My Blog = My Life: homemaking

Like many of you, we are a single-income, larger-than-average, (1.8 or more children), homeschooling family.

And both my husband and I come from a rich, Dutch heritage.

In other words, whether or not we need to be, we enjoy frugal living. I'm also a lover of nutritious, from-scratch, whole-food cooking. Overtime, we've found that you can have one and the other! Here's how we can enjoy a mainlywhole-food diet on a budget (we still eat take-out more often than I'd like to admit!).

Cheap foods that are good for you

1. Whole grains. Oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa are cheap! For ultimate nutritional value, choose any of these grains and soak them for a hearty breakfast that'll keep you energized all morning.

For a fabulously healthy, gluten-free, blueberry-muffin smelling breakfast, pour 1 cup of steel-cut oats, brown rice, OR quinoa in a crock-pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of almond milk, 1 1/2 cups water, 1-2 Tbsp of ground flax seed, 2-3 Tbsp butter or coconut oil, 1 cup fresh blueberries, cinnamon, sea salt, and sweetener (honey, maple syrup, stevia, or brown sugar) to taste. Stir. Cook on low overnight. Alternately, try using diced apple and a handful of walnut in place of blueberries.
2. Beans and legumes. Beans are one of the cheapest proteins available and can be used to replace meat in a meal. Given a good, over-night soak in purified water, they are a highly digestible form of fiber, complex carbohydrates, iron, and folate - ideal if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.

Our favorite way to enjoy beans are in chili, taco salad, and brownies (there's a Special Agent Brownie recipe in Trim Healthy Mama that's absolutely fabulous!).

3. Eggs. Eggs are one of the very few complete proteins available to us (they contain all 9 essential amino acids), contain only 70 calories, and are chock full of nutrition. Besides being excellent sources of protein and good cholesterol, they also contain iron, vitamins A, D, E, and B12, folate, selenium, and lutein.

Eggs can be cooked quickly in a variety of ways (hard or soft-boiled, fried, poached, scrambled) and provide great structure and texture when added to baked goods.

We enjoy them on their own and in omelettes, crepes, breakfasts bakes, and pizza crust.

Foods worth paying more for

No matter how tight our budget, there are certain foods I don't cheap out on as we feel the extra dollars are insignificant compared to the health benefits. We'd rather "pay the farmer than the pharmacy," as the saying goes.

1. Oil. It's a safe bet that anything you can get in a big plastic jug for $4 is not good for you. Vegetable oils and margarine derived from cheaply grown or genetically modified plants like sunflower, corn, soybean, canola, safflower have little nutrition to begin with and are chemically altered and deodorized in order to make them palatable. Our bodies were not meant to consume them.

Opt instead for healthy saturated fats that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. These include butter (preferably organic), coconut, olive, and red palm oil.
2. Fresh, local, organic produce. We can't afford to purchase all of our produce this way, but we try our best to grow or purchase the infamous "Dirty Dozen" organically as these fruits and vegetables contain the highest pesticide residue otherwise:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Celery
• Peppers
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Pears
• Cherries
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes
• Grapes

• onions
• avocado
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• asparagus
• bananas
• cabbage
• broccoli
• papaya
• kiwi

Instead, we use coconut or almond milk. They contain high levels of vitamins A & D and are lactose free. They cost slightly more than pasteurized, hormone enhanced cow's milk, but since we rarely use it for more than our morning smoothie, we don't notice a difference in our grocery bill.

As our budget allows, we try to purchase higher quality dairy products like kefir, greek yogurt, cream and cottage cheese.
4. Meat. Cheaper cuts of meat are usually that way because they come from animals that are pumped full of genetically modified grain products, growth hormones, and antibiotics - the sole purpose of which is to fatten an animal up as quickly as possible for slaughter. Food Inc. is a fascinating documentary that explains how the food industry is making us sicker, fatter, and poorer through this process.

Although more expensive, grass-fed, locally raised, organic beef and chicken is a far more nutritious alternative and of much less consequence to your health.
5. Sweeteners. Sugar is cheap, appeals to our pallet, and is easy to come by. Consequently, diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart failure, and a host of other health concerns are also the norm. We stay away from refined sugar as much as possible and use raw honey, pure maple syrup, and stevia instead.

While they should still be used in small quantities, these sweeteners contain healthy enzymes and minerals which are difficult to get from other foods. They also have a healthier Glycemic Index which means they don't mess with your blood sugar levels in the same way refined sugar does.

Where to get healthy food for less

1. Garden. Anyone can grow their own produce, even a little bit. Be it a pot on the balcony of your apartment or a 3 acre market garden, all you need is some seed, soil, water, and sun and you're in business.

We put in a large raise bed last year for free - my husband made a tarp in exchange for a truckload of triple-mix and I used the gift cards I got for my birthday to purchase our seeds and plants.
2. Farmer's Market. Farmer's markets are great places to find local, seasonal produce, cure meats, eggs, honey and maple syrup at a fraction of the price you find in the store. Plus, farmers generally care about individual relationships with their customers and often offer a faithful buyer further discounts and "throw in a little extra."
3. Local Farmer. In the fall, we often purchase 1/4-1/2 a cow from a Christian farmer who grows his beef organically. We get to choose how we'd like it butchered and our freezer is well stocked for several months. We estimate purchasing our meat this way saves us 30% of the store price.

If we had the space for it, we'd love to keep our own chickens. We go through plenty of eggs around here! Thankfully, they are cheap to come by! We buy them from Brad's co-worker whose family keeps organically raised laying hens as a sideline business.

In the summer, we pick our own berries, freeze most of them, and turn some into sauce or jam. A relative of ours keeps a bountiful raspberry patch where we can come and go as we please.

It didn't work out last year because of pregnancy complications, but this summer, my mom, sisters, and I plan on putting up other produce from local farms that we don't grow ourselves: peaches, pears, carrots, pickles, etc.

4. Bulk Stores. I buy most of our grain from The Bulk Barn. We often receive coupons for $3.00 off a purchase of $10.00 or more (which I can easily spend in one visit!). I blend whole kernels with my Wondermill and the stuff I purchase pre-ground (flax), I purchase in small quantities as it goes rancid quickly. I purchase my organice herbs, teas, sea salt, and spices from The Bulk Herb Store.

I also purchase soap and other dried goods here like coconut, almonds, walnuts, and cranberries.
5. Grocery Store. You can save money at the grocery store by using coupons, ad-matching, checking the clearance shelf, and purchasing store-brand non-perishables like brown rice and tomato paste.

The clearance shelf where everything is ripe and ready, is a wonderful place to get greatly discounted produce. If you have a juicer, freeze your juice into Popsicles for a healthy summer treat or into ice cubes for slushies. Peppers and onions can be cut up and bagged for pizza toppings, apples turned into sauce, and mushrooms sauteed in butter for a fine steak topping.
6. Online. I must admit to rarely purchasing groceries online. I prefer to see the product myself. The exception to this is the extra virgin coconut oil I get from Tropical Traditions. The quality is truly remarkable. We use it a lot, especially in desserts like Chunky Cream Pops, Skinny Chocolate, and Peppermint Patties. I'm thankful it regularly goes on sale for 40-50% off.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support! Linking to: Mind Body Sole, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Frugally Sustainable, Natural Living Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, Homestead Barn Hop, The Better Mom,

The amount of actual living space in our house is quite small, and since our kids prefer to play near Mommy (and I prefer to keep them within ear shot so I can break up squabbles), storing our toys in the main living area, adjacent to the kitchen, proved to be both wise and aesthetically pleasing! It's hard to tell at first glance, but between the baker's table and our bookshelf, 90% of the toys in our home are stored away.

My favorite feature of the baker's table (which doubles as an end table for the couch), is the swooping drawer. Designed to store large bags of flour and sugar, the deep sections are perfect for storing bulkier toys like trucks, teddies, and balls. Above the deep drawer is a smaller pull-out which we use to store puzzles and flat-laying games.

Inside our bookshelf cupboards are four bins I picked up from the Dollar Store. They keep the smaller, most used toys organized. One bin is for dolls and their accessories, the second is for toy food and play kitchen utensils, the third bin stores Mr. Potato Head parts, and the fourth stores Mega blocks.

The bin solution has been an excellent tool for teaching our two-year-old to clean up after herself. When she's tired of playing with dolls and wants to build a tower out of Mega Blocks instead, she first has to put away all of her dolly things and slide the bin back onto the shelf. She's learning that "When we take something out, we put it back."

The great thing about using small bins for storage is that it makes the cleaning-up process seem less daunting to a child. Even our 1 year-old can hold his attention long enough to finish putting all the Mega Blocks into a bin! A few of the bigger toys (a plastic shopping cart, doll carrier, and a ride-on toy) are stored in their bedroom closets and can be pulled out upon request.

Once in a while someone will comment on how few toys we have in our home. I like to think that we have enough. Space issues aside, our children really don't care for playing with "real" toys all that much. They prefer to play in the sandbox, or with everyday items like spoons, boxes, canning jar rings, blankets, and hats. Keeping toys to a minimum does several good things:

1. It increases our children's imagination and creativity. Do you know how many different ways you can use a box?!
2. It minimizes their entitlement mentality. We have never taken our children toy shopping or picked one up while they were with us. Hence, I can easily go shopping at Wal-mart without them begging for another teddy bear or a new ball. The more we have, the more we want.
3. It reduces the clutter in our home. Less cleaning, more room to play with the toys they already have.
4. Slim picking with toys creates many opportunities to teach sharing, as a wise Mom said on our Facebook page.
5. Fewer toys teaches our children that work can be fun! With less toys to distract them, we can spend more time doing constructive things together like making dinner, washing the car, or weeding the garden.

How's the toy situation in your home? Have you found a good method for keeping it all organized? I'd love to hear your solutions and advice!

It's Sunday morning. The alarm clock didn't go off like it was supposed to. Rolling over in bed, you squint at the red digital numbers and start to panic. There's an hour before you need to leave for church. You bolt out of bed, rudely wake your sleeping husband and try to scare him into action by telling him the time. Jumping into the shower, you realise you forgot your change of clothes and holler at your drowsy hubs to bring them over. You skip shaving your legs and conditioning your hair, dry yourself off in a hurry, only to discover that you had forgotten to iron your Sunday blouse. Having just had a baby, this is the only one that fits and is convenient enough for breastfeeding. You sigh as you button it up, promising yourself you'll keep your coat on the whole church service and nobody will notice.

You throw your hair into a quick ponytail. No time for anything fancy today. Running downstairs, you wake up your toddler and are too frustrated to enjoy her chipper morning spirit as she chatters away while you change her diaper. You rummage through her clothes, only to discover that her Sunday dress is still in the laundry room, probably hidden under the rest of the unfolded clothes. A skirt and tights will have to do. The tights have a hole in the toe. Oh well, her shoes will cover it.

Racing upstairs, you plunk her in her seat at the table and dash off to wake the baby, hoping he'll be alert enough for a good feed by the time the rest of you are done breakfast. While changing his diaper and trying to decide what he should wear to church, he has an explosive bowel movement leaving you no choice but to give him a bath. While you frantically wash the poop out of his hair, your husband calls from the kitchen to let you know that the syrup bottle is empty. Cheerios for breakfast on a Sunday. Again.

Placing baby in his bouncy chair, you wolf down your Cheerios, bouncing baby's seat with one foot, and feeding your toddler, who is highly distracted by the shadows the sun is helping to make on the dining room wall, with your empty hand. As soon as you're done your cereal, you ask (tell) your husband to take over feeding your toddler while you nurse your wailing baby in the messy living room you were too tired to clean up the night before. Trying to be as holy as possible considering the time, the rest of family gathers in the living room for devotions, where you pick the shortest Psalm and mumble a 20-second prayer so you can say you've done your duty.

After cutting baby's nursing session short, you lay him down on the floor, throw on your new white coat, and buckle your newborn into his seat. You had forgotten to burp him and he hurls all over the front of your new coat. No time to change. You pass the infant seat to your husband to place in the car while you hunt for your toddler's missing shoe. Where did she put it?! Already running three minutes late on the week your husband needs to hand out bulletins, you decided it's okay if she wears her rubber boots to church just this once.

Finally, you're all in the car and you race off to church. As your toddler begs you to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle" for the hundredth time, you scream "Shut up! We're going to worship!" The gas light comes on. Hubby assures you that even though you might be running on fumes, you'll probably make it back. And if not all the way back, at least you'll be stranded on a major highway where lots of other church folk will be passing by and will surely stop to help. Just as you remember you left the tithing cheque and diaper bags in the front entrance, you see cherries flashing in the rear view mirror and hear a siren wailing in your ear. Busted.

Have you ever had a Sunday morning like this? We haven't had one quite that bad, but pretty close. Even though we need to leave by 8:45am to be at church in good time, I've found there are several things I can do to make it fairly relaxing and peaceful for everyone. A good morning starts the evening before. Here's some things I try to make a habit of doing so that Sundays truly are a day of rest and I'm not running around like chicken with my head cut off or barking out orders like a drill sargent:

Things to do Saturday morning:

• Decide what you'll be eating for each meal on Sunday. Make as much as you can ahead of time and slot in a trip to the grocery store if necessary.
• Check to make sure all the Sunday outfits are washed and ironed. A good way to avoid ironing, is to pull out your clothes from the dryer as soon as it finishes and hang them neatly in your closet.
• Make a trip to the gas station and top up the tank.

• Pack diaper bags. Include at least one extra outfit, three diapers, and wipes. Charity's bad also includes a cookie or two and a drink for in the baby-sit. Judah's bag is the bigger of the two as it also holds my nursing cover, extra nursing pads, a spit-up rag, and another shirt for me-just in case.
• Lay out each person's complete outfit in where they normally get dressed. For us this means a onesie, dress shirt, socks, pants, coat and hat on top of Judah's dresser; an undershirt, tights, a dress, shoes, and coat on Charity's; a suit, dress shirt and tie on the bathroom counter for Brad to change into after his shower; and my skirt, a button up blouse, camisole, and head covering beside my bed.
• Set the table for breakfast. If you're worried about flies pooping in your bowl or glass overnight, turn them upside down. We usually have waffles with Maple syrup, and orange juice on Sunday mornings which means three place settings including forks, knives, plates, and glasses. I also lay out Charity's bib and put two capsules of fenugreek next to my glass.
• Shower. I've realized I don't have to have a shower Sunday morning. It saves a lot of valuable time and is a great way to wind down by taking it Saturday evening before bed. After my shower, I usually lay out my earrings, and hair accessories on the bathroom counter so I don't have to hunt for them the next morning.
• Tidy the house. It's not the most wonderful thing to be doing on a Saturday night, but waking up to a tidy house is so much more relaxing for everyone! Set the timer for 10 minutes and you'll be surprised to how much you can accomplish. You'll be glad you picked up the toys even though you didn't feel like it.
• Put anything you can into the car. Diaper bags, purse, tithing cheque. The more that's already in the car, the less you'll forget. And you'll save yourself a bundle of time.
• Place all the footwear by the door. Make sure there's two of each. Unless of course, you happen to be missing a leg.

• This is the order that works best for us in this season of life: wake up, do my hair, get kids dressed and Charity's hair done while Brad showers, have breakfast, family devotions, nurse Judah while Brad clears the table and gets Charity's coat and shoes on, get myself dressed, put Judah's coat on, out the door.
• Get the kids dressed as soon as you take them out of bed. This saves having to go back into their rooms after having breakfast. If you're worried about them spilling on their clothes, invest in some good quality bibs and help the younger ones eat if necessary.
• If you're nursing, dress yourself after baby's done his feed, burped, and in his car seat to save having to put together another outfit. You can get dressed in 4 seconds flat. I've done it.
• Your husband wants to help. He might just need you to ask him what to do. Ask kindly and specifically instead of using body gestures and indirect commands. (i.e. Ask, "Honey, could you please put Charity's coat on?", instead of huffing loudly, "Charity's coat still needs to be put on and I've still got to get dressed, and I can't find Judah's soother!")
• Give your hubby a really good kiss on the way out the door. No matter how rushed the morning was, this will erase any memory of it. :-)

Does your house ever become a pig-sty? Maybe you prefer the term warzone or pit.
It’s okay. It happens to even the biggest neat freaks sometimes. You get sick, busy, have a baby, or maybe you just take the week off from housework. You turn around and the next thing you know you discover a fossilized piece of pizza in a couch cushion.

