Last week I posted about how I had just let things go in my home, and I was starting to get them back in order.
This week I have decided to focus on the kitchen.
Although there are other areas in my house that are probably even more messy, the kitchen is the one that affects the rest of the house the most. When the kitchen gets cluttered and messy, it is harder to keep the rest of the house in order too. When the kitchen stays in disarray it is really hard to get other areas in the home back to where they need to be.
And most of all, a messy kitchen shows lack of pride in the home. I really am proud of my home. I love my new home. I am so thankful to God for what He has blessed us with.
So high it's time I rolled up my pant legs, clean my kitchen and show my pride.
This is how my kitchen looked Tuesday mid-morning. Looking at this picture, it probably doesn't look that bad. There are dirtier kitchens in America (have you seen Hoarders?), but this is messy to me!!
This picture was taken after I started working on the kitchen. I had just cleaned out the mound of dishes from the sink, stuck them in the dishwasher, and cleaned the junk mail off the ledge (hey some progress). Then I remembered to take a snapshot. I still had a lot of work to do!
I also had a lot of work to do in the fridge.
My laziness in the kitchen has resulted in a rather bare and messy fridge. Don't worry we didn't starve.... we have not eaten very well either. But on the up side, an empty fridge is easier to clean! This didn't take more than 30 minutes.
I spent every spare moment I had all day Tuesday and Wednesday cleaning, and organizing the kitchen, adding a few personal touches when I could.
Wednesday I made a big pot of chili to use up the ground meat in the fridge and clean out the pantry. After the chili was done, the stove top got a good scrubbing.
After taking 15, 20, or 30 minutes here and there when I could I finally could feel good about my kitchen. This is how it looked at bedtime Wednesday night. I still have some more work to do. But my kitchen definitely looks much better, and only in two days!
It's amazing what a little elbow grease and some prayer can accomplish.
Today was a beautiful day! It was hard to believe that it was only March 1st and still technically winter. This year we are having even warmer than usual temps in the winter months, and February ended with very mild weather, leading March in like a gentle lamb.
With this weather, I wonder if March is going to do an opposite of its usual, by coming in like a lamb and roaring out like a lion. So I am determined to enjoy each day we can outside.
Today was the perfect day for the kids to:
Look for signs of honey bees among the clover
Look for snails in the water.
Play tag with the dog, running the full length of the park.
Pick a log and sit to rest.
Discover the first Daffodils of Spring
(Little Miss Daredevil may or may not of picked them when I wasn't looking.)
(But evidence strongly suggests that she did.) Today was the perfect day for mom to:
Sit, enjoy the view, laugh with the girls, snap pictures, and work on a knitting project.
Who knows how many days like today we will have in March? But I am so glad we got to enjoy this one.
The good: I was blessed with a new home with more room and a school room.
The bad: I never got back into a good cleaning routine or set a realistic schedule.
The ugly: My house is cluttered, not clean, and I'm feeling overwhelmed.
Yep, it's pretty ugly.
A year or so ago I had to tell myself that "I'm not SuperWoman" to remind myself that I really can not do it all. I had to remember that I could only do so much, with the time and resources I have been gifted, with the grace that God gives me each and every day. And I had to learn to say no to things that really don't fit in with the priorities and purposes I lived by.
But I honestly think that I am now using the "I'm Not SuperWoman" as an excuse and a cop out to not do the things I don't really want to do, and giving myself the go ahead to spend my time doing things I would rather be doing.
I'm going to be honest. I don't like house cleaning. I don't like dishes. I don't like laundry. It was fun just after we moved into our new home, as we were settling in, and setting up house. But the newness wore off and it got "old".
The daily upkeep of maintaining a home is monotonous, and I don't do well with monotonous tasks. I feel like I am trapped in a rut when I am not doing something creative and spontaneous.
But the fact is, I have been blessed with a home, I am the housewife of the family, and I do need to take care the house to the best of my ability.
The good truth is, is that God did not bless me with this house for it to become a burden and a drudgery. And He didn't give me the desire to nurture my creativity only for it to be squashed in the monotony of housework. There is a way to take care of the home within the confines of a routine and still be able to balance it with spontaneity and creativity.
In all the upheaval moving created, I have some how lost realization of this, and it's time I got it back.
It's time I put my big mamma panties back on and took care of business. I need a butt kick. My house needs an even bigger butt kick. And I'm going to bring one.
It's been almost a year since I updated my blog and posted anything really of merit. But now is the time to dust off my keyboard, and get back to blogging. I have put it off for too long because A) I've been busy. and B) I really haven't felt that I have anything to say that anyone would really want to read. But I don't care if anyone reads this or not. Blogging will be my way of stretching myself.
Since my last real update alot has happened and a lot has changed in our lives. If you are one of my personal FB friends... the following will be old news. So just skip over this since you already know it all... :)
We moved twice in 3 months, first in May 2011 to a temporary country house, and then again in August to our new home. It was hard moving twice, but the end result was more than worth it. God opened the doors for us to move out of our cramped two bedroom mobile home, and opened doors again for us to purchase a beautiful 3 bedroom home.
Our new home is in the city, but right next to a park. We have a big open field right behind our home, so it does not feel like we are boxed in with neighbors. We are within walking distance from 2 grocery stores, with 2 more grocery stores only 2 miles away. The library too is within walking distance and we are only 5 miles from church. The location is perfect for us!
We now have 3 bedrooms, and an extra room that we have turned into a homeschooling/study room. I love having all this space! But I have to admit... I have not gotten into a good routine yet to keep it clean consistently.
We had a nice lull for a little while after moving in. But 3 weeks after we moved in, life got kicked into high gear again when we resumed homeschooling, joined 4H, and prepared for holidays, and dealt with life in general.
And we started to slowly turn our backyard into a small urban farm by digging garden beds and adding chickens. We currently have a small zoo of 4 hens, 1 rabbit, 1 cat, 1 dog, and incubating 35 eggs due to hatch in 2 weeks. In the back yard we have 2 large and 2 small garden beds dug. We have also started clearing out garden beds in the front yard. All outdoor projects are currently on hold until we get this drizzly weather cleared out.
I am so thankful for our "new" home. It's hard to believe we have already lived here 6 months. In some ways it still feels like we just moved in. But in some ways I have already forgotten life before this home.
I look forward to sharing my adventures and life here with you, as we continue working hard making this house even more our home.
I also look forward to connecting with you all again!
I have been knitting a lot lately, and knitting several projects that are in the round. My friend Carrie shared this a few days ago on her FB, and I am posting it here for my reference.
This video is a good tutorial on how to bind off in a ribbing pattern in a circular project. The quality is not the greatest, but Mt. Mom put in a lot of time and effort, and the information is valuable.
I am very fortunate to be a member of CrossFit Tulsa. I am really VERY fortunate because my hubby, Mr. Strong, is a trainer there.
This video was recently put together by one of the other trainers, that give a brief glimpse into what a normal workout class looks like. No I'm not in this video..... I avoid cameras at almost any cost. :)
I was given a compliment yesterday. Some one told me I was strong. But I certainly don't feel strong.....
I can tell I am making some improvements, and I even got my VERY FIRST DOUBLE UNDER tonight during group class. But I still don't feel very strong compared to other women in the class.
Now you have to understand. Looking from the outside I'm not strong. I'm not fit. I am still 40lbs overweight, and I am barely better off strength wise than I was a year ago, or 4 years ago. (It's not a failure due to the workouts or any of the coaches. The failure is mine due to my lack of commitment and consistency.)
(Please be kind as you read my attempt to explain, since it is late, way past this momma's bedtime, and I'm barely functioning. But I had to write what I was thinking now before I lost the nerve to do so.)
So being told I was strong was a huge surprise to me. And when I asked them in what way they thought I'm strong, their answer surprised me even more.
They responded, that I am strong because they know how self conscious I am, and how embarrassed of my self I am. But yet they've seen that I've been able to force myself to come anyway, and give every workout I'm here for my all.
This really got me to thinking.
Yes it is true that I am extremely self conscious of how I look, of how unfit I still am.
I am extremely embarrassed of my size, and am afraid that I would be an embarrassment to my husband. After all, he's a Physical Therapist Assistant and a CF trainer. I really have no excuse, having the resources I have here at home, or the access to the CF Tulsa box that I have, or the knowledge I have, to still be in the shape I'm in.
I am self conscious because I can't fit into the "cute workout clothes", and what I do have isn't very flattering at all.
I am self conscious because I am aware of how many times I have started working out, determined to be consistent, but yet something in life gets in the way and I don't stick with it.
And the list of why I am self conscious can go on and on.
Up to this point, I have timidly listened to my self consciousness, and have been afraid of my embarrassment. I cared way to much about what others may think about me, or say about me, keep me from stepping out and doing what is better for me. I have let fear keep me from making another step, or another effort, to reach the goals that I have. I have let my self consciousness, and fear of embarrassment, keep me from doing anything about what I am self conscious or embarrassed about.
But no longer.
I don't know exactly when. But I've decided that I'm no longer going to let those things keep me from working out.
Yes, I am still self conscious. Yes, I'm still embarrassed about how big I am. Yes I still have little nagging thoughts of doubt about being able to stick to it. But I've made a conscious decision that I'm not going to any longer let those things paralyse me from making progress.
But thinking about what this person said, made me realize, yes I am strong. I may not be strong on the outside. But when I made that decision, I have begun to be strong on the inside.
And I know there are others out there who are like me. Who up to this point have let fear or self consciousness, or little doubts stop you from doing something positive to better yourself and your life.
And if you are one of those, and you somehow stumble onto this little blog, I just want to encourage you. I want to encourage you to stand up for yourself on the inside.
Tell yourself that no longer will you let fear of embarrassment stop you from taking another step. Tell yourself that no longer will you let your self consciousness paralyse you into inactivity. Tell yourself you no longer care what others may think or say.
And honestly, it's none of your business what others think of you. Your business is only what God thinks of you.
Take that next step you need to take to better health and fitness.
Yes, you most likely will have the self consciousness, the little doubts. But the more times you take that next step, you will find that those fears and doubts are unfounded like I have, and the easier you will overcome bigger fears and doubts.
You will find a hidden strength deep within yourself.
And you will become strong in your inner-self long before it is revealed in your outer-self.
I also had a lot of work to do in the fridge.
I spent every spare moment I had all day Tuesday and Wednesday cleaning, and organizing the kitchen, adding a few personal touches when I could.
Wednesday I made a big pot of chili to use up the ground meat in the fridge and clean out the pantry. After the chili was done, the stove top got a good scrubbing.
After taking 15, 20, or 30 minutes here and there when I could I finally could feel good about my kitchen. This is how it looked at bedtime Wednesday night. I still have some more work to do. But my kitchen definitely looks much better, and only in two days!
