Category Archives: Homemaking

Finding the Ever-Elusive “Down Time”

How to Tell If You Are Too Busy (By Looking At Your Legs)

You are busy.

But are you too busy?

How can a mom tell when she has crossed line from Acceptably Busy into Too Much Busy?

I have a few different “Busy Rulers” in my life. A peek into my purse or my minivan will give you a good idea of whether or not I’ve been running around busy, but there’s a much simpler, more accurate method for diagnosing Too Busy Syndrome.

Look down.

At your legs.

What do you see?

If your legs remind you of the Amazon Rainforest… you might be too busy.
If you think you might need to borrow your husband’s hair clippers before you pull out your razor… you might be too busy.
If you have been wearing pants or leggings for three weeks straight to hide your legs, even to bed… you might be too busy.
If your children catch sight of your legs and exclaim, “Your legs look like Dad’s!!”… YOU MIGHT BE TOO BUSY!

The Shaved Legs Principle

Now don’t get me wrong: this post isn’t about shaving your legs, or leggings, and it’s especially not about vanity. I’m not saying that if you don’t shave your legs every day then you’re doing something wrong, because I don’t know any mother who has that kind of time! (Shucks, I will admit that I often run out in capri pants with a little bit of stubble showing. This post is definitely not about keeping perfectly shaved legs!)

What I *am* asking you to ask yourself is this: “Am I so busy that I don’t have the time to take care of myself, the way I want to take care of myself?”

If the answer is “yes” then you know you have been spending your time in other ways – probably all very good and noble and important – which have prevented you from taking even a small amount of time to take care of yourself.

And if you have neglected to take care of yourself long enough that you feel you need to bring in power tools or hide it to avoid embarrassment, then you know you definitely need to cut back a little.

But if you could say that this is a regular occurrence, that you regularly find yourself trying to cram in a few minutes just to shave your legs? Then there’s a very good chance you might need to cut back a lot and let some things go.

Maybe your problem isn’t your legs.

Maybe it’s never having time to trim or file your raggedy nails, except that one that tears and catches on everything so you have to stop and deal with *that* one.

Maybe you are always behind on other things you’d like to do for yourself, such as self-coloring your hair, or plucking your eyebrows, or taking care of those stray chin hairs.

Make no mistake – self-pampering and indulgence are not the goal here. Taking care of yourself, both what you need to do and what you want to do, is important for so many reasons.

As mothers we are setting hygiene examples for our children.
As wives, we are holding a hygiene standard for our marriage.
As Christian women, we are honoring God by being good stewards of what he gave us (and that may or may not include shaving your legs if you want, but that does include taking the time to take care of ourselves as we each fit and appropriate).

Furthermore, if you are so so busy that you feel like you are always behind on taking care of yourself, there’s a really good chance you are also feeling overwhelmed and behind in a lot of other areas, too.

I write about all this, because I know this. I have been too busy too often for a while now. (Especially the last three weeks. I’m wondering if my razor is going to be able to handle the job.) I haven’t made time to file my rough nails, push back my cuticles, get my hair done, or check for chin hairs.

All of these things are flags, warning signs, for the house I’ve been struggling to maintain, the homeschool I’ve been trying to stay on top of, the church stuff, the family stuff…all the things I am juggling. A simple look down at my legs or my nails tells me that I need to re-evaluate how I am spending my time. Certainly not *all* the ways I am busy are noble, or good, or important.

So please, do not feel like you need to keep a perfectly clean shaven, manicured, and coiffed appearance at all times, because that is not what I want you to take away from this. I want you start seeing those little undone self-upkeep tasks as reminders. Let the undone tasks remind you to make time to take care of yourself.

When you start to feel too busy and you ask yourself, “Am I just busy or am I *too* busy?”

Well, just take a look down at your legs.

Hairy Amazon Rainforest Legs don’t lie.

For Those Who Are In An Unavoidable Busy Season Of Life:

On a serious note, I feel the need to add this: There are THINGS in this life that we will go through, things that make life harder, things that make it harder for us to take time for us. And if you are there, you do get a free “Unshaved Legs Pass” because honestly, shaving is much less important than holding a dying loved one’s hand. If you are there, I would encourage you to stay strong, lean into Jesus, and take whatever brief moments you can grab to take care of yourself–but don’t fret what you can’t do as you spend your time focusing on what most needs to be done.

Image Credit: Lisa Runnels

A Case for Homemaking

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I’ve been having some sort of inner crisis lately. I’ve been burnt out on doing what I HAVE to do and not really feeling like I am doing anything I WANT to do. I haven’t even been able to think of what it is I would rather do. I’ve been at a stand still and not happy there.

There was a lot of work to be done all those years raising little ones, but there was also an element of gratification to it. It was simpler in so many ways. I’m not there anymore.

Having older kids is great in the respect that they can tie their own shoes, shower themselves, help out with chores around the house, etc, but it’s much more mentally and emotionally taxing. It reminds me of that saying, “Little kids wreck your house and big kids wreck your mind.” Life just feels much more fragmented now.

So I’ve found myself less than excited about keeping house, making meals, etc. It feels like it’s pointless..after 25 years, it’s still never finished. But I don’t think that’s really the point.

I’ve had a cluttered heart and mind and haven’t been sure what the problem is or what the solution could possibly be. So I did all I know to to: I prayed and asked God to give me wisdom (James 1:5) and His eyes to see things the way He does.

What I discovered was simple and yet profound: I am missing that basic gratification that comes with the menial, simple tasks of keeping a home.

We have trained our kids to help around the house and in order for life to run smoothly in the midst of busy tweens and teens, we really do need their help.

But there is something to be said for folding a warm load of laundry… one that hasn’t been sitting in there for 2 days and is now cold and wrinkled. There’s a satisfaction in cleaning the kitchen thoroughly with my own two hands and joy in filling our home with the comforting aroma of a well planned, home cooked meal. There can be such peace in finishing a task like washing the windows or polishing the table top.

I’m not taking the kids’ chore responsibilities away, but I’ve decided to participate more and work alongside them…like I did when they were younger. I will also work alone quietly, with my own hands and my own thoughts.

When my house is in order, my world seems calmer and less chaotic. We aren’t talking perfection here, but there’s something about working with our hands that helps our hearts sort things out. I think God meant it to be that way.

I am not saying that all house work is for women only (just ask my teenage boys), but we are one of many generations of homemakers who have gone before us. For centuries, women have bent over the stove/fire and prepared meals for their families, maintained their homes and created an atmosphere that helped keep the family cohesive. We were born at different times, but we are part of that sisterhood that spans between now and the dawn of time.

It might be good for our hearts to remember that these “menial” tasks just may be more valuable than this culture gives them credit for. Jesus was about servanthood…about the small things, because, quite often, the countless little things really turn out to be the big things.

Heidi St John Homeschooling Guide to Daylight

Forgetting Thanksgiving:The Nightmare Before Christmas

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I went to the mall on November 14th this year. It made me sad. And then—then it made me mad.

Christmas is here, apparently. Santa’s got his chair all ready to go. Ornaments hang cheerfully from the mall ceiling. Christmas songs are playing.

As I looked around, I wondered: What happened to Thanksgiving? Where are the decorations for Thanksgiving? Where are the pictures of Pilgrims and Indians? I miss Thanksgiving with the Walton family. Forgetaboutit. It’s time to buy more stuff. Everyone’s talking about Christmas. The sales. The glitz. The sparkle.

Thanksgiving doesn’t sparkle. It has a softer glow about it. Thanksgiving offers a quiet peace. Thanksgiving offers time to reflect and to be thankful–and heaven knows we need more of that these days. I wonder if we’re forgetting Thanksgiving.

Here in my neck of the woods, we roll Santa out right after the mummies go back into storage.

