S-A-H-M's

Sometimes people ask me what I "do". You know, as in a job. And I often find myself responding "oh, I'm just a stay-at-home-mom." As if its nothing. A few years ago, after I had my first child, I realized that I had to view my position as a job (kind of). Let me try to explain.

There are a lot of responsibilities that come with being a S-A-H-M. Cleaning, cooking, teaching, playing, grocery shopping, paying bills, finances/budgeting, exercise (yourself and kids), grooming (yourself and kids), first aide, taking kids to various activities, giving husband needed attention, so on and so forth. On top of the things you need to get done, there are a MILLION things you have to remember. Diapers, sippy cups, snacks, wipes, change of clothes, wallet, keys, phone, grocery list, so on and so forth.

So, anyway, I started viewing my roll as a homemaker and S-A-H-M as a full time job, because really thats what it is (actually its a lot more than that). I decided that while dad is at work, so am I. When dad is off work, so am I (to an extent).

When you go to a job you have specific things you are supposed to be doing or supposed to get done. Sometimes they have time limits, sometimes they don't. I decided to give myself a job list every day, things that had to get done before dad got home.

Monday-clean the kitchen
Tuesday-clean the bedrooms
Wednesday-clean the bathrooms
Thursday-laundry
Friday-clean living room and entry way

I decided I would work on each job throughout the day. In between feeding time and nap time and exercise time, cooking, and all the other things going on. This has really helped me to stay caught up on house work, to keep our home clutter free and a place where we all want to come home to, and have the evenings and weekends off with my husband.

It has also helped me to manage my time a little better so that I can get in some good quality time with each of my children and then have some me time as well. I get up at the same time every morning (no sleeping in on the job right?) and focus on getting my chores done (between child time) as soon as I can, so that when the kids are napping I can do what I want to do for myself. Sometimes I read a good book, sew, watch some tv, nap, shower a little longer than usual, or whatever. Its important to get that relax time so that when dad does get home you're not ready to pull your hair out.

A great book on the subject of being a Stay-at-home-mom is In Praise of Stay-at-Home-Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. A great lesson I learned from this book is that I am first and foremost a wife, then a mother, and then a homemaker. My relationship with my husband is crutial, my time with my children priceless, and everything else falls in behind them.

So I'm curious to know what all you ladies out there do to make things run smoothly around your house. I'm always looking for ways to improve. Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Deceptively Delicious Garlic Parmesean Mashed Potatoes

This cookbook is a great find! It is by Jerry Seinfeld's wife. It is full of recipes that get your family eating vegetables without them even knowing! Here is a mashed potato recipe I adapted from a recipe in her book.

1 lb baking potatoes-peeled, cubed
1/2 C cauliflower puree
2 Tbsp butter/margarine
1/2 C milk
1 tsp. Salt
3 oz. grated parmesean cheese
1 1/2 cloves minced garlic

Put potatoes into large pot and cover with water til there is about 3 inches on top.
Boil until tender enough to pierce with a fork.
While potatoes are boiling
Put milk and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat about 5 minutes
Set aside
When potatoes are finished cooking
Drain and put in a mixing bowl
Add milk mixture, parmesean, butter, salt, and cauliflower.
Mash or beat until desired texture is reached.

My husband claimed that these are the best potatoes I've ever made, before he knew there was cauliflower in them :) Which was the only thing I did different!

How To Heat Seal a Ribbon

I know this is probably so simple and silly to some of you, but I've never had to "heat seal" a ribbon before. However I was working on a project today that included this as a step. So of course I had to look it up.

To heat seal a ribbon:

Simply hold the end of the ribbon tightly over a flame (candle, lighter, etc) and move from left to right once or twice.

(picture courtesy of http://needlesfabricandthread.blogspot.com)

Compassionate Service

At my church we have what is called a "Compassionate Service Leader". This person is responsible for making sure that other women and their families are taken care of. It can be anything from someone needing meals brought to their home after a baby is born, to someone looking for a good home for their old clothes.

Well....I was asked or "called" to be the Compassionate Service Leader for our little branch. So I made up this folder that will be passed around each Sunday during our meetings. Its very basic and self explanitory. The women can write down their specific needs or write down that they have something they're giving away or selling for a great price. It will also have my phone number in the front cover, in case someone has a very personal need that they don't want everyone reading about :)

~Scroll down for another new post~

Thank-You Card

I'm not very talented at card making, and I have no supplies to make cards whatsoever. I have cardstock and thats it. But here's proof that you don't have to have all the fancy trimmings to make a homemade card that looks {halfway} decent....
All I did was type "Thank You!" on my computer and then chose a font that I liked. I taped the printed letters on green cardstock and cut them out. Then cut the border with just siccors, no straight lines. Adds character?

New Fav Blog!

Thanks to a comment given under my tote bag post, I have found a new favorite blog for project ideas. Its called Make It And Love It . I have yet to see a project on her website that I don't absolutely love and want to try! So check it out!

Tote Bag

Here's a picture of my most recent sewing project. I'm not about to try to explain how to make this. So click HERE to see the tutorial that I followed. I made my bag a little smaller than the tutorial's, and I also added interfacing to the lining, and covered some cardboard and stuck it in the bottom to make the bag a little more sturdy. It turned out bigger than I expected. I fit the contents of my purse, 4 diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, and 2 bath towels in there yesterday when we went swimming.

Getting Rid of Unwanted Knats

I think thats how you spell it. Anyway, you know how sometimes you get those pesty "fruit flies" in your house? Maybe from your fruit, or your garbage, or your inside plants? Well, here is a solution I heard today (haven't tried it yet):

Crush up a garlic clove or 2.
Place them in a cup of water.
Allow them to sit overnight.
In the morning, or the next time you water your indoor plants, water them with the garlic water.

My friend swears by this, so if you try it let me know how it works out :)

Goo Gone

I just have to share this with you. My husband, once again, left gum in the pocket of his pants. Which means it ended up ALL OVER my dryer AGAIN! I was so furious. Well, a good friend of mine let me borrow her Goo Gone because I couldn't find anything that would remove the gum without a massive amount of scrubbing. I sprayed this Goo Gone on the gum spots, waited about 2 minutes and it wiped right off...no scrubbing AT ALL! I was ecstatic! Last time this happened, I used another brand of goop remover and spent about 2 hours scrubbing...so lets just say I'll never go back.

What do you use to remove gooey, greasy, gummy messes?

Storage Cubes

I got this idea and the instructions from Crazy Mom Quilts. She has lots of amazing things on her blog!

1. Using 2 different fabrics, cut out 5 6-inch squares from each fabric for a total of 10 6-inch squares. If the fabric is thin/lightweight, use interfacing for best results. (interfacing is the stuff that you iron or sew to fabric to make it more stiff).

2. Outer shell: Sew 4 of your 6-inch squares together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance as pictured below.
3. Sew the 2 ends of your row together to make an unfinished cube.

4. Pin the 5th square to the bottom of your cube and sew with a 1/4 inch seam. Reapeat the process for the inner shell, except when sewing the bottom square, only sew 3 of the 4 seams. You will use this gap for turning and placing your cardboard inserts. You should now have 2 topless boxes.

5. Once your inner shell is complete place it inside your outer shell with the "right" sides together. Pin and sew around the entire perimiter of the cube using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

6. Through your gap, turn the cube right side out and sew around the perimiter once again using a very small seam allowance. Pictured below.

7. Using any type of cardboard box (I used cereal boxes), cut 5 sqaures each measuring about 5 1/8 inches. Don't use any cardboard that has a fold in it. It won't stand straight once your finished.8. Through the gap wrestle the cardboard into each side and the bottom of your cube.

9. Carefully sew your gap (I have no suggestions on the easiest way of doing this), making sure the cardboard doesn't slip out of place and you're finished.

Things I would have done differently: Used stiffer interfacing or stiffer cardboard, ironed the fabric before sewing it together, and I wish I had known a good way to sew up that final gap. It was awkward and difficult and doesn't look very good. But it worked I guess. Also, I accidently trimmed my cardboard pieces a little too small, so the fabric isn't as tight as it should be.