Tippy Tuesday: Life Saver... literally.

Each minute we spend is life right? Well, thanks to my sweet friend, I now have many minutes of life saved for other things!!!

She came over a couple weeks ago to do some cleaning because my back was ka-put. One of her generous ideas was to let me borrow her Swiffer Vac until my back feels better because, let's face it, sweeping with a broom does involve the back quite a bit.

Oh. my. HEAVENS!

The Swiffer Vac has done two amazing things for me:

1) DRASTICALLY cut down on time spent sweeping my downstairs. There is no carpet in any room, so dirt and debris adds up faster than my daughter bites a cookie. If I use the broom to sweep my downstairs, it can take about a half hour. Swiffer Vac = 5 minutes MAX. That's not to say I will never use a broom again. As my friend noted, it won't get every last bit a broom can. But that's not what bothers me. It's the bigger bits you can feel and see, not the dust particles. (A good broom sweep and mop every week or two should suffice.)

2) DRASTICALLY cut down on the annoyance I get with my hard floors. Don't get me wrong. I love having hard floors downstairs! But uuuuuugh... I can't believe how jaded we are into thinking vacuuming our carpets gets them clean. If you saw what piles up daily on my hard floors.... But with the Swiffer Vac, I can pop that puppy out after EVERY meal without dreading the chore and have non-crunchy floors in a couple minutes.

BONUS: I finally found what I've been looking for -- the little simple swiffer cloths my mom used to give me to dust our home. Guess which 5 and 4 year olds are about to take over the dusting chore...

So today's tip if you have sizable hard floors in your home: BUY A SWIFFER VAC!

I gotta get me a coupon so my sweet friend can have hers back... ;-)

Monday Meditations: Getting One Thing Straight

I got a very nice message from a dear college friend the other day. She's in a bit of a rough patch with a brood of little Warriors to raise as well as a new pregnancy complete with the fun symptoms. :-P Here's part of what she said...

So, I have a question for you! How do you do it all? I see all of your blog posts, menus, laundry tips, etc. and think...wow, I wish I was as talented as Dawn! I am a pretty organized person, but I just feel like you have it together so much better.

Let's get one thing straight... I. do. NOT. have. it. together. :-)

The problem with the virtual world is that we can pick and choose what we let others see. Granted, you can do that face to face with someone as well. But, ah, with the virtual world, editing of self is endless! Who in their right mind would post "I yelled at my son today just because he wouldn't go up the stairs when I told him to" or "I ate chips the other afternoon when I wasn't truly hungry" or "I was disgruntled when my husband said I couldn't get a new hamper for the boys' room" or "I napped for an hour and a half rather than a quick cat nap and then taking care of responsibilities" (See, four imperfections right off the top of my head...and there's a lot more I could post!) No, most of us, except for a few rare jewels of honesty, choose to post the tips, the funnies, the pictures, the Bible verses, and so on. Sure paints a pretty picture, huh?

I'd like to share my response to my sweet friend to help paint, not an ugly or pretty picture, but a PROPER picture...

Girl, there are SO many things I need to improve upon. What you see on my blog or FB is by God's grace, whether I learned it through Home Ec, other women or resources, or figured it out along the way.

I fail EVERY day. Misplaced priorities, laziness, anger/impatience with my boys... I could give you a laundry list of failures. I think we're only on week 7 or so of our preschool. And it's been 6 MONTHS since we started. :-P Laundry always piles up. Dusting happens maybe once a month. Bathrooms are cleaned every 2-3 weeks (maybe?). Menu planning is a chore -- ugh. I have good intentions to do things after bedtime, but once I sit to nurse Eden one last time, my body hits the "I'm actually sitting down and now I'm tired" wall.

So now that I've blown holes in how you apparently view me... ;-)

If I may borrow an old adage: Those who fail are those who fail to try.

And to add to that, we can only try and keep trying by God's strength. He's promised not to give us anything He won't also give us the tools and grit to handle. Very humbling to think of all He's blessed us with and then look at the job we are (or aren't) doing. We've been given amazing men to love, support, and aid in this life. We've been charged to raise human beings -- keep them alive and healthy as well as guide them spiritually to the Throne of Salvation. And if that wasn't enough responsibility, tack on home management, meal management, clothes management, cleaning, doc appointments, church stuff, etc. Sheeh! Almost seems like we've been set up to fail.

And yet God gave it all to us. Therefore, we CAN handle it. But only in HIS strength. Can't stress that enough for the both of us. By being His daughters, we're set up for success rather than failure. We just have to choose to take what is already there! (Wow, I think I'm preaching to myself!)

My mom has always told me "Just do the next thing" when I'm having a rough time physically or emotionally. This is definitely just a season for you. One that is well worth it since you're [insert your own personal struggle here]! Do what you can, ask for help, and let go of the rest. As long as your family is alive and healthy, that's what matters! People, including yourself, are more important than folded laundry or clean windows.

Let me raise my glass of lukewarm water while in my wrinkled shirt and spit-up, snotty jeans as I say: "Here's to wives and moms -- may we remember that our Father has set us up for success and not failure. We just have to choose to do it all for Him and that will put success in our grasp!"

Tippy Tuesday: Hubz in the Kitchen

My Hubby once wrote a really cute poem for me that was a call for me to accept his help even in things I want done my own way. It's been in the back of my brain on several occasions since then, and my own mother has brought it up to me when I needed to be reminded of the principle. The push of the poem is for me to accept a life ring -- help -- when it is offered, whether it is thrown my way or his. I'll post the poem when I can find it...

I know for stay-at-home-moms (and even most working moms), one of our "realms" is meal management and our main office is the kitchen. Some husbands are 5-star chefs, others don't know what a spatula is used for -- or even what it might look like. Then there are those husbands that are Renaissance men. These men can be taught just about anything or are just creative enough to at least semi-successfully do what they put their minds to. My Hubz is that kind of a man. I know that if he had more experience in the kitchen and learned a few things, he would be a great chef (including the creative bent he has). Actually, there are a few dishes he's been better at than I. Usually the simple things like a fried egg. It must have taken me a year or more to figure out how to do it just right! Quite frustrating to one who holds a Home Ec degree. :-P Anyway, what happens when Chef Mom is unable to cook dinner? Some use it as an opportunity (or excuse) to have pizza, Chick-fil-A, or whatever. But for those who are trying to watch the budget carefully (and trying to buy a house), Hubz has to step up to the plate.

And Chef Mom needs to let go and take that life ring.

Good things happen when my Hubby gets in the kitchen. And I'd never know it if I didn't "let" him every once in a while. (Be sure to check out this weeks T.G.I.F.)

So my tip for today is to remember that you and your husband are partners in life. Yes, we each have our roles in the family -- bread winner, home manager, etc. But marriage is a partnership in which the roles have the ability to be fluid. So let it flow! Help your husband in his "roles" when he is unable; learn from him how to do his jobs. And let your husband help you in your roles...and be willing to teach him how to do it. To that I will add... be patient. ;-) And, in the end, be willing to let the t-shirts be folded "wrong" until you do the laundry again or to let your kids eat scrambled eggs made without milk for once.

Take that life ring when it's thrown to you...and say "Thank you!"