Helpful Homemaking Websites

Posted on January 30, 2013 by asavingsteward

I’ve been blessed to attend our Feminine Impact women’s Sunday School class at church since last fall. This past Sunday the topic was a great reminder on how housekeeping is actually a calling – Home is God’s provision for wives and mothers. I have to admit the past few weeks I had been starting to pray for a way out of the home, and homeschooling my sweet girls, because it’s hard and our joy levels are low. This was a timely reminder – God’s patient way of giving me a swift kick?! I think maybe it’s even some type of a single-mom’s seven year itch! Anyway…here are some websites they shared during class that they’ve found to be helpful resources filled with great tips, ideas and encouragement to remind us that home is what we make it – so let’s make it a blessing and fortress for our families!

Stay At Home Moms Housekeeping Tips on About.com
Speed-Cleaning Tips from TheInspiredRoom.net
Great Laundry & Organizing Tips from The Housekeeping Channel
Healthy Cleaning in the Kitchen and beyond from HealthyCleaning.com
Tips for Wellness, Fitness & Beauty from WholeLiving.com
Tons of Housekeeping Tips from BHG.com

I hope you find this list helpful. What are some of your other favorite sites for tips and encouragement?

Homemade Party Garland – So Easy!

Posted on January 25, 2013 by asavingsteward

DSCN4291 We celebrated my mom’s 60th birthday party this past weekend – with a fun surprise party! Along with the anticipation and planning put into the day – I had to put a lot of thought into how to decorate quickly and cost-effectively. I found a couple of examples of paper garland on Pinterest and after looking around at Party City online decided that I’d rather make my own decorations than spend my money on junky-looking party garb. My little girls helped me cut out circles from construction paper (with our scrapbooking tools – so it was a breeze!) and then we created a rainbow pattern across the table. I stacked up our pattern in order and carried it back to the sewing machine and viola – we had cheerful garland! The entire process probably took 30 or 40 minutes! DSCN4288

Where Have I Been?!

Posted on January 23, 2013 by asavingsteward

So I’m well aware that I’ve been the ‘absentee’ blogger here for a bit. I suppose I’ve lacked direction and discipline and honestly struggle with feeling like there’s not much I can offer anyone. Just like every other mother on the planet, I strive to make the most of every day for my children. With this goal in mind, I struggle with feelings of inadequacy and failure. After all, being a mom is the hardest job I have ever had. The hours are unending, even when I declare myself “off-duty” they still persist. Sometimes these sweet children of mine are cranky or they flat-out ignore me; and the pay is way-lousy to my wallet but their sweet smiles have a way of making my heart overflow with great joy.

I feel like I’m living life plan 2.09754167 (as apposed to my plan A that didn’t work out so well – I have no farm with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids) and I constantly have to remind myself that God is in control of every detail and He loves me and has a plan for my life to bring glory to Him. I don’t have to look far in my day-to-day living to see His provisions and grace in my life. My three children don’t lack for anything, my pantry is so full I cannot walk all the way into the room itself, and most importantly we have incredible friends and family that love us and add so much joy to our lives.

So on this note I plan to start anew to share some of the best deals I find, primarily for homeschooling or parenting – but also some of the better printable coupons and free samples too. It’s fun to get ‘stuff’ in the mail instead of just bills, right?! This past year I’ve discovered the ease of online shopping – there’s no carting the kids into town, who get hungry the moment the seat belt clicks in the van even if they just finished lunch before we walked out the door…and don’t understand why I try to stick to what’s on ‘the list’ at the store…You get the idea. I appreciate you sticking around for my rambling. I hope I’ll be able to add some joy to your days too.

May 2013 be a blessed and wondrous year for you and your loved ones too! Here’s a picture of my new journal to help me reorganize my thoughts and goals. What do you plan to do differently in 2013? or how about we start with today?!

Tuesday’s Tune: You Are More

Posted on August 21, 2012 by asavingsteward

Because we are more than the choices that we’ve made, more than the sum of our past mistakes – we’ve been remade!

Tenth Avenue North – You Are More from tenth-avenue-north on GodTube.

Sugar Free Shrinking Pants – Week 2 Check-In

Posted on June 15, 2012 by asavingsteward

How’s it going this week? We are two weeks in to the Break the Sugar Habit challenge and the start of the Sisterhood of Shrinking Pants! Time keeps flying by! We are still eating lots of fruits and veggies, which has meant more frequent trips to the store because often the kids eat up the apples, peaches and strawberries faster than I thought they would. We’ve made it two weeks without sweet tea – amazing! I’ve made some CountryTime lemonade a few times for the girls though, which I know is NOT sugar free…They are doing better though – making healthier snack and meal choices!

I have read and re-read chapter one of Made to Crave but that’s as far as I’ve gotten so far. Here are a few ideas to keep us going in the right direction:

Have you gotten your Made to Crave book? Did you make a reading schedule?
Plan to follow CommonPlace Mom to see our reading and discussion schedule for the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Pants.
If you’re participating in the Break the Sugar Habit Challenge, be sure to check in with Mandi at LifeYourWay.
For an extra boost of encouragement, read Lysa TerKeurst’s devotional “Why I Shouldn’t Indulge.”
Get your FREE fridge sign to remind yourself that you don’t have to be driven by food cravings – be by your Creator!
I’ll leave you with the verse that’s stuck with me this week: