Titus 2 Tea - Gardening - Week 2

 I thought I would share what we're doing in the garden and show a bit more about it.  I know that I have posted on this once before but it was just the initial stages.  I got my photographer out there today and was able to get more pics of the process.  We still don't have all the things planted in Jules garden, but I'm still monitoring tests, so we'll probably finish it later in the day.

First, I dug the soil back.  Who needs to go to the gym, when you have a garden?



Then filled it up with dirt, and dug it down a bit around the outside.  And since we're splitting wood, I've been putting the small bark scraps and stuff in the walkway.

Then I laid some sticks down to help me see the 16 squares.  If you take each stick and imagine that it goes the full length of the box, you'll have 16 squares.



Since I was putting broccoli in these two squares, I just dug one hole.  For onions or carrots I would do more than one.  I also transplanted some volunteer lettuce from the edge of the garden into her lettuce spots.



 I only put one thing of lettuce in those spots but think that four would be perfect.  We'll plant carrots right in the ground and normally lettuce or spinach too.

And here she is with her spot.  She's my gardener, flower girl, lady-bug lover.  So she'll love it.  Later on for one of our crafts this summer, we'll do rock painting.   That way they can individualize their gardens, and decorate them a bit.

Making the most of today.
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - May is Planting Month

This month for Titus 2 Tea, we'll talk about planting.  I have planted some things, but the only thing I have actually planted in the ground in my garden is the peas. 

It's still too cold for some of the other things.  I'm glad my lettuce wasn't planted yet and the onions, because we had a freeze warning last night - in MAY!!!!!  I'm hoping the peas will be o.k.  Carpenter says "Yes, they will be fine."

But this month is the month for planting or so says my Father-in-law.  He's the one to talk about gardening.  His is beautiful.  The flowers are gorgeous and he has plenty of vegetables.

We're not finished yet with our boxes.  I think we'll work on that some this weekend - though I'll be working on Saturday.  I need to do five more.  Then we'll get the dirt to fill it in. 

But as for the planting, the things I'm going to try to get in this week is lettuce, onions, and spinach.  Maybe even the broccoli.  Now you may think that cauliflower could and should go in at the same time as broccoli, but no.  That's something that we learned this year.  I think that even potatoes can go in at this time.

I'm not a gardener.  I frustrate my man in my lack of gardening skills, but I keep trying and every year I get better at it.  In the past, we have not had to buy any frozen veggies - though I love them. We have had enough to last the whole year.  But this year, I did run out of everything but butternut squash and pumpkin that is canned. 

So for our family, it is well worth it to do this.  In our family, we eat about 2 pounds of veggies at our main meal.  I think if you get frozen on sale it's a dollar a pound.  That would be somewhere around $700 a year.  We can use that money for something else. :)

Making the most of today.
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - chalboard contact paper and my entryway

 My entryway is pretty chaotic looking.  It's tight and crowded and really there is no sense of order for the kids I care for.  My kids know which hook is theirs, but the parents who drop their kids off don't ever know where to put the baby/toddler's coat. 

Now that spring is here (?), we just have lighter jackets.  I washed all their coats earlier this month and the winter weather hit and we had more snow.  BIG mistake.  Now we're just going to hang up their coats in their closets for a quick retrieval if necessary.  But we are really hoping it's not necessary.

We don't have a coat closet at either of the entries in our house and it makes things rather cluttered looking.  So in an attempt to work on this area, I used some chalkboard contact paper for my little signs.

The top hooks have two people per hook.  My older three each have a specific little one to look after.  So they share a hook with a little one.  This way Sharpie can grab his coat and the Little Miss's coat as we walk out the door to the park or whatever.  Jones is with Baby(um Toddler) A and Waterman gets Sweeties coat.

It has to be written in chalk but they are super high up so I don't think it will rub off too much, except for the coats below.

The younger ones don't share, but that's because they don't need to yet.  Their backpacks go on the lower hook and their coats go over top of that.  Now that AWANA is over for the year, they don't need their AWANA bags, so we put those away for now.

