Ben and I, before we even got married, both were very interested in and passionate about health--healthy eating, exercise, living healthy in general. When we got married, that was a continued (and common) interest for us and something we're always striving for and learning more about.
Today, I just wanted to share some of my current food/health goals. They're a little different right now than our usual health goals because I'm pregnant.
First, I'm on my midwife's pregnancy diet. I am not eating any flour (including gluten free flours such as oat or rice flour), sugar (including evaporated cane juice, something that we normally otherwise eat in moderation), spicy foods (I can't handle super hot food anyways), carbonated drinks (super easy for me because we don't drink that even when I'm not pregnant), or cow's milk. I might do a separate post sometime to go into the why's of this, but there is a reason for each one (I wouldn't do it otherwise).
Besides those restrictions, though, I have some goals for myself. I've found when I hit these goals, I feel my best, both short and long term.
My number one goal is to get enough water. I generally drink between 80 and 160 ounces per day. My minimum is 80, though I've found that when I'm pregnant/nursing, my body really needs more than that to function at its best.
Next, I eat often. I try to do this when I'm not pregnant, but it's something I really need to do when pregnant. I find I get sick, hangry, and shaky if I go more than a few hours without food. This is especially true in the mornings. I wake up at five, eat almonds. A while later, I have another snack (usually fruit with some sort of healthy fat, like apple with peanut butter or strawberries with a string cheese).
I also have goals for what I eat at each meal. I try to have at least one serving of vegetables with each meal, including breakfast. I don't always snack on vegetables, so this ensures I'm getting at least three servings each day. I buy our favorite fresh produce at the store, but I also keep frozen and canned vegetables and carrot sticks around for if I need something easy or if we're running low on fresh vegetables. We also usually have stuff around for salads that I can have and I try to plan some meals with vegetables built in (salads, soups, stir fries, etc.).
I also have a goal to have a protein for each meal. It's especially important to get protein while pregnant, because it strengthens your internal organs, which, if weak, can cause scary problems during labor. I pretty much always have eggs for breakfast (a special breakfast we might do bacon, eggs, or a yogurt drink). Then we have a meal centered around chicken, beef, or turkey burger pretty much every dinner and have leftovers or tacos with turkey burger for lunch.
For snacks (I usually have a snack at 10 am and 3 pm), I try to eat a healthy fat and a fruit. This puts me at 2-3 servings of fruits a day, gets me the vitamins and minerals while helping me not crave as many sweet things, and the fat (usually nuts or cheese) help fill me up. Sometimes I'll have carrot sticks or something instead of a fruit. I also occasionally have a treat I made instead (we have diet approved ice cream, peanut butter cookie, granola bar, etc. recipes that I make sometimes).
These goals seem to work pretty well. I rarely feel deprived, even on the pregnancy diet, because I'm eating things that I love and I've also been able to fit these into our grocery budget (though some weeks it's tight or we have to forgo something like string cheese!). I feel great, I know I'm doing what's best for myself and the baby, and I also know I'm working towards another wonderful labor, delivery, and recovery.
The best benefit--I feel great while doing it!
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Monday, February 12, 2018
Books I've Read - January 2018
This year, I wanted to set some reading goals for myself, but I didn't want it to be sheer number of books. I want to be reading for fun and I don't want to feel that I have to neglect other aspects of my life to get a certain number of books in (I only do that if I really want to be reading a certain book!).
I also have discovered there are certain types of books that I really enjoy that I don't always make time for. So, my goal this year is to read a nonfiction book, a classic, a historical (whether nonfiction or fiction) book, and a "for fun" book each month. If I don't finish them in a month, that's okay (for example, I'm still working on The Count of Monte Cristo and that might take me a few months), as long as I am reading in it throughout the month. I also wanted to throw the "for fun" one in there to make sure I'm still giving myself a chance to read some of whatever I'm in the mood for, even if it's an easy book.
Here are my books this month.
Nonfiction: Fluent in 3 Months
Classic: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
History: A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Laconte
For Fun: Ella Enchanted (a reread)
Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh
This is a dystopian novel, where some aliens have come and taken over the humans by smothering their emotions. It follows a girl who is different from the rest (she feels emotions, etc.) and has to hide it. It was an interesting premise and the plot kept me interested in what was going to happen next, but I wasn't impressed with the overall book.
The plot felt forced, as if the bad guys should have caught the main character ages ago but doesn't for some reason. I also never grew super attached to the characters; the plot drove me forward, not any care I had for the character's well being. That's a pretty big deal for me. There are four books total in the series (one book for each season), but as of right now, I'm not going to be continuing it.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
This was a charming read! I had before from other moms how fun this book was (and how much their kids liked it). It follows a mouse who falls in love with a princess and deals with all sorts of themes, such as friendship, kindness, being different, light versus darkness, and grief. I loved the messages found throughout and cannot wait until our kids are old enough that I can share this book with them!
Fluent in 3 Months by Benny Lewis
This is the book Ben asked Santa for at Christmas and he loved it enough that he had me read it (and is now having his mom read it!). It was a very well done book and is a great read, whether you are a newbie to languages or already have some under your belt. The author talks about principles of learning, sets out the formula he uses for learning languages (and he learns a lot!), and gives specific resources that can be useful.
The thing I got the most out of the book was actually motivation to learn more languages. For as long as I've known him, Ben has been passionate about languages and has wanted to learn more. I haven't. I have the inkling every now and then (maybe I get caught up in Ben's excitement), but for the most part, I haven't. In fact, when Ben first was learning Esperanto, we would email back and forth often while he was at work, so he started emailing me in Esperanto. I basically had to start learning it then and now I know a lot! The book basically opened up my eyes to why we learn other languages (to communicate and connect with other people in different cultures) and helped me see why I would want to do that.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
This was a reread for me (I read this for the first time when I was eight and have reread it many times since then; it was my favorite book growing up). It had been a long time since I had read it, but honestly it was just as good as I remember! I love everything in this book--the characters, the plot line, the morals it explores, the love story. It will always hold a special place in my heart.
Life Management for the Busy Homeschooling Mother by Katherine Leigh
I loved this book! The author's voice was great and not as over the top as some in this genre. She had great ideas and taught a lot of principles of discipline and time management throughout. She also covered a lot of areas of life that are hard to manage at times. I got a lot out of it and can't wait to put it into practice.
Exercise Every Day by S.J. Scott
The aim of this book was to help the reader make a daily habit of exercise for their lifetime. I love that idea and, even though I already knew a lot of what the author was teaching, I thought the principles and tactics he shared were very useful and that following them, anyone could make a habit of daily exercise.
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
This one was way different than any Agatha Christie book I've read, but I loved it! It was set right after WWII, following two young adults who are looking for adventure (and maybe some money while they're at it). On their search, they get caught up in a search for a missing girl who holds important government papers and from there, the real adventure begins. They meet friends (or are they really friends?), face dangers, and try to solve the mystery together.
It was brilliantly done. I thought I saw the ending coming, but then I got to the end and I definitely didn't. I keep wanting to read in it some more, but then I remember that I can't because I already finished it. That's how good it was.
I also have discovered there are certain types of books that I really enjoy that I don't always make time for. So, my goal this year is to read a nonfiction book, a classic, a historical (whether nonfiction or fiction) book, and a "for fun" book each month. If I don't finish them in a month, that's okay (for example, I'm still working on The Count of Monte Cristo and that might take me a few months), as long as I am reading in it throughout the month. I also wanted to throw the "for fun" one in there to make sure I'm still giving myself a chance to read some of whatever I'm in the mood for, even if it's an easy book.
Here are my books this month.
Nonfiction: Fluent in 3 Months
Classic: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
History: A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Laconte
For Fun: Ella Enchanted (a reread)
Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh
This is a dystopian novel, where some aliens have come and taken over the humans by smothering their emotions. It follows a girl who is different from the rest (she feels emotions, etc.) and has to hide it. It was an interesting premise and the plot kept me interested in what was going to happen next, but I wasn't impressed with the overall book.
The plot felt forced, as if the bad guys should have caught the main character ages ago but doesn't for some reason. I also never grew super attached to the characters; the plot drove me forward, not any care I had for the character's well being. That's a pretty big deal for me. There are four books total in the series (one book for each season), but as of right now, I'm not going to be continuing it.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
This was a charming read! I had before from other moms how fun this book was (and how much their kids liked it). It follows a mouse who falls in love with a princess and deals with all sorts of themes, such as friendship, kindness, being different, light versus darkness, and grief. I loved the messages found throughout and cannot wait until our kids are old enough that I can share this book with them!
