"You have time for self care?"

     The question that comes after "How do you always look so nice despite having 7 kids?", is "How do you have time for that with 7 kids?!" Well...

White Couch | 4 months later

     I am often asked how we can have a white couch with 7 kids. I was going to wait a year before I gave my review, but here goes my 4 month review..

Toothbrushes, toothpaste, and messes, oh my!

     I got sick and tired of finding toothbrushes all over the bathroom.. yuck.. and someone always leaves the cap off the toothpaste. I decided enough was enough, it was time to try something new.

Nail Polish on Carpet!!!

     So my chickadees got nail polish on our beige carpet.. have I ever mentioned that I cannot stand carpet?? Well this is why.. my children and carpet just DO NOT mix. We've been here less than a month and I've had to treat a stain at least once a week. Unfortunately, since this house is a rental, we can't rip it out.. So I went to my sister, who has had nail polish in her carpet, and pinterest to find a solution...

40 Bags in 40 Days

     What has this mama been up to? I have been majorly decluttering our home!! Clothes and things just seem to accumulate over time and I start getting overwhelmed, stressed, and even some times depressed. In January, a friend posted something about a decluttering challenge and my interest was piqued. It was a challenge to get rid of 1 bag of stuff per day, for 40 days. The official challenge started on March 1st, but I wanted to start immediately and so I did. On January 5th, I started the challenge and here is my progress!

How we keep our home clean....

     You may remember me trying the Fly Lady Method, here, here, and here, to clean my home, but you may also remember that it didn't work .. So I have been following (more or less) a new method of keeping up with the plethora of chores. I went to pinterest for help of course and found many different ways. The one method I liked the most is where all the chores are broken down into daily chores, different chores for each day, and alternate chores done on different weeks. This way I am not overwhelmed with trying to figure out what needs to be done and when.. not to mention I don't have to do it all in one day!

There are several different schedules out there,
but I wrote my own to fit our own needs

 

Happy New Year!!!

     Hello blog world! I am back, with a few changes. But first... Where did I leave you? Oh yes, Fly Lady. I am going to be honest with you, the last time I followed Fly Lady, was when I last posted about it. It was just not working for me. There are days when my baby's needs trump that of a need to have a shiny sink. And after taking care of my baby's needs, the last thing I want to do is wash dishes. So instead of staying up late washing dishes, I go to bed and wash them the next day. Don't get me wrong, I did not abandon cleaning and washing dishes. I just do it in my own way. On my own time. Some times it gets done, and some times it doesn't, but life is not about keeping up with a pristine house, is it?

Fly Lady Day 3

Friday was Day 3

And guess what...

Same as day two.

I am beginning to wonder when I am going to clean the bathroom?!

Fly Lady Day 2

Day 1 went well!

I washed the dishes and shined my sink!

Well, its not shiny, but it is clean!
(we have an old scratched up white sink)

A little excitement happened afterwards too...

Fly Lady Day 1

Anywhere I go, people say,
"Wow! You have your hands full!"
And then they ask,
"How do you keep up with all of them?
How do you get anything done?"
I just smile and shrug.
What I really want to say is.......

Clean House

     I love to be pregnant. The wonder and joy of a child growing in my womb shows me daily of the great power of our Creator.

     Although the first trimester of my pregnancies is not always filled with joy and wonder, I revel in each and every single one. For me the first trimester is filled with happiness and excitement, but mostly I am plagued with all day, and sometimes even at night, nausea. The nausea robs me of all my energy and with it goes my strength to do my daily chores and activities. Mr. Chickadee then has to step in and help around the house, washing dishes, throwing in a load of laundry, sweeping the floor, making the boys do their chores, etc. Of course he is not able to keep up with the house like I would and I don't blame him. After 8-10 hour shifts at work as a carpenter, he is beyond exhausted and wants to come home to rest, not do my chores.

Laundry Detergent

I make my own laundry detergent.

This recipe is usually enough for 128 loads..

but it depends on how heavily soiled my husbands work clothes are.

It washes really well and best of all costs very little :D