Friday, February 19, 2016
New site doman and link
I've moved to another domain for my blog! Messy Wife and Mom will be at the linked site from now on. Many things to blog about and update. See you soon!
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
THE DREADED "S" WORD
No, it's not a 4 letter word, but it's just as bad. School. Yep, it's that time of year again. Time where you lay out the perfect back to school outfit, go meet the new teacher, and buy all new school supplies, and let's not forget the perfect pair of new shoes. I was never one to care too much about the new outfits. I loved new school supplies! There was something about opening a fresh pack of paper that made me giddy. Am I the only one that liked to play "store" with all the new supplies? Honestly though, I am actually looking forward to the start of school. It's a fresh start, a blank slate! All the students walk in on the first day and have perfect grades. And, all of us parents just hope and pray that our child can stay dedicated and organized enough to keep those good grades
Organization and good grades, sometimes go hand in hand, some may disagree but it's true. If a child is so unorganized that they lose school work because their things are in disarray, then how can we as parents, expect them to have good grades. Organization also includes writing down and keeping up with upcoming tests and projects. Now to my whole point of this post. How can I expect my child, to be well organized at school and home, if I am not organized myself. So, I have tried to make a conscious effort to keep my things in order. That includes scheduling housework, study time with your child, or meetings. I have learned that if I need to do something that day, I need to write it on my calendar. I'm still new at it, but it has made things so much easier. I really like the daily planner printable from A Prudent Life, because it gives me plenty of room to write my daily tasks. I even add daily cleaning tasks that need to be done. I realize there are daily cleaning printables out there too, but it's so much easier for me to have it all on one sheet, right in front of me. There are lots of other layouts like this that you can find on Pinterest. I just find that this one suits me best.
Up next we'll be talking about chores and organization for the kids!
Organization and good grades, sometimes go hand in hand, some may disagree but it's true. If a child is so unorganized that they lose school work because their things are in disarray, then how can we as parents, expect them to have good grades. Organization also includes writing down and keeping up with upcoming tests and projects. Now to my whole point of this post. How can I expect my child, to be well organized at school and home, if I am not organized myself. So, I have tried to make a conscious effort to keep my things in order. That includes scheduling housework, study time with your child, or meetings. I have learned that if I need to do something that day, I need to write it on my calendar. I'm still new at it, but it has made things so much easier. I really like the daily planner printable from A Prudent Life, because it gives me plenty of room to write my daily tasks. I even add daily cleaning tasks that need to be done. I realize there are daily cleaning printables out there too, but it's so much easier for me to have it all on one sheet, right in front of me. There are lots of other layouts like this that you can find on Pinterest. I just find that this one suits me best.
To go a little deeper into the whole time management/organizing thing. I have found that the more I keep things in order, the more smoothly my family runs. For instance, if I let my house get really messy, I feel out of sorts. My kids can't find a certain toy they are looking for, or they are searching through the 1,000 loads of clean/unfolded laundry searching for a certain piece of clothing. Or, if I don't check the calendar, I may forget that Gracie has a math test to study for. When I, as a wife and mother, am unorganized my whole family suffers. When things are chaotic, we as a family are grumpy and mean. Staying on task is the key to organization!
So, now I'm off to get things ready for the first day of school tomorrow. Pray that things go smoothly and I don't have to physically pull Gracie out of bed :)
Up next we'll be talking about chores and organization for the kids!
Monday, August 3, 2015
HOW DO I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED!
For the last several weeks I have been struggling with my daughter starting 5th grade. She will be in a new school, with new people, and new surroundings. She has been with the same exact class for the last 5 years so this is a huge deal for her. Gracie is a great kid and I trust her to make good decisions while at school. But, we all know this is the age where kids start venturing out to find who they are. I have struggled because I don't want Gracie to get in with the wrong crowd, just to try and fit it with her new friends. Girls can be very mean and this is the age where it starts. I've talked to her about being an example to her peers, and being the bigger person when things go wrong. But, there is still the voice in my head that fears that she will become a "mean girl" just for popularity purposes. On Pinterest, I found an activity where you write things of how you want to be remembered. I have plans to let Gracie do this, so she can look back on it and know the person she needs to always be. I then realized that I needed to do a little "soul searching" and do it too! So, I wrote ten things of how I want people to remember me.
1. Christian - First I need to be a good Christian. I need to be a light so others can see Christ through my life. Matthew 5:16 says - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
2. Be a Good Friend - I don't have many friends, but I do have a few close ones. Those friends are very dear to me. I want them to know that I have there back whenever they need me.
3. Reliable - I want people to think of me and know that I am always somebody they can count on. I'm hardly ever late and whenever someone asks me to do something I try to give it 100%.
4. Patient - This is one thing I don't have, is the ability to be patient. So, I plan to work on that. I want to be the cool, calm, and collected one. The one who never gets mad or complains.
