31 days

Oct
26

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 25 ~ the always clean car



For the first time in my adult life, my car has been clean for more than two whole weeks. I can't believe it. You can go ahead and applaud, if you wish. It really is an amazing feat.

And it's been easy. Too easy. It's been so easy to keep it clean that I find myself asking why I didn't make the effort sooner.

We started by cleaning out my mini-van and making a place for everything that needed kept in there. Restaurant coupons go in the glove box (and need regularly sorted through!), CD's are stored in the center compartment, coins are in one of the drink holders. The phone chargers and ice scrapers also found homes. Everything else had to go, including the miscellaneous junk that had found its way into the pouches in the back, the cut-outs in the doors, and that empty space between the driver and passenger seats.

And now, every time I get out of the van I grab whatever doesn't belong in there. Every. Single. Time. It must take all of three seconds. Like I said, it's almost too easy. When I pick up my purse, I quickly glance around for trash or anything that belongs in the house. I remind the kids to do the same thing in the back.

Peace. That's what I feel when I get into my car several times a day. Well, I feel as much peace as is possible when I'm running like a crazy person to get anywhere on time. But I'll take whatever peace I can get. It's a lovely thing.

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Oct
25

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 24 ~ laundry routine

Laundry is my nemesis. I battle against it constantly, but it just keeps on coming back. It never ends. Never. Never ever.



There are bunches of different methods for managing laundry. I know. I've tried many of them over the years. The ages of my kids, the seasons of life (and sports), our schedule, and my mood all have an effect on how I keep up with the wash. Right now I'm working with a system that seems to be the best yet.

I try to wash one to two loads of laundry each day (none on my husband's days off, if possible). On a regular day, I aim to do one load of clothes (either lights or darks) and one load of towels or sheets, as needed. I find that by doing just a little bit of laundry everyday, we no longer run out of clean clothes, and I'm still able to get it all folded (I'm working on the putting-it-away part).



Another key to my laundry method is that I start the process the night before. In the evening, I have the kids gather their dirty clothes from the hamper in their bathroom and the laundry basket in each of their rooms. I sort their clothes into the two baskets I keep in my closet. My husband and I use a blue basket for collecting our dark clothes, a white one for lights, and a mesh-bag hamper for towels. We (usually) sort our clothes and towels right when we take them off or finish using them.



Once everything is sorted, I put whichever load appears to need done into the washer. In the morning, it's ready for me to add the soap and turn the machine on. Without even trying, my morning routine gets a quick jumpstart. Gotta love that kind of ordinary.

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Oct
24

31 day to {a better} ordinary :: day 23 ~ monthly menu planning



I usually jot down a seven day menu while I'm making my grocery list each week. Then I do the same thing the following week...and the week after that....over and over again. Next month I'm going to give a different system a try. I'm going to plan an entire month of meals. Sort of.

The typical monthly menu plan has never worked well for me. I've tried it, but my husband's odd schedule and the grocery store's weekly sales always threw a wrench into my plans. This time I'm going to do it a little differently.

At the beginning of the month, I'll print out two basic monthly calendars. I'll be using the dinner chart that comes with my JDC Monthly subscription, but any blank calendar or chart will do. On the first calendar, I'll use my meal list to fill in five dinners for each week. Normally, my husband is only home for dinner twice a week, so I'll plan easy meals for those five days when he's not here. I hope that by looking at the month as a whole, I'll avoid feeding the kids the exact same things every single week. Sure, some items will show up weekly (like pizza), but I'm sure other foods will show up just once or twice a month if I'm being intentional about mixing it up a little.

For the two empty days in each week of my chart, I'll write down selections that will make for good (and inexpensive) family meals even if there isn't anything much on sale at the grocery store. Those days will remain flexible, so if roasts are suddenly marked down, I can easily replace whatever I've already penciled in. I'll also use those two extra days to schedule new recipes I want to try. I'm awful about fixing the same meals all the time. Maybe writing in some new ideas will force me out of my lazy, comfortable ways.

With each new week of the month, I'll grab my monthly calendar and arrange the planned meals around my husband's work schedule and the other activities we have going on. I'll write this finalized menu plan on the second calendar I printed. This way, nothing is set in stone until a new week (with its irregular schedule) rolls around, but I don't have to come up with a menu from scratch each and every week.

Make sense? I hope so. And I hope it works. This could be a great time saver if it does!

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Oct
22

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 22 ~ not a happy ordinary

I had a great morning today. I got a few things accomplished at home, and then I spent some time shopping and eating with my hubby. That's my kind of day. I enjoy just walking around with my guy, looking at cool stuff and talking his ear off. So refreshing.

After that, I took my daughter to a piano rehearsal and fell asleep in the van while I waited. Not a good move.

I woke up feeling a little bit groggy and grumpy. Within an hour I was a lot grumpy. And gloomy. I got annoyed by having to wait in line at the store, frustrated with one of my children for some joking around, and teary over every self-centered thought that crossed my mind. Trust me, there were lots of them. That's certainly not the kind of ordinary I want.

So had a choice. I could wallow in my sin and self-pity. I could remind myself of all my faults and replay my sinful attitudes over and over in my head. I could feel bad and act bad. And I could cry.

Or....

I could laugh at the cute movie being played. I could look with love at the kiddo who frustrated me. I could wipe away my tears and refuse to dwell on my past sins. I could confess to my Savior.

I'm sure I'll face these same issues tomorrow (and the next day...and the next....). At some point I will have to deny the desires of my sinful heart and rest in the grace found at the foot of the cross. My ordinary life isn't always pretty. It isn't alway happy and clean and nice. Sometimes it's ugly and it hurts. But God's ordinary grace always abounds.

And in case you're wondering, I chose to live out the second option. By God's grace!

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

Oct
21

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 21 ~ meal list



Back when we were first married, I never made menus or clipped coupons or used a detailed grocery list. And I rarely cooked anything but French toast. I'm not exactly sure how we survived, but I think it had something to do with fast food burgers and the fact that we both worked at restaurants. I guess it was fine for us at the time, but a lot has changed since then. Thankfully.

For the past several eons, I've been creating menu plans and carefully using coupons and shopping lists. Food is a big part of our lives, and all that planning, clipping, shopping, and cooking takes up a huge chunk of my time. I feel like I'm constantly searching for systems that will enable me to spend less time on all these food related tasks, yet get better results.

I like my method of clipping and filing coupons, and I'm on my way toward using a master grocery list to quickly prepare for my shopping trips. But efficient menu planning still has me stumped. I don't like the week-at-a-time method I'm using right now, but I've struggled to come up with another system I'll stick with. I have some new ideas, but only time will tell if they'll actually work for me.

One thing I'm confident will help me out is a list of meal ideas. This weekend I'm going to rack my brain for any and all dinner items my family enjoys. I'll have a category for easy meals I make when I'm cooking for the kids and one for those special foods I reserve for when my husband is home. I'll also jot down any side dishes I can come up with. I'm no good at thinking up side dishes.

I think this list will come in handy with whatever menu planning method I finally settle on. If it cuts even a few minutes out of the process (and reduces the brain strain required), it will be worth it. I'm hopeful!

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

Oct
21

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 20 ~ find solutions

There's a little game we play at our house. It's called WE'VE GOTTA CLEAN THE GARAGE.
Here's how you can play, too:

1. Let the garage become a total mess so that you trip over the junk every time you get out of your mini-van (can be played with any model of car or truck).
Wait until you are completely frustrated and say (in an irritated voice),

WE'VE GOTTA CLEAN THE GARAGE.

2. Begin filling the garbage cans with trash that never should have been kept in the first place. Be sure to rationalize why you're keeping the jars of screws and crusted paintbrushes you won't use.

That's half the fun.

3. Finish up by piling and shoving everything that's left back into buckets, boxes, and shelves.


4. Feel good that the garage looks clean.

Then, just sit back and wait a few weeks until the fake clean wears off so you can play the game again.

Fun!

We need to stop cleaning our problems and start solving them.
We must figure out why the various areas of our homes refuse to stay clean and clear.
Then find a solution.

Think.....

:: How do we use this space?
:: Why do I keep these things in this particular closet (or cabinet, drawer, shelf, etc.)?
:: Is it too hard to put this away when we're done using it?
:: Is there a more logical way to organize these items?
:: Do I need better organizing tools (baskets, boxes, jars)?
:: Is there a place for everything so everything can be put back in its place?
:: Can I get rid of stuff?

The last time we played WE'VE GOTTA CLEAN THE GARAGE,
we began a process of changing the rules.

We trashed a lot of things we admitted we wouldn't use. We organized and grouped things together in an orderly way. We put stuff we don't often use into the attic, and we boxed and labeled other items we want access to, but only need occasionally.

That was a couple of weeks ago, and the garage still looks as good as the day we cleaned it. We have a long way to go, but we're getting closer to solutions for
the garage, the pantry, the laundry room.....on and on.

We're creating {a better} ordinary, and, hopefully, we'll be able to keep it that way.

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.