Sunday, July 27, 2008
Girls With Wheels
Shhh, don't tell Mason. Adlein hijacked Mason's jeep and took a ride with Everett. I was surprised how well she was able to operate the jeep.
The Apple Does Not Fall Far From the Tree
Anyone who knows Stephen knows he is an electronics junkie. I think little Everett might just follow in his shoes. If he sees a piece of equipment he is right there to check it over.
Best Friends
Adelin is a really great little mom. She loves to take care of her little brother Everett. She is a great help when I need someone to play with Everett while I am making dinner.
Car Chase
Mason loves to dress up in his police costume. If you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he will tell you that he wants to be a soldier and then a fireman because he is already a policeman now. The kids have so much fun chasing each other around the house in their cars.
Yummy Watermelon
I had a watermelon that was starting to get really ripe. So I gave it to the kids to take outside and play with. They busted it open on the concrete and enjoyed.
Happy Birthday
This is the chocolate cake left over from my birthday. I told the kids to have at it because I did not want any left around.
Florida
Recently Mason and I had the chance to take a trip to Florida. The day after we flew in to Tampa we drove over to Orlando to spend the day at Sea World. We got rained out but luckily we were able to see most of the shows and attractions.
Here is Uncle Todd with the cousins: Alexis, Breigh and Jepson
The next day we swam all morning then hopped in the car and headed south to Ft. Pierce where my parents live. We all met up at my sister Allison's house for lasagna made with veggies and wheat berries. My brother was a bit skeptical but in our house that is not so strange. Saturday was Allison's family cook out / baby shower. It was nice to see friends I have not seen in years. Sunday we trotted back to Tampa and on Monday we visited with my Great Aunt Ruth and Grandma Penny.
Mason had to make funny faces.
The trip was fun but both Mason and I were glad to be home.
Here is Uncle Todd with the cousins: Alexis, Breigh and Jepson
The next day we swam all morning then hopped in the car and headed south to Ft. Pierce where my parents live. We all met up at my sister Allison's house for lasagna made with veggies and wheat berries. My brother was a bit skeptical but in our house that is not so strange. Saturday was Allison's family cook out / baby shower. It was nice to see friends I have not seen in years. Sunday we trotted back to Tampa and on Monday we visited with my Great Aunt Ruth and Grandma Penny.
Mason had to make funny faces.
The trip was fun but both Mason and I were glad to be home.
Me and My Shadow
I was desperately racking my brain for something fun to occupy the kids one morning. I remembered back in Elementary school we laid down on paper and the teacher traced the outline of our bodies. Mason was pretending to be a Super Hero flying through the air. Adelin was really into it and made a funny pose.
Special Delivery
Boxes are always great for entertaining the kids. They love them. Mason found this box at his Grandma's house on the fourth of July. He thought it would be fun to hide inside the box and scare Adelin when she came over to open it up. The next time Mason shut himself in the box Stephen ran over, picked up the box and put it on top of a shelf. Mason popped out expecting Adelin to be there then realized he was the one being surprised.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
I found this idea as part of my quest for organizing.
Get things done on the go with a special tote bag dedicated to running errands and staying organized.
Attach a hook to the wall near the door that you leave the house from each day. This is where you'll hang your To-Go Tote each time you come into the house or once you've finished using it.
As you go through your day or evening at home and you come across items that you'll need when running errands later, place them in your To-Go Tote, and you won't forget them the next time you leave the house. Just be sure to grab the tote each time you head out!
Extra Tip: Keep blank notecards and envelopes in your To-Go Tote. The next time you're out and waiting for an appointment or to pick up the kids, you can write that thank you note you've been meaning to get to!!!
Posted by Calm & Collected Organizing
Get things done on the go with a special tote bag dedicated to running errands and staying organized.
Attach a hook to the wall near the door that you leave the house from each day. This is where you'll hang your To-Go Tote each time you come into the house or once you've finished using it.
As you go through your day or evening at home and you come across items that you'll need when running errands later, place them in your To-Go Tote, and you won't forget them the next time you leave the house. Just be sure to grab the tote each time you head out!
Extra Tip: Keep blank notecards and envelopes in your To-Go Tote. The next time you're out and waiting for an appointment or to pick up the kids, you can write that thank you note you've been meaning to get to!!!
Posted by Calm & Collected Organizing
Checking In
I have never believed in the much fussed about tradition of making resolutions. Resolutions for me has always been equated with goals and goals you can and should make throughout the year. However, this year I did ring in the new year with a vow and a few pledges left over from the previous year.
Still groggy from sleepless nights and recovering from a hard delivery and recovery, I did not get around to marking out my quest until the approach of the coming year.
My quest was simple.
1. GET ORGANIZED!!!
2. Lose weight
3. Play more
Typical, I agree. Here I am half way through the year and I feel I have made significant progress.
Organization was and is my main focus this year. I wanted the house organized and the kids on a schedule. They function better when they know what is expected of them and I feel better when my home is running smoothly.
I put up a calendar in the hallway between the kids bedrooms. The kids have chores they are assigned each day. When they complete their chore or do simple things such as get dressed, take a bath and brush their teeth they get get stickers to put on their chart. The chart is a great motivation for mason. Adelin is still young but she still delights in trying to earn her special weekly prize. I also made magnets for the months of the year, holidays and the weather.
I hung up two dry erase boards above the desk in my bedroom. On one of the boards I list all our expenses and budget. That way we always know what we are spending and what areas need work. The other board is for the content mapping for our Website dazzledish.com. To help improve my creativity and revitalize or rediscover any talents or hobbies I used to have I pulled my sewing machine out of the closet and set it up ready to go. Next I am working on a place for my scrap booking. Creativity comes suddenly. If I have to spend 30 minutes cleaning a place and setting up shop then by the time I sit down to start the project the thoughts are gone.
After four years of baby weight it is time to shed the pounds. Two summers ago I began walking with some friends. I continued up until last summer a couple of months before I had Everett. I was crippled with a hard recovery and our family was hit with three straight months of illness. Nevertheless I was unable to get moving until the Spring. But here I am five months later going strong with twenty pounds behind me.
I have always been a perfectionist. In the career field that is a good thing. At home as mom it is not so good. It has taken me four years to finally accept my house is going to be dirty. I would rather be playing with my kids than cleaning every second of the day. So I took some advice I heard once and put it in action.
Take all the responsibilities and write each one on an index card. Things such as laundry, grocery shopping, dusting and vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the bedrooms, cleaning the kitchen, yard work, cooking dinner. Take the card out that has dinner written on it. It is a given the kids have to eat so dinner has to be made everyday. That goes in one pile the rest go in another. Everyday you can only take one card from the other pile. You can only do one chore. Use the rest of the time to play and have fun with your kids. I do try to have the kitchen spotless every night before I go to bed because it there are dirty dishes in the sink the next morning I tend to get a bit cranky.
The way I see it, they are going to be grown soon enough. It is so important that I fill their first years with fun wonderful amazing memories. Which brings me to the second part of play.
Adelin is the artsy one. Mason is the imaginative one. Everett, is still too young for me to tell. I have withheld the paints and markers because they created a mess. An extra mess that I did not want to clean up. With my acceptance of the walls can be painted, the clothes can be washed, I have moved all the art supplies, from the loft upstairs, downstairs to the desk in the kitchen.
Everyday we try to discover outside, create art, sing songs, dance, make something fun for snack and read books. Slowly my home is starting to feel more peaceful.
Still groggy from sleepless nights and recovering from a hard delivery and recovery, I did not get around to marking out my quest until the approach of the coming year.
My quest was simple.
1. GET ORGANIZED!!!
2. Lose weight
3. Play more
Typical, I agree. Here I am half way through the year and I feel I have made significant progress.
Organization was and is my main focus this year. I wanted the house organized and the kids on a schedule. They function better when they know what is expected of them and I feel better when my home is running smoothly.
I put up a calendar in the hallway between the kids bedrooms. The kids have chores they are assigned each day. When they complete their chore or do simple things such as get dressed, take a bath and brush their teeth they get get stickers to put on their chart. The chart is a great motivation for mason. Adelin is still young but she still delights in trying to earn her special weekly prize. I also made magnets for the months of the year, holidays and the weather.
I hung up two dry erase boards above the desk in my bedroom. On one of the boards I list all our expenses and budget. That way we always know what we are spending and what areas need work. The other board is for the content mapping for our Website dazzledish.com. To help improve my creativity and revitalize or rediscover any talents or hobbies I used to have I pulled my sewing machine out of the closet and set it up ready to go. Next I am working on a place for my scrap booking. Creativity comes suddenly. If I have to spend 30 minutes cleaning a place and setting up shop then by the time I sit down to start the project the thoughts are gone.
After four years of baby weight it is time to shed the pounds. Two summers ago I began walking with some friends. I continued up until last summer a couple of months before I had Everett. I was crippled with a hard recovery and our family was hit with three straight months of illness. Nevertheless I was unable to get moving until the Spring. But here I am five months later going strong with twenty pounds behind me.
I have always been a perfectionist. In the career field that is a good thing. At home as mom it is not so good. It has taken me four years to finally accept my house is going to be dirty. I would rather be playing with my kids than cleaning every second of the day. So I took some advice I heard once and put it in action.
Take all the responsibilities and write each one on an index card. Things such as laundry, grocery shopping, dusting and vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the bedrooms, cleaning the kitchen, yard work, cooking dinner. Take the card out that has dinner written on it. It is a given the kids have to eat so dinner has to be made everyday. That goes in one pile the rest go in another. Everyday you can only take one card from the other pile. You can only do one chore. Use the rest of the time to play and have fun with your kids. I do try to have the kitchen spotless every night before I go to bed because it there are dirty dishes in the sink the next morning I tend to get a bit cranky.
The way I see it, they are going to be grown soon enough. It is so important that I fill their first years with fun wonderful amazing memories. Which brings me to the second part of play.
Adelin is the artsy one. Mason is the imaginative one. Everett, is still too young for me to tell. I have withheld the paints and markers because they created a mess. An extra mess that I did not want to clean up. With my acceptance of the walls can be painted, the clothes can be washed, I have moved all the art supplies, from the loft upstairs, downstairs to the desk in the kitchen.
Everyday we try to discover outside, create art, sing songs, dance, make something fun for snack and read books. Slowly my home is starting to feel more peaceful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)