Messy Monday: Weariness Works Against Us

Image Courtesy Mi Pah

From Merriam Webster:
Main Entry: wea·ry

Pronunciation: \ˈwir-ē\
Function: adjective
Date: before 12th century [People have been feeling this way a long time!]
1 : exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness

2 : expressing or characteristic of weariness

3 : having one's patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted —
wea·ri·ly \ˈwir-ə-lē\ adverb

— wea·ri·ness \ˈwir-ē-nəs\ noun

Weariness takes the pep out of our step. While feeling weary can be caused by many things, and can vary in length from a few days to several months, the end result is the same: we feel like doing little more than the bare minimum--and sometimes even the bare minimum is tough. The nature of motherhood alone--despite all its joys--easily fits definition number three of weary, "having one's patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted."  Once your "patience, tolerance, or pleasure" is exhausted, you'll have little "strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness" (definition number 1) to give to anything else--especially housework.
 
Realizing that weariness works against us when it comes to getting housework done regularly and well is helpful. It's helpful because, once you understand what the problem really is, you can begin to form some realistic solutions. There are definite seasons where weariness (and thus, low productivity) are quite natural: sickness, the birth of a child, a death in the family, a major life or job transition. In these seasons, cut yourself some slack. (In all honesty, I am just now starting to feel more consistently energetic--and I had my baby 16 months ago...but I also have three under five who just about exhaust my patient and tolerance every day--good thing we get a new dose daily!).

In wearisome seasons, identity your bare minimum housework goals and aim to reach those--and really only those--each day. At least you'll feel successful for having done that. They will be different for every person, but for the sake of an example, let's say they are: having a clean sink at the end of the day, sweeping the kitchen floor, and wiping the kids' boogers off the walls (for a little humor). :) I encourage you to talk to your husband and figure out what his basics are--if everything else is undone, what few things does he need to be sure are done to be happy? Go from there.

Sunshine In The Sandwiches

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22,23).

Everyday, because of the steadfast love and mercy of God, there are moments when your soul feels warmed by rays of sunshine.  These moments, if noticed and savored, can give you a good jolt of joy to carry you through the rest of the day when the sunshine starts to fade and the clouds roll in.

Standing in the kitchen, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for my boys for lunch one day, was a glorious moment. The light spilling in from the window made me feel as carefree and happy as if I were on a tropical beach in an exotic place, instead of in my kitchen in the middle of winter.  One could view making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as mundane, but to me, it was glorious.

While the sunshine may not kiss your face as you prepare lunch, God gives us all glorious moments each day to celebrate and cling to. We just have to pay attention and shift our perspective to find glory in the grind, sunshine in the sandwiches. As Dr. Laura Schlessinger wrote in her book In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms, "Think about it less as 'Is that all there is?' and more as 'I can't believe how much I have.'"

Let's Talk Makeup!

Coffee Talk Thursday

This is a true girl talk topic this Coffee Talk Thursday! Sorry it's up a little late--I have a pukey baby. :(

Today, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the makeup products and brands we love; maybe we can all gain some fun new ideas and money-saving tips. Here are my favorite things:

Skincare: I use Pears Natural Glycerin The Original Transparent Soap and am trying St. Ives Apricot Scrub for Oily or Acne Prone Skin - 6 oz.

I skip toner and love Mary Kay TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer Sunscreen SPF 15moisturizer. When I can afford it, I like the Time Wise Day Solution Sunscreen & Night Solution. Personally, I don't always think it's worth it to spend a a lot of money on expensive moisturizing/line-minimizing products. I think the most important key is to keep your skin soft and supple with a decent moisturizer period. It doesn't have to cost oodles and oodles.

Foundation: My mother is a lifelong Estee Lauder user. She bought me my first bottle of Estee Lauder Lucidity Light-Diffusing Makeup SPF 8foundation as a teen; off and on, I have been using it ever since. I buy Estee Lauder makeup when they're in gift, or when I have a gift card.

I have also used, and recommend, Mary Kay's mineral makeup as well as Bare Minerals makeup (my mother-in-law uses Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation exclusively).

I have bought foundation from the drug store, including fragrance-free Cover Girl, and Almay, and I am happy with them.

What kind of foundation do you use, and do you love it? (Always looking for good drug-store brands to save money!)

Powder: Since I use mineral makeup a lot of the time, I tend to skip this step. But if I had to buy it, I've always love Clinique's loose powder. I bought Maybelline pressed powder and use it with a loose powder brush (that's a good tip, by the way!).

Eye shadow:

I used to sell Mary Kay in college. I think their eye shadows are some of the best. They wear really well. I like Clinique's too. My mother-in-law has bought me several Bare Minerals' shadows, and they're good too (they're a loose powder, though). Some have a lot of glimmer, so you have to watch that if you don't want it, but  I like them.

Eye Liner: I like Clinique's pencils with the smudge sponge. Do you have one you like? I'm always looking for good (and cheap!) recommendations here!

Mascara: Lancome has a great mascara, Lancome Definicils High Definition Mascara . Did you know that Loreal is the drug-store offshoot of Lancome? Loreal Voluminous mascara is very similar to Defencils--for a fraction of the price.

I also recently tried Maybelline's Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal - Classic Black and really like it as well.

And then, who can beat the tried and true Great Lash mascara?

Blush:

I am not at all picky here. I use a bunch of various brands I have received as free gifts with purchase. Having sold Mary Kay, I do like the MK brand. I recently bought a Maybelline blush on sale. I think it works fine (although I had to take the first one back, because the color wouldn't show up--it was defective). For me, finding a good color that is a close match to the natural blush of my skin is more important than using a particular brand (so I would buy a blush at Target I liked, rather than spending a lot of money at the makeup counter for one).

Lipsticks:

I like Mary Kay lipstick. It's nice and creamy. But recently, I discovered Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick and love it! I really like the "Nearly There" and "Totally Toffee" colors (it's not a reddish toffee--more of a nice neutral shade that I think just about everyone could wear nicely).

Those are some of my faves! What are yours?

And The Winners Are...

Thanks to everyone who entered to win a copy of Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boysand a 1/4 pound of Rooibos tea.

The winner of Mad Hungry, generated by Random.org is #22: sclevenger. I will send you an email to get your address. The publisher will be mailing your book.

The winner of the tea is comment #14: Anonymous, who wrote "Tea is my favorite. This sounds delicious." However, since I have no way to contact you, if I do not hear from you by noon Thursday (mountain time), I will draw and post another winner. You can contact me at cheryl@momsinneedofmercy.com

Have a great day!
~Cheryl

Discover the Many Fun Uses of Freezer Paper

I've written before about how I like to buy several pounds of meat when it's at its lowest sale price. I usually divide it up into freezer bags, or plastic wrap ground beef and then wrap it in tin foil. Despite my best efforts, within a few weeks, ice crystals start to form around it in the freezer. But not anymore!

That's because I've discovered freezer paper. A friend of mine who meat in bulk (as in a whole cow) and freezes the meat recommended it. Found near the tin foil and freezer bags, it's a little pricey (more than $6) but worth every penny.

Not only can you use it to wrap your meats, it's great paper for arts and crafts. The shiny side is perfect for finger painting; the dry side works well with water-color paints. I think it is less expensive than buying finger painting paper.

The package says you can also use it to:

• Wrap packages for mailing or gifts (I am not sure the post office allows wrapped packages anymore).
• Make a disposable tablecloth for picnics or barbecues
• Line shelves and drawers throughout the house.
• Use to catch spills in refrigerator drawers or bins, under pet dishes, when painting or potting plants.
• Protect kitchen counters; juices from raw meats won't leak through. Grate cheese or roll dough.
• Make banners for school functions, welcome greetings or parties. 

Freezer paper works for me!