Doing too much?

Daily Routine:


7:30 am  Wake up
7:00        Take shower
6:00        Make bed


8:00 am   Wake kids up
7:30         Do make up and hair
                 Have kids make beds 


6:00 am  Wake up
                 Go for a run
                 Shower
                  Make bed

7:00 am   Wake kids up
                 Do make up and hair
                 Have kids make beds 
7:30 am   Make breakfast
                 Pack kids' lunches


8:00 am   Leave house


6:00 pm Get home and start dinner and homework




Ever made this list? Then slept until 7:30, then had a "throw it all" morning? Ya know, where you throw your hair up, throw on some lipstick, throw the kids in the car with a poptart and some cash for lunch while throwing a fit about how late you are. All the while, throwing your hopes of being Mrs. Perfect out the window?

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we think that getting up at 6:00 am  5:00 am is going to accomplish anything when (guessing according to the above schedule) we don't even get in bed until 11:30 or Midnight?

Why do we feel so guilty if we don't get all of these things done? No, really, I am asking you! I make this same list all the time! AND I NEVER FOLLOW IT! I'm not running at 6:00 am! I may go in the afternoon or evening but not at 6:00 am! Even if I managed to get breakfast made by 7:30, nobody in my house is ready to eat by then....they may not even be awake.

So, why do we do this? It only stresses us out. It stresses out our husbands because they hear the alarm go off for three weeks in a row only to hear us reset it for 3 hours later..no?...that's just me? It stresses out our kids because they are getting yelled at due to nothing more than our frustration with ourselves for not being "perfect" at life. Most of all, it only makes us feel like less of a woman when we make all of these plans and don't follow them at all.

I am issuing myself a challenge this week: The only list I am going to make is:

Things That I don't have to do anymore

Maybe that list will include things like coupon clipping or gardening or being team mom of every sport my kids are involved in...maybe I will even have the kids take a break from sports for a season! Maybe I won't make EVERY meal from scratch each day or over obsess about how the towels are folded and arranged in the linen closet.

I issue the same challenge to you! Instead of looking at other women and saying, "Jamie makes everything from scratch! I want to do that!" ..."Pam clips coupons and saves $400 a month! I  want to do that!" ...."Sally runs 6 miles a day and is planning a marathon run next fall! I want to do that!" ..."Sue does crafts with her kids and is always taking them somewhere fun and special! I want to do that!", look at yourself and say, "I am ______ and I am always______! I am so proud to be myself!"

After all, Jaime, Pam, Sally and Sue each only have the one strength that sticks out to you! Truth be told, they probably wish they had it all together like you do!

This week, let's take it easy on ourselves and only focus on what matters the MOST in our lives! Let's see what we can cut out of our busy schedules. I am sure there are many things I do in a day that don't HAVE to be done.

Challenge Accepted!

How to be a traveling soccer mom (or football or softball..)

        If I make a list for you of all the extra-curricular activities my two oldest kids are involved in, you would think I have lost my mind! But, in my defense, we homeschool and both my husband and I work from home, which means no extra school work after 4:00 pm, adjusted bed times and meal times when necessary and—most importantly—ample family time during the hours most others are at work.       
       Anyway, since we have been/are involved in so many activities with the kids, much of it involving travel, I have started packing things for our time at the field and on the road. As the spring season starts for a lot of programs, I thought I would share with you how we save time and, most importantly, money!
      First of all, I want to say I was terrible at this little league thing for a couple of years! A lot of trial and error until I figured out what to carry, how to carry it, and how much to bring.
      Second, there have been stages in this process because I have a 10 and 11 year old that have been participating in sports since I was pregnant with my 4 year old.

      Finally, here is how I "Travel Ball!"

We bring a small cooler with water, Gatorade, apple juice for my toddler and milk (or formula for babies). In the top of the cooler, I put a cake carrier with snacks. The cake carrier allows a lot of cold in because it isn't insulated, but keeps everything from getting wet---plus they are only $5 at Wal-Mart!

fits perfectly in the above cooler!

Here is a list of snacks I keep in the cake carrier:

• 1-2 bananas (a MUST if one of the kids may become dehydrated--this has only been an issue for us one time, but bananas are great for muscles cramps since they are packed with Potassium.)
• A green apple (my kids like the green) sliced and put in a ziploc snack size baggie
• A bag of beef jerky (protein for my boys--hubby and oldest--after a tough football game)
• Some crackers and peanut butter
• Grapes
• Goldfish
• Granola bars
• Nutria grain bars
• Teddy Graham Cookies or Nilla Wafers
• The small containers of Peanut butter (for apple dipping, if wanted)
• 1-2 small apple sauce containers
• A couple of plastic spoons and a plastic knife
• other possibilities are a container of ranch dressing and a baggie of carrots of snap peas.
• If the game is far away, I will also stuff a few ham and cheese sandwiches in the box. I will take other things out if I need to in order to make them fit. You will be surprised at how many things you can shove in the cake carrier!

Non-food items are probably even more important to us, and I carry them in a Sterilite  15 Qt. container instead of a backpack because it is clear and you can put stuff in a certain way so that it stays put. That means no digging around in a backpack for 10 minutes trying to find sunblock!

I haven't re-packed this one yet. I took it on our last vacation for an emergency kit!

Which brings me to the list (most everything is in trial or small sizes but some things are larger like the sunblock:

• Sunblock!!! SPF 50 or higher apply every 2 hours...and use it for YOURSELF as well!
• A small amount of cash in small bills....in case you need something from the concession stand.
• Hair brush
• Some hair ties
• Extra sunglasses
• Band aids
• Neosporin
• Hand sanitizer
• Ponchos (we live in Florida and it rains all the time! And who has any hands left for an umbrella with all the stuff we are carrying LOL)
• An umbrella (mostly for shade if needed)
• A roll of toilet paper (lots of places we visit either have none in the bathrooms or run out soon after we arrive!)
• A spray bottle of water (I use this to put my daughters hair back in a pony tail.)
• Extra batteries for our misters.
• Eye black
• Extra mouth guards
• After bite medication
• Mosquito spray
• Wet wipes
• Ibuprofen (adult and children)
• alcohol wipes
• We use these nifty little misters to keep cool during the hot summer games. Often, we are able to sit right behind the team on the sidelines and I will spray them when they walk by. (The coaches keep hand towels in a cooler full of ice water for them too, so they are well taken care of!)

• If you have babies along for the ride, you will want to make sure you pack them age appropriate snacks or jars of baby food as well as a few diapers.

You need chairs with built in umbrellas!

When my youngest was a baby, I also carried a pack n' go!

It sounds like a lot, I know! If you aren't prepared, though, you could be stuck with a screaming baby in a car for 2 hours and 2 sunburned, dehydrated children playing outside! If everyone carries their own chair (we have the kind that fold up in to the bags with a shoulder strap), and you have a rolling cooler, you can easily transport these things across the field in one trip! :)

 Go Team Mom!

Spring Cleaning Supplies!

I am, by far, NOT an environmentalist! I try as hard as I can (some of the time) to recycle, use less, and trade in toxic things for natural things. I don't always do well, but I am aware of it. My favorite items to clean with are normally Pine sol (I LOVE the smell!), bleach (I know its clean if I bleached it), and Scrubbing Bubbles (it does the work so I don't have to). I used Tide for laundry detergent before I started making my own 3 years ago.In fact, I have stopped buying all of these products in exchange for making my own. There are many many advantages of making your own cleaning products! Of course the fact that they are mostly natural and safe to have around your kids is the most important one to me, but there are many others:

*Non-toxic to the environment
*CHEAP AS DIRT!
*The ingredients are usually something sold in a much larger package than you need so you always have extra. If you run out or if you come across another recipe for a different cleaning product, you will have everything you need to make it already!

There are MANY things you can make at home, but for now, I will share with you the things I make:

Glass Cleaner
All purpose Cleaner (bathroom and kitchen)
Laundry detergent
"Febreeze"

If I bought all of these products at a discount store without coupons, I am going to say it would cost me about $25. $3 for Windex, $4 for Febreeze, $3 for a small bottle of Pinesol, $4 for a small bottle of scrubbing bubbles, and $12 for Tide. ok...so $26 give or take.
These supplies will usually last me about a month to two months with the exception of the Tide. (There are 5 of us.) So I will double the detergent cost to $24 a month making my grand total $50 a month for 4 of the cleaning supplies I use.

In order to make all of these products at home, your shopping list will look like this:

1 gallon of Vinegar $3
1 bottle of alcohol $1
1 box of Borax (in the detergent aisle) $3
1 box of Arm & Hammer WASHING soda (detergent aisle) $4
1 bar of Fels Naptha washing soap (detergent aisle) $1
1 box of BAKING soda $3
1 small bottle of Downy (or your favorite fabric softener) $5
You will need a 5 gallon bucket $5
If you don't have any empty or almost empty spray bottles, start saving them now, or purchase a few for $1 each. $5
(of course these are estimates but I overestimated to the nearest $ so it should be pretty accurate)

Total: $30

Here are you recipes:

Window Cleaner (this stuff is AMAZING!)
1 cup of rubbing alcohol
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of white vinegar

All purpose Cleaner

1 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon of dish detergent
1 cup water

"Febreeze"

1/8 cup of fabric softener
2 tablespoons of baking soda
mix in a spray bottle and fill to the top with water

Laundry Detergent

1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 bar Fels Naptha

Directions: Shave bar of Fels Naptha into a big pot of water and heat it on medium heat until it dissolves (takes about 10 minutes total). Pour all ingredients into a 5 gallon bucket and fill the rest of the bucket with water. Use 1- tablespoons per load. This is very effective in HE washers because it rinses clean! It should last you a year!


So for $30, you got enough supplies to make a year's worth of detergent and various other cleaning supplies. I estimate that I save over $500 a year by making just these four things! You will absolutely be able to make various other household cleaners with the leftover supplies you have on hand! I will post more recipes soon!


Happy green cleaning and saving!!!!

Limits are Important

Imagine a glass of water....imagine filling that glass with a large pitcher...the glass has a limit of how much it can hold. If you keep pouring water in the glass, eventually, it will overflow and spill on to the counter and into the floor.

You, like the glass, have a natural limit on how much you can contain, do, and manage well. We all do! When we go beyond that, filling our lives and schedules up with too much, it can become messy. Instead of water on the floor, we end up with stress, anxiety, anger, depression, or disappointment.

Despite the fact that most of us are well aware of this, we tend to live our lives as if there are no limits. We can pour more and more into our glass without ever overflowing. Our schedules leave no room for mistakes, illness, oversleeping, a surprise visit from a friend, or even a longer-than-expected phone conversation with a loved one. Time to rest, reconnect, and recuperate evaporates. We find ourselves maxed out physically, emotionally, and even spiritually!

The good news is that you don't have to overfill your glass. You can embrace a healthy-paced lifestyle. You can get the max out of life without maxing out your life! (ok so I have heard that before, but I don't know where, lol.) You have to create boundaries!

Now imagine that you have another glass of water. Imagine filling the glass with the same pitcher of water, but this time you stop half an inch from the rim. There is now room for more. Another drop of water won't put it over the edge. There is room for the occasional overflow.

There is now time for unexpected things--spit up on your work shirt, a last minute deadline at work, a surprise dinner out with a friend. AND...If nothing unexpected happens, you get to rest!!!

Do you feel like your glass is overflowing? Look over your weekly schedule. See if there is anything on it that you do that is too time consuming, time wasting or even something that can be delegated out to someone else. Try cutting back on 1-2 things that you do so you have room for the occasional overflow.