New Years Irresolution

I have discovered, over and over, that it is important for me not to go above and beyond the things that make me, me.  Over the years, I've tried to change, but the results have not changed.

Once a year, I decide that I'm ready to be a real, responsible, healthy adult and it always ends terribly for me. But, I try anyway.  I sit myself down and tell myself how I'm going to do this.  Schedules are drafted.  Day-planners are purchased.  I stock up on fancy food because I'm planning on converting my entire family into healthier eating habits. I put away my daily yoga pants and pull out my nice jeans, skirts, heels and button down shirts. Yes, I prepare for my new life like some people prepare for the apocalypse.

The first day or two of my plans usually goes okay.

For a little while, I actually feel all grown-up and healthy!  I strut around with my ‘dressy’ clothes, looking everyone in the eye with that  glance that says "look at ME, I’m dressed up and responsible….just look at all my fancy groceries.”

At some point, I start feeling self-congratulatory.

This is a mistake.  

I begin to feel like I've accomplished my goals. I lose a few pounds, my nails are done, my hair is perfect, and I feel really good about myself. It's like I think a lifestyle change is something that can be earned like a trophy in one epic burst of effort and then coveted for the rest of my life.  

What usually ends up happening is that I completely wear myself out. Thinking that I've earned it, I give myself permission to slack off for a while. My fancy shoes, give m blisters (oh, how I miss my flip flops). I break out from wearing make-up everyday, and I get really tired of cooking every night!

Is it really that bad, if I wear my holed jeans while I run my errands? I’ll make sure to flat iron my hair and put on some lip gloss, this is acceptable, right? 

Well, I end up needing to take more recovery time than usual and this is when it all starts….

The longer I procrastinate, put on my yoga pants, and allow myself to drive thru Chic-fil-a for dinner, only leads to more and more irresolution.  

At some point in this endlessly spiraling disaster, I am forced to throw all of my energy into starting over again, just to dig myself out of the pit I've fallen into. The problem is that I start over, already burnt out from the last round. I won’t allow myself to fail. But,I do because it always ends the same way.  

And then I rebel.  

yummmm!

So, I’ve come to a new yearly resolution…..Do more of what makes me happy, fly by the seat of my pants, and laugh more! I’ll never fail at this one. 

Happy New Year, family and friends! 

I've decided to home school

I was informed a few of months ago that my sweet young son was struggling with reading.  After meeting with his teacher, and hearing her recommendations, I held it all together, smiled, and left.

The closer I got to the car…the tears filled my eyes and I completely lost it when I closed the car door. My little boy…..struggling…WHY? HOW? His older sisters are series book readers and have never been behind in any subject. Where did I go wrong with him? Was it because we moved schools? Was it because I went to nursing school? I felt a lot of guilt, and at that very moment I decided that I needed to do something. And I did.

I ordered home school materials and talked to all my friends. In just a few weeks of working with him, he improved so much! I won't lie and say that it was easy (for me) but, I CAN do this, I WILL do this, for my kids. Ethan is now reading chapter books and testing two grade levels higher in math (at times I feel like he is teaching me math…LOL!).

I’m not sure if the one-to-one instruction is just what he needed or if he is not getting the help that he needs at school but, whatever it is....it's working. 

I have enjoyed our teaching times and am considering to home school all the kids next year.  It will be a challenge but, I am looking forward to it. 

Big House......Clean House

I was always one of those people that said "the bigger the house, the more to clean" but, I was wrong.
A year and a half ago, our family moved, again. I never would have imagined having a 3,000+ square foot house for half the price of what we sold our 1,700sf, 15 year old fixer upper in Fla. so, six years ago, we jumped at the opportunity to get the biggest house we could find. HUGE mistake.
So, we moved……but, somehow I managed to gain two extra bathrooms, an extra bedroom, and an enormous yard. Although, the neighborhood, schools, yard, and front porch was just what we were looking for, one problem still remained…..How am I going to keep this house clean?
While I love the idea of a clean house, I’d rather spend the day sewing, chatting on Facebook or searching Pinterst than start cleaning my bathrooms……all five of them!
So, how did I do it???

I made myself a schedule.....Daily, Weekly, and Monthly.

Daily:
Morning:
Laundry
Make beds
Dishes
Vacuum

Evening:
Wipe down counters/toilets in bathrooms
Dishes/Counters/Kitchen table/Stove
Vacuum/sweep & mop floors
Put away toys, mail, etc.
Dining room table cleared and cleaned

Weekly (i try to spend less than an hour on these)
Monday: living room/play room clean and dust
Tuesday: run errands/grocery shopping, de clutter pantry
Wednesday: Kitchen: clean oven, microwave, fridge
Thursday: clean bathrooms/ showers/bedrooms/closets
Fridays: Catch up on any chores not done
Saturday: Clean out purse and car/plan my coupon and grocery lists

Monthly:
Dust blinds
Wash windows
Yard work
Baseboards
Reorganize closets

I am somewhat of a natural housekeeper anyway, but I have three active children and a nursing career, and I refuse to spend my days cleaning. There are lots of great advice out there and I was determined to be one of those moms that could keep a clean house in less than an hour a day. I’ve read books and taken suggestions from Pinterest to get myself to a happy medium and decided to see how much I could get done in 60 min. It was a struggle in the beginning. I was so happy today, to be getting it done before the timer went off.
I do have to give credit where credit is due: I say a prayer daily to keep me focused on being a good mom and housekeeper. And I can’t do it without the constant help from my wonderful husband and children for helping me daily by picking up after themselves.

Truly A Pampered Chef

Today has sure been a rough one! I don't understand why Thursdays have to be so crazy. Yes, all the kids have overlapping soccer practice on Thursday evenings but between two parents, we can sure juggle it. Somehow Thursdays have become my domesticated day as well. The whole house needs to be spotless and all the laundry needs to be washed and folded. I have to have the kids packed for practice and all uniforms for Saturday games have to be clean and ready to go. I sure need a little help on Thurdays and am not afraid to admit it.

Now with that being said, I want to share this great recipe that the pampered chef has introduced me to. I bought the deep dish baker last year and my family has had many meals prepared by this awesome stone baking dish. It works like a crock pot but you can use it in the microwave and have home cooked meals in less than half an hour, including prep time. I love it!!!!

It’s the Easy Tortellini Toss made with cheese tortellini, spinach, and ham. Yes, spinach!!!! And my kids always ask for seconds. Tonights Thursday dinner was delicious, fast, and not picked up from a drive thru window. It's the little things on Thursday evenings that really help!!!

Super(mom)stitions

So, it's Friday the 13th and it feels like any other day.
I laugh at the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. In fact, I open umbrellas indoors, walk under ladders, and occasionally I break a mirror. See, I'm not superstitious at all!
But then I got to thinking(which usually spells trouble)and realized that if I'm brutally honest with myself, I do have some superstitions of my own.
The bed has to be made before I get in it or I won’t be able to sleep. Makes sense, right?

My kids clothes have to be put away neatly or we will run late. That’s a given. I must change the toilet paper roll or before it gets completely empty or the next person (????) will not be able to change it. And my VERY favorite.....if you ignore the problem, it will NOT go away.
Happy Friday the 13th everyone =)

Losing Time

The kids are in full swing at school and I already feel like we just re-boarded the runaway freight train we hopped off at the end of the last school year.
I usually get a week or so out of the new year before I feel like that.
What can I do to get on track again?
I think I just need to get into a routine again and out of some bad evening habits.
That routine will probably involve me actually folding and putting away laundry more than once a month.
And, dinner. Turns out the kids, indeed, require dinner every night.
Hmmm, just trying to figure out how to get on top of things before the school year gets too far underway.
It's going to take a few days of getting some things organized and a couple of evenings of making out our daily schedules, and I'll be good to go.
Hey, then I can also use that spare time to catch up on some of my favorite tv shows, organize my photos and scrapbook or just simply get some more sleep.

I've Got A Plan

So, I sat down to plan out the week's menu and "to dos" for every day of the week, trying to get back to a normal schedule. With Fall activities starting, homework, and holidays: time gets away.
Although, I manage to meet all my deadlines, go to every kids practice, help the kids with their homework, run my errands, and have a home cooked meals together as a family..... I can’t seem to understand how some things STILL never get done. How does that make any sense?
My solution: schedule everything!
How crazy does that sound? But it works. At least for me. A typical page in my calendar holds a spot for lunch because sometimes I get so involved in all my chaos that things get over looked.
It's already August, my kids are in school, and soon…..the weather will be cooling down and I need to start thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas-
Oh. My. Gosh. This year is not going to be CRAZY after all!!!