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:

• Plan It- Don’t Panic: Week 1 of the Meal Planning Challenge
• Plan It, Don’t Panic: A Complete Meal Planning Resource
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• You Asked For It: Plan It- Don’t Panic! {A 6-Week Meal Planning Challenge}

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As I shared last week, I think that working-at-home is an amazing and viable opportunity for many women who wish to (or need to) work but still want to remain at home with their children.

Today, I want to get really practical and start sharing some of the things you can do to really make it work for you. There's no denying that it is a challenge to manage the tasks of maintaining a home and a business, while still having time to care for and love on (and even homeschool) your kids.

Goodness knows, I don't have all the answers, nor do I implement all of these suggestions perfectly. These ideas are the result of 4 1/2 years of trial and error, glaring mistakes, reading good books, and learning from others. Most of them aren't revolutionary. They just work. I need to be reminded of them as much as I want to share them with you.

Getting the Help That You Need

I resisted this for the longest time, for two reasons.

First, we often feel that it is a sign of weakness or that it is unacceptable to get help. Admit it. We want to feel like we can handle everything ourselves.

Problem is, we can't. We need to stop trying to be superwoman, change our attitudes about this and be willing to get the help that we need in order to carry on in a balanced and healthy way.

The second is that I mistakenly believed that I had more time than I had money, and therefore should do everything myself. This is a flawed idea.

If it takes me 6 hours and much frustration to do a design project that is mediocre and may result in less sales or a less professional image, but it takes a professional designer 2 hours to create something stunning and highly effective, that money is well spent. I can focus my time on the things that I excel at, the things that build up my business and ultimately make more money, and her superior design may result in more book sales, more clickthroughs, more pageviews on my website, etc. which in turn might generate income that easily makes up for the expense of the designer.

Making these decisions to hire help becomes easier when you calculate your hourly wage. I know, nobody is keeping tabs of your hours and handing you a neat and tidy paycheck in a home business situation. So, you'll need to calculate it yourself. Figure out the average number of hours that you work per week or per month, calculate the average amount that you earn in the same period of time (your profits, after your expenses), then divide the earnings by the number of hours worked. Voila. You have your "hourly wage".

This calculation was instrumental for me in making the decision to hire my first assistant. If I could earn "X" number of dollars per hour, but could hire someone to take some of the workload off of me for less than what I was earning, didn't it make sense to allow them to do those things, freeing me to do more of the things that grow my business? In both of our (very different) home businesses, my husband and I have found this to be true over and over again.

Does it feel like a risk? Yes. Have we ever felt that we truly didn't have the money? Yup. And I would never, ever suggest that you put yourself into any amount of debt to make such decisions. But, if you can do it without going into the red, and you can see that it could be financially worthwhile when you really analyze it, don't be afraid to hire the help that you need. 

(There are also plenty of ways to make this more affordable- barter or trade services, try hiring virtual help from someone in a developing country for less than you would pay here- more on this in the comments section, find someone who is just starting up their business and charging less in exchange for a testimonial or review, hire a skilled high schooler, etc. but this could be a whole other post in and of itself!)

What Do I Hire Out?

I have an assistant, Lindsey, who works about 5 hours per week and helps me with things like moderating comments, emails, research, book promotion, giveaways, and running my private advertising program. I hire out practically all of my design work, as well as my technical behind-the-scenes website issues and upgrades, to a husband and wife team. I'm completing my 3rd eBook with the help of an eBook designer who is also taking care of all formatting and file conversions, plus I hired a wonderful editor rather than attempting to edit the book myself.

I have a mother's helper who comes once a week for an afternoon. She cares for my children and performs one housekeeping task for me each week, like vacuuming or mopping. As I write this post, I have suddenly found my schedule piled up with some unexpected work for the music school we own, in addition to the blog's deadlines and projects, and so this afternoon I will be making some calls for a house cleaner to come for the next few weeks. I don't usually hire someone to clean, but I have no qualms about doing it when needed, either.

Keeping Your Family a Priority

If there's one thing I have learned, keeping my husband and children a priority is absolutely crucial as a work-at-home mom. There have been seasons where my work kept me too busy and distracted, with little leftover to offer my family relationally and I don't want to every do that again.

These are some of the ways that I intentionally keep my family a priority:

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

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As someone who has a firm conviction that being home with my children and keeping my home is the best thing that I could possibly do in this season of life, I never really considered any sort of career or business work once that first sweet baby arrived.

Becoming a work-at-home mom was not part of my original plan. I love the idea of focusing only on my home, my children and my husband and not balancing hours of other work on top of it all. That's what I always thought that I would do.

When blogging and writing turned from hobby to a small income-earning opportunity to a full-fledged business and career pursuit, it surprised me, at times overwhelmed me, but ultimately thrilled me and became something wonderful that I didn't know I wanted (but am so glad that I have).

In the midst of talking about frugality and money-management this month, it seemed only right to also share about generating an income from home, since I know that this is a desire for so many other moms and homemakers.

Is It Worth It?

Personally, I am so grateful that God had bigger ideas than I did when this little blog began so many years ago. He knew the challenges our family would face and the risks we would decide to take as we pursued our dreams. He gave me an opportunity to challenge myself and serve our family in a way I never anticipated. To be able to do something I love from home, while staying focused on caring for and homeschooling my children and keeping my home, is an amazing thing.

I can choose my own hours, take time off when needed, and have complete creative freedom and control as an entrepreneur. I adore what I do and it would be hard to give it up.

There have been hard times as well. For all those business-owners out there reading this, you know well how easy it can be to push yourself too hard, to let the lines between personal and work time blur too much, to allow priorities to become out of order, and for relationships and health to suffer. I've been there. It was a dark time in my life.

I don't regret the work that I've done or that my children know that their mama runs a business as well as a home, but I have at times regretted how I have done things and I have had to make a lot of changes over the past year to work less and work smarter.

Image by Marina Pics

How Do I "Do It All"?

The short answer is, I don't.

What many people don't realize is that those of us who have chosen to work from home (while being committed to caring for our home and children full-time) is that there are many sacrifices along the way.

• "Free" time (Hobbies? What are those?)
• Having an especially clean or well-decorated home
• A lot of social outings and opportunities (nights spent home in front of the computer, missed playdates or times with friends, etc.)
• Making as many things as I want to from scratch. I buy most (though not all) of my natural skincare products, non-toxic cleaners, Christmas gifts, and some foods, like lacto-fermented sauerkraut, yogurt or sprouted grain breads. I love making what I can, but there's only so much time in the day.
• Internet browsing or social media (I don't do Facebook or Twitter other than minimally for business purposes and I hardly ever have the time for pleasure reading blogs or articles these days)

Things I have sacrificed at times, but have learned the hard way that I shouldn't:

• Quiet times with the Lord. When we think we don't have enough time, that's when we need to make time.
• Exercise. I can't tell you how much better and more energetic this makes me feel.
• Sleep.
• Time with my kids. I'll talk more in the next post about how I have moved towards hardly ever being on my computer when I'm around my kids.
• Time with my husband (another one that is never worth it)

Image by vxla

Time Management Tips for Balancing Home, Family and Business

After doing this for over four years, one of the best pieces of advice that I can give is to keep things separate. By working hard to keep my computer time contained within certain hours and days, and keeping the laptop shut the rest of the time, I have so much more peace and productivity than I did when I was less strict about when I tackled work tasks.

Here's what my work week looks like:

Tuesday 12:30-3:30pm (at coffee shop, while our regular mother's helper comes over to be with the children)

Thursday 7:30-10:00pm (work in my living room, after putting children to bed, while my husband works late)

Friday 9:00am-5:00pm (at coffee shop, while my husband is with the children and does homeschooling-- however, this is just a temporary thing while I finish up a few projects and soon I will only be working 3-4 hours on Fridays)

*I know that many couples aren't able to work out an arrangement like we have for Fridays. This is a new thing for us only in the past 6 weeks or so, as my husband's work schedule was previously much too busy. In the past, I would work one or two extra evenings instead, or try to squeeze some extra work time out of a nap/quiet time. I also chose not to take on any large projects for the past year, because I knew I simply couldn't do them and still keep up with everything else.

Aside from those specific work times, I also:

• Open my laptop once, very briefly, in the mornings to check in with my HelloMornings Facebook group and to put up the newest post on the Keeper of the Home Facebook page. Then I close it as quickly as I can, before I get myself into trouble. :)
• Occasionally go on for 30-60 minutes in the afternoon while kids are occupied/having quiet times or maybe for an hour in the evenings, but only if I really need to.

I try not to touch my computer on the weekends to the best of my ability. I break this rule sometimes if there is a time-sensitive project I have going on (like a book launch, or a website re-design or technical problem), or if I've gotten behind due to unexpected circumstances like illness.

I know this may not be the right strategy for everyone. I have a blogging friend that likes being able to attend to things like her emails, while sitting at the table beside her daughter and being available to stop and offer homeschool help and guidance as needed. It really works for her and that's awesome.

Personally, I get distracted and find that I am not able to be effective in either homeschooling or work tasks when I try to do the same. Knowing yourself and being honest about what is and isn't working is crucial. 

Making Work at Home Work for You

I'm pretty sure there is no magical way to make this juggling act easy, but there are definitely ways to make it easier .

In my next post, I'll discuss things like getting the help that you need, making your work time more productive, creative scheduling, keeping your family a priority, and letting go of things that just aren't necessary (any guesses as to what I think those are?). Sound like fun? Make sure to check in for Part 2 next week!

Do you work from home? How do you keep life balanced and has it been worthwhile for you so far? What questions on the topic would you love to have answered?

Top image by Machine is Organic

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Managing Life as a Work-at-Home Mom: How to Juggle It All, Part 1
• Frugality as a Means of Giving (and Meet Keeper of the Home’s New Sponsor Child!)
• Living Simply Saturday: “A Mother’s Work is Never Done”
• A Gardener’s Look at Life

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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

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Taking a Personal Retreat
• Goals for the New Year
• Someone’s getting a new apron in the mail!
• 2 Year Blogiversary Celebration: What’s New and a Giveaway!

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What's on your walls? Is it meaningful? Is it beautiful?

Earlier this week I talked about how less can be so much more, and why simplicity might be best when it comes to what we have in our homes.

This area, however, is one is which I think that perfectly placed pieces amidst the simplicity are all the more effective in bringing beauty to our homes and speaking peace and hope and truth to our hearts... 

These stunning art prints are the creative work of Emily from Hope Ink Art. She designs scripture art and other personalized designs, intended to convey the timeless truth of the Word of God and to inspire hope in our homes.

Emily is a stay at home mom, homeschooling her 4 kiddos, and she loves creating scripture art to help support their family's non-profit counseling ministry.

{isn't this perfect for a men's gift? Emily originally created it as a Soldier's Prayer Psalm 91}

We have several pieces of her art in our home, and I treasure them because they are another way to (as my dear friend Sondra always says) to

"put something where your eye can see it, so that it will remind your heart"

That's what's I'm trying to do as I slowly build up our repertoire of beautiful wall art- to find a combination of things that please the eye and speak truth to the heart.

This one is a close-up of a couples print based on 1 Corinthians 13. My husband and I have a personalized mounted print in deep red (you can see it in this older post- note that the giveaway in that post has long ended- you have to enter on this post!).

The mounted prints are have a gorgeous, professional-quality finish to them, and similar to a painter's canvas, they are lightweight and about an inch thick, easy to hang on the wall.

The art prints are printed by a professional photo lab on premium, archival quality paper, intended to last forever.

These examples are just a small selection of the lovely work that Emily carries in her shop.

Any print or mounted print can be customized. You can choose the colors and customize names or wording (depending on which piece it is) to make it just right for yourself or to give as a gift. We have given several prints as wedding gifts and they have been very well received. If you have a specific idea, just ask Emily and see if she can do it.

Would you like to be entered to win Family Rules Scripture Art Print ($65 value, winner chooses color)?

Here's what you need to do to be entered: 

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

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I have to confess something... I will not be celebrating Thanksgiving this week. That's because as a Canadian, that day came and went back in October! But I know that for most of you, Thanksgiving is your focus this week and so I wanted to share some ideas and inspiration with you.

I had far too much fun putting together this selection of tasty-looking real food holiday recipes, frugal and nature-inspired decor ideas, and gratitude printables and activities for you.

This is only a small portion of all that I found, and if you'd like, you can peruse my entire Thanksgiving folder on Pinterest.

Healthy, Whole Food Thanksgiving Recipes

Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage (just use whole grain bread and butter your pan instead of using spray)

Green-Cabbage and Red-Apple Slaw with Brussel Sprouts

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce (from the Pioneer Woman- everything she makes is amazing)

What a unique and tasty looking salad! Love the apple presentation! Apples, avocado, blue cheese (an accidental theme), and pomegranates (a delicious and healthy, but also accidental theme).

Herb Stuffing- a simple but tasty looking variation.

Cajun Corn Maque Choux- this creative and distinct salad sounds delicious and looks so colorful!

Beautiful, Frugal, Nature-Inspired Holiday Decor

Spending money on fancy decor items just isn't necessary. When you work with elements from outdoors, the garden or market, or even your own pantry, together with items you may already have and some creativity, the possibilities are endless.

Source: budgetwisehome.com via Anna on Pinterest

Love this!

Source: familycircle.com via Jessica on Pinterest

These would be perfect on a mantle, or used as a place setting decoration.

