Daily routines and Man-crush Monday

Daily routines are something that God has really helped me with.  God has used a lot of books and people to help me figure out a system that works for my family. Most recently the book The One Thing has helped me immensely to dance through my day and do the things that really matter. 7 habits of highly effective people, A woman after Gods own heart and the Flylady system have all helped me as well. Are there any books, blogs or people God has used to help you in this area? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

First things first- mancrush Monday!! Here is a pic of my dad who was my first mancrush. He gave me the foundation to choose a warrior husband and understand the love of my Heavenly Father. Doesn't he look amazing in his suit? He was a great intimidator of young suitors until the right man came along. 

Back to the point of this post. Overall my day is ordered around the following 7 categories and in this order- spiritual, physical, personal, relational, job, ONE THING (I'll explain) and finances. These routines are not meant to be legalistic. I have found that if you touch base with each of these 7 priorities most days, that your life will basically move forward.  If you take care of these things but still have a pile of laundry left undone now and again, get over it! There are seasons of life, when your house won't look as immaculate because you have more important things to do like play with your kids, write a best seller or make love to your spouse!  These routines help keep the chaos to a minimum and make sure that nothing vital is overlooked. 

Morning routine-

Take care of myself 1. spiritually, 2. physically, 3. personally and 4. relationally. 

1. Spiritual-  I get up with the Mighty Warrior and send him off to war with a kiss and a hug, make some coffee, check my calendar, and spend some time in Gods word and a personal development book before the Heiress awakes.  Currently enjoying The Maxwell Leadership Bible as well as the Youversion bible app and a personal development book called psycho-cybernetics. What are you reading? 

It is vital over everything else that attention to my relationship with God be first. It's more important than doing dishes or even playing with my kid.  He is the vine and we are the branches. Apart from him we can do nothing.  Without this foundation, all other things we try to do with our life crumble like a poorly planned building. 

2. Physical- 20 minute workout and eat breakfast. The Heiress awakes so I feed her too while I'm at it. 

I have made the dangerous error of putting my physical body dead last, thinking I was putting others first. In reality, if mama's body falls apart because she isn't exercising or eating properly, she can't take care of her family. I learned this the hard way.  Taking care of your body increases your production capacity while ignoring your physical health can not only lessen your capacity, but end it all together.  As an achiever type personality, one of my biggest weaknesses is actually pushing my body too far without taking time for proper healing when needed.  A dysfunctional pelvic floor during pregnancy that lasted up to a year postpartum taught me that if I had just taken care of myself physically in the first place, I would have healed faster and been able to care for my family better in the long run. It's akin to the rule, "put your own oxygen mask on first." I'm also slowly making my way through an amazing nutrition book called Trim Healthy Mama. Good nutrition has my  energy levels through the roof! I work out at home with a subscription to fit2be.us. It's perfect for pregnant or healing mamas. 

3. Personal- get dressed. Dink around for 15 minutes. Reboot the laundry and dishes. Tidy up.  

Take time for things that energize you. I believe many people go overboard with hobbies like softball, hunting and bowling when their family really needs them during certain seasons of life. If your child needs braces you can't afford without using a credit card and yet you are playing slow pitch softball 10 hours a week I believe your priorities are out of order, as putting that 10 hours toward a part time weekend shift at Applebee's would pay for your kiddos braces in no time. At the same time taking a little time for what you love is healthy and how much time you can devote depends on the season of life you are in. Drawing, painting, walking in nature, practicing guitar for 10 minutes, working on a novel, or reading a fun book are all ideas that may or may not energize you and make you feel more alive. 

4. Relational- do a puzzle with the Heiress, send the Mighty Warrior an encouraging text. Take time to giggle and snuggle.  

In relation to the important people in my life, I believe it is my duty to respect my husband, train my children, honor my parents and grandparents and be a light to everyone. I try to reflect each day on how I'm doing in key relationships. 

Daytime- take care of my job

5. My "job" as a homemaker can be different from day to day- that can be cleaning the house, teaching a music lesson or training my toddler to put her books on the shelf. I personally have a lot of odd jobs that allow me to be a home builder first. I'm able to take my daughter along to most of it. I have a long, long way before I have "arrived" but the proverbs 31 woman was like this. She made sashes and took them to town to sell to the merchants. She took her income from that and purchased a field where she planted a vineyard. A vineyard is not like some little rinky dink homebased business.  You can make SERIOUS money owning a successful vineyard once the plants mature which takes about 5 years if you are blessed.  The husband of this woman never lacked gain because of her and she helped the family financially.  If you are blessed enough to have a husband who makes enough for you to be a homemaker, is there anything you can do to add to your home financially without hindering your ability to be a wife and mom first? If your husband's job covers the bills, I can assure you that it's a great idea to put something away towards retirement. Do you have any skill you can do from home? I know many moms who supplement the family income with their photography, knitting, music teaching, babysitting and more! I don't really see the proverbs 31 woman as someone who doesn't contribute financially except for short seasons possibly due to health, a brand new baby or a special needs child or some other unforeseen circumstance.  I hope this sounds as loving as I mean. My heart is not to offend those who disagree. That's just what I see in scripture.  I really love and respect you no matter what you choose to do!

The heiress at work with me. Someone mentioned that as she gets older I would have to get a babysitter. I nodded and smiled. A babysitter would cost more than what I make when you count gas, equipment, taxes and work clothes. A lot of people don't do the simple math on this one.  Since I sing for senior citizens they are typically more interested in the baby than the music. 

If you have a normal 9-5 job like most people, take pride in your work. Work as unto The Lord and not unto men.  Chances are, you NEED that job right now to take care of your family so be thankful for the business owner who provided the job and do your best.  If you are a mama on a payroll hold your head high and be proud that you are helping provide for your loved ones. I can't imagine having to entrust my little one to a caregiver in order to go out and bring home the bacon but I do look up to you mamas who have to do that. 

 Afternoon routine- take care of my ONE THING and finances. 

6. ONE THING- from 3-5pm each day we have blocked out time to get the  One Thing done.  If you don't know what that is, read the book! What's the one thing you can do each day that by so doing it will make EVERYTHING else in your life easier or unnecessary? It's different for everyone depending on what your dreams are.  If you work full time but you want to be a professional writer, then your ONE THING is probably to write!  If you have written an amazing book that is yet to be published, then your ONE THING might be to market your book. If you plan on being a pro musician it might be practicing scales or networking and setting up gigs. If you are a real estate agent your ONE THING is probably to generate leads.  

7. Finances- in addition to your monthly or weekly bill paying, take time each day to reconcile your check register. You don't use a check register you say? You just check the website you say? Well, I can tell you for certain that no one is ever successful financially by winging it. I suggest everyone read Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and take his Financial Peace University course right now! The average family who takes his course moves ahead $8300 during the 9 week course. The class is only somewhere around $100 so that is a no-brainer investment!

After supper routine

I pretty much follow the Flylady system for this part of my day. There are 2 routines since some evenings I am home and some evenings I have gigs right after dinner. 

Home evenings- In no particular order- kitchen tidy, laundry reboot, 5 minute cleanup, bath, relax. 

When she is done eating, the Heiress signs "all done" and then points enthusiastically at her puzzles. I leave her in the high chair with a puzzle while I load the dishwasher and get the kitchen tidied up for the next morning. This takes all of five minutes. We do a fun, enthusiastic, 5 minute toy and book cleanup together and I reboot the laundry. If laundry needs folded this may take 15 minutes.  If The heiress needs a bath then she gets one otherwise I hold her down for our nightly toothbrush and screaming session and then she can play till bed time. Once she goes to bed I can relax and take a bath.  Then I can read, write, relax, learn Spanish or do whatever I need to take care of myself.

Non-home evenings

Eat dinner as a family and then delegate the rest to one of our lovely part time maidservants. Hey it's in proverbs 31! No but really, two of our babysitters are like part of the family and the heiress loves them. It's perfectly acceptable to ask the babysitter to help with evening tasks I'm not there for in exchange for decent pay, free music lessons for her and five bazillion of her siblings, access to any food in our fridge that she wants and other perks such as the occasional family trip to the beach. Do whatever it takes to keep great sitters! Oh and side benefit- these young women keep me up-to-date with technology and fashion!

