Homemaker Preparation

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Today I have felt so much better. Things have gone pretty smoothly today, and the kids fell asleep at the same time!! My husband and I have been talking about our plans for after his retirement, and I'm just choosing to have faith about our situation. I pray, pray, pray, that I don't have to return to teaching. I would be so depressed, but I'm choosing to have faith that it won't come to that.

Yesterday, I discovered a new blog, and it's so cute. It's called The Glamorous Life of a Housewife. I liked reading her blog, because she talks about how she has always wanted to be a housewife, although she is currently working full-time. I can relate to that so well. When I was a teacher, I would sit and daydream about the day of becoming a full time wife and mother, and I just couldn't wait.

Although, I wanted to be a homemaker, I definitely did not use my single days to prepare for being a wife and mother. If I could give any advice to young ladies considering becoming a housewife, I would tell her:

1. Think now about what skills you could use to start a home business, or figure out something that you can do to earn money from home. It's so much easier to devote time to that now, while you have the time, than when the kids are there. Whether it's freelance writing, or selling crafts, start now. Then, by the time you have a family, you already have income generating from your home business.

2. Stay out of debt. Whatever you do, try to stay out of debt. Before I got married, I had almost paid off all of my credit card debt. And, then I charged more trying to pay for my wedding, and buying items for our home and such. Instead of just waiting and saving. That's the way to go. WAIT until you have the money, then PURCHASE!!!

3. Cook as much as you can. Cook for your family and friends, host little get togethers, and polish your hosting skills. It will come in handy. Invest in ccokbboks, take cooking classes, glean recipes and cooking advice from women that you know are great cooks. If you need inspiration, try watching Bravo's Top Chef. I love that show, and it inspires me to cook well for my family.

4. Learn how to keep a clean, orderly home.

5. Take care of children. Offer to baby-sit your friend's kids, your relative's kids, etc.




6. Choose A HUSBAND WISELY!!! I can't stress this one enough. Don't become desperate or become consumed with a handsome face. Look at his character and work ethic. Pick his brain on things that are important to you. Would he support you being a housewife and staying home with the kids? Choose someone who will truly cherish you and love you. Go for the nice guy!

7. Of course, nurture your relationship with God. Use this time to serve God with all of your heart, to study His word, and seek a deeper relationship with Him. It will help you as you navigate through life's ups and downs. And, give you the wisdom to make good choices.

That's all that I can think of for right now. I think these seven things are some of the most important things to help you prepare for your career as a homemaker. I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting, but these stand out in my mind.

Have a happy Wednesday!!


Photos by Melinda Byers

Faith

So, today, I woke up early again, and completed a writing assignment. I was proud about that. Yeah, two days in a row!!

I was feeling kind of bummed a bit today, because my husband found out yesterday that he will be getting out of the military on disability. Now, on the one hand, I'm excited because we will be able to live close to our families. But, on the other hand, I'm kind of nervous. Well, quite a bit nervous, because this is not a good time to leave a secure job and try to find another one. I truly thrive on security. (Well, maybe I don't totally, since I did quit my job, knowing that I had debts to pay.) But, anyways, I'm kind of scared. I kind of like being a part of military life. There's guaranteed housing, paycheck, insurance. And, I like that.

My husband tells me to just trust him, that everything is going to work out fine. Now is the time for the whole wifely submission thing. Just trust your husband and submit to his leadership. Of course, that is much easier said than done. I keep thinking, "What if he doesn't find another job?" "How long would he go before he finds another one?" All kinds of thoughts are running through my head.

This morning, I thought to myself that I need to just trust God in this situation. He will provide. He has been doing just that so far. The God who has enabled me to find work from home to earn money, is the same God who will help my husband find a job. (I hope!!!) O me of little faith! :(

I have no choice but to trust in God at this time, and pray that everything will fall into place as it should. And, pray for my husband, that God leads him in the direction that he should go. The more I pray about it, the better I feel.

Feeling Accomplished

Although I'm not supposed to post about it until Thursday, I actually woke up early today and got most of my freelance work done!!!!!! I'm so excited!! This is the first time in a long time. Too long to even mention. But, I forced myself to wake up early, and I did it.

I set my clock for 6 a.m., but I turned it off and went back to sleep. (So, I didn't quite meet the goal, but it's close.) I got up at 6:55 and read from the Bible, freshened up, and tackled my writing assignments. I got all of them done except one, when my son woke up.

Talk about feeling accomplished! Now, I don't have to try to stay up late tonight to get it done. What did I do differently? Well, I laid my son down around 9:30 p.m. last night. And, of course Princess was wide awake. I told her(not that she could understand) that I was going to sleep at 10 p.m., whether she wanted to or not.

At 10:15 I got in bed, and nestled her next to me and tried to nurse her to sleep. But, she wasn't interested, so I just let her lay next to me on her back, and I watched her. But, . . . then I fell asleep. And, I know I had to fall asleep before she did. I woke up again around midnight, and she was just laying there sleeping peacefully.

I couldn't believe that I just went to sleep like that, and that she went on too, without fussing. Not sure if I'll try that method again tonight, but boy did I get some good sleep.

Hopefully, I will be able to get up early each day this week and get things accomplished like I need to. It really makes me more productive and efficient for the day.

*****Do you need a bit of inspiration to be a Happy Homemaker? Read this article for extra motivation to be a good wife and mother. I like what she has to say. Have a great day!

Miss America 2009

I enjoyed watching the Miss America pageant tonight. I enjoy watching pageants, and even competed in one a couple of years ago. Aside from the swimsuit competition, I think pageants are a great way for young women to develop confidence and communication skills.

Congratulations to the new Miss America, Katie Stam, a 22 year old communications student from Indiana. The first runner up was Chasity Hardman, Miss Georgia. I was rooting for Miss Georgia, because that's where I'm from, but Miss Indiana did a great job, too.



Katie Stam, Miss America 2009



Chasity Hardman, Miss Georgia, 1st Runner Up

Shabby Chic baby

I love Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic designs. There are so many cute and affordable items from her at Target, and I love purchasing items here and there. When I found out that I was having a daughter, I just knew that I would use Shabby Chic's baby bedding. I was so excited.

I just wanted to post some pictures of Princess's bedding, because I love looking at it. I love feminine and pretty things, and this is just right up my alley. I was changing her sheets and decided to take some pictures when I finished.







It's a beautiful Saturday today, and we're going to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the day. My son turned 16 months old today, and I want to let him get out and enjoy nature, because he just loves being outside. (What little kid doesn't?)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Get Paid to Write

If you are interested in freelance writing, and want to do it to earn money from home, here are some sites that you may be interested in:

1. Associated Content.

All you have to do is signup and you are ready to go. Articles must be at least 400 words and original, if you want upfront payment. Payments range from about $3-6 per article. Not a lot, I know, but the cash can add up if you write often. Plus, you earn $1.50/1000 page views. The more articles you write, the more page views you will ultimately end up having. Go to www.associatedcontent.com to get started.

2. Bright Hub

About a month ago I was accepted to write for them, and I haven't yet written anything. They pay $10 per article. I haven't written for them yet, because they have a limited number of articles to go around for the writers. But, if you're interested, go to www.brighthub.com .

3. Content Current

I like Content Current. You get paid to write articles and post to forums. The average pay per article is $4-6. Payday is every Monday into your Paypal account once you have earned at least $10. Go to www.contentcurrent.com if you want to apply.

These are just a few paying sites, and as I think of more, I will write about them. Associated Content and Content Current have been my favorite so far. How much you earn is up to how much you want to write and submit.

Have a Happy Friday!!!

Morning Schedule Update

My morning schedule is not going the way that I'd hoped. I just can't find the strength to wake up early. That is the main thing that I've wanted to accomplish with my morning routine, and I just haven't done it.

I know that my day would go a lot smoother if I would just wake up earlier than the kids. But, it's sooooo hard!!! My 4 month old likes to stay up late, and she usually goes down for the night around 11-11:30 p.m. I've tried to keep her awake more throughout the day, but she goes to sleep around 7pm and sleeps until around 9. Then she stays up until 11:30ish or so. And, it drives me crazy!!! I'm working on getting her to sleep earlier, like at least around 10 p.m. each night.

Then, on top of that, I go to bed late trying to finish up things that I need to do. Like, last night, I went to bed at 3 a.m. trying to finish some freelance work that I needed to get done. If I would just wake up early, I could tackle most of my work during that time, and feel so accomplished.

But, that rarely happens. I'm not going to give up, though. I will keep trying to keep princess up in the evening, so she can go to sleep earlier, and I will try to go to sleep at least by 11p.m. My goal is to start each day around 6 or 6:30. 6 would be ideal. Let's hope that I can do it!!!

Happy Birthday Mother!!!

Today is my mother's birthday. I am so grateful for her and all that she has done for me. She is such a role model for me. She's a great mother, and a fabulous homemaker. I aspire to cook like her, and be the homemaker that she is.

I hope to follow in her footsteps, in that she gave 100% to being the best mother that she could be. She became a stay at home mom when it was far from popular to do so. In fact, she fought through negative comments about what she was doing and forged ahead to raise her children the way she felt that they should be raised. After we became older, many of the same people that put her down for her choice, were the same people who praised her for what a great job she did with raising her children.

Mother's actions spoke much louder than her words ever could. I just want to thank her for her commitment and hard work. And, for being my best friend!!

I love you, Mom.

New First Lady

I am so excited about our new President, President Obama!!!! It's amazing that I have witnessed such a momentous and historical moment. I am also proud of our First Lady, Michelle Obama. She is our first Black First Lady. I am so excited about this accomplished couple being our leaders.

There is talk about how Michelle Obama has put a new face on being a stay at home mom. I don't think she has put a new face on it, per se, but just brought to light a population of homemakers who are not highlighted so much.

First, she's Black. Black stay at home moms are definitely not in the majority in the Black population. It's always ingrained into Black women to be strong and independent, which she is, but it's not encouraged or embraced for Black women to give up their careers and stay home with their children.

Second, she gave up a high powered career as an attorney. That is not particularly out of the norm, though. Many high achieving career women end up choosing home over career. I just think that it's great that our First Lady is focusing on her husband and children during this unprecedented and historical time in our history. And I applaud her for that.

Morning Routine

Thanks to Crystal at Biblicalwomanhood for posting about her morning routine, and finding the discipline to stick with it. I'm going to post mine and try to stick to it, so hopefully posting about it, and sharing it will motivate me even more to get up and do it.

Morning Routine:

Wake up at 6 a.m.
Read Bible/Meditate/Pray
Shower/Dress
6:30-6:45: Work on freelance writing assigments until children wake up- Which is usually around 9:30-10.

I find this so hard to do. Almost every day I set my alarm clock for 6 or 6:30, and every morning I usually turn it off and go back to sleep. When do I wake up? Whenever my son wakes up for the morning. Then, I have to do most of my work at night after the kids are asleep. And, the baby doesn't usually go to sleep until around 11:30/12. Then I work until around 3 a.m. But, working at night like that gets me frustrated if the baby is taking too long to go back to sleep. Or they wake up through the night, which stops me from my work.

Working in the mornings would mean no interruptions from them, because at that time of the morning they are knocked out. I mainly do household chores while they are up. While baby is in her swing and my son is playing, I do laundry, fold laundry, wash dishes, cook, etc. At different parts of the day of course.

Anyways, hopefully by posting my morning routine, I will actually have success accomplishing this.

Southern Belle

When I was in college, many of my friends were from the Northeast and other parts of the country. Southerners were a minority, even though I went to a school in Atlanta. People used to tell me all of the time about how I didn't talk southern. They were like, "You don't have an accent. You don't sound like you're from the South." But, I am. I guess I don't have a drawl, but people said I was a Southern belle anyway.

According to them I was a Southern Belle because it was important to me to look nice everywhere that I went, even if I was just going up the street to the store. I was astonished that people felt comfortable going out in public looking any kind of way. Sweatpants, no lipstick, hair uncombed, etc. I was like, dressing presentable makes me a Southern Belle? Interesting.

But, then they said it was just an air I had to myself. I guess Southern Belle's have an indescribable charm. :) Anyways, I've been enjoying so many blogs about all things southern, so I just wanted to post about it.

So far, my favorite southern girl blog is www.hersoutherncharm.blogspot.com . She's a former teacher like me, and right now she is a housewife. I think that it's absolutely charming that she decided to stop teaching to devote herself to being a wife. If you have time, check out her blog.

Typing away in the wee hours

It's almost 3 a.m., and I'm typing this blog post. Yes, it's been a little over a month since my last blog post, and this time, I'm determined that I won't let that happen again. I hate when blogs and websites that I enjoy visiting don't update for a while, so I will stop doing that.

I do enjoy blogging on this blog. During my time off, I have been learning more about income producing opportunities that I can partake in, and I have been dabbling in this and that. In the process I neglected this blog.

Here are pictures of my two precious peaches. They're growing fast.