Another use for my chalkboard paper.  It didn't work on my other cupboards - they were too rough.  But this is my pantry so that works out great.  This was my original intent for the chalkboard paper.

Making the most of today
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - thoughts on organizing

This will be short as we have family here and we're enjoying being together.

A few simple thoughts about organizing:

It can save you money.  You can find what you have and don't buy more of something when you already have it.

It can save you lots of time.  If you know where something goes and where to find stuff, it won't take you long to find what you are looking for.

It can save you money.   Did I already say that?  If your things aren't on the floor, you won't step on them and then have to buy it again.  Also you won't have to wash things that haven't been worn. 

Unless things are a problem where they are at, in a big family it's probably better to leave things where they are rather than moving them to a new place so that everyone knows where to find things consistently.

We're enjoying our family, and even more so as we watched the news with the bombings and families being devastated by the tragic events.  We're holding everyone a bit tighter.

Making the most of today,
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - Organizing month

Some verses came to mind last night regarding some of my thoughts in yesterday's post.  They're in Isaiah 58.  I love so many verses from this chapter, in fact, one of them is up in my kitchen. 

Isaiah 58:10-12

10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.

11 "And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

12 "Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

And these verses reminded me that my fears have no basis and the surrender and the fully giving of myself will be worth it.  Because He will allow my gift to my family to bless me, to restore me.  He will give strength to my bones.

So yesterday, I organized some areas I've left sitting.  They've been bugging me, but "Nah, I'm too tired."  What was super interesting is that the five-year olds loved helping.  As I sorted through my basket that contains game pieces and everything that needs a home, they carried away toys and pieces that they could put away.

Then I worked on the DVD's (AGAIN!!!! but it wasn't near so bad as last time) and one of them came and wanted to help.  At first I found it a bit frustrating to have him getting his hands in the mix, but then I asked him to check the cases to see if they had a DVD in them.  And he was able to be a help.

Then I went through the CD's and put them near our stereo where I always put a ton of junk.  Now the junk will have to find somewhere else. And that makes me happy.  I really want things to have a place, but had given up every hope of it.  Now it seems like a possibility.

Last night I was able to sit and chat with a couple of friends who came over for our last Titus 2 Tea night for the year.  We didn't talk about organizing but caught up with our lives.  What fun!

Doing the things God asks will always be worth it.  Now, I have to figure out how to help the boys see that as I start tackling their room.  They need lots of help with it.  And that will be started on Project Monday.  It seems like a nightmare to me, but I think it will be better if they can find things. 

I'm hoping that a little organization will be a joy to them.

Making the most of today for His glory
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - Organizing - Week 1

As I am thinking of spring, I just want to organize everything.  What is it about winter that gets stuff cluttered where it's not supposed to be?  And then I look at a spot and think, "How and when did that get so terrible-looking?"

We haven't been able to buy bins and baskets and such, so I've given up the idea of getting organized.  Seems things stay where they go better if you have something to put them in.  But I don't think that I need to wait till I can buy a bunch of pretty and matching bins or baskets.  I  found that I have quite a few things that will work well.

They aren't pretty but they'll do the job.

The first thing I do is completely empty the shelves, and then keep the munchkins away from the kitchen table.  "No, you may not play with anything on the table right now."  Seems I've said it quite a few times as they look longingly at the things they haven't played with in weeks. 

Next I clean off the shelves and then measure them and draw up a plan. 

Then I sort the things from the kitchen table into the shoeboxes, and containers that I have on hand.  This is when I find out what my containers will be full of.   Today, I have labels of Guitar, Wii Remotes, Computer, Crafts, Coloring, Paints, Office and Star Wars.  I will make labels for my boxes today, so I don't forget.

Because I don't know what size of containers I need for each thing, I start by just putting things into a container - not neatly or how I want it, but just in there.  Inevitably, I will spend a ton of time making it look nice only to find that I need something bigger.

Now I pencil in where I think the containers will fit best on my plan.  I need measurements for that.  Also some of the things need to be higher, and some things need to be lower on the shelves - so I need to take that into consideration.

That's hard to see but you get the idea.  While in practice this sounds good, it didn't really work for me.  I found that for me it's easier just to move the bins around till they fit.  But if I was going to buy bins or baskets for this project, I would definitely draw it out so that I wouldn't buy the wrong size.

This is how the area looks with almost all of the stuff that came off of it, but I also put one puzzle on that hadn't been on there.  Lots of room!!!  So I added more puzzles, changed it around to suit and added labels.

My goal is to fill all the space with boxes and bins and baskets, so there isn't a lot of room for junk.  Though I'm sure they'll find the nooks and crannys.

Making the most of today.
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - "It is finished."

ISAIAH 53      

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?   

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground;  he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.   

3  He was despised and rejected by men;  a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.   

4  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.   

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.   

6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him  the iniquity of us all.


7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,  and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.   

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;  and as for his generation,  who considered  that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?   

9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although  he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.   

10 Yet  it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;  the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.


12  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.


Crossway Bibles (2011-02-09). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (with Cross-References) (Kindle Locations 107810-107830). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

Titus 2 Tea - Budgets - Week Three

This will be my last post for budgets.  For one thing, I'm not sure what else I would say after today.  We have come to the end of my experience with budgets and two, next Friday, I want to think about the death of our Lord - not budgets.

My final ideas about budgeting are: 

Save your receipts.  I put them in my purse, and when I see that hubby has one, I scoop it up and drop it in my purse.  Everything goes in the purse.

Clean out your purse on a weekly basis.  I put it in my purse so that I can find it on the day when I empty out my purse.  Once a week, Thursday, I take everything out of my purse. (Okay, realistically, that is the plan.)  Then I only put back what should be in my purse and everything else goes where it should. The receipts go into a pile next to my computer.

Go through the receipts.  Decide what categories the items go under.  In other words, my receipts to the grocery store, are mostly always food.  But to Wal-mart, the items go under several categories (clothes, toiletries, food, medical, etc)

Enter your data into the computer program you're using.  Or if you're using pencil and paper, take this time to enter your data.  Ideally, we should only be spending what we have, which is why cash is recommended.  I, honestly, don't know if Dave Ramsey recommends this, because I haven't been through his program.  If you are only using cash, you'll know that when your envelope is empty, you can't buy more. 

Check on-line to see what your balance is in your bank and on your credit card.  If you don't have self-control with the credit card, leave it at home and don't use it.  Carpenter wants to keep it, so I'm following his lead.  But this is a way that I keep tabs on where we are at. 

I haven't set up the cash system yet, but when I do my plan is to put cash into an envelope marked credit card and then put money into it from the other envelopes as we use the card.  For example: if we use the credit card for gas, we'll take cash out of the gas envelope and put it in the credit card envelope.  Then when the bill comes due, we'll put the cash into the bank. 

Sounds like a lot of hassle, but it takes vigilance to keep on your toes about where your money is going or you'll be using more than you have.  O.k. that's if you're me.  Jeff has family members who could keep track of where they were at financially in their head.  I can't.

Make sure that your balances are right.   So check your cash, checking and savings balance, to see if it all matches with what your entries say.

Any income that has come in this week should be noted and allocated to where it goes. 

Making the most of today,
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - Budgets - Week 2

Now that you have your list of weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly expenses.  We need to make some categories.  Every expense you have should be in a category.  My categories will not be the same as your categories.

But for an example, I have major categories and then sub categories. 
Major categories for me are: Giving, Utilities, Savings, Housing, Food, Transportation, Clothing and Personal.

Subcategories aren't in every major category, but almost all of them.
Giving - no subs
Utilities - cell phones, electricity, propane gas, bundle,  and trash
Savings - Savings, Emergency Fund, Retirement, Christmas, Camping/Vacation and College
Housing - Real-Estate Insurance, Renter's/Home-owner's insurance, Rent and Replace Furniture
Food - Groceries and Eating out.
Transportation - Gas and Oil, Repairs and Tires, License and Taxes, Car Insurance, Car Replacement
Clothing - Adult, Kids and Laundry
Personal - Life Insurance, Toiletries, School, Piano, Gifts, Miscellaneous, Household, Medical

So the next project is to take your expenses and add them all up for a total for the year, then divide by 12 and you'll know how much you need to save out each month.