Fluent in 3 Months by Benny Lewis
This is the book Ben asked Santa for at Christmas and he loved it enough that he had me read it (and is now having his mom read it!). It was a very well done book and is a great read, whether you are a newbie to languages or already have some under your belt. The author talks about principles of learning, sets out the formula he uses for learning languages (and he learns a lot!), and gives specific resources that can be useful.
The thing I got the most out of the book was actually motivation to learn more languages. For as long as I've known him, Ben has been passionate about languages and has wanted to learn more. I haven't. I have the inkling every now and then (maybe I get caught up in Ben's excitement), but for the most part, I haven't. In fact, when Ben first was learning Esperanto, we would email back and forth often while he was at work, so he started emailing me in Esperanto. I basically had to start learning it then and now I know a lot! The book basically opened up my eyes to why we learn other languages (to communicate and connect with other people in different cultures) and helped me see why I would want to do that.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
This was a reread for me (I read this for the first time when I was eight and have reread it many times since then; it was my favorite book growing up). It had been a long time since I had read it, but honestly it was just as good as I remember! I love everything in this book--the characters, the plot line, the morals it explores, the love story. It will always hold a special place in my heart.
Life Management for the Busy Homeschooling Mother by Katherine Leigh
I loved this book! The author's voice was great and not as over the top as some in this genre. She had great ideas and taught a lot of principles of discipline and time management throughout. She also covered a lot of areas of life that are hard to manage at times. I got a lot out of it and can't wait to put it into practice.
Exercise Every Day by S.J. Scott
The aim of this book was to help the reader make a daily habit of exercise for their lifetime. I love that idea and, even though I already knew a lot of what the author was teaching, I thought the principles and tactics he shared were very useful and that following them, anyone could make a habit of daily exercise.
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
This one was way different than any Agatha Christie book I've read, but I loved it! It was set right after WWII, following two young adults who are looking for adventure (and maybe some money while they're at it). On their search, they get caught up in a search for a missing girl who holds important government papers and from there, the real adventure begins. They meet friends (or are they really friends?), face dangers, and try to solve the mystery together.
It was brilliantly done. I thought I saw the ending coming, but then I got to the end and I definitely didn't. I keep wanting to read in it some more, but then I remember that I can't because I already finished it. That's how good it was.
Obedience Brings Blessings
Ben and I are taking a self reliance class through our church right now, for Starting or Growing your own Business. Since Ben has a business and I am in the beginning stages of my business, we figured it would be a great class for us. We were right, we've loved it. It focuses on business but also incorporates spiritual principles that go along with what we're learning. We go to a two hour class once a week and then have homework assignments throughout the week and have an accountability partner with someone else in the class to talk with about actually doing the homework.
This week, we were challenged to think about how obedience brings blessings and how that relates to our business. We were then asked to think about some blessings we want in our life and what gospel principle we must be obedient to in order to receive those blessings. We were then challenged to be obedient in those areas.
I wanted to just share mine this week.
Patience - Read the Book of Mormon
One blessing I've been earnestly seeking for of late is more patience with the kids. On the obedience side, I put down read in the Book of Mormon each day. Sometime last year, I was praying to become a better mother and I came across this quote from Ezra Taft Benson:
“There is a power in the Book of Mormon which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book."
I wasn't reading in my scriptures at the time. As I read the words, I felt the the Spirit so strongly and so distinctly telling me that if I began to read each day, the Lord would help me be a more patient mother.
I put it to the test and began reading that day. As I did, I found the promise to be true. Then we moved and I was sick with morning sickness and life was crazy. I stopped reading in the scriptures and found myself being the kind of mother I didn't want to be. I was impatient, not understanding, and easily angered. I felt powerless against it.
Then I realized, I wasn't reading my scriptures. I began to daily, even when I wasn't feeling well. It was as if I was a different person. For me, I have found that in order to have the Lord help me be the kind of mother that I want to be--nurturing, kind, patient, loving, understanding (not perfect, just a a good mother)--I have to do my part and the part that He's asked of me is to read in my scriptures.
