Marriage Tip #4: Command Central

One I know is an ever-lasting job is keeping the family all on the same page. Even after 2 yrs this job is still in the making. Nevertheless I am about to share my tips and failures. Do what you must with them as you accomplish this task with your own families.

CALENDAR

TRIED #1: We started with a 12-month wall calendar and would fill in as you go.

PRO: We could fill in events as we went.

CON: My, Husband, was use to keeping everyone on his blackberry or online, so this change was challenging.

CON: We couldn't enter events ahead of time when we close to the end of the year.

CON: Had to re-write in important dates like Birthdays, etc...every year.

TRIED #2: Next, we both have a hotmail email account. So we "shared" calendars.

PRO: Alex, my husband, could input events and since we "share" our calendars, it would automatically input it into my calendar.

PRO: We can print off the calendars for each month and they will combine our calendars into one Monthly.

CON: I have to color in the colors each month because I'm too cheap to spring for the Color ink (smile)

PRO: I only enter in Birthday Events once and since you have the option of re-occurring events, they will show up every year. (so only enter once).

KEYS

When we first got married, there was several times I would get this phone call from Alex, "Honey, can you check your car, I think my car keys are in it." Or us walking around the house looking for them. We needed a central place to keep them.

TRIED #1: Had a drop basket.

CON: Everything else ended up in the basket, so when we would leave, we would have to dig through everything else to get to the keys.

TRIED #2: So on this bulletin board, I added some hooks (about a $1 from Walmart for 8 of them).

PRO: It's right next to the door, so when you walk in the hooks are right there.

PRO: on hooks make them easy to see and find. No basket to search through.

PRO: Basket is now gone and not extra clutter sitting right next to the door.

MAIL

I got this Christmas Card Holder from T.J. Max, clearanced for 75% off after the holidays. Then I made tags for "His", "Hers", "Coupons", for each pocket. So when I check the mail, this is where it goes.

CHORES

I saved the best for last. This one is the most challenging for us! Figuring out who does what and how often. Some times Alex has time or I might have more time.

When we first got married my other issue was I was so use to doing things my way that I thought it was the only way. So the first year was me learning there is more than one way to get the house cleaned. However we do still disagree on a couple of things; like on how full the dishwasher should be before running it.

Lesson Learned: YES LADIES, THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO CLEAN! IN MOST CASES, CLEAN IS CLEAN!

Next we needed to figure out how to communicate what needed to be done and when and by whom.

TRIED #1: Assigning a chore to each day.

CON: Over kill on cleaning

CON: Felt like I was cleaning every day and we don't even had kids yet.

CON: felt like I was the one doing all the cleaning.

TRIED #2: Message board and would write down what needed to be down.

PRO: Alex is visual and it was in a place he would look.

CON: he wouldn't know when I wrote it and who was suppose to do it. Then he would just forget about it.

TRIED #3: Make a Chore Chart. Did this with the cartridge from Cricut called Chore Chart.

PRO: Visual, you can pick the day, as long as it is done by the end of the week.

PRO: Clearly communicates who is doing what.

CON: it takes a while to make it. (I actually enjoyed this part because I like stuff like this!)

YES: This works for us! Alex see's what I need for him to do, he picks a day that works for him and he does it. If he can't then he can communicate with me so I don't feel like he has forgotten just that it might have to wait until the next week, etc.

COMMAND CENTRAL

So this is what is right next to the door. We see it every day. The Calendar is front and center. The Chore Chart is visible and clear on who is to do what and the person picks the day to do it. WE have a place for our keys and where we can check our mail everyday.

So what are somethings that have worked or no so worked for you?!

Birthday week!

September was so busy that before I knew it, the month was over and I had full intensions to blog about the month. But then before I could event download the pictures, October came and went as well! So I will do my best to sum it all up as great as possible....

SEPTEMBER

I know this is a hard thing to start off with but this our life. We had a young man enter our life and within just a few seconds, Alex saw him leave this life. Blake was a 19 year old that was dating Alex's cousin and while at the lake Alex witnessed him have a heart-attack. The great news is he accepted Christ just 3 weeks earlier! Praise God for His Grace and Salvation!

There were 2 other friends of ours that experienced a lost of someone young. The weekend was a challenge to see death as a reality that life is short! What is the Legacy you are leaving?!

The following Sunday at Fellowship was a sermon to help start healing this void by speaking on the Passage of Mary tell Jesus (after the passing of Lazarus) "Lord if you had been her earlier, my brother would not be dead." The passage is such a comfort for the feelings we have when we lose someone so unexpectedly and how Jesus sympathizes with our feelings but has a plan in the end.

Things got better by God providing us with the joy of going to the Hog's home games. What a Birthday present for us both!

I had my birthday and got this White Fossil Watch I have had my eyes on all year! Please that weekend,

Alex did out typical birthday breakfast and Bikes Blues BBQ visit (that was the first night we spent visiting with each other when we first met!) We had frozen yogurt at the Midnight Berry on Dickson Street.

The Good Year Blimp was in town for the first big game of the year for the Hogs! Plus I got this super fun Chore Chart Cartige for my Cricut and now we are organized in keeping the house in order.

Then we Celebrated everyones birthday together with myside of the family.

Then there was OCTOBER

We celebrated Alex's birthday with his Sister and Nephew by cooking steaks, had buttercream cupcakes and Alex playing video games with his Nephew. We love that kid! We went to several Fayetteville Bulldogs to support our favorite Player Tyler Tipton #63! Go Dawgs Go!

Alex got his Deer Hunting on in Booneville (at Deer Camp) while I headed North to Point 11 in Missouri for the Singles Fall Retreat! It was so hard being so far apart but we made it!

Alex slaved away for school and has done AWESOMELY! God has been so faithful that where Alex puts in the Study time, God has be there ever class and test to help Alex Glorify God in his grades!

The Singles ministry I work for, then put on our Annual Costume Party and have a great turn out with lots of great fun and costumes! This year we had a photographer come in and do a photo-booth! So fun!

And Now its NOVEMBER!!!

Tonight is Daylight savings time (which did you know not all states recognize this? They never fall back or spring forward! Craziness!) Anyways, since we FALL BACK and GAIN AN HOUR TONIGHT...I'm off to bed to GAIN THAT EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP!