I've never had a favorite before

A favorite stamp, that is. I've been a Stampin' Up demonstrator for 4 years. I really enjoy card-making, scrapbooking, and all things paper. It's a hobby, sometimes a business, and it's been a great way to spend time with other women pursuing creativity. Unfortunately, I have lots of hobbies so I seem to go through seasons of enjoying stamping, and then I get on a sewing kick and forget I ever liked to stamp. Then I decide to spend a week cooking new recipes...and well, that's the nature of multiple hobbies I guess.



This stamp makes me want to stay on a stamping kick for-ever. And ever. Okay, not for eternity. I don't think I'll care about it in heaven. But during my toil on this earth I want to use this stamp on pillows, cards, walls... you get the point. I like the stamp. A lot.

So in celebration of this medallion stamp, I am offering a set of eight (8) Medallion Thank You note cards in assorted jewel tones, including my new favorite curry color. Just add your comment for a chance to win. I'll leave it open until Sunday evening at midnight and announce the winner Monday morning.



All the giveaways on the Nester's site have inspired me (and I didn't win anything, and neither did you, so this is like a second chance, only the value of the prize is about 50x less...but still beautiful). If you don't win, you can purchase them in a few weeks from my Etsy shop OR go to this website and buy the stamp and an inkpad for yourself and go to town! Just mention my name when they ask for a demonstrator contact and you will get a better price.

Today is THE day

For free stuff over at Nesting Place. The Nester is giving away a prize every hour for 24 hours, and everything she's offering is AMAZING. Telling you about this reduces my chances of winning, but I do love my friends... so if you win, you can split the prize with me. Deal?

Here are a few of the offerings:

Altered items

Peanut butter jars turned money jars for the newly turned 4 year-old... patterned after the jars my dad made me when I was a little girl. I think mine were made of baby food jars...if inflation gets as bad as they are predicting, we'll have to upgrade to the Sam's gallon-sized pickle jars.

A former cocoa container gets a new life as a candy "jar" for WH's desk.

Nothing is safe from my cardstock and rub-ons. What will be next? Probably something for Christmas (if you want to know exactly how much time you have until then check this out).

Perspective

I read this verse about a week ago, and it made such an impression on me- I keep coming back to it every day as I look at my actions and activities and try to measure them by this standard.

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." -Galatians 6:5b

Now obviously this isn't the only thing that counts, and other versions don't state it this way. In context though, it's suggesting that in light of the extra-Biblical standards we put on ourselves to the neglect of what God does require of us, it all boils down to faith expressing itself through love.

-Faith expressing itself through love when my children wake me up 15 times in the night.

-Faith expressing itself through love when my husband's job requires a lot more time of him than any of us would prefer.

-Faith expressing itself through love when the ironing pile is huge due to neglect and I would rather take a nap (see example #1).

About 10 years ago, I read through the book of Galatians every day for a month...I think I heard that suggestion (to read through a book of the Bible over and over) from John MacArthur. I remember the HUGE burden that was lifted when I realized I had been over-emphasizing all these man-made rules and standards and neglecting the MAIN things, like love, joy, peace... against such there is no other law. Everything we should be doing falls under these fruits of the Spirit. And here I am, 10 years later, still going back to these fundamentals so I can re-align my thoughts according to God's standards and not my own skewed view of what I should be focusing on each day. I'm not sure why I'd rather make sure my schedule is in place, and that the house is clean, or that I'm being productive vs. making sure my tone is loving, or that my face and heart are joyful. I guess it's easier to check those first things off a list and see them as accomplished vs. the the ongoing struggle to be Christ-like. And then there's the reality that the second group requires heart changes and not just outward actions, which means I have to beg God for more grace and mercy (and to work really hard fighting against natural inclinations!). And I like to think I've got it all under control. We all know better.

Just for kicks, I looked up this passage in The Message today. I don't advocate using this for daily reading, but it is a commentary of sorts:

^22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

^23-24Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

^25-26Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.
-------------------------------------------------

Not holding it as an idea in our heads, but working it out in every detail. Faith expressing itself through love. It's a big job, and an even bigger concept to teach my children, but it is the only thing that counts.

My new occupation

I haven't been around much lately because I have a new full-time job: Dog catcher. No, we don't have a dog (nor am I tempted to have a dog), but we don't need one because Baby T fills that role nicely. He chews up every shred of paper mistakenly left on the floor. He gets into the trash and the recycling when I'm not looking. He even found the stash of paper napkins I'd hidden inside some nesting bowls, and happily tore them into a million pieces. Every day. He climbs on the furniture and bites on everything. It's exhausting. He's got all the motivation of a 2 year-old, in a 10-month body. (At least he still takes two naps a day.) Coop was very oral and we dealt with the paper fettish, and Sweet A was moving all around the house at 4 months, but it looks like we have the best of both in Baby #3.

And yes, Mom, I know those blind cords are a choking hazard. I thought they were out of reach.

If you've ever felt like a failure

This is for you (and me, today).

Nursing Post Script

I'm just full of extra thoughts tonight.

A couple of things I wish I had added to my original post, which apparently was of much more interest than I imagined. For those of you who disagreed, thanks for not mentioning it! ;-) Just kidding...I'm always glad to hear other perspectives; that's how we learn and grow.

I think I mentioned that I'd never really thought twice about nursing exclusively for longer than six months. While that is true, I can't say I had never heard of anyone doing it. I can almost guarantee my Bradley Class teacher probably nursed her baby exclusively for a long time, but then again, she did a lot of other things that as a new parent I considered bizarre so I never gave it another thought. I also have several friends who have been quiet examples to me and even though they never stated an official "position" on any of this, they taught me by their lives and their own mothering.

I've talked to several women in the past week who had a really hard time nursing, especially in the beginning, and to you I can honestly say that I feel your pain. I never had a problem nursing the first two, but when Baby T came along every feeding for the first 1-2 weeks had me in tears (and they are pretty much eating all the time in those early days). So it is really rewarding to see what a sweet nursing relationship we have now. My sister utilized her local Le Leche League and got a lot of support and advice when she was having trouble nursing her first baby. I really admire her for sticking with it even through the really tough times (of which mine were minimal in comparison).

So, thanks for your comments and for not voting me off the island (yet).

Date Night Post Script

About a week ago, my friend Tracy posted about her date "night" and knowing her circumstances (which are beyond any trial most of us will ever experience) and her commitment to her husband made it such an inspiring post to read. She has been an example of faithfulness to me for years, and I thank God for women who are a few steps ahead of me in the walk of life.

Date night on the ranch

Thursdays are the designated date nights around here, thanks to some positive peer pressure from a couple of my husband's married siblings who set the standard high. It's not that we didn't want to have a regular date night, but unless you carve out a specific time in your week (or a specific amount of time if flexibility is more necessary) it just doesn't happen by itself. It never seems that important. I think we are in a nice rythym now and most of the time we have In-House Dates. I try to have the house clean (so I can actually enjoy hanging out around here without a project in my hands...hard for me!) and we feed the kids early and let them watch a movie. One day we have visions of them watching a 30-60 minute movie without coming out to see what we're doing 150 times, but that's where we are for now. I usually make a nicer (or more fun) dinner and we eat by ourselves (mostly). Sometimes we watch a movie, sometimes we play a game, sometimes we sit out on the porch and watch the sunset just quietly...until our kids can't find us and start crying. It's a nice little ritual and I'm really grateful we can have one night a week where we aren't working on anything or going anywhere, and we can just catch up.

Tonight's menu: Jalepeno Poppers (thank you Pioneer Woman), some leftover beef WH grilled a few days ago, risotto, artesan bread, and some garden veggies. I think we look forward to the food as much as we do the quiet!

So I'm curious...what do you do to spend time with your spouse? Morning coffee? Monthly night out? I know that various seasons require creativity--sometimes going to the grocery store w/out kids qualifies as a "date." Is that how you get your quality time in?

I can't believe it's not mac and cheese

Usually when a product starts out with "I can't believe..." you think of some synthetic form to replace the real product. Not so with this mac and cheese. Your children might even be fooled (50% of mine were) into thinking this is macaroni and cheese.


Why am I looking for something to replace the real thing, you might ask? Well for one, I'm dairy-free these days so any food that resembles anything creamy is an automatic plus. A few years ago I ran across a recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna, which I must say, is one of my all-time favorite dishes. Last fall when we were celebrating my husband's 30th birthday, we had this amazing Butternut Squash Ravioli at a restaurant that resembled the lasagna, only it was cuter. My sister-in-law has been craving it ever since and came up with dish above when we were both given some butternut squash a few weeks ago. I think she baked the squash and pureed it with some butter and poured it over the noodles (correct me in the comment section if I'm wrong, Mary). I couldn't remember what she'd done so I started the same way, except I added a little goat's milk to the puree and a few fresh basil leaves and kosher salt. I made my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe for the rest of the family and served this to myself. I had to hold back and not eat the entire dish in one sitting. It's that good (especially for this cheese deprived girl) AND it looks the part. So if you are looking for a dairy free option, or just trying to get your kids (or yourself) to eat more veggies, try it out. But make a lot...

Not of general interest (consider yourself warned)

(Some may argue that could describe any post I write.)

I've debated for a while whether or not to write this post. On the one hand, people have said, "Explain..." and yet I am aware of how very weird I already seem to the average Joe without adding fuel to that bizarre fire. But I am just going to throw this out there, not so that more of you can say, "Wow, she is much more freakish than I ever thought possible" but for the purpose of sharing information with perhaps one interested person.

So, class, my topic for today is: Exclusive Nursing or Delaying Solid Food. (Why do I feel like Gideon? Oh, because most of you just left...)

Let me establish a few things: I do not feel so strongly that this is the only way (or the only right way) of feeding your baby. This should be obvious, but it needs to be said. I am not out to proselytize anyone and this isn't my new cause. I cringe when I read the websites that talk about how if you *really* want to nurture your baby you will _________ . That is the joy of walking in the freedom we have in the Lord to do whatever we think is best for our children, and do it with confidence. We know the Holy Spirit will lead us and somehow, it will be just what our children need. It's really a miracle! Praise the Lord for the grace He gives in spite of feeble parents like those my children have.

So now that I have qualified away this post, here's why I think it's important to write this: I never knew it was even a possibility to nurse my baby exclusively for an extended period of time until a friend mentioned she was doing it. Never crossed my mind. I've made some pretty major "natural choices" (e.g., had all three babies at home) and yet I never thought twice about just doing exactly whatever the average pediatrician might recommend. I have nursed my babies for about 6 months, give or take, introduced solids slowly, made all my own baby food, weaned by 12 months (got pregnant again...oh wait, I don't think that's in the literature). Is there another way?

But Sweet A was sensitive to most foods until she outgrew those sensitivities at around 16 months. She couldn't eat wheat, soy, corn, (corn is in almost EVERY processed food), bananas, most fruits, or any green or orange veggie without getting a huge blistering rash that looked like she had been burned on her bum. It was awful...she was irritable, and she was a really sweet baby up until about 8 months; I have wondered if her stomach was just killing her. We'll never know. I don't have any family history of food allergies, so I was kind of surprised to go through this with her, but we did our best, made rice pasta, couldn't eat out anywhere with her, and she just ate a lot of chicken, apples, and rice. When I weaned her around a year she still had no teeth.

So when Baby T came along and we discovered he was extremely sensitive to cow's milk- rash on the face whenever I had any dairy products, projectile vomiting, irritability- I cut out all dairy. I started thinking toward the future when we would introduce foods, and I dreaded it. I also started researching what doctors across the board were saying about delaying solid food and what the standards and customs are in other countries. Why do we do things the way we do here in America? Nursing is much more acceptable today than it was 20 (or 40!) years ago, but I've been surprised by how many people have questioned this choice. I think it is just a sign of how steeped we are in the "norm" and we don't even know why the norm is the way it is or how we got here.

So after talking with a few mothers who were very encouraging, and reading a ton of information, some from *real* doctors who were saying that if there is any history of allergies the suggestion is to wait until 9-12 months before introducing solids, we decided to try to commit to exclusive nursing until Baby T was a year old. This was, of course, presuming he continued to gain weight well and hit all the standard developmental milestones. Baby T is 10 months old today and he's 21 lbs. so I think we're fine on that front. And apart from a really bad haircut I gave him last night, he looks normal to me. Here he is on Coop's birthday last month:


I have found that continuing to nurse has been easier, not more difficult. I nurse him every three hours and six times a day. He goes to bed around 6:30pm and wakes up about 12 hours later, with the exception of the one time I wake him up for a feeding right before we go to bed. Most of the time, we've really enjoyed having some one-on-one time with him at that later hour (sometimes I do wish I could go straight to bed...true confessions).

I will say that nursing exclusively has been more than just a lifestyle change: it's changed the way I look at my mothering. I've had to give up my expectations for always following a strict schedule (although we still have it and do our best!) and view of being able to control my days- of having to have a set expectation of what my baby will do (and my response). Since I really don't know if he's extra hungry on any particular day, I can't say, "Sorry but you will have to wait until your next meal" like I would probably do if I knew he'd had a huge lunch and I'd nursed him. So I've had to learn to be more flexible and not get uptight about adjusting to his needs. My husband has been VERY supportive and thankfully, we are slowly mellowing out as parents so what would have bothered us with Baby #1 is a non-issue now. :)

I think we are on track to wait until Baby T turns one to introduce solids. (What will he have to eat on his first birthday? Hmmm, haven't thought that far ahead.) I was aiming for at least 9 months, and every day past that is just a plus. If he seems like he needs to eat we'll be flexible on that end as well.

So there you have it. A few of you asked. Most of you would rather not know (but to you I say, If you've read this far, you have no one to blame but yourself). :)

Above my pay grade

Now that we live in an area which has real seasons (September 1st- it was cool...how does "it" know?) I decided to go through all the clothes and figure out what everyone needs for winter. I would say that this is a mothering skill for which no one prepared me, but that's not true. I used to do this with my Mom, only there were ten kids to clothe for the (Florida) winter, and trying on a million pairs of pants to see which of the seven brothers they best fit was more than a bit tedious. So I knew this would be one of my responsibilities as a mother but knowledge doesn't make it any less complicated!


My confusing categories included:

• Me- clothes for winter
• clothes for summer
• clothes for the kids to grow in to (three + sizes)
• clothes the kids have outgrown
  
• clothes for next summer/winter when I'm not nursing (maybe I will wear a dress again one day!)
  
• maternity clothes
• in-between clothes (aka fat clothes)
• Give-away
• Goodwill
• Once Upon a Child (which profited me a whopping $4.05...not even enough to motivate me to get my kids back out the car to pick up my money...I just put it on a tab. Next time, I'm going to walk up and down my street and see if there is anyone who needs my cute kids clothes.)
  
• Maternity clothes to let friend borrow
• Maternity clothes to return to rightful owner (who happens to be pregnant again...Erin, you probably want that black dress back. I'll send you your size small. Do you want to borrow my size Medium, too?)

What a blessing to realize we always have so much more than we need (mostly through the generosity of friends) and see how God continues to provide for us! I place my hand over my mouth, and whisper a quiet prayer of thanks.

Are you fun enough...

To have these in your living room? I think these polka dot pillows epitomize the kind of fun person I like to think I am, but in reality they don't really fit my home decor (or my personality). That said, I'm in love with this fabric! So I can live vicariously through whoever ends up putting them in their living room...or bedroom, or playroom, or family room...

Sobering

Some not-so-light thoughts from Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis. I found all this rather convicting when evaluating my days interacting with my children:

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.

Again, Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live for ever, and this must be either true or false. Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live forever. Perhaps my bad temper or my jealousy are gradually getting worse-- so gradually that the increase in seventy years will not be very noticeable. But it might be absolute hell in a million years: in fact, if Christianity is true, Hell is the precisely correct technical term for what it would be.

New

In the shop:

A few fabrics and soon, some cute aprons at a very affordable price. Think Christmas presents (it's not too early)...

Remember this material?

A new friend from Etsy snatched it up and made this adorable back sack...check it out. It's so gratifying to see the finished product!

For the love of orange

My husband loves orange with a childlike passion. Like a second-grader clings to his favorite color and always chooses it over other less superior colors. I don't mean that in a demeaning way; unlike the second-grader who will have a new favorite next year, his love has stood the test of time. And while he prefers orange, I don't think he insisted we register for anything that hue and has always been extremely patient with my decorating color schemes, despite the fact that they have never included anything resembling citrus.

Until now. I found this hot pot for $2 at a garage sale last week, and I have decorated my entire guest bedroom around it. (Edited to add: My husband did point out the irony of trying to rid our home of unnecessary plastics only to buy something plastic for our guests to boil water in! Good thinking, Brite. )


Orange has been winning me over slowly. When I first met WH and learned of this color preference I really hated orange. Then as I fell in love with him my hatred dissolved and everywhere I turned I saw "his" color. I really loved autumn tones for the first time (although in FL we saw the leaves turn mid-February) and created this collage and entitled it "The World Through WH's Eyes." Now I can hang it in the guest bedroom. :)

The guest room, or "Spare 'Oom" as we like to call it is now a cozy place to hang out. We are expecting a guest in a few minutes, so I'd better run and put the candy bowl out. I have to do that at the last minute to avoid tempting the tiny candy thieves (okay, and also so I don't eat all of it).

Do you share?

Here's an interesting article from the Chicago Tribune on sharing an email address with your spouse.

An excerpt:

Acuff shares one account with his wife of eight years, Jenny, and estimates that one-third of their married friends also use one e-mail address. He joked on the blog that he and his wife "cleaved our separate e-mail addresses and lit a unity candle on Yahoo! that burns brightly throughout the virtual landscape."

"We offset the whole thing by not dressing alike," he wrote.

-----------------------------------------
We created a joint email account a few days after we returned from our honeymoon. I don't think we ever thought through the aspects of avoiding secrecy or creating a new source of accountability, it just seemed like we were merging everything else. It was less complicated to have one account. And we have never dressed alike.

So how about you?

Worth their weight in coffee

My dear husband, ever the coffee connoisseur, recently found a new source for freshly roasted coffee. Naturally, he ordered 30 lbs. (Much of it to pass along to extended family for purchase. Economy of scale and such.) In other homes this would seem absurd, but my children have never known a time when the house didn't have large quantities of coffee sitting around. When Coop was in utero we called him our little coffee bean, and my husband used to be manage a coffee shop with absolutely amazing coffee. We miss (aspects of) those days.

When the last shipment came we thought it would be fun to help the kids visualize how much they weighed at birth, using bags of coffee.


His job was easy; with a birth weight of 5 lbs. 4 oz. the coffee equivalent wasn't too much to hold. I used to walk him down to the post office once a week to have him weighed. Oh, the joys of a small community.



Sweet A had a little more trouble; her 7 lbs.8 oz. was a little much for her 2-year old arms. I don't think she ever got past about 5 lbs.


Here is my wonderful midwife weighing A- we were shocked...10 days early and 50% bigger than Coop!

She was a beautiful baby...and of course I say that with no bias.

Baby T was a cutie too, but he was already in bed for our little lesson. He was 3 weeks early and the same weight as Sweet A. Hmmm, makes me a little nervous for whenever baby #4 comes around (although if that baby promises to come 3 weeks early he can weigh whatever he likes).

Fortunately, the kids didn't ask us to demonstrate our weight.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

A week ago I posted about a product that was sure to be on my Christmas wish-list this year. These glass straws from Glass Dharma were just about the coolest thing I'd ever seen. When I told my husband about them he said, "I remember seeing Humphrey Bogart drink out of a glass straw in Dark Passage."
Why of course. He's such a cultured man. But I digress.

So shortly after that post, thanks to those who clicked through to the link, I received an email asking for my address so some real live glass straws could be sent to yours truly! It was an exciting day. I laughed. I cried. I told everyone.

(I should stop right here and explain that I often recommend products I love just for the sheer pleasure of passing on great finds. I don't have ads on this blog and I don't get paid anything when I tell you about a product that is currently making a difference in my life. This reviewing a product business is a first for me.)

And then the straws arrived, packaged up in neat and tidy boxes with a minimal amount of padding. That surprised me; you think glass= fragile. They really are a lot sturdier than you might expect. They have a satisfaction guarantee and a lifetime guarantee against breakage and I was pretty sure my family would put that breakage guarantee to the test. I didn't stop my kids from making their straws do a little dance in their glasses (just to hear the tinkling noise) although I did tell them to do it gently. I have intentionally tried to treat them with the same care as I do all my other dishes (poor straws) and even had them at the bottom of a sink full of warm soapy water for a few hours. Not trying to test fate, but they have to work in real life or they won't work for us.


We tried out four different sizes and styles. My children are most enamored with the decorative dots straws; it's hard to resist the colorful decorations. I was pretty knocked out with the "bendy" straw. I find it easier to drink a lot of water with a straw- I could down12 oz. in no time with one of these babies. One of the straws was large in diameter and I could see it being a great milkshake straw (when that blessed day arrives and I'm drinking iced dairy products again). At some point, I plan on getting the kids their own smoothie straws, each with a different color. Maybe I really will get those for Christmas- they'd make great stocking stuffers.


In the end, I think I'm so enamored with these little straws because I realize how hard it is to make huge changes in our family life when it comes to getting away from plastics, eating healthfully, using natural cleaning products, etc. I can't do everything, but we can make gradual changes. I'm trying to implement one or two new healthful practices each week. Some of these changes are good for us, but not very exciting. My new straws are both.

Why do I even have a blog?

When these other people have so many wonderful thoughts and ideas to share?

Here are a few new discoveries, and a few old favorites:

So much to learn, so little time. A one-stop resource for all things healthful (and she pointed me toward my new favorite all natural cleaning product...more on that later)...
Passionate Homemaking

One woman's journey in living out the principles of Nourishing Traditions...
The Nourishing Gourmet

Not something I read all the time, but I like keeping up with Food News here...
The Ethicurean: Chew the Right Thing

Wisdom and exhortation beautifully expressed...
Holy Experience

My sister-in-law has just joined the blogging world...
Refining the Moment

A blog that covers everything you need for natural living (and a catchy name to boot)...
Naturally Knocked Up

Organization Week, Day 1

Well we started out with a bang yesterday. Coop spent Sunday night with some of his cousins, so that left me with only the younger two, and they aren't nearly as chatty. Sweet A plays well by herself, so except for having slight colds that made them a little fussy, they were not much trouble.

I sat down with a cup of coffee and a stack of post-it-notes and got to work around 8:30am to tackle The Family Schedule. On one hand, we don't really need an exact daily schedule. We have no strict demands on us, no deadlines, no 180 school days to record. But I'm finding more and more that there are so many good things I want to fit into my weeks, and not just the fun projects like sewing and crafting. I want to have consistent blanket training with Baby T, one-on-one time with each of the kids, fun preschool with Coop, get all my housework done before WH comes home, and on top of that try to save money on groceries and eat as fresh and organic as I can (just to name a few). Oh, and I'm still exclusively nursing Baby T (maybe I'll blog about that another time, maybe not) so that is consuming a chunk of time as well. If we have a schedule or a general idea of how our days should go, we work better and if we derail at 11am at least we know what we didn't get accomplished that day. I'm thinking of this year as our trial year before school starts. Anyway, I highly recommend the following book. It's been around for a while and many people already know about it and know much more than I do on the subject of home organization.

It is not the end all of organization books, but it is a very practical approach to organizing your life, and it's not just for homeschoolers. I've come up with many of these schedules for other families and my own when I was helping homeschool my siblings. There is no perfect solution to the fact that there is a lot of work to be squeezed into one day. You can not plan for interruptions, needs, ministry crises, etc., but I think there is benefit for having something as your aim. Organization does seem to help me accomplish my work with more joy. If I know that later on in the week I will get to the vacuuming, or the fun sewing, or the toy organization, than I don't worry about not getting to it today.

Her book is full of helpful hints, but here's the premise: Write down a list of everything you want to accomplish in a day/week/month. Write each activity on a seperate post-it-note, and then include how much time you think that activity will take. I did the same thing for each activity I wanted to do with the children, each chore I wanted them to learn, etc. Then I listed 30 minute time slots down the side of several pieces of paper, from the time I wanted to wake up until I went to bed, like so:


I also made a separate list of things I'd like to do during naptime and my free time at night so I could make a little space for each of those things.


When it was all arranged I typed it onto a spreadsheet and put it on the refrigerator. I admit I was surprised to find how much time it would take me just to do all the "main" things like feed people and clean up, and get the regular housework accomplished. I know that will get better as the children are more helpful, but right now, I'm really the only one producing (at home) during the day. Someone once said that children create work until they are about 8 yrs. old, they are neutral from 8-12 yrs., and they are actually producingl from 12 yrs. on. