Getting Ready to Say Good Bye.....

to 2010, that is. I can not believe it is so close to the end. As usual, it is generally this time of year that I start to look back at the goals I put in place at the beginning of the year and where I am with them now. It's amazing how much has changed. So many things occurred this year that I never would have expected.

I started out the new year with a household of five and have grown to a household of eight (10 on the weekends ). It was an adjustment and its not without its trials but the rewards of having so much family so close is just .....well..... wonderful. I am happy with the outcome of things.

Financially I am in a better place. I did fall of the Dave Ramsey bandwagon, but not completely. We are still in the mindset of not taking on any additional debt, my snowball has melted, but with the cold weather coming I am sure I can get it back on track.

My blog started out strong and then went ca-puts. I had good intentions, but life got in the way. I am hoping to get back on track with the New Year.

I am still smoking. I actually think it is worse to quit and go back and try to quit again. It's not hard to quit, its hard to stay that way. Even now I can go days without one, but eventually the erg over takes me and then comes the justifications.

Schools Back!

I couldn't say where the last month went. It literally flew by. My kids went back to school Monday so I am hoping this gives me an opportunity to get more scheduled. ( and back to blogging) I haven't even had time to read other blogs. So this week I will be playing catch up. My house has been too quiet with the kids gone all day, but it is nice to get something done and have it stay that way even if it is only a few hours.

The back to school shopping experiment failed miserably. It wasn't anyones fault. The problem is, my oldest is short and has a little meat on her bones. We had a very difficult time finding items that fit her. I couldn't really stick with a budget because it came down to necessity. The Gap had pants last year and the year before that fit her great but we had no luck this year. We tried girls, juniors, and woman's petites we found one or two items in each department that fit her. The good news is we had a fantastic saleswoman at JCPenney. She told me to keep the tags from the pants/shorts in my wallet because those brands go on sale often and if I bring the tag in they can scan it and let me know if her size is in stock instead of having to go through the racks.

Another thing I learned from my trip was my grandmother doesn't sign any of her debit/credit cards on the back. This forces the cashiers to ask for I.D. The one cashier said this practice is pretty popular. You can even put C.I.D. where the signature goes for check I.D. After having a friend who had her husbands wallet stolen and seeing everything they went through I think I would prefer to have to pull my ID out when making purchases.

On a final note I hope everyone had a fantastic summer. I however am ready for fall. Fall is by far my favorite season.

Update

`Camping was GREAT as usual. The best thing about the group I go with is everyone is a trooper. Murphy followed us on this vacation, but he didn't stop us from having fun. We had sick kids, leaky tent, malfunctioning air mattress, and I would do it all over again in a heart beat. We won the site decorating contest, the kids got to play bingo, pool bingo, go on trailer rides, bowl for candy, mini golf. They lit Yogi's house with lights accompanied by music and fireworks during a down pour. It was great.

` I meant to get back to blogging earlier but I ended up, for the first time ever getting a full blown migraine. It's not a club I was looking to get into. I have had some bad sinus headaches in my life, but nothing prepared me for this. Over the counter meds didn't even take the edge off. I was completely useless for three days and my house looks it. Back to square one, but that is okay. I'm going forward with the I know I can....I Know I can attitude. I have lots of fun things to look forward too. We are going to a zoo next weekend, then a water park, and then the end of September we are doing our fall camping trip. Fall is actually my favorite season to camp. Yes the cold can be brutal, but there is something about being surrounded by the beautiful colors and the crisp air that makes you feel alive. We usually go in October, but my hubby and I decided to have an adult only weekend in Mystic for our anniversary so we decided to move the camping trip up two weeks.

Rain Rain GOOOOOO AWAY!!!

This post is a part of Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

` I followed through with the KISS method and my house stayed semi clean, but I didn't stress over it. I had a lot of packing to do plus oldest ended up with bronchitis and I have a lovely summer cold. I have little odds and ends left to pack and want to do a quick clean up through out the house before we leave.

`This week according to weather.com I am going to have to focus on staying dry!! Looks like it is going to rain for the next three days. However since it rains EVERY time we go camping, especially for set up, I am not surprised. I know no matter what we will have an awesome time and a little rain never hurt anyone. Kind of funny we will be celebrating Christmas in July, that's the theme for activities, with a 100 degree heat index. I am SO glad we got the sites next to the pool. Be back next Friday.

Monday

`Today I got the kitchen done. Washed, swept mopped, even dusted the ceiling fan and I feel great. I think the kitchen is my anchor room. As long as that room is clean I feel productive and like I can conquer the rest of the house. I would love my bedroom to be my anchor room but somehow I think it would be to easy to just shut the door and live in there so I didn't have to face the rest of the house.

` I am still waiting for Mercedes to collect her clothes so we can wash them. Her consequence will be that she will have to stay home instead of sleeping over my moms with my sister who is her age. I don't think she believes me when I tell her she's not going if the clothes are not done. I have reminded her several times and decided instead of getting mad she will have to learn the hard way. I am not going to lie don't like being this way, but I have also witnessed first hand what happens when you give your children everything without any responsibilities or consequences.

`As a matter of fact I decided this year for shopping I am handing my oldest cash and she will have to figure it out herself. I will take her and assist but she is going to have to decide how she is going to spend the money. I have read about other people doing this and after a trip to the mall where we did nothing but argue over I pair of shoes (I gave her a limit she wanted a pair for twice as much) that I would try it. She will be able to keep whatever is left so I hope that is a good incentive for her to make good choices.

Laundry Schedule

I want to try something new this week. I am going to attempt a laundry schedule and stick to it.

Monday- Mercedes Day- I will wash and dry but she can help get the clothes to the washer, fold, and put away.

Tuesday- Thomas will have the same job Mercedes has on Monday.

Wednesday- Matti's Day- She will be completely responsible for her own laundry.

Thursday- Towels, Towels, and more Towels

Friday- mine and the hubby's

Saturday- Sheets and bedding

Sunday- My washer shall have a day of rest.

I won't be able to get a full week in this week since we leave Friday night for vacation, but I can go all the way through Friday and since we come back on the following Friday I will pick up where I left off. The camp ground we are staying at has a laundry mat so I plan on doing some laundry there to make my life less hectic when we get back. Thanks for the comments on my Focus Check Friday. The more I thought about them the more I realized I am missing out on an opportunity as a mom to help give my children some life skills that they will use the rest of their lives. I can't do it all and at the ages they are at now there is no reason for me to do it all.

Camping trick #1

I know I have shared this tip before if not on my own blog in comments on others. I will start with the story that led me to doing it.

Two years ago we took our first tent camping trip. We went to a park in New York for a weekend. Before the trip I forgot to buy shampoo and conditioner so I just took my bottle from home. The first morning my friend and I headed to the shower house and when we got their she realized she left her shampoo at the site so I told her to go in the stall next to mine and when I was done I would put it on the shelf between the stalls. Well someone must have needed it more than us because when we came out from the shower it was gone. The other woman in the bath house said a woman took it and left. The way I look at it is if she needed to steal a bottle of shampoo she was in worse shape than I so be it. Around the same time I started reading a blog that did store match ups and free sample offers, so I decided to do all the free samples for everything I might need for camping. Now instead of buying shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, razors I simply bring a box of samples with us. It works out well because now I can separate them by person and each person gets a bag with what they need to go take a shower.

FCF- KISS

This post is being linked to Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

This week I have decided to live by the KISS method. Not the rock band but the Keep It Simple Stupid. I am not of fan of the last word hmmm........ maybe I will make it Keep It Simple Shannon.

My grandmothers advice for cleaning house when you are overwhelmed is to pick a spot and start from there. She used to tell me that when I was a child and my room was a mess. It worked. It kept me from becoming overwhelmed. I think I need to get back to that. The truth is I do very well then life happens and before I know it it is chaos AGAIN. Once that happens I have a bad habit of walking around aimlessly trying to figure out where to begin again. If I was in a movie it would show me standing still and the cameras would be swirling around me to help the audience feel the way that I do. As far as the main parts of the house goes what isn't done yet can be accomplished in a short period of time. The room that gives me the most problems is the girls bedroom. It is a MESS. My 12 year old is a hoarder. I have been sneaking up there trying to do what I can when she is not here, but I have never realized the full spectrum of MESS in that room. Did I mention we are having an electrical problem in there and on top of the mess we had to take out a wall? I washed all the laundry I could find 12 loads of stuff shoved under beds, between beds, under dressers and when I thought I was done I opened the closet. NOPE not done. Out of all the wash I think one load was the seven year olds. So this week I have to focus on getting that room DONE! ..........and pack for vacation, and keep up on the rest of the house, oh and I volunteered to watch my friends four girls one day. On top of having the room worked on for the electrical problem and last night the flowmaster in the downstairs bathroom went while my husband with the only vehicle we have is at work. Fun times... fun times.

Daily Yuck list

From reading several other blogs about housework, I noticed a similar theme, they all had a daily to do list. Nony at A Slob Comes Clean calls them her non-negotiables. Shell at Tangled Zen has a cute to do list. So I decided I would come up with my own list. Unfortunately the things on my daily list often make me go YUCK! Either because it is a task that is truly yucky or it is something that I just don't want to do even though I have to. So here it is my daily YUCKS!

1. Clean the litter box- a truly yucky job, but if not kept up on the yuck multiplies...... quickly

2. Dishes- a chore that seems never ending and if let go can turn into some truly yucky stuff

3. Laundry- at least 1 load a day although more often than not, I have to do more. I do limit myself to only doing as many loads as I know I will wash, dry, fold, and put away to cut down on the opening the washer lid and getting a whiff of a very yucky smell.

4. Dog duty- I love my dog but he only respects my husband which makes everything I do for him a task. (Like today when he ran out of his Kennel on me and I had to chase him around the neighborhood in my socks)

5. Floors- although I enjoy my new vacuum, I don't like picking up all the stuff before I can vacuum.

6. Pool care- We have one of those vinyl pools and I have found that if you do not go in daily and maintain it it turns to Pea Soup very quickly. This weekend I had to go into the Pea Soup pool and clean the sides and floor and have vowed to make sure to keep up on this everyday so I never have to do that again.

Two Weeks

`I have two weeks til we leave for vacation. This year we are attempting camping in a tent for an entire week. The longest we have gone is three nights so this will be interesting. We have been camping for two years now. It provides us with an opportunity to get away even with a tight budget. We camp with several other families and go to a local campground that provides themed activities for the kids. I am not going to lie it is a lot of work but it is so worth it. My kids have a great time. Here is what I have done so far to prepare for the trip.

1. I cleaned out my linen closet. We have the low to the ground queen air mattress which a twin sheet set fits very well. We no longer have any twin beds in our home so I purchased a large container and put enough twin sets in there for each air mattress. I also found that fleece blankets work great for camping they are thin to pack and provide some extra warmth when needed. When we return all items in the bin will be washed, dried, folded, and placed back in the bin for our October trip.

2. To cut down on food cost we generally divide the meals up between families. I know over the weekend I will be responsible for one breakfast and one dinner for everyone. We decided this year that we would all go shopping together on Monday for the rest of the week to make food storage (cooler space) easier to deal with. I have chosen my meals and began picking up items as they go on sale for the trip.

3. The theme is Christmas in July so we put some light sets aside. As the week goes on I will pull out other decorations to take

Friday.....again

This post is a part of Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

` I really intended to blog more this week but to be honest I didn't have a lot of computer time. As I read the other inspiring post linked to Focus Check Friday, I find that they motivate me, but at the same time I am running at the back of the pack. Kudos to all the hard work and I hope someday to be at the level of house maintenance you guys are at.

`I have been battling the never ending clothes monster. My washer and dryer have been begging for mercy, but there is none to be found. I have been doing an average of five loads a day and I am still not caught up. I managed to go through all the school uniforms. Throw out the bad, pass down the good, and save for fall the few items that will still fit. School uniforms have always been a pain in the...... well you know. I found on line at Walmart a 6 foot clothes closet that now resides in my upstairs hallway. It's job is solely to house school uniforms. I also purchased a vacuum cleaner. On Monday I swept and mopped the house (we only have carpeting in one room). Since then I have been the mad sweeper ready to pounce on any crumb or dust bunny that came my way. I became obsessed and figured there had to be an easier way. So I bought myself a bright purple little vacuum cleaner and try to limit myself to vacuuming each room once daily.

`Thanks to my paper purge, my husband came home from work with a list of documents he needed for work and, for the first time EVER, I knew where each item was. That was a GREAT feeling!!

*Trish I know you tagged me and I would love to participate I am hoping to get more blog time this week. *

Is it really Friday again?

`This post is a part of Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

I want to know what happened to the lazy days of summer? I feel like I can not catch my breath. Anyways.....................

I had an epiphany this week. I have come to the conclusion that I am my own worst enemy. I can never work on just one thing I have to have multiple projects going and then feel like a failure and whine and complain when the truth is I set myself up for failure. So this week I am going to work on accepting the things I can not change.

The COLD hard truth:

1. You can not undo years of doing little in a short period of time.

2. I have come to realize that my house is lived in. Which means things that I do accomplish get undone quicker than I would like.

3.My house will never be perfect and I have to stop looking at my house with the what will others think instead I have to do what works for us.

4. My kids are getting bigger everyday. I need to take time out from trying to get the house in order to spend time with them.

5. If my MIL chooses to do the things I ask of my niece that is her choice. I already have three kids of my own to pick up after and do not need to add a forth. So the clothes she (niece) left laying all over my back porch and shoes on the front will get placed in a box to go upstairs for someone else to deal with. ( I am not saying this to be mean or showing any disrespect I just have enough on my plate and need to let go of this situation)

6. I have gotten a lot of good advice on ways to get my kids to help out more. I am going to try to incorporate them this week and write a blog post on what works for my family.

7. I am a low energy person. Which means I need to learn to pace myself so I don't burnout. If I get all gung ho in the beginning of the week I am more likely not to accomplish much at the end of the week.

8. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!!!!!!

Daily habits

This post is a part of Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

`This week I noticed some things are becoming, dare I say it, routine. I have managed to make my bed daily, the dishes have continued to be caught up, and I have been doing one to two COMPLETE loads of laundry a day. As a matter of fact my husband was home today and he likes to do laundry, couldn't believe that there really wasn't any for him to do. Okay scratch that, he likes to wash and dry then leave clean clothes in a basket for me to figure out if it is clean or dirty, but at least he tries. This week I am going to try and make a list of new habits I would like and add one a week. I wanted to start getting my kids more involved in helping out, but it has been a struggle. My girls turn into vagabonds (love that word) for the summer and my sons number one motivator has not been working. He hasn't been on the computer in weeks, usually that is enough to get him to at least help clean his room, but not anymore.

`AND...... I have another situation that I would like some feedback on. My niece who is 19 lives with my in laws in my home in the in law apartment. Most days of the week I cook for everyone and we all eat together. I have asked my twelve year old and my niece to help out by washing their own dishes after dinner. Both are refusing to do so. It makes dinner time very stressful for me because I view this as a respect issue. It also makes me feel unappreciated. My twelve year old, after some fighting, I am able to get her to comply, but with my niece, if I say anything, my mother in law will do it for her. AND that is not the point. I tried to explain that my in laws help us out a lot and I enjoy being able to provide them with dinner and even clean up afterwards, it is an opportunity for me to give back to them. My niece on the other hand lives with them free of charge, has meals provided for her at the cost of washing a lousy dish and will not do it. Am I being unreasonable?

`On the plus side negative energy is still energy it's amazing how much scrubbing gets done after dinner.

Thank You Very Much

I saw Thank You Very Much and decided that was some therapy I could use today.

1. I would like to thank the Thank You Very Much post from other bloggers for distracting me from the soup I was making for my mother in law. (It was definitely worth it I needed a good laugh)

2. Thank you very much to my niece after I offered up my home for your party you call someone else two days before the party to find out if you can have it at their house. I'm glad I went out of my way to get things for it and to clean my home so you could enjoy your big day.

3. Thank you very much to the cats Tigger and Binky for leaving an endless trail of fur balls all over the house. Next time you go outside talk to the snake and find out how they shed everything in one shot. It would be a good quality for you to have.

4. Thank you very much to the chicken leg quarters that turned my grill into an inferno and even melted the sides. Nothing like throwing flaming chicken into your yard to try and put a fire out.

Where Oh Where do you go?

` I have been feeling a tad unmotivated lately. Actually a better word might be uninspired. I am motivated I WANT to do. I have been keeping up on the dishes, filing the mail as it comes in, for the first time in my life I have a balanced checkbook, and the laundry is coming along. The problem is the rest of the stuff. When I find the solution to a problem ex. a storage solution I become inspired to do it. When there is no solution I can come up with I walk past the problem twenty times shaking my head hoping the answer will just come to me. Right now for the most part my drawers and cabinets are actually organized, but all the stuff I didn't know what to do with sits on top of my counters, table, buffet, nightstands, etc. taunting me. It is not the everything in it's place that causes me stress, but the place for everything. I have been tossing and tossing and tossing, but there are still things that I know I need to keep I just can't figure out where to put them.

I Don't Want To

` Today I woke up with a serious case of the "I don't want to's". Why is it such a struggle to do such menial things? There are two loads of laundry that need to be folded and put away. It will take me fifteen minutes, but "I don't want to." There are dishes in the sink that will take five minutes, but really "I don't want to." There are drinks in the cooler outside from the weekend that need to be brought in but, "I don't want to." My bedding needs to be washed (and I love the smell and feeling of clean sheets), but "I don't want to." I want to know how come when I work at a job if I see something that needs to be done I just do it. Whether it is part of my job or not. Without debate or an internal argument, I just do it, but when it comes to MY home it is a struggle. So what to do... what to do...

` I will share my crazy way to over come my "I don't want to's." I find a movie or TV show I want to watch. One with commercials and force myself to accomplish as much as I can during the breaks. Silly I know, but lets see what gets done.

Commercial one- Dishes washed

Commercial two- laundry started

Commercial three- cooler emptied (okay 1/2 the cooler)

Commercial four- took recyclables out

Commercial five- finish cooler, put away dishes, emptied hamper in bathroom

Commercial six- Laundry switched

Commercial seven- finished putting away groceries from a couple days ago

Commercial eight- five minute pick up in bedroom

Commercial nine- run clean linens upstairs to the closet

Commercial ten- clean off clothes pile in bedroom

Commercial ten- friend stopped down for coffee so that was the end of the movie. However I think I am just going to have to force myself to watch more TV. I know, I know it will be hard, but I have to do what I have to do.

Summer Hiatus

This post is a part of Focus Check Friday at A Slob comes Clean.

` I can't believe it has been a couple weeks since I last blogged. I really don't know where the time went. My husband started his new run which has him gone 80 hours a week with only Saturday off and my house has become the summer place to be. I love having company but it does add more to my plate. On top of that a medication I was taking kicked my butt to the point where I was exhausted to the point of all I wanted to do was sleep but the sleep I got never seemed to be enough. On a positive note the mail has been getting filed appropriately since my paper purge. Other than that not much has been accomplished.

`This is a new week and I am determined to get back on track. First for all my company I am buying 15 cups for the kids that have been visiting and putting their names on them to cut down on the number of cups I have to wash. I am considering doing plates and bowls too. The older kids are going to be responsible for washing their own dishes and the little ones for putting them in the sink. This will help me keep track of what belongs to whom.

