Right up front I'm going to put a disclaimer: I do not have my life all together, nor do I pretend to. I am usually one step ahead of full-blown disaster, and the bulk of my life is lived flying by the seat of my skirt and a whole lot of wingin' it. I am not a naturally organized person, or a neat freak, or anything like that. I'm a creative, craftsy type, easily distracted with more projects going at once than should be legal. My house is loud, messy, cluttered most days. And we are getting started homeschooling. It's a madhouse around here.
I am pretty busy gal, but who isn't these days? With our three little people, my dress shop I am in the process of closing, homeschooling, our involvement with our church, all of the crafts and projects and new things I want to try, three loud mouthed beagles, our life is pretty chaotic. It's a happy crazy.
Growing up, my mom made things look so easy. She homeschooled what would eventually be 7 children, was active at church, helped my dad on our farm, had a milk cow, chickens, a garden, ground her own flour, made our bread, helped people with just about everything, was active in our homeschool group. Now as a mom, I don't know how the woman didn't lose her mind.
Looking back now I realize that Mom had several "escapes" everyday. She would always be up early, reading her Bible and praying while having her first cup of coffee. She would go outside and hang the laundry on the clothesline--I bet she was out there just enjoying a moment to herself.
I started noticing what things helped me and started trying to incorporate them into my life, whether it be daily or weekly, depending on what it was.
Here are a few things that help me feel like I'm keeping a grip on things.
Some of these are FREE and some cost a little bit, but to me they are worth it. Some of these things are no-brainers for some people, and some of them may seem silly, but they are helping me, one little bit at a time.
Grocery delivery:
I use Shipt and love it. I have been very pleased with them in the two years I've subscribed to their service. They currently offer 6 stores in my area (HEB, Petco, CVS, Target, JoeV's, and Kroger). At first I was skeptical of letting someone I didn't know pick our produce and meats for me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Every shopper I've had (save one) has been great. I really like that they are in contact with you via text while they are shopping your order, which makes it easy to add something to your list if you forgot it. I love not having to get the Wild Bunch out unless I want to, or if the weather is bad, or I have a sick kiddo--the groceries come to me. It's great, and it is totally worth the $15 per month.
The prices are slightly higher than if you were doing your own shopping, and you can't use coupons, but most sale items are the same price as advertised in the sale papers. But that small amount to me is worth it.
If you decide to give Shipt a try, you can use this code : pcfVn when you create your account and signup. This will get you $50 off an annual membership (cheaper than month to month.)
Emptying and filling the ice trays every morning:
Laugh if you want, ( I know it's silly) but I don't know why, but I always feel like I have my life together when I remember to empty and fill the ice trays in the morning. We don't have an ice maker yet, but I am living for the day when we do.
Fixing the coffee pot at night before I go to bed.
I feel like I get a head start on my morning if I don't have to wait for the coffee to make. We have an auto-brew setting on our coffee maker and I have it set to go off for my husband when he leaves for work, so it is ready and waiting for me when I get up.
Paper plates for every meal.
This does honestly slightly horrify my inner Southern Belle who adores fine china and a beautifully set table (clutches pearls),but this girl doesn't have a dishwasher. Judge if you like, but using paper goods has drastically cut down on the amount of dishes I wash and time I spend in the kitchen everyday. Like the icemaker, I'm living for the day when I get my dishwasher (which shouldn't be too much longer since we are starting the remodel process on our 1950's house). My husband was the one who encouraged me to start using paper plates as much as I wanted. It didn't matter to him, and he wanted to cut down on the work in the kitchen and make things easier for me. (I adore him, he is my hero.)
Use my crockpot as often as I can.
That one is pretty self explanatory, but it has helped tremendously on days when I have tons to do. Being able to put supper on in the morning and not worry about it all day is a winner in my book. I hope to add some of the recipes we enjoy in future blog posts--but don't hold your breath LOL.
Making a "GOT DONE" list instead of a to-do list.
I love love love making lists and crossing things off of them. It gives me and adrenaline rush. But it is also incredibly frustrating for me when the littles are especially needy, or clingy, bickering, or you-name-it, and I can't get anything on my list done. Most of the time my lists aren't that ambitious (clean out the fridge, bathe the dog, dust the ceiling fans) so it is extra frustrating when I can't even complete simple tasks. So on days when the odds aren't in my favor, I make a Got Done list, so I can see what I actually accomplished that day. There have been days when my Got Done list had things like "washed my hair, did a load of laundry and didn't let it sour in the washer, made my bed, cleaned the bathroom sink and toilet." This helps me see that I have actually done something, even if it isn't obvious when you look at the disaster area that is usually my house.
Send my husband pics of house when it's clean and he's at work missing it. That way, the poor man knows it was clean at least once during the day, even if he wasn't present to witness it. My husband finds this amusing, and it has helped him see just how crazy things can get around here. And it also has helped him not need to ask "Um, so what did you do all day?"
Make sure the kids take a nap or have quiet time (in their rooms listening to audiobooks/looking at books or playing quietly.) This is something that is non-negotiable for me. We spend literally every waking hour of every day together and we all need a break from each other. Period.
And last, but not least--PRAY. Some days it's more than others, but it is every day.
What are some of the things (big or small) that you do to help you feel you keeping it together? Comment below and let me know--I'd love to hear from you, and I'm always looking for things to help our house run smoother.
Growing up, my mom made things look so easy. She homeschooled what would eventually be 7 children, was active at church, helped my dad on our farm, had a milk cow, chickens, a garden, ground her own flour, made our bread, helped people with just about everything, was active in our homeschool group. Now as a mom, I don't know how the woman didn't lose her mind.
Looking back now I realize that Mom had several "escapes" everyday. She would always be up early, reading her Bible and praying while having her first cup of coffee. She would go outside and hang the laundry on the clothesline--I bet she was out there just enjoying a moment to herself.
I started noticing what things helped me and started trying to incorporate them into my life, whether it be daily or weekly, depending on what it was.
Here are a few things that help me feel like I'm keeping a grip on things.
Some of these are FREE and some cost a little bit, but to me they are worth it. Some of these things are no-brainers for some people, and some of them may seem silly, but they are helping me, one little bit at a time.
Grocery delivery:
I use Shipt and love it. I have been very pleased with them in the two years I've subscribed to their service. They currently offer 6 stores in my area (HEB, Petco, CVS, Target, JoeV's, and Kroger). At first I was skeptical of letting someone I didn't know pick our produce and meats for me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Every shopper I've had (save one) has been great. I really like that they are in contact with you via text while they are shopping your order, which makes it easy to add something to your list if you forgot it. I love not having to get the Wild Bunch out unless I want to, or if the weather is bad, or I have a sick kiddo--the groceries come to me. It's great, and it is totally worth the $15 per month.
The prices are slightly higher than if you were doing your own shopping, and you can't use coupons, but most sale items are the same price as advertised in the sale papers. But that small amount to me is worth it.
If you decide to give Shipt a try, you can use this code : pcfVn when you create your account and signup. This will get you $50 off an annual membership (cheaper than month to month.)
Emptying and filling the ice trays every morning:
Laugh if you want, ( I know it's silly) but I don't know why, but I always feel like I have my life together when I remember to empty and fill the ice trays in the morning. We don't have an ice maker yet, but I am living for the day when we do.
Fixing the coffee pot at night before I go to bed.
I feel like I get a head start on my morning if I don't have to wait for the coffee to make. We have an auto-brew setting on our coffee maker and I have it set to go off for my husband when he leaves for work, so it is ready and waiting for me when I get up.
Paper plates for every meal.
This does honestly slightly horrify my inner Southern Belle who adores fine china and a beautifully set table (clutches pearls),but this girl doesn't have a dishwasher. Judge if you like, but using paper goods has drastically cut down on the amount of dishes I wash and time I spend in the kitchen everyday. Like the icemaker, I'm living for the day when I get my dishwasher (which shouldn't be too much longer since we are starting the remodel process on our 1950's house). My husband was the one who encouraged me to start using paper plates as much as I wanted. It didn't matter to him, and he wanted to cut down on the work in the kitchen and make things easier for me. (I adore him, he is my hero.)
Use my crockpot as often as I can.
That one is pretty self explanatory, but it has helped tremendously on days when I have tons to do. Being able to put supper on in the morning and not worry about it all day is a winner in my book. I hope to add some of the recipes we enjoy in future blog posts--but don't hold your breath LOL.
Making a "GOT DONE" list instead of a to-do list.
I love love love making lists and crossing things off of them. It gives me and adrenaline rush. But it is also incredibly frustrating for me when the littles are especially needy, or clingy, bickering, or you-name-it, and I can't get anything on my list done. Most of the time my lists aren't that ambitious (clean out the fridge, bathe the dog, dust the ceiling fans) so it is extra frustrating when I can't even complete simple tasks. So on days when the odds aren't in my favor, I make a Got Done list, so I can see what I actually accomplished that day. There have been days when my Got Done list had things like "washed my hair, did a load of laundry and didn't let it sour in the washer, made my bed, cleaned the bathroom sink and toilet." This helps me see that I have actually done something, even if it isn't obvious when you look at the disaster area that is usually my house.
Send my husband pics of house when it's clean and he's at work missing it. That way, the poor man knows it was clean at least once during the day, even if he wasn't present to witness it. My husband finds this amusing, and it has helped him see just how crazy things can get around here. And it also has helped him not need to ask "Um, so what did you do all day?"
Make sure the kids take a nap or have quiet time (in their rooms listening to audiobooks/looking at books or playing quietly.) This is something that is non-negotiable for me. We spend literally every waking hour of every day together and we all need a break from each other. Period.
And last, but not least--PRAY. Some days it's more than others, but it is every day.
What are some of the things (big or small) that you do to help you feel you keeping it together? Comment below and let me know--I'd love to hear from you, and I'm always looking for things to help our house run smoother.
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