Shedding Season: A SleekEZ Dog Brush Review

The weather is warming up, the sun is shining, and this guy is shedding all over the place. 

(Good thing he's cute.)

I don't know if it's because Bear had his very first Colorado winter, or that he's getting a bit older, or maybe it's the altitude (I blame everything on the altitude), but it seems like this spring, our pooch is just exuding hair.

This is pretty inopportune, seeing as we'll be heading back to Iowa soon, and the idea of locking ourselves in a vehicle with Mr. Sheds-A-Lot for ten hours isn't really appealing. 

Social Media and Boundaries: My 3 Don'ts and 2 Do's of Facebook

The other night, as I settled into my flannel sheets (I may have a problem) and got ready for some much anticipated snoozin', I noticed that I was feeling... restless. And a little angry.

It wasn't a specific emotion, really... just a vague sense of tension and conflict and annoyance... and I was having trouble pinpointing it.

What was it that was irritating me?

And then I realized-- the comments section.

Yep.

Just moments before, right before I'd put my phone on its charger for the night, I'd quickly swiped into Facebook and found myself embroiled in a political discussion, and the comments my relative had made were so far off base... and while I didn't reply, I just knew she was wrong and boy did it get my ire up.

It seems to me (and maybe I'm just especially sensitive to it right now, I don't know) that tension and conflict and anger are reigning supreme these days. It certainly seems that way on my social media feeds. And it's affecting me.

I think it's time to admit that it's affecting me.

White Space

I am just finishing up the busiest week of my entire life.

I'm being honest, here.

I thought working at a Bible Camp in the summer was crazy. Before that, I thought planning my wedding was crazy. I thought college, student teaching, and working overnight shifts all at the same time was crazy.

Nothing really prepared me for this kind of crazy.

Holding the Handfuls

I looked up from the screen warming my lap, out the window to cows grazing just beyond the thin wire fence, mountains stretching high behind them.

As the beauty filled my eyes, my lungs expanded in a deep, restful breath.


There's been a lot of talk of simplicity in many Christian circles. Of rest, paring down.

I was a big proponent of all that, myself. In fact, the idea of a more restful existence was one of the reasons we decided to move out here in the first place.

But this change of job and geographical location and pace has its own stress, its own hectic chaos. For one thing, we have internet at home now, and I just got upgraded to a smartphone. There are always (always!) ninety million things I could be doing, and it is proving very easy to lose myself down the rabbit hole called the world-wide-web.

The Binder: My Cleaning Record and Free Planner Printables

It's no secret that the summertime is busy around here.

I whine about it a lot, after all.

Summer is the time when most things fall to the wayside- and by most things, I mean exercise, flossing, going outside... and cleaning my home.

Yeah, in the summer, I never clean my house.


Thankfully, I've got a super easy and very basic daily routine (wipe the sink, wipe the toilet, ten-minute tidy up, dishes, and done).

(Side note: No, I'm not doing a load of laundry every day like I used to. Now we're on a once-a-week laundry plan that I'm not a huge fan of, but it works for right now. Someday, I'd like to go back to three times a week, at least... but this is working okay for now.) 

My routine keeps things relatively sanitary around here, but besides that, my little house gets very little lovin' for about three months.

Yikes.

The Binder: My Blogging Calendar

In the blogging world, I'm what you would consider a "free spirit."

I use Blogger as my platform, I don't have a site designer (did it mah-self!), I don't use stock photos, I don't pay for hosting, and I don't have a "niche."

I don't do about 90% of the things that the big bloggers recommend doing. Because <stomps foot> I just don't wanna.

The first reason I completely ignore most advice is that I still have trouble identifying with blogging. I don't call myself a blogger. Maybe I should. Maybe it's time. I mean, after all, I've certainly been doing this long enough.

I also don't don't follow those "90-Thousand Rules to Have a Popular Blog" because so many of them just aren't me. And when I do things that aren't me, I don't have nearly as much fun. I get burnt out, I write poorly, and everyone suffers.

(By "everyone," I mean me, and my mother, and occasionally a co-worker-friend or two. Hi!! Nice to see ya!)

There's only one tip from the blogging powers that be that I actually follow.

And that's a content calendar.

The Binder: Meal Planning

Now that summer is officially over (okay, so yeah, it's February. Maybe I under-exaggerate...), it means we no longer can mooch off of Camp food for every single meal.

Boo.

That also means that I need to get my life together (or "get my poop in a group," if you will), and do some meal planning to avoid my typical Ramen Noodle-Spaghetti-Out to Eat rotation that I seem to fall into.



That's where The Binder comes in.

I seriously love this little planner o' mine, and I use it every day and lug it around with me, so planning meals with this thing is just a given.

Planner Power: Or, Why I Lug Around My Binder Everywhere I Go

Need a pen?

I've got one.

What were the dimensions of the bathroom ceiling? Lemme look it up a minute...

When was that doctor's appointment again?

Gotcha covered.

Jammin' on my Planner: 2016 Planner Prep and Free Printables!

It's been a while since I've shared anything about The Binder- but it's still alive (er, around?) and well. And well used.

Because a planner is only as good as you use it.

Also, I've been watching a heck of a lot of Parks and Recreation, and Leslie's planner love mirrors my own.

Because I'm a total crazy person and I'm still trying to find the perfect planner page set up, I moved from my day-on-two page structure last year...

Thriving in Survival Mode

Summertime.

Relaxing, sitting in the sunshine, spending time with family and friends.

Well, that's what the campers are doing, anyway. We don't really have time for that.

Summertime is our busy season- Trevor's busy with repairs and preparations and landscaping and improvements, and I'm busy with payments and registrations. We have over a thousand people come through our ministry in the summer. It's busy.

For most people, summer isn't a a super-busy season- just the opposite. A lot of folks find themselves in survival mode right about.... now. Back-to-school, beginning fall work schedules... you might be gearing up for your busy season!

This was our third summer of 'summer survival mode,' and I've learned a couple of things that have really helped us to get through the summer and thrive, not just survive.

Keeping Work at Work

Summer is our busy time at work, and when things are so busy, it's easy to feel like spending time in the office is really going to help me get ahead. Maybe your busy season is tax season (I don't envy you accountants!), or September and back-to-school.

No matter when it is, I'm pretty sure you have a season that's especially busy for you. It's easy to push aside my family, my household tasks, and my own personal care to get more done during that super busy time in my life.




Our very busiest time at work is also the time when we need to set boundaries in place. It's so easy to allow work to push into our personal time, especially when we love our jobs. But too much work and not enough time to rest burns us out, makes us less pleasant, and actually makes us less productive.

In the Bible, we're commanded to take a time of rest. We can even see the importance of a time away from work in the way God designed the day- with light in the day to allow us to work and dark in the evening to allow us to rest.

Of course, it's easier to talk about taking rest than it is to actually do it- especially when work is really busy. Here are some tips that have really helped me.

Keeping the Peace: "The Binder"- How It Works

I introduced you to "The Binder" a while back, and explained a little of what it is and what I like about it... but let's get down to the details.

And if you're like, "I couldn't care less if The Binder were on fire," I say to you... NOT MY BINDER! and also, maybe you'd prefer to click around elsewhere -- like here, here, or here.

(One of those is a link to a banana suit. You're welcome.)


Aaaaanyway. If you're still here, let's take a quick glimpse into The Binder- and the pages I use most often.

Keeping the Peace: All the Laundry, All the Time

This post contains affiliate links** 

You would think that two grown, adult-type human beings with a pretty good grasp on basic hygiene wouldn't have any trouble with the whole laundry situation.

Ha!

Hahahaha!

Yeah, laundry is probably my most oft-complained about household task. Most likely because it is never.ever.finished. Ever.

Keeping the Peace: "The Binder"

This post contains affiliate links**

Over the past few years, I've found that the first step to finding peace in every day is preparation. Being prepared for the day, the week, the month... it makes a big difference. Plans change, of course, but having a plan A makes it possible for you to make a plan B (and C and D and, you get it.) 

"The Binder" is my method of planning. And yes, my mom makes fun of The Binder and its overwhelmingly large influence in my life. But whatever, it works for me. And that's really most of the battle. 

Keeping the Peace: My All Natural, All Purpose Daily Cleaner

I've found that one of the best ways for me to keep the peace in my home is to maintain a regular cleaning schedule, including a daily wipe down of my kitchen and bathrooms.

But you know what? 

Cleaning everyday? It uses a lot of cleaning product! 

I have a solution for that problem (pun intended.)


To see what I use, please visit Nourishing Joy ---->

Keeping the Peace: My Reasonably Clean Home

I was fourteen when I first read the book.

I was babysitting. The kids were asleep for naps, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out the remote control, so I snooped through the family's bookshelf. And found a book by someone who called herself "FlyLady."

I read the first three chapters and, inspired and still bored, shined the family's sink before the kids woke up.



Ten years later, I had a little home of my own and found myself drowning under laundry and dreading sweeping the floors again. I just didn't know where to start. I found cleaning lists on the internet, and stuck with each for about two weeks until I got bored or burned out or too busy.

Somehow I was still falling behind, and the guilt started creeping in. I wasn't working full time, didn't have kids, lived in a tiny little house, and still felt like I was failing at the whole "keeping house" thing. (How is it possible for two people to have so much laundry!?!)

And then we moved to a bigger house, I started working full time, and things got even crazier. I needed a schedule. A plan. Something I could stick with and not get overwhelmed or frustrated.

Nothing seemed to fit. And overwhelmed and frustrated (and inconsistent and crabby) I was.

Then I started reading pieces by Auntie Leila about having a home that's beautiful and functional, about keeping a home reasonably clean- and her voice soothed all those rough, guilty spots and I felt like she understood. I wanted to feel peace about my home.

Auntie Leila mentioned, in one of her posts, that she'd adapted some FlyLady tips into her cleaning routines... and somehow, I had come full circle and stumbled back to the FlyLady person.

I'll be perfectly and almost brutally honest.

I did not set out to be a FlyLady fan. For one thing, her website is all... purple. Too much. She uses cutesy terms- 27 Fling Boogie, Swish & Swipe. And she calls her fans "FlyBabies." Ugh. The last thing I wanted to be called was a "FlyBaby."

But, overlooking those things, I figured, hey. Nothing had else worked so far, so why not give it a shot?

I'm several months in, now.

And that woman can call me whatever she wants. I'm hooked.


If you're not familiar with the whole FlyLady thing, here's the basic premise. By incorporating cleaning in our daily routines, reducing the amount of junk we've got around our homes, and avoiding the desire to be perfectionists, we can have both a cleaner home and a more peaceful mindset.

Daily Routines

This was probably the most important part of this whole thing for me. By making small cleaning tasks part of my daily routines, I've been able to just get stuff done without really thinking about it.

Being intentional about what my routines look like means that I've been able to do the things I've always wanted to do- like having breakfast every day, and reading my Bible in the morning- because now they're part of the routine.

I've made some adjustments from the "FlyLady" way of doing things- like wiping down bathroom counters and toilets right when I get home from work instead of doing it in the morning (yes... everyday. Check out my cheap, all-natural cleaner here).

It just works better for me.

But some of the simple things- making sure my sink is clean, setting out clothes the night before- those common sense things that seem almost too easy- I'm surprised how much they've helped.

Just Do It

I am a fantastic procrastinator when it comes to household tasks. I know I should mop the kitchen floor, but I just... I don't have time right now.

And that's where another pillar of the FlyLady plan comes into play- time limits. If I can't get it done in ten minutes, well, at least I got some of it done.

I can commit to ten minutes.

But the thing is- I realized that sweeping and mopping my little kitchen floor doesn't take ten minutes. So I wipe down counter tops, too. And the dried on crud on the top of the stove. And I still have two minutes? I can load the dishwasher in two minutes, no problem.

I was spending time avoiding those tasks because I thought I didn't have time. But I did have time. And instead of feeling dragged down when I see the pasta sauce that's dried to the stove top, it's taken care of. Done.

The Snowball Effect

The first few days of this new plan were a little... tough. FlyLady recommends baby steps- just start with one small change of routine, then add to it day by day, until you've got a good handle on things.

But I'm impatient. I like immediate results. Baby steps were hard for me.

I did it, though. And they work. Small changes make a big difference.

It's hard to clean a bathroom counter every day when it's piled high with stuff. So now I'm much more conscious about it- I put away my hairbrush right away, because I can do it now or I can do it later. I might as well wash that pan right now- or I'll be doing it before I go to bed tonight.

And Finally...

There was a surprise benefit to this whole thing.

The feeling. 

One of the reasons I was such a procrastinator when it came to housekeeping was that I just didn't really enjoy it. It wasn't fun. But when I started to actually do the work, the finished product became a bit addicting. It made me happy to see a clean counter top when I walk into the kitchen. I was happy when I  got all the laundry put away. It just felt... good.

And so, instead of putting things off, I thought about how good it would feel to have it done, to have another peaceful place in my home.

I'm hooked on that feeling.


I don't feel guilty anymore, either. I know that if I don't get the vacuuming done today, I'll get to it next week... or maybe even tomorrow if I get done with something early. Because there's a plan. And not only is there a plan, but I'm motivated to stick with it.


Do you use a cleaning schedule or routine? What's helped you to keep the peace in your home? 

Keeping the Peace: the practical things that keep me sane

I don't know about you, but it's not uncommon for me to feel like I'm treading water (... and in the summer, it feels a lot more like I'm just plain drowning).

I want to feel that Shalom- that perfect, complete wholeness and peace. I want to live it out every day.

It's hard to find that place of peace when I can't find a pair of clean socks, or when I don't know when that dentist appointment is, or when I'm unprepared and overwhelmed.

Of course, some of those panic-stricken moments are beyond my control- and that's why I need a firm foundation in the peace of God alone.

But really, a lot of those stressful, drowning times? They're because of me. It's my own darn fault.

If the laundry is piling up, it's because I haven't done it. If the dentist appointment gets missed, it's because I didn't write it down. Many of the peace-stealers in my life are the direct result of my own laziness or lack of preparation.

Really, now- don't we have enough going on without making it harder on ourselves?

I'm gonna say yes.

Now, some of you are reading this with amusement. You've got this down- your home is reasonably clean without making you an angry-crazy person. You have a plan for feeding your family. Missing an appointment? Never. Queens of juggling ninety-million things, these posts are not for you. You could teach me a thing or a hundred (and many of you have).

These posts are really for me- for the me of two years ago who had no idea how to keep the peace in my own home in practical ways.

And I'm still learning. I'm still struggling with the basics. And the way I do things may not be the way that works for you- and that's okay. I've learned everything I know from other people, and figured out the methods that work for me in this season of life.

In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some of the things that keep the peace in my life- the stuff that's super-practical and probably pretty obvious- but keeps me sane, peaceful, and on track.