Quoteable Tuesdays

It's time for our weekly little quote.  Enjoy taking a few minutes to think about these ones.  It may help you continue on when life may seem uneventful or when you stand in the midst of ridiculing voices for your decisions or for the times when we fall flat on our faces seemingly while everyone is watching.

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
William B. Sprague

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein

Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
Lucretius

  

 Got any good quotes for today?  Post them in the comments!  Put some in every Tuesday for all of us homemakers!

Monday Madness

Welcome back to a new week!!  And I'm glad its a new one-I feel like I let the chores pile up a bit on the weekend.  OK, I was a little naughty & let the dishes go.  I made the excuse I didn't feel well (which I didn't) but I could have stood there & washed some!  So, goal for next weekend:  NO EXCUSES!  Take 1 day off & then get some basic chores done on the other day! 

As you can see, none of us are perfect--its a learning process for us "Domestic Divas"-in-training!  I just caused myself a Monday Madness (and not the good kind).  SO off to do extra work, but with fun because I've got my trusty favorite tunes on to help!

Found some money left on a debit gift card & did a little shopping for myself!  Woohoo!  That is something I will miss by not working, but I have to cut back.  I will be thrift/second hand & discount store shopping now!  Its worth it to stay at home & I will now tell myself that each time I want to buy:  Do I want to go back to work to have something like this?  Do I need it?  If I can't ask my hubby for us to save for it is it necessary or something I want--Do I still want to save for it?  If the answer is no for any of these questions I WILL NOT BUY IT!!   Then I need to write a list of what I really need & want with my hubby--make a plan for the next few years to stave off the shopping fever I & I know alot of us get into.  So, this is my confession & resolution: stop the shopping!  I will put up sticky notes in rooms to remind me & in my wallet.  Also I will watch "Confessions of a Shop-a-holic" again & again until I see myself as the main character (maybe not as bad but potentially so) and tell myself I need to be good with money!   I will talk with my husband about getting David Ramsey's book: "Total Money Makeover" & "Financial Peace." Check out the posted link to go see his amazing books--there are even ones for kids to help them learn about finances!!

Again, I told you I am writing this blog as I become a "Domestic Diva."  I hope this encourages you that we all have things we are getting better at.  It just feels like I'm a little behind at times because I never learned all this growing up!  Time to learn it now & teach my future children what I wished I known then & now!  Here's to not letting our offspring follow in our footsteps but helping them be better!  Its hard & a daily decision but it will be heftily rewarded when you see them all grown-up & ready to literally "take on the world."  But I must move back into this past weekend.

I will make an effort to not make excuses & recognize them as such.  If I feel like I can't do it alone, I will ask for help from the hubby--he said that's all I need to do!  I will remember that a little maintenance each day will assure I don't have another Monday Madness to get the house in order!

This weekend was frightfully cold for alot of us.  I made sure to make tea & other hot beverages to keep warm & imagined a toasty fireplace as I sipped it all up.  What did you do to stay warm during this little chill many of us have been experiencing?

Also, post any tips on anything I wrote about in this blog.  Have a great Monday & I hope its free from madness!

Fabulous Fridays!!!

Yes!  Its Friday & we all made it through another week.  Though I am struggling still with my routine after all that relaxing at relatives houses during the holidays!  Plus, the cold, snowy weather puts one in a "snuggle-up-by-the-fire" mood.  I've had my tea and now its time to get on with putting away what needs to be done. 

This is the day I encourage you to think about something fabulous to do on your "day off."  (that's right!  You need one of those or you will burn out!)  Figure out what fun things you want to do!  Maybe you have a hobby to pick up again.  Whether its music or crocheting or even DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Projects or even online gaming or a movie.  Do something for yourself!  Just don't forget to clean up what you take out so you don't add stress or you will have Monday Madness even worse than usual. 

Heck, why not skip the "stay inside" if its not wintery where you are & do something away from home?  Maybe go out to eat (save room for dessert & bring the rest home for leftovers!!)  or bowl or do something silly like mini putt putt golf.  Go with the kids or see if someone will let you and the hubby go out! 

Whatever you do, don't worry about your job!  This is your day to be pampering!  Take extra time for yourself getting ready, take a bath, do your nails--Saturday will be your day tomorrow & you should look & feel your best!

