Day in the Life

From Wednesday Nov. 5th through Wednesday Nov. 12th, my one year old James was sick. He had a double whammy- a stomach bug and a cold. So that meant I didn't go to church on Sunday, and really felt like I hadn't see anyone or gone anywhere in forever! So the day in my life I'll take you on is Friday, Nov. 14th. Fridays are my husband's day off, so I was ready to get out of the house!

6:15- James and David both wake up. Lee takes them downstairs.
7:00- They come wake me up. I get ready for the day (and watch Sports Center to see if the Jets or New England won).
7:30- we all have breakfast
8:00- the boys and I are in the playroom watching Little Einsteins. James has just started patting along with them when they blast off. It was an episode we hadn't seen before so David sits with me and watches it while James plays.

8:30- My friend Nikki comes over. We take off for a little shopping.
9:00- We arrive at the shopping center in north Baltimore (It's really fun living near the state line. Who else gets to visit two states in one day, just for shopping?!). We go to Wegmans, Caribou Coffee, and a local book store. We talk, laugh, and get to know each other better. She jokes that you can tell we are stay at home moms when going to a different grocery store is a big time out!
11:30- She drops me off at home and Lee has the boys ready to go.
noon- We arrive at the house we are in the process of buying. A man from our church is there doing the inspection. He goes over a few things with Lee. Then our Realtor arrives and we sign some papers.
1:00- We stop at Burger King for lunch. The cashier asks David if he wants a Homer Simpson or Bart Simpson toy. We explained that he doesn't know who the Simpsons are so he gets the toddler toy instead.

1:45- We're back home and putting the boys down for a nap.
1:50-2:05- looking for my husband's reading glasses. He just decides to go to Wal-Mart and get a new pair.
2:05-3:15- on the computer getting posts ready, reading through Google Reader, and checking email.
3:15- Lee and I get a Goodwill donation ready. We're trying to get rid of things we don't want to move to the new house.
3:30- James wakes up
3:34- He's in the play room watching Veggie Tales Silly Songs. Then he plays.
4:30- David wakes up. I read a story out of his Bible about Peter finding a coin in a fish's mouth. His snack is a bowl of gold fish crackers with a "coin" in the bowl. We talk about mouth and money- part of our M lesson.

5:00- I go up stairs to make dinner.
5:30- Dinner time! The boys eat mac and cheese and apple sauce. Lee and I eat chef salads.
6:00- Back down stairs to watch a little of the movie Cars and play with their cars. We have to say, "Get that out of your mouth" and "Get off of your brother" about 23 times.
7:10- upstairs for bath time.
7:30- boys are in bed and I check a few things on the computer. I find Lee's glasses on the floor when I roll over them with the desk chair.

8:00- Lee and I watch reruns of the Cosby show and share popcorn.
9:00- I come upstairs and check a couple things, straighten up a few things, and put blankets on the boys.
9:45ish- Ready for bed, with a basketball game on TV, do my Bible reading plan (more on that next week!).
10:30ish- Fall asleep when Lee comes to bed.

That's a pretty average Friday at our house! I always think it's interesting to see how people schedule their days and live their lives. That's why I keep a family blog and am on Twitter. I hope you enjoy getting to know each one of us better this week!

This Week at Today's Housewife

Topic: A Day in the Life. After two weeks of serious subjects, menu planning and house cleaning, we're devoting a week for our readers just to get to know us better by sharing a typical day at our houses.

Please Pass the... Share your best kid-friendly recipes or your children's favorites!

Guest Post: This week Michelle has written about a day in her life. One day a month she and friends from church get together and cook enough meals for the entire month! You won't want to miss how she does it! Michelle's post will run Friday.

Please Pass the Appetizers

This time of year, we all need new ideas for appetizers! With holiday meals, get-togethers, and parties we probably eat more appetizers from Thanksgiving through New Year than at any other time of year! So post your favorite appetizer recipe on your blog and link up!


Spinach Artichoke Cups
Alicia can't take credit for this idea, but it's so easy and simple. It's perfect for entertaining. (By the way, you can use these shells for ANYTHING. They are perfect for bite-sized scoops of casseroles, cheese dip, custards, chocolate mousse, or whatever filling you want.)

