31 day challenge update... and a poem for the scatterbrain mom!

First, let me start by giving an update on the 31 day challenge to get organized, then we can get to the poem. The coat closet was day 2 and it's complete (as well as the master closet). Days 3-6 I'm going to clump together in 1 post because there isn't much of an update! (Here is the link again for the blog I'm following to do this: 31 days to an organized home.)

Day 3 - 3 basket tip - This was basically a tip to give items a home that easily get piled up and cause disorganization. The suggestion was for the laundry room - like a basket for dry-clean and hand-wash clothes, a basket for items to mend, and a basket for items to donate. Well, we don't dry-clean or hand-wash anything... I try to avoid clothes that require this type of care.  I know - sad - but true. If something needs to be mended, I usually do it right then and put it back up so I don't really need a basket for this either. And, when I go through stuff and make a pile to donate... it's not gonna fit in a little basket. BUT... I definitely need baskets for other stuff. The example she gave in the blog was simply that... an example. I can definitely find other ways to use this tip around our house and I definitely plan to use it. Our dining room catches everything and usually gets piled up very quickly. So I think I will do 3 baskets in there. Still just trying to think of what I'll label them. Plus, I need to buy baskets. So this day is currently on hold.

Day 4 - How to apply contact paper - I have never used contact paper and I don't really plan to; but if I ever have a need, I will definitely refer back to this day of the blog. She has it down to an art. :)

Days 5 and 6 - Pantries and Kitchen - I was a little discouraged when I read this one. Her pantries and kitchen are immaculate... and big! I have an extremely small pantry and very limited cabinet space so there is only so much I can do in these 2 areas. I feel as though I have as much fit into my kitchen spaces as possible and they don't look too horrid... so I'm not doing much of anything in these areas.

OK, now, onto the story about this poem...

I have a dear friend who has been teaching me a little here and there about quilting.  I was over at her house and she was teaching me to "meander".  It was not all that easy at first, but I could see it getting easier with practice. Anyway, I started thinking about meandering and thought... this is how I feel like my days go! No real direction some days and lots of twists and turns. This is why I do so many organization projects and notebooks and lists (refer to my blog - I yam what I yam). I am in a constant search to find ways to organize our home and our lives. I am a scatterbrain and desperately NEED these things to keep myself on track, but a lot of days, I'm not on track even with all of these things!

So, I wrote this poem to all the scatterbrain moms out there like me. (Just remember this poem is written in good fun and I was smiling as I wrote it.) :)  Feel free to add on another verse! :)

Where is my mind? Where did it go?

These kids have hidden it around here somewhere, I know.

Is it under the couch or perhaps the bed?

We need a lost and found for the contents of my head.

I’m scattered beyond measure.

How do I make it through the day?

The Lord must be with me

Is all I know to say.

Lord, please give me the skills

To organize this home.

For if I continue in this pattern

I will only meander, wander, and roam.

31 day challenge - getting organized!

I saw this blog... on pinterest ofcourse... 31 days to an organized home. I thought, oh, I know how to organize... its just finding time to do it that is the problem.  But I checked it out anyway thinking, "I can add on my pointers in the comment section."  Bahahahahahaha! I read this blog and realized - I am NOT organized! This lady has got it together! So, I am taking on the challenge! I know I will probably miss a day here and there because that's just the way it goes around here. But, I am still going to do each day... in order... and promise myself not to get ahead of myself. I will ONLY do 1 of the days each day.

OK, I already broke that promise a little bit today, but it was for good reason! :)

Day 1 is basically just an introductory day explaining the good reasons for staying organized... which I loved! So since I was motivated to get started I went on to Day 2 - the coat closet. Well, as I was doing that one, it kind of bled over into our master closet so I really did both of those today (see, promise broken).

Here is our coat closet before:



I know... NOT organized. You can't tell too much, but, first of all it's a VERY small closet. For some reason all of our closets are small. (Mental note - next house - bigger closets!)  Anyway, there is luggage all in the floor stacked up. You would have to pull it all out to find the one you're looking for.  Also in the floor is a ship wheel. Seems kind of odd, but the boys room has a nautical theme and we're going to hang it on their wall... eventually. There are A LOT of coats, most of them we never wear. On top, extra rolls of paper towels, and a bunch of little odds and ends.

So, I started with the coats and only left the ones in there that we wear often. Some I put in the donate pile and some I moved to our master closet - which is why I needed to go ahead and do that one, too.) :)  I put all of the paper towel rolls and put them on the shelf over our washer and dryer where I keep cleaners. I also took out all of the odds and ends (most of which can be donated). I took out all of the luggage and put the smallest pieces inside the larger pieces and put those up on top. The thing hanging on the inside of the closet I like so I kept it there. It has art project "stuff" in it. I put a container on the top shelf for gloves. The last thing I did is put all of our shoes in the closet. I had not thought of doing this before until I read the "31 days..." blog, but it makes great sense and it saves me room in our master closet (which is also SMALL).

Here is the coat closet now:

Here is the master closet now:

There is still more room on the top shelf if I need to store anything else.

Here are the bags of stuff to donate!

Most of this is from the master closet, but there are a few things from the coat closet. The luggage bag is full of stuff, too.

Day 2: coat closet - Check!

Showing kindness... It's kind of like t-ball.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Kindness is a lesson we are constantly working on in our home. We remind the boys on a regular basis to show kindness (and gentleness!) to one another. We tell them about the importance of being kind... sharing toys, using our hands to hug... not to hit, letting someone else pick a game or a movie, picking up their toys or making up their bed without being asked, etc.

However, when we go out into the world; when we are away from home, I am usually so wrapped up in our errands and making sure everyone is doing what they should be doing, I forget to remind them of the importance of showing kindness to others... outside of our home. AND, I forget to make an effort to show kindness to others myself. There are SO many opportunities, everywhere we go. Showing kindness can have a huge impact on someone, even if its just making a point to smile at someone.

The bible tells us in Philippians 2:3-4, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

So today, we had a talk about that and it went something like this:

Me: Hey boys, I want to talk to you for a minute. (They came into the kitchen and I asked them to sit with me.) Do you know the reason why we go to t-ball practice?
Connor: So we can learn how to hit and throw the ball and run the bases.
Me: That's right. And why do we do that?
Connor: So we can get better.
Me: Right again! And why do we need to get better?
Connor: Hmmmmmmm.
Dylan: I don't know.
Me: So we can play our best at the game! Right?
Dylan: Right!
Connor: Oh, yeah. Right!
Me: OK, now, you know how we are always talking about showing kindness to each other and to me and to daddy? Well, that's kind of like practice. We need to do it here as much as we can so that we can get better. And when we go out of the house, to Wal-mart, or to school group, or to church, or anywhere else... that's like the game! We really need to show others what we've been practicing at home. I know sometimes we are really busy, but we still need to show kindness to others where ever we go. Jesus wants us to show kindness to others so they can experience His love through us. So, I thought we could make something to help us out!

I had typed up some acts of kindness and cut them into strips. Here are some examples:

Next I asked them to wrap each one around a crayon to curl them up:

Then we put all of the slips into a jar:

Me: Now whenever we go out, we can pick out 1 of these acts of kindness, and make a point to do whatever the paper says. And sometimes, when we have some free time, we may pull one and make a special trip to brighten someone's day.

The finished jar.



"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

Always thinking.

I'm beginning to think I should have made Connor's middle name "manipulate-the-situation"!! He is always coming up with an excuse to try to get out of things he doesn't want to do... and they are usually well thought out and I can see how they would seem to be logical, legitimate excuses to him.  I do have to give him credit for this... he is almost always respectful and calm in his arguments. At 4.5 years old, I'm amazed at how well thought out his words are. BUT, I'm still trying to learn how to respond to these arguments.  I want to teach him to just obey and to not have an argument for everything. I think it's important for him to be able to follow instructions without argument and with a good attitude. But, I also want him to feel free to voice his concerns to me.  In some situations it is clear cut to me that its not open for discussion and he needs to obey immediately. In other situations, its a little more gray and I think maybe we could have a discussion about it and come to an agreeable resolution.  These are hard lessons we are both still learning. He keeps me on my toes, for sure!

So, I have a couple of examples from today:

1. Last weekend, Connor and Dylan had their first t-ball game of the season (they're on the same team - PRECIOUS!).  A lot of our family came to watch them and after the game was over my mom (Mee-maw) surprised them with $5 each. Today I told them we could go to Walmart and they could pick out a toy to spend their $ on and then we could go to the Burger King playground and play for a while. When we arrived at Walmart I told them I wanted to go in through the seasonal entrance so I could look at flowers first. They were really enjoying it at first looking at all of the flowers and choosing their favorites. After a few minutes, Connor said, "Achoo, Achoo." (not sneezing... literally saying the word achoo) He continued, "Man, I must be allergic to these flowers. I guess we better go ahead to the toy section." I had to look at his face to see if he was smiling and just making a joke or if he seriously thought I just fell off the turnip truck and would just say, "oh, ok... let's get away from these flowers then!" No smile. He looked as serious as a heart attack. Well, of course, I had to call him on it... then he started laughing! He and Dylan both patiently waited for me to finish looking, then we went to the toy section. :)

2. So, off to BK we went. After they ate their lunch, we headed out to the playground. They played for a while, but then Connor said he was tired and wanted to sit for a while. (He really just wanted to play with his new toy.) I said, "OK, then get Dylan and let's go home.  If you're tired you should take a nap." He said, "Oh, well, I'm not THAT tired, just a little tired." So I said, "OK, then go play more. We are at a playground and its really nice outside. You should go play." So he did. After a while Sam was getting fussy so I told them it was time to go home for naps. Again, Connor said he wasn't tired enough for a nap. The whole time we were loading up to head home, he kept trying to negotiate... "What if I just lay down and look around my room?" and "OK, I'll take a nap, but only for 20 minutes." I said, "Connor, we're not negotiating. We're going home and taking a nap. Period." So, he was quiet for a while, but I know he was still thinking of how he could get out of this nap. When we were almost home, he said, "Hmmm. I am all sweaty. I better not lay down on my bed because my sheets will get all wet from my hair. I guess I'll just have to deal without a nap today." lol. I just smiled and said, "Well, you can sleep in my bed." He is now in my bed... taking a nap. :)

Oh, Connor - you are an amazing, sweet, and funny boy! You are constantly making me smile and laugh. You have a huge heart and a gentle spirit. And... you are ALWAYS THINKING! I love you! -Mom

"I yam what I yam" - Popeye

While reading an article today, I was reminded of this quote from Popeye.  I could relate to the article so much... it was about being a scatterbrain! I find myself being more and more scattered lately. I have always been pretty forgetful. My parents used to tell me to be thankful for my neck because I would forget my head if it wasn't attached. And now, I am pretty sure Chris wants to tell me the same thing many times a day... but, because he values a peaceful home, he wisely refrains. :)

That is why I have a notebook (see blog Putting Order in the Chaos...). That is why I LOVE lists. That is why I LOVE a good calendar/planner. Otherwise, I would never keep things straight... and sometimes even then, things get by me. I was talking to a friend the other day and she said, "If I didn't write things down, they would never get done." Well, sometimes even if I have it written down it doesn't get done. Like, I may misplace or overlook the note!

When we leave the house, I think that is when I feel the most scattered. We almost always start to leave on time, but by the time we actually pull out of the driveway, we're running 30 minutes late! That's because I have to move the entire house when we go anywhere. Toys, changes of clothes, snacks, drinks, plenty of diapers, wipes, baby food, spoon, baby blankets, nursing cover, purse, keys, phone, sometimes packed lunches, printed directions, my coffee, etc., etc., etc. And then whatever we need for the particular place we're going. So, ofcourse I'm GOING TO FORGET something, or 5 things. I'll remember them one at a time and make 5 trips back up to the house to get each one. And at some point during all of this, Sam is going to need a diaper change or quite possibly a whole new outfit. And, ofcourse, I will remember something I forgot after we are a few miles down the road and have to turn back around. The kids are starting to get pretty used to turning around and going back home for something. They don't even comment on it anymore.

I am constanty looking for ways to bring more organization and structure into my life. Things just go so much more smoothly when there is structure to the day.  I see others who seem to keep things together so effortlessly, but it is definitely something I have to work on everyday.  All. The. Time.

Maybe one day, I will have it all together... but I doubt it... because "I yam what I yam."

7 months old!

Oh my! I can't believe 7 months have already zoomed by! I am trying very hard to cherish every moment of Sam's first year... those moments just keep going by too fast.  I also remember trying to cherish every moment of Connor and Dylan's baby-hood... and with time, unfortunately, a lot of those memories fade. I want to keep a written record of these times so I can look back 10... 15... 30 years from now and just remember all of these precious moments. And I want to be able to share it with them as they get older, so I'm going to start journaling to each of my babies.

So Sam... this one is for you, baby.

I guess the biggest news at this time is you just got your first tooth!! Its in the front on your bottom left... and it is SO cute! You haven't been very fussy with it, in fact you've been more smiley than ever! (maybe showing it off!) You do chew on EVERYTHING, but you've been doing that for months. :) When you were about 4 months old I kept saying, "I definitely think he's teething." And, "He's going to be getting a tooth any day now!" because you just gnawed on anything that came close to your mouth.  Your Dad said, "If you keep saying that, eventually you'll be right." haha - your Dad - such a funny guy. :)

You don't really like baby food. You want what we are eating. Even before you ever tried your first taste of "table" food, you were trying to get to it and turning your nose up to a jar of squash... or whatever. You do LOVE baby yogurt, so you have that every morning for breakfast. For lunch I try (usually unsuccessfully) to give you 1 fruit and 1 vegetable. For dinner you usually eat vegetables off of my plate that I "mush" up for you. You are still nursing quite a bit... about every 3-4 hours (some days more often than that).

You are a very good sleeper! You always have been... and I'm SO very thankful for that! At just 3 weeks old, you were sleeping 5-6 hours straight at night.  Now, you usually go to sleep around 7:30-8:00, you wake up around 5:30 to nurse, and then go back to sleep until around 7:30-8:00. You want to be in your crib to sleep. You will go to sleep in your carseat if we are going somewhere, but you usually wake up as soon as we get to where we're going. And, you won't go to sleep in my arms anymore. You fuss until I lay you down in your crib. As soon as I do, you roll over and close your eyes. You ALWAYS sleep on your belly. I always lay you down on your back, but you immediately roll over. You've been doing that since you were 3-4 months old.

Sleeping in yout carseat with your favorite toy. It's a rubber dino that you love to chew on. I was surprised you fell asleep... I had just set you in here for a minute while we were at CC with Connor.

You love your brothers. They can both make you cackle... it's so funny! They love watching out for you and helping to take care of you. Connor actually did his school presentation on you this past week. Dylan likes to get you clean diapers. They both love playing with you.

You have become a very mild-tempered baby. You used to scream your head off every time I bathed you, or changed your clothes, or changed your diaper.  Maybe it was just being cold that you didn't like... but whatever it was, you definitely didn't like it. Now, you just let me do whatever. People keep telling me you are spoiled to me.  Although I don't really like that term, its kind of true. You are definitely mama's baby. You want me to hold you all the time or atleast be sitting right beside me. You don't like to be in your swing, jumper, exersaucer, or any other contraption. Others can hold you as long as you don't see me. As soon as I'm in your sight, you start fussing and flapping your arms and stop as soon as I get you. I can't say that I mind! :) I love making you laugh and you have the biggest grin.  Sometimes it can be a little hard to get things done around the house, but I just keep remembering this poem...

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking...

...The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

I love you so much sweet baby, Sam!