Take a look at your income and make sure that your expenses are not greater than your income.  Tweak and arrange it so that your money all has a place to go.  If you have to tweak your expenses, tighten the belt, then you take a look at your expenses to find a way to do that.  Or find a way to earn more for a time.

Dave Ramsey recommends a cash system.  I think we may actually try that and see how it works.  We do have a credit card which he does not recommend, but we pay it off every month and we pay attention to what we're spending. 

One of my goals, which I've been failing at miserably (see yesterday's post) is to check on-line every Thursday and keep track of the amount so it's not a surprise.  As I said, I haven't been doing that so, surprise!!!!!!  Thankfully, we had our income tax refund to help us pay the bill, but I can't do that in other months.  And I wanted that refund to replace several items that need replacing in our house, and for the emergency fund. 

I still have some left to work with.  But I will withdraw the cash for my accounts.  Do you pay attention when you swipe that card to how much you just paid for all that stuff?  I sometimes realize how much went out of my account, but when I have to count out the cash or write a check, I always notice.   Maybe that's the reasoning.

If your income is not always the same like ours, make sure you allocate your money when you get your check.  That way you'll know what you have to spend. 

I want to clarify that these are ideas of a way to do things, not the law or the only way that you should do them.  Our goal is not to go into debt, and with our growing family, it's difficult to stay within the food budget and clothing budget and a lot of other budgets. :)

Have a great weekend,

Making the most of today,
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - Finances

As we move through my original plan, we've come to March.  March is about finances, but I don't, by any means, feel that I know what I'm talking about.  I've tried many different things and I'm still looking for the best solution for me.
The thought with Titus 2 Tea was to have a group of women sharing ways that things work in their households, knowing that each one would have different ways that work, and all would be good. 

So I will share what I do currently.  I've tried many different things.  One thing I have found is that if I track my spending I do better than if I don't track it at all.  When I stop tracking my spending, I start buying things that I could do without.

I use an excel spreadsheet right now and have some of Dave Ramsey's worksheets that I use to track income.  I would like to get a program that makes this easier, but haven't found one that works with what I'm looking for.  I did get a program for Carpenter for his business but when I went to get my taxes done, I was told that what I got was pretty difficult for her to use.

So someday, I would like to have a program where I can punch in the amount spent in each category and not have to think about it.  A program that does all the work.   For now I stick to put the numbers in the right columns and totalling them. 

My suggestion, if you don't have any kind of a system, is to start with just keeping track of what you are spending.  Don't include the income on that tracking sheet.  Figure out what categories you need.  Remember that you have some things that come out quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. 

If you don't keep receipts, maybe call your insurance agent and ask if he/she can give you a run-down of months when car insurance is due.  Get out a calendar and write this information down. 

So for this week, let's just work on that.  Maybe once a year get an idea of if things are still the same or if they've changed.  I will be taking the time to make sure that I do have my numbers current.  I'm going to put  insurance payments in my home-planning notebook calendar, so that I don't have surprises. 

Do you have any great ideas for budgets?  I would love to hear about them.

Making the most of today, (why?  Only for His glory and honor)
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - Final Thoughts on Household

1. "Work on your wall before noon."  This is something I read on another blog.  It refers to Nehemiah's job of re-building the wall of Jerusalem.  I know that in my house, it is much better if I work on all the things I have on my to-do list first.  And my goal is to have most of it done by noon.  Now, granted, there are always things to do after lunch.  But my list is small enough that I can be done.   Some things on my list are: laundry, bread-making, quick-clean the bathroom and school.

2. Be consistent.  In our house, we make our bread instead of buy.  But I have been rather inconsistent with the making of it.  So lately, I have decided that I need to bake something every day.  I didn't yesterday, but there was still bread in the bin.  If not bread, something for desserts to put in lunches. 

