With 3 small children in our home, we are constantly needing to clean up.  It wound up getting frustrating to have to pull out the big vacuum several times a day.  It is just plain easier to grab the dust buster and spot clean the areas that need it and then pop it back on its charger.

I did a lot of research first to find the best hand held vac out there at a decent price.  I decided to purchase the Black & Decker CHV1500 15.6V Hepa Dust Buster because (at the time) it had the highest voltage motor.  This was about 2 years ago, so I am pretty sure that they have come up with an even better one since then.

We love our dust buster so much, we even got the kids an identical toy one so they can join in the fun as well.  We use our hand held vacuum in every room of the house, but the kitchen and living room is where it gets the most use.  It works great after dinner for all those crumbs that fall from the table.  But my favorite use for it as when the kids have their evening snack and they ALWAYS seem to spill some on the floor (right after I get done with the big vacuum of course).  I am able to clean up in no time.

So, if you are a mom and you DON’T have one of these yet, then be sure to ask for it for Christmas!  It is one of the best gifts I have ever gotten for myself.  I am all about making life just a little bit easier.

How about you?  What is your favorite household item?

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I was reading this morning in my devotional book called “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers and it was talking about taking action against the things that we face.  So many times we just continue on in our hurt, pain, discouragement, and struggles without doing much about it.  We think that if we ignore them long enough, maybe they will go away.  But this is not the case at all.

In James 4:8, it says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”.  This means that we are supposed to do something and that God will then do something in return.  Yes, there are times where we just don’t have one ounce of strength and God does meet us in those lonely places.  But more often than not, God wants us to step out and DO SOMETHING about what we are going through.

Another awesome scripture is in Matthew 11:28 which says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”.  Wow!  isn’t that awesome?  When we are weak, tired, and burdened – God’s peace and rest is available to us!  But how can that be?  Well, it is pretty simple actually, God says “Come to me…”  This is another call to action, but yet it is so simple.  Coming to God does not mean that we have to get our lives together first or be regular attendee of churchs.  That is not what it is all about at all.

God wants us to come to Him just the way we are – broken people – hurting people… and He promises to give us rest.  And that rest does not necessarily mean physical rest.  But I think it means all of the above including emotional, spiritual, and physical rest.

It gives me so much comfort to know that when I am feeling burdened by the uncontrollable circumstances of life that I do not have to face it alone.  So, if you are facing something that seems impossible, something that is putting more weight on you than you can handle… then just know that there is a God who loves you more than you know.  He is calling you to take action and get rid of that heavy burden once and for all.  He did it for me and I know that He can do it for you too.

Please feel free to leave me a comment or email me if you are struggling.  I am here for you and I would love to pray for you.  God bless you,  DAWN

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Sometimes it was annoying, especially when I wanted to be out playing with my friends.  But looking back, I can see how important it was.  That was the time when we talked about our day and we had no choice but to listen to eachother and bond as a family.  It was only my brother and I along with my mom and dad.  But I feel that no matter how big or small a family is, it is important to set aside time together – and what better time than at dinner?

I do understand that some families have busy schedules.  Spouses may work late, kids may have sports.  But if there are days when everyone is going to be home, then you can always work having a family meal time into the schedule.

Do you have a family meal time?  Or do you find it difficult with your family’s schedule?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Many people get excited about the Fall time change, because it means gaining an extra hour of sleep.  I used to feel the same way when I didn’t have children.  But now, I actually dread the fact that we have to turn the clocks back an hour, because though we may get adjusted to it pretty quickly as adults – children are a different story!

I run a pretty tight ship when it comes to staying on schedule.  We have a regular daily routine from the time we get up in the morning to the time we go to bed at night.  Even the baby naps pretty much at the same time each day.  All the kids (ages 5, 3, 1) go to bed at the same time – by 7:30pm.  They also wake up at the same time everyday – by 6:30pm.  The baby actually gets up a little earlier for his bottle.  And as most of you moms know, children oftentimes have this internal clock inside of them that tells them when to get up.  It doesn’t matter what time they go to bed either.  They usually always get up at the same time.

So, this morning, instead of getting up at the usual 6:00am in the morning, the baby was up at 5:00am in the morning.  Today I just kept saying to my husband – “How am I going to deal with having to get up so early?”  I guess being pregnant makes this whole time change thing worse, because I am just plain tired as it is.  I need sleep more than anything right now.  I don’t mean to complain, but I just felt like I needed to share about this frustration and wanted to hear your thoughts.

Does it take your kids a while to adjust to daylight savings time?  How do you make the transition easier?

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We don’t live in a good neighborhood for trick or treating because the houses are far apart and there are long driveways (the kids would probably get exhausted by the 4th or 5th house).  LOL   I am not against trick or treating or anything like that.  We have taken them when we were visiting my mom’s one year.  She lives in the suburbs of Jersey and there are houses EVERYWHERE.  It is a trick or treater’s paradise!

I am so happy that we have a great alternative to trick or treating.  My church puts on a Harvest Festival each year where the kids can go to play games, get their faces painted, and get a big bag of candy.

As a mom though, I really don’t like the candy aspect of Halloween.  It can really become a battle, not only with the kids, but with yourself.  Having all that candy in the house can be very tempting! 

Here are a few things that I do, to keep the peace in our home concerning the Halloween candy nightmare.

1. Keep the candy out of reach. This is huge.  I have seen a lot of parents just put the candy in a big bowl that would be kept on the counter where the kids could dip into it anytime they wanted.  This is not good at all.  If the candy is that easily accessible then you cannot monitor your child’s sugar intake.  They could be sneaking into that bowl every few minutes.  Keeping the candy out of reach of your children will help them to appreciate it more and it will be something special.

2.  Allow one piece of candy per day. For us, after a holiday like Halloween or Easter when the kids get a lot of candy, it becomes a focal point for a week or two.  In order to keep my children from taking control over the candy situation, I set clear boundaries.  I allow them to choose one piece of candy per day and it is to only to be eaten after they eat their dinner.  And if they do not eat all their dinner (or most of it), then they don’t get the candy.  This is a bit of an extra incentive for my picky dinner eaters.  So, the candy actually becomes a reward.

2.  Store the candy in a large clear ziploc bag. If you have multiple children, then this idea is definitely a good one.  If each child has their own bag with their name on it, then you are less likely to have battles break out between siblings.  And because the bag is clear, this will help the child see what candy they have without having to dump out of the container in order to make their selection.  Sometimes I don’t even allow them to open the bag until they point to what candy they want.  Let me tell you, I am all about making things easier – less mess, less strife.

So, there ya have it – my tips on setting boundaries for your children and their Halloween candy.  How about you?  What do you do?

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