Momma Must-Haves!

I've been formulating this list for quite a while, and I'll have to update it often. :)

Here are some things I find utterly indispensable as a mother:

A handheld shower with a hose! If your kids do something disgusting to themselves, or are sick.... this is such help to "hose them down" with nice, soothing warm water. It's also nice for us moms when we want to thoroughly wash our hair quickly, or when we're cleaning the tub!





Secondly, I love my Amazon Prime membership! Tons of free movies, free shipping on select items, and lots of other benefits. Saves me tons on products I need, AND I get them delivered to my door in 2 days! No running around the store with my kids and forgetting what I went for in the first place. :)

Another thing I've found helpful is a good quality food processor. If you have kids, you know the price of healthy foods can be astronomical! I buy veggies in bulk from Costco, and then process them immediately upon arriving home (what I am not planning on using right away). Sliced, shredded, bagged and frozen, it makes everything so easy when making meals! I also pre-bag "convenience" meals to slap into the crock pot on busy days. A little planning makes a lot of difference! I also made all of my own baby food, and now my kiddos are EXCELLENT eaters!

My last tip for today will be the Little Green Machine. Singlehandedly, the smartest investment I've made in my carpets and upholstery! It can clean car carpets, spills on the floor in your home, and scrub spots on your couches to perfection. SO worth the price! Just ONE trip out from the pros will cost you more than this little machine, and it fits nicely in a closet next to your vacuum!

What tips do you have to share?

The Secret

So often people ask me what "my secret" is. Those who know me well already know the "secret", but they may not realize it.

How do I do everything that I do?

Answer: my house is almost never "clean". I spend too much time cleaning up things like this....

Oops! That's what I get for folding laundry downstairs!

There are two reasons for this. 1. If I *did* keep the house sparkling, I'd freak out that much more when the boys messed it up. 2. It takes two days to clean one days' worth of the mess my boys can make. Example above.

Just to clarify - I don't live in a pit of germs and old food and disgusting-ness. It's just not *sparkly* the way I'd want it to be. Being a little obsessive/compulsive about tidiness isn't helpful, because in my mind I'm constantly tearing apart all the ways in my mind that my home could be more beautiful, but it's been a profound lesson in patience and looking beyond my current circumstances.

The outdoor dirt festival.

One day, I thought to myself, "I wish the boys weren't here so that I could have a clean house for once!!!" But then, I really gave this thought a once-over, and I realized how LONELY a sparkling clean, EMPTY house could be. If it always stayed clean, there wouldn't be any morning snuggles, play dough playtimes, crafts with 20 google eyes glued to them, or adorable little "chefs" stirring the brownie mix and accidentally splattering some on the wall. To me, I'll take the mess if it means I get three precious sons in return.

The three little explorers.

So, today - instead of sending them off to preschool on spring break so I could begin day one of spring cleaning, I kept them home and played with them all morning. We learned all about gardens, how seeds grow, the differences between veggies and flowers, rode bikes and read stories. I have about three loads of laundry and some dishes sitting idle, but I can get to those during nap time.

After all, chores don't grow up and leave you behind, they're ALWAYS there.

A commitment to un-plug.

My biggest New Year's resolution is to un-plug myself from social networking and actually get out more. Shocking, YES!

In the last month, I've limited myself to an hour of "fun internet" a day. By the end of February, I want to reduce it to 15 minutes (Except Netflix, which I hope to see at least a movie a week! I'm not a saint! LOL).

After spending two years nearly completely house-bound, I'm getting cabin fever in the worst way. I love being home with my children, but I love coming home to it after a fun-filled day even MORE. This involves several sacrifices on my part, some of my sanity, a little extra cash and some steely courage included on that list. But, after going to the gym a couple of days per week (THANK YOU UNLIMITED CHILDCARE CARD!!!), I am feeling more and more capable of managing my kiddos out of my house. Small steps.

Instead of just "surviving" my days, I've started really enjoying time with my kids more. Spending time with them actually "WITH" them. Singing silly songs, dancing, telling pirate stories, building awesome lego castles... even just sitting with them on my lap on the floor. Anything that makes them smile seems like a good idea to me. I've noticed a lot of improvement in their attitudes and behavior. Their diet is healthy and natural, and I've been introducing even more veggies and fresh foods, which has also improved their moods and leveled out their blood sugar (resulting in less crazy/crash behavior). The reduction of sugar has been the biggest change for us, and that has helped me out a lot in managing their boy behavior.

Reducing the clutter in my home has been one of the biggest life changes propelling me, as well. I've been going closet-to-closet, room-to-room in an effort to streamline my daily living. I've gotten a large pile into the garage to take to charities and friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing THAT disappear! I want a picture of the pile before I do, though - in an effort to remind me of what even a little time away from my necessary tasks can create. BIG MONSTER. It will be much more easily managed with less time online.

How much are you willing to un-plug? Do you feel that internet access can sometimes create a "reclusive" personality in those with a tendency to be shy? Do you feel it's affected our society negatively?

The 15 minute wallow.

I am a subscriber to this great website - Flylady.com. She is a genius! For those of us that grew up with hectic schedules, and for me personally, four brothers that perpetually destroyed the house, finding a firm routine is the best way to cut through the clutter and mess of life successfully. I thought she was limited to just cleaning.

NO!

She posted this great story about our emotional state, and I feel it's applicable for everyone.

ESPECIALLY SINGLE MOTHERS, AND ESPECIALLY ME!!! I have so much going on in my life that can turn negative, but with the right attitude, I can even turn THAT around. She sets a timer for how long she allows herself to WALLOW in her current misery. BRILLIANT! Feel it, experience the hurt, work through it and GET OVER IT!

I hope this helps y'all as much as it helped me. Of course, I incorporate God into the equation, too, and add "crying out to God" into my routine. After re-focusing on my priority, the Lord, my whole day turns around!

~Erin

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Dear Flylady...

...I've taken your 15 minute system and applied it to other things as well. The one that has really saved me is this.... when something happens and I'm feeling sad or blue about it - I set my timer for 15 minutes and really WALLOW. "Woe is me, how terrible" and I try to really get ridiculous in the self pity. Then my timer dings and I have to get the heck over it. So far I haven't made the full 15 minutes before laughing at how silly I'm being. Then I get up and go clean something for 15 minutes.

A good friend got some very bad news - her husband had had his hours reduced at work. She was really feeling sorry for herself and called me to complain. I set my timer and told her "Okay, you've got 15 minute to wallow and then you have to get over it" so we spent 15 minutes down in the dumps. The timer dinged and then I set it for 15 minutes again. We spent the next 15 minutes (and then some) coming up with a plan for her to make it through.

You really CAN do anything for 15 minutes!!!

Thank you for showing me how!

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