Week 9 of 52 Weeks To Become Less Homemaking Challenged

Each Saturday this year, I will be posting a weekly habit.  During my 31 day's series, I talked about a lot of theoretical and how to create purpose in your home.  It was about you figuring things out, making goals, and knowing why you are doing the work, now it is time to put them into action.  Each week I will add one new habit to help you become less homemaking challenged.  The objective of this?  By the end of the year, for us to have applied several of these habits in our daily/weekly routine and be less homemaking challenged by the end of the year!

#9 Purge

Today is the first day of March, and Spring cleaning will soon be here.  A huge way to help you out in your home is by purging and getting rid of things that you no longer use or need.  this is a huge help in keeping your home clean (less stuff = less clutter) and it also helps you find what you actually use easily.  This one is SOOOO hard for me.  I'm serious!  It is REALLY HARD.  I am a saver, and I love saving things and using them later.  It is so hard for me to get rid of things I "might need", especially when money is tight.  Here are some simple rules I use for getting rid of things.

1) When did I use it last?  (anything over a year will most likely go)
2) How much does it cost to replace? (anything that is expensive or a pain to replace I keep)
3) Do I have duplicates or something that serves the same purpose? (get rid of one)
4) Is it something I can't live without?
5) Does it hold sentimental value? (some of these items you can just take pictures of, others you may need to keep)

It can be hard to toss, but the results are so worth it!!!  It will make your home easier to maintain help you be less Homemaking Challenged!

Cheers!

Ashley


Miss a week?  Here are the past 52 Weeks to Become Less Homemaking Challenged, so far click here to see a full list.
Week #1
Week #2
Week #3
Week #4
Week #5
Week #6
Week #7
Week #8
Week #9

Week 8 of 52 Weeks To Become Less Homemaking Challenged

Each Saturday this year, I will be posting a weekly habit.  During my 31 day's series, I talked about a lot of theoretical and how to create purpose in your home.  It was about you figuring things out, making goals, and knowing why you are doing the work, now it is time to put them into action.  Each week I will add one new habit to help you become less homemaking challenged.  The objective of this?  By the end of the year, for us to have applied several of these habits in our daily/weekly routine and be less homemaking challenged by the end of the year!

#8 Plan your meals

I try each week to post our menu on the blog.  I do this to help keep me accountable to planing our meals for our family.  I will admit that many times I don't plan, those are the weeks where we are scrambling and chaos fills our evenings.  I do not like that feeling of calling my hubby, telling him I'm on my way home and we have to figure out dinner and often cook and eat it within the hour.  Without planing things can get crazy, best know ahead of time what you are doing.

I am still learning how to make this work for my family, how to make this work the best our life and budget, but I can tell you that our lives are WAY easier when we aren't scrambling with the question "What's for dinner" when you are hungry and pressed for time because that can way too easily end up with a drive thru meal.  It is much friendlier on your health and budget to plan ahead!

Since I still don't have this whole menu planning thing nailed yet, I am going to point you to several of my favorite bloggers thoughts on the subject.  Check out these great menu planing posts from: iHeartOrganizing and endless crafting on general planning, Moneysavingmom's part 1 and part 2 on menu planning on a budget and orgjunkie has this great resource list to help you plan.

Cheers!

Ashley

Week 6 of 52 Weeks To Become Less Homemaking Challenged

Each Saturday this year, I will be posting a weekly habit.  During my 31 day's series, I talked about a lot of theoretical and how to create purpose in your home.  It was about you figuring things out, making goals, and knowing why you are doing the work, now it is time to put them into action.  Each week I will add one new habit to help you become less homemaking challenged.  The objective of this?  By the end of the year, for us to have applied several of these habits in our daily/weekly routine and be less homemaking challenged by the end of the year!

#6 Take a Minute (or two)

As life goes racing by, sometimes we as busy homemakers forget to stop and remember the important things.  Our kids are only young for so long, moments only happen once, we don't get another chance.  When things are crazy, we things are hard, when you feel like you are so overwhelmed.  Stop.  Take a moment, take a mental picture of your kids, (even if they are in timeout, screaming, or covered in flour).   These are things you will laugh about, stories and memories you are creating.  Your home is meant to be lived in.  It is meant to hold lives, love, laughter and create thoughts memories and stories.  When the chaos of life his happening, stop, take a moment to breath, ground yourself and know that this wont last forever.  This is especially helpful when you have an 8month who screams and crawls after you all over the house because she wants just you to hold her, and a 2 year old who thinks he can tell you no, and do what he wants and then ends up in time out.  Not that I would know anything about that.

Cheers!

Ashley

Miss a week?  Here are the past 52 Weeks to Become Less Homemaking Challenged, so far clickhere to see a full list.

Week #1

Week #2

Week #3

Week #4

Week #5

Week #6

Week 4 of 52 Weeks To Become Less Homemaking Challenged

Each Saturday this year, I will be posting a weekly habit.  During my 31 day's series, I talked about a lot of theoretical and how to create purpose in your home.  It was about you figuring things out, making goals, and knowing why you are doing the work, now it is time to put them into action.  Each week I will add one new habit to help you become less homemaking challenged.  The objective of this?  By the end of the year, for us to have applied several of these habits in our daily/weekly routine and be less homemaking challenged by the end of the year!

#4 Write it down

I don't know if you are like me, but I come up with great ideas, things I need, and remember important things at the most inopportune times.  Always when I am in the middle of something and always when I am never able to write it down.  I try and make a mental note, but I have to say that most of the time my "mental notes" manage to get lost in my sleep deprived brain full of baby needs, work and more work.  I have learned that if I don't actually physically write something gone, it is gone for good.  So weather it is a shopping list, a calendar, a great idea, something you want to remember write it down. 

Here are some ways to make it easy to write things down

1) Keep a pen and paper in your purse/diaper bag

2)Keep a pen and paper by your bed

3)Keep a pen and paper on your fridge

You get it, make sure you have a place to write stuff down wherever you are.

Cheers!

Ashley

Miss a week?  Here are the past 52 Weeks to Become Less Homemaking Challenged, so far clickhere to see a full list.

Week #1

Week #2

Week #3

Week #4

Week 3 of 52 Weeks To Become Less Homemaking Challenged

Each Saturday this year, I will be posting a weekly habit.  During my 31 day's series, I talked about a lot of theoretical and how to create purpose in your home.  It was about you figuring things out, making goals, and knowing why you are doing the work, now it is time to put them into action.  Each week I will add one new habit to help you become less homemaking challenged.  The objective of this?  By the end of the year, for us to have applied several of these habits in our daily/weekly routine and be less homemaking challenged by the end of the year!

#3: Keep a Calendar

Calendars are really important to life.  Even if you aren't a "schedule" person, they are important.  We have a family calendar that hangs on the inside of one of our cupboards.  Not everything is on it, and by that I mean things we do EVERY week are a given and not on the calendar (such as going to church on Sunday, or my usual office hours).  You can use whatever type of calendar works for you, a paper one like this, or this for your personal use and then a wall one, perhaps even a whiteboard or chalkboard calendar is more your taste.  Whatever your style, find one that all adults and children who are old enough can read and know what is going on, and make sure you have one that travels with you!.  This way, you can prevent scheduling a late date night when you have soccer pictures the next morning and have to have the kids photo ready and out the door by 7am.  Also, don't forget to sync your personal and family calendars, if you are a digital person that happens automatically, but I'm a pen and paper person, so I do mine by hand.

Miss a week?  Here are the past 52 Weeks to Become Less Homemaking Challenged, so far click here to see a full list.

Week #1

Week #2

Week #3

Week 2 of 52 Weeks To Become Less Homemaking Challenged

Each Saturday this year, I will be posting a weekly habit.  During my 31 day's series, I talked about a lot of theoretical and how to create purpose in your home.  It was about you figuring things out, making goals, and knowing why you are doing the work, now it is time to put them into action.  Each week I will add one new habit to help you become less homemaking challenged.  The objective of this?  By the end of the year, for us to have applied several of these habits in our daily/weekly routine and be less homemaking challenged by the end of the year!

#2: An "I Can Do It" List

It is so easy to see a long list of tasks and feel super overwhelmed by it.  The TO-DO'S in a busy home never stop.  So what if we rethink how we go about making our list?  What if we actually made it possible to do it all?  Here are some tips to making your list a "can do list"!

1. Write it down.  I'm serious, no more mental lists, you will forget something, just write it down!

2. Keep it short.  This isn't an EVERYTHING that needs to get done in history list, it is just things to do today.  Create a separate long term list.

3. Star ONE TASK as the most important.  Know that if time runs short, that is the one you focus on and need to finish.

4. Number them in order.  Sometimes the floors may be the most important thing to do, BUT we all know you should do counters/dust before floors.  Number those things that must be done in order, it helps.

5. Reward yourself.  If there is a particular task you HATE doing, then reward yourself when you complete it.  Seriously, you hate scrubbing out the oven?  Then spend 30min with your feet up watching your favorite sitcom!  Complete your entire list?  Celebrate with a private dance party!  Seriously it works!

Even just calling your list an I Can Do It list, will help to motivate you and put you in a better frame of mind for your daily tasks.  Remember, that YOU CAN DO IT!  So stop reading my blog, and make your list today, do it and reward yourself.

Cheers!

Ashley

Miss a week?  Here are the past 52 Weeks to Become Less Homemaking Challenged, so far click here to see a full list.

Week #1

Week #2

Week 1 of 52 Weeks To Become Less Homemaking Challenged

Each Saturday this year, I will be posting a weekly habit.  During my 31 day's series, I talked about a lot of theoretical and how to create purpose in your home.  It was about you figuring things out, making goals, and knowing why you are doing the work, now it is time to put them into action.  Each week I will add one new habit to help you become less homemaking challenged.  The objective of this?  By the end of the year, for us to have applied several of these habits in our daily/weekly routine and be less homemaking challenged by the end of the year!

#1: Daily Dishes

This is one of the chores I hate doing, I will admit it.  We currently do not have a dishwasher, and my son goes through 4-6 bowls and 3-5 plates PER DAY, that is not counting the 3 plus cups.  As I am typing this here are 3 bowls and two cups on the table still waiting for me to clear and wash, just from dinner/post dinner snack.  However doing the dishes daily I have found, will give you a sense of accomplishment as well as a fresh start.  Both are things that every homemaker needs, every day.

Cheers!

Ashley