Less is More

We hear "less is more" all the time, but I was thinking about it yesterday as I was cleaning. Now that my son is walking, our coffee table has been disassembled and put under our couch, our side tables have been completely cleared of everything except the lamp....and now dusting downstairs hardly takes any time at all. And this is when I thought, less is more. Because I have less things to clean, I have more time to spend with my family and work on our business. Yeah!! Maybe I won't ever put it back?

My Reading List

I decided to start posting my media list online.

You can find the link on the side of my blog or click http://jmagro.googlepages.com/home to see what I am reading, listening to, or watching.

Getting to Work On time

I started going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. It has made a huge difference in my day. Getting up at 6AM before anyone else in the house is up (including our dog who just looks at me and falls back asleep) has given me a head start on my day.

My shower is peaceful, my breakfast is enjoyable, my coffee is enjoyed while reading a good book. I am able to greet my son and husband with a smile instead of a half awake face. I started doing it because I was thinking that when I was working, no matter how late I went to bed the night before I still had to get up at the same time. I knew that being a mom is a job (every mom does), but I decided to apply the same "get to work on time" principal to my day. And I love it. Just like I used to when I was the first one in the office at work.

Garage Sales - Little Tikes

Yesterday I went to one of the best neighborhood garage sales I have ever been to. All the houses in the brand-new neighborhood cost at least $800,000+. I couldn't believe some of the stuff I saw. People were selling stuff that was still in the stores. And most of the people with garage sales were selling baby/kid stuff. I got my son a Little Tikes Workshop for $8. My sister and I had the kitchen version when we were growing up and loved it. I brought it home and washed it (Lysol Sanitizing wipes are the best!) and the he really likes it. I had to take away some of the parts because he is still too small for them, but he likes what is left to play with a lot.

I couldn't get some of the crayon off of it so I went the Little Tikes website and found the following advice on Little Tikes products...

On if they offer a parts catalog: Sorry, we do not have a parts catalog. Due to the ever-changing products we manufacture, it would be difficult to maintain an accurate printed parts listing. For parts ordering assistance: * E-mail us using the contact form found on our website. * Fax us at (330) 650-3875. * Write to The Little Tikes Company, P.O. Box 2277, Hudson, OH 44236-0877 ATTN: Consumer Service. *MasterCard, Discover, and Visa accepted.

On cleaning Little Tikes Products: The best method of cleaning plastic is to use hot water and a detergent solution with a soft bristled brush. We do not recommend one brand of cleaning product over another....I haven't tried this yet, but when I do, I will let you know what detergent(s) I use and which works.

I also discovered that you can buy things directly from their website and for usually cheaper than on Amazon or other places....www.LittleTikes.com

Almost forgot...

Here is the webpage that goes with the book from my post yesterday. www.flylady.net
you can find most of the info in the book on the website for free. The book just has it in a more logical format.

Why I love Checklists

Ever since reading Sink Reflections (great book on how to manage a home realistically) I have been a big fan of checklists. I don't follow everything that the author suggests, but I have used many of her ideas to develop my own system for keeping my house clean.

Today I was putting that little check mark under "vacuum the floors' (Tuesday's chore - my least favorite) and I felt so good I wanted to go ahead and do Wednesday's task just so I could add another check mark to my calendar.

2 Poems

Here are two poems I wrote shortly after my son was born. He turned one on Tuesday, the 4th of July. I can't believe it.

Matthew's Poem
You were given to us on the fourth of July
Our gift from God above

You’re beautiful your daddy cried As he hugged your mommy tight
We looked at you and couldn’t believe the miracle we held
A perfect boy with life ahead so brilliant and so bright

Now I have a prayer for you I’d like to share today
I pray to God and Jesus his Son
John 3:16 becomes your prayer
So you live out his promise for you in Romans 8:28

I pray for us your parents
For wisdom, patience, love
So in all we do we nurture you to lead you as you grow

I pray for all your teachers
To guide your precious soul
So that all your learning guides you with your serving

I pray for you and your friends
To always be a support
So that you will love each other and laugh along the way

I pray that God prepare a wife
To build a family with you
So you can learn the joy we felt when we first saw you

I pray that when the trials come
To test you on your way
You look to God and say to him “please show me the way today”

I pray these things for you each and every day
So when you meet your Savior in heaven
he says these words to you
“Well done my good and faithful servant.
You’ve run an amazing race
Here’s the place I made for you I am so proud of you” Amen

--------------------
Joy
There’s a new boy in town
His name is Matthew M.

He smiles, giggles, coos, and talks
All about his day

His hair is brown and fuzzy
It really quite a spike

His tummy’s round and full of life
To keep him warm at night

His eyes are full of joyous song
That look right to your heart

This Matthew M is quite a boy
He gives us so much joy

Make Your Own Toys - Post 2

If you scroll below you will see my idea for a make your own water play table. Here is another toy I came up with using my son's formula container.

I cut a hole in the top. He likes to try to put all of his blocks and various things he finds around the house in the canister.

I also filled another one with some dried split peas (small enough so that if it opens up he won't choke on them if he eats one). He likes this too and we get it out whenever I put his baby cd on so he can make some music.

