By Contributing Writer, Brandy Ferguson

As a homeschooling mom of seven, and now getting ready to meet our eighth son in a matter of days, I've never been busier in my life!

With so much on my to-do list added to my already full schedule, I admit to having moments of brief panic in which I think to myself, "what if I don't get it all done before I go into labor?" or..."what if the boys' rooms look like THAT when the baby arrives!?!"  or..."what if I don't get the freezer filled with homemade food in time?"

I have to stop myself, almost on a daily basis and just...

breathe.

Because while I do have a lot that I would like to have accomplished, things that would definitely be a blessing to me and my family, the reality is that it is going to be okay.  Most likely, I'll carry this baby all the way to 40 weeks PLUS like I usually do, which means I still have three more weeks to achieve my goals, but if the baby comes earlier and I don't get to all these tasks, then it's alright.

I don't know about you, but the nesting thing is a very, very real and intense thing that I experience toward the end of pregnancy.  Mother Bird knows her Baby is about to hatch and that nest must be pristine and perfect.  It must, at all costs, be in order.  No clutter, nothing in disarray, all rooms organized and ready.

image credit

Sometimes it becomes an internal battle of sorts, as a mom of a large family.  Because the order in my head doesn't always match what I see around me.  Sometimes I forget that not everyone in our family, especially my brood of all boys, is in super-nesting-mode like me.  Sometimes I see the mess around me or the list that still has things to do on it and I start to lose perspective.  And I have to remind myself again....It's going to be okay.  Breathe.

Because, first of all, it's not like the baby's going to care. (Of course, I still will.)  And second, it's not fair to my family for me to be stressed out about something that's pretty silly in the grand scheme of things.  And most importantly, if there's ever a time to make sure my children feel loved and special, it's right before they're about to meet another new sibling.

Now having said all that, I will still try to prioritize and enlist help from my family to accomplish a few very key things like:

• sorting and washing newborn clothes, socks, baby blankets
• taking apart the infant carseat, washing, and reassembling
• making sure extra sheets and towels are clean and ready for our homebirth
• cooking and freezing as many meals ahead of time as possible

And after those things are done, if we are still waiting for our sweet bundle to arrive, I'll tackle more of those organization projects that seem so important to me right now. Those projects include purging the boys' rooms and closets, reorganizing the schoolroom, and cleaning out the toy boxes.  It would be nice to get to the coat closet and master closet, too, but I'm trying to be realistic here.

In the meantime, staying focused on getting rest and good nutrition as I try and prepare my  mind and body for birth is still a top priority.  I started taking my Alfalfa, Red Raspberry Leaf, and Evening Primrose capsules today in preparation for labor and delivery.

This is such a sweet, special season, these final weeks of carrying my baby, a time for really slowing down, looking around me at what I've already been blessed with, and savor it all the more.  There really is no need to stress about "the list" or "the mess" or anything else.

Because all that will matter in just a few short days or weeks is going to be that we're all here.  All ten of us.  Together.

Who cares about the list?

What about you?  Do you experience nesting at the end of pregnancy?

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Find the first 6 steps in yesterday's post...

Written by Rachel, Contributing Writer

7. Have a Quiet Time with Gratitude and Prayer

We are wives, we are mothers, we are always serving others and sometimes we forget to serve or spend time with the Lord. Having a quiet time helps us to understand the grace He has given us so we can extend that grace to others including our little ones.

We're also able to pour our concerns on Him and we begin to have a healthier positive mindset by getting into the Word. We are able to give Him gratitude and pray as well. This is something I need to work on more and as I adjust my schedule I am going to make certain I do this.

Action step: choose an devotional book or a book of the Bible to read during your quiet time and make it a priority to spend time with the Lord everyday. As soon as you wake up in the morning, give God thanks for 10 things in your life. Here are 3 tips to make it little easier in the morning

8. Set Goals

God gave all of us dreams and I'm not talking about having a million dollars or unattainable dreams that are most likely only fantasies. He put the dreams in your heart and wants you to accomplish them, He wants the best for you! Zig Zigler states it best when he says "Every choice you make has an end result."

When you set goals you figure out your priorities. Some goals include: spiritual, family, physical health, financial, and even how to be a better mother/wife and your purpose. Write your goals out, make a plan, and take action steps or choices towards those goals. For example, if you have always wanted to write a blog, well you need to write that down and make steps towards that goal.

Action step: check out Money Saving Mom's post about deciding your goals and this free printable goal worksheet here

9. Spend Time With Your Family (including date nights and time by yourself)

Family time is so vital. It gives you an opportunity to celebrate, to talk about faith and pray together, time to make memories, and impact your little ones lives. Your children need to know they are heard and loved.

It is not the school or church's job to teach your children. It is our job and what better way to teach life experiences than by doing life with your family, teaching them what is means to be a man or women of God by being an example or showing them how to make healthy choices by choosing to make healthy meals.

photo credit

This goes along with number 4 yesterday, you have to schedule family time or you might get wrapped up in everything else that you neglect family time. We are about to open a new business and we're both concerned about juggling family time with owning a growing business so we sat down the other night and made out schedule which included blocks of family time. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" and I don't want to fail at having family time.

You also need to have time to yourself as a mother as well as dates with your husband to keep your fire burning and to reconnect.

Action step: start with adding 2 hours of family time  every week and try to eat 4 meals (at the dinner table) together. If you already do those, set up some family devotion times or challenge your family in some way. Take a date with your hubby this month, here are some frugal ideas for dates at home

10. Do Your Research

If you are reading this post, it's likely that you do your research and find out ways to better your health and family. Do not just listen to what someone including your mom, your medical doctor, your school or anyone else tells you to do or think. Research what ever it is that you are trying to figure out before just taking someones word for it. Some people may mean the best but may be misinformed.

How and why to research:  I'm sure you have questions, they could be about faith, family, health, etc. Make a plan to figure out answers, ask friends and family, research online and on blogs (most bloggers aren't professionals but write what they do and what works for them, so try to find bloggers whose opinions you feel you can trust).

Once you get opinions from others or professionals, dig deeper or even get second opinions if you have to. Pray about it and make your own conclusions! When you research you become a more informed consumer as well being able to stand firm in your decisions.

Action step: What questions do you have? what are you concerned about? Choose one of them and research about it, find the answers and share about it with us!

11. Get Enough Sleep

It's a no-brainer that getting enough sleep is important to your health and well being. You know this but it doesn't mean you actually get enough sleep or even understand why.

Getting enough sleep helps you to be a happy and healthy mom or wife or both and helps you to function properly and have a good attitude. Here are 8 tips for getting quality sleep which describes the benefits and what you can do to get enough sleep.

Action step: the Mayo Clinic suggests 7-9 hours of sleep, compare how much sleep you are getting and if it's not within the recommended amount write down steps you can take to get more sleep

12. Optimum Nerve Supply

You may be thinking, what in the world is she talking about? God created our bodies in a unique way, he put the power to health and healing in our brains.

For you to do anything, to birth your babies, your scabs or broken bones to heal, to breathe or your heart to beat, your brain sends messages down your spinal cord and out through the nerves to every tissue, cell and organ in your body. All of that is happening now as you read this post. That is your nervous system at work.

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The proper alignment of your spine is what controls the health of your nervous system. There are all kinds of things that can cause misalignment's in your spine that are not allowing your body to function properly, that could be causing headaches, your children's ear infections, and sickness or even other problems.

Through chiropractic adjustments, the body can restore proper function. Chiropractic care is for everyone including kids, read more about our story here. Our children have been adjusted since birth, so we attribute them not getting sick very much to that.

Action step: start by reading more about wellness chiropractors then get your family's health evaluated from a wellness chiropractor.

I hope you will take some of these steps to a healthier life and live to your fullest. The best things we can do are to write things down, make a plan of action to get goals accomplished, get back up if we fail fall, get support from our friends and family and to start walking those steps towards a more maximized life!

What helps you to stick with goals that you set? How do you intend to work towards your new goals for 2012?

Top image by lachlan

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

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• Setting up a cash system- Part 2

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Written by Rachel, Contributing Writer

It's January, so we all know what that means... New Year's Resolutions.

Did you know that according to Time Magazine, most of these so-called resolutions fail after 9-10 days? So, if your wrote any you probably already stopped or quit one or more of them. Dictionary.com defines resolution as a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

A couple of reasons why we fail at resolutions are we're too busy and we're too broad. What we need to do is say exactly what our goal is and how we will accomplish it. We need to take baby steps, and not think "all or nothing!" Sometimes I fall into the pit of giving up because I'm not doing what I should be or what I think I should be doing. I say don't make resolutions! Take steps towards the goals or "resolutions" you want to accomplish. 

Let's take exercise for example. Maybe starting or exercising more is one of your goals, so start by making small attainable steps towards that goal like walk this week, then next week walk twice, then after a while you can jog, and so on. We are all on the fast track, we have a want "it" now mindset, but taking steps towards a healthier life takes time, mostly because you have to break old habits.

I have come up with steps to take to become healthier this year. Steps that I believe will help in all aspects of life: Emotionally, Mentally, Physically, Spiritually, and they are steps I want to take (and improve on) to become healthier this year as well!

Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

1. Choose Whole Foods

If you are a reader here at Keeper of the Home, this is no secret to you! Whole Foods are the most nourishing foods you can give your body. I heard this quote somewhere, "If it's natural eat it, if it's not, stay away from it."

Our bodies were created to eat God food, not Man food. God foods are whole foods like: fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, whole grains, and healthy fats. Man foods are: overly processed "food" with ingredients you can't read, with additives like msg, food dyes, artificial flavors and sweeteners, refined sugar and the list goes on.

For example, Kraft Mac & Cheese, McDonald's chicken nuggets, Coke, or Cheetos among a kazillion other things are some man foods.

photo credit: Kath Eats Real Food

I'm not saying you should never eat processed foods, but an important step to take would be to read the ingredients. Find out if the ingredients have whole foods that are going to nourish you and your body. To read more about baby steps in the right direction, click here or to find list of healthy sources click here.

Action step: replace man food with God food

2. Think Positively

This is pretty self explanatory, but if you are thinking negatively about things, it's not a surprise that you are not living to your fullest. Is your glass half empty or half full? Moses thought he wasn't good enough and gave many excuses to God why he wasn't but God didn't care, He had a purpose for Moses.

Remember that God has a plan for you, too, and leave the negative self talk behind.  The Mayo Clinic reports that Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive tinging and optimism on health. Health benefits that postive thinking may include:

• Increased life span
• Lowers rates of depression
• Lowers rates of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skilles during hardships and times of stress  {source}

3. Make Time to Exercise

The benefits of a little exercise far out weigh my "I don't feel like it" excuses but sometimes I still put it on the back-burner, however, if this is one your goals, which it is one of mine, I hope you will find time to do it.

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There are simple ways to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine. Try exercise videos from your library. Mindy from The Purposed Heart says she loves to do the videos with her one year old and loves seeing him have so much fun. Do activities you enjoy and even get your kids involved; when the weather is nice take a walk with them.

If you only have 10 minutes in your day, try burst training. Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, combats health conditions and disease, helps you to sleep better, helps reduce depression, boosts your energy levels and makes you feel better about yourself.

Action step: take 15 minutes two days this week to do some kind of physical activity

4. Follow a Schedule

To be short and sweet, every second in the day has a purpose, whether it is nursing a baby, washing the dishes, writing a blog post, or eating dinner. If you don't make a plan, than you may be losing valuable time.

I know this is very true for me, sometimes I find myself at the end of the day saying "what did I get done?" Sometimes, I didn't need to get anything done but to spend time with my little ones, but other times I find that I spent too much time on facebook instead of doing x, y and z. No schedule should be set in stone but having one that is used as a guideline helps you get more things done that you want to get done and brings order to the home.

Action step: start by using Ann Voskamp's The Daily Draft to get on a daily schedule

5. Reduce Toxins

Toxins are poisons and the are found everywhere in our everyday lives. There are so many that we simply cannot remove all of them but we can reduce them. Toxins are found in the environment, in the foods we eat, and even what we clean our home with. These toxins are hazardous to our health and cause sickness and disease.

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I know that can sound overwhelming, but you can take baby steps to find out more about where toxins are and how to remove them.

Action step: replace your conventional household cleaners with natural ones or even make your own

6. Use Natural Personal Care Products and Home Cleaners

Number 5 above pretty much summarizes the need to use natural beauty and house cleaners. Your skin is your largest organ and it soaks up everything you put on it and/or it exposed to.

Just as there are warnings against second hand smoke, the hazardous labels on these products should say that the fumes are toxic and your skin soaks them up. Stephanie, Keeper of the Home owner and editor wrote an informative post here that explains even more about personal care products.

Action step: switch one of your make-up products to a natural brand

Tomorrow we'll continue on with the last 6 steps to a healthier life... 

What are some baby steps that you plan to take towards healthier, more natural living this year?

Top image by lachlan

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

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Announcing my newest eBook... Plan It, Don't Panic: How to Successfully Create and Use a Meal Plan!

What if you could learn to meal plan in a way that helped you to eat better, while saving you money, time and stress?

After the huge success of the Plan It, Don't Panic Meal Planning Challenge that I ran on my blog this past fall, I realized that there was a definite desire for women to learn how to meal plan more effectively and to start doing it more consistently, for this very reason.

They wanted to be able to serve more healthful meals, while cutting down on their stress, their time in the kitchen, and their grocery budget costs!

But how do you learn to meal plan effectively?

I have been meal planning on and off for almost 8 years. I'm not sure where I first learned to do it, but I do know that most of what I have read in the past has been very basic and gone a little something like this:

• Figure out some meals your family likes eating
• Make a plan for when you want to cook them
• Buy the ingredients and make those meals

Gee, thanks for that.

Based on the amount of women who joined in the challenge, and by the questions and comments that arose, both on my blog and on the Plan It, Don't Panic Facebook page, I know that it can be a little more complicated than that.

Some methods work better for some people than for others. Figuring out how to store and organize recipes can be daunting for some. Meal planning can even feel like more work in the beginning, just another thing to add to the to-do list. Perhaps worst of all, without some guidance in how to approach your planning and subsequent grocery shopping, it might not feel like it saves much money, if it saves you anything at all!

So, I Wrote a Book About It...

I wrote the Plan It, Don't Panic eBook with 3 primary goals in mind, to help you:

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

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Written by Erin Odom, Contributing Writer

Christmas may still be two days away, but it's already time to be thinking about the new year. And I don't mean New Year's Eve celebrations (although I hope you have some fun ones planned!). I'm talking about making a concerted effort to plan and make goals for 2012.

I have found that when I make the time to sit down and spend a few hours on New Year's Day (or very close to it) to plan out goals for the new year, my year goes much more smoothly than if I just take each day as it comes and fly by the seat of my pants. 

Now, we can never totally predict what  a new year will bring (like little did I know during my 2010 retreat that I would spend the majority of that year pregnant and my goals would change to reflect preparing for a natural birth!), but having a flexible, workable list of goals to keep me accountable and on track helps me immensely--especially when the unexpected happens. 

And I'll be honest. Last year, I did not give myself a New Year's planning retreat. I had a 2 1/2 year old and newborn, and I spent the majority of the year overwhelmed and without much direction. As a Christian, I feel these verses from Proverbs 29:18 ring true: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." For me, having a written "vision" for the new year is key.

Image by alicja_sto

Where to Go?

For me, it takes getting out of the house. As long as I'm at home, I will be distracted by the needs of the house. Two years ago, I spent my retreat at Panera Bread. And I will probably go either there or a local coffee shop this year as well.

If you are able to leave your children with your husband or trusted family or friends, you could even take a mini vacation somewhere by yourself. If you live in a warm climate, sitting somewhere outside might be nice. Or, you may be a homebody and actually be able to think more clearly if you can just set aside a few hours at home--while your children are napping or are elsewhere with your husband or a friend.

Regardless, make (or buy) yourself a healthy treat and sip on a hot drink as you pray, dream, think and plan.

Image by ba1969

What to Take?

As a Christian, taking my Bible is a must, as I seek the Lord for what my goals should be. I also plan to have a journal for jotting down notes, my laptop to type everything up once my notes are completed, and perhaps even my ipod to listen to some inspirational music.

