62 Day Bible and Cleaning Challenge

Join me HERE for the 62 day challenge. 

Are You Mary or Martha?

*The following post contains affiliate links.

Having a Martha Home the Mary Way: 

31 Days to a Clean House and a Satisfied Soul. 

Luke 10:38-42 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with ^[a]all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I have always loved the story of Mary and Martha. There is almost a bit of comedy in Martha tattling on Mary to Jesus, “No fair! I am working and she is doing nothing!!!” And I will admit that I used to be very much like Martha. I would put aside prayer and Bible study because I needed a clean house in order for my brain to rest and for me to function. But what if I could be like both sisters? Maintain a clean orderly home and be able to spend time with God?

This book helps me do both.

The author makes the point that the ultimate goal is not for you to be a perfect homemaker, but to have an inviting home filled with love. And she does it in a very gentle way.

The book contains daily challenges. One challenge is called a “Mary challenge” which is a Bible challenge for the day.

Then there are Martha challenges. An example of these challenges would be to clean and organize your bookshelves. Some of the challenges tell you how you can get your children involved, and some even tell you to go eat a cookie! J

These are all very doable things—things that you can do even if you have small children, homeschool your children, and/or work.

I am going to be doing the challenge along with my friends starting on April 4^th. We are going to make it a 62 Day Challenge so that we have extra time.

This book will be a great way to help motivate you to get things done that you have been meaning to do. Watch my blog and Facebook page for more information on The Mary/Martha Challenge.

While it is not essential to get the book in order to join the challenge, I recommend that you do because it is a great book that will encourage you!!!

Find the books in these locations:

Sarahmae

Amazon

Christianbook.com

Blessings in Unexpected Places.

 Sometimes we can find blessings in places were we least expect it. This is one of my favorite posts about one of those times. 
The Blessing of Being Without a Dryer.

How to Have a Productive Day

I originally  published this in January, but it is so helpful for me I wanted to share again.

Routines are very important. Even if you do nothing else all day, routines help you feel grounded and accomplished. 

·         Why I needed a daily routine:

1)      I wanted to start and end my day with a plan already in place.

2)      It freed my mind to focus on other things.

·        What daily routines I have:

1)      Morning Routine

2)      Afternoon Routine

3)      Night Routine

4)      Homeschool Routine

5)      Children’s Routine

(The boys’ routine is posted in the hall. It helps them to be able to do things on their own and to keep focused. )

·        How I decided what to include in my daily routine:

1)      I made a list of what I thought would be great to accomplish every day.

My list includes things such as:

Bible Study

Prayer

Exercise

Laundry

Family Time

Reading a book

2)      Then I decided when it would be the easiest to accomplish each thing.  For instance, I knew I wanted to pray every morning and read a Psalm or Proverb so I assigned that to my   morning routine.                           

3)      Then I figured out how long it would take for me to accomplish my goals that I had set and adjusted my bedtime and wake up time accordingly.

·        How my days have changed:

1.      I am more intentional with my day.

2.      I get more accomplished.

3.      I have more energy.

4.      I have more patience.

5.      Our home is more peaceful.

6.      Our home has more consistency.

7.      Our home is more organized.

Extra Tips:

·        It is good to add fun and/or relaxing things to your routines.  For instance, I found that stretching a few minutes when I wake up and before going to sleep really makes me feel good.  So I added that to my routine. I also have lots of books that I want to read, so I added a few minutes of reading time each day. 

·        Make sure to write your routines and keep them in a place that you will see them. This will get you in the habit of doing it every day.

·        Try to schedule the same routine around the same time each day. This will help with consistency.

·        If you have a baby or toddler, you can still have a routine.  You just might have to be more flexible with it. I always felt better having a plan in place when I had little ones, even if I could not follow my plan exactly. You can add activities such as :

1.      Reading a book to your child

2.      Playing together with toys

3.      Free play

4.      Mommy/baby exercises

5.      Craft/or bake with your child

I am glad I decided to add daily routines in my day. Even when I do not get around to my to-do list for the day, I know I have accomplished a lot just by completing my daily routines. Also, with routines you are also living each day to its fullest potential!

What are some activities you will add to your routine?

Put Some Spring in Your Cleaning Step!

It has been a really cold, dark, and dreary winter! Even though it is springtime, the cold weather is probably not finished with most of us.
I am guest posting at the Multi Taskin' Mom today!

Click here to find out how I make cleaning more fun on these dreary days!

Kids Using Chore Money to Serve Others

                                   

                                   
                                         Using Chore Money to Serve Others

One Sunday a missionary visited our church to speak about the work he was doing in another country. At the end of his lesson, my children looked at me and said, "Mom, would you give us some money to give the missionary?"

On another Sunday, an announcement was made that a children's home needed food and household supplies. My children looked at me and said, "Mom, can you give us some money so we can buy something at the store to help?"

Their questions got me thinking. What are some ways that they could earn their own money to help others?

I decided to print chore cards.

 

I cut the cards out and separated them between their normal daily chores and extra chores they could do to earn donation money. I covered the cards with contact paper, punched a hole in them, and put them on a ring. I printed the tickets that can be found on the page linked above. Then I bought colored pocket pouches. The left pouch contains all of their tickets.

 

Every time they complete an extra chore they move a ticket from the left pouch to the right pouch. At the end of the week they get 10 cents for every ticket they have in the right pouch. 

                                

          They put their money in special jars that they decorated for the donation money.

Every week when they get the church bulletin, they see if there is a need at church or in the community. They write down what they would like to buy or give for that need .

Sometimes they put their money together and sometimes they donate to different things individually.

