homemaking Archives - Home With The Boys

Ultimate Homemaking Ebook Bundle Sale!

April 29, 2013 By Erin Leave a Comment

This sale has ended!

I have been DYING to tell you about this amazing sale including some of my favorite writers and ebooks, but I had to keep it hush-hush…

UNTIL TODAY! It’s the Ultimate Homemaking Ebook Bundle Sale!

{Seriously, this is incredible. Read on!}

For 6 days only, more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere have joined together to offer 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97!

UHeB-large-HomemakingBundle_revised

More than anything, our goal for this sale was for it to be, well… ultimate! We firmly believe that you will not find a more comprehensive collection of homemaking resources anywhere on the web, and particularly not in this price range. For this low price, you gain access to every single one of these resources, so that you can customize your own collection to contain exactly the ones you want and know you’ll use.

This library of homemaking helps include topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools.

To sweeten the pot, we’ve also teamed up with 10 companies to bring you over $140 in bonus offers, giving you an affordable opportunity to get products you’ll use and love for only the cost of shipping, or in some cases, entirely for free!

What’s Included in the Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection, you will get instant access to any of the 97 eBooks and eCourses listed below.

PLUS over $140 of FREE Bonuses

Each The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection comes with more than $140 of FREE Bonuses from 10 companies that we know you’ll love. More on these bonuses below.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered.

Real Food Kids: In the Kitchen plus 1 month access to select Real Food Kids eCourse videos by Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS and Jami @ Eat Nourishing ($20.00)

Seasonal Menu Plans on a Budget: A Month of Meals from My Humble Kitchen to Yours by Diana @ My Humble Kitchen ($4.99)

Just Making Ice Cream by Marillyn @ Just Making Noise ($12.00)

The Curative Kitchen by Susan @ Handy Pantry ($20.00)

Pregnancy & Baby Care

First Bites by Hilary @ Accidentally Green ($9.99)

Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin @ The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)

Stress-Free Baby Shower by Sara @ Your Thriving Family ($4.00)

Unbound Birth by Jenny @ The Southern Institute ($2.99)

My Pregnancy Journey by Mindy @ Simply Designs ($9.99)

My Buttered Life Baby Edition by Renee @ Made On Hard Lotion ($5.00)

The Minimalist Mom’s Guide to Baby’s First Year by Rachel @ The Minimalist Mom ($5.00)

Redeeming Childbirth: Growth & Study Guide by Angie @ Redeeming Childbirth ($3.99)

Holidays & Special Events

Festive Traditions by Jill @ Modern Alternative Kitchen ($7.95)

Holiday Mixes: Gifts in a Jar by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($4.00)

Flourishing Spring by Michele @ Frugal Granola ($5.95)

Family Camping Handbook by Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship ($6.95)

Truth in the Tinsel by Amanda @ Oh, Amanda! ($7.99)

Plan a Fabulous Party by Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect ($4.99)

iPhone Photography: The Visual Guide by Alli @ Alli Worthington($9.97)

Spiritual Growth

Pursuit of the Proverbs 31 by Amy @ Amy Bayliss ($3.99)

The Best of Visionary Womanhood by Natalie @ Visionary Womanhood ($5.00)

God’s Word in my Heart: A Scripture Memory Learning Guide with Verses {all 4 versions} by Jenn @ The Purposeful Mom ($3.99)

Kept: a 13-Week Inductive Study on 1 Peter by Lara and Katie @ Quench Bible ($4.99)

Love Like Him: an 8 week Inductive Bible study on 1 Corinthians 13 by Lara and Katie @ Quench Bible ($2.99)

Marriage & Romance

Rekindling Romance by Jason & Jami @ A Biblical Marriage ($4.99)

Good Wife’s Guide by Darlene @ Time-Warp Wife ($2.99)

31 Days to Build a Better Spouse by Ashley @ Ashley Pichea ($4.99)

31 Days to Great Sex by Sheila @ To Love, Honor and Vacuum ($4.99)

Entangled: Recognize Your Emotional Affair by Amy @ Amy J. Bennett ($4.99)

Motherhood

The Heart of Simplicity by various authors @ The Heart of Simplicity ($9.99)

True Christian Motherhood by June @ A Wise Woman Builds Her Home ($7.00)

Hula Hoop Girl by September @ One September Day ($4.99)

When Motherhood Feels Too Hard by Kelly @ Generation Cedar ($4.97)

Mindset for Moms by Jamie @ Steady Days ($4.99)

From Cube to Farm by Heather @ From Cube to Farm ($2.99)

4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Questions by various authors @ 4 Moms, 35+ Kids Parenting E-book ($7.99)

That Works for Me! by Kristen @ We are THAT Family ($8.00)

Health & Fitness

100-pound Loser by Jessica @ Muthering Heights ($4.99)

Honoring the Rhythm of Rest by Danielle @ Domestic Serenity ($2.99)

42 Days to Fit by Brandy @ The Marathon Mom, Emma @ Real Fit Moms and Stacy @ A Delightful Home ($4.99)

Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home ($12.95)

Personal ePlanner by Jennifer @ ListPlanIt ($5.00)

Beauty

Frumps to Pumps by Sarah Mae @ SaraMae.com ($4.99)

The Cottage Mama’s DIY Guide by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($4.00)

Simple Scrubs to Make and Give by Stacy @ A Delightful Home ($3.99)

The No Brainer Wardrobe by Hayley @ The No Brainer Wardrobe ($7.99)

Embracing Beauty by Trina @ Trina Holden ($9.00)

Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose by Kristen @ The Frugal Girl ($3.99)

Working from Home & Blogging

Your Blogging Business: Tax, Talk and Tips by Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger ($4.99)

The Bootstrap VA by Lisa @ The Home Life {and Me} ($12.99)

How to Grow Your Blog and Manage Your Home by Jacinda @ Growing Home ($4.99)

How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too by Mandi @ Life Your Way ($12.00)

Simple Blogging: Less Computer Time, Better Blogging by Rachel @ Small Notebook ($8.00)

Ecourses

Learning in Love: The Preschool Years by Renee @ FIMBY ($7.99)

Homeschooling from the Heart by Renee @ FIMBY ($7.99)

Grocery University by Carrie @ Colorado Bargains ($24.95)

Vibrant Living Strategies for Moms by Lisa @ Well-Grounded Life ($59)

You Can Do This! The First Five Steps to a Real Food Kitchen by Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers ($5.00)

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of incredible natural products like sea salt and clay for FREE. Choose from the Redmond Trading Earthpaste Bundle ($24.90 value) or the Facial Mud Bundle ($26.90 value). (Standard shipping applies. Continental US only.)

Your choice of a FREE heirloom sourdough starter or FREE yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, the leading supplier of starter cultures and supplies for making cultured and fermented foods ($12.95 value. US & CAN addresses only. Standard shipping applies.)

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting from www.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value. Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

Get $10 off Union28′s original “my husband rocks” tee. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

A FREE 2 oz. bottle of your choice of liquid herbal formula from TriLight Health. They specialize in fast acting, great tasting natural herbal remedies. ($12.95 value or more. Standard shipping applies, within the USA only.)

Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

The fine print:

Bonus Offers

Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.
For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.
All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.
All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 19th, 2013 (2 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.
Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

Particularly for those wanting to read these ebooks on their mobile devices (iPhones or iPads, Android, Kindle, etc.) you will want to learn more about the file types, how to download them correctly, and how to transfer them to your device.

This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each ebook bundle. Thanks for your support of this site!

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Filed Under: home, homemaking

Choosing Homemade: Six Foods I’m Making at Home

August 21, 2012 By Erin 10 Comments

I feel so blessed to be at home with and for our family at this stage in my life. I know this isn’t possible – or desirable – for everyone and I pray that I don’t take a moment of it for granted.

One of the things I really enjoy doing with my time at home is making homemade foods for my family. I do NOT make everything from scratch, but if it can save us some money and make something a little healthier for us, I like to give it a try!

I think time is very valuable as well, so I don’t make things from scratch that will take up too much precious time with my family. And I like to choose things I enjoy making – for obvious reasons!

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite foods that we make at home now instead of buying from the store! These are all recipes I make on a regular basis – they are tried and true!

One side note: Whenever I make a bread machine recipe, I mix the dough in the machine on the dough setting and then bake the dough in the oven. I like the shape of the loaf better than when it is baked in the machine! Just personal preference!

1. Blender Salsa

Source: mountainmamacooks.com via Erin on Pinterest

2. French Bread

Source: low-cholesterol.food.com via Erin on Pinterest

3. Honey Whole-Wheat Bread

Source: 100daysofrealfood.com via Erin on Pinterest

4. Granola

Source: homewiththeboys.net via Erin on Pinterest

5. Pizza Dough

Source: moneysavingmom.com via Erin on Pinterest

6. Taco Seasoning

Source: myblessedlife.net via Erin on Pinterest

What foods do you enjoy making from scratch?

