a big job.  Help them to be who God would have them to be and when you  are old may Proverbs 31:28 be fitting:

Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her: