Monday, April 26, 2010
Usually, when people make strange comments to me, I blow them off. However, lately people have been coming to me time and again with statements like, “I don’t know HOW you stay home with your baby. I can’t imagine doing it. I would be SO BORED!”
I find myself highly offend by statements like this because I NEVER, EVER find myself bored or without something to do.
When my husband and I made the decision that I would resign from my teaching job and stay home with our daughter, then six months old, it was not a decision that was made lightly. We made this decision with many things in mind, because we would be cutting our income in half.
1. We do not want to be three strangers living under one roof.
2. We want to raise our children ourselves.
3. We need someone to be in charge of the grocery shopping, meal planning, bill paying, and every other little thing that gets taken care of on the weekends.
4. We want to show our child(ren) that it isn’t about how much money you have.
5. We want to be a Godly example of a marriage and family for our child(ren).
6. We don’t want to be 18 years down the road and realize once our children move out that we are strangers.
Among other things, the above were discussions that we had before making the decision that I would stay home with our children.
I have been a stay-at-home Mom for nearly one year now, and it is truly the best decision we ever made. In this transitional year, I have come to realize that I work MUCH harder as a stay-at-home Mom than I ever did as a teacher. I get more done in one day than I EVER did as a teacher! I also feel as though I am happier and more impactful in my child’s life now.
All in all, I’m not JUST the resident bill-payer, laundry-doer, cleaning lady, chef, boo-boo-kisser, band-aid applicator, and mess-picker-upper. I’m the Mom, and I wouldn’t trade my job for all the money in the world. We are better parents, better spouses, and a better family for it.
If you are a stay-at-home-Mom who questions your position in the world, someone considering staying home with your children, someone who wants to stay home someday, or someone who “can’t IMAGINE staying home because you’d be so bored,” think about the impact you can make on your family. If it isn’t for you, I totally understand, but some of us are living our dream as Moms who stay home.
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Schedule
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
When I made my transition from working outside the home to working in the home, the transition was more difficult than I had imagined. I was so excited and ready to be a Stay-At-Home Mom, and the transition took me a bit by surprise. I was constantly thinking, “What would people think if they knew that I hadn’t had a shower before 2pm?!” “Dinner isn’t on the table at 5pm…how did this happen?! I’ve had all day!” But I have changed my thinking – though I still struggle with those thoughts on occasion. I decided to set up a flexible schedule that worked best for me. Here is a rough idea of the basic schedule.
Monday – house cleaning day. Stay in your grubbies and do whatever house work needs to be taken care of. For me, laundry is a part of this because the bed clothes, towels, dish towels, and rugs are all a part of my cleaning regimen. Not to mention, the clothes that I’m wearing to clean in could use a scrubbin’ too! Plan an easy dinner that isn’t labor intensive.
Tuesday – finish whatever house cleaning chores didn’t get finished on Monday. Organize and straighten anything that needs it.
Wednesday – groceries and other errands. Wednesday is also my day to go through the Sunday paper for coupons and ads. Sprouts honors last week’s sales AND the coming week’s sales on Wednesdays, so that is the perfect day to get fresh produce and anything else that you typically purchase at Sprouts for more sale prices!
Thursday – I designate Thursdays as the catch-all day for whatever I haven’t had a chance to do in the beginning of the week. Dry cleaning, bills, organizing or cleaning something that hasn’t been cleaned or got messy since Monday. If you are all caught up, Thursday is a play day!
Friday – Fridays are designated play days for Emily and me. All of the chores have been completed, and other than a quick load of laundry, we play and spend time together before I go to work on Friday evening.
I tried a few different combinations before I found one that worked well for me. I tried cleaning one or two rooms each day, and realized that I felt like I was perpetually cleaning! With this schedule, I feel more accomplished in my responsibilities and nothing gets so dirty or dusty that I’m overwhelmed at the prospect of cleaning.
With this schedule comes PERMISSION. The permission to wander around Target if you just CAN’T HACK cleaning on Monday. It’s only Monday and you have the rest of the week to get it done. Because these things are getting done once per week, if the kids are sick and the cleaning doesn’t get done, it will get done the next Monday and no harm is done!
Visit Lindsay Walker's Piano and Voice Studio. You KNOW you want to!
When I made my transition from working outside the home to working in the home, the transition was more difficult than I had imagined. I was so excited and ready to be a Stay-At-Home Mom, and the transition took me a bit by surprise. I was constantly thinking, “What would people think if they knew that I hadn’t had a shower before 2pm?!” “Dinner isn’t on the table at 5pm…how did this happen?! I’ve had all day!” But I have changed my thinking – though I still struggle with those thoughts on occasion. I decided to set up a flexible schedule that worked best for me. Here is a rough idea of the basic schedule.
Monday – house cleaning day. Stay in your grubbies and do whatever house work needs to be taken care of. For me, laundry is a part of this because the bed clothes, towels, dish towels, and rugs are all a part of my cleaning regimen. Not to mention, the clothes that I’m wearing to clean in could use a scrubbin’ too! Plan an easy dinner that isn’t labor intensive.
Tuesday – finish whatever house cleaning chores didn’t get finished on Monday. Organize and straighten anything that needs it.
