Pregnancy Nesting 101: Master To-Do List

I will soon hit the 24 week mark of this pregnancy and already the nesting has started. I was up till midnight last night working on a to-do list I hope to accomplish before our baby boy arrives. When I was pregnant with Olivia the constant nausea and tiredness along with it being my first baby kept me from having a lot of "plans" before her birth. This pregnancy has been so easy and I am hoping the energy I have now remains till this baby arrives.

So as I have said before posting my to-do list in this blog gives me some accountability and encouragement to finish the task before me. This is just a list of random ideas and task that may or may not be a priority for me later on so please don't blame me if I leave a few undone. As this pregnancy continues I will most likely add a few more things to this list. Feel free to comment if you think of anything that helped you post-baby. I would also love to hear of any meals that our freezer friendly for my stockpile I hope to prepare.

Master To-Do List:

1. Budget for the months of September 09-March 10
2. Set up and Excel spreadsheet to keep up with our budget
3. Menu plan for the month of September ( I am going to try menu planning for the month instead of just a week and see if I like it better.)
4. Start a Price List for the best sale prices
5. Start a stockpile for my pantry and freezer (For after the baby as well as a 3 month emergency supply)
6. Prepare freezer meals for after the baby ( I plan to post my list of meals later... would love to here your ideas!!)
7. Deep clean (fall cleaning) each room in the house (Living room, nursery, master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and laundry room/office)
8. Store away all of Olivia and Eric's summer clothes (October project)
9. Store all of Olivia and Noah's clothing in one dresser ( Right now I have the dresser and two plastic storage drawers full of clothing. I plan to simplify their winter wardrobes and use the plastic drawers for craft supplies, copy paper, etc.)
10. Shampoo carpets
11. Clean out coat closet ( Right now it is a junk closet )
12. Put up some railing and a gate around the back porch for Olivia ( A outdoor play area the is safe for the fall and spring)
13. Start purchasing Christmas gifts and birthday gifts for the months of Nov, Dec, and Jan.
14. Read up on Bradley method of childbirth (This is something I would possibly like to do with this birth)
15. Set up baby swing ( December project)
16. Pack bag for hospital stay and a bag for Olivia (December project)

All About US: Delk family update

I just realized how long it has been since I last sat down and just wrote about our family. I started this blog so I could journal about our family as well as encourage others. I love to read about what others are doing in their homes. It is such an encouragement to me to see other women out there who are doing the same things I do and dealing with the same struggles I go through. I know being a SAHM is my purpose and the plan the Lord has for me.







So I have decided to tell you about our home life by posting random things about Baby O, Eric, myself, as well as our family as a whole.

Baby O

• She is crawling!! (Actually it is a mix between crawling on all fours and army crawling)
• She is pulling up on just about everything
• She still has no hair! :-(
• She weighed 16lbs 11oz as of last week
• She can say "dada," "byebye," and "momma"
• She is wearing a black and white gingham dress for Easter
• She is still spitting up really bad at times :-( The doctor said it is not acid reflux but it is still hard on her and me.
• She will be 7 months on April 21

Eric

• Eric is working hard everyday to provide for our family
• Not a very random person so I guess this is all I have to say about him. :-)

Me

• I am still trying to finish up my Spring Cleaning
• I am trying to decide if I should hang curtains in my house or leave them off like I have till no
• I am trying to learn how to sew
• I am organizing each cabinet and closet week by week
• I am trying to get of the last 10 lbs of baby weight
• I am trying new recipes
• I am wearing a sage green dress for Easter
• I am still trying to learn the couponing/grocery thing

Our Family

• We are planting a garden this year
• We are trying to save to build or buy a home
• We are trying hard to stay on a budget
• We will be celebrating 2 years of marriage and Baby O's 1st birthday in September
• We are looking forward to a new niece/cousin in September!!
• We are trying to leave a legacy through our child/children
• We are planning on homeschooling our child/children
  

A Slow Start.

Getting started on my goals for 2009 has been a harder task than I had anticipated. My personal bible study time has been something that I have been able to keep up with on a daily bases. I have also stayed on a good track with my goal for 2 books a month. I'm sorry to say that my time set aside for scripture memorization has been overlooked. I still have plans for an Organization week sometime in February or March though and I am working on the family budget this week.

I have always been a procrastinator and with the addition of a baby to the family that has not helped me in the least. I can say that one of my main prayers for myself this year is for the Lord to give me diligence and initiative. I find myself pushing aside the little things that need done and focusing on the bigger pictures a.k.a. the big mess :-) I want my home to be orderly and clean for my family. Please pray for me as I try and accomplish these goals.

How I Love Books!!

This is all the books I received as Christmas presents this year and I am so excited about reading them. Some of them are ones I requested for Olivia and our future children when they get closer to preschool age. We are planning to home school and I want to accumulate all the literature I am able too now. I hope to read several books this year and have set a goals for myself of no less than two a month. Here is my book list so far.

1. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald (I am in the middle of this one right now. My mom and I each bought each other this book for Christmas unknowingly!)
2. Multiple Blessing by Jon and Kate Gosselin
3.Femine Appeal by Caroline Mahaney (We are studying this book in my weekly ladies bible study)
4. Kensington Chronicles series by Lori Wick

Back to Blogging for the Year 2009.

These are a few before and after pics of my cleaning today.

Sorry about the order of the pictures. I am still learning how to use this blog :-)

I am so excited to be home and back to blogging again!! We have been here and there for the last 2 weeks and I am so relieved to be at home and back to somewhat of a routine. Having been inspired by Crystal's post, I am ready to start the New Year off with a list of goals and things to get done.

Personal Goals for 2009:

1.Read through the Bible this year.

2.Begin working on Bible and baptist Catechism memorization again. (This was something I did with my family faithfully before Eric and I were married.)

3. Exercise regularly and lose weight back down to pre-pregnancy weight.

4. Read at least 2 books a month. ( I plan to post a book list later)

5.Plant a garden this spring and can in the fall.

6. Pull out the sewing machine I have and learn to sew.

7. Begin work on a scrapbook for Olivia.

8. Have a garage sale this spring.

9. Have a Home Organization Week soon. ( I want to clean out every closet, cabinet, and drawer in this house and organize them)

10. Learn how to budget and coupon better.

And so it began today with Eric back to work and my house in desperate need of a good cleaning and organizations.

I am planning to post some more goals we hope to set for our family this year as soon as I can.