I’m linking up to Tasty Tuesday today! Check out all the yummy recipes posted over there!

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Filed Under: food, homemaking, recipe

In Need of Pouring In

July 19, 2012 By Erin 4 Comments

I’m a leader by nature. My personality lends itself to interacting, connecting, and taking charge. I have held a leadership position in almost every group or organization of which I’ve been a part. That’s always been the way I liked it as well.

But I am tapped out. Running dry. In need of being poured into.

This season of life requires much from me physically, mentally, and emotionally at home. We are in a new place. We have three young children {and boys at that!}, including a nursing baby. The Hubby just began residency, which is demanding of his time and energy.

I have no complaints – I am merely stating the facts of life here and now. I am more than happy to give my all to my family. It is a joy to be the one to provide comfort and stability and a haven to my husband and boys. These are ALL blessings in my life.

But, I also need a way to fill up and refresh so I don’t burnout or wander down the path of self-pity, grumpiness, or worse.

Instead of letting this season wear me down, I am actively seeking ways to be filled up.

This is what I’ve come up with so far…

The Word
In any form I can get it. Quiet time when the baby gets up in the wee hours of the morning. Devotions with the boys. Seeds Family Worship playing as I wash the dishes. God’s Truth fills me up like nothing else.

Bible study
I signed up for a Bible study for doctors’ wives and we’ll actually be doing a Bible study about being a doctor’s wife! I am so thankful to have connected with this opportunity at the beginning of our residency journey! I’m really looking forward to getting together with other like-minded, like-situation women!

Reading
I am stealing away more moments to read books that will encourage and challenge me. Some about my faith, some about motherhood, some about marriage, some about homeschool. I need more time in the day for this!

Seeking mentorship
Did you know it is ok to ask for help? I’ve never been a shy one, so I am the woman who sees another woman who has similar priorities, interests, giftings with a little more life experience and asks for her to share her wisdom. I did this nine years ago and now call that woman one of my best friends. Now I am looking for a different kind of mentorship and I know God will provide it at just the right time!

Working on leadership at home
The Hubby is the head of our household, but I am our family & home manager and homeschool teacher for our boys, and that requires plenty of leadership from me. I do not need to take on any other roles outside of my home to fulfill my “need to lead.” I just need to grow in the leadership roles I already have! While I cannot guarantee God won’t ask me to step into leadership somewhere at some point, I know these next three months {at least} are my time to BE LED and not pursue any additional leadership positions.

I’m trying to take a cue from Little J in the picture above and have some time of “lying in green pastures” while God refreshes my soul!

What steps do you take to fill up when you are running dry?

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Filed Under: faith, family, homemaking, motherhood, parenting, priorities, resident life

This Is My Job

July 9, 2012 By Erin 26 Comments

{This is more a pep talk for myself than anything, but maybe a few of you can relate!}

I rolled out of bed the other day…later than I had planned on…and realized I should change everyone’s sheets in the house.

But I REALLY didn’t want to.

The laundry basket next to the bed was full of clean clothes from the night before.

I wanted to walk right past them. I’ve done that more times than I care to admit.

This pile of dishes…

They just never seem to go away unless I do something about them.

You know why?

Cleaning those dishes is part of my job.

When we decided I would stay home – something I had wanted for years – it wasn’t so I could sit around and drink coffee and shop and read blogs all day.

That does sound lovely, though, doesn’t it?!

The Hubby is a doctor. I am a homemaker.

His job is to treat and take care of sick people. My job is to make our house a home and care for those within it.

When the dryer buzzes, it buzzes for me. The children will eventually run out of clean underwear if I don’t answer that buzzer. If I forget to change the sheets, they will still need to be changed the next time I walk by them. And the dishes…you saw that pile in the picture above!

Let me state this for the record: I have a VERY helpful husband around the house. He will do dishes, fold clothes, even clean the bathrooms and more when he is home and has the time. He is awesome like that. But he has another job and that job is time-consuming hard work.

The job of a homemaker may seem mundane, tedious, and insignificant at times, but in the eyes of our families, it is extremely important, whether they say so or not!

And when I work harder to keep the house clean and inviting on a regular basis, I actually enjoy our house more!

I love the feeling of clearing the counter in the kitchen. I love sitting down to watch TV with The Hubby at the end of the day in a clean living room. I love being able to say yes to company at the last minute without needing to frantically clean up!

I just need a little help to stay motivated throughout the week!

During school last year, this verse was posted above Big J’s desk…

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. ~Colossians 3:23

Now it is my turn to post this verse in a visible place and remember that everything I do around this house can and should be done to the glory of God.

Yes, even cleaning those dirty dishes!

Because the care and maintenance of this home is my job.

And I love my job

What do you love about your job?

Linking up with Women Living Well Wednesday and…

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Filed Under: homemaking

What’s Cooking in June!

June 6, 2012 By Erin 3 Comments

I’m working on making this blog more about what my every day life is like here at Home with the Boys and eating is a major part of what happens in a house full of boys!

Even though we are all picky eaters, I am already seeing voracious appetites developing in these young men and I’m trying desperately to keep up without losing my mind or our money!

Now that we are in the new house, I can resume some freezer cooking and start making more homemade snacks to fill these guys up!

We are also doing a LOT more grilling because it is summer and the grill is more accessible in our new backyard! So, if a few of these recipes get skipped, it’s because we couldn’t resist the temptation to grill yet again!

This month I’m just listing the dinners we’ll be having, but I hope to add our breakfast and lunch choices next month! {Baby steps to being more intentional and following through!}

Here’s what’s cooking for dinner in the month of June…

{recipes with an * are new to us this month!}

Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts

*Asian Lettuce Cups

*Bacon Crusted Pork Tenderloin

*Brinner: Breakfast Burritos

Brinner: French Toast

Chicken and *Fried Rice {I think I’ll do grilled chicken with this instead of the chicken in the recipe.}

Chicken Marinara

*Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia

*Grilled Ham & Pineapple Kabobs

Hamburgers

Homemade Pizza

Honey-Glazed Chicken Stir Fry

Kabobs {Maybe even twice this month! Once chicken, once beef?!}

Meatloaf Muffins

*Mediterranean Style Steak

*Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork

Spaghetti {with breadsticks, of course!}

Stromboli {from Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer - AWESOME freezer cooking recipe book!}

Taco Ring

Turkey Tacos

And on my freezer cooking list for this month…

Apple Snack Cake

Breakfast Burritos {mentioned above – eating some, freezing some}

Freezer-Friendly Pizza Dough

Grilled Chicken {for lunch salads}

Shredded Chicken

Taco Meat

Twice Baked Potatoes

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Are you trying any new recipes this month? What are some of your favorite main dishes for summer?

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Filed Under: food, homemaking, recipe

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart Book Club: Chapter 4

September 23, 2011 By Erin 7 Comments

Hi ladies! Thanks again to everyone joining in on this discussion of Sally Clarkson’s Seasons of a Mother’s Heart – I am blessed by your insights and honesty!

This week, I’m keeping it short and sweet – it has been a long week and now my parents are here, so we’re enjoying some relaxing time with them!

But I couldn’t let this week go by without sharing the quote that brought some conviction and a lot of prayer into my week…

“I burned out, not because God was asking more of me than I could do, but because I was asking more of me than I could do. As a wiser woman now, I know that God’s goal for me is that I build a good house, not the best one. After all, if I become spiritually exhausted because I try to build more than God expects of me, then I soon won’t be building at all.”

Exhaustion is a familiar feeling to me lately, but maybe it’s not just about being pregnant. Maybe it’s about my own expectations.

For a while, I’ve felt the tug to not do everything – to step back from leadership, to back away from this or that responsibility outside of my home. But I can also try to do much without ever leaving my home.

I don’t have any answers about what needs to be cut in my life or in what areas of my life I am expecting too much of myself – I’m just thinking about it, praying about it and wondering your thoughts on this quote.

What do you think about self-expectations? Are you too hard on yourself? Is this preventing you from building your house? Join the discussion in the comments or link up your own post!

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Filed Under: book club, homemaking, homeschool, Seasons of a Mother's Heart

A Glimpse at Saturday Seeds: Isaiah 41:10 and Homeschool

August 8, 2011 By Erin 4 Comments

I know it’s not Saturday, but I wanted to give you “weekday readers” a little peek at what we post here on the weekends at Home with the Boys!

We call it Saturday Seeds and it’s all about planting the Word of God in our kiddos hearts with Seeds Family Worship!

I hope you enjoy the vlog today and join us every Saturday for another verse!

{If you’re reading this in your email and can’t see the video, click here!}

Pictures from our hands-on activity this week…

And here is our Scripture memory checklist {you can download your own from the Seeds Family Worship site}!

You can also find the Scripture memory cards I mentioned in the video to download here!

Resources mentioned:

Seeds of Courage from Seeds Family Worship

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And if you haven’t ordered your CDs yet, you can use the code HWTB to get 20% off your order at the Seeds store!

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Disclosure: I am honored to be the Seeds Family Worship representative at The Relevant Conference this coming fall! This post is part of a series sponsored by Seeds, but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own!

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Filed Under: homemaking, Scripture, scripture memorization, seeds

A Little Cooking for the Freezer

June 15, 2011 By Erin 3 Comments

I posted last week for Gussy’s Inspiration Workshop about getting inspired in the kitchen and wanting to do some more freezer cooking. I was inspired enough that I actually DID some freezer cooking!

Last week I made:

*Mom’s Updated BBQs {aka Sloppy Joes}
*Hawaiian Pork Sandwiches
*Chicken Taco Meat {made in the crockpot using Myra’s homemade taco seasoning mix}

And since I caught the bug, I decided to keep going tomorrow! I want to have some more things on hand for healthy, hearty breakfasts and lunches, plus some easy summer meals!

Here is tomorrow’s list:

*Corn Dog Muffins
*Kahlua Pork
*Popcorn Chicken
*Applesauce Bread
*Overnight Honey Nut Granola {making that tonight from $5 Dinner Mom Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook}
*Breakfast Burritos or Pancake Sausage Muffins – haven’t decided which one yet!
*And maybe some Whole Wheat Waffles!

I’ll try to take pictures and let you know how it goes Friday!

If I don’t get it all done, I don’t get it all done but…I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

{Is it weird that I am really excited about this?!}

What are your favorite freezer meal recipes?

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Filed Under: food, homemaking, recipe

Homemaking Life-Savers {Top Ten Tuesday}

May 9, 2011 By Erin 13 Comments

I may have mentioned one or two times on here that I am NOT a natural at this whole cleaning/organizing/home management thing. But that doesn’t mean I don’t WANT to get better! And I’m finding that I actually enjoy it all when I have a few things in place to help me out…

My Top Ten Homemaking Life-Savers

10. Activities for the kiddos – I am not above distracting my children with Apple products in order to get through a focused time of cleaning, i.e. before the hubby gets home. I usually choose some iPad/iPod time for them over TV if possible because they actually enjoy playing educational games on the iPad – they aren’t completely zoning out while I clean! They also love to draw, play games, read and do puzzles when Mommy needs to tackle a project!

9. Pandora – This is MY distraction while I clean! The station changes depending on my mood – Hillsong United when I need an energy boost, Instrumental Praise after a stressful day, and lots of other options too {Rachmaninoff, Journey, Christian Rock, Broadway – the list goes on and on}!

8. Disinfectant wipes – I keep a container in the bathroom and in the kitchen. They used to just sit there. Since starting 31 Days to Clean, I’m pulling them out all the time because I notice the messes much more often!

7. 31 Days to Clean – Sarah Mae’s eBook is the perfect blend of cleaning and spiritual inspiration. You HAVE to get it. Seriously changing things around here – just what I need in so many ways.

6. Coffee – My hubby got me a Keurig for Christmas. The readily-available caffeine has done wonders for my energy level, which means getting more done around the house!

5. Simple Mom & Reluctant Entertainer – There are numerous blogs that focus on organizational skills and such, but these are two of my favorites in this vein. And they each have fabulous books out as well {I own The Reluctant Entertainer book, but not Organized Simplicity – have heard wonderful things though! It’s on my list!}.

Simple Mom covers EVERYTHING about getting organized. I could spend hours there just looking at all of the tips and ideas.

Reluctant Entertainer encourages having an beautiful {not perfect!} home so you are not afraid to have people in your home! This site focuses more on food and entertaining – a wonderful inspiration for homemaking!

4. Company – Since I just mentioned entertaining, having company over is actually a life-saver for my homemaking efforts. I go crazy cleaning when people are coming over and I love how it looks and feels at those times. So, taking a cue from the Reluctant Entertainer, I’m trying to have people over MORE, even if it is just for coffee or a kids’ playdate!

3. Accountability – I had a friend who once posted on Facebook that she was going to have all of her laundry finished for the day at noon. She asked someone to check on her at that time to make sure she was done. If my memory is correct, that friend was back on Facebook BEFORE noon announcing all her laundry was done! Even that little bit of accountability can be the push you need to GET. STUFF. DONE.

The #31DaystoClean hashtag on Twitter, as well as having “real-life” friends who are going through the same challenges at the same time, have done WONDERS for my homemaking motivation!

