Wow. God granted me the energy to go full-steam for three days de-cluttering our house. I have sorted through every cabinet and drawer here! Then I totally crashed on Sunday, which was appropriate as it is supposed to be the Sabbath anyway. Husband was so happy with my hard work, he was pleased to let me relax and do as I pleased. Victory in many ways!
The kids and I went through each of their rooms together, and I am happy to say every drawer can now close, and some are even empty! The closets are pleasant to look at and they rediscovered toys they forgot about. We filled up multiple garbage bags and tubs to take to the thrift stores. In the process we really thought about our buying habits and what is really important to us. Anything we buy, we will have to take care of...will we really enjoy it, or will we end up having to sort through it and give it away? I don't think any of us wants to sort through anything in the near future! The fewer things we have, the simpler life is. We don't want to be hindered by our stuff. We want to be free to go where God leads us.
Sweet Will did have time to spend some money this weekend, and he made a good purchase. He loves to spend money as soon as he gets it, but we made him wait a week to really think about it this time. He decided to buy a watch. A good purchase, because now that we have gone through his room, we know he doesn't have one. There were so many things we had two or more of just because we didn't keep good track of our things.
Now on to the second battle--keeping things picked up! Everything has a place, now we just need to develop good habits. For instance, when you are done with something, put it away. Put your garbage into the trash can--yes, I actually do find it strewn about the house. This is something I just don't understand. The iAllowance app is up and running. More on that later this week. Today we clean--vacuum, dust, etc. Tomorrow the real battle begins.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Kid's chores and allowance
Ha. I just found this old post in my draft folder. How appropriate because today, I am declaring war against clutter and kids not taking care of their things. I have not raised children who would make it on their own as of yet. Ellie is now 12 and Will is 10, and I am still constantly picking up their things. I naively assume that if I tell them to not leave plates on the couch, they won't do that any more. How silly I am. So today it begins. They got a warning last night after I discovered the mailbox key was not put back in its place and is now missing. We will be going through their rooms and the house all day today. If something doesn't have a place, then we need to get rid of it because it means we have too much stuff. They are to use the chore lists on their iAllowance apps (which is a great app by the way) every morning and evening. Twice a day I will conduct a full house check-INCLUDING THEIR ROOMS! If their stuff is put away, and the chore list is complete, then they earn an extra quarter. If not, they owe me a quarter.
Ugh, I have to be consistent with this. We are going to do it for one month. Hopefully by then, new habits will be formed. We did do my first idea for a while, but then it fell to the wayside. This is my fault. I need to be diligent and follow through. I need to be strong and stop enabling my children's negative behavior.
Dear Father,
Please grant me a clear head, and a soft heart. May we get through this day efficiently and lovingly. Please give us eyes to see what we truly love and want to keep and what is just adding clutter to our lives. We love You and want to live for You. Please give me the wisdom and strength I need to raise responsible adults and not children.
In Jesus Name I Pray--Amen
ORIGINAL POST:
I recently read a quote that made perfect sense to me..."A parent's job is to raise adults, not children." It is a constant struggle, because they are kids. :) My husband and I want to teach our children how to manage money and how to take care of themselves when they leave the house. With my new focus on efficiency, I have put together a plan which implements allowance, chores and addressing negative behaviors.
Monday is a big chore day for me, so I was inspired to complete this list of chores for the kids. Once I think of something, I like to go for it immeadiately! :)
ALLOWANCE
Each DAILY task = 10 cents
Each WEEKLY task = 25 cents
ELLIE (10) AND WILL (7)
Daily
1. feed Kady (E) collect eggs (W)
2. feed Frank (E)
3. sort laundry
4. empty garbage cans
5. walk Kady and get the mail
6. unpack backpack/lunch box
7. complete homework
8. help make lunches
9. put laundry away
10. empty dishwasher
11. pick up stairs
12. help cook dinner
13. set the table
14. load dishwasher
15. sweep kitchen
16. Make dad’s coffee
17. Make dad’s lunch
18. nightly pick up
19. Read 20-30 minutes
WEEKLY
1. clean Frank’s cage (E) vacuum stairs (W)
2. clean chicken coop (E) clean windows (W)
3. pick up dog poop (E) pull weeds (W)
4. vacuum room (both)
Here's how we're going to work it:
Every two weeks, the kids get an empty mason jar. We have one jar filled with small marbles and 16 big marbles. Each time a daily task is completed, they get to add one small marble to their jar. When a weekly task is completed, they get to add a big marble to their jar. Here's the catch: if I have to pick up after them, or if they perform the negative behavior we are trying to eradicate, then I get to take a small marble from their jars and put it back into the big jar. On payday, we'll count up the marbles in the jars and convert them to money.
The goal is for the kids to do all 4 weekly chores and 40 daily chores. This equals 5.00. I suppose they'll have to do more to make up for the marbles they are bound to lose. We'll see how it works!
Ugh, I have to be consistent with this. We are going to do it for one month. Hopefully by then, new habits will be formed. We did do my first idea for a while, but then it fell to the wayside. This is my fault. I need to be diligent and follow through. I need to be strong and stop enabling my children's negative behavior.
Dear Father,
Please grant me a clear head, and a soft heart. May we get through this day efficiently and lovingly. Please give us eyes to see what we truly love and want to keep and what is just adding clutter to our lives. We love You and want to live for You. Please give me the wisdom and strength I need to raise responsible adults and not children.
In Jesus Name I Pray--Amen
ORIGINAL POST:
I recently read a quote that made perfect sense to me..."A parent's job is to raise adults, not children." It is a constant struggle, because they are kids. :) My husband and I want to teach our children how to manage money and how to take care of themselves when they leave the house. With my new focus on efficiency, I have put together a plan which implements allowance, chores and addressing negative behaviors.
Monday is a big chore day for me, so I was inspired to complete this list of chores for the kids. Once I think of something, I like to go for it immeadiately! :)
ALLOWANCE
Each DAILY task = 10 cents
Each WEEKLY task = 25 cents
ELLIE (10) AND WILL (7)
Daily
1. feed Kady (E) collect eggs (W)
2. feed Frank (E)
3. sort laundry
4. empty garbage cans
5. walk Kady and get the mail
6. unpack backpack/lunch box
7. complete homework
8. help make lunches
9. put laundry away
10. empty dishwasher
11. pick up stairs
12. help cook dinner
13. set the table
14. load dishwasher
15. sweep kitchen
16. Make dad’s coffee
17. Make dad’s lunch
18. nightly pick up
19. Read 20-30 minutes
WEEKLY
1. clean Frank’s cage (E) vacuum stairs (W)
2. clean chicken coop (E) clean windows (W)
3. pick up dog poop (E) pull weeds (W)
4. vacuum room (both)
Here's how we're going to work it:
Every two weeks, the kids get an empty mason jar. We have one jar filled with small marbles and 16 big marbles. Each time a daily task is completed, they get to add one small marble to their jar. When a weekly task is completed, they get to add a big marble to their jar. Here's the catch: if I have to pick up after them, or if they perform the negative behavior we are trying to eradicate, then I get to take a small marble from their jars and put it back into the big jar. On payday, we'll count up the marbles in the jars and convert them to money.
The goal is for the kids to do all 4 weekly chores and 40 daily chores. This equals 5.00. I suppose they'll have to do more to make up for the marbles they are bound to lose. We'll see how it works!
PS I got some ideas for the task list at http://totallytogetherjournal.com/chores-aka-but-thats-why-we-had-you/ .
Monday, June 23, 2014
Pray Sooner
Wow, what a morning! Hubby comes into our room this morning about six am. My head is covered up with my pillow in an attempt to muffle the hammering and drilling sounds coming from the roofers fixing our roof. "The rooster got out," he tells me. "He's behind the club house. Don't let Will go back there. You'll probably have to use the chicken stick." And off he goes to work. I keep my head covered for a few more hours. I am so thankful to have a hubby who wants me to have a job that let's me stay at home when the kids have vacation!
