Hope for the Weary Mom

Finally! A book for moms that is funny, relate-able, AND points women to the only true source of hope - Christ!! Mom bloggers turned authors - Thacker and McGlothlin - have made the difficult crossover successfully. Turning blog posts into a book with well written chapters, they give personal examples of how their struggles as moms are real and the only real source of strength and hope for any tired, worn-out mom is Jesus Christ.
I've read funny books that point to self as the answer. I've read Christ-centered books that are finger-pointing or unrealistic. It's hard to find a well-written book that is entertaining, encouraging and Christ-centered for moms who want to be real in their parenting and faith. This book is all that - I loved "Hope for the Weary Mom: Where God Meets You in Your Mess".

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5. Save a little, share a lot

So, when I went to put away the "Save for sister" extra winter-wear, I was met with this huge monster of "Way too many hand-me-downs". Don't get me wrong - I am so thankful for friends and family who have over the years shared clothes with us when their kids have out-grown them. We have been very blessed!! In my goal to organize, however, I feel the need to share the love. So here is how I plan to tame this wild pile:

1. Reduce: Most of this pile is stuff that my oldest has out-grown that I'm saving for the other 2 girls. I'm going to guess however, that 2 tubs and 4 bags of girl's size 10-12 is probably more than one little girl can wear...ever. So each size only gets 2 tubs - one for winter clothes, one for spring/summer. Everything that doesn't fit in the tubs goes in the garage sale/donation pile.

2. Reuse (only what they will wear): I think I could fill several tubs with jeans, but my girls don't even like to wear them! So I will only keep 1-2 pair of nice jeans per size and get rid of the rest (hard choices!). I really have to think about what kinds of clothes my kids like wearing before I put them in the tub. Just because it's cute, doesn't mean it will get worn in this house - sorry sweaters, turtlenecks, and itchy material - you're out!

3. Recycle: I hate throwing away useful things - so I'll try to be creative here - ripped or torn clothes, you have 3 options:
A. mending pile - only if it will really be worn again
B. Rag pile - my hubby likes to use old t-shirts and such as rags when working in the garage
C. Craft pile - ripped jeans can be turned into all sorts of cute art projects. (I know I can only keep what will fit in the allotted craft space though).

4. Baby steps - obviously this task will be overwhelming if I try to attempt it all in one sitting - so, my goal will be to sort through one size at a time or spend 1 hour sorting, whatever comes first. I'll keep you updated on my progress!

4. Baby it's Cold Outside

Project #4 - Cleaning out the coat closet

Between Christmas and New Year's we got several inches of snow. My kids love to play in the snow. Granted, it takes 20 minutes to get 4 kids bundled up and they usually only last outside for 45 minutes - it gets them out of the house, gets their bodies moving and wears them out (after several days of being cooped up, we all need this!)

This means we had to pull out all the hats, mittens, snowsuits - everything in the coat closet - to see what fits each kid. What a perfect opportunity to get rid of all the leftover stuff that doesn't fit anyone anymore!

1. Save for sister - with 3 girls, most stuff gets passed down -  those coats that don't fit the older two get packed away to save until someone grows into it.

2. Bye-bye misfits - I feel sad for lonely gloves - but after a thorough search for a mate - misfits get tossed.

3. Anything still in good shape that won't be passed down gets donated.

4. If we have more than 2 of something in any one size - the extras get donated - I know that there's many kids who don't have enough warm winter clothes to wear - it makes me so grateful that my kids have more than enough and all the more willing to share the surplus!!

3.1 Creative organizing for my Crafts

Project #3 The Craft Self

Or more accurately, the entire bookcase and desk and drawers and...
We really like arts and crafts in this house - my second daughter especially - she can turn anything into an art project and I mean anything!! But corralling all the supplies and finished projects has been, well to say the least, difficult. So here are my tips/goals for our art supplies:

1. My Scrapbooking Materials - ok, so I think I bit off more than I can chew with this project! I started off strong with this task - using a 3-drawer plastic storage container next to my craft desk for easy access. All my stamping stuff in one drawer, the paper scraps took a whole drawer and the top drawer for little things like pens, scissors, etc. Then, I found a pile of pictures and my organizing motivation was out the window! I wanted to sit and remember and show the kids what they looked like 3 years ago. So, I think I need a break from this project and will return when I have a better plan to resist the reminiscing long enough to finish the organizing!

2. The Kids craft shelf - haven't touched it with ten-foot pole - yet!!

3. My sewing stuff - not quite ready for this one yet either!

Look for future posts about tackling the craft supply monster!
P.S. I did use several of my leftover plastic containers from Project 2 to organize my Scrapbook supplies - yea for me!

2. The Empty Butter Dish

Project #2: Clean out the storage container cabinet

1. I read somewhere that you should only keep 10 or less plastic storage containers for leftover food. Get rid of the rest. Well, I probably have 50+ plastic containers sitting in the cabinet waiting patiently to be used - time to purge.

2. Give away the nice ones - filled with goodies of course! I know several elderly ladies that could use a little extra love - Yippee! It's time to bake!

3. Use them to organize art/craft supplies - my craft shelves need to be "contained" - hmmm, sounds like project #3

4. Throw away the misfits - goodbye to all those lids that don't fit on anything

(Any that didn't fit the above categories I put in the garage sale/donate pile)

Wow! Now I have a nearly empty cabinet!

Before:

After:

You, Your Family and the Internet

David Clark's book, You, Your Family and the Internet, is a helpful resource that should be in the hands of every parent and grandparent. It is a quick read with a great impact. The subtitle, "What every Christian in the digital age ought to know" is an accurate assessment of this book.

Clark's 30+ years of experience with technology paired with his strong biblical worldview will help people make informed decisions about how to utilize the Internet. I appreciate that not only does he clearly warn of the many dangers of the Internet, he also gives great examples of how to use the Internet to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, Scripture is used throughout the book to help the reader think biblically about how they present themselves online.

Although I was familiar with many of the aspects of the Internet that Clark discussed, now I more fully understand how it all works together. Realizing that advertisers see me as the product has made me think carefully about where I go and what I post online. The main point I took away from this book is that as a Christian, my virtual life needs to reflect Christ in same way my physical life does - my words and actions online and off need to point people to Jesus.

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* Disclosure: I received this book free from Cross Focused Reviews  in exchange for my honest review.

1. Out of my Inbox

Project #1: Cleaning out my Inbox
Ok, so one goal in getting organized it to keep my online home free of clutter just like my physical home. I have 3 email accounts. 1 work, 1 personal, 1 for junk mail (like when I sign up for freebies) - yikes! Who has time to keep up with all of that?

Lesson 1: Unsubscribe - all those e-newsletters I never have time to read and aren't really interested in - I will unsubscribe - sorry, it's not you, it's me - please don't take it personal, random health e-news!

Lesson 2: Delete immediately! After I've read an email and it requires no further action - delete it!

Lesson 3: Respond immediately! If an email requires a response, don't delay, do it now. Then create a folder for that subject and move it out of the Inbox.