If you have one, make sure to take along your homemaking binder. (And if you don't have one, perhaps you can use some of your retreat time to put one together!) This year, I also plan on taking a printed out copy of Amy Andrew's Tell Your Time eBook, as a big portion of my retreat will be working on time management.

Image by teyoo

What to Plan?

My goals/planning range from the physical and mundane to the spiritual. Some of what I hope to conquer during this year's retreat includes:

:: Focusing on spiritual growth:

1. choosing a scripture as my theme verse for the new year
2. making a list of spiritual goals, like number of verses to memorize

:: Fleshing out growth goals for my various roles:

1. making a list of goals as a wife, like being better about ironing my hubby's shirts (because it makes him feel special)
2. making a list of goals as a mother, like leading my children in a daily devotional
3. making a list of goals as a homemaker, like developing a better cleaning schedule
4. making a list of goals for my health--and the health of my family, like sticking to a realistic exercise routine
5. making a list of goals as a professional, like setting up a Word Press site for my blog and editing services

:: Developing steps to reach the aforementioned goals--including books to read that will help me grow

:: Writing out a mission/vision statement for the year

Giving yourself a New Year's planning retreat can be as simple or as detailed as you want to make it. The goal isn't to stress yourself out, but to give yourself time to rest and reflect and plan--so you can breathe a little easier the rest of the year.

Do you give yourself a New Year's Planning Retreat? If so, how have you found it beneficial?

Top Image by medialab

Disclosure: Tell Your Time link is an affiliate link

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Last week, we turned our house upside down. Almost literally.

In a matter of one morning, we uprooted everything in our family room (which housed all of our children's toys, DVDs, some books and random other things), our entire downstairs storage (boxes upon boxes, whose contents we had long forgotten), and our "messy" room (an office-like room that was a catch-all for things without a proper home). A week or two earlier, I had also dramatically cleared out our family closet, main bathroom, and kitchen in similar fashion, inspired by Organized Simplicity.

Next, we purged. And we were brutal. Didn't love it? Gone. Couldn't remember the last time we used it? Gone. Somewhat broken and not particularly important to us? Gone. None of the children were especially attached to it or used it regularly? Gone.

It felt like half of what we owned, though I'm sure it wasn't close.

We left the bulk of the furniture alone, that wasn't the issue. It was all the other stuff. 

Stuff.

When did we get so much stuff? Did we even know all the stuff that we had? If we took this box or that box from storage, would we even miss any of it?

I wish I had taken pictures to show you (but I was actually ended up sick with the flu during much of the process- my husband is truly amazing to have finished it himself!). We filled our entire minivan almost 1 1/2 times with things to bring to the thrift store and the dump. We don't think we're done, either. There are a few rooms that need some more attention yet.

Not to mention that once we started, it became so freeing to purge that we almost don't want to stop. 

Since everything vacated the premises 48 hours ago, we can't stop commenting on how peaceful the house feels. We've lived here for almost a year and a half, but only just this weekend it began to feel like our home, instead of just a place where we live and keep our stuff.

Bringing the Toy Clutter Under Control at Last

One of the best parts of it all? Our family/play room had been driving me batty since we moved in. I had such a hard time encouraging the children to keep it tidied and I often cleaned it myself after they went to bed, out of sheer frustration. It overflowed into our dining room and kitchen and toys were often scattered all over the house. It was discouraging to say the least.

Our solution for the toys? We moved the large oak shelves that held all of the children's bins and baskets of toys down to our basement storage area (where they are not allowed to play or go without permission). We got rid of the large toy box that held all of the odds and ends and contributed much to the mess.

All that we kept upstairs was their wooden play kitchen (empty), a wooden stroller/cart, a few stuffed animals, and our son's train table (in his bedroom). We put everything back into organized containers and baskets, downsized due to the purging. And we put them all downstairs on the shelves, out of site.

Several instantaneous results of doing this:

• We bring one bin up at a time, and rather than getting quickly bored, we've noticed them engaging more thoroughly and getting bored less quickly.
• Clean up is a snap. I simply say "put the toys back in the bin", which is infinitely less overwhelming to young children than "please clean up the playroom".
• There isn't much mess to spread, so it stays contained and the other parts of the house remain tidy. Ahhh.

Do We Own It or Does It Own Us?

What's the status of your stuff? Who really owns who?

Both images by Robert S. Donovan

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Outside the window, leaves of crimson and burnt orange shiver on the trees, and every once in a while, a cluster of them swirl to the ground as a gust of wind blows urgent. The seasons have shifted and I find that as the weather turns chilly and the sun hides its face and the branches become bare, I turn inward, physically and mentally.

Physically, I begin to look at my home as the lack of warmth and the steady drips of West Coast rain draw us inward, more home-bound than we have been for months. The time spent indoors causes me to open my eyes to my surroundings and in doing so, I become more critical. I notice the lack of organization, the need for deep cleaning, the clutter, all of the projects that have remained on my to-do list far too long.

Mentally, I begin to crawl inside my skin. The outer chaos that I notice in my home eats away at me. Words like failure, bad homemaker, undisciplined, disorganized, and messy begin to surface.

Realization of these outward evidences of my inward mess and imperfection eat away at me sometimes. I seem to go in seasonal patterns, and one such pattern is a sudden urge to remake my life, to purge, to re-organize, to get myself in order. I pull out stacks of how-to books, try to get myself inspired and motivated, and figure out just why it is that I can't get it all together.

I tend to overlook the obvious. The reason is simple.

I'm a mess.

