Steady Mom

A Day in the Life of a Once a Month Cleaner

(Today's post is the third in a series about once a month cleaning. Head to Simple Homeschool to find Part One and Part Two.)

 
"If the shelves are dusty and the pots don't shine,
it's because I have better things to do with my time."
~ Author unknown

Diary of a once a month cleaning day in action:

The night before: The kids are taking a bath, so I'm able to change a few sets of sheets on beds upstairs. I put other sheets in the wash so they'll be ready in the morning. (Doing this makes me feel like I have a headstart on the day's work tomorrow!)

 

6:45 am, Cleaning Day - I wake up with purpose and get busy. Seems like the perfect time to declare a "hat day" instead of fixing hair. By the time the kids are ready for breakfast, I've finished changing the rest of the sheets and have dusted a few rooms upstairs too.

 

9:00 am - After breakfast I send the kids outside to play in the backyard. This is our normal morning routine--usually I use this time to work on the blogs. But today it's all about the cleaning. So I get started in the dining room, kitchen, and half-bath. These are the areas where I can work while still keep an eye on them.

 

5 Ways Blogging Can Make You a Better Person

Today I'm completely thrilled to be sharing over at ProBlogger about 5 Ways Blogging Can Make You a Better Person.

From my post:

"When I first began blogging over two years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I started merely as a way to promote the book I had written and thought of it as another chore to squeeze in between an already full writing schedule, three young children, and loads of laundry.

How wrong I was! Looking back, I stand amazed at the ways blogging not only launched my writing career, but also transformed my life. I know I'm not the only one who stumbled into the blogosphere for one reason, only to discover other blessings and benefits as well."

Head here to read the rest.

**************

If you're visiting from ProBlogger, thanks for taking a moment to check out Steady Mom!

Here's an overview to save you some time:

1. Just as we hope to professionalize our blogs, I started Steady Mom two years ago to figure out what it means professionalize my motherhood. You can read more about me and my family here.

 

2. From potty training to productivity to spanking (or not), I've covered it all. You'll find my most popular posts on this page.

3. I'm one of those people crazy enough to run two blogs (and most of the time I love it!). You can find me writing about my other passion, education, over at Simple Homeschool.

4. Want to become a subscriber here? You can get my feed via RSS or via email. I'm so grateful to the regular readers of this community.

5. Connect with me on Twitter or Facebook. I'd love to say hi.

6. I wrote a book about intentional, professional motherhood. Check it out here.

Thanks so much for stopping by; I hope you enjoy your visit!

~ Jamie

Improving Family Nutrition One Step at a Time: Sugar

Photo by Ayelie

Written by Steady Mom contributor Cortney of Praiseworthy


I am excited to continue our discussion about family nutrition and apply more improvements to the bread recipe I included in last month's post. We started with the whole-grain content of our bread, and now we are moving on to the sugar.

Last summer I read Get the Sugar Out by Ann Louise Gittleman, which opened my eyes to what I was really feeding my family. More recently I have enjoyed reading sections of the Green Market Baking Book by Laura Martin.

From these two resources I have learned some key elements to understanding sugar in both our food and our bodies. It's important to understand how our bodies use sugar, so we can understand the choices we make when we choose our food.

Knowledge is power.

10 Ways to Feel Like a Better Mom in Less Than 10 Minutes

Me and Elijah on his recent birthday (6!)

Have you ever had one of those days when something happens early in the morning--a kid's tantrum, a bad hair day, or unfolded laundry everywhere--and it just sets you off? Somehow the whole atmosphere starts to snowball and before you know it the entire day has gone down with a negative tone.

What if you could stop and reverse that snowball effect before it had a chance to gain momentum? Maybe you could change the course of your entire day. At any rate, isn't it worth a shot?

You probably can't pause in the middle of a stressful day to head out for an hour's massage. But maybe you can spare 10 minutes to focus your energy in a different direction.

Here are ten quick turn-around techniques that have helped this mama gather herself in the midst of the storm.