Wednesday – groceries and other errands. Wednesday is also my day to go through the Sunday paper for coupons and ads. Sprouts honors last week’s sales AND the coming week’s sales on Wednesdays, so that is the perfect day to get fresh produce and anything else that you typically purchase at Sprouts for more sale prices!
Thursday – I designate Thursdays as the catch-all day for whatever I haven’t had a chance to do in the beginning of the week. Dry cleaning, bills, organizing or cleaning something that hasn’t been cleaned or got messy since Monday. If you are all caught up, Thursday is a play day!
Friday – Fridays are designated play days for Emily and me. All of the chores have been completed, and other than a quick load of laundry, we play and spend time together before I go to work on Friday evening.
I tried a few different combinations before I found one that worked well for me. I tried cleaning one or two rooms each day, and realized that I felt like I was perpetually cleaning! With this schedule, I feel more accomplished in my responsibilities and nothing gets so dirty or dusty that I’m overwhelmed at the prospect of cleaning.
With this schedule comes PERMISSION. The permission to wander around Target if you just CAN’T HACK cleaning on Monday. It’s only Monday and you have the rest of the week to get it done. Because these things are getting done once per week, if the kids are sick and the cleaning doesn’t get done, it will get done the next Monday and no harm is done!
Visit Lindsay Walker's Piano and Voice Studio. You KNOW you want to!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Make-your-own baby food
Sunday, February 28, 2010
When I made the transition to being a stay-at-home-mom, I was searching for ways to save that would truly impact my family. I have found that making my daughter’s baby food myself is a true savings! For instance, a 16oz. bag of Great Value brand frozen broccoli runs just over $1.00 at Wal-Mart. By steaming and pureeing the vegetables yourself, you can get about 6 - 4oz. jars of baby food for around $1.00 instead of spending around $.45 for each jar at the grocery store. Here is the process:
1. Steam the vegetable according to package directions or slightly longer for easy pureeing.
2. Drain the water from the vegetable, PRESERVE WATER
3. Puree vegetable using a food processor or hand held processor.
4. The more of the preserved water that you add, the smoother the pureed vegetable will be. It is more useful to use the vegetable’s water than tap water because the nutrients from the vegetable are still contained in the water.
5. Portion into plastic baby food jars or small containers. Before I began this process, I started collecting the plastic 4oz. food containers that her packaged baby food came in. Once I had about 20 containers, I felt prepared to make her food myself. I then let the vegetables cool on the counter and freeze. I have tried boiling chicken, but it was a bit dry for my taste (and hers), probably because I didn’t add enough of the preserved water. It was crumbly and she did not care for it. I now purchase her meats. I also purchase her fruits because it is usually not cost-effective for me to buy frozen fruit and puree it. I can save myself the work and simply purchase her fruits at Big Lots (see yesterday’s blog!). However, frozen vegetables (or even when the raw carrots are getting a little bit dry and ready to be tossed, steam ‘em up!) are very inexpensive and they are sold in a variety of combinations. I have yet to find a vegetable that my daughter refuses to eat. (Ok, ok, I know I’m fortunate when it comes to her eating. Don’t hate me!) I prefer to make the mess only once and steam/puree all of the vegetables that I can prepare given the amount of containers that I have. Try it, I think you’ll really find that its kinda fun and saves a TON of money!
When I made the transition to being a stay-at-home-mom, I was searching for ways to save that would truly impact my family. I have found that making my daughter’s baby food myself is a true savings! For instance, a 16oz. bag of Great Value brand frozen broccoli runs just over $1.00 at Wal-Mart. By steaming and pureeing the vegetables yourself, you can get about 6 - 4oz. jars of baby food for around $1.00 instead of spending around $.45 for each jar at the grocery store. Here is the process:
1. Steam the vegetable according to package directions or slightly longer for easy pureeing.
2. Drain the water from the vegetable, PRESERVE WATER
3. Puree vegetable using a food processor or hand held processor.
4. The more of the preserved water that you add, the smoother the pureed vegetable will be. It is more useful to use the vegetable’s water than tap water because the nutrients from the vegetable are still contained in the water.
5. Portion into plastic baby food jars or small containers. Before I began this process, I started collecting the plastic 4oz. food containers that her packaged baby food came in. Once I had about 20 containers, I felt prepared to make her food myself. I then let the vegetables cool on the counter and freeze. I have tried boiling chicken, but it was a bit dry for my taste (and hers), probably because I didn’t add enough of the preserved water. It was crumbly and she did not care for it. I now purchase her meats. I also purchase her fruits because it is usually not cost-effective for me to buy frozen fruit and puree it. I can save myself the work and simply purchase her fruits at Big Lots (see yesterday’s blog!). However, frozen vegetables (or even when the raw carrots are getting a little bit dry and ready to be tossed, steam ‘em up!) are very inexpensive and they are sold in a variety of combinations. I have yet to find a vegetable that my daughter refuses to eat. (Ok, ok, I know I’m fortunate when it comes to her eating. Don’t hate me!) I prefer to make the mess only once and steam/puree all of the vegetables that I can prepare given the amount of containers that I have. Try it, I think you’ll really find that its kinda fun and saves a TON of money!
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