Tag: mom

Deliciously easy weekday meals

Deliciously easy weekday meals

by Brittni Clarkson ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Making meal plans is easy.

Following through with them? Not so much.

When you’ve got a busy household your weekdays can get away from you and it’s time for dinner before you’ve finished your last cup of (now cold) coffee.

But making dinner doesn’t have to be hard, there’s so many deliciously easy meals out there. Here’s my favorite, super easy meals for busy nights.

Tuna Alfredo

Ingredients

  • 2 cans tuna
  • 16 oz fusilli noodles
  • 16 oz jar Alfredo sauce
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Spray 9×13 casserole dish with cooking oil
  3. Mix Alfredo and milk in a small bowl
  4. Pour a thin layer of milk mixture on bottom of pan
  5. Fill pan with noodles
  6. Add peas and tuna evenly across noodles
  7. Pour the remaining milk mixture on top
  8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until noodles are tender

Hamburger stroganoff

  • Ingredients
      • 1 pound ground beef
      16oz egg noodles
      2 cans cream of mushroom
      1 cup milk
      1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

    Method

    1. Brown the beef in a skillet
    2. Add in the mushrooms until cooked through
    3. Stir in the milk and cream of mushroom
    4. Add noodles and cook until tender

    Cheesy bacon wrapped chicken

    Ingredient

    • Chicken breast (I used 2 large ones)
    • Bacon (2 slices per breast)
    • 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice
    • 8 oz cream cheese
    • Optional: minced jalapeños

    Method

    1. Preheat oven to 350°
    2. Soften cream cheese if needed, mix in a boil with shredded cheese and jalapeños
    3. Halfway fillet the chicken, so you can stuff it with cheese
    4. Stuff with cheese
    5. Wrap with bacon
    6. Bake in a casserole dish for 40-45 minutes, until chicken reaches 165°

    Turkey cabbage stir fry

    Ingredients

    • 14 oz cole slaw mixed
    • 1 pound ground turkey
    • 2 TBS soy sauce
    • 1 Tsp ginger
    • 1 Tsp garlic
    • Optional: sriracha

    Method

    1. Brown the turkey in a skillet
    2. Add in garlic and ginger
    3. Stir in cole slaw and soy sauce
    4. Cook until cole slaw looks good
    5. Top with an appropriate amount of sriracha

    Taco Salad

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground beef
    • Taco seasoning
    • Spinach (2 cups per serving)
    • Tomato (1 per serving)
    • Avocado (1/2 per serving)
    • Shredded cheddar (1/2 cup per serving)
    • Tortilla chips
    • Sour cream
    • Salsa
    • Other options: olives, cilantro, corn, black beans

    Method

    1. Brown the beef in a skillet
    2. Add taco seasoning as per package instructions
    3. Chop or slice veggies as desired
    4. Layer your salad: tortilla, beef, cheese, spinach, tomato, avocado, other toppings, then sour cream and salsa

    Are you making fear based decisions?

    Are you making fear based decisions?

    by Brittni Clarkson ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

    Every day we make thousands of decisions, from what to have for breakfast, to where to send our children to school. Some decisions we don’t even realize we are making, and some take a lot of meditation, thought and prayer.

    How often do we stop to think WHERE our decisions are coming from? Are we making decisions out of fear or faith?

    Almost immediately after I gave birth to my second son, friends and family (and honestly, strangers too) have been asking if “we’re done” or if we plan on having more children. My response was always the same: “We want more, but not until both of these two are out of diapers. I’m afraid to risk three boys this close in age.”

    I was living on an automated decision based on fear. In the very moment I realized I was using the word “afraid” in my response, a switch flipped, instantly I had no reasoning to not have more children at a sooner time.

    What made me think I couldn’t handle three boys? Fear. My history with anxiety.

    How to tell if our decisions are fear based

    Some decisions we make after carefully weighing the pros and cons, others we make on impulse, even some we consult a close friend on.

    To discern whether or not your decisions have been based on fear we first have to look at your reasoning for the decision you made.

    Let’s take quitting a workout plan for example. I’d have to think WHY I gave it up. Was it too difficult, did I need a lower level program? Was it not right for my lifestyle or for my body?

    Did I quit because I was afraid to fail? Sometimes we give up on things before we can fail them. It’s like dropping a class in college because and INCOMPLETE looks a whole lot better for our GPA than a big fat F.

    Or did I quit because I was afraid to succeed? Sometimes we are so set in the ways of who we are right now, the idea of change is unsettling. We get close to the things we want and we get scared. What happens if I succeed at this?

    Fear continually seeps into our lives any way it can

    I’ll be honest, I gave up training for a half marathon three years in a row. I had an excuse every time: I had bad knees, the shin splints hurt, I got pregnant, I’d just had a baby a few months before. *This specific race also had a 5k walk/run option. At three months post part I’m I could have easily walked this as I was already back to regular physical activities but I let it be an excuse not to. I also could have walked it while 8 months pregnant two years before.

    Here I am training for that same race, determined to run the full 13 miles. And here I am trying to talk myself out of it again. I’ve already pushed past the shin splints, my knee hasn’t bothered me, my body has fully recovered from my last birth and no current pregnancy in sight. Yet here I am, talking myself out of the training. And why?

    I’m scared of the hard work and commitment. If I run my 20 minutes this week, I have to do 30 next week… the commitment keeps growing and it’s terrifying me. But because the decision to end my training would be 100% based on a silly fear, I will press on, however reluctantly.

    We have to move past the fears and the struggles. We have to push through. We have to keep moving forward.

    Sometimes fear based decisions are the smart decisions

    I do want to say, there is a level of healthy fear we should live our life with. Self preservation is important and we should definitely avoid situations that might physically injure us or kill us.

    Those are not the kinds of decisions I’m telling you to stop making. I want you to live our life to the fullest because you deserve that, and you can’t do that if you’re dead.

    How to stop making fear based decisions

    Put to death that voice that tells you you’re not good enough, smart enough, strong enough.

  • You are enough and when you start believing that, wonderful things begin to happen in your life.
      • Realize your decisions are fear centered. When we know the core thoughts and feelings at the center of our decisions we can better understand why we’ve made that decision.
      Weigh the danger. Ask what are you afraid of? If the fear has anything to do with you not being strong enough, smart enough or good enough, ditch that reasoning. You ARE enough, and whatever you do lack you can gain. If you need to be stronger, get stronger. If you need to be smarter, study up. You can do what you put your mind to!
      Decide to be brave. Courage and bravery are decisions that don’t come naturally to all of us. We have to make the decision to be brave and to turn from fear and go after what we want. Not because we aren’t afraid, but because we won’t let the fear stop us. Don’t let fear make your decisions for you.

    “Be strong and courageous!

    Do not be afraid or discouraged.

    For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

    Joshua 1:9 NLT

    Stop being a bad friend to yourself.

    Stop being a bad friend to yourself.

    by Brittni Clarkson ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

    Making friends as an adult is hard. We’re surrounded by so many lies that make us feel unworthy of friendship, and most of those lies are coming from ourselves.

    Take a minute and ask yourself: am I a good friend… to myself?

    Really think about it.

    Are you. A good friend. To yourself?

    How do you talk to yourself?

    What does your inner voice say to you? Does she constantly criticize you? Does she always have something negative to tell you about yourself?

    Don’t listen to her. Break up with that version of you. You literally don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.

    How would you talk to a friend in your situation? If your friend was trying to lose weight would you congratulate her for all her hard work, or would you tell her she hasn’t lost enough?

    Would you tell your friend she’s a bad mom for giving her kid chicken nuggets for dinner, or would you be understanding that she’s had a rough day and just needed to feed the kid something he would eat without a fight?

    Would you tell your friend that you still remember that dumb thing she said in front of the whole class freshman year, or would you have some grace and realize it’s not worth remembering?