A simple act that brings a very real power into my life.
Pay off our house quickly - Pay tithing
I have a strong testimony of tithing. Growing up, tithing never seemed hard to pay and I was taught to pay it first thing. Benjamin was the same. When we got married, we continued our habit of paying our tithing first, but it honestly took a lot more faith to do that as newlyweds than at any other time in my life. That's because we had no money.
We were making less than $20,000 a year, we were both in school (I had a partial scholarship my second semester and we were able to get some financial aid for Ben, but it still cost a lot) and I was pregnant with Ashtyn, meaning we were making payments each month to the birthing center. It was very tight and we weren't budgeting. We weren't crazy, going out and just buying stuff or anything and we didn't use credit cards, we just didn't have a written budget.
Because of this, we would often get to the beginning of the new month (Ben got paid on the seventh or something) and have rent due by fifth. Almost every month for a while there, we would say, "I don't know how we're going to pay rent this month." And something would happen. Every single month. We'd visit his parents and they'd give him "work" to do to pay him for and then his dad would come out as we were driving away and push an extra hundred into my hands. One month, Ben's boss called because they needed to send out checks a few days early that month (meaning we got it just in time to pay rent). One month, we were able to sell my car, one month we got tax returns bigger than we were expecting. One month we got a check in the mail for a time we'd gotten rear ended months before and had been told we probably wouldn't get. Literally, something always happened and it always happened right as we needed a little extra for rent. To me, it was God's way of saying, you paid your tithing, I want you to know these are your blessings.
We got through that and soon after starting making more and budgeting, which helped so we never worried if we'd have enough for rent. We still pay our tithing, though, and I know that even though our blessings aren't always as obvious as when our budget was stretched, we're still blessed for it.
Ben and I have a goal to pay off our house in three years. We want to make the last payment January 2021. It's definitely a high goal and is going to stretch us. We have a monthly budget that stays about the same each month, so we did the math on how much we need to make in order to achieve our goal and it's quite a bit more than we're currently making. We also have plans to bring our income up and we're going to do all we can to reach it, but I know we'd never make it if we weren't paying tithing.
I know that just because we pay our tithing doesn't mean we'll reach it, but I do know that as we pay our tithing, we will be blessed in more ways than we even know. And if we fall short and pay it off in, say, four years, well .... that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. ;)
A Balanced Life - Keep the Sabbath Day Holy
This blessing is a little more general--to have a balanced life. I want to work hard, put God first, spend lots of time with my kids and husbands, work on my personal and business goals, be healthy, help my family be healthy, keep our house fairly clean, and run the household well. Life is busy and there's a lot I (same as everyone) want to do with it. But I don't want to burn out trying to do it or get so caught up in everything that I forget what's most important. I want to live a happy life while I progress and work on my goals.
I believe that one reason God has designated a day for us to rest is so that we can have time to ponder about our lives and really look at the big picture of what we're doing. It allows us to breath, make new goals, feel rejuvenated, and spend a lot of time with family. Keeping the Sabbath day holy allows me to stay centered in my life as I look back at the past week at what I could have done better and look forward to the next week at what I want to accomplish. It helps motivate me to be better and to reconnect with God and those I love.
I know as we are obedient, we are blessed. Sometimes those blessings are obvious, sometimes they're not. Sometimes we can't see the blessings right away. Sometimes it appears those who aren't obedient are the ones blessed. I know, though, that if we trust in God and do our best to follow Him, we will be see the fruits of our labors eventually and that in the moment, even if we have no other blessings, we will have the peace that comes from choosing right.
This week, we were challenged to think about how obedience brings blessings and how that relates to our business. We were then asked to think about some blessings we want in our life and what gospel principle we must be obedient to in order to receive those blessings. We were then challenged to be obedient in those areas.
I wanted to just share mine this week.
Patience - Read the Book of Mormon
One blessing I've been earnestly seeking for of late is more patience with the kids. On the obedience side, I put down read in the Book of Mormon each day. Sometime last year, I was praying to become a better mother and I came across this quote from Ezra Taft Benson:
“There is a power in the Book of Mormon which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book."
