Taking Care of Yourself (Imperfect Homemaking Challenge)

Time is my biggest enemy when it comes to taking care of my appearance.

I really don't enjoy feeling frumpy, but I'll be honest, there are many, many days when I don't even get to shower.  Believe me, I try, but with 4 small children at home, I can pretty much forget it unless I get up early or stay up late.  It's sad.

My toenails are often undone and sometimes I forget to shave my legs because if I do dare to take a shower during the day I am inevitably interrupted by some minor emergency.

But I really don't enjoy feeling ugly either.  Feeling pretty and feminine actually helps me be a better homemaker because it puts me in a better mood.

So what's a girl to do?

There's only one answer to that – make time.  It's worth it to stay up a little later to do my toenails if it will help me be more cheerful the next day.  It's worth it to stay up a little later if it means I'll get 2 legs shaved instead of only one.

It's worth it to invest in myself so that I can better invest in my family.

Today's Challenge: Take some time to take care of yourself today.  (Even if it's just shaving the other leg!)

 

You'll feel better about yourself and be a more cheerful homemaker!

Instagram challenge: Post a photo of what you did to take care of yourself.  Use the hashtag #imperfecthomemaker to encourage other members of this community.  (Follow me here.)

If you’re just joining the 31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking series, you can see all the posts here.

Who Cares if You’re Not Crafty? (Imperfect Homemaking Challenge)

I am not a crafty person.

I see all these cute crafts for kids on Pinterest, but when I try them it looks like…well…let's just say you probably wouldn't be able to tell if it was me or the kids who did the craft.

But I still get these grand ideas in my head about doing these adorable crafts with my kids.  And they never happen because I just never quite get all the details of this fabulous craft finalized.

We imperfect homemakers have that problem — we live in a dream world sometimes.  We want everything to be perfect, and when we can't live up to those ideals, we don't do anything at all.

This challenge is all about letting go of our perfection and just doing something!

Today's Challenge: Do a craft with your kids.

You don't have to figure out anything fancy.  You may just need to pull out the construction paper, scissors, and glue and let them go to town with it.  They will still have fun and that's what matters!

Instagram challenge: Post a photo of your crafting session with your kids.  Use the hashtag #imperfecthomemaker to encourage other members of this community.  (Follow me here.)

If you’re just joining the 31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking series, you can see all the posts here.

One Step at a Time (Imperfect Homemaking Challenge)

Healthy changes come one simple step at a time.

Sometimes that's literally.

If you've been struggling to find time for an exercise routine, your challenge today is simple.

Today's Challenge: Take a walk

That may be a walk around the back yard or around the neighborhood.  Just get up and get moving!

You don't need a fancy exercise routine.  Just move!

Instagram challenge: Post a photo of your view on your walk.  Use the hashtag #imperfecthomemaker to encourage other members of this community.  (Follow me here.)

If you’re just joining the 31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking series, you can see all the posts here.

The Way to a Man’s Heart (Imperfect Homemaking Challenge) (Plus a Giveaway from Mighty Nest!)

“The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.”

We've all heard that phrase, and I have found it to be true.

Now, I'm not saying that the only reason my husband fell in love with me is because I could cook.  (Just for the record, I doubt I would be married today if that was what it took!)

But I have found that men love to eat, and my husband is no exception.

He has been so patient and supportive on this healthy living journey.  But when he gets away from home and all my crazy health food, he will often grab a soda or candy bar from the snack machine at work.

He knows it bad for him, but in his words, “I'm all for health food, but when you're hungry, you're hungry!”

Bless his heart.  I'd rather go without than eat junk food, but men aren't that way.  They'd rather eat junk food than no food at all.

And that's why we wives need to make sure there is always something available for them to eat.  Something homemade and healthy.

Today's challenge: Make something yummy for your husband to eat anytime he's hungry.

Okay, okay.  That's probably a tall order.  If you kept enough on hand for anytime he's hungry, you'd be cooking and baking round the clock.  But you can make his favorite snack or treat and multiply it times four.  Give him one batch and freeze the rest.  You can use your back-up reserves anytime he's rummaging through the house and you haven't had time to make something fresh.  (Just don't let him know you have anything in the freezer or it will be gone when you go to pull it out.  Men do crazy stuff like get up in the middle of the night to eat while you're sleeping — at least my man does.)

{Photo Credit: Live Simply}

Instagram Challenge: Post a picture of something you made for your husband!  Use the hashtag #imperfecthomemaker to encourage other members of this community!  (Follow me here.)

If you’re just joining the 31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking series, you can see all the posts here.

 Giveaway!

To help your baking go a little more smoothly, I, along with some of my fellow bloggers, have partnered with Mighty Nest to bring you a giveaway of  $250 worth of baking supplies!

