Keepin' Things Real

I don't know about you but sometimes a person can be intimidated by other bloggers. Everyone puts the "best of themselves" on the blog and when we see their showcase we start to wonder why we can't keep our home looking like something out of Country Homes and Gardens, cook like a gourmet chef every night, and do a zillion crafts and projects with our children while maintaining good grooming, good exercise habits, regular personal devotions and family worship, and managing a home business on the side.

I doubt there is anyone out there that would even consider the idea that I'm perfect, but lots of folks have asked how I do as much as I do. And so, for the sake of honesty, I wanted to remind you that this blog reflects that I'm a learning, growing, changing person. I often highlight our daily routines or things that we are doing currently, but this is not to say that I do everything I've written about at all times.

For example:
*At one point I loved having a detailed home management binder with printed checklists of daily to-dos. It worked wonderfully for that stage, but at present I use a regular notebook in my binder to jot down meal plan lists, grocery lists, and daily to-do lists in pen, making life simpler since I'm in the stage of having a newborn and adjusting to 3 kids. I love the binder approach and will probably go back to more detailed checklists during the homeschooling years.

*I haven't done a lot of crafts recently. I love sewing and crafts but haven't had the time to do more than simple mending or making bead socks recently. Eventually when I'm getting even better sleep and am feeling up for it I plan to make some leather shoes for Baby J. Of course he's already got several hand-me-down pairs from Jer too!

*People who ask me how I find the time to blog don't realize how easy blogging is for me. I've always loved writing from the time I could write my ABCs and I have an abundace of words. Writing for me is thrilling and therapeutic and thanks to a particularly stoic high-school typing teacher I can type really fast, meaning I don't have to spend hours and hours composing or writing a small post (like a friend of mine who tried to blog and then gave up). If you're not the writing type, seeing someone else who writes often may make you wonder how they do it, but perhaps you can play an instrument well or paint a beautiful mural whereas all I can paint is blobs! Where do I find the time? Well, because it's a hobby I blog during naptimes (aka "mom's free time") while nursing the baby. I blog when my husband is volunteering with the Youth Group on Wednesday nights or during those long nursing jags before baby goes to bed if my hubby isn't using the computer. We don't have TV so I blog instead of watching TV!

*Couponing doesn't consume my life even though I often write about great deals I've gotten by doing couponing. While I do coupon and shop the loss leaders weekly, I only spend about 5 minutes a day glancing over MoneySavingMom and printing off good coupons. Since we get very few coupons in the weekly paper here they are easy to clip and organize. I shop Walgreens about once a month now.

*When you live in a small space, getting out isn't a burden but a joy. While I probably do twice as many playdates as many of my other mom friends, I don't feel overwhelmed because I have learned with my two particular children that it is easier to manage them if we have time away from the house. This is especially essential due to the neighbors that we have and the fact that due to the neighbor kids being mean or saying bad things, we often have to keep the kids indoors to prevent our kids playing with them. Since we live less than a mile from just about anything in town, it doesn't take long to get out. Therefore when we escape to the park it is a blessing and a way for the kids to get a nice change of scenery and a chance to run. We go to library story time once a week, have a set park playdate once a week with friends, Ali has preschool twice a week, and we usually visit my folks once or twice on the weekends. In addition to this we usually have one or two other playdates a week that are not regular, but might be something like going on a picnic, going swimming, or visiting friends we haven't seen in a while. With having 3 kids I try to keep the outings to one a day, but I can definitely manage two if we do something in the morning and then later, after naps, we have to grab some groceries or feel like going to the park. I try to combine exercise and outings by walking as much as I can.

*My house isn't always clutter-free, there are always dirty dishes to do, and my floors seem to be filthy again about 5 minutes after I mop. I definitely strive to have a clean and orderly home but it often falls short of that due to the two little tornados I live with and I don't beat myself up about it.

*Things change based on the stage I'm in:
--When I'm suffering from morning sickness I'm not doing frugal things or cooking much at all
--When I'm pregnant my hubby gets the kids up and gets them breakfast to give me more sleep, but when I'm not we all get up around the same time.
--I rarely shop the thrift store anymore now that I have 3 kids
--Doing one load of laundry a day first thing in the morning is my preference but I have switched to doing laundry just 3 or 4 days a week and doing a few loads on those days due to situation we are in with having to walk down to a laundry room and share one washer and one dryer with many other families.
--When I'm nursing a baby, I do a lot more quick e-mail checks since I'm confined to sitting for several periods of time all day long. While I try not to be online much when the kids are awake, if they are having a blast playing together in their room or in the back patio/yard and I'm nursing the baby I will get online. But those quick e-mail checks definitely have to be quick since they are liable to start fighting after a few minutes of peaceful playing together!
--Ali used to watch a 30 minute video each morning so I could shower/do bills/computer time. Now that she is in pre-school 2 days a week and we have other activities going we don't do videos much at all now. When I was pregnant and very exhausted she sometimes watched one in the morning and then another one while I made supper.
--At this stage of life I find it easiest to absorb Scripture by listening to my Bible on CD while I clean up the kitchen. This doesn't mean I don't sit down and read my Bible ever or don't do devos with the kids, it just means that this is the main way I'm getting Scripture during this busy newborn stage.
--Jeremiah has decided to start sleeping in until 9am meaning devotions with both kids don't happen before or after breakfast like before. No matter how sleep and school schedules change things though, it still is my priority and goal to always have this time with the kids and King Jo always takes the time to read Bible stories to them and pray with them before bed as well.
--When we lived at the farmhouse we used to hang-dry all our laundry and have wood stove heat. These chores consumed a lot of my day whereas in-town apartment living is a lot simpler and less work.

So, you see, life is always changing and flexing with the current needs of the household. In the midst of the all the routine changes, my love for God and my family remain constant, as well as the goals to train our kids consistently and be teaching them the Word. Some nights I cook like Martha Stewart, but then the living room is usually a disaster. Some nights the house is spotless but we eat tuna sandwiches for supper. Some days we do a fabulous craft but there's likely a mountain of clean laundry waiting on the couch to be folded after the kids are in bed! Some days the kids are dressed in adorable outfits with perfect hair-dos and other days they pick out their own clothes, muss up their hair and look like total ragamuffins. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not working, all-day long, though you'd never know it since most of what I do gets undone!

I'm a real-live imperfect Mama just learnin' and growin' along with everyone else!