Homemaking When You’re Chronically Ill

I looked around at the kitchen counter that was covered in dirty dishes…again.

“Oh, how I hate waking up to this mess, but I just couldn't keep going last night,” I thought.

My heart rate rose as I glanced into the laundry room and saw the pile of dirty clothes that was growing impossibly large.  Chances are that someone would need something in that pile today and I would feel even more frustrated and stressed that I can't even provide a clean pair of socks for my child.

When I am feeling well I work hard to keep  the house as clean as I can.  I know how stressed a messy house makes me feel, and I know that the stress will only make my health issues worse.  But then when I am too weak to get out of bed and the kids are making their own food, they don't do such a great job at cleaning it up.  (Okay, that is putting it lightly.  It is a horrible mess that no one would ever want to see.)

I have help that comes once a week and that has made a big difference.  Even if she doesn't have time to get to the bigger things, she can sweep through and clean up the dishes and laundry so that everyone can breathe again.  The deeper cleaning is actually easier for my kids to do on their own anyway.  I just give them a wet e-cloth and let them go to town scrubbing floors, walls, doors, and the older ones know how to clean the bathroom as well.

If you live with chronic illness, you know that one of the most frustrating things is not knowing what you'll be able to accomplish on any given day.  You never know when you'll be up to housework and when you'll need to be in bed most of the day.

But no matter what:

• • Don't be afraid to let others help.
  • Don't beat yourself up for what you can't do.
  • Don't ignore the blessings of the life you do have by wishing for a different situation.

Do all that you can in the strength of the Lord, asking for his wisdom day by day.

And then rejoice in the Lord, count your blessings, and stop focusing on the things that you wish were different. 

Conquer Your Clutter and Organize Your Life

Are you tired of wasting precious time shuffling papers and looking for your missing shoe, or your vanishing purse? You dream of short-cuts to make your life more organized, but is it possible?     Maybe you’ve tried to get more organized before, and failed. Or thought you found the perfect system, only to have it not work for you at all. You’re not alone. I know what it’s like to feel that getting organized shouldn’t be so hard, and the answer definitely isn’t to keep wasting money on more storage containers or pricey planners, either! But what if you could learn from a group of organizing gurus all at once — regular people who’ve found practical solutions to their everyday struggles, and want to share their best tips and tactics with you in all the areas you find most challenging? Because when you have the right info and tools at your fingertips, it’s so much easier. You know which papers to keep (and which should immediately be thrown away). You’re more confident in saying no to the things on your calendar that don’t matter (and yes to the things that do). You start learning the difference between what you really need and what will just add to the clutter to your home. You feel less stressed (and you’ll probably enjoy life more, too).       That’s why Stephanie and her team have put together the Conquer Your Clutter Super Bundle for the very first time. Their customers have been begging for help with streamlining their lives. The answer was this super-short opportunity to get a complete collection of organizational resources for a crazy low price. You sort of need to see it to believe it, but the package includes 38 digital products on topics like how to organize your photos, decluttering, family systems, meal planning, time management, and much more. All together, it’s worth over $650! Plus, it comes with two brilliant bonus offers worth over $40:

• SaneBox – An exclusive credit to save you 12 hours per month ($20 value)
• YNAB – A FREE four month trial to the popular budgeting software ($20 value)

Besides being so incredibly helpful and inspiring, one of the things I like best about the bundle is the price. By offering the bundle for a short time only, they’re able to give you access to over $650 worth of amazing products for a whopping 95% off! Here’s how it works:

1. Visit their website, take a quick look at all the goodness that comes in this Super Bundle, then click “Get my copy now!” to go through their simple 3-step checkout process.
2. You’ll receive an email with a login to their online access portal, where you’ll begin downloading your eBooks, signing up for your eCourses, printing out planners, and redeeming your free bonus products.
3. Use their Getting Started Guide to pick the area you want to tackle first and start getting organized!

The most important detail, though, is that this bundle is available for just 6 days! After Monday night, January 30th, the sale ends and you’d have to buy all of these products individually. I’d hate for you to miss out, so click HERE to learn more or buy the bundle. It’s even backed by a full money-back happiness guarantee, so you can know for sure that it’s right for you.   By finding systems and strategies that really work for us, our home and daily life is much calmer than it used to be. It’s made all the difference in the world and I want the same for you and your family.  

WHAT ARE THE PRODUCTS INCLUDED?

  Cleaning & Chores

• 2017 Motivated Moms Chore Planner by Susan Cramer ($9.00)
• 30 Day Guide to a Clean and Organized Home  by Rachel Jones ($27.97)
• Energy Budget: Time Management for the Chronically Ill (And Others With Long-Term Roadblocks) by Rachel Ramey ($78.00)
• The Three Systems Every Family Needs by Saren Loosli ($24.00)

  Decluttering

• Chaos To Clutter-Free: 16 Realistic Steps To An Organized Home by Davonne Parks ($4.99)
• Freed from Clutter: Declutter Course  by Becky Mansfield ($47.00)
• Step-By-Step Decluttering: Your Guide To Less Stuff And An Uncluttered Home by Sarah Mueller ($15.00)

  Family Organization    

• 30 Days To An Organized Life by Kimberlee Stokes ($9.00)
• Home Management For The Homeschool Mom: Simplifying The Big Things So You Don’t Miss The Little Things by Amy Roberts ($9.99)
• Home Organizing DIY Assessment Workbook by Andi Willis ($7.00)
• Organizing For School Success Kit by Saren Loosli ($27.00)
• Organizing Life As Mom by Jessica Fisher ($12.00)
• Sanity Savers For Christian Moms: Simple Solutions For A More Joy-filled Life! by Kristi Clover ($5.99)

Managing Your Time    

• 5 Days To A Better Morning by Crystal Paine ($2.99)
• Mindspace: 10 Practices To Help You Let Go Of Mental Clutter And Make Room For More Joyful, Creative Living by Melissa Camara Wilkins ($9.99)
• Never-Ending To-Do List: A One-Hour Solution for Busy Parents Who Want  Less Stress And More Fun by Kelly Holmes ($4.99)
• Routine Cards by Rachel Norman ($6.00)
• Spend Your Days: How to Control Time with Rocks, Bullets, Chisels, & a Boat by Tsh Oxenreider ($8.00)

  Meal Planning

• Meal Planning Made Easy by Kelly Smith ($7.95)
• The Printable Recipe Binder Kit by Kalyn Brooke ($12.00)
• The Ultimate Guide To Freezer Cooking by Crystal Barton ($10.00)

Organizing Paperwork & Digital Files

• 10 Steps To Organizing Photos & Memorabilia by Lisa Woodruff ($3.95)
• 2017 Budget Planner by Jessi Fearon ($19.97)
• Evernote Essentials by Brett Kelly ($29.00)
• Paperwork: Sorted! by Chrissy Halton ($12.39)
• Spend Well Budgeting System: Printable Files To Help You Take Control Of Your Finances by Carrie Lindsey ($5.99)
• The Sunday Basket: Weekly Paper Organizing & Planning by Lisa Woodruff ($7.95)
• The Ultimate Unofficial Dropbox Guide by Jason Glaspey ($29.00)

Planners

• 2017 All Inclusive Binder by Mique Provost ($19.99)
• 2017 Christmas Planner by Mandi Ehman ($4.00)
• 2017 Homestead Management Printables by Quinn Veon ($8.99)
• 2017 Thanksgiving Planner by Mandi Ehman ($3.00)
• Homekeeping Foundations Kit: The Perfect DIY Homekeeping Binder Kit by Clean Mama ($20.00)
• Homeschool Mom Life Binder by Heather Bowen ($19.99)
• How To Create Your Own Printables by Laura Smith ($49.00)
• Printable Planner Stickers by Rachael Wynn ($28.46)
• The Home Management Binder & Family Planner by Helena Alkhas ($47.00)
• Wanderlist: Your Travel Planning Toolkit by Kimberly Tate ($12.99)

     

04

Days

08

Hours

01

Minutes

24

Seconds

Need some accountability to actually get all this organizing DONE?  Shoot me an email after you've purchased the bundle and I'll add you to a private Facebook group where we will tackle this thing together!  (imperfecthomemaker@gmail.com)

One Surprising Way to Tame the Paper Clutter in Your Home

TAMING PAPER CLUTTER

I've always felt fairly organized when it comes to paper clutter (probably because my husband pays the bills, so I just put them in a basket for him and forget about it!)

But really, I have always read that you shouldn't check the mail until you are ready to sort it, so that's what I do.  I bring it into the house, walk straight to the trash can, and throw away the junk mail.  Then I put any bills in a basket by the computer so that my husband can pay them when he has a chance.  Any other mail that needs to be dealt with goes into a basket on my nightstand.  I usually look through the basket every morning and add things to my to-do list for the day based on what's in there.

But even with keeping paper clutter at bay, I still cringe when I walk into the house with a huge stack of mail and throw 99% of it into the garbage.  What a waste!  A waste of paper and ink, a waste of time and effort from the advertisers and postal service, and a waste of garbage bags that get filled up way too quickly.

I wish people would just stop sending this stuff!

Today I discovered a couple websites that I'm really excited about and wish I had known about a long time ago!

KEEPING JUNK MAIL OUT OF YOUR MAILBOX

The first site, OptOutPrescreen, gets rid of pre-screened credit and insurance offers for five years or even permanently if you choose.  In case you are concerned about needing these offers in the future should you want to comparison shop for new services, there is a way to opt back in.

The second site, DMAchoice, gets rid of catalogs, magazine subscription offers, “Current Resident” offers, etc.  You can customize what you'd like to keep and what you'd like to opt out of.

While I was at it, I went ahead and put our phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.  My husband has had a lot of trouble lately with unsolicited and automated calls to his phone.

I am excited to see how this will cut down on the amount of junk mail that is coming into our mailbox!  I'm not expecting it to be a perfect solution, but I do think it will drastically reduce the number of things I have to throw away.

Did you know these simple ways to reduce junk mail?

*I know some of you don't live in the U.S. – hopefully you can find similar services in your country!

Time Management for the Busy Homemaker

• “I can't get it all done!”

• “There's too much to do in too little time!”

• “I feel overwhelmed!”

Do you ever feel that way? Then you will definitely want to get in on this brand new course: Time Management for the Busy Homemaker

Since we don't want to further overwhelm you, the course will only run for 5 days, and each day's lesson will be short.  However, the lessons will present you with steps you can take immediately to turn your life from feeling overwhelmed to having a manageable, stress-free routine that allows you to keep all the balls in the air.

Sound good?

Then sign up below to receive this 5 day course right in your inbox! (Psst…it's currently FREE!)

The Most Important Clutter To Remove From Your Life

Clutter.

It steals so much from us.

The more things we have, the more time it takes to maintain them. The more things we have to maintain and clean up, the less time we have for truly important things – our relationships with God and with others.

Over the past couple months we've been laser-focused in our home on removing clutter…and when we've removed a bunch, we go back through and remove some more.

But even more than removing clutter from my home, there is another, more important type of clutter that I must remove.

I must remove the clutter from my mind, heart, and schedule.

• I need to seek quiet from all the noise of the world around me so I can hear the spirit's still, small voice.
• I need to say no to unnecessary activities so I can spend a morning cuddled in bed reading books to my kids.
• I need to rest my mind from all the books, blogs, podcasts, Facebook posts, and Instagram photos that are constantly dangling themselves in front of my face so I can think clearly about what really matters.
• I need more space in my mind for memorizing and meditating upon God's Word.
• I need more time in my day for gentle hugs, story book reading, back rubs, bubble blowing, and whispered secrets followed by giggles.
• I need to feel unrushed and unfrazzled when my husband comes through the door at the end of the day so that I can fold myself into his arms with a long, lingering kiss instead of greeting him an appeal for help in conquering the unfinished business of the day.

I need the treasure of time.

Time to love God
Time to love my husband
Time to love my children

HOW CAN I FIND THIS TREASURE?

When I ruthlessly purge unnecessary junk from my attic, I find forgotten treasures buried there.  And when I ruthlessly purge clutter from my heart, my mind, and my schedule, I will find the treasure for which I long: TIME for the things that truly matter.

• • When I still the swirling thoughts of all the things I simply “must” do
  • When I say no to the activities that are merely filling up my time rather than intentionally building up my family
  • When I remove the clutter from my mind and heart…then I find
  • The treasure of looking deep into the eyes of a child as a I listen, really listen, to what he is saying. My mind is thinking only of what he is saying, not of all the reasons I must hurry away
  • I receive the treasure of spending intimate time with God, learning from his Word, and having a mind clear enough to listen as he speaks.
  • I can linger in prayer, where once I felt an urgent need to rush through what I had to say so I could plunge myself into the busyness of the day.
  • I receive the treasure of looking into my husband's twinkling eyes as we share an inside joke.  I can enjoy being swept into his arms in a playful hug and actually stopping to savor the moment instead of asking him to stop so I can get back to work.

MAINTAINING MY TREASURE

Once I've completed the initial purging, I must make regular decluttering a consistent habit, lest slowly and subtly I realize my treasure is once again buried in the recesses of the attic.

Friend, is your treasure in the attic?
It's time to dig it out. Haul out all the unnecessary items that are hiding the most valuable box you have. Get them out of your life! Find your treasure. Enjoy it. And when those gizmos and gadgets that look so appealing try to weasel their way through your front door, lock it! Don't let them in!

De-clutter your time. De-clutter your mind. De-clutter your heart.

Don't leave your treasure in the attic, unused and buried under piles of useless junk.

A New Year’s Word for My Worn Out Body

I have spent the past couple weeks mulling over the goals I'd like to reach this year.  And honestly it's been overwhelming just to try to plan what I'd like to accomplish, much less to try to actually accomplish it.

You see, I have some genetic mutations that often throw a kink in my day-to-day plans.  I never know when I'll be doing well and when I'll be doing…not so well.  When I feel good, I get all excited and make all sorts of plans and run like superwoman and do all the things.  But then, I get reminded that this body I live in is a little bit messed up.  I crash, and I do none of the things.  I drag myself around, trying to hold things together as best as I can until I have another upward swing.

Although I will never be “normal” and I will most likely always struggle with having bad days, I really would like for those to be as infrequent as possible!  But that's not going to happen if I lie around feeling sorry for myself.  Hiding under my covers and snacking on cookies is only going to make me worse off than I already am.
So as I've pondered what needs to happen to see some more improvement and hopefully see fewer bad days, I know deep down that my body needs some major TLC this year.  Don't get me wrong, I've been working on this for around, oh, maybe 5 or 6 years.  You would cringe to look at our grocery bill.  We buy organic fruits and veggies, pastured meat, raw milk, etc. – everything as high quality as we can get without being ridiculous.  Junk food and sugar is kept to a bare minimum.  But…I need more.

I NEED MORE:

1. Food

It becomes such a chore sometimes to make sure I'm NOT eating the bad stuff, that I just don't eat enough, period.  (Or else, I grab the “organic junk food” for a snack because let's be honest, it's easier to grab a bag of chips out of the pantry than to cut up vegetables and mix up some homemade yogurt dip.)

But I'm giving my body zero nutrition when I do that, and I need to quit making that a habit.  It's fine and dandy for a treat, but not for a regular part of my diet.

2. Exercise

Exercise is so hard for me.  With the problems I have, my muscles are very weak, my heart races, and I get out of breath very easily.  (As in, it hurts for me to brush my hair sometimes and I get so winded I can barely speak.)  However, I really feel that if I can push through some of that (in a very gentle way) to get regular exercise, it will end up helping me feel better.  Part of what keeps me sick is that my body is unable to process toxins on its own, so I stay full of junk, which makes me feel terrible.  But exercising regularly will actually help me get rid of some of those toxins and it will also send more oxygen to my cells, which will help to rejuvenate them.  It's going to take some pain and really hard work, but I need to do this if I'm going to have more good days and fewer bad ones.

3. Water

I'm doing pretty well with this already.  I got a huge water bottle that contains all the water I need to drink for the day.  Now I don't have to keep refilling something and trying to remember how much I drank.  I just make sure I drink one bottle full each day and I'm good.  I need to keep this up because letting up even just a little makes a big difference in how I feel.

All of these things are critical to my being the best version of myself I can be, yet they all to often get pushed to the back burner to make way for other, “more important” things.

I'd love to share with you all of the things I am determined to do in regard to caring for my body – things like eating the proper balance of protein, fats, and carbs; eating all of my meals at the same time each day; moving my body; doing regular detoxing regimens – but that would take entirely too long.

Besides, that is not entirely the point of this post.

Along with giving my body some major TLC, I need to do a better job of taking care of my family's health as well.  Too often I am struggling to drag myself through the day, which means they end up with peanut butter sandwiches for supper or whatever they can find in the fridge.  (Shout out to my mom who has cooked countless meals for us over the past couple years.  She has taken care of my family when I couldn't, even though she doesn't always feel the best herself.)

I want to focus heavily on preparing good food this year – for my own health and for the health of my family.  Some days I will probably not be up to it, but on the days when I am able, I want to put more time and effort into preparing good food.  I'll be honest and say that I have never enjoyed cooking and preparing food.  I really only do it because everybody needs to be fed.  Consequently, meal preparation gets treated like a dreaded chore – I put it off and do it half-heartedly when I finally get to it.  And the result is most often a less-than-stellar meal in the nutritional department (and not always big on taste since I'm being honest here.)

Side note: I think the real reason I dread cooking is because I am so messy!  I know I'm going to have a lot to clean up when I'm done, so I try to ignore the fact that it needs to be done and hope it will go away.  Only it doesn't.  So I might as well just choose to enjoy it!

Anyway, I feel like I'm starting to ramble, so I'll get to the big point of this post.

You know how it's popular to choose one word to define your year?  Sometimes I do it and sometimes I don't.  It just depends on how the Lord leads as I pray about and plan my goals.  I wasn't planning on choosing one this year, but last night as I stood at the sink washing carrots for supper (yay me!) a word came to mind that I realized was the perfect summary of my hopes and dreams for this coming year.

That word is:

NOURISH

I feel like focusing on this one little word will bring big changes in lots of areas without overwhelming me.  All I need to do is ask myself in each situation, “How can I NOURISH ____? (my body, my family, my spiritual life, my marriage, etc.)”

• I've started by rearranging our homeschool schedule to intentionally include cooking and baking time.  This will give me an extra hour each day to prepare food that will NOURISH our bodies.
• I will remember that word when I'm tempted to stay up too late at night, knowing that a good night's sleep is what will NOURISH my body best, and an early morning spent with the Lord will NOURISH my relationship with Him.
• I will remember it when it hurts to exercise, thinking of movement as nutrients and a lack of movement as junk food.  And I will NOURISH my body with the correct nutrition.
• I will NOURISH my relationships with my kids by choosing one-on-one time with them instead of indulging in too much “me time”.
• I will NOURISH my mind by picking up a good book before I go to bed instead of mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook feed.

I am thankful that the Lord brought this word to my mind because I believe it is exactly what my family and I need this year.

I will be sharing updates as I am able.

I'm looking forward to what this year holds!

Did you choose a word this year?  I'd love to know what it is!