The winner will receive the following:

• 2 cup Bake & Store
• 4 Cup Bake & Store
• Endurance Silicone Spatula
• Airtight Spice Jar
• Brownie Spatula
• Measuring Spoons
• Measuring cups
• Cast Iron Loaf Pan
• 10″ Bundt Pan
• Baking/ Grilling Stone
• Mini Muffin Pan
• Silicone Mixing Spoon
• 12 x 17 Bamboo Cutting board
• Stainless Steel Whisk

Mighty Nest provides organic and non-toxic products for your home, and everything they sell meets strict standards for safety and quality.  They carry glass and stainless baking gear and food storage, green cleaning supplies, natural bath products, and other home essentials. Everything is selected to be free from known toxic ingredients such as BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead, formaldehyde, flame retardants, parabens, etc. Anytime you order from MightyNest, they’ll give 15% back to the school of your choice. It’s a great way to be healthier and support your local school.

To enter, just complete the form below:

New Action Cameras from Best Buy (Christmas Gift Guide)

Disclosure: I have been compensated for this post in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card.  As always,all opinions are 100% my own.

If you asked me who the hardest person for me to buy for at Christmas is, without a doubt I would say my husband.  I am not a guy and I can therefore never figure out what a guy would like.

But when I heard about these action cameras, I was pretty sure he would think they were fun — kind of like a toy for men.  When I mentioned it to him, he knew right away exactly what I was talking about.  If you have a guy who is active in any way, he will think this is cool.

·         GoPro HERO4 Black: the most advanced GoPro ever, featuring improved image quality and a 2x more powerful processor with 2x faster video frame rates1, HERO4 Black takes award‐winning GoPro performance to a whole new level.

·         GoPro HERO4 Silver: the first-ever GoPro to feature a built-in touch display. Controlling The camera, playing back footage and adjusting settings is ultra-convenient—just view, tap and swipe the screen. With 1080p60 and 720p120 video, and 12MP photos at a staggering 30 frames per second, HERO4 Silver combines powerful, pro-quality capture with the convenience of a touch display.

·         GoPro HERO: Featuring high‐quality 1080p30 and 720p60 video, and 5MP photos up to 5 fps, HERO captures the same immersive footage that’s made GoPro one of the best-selling cameras in the world.

GoPro cameras range anywhere from $129 to $499 in price.

Learn more at www.bestbuy.com/GoPro or visit your local Best Buy to check out the latest cameras in person.

(Don't forget to check out the other items in the Christmas Gift Guide, although this is the only one we have for men so far.)

The Importance of Scripture Memorization (Imperfect Homemaking Challenge

Last Sunday I emphasized the importance of making time to spend with God every single day, and I also linked to some ways you can find time for God even when it feels like you can hardly even breathe.

One of the things on that list was the importance of Scripture memorization so that you can always have it in your mind to meditate on throughout the day and even at night as you fall asleep.

If there's one thing I've learned about Imperfect Homemakers, that is that we tend to procrastinate on things because we don't have the perfect system all figured out yet (or maybe we do and we don't have time to implement it.)

Maybe you're waiting until you've got some fancy Scripture memory plan, or maybe you've got something elaborate in mind, but you just can't find the time to do it.

Stop waiting until you have the time to memorize scripture and just do it!   

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Psalm 119:11

If you are a Christian, it is crucial for you to have God's word hidden in your heart, and you don't need to put it off another moment!

Instead of watching that TV show — memorize a verse.

Instead of reading that blog post — memorize a verse.

Instead of browsing your Facebook or Instagram feed – memorize a verse

Instead of playing that game on your phone — memorize a verse

You find time to do all those other things; you can find time to memorize Scripture too!

“I would, but I don't know where to start.”

Uh, oh.  That “I would, but…” is a phrase you're going to have to start watching out for in your homemaking and in your life in general.  It means an excuse is about to come out of your mouth.

Perhaps you really aren't sure where you should start with daily Bible reading and memorization; that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it at all.  It's all good and better, I promise, so just start somewhere!

If you've never read through your Bible before, a good place to start is with the book of John; it will help you so much with your assurance of salvation as well as just helping you learn about Jesus!  Another good thing to do is read one chapter of Proverbs each day of the month.  Start over and do it again every single month.  It is a well-spring of practical instruction for every day life.

If you don't know what to memorize, choose one verse from your daily Bible reading that God used to speak to your heart and memorize it.

Daily Challenge: Choose one verse and memorize it.

 

Instagram challenge: Post a picture of the verse you chose to memorize.  Use the hashtag #imperfecthomemaker to encourage other members of this community!  (Follow me here.)

If you’re just joining the 31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking series, you can see all the posts here.