Marriage Retreat

This past weekend, Zeke and I went to a marriage retreat hosted by our camp.

At first, we weren't so sure that we should attend. I mean, we've only been married for 8 months, after all... and we've got a lot of other stuff to do... and we should probably go back to our hometown and visit our family... In the end, though, we decided to go to the retreat. Hey, at least we knew the food would be good!


It was, by far, the best decision that we've made in the past couple months.


With everything going on, it's not very often that a married couple can sit down, as a couple, and "check the fluids" of our marriages. Generally, we know when things are going well, and we know when we're struggling, but that's about it. This past weekend gave us the time, the space, and the right questions to really delve into our relationship, to look at what is going well and what needs to be improved. We got to meet other couples with amazing stories of God's grace and forgiveness, and we had the opportunity to really talk like we haven't in a while.

It was wonderful. I got to see his heart like I haven't in a long time, and I got to bare mine to him, as well. We came away from the weekend feeling reconnected, our bonds strengthened, with new goals and priorities.

I urge any married couple (even if you've only been married for 8 months!) to find a marriage retreat near you.

Ten Minute Tuesday: Disinfecting Garbage Cans

Garbage cans. We know they're dirty, germ-y pits of nastiness. We definitely wouldn't lick them, not even on a dare, but how often do we actually clean them?

Today's Ten Minute Tuesday challenge is to disinfect your garbage cans!

We have four garbage cans in our home- the big kitchen one, two in our bedroom, and one in the bathroom.

Your first step will be to grab your cans and get them in the same room. It makes this process a little easier- might as well get them all done at once! If you have a larger home with more garbage cans, you may want to start with the more "popular" ones- kitchens and bathrooms.

First, take out the garbage.

 If you're anything like me, the bottom of your cans looks like this. Spilled coffee grounds, a random tissue... you'll want to get this out of there, too. I usually flip the can upside down over a garbage bag to get the loose stuff out, and then use a wet paper towel to get the more stuck-on stuff.

 Next, take a rag and some hot, soapy water and wipe down the outside of your garbage cans. Make sure to get the backside and under any ridges.

Next, use hot soapy water to wash the inside of the garbage cans. Make sure you get into the corners!

And don't forget any lids! If your garbage can has a lid, that's the part you touch the most! Make sure to spend a little extra time on these!

Use another cloth and some clean water to rinse the extra soap off of your cans, then let them dry for a little while (2 minutes will do).

Finally, use a disinfectant spray on the inside and outside of your garbage can. I used Lysol because that's what I have around (I'm using it up!) but you can also use a mixture of bleach and water, or if you prefer a more natural approach, vinegar and water works great, too. Again, don't forget to spray any garbage can lids you may use.

Repeat these steps on all of your household garbage cans, wait about a minute, and then re-line them.

I usually do this whenever I think of it, which is usually about four times a year, and this is also great way to stop the spread of germs if someone has been sick. I do wipe down the outsides and lids of my garbage cans almost weekly, as well.

And voila! Another step in the quest for a happy, healthy household!

Making Myself More Efficient: Trap 2-The What Do I Do's

Here at the Little Wife household, I've been very mindful lately about being efficient- especially since I'm taking 14 online credits to finish up my degree this semester!

One of the things that I've noticed about myself is that I thrive on plans. Left to my own devices, after finishing a task (like a chapter of my homework), I'll check Facebook. Or Pinterest. And then I get sucked in, and an hour later, I'm kicking myself for wasting time that should have been much better spent. So then I work on another chapter of homework... and when I'm done, it's back to the Facebook. Or Pinterest.

It's not that I don't want to move on to the next thing, that's not the problem. The issue is that I'm not always sure what that next thing should be. Should I fold laundry, or should I read another chapter? Should I work on my Algebra homework, or should I clean the bathroom? That little bit of indecisiveness leads to procrastination, and that is definitely not being efficient.

My solution is to make a schedule. I have a small piece of cardstock paper (actually trimmings from when I made my wedding invitations), and I write, to the minute, my schedule for the day. It also helps that I know how much I can handle. After an hour staring at the computer doing Math, I need to get up and move a little! I plan small breaks into my day to allow me some "up and around" time.