Athens Mini Phyllo Shells
Frozen Spinach Artichoke Dip (I use Friday's, but you could use your own or any other brand)
extra cheese, shredded (Gruyere works well)
salsa

Thaw dip and shells according to directions. Add cheese and salsa to taste. (You could use the dip without adding anything if you prefer or are short on time.) Fill shells with a small amount of dip. Bake 5-10 minutes to warm.
-----------------------
Paula Deen's Phyllo Shells filled with Shrimp Salad (from Sandra)
(photo from Food Network)
2 cups shrimp- cooked, peeled, and finely diced
1/2 finely diced celery
1 T. minced green onion
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
1/2 C. mayo
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
one package of frozen mini phyllo (filo) shells, thawed

In a bowl, combine shrimp, celery, and onion. In another bowl, stir together lemon juice, mayo, salt and pepper. Pour over the shrimp mixture and stir gently to combine. Spoon into the phyllo shells just before serving.

Funny that Alicia and I would both put recipes using phyllo shells. I always keep a box in the freezer, because as she said, they are so versatile!

E-Book Winner!

Bri has won our giveaway for Simple Mom's e-book Spring Cleaning for Normal People! I have contacted Bri and Tsh from Simple Mom through email!

Here are a few links to my favorite posts (on a variety of subjects) from Simple Mom. Thanks again to Tsh for donating her book for our giveaway! Stop by her site soon!

• Home Management Notebooks Are a Great Idea
• 9 Tips for Taking Great Family Portraits (must read before you stage the family Christmas card pic!)
• Manage the Family Finances by Cutting Spending and Increasing Income
• Jesse Tree- a project to help your family focus on Christ this Christmas season
• Lackluster Walls At Home? Low on extra funds? Think Outside The Box

Beauty is in the Imperfections...

Cleaning? I'm not a big fan of it. See, I live by several different mottos.
1. A clean house is a sign of a wasted life.
2. Beauty is in the imperfections.
3. A woman's work is never done, so why bother.

These are all silly of course, but truly, I am sitting here, racking my brain, wondering WHY in the world I chose the topic of Cleaning Schedule! :)

Honestly, my home really is clean, however, I do not follow a set schedule. I tend to bounce around from job to job, on a whim. I have a bit of a case of "Cleaning A.D.D." A typical day of cleaning may look a bit like this:

I will be sitting folding a pile of laundry, only look up only to notice a little dust bunny scurrying across the floor. Abandoning my immediate task, I leave the laundry to fold itself (it never does) and attack the dust bunny. As I'm throwing the little bunny into the trash, I'll notice the dishes in the sink, and think to myself, "The kitchen looks so much nicer when there are no dishes in the sink." I proceed to open the dishwasher, and realize that it's full of clean dishes. Ugh. I start to unload the dishwasher, and my son, Noah, will immediately toddle over and try to climb inside. Ok, I'll do this when he's napping. I shoot a menacing look to the dishes sitting in the sink, "I'll be back for you!" I mutter, and move on to my next task. What was it? Oh, the laundry, yes. I hunker back down to continue folding, and realize that when I was bunny hunting, Noah decided to unfold my little pile. Hmm. Maybe I'll just do this while I'm watching TV tonight. Yes, that's what I'll do. Up to the bedroom goes my pile of laundry. Once upstairs, I realize that I never made my bed. I proceed to make it, and notice the layer of dust on my headboard. Conveniently, I have a dust rag in my clean laundry pile. Yes! I snatch it up and get at the headboard, once it's all done, I'll do the footboard, but notice a shiney object jutting out from under the bed. "What the...?" Upon further inspection, I notice that it is a spoon. I am always finding misplaced items now that Noah is walking and into EVERYTHING. You moms know how that goes. No big surprise there. The big surprise actually comes when I lift the bed skirt and peer under at all the other "treasures" that Noah has stowed away. Ah-ha! THERE is my alarm clock! And Jason's khaki belt with the good gold buckle too! He'll be glad to see that! And so it goes... Every day is an adventure in cleaning. Cleaning one thing naturally leads to cleaning another until our home is restored to it's natrual beauty!

No matter how we go about the daily tasks in our lives, as long as we do it with joy and a happy heart, I believe that's all that matters!

My husband and I have very different ways that we go about cleaning. Mine is described above. His, being raised in a very tight ship, so to speak, and now being a Naval Officer, is a bit different. He has a motto of his own: Cleanliness is next to Godliness. How do we live under the same roof? We've come to the agreement that "Everything in moderation" should be our mutual "motto. I appreciate his need for order, and he appreciates my need for a little chaos. I've taught him that our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy. We are a good balance.

