Refocusing

It's so important to jot down your priorities every so often, so here I go...this is more for me than anyone else, this is my notebook to self.

This list is borrowed from God's Girl

1. Keep up with my daily Bible study and prayer time.

2. Exercise DAILY!!!

3. Read with my kids every day.

4. Organize all of my household paperwork(go paperless)

5. Figure out how to cook more "lean and green" meals.

6. Have more fun with my kids and husband.

7. Try to find one new activity or place to visit per month.

8. Organize garage and down-size home supplies.

9. Keep in better touch with friends and family.

10. Pay off all debts this year (besides mortgage-won't happen).

I'm doing a GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!

Check out my other blog. I'm doing a giveaway right now!!!! For any one who wants to win a $25 Old Navy Gift card, go check it out!

http://clothedwithlilies.blogspot.com/2010/10/giveaway-old-navy-gift-card.html


Mariah

7 steps for a Shiny Clean Kitchen

  I'm taking this from my blog : thisisthetaste.blogspot.com because I think it's a great motivation-to-clean list!

 (my actual kitchen, :)

 

Shiny Clean Kitchen

Everyone loves a shiny clean kitchen to prepare food in, but the reality is just not there. Last night I was defeated, I stared at yet another disastrous episode of my Kitchen rebelling against me over the weekend, and I giving in to it's strong will. Our weekends are Sunday-Tuesday. Last night I was just overwhelmed and annoyed that I let the Kitchen get SO gross. I'm talking maybe 3 sink fulls of dirty dishes all over the kitchen. You can't even walk in there without crunching or sticking into something, the table has residue from each meal we ate throughout the weekend. I'm so embarrassed to write this, but I'm being honest. So, since I was so stinkin' sick of feeling defeated I decided to figure out a quick list of things I can do to clean up the Kitchen, without having to wonder "where do I even begin, and then what next?"

Here are my 7 steps to cleaning up the Kitchen when it's overwhelmingly dirty, it worked great for me last night (and has for a few months now)!
(First things first, wear some shoes or slippers if your floor is anything like mine was)

1. Put all trash in can
2. Put anything left out back- in cupboard, pantry, another room, etc.
3. Wipe off table, counters, stove top-moving all dirty dishes to one side of sink
4. Empty dishwasher if clean
5. Load dishes into dishwasher or wash dirty dishes by hand(dry and put away)
6. Clean out sink and make it shine, you can use little bleach and baking soda for porcelain, and some bar keepers cleaner first then olive oil last to scrub and shine stainless steel. 
7.Sweep up the crumbs and mop if needed, or use a little rag and wipe up the sticky spots, until you can mop.

Your Kitchen should be completely clean after those steps, you can take out the trash if it's full and go to bed, or move on with your day!

Just a little laugh: Caleb(3) just came to me and said, "mom, Lili(1) pooped." I said, "oh really? ok, I'll take care of it in a second. thanks" and he said, "yeah I can tell because I felt the saggy fat on her butt." LOL, I don't know why, but that just seems so funny, you get the image of a baby with a SUPER full diaper sagging way down. yeah...:)

Interesting post on PCOS

Click on Picture to check out the post. I know so many women with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, I thought this was interesting!

3 Quick tips to encourage New Moms

 
For any moms out there with toddlers and babies, 
here are 3 of my own personal tried and true tips. 
I may have been given them before from a friend, or I may have made them up.
Either way, I think they are great!

1. If you have a young toddler at home and about to have another baby...a great bonding time with the 3 of you, after baby is born, is to sit together on the couch and read to your toddler while you're nursing your newborn. Toddler won't feel totally replaced, and you'll be able to keep better tabs on him/her while stuck to the couch. :)

2. If you have toddlers who able to sit up in the bath well(2yr+), let them play in the tub with shave cream, tub crayons(with out water first), then take a bath...during that time you get to clean the bathroom or fix hair nicely and put on make-up while keeping eye on the little one(s).

3. Laundry...blah, anyone? I don't think so, why? Because we've turned it into a game at my house. The kids LOVE to help with laundry, granted, not every day, but many times during the week. Here's my routine plus game:
A) I gather up all the dirty laundry accumulated the day prior each morning after waking up. I sort it into piles until I have a pile large enough to wash. I usually wash 1-2 loads per morning, ever morning. Every afternoon, while dinner is cooking, and I have an extra moment, I sit and fold. My kids sometimes help with folding, but at age 5,4, and 2, that's not their favorite thing to do.So, they are my delivery men.

B) Delivery Game- I ask them to pick an animal. They choose whatever they can think of, lets say Tiger. I say "Ok, you are a Tiger, traveling through the jungles of monkey island, hop high and fast all the way to "Busy's Cave"(my daughters room), be ware of the poisonous snakes." They will grab the pile of folded laundry that belongs in my daughters room and set it on the floor in her closet after hopping through the house to her room. If it's their own room they are delivering to, they put the clothes away where they belong. Once we are done. I go into each room and put everything away correctly. It's really quick to do.

Have any more tips for newer moms??? Leave them in the comments section!

Recommended Must Read and free web curriculum

Has anyone read the book, Mother, by Kathleen Norris?

I was recommended it. I think I'll try and read it in November as part of my 12 things.

As for September, I was suppose to start homeschooling my kids. And I have, and we are doing really well. Kindergarten is a breeze though, lol. I've misplaced their first day of school pics. Bummer...I'll try and find them to post later. GREAT TIP: For anyone with preschoolers or kindergartners that still need to learn phonics, check out the free website tools at Starfall.
It's great! My son LOVES it. :)

Life Happens,

Mariah

At My House 2

Well, my brave husband heroically saved the day when he found the mouse again after coming home from shopping. Behind the head of our bed (the only place we didn't look). Oh, it was gross. And 20 minutes of screaming, shouting, and hoping around our room like gorillas and we catch the mouse! My husband took care of it. And I fell into bed a nervous wreck, but happy to feel some-what safe to sleep. The next day I found 2 places the mouse/mice had taken residence in my room. Behind the head of my bed being one of them!!! Blach!!! I can't believe it! *shivering*

After I cleaned everything really well, and put it all back...I was a little happier and a little less nervous. Until "attack of the mice strikes again"! Round 2...as I am looking at myself in a mirror, I see through the mirror that behind me is another mouse, running for my bed!!! Geesh! Now I'm freaking out like crazy. 2???? I thought one was just a freak accident. So I again fly on top of my hope chest screaming for my brave 4 and 5 yr old sons to come save me. Their daddy was at work, after all. :( Well, the boys were great little mouse hunters at first. I found 2 clear boxes handed them each 1 and told them where the beast was. My 4-yr old is a little spacey and silly and let the mouse go right pass him. It went into my closet. Again, the shoes must ALL come out. They are being flung left and right...until we spy the little critter at the back of the closet. My boys all of a sudden chicken out and I threaten them with my life to press on!!! (lol, i'm terrible). So they do, but the mouse runs pass again to the other side of the room, where a closet door is leaning against a wall. Behind the door is the mouse. I position one boy on one end of the door and the other boy on the other end. I teach them how to carefully hold the box, so they can trap the mouse. I shake the door. The mouse runs to my oldest boy(who's doing great at this), right when the mouse gets to the box he turns around fast as lightening and runs toward the space cadet child. My younger son is goofing off like usual, and falls over pressing his box to the ground. In that split second the mouse had run into the box and was trapped. I hip, hip, horrayed the rest of the day. My 2 little heroes!!! I should mention though, that threatening them for my life meant telling them they could have the biggest ice cream EVER if they just catch the mouse!!! They did. We took them to a frozen yogurt land, and they enjoyed the heroic ice cream of their choice.

Hero 1

Hero 2 (having a pity moment)

The beast, my husband took care of when he got home from work...yuck!!!

