Bed, made.

Carson has always made a game of making his bed. This picture is just a classic example of what a "made bed" looks like. He has always loved stuffed animals and has to sleep with at least a dozen every night. And since he does not want them lonely while he is at school, he involves them in some sort of activity, like a soccer match or game of red-rover. 

Parenting is tough, especially when trying to encourage cleanliness and organization. However, sometimes choosing battles is a no-brainer. 

 

Lunch Date

Mom and I met up for a funeral, (RIP Gloria Peterson) and decided to grab some lunch afterward.  I am so, SO blessed to be the daughter of this woman.  She is the epidemy of motherhood, love, charity and friend.  I look forward to every moment I have with her and am always eager to soak up her goodness.  Thanks for you, mom.

Airborne

August 27, 2014

I had a TON of homework. Ashlyn was at her friend, Jordyn's for the day (celebrating her birthday), we had already tackled a tough loss with Carsons soccer team and helped Brooke and Paul move, and I knew if I went home and turned the boys loose, they would spend the day on the tv or other electronic devices. So instead, I toted my laptop into airborne and set the boys loose for two hours while I plowed into my "Christian Worldview" class. 

Punished

June 17, 2016

Sneaky Clean

I think most parents go through bouts of feelings of inadequacy, wondering if anything we say is getting through our children's genetically thick skulls. Perhaps I shouldn't generalize, maybe it's just me?  Needless to say, I practically live for those brief moments in time where something positive, that is from me, rubs off on my children. 

Although not a major accomplishment, The revealing exchange I had with Ashlyn last night was not only rewarding, but quite comical.  She admitted, "sometimes, when I'm supposed to be in bed… I quietly clean my room!".  She further confessed that sometimes she even goes as far as "putting a pillow under my comforter and a brown haired doll on my pillow..., but that's only when I'm doing a deeper, organizational-type, cleaning, like my closet". 

#proudparentingmoment

I actually did something right.

I can officially share a parenting success story.

In my 12 years of being a parent, I have pretty much failed at every attempt at getting my kids to participate willingly in chores. I have tried interactive chore charts, color-coded chore charts, reward based chore charts, discipline-based chore charts, and pretty much every other chore chart my brain, and the creative brains of those on Pinterest, have had to offer. However, to my dismay, my children continually prove to be normal. It doesn't matter if it's vacuuming, decluttering, sweeping, mopping, cleaning the bathroom, cleaning up toys, setting the table, organizing movies, folding clothes, practicing piano, or even rubbing my feet :-)… Any request or reminder is accompanied by the traditional slumped shoulders, pouty bottom lip, furrowed eyebrows, and a low pitch, not-so-subtle, grumble.

However…
When I say these three magical words: "choose a shelf" my kids come running from the recesses of the house to be the first one to claim their "zone" of the dishwasher. Top shelf, bottom shelf, or silverware. When I first received the revelation of "choose-a-shelf", I incorporated a ultimatum that suggested whoever has to be "reminded" will be loading the dishwasher as well. After a few trials of parental consistency, my method proved flawless. This method has kept my sink [practically] free of dishes for two-plus years.

So there you have it, these three simple words,"choose-a-shelf", magically create an extra 10-20 minutes a day for this busy mom.

Disaster averted

These church clothes were all my boys had to choose from to wear to school tomorrow.....

UNLESS

...unless they organized a good portion of this:

(Mattress lifted to see debris)

And got this under control...

So, while the boys were gone I put everything, except books, (even dumping out their drawers) into storage boxes and stacked them in my room. When they got home I sat them on the couch and apologized for being such an "organizing control freak". I told them that they would be surprised when they saw the rooms, but they might not be happy. (They immediately jumped to conclusions thinking that I threw other stuff away). I told them that I was not punishing them, I was giving them an opportunity to organize their space their own way. Now comes the catch… If they don't get their dressers organized before they go to bed, the clothes they have to choose from for school tomorrow are hanging in the closet.
It was their Sunday best.
They had their dressers perfectly organized (completely different than I have ever done it…) within 15 minutes.

I would not eat them in a house...

They even saw me put the food coloring in the eggs!!! Ashlyn probably had one bite, but after a while, AJ and Carson devoured them like they do any other scrambled eggs. This was the only thing that we did that was "Festive" today. Although at dinner - Kraft Mac & Cheese (What??? BJ was at work!) after I apologized for not making it green, AJ said, "It's o.k.! It's like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!" What a sweet heart! He is so optimistic!

I was totally disappointed in myself at the end of the day. I usually do fun things such as games and activities, or even treats and small gifts. I just feel like I can't get ahead!!! Since Carson was born, I feel like my yin has lost my yang! I need to get re-balanced. Switching from "Man to Zone" defense has me in a whole new world and I don't feel like I have adjusted well. I'm getting there, I can feel it, but it is slow to come!

I watched John & Kate +8 last night and it was the Valentines Day episode. Kate had such a simple & fun day planned and she said, "I would do it if I had 2 kids, why not do it for 8" She focused the whole day around love and even made heart shaped pancakes, cookies, sandwiches, and even cucumbers! I love this show, and think she is such an amazing mother. It really motivates me to get organized (Kate has amazing organizational skills!) and focus my attention on my kids...this is their time!

I would like your advice on how to make my life less stressful, and more organized. So throw some suggestions my way!