Monday, January 23, 2012

The Perfect Job!

Sorry I know it has been a long time in between posts! We have stayed really busy lately. Anyways,...................

Quote- from the book Homeschooling A family's journey By Gregory & Martine Millman
One of the most important decisions we made on the road to homeschooling was that our children should have a very costly "luxury": a full-time mom (Just read this book & loved it)

Even on my hardest or worse days I have to say I do have my dream job! I have the absolute perfect job! For me at least! I know raising kids and being a house wife is not for everyone. In my vision for life I can't image me doing anything else! I love my life & I love my job! Now in saying this I am not saying it's the easiest job at all. I might even say it's right up there with the hardest jobs ever! Not to mention it will not pay you in paper money. But it is extremely rewarding and there is so many awards!

When we got married & had our 1st child we knew we were both on the same page when it came to who we wanted to raise our daughter. I was thinking about this the other day & how naturally it came to both of us. I feel like I just don't want my kids to sacrifice for us to have more money & really in our case it would not pay us to put our children in the care of anyone else that we would have to pay anyway.

I believe a lot of people set higher standards for women who stay home. Apparently, a mother who stays home is supposed to have the most spotless house & the best dinners & the most well behaved children. (since we stay home we have time to dust, clean out closets, & make all our meals from scratch right!)
Some people think stay at home moms lay around eating bon bons all day watching soap operas.

Well I know from my experience, Because I am at home- I am the one everyone calls to watch a sick kid, or on a holiday(no school), plus with the higher standard, I am expected to have it all together. Well stay at home moms go through stages just like moms who work outside the home. Kids who are in their terrible 2s or just overwhelmed with all the stuff that comes along with motherhood- no breaks, no clocking out, full time literally means 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. No sick time & no vacation time. & no monetary raises. No paycheck that can be cashed at the bank. You can't call off if you are not feeling as though you can do your job that day. You have to do the best you can. You can't blame anyone else for what your children did or didn't do that day.

I know I don't always have all the dishes done, or all the laundry put away but I know I put as much time into my children as I know possible. I love them, have conversations with them, Listen to them, play with them, teach them, watch them & sooooo much more.

I know my chore list & it gets revised all the time. With each season my kids go though so do I. I have learned so much and continue to learn. I have became a better mother & wife. I have became a better housekeeper & cook. I want to keep my dream job!

God gives us our gift (our child) only for a time. We are to train them up in the way they should go. Proverbs22:6
Life is short. Can be shorter than we want. Take care of the gift God gave you.

No matter what age your child is or how long you have been a mother, wake up & do your job! No sleeping on the job! Our children are our future!
Even if you don't stay home remember the moment you became pregnant you became a parent. Do the best job you can.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Things Every Stay at Home mom should Know!

Well I am not going to tell you that being a stay at home mom is easy all the time but I can say it is the most rewarding job anywhere! It is my dream job! I didn't have children for someone else to raise them! I enjoy being with my kids & they enjoy being with me.

There are a few things I feel every stay at home mom should know. Here are a few-

1. Feel Proud of What You Do
(you work hard & you do a great job)

2. Keep in Touch with Friends
(mommy's need play dates too)

3. Get Organized
(it's easier to stay with a routine this way)

4. Get in Touch with Your Creative Side
(sometimes you have to get your hands dirty)

5. Remember your spouse
(this can include many things)

6. Make time for you
(even if it just 15 mins. in the shower)

The list goes on and on.............

Have Fun & Enjoy!

Whenever I held my newborn baby in my arms, I used to think that what I said and did to him could have an influence not only on him but on all whom he met, not only for a day or a month or a year, but for all eternity - a very challenging and exciting thought for a mother. ~Rose Kennedy

In bringing up children, spend on them half as much money and twice as much time. ~Author Unknown

You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once. ~Polish Proverb

What's done to children, they will do to society. ~Karl Menninger

We are our children's influence- Be a good one :)

Who did God want to raise your babies? U! He gave u this gift now be careful with it!

Update after a long wait!

Well today was my younger 2 kiddos last day of public school! They are officially homeschool kids like their sister. I am so excited!

I know it has been a while since my last post but I have been pretty busy. I can't promise I will be blogging everyday or every week but I will be checking in as often as I can. One thing I wanted to blog about today besides my kids is - Christmas! Only a few days away, I love Christmas! I hope everyone is ready or getting ready for the giving but I hope even more that everyone remembers what Christmas is all about. I think Linus from Charlie Brown says it best! http://youtu.be/pn10FF-FQfs

Thursday, September 8, 2011

10 year tribute 9-11

Besides thinking of all the bad that happened on that horrible day, we need to take a tiny bit of good from it. This event should help us not to take for granted the life we have in front of us & to remember life is shorter than we expect. Please remember our heroes that are all around us. Say Thank you to a vet or a military member or their family. Remember police, fire fighters, EMT/ EMS, and so many more. I hope you & your families hold each other tight like you did that awful day. Give hugs, say I love you. & say thank you! Wear your red, white, & blue. Fly those American flags. Remember the yellow ribbons too!

http://youtu.be/8oOW-1OwtCA

http://youtu.be/zgTNKAYpVd4

http://youtu.be/cSvJGp5Iyzw

http://youtu.be/fDSbyHwIuIE

http://youtu.be/Q65KZIqay4E

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

To Have & To Hold!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4"

MARRIAGE

I am a helper to my husband! I was created for him. We were made to be together.

