An Organized Home: Creating a Chore Schedule

When my home is clean and decluttered it gives me a deep sense of peace and certainly more energy.  I feel like the day holds more options and potential when I wake up to a clean home with everything in its place.  Unfortunately this does not happen often enough!  I have found that between caring for a toddler and trying to feed our family three wholesome meals each day, keeping up with the laundry and dishes are sometimes all more than I can manage.  I knew I had to find a way to schedule all the chores that I want to have done into my week, especially before welcoming a new little one into our family in November.  I came up with a list of all the things that I want to do each week and then a smaller list of all the things that should be done monthly.  I then ordered the weekly chores into a Monday through Saturday list, assigning smaller tasks to days that are more hectic than others. 

Here is what it looks like:

• Monday:
• Vacuum
• Clean out refrigerator (our CSA pickup is Monday afternoon)
• Tuesday:
• Meal Plan for the week
• Clean mirrors, sinks, tubs and toilets
• Empty trash
• Wednesday:
• Water plants
• Thursday:
• Dust and clean surfaces
• Dry Mop floors
• Friday:
• Pay bills and update budget
• Saturday:
• Change all linens
• Catch up on laundry

For my monthly list I have included:

• Mop floors
• Wipe down entire kitchen
• Dust blinds
• Dust light fixtures
• Vacuum upholstery

I have been using this plan for a few weeks now and love it!  Even when I miss a day I am still getting so much more done than I used to.  I no longer feel overwhelmed not knowing where to begin and I no longer feel guilty that my house is dirty!  Even my husband has let me know how much he appreciates the extra effort I have been putting in lately.  Housework is never fun, but by breaking it down into manageable daily tasks it is so much easier!

Make at Home: Simple Display Solution for Children's Art

Arts and crafts are such a fun part of childhood but can be a challenge to display.  My daughter LOVES for her art work to be appreciated and cherished!  I will never forget the time I was decluttering our (cluttery) art display during nap time and forgot to cover the evidence before Audrey woke up.  She saw her prized creation in the trash and I wanted to sink into the floor.  I felt like the worst mom ever!  I just had to weed out some of the art to make room to display new pieces.  I had no idea it was such a special piece and we immediately made a new one.  Thank God I had the supplies we needed!  I learned how special her art is to her and will never make that mistake again!  I have been trying to find a way to show off more of her art in a way that is playful and fun just like the art itself.  I didn't want to spend a lot or be stuck with something unattractive so I decided to just stick push pins in the wall and string ribbon between them.  Art can be clipped to the ribbon with clothes pins and they can be easily changed out as new pieces are created.  I am also planning on buying a large acid free box to store the pieces that I take down (most of them anyway).  The art adds a fun, child friendly feel to her play room and makes her feel so special!

Putting God First in Our Traditions

The holidays are behind us now and unfortunately that is a relief to many of us.  The stress and hassles that come with Christmas are really a shame.  One major source of stress is deciding on, buying and wrapping gifts, not to mention mailing or delivering them to each person on your list and trying not to leave anyone out.  In years past I have felt the joy of Christmas diminished because of the pressure to find something thoughtful for each person on my list without going way over budget. 

Well, two years ago my husband and I tried something radically different!  We decided that since it was Jesus' birthday we should give Him something He would like!  So we decided to take the money we had saved throughout the year to buy Christmas gifts with and instead give it to a ministry who would use it to help the poor and show them Jesus.  We believe it is God's heart to love and care for those in need and most importantly introduce them to Jesus.  So we wrote a letter to all of our friends and family letting them know what we were doing.  We asked that they partner with us and send any money they would have used to purchase gifts for us to the ministry we choose or one of their choosing.  That year we selected a ministry that was drilling wells in Africa and this past year we selected Iris Ministries who also ministers in Africa to orphans.  It was so very rewarding to send a check to these ministries who are saving lives and saving souls.  We so appreciated everyone who partnered with us. 

On a much less eternal note, it really made my Christmas less stressful.  Although I did not miss receiving gifts at all, I did miss the fun of giving (at least giving to the people who are easy to buy for like my mom, sister, girl friends, etc!).  We did not go over budget and were able to spend more time together, less at the mall or in traffic.  I don't think we will do this every year but once in a while it is a great way to honor God and have less on your to do list!  How do you keep God first in your celebrations?  I would love to hear your ideas!