Water, water everywhere.

I realize that we all have issues in our life that God allows us to deal with.  I'm not complaining because mine are very trivial in comparison to others.  I do wonder why all mine have to do with water. (waterleaking in my walls, roof, basement, hot water pipes, windows, etc.) I've been thinking about it, it seems a bit of an odd dilemna.  I'm not sure what I am supposed to learn.  I suppose patience and trust because what can you do about some of these.  Perserverance, maybe, I mean it is the same issue over and over.  I am trying to learn, Lord, so please take note. 
I am however glad I don't live on a houseboat because I think my house would have sunk by now with all the leaks we've sprung in our house.
 I will say to any problem we have in life God is still very good.   Thank you Lord for the trials that remind me that you are there to help us.  Thank you that we can call on you when we face hard times and that you listen. 

Here's the thing about Procrastination...

Here's the thing about Procrastination, once you are one, well I think you are stuck.  See once you start procrastinating well you are always too busy catching up with life and doing only what needs to be done to get ahead.  If by chance you do start to plan ahead for something well you probably had to procrastinate something else to make time to do the planning and the doing, which of course you procrastinated on.  So see it is a very vicious cycle.  I would like to help all my friends out and give them this advice in advance but alas I procrastinated and now most of you are past the point of applying this information before you have been thrust out into the cold cruel reality of life. 

Exercise

Now you are supposed to exercise to stay in shape but also to lose weight.  However whenever I exercise I only seem to gain weight.  Now I know that muscle weighs more than fat but if I am trying to lose weight seeing the numbers on the scale go up is not helpful.  I also am more hungry so I feel like eating all the time.  So all of this seems counterproductive once again to the losing weight theory of exercise.
I am going to stick with it and hopefully some day eventually it will all pay off I hope.

Finally

Do you have those projects around your house that just never seem to get done?  I have plenty of them.  I can scratch one thing off the list.  When we moved in there was nasty shag carpeting in the hallway.  Needless to say we ripped it up but the glue and staples remained.  I decided to work on my upstairs bathroom tonight.  One of the ugliest parts of it was the staples and glue by the doorway.  I pulled the staples and scraped/sanded the floor in front of it and a piece of the hallway.   I did fix the floor around the toilet, paint the walls and improvised the trim by the floor.  It looks so much better.
 Of course the rest of the hall is still covered with glue.  Oh well it's been there for 10 years a little while longer won't make much difference I guess. 

Making an Impact

Tonight for our family devotions we were talking about how short our life here on earth is and what are we doing with it.  I was thinking about that and decided our life is like a cry uttered at the bottom of a deep valley, all those on the mountains may not hear my cry while it is uttered but they may hear the echo for quite some time after.  I suppose if your cry was forceful enough you could even cause an avalanche. 
It's very easy as a stay at home mom to not feel like I'm really doing anything in the world, or will my voice be heard, can I really make a difference?  I can, you can through the lives of our children and those that they come in contact with and so on.  A while ago we had to make a mission statement for our lives for a Bible study I am in.  At first I thought it was kind of dumb but I did it and it has made a huge impact on me.  I realize that even in the mundane daily tasks (as they so often seem), I can be making a huge impact for Christ.  He may not call us all to be Billy Graham's but we all have a unique call on our lives. 
So if you haven't done so, make a mission statement for your life.  What are you here for?  What are your goals?  What does God have in store for you?  You never know how far your echo can reach.

Ahh the Terrible Twos

Hurrican Kacee has hit in full force in the Perrizo household.  It seems to have stalled out and seems to be growing.  I think if Hurrican Katrina was a 4 this is at about a 7 or 8.  In place of wind we have screaming, in place of rain we have hitting, stomping, kicking, throwing, etc.  It is definitely leaving a wake of destruction everywhere it turns.  Just like a real hurricane there seems to be no way to get it to move or die out.  I guess I will just have to try my best to hurrican proof my house and wait this storm out. 

Getting Organized-Home Office

I love organizing, really I do.  I have taken several different pieces along with some of my own creations in creating an organized home office system.  So I will let you in on some of my secrets.
I have everything I need at my small desk area. 
 Inbox/Filing
Mail- We all get it and sometimes lots of it but what to do with it all.
 I have 3 bins on my desk one is an inbox, one is a to do box and one is outgoing mail
The inbox is where all the mail goes and waits to be filed.  Sometimes I have things like insurance claims or medical paperwork to fill out and those would be found in my to do box, the outgoing should have a spot for envelopes, stamps and letters and bills waiting for their due date to be mailed.
Now eventually you need to do something with all that inbox stuff right?  Well I have one file drawer to hold it all.  That's right and I'm not talking about the garbage can (though that is also effective.)
In my file drawer I have several files Bills to Pay (obviously the bills you need to pay that month wait there until they are paid), upcoming events (for party invites, etc.), misc. info. to keep, coupons, Kids School information papers, Sunday School/Awana Papers (these files hold schedules, teacher information, phone #'s etc.), paycheck stubs, Utlitiles, House payment, Credit cards, School loans, Vehical Loans, etc., Then there is a Tax information file, a bank file, Insurance file. 
This way all the inbox mail can be sorted directly down into the proper category.  It's quick and easy, no more lost bills, no more paper clutter all over the house. 
Household Binder
Now to keep track of paying those bills I have one Household Binder. 
I have a calender (printed from Outlook in the front) with a To Do List, this keeps track of all the events, bills, everything we are responsible for or need to do each month.

 Next we have a monthly budget, this how I track how much money we make and how it should break down each month for our budget.  After that is the Bill Payment Schedule and Envelopes Funding tracker.  This is where I have broken down all the bills we have to pay each month by their due dates and then I divide them into which paycheck they will come out of and after you subtract your bills the leftover money is spilt out into your budget Or envelopes for each thing like gas, food, etc.  (this will come off the monthly budget sheet with some minor changes as sometimes their are unique expenses for different months).   The Next Tab is the Expenditure tracking and Debt Snapshot/Paydown.  Here I track my monthly expenses for things like utlities, insurance, etc.  .  Then I also have a sheet for each bill or debt and track the monthly payment and amount left, it helps to see it getting paid down. Next I have a space to keep track of all my accounts, logins and passwords.    Then I have a menu and grocery list, Then a Shopping list for Household items and a wish list for items I am waiting to purchase because they are wants or more expensive like a new ceiling fan. Then I have a system I use with the kids a Strike chart and Reward zone list.  Finally I have a cleaning list for me and the kids, plus it tracks when they do extra jobs and earn spending money. 
It sounds complicated but it really isn't.  I have taken several years to adjust to all of it.  Each year I would add in a new part of organizing and soon enough Voila, you got it together , well kind of anyway:)

I have all of this available in Excel Format if you want it let me know, I can send you a copy and you can tweak it to make it work for your family. 
Sorry I wanted to put some pics of some of the different sheets up but it's not letting me do that right now.