There will be times when your house simply just gets out of control. Here’s how to get it back to normal again without going insane.

Unless you’re feeling very industrious (or have help) give yourself at least a week to get a very messy house clean. Could you completely clean an entire house in less than a week? Probably, but this game plan takes errands, small children, and life in general into account. Very few of us can get 12 hours of uninterrupted cleaning, so spreading out massive cleaning over a week only makes sense.

If, however, you get a call from your mother-in-law saying she’ll be stopping by in an hour all bets are off, it’s time to start shoving clothes, toys, and dirty dishes in the closets. Just make sure you don’t accidentally push a child in one in your mad-dash cleaning spree.

From Pigsty to Palace In One Week: The Game Plan

Before You Start

* Buy all the trash bags, cleaners, and all the paper towels that you will need. Also consider buying paper plates, and utensils for the week. The environment will forgive you. It’s just for one week.

* Plan simple meals for the week that are easy to clean up.

Day One

* Do all dishes and put them away.

* Clean kitchen counters.

* Take a trash bag and donation box around to each room get rid of as much stuff as possible. This will infinitely speed up cleaning this week.

* Take a box for misplaced items around to each room, and fill it with any odds and ends that are out of place. Tomorrow you’ll begin putting things from this box away.

Day Two

* Put away all misplaced items in their proper places.

* Pick up and put away all stray clothes in your home

* Clean your bathrooms

Day Three

* De-clutter your dining room, living room, and kitchen. Make sure everything is in its proper place in these rooms.

* Organize these spaces as needed.

Day Four

* De-clutter the bedrooms and family room. Make sure everything is in its proper place in these rooms as well.

* Organize these spaces as needed.

Day Five

* Catch up on laundry.

* Put away all clean clothes.

* Vacuum and sweep the entire house.

Day Six

* Clean the windows and dust.

* Wipe the walls as needed.

* Wipe down all kitchen appliances

* Properly file or shred paper work and mail.

Day Seven

* Maintain everything you’ve cleaned, then:

* Rest.

Bonus Jobs If You Should Happen To Have Extra Time

* Clean out the refrigerator

* Clean out and vacuum your vehicle

* Clean up your desk area or office

* Store out of season clothes Want a deeper clean? I highly recommend Sarah Mae’s 31 Days to Clean.

What are your best cleaning tips? Let us know in the comments!

KM Logan is a wife, mother, teacher, and Amazon best-selling author. She is wholly inadequate but strengthened by the Lord. She’d be tickled pink if you stopped by her blog and said hi.

***This post contains affiliate links

Who would've thought there'd come a time in my life where I'd wonder where my next breath would come from when I'd be able to squeeze in my next shower? Not me! But here I am with 3 kids in three years, wondering some days when I'm going to find the time to do things I used to take for granted.

"When do I take a shower?" If Brad is home, then I have it after the oldest two have gone to bed while he watches our newborn, Anna. If I'm away in the evening, then I attempt to have one before the kids wake up in the morning. If that doesn't work out, then I wait until Anna's morning nap - place her in the bassinet, Judah (2) in his crib or a playpen with several toys to keep him occupied, and trust our 3-year-old to keep herself occupied and out of trouble. So far, so good (famous last words)! Worst case scenario, I look like a slime ball when someone unexpectedly pops in for a visit.

"When do I have my devotions?" My friend Anna, from Feminine Adventures, covered this question in beautiful detail. Go and read her post if you haven't already!

I try to have them while I'm nursing in the early morning or late evening. It never hurts to involve the kids either should they wake up earlier than expected. If I'm not too sleepy, I go through my prayer list when I'm nursing in the middle of the night.

"When do I make supper?" Raise your hand if 5 o'clock seems to be the most hectic time of the day. Okay, you can put it down now. Someone is guaranteed to be nursing, crying, needing to use the potty, discovering (and spilling) things in the pantry (like flour) while the rest of the house sits in disarray. Plus, the kiddlets are starting to get cranky from hungry tummies and you're expecting your husband home from work any minute.

This is why I try to make dinner first thing in the morning. I love using the recipes from Trim Healthy Mama (you can read my entire review here). They are easy, healthy, whole-food dishes that can be prepared quickly and made ahead of time. That way, even if the rest of the day is chaotic, there will still be a nutritious meal on the table, and hopefully, an atmosphere of relative peace and calm for my husband to come home too. He deserves it after a long day at work!

"When do I clean my house?" I used to reserve one day a week to do all the major housework like cleaning the bathrooms, scrubbing floors, vacuuming, and dusting, etc. Now with 3 kids, 3 and under, I spread it over two days.

The biggest jobs I try to finish on Thursdays, leaving Friday and Saturday morning to wrap it all up. Brad has Saturday afternoons off from work and we like to spend it relaxing with the kids, visiting our grandparents, or having friends over.

"When do I fit in exercise?" Normally I like to take a brisk 1/2 hour walk in the early evening after the kids have gone to bed while Brad stays home with Anna. We've been having so much rain lately though, that I've resorted to torturing myself with Jillian Michael's 6-week six pack during the first 35 minutes of the kids afternoon nap time.

I've joined the Redeemed Health and Fitness Facebook group for accountability purposes and encouragement. All the ladies in this group are mothers (most with larger than average families) who are seeking to shed unwanted pounds on a tight schedule. We share our highs and lows, praise each lost pound, steal each other's great ideas, and kept accountable with a daily check-in.
"When do I nap?" HA HA HA HA HA! Good one.

***For further reading, I recommendLarge Family Logistics: my favorite resource for learning how to build household routines within a larger-than-average families. Brad bought me this book for my birthday a few years ago, and I've been giving it out as gifts to other young moms ever since then. It's filled with step-by-step procedures, organizational advice, and a myriad of tips for efficiently managing a home in a way that honors God and builds up family relationships.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support! Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Modest Monday, A Mama's Story, Raising Arrows, Homestead Revival, Time Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies

I'm big fan of using natural, tried and true cleaning recipes instead of chemicals to get the job done. In addition to using my Norwex cloths, the following recipes featuring vinegar, baking soda, lemon, and essential oils are regularly put to use in our home. They work wonderfully, satisfying my desire for a clean, non-toxic environment.
Fizzy Sink Cleaner

• 1/2 cup baking soda

• 6 drops lemon essential oil

• 1/4 cup vinegar

• hot soapy water

• baking soda

• 1 cup olive oil

• 20 drops lemon essential oil

• 1 part white distilled vinegar

• 4 parts water

• Borax

• Water

• Water

• Distilled Vinegar

• Lemon Oil or Olive Oil

• Dustcloths or rags

• Lemons

• Air tight jar with screw lid

Some mothers don't believe it's fair for a young child to work. They say it deprives them of a fun childhood and is nothing more then an excuse for Mom not to do all the work herself. I suppose this could be true in some cases, but in our house we give Charity and Judah jobs to do because:

1. We are not raising children; we are raising adults. Hopefully, by God's grace, ones that will be responsible, capable, productive members of society.
2. They want to help. Seriously, they do. I can't clean the bathroom without one of them asking, "Mommy, can we have a rag too?" Giving into their request and praising them for hard work is not child abuse. It's capitalizing on a small window of a child's life where being "just like Mommy and Daddy" is fun!

If it's obvious that they've been hasty in their work or have done a job half-heartedly, we go back and finish it together. They like working beside me and usually try to copy what I'm doing exactly, or I'll try to coach them through it with simple instructions. It might look something like this:
Charity (3) is using a wet rag to wash the floor with me. Frustrated, she complains, "I can't get this dirt off!" I take my rag and wipe away the spot saying, "See? If you push hard and go up and down like this, it cleans up much easier." She runs off to find another spot on which to utilize her newly found information. Jumping up and down excitedly, she exclaims, "Look Mom! I just washed that spot all by myself!" She has just been taught how to effectively wipe up a spill and now the game is fun all over again.

One of our tots helping to wipe up his smoothie spill after breakfast.
In addition to wiping away dirty spots on the floor (because something about carrying around a damp rag is absolutely empowering for little cleaners!) here is a list of other jobs we ask our tots to do:

• Line up footwear neatly in the closet when coming in from outside.
• "When you take something out, you put it back." If they're big enough to dump all their toys, they're big enough to put them all away.
• Help Mommy put laundry in the washing machine or dryer (this works well if you have front-loaders. Top loaders are probably too difficult for them to reach).
• Sort laundry by colors.
• Fold wash-cloths, tea towels, socks, and small blankets (Our 3-year-old daughter loves to do this. Our almost 2-year-old's fine motor skills just aren't there yet).
• Dust baseboards.
• Bring dishes to the counter after they're finished eating.
• Straighten the hand towel in the bathroom after using it.
• Tuck chairs underneath the table after eating
• Use a hand-held vacuum to pick up crumbs

What other chores have you discovered your toddlers are capable of performing? Anything else you'd add to this list?

~"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12~
When your husband comes home from work and inquires about how your last eight hours have gone, do you bite your lip and think, "Hmmmm, what have I accomplished?!"

Do you ever feel like you're sitting and spinning; trying to make progress but getting nowhere? Do you feel like you dawdle aimlessly all day only to crawl into bed at night wishing you had been more focused and able to bless your family, friends, and neighbors? Do you ever breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that no unexpected visitors have dropped in, when you survey the state of your home right before dinner?

I have. Several times, I'm afraid. It's embarrassing, but sometimes my house looks like a war zone and I don't even know how it got that way. The good news is that it only takes - get this - just a few seconds to keep things from piling up!

I've made a list of some very quick jobs that have the ability to transform a room from looking dirty to clean in seconds. I timed myself. Most of these "Quick Fixes" take less than 60 seconds. They can all be done in less than 5 minutes.

If your house is a disaster and you don't know where to start, tackle a few of these and you'll be pleasantly surprised! Charity and I go nuts with this list right before Daddy arrives from work. I want our house to be a welcoming place for him to come home too.

• Straighten pillows on couch
• Make your bed
• Clear the table
• Collect junk mail and toss into recycle bin
• Neatly shelve any books or magazines at are lying around
• Load the dishwasher
• Sweep kitchen and front entry floor
• Tidy the top of your dresser/end tables
• Pick up your clothes. Throw the dirty stuff into a hamper (or, even better, the washing machine) and fold or hang anything that can be worn again.
• Walk around the house with a plastic grocery bag. Fill it with garbage (hair, fuzzies, string, twist ties, Kleenex, candy wrappers, etc.)
• Line up shoes. We have a shoe rack in our front entry closet to keep our footwear out of sight.
• Straighten the tea towel in the kitchen, and the hand towel in the bathroom.
• Collect all the toys and toss them into their appropriate toy boxes.
• Keep water in a Spritz Bottle underneath the bathroom sink. Spray and wipe porcelain bathroom fixtures (sink, toilet, tub) with paper towel.
• Polish up your faucets with a microfiber cloth (cheaper and healthier than paper towel and glass cleaner. Use vinegar if you need to.) until they shine.

This dish/spa cloth pattern is easy-peasy - perfect for beginner crochet or for those who need an inexpensive, practical, heirloom gift in a hurry! The pattern requires only 1.5 oz (68 yards) of medium weight cotton yarn, making it an ideal way to use up your scraps. Alternating rows of single and double crochet stitches add interest and texture to the cloth.
Finished cloth measures 9"x9". Machine washable and dryable.