If you have any toy ideas, post them in the comments section. If you have a picture, email me and I will post it here on the main page.

Start a Book Club

I don't know how, but a few months ago I got the idea to start a book club with some friends that I was just getting to know from church. I wanted to start it because I had been reading the Zion Chronicles series that I was really enjoying (This is a GREAT series of books that I highly recommend - they are historical fiction based on the founding of Israel). I found myself longing to talk to someone about all that was happening in the books. I tried talking to my husband when one of the charters died and I was upset, he tried to pretend like he cared, but I could tell from his blank look that he was just being nice. Anyway, this author has another series of books called the Zion Covenant that I wanted to read, so I decided to see if my friends were interested in reading them with me so we could discuss the books.

Well, the book club has been a smashing success. It is such a great way to connect with my friends. What is great about it is, these friends don't have kids. As most moms know, sometimes once you have kids your relationships with friends who don't have kids suffer a bit just because of different finances, schedules, etc. We always have a great time. Our husbands were all calling our cell phones after the first meeting because it was 12:30Am and none of us were home yet. They didn't know that we could talk so long ;-)

If you like reading I would recommend these books as a starter if you want to start a book club of your own. They have drama and romance. Ohh - and I don't have time to read, so I always check the audio version out of the library or buy the MP3 version of the audio book (only like $15 on Amazon) and listen to the books while I am cooking or driving.

Maybe you don't read, but think of an activity that you and friends can get together and do over some food and conversation and I think you will have a blast. You could start a movie club, cooking club, knitting club, or sewing circle. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Make Your Own Toys

Recently, I saw this water table toy on Amazon that I thought my son Matthew would really enjoy. The problem is that we live in a condo, and don't have room for toys like this because we only have a balcony and would have no where to put it in winter. So using the idea of a friend who lives close to me, I put water in the bottom of a flowerpot, but I put it up on a chair since my son is almost one and wants to stand and do everything. The other benefit of this is that the water never gets dirty with rain, sticks, etc. I got thinking about the other toy and how would you ever empty it from the dirty water?

Hope you find this useful...

Organic Farm Produce

Today is my 2nd delivery from Maple Creek Farm (www.maplecreekfarm.com). This is a farm in Michigan that delivers fresh organic produce weekly. I am splitting my share with a friend, because both of us only have a husband and baby to share or food with and one share would be too much for us. Last week was lots of lettuce, some radishes, and some Garlic scapes (that I thought were Chives). This week more lettuce and beets. I have no clue what I am going to do with the beets, but I am sure I will figure something out.

Visit the Farm

I saw this link in the Free Press a few weeks ago. You can go to this website and look for farms where you can pick your own fruits, visit animals, etc. It is Strawberry time in Michigan, and I am going to look for a strawberry farm so I can get some fresh berries. I love the berries from the farm because they are small. Those big berries they sell at the grocery store are all white in the center and are mostly flavorless. The small berries have flavor all the way through!! Mmmm.

http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1570-15576--,00.html

Unsolicited Advice

I admit, I am a little proud when it comes to listening to other people's advice, but the other day this lady in the store gave me so great advice. I was telling Matthew not to do something by saying "no." We started talking about something else, and she said that she never told her kids "no". She always said something like "Don't climb on that," "Don't touch that," "etc." She did this for two reasons 1) "No" wasn't the first word they learned to say 2) Her kids knew what they were doing wrong. I have added an addition to her advice. I tell my son what he shouldn't be doing, but give him an alternative. "Don't touch the TV, come here and play with your toys with me." It seems to be working well. So thanks to the lady from HomeGoods.

The hardest job you will ever love

My mom always told me that being a mom is like being in the Peace Corps...it is the "hardest job you will every love" It is the hardest job because my son makes physical and mental requests of me from the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed. It is the job I will love most because everyday brings more rewards.

New Love Everyday

When I was pregnant, my sister-in-law told me that the first year she spent with her son was like falling in love every day. As my son approaches his first birthday, I can say that this happened to me over the course of the last year. Some days are hard, but even on those days, I just look at him and my heart melts.

To Work or Not to Work

I have many thoughts on this subject that are hard to sum up logically in paragraph form, so I am just going to give a list of a few thoughts I have on the subject.

• Moms have been working since time began....but in the house. They weren't there to spend every single moment with their children because they were busy cooking for their large family, taking care of animals, etc. They didn't leave the house to work, but they were working around the house while their children were occupied by each other, chores, or other family members.
• I don't think limited daycare exposure is bad. I have a noticed a big different in my son's social skills and openness to other people since he started going to daycare 3 mornings a week. I think he is learning to relate better to people outside our family.
• Some Christians say that women shouldn't work, but what about the woman in Proverbs 31 who works?

Those are my thoughts for now...more to come.

First Post

I have a blog on for my business http://juliemagro.blogspot.com but I thought I would start blogging for my personal life too! The name of this blog is Mom of One, because right now I have a 11.5 month old son. He is almost a year. His 1st birthday is on the 4th of July!