    Can you count on yourself?

    How many times have you told your self you would do something and then flaked out for a lame excuse?

    If you had a friend that was always cancelling plans to watch Netflix or to waste time on Facebook, would you still want to be her friend?

    If you had a friend that was always giving up on her dreams, what would you say to her? If your friend wanted to run a marathon or start a business and gave it up with no real reason, what would you tell her?

    Do you make time for yourself?

    Would you want to be friends with someone who never prioritized spending time with you?

    Yeah, adults get busy and we just don’t have time for friends sometimes, but what if your friend had the exact same schedule as you? What if you KNEW she had the time to spend with you, but chose not to every single day?

    Then how would you feel about that friendship?

    10 things you can do to be a better friend to yourself.

    1. Start talking to yourself like you’d want to be talked to. Compliment yourself and move past those complaints. Turn your focus to the positive things about yourself and the negative voices won’t be so loud.
    2. Realize when your being mean to yourself. Stop the thoughts before they turn into feelings. Every time you find yourself tearing yourself down, stop and build yourself up immediately.
    3. Keep your promises. When you say you’re going to do something, do it. Whether it’s a diet, a work out program, a beauty regimen, journaling, starting a business, whatever, stick with it until it doesn’t make sense anymore.
    4. Remember it’s okay to change your mind, but it’s not okay to give up. It’s not breaking a promise to yourself if you decide what you’re doing isn’t right for you. But just stopping because it’s too hard, that’s not okay.
    5. Practice self care. Take time to intentionally be with yourself, take a walk or a bath or read a book. Do something that makes you happy on a regular basis.
    6. Treat yo self! Don’t be afraid to spoil yourself once in a while.
    7. Get to know yourself. Sit down in a quiet place and do some self reflection. Who even are you anymore? What are you like? What are your dreams and goals?
    8. Do yourself a favor and pay it forward – to yourself. Don’t procrastinate the little chores for tomorrow. Do them today, so you can thank yourself tomorrow.
    9. Invest in yourself. Invest your time and money to be the best version of yourself. Enroll in a course to help you where you’re struggling. Spend the time it takes to declutter or organize your home. Buy that self help book. Meal plan to save yourself time and stress later this week.
    10. Believe in yourself. Chase wholeheartedly after your wildest dreams. Believe you were created for more and that you are capable of fantastic things. Why not you?
    5 ways to simplify life with 2 kids under 2 years old.

    5 ways to simplify life with 2 kids under 2 years old.

    by Brittni Clarkson ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

    I’d like to introduce you to my boys. These guys fill my life with joy, and cause a lot of stress doing so. I’m so grateful to be their momma!

    Desmond is 2 and a half years old now and Dash will be a year old in June.

    If you’ve already got 2 under 2, I don’t have to tell you how hard this life is. I don’t have to tell you how absolutely rewarding it is either.

    For those who don’t know, caring for a toddler is like constantly cleaning up after a tornado, while it’s still happening. Babies aren’t much easier, it’s like having a gremlin that you’ve accidentally fed after midnight.

    This is scary business, raising sweet little monsters angels. It’s the most important and under appreciated job, and it’s yours! Congratulations.

    The good news is, there are lots of things we can do amidst the chaos to make this mom life easier. I’d like to share just a few of my best tips with you.

    1. Evening prep time

    Every night before we head to bed, my husband plays with our boys while I get the kitchen ready for the next day.

    I prep the coffee maker and program it to start before we get up, I make my husband’s lunch, and ensure that my kitchen is clean enough to make me feel excited to see it in the morning.

    I also do one super helpful thing. My youngest is on formula, and I use those formula to go containers every day. By pre-portioning the formula I never have to keep track of how many bottles he’s had that day. I can just look at how many sections are empty. Super easy!

    2. Ready to eat snacks

    Toddlers are bottomless pits. They will -loudly- demand a snack at the worst moments, like when the baby finally goes down for a nap. Having quick and healthy snacks on hand has been a big help around our house.

    Desmond now goes to the fridge and can get his own apple sauce or cheese stick when I’m wrist deep in a diaper change, or he can grab fruit or a bag of Veggie Straws off the counter.

    3. Car go-bags

    The absolute worst situation to put yourself in as a parent is to be unprepared while out of the house. Too many times I’ve found myself without enough diapers, or a change of clothes, that’s why I always keep a bag in the car for each boy.

    I like to use those little wet bags for cloth diapers, or a gallon size ziplock works well too. I do a bag for each boy for a specific reason: I often leave one with my mom or send one with my husband. When I do this it’s so much easier to have two separate bags. I can also throw both bags into a large diaper bag for family day trips.

    In each bag I always keep:

    2-3 diapers

    Wipes

    Spare change of clothes (usually PJs)

    Socks

    Larabars or Veggie Straws

    *in my baby’s bag I also keep enough formula for a single bottle.

    4. Get your toddler involved

    My first instinct was always to send Desmond out of the room when I’m cooking or cleaning. I’m so glad I didn’t follow that thought.

    I’ve got my 2 year old involved with cleaning, and now we cleans his own spills, puts away his toys when asked (most of the time), and even is in charge of vacuuming downstairs.

    Okay, he doesn’t really vacuum. He does turn on the Roomba though, and that’s a big help. If you’ve got hard floors, I highly suggest investing in an automatic vacuum like a Roomba. It’s greatly cut down on how often I have to sweep.

    5. Individual quality time

    It’s so important that your children feel loved and special. They don’t understand that every thing we do is for them. They don’t get that we can love both of them all the time. That’s why is so important to find just a few moments each day to make them each feel like they are your number one.

    I love when Dash naps and I get to snuggle with my toddler. He lights up when he sees me alone sitting on the couch, asking him to “come snuggle.” He doesn’t always nap anymore, so we have quiet time where we sit and watch a movie together.

    Most mornings my toddler will sleep in, and Dash will wake up first so we get some time together, just us. These are the moments I treasure most. I get to be their favorite person and see this gleam in their eyes when we have special times like these.

    It doesn’t have to be hard to find times like these, we just have to be intentional about it. Set our phones down and focus all our attention for just a few minutes on one child and see how their behavior changes.

    What things do you to make mom life easier?

    How do your kids help out?

    How do you spend quality time with them?

    How to stop hating housework.

    How to stop hating housework.

    by Brittni Clarkson ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

    I hated cleaning most of my life, you can ask my mom. I gave her such a hard time when it was time for chores, I always had a headache.

    At the time, I didn’t understand why I got headaches so conveniently when asked to sweep the kitchen. My mom always thought I was faking.

    Turns out I was giving myself headaches. I hated cleaning so much, the stress would boil up inside me and cause a tension headache.

    This hatred stuck with me into adulthood, into motherhood. I never liked to load dishes, fold laundry, clean toilets or mop. And because I didn’t like it, I didn’t these things as often as they need to be done, which inevitably resulted in my house being a disgusting garbage pit all the time.

    Clear Out The Clutter

    I’m just gonna say it: cleaning sucks and I never want to do more than the bare minimum.

    You know happens when we have more stuff than we need? We have to clean more stuff than we need to.

    Don’t like doing dishes? Don’t have more dishes than you’re will to wash daily. If you have 4 plates per person, you’re going to use ALL of those before you clean them.

    If you only have 1 dish per person, you’ll never have to clean more than that. You’ll be forced to wash them as you need them, but never have a chance to let them build up.

    Doesn’t that life sound lovely? Only ever having enough dishes to fill your dishwasher once. Never having a mountain of dirty dishes that require three wash cycles? Imagine the free time you’d have. Imagine how much less time you would have to spend thinking about those dishes.

    Cleaning gets so much easier when we have less to clean. The stress level goes down and confidence rises.

    I can clean my house. It’s not too much. I am not overwhelmed.

