Currently {4/27/2019}

 Time and place: 6:30 am  and I am in the dining room, typing up this post.

Eating: Just finished dinner (chicken and rice with veggies)

Drinking: Iced herbal tea (flavor: Apple Cinnamon which is my fave!)

Watching: Cleaning videos, planner videos, and bullet journal videos.

Reading: I've heard that song before by Mary Higgins Clark

Loving: the warmer weather that we have been having this week.

Working: I'm still revamping my routines and working on some of my goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year. I am also working on designing a meal planner.

Listening: Back to School

Buying: groceries and other necessitates

Planning: I have most of my posts planned forMay already and now I am working on the posts for June. I just have to write and schedule them. I am working on setting up some deadlines for my meal planner.  This should keep me busy for a while!

Wondering: can I pull it off? How will I pull it off?

Feeling: tired, but happy, always.

What are you currently up to?

How to create a Weekly and Daily Cleaning Routine for Busy Stay at Home Moms

I have been a busy stay at home mom since 2010. Staying up on housework has always been a struggle for me. I often times feel overwhelmed with trying to keep up with everything and sometimes cleaning the house is the last thing on my to do list. I always think I will get to it later, but, let's be honest that almost never happens. So, today I'm sharing with you my weekly and daily cleaning routines. These routines are extremely practical and are so easy to follow.

How to Create a Weekly and Daily Cleaning Routine 

To create a weekly schedule, you must first determine the various rooms that need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Instead of trying to do all of the cleaning in one day break up your cleaning tasks by room. Clean one room (maybe two) a day, but cleaning for that room goes above and beyond what a normal clean would be. 

Here is my weekly cleaning schedule:

Sunday- wash and change bed sheets.
Monday- steam mop all floors, vacuum all bedrooms.
Tuesday- dust all flat surfaces.
Wednesday- wipe down and clean out the fridge, deep clean the kitchen.
Thursday- wipe down the washer and dryer, deep clean the laundry room.
Friday- deep clean the living room and dining room.
Saturday- deep clean the bathrooms and bedrooms. 

When it comes to daily cleaning, there are a few tasks that must be completed everyday, like washing the dishes. Make a list of chores that you absolutely have to get done each and everyday.
And picking up miscellaneous items and putting there up where they belong. Make a list of the chores that you absolutely have to get done each and every day. You could even assign these tasks to various members of your family to help out a bit. 

Here is my daily cleaning schedule:

There are a few daily tasks that have to be done every single day. One of these tasks is the dishes. Because I cook all of our meals and I hand wash all of the dishes three times a day (I don't have a dishwasher), my kitchen can get out of hand very quickly. Let me tell you, it's not a pretty sight.

Second, another absolutely must clean area of my home are the counter tops. Every night I make sure to wipe everything before going to bed.

Third, I wash one of clothes every day. It's the only way for me to keep up with "Mt. Washmore". 

Lastly, the final daily chore I do each day is make sure things that have been left out are put away in their proper places. I make to do a 15 minute tidy up around the house. It's always nice to wake up to a clean and tidy house. 

What does your weekly and daily cleaning routines look like?

25 Healthy Habits to Start Today

Hi Lovelies!

Today's post is all about healthy habits. A healthy habit is acquired when we are consistently making healthy choices as part of our regular behavior. Interestingly, even people who develop healthy habits are likely to make unhealthy choices at least part of the time.

Here is a list of healthy habits that you can start today (or any day).

• Think positive
• Drink more water
• GO to bed early 
• Eat plant based foods
• Exercise regularly
• Practice yoga
• Get outdoors and enjoy nature
• Read more
• Make a to do list
• Snack on healthy foods
• Make a workout plan
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Set goals, long and short term 
• Do what makes you happy
• Try new recipes
• Stretch before and after exercise
• Invest in a good form roller
• Consistently learn new things
• Don't fear failure
• It's okay to say No
• Be resilient
• Never give up on your dreams
• Start TODAY

What are some of your healthy habits?

