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May is Mother’s Day!! Motherhood is a wonderful thing. I’ll never forget the day my daughter, Jenifer was born. She has been a joy and a blessing these past 29 years. I also have a beautiful step-daughter, Laura, who is also 29. She has been a blessing to me these last 4 years. I am also blessed by her two children, Jordan and Christian.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m dedicating this issue of Messy Makeover Magazine to providing busy moms with helpful tips.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms every where. May God bless you and keep you and your family.

Unfortunately, I didn’t receive a lot of instruction from my mom about how to be a mom, raise a family, or how to care for my home while holding down a full-time job. I had to basically “wing it” and figure it out as I went along.

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million different directions, remember one simple rule:

Most moms tend to take care of their needs last and feel guilty when they do. That’s not the right mindset and it’s terribly unhealthy. Your family needs you, but they don’t need you to do everything for them. Changing habits may be hard, but doing the same old thing the same old way won’t get you anywhere!

Here are some tips that will make your life easier, less cluttered and peaceful. Take one a day for good health!

1. Tip One: Take care of yourself. Eat right, and get some exercise. You don’t have to join a gym or run a marathon. Little things done regularly can make a big difference. If you feel tired and hungry, eat a piece of fruit and some protein instead of reaching for chips or soda. Drink more water. Park a little further away from the store when shopping to get in a few more steps walking. Take a flight of stairs instead of the elevator. A sugar binge will only make you more tired later when you crash. Remember the rule above. Your family needs you and you need to be healthy. Besides, you deserve it!

2. Tip Two: Treat your home like your car and perform routine maintenance. Don’t skip it and don’t wait until the last minute. Things will only pile up and it will take more time, money and effort in the long run. Schedule regular times for changing air filters on heating and AC systems. Check batteries in smoke alarms. Fix leaky faucets. Replace light bulbs with energy saving ones. Water plants regularly (and your foundation in dry hot weather).

3. Tip Three: If you bring in one thing new, discard one to three older things. This can be hard, I know. I tend to hang onto books. But I’ve learned to bless others with ones I’ve already read and won’t read again. Same tip applies to clothing. If you buy something new, donate the old or throw away clothes that are dirty, torn and unusable.

4. Tip Four: Develop organized habits:

a. Wash dishes after each meal. Get everyone to pitch in. Many hands make light work. It also teaches the kids how to do these chores so they will know how when they leave the nest.
b. Discard junk mail each day.
c. Put office papers in the office. File coupons when you receive them (and throw away expired ones in the process).
d. Get the kids to pick up their toys after each play session is over.
e. Get the whole family to help with laundry. Even little ones can learn to fold their own clothes and put them on hangers.
f. Take out the trash and place a new liner in the can right away.
g. Assign household chores to the entire family. Reward little ones for helping and a job well done.
h. Wait at least 24 to 48 hours before purchasing anything. This will help impulse spending. Your house will be less cluttered and your wallet will be happier.
i. Learn to say “No thank you” to cast off shoes, clothes, furniture, etc.
j. Finish unfinished crafts or donate them. Don’t let them gather dust!
k. When going on vacation, resist the urge to buy trinkets to remember every place you went. You’ll only clutter up the house and have to dust around them later. How many T-shirts do you need, anyway?

Doing things on a regular basis will make your life run more smoothly.

Tips for organizing crafts and hobbies https://www.straighten-up-now.com/organizing-a-craft-room.html

I’ve been diligently working on a way readers can share information. While a traditional “forum” is more than I can handle, I will be inviting people to share their own tips, tricks, success stores, pictures and more. Look for Invitations on various pages. I hope you enjoyed the May 2009 issue of Messy Makeover Magazine. I consider it a privilege that you took your valuable time to subscribe and read this magazine.

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Toodles!