2. My weekly schedule – I wrote about how this schedule came to be in this post late last summer. We took a unique approach to developing a weekly schedule and it works! It has evolved since August, but the basic schedule has stayed pretty constant and is exactly what I need – as long as I stick to it! That’s why my “word” for 2011 is “FOLLOW-THROUGH!”

1. This man.

He is the king of organizing and he is ALL. MINE. {And of course, he’s putting together a storage bench in the picture!} Friends have even had him over to help organize their stuff! I KNOW he has rubbed off on me in a very good way in this area! Having someone in your life – spouse or friend – that is a great organizer can be one of the biggest life-savers when they inspire you to be better!

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What are YOUR homemaking life-savers? I can ALWAYS use more ideas!

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Filed Under: 31 days to clean, attempts at homemaking, homemaking

Taking on Challenges {Multitude Monday}

May 2, 2011 By Erin 5 Comments

May is going to be my “take charge of my life” month.

Nope, I don’t have it all together and I definitely need a kick in the pants in a few areas!

So I’m taking on a few challenges to push me in the right direction…

#1 – 31 Days to Clean Homemaker’s Challenge

I have to get this house under control, but also do it for the right reasons. I’m currently finishing up “The Mission of Motherhood” by Sally Clarkson and this quote, referring to her husband, just jumped off the page at me…

The most important thing he taught me about home management is that it is essentially a stress-reduction system. My purpose in organizing my household is not to live up to some external value system but to make life easier and more peaceful for the whole family.

31 Days to Clean was written by Sarah Mae, and the Homemaker’s Challenge is being hosted by Christin at Joyful Mothering starting today!

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#2 – 65 Days to Reshaping It All

Reshaping It All is a new book out from Candace Cameron Bure {of Full House fame} that tackles the topics of healthy eating, lifestyle and body image from a God-focused perspective – just as it should be! Candace and her co-author, the encouraging and inspiring Darlene Schacht, are hosting a challenge to read the book over the next 65 days and apply the principles they share in the book.

I will take any accountability I can get in this area! Having already started into the book, I know it will be just what I need to up my desire and motivation to get healthy!

Want to sign up? Head over to the site and link-up, or just get the book and read along as they put up new posts every day!

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#3 – The Ministry of Motherhood with Good Morning Girls

As I mentioned earlier, I am almost done reading The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson and – no exaggeration – it has changed my life. That’s why I was so excited to hear the Good Morning Girls would be tackling The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally next!

Oh, maybe I should tell you what Good Morning Girls are first!

The “Good Morning Girls” is a title for a group of women who use electronic modes of communication – email, facebook, twitter or text messaging – to help keep each other accountable for their quiet times.

I went through the book of James with some friends during the last session and it was great – even though our communication fizzled out towards the end, we all finished the book of James!

This time around, it will almost be like an online book club – a great option for moms who don’t have a lot of time to get together every week for a book club but want to walk through a book with others!

All of the kickoff details for the summer session are right here – find some friends and sign up!

*****

It may sound like a lot to take on all of these challenges in one month, but I sense God’s leading, and I can’t wait until things get “less busy” to get moving – time to tackle them before they defeat me! Plus, these challenges all feel like blessings!

Bring it on May – I’m ready!

*****

The blessings continue…

401. Sunshine.

402. Creative juices flowing.

403. Last-minute date night!

404. Talking long after the meal is over.

405. 369 days until SOMEONE is a doctor!

406. The simple requests of a birthday boy.

407. Skyping with family.

408. Rachmaninoff Pandora station on all day – and the boys enjoyed it!

409. Grace.

410. Being on time – even early – to church TWO weeks in a row!

411. God opening new doors all over the place – and closing others.

412. Big J’s excitement over homeschool curriculum arriving in the mail.

413. Little J’s excitement over Cars 2 coming out on his birthday this year.

414. Holding hands.

415. The return of caffeine to my mornings.

416. First trip of the year to the zoo on a gorgeous morning.

417. Quotes in books that are worth sharing with everyone.

418. A successful Star Wars party for Big J – more tomorrow!

419. Sharing royal wedding moments with the boys.

420. My BEAUTIFUL sister who celebrates her birthday TODAY!!! Happy birthday Megan – we LOVE you!

*****

Are you taking on any new challenges this month?

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Filed Under: 31 days to clean, Good Morning Girls, healthy living, homemaking, multitude monday, parenting, Reshaping It All

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