Rewind to six weeks ago...we picked up nine baby chicks and brought them home! We've had chickens before, so this is not new to us. We have been keeping them in the kid's clubhouse until last night when we moved seven of them into their chicken palace. Two of the nine are still living in the clubhouse due to the fact that they are ROOSTERS! Sad to say, one is already crowing and trying to dominate the ladies by pecking them. Well, apparently, when my sweet hubby went out to check the roosters this morning, one had had enough and somehow escaped. I wish I could have seen that happen. :)
So, this morning my son and I are in the backyard chasing the rooster around while still in our bathrobes! After approximately 30 minutes, my son gets too hot for his winter robe, and sheds it in favor of his boxers and cowboy boots. My mother's heart loves this, and will treasure the memory. Finally, after about an hour we decide we have to let the dog outside. Who knows if we will ever catch this rooster, and she is only one year old. We can't keep her inside for much longer without messy consequences. MISTAKE! Puppy almost kills rooster! Puppy is banished to the house until rooster is caught. Suddenly it occurs to me, we haven't taken time to pray about this. I walk around to the other side of the clubhouse and stopped my son. We pray a short prayer for wisdom and speed. Guess what? That rooster was caught in the next 3 minutes. More like 5 seconds my son, who is reading this as I write, says. Lesson learned? PRAY SOONER. Don't wait so long to include God in what you are doing, or struggling with.
Rewind to six weeks ago...we picked up nine baby chicks and brought them home! We've had chickens before, so this is not new to us. We have been keeping them in the kid's clubhouse until last night when we moved seven of them into their chicken palace. Two of the nine are still living in the clubhouse due to the fact that they are ROOSTERS! Sad to say, one is already crowing and trying to dominate the ladies by pecking them. Well, apparently, when my sweet hubby went out to check the roosters this morning, one had had enough and somehow escaped. I wish I could have seen that happen. :)
So, this morning my son and I are in the backyard chasing the rooster around while still in our bathrobes! After approximately 30 minutes, my son gets too hot for his winter robe, and sheds it in favor of his boxers and cowboy boots. My mother's heart loves this, and will treasure the memory. Finally, after about an hour we decide we have to let the dog outside. Who knows if we will ever catch this rooster, and she is only one year old. We can't keep her inside for much longer without messy consequences. MISTAKE! Puppy almost kills rooster! Puppy is banished to the house until rooster is caught. Suddenly it occurs to me, we haven't taken time to pray about this. I walk around to the other side of the clubhouse and stopped my son. We pray a short prayer for wisdom and speed. Guess what? That rooster was caught in the next 3 minutes. More like 5 seconds my son, who is reading this as I write, says. Lesson learned? PRAY SOONER. Don't wait so long to include God in what you are doing, or struggling with.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Tuesday, March 25
In a brief stroke of genius this evening I decided to brown up a few pounds of ground beef while making tonight's quick meal. I declared to my family, "We are not having tacos tomorrow!"
This declaration prompts the question, "Well, what in the world are we going to have then?"
The answer is stuffed peppers! I am going to cut a bell pepper in half, and fill it with shredded cheddar cheese and the ground beef I cooked tonight. I may pick up some taco chips for the kiddos, and serve with refrieds. Too bad I don't have time for Spanish rice...or maybe I do. Hmmm. This sounds a lot like tacos. Grrr. I really need to expand our side dishes.
This declaration prompts the question, "Well, what in the world are we going to have then?"
The answer is stuffed peppers! I am going to cut a bell pepper in half, and fill it with shredded cheddar cheese and the ground beef I cooked tonight. I may pick up some taco chips for the kiddos, and serve with refrieds. Too bad I don't have time for Spanish rice...or maybe I do. Hmmm. This sounds a lot like tacos. Grrr. I really need to expand our side dishes.
Monday, November 19, 2012
How I Make Chicken Broth
I strive to do everything as streamlined as possible, and the same way every time so I can fly on autopilot. This way I am not wasting time and energy. Here is my new Chicken Broth routine. Totally doable and easy.
1. Get the crock pot out.
I personally leave mine out in the laundry room. I will have this broth going for more that 24 hours, and I hate to smell it in the middle of the night, so I hide it in the laundry room. Plus, hubby hates things cluttering up the kitchen. I am blessed with a small counter space in my laundry room. My laundry room is my domain. Notice the cute little curtain and all the green and pink? You will find this no where else in my house. Thank you hubby for helping me make a space of my own. :) BTW, I do not leave the crock pot on with the curtain closed. Too scared of fire. Just closed it for looks. :)
2. Buy a whole chicken.
My personal favorite - Costco organic chickens. Two in a pack for about $20. But if I can't get to Costco, any chicken will do. I am called by God to live within my means, so if I can't afford an organic chicken so be it. I will do my best with what I have, and trust Him to do the rest.
3. Prep the chicken.
Defrost the chicken if necessary. Then, put the chicken in the sink and remove the wrapping. Take out the giblet package. This contains the neck and some organs. Yum, yum, these are apparently great for your body, so cut the package open and empty it into the crock pot. Rinse the chicken inside and out and stuff it into the pot. I stay stuff, because it really is stuffed into my small pot. Hopefully, someday I will have a bigger one. :)
4. Fill the pot with water and turn it on.
Cover the chicken. Leave some room for veggies and simmering bubbles. Since I am usually doing this sometime in the afternoon, I start the broth on high so the first batch will be done by 8pm or so.
5. Add some veggies.
My favorites: carrots, onion and garlic. If you don't have time right away, no worry. Do it when you can. BTW, Costco big bag of organic carrots for $5. What a deal, and a good way to get kids helping in the kitchen--peeling carrots. Feel free to add some seasoning as well. Maybe some pepper and salt. I add salt later when I use the broth.
6. Drain the pot and pull out the meat.
After a few hours, I just take a big ladle and use it to fill my glass pitcher with broth. I get as much out of the pot as possible. Then I take some tongs and try to get out all the meat. The carcass is totally falling apart by this point, so look out for little bones! The meat goes straight into a corning ware dish and into my fridge. This week I will use it in soup and for lunches. The pitcher of broth also goes into my fridge.
See the broth in the upper right corner? That is two batches worth. Chicken meat is in the lower left.
7. Fill the pot with water, turn to low and don't think about it again until the next morning.
Leave all the bones and veggies in the pot.
8. In the morning, drain the pot again.
Add the broth to the broth you have already. Fill the pot again with water, and let is simmer all day.
9. In the evening, drain the pot again.
I now have enough broth for the week. One cup each morning, and some for soup. I have read that the broth will last one week in the fridge, and I tested this last week with no ill side-effects. However, feel free to freeze some and defrost it mid-week. Especially if you have a small family and a big crock pot. This is also good to do if there's no way your kids and hubby are going to drink broth. :)
10. Dump the remains and clean the pot.
Let everything cool before you throw it in the trash. :)
1. Get the crock pot out.
I personally leave mine out in the laundry room. I will have this broth going for more that 24 hours, and I hate to smell it in the middle of the night, so I hide it in the laundry room. Plus, hubby hates things cluttering up the kitchen. I am blessed with a small counter space in my laundry room. My laundry room is my domain. Notice the cute little curtain and all the green and pink? You will find this no where else in my house. Thank you hubby for helping me make a space of my own. :) BTW, I do not leave the crock pot on with the curtain closed. Too scared of fire. Just closed it for looks. :)
2. Buy a whole chicken.
My personal favorite - Costco organic chickens. Two in a pack for about $20. But if I can't get to Costco, any chicken will do. I am called by God to live within my means, so if I can't afford an organic chicken so be it. I will do my best with what I have, and trust Him to do the rest.
3. Prep the chicken.
Defrost the chicken if necessary. Then, put the chicken in the sink and remove the wrapping. Take out the giblet package. This contains the neck and some organs. Yum, yum, these are apparently great for your body, so cut the package open and empty it into the crock pot. Rinse the chicken inside and out and stuff it into the pot. I stay stuff, because it really is stuffed into my small pot. Hopefully, someday I will have a bigger one. :)
4. Fill the pot with water and turn it on.
Cover the chicken. Leave some room for veggies and simmering bubbles. Since I am usually doing this sometime in the afternoon, I start the broth on high so the first batch will be done by 8pm or so.
5. Add some veggies.
My favorites: carrots, onion and garlic. If you don't have time right away, no worry. Do it when you can. BTW, Costco big bag of organic carrots for $5. What a deal, and a good way to get kids helping in the kitchen--peeling carrots. Feel free to add some seasoning as well. Maybe some pepper and salt. I add salt later when I use the broth.
6. Drain the pot and pull out the meat.
After a few hours, I just take a big ladle and use it to fill my glass pitcher with broth. I get as much out of the pot as possible. Then I take some tongs and try to get out all the meat. The carcass is totally falling apart by this point, so look out for little bones! The meat goes straight into a corning ware dish and into my fridge. This week I will use it in soup and for lunches. The pitcher of broth also goes into my fridge.
7. Fill the pot with water, turn to low and don't think about it again until the next morning.
Leave all the bones and veggies in the pot.
8. In the morning, drain the pot again.
Add the broth to the broth you have already. Fill the pot again with water, and let is simmer all day.
9. In the evening, drain the pot again.
I now have enough broth for the week. One cup each morning, and some for soup. I have read that the broth will last one week in the fridge, and I tested this last week with no ill side-effects. However, feel free to freeze some and defrost it mid-week. Especially if you have a small family and a big crock pot. This is also good to do if there's no way your kids and hubby are going to drink broth. :)
10. Dump the remains and clean the pot.
Let everything cool before you throw it in the trash. :)
RESET Continues
Wow, so it's been a month since my last post. So much for documenting my RESET, but such is life. A lot has happened in the past weeks. Shortly after the last post, I stumbled across the GAPS diet again, and they used the term RESET. I decided to take a closer look since we seemed to be on the same page. My library didn't have the book and I refuse to spend money on things like that when we have the internet at our disposal and, really, I am the only one in my family interested in this stuff.
Long story short, it seems to boil down to getting your gut in order. LOTS of probiotics and bone broth. I spent a week eating only boiled meat, crazy cake without the cocoa - which is yummy, baked apples, boiled veggies, and lots of chicken broth. Then we went out of town and I ate pizza--felt totally gross that night and the next morning. Got back on track and implemented even more probiotics the next weekend, and had another yuck day. I am pretty good during the week, and not as good on the weekends. This has prompted my Baby Steps page. I seem to be best with no dairy and little wheat. I am not concentrating on the blood type diet, but instead focusing on my body and how it reacts to foods. For instance, I now think I can link stinky gas to tomatoes-which is, btw, on my blood type no-no list. :) And, I think I can finally admit that pizza and grilled cheese just aren't for me. I wake up in the morning with major sinus drainage. :( But when there's nothing else in the house to eat...Baby Steps. :)
Long story short, it seems to boil down to getting your gut in order. LOTS of probiotics and bone broth. I spent a week eating only boiled meat, crazy cake without the cocoa - which is yummy, baked apples, boiled veggies, and lots of chicken broth. Then we went out of town and I ate pizza--felt totally gross that night and the next morning. Got back on track and implemented even more probiotics the next weekend, and had another yuck day. I am pretty good during the week, and not as good on the weekends. This has prompted my Baby Steps page. I seem to be best with no dairy and little wheat. I am not concentrating on the blood type diet, but instead focusing on my body and how it reacts to foods. For instance, I now think I can link stinky gas to tomatoes-which is, btw, on my blood type no-no list. :) And, I think I can finally admit that pizza and grilled cheese just aren't for me. I wake up in the morning with major sinus drainage. :( But when there's nothing else in the house to eat...Baby Steps. :)
Sunday, October 14, 2012
RESET Week 1 recap
This week wasn't so good. I felt bad about every other day, we went on a mini-vacation and I am still clearing things, like dairy, out of the fridge. There is progress, though: made homemade crackers, Crazy Cake made for the week, veggies chopped up, salad made, and the cheese is almost gone. :)
Goals this week:
no beef
veg for breakfast
get rid of the dairy
introduce blackeyed peas
eat salad 2x daily.
I am also starting a food log that will hopefully help me narrow down what foods my body does not like.
Goals this week:
no beef
veg for breakfast
get rid of the dairy
introduce blackeyed peas
eat salad 2x daily.
I am also starting a food log that will hopefully help me narrow down what foods my body does not like.
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