Here's today's schedule:

6:30- Devotional time, activity with the hubby
7:30- Breakfast, clean up dishes, put away clean dishes
8:15- Dance workout!
9:00- Shower and dress
9:30- Start laundry, wipe down kitchen counters
9:40- Look for last resource- Lit paper
10:00- Algebra Ch.2 section 4
11:00- Switch laundry, sweep kitchen floor
11:15- Lit Reading- first piece
11: 50- Take out garbage
12:00- Lunch
1:00- Algebra Ch. 2, section 5
2:00- 15 minute tidy up
2:15- Finite Math
3:15- Fold and put away laundry
3:30- Lit Reading- second piece
4:00- Lit Discussion Responses


And it goes on. You get the picture.

Now instead of wasting time (and falling into avoiding everything by sitting and watching TV when I just can't decide what to tackle next), I make a list in the  morning, or even the night before, and make a schedule for my day. No more inefficiency! And boy, does it feel good to cross stuff off my list!

Be Careful What You Pray For...

This weekend, Zeke and I went to a wonderfully powerful retreat. With the TV off, Facebook far away, and all other distractions aside, it's amazing how much self-reflection can happen.

I realized this weekend that I've been hiding from God's plan for my life. To be honest, I'm afraid of it. I'm afraid of being rejected by other education professionals, I'm afraid that I won't be able to hack it as a teacher, I'm afraid that I'll grandly and publicly screw up, I'm afraid I can't balance home life and school life and married life and teaching life... I'm just afraid.

And so I've been standing in the way of getting my career off the ground. Not overtly- I'm still working to further my teaching career by taking classes, by subbing here and there, but I've also been turning down jobs, saying no to bigger commitments, not working on my resume and portfolio... in short, I've been far less than intentional about getting started. Because I'm afraid. But we already covered that.

I figured that out this weekend.

And I prayed. On Sunday afternoon, I prayed that fear won't come between me and my calling. I prayed for confidence, and I prayed for doors to be opened.

And then, frankly, I forgot that I'd prayed for all that.

Yesterday, a call came. A high school principal, asking if I would be interested in subbing, long-term, for a Language Arts class. The long-term sub they had already lined up had accepted a full-time teaching position in a nearby town instead, and they needed someone else. Doors opening.

I said yes, set up a meeting, and then sat down after the phone call, still all full of adrenaline making that tingly feeling go up and down my arms, and thought, "Wow. Where did all this come from?"

While I forgot my prayer, the Lord didn't.



Now I need prayers from all of you! I'm a full-time student taking a full load of classes right now. I'm trying to maintain a home and a healthy family, and now I'm looking at adding another huge responsibility to my plate. But I want this. I want it so, so much. I'm nervous, and I'm hoping that the meeting goes great, and I don't know how I'll be able to balance everything. I'm going to need a lot of divine intervention, lots of support, and lots of grace. 

Ten Minute Tuesday: Washing Pillows

Ah, pillows. Those wonderful, squishy yet supportive nighttime head holders. They seem so... cuddly. So... warm and soft. So... safe.

A pillow can double its weight in three years. Because of dust mites, dead skin cells, and other nastiness.

How's that for soft and cuddly?


No need to panic, and no need to throw your pillows out and get new ones. We're all about saving money here at Little Wife.

Just wash 'em!

(Note: I know that this is gonna take more time than just ten minutes, but it's only about ten minutes of "hands on time"- the rest of the time, you can go clean other stuff! Or make fabulous meals! Or, let's be honest, go on Pinterest.)

Here's how you do it!

First, you're only gonna want to do two pillows at a time. I have a top-loader washing machine, so these tips are based on that.

Pick the lucky two pillows to be washed first. Stick them in the washing machine (as shown above). You will want to fill the washing machine on the "full load" or "large load" setting with hot water.

I usually add about a cup of vinegar, along with regular laundry detergent, to disinfect my pillows. Vinegar also helps to get rid of any stains you may have (droolers, you know who you are...). If you have funky smelling pillows, you may want to do another cycle with your pillows and add baking soda (just don't do vinegar and baking soda at the same time!)

Wash the pillows on your "normal" setting, and after the cycle is complete, run the pillows through at least another spin cycle (I usually do two extra spin cycles) to get more of the water out.

In the summer time, I would leave the pillows outside in the sunshine (which is the best for stain removal and disinfecting!) but since it's February and it's snowing, that's not such a great plan.

Then, pop the pillows in the dryer, along with two dryer sheets and a couple of dryer balls. Don't have dryer balls? Well, you should get some. They rock. In a pinch, you can also use tennis balls. You'll want your dryer set to low heat. High heat can melt the fluffy stuff in the pillows! I usually run the dryer twice, then take the pillows out and squish them around. If they're still damp (even just a little damp) I run them through again.

Sometimes the fluffy stuff gets a little bunchy- don't worry about that. Use your hands to unbunch and flatten out your pillows, and they'll be good as new in no time.

I would wash your pillows at least every six months, if not more. I like to wash them after anyone has been sick, and after we have company over, as well as about once every two months or so. 


Ten Minutes to a happier and healthier household!

Maintenance Man Monday: The Rough

My husband is hard on his clothes.

 

This was, at one time, a coat. Believe it or not.

Notice how you can see the fluffy stuff coming through the inside lining.

And this is the sleeve of said coat. If we can call it that anymore.

Like I said, my husband is hard on his clothes.

But you know what? That's okay. Sure, I do have quite the pile in my mending basket most weeks, and yes, there are times that I really wish that we spent more money on shoes for me than we do boots for him (he typically needs a new pair of boots every 3 months or so).

All those torn, stained, caulk splattered clothes should make me think about is how hard my husband works. When he's changing the oil in the camp vehicles, he doesn't stop to make sure that he doesn't spill oil on his pant leg, he just gets the job done. Those tears in the elbow of his coat are from working cattle on his family's farm. The worn sections in the knees of almost every pair of jeans are from crawling under buildings to check water lines, kneeling to fix plumbing, and weeks of bending to repair electrical sockets.

Sure, sometimes I wish I could just toss out old jeans or coats instead of repairing them, but the fact that my husband is hard on his clothes is a chance for me to practice being frugal, to practice my stitching, to practice patience, to practice gratitude for all we have and to work on being good stewards of our resources.

My husband is rough with his clothing- my challenge is to find the diamonds in the rough.

Making Myself More Efficient: Trap 1-The Time-Waster

I've been a busy person lately. For the past few weeks, my life has been mainly devoted to online classes. I'm trying to stay ahead- I would rather not be surprised by due dates, and since a couple of the classes I'm taking allow you to work waaaay ahead, I'm taking advantage.

It gets to be a huge time commitment, though. This week, I've spent over 8 hours working on just one of my four classes. Whew! Surprisingly, even though I'm focused on school, other things still insist on getting done. Dirty laundry keeps coming, the bathroom still needs to be cleaned, meals still need to be made, and I still want to spend some time relaxing and talking with my hubby... what's a girl to do?

I had to get efficient.

I started by taking a good hard look at how I'm spending my time, and I found that a lot of the things I'm doing are major TW's. Time-Wasters. Like how I fold laundry, for example.

 Folding laundry is one of those lovely never-ending chores, but it's got to be done. Typically, I go into the bedroom (where our washer and dryer are), put the clothes into a laundry basket, walk out to the living room, turn on a half hour show, and fold while sitting on the couch. Then, I take the folded laundry back into the bedroom and put it away.

I've been doing this for years. Folding laundry is always done in front of the TV at my home (actually, I think that's the only way my mom could get us to fold!), and I never really thought about it before, but man! My way of doing it wastes so much time. Instead of walking all over the house (small as it is), why not just fold the laundry in the bedroom?!? I don't have to walk to three different locations- it's all right there! Out of dryer, onto bed to fold, then into drawers! And, I don't get distracted by the TV, and sit with a pile of folded laundry in front of me until the show is over.

Now, this is a small change. I realize that. But folding and putting away two loads of laundry now takes me about ten minutes instead of thirty-five (30 for the TV show, 2 to begrudgingly walk back into the bedroom, 3 to reorganize and put away), which gives me 20 extra minutes to do something else- more Algebra, anyone?

What are your TW's, and how have you overcome them?