Celebrating Life.....

Seriously is it June, The 6th Month of the year.  I saw ads today for Christmas Layaway, I thought are these people serious. Then I realized it is 6 months away. Time seems to fly by so fast anymore. It seems as though our lives are no longer ours, they belong to other things. Like it is so fast, we can't catch up. Some days I think about how many things I have to do that the day is gone, and I didn't enjoy one moment. This past weekend I tried to enjoy myself more without thinking about all the things I was putting off, just for 3 days only. I still tried to do my 15 minute house chores. Saturday, I went to the lake and I hung out with my main squeeze and my Makenzie Eve, driving around in the boat and swimming a bit. Then while we had a babysitter, we enjoyed going to the movies on Saturday night, and watching the new flick Hangover 2, which by the way is AWESOME..                                                    

THEN....

 We went Monday to Fort Loudon Dam and Rock fished with a couple friends.www.ftloudon.com.

We also ate at the all too famous Calhoun's on the Lake there. The food of course was delicious. Pricey of course. The Marina had a wonderful area set up, with Volleyball and picnic tables, very nice. Alot of debris from the storms, it needs alot of clean up in the water. We went through the reservoir to get to the Marina side, it was a wonderfully beautiful sight. If you live in Tennessee and Have not done it. Go...  It was like being in a castle and you were waiting on the gates to open.. I loved every minute of it.

We caught several huge Fish, Stripper, and Catfish.  I had a very relaxing 3 days, and now its time to get back to the gest of things, like laundry, you sure can run out of towels going to the lake for 3 days. 

READY FOR SUMMERTIME!

I am so suprised how fast this year has gone. It really seemed to sneek up on me for sure. But I am sitting down and thinking about what all I can do to keep the kids entertained. My children are all 3 years apart , 12, 9, 5, the little one will be 6 at the end of the year. Its hard to accomidate all of them equally. The little one obviously likes things the other two don't and vice versa. The 12 year old, only really wants to talk on the phone, cheer, and lay around all day. I was thinking of trying to find things to do around home, this summer, like the lake. Cheap, easy fun.My sister and I have also decided to take all of the kids together a few friday during the summer to other activities to. But i was thinking how nice it would be if I could plan a few things around home, so we didnt have to travel to far or spend alot of money. We live really close to Big Ridge State Park and Norris Lake http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/BigRidge/. I also decided to cancel some of our expensive cable channels and pay $11 for Netflix. It is wonderful and we can get DVD's or watch movies on the days it rains right from our Wii console. I bought some of the new Window Crayons by Crayola. All the girls love them, and Windex cleans it right off. The Sidewalk chalk is great too, exspecially the new  Glow Chalk, I even love playing with it. Who ever doesn't love to color must be crazy. LOL! I have been writting down all the things that I need to make summer fun from home. If you have any ideas, please share them. I love a good Idea.

The Fly Lady Recipe for Shinning your sink....

Shine Your Kitchen Sink

This is your first household chore. Many of you can't understand why I want you to empty your sink of your dirty dishes and clean and shine it, when there is so much more to do. It is so simple. I want you to have a sense of accomplishment. You have struggled for years with a cluttered home and you are so beaten down. I just want to put a smile on your face. When you get up the next morning, your sink will greet you and a smile will come across your lovely face. I can't be there to give you a big hug, but I know how good it feels to see yourself in your kitchen sink. So each morning this is my gift to you. Even though I can't be there to pat you on the back, I want you to know that I am very proud of you.
Go shine your sink! - FlyLady

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Shiny Sink 101

Many members have asked "How do I clean my sink until it shines?". So, just for you, we have posted FlyLady's "Shiny Sink 101" essay. Here's to a great shine!
Note: Follow this procedure the first time you shine your sink. You do NOT need to follow this method everyday. Just keep up the shine with a little window cleaner.
Dear Friends,
I want you to smile from ear to ear when you gaze upon your shiny sink.
I have heard every excuse in the world. Even old sinks can look new again with a little elbow grease.
Here is how you do it:
BE SURE AND RINSE WELL BETWEEN EACH STEP OF THE WAY!

1. Take all the dishes out of the sink.
   
2. Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).
   
3. Rinse your sink well.
   
4. Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.
   
5. Take a sharp edge and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.
   
6. Clean around the faucets too. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.
   
7. Now, get out your window cleaner, I use Windex, and give it a good shine.
   
8. If you still don't like the way it looks, then you could try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now and it doesn't have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place.
   
9. Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one, every night with my before bedtime routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this everytime you leave your kitchen. The rest of the family will too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.
   
10. Don't have a fit if someone doesn't take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part. You will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty hurtful word are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do. They will think you have gone crazy.
    
11. If you don't have a dishwasher, don't worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family, that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. No more leaving the dish drying rack on the counter or in the sink. Put it away under the sink when you have finished. If your old one is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink or go buy a new set.
    
12. To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught either. It is going to take some practice.
    

Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new.
If you still can't get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend.
Go Shine Your Sink!
FlyLadyLast note: ensure you don't mix cleansers like Comet, etc. with Windex (or other ammonia based cleaners), you can create dangerous gases! It is worth repeating: rinse well between each step.

Whats for Dinner?

So what are you cooking for Dinner. Its Wednesday so you may have church or a ballgame, I like to have sandwhiches or tacos. Its easy to prepare ahead, or a casserole or meatloaf. Something that can be heated up easy to eat and run. Paper plates are a must in this house. No cleaning required. A good tip is to make sure you unload your dishwasher every morning that way you can just throw your dirty ones in it so there is no mess for later. Then before you go to bed turn it on. Walla! I like to name the Dinners of the week by the days of the week to make it fun for the kiddos.
Examples:
Monday- Meatloaf Madness
Tuesday- Taco Tuesday
Wednesday- Whiches Wednesday (sandwhiches)
Thursday- Thankful for chicken Thursday
Friday- Fish stick Friday
Saturday- Stay out of Kitchen Saturday ( Go Out)
Sunday- Super Supper Sunday:) ( Family Day)

 We switch it up alot but thats just an example. We like to try new things too. Tell us your favorite Dinner...

About Me....

I am a 30 year old Home Maker, with 3 children and a wonderfully busy husband, he keeps our family a float working day and night. So I mantain the home, and take care of my children. I have been doing this for 10 years. In the mean time I have lost my identity. You know ,who I am, who I thought I was before I was a Mother and a wife. And then the other day it dawned on me, That is who I am. No I never thought I would be a Stay at Home Mother. But Here I am and I am not to bad at it. I went through a bout of depression the past year, it got so bad that I didn't want to do anything or clean anything. I did what I had to do to get by. Then when this year started, a few things happened that opened my eyes to the choices I was making for my self that were affecting me and my family. In January A very good friend of mines Father past away ,He had a heart attack. He was a wonderful man that always lived life to the fulliest, 6 years ago my own Father past away from a heart attack. So of course it brought back all those memories. I thought about all the people that had past on, and how I wanted to be here for my family, so I started to think of things I could do to make me healthier.  I had been smoking off and on for the past 10 years but never while I was pregnant, I had always stopped cold turkey. I wanted to quit for good. So I did February 1st. Cold Turkey. I have been smoke free since then. It was easier than I thought but , there are certain occasions that I really want one so I try to keep out of those situations.  On The last day of February ,I had gotten so depressed that I had not been doing my part as a mother or a wife, My house was unpresentable even to my family. I was playing on facebook one day when I came across a friends blog, that had posted a comment about shinning your sink, and of course out of curiosity I looked, when you clicked the link it took you too a website called The Fly Lady. I sat there at the computer the rest of the day reading and reading, I made a journal and printed papers off, and when I woke up the next morning I shinned my sink. Since March 1st, My life has never been the same. Who ever thought shinning your sink would make you feel accomplished.  For the next 31 days I did exactly what The Fly Lady said I should do, a few things different, but by the last Day of the month my house was so clean , I just sat in it crying tears of joy of course. I have maintained it ever since and always will. She taught me about Routines, and I taught my kids and Husband. My kids have a chore chart and make there bed every morning when they get up even my 5 yr old. I can honestly say I am amazing now, I take out the trash 3 days a week, I have errand days, and It only takes me 15 minutes to do all my chores now, so I have all day to play with my girls, and relax knowing its all done. I also have put on quite a bit of weight in the past 10 years also. I can remember meeting my husband and wearing a size 13. WOW to wear that again. So I went on the Atkins diet in February too, I did good I lost 12 pounds but I felt sick all the time. I have been on every yoyo Diet they have ever had. So I thought why not stop dieting and start making good decisions, so I eat half and I eat healthier, no I don't lose 12 pounds in 12 days but I have lost 5 since starting which is better than nothing.  I like to find new recipes, that my family also loves. We use No real sugar now, just Splenda. My kids Drink Crystal Light and have no clue. My Husband has even switched to Splenda tea. We don't drink coke or keep any in the house. I make healthier snacks for them and me. I am trying to stay low calorie, instead of low carb, so I do 100 calorie snacks. Well I have about covered it all. I don't want to overwhelm you. Thanks for reading... Comments or Questions are always welcome.