Cupcakes Kisses 'n' Crumbs: wife life

Showing posts with label wife life. Show all posts

08 January 2017

What things can you do right now?

I can get overwhelmed when I think about my goals and how much WORK it is to get there. Sometimes it seems so daunting and I don't know where to start, if you can relate to this, join me and see if this helps you, no matter what your goals are! Taking baby steps to make it to the big steps!

Things I can do RIGHT now to move me towards my January goals!
Making time for myself
Schedule alone time! It's easy to say and put off. I am adding it to my planner. Just 1 thing so far

And I want to tell you how much I LOVE these pens! So smooth and fine!
You can find them HERE.

Diet Bet, staying hydrated, eating well
I am using MyFitnessPal, my water trackers in my planner, so cute right?

Meal planning is really what saves me. I put my dinner in and do breakfast and lunch around that to make it fit my goals.

Financial Goals, not eating out
Meal planning, and using my planner as best I can to thaw/prep in the morning! Set an alarm on my phone to prep dinner. Different times each day, we have a insane schedule in the evenings right now!

Kid Dates
Similar to making time for ME, making time for us, planning and putting it in the planner ahead of time (and fitting it in the not eating out budget) We won't be doing anything extravagant this month, but we will be using up some old expired groupons and gift cards for fancy coco dates.

House-Finish sanding cabinets, Organize Plan
I started keeping the sander IN the house as motivation. And my weekly organizing plan handy!
Sticking to my Weekly Cleaning so I still have FRIDAY free to get the organizing done!

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03 January 2017

January Goals

Already 3 days in and I feel behind! But I am starting with small steps, little chunks of the big goals!

Self~ MAKE TIME for myself, twice, even if it's something small like a trip to the gym

Health~ I joined a diet bet, nothing like the dread of losing money to motivate ya, right? Especially when it's ALL on me, 100% me. Little parts of this are staying hydrated and being aware of my food choices. I use something like these to track my water!

Financial~Eek, this is my least favorite to jump right in. So January I am taking it a bit easy, my only goals are to not eat out (besides what is planned), update all our debts/accounts and make a plan for the year.

Relationships~ Take each kiddo out once and one for hubby and I. NO PHONE (besides pictures)

If you struggle with phone time, the app InTheMoment

House~Finish sanding kitchen cabinets, finish the last door molding and 1 last floor board piece!

Stick to my Organizing Plan!

23 November 2016

1 Year To an Entirely Organized Home

First I want to say that I know January, when the kids are home, after a few weeks off, may not be the ideal time to start. So, why am I starting now then?! For many of us the holidays are stressful. I NEED an outlet. Cleaning/Organizing is my favorite healthy outlet! If January is not the right time for you, it's ok! There aren't specific dates for this, just a weekly plan.

We've been doing some purging together in our Facebook Group, it's helped me get rid of 275 ish things, and there are still plenty of days to go! I feel like I need to roll with that, before any clutter makes it's way back in!

I still try to do some organizing every week, usually on Friday. This fits right in with our current routine.

I've done this in the past (a couple houses ago) this is what that looked like

Sadly, many of those don't apply to our current home. Many still do though, and I have plenty of new things to add to this list. Taking the time now to make my list so I have a plan and can jump right in that first week! How perfect that the 1st is a Sunday? Just lines right up with this plan!

I hope you will join and take the ones that don't apply to you (like Chicken stuff) out, and add what you need, in! Post it to instagram and help others get inspired to spend more time with their family and less time dealing with clutter! Tag me! @OregonHousewife :) I am sure I have some giveaways happening for participants!

22 July 2016

Working on Productivity

When I first left my job, I was TERRIBLE at getting things done! I felt scattered and was easily distracted, floundering. And this was almost a decade ago, before cell phones could do all that neat stuff they do now! I knew we could do more fun stuff as a family if I could manage my day better.

My job is raising babies and keeping our house cozy. Working on projects here and there and a little work outside the home too. For you it might be juggling working from home, kids and school. This doesn't have to be just for the stay at home mom/homemaker.

I started to realize all the things I wasn't keeping up on throughout the week. Once I realized how much easier it would be to keep up on stuff I started with LISTS!

So here are some things I've done since then that have made *most* of my days pretty productive. Of course not everyday is that way. We all have rough days, knowing what it takes to get back on track makes those rough days no biggie!

Write It Down
Everything you WANT to get done that day. Make those goals big and give yourself grace, it's ok to leave some undone. Be realistic about what you CAN get done and optimistic about what you want to get done. I do this the night before often.

Pick Your Top 3 Must Do
And then do the most important first. I like to be fully caffeinated when I take on whatever that #1 job (besides taking care of the kids) is that day. I avoid ALL multi tasking for the first 3 tasks. I love multi tasking, but at the same time it's not always the best option for those important tasks.

Being Positive and Self Motivating
I try to start everyday with something positive. I kind of treat my to do list as a job, if I was doing this for someone else and being paid for it, how would I get it done. I didn't have a problem getting my work done at work. I just have to be the one to hold myself accountable.

Tiny Tasks
Those ones that will take 10-15 minutes but just keep getting pushed aside. I set my timer and just do what I can to knock a few of those out in however long I have before my next thing.

Breaks and Bribes
I am terrible at remembering to take breaks for healthy snacks, but after the first couple important tasks I try to do that. Energy is a must! On especially busy or rough days, I bribe myself with the promise of 10 minutes of my favorite time suck. Pinterest is usually my go to!

Routines
When you have things that are continually on your list. Daily, weekly or monthly. You will find it might be easier to add those to a routine. I LOVE the routines I have established after a couple months of focusing and not floundering. I've been doing about the same thing weekly since becoming a SAHM. It's about time to tweak that though. Life has just changed enough that things aren't quite right for our current routine.

When there are times when I am just not getting it done, I use some of these tips.

If it's been a long stretch of unproductive days, I have to get REALLY serious and evaluate what in the world I am spending my time on! Some people suggest writing down what you did in every hour. I feel like I would spend so much time writing. I usually know what my time sucks are. Pinterest, Facebook etc.

~I start saying NO to things that aren't a REALLY good match for our family. We skip some of those extra activities.

~I use those sneaky hours that slip away from us more often. Phone calls, and anything else that can be done from the car. So much time waiting in pickup lines and at sports. They add up, I start to make them a bit more useful.

~I also notice that when I am not feeling my best, or after and indulgent weekend of not eating the best, I am way less productive! Staying healthy really helps me.

Feel like you don't know where to start? I love this idea of spending a couple days of being REAL about where your time goes!

13 June 2016

Take Back Your Weekend .2

Organizing a Laundry Schedule!

The other thing that can really be a time suck on the weekends is LAUNDRY !

I've always aimed to not do any on the weekends, managing that is hard and takes planning to make sure we have uniforms clean and towels for showers! I use my planner, and can make a laundry schedule based on our games scheduled for the week. I also try to wash towels every Wednesday, that way I can clean the bathroom, sweep and toss the bath mat and cleaning rag straight in.

I needed a better way to keep track of what needed done, so many uniforms! Something more convenient than in my planner.

So I took this half painted cabinet in the laundry room

Put a few coats of chalkboard paint on it, got these cute labels, and it's been great!

I have terrible handwriting, not helped by only having a chalk stub left!

It's not perfect but it's good enough for me! I just update it Monday's with the weekly schedule and no more going back and fourth to my planner.

How do you stay on top of laundry?

26 May 2016

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/68730947131/

Homemakers who are discouraged, going to share some real life stuff with y'all. I am sure I am not the only one who has a hard time with this sometimes. It makes me sad when people say they wish they could organize like Suzie, cook like Martha, craft like so and so, had their friends house. We have to just stop already, all that time we (I am guilty of it too) are wasting wishing for something else when we can easily be doing just what we are meant to in our own homes!

I'm not going to tell you that everyone has messy spots in their house, cause I have no idea. I know that the internet, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook give a vibe of sunshine and roses and floors with no scratches. Also, I don't know what their priorities are, and I don't need to know. I need to know what mine are and focus on them! I will still love Pinterest and the like, and to check out other people's homes and style but I won't compare them to mine. For all I know they have a chef or eat out everyday, maybe they have no kids, maybe they sent their kids to camp for a week and staged their home for a bunch of pictures to be released over the next 5 months. Don't think that doesn't happen. I promise stuff like that is happening.

The point is, make your home with love for the people in it and know that wherever that leaves it, whether it's a garage full of stuff you can't part with all in a heap, or 5 perfectly staged bedrooms.It's fine, it's right. If you are making your priorities a priority, whatever they are for you and your family, and y'all feel happy at home then it's exactly perfect!

18 April 2016

Sports Night Meal Plan Round 2

Well last week was our first week of games, I was not very well prepared! This week though I have some meal ideas ready and am really hoping for no surprises this week! All of this weeks meals will be dished up into disposable cups, not my favorite but for 6-8 weeks it's just what works! Sometimes it's only 1 that has to eat on the way, for those nights that most of us can eat outside of the car, I am loving this picnic basket. Collapsible so it doesn't take a ton of room and insulated!

Monday

Shepard's pie

I'm making 2, 1 for the freezer! I just layer, ground turkey that is mixed with corn and a little gravy then mashed potatoes and cheese on top. Took us a while to find a combo the kids would eat.

Tuesday

Burritos

Leftover ground turkey, rice and seasoning with cheese.

Wednesday

Spaghetti

Ground turkey in hubby's but the kids are not a fan.

Thursday

Steak salad roll ups

I just use some thin cut steaks and roll them up with the salad fixens in romaine!

Friday

Teriyaki chicken ~~bowls~~ cups

Our kids just like rice, chicken, edamame and pineapple with teriyaki sauce.

Going to prep all the meat today to save time later in the week because I know I have a few busy mornings this week. I need to try some new recipes too, just a little worried our picky eaters will be starving at their games if it's a no go.

06 April 2016

Spring Sports Life Prep

It's Baseball/Softball/T-Ball Season!

And things are already crazy! This year we added an additional insane element to our spring schedule. I'm coaching one of the teams, yikes! And we also just added running club 2 days a week, because I don't know how not be overly busy I guess.

What this all means for me as a mama and wife is that I need to have my act together. Bad news? I don't, not even close!

I need to have some better dinner options that are easy and filling and also get my schedule for 3 teams down. Our gear better organized in the cars. I need a Spring Sports Survival Guide!

Where is that?!

This Mama knows what I am talking about!

I'm going to need some ideas! I see some late night Pinterest browsing in my future! Follow me and send me your favorites! https://www.pinterest.com/brittanieg/

I am hoping to have a meal plan in place for next week, when our games start and maybe my car will have everything I need in it too!

Fall Sports had me doing the same thing. HERE
But since then it has fallen out of organization BIG TIME!

Any favorite organizing tips for the car?

22 January 2016

Organizing Friday {Week 3}

Last week was HARD! But I am amazed at how messy and unorganized it all was!

After taking care of all of the drawers and cupboards I actually have a whole empty cupboard and 2 empty drawers! What?!

Here are the after pictures, it's still ugly and unpainted and not any different on that aspect. The good news is hubby got to replace the ugly old pipes under the sink. Bad news? It didn't fix the kitchen drain issue we were having, so we won't be doing anything fun in there for a while. Plumbers are spendy!

Can't wait to move the microwave OFF the counter!

No idea what I will eventually use this for.

Or this one!

This is my favorite drawer! My coffee drawer!

This week is Pantry and Food Storage. If I was being smart I would have looked ahead I wouldn't have spent the little time I did on that, last week. Should make this week easy though!

We have a tiny pantry compared to what we used to have. Still adjusting and not over buying at the grocery store has been a HUGE challenge. It doesn't look so bad right now. Not that it looks good, cause I know it doesn't!

I really want to make it pretty and practical! That's a hard combo with grubby handed kids 😐

15 January 2016

Organizing Friday Week 2

I'm Following along with the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge.

Last week was sink and counters! Got that done but I'm a little, no scratch that, a lot scared of this week!

Here are my before and after from last week.

And After

Eventually we will get those wires taken care of and move the microwave in here. It's on the LONG list of things to do. But it hasn't been a priority yet.

Under the sink is much better too, we didn't redo the pipes yet but the pink stuff is gone and so are the spiders!

I grabbed a basket that will fit under here for recycling, instead of using the counter top. And the little tin is the perfect size for corralling dishwasher tabs, sponges and dish soap.

This week is kitchen cabinets and drawers.
Ours have really been abused since we moved in. Moving stuff here and there while we sand/paint etc. You get the point, it's a disaster!

Just a few of them. Some are worse than others.

It's going to take me all day today and probably a little of my free time next week to finish this up.

Let's see yours! Drawers and Cabinets take a lot of work to keep up!

Any amazing tricks for keeping them organized?

07 January 2016

Oil Pulling Newbie

I've been reading SO much about Oil Pulling and all the benefits of it but was a little hesitant to try it. It sounds a bit on the gross side and not super convenient to do.

After seeing what I had in my stash, I decided to try and make some pre-measured oils and that would make the only reason I hadn't tried it the gross factor.

I am ordering this tray because it does a lot! And I have some homemade gummy elderberry attempts coming up too!

