Gladdest Hours

Madeleine's Kitchen Duty

A glorious thing happened while I was in my first 4 months of pregnancy, while I was tired, nauseous, and producing tons of saliva (thank goodness THAT's over....as of August 7.)   We discovered that 9-year-old Madeleine could clean up the kitchen by herself!!!! 

And, there is just NOTHING that makes me happier than chore-progress!  So, of course, I MUST blog about it. 

At her request, I made this little checklist for her check-marking-pleasure; she likes to see what she's accomplished and how much is left.  And, it helps her learn things like "rinse the pots and pans BEFORE you make up the hot, soapy water."  We keep this on the front of the fridge:

Download Kitchen Clean Up

She had lots of help in August with Mathilde here, but she is back doing it mostly by herself with me occasionally popping in.  I never thought I'd be able to "occasionally pop in" on my kitchen getting cleaned up!  LOL!  Dreams DO indeed come true!

This also caused us to switch evening chores around by ZONE, which also has the added benefit of kids not bugging each other while working.  Plus, Madeleine is able to hum and sing all she wants without annoying her sisters.  LOL!

• Madeleine - Kitchen
• Erika - Living Room & School Room
• Dorothy Jo - Bedrooms & Hallway
• Caroline - Laundry

Good job, Madeleine and THANK YOU for all your hard work!

Chores

One of my favorite subjects!  LOL!  When people pose the question: "What are your hobbies?"  I'm always so tempted to respond, "Broth and Chores!"   LOL!  But, I'm sure nobody would think it's funny, so I just include it in my interior monologue and move on :-)

I love reading other people's chore lists for their kids, so I thought I'd post ours up here simply because.....well, it's fun!  The updated chore chart/packs went up in August, and the girls are doing well, for the most part.  *wink*  It's mostly an exercise of my patience, kindness and focusing on their efforts and making myself available to help, re-direct, and remind :-)  

Madeleine, Age 8 – Morning

1. Get dressed
2. Fold Pajamas
3. Put ladder away
4. Unload Dishwasher
5. Brush Teeth
6. Wash Face
7. Brush Hair-put it up
8. Tidy bedroom
9. Make bed
10. Change Hand Towel
11. Weekly Job (below)

• Monday: Wipe Bathroom Floor
• Tuesday:Change Pillowcases
• Wed: Straighten Armoire, Clean Bathroom Sink
• Thur: Put-away basket
• Tidy & Sweep Porch
• Friday: Dust Buster, Clean Microwave

  
  Erika, Age 7 – Morning

1. Get dressed
2. Fold Pajamas
3. Brush Hair–have mom put it up
4. Make Bed
5. Tidy bedroom
6. Brush Teeth
7. Laundry down
8. Change Garbage in BR
9. Tidy Dining Rm Table
10. Turn on Dehumidifier
11. Put Cell phone in Mom's purse
12. Weekly Job (below)
    

•  Monday: Put-away-basket, Clean-out Van
• Tuesday: Change pillowcase
• Wed: Dust Buster, Straighten Napkin Basket
• Thursday: Wipe Bathroom Floor, Shake Bathroom Rug
• Friday: Straighten Armoire  

  
  Dorothy Jo, Age 5.5 – Morning

1. Get dressed
2. Fold Pajamas
3. Brush Hair – have mom put it up
4. Make Bed
5. Tidy Bedroom
6. Brush Teeth
7. Change Kitchen Towels
8. Tidy Crib
9. Tidy Night Stand
10. Weekly Job (below)
11. Set breakfast table

•  Monday: Sort Hair Bobs
• Tuesday: Wipe Basement Steps
• Wednesday: Bring in Milk
• Thursday: Dust Window Sills
• Friday: Wipe Bathroom Countertop

  Caroline, Age 3.5 ~ Morning - 

1. Get dressed w/Mom helping
2. Put PJs away
3. Straighten Bed
4. Brush Teeth
5. Hang up Bathroom Rug
6. Pick up Shoes around house & put in Shoe-Places
7. Set breakfast table w/ Dorothy Jo
8. Throw Daddy's newspaper in recycle bin

********************************

After Breakfast: 

• Madeleine - Clean Floor (sweep and/or wipe), Make Bread in breadmaker, Laundry Check
• Erika - wipe off table, laundry check
• Dorothy Jo - Clear dishes, laundry check
• Caroline - push in chairs 
• Mom - clean up baby, quick-clean kitchen

********************************

After Lunch: 

• Madeleine - Load Dishwasher, Wipe Table, Laundry Check, Fold Laundry
• Erika - Sweep/Clean Floor, Empty Dishwasher, Laundry Check, Fold Laundry  
• Dorothy Jo - Swiffer Living Room, Fold Laundry
• Caroline - Fill water bottles
• Mom - clean up baby, put food away, wipe counters  

*********************************

Madeleine (age 8) – Evening

1. Laundry Check
2. Weekly Job (below)
3. Plug in Cell Phone
4. Tidy Front Drawers
5. Sweep Living Room
6. Pajamas on
7. Tidy Changing Room
8. Brush Teeth
9. Floss Teeth
10. Wash Face & Hands
11. Brush Hair

• Monday: Vacuum
• Tuesday: Shake Kitchen Rug
• Wednesday: Vacuum Laundry Room
• Thursday: Garbage Out
• Friday: Tidy Upstairs Pantry

Erika (age 7) – Evening

1. Laundry Check
2. Weekly Job (below)
3. Fold Couch Blankets
4. Straighten Jackets on Hooks
5. Pajamas on
6. Tidy Changing Room
7. Brush Teeth
8. Floss Teeth
9. Wash Face & Hands
10. Brush Hair

• Monday: Shake Bedroom Rugs
• Tuesday: Sweep Kitchen Floor
• Wed: Wipe Laundry Room, Vacuum upstairs
• Thursday: Dust, TV Stand
• Friday: Tidy Basement Pantry 

  Dorothy Jo (age 5.5) – Evening

1. Put Away Shoes
2. Push in all Chairs
3. Weekly Job (below)
4. Pajamas on
5. Tidy Changing Room
6. Brush Teeth
7. Floss Teeth

• Monday: Check Toilet Paper Supply
  
• Tues: Wipe Kitchen Sink Floor
• Wed: Sort Marker Turnabout
• Thursday: Check Toilet Paper Supply, Wipe Kitchen Cupboards
• Friday: Swiffer Mom &Dad's closet

Of course, no Chore-post of mine would be complete without referencing  my favorite Chore-Resource:  The Maxwell's Managers of Their Chores!!
 

Lots of Bedrooms. Yeah. Right.

My mother called a couple weeks ago and told me about a conversation she had with a woman after Mass at coffee-n-donuts.  My mom mentioned that her oldest daughter (me) was almost due with  her fifth baby. 

"Fifth baby!  Oh my!  They must have a very big house!"  she exclaimed.

"No not really, just average, I suppose," my mom said.

"Well, then they must have lots of bedrooms!"   

"Bedrooms?" questioned my mother.  "Oh no.....all the children are in one bedroom." 

"One bedroom? How do you do that?  It must be a very large bedroom," she said.

My mom likes to shock people, so of course, she let it all out.  "No, not large at all.  10 x 13’.  And, well….they have two sets of bunk beds and a crib in that room. And, to tell you the truth, most of the time there are actually a couple of beds empty."

The woman apparently couldn’t wrap her mind around that one, as the conversation ended right then and there. 

Next time my mom will be prepared.  I’m considering sending her this photo which says it all:

Look closely.  That's THREE heads you see.  And, it ain't in a twin bed!  IT'S IN THE CRIB, for crying out loud!!!!!!  The 7, 5, and 2-year-old (Madeleine, Erika and Caroline) SLEEPING IN THE CRIB together!   

Good thing we went through all that work to set up those TWO sets of bunk beds. 

Three empty beds!  Good grief. 

Probably, my greatest accomplishment of 2008.....

.....next to giving birth to my fifth baby girl.  But that hasn't happened yet, so this is definitely my greatest accomplishment SO FAR, this year!  (I wonder what my college professors would think about this fact?  LOL!) 

We have succeeded in getting FIVE car seats / booster seats in a 1999 Dodge Caravan!  The "old" minivans are much narrower than the newer ones, so this is really a big deal!  Plus, by the time most people have 5 children, usually at least ONE or TWO of them are OUT OF CAR SEATS!      

I keep waiting for 20/20 to knock on my door and interview us, but it hasn't happened, so I'll blog about it instead. 

These were the previous car seats:

The three on the right have all expired, so they have taken the infamous ride to the dump, never to be seen again. 

Here is the obligatory photo of car seats with owners in the sitting position: 

Enough with the old!  Onward!  I was very nervous the day these appeared on my doorstep:

If the contents of these boxes didn't work, then I would:

1. never leave the house again without breaking the law or....
2. spend the last 3 months of my pregnancy looking for a larger vehicle.  (And, I would've tried to rally my dear-sweet-husband for a 12-passenger-van, which would've taken much more than three months.) 

The contents of these all-important boxes were two Sunshine Radian 65 car seats, thanks to LisaD from from this 4Real thread.  By far, the most narrow car seat on the market.  The Radian is 12" across the base and 17" at the shoulder area.  It holds a child in a 5-point-harness 5 lbs. - 65 lbs., and 53" tall.  This is NOT a booster.  It's for older/heavier children to be in a 5-point-harness, basically for the rest of their lives, lol.   

Then, we purchased a Graco Turbobooster, which is a fairly narrow booster.  16" at the base.  We have 49" plastic to plastic in the back seat of the van.  After much time, sweat, muscle, and a bit of cursing, Pete installed these successfully, while I stood around and did nothing prayed to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. 

It actually worked:

Look at that.  A beautiful sight.  Not an INCH to spare. 

From left to right in the backseat:
22 lbs. 2-year-old - Radian
36 lbs. 4-year-old - Radian
40 lbs. 5.5-year-old - Graco TurboBooster with a car seat belt extender from the Dodge
dealership.

The seat belt extender (thanks, Nicole-"humanaevitae") pulls the female seat belt out about 6 inches, which makes it possible to buckle in the booster on the far right, otherwise this wouldn't work, as you wouldn't be able to get your hand down there to fasten the seat belt, since we have not even a millimeter of extra space.  I can get my hands in there, but not Pete, and not the child.  The verdict is still out on whether or not it's safe to have the buckle nearer the pelvis like this; I've had differing opinions from car-seat-techs.  Hopefully, we won't have to use it all the time, but it's there just in case. 

Then in the middle seat we have:

• Infant car seat behind the driver
• Booster seat for the 48 lbs. 7-year-old

Happy Birthday, Pete!  You just received $400 worth of car seats for your birthday!  And, you have succeeded in avoiding purchasing another vehicle for at least another couple of years!   Yes, yes....a glorious 46th birthday present indeed. 

Homemade Diaper Wipes Make Me Happy

We really live it up in this house.  Every baby gets a new batch of homemade diaper wipes.   It's very exciting.  I spend an embarrassingly long time picking out JUST the right flannel at Joann's, and then it gets sewn into little 4" x 8" rectangles.   I made them for Madeleine, Dorothy Jo, and Caroline.  Pete's mom made them for Erika.  And my mom made these. 

This time I chose FOUR different prints.  In the past I've picked out one or two, or even just used whatever flannel material I had in the fabric box.  But, this time, I went overboard and got a half-yard of FOUR different prints!!  Like I said.....livin' it up!

Aren't they cute?

There are 39 of them.  A child, who shall go nameless, cut one up, or there would be 40. 

Of course, we make a big presentation of them to Pete upon finishing.  He actually puts up with this nonsense simply because he knows how much money it saves him.  The cost of wiping baby bums in our house includes:

• $4 for this flannel
• Soap and Tea Tree Oil for the wipe solution
• Amount of energy it takes to keep the soap solution warm, if I'm feeling nice.

Once again, here they are.......

Perfectly stacked, probably for the very last time. 

Who knew I could write so much about rectangles of flannel sewn together? Hmmph.

My Mother Arrives Today

Whoo-hoo!    She'll be here for two-and-a-half weeks to make her grand contribution to this quickly growing family and household.  Everyone is very excited about this.

Pete adores her.  She thinks Pete is the most wonderful man to walk the earth since St. Francis. 

She is hysterically funny and goofy, and the girls LOVE spending time with her.  She loves them.

She is a sixty-something lady who works like a 30-year-old.   She loves to clean, scrub, sort, organize and empty the dishwasher.

Need I say more?

 

Thank you!

Thank you so much for your well wishes, congratulations and prayers!   The girls wanted me to read all the comments to them; they just beamed all the way through them!

I am feeling OK.  Not great. But, not actually horrible and out-of-commission.  Nausea, tired, and backaches.  But, every first trimester seems to get easier.  The end harder.  Maybe by the time I have baby number TEN, I won't have ANY nausea or throwing up at all!!!! 

It's survival-mode, things whittled down to just the essentials, and Pete picks up A LOT of the slack.  The girls are two years older this time, which means they can do more to help.  I've been able to take myself out of the laundry-equation for the most part, which is a huge help.  They get their own breakfast, albeit not as nutritious as usual.  Food is simple and easy.   I actually made something (from scratch) for the first time in about a month.  That's one advantage to the kids being so young......I can get away with easy-nonsense-food.

Nine weeks along.  Due the end of April. 

Clearing the Clutter!

Lorri at the Mac and Cheese Chronicles is hosting the Loveliness of Clearing the Clutter.  When I first typed this, I typed Loveliness of Clutter!!!!  Hardly  LOL! 

I don't have many pictures, mainly because I'm just all pictured-out.  But here are a couple of "hot spots" that have been de-cluttered lately:   

One of the Kitchen Cabinets - Made a trip to the Dollar Store and outfitted this particular cabinet with makeshift pull-out drawers so things would stop getting all jumbled up.

Before:

   

Not really all THAT bad.  But, could be better.  After:

 

Like items go together and they won't ever get mixed up.  Syrups and molasses, Magic Bullet pieces, hand mixer and 2 beaters, coffee items, misc. baking supplies, tall things, cheese graters, etc.  Things were tossed.  I even have a half-space and one whole basket leftover!   

I added a shelf-divider to the plate cabinet and tossed a bunch of misc. plates that bother me. 

Band-Aid Box - While I was de-cluttering the First Aid Box, I re-vamped our Band-Aid System.  This was SO EXCITING to me and the project that worried Pete the most.  All the Band-aids were just jumbled up together, which is annoying.  So, I separated them and threw away all the other stuff that was floating around in Band-aid box.   

I put a "sample" on the outside.  They are all very similar in size, but it's the TYPE that I'm more concerned about.  The stickiness and the stretch.  No character band-aids here.  No siree-bob.  The girls think it's FUN to have character band-aids and all I ever here is "Can I have a band-aid?"  for absolutely NOTHING!  I do keep a secret stash for the times when someone is really hurt and desperately needs cheering up.  But they are hidden away somewhere and because I never use them, I have no idea where they are. LOL!

Purse - inspired by the Bag Tags going around a couple of months ago, I de-cluttered and re-vamped my purse.  I'm no longer the mommy of only wee-ones, and we actually leave the house from time to time, so I needed a purse re-evaluation.

Girls' Dresses - Purge, Sort, Organize.  Made 5 dresses into rags....took off the lace and buttons for some sort of eventual Montessori activity and cut them up.  How satisfying.   Passed about 10 dresses on to neighbors.

My Clothing - Many of my clothes just don't fit anymore, so they are OUTTA HERE!  3 boxes donated.  1 box of favorites will get passed on.   

Kitchen Utensil Drawer - Tossed enough things to make this a nice drawer that actually opens.  Added a second two-section divider; one was not doing the trick.

I unloaded most of our baby toys.  Caroline is not a "baby" anymore (sniff) (even though she weighs less than most 6-month-olds) and she doesn't play with toys anyway.  She just WHIPS them out of the play-yard and they go flying across the room.  Nice. She prefers everything in the kitchen and whatever the older girls are working on. 

Old Art Supplies were sorted and tossed.  It's Year Two of investing in quality art supplies.  Last year it was paints and paper.  This year it's crayons and pencils. 

Tableclothes - This was painful for me as I tend to LOVE tabletop items, just like my mom.  But, if I don't LOVE a tablecloth and look forward to having it on my table, it had to leave.  I have a cupboard of tableclothes and napkins and it was getting too crowded.  4 tableclothes gone!  2 donated as they are in good shape.  2 become picnic blankets for the van.

Pete's T-shirts.  Hopeless case.  No headway here.  My husband has 2 drawers that barely open, they are so full.  I will never understand the love affair between a guy and his t-shirts and jeans.   Maybe next year.  (sigh)  That is, "maybe next year, I'll get this done," not "maybe next year I'll understand the love affair."

Shoes.  Went through all the girls' shoes and tossed the bad ones and ones we never really liked.  Why did I ever keep them anyway?  Weak moments.

The stuffed animals that were hidden in the "holding cell" in the basement finally made the 3-month-cut.  No one has noticed that they were gone, so they are GONE!  Can you tell that I'm excited about this one? Shhhh...

Toys.  Ah, yes, the toys.  I decided that in July-August-September we don't need any toys in our living room.  We're outside most of the time anyway and when we're not outside, we're busy getting ready to GO outside.  So, I brought EVERYTHING downstairs and went through it.  If I was going to haul something up those stairs again, it better be a pretty good toy.   I've made lots of good shelf space and room upstairs for some of our new Montessori items .

And, of course, I would be remiss if I did an organizing post and didn't mention my two favorite organizers:

The Organizing Junkie

The Lazy Organizer

Happy De-Cluttering, everyone!

 

Everyone Is De-Cluttering

Dorothy Jo, Caroline and I were reading on the couch, while Madeleine (6) and Erika (5) were cleaning out their shelf bins. 

Madeleine: "Boy, oh boy.....I sure do have a lot of JUNK in here!  How'd all this get in here?"  (I pose this question to myself practically every minute of the day.)

Erika: "Yeah, me too.  Hey, Madeleine, what's the definition of JUNK?"

Madeleine: "Oh, well.....it just means random, dumb stuff."

I went to Webster's, because it's always fun to see how a 6-year-old-definition differs from the "official one."

Junk:  Something of little meaning or significance.

I think I like "random, dumb stuff" better.   

Lace? Ruffles? Ribbons?

No, no, no! 

Move over Donnatella Versace, my girls are going to give you a run for your money!

And, quite practical too!

In Between the Front Seats of the Van

THAT title really caught your attention, didn't it?

The Organizing Junkie had a post about organizing her van, so I thought I'd tackle this annoying little 18" x 18" section of my life. 

While the girls were painting on the front driveway the other day and Caroline was in the backpack, the middle of my van went from this mess:

To this beautiful sight:

Here's the nitty-gritty:

Top left - a cut-off Capri-Sun Box (they are the sturdiest boxes!), the perfect size to fit:

• Entertainment Book
• Box of Wipes
• Notebook (in case I get an exciting blogging inspiration while driving)

On the right - a shoebox for:

• Hand lotion
• Sales flyers
• Driving directions and other loose paper for which I need quick access
• Tall cup to hold a BrainQuest
• Canning jar to hold all the pens/pencils upright

I will be on the lookout for just the right size plastic container, but don't have one yet.  I'm sure the cardboard shoe box will get trashed.   

Bottom left - a tall round, tin popcorn container to corral the tall things:

• Water bottle
• Ice scrapers
• Sunglass case
• Toilet paper roll

That black thing in the middle is the CD case.   The baby diaper items hang on the back of the driver seat.   There is a Tupperware container of First Aid items under the back seat, along with a couple of umbrellas and my Dumb-Broad-Stranded-on-the-Road-Emergency-Kit.   Believe me, you do NOT want to know what is in THAT kit.  I'm the gal whose husband's favorite bedtime reading is the catalogue from Emergency Essentials.   

It's All About The Tables

One of my favorite things to do to get ready for our three months of outdoor living is to BRING OUT THE TABLES.   And, boy do I have tables.   We have a big yard, and so having a table in every section, corner or area of the yard ensures, and just INVITES us to be outside as much as we can for all our meals, as well as for all sorts of craziness that takes place in our little corner among the Cedar trees.   

Right after the summer clothes come out, I move the kitchen table (that we LIVE at during the rest of the year) right up against the wall: 

Not very inviting, is it?  No!  THAT is the point. We do not want to eat here unless it is pouring rain.  Sometimes Pete tries to get away with sitting there for breakfast and the reading of his morning paper (he usually eats early before the girls are up) and if I happen to walk in and it's a beautiful morning, I look at him like he has ten heads, gasp, and say, "You should eat OUTSIDE!  Look how beautiful it is out there!  Isn't this why you moved to the Northwest?  For weather like this?  And that lovely deck that you SLAVED OVER!  Such a shame.  And, here you sit."  (then I sigh).

He doesn't even look up.  I wave my hand and flutter off.  Another unsuccessful communication attempt with my phlegmatic husband. 

So, where, in fact, DO we eat, if not at the pushed back table?

For starters, the big, beautiful, above-mentioned, slaved-over deck, right off the kitchen:

 

Moving on around the deck......

The catch-all-table outside the kitchen door.  This table functions as extra counter space, afternoon project table and an afternoon snack area because it's in the shade:

I can rejoice, because finally THIS crazy table goes back outside where it belongs:

Of course, these are everyone's favorite outdoor chairs at our house.  The Gliders.  Lots of eating and drinking coffee takes place here:

A covered table.  Here is a table on the patio, underneath the deck, where we eat on really hot days and have buffets set up for parties and company who are lounging at the fire pit :

Then, there is this table by the play-area, pool and sand box.  The neighbors have been known to park it right here with a nice little appetizer and an afternoon cocktail, watching the children frolick in the afternoon sun.  In September we have to move it over a bit because otherwise we'd have plums dropping continuously into our snacks and beloved drinks.  Bad.  Bad.   

 

The child-table out front:

So, there is the outdoor-table-tour of our yard and where you will find us Taking Our Meals Out-of-Doors until the end of September.

"Millionaires, presidents -- even kings, Can't get along without everyday things. "

Morning Routine

I received Managers Of Their Chores awhile back and started to use it a couple months ago.  We started with our morning routine.  Each girl has this nifty little plastic envelope that clips on clothing.  MOTC (Managers of their Chores) is $25 and is well worth it, if only for the plastic chore-paks and the access that it gives you to the "pre-reader" chore cards, which, of course we are using right now.  Although, Madeleine informed me that MAYBE when we print up the weekly chores she MAY NOT WANT pictures.  Hmmph.  I'll believe it when I see it.

Anyway, here's the drill.  The girls get up in the morning and they jump all over Pete and beg him not to go to work.  Then, they say, "Oh, hi mom."    It's true!  They LOVE him.  I'm just the woman who hangs around all day.  I'm not nearly as cool or fun as he is.  After they are finished with this Daddy-is-great-routine, they get dressed and clip their Chore-Pak to their clothing.  Dorothy Jo, age three-and-a-half, needs help with this.  Then while I am fixing breakfast or getting Caroline ready or doing one of the other million things I do in the morning, they look at the top card with a picture on it, do it, then move it to the back of the pile and proceed to the next card/job. 

This is, of course, in a perfect world.  In the real world, Caroline is still sleeping and they can't get in to make their bed or straighten the nightstand.  Or, someone is in the bathroom and they can't brush their teeth.  Or they can't find a hairbrush to brush their hair.  Or "WHO already emptied the laundry basket?" and didn't I know that was NOT my job anymore? 

So, they spend a minute or two talking about how they can't DO the next thing, while I convince them to just move along, skip that job, proceed on to the next and come back to it later.   A fairly complicated concept for a 3 and 4 year old, yet neccessary to understand.  I guess this is where the "teaching/training" part comes in.  So, that's what I'm doing when I repeat myself for the millionth time!

Although still chaotic, it IS actually quite miraculous how they proceed with their morning routines without me barking out orders every 10 seconds.  When everyone is finished with their morning jobs/routine, we eat breakfast.  When we have an agenda for the morning and need to be a bit speedy, I set the timer for 10 minutes and we play beat-the-clock.  Otherwise, I try to just let them do things at their own pace. 

On Sundays, no jobs.  Just get ready for Mass.  That's a 3-ring-circus in and of itself.   

Here is the breakdown:

All:

• Get dressed
• Fold Pajamas and put on shelf
• Brush hair and find Mom to put ponytail in
• Make Bed
• Tidy floor of "Changing Room" and Bedroom
• Brush teeth

  Madeleine (age 6)

• Straighten top of dresser & hair paraphernalia
• Empty bathroom wastebasket
• Change hand towel in bathroom

   Erika (age 4.5)

• Empty laundry basket down chute
• Straighten top of nightstand

Dorothy Jo (age 3.5)

• Hang bath rug up
• Put all shoes on shoe-shelf or in shoe-basket

We actually have this down.  Time for the next step.  On to the Weekly Home Blessing with my little workers.  I have the breakdown and the cards ready, and will begin "boot camp" when we return from Minnesota.  Lucky them.  Madeleine has already been practicing her first job, cleaning the sink:

 

What.  Don't YOU wear a visor when cleaning a 30-year-old sink?  Well, WE do.  That's standard sink-cleaning-attire around here.  An apron and a visor. 

The Baptism Box

I have intended to create a Baptism Box for about a year now.  Finally!  I did it on the first anniversary of Caroline's Baptism, May 21. 

I got tired of running around the house gathering the various items to prepare and clean up after celebrating Baptism Anniversaries.  So, this is my solution.  Nothing earth shattering, I know.  But I wonder why it's taken me so long to do this.  Hummph.  We'll never know.   

Here is what is in the box:

• 3-ring binder with four sections: each girl's Baptism scrapbook pages.   On the back of the binder is my "idea list" for celebrating Baptisms. Download baptism_anniversary.doc
• Baptism Gown with a hanger
• Baptism Bear
• Family Sacramental Tablecloth
• Angel Candelholders
• Bottle of Holy Water
• Shells for Table decorations at each place setting
• Baptism stickers
• A few leftover print-outs from Moira Farrell's Albums
• Baptism holy cards
• Today I was Baptized picture book
• Laminated recipe for our Baptism Cookies (Russian Tea Cakes)
• Baptism Prayers/Blessings
• White Blanket crocheted by Dorothy Jo's Godmother for Erika's Baptism
• Baptismal Candles
• Baptism Plate
• White Cloth Napkins

Everything miraculously fits in this container. 

OF COURSE, it has a label on the outside that says, "Baptism!"  And, it has it's own rightful spot in the basement.

Who needs Montessori when you have the dollar store and a crazy-organizing-mom?

We've been VERY busy around here the last week ORGANIZING!  I've been so inspired by  I'm an Organizing Junkie and The Lazy Organizer that I've been an organizing fool lately. 

Last weekend we went to the Dollar Store to invest in a few bins for various purposes.  I LOVE containers, bins and baskets,  by the way.   Laura (the organizing junkie) actually gives it a VERB...she calls it "containerizing," which I think is brilliant.  I used to say, "Well, let's just put that in a container" or "That's not the right container for that" etc.  Now, I have a VERB to utilize.  "Let's containerize that!" 

Anyway, I'm in the storage/household aisle with my four little future-containerizers, and the shelves are an absolute MESS!  Everything is all over the place, nothing is stacked, "like" is not with "like."  It IS the Dollar Store, after all.  After several minutes of trying to find just-the-right-containers, I couldn't stand it anymore, I started sorting, stacking, matching.  The girls saw what I was doing, and they joined right in.  They were SO EXCITED!  Erika and Madeleine were even grouping things by color and putting them in the order of the rainbow.  Even Grandma Charlotte wouldn't go THAT FAR!  Caroline was in the cart throwing part of our efforts on the ground and laughing.  I had neglected to strategically place her in the middle of the aisle.

Within minutes we had those shelves looking so beautiful!  We stood back and admired our success.  Erika said, "There, that's better, huh, mom?" 

Dorothy Jo said, "Yeah, dat's much betta. But dis is not o house. Is dat OK dat we do dat?" 

Madeleine with an eye-roll, "Of course, it is, Dorothy.  No one likes to have shelves all messed up.  It looks much better like that."  (music to a mother's ears!)

Dorothy Jo said,  "Wellw, dat was easy.  I tink I should wook here, cuz I can do dat.  Maybe I can jus stand here and wait for people to mess up da shelves, and den I can fix it all up again.  Dat's a good job for me!"  She giggled just thinking about it. 

And, so did we.  More giggling and then more comparing and measuring containers.   

Who needs to spend thousands of dollars for pre-school and Kindergarten?  Just head to the nearest Dollar Store, where the shelves are guaranteed to be messy. 

 

The Exciting Freezer Post

I've mentioned before about how my best-organized place in my home is my chest freezer.  Not saying much, I know.  But, I feel compelled to blog about it, if for no other reason than to throw my father into fits of laughter and make him shake his head that his first-born-daughter is writing about her chest freezer.  How incredibly embarrassing for him.

When we moved into this house, we inherited a very old, upright freezer.   When I couldn't put 30 whole fryer chickens in it that I had purchased for $.15 / lb.  I decided that the 30-year-old-upright-that-was-probably-using-lots-of-energy just HAD to go.  My mom was visiting, which always helps when shopping for large appliances.  Not only is my mom a good babysitter, but she is an excellent decision-making-helper.  She's great with the details and the analyzing.  Whenever my mom visits, we always end up buying a new appliance or furniture.  This is no coincidence.   

Our My 4-year-old freezer is 14.9 cubic feet.  It's a Kenmore, Chest-type, manual defrost freezer. Of course, my dad said to buy a bigger one.  And, I have to admit, he was right. Shoulda bought the bigger one.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda.  Lesson learned.  Always listen to my father when it comes to food preservation. 

We had two gigantic chest freezers growing up.  I mean, HUGE.  I don't think Sears sells them this big anymore.  You must have to go to a restaurant supply store to buy freezers like those.  My dad had a very large garden, and we froze large amounts of vegetables in massive freezer bags that lasted us all winter.  Not to mention all the fish, deer, fowl and who knows what else, from hunting.   

Normally, when people talk about "sheltering" their children they are speaking about movies, bad language, music, etc.  In our house, we were sheltered from packaged-convenience-foods.  We  NEVER went down the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. I was 21 before I realized that frozen peas were actually sold in tiny, little 16 oz. bags.  I had never seen a little bag of frozen peas before the age of 21.  I was a Resident Assistant in the dormitories until my very last semester in college, when I lived with three other girls off-campus.  I went into our freezer and saw this teeny-tiny bag of PEAS sitting there.  Wow!  Why is it so little?  I had seen canned peas before, but never purchased, FROZEN peas.  And, what an extremely small bag!

My mom still remembers the day I called her from the Schmick's house where I was babysitting (I was about 15 years old) marveling over the FLAKES that magically became mashed potatoes!  I couldn't believe my eyes. Just add boiling water.  Hmmph. 

But, back to the topic-at-hand.   Organizing my freezer.  I use paper grocery bags with handles to keep things grouped and for easy lifting and moving.  Here is what the current bags contain:

• Turkey
• Ham
• Legumes
• Frozen Vegetables
• Packages of Tomato paste for pizza in the pink bag.

These change depending on the time of year.  When I'm pregnant or post-partum, there are more bags with less in them for easier lifting.   The bags are very easy to lift and keep things separated and organized.

Here is the bottom layer, separated by boxes, on the bottom:

From left to right: 

• Left: Containers of prepared food/meals
• Middle Section: Venison and Beef
• Far Right: Chicken and ground turkey.  I'm low on whole-fryers right now, otherwise, they'd be down there too. 
• I also usually keep frozen berries down there.  Low supply right now.

Then, the next "layer" goes in ~ the paper bags w/handles:

 

Any which way, however they fit.  Then, the top two hanging baskets:

The left basket:

• Butter
• Pizza toppings (bags of pepperoni, olives, peppers, cheese) 

The right basket:

• Containers of shredded chicken for enchiladas
• Bread or buns (occasionally)
• Ricotta Cheese
• Enchilada Sauce
• Juice (sometimes)

I still have lots of room left.  Probably room for another 2-4 bags.  Then it would actually be full. 

And, of course, every organized freezer needs an INVENTORY list taped to the top:

Download freezer_inventory.doc .  I add or cross off items when they are put in or taken out.  There is a pen attached to a string that hangs right next to the freezer.   When the girls or dh put things in the freezer right after a shopping trip, I make sure the items are in plastic bags, so those items don't get mixed up with the existing items, because they aren't inventoried!  Wouldn't THAT just be horrible?  LOL!  Then later when I have a minute I go down and add them to the list and put them in their section.  The Freezer Inventory gets updated on the computer about 3 times a year.  When there is too much sloppy scribbling on it for my slight OCD tendencies. 

Ground Turkey  12345   means I have five packages of ground turkey.  If I take two packages out, I cross off the 5 and the 4.

There you have it.  Wasn't that exciting, just like the title said it would be?   Works for me!

Fluttering Creatures

.

Hand in hand they dance in a row,

Hither and thither, and to and fro,

Flip! Flap! Flop! And away they go!

Flutt'ring creatures as white as snow,

Like restive horses they caper and prance;

Like fairy tale witches they wildly dance;

Rounded in front, but hollow behind,

They shiver and skip in the merry March wind.

One I saw dancing excitedly,

Struggling so wildly till she was free,

Then, leaving pegs and clothes-line behind her,

She flew like a bird, and no one can find her.

   

I saw her gleam, like  sail, in the sun,

Flipping and flapping and flopping for fun.

     ~From The Clothes-Line, by Charlotte Druitt Cole

Oh How Do I Love Thee!

Oh EZ Roll Bags, Oh EZ Roll Bags, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways. 

It's probably not quite right to have such a love affair with a Bag Compression Storage System.  But, when space is at a premium, what's there NOT to like?  I only store things in them that I won't need very often like special blankets, winter sweaters, snow clothes, and baby clothing, because they are more difficult to access.  Oh wait.....around here, I HAVE needed the newborn clothing quite often.  (Ah-hem.....can you say 17 months and 15 months apart?)  As soon as I put them in THESE BAGS..........you know what THAT means!  No, I'm not pregnant.  But, I'm sure I WILL be.  Because I just COMPRESSED the newborn clothes. 

PurgeFest 2007

We've spent the week going through clothes.  Making the switch from winter to summer, organizing, purging and tossing.  It's endless, I tell you....simply endless.  Here is a snipet of the breakfast conversation this morning: 

Erika:  "Mom, I don't think I can eat all this oatmeal."

Madeleine:  "That's OK, Erika. You can just donate it."

To Get At Windows Dark and Dim

I did one of my favorite housekeeping tasks this weekend.  I washed windows.  Every year, I think to myself, "I can't believe it took me this long to wash my windows. Why didn't I do this a month ago?"  I don't even realize how dirty they are until they are shiny and clean. 

It's really not that hard.  Bucket with soap and ammonia.  Two rags.  Squeegee.  Kids outside playing with dad.  Off I go.  Thirty minutes later, everyone gets ushered into the house where they MUST marvel over how bee-yuu-tee-ful the windows are.  It's a game.

The kitchen window was so clean and clear late that Sunday night when Pete was at the gym, the girls were sleeping, and I was cleaning up the kitchen, I glanced to my right, and THERE I WAS.   

"Well, THIS calls for a bit of dancin' music!"  I said to myself.  So, in goes Alan Jackson's Drive CD along with Donna Cori Gibson's Canticle of Zachariah.  And, I start dancing.......and dancing.....and dancing.  How embarrassing.  "Good thing nobody can see me," I think to myself.  Usually dancing music makes me work faster.  But that night it was just a distraction.  So much for "flying" through my chores....I had DANCIN' to do! 

Clean windows made me think about when I was a jet-settin' single gal working in between Montreal and Wisconsin.  I had a great job, a great apartment, great friends.  But, at night in the hotel room, all I could think about was getting back home to my little nest in Wausau and shining the sink, organizing a drawer or experimenting with a new way to cook chicken.   

"What's wrong with me?  Why can't I focus on what I SHOULD be thinking about?  Come on! Think advertising campaigns, market analysis and the administration of those sales programs." 

Nope.  It always came back to some version of:  Shine the sink, organize a drawer, cook Coq au Vin. 

Well, SOMEONE certainly heard my heart's desires.  This would be a perfect example of "Be careful what you wish for."    I now have my share of cleaning, organizing and cooking to do, don't I?  Yes, go ahead.  Laugh.  It IS quite funny.

Anyway, I remember sitting in a co-workers office in Quebec one day, and there was a magazine with an article about washing windows.  I read it.  Great!  That's what I'm going to do when I get home next week.....wash my windows!  Oh, and LOOK, there is even a POEM about washing windows. I copied the poem down and found it about a year ago scribbled on Bombardier letterhead.  If Bombardier only knew that the gal who was SUPPOSED to be planning the distribution of snowmobiles to the Inuit in northern Canada was jotting down poems about washing windows!  Ha! 

The Window Cleaner, by Elizabeth Fleming

A window cleaner's life is grand! / Hurring up his ladder-stair,  / he sets himself with mop in hand /To let in sunshine everywhere;

It makes me feel I'd like to be / A window cleaner too, like him. / Taking my ladder round with me / To get at windows dark and dim.

Having my polisher and mop / on every dull and grimy pane, i'd rub, and rub, and never stop/Until I made them bright again;

I'd do the same by high and low, / Making their glass so shiny-clean / That all who looked through it would know / At once - the window-man had been!

Happy Spring Window Cleaning to you!

The Ol' Spring Napkin Switch

I was going to post about our trip to The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival for the Loveliness of Spring, but we never made it there.  Maybe next weekend.  So, instead I'll blog about cloth napkins. 

I was so thrilled to see the thread about cloth napkins go to TWO PAGES!  This just proves that I am NOT the only one who thinks about and gets joy out of cloth napkins. 

As I've mentioned before, I just don't appreciate the concept of paper towels.  Toilet paper?  Of course.  I GET that.  But, hauling those bulky paper towels to the cashier, to the car, out of the car and into the house, into their storage place, then back into the kitchen when needed.  I would much rather wash a few rags or cloth napkins on a regular basis, put them away, and bring them out again. 

At Easter and around the 1st of October, I switch my napkin colors.  Some people plant seasonal flowers.  Some change their front door decoration.  I change my napkin colors.

Dark, winter colors on the left are descending to the the lower chambers.  The spring pastels are now in use!

Everyone has their own napkin ring:

After a meal, everyone is SUPPOSED TO put their own napkin back in the ring.   If they need to be washed, they go into the "Rag Bag."   Those that can be used again are put in a basket which sits next to the table, on the windowsill:

Aren't they cute?   So.....Springy!

I find nice, absorbent, cotton napkins in lots of places.  Clearance tables, garage sales.  And, of course, my mother and friends.      

Here is a silly, little poem that makes us giggle.  It also helps the girls to remember to do the last two things that Timothy does....put your napkin away and thank the chef/mom/slave for the "loveliest" of meals! 

The Meal

Timothy Tompkins had turnips and tea.

The turnips were tiny.

He ate at least three.

And then, for dessert,

He had onions and ice. 

He like that so much

That he ordered it twice.

He had two cups of ketchup,

A prune and a pickle.

“Delicious,” said Timothy.

“Well worth a nickel.”

He folded his napkin

And hastened to add,

“It’s one of the loveliest breakfasts I’ve had.”

~Karla Kuskin

 

Bringin' Out the Big Guns

My friend, Cathy, says her husband, Kenny and I apparently have a love of our Shop-Vacs that she doesn't share.  She understands it, but doesn't exactly share it.  She calls it "Bringin' out the big guns."  Really, why fool around with the hose of a measly Hoover upright when you could have the suction power of a Shop-Vac?

I especially like it when the weather turns warmer in the Spring and Summer and the windows are open.  I hear a neighbor power-up their "Big Gun" in their garage or driveway and I think, "Ooooh, yes....the Shop-Vac.....hmmm....good idea." My eyes shine as I make my way toward my little "servant" thinking of all the dirt, dust and sand that will disappear right before my very eyes. 

We have two.  One in the garage, of course.  And, one in the basement.  The second one was purchased at Home Depot at the Day-After-Thanksgiving-Sale a few years ago.  It's big, blue and beautiful and was only $10. 

"TEN DOLLARS for a Shop-Vac???!!!" I screamed perusing the ads with my little girls (1 and 2.5 years old at the time) hanging on my ankles, with a newborn at the breast. 

"Oh, Pete, you just HAVE to go get that!!"  I was 5 days post-partum, and even for a $10 Shop-Vac, I was NOT leaving the house.  Just getting to the kitchen table was an ordeal. 

Of course, always the man to want to add a new piece of equipment to his shop area in the basement, he dashed to Home Depot the next day at 7:00 AM.  Back 30 minutes later, we marveled at our new purchase.  No more hauling the Shop-Vac up and down the stairs.  What could be better?

I cleaned up the laundry room tonight.  Move. Sort.  Toss.  Straighten.  Wipe.  Vacuum the rug.  Then, my FAVORITE part.  The blue-beautiful-big-gun!

• Slurp - a button.  We have tons of buttons and I don't know what it goes to anyway. 
• Slurp - yarn from a Christmas craft project
• Slurp - sticks and evergreen needles
• Slurp - a jellybean
• Slurp - a rock.  Oops.  I meant to pick that up.  But, see how efficient it is?  It doesn't even give me time to react.  Very efficient. 
• Slurp - dust bunnies and sand from every nook and cranny.  What a great feeling.  Such a sense of accomplishment.
• Slurp - Erika's pink tights.  Arrgghh.  Rescued
• Slurp - a lego
• Slurp - crystals of detergent and baking soda
• Slurp - a pencil.  whoops!
• Slurp - paper scraps.  Alleluia!
• Slurp - Caroline's sock.  i got distracted and the hose fell in one of the baskets.  I'll open it up and fish it out later. 
• Slurp - My Little Pony hairbrush.  (For Maryan, that would be the actual name of a toy "My Little Pony."  I don't really have a pony that requires a hairbrush.)  They'll never miss it.
• Slurp - a pattern block.  I'll fish it out with the sock.  Maybe. 
• Slurp - a diaper pin.  Oh, darn.  That was one of the good ones.  What's it doing down here?
• Slurp - Dorothy Jo's pajamas.  Rescued.

Like magic, the laundry room has a face-lift.  Beautiful.  Well, not exactly.  But, everything is relative, right?  Beautiful.  At least until tomorrow. 

I cannot tell a lie.  One of my attractions to the Shop-Vac these days is that I can hear nothing else when it's on.  Definitely a plus. 

I Just Couldn't Do It

A few months ago, when Caroline started pulling herself up to the underwear/sock drawer and emptying it, I added "Put Lock on Drawer" to my to-do list.  Like so many other things on that crazy list, it went unaccomplished.  As the weeks went by, I decided I just couldn't do it. 

Every 6-18-month-old LOVES to do this.  It's quite a wonderful  thing to occupy their time.  She will actually keep doing this for 10 minutes, if not longer. 

So much joy.  Really, who am I to interupt this masterful inactivity all in the name of "organization" or "tidiness?"  Pas Moi!    It's not really all that difficult to clean up, and I figured it's probably worth the effort. 

It is such a hilarious sight to saunter innocently into the "changing room" and be greeted with a pair of panties flying through air.  She stands there facing the drawer, oblivious to anyone walking in and just......FLINGS!  Up and back.  Or, DROP.  Right there outside the drawer.  DROP.  FLING! 

Sometimes over the left shoulder.  Sometimes over the right. 

Blue socks-FLING! 

White underwear-FLING! 

White socks-DROP.   

White underwear-FLING!   

It's especially thrilling when the said-garments FLING right into your face.  That always causes such a riot among all those present. 

Look at that face!  Nope.  I just couldn't do it.   

My Idea of a Great Saturday Morning

Pete and the girls just left for St. Vincent de Paul with a VAN-FULL of bags and boxes! 

What joy!  What Bliss! 

As part of my Lenten Cleaning , the guest bedroom in the basement once again looks like a guest bedroom and you can actually see the Bowflex in the "Bowflex room" (a room lined with shelves and a chest-freezer, with a bowflex in the middle of it, hence the name). 

This morning made me think of Bridget's Post awhile back: Once we get our basic chores done, my idea of thrills is to organize and clean out a closet.  Woo hoo!  Not surprisingly, this is not my husband or children's idea of fun.

So, I've had my fun for the day.  Now it's on to theirs!  Whoo-hoo!

Housekeeping Meme

Mary at Our Domestic Church , (affectionately referred to in our house as "the-mom-with-lots-of-owl-stuff") tagged me for the Housekeeping Meme.  Which, after this post , I’m sure everyone is just clamoring to know how I keep such a lovely home. 

Aprons – Y/N?
Yes. Probably about 70% of the time. On our annual trip to the mountains in Leavenworth, there is a woman who makes a style I like, and SOMEONE always gets a new apron.  The past two years, it hasn't been me, though! 

Baking – Favorite thing to bake:
Pecan Pie, Tiramisu, and Muffins

Clothesline – Y/N?
YES!  I LOVE to hang clothes out on the line. I don’t do it nearly as much as I used to. 

Donuts – Have you ever made them?
No

Dust - Y/N?   Ummmm, well…..sometimes.  I usually give the girls an old sock and spray a bit of water on it, telling them it’s furniture polish and let them go to town.  I actually try NOT to dust, cuz I actually like to do it. 

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day:
I’m with Mary on this one.  Flushing the toilet.  THAT is probably the only thing that gets done absolutely every day. 

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze
Yes, I love my chest freezer.  I think it’s actually the only place in my home that gives me absolute contentment when I walk past it.  I breathe a deep sigh of relief knowing that it is truly organized and under control.  I have a list on the top of the contents ready to be crossed off when taken out.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Yes.  Just got one last year, the day before Caroline was born.  The poor electrician who worked on it forgot a box of equipment and came to pick it up the next day…WHILE I WAS IN LABOR IN THE LIVING ROOM!  I was completely clothed and not in full, active labor, but he was just a bit confused and embarrassed.

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
My mother and my father.  They are brilliant about many things, homemaking would be no exception.  But to minimize my annoying phone calls to them, I do have a copy of Home Comforts . 

Ironing – Love it or hate it?
Love it.  But, yet another thing that doesn’t get done as regularly as it used to.  Sometimes when Pete and I watch a movie, I iron.  How romantic!  I'm thinking maybe that will be something I will do for Lent....keep up with the ironing.

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Pete has a junk drawer.  I don’t.

Kitchen: Design & Decorating?
Lots of cupboards.  No counter space.  Horrible lighting. Cream w/light blue walls.  New appliances, but the rest of it is quite an eyesore.  Usually quite crowded with little girls, art projects, dishes, books, paper, notes, etc.   

Love: What is your favorite part of homemaking?
I love to clean sinks, put sheets on beds and fold laundry. 

Hate: What job do you dread? I do NOT like to empty the dishwasher.

Mop - Y/N?
Yes, but not nearly enough.

Nylons - Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
Washing machine in a mesh bag.

Oven - Do you use the window, or open the door to check?
Window.

Pizza - What do you put on yours?
Pepperoni, black olives, sausage, onions.  I like lots of different things on pizzas, but this is what we have most often. 

Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
I ‘m sorry, I know not of what you speak. 

Recipe card box - Y/N?
No.  I have a 3-ring-binder for gathered recipes and lots of great cookbooks.

Style of house -
Ranch with daylight basement

Tablecloths and napkins - Y/N?
Yes, cloth napkins. Tablecloth probably 70% of the time. 

Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland?
Organized

Vacuum - How many times per week?
Probably every other day.  Only the rugs, as we have lots of cedar needles that make their way into the house.

X’s - Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?
I have a list on my fridge of daily routines.  And then use my planner for my list of other to-dos.

Yard - Who does what?
Pete does the yard.  I like to do yard work, but since I have to choose between cooking and yard work, Pete says I better cook. 

Zzz’s - What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed? Put a load of laundry in, turn off the computer and set the house alarm. 

This is for Molly.....

I took this photo last week (now I know REALLY WHY), because I figured taking a picture and LAUGHING about it was much better than bursting into tears, which is often my desire at 8 pm, when many renditions of this await me every night.  This particular night, mommy's beauty parlor was "open" in the kitchen:   

Lovely.

Uh, yeah..that IS a bottle of brandy sitting there.  It still hasn't made it's way downstairs from the hot Christmas drink we enjoyed....and it's FEBRUARY! 

Maybe if I'd stop taking pictures of things that should be put away, and actually just PUT THEM AWAY.

I think they are on to me

Getting ready for a walk this afternoon, Dorothy Jo said in a whimpering little voice, "I can't find my mittens." 

Erika responded, "You probably left them on the floor and Mom threw them away." 

Ordinary Time with Extraordinary Girls

Not accomplished tonight:

• Clean-up Kitchen
• Prep dinner for tomorrow
• Make Bread
• Breakfast Prep
• Coffee set-up
• Put Clutter Basket away
• Vacuum
• Put away laundry
• Christmas stuff away

Apparently there was a change in plans somewhere during the evening, and I'm glad I put aside my normal tendency to be a bedtime-nazi.  Because for the two oldest girls, the night was heavenly and their beaming smiles melted my heart.   

Accomplished:

• Dorothy Jo and Caroline in bed early
• Reading with Madeleine and Erika
• "Big girls" stay up late and help put tree ornaments away and...
• Help mom haul the Christmas tree out of the house
• Big girls sweep and clean in their PJ’s with smiles and pride on their faces while....
• listening to the Nutcracker and....
• talking about how helpful they are now that they are so big and old and...
• relishing in undivided talks and laughter with mommy, who normally doesn’t know which end is up. 
• Eating a late night snack

Sleep tight big little helpers!

"God is the only Master who rewards effort rather than results."    Fr. John Hardon

Breakfast

I have a 2-year-plan to eliminate white flour from our diet and adopt a more whole-foods approach to my cooking.  It's been about a year, and I'm pretty satisfied with the progress made so far.  A year ago, I received the set of Sue Gregg Cookbooks from my mother as a birthday present. 

The first step was getting a breakfast rotation going.  It looked like this:

Sunday - Oatmeal, with various fixings

Monday - Muffins (made in the blender w/whole grain the night before) & Fruit

Tuesday - Eggs and Toast (whole grain, made the night before in bread machine)

Wednesday - Yogurt and Toast or leftover Muffins

Thursday - Kids eat bagels at store while we grocery shop. If no shopping, then Smoothie

Friday - Hot Cereal, other than oatmeal

Saturday - Blender Batter Waffles and Pancakes or cold cereal if I'm out for the morning and Pete's in charge.

The Breakfasts cookbook, by Sue Gregg has been great.  I use it A LOT, and I'm actually thinking about making it my new  bridal shower/wedding/baby shower gift.  All the whole-grain muffins, hot cereals, smoothie and pancake/waffle recipes in this book are delicious and easy.

If I spend just 10-15 minutes the night before getting ready for breakfast, it makes such a difference nutritionally, as well as makes the morning run more smoothly. 

It's January, so time to Re-orient and Re-commit to this once again.   

Edited to include recipe for Blender Wheat Germ Muffins: Download blender_wheat_germ_muffins.doc

I'm not sure WHAT's going on here....

....but I ain't askin' any questions! 

I have learned many things in my mere 5 years as a parent.  One of them is.....IF IT HAS TO DO WITH HOT, SOAPY WATER AND MANY RAGS.....DON'T INTERFERE! 

Nice Things

The other day, I pulled out the box of paint color samples, looking for a new color for the hallway walls.  After 30 minutes of admiring pretty colors and dreaming of something NICE and NEW, I came to my senses and put them all away.  Who was I kidding?  I can't even clean my toilet!!! Or keep piles of artwork, polly pockets and doll clothes from invading my kitchen countertops!!!!  Blaahhhh....I can't PAINT a HALLWAY!!!!  What was I thinking?   A couple of hours later I happened upon Danielle Bean's post about Nice Things.  Whoo-hoo!  Thank you, once again, Danielle Bean!

Some people pay thousands of dollars for Interior Decorators....

......Silly Them!

(How long are we required to leave these up?)

10 Random Facts MeMe

Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight tagged me for the 10 Random Facts Meme. So here it goes....

1. I don’t buy paper towels. I loathe them.  I would rather toss a load of rags and cloth napkins in the washing machine than cart around huge packages of paper towels….from the shelf to the cart…to the register…to the car…to the house…to the basement…and back up again. 
2. I am the last person I know who DOES NOT have a cell phone.  Why?  I am ALWAYS home and if I’m not, I’ll probably be back within the hour! 
3. For the past few years, I can’t watch heavy drama/action movies anymore.  I think about them for WEEKS.  I wake up in the middle of the night with scenes running through my head. I feel like I am IN the movie and can’t get out.  So, it’s all about comedy and light drama these days.
4. I hardly ever floss my teeth.  I don’t know why this task of personal hygiene cannot become a habit.  My father was a dentist…tsk, tsk!  I continually get scolded at the dentist every 6 months because apparently they can TELL that I don’t floss.  It’s annoying.  I feel like I’m four years old whenever they ask me how often I floss, which, truth be told, is only about twice a month. 
5. My husband says he knew on our first date that he wanted to marry me; I ordered a Guinness beer with him, and I had deer hunted before.  What more could a guy want?
6. At the age of 36, I can still do the splits.  I don’t even exercise anymore, but I can still do them. 
7. I have never been to Disney World or Disneyland. Hopefully, this will never change.
8. My favorite breakfast is hot coffee with cream, fresh whole wheat bread with butter and orange marmalade. 
9. My favorite bedtime reading if I’m not nursing a baby to sleep is the Joy of Cooking. It’s like a million years of the newspaper Food section all bound up in one thick, white, beautiful book. 
10. I own only 4 pair of the same earrings.  Tear drop pearl earrings…in slightly different shades.  They remind me of the best day of my life…..my wedding day. 

Now, to tag a few others:

Kristin

Painted Rainbows and Chamomile Tea

Blair

Tracy

Sound of Servants

  I love it when I get my silent servants all humming at the same time. It's 9:00 and my dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, crock pot and bread machine are all just doin' their thing!

Artwork

Each child has a section of our hallway wall that is for their artwork.  Not the most beautiful of decor, but it gives us much joy to stand in the hallway late at night admiring and giggling at the latest drawings.  My kids are definitely "craft-deprived," (a natural consequence of back-to-back-pregnancies) but I console myself by having an unlimited supply of paper, and tons of markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, paper punches and ribbon at everyone's disposal whenever they want.  So, we get lots of random drawings.  I display the noteworthy ones in their hallway spot for about 6 months, then take a picture of them and go through them, keeping a few to pop in the page protectors in their notebooks. I have tried to do this at their birthday, then 6 months later.  Erika just had her 4th birthday....this is what is ready to come down! Gotta make room for the new stuff!

Loveliness of Autumn

Michele at The Family Centered Life is hosting the Simple Elegance Fair, the Loveliness of Autumn.   

Taming the Clothing Monster...

It’s time for the dreaded, bi-annual, clothing switch-a-roo.  Put away all the summer clothing, bring out the winter clothes.  I know that it’s time to do this because I can no longer fully OPEN the door to the guest room in the basement, which is the “temporary holding cell” where I place all the too-small, too-big, torn, out-of-season, maternity, nursing and inappropriate clothes...to get ready for the actual switch-a-roo! 

For 80% of the year this guest bedroom (the only truly decorated room in the house) functions as the “clothing dump.” For 10% of the year it functions as the “staging area” for birthdays, holidays, seasons, parties, and projects.  And the last 10% of the time it actually houses GUESTS! Imagine that. 

I love this room.  Not only is it pretty and quiet, but my house would be a complete disaster if it weren’t for this room.

The smart people who finished this room (the owners before us), actually put in sound-proof insulation or something of that sort...because you can't hear ANY of the NONSENSE that goes on up above!

Sometimes, when I just can’t take it anymore, I hide down here. There is just something about “escaping” to never-never-land where “they” can’t find you.   

Running Errands / Taking Turns

This is probably the smartest thing I've  done in the past couple of months....which, uh...doesn't really say much for my intelligence level these days.  It's a laminated print-out that is posted on the side of the microwave, with sticky pictures of Pete and me.  "Next Time Out With Mommy or Daddy."  When one of us has to run a quick errand, we try to take ONE child with us....a bit of "alone-time."  I got tired of the arguments over whose turn it was, and I could never remember.  I have a strong aversion to occupying my brain space with anything that can be written down or routinized....hence the chart. 

Now, we just have to remember to move the sticker when one of us goes out with someone.  They have figured out that if they "forget" to move the sticker, it will technically STILL be their turn!  Ughhhhhh!

Bunk Beds

This weekend we switched the bedroom and the "changing room," and the girls now have bunk beds. Madeleine is on top, Erika on bottom, and Dorothy Jo on her toddler bed. We will be adding another set of bunk beds soon.