Happy Birthday Papa

Happy Birthday Papa!

I thank God for giving me a sweet and loving Papa. Today is his birthday and he means so much to me. Papa, you are such an amazing and special person and no one/nothing in this world will replace my Papa. Your fun and loving nature brings me fond memories and happiness into my heart. You’ve made me so proud that you were willing to share your life lessons with us. I pray God will bless you with many more years! I'm sending tight hugs and kisses on your cheeks.

I have a little treasure box that I have stored my precious belongings in since I was a little girl. One of these treasures is this picture of my Papa. I don’t know when it was taken but I think it was given to me when I was just a baby. (Mom or Papa, maybe you could leave a comment on here to let us know when the photo was taken?) I love the note he wrote to me on the back of the photo. You know he really hasn’t changed all that much in the 30 or so years that I’ve had this photo! Papa really does follow his own advice in “thinking young”. Happy birthday to you ~my ever-loving Papa. May God bless you always!

Morning/Evening Routine

As promised, in last Monday’s post, I am sharing my morning and evening routine. I learned this from the Fly Lady and tweaked it to suite my needs. Hope this helps someone...anyone.
Morning Routine
Rise & Shine
Shower and dress
Fix hair and face
Swish & Swipe (see Fly Lady)
Make bed
Leave the bedroom with a load of laundry in hand and go straight to the washer.
Monday ~ Whites & Girls laundry
Tuesday ~ Lights & Darks
Wednesday ~ Towels & Sheets
Thursday ~ Jeans
Friday ~ Matt’s Uniforms
Kitchen
Empty the dishwasher
Start breakfast
Sweep laundry room
Girls Bathroom
Clean sink & wipe off toilet
Replace towels & washcloths

Evening Routine
Clean up the house before you go to bed and you will have a fresh start in the morning!

Kitchen & Dining
Clear & wipe off table
Wash dishes & shine sink
Clear & wipe off counters
Wipe off any spills on stove
Lay out clean dishcloths and dishtowels
Run the dishwasher
Sweep floor
Take out trash
Start coffee
Clear hotspots
Living Room
Pick up and put away magazines, dishes, toys, clothes, and shoes.
Prep Kids for bed
Assist girls with bedroom pick up
Bath/Jammies/Brush Teeth/Potty
Bedtime stories

Think about tomorrow before you go to bed.
Check calendar for appointments
Start To Do list for tomorrow
Preschool prep for next day
Lay out your clothes for tomorrow

If tomorrow is “errands” day
Gather up items that you do not want to forget and place them in a spot by the door.
Extra time?
Read
Scrapbook
Read favorite blogs

Ok- We’re off to Story Time at the Library! Have a beautiful day!

Whacked

This is my tribute to my "scrappy" friend, Ginger, who is bravely battling breast cancer and to all who suffer from hair loss. Yesterday I whacked off 11-½ inches of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. I wanted to update my hairstyle but I also wanted to bless someone with no chance of growing her own hair. I always thought my hair would go to a little girl or young teen with cancer but after reading and weeding through lots of information (good and bad) I learned that more often the hair goes to burn victims or children with diseases such, as autoimmune skin diseases, that won’t allow hair to ever grow back. If my hair will help better a child's life it is the least I can do.

Before

After

I love ya Ginger and I'm praying for you! Can't wait to scrapbook with you soon.

PS. Another great organization that assists hair-loss "patients" of all ages is called Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

A Chinobilly's General Daily Schedule

So did you enjoy the peak into my world of lists and routines or did I send you running for the next county with your tail between your legs? For those of you who are still reading this…thank you AND here is the next sneaky peaky into my world.
It’s a schedule, yes a schedule.
THIS is how I get that list of cleaning tasks done while still spending time with the kiddos. I find that our home is a more peaceful, relaxed environment when all of us follow a routine.
By the way, Renee Swope had a great post on her blog this morning, called Becoming the Mom I Always wanted to Be, that really puts it all into perspective. Please take a minute to visit her blog.

A Chinobilly's General Daily Schedule

6:30 AM Rise & Shine Routine
7:00 AM Start laundry & morning kitchen routine...to be shared in another post
7:30 AM 8:00 AM Breakfast & Morning devotions with the kids
8:30 AM Help Kids get dressed/hair done/teeth brushed
9:00 AM Daily cleaning chores (Kids have free play time or help mom with chores)
10:00 AM Snack time
10:30 AM Preschool
11:30 AM Lunch Prep
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM Outside Play or Free Play inside if weather is bad
1:30 PM Finish Cleaning chores/bible study/blog/scrap/read/relax (Kids Nap ~ thank you Jesus!)
3:30 PM Snack
4:00 PM Play with Kids/finish any preschool/crafts
5:00 PM Dinner Prep (kids like to help)
5:30 PM Dinner
6:00 PM Begin Evening Kitchen Routine...to be shared in a later post (Kids Free Play)
6:30 PM Assist kids with their Cleanup chores
7:00 PM Prep Kids for bed
8:00 PM Put kids to bed/Finish evening chores/preschool prep/make to-do-list for next day
10:00 PM Bedtime
I want to clarify again that I don’t always get it right. I often fall into bed at night with my head spinning and asking myself, “Where did I go wrong today?” Like Renee I often find myself feeling like the kids are an interruption to my day. "It really helps me to think back to what life was like without them. That jolts my memory; making me thankful God gave them to me." What an amazing “interruption”. I am very aware of the fact that my children will only be little for a very very short season. And in comparison to the lists of tasks I have just shared with you my commitment to be a Godly wife and mother stands far above them all.
Enjoy!

Pooped Out

Abby and Bree played outside for about an hour on Monday. They must have played REALLY hard because I found Bree "pooped out" on the potty after lunch. It's sort of hard to tell from the pictures but yes she is asleep on the potty (I didn't want to startle the poor girl). Now that is multitasking!

Christmas Pictures

Here is a quick page I did this evening. I hope to get more Christmas photos posted soon.

Nighty-night

Resolution # 39,776,849,872,663,655

One of my goals this year is to manage my home more efficiently. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to be organized. It makes life a bit less stressful for me. So I decided my first step should be to reevaluate my daily routine as well as the kid’s routine. Ever since potty boot camp life sort of spun out of control and routine flew out the window.

Oh how I miss you routine, please come back, save me from insanity!

Below is the cleaning routine I have used for years and it works well for me. I plan on doing a little tweaking so that it fits into our daily routine a bit better now that we have children so “stay tuned” for an updated model. A quick Internet search will give you oh about a bazillion routines if you are looking for one. A website I have particularly enjoyed since discovering it this summer is Fly Lady. I will warn you there is a-l-o-t of information so go slow and don’t get overwhelmed. She talks about creating new habits and getting rid of the old negative voices we all hear in our heads. January’s habit is shining your sink, which is step one of her “program”. Try it you’ll be amazed.

My Schedule for Cleaning Tasks

I. Daily
A. Kitchen & Dining
1. Clear & wipe off table
2. Wash dishes & clean sink
3. Clear & wipe off counters
4. Wipe off any spills on stove
5. Sweep floor
6. Take out trash

B. Bathroom
1. Clean sink & wipe off toilet
2. Replace towels & washcloths

C. Bedroom
1. Make bed
2. Tidy up

D. Living Room
1. Tidy up

II. Weekly
A. Kitchen & Dining (Monday)
1. Clean refrigerator inside & out
2. Thoroughly wash range
3. Dust
4. Mop
5. Wipe out oven

B. Bathrooms (Tuesday)
1. Clean toilet bowl
2. Wash mirror
3. Mop
4. Launder bath mat & rug

C. Bedrooms (Wednesday)
1. Change sheets
2. Dust
3. Vacuum

D. Living Room (Thursday)
1. Dust
2. Vacuum
3. Clean Windows

E. Laundry Room (Saturday)
1. Sweep
2. Mop
3. Wash down washer/dryer/counter top

Disclaimer:
There is another blog I read and have read ever since I discovered the blog world. The woman is a SAHM, she home schools, makes her own bread, buttermilk, yogurt, and some kind of bizarre mushroom tea. She's read the Bible 18+ times; she works out for at least an hour every day. She makes everything from scratch, her house is immaculate, her children are brilliant. She loves her husband and children always and is never in an ill mood. She has JOY, darn it. What's the point of being in a bad mood? It doesn't help anyway.You get the picture? The very rosy picture?

For far longer than I'd like to admit, I’ve compared myself to this blogger and many other people in my life and held myself to ridiculous standards. One day, though, for whatever reason, it dawned on me: no one's life is that perfect. Blogging, for better or for worse, enables you to censor your life. Or, make it up entirely, for that matter. If I wanted to, I could make my life out to be peaches and cream. But whom would I be benefiting?

I don't delude myself into believing that I have dozens of readers who hang on my every word, nor do I fancy that anyone looks up to or aspires to be like me. But at the same time, I also know how very easy it is to read someones blog and think to yourself, "If she can do all that, why can't I?" I never want anyone to leave here feeling guilty or inadequate because of something I wrote.

So, in the interest of being open and honest, let me clear the air:

I keep a generally tidy, well-organized house.....but yesterday my bed didn't get made until after supper.

I love to cook homemade meals from scratch for my family....but some nights I'm lazy and serve frozen junk prepared in the microwave.

I love my children very much and wouldn't trade them for the world....but there are some days when I say, "I'm going to sell you to the gypsies!" and almost mean it.

I love my husband more than anything or anyone on earth....but if I have to hang up his jacket that he flung on the chair one more time, I'm going to strangle him with it.

I consider myself a basically happy person....but there are days when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

Getting the idea? That's me. The real me. For better or for worse, I'm only human.

My bathtub is dirty, I may never home school the twins, I buy bread most of the time, I snap at my husband, and I yell at my kids. And right now I should be doing my dishes instead of blogging. I'm never going to be Super Mom or Super Wife and it's silly to try. I'm doing the best I can, with what the Lord has blessed me with. That's all I, or any of us, can do.
So that my friends is my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

I’m off to shine my sink! I hope you enjoy a little peak into my world of lists and routines.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that everyone is healthy and well. It’s 10:59 on New Year’s Night, and here I sit in my bathrobe with droopy eyelids. Dang I feel so old. But I just had to post on New Years Day since one of my resolutions was to complete the “redecoration” of my blog and actually post something. Aren’t resolutions the pits sometimes? Failure I say, I set myself up for failure! But not this year. No siree.
Each year when I sit to write my resolutions, I am always trying to think of what I can do to become a better person. Whether it be to eat healthier, spend more time with family, become more organized, be a better friend, share the gospel with a neighbor, etc. my goals are always to become a better person.
So do ya like my catchy (maybe a bit corny) phrase, "Let your light shine in 2009!”? Everybody now…This little light of mine…I’m gonna let it shine…Sorry that was the eggnog talking…burp…it’s late…I’m gitty…
Anyway, hopefully it will remind each of us that this is the year to shine, to be that city on a hill that cannot be hidden. We are going to become better people. Imagine, if every single person on the earth actually tried to become a better person, and followed through with it, wouldn't this world be such a lovelier place to live?
I hope as you think about what you can do to better yourself, that you take a look around you and realize that the things you do will make the world a better place. 2009 is the year to let your light shine!!!
Have a wonderful, fabulous, blessed 2009.
Love,
Jenn

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to share this prayer with you. I found it in an Our Daily Bread devotional years ago and saved it in my calendar so I remember to read it every New Year's Day.

"Father we surrender this past year and give it up to You. We give You our failures, our regrets, and our disappointments, for we have no more use for them. Make us now a new people, forgetting what lies behind and pressing on toward that which lies ahead of us. We give You all our hopes and dreams for the future . Purify them by Your Spirit so that our wills shall truly reflect Your will for us. As we stand on the threshold of another year, encourage us by our successes of the past, challenge us by the power of Your Word, and guide us by the presence of Your Holy Spirit."

Amen,
and
Amen!