3. As much as possible, keep things in the same place.   I think our big bowls and things have always been down here on this shelf, since we moved here.  I did find that the little containers for lunches were a big problem down here.  It's too easy to throw them down here.  So I found space for them on a shelf where there had been some plates we weren't using much.  For this week, it's been a good plan.  Now for some consistency in that area - see #2.

4. Do the same things at the same time.  I try to do my blog first thing in the morning along with devotions and my verses at www.scripturetyper.com.  But getting a shower competes with that.  These are all things that I like to have done before the babies show up.

5. Plan a bit of fun during your day.  Right after lunch dishes and naptime for babies, (see #4) I like to have some time to sit and do quiet things and sometimes it involves a movie (see #6).  Lately, since I've started going to quilt guild, it's been quilting.  I picked up an old project, and I will finish it today, I hope. 

6. Don't turn the TV on till you're all done with work. If I do turn on the TV after lunch, it's super hard to turn it off because we can always find something on (the best thing, which is not always even good).  Because of how hard it is Carpenter and I are seriously considering canceling when our contract is done, maybe before.  We only got cable because we were required to have it in order to place someone in our home, and that fell through.

7. Design a system for things and stick with it, only tweak.  This is the current system and I don't love it.  It's not perfect.  But I will continue to use it rather than pitch it, because overall it's not bad.  The only thing I don't like is hearing them say, "I've dried for three times in a row."  because someone messed with it or because they don't remember. 

8. Make a place in your home that is reserved for quiet thinking.  Mine is my room upstairs and because it's cold during the winter I never go there, but my living room is quiet during the school year.  One note on this picture:  I know you're not supposed to have your office in your quiet place.  It's in the plan to make a different room into that, but right now it's not a possibility.

9. Work on one area at a time.  This is my area today.  It's actually so much better.  I've had the kids clear out the boots and coats for the basement.  Because this entryway is cold, I always procrastinate on cleaning it (see #10).  But today, I'm going to do a bit at a time.

10. Procrastinating about that "hated" task will not make it look more desirable.  None of my rooms look like this today.  This is from my de-cluttering days when things were disastrous.  But they aren't great either. I have some ideas to help the little ones with their clothes issues, but it takes time.

Finally, enjoy.  Find joy in serving your family.  Turn up the radio while cleaning.  Fill your mind with Christian songs etc.  This was the scene yesterday while I was finishing up my post for yesterday.  They took on this task themselves even though washing dishes is my job.  I pray that they find joy in serving all their lives, though I haven't been a good example of that.

Making the most of today.
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - Household - my view

Every once in awhile, I have to re-evaluate my perspective - my view on my role in this house.  Because it quickly gDo I want to spend ets messed up by the things I see around me.  I want what I see, but do I really???  At what cost?

Do I want to spend my life working away at a job so that I can have nice things that others have?  We do not have everything that we want or even think we need because I stay at home and homeschool three of our children.  We also don't have everything we want  because three of ours go to the school at our church. 

I want to clarify that I believe that this is not a cookie cutter world.  So because we all have families made up of different people and we are all in different situations, things will and should look differently for everyone.

But lately I've been wishing for a way to do something more from home.  I've been putting in my time with my kids and not really applying myself to what they need for growth. 

So I need to spend a bit of time reminding myself that they are not distractions but they are the work, as my step-sister said in her blog. 

Because the world views things differently, I have to keep reminding myself of this truth.  A good way is to be in the Word and listen to Christian radio and memorizing verses and filling my head with truth.  Because this world get pretty loud and the more I fill my mind with truths from God's Word, the harder it is to hear the world view that is so prominent.

So today, I'm going to work on my memory work, read the Word, and leave the TV off.

Making the most of today
Steph

Titus 2 Tea - Household - Scrubbing Pots

 I did some investigation on scrubbing pots.

First, I tried vinegar and soda.  I sprinkled  soda on the pot and poured vinegar over it.

But I wasn't satisfied.  I really wanted it to be immediate.  Isn't that how we all are?  We want instant success. So I tried something else, and it wasn't instant, but it worked fairly well.

I would recommend using gloves for this next step.  I didn't, but I should have.    I used Dawn dish soap and baking soda.  I sprinkled soda again on the pan, and then poured Dawn on it, and rubbed it together. 

