My Family Archives - Page 13 of 15

Daily, Weekly, & Monthly Cleaning Schedule

April 7, 2014 by Tamara 10 Comments

Cleaning and organizing have never been something that I have been extremely fond of. While I love enjoying the atmosphere of a clean space it has taken me years to be able to figure out a system that worked for me. I have tried cleaning everything in a day which worked for a while but once I had Caden that wasn’t really an option anymore, plus I was just so tired at the end of a cleaning spree that I was a miserable person to be around. I did not want anything to get dirty again for at least 24 hours. My husband loved having a clean house but not having a nagging wife telling him what he could or couldn’t touch, sit on, or use because it had just been cleaned.

For the sake of my sanity I started cleaning a little bit of our home at a time throughout the week. I also made a list of what needed to get done daily in order for me to stay ahead of our chores so I didn’t have a huge list of items to do at one time. I can’t tell you how much this has helped! It took a few months of tweaking to get on a schedule that worked for me and my family but I am happy to say our home is the cleanest and organized it has ever been.

For my cleaning schedule I made a list of the top 5 areas that needed to be cleaned each week in our home. Then I gave myself a 5 day weekly schedule to clean those spaces, leaving two days off for no major area in our home that needed to be cleaned. This means I can adjust the cleaning schedule as needed for my husbands constantly changing work schedule, or if someone gets sick, and for anything else that happens. Also included is a reminder list for household chores that don’t need to be done each week but do need to be done monthly.

I know how difficult it can be to try to keep a clean house and even on somedays finding time to clean. Hopefully our family’s cleaning schedule can give you some inspiration for developing your own system that works for you. Enough talking, here is our schedule…

Want a printable version? ———–> Daily, Weekly, & Monthly Cleaning Schedule

With our baby girl coming soon I know this will be so helpful and a much more effective way for both Josh and myself to keep our house clean. I am going to give myself a few weeks until after the baby comes to get back into this routine again but I know I will be able to manage keeping our house clean using this system. I am also thinking of purchasing a Groupon for a local cleaning service to come and do a one time deep clean of our home right before the baby arrives or possibly after she is here. Has anyone else ever used a cleaning service before? This is not something we could ever afford to do all the time and it is totally not a necessity but I keep thinking it would be nice to come home to a super clean space.

Having a clean home is just another way to get organized and to feel great about yourself. If you are looking for more ways to help organize your home don’t forget to check out my Thirty-One Gifts online shopping party. Last week I shared with you my all time favorite gym bag and how I use it but I also wanted to showcase a two other products today.

Large Utility Tote | City Weekender

I am loving this utility tote and will be purchasing one soon to help organize my car. These are perfect for holding grocery store bags, sports equipment, and toys to take to the playground. The other item I am wanting to get is this oh so cute bag and I just adore the fun color combination. I am thinking this would be great to pack up all the items I will be taking to the hospital for when baby girl is born.

You can shop for yourself or your loved ones until this Thursday! There are so many great Thirty-One Gifts items that can be used to assist you in organizing and keeping your house cutter free. Want to shop my party? Click HERE.

I would love to hear from you how you keep your home clean. Do you use a schedule or just do it all at once?

Filed Under: My Family, Personal Tagged With: Cleaning, Cleaning Schedule, Daily Cleaning, Weekly Cleaning

I Remembered Why I Fell In Love With My Husband When…

February 5, 2014 by Tamara 5 Comments

I think those of us who have been married for a few years would agree that overtime the routine of life starts to take over and you begin to forget those initial sparks that first flew between you and your spouse. Now don’t get me wrong I totally love Josh. We have been married for 5 years and he is a great husband and an amazing father. But marriage is not a fairy tale. The reality is that the stress from daily life can take a toll on your relationship if you allow it.

I was feeling particularly stressed out this past month with packing and sorting up all our belongings for our move. I was making my way to each area of the house sorting all of our items when I came across a grocery bag that was shoved under our bed. As I began to remove the contents of the bag my heart started to melt and so did all the stress I had been feeling. Inside were dozens and dozens of handwritten love letters from Josh.

For the next 45 minutes I sat on the floor and allowed myself to be flooded with happiness. I read so many sweet words of support, encouragement, and love my husband had written to me over the years.

Reading those cards got me thinking, when was the last time I had actually written or even spoken words of encouragement or kindness to my husband? Gulp.

