Here's what each of us had to say about this section:
This week we are discussing the appendices, which are of an especially useful nature to those who need some emergency remedies, who need to now exactly where to start and are overwhelmed trying to figure it out.
Like so many good habits and exercises in self improvement (frugality comes quickly to mind), attitude is foundational, attitude and (this isn't Kim, it's me), repentance from sloth. We don't overcome these weak areas in our lives through wishful thinking, but by working. Y'all have no idea how much I hate that little bit of reality.
Prayer is also vital, and so is Daily Bible Reading.
Over the years I have found there are times when the idea of sitting down to read was about as practical as sweeping the cobwebs off the moon. Here are some shortcuts:
MP3 files of Bible reading, tapes, CDs, or printing out one chapter of Psalms each week in large print and posting it to the bathroom mirror, the wall over the kitchen sink, and wherever it is I was changing diapers that year.
I have some great free audio resources listed here
And you know, just sit down and do it. It will probably take way less time than you think. Ask me how I know.
Kim also recommends that you really work at stream lining tasks- this is not the time to go all frou-frou on decorating projects or Martha Stewart in the kitchen. This is the time for plastic plates (that's Kim) and disposable baking pans (that's me- I think pans are way more trouble to wash than plates), and easy, easy meals. The crockpot is your friend.
Here are some of my streamlining meals ideas: I personally like to combine ingredients and freeze them.
This might be the time for an emergency month of easy breakfasts of cereal and milk, or for a healthier alternative (MUCH healthier as cheaper and more filling), try three minute skillet granola.,with milk or yogurt. Make up a big batch of granola. Or make a huge batch of pancake batter (this one is high protein, and this one is grain free)
She encourages moms to eat right and take supplements (specifically the B vitamins)
For simple lunches buy bread and grated cheese, tortillas, fruit, and popcorn, or have leftover pancakes spread with peanut butter.
Slice vegetables for snacking on within a day or two of buying them- or stick to things you can eat out of hand- cherry tomatoes, olives, grapes, apples and pears.
Kim also gives suggestions for streamlining some other tasks, such as laundry. We used to listen to stories on CD while folding, or set the timer to see how much we could fold before the timer went off. It can also be helpful to give the smallest children a little laundry basket of their own with a few washclothes, doll clothes, and scraps of cloth for them to 'fold.'
She also suggests timing certain basic tasks- making the bed, tidying the bathroom, etc, and writing it down in your household management book. She gives her times for things. My own time for those same things is considerably longer than hers.I believe making my bed takes me ten minutes instead of one, and that's pretty much how it is for everything.
some of us just need to figure out a way to work through acedia
Another suggestion is to just set your timer for 15 minutes at a time and work on a problem area for just that long, and then read a book together as a family. This does not work well for me because we have never mastered the habit of 'don't put it down, put it away.'
It really does help with this if you do have a place for everything. One idea I once saw was to get 26 banker's boxes (or any storage thing you have room for) and label them with each letter of the alphabet. Then just put the tape in the 'T' box, the stamps in the 's' box, the rulers in the 'r' box, and so forth.
Going along with that, of course, is me hypocritically telling you that if you can't keep up with your stuff, maybe you have too much stuff, but don't feel judged because so do I have too much stuff up with which I cannot keep.
One of my favorite of the unique ideas in the book is to sit down with your children every morning and review your family's general household goals and expectations for behavior.
She also suggests posting a sign over the kitchen sink asking "Am I glorifying and serving God?"
I will add to mine this question, "Am I making the most of my time?" Only I should place it near the laptop and near my books, and possibly on the wall where I will see it from my bed.
Here are some resources that might help with overcoming the house cleaning monster:
31 Days To Clean
- the book is only 5.00 on the Kindle, and don't miss the challenge starting in September.Make your own cleaning supplies - post with recipes
Escape from the Kitchen
- great book.Deniece Schofield's books
Fly Lady has a control journal for holiday cleaning, this would work for a short and quick emergency cleaning as well, and she has an emergency cleaning set of instructions. She irks me to no end (a shiny sink does nothing for me at all, and I will not wear shoes in the house), but a lot of people have been helped by her programs.
How to Clean Your House in 30 Days in 20 Minutes a Day
The Grand Plan is more my style: "Written by an online support group, the Cleaning Grand Plan is designed to help you clean and organize your entire home in 14 weeks. Since it was first road-tested by the Prodigy Get O-Homelife support group in 1991, the Cleaning Grand Plan has helped thousands of families dig out from disorder, chaos and clutter."
There is also a Holiday Grand Plan, and they have a challenge that starts this coming weekend!
What are some of your struggles or success stories with getting organized? Do you have the book? Share your thoughts on this section.
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I've bought the 31 days ebook and am hoping to do the september challenge. I've sort of started already though, cos i figured i ought to while the motivation was there!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Yep, the work part of this all is my least favorite part, too! But I've seen such good results now that I'm motivated to keep doing what I need to do.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably a question that would have gone better on another week. (My secret to organizing: call my sister and say, "HELP!")
ReplyDeleteBut what I really am struggling with is how do you work with and train everyone and keep them all on task all at the same time. My children are 7, 6, 3 and 3, so all old enough to help but all young enough to still need constant supervision and direction (except the 7yo at some tasks). I appreciate the energy of getting everyone to work together, but by the time I've dealt first with getting everyone switched into helping mode, then making sure the 3yos aren't dropping the dishes they're clearing, the 6yo has help putting the food things he can't reach away, and the 7yo isn't flooding the floor with the dishwater, after five minutes of that I'm not just done having them help for the day, I'd rather not speak to another human being for another three hours. And that's before any attitude issues or emergency potty breaks. And then after they leave I notice all the problems that I overlooked that should have been corrected on the spot.
I realize I could train them one at a time, but then I still have to worry about what everyone else is doing as well as work against the issue of everyone else is playing and I'm stuck here working.
I've found Leila's posts at Like Mother,Like Daughter on keeping one's head above water in the home the most helpful for me, and I am finally feeling like I'm succeeding. Her link is http;//ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/2010/01/reasonably-clean-fairly-neat-and.html
ReplyDeleteThey've (the posts on the sidebar) addressed this acedia you speak of which I never knew had a name. She didn't use the name either, but she describes it somewhat and whatever she said, clicked and helped.
Between the two of your blogs (somehow both of your posts dovetail really well), I've been able to feel like I've a handle on things in my home while expecting our 6th child and that running a happy home is, indeed possible.
K.W. in Canada