`As far as focus goes, I am in need of motivation. I am to the point where I look around my house and am frozen by "I just don't know where to put the stuff" Stuff is my biggest problem. A couple weeks ago I did a paper purge and it helped so every week during the summer I will do some kind of purge starting with clothes. I have clothes EVERYWHERE. There is not a room in my house that does not have a clothes mess. I did manage to go through mine but the pile I made for Salvation Army is still sitting there. Oh and did I mention I am hosting a graduation party for my niece next Saturday at my house. It should be a fun week.

I am so excited!!!

`Okay not for myself, but for my son. Here's a little background. He is going to be entering third grade and is just slightly below grade level which for him is a huge accomplishment. He entered first grade unable to recognize the alphabet if that gives you any idea how hard he has been working. He is speech and language delayed, has a learning disability pretty much in any area that involves reading and comprehension, and has ADHD. Okay so now why am I so happy? He absolutely loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and anything that makes him love reading I love.

` So as I was researching the summer reading programs offered at Borders and Barnes and Noble I stumbled upon the fact that there is a fifth book in the series being released on November 9. I decided to check Walmart to see if they had better pricing and they did. It was $9 for the book and standard shipping was FREE. The best part about this deal is his birthday is in November. He is going to be one happy kid!!

Realistic Focus

` I am participating in Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

`Last week I was focusing on a paper purge. I was able to get to get quite a bit done, it is still a work in progress. I will continue to work on it this coming week.

` This week I want to focus on making truths out of the lies I tell myself. Number one I recently left my job to be a SAHM. (about four weeks ago) I thought once I was able to stay home I would have ALL this extra time. I vowed to have my house spotless and organized before school let out. I was going to volunteer more, visit friend and family more. In short I had a grand idea of how life would be, but now reality has struck. I have made headway on the house however I don't know where TIME goes to. I get the kids off to school. Do my morning clean up, work on whatever task is on the table for that day and before I know it it is time to pick up the kids again. I feel like I actually have less time than I did when I was working.

` Lie number 2. My husband drives truck for a living luckily it's regional, but from Sunday night til Friday night if he's home it's pretty much to eat, sleep, and shower. He is off Tuesday and Thursday during the day. I avoid doing much around the house for fear of waking him. In reality it's a good excuse to play on the computer without feeling guilty. After all I am doing it for him. A better use of this time would be reading. I attend a weekly bible study, but I am always rushing last minute to get the work done. Which mean I am not fully getting out of the material what I could be.

`Lie number 3. It is better to do nothing than to do something half way. I have found by at least doing something it's always better than it was. I have also found if I work up to at least starting a task it gives me motivation and I am more likely to end up finishing it.

`In short I need to focus on my time management and I need to be more realistic of what I expect of myself. I think I need to do a schedule :( I would say my focus has been building momentum, let's hope it continues.

Paper Purge Part 2

` Yesterday I worked on the need action now. This basket was not to bad. I bought a plastic accordion style folder that was slightly larger than a wallet. I figured this one could travel with me if I needed it to. I broke my bills down into week 1 and week 2. My husband gets payed every two weeks and it is never the same amount. I can find out two days ahead of time what he will be bring home, so I do my budget in 2 week intervals. I also put a file for things that needed to be done for the week like scheduling of apts, etc. Many moons ago in a different attempt at organization a friend of mine made me a folder and in the folder it has a sleeve for each month. That is where I put anything that has to be done down the road.

`The next basket is going to be the killer, since I do not have a filing system in order. I will work on that next week.

Paper Purge- Bonus Edition

`Let me start by saying this is my in laws cat. Due to unexpected job loss, they moved in with us in March. Our house (before I bought it) had an in law apartment so we kind of converted it back. Thier cat Tigger (in pic) likes to come visit my cat. My cat is older and although she likes the company, once she is done playing she does not want to be bothered and gets a little shall we say cranky. Anyways Tigger somehow got out in the middle of the night and decided he wanted to play. Binky did not. Hence there was a battle of epic proportions fought on my bed............ where I was sleeping......... at 5am in the morning. Tigger was not on my good side. When I found him sleeping in the to be filed basket it was very tempting. He's lucky he's cute!

( Disclaimer- no animals were harmed in anyway during the making of this blog post ;)

Paper Purging Part 1

` As I sit here, a small fraction of the way done, I wonder what possessed me to take this task on. It is a bigger problem than I imagined. I have papers hidden in every crevice of the house and I am sure as time goes on I will find more. This is definitely one of those projects that as I am doing it I am going to have moments of whining and head shaking, but when I see it completed it will all be worth while.

` I started by taking some advice offered in a comment of an earlier post I had written. I took three baskets and labelled them:

Basket 1 - Recycle/ Shred

Basket 2- To be filed

Basket 3- need action now

.....and then I ran around the house collecting all my drawers, baskets, and boxes filled with paper. This doesn't seem like much but it took me several hours. As I started going through my papers I discovered I needed a forth basket. For some reason all my pictures get tossed in with my paperwork.

Things that I tossed, and use your own judgement here, Tax returns that were more than 7 years old, pay stubs older than last years w-2, bank statements that were several years old (unless it had a tax bill listed on it), LOTS and LOTS of junk mail. Things I kept include all of my sons IEP's and services record (since I am continually asked what services he has received up to date) eventually I want to write a history and just keep the more recent info, this years utilities, house payments, student loan, credit card, auto loan, insurance info, pension info, and I am sure there is more I am not remembering at this point.

` Tomorrow I will break down Basket 2. Basket 1 is an easy one I recycled what I could and I am saving the shredding for my husband since he likes to do that.

What's hiding in your house?

` Last week I managed to go through all my clothes (including my dresser) in an attempt to clean and organize my closet. In the process I found $2.02, a certificate for a free dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, 4 certificates for free kids meals at Friendly's, and 5 certificate for the kids to get free Rita's Italian Ice. Not bad for a days work.

Losing momentum.......

`I decided to participate in Focus Check Friday over at A Slob Comes Clean.

Last week when I read Focus Check Friday, I knew I wanted to participate this week. I was going to Focus on the closet in my master bedroom. I even took before pics, well actually most of them are still now pics. I started the week off strong determined to feel accomplished. I started by cleaning up the main living areas of my home and the focused one day on my closet. I did get about 1/5 of it done and it took my the entire school day.

By Wednesday, I was done. Instead of cleaning I watched a season of a show. Where did my motivation go? I somewhat know the answer... I got sick of the hamster wheel. The laundry that is never caught up, the dishes that are constantly in my sink. I take care of both but every time I think I am done there's more hiding somewhere. Then there is the nightly Kidnado that strikes. Not to mention me. My house is in such disarray that my mind follows suit. It is as cluttered as my home. I keep jumping from one task to another never fully completing anything.

`So this week for Focus Friday I am going to concentrate on one thing and one thing only. (I will keep up the main living areas, but everything else will wait). My focus this week will be on the boxes and boxes of paper clutter. This week I want to make a command center.

` For all of you that have been on the decluttering mission for awhile, I would love to hear where you started. What were the beginning steps that helped you? Most days I feel overwhelmed and just shut down and find other things that "need" my attention.

Ravioli Lasagna

I love this cheap and easy dinner. It is one of my go to meals for Sundays when I have five adults and four kids to feed. The recipe can be found here.

Ingredients I use (I make mine a little bigger)

Cheese Ravioli's (I buy the Pede when they go on sale at Price Chopper BOGO cost-$2.49/2)

2 Cans Spaghetti Sauce (I use Hunt's 4 Cheese buy on sale for $1 cost $2)

1 8ounce bad Shredded Mozzarella (I stock up when they are $1/bag cost $1)

1 pound hamburg (cost @ $1.99)

Final cost $7.47 and I usually have enough leftovers for at least two people to have lunch. Add salad and bread and this is a great meal!

*If you don't need to feed that many people, instead of using less ingredients, why not make one for dinner and one for the freezer!!*

Lost in Blogland

` I am so loving checking out others blogs. What a wealth of information and helpful tips that is out there. I love reading about people that are experiencing things similar to what I am going through. I have found two that have inspired me to get my butt moving which I love. Isn't it funny how reading about someone Else's accomplishments can motivate you to do your own?

` The only problem is...... well okay I have stumbled upon two problems. The first being I read things I like, but when I want to go back to it I can't remember where I saw it. The second being I get consumed in blog hopping. It starts out on one blog then I find a link that looks interesting and end up on another blog and again and again. I remember staying home with my first born when it took a very long time to get on line and message boards were big. My family wasn't around much, my husband at the time was never around, my friends didn't have babies so I hardly saw them. I felt so alone and scared. I am glad that there is a community out there to share experiences, tips, advice, and encouragement. If this was around all those years ago my original experience as a stay at home mom might have been a little different.

Here I go again...

`So once again I have FAILED. I am normally not a manipulative person, but when it comes to smoking, it is amazing what I will put myself through and others. My poor husband, I know exactly which buttons to push, and lo and behold he will throw a pack at me. I manipulate myself into believing I can have just one and it won't bother me or make me start all over again. It usually goes something like, "wow I haven't smoked in three day, if I just have one it will settle my nerves and help me not to smoke." CRAZY........ yes I know as a rational adult this is just insane.

` I have decided to enlist some help. Mainly I emailed my doctor for medication. Although I feel like a big fat failure for not being able to do it on my own, I am determined not to give up. I can not tell you how much my behavior when it comes to smoking angers me. I wish I had more willpower. I envy those people who just quit and stay quit all on shear willpower.

May16-May 22 To Do

`Okay so last week did not go as plan, and it was all ME. No one else to blame. I did manage to do some of my to-do list but avoided the rest. I refuse to let that keep me from moving forward. I have had 3 cigarettes since Mother's Day, I want to make it through next week with none.

`I will do the bathroom 15 minute challenges all week.

`I will clean out my closet, which means, going through all my clothes. Hopefully my husband will jump on board with this and do his side.

` I will make more of an effort to do a nightly prayer with the kids. I need to put a reminder somewhere. I know that's sounds terrible, but it is something I am not used to doing, therefore I don't think about it. My meal plan I will do over the weekend. I plan on making some split pea soup, and chicken and rice soup.

` I need to renew my nursing licence this week. That is a big has to get done.

`I need to get everyones info together so hubby can add us to his insurance.

I don't want to over do it so that is it for the week!

Oh, Dear!

Dear Cigarettes,

` I would be lying if I said I didn't miss you. You are such a dirty little thing. I refuse to let you win this time. Your sweet talking if I just have one.... is not going to work. I saw what you have done to others, first hand, and I refuse to be your next victim. Go tempt someone else!

S

Dear Binky and Tigger (the cats),

` Next year when you start to lose your winter fur, can you take a lesson from the snake? It sheds all it's skin at one time. That would save me so much housework. I wanna know how the two of you can possibly produce so much fur?

S

Dearest oldest daughter of mine,

` When I ask for your dirty school clothes, I mean all of them, not just one outfit to get through the next day. It would make my life so much easier if you could help out with this. The weekly Monday night fight is just not working. We both have better things we could be spending our energy on.

S

Grocery Budget $75/week

Mainesource

5 lbs. American Cheese- $7.99

10 lbs. ground beef- $18.82

2 dozen eggs- $ 1.78

total- $28.69

Riccardo's

18 lbs dad's dog food

4 cans GG corn

2 cans tom paste

3 jars salsa

3 boxes taco shells

1&1/2 lb ground beef

total- $15.39 and $1 off next purchase

Giant

Goodlife cat food

12pk hot dog rolls

friskie party mix cat treats

1 bag tortilla chips

2lbs bananas

1 beef BBQ

1 Ham

2 bags steam veggies

2 16 oz coffeemate french vanilla creamer

4 boxes kelloggs corn flakes

total- $21.16 and $3 off next shopping trip

total $65.14 I am sure I will use the rest for milk and bread throughout the week. My total before coupons and sales was $111.21.

Free Summer Movies

I am so excited!!!! The theater by me is not having one free kids movie a week but 2! Here is the list. The only thing I am sad about is every couple of years they do The Wizard of Oz. I wanted to take time off of work to take the kids and never made it. I would love, love, love to see that in a theater.

Things to work on 5/9-5/15

Cleaning

According to flylady this week will be the kitchen so I coincided my extra cleaning objectives to take place in the kitchen.

Monday- Top of fridge

Tuesday- inside fridge and freezer

Wednesday- microwave cart drawer

Thursday- utensil drawer

Friday- stove and drawer under stove

Financially

Using Monday as a quit date, stop smoking. If I make it through the week I will use the money to go to yard sales on Friday. Which I will do armed with a list of stuff that I can use to help avoid the... Oh isn't that cute impulse.

Bringing God in and Quality Time With Kids

Today I read a blog about National Day of Prayer. I discussed it with my children and came to learn that although my oldest said she prayed at night, the two younger ones said they did not do this at all. For this week I will take 10 minutes a night and pray with my children. We will be attending church Sunday afternoon and then again Saturday evening.

Menu

Sunday- FIL is cooking Yeah!!! I have been cooking since I have been home. We have not eaten fast food once. That in itself has been a major accomplishment. I will be attempting homemade pretzels.

Monday- Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup with noodles

Tuesday- Sweet and Sour Chicken

Wednesday- Taco's

Thursday- Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, Salad

Friday- Hamburg, Macaroni, and Tomatoes

Saturday- Chicken A La King

Learning

I want to devote more time to my bible study and this week I will attempt to learn how to make homemade bread.

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

` This is a family favorite. It is also a very cost friendly dish. I do cheat and use Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce which I stock up on in the summer when they go on sale 10 for $10. I generally cook for four adults and three children as a minimum and this is always plenty.

Ingredients

3 lbs pork (I usually use boneless roast or center cut pork chops whatever is on sale)

1 bottle Root Beer soda

1 small bottle Sweet Baby Rays

1. Place pork in Crock Pot.

2. Pour in Root Beer til pork is covered.

3. Cook in Crock Pot several hours til pork is tender enough to shred with a fork.

4. Drain Crock Pot leaving about 1/4 of the liquid in it.

5. Shred pork return it to Crock Pot with reserved liquid and 1 bottle sweet Baby Rays. Cook for about 1 hour on high or until ready to serve.

I usually serve this on hard rolls or potato rolls. I would like to try making my own buns eventually.

French Onion Soup

`I hate to see food go to waste and the produce I have been getting from the grocery stores lately does not seem to have a very long shelf life. Here is a recipe that I came across in a very old fund raising cook book (when I find it again I will list the name). I have made some changes to it. I like to buy the bags of yellow cooking onions, after I remove what I need for other recipes this is what I do.

Ingredients

Onions

1-2 TBSP butter

garlic

beef cubes

Worcestershire sauce

Peel and slice onions.

Heat Skillet. Add butter, garlic, and onions. Cook for about 5-10 minutes on medium depending on how many onions you have.

Transfer mixture to Crock Pot. Add water til onions are completely covered. For every cup of water you added add a beef cube. Add a few shakes of Worcestershire Sauce. Set Crock Pot on low for about three hours.

This recipe is a great way to use up onions before they go bad!!

Schedule

` Now that I made it through my sons 1st Holy Communion and party. which I hosted at my house, it's time to develop a schedule. I've been debating doing this, because part of me is overwhelmed by the whole idea, but I think things will go more smoothly if I bite the bullet here.

` I am going to start out with a weekly schedule that I will put together on Sunday's. I am going to add church, which I hate to say we have not been doing, and batch cooking. I would love to do the OAMC but with a weekly budget of $65.00/week and 4 adults and 3 kids there is just no way. I have also come to the conclusion that I am going to have to up my food budget until I get my pantry built up.

` Part of my weekly schedule is going to include my weekly budget. I messed up last week by not taking the cash out of the bank for his party, so now I have no real idea of how much I spent since I added the food to my grocery bill, etc. From now on cash it will be.

` As far as cleaning goes, I have been trying to do flylady. I had started it before so I kinda fast forwarded the baby steps and jumped in where I left off. I have also started picking one additional chore a day that I can complete in 15-30 minutes time.

` For cooking, which I am finding out, is taking up the majority of my time, I decided on Batch cooking. I am going to get some index cards and a box to put them in. As I add things to my freezer I will put it down on an index card. When it is time to menu plan for the week I will be able to go through my index cards of what I have made already and put them in the front of the box.

`I plan on posting my entire weekly schedule on Sunday nights for the following week. Hopefully this process is like the budget and will get easier as time goes on.

With a little help from my friends......

My first week as a SAHM has been spent trying to get my house ready to host my sons First Holy Communion party. This has been no small feat. The job I was working at left me emotionally drained at the end of the day and I had little to offer my family or my housekeeping. I had piles and piles of I'll do it someday stuff and once I gave my notice at work it became worse. I figured I would have LOTS of time to do it later. Boy was I wrong, but boy am I lucky. God has blessed me with some awesome friends and a terrific mother in law who have gone above and beyond to help me. My house cleaning, thanks to them, is ahead of schedule, AND most of the cooking will be done as well. This morning I am counting my blessings!!

` I would also like to give a special thank you, you will know who you are when you read this, to someone who continually goes above and beyond for others. Being a newer Christian sometimes it is nice to have someone in your life that is such a believer that their actions are louder than words. Someone that makes you aspire to be a better person. Thank you for always being their for me and my family.

I love the internet!

Oh how I love the internet. The older I get, the more timid I am about trying to do things I have never done before. I am capable of reading instructions and following them, however, I much prefer visual learning. My mission today will be to remove the bones and skin from split chicken breast which are on sale for $1 per pound. I found many instructional videos on you tube and I am ready to go. I have to say it was not nearly as bad as I had envisioned. I feel very accomplished this was a task I have been considering for some time but never put forth the effort. My friend says her mother always does her chicken this way and she even removes the tendons with pliers. Maybe that will be my next feat......maybe

Cleaning Hurts!

Well I have discovered that house cleaning hurts. I have been scrubbing a room a day. So far I made it through the kitchen and the dining room. I have body parts aching that I never knew existed and so much more work to do. It has motivated me to go cancel my gym membership, since I don't go anyway, and I can clean my house for free. I've been putting off cancelling but tomorrow is the day. That is the first step in my being more financially responsible. Plus I now have two shiny rooms only six more to go. Tomorrow I am going to do some warm ups before I tackle the two halls, steps, entrance area, and linen closet and hopefully that will help with the aching body parts. When I wake up each morning to the now cleaner home, that feeling is so worth all the aches.

Purpose

The purpose of this blog is for me to keep track of the changes that I wish to make. I have three children and have been working full time up until about a week ago. Now I am a stay at home mom with a vision of what I want to do for my family.

` Number 1 I am a fairly new Christian and I know God has been knocking on our door. We've opened it enough to see whose outside, but my goal is to bring him in. I want my house to become a home that honors God.

` Number 2 I want to create a clean and organized home that my family can enjoy. A place for everything and everything in it's place, but first I have to sort out seven years of...... well this looks like a good spot.

` Number 3 I want to stay on top of our finances. Dave Ramsey has shown me the way and now it is time for some follow through. I want to reevaluate how we spend our money and learn to do a better job with what God has provided us with.

` Number 4 I want to spend more quality time with my children. I want to do activities that are fun, educational, and healthy. I also want to do things to help introduce them to God.

` Number 5 I want to show my husband, through my example, what it means to be a Christian. I also want to honor my husband by producing a clean less stressful home environment.

` Number 6 I want to continue to learn. I want to delve deeper into Gods word and learn new things that would help my family.

` Number 7 I want to read this blog in it's entirety in one year to see what I have accomplished.