"Me" and "We" Time

I have often been asked in comments and in person "how do you have time?" (Referring to the different crafts and things we showcase on the blog). I myself have thought the same thing when looking at other blogs where they had seemingly endless posts of project after project. How in the world do you have time!?

I'd like to share my answer. My little secret. See, I am a firm believer that everyone needs a little alone time now and again. When you start having kids this becomes nearly impossible. (I can't remember the last time I went to the bathroom in private!) For my own sanity I need to have some peace and quiet each day to do what I want when I want without distraction. I used to have this during nap time but when my oldest stopped taking naps that was no longer an option. (I thought I was going to lose my mind the first few days!) So here is how I do it.

My kids wake up at roughly 7:00 in the morning. Which means I need to be in bed by 10:30 to assure I get enough sleep. (I am an 8-9 hours of sleep a night kind of girl or so help me!) The kids are in bed at 8:00 which means I have 2 1/2 hours every night to myself. I always make sure the "chores" around the house are done during the day so that when my kids go to bed I am free.

This is where "me" and "we" time comes in. I rarely ever watch TV anymore (only when my favorite shows are on.....DWTS and Psych) so my 2 1/2 hours are spent doing crafts and other projects, reading (all "me" things), or spending time with my husband ("we" time). Yes, alone time is few and far between when you have kids but so is the time for you and your spouse to be alone together which is equally as important. So spend your time wisely. And if at all possible combine the two! I often find myself doing a craft while we watch a movie together or if there is a game on he wants to watch I will sit on the couch cuddled up with him reading a book.

This is how cute and cuddly we were before kids. I hope it's always that way! (And by the way his shirt was a (gag?) gift from his sister for his birthday....it has somehow magically disappeared...weird!)

Now go make some "me" time and see what fun thing you can create!

Don't forget to enter in the giveaway if you haven't already done so! Go to Monday's post to see what adorable thing we are giving away!!

Letting go

We pulled into our driveway last night at 9:30 with all three children sleeping in horribly awkward positions. We carried them in to sleep away the rest of the night in their beds, and then quickly unloaded the rest of the car into one big pile in the living room. I took the most heavenly hot shower, and then without even caring if my hair was dried, ran to my bed and whispered sweetness into the sheets.

Now it's 9:00 in the morning and I'm sitting here thinking about that monstrous pile in the living room, the bags of travel snacks sitting on kitchen counter, the clean laundry half folded on the couch that was left abandoned in our rush to leave town, and watching my kids eat Christmas candy for breakfast. Like my Mom said to me recently "Sometimes by 8:00 I feel like there's not enough day left."

We were having a conversation about how even seemingly "normal" days can feel overwhelming. As soon as my feet hit the floor I'm bombarded by fifty things screaming "do me first." The lists are never ending and I feel like I've failed before I've even started because there is no way to get it all done.

"So don't worry about getting it all done" she said. Sometimes the laundry is not the most important part of the list and you just have to be OK with that.

Definitely easier said than done most of the time, but true. While I would like to have my house in spotless working order, our fridge stocked with food, and my family fed three healthy meals, it's just not going to happen today and I have to be OK with that. What doesn't get done today can be finished tomorrow.

So for right now, it's Christmas candy for breakfast, and you know what, I'm really OK with that!

Tips For Cleaning

I used to have one day a week set aside as "cleaning day". It was a day I dreaded all week.

Then I had kids. My cleaning because eratic and scarce. Finding time to keep up the house inbetween taking care of kids and a husband (on top of keeping everyone fed) became a problem.

I solved my problem by reading from a book called "The Art of Homemaking" that I found on my mother-in-laws shelf. It's an old, outdated book that made me laugh when reading things like "a woman, if she is reasonable, does not expect a great deal of help from her husband". On the other hand it did have some good advice that I found helpful.

So here's your tip:

*Make a list of all the cleaning projects that you would do in your house daily, another list for weekly, and another list for monthly.

*Create a "cleaning schedule" by diving the work up to look something like this:

Monday:
Daily Chores, Laundry, Vacuum

Tuesday:
Daily Chores, Bathrooms, Dust

Wednesday:
Daily Chores, Vacuum

Thursday:
Daily Chores, Grocery Shopping, Dust

Friday:
Daily Chores, Vacuum


Daily Chores: pick up, dishes, sweep, mop, make beds

Monthly Chores: clean blinds/drapes, clean friday/pantry


Make a spread sheet if necessary, print it out, and post it on your fridge. Somewhere you can see it daily to remind you what needs to be done. You can make the schedule as elaborate or as simple as you want. Doing a few things each day instead of trying to cram it all into one day makes it easier and more enjoyable to clean.