Category Archives: Sacred Mundane

To “get set” in a race means positioning yourself into the starting blocks.  It’s getting your entire body in ready position so you can get a strong start to the race. I think this is a fairly obvious analogy to the Christian life, right? We all know that we should “get set” and fix our eyes on the goal. But perhaps where we get confused is …

What is the goal? 

See, can you imagine how ridiculous it would be if an Olympic track runner went out and set up his blocks facing sideways?

What if he set them up so that he was running in the wrong direction? 

See, someone can be a great athlete. They can train their entire life, for hours a day. They can qualify for the Olympics. They can be sincere. They can have all the right motivations and give their heart and soul to competing in this race … but if the blocks are set in the wrong direction, they won’t win the race. In fact, they won’t even be part of the event.

See, my greatest fear in life isn’t that I’ll fail. My greatest fear is that I’ll succeed at things that don’t matter.

That is, that I’ll spend my life racing in the wrong direction. 

I might be the fastest runner in the pack. I might train the most. Might build up my endurance more than anyone. But if I run in the wrong direction, there is no point.

Earlier this week I was fretting about something. Praying about it. Talking to God about my goals and desires regarding it. And then He interrupted me (Yes, I wasn’t listening so He actually had to interrupt me.) His words: “Kari, is that my goal for you?”

Silence.

See, friends, there are a million great things we can do. But in what direction do we need to set our blocks? On what do we set our minds? Each and every morning, when we rise and meet the day, on what should we set our minds? Colossians 3 tells us:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Our track blocks must be set in the right direction. As long as our aims are on earthly things — no matter how good and noble those things are — they will always fall short. If we use worldly methods and have worldly goals, we will never establish God’s upside down Kingdom here on earth. We can make a lot of noise, gather a lot of people, build great programs, but are we fixing our minds on things eternal? Are we making disciples? Are we spreading the gospel? Are we preaching hope? Are we loving people? Are we falling more and more in love with Jesus every single day?  A good question for us would be, concerning any particular goal or aim:

Someday, when I wake up in glory and see my Creator face-to-face, will I be glad I pursued this thing?

Things above. My heart is so prone to wander to shallow, surface, temporal, worldly things. I pray He will give us a greater and greater desire to pursue eternal things. We must set our blocks in the right direction. 

On things above. 

Thanks for reading.

I hated running track in high school.

I mean, I loved it and hated it. I loved it because I enjoyed running, and liked the the team. (Actually that’s not true; I just liked one boy on the team.)  But I hated it because the pressure of doing an individual sport was so intense it practically made me sick at every track meet. I can still remember the dread and feeling of panic every time my event would come, when I’d step forward and hear those words: “On your mark …”. Unlike basketball, volleyball, and softball, this sport only depended on me. I was the only one running the 400 meter dash around that track. I couldn’t depend on a teammate or inwardly blame anyone else if we lost.

I wasn’t that great at it either. I was just good enough to run Varsity medium-length events like the 400m and short and long relays, but not fast enough to really excel at any of them. I was pretty much a steady mediocre. Which made running alone that much harder. There was never any glory. Never any victory, never any time to shine. It was just me, all alone, running my tail off and always finishing right in the middle of the pack.

All that to say that as I’ve been watching the Olympic track events, all I can think about is how much courage it must take to step forward and compete for an event.  All alone. Especially if you know you’ll never win. It’s not like men’s sand volleyball (Really, why is that an Olympic event?) where you can blend in and blame failures on someone else. When you step forward on your mark, it’s just you.

Any other wimps out there, like me?

My point is this: Sometimes God calls us out. He calls us out individually and summons us to step forward and we clearly hear His call: “On your mark …”

It’s at that moment I usually start to panic, cry, or look for a bathroom to escape. Or, like last night, I just fall on my face on my bedroom floor and pray for mercy because only He can give the strength to obey.

“On your mark…”

He calls us all to different things. My race might be the 400m and yours is a marathon. You might be called to a relay race and I might be called to run alone. But God is looking for men and women who will come forward and get on their marks. Who are willing to run alone. Who will obey Him in whatever weird or wild event He calls us to. To walk by faith. To take the first step. To enter the race.

Even if we know that particular race will never earn us any glory. 

Some of us (yours truly) prefer to only enter events where we can excel. But God calls us to enter events where we might be guaranteed obscurity. We may never hear applause or wear a medal around our necks. We might just blend in with the pack. Or, we might even come in last place. But He wants us to run. To obey Him. To just do whatever it is He’s asking us to.

And only He knows what that is. 

I believe there is something, even today, that God has been calling you to do. A step of faith. A response of obedience. And even now it comes to mind. Sure, you might have to do it alone. There’s a chance of failure. It might be scary. But, would you just do it? My simple prayer today is to obey His voice when we hear Him saying, “On your mark…”

Would you get alone with Him today and ask Him what it is He wants you to do? Thanks so much for running this race of faith with me. Have a great Monday; thanks for reading.

• Welcoming Leah Joy Seifer into the world!
• Celebrating baby girl Snyder.
• That three of my closest friends will now have 10 little girls between them … (Dutch will have plenty of choices for a prom date!)

• Happy kids.
• That we made it through a full week!
• Backyard full of toys, chairs, picnic tables. Evidence of fun.
• Garden growing.
• Freezer full of blueberries.
• Coffee with raw honey and half-and-half. mmmmm…
• Sleeping in.
• 7+ mile run with my man. Three weeks ’til Hood to Coast!
• Molalla friends. Always, always, like water to my soul.
• Melissa’s smile.
• Good talks.
• A dozen barefoot Littles in swimsuits, laughing, playing.
• Green beans straight from the garden.
• Psalm 63.
• All the dishes put away.
• Laundry on the line.
• Dutch & Daddy tackling house projects.
• Heidi & Mommy washing 40 lbs. of blueberries, icy cold water, warm sun streaming in through the kitchen window. Wanting to memorize that moment.
• Dirty faces.
• Being totally terrible at frisbee golf … but having fun anyway.
• Strawberry pie!
• Kids with smiling, sticky faces.
• Believing.
• That He is always constant.
• A friend’s understanding.
• Hugs.
• That all true ministry is His ministry.
• Looking ahead.
• A day of rest.
• That this is His world, His gig, His story.
• Getting to be part of it.
• Getting to be with Him.

{Have a blessed weekend (stay cool!) … thanks for reading.}

I remember on May19th, after speaking at a conference, I said to my friend, “I have no plans this summer. This is a summer to relax, lounge by the pool, read books, just REST.”

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!

I’m sure if I listened closely in that moment I could have heard God laughing out loud. 

It has been a full summer. I’ll share more details next week, but we’ve had a glorious whirlwind of activity that was unplanned by us but absolutely planned by the heart of God. He knew what the summer would entail, and I praise Him for it, but it’s been full to say the least. In fact, the reason this post is late is because I haven’t had any time to write it! But I love God’s timing, and just now when I sat down and saw the title planned for today, I had to smile.

Dumping my brain is exactly what I need right now. 

Why? Because the fact of the matter is, most of us wear about 13 different hats. There are so many different spheres in our lives, and each of them have “to do” lists and require attention. Even when I have a to-do list or a chore chart, it can still feel like a whirlwind of thoughts, ideas, needs, whirling around in my brain.

Hence the need to dump.

For example: This morning I needed to study for an upcoming conference, return a dozen emails, wash and freeze 40 lbs. of blueberries, turn 25 lbs. of apples into applesauce, water the garden, pick beans, plan my son’s homeschool curriculum, run 7 miles, prepare for a Bible study meeting, and wash and line-dry four loads of laundry.

Probably not going to get all that done today, right? Chances are your own list is just as long (and just as random), but as long as all these things are floating around in our mind we can’t move forward and get anything done. Unless I have them down, prioritized, and moved into a workable plan, all the things will leave me feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed.

Tsh suggests creating  a mind map (pictured below) so you can visually organize all the various items into categories, and then prioritize.

I’m more of a list/outline girl myself, so it helps me to create headlines at the top of the page and then list my dumped items under the appropriate category. Both ways are effective, it just depends whether you prefer a map or a list.

So whether it’s mapping or listing or sticky notes slapped on the wall and rearranged by priority, figure out a regular way of dumping your brain. Tsh suggests doing it each night, which helps you sleep better because you know everything’s been effectively recorded. It also helps you to prioritize and then create each day’s To-Do list. That makes sense to me–I’m sold!

Alright, friends. I’m off to dump, list, divide and conquer! Enjoy your weekend; and thanks so much for reading!

Few characteristics are more critical to the Christian life than consistency, or steadfastness, and therefore this will be the primary area where spiritual attack will occur. If the enemy of our souls cannot lead us into grievous sin he will at least try to keep us from consistently abiding in Christ. He will seek to make our lives haphazard.

Consistency, steadfastness, faithfulness, stability — these qualities aren’t touted and praised much in our culture. We’re told to do what feels good, follow your heart, indulge, let yourself loose.

And yet, growth or mastery in any area requires consistency. Any personal trainer will tell you that consistency is key. Running two miles every single day is better than running fourteen every Saturday. A steady, balanced diet over the long haul is better than a crash-diet to lose five pounds by this weekend’s wedding. Consistency is always the key.  The level path.

Webster defines consistency as: marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity.

Wouldn’t it be a beautiful witness if our lives were marked by harmony, by regularity and steady continuity.  If we moved between our work and church and family and friends in a seamless manner, not given to hypocrisy but characterized by integrity and wholeness. Consistency is what will take us from a rollercoaster of frustration and defeat to a level path of joy, peace, and purpose.

Consistency will enables our lives to sing. 

So let’s hold up the mirror of God’s Word and take an honest look at the consistent character and conduct of our lives.

Consistent Character:

• Joy: Am I steadfast in rejoicing? Am I deliberate every single day in choosing to rejoice despite my circumstances?
• Peace: Is my life characterized by anxiety or peace? What would my family, friends, co-workers say?
• Patience: Do I lose my patience in a check-out line or waiting in traffic? Do I show great patience for others and yet often snap or lose my temper with my family?
• Kindness: Do I show kindness to others only when others are looking?
• Goodness: What movies do I watch? What music do I enjoy? Would I be comfortable letting my pastor look through my internet history? Do I consistently set my mind on things that are good and lovely?
• Gentleness: Am I harsh or short with my spouse, roommate, kids, parents? Do I use sarcasm?
• Faithfulness: Do I follow through on my commitments even when it costs me something personally? When my circumstances change do I remain committed to my word? What kind of friend am I? What would others say?
• Self-control: Do I indulge myself when I’m alone in ways that I wouldn’t if others were around? Do I have a quick-tongue, always speaking my mind, or am I slow to speak?

Consistent Conduct:

• Do I show up on time for work? Do I often make others wait for me? Am I habitually late for meetings?
• Do I follow-through on my chores or work at home? Do others often have to pick up after me or cover for me?
• Do I have good personal hygiene habits? Do I exercise regularly? Do I eat a healthy, balanced diet?
• Do I attend church regularly? Do I tithe regularly? Do I read my Bible and pray regularly? Do I regularly meet with other believers for fellowship and accountability?
• Do I serve on a regular basis? Have I diligently explored ways that I can consistently use my time and talents to serve others and further God’s kindgom?

Am I someone who others can count on? Am I the same at work as I am at church? Do I have anything to “hide”?

All of us have areas of inconsistency in our lives. The key is remembering that in realitywe always act in ways that are consistent with our beliefs. So if our actions aren’t lining up with what we say, chances are we don’t really believe what we say we believe. We always act out of what we believe. If we believe God is glorious and good and altogether sufficient, our actions will be wholly consistent with that. If we do not, in some measure, believe that, our actions will be consistent with that too. This is why all sin is a personal affront to God. It all comes from some area of unbelief.

So our job is to evaluate these areas honestly and ask God to show us where we have unbelief in our hearts. We can repent, turn, and be given a fresh measure of faith to overcome these areas of inconsistency in our lives. And we must do just that every single day.

{For today, what area of inconsistency is God putting His finger on? How can you agree with Him and ask for His grace to grow? He loves us too much to let us stay the same! Thank you, friends, for reading.}

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

Romans 12:15

Every single morning it was a scowl.

He would pad down the stairs in his footie pajamas, rubbing his eyes, then collapse on the couch and curl into a sleepy ball.

(No, not Jeff … Dutch.)

Every morning I would persevere in cheerfulness. I wanted our home’s atmosphere to be one of joy, so I refused to let his morning mood set the tone. With my best, widest smile and most enthusiastic voice I’d greet him every day, “Good morning, Dutch!”

He’d scowl. 

I’d close my eyes and pray for patience. Why is everything difficult with this kid? For a long time this went on. I could effectively modify his behavior by forcing him to speak the obligatory words, “Good morning,” but nothing could remove his inner grumpy-gloom that seemed to cloud our mornings. My strategy, then, was to prove that I could be more cheerful than he was grumpy. I would smile bigger. Make my voice lighter. Greet him more enthusiastically. By golly I was going to be HAPPY and then he’d catch on and get happy too, right?

Wrong. It seemed the happier I was the grumpier he got. Obviously I was missing something. What was it?

Empathy.

One little word that changed my perspective and is slowly changing my life. 

See, I thought my responsibility was to lift the spirits of those around me. (And that’s partially true.) I wanted to help my son get a happy heart. I wanted to teach and train him to choose joy. But somehow it wasn’t working. It felt like spinning my wheels. Then I realized I was spinning my wheels.

Why do wheels spin?

Because the gears aren’t engaged.

Gears can turn and turn and turn, working hard and moving, pulling up, up, up, but if they aren’t engaged in another wheel, they will just spin without accomplishing anything. I had skipped a step in wanting to improve my son’s attitude–engaging his gears. 

How do we engage someone’s gears?

By getting down and locking ourselves into where they are. In other words,

Empathy.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share in the feelings of another. Essentially it is to enter in to the feelings and emotions of another. It is to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15).

Because I am a glass-half-full girl and my son tends to be a glass-half-empty boy, I was frustrated by his tendency toward negativity. I didn’t want to be part of it, and wanted to help him rise out of it, so I just ignored it. My mantra became: “I will persevere in cheerfulness if it kills me!” But instead of engaging in his feelings and listening, showing empathy and understanding, I was just aggravating him and making him feel more and more unheard. The happier I made myself, the grumpier he got. 

See the cycle?

So I tried an experiment. When he got up the morning, I pretty much ignored him. Not in a mean way, just in a not-ridiculously-cheerful-way. I say, “Hey babe,”  in a off-handed, low-key way and then just let him be. To my amazement, a few minutes later after he’d shuffled around the house quietly for a few minutes, he came to me, looked up with sleepy eyes and said,

“Mommy, I love you.”

Was it really that simple? Could it be my “morning monster” was just, quite simply, not a morning person?  Rudeness, of course, is not acceptable, but could it be that a dose of empathy from me was really all it took to help him feel understood and accepted? I tried this in other areas, taking more time to listen, look him in the eyes, show empathy, and compassion, instead of just scolding him for a poor attitude or complaining heart.

More often than not, it worked. As soon as he was heard, understood, shown empathy, he would be over it. I noticed the same with Heidi. I noticed the same in other relationships. Sometimes all it took for someone to find hope, peace, comfort, was simply to be heard and understood.

Yes, there is a time for pulling others up, but we cannot pull up unless we have first engaged them with empathy.

In his book The Lost Art of Listening, Michael Nichols says that empathy is the essence of true listening:  “Shared thoughts and feelings are a step toward each other. Empathy is the bridge.”

I’m beginning to think empathy might be the secret to truly showing love to those around us. Listening long enough to understand. Choosing to suspend our own thoughts and feelings in order to enter in–engage the gears–of those we love.  I have so far to go in this area, but am excited to grow …

{Who can you listen to today? How can you show empathy by putting yourself on the same level of another? Who can you weep with? Rejoice with? How can you   “engage the gears” of your children and seek to understand how they feel? Thanks for growing with me; thanks for reading.}

“Sin sucks.”

Those were my words as my friend and I ran along the dusty Sisters trail, pounding out the miles and catching up on life. She’d just shared the sad story of a family member’s battle with addiction, and all the havoc that had ensued. My heart broke for her family. It reminded me of so many other stories I’ve heard, similar situations where sin sneaks in and robs entire families.  It’s terrible. As she shared, all I could think about was how much I hate sin and all the devastation it causes.

But then I had to think, “Do I really hate sin? Or do I just hate the effect of it?”

This has been a common theme in my life this past month. The problem, my problem, is that often I only hate the effects of sin, and haven’t yet gotten to the point where God has given me a hatred for the actual sin.

For example, in our culture:

Do we hate greed? Or do we just hate it when we run out of money or when things are tight because we spent too much?

Do we hate gluttony? Or do we just hate it when we gain weight or can’t zip up our jeans?

Do we hate envy? Or do we just hate the feeling it gives us when we can’t be as good as someone else?

Do we hate drunkenness or overindulgence? Or do we just hate feeling hungover or miserable afterwards?

Do we hate idolatry? Or do we just hate the feeling when those other gods don’t come through, or when God feels distant?

Do we hate pride? Or do we just hate it when our ego is wounded?

Do I hate laziness? Or do I just hate it when my kids misbehave and my house is a mess? (*NOT saying all instances of child misbehavior or house-messiness are a result of laziness! I think you get my point … )

This has been where God has put his finger in the past month.  

Do I really hate the things He hates, or do I actually still desire and indulge in those things but hate it when the fruit of that thing crops up and makes me feel miserable?

Does that strike a chord with anyone else but me?

I realize this post contains the word “hate” a lot. I know it sounds harsh. But sin is the reason my Savior had to die on the cross, and sin is what He rose and conquered, and it is what destroys families, lives, hearts. It was what separates us from God. It is the stench of death and disease that still lingers in our world. There is nothing good about it, and I’m asking God to give me a greater hatred for it  …. not just the effects of it.

I know, I know, it sounds like splitting hairs. Is there really a difference? I think there is. Here is the question we can ask:

{If engaging in this particular sin had no negative consequences, would I still loathe, hate, avoid it?}

I believe that we won’t begin to see greater victory over sin until we actually quit loving it and start hating it. As long as we secretly love the sin and only hate the consequences, we will never see true victory over it. It may sound small, but I have sneaking suspicion it’s big. We must allow God to permeate the deepest parts of our hearts, our true loves and hates, our greatest desires and longings. When all of Him takes over all of us … we begin to change. 

{Growing with you …. thanks for reading.}

{Already I am amazed at how much grace has allowed me to forget. Things are so much easier now, even than they were a year ago when I penned these words! All Mamas, take heart: A simple word for us as we start our week. We need it … }

~

Heidi whined again and I swatted her bottom with my hand.

“Heidi, use a nice voice,” I said firmly looking straight into her eyes.  She understood and changed her voice but my conscience nagged. Was there anger in my voice? What about in my heart? Did I swat her bottom in frustration? How do I be firm but still pleasant? Am I disciplining my children in anger? Why can’t our days be fun? Why are they filled with reminders, rebukes, corrections?  I do try to praise more than I correct but they just need so much stinkin’ correction!

I reminisced back to my childhood days. “I don’t remember my mom ever being harsh with me,” I thought to myself.

To my continual amazement, even when I’m at my worst (or I feel that way) my kids always want to snuggle up, always want to rock or read together, always want me to carry them and be silly.  I’m so glad they do but the haunting question still nags me, “Will they remember a barking mommy who spent her hours endlessly correcting? Will they ever remember having fun?”

I got them settled in for their rests — Heidi snuggled into her crib and Dutch playing quietly in his room. Relieved but feeling defeated, I laid down on my bed, prayed, again thinking to myself, “I don’t remember my mom ever being harsh with me.” Why can’t I be more like her?

Then it struck me.

“I don’t remember my mom ever being harsh with me…”

“I don’t remember …”

I don’t remember!

That’s it! Of course.  I don’t remember.

Just 30 minutes later my parents stopped by on their way through town.  Just to be sure, I checked with her… “Mom, did you ever just feel at your wit’s end…?” She laughed out loud, told me about plenty of times the only thing that kept her sane was remembering James Dobson’s words, “Someone has to be the grown-up.” So she’d coach herself through every moment, reminding herself she had to be the grown-up.  When I told her that I didn’t remember a single time that she ever grew impatient or frustrated she just laughed.

“Then that’s a miracle.” I smiled, understanding.

Perhaps this is the miracle of mommyhood. Don’t get me wrong, there are always consequences for sin, and I understand that if I am sinning against my children it’s not as if it just disappears.  But as I, a mommy-sinner-turned-saint, grow in sanctification and stumble through my days growing in grace and falling on my knees and training and trying and loving and correcting and crying, by faith I trust that God weaves all my messes into a beautiful childhood for my children.

