I have decided that a major part of making my house a home is spending more time having fun with my kids.  Well there is an amazing park about 10 minutes from our house.  My brother and his family were driving by on their way to my parents so we met up at the park for 2 hours of FUN!!! It was so nice to just watch my kids having fun (and laughing at their antics).  Definitely going to do my best to make this summer more fun with my kids!

Getting Crafty!

Its been a rough few days at my house. My youngest has a double ear infection, but because he doesn't display any of the numerous signs, we didn't find out until yesterday. So after days of no sleep and listening to constant crying I felt like I was about to lose it. I decided the only way to salvage my sanity was to make these cute cupcake stands inspired by some I saw on Pinterest. She bought silver painted trays and then painted them, I got lucky and found some already colored and some clear ones to paint blue, this way I can put food on them without worrying about safety. Everything came from the Dollar Tree. I am so excited to use these!

Minimal Mondays

There are few days that I dread more than Minimal Mondays. What are Minimal Mondays you ask.... a mom's worst nightmare!!!! Every Monday my kids get out of school 50 minutes early, why... heck if I know! Then every once in a while they get out 1 hour and 45 minutes early! I hate these days, with a half day kindergarten program it is way more trouble than it could possibly be worth! I already miss the all day kindergarten my older two children had, I mean how much could my 5 year old be learning in 2 hours and 52 minutes??? So each day is chopped into roughly 3 hour increments already, but on minimal Monday I have a 2.5 hour block between drop off of the older kids and drop off of the kindergartener and a 2 hour block between then and pick up time. When is my 1 year old supposed to get his afternoon nap in???? If they really feel that they need this extra time why not add it to Friday afternoon? Then at least I could leave town earlier when I want to go visit someone or my 11 year old could have an extra hour with his best friend from school that lives 20 minutes away! Do we really need to make a rough day of the week so much worse by screwing up the schedule we can barely remember anyway???

Baby Steps!

Sometimes it feels like no matter how hard you try you just never get anywhere. We had been feeling that way about getting our children to do their chores and simple things they should do each day. Our new solution? Fuzzy pom poms. Last night I went by Hobby Lobby and picked up a bunch of pom poms, a clearance pitcher, and 5 clearance tiki cups. Each time they do a chore without being reminded or do a good deed, or do a good job on a chore, or anything that we feel makes our home a more loving place they get to put a fuzzy ball in their tiki cup. When the cup is full they will earn something. So far they are excited about it and it is easier to remember than stickers on a chart and we can reuse them so it will save time and money in the long run. I'll let you know how it goes. I hope this works cause I'm out of ideas!!!

Working on Organization.

Organization is something I love to have, strive to have, but seem to never achieve. Today's tiny step was to label everyone's clean clothes baskets and the buckets that we separate our dirty clothes into. So often I find the clothes all mixed up instead of sorted in the laundry room and when I call people on it the excuse is always the same "I didn't know which bucket was for the darks". Well problem solved right? We shall see. I have spent a lot of time working on my home this week. I updated my picture wall, I went through my kids toys and got rid of any that were for toddlers and babies, I cleaned the loft where my children play, the front room, the family room, I even cleaned out the game closet! I do love the feeling I get from my home being clean. The challenge for me is not getting discouraged when others walk in and throw things on the floor, the couch, the counter, the table, well you get the idea!
I also discovered this week that making my bed makes my room look cleaner. It doesn't matter if the rest of the room is still a mess it looks better if the bed is made. It is one of my goals this year to make my bed everyday and so far I have done it 100% of the time! There are so many things that I want to do with my home, hopefully I am on my way and it will only get better!

I have my house back!!!

I love Christmas I really do, but I am so glad that all the Christmas decorations are down and put away. I spent all morning cleaning up my living room, dining room, and family room. I came downstairs this morning and thought, "I hope no one knocks on my door, I would be so embarrassed!" Seriously, the damage my kids can do is just indescribable! My oldest 2 sons had come and asked to play video games at 6am, claiming their chores were done. What a lie! You see part of their chores is to do the dishes, clear and clean the table, and sweep the floor. Not a huge task if done at least once a day. I came downstairs after showering and found that I couldn't step into the dining room without stepping in crumbs. Ughh. Well, you can now walk freely, I would not be embarrassed for you to come to my door, I would even invite you in. What a fabulous and productive morning! If I can keep the laundry going all day I will feel as if I have accomplished a lot today!

Christmas has arrived

Christmas has arrived at my house! The tree is up and decorated, there are lights everywhere, the nativity is set up, and the house is a mess. This seems to be normal for me this time of year. I spend every spare minute finishing up Christmas gifts and the house falls apart around me. I will try to do better this year, starting today!