Microfiber Magic

No judgment please...

Can I just be real for a second!? I have two, almost three, children and microfiber on my kitchen chairs which is NOT a good combo. I've even considered selling my table and chairs because I hate how easily they get dirty and my all-purpose cleaner wasn't doing the job. I am here to testify to the magic cleaner of microfiber and it's, more than likely, something you already have in your cleaning caddy.

Drum roll please...

That's right, Windex is the magic cleaner for microfiber! All I did was saturate my microfiber seats with Windex then used a scrub brush to scrub the seat. Finally, I took a microfiber cloth and wiped the seat off and VIOLA!! It was THAT easy. I did have to use some elbow grease when scrubbing because my seats were so bad...like, really bad. Want to see my results? Ok, but like I said my seats were really bad so you have been warned.

Happy Cleaning!! 

Secrets Of A Stay At Home Mom

DISCLAIMER: If you don't like sarcastic humor do not read the following!


First off, despite what Instagram tells you, the life of a SAHM is not always rainbows and sunshine! In fact it is by far the hardest job I have ever had in my life...I'm being serious.

Most of the time there is so much dry shampoo in my hair that I'm pretty sure I've destroyed part of the ozone layer with my air sole can.

Before I became a SAHM I thought I had patience.....NOPE...

Going to the grocery store is like a mission impossible movie...

I don't remember what it's like to use the bathroom in privacy...

You learn the true meaning of "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt"...

My child eats the cherries off the floor, my response is "thanks for cleaning that up for me!"...

If clothes doesn't show obvious signs of filth, frebreeze it...

Oh I've lost weight? It's because I can never eat a full meal by myself...

Oh I've gained weight? It's because I sneak and eat Little Debbie's in the bathroom with the door locked..

When your husband asked what you did today. "Oh ya know, I laid on the beach, caught some rays, ate chocolate...WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE DONE ALL DAY?!"...

Getting to go to the Dollar Store by yourself is like a 5 star vacation...

I catch myself watching cartoons when my kids are napping...

I drink coffee like it's water...


At the end of the day after all the tears have been cried and I'm not meaning my kids, I look at my two beautiful babies and I thank God that he has allowed me to walk down this road in my life. I never thought I'd be able to stay at home with my babies and though most days are far from perfect I wouldn't have it any other way!

Living out your true purpose...

If you are person of faith, I know, you have heard the term "calling" multiple times along your journey and if you're like me, you've more than likely struggled with what your calling truly is. I believe that each and every one of us has a calling in Christ it's just a matter of choosing whether to follow after it.

I have always felt a strong call to the ministry. I can remember in my early teens having a strong urge, pull, call to the ministry. At the time I wasn't sure what type of ministry or how I would be contributing to the ministry but I knew, without a shadow of doubt, that I would be involved in the ministry of Jesus Christ one day. 

Anyone who knows my dad knows that he is a music buff! Music was instilled in me at a very early age which has followed me my entire life. From guessing the name of artist, when a song came on the radio, with my dad to being in concert, marching, and jazz band in high school to being asked to sing on our church praise team and to now be serving alongside my husband in our music ministry. Now that I look back on all the events that have happened in my life, even down to the extracurricular activities I was involved with in school, they were all setting me up for my calling in Jesus. I truly believe that I am called to worship Jesus! Whether that's on a platform leading people into his presence or singing along in my car while crying out to God. 

Recently, I have felt a shifting in my life. I feel that there is a transition taking place spiritually and naturally. In my personal life the Lord has laid it on my heart lately about my calling as a mother. Of course I know that I'm called to the ministry but he has also let me know that my first mission field is my children. It IS my calling to serve Jesus and to sing for his glory but I am also called to be a mother who raises her children in the truth and the way they should go. So for me, this is a season of change, trust and walking by faith! So I have formally accepted this special calling the Lord has placed on my life with faith and confidence that he has me, my family and (thank God) the whole world in the palm of his hand. 

Proverbs 22:6King James Version (KJV)

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Here is a podcast I recently listened to that opened my eyes, even more, to fulfilling our true calling in Jesus!  I hope it helps you as much as it did me. Listen HERE

If I could say one thing in this blog post that will stick with you it is that God has GREAT things in store for his people! He is moving and changing lives like never before and I know that revival is on the horizon! 

Ways to reduce stress this Holiday season...

I absolutely LOVE the holiday season! Christmas has always been, for me, the most wonderful time of the year (did you see what I did there lol). However, since I have been married and especially since I have had children, the holidays have became A LOT more stressful. They basically make me feel like this....

So to help with the holiday blunder, I have complied a few tips to help us get through the next 3 weeks.

1. Prepare! I could not stress this enough (get it..stress...ok I'm done with the corny jokes) but seriously, preparation is everything! Even though it's probably a little late to start this now, one thing that my husband and I did this year that has helped us tremendously is we put our kids Christmas gifts in layaway! I'm not sure about bigger toy stores but I know K-Mart and Wal-Mart both have layaway. We went right after Halloween and picked out Christmas gifts for both kiddos and we've been paying on them little by little. The first plus was we didn't have to fight the "Christmas crowd" when we were shopping and the second, most obvious, plus is we didn't have to spend a chunk of money at one time. We will definitely be doing this every year!

One way we are preparing for all of the Christmas festivities is by using a planner. I use a planner religiously anyways so it was second nature for me to use it to plan all of our Christmas outings/functions ect. By writing everything down in my planner I can easily keep up with everything we have coming up and it keeps us all more organized and helps us to not over-book ourselves.

2. Just say NO! This is something that I have a very hard time doing but I am trying to do more. Let's be honest, do we really have to attend every single Christmas party on the block or drag our kids all over creation just to try and create the perfect Christmas memories for them?! Don't get me wrong, that's all well and good but I know that I have more memorable childhood memories of my dad and I sitting in our living room floor watching "A Christmas Story" and eating oranges rather than us traveling hundreds of miles to go see Christmas lights or standing in line for 3 hours just so I could get my picture with Santa. Don't get me wrong, I'm not downing those things at all, my point is we don't have to do it all! Wonderful memories can be made at home just being with each other! Those are the times that I truly cherish!

Take full advantage of free time! Instead of feeling obligated to attend every single holiday festivity, stay home, get in your pj's, watch Christmas movies and eat cookies! I mean, who wouldn't want that?!

3. Reduce your spending! Ok I know I am walking on egg shells with this one but it's just the truth! Sorry not sorry! It is mind boggling to me the amount of money we spend for Christmas. To think that some people will get themselves in debt just to buy Christmas gifts completely blows my mind. What has happened to the TRUE meaning of Christmas. I could probably preach on this subject but for your sake I won't ha! Instead of breaking your bank try these instead:

• Don't buy for every single person. Only buy for your close loved ones (kids, spouse, parents)
• Try homemade gifts-I LOVE getting homemade gifts from my friends & family. Homemade jams, salsa, lotions, scrubs...the possibilities are endless! 
• Set yourself a budget per person-make it a rule that you are only going to spend $10 on each family member. That narrows down your gift choices plus ensures that you won't break the bank.
• Instead of gifts, spend money on experiences-instead of buying material things, make a family date for your whole family to go ice skating. Making memories will last a lot longer than a shirt from TJ Maxx, promise! :) 
• Buy something for your home-this year instead of my husband and I getting each other random gifts we are buying ourselves a new mattress! It will be something that we will keep for years and it's something that we really NEED (in a seriously bad way)! 

It's sad to think that a holiday that is suppose to be so meaningful has become nothing more than a commercialized money pit which at the end of the day causes you to be so stressed out that you find yourself dreading the holiday's rather than enjoying them. Let's pull back the reigns and get this under control. Don't fall into the Christmas trap. Rest, relax, and enjoy this truly wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas Ya'll! :) 

Minimalism Journey Cont...

As the journey to a more simplified life continues I have some ups and downs...

I am not that much farther along in my process since my last post and video. Life has been so hectic here lately I honestly have not had time to purge the way I would like. Between showers, birthday parties, weddings, and fall festivities my weekends have been jam packed for two full months now! Not to mention The Matt Franklin Band is getting a mini Christmas Tour together for our surrounding churches (more on that later). Needless to say I haven't had the time.

What I have done, has proven true to the fact that I've had to clean less and is easier to maintain. By purging a lot of my dishware and silverware, I still have to wash dishes (aka: put them in the dishwasher), but one load usually washes them all! I've also had less towels to fold and put away which has made laundry less time consuming. We've also started using our towels more than once so now I'm only doing about one load per week of towels, wash clothes and dish rags. Woo hoo!

We've also started purging some of our larger furniture (I'm sure my Facebook friends can clearly see this). A couple pieces that we've decided to sell has been a bit of a challenge because I was more attached that I thought. I really had to stop and evaluate the situation and ask myself "Is this serving a specific purpose in my home?" or "Will this really make a difference is this piece is gone?" All of those answers ended up being NO so they had to go! As expected our home already looks more spacious and airy just from selling a few pieces of furniture.

Like I said, the journey continues. It's no where near finished but I'm already feeling the positive effects from minimizing our possessions!

My Minimalism Journey...

A concept that I have tossed around in my mind for awhile now, but I've finally decided to take the plunge...MINIMALISM!! May sound a little crazy but I'm excited to see how it simplifies my life! The most important things in life are not material things. I'm looking to increase my time spent with family, friends, and most importantly The Lord and decrease my time spent cleaning, organizing and laundry! With a world FILLED with distractions my goal is to streamline and focus my time and energy on the important things in life!

DISCLAIMER: Please excuse my no make-up, messy haired, self! It was a long day of cleaning.

Not sure why this video cuts off at the end, probably YouTube's way of telling me I was rambling. HA! 

This Season of Life...

Just as we have different seasons in the natural, I believe we also have different seasons of life. We may go through droughts but then finally the rain comes and we are refreshed and renewed again. Lately I have been walking through a season of life that, to my knowledge, I have never walked through before. I know that I am walking through this for a reason and that my heavenly father is teaching me as he walks with me through this season. This season is 'learning to stand still'.

Standing still is something that is hard for many of us to do in today's society. There are so many distractions that try and take our focus off of what it's suppose to be on. We can stand still in many different ways. Whether it's a decision that needs to be made, or just taking time to stop, breathe, and enjoy the present moment. I am learning how to stand still in every area of my life this season.

I am learning how to stand still in the spiritual. I often find myself getting so worked up and overwhelmed by the struggles of life. I guess you could say I am a 'worry wart' ha! I always stress about the smallest things. But lately the Lord keeps reminding me to stop, breathe and stand still. Whether it's through reading his word or through prayer he keeps reminding me that 'he's got this'. He knows exactly what I am going through and struggling with and even though sometimes I feel like he's a thousand miles away, he reminds me that he's been right by my side the whole time. I can just feel his freedom just from typing this blog post! So in my current battle, I am standing still and letting HIM fight for me.

I'm also learning to stand still in the natural. The other day I was sitting on the couch replying to emails while my 3 year old daughter played with my 6 month old son. She looked at me and said 'Mommy come play with us', my response was 'hold on a second I'm busy right now'. Well that second turned into 15 or 20 minutes. She then came over, put her tiny little hand in front of my phone screen and said 'Mommy, put your phone up and come play with us!' First of all I was shocked my three year old just correct me, then I was so disappointed in myself for ignoring them. That's exactly what I was doing...ignoring them! So needless to say I put my phone away and played with my babies!

We can get so sidetracked and distracted sometimes that we don't even realize we're distracted! With smart phones, technology, television, work, hobbies, other obligations, it's easy to get distracted from the things that really matter. Jesus teaches us not to lay up worldly treasures but to lay up our treasures in heaven and that where our treasure is, our heart will be there also. That day my heart was in my cell phone. I quickly learned that day that I am only given a short amount of time on this earth. It's my job and calling to make the most of it. Which is not Facebooking, Tweeting, Instagramming, Pinteresting or YouTubing. It's playing with my kids, spending quality time with my husband, and serving Jesus to the absolute best of my ability. THAT makes a life of fulfillment.

I am still walking through this season and still being taught many things. Some things I have always known but needed to be reminded of. We all need reminding sometimes. So today just remember and be mindful that at the end of the road, when we stand before Jesus, it's not going to matter how many followers you had, how many friends you had, how many likes you had on a post but how you lived your life and how many souls you led to Christ will be where your reward lies.

Keep the main thing, the main thing.

Stop. Breathe. Stand still.