Someday perhaps they will look back and remember, by some miraculous forgetfulness, that their mother was always loving, always joyful, always kind.  Just as Sarah, in the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith, is remembered as a woman who always considered God faithful. We read that and wonder, Don’t the biblical writers remember that Sarah laughed at God’s promises? Don’t they remember how she took matters into her own hands with Hagar? Don’t they remember how she made a royal mess of things before God brought it all to pass?

They must have forgotten, because all they have to say is that she lived by faith.

Perhaps, then, my fumbling attempts at motherhood are mingled with enough faith that, in retrospect, they will, appear to be something beautiful.

Perhaps, like Sarah, our lives are bathed in forgetful grace.

“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12

Nothing is wrong with God’s memory. He’s just extravagantly gracious.

His grace extends even to our children, to their memories.

To their moms.

—

{Rest today, dear mommy. His forgetful grace bathes your day in beautiful light. Perhaps remembering that will enable you to smile a bit more this Monday? Thanks for reading…}

• Family blueberry picking.
• Bumping into friends.
• 33 delicious pounds. Probably 25 lbs. now …
• Crazy answers to prayer.
• Grace.
• Generosity.
• Kindness.
• Provision.
• His hand.
• Interesting turn of events.
• Anticipation.
• Drive to Bend.
• Hugging Mama.
• Kids so excited.
• Grace. (I think I listed this twice. I’m doubly grateful for it.)
• Understanding.
• Praying together.
• Fresh starts.
• Lorraine.
• Old friends. Really old friends.
• Reminiscing about 5th grade.
• Lounging around the pool.
• Conversation around chopping vegetables.
• Foot rubs.
• A place to sleep.
• Warmth.
• Hummus.
• Mountain views.
• Tickling their feet in the car.
• Silly songs.
• Trusting Him with it all.

I sat down just now and typed out this title, then realized there were lunch dishes still in the sink and dried clothes in the dryer.

Apparently I need to read this post. 

I’m happy to say I got up, did the lunch dishes, folded the clothes, and even put them away (applause, please!) before finishing this post. Yes, I’m trying.

We all know it’s true. It’s so much easier to keep a house clean than it is to get a house clean. If we “stay on top” of things, we’re saved a lot of grief–and hours–scraping crusty dishes, sorting mountainous piles of foul-smelling socks, and folding cold, wrinkly clothes from the dryer. It does feel so good to wake up in the morning to a clean home; I find that it dramatically impacts my outlook on the day–whether I feel energized or overwhelmed.

But all that said, I still struggle to clean as I go. And no matter how many good excuses I have, I want to grow in this area. Tsh makes a simple list of the “clean as you go” daily items, and how much time they take–just for perspective on how little time it really takes to keep up:

• making the bed: 1 to 2 minutes
• decluttering the bathroom counter after getting ready for the day: 1 minute
• wiping off the bathroom mirror and faucet from water marks: 10 seconds
• clearing the dining table from the meal (especially if everyone brings their own plate back to the kitchen): 1 to 2 minutes
• unloading the dishwasher: 3 to 5 minutes
• loading the dishwasher: 5 to 10 minutes
• wiping off the dining table: 1 minute
• wiping off the kitchen counters after cooking: 2 minutes
• throwing away items after using them (envelopes, wrappers, etc.): 5 seconds
• putting the magazine back in the basket after I’ve perused it: 5 seconds

You know the deal though, right? The bottom line is that doing all of this takes discipline and focus. And many of us with young kids are constantly interrupted so it does make things tricky, but we can grow even in modeling for them the habit of taking care of things right away. Even as I finished typing these words my kids finished their quiet playtime and were asking to go outside in the wading pool.  I’d love to drop everything and do it–it’s so crazy hot in this house–but I asked them to pick up their books and Legos before we go outside. And now I need to deal with the whining that ensued and the fact that it’s 4:30pm and everyone is tired, sweaty, and needing a break. Time for this Mama to sign off!

So, I’m growing with you — Tsh suggests taking 15 minutes every day to declutter and clean as you go. This is my goal — 15 minutes in the morn and 15 minutes at night.

Please share! How do you “clean as you go” and stay on top of things in your home? I would love to hear your words of wisdom! Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading!