Now that we still have some sunlight hanging aroun Now that we still have some sunlight hanging around after the kids go to bed, my new thing is sipping a glass of wine on the back patio while making small talk with Josh and praying the kids stay in bed.
 
I've been obsessed with cleaning our house recently but I've been so good about it, I have nothing left to clean or tidy right now and I'm left to face the things I don't really want to think about like the fact that I miss my kids when they're at school or how I really want to fill this house up with some more of them 😅 

At any rate, one of my simple pleasures in life is decluttering and purging unused things and I feel like I've accomplished a lot!! What about you?
Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤
Back in the day,I was talking with someone about m Back in the day,I was talking with someone about marriage.Josh and I had been married for a few years at that point but this guy was still single. ..

He told me he was studying to get his masters in counseling and he wanted to be a marriage counselor one day.I thought "Hey that's pretty cool" but, curious,because,you know, he was single. 

Anyway, after we'd been talking a few minutes about our interest in helping married couples, he leaned in and said, "You know, I have this theory on marriage.." "Oh yeah?" I said (pretty curious to hear what theories this guy had for all of marriage for everyone everywhere). 

He said, "I believe that every single problem in marriage boils down to communication."

At the time, I didn't really know what to say. I'm more of a *reflector* and then I come up with what I wish I had said later.

Here's what I wish I had said: "Um. Yeah I don't think so. I mean sure, communication helps with a lot of issues. But what about selfishness,⠀addiction,⠀past hurt and trauma, etc? Communication will help people work through those issues but they're connected to much deeper issues that concern the heart--not just your communication skills."

We are all broken, very human, beings and when left to our own devices,⠀we don't have all the tools necessary to "fix" ourselves or our spouse's problems. We can talk until we're blue in the face but we just can't fix ourselves. 

What we do need, is to lean on the Creator who made all things good and makes all things new. To understand that we are not the main characters here. The whole world and everything in it points to Christ and His redeeming power. And yes, he often works that out through us and often through communication. But it's not communication that saves marriages. It's Jesus.

I was just thinking about that today and wanted to get it off my chest. What role do you think communication plays?
Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁 Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁
So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 Love my littlest niece, Eva ❤️
Let's hash something out together: what's somethin Let's hash something out together: what's something you do or used to fight about in your marriage/relationship regularly?

Do you feel like the issue is/was pretty cut and dry? 

Or was there an underlying issue that bubbled up in different ways?

Curious to know your thoughts. 

When Josh and I were first married, we fought a lot. We were pretty low-income, didn't have great jobs, and had a wee baby. While our fights were often about the grocery list, the real issue was that we were SCARED. 

Scared of the adult life we had just stepped into. It was kind of like jumping into a puddle you don't think is that deep until after it's too late and now your socks are completely drowning 🚣🏼‍♀️ 

Luckily, though, they dry off over time, don't they?

After lots of learning and working really hard (both at our jobs and relationship) things started to ease up. We started to see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and even though we weren't there yet, it gave up hope to carry on together ❤️
Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. O Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. Or if you can't leave the house, sit in the kitchen with a glass of wine. Make time to talk. And make it easier by doing things together. It's so so important ❤️
  • Family
  • Marriage
  • fitness
  • travel
  • Life & Finances
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Family
    • Marriage
    • fitness
    • travel
    • Life & Finances
    • Devotional
  • About
    • Contact
  • Devotional

Living the Sweet Wife

  • Home
  • Blog
    • Family
    • Marriage
    • fitness
    • travel
    • Life & Finances
    • Devotional
  • About
    • Contact
  • Devotional

Family, Guest Post, Life & Finances, Motherhood · August 3, 2016

Organizing and planning tips and tricks to make your life 10x easier

My husband and I have five children, two sets of twins and a single. And so not only because my brain works in an organized manner, but also out of necessity have I become creative in my organizing. I would also like to think that my skills at being systematic have helped to create a peaceful home life for my family. Organization is not the end all, but a tool that can be used to help those I love. Hey guys! As some of you may remember, this week my husband and I are off on the missions trio we’re joining in central asia. I didn’t want to leave you without a post for the whole ten days we were gone, so I asked my lovely mom, Susan Oberg, to contribute once more to Living the Sweet Wife! (If you’d like to see her other post, click here). I always grew up in a super clean, organized home. If there’s anyway to make your life easier by organizing, she’s probably already doing it!

Organizing and planning tips and tricks to make your life 10x easier

At a very young age it was quite evident that I had organizational skills.  I could probably have been classified as OCD, if that had been popular when I was little. (Now I’m aging myself.)  Well, it is how I function on a normal basis, and I have been known to “malfunction” when faced with too much chaos.  I know what you are thinking, “Give me a break!”  Okay, so God made me this way, and it has actually been helpful in other people’s lives as well.  When I accepted my husband’s proposal of marriage, he actually said that he was excited to see my organizational skills at work in his life.  Yup, he is sooo romantic!  And I love him dearly, even if his disorganization causes me to take a deep breath now and then.  My husband and I have five children, two sets of twins and a single. And so not only because my brain works in an organized manner, but also out of necessity have I become creative in my organizing.  

I would also like to think that my skills at being systematic have helped to create a peaceful home life for my family. And so that causes me to want to share with you a few ways I have organized my life over the years.  

Meal plans

Having five children and being a stay at home mom, who homeschooled for 10 years, made us live on a tight budget.  In order to help me food shop efficiently, I came up with a meal plan that provided a system for cooking and shopping.  Not every day was carved in stone, but we basically followed this schedule:  

  • On Mondays we ate a pasta dish for supper.  
  • On Tuesday we often had chicken.  
  • Wednesday we were usually at church for Wednesday night supper and kids’ clubs, so you may insert your own idea here.  (We like breakfast for supper too!)  
  • Thursday was a beef dinner.  
  • Friday was either fish, or pizza.  
  • Saturday was usually whatever we didn’t have on Friday.  
  • And Sunday was a larger meal after church like a roast, or pork loin, etc..(whatever was on sale).  

So when I went shopping, which was twice a month because that is how my husband is paid, I would make sure I had purchased 2 pasta meals, 2 beef meals, etc..  I am not one who loves to spend hours in the kitchen, so having a pre-made plan for supper was a big help for me.

Laundry

Another area of housekeeping that I developed a plan for was the area of laundry, and believe me there was a lot of it for seven people!  I washed one load of laundry every night switching back and forth between darks and whites.  

After supper I would pop a load in the washer.

Before bed I would stick it in the dryer.

In the morning I would fold it and let my children help by putting their laundry away.  

When they got older, they were asked to fold their laundry from the basket and put it away.  It taught them to help and fold, but it was not the whole basket, so it was not overwhelming.  Today they are all successful at doing their own laundry without my help, even my son!  (Well, I wonder if I should mention the one daughter that hates to do laundry… nvm).  

Recruit Helpers

Over the years I have often made lists for my children, letting them share in the load of housework like dusting, vacuuming, wet mopping, and cleaning bathrooms.  Unlike my own mother, who always had me vacuum, and my sister always dust, I’d change it up a bit for my children.  If they dusted last time, they vacuumed or mopped the next time. They could clean toilets and sinks, or baths and sinks, and I would clean the other.  If a child did two rooms, they were done.  As they grew older, they may have done bigger jobs like mowing, or weeding, or washing windows. They always liked the lists I made that had little boxes to place a check in when the chore was completed. We would always clean on Friday so we were all free to enjoy the weekend a little more, including myself.  Their involvement taught them to share in the work that needed to be done, gave them a sense of accomplishment, and hopefully instructed them in some life skills. And on occasion I would hear one of them saying “wipe your feet when you come in, I just vacuumed.” That would put a smile on my face.

I am hopeful that I have been successful in passing down to my children some ability in organizing their own lives.  They are not all at the point in their lives where they have there own homes and families, but they may still apply these life skills to their daily living.  Does anyone remember the old song “Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush?”  If you have ever sung beyond the first verse, it goes on to tell what cleaning chore should be done on each day of the week.  Now I have never really needed an ironing day, much to my mother-in-law’s chagrin, but I do like to bake bread from scratch!!  What I mean to say, is that the essentials in your life will dictate those things which need the most organization.  The days I practiced being methodical went more smoothly for me, and I might add that being flexible is a lifelong lesson for me. I admire those who can go with the flow even if numbers one and two on the list do not get taken care of in order, or on a certain day.  

I encourage you as women of your households, not to pour out your overwhelming days on your husband as soon as you see each other at the end of the work day, even if you both work.  There is time later to share the day with your hubby.  It sets a sweeter tone to practice an attitude of love and grace.  I admit that at times I could have been better at this, but it was my goal to be more pleasing than irritating.  Some of us may feel that “men, they work from sun to sun, but woman’s work is never done.”  More often than not, I bet your husband would be happy to give a hand when entering a peaceful home rather than a chaotic one.  My husband often arrives home after a long hard day asking what he can do to help me, whether calm or crazy!  Love him!!  Even if I know he is tired and I can easily manage the dinner and baths, I might let him know he was on duty to help with homework or putting the kids to bed.  That way he had a little breather, and could even spend some time playing with the kids while I finish the meal.  One key to remember here is to have a servant’s heart.  I haven’t seen the love of my life all day, so how can I help him.  My goals cannot come before love and servanthood.  Organization is not the end all, but a tool used to help those I love.  I hope some of these ideas have been helpful in making your days go more smoothly.

susan signature

 

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Susan Oberg
Susan Oberg
Susan is the mother of Chelsea, author of Living the Sweet Wife. She has four other children, one grandchild, and a classroom of 3rd graders every fall and spring. Susan lives with her husband on their small farm in northern NJ. Chelsea is her favorite daughter ;D
Susan Oberg
Latest posts by Susan Oberg (see all)
  • Organizing and planning tips and tricks to make your life 10x easier - August 3, 2016
  • I picked my first husband, God picked my second husband - January 15, 2016

In: Family, Guest Post, Life & Finances, Motherhood · Tagged: chores, clean, cleaning, family, help, life, meal plan, meals, organization, organize, plan, planning, recruit, sahm, schedule, stay at home mom, tidy, tips, tricks, Work, working mom

join the club

You’ll Also Love

The Best and Worst Parts of Being a Corporate MomThe Best and Worst Parts of Being a Corporate Mom
Cultivating Quality Time With the Kids This Holiday Season
Victimhood in Marriage: Our StoryVictimhood in Marriage: Our Story

Comments

  1. Minerva says

    August 31, 2016 at 10:47 pm

    I just love the way you write! I’m a new wife (five months married), so I’m on the learning part of this whole new world, thanks for sharing you wisdom!

    • Eileen says

      September 14, 2016 at 6:49 pm

      Congrats!☺

Next Post >

How to actually get your to-do list DONE as a working or stay at home mom

Hi! I'm Chelsea and we're the Damon's. We spent the last two years in WA state paying off student loans and just bought our first house in SC! I love a smooth black coffee, Josh's first love is the Seattle Sounders. Our kids are huge dorks and constantly make us laugh and we all love spending as much time outside as possible.

join the club

Recent Posts

3 Ways to Make the End of Summer a Blast for the Kids

3 Ways to Make the End of Summer a Blast for the Kids

3 Ways I Create Quality Time With My Husband

3 Ways I Create Quality Time With My Husband

The Best Tips + Packing List for Hiking with Kids and Babies

The Best Tips + Packing List for Hiking with Kids and Babies

The Pros and Cons of Getting Married Young

The Pros and Cons of Getting Married Young

8 Super Easy Ways To Show Your Spouse Love Throughout the Day

8 Super Easy Ways To Show Your Spouse Love Throughout the Day

The Best and Worst Parts of Being a Corporate Mom

The Best and Worst Parts of Being a Corporate Mom

Categories

  • Family
  • Marriage
  • fitness
  • travel
  • Life & Finances
Shop Presets

Instagram

Now that we still have some sunlight hanging aroun Now that we still have some sunlight hanging around after the kids go to bed, my new thing is sipping a glass of wine on the back patio while making small talk with Josh and praying the kids stay in bed.
 
I've been obsessed with cleaning our house recently but I've been so good about it, I have nothing left to clean or tidy right now and I'm left to face the things I don't really want to think about like the fact that I miss my kids when they're at school or how I really want to fill this house up with some more of them 😅 

At any rate, one of my simple pleasures in life is decluttering and purging unused things and I feel like I've accomplished a lot!! What about you?
Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤

trending now

  • So I know the title of this post says, “What men want most in a wife,” but to be more realistic, this is about what men need most in a wife. Like men, there are a lot of things that we (women) would really like in a husband. Like, it’d be a huge plus if he looked like Chris Hemsworth. But that’s not really what we need in order to have a positive relationship with our spouse. If we married him, we probably think he’s pretty cute, anyway. Take a look at these 5 things a man really needs in a wife, and if you can think of anything else, share your thoughts in the comments below! 5 Things men want most in a wife
  • Do you ever wish that sometimes you could just write a long list to your spouse of all the things he does that drive you insane?? I have done this. 8 of the Worst Marriage Habits
  • Disrespect in marriage can go both ways. Women can react to disrespect from their husbands in many ways. I'm here to share a few positive ways women can react to disrespect in their marriages in order to handle it well and steer their marriage in the direction of grace and kindness again. How to Handle Disrespect in Marriage
  • Sure, they say don’t go to bed while you’re still angry, but sometimes husbands and wives just need some space! That being said, there are healthy ways and unhealthy ways (productive and hurtful, if you will) to get space away from a spouse. Let’s talk about those. The Right and Wrong Way To Give Your Spouse Space

instagram

Follow @chelsealeighdamon

Now that we still have some sunlight hanging aroun Now that we still have some sunlight hanging around after the kids go to bed, my new thing is sipping a glass of wine on the back patio while making small talk with Josh and praying the kids stay in bed.
 
I've been obsessed with cleaning our house recently but I've been so good about it, I have nothing left to clean or tidy right now and I'm left to face the things I don't really want to think about like the fact that I miss my kids when they're at school or how I really want to fill this house up with some more of them 😅 

At any rate, one of my simple pleasures in life is decluttering and purging unused things and I feel like I've accomplished a lot!! What about you?
Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤
Back in the day,I was talking with someone about m Back in the day,I was talking with someone about marriage.Josh and I had been married for a few years at that point but this guy was still single. ..

He told me he was studying to get his masters in counseling and he wanted to be a marriage counselor one day.I thought "Hey that's pretty cool" but, curious,because,you know, he was single. 

Anyway, after we'd been talking a few minutes about our interest in helping married couples, he leaned in and said, "You know, I have this theory on marriage.." "Oh yeah?" I said (pretty curious to hear what theories this guy had for all of marriage for everyone everywhere). 

He said, "I believe that every single problem in marriage boils down to communication."

At the time, I didn't really know what to say. I'm more of a *reflector* and then I come up with what I wish I had said later.

Here's what I wish I had said: "Um. Yeah I don't think so. I mean sure, communication helps with a lot of issues. But what about selfishness,⠀addiction,⠀past hurt and trauma, etc? Communication will help people work through those issues but they're connected to much deeper issues that concern the heart--not just your communication skills."

We are all broken, very human, beings and when left to our own devices,⠀we don't have all the tools necessary to "fix" ourselves or our spouse's problems. We can talk until we're blue in the face but we just can't fix ourselves. 

What we do need, is to lean on the Creator who made all things good and makes all things new. To understand that we are not the main characters here. The whole world and everything in it points to Christ and His redeeming power. And yes, he often works that out through us and often through communication. But it's not communication that saves marriages. It's Jesus.

I was just thinking about that today and wanted to get it off my chest. What role do you think communication plays?
Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁 Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁
So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 Love my littlest niece, Eva ❤️
Let's hash something out together: what's somethin Let's hash something out together: what's something you do or used to fight about in your marriage/relationship regularly?

Do you feel like the issue is/was pretty cut and dry? 

Or was there an underlying issue that bubbled up in different ways?

Curious to know your thoughts. 

When Josh and I were first married, we fought a lot. We were pretty low-income, didn't have great jobs, and had a wee baby. While our fights were often about the grocery list, the real issue was that we were SCARED. 

Scared of the adult life we had just stepped into. It was kind of like jumping into a puddle you don't think is that deep until after it's too late and now your socks are completely drowning 🚣🏼‍♀️ 

Luckily, though, they dry off over time, don't they?

After lots of learning and working really hard (both at our jobs and relationship) things started to ease up. We started to see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and even though we weren't there yet, it gave up hope to carry on together ❤️
Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. O Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. Or if you can't leave the house, sit in the kitchen with a glass of wine. Make time to talk. And make it easier by doing things together. It's so so important ❤️
Top knots over crop tops 😜 Top knots over crop tops 😜

Explore

  • About
  • My Book
  • Contact

join the club

Shop My Favorites

  • About
  • Instagram
  • About
  • Media Kit | Guest Posting
  • Privacy Policy & T&C’s

Copyright © 2022 Living the Sweet Wife · Theme by 17th Avenue