Moving Beyond Survival Mode

 UPDATE:  This book is currently out of print, and VERY hard to find a copy of (and expensive when you do).  Good news!  The author is working on a rewrite/updated book with a new publisher.  When I get the word on when/where you can buy it, I'll let you know!

Seriously that is the best title to a book chapter about homekeeping that I could have ever read.

"Moving Beyond Survival Mode"

That is how I have felt for so long... that I am simply just trying to survive day by day.  I think a lot of it comes back to my history.  With my parents divorced when I was very young, I really had no concept of what a marriage looked like, what a "wife" actually did each day.  And, since we didn't have a lot of money, I didn't exactly have a lot of things.  My mom had an attitude that kids should be allowed to be kids and spared the responsibilities of adulthood since being a child is such a short and precious time.  And, my grandmother was our primary care giver when my mom was at work and we were out of school.  At her home, and at my dad's during visitations, my "things" were limited.  Clean up was easy.  Toss it all into the toy box and viola I am done.  My grandmother and father were both perfectionists in their home, with a do it themselves so it gets done right mentality.  Since we were not actually at our home until after my mom was done working... honestly, there wasn't much of a mess being made.  I didn't know how to be a wife.  A mom.  A homekeeper.  I have been learning on the fly, every day.  Knowing there was a better way, but not sure what it was.  Reading.  Googling.  Talking to other moms.  Something has to give.

My good friends adopted 3 children, doubling their family size over night.  Trying to be supportive, I purchased a book for them called "Large Family Logistics".  (click the photo for more information)



In peeking through the pages, I realized this was a book I wanted to read.  I don't have a large family.  Yet, there were good nuggets of information that I thought would benefit my small family.  I have gleaned a lot.  But more importantly I am ready to implement it.

I have also decided to take you all along the journey.  Watch for blog posts on Friday to recap what I did, how it is working, and what I am going to change.

In the meantime... if you are a family of 20 and counting ... or just starting out as a married couple, there are great tips that you can implement into your family right NOW.

This may be my new bridal shower gift. I wonder if I can buy them in bulk at a discount?