I'm Back & Tuesday's Tip

I'm back. Did ya miss me? It was nice to take a little break from blogging and just focus on being with my family. I have to say it was quite nice, but I did miss writing a little, so I'm back at it. Today it's gloomy and rainy here in Nashville, so it's a perfect day to stay inside. I just dropped the girls off at preschool and I've got a laundry list of stuff that needs to be done around the house, so without further adieu, I bring you my Tuesday's Tip.

I decided that my Tuesday's Tip from now until Christmas will be all about great gift ideas. So I will start with something I purchased on Black Friday. This is a fun one and it didn't break the bank. Don't you love those? Normally this card set is $5, but I got it on sale for $3.99 at Target. Really, is there any other place to shop I say? Have you seen these cards? We love to play scrabble at home and I thought this would be a fun way for the girls to learn to spell.

As you can see on the box it's recommended for kids 8 and up, but since I was going to use this more as a teaching tool then it didn't really matter. This will be fun for Brian and I to play after the girls go to bed instead of watching t.v.

Speaking of t.v., Sydney started screaming and crying this morning for me to put the t.v. back in the playroom. It was out of the blue because she hadn't mentioned it since we removed it over a week ago. I decided to distract her with the cards instead. We had so much fun. We went down to the kitchen and while I made lunches she sat at the island and started playing with the cards. She loved it. She kept asking me how to spell things. I would make her find the letters and then I would show her where they went. We practiced spelling her name.

I can't wait to do this with Brooklyn and see what words she can spell. This would make a great stocking stuffer. Another tip, there is also a $1 coupon inside the box so if you want to give Scrabble Slam as a gift you can save some money too. Happy Shopping!

A Thankful Heart

I'm sitting down for the first time today and it feels oh so good. I'm in my cozy sweats all nice and warm. It has been a busy day. It started bright and early with the Habitrot 5K race, benefiting our local Habitat for Humanity. We have done this race since 2004. My entire family runs it and we do so in memory of Zoe and this year in memory of Jonathan too. It's such a fun time, although this morning was warm and windy, 35 mile an hour winds to be exact. It made for an interesting race. After the race we go down the street to Krispy Kreme. It's a good thing we walk/run so we can eat all those calories.

Dinner was at our house so I was busy cleaning and getting things prepared. We had so much food. We will be eating leftover for days. The fam is downstairs preparing their black Friday strategy. My whole family spends the night at our house because we are so close to all the shopping. It looks like my sisters and I will be hitting Walmart at 12:01. There is a great deal on something I want to get the girls for Christmas. I actually like doing the shopping at midnight because then I can go home and sleep in.

I have had some time to do some reflecting about all the things I am thankful for. It has been a really hard year. The toughest of my life, but I am thankful that the Lord has never left my side. He has been there through the worst of it. I know He has a plan and I truly rest in that, whatever it may be. I am thankful He gave me my amazing husband. Brian is my rock and I don't know what I would do without him. I am blessed to have my girls. They keep me going when I want to quit. I look at them and see a glimpse of Heaven. I love being their mommy. Thank you Lord for blessing me with Brooklyn and Sydney. I am thankful for my mom, dad and my sisters. They have been a blessing to me in the midst of the storm. I love you all so much. I could go on and on and even though this is a tough day for me in some regards, I choose to see what I do have instead of what I don't. It doesn't mean I don't miss my sweet babies or miss being pregnant with Jonathan, but I know where they are and that brings me comfort.
I'm thankful for all of you who read my blog and continue to come back. Thank you for your kind words and prayers over the last 3 months. You don't know what that has meant to me. I stand in awe of how many people have prayed for me and my family, most of them I don't even know personally. I am thankful for the opportunity to share my heart and my life with you. I count it a privilege and promise to do my best with what I have been given.

I pray that you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I would love to hear about your Black Friday Deals if you have any let me know.

Tuesday's Tip-Free Thanksgiving Art

I found some great FREE Thanksgiving art courtesy of a blog I follow, Craftily Ever After and I thought I would share it with you. I downloaded it (she gives you step by step instructions on how to download them) and then had 8x10's printed off at Costco for $1.49 each. You can skip that step and print it off on your computer if you want as well. I then went to JoAnns and scored on some frames. I had coupons so each frame cost me only $5. So for $6.50 each, I have some great artwork I can use every year.


She's got some other fun things on her site too. I'm making the pilgrim hat cookies for the kids dessert on Thanksgiving. I just saw that she already has a Christmas downloadable. Yeah!

Update on the Intervention

I wanted to post a quick update on the intervention since some of you have asked. We're in day 3 and it's going really well. Sydney woke up this morning and immediately started playing. She and Brooklyn played in the playroom, while I got some cleaning done, for over 2 hours. Not once did she mention the word t.v. It was pure bliss.

I have to say that it's a much calmer environment. I was in a better mood this morning as well. We replaced our t.v. with a little stereo we had in another room and I turned on some music while the girls played. Our local Christian radio station is already playing Christmas music and the girls loved it. They were singing along while they played with their toys.

We do have a t.v. in our great room right off of the kitchen and they were able to watch two 1/2 hour shows while I cleaned the kitchen in preparation for Thanksgiving at our house on Thursday. I made an observation that was really interesting. Before the t.v. was turned on late this morning, the girls, especially Sydney, was a peach. She got along great with her sister and was just overall in a good mood. After the t.v. was on for a bit, it all went downhill from there. I'm not sure why that is, but for Sydney, t.v. does something to her mood.

We're doing baby steps here, but eventually I would love for them to not watch any t.v. at all. We'll see if we get to that place or not, but for now, taking the t.v. out of the playroom and limiting their viewing time, is the place to start.

I highly recommend this if you are thinking about doing it. I can't tell you how glad I am that we took the t.v. away. I'm actually looking forward to making a little extra money by selling the 2 t.v.'s that we have, (the other is in the basement). It will come in handy for Christmas. Overall I just love coming up the stairs and seeing two little tables where the kids can sit and do artwork and read a book. It's just so much more calming. Give it a try and see how your kids do. It's worth a shot.

The Intervention

When Brian and I got married almost 10 years ago, there was one thing we decided not to do when we got married. This came highly recommended from a friend of his who had been married for a long time. He told Brian that he shouldn't put a t.v. in the master bedroom. I remember when Brian first told me about the conversation he had with his friend I thought he was nuts. My whole single life I always had a t.v. in my room and I just assumed when you got married you carried on with that tradition. I have to be honest, I wasn't totally sold on the idea, but I went along with it to be a good wife.

Can I tell you it was probably one of the best decisions we have ever made in our marriage. I don't miss it at all. We're able to talk and pray together before falling asleep instead of letting the t.v. put us to sleep. We also decided that we would never let the kids have a t.v. in their rooms either, so it shocked me when Sydney, who is just 3, came up and asked me if she could have a t.v. in her room. Over my dead body I told her. You may disagree with me on my stance here with children having t.v.'s in their room and that's ok, but I just don't think it's healthy for a child to have a t.v. in their room, period. I believe we are raising a generation of young people who would sit in front of a t.v. all day long if we let them. I'm speaking from experience here and it's not something I am proud of. Gone are the days that kids went outside and played until the street lights came on. Do you remember those days? I do and they were wonderful and I want my girls to have that same experience.

I have come to the conclusion, over the last month or so, that Sydney is addicted to television. She needed an intervention. The child could sit there all day and watch it if I let her. I have to say that over the last couple of months since losing Jonathan, the girls have watched more t.v. than I would have liked, but there were some days I just couldn't get out of bed and so unfortunately the t.v. became the babysitter. I'm sure most moms can relate to that. It's not something I beat myself up over, but it was the truth, and something needed to be done about it.

On Friday night I told Brian what I wanted to do and he supported me all the way. Saturday morning we took the big flatscreen out of our playroom upstairs. Sydney went ballistic. I knew she would, but I was not prepared for the major tantrum she was going to throw. It broke my heart. Not because she was crying, but because of the fact she loved t.v. so much. She carried on for about 20 minutes until daddy took her downstairs. She just kept saying, "Don't take my t.v.. Please don't take my t.v. away". It reassured me I was doing the right thing.

Now the upstairs hang out has become a place where we can read books and play games as a family and I love it. It is so peaceful coming up the stairs and not seeing that big box staring back at me. I'm going one step further and posting the t.v. on Craig's List tonight. I want it gone. I don't want any temptation for putting it back. We've also decided to drop our cable to the very basic channels. Now that's a really big step for us, but one I feel our family needs to take. Sydney wasn't the only one addicted. I too was addicted. I'm a person that would have it on even if no one was home just for the noise. Anyone else do that? I guess I just wanted some company. Since our loss, I have turned off the t.v. and turned on the praise music. It is something that has helped in my healing process. I can't tell you what a comfort it is to my soul.

Here's what I have realized. Life is so short and I don't want to regret the hours I spent in front of the t.v. when I could have been making memories with my children. I want my children to remember the fun and active things we did as a family and not the movies they watched.

I would love to hear from you if you have taken this step in your family. Maybe you have removed the t.v. from your home all together. I would love to get to that point (we still have 2 t.v.'s left in the house). I think I'm just looking for some moral support because I know this is not going to be easy.

Well off to post on Craig's list. If you are in the Nashville area and would like to buy a 52 inch flatscreen let me know. Ha. :)

What Not To Wear

Do you remember my brother-in-law Eddy? If you are new to my blog, then you might not know about Uncle Eddy, as my girls call him. Click here to meet him.

Eddy is going to be on an episode of TLC's "What Not To Wear" tomorrow night (FRI 11/19) at 9 p.m. (EST).
He plays a groom. I can't wait to see it. I've seen him on t.v. before, but they've been local commercials. This is big time. Way to go Eddy.

Eddy moved temporarily to Chicago where he signed a modeling contract with an agency. He's really liking the city, who wouldn't, but we miss having him here in Nashville.

So set your DVR's and tune in to "What Not to Wear" tomorrow night. Don't be late. I believe his little bit is at the very beginning.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

So do you want to know who one the book giveaway? Well, then you have to watch the video.

In case you are having troubles viewing the video, Jaclyn, you are our winner. Congratulations. Please email me your address at hopeinthewaiting@gmail.com and I will get the book out to you. If you would like to order a copy of "And Then You Were Gone", please click here and you can order it from the author's website. Like I said in my last post, I highly recommend the book. It will bring you comfort and peace if you have suffered the loss of a pregnancy. Maybe you have a friend who has lost a child and don't know how to help. This book would be a perfect gift to give them. Thank you again Becky for giving a book away to our lucky winner and for writing such an inspiring book.

Giveaway

Sorry I've been MIA for the last few days, but I had a good reason. Brian and I got to get away for the weekend, thanks to my parents and sisters who watched the girls. It was much overdue and we had a blast. We went here. Have you been? It was amazing. Brian and I had never been to Asheville, NC and since it's only about 5 hours from Nashville, we thought it would be a great place to spend some time together. Here is the Biltmore at night. It's quite breathtaking. I will be posting more photos later this week once I've had some time to get them downloaded.

On another note, I am doing my first giveaway on my blog and I am so excited about it. I got a chance to read an awesome book this weekend and I cannot tell you how much it has ministered to me. I felt a real connection with the author and her story. The name of the book is "And Then You Were Gone", by Becky Avella.
I am praying that the Lord knows just the right person who needs to read this book. If you would like to win a copy of this book, please leave me a comment. All you have to say is that you would love to read the book. That's it. Super simple. The comments are numbered and on Wednesday morning, I will have Brooklyn draw a number out of a hat. Maybe it will be you. If you know someone who has suffered a pregnancy loss, please tell them to stop by and enter to win. I know it will minister to their heart.

Therapy

Interior design is therapy for me. After losing my son Jonathan, stillborn, in August, I needed something I could do to help me cope with his sudden loss. I became addicted to interior design blogs, mostly ones that took old and ugly furniture and made them beautiful with a little elbow grease and a fresh coat of paint. One of my favorite blogs is Mustard Seed Creations. Don't you love the name? Her blog is awesome. She is hosting a Furniture Feature Friday and I decided to join in.

My first project in the house was to redo our formal dining room. I love this room because it can handle my big farm house table. This table was one of the first things I bought when we moved into our new house 3 years ago. It's also one of my steals. I purchased it for $300. I just love it.

I used to have 8 leather chair around the table, but I decided it just wasn't my style, so I posted them on Craig's List and in a few days they were gone. I wonder if the guy who started Craig's List is really named Craig? I don't care what his name is, I heart him. Anywho, I decided to look on Craig's List for some chairs I could re purpose and I found these:


I loved the lines of these chairs and the detail on the front and back of the chairs, but that's where my love stopped. The fabric was stained and not my taste. I also knew I wanted them to be black. Some people will probably cringe when they find out that I spray painted the chairs, but I loved how they turned out. After I lightly sanded each of the chairs, it was time for the paint. FYI, I recommend wearing a glove when you do this unless you want black nails.
I chose Rust-oleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover in Semi-Gloss. I only had to do one coat. Yes, one coat. It covered beautifully. All I needed to do next was to recover the seats. I needed just a little over a yard of fabric to recover all 4 chairs. Easy peasy! I think I may take a little sandpaper and distress them a bit. What do ya think? To sand or not to sand. That is the question.

