Daily Routines: Laundry

If your home is like mine, there’s always laundry to do.  With small children, the amount of laundry can feel endless and overwhelming. 

Growing up, I watched my mom do multiple loads of laundry every weekend. If she had a spare minute during the week, she would quickly wash the essentials.  As I got older, I was given the task of keeping up with my own laundry to ease her workload.  I did the same with my son, once he could safely reach the dials. 

Now, with only my laundry and my husband's to manage, I still run one load every day. Some days it's clothes and other days it's linens like sheets or towels.  Keeping this simple routine means we rarely run out of clean items. 

One load of laundry a day can do the following:

• Lessens the risk of running out of clean clothes
• Lowers stress levels and reduces the feeling of overwhelm
• Make the "mountain" of laundry on the weekends almost non-existent, freeing you up for other things.

No one enjoys getting up in the morning only to discover they are out of underwear or their favorite shirt isn't clean.

The visual clutter of seeing clothes tumbling out of an overflowing laundry basket adds to your stress. And having to postpone fun outings-- or give up your weekend-- just to catch up on laundry is the worst.

Instead, grab the basket and toss in a load of whites or towels while you are watching TV or doing other chores.  An hour later, move it to the dryer and go back to what you were doing. Once everything is dry, a quick fold is usually all it takes to keep things under control. 

You can even involve little kids by having them fold washcloths and match up socks. It is a small habit that makes a big difference in keeping the laundry chaos away. 

Doing one load of laundry every day is a simple habit that helps keep laundry from becoming overwhelming. Instead of facing a huge weekend pile, you can stay ahead with small, consistent loads- whether it is clothes, towels, or sheets. This routine reduces stress and prevents last-minute "I am out of clean underwear" moments and frees up your weekends for rest and fun. By involving kids in small tasks like folding small items, you turn laundry into a manageable part of daily life rather than a never-ending chore. 

Everyday Grace around Expectant Mothers and New Babies

My grandmother had a wonderful way of subtly teaching me poise and elegance.

As a girl with numerous male cousins and predominantly male classmates, it was difficult for me to remember the subtle nudges she gave me. However, I eventually managed to learn..

One thing I quickly realized when new cousins arrived was that expectant mothers are beautiful but also tired. Their round bellies and loose, flowing clothes made them look so lovely. 

I was delighted to welcome a new cousin into our family. We made it a point to visit the new little ones shortly after their birth on most occasions. 

My grandma instructed me to keep my hands to myself and to talk quietly around the baby and the tired mom.

As a new mom 25 years ago,  I expected others to have the same respect. Nope! Everyone wanted to touch my belly while I was pregnant or cuddle with my son shortly after coming home from the hospital.  I cringed inside.

Luckily my grandmother was around shorly after my son was born. She scolded people who tried to take my son out of his carrier or insist it was their turn to hold him. She strongly encouraged  them to wash their hands and not stand so close.

While I was pregnant, a lady came up to me and immediately started to reach out for my very large belly. I swung out of her reach and promptly and said I would prefer her not touch my growing belly. She was insulted.  

Our first time in church after our son was born, everyone wanted to hold our son. We inisisted that that they just look but not touch. Some people were respectful and others were hurt. 

We chose an old fashioned name for our son. Quite a few people said they didn't like his name and wanted to know if they could call him something different. We refused most suggestions for nicknames. 

25 years later....here is some friendly advice: 

• Respect a mothers growing belly. The belly is hers. Give her lots of room to move around and get comfortable.
• Respect the baby. Immune systems will increase slowly, just not all on the first outing. Let Mom and Dad handle the carrier or stroller.  If you have had a cold or a flu, keep your distance. 
• If you don't like the name... keep it to yourself.
• If they let you hold the new baby, treasure the moment. 
• The greeting should be "Congratulations," no matter how many children they already have at home. Babies are a blessing. 
• Finally, please keep yourself from suggesting sleep or feeding schedules.  I guarantee you, the mom and the dad are tired from getting so much advice.

A cassserole dish of food, a cozy sleeper for the baby, or a gift card for take-out, are welcome gifts. And keep visits short. 

A little bit of kindness and grace goes a long way with a pregnant woman or a new mom/dad. 

Are they any ways you have found that show love and kindness to new moms/dads and new babies?  Please share it in the comment section. 

Cabbage Rolls Recipe

 Another one of my favorite recipes from my Grandma is Cabbage Roll

I used to call it "Pigs in a Blanket" but my grandmother said that is not what we were eating.😆 Sometimes I called it that just to irritate her.  She still loved me. 

Here are the ingredients:

• Head of green cabbage
• Large pot of boiling water
• 2 lbs of ground beef/turkey
• 1 cup of white long-grain rice, cooked (rice should double in quanity once cooked)
• 1 large can of tomato sauce 
• One small onion, chopped into very small pieces

Start by browning the ground beef. Ground turkey works, as well. Season the ground beef/turkey with salt and black pepper. Add the chopped onion and cook it until the onions are starting to get soft. 

Cook the rice.

Mix the ground beef/turkey, rice and chopped onion together.

Boil individual large leaves of cabbage, until tender. It should turn a bright green color

While the cabbage leaves are still very warm--carefully fill the leaves with rice and ground mixture. 

Without burning your fingers. Roll the cabbage closed and put them in the pan with the edges down so that the ground beef/rice mixture will stay inside while the dish cooks. 

Your will need a 9X13 dish or a large oval dish. You might need to squish them in tightly. This is great, as it will help the cabbage rolls from coming apart.

Once you use up all the ground beef and rice mixture, pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls. Err on the side of "enough sauce" other wise the cabbage leaves will get tough in the oven. 

Bake the cabbage rolls in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. The tomato sauce should be bubbling and the edges of the cabbage golden brown. 

Carefully remove the rolls from the baking dish. You will want a spatula about the widith of the rolls. Don't be alarmed if some of the ground beef/rice mixture slips out. 

Cabbage rolls is good with crusty whole wheat bread or my favoite, Knfela (German Dumplings and Potatoes). My grandmother would also serve a green leafy salad with the cabbage rolls. 

As a kid my favorite thing was to eat the extra ground beef/rice that was left in the pan. So yummy!!

Beware if you under-cook the cabbage in the boiling water or in the oven, the cabbage can be tough. 

Sehr gut!!! 

Daily Bathroom Reset

Nothing says I love you like a clean and tidy place to soak in the tub, washing your hands, or recover when you are not feeling well. A quick daily reset in the bathroom not only keeps things fresh, but it's a small but meaningful way to bless your family. 

A daily bathroom reset takes about 5 minutes per bathroom: -

1. Once you are done in the morning- shaving, washing your face, applying your makeup ,and brushing your teeth-- grab ag a clean cloth and wipe down the sink, faucet and counter top.

2 Give the tub/shower a rinse and then wipe off the faucet and knobs. 

3. Wipe off the outside of the toilet (and the lid) and give the bowl a good scrub with the toliet brush. 

4. Finish by tossing the bathroom rugs in the dryer for a few minutes.  This fluffs the fibers and makes them feel so much more luxurious than a crunchy or flattened rug. 

These tiny habits add up, creating a bathroom that feels calm, cared for, annd ready for whatever your day brinngs. 

When you build this simple daily bathroom reset into your day, your are not just cleaning-- your creating a calm space for the people you love. Start with one bathroom. One small habit. Enjoy the peace that comes with having your home tidy. 

 

Kitchen Reset

Every day, our kitchens become bustling hubs of activity. We end up with dirty dishes, sticky, cluttered counters.  If your life looks like mine, you get up and make lunches and breakfast, and then prepare supper. Sure enough, your sink is filled with dishes,  your countertops are a mix of clean and dirty items, and your stove carries the unpleasant evidence of overflowing pots. 

How to do a daily kitchen reset:

1. Begin by rinsing out the sink and filling a basin with hot, soapy water.

2. Wipe down the microwave and the stovetop.

3. Load the dishwasher with dirty dishes and start it.

4. Wash the plasticware, fragile dishes, and any that didn’t fit in the dishwasher.

5. Wipe down the counters and put away food in the fridge or cupboard/pantry.

By this time, you should notice your kitchen becoming tidy and clean.

6.  Rinse out the sink again and put away any hand-washed dishes.

Stand back and admire your hard work.

Today, I completed all these tasks in under 30 minutes.

Later in the day, the tasks are simple: unload the dishwasher, add any new dirty dishes, wipe off the counters, and rinse out the sink. 

Husbands and kids can help load and unload the dishwasher. They can also remove countertop crumbs and place non-dishwasher items in a sink basin. 

No hour-long cleaning marathons needed-  just a quick reset that keeps your kitchen feeling calm and under control.