Monday, November 10, 2008

Haven: Tidy

Here's a peek into our day ~ I was up and sitting at the table by 7:06, not as good as I hoped, but not bad.

I made a cup of hot cocoa, lit a candle and settled down to feed on God's Word. I decided to read in Jeremiah 30-31 as it ties into our homeschooling this week. My verse to meditate on today was Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

I spent a few moments praying over my list and asking God to have His way in spite of my plans. (Dana had a great reminder about this in the comments this morning)

All of my littles got up and I nursed Samuel while reading stories to the ladies on the couch. Then we headed to the kitchen to pull out breakfast ~ cereal today. We read our morning Bible story and The Runaway Bunny - our book for the week.

Next, the ladies played for a few minutes while I tackled my first clutter spot. I am notorious for not putting away the clean dishes from the dish drainer. So, this was my first project for the morning! I tied an apron on and put on some Christmas music! My favorite!!

Before:After:
Next, it was time for baths - I usually put the the ladies in the tub and then give Samuel a bath in the sink so they are occupied and we are all in there together! Here are the cute little ones I got to bathe and then all dressed and ready for the day!

Samuel went down for a morning nap, and the ladies and I headed out to the driveway to clean out the car! I did not vacuum - but did collect a lot of trash and things that needed to be brought in the house. The ladies had fun pretending to drive the car!

Before:
During:
After:
Back inside, we made pictures of fluffy bunnies by gluing cotton balls on a bunny outline:

And, then Emily did a workbook page while Rachel played with stickers:
Samuel woke and the three of them watched Hermie: Flo the Lyin' Fly while I worked on the dining room table:
After that, we all went on a walk - it was a beautiful day and we practiced Bible verses while we walked; saw a few butterflies; and collected pretty fall leaves. When we got home, Emily wanted to decorate her room with the leaves she had collected!
Samuel was ready to nurse and have baby food by now and after that I fixed lunch for the rest of us and we read Little House in the Big Woods while eating.

Rachel went down for her nap while Samuel and Emily played a bit longer. Shortly, everyone was down for a nap and I tackled the kitchen counters: (yes, there is still a pile - but it is things that need to be delivered!)
Emily got up and played on our bed while I conquered my night stand and bedside area that had gotten completely out of control. Are you seeing why I needed to host this challenge? My home needed this so badly -

Then, she joined me in the laundry room where I worked on the top of the dryer and she practiced some cutting. I also consistently struggle with keeping this space clear. All that is left is the ironing.
Rachel and Samuel were now up and cared for. I began preparing dinner - Applesauce pancakes and bacon; I also made pumpkin bread for tomorrow.
After dinner and clean up - I sat down with the ladies for a bit while they watched a movie and worked on my Jesse Tree ornaments. (More to come on this when I finish them!)
I cleaned out my purse while waiting for all of these pictures to upload!!!

I did not do a room by room tidy, but did get everything else done I wanted to do. I hope it was a great day for everyone! Welcome to all our new readers - my site meter has gone through the roof today, thanks for visiting! Please join me again tomorrow - as we focus on cleaning!

35 comments:

Donna(mom24boyz) said...

Everything looks awesome, funny how doing this motivates us! My husband was laughing at the other day as I took a photo of my messy spice cabinet. I intend to clean and spruce it up and I know bloggin about it will encourage me to get it done!

Again, you did a great job!

Heather said...

Thanks, Monica! You're inspiring me to tackle the clutter in our home, too. It's so much nicer to be home when our home is tidy!

Anonymous said...

Wow! You got a lot done today! :) I loved seeing the before/after photos and especially the photos of E, R, and S! Lots of love, Mom

Anonymous said...

Great work!! You did so good. I am so glad my van isn't the only one like that! :)

April said...

Thank you so very much for this post. Very inspiring! I read your blog everyday and have learned so much from you.

Milehimama @ Mama Says said...

That is so funny that your girls put their seatbelts on when pretending to drive!

The top of my dryer is always filled, mysteriously, too.

Anonymous said...

Hi Monica!

I just discovered your lovely blog! Love the Jesse Tree ornaments... please share them when they're finished! My girls are grown now, but our Jesse Tree was their all-time favorite Christmas decoration. We put our up around a doorway so that the timeline is easy to see... and my youngest (now 19) insists the Jesse Tree MUST go up each year!

God bless!
Kim :-)

Sarah said...

Thank you for hosting!

I didn't join in today but plan to tomorrow. Thank you for the pictures. So often I think that other women don't actually have the clutter that I do and it's nice to know I'm not alone in it!

Thank you for your encouragement.

Good job on all you got done today!

Wendy said...

I am a new reader (coming over from Crystal's site). I am so glad that I found you. I too have three kids basically the same age as yours. I have felt like I was drowning in all the stuff. You have given me inspiration and motivation. Tomorrow I am going to put down the computer and focus on the house!

Farmhouse Blessings said...

I so loved my peek into your day. What precious time spent with those little ones!

Blessings,
Lea

Catherine said...