I wasn't reading in my scriptures at the time. As I read the words, I felt the the Spirit so strongly and so distinctly telling me that if I began to read each day, the Lord would help me be a more patient mother.
I put it to the test and began reading that day. As I did, I found the promise to be true. Then we moved and I was sick with morning sickness and life was crazy. I stopped reading in the scriptures and found myself being the kind of mother I didn't want to be. I was impatient, not understanding, and easily angered. I felt powerless against it.
Then I realized, I wasn't reading my scriptures. I began to daily, even when I wasn't feeling well. It was as if I was a different person. For me, I have found that in order to have the Lord help me be the kind of mother that I want to be--nurturing, kind, patient, loving, understanding (not perfect, just a a good mother)--I have to do my part and the part that He's asked of me is to read in my scriptures.
A simple act that brings a very real power into my life.
Pay off our house quickly - Pay tithing
I have a strong testimony of tithing. Growing up, tithing never seemed hard to pay and I was taught to pay it first thing. Benjamin was the same. When we got married, we continued our habit of paying our tithing first, but it honestly took a lot more faith to do that as newlyweds than at any other time in my life. That's because we had no money.
We were making less than $20,000 a year, we were both in school (I had a partial scholarship my second semester and we were able to get some financial aid for Ben, but it still cost a lot) and I was pregnant with Ashtyn, meaning we were making payments each month to the birthing center. It was very tight and we weren't budgeting. We weren't crazy, going out and just buying stuff or anything and we didn't use credit cards, we just didn't have a written budget.
Because of this, we would often get to the beginning of the new month (Ben got paid on the seventh or something) and have rent due by fifth. Almost every month for a while there, we would say, "I don't know how we're going to pay rent this month." And something would happen. Every single month. We'd visit his parents and they'd give him "work" to do to pay him for and then his dad would come out as we were driving away and push an extra hundred into my hands. One month, Ben's boss called because they needed to send out checks a few days early that month (meaning we got it just in time to pay rent). One month, we were able to sell my car, one month we got tax returns bigger than we were expecting. One month we got a check in the mail for a time we'd gotten rear ended months before and had been told we probably wouldn't get. Literally, something always happened and it always happened right as we needed a little extra for rent. To me, it was God's way of saying, you paid your tithing, I want you to know these are your blessings.
We got through that and soon after starting making more and budgeting, which helped so we never worried if we'd have enough for rent. We still pay our tithing, though, and I know that even though our blessings aren't always as obvious as when our budget was stretched, we're still blessed for it.
Ben and I have a goal to pay off our house in three years. We want to make the last payment January 2021. It's definitely a high goal and is going to stretch us. We have a monthly budget that stays about the same each month, so we did the math on how much we need to make in order to achieve our goal and it's quite a bit more than we're currently making. We also have plans to bring our income up and we're going to do all we can to reach it, but I know we'd never make it if we weren't paying tithing.
I know that just because we pay our tithing doesn't mean we'll reach it, but I do know that as we pay our tithing, we will be blessed in more ways than we even know. And if we fall short and pay it off in, say, four years, well .... that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. ;)
A Balanced Life - Keep the Sabbath Day Holy
This blessing is a little more general--to have a balanced life. I want to work hard, put God first, spend lots of time with my kids and husbands, work on my personal and business goals, be healthy, help my family be healthy, keep our house fairly clean, and run the household well. Life is busy and there's a lot I (same as everyone) want to do with it. But I don't want to burn out trying to do it or get so caught up in everything that I forget what's most important. I want to live a happy life while I progress and work on my goals.
I believe that one reason God has designated a day for us to rest is so that we can have time to ponder about our lives and really look at the big picture of what we're doing. It allows us to breath, make new goals, feel rejuvenated, and spend a lot of time with family. Keeping the Sabbath day holy allows me to stay centered in my life as I look back at the past week at what I could have done better and look forward to the next week at what I want to accomplish. It helps motivate me to be better and to reconnect with God and those I love.