Is it happening where you live, too? Every year, Christmas decorations go up earlier. Every year, we hear less about this cherished tradition of giving thanks. Bring on the gift giving. Americans like to GET things—and in the process, we’ve allowed ourselves to forGET that it’s better to give than to receive.

I don’t know about you, but I want my kids to know the history behind Thanksgiving. I want them to know about Squanto and the Mayflower. I hope they realize what those Pilgrims came here for. They came for freedom.

I want them know that it Thanksgiving would have disappeared altogether if Sarah Hale had not petitioned no less than five US Presidents to make it a national holiday.

In Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson, we see a glimpse of Sarah Hale’s spirit. She wrote persistently to officials in many levels of government promoting the observance of Thanksgiving as a unified national holiday. Not a woman to take “No” for an answer, Sarah kept on writing. For four decades and five Presidencies, Sarah wrote. She believed that observing Thanksgiving was a way that we, as a nation, could be unified. In October, 1863, President Lincoln, perhaps in response to an editorial Hale had published in the magazine she edited, read a Thanksgiving proclamation to “fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Read her amazing letter here.

We’re missing it if we miss this special time.

But then, we’re missing a lot of things in the United States these days.

Forgetting Thanksgiving, or even side-lining it, is a big mistake.

But then, we’re making a lot of mistakes in the United States right now.

We’ve got to get this right.

I want my children to look forward to gathering around the table at Thanksgiving. I want them to remember seeing their grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and neighbors bowing their heads in reverence and gratitude to God. I want them to learn that being thankful for what we have is better than getting things.

When I’m gone, I hope my grandchildren remember that their Mamsi loved to cook a turkey just right for whoever would come and enjoy it with us. I hope they still watch “Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving.” I hope they will tell the story of Thanksgiving to their children. I hope they’ll read Sarah’s story to their own children.

To me, Thanksgiving is sacred. There was something almost magical about driving through town to grandma’s house as a child and noticing that every.single.store. was closed to honor this special day. We took a break. We played games. We ate food. We listened to the stories of our grandparents—and we learned to give thanks.

We’ve got a nightmare before Christmas in this country when we forget Thanksgiving in a rush to buy more things and hurry past it to the “most wonderful time of the year.”

To forget is to miss out on the blessing.

Let’s remember. Let’s stop shopping for one day and give thanks to God for all we have.

Yes, it’s just one day, but it’s no ordinary day.

Take time. Slow down. Look up. Look around. Be thankful.

What are YOUR Favorite Thanksgiving Traditions?

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We love Thanksgiving at our house. Love.

To my family, Thanksgiving is simple—and wonderful. It’s

All the wonderful, warm fuzzy feelings of the holidays—without the stress of gift giving—WIN.
A chance to remember Thanksgivings from long ago (otherwise known as children talking with grownups)
Food. (cray cray, I know)
Cousins (the more the merrier)
Neighbors (invites go out every year)
More food.
Movies
Games
Books
Slow cooked apple cider
Christmas music (starts on Thanksgiving evening)

Anywho—the kids and I have put together a new eBook that’s brimming with time honored, family recipes from The Busy Mom writers, traditions, a Thanksgiving devotion from Firmly Planted Family, craft ideas, book suggestions, printables, templates for my favorite family tradition and more!

It’s almost done…

But before we finish it, we thought it would be fun to ask you, our readers, about your favorite Thanksgiving traditions. Do you have a simple tradition that really makes Thanksgiving memorable?

Talk turkey and {simple} traditions with me—leave your comment below!

Best Slow Cooker Chicken Soup {ever in the history of the world}

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Okay. I admit it.

I’m a soupie. I love soup. If you’ve read my blog before, this should come as no surprise.

Chicken soup makes my heart and my tummy especially H A {double P} Y.

I’ve experimented with a few different variations of chicken soup over the years. This is our family fave. If you don’t have the brewer’s yeast, it’s okay. Just try and have some in your pantry all the time, because (a) it’s good for you and (b) it’s yummy on popcorn.

I wish someone told me about it years ago. I mean, when something’s this good—ya gotta share, right? So here we go!

Word of advice for soupie newbies: When you take the chicken out of the plastic … be sure to remove the baggie of goodies from the chicken’s cavity. I have cooked it with the junk inside and we didn’t die—but still. Take it out. Some folks save it for chicken broth. I toss it. But that’s just me.

Turn your crockpot to low if you have at least six hours. Otherwise, high will do nicely. Put your chicken (breast side up) into the slow cooker. By the way, I just purchased a new one and I’m LoVInG it! This one is an 8 quart beauty. Pour water in.

While your bird is sitting there, dice your veggies. I use one board (it’s plastic) and then dump them in all at once. VOILA.

At this point, I cover the chicken with all my spices. This time, I mixed the salt, pepper, marjoram and sage with the brewers yeast and put them in at the same time. You’re done. Let it cook for 4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. Be sure the chicken is covered in water. This water is your broth!

This is what it looked like just before I took it out of the crock pot. Man I wish you could smell this. Your mouth would be watering.

When it’s all done, the meat should be falling off the bones. At this point, I take my chicken and put it onto a baking sheet that has a small lip. This way, the juices stay on the baking sheet and don’t go dripping onto the floor.

Yes. I learned that the hard way. You’re welcome.

Take the meat off the chicken and add it back into the broth. I like to skim the fat off the top of the soup, but with this chicken I didn’t notice much fat. I tried Kirkland’s organic. Mmmm…good.
Serve with some toasted garlic bread and/or a simple tossed salad.

Healthy, delicious soup is just a few hours away! You can do it!

Enjoy—
…and so, to recap…

Slow Cooked Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken (you can cook from frozen) be sure to remove the “insides” from the cavity
1 bunch celery, rinsed and diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 carrots (give or take)
3 tsp salt … you can add more later so go easy for now
2 tsp pepper ^^ see above^^
1/4 cup brewers yeast (adds a wonderful flavor to your soup and it’s really GOOD for you!
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp marjoram
2 tsp sage
9 cups water

Where’d she get that?

Brewer’s yeast
Hamilton Beach 8-qt slow cooker
In a hurry? Try pressure cooking!

Sore Throat? Try Essential Oil Tea!

18 Replies

I’m gonna admit to being *very* skeptical when it comes to things like this. As a mother of seven, I’ve tried it all. Antibiotics, OTC remedies, etc. Here’s the thing: Essential oils work.

This is the tea I use whenever I feel the slightest twinge of a sore throat or “pressure” in my throat. It works.

A few months ago, I tried this little remedy when I was scheduled to speak for a large audience. My throat hurt. I was sure I was coming down with something. Hesitantly, I drank a “tea” that my friend made me using essential oils. Within four hours, I felt 100% better.

Give it a try. For more information, please visit my go-to for essential oils: Young Living.

*disclaimer*
I DO NOT subscribe to the idea that inner healing comes from essential oils. As a woman of faith, I believe (and have experienced) ultimate spiritual healing. It’s never going to be found in a bottle, no matter how cleverly named. True inner healing comes from our Creator. It only comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. God is the Master Healer.

Also, I’m not a doctor. Don’t tell this to my kids. (Raising a bunch of kids sometimes puts me in that role!)

Essential oils work in the same way modern-day medicines work—without the “modern day.” You can read about them in the Bible! In fact YL sells a set of them called 12 Oils of Ancient Scripture. After using them successfully for over two years, I decided to share what I’ve learned. I’d love it if you would purchase your oils through my link. I get a small percentage of what you purchase. I think I’ll get a latte with it… and you’ll feel a whole lot better.

I also love diffusing essential oils. Here is the #1 selling Essential oil diffuser on Amazon—but you can also purchase them directly from Young Living. Just search products for “diffusers.”

Essential oils work! Give them a try!

Heidi St. John

Speaking the Truth in Love