After some thinking, I realize there are more positives to the recession.  Another plus is that we’re eating out less.  We seem to be known for our lack of time in the kitchen, quest for easy meals and prepackaged foods, and fast food fixes.  After all, Americans do suffer with obesity problems. 

When you cook your own meals at home, you spend more time with your family.  You allow time for the family to sit around the table relaxing, eating, and talking.  There isn’t a rush to get in a restaurant, the wait to be seated, and if you have little kids (like I do) there isn’t the worry about inappropriate behavior in public.  Eating at home  is healthier for you. You have a choice about what you prepare and there are no surprises about the fat and sugar that is going into the meals.  Eating at home also opens opportunities to allow the kids to help with meal planning and preparing foods with you.  It’s a great time for kids to learn and converse with their parents.

What positives have you found from this recession?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

At the school where I teach there is a closet where the teachers keep their art & craft supplies.  That closet has been a major irritation to me since I started working there.  Thankfully, that is no longer the case.  Last weekend my parents were visiting us so I took my dad to work with me.  We spent about 3 hours organizing the closet.  Now each item is organized neatly into a box that is clearly label.  It is nice to walk into the closet now and see signs for wiggle eyes, chenille stems, pony beads, feathers, and so forth.

Also this month I have tackled the pile station in my house – the kitchen counter.  I know, I told you about this one the other day.  Thankfully I spent several hours shredding, filing, and recycling papers.  The counter is not completely cleaned off now, but it looks so much better now.I like Maricar’s take on the matter of organization.  I agree with her.  We cannot do everything and be a good mom to our kids.  Sometimes things cannot always be the way we want them to be.  I cannot live my life being stressed out all the time because of the way my house looks.  I just have to deal with as much as I can and teach my kids some responsibility along the way.

I cannot advocate messiness and will always strive for some semblance of order in my house. But I also see the pitfalls of being obsessed with neatness. Mine is a 3-person job. Two little kids in the house, meals to prepare, bathrooms to clean, laundry to wash, and toys to put away every single day. At this point in my life, striving for neatness is causing me some amount of stress, and I never get there anyway. I want a clean house. I want neat closets. But, until the kids are older, I’d probably have to shelve such aspirations.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Click the link below if you are having problems reading the small print.  Enjoy! 

1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal — on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

3. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

4. Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

6. Some Don’ts: Don’t greet him with problems or complaints. Don’t complain if he’s late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

7. Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

10. The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

How do we create that haven?  I think we need to surround ourselves with things that are important to us, that have an emotional resonance. This can be providing fragrance in the home. It can be having flowers in the home. It can be surrounding yourself with whatever you feel is beautiful. You may want to put out your own creations,and those creations of your family. I still keep pictures drawn by my Grandchildren on my fridge with magnets. It may not be something a decorator would recommend, but it helps me to feel closer to them.

I love plants in my home. I do keep some silk ones for places where there’s not enough light for real ones to grow, but I also keep several live plants that have meaning to me. These are plants that were given me for my Mother’s and Father’s funerals. I noticed how much Mom enjoyed the planter that she received at Dad’s death and how it had survived and grown enough to need repotting. Now I also have 2 beautiful baskets given to me for my Mom’s funeral not quite a year ago. Keeping those plants healthy and displaying them along with Dad’s have given me comfort and added to the ambience of my home. 

How do you create a warm and loving environment in your home?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy