Friends,
It has been such a very long time! I have bought my own domain and am now a permanent resident here. I would be absolutely floored if you would head on over and visit me.
Thank you so much for your loyalty. I truly do appreciate each of you who has read my blog!!
xoxo
Y’all, I am in my early thirties and I still get IDed for buying cigars, but you know what makes me feel super old? Words like “trill, yolo, and fleek”. Seriously by the time I figure out how to use words like these, they are already out of style. Trill means true and real.. who knew?
Now if you use the word trill in normal conversation more power to ya! I just don’t have the mental brain space right now! Plus, if you hafta think about how something is properly used in a sentence, you probably are trying too hard.
Have a great Thursday Folks! I’m over this week and ready for the weekend!
image from NPR.org
Dominant
Fact is, everyone has to eat. As a Mama of 5, a lot of my time is spent in the kitchen both preparing and cleaning up after meals. The one appliance that I would recommend to any and everyone, is the Instant Pot. It is an electric pressure cooker that has changed my cooking game.
I know a lot of people are intimidated of the pressure cookers because they are leary of burns or even possible explosions. These are not the pressure cookers our grandparents used. They have many safety features to prevent accidents, and the steam can be easily controlled.
The main reasons that I love my pressure cooker are:
Things I love to make in my Instant Pot:
If you are on the edge trying to decide whether to invest in this appliance or not, I can honestly say that I am super glad I did. If you have already got one but are afraid to use it, there are a lot of great facebook groups as well as websites that are treasure troves of information. And of course, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have as well!
Happy Wednesday Folks!
If you feel like I have gotten a little self helpy lately.. it’s probably because I have. Not because you need it, but because I do. I have been struggling ya’ll. Now don’t get me wrong, I am happy and blessed beyond measure, but I find myself basing my happiness on how other people treat me, and if I think it is fair or not, or if it makes me feel good. And even though I have been a little tardy noticing this in myself, I am beginning to deal with it. Better late than never.
So what does that look like? The first step is to realize that no one really owes you anything. Here is a few practical examples..
I’ve had an overwhelming day with two toddlers and 3 bigs who have been cooped up because of the cold, instead of just launching into a vent fest when hubby walks in and dumping my problem onto him, I am going to stop and consider that he may have had a bad day too, and greet him warmly.
When my mother calls and tells me what all she has done for a sibling, I am not going to focus on that she hasn’t done anything for me. Why should I think that we should all have the exact same treatment; people should be allowed to spend their time as they wish.
It is so easy for me to feel like the victim, but why do I do that? When I really think about it, and if you asked me, I would tell you that I have a wonderful life! I should not be focused on what people don’t do for me, or times I feel like I have been left out or missed out. I defend my own mistakes, but so easily judge people who make mistakes against me. My happiness should not be based on other’s peoples’ behavior. The problem is really more of an identity issue.
I am focusing on my identity not being in my husband, or my kids, but really finding my identity in Christ. It’s hard. It’s counter-cultural, but it really is my true happiness. When I focus on how Christ is love and how I can be loving, I don’t have the bad feelings, the broken relationships. At the moment of the conflict it is challenging, but over the course of time it is so freeing.
It is so very easy to be the judge, it is very hard to die to yourself and put others first. I am not saying that you should just be walked all over, I am just saying.. let’s all extend each other some grace. It can start a chain reaction. When we can show kindness, let’s show kindness.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/candid/
Not gonna lie, I am a little nervous about today’s topic. But, I think it is important for you to know the real me, not just the person that I would like to think that I am. It’s pretty easy to give you a rose colored glasses version of myself, but that is exactly the opposite of what I set out to do. I don’t want to be one of those blogs that paints you this perfect picture of what having a big family and living in a rural community is like. I want to show you the messy and the imperfect- because that is what we are. So, without further ado, here are 7 candid truths about myself.
I hope none of this scares you off. I’m just an imperfect person working on the only person I can change. Thank God for His abundant grace!
I’d love to hear something candid about you!
I am currently reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It came very serendipitously. I was actually looking for a different book of hers, but it was not available at my local library. I picked this up by chance to tide me over. I am so glad that I did! In this book Gretchen chronicles her one year journey on becoming happier. She has a different theme every month and shares how she breaks each month into action steps. But more than just a plan, Gretchen talks about how most of us would consider ourselves happy, but when we really examine ourselves, we could be happier.
That is so me! I am happy, I would say. I am so blessed! I am so grateful.. I really do not have any legitimate complaints. But I am irritable and sometimes a real drag. Why??!? I am not practicing happy. What am I cultivating? Am I focusing on the positive or the negative. Take a quick look at your Facebook feed.. what do you see.. Once you get past all the mlms, most of mine is people complaining. I am guilty of complaining I think more than I am of complimenting, or just noticing the good. I know I unfortunately do this with my kids and husband. How easy it is to tell them what they did wrong. It should be just as easy to praise them.
So my quote.. Happiness is as happiness does. Happiness does not just happen. You have to pursue happy. I am not talking make more money, look different, fake it. I am saying notice the little things. Gratitude plays a big dividends to your happiness. When you are thinking about nagging or chastising.. can you think of something good to point out instead. This is one are that I need work on.
Do you actively pursue things that make you happy? Have you let those little nuances that make you YOU fall to the wayside? I know that if I have something to create I am happier. I need projects to let my creative juices flow.. even if it is just rearranging a cupboard. Work these things back into your schedule.
Let’s quit picking each other apart. Let’s start affirming each other. Let’s practice habits that make us happier. If you haven’t read Gretchen’s book yet, I highly recommend it. Here is to actively striving to be happier.
Today I thought I would share my cleaning schedule, and since I for one have no time to scroll through a post it is right here at the top. You can quit reading now if you want, it doesn’t hurt my feelings one bit. 🙂 I got this customizable printable from uncookiecutter.com
So if you are still reading you may want a little more information. I have 5 kids, and 5 kids makes for a lot of dishes and a lot of laundry! It would be really easy to become quickly overwhelmed or drown in a sea of laundry! My motto has become “One load a day keeps the chaos at bay”. You can see that everyday I try to do a load of laundry, dishes, and decluttering.
Laundry- With one load of laundry a day I can keep up with my kids and their numerous daily outfit changes. I only break my clothes into 4 categories: Whites, Jeans, Colors, and Towels. I do not buy a lot of clothes that have to be ironed. My Nana taught that to my Mama and my mama passed it on to me. The only ironing I do is the occasional collar.
I also let my kids help with the folding and hanging. Even my 2 year old knows how to separate laundry. They don’t mind this, and all those hands make it go very quickly. Our system is to dump the dry load in the floor. We then separate into piles by who it belongs to. The owner then folds or hangs and then puts away his or her laundry. I do help them fold. We all work together on matching socks.
Dishes– to be honest this has been one of my biggest struggles for the longest time. We have only about 5 feet of usuable counter space in our kitchen. If I do not keep the sink clean, I feel like my entire kitchen is a mess. It can be very visually overwhelming for me. The system that works best for us right now, may not be best for you.
I have a 2 year old and a 13 month old who think that if the dishwasher is open that it is their jungle gym. So, in order for me to do the dishes, they both have to be occupied. This usually happens at breakfast and at dinner. In between those times I do not mind if things pile in the sink a bit because I don’t want to fight them off the dishwasher. I usually unload the sink during their breakfast, and reload the morning’s dishes. At night I load after dinner and try to run it. I also wash all the pots and pans so that when I go to bed the sink is clear. I also wipe the counter and table at the very minimum after dinner. There is something very relaxing about going to bed with a clean kitchen.
Decluttering– I am not great at this either. We live in a home that is 1200 square feet. With 7 people and all our clothes, it can seem pretty tight. I am trying to get better at tossing what we do not find to be useful, necessary, or beautiful. If you need help with decluttering check out Konmari. It was very helpful to me. I find that in the season of life I am in with my littles, I cannot just dump out my closet however. It would never get finished. So I am striving for 2- 15 minute decluttering sessions everyday. I would be a big fat liar if I told you I did this everyday. So give yourself some slack and just do the best you can.
So those are my everyday chores. On top of those, I also pick one other area of the house to really focus on. This helps me to stay on track, and also makes the results much more tangible to me. The chores I have listed are very straight forward. Please use the extra blanks to help fit in any extras you may have.
