​

Hello Reader,

Our hot water heater went out this week, so we had to go a few days with only cold water or with no water at all. And let me tell you! With eight people in a household contributing to the stacks, the dirty dishes and smelly laundry pile up impressively fast (and deep and wide)!

By the time the water was back on, we had our work cut out for us. We started washing and scrubbing and tidying up, and have been at it ever since. Which put me in the mood for sharing a few household cleaning and organizational posts for this week's link list. Hope you'll find them helpful/motivating for tidying your nest, too!

Free resources for you this week:

• ​50 Ways to Get Organized - printable list with ideas for every room of the house
• ​Taming the Toy Box - a few simple principles to help clear the toy clutter once and for all
• ​Room Inspection Checklist - to give kids guidance when it's time to clean their room​
• ​Tips for Organizing Your Garage - by the yard, garages are hard; by the inch, they're a cinch
• ​Laundry Stain Removal Chart - consulted this today after my son left an ink pen in pocket
• ​How to Organize Your Kitchen for Efficiency - my favorite tips for this all-important room
• ​Home Sweet Home Coloring Page - when it's clean & tidy, home's my favorite place to be

What I'm reading this week:

​

My husband and I finished listening to Bad Therapy by Abigail Shrier over the weekend. This is a book I wish every parent on the planet would read. It explains how and why so many popular parenting and educational philosophies are terribly misguided. In their risk-avoidant efforts to keep kids safe and to protect their mental health, these tactics are doing far more harm than good. They have produced an entire generation of kids who are intently focused on their own emotions but seem incapable of empathizing with anyone else's, who want all the perks of adulthood and none of the responsibilities, who are plagued by anxiety and terrified of growing up.

What we're eating this week:

We're still trying to increase the number of purely plant-based meals we're eating, and this scrumptious tomato basil soup is a great choice for a light lunch. Pair it with wholegrain toast or a side salad instead of the grilled cheese sandwich if you're cutting down on dairy.

This week's reader request:

I received a message from a reader this week in search of party games for an upcoming church event, so I went through my old posts and tagged every game I could find.

That should make it much easier for her (and you?) to find them now! The following are just a very small sample of the dozens available on our website--we have a game for almost every occasion:

​

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 53 ​MICROSYSTEMS FOR HOME MANAGEMENT​ This week, I'm tackling a question from one of my most faithful listeners of all time (who also happens to be my daughter-in-law). She asked me to share some of the different microsystems my husband and I put in place to keep everything running smoothly. I'm discussing the methods we've used for managing our home this week and will save relationship microsystems for a later episode. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I ✅ did a little painting with my daughters, ✅ spent the weekend in Round Rock, ✅ organized two kitchen cabinets, ✅ organized two pantry shelves, and ✅ finished two soldering projects.

I did not ❌ reduce emails to <10 messages (holding out at 22 presently) or ❌ paint the maple tree or birdbath on my backyard mural. Between the water heater blowing and our being out of town, I just couldn't get those last two items knocked out this week. So I'm moving them to this week's list (again). But if I can't mark them off the list by next Wednesday, I'm going to give up trying for now.

Personal goals this week:

• paint tree and birdbath on mural
• plan family event for end of July
• complete 2 leather projects
• organize 2 more pantry shelves
• write 2 Timberdoodle reviews
• clean off closet desk