With that said, Saturday is my day off!  So, no blogs until Sunday or Monday--I plan on chilling out & losing track of most of my time! 

Have a fab weekend!!  Domestic Diva~!

Tip-ful Thursdays

We all know tips can be useful, as long as they are frugal & viable.  I would like to give you some tips I've found work on Thursdays so you can benefit from what I've discovered from books, website & my own trusty brain!

First tip:  Organization:  get storage boxes of all sorts.  If you are the DIY (DO-it-yourself) type, make all kinds of custom sizes that fit in closets & shelves perfectly. 

If you are sewing-challenged, go ahead & buy some, but searched around in second-hand stores & discounts stores-like Goodwill, Bog Lots, Tuesday Morning, TJ Max, even try Wal-mart (they've gotten trendier stuff), the Dollar Store or Dollar General!  Better yet, if you can shop for them on e-Bay or amazon.com  (Warning!!  Online shopping can be addictive & you need good self-control or a fail safe--like your hubby having the password & pick secret questions you don't know the answer to. Trust me on this one!) you can get an even greater bargain, but be sure to check the shipping to make sure they don't get a profit off of that with a dirt low price.  

Whatever you do, just promise me you won't go to pricey home improvement & department stores without price checking or unless there are extraordinary sales.  Remember, its better to pay the same price or a little more for high quality items that will last, but not worth paying full or near-to full price. 

However you acquire your organization boxes, make sure to get sizes that work for you.  Have some fun with color--match them up to each room.  Think while you buy--make a list before if you have to--what will go in this box?  Will everything fit?  Have measurements of the shelves & spaces you will use.  We only want planned extras if you acquire more space or need them for later.  (Like for christmas ornaments you know you are going to buy in the future and you want all the storage containers to match).  Remember to get boxes or bags for putting away seasonal clothes and decor items (like those ornaments!!).

This sounds like a lot of work, but it will help not have the attack of the sweaters & jeans falling down on you.  We took open bookshelves from my dorm room & used them to put the boxes in our new "downsized" home after both our layoffs.  Our closet space was cut in half & this idea worked great & kept us from making our room look junky.

So, if you have anymore questions on this...look at my links section & go to Messies Anonymous.  The website there has gret tips on organization that have helped me immensly! 

Have a great Thursday & for those of you in the way of the rather large snow storm I am also getting: stay safe & warm!!

Wonderfully Funny Wednesdays!

Since its hump day, I thought a funny personal story or anecdote I find will help us all get over Wednesday.  Heck, its winter even, so we need that extra 'oomph' to keep us whistling along towards Friday.

This week I found an excerpt from a high school Home Ec class of the 1950's  thought it was rather amusing just how simple they made homemaking sound!  Now its seen as something that can be done on the side of a full-time job & child-rearing thrown in as a little quip.  Well, we all know it may seem easy, but unless you are a proficient corporate whiz, professional diva wife & super mommy with major help from an expensive daycare, it takes time to become a Domestic Diva such as this story describes (though learning some homemaking tips on top of just cooking in Home Ec 1&2 would've been helpful to me; also leaving off the full-time job helps too):

Home Economics For Women In The 1950's

July 31st 2007 00:40

From a 1950's high school home economics textbook, teaching girls how to prepare for married life.

1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time.

This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking.
He has just been with a lot of work- weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

3. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables.
Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

4. Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes.
They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

6. Things to avoid: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner.
Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

7. Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes.
Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

10. The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

 

While this may be funny to read; I wonder if some of this might need to be taken to heart.  Maybe the idea of how the home feels when you look at it & making sure its appealing to all who enter.  Just don't be so aloof about it or be patronizing....but a good dinner ready to go & a nice-looking home not only is for the husband's benefit, but for yours too....

 

One final joke before we go on with our day:

The other night I was invited out for a night with "the girls." I told my husband that I would be home by midnight, "I promise!" Well, the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easy.

Around 3 a.m., a bit loaded, I headed for home. Just as I got in the door, the cuckoo clock in the hall started up and cuckooed 3 times.
Quickly, realizing my husband would probably wake up, I cuckooed another 9 times. I was really proud of myself for coming up with such a quick-witted
solution, in order to escape a possible conflict with him.
(Even when totally smashed...3 cuckoos plus 9 cuckoos totals 12 cuckoos = MIDNIGHT!)

