Lesson learned...the hard way.

The first week of December started out pretty much as usual.  December is always crazy... school programs, church programs, gifts to buy and wrap, parties to plan, treats to make, cards to make and send; the list can go on and on.  December is also an expensive month.  This year we had saved and planned to buy most of our gifts in one shopping trip.  The list was made, my parents were in town and they had agreed to watch the kids.  So off we went to buy a ton of stuff.  We filled a cart with gifts for the kids, grandparents, brothers and sisters, a few groceries... maybe the most we have spent in one trip to WalMart without buying one big item.  I was feeling pretty good.

In addition to all of the Christmas craziness, my computer had started acting kind of funny the day before our big shopping trip.  I assumed it could be solved by using the disk first aid.  Unfortunately I was wrong.  The next day, I took it to an appointment at the genius bar and received the news that the hard drive was failing.  Immediately, I was having some major buyer's remorse.  Why had I just spent all of my extra money the night before? 

I found someone who could replace the hard drive for a resonable price, but I was devastated to find out that we may not be able to recover my data.  I have close to 10,000 photos on that computer!  I have backed up maybe 9000, but it's been a year or so since the last time I backed up the photos.  Pretty much all of Paxton's life.  It was going to cost significantly more to do the data recovery, but I had to do it.  I want those pictures and videos, and I should probably try to recover my tax returns, too.  The computer headed to the shop. 

I never realized how much I rely on my computer.  I keep track of my spending, the weather, Christmas deliveries I was waiting on.  I found myself not keeping track of the days because I usually get on the computer in the morning to check my e-mail, bank account and facebook.  I forgot to go to an executive PTA meeting and my volunteer night at the dental clinic.  I was late getting my Christmas cards out because I couldn't make them, then I didn't have pictures I wanted from earlier in the year.  I couldn't print photos of Paxton or my nephew to put in First Christmas ornaments I had bought.  I had to find recipes for Christmas treats on my Kindle and my phone.  I gave up on the great ideas I had pinned for Christmas crafts and homemade gifts.  I am totally lost without a computer!

It was only a week and a half before I was able to pick the computer up, but it felt like an eternity.  Ultimately I survived.  My holiday preparations were a little more troublesome and there were things that I just didn't finish.  Two things were learned from this unfortunate inconvenience,  maybe I need to back off a bit from relying the computer, and I absolutely must start backing up my data.  I have yet to put anything back on the computer, but I will be using an external hard drive to back up all of my precious family memories from now on.  They were able to recover all of my data, but that isn't always the case.  The guy who did the repair said put it this way~ a failed hard drive can be a disaster, but if you keep up with your data back up, it is a mere inconvenience.

Lesson learned.   

To smoke, or not to smoke... That's not the question.

I am going to have to stop reading posts on facebook!  I don't find it useful to attack others' opinions, especially strangers who I know nothing about, but I am finding it hard to keep my mouth shut on several issues.  There is always someone arguing the evilness of WalMart or the "right" way to raise children.  I am a stay-at-home mom of four because my husband has a great job at WalMart.  These things hit home.  I know these are just opinions, and often, they are from extremists.  So I bite my tongue and try to forget the comments.  But today, I have gotten so riled up, I need to vent.  So I am going to choose to write about something that can make a difference.

Our town is in the midst of a clean air debate.  There are many looking for the city council to pass a smoking ban on public places.  Currently there are several restaurants in town that already offer a non-smoking environment, but there are many that still have smoking sections.  As with any debate, you have two sides.  I am on the side for clean air.

I have been amazed at the arguments people have posted against Clean Air.  One particularly offensive man made several posts about things he thought should be "band".  Those included buffets (because "fat pigs stuffing their faces" made him sick), potatoes (because they make people fat) and kids under five in all public places (because he can't stand smelly, screaming kids that don't mind).  Another guy said he smokes and he should have that right just like you should have the right to have a drink, and that everyone who supports it is crazy.  Seriously? Do the people who wrote these really think the goal is banning things we don't like? Obviously they are totally missing the point.  You can't get drunk just from standing next to someone.  Alcohol doesn't enter your body through the air you breathe.  And, the debate isn't about smoking or not smoking, its about where to smoke. 

We have all been informed of the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke, so I won't go into that. I appreciate not smelling like smoke after I go out to eat.  While in college, I loved to play pool.  My friends and I would spend lots of time at pool halls, which allowed smoking.  I would have to do laundry more frequently just to keep the smokey smell out of the dorm room.   It didn't bother me as much then, but now that I have experienced non-smoking establishments, I am hooked.   We went to a birthday party in a bar a few weeks ago and spent several hours there.  I was glad I didn't come home smelling of smoke.  It's amazing how quickly the smell of smoke can permeate your clothing and how long it can last.  Jackson went to a restaurant with a smoking section for lunch a couple of days ago.  He sat in the non-smoking section and was only there for an hour.  5 hours later, he came home, and I could smell the smoke on him.

Many people who are against the ban claim the fear of loss of business.  I will admit, I have not done my research, and don't have the time to do it at the moment.  Someone did post a link that supported the increase of business after smoking bans, but I have not looked at it.  My past experience tells me that it could definitely help business.  There have been countless times I have gone to restaurants and waited for non-smoking seating while there are numerous spots available in the smoking section.  More tables seated= more revenue, right?  Who hasn't left a restaurant and headed to another to avoid a long wait?  Places like bowling alleys, and maybe even pool halls, could see more business from families who avoid the smoking establishments for the health of their young children.

The thing that bothers me the most about the debates I read online, is the way people choose to argue their opinion; by attacking others and being offensive.  I shared some of the comments above to show how offensive some people can be.  Name calling and insults are not effective arguing techniques.  Though I disagreed with many of the opponents, I tried to state my reasons without attacking anyone.  I cannot say that I have never said someone who had differing opinions was crazy or nuts.  I just read the post Jackson and caught myself saying, "Isn't that guy crazy?"  I would never say that to his face, or post it on a public forum, though.  I just wish people would show some respect.  You are much more likely to have your opinions heard if you share them in a respectful way.       


 

Part Time Project/ First Day

After I made the commitment to begin my project, I jumped right in.  I spent the morning with my two little ones.  We had lunch and around 1 o'clock, I started to work. 

I first made better use of the bookshelves.  I had several things that could find other, more appropriate, homes.  There was no sense taking up prime book space for an empty wedding album box or our home inspection binder.  Those moved to long-term storage in the attic.  I put away all of the books the children had left on the floor or on the desk.  I made enough space to fit some new chapter books we had been given.  They had previously been sitting in boxes just inside the doorway.

I kept a trash bag handy for all of the useless things I found... Broken pencils, scraps of paper, shopping bags and receipts left over after gift-wrapping, fast-food toys, etc.  I also  had a recycle box for paper and a box for things I wanted to sell or donate. 

I went through and tossed about half of my craft paints that were nearly empty or dried out.  I removed a canvas storage piece that no longer suited my needs.  I found a few books we didn't need, though I should have spent more time sorting through them because I am sure there are more I could part with.  I found several other things I could part with including scrap fabric from a Halloween costume I made 10 years ago!

In just 3 hours I had made a significant difference in the room!   I had to quit for the day to get the older boys and head to church, but seeing the huge improvement in so little time gave me the motivation to finish the cleaning phase.

My Dirty Little Secret

I have a secret...

Though some have seen it, many have not.  It is difficult to hide, frustrating to look at and something I am embarrassed by.  My craft room/library is a nightmare to anyone who is neat and tidy.  I walk by every day and ignore the challenge.  It is a small room, but it has no door.  The kids go in and out to get books or craft items and never put them away.  I run in to wrap a gift and leave the scissors and tape out.  Keepsake items and photos that I eventually plan to scrapbook are piled on every flat surface and fill at least two boxes.  I look inside and can't even think of where to begin.  We have lived here for 2 years, and though at times the room has been useful, it has never been the great space I dreamed of.  I am now ready to conquer it.  It will be my part time project.  Something I work on a little at a time, with the goal of finishing someday.  I don't want to be too specific with a timeline, and it may take a while, but it will get finished.

I am doing it part time because with four kids, anything I focus completely on, takes me away from the things that have to be done.  When I was painting, I spent several days doing minimal laundry, cooking and cleaning.  The older kids were away at Nanna's, so I could do work on painting.  I have to work this project into my daily life without neglecting things.  I have visions of painting and decorating.  Having it all organized to maximize its usefulness.

Desk covered with papers and craft items.

So many things out of place that you can't walk!

Many things in here aren't even useful anymore.

For now, I have to start with the obvious... remove the stuff we no longer use and the things that don't belong and put things where they go.    

Birthday Resolution

It's been almost 2 weeks since my birthday.  As a mom, birthdays often feel like just another day.  Jackson was working this year, so I had all of the normal responsibilities.  We also had church that night.  I made cupcakes to take to our small group, and we had a quick gift opening just before sending the kids to bed.

My family was coming up the next day, and I had agreed to substitute teach.  Things were feeling pretty hectic.  I think that is what spurred my idea.  So often, we try to set resolutions on New Year's Day.  I have yet to stick by any that I can remember.  This year, I decided to make a Birthday Resolution.  I resolve to better my life, in several different areas,  before my next birthday.  Not sure why I think it will be easier to change things if start on my birthday instead of New Year's, and so far it hasn't proved any easier.  But I am sure gonna try!  Plus, by being so vague, how can I fail?   

I have been subbing every day that Jackson has been off work this year, and I feel like things have been spiraling out of control.  Housework, volunteer stuff, grocery shopping... The list goes on and on.  Since my goal is quite vague, I am going to make little changes that will hopefully have a big impact.  I need to set some routines in place, and I would like to do a better job at getting the kids involved with those routines.  Great managers know how to delegate.  To manage my household, I will have to get better at delegating, and give up some of the control. 

Here are some areas I want to work on.
Clutter management
General housecleaning
Laundry (including keeping up with outgrown or unwanted items)
Grocery planning and shopping
Health
Financial management
Decorating
Scrapbooking

Now it's out there.  Anyone who reads my blog will know the things I am working on and perhaps, this will inspire me to stick with my resolution.   I have a whole year (minus 2 weeks) to make some  changes.  I had better get busy!    
 

The Problem With Technology

Since last year, I have been concerned with Gray's spelling abilities.  The school seems to be much more focused on the creative aspect of writing than the technical.  I know that he is only in third grade, but I feel like spelling needs to become a habit.  If you don't know how to spell a word, you look it up.  I know that I am not always grammatically correct and my spelling my not be impeccable(everyone makes mistakes), but I am a proofreader at heart.  I find errors in nearly everything I read.  Newspapers, books, magazines, billboards, you name it.  It drives me crazy to see things written incorrectly!

I was eating lunch with some teachers a couple of weeks ago.  There was one guy who was talking about how great technology was(while he was texting on his phone and messing with his iPad).  Somehow we got to talking about spelling, and he said that spelling and handwriting were becoming obsolete because most final drafts of papers would be typewritten, and the errors would be corrected.  Anyone who has written very many papers knows that no matter how many times you run spell check and editing programs, there are often errors that make it through.  One of the other teachers pointed out several things that couldn't be spell checked.  She told us of a hand-written sign she had seen the weekend before that said "Welcome to the Neighberhood!"  He kind of laughed it off.  He said that he was "fresh-out-of-college" and most of the teachers he graduated with shared his opinion.

Because of my recent concern, I know that the teachers at our school don't agree with this guy's opinion, but it bothers me that any teacher would think spelling is unnecessary.  I understand that many people rely on spell check or auto correct to fix their spelling errors without much effort.  I also must confess that I have found myself whipping through a text or e-mail assuming that if I make any mistakes my device will catch it. 

This is the problem with technology... It is making us lazy.  Why teach or learn spelling, grammar or handwriting when a computer can do it for you?  Why learn your math facts when a calculator can solve all of the problems for you?  I am going to continue to encourage my children to work on being great spellers.  I am going to quiz them on math facts.  I want my kids to know that technology is a wonderful tool, but nothing can take the place of a strong mind.  


    

"31 Chairs"

When talking about cleaning and organizing, my mom would always bring up the FlyLady.  My sister and I would roll our eyes and move on with the conversation.  Yea, yea, FlyLady... what really does she have to offer?  For some reason, I decided to look her up.  I wouldn't consider myself a "Flybaby", but she definitely has some great ideas on getting your house in shape.  I signed up for the FlyLady Digest e-mails and read them every once in a while.  Today was one of those days.

I was struck by an entry entitled "31 Chairs".  Quick summary, it was a letter from a woman who was decluttering her house an item at a time.  She said she counted this weekend and she had 31 chairs in her 7 person household.  I was shocked!  31 chairs!  That seemed like a lot to me... until I counted my own.

We have six people in our family, but the baby only just started sitting up this month.  Our list of chairs~

1 in the family room 
1 in the living room
8 dining table chairs
1 high chair
4 dinette chairs
2 child's rocking chairs
3 desk chairs
2 chairs for a child size table
2 child's painted wooden chairs
1 bent wood chair that belonged to my great grandma
1 flip chair
1 bean bag chair

27 total inside the house!  That doesn't even count the 6 or 7 camp chairs and 4 patio chairs.  I'm not sure if the other lady counted things like high chairs and bean bag chairs, but still, I have a lot of chairs!  Way more than I thought.  The difference between the "Flybaby" and I?  She got rid of 10... I will be keeping my 27.  Maybe some day I will rid myself of a few chairs, but until then... I need to get to sitting. 


And since I borrowed her e-mail, I had better give you the link for the FlyLady.
flylady.net

Why didn't I think of that?

One man's trash is another man's treasure.  Sometimes all it takes is a vision.

Recently, I have noticed how often my family moves furniture from household to household.  A couple of weeks ago, I came home from my parents' with a dresser that had been my mom's when she was a teenager.  Maybe all families do it, but when we are finished with something, we let the family know, and it moves to a new home.  A few years back, I got new living room furniture.  My sister, Susana, decided to take my old coffee table and thought she would paint it.  One weekend, we worked together to rehab the coffee table.  We painted the legs black, sanded down the top, and put a clear coat on it.  That project left me thinking... Why didn't I think of that?  When we moved to our new house, I needed another end table.  I used her idea for the coffee table and finished the matching end table the same way.

This weekend we did another project to spiff up one of my old pieces.  I had a storage cube that was covered in wicker.  I kept it in the living room with blankets inside.  After a couple of years of abuse from the kids, the wicker was ragged and falling off.  I was going to throw it away, but Susana said she would take it and maybe paint it or something.  She tore the wicker off and brought it up to my house to work on together.  Her idea... recover it with a fabric that would go with her new living room furniture. 

First step, find some cute fabric that will go with the furniture.  I have to say, my sister is an awesome shopper.  Maybe she's just lucky, but it seems like she can always find what she needs or wants on the clearance rack.  She found a super cute piece in the clearance section at JoAnn's Fabric, but neither of us were sure if it was enough.  We should have measured before we left the house!  We decided to risk it, and moved on to the batting.  Man, that stuff is expensive!  If we bought enough to put on all four sides and the lid, it would be close to $20.  Add that to the fabric, and she might as well have bought a new cube.  So we passed on the batting.  Probably not necessary, right?

This is the box after the wicker was removed.

I was slightly afraid to cut the fabric, especially since there was no room for error(we were going to have to piece it already)!  We had to start somewhere.  We cut the strip to cover the box and left an inch or so at the bottom and about 2 inches on top.  I hate ironing, so we debated whether or not to iron the fabric, but decided if we were going to do it right, we should iron it first.  Then we folded the fabric into the top of the box and stapled it about an inch inside, pulling it tight as we went.  After the top edge was secure, we did the same around the bottom.

Moving on to the lid, it was obvious we should have at least bought batting for it.  The wood was pieced and you could see the seam and staples through the fabric.  Some quick thinking on my part led to my stash of old towels.  We used a bath towel and cut a piece slightly larger than the lid.  Voila!  It was the perfect thickness... Not too bulky, hid the imperfections in the lid, and it was free!  We cut the fabric larger than the towel and finished the lid by stapling the fabric to the underneath, much like upholstering a seat of a chair.   

Using the "towel" batting on the lid.

The whole project took a couple of  hours and cost under $8!  The old, ugly box looks much cuter now.  Why I didn't keep it for myself?  Lucky for Susana, it doesn't match my house!  Lesson learned... Next time I think of throwing something out, I will first ask Susana what she would do with it.  Chances are, I would end up helping.  And chances are, I would love it! 

Finished project!

 

Everything in its place

As a mother of 4, I am constantly trying to do my best to keep up with the housework.  I am still nursing the baby, so that takes up a lot of time.  I like to give my kids lots of experiences, so we try to do all of the wonderful free things offered in town.  In order to be the best mom I can, I feel like I am always searching for ways to make my job easier. 

The other day I ran across a pin on Pinterest about how to magically make your house cleaner.  I can't remember the exact blog, but it was another mother of 4 (her children were grown though).  After reading it, I am beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with me. 

The secret?  Put things away when you are finished with them, and clean up as you go.  Sounds simple right?  Seems like it should be, but I am terrible at it.  Plus I have four other people who are not the best at putting things away.  They vary in degrees of messiness.  Madalynn will drop wrappers from snacks, or the snacks themselves when she is finished.  She does the same with toys.  Pick up a doll in the bedroom, carry it to the living room, drop it for a book, carry that to my bedroom, drop the book for MY makeup, carry that to the family room, etc.  She will do this all day!  The boys think putting Legos up on higher surfaces are putting them away.  Camden often hides his wrappers between the sofa cushions.  Jackson is the best at putting things away, but even he isn't perfect.  He hangs up his laundry only a couple times a month and often leaves glasses in the living room. 

I do some crazy things when it comes to putting things away.  The other day I painted my nails.  The nail polish made it to the bedroom, but a couple of days later I realized I had left it on Jackson's dresser... only steps from the closet where it goes.  I change Paxton's clothes and often leave his dirty clothes wherever I changed them.  I throw my shoes in the bottom of the closet, rather than put them in the shelves. 

While writing this, I am feeling rotten about being angry with my kids when they put their toys in the wrong places.  I spend hours organizing their things, and wonder why they can't put them back where they belong.  I can see I don't always lead with the best example. 

The question remains... Why don't I put my things where they belong?  I think of those people who have neat homes always.  Do they fight an everyday battle with this?  Some people say it is a habit, but how can I form the habit?  I always make my bed.  I always put away things in the bathroom.  I very rarely leave the kitchen a mess.  So why can't I put away the nail polish, the baby clothes, or my Kindle?  Why do I leave my empty purse on the entry bench when I switch to another?

I tend to think I get so tired of picking up after everyone else, that I just slack sometimes.  Madalynn is only 2.  She can put things away, but needs coaxing.  Paxton can't even sit up, so I have to put his things away, too.  After I have picked up all day long, I just don't want to think about putting things away anymore.  I also get distracted.  Most of the time I change Paxton, I am getting ready to nurse him.  When I finish, he is usually asleep.  I go to lay him down and forget I left the clothes laying there.

Is it a learned behavior, or is it inborn?  A result of bad habits, or being too distracted?  I guess it doesn't really matter.  I am going to try much harder to put things in their place.  If that is the secret to a clean home, then I had better embrace it.  Maybe my example will teach the children to put their things away, too.   If they put their things away, then I wouldn't be so worn down picking up after them.  Looks like it will come full circle... if I can only put everything in its place.

Even 2-year-olds care about decorating.

The week without the big kids turned out to be very productive.  I started by wiping down and painting all of the flat white doors and door trim.  11 doorways to be specific!  They all have a fresh coat of washable, satin paint.  Hopefully this will help the house look cleaner.  The more that I painted them though, the worse the walls looked.  I decided not to paint the base boards until I can paint the walls, too.  I have a lot of painting on my to do list for the future.

Next on the list was the kitchen.  This felt like it took forever!  So much trim work between the ceiling, base boards and cabinets.  Very textured walls, too.  (Can't make it too easy!) I changed the color from tan to green.  I was a little nervous about the color... thought it might look too dark, but it turned out great.  Took a couple of coats though.  Finished it on Wednesday. 

Thursday morning I slept in!  Around noon I started on the surprise project... the boys' room.  They picked out the color Really Electric Lime while we were looking for paint colors for the kitchen.  This, I was super nervous about.  My first swipe with the paint, I was thinking I need to rush out and get a different color.  After 2 coats had dried though, I actually liked it!  Thinking the shorter walls would not require much paint, we only bought a quart.  I ran out pretty quickly.  After I finished using all of that paint, I took a nap while waiting for Jackson to bring home another quart after work.  I woke up from my nap and decided I had better be productive while I waited, so I painted the banister upstairs, which was also flat white.  When he got home with the second quart,  we painted until 10:30 when we ran out again.  He then had to run back to WalMart to buy a third quart.  Wishing we would have bought a gallon!  By midnight we had the boys' room finished.

Friday morning I got up, bought some new navy curtains for the boys' room, put the switch plate and outlet covers back on, and headed down to pick up the kids.  I couldn't wait to show them their room.  They had a birthday party as soon as they got home, so we showed Madalynn first.  She then walked down the hall and said to Jackson, "Daddy, look in my room!"  She walked in the room and said, "Uh-oh".  Apparently she thought we had painted her room too.  Talk about feeling bad.... Who would have thought a two-year-old would care about the color of her room?  She told us she wanted to paint "all the walls"  in her room "hink".  I guess I will add that to my list for the future. 

The boys loved their surprise room painting, and I feel super accomplished after a week full of painting.  

To Paint or Not To Paint...

2 years ago, we purchased our first house.  House hunting with 3 kids, we quickly decided we weren't up to a fixer-upper.  We found a house that had been almost completely renovated, and with the exception of 1 room, the whole house was tan with white trim... even outside.  For me, the color is great.  Super easy for decorating.  The problem is, everything is painted with flat paint!  3 kids and a couple of months in the house and the doorways and walls were wrecked.

Fast forward 2 years and you have a large house with nearly every surface needing repainted.  We remodeled the downstairs bathroom last spring, and it could already use a touch-up!  I wish they made indestructible paint!

My mom likes to keep the kids for a week in the summer, and since the first time we started planning a trip to Nanna and Poppa's, I have been dreaming of painting.  First on the agenda are the doors and doorways... virtually all of the white trim needs to be painted with washable paint.  Next the kitchen and stair well.  I have no clue what color I will paint these, I just know they desperately need it.  The boys are begging me to paint their room green.  And the only room in the house (besides the bathroom) that isn't tan is the library/crafting room.  It was going to be my project this summer, but here it is July and I haven't even started.  It is wall-papered with a cat and book border, which has to go!  There they are... the first few painting projects.  I will not be able to finish them all, I'm sure, but there are plenty more walls after these get painted. 

I am heading to Wal-Mart as soon as I finish this post to pick up some paint samples and a couple of brushes to get started on the trim.  One of the reasons for starting this blog was to hold myself accountable.  The idea of spending a week with only the baby gives me visions of snoozing on the couch (nothing makes me more sleepy than holding a sleeping baby), watching mom tv (as the kids call it), reading a good book or two, the list could go on and on.  When provided with the option to paint or not to paint... I am going to choose to paint.

Just hope I stick to my decision...

"I don't understand the quick clean."

I have developed a system that I use with the kids... the quick clean.  I am sure I am not the first to think of this, in fact Fly Lady suggest you work for 15 minutes on a task and quit when the timer goes off.  Who knows?  I may have stolen the idea from her.  I don't have a specific time limit though.  I just go by what I feel, might be 10 min., might be 30.  Last night, Jackson made the comment that not one inch of the house was clean.  We had been really busy doing lots of fun Father's Day things.  So I suggested a 20 minute quick clean. 

We usually do this while Jackson is not home.  Most often it is to clean up after the day so it will look presentable when he comes home.  I set the timer and the whole family works for the entire time.  Sometimes if the kids are struggling keeping on task, I add minutes.  Before I start the timer, I often give them a list of expectations and even some specific jobs for the younger ones.  Most often I tell them the floor has to be ready to be vacuumed by the end of the timer.  Usually there is a reward at the end, like staying up to watch a show or play a game.   

I knew this would be a challenge for Jackson.  He believes in starting in one room and completely finishing that room before you move on.  I explain the idea behind the quick clean...  Do tasks you can complete quickly, putting things where they belong.  This quick clean was to straighten the living room, family room and kitchen.  We sometimes work on only the upstairs, or only the kitchen, even the backyard or the car... whatever needs cleaned up quickly.  The timer provides a definite end for the kids, and it's almost like a game. 

The quick clean begins and Jackson goes to work in the living room.  The timer ticking away... We even add 5 minutes when the kids start fighting and stop cleaning.  The timer goes off  and I walk into the living room to find the coffee table by the front door, the love seat in front of the coffee table, the ottoman up on the chair and Jackson on his hands and knees where the love seat is supposed to be.  I try to explain to him that you don't clean behind or under furniture in a quick clean, but he says it needed to be done.  1 hour later, he finally finishes the living room! 

The plan was to finish the quick clean, get baths and showers and then watch a show we had recorded about dangerous stunts.  Had we stuck to the plan, it would have been about 8 when we started the show.  We couldn't watch it until the living room was put back together, so we didn't start it until after 9!  All Jackson could say... "I don't understand the quick clean".        

Stuff, Stuff and more Stuff

I was talking to my mom the other day about the drive to have things.  No matter how much I have, I want more.  I am always wondering if I could cure this problem with this thing.  I want things to hang on the walls and things to put other things in.  The strange thing is, I feel like I have to much already, and I can't figure out how to break this cycle.  We had a yard sale this past weekend.  I was impressed by how much was gone after one day of selling things in the driveway.  What I really wanted to do though was take that money and go shopping. 

I look around the house thinking, "If I had some piece of furniture, or some box to store these things in, it would look a lot neater".  That never works though, and I should know this by now.  In our last house, the front door opened into the living room.  I would walk in and drop my bags, jackets, etc. on the ottoman.  It was a large one that accompanied a love seat, so it held tons of stuff.  One night I was complaining about something Jackson left out.  He pointed out that every time I went shopping, I left the goods in the bags in the living room, this apparently drove him nuts.  I, of course, had a great excuse, I almost always have kids with me, or the phone is ringing, or I have to use the bathroom as soon as I get inside.  In all honesty though, I probably did this before we even had kids.  I will probably continue long after we are empty-nesters.  It's just what I do.

I got the brilliant idea that if we get an entry bench, one with hooks and storage, it will give us a landing place and keep things looking neater.  For Christmas that year my mom gave me just the piece I had been longing for.  Our entry organization was on the way.  It has never been successful though.  We have since moved from that house.  Still have the entry bench.  Now it is in the family room.  As I look over my shoulder at it, I see the bench is covered in stuff... library books, papers(that Jackson neatly stacks when he gets tired of the chaos), two bags that I carry things for the baby in, 6 hats hanging from the hooks, a jacket or two(even thought it is 88° outside), and various other things.  And, who knows what is contained in the cabinet beneath the bench? Although everything is within the structure of the entry piece, it almost always looks terrible.  This tells me that no matter what kind of furniture I get, I will probably not become the most organized person, and our family is definitely not going to stop piling things anytime soon. This realization should cure the furniture wants... but if I only had one of those cube things with bins...

Adventures in PTA

Monday night was the first PTA executive get together.  Yes, that's right, on top of everything, I have taken the position of 1st Vice President of the PTA next year.  My dear friend kept asking me to think about it.  Her husband is going to be the President, she is 2nd or 3rd Vice, so I thought... why not?  I went to the vote and had no competition.  Easy election.  A couple of weeks ago we went to a district wide PTA council meeting.  Not knowing exactly what to expect, I came out of that meeting with great ideas.  I am amped up! 

My main responsibility is membership.  The goal... 1 membership for each student.  Apparently, that goal is very hard to reach.  This has become my mission in PTA this year.  I may not make the goal, but I am going to get as close to it as possible.  First step, find out how many students there are!  

Seriously though, I have some great ideas for boosting membership.  The most important being push the perks.  As a parent, how many people really know what you can expect from a PTA membership?  Go to meetings, someone nagging you to volunteer, maybe, if you are lucky something like free carnival games.  In our city, there is a whole sheet of discounts from local businesses.  There are also perks on the state level.  In my opinion, perks are the key.   

At the meeting, they kept pressing the idea of keeping a list of what works and what doesn't.  I am hoping I can find a lot of things that work, and I will keep you posted.

On another note, this what works thing is going to be something I pay attention to in my daily life as well.  Such a simple idea, but I am finding that lots of things I try are really not working. 


*UPDATE*  The year is coming to a close.  We just finished a 100% membership drive, but it was pretty unsuccessful.  I think we added 4 new memberships.  The good news is that we made the Missouri Honor Roll for beating our membership totals from last year.  Most of those memberships came in before and during our Fall Block Party/ Carnival.  We had a book exchange that was very successful, and I think it can be a better membership drive next year.  I learned a lot this year, and look forward to doing even better with memberships next year!

Happy Mother's Day to me.

Not much you can do to celebrate Mother's Day when your husband is working and your mom lives too far away for a quick visit.  So after church, I took the kids to a funeral home.  Why, you ask?  They have a nice pond with swans and fish in the memorial park. The swans have a nest and every year about this time the eggs hatch.  There was one baby swan that was swimming with the mother.  We took some old hot dog buns I found while cleaning out the pantry~ a little hard, but not moldy. The kids really enjoyed watching the fish come up and eat the bread.  I think the swans liked it, too.  We watched as a heron swooped across the pond and picked up one of the brilliant orange fish, took it to the bank on the other side and swallowed it whole.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  

Picturing this memory in my mind, I realize it is similar to a time my mom took us on a picnic in a cemetery.  We often give her a hard time about this.  She took us to get lunch on the way to check out a Civil War era cemetery near our hometown.  I don't think the plan was to picnic in the cemetery, but that is where we decided to eat our lunch.  Of course for us kids, it was super creepy and something we will never forget.  Now here I am, taking my kids to a cemetery to celebrate Mother's Day.  Guess I shouldn't tease my mom about it anymore. Oh, she will be proud! 

We spent a quiet afternoon.  I thought I would enjoy having some time alone.  I rarely ever get to be in an empty house.  So Jackson came home from work and took the kids to the park.  It only poses one small problem... I keep wanting to spend my time doing work.  I think I should be relaxing, it is Mother's Day after all, but I can think of a million things that need done and very few that are fun.  There isn't even anything good on the television. I decided to write a quick post.  Now to get on with my evening.  I am afraid they will be home soon and I will have done nothing for myself.

Happy Mother's Day to all!     

Feeding the swans.

My mission~ Live up to the name

In February, our fourth child was born... a son, Paxton.  He was welcomed home by older brothers, Grayson (8), Camden (5), and the only girl in the mix, Madalynn (2).  

I love being pregnant!  My pregnancy with Paxton is when I first heard the name, or at least the first time I remember being called Supermom.  (I think it came from someone in my small group at church.)  It comes as quite a shock to people when you announce you are having your fourth child.  I wanted things to remain as much the same as they could for the other 3.  We didn't cut out any of our usual activities... Church, Boy Scouts, soccer, zumba, etc.  If things were going on, we tried to make it.  Being a stay-at-home mom, those activities are an opportunity for me to get out and relate with other adults, so it was/is as much for my sanity as it is for the kids' enjoyment.  I may have been totally worn out, but we were out in the community. 

After Paxton was born, we continued with life for the rest of the family, making room for our newest addition.  Jackson (my husband), took the boys ice skating the evening Paxton was born and to pinewood derby races and Super Science Saturday the next day.  The kids were so excited to have the new baby home, I left the hospital just over 24 hours after delivery and we went to church the next morning.  Looking back, it was probably a little more than I should have done that first couple of days, but I survived.  

I often have people say to me, "I don't know how you do it".  I'm not really sure either... I just do.  So that is where it began... the Supermom moniker.  I don't feel like I really am a super mom.  I try my best to raise great kids and give them an awesome life.  I want them to be a well-rounded, responsible and respectful adults. I don't want to lose myself in the process, and I want my husband to have a great life, too.  So balance is the key, and I am trying to figure it out as I go.   

I read somewhere that keeping a blog is a wonderful way to hold yourself accountable for the things you want to accomplish.  I decided I would put myself out there~ sharing my successes and failures, what works and what doesn't in the quest to live up to the name. 

Camden, Grayson, Madalynn, and baby Paxton.