I mixed my coconut oil with a few drops of essential oil. Peppermint and Clove (individually, not together) poured them in the molds and let them set then I moved them to an airtight container. I started with a little less than most sites recommend because I don't know that I could do that much to start with.

With 6 of us there is pretty much a guarantee that someone will have some ailment, rash, condition that we could work on with natural options. I feel like that could be a full time job if I let it. Starting with this and seeing if I notice a difference before jumping into the next thing.

Have you tried oil pulling? Any other natural remedy you swear by?

04 January 2016

{Fresh} Morning Routine Part 2

Rise and SHINE

I don't care how EFFECTIVE your routine is, or how many things you can cram into the time you set for yourself, if you are miserable doing it, then it's just not right.

2 hours is what I can do in the morning. Most mornings our kids catch the bus right after 7 so getting up at 5 would be my 2 hours. This won't be the same for everyone, I am not saying you have to get up at 5. You decide how much time you need in the morning.

Maybe you aren't naturally a morning person? I am, a little. I find that music in the morning helps me get going as does getting enough sleep (or as close as I can).

I don't know if there is any 1 way to make it work but these are some tips that I either use, or have used in the past and worked overall, maybe some will work for you too!

~Give yourself some grace. Every morning isn't going to go well, but don't give up!

Waking up early is HARD!

~Important things first. Prioritize your time. What is important to you will likely be different than what's important to others. Make this YOUR thing :) Getting those important things done first helps set the tone for a productive morning.

~I talked about enjoying the morning, not always easy I know. Try candles, diffuse some oil, good music, maybe a splurge type coffee creamer, open those curtains or get ready for the day first thing. I feel better if I'm put together. Do something that makes YOU feel accomplished or is a stress for you, pay bills, balance the checkbook and get it over with.

~Get up before your kids! This is no secret to getting stuff done in the morning. However, at our house it's also not really possible. So don't scrap the early bird stuff just because your kids get up early too! We implement quiet time in bedrooms, or getting dressed etc (more coming soon). that way I still have a teeny tiny bit of alone time.

What are 1 or 2 things you do in the morning to feel good?

02 January 2016

{Fresh} Morning Routine

For sure my morning routine is NOT Fresh and hasn't been working for months,
maybe even a whole year or more!

I've shared about mornings and how we do them. Except that was 2 houses and a baby ago. We really needed an overhaul. January is the perfect time. If I can get up when it's freezing and dark out then it will just get easier as the mornings get lighter and warmer. Not sure how much it will change from what we were doing before, but we did have some changes that require some altering of our routine.

Quick list of reasons WHY we do morning routines. Key word is routine, not schedule!

~We have 4 kids
~Not a fan of being late

~My Sanity

~Calm and Happy Mornings

No one likes mornings where we are frazzled, stressed and rushing. Routines help me to make our mornings productive and peaceful.

I don't want it to come across as a mission to get MORE done,
but a mission to get what needs to be done, done BETTER.

How long does a routine take? Depends on what YOU choose! Super basic could be 20 minutes. I am going to give it 2 hours every morning and be intentional with every minute of it.

Just dedicating those 2 hours gives the rest of my day a super start. I get more done and feel better about things.

I can't tell you how much easier it is if you ENJOY your routine.
If you hate what you do every morning, that is just going to be ROUGH! Mornings set the tone for the entire day. I have to constantly choose to be happy and thankful that I can do all this stuff and it makes the whole day better. I will share some more ideas about making it enjoyable soon.

Part 1. What do I want to accomplish before the day really starts?

Knowing what I want/need to get done will help me make a plan. You in? What do you want your mornings to look like?
Part 2. Rise And SHINE
How I make mornings shine (as best I can)

Part 3. Night Prep
Make the most of your night to make your mornings work

Part 4. Kids Routine
Help to make their morning run smooth too!

15 October 2015

Cozy Fall Home Essentials

Fall just calls for WARM and COZY!

Warm colors and warm drinks, comfort food and pumpkin everything!

We have Halloween stuff up until Halloween, but usually right after Trick or Treating I pack it all up while we unwind. I am on the hunt for Fall stuff, not Thanksgiving, just Fall.
I am NOT looking for all things pumpkin or leaves. I am just choosing a couple colors that already go with our home, which is mostly grey, black, white and browns. I am maybe looking to add a little orange to that mix and some yellow and a touch of gold.
Some things I am watching my favorite resell pages and thrift shops for:

A couple pillows like these!