Upon returning from a very late night, I try to at the very least, wash my face before falling into bed. I usually fail at this on nights we are out late and wake up looking like a panda with a zit. 

Do you have any time management tips or tips to help me with my daily routines? Leave in the comments!

One more very important thing. Please take time today to pray for Christians all over the world who are undergoing persecution. I have a way to remember what to pray for each day using alliteration.  Today is Missionary Monday. Pray for Pastor Sayid imprisoned in Iran and for the Christians and other minority groups targeted by terrorist group Isis (Islamic state of Iraq and Syria). Pray for Erin Foley who serves in Cambodia. Pray for the Trenckmann family serving all over the world. Pray for your local pastor. Their job is tougher than you know. They love you so much and yet they are often under harsh criticism. 

Mondays, I also pray for my mental health and the mental health of anyone who may be struggling. Post-partum mamas, soldiers returning from war, and anyone who is more prone to suffer from depression.  If you have any prayer requests, feel free to comment. I will pray for each and every request. 

Happy Monday! Remember to be wonderful! Psalm 139. 

Time usage Tuesday. Trim healthy mama meal plans and how to ROCK at time management.

Time usage Tuesday! A day for planning. Trim healthy mama meal plans and my basic weekly schedule. 

A lot of women ask me how I stay so organized with my time, and how I keep from feeling scattered, so I thought I would draw it out for you. My mother can tell you that I was not born organized but had to study many experts such as the Flylady and read books such as The One Thing, 7 habits of highly effective people, and A Woman After God's Own Heart. 

Basic weekly schedule. The tasks I do each day of the week are in bold. 

Tuesday is time usage day/desk day. I pray for my husbands and my time management and I take time to work on our calendar, order anything we need online and pay bills. I also turn on a timer for 15 minutes and file our receipts and do data entry in preparation for our taxes.  

Wednesday is work habit day. I pray for our work that it would be as unto the Lord and not unto men. That we would do our best in our secular jobs and that we would have a "marketplace ministry". This is the day I ask myself if there is anything important that I have been putting off. You know it's important if it matters 5 years from now. Are there important phonecalls I need to make? A project for work with a deadline looming? I pray for the courage to stop procrastinating and I get it done! It feels great to mark these things off my to-do list! This is also the day I clean out the car and lead a midweek service at a nursing home and teach music lessons in our home. 

Thursday Thought Life/errand day! I pray for our thought life to be dwelling on the lovely and never dwelling on our mistakes or the mistakes of others. I try to schedule all errands for Thursday such as dentist appointments, chiropractic appointments etc. If no errands need to be run I get out if the house to make an  impact and brighten someone's day.  The spartan and I are currently taking Dave Ramsey's financial peace university on Thursday nights and then having our weekly planning meeting/date night afterwards to sync our calendars, budget, bill pay and communicate any pressing matters. 

Friday family day! We do something fun or relax as a family. We rarely take appointments or answer the phone on Friday. I take time to pray for friends and family. 

Saturday sexuality day! Yep. You read that right. Saturdays I take time to pray for our sex life and check in about how that is going. It's a vital part of marriage and deserves prayer.  While the Spartan is at work on Saturdays and the Heiress is slumbering I often meet with one of the women I am mentoring. With how many dragons the Spartan is slaying during this season of life, I do not make plans with just my girlfriends unless the Mighty Warrior is working.  

Sunday- Spiritual Walk Sunday is the day I go to church. I pray on the way to church for the service to be led by God and for me to play skillfully unto the Lord. I pray for my spiritual walk with Christ.   This is not a restful day for me because I help lead the service for a retirement facility.  I'm an extreme introvert so Sunday leaves me pleasantly fatigued. After the heiress has her nap, we go grocery shopping and I do some food prep.

Monday missionaries and mental health. On Mondays I pray for my mental/emotional health as a wife and mother and I pray for missionaries such as Sayid.  I help the house recover from the weekend by having a Weekly Cleanup Hour or as Flylady so lovingly calls it- weekly home blessing hour. I have to clean up the mess because it's another evening that I teach music lessons in our home. 

Wash. Rinse. Repeat. There is a lot of grace in this basic weekly schedule and I follow it with a lot of flexibility. For instance, Sunday I was exhausted and skipped the grocery shopping/meal prep and I ended up prepping some meals on Monday from what was left in the pantry. Once in a while we will be too exhausted to have our planning meeting Thursday night so we will do it Friday morning.  As long as we get the important stuff done on a weekly basis that is all that matters. Remember- if it won't matter five years from now, it doesn't matter! Reading to the heiress today WILL matter five years from now because otherwise she won't learn to read. Although we should keep the house clean enough, five years from now, no one will know if you let the dishes pile for one night. Instead of beating yourself up over the dust on the coffee table, write "JOY" in the dust and then go play with your kiddos! (And then dust tomorrow because that can get seriously gross after a while and not to mention, some people have allergies;)

Meal Plans 

I had to get creative with what we had left in the pantry because instead of going to the store on Sunday, I went to bed early! I follow the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. If you don't know what that is check out their Facebook page and buy the book!  I've been able to trim the last few pesky pregnancy pounds while eating amazing carbs and fats and not restricting my calories!

Cute pic of the heiress double fisting it. 

Meals for this week- I mix and match and repeat favorites as cravings demand but the basic plan helps! 

Breakfast- 

1. Fatstripping  frappa (fp) add frozen 

spinach plus buttered coffee (s)*

2. Oatmeal, yogurt and energy drink

Bar (e)*

3. Meal shake mocha (e)

4. Granola with cream (co)*

Lunch-

1.  cake in a mug (s)

2. Chicken,spinach, cream cheese casserole (s)

3. Chicken and beans (e)

4. Chicken sandwich (crossover)

Dinner-

1. Steak and mashed faux-tato (cauliflower) (s)

2. Spaghetti squash with meatball  spaghetti sauce (s)

3. Spaghetti squash "hash browns" and eggs (s)

4. Chicken stir fry (s)

5. Italian Chicken sandwiches (co)

6. Leftovers 

7. Dinner out

*S-satisfying

E- energizing

Co- crossover

Fp- fuel pull

Philosophy 101

My favorite kind of day and hanging with the Easter bunny.

This morning I woke up to a homemade birthday card hot off the printer and a new book called The Speed of Trust. Drew had bought it at Barnes and noble the other day while I was with my facial clients. 

Then we got dressed and headed to the new farmers market in the linen district. We played music there from about 1030am to lunch time. I took a short break to feed Sophia while drew kept the show going.  We had a few friends stop by and say hello and donate to the college fund. Lois Boylan walked over on her break from hotel 43. We also saw old friends Erin Tibbs and Lauren Church as well as Adam Gates and his little family. 

After the show, Hector Garcia, the owner of Waffle Me Up thanked us for "singing next to our waffle stand!" We responded,"Thanks for selling waffles next to us while we sing!"  We chatted with Mr. Garcia and his beautiful family for a time and left having made a new friend.  It was inspiring to see his three kids helping out and taking ownership of the family business.  Josie, Hector's pretty wife exclaimed, "You sang all my favorite songs".  They also let us know that they had made the leap of faith and moved here from Alaska four years ago where they had sold fish and chips during the tourist season and are looking forward to building their waffle business the right way here in Boise. 

We found a pretty spot with a bench so I could nurse Sophia while Drew went to get the jeep. She and I enjoyed the sunshine and the flowery trees, 

playing peekaboo and watching the passersby as they watched us as well. Did I mention Sophia was dressed like a bunny? 

We made just shy of $50 at the market and so Drew thought we should treat me to a birthday lunch. We rarely if ever eat out these days. Making a future for Sophia and paying off the medical debt accrued during pregnancy isn't leaving much for eating out and coffees. 

We chose Matador and split the Texas-sized-nachos with chorizo added along with empanadas.  It's an acquired skill that my husband has of getting the most food at a restaurant for the least amount of money. We got stuffed for under $20.  We are excited for the near future when we are debt free and able to support Boise business even more. 

Then we crossed the street to Thomas Hammer and purchased a delicious extra ginormous birthday coffee.  Sophia soon after spilled the entire concoction of chocolatey goodness over a huge portion of the floor. The handsome ginger haired barista kindly made us another of its kind called the fireball. Next time you are in there, try the fireball if you like those chocolate oranges that you smash on the table to break apart.

Then we headed home for a family nap. We dozed to stand up comedian Ben Bailey for a while and then Drew took a proper nap while Sophia lazily nursed and I finished this journal entry.

Days like this are my favorite. 

Sophia serves

I want Sophia to grow up without remembering when she first got involved in ministry.  I envision serving to be so marinated in her bones that she never gives it a second thought. 

I have decided that my child is in ministry already. She provides baby therapy to many senior care residents in the Boise area.  She comes with me to most of my musical performances and is part of the show. Having her in my baby sling while performing brings more smiles (and more audience members for that matter) than my music ever brought on its own.  

Seeing the countenance of a grandpa visibly brighten because of Sophia's presence in my show is worth the shoulder aches that playing piano while holding a baby strapped to oneself affords.  After the performances, I linger and take Sophia around to visit all the residents- many of whom laugh with joy just at the sight of her.  I'm sure the amount of germs she has ingested is appalling and I'm clinging to the hope that it's helping her have a stronger immune system!  

One of my earlier memories is of my mother taking me with her to the nursing facility where she worked as a nurse. I would spend hours (or so it seemed at 4 years of age) in the apartment of one lady in particular and loved every moment of it.  This is why I feel it is only honest to claim I've worked in healthcare for 28 years, though it produces quite the cognitive dissonance evidenced in the form of raised eyebrows.  I then go on to explain and we have a good giggle.  When I think of those early experiences, giggle or no, I'm thankful that my mother instilled in me an interest in filling the emotional needs of the older generations.  Needs of love, respect, companionship, and quite frankly, the entertainment that a young child can bring. 

When Andrew and I played at the market on Saturday, many people stopped to take our picture. More than ever before Sophia came into our family.  Some tipped a dollar into the guitar case and some did not, but just to know that someone's day was brightened enough at the sight of our little family circus that they thought it worthy enough to stop for a photo, is payment enough.  I still wish we could get it recorded for posterity but I haven't figured out how to do that while playing music and holding a baby.  I should probably plan ahead and ask someone to help.

It will be interesting to see how Sophia's ministry and her part in our family unfold as she grows older and different abilities are nurtured. In my friendships with hundreds of senior citizens, I've interviewed many farmers (including my own father) and owners of other family businesses.  I learned that their children were only allowed to participate in sports and activities that didn't hinder the family vision as a whole.  My father for instance, was allowed to run track because it didn't interfere with planting and harvest season.  Unlike the ethic of today, where children are chauffeured to every activity at all costs, children were expected to contribute to the family's lifeblood and vision as a whole.  

I learned through these interviews that the good majority of the farmers or other business owning parents, reared children who grew up to be unquestionably successful and had failures that were never due to laziness or lack of work ethic.  Many went on to be doctors, construction contractors, missionaries, and Navy SEALS. Few or

none that I interviewed reared children who turned out to be professional students or bums or delinquents. 

I like to think of Sophi's baby therapy when she goes to work with Mama as her first job on the "family farm".  I've found my child to be genuinely helpful to our family vision through her ability to bring joy to others. I'm excited to see how she learns to help next. 

Strangers hold my baby and a panhandling experiment

The weather has turned colder and it is officially fall as of last week.  I realized as I was putting away Sophia's sweet little baby summer dresses, that she will probably never be able to wear them again. Do many mamas cry when this happens?  I sure did.  

Having a sweet baby to laugh at all day, makes it a wondrous time in a persons life. Many old ladies with dementia in the nursing homes I visit revert back to this time and will coo and ah over baby dolls all day long. In the market place, I see the grimace in old ladies' eyes when they see my Sophia because it has been so. Long. Since their babies were babies.  For many, this includes even their  grand babies.  

