When Cinderella Needs a Maid

by Stacey | Feb 17, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement

Clean the dishes Cinderella. Sort the laundry Cinderella. Scrub the floors Cinderella. Wash the windows Cinderella.

Cook the meals Cinderella. Teach the children Cinderella. Run the carpool Cinderella. Balance the checkbook Cinderella.

Mend the clothing Cinderella. Plant the garden Cinderella. Do the shopping Cinderella…

I always dreamed of a fairytale life; somehow I imagined it differently.

Thirteen years after my Prince Charming rode into my life (yes, I’m talking about Kevin) I can say without a doubt I am living the fairytale. But, like all good stories, it panned out a bit different from predicted.

What’s a Cinderella to do?

This Cinderella tapped the wisdom of other mothers. By applying a few simple organizational tips my day felt more manageable and yours can too.

Helpful tips I’ve picked up from the super moms in my life:

*Make your bed as soon as you get up. It takes five minutes and it feels good to have accomplished something so early.

*Do a load of laundry first thing in the morning and before you go to bed at night. This way you rarely fall behind.

*Start dinner prep in the morning while the kids are still in a good mood. (Or if you work outside the home use a crock pot with a timer)

*Create a cleaning schedule dividing household chores into 15 minute manageable chunks. A lot can be done in 15 focused minutes a day.

*Create a meal plan for dinnertime so you can shop accordingly and always have on hand the ingredients you need.

*Make school lunches the night before. Lay out clothing the night before.

*Use a small dollar store laundry basket as your child’s bedroom doorstop. As you pick up around the house put Junior’s toys and clutter into the basket. Junior puts those things away when he returns from school.

*Ignore Supermommy and her polished children, Yummy-mommy wearing her pre-pregnancy jeans, and Martha-mommy fussing over her perfect house and serving hors d’oeuvres that are better dressed than most of her guests. The comparison game is not fun, fair or beneficial.

*Remember you don’t need to be Supermommy to be a super mommy.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The Greatest Love of All

by Stacey | Feb 14, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement

This morning my daughter woke-up at 6:15 am. She went straight to her desk and started to craft a Valentine for each member of the family. By the time the rest of us lazy bums arose she had created a beautiful card to celebrate her love for each one of us.

As I lay there in bed listening to her papers rustle and the scissors snap the verses from Romans 5:7-9 flashed through my mind.

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

How fitting on Valentine’s Day, when the whole world celebrates the feeling of love, God would remind me of His choice to love.

When I was my most unlovable Jesus died for me. He didn’t do it because I wooed Him with my charms or won Him over with my beauty. He chose to love me. He gave me the best Valentine’s Day gift ever – the option to enter into eternal life with Him.

Now the choice is mine. Will I choose to love Him in return?

Happy Valentine’s Day. I pray you will all know the great love of our God.

Writer’s Burnout

by Stacey | Feb 12, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement

Once upon a time I believed I was a patient woman. I calmly dealt with interruptions, edited and re-wrote entire chapters with ambition and energy.

Now those days feel like a fairytale.

My overwhelming book project looms unfinished before me. Although it has brought equal measures of discouragement and excitement, today as my creative juices are at an all time low, I feel the sting of frustrating tears. I fight a desire to rip up the entire book and give up. (Or burn it – shred it – pick your pleasure.)

Recalling a time when my father used a blowtorch on the back hedge to rid himself of a pesky hornet’s nest I weigh the wisdom in rash decisions. Yes, he killed the hornets, but he also set the hedge on fire. Overreacting is out.

So what’s a writer to do?

A quick search on the internet provided me with plenty of suggestions. I can:

Take a vacation.

Take care of myself.

Relax.

Read a good book.

Discard my self-imposed deadline and stop driving myself so hard.

Since I am a hobby writer and not a career writer with no impending deadlines on the horizon I plan to take a vacation from my tough writing schedule. I’ve set the book aside (for a short time) to write something fun – like my blog. I plan to use the dusty elliptical decorating our basement a little more often, find a good book and soak in a hot bath. The re-write can wait.

You may all hold me accountable.

A simple lesson

by Stacey | Feb 3, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement

Looking back over previous posts I noticed one from early November. It pretty much stated the very lesson God is currently teaching me (again!). It raised a chuckle and thankfulness that God is willing to remind me of the principles I should already be applying to life.

When life feels out of control or when I feel overwhelmed with my list of responsibilities I turn to God and ask for help. Guess what He usually tells me? Life feels crazy when I forget to prioritize Him.

I still need to edit my book. It’s getting there, but not as fast as I’d like. I like to keep up on my housework. I enjoy playing with the kids and not feeling too busy or stressed to enjoy them. I have a column to which I contribute, a speaking engagement coming up, and article deadlines looming. Not to mention this blog…

For the last few days I’ve once again taken the time to spend quality time with God in the morning instead of just the frantic few minutes that creep up in the midst of chaos. Instead of flying into my day at break neck speed I’ve set the laundry aside, left the dishes in the sink, and the beds unmade and eased into the day with God, my bible and a caffeinated hot beverage.

Now it’s 10am. My blog is almost updated. The beds are made. The laundry is done. The kids are playing. I haven’t made dinner, but I know what we are having. The dishes are still in the sink but it’s not bothering me as much as usual.

I’m not sure how all this was accomplished considering we slept a half hour later than usual and I spent twice as much time with the Lord as normal. I believe God is blessing my efforts. I believe He is happy that I chose Him first and now He’s helping me efficiently finish my tasks.

I don’t expect everyday to go this well. Some days the dishes may still be in the sink at dinnertime and yesterday the beds were not made at all. But guess what? I survived. At the end of the day what matters is not now much I accomplished, but spending time in a manner that pleases God. How that looks might be different in each household. In ours, it means I need to relax and let the little stuff go and focus on what God want me to do.

A lesson I seem to learn over and over again.