Happy Easter!

Hi Lovelies!!!

I just wanted to hop on and wish everyone a very Happy Easter!!!! I hope everyone has wonderful day filled with Easter egg hunts, good food, family, and Easter candy!

Currently {4/20/2019}

 Time and place: 10:33am  and I am in the dining room, typing up this post.

Eating: Just finished dinner (chicken and rice with veggies)

Drinking: A big glass of water (always)

Watching: Cleaning videos, planner videos, and bullet journal videos.

Reading: Stillwatch by Mary Higgins Clark

Loving: the warmer weather that we have been having this week.

Working: I'm revamping my routines and working on some of my goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year. I am also working on designing a meal planner.

Listening: The Brady Girls Get Married

Buying: groceries and other necessitates

Planning: I have most of my posts planned for April already and now I am working on the posts for May. I just have to write and schedule them. I am working on setting up some deadlines for my meal planner.  This should keep me busy for a while!

Wondering: can I pull it off? How will I pull it off?

Feeling: tired, but happy, always.

What are you currently up to?

10 Ways to Lift Your Mood

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Every now and then life going to come at you with bad days, bad moods, and bad memories that threaten to tie weights around ankles and sink you faster than the Titanic.

For this reason I like to keep my trusty notebook, that is filled of things to do in any given situation. So with that, I give you.....

10 Ways to Lift Your Mood

1. Have a dance party

2. Grab a favorite beverage from your local cafe or coffee shop

3. Buy yourself some flowers

4. Grab your favorite take out or pint of ice cream

5. Take a nap

6. Do some yoga

7. Meditate

8. Cook or bake something

9. Watch a funny movie

10. Cry it out sometimes you just need to

Hopefully, one or a combination of a few these will lift your spirits and put you in a better mood.  If not, then hang in there, things will get better. I swear.  

7 Ways to Stay Productive

Now that we are a couple of months into the new year I have been thinking alot about productivity. I feel there are days where I am super productive and then there are days that I am not. Does anyone else feel like this? When I get on these productivity kicks I just want to accomplish all the things. Other days I feel like I accomplish NOTHING. In this post I will be sharing the tips that I use for productivity when I really need a kick in the pants. Here are 7 ways to stay productive that will really help you!

Seven Ways to Stay Productive

Set a schedule. If you are someone who is unproductive then a schedule is a great tool for you to use. I try to schedule every single day to ensure that I am as productive as possible. 

Have a to do list. I always have three or four to do lists that I work from every day. I have a general to do list, a household chores to do list, and a blog to do list and a things for the girls. This is super helpful in scheduling my day.

Keep expectations realistic. Always prioritize the most important task to the least important task  and keep your expectations realistic.

Don't over commit. This goes with the one above. You cannot over commit.  This is something that I am always doing. Be realistic. If you have a deadline and you feel that you just can't make it, then ask for a little wiggle room. I would rather take the change of something being late than it not being done correctly.

Take breaks. I try to take several 10 minute breaks throughout my day. I read a few pages of the current book that I am reading, fold laundry, and I even play with girls.

Find a great work space. Everyone has a different idea of what this needs to be.  I can pretty much work anywhere, just give me a table and a comfortable chair and I am happy.

Remove clutter. Having a clutter free workspace is very important. It keeps you productive and it is also less stressful.

What are some ideas that you would add to this list?

My days, like most people’s, are SUPER busy. I stay home full time with my youngest, while my oldest is in school. I work on my blog full time (at least I try to) with little outside help, and I take care of our house. Needless to say, time management is a must. Today I am sharing my 8 best time management tips!

8 Best Time Management Tips

Use A Calendar/To Do List: This is really obvious but so many people don’t! I don’t rely on a paper calendar because I find them to not be reliable unless you check them nonstop! I use Google Calendar (my own and one I share with my husband) and I always have them come with alerts. I also have a to do list that I keep on the counter that I use to check things off during the day.

