Posted in FLYING and HGP

I seriously hope that my thoughts on ZONING help you but in order for it to work you have to take it and make it your own by going through your own house.  Here are the steps on how to do this: 

You will need to first list all your rooms that need to be cleaned along with closets and I added my fridge and freezer to the mix.  I labeled them the same way FlyLady did in the similar zone so that when FlyLady reminds us that we are in Zone "whatever" I can go look at my list and see what needs to be done.

Next you will need to figure out what tasks need to be done in each room.  This will take some time to figure out what exactly needs to be done -- some rooms you will just need to list while you actually super clean it so you know what needs to be done and some rooms might take a few months before you see the zone work.  Thats okay you just keep adding to your list (In other words this is an on-going process as you see fit and you can change this list as life changes). 

I also have to tell you that my dks LOVE this check off.  Before I sat and figured this out, they would have to come to my brain to figure out what needed to be done.  They hated WHB because it never seemed like everything on "mom's brain list" was done -- why? because I was trying to do it ALL every Monday.  This way my boys look at the list and they divide and conquer AND they now know that what is on the list is ALL that they have to do to call it DONE.  I like it because I know that eventually everything that "I" think needs to be done will eventually get done and I don't have to keep it all in my brain.

I hope this helps even just ONE person because it was such a "ah ha moment" for me that I just had to share.

Now the problem will be to DO what is on the list but that is a post for another time -- LOL yeah like I know how to fix that HA!

© Copyright 2008 Jacque Ward http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/wacque/

Posted in FLYING and HGP

After being a FlyBaby for almost 8 years, I think I have finally figured out why Zoning hasn't worked for me.  Now don't get me wrong, FlyLady has a good plan and I think that if you are as lost as we SHE's tend to get, then doing ANY kind of plan is gonna help.  But I just had an epiphany as to why Zoning wasn't working for me so I thought I would share.

1st-- Zoning doesn't work if you have clutter.  I knew that but somehow I just thought I could skip that step.  It is SOOOOO much easier to dust a shelf if you have a shelf that isn't stacked to the ceiling with books and such --- ask me how I know that one!  So with that in mind, you really can't do Zone work until you elimate the clutter and you shouldn't even really try.  Do 27 fling boogies until you can find a Zone.

2nd--- FlyLady's zoning plan didn't fit MY house or MY plan.  I would get sooooo frustrated because I personally don't need to "puppy mop" my floors daily but I had Mt. Washmore competing with Mt. Everest.  It seemed like I "just" wiped down my counters (because a child had spilt juice) but my microwave was starting to smell from the cooked on gunk AND FlyLady never cleaned my schoolroom!!!  You get the point.  I needed to make my zoning plan one that works for me and my house.

So here is what I did:

1st - I listed all the areas of MY house INCLUDING THE CLOSETS and I plugged those areas into FlyLadies general Zone plan:

Zone 1: Entrance, porch & dining room (added front coat closet & dining room hutch)

Zone 2: Kitchen (added Pantry closet, freezer and refrigerator)

Zone 3: Bathroom & extra room (added Laundry room, utility closet, & linen closet)

Zone 4: Master Bedroom (added master bath and master closet)

Zone 5: Living Room (rotated boys bedrooms and their closets)

2nd -- After doing this I realized that this is a monthly plan but that Zone 1 doesn't need to be done on such an often basis soooooo I made Zone 2 my tasks to do on the 1st week of every month, Zone 3 on the 2nd week and so on.  Zone 1 will only be done on the months that have 5 weeks.  (I hope that wasn't confusing).  So my monthly zones look like this:

Week 1: Zone 2 - Kitchen, pantry, fridge & freezer

Week 2: Zone 3 - Main bath area & Laundry room, linen and utility closet

Week 3: Zone 4 - Master Bedroom, bath and closet

Week 4:  Zone 5 - Livingroom and rotating bedrooms

Week 5: Zone 1 - Porch, entrance, front closet, dining area

3rd -- Then I took each room and divided up the tasks that need to be done in a table To give you an idea here is a portion of the form I created:

KITCHEN

DAILY	WEEKLY	MONTHLY	BI-ANNUALLY	YEARLY	FUTURE
shine sink
SMILE!

 

Daily Chores are just a given-- shine sink, make bed....

Weekly chores become your Weekly Home Blessing

Monthly chores are you Zone work for the week you are in that room/area.

Bi-Annually & Yearly chores are what you could do during FlyLadies Fling Boogies or HGP Spring & Fall cleanup times.  I also added Garage Boogies to my yearly chores with front and backyard work.  Those will need special times of the year to be done but when it comes time to work all, that has to be done is listed on this.

Future is a list of things you need $ for and to plan for; almost like a Honey Do List (this list is quite helpful for me in that I get overwhelmed thinking about all the things that NEED to be done but have to wait.  By putting these "waiting" chores on the list, I can focus on what has to be done instead of seeing all the things that can't be done--- it helps to not discourage me.)

The idea is to make it work for YOU, your house and your situation. 

Now with this plan I quickly realized that I have too many bedrooms.  How I will solve that for the time being is to rotate those rooms so at least every 3rd month those rooms are getting full attention but my future plan is to divide up the tasks that need to be done in each room and then give those jobs to the children living in those rooms.  So they too will have a Flying Flinging Zone planner on how to clear out and clean their own rooms and hopefully I won't have much to do in those. 

The wonderful thing about starting this Master Flying Planner is that everyone can just check off a task.  If the week is up and the Zone isn't complete then there are no worries because the next month you just start crossing off where you left off and nothing gets neglicted.  When everything is checked off you start over. 

I'm sorry if this all seemed obvious to some of you but ZONING was never that obvious to me so I hope this helped someone. 

© Copyright 2008 Jacque Ward http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/wacque/

Posted in FLYING and HGP

   guess what????!!!!

Christmas is FINALLY put away!!!!!

Girlfriends pleeeeeease do not do this to yourselves and create "Stash & Dash" rooms or "Stash & Dash" messes.  It just isn't worth it.  It causes so much grief and heartache and headache ---

just don't do it!! LOL

Right after Christmas I was trying to do school plans and plan a New Years celebration while I should have been putting away Christmas.  I didn't want the kids to get upset that Christmas was coming down (they would leave it up year ‘round if I let them).  So while they were away spending the night at grandmas I did a little decorating for New Years and well -- remember New Years didn't turn out so great but that's a whole ‘nother story. 

Anyhow in my rush to get it all together, rather than put away Christmas, I threw it all in to this poor little room -- our temporary school area (yes, my kids were schooling at Christmas also a whole nother story).  I wanted school OUT of the living room during Christmas (& honestly "school" hardly fits in this room) but with wrapping paper and Christmas on top of it all it ended up looking like Santa and his reindeer had a hayday!

This picture doesn't even look as bad as it was.  I have something like 13 totes of Christmas ??what?? and I had littles digging in all of them and rearranging everything and ARRRGH!  so all of the totes had to be sorted -- down the hall which I just couldn't bear to take a picture of.  I have been working on this mess since New Years Day and FINALLY the room looks like this and all the totes are back away in the attic and I feel soooooo much better:

This room still needs some Flinging but for now it is good and we are hoping to rearrange, paint and fix all the boys bedrooms but for now I am happy.

So if ever you think "just for now, I'll put this here"

DON'T!!!! - ask me how I know LOL

Posted in FLYING and HGP

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Posted in FLYING and HGP

ARGHHHH!  How crazy can your families make you?  Tis the season to work at not making me jolly!!!

Let me start from the beginning.  Usually sometime the first weekend after Thanksgiving, I get together with my grandma, my mom and my sister to do Christmas cards together.  It is a bit crazy because my family are all scatterbrains but I'm used to them and just planning the thing helps me to get MY cards out.  I usually try to do something in the crock-pot or lasagna because I usually have to take the meal to grandmas.  Since it is my idea, I don't want her to have to do any work especially since she has usually overdone it for Thanksgiving. 

Well, this year that first weekend after Thanksgiving came and went.  Dh with his stomach flu just made me a little leery about going anywhere and I definitely didn't want to give that to my grandparents.  Well, this weekend has started and I thought I'd better get the gang together. 

First I call my sister because she is the really the only schedule that we have to work around.  She finished med school last summer and just started in a new office in the past month.  She says she'll get back with me.  In the mean time I call mom and grandma for a heads up so they don't plan to do something else and we get started talking about the "gift situation". 

Background:  Mom went through a difficult divorce over the summer and because of it she lost her job.  She is struggling financially and I think my grandparents are helping her financially and therefore they are struggling too, so gifts this year should really be out of the question.  Honestly, that is alright with me because I feel like we are stuffed to the gills with junk, the boys don't need more toys and more S.T.U.F.F. so I suggested that we draw names (knowing that it isn't Christmas for my materialistic family if we can't give gifts). 

Well, my sister gets wind of this and thinks that is a great idea but she wants to add her INLAWS (that I don't even know that live in another state) to the draw.  I nicely said that I didn't like that idea and she (the new doc making a ton of money a year who just bought not one but two new electric cars AND a new house AND flew to TN over Thanksgiving and has season hockey tickets) suggests that maybe we just not give presents this year because in her situation money is really tight!!!! (rolling eyes). 

I nicely, calmly, and trying not to judge, said that was okay with me and that I would have a talk with the boys about it so they will understand that this Christmas was going to be different.  But OH NO -- they didn't like that idea at all!!  "The kids have to have gifts!"   ARGH -- WHO SAID? and honestly what is that teaching them AND my boys aren't like that!!!! 

On one hand, I have the monstrous sized family saying they will NOT draw names and that they will not NOT give gifts and on the other end, I have my family not giving gifts yet still being materialistic with my boys.  Honestly, these are the things that can make a person soooooo insane at Christmastime.  This is just NOT what Christmas is about!!!  Sometimes living with unbelievers is just difficult! 

HA!  My family made me pinky promise that we wouldn't exchange presents (in past years grandma ALWAYS renege on her end when we have tried to make it easier on everybody) but they didn't make my boys pinky promise!!  Our gifts weren't much anyhow and they are mostly homemade.  I figure if they are giving my boys gifts, then my boys have to give a gift in return!  Seems only fair and HOPEFULLY it will help my boys to concentrate on the GIVING instead of the getting and taking the focus off the materialism that my side of the family likes to push. 

What makes me even crazier is that I already had all their gifts made and wrapped before they ever even started this conversation.  Who rightly decides these things 22 days before Christmas (see they are scatterbrains)?  You know when you have this many presents to buy or make, you have to get started early.  So if you hear about some crazy lady in the Looney tune farm that is singing Christmas carols at the top of her lungs in pig Latin, taking baths in eggnog and throwing gingerbread cookies at everyone you'll know it is me!!!  Oh and the Christmas card party, it is off too because everyone is just too busy to get together!   ARGH! 

Posted in FLYING and HGP

Jesus is the Hope of the World!

Tonight we had our first Advent Candle dinner of the season.  On the menu: 

Beef Burgundy with Mushrooms

Egg Noodles

Glazed Carrots

Dinner Rolls

Boston cream pie

My boys really enjoy the whole season but the one year that I didn't do the Candle dinners, that was what they told me they missed the most.  Of course, dessert every week, even if it is not homemade or it is from the freezer (shh! I cheated with the Boston cream pie) and eating at the dining room table with real napkins, real china & real glasses, makes it all the more special. 

I have combined a few sources from on-line, changed things from year-to-year and written portions myself of a little Advent service we do together.  The whole thing ends up sounding like a Litany but my kids really enjoy the readings, the Bible verses, the songs and the whole ceremony about it (Our church is not formal like this so it is a nice change for us to be so proper and regal).  I keep the service typed for each person with copies of the Christmas songs we will sing, in 3-pronged red or green folder that the kids have decorated.  It is really beautiful when we have lots of guests which we usually try to include but this year seems to have started despite the fact that we weren’t ready LOL.

We don't do the usual purple and pink candles because they just don't look Christmassy to me.  I made the mistake of letting dh bring home the candles this year and while he didn't do too bad, he sorta forgot that we use taper candles and that there are supposed to be one red, two green, one white, one gold and two silver.  Oh well!  It still looks beautiful and who knows, maybe these fat candles will last longer because by the end of Advent my tapers were usually down to just a stub of a wick to light by Christmas Eve and the Advent that I have written goes through New Years Day!

This is the first year that I went with a fake wreath though.  I usually pick evergreens and holly from our yard but they too, by the end of the season, look too much like a fire hazard so this year I decided to fork out three dollars at the Dollar Store (LOL – sometimes I am waaaay too cheap) and put one together that will last for years to come.  The kids were never too into making the wreath so it is one less stress that I will have to take care of for at least a few years.

My memory for this year though, will be of my oldest son playing all our songs on the piano.  What a blessing that was for me!  He has only been taking lessons since August and he has been so enthusiastic practicing and learning as many Christmas carols and hymns that he could.  I’ve always imagined singing carols around the piano at Christmas time but never for our Christmas Advent dinners.  He really made a mama proud but all my boys do. 

Posted in FLYING and HGP

Well dh finally brought the decorations down from the attic and put up the outside lights.  The kids were so excited and just loved helping dad.  I was a little stressed because I have been waiting for this since before Thanksgiving but in his defense he has had a little bout of stomach flu that has been going around and thankfully we haven't gotten it, so I will be thankful that the Christmas boxes are down and the lights are going up. 

The lights outside looked pretty.  We "acquired" some "new-to-us" cascade/icicle lights this year because our neighbor left a box of them outside with a sign that said FREE!  I was excited because I've always thought those lights were so pretty but they are NEVER around at the after-Christmas clearance sales and I haven't been able to justify spending money buying them when we have so many "gingerbread house" outdoor lights.  Well dh hung the cascades and we realized that there were whole sections of the lights that wouldn't light.   A little discouraged at first but dh replaced bulbs and they are good to go. 

However, I find this so sad!  Our generous neighbor has "new" cascade lights up.  I'm not judging and I can only guess that they went and bought some new lights but I don't know.  I just know that the ones up are new. 

When did our society get soooo wasteful and lazy that they can't even change a little bulb?  Okay, it was about 10 little bulbs but STILL!?  At times, I'm ashamed to say I live in America, that just throws away a (perfectly good) thing, to get new things.  Yes, I know this isn't really a Flylady philosophy (If you don't love it or don't use it then get rid of it) and I don't know the whole story on the FREE lights but really you see this attitude of "just toss it" everywhere.  I want to make perfectly clear that I AM REALLY GRATEFUL that at least the neighbor left his perfectly good stuff outside with a FREE sign that ended up blessing my family which is better than just tossing it into the trashcan but honestly, the stuff that people toss -- it is just sad.  

Maybe I'm just more disturbed because this year is going to be another tight Christmas.  I don't mind; I think that I am sorta getting used to doing things on a dime and I know that there are soooo many others that are worse off than my family.  We have even had years that were worse than this year so I really hope I don't sound like I am complaining about what G-d gives.  Sometimes I think that G-d shows me these sorts of injustices so that I will remember Who my Provider is and what He thinks is important.  Somehow too, I think He was reminding me of the true Reason for the Season which is all about the FREE Blessing He left for others AND to be a light (maybe a cascade light ).

Posted in FLYING and HGP

Can you tell it is another homemade Christmas at our house? LOL Actually it seems like every year we are in the same boat - too many presents we have to buy for and not enough money.  I have a fleshly struggle every year because in practical terms I think dh's family of 6 siblings, all married with children and some of their children have children, making it a grand total of 42 people, should draw names but every year they say, "NO" and I feel guilty because in all honesty there is always some little thing I can think of to do.  My problem is that after I have done 42 little things I am usually burnt out on Christmas and it hasn't even started.  The other problem is that making 42 little things still costs money and then there is nothing left for my boys and dh.  

Now don't take me wrong.  My boys celebrate and get loads of gifts - 42 EACH to be exact (& that doesn't include the 8 relatives on my side of the family or the gifts that they give to each other) - BUT (there usually isn't any from us) and here is where my flesh just boils - they are just presents under the tree (& too many at that).  They aren't what my boys were wishing or hoping for and my boys aren't materialistic (my oldest actually is asking for needed clothes this year because he has outgrown just about everything).  In all honesty, those 42 gifts are usually Dollar Store junk or they are broken before New Year's and it just makes me cringe at the time and energy and efforts that are wasted.  I try so hard to not be ungrateful (I get 42 gifts too - usually waaay too big) but this cycle just seems ludicrous and nobody can seem to stop the madness.  Every year I say we need to do something about it and every year I'm scrounging for some new thing that I haven't made before that is inexpensive like these IMHO jars of homemade soup. LOL

I found most of the recipes for these here and I don't like giving things I haven't tried first so we also got to eat a few days worth of soup so that was fun for the boys.  I "wallpapered" (glued) wrapping paper on to a cardboard drink holder and used recycled jars for the soup mixes so that saved a bit of money.  It is all in the presentation (yeah - yeah that's what I keep telling myself LOL).  In all, I think it turned out "souper" and the soup tasted pretty good too. 

Posted in FLYING and HGP

These were super easy to make and they look sooooo cute.  In hindsight, I probably should have crushed the graham crackers a bit more and then tried to layer them a little better but I think they are still really cute gifts for teachers, Sunday school volunteers, and the cousins will delight in getting them, making them and eating them.  The recipe is here and if you scroll down you will even find pre-made tags you can print.  How easy is that?

Posted in FLYING and HGP

The big push is on to finish up the last of the homemade Christmas presents.  I actually have most of my gifts done and wrapped but there are always those last few that pop up.  These Rice Bags are quick and easy to make and I think my sister will love them because they are in her favorite Fake Fur Leopard print.  I like to use rice instead of feed corn to fill them because the corn tends to smell like popcorn every time you heat it up.  Rice does have a little bit of a smell but it doesn't make you as hungry as the feed corn LOL.  I'm told you can fill them with cherry pits too but I just haven't found a place in town that sells these and is par for the course, Christmas is right around the corner so no time to order.  Rice will do LOL  There really isn't any rocket science directions on how to make them.  Just sew a little pillow in whatever fabric you like in whatever size you like.  We have used satin, velour, terrycloth and fur.  Then fill with rice and stitch the pillow closed.  They are warmed by heating in the microwave or they can be frozen and used cold.  My kids LOVE theirs warmed to put in cold bed sheets throughout the winter.  Dh loves his for backaches and stiff necks.  I love that they are easy, cheap and great for a last minute gift idea.

Posted in FLYING and HGP

The Christmas letter I wish I could send to family and friends this year:

It’s hard to watch the nightly news or become engaged in politics and not become part of the world. It’s pretty hard to buy clothes (that follow the dictates of fashion) and not be a part of the world.  And it’s pretty hard to keep the holidays of the world without becoming enmeshed in worldly things.

Well this holiday season our family doesn't want to focus on the worldly.  We don't want to do what the masses are doing.  We want to do things differently. 

Scripture says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world..."(1 John 2:15). It also says, "...Come out from among them, and be separate," saith the Lord" (2 Cor. 6:17). We believe that the Lord wants us to be separate and different from the rest of the world.