5. Gentle - This is another one to work on. I grew up with a "shake it off" mantra. Nothing much bothers me, which can be a double edged sword. In one sense it makes me tough. My feelings don't get hurt that much and that's great but... When you have two daughters and a husband that need that gentle touch, I want to be able to give it.
6. Thoughtful - I love gift giving. Even when it is something small. I love to see the look on people's faces when they know that someone was thinking about them.
7. Loving - This goes hand in hand with gentle! Hugging my family and saying I love you is something that we can all use more of.
8. Trustworthy - I feel like I am pretty trustworthy, but my downfall is gossip (and yes that's pretty embarrassing to say) I really have tried to do better and still have room for lots of improvement. I really can't be considered trustworthy if somebody tells me something and I turn right around and tell somebody else. I don't want to be remembered as a gossip and I sure don't want to teach my children that gossiping is ok.
9. Kind - I want to be kind and compassionate. I have a horrible habit of looking at the bad in people and getting annoyed with them very easily. Instead of just having a good time and talking with someone, I like to point out all the ways they annoy me and the ways they've wronged me. But, I hope to look over all of that and just be kind. It doesn't cost anything to be kind, but when you're cruel it costs alot of heartache.
10. Confident - On the outside I have all the confidence in the world! On the inside I am constantly berating myself on things I could do differently. For instance church, housework, wife and mother duties. Instead of focusing on all the things I've done right, I always seem to focus on the wrong or my short-comings.
So you see, I have alot to work on with myself. Even more than what I have listed. So I challenge each of you to do the same for yourself. Work on those items listed for a month and then go back and see how you have changed. They say it takes 21 days for something to become a habit. Wouldn't it be great if all the things on our list became habits. What a better place this world would be.
1. Christian - First I need to be a good Christian. I need to be a light so others can see Christ through my life. Matthew 5:16 says - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
2. Be a Good Friend - I don't have many friends, but I do have a few close ones. Those friends are very dear to me. I want them to know that I have there back whenever they need me.
3. Reliable - I want people to think of me and know that I am always somebody they can count on. I'm hardly ever late and whenever someone asks me to do something I try to give it 100%.
4. Patient - This is one thing I don't have, is the ability to be patient. So, I plan to work on that. I want to be the cool, calm, and collected one. The one who never gets mad or complains.
5. Gentle - This is another one to work on. I grew up with a "shake it off" mantra. Nothing much bothers me, which can be a double edged sword. In one sense it makes me tough. My feelings don't get hurt that much and that's great but... When you have two daughters and a husband that need that gentle touch, I want to be able to give it.
6. Thoughtful - I love gift giving. Even when it is something small. I love to see the look on people's faces when they know that someone was thinking about them.
7. Loving - This goes hand in hand with gentle! Hugging my family and saying I love you is something that we can all use more of.
8. Trustworthy - I feel like I am pretty trustworthy, but my downfall is gossip (and yes that's pretty embarrassing to say) I really have tried to do better and still have room for lots of improvement. I really can't be considered trustworthy if somebody tells me something and I turn right around and tell somebody else. I don't want to be remembered as a gossip and I sure don't want to teach my children that gossiping is ok.
9. Kind - I want to be kind and compassionate. I have a horrible habit of looking at the bad in people and getting annoyed with them very easily. Instead of just having a good time and talking with someone, I like to point out all the ways they annoy me and the ways they've wronged me. But, I hope to look over all of that and just be kind. It doesn't cost anything to be kind, but when you're cruel it costs alot of heartache.
10. Confident - On the outside I have all the confidence in the world! On the inside I am constantly berating myself on things I could do differently. For instance church, housework, wife and mother duties. Instead of focusing on all the things I've done right, I always seem to focus on the wrong or my short-comings.
So you see, I have alot to work on with myself. Even more than what I have listed. So I challenge each of you to do the same for yourself. Work on those items listed for a month and then go back and see how you have changed. They say it takes 21 days for something to become a habit. Wouldn't it be great if all the things on our list became habits. What a better place this world would be.
A NEW START...A NEW ME!
Let me start out by saying that, if you have come here to find the perfect wife and mother, you've come to the wrong place! I am starting the blog, mainly, because I want to make changes in myself. Whether it be a better wife, mother, christian, or organizer (because I am not an award winner at any of the above). Many women feel this burden to have the appearance of perfection and a large percentage of us are nowhere near it. I struggle every single day with feeling worthless. As wives and mothers we never want anybody to know that dirty dishes are in the sink, piles of dirty clothes are everywhere, and the house is a mess. We don't want anyone to know that we aren't Betty Crocker and we don't cook our family a 4 course meal every night. But, truth be told, a majority of us all feel the same way...defeated! So, if you want to come to a place where you can let your guard down, and shake your head in agreement that we are all imperfect, then you have come to the right place. Check back soon...there's more to come!
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