Motivated Moms {Review}

As much as I dream of having a perfect home the reality is that we have been living in C.H.A.O.S (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) for a while now ... Generally speaking I love being organized, clean and having a place for everything.  Over the past few years as the stresses of immigration, raising a young family, walking a challenging road with teens working their way through issues I have found that more and more I don't have the stamina, mental or emotional energy reserves that it takes to keep our home in order.  Recently I was blessed with a review copy of Motivated Moms.  What a wonderful resource this has become.  I'm a book lady so was really pleased with my Motivated Mom's printable eBook.

What We Did
The hardest part was choosing which eBook I wanted.  I was rather spoiled for choice with 8 options available either in colour or black and white.  Each option has a sample page for you to see.

Some of the options are

• Colour or black & white in each version
• Half or full size
• Page per day with bible readings
• Page per day with chore planner

I settled on the full A4 size 2014 Motivated Moms Chore Planner with Scheduled Bible Reading {Color}. I took my PDF copy down to Officeworks and had it printed and spiral bound. The planner I choose is a total of 55 pages including the cover page.

Each page is a week in a view.  The left hand column contains daily chores such as make beds, feed pets etc.  If you have children who can read it is an excellent list to help them too to remember what needs to be done and to create excellent daily habits.  Beneath each chore is seven check boxes in order to mark off as you go.  There are four blank lines for you to add in your own choice of daily chores.

Right at the bottom of this left hand column is a weekly Bible reading schedule.  I had good intentions of using this this year but have recently commenced an in depth bible study so I am aiming to take this up later in the year.  I love this feature as it means that all my daily tasks including my bible reading is in one place.  This is an optional add in. 

To the right of this column is your week at a glance special chores.  This contains between two and six tasks a day to complete.  I can say one thing for our home it now has clean light switches, dusted hall way skirting, each shelf in the fridge has a dedicated week it gets cleaned, my pile of to file away is slowly diminishing and even the porch area is beginning to receive some much needed tender loving care.  I like how some of the chores are scheduled on a rotational basis so I know if I miss cleaning that spot this week in a few weeks time it will come around again and I will be able to get it done. 

"Make Every Day Count - Motivated Moms"

I love their mantra of making every day count.  I am seeing how true this is.  If I accomplish just one thing on the list today I have made it count and it has not gone to waste.  Some days we barely get the basics done and on other days we choose maybe two of the six suggested activities.  Motivated Moms is being true to it's name and is motivating me daily to clean small manageable areas in our home.  The fruit of this is becoming more evident.  It is helping me not to feel so overwhelmed with the task before me and I am enjoying having a little more time to do the important things like reading for fun because I am not spending mental energy on trying to figure out what's next to do, it's all been done for me.  It's making a calmer Mom and a happier home.

Each week there is a dedicated de-clutter assignment which I love.  I am a little bit of a hoarder and having this as an assignment is helping me to de-clutter as I go and this in turn is helping to make things more manageable for me and Sir N at the same time.

My favourite part of Motivated Moms is Monday's weekly scheduled Pamper Yourself task.

If you are not a book person and would prefer an app be sure to check out the key features available in the Motivated Moms apps.  Things such as being able to send daily chores by email for printing, assigning tasks to people and the ability to add in an unlimited number of custom tasks.

The last page of the planner contains a two week reproducible menu planner.

My planner lives in the kitchen / dinning area for quick reference. Sir N has recently started reading independently so I have decided to use colour high lighters as a way of assigning tasks to me, to Sir N and some for us to do together.  I will be leaving blank the tasks that are not applicable to our home such as cleaning the stair case or second floor living area.  We use this during our daily half hour cleaning session.

Cost

• eBooks (16 formats to choose from) $8 each for one complete year.
• iPhone/iPad/iPod is $1.99 for two months OR a year for $7.99
• Android from Google Play $5.99

Connect with  Motivated Moms

• Facebook
• Twitter 
• Pinterest
• Read about the Motivated Mom Story which started in 2005.

What I Thought
This is a well presented book with multiple formats to choose from.  It is excellent value for money. Motivated Moms will save you time and mental energy as the planning has all been done for you.

Say goodbye to once a year spring cleaning and hello to day by day clean as you go.  Motivated Moms helps you reclaim your home and has done ALL the planing for you.  This product is Mom's best friend. 

Blessings
Chareen

2013/14 Schoolhouse Planners now available

It's that time of the year again when my blog friends in the Northern hemisphere are trying to organise themselves for the new year.  This year when I joined the TOS Crew my very first assignment and review product was Schoolhouse Teachers. This week I discovered that they have designed specific planners for home school families.

Their are five planners available. You can purchase them individually or receive them FREE as a part of your Schoolhouse Teachers membership by joining for $3 for the first month, $12.95 per month thereafter. You will gain access to the Planners immediately upon joining ST.com

High School Schoolhouse Planner $29

• Encouraging articles
• Calendar 
• Planning pages
• Planning guide for high school
• College Checklist
• Logs
• and more

 Intermediate Schoolhouse Planner $19

• Articles 
• Planning sheet
• Calendar
• Forms to formulate goals and objectives
• Bible reading schedule
• Address Book

 Primary Schoolhouse Planner $9.95

• Engaging articles for primary students
• Information lists (grammar rules, story starters, math tables etc)
• Calendar
• Planning pages
• Field trip report pages
• Recipes

 

 Special Learners Schoolhouse Planner $29

• Encouraging Articles
• Interactive Calendar
• Planning Pages
• Medical forms
• Therapy Forms
• Task analysis cards
• Teach life skills
• and more

And this one is for Mom: The Schoolhouse Planner

• 800+ pages
• Helpful articles
• Interactive calendars
• Planning pages
• Trip logs
• Bible reading plans
• Transcripts
• Household forms
• and more . . .

I have not used any of these yet I have just downloaded them.  I am still in the process of exploring them to find out what is inside them and how they work.  For those of you who would like to know more there is a list on the Schoolhouse Teachers site about each planner.
Blessings
Chareen

C.H.A.O.S. and burn out

I have been really feeling burned out, overwhelmed and just plain awful with very low energy levels.  I am really tired of being tired and over whelmed all the time !

I have realized that part of the cause of my burnout is that in this past year I have been suffering from C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) {blush}. As I poked around the net about clutter and C.H.A.O.S. I read this over at Thinking Out Loud Blog:

“clutter is more of a physical expression of our emotional condition than it is about our organizational skills.”

I must agree that this statement is true for me. I have really been struggling to keep on top of life and it feels like everything is spinning out of control. Well this week I decided to grab the world and make it stand still so I can catch up.

It feels so good to be regaining my life a little bit at a time. So far I have conquered the wash pile in the laundry (now to tackle the pile of ironing before midnight!), Sir N's room, I need to do the other rooms in the house. Well the rumpus I am avoiding till I can work out what to do about it. ...... and on the to do list this coming week is the office space.

I have decided that slow and steady needs to be my motto for this task ....

I went looking for some inspiration on the net.

Here is what I found:

Fly Lady

Fly Lady

I discovered the FlyLady about 10 years ago and I love her practical ideas which make her system achievable.  Her main philosophy is: Baby Steps.  The main item you need is a kitchen timer and you are ready to start:

• Step 1 Join The Fly Lady and read her Welcome Letter.
• Step 2 Begin Your Flying Lessons.
• Step 3 FlyLady 31 Beginner Baby Steps
• Step 4 Get connected: BlogTalk Radio, Twitter, Facebook
• FAQ about FlyLady.net
• Why should I Fly?
• Who is the FlyLady ? Marla Cilley  

I must confess I do not subscribe to the emails anymore as I find there are just too many for me to read on a daily basis.  So when ever I need inspiration I visit her website.

31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way.

Back in October I shared with you in New Beginnings- about 31 Days to Clean.

Sarah Mae is the author of 31 Days to clean. She inspires and encourages you to look at having a Martha house the Mary way. Each page takes less than 5 minutes to read and each day has small things to do.

• The book is $4.99 to purchase as a Kindle, PDF or Nook
• Sample Chapter - Day One Why clean ?
• Who is Sarah Mae ?
• About the Book
• Monthly Martha Challenges.
• Contributors to the book.
• 31 Days to Clean Blog
• Book Reviews

31 Days to an Organized Home

I was having a poke around and saw this button which piqued my interest :

The title grabbed my interest so I went over to have a look.  What a neat way to start the new year. Kelly is your host over at The Complete Guide to Imperfect Home Making.

This is what Kelly has to say about why to become organized:

I organize my home because I believe that when we clear out the things that don't matter, we make room for the things that do. Because our hearts and minds can only take so much chaos. And life has enough chaos of it's own. Because we need a daily refuge from the clutter and the noise and the blaring messages that wait on our doorstep. Because an uncluttered space creates an environment where we can learn and explore. And because when we clear out stuff, we make room for people. What are your reasons for wanting to organize and de-clutter?

31 Days to an Organised Home

Day 1: Why become Organised.

Day 2: An Organized Coat Closet
Day 3: The Three Baskets Tip
Day 4: How to Apply Contact Paper to Drawers 
Day 5: Fabulous Pantries 
Day 6: A Peek Inside My Kitchen 
Day 7: DIY Pocket Organizer
Day 8: Defining Clutter 
Day 9:  Permission to Let Go, and to Keep
Day 10: Sometimes you Just Have to Live With It
Day 11: Kids' Socks
Day 12: Kid's Clothes (The Rule of Three)
Day 13: Kids' Closet Inspiration
Day 14: Sock Drawer 101 
Day 15: Master Closet
Day 16: A Place for Everything
Day 17: Command Centers
Day 18: Create an Action File 
Day 19: DIY File Basket
Day 20: Manuals and Warranties
Day 21: DIY Magazine Files
Day 22: Electronic Odds and Ends
Day 23: Pretty Tidy Desks
Day 24: How to Make Labels using Picnik
Day 25: Bathroom Storage
Day 26: Linen Closets
Day 27: It's Linky Party Day!
Day 28: Laundry Room Organization
Day 29: Sentimental Items
Day 30: My craft Closet
Day 31: Staying Organized

I am inspired to start off my new year becoming organized and in control of my home.

How will you be starting your new year ?

Blessings

Candle Care

Ever wondered why candles you buy only last about ten hours and then wont light any more even though the sticker on the base says thirty hours of burn time ??

Did you know that candles contain a memory once you use them ?? A couple of years ago I attended a PartyLite party where I learned some really interesting things about candles.

For every inch your candle is in width is one hour of burning time.  So if your candle is 3 inches in diameter  you need to light it three hours before you need it.

If you snuff your candle before that time it will retain a memory and burn down the center of your candle creating a canyon which when it gets deep enough will mean your candle will no longer burn for lack of oxygen. This in turn will reduce your candle burn time.

These candles have only been lit for about 30 min and you can see that there is only about half an inch of the candle melted / warmed. If I snuffed my candle now it would retain this half inch memory and the next time I lit the candle it would only burn this half inch and no more.

These candles have been alight for about four hours

You can see that the wax has melted nearly to the edge and wont go further because of the previous time I lit them the memory is retained.

To blow or snuff a candle ??

It is much better to snuff a candle than blow it out.  When you blow out a candle the force of the air on the wick moves the wick in the candle which makes it lie on a strange angle and off center thus shortening the life of your candle. It also means that the next time you light your candle it will burn off center.

It is also better to place the candle where it is needed before you light it.  Do not move once lit as this will move the wick causing it to move off center.

Hug your candle

Snuff your candle and wait for around five minutes. Gently cup your hands around the top and put a slight inward pressure on the lip.

These three simple steps will mean you will get the full burn time on your candles.

Blessings