Call me crazy, but just about every elderly stranger in the marketplace I meet that gets that longing look when they see my baby gets to hold her.  My only prayer is that someday when my hair has greyed, my eyes have crinkled at the corners, and my babies are not babies anymore, some strange young girl with a new baby will return this kindness to me.  

Today was an amazing day with my little family.  We decided to moonlight as street musicians at the farmers market and make a little money. We got to the market at the crack of 11:30 with baby, music stand and baby stuff in tow when I said, "Drew, did we remember your guitar?"  He began laughing because with all the preparation of the morning, with packing up the baby, timing her feeding and diaper blowouts and spit up on her outfits and the craziness of still getting used to having a baby in the first place, we forgot the one tool that would help us accomplish our panhandling musical plans. 

I decided to sit at a local coffee shop with Sophia while Drew ran home for his guitar.   A middle aged lady got that longing look that women get when their own babies are grown, and out of compulsion, she began fawning over my 4 month old snuggler.  Honestly my gut reaction most times when strangers reach for my child is to turn into a mama tiger, but I pushed that instinct down, and gave the woman a warm smile and introduced myself.   Her "babies" are in their twenties now and the woman can hardly wait because one of her children is finally expecting.  I'm so thrilled for her as I can tell from the sparkle in her eyes, that it has been a long wait.  

The barista has been yelling that the woman's coffee order is ready for several moments before the woman realizes,  because she is so focused on my daughter.  She finally wakes from her dream like state and looks a little sheepish as she realizes her coffee is ready. She excuses herself to go retrieve her coffee and as she passes me again on her way out the door, she drops a gift card for the coffee shop in front of me on the table and says, "Here! Get whatever you want!"  I'm blessed beyond words. 

Drew returns, we walk down the market street and find a good spot to play. I wear my daughter in a baby sling as we perform because it is the only way to get thru the songs with her content the whole time instead of screaming.  I lead a nursing home music ministry which I love and feel called to do but It was so fun to perform covers of up to date songs!  It felt exhilarating to see the smiles on people's faces as they stopped to listen to our music. 

 A young teenage man that we see playing guitar and singing quite well at the market stopped by our spot for a song or two. He had a great grin on his face as he listened. I gave him a wave and a shout and told him we were fans of his and he returned the complement by dropping a dollar in the guitar case.   I tried to return it because we had already enjoyed his music without dropping a dollar in so I felt we owed him but he waved and ran away.  To those who think all the youth today are lazy and entitled, I think that I found a young man who is neither!

 I'm fairly certain having Sophia in the show increased the amount of passersby who stopped to hear a whole song or two. Everyone smiled at the fact that I was singing while wearing my daughter. I could hear comments from the audience about how adorable she was.  We had a little tongue in cheek sign for the tips thrown in the guitar case that read "Sophia's college fund (if she wants)" I think people really responded to that.  One enthusiastic youth exclaimed as she threw in a dollar, "If my parents had done that I wouldn't be paying back $50,000 in student loans!" 

 At one point during the performance, I even put Sophia  under the nursing cover and fed her during a song.  Some friends came to see us as we played and some of their unpretentious kiddos danced their little hearts out. So joyful!  It was the funnest day I remember for a long time. 

Cherry cobbler protein bars

My brother blessed me with a bag of already pitted cherries and I had to figure out what to do with them expediently. I came up with this recipe up after getting comfortable with Jamie Eason's pumpkin protein bar recipe from bodybuilding.com.  I changed a lot of things to suit my liking and it turned out yummy!  I'm starting to get a hang of this gluten free baking thing!

Ingredients

1/4 cup truvia brand stevia (any sweetener you prefer)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 stick of melted butter 4 oz (or applesauce)

2 tsp cinnamon 

1 1/2 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

15 oz pitted cherries

2 cups oatmeal or oatmeal flour

2 scoops vanilla whey protein (I like nutrilite)

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular milk plus 2 tsp vanilla extract)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Grease a 9 X 13 Pyrex with lubricant of your choice (I use butter cause I'm not a fan of the unnatural cooking sprays.)

Combine first 10 ingredients and mix thoroughly. 

Add final 3 ingredients and mix well. 

Spread batter into baking dish. 

Bake for 30 minutes. 

#glutenfree #proteinbars