Happy Valentine's Day

Make Your Home A Haven: Chores

Chores . . . I really do not like that word. We often use the word chore to mean something we must do or something we are forced to do. I chose my vocation as as stay at home mom. My husband and I did not spend much time talking about it. We just knew that was what we wanted for our family. The work I do around my house is something I enjoy (most of the time). I complain, grumble, and sometimes whine about it, but homekeeping is my job and I love it. Housework is not a chore but a true labor of love.

I have mentioned before that I use the Fly Lady system. It has worked especially well for me. With 4 kids ages 6 and under, I do the best I can! When I am pregnant or have a baby under the age of one, I just do the minimum for survival. At the moment, I am not pregnant and my youngest baby is 19 months old so I seem to be getting a little more done these days. Here is a peek at my chore schedule:

The following are my morning, afternoon, and evening routines. These are the things I feel I must do DAILY in order to keep to keep our home tidy and running smoothly:

Morning Routine

1. Wake up at 6:30, pray, and read
2. Shower and dress to shoes
3. Swish and swipe bathroom
4. Make bed
5. Put apron on
6. Start load of laundry
7. Check calendar for day's activities
8. Start dinner preparation
9. Empty and reload dishwasher
10. Eat breakfast and take vitamins


AFTERNOON ROUTINE

1. Tidy living room
2. Vacuum
3. Continue dinner preparation
4. 15 minute declutter
5. Hot Spots
- Dining room hutch
- Stairs
6. Fold and put laundry away
7. Take 20-30 minutes to myself

Evening Routine

1. Lay out clothes for tomorrow
2. Check calendar for next day and review dinner plans
3. Spend 15 minutes clearing off Hot Spots
-Clear toys from living room
-Clear everything from steps
-Clear living room hutch
4. Shine the sink
5. Put breakfast items and vitamins out
6. Pack backpacks and lunchboxes
7. Wash face, moisturize, remove contacts, and brush teeth.
8. Read.
9. Go to bed no later than 11:00 p.m.


The following are my weekly chores. I do not do every item on the list for that day. I like to have a master list so I can chose jobs that need to be done at that particular time.

MONDAY

**Food shopping

**Clean Kitchen
- Empty frig/freezer
- Clean stainless steel
- Wipe down garbage can and lid
- Wipe down countertops/hutch
- Clean hutch glass
- Organize cabinets
- Sweep and mop floors
- Clean sink
- Clean stovetop
- Wipe down walls

TUESDAY

**Clean Bedrooms

- Change and wash sheets
- Dust
- Clean mirrors
- Sweep and mop floors
- Empty garbage
- Organize/declutter drawers and closet
- Organize hall closet
- Water plants

WEDNESDAY

**Clean Living Room
- Dust
- Clean TV/mirrors/pictures
- Organize toys/books
- Organize hall closet
- Clean carpets
-Clean couch covers
- Vacuum

**Clean Dining Room
- Clean mirror
- Organize cabinets
- Sweep & mop floors
- Wipe down table and chairs

**Front Entrance
-Clean front door
- Mop entrance

**Sweep & mop stairs

THURSDAY
Errand Day

**Run errands and volunteer at school

FRIDAY
Financial Friday

**Work on bills

**Balance checkbook and review budget

**Look for ways to reduce bills

SATURDAY
Family Fun Night and Date Night

**Clean bathroom

**Prepare and plan for Family Fun Night and Date Night

SUNDAY

**Plan menus for week

**Clip/organize coupons

**Plan grocery list

**Clean out refrigerator

** Review pantry and freezer

So tell me . . . what does your chore list look like?

Don't forget to visit The Homespun Heart for more ideas on how to make your home a haven!

Valentine's Day Decorating

Even though all we can see are mountains of snow outside our windows, we feel very cozy inside our home. We were very lucky that we did not lose electricity this week! Our house is all decked out for Valentine's Day. While we have a busy weekend of activities planned, we will enjoy a family Valentine party on Saturday. Here is a peek at our decorations:










Happy Valentine's Day!

Menu Plan for the Week of 1/7/10

We are SNOWED IN! 21 + inches of snow over the weekend and 6-10 more coming between tonight and Thursday. I am ready for Spring!! The grocery store was a madhouse this week so I grabbed what I could find! Here is what you will find on our dinner table this week (I also included some pictures at the end of this post to show what fun 21 inches of snow can be! :)

Sunday: Superbowl beer brat sandwiches, vegetable tray, taco dip, crescent dogs, brownies

Monday: Linguine and clam sauce, salad

Tuesday: Chicken fiesta, black beans, yellow rice

Wednesday: Mushroom roast beef in the crock pot, steamed broccoli, chocolate marshmallow pie

Thursday: Taco bar, brown rice, refried beans

Friday: Homemade pizza, salad

Saturday: Valentine Party (still not sure what we are eating . . . I will figure it out after the roads are clear again!)

**If you want the recipes to anything on my weekly menu, please leave me a comment :)

Join the Organizing Junkie at www.orgjunkie.com every Monday for Menu Plan Monday and lots of great ideas for your weekly menu plan!

I had difficulty getting the front door open on Saturday morning. . . .






Who wouldn't want to be snowed in with a face like that?

Our favorite Super Bowl Snack: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Even though the Steelers are not in the big game this year, I will still be preparing some yummy appetizers and snacks on Sunday. If you are looking for something quick and delicious for your crock, check out my post on Italian Sausage Sandwiches.

One of our favorite appetizers is Buffalo Chicken Dip. I am a huge fan of hot sauce so I usually go a little heavier on it than the recipe calls for. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing

1/2 cup Louisiana hot sauce

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 cans (12.5 oz. each) chicken breast in water, drained

Heat oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into baking dish and stir until smooth.

Mix in salad dressing, buffalo sauce, cheese, and chicken.

Bake 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Make Your Home a Haven: Morning Routine

What do you do in your home to create a haven for your family? I am looking forward to sharing what I do to make our home more peaceful and beautiful as I participate in the Make Your Home a Haven weekly series from The Homespun Heart. I encourage you to leave me a comment and let me know what you are doing in your homes to make it place of peace and serenity!

Last week the focus was on a morning routine. (I am a little behind on the series and plan to catch up!) I have always had a morning routine but once I put it down in writing, it seemed to work much better for me . I use a FlyLady Control Journal (CJ), and I place my routines and goals in the very front. There are definitely times I put my CJ aside but I always seem to come back to it when life seems a little unbalanced.

Here is my morning routine and/or what I strive to accomplish:

6:30 a.m. Wake, quiet time: read and Rosary, make bed.

7:00 a.m. Girls wake, get dressed

7:15 a.m. Make breakfast and smoothies, vitamins

7:30 a.m. Make school lunches and snack

7:45 a.m. Empty and reload dishwasher, start laundry
Girls brush teeth, hair

8:15 a.m. Drop girls off at school

8:30a.m. Tidy living room, dining room, and kitchen,
Start dinner and plan after school snack.
Shower

10:00 a.m. Start schooling: reading and activities

This schedule changes often but it has been working well for me lately. I am not an early riser so it is something I constantly struggle with. When I do wake early and start my day with some quiet time and prayer, my day is so much better and I am a much better mom. Because I am nursing my toddler and co-sleeping (often with both my toddler and preschooler), it is difficult to keep the little ones asleep when I get up. I often just stay in bed and read and pray the Rosary with a small book light.

If you are struggling with your morning routine, I recommend looking at www.flylady.net and the book, Sink Reflections by Fly Lady, Marla Cilley. I also recently found a free e-book called Maximize Your Mornings at www.inspiredtoaction.com. It is a great blog and resource to help you start intentionally using your mornings to jump start your day.

So what type of morning routine do you have?

Menu Plan for the Week of 1/31/10

I did not plan my menus last week so I was a bit more stressed than usual! This week is a very busy week for us. I am volunteering to help with activities for Catholic Schools Week, 100th day of school, and Daisy Scouts. I am planning some easy dinners and using my crock pot as much as possible. I spent much of last week cleaning and decluttering, so I plan to do some batch cooking this week to stock up my freezer.

Here is what you find on our dinner table this week:

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Crockpot chicken, steamed broccoli, Italian bread, sweet potato pie

Tuesday: Stuffed shells, salad

Wednesday: Crockpot chicken, rice and vegetable soup, homemade dinner rolls

Thursday: Crockpot sundried tomato and feta tri-tip, salad, brown rice

Friday: Homemade pizza, vegetable tray with dip

Saturday: Family Fun Night: Bingo
Hot dogs, baked beans, sweet potato baked chips
Homemade funnel cakes and popcorn

Batch Cooking:
2 whole chickens in crock
chicken broth
whole wheat waffles
whole wheat banana pancakes
granola bars
sour cream muffins
apple sauce
chocolate chip cookies


Join the Organizing Junkie at www.orgjunkie.com every Monday for Menu Plan Monday and lots of great ideas for your weekly menu plan!