Sacrifice

The hardest parts of mothering have been somewhat unexpected and caught me by surprise.

Lent

This year Daniel and I decided to participate in Lent together, once again.

The Thirties

Spoiler alert: In a few weeks it is my birthday.

Spring has sprung!

Spring has sprung all around my home!

Okay, I know it's not officially spring, and today is pouring, pouring rain, but still, I finally buckled down brought some colour into my house.  Yes, the Christmas lights are still up and haven't been taken down (who can find the time when the rain never ends...) but I'm saving that for another day.

Spring is my most favorite season of all.  Despite the rain, I love the green and the freshness after a dull and dreary winter.  I love the blossoming of new flowers and buds.  I love the warmth of the sun teasing of summer.  And, of course, my birthday just happens to fall within the season, making it that much more special.

At the start of spring, I begin to pay attention during my walks to the new life beginning all around... the snowdrops and the crocuses.  Funny story, when we were first married I remember pointing out the first crocuses to my new husband and he make such fun of me, for what kind of name is "crocus"? I finally convinced him I didn't make it up and now he can spot the first flowers with no problem.  I recently found out that my mom used to venture out with my beloved late grandma at the first signs of spring and watch for the buds and blossoms peeking out of the ground.  I guess I inherited that love from her!   I love the blooming of tulips and daffodils but the flower I love the most is the hyacinth.  Since it blooms right around the time of my birthday, it became the flower that I filled my room/house with.  The scent is just heavenly (unless, like my husband, you suffer from terrible allergies at the sight of a hyacinth).  And the colors are just so pretty and springlike!  Mine haven't flowered yet, but the daffodils have made an appearance and their cheery faces bring joy every time I drive up to the house.

I must also mention that Easter is my most favorite holiday of all!  It is significant in so many ways.  It is the most important, celebratory moment in Christian history, and personally marks the day as a little girl I gave my life over to Christ.  My tradition has often been to celebrate the day with a sunrise walk at the beach, basking in the beauty of creation.  It was also a time of family get-togethers growing up as a kid, and as an adult we have extended that invitation to many of our closest friends when family is not around.  Three years ago we announced our pregnancy on Easter, and a week later found out we were having twins!  There is certainly much celebration surrounding the Easter season!

So here's to Spring, and the arrival of new life, and of colour, and of warmth and rain!  Tell me, what is YOUR favorite season???

Comfort in familiarity

This morning I went on a jog down by the ocean with my dog.

Keeping House

Ahh... keeping house.  Believe it or not, I find great joy in maintaining a functioning home, and that includes cleaning and organizing.


I never really thought about my process for keeping home, until the babies were born.  During my early twin research, one thing I came across was a schedule for cleaning.  It was just a simple weekly schedule of chores so that anyone who was helping out (of which many people were) could see what was done and what still needed to be done.  I used this greatly in those early days, and that eventually developed into a consistent pattern of cleaning.  When running a busy home, it really helps to know that certain jobs will get done on a specific day.

I haven't figured out how to embed a document, but here is what it looked like:

Family Chore List

Initial when complete

Week of ______________________

Chore	Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Empty Trash
Wash dishes (PM)
Make Bed (AM)
Pick up House
Empty dishwasher (AM)
Feed dog (AM/PM)
Recycling emptied
Sweep/Vacuum up
Mop floors
Check/Water plants
Vacuum down
Walk dog (AM)
Walk dog (PM)

Honey Do List

Another important part of keeping my home is decluttering.  Let me say, this is an ongoing process.  On a daily and weekly basis I do a tidy-through to manage the day-to-day clutter.  Throughout the month I try to tackle a bit of decluttering here and there as I clean through different rooms.  I've seen people develop this into an annual schedule, but for me that feels a bit overkill.  I just do what I can as I can, and that is generally good enough.  I have a mother's helper come in every now and then so that I can go through the kids clothes and toys, but that is a job that never ends!  I wish my house was more clutter free (don't we all), but at this point in time, this is it and that's fine.

One way I have found to handle the clutter of toys is to start a weekly toy rotation.  I have some mainstay toys that stay out, but the rest of them are in 4 boxes and I rotate them weekly to keep the clutter at bay.  It really does help and I think the boys find more enjoyment in their toys this way.

The other thing that has really helped me keep my home in order is to adopt a system of meal planning.  I'll save that one for another post, but knowing what I plan to buy and cook has made life much more simpler.

21 Day Fix Review

I made it through the 21 Day Fix program for my first time!  I just wanted to share a couple thoughts in case anyone else is interested in it and looking for feedback.