And so are you.

We're all messy and that's ok.

Just because I run a blog called "Keeper of the Home" does not mean that I am an exemplary homemaker. Far from it. Would you like to know some of the things that I just cannot do?

• I can't tell you the last time I cleaned baseboards, windowsills, windows, or walls (aside from obviously needed spot cleaning).
• Though I keep the downstairs guest bathroom clean enough, our master bathroom is prone to fits of unsanitariness (yes, it's a real word now because I just used it and you know what I mean) every few weeks until I finally stop ignoring it.
• I just made bread again for the first time in several months. And it wasn't soaked or sourdough.
• My kids bathe once a week. When they're good and stinky and they really need it.
• My cell phone is never charged, the keys often disappear, the minivan is full of crumbs and random garbage from our various outings.
• I have to keep things I've borrowed from others beside my front door, in hopes that they might make it back to those gracious individuals at some point in time. It still usually takes a couple of months.
• Don't even ask my friends what a joke it is to leave me a message on the answering machine.
• As summer ended, I left the garden to its own devices. Just yesterday, I finally cleaned out one of the six garden beds, and only because I was getting dangerously close to not having my garlic planted in time before winter. (And no, I didn't manage to get the garlic actually in the ground before we needed to leave for my daughter's ballet lesson, but at least I tried.)
• We're mostly on target with homeschooling, but we're had many days where we just couldn't get through the more involved topics like history or geography or science, and had to resort to the basics... language arts and math. The 3 R's, right?

It needs to be said, so very often, that none of us can do it all. We're feeble. We're human. We're weak. We're imperfect.

We're all just such a lovely mess. Together. I think that there is something powerful that happens when we are willing to say out loud to each other that we don't have it all together and we can't keep up with everything and though one area of our life might look amazing there are others that don't look nearly so pretty if we were to throw open our closet doors and lift up the bedskirts and let others see our dustbunnies and cobwebs and dirty socks.

We need to give each other permission to be imperfect also, and then we can point one another in the direction of the ultimate Grace-Giver himself. Because he gives grace that covers sticky floors and laundry piled up and scrambled eggs for dinner (again).

So where do we go from here?

I don't think this means that we just give up, throw our hands in the air and surrender to our messy ways, our misplaced priorities, or whatever others areas in which we struggle. We acknowledge them, we accept grace for them, we love others (and hope that they will love us, too) in spite of them, and we rely upon the only perfect One for saving grace, and strength that we could never conjure up ourselves.

I don't know what you need today. A reader commented last week that when she reads posts encouraging her to be more efficient and productive, she feels burdened by this Martha mentality of doing, doing, doing, when what she needs is to be encouraged to be a Mary, to serve and praise and just be in the midst of the messiness. Perhaps that's you right now.

If you need to allow yourself that space to just be, you might appreciate some of these reads:

Unity of the Sisterhood (and how we tear down masks of perfectionism, embracing one another just as we are, in God's freedom)

Imperfection (sharing all the things we don't do)

2 Reasons Why You Might Feel Overwhelmed 

One Thousand Gifts (learning to name and be thankful for the gifts He gives is a powerful way to learn to live fully, in the midst of the mess)

Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try Hard Life (the next book on my reading list, for obvious reasons- also visit Emily's blog, Chatting at the Sky, for a breath of fresh air)

Or is it time to make some changes?

For some of us, although we need to recognize that we are messy and imperfect (and still accepted and cherished and valuable all the while), we also need to take responsibility for our weaknesses and pushing forward to make some changes, however small or simple they may be.

This is very much where I am at. Spending time reading and reflecting on the fact that I can't do it all and accepting grace for my imperfection. But at the same time, I know that I am the cause of some of my struggles right now (like a cluttered and disorganized house that is causing me unnecessary stress and work) and that by taking some simple steps, there can be positive change.

Here are a few resources that might give you a gentle nudge in the right direction, without overwhelming you:

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life (I'm really appreciating this series from Money Saving Mom, recognizing that as much as we might actually be the problem, there is so much hope when we realize that we are also the solution, and that we can take small, incremental steps towards positive changes and reaching goals that we set)

31 Days to Clean (this popular 31-day ebook encourages you to look makes changes in your home, but by balancing a Mary heart with some Martha challenges)

Organized Simplicity (this is what I will be working through over the next two weeks, because I've recognized that my unwillingness to take some time to de-clutter and rethink the purpose of the rooms in our home has led to unnecessary stress and time spent on maintenance)

One Bite at a Time (if you're looking for some simple, manageable steps that you can do one at a time, as you're ready, Tsh has brought together a great selection of projects and organizational tasks that can help you to streamline your home and bring more peace)

Can you relate to being a "mess"? In what ways are you aware that you can't do it all? Would you like to share some of them, just to join in collectively as we announce that we are frail, imperfect, messy women?

Top image by Ian Sane

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• How I “Do It All”
• Living Simple Saturdays- First time, all the time
• Finding Fulfillment in Being a Mother Only
• Getting Back Into a Routine When You’ve Gotten Off Track

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Written by Natalie Klejwa, Contributing Writer

Ever wake up in the morning overwhelmed with all that needs to get done that day?  You want to pull those covers over your head and pretend those loads of laundry, that dirty kitchen, and those hungry children aren't waiting for you.  I've been there too many times to count.

Other mornings I've had the experience of waking up rested and peace-filled, to a quiet house, a clean kitchen, and a manageable routine awaiting my oversight.  What makes the difference?  That's what this post is all about!

1. Get a Good Start (Starting the Night Before!)

There are three keys to a great morning.

A good eight hours of sleep the night before

I'm pregnant with our ninth, so I've had many a sleepless night in the past 18 years.  You won't always get to have #1 because it's not in your control!  But there are other seasons of life when it is tempting to burn the midnight oil.  I always regret those late nights the very next day.  It's so much better for our bodies, minds, and spirits to hit the sack by 10:00 at the latest. That sleep before midnight is the best, so grab it whenever you can.  By 6:00 the next morning, you'll be feeling like a million bucks, and you'll be able to energetically and enthusiastically accomplish so much more.  (And a cup of coffee doesn't hurt either!)

A picked-up house

Make a "Whole House Pick Up" part of your children's pre-bedtime routine each night.  You can assign "jurisdictions" for each child, OR you can all sweep through the house together as one big team, picking  up everything in sight like the Cat in the Hat.  It doesn't take long...and boy, does it make a difference in the morning to come out to your main living area and be able to see the floor.  A good friend once shared this tip, "Your home can be dirty, but if your floor is clean and picked up...your home will LOOK clean and picked up."

Time at the feet of Jesus

This is critical.  Women have told me, "That's so legalistic."  Is it legalistic to eat three meals a day?  No.  We do it because it keeps us alive and we crave it.  It's part of life. Is it legalistic to regularly get together with your best friend and communicate your heart?  Of course not.  We do it because relationships are important to how God made us a human beings, and because we long for them.

If you are a Christian, your spirit needs to eat to thrive and stay healthy.  We feed on the Word.  Your spirit needs that relationship with its Creator.  We pray to exercise our faith and to have the mind of Christ Himself as we pray His Word into the lives of those we love.

Your joy will be in direct proportion to the time you invest in feeding your spirit and enjoying the King. We don't "do it" because it's "the rule".  We do it because it is the way to ultimate inner joy and satisfaction.  It's Christian hedonism!

This doesn't mean that you will always be able to have chunks of uninterrupted time with the Lord.  There are seasons when we will need to "grab" moments here and there throughout the day...Bible open on the counter top...maybe a prayer guide ready and available.  I love those prayer guides especially when I'm post partum and my brain is mush from sleep deprivation.  The point is, spend some time with your Savior.  It is critical for a healthy life.

2. Eliminate Distractions

There are plenty of time wasters vying for your attention, just hoping to steal your precious time and drag you down.

• Television
• Internet surfing (the kind that lacks purpose)
• Time on the telephone just "shooting the breeze" for no good reason
• Shopping just for fun (this includes online browsing)
• Absorbing "all the latest" trivialities on Facebook
• Reading pablum (women's mags, novels, other purposeless entertainment)
• Fill in the blank here...because we could go on all day with this list

Big Caveat Here: We've all done these things.  We're human.  And I'm not trying to be a kill joy...I'm just stating a fact.  If you spend portions of the 24 hours allotted to you in your day on these activities, you will have less time to be productive.  It's a trade off.  It's a simple choice: I either want A. or I want B.  Most of the time, I can't have both.  Want more time to be productive?  Avoid time wasters.

So, then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise, making the best use of your time because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16

3. Plan to be Productive

Keep a running list of the things you want to accomplish.  It can be as simple as a notebook with a list that you cross off, or it can be as "serious" as an official planner where you have the weeks and months mapped out with your priorities and goals.

I do both.

I keep a running list on a white board where I write down anything and everything that comes to mind while I'm about my business.  (I'm 45...if I don't write it down, I'll never remember it again.)  Then I have a detailed planner where I organize that list into the days/weeks/months ahead.

I am currently home educating 5 of my 8 children, running a home business, and facilitating a ministry blog.  It is necessary to plan ahead in order to accomplish the goals I have for those major responsibilities.  The more you plan to accomplish, the more you will accomplish.  No, you won't always get to everything, but you've heard the saying, "the person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it."

4. Make a Routine Work for You

A routine is your best friend.  Everyone has their own unique groove.  Find yours and stick with it as much as possible.  I say "no" to a lot of "extra stuff" that other folks are doing.  Summers are the exception, but during the school year, we don't do a lot of running around.

Not every day works out to be my "ideal", but I strive to go to bed at 10:00, get up at 6:00, get ready for the day, head down to the laundry room to throw a load in (this is my secret to staying on top of laundry...do a load a day), have my time in the Word and in prayer, make breakfast, greet the children, hit the school books, make lunch, put littles down for naps, fill orders and do some writing, make dinner, oversee evening chores, put children to bed, get organized for the following day and answer e-mails, and then it's back to bed at 10:00.

Fridays are special...my mom comes over to play with the children, and I take one of the kids with me to get groceries and eat out for lunch.  Then I have some time alone at Barnes and Noble to write.  (I'm there right now doing this post!)  Saturdays are chore/home project days.  Sundays are days of rest.  Sometimes we have a family from church over.

Simple, yet productive.

5. Little by Little

As homemakers, we find we are doing thousands of little things every day.  But it's the little things that add up in the end!

• If I'm going upstairs, I quick look around to see if there is anything that needs to be carried up there with me and put away.  There always is.  Same for traveling down stairs.
• I never leave a room without doing one thing to make it look a little better.  Straighten the curtain.  Throw that underwear down the laundry chute, put the pillow back on the bed.
• If I see a doo-dad on the floor, I pick it up.  I have a basket to collect doo-dads.  Do you?  The kids have to go and organize them later.
• All my best ideas, reminders, and plans occur to me when I'm in the shower, making the bed, or stirring a pot of boiling water.  I write them down on the white board the first chance I get.  Then I put them out of my mind.  I hate a brain full of things swimming around taunting me, "You're going to forget me...you're going to forget me."
• If I am forced to make a phone call...I put away the dishes, fold laundry, or stir a pot of boiling water while talking.
• The point is...if you keep moving...you will keep accomplishing things.  Remember Dorie in the hit Pixar movie, Finding Nemo?  "Just keep swimming, swimming swimming..."  Little by little...you'll get there!

"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much can be done if we are always doing."    ~Thomas Jefferson

6. Recruit and Delegate

Hey, if you've got kids,  you've got a team!  Get them excited about being part of the family "game plan".  They should have their own routine that includes cleaning, picking up, laundry, and organizing...every single day.  As they get older, they will be greater assets...and accustomed to these things as being a normal part of "life".

Our kids have daily duties, weekly duties, and monthly duties.  Because we have so many of them at all different stages, I basically don't do any house cleaning anymore.  This has freed me up to focus on other projects, thereby accomplishing even more! Start when they are little, and not only will you reap some wonderful benefits, but they will be ready for life on their own as disciplined, productive individuals.

7. Trouble-Shooting the "Bad Days"

There are seasons of life in which your "productivity" level will be sovereignly limited.  I've spent almost 2 years of my life on bedrest.  While I did not accomplish much by human standards, God used that time to teach me the value of contentment, quietness, and satisfaction in Him alone.

When you are pregnant or post-partum, you will not be able to achieve the same level of productivity.  Rather than bemoaning your very normal fate, why not embrace it as God's perfect plan for your life right now?  Surrender and be at peace.  It's so much more pleasant that wallowing in despair.  Don't use it as an excuse to watch more television.  Use that time to sleep more, read more, sit with your children more, dream for the future more.  It's a wonderful place to be!  It all depends on your choice of perspective.

When illness or tragedy strikes your family, that's a time for hunkering down and doing the minimum.  Healing needs to take place, and that takes time and emotional and spiritual energy that can be very draining.  Whenever I am in a difficult place emotionally, and motivation to fulfill just the basic duties of life eludes me, I remember Elisabeth Elliot's wise advice: "Just do the next thing."

By God's grace and in His strength, I can do that.

What strategies help you to have more efficient and productive days?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Cook More Real Food: Make a Meal Plan
• Seven Strategies for Home Schooling Moms
• How To Quickly Get Your Home Ready For Guests
• More healthy and frugal meal planning…

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We're on week 6 of the meal planning challenge (well, 7 for some of us). So many of you have participated so faithfully and consistently, and I have loved doing this alongside of you! It has challenged and spurred me on to get back on track with my planning.

This may be the last week of the challenge, but I truly hope and pray that it has become a habitual effort. That's the whole point. As we keep doing this, week after week, and reap the benefits (saved time, money, sanity, better meals), we become more motivated to keep up with what we're doing.

How This Meal Planning Challenge Has Helped Me Personally

I thought that I would share some of the benenfits I've noticed and the things that I have learned or been reminded as I've gotten back on track with my meal planning this past month and a half:

1. I have stayed on target with my grocery budget. Just as I have experienced in the past, this careful planning enables me to watch what I buy (and what I spend), reduce our food waste, and prepare meals that are more frugal. Sticking to my frugal budget feels really good.

2. I was reminded that I have to look at my menu plan frequently if I want it to actually happen. I can't just make the plan and then glance at it briefly at 4:30pm. Keeping it on my fridge, taking a look at it in the morning or early afernoon, and then again the evening before bed, helps me to make sure that I do the things that make my healthy meals come together as planned.

3. It doesn't have to be fancy to be effective. Even this week, upon coming home from being out of town for a week and not even knowing exactly what was in the fridge/pantry already, a simple, bare bones meal plan has allowed me to prepare meals and grocery shop with little extra stress. Which in turn frees me to tackle the suitcases, and the mounds of laundry, and the overflowing email inbox and the dirty tooilets.

4. Planning doesn't have to take a lot of time. Sometimes I make meal planning more complicated than it needs ot be, and I will spend a couple of hours, pouring over cookbbooks, looking at new recipes online, trying to make the "perfect" meal plan.

Then there are other weeks, like this one, where I mixed and matched and grabbed meals from 3 wweeks worth of previous plans. It wasn't fancy or gourmet, but they were meals I knoow how to make, and know that my family enjoys, and guess what? Meals have happened smoothly and we are satisfied and nourished. And it was easy.

5. The more I do it, the easier it becomes. When I start to incorporate meal planning as a regular hour during my weekends (or on Friday afternoon or Monday morning, or whenever you like to do your planning), it doesn't feel daunting or difficult. It just happens and becomes another part of my weekly routine.

Our Menu Plan This Week:

Monday

• Breakfast: Soaked oatmeal with raw milk and honey (I'll do mine with some fruit and cinnamon since I can't have honey right now)
• Dinner: Baked beans, dijon scalloped potatoes, carrots
• Prep: Freeze extra beans

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Egg & Sausage "muffins" (grain free- made with coconut flour)
• Dinner: Fish cakes (made with salmon), homemade french fries (sweet potato and regular- we love both), and steamed broccoli/cauliflower
• Prep: Thaw beef broth and stewing beef

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Fruit smoothie and toast
• Dinner: Beef stewPrep: Thaw ground beef

Thursday

• Breakfast: Baked oatmeal
• Dinner: Pasta with tomato sauce (use 1/2 ground beef, save 1/2 for tomorrow)

Friday

• Breakfast: Eggs and toast.
• Dinner: Taco salad (made with 1/2 ground beef from Thursday, added to beans from Monday)

Saturday

• Breakfast: Breakfast sandwiches
• Dinner: Chicken meatloaf, brown rice, baked squashPrep: Thaw chicken broth

Sunday

• Breakfast: Homemade granola with yogurt and fruit
• Dinner: Chicken noodle soup

Your turn to share this week's meal plan...