All kidding aside, I do love the peace and tranquility that a clean home brings. I love the feeling of completion and accomplishment when it's all over. I adore to have a home full of shiny, dust-free surfaces and a floor I could actually eat off of. The act of cleaning does have a very therapeutic quality to it. When you are finished, there is the feeling of completion, and peace. It is a gift to be able to clean your floors, because there are some who do not have floors to clean. It is a gift to be able to pick up after messy children, because there are many couples who long to do so and are not able to have children. It is a gift to be able to wash dishes or put them in a dishwasher, because that means that you've had a meal. The act of cleaning makes us aware, and present in our lives. With order comes energy, inspiration, and life. When we clean, it shows those around us that we care about them, and that we love them. A clean, orderly home welcomes and nurtures a frazzled husband after a long day at work, or a child who's had a bad day at school.

I feel blessed to be able to be a homemaker. However I begin the process of cleaning, with enthusiasm or distain, I try to stay mindful of the process, and grateful for everything I have.

Thanks, girls, for the opportunity for me to be a guest blogger! I've enjoyed reading all of your posts, and I've actually learned a lot about myself writing this for you! Very therapeutic. In fact, I think I'm going to go clean now!

Bless and be blessed,
Becca

Becca lives in Connecticut with her husband and son. She stays busy during those long submarine deployments with her art and cleaning, of course. You can read more at Lovely Yellow Ribbons and My Soul Shines.

Don't forget to leave a comment to win Simple Mom's Spring Cleaning e-book!

Cleaning Confession

Have you seen those shows where they go through a person's house to help them straighten up? They empty the room, make piles for keep, toss, and sell. Then they redecorate. I always wonder what it looks like months later when the cameras have left. They always look so clean and sparkly. I don't think my house has ever looked like that--uncluttered, super clean and like you could eat off the floor!

Yesterday I got out the vacuum, but Dietrich did not think cleaning was a good idea! I worked a little bit, fed him, held him, entertained him until he fell asleep and got back to vacuuming. It took quite a while and was the only thing I accomplished. I don't know if this will get easier or harder as he gets older!

I, like KLee, do not have a cleaning regimen. I will clean when it needs to be cleaned or when someone is coming (most of the time). I don't like to be tied to a schedule or feel guilty because I didn't accomplish whatever that today. I would rather do a mini-marathon cleaning in one day. I do, however, usually make sure the kitchen is clean and Ben does a great job with the dishes after dinner!

I was talking to Sandra the other day and told her that a few weeks ago I could say that I cleaned something every Monday, but even that has changed. Now, I just make sure that I do at least something once a week including changing the sheets and towels. Our house is usually straight, but please don't come conduct a white glove test on our shelves!!

What is your least favorite room to clean?

(Remember, leaving a comment will enter you in the drawing to win Simple Mom's helpful e-book!)

Never Clean Alone

Honestly, I do not have a cleaning schedule. My routine is to clean when I can't stand it anymore! OR if we have people coming over. I am more of a tidy-er than a cleaner. I try to keep the piles to a minimum and keep things in their spot. Most of my "cleaning" is putting things where they belong. I have tried sticking to a schedule like the other girls have mentioned, but I just can't do it. I feel tied down to the house and I like to have the freedom to walk out the door spontaneously if I so choose. (Not that you can't do those things with a schedule.)

I tend to clean all in one day, taking several hours, and get it all done. Sometimes I will clean while LilE is at school on Tuesdays, but this semester that hasn't really been a priority. Therefore, my little helper has been around whenever I decide the cleaning can no longer be put off. This can be good and bad.

The bad: it usually takes longer than I would like, but that's my own fault for not choosing to do it while she is away.

The good: I am teaching her cleanliness, responsibility, and serving, to name a few.

LilE has her own vacuum. Every time I pull the vacuum out, out comes her little Dirt Devil as well. She will follow me around and vacuum just like Mommy does. Too bad hers does not really suck! As for dusting and bathrooms, I just hand her a baby wipe and let her wipe cabinets and picture frames. It's not perfect, but again, teaching her how to care for things around the house.

The never ending dreaded task of laundry usually gets done when I have nothing else to wear. Again, no set day. I tend to get it started when I know I will be home all day. Again, I have LilE help out by throwing the clothes in the washer or pushing the wet clothes into the dryer. She also likes to put the dryer sheet in after lots of smelling!

Folding laundry-11 months old

The one thing I do typically do on a daily basis is the kitchen. It drives me crazy to have piles of dishes covering the cabinets. After each meal I like to put the dishes in the dishwasher, wash the few that are not DW safe, and have clean cabinets. LilE will help me unload the dishwasher and put the silverware up. Not that she can see into the drawer, but at least it is in the correct drawer, right?

Obviously, I am not organized when it comes to cleaning (which is surprising if you knew how Type A I can be about some things). Tell me how you have your children help around the house. (Remember, leaving a comment will enter you in the drawing to win Simple Mom's fabulous e-book!)