So if I haven’t already embarrassed my husband by sharing this post here it goes…

Josh,

I want you to know how proud I am of the man you have become and how happy I am to be your wife. I can honestly say that I could not picture my life without you. You are an awesome father and Caden just adores you. I know our daughter will too. The fact that you are already looking forward to taking her to daddy daughter dances just shows how much you already love her. Our kids don’t even know how lucky they are. They have a father who makes it a point to pray over them and their mother each and every night. I am so thankful for you. You have seen me at my worst and cared for when I have been my sickest. I would be lost without your love. You are generous with your time and a wonderful provider for all our needs. Our life together has not been without struggles or challenges but that is what makes where we are today that much sweeter. I love you for now and always.

Your wife, Tamara

It is amazing what words of kindness and affection can do for your relationship. I am so thankful for these sweet love notes from my husband. They reminded me of all the amazing qualities that I love in him how amazing he is. If you haven’t taken the time to tell your husband or anyone else in your life how much they mean to you I want to encourage you to take a few minutes to do so. Send a text, buy a card, or a make a phone call. Maybe even write a blog post yourself. I promise you won’t regret the time you spent.

Filed Under: My Family, Personal Tagged With: Josh, Love Letters, Marriage

The Mama Confessionals: I Locked My Kid In The Car

January 14, 2014 by Tamara 14 Comments

Well, it happened. The day I never thought would happen. At 10:52 am this morning I locked my kid in the car. After buckling Caden into his carseat and shutting his door, I placed my hand on the door handle fully expecting it to open like it always does but it didn’t budge. Searching my diaper bag for my keys was pointless because I could see them inside the car on the my seat. After attempting to open all the other doors, including the trunk, I called 911.

The 911 operator told me the more relaxed I stayed the better it would be for my 19 month old. Umm…I just locked my baby in the car! I was ready to bust the window open with my diaper bag if needed to get him out. But instead I said a quick prayer and begin to play peek-a-boo with him. Thank goodness for that sweet 911 operator reassuring me I was not a bad parent and that if I was ever going to lock my child in the car the weather today was ideal for such a dilemma. With the fire department in route to my location the call ended and I attempted to distract my son.

After peek-a-boo we sang a few songs and I danced around to entertain him. I could have cared less what I looked like at the time but I am sure a 5 month pregnant lady dancing and singing around her car was somewhat comical.

In the process of waiting for the fire department to arrive I attempted to call my husband at work. 5 times. I knew that he was probably out on a call, possibly playing the hero to another mama who found herself in a similar situation. I understood calling him was not going to get Caden out of the car any sooner, but one of the benefits of having a firefighter for a husband is that he can talk me out of a panic and tell me that it is going to be ok.

On my last attempt to call Josh, Caden was becoming slightly less amused by the whole situation. I think he was starting to realize that we weren’t playing a game anymore and that he was stuck in the car.

Thankfully at 11:01 am, only 9 minutes since the 911 call, which felt like an eternity, the fire department arrived in the parking lot. I excitedly told Caden through the window that the fire engine was here to rescue him out of the car. As soon as he saw the engine he became super excited and began saying “dada” over and over again.

The firefighters were super nice and Caden was in my arms within 5 minutes. With no damage done to our car and Caden unlocked from his carseat I was a happy and relaxed mama again. Caden was such a trooper during the entire ordeal and he was given two stuffed animals from the firefighters. I hugged on my baby and said thank you numerous times as the crew packed up to head back to their station.

I will never lock my keys in the car again. Like ever. I might even physically attach them to my body so there is no chance I can do this in the future. That being said, it wasn’t the end of the world like I thought it would be, my mommy card did not get revoked, and Caden is the now the proud owner of stuffed teddy bear and duck.

Thank you Chandler Fire Department for rescuing my baby out of the car and thank you husband for cleaning my car out this weekend. This situation would have been even more awful had Caden been stuck in a dirty car surrounded by stale puffs and used kleenex.

I want to hear your confessionals! Has this happened to you? Leave your comments below.

xoxo, Tamara

PS…Want to read my first confessional? Cough, cough, sneeze, and whoops…I peed my pants.

Filed Under: Caden, My Family, Personal Tagged With: 9/11, Fire Department, Locked Kid In Car, The Mama Confessionals