The next morning my husband asked me what time I got in, and I told him "Midnight." He didn't seem pissed off at all. Whew! Got away with that one!
Then he said, "We need a new cuckoo clock." When I asked him why? he said, "Well, last night our clock cuckooed three times, then said, "Oh. ****."
cuckooed 4 more times, cleared it's throat, cuckooed another 3 times, giggled, cuckooed twice more, and then tripped over the coffee table and farted.

 

(Sources: http://www.funfacts.com.au/1950s-housewife/

http://www.funpcgame.com/Jokes/Girl-night-out.html)

Quotable Tuesdays

Today is an easy blog day for me...it will be a simple quote for you to ponder!!!  Especially for us Domestic Primadonnas who keep the light-fires burning at home!!    It's actually a poem from "TheHomemaking-Cottage.com).  Enjoy!

A Woman's Hands

Written by Valerie in Utah

Thursday, 08 October 2009

A woman has such special hands, so many things they do. They feed their tiny children and they hug their big ones too. They join together with their loved ones during family prayer. They reach and teach so lovingly to those for whom they care. They work on crafts, they clean the house they touch a fevered head. They fix the meals and pat their husbands while kind words are said. A woman has such special hands, so many things they do. May this small token of our love, Help preserve those hands for you.

The Monday Madness--A little fun mixed into the craziness

So, the holidays are over & now we all must quickly return to a normal daily schedule.  I think that will be the hardest part.  I dropped my exercising because I had shopping & food prep to do; a lot of little chores were dropped to fit in time for festivities.  Plus, the necessary down time needed after all that stress.  You see, this was a busy year:  We went to see friends for Thanksgiving, a week later we were in the car headed to FL for a vacation that was desperately needed but very busy with theme parks, then it was a week before we headed off to family for Christmas...aghh!
I think next year we go on a vacay it will be in the early fall or dead of winter to an all-inclusive resort...but I digress.

I think the biggest part of homemaking that can be difficult is the self-motivation that is necessary.  You have no boss that will fire you if you fail at your job--you house will just be a disorderly mess & things will be left undone.   So, I'm about to try a new type of motivation:  making myself do what needs to be done:  telling myself how great I will feel when the house looks great, the clothes are clean & put away & I have made something delicious for dinner.  It all sounds trivial, but when there are so many technological distractions (believe me, I know--I love my computer, movies, online games) that we have to notice when we are going beyond a break to being drawn away from our work.  Even better would be to incorporate entertainment into the work time.

For instance, I always put on a show rerun or a favorite movie while I fold the laundry.  The reason for a favorite show rerun or movie is so that I'm not completely distracted from my tasks--I know where the plot is going & I will not stop to focus on something I don't want to miss.  Another way to add some fun is I put on fun music when I clean the house.  Yes, I'll even admit I dance a bit.  It just adds a little something to the mundane chore.

So here's to  a new 2010 for all of us!  Find some ways to add a little touch of fun to your daily tasks that help you "Whistle while you work!!"  (thanks Snow White for that great tip!!)

Anyone have any other tips on how to keep focused on chores but also have some fun??  Leave a comment!!

The New Year Beginning

I must confess that I didn't feel quite ready for 2010, but I am glad that it is here.  Some may think I'm somewhat new to blogging, but only here on blogger.  I decided that I wanted to find a good place to write down my thoughts so they coul help others.   I am like many young women my age:  I am befuddled at trying to run a good household & also go after my dreams.  I am trying to find the resolution to the conflict between these two thoughts.  I want to prep & become a great mom but also want to work with my talents. 

I am now in the process of making a decision.  I think I know what to do, but I am working out the intuition & making sure I am doing the right thing.  I thought about how many other women are frightened of being domestic & working out of the home.  I thought!  I could blog about all this & help soothe others fears!  I understand the pressure to be a working woman & know the ridicule of staying here at home!  Let the ridicule keep coming, we are not swayed by it...I know why I decided to do what I did & so do the others I have conversed with on my daily ventures.

Now here comes the hard part--how do I also live my dreams?  And how do I act on my dreams & learn to run an efficient & nice looking home???

Guess that's what this blog is about!  You watching me figure all this out & maybe learn as you go!

The Domestic Diva