Well, I think this pretty well sums up the structure of my housework system. I will try and post more how I clean certain items if you would find that useful. The main thing, is just get started. Do something. Don’t just sit there wondering what to do. Start with your dishes and a load of laundry. Once you master that pick a room. Just DO something! You got this!!
When I was in college I worked a part time job for an elderly lady. I loved this sweet woman, but the work was sometimes.. well it was work. For less than $6 an hour, which at the time was above minimum wage, I cut her lawn, took care of her immaculate yard, ran errands, and helped her with housework. For less than $6 an hour I unloaded over 2000 lbs of sand and laid a flagstone walkway. Unless you have worked shoveling and manual labor in an Oklahoma summer, you can’t really appreciate what that is like. The point is.. it was HARD work to earn $6. And even as a naive college student, it didn’t take me long to figure out what that Starbucks drink was costing me. A $6 drink was costing me 1 HOUR of sweat drenched labor. It just wasn’t worth it to me.
So, from that experience, I developed the question- “Is buying this worth the cost of my time?“. I still use this question today. Sure there are somethings that you have to have, food, shelter, clothing; but a lot of times you can cheapen some of those things. You don’t have to eat at a 5 star restaurant every night. So, next time you are thinking about a non essential item, like say a beautiful brown leather purse like this one that is just calling to you.. oh wait that is me.. ask yourself is this purse worth 6 hours at your job. And sometimes, maybe that purse will be. But this one question will help you rule out most of your frivolous spending.
As you may know, we are a family of 7. In order to feed 7 people without breaking the bank, I have to plan. For a long time, I really sucked at it. I wanted to be a good planner, but it was just overwhelming. The options are so endless, and it was just too much for me to grasp. But now, I have a system that limits my choices and really works for me. It is planning by theme. My themes happen to revolve around the days of the week. So, without further ado, here is my week:
Meaty Monday- if you are a vegetarian you could make this meatless.
Take 2 Tuesday- Repurpose what you made on Monday or do this as a leftovers day.
Wingy (or white meat) Wednesday- Chicken or Pork
Try it Thurday- this is the day I can break out a new recipe
FriYay!- kids or hubby’s favorite foods
Soupy Saturday- I really hope you understand what this means..
Savory Sunday- things like roast or casseroles.
This has made all the difference in my meal planning. Now I can easily come up with at least one idea for every category and set down and make my grocery list. I really only have to plan for dinner. It is just what works for us. For breakfast we always eat the same basic 3 things, so I know to keep those stocked up. During lunch 3 kids are in school, the 2 youngest eat whatever I eat (which is usually leftovers or a salad), and hubby can join us or fend for himself. He usually has a big breakfast and a more snackish lunch anyway. I do not have to schedule in snacks, but I always keep lots of fruit which is my kids’ snack of choice.
Do you meal plan? If so, do you find themes helpful? If you do days of the week, I would love to hear your themes!
Thanks for joining me! I have been thinking about a blog for a very, very long time. I mean come on, if Pioneer Woman can do it, anyone can! “Really Mandy, shade to Pioneer Woman on your first post…” Yes, buckle up buttercup, you are in for a ride. 😉
So a little about me- I obviously have 5 kiddos or I would have named this blog something else like “Mandy, I still have my sanity”, or “Mandy, a 6 pack was just right”. My kiddos range in age from 13 to 115 months. And we, along with my dear husband, all live in the great state of Oklahoma.
I don’t really know how to describe myself very well. If you are familiar with Myers Briggs, I am an INFJ. I enjoy hiking, reading, spending time with my family. All pretty normal stuff, however, I have fallen in with two cults- Happy Planners and Instapotters… it was a slippery slope!
My plan for this blog as of right now, it is always subject to change, is to share a little of how we do life. Being in a big family is different. It is beautiful but messy. It can be loud, and chaotic, but it is fun and full of love. It also means our priorities may be a bit different; and sometimes we have to make things go a little further. I have a few tricks up my sleeves, and would love to share them with you.
So thanks again for joining me, I hope this is a fun, wild ride for you!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Mandy, MAMA OF 5 