You'll need:

• 1.5 oz (68 yards) medium weight (4) organic cotton
• 4.5mm crochet hook
• yarn needle for finishing off
• scissors

Pattern:

1. Chain 34.
2. Single crochet in second chain from hook. Work a single crochet into each chain stitch. (33 sts)
3. Chain 1. Turn. SC into each stitch. (33 sts)
4. Chain 2. Turn. Work a double crochet into each stitch. (Note: Chain 2 at beginning of row does not count as stitch)
5. Repeat step 3 twice. (Two rows of single crochet)
6. Repeat step 4.
7. Continue repeating steps 5-6 (2 rows of single crochet, 1 row of double crochet) until cloth measures a perfect square (9"x9"), making the last row single crochet.
8. Chain 8 to make hanging loop. Slip stitch into first chain and tie a tight knot.
9. Cut yarn, leaving a 10" tail. Using yarn needle, weave end down through the edge of your cloth and fasten off at the corner. Trim tail.

Make a few in coordinating colors and pair with our family's favorite hand cream, Beeyoutiful's Miracle Skin Salve for naturally splendid gift!

Linking to: Holy-Spirit Led Homeschooling

This blanket is as simple and easy-to-make as they come. If you've never sewn before, its a perfect piece to start with. The finished size is perfect for a picnic, toddler bed, or stroller blanket. Since it's reversible, you can easily switch up the look by flipping it over.

You'll need:

• 2.5 yards flannelette
• 2.5 yards fleece or felted wool
• Heart pattern for applique (included below)
• Sewing machine and basic sewing supplies (thread, scissors, pins, safety pins)

Click for full-size pattern. "Save as" and Print.
Directions:
Trim a piece, 12 inches wide, off the length of both fabrics to use for your heart applique.

If one of your materials has a shorter width, cut the length in half and sew the long ends together. Using the seam to mark the middle of your blanket, cut both fabrics to your desired blanket size (allow for 1/4" seam).

Cut a heart shape out of the excess from each material. Pin each heart, right side up, onto the right side of the contrasting material. I chose to place the hearts in the right corner of the blanket. Using a tight zig-zag stitch, carefully follow the edge of each heart to form your applique.

Once the appliques are finished, pin the two materials, right sides together. Using a 1/4" seam, sew around the blanket, leaving a small opening, just big enough to fit your hands through, along one of the sides. Flip right side out. Tuck in the raw edges around the opening and secure with straight pins. Use safety pins to mark a border, 1-2 inches from the edge of the blanket.

Using the edge of the sewing foot as a guide, sew around the entire blanket.

If you're feeling really ambitious, edging your blanket with a blanket stitch would really add to the decorative factor!

I'm about to show you the grossest thing you've ever seen. (Aunt Connie, if you're reading this, look away or you'll fall out of your chair. Mom, you too.) This is what my fridge looked like yesterday morning:

Okay, now that you've picked up your jaw from off the floor, allow me to explain.
That spilled milk? It leaked out of Judah's bottle during the night. The rest? I'm afraid I have no excuse. My fridge has been in desperate need of a cleaning for a while - it's just not on my list of favorite things to do, I guess. The spilled milk was the last straw before I got a scrub-a-dub-dubbing. And now?

Dun-dun-da-dun. Let's just say the results from a little bit of elbow grease are so, so worth it!
If you're fridge looks like mine did, here's a few tricks to make the dreaded job easier:

• Take out all the food. If you're worried about spoiling, store the perishables in a cooler while you clean.
• Remove all the drawers and any shelves that can fit into your sink.

• Fill your sink with steaming hot water, vinegar, baking soda, and a bit of dish soap. Using a dish brush, scrub away the grime from the drawers and smaller shelves.

• Once the drawers have been dried, pass them off to your two-year-old and watch her imagination soar! Apparently they make fantastic beds for stuffed bears and dogs. Not to mention they're great for keeping a wee one occupied while you finish cleaning.

• Sprinkle some baking soda on the larger shelves. Add a splash of vinegar and real lemon juice before putting all your might into scrubbing away the residue with a dish brush. Don't forget the sides of the refrigerator too.
• Use paper towel or a microfiber cloth to wipe away the wet mess and leave a streak-free shine.

I couldn't help myself. I just had to show you this picture one more time. Isn't it a thing of beauty?! Now the challenge is to see how long it will stay this way.
How long has it been since you cleaned your refrigerator? Does your mess beat mine or am I Queen of the Filthy Fridge?