This may seem like such a little silly thing to some, but to me it's huge! This one little thing saves me a ton of time each week and keeps me having sticky hands once a week instead of every single day.;) I LOVE to give my kids only fresh fruits! (Of course sometimes I (gasp) use can fruits..(My kids love the bad for you added syrup in the peaches and pears;))
Well, I got so sick of it taking forever to wash fruit each day, cut up pineapple and melon, pull all of the grapes off of the vine, cut the tops off of the strawberries, all while chasing my kids around. So now, once a week right after grocery shopping, I get it all done! I get lots of Tupperware out, strainers and knives and wash and cut away! I then stack them all in the clear Tupperware in the fridge so each day at meal and snack times, everything is right where I need it and clean and ready to go! It's hard to find the time otherwise. We are talking everything from the blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and more! The best thing about it is you only have the mess of fruit juice everywhere once a week and you know everything is washed. A lot of people just go the route of buying pre-packaged individual sized fruit for their kids and it costs 3x as much and is not near nutritious as fresh fruit!
There you have it, something so small and simple, but in the life of a BUSY BUSY BUSY mom, it's something SO big! I still would love to hear some tips from others out there on the small things that make a BIG impact on their lives and keeping their sanity! Happy week everyone!!...This week is flying by!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Everything's sweeter....
Everything seems a little bit sweeter and more important when the Lord is involved! My whole life I just kind of considered myself to be a follower of Christ...It wasn't until a little over two years ago when I got my husband to go to Christmas Eve service with me that I fully understood though. I always thought I knew that God loved me and that I loved Him, but it's so much more than that.
In the last two years, Jasper and I have both grown so much as individuals and as followers of Christ. We have made it our mission to raise our family with God as our highest priority and we try to teach our children to do right in the eyes of the Lord. Well, I have to say that this Easter weekend was probably the best ever! (In a spiritual sense) of course my children were wild animals wondering what candy they could eat next.;) However, for once it FINALLY sunk in just how amazing, special, perfect, emotional and important Easter is. I have to admit during church service on Good Friday, I wanted to cry more than once thinking of all Jesus endured for me. I felt so much better when our pastor reminded us, there had to be a Friday to get to Sunday. I left the church feeling so humbled and unworthy of all I have been given.
I can honestly say, my life is pretty darn great. The fact that my biggest stress in life is financial worries, my goodness how lucky am I? This weekend I was brought to the reality that those things are so very little. Christ died for ME and yet I dwell on things that have no hold on me. There is nothing to big for God! So all weekend I focused on forgetting all of life's little stresses and just celebrating what the day really meant. That my savior is alive and well and with me each and every day, every step of the way! I am never alone! There is no dead end or game over when God is involved and he proved that through the Resurrection of Christ! There is always the chance of a new day, a fresh start and amazing new things! So do not get caught up in the bad because it WILL pass and God will have new mercies for you the very next day!
Along with celebrating Christ, we of course had all sorts of other Easter fun! I hope you all had an amazing day with your family, friends and felt the blessings of our amazing God! Here is a look at our Easter fun!
Watching a puppet show before the church Easter egg hunt. Adam,Peyton,Reagan,Jordyn and Ali! Ali is one of my sweet little daycare girls!
My goodness they look like twins! Reagan and Jordyn fighting for an Easter egg...Cause clearly that ONE egg must have been better than the rest two feet away?;)
Peyton had a blast! She loves Easter egg hunts!
I had to let Caiden get one egg on his first Easter.:) He was not much help though...since he was slepping!
Waiting patiently for Jordyn to wake up so they could find eggs and see what the Easter bunny brought them!
Me and 2 of my little ladies....Getting all 3 is not too easy...
Mr. Caiden smiling for his FIRST Easter!!!
All dressed up for church!
Sweet Jordy enjoying some chocolate pie for dessert on Easter!
There you have it....The typical Warren family chaos:)
In the last two years, Jasper and I have both grown so much as individuals and as followers of Christ. We have made it our mission to raise our family with God as our highest priority and we try to teach our children to do right in the eyes of the Lord. Well, I have to say that this Easter weekend was probably the best ever! (In a spiritual sense) of course my children were wild animals wondering what candy they could eat next.;) However, for once it FINALLY sunk in just how amazing, special, perfect, emotional and important Easter is. I have to admit during church service on Good Friday, I wanted to cry more than once thinking of all Jesus endured for me. I felt so much better when our pastor reminded us, there had to be a Friday to get to Sunday. I left the church feeling so humbled and unworthy of all I have been given.
I can honestly say, my life is pretty darn great. The fact that my biggest stress in life is financial worries, my goodness how lucky am I? This weekend I was brought to the reality that those things are so very little. Christ died for ME and yet I dwell on things that have no hold on me. There is nothing to big for God! So all weekend I focused on forgetting all of life's little stresses and just celebrating what the day really meant. That my savior is alive and well and with me each and every day, every step of the way! I am never alone! There is no dead end or game over when God is involved and he proved that through the Resurrection of Christ! There is always the chance of a new day, a fresh start and amazing new things! So do not get caught up in the bad because it WILL pass and God will have new mercies for you the very next day!
Along with celebrating Christ, we of course had all sorts of other Easter fun! I hope you all had an amazing day with your family, friends and felt the blessings of our amazing God! Here is a look at our Easter fun!
It sure takes a lot of work to get a family of 6 out the door on time for an Easter egg hunt!
This year we switched it up and the kids got Easter baskets from mom and dad instead of the Easter bunny.
Jordyn's favorite part! She loved her sixlets!
When you do get all 3 in the picture, someone is bound to not smile!
There you have it....The typical Warren family chaos:)
Friday, April 22, 2011
This song pretty much sums it up...
Such a perfect song for this day! May you all feel God's love this weekend and really mediatate on how He loves us more than we could ever know! Thank you Jesus for thinking little ol me is worthy of your suffering! So thankful for a powerful church service tonight that brought me back to where I needed to be! God is great! I am blessed! Happy Easter everyone! Remember as our Pastor said tonight...
There had to be a Friday to get to Sunday! God Bless!!!
My Little Man
Oh my little Caiden....Not sure where two whole months went, but here you are 2 months old already!
At 2 months you are
*Smiling like CRAZY! Especially at mommy! Daddy thinks you smile more for him, but who is he kidding!?
*You are strating to coo...Such a sweet little sound!
*You hold your head up so good...Such a big little man!
*You adore your sissys and get so bright eyed when they talk to you!
*Sleep about 5-6 hours straight at night!
*You love when mommy sings the "Mr. Man, Mr. Man" song.
*Your sister Peyton nicknamed you Caiden CRYIN Warren instead of Caiden Brian Warren because well, you like to cry sometimes!;)
*You have brought so much joy to our home and a dose of boy that we needed around this girly house! We all love you so much and you pretty much have everyone wrapped and you know it! I love you so much Caiden Brian Warren and I am so glad that God chose me to raise you!
At 2 months old you
weigh 12 pounds 12 ounces, you are 23 inches long and in the 75% on height and weight!
Who's kid are you anyway? Don't you know we are short in this house Mr Man?!
Seems like just yesterday that I was holding you in the hospital getting ready to bring you home!
Yet here we are....Already 2 months later! I love you more with each passing day!
At 2 months you are
*Smiling like CRAZY! Especially at mommy! Daddy thinks you smile more for him, but who is he kidding!?
*You are strating to coo...Such a sweet little sound!
*You hold your head up so good...Such a big little man!
*You adore your sissys and get so bright eyed when they talk to you!
*Sleep about 5-6 hours straight at night!
*You love when mommy sings the "Mr. Man, Mr. Man" song.
*Your sister Peyton nicknamed you Caiden CRYIN Warren instead of Caiden Brian Warren because well, you like to cry sometimes!;)
*You have brought so much joy to our home and a dose of boy that we needed around this girly house! We all love you so much and you pretty much have everyone wrapped and you know it! I love you so much Caiden Brian Warren and I am so glad that God chose me to raise you!
At 2 months old you
weigh 12 pounds 12 ounces, you are 23 inches long and in the 75% on height and weight!
Who's kid are you anyway? Don't you know we are short in this house Mr Man?!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Confession.....
I have a confession to make...An awful secret I am going to let you in on. You know, one of those secrets you do NOT want other moms to hear about because it's just "taboo" in mommy world.;) This one will make all you moms out there that think I am supermom realize I am not perfect!
Here it goes....Jordyn is now almost 20 months old and STILL takes a bottle to bed....YES I said it!:( I am so ashamed! With Peyton we struggled a little and it took till 15 months. With Reagan we weened her with a sippy cup and she didn't like taking that so she went cold turkey right at one year! Well...I have tried and failed with Jordyn many times. There is just something about that girl, she has me wrapped! We just tried again tonight and after 10 minutes of her crying for mommy and bottle I almost died. I told Jasper I would grab a book and go sit outside for a while so I didn't hear her and wouldn't cave, well when I walked down the hallway, I just couldn't take it anymore!:(( Plus Peyton was crying telling us that we were so mean and that "all she wants is a bottle".:( SO...I took it to her and she totally mocked me! I mean she seriously laughed at me like "I knew you would do it mom". It's just gotten pathetic! My 20 month old controls me! We brush her teeth and for what? To turn around and ruin her teeth with a bottle? I am so disappointed in myself!:(
So, I am asking all of you moms out there who's kids struggled with it and finally "kicked the bottle";) HOW DID YOU DO IT??! She will soon be sharing a room with Peyton and Reagan and we have to fix it before then! However, could you say no to this face?
PS....Sorry if you are not a mom and read through this post...I am sure you were bored and had no idea that such things could bother a human being and cause them stress of feeling like a failure!;))
Here it goes....Jordyn is now almost 20 months old and STILL takes a bottle to bed....YES I said it!:( I am so ashamed! With Peyton we struggled a little and it took till 15 months. With Reagan we weened her with a sippy cup and she didn't like taking that so she went cold turkey right at one year! Well...I have tried and failed with Jordyn many times. There is just something about that girl, she has me wrapped! We just tried again tonight and after 10 minutes of her crying for mommy and bottle I almost died. I told Jasper I would grab a book and go sit outside for a while so I didn't hear her and wouldn't cave, well when I walked down the hallway, I just couldn't take it anymore!:(( Plus Peyton was crying telling us that we were so mean and that "all she wants is a bottle".:( SO...I took it to her and she totally mocked me! I mean she seriously laughed at me like "I knew you would do it mom". It's just gotten pathetic! My 20 month old controls me! We brush her teeth and for what? To turn around and ruin her teeth with a bottle? I am so disappointed in myself!:(
So, I am asking all of you moms out there who's kids struggled with it and finally "kicked the bottle";) HOW DID YOU DO IT??! She will soon be sharing a room with Peyton and Reagan and we have to fix it before then! However, could you say no to this face?
Monday, April 18, 2011
A quick trip to the park can do wonders!
Sunday afternoon I was just in a MOOD!.....Not a good one either!;) My poor husband and kids had just about had enough of my crankiness! So, we loaded up all of the kids and went for a quick trip to the park before the rain started! It's amazing how much better I felt after! Just swinging my girls, going down the slides with them or helping them on the bars makes everything better! It helps me to see things through their eyes again and remember that all they really need to be happy is LOVE! Boy do I love them!!
I am a little ashamed to admit that neither Jasper nor I have flown a kite before...Not that we remember anyway. So, we had the bright idea of trying Sunday.....Well, there was virtually no wind and our attempt was unsuccessful.:( Is there a trick to this kite flying stuff? LOL! So anyway, moral of the story, when in doubt, take a quick trip to the park! It makes everything seem so much better! If only for a minute!;)
Sweet Jordy running away while we TRIED to get the kite to fly...
My love bug Reagan telling me to come down the slide with her...I have a soft spot for this angel!;)
I am a little ashamed to admit that neither Jasper nor I have flown a kite before...Not that we remember anyway. So, we had the bright idea of trying Sunday.....Well, there was virtually no wind and our attempt was unsuccessful.:( Is there a trick to this kite flying stuff? LOL! So anyway, moral of the story, when in doubt, take a quick trip to the park! It makes everything seem so much better! If only for a minute!;)
Daddy ummmm "figuring" out the kite;)
Hmmmmm go figure I ask my husband to take a picture of Peyton and I and this is what I get...At least he was amused!;)
You asked for it.....
OK, so...It looks like my LONG rambling post actually motivated and inspired people instead of boring them..HA! Who knew? I actually find myself quite boring!;) I have received so many emails and messages in the last day asking for more advice! One of the big ones was my meal plan. I will try to be as specific as I can. Here it goes...
For breakfast, lunch and snacks it's VERY simple! Since I run an in home daycare, I am required to meet certain standards (USDA) for all meals. This can be tricky since I have ALL picky eaters in my care, especially my own! We stick with very basic meals and I print the parents a menu that we use for anywhere from 2-4 weeks (depending on how the children are liking the meals) and I typically type of 4-6 at a time and then just rotate them. Below is the meals we are we are using now (I would have included the actual menu BUT I am not very computer smart and couldn't figure it out...OOPS;)...
Warren Family Daycare Breakfast and Lunch Menu
Monday
Breakfast
Pancakes and Eggs
Lunch
Cheese Quesidilla and beans (A HUGE hit here)
Tuesday
Breakfast
Oatmeal w/ apples and raisins
Lunch
Chicken strips and potato wedges
Wednesday
Breakfast
Cereal and Toast
Lunch
Homemade Mac and cheese w/ carrots added
Thursday
Breakfast
French Toast Sticks
Lunch
PBandJ
Friday
Breakfast
Banana Bread
Lunch
Tacos (Cooking Activity
Here's another one
Warren Family Daycare Breakfast and Lunch Menu
Monday
Breakfast
Eggs, sausage and toast
Lunch
Ham and Cheese sandwich
Tuesday
Breakfast
Pancakes and fruit
Lunch
Cheese and apple quesidilla
Wednesday
Breakfast
Oatmeal w/ cinnamon and blueberries
Lunch
Spaghetti
Thursday
Breakfast
Banana or blueberry muffin and melon
Lunch
Chicken and Rice
Friday
Breakfast
Cereal and Fruit
Lunch
Personal Pizzas (Cooking Activity)
All meals include 2 fresh servings of fruits/vegetables and milk.
Wish those looked prettier on here but hey, like I said, I am NOT a computer person! The fact that I figured out how to start a blog is amazing in itself!;) Back to the menus...It really does help have a menu set. If you do (I know mine is extreme because I run a daycare) have the meals somewhat in place, your children will know what to expect and will not argue AS much!
NOW.....On to dinner. I do have a method!:) To be honest, I kind of slacked for a few weeks when Caiden was born because I eat super healthy so it was torture to get back on that healthy track after pregnancy (I may have splurged a little while pregnant) SO, my cooking yummy sometimes fattening food is not so easy when you then sit down and eat steamed vegetables every night. I LOVE to cook though, so I am getting back in gear!
First thing I do before starting a monthly menu is take inventory on what we still have. Our frozen food, canned food, spices, etc. Then I try to see what good coupons are circulating at the time. When you are feeding a large family like ours, coupons are the way to go! Especially since our girls are seriously bottomless pits! Whoever said only boys are that way was WRONG! Come to this house during dinner time! By using coupons I can splurge on the important things like, you know, CLOTHES!;)
Alright back to the subject..Once you have written out your inventory and checked for coupons then it's time to get down to business.:) I use a template in publisher to input meals (any calander system will work) I go through my tried and true recipes, new recipes and I also take into account our busy nights (like t ball night) and choose an easy recipe that you can put in the crock pot, have pre made and throw in the oven or if you have the magic pot from pampered chef there is a lot of 15 minute microwave recipes. That way you don't end up just grabing fast food on the way home because it's late.
I find my recipes in a number of places. Cook books, recipes other friends post through facebook, search engines oh and here is one of my FAV siteshttp://thepioneerwoman.com/
After I compile my list of meals, I then go through every single one (including my breakfast and lunch menu) and break it down to all the ingredients I need. I have a template I use but if you just google free grocery list template, it will bring up a ton and you can print out the one that works best for you! Here is my April Dinner Menu, most meals are quick and easy and if you see a recipe that you want, please let me know and I will get it to you!
For breakfast, lunch and snacks it's VERY simple! Since I run an in home daycare, I am required to meet certain standards (USDA) for all meals. This can be tricky since I have ALL picky eaters in my care, especially my own! We stick with very basic meals and I print the parents a menu that we use for anywhere from 2-4 weeks (depending on how the children are liking the meals) and I typically type of 4-6 at a time and then just rotate them. Below is the meals we are we are using now (I would have included the actual menu BUT I am not very computer smart and couldn't figure it out...OOPS;)...
Warren Family Daycare Breakfast and Lunch Menu
Monday
Breakfast
Pancakes and Eggs
Lunch
Cheese Quesidilla and beans (A HUGE hit here)
Tuesday
Breakfast
Oatmeal w/ apples and raisins
Lunch
Chicken strips and potato wedges
Wednesday
Breakfast
Cereal and Toast
Lunch
Homemade Mac and cheese w/ carrots added
Thursday
Breakfast
French Toast Sticks
Lunch
PBandJ
Friday
Breakfast
Banana Bread
Lunch
Tacos (Cooking Activity
Here's another one
Warren Family Daycare Breakfast and Lunch Menu
Monday
Breakfast
Eggs, sausage and toast
Lunch
Ham and Cheese sandwich
Tuesday
Breakfast
Pancakes and fruit
Lunch
Cheese and apple quesidilla
Wednesday
Breakfast
Oatmeal w/ cinnamon and blueberries
Lunch
Spaghetti
Thursday
Breakfast
Banana or blueberry muffin and melon
Lunch
Chicken and Rice
Friday
Breakfast
Cereal and Fruit
Lunch
Personal Pizzas (Cooking Activity)
All meals include 2 fresh servings of fruits/vegetables and milk.
Wish those looked prettier on here but hey, like I said, I am NOT a computer person! The fact that I figured out how to start a blog is amazing in itself!;) Back to the menus...It really does help have a menu set. If you do (I know mine is extreme because I run a daycare) have the meals somewhat in place, your children will know what to expect and will not argue AS much!
NOW.....On to dinner. I do have a method!:) To be honest, I kind of slacked for a few weeks when Caiden was born because I eat super healthy so it was torture to get back on that healthy track after pregnancy (I may have splurged a little while pregnant) SO, my cooking yummy sometimes fattening food is not so easy when you then sit down and eat steamed vegetables every night. I LOVE to cook though, so I am getting back in gear!
First thing I do before starting a monthly menu is take inventory on what we still have. Our frozen food, canned food, spices, etc. Then I try to see what good coupons are circulating at the time. When you are feeding a large family like ours, coupons are the way to go! Especially since our girls are seriously bottomless pits! Whoever said only boys are that way was WRONG! Come to this house during dinner time! By using coupons I can splurge on the important things like, you know, CLOTHES!;)
Alright back to the subject..Once you have written out your inventory and checked for coupons then it's time to get down to business.:) I use a template in publisher to input meals (any calander system will work) I go through my tried and true recipes, new recipes and I also take into account our busy nights (like t ball night) and choose an easy recipe that you can put in the crock pot, have pre made and throw in the oven or if you have the magic pot from pampered chef there is a lot of 15 minute microwave recipes. That way you don't end up just grabing fast food on the way home because it's late.
I find my recipes in a number of places. Cook books, recipes other friends post through facebook, search engines oh and here is one of my FAV siteshttp://thepioneerwoman.com/
After I compile my list of meals, I then go through every single one (including my breakfast and lunch menu) and break it down to all the ingredients I need. I have a template I use but if you just google free grocery list template, it will bring up a ton and you can print out the one that works best for you! Here is my April Dinner Menu, most meals are quick and easy and if you see a recipe that you want, please let me know and I will get it to you!