Schedule in even stuff you wouldn’t normally: I schedule reminders in my calendar for things like “post Instagram” “reply to blog comments” “put away laundry” that way I don’t forget. It keeps me on task!

Use Timers: We use the timers and reminders NONSTOP! I also time myself sometimes on smaller tasks. If I am going to spend time working on Instagram or Pinterest I set a timer for 30 minutes. I feel like I work faster and better.

Prioritize Duh: Again, something people forget. I have a to-do list, but it’s in no particular order. From that list I try to do the most time consuming/hardest tasks first.  That way it isn’t 4 PM and you are just now getting around to the thing that may take 5 hours.

Say No When You Need To: I am THE WORST at over-committing, especially when it comes to daughter's school activities, like her class parties. I always sign up for all of them, except this when I only signed up for one. 

Ask For Help: Again, a no brainer but ask for help. For me I may ask my husband to take over when he gets home from work so I can get an hours worth of work done before we do bedtime with the girls. Or maybe I will ask him if he can do the laundry while I get some work done. You have to ask for help or you will get overwhelmed.

Get Up Early:  I am the most productive in the morning. So I get up at 6 and use 30 minutes to lay in bed, read emails, check my phone, read blogs, etc. Then I use about 90 minutes to get work done and eat breakfast before the girls get up. I also try to meditate for five minutes during this time just to get my mind right for the day. I find when I skip it my day just feels off.

Cut Yourself Slack: There will be days your time management sucks and everything goes out the window. Maybe nothing got done. It’s OK. Cut yourself slack and try again tomorrow!

These are my best time management tips and just what works for me!

What is one time management tip you’d add?

Happy Homemaker Monday {4/15/2019}

Hi Lovelies!

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It's nice and sunny here. It's the perfect day to spend some time outsides soaking up nature.  We have a busy week ahead with marital arts twice this week and and visiting friends for Easter this weekend.

Anyway, let's get started with this post, shall we?

The weather.  It's supposed to be in the 70s and 80s all this week.

Right now I am... sitting at the dining room table typing this post. 

On my reading pile. I'm reading Stillwatch by Mary Higgins Clark. I will be posting my Spring reading list this week.

On my tv.  The Walking Dead (we just started Season 5), Beverly Hills 90210, Baywatch, Boy Meets World, Sons of Anarchy, A Million Little Things and How I Met Your Mother (again)

On the menu this week: This week's menu is very simple!

Monday- Spaghetti and garlic bread

Tuesday- Rice and veggies

Wednesday- Tacos with mexican rice and chips

Thursday- Mississippi Chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies

Friday- Pizza and breadsticks

Saturday- Sandwiches and chips

Sunday- Beans, fried potatoes and ham, and corn bread

On my to do list:

Laundry
Kitchen
Write and schedule blogs for the next two weeks (by end of the this week)
Update planners and bullet journal
Tidy bedrooms
Clean bathrooms
Vacuum all rooms
Pack Angelina's snack for martial arts class tonight

Looking around the house: My house is a mess and really needs to be cleaned. I just don't have the motivation to clean it. 

Bible verse, devotional, or quote:

April 2019 Goals

APRIL! One of my favorite months because Easter is this month and Spring is finally here!  Now is thet time to share my April 2019 goals.

1. Read at least one book (maybe 2).

I have quite a few books that I have that just haven't taken the time to read. Hopefully I can at least get through one book (maybe 2) this month.

2. Work on editorial calendar for Spring content.

3. Schedule blog posts for this month. 

4. Post more consistently on intragram and increase my followers.

5. Set up a twitter account for my blog.

6. Schedule posts for my blog's facebook and keep it updated.

7. Figure out how to use Intagram stories.

8. Drink more water.

9. Take the girls to the park more now that it is warmer.

10. Take more family walks.

Well, those are my goals for April. What goals do you have planned for March?