Interview with a 5 year old! (Connor)

I'm a little late posting this blog; it's been a little crazy around here!! I found the idea to interview the birthday boy from another friend's blog (and she had some great questions so I used a few of hers - thanks Amber!!) so we can remember this age from his perspective... love it!

Connor - I cannot believe you are 5! You are growing up so fast!! You are such a kind, loving, smart boy and I am so excited to see what God has in store for you this year!

Here is your 5 year old interview:

Mama: What is your favorite color?
Connor: Red and green.

M: What is your favorite toy?
C: Legos

M: What do you want to do when you grow up?
C: Put fires out.

M: Why don't you want to be a policeman anymore?
C: Because I know it's a dangerous job because the bad guys might disobey me.

M: What is your favorite movie?
C: Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs

M: What is your favorite book?
C: Transformers and The Gruffalo

M: Favorite indoor activity?
C: Play and not clean up.

M: Favorite outdoor activity?
C: I don't like to play outside.

M: Don't you like to play on playgrounds?
C: Yes, but only ones that are inside.

M: Favorite food?
C: Chicken casserole and squash casserole.

M: Something you don't like to eat?
C: Green bean casserole. (M: (disclaimer) I promise I make other things besides casseroles!)

M: Favorite game?
C: Battleship.

M: Favorite thing God made?
C: Legos

M: What are you excited about turning 5?
C: Getting new legos.

M: Favorite thing to wear?
C: My tie.

M: Who is your best friend?
C: Daniel.

M: What is your favorite thing to do with me?
C: Play with you.

M: What is your favorite thing to do with daddy?
C: Tickle fight!

M: Where is your favorite place to go?
C: Hot wings. And Walmart to buy legos... because I love legos.

M: What is your favorite thing about Dylan?
C: Playing lego fighters with him.

M: What is your favorite thing about Sam?
C: Tickling him and making him laugh.

M:What does daddy do all day?
C: He works.

M: What does mommy do all day?
C: Stay home and watch after us and help us with school and have fun.

M: What is the best thing about getting older?
C: I get taller than I was before.

M: What about when you stop getting taller?
C: Then I'll be really sad.

M: What else makes you sad?
C: You not letting me buy legos.

M: Do you think you're a little obsessed with legos?
C: What is obsessed?
M: It means you like it so much it's all you think and talk about.
C: Then yes, I'm obsessed.

M: What is your favorite Bible story?
C: About Jesus growing up and loving us.

We love you so much, buddy! You are one. funny. kid!  You are a blessing and we cannot even tell you how much fun you are to be around! We enjoy every moment with you and are excited to see how much you will learn and grow over the next year. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Sam's 1st birthday!

Happy birthday, Sam... you are 1 year old today! YAY!!!

Oh my... how time flies. I can't believe you are 1 already. It seems like yesterday I was holding your small, newborn body in my arms for the first time. You have blossomed before my very eyes and you continue to change every day! It's hard to keep up!

I wanted to take a minute just to write a little bit about your first year and what you are up to these days. First of all... you adore your mama! I'm not just saying that because I AM your mama... honestly, you really are quite attached. I can hardly leave the room. If I do sneak out, it doesn't take long for you to notice and start showing your discontent. It may sound like I'm complaining... but, I'm not. I love the way you love me, baby!

Let's not leave Daddy out... you rather adore him as well. As soon as he walks in the door you start squeeling and kicking your legs and cannot wait to get in his arms! Then, you just look at me like, "Ha, ha! I've got my daddy now!" He has started taking you out on the front porch swing in the evenings because you LOVE to swing. So, now, as soon as he gets home and picks you up, your sweet, little finger points to the door.

You have 4 teeth - 2 on bottom and 2 on top. You eat regular food with us, but you also still eat some baby food. Your favorite is yogurt. You still nurse quite a bit, so I guess it's time to start cutting back. You want to nurse when you first wake up, when you're tired, when you're hungry, when you're thirsty, when you're hurt, etc., etc., etc.! Soooo... definitely need to find a way to distract you with something else some of those times. It's not going to be easy, but I know we can do it. ;)

You smile a lot... but hardly ever for the camera! I act like a crazy person when I take your picture trying to get you to laugh, but mostly I just get what we call, "the elvis lip." Your top lip just comes up enough to show your teeth, but it's not really a smile. It's still cute, though.

You LOVE to play with your brothers. They are very good playmates and they love to play with you, too. They love to make you smile and laugh so they are constantly tickling you. They always want to kiss you and hug you, especially before you go to bed. They try to teach you about legos and transformers and race cars... and they've been pretty successful. You already push around your tonka truck and make a car vroom sound.

Oh, and you are into everything! You love to explore. You are not walking yet, but it won't be long! You crawl very fast and you walk along the furniture. You can stand on your own and you take 1 or 2 steps before sitting. I have to keep a constant eye on you, which is not an easy task, and one I must say I have failed a time or two... like the time I caught you eating dog bones. (Sorry, Sam, had to post it!)

You can say a few words. Your first one was "Dada" and it's still one of your favorites. You say "Baba" for Mama. You also say Uh-oh, hey there, and thank you - which sounds more like, um, dane doo.  You squeel VERY loudly when you want something... mostly another bite. You love to make funny noises brushing your finger across your lips. It's very funny to watch, you crack yourself up!



We are so thankful for you, sweet boy. We love you so very much and you are such an amazing blessing. You are so much fun to be around and I am looking forward to seeing you flourish even more in your 2nd year! HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!

Sam's first haircut

I broke down... after many requests from the man of the house... to get Sam's hair cut. I believe the words he used were, "It's outrageous." Ha! He cracks me up!! Although I didn't necessarily agree with Sam's hair being outrageous... I could tell it was bothering him, so I was happy to oblige. :)

So here are some pics...

Before:

During:

After:

Sam - I can't believe you've already had your first haircut! You're growing up too fast!! Love you, sweet boy!!

Thank you, Mrs. Joni!! You were very patient with our little wiggle worm! :)

Thankful for a fussy baby

Yep, that's right... Tonight I am thankful for a fussy baby. Sounds strange right? Let me explain...

Tonight I was planning on posting pictures from our vacation... or maybe the pictures from our 4th of July celebration... or Chris' birthday (OK, so I'm a little behind on posting!).  But, baby Sam was not a happy camper this evening. He's getting over a double ear infection and a cold, but the antibiotic he's taking makes his little tummy hurt. So, he has had some very unhappy moments in the past week. :(  Tonight was one of those moments. We've also had a very busy weekend so he is super exhausted. I tried laying him down around 7:30 like usual, but he just cried, and cried, and cried some more, which is not usual for him. I always lay him down when he's awake because he won't fall asleep on me; he wants to be in his bed. A lot of people say that's a good thing... but it makes me kind of sad I can't rock him to sleep.

I brought him back downstairs and tried feeding him... didn't work. I tried rocking him in the living room... didn't work.  I tried walking around with him... didn't work. So, after Connor and Dylan were all tucked in, I took him outside and he finally calmed down (going outside usually does - he loves it - come to think of it, all of my babies did). We spent the next hour and a half swinging. At first he was wide awake. We talked, tickled, giggled, sang, and loved on each other. As he started winding down, I sang to him, prayed over him, and just kept swinging. Finally, he found rest and surrendered his tired body to sleep.

I really don't know how to describe it. For me, it was magical. It was beautiful. It was the most precious 90 minutes of my day... of my week. I don't get much time to spend with just him. It stays pretty busy around our house and time to just sit and rock/swing our baby just doesn't come around all that often. Even when I'm nursing him, I'm usally doing something else too... you know... always multitasking! But, tonight... tonight the Lord blessed me with that sweet, precious time. Time I wouldn't have had with him if he had just fallen asleep when I layed him down. So, tonight, I am very thankful for a fussy baby... who is now sleeping tight.

Sweet dreams precious baby of mine.

Raising a Strong-Willed Child

Well... if you know our family, you know who this blog is going to be about!  I'm not writing this blog because I have all the answers to raising a strong-willed child. In fact, I find myself in the opposite position. We are in a constant search for the best way to raise him, to discipline him, to change negative behavior, and so on.  Even today has presented many challenges. So the purpose for this blog is just for us to have a record of what things we are dealing with right now and what has or hasn't worked for us. Every child is different and responds to different things at different times, and so there isn't one right or wrong answer. We want to be the best parents we can be to him. We want to teach him to use all of the wonderful gifts that God has given to him. We want to give him every opportunity to grow and learn. And so... we continue to try new things and learn ourselves.

First - a little about our precious Dylan: In addition to being strong-willed, Dylan is also very full of energy. He is very loving. He loves to play, laugh, have fun, and even to be held and cuddled - especially if he's sleepy or not feeling well. He has a very fun personality and his laughter is contageous. He LOVES to help and wants to be a part of whatever we are doing and he thrives on praise. He also likes for everything to be on his terms. If you tell him to do something, he'll want to finish what he's doing first and get to it when he wants. If you tell him to stop doing something, he always has to do it one more time! These are the main reasons he gets in trouble. When we give instructions, we expect them to be followed immediately. We feel we should only have to say it once. We have set these expectations for Connor and Dylan (and it will be the same for Sam). If we have to repeat ourselves, then there are consequences.

Another big challenge is how he deals with anger. He has hit, kicked, bitten, thrown things, screamed, cried, and other things of the like. That is one place where we need to help him more... teaching him how to better deal with his anger. It is a work in progress, even in my own life. I try to think about how I deal with anger, but I have struggled, too. I have not been a good example. I know that the best ways to deal with anger and a bad attitude are prayer, taking deep breaths, counting, reading, being alone... maybe he and I can work on those together!

So, here are some things we have tried that I feel have not worked well with Dylan:

Spankings - I never really thought I would say this because I do believe spankings work and can serve a purpose in certain circumstances. But, with Dylan, spankings do not change his behavior. Although there are probably times this would be an appropriate punishment, for the most part, they don't work with Dylan.

The corner/time-out - We have put him in time-out before when trying to get him to apologize to someone or trying to get him to complete a task and he refused. We would put him there and say, "you can come out when you're ready to do what we've asked." He has stood there for hours! And, most of the time, he doesn't really seem to mind it.

Yelling at him - OK, I know this is not a punishment anyone actually recommends. But, the truth is, I have gotten so frustrated or angry, I have done it. It makes him cry, his behavior doesn't change, and I feel awful! I always end up apologizing to him and asking him to forgive me and explaining to him that yelling is not ok and mommy messes up sometimes, too. It's very humbling when you have to go to your children for forgiveness.

Now, here are some things that we have found do work well (or we are still trying them):

Redirection - Many times, Dylan just gets bored! He becomes destructive when he's bored. So many times, if I can just find something constructive for him to do, that resolves the destructive behavior. He loves to draw, color, paint, and work with play-dough... anything artistic. He also loves to play in the dirt. He loves to play in the water - sometimes just putting him in the bathtub with bubbles to play does the trick. He also loves to do things to help me. Today I needed to work in the garage, so I turned on the water hose and asked him to water the blueberries and flowers. I gave him the hose and a watering can, he had a blast and was happily occupied for 30 minutes! When he was bored with that I pulled out his water gun, then his basketball goal and ball, then scissors and paper in the basement, then play-dough. I was able to get so much done and as long as he had something to do, he was happy!

Praise for positive behavior - Dylan loves attention. Sometimes I think he misbehaves because he wants attention... any kind of attention. So, when he misbehaves, he definitely gets my attention. We are working on giving him a lot of praise when he is behaving, or we see him share, or we hear him say something nice, or he sits at the table and eats an entire meal without getting up!

Isolation - This is spin on the prior (praise for positive behavior)... instead of giving him attention when he does something he shouldn't (like if he isn't being nice to someone), we make him go to his room by himself. He doesn't get to be a part of family activities when he is misbehaving. He gets a lack of attention, rather than attention. Now, for Connor, this wouldn't work. He loves to be alone in his room! But, Dylan loves to be around others. Our rule is, "be nice to everyone, or be alone in your room." He cannot resume family activities (whether it be a movie, a game, a meal, etc.) until he has had time to think about what he did, changed his attitude and apologized to the person he offended.

The last thing is the one we are still trying to figure out... what to do when he refuses to do something we've asked him to do... like, "pick up those blocks and put them in the bin." And he just stands there and stares at us. We have had a lot of suggestions and we've tried everything including all of the 6 things listed above, plus other things. Nothing seems to work. Has anyone dealt with this one and figured out a solution??

He is such a precious boy with a very tenacious spirit. I love his willingness to try anything and I pray he always keeps that. He is an amazing blessing with many amazing gifts. I pray we can teach him to use all of his gifts to the honor and glory of God, even the gift of a strong will!

Just what I needed...

I haven't been blogging much lately... I've been a little down in the dumps. Nothing specific is wrong... just having myself a little pity party of 1! And once you've "wallered" in self-pity for a while, it gets pretty deep and hard to get out! I couldn't figure out why I seemed to have this dark cloud over me and why I couldn't get out from under it.

Monday, yesterday, and today I attended a 3 day parent practicum (given by Classical Conversations) which really does a great job explaining different types of education models and specifically the Classical Christian Education model. I had a pretty good understanding from being a part of CC this past year, but this event really helped reinforce what I've been learning and gave me some new ideas for next year. In the afternoons I attended the tutor training - CC foundations (K4-6th grade) has parent tutors who model teaching the new grammar each week to the students and the parents and this training prepares tutors for this role.

Not only was this 3 day event educational for me... but it was also encouraging and enlightening (which is what I needed most)!

I am realizing that my "cloud" came from losing my focus. Rather that focusing on Christ and what He wants from me, I was focused on myself. I have been putting pressure where there shouldn't be any if I was truly trusting Him.

Yesterday we watched a video on a college who does things differently from any other college I know of... St. John's College. I just started laughing as I watched it. I couldn't understand some of the stuff they were saying! Everyone on there came across as extremely educated... like, I would be very intimidated to have a conversation with one of them because I'd be afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up! I was laughing because I thought... "Seriously? Would my children even be able to get into this college with the education that I am capable of providing?? I'm going to ruin them!" Did you get that? Let me repeat that and this time look at the words I've bolded: "Seriously? Would MY children even be able to get into this college with the education that I am capable of providing?? I'M going to ruin them." Me, ME, MEEE!!! Then, I just felt the Lord speaking to my spirit and he just gave me a little nugget... I love when He does that! I felt Him say...

You don't have to CREATE your children. I've already done that. And I've given them all of the gifts they will need to fulfill My purpose for them. I don't NEED you to do anything except what I've called you to do. I will give you everything you need to do what I ask of you.

WOW! Talk about humbling... but it also removed some of the pressure I've put on myself! And why do I even want to be in control?? I can only see a tiny portion of our lives, but God has infinite wisdom and sees all of eternity... He sees the big picture! But, still, it's a struggle I will have to continue to work through with a lot of prayer because I am... A. Control. Freak.

So here are a few of the other lessons I learned (or was reminded of) this week:
I don't have to be perfect.
My children don't have to be perfect.
Its ok that I'm just a normal person!
There is no magical homeschooling superpower.
I don't need this or that kind of personality.
I don't need to know everything.
I don't have to have the patience of Job!
I don't have to know what lies ahead.
I don't have to be in control. God has us in His hands and He is in perfect control at all times.
I am teaching my children ALL THE TIME... not just when we're "having school." Deut 11:19 tells us that we are to teach our children His commands when we wake up, when we lie down, even when we're just sitting around our home! God gave us our children and the high calling of making disciples of them. (Matt:18-20)

Today we read Psalm 121 which says:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

What an encouraging scripture! Sometimes I lose my Christ-centered focus, I get off track, and I focus on myself. I loved this reminder that God loves us with an everlasting love. We are in His palm and He watches over us with great care. He is ever-present in every moment in our lives. The Creator of the Universe knows and cares about every. little. detail. of our lives! He is in complete and total control!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today I had a great mother's day with my family, so I thought I'd just post a quick summary. It started off with lots of hugs and kisses, a very sweet gift, and then out to breakfast with all my hunks! :)  Here's a picture with my babies before we left:

Then we went to church and had an amazing Sunday School lesson and a wonderful sermon on the tears mothers shed. After church I went to get the boys from children's church and all of the kids made crafts for their moms. One of the crafts was a cross with a heart and scripture on it. On the back of Connor's was a drawing:

So I asked him about it:
Connor: Up at the top is me. Mommy, you are on the right. Dylan is on the left and the one with the really long legs is daddy.
Me: Where is Sam?
Connor: He's the R.
Me: Why is Sam an R?
Connor: Well, I didn't know he looked different than an R.

Too funny.

Then we went to my parents' house along with my brother and grandmother. We had lunch and a nice, long, relaxing afternoon/evening. Fried chicken... a movie... games... napping... and Dylan running up to me no less than 10 times today yelling out "Happy Mother's Day, MOM!" It was perfect.

Thank you to my awesome husband, my wonderful children, and the rest of my loving family for making this day so special. I love you all SO very much!!

Our first year homeschooling

Whew! What a year! This first year homeschooling has been a whirlwind of an adventure. There have been a lot of ups, a lot of downs, and it has been a huge learning experience for all of us! When we first started, I had NO idea how this was going to work... with a 4 year old perfectionist who desperately feared failure and didn't even want to TRY ANYTHING he didn't know how to do, and a 2 year old (turned 3 mid school year) who was into EVERYTHING, and a newborn who relied on me every second of everyday. All I know is that the Lord was leading us down this path and... when things seem impossible and you just obediently follow God's will for your life not knowing how it's going to work... God shows off! He has blessed us in ways I never imagined.

The growth and change I've seen in Connor has been amazing! He used to whine every time it was time for school. He cried hysterically if he couldn't write the letter A perfectly the very first time he tried.  And so on. So our first goal before we could even begin academics, was to teach him the importance of a good, positive attitude and that practice makes perfect... and its ok to laugh at yourself if you try to make an A and it looks like a dog. :) And we laughed, A LOT!  It didn't take long and he was getting the hang of our new routine.  He stopped complaining and started asking, "Can we do school now?"  Ofcourse, we still have our struggles sometimes and we are learning how to deal with each one as they arise, just as we dealt with that one. God continues to provide answers.

The other surprise has been how much Dylan loves and wants to participate in school, too. I had to buy him some pre-k workbooks so he could be a big boy doing school right along with Connor. He likes to work on projects, colors, shapes, letters, counting, etc. He has learned a lot and enjoys it so much that I may start doing K4 with him this next school year even though he will still be 3 when we start. He may not be able to do everything yet, but that's ok... I just want to go ahead and take advantage of this love for learning he has. I have absolutely no idea how that will work because Dylan is SO stubborn strong-willed. Can't wait to see God show off!!

One of the biggest blessings this year has been Classical Conversations. The curriculum is amazing and I loved having the entire year planned out. I loved that Connor was able to go to class with other students his age who were following the same curriculum and participate in art projects and science projects each week. I loved that he gave a presentation each week and has become so comfortable with speaking in front of a group. I also love classical education and how much he has been able to commit to memory! But beyond all of these things, I have loved our CC families! They have become an extension of our family. Everyone (without exception) in this group has blessed our family in one way or another. Without them, I would NEVER have ventured out on the field trips we were able to go on. These moms just stepped up when I needed them (without me even having to ask) and took my children under their wings... and mothered them. What an amazing act of love for me and them! Even their daughters would plead to hold the baby to which I responded, "YES, please!" And their sons opened doors for me whether I had my hands full or not. Actually, just tonight one young man opened the door for me and when I said, "thank you," his response was, "it's my pleasure." WOW! Can I sign my boys up for lessons?? :) Those are the boys I want influencing my boys... and they are!

Here are some pictures from CC class (Abecedarians - Mrs. Garrison, Kenyon, Kalyn, and Connor):

The nursery with Ms Marita (Dylan, Chase, Jace, Keira, and Kenzie):

Tonight we had our CC end-of-year celebration. The children were recognized for their achievements this year as were the tutors, moms, and our amazing CC director! The children were also able to recite some of the facts they memorized this year. It was a little sad that this was the end of the school year... but now I'm looking forward to next year.  And for those who aren't returning next year... we will remain close because of the bond we've formed this year.

Here is Connor ready to go to the EOY celebration:

And then he made me take one with his shades... cool dude!

Picture with mom and dad:

 

Connor - Congratulations on completing your first year of school! You have done such a great job and you have learned SO much! You're now a Kindergartener!! What a terrific young man you are becoming!

Dylan - You have been so much fun this year! You have an amazing love for learning and you have so much zeal and energy! It may take Mommy a little while to figure out the best way to teach you... but please be patient with me. We can't wait to see the great things you will do!

Sam - You have a little while before you officially start "school," but you are going to learn so much from your big brothers. They can't wait to teach you the things they are learning now... Mommy is hoping you learn from their mistakes and don't repeat them. :)

We love you boys SO much! You have blessed our lives more than you will ever know and we know you will all grow to be AMAZING young men! Please remember: put the Lord first in ALL you do, we will always love you no matter what, and never stop learning.

A hard week.

I have been posting a lot lately about stuff we have going on... projects, school stuff, fun ideas, play time... and that's because those are great things I want to look back on and remember and reflect on.  But I want to make sure I also post about the challenges. I don't want to look back at these posts years from now and have it not feel "real" to me because, although we do have a lot of fun, we also have hard days... and even hard weeks.

I always feel so guilty complaining about things going on in my life. I see so much hurt and heartache all around me and situations that are so much more difficult than anything I am going through... or have ever gone through for that matter. I see those things and I think, "I need to stop complaining whining and count my blessings!!" Plus, staying at home with my children is something I chose and it's something that I love and wouldn't change for the world. But, the truth is that we all have hard seasons in our own lives - some last only a day and some last much longer. These trials are ones that the Lord allows us to go through and He has a purpose for each and every one... from just having a very stressful day to the worst tragedies we can imagine. No matter what the trial, though, they all affect us. And every trial is important because we are being refined through each one. We all have to make decisions on how we are going to handle these trials. Will we turn away from God or run into His arms? Will we question God's will and power and take control ourselves or will we trust Him and allow Him to guide us through these trials knowing He will see us through and perfect us as we come out on the other side? Will we lean on our own strength (which will fail us every time) or will we lean on the strength of our Creator, the Lover of our souls, and the Weaver of the tapestries of our lives?

This week I lost sight of those important decisions. It's very hard to stop and think about these questions when we are in the midst of the fog. And although I'd love to pawn the fault of my hard week off onto something or someone else... I think the biggest contributor to this week being hard was... ME. Yes, my boys have given me a run for my money this week, but they are kids... they're going to need correction and guidance and discipline.  But, I have been in the wrong frame of mind. I haven't had a good attitude.

I've stayed up late instead of going to bed when I needed to.  I've slept in instead of getting an early start to my day when I can be alone (to work out, have quiet time, take a shower, have coffee, etc.). Instead I wake up when the kids do and try to cram all of that into my morning and get upset when I don't have time for it. AND get upset with them because they want this and need that while I'm still groggy and cranky (I'm not a very good morning person). This just starts the day off wrong and it's hard to recover from it. It sets the tone for the rest of the day. I've also taken on a lot of projects... which I don't want to change because I do need something "for me" so I don't lose myself in the needs and wants of everyone else.  I hope that doesn't sound selfish. But, when I go out to dinner with just my husband and the ONLY things I have to talk about have to do with our children... it makes me sad. I LOVE talking about our children, but I also want to be able to talk about other things, too. Anyway... it's just a lot. I need to be able to work on my projects... but I also need to be able to put them to the side when things start to get stressful. I have a hard time with putting them to the side because unfinished projects stress. me. out. I don't know why. They just do.

My prayer tonight is that the Lord will help me to have the will and strength to get up when my alarm goes off... that He will help me remember those important questions when I go through trials (even the trial of a stressful day)... that I will answer those questions in a way that is pleasing to Him... that He will help me recognize when I need to put a project to the side... I will thank Him for anything that brings me closer to Him, even if it's hard... and I will thank Him for loving me enough to want me to be closer to Him.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Kids' Closets - 31 Day Challenge update

Today I'm summing up days 7-13 of the 31 day challenge I've taken on to get our home organized! Here's the link again: 31 Days to an organized home.  The main focus will be on day 13 - the kids' closets - because days 7-12 are mostly advice on defining clutter, what to keep and what not to keep.

Day 7 - DIY pocket organizer - this is a good idea, but I am not good at sewing yet. Maybe this will be a good project when I get better, but until then, I think I'll be on the lookout for a good deal on a shoe holder that hangs on the door.

Day 8 - Defining clutter - one quote that I really liked in this section was "Have nothing in your houses that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." William Morris  This has helped me the past few days as I've been going through "stuff" and trying to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

Day 9 - Permission to let go and to keep. She gives a great summary of  things that we tend to hold on to that maybe we should let go of and she also talks about not feeling bad about keeping things that inspire and delight you. It was a good read!

Day 10 - Sometimes you just have to live with it. I LOVED this one! Sometimes life gets busy... and crazy... and messy... and that's OK!

Day 11 - Kids socks - this was talking about getting all the same kind of socks so you don't have to hunt for the matches. Great idea! I don't think I'll throw away all of the kids' current socks... but going forward I'm definitely loving this idea.

Day 12 - Kids' clothes, rule of 3 - this section basically talked about only keeping 3 (or whatever # you choose) of each kind of clothing item (3 t-shirts, 3 polos, 3 pair of jeans, etc.). I didn't go through my kids clothes and do this as far as choosing a specific number... BUT, I did go through and pull out all of the clothes that no longer fit either of them or are out of season so that when we're picking out clothes, we're not having to sort through the ones that aren't even an option. Those are going to be stored for now... YAY.

 Overflowing

I may have had to sit on the lid and it may be bulging, but its on!

Day 13 - Kids closet inspiration - and I was inspired! Here are the closets "after". I didn't remember to do a "before" and I wasn't going to mess it up again just for a picture! :)  I think there are still a few things I want to change/add, but this is a vast improvement from their previous state.

Connor and Dylan's closet (all of those empty hangers used to be full of clothes - and there are more behind the door. It looks MUCH better now.)

Shelves from Home Depot inside 1 side. They're not beautiful... but they're inside a closet... and they were under $15!

 A reading nook on the other side. They LOVE this!

Sam's closet.

More shelves from Home Depot on 1 side.  (The other side is just storage bins so no pic.)

Reorganized the changing table, too, with baskets.

I went ahead and did the linen closet in their bathroom, too. I think linen closets are Day 26, but I had the time which is rare... so I took advantage. :)

There is a large pile of stuff that needs to leave my house now - very happy about that! Some we will give away, and other stuff I'm saving for a yard sale.

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!

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