Here's the breakdown of the cost: 4 chairs: $100, fabric: $20.00 and 4 cans of spray paint: $14. For $134 dollars, I got a whole new set of dining room chairs. The best part, I had fun doing it. Here's a sneak peak of my dining room. I am looking for the perfect bench to go on the front side of the table. This beauty is my next project. I got an even killer deal on this chair and her 3 sisters. These are gorgeous Italian chairs in perfect condition. Once again, I found them on Craig's List. I got 2 arm chairs and 2 side chairs for....drumroll please....$125. I mean really? The poor guy told me he had gotten 8 of these chairs custom made and shipped from Italy. Each chair was well over $300 a piece. He bought them for an office that he was leasing out and then he sold the building and didn't need them anymore and so they became mine.

Now here's where I need your help. The blue fabric obviously has to go. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Where I am stuck is do I leave the chair as is and just change the fabric or do I paint the wood and caning black? I'm sure a few of you just shouted at your computer screen "What is that girl thinking. Is she crazy to paint that chair?" I just might be.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I could use the help. I have to figure it out quickly because I am hosting Thanksgiving in just 2 weeks. Yikes. No stress.

I'm Being Featured

My sweet friend Alethea has recently entered the blog world. She is doing a series this week called Go Get'em Girls and she asked me if I would participate. Of course, I said yes. Every day she is featuring a woman who has gotten an idea and worked hard to make that idea a reality. Please hop on over to her blog I'm Domestic...not Dead and check out my interview with her.

Alethea writes about all things domestic, but she does it in a very funny way. She is a great writer and I'm inspired every time I check out her blog. I hope you enjoy it.

If you are coming over from I'm Domestic...not Dead, welcome. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon.

Tuesday's Tip-So NOT your Happy Meal

I had another Tuesday's Tip planned for today, but I decided I wanted to share this tip with you instead. I can't get it out of my mind after reading the article and I had to tell as many people I know. I even posted it on Facebook.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile now, you will know I am into healthy eating and natural ingredient body products that are good for me and my family. My school of thought is this, if I buy organic, then my family is getting healthy food about 80% of the time. That way, when we eat, out I don't stress about whether or not the food is organic. I only know of a couple of restaurants where I can eat out and know they have a selection of organic or natural foods. Those 2 being Jason's Deli and Chipotle. I hope more restaurants will follow suit.

More and more people are choosing to buy organic because they know the health benefits of it. I heard this quote once that has stuck with me. "You pay for your health now, or you pay for it later". Meaning, you pay a little extra now for good quality food or you pay for it later in health problems and medical bills. Either way, you will pay. I choose to pay more now for my family's health and wellbeing.

This article didn't come as a big shock to me. I've never been a fan of the Golden Arches. My girls have never had a happy meal. The only time we go to McD's is to play on their playground in the winter when it's too cold to go outside. I also saw Super Size Me about 6 years ago and that movie got me thinking. I knew that their hamburgers never rotted even after months of being in a room, but I had no idea about the chicken. I do now.

Here is a list of ingredients in their chicken products:

"White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning (autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary), sodium phosphates, seasoning (canola oil, mono- and diglycerides, extractives of rosemary).

Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch.

Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness).

TBHQ and Dimethylpolysiloxane are the biggest culprits. Do you know what these ingredients are? I didn't, until I read them.

Dimethyl polysiloxane, is a type of silicone with anti-foaming properties used in cosmetics and a variety of other goods like Silly Putty.

Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a petroleum-based product with antioxidant properties. The latter, TBHQ, is typically listed as an "antioxidant," but it's important to realize it is a SYNTHETIC chemical with antioxidant properties – NOT a natural antioxidant.

So why do they put this in the chicken that their consumers will eat? Bottom line. So it will last longer and not spoil. The chemical prevents oxidation of fats and oils, thereby extending shelf life of processed foods. It's a commonly used ingredient in processed foods of all kinds, but you can also find it in varnishes, lacquers, pesticide products, as well as cosmetics and perfumes to reduce the evaporation rate and improve stability.