At my House

If you were to come over to my house, you'd probably find:

•  All the dishes clean, but the kitchen table not wiped down
• Most closets neatly organized, but a full laundry basket next to the couch on the livingroom floor
• A house that is picked up and in order, but has finger prints on the all the walls and doors and the occasional booger wiped in the hallway
• Floors that are swept up, but hardly ever mopped :/
• Finances that every penny is accounted for(via computer program), but a pile of papers waiting to...who knows? that's why they're still there
• AND...A nervous wreck(me)

Why? because of a mouse(actually 2). Ugh, I feel like fainting. I'm a good housekeeper, bad cook, lol. I keep things clean, but yet 2 mice(so far) have found a way to nestle up in MY bedroom!!!! I have no clue how long they have been there!!! *fainting again*

My husband found a hole in the closet of our bathroom wall(attached to our room), which COULD be where they are coming in from, but who really knows? This is an old house and has lots of characteristics to prove it. Bugs and rodents seem to be antiquated with the house (they've been around awhile, esp. on this property).

So, The first one we saw, almost made me pee my pants. I'm not sure if I want to share this with you. Ok, here goes. I was folding laundry, and my sweet Busy girl was hanging out with me as I put each article into a hanging shelf organizer in my bedroom closet. I looked down at her and out of the corner of my eye, this thing fast as lightening, squiggles it's way down from the top shelf of my closet to the 3rd shelf down on the hanging organizer. It stopped in MY folded shirts. I screamed like a crazy woman. My husband and sons ran in the room. To find a hysterical mom holding her baby and hovering on top of a hope chest, trying not to get beamed in the head from the ceiling fan.  Good thing we already ate dinner, because my stomach was in knots. My husband, kids and I took an hour trying to trap that mouse, but it didn't work. I reluctantly went to the store with my whole family looking for friendly traps. When we got home, my room was in shambles from pulling EVERYTHING out of the closet, shoes and all...and the feeling of sound sleep that night was completely gone.


To be Continued...

I threw some of our shoes to the other side of the room to clear a walking path, AND because I love clothes and shoes, I took some pictures. Besides my running shoes, snow boots, pool flip flops, and house slippers, these are all of my shoes:

 

They may not be the nicest shoes, but all but one pair were under $20. So, it's all good!

Intimacy with God (12 things)

Well, I started on my August quest. I found this book on my bookshelf, I've never read it. It's a little Bible study booklet called, "Intimacy with God", by Cynthia Heald. It's a study of the Psalms.


My first thoughts and meditation of the Lord today:

A common question we ask God is, "Where are You, God?". There is a point when we may question His exsistence, or question His ears to hear, or question His timing of answer. There comes a time when those questions have been turned to faithful trust and knowledge. Other reasons we question God may seem more suitable the more mature we become. "Where are You, God?" Maybe our heart has lost its Way, maybe we have a disagreement on a decision He has made, or maybe we just want to know He is there, like a little child pulling on mommy's leg (we all need  a little security boost now and then, right?).

There are many reasons to ask God that question, but what really hit me hard today was: Are we prepared to answer when He asks, "Where are you ?" ?

Let me know if you understand what I'm saying and tell me what you think about it. God asked Adam and Eve, "where are you?" knowing fully, the question was for their sake. Why might He ask you that question today? For me, it's because I've turned Him away recently, I let my heart grow cold. I didn't want to read the Bible(for a dumb reason that has been reckoned now). God is back on His rightful throne in my heart, and I say, "Here I am!"

OK, this seems fun! 12 new things!

12 months, 12 things I've never done...1 month per accomplishment! Inspired by this blog.

August- Pick up an old Bible Study, on my shelf I never did and finish it!!! :)
September- Start first official year of homeschooling my children
October- Teach myself how to belly dance(buy costume too)
November- Read a book (an recommendations?), I'm not much of a reader, so there are A LOT I've never read.
December- Bake Christmas Cookies everyday from the 1st to the 25th...so many new ones to try...
January- Jump rope for 3.5 minutes straight-no breaks(lol, I can barely reach a minute now)
February- Learn to play a video game that my husband likes
March- Paint a picture for my house (we need decor bad!)
April- Make something fermented or raw each day of this month
May- Learn basic digital photography(self teach)
June- find a shooting range and do some target practice(haven't done it yet in WA)
July- Teach myself to sew, a dress for my daughter will be first project

Will you join me??? It's SO fun. Please leave a comment and let me know what you are doing to do!!!OR I just figured out the Linky thing, SO you can also LINK UP!!! : D

Cupcakes arrived!!!

Here are the cupcakes I won that just arrived in the mail. There were 12 minicupcakes. Caleb's fingers are in the last picture, at 4 yrs old, he just couldn't resist! :)

They were frozen when they arrived in a very nice packaging. I'm thawing 5 of them for dessert tonight. I put the other 7 in the freezer, apparently they keep in the freezer up to 1 month. COOL!!! Thanks to Nanahood.com

Beauty and Brains Part 2

So I asked you these questions:
Whose the ugliest person that comes to mind?(you better not say me, :D) What about the prettiest? How about the smartest? dumbest?


 If you could think of someone in each question, you have just categorized them. (I know I forced you to do it, sorry). Now that you feel guilty, let's hammer it in a little, :D
This post is about them! The people we "categorize".

Now, I don't know this to be 100% true, but I believe this with all my heart:
God did not create ANYONE stupid or ugly.

BUT Sometimes, we  feel DUMB. Maybe we didn't go to college, or we didn't get the job, or a good score on an important test. Maybe we made a bad decision at a young age and it has shaped our whole adulthood. Maybe we let insecurity make us a fool. And maybe, sometimes, we feel super SMART (so smart that no one really understands what we are truly capable of). Sometimes, we may feel so hideously ugly that we don't even want to go outside(almost every day for me). On the contrary, we think, if only, some one, would appreciate our true, natural beauty.

Do you ever think you're smarter or better looking than someone else? I do. It's terrible, I know, but it's the truth. I size people up left and right and I'm actually happy when a lady at wal-mart  has cellulite on her legs, but is still wearing shorts, because maybe it's ok that I wear mine too. :) I love to watch people, I notice close to everything, especially clothes. :)


BUT...I have a problem with people who think they are smarter than me.. I have even more of a problem with people who think they are smarter than the guy who stutters or the girl whose blind or even that jerk who doesn't know how to drive right.
I also have a problem with the woman who doesn't talk to me, because I've got a stain on my shirt and my pants are from Target (free with coupon, thank you) and not Ellie Tahari. Or the man who doesn't offer to help the woman in sweats with arms full and 3 kids attached to her side, but opens the door (with pleasure) for the stick figure in stilettos checking her out as she walks in
.
I can relate to the woman with 3 kids. I've had so many "helpful" people let me know(just in case I didn't), that I have my hands full, and yet they still don't offer to help. LOL!

(Ok, so I've got problems, what's new?)

The point is, we can't go through life looking down on people for their stupid actions and choices.
THEY(the people) ARE NOT UGLY. THEY ARE NOT STUPID. They are created by the same Maker that created you and I. They have the ability to think and reason just as well. That rather weird, crazy feature that may stand out odd, shapes a uniqueness about them that is gorgeous!

God created our brain with an amazing capacity to learn. There are 7 different areas of intelligence, did you know that? While I think I may have 3-4 areas, you may see only one(or none). We have different talents, different strengths and weaknesses, but never mistake those for lack of "brains". People often notice my oldest son when it comes to intellect, but my 2nd son, only a year and a half younger is often skipped over. They have very different personalities. My 2nd son is very smart in a different way than his older brother.  So are we and they.

God created our bodies to function. Sometimes we ruin that through sin, and sometimes, we are born with special weaknesses that God can use to show off His strength and GLORY. I have a friend who is GORGEOUS, I mean, super, super beautiful. She thinks she's horribly ugly, to the point that she has almost band all outside contact to the world. She is overweight, but she's beautiful. Could you imagine the passion she could bring others if she allowed God to bring her joy and let her beauty shine even through any weakness she possesses.

You are beautiful! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm sad to say my oldest son doesn't think I'm pretty. And that's ok with me, because God wired him to behold a different type of beauty. My youngest says I am pretty, but I think he'll grow out of it, haha. There are a handful of people I have met who really thought I was pretty, others don't. And still that's ok with me, because there are how many billion other people in the world that need a handful of people to think they are super pretty?
I can see the potential in everyone, but my husband only sees how a person puts himself together, i.e. "his hair is nice, or eww her hair is really frizzy(that's me, all the time, :/ )".
You know what God sees? The heart! Beauty really does come from the inside.

I'm not opposed to putting effort in looking nice. I have a whole blog about it. But, we need to remember that God is not concerned with fashion, but whether we conduct ourselves with grace.

Treat everyone with the same respect and love that God would. And start looking for the beauty in the person that comes across to you as ugly. Or the intelligence in that child that seems to not listen to anything you say.


I  often remind myself that God created everyone beautiful and smart(not all equal in talent, but definitely equal in value). :) YOU are beautiful and SMART!!!! Love to you all!!!!

What do you think? Do you think this is all true? Do you think this thinking has been influenced by a society of "fairness"? Should we categorize people? Or should we be fair, and not categorize them? Tell me your thoughts!

Beauty and Brains Part 1

"Beauty and Brains...she's got both, ugh!"  "He's such an idiot! I don't think he could talk and tie his shoes".

Are you familiar with these types of comments? I am. I've heard them my whole life. I don't know how anyone, living in current American culture, could miss this degrading attitude toward each other.


For women, the obsession for POWER is now getting fierce. Particularly power in beauty. It's breath-taking, and sometimes, it's just-down-right-lower-your-head-and-slowly-shake-it-with-dismay,  troubling.

What about the survival of the fittest mentality? Anything you can do, I can do BETTER (no you can't, yes I can....lol, anyone remember that?). Cocky and Haughty and (annoying) is what that is.

Do you ever compare yourself to someone and size them up? It seems to be human nature, or maybe a learned behavior of this country. I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I love America, and I'm proud of my country, but the "religion" sweeping every metropolis to ghost town and every mountain top to beach, has been shocking. I'm not about to preach on politics, but I want to bring the point out that America has forsaken God and taken up a false security in self-power(and our attitude isn't getting any better for it).

What do you hear the media tell you? What do you think the average American thinks "living it up" entails? Maybe to live long? be happy? wealthy, in good shape, liked by most(if not all), powerful, praised in the community, famous, intelligent, accomplished, etc. When you die, will any of that matter?

Take time to think about each question:

Whose the ugliest person that comes to mind? What about the prettiest? How about the smartest? dumbest?

To be Continued....I will post the 2nd half in a couple days!

I won! And blog for grandmas

Ok, I'm writing you about a new blog I came in contact with. It's called nanahood.com
I entered into one of the games, and WON...cupcakes! They should be arriving in the mail this week. Crazy, huh? Well, I'm not a grandma yet, but I think it's a fun blog for those who are. Just passing on another fun blog out there.

Are you wondering what to wear this Fall?

I've spent most of my day today updating my other blog clothedwithlilies.blogspot.com. I have a post on what to dress your boys in for this Fall 2010. It's not really about style as much (although everything is current styles from Gap, Oldnavy, etc) as it is about The items to include and how many. You can choose your own tastes for you own family. I don't particularly like all the picture examples I gave, but some of you may. The point is, having the list ready, and knowing what to shop for at the store for this school year. I have also updated the Trends for Women this Fall 2010. So, go check it out!

 Have a great weekend!!!

Something holy - Stellar Kart

Life's a bowl of "Idols" (what's with the cherries?)

Idols come in all different shapes and sizes. Cherries are not my idol, but "freebies" have been recently. These cherries were actually...free. I've been dedicating my time into figuring out the coupon world and how to score "free" things (and use up the 6+ cartons of cherries I received free).

I've learned that TRULY nothing in life is free (except Christ). I'm telling you this with a substantial bone to my back, since I have enough "freebies" to almost fill a big 18 gal. Tub. So, trust me darling(suave Italian accent), I know what getting free looks like. And through my eyes, it's a lot of time, mind wrestling(constantly thinking about bargains-it can consume you), and shopping! If you hate shopping, it's so not for you, although you can still get bargains at your main stores, but hitting all of them will be torturous.

A little "History 101"-about me and shopping. I used to LOVE it. So much so that NO one would go with me. I ran ALL my friends and family ragged when they accompanied me on a shopping rave. Haha, I could spend like ALL day shopping, literally, until I dropped, and the funny thing is, I hardly bought a thing.

Point being, the last few days I've been hearing, reading, and feeling(H.S. in me) that I need to STOP (drop and roll) the crazy, madness of freebies. I need to re-focus my thoughts on Christ. America is grossly obsessed with money and possessions. I've said before I wouldn't fall into storing up treasures on earth. I really still strive to LIVE that verse out, but recently my obsession with saving the family money has been overboard. The last 2 days I've actually let it go...it's so NICE! I've been taking time to enjoy my kids and play with them more than I have been. I read a blog from Raising Homemakers. about "spending time with your kids" that really encouraged me and gave me a pat on the back for making the right choice.

Do you have any idols? things replacing God in your life? it could be a friend, the computer, a tv show, even your adoring husband(been there)...let it go...and be encouraged by a Faithful Lover. Christ is So worth being #1.

Blogs are fun, but...

So, I've been thinking a lot about blogs. I see people from all different ages in the blogshere. Old, young, popular, not so popular, etc, etc, etc...pages with hip designs, and then pages with more of an old, matronly look, they you can guess their house looks like to(from the 80's or 90's maybe). AND you know what? I think how do they do it??? How do they keep up with it all? I'm not so naive to think that they actually do keep it all together, all the time. It's not possible to have a perfectly clean house, well fed and dressed kids, homeschooling, being there for your husband's needs(whatever they may be), being there for the baby's needs(constantly), doing craft projects, staying on top of news, birthdays, e-mails, and MAINTAINING a blog!!! I mean, what the??? anybody?? Any one else feel the chest-pounding pressure just reading about it? Anyway, I'm simply wondering if it's ALL necessary. I'm still trying to learn to be a wife, a mom, a good cook, keep a good cleaning system down, etc. And all though I've learned some great tricks, I don't have any of it mastered, by any means. And you know what? I'm young, I mean, really, really young(I just keep telling myself that). Do you think 24, with three kids is young? I'm trying to be an accomplished mom, wife, homemaker, school teacher, coupon shopper,etc, at age 24!!! It's not possible. I guess I realize that I'm going to try and stop looking for the accomplishment and enjoy the learning process, and when I'm old and an empty Nester, I'll have my blogs(hopefully) and be able to remember everything I went through and tell others what worked and what didn't, because, I hope then, I will have mastered those areas. There's a reason the Bible says that the Older women should be teaching the younger. I'm just going to enjoy the process of learning(hint, hint any older women out there, lol). I may not update anything on any of my blogs for awhile, or I may every night. I love to write, aww, the therapy....so yeah, I don't want to be a slave to the "perfect" mentality. It makes me grumpy, drives me further away from God and lets me down continually, because, guess what? I'm not perfect(i know, major news flash), but Jesus is! that's the cool thing about grace and relying on His perfection, not ours. What do you think? Do you think young women should have blogs talking about everything they have mastered, when it's not likely that they have mastered much yet? Where are all the older women and their blogs??? lol, well, most of them, I guess, don't even know how to use a computer...haha, what a new, and strange age we are living in.  

v-value

Just something on my mind right now:

We as Christians get:
Troubles, Trials, Persecution, Burdens, Heavy Convictions, a World of Sin and Evil...

...AND Happily Ever After!!!! <---that is the best part!

I know Christ can bring us Joy and do AMAZING things while we are here on earth, but there is a reason He told us to not fear, when we will have tribulation.

Life may get you down and seem rough, but remember, we've got a Happily Ever After waiting for us.
For the JOY that was set before Him, He endured the cross.(Hebrews 12) Jesus was looking forward to Happily Ever After as well. So cool!!!

I've been editing and posting

On my other 2 blogs. They are almost complete...minus a couple major sections. But there is still a lot of info, esp. the clothing website.


clothedwithlilies.blogspot.com

thisisthetaste.blogspot.com