All right, I'm starting to panic a little now . . .

As soon as I get this job, then suddenly, it seems like all the blog posts/Facebook posts, etc. out there are suddenly talking about how wonderful it is to be a stay at home mom.

Not that I've truly been a stay at home mom much over the years.  I mean, I've been home with my children since 2003, officially.  But just me and the kids, and doing grocery shopping and playgroups and all that? Not that often.  In fact, the only time I can think of that it was just the three of us was when I took 3 months off teaching preschool when Super was born (he was born in the fall of 2004.) 

But I've been HOME for the past 9 years.  I've done preschool & daycare or training, but I was here.  I've been able to homeschool.  I've fixed breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.  I've been here to throw a load of wash in or to start the dishwasher during the day.  I've been here when my kids got off the school bus. I've been here if the nurse called and they needed to be picked up. I've been able to wear slippers all day if I wanted to.  Or yoga pants.  When the kids were napping or when we were homeschooling, and the older kids were occupied, I could have time to myself.  I could read, I could sew, I could crochet, I could do all sorts of things here at home.

Of course, it wasn't all roses and sunshine.  It was hard to juggle working from home and uh, anything else.  I often couldn't do any sort of errands during the day, and so it got pushed to evenings or weekends.  I often couldn't do things at the kids' school because I couldn't bring the other children with me.  It was expensive to feed 6, 7, 8, 9 children lunch 5 days a week, not to mention, there was the constant sweeping, straightening, washing that is required when you have a lot of young-ish children in the house.  And sometimes, even when I was just dealing with the house and my own three kids, in the evenings, on the weekends, it wasn't fun.  It was drudgery.  It was boring.  And sometimes, when I didn't know what to do in a situation, sometimes it was hard. I also didn't make that much money.  I told myself that it didn't matter.  I would have been home anyway, and I was making more money than I would have if it was just me and my children.  But it wasn't much.  And although most of the time I enjoyed it, it wasn't what I got my degree in.  It wasn't what I went back to school to get my masters in. 

And my Simple Life.  I'm nervous.  Am I still going to be able to maintain that sort of lifestyle when I'm not here during the day? When I have to squeeze in all the simple life between 5 pm and 8 am? What about all my plans for Simply Living In The City? Will I be able to bring my vision into a reality if I'm working full time?

And what about my kids? Will they be o.k. when I'm a phone call away instead of being able to just answering them when they ask me a question across the table? What will I miss by not being around them during the day this summer? How trashed will my house be at the end of the day now, and how will I instead be grateful that they had a good day and got along instead of being angry at having to pick up the house after a long day of work?

I wonder a little if I'm making the right decision, but yet, I also feel like I had to do it.  We really need the money right now.  And even if we didn't, this job could lead to a job doing writing. Doing training.  Doing things that I have my education in.  Doing things that I enjoy.  And making money so that I can turn some of my dreams for Simply Living In The City into a reality. 

I wish that we had enough money that I could stay home.  I'd still do the cleaning (but I swear I'd hire someone to keep up with the dishes and the laundry! LOL) but I'd work on Simply Living In The City a few hours a day.  That would be perfect.  But maybe it wouldn't.  I think that once you are a mom, very few situations are perfect.  It is really hard, no matter what your life is like, to be able to find that balance between being an involved parent and doing things that fulfill you personally. 

Ok.  I'm just going to have to take some deep breaths and hope for the best.  And let people help me when they offer.  And to let a few things go.  And also be willing to be open to other possibilities. And to realize that what is happening now, probably won't go on forever.  And to try and make the most of my time at home. To make sure that the things that are important to me - my family and living a simple life - are still important, no matter if I'm home all day or not. And to do my best to find that balance.

Homemaking: How much do you do?

I used to make fun of the idea of "homemaking" when I was younger. And I certainly never imagined that it would be something that I would actually WANT to do.

But now, not only do I enjoy it, but I think it is important for me to do for my family.

When I think about homemaking, I try and think about what things that I can do at home so that I spend less money and so that I don't have to go out and buy it.

So for ME, here is what my homemaking goals are:

1. Make most of my own cleaning supplies from vinegar, borax, washing soda, castille soap, salt, etc.

2. Make my own crocheted dishcloths and scrubbers. Sew my own dishtowels.

3. Sew my own tablecloths, placemats, etc.

4. Crochet or knit mittens and hats for my family. Next year, I may add sweater to the list, but I want to have realistic goals.

5. Preserve as much food as I can, especially from my own gardens.

6. Closely related to #5, grow as much food as I can in my own gardens.

7. Conserve water.

8. Use a clothesline instead of the dryer when possible.

9. Use the car less.

10. Compost.

11. Make my own dairy products - butter, cheese, ice cream and yogurt.

12. Make quilts for every member of the family.

13. Make my own soap.

14. Make my own candles.

15. Make my own lotions.

16. Buy and live locally.

17. Buy and live seasonally.

18. Buy used whenever possible.

19. Conserve energy.

20. Bake bread.

Am I A Feminist? Hmmm . . . .

Well, while I'm older than most of my friends, I was born in the mid 60s, so I don't remember much about the the wave of feminism that ran through the 60s and 70s. I was too busy wearing my stylish plaid ensembles and playing cars with my brother. (I never liked dolls, but my younger sister liked Barbies and dolls so we did have plenty of all types of toys around the house.)

I do know that when I started playing softball, the first year I played, I could only play on the "Ponytail League", but the second year, I could pick whether I wanted to play Ponytail League or Little League baseball. I stunk, so I just opted to drop out altogether :)

In the 80s when I was in junior high and high school, I took Clothing 1 and 2 and Foods 1 and 2and we had a couple Home Economics teachers at our school. However, there weren't just girls in my Home Ec classes, in fact, there were just as many boys as girls in my foods classes. Some sort of "life skills" classes were required for graduation at my school, but you could take Technology Education classes and/or the Life, Career and Money class to complete the requirement instead.

Mostly back then, honestly, I never gave feminism much thought. I'd heard of it a little, but it seemed so harsh and negative and just something for people older than me.

I went to college for a few years and then I worked as a police dispatcher for a few years. It was a mostly male environment at the police station, although there were 3 other female dispatchers, and one female police officer. The only way that I ever felt that my gender was an issue was when I would sometimes be talking to the public at the front desk, and they would ask to speak to a MALE police officer instead. Who would ALWAYS tell them exactly what I just said.

Then it was back to school, and then working again, and then marriage and working, a baby and working, and finally, more kids and working at home. Since about 2007, I've been using my homemaking/life skills much more than I had in the past.

So back to Feminism. When I hear the word "Feminist," it makes me think of an angry, single woman who is fighting for equality in everything - equal pay, equal duties, equal in legal issues, etc. I imagine someone who feels that women are oppressed and need to be liberated from all the inequity that has been placed upon them. (Now, I didn't say that it was an accurate or fair representation of a feminist. I'm just saying what it makes ME envision.)

I've never felt that I was really oppressed. I guess I could have been. It doesn't feel like oppression, but I'm sure part of it is my ignorance. I don't know if I've had equal pay with my male counterparts when I was employed. I don't know if my legal rights have ever been compromised (I've never been arrested or anything, but I own a home. I pay taxes.)

I guess there was probably one time in my life that I was treated unfairly because I was a woman (well, a mother at least.) I was in a job interview. The interview was going VERY well. The woman began talking about her family and then asked if I had children. I indicated that I did have children. She asked their ages (at the time, the children were 7, 5, and 2.) When she heard that, she said "Well, this job probably isn't a good fit. There will be quite a bit of traveling in this job and for a mother of young children, well, it probably would be a problem." I was pretty desperate for a job at the time, and was willing to make hard sacrifices and tried to assure the woman that I was aware of the traveling and that I had support in place and that I could still do the job. I never heard from the company again. Now, in retrospect, she could have been right. It may have been very difficult for me to do traveling when the kids were so small. But I still felt like she didn't agree and so didn't even consider me for the position, even though I was otherwise qualified for the position.

So anyway, for a long time, I didn't consider myself a Feminist. And then I started thinking about it more. Couldn't a Feminist be someone who celebrated the differences between men and women? Couldn't a Feminist be someone who thought that one of the coolest things in the world is the ability that a woman has to give birth to a child??? And the ability to feed that baby with her own body? I'm not saying that every woman has to do those things to be a Feminist or a "good" woman, but I am just in awe that women CAN do those things. And couldn't a Feminist be someone who provided well for her family with gardening and cooking and sewing and other homemaking skills?

Because if a Feminist is like that, then sign me up.

Saturday: Home Management - Time Management

I took this list from Down To Earth. I probably should have wrote my own, but my list would have been the same, and I liked the way she wrote it. If I follow these tips, my life goes so much smoother.
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Here are a few things that I do that might work for you too:

LISTS

I have goals. Every morning when I rise, I know what I want to do that day. Write a list of what we need to do tomorrow. Write your list in the order you will do your tasks, or the most important tasks first, but be flexible enough to change it if it doesn't all go to plan.

GET UP EARLY

This is a difficult one to develop. I started doing this when I was much younger and my boys were in school. Then, I was working full time and studying for a degree, as well as being a mother and a wife. I discovered that if I rose early I had a few hours of time when I was alone to study or write. I still do this but now it's the time I write my blog - so what I want to do doesn't impact on what I have to do. [I love this part. I think I'll put this quote on my fridge or tattoo it to my forehead or something.]

PLAN YOUR MENU

Having your meals organized will help you relax enough for your other tasks. You'll know what you'll be preparing for dinner that night and have all the ingredients waiting for you. No last minute panic, no rushing to the store to buy something that is missing.

DELEGATE

I believe children benefit a lot if they grow up knowing they contribute in a practical way to the welfare of their home. From an early age, give them tasks, within the limits of their age and ability, that help with the overall running of the house and teach them how to look after themselves in the process. They can start off putting their dirty clothes in the laundry hamper, picking up toys and feeding the cat, and progress to more involved tasks as they mature.

DO A BIT OF HOUSEWORK EVERYDAY

My days are made up of housework but for those of you who work outside the home as well, get into the habit of doing a few tasks each day. You might clean the bathroom, wash a load of laundry every morning, or vacuum the family room. Whatever it is you can manage during the week, it will keep your home in order and give you more time on the weekend to spend with the family.

SAY NO TO TIME WASTERS

Turn off the TV, walk away from the computer, say no to the neighbour who always pops in for morning chat. Say no to whatever temps you away from today's list.

GIVE YOURSELF TIME

Saying no to time wasters will free up time for yourself. It will give you time with your family or to spend on sewing, or a spare 30 minutes to sit alone with your thoughts.

STOCKPILE

Stockpiling groceries has turned my weekly trip to the supermarket into one that I do maybe once a month. Shopping once a month instead of weekly will free up quite a few hours for other things you need or want to do.

SAVING MORNING TIME

Doing a few extra things at night will free up time the following morning. Most families are in a rush in the morning - if you can do a quick tidy up, make tomorrow's lunches, put on a load of laundry or pick out clothes to be worn the next day before you go to bed, you'll free up time the following morning.

Saturday - Home Managment

Today's tip is have less stuff.

Like lots less.

Abraham Lincoln lived in a one room cabin. According to the model at the Presidential Museum in Springfield, there was a bed, a trundle, a fireplace, a table and a couple chairs. Some books and some pots and pans. And that was for two adults, and two children.

I have SLIGHTLY more than that. LOL

I'm not saying that you need to pare things down to that level, although I really wish that I could. (Can you imagine how easy it would be to keep things clean?) But I think most Americans could live with a lot less.

I'm doing a MAJOR purge at the Simple Home. The goal is to get rid of everything extra, and to get rid of all of the low quality things. To make sure everything has a home, and that if there are too many things to fit in that home, then we don't need that many. Everything that stays will have a purpose. Horizontal surfaces will not be used for storage (particularly the ledge and kitchen counters). If something new comes in, something will have to go out, and only quality items that have a purpose will be allowed in.

Why I should never clean under the fridge

O.K. I'm only slightly embarrased to admit that, in the almost 7 years that we have lived in this house with this fridge, I had never completely moved the fridge out of its little spot and cleaned under the whole thing. (I had also never vacuumed the "coils" underneath.) But a week ago, I got in a real cleaning fit, and I decided to finally do it. The dustball by the coils/vent/whatever it is underneath was seriously the size of a small cat. Ick. Then I moved the fridge and discoverd some dirt & small items that had fallen, and then a red sticky spot that was about 8 inches around. It appeared to be some sort of punch. I don't remember the last time that we had punch, much less red, so it had to have been there awhile. Amazingly, I found no ants or evidence that there had ever been ants under the fridge.

So I cleaned the floor, moved the fridge back, and felt super proud of myself for finally cleaning under my fridge.

And then this afternoon, I went upstairs to get something out of the kitchen. My shoes immediately starting sticking to the floor, in the area in front of the fridge. And there was a lid on floor. I opened the fridge, and apparently one of my darling children had spilled a whole container of juice (apple juice, so at least it didn't stain) in & in front of the fridge. And under the fridge. I hadn't cleaned it for 7 years, and now 7 DAYS later, there is a reason to clean under there.

So should I wait another 7 years to clean up this spill?

An Addition to the Homemade Cleaners

I went looking for a homemade dishwasher detergent recipe and found a super easy one.

Here it is:

Step 1: Add one tablespoon of Super Washing Soda to the dishwasher dispenser
Step 2: Add one tablespoon of 20 Mule Team Borax to the dishwasher dispenser
Step 3: Pour a little distilled white vinegar into the dispenser for the clear rinse gel.

Now, I'm a pretty die-hard Cascade gal, but I'm going to give it a whirl one of these days. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Saturday - Home Management

Today's tip is for recipes for going more "green" with your cleaning. I also find it cheaper to use items like baking powder and vinegar than buying lots of different types of cleaners, and it is also easier to add these items to my home storage.

All-purpose Cleaner
1/2 cup washing soda
2 quarts warm water

Sink Cleaner
Combine equal parts baking soda and salt. Scrub on sink surface. Finish with a quart of hot water in the sink and a cup full of bleach. Remove the plug. Wipe with a terry cloth towel.

Window Cleaner
Vinegar
Newspaper

Put a little vinegar on the newspaper and wipe the windows.

Floor Cleaner
1 cup vinegar
1 gallon of hot water

Furniture Polish
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice

Mix ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a cloth in the solution and wipe on surface. Seal remainder.

Laundry Soap
Water
1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap, Grated
5 Gallon Bucket
1 Cup Washing Soda
4 1/2 Gallons Water

Place grated soap in a small saucepan and cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill bucket with hot water, and add soap. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup washing soda and mix well. As it cools it will thicken. May be used immediately. Use 1-2 cups per load.

Another little change

OK, home management isn't really part of provident living, but this is my blog, so I'm going to talk about it on a regular basis. So Tuesday will be Education or Employment Day, and Saturday will be Home Management Day. I'll talk about cleaning, organization, schedules, etc.

Our daily routines

In my housekeeping binder, I keep a list of our daily routine for each day of week. In my binder, the document is about 10 pages long, but I'm going to try and keep it short and sweet here. I got many of my ideas from Large Family Logistics and then changed things to suit our family.

Daily - Morning Routine (Me)

• Read Scriptures
• Pray
• Shower
• Change Clothes
• Check Calendar
• Check Daily List
• Prepare Breakfast
• Clean Bathrooms

Daily - Afternoon Routine (Family)

• Do Daily Chores

Daily - Evening Routine (Me)

• Prepare the kitchen for breakfast
• Check Calendar
• Lay out clothes for tomorrow
• Read Scriptures
• Pray

Monday - Laundry Day

Sort, wash and dry with the following categories:

• Whites
• Grays/Lights
• Red/Pinks, etc.
• Blue/Black/Darks
• Light Towels
• Dark Towels

Tuesday - Kitchen Days

Do the following chores every Tuesday in the kitchen:

• Wipe appliances
• Clean stove hood
• Clean top of stove
• Organize and clean one drawer
• Organize and clean one cupboard
• Organize and clean one pantry shelf
• Remove counter clutter and wipe counter
• Clean out refrigerator
• Clean top of refrigerator
• Scrub kitchen sink and faucet crevices
• Scrub dish drainer

Wednesday - Office Day

• Balance Checkbook
• Pay Bills
• File Papers
• Plan Menus
• Plan stops for Town Day
• Plan Lessons
• Do any Internet Work
• Write a letter to a friend
• Clean desktop
• Clean one desk drawer or cupboard
• Put books in order
• Gather library books

Thursday-Cleaning Day

Morning
Instead of making beds, strip them and take the sheets straight to the washer. Do any nappers’ bedding first and remake the beds as soon as the bedding is done.

Afternoon
Do regular Daily chores and dust and vacuum each room. Remake sheets with clean sheets. Reward with a break and a treat and then do deep cleaning.

Deep Cleaning
Focus on one Focus Area at a time. Write them on your calendar.
Do all the tasks in an hour.

Week 1
Dining Room & Kitchen – Clean all surfaces.

Week 2
Bathrooms – Clean corners, cracks, and crevices. Entry Areas – Wipe down the walls and clean in the corners, etc. Straighten bookcases.

Week 3
Bedrooms – Straighten closets and drawers.

Week 4
Living Room and Family Room – Clean inside couches, under tables, behind furniture, etc.

Friday - Town Day

The night before
Lay out clothes and shoes for everyone.

The morning of
Load the crock-pot so you do not have to worry about supper. Everyone has to use the toilet before leaving. Plan the most necessary stops first so if the little children begin to meltdown, you can cut your losses and head home.

Eating
Try to eat at home or pack sandwiches and stop for a picnic somewhere.

When you get home
Put any little ones down for a nap first. Have the older children unload the bags while you put them down for nap. Then everyone else goes to Quiet Time.

Put freezer and refrigerator items away. Put everything else away. Get your salad veggies washed. Cut up the dry stuff and toss. Cut tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber and other moist items at each meal. Rest.

The Next Day
Balance the checkbook again.

Binders, binders, binders

Binders always kind of reminds me of a innocent version of a curse word. Like saying "Oh binders" instead of I'm not sure what. Anyway . . .

In an effort to simplify my busy life, I've gone to a binder and file crate system to keep track of our days and the things we do. My file crate system is similar to the file crate system here, although I use it slightly differently. I have a little file basket in my kitchen and I put the monthly bills and the weekly file folder in the basket. During the week, I put anything that I need/want to do for the following week in the file folder, and then on my planning day, I look through it, and put anything necessary in my calendar or file it or fill out and mail the form or whatever. At the ending of the planning session, I move the folder downstairs in the file crate, and I put in the next week's folder in the upstairs file basket. I also have a folder for each season in its own hanging folder and I put seasonal ideas as I see them in that folder and review them every month or so. I'm also not nearly as crafty as Dawn, so I don't have as many craft projects in my weekly folders, although I have a fair amount of crafts in my seasonal folders (because you just can't celebrate Spring or Advent or whatever without a craft or two!)

My binders. I probably have too many, but I'm keeping what I have until I feel that a particular binder isn't being used effectively. The binders are 1/2 inch presentation binders. I've looked around at office supply stores, Walgreens, and discount stores, and I've found that in my area, buying an 8 pack or a 12 pack at Sam's Club is the most cost effective. I have three groups of binders - my home management binders, my provident living binders, and my Schooling binders. I also have three file crates - one to hold my weekly and seasonal folders, one for my home management binders, and one for my provident living binders. I use a label maker to label the spine of the binder, and I usually use some of my pretty scrapbook paper that I'm not currently using for anything else on the front as well as the title. In this post, I'll talk about my home management binders.

The first binder is my Planning Notebook and I store it in my tote bag. In this binder, there is my monthly calendar, schedules, seasonal activities, and my daily journal. I don't use my daily journal in a traditional way. I record what we did that day, errands I need to run on Town Day, quotes that I like, etc.

The next home management binder is my Faith Notebook and I store it in my church bag. This binder contains church magazines, church membership list, brochures, handouts, talks, etc.

The third binder is the Phone Notebook and it is stored in the phone book drawer. This is where I store class rosters, take-out phone numbers, club directories, emergency phone numbers, etc. I also store a few blank pages for writing name and numbers, and on a monthly basis, I decide if they need to be added to the permaenent list.

The Family Notebook is stored in a file crate. Ths binder contains information about family members such as a personal information page for each family member, clothing amounts and sizes for each child, master occassions (birthdays, anniversairies) for immediate and extended family, list of movies to watch and books to read, library information, etc.

The Housekeeping Notebook is stored in the kitchen. This binder holds information about cleaning, decorating and organizing your home. My housekeeping binder contains chore checklists, daily cleaning schedules & daily routines, organizational ideas, how to clean each room, deep cleaning list, home inventory, and home storage inventory.

The Food Management Notebook is also stored in the kitchen. This binder helps plan meals, create menus, and track inventory in pantry and freezer. I have a master list of the food that we use and the amounts I want to have on hand, and then a list that has the items listed but the quantity area is blank, and I look at the pantry before I shop and enter how many of each item that I need to purchase. I put the weekly grocery flyer for the two grocery stores that I shop at regularly. It also includes my monthly menu plan, lists of what foods are in season for each season, which foods are the best to buy organic, etc.

The next binder is the Money and Finance Notebook. It is stored in the file crate. The following items are included in this binder: monthly/yearly budget, credit card list, insurance information, utilities directory, warranty information, verhicle information, etc.

The Health and Fitness Notebook is stored in the file crate. This binder contains medical information sheet for each family member, first aid kit checklist, emergency directory, prescription drug record for each member, insurance information, and pet medical information.

The last binder in the Home Management area is the Activities Notebook and it is also stored in the file crate. The Activities binder covers the extra-curricular activities that make life worthwhile. Hobby, church, club, sports, volunteer, vacation and travel ideas are included here. This binder includes sports and music schedule and contact information, scouting materials, travel packing checklist, before we leave checklist, camping checklist, vacation idea list, house-sitter information, etc.

This system works for me, but it might be too many levels for you, or my needs of a a mom of three young kids are not your needs, or I might not have included things that you need. Many people have all of these items in one binder. For me, a single home management journal would be too large, and I needed the ability to have various parts of it in different areas. I was originally motivated to set up my home management binders because I needed to have a better handle on my life, and I also felt the need to be able to have things in place if I was ever in position of not being at home for a short or long period of time and other people needed to help manage my home.

But the key really is to create a system that works for you. I won't be offended if you don't use my ideas, but I think that it is helpful for most house managers to have SOME kind of system. I know that my system sounds a little complicated, but it helps me have a place for everything and helps me decide what to keep and what to NOT keep. So for me, it does make things more simple. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)