I know as we are obedient, we are blessed. Sometimes those blessings are obvious, sometimes they're not. Sometimes we can't see the blessings right away. Sometimes it appears those who aren't obedient are the ones blessed. I know, though, that if we trust in God and do our best to follow Him, we will be see the fruits of our labors eventually and that in the moment, even if we have no other blessings, we will have the peace that comes from choosing right.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
My Cleaning Schedule - The What and Why
Monday
On Mondays, I do my grocery shopping. I've shopped on Fridays before, but I like planning on Sunday, which makes Monday the most logical for shopping. I also have other things I like to do on Fridays for different reasons.
When I get home from shopping, I try to clean my produce in the sink, cut up vegetables, cut up and freeze any meat I don't have immediate plans for, and put away all the groceries.
Tuesday
Tuesdays I finish up anything I didn't finish Monday with cutting up produce and vegetables. I usually have at least a little leftover that I either didn't have the time or energy for (or the kids just got restless and wanted my attention). If I don't have anything to finish, I just don't have to do anything! Just kidding. I just don't have to do a major project this day.
Wednesday
Wednesday I don't have anything specific planned. Sometimes I do a deep cleaning or make food (like ketchup or granola). Sometimes I don't worry about it.
Thursday
Thursday is my laundry day. I randomly chose it between Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I have a laundry system in our new house that works really well for me. I have four baskets in our master closet, one each for lights, darks, whites, and towels. I do one basket at a time and put the basket away when I'm done. I have two baskets in the laundry room that I fold the clothes into as they come out of the dyer. I put away Ben and my clothes as soon as the new load is started and put away the girls' clothes when the darks and lights are through.
I try to finish all the laundry on Thursday so that it doesn't bleed into my other days (though sometimes we're going places or I'm feeling sick and the clothes don't all get put away on the same day. I always get all the loads through though).
I've tried doing one load of laundry each day. A lot of people love that system. It doesn't really work for me and my personality. I like to get it all done and then not think about it again for another week. With my system, it never feels overwhelming to me either, like I have a mountain of laundry to do. (I also try to keep the amount of clothes we own down to a minimum, which always helps with laundry, and to put away clean clothes rather than washing them).
Friday
Friday is actually my biggest cleaning day. I used to save this for Saturday, but I found Saturdays were too busy (especially since Benjamin and I decided to do date night on Saturdays instead of Fridays). We also do movie night on Fridays and often invite people over for that, so it's nice to have a clean house Friday night.
This day, I clean the bathrooms (we currently have two that we use), vacuum and sweep and mop the floors, and take out all the trashes. The bathrooms generally aren't too bad to wipe down, the biggest deal is the floors (we have a much bigger house to keep clean now than I was used to in our apartment). I try to do all the chores except for sweeping and mopping while the girls are awake so they can "help" me. I save sweeping and mopping for while they're asleep because it's honestly worth having them out of the way for it.
I also have to note that I love having Friday as my big cleaning day because if there is something I don't get to on Friday, I just do it on Saturday and our house is still clean for Sunday.
Saturday
Saturday is reserved for getting ready for Sunday. The priorities are getting the girls and myself ready first. We bath the girls and cut their nails (and often paint their nails because they love that). I shower (we have 9:00 church and with two little kids, this ensures we get to church on time). We also get any lessons ready if we haven't yet.
Next priority is house and food. If there's food prep I can do on Saturday, I try to do that and I like to do a sweep of the house and have it clean for Sunday as well, but honestly we don't always have time. If we do baths and family time in the morning and date night in the afternoon/evening, the day is gone.
Sunday
Sunday is my planning day. I love planning my week out on Sundays. It is a way I can set goals and recharge so that I'm ready for the upcoming work.
I go over my calendar, looking specifically for holidays, birthdays, and events that I need to plan for. I write down my meal plan, go through Smith's electronic coupons and sales, and make a grocery list off of that. I also go over our budget. If it's the end of the month, I make our budget for next month (I have a great system for that too, using Google Docs) and if it's the middle of the month, I balance our budget.
If I have extra time after that, I will clean off my phone or organize my computer, write letters to people, and get any birthday or holiday cards ready.
Conclusion
I really love my schedule and the way it is set up. I never have to worry about chores except on the day that I'm supposed to do them. I never feel overwhelmed with too much cleaning to do because I have it all balanced out (I've also tweaked it and changed things as time has gone on and found this is what really works well for me). I also feel very motivated to finish my work on the assigned day so that it doesn't bleed into the rest of the week and get me feeling overwhelmed.
On Mondays, I do my grocery shopping. I've shopped on Fridays before, but I like planning on Sunday, which makes Monday the most logical for shopping. I also have other things I like to do on Fridays for different reasons.
When I get home from shopping, I try to clean my produce in the sink, cut up vegetables, cut up and freeze any meat I don't have immediate plans for, and put away all the groceries.
Tuesday
Tuesdays I finish up anything I didn't finish Monday with cutting up produce and vegetables. I usually have at least a little leftover that I either didn't have the time or energy for (or the kids just got restless and wanted my attention). If I don't have anything to finish, I just don't have to do anything! Just kidding. I just don't have to do a major project this day.
Wednesday
Wednesday I don't have anything specific planned. Sometimes I do a deep cleaning or make food (like ketchup or granola). Sometimes I don't worry about it.
Thursday
Thursday is my laundry day. I randomly chose it between Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I have a laundry system in our new house that works really well for me. I have four baskets in our master closet, one each for lights, darks, whites, and towels. I do one basket at a time and put the basket away when I'm done. I have two baskets in the laundry room that I fold the clothes into as they come out of the dyer. I put away Ben and my clothes as soon as the new load is started and put away the girls' clothes when the darks and lights are through.
I try to finish all the laundry on Thursday so that it doesn't bleed into my other days (though sometimes we're going places or I'm feeling sick and the clothes don't all get put away on the same day. I always get all the loads through though).
I've tried doing one load of laundry each day. A lot of people love that system. It doesn't really work for me and my personality. I like to get it all done and then not think about it again for another week. With my system, it never feels overwhelming to me either, like I have a mountain of laundry to do. (I also try to keep the amount of clothes we own down to a minimum, which always helps with laundry, and to put away clean clothes rather than washing them).
Friday
Friday is actually my biggest cleaning day. I used to save this for Saturday, but I found Saturdays were too busy (especially since Benjamin and I decided to do date night on Saturdays instead of Fridays). We also do movie night on Fridays and often invite people over for that, so it's nice to have a clean house Friday night.
This day, I clean the bathrooms (we currently have two that we use), vacuum and sweep and mop the floors, and take out all the trashes. The bathrooms generally aren't too bad to wipe down, the biggest deal is the floors (we have a much bigger house to keep clean now than I was used to in our apartment). I try to do all the chores except for sweeping and mopping while the girls are awake so they can "help" me. I save sweeping and mopping for while they're asleep because it's honestly worth having them out of the way for it.
I also have to note that I love having Friday as my big cleaning day because if there is something I don't get to on Friday, I just do it on Saturday and our house is still clean for Sunday.
Saturday
Saturday is reserved for getting ready for Sunday. The priorities are getting the girls and myself ready first. We bath the girls and cut their nails (and often paint their nails because they love that). I shower (we have 9:00 church and with two little kids, this ensures we get to church on time). We also get any lessons ready if we haven't yet.
Next priority is house and food. If there's food prep I can do on Saturday, I try to do that and I like to do a sweep of the house and have it clean for Sunday as well, but honestly we don't always have time. If we do baths and family time in the morning and date night in the afternoon/evening, the day is gone.
Sunday
Sunday is my planning day. I love planning my week out on Sundays. It is a way I can set goals and recharge so that I'm ready for the upcoming work.
I go over my calendar, looking specifically for holidays, birthdays, and events that I need to plan for. I write down my meal plan, go through Smith's electronic coupons and sales, and make a grocery list off of that. I also go over our budget. If it's the end of the month, I make our budget for next month (I have a great system for that too, using Google Docs) and if it's the middle of the month, I balance our budget.
If I have extra time after that, I will clean off my phone or organize my computer, write letters to people, and get any birthday or holiday cards ready.
Conclusion
I really love my schedule and the way it is set up. I never have to worry about chores except on the day that I'm supposed to do them. I never feel overwhelmed with too much cleaning to do because I have it all balanced out (I've also tweaked it and changed things as time has gone on and found this is what really works well for me). I also feel very motivated to finish my work on the assigned day so that it doesn't bleed into the rest of the week and get me feeling overwhelmed.
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