APRIL 2011
Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
1 | 2 | |||||
Pizza Night Salad | ||||||
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
*Chicken Tortilla Soup *cooked Tortillas | *Steak *Pasta *Steamed Broccoli *Salad | *Baked Chicken *Brown rice *Green Beans *Salad | *Tacos *Rice/Beans *Chips/salsa | *Spaghetti *Salad *Bread | *Glazed Salmon *Brown rice *Mixed veges *Spinach salad | Pizza Night Salad |
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
*Crock Pot Roast *Baked Rice *Steamed Carrots *Salad | Chicken Casserole *Artichokes *Broiled Peaches *Breadsticks | Creamy mushroom Lasagna w/ whole wheat noodles *Mixed salad *Bread | *Chicken parmigiana *Salad *Steamed veges | *Cheesy Crock pot chicken *Baked Rice *Steamed Brocolli, carrot, cauliflower | *Crock Pot Stroganoff *Baked Potato *Salad *Bread | Pizza Night Salad |
17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
*Spicy marinara spaghetti *Steamed squash and carrots *Salad *Baked bread | *Creamy mushroom Garlic Chicken *White rice *Asparagus *Salad | *5 minute abs Chicken stir fry recipe *Brown rice *(Pasta for kids) *Salad | Free choice (T ball practice) | *Chicken Spaghetti *Asparagus *Spinach salad *Fresh bread | *Marinated tri-tip *Easy cheesy scalloped potatoes *marinated green beans *Corn on the cob | Pizza Night Salad |
24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Easter Brunch | *Chicken Pot Pie Mixed stir fry veges Broiled Peaches Salad | *Chicken Tortellini Soup *Bread bowl Salad | *15 Minute Chicken Fajitas *Rice/Beans Chips/salsa | *Turkey burgers (handmade w/ veges&marinade) *homemade potato wedges *Salad | *Cream of mushroom pork chops *Baked cheese mashed potatoes *Baked Asparagus | Pizza Night Salad |
SO....My template is totally messed up and if I figure out how to shrink it right and make it look like it should, I promise I will fix it....YIKES I need someone to teach me how to do this stuff.:) PS....As you can see, Saturday is always our pizza night!! We typically go to church that night so after we like to pick up Papa Murphy's pizza and salad and have an easy fun family night!
THERE YOU HAVE IT! Easier than you thought hugh? Again, I wish I could have blogged the templates the way I use them and show you my grocery list. Also like I said, if any recipe sounds good, let me know and I will post it! I will also maybe start doing a once a week recipe post!
So, what is everyone else having for dinner tonight?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Keeping my sanity....What's left of it!
I am often asked by friends and family how I make having 4 kids under 5 and running a daycare look so easy..Well, that's because I fool you all well.:) Trust me! Just ask my husband, he will let you in on the secret that I am sometimes, well, kind of frazzled! However there are certain things that I do that make our home run WAY smoother than they would if I didn't do them! Right now I will give you 5 of my top favorite suggestions on how to help the busyness and chaos that comes with raising a family! These are my picks for now because most of them are things I work on on Sunday's!
Yep.....These little ladies can cause quite a bit of chaos! 
#1The daily dilemma of dressing children....Handle it in one day a week!
This is seriously one of the BEST things I do each week! Some of my friends think I am seriously crazy that I take the hour each Sunday to do this. However, I challenge you to do this ONE day a week for ONE month, then, let me know if it has not helped a ton!
OK..SO here it is. First head to Target (my personal heaven on earth) and pick up two of these!
Yep....This is my messy closet;) As you can see though, I'm ready for the week!
So,once you have 2 of these you are set! Then, all you have to do is take the time to pick 7 outfits and 7 sets of jammies! The biggest arguments I hear are 1.)I don't know the weather that far in advance? Well if you have a tv or the internet, you can get a pretty good idea and then alter if needed. 2.) My kids throw a fit if I don't let them pick their clothes. Well, that's not a problem..I made it clear with my kids when I started doing it that I was fine with them "helping" pick their clothes( to an extent...Yes I am that mean mom that does not let my kids leave in whatever outfit their imagination picked that day. I know I'm awful) anyways, they can help, BUT they have to do it when I am doing it and help pick for the whole week. If they choose not to, well then Peyton's favorite saying comes into play "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit"!:) This little task has saved me SO much stress each morning and night!
#2 Meal Planning
Sounds simple, however even I slack sometimes. I try once a month (yes I said month) to sit down and figure out the whole month of menus. Not just dinner either. I am talking breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner. I do this because
1.)It helps me find the coupons that are most useful to me.
2.)Then I am not spending one day a week on long grocery trips away from my family just grabbing whatever I think we need.
3.) It makes us have all the items we need for meals so we do not waste money on fast food that is bad for us. I DO NOT like fast food!
4.)My TOP reason for meal planning and once a month shopping...Then if I send my husband to the store, he only has to get filler items like fresh produce or dairy...Lets face it, men sometimes have a tough time handeling the grocery shopping.;)
At the minimum I suggest sitting down once a week and making your meal plan! It is so much better than sitting there each evening thinking "oh no, what's for dinner?" Also, it helps you save money because when you make a million "quick" grocery trips, it is too easy to grab things you don't NEED.
#3. BE ORGANIZED!!!!
Hmmmmm, I am sure I should be more specific, but I mean just what it says! Try to go with the motto, everything has a home or place. I have taught my girls this and it "helps" them clean up more often! Our house is not large and lets face it, with a family of 6 and a daycare, it gets even SMALLER!! We run out of room quickly. So, keeping a super clean house without clutter really helps. I suggest simple starts like using bins to organize things like pictures, small toys or if you have a house like us filled with girls, use bins to organize things like hair accesories so they are not just thrown in a drawer. Also another important organization tip is to buy an accordian folder or a plastic case and gather all important documents and keep them in one central place. Somewhere that you could grab them quick in an emergency like a fire. Put mortgage documents, all insurance certificates (home owners, car, life, medical) passports, social security cards, birth cerificates..You get the idea! That way, they are always there when you need them and you are not searching when you need it right then and there.
#4. STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE!!!!
OK, so I take this step a little further than most, however I am very OCD! From the time Peyton was a baby, we stuck to routines like my kids hands stick to me after peanut butter and Jelly! Don't get me wrong, we have SO much fun around here and have plenty of unstructured time. For instance the girls have had a lazy morning of playing outside and lunch is late and nap time even later. We are also very involved parents that seriously play with our kids and give them every second we can each day! This helps because they are not fighting for attention by misbehaving! We are BIG on bedtime routine though...Typically as soon as dinner ends, it's clean up time, bath time, the kids then get 15 minutes of "toonies" Olivia and Bubble Guppies and Superwhy are this weeks hits!;) Then it's straight to teeth brushing and potty, story reading, prayers and night night kisses. Most nights go smoothly (chaotic but smooth) because the girls know what to expect. There are no surprises and few arguements from them because we give them a little control. They know they pick the cartoon and when it's over it's over and that means time for bed! They get to help brush their teeth and pick their books and tell us what they want to pray about. It's not like we run bootcamp around here, but we do stick to routine because with this many little ones, you would lose ALL sanity if you didn't!
#5. Take time for yourself!!!!
I know, I know...Easier said than done but come on you all know the saying?...
"If momma aint happy, aint nobody happy!"
Thankfully, I have the best husband in the world that knows from expirence, this is SO true!;) He actually sometimes forces me to take time for myself. I know some of you may feel like there is no way you could take time for yourself, but you can do it in many ways. Afterall, as moms, we give our all 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We deserve a little time to ourselves! Something as simple as telling your children to play nicely well you enjoy a cup of coffee/tea and read for 5-10 minutes. It truly is amazing what just 5 minutes can do. Just find one thing that puts you in your happy place. For me it's running! Some days the last thing I feel like doing at the end of a long and exhausting day, is getting my shoes on and going for a run. Once I am out there though, even if it's only 20-30 minutes, all is well with the world and I can just focus on ME and MY thoughts! Other things I love are a HOT bath with a good book! I usually pick books on parenting or my Bible Studies. Also a glass of wine once the kids are in bed can do wonders! Just having alone time with God is HUGE for me...Just meditating on who God is and what He wants to say to me. When I am focused on the Lord and serving His purpose, it helps me be a better wife and mother! It's also amazing what a good church service can do for your soul! Last night's did wonders for me and left me feeling humbled and refreshed in my thankfulness to the Lord for my many undeserved blessings!
So, there you have it! My top 5 sanity savers!!! I could make a list of about 10 more off the top of my head! This post is already far too long though, so I will save them for another time! I would love to hear some of your top sanity savers!
Big 8 week old "Baby Brudder"....getting used to the chaos still!;)
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