I LOVE the book by Cheryl Mendelson called "Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House". It is chock full of incredible information and very well organized.

While reading, I got to the chapter about caring for your bedroom. On page 660, Ms. Mendelson advises us to air out our bed and bedroom at least an hour every day.

"Each day when you arise, air the bed. Open the windows, if possible; throw the bedcovers back over the foot of the bed. (If the bedding will otherwise drag on the floor, stand a chair at the foot of the bed to support it.) Let the bed stand this way, unmade, while you shower and eat breakfast. The bed should air for at least an hour if you are going to work, or even longer if you are staying home. This helps immensely toward keeping the bed feeling and smelling fresh until you next change the sheets."

WHY exactly should we bother to do this???

"While you are sleeping, you breathe about two pounds of moisture, along with breath odors and flocks of microorganisms, into the air, your pillow and your bedding. You also perspire, perhaps a cup's worth, and exude skin oils and body smells. And you use up the room's oxygen and replace it with exhaled carbon dioxide. When there are two or more people in the bed or the room, these effects are multiplied. All this explains why, if you sleep with closed windows, the room has a characteristic stale morning smell (although you might not perceive it until you leave for a few minutes and then return.) Unless you leave the bedcovers pulled down and the windows open for an hour or two, the moisture you have left in the bed either does not evaporate or evaporates very slowly, which makes for an environment in pillows and mattress in which dust mites, molds, and other microbial life have more of an opportunity to multiply. Opening the windows lets in new air to dilute the pollutants (microbial and particulate), carry them off, and bring in fresh supplies of oxygen."

Good gracious alive!!! (That's what I said when I first read this!!) Just thinking about all the ickiness that she describes is so, ugh, disgusting!!! Needless to say, after reading this, I started letting our bed air out daily. I do not always open our windows each morning, but I do when it's not incredibly hot, freezing or raining. I want our bedrooms as fresh as possible. And thanks to Cheryl Mendelson, I can achieve that more easily now.

When you have a few moments today, pour yourself a cup of your favorite tea and enjoy a few blog posts that have encouraged me this week.

Mrs. White shares about the Company Ready Home. 

Mrs. Ferrell shares about the Influence of Godly Mothers & Grandmothers. 

Lady Lydia shares about Letter Writing.  

We moved into our current home December 2012.  Before that, we had lived in a parsonage that belonged to the church where Mr. U had been pastor.  He moved in in 1995 and when we married in 1998, I moved in.  Almost 14 years of memories made there for us. It was hard to leave!!!

We bought this home toward the end of the housing crisis.  TONS of foreclosures were on the market.  Every single home we looked at (maybe 30) was a foreclosure and we ended up in bidding wars with homes selling waaaay outside of our price range!

We found this home and ended up making offers two different times.  We were surprised that we finally got it and it was in our budget range, too!! What a blessing!!!!

When we looked at this home, we were awed!!  WAAAY bigger than our previous home and it had a fresh coat of paint and new carpet!!!  Since then, we've learned that the majority of foreclosures go through cheap makeovers to make them look good.  LOL  We've learned a LOT!!!!




This is the before picture of our kitchen.  It seemed okay until you opened the drawers and discovered that either the fronts fell off or the inside was so unstable it would barely hold any kind of silverware. We needed new cabinets for sure!  Mr. U tried several methods the workers at Home  Depot suggested and they'd work for a while, but in the end, the cabinets were ruined.

Thankfully, we had a little money from an inheritance and decided that the best investment we could make with it would be to add value to our home in the kitchen.  YAY!!  In May 2014 we were able to update and I am SO SOOO happy with the results!!!

Some people call these No Bake Cookies or even Boiled Cookies (which sounds so gross to me!!!!), but we've called them Chocolates (pronouncing the end like "latte") since I first made them in 1999!  EONS ago!!

Mr. U got this recipe from a church where he was associate pastor long before we ever met.  The sweetest church secretary, Mrs. Hortense, insisted he have this recipe before he move to his first pastorate. She knew how much he loved them.  She's gone to be with the Lord since then, but her memory remains each time we make these cookies.  


You are supposed to wait until they are completely cooled before you eat them, but I LOVE them when they are warm and gooey. :) Mr. U likes to put them in the refrigerator and eat them the next day, however. People usually leave these at room temperature, but you eat them however your family likes them best!!

I LOVE a clean and tidy home.  My home is FAR from perfect and I'm always searching for new ideas to organize as well as new inspiration to keep on decluttering!!!

Y'all, I happened upon a beautiful home and the homemaker has made several videos sharing how she keeps her home- sooo  many ideas and such inspiration!!

Her name is Allison and her videos are at Cultivating the Kingdom.  She calls it a Theological Home Tour and she shares all the "whys" behind why she has decorated and organized like she has. GREAT ideas!!

Hope y'all enjoy the videos as much as I have.  :)

Busy days call for quick meals!!  We've made this a hundred times and we still love it!!!  I put the chicken in the crockpot, and my 6 year old quickly helps me mix up the coleslaw (it's better after it's been sitting in the fridge for several hours!!!).  Easy and delicious meal for the busy days.




(Got extra BBQ chicken?  Make BBQ chicken pizza!!!  Once your pizza dough is rolled into place, spread a layer of BBQ sauce on and then top with BBQ chicken, thinly sliced red onions,  fresh or pickled thinly sliced jalapeños, and your favorite cheese (I'd use extra sharp cheddar!!).  Serve more BBQ sauce with the pizza in case anyone else wants to add more.)

• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 T distilled white vinegar
• 2 1/2 T lemon juice
• 16 oz bag pre shredded coleslaw mix
• 
  

• In a large bowl, mix together sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, and lemon juice.  Carefully stir in pre shredded coleslaw mix.  Mix well.   Store in the fridge at least 3 hours before serving.  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

Did it sneak up on you?  National Pie Day!!!  YAY!!  A reason to make pie!! 

This year's pie is a very easy my-children-can-make-it-all-by-themselves chocolate pie.  And yes, my girls made it.  :)


Mix the chocolate pudding and 1 3/4 cup of milk.  Whisk together very well for about 2 minutes until pudding starts to thicken.  Pour into pie crust and let chill at least an hour.  When ready to serve, top with as much whipped topping as you like, sprinkle with chocolate shavings, slice, and enjoy!!!


We celebrated (and blogged!!!) National Pie day in 2009 and 2011.  Yummy days for sure!!


Are YOU celebrating National Pie Day in your home? If so, what did you make? Please share!!

 I haven't been making biscuits nearly as often as I used to.  The family still loves them just as much, so why not?  I've gotten lazy!!  I'd MUCH rather my family eat homemade biscuits over store bought stuff any day of the week (though, truth be told, that does happen!!!).  Homemade biscuits are so easy to make, they're budget friendly, too!!  Sooo I've decided that I'll make 12- 15 on Sunday nights and put them in the freezer. That way, we can pull them out for a quick breakfast or snack or even use them for sandwiches. 

My recipe for Easy Homemade Biscuits.

I always ALWAYS use a pastry blender when making biscuits.

It helps to have a helper in the kitchen, you know.  :)



 When cleaning up the mess from making biscuits, I've found it VERY helpful to use a dough scraper.  It helps scrape up all the flour and dough scraps from the area on the counter you've made your biscuits on. 

Another way we LOOOVE to use our homemade biscuits is in this yummy recipe- Chicken and Ham "Pot Pie"

Sooo do y'all make homemade biscuits? Do you even LIKE biscuits???  It can't be just a Southern thing, can it??  :)

(LOVE my little lady with a broom or what????)

I've posted before about my weekly cleaning routine, but as we all know, life changes. :)  So from time to time, a homemaker may need to revamp her routine to make it easier AND so that she can teach her children to clean, as well. :)

With this being a fresh new year, I decided it was a good time to switch things up.  Here's how I'm handling things here... for now. :)

Monday- bathrooms, launder clothing
Tuesday- dusting, launder towels
Wednesday- vacuum, launder sheets, bath mats, shower curtain liner
Thursday- mopping (including bathrooms), launder clothing
Friday- catch up, launder towels
Saturday- groceries
Sunday- REST!!

(I got the basic idea from Becky at CleanMama.  She has an AWESOME site!!!)

I have daily chores, as well.  You know, things that must be done every day or the whole house will end up looking like a pigsty!!!!  

-Make beds (but air your rooms out first!!!)
-take care of mail as soon as it comes in the door
-wipe counters in kitchen as I cook
-sweep floors
-tidy school room at the end of each school day (not clean it, just tidy it- put stuff back where it belongs)

I've been making my own homemade cleaners for a few years now.  It originally started with me wanting something more natural so that it wouldn't hurt Elizabeth's skin when she was a baby.  I started using baking soda to clean the bathtub and a steam mop for all my mopping.

For some reason, not too soon after Elizabeth was home, I started having problems with my hands cracking open.  I haven't been diagnosed with anything in particular, but I have discovered that a lot of the strong fragrances in cleaners and soaps greatly irritate my skin.  Oh, and antibacterial soaps are the worst!!!!  I try my best to steer clear of anti bacterial anything as well as fragrances, but, come on, I'm a girl! I LOVE good smelling products!!!

One product I started making was homemade all purpose cleaner.  I discovered the wonderful scents and great benefits of essential oils this way!!  This is my favorite all purpose cleaner recipe...

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

16 oz glass spray bottle
2 cups distilled water
2 tsp washing soda (Arm and Hammer)
1 tsp borax
1 tsp liquid castille (I use Dr Bronner's*)
30 drops dōTERRA essential oil**

Mix it all together in the spray bottle and shake thoroughly.  Easy peasy!!!


*I use unscented so that I can smell the essential oils well, but feel free to use any scent of liquid castille you love!!

**I use any combination of oils that I'm in the mood for!!  My current favorite is 15 drops of wild orange essential oil and 15 drops of rosemary essential oil. 

Happy New Year!!!!

Hard to believe that 2017 is already here!!!  2016 FLEW by!!!  My mother always told me that time flies when you get older- she's not kidding!!!!

So, what plans do y'all have for this new year???  Any goals that you've set?  I always renew my plan to read through the Bible in a year.  This year I'm following this plan.

I'm also committing to reading more books for myself this year.  Yes, we read tons of great books in our homeschool and I do enjoy them all, but I want to read to challenge myself, as well.  Jami Balmet from Young Wife's Guide is hosting a Christian Reading  Challenge for Christian Women and I plan to read along.  :)

And, of course, at the beginning of each year I ALWAYS renew my commitment to eating healthier and exercise.  HA.  Doesn't everyone??  I TRY to stick to low carb (keto, THM S) meals, but I still cook and bake regular for everyone else.  Mr. U keeps his type 2 pretty much under control watching his portions and exercising.  I want to lose weight, yes, but OH HOW I LOOOOOOOOVE TO BAKE!!!!  A lot of times the girls and I will bake and give it away.  :)

So tell me about yourself! I'd love to hear plans and dreams for 2017!!!!

 Oh y'all!!!!!  I've discovered a WONDERFUL blogger after my own heart- she LOVES baking and cooking for her family!!  Her name is Jenny and her blog is Planner Perfect Meals.  I'm pretty sure y'all will be drooling over all her recipes like I have been this morning as I have scrolled and read her blog.  YUM!!  Yes, I will be trying MANY of her recipes (not sure about roasted beets, but I just may give it a go!!!!)

Sooooo where will I start first?  Easy!!  Her Homemade White Bread!!  My girls and I all agree we NEED this today!!!  :)

I've been in a cleaning rut lately.  Y'all ever had that happen?  I do the basics so it's not DIRTY dirty, but not spotless, either.  I haven't had a cleaning routine in a bit.  Sad, I know.  Life has just been super crazy ever since we moved!!!! 

Thankfully, I recently discovered a YouTube channel called How Jen Does It.  She's a fellow Christian and she loves taking care of her home!!!  Watching her videos have been sooo encouraging to me and YAY I want to tidy up our nest soo much more after watching her videos!!!

Here's a recent video going over 5 Habits for Maintaining a Clean and Organized Home.  In the notes, she provides links to other videos with more homemaking help!! 



Happy homemaking, y'all!!!

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him."

Lady Lydia, Home Living (Ladies at Home)

I was visiting Mrs. Pepper at Pepper in my Pie and she had this list of fun questions and answers!!  Here's my go at them....

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Open.  Our closet is in our bathroom, so it doesn't really matter. 

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels? Mr. U does.  tee hee

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Tucked in at the foot of the bed, hospital corners, but untucked on the sides. 

4. Have you stolen a street sign before? No!! How awful!

5. Do you like to use post-it notes? YES!!!!!!!! 

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? Used to.  Now I shop at Aldi and don't worry about coupons

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? Bees!!!  I've never been stung by one, so I am assuming they simply don't like me.  YAY!

8. Do you have freckles? Yes.  Especially once I get out in the sun. 

9. Do you always smile for pictures? Of course!  How could I not!?!?!

10. What is your biggest pet peeve? One???  Oh dear.  I'd have to double check with Mr U to be sure, but I'm thinking it'd have to be using poor grammar and/or bad spelling.  (I even had to correct some things on this quiz!!!!!!!)

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Only when I go up and down our stairs.  I hate that I do it. I get on my own nerves! HA!  (17 stairs if you are curious!!!)

12. Have you gone #1 in the woods?  NO!!!!!

13. Have you ever gone #2 in the woods? No!!! I do not camp and am NOT an outdoorsy girl at all.  

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? Yes!  Mr U says I have my own personal band that follows me around that only I can hear. LOL!!  I have music in my head all the time.

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils? No.  So nasty.  You have NO idea who touched it before you!! GERMS!!!!

16. How many hours did you sleep last night? Six and a half.

17. What size is your bed? King

18. What is your song of the week? Don't have one.

19. Is it OK for guys to wear pink? Of course!!  My dad and my husband both look fabulous in pink!!!

20. Do you still watch cartoons? With my children, yes.

21. What is your least favorite movie? Least favorite?  There's a zillion that I haven't seen. Can't pick one.

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Bury? I'd put it in savings!!

23. What do you drink with dinner? Water.

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Nothing.

25. What is your favorite food? Mexican!!! Especially SALSA!!!!!

26. What movies could you watch over and over again and still love? Any Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell movie.

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you? Mr U

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout? Brownie and then Girl Scout.  

29. removed this question.... unnecessary..

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? I cannot remember!!!  I need to work on this!!!  Thank you for the reminder!!!

31. Can you change the oil on a car? No.

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Yes.  3.  :(

33. Ever run out of gas? No.

34. What’s your favorite kind of sandwich? Subway ham and swiss with everything and extra oil and vinegar.

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast? Smoothies!  (Currently Snickers Protein Smoothie!!!)

36. What is your usual bedtime? 11:00

37. Are you lazy? Sometimes

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? Different things.

39. What is your Chinese astrological sign? I have no idea.

40. How many languages can you speak? One. English.  Specially SOUTHERN English, y'all.  :)

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Taste of Home. 

42. Which are better: legos or lincoln logs? Legos

43. Are you stubborn? Yes.

44. Who is better: Leno or Letterman? I do not watch them.

45. Ever watch soap operas? Used to in high school and college.  Do they still come on?

46. Are you afraid of heights? Yes!  

47. Do you sing in the car? Of course!!!!

48. Do you sing in the shower? I hum.  

49. Do you dance in the car? LOL!!  YES!!!!! 

50. Ever used a gun? I've only ever shot a BB gun.

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Does my wedding count??

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? Love musicals!!!  (Well not all of them)

53. Is Christmas stressful? Yes but probably becasue I procrastinate.

54. Ever eat a pierogi? Yes. YUM!!!

55. Favorite type of fruit pie? Peach!!!

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Wife, mother, teacher.

57. Do you believe in ghosts? No.  

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? No.

59. Do you take a vitamin daily? Yes.

60. Do you wear slippers? Yes.

61. Do you wear a bath robe? Yes.

62. removed...nobody's business...

63. What was your first concert? Gaither Trio with my family growing up.

64. Walmart, Target, or Kmart? Target.

65. Nike or Adidas? Neither.

66. Cheetos or Fritos? Cheetos

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Peanuts.

68. Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? No.  

69. Ever take dance lessons? Yes. Ballet and Jazz.

70. Is there a profession you picture your spouse doing? Both of us?  No.

71. Can you curl your tongue? Yes.

72. Ever won a spelling bee? No.

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? Yes.

74. Own any record albums? No.

75. Own a record player? No.

76. Do you regularly burn incense? No.

77. Ever been in love? YES!!!  With Mr U!!!!!!!

78. Who would you like to see in concert? I'm soooooo over concerts.

79. What was the last concert you saw? The Gettys.

80. Hot tea or cold tea? BOTH!!!!

81. Tea or coffee? BOTH!!  In copious amounts!!! 

82. Sugar cookies or snickerdoodles? BOTH!!!!  In copious amounts!!! :)

83. Can you swim well? Pretty good.  

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yes.

85. Are you patient? Yes, and no.

86. DJ or band at a wedding? Neither.  Typical Southern church weddings have receptions at the church with no band or DJ.

87. Ever won a contest? Cooking contest for a Christmas Cookie.

88. Have you ever had plastic surgery? No.

89. Which are better: black or green olives?  Neither!!!

90. Can you knit or crochet? Crochet. 

91. Best room for a fireplace? Ours is in our family room.

92. Do you want to get married? I AM married. :)

93. If married, how long have you been married? 17 years.

94. Who was your high school crush? Doesn't matter- Mr U is waaaaaaay better!!

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No.

96. Do you have children? Yes.

97. Do you want children? I want my children, yes, and I would happily accept more if the Lord chose to bless us with more.  

98. What is your favorite color? I've always had a hard time with this question!!  I love pink.  And I love blues and whites together.  But, ugh, to pick ONE?  I can't. 

99. Do you miss anyone right now? No.

100. Who are you going to ask to answer these questions next? Whoever would like to answer, let me know!!  These were kind of fun!!!!

I LOVE caring for my family and our home.  I LOVE being a wife and a mother.  I am living out the dream I had all my growing up years!!!  I never dreamed of a career- I dreamed of being a homemaker!!!!

Christmas will be here before we know it!!  And one of our family's absolute favorite artists has a new Christmas album out!!  John Albert Thomas is a gifted musician for sure!!

Merry Christmas, y'all!!!

 Watch Me....




How we SHOULD be walking and living as Christians.

Who is watching YOU?  And what kind of example of Christ are you setting?

“I believe that a godly home is a foretaste of heaven. Our homes, imperfect as they are, must be a haven from the chaos outside. They should be a reflection of our eternal home, where troubled souls find peace, weary hearts find rest, hungry bodies find refreshment, lonely pilgrims find communion, and wounded spirits find compassion.”
― Jani Ortlund

Our homeschool recently started back and WOW do I need to rework our cleaning schedule!  I've let a few things fall by the wayside as of late, and this blog post from Mrs. White has given me great motivation to get things back in order!!


In her article, Mrs. White shares..

We don't clean a house because it is messy. We clean a house so it doesn't become messy.

continue reading....

 

 

 

Why Your Children Annoy You and Homemaking is Boring

I think often about that woman in the Bible, the woman hanging out in Proverbs 31, the model for a godly woman. She does many things, wears many hats.
But one thing she does well, one thing is her priority: her home, husband and children. Her other pursuits fall around that...

 

"I LOVE YOU, JOHNNY!"

I love you, Johnny, said mother one day,
I love you more than I can say,
Then she answered his questions with,
Don't bother me now!"
And just didn't have time to show him how
To tie his truck to his tractor and plough,
But she washed her windows and scrubbed the floor
And baked and cooked and cleaned some more.

"Bring the boy next door in?" "Well, I should say not,
You'll mess up the floors and I don't want a spot."
"No, we don't have time for a story today,
Mother's too busy cooking, so run out and play,
Maybe tomorrow," she said with a sigh,
And Johnny went out almost ready to cry.

"I love you, Johnny," again she said,
As she washed his face and sent him to bed.
Now how do you think that Johnny guessed
Whether 'twas he or the house that
she really loved best? 

I found this while visiting a lovely blog called Seven Olive Plants.  She found it through the magazine Above Rubies.  

I started this blog June 30, 2006.  Oh how life has changed since then. 

Mr. U was in full time ministry for 20 years, we lived in a tiny parsonage in a town with NO traffic light, and had only our son, Joshua, living at home.  Now?  Joshua is grown and living in Colorado and working full time.  Mr. U is no longer pastoring, but is working for Apple (yes, I know WEIRD career change, but when God says "GO!", you go!!), we moved back to the same large city that we both grew up in, and we have added two sweet blessings to our family- Elizabeth (now 8 1/2) and Caroline (now 4 1/2). We've also added diabetes to our family as Mr. U was diagnosed last Spring with it.  Lots of change.  Lots to learn. 

In my very first blog post, I shared,

"Why the name Making a House a Home? Well, anyone can live in a house, but making it a home is quite another matter. A house is a building but a home is inhabited by family members that love and care for each other. As the wife of a wonderful man, I have been blessed to be able to turn our house into a home- a place where my family longs to be at the end of every day."

 I still that very same way. I sooo want to continue making this house that we've been in two years, into a warm, welcoming home where my family can't wait to be each day.  

I don't know about any of y'all, but I have been online WAY too much lately.  I feel like my brain is getting mushy.  Can anyone relate?  Between using the internet for homeschool, finding Trim Healthy Mama recipes, and just plain old web surfing, I've been online a lot.  So I've decided to start scheduling online time to limit myself and actually, hold on for this one, READING a REAL BOOK instead. 

Shocker, right?

I soooo love to read!!  But I've gotten out of the habit in the past few months.  I do read to my girls for homeschool.  We read a LOT out loud, but no "mommy books", ya know what I mean? So, starting today, I am going to read ONE book a month.  I realize many of y'all are laughing at ONE book a month, but I need to set a very small goal for myself.  And since I'm blogging about it, it definitely holds me accountable.

As of today, I am starting with Desperate, Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. 

OOh.  Just realized this is the end of the month.  Hmm.  So I will have this done by the end of October.  Baby steps, y'all, baby steps. 

Anyone else have monthly reading goals?  Anyone else NEED to read real books instead of just reading online????  Let me know and let's encourage one another!!!

I just read this over at Country Living.  Hmmm I think I need to work on #2 and #3.  What about you??



 

9 Habits of People Who Never Have to Clean Their Homes

1. They put away their clothes every night.
When you're changing into your pajamas, it might be tempting to just toss your clothes on a chair or even on the floor, but don't fall prey to that lazy trap. It takes a couple of seconds to put them in your laundry hamper or return them to your closet. You'll be thankful that you won't have to spend extra time rounding up stray socks all over your room when it's laundry day. Same could be said when you're trying on an outfit or when you've just finished doing your laundry.

2. They don't own extras.
What are you going to do with a dozen sets of sheets or five cheese graters? If you don't need it: Edit, edit, edit. You'll be saving much more space.

3. They keep a paper trail to a minimum.
It's easy to leave stacks of junk mail, delivery menus, and old newspapers on every surface of your house. Create a good filing system to save the important documents and toss the rest.

4. They wipe down every surface after use.
Let's be real, the less grime build-up, the easier it is to clean. Mildew, grease, and food stains are not a good look for your house.

5. They don't have beds piled up with too much stuff.
Sure, it's nice to have some decorative pillows and throw blankets to maintain a perfectly styled bed, but let's keep it to a minimum. The fewer steps it takes to make your bed every morning, the more likely you'll actually do it.

6. They put their shoes and coats away.
It's common for an entryway to have a shoe pile-up or for coats to be haphazardly placed on the entry bench, but it sure doesn't look tidy. Put your shoes in your closet or place a shoe rack near the door. Make sure to hang your coat as soon as you take it off.

7. They never let dishes pile up.
This one's pretty much a no-brainer, but taking a few minutes to do three or five dishes is way better than doing 15 at the end of the week.

8. They put things back where they came from.
If you do this, you won't have a precarious stack of DVDs, magazines, books, and toys on your coffee table. This habit makes the panic-filled, 5-minute clean-up before guests arrive a little better.

9. They dust and vacuum on the regular.
A few minutes of dusting or vacuuming at least 2-3 times a week will save you from doing a deep clean on the weekend when you could be relaxing.

So hard to believe my girls are getting so big!!  Elizabeth is in 3rd grade this year and Caroline is in PreK.  And yes, we still homeschool and I still love it!! I am daily thankful that the dreams I dreamed (even as a little girl) of being a wife, mother, AND teacher have all come true. I am so blessed!!