Ephesians 5:22-23

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

Colossians 3:18-19

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Genesis 2:22-24

Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Proverbs 12:4

A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

Proverbs 19:14

Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

>I am blessed enough to be married to my best friend. He is my soul mate! I know a lot of times, you hear of couples who get married & a year into it they can't stand each other. I am happy to tell you, there are still marriages where a couple stays in love with each other. We have been married for almost 13yrs. I like to joke & tell people we are still newlyweds. Of coarse every couple has disagreements but the goal is to not hold on to them & drag them through your marriage. Over all I feel like we ARE still newlyweds, we continue to learn new things about each other because we ourselves are constantly changing. I love my husband more today than I did 13yrs ago which on our wedding day, I didn't think was possible. We were high school sweethearts and got pregnant pretty young. Still with God we have made it through lots of struggles. I have come to realize, there will always be something positive or negative we will be going through but to remember I love him & I took a vow that I will keep. When we found out we were going to have a baby our Junior yr of high school, he could have left me & said I was on my own. (like so many men do) But he didn't even think of it. Instead we got married which we had already talked about so many times. We just made it real. We knew it wasn't going to be easy & we had our ups & downs. Ultimately we ended up having a healthy baby girl 8 weeks earlier than doctors had planned. My marriage has taught us so much about a bond. We have each other for ever until death do us part. Until then I will always be able to talk to him & tell him my dreams. He will also always have someone to come to. Marriage is a very special thing & I am so gratful and proud.

Proverbs 31:10

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

MARRIAGE- it will change your life!

I love being married

I love holding hands

I love talking

I love having someone to lay with

I love waking up next to my husband

Mark 10:6-9

"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

He is an extreemly wonderful man! I could do a whole post just on how much I love him & how great he is as husband & father, but I won't I just want to pass on that marriage is a beautiful bond. Be blessed!

http://youtu.be/ENeUyQOyoGo

http://youtu.be/NAAOS1i5wWc

http://youtu.be/rl8SuLBCq3k

http://youtu.be/1GpXYKp7_Qw

Monday, August 22, 2011

Time management !!!!

It doesn't matter who you are, at one point you have wished for more hours in the day. Weather you love your job or absolutely hate it, you look for more time. So since school has started & summer is pretty much over I wanted to take some TIME to share with you some tips on making the most of the time we are given.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals. This set encompasses a wide scope of activities, and these include planning, allocating, setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent, monitoring, organizing, scheduling, and prioritizing. Initially, time management referred to just business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as well. A time management system is a designed combination of processes, tools, techniques, and methods. Usually time management is a necessity in any project development as it determines the project completion time and scope.

I have the best job in the world & I am always wishing I could have an extra hour in the day. If not to do the things I didn't get to yet but to have a little more sleep lol

For me, it starts with routine. If I don't get up at basically the same time every morning or get started with something right away, then I know I am gonna drag that day. I try to stay positive. Sometimes saying a prayer or reading a positive book such as the Bible can refresh you for the day. For some a cup of coffee gets them going (I don't drink coffee) I remind myself that my husband is off at work (he only gets 1 day off a week now) & that I am at my jobs so I had better get started. I am a stay at home mom & also the home manager. I also homeschool my middleschooler & babysitter my sister's two young children. Some people tell me I have an easy job or they wish they could just stay home, but I have to say it is harder that you would think. Because I stay home, myself & my home seem to be set at a higher standard than homes that the woman works outside the home. I am my worst critic.

I start out looking at my calendar. I have several. I also make lots of lists. Besides writing my bills on the calendar & making sure the payday before things are due they get paid, I also write on there what events are going on each day, along with my huband's sechedule of his jobs. I also have another calendar I check each day ( I call it my chore calendar) I look at the calendar to see what I must make time to do each day such as making sure to wipe down baseboards. Things I don't do on a daily bases are harder to make time to do or to remember to do so I write it down on my chore calendar.

Because I homeschool, I try to write out my lesson plans far in advance. My daughter is an independent worker & is very good at working on her own. Which has come in handy since we are now watching extra kids most days now. We are still adjusting & trying to get some kind of a routine to fit in all the things we would normally be doing plus have plenty of time to interact with them. Because the are so young they need a lot of attention.

I like to be multitasking at all times, well I don't know if I like it as much as it has just became a mandatory thing. I write lots of list & spend the evenings doing several things at once. While relaxing and watching tv with my hubby, I also cut/ organize coupons & make shopping lists for the next day. Or I write my to do list for the next day. I also check emails on my laptop or like to look at magizines. Sometime I have to continue my chores during relaxing time. So I try to leave the chores such as folding laundry for the evenings so I can sit on the couch & still have a conversation with my husband.

I like to use mealtime prep time to catch up with my kids that have been in public school all day. It is also an outlet for them to vent or just refocus their mind to stay positive & not get too stressed out.

Try to be as organized as you can. The more organized you are the easier tasks become & things can get done quicker. I have several folders. One house managing such as chore lists, calendars, recipes, & to do lists. I also have one that is finances, it holds bills & important receipts. Of coarse I have my coupon binder. I also have one for homeschooling & one for my homeschool group. I have other projects that I am working on right now so I have a few extras too, such as breast cancer awareness month is coming up in October so my mom & I are getting her team stuff ready for fundraising walks.

If you become your boss & set goals for yourself for each day, you can accomplish more than you realize. Remember to say no if you need to. If someone wants you to add something to your day & you know you are already struggling then you need to learn to say no. You are not mean because you didn't add that volunteer job to your already hectic schedule.

Remember, try not to let other people get you down. Be realistic! Taking certain tasks like cleaning one thing at a time. Don't give up!!!!! I can't give you more hours in the day but hopefully I can help you use the time you have wisely!