Archive for keeping home
ministering @ home
My morning devotional time for the past couple of months has been spent working my way through Titus 2. One day I would read the book of Titus and the next I would read a lesson from God’s Beautiful Design for Women: Living Out Titus 2:1-5. (The Revive Our Hearts Ministry is a fantastic source for studies. Nancy Leigh DeMoss is gifted by God to convict hearts and show us how to apply Scripture.)
I’ve begun to read familiar Bible verses in a whole new light. Instead of reading them in the context of interacting with fellow Christians and the church body, I now try to read them as they would apply to my children, husband and home. All of a sudden new life is being breathed into Scripture!
I want you to give it a try. Read the following verses and think of how you can apply them specifically to your family. It will change your actions and your speech….oh, and it might sting a little too 
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Titus 2:7-8
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:12-13
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. II Timothy 2:22-25
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. I Peter 4:8-10
wfmw – a cleaning competition
Today’s WFMW has a Cleaning Tip theme. (Excuse me for a minute while I step away to laugh and make something up.)
Ok, I’m back, and I actually do have a tip that works for me : a cleaning competition! I use this little trick when it’s time for a major house cleaning.
I walk around the house and make a list of every little thing that needs to be done. I make it very long and detailed so there are plenty of choices for everyone. I give the kids a minute to look over the list, and then everyone chooses one thing on the list and writes his/her name beside it.
And they’re off!! It is now a race to complete that chore, check it off, and get your name down again beside another task.
We do have a few rules:
- You can only have your name by one task at a time – no dibs on the next.
- The job must be done neatly and correctly.
- Older kids cannot claim all of the easy jobs & leave the hard stuff for the little ones.
My kids love this game because they get to choose what they clean. I love this game because the work gets done quickly with little whining. There is no time for lollygagging about because someone else might claim the job you want next!
Run on over to We Are That Family for tons of great cleaning tips!
wfmw – chore chart graphics
I decided to create a morning routine chart for my kiddos after coming across all these cute chore graphics! I am going to hang it in their bathroom. I have no idea how to share a document on my blog, but here is what is on my chart:
- Put on your happy face!
- Get dressed
- Put away pajamas
- Make your bed
- Put up the books
- Brush your hair
- Brush your teeth
- Turn off all the lights!
- Go eat breakfast
Here are the links:
You might want to check out my list of printable chore charts.
Run on over to We Are That Family for tons of great tips!
the heart of hospitality
I wanted to share a wonderful series by Nancy Leigh DeMoss called The Heart of Hospitality.
This statement really stood out to me:
“First of all, let me suggest that you take time, if you’ve never done this, to dedicate your house to the Lord and ask Him to make it a home that’s used for Him. The house is just going to be brick, stones, mortar, wood, until you put it into the Lord’s hands and say, “Lord, would You transform this into something that will be an instrument and a blessing and grace in the lives of other people?”
That is exactly what we did before buying our new home, and also the reason I went in search of a study on hospitality. I hope this series blesses you like it is blessing me!
clean swap show & tell
I had such a great time participating in A Sister’s Shoebox Swap. I got to know Carly a little bit through her blog – go check it out! This is what I saw as soon as I unwrapped my package. I lo-o-ove purple!
It was filled with all these goodies:
~Handmade birdhouse card that matches my kitchen
~Spring green dish towel
~Purple! lint roller – a neccesity around here with our 4-legged friends
~Microfiber kitchen cloths
~Scrubbing bubbles wipes – very handy for little boys
~Pocket pack of lint sheets
~Clean linen candle
~Bath fizzy
~Peony soap
~Wool dryer balls – I’ve wanted these for such a long time! (check out Carly’s etsy shop if you want some too!)
~Laundry banner – I am going to have to post a picture of this later. It is so pretty, and I love the cherry ribbon!
Thank you Carly for blessing my cleaning routine with all these lovely things!!
And a BIG thank you to A Homespun Heart and With All That I’ve Been Given for hosting the Clean Swap!
wfmw – household notebook printables again
We are battling the flu here, so what Works For Me this week is re-posting an old tip. This is the most popular post on my blog. Have fun!
Like many of you, organizing my household notebook is on my To Do list for the new year. Here are all the great links I came across while putting my notebook together. Enjoy!
Joyful Momma scroll down to bottom of the list
ParenTime’s Printable Checklists
Woman’s Day Cleaning Checklists
Woman’s Day: 30 Days to a Clean House
Real Simple Home Inventory Lists
The Hem of His Garment Bible Study Resources
Revive Our Hearts not planner pages, but many great Christian resources & lists to put in your notebook
Run on over to Rocks In My Dryer for some great tips!
a new year
I love a new year with it’s fresh ideas! I used to dread January, thinking it was so dreary and boring after such a joyful holiday season. Now, I look forward to a new beginning. My biggest change will be with school – I am ditching the textbooks (except for math) and putting together my own curriculum. I feel like God has been calling me to do this for the past year, but I didn’t have the confidence to let go all the way. I am prayerfully seeking His guidance as I write our lesson plans for the coming weeks.
I’ll be adding to this list throughout the week:
Bible
- Bible Doctrine
do in-depth study
- YouVersion use to take notes
- 30-Day True Woman Make-Over
Home
- Motivated Moms
- Intentional Planner
- Learn to can
- Plan garden & order seeds
Health
- start baking from scratch with whole grains
- exercise M-F with Wii Fit & Wii Outdoor
Finances
- Keep track of monthly bills
- Get caught up on my coupon binder
- Continue getting free stuff from CVS & other stores thanks to sites like this, this, this & this
- Set up an Amazon e-store on my blog
Hobbies
- Sketching & watercolor – I haven’t done this in years. I want to work on a nature journal using this book
- Print photos & put in albums
School
- Lesson plans for two littles based on this site
- New spelling for Dancerella
- Google books
making my home a haven
Monica at The Homespun Heart is encouraging us with Making Your Home a Haven week. She starts it off with a beautiful prayer and a challenge to declutter our homes. This is such a perfect match for what was already on my heart for my week ahead. I want to go into the holidays with a fresh heart and home.
Here are some things I hope to do today:
- sort through the huge pile of mail
- get all clean laundry put away
- tidy bathroom counter
- recycle newspapers/magazines/catalogs
- finish cutting & filing coupons
- help kids make Thanksgiving Countdown
- beef stew & cornbread for dinner
The list could go on & on, but I’m trying to keep it realistic with a new baby in the house. Would you like to Make Your Home a Haven too?
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Go here to read more about this huge sale! Hurry, though, the price goes up tomorrow–get this money-saving ebook package at a ridiculously low price while you can!
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HUGE e-book sale tomorrow
Tune in tomorrow for details on a BLOW-OUT SALE on some fantastic homemaking helps!!
