Frogs, shoes, beds and aprons.

How do you start out your day? In my quest to become a more successful homemaker I am exploring it all. Here are a few things I have come across in my search. Basically, the idea is the same behind it all.

Eat your frog! Look at that cute little guy. Can't you just imagine swallowing him whole? Yuck, no. So, you need to start out your day doing your least favorite job. Eat your frog first thing and everything after that is a bonus.


Get dressed! Whether you are going out for the day or staying in, get dressed. And that means right down to your shoes. Put them on and lace them up. You are ready to go. Personally I prefer a sensible pair of heels to sneakers, but whatever floats your boat. :)




Make your bed as soon as you get out of it. Don't put it off and don't ignore that chore as being unimportant. Along these same lines, clean your sink before bed. Wake up and made your bed and have a sparkly clean sink at the end of
the day.


I have tried it all in an effort to motivate myself to have an extremely productive day. Through trial and error I think I have found what works best for me. I put my apron on. The other day I was chatting on the phone with a friend and mentioned putting my apron on. She knows me well and started laughing, saying "watch out, Mandy's getting busy!"

Bon Jovi

I can now seriously cross something off my bucketlist. I saw Bon Jovi live! I could listen to them all day every day and be deliriously happy. They are not just one of my all time favorite bands, they have been one of my most favorites for a long time.

In the first picture, that is Jon singing Bed or Roses. He was singing right to me. I swear. My friends even saw him point in my general direction. Never mind that I was in the farthest seat away from the stage in the arena. He was singing to me. *sigh*

This next picture was taken during the same set. This was the time he was in the audience. The rest of the time he was dancing that good lookin' bod of his around the stage with the rest of the band, including Richie Sambora.





Thanks to Summer, Jenn, Mike and Kristin (both not pictured) I got to see them perform Wednesday night! So my brain has been pretty much mush while I come to terms with the awesomeness of this. That's my update. :)

Today is the official launch of my part in the Snyder's declutter challenge. I have several areas prepared for this weekend, depending on how well things go. Tomorrow is Z-man's birthday party so I have to have the house looking somewhat presentable. I don't want to get too optomistic, so I will keep it real and start with one area.


The childrens' books. They have lots and lots of books. I am mostly pleased with this, but have been thinking in terms of decluttering. Do you remember my post about twaddle free literature. My kids are blessed to have a lot of cherishable stories to jump right into. I do believe, in that mess of paper and binding, that there a more than a few twaddle full books as well. I am not just going to find a neat and tidy spot for the books, I am also going to sort through them. I have never been one to part with my beloved books, but I think I need to be ruthless when it comes to this messy corner of our home.

Now I'm going to go charge up with some fresh grapefruit and toast and then get to work!

http://www.thesnyder5.com/2010/01/500-pound-declutter-great-declutter.html

You know I was just talking about my declutter project yesterday. I need to be accountable. And then what do I find?! This great declutter challene from the Snyder family! Not only are they on a major decluttering challenge, they weigh in. Their goal over there is 500 pounds of clutter to get rid of. Already over 300 pounds, I think they are well on their way. So here I am, joining their challenge. This is a great challenge and I encourage any of you who are reading to participate.

For my first area of challenge I am going go retroactive. Sure, some might call it cheating, but I don't see the need to throw ugly words around. :) At the end of last week I decided to switch my bookshelf and computer desk. I wanted the desk, and internet, in a more public place. And the bookshelf...oh my! The kids destroyed it on a daily basis, leaving books and papers scattered all over the floor.



Look at me! I was so proud of being all burly and moving the furniture that I had to show this off. I moved that sucker a couple of feet! The Hubby moved it across the house, but I moved it a couple of feet! I know, I'm just awesome like that. :) The books are all put nicely back on the bookshelf in my bedroom. Sorry, forgot to take a picture of that. The desk and computer is all put back together and functional. I am so glad I made this switch.

Next up...the kids' books...

My mission.

I am strong. I am smart. I am willing. I am capable. I will succeed.

Another fad diet. Another New Year's resolution that we give up on. Another failure. Right? Wrong! I am a born clutter bug. I have the hardest time making sure everything is put away in it's rightful spot, if it even has one. It's like that part of my brain is missing. We have always had a messy home. Now I don't mean that something is going to reach up and grab you when you sit down to pee messy. Someone recently pointed out to me that clean and tidy are different things. So just to clarify...there is no danger of the dust bunnies eating you at my house. Throughout my 10 years as a homemaker, I have always battled the clutter. I want things put away. I want things nice and tidy and pleasant to look at. I want a peaceful and calm atmosphere to my home for my family to enjoy. Instead, we live in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). Have you ever met the Flylady? If you are like me and live in CHAOS, she is a great place to start. I am determined to get this homemaking thing right. I try and try to organize and reorganize, but with little to no lasting effects. This time will be different! This time I am approaching this as a lifestyle change. I need to live differently to pull this off. And with four kids tearing up the house on top of my clutter problem, I need to pull this off. I am putting myself out there. I am being accountable to you. Who knows, there could be hundreds of readers checking on my progress daily?! LOL..*snort* So today's post is to just let you know to expect more updates on my progress. I will triumph!

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm not much of a celebrator of Valentine's Day. I don't exactly have anything against it, but it's not up on my list of favorite holidays. Nevertheless, I would like to take a moment to reflect...

I love my husband. 12 1/2 years together and 10 1/2 of those married has brought a lot of ups and downs. For better or worse, he is my other half. I love you, baby.

I love my kids. Most of the time I am figuratively drowning in complaining and messes to clean up. It doesn't matter though, not when I get those hugs and smiles and "I wuv you"'s. I L.O.V.E. my kiddos!

I love my family. I am so very fortunate to have many supportive family members. They say you can pick your nose and pick your friends but you can't pick your family. Even if I could, I wouldn't want anyone different.

I love my friends. My friends are some of the most amazing women and men that I could ever imagine sharing my life with.

Ok, I got my warm fuzzies out. Now...who do you love?

Honorable mention giveaways.

There are two more very readable blogs involved in the Simple Media launch. They are also hosting some great giveaways.

First up I would like to mention Simple Homeschool for all of you committed homeschooling moms and dads out there. I am loving these prizes too, but I have not entered to win as I do not currently homeschool. It is definitely worth checking out for the prizes and for the excellent resource that it is, too.

Next up is Simple Marriage. Again, I think this blog is worth subscribing too! I have entered to win for these giveaways. There is a $50 giftcard to Victoria's Secret, a free 1 year subscription to Pear Budget, and a couple's game called A Private Affair: The Erotic Game of Secrets, Plans and Promises for Couples. The fun doesn't stop there but continues with a copy of the author of the blog's book, A Simple Marriage and also a book called Sweeping Her Off Her Feet With Food by Eric Lee.