We want to do what pleases God and it has become increasingly evident that going into debt over gifts is not what He would like us to do.  The hustle and bustle and stress of the season is forgetting the reason we celebrate.  It feels like the whole world has forgotten that His one and only begotten Son was sent and freely given so we could have a relationship with Him.  It is His birthday and nobody wants to celebrate it with Him! 

Our family no longer wants to spend money buying things you don't want or take time making things you don't appreciate or doing things that do not reflect an appreciation toward His precious gift.  We do not want to be flippant with what He provides.  We no longer want to be like the world and so this year we will not be exchanging presents and would appreciate the same in return.  We will not be over indulging and gaining 10 lbs when others are starving.  We will not be rushing from our in-laws, to our outlaws and everyone in between, all on the same day while missing Christmas church services or the Sabbath because that is when you want to exchange gifts.  We won't be putting up a "Christmas" tree that reflects a pagan sect or describing Santa as a god.  We want to be devoted to the kingdom of God not to the world as king.

What we will be doing this holiday season is spending time together as a family making precious memories.  We will be honoring God by being good stewards of what He has given us and we will use any abundance to freely give to those who truly need it.  We will be using our time to give of ourselves to those who are hurt, lost and looking for a relationship.  But most importantly we will be keeping our eyes expectantly on His return while celebrating the day He came into the world to save us from our sins. 

You may be upset, angry or judgmental all you want but

"as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!"

Posted in FLYING and HGP

Okay!  Not to stress anybody out but......

 it is 100 days until Christmas!!!!!!!

So are you going to Fly this holiday season?  It is time to get moving.  Have you printed your Holiday Control Journal?  If not here is Flyladies:

http://www.flylady.net/images/HCJ2003.pdf

For me I like to start by daydreaming a bit on what I want THIS holiday to be like.  I think about what went well last year and what didn't work, what traditions I loved and what traditions urked me that I can tweek.  No matter what, I will bet that we all want to have a PEACEful Holiday soooooo lets make a bit of effort to work on that from now until the season is here.

If you have already determined some of your goals then sit down with your dh and your bank account, and set a budget for what you will spend this season. 

I will try to post holiday suggestions you can make.  My goal is to be ready for the season by November 22 which is Thanksgiving here in the US so that I can just enjoy the entire month of Decemeber as family time with my kids making memories.

So HO HO HO and off we go!

Posted in FLYING and HGP

Ever had one of THOSE days?  Argh!  I had errands to run this morning and places to be and my boys just dragged their feet.  They didn't do anything I asked and consequentially we missed one place all together and we were so late to another that truly there was no point in going.  I was so "hornet mad" that I decided that a working consequence was in order when we got back home.  They were to remove the 4 rotten railroad ties that are bordering our yard and need to be replaced with bricks.  Yep!  It was hot!  Yep!  All their friends were out riding bikes!  Yep!  It took almost all day!  Yep!  I think my boys will think twice about obeying me or I just may find another working consequence. 

Are you a mean mom too?  LOL 

Here is what was accomplished: 

Posted in FLYING and HGP

We just experienced our first camping excursion and we had a wonderful time.  We made some great family memories.  Of course I missed y'all but the funny thing is when you change your scenery and your surroundings, then somehow you forget about the computer, the emails, the blogs, the carpet that needs replaced and the endless tasks that need to be done around the house.  Time just tends to slow down even though you still have all the same responsibilities; everything seems slower and more peaceful.  I gained a newfound sense of appreciation for cleaning my shiny sink, making my bed and doing my swish & wipe toilet - lol.  It is funny what you miss and tend to take for granted until you have to heat the water before "shining the sink", "making the bed" means blowing up the once again flat air mattress and you know the ease of the "natural" loo –LOL. 

But really I enjoyed our short trip and wondered what made life more bearable out in the woods that we weren't doing at home because it definitely wasn't easier.  I mean honestly – we didn't argue, the kids didn't bicker, we enjoyed the tasks that had to be done and even liked the burnt "experiments" dad cooked on the campfire.  As we drove home, completely sleep deprived, I thought about how I could continue this appreciation for doing the tasks in my home and for keeping the harmony in my family. 

I think for me it is to relax a bit and not get soooo caught up on the specifics.  In the woods if we forgot something, we just made do.  If something didn't turn out right, we just shrugged our shoulders and moved on.  We had more of a "lets see what is over THAT hill" attitude.  We were waiting and looking for the next surprise God had in store for us.  Everything seemed like an adventure and I guess it was, especially in the eyes of a 6 year old who had never seen an inchworm.  I have decided that here at home, I need to ease up a bit in being "General Mom".  I realized that I do have good kids who have amazing imaginations and they just need to be allowed to "do" things their own way.  Yes, they need supervised and trained but I think in my house, I was getting too particular in the details and not looking or waiting for the surprises that my kids and dh can offer. 

I'm ready for our next adventure – how about you?  Are you looking for God's surprises?  Are you waiting to see what is over HIS next hill?  If not, it is time to ease up and relax just a bit and enjoy the scenery and surroundings in your own home.

Posted in FLYING and HGP

These past weeks as I have gone through each of the areas of my house to de-clutter, I have learned something about myself.  You see I come from a long line of "keepers".

My Great-Grandma was a "keeper" in a time where you used everything.  She could turn the littlest of nothing into a whole lot of something.  She didn't have much but what she did have she always seemed to make last a long time and nothing went to waste.  Old clothes were turned into quilts, flour sacks were made into dresses and yet she always had plenty and was never lacking.

My Grandma grew up in the depression era where you kept EVERYTHING because you might need it.  Consequently broken lamps, spare parts, chipped dishes and window frames grace her rafters.  She has things that she doesn't even know what they are for.  She is a "keeper" of all the things that the world might need -LOL.

My mother was a single mom who couldn't afford much after paying for us kids.  Things were kept because she never knew when another might come along and of course you would save the good stuff for ONLY the good times.

Where does that leave me?  Well, I keep because:

j I could use it for something else.

k I might need it someday.

l I might not be able to afford another.

And then I end up feeling like a stuffed tomato which is just ludicrous.  At one point, I even considered that these were the thoughts of a good steward but in reality it isn't.

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.  Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.  You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  James 5:1-3

In approximately 20 years what you have now will be rotten, useless and not working – maybe even sooner.  The world will tell you it is out of style, you won't be able to fix it and it isn't good enough.  Yet, I doubt that God will stop providing and too much stuff really just distracts from our service to Him.

This past month I would have rather spent my time doing something fun with PEOPLE instead of de-cluttering and hanging out with useless THINGS.  I need to catch myself when I think, "Oh!  I could use this for….  I should save it."  These are just the thoughts that the enemy wants to use to choke me, suffocate me and drown me in my S.T.U.F.F. so that I no longer have time for His work, so that I am embarrassed to have people over and so that my "meek & quiet spirit" is gone and all I have is discontentedness.

But the biggest lesson that I have learned is that when we KEEP things that take all our energy, then we are no longer clinging to Him or trusting Him to provide.  He knows our future and when we doubt, we doubt Him.  Doubt only brings discontentment and opens the door for every un-captured thought to take over.

So what makes you content?  Our children need to see that.  What causes your satisfaction?  Our husbands need to see that.  Truly what makes you relax and enjoy your husband, your family and your life?  Why aren't you doing that today? 

Today, I will be doing what pleases my husband --  the DREADED Garage Sale Day is here (You must know that when I decide my S.T.U.F.F. must go it goes - I DO NOT throw a garage sale --- it goes to the nearest thrift shop).  My hope and prayer is that EVERYTHING goes.  My kids pray that we make a bit of money.  My husband hopes that it teaches our children how business and selling works.  Say a prayer for me and then go find something that SHOWS your contentment in this life that God has richly given you.

Posted in FLYING and HGP

Well, all good things must come to an end and it is now time to put things back in order from all our merrymaking.  Mind you, not that my house is a total wreck but it would be nice to find some place to sit .  You probably heard the whining at all ends of the globe when I asked my ds to help with the pick up.  We affectionately call it "Whale Moaning"  

When they were younger it was a little easier to coerces them into helping by playing Race Car Races where we would run around as fast as we could and put stuff away, of course sounding like a NASCAR track.  We were the race cars and it worked for a while but I'm not sure what happened - maybe they just got older because that game wasn't working anymore (even with the recent Cars movie and calling ourselves Lighting McQueen).

Well, I tried the Flylady way - setting the timer and trying to finish before it went off (even making up elaborate conditions of what would happen to the world if our house was sucked up by the gooey green goblin monsters if we didn't get it done). They didn't buy it, nor did the house get picked up . 

My most recent attempts has thus far done the trick.  A few days ago,  I calmly and quietly, called them to me and asked them to show me their hands.  I think they were expecting me to rant that a tornado had hit our house and that they were doomed for eternity to suffer the indignation of cleaning and scrubbing until their hands were raw and shriveled but I then asked them to place 2 things in their hands that were out of place and put them away. 

"Any two things?"

"What sort of things?"

"Can it be trash?"

"Do these two pencils count?"

"YES - any two things!  Look, see, I have already put away 2 things, uh 3 and now 4!  Yes, trash counts -5".

Well, I think the competitiveness got to them and they started calling out numbers of things that they were putting away and I didn't instigate anything, but just kept calling out numbers. I didn't even mind when they were counting each of the pine needles that had fallen off the Christmas tree onto the carpet.   They were running around looking and finding just as many things as they could put away and even came to me when they ran out of ideas to put away. It was a hoot and took all of 15 minutes for each of us to get our count into the hundreds and for our house to get straightened out.

Well today, my oldest ds looks around and says we need to play that "pick up game" again (woo hoo - he noticed the house needed it!!) however, I didn't really want to play and my middle ds didn't want to play at all. He ignores us and starts, joined by his little brother and the guilt sets in with me when they hit "17" so I start picking up too.  The three of us are going at it, now in the hundreds and from the bedroom out of the blue, we hear "ONE" from my middle ds who didn't want to play!  It was so hysterical we all just cracked up and he caught up to the rest of us in no time flat. 

Just thought I'd share what is working for us at the moment.
PS The boys taught dad how to play the game this evening.  DH didn't want  to play but ended up having fun too.

Posted in FLYING and HGP

62 Days till Christmas

Today I completed making two puzzle mats.  A puzzle mat is great item that makes it easier to move and store a puzzle that is in the works of being completed.  The full directions can be found at Organized Christmas.  These are super easy and very quick to make:

The velcro straps that I am using I found at the fabric store:

And here is a close-up of how the ends of the rolls are finished.  I'm not super crazy about how the ends of the roll look but I haven't thought of anything better so I will go with this. 

These along with a new puzzle are going to make very nice and inexpensive gifts. 

The puzzle pieces actually do stay nicely rolled up inside the felt so you can easily

move it out of the way to eat dinner at the table .     

Posted in FLYING and HGP

69 days until Christmas!

Every year I get these grandiose plans to start Christmas and have all my shopping and gift making DONE by the end of October but life just seems to get in the way.  Holiday Grand Plan helps if you like to get in there and deep clean but sidetracked girls like me just end up making a bigger mess.  Flylady's Holiday Plan and Organized Christmas are good too, but neither of them give me enough time if I am making most of my gifts.  I fall somewhere in between and I am still making my own Grand Plan.  I have started earlier this year with some things already done so I'm hopeful that this Christmas I can spend the month of December making holiday memories with my boys instead of holiday chaos.  

Caleb's Country Corner