I am planning a Pinterest Week. Starting the morning of August 9th and concluding the evening of August 15th, I'm planning to actually do, as many as I possibly can, the items I have pinned. We will eat pinned recipes. I will use those toilet paper rolls I have been saving. The kids will be occupied with so many new activities their heads will spin. Organization will occur at a lightening pace, and craftiness will abound!!! At least, that is the plan.
Why don't you join me? It will be fun, and I'll post my successes and failures. You could share yours. And we can fill up our "done" boards before school starts. Come on, join me. I DARE YOU!!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
How To Kill A Monster Mess
Don't you hate it when the mess monster invades your home? Sometimes it comes with a construction project, sometimes with a pile of company, and sometimes it just jumps out of nowhere. It is easy to be overwhelmed by a huge mess, but you can kill a giant mess with patience, persistence, and a few tips.
#1 Clear out a pile place
This should not take long. You just need to clear a large area so that you can make piles. In a bedroom, I will strip the bed, put the sheets in the wash, and tumble the comforter or hang it out on the line. In other rooms, I just push things in the middle of the room to the edges so that there is an empty space in the middle of the room. This doesn't have to be pretty and should take no more than 5 minutes.
#2 Go to the corner
No, you are not in trouble! A corner is a logical starting point for two reasons. First, things tend to pile up in corners. Cleaning out a corner will give you a great sense of accomplishment. Two, the starting point is defined by the room, not the mess. As you clean, you will always be able to tell how far you have come.
#3 Work clockwise picking up everything you come to
This is the real trick. Work around the room, dealing with EVERYTHING you come to. You are just sorting and putting away in this step - no dusting, sweeping, mopping, or vaccuming. If an item belongs in the room you are working in, put it away. If it belongs in another room, put it in a pile to be taken to that room later. If you don't know what to do with it, figure it out QUICKLY. If you can't, put it in a pile to be decided on later. As you continue cleaning, the solution may come to you. The key is to not get stuck on one item or project. If you can't fit something in a cabinet it belongs in, DON"T STOP to clean the cabinet. Lay the item beside the cabinet and tackle that project another day. STAY FOCUSED on the clockwise picking up of the room you are in, working your way around the room until you have returned to your starting point.
#4 Put up those piles
Now take each pile to the room it belongs and put those things away. You will be surprised how much time and energy you save by first gathering and then taking things to other rooms. My mother-in-law always says "If you don't use your head, you;ll have to use your feet." True, dat!
#5 Decision time
All that should be left of the clutter is the pile of things you couldn't decide about. Now it is time to decide. Should you keep it? If you need it and can find a place for it, the yes. If not, no. If you need it, but you have no place for it, you don't really need it. If you truly needed it, you would get rid of something else to give this item a home. To keep something, it must have a place. Period.
#6 Finish up
Get your cleaning supplies, and look start in the same corner, and go around the room dusting. Don't forget to dust the middle of the room at the end. Now clean the glass, scrub any fixtures, vaccum, sweep, and mop. Now, get a glass of iced tea and a good book. Go sit in the room you just cleaned (even if it is a bathroom!) and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Bask in the calming cleanliness and the waves of accomplishment.
#1 Clear out a pile place
This should not take long. You just need to clear a large area so that you can make piles. In a bedroom, I will strip the bed, put the sheets in the wash, and tumble the comforter or hang it out on the line. In other rooms, I just push things in the middle of the room to the edges so that there is an empty space in the middle of the room. This doesn't have to be pretty and should take no more than 5 minutes.
#2 Go to the corner
No, you are not in trouble! A corner is a logical starting point for two reasons. First, things tend to pile up in corners. Cleaning out a corner will give you a great sense of accomplishment. Two, the starting point is defined by the room, not the mess. As you clean, you will always be able to tell how far you have come.
#3 Work clockwise picking up everything you come to
This is the real trick. Work around the room, dealing with EVERYTHING you come to. You are just sorting and putting away in this step - no dusting, sweeping, mopping, or vaccuming. If an item belongs in the room you are working in, put it away. If it belongs in another room, put it in a pile to be taken to that room later. If you don't know what to do with it, figure it out QUICKLY. If you can't, put it in a pile to be decided on later. As you continue cleaning, the solution may come to you. The key is to not get stuck on one item or project. If you can't fit something in a cabinet it belongs in, DON"T STOP to clean the cabinet. Lay the item beside the cabinet and tackle that project another day. STAY FOCUSED on the clockwise picking up of the room you are in, working your way around the room until you have returned to your starting point.
#4 Put up those piles
Now take each pile to the room it belongs and put those things away. You will be surprised how much time and energy you save by first gathering and then taking things to other rooms. My mother-in-law always says "If you don't use your head, you;ll have to use your feet." True, dat!
#5 Decision time
All that should be left of the clutter is the pile of things you couldn't decide about. Now it is time to decide. Should you keep it? If you need it and can find a place for it, the yes. If not, no. If you need it, but you have no place for it, you don't really need it. If you truly needed it, you would get rid of something else to give this item a home. To keep something, it must have a place. Period.
#6 Finish up
Get your cleaning supplies, and look start in the same corner, and go around the room dusting. Don't forget to dust the middle of the room at the end. Now clean the glass, scrub any fixtures, vaccum, sweep, and mop. Now, get a glass of iced tea and a good book. Go sit in the room you just cleaned (even if it is a bathroom!) and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Bask in the calming cleanliness and the waves of accomplishment.
Monday, July 9, 2012
A Silver Lining
laundry...............................402 piles done today
nasty diapers......................648 changed today
fever..................................102 and holding
cuddles from a sick boy...........priceless.
(the numbers listed in the first two items represent the feelings of a tired momma and are not to be taken as true or accurate,)
nasty diapers......................648 changed today
fever..................................102 and holding
cuddles from a sick boy...........priceless.
(the numbers listed in the first two items represent the feelings of a tired momma and are not to be taken as true or accurate,)
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Our PA Vacation
We had a great vacation in Philadelphia visiting my sister's family. Here's a quick look at our trip.
The first day we went to Valley Forge and Arnold's Family Fun Center. Valley Forge was impressive to Lyndol and me. The size of the place was surprising to me. For some reason I had imagined Valley Forge to be a small fort, but it is acres and acres of ground camped on and held by the colonial troops. Lyndol and I would like to take an adults only trip up there sometime. The children had more fun at Arnold's, which is no surprise, but I do hope that one day they will appreciate their visit to this piece of American history.
The next day we went to historical Philadelphia. This was on the 3rd, so that we avoided the crowd on the 4th. The kids were able to experiment with a printing press, make crafts, and ride the carousel in Franklin Square. There were several locations around historical Philadelphia and at Valley Forge where they had storytellers sharing pieces of history in a kid friendly fashion. We all enjoyed the wonderful talents of the Once Upon A Nation writers and storytellers. We went to the Constitution Center, the Betsy Ross House, and Franklin Square. Lyndol went to Ben Franklin's grave. We had done Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell on a previous trip, so we bypassed those.
On the 4th, we watched the parade in Lansdowne. That is the community where my sister's family lives. They had a fire eater, period costumes, antique cars and bicycles and lots of candy. After the parade, we walked back to the house and did a family photo shoot. We spent the afternoon with the little ones catching up on sleep, and the older ones playing Catan, Cities and Knights. Then we walked back down to the school for the fireworks display. I must say the display was HIGHLY impressive, but you will have to take my word for it, because my battery power ran out.
The last day we were there, we went to Ocean City, NJ and played at the beach. It was the first time for all of my family, except myself, to swim in the ocean. They loved it! We all did. Daniel spent most of his time fist-fighting the waves. He was so happy punching something that would fight back and not get him in trouble! Hannah enjoyed riding the waves and looking for and gathering shells. Unfortunately, one of the shells she gathered was still occupied by it's crab. This fact was not discovered until she washed her shells the next morning and the dead hermit crab fell out. YUCK!!
Friday, June 29, 2012
We've Been Busy!
It has been a while since my last post. Visiting with a dear friend tonight, I realized just how long it has been. So I thought I would post a few pics of what has kept us so busy.
We had a visit from some of our Texas family.
Here are Daniel and his cousins playing in the kiddie pool. My Mom and SIL also came. We had not been with any of them since March, so we LOVED getting to spend some time together.
We have also been in the softball tournament frenzy.
Hannah played outfield this year. At first, she was disappointed not to be playing catcher (her postion for the last two years). But she soon grew to love playing outfield and did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself. Which, of course, I just did! ;) I was quite relieved to see the change of position and to see her grow into her new role on the team.
The team chose the name Luna-chicks and they came in 2nd place this year in the 10 and under kid-pitch division. That's a pretty awesome accomplishement for the 1st year of kid-pitch softball. I was very proud of these girls.
We also have faced some adversity. Well, mostly Hannah had to face it. In an earlier post I shared that she had won the talent competition for our county 4H program, and that she would get to compete in the district competition. Due to a mix up in the paperwork, she was not allowed to compete. We found out about an hour before the competion that she was instead signed up to give a speech. She was quite disappointed, but after gathering herself, she threw a speech together with the help of some wonderful, amazing people. She delivered this speech with grace and dignity, and though I hated all her hard work practicing her song was for nothing, I was so proud of her for rising to the occasion. She showed a lot of maturity that day. It was gratifying to see that and to know that despite my many, many goof ups as a mother, the Lord is blessing her to grow into a pretty special young lady.
We are off to Philadelphia for the 4th of July and a visit with my sister's family. I'll try to post some pics when we get back. God bless y'all and America.
We had a visit from some of our Texas family.
Here are Daniel and his cousins playing in the kiddie pool. My Mom and SIL also came. We had not been with any of them since March, so we LOVED getting to spend some time together.
We have also been in the softball tournament frenzy.
Hannah played outfield this year. At first, she was disappointed not to be playing catcher (her postion for the last two years). But she soon grew to love playing outfield and did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself. Which, of course, I just did! ;) I was quite relieved to see the change of position and to see her grow into her new role on the team.
The team chose the name Luna-chicks and they came in 2nd place this year in the 10 and under kid-pitch division. That's a pretty awesome accomplishement for the 1st year of kid-pitch softball. I was very proud of these girls.
We also have faced some adversity. Well, mostly Hannah had to face it. In an earlier post I shared that she had won the talent competition for our county 4H program, and that she would get to compete in the district competition. Due to a mix up in the paperwork, she was not allowed to compete. We found out about an hour before the competion that she was instead signed up to give a speech. She was quite disappointed, but after gathering herself, she threw a speech together with the help of some wonderful, amazing people. She delivered this speech with grace and dignity, and though I hated all her hard work practicing her song was for nothing, I was so proud of her for rising to the occasion. She showed a lot of maturity that day. It was gratifying to see that and to know that despite my many, many goof ups as a mother, the Lord is blessing her to grow into a pretty special young lady.
We are off to Philadelphia for the 4th of July and a visit with my sister's family. I'll try to post some pics when we get back. God bless y'all and America.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Possible Blog Titles
My daughter just informed me that if she had her own blog, she would entitle it "Sausage? Yuck!". Or perhaps "A Crazy Girl's Ideas". Or maybe "Give Me A Horse If Ya' Got One".
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Perseverance + Patience = Progress
I have decided it is time for my 3.5 year old to learn to write his name. I have tried to teach this to him, off and on, for the last six months, but he has never been receptive. I have decided, however, that his lack of reception is all about attitude and not about ability. So, I determined to start and not stop until this lesson is learned.
Yesterday, it took 1 hour to get him to write 3 capital D's. That is one D every 20 minutes. By the time we were finished, we were both stressed and exhausted. Today, I almost talked myself out of this task, but I remembered my determination to not quit. I reminded myself that the problem was attitude. And I prayed for patience. Here is our result after 35 minutes.
Afterwards, he took a paint brush and painted the carport with the water and sidewalk chalk mixture.
This has made me wonder what other things I am letting his attitude dictate we do or not do, as opposed to his ability. And what is my attitude hindering me from accomplishing myself? Attitude versus ability. An epic battle, that today, at least, the good guys won.
Yesterday, it took 1 hour to get him to write 3 capital D's. That is one D every 20 minutes. By the time we were finished, we were both stressed and exhausted. Today, I almost talked myself out of this task, but I remembered my determination to not quit. I reminded myself that the problem was attitude. And I prayed for patience. Here is our result after 35 minutes.
I was so pleased with him! We had to have one "meeting of the minds" to convince him that he was, indeed, going to practice writing his name today. Once he realized I was serious, he sat right down and worked at it. He had many mistakes, and his attention would easily drift, but he completed the task, one letter at a time. YooHoo!
As a reward he got to throw water balloons at a target I drew on our carport with sidewalk chalk. This was great fun!
This has made me wonder what other things I am letting his attitude dictate we do or not do, as opposed to his ability. And what is my attitude hindering me from accomplishing myself? Attitude versus ability. An epic battle, that today, at least, the good guys won.
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