 The amount of money they get is not a lot; but, it is enough for them to know they are working for their own money in order to help others.

*They were getting $1 a week prior to this. But they had already designated that money to church contribution, savings, a charity, and spending money. Their $1 a week is now used to teach about money management.

The Blessing Of Being Without A Dryer.

In the spirit of our family motto, “Don’t look at what you are missing. Look at what you are seeing.” I want to reflect on the few weeks we were without a dryer and what a blessing that was to me. 

It was the week we were gearing up to learn how the pioneers washed and dried their clothes.

I had already bought the clothes line that we would hang our clothes on as they dried. 

I had already picked out two tall trees that were the perfect distance apart so that we could get a big load of clothes on it.

I had also just bought two new packages of clothes pins. 

And then it happened…

I was right in the middle of drying a load of clothes when the dryer died.

Nothing could be done to fix it. At least it had good timing.

That was the day that started a really neat blessing. 

Our days actually slowed down. Instead of being able to do 4 to 5 loads of laundry a day, I could only do one. We could not rush around gathering the clothes and folding them as fast as we could between school lessons. We were taking our time, putting the wet clothes in the basket , walking to the line, and hanging the clothes. We laughed and talked as we carefully placed the clothes on the line. 

The boys commented on the fresh smell of the clothes. I told them that it was because I put peppermint essential oil in my clothes detergent to give me a peppy attitude as I clean. They just laughed.  And we continued being silly and hanging our clothes.  Hanging the clothes on the line became a relaxing and fun job.

After the clothes were hung, we stayed outside and played. We did not sit and listen for the dryer to buzz as usual, but instead we enjoyed our peaceful reading of “Little House in the Big Woods”.

At night when the clothes finished drying, the boys and I would go out and gather the clothes off the line. We enjoyed smelling how fresh they smelled after being in a nice breeze all day. We enjoyed listening to the owls and watching the sun go down while we put the clothes in the basket.

I loved the peacefulness of it all. I enjoyed reflecting on our day as I smelled the clothes. I was really able to take everything in. 

Another great thing that happened was that I got back into ironing, since we did not have the convenience of throwing the clothes in the dryer to get the wrinkles out. I realized I love the slowness of ironing. It was nice to be able to do something slowly and really think about what I was doing. I could focus on the fact that I was able to do this and it was helping to take care of my family. I also had the opportunity to teach the boys how to iron their clothes. 

Was I glad when the dryer arrived? Sort of. But I loved that it felt like I had more time and that I could be more intentional with my day.

Taking Control of Your Time (Part 3)

Taking Control of Your Time (Part 3)

Now the third thing you need to do is create your daily routine. It may take a few weeks to figure out what works for you. Again, don’t stress. You have a whole year to get it figured out. J You will need to tweak it here and there, but eventually this will be a great anchor for your whole day. I know that by having this daily routine, my house will always be clean.

Your routine will help you keep your house clean with very little time or effort. You just decide when a task will be most convenient to do and in 10 minutes or less it is done! Eventually this will become a habit!

This is easy to do even if you have a baby or have a job outside your home. I am going to give you an example of my daily routine so you can get an idea of how this works.

7:00- Wake up and take dirty laundry to laundry room, sort and start a load.

8:00- After fixing my hair and brushing my teeth I wipe down the mirror and counter.

8:15- I unload dishwasher and put clothes in the dryer.

8:30- After breakfast, I clear the dishes from table, rinse then put them in the dishwasher and wipe the table. (This is a good job for kids.)

10:00- During a school break the kids and I get clothes out of dryer, fold them and put them up. * I try to only do one load a day if possible and I don’t do laundry on Mondays or weekends.

12:00- Following lunch, the kids and I clear dishes from the table, wipe table, rinse dishes and load.

4:00- 10 minute quick clean, At this time we run around the house (this makes it fun, ) to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be and we quickly vacuum with a rechargeable vacuum. (Kids beg to vacuum with this.)

6:30- We clear the dishes and wipe the table and counters. I have the kids vacuum the kitchen floor with the rechargeable vacuum and I start the dishwasher.

7:30- During little brother's bath, I wipe down the kids’ bathroom counters, floor and mirror. (Never leave little ones unattended in the bath.)

8:00-During the kids’ bedtime snack , I clean out the sink and get the coffee ready for the next morning.

The best way to set up your routine is to figure out what you want to get done in a day and place it where you can most logically get it accomplished with little effort. Even though my list may look like a lot, it is really not. You get to the point where you don’t even realize you are doing anything. Remember it is okay if something does not get done one day because you are sick or busy. Just continue the next day. Another great thing about this routine is that my children know it, so they will take it over when I need them to. Make sure that you try really hard to do each thing on your list, because they build on each other. Example: Taking a few minutes to clean the kitchen after lunch means a clean start when you make supper.

  

 Don’t forget- if you are still trying to declutter add in a few minutes a day to accomplish that.

“Ain't nobody got time for that!”

“Ain't nobody got time for that!”

 “Ain't nobody got time for that!”  This quote has been on my Facebook page more times than I can count.  Apparently, it is a video that has gone viral and now everyone is quoting it.

 But it actually got me thinking about the different activities around the house that I really don’t have time for or chores that I don’t like to do. For some of them I have created easier ways to accomplish them.

 I thought it would be fun if I listed different ones every week and gave you an opportunity to post some of yours as well. I will keep a tab at the top of my page entitled “short cuts” so that you will easily be able to 

find them.

My favorite shortcut is using denture cleaner to clean the toilets. You just put one in each toilet at night when everyone is in bed. You can do this weekly for fresh clean toilets. I even found antibacterial denture cleaner at the Dollar Tree.

What is your favorite shortcut?