    I want you to be able to say those things, too.

    Use Purposeful Products.

    I used to use a lot of dollar store cleaning products that were full of harsh chemicals that just didn’t work. The strong odors made my chore related headaches worse. These products’ power were not as potent as their smells and required a lot of elbow grease, which I just didn’t have. I was always frustrated.

    A good friend finally convinced me to try essential oils for cleaning and that changed everything. The oils were far more potent and did an incredibly job at tackling these ancient messes that nothing else could touch.

    The best part: they smelled better! Aromatherapy has some major impacts on our mood. Citrus oils have a mean cleaning punch to them, but they are also uplifting and energizing. The last thing I usually feel when cleaning is energized, but thanks to aromatherapy I was feeling it.

    Get Into a Routine

    Once you get your house clean, the worst feeling is letting it get out of control again. The best way to avoid this is to stay on top of it all, all the time and that doesn’t have to be a ton of work.

    It takes some getting used to, but when you develop habits that help you clean as you go about your day, most of your chores will get done without much thought.

    I always try to start a load of laundry before I pour myself a cup of coffee in the morning, this ensures that I will wash a load for the day and avoid piles of unwashed clothes that turn into a mountain of laundry to fold later. This one load I start in the morning I will dry around lunch time and fold before dinner. I either put it away before bed, or first thing the next morning while the kids are still asleep.

    I also like to clear my kitchen counters and empty the sink every night while I pack my husband’s lunch and program the coffee maker for the morning. This way I get to walk into a clean kitchen in the morning with fresh coffee waiting for me, and there’s hardly a better feeling than that.

    Because I know the kitchen will need to be cleaned up in the evening, it helps to motivate me to keep it clean throughout the day. One incredibly valuable thing my mother taught me was to “clean as I go” when I’m cooking. This means rinsing mixing bowls immediately after use and putting ingredients away as soon as I’m done with them. I avoid a huge intimidating mess at the end by doing this.

    Know Your “Why.”

    Motivation and mindset are huge players in this game. If you don’t know why you’re doing something, it can be pretty hard to find the strength to do it at times.

    It helps to focus in on why having a clean home is important to you.

    I like to keep a clean home so I can have guests over without stress, because my family deserves to not live in a sty, and because I know God has called me to at least have this area of life semi put together.

    The Proverbs 31 woman is my role model for being the best wife, mother, and woman I possibly can be.

    How Do I End the Hatred of Cleaning my House?

    1. Declutter your hot spots. For me this was laundry and dishes. Thoroughly go through your spaces and ask of every item “is this serving me?” If it’s causing you more stress than it’s relieving, get rid of it. If you have multiple appliances, pare it down to one of each type. (I traded in 3 different appliances for an Express Cooker, that’s a lot of freed up space in my cupboards!).

  • Need help decluttering? Check out Decluttering 101

    • 2. Rethink your products. Declutter and organize your cleaning tools and products. It does a lot for your motivation to get excited to use your cleaning supplies. Don’t be afraid to invest in a new broom if that’s what will help you.

    If you’re interested in switching to oils for cleaning and aromatherapy, click here.

    3. Create a routine to keep on track. Think about what things are nonnegotiable tasks that need done daily. List these things out and find specific times of day or other tasks that are done daily (like meal times) that you can connect these chores with.

    Want some more info on creating habits? Check this out.

    4. Determine your motivation. Why is it important for you to have a clean home in the first place? Do you like to have company over? Does it make you feel more comfortable? Does it ease anxiety? Do you do it because your children and husband deserve it? Has God called you to have a clean home, to be hospitable at any moment?

    Have you overcome your hatred for cleaning? How did you do it? Let me know in the comments!

    Did this article help you? Leave me a note below.

    Don’t forget about your friends! Do you know someone who might benefit from this post? Share the love and repost to your Facebook or Pinterest!

    How do we keep our kids from being our only focus, without feeling guilty about it?

    How do we keep our kids from being our only focus, without feeling guilty about it?

    by Brittni Clarkson ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

    When we become parents, we often fall into a trap. We decide our children are the most important things in our lives, we make them our priority, we start to idolize them and everything we do is for them. We stop putting effort into our marriage, we stop taking care of ourselves, and some of us lose sight of our purpose.

    Kids are terrific. I love my kids more than anyone else ever could. I want them to have the best life they possibly can.

    It’s a paradox of parenthood: the most important thing in our lives, can’t be our top priority.

    As much as I love my children, I know the best thing for them is not to give them every bit of me until I’ve got nothing left to give to my husband or myself.

    Striving for a healthy marriage.

    If a kid can grow up in a two parent home, where both parents actually love each other, that’s one of the best gifts we can give them. I want for my boys to grow up seeing how a man should treat a women and believing that love can last a lifetime. I didn’t get to grow up seeing a loving and functional marriage, neither did my husband, that’s why a healthy marriage is priority: to give our children that gift we missed out on.

    We strive to always make time for one another. We schedule semi regular date nights, and are intentional with the time we spend together. A marriage will not work if you don’t take time to make it work.

    Take care of yourself.

    You can’t pour from an empty cup.

    We can’t fully be there for our kids if we’re not taking care of ourselves. Our precious children take a lot out of us, though their sweet smiles fill our cup, most of our day involves our cups being drained for them.

    Diaper changes, feeding them meals, keeping them from dying, it’s all very busy work. In order to show up for them and be our best for them, we need to care of ourselves.

    An umbrella of protection.

    ‬‬

    “He is before all things, and I’m Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

    I believe that when we place our faith in God he proves protection for us. There’s this umbrella of protection where God provides and cares for the husband, the husband provides and cares for the wife, and the wife provides and cares for the children.

    Where does the home fall?

    Caring for your home, house work, chores. Where does this one fall in our priority scale?

    Your house is most definitely not more important than your children. At the same time, it’s pretty important for your children to have a safe shelter.

    Sometimes the house will come first, because you need to have one and it needs to be a certain level of clean. Mold is dangerous. Piles of dishes on the counter can get to a point where they are a safety concern. Your children do deserve to live in a well maintained home.

    None of this means your house needs to be spotless for you to enjoy time with your children. Sometimes for a short season, the house gets so out of hand it needs to be priority until it’s under control.

    How can we live so our children aren’t our priority, but are still most important?

    Remember your motivation. You need to take time away from them, FOR them. They need to see their mom shining at her very best.

    Practice self care. Take regular time for yourself, even if it’s just 15 minutes to shower when your husband gets home to watch the kids, or 15 minutes to journal before bed. Find something that fills your cup every day, and do it.

    Regular date nights. Make your husband a priority for even just a few hours. Get a sitter, go out, don’t talk about the kids. Fill each other’s cups, build your marriage.

    Have routines for chores. Keep your home (mostly) clean by having a routine for when you do certain important chores. Always wash plates after a meal, do one load of laundry per day. Think small bite size jobs that can be done regularly throughout the day so you don’t get overwhelmed.

    Maintain a budget. The best way to keep a roof over your head is to always know where your money is going, and to know when it’s time to take steps to either make more money or downsize your payment.

    Devotion and prayer. Make it a priority to have devotional time and read your Bible first thing in the morning. This is best done in the quiet before the kids wake up, but sometimes it’s done with screaming kids in the background who can’t figure out how to share a toy.

    Being a ‘Hot Mess’ is NOT a Job Requirement for Motherhood

    Being a ‘Hot Mess’ is NOT a Job Requirement for Motherhood

    by Brittni Clarkson ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

    There’s a number of lies I was told by society.

    The lie that hurt my joy most was this:

    Being a hot mess is just part of being a mom to young children.

    I believed that ALL women in the same season as me were handling it the same way. I thought we were supposed to be be behind on chores, always running late and dependent on caffeine because that meant we were too focused on our kids to care about anything else.

    I was so fooled by this lie, I didn’t see it was an excuse to be lazy, unreliable and unkempt.

    I recently read an article posted on Portland Mom’s Blog called “Why I’m Not a Hot Mess, and Neither are You.”

    There is a season of your life where things may seem like a mess, but only because you’re going through so much all at once. And if that’s you, THAT’S OKAY!

    It’s totally fine to not have it all together when you have a newborn, you’re changing careers, you’re in school, you’re starting a business, or whatever else. On behalf of the mothering community, you have our permission to not “get it all done.”

    Here’s where I disagree with the article: I was a hot mess.

    I really, really was. And it had been going on a very long time. I never liked to clean, and I wasn’t good at keeping up on dishes and laundry. I don’t mean that I had dishes in my sink or that I’d consistently forget wet clothes in the washer.

    My house was a disaster:

    • I couldn’t cook because I had no clean pans
    • I couldn’t wash my pans because my sink was full of dishes
    • I couldn’t put the dishes in the washer because it was full of mostly clean dishes
    • I couldn’t put those dishes away because most were dirty since I didn’t rinse them first and now there’s a bunch of yuck clogging up my dishwasher

    Also:

    • I had 5 loads of laundry that needed washed
    • I had no baskets to put them in since the baskets were all full of clothes that still needed folded from last time I did laundry
    • My husband was out of clean work clothes
    • I had a bag of stinking clothes diapers that needed cleaned, too

    And:

    • The dog needs a bath, but I can’t use the sink
    • The fridge needs cleaned out because something stinks in there, but again I can’t get to the garbage disposal
    • The cat litter needs cleaned
    • There’s nothing for dinner
    • My toddler needs a snack, again

    And that was my life EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

    You see how I had no time for myself? I was on a hamster wheel, chasing my to do list. I had all these things that always needed to get done, and I had zero motivation to do them. I was lazy, right?

    Then something changed.

    I forgot what society had to say about moms, and I was reminded what God had to say.

    “John 10:10 says that we are called to abundant life, and mothers are no exception.”

    -Allie Casazza (The Purpose Show)

    I wasn’t lazy. I was overwhelmed. There was just so much to do, that I didn’t want to do any of it. It fed my anxiety. I had a low self image because I was ‘failing’ at my wifely duties, which lead to depression. I began to see myself differently.

    Being a hot mess, I was NOT living abundantly. I was not living life on purpose. I was aimlessly living the same, unfulfilling day over and over.

    I got inspired: if we’re called to abundant life, what does that look like?

    • Not worrying about a sink full of dishes
    • Not having a mountain of laundry to wash and fold
    • Knowing what’s for dinner every day and that I have everything I need for that dinner, too
    • Enjoying time with my kids, playing with them, snuggling them and not feeling guilty about a mess waiting for me
    • Having company over and not feeling embarrassed about the mess
    • Spending quality time with my husband, instead of endless chores

    I had a new hope.

    I joined Allie Casazza in her #DeclutterLikeAMother challenge. It was a month of intense, focused decluttering my home. I threw out boxes of toiletries I’d brought with me when we moved 6 months before and never even unpacked, I donated clothes and blankets, I stopped storing appliances on my countertops.

    A huge weight was lifted. I felt like I could breath as I walked into my kitchen to see it clean, over and over again. I can handle my dishes because there aren’t as many. I have the time to fold my laundry as it comes out of the dryer.

    Not having to chase that constant chore list means that I have TIME to get ahead on other things. I have the time to meal plan and to prep snacks for the kids. I have energy to pack my husband a lunch for work. I have the time to take care of myself, too! Showering is so important.

    I’m not pouring from an empty cup anymore.

    We all fall behind from time to time. We get into seasons of overwhelm, that’s part of life.

    But if you’re living in a constant state of overwhelm and anxiety, life has a lot more to offer you. Fulfillment and overwhelm cannot live in the same space.

    Are you ready to break free from the hamster wheel?