Just One Word

Laundry!

Ladies pull up a seat and let us talk about laundry….

No, I have not discovered the magic portal at the back of the dryer that steals socks.  I have not invented a machine that will fold our clothes for us.  I am not here to tell you some amazing secret that will solve all your laundry problems.

So, why am I bringing up this ugly subject? Well ladies, we all have laundry.  If you have living people in your home, you have laundry. It is something we all have to deal with, unless you have a maid to do it for you.( I know, I know that would be nice.) We all have to face the laundry baskets and hampers at some point before the monster gets out of control.

I really don’t have a secret formula. I am still trying to figure out what system works best for us and what really doesn’t work for us.  I have learned what worked two years ago might not work as well right now. Right now what works best is dividing the clothes into four sections: Boys clothes, Girls clothes, Me and Brian’s clothes, and towels . I also found that small loads are more manageable, and makes it easier for the children to help. It also makes it easier to fold and put away.  I have folded the same basket of clothes at least 3 to 4 times before because they were not put away quick enough. (That has happened to many times to count.) I have taught my children how to use the washer and dryer. I also start teaching them how to fold at a young age, that is when they are most eager to learn and help. Even Colt who is five can fold pretty well.

Just a little Henry Laundry History:  The first 4 1/2 years of marriage I lived in family housing at Mississippi State University.  We had to do laundry at the laundry mat on campus or go to my parents house.  Not fun at all not having a washer and dryer.  So, when my hubby graduated and we moved off campus and I got our first washer and dryer I was beyond thankful and excited. Baby #3 was on the way and I had two little ones 2 and under. So lots of messes and lots of laundry. As much as I really don’t like laundry, I was beyond thankful for the reasons I had so much laundry. Through the years we have added to our household. So that meant I added more and more laundry.  There have been times the laundry sat on the loveseat for a little to long.  There have been times I folded a basket of clothes so I would have a place to put the clothes coming out of the dryer.  There have been times I just wanted to go sit in my closet with a bag of Dove chocolate and a cup of coffee to avoid the laundry baskets. Other times I remember the reason I have all this laundry. I remember what a blessing it is to have a washer and dryer. I remember the little ones that need clean clothes. I remember that laundry in and of itself is a reminder of all my blessings. It is all about perspective.

So ladies, please leave some of your laundry tips in the comment section to share with everyone else. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

-Pamela Henry

Real Life

Schoolroom, spilled juice on the sofa

Dirty kitchen!

Cleaned the kitchen

 

Stay at home mom, homeschooling mom, you would think my house would be spotless.  After all I do have all day to keep it clean.

Here is the thing, we live 24/7 in our home. We have 8 people living here, 6 of them are 12 and under. We homeschool, so my children are home all day. I also have a 2 year old and a messy, curious autistic son. So messes happen, they happen a lot!

I am not trying to excuse a messy house. I am just stating that homes get messy at times. Do I leave it a big mess? No, that would drive me crazy. But the fact still remains that during the course of our day things get messy. You might find a pillow pet on the kitchen floor. You might think my main living area looks like a ‘what does not belong’ game. You might find dirty handprints on the wall.

You see I am not perfect. My home gets messy. My children get in trouble. I have clean laundry in a basket waiting to get hung up. I didn’t go grocery shopping this past weekend. I did not make a memu for this week. My husband was kind and got pizza on a Monday night.

So, never look at someone else and compare yourself to them. No Ones life is perfect. No one has it all together all of the time. No one has superpowers.  No one can do it all, all of the time.

So ladies be kinder to each other. Let us be more understanding. Let us extend more grace to each other.   Let us be more supportive of each other.

From one mom to another. Extend some grace to the lady in the mirror. Don’t be so hard on her. Don’t compare her to everyone else.  Give her the same understanding that you give to others.

-Pamela Henry

 

 

 

I Am Not Enough

I am not one of those “It takes a village” parents.  I also do not think I can do this journey of parenthood alone.  I am so thankful for my husband, Brian.  He is such a great husband and an even better father.  But the truth still stands that even on our good days as parents we still fall short.

God did give those wonderful children to Brian and I.  He did entrust them to us.  I am so honored that He did so, and not a day goes by that I am not thankful for our children.  God entrusted me with their hearts, minds, and their lives.  That my friend is not only a huge blessing, it is also a huge responsibility.  A responsibility that I do not take lightly.

You may ask, “What do you mean by you are not enough?”  Well, I mean without God and his strength I can not be the mother I need to be for my children.  I can not tend to their hearts like I need to without God. I can not teach my children what they need to learn without God. I can not effectively tend to the everyday tasks of life with children without God.  I am not enough with out God.  Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

I do not have enough patience. I am not a very patient person. I tend to run out of patience by lunch time. I am really working on this.  I know that I have to approach my children with the same grace and patience that God extends to me each day. I need to let God’s grace flow through me and extend it to everyone around me. When I get to the little Knot in my rope, I need to let go and let God work through me.  Clinging to the rope even tighter and trying  to make it in my own strength and power just makes me even more frustrated and does nothing good for me or my children.  In my weakest moments I am my strongest because that is when I see my need for God and He strengthens me.

I do not have enough grace.  Each morning when I wake up God gives me new grace for today.  He extends his grace to me. I have all the grace I need because God has a never ending supply of grace.  So why do I not have enough grace at times?  Well, it is because I do not go to God for His grace.  I do not go to Him  and ask for grace when my children need it the most from me.  Sometimes I let my Well of Grace run dry, and I do not go to God to fill it back up.  As a mother we need to extend grace to our children.  We need to keep our Well of Grace full and let God flow His grace through us.  Our children are constantly learning.  They are children, not adults. They are going to need grace as they are learning all about life.  We need to be teaching them all about God’s grace but more importantly we need to be giving them God’s grace everyday.

I do not have enough mercy.  There is a difference between letting your children get away with everything and extending mercy to them.  This is an area that I really am still learning in.  I do not have it all figured out.  My best example is Christ.  He extends mercy to me everyday.  Yet, I still have consequences to my actions, good or bad.  I know that I should be and that I want to be more merciful to my children.  The thing is I expect my children to be more gracious and merciful towards each other. Yet at times I do not lead by example.  I know that without Christ I can not extend mercy the way I need to.

I do not have enough time.  There is always more work to do than hours in a day.  I have to prioritize.  Working moms, stay at home moms, and work at home moms all have to prioritize.  We all have more work than time.  So we need to be kinder and more understanding to each other.  A schedule that works for your family may not work for someone else’s family.   The one thing that we all need in at the top of our schedule is time alone with God.  Ladies if we are going to be fully equipped for our day, If we are going to try to have the right priorities for the day, if we are going to make the time we have count, then we need God leading our steps and we need time alone with Him.

I do not always have the right priorities.  Yep, I said it. I do not always have the right priorities. Sometimes I focus on nonessential things that are not really that important in the grand scheme of things.  Sometimes my focus is off.  Whenever I take my eyes off of God my focus is off and my priorities are off.  When this happens my parenting is off too.  When my parenting is off, my priorities are off, my focus is off everything becomes more chaotic around the house. That is when I start to feel less gracious, less merciful, and run out of patience and I get to the end of my rope. That is when I start to feel like I am loosing my grip on everything, so I cling even tighter. Do you see the downward spiral?  Yep, this is what happens when I do not keep God first.

So, when I say I am not enough. I am not saying I am not equipped to be a mother. I am not saying I can not do this.  I am not saying I should of not had all my children.  What I am saying is I need Christ.  I need Him to work in me and through me.  I am saying in Christ I have all I need to be the mother I need to be.  Philippians 4:13  “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

-Pamela Henry

 

 

Focus Challenge

 

A focus challenge is when you focus on a few task.  You start out by making a list. Example: 1. Make bed  2.Clean night stands 3.Clean up floor 4.Sweep.  It is important to keep the list small, all you need is 4 to 5 task to focus on at a time.

Then you set the timer, you can set it for 5 minutes or for 10, for each task.  The focus challenge is meant to pick task you can complete within a 5 to 10 minute time frame. It is important to complete each task at hand before moving on the next task.

Some things that help me focus and not get distracted:

1. Have all my materials in the room with me.
2. Have two Walmart bags, one for trash and one for recycling
3. Have a dirty clothes basket
4. Have a empty basket for items that belong in other rooms.
5. Have my broom, vacuum, and Swiffer with me.

I usually do this when I am feeling overwhelmed and don’t really know where to start.  This also helps me get rooms cleaned up quickly.  To get my momentum going I usually start in the smallest room of the house. Then when I see progress I keep the momentum going by moving on to the next list of task to focus on.

-Pamela Henry

 

 

 

 

 

5 Minute Pickup

What is a five minute pickup?  Good question…..

Well five minute pickup is just that. Pickup as much as you can in a five minute time period.

1. Your start by setting a timer.
2. Get 2 to 3 baskets and a trash bag, you can use as many baskets as you need
3. Get your children involved
4. Pick an area you need cleaned up
5. Give each child a Walmart bag

Once you picked your area. Get your baskets set up: one for clothes, one for toys, and you can put anything else in the third basket.  Have your trash can by the baskets. We like to use our extra trash bag for recycling.  The children can use their Walmart bags as a trash or recycling bag too.  Get your children excited about helping. You can give a prize or have a special treat. I like to make it a race to see who can pick up the most stuff, me or the children. Set that timer and then get to work.

You will be amazed how quickly your children will move to pick up stuff off of the floor just so the kiddos can beat you. This method isn’t about getting your room spotless, it is about cleaning up. I like to do this throughout the day so we can keep a handle on the messes.  Because my house can get messy and dirty throughout the day. This helps me keep my sanity, because I am a bit of a neat freak.

I will post some more this week on a few of my cleaning tips.  Not that I am a expert but I do have to clean a lot…..

-Pamela Henry