Making My Home A Haven

I have decided to participate in Courtney's 31-Day Challenge to make my home a haven.

There is no place on Earth I would rather be than my home. I love everything about it. It's cozy, it's inviting, it's full of love and laughter. It is where our children grow and our memories are made. I refer back to Proverbs 24:3-4 often when I think about my role as mommy and wife.

We have recently done some painting and bought new bedroom furniture. This week's challenge for me has to put my house back in order. I have also done a tiny bit of Fall decorating. I may upload some pics soon and share.

Nothing specific, I just thought I would invite you all along for the journey. I would love to know some helpful tips about staying organized with two little ones.

* As a teacher, I struggle daily with the fact that for many of my students, home is not a safe place. I cannot change this fact, but I do pray for them daily and try to make their time with me count. I do my best to not use sarcasm or harsh tones with my students ( they are 8th graders so I fail at this constantly). I am sure that is all some of them hear at home.

Date night turned into 2 hours in the paint aisle!

We are having our living room, kitchen, and one hallway of our house painted this weekend. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I am the QUEEN of indecision! I like almost all colors and styles of decor, but choosing them is such a task for me. I told my hubby that if I were house-shopping or visiting someone's home, I would love this color or that one. But going to Lowe's and choosing one blue out of the 500 is so daunting for me. I have hot flashes, I get teary and cry, I sweat, I stare at the colors until my eyes cross. When hubby got hateful and both boys started crying, I finally decided.  It was pathetic. Anyway, here is what I chose.



This looks great with the massive brick fireplace in our family room and our gold couch. Just realized this color is identical to the blue background of my blog. Maybe I should join that blue man group....





Really highlights the warm tones of our natural cherry cabinets. This beat out hubby's vote for orange. I hope I don't get tired of this yellow during the winter months.  






Nice neutral color for hallway. It's long and narrow and I wanted a shade that would be airy and fresh. This just screams airy and fresh, right?  My husband says it scream khaki.  



Quick update on the Facebook dilemma: I somehow deleted a few of my apps off my iPhone the other day, one of which was the beloved FB. I'm too lazy busy to re-install it, so now I am forced to sit down at a desktop to access FB. Once again, too busy. Problem solved.

Facebook woes and Falling

If it isn't obvious, I fell off the face of the blog-o-sphere! This is a crazy, busy season of life for us.

Big G is almost 7, and my sweet little chunky monkey is 8 months old. I will post a picture very soon.

I contemplated not keeping my blog up for several reasons. The first and foremost being that I really need to focus my efforts on my hubby, children, and home. Because I am working right now, I definately feel stretched at the end of every day. Laundry, homework, play time, story time, bath time, dinner....... It never ends. However, I really enjoy connecting with other  young Christian momma's. I'm not ready to give that up just yet.....

Another time-waster for me has been Facebook. I have been praying alot about whether or not it is a healthy part of my life. Although I do  buy alot of  clothes for myself and Big G from FB friends, I find myself frequently logging on just to see what other people are doing.

Seriously!!!! Why am I concerning myself with the goings-on of other people. Other than out of town family on my FB, I really cannot afford the time to browse through other people's lives ( especially when my dishes are piling up and the phone is ringing!)

Do you find yourself struggling with this aspect of social networking too?

I may do the blog, and cancel the FB. Or I may just restrict my FB activity to just virtual yard-sales and my online Bible Study ( through Good Morning Girls). I'll let ya know.....

Meatloaf Magic!

Again, I am participating in Marcie's DWYH Homemaking Party. As always, I'm always on the hunt for hearty and fast meals to fill the bellies of my two hungry guys :)

Sooooooo, I  made the most AMAZING meatloaf last weekend. It was honestly the best meatloaf I have ever had! I'm not usually very cocky, I'm just being honest here. When I tasted it, I really felt like I'd done something special :)

I pulled out all my many meatload recipes, and pulled from each one what I thought would make a good recipe. Also, I didn't want to wait 1 1/2 hours for baking, so I skipped the "loaf" part and formed them into patties. This cut the cooking time down to about 30 minutes.

2 lbs hamburger meat
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup  ketchup
1 cup dry dressing mix ( I used Stove-Top Herb)

Mix all ingrediants well and form into patties. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I brushed mine with ketchup during the last 10 minutes.

The dry stuffing mix is the magic ingredient I think. It absorbed some moisture while baking, but still stayed crunchy and flavorful!

I served this with mashed potatoes, a quick salad, and biscuits. It's rare to find a meatloaf that kids really like. Big G, my nieces Emily and Joey, and all the adults left smiling and full!

I literally cried right there in the grocery store!

Last weekend, Hubby and I had a little disagreement about grocery shopping ( of all things ). He couldn't understand why I didn't want to take the baby with me to the store.

Amidst my tears and exhausted sobs, I retold this story:

* After school one day last week I took both boys to our local grocery store ( which I rarely go to) to grab a few staple items.
* Big G was walking ( well actually running and jumping and grabbing and poking....) and Baby G was in his carseat, which I put down inside the shopping cart.
* As I shopped, I wedged the random can of pears or bag of rice down into the cart behind and beside the car-seat. Actually, there was a loaf of bread and bag of salad resting on his legs. Everything fit, all was well...
* After waiting 10 minutes in line, we began to check out. By this time, the baby was extremely fussy and gearing up for a total screaming session and Big G was looking at the candy bars with total determination.
* Trying to be efficient and speedy, I asked Big G to put the bagged groceries in the cart. He began putting everything ( including a heavy bag of potatoes) on top of the baby b/c the bags would no longer fit around the carseat.  
* I then instructed Big G to take them out and put them on the rack underneath the cart. Whew, crisis averted. We're sailing now.
* Receipt in hand, I push the buggy forward. CRUNCH!
* I look down and see that all the groceries were underneath the cart- in the floor. The cashier THEN told me that the store had removed all the racks in an attempt to thwart shop-lifting.
* Crisis returns. Screaming baby, laughing 6 year old, mangled groceries, and me in the front of the IGA crying and vowing not to attempt grocery shopping with both boys again for at least a few more years.


This may have been the most stressed I've been since we brought
Baby G home. Probably the most embaressed as well....

Soooooo, I think re-telling this story to my hubby must have worked. He kept the boys @ home, and I took a leisurely ( yea, sure) trip to the grocery. Whatever.  

So What Wednesday!

I really enjoyed last week's So What Wednesday, and have gotten some comments about how accurate and brutally honest it was. It's all in good fun, so here we go again!

SO WHAT IF:

* I sometimes hit snooze too many times and am forced to "baby-powder" my hair ( frugal version of dry shampoo)
* Even with concentrated detergents, I still fill to the line
* Hubby & I use the same toothbrush sometimes
* I will go without groceries rather than taking both boys to the store
* I do NOT understand the stock market ( I don't care to either )
*  Even with lesson plans, I'm usually only one or two days ahead of  my kids @ school
* I don't have time to read, but continue to download books on my new NookColor
* I seem to be the only girl/woman my age who loathes Jersey Shore

* If you are firmly opposed to E-readers, live for the fist-pumping action of the Jersday nights, or are grossed out by my germ-swapping dental tendencies,  I wholeheartedly apologize :)

Time Management for New Mommies!

I never dreamed being a mommy to two little ones would be as rewarding as fun as it has been so far! I also never dreamed that our daily life would change so drastically.

Getting out of the house with a fully clothed and fed 6 year old isn't always an easy feat. Adding a 10 pound screamer didn't really help matters!

Since Hubby works away during the week, I am on my own with the kids. Getting the housework done, dinners prepared, stories read, and baths given have proven to be a complete juggling act for me.

One issue I have had to wrestle with in my mind is that of community and church involvement. It is sooooo hard for me to tell people no, especially when the time committment is for a good cause.

After alot of praying, my thought process has started to change about how my time is spent outside of home. I am beginning to think of my boys ( hubby included) and my home as my mission field. I know that there are many needs in our community, but I cannot reason attending to those at the expense of our homelife.

Big G still does his karate, and I am still part of our local womens community improvement group. Sunday worship is still a priority, as is time with friends and family. Beyond that, my reply will probably be a gracious and polite no!