Thursday, February 9, 2012

Being A Homemaker

Lately I have felt like I'm not living up to the standard of a true "Homemaker." Although I am only home part-time and I work two other jobs, my role as a wife and mother is to manage our home life. I also feel that if I am asking God to allow me to stay home full time, I need to show him that I am capable of keeping up with the important tasks of managing our home.

First of all, I have been convicted to pray for our family more and really spend time in the Word daily. I have noticed that when I wake up and spend time reading my Bible that my days go smoother, I am more calm, more thankful, and I get so much more accomplished both in my work around the house and my jobs. I am also more patient with Bubby and actually enjoy spending time with him! Other days, I find myself depressed, not motivated, and quite frankly no fun to be around. I hope to grow more in my faithfulness and trust for God by trying to be obedient to him daily.

Next, I have come up with a schedule to help me stay on top necessary tasks to keep up with our home. Here is what I have made:

Daily Tasks:
-Washing all dishes
-Washing and folding at least 1 load of laundry if there is a load to do
-Making the bed
-Picking up toys and clutter before bed
-Sorting mail and paying any bills
-Taking out any full trash
-Walking the dog

All of these are quite necessary because if they don't get done the first day, then they pile up for the second day and if the hamster wheel keeps rolling then I find myself spending an entire day doing dishes, folding laundry, sorting mail, getting behind on bills, and the house is a complete wreck. I no longer want to spend entire days doing these tasks, so if I have them written down then I can help maintain our home.

I also have a weekly house cleaning schedule:
-Mondays-Wash windows/mirrors, clean end tables in the living room and electronics (TV's/Computers)
-Tuesdays-Clean Kitchen, clean out refrigerator
-Wednesdays-Dusting
-Thursdays-Vacuuming and mopping floors
-Friday-Clean Bathroom
-Saturday-Launder cleaning cloths
-Sunday-Launder Bubby's clothes

I have a specific day for Bubby's laundry because it usually takes a full week to fill his hamper and that way I always know when to do his laundry. I feel really good about this! Since I clean houses 2-3 days a week the last thing I want is to come home and have to spend all of my free time cleaning MY house. I left the easier tasks for M-W because those are the days I usually clean other homes, which will make it easier for me to stay on top of my own cleaning time.

Lastly, I want to try and do more things with Bubby. I want to sit and read with him, build towers, chase him around, tickle him, and take him out to do fun things. I've made the choice to put my laptop in my bedroom and only use it during nap times. That way I am actually out spending time with him instead of being on my computer. I also try to only watch TV during his nap times, unless we are watching a show together. This is a challenge for me but definitely necessary.

What do you do to stay on top of your home?

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Sleep

I'm rather shocked lately with how well Bubby has been sleeping. Do you recall the days when I posted about all of the problems I was having with Bubby and trying to get him to sleep??? Well here I am feeling guilty that I have nothing to do because he's sleeping all the time!

Sleeping through that night has been quite a blessing lately. Bubby lays down for bed around 7 and puts himself to sleep VERY well and sleeps around 11-12 hours a night. He still uses his binky, stuffed puppy, and a little music box attached to his crib, but HEY if he's sleeping well I DO NOT want to try and change things, at least not yet. We did set up his toddler bed, which by the way he did sleep one full night in (and didn't fall out! I have pictures to come of all of the pillows and comforters I lined around his bed). But after that one night I could never get him to lay still in his bed. All he wanted to do was jump around. So, back into the crib he went and he's likely to stay there until he's at least 18 months. I have hopes of breaking the binky before we move him to his toddler bed, but I'm not guaranteeing anything!

Naptime on the other hand is another story. Not that he's sleeping poorly, but that he's sleeping a lot! I thought by now at 15 1/2 months he would be down to one nap per day. But nope, he's still taking a 2 hour morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap. Sometimes they are shorter, but usually his morning nap is just as long or longer than his afternoon one. It's really odd. I don't know if I should try to push him to just 1 nap or just let him keep doing this double nap deal. As long as he naps, it's fine with me! Another nice thing about nap time lately is that even if Bubby doesn't fall asleep right away, he's been really quiet in his crib. He just rolls around, babbles on to his puppy, or listens to his music. It's awesome! I will admit there are some days where he throws everything out and then screams for me to come get them. And there are days where he rolls around in his crib for an hour and half and doesn't fall asleep. But the majority of the time, he is a GREAT sleeper! I feel so blessed!

The funny thing is that during his nap times I find myself running out of things to do! I will get everything done on my list and then...I actually have time to relax, or read, or watch a movie or catch up on a show. It's NICE! Although, I was hoping to start doing some morning activities with Bubby, like going to story time at the Library, music class at church and possibly start going to MOPS again. We will just have to see how long this great sleeping streak keeps up!

Friday, January 27, 2012

A Week Without Daddy

Daddy is out of town this week. It's been a very long week and I am overwhelmed. Hubby took off to go to a worship leaders conference in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Lucky him! He's on the beach looking at the beautiful ocean. I'm very happy for him, but at the same time so totally jealous that he gets to go away for a week and get away from reality.

Since I only worked 2 days this week Bubby and I moved in with my parents, quite literally. The dog even came along! The only problem is that the house isn't childproof and it has stairs, Bubby's favorite!! I am very tired from chasing him around, flicking his little hands when he puts them in things he's not supposed to, saying "no" and "danger!," and having to hold him up so he can turn all of the light switches on and off. He doesn't seem too happy about it all either, because he's at the Explorer stage when he wants to touch and throw and get into everything! He's also in this new Tantrum stage where he throws himself on the floor and screams when he doesn't get his way. I try to walk away, keep calm, and ignore his fits, but it is a challenge. I've found myself getting frustrated, angry and sometimes shouting when he throws his tantrums. Not cool mommy. Not cool.

I also forgot Bubby's music box that we usually attach to his crib to help him sleep. It's a complete life saver in helping Bubby fall asleep, especially if he wakes up in the middle of the night (kinda like his binky). Since we forgot it I've had to rock him to sleep every night and he's been waking up at 5 a.m. wanting to get up. It's hard to leave him crying when I have family in the house, and they have lives during the day which means they need their sleep, so I've had to get up with him and try to rock him back to sleep or cuddle with him in my bed. Cuddling in bed with me doesn't work like it used to though because now he likes to crawl all over, jump on me, and get drinks out of my water bottle. I guess you can see why I'm looking forward to going home! It will be nice to be back to our normal routine, back into our own beds, and also have Daddy back in the house!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Life is Quiet

Life has been slowing down more lately. It's interesting how I wanted to be home more and now that I am I get bored so easily. My home is full of lots of peace right now, it helps when Bubby is napping and the washing machine isn't running.

I had several houses that I usually cleaned for fall through this month and I am left with being at home more. I'm not complaining, but when the bed is made, laundry is done, dishes all clean, and the house in general is picked up I find it hard to find things to do. I can see why stay at home mom's go to so many play groups, they need the social time! So, here's what I've been filling my time with:

1. Organizing
*I've managed to get Bubby's room, the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom organized!

2. Trying New Recipes
*Zesty Italian Cream Cheese Chicken
*Tex Mex Roll-Ups
*Baked Oatmeal
*One Pot Goulash
*Pumpkin Oatmeal

3. Reading lots of books to Bubby
*He's in this new phase of wanting to read the same books over and over again. It's starting to bother me a little so after reading one book 10 times I casually slip it behind the couch so he can't find it. Don't worry...I pull them out for the next day!

4. Running errands during the day
*It's AMAZING how quickly you can grocery shop at 10 a.m. compared to 4 p.m.! Smaller lines, less people, and more variety!

5. Watching more TV
*This probably isn't the best thing. I'm in the middle of reading The Fellowship of the Ring but I am a super slow reader and usually only read 2-3 pages a day (on average!). Days when I am home I like to watch Rachael Ray and sometimes Dr. Oz. With Bubby, I like to watch The Cat in the Hat, Arthur, and Martha Speaks (super cute!). We also watch Wheel of Fortune just about every evening. Plus, Hubby is taking me through the seasons of LOST and I am really getting into it. It's hard to not watch an episode during the day. There are so many other shows I would watch regularly but since we don't have cable I have to load them on Hulu, like Project Runway All Stars, Last Man Standing, Once Upon A Time, and I would really like to start watching Downton Abbey. You're probably thinking "wow...that's a lot of TV" but really I don't watch all of that every day.

6. Home Business
*I'm also busy working on my home business and trying to expand my network of people. I have a feeling God has a lot in store for me and I'm really excited to see where this business takes me. It's also a blessing to be able to work from home the majority of the time.

We will see what God does in the next few months. I am praying and relying on God that he will sustain us and help us to flourish like the olive trees he talks about in Psalms. I read them almost daily and it is a constant reminder that God is on my side!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

What I Now Do With Leftover Chicken and Turkey

I am not a left over person. It's taken me a long time to actually reheat and warm up anything in the refrigerator. But since we are trying to save money I have been much better at being creative and making left overs into meals.

Whenever I make chicken or turkey for a meal and I have some left over I now have an AWESOME way to re-use it and make it last another meal (even one that Bubby likes which is hard to do sometimes). I've been making Chicken Salad or Turkey Salad Sandwiches! Honestly, this is worth celebrating because when I was growing up I wouldn't even touch the stuff and now here I am making it, eating it, and serving it to my growing child!

Here's what I do:

1. Take the left over turkey or chicken and chop up really fine (I use my Pampered Chef food chopper and it works awesome). Toss it in a bowl and set aside.

2. Chop up and any veggies you want in there! I usually chop up carrots, onion and celery. Chop it really fine and mix in with chopped meat.

3. Mix in some Mayo, just enough to moisten it and give it a little flavor, and then add in about 1 tsp of mustard (Dijon is best).

4. Sprinkle in some Tarragon, Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder.

5. Mix and serve on bread!

LOVE IT! It's super easy and super fast without using lots of dishes either. Plus you get your meat, veggies, and bread all in one serving. You could probably mix some fruit in there too, my Hubby likes chopped up grapes in his.

Enjoy!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Motherhood Challenges

I'm overwhelmed...majorly. I took a week and a half off of work to spend with family, travel, and celebrate the holidays. Now I am back to work and life feels like it's falling apart. I'm sure one reason is because I haven't been in the Word like I should be, praying daily, or even being joyful and happy with the blessings God has given me. I can't even find time to really rest, whether that's at night or during the day.

My body really hurts this week. I've cleaned every day this week and the only day I have off is Friday (I'm even cleaning Saturday morning!). It's hard to pick up my son. It hurts to bend over. I go to sleep sore and wake up aching, even after multiple massages given by my Hubby. I am also trying to stay on top of everything at home. Laundry. Dishes. Clutter. Mail. My home business. Errands. Meals. Everything that involves Bubby. And I am trying really hard to get my home organized. It's very exhausting. It seems that the only thing I want to do anymore is sleep, eat and watch TV. I haven't had a good night sleep yet this week. Last night I was up all night with Bubby because I think he's teething. I ended up putting him in our bed and was squished to one side (and I also dreamed I was riding on a bus and sharing a seat with 3 people, probably because I was having to share my side of the bed). So right now all I want is some order in life, to be able to sleep a restful night, not have to rely on caffeine to get me through the day, and boy am I looking forward to my day off tomorrow. I get to go to the chiropractor which will hopefully put my body back in place and give me a boost of energy.

More and more I find myself saying "if only I was a full-time stay at home mom I wouldn't have this problem." I wouldn't have constant back pain, my hips would actually stay in place, I wouldn't have a counter full of dirty dishes, my house would be organized and stay organized, I would have time to plan meals and run errands, and I would be able to manage my business so much better. But then I have to remind myself that not all mom's have it perfect. Not all full-time stay at home mom's have their life in complete order either, and that's OKAY! I must repeat to myself "you cannot do it all and that's just fine," and "take a break, don't worry about the dishes," etc. I also just need to focus on God.

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

I don't have to figure life out right now, because He does it for me.

I don't have to carry lots of baggage and tear myself apart, because He loves me for who I am.

I don't have to do everything at once, because He tells me to take it slow and He will take care of the rest.

So all of you Moms, find time to rest. It's what you need, probably just as much or even more than I do. God wants to fill you up with love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. I know I need it!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Conversations with Bubby

Me: Can you say "Mamma?"

Bubby: Cacker? (his word for "cracker" or all food!)

Me: Can you say "Dadda?"

Bubby: Cacker?

Me: Can you say "Ara?" (Zara, our dog)

Bubby: Cacker?

Me: Can you say "eat?"

Bubby: Signs "eat" and says Cacker?

*He really does say "Cacker" like he's asking a question in a very high pitched voice. He also does know how to say Mamma, Dadda and Ara, but he is always asking for Cackers.