Welcome and Blessings!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I have named this blog "Running to the Cross" because that is what I often find myself doing...running to be with my Lord Jesus! I often cover many aspects of life on my blog, as it is my journal. I used to write things down in all sorts of notebooks, but my writings would soon be lost. So I decided that it was time to start a blog and share my thoughts and ideas with others. Many topics you will find here are prayers, homemaking and organization, children and pregnancy, funny stories, and the challenges of parenting and motherhood. If you enjoy my blog and leave me a comment, you are likely to have me visit! I love meeting others and gleaning from the lives of others. May you be blessed! Your friend in Christ, Heather

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Things to get done before baby's arrival...

I am sooo overwhelmed right now with the things that I must do before this baby arrives that I thought that maybe sharing what I am experiencing right now would possibly ease a little of my tension. I would also ask that as you read through my list that you would remember me (and my family) in your prayers as we try to tackle this list (by God's grace) and prepare for a new addition in our home...

1) Spend time each day in the Bible and prayer... I really need to work on this!!!

2) Clean my home from top to bottom (yes, really!). I am expecting company shortly after our baby's arrival and I will not be doing much after the delivery. I really desire to have a clean, comfortable, and inviting home for them to stay in (and this is what my husband wants). Unfortunately, as I have browsed other's cleaning plans, they just don't work for me. I can't clean my home in a day's time, and not even in a week's time (I don't think).

We have a very large home to clean (we don't own it), not including the basement which is a project in itself. If you were to do a walk through my home, you would start at the mudroom, then kitchen (off the kitchen is the office and screened in porch), leaving the kitchen you enter the hallway, living room, and bathroom. Then, to go upstairs you leave the living room and enter the hallway(again) which houses the stairs, and come to another hallway. On the right is the bathroom, linen closet, guest room, turn corner and you have boy's room, then girl's room. You turn around and walk back down the girls hallway to our room (walking toward the stairs) on the right (just opposite of the guest room).

I have posted a few cleaning lists and they work, for a short time, but I am still struggling to get it all done. At this point and time, I am just looking for a way to get my body to obey the command to "get up and work" while chasing a very busy toddler, and guiding my older children as they do a few jobs themselves, all the while reminding them that our new puppy does not need to go out every 5 minutes....

3) Plan a menu for the next 2 months, this is an easy one for me as I have no problem figuring out what to fix. We buy in bulk, cases of food (literally) so my freezer is stocked. We also have deer meat that we can grind for tacos and such.

4) Plant my garden. I have planted my onions, I have tomatoes & peppers growing slowly in my mudroom, and I have planted a few potatoes but I have several more yet to plant. My "main" garden is ready for the tomatoes, peppers, squash and herbs (I also have another herb garden, but will plant herbs in my main garden in hopes to keep the deer out), but I have not yet gotten the other garden plots ready for the tender crops like beans, lettuce, peas, radishes, carrots, and other things... I know that many of these things need to be planted now, but with the rain that we have had it is literally impossible. Thankfully, we got a Mantis rototiller this year that I can use, as well as my boys... we got a really good deal because the place we got it from couldn't get it started!!! All it was was a lose spark plug!!!

5) Finish up homeschooling... We have another portfolio review coming up in May, so I must get the portfolios done and ready for that time.

6) Make my girls some more dresses (play dresses) as they have most certainly worn out about everything they have except church dresses, and a couple others. You see, I refuse to buy something that I already have the fabric for and my dresses take very little "time" considering the time I would take to look for more. I will also try to take pictures as I go, and post them eventually.

So I guess what I am looking for is a way to get up before everyone else does to spend time with God, clean my home totally and completely while chasing a toddler and getting my children to finish the tasks they have been given, homeschool, prepare meals & make all the bread we eat, get my menu planned, till and plant my gardens, and sew all at the same time!!!! Any suggestions? Remember, I also need my sleep or I am not good for the next day. And I can't be stressed too much or I end up with a migraine and another day lost.

Am I crazy for having so much to do? How did I get so behind? Where is Mary Poppins when I need her? (O;

I am going to put these things before God in prayer and aim to redeem the time. You will probably not see too much from me for the next couple of months as I will be busy. Please, when you think of me, say a prayer for strength, productivity and patience for the unexpected.

And all of this has to be done before my 9 weeks or whatever the time the baby comes is up.

Prayerfully,
Heather

1 comment:

BellaMama said...

Blessings to you dear sis!!
I wish I could just stop by and help you for a day (or two) while you put your feet up and spent time with the babies!

I find that giving every last detail to God and believing that HE is able to give me the wisdom and strength makes everyday run more smoothly with getting so much more accomplished!

"Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established."
Proverb 16:3

I found FlyLady to be helpful, though I haven't yet gotten past the "shining sink". I've always emphasized how much the children help when they do their chores or just do something spontaneous. Praising them encourages them to do more for more praise. Also, not getting upset that their help may not be perfect as if I did it, but it is much more than leaving it until I get to it. Just move on to the next thing.
I also will tell the children how much I have to do in a day, listing many things and I may ask if anyone would like to help me with a specific task. The toddlers love to have an important job just like the older ones, and with much praise the job is done with mama and there is less running after that one!

I hope this will help. Do get enough to eat with plenty of water!! I had to cut out completely chocolate and coffee (even though we don't have sugar anyway, these were rare treats) because I'd be more tired in the day and wake up sore and exhausted. It took several days to get used to not having these, but it was worth the effort!! I have more energy than I have had since having children.
Waking and meditating on a verse or singing a scripture based song helps much also. It gets my perspective off of me and into more of a servant attitude. I serve the Lord everyday-I should have a matching worshipful attitude. Bad days are less and less. Slow motion and brain fog days are less and less.

Praying for you always!!