Then I left it sit, while I went to drop the kids off at school and take one to a piano lesson.

 When I got back it looked like this.

So I scrubbed the pot with a brillo pad

For the inside which needed some help, I used the vinegar and baking soda combination.   It worked like a charm.

 What dirty water!!!!  As I said it worked well.

For the extra stubborn stains, I soaked the pot in the water and scrubbed some more.

Let me just tell you, my arms ached all the next day.  I am not sure that it's worth all the work - a lot of elbow grease - as it's the outside.  I think I'm going to opt to just live with the stained exterior.

 It was a lot cleaner and I am happy for that.  I think for now, when a pan comes up for washing, I'll do a bit of scrubbing with the brillo pad on the outside. 

So there you have it.  That's what I learned.  Does anyone have a better idea about scrubbing pots?  I would love to know.

Making the most of today,
Steph

Today we're up to Numbers 21 and Psalm 21 and I'm working on Romans 1:26 and 27.  Spent quite a bit of time reviewing yesterday.  Really has me asking questions about passages I have known for a long time.

Titus 2 Tea - Household - Week One

 My baby turns five today.  Most days he's planning on being a farmer, but lately he's been talking about being a policeman.  I love how his mind works and all the funny things he says.  He's a joy!  In this picture, he's thinking of a trip to Grandma's house and boy, does that put a big smile on his face.  Love you, Tractorman!

Well this month we're talking about household.  And last month we tried something new in our house.  It has to do with dishes.

We do dishes by hand in our house.  Our kitchen doesn't really have room for a dishwasher and I always tell my kids I have five good ones - why do I need another?  Aww, mom!!! is the response I always get. 

Last month, I was finding dirty dishes every time I opened my cupboards.  I had decided some time back that with so many dishwashers in the house, I shouldn't have to do it every time.  So we set up a system. S-'s did supper dishes and J-'s did breakfast. 

Now if you know our family.  There is one more J than S since we have nine, but it happens to be the little guy up in the picture, so it wasn't an unfair advantage.  Actually it may have been because if there are dishes and water, he loves it! 

And besides finding dirty dishes, there was this attitude of... It's not my turn to clear the table,...I don't have to dry...etc.  I didn't like this idea of only serving when it's your meal or day or whatever.  And yet as Carpenter pointed out, our kitchen is too small to have everyone work in there at the same time. 

Excuse the mess, these pics were taken during a busy day of school, but nine people in this kitchen - I don't think so.  Three is plenty, and four is barely do-able.

So the circle chart entered.  We left the four-year old to be helper, but changed our minds.  It's easier to make a circle into eighths than sevenths.  I divided some chores up so there would be eight jobs.  Now everyone helps with each meal.  But I still hear, "That's not MY job."  So attitudes still must be worked on.

One way attitudes are helped is when there is much complaining after Mom says, "Yes, this is your job."  I will dismiss the one who wasn't complaining - usually we're talking the dryers here (there's two).  And the complainer is left with the rest of the dishes. 

And this one you can't see very well, but I decided to try doing house chores this way.  Around the time the last little one leaves, everyone does their house chore.  Clean up the living room, Clean up the nursery, Vacuum the living room, Vacuum the nursery, Straighten the couch covers, Swish and Swipe (quick-clean the bathroom), Mop (the kitchen), Clean the piano room.

I have one problem now that the kids are getting older, actually it's been a problem forever.  I feel that since I have so many kids, I should just have an equal share in the whole dishes or house chore-thing.  But does that really seem to be consistent with Proverbs 31?  I don't think so.

So I'm all-time washer and lunch I tend to do it all.  And of course, there are a bazillion things that need to be done besides the eight on the fridge, but I'm on each circle chart as well. 

This is just something that I'm trying that is working for us today.  Did you notice things change often around here?  That's because we're always growing and so we need to change-it-up so that we handle the current needs of our family.

Making the most of today,
Steph

Through Leviticus 27 and Psalm 14 and memory work through verse 16 in Romans chapter 1.