Such a Time As This

Faith, Hope, & Love

5 Fun Baby Finds to Help You Stay Organized as a Mom

Contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.

Last week I shared with you my top 3 picks from The Chicago Baby Show. You have no idea how hard that post was to write. There were so many products and vendors at the show that I seriously lost count. Truthfully, it was a blast but because there were so many fantastic companies, it was also a tad overwhelming to pick only my top 3. So many baby products I found to be outstanding and deserve to be shared with all of you. I love finding and researching the best baby gear on the market, especially if it makes my life easier!

So, I present to you five fun baby finds that I think will help you stay organized as a mom.

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A Letter to the American Church: Why we need to revisit September 11th

Dear Christians of America,

 

I wake up early.  It’s 6 a.m. and my alarm clock is ringing beside my head.  I’m groggy but I pull myself together and head down the stairs.  It’s Bible study time for my big kids.  I sit for a moment to compose my thoughts and start with the date.  Today is not like any other day.  Today is a day that will live in my mind forever.  Today is September 11th.

 

We read our Bible study – which today happens to be about being ready to share the Gospel…the Gospel of Peace.  We read together Ephesians 6:15, “and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”  And I stop and think.

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My top 3 picks from the Chicago Baby Show

 

I was so elated and honored to be invited to attend the Chicago Baby Show, a couple of weeks ago, and to explore a host of new and exciting baby products.  You might be wondering what a mom of seven needs with more baby supplies.

 

chicago baby show

Ok – I admit it … I get giddy around this stuff.  I mean, what mom wouldn’t love to explore aisle after aisle of baby gear?  It’s like going to a mall specifically designed for me and my family.

 

 

 

chicago baby show

Quickly, before I get started, let me do a quick shout-out to Mom Trends for their awesome Blogger Lounge.  They had toys and fun stuff for the kiddos – and comfy chairs for the grown-ups.  I think Baby Pip adored the toys he got to play with, too.

 

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Part 4: Our Big Move {8 Things I’ve Learned From This Move}

Part 4: Our Big Move

God’s in the Big Stuff and the Small Stuff

 

 

This is Part 4 of our Series on Moving.

 

So, we began the work of unpacking all – of – our – stuff.

 

I’ve learned a few things from this entire experience.

1.) We have a lot of stuff.  Perhaps too much stuff.

2.) I LOVE books.

3.) This whole thing wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

 


We got to work pretty quickly after moving in.  Our dining room looked like this for a couple of weeks.  And so we had days of unpacking and cleaning up behind us, ahead of us … and we broke it up with our days of fun.

But I’ve learned a few more things, too.

 

 

4.) My husband was right about the house.  I don’t know what would have happened had we picked the other house but I know what wouldn’t have happened.  We wouldn’t have met the friends we’ve already made.  We’ve met some lovely neighbors (I’ve even met a homeschool family that share a lot of similarities to ours.) I’ve enjoyed getting to know some other moms and spending time relaxing at the park together.  (This has been such a blessing).

 

5.) I’m ecstatic to have two laundry rooms.  I didn’t quite realize what a big difference that makes in getting laundry done.  It is certainly a luxury – but one that I’m glad we took advantage of with this home.

 

6.) I’m actually enjoying having a smaller kitchen.  I never thought I would say that, but it has forced me to downsize to what I really need.  I also feel that everything is easily accessed and found (no more searching through a million cabinets.)

 

7.) We found a good school for our oldest that has a wonderful team of teachers and therapists on board.  We are praying that this school year is a good one for him as he continues to grow and excel.  So far, it seems fair to say it looks like a good fit for him.

 

8.) I was stressing out and mentioning (in a somewhat frantic way) to my husband that we needed to get our home school room in order so that we could start our school year.  He is so much more laid back than I am.  All I could see were the pile of books, notebook, papers, pencils, just a chaotic mess … no table … no where to work.  <Not quite hyperventilating while thinking of all that needs to be done…>

 

So on that note, we started looking for a new table (we sold ours in the move).

 

I got this fun idea to look for used tables.  I thought maybe we could save a little bit of money that way.  I even created a search on Facebook Marketplace.  I started searching for tables.

 

A few we were interested in sold and fell through.  Then it happened.  It was a Friday night and a notification came up of a new used table.  And here is the best part: It was FREE!  A family was giving a way an old, big, solid wood table that they no longer needed.  My husband was able to pick it up the next morning and set it up for our school work.  What a blessing.

 

Things have just seemed to fall into place between homeschooling groups and extracurricular activities for our kids to tables and chairs for the house.  And you know, it has taught me one huge lesson.  While it is good to be proactive and try to plan some stuff… being obsessive or worrying over every little thing isn’t healthy and isn’t what God has called us to.

 

He has brought us half way across the country and planted us just where He wants us.  I’m thankful that we chose to listen and we chose to go.

 

From where I’m standing I can see so vividly that God is in the big stuff and He is in the small stuff.

 

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

 

big move

 

 

This post is the 4th part of our series, Our Big Move.

Read Part 1 here.

Read Part 2 here.

Read Part 3 here.

 

 

Reset {How This Move Has Changed Me + Our Cleaning Schedule}

Reset

{How This Move Has Changed Me + Our Cleaning Schedule}

This post contains affiliate links.  I only recommend products I use and love.  Please see my disclosure policy.

 

Moving.  Moving is so much more than loading a truck full of stuff.

 

I can’t explain to you how life-altering it feels to physically pick up your things and unpack it half way across the country.

 

Only then do you discover that everything around you is totally and utterly brand new.  To you.  To everyone else it is just life as usual.

 

To you, you are learning to take your first steps again.

 

So much has changed in the past month.  I had this primal urge to change.  Not just my environment.  No, I had an urge to change my habits.

 

In a way, I think that it makes sense.  It is so much easier to start fresh when everything is changing.  That’s probably why New Year’s Resolutions are so popular.

 

It is natural to change when things are changing anyway.

 

 

 

Here is a quick list of what has changed in my life in the past 6 weeks.

 

Kitchen Habits

 

cleaning schedule

No more paper plates at all.

 

I decided to get some new plates, once we moved in.  It was time – and I don’t know whether to trust old plastic ware, anyway.

 

I bought these because they are BPA Free and I love the shape and sections.

 

I also, tossed our old plastic cups for these cute glass ones.   We still like to keep them all together on a tray.  We no longer leave them on the table but on the bar in the kitchen, between the table and the sink.  It is so easy for the kids to grab their cup.  Those became our water cups that we keep filled throughout the day.  For juice or milk, we have these plastic cups.

 

I decided to try out a few of these microfiber cloths to clean more efficiently.  We clean the kitchen twice a day regularly.  In the morning after breakfast my 10 year old wipes the table, cleans off any food or left over dishes and my 12 year old unloads and reloads the dishwasher.  Trash goes out after breakfast.  After dinner, I unload from earlier and then wash the dishes from lunch and dinner.  I sweep and mop around the table.  Trash is checked after I do this.

 

 

Organizational Habits

We hung up our calendars on the wall again.  That is one thing I haven’t changed.  I love them.  To update dates and times, I now use chalk pens that are erasable.

cleaning schedule

Health Habits

Exercising more with the kids has become a priority.   When my big kids were little, I was a member of gym.  Who has time for this anymore?  Seriously, let’s face it – I don’t like working out.  My favorite class was pilates (but I can technically do that at home with a DVD).  I decided that exercise that fits into our lifestyle is imperative to show the kids.  It is the easiest way to teach them healthy living habits.  Plus it is fun and relaxing.  We find ourselves most days walking and doing some bike riding.  I’ve simply used the health app on my phone to track how many miles I’ve gone in a day.

cleaning schedule

 

Social Habits

I’m working on leaving my phone charging on the kitchen counter when I’m at home with my family.  I’ve decided to only check my messages, email, and calendar first thing in the morning.  The rest of the day, it will sit on the counter.  Note to self: Leave the ringer on.  The bad thing about not having your phone on you is you risk missing important phone calls.  The good thing is you can focus more on those who are in the same room with you and curb that social media addiction that seems to creep up.

Cleaning Schedule and Habits

Our kitchen gets cleaned twice a day.  Our bedrooms are twice a week.  Our bathrooms are once a week (and of course as needed).

Everday:

We’ve started washing the dishes both after breakfast and dinner.  We have so many people home all day that that makes the most sense.

We wash off the table at the same time and sweep under it.

Trash & Recycling goes out after the dishes have been started.

I sweep and mop after dinner along with another load of dishes done.

 

Wednesday & Sunday:

A quick clean up of the bedrooms

 

Wednesday & Friday:

Vacuum, mop, dust (as needed)

cleaning schedule

Friday:

All of our older kids have a job to do in order to clean our 5 bathrooms.  We plan to switch jobs every month.

5 year old + 2 year old collects bathroom rugs/towels

5 year old mops with Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mop

6 year old collects all the trash from the bathroom trash cans and floor (if needed)

10 year old washes the mirrors and glass doors with special microfiber cloth/polishing cloth

12 year old wipes down the tubs/showers and toilets

Mommy checks, assists, sweeps and wipes sinks with either Clorox wipes or our new microfiber

Saturday:
All Laundry (I only do a random load of kitchen towels once throughout week and bathroom laundry on Friday).