You can accomplish a great deal in 15 minutes!

Has anyone else ever felt like you'll never get on top of the clutter and mess in your house? It's not like I'm a slob or my house is bad enough to be condemned or anything, I just don't know if it's possible to have the entire house clean at the same time. I think I might have finally found the trick!

I've ALWAYS been a planner, and recently, I've been obsessed with organizing books and websites.  I've been working on a "plan" lately. A planning binder actually. I'll share it with you soon, but I want to get it perfected. (One thing I've learned from all those books is that being a perfectionist is actually keeping me from cleaning and organizing -- it's hard to start a job if I know I won't be able to finish it. Either that or I work really hard and get a job done but then I'm exhausted and have no motivation to start something else.) 

Anyway, so from the mélange of organizing methods, I've created one that works for me. Again, I'll share more in the next few days/weeks, but I wanted to share one of the most helpful tips I've found. Set a timer for 15 minutes and start cleaning in the main area of your house.  Where do you spend the most time, and therefore have the most clutter? For me, it's our family room, and unfortunately, it can be seen from the front door. I tested it out this morning, and it was AMAZING the progress that was made!!!  So set your timer and do whatever needs to be done: throw away trash, clear out the dishes, pick up the toys, dust, vacuum, whatever it is that needs to be done, BUT you only have 15 minutes to do this! Don't overwhelm yourself with everything that needs to be done, just start small! Little by little you WILL get on top of all the clutter and housework! Small & simple leads to GREAT things!

backgrounds copyright stampin' up!

Small & Simple Accomplishments

Some people can't get enough of the baby stage, but for me, I love watching them learn and grow and become independent! (Which means less work for me!) Both kids love doing things on their own. Even my 20 month old daughter pushes me away and says "self!" They must feel pride at accomplishing new tasks, and I feel it FOR them.

Today, my son (turning 4 in a month and a half) was carrying some dishes into the kitchen and dropped one, spilling his snack on the carpet. Instead of crying (which is what usually happens) we decided he wanted to throw that away and get some new. So HE went and got the vacuum and cleaned it up. I know it's just something small, but I was so proud of him for handling a situation that could have easily led to a meltdown, resulting in everyone being angry. Instead, we handled it quickly and calmly, which actually INCREASED our happiness.

Day 7 of Going Crazy (Only 6 More to Go...)

It's never a good thing to hear "Mom I need you!" after a toilet has been flushed.

My reply: "How much toilet paper did you use?"

His grinning reply with sparkling eyes and all 10 fingers splayed, "A LOT!"

Oh how we miss your Daddy. I think we'll have cookies for dinner and call it a night.

Inspiring & Encouraging Words

I have a wonderful husband. He is not perfect, but he is perfect for me. He is currently 9900 miles away from me for work, and has said many times that he feels terrible and wonders about this career path that takes him away from his wife and children. I say to him, I am grateful for his sacrifice, and for the hard work that he does to provide for us. Thank you for being there for me even when you're on the other side of the world, and for making me feel special. He emailed me a link to a very inspiring talk by Jeffrey R. Holland about the demands of motherhood. Following is a large part of it, and here is where you can find the entire text.

There are some lines attributed to Victor Hugo which read: "She broke the bread into two fragments and gave them to her children, who ate with eagerness. 'She hath kept none for herself,' grumbled the sergeant. '"Because she is not hungry,' said a soldier. "'No,' said the sergeant, 'because she is a mother.' "

...In speaking of mothers generally, I especially wish to praise and encourage young mothers. The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work...with night feedings and night teethings, often the greatest challenge of all for a young mother is simply fatigue. Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island.

...One young mother wrote to me recently...one thing, she said, that keeps her going: "through the thick and the thin of this, and through the occasional tears of it all, I know deep down inside I am doing God's work.I know that in my motherhood I am in an eternal partnership with Him. I am deeply moved that God finds His ultimate purpose and meaning in being a parent, even if some of His children make Him weep.

"It is this realization," she says, "that I try to recall on those inevitably difficult days when all of this can be a bit overwhelming. Maybe it is precisely our inability and anxiousness that urge us to reach out to Him and enhance His ability to reach back to us. Maybe He secretly hopes we will be anxious," she said, "and will plead for His help. Then, I believe, He can teach these children directly, through us, but with no resistance offered. I like that idea," she concludes. "It gives me hope. If I can be right before my Father in Heaven, perhaps His guidance to our children can be unimpeded. Maybe then it can be His work and His glory in a very literal sense."

In light of that kind of expression, it is clear that some of those Rhode Island–sized shadows come not just from diapers and carpooling but from at least a few sleepless nights spent searching the soul, seeking earnestly for the capacity to raise these children to be what God wants them to be. Moved by that kind of devotion and determination, may I say to mothers collectively, in the name of the Lord, you are magnificent. You are doing terrifically well. The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you. He knows that your giving birth to a child does not immediately propel you into the circle of the omniscient. If you and your husband will strive to love God and live the gospel yourselves; if you will plead for that guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit promised to the faithful; if you will go to the temple to both make and claim the promises of the most sacred covenants a woman or man can make in this world; if you will show others, including your children, the same caring, compassionate, forgiving heart you want heaven to show you; if you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects you to do...

When you have come to the Lord in meekness and lowliness of heart and, as one mother said, “pounded on the doors of heaven to ask for, to plead for, to demand guidance and wisdom and help for this wondrous task,” that door is thrown open to provide you the influence and the help of all eternity. Claim the promises of the Savior of the world. Ask for the healing balm of the Atonement for whatever may be troubling you or your children. Know that in faith things will be made right in spite of you, or more correctly, because of you.

You can’t possibly do this alone, but you do have help. The Master of Heaven and Earth is there to bless you—He who resolutely goes after the lost sheep, sweeps thoroughly to find the lost coin, waits everlastingly for the return of the prodigal son. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be.

Remember, remember all the days of your motherhood: “Ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.”

Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever. And “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.” You are doing God’s work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even—no, especially—when your days and your nights may be the most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master’s garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and sometimes weep over their responsibility as mothers, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” And it will make your children whole as well.

Mothers, you have a hard task, but you are not alone.

Press forward!

It IS worth it!!!

You are not alone!

Sacrifice, or not...

I met my third child today. She was beautiful. Born in 1894, a beautiful voice... wait, yes. I did say 1894. Ok, so she wasn't a child, but oh how I wish she was mine! It was the most beautiful piano I have ever seen. I honestly didn't know such a gorgeous instrument existed and I've now added owning one to my bucket list. Maybe not that exact piano, since it cost $60,000. I nearly cried when I played it, it was that beautiful. But $60,000 is a lot of money. *sigh* She was gorgeous and my heart ached to own her. I paused in silence to just take in the beauty and imagine this beautiful grand in my home. And then, the silence was broken with the sound of footsteps and bursts of laughter that filled my heart with beauty and love, and I walked away from that beautiful Steinway with nothing but pure joy in my heart for the blessings I have.

Sometimes you may feel like you are sacrificing a lot for your choice to be a mother. Well, you are. BUT, those little smiles, those tiny arms around your neck, those tender moments, make it well worth it don't they? Sure, I might be sacrificing my time and money that I would love to spend practicing on a beautiful grand piano. The thing is, although I would always appreciate it, the instrument would lose it's novelty, and the priority I put into practicing it would most likely lose it's place to some other activity. My children however, will never cease to amaze me, and my family will always be my top priority, so it doesn't feel like a sacrifice. I know that in time, I will have time to practice more, and although I might not have that Victorian Steinway Grand, I will have a beautiful instrument to play on. My children have increased my capacity to love and made my life richer and fuller in a way that couldn't come from any other source. Sure, being a mother is a demanding life. Yes, it wears me out. There are even times that I feel like I'm trapped inside a prison of dirty dishes and laundry and crying toddlers, but even the worst days are filled with moments of incredible joy and love, and awe and amazement that I have been chosen to be a mother, which is truly the greatest title one could ever hope to have.

Another Non-Crazy, Crazy Outing

I think our church outing on Sunday gave me some sort of crazy confidence, because today I decided to take them out to a movie! What?! Yep. The Lego Movie in 3D. Luckily, we had the entire theater to ourselves. Awesome. (That was my son's favorite word even before the movie. And now my daughter sings it "awesome! awwwwwesome!" It's adorable.) The lady at the ticket counter gave us 3 pairs of 3D glasses and said "I don't know if she'll keep them on or not, but here ya go." Oh yes, she'll keep them on. The girl LOVES accessories! And she did! They stayed on until maybe the last 30 minutes when both kids were getting restless (even though they were very intrigued with the movie, they just couldn't sit still any longer). They started exploring the theater. Starting small, just walking back and forth on the row we were on, until eventually my son decided he wanted to sit closer to watch the movie ALL BY HIMSELF. Then, during the end credits there was a full on dance party as well as a marathon. I was laughing so hard and wishing it wasn't so dark so I could get it all on video! The boy would run at TOP SPEED (which is surprisingly fast and serious), then climb the steps to the top, run across the back row, down the steps, and repeat. And repeat. And repeat...you get the idea. I'm glad I decided to ignore the housework today and just do something fun. It was a total risk taking them on my own, but in motherhood, as in life, sometimes you just have to jump in feet first! And more importantly, sometimes you have to leave the mess behind and just do something FUN with your kids. Those are the childhood memories they will cherish forever.

Tender Mercies and the Marriage Triangle

My husband travels quite a bit for work, which isn't ALL bad. Sometimes, when he goes somewhere within driving distance (a few hours), the kids and I get to tag along. He's told me before that he doesn't think it would really be vacation for me, and I always respond with, "I don't have to cook or clean, it's a vacation!" True, hotel rooms aren't always the most ideal space to spend a week with kids, but like I said, no cooking, no cleaning. You get me.

The downside of him traveling so much is that I'm on my own with the kids. (Just a side-note: I know that there are many of you out there who are single moms, and have to do it all yourself ALL the time, and there are also those of you whose husbands are gone for much much longer, like my sister, whose husband is deployed for 9 months I think it is? Yes, that is much harder. These few weeks at a time help me see a little of what you go through all the time.) The hardest part for me is bedtime and getting to church. Let's just say, we can barely handle them when he IS in town. Anyway, so he's out of town, and I honestly wasn't planning to bring the kids to church by myself. I haven't done it yet and felt like they were still so young and rowdy they would just be really disruptive. Maybe we could have a little lesson at home or something. That was the plan until I woke up at 12:41 and could not get back to sleep. Silence is a rare thing around here, so I took the opportunity to pray a little. I was able to focus my thoughts and think clearly, and decided that I really SHOULD bring the kids to church, or at least try my best to get there. Even if we were late, or didn't stay the whole time, it would be worth going.

Long story short, we made it (only 5 minutes late!) and the kids have never behaved so WELL! There were no tears while getting dressed and out the door, and at church, they were quiet and never once tried to get away from me! It was nothing short of a miracle! SERIOUSLY. Someone was watching out for us today, and making my life a LOT easier. I'm so glad I went, because as an added bonus, it turned out that one of my favorite couples were speaking today. They both spoke of when they were dating, and the husband spoke so highly of his wife and how she has always been the one to lift him spiritually. He also reminded us of the marriage triangle, which was a concept I had learned before, but needed to be reminded of again.

The idea is that marriage is a partnership between husband and wife AND God. If any of the three are lacking, it will be out of balance. Also, the closer the husband and wife draw to God, the closer they are to each other. It was a good reminder that every couple goes through hard times, but if we take that opportunity to seek help from God, we can strengthen our relationships rather than let them fall apart. Great relationships don't happen without effort on our part, and of course, is well worth it.

Even great relationships need attention.What are some things that you do to strengthen your relationship with your spouse?

Priorities