I know I'm not the only one who has made observations about myself or about how meal planning benefits our family over the course of this challenge.

Maybe you have learned tips or tricks that work well for you, or simply become more committed to keeping this practice a habit in your life. Maybe you really struggled through these weeks, hoping it would get easier, but you still have kinks that need to be worked out and you have more questions than answers.

Whatever you have to share, we'd love to hear it! Seriously, I want to hear your own words of wisdom and helpful suggestions and thoughtful contributions to this conversation!

So let's talk... what did you learn? What makes meal planning work for you? What benefits have you seen? What struggles or challenges still exist?

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Snow is lovely. Except when it delays my flight home from Pennsylvania by 24 hours, keeping me from my family.

These things just happen, though, and so here I sit in the Harrisburg Sheraton hotel, attempting to come up with a suitable meal plan filled with simple meals for a week of transitioning back to regular life and coming home to an empty fridge!

Unexpected circumstances and hectic times don't have to mean that we can't still meal plan effectively. By definition, the whole purpose of meal planning is that it is intended to simplify and streamline our meal preparation and shopping processes, not just give us another thing to do.

There are many things you can do to ensure that you can come up with a plan that suits your needs in busy seasons, not to mention one that comes together quickly and hassle-free.

Simplifying Menu Planning for Busy Times

Plan to repeat.

You've already made previous menu plans and put a good deal of time and thought into their preparation. Assuming that you keep them (and I do recommend that you keep at least some of your meal plans), reusing them at a later time is both practical and efficient. When you're particularly low on time one week, just choose a previous plan that looks good and make a quick grocery list based on it.

I don't love doing this on a really regular basis, as my family prefers a lot of variety and so do I. That said, there are definitely times when this simple tactic is absolutely worth using. Like this week. My meal plan below is a combination of a couple of previous weeks during this meal plan challenge.

Monthly plan (based on 2-week rotations)

Ever the practical one, my friend Tsh over at Simple Mom likes to plan out two weeks at a time. She plugs the meals into her Google calendar and then sets them all up to repeat two weeks later. Voila. One planning session and she has a month of menus at her fingertips.

Seasonal meal plans.

I love this idea of seasonal meal planning from Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking and have used it at various times. It requires a chunk of time upfront, but once the seasonal plan is done, each weekly plan requires very little extra planning.

If you know you're about to move into a more chaotic season of life, this would be worth considering as an investment of time that will pay off with dividends of weeks or months of easy planning.

Image by stevendepolo

Easy does it.

It is far better to have a meal plan that consists of sandwiches, scrambled eggs with smoothies, and tomato soup for your dinners, than it is to plan nothing at all.

Let someone else plan for you.

There are a lot of great meal planning services out there. Here are a few that I know of:

• GNOWFGLINS Real Food Menus- This doesn't give you an entire week's meal plans, but it does give you some wonderful recipes and prep tips, which you could fill in with other simple meals you know your family enjoys.
• Grain Free Meal Plans (GAPS and SCD compliant)- These are complete weekly menus, with breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.
• Two weeks of meal plans from 100 Days of Real Food
• Meal plans from The Fresh 20- I haven't actually seen these meal plan, but they sound like they are made with unprocessed, real food ingredients, and there is also a gluten free option.

You may prefer to do most of your planning yourself, but options like these can be helpful when you're in need of just one more aspect of life to simplify and streamline.

Our Menu Plan This Week

Monday

I will be travelling all day. I hope my family can find something good to eat while mama is stuck being gone one more day!

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Soaked oatmeal with raw milk and honey (I'll do mine with some fruit and cinnamon since I can't have honey right now)
• Dinner: Baked potato bar (with various veggies, cheese, sour cream, etc.) and turkey sausages
• Prep: Thaw beef broth.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Eggs and toast
• Dinner: Garden Chowder with bread

Thursday

• Breakfast: French toast and fruit sauce
• Dinner: Soft tacos with meat and beans, lettuce, cheese, salsa, etc.
• Prep: Start baked oatmeal to soak.

Friday

• Breakfast: Toast and fruit smoothies
• Dinner: Shepherd's Pie

Saturday

• Breakfast: Eggs, fried potatoes, sausage (I'm cooking extra for Sunday)
• Dinner: Pasta with homemade tomato sauce and sausage

Sunday

• Breakfast: Breakfast wraps using leftover eggs, potatoes, sausages
• Dinner: Chicken pot pie with this millet topping

Now it's your turn to share your menu... and tell us how you simplify menu planning for those busier times!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Plan It- Don’t Panic: Week 1 of the Meal Planning Challenge
• You Asked For It: Plan It- Don’t Panic! {A 6-Week Meal Planning Challenge}
• Plan It- Don’t Panic: The Official Start of the Meal Planning Challenge
• Plan It- Don’t Panic Meal Planning Challenge Week 5 (And 7 Ways to Use Those Leftovers)

Ask Keeper of the Home To Recommend Your Posts

Our Sponsor:

• Plan to Eat: Simple meal planning. Your recipes. Monthly planner. Grocery lists.