Source: bhg.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I'm all about using food in decor.

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

 

Indian corn is already gorgeous, but in a hurricane vase it's even more stunning.

Source: simplyvintagegirl.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

 

Take twigs from the backyard and then embellish with thankful thoughts from yourself and the rest of the family.

Source: bhg.com via Katie on Pinterest

 

That has to be one of the most creative uses of food in decorating that I have ever seen!

Source: blog.addicted2decorating.com via Serina on Pinterest

 

So easy, but beautiful, warm, fall colors. This is the type of thing that I could definitely see myself doing.

Source: marthastewart.com via Jacquie on Pinterest

 

Just lovely. Get the kids to gather sticks and put this together easily.

Printables to Bring Out That Gratitude

Source: adventuresofabettycrockerwannabe.blogspot.com via Gail on Pinterest

 

I love printables like this, because I'm not much of a decorator. But, put this in a yard sale or thrift store frame, with some candles or mini pumpkins (or gourds) and you've got a really cute look.

Source: jonesdesigncompany.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

 

Click through to the original site to see some different ideas for using these Thankful cards.

Source: carinagardner.com via Carina on Pinterest

 

What a fun project to do with kids!

Source: cheepideas.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

 

The ultimate reason for our thanks.

Source: silverboxcreative.com via whitneyarcher on Pinterest

 

Just beautiful.

Source: paperglitter.blogspot.com via Andrea on Pinterest

 

Perfect for young kids to express their thankfulness. Fun homeschool activity!

Source: google.com via Angie on Pinterest

 

With grateful hearts. Enough said.

What other simple and frugal Thanksgiving inspiration have you found? What will you be doing as you celebrate Thanksgiving this year?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

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• Time for a little modesty
• At Simple Organic: A Natural Approach to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

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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

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• How I “Do It All”
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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?

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As 2011 comes to an end, we’re sharing helpful lists to help you save money, stay healthy, get organized, creatively repurpose, frugally gift-give, intentionally celebrate and more in our “11 Things for 2011” series throughout these holiday months.

Written by Beth Corcoran, Contributing Writer

About a year ago, I was exhausted by the amount of work I had to do to keep everything running smoothly with my ever growing family. (We’re at six kids now!)  And I was feeling burdened that my kids needed to learn to help out more around the house—more than just brushing their teeth and making their beds.  I set out to find ways to teach my children to be diligent workers and to have effective strategies to manage chores in my home.

So, this year has been a journey into teaching our children to help out in bigger or more meaningful ways around the house.  Of course, I’m nowhere near done teaching them everything they need to know about housework and habits, but we have come a long way in just one year.  And because my kids are taking care of more of the housework, I can focus more attention on other important duties such as homeschooling.

And I would like to share some of what I have learned as I seek to teach my kids to be diligent in their work.  As a disclaimer, I’d like to add that I am definitely preaching to myself as I list all these ways to help children become diligent workers!

1. Pray!

This is always the wisest starting point in whatever we do.  Starting any new journey or routine is best done by acknowledging that we don’t know what to do.  God grants wisdom to those who ask.

Lately, I’ve been seeing God’s faithfulness to answer my prayers for wisdom.  We’ve had some trouble with certain aspects of habit training with some of my kids, and God has been very faithful to provide us with creative solutions each step of the way.

2. Model What You Teach

This is something that Lord has been showing me lately.  Kids really need to see diligent, cheerful work modeled to them. If mom is grumpy while working, or waiting to get all her chores done after the kids' bedtime (guilty!), then the kids never get to see godly work in action.  All they see is mom grumbling and complaining or procrastinating.

Try to do as many chores as possible in front of your children, and be very aware of your attitude as you do them. If you are being merry as you work, your children will see that and most likely do the same!

3. Read Proverbs

Our family has found that reading passages about work has been an invaluable tool.  Each day, our family reads through a chapter of Proverbs and discusses it.  There are so many great passages about what God expects as we work.

By reading Proverbs to the kids, they have started to understand the difference between being a diligent worker and a sluggard, and why it is far better to be a hard worker.  These passages have given the kids a Biblical vocabulary concerning work.

4. Have a System

As a family, figure out what chores need to be done and who is going to do them. There are many different ways of helping children figure out what chores need to be done.  There are chore charts, sticker charts and things of that nature.  I’ve even seen ping pong balls with chores written on them and each child grabs a ball and does that chore.  There are definitely some creative ideas out there!

Our family has found great benefit from using the chore pack system found in the Managers of their Chores book by Steve and Teri Maxwell.  (I believe this is what Stephanie uses with her children as well.)  We don’t follow the program exactly, but we do follow the basic concept and it has helped our children to understand what chores are expected of them.  It also provides a great deal of accountability for the children to actually complete what they need to get done.

Whatever you choose, stick with your system for a while before tweaking it. Children thrive by routine, so don’t change things unless it just really isn’t working for your family.

5. Use Rewards and Consequences

As you teach your child how to work, it’s important to have predictable rewards and consequences.  Our heart for our children is to teach them not just to do a job, but to do it for the glory of the Lord. To that end, my husband and I try to give rewards when we see our kids working thoroughly, diligently and with a cheerful attitude.

When I praise my children for working hard, I try not to merely praise them for a job completed.  I try to praise them for their godly attitude or endurance.  My kids also know that with more work comes more privileges. My 9 year old daughter has become quite responsible around the house and therefore enjoys a bedtime a full hour later than the rest of the children.

Grumbling and complaining, fit throwing (we see a great deal of fits at my house), incomplete jobs, and flat out disobedience are given consequences.  If the kids do not do a complete job, then they are given an extra job to complete off of a list of chores that are reserved especially for consequences.

Image credit: jbrownell

6. Give Them the Tools They Need

It’s really hard to expect a little child with little hands to navigate the floors with a large broom.  And it would be quite unsafe to give a bottle of bathroom cleaner to a young child and tell them to spray away.

Even very young children are capable of quite a lot if they are given the right cleaning tools. I’ve even noticed that when my kids have the proper tools, the work is much more enjoyable.

A good example of what I mean is sweeping the floor.  We have a lot of tile in our house, so all my kids, at some point in the day, have to sweep a floor somewhere in my house.  My oldest two are able to use a full size broom well, but the rest are too small.  So we have a stockpile of small hand brooms and dust pans for the littles to use.  This enables them to help just like the big kids.  They even enjoy sweeping up piles that the older ones make.

7. Make It Fun!

Work is not always fun, but it doesn’t always have to be miserable either. We don’t want to teach our children that work has to be fun all the time, but sometimes it brings great joy to make chore time into a game or a play time.

Have some fun, make it a race against the clock, listen to some silly music while working or something along those lines.  It will keep the joy in working.

8. Inspect What You Expect

I don’t even remember where I first heard the phrase “Inspect what you expect.”  Those are wise words.  Children quickly learn what you do and do not inspect.

And due to their sin natures, they will exploit where you do not inspect.  Therefore, it is so important to regularly inspect their work in order to keep a high standard.

9. Practice, Practice, Practice

This is something I struggle with greatly!  In my mind, it seems perfectly reasonable that I should be able to show my children how to do something a couple of times and then they can do it without error.  Afterall, most adults can do it this way.

This is not so with children.  Children need lots of practice to learn a skill. My son Joshua has been practicing wiping down the kitchen table properly for months now, and he is just now starting to do a really good job.

If you see that your child is struggling with a certain skill, try to find ways throughout the day to develop the skill. For instance, if your child struggles with wiping down the counters, you might have them practice at each meal and also practice wiping down the bathroom counters.

10. Use Resources

There are many high quality resources for families out there!  If you find yourself getting stuck and are looking for creative ideas for your children, here are some great resources that our family uses.  I hope they bless you as much as they have blessed us!

Managers of their Chores—This is the book that highlights how to use chore packs to help your children with chores.  The Maxwell family at Titus2 Ministries has many other useful resources as well.

Doorposts Charts—Our family uses several of the charts from this ministry.  The “Go to the Ant” chart teaches children about working diligently.  We also use the “Blessings Chart” and the “If/Then Chart”  to give our kids predictable rewards and consequences.  We really like these because they focus on attitudes of the heart rather than just pure behavior modification.  These are the rewards and consequence charts that I talked about earlier in this post.

Large Family Logistics—I feel like I’m constantly promoting this book to my friends.  It has some great ideas for family management—no matter the size of your family.  It’s like sitting down with an experienced mother and homemaker and picking her brain for fresh ideas.

11. Focus on the Heart

I’ve talked about this several times now, but I want to end with this because it is so important.  In our kids’ chore and habit training, it is so important to focus on the heart above all else.

So many chore systems are simple behavior modification, but as Christians we should be teaching our children to do everything as an act of worship to the Lord.

Sometimes by focusing on the heart rather just on whether or not a chore was done exactly right slows things down.  But it is worth the time because in the end, our children will not just have learned responsibility, but they will also have learned godliness.

What has helped you to teach your children to work diligently?

Top photo credit: gorickjones

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