You did so well, Monica and the children were still top priority, it would seem from your photos. And your tidied areas look lovely. Well done! I admit I am partly dreading the next one...cleaning - not my favourite!

Sarah said...

I worked on tidyness today and I have to say it feels good! Thanks for the pictures and motivation.

Anonymous said...

Great pictures, Monica~~~~~~~~thanks for sharing. The children all look happy and content.

Lisar said...

WOW is all I can say...I am so impressed with what you have achieved whilst nurturing your littlies...Bless you

Katy said...

It looks like you got a ton accomplished Monica!!! I love seeing all the befores and afters!!!! Thank you for sharing them with us! :)

Julie said...

Thank you once again for the inspiration. You always seem to accomplish so much. Yesterday I tidied some of the places where stuff always seems to gather and made much more efficient use of nap time.

Anonymous said...

Wow! You really had a productive day! Your children are just the CUTEST!! Thanks again for hosting this challenge, I am loving participating!

Anonymous said...

Your before and after pictures are so encouraging to me! I picture everyone else as having a perfect home all the time, and it is encouraging to know that I'm not alone. I'm currently working full time, but this week is my LAST week before I go back to being a stay at home mom!!!

I've decided that this week I'm going to try to keep the house straightened up, and catch up on my laundry since I'm still working, then next week (and probably several weeks following), I'm going to clean out our house and get rid of any clutter. These posts are really gearing up my mind and heart to be ready for next week. Thank you so much!

I am happy the moneysavingmom mentioned you, and I will keep reading your posts this week, so that next Monday I will be geared up and ready to go.

I do not own an apron, but I think I am going to buy one before Monday, because I love the music/ candle/ apron idea!

Christiana said...

You were blessed to get a lot done in one day! :) I like your laundry room wallpaper border...I have that it in my bathroom with the matching shower curtain! :)

Stephanie said...

I finally was able to post the results of my baking day!

It was so fun to read over yours!

Unknown said...

Great job, Monica! This is so encouraging to see everybody working on different projects etc...it also has shown me that NO MY HOME ISN'T THE ONLY ONE THAT NEEDS FINE TUNING ONCE IN AWHILE! :) Thanks for sharing!

Bridgett said...

Your great at managing your home care w/your children. I'm going to try that today! Looks great!

Amy said...

What great progress, Monica! You are always inspiring me in my home. Thank you for being a source of motivation for me in the mornings!!

Unknown said...

Wow! I'm impressed with all you accomplished.

I work outside the home full time and have two very active teens, so I did not get to join in yesterday...but today...NOTHING on the calendar...so I'll be joining in. It may take me more than a week, but I'm aiming by Thanksgiving break to have everything warm and inviting.

Melody said...

Wow! Great job. I wish I would have gotten that much done and all the fun things thrown in. I did notice last night how much the two things that I did get done made a big difference. Thanks for the motivation.

Susannah said...

You are incredibly productive, given those cuties you have to take care of! Wow! I'm so impressed.

They are adorable!

Unknown said...

Dear Monica,

I've been enjoying your blog on an almost daily basis for several months now. Great Job!

Thank you for all your open attitude and honest photographs. In media of this nature it would be so easy to "color" things the way you wanted them to be known.

Blessings!

Lynette said...

Wow! You got a lot done. I am impressed!

heicoc said...

Great job Thanks for sharing....your pics are great - your little ones are soo happy!

Can I ask a questions....the candy canes on your dryer....I'm sure you made them....they look so cute, sometime can you share how you made them?? Thanks!!!

Michelle said...

Wow, what a great job. You must've fallen asleep quite easily Monday night after all that hard work. Just keeping up with the kids takes a lot out of me, so I can't imagine tackling everything on top of that. I've got tons of hotspots like some of your before pictures that could really use the TLC. Maybe one day when I do have a little more energy!

Thank you for doing this.

Aubrey said...

I would love to know where you got your list for Jesse Tree symbols. I'd love to make some, too, but have a hard time finding a complete list. Thanks in advance for your help!!

*carrie* said...

Monica, you were so productive, and managed to weave in some fun activities, too!

Good job on attacking all those piles--I know that stuff is hard to keep up with. Love you!

Lilyofthevalley - Tanya said...

Enjoyed the peek into your day! Lovely family you ahve too. You got a lot accomplished with your precious little ones.

Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog!

Blessings!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Lilyofthevalley4/

Unknown said...

PS...I just wanted to add that I LOVE THE PHOTO OF YOUR LITTLE SAMUEL WITH THE BATH TOWEL! :-) I just got one similar with MY little Samuel!

Anonymous said...

I know the official haven challenge week is over for everyone else, but my first day of this is tomorrow, since it's my first week as a stay at home mom again. I've just reread both of your Monday posts to mentally prepare myself, and I've made my to do list for tomorrow.

I'm nervous because I tend to get distracted or discouraged when trying to take better care of my home, but tomorrow I am really going to focus on the Lord and draw my strength from Him so I don't lose my place.

Thank you so much for this, and for not being afraid to post the before photos.