Thankful Thursday

I did not get to the Wed. post that was supposed to be Part 4 of my rant on Christian Hedonism. I've been a little discouraged as to whether it's been helpful or understandable here but I also just have a lot of thoughts to pull together and that takes time and effort I've not had today. Rick was off and honestly, after he took the kids to school we crawled back into bed and watched LOST on hulu.com (....what did you THINK I was going to say?:) Then we had some things we needed to get done. It was a productive day and I sat in the winter sunshine of my living room listening to NPR and sewing patches on Superkid's jeans. Lovely.

I'm doing this post tonight and scheduling it to post tomorrow because I know I have full day. I did not have to work today so I'm doing three hours at the day care tomorrow.

I AM THANKFUL!

• I'm so thankful Superkid rode w/o training wheels for the first time today! He has been ready for a long time but his chain was broke and Rick had not got to it. He took to it like water. No problems. He then came in when daddy had to run an errand though and he came through the kitchen telling me that he wanted to wait till daddy and his sisters got home because he was not sure if his breaks would break or not. I tried to reassure him that they were fine but I did not push it.


• I'm thankful my children make me laugh. Today Superkid said "Is it okay if I pay you to clean my room?" (to me) I laughed and said "No!". He laughed too. Later at dinner he though he knew what was for dessert, said what it was and then said "I've spilled the beans". We all laughed because it was a new phrase for him and then it got even funnier when he added "what does that mean?". "Oh, you don't know? You used it properly" I said. He said Mrs.B uses it in and he thought it was funny but was not sure what it meant.


• I'm thankful the new house cleaning routine is REALLY helping me. I don't stress about getting to everything and then end up getting to nothing. Last night I was going to clean my room while Rick took the crew to Awana but I just was dying for a quiet bubble bath without interruption. I remembered that today was my day to do that and I did get it done today! I don't even have to worry if I get everything done in that room because I can hit it again when that day comes back around. It helps me stay focused on one spot and then the spots add up. *Sigh* it's a beautiful thing.


• I'm thankful that my parenting convicts me. Lately the two on my mind have been how I tell the kids they can't play on the computer until their jobs are done and how they can't eat anything at bedtime when they decide they are hungry at the last minute. I should be just as disciplined on myself.


• I'm thankful LOST started again...but that's so not spiritual.:)


• I'm thankful I can trust God when he gives and when he says "no". I'm thankful I'm not anxious either way. At least not right now:)

NOTE: I have added a new feature to the posts. Blogger now allows you to have an opinion on each one. I LOVE comments, in fact they spur me on to keep this up, so if you have one (really, no matter what little tid-bit it is..it makes my day) please leave it. However, if you just have an opinion on the post click one of the options before you leave if you'd like! Thanks.

Tackle It Tuesday: SAHM Gameplan

My first post for Tackle it Tuesday is just getting my week on a game plan. One of the biggest challenges of a SAHM (which right now I am not a 100% candidate for that but I only work an hour and a half a day at a daycare) is to not let your time go down the toilet. When no one is watching and no boss is checking on you, it can be so easy to procrastinate over and over. Well, at least I do. Maybe you are more of a superwoman than me.

So, I tried this out last year and it worked when I kept it. Don't be discouraged (I tell myself) when life messes it up, just get back on track. Usually I'll get it going and it will be time for a big holiday, or kids get sick, or the car breaks down and something in this is really thrown off. The important thing is doing the next thing and not giving up.

Sometimes housekeeping is simply doing the next thing. Eventually you will get a lot done. Rarely do you get it ALL done and if you think you have, don't hold your breath.

The plan is to have a ball park idea for each day of the week. Somethings however have to be done every day. I know some mom's do laundry all on one day but I cannot because the stacks that have to be put away are just to overwhelming for me. So, I do a load a day if I can.

Here is my game plan:

Daily: One load of laundry

Keep the heart of the home healthy (see below)

Monday: Kitchen/Laundry room -

(I work an extra two hours on Monday morning before starting this so Monday is a big day I have to stay on task)

Weekly-clean counters, wipe down appliances, mop, clean out bad food in the fridge, wipe the fridge inside, update food inventory, make menus, bake goods for the week.

Monthly- Wipe down counters, vacuum cobwebs, wipe high decor items, pick up counter items and clean under, clean counter items, clean inside of stove, dishwasher, and gunk in washing machine.

Tuesday: Living Room/Dining Room

For me these are one big connected area so I lump them together.

Weekly-dust, vacuum, put away items in an organized way, tidy paperwork at the desk, vacuum, clean glass surfaces.

Monthly-oil wood surfaces, clean out old paperwork at desk, clean out window tracks, clean windows and dust blinds, vacuum cob webs.

Wednesday- Master Bedroom and Bathroom

Weekly- Tidy, dust and vacuum. Wash bedding. Clean shower, tub, sinks, etc, and mop floor.

Monthly- Oil furniture, dust blinds, clean windows, organize closet, vacuum cob webs, dust light fixtures, wash curtains.

Thursday-Paperwork Day

This is the day to do any paperwork I need to do but also look for shopping deals, coupons, and organize my list for needs and groceries. This takes more time than you might think to do well. I might look ahead to the next week for menu ideas and see what I need to pick up for them.

Friday- School Aid/Errands

I am up at the school in Superkid's class ever Friday morning. Then it's a good day to do errands. I have not been on this schedule for a few months because we didn't have a car but now I'm excited to do this. It's my day to be in town after staying on task all week. I get what we need and like to stop at a thrift store for fun while I'm out.

Saturday- Morning off/ Family Chores

We take it very slow Saturday morning. After a week of school schedule the kids really love to have a break and so do I.

Weekly- In the afternoon though they have to clean their bedrooms, and now I'm having them start to share the load of their own bathroom. We have many pick up times during the week though so that this task is not long and drawn out. The also vacuum and dust their rooms and wash their bedding.

Monthly-I try to clean their windows and vacuum cob webs. Sometimes some re-organizing of items is needed too.

We are also going to have them vacuum and wash one vehicle every other weekend together. This is a new development and we'll see how it goes.

I'm hoping to start some gardening chores on Saturday afternoons when they are out playing as the weather gets better.

Sunday- Church/Family Outings/Community Group

Sunday is are only real day as a family as Rick works most Saturday's. The important thing about the above routine is that by the time we get to Sunday, we can enjoy each other and just relax.

This is easy to put into a chart and print from a simple computer program. Once it's set up, it can go in your notebook for running the house. I'm hoping to complete mine soon and share about it.

Within all this is of course a keep up plan. The kids unload the dishes and put them away every morning, they pick up their stuff and dirty clothes etc. Otherwise, you don't have time to get through the daily tasks.

When I refer to keep the heart of the home healthy I mean keeping the kitchen tidy. I have found that if the kitchen does not get done first and kept running well, we spend more money on easy dinners and lunches. I also will get discouraged and not want to get up to hit my day if the kitchen is a mess. Every meal, a little work has to be done.

Blog Themes

I'm wanting to structure myself for a bit. I'm taking on some blog themes for a few different reasons. One, to let my blog help me more than take from me. If I have themes that spur me to do the things in my life I need to, then it helps me. If I randomly blog all the time it keeps me from getting stuff done. Second, it allows you to visit more on the days you are interested in. So, here is what I'm lookin at for now.

Monday- Menu Monday (I'm going to work my way through a few cookbooks this year and these will be about those new meals I'm trying)

Tuesday- Tackle it Tuesday (organization, gettin stuff done, ideas, inspiration on housekeeping, health and fitness goals, and other goals like hopefully gardening etc)

Wednesday- Whatever The Heck Wednesday (my day to be random, contemplative or just on a soap box...cause I love it:) This week I'll be doing my contemplation on Christian Hedonism Part 4 and that will be the final post on that I believe. Oh, and isn't my title of this one so spiritual?)

Thursday-Thankful Thursday (been doing that for a while and still want to keep it up).

Friday- Fan Club Friday (things I'm a fan of, posts I loved, something to highlight on any level of my world, I'll be sharing what I'm a fan of)

Saturday- Saturday Scraps (stuff from the week, perhaps photos of things we do, family events, thoughts rolling in my head during the week etc)

Sunday- Side Step Sunday(I'll just be linking you to the Bible in a Year and Beyond Site for whatever I'm writing there on Sundays)

I do not hold myself to any obligation to do these posts every week however, but it will be what I'll be following for a while.

Today being Sunday I'll just link you to my contribution to the Bible In a Year and Beyond Site here.

Saturday Scraps

I was not going to do this today, was gunna skip it but then I remembered my darlings pics I needed to share!

Princess got Honor Roll. I was mad at myself for considering not taking a picture because she has been getting honor roll since she started public school, but the I reflected that this is not easy to do! Especially heading into 6th grade concepts and work loads getting bigger. She is so self motivated she deserves her moment in the spotlight for sure. We thank God for this academic gift he has given her. Way to hang in there Princess!

Superkid FINALLY lost his other front tooth! This thing had been hanging there for a LONG time like some Billy Bob guy. Superkid does NOT believe in wiggling teeth at any price. This tooth like the other one beside it, and the two bottom ones, had the permanent tooth well in before the baby tooth came out. So, we all cheer real big when it comes out. I've been curious how big his permanent front teeth will actually be. He is such a big kid all ready (he comes up to my chest) at 6, I know he is going to be huge and those teeth right there are for the grown man he will be. I have a feeling they will look big when they come in.

We have wheels again! Last night Rick and I picked up our Jetta. We had the heating core bypassed (so glad we live where we do!) and it was 60 dollars CHEAPER than they quoted. Thank you Lord! We got babysitting and went to see Avatar. That was a fun ride. As my facebook status indicated:

"Well, saw Avatar. It's like Pocahontas meets Jurassic Park, meets Star Wars, meets Planet Earth, meets Braveheart, meets Blue Man Group, meets Al Gore. Don't get me wrong, it was a fun ride and very original and creatively beautiful. Not cool with making the military look like jerks but I'll take a flying dragon of my own any day."

And Rick and I decided:

"Rick and I have the most frugal idea now for the kids on Halloween. We'll just strip them down, paint them blue and give them a loin cloth with a tail."

(Please don't take that seriously)

I'm so excited I don't have to get a ride or walk in the cold on Monday morning. I can take my kids to school when we are ready and want to go! It's amazing how thankful going without can make you.

I was reading in Job when God responds to Job and it amazed me to read:

"Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?"

Do we ever think enough about how God's hand gives to us? The animals really depend on God to provide their next meal. I wonder if we should ponder this more and realize we do nothing for ourselves. I felt God provided for our car a solution that was from Him. It was not a fancy new one on credit, it was not a beef up job on credit, it was a simple set of wheels which was what we needed but it was from Him. How often I work for the fancy things in a way that frets to have what I think I need when God is ready to give me all I really need. I just think I should think more like the creatures he provides for and wait expectant on His provision.

The pantry challenge is continuing btw, but I'm drawing it out into Feb. I'm still using what I have from the cupboards but I've been getting meat when it's really cheap (like 49 and 88 cents a lb) and things for lunches still have to be purchased. There are some areas I need to regroup and go back to making my own from the cupboard but it's becoming more of a drawn out challenge for me. Just wanted to update.

We did have a fun "mother of invention" moment when we wanted dessert last week. I blended some very ripe bananas with ice and a can of condensed milk from the cupboard and we froze them into banana pops in our Popsicle makers. The kids loved them! That's why these challenges are so fun, they make you try new things.