First of all, my phone is dead. I don't mean it needs charging dead, I mean Ada dropped it in a cup of water dead. I left in a bag of rice overnight, after hearing this helps to dry it out, and it will turn on, but then it does crazy things, and it might as well be dead. Sad, sad, sad.
Especially since that was still my only camera, and it looks like a chunk of the camera money will now be going towards a new phone. Sad, sad, sad.
So no pictures with this blog post.
Moving on.
The cleaning is still going. I can't believe I have stuck to it this long. It's truly answered prayer. It is becoming more and more normal for Scott to walk into a rather "picked up" house in the afternoons, and it is becoming more normal for Scott and I to sit down and relax after the kids are in bed because things are already "straight." The entire family is forming new habits, and life is certainly less chaotic as a result.
As I mentioned last week, the 5:00 hour is the most chaotic, so this past week, I proactively required Ada to help me clean up toys around 4 ish, and then, when the house is relatively clean, I put a movie in for her and John to watch while I start dinner. The movie vs. cartoons seems to be key. Cartoons tend to become background noise at our house (which I hate), but the movie seems to keep their interest, and I am able to grab a little peace while I start dinner. It makes for a much more peaceful setting for Scott to walk in on. On Monday and Wednesday, I am actually out tutoring when Scott gets home from work (and the kids are at Jessica's house), so last week, I made a point to require Ada to help me clean up toys during John's nap, and I made a crockpot dinner, so we all walk in to a clean house and dinner ready to go. Again, it makes for a peaceful evening. (On that note, does anyone have any favorite crockpot recipes? I am using the crockpot twice a week every week, and I tend to make the same stuff over and over).
Ada has also stopped asking who we are cleaning up for? As she has learned that we only clean up if someone is coming over. I am slowly shifting her thinking to believe that we are cleaning up in order to maintain a more peaceful home not because visitors are coming. (though I would still clean up more if visitors were coming).
The laundry is no longer backed up. I now automatically make the beds. And the toys aren't nearly as out of control.
Don't get me wrong, there is still much to be overcome. My laundry room is a bit of a disaster area, and I haven't even begun to tackle it. It is our "catch-all" room in this house, and the thought of organizing it overwhelms me...to say the least. And as we speak, there are random piles of clothes in the master bedroom that I have been ignoring for weeks. There is much to be done.
But I am celebrating the victories!! Bad habits are being overcome. Thank you, Lord!!!
5 comments:
Way to go with the cleaning. All that sounds great. So sorry about the phone.
Love you.
Sounds good! I was trying to think of some helpful advice when you were talking about all this, but I couldn't figure out what I do with working and Marshall with my house. But it really is just cleaning as we go. I never let it get too far. So there's a load or two of laundry a day, so that's never backed up, and picking up M's toys right after he finishes playing with them, doing dishes right after dinner. That's the only way it functions I guess! Do you do that crockpot recipe with the chicken, salsa, beans and cream cheese to put in tortillas? If not, I'll send you the recipe.
I made a slowcooker soup this week that I saw on a friend's blog and it turned out delish! Seriously good bc Dru was shocked I had cooked it :)..here is where the recipie came from and the comments beneath the recipie were helpful! It was really easy too!
http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.com/2011/02/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-and-wild.html
I agree w/ Lindsey. You just never let it get too far out of hand. I do a lot of supper prep at naptime, and I make sure the prep dishes are done/up before supper is done. That way, when we finish dinner, all we have are our plates and a few utensils. And again, it makes me feel REALLY good to have a REALLY clean kitchen before bed. And that means putting away clutter and wiping down counters. That's what works for me. Take it ONE day at a time :-)
YAY!!!! Love to hear about the victories!!!
Post a Comment