Are you grossed out yet? The article goes on to say what these chemicals can do to your body. Imagine what they can do to a small 30 pound child? I encourage you to read the full article here.

I am not perfect when it comes to eating. My husband will tell you that, but I try really hard. I hope this post doesn't come across condescending to those of you who like to eat at McDonald's. I am in no way standing in judgement. Please hear me in saying I am not telling you to not eat at McD's. I posted this merely to educate people to find out what really is in the foods that we eat.

I highly recommend another movie, Food Inc, if you haven't seen it. It will rock your world. I think you can rent it at Red Box. I always wondered how the food I eat got to my stores and restaurants. Now I know. It will also make you feel for all the small farmers out there trying to raise their crops and animals the right way. My husband comes from a long line of farmers and it sickens me to know what the big corporations are doing to the local farmers. If you can buy local, please do. You are getting great quality food and helping out families in the mean time.

I hope you have found this helpful. I would love to hear your thoughts about this, positive or negative. Please leave me a comment. I always read every one.

Disclaimer: This is my opinion. I do not get paid to endorse any products that I suggest. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on t.v. I am just a mom who enjoys researching the ingredients in the products my family uses and the foods that we eat. Thank you.

Team Lord Brings It Home

It's been an eventful sports weekend in the Lord house. As you know, Brian ran in the Ragnar Relay and his team did awesome. They finished 2 1/2 hours ahead of schedule. They were so pumped. They finished 4th in their age group and 64th out of 160 teams. Not to shabby. He was only able to sleep an hour during their break time, so by the time he got home he was exhausted. We all joined him for nap time and slept from 4-7. Not ideal because then we were all up until 10:00 p.m., but thankfully we gained an hour sleep. Yeah!

I know I have told you this before Brian, but I am so proud of you. Proud of you for organizing your team and pulling it all together. I know you've had a stressful time with everything that has happened and I'm just glad it all went well and now you can relax.


Brooklyn had her last soccer game of the season on Saturday. I hate that daddy had to miss it because she rocked. Seriously, I was so proud of her. This was her first season to play and at the beginning I was thinking we had made a mistake. She did not want to be out on the field. It was like pulling teeth to get her to play. She literally cried and didn't want to go out and play. It was one of the first times as a parent that I really didn't know how to handle the situation. Do I let her quit or do I tell her to just try her best and make her play?

Here's where I get "The mom of the year award". I bribed her. Yes, you heard me right. I told her she could get a Zhu Zhu pet if she went out there and played her hardest. Amazing what can happen when you offer up a toy. It was a miracle. The child got out onto the field and hustled. So that's how I got her to play. Thankfully, in the meantime, she fell in love with the game.

Fast forward to this Saturday. She was so excited to play. She told me she was going to score 2 goals before the game. They called a water break about 10 minutes into the game and she came over crying hysterically. I asked her what was wrong and she said she was upset that she didn't score any goals. She thought the game was over. I started cracking up and told her that it was just a break and that she could get back out there and score. That's exactly what she did. She didn't score 2 goals, but 5. Yep, 5 goals. I couldn't believe it. I was proud of her for the goals, but more proud of how she got out there and played her heart out. She would fall and get back up and hustle to the ball. It was like I was watching a totally different child.
So I guess I will be signing her up for Spring soccer next week. It does my heart good to know that she is liking the game that her mommy and aunties loved growing up. Who knows what the soccer future holds for her, but as long as she loves it and is having fun, I will encourage her to play. I was all set to post all these cute pictures I took of her at the game on Saturday until I went to take the photo card out of my camera and realized I didn't have one in the whole time. I am such a dork. Seriously, who does that? I am so bummed. Oh well. There's always next season. (This video is from the goal she scored last week. Thankfully my friends got all 5 goals on video yesterday and will be giving me a disk so daddy can see them. Thanks Brandi & Phillip).

The Long Run-Part 2

Brian and the team are doing great. I spoke to him around 8:00 and they were 30 minutes ahead of schedule. He said it was cold, but that he did really well, faster than what he expected to run. I can tell he and the team are having a blast. They are supposedly eating tacos and doing Karaoke while they wait for their van to be up again to run. I hope someone is recording it.

Speaking of video. They are doing little snippets while they are there and posting them on to Facebook, so I thought I would share some here. Brian is the one you can hear narrating the video.


His next run is around 3 am and the temp is supposed to be about 25 degrees. I'm praying they can keep their energy up and bring it on home. They will be getting back to our house around 5:45 a.m. where they will get to sleep for about 5 hours before they have to run again. The girls and I spent the night at my parents so they could have all the beds and the peace and quiet.

They are running for a great cause. They are raising money to feed children in the Dominican Republic. I am personally donating $1 for every comment left on yesterday's post and today's post. I would really appreciate your help. Please don't make me beg. :)

The Long Run

Brian will run from Chattanooga to Nashville tomorrow. Crazy right? I think so anyway. Ok, so let me explain. He's not actually running the whole way himself. He is part of a team of 12 runners (2 vans of 6 runners) who will each take a different leg of the race. It's called the Ragnar Relay and starts off at the Chattanooga Riverfront and ends at the Nashville Riverfront. He is pretty pumped about it. The best part is when the team is done, Lonestar will be doing a concert for them. How cool is that? I may brave the crowd and take the girls. I love Lonestar.

In all, there will be 160 teams of 12 runners. That's a whole lot of runners, about 2000 to be exact. Brian will be running his first leg of 6.5 miles over Monteagle sometime around 5:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. He will run his second leg of 4 miles, in Shelbyville, at 3:30 am Sat. morning when it's 25 degrees. Yikes! He loves running in the cold so I know he will be fine, but I just pray he's safe in the dark. He'll be wearing a headlamp and a runners vest so he can be spotted easily. I just pray there aren't alot of cars on the road or drunk drivers. I've been assured that this is a very well planned out race and they've taken every precaution to keep the runners safe.

Brian's team is running for a good cause. They are raising money for Servant's Heart Ministry. It's a program that feeds children in the Dominican Republic. Just $1 provides a meal for 1 child. I would love for you to support this ministry if you are able to do so. Even if you can just donate $1 you will help 1 child have a hot meal. You can donate here. Also, for every comment I receive on this post, I will donate $1 to Servant's Heart. I would love to see how many kids we can feed.

Thank you for your support and please pray for all the runners tomorrow and Saturday. You can follow Brian and the team on Twitter to see where they are in the race.

Tuesday's Tip-Cleaning Schedule

Today's Tip has rocked my cleaning world and I wanted to share it with you. It's not rocket science, but it has helped me keep a clean and organized house. I created my schedule back in June and have been loving it. Before that, I was kind of fly by the seat of your pants, when it came to cleaning. That wasn't workin for me, so I had to come up with something else. We have 2 floors and a basement in our house, so I decided to tackle the cleaning by floors.

Top Floor

Vacuum-Monday

Dust-Monday

Bathrooms-Tuesday

Wash Linens & Towels-Tuesday

Wash Clothes-Wednesday

Main Floor

Dust-Wednesday

Bathroom-Wednesday

Wash Hardwoods-Thursday

Vacuum-Thursday

Basement

Vacuum-Saturday

Bathroom-Saturday

Dust-Saturday

This schedule allows me to get my cleaning done quickly and efficiently. It leaves me more time for the girls and less stressed, plus I always know what comes next. Now you are probably looking at this list and thinking, this girl only has to do laundry one day a week? That's not entirely true, but pretty close. I probably do 1 or 2 small loads on another day. It's usually my husbands workout clothes that have to be washed almost as soon as he gets done working out. That boy can sweat. (Love you babe). Plus I discovered a product that has helped me do laundry quicker and in bigger loads. You will have to stay tuned for next weeks tip and I will let you in on the secret.

While we're on the cleaning subject, I want to thank some sweet friends of mine for a great gift. After they found out about losing Jonathan, they decided to pitch in and get me a cleaning lady. Talk about an amazing gift. I was so blessed by their generosity. I can say that the last thing you want to do when you are grieving is scrub a toilet. I could've cared less about the condition of my house, that's for sure. I felt that way for about 2 months. I just didn't have the energy to deal with it. Thankfully, I didn't have to.

Since it's impossible to write thank you notes to everyone that showed us love and support during this difficult time, I wanted to thank these girls publicly. I know you know who you are, but I am gonna include your names so that I can look back years later and remember who gave me this special gift. Thank you to: Brandy G, Angela D, Sonya H, Cindy C, Shelli N, Taryn F, Kim C, MaryAnn M and Melinda M.

I hope this Tuesday's Tip has been helpful to you. Happy Cleaning!