Chores are the key

I was getting all overwhelmed the other day, trying to keep up with everything there is to keep up with. May have had something to do with the fact that one of my sisters was sent to the hospital with pneumonia last weekend. She's doing a ton better now, but really had us all worried for awhile.

Her white blood count was up over 20K. Crazy. Scary.

So I was all overwhelmed and a little weepy, and it didn't help when I made my To Do list for the next day. I forget things easily, so this is a standard nightly activity for me.

Anyway, I crumbled up and threw away the first list, as it was simply ridiculous. And decided to make a NEW list, of everything that *should* be accomplished in a day. Not things that MUST get done, like eating (wish I could add it to my To-do list, just to check another item off, but that kinda seems like cheating...), but rather things like sweeping and dishes. It won't kill me if it's left undone, but it'd be a lot nicer and more relaxed if these things happened.

Then I divvied up that list!

Why hadn't I done that before? I don't know.

The kids have always been expected to tidy their own rooms, put clothes away, etc, but the vast majority of house stuff was falling on me and I wasn't keeping up well.

After dividing the list, I wrote each child his/her own list, stuck them in page protectors, taped them on the fridge and-- voila-- daily checklists, to use with dry erase markers. Nothing fancy.  

Every day, everything on their list must be checked off.

So NOW, I have a kindergarten who vacuums every morning, scrubs the bathroom sinks and counters, takes out the recycling; a 2nd grader who empties all trashes, straightens the living room, and so on; a 5th grader who empties the litter box (ew, I know, but it's good for him to learn!) sweeps the living room and kitchen, gathers dirty laundry, etc. The 7th grader does the most- help with dishes, start laundry, sort and fold laundry, etc.

The best part? Most of them LIKE lists. They LIKE checking off their chores. (Well, except for that stubborn middle boy who doesn't care, but he doesn't need to like it to do it. Such is life.)

Look at that happy munchkin, feeling such a sense of accomplishment.

Makes me happy, folks!

(and, yeah, it's February and he's wearing a Halloween shirt. Whatev'.)

The "free time" we ALL have now in the evening is wonderful!

I don't sit still well, and without laundry to fold during a movie, I found other fun things to do. I painted myself a simple little "Laugh" sign for the kitchen, and papered the inside of my cabinets!

Simple, easy, fun. My favorite kind of activity!

I really, really like having my fun dishes visible now! {happy sigh}

A little Montessori here and a little Montessori there

Hop over to Modern Montessori Mama, and check out the parenting tips from "Mother Blogs." Yep, I'm featured over there. Apparently I'm more Montessori than I thought! ;) It's funny-- I DO use Montessori methods, and love the learning style, but I don't often stop to consider which categories my methods fall into. We're just doing what works for us, and what we believe is in the best interest of the kids. Montessori and Charlotte Mason score the best, in our book.

Lately, I've been talking more about events and art than about school. Perhaps because I've been doing far less "school" than I have in years. Papaw has officially taken over history and Spanish! Plus he's reading a chapter a day of Anne of Green Gables. It took him awhile to find a classic that we hadn't read, but he managed it. :) I've always loved the Anne books.

The extra time has been amazing. We've been doing more purging, crafting, and dancing at home. I'm kinda lovin' this arrangement!! Not only does he do the lessons, but he also grades them and plans the extra-curricular activities to go along with the lessons (for instance, they've been practicing a play in Spanish, to put on for us.)

I've also had more time in the evening to pursue my interests, now that lesson planning and grading takes a fraction of the time. I only have reading & writing, science and math now. And Bible, but that's not "just another subject." Oh, and Art...which we've been spending much more time on.

May you all have a fairy grandfather to help school your kids!!

Sooo, one of the things I've been working on is making this house more kid-accessible. They already have their plastic cups in a low cupboard, for easy reaching. And my kids' bookshelves are all low, and easy to reach. I purged some of our shoes, and had the kids gather the rest to put back. Nice little shelf, by the playroom entrance, for them to tidy their own sneakers when they come in.

And, yes, my bookcases are still arranged by color. I'm a visual person, and I -always- remember what color the book is. This system makes it much faster for me to find what I'm looking for. Plus, it just looks better! And it's easier for the little ones to reshelve books.

I'm in the process of implementing some other hands-on, easy-to-reach kid areas, Montessori style. The more the kids can do on their own, the more confident they feel. And the less I have to do for them. I'm seriously considering kid-sized cleaning supplies for Christmas this year! :)

Pruning the tree

The discrepancies between my last few posts dawned on me. I was basking in the quiet slowness, with my family, savoring the little things and, within a week, there was a plunge right into overscheduled stress again. Just crazy how it can happen that fast, in a blink of an eye, and the old patterns pick right back up. Changing a lifestyle truly does take minute-by-minute intention.

In my defense, though, my evenings have remained relatively untouched. For awhile, Fred and I were barely seeing each other. He would go to poker, game nights in Huntsville, or Movie Nights, and I would be off at Cooking Club, Book Club, MUMs events, birthday bashes.... Until we realized that, while it may all be "good stuff," it's certainly not all beneficial to us or our marriage. I love seeing my friends. But I will not choose them over my family. Occasional (like once a week, maybe) evening activities are fine, but it simply can't become a habit to socialize more than spend quality evening time together.

I'll step on toes and go so far as to say that most marriages would be a heck of a lot healthier if both spouses would simply STAY HOME and see each other. Talk, read together, play games. These things are so easily forgotten, left abandoned by the roadside in favor of more "exciting" opportunities. In the end, though, it left us feeling fatigued, frustrated and unfulfilled. The more couples I meet, the more I become convinced that none of us spend nearly enough time with the person we married. Just talking. Savoring. Enjoying, relaxing.

So, here's the heads up for my darling friends: I love you and love spending time with you. Phone calls are often hard for me, because I simply can't ignore my children to have a long conversation. There are four little people needing supervision, help, attention. I often stick to email, because it's something I can leave and come back to. It only takes a few moments; I can pray for someone, jot a note, give a time to meet... and then jump right back into the activities with my kids. I'm so thankful for those of you who understand that. It's not about avoiding anyone, only about being intentional with my time. I answer the phone when it's convenient, but I've never been a slave to it.

And, as much as I love love love to be around people, I'm being very purposeful about keeping most of my evenings free. Us ENFPs are those wacky extroverts that also *need* downtime. In my case, it's creative time. So, in addition to needing downtime and housecleaning time, I also need spouse-time. That just doesn't leave ample time for other things in the evenings. I'm trying to put the big rocks in the jar first (for those who have heard that analogy.)

But don't be confused; my days are still full and fun with the people I love. We have playdates almost every day, plus horseback riding, craft days, field trips.
Then the Rest comes in the evening.
(I'll go to Book Club if/when I actually have time to read the current book. I'll go to Cooking Club, seeing as how I love it and it's only once a month. But I simply cannot go to every birthday party for each friend and each friend's child, or I would never see my own family.)

Anyone else have an overcommitment issue? (sigh)
How do you plan? Do you set guidelines for yourself?

Because you never know when you'll need a blue book

Soooo, I got sick of looking at the disorganized cluttery bookcases,
and went on a mission to make them PRETTY.

I rearranged everything: all three LARGE bookcases by color.

The kids helped me sort and stack.

Because you never know when you'll need a blue book. I just can't tell you how thrilled I am looking at the color piles.

Ahhhhh, refreshing!

Added bonus: it's much easier for the kids to re-shelf the books now. :-)

Crafty Closet Creating

I am a clutter-bug. It may have *looked* put-together sometimes but, up until now, it was only a look, a hoax, an iLluSiOn. I tried, I really did. Try as I might, though, I had too much stuff and no solid ideas on how to store it all. I like this stuff. I use this stuff. It's great stuff that turns into pretty-little-somethings.

Sooo, it was time to call in reinforcements, namely my dear friend October. She is not a clutterbug. She's one of those minimalist, ultra-tidy people who will walk through her house and pick up a CRUMB that stands out. Crumbs were just a "part of" my floor. I'm so glad she loves me anyway.

My whole baggie-system of organization was, well, sloppy. It WAS organized, sorted, and together, but it was not aesthetically inspiring.

In comes the Queen of Clean. Why didn't I get a picture?? Because you wouldn't have been able to spot us under the piles of STUFF.

This is how it looks now! The repurposed closet in the craft room:

(The hangers are for extra winter clothes + new aprons and other clothes that are in-progress. The large tubs are full of fabric. Smaller tubs are full of rolled lace, bias tape, ribbons, fake fur, pom poms, thread, glitter, etc. One whole tote is dedicated to wood-working supplies.)

This is my favorite shelf. Books and brushes.

Found this Wendy's cup at a yard sale a few years ago, and I love it. (have no idea why this is underlined...hmmm....)

This is my craft table, in progress. (YES, I have a lot of things in progress!) It's a door, nice, solid, and long. We'll have glass on it soon, for a smoother work surface.

In the mirror you can see my sewing desk on the other side of the room. Many contented evening hours in that red "princess" chair.

It feels goooood. The kids came and sat in the closet when we were done. Yeah, it feels that great.

The room is aching for creating. I'll oblige.

Reminder packs: the housework system

When I was a kid, life was easy. Too easy?

I grew up in an amazing home, with two parents who loved me and my sisters dearly. We were always having "family time." I remember numerous camping trips (practically every weekend in the spring and fall,) trips to the lake and pool, traveling around to different states. When we lived on the east coast, my parents took us to the Charleston market and Kiawah Islands beaches all the time. We had game nights every weekend. We were given the choice throughout our school years to attend public school or be homeschooled. We had long talks on long walks, special days, and we were encouraged in everything we pursued. I had a wonderful childhood, and I'm still close to both of my parents, and talk to them every day.

Just wanted to start with that, before saying that I was ill-equipped for marriage and housekeeping. My Mom was a stay-at-home mom most of my childhood, and she took care of everything on her own. I don't believe it's because she thought it would be faster. And she certainly loved spending time with us. I think she just wanted us to be kids, have fun, relax. She was a good housekeeper, and she had it all under control. Why bother us with it? Three girls in the house were usually pretty peaceful. And not terribly messy. She would let us read, and she'd bring us fresh fruit to eat. Yes, okay, I was a bit spoiled (lucky? maybe. blessed? you bet!) At the time, it all seemed very normal.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't completely coddled! I did earn my own money, and I worked diligently in school. I helped my sisters. We loved to travel, but a tent was fine for the night. And we would walk for hours, on trails or shopping (it wasn't as if I had servants that carried me around, just so you get the right idea here.) We also never complained about hours of walking. It was wonderful just being together and talking.

Suddenly I got married (albeit very young,) and my house was messy. I mean, really messy. No one was cleaning it. I didn't know how to sweep. Or work a washing machine. I'd do some stuff here and there, but I also worked full time. When would the laundry end? It was a huge adjustment and I felt inadequate for the job. Then one day I realized that it was ME. I'd brought my bad habits and less-than-joyful-attitude about work into my marriage. I am a reasonably intelligent adult, but I was floundering in all of my endeavors because I was not accepting my responsibilities contentedly. It didn't seem like a good fit. ;-) It still doesn't feel natural for me, as it seems to for some. I'd rather paint and decorate than dust any day! I DO work hard on the house, but not necessarily consistently!

It's taken many years for me to get over my bad attitude and realize that the laundry is not going away on its own.

Although I *usually* keep my house decent now (maybe not so recently,) I still will find myself wanting "fun" time instead. I developed slothful habits from inconsistently helping as a child. It carried over: if I want a clean house now, I can quickly make it spotless. However, if I'd rather do something else, I just neglect my home and end up with tornado-looking-wreckage. Granted, I'm usually doing creative things with the kids. But there has to be a balance.

To top that off, I've always had a hard time figuring what what the kids should be doing. The Artist and Nature Man have been responsible for dishes for years, which is a huge burden off. But there are hundreds of other things to get done each day, and only one mommy. Plus cooking. Yep, homeschooled kids have to eat, too. How much work is too much for kids? It's hard for me to gauge. I tend to be on the lenient side, (big surprise there.) As in, it's been hard for me to enforce the simple rule, "Don't put it down, put it away." Because, really, it's easier to throw our flip flops right inside the door and take off running to the backyard for sprinkler time, rather than walking to closets to put them away. It's the simple stuff that builds up.

I finished reading Managers of Their Chores, and enjoyed it. I don't agree with everything, but there is much to glean. It's helped me SO much in just getting my chores listed, age-appropriate responsibilities, and sample schedules. We've started using "Reminder packs" (the Maxwells call them chore packs in the books, but I include more than chores and would like to avoid the negative connotation of "chores"...maybe it's just negative to me...?)

So far they are working GREAT! It helps keep our day flowing, and limits distractions. What is a "reminder pack" you ask? Why, it's a little name-tag-looking-do-dad that you clip handy-dandy to your shirt. Do the chore on top. Then move that one to the back and go to the next, until you get back to the beginning. Works wonders. For one thing, who doesn't love to wear clippy name tags?? Second, the cards have fun little pictures on them that I drew (while neglecting the laundry. Go ahead and laugh.) Yea for art! :-) Third, the kids are doing this "all by 'self," and they are proud of their accomplishments. They know that I'll check their work when they return the clippies. Everyone benefits from accountability, right? The "before" me would tell them to clean their rooms, and then I wouldn't check. Tsk, tsk.

This is also their chance to show off their awesome job.

Besides the typical chores, I also included things like "recite your memory verse," "have your prayer time," and "read to baby brother when you finish your work." It's nice to throw in some easy and fun things that we plan to do anyway.

Nature Man decided to have his prayer time

in the living room yesterday...

and look who watched and followed the example...

love it.

I hope I'm equipping the kids with good habits (and good attitudes,) strong work ethics, and consistency.

My parents were fabulous, just fabulous. I don't mean this as a criticism in any way. Hindsight is always 20/20, isn't it? Someday, despite all of my efforts, my kids will look back and decide to try something differently. I hope they'll say what I say now, "I had such an amazing childhood. Now, with my own kids, I think we'll try this..."

Btw, we do the scheduling throughout the school year, but I'm not great with it through the summer. I l-o-v-e to be outside, love to visit with people, and I love to craft/ paint/ sew/ etc. So we "wing" it throughout the warmer months. But now, hopefully, we'll just wing the middle part of the day, and keep the morning and evening more structured, with a smoothly running home.

Any tips on what works for your family?

Mr. Sucky

We like to have fun. We bake cookies ALL the time. We can often be caught doing schoolwork in costumes. Or dancing to Jack Johnson music. Or "shaking our sillies out."

And I love keeping up with the house, but it just wasn't *FUN* anymore. Not until now.

Enter Mr. Sucky (yes, he actually has a nametag that reads, "My name is Mr.Sucky the Sucker." The Nature Man named him.)

Oh, yeah, he's a bLASt!!

breath and tattoo

I'm back. My spirit is okay now. I've felt like I was under such oppression lately. I had lost my motivation to clean (gasp.) But over the past few days some truths hit me and hit me hard. It's one of those things that just knocks the wind out of you. And, after struggling to grasp and understand, I feel like I am released. The weight has been lifted from me and God has taken it over. It's out of my court now.

In my relief and with my energy restored, I did two loads of laundry Thursday night, cleaned my kitchen, changed all of the sheets, and just basically went on a marathon deep cleaning which resumed when I awoke yesterday. It feels great. I even scrubbed my tub after I showered. Yeeeeesssss, I am baaaaack. I may rejoice in strange ways, and I'm okay with that. My kids are excited to see me revived. Although Dash told me yesterday that my hair was messy. Cleaning will do that to you.

Last night I went to my first non-traditional baby shower (read: hippie gathering.) The mother-to-be soaked her feet in lavender water, with beads and flowers, while we read our blessings aloud to her. We each gave her a bead, to string together and remember the prayers from her friends. After the food and mingling, we took turns drawing on her belly with henna. Oh, yeah! That's my kinda fun!

Then we each got our own little "temporary tattoo." Don't worry, it washes off in 1-3 weeks.

Yes, I will have to post pictures.
I think I will have henna at my next firepit night. You have been warned. Mwa Haaa Haaa

Mistreating the walls...and windows...and furniture!

Well, my sister Amy bought me a gorgeous print a couple weeks ago. I'd been pining for it, as it is to be the inspiration for my living room makeover. The darling gal set me afloat. How wonderful it is to have interior design-y people in the family. Today I had a scheduled consultation with her, to pick out paint colors, curtains, and a color for my furniture. Yes, I plan to sail into uncharted territory and recover my sofa and love seat by myself. Of course, it does help that my husband builds furniture for a living.

Where was I? Ah, yes. We picked "Spring Glow" for the walls, "Garden Sprout" for the accent, and a bright reddish orange "Paprika" for the furniture color. Curtains are also "spring glow" with yellow sheers behind them. This. Makes. Me. Happy. COLOR. My phrase for the room is "Simply Cheerful." Not too far-fetched a dream, eh?

I did just redo my living room (in fact, ALL the rooms) when I was pregnant, but that was more of a nesting thing, in my defense. And it was springtime. So I thought that dark, deep, intense shades would be great. You know sophisticated or something. It turns out that deep and dark, although gorgeous, is rather depressing to me during the cold wintry months when I 'm stuck in a small house with four small children.

Neither of my sisters have ever designed a room that didn't turn out stunning, so I have total confidence in them. Me? Well, I'm crafty and all, but I just don't know how to put colors together. Hence my signature "squiggly eye" handmade cards.

I love Nester's philosophy. It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. Why get your panties in a bunch, when something might look just as phenomenal with a quick color coat? I'm hoping that my couches look fabulous, but I'm not gonna sweat it if there are some crinkles or wrinkles. I'll just pretend that I intended it to look that way. Just hoping for no stray nails poking out! I may sleep on them before I invite any of y'all over again. Unless you think it's worth the risk. You could always just sit on the floor. Did I mention that I'm going to save for a rug, too? Oh yeah, baby!

So, anyway, I am VERY excited! Especially because I found so many great deals. You know me, I'm all about saving money!-- you know, since I have none. :-)

In other news, my Dad and hubby headed to the Naturals game tonight. Fred caught a ball. It would have hit my Dad in the face. (Way to pay attention, Dad.) Fred is totally psyched! He wrote the game info on the ball and then announced that it's going "in the bathroom." Yeah, poor guy just gets a bathroom. Hey, I think it's a pretty great arrangement. I decorate the whole house, and he just worries about one measly bathroom. He can do whatever he wants to that room (within reason, I mean, come on!) There are football figures, Chicago Bears colors, old action heroes, and now a famous baseball. No wonder he spends so much time in there. ;-)

Now, must get to bed. I won't be able to paint again until the kids go to bed tomorrow night.

So tomorrow we will dance and sing and jump around in our new half-way painted living room. And the kids can help me make more plans. Maybe we'll play Twister again while we discuss it.

tub smoochin'. Muah!

I'm better!! Praise!! (Now just pray for complete healing for the kids, especially Trevor because the incessant whining starts to wear me thin.)

I spent WAY more than my fair share of time in the bathroom the past few days, and I was able to examine my cleaning (or lack thereof), with more detail than I wanted. My deep cleaning needed to be kicked up a notch. Soooo, when I felt a bit better yesterday, I scrubbed my bathtubs like mad. Those suckers are CLEAN. Heck, you could eat out of them. Or anything else, for that matter. ;-)

But I think it took far more work than it should have. Granted, I had already caught up my laundry and dishes, and I was probably just tired...but, STILL! So, now I am determined to find a better bathroom cleaner. I would like one of those magical ones that requires no scrubbing. But I'm willing to settle for something that requires minimal scrubbing and gets rid of soap scum fairly easily.

It's a plus if it's non-toxic. I can rinse like crazy and dry it thoroughly, but it just makes me feel safer to wash with something that won't be dangerous the next time Oliver or Trevor decide to lick the tub or drink the water! h

Any suggestions? I'm not about to go buy and test products without some feedback first. ;-)

Givin' the man a shiner

When I get sick, it really does give Fred a chance to shine. Not so much yesterday, because he hadn't properly gotten into his sympathetic grove. It's amazing how fast a house can fall apart when Mommy is sick.

But today he came through with flying colors. I woke up at 9am!! Yes, be shocked. Even more shocking: Trevor slept in that long, too!!! Unheard of.

I came out to ....a clean living room, dishes done, kids dressed, and breakfast for me and Trevor waiting in the microwave! I'm impressed! He even put the things I like on my plate: eggs and potatoes, but no sausage...and extra sausage on Trev's plate. :-0

Sometimes I really believe I'm brought to my knees in an area so someone else can get a shiner day...er...shining day. :-)

I've always wondered why I get sick and Fred doesn't. I eat healthy foods almost all the time. I exercise, take vitamins, brush my teeth a lot, drink lots of water, you name it. But Fred, oh Fred, he thinks fried foods are a food group by themselves. Granted, he's getting better, but he still doesn't eat salad (as in NEVER in 11 years), or take vitamins or anything that "drastic," bless his heart (seriously, pray for his heart!)

I am thankful he is well. Things might not be up to my regular standards right now, but he sure is trying!! And when a man tries that hard, I can overlook all other messes. (Oh, and he is also staying home from poker today to help me. That is huge. Huge, I tell you.)

Little Boys and Rednecks

Yesterday I started a load of the boys' jeans. I was in a hurry, busy as usual, and I had my mind on other things. I'm very careful about checking Fred's pockets now, after accidentally washing a paycheck a couple years ago!!

Do you see where I'm going with this?

I neglected to check pockets. When the load was ready to transfer, I was met with green covered, strong-smelling wet jeans. Ethan had apparently filled his pockets to full capacity with wild green onions. How did I miss that?!

I had to get everything out, then scoop the green stuff from the bottom of the washer, and proceed to pick each green strand out of the pants.

Anyway, on to other matters. When Fred got home from work today, he announced "We're havin' fish tonight!"
Fine by me. I marinated salmon, tilipia, and catfish, for a fish sampler platter. And I prepared homemade seasoned steak fries. Everything was set to go, when Fred discovered he was out of charcoal. Being the creative geniuses that we are (heh), we rigged up out firepit to cook the fries and then fish.

Yes, that's a leftover part of our fence, with the grill rack on top.

You know you're a redneck when...
;-)

more projects...decoupage!

I'm just having soooo much fun with this.
As you can see, I've been neglecting housework time, to do fun craft time with the kids, after school.

We all sit at the table, cutting, gluing and generally just having a merry time. This is during afternoon-baby-naptime, if the school stuff is done. Oliver almost always takes a 2-hour afternoon nap, so even if we still have work to do, we can usually get it done for some kind of craft!!

I decoupaged my knife block. Fun, fun.

Then my living room platter.

And then a cutting board to display in my kitchen.

What a neat way to showcase my favorite art. I'm so glad I rediscovered the thrill of the scissors and glue! YEA !

Ohhhh..and speaking of art. Check out God's handiwork. Aren't these birds just beautiful? I'm so glad that they discovered the kids' birdhouses. They've been coming every day.

Vacuuming

Ethan was in charge of vacuuming the living room yesterday. I usually supervise that, but I was needed in the other room. (Apparenlty Trevor had gotten a bit carried away with the "cleaning"/ water bottle I had given him, even with the nozzle on slow flow.)
Anyway, I heard the vacuum going, but when I walked back in the room, I still saw a messy carpet. Hmmm.... He assured me that he had indeed vacuumed the floor. I had him start over, and this time I watched. This is what I saw...

Yes, that's my son "popping a wheelie" while he vacuums.

"It's much easier to push like this!" Yeah. I bet it is.

Tired of pretending...

I'm tired. Tired of holding it all together. Sometimes I really feel like I am near my breaking point. I'd love to be one of those "perfect" homeschool moms. You know, the ones with the working schedule, nice and tidy house, daily experiments, and clean baby. But, no, I just can't do it. I've tried and tried and I just get totally stressed out, sleep-deprived, and start to lose my mind.

I have so many weaknesses and faults. How can I overcome all of this? How can I keep my focus and get my priorities straight? I'm always hesitant to post how I really feel, because I know that my sisters read this, my grandparents read this. I want to "save face" and look good. Doesn't everyone want to *seem* like they have it together? Ah, but it's just an act.

Some days I feel like I'm doing so well. We get our lessons done in a timely manner, do hands-on activities, the kids get along. They are often complimented in public, and then I think that I must be doing something right. But we come home and they scream at each other, occasionally hit each other, run down the hall naked, play in paint under the table, you name it. And then I'm wondering if I'm doing everything wrong. Surely I'm not just responsible for the "good stuff" ....and all the bad stuff comes from the immaturity of their age. Am I not responsible for both?

Not that I expect them to be perfect. But, wait...do I expect that? Nah. I even laughed at the whole paint thing. And I don't mind them getting messy when they play. I would never want my kids to judge themselves according to their appearance or what they can accomplish... so why do I hold myself to those standards?

Sometimes I'm so petty. I want to look good and be productive ALL the time. I get very down on myself when my house is terribly messy (although I would never judge someone else based on that very thing!) or our school doesn't get done. I feel so inadequate. And I know that I am. I know that I need God's help. But like one of my favorite authors, Philip Yancey, says, it's hard to know HOW to get God's help. Do you audibly hear Him giving you advice? Do you feel Him actually restraining you when you head down the wrong path? Maybe I'm just not close enough in my relationship right now. :-( I'm beginning to feel so far away...

Does everyone sometimes feel like they're sinking? It's a passing feeling, thankfully. Tomorrow may start completely differently and I'll be a "competent" mom again. But today-- it just started all wrong and I handled it all wrong. Then, even as I considered this and decided to change, I began to act the same way again!! Grrrr.... I know that Satan will use anything he can against us, even our own families and good intentions. The kids began to bicker and I get frustrated. Hmph.

Anyway, I'll post VDay pics soon, of our homeschool party & Trev's FBC class party. Hope you all had a good one!!

Beep, beep...beep, beep

Ethan helped me "speed-clean," which is what we do every day before Daddy gets home. The poor guy works a hard job and deserves to come home to a clean house, right? So, we were picking up train pieces, and tossing our flash cards in the buckets, etc. Ethan ran over and said, "Mommy, I'm cleaning so fast that I can feel my heart beeping!"

When a 3-year old gets quiet...

...check on him quickly!!


Today we finished up our Valentine's boxes for the homeschool party that will be on Wednesday. I had left some of the paint up on the table after lunch. Just had too many things going on, and I didn't get around to putting it up right away. That was my first mistake.

I left the kids playing in the living room, and went to the nursery to nurse Oliver and put him down for his nap. Second mistake: Mr. T was unsupervised.

Apparently (this is Isabelle's version), Trevor accidentally knocked the paint down. Then he started running around and around the table. Izzy was drawing and not paying too much attention to her rascally little brother. What happened next is Trevor's version. He says he stepped on the paint and it went "all over." So at that point he just decided to play in it! I don't know if he assumed it was lotion or what. He does so love his lotion!

Anyway, within a minute (by the time big sister noticed) he had covered the floor, his clothes, my kitchen chairs, you name it!!

Sooooo, Trevor got two baths today and had to help Mommy do a lot of mopping. Learn from me, so you don't have to learn from your own mistakes!!

Actually, though, my grandma told me a story today of how she was super-pregnant with her fourth child, outside hanging clothes, when her 2nd-born poured honey all over the kitchen and then attempted to clean the mess with tons of tea towels. My, my! So it could've been worse for me today. At least this was washable tempera paint!!

Where's My Baby??

Follow the mess to find the culprit!

Okay, I'm gonna post a resolution like everyone else!

It's that time again, huh? New Year's Resolutions. And, yes, I realize that I'm already procrastinating, given that it's the 5th of January.

This year I have ONE goal. Yes, just one. But it's a biggie.

I want to reclaim my time. I don't want it to disappear. Does it ever seem that you start out the day, with grand plans of all the things you'll accomplish...and then you look at your list at the end of the day and one thing has been crossed off...and it's not even an important thing? That seemed to happen all too often last year. I had too many balls in the air. And too many interruptions.

So...more specifically, I want a working schedule. I want to make sure to do the important things: spend time with and teach my kids, and spend time with my husband, and spend time with my Lord. The important things need to trump the urgent things, like phone calls and errands, etc.

Not everything has to get done. And there are only 24 hours in a day. This is so hard for me. I wrote out all of the things that I need to do in a day, and I really need at least 5 more hours!!! Or I need to be able to run on a lot less sleep.

Ah, but I'm saying "need," right? What really needs to be done? Okay, so then I eliminated and cut down on the amount of time that I really spend doing certain things. I need to do laundry faster in order to have more game-time with family in the evening. You get the idea.

I'm a fairly clean person. The house gets messy, but I really can't stand that. It drives me crazy and I feel like I can't function. I like to wake up to a clean house and I have a VERY hard time concentrating on schoolwork if there are messes all around me. So we will straighten up, then start school. And, since I know that laundry will be done at 2pm, I won't need to worry about it all day. It's time is coming. I can relax and enjoy the moment, the smiles, the kids and their cuteness.

I also want to start spending 15 minutes a day alone with each child doing whatever he/ she wants. Isabelle has already told me that on Monday (when we implement the new plan) she wants to spend her 15 minutes sketching with me. Of course, we do that for art all the time, but she is excited that it will be just me and her. :-) Ethan wants me to play dinosaurs. "And not math dinosaurs," he said. Heh heh. He caught on early that when the sharp tooth ate one of those four long-neck dinosaurs,leaving three left, I was really sneaking in math. Trevor would be content to ride around on my back. That suits me, too. Fun and exercise!

And I want to claim one evening a week for family time. Nothing can interrupt or mess that up. We just get too busy, all going in different directions. We're tied to lots of great organizations/ functions, but then we don't have time to relax and just take walks and go hiking and play games.

Now you can share your resolutions, or give me tips for mine! :-)

Christmas Christmas- The actual day

Ready for one more?
Okay, here is the breakdown of Christmas Day. First we open gifts at our home and then we head to my folks' at about 9am.

So, The kids woke us up at 5:20. No surprise there. We ate a light breakfast, and stayed in our PJs. My parents decided to do a pajama theme this year, so that made things easy. We just packed clothes to change into later.

Fred and I talked to the kids (again) about the real meaning of Christmas. We showed them a video clip from The Visual Bible Matthew. We had already read them the story the night before. They do the question and answer fairly enthusiastically, which always kinda surprises me... I always worry that they'll be too focused on the unopened gifts sitting a few feet away.

Fred always hands the gifts out one at a time, so we can see what everyone opens. I really like that. My Dad did it when we were growing up, too. The kids need to take pleasure out of what each person receives, and it's also nice for them to watch others open the gifts they had made. The first time I did Christmas with Fred's mom I was shocked that they all just wake up and do a mad dash for the gifts. There is no story, no breakfast together, no savoring the time or ...anything. No traditions whatsoever. I did not realize that people really "celebrate" that way.

So, anyway, I'm very thankful that my husband has started these routines for our family. Isabelle even stopped after every gift and hugged and thanked us. Including after she opened a crossword puzzle book from her stocking. :-) So cute. Trevor was the only one saying "I want to open more presents. More!" Little rascal.


So, 9am we headed off to Mom and Dad's. My sisters and their families were already there. Mom had made a big breakfast of biscuits and gravy and eggs. We all took our time, ate food and drank coffee. We're a coffee lovin' family, let me tell you.






Julie and I put our babies down for naps and then we all gathered in the living room for my Dad to read the Christmas story. This was the second year that he's read it from his Palm Pilot. Ha. The age of technology. I should have taken a picture.

Then Dad passed out the gifts. The grown-ups alternate between opening their own gifts and helping the kids. It's so much fun to spend Christmas with my family. After all of the opening and cleaning was done, we spent some time looking over and enjoying our presents. The kids got new games and books and music and cameras....lots of stuff to keep them busy for awhile.



After lunch (lasagna and homemade bread and salad... YUM) we played games. Another family tradition. First we played Balderdash. I stink at that game, but I always enjoy it anyway. It was the new one, with movie titles (you have to come up with a convincing synopsis), People, Acronyms, Weird Words, etc. I believe my Dad won that game. And I did NOT come in last! Woo-hoo!




Next we played Cranium. I love it! We drew names for teams. Wouldn't you know that Fred and I ended up together! Neither of us were thrilled. Ha, ha. I guess we're both sick of losing. At least Amy and Vu were on different teams. They kill us when they play together. So that was great, too, despite the many distractions from 6 kids. No one minded, and the kids took it all in stride, too. They'd play on Noni's team for awhile and then switch. ;-) Adam and Vu ended up winning. And, again, we did NOT come in last. YEA! I guess you can tell that I'm really not ultra-competitive.

We had three fun Christmases, and today was our back-to-normal day. We did another room-by-room cleaning. That means we clean one room together, then eat a piece of chocolate and take a 20 minute play break. Then we move on to the next room. We clean as fast as we can for 20 minutes (I set the timer.) It works wonders and we're all happy. I don't know who looks forward more to the chocolate, me or the kids! It's itty bitty pieces, btw.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! Jesus is the reason for the season and we are the reason for Jesus. Thank you, God!!