Today is day 2 of the challenge of making our home a haven! (Read more about the challenge here) Today we focus on fulfilling our 5 steps to begin the day (which I wrote out yesterday and posted on my frig!) followed by refreshing up the living room of your home. My 5 steps were completed, but only between changing a diaper, putting in a load of laundry, changing activities for a crying baby, etc. I was wanting to open my computer before completing these tasks, but then I was reminded…no, no, Lindsay. Get your 5 steps done! Computers can be very distracting to me, unfortunately. But it is amazing what you can get done when you put your mind to it and you have others out there keeping you accountable and inspired! I finally got to cleaning that crock pot that has been sitting on my counter the last 2 days calling my name (Don’t you hate that!).
My 5 steps grew a little today as I thought of a few others things that I need to just get done at the beginning of each day before other things distract me. So here is my refreshed and updated list:
1. Devotions
2. Prepare myself for the day (do my hair, put a little make-up on, hopefully!)
3. Prepare breakfast
4. Quick house pick-up (this included cleaning up the entry like I was talking about yesterday. For even last night after returning home from a meeting, we piled up some more coats, shoes, books, etc. Time to get the entry way looking clean! Maintenance is the key!)
5. Make dinner preparations (making hamburgers for dinner, so I pulled out some hamburger meat from the freezer)
6. Put in a load of laundry (if needed) - (I try to do all my laundry on one day, but sometimes it doesn’t always work that well)
7. Fill up my water bottle! (I need to be drinking more water, but if I don’t have it near, I don’t drink it. So I am trying to be more purposeful in filling it up in the morning and having it with me)
8. Take 5 min and plan (I keep several small notepads around the house for this purpose. I just write down a few things I need to get done for the day. I keep it to no more than 3-4 things. I have a master list for the week that I aim to write out on Sunday night and then each day I try to check 3-4 items off that list. Not to0 consistent with this yet, but I am working on it 
)
MY LIST TODAY
Sweep & mop entryway – DONE!
Vacuum stairs (after setting up our tree and decor on Saturday, there are pine needles everywhere! These are things I did not get to yesterday when we were focusing on the entryway.) – DONE!
Clean living room windows (since today was to focus on the living room, I looked around to see what needed to be done. The sun was shining through the windows and I could see a lot of dirt and smudges everywhere! SO that is what I am doing today! One little thing!) -DONE!
Bake bread – DONE!
Empty trashcans – DONE!
I better get to it before Karis destroys my list by eating it as she is now!
Do you do all of this before babies wake up? Or how do you manage all this with kids?
No, not at all. I usually do my devotions and try to get dressed before the kids get up and the other tasks are completed usually while the kids are at the breakfast table or shortly afterwards. I try to include them in all the clean up processes as much as possible.
If you do a load (or two) of laundry a day you won’t have so much to do in one day. I only did laundry in a day when I was single. Another thing my mother taught me! She would be proud of me!
Good for you! I’m just checking out to see what others have gotten accomplished while doing Crystal’s challenge.
Thanks Becky for your sweet comment. It is fun to participate in the challenge. It is definitely keeping me accountable! I am definitely blessed to be able to stay at home…I hope you can join the ranks soon! Blessings to you!
Thanks lylah, breads done!
I wish you could be here to enjoy it! I would love to have a nice long chat with you. 
hey beautiful woman
call me when the bread is done…i’m coming over…
blessings…
I found your blog through Crystal’s Biblical Womanhood site and I so love your clean, simpleness of your blog. You seem to be very dedicated with Crystal’s challenge. I wish I could participate but since I work out of the home right now, it is hard. I am hoping within the next 2-3 years to become a SAHM. I love your pic of you and your lovely kiddo. I look forward to reading more from you.