Today is my first day as a stay-at-home Mom! It started with some celebration time with the dog, quick egg sandwiches for breakfast and Bible time with the husband, and creating a To Do List for the day. I really want my time managing the household to be purposeful. That doesn't mean always productive; I don't want to base my view of myself on how much I accomplish. But I do want to have a general aim for each day.

That's why I was thrilled when one of my favorite bloggers, Simple Mom, came out with an ebook last week called One Bite at a Time. Perfect timing! It's only $5 and it gives you 52 little projects that will help you simplify routines around the home. I have read her blog for years and she always provides such great content. Some of what is found in the book are ideas she's already shared on the blog, but I pushed them to the back of my mind as tasks I would take on "someday". It's also nice to have all of these ideas in one tidy location.

With their being 52 projects, my plan is to take on one project a week (52 weeks in a year, right?). Of course, there will be some weeks in the very near future in which the only thing I'll probably be able to get done is take a shower and take care of the baby. But, maybe there will be some weeks where I can tackle two projects because they are easier ones. Again, for me it's more about having a direction than being strict. I love the idea of kicking off my first year as a stay-at-home Mom by laying a good foundation though!

Today I am starting with Project 1: Eat Your Frog. It's about doing the thing on your list that you most dislike first instead of putting it off. Then, that task is done and you can get on with the tasks that you don't mind as much. Looks like I'll be vacuuming after I post this...

Anyone else want to join the challenge? As a fun little way for me to make some money, if you buy it from this link or the one above or by clicking on the cute elephant picture on the right side of my blog I earn 30% of the $5 price. Woohoo!