Everyday Mom
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Tag Archives: household chores

Organizing the family room

March 6, 2013

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This was the most recent cleaning project I did President’s Day weekend.  The family room.  I HAVE to sort toys at least once a month–sometimes twice.  But I OFTEN wait until it’s too late.  I put about half of these toys in the attic and will rotate them next month.

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Loved it how the cat posed among the mess.  It was 2-3 day project. I had to buy some plastic shoe box sized containers for toys I wanted to store in the attic. Toys in the family room are typically stored in the blue and orange IKEA bins so the kids have easier access (and I don’t have to mess with lids).

I had to put a whole bunch of puzzle and game pieces in their original boxes. We also sorted through a plastic bin with drawers that used to be for Barbies and Strawberry Shortcake.  We found anything and everything in it.

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Thankfully it has been MUCH easier to keep clean.  I think the main reason is the reduction of toys and the rule “you may not take a game or puzzle out until you put the one that is currently out away.”  Away = box is closed, lid on securely and it’s on the shelf.  The kids are starting to do this without being told.  I had six kids playing in here on Thursday afternoon and it didn’t stress me out at all!

Posted by in Inside the home Tags: , , , , ,

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Organizing Your Attic/Storage Space

February 11, 2013

This is what my attic looked like last week…an anxiety ridden clutter space.

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And after some hard work the last couple days I managed to get it looking like this…

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I am not a hoarder.  I am the opposite.  I get a “rush” from getting rid of things.  I was not always this way.  Actually as a child, I stuffed drawers with drawings, artwork, trinkets, toys–I could not get rid of anything.  I felt like I was giving away a part of myself.

I had over seventy stuff animals and I could not bear to part with any of them.  As a teenager it was childish to have a shelf full of stuffed animals–but I did not know where to begin when it came to getting rid of them.  I went on a mission trip to Romania and while I was away my mom did an intense cleaning of my bedroom.  She gave almost every single stuff animal away except for a few sentimental ones.  You would think I would have been upset, but I was relieved.  There is a tremendous amount of freedom in having “less stuff.”

I am not a professional organizer, but the more I “winter/spring clean” the more I enjoy it.  I have learned a lot about having an organized attic/crawl space/storage area.  Here are my own suggestions (and I’d love to hear yours!)

1)  If you are using boxes instead of bins, fill them up to the top.  They will stack better and not cave in.

2)  Label  your boxes on the outside facing out.  I used “Hello My Name Is–” name tags I had in my utility drawer.  I used to label boxes on the top which makes no sense if they are stacked.

3)  When in doubt, throw it out.  If you have not used it in a year or it does not work well, give it away.

4)  Keep the items you take out of your storage space annually like Christmas decorations closest to the entrance of your attic/storage space.  Keep items you hardly ever use (if ever) like VHS tapes or cassettes at the very back.

5)  Do not feel guilty about giving away toys or putting a large amount in storage.  Kids get overwhelmed with too many items to play with.  It actually can cause more conflict and boredom NOT less.

6)  If you save kid’s clothes, label them by size and season.  If you don’t have enough clothes to fill a whole plastic bin, use smaller boxes.  I personally think diaper and pull-up boxes work great.

7)  Each of our kids and my husband and I have “sentimental boxes” we refer to as “our special boxes.”  These are mostly items from our childhood and young adult years.  I go through my kid’s boxes annually and “reorganize them” and even reduce them down.  What might be sentimental to me right now may not be in a year.

8) Put manuals or instruction booklets in a file box.  I found manuals for everything from our refrigerator to a toy I bought my daughter for Christmas.  I would rather not hold on to all of them, but there have been times I have needed one.  Put them in a file or separate bin.

Here’s hoping I can continue to stay this organized!

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My Real News Years Resolution: Trying To Focus

January 25, 2013

Here is January 24th and I have taken almost a whole month off from blogging.  That was not really planned.  No, there was not any major crisis that occurred the last two weeks and I am not any more busy than I am other times of the year (less so, actually).

I was reflecting on Everyday Mom and my life in general.  I subscribe to many blogs and read wonderful posts.  I have seen stay-at-home moms like myself turn blogging into a full fledged career with book deals, interviews, seminars etc.  I had no aspirations when I started this blog.  I wanted an outlet to write and remember some of the creative activities I do with my children. If I could get some perks along the way or reach out to other moms along the way…win, win.

Some blogs I read are focused.  They center on frugal living, crafting, food, homeschooling, or couponing.  Mine covers all these things (well except for maybe the couponing).  Sometimes I feel like it is a potluck of too many topics.  A blog with ADD.

But yet that is me.  I love organized people.  I adore them. I married one. Schedules, lists, cleaning jobs, laundry routines–I crave it.  Yet a part of me fights it.  That part is strong and she usually wins.  Too often my life looks like how my attic does right now…a somewhat organized mess.

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Back in October I tried to have a “Going Dark” day one day a week as I am very distracted by facebook, e-mail, and the computer in general.  It proved to be a good thing–I got housework completed in record time. But  I realized how much I use the computer for day to day things like looking up addresses, researching news articles, ordering products etc.  Did it make sense to put all these things off for a day?  Not when I need to look up an address for someone’s house because I have to be there in a few hours or that I have to register my daughter for swim lessons on a certain day?

Through this experiment and learning more about my anxiety, I discovered that I put off doing what I SHOULD be doing (like laundry, vacuuming etc.) and do what I WANT to do.  I am relaxed by things I WANT to do (like facebook, running, reading a good book) versus what needs to be done.

Before I do anything I don’t want to do (or am unsure about) I fight a little bout of anxiety.  Sometimes when I need to write an article it takes me 45 minutes to focus and get in the zone before I can begin.  Once I get into it, I fly with it. Word and phrases come naturally.  It is the initial “start-up” where I am trapped.

And it’s not solely with writing.  It with other things…such as housework, craft projects, making dentist/doctor appointments, meal planning, etc.  Sometimes it is the simple task of beginning a new day.  Some mornings I get out of the bed at the latest possible minute I can without causing everyone to run late on my account.  It’s not the “my bed is warm and cozy and I want to stay in it” nor is it “I’m so tired because I’m not getting enough sleep.”  It is that I don’t want to start the day because it is uncertain. What will it bring?  Once I get a chance to wake up, get my morning coffee and bowl of oatmeal–I’m fine.  Again it is the initial “start up.”

The past two weeks I have been praying fervently that God would cast away that “morning anxiety” and give me a spirit of motivation.  I am happy to say the past couple mornings I have awoken before the alarm ready to start the day.  I have even gone to morning classes at the gym and maintained my triathlon training routine.  I know we cannot base everything on feelings because they change quite often.  I am continuing to pray that I find healthy ways to combat my anxiety and push through it even on bad mornings.

One of my New Years resolutions was to be more disciplined and organized…and waste less time.  For me that is not maintaining a sparking clean house (it’s just not possible with little ones running around) but rather fight distractions so I can do what needs to be done FIRST.  Here it is Day #24 of the year and I have probably failed more days than I have succeeded.  Understanding how easily distracted I am and accepting it is helping me deal with it.  I find myself throughout the day saying, “OK I am doing Task #1 right now, then what will I do next?  What needs to be done this afternoon–what can wait until tonight?”  It does not come naturally to me at all.  LIke I said, I love the scheduled people who sees it and does it.

With running, you train and train until you can accomplish long races.  It doesn’t come with the first run.  I hurt all over and want to quit.  As your muscles get stronger, you learn proper form, and your brain tells your body to keep moving–it becomes automatic.  I am hoping my disorganized, out of focus routines can become a little more structured in 2013.

Posted by in Inside the home, Mental Health & Self Care Tags: , , , , ,

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Random Acts of Kindness Day: 51 Ideas To Get You Started

December 4, 2012

RAKEMy friend Melissa shared on facebook about Random Acts of Kindess Day which is coming up on December 12, 2012.  In order to preserve the holiday season as a time of giving and spreading Christ’s love for those around us, her family is doing 12 acts of kindness of 12/12/2012.

I had been looking for some service projects to do with my kids. Melissa’s list is great!  These are all things family members can do together.  Now if I can figure out how to all 12 in one day…especially on a Wednesday which tend to be our busier days.  I am committing to this so we’re doing it!

Most of these might not make a huge earth shattering difference in our eyes, but God uses every moment for His glory.  I have to give credit to Melissa for the first 39 on the list, but I added a few of my own.

  1. Place encouraging notes on bathroom mirrors/stalls
  2. Put change in meters for people (the courthouse/downtown would be a good place for this)
  3. Bakes goodies or a meal and take it to the firehouse
  4. Pay for the person behind us in line (the cashier could give the note)
  5. Bring flowers to the elderly or a neighbor
  6. Wash someone’s car for them
  7. Help someone with yard work
  8. Bring hot chocolate/coffee to bell ringers
  9. Buy flowers and after paying for them hand them to the cashier and say thank you.
  10. Mail carrier homemade gift/card (fast food card lunch is on us today)
  11. Trash man homemade gift/card (fast food card lunch is on us today)
  12. Leave quarters on a soda/snack machine with a note.
  13. A dollar in the dollar store toy section with a note.
  14. Gather the grocery carts and return them in the store.
  15. Leave diaper and wipes on a public changing table.
  16. Care packs for the homeless.
  17. Clean out toys and donate to charity.
  18. Clean out clothes and donate to charity.
  19. Pick up trash.
  20. Send a thank you letter to a solider.
  21. Help someone load their groceries in their car.
  22. Visit a nursing home.
  23. Take canned goods to a food bank.
  24. Collect coins and give to charity.
  25. Hold the door for someone.
  26. Leave coins at a laundry mat. (Note says Laundry is on us today)
  27. Write 5 things you like about someone and give it to them.
  28. Make daddy breakfast in bed.
  29. Allow someone behind you in line to go ahead of you.
  30. Place a note on someone’s windshield.
  31. Take old towels and pet food to an animal shelter.
  32. Smile and speak to 10 strangers.
  33. Sweep a neighbors sidewalk.
  34. Leave candy and a note on a stranger’s door.
  35. Give bags of microwave popcorn to people in line for redbox.
  36. Quarters on gumball machines.
  37. Gatorade to construction/outside workers. (or in our case hot chocolate because they are probably wet and cold!)
  38. Shop for stockings for needy kids. (have stockings one for boy and one for girl)
  39. Return neighbors trash cans after trash day.
  40. Bring baked goods to a homeless shelter
  41. Make a Christmas craft for a home bound senior in your church
  42. Send a note of appreciation to your church or kid’s school janitor
  43. Make a gift basket for  your next door neighbors and introduce yourself if you don’t know one another!
  44. Pray for someone who is going through a difficult time
  45. Bring doughnuts or bagels to a business
  46. Listen to what someone is saying when they share a story.  Ask them questions and take an interest.  Don’t start talking about your own experience (very hard for young moms to do–I’m one of them!!)
  47. Tell your child’s teacher how much you appreciate him/her.
  48. Do household chore that is typically done by your spouse.
  49. Shovel your neighbors driveway along with your own (if you live where there is snow)
  50. Bring in all your cans.  Instead of pocketing the money, use it for a random act of kindness.
  51. Try to go through the WHOLE day without complaining about something you don’t have, how busy you are, all the things you still have to do, and how tired you might be!!

If you are local, my kids & I would love to bless Simonka Place, a women and children’s shelter here in town.  Simonka Place is doing AMAZING things for these women that we can’t do with our limited time and resources.   They are most in need of canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter and Tylenol (I found it interest Tylenol was one of the most needed items–but it makes sense).  If you want to contribute to our little food and Tylenol drive you can do the following:

1) Drop food items off to my house (message me for the address if you don’t have it already) before Wednesday.

2)  Contact me before Wednesday to pick up items.  

3)  Contact me before Wednesday to pick up pop cans.  We will turn them in for you and use the money to purchase fruits, veggies, peanut butter and/or Tylenol.

And if you’re out of town but would like to contribute, contact your own rescue mission in your town and find out what their most needed items are (some of it might be on their website).

Posted by in Family Outreach Projects, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , ,

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Fun Winter Hat Giveaway!

October 22, 2012

I have not done a giveway in quite awhile.  So here we go!

My friend Tanya is from my previous home state of Michigan and I have known her for many years!  She is extremely gifted when it comes to crocheting.  She makes the cutest hats such as this one…My kids are into the “drawstring hats.”  This is a perfect hat for all you Michigan fans out there!

This is another one Tanya made that is one of my favorites!

She also makes some beautiful barettes.  My girls love hair accessories and it seems like you can never have enough.

You check out more hats and accessories by visiting the TanyaCreates4You facebook page.

Tanya has agreed to make a customized hat for one lucky winner.  You choose the size and color.  Give it as a gift for someone or keep it for yourself.  You can choose your favorite team’s colors or your favorite fall colors.  It’s your choice!

How to enter:  Leave a comment about whether you like fall better or prefer winter.  You receive an extra entry if you like Everyday Mom on facebook.  You receive another additional entry if you like TanyaCreates4You on facebook!  Winner will be drawn randomly on Saturday 10:00 AM PST Monday 10:00 AM PST and announced on this blog.  Good luck!

Posted by in giveaways Tags: , , ,

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Only you can prevent house fires…

October 11, 2012

It is Fire Prevention Week.  While our children might take a field trip to the local fire station or learn about “stop, drop, and roll,” it is not a bad idea for us moms to remind ourselves about keeping our homes safe from fires.

I only say this because I distinctly remember the night of July 5th, 1986.  I was nine years old asleep in my bed.  I awoke to my mom yelling with panic in her voice, “Amy, get out of the house!”  When you hear that tone  in someone’s voice, your brain reverts to a fight/flight mode.  I scurried down the green carpeted stairway and made my way out to the front yard where my brother and sister were huddled.

As a kid you think if your house is on fire you will grab all your belonging and rescue your pets.  You know the question:  “What three things will you grab while your house is going up in flames?”  But your mind does not process this and you run to safety.

Thankfully only part of our living room couch and a small portion of the wall burned.  My mom happened to walk in the living room at the same time a spark ignited from a faulty lamp.  I am forever thankful she was at the right place at the right time.  Our smoke alarm never went off.  My parents fought the fire with buckets of water.  The fire department arrived when the flames were smoldering.

The cause was from an old lamp that was clogging the circuits.  Throughout that day our power kept going off.  My dad kept pushing the fuse from the living room back in to reset the power.  The same thing happened in my own house last year.  The lights went off and we heard a pop.  Rather than push the fuse back in, we called an electrician and got the light rewired.  You learn from other’s mistakes.

We were lucky.  So many others are not.  I know people who lost entire homes due to candles left unattended or a child playing with matches.  I personally stopped burning candles when I had a toddler in the house.  I cannot watch them at all times and they climb in places I never realized they could get to.  If you like a scented home, try diffusing essentional oils or use a plug-in diffuser.  Be careful not to leave matches or lighters around.  Keep them all in one place out of reach of children.

The number one cause of housefires is from leaving the stove on.  As busy moms we need to slow down and make sure we are turning off burners and shutting the oven off after use.  We get scatter brained especially if we are sleep deprived.  Do whatever helps you remember.  I tried to train my brain that when the food is done, I shut the stove or oven off before putting it on the table.

Make sure your smoke alarms have functioning batteries.  You need to have them in the areas where people are sleeping and on every floor.  Fires can grow to dangerous conditions on a floor without a smoke detector before the upper or lower floor’s smoke alarm sounds.  In my situation (for whatever reason) it never went off.  We only protect our family so much, but we can take preventative measures to keep everyone safe.

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Going Dark Reflections 10/4/12

October 5, 2012

The first thing I noticed on my first “Going Dark” day was that my morning ran smoother.  I teach a story hour for 12-14 preschoolers one morning a month.  I have to get us out the door by 9:15 AM.  We were all ready to go by 8:45.  I actually had extra time to tackle some other items off my “to-do” list.  It was smooth and easygoing transition out the door and we do not always have that.

The day itself was a little atypical as I watched a toddler all day on top of my own three children.  I also watch a kindergartener for two hours in the afternoon.  The only stressful time was getting everyone ready for lunch, cleaning up the kitchen and eating area, and getting the younger ones down from naps.  Honestly that was a very tempting time to go on and check e-mail and facebook.  I think I turn to these as a stress relief when my day gets more chaotic.

In the afternoon I found myself getting more accomplished I have thrown to the wayside the last few weeks.  For instance there were over 400 photos on my memory card and not a single one edited or put on my computer.  I started this project and completed it.  I also finished a book, got some laundry completed, thank-you notes sent out for my daughter’s birthday, book orders for school completed, Hot Lunch menu filled out, and an article for the church newsletter written.  Normally I probably would have gotten some of that done, but not all of it.

The hardest time not using the Internet was after the kids go to bed.  I missed reading blogs, surfing Pinterest, and responding to e-mails.  I was too tired to do anything productive.  I managed to finish editing photos and start another book.

As I got back on the Internet today I saw only a few e-mails I had to return and no earth shattering facebook messages.  Which convinces me I do not need to be on the computer near as much as I previously was.

Posted by in Mental Health & Self Care Tags: , , , , , ,

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Moms are not more busy…we are too distracted.

October 3, 2012

I cannot even count the conversations I have had with others about “being busy” since I became a mom seven years ago.  We have had discussion whether our plate is too full and what could be portioned off.  We rattle off the twenty-five things that constitute our “to-do” list. Are we all TOO busy that we do not have time to sit and relax?

According to this article about leisure time by Po Bronson we have GAINED not lost leisure time compared to forty years ago.  Bronson says we waste half of our leisure time watching television.  I daresay us moms who watch very little TV can substitute the tube for facebook, Pinterest, Internet surfing etc.  Oh, I am so guilty!

So what’s the problem.  According to this article about our stress levels by Shanua Wright, there is a 10 – 30% stress increase for adults than thirty years ago.  Wright mentions that one of those pressure causing our extra stress is the difficulty of turning off information.  I do not truly believe we are busier but I do think this:

We are more distracted

My mom was a stay at home of the 70′s and early 80′s. She had the telephone and the occasional neighbor stopping by to distract her.  Now we have text messages, multiple e-mail accounts, facebook, Twitter, and the Internet in general.  We are “on call” twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. We have to take a quick glimpse at our facebook page even though we checked it an hour ago.  I do not think the Internet, e-mail, social networking is bad.  I use every and all of it for my writing job, ministries I’m involved in, and to keep in touch with extended family.  But there are many times that we need to learn to separate ourselves from it.  And that’s hard.

I struggle with this so much that I am trying something I am calling “Going Dark Thursday.”  Every Thursday (starting tomorrow!) I am not getting on the Internet which means no checking e-mail, no facebook, no blogging, no surfing the net, no Pinterest etc.  I will ONLY use the computer for writing, working on youth group lessons, or homeschool preschool…and even that will be sparingly.

I will share with you the impact this has on me.  I know of too many children (and I’ve worried this about my own) who will grow up and remember their mother as someone sitting at the computer.  My oldest and I were talking about the things we are good at.  She told me she thought I was good at running (which made me smile) and being on the computer (whatever that means!).  I have limited my computer time this fall and it has made a difference in the cleanliness of my home.  I think I need to set some strong unbreakable boundaries.

If you are nodding your head and saying, “This is me too!” and (if it’s not, you can probably give some great advice to the rest of us) feel free to join me on Going Dark Thursdays.  Or pick a day of the week that works better for you.

 

 

Posted by in Mental Health & Self Care Tags: , , , , , , ,

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9 Things Never To Say To Stay-At-Home Moms

September 27, 2012

I was reading this article on working moms earlier in the summer. I pondered some of the thoughts and came up with my own list of 9 Things Never To Say to Stay-At-Home moms.

1)  Wow you’re so lucky to be able to stay at home.  That’s nice your husband makes a lot of money.   Lucky, yes.  Do women who stay at home have husbands with large salaries?  Not necessarily.  In many cases, it’s the opposite.  We have to make choices to live on a tight budget, cut corners, and live simply.  It is not always easy, but it is worth it.

2)  Don’t you feel like you are wasting your college degree? College teaches you that you can learn.  Many people venture outside their college degree and some go back to school later for a totally different degree.  I feel like I use my degree every single day in some form even though I am not bringing home a paycheck.  When I get closer to forty, I may go back to work or start a new career.  That is a whole twenty-five years to work.  Nothing is being wasted.

3)  Don’t you get bored?  You are only bored if you choose to not engage in anything.  Stay at home moms have the freedom to try hobbies, take their kids on fun outings, read books while their little ones are napping, do craft projects with their kids, etc.  Sometimes an office job sounds more boring than what I do on a daily basis.

4) Don’t you want your children to be cared for by other adults?  This assumes stay at home moms sit at home all the time with very little interaction with anyone.  I know very few stay at home moms who live this kind of life.  Many stay at home moms go to Bible Studies or mom’s groups where their children are cared for by child care workers.  Some stay at home moms swap kids to help one another out.  Some go to the gym while their children go to child care or a kid’s exercise program.  My children have many other adults in their life they are close to besides my husband and I.

5)  Are you ever going back to work?  Although this question does not seem offensive (and for the most part it’s not), be careful when talking to a stay-at-home mom about “work.”  Being a stay at home mom is a job with long hours and some days very few breaks.  It IS work and it IS a job.

6)  You are with your kids all day.  I would go crazy.  Any situation you are in, you learn to adapt.  It is funny when I hear people say to mothers of twins–”Wow I could never juggle two babies.”  As if she had a choice!?  She didn’t plant two babies in her womb.  It’s the same with being at home.  Yes, there are crazy days. Aren’t there crazy days in the working world?  You learn systems, routines, and things that you used to despise grow on you because you get really good at them (for me that would be laundry).  You embrace that homemaking is indeed an art.

7)  My brain would turn to mush if I stayed at home all day!  It’s funny that people assume our days consist of PBS Kids programming and board books–and why this is such a bad thing?  In addition many stay at home moms take on-line classes, write blogs, are in book clubs, lead or manage moms groups or Bible Studies, and work on hobbies.  Not to mention home school moms who are constantly educating themselves and their children.  The TV is not all day with soap operas and talk shows (mine is hardly on at all).  I read the newspaper every morning which I never did (nor had time for) when I was working.

8)  Your house must be spotless since you have so much time to clean.  If the kids are home most of the day, the house will be messy.  Constantly.  When I worked in child care, it was unique.  Your main job was to care for the children and nothing else.  As a stay at home you have sixteen other responsibilities going on all at once–meal planning, laundry, organizing, returning e-mails, taking your kids to activities etc.  There are some days moms cannot get to the cleaning.

9)  Imagine how much more money you would have if you worked.  Money is not everything.  The fancy cars, designer clothes, elaborate vacations will not last.  The time spent together as a family has a lasting impact.  Relationships are more important than stuff.

 

Posted by in Mom Stories, Raising little ones, Stay at home moms Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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A solution when your kids won’t clean

August 31, 2012

I think one of the WORST and stressful household chores is getting your kids to clean up the playroom/bedrooms.  There are times I am tempted to go in and do it all for them, but I know they will never learn that way.

Sometimes it goes well at our house.

Lately it has not gone well.

My solution?  We closed the playroom for 24 hours.  My husband even put up yellow tape yellow crepe paper.

My husband said I got the idea from the Cosby Show episode where Rudy and Vanessa get kicked out of their rooms and have to live in the basement. I actually was not thinking of that at the time, but it must have been in my subconscious.

Losing the playroom meant no playing with the best toys in the house and no use of the TV.  Once the tape was lifted, it was back to cleaning.  It worked pretty well.  I may have to implement it again, however cleaning has gone much better since.

Posted by in Inside the home Tags: , , ,

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