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

Building Memories

*I originally wrote this a couple of years ago but as my children continue to grow I hold it more dearly today. 
 

Building Memories

Yesterday I decided that, instead of doing anything else, I was going to sit in the playroom as my two boys played with their Legos.

Their imaginations soar when they are in “Lego world”. 

I watched them build, imagine, and laugh.

 I began to wonder if these are the times they will remember most when they grow up and have children of their own. 

When we all gather together at Thanksgiving, are they going to be elbowing each other remembering the football mini-figure who tripped on a brick running up the mountain?(Apparently this was very funny.) 

Or are they going to laugh as they remember fighting over the tiny brown hair they each needed to complete a character they were making? 

As their children come into the kitchen to help me make a pumpkin pie, are my boys going be searching the closets of their old rooms to find their Legos to relive this particular day?

I am so glad I stayed in there and watched a memory in the making. 

This is one reason that I am going to try really hard to unplug from my phone and computer more often this year. 

I do not want to miss great memories like these!

Are We Fully Relying on God?

 

 Are We Fully Relying on God?

 

As we were reading Little House on The Prairie, I was struck by how much the pioneers had to toil and pray for what they had.

Think about our lives  today as Americans.

We can run to McDonalds for food instead of worrying if Pa will kill some rabbits and if we will be able to eat tonight.

If we want a house we can just buy a house that is already built. We do not have to live for months in a wagon as we search for land. Then when we find the land, we do not have to cut down trees to build our own homes.

Our children can have pretty much all the toys they want and not just have a hog bladder and corn cob with which to play.

That sounds good.  We are living in the best time the world has ever known. But is it really?

In the pioneer days people had to fully rely on God for everything they had. They made sure to study their Bible, pray, and go to church.

With all our stuff and conveniences we should have more time to devote to God, not less. Are we relying on ourselves and not on God? Are we using the extra time we have for God? 

Think about these things as we enter the new year.

Finding Family Time

Spending more time with your family is a great goal to have, but what do you do if you are having trouble finding that time? Join me today at The Multi Taskin' Mom as I offer some suggestions.

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?

I Am Taking the Challenge!

That does it! I am so overwhelmed, and  it’s my computer’s fault!!!

Actually, it’s my fault because of the amount of time I am spending on the computer. I can tell that I feel drained and stressed when I stay on the computer for hours at a time.

I always feel so much better when I am away from the computer, even if it is to do something as simple as laundry.  So why do I stay plugged in?

Read more about The Unplugged Challenge and why I decided to take it. 

http://themultitaskinmom.com/going/

 

How to Have a More Productive Day.

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

After reading several blogs and books touting the wonders of a routine, I decided to start one in January, 2013. 

·         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?

Start Managing Your Time Wisely in the New Year

I am guest posting today at  R16:16.

Taking Control of Your Time (Part 4)

(This article was previously published by me in Queenly Quest Magazine.)

                                                                     Finding Time

My husband and I realized one day that we were not doing activities that we wanted to be doing . This led me to take a different look at our week and see if we could find some time for these activities. I found this template.  I printed off seven copies, one for each day of the week. This template has four spots one for each member of my family. There are different templates at this link ,pick the one that will work best for you or make your own. 

The nice part about having a different column for each member of your family is that you will not always be doing the same things at the same time. With this template you will be able to see what each member of your family should be doing.

 To start, I filled in the activities that I know will always take place. Such as, we know the times every Sunday and Wednesday that we will be at church. 

 I then wrote down the days and times when I would like for other activities to take place.

 Then I wrote down the times when  I want school to be held, chores to be done, meal times, etc. Anything that usually takes place a certain day and time I filled those into the chart.

After doing that I set down with my husband and children, we made a list of things that we really want to be doing, but have not had the time for. Things such as exercise, letting my children ride their bicycles, having more time to read, visiting family, etc., anything that you really want to do.

 We found the blank times on the chart when we could schedule those in. Sometimes it is not feasible to do something every week so I would write more than one thing on a line and we can pick the one we want to do that week and leave the other one for the next week.

 Another great thing to add to your template is a morning and nightly routine. My morning routine consist of, praying, reading my Bible, exercising and showering. I try to do this all before the kids wake up. My nightly routine, consist of me stretching, washing my face and praying, reading something fun and checking my to do list for the next day. You can add anything you like to your morning and nightly routine. Make sure that you add what you really would like to do so you can have a great start and end to your day. It would also be a good idea to add a daily and nightly routine to your children’s schedule. This will give them a regular start and end to their day as well.

As an added bonus, all those blanks spots are free time.  This is the times you have nothing at all scheduled. It is nice to see those blank spots. And since you have everything already scheduled in your day that you need and want to be doing, you don’t have to feel guilty for not doing anything at these times.

 When I finished scheduling all my days, I put the templates in page protectors and keep them together with a clip. I keep the schedule out where I can see it at all times. Realize that this schedule is not perfect. Everything will not happen exactly as planned every day. This is just to be used as a guide and it will work most days. This not only helps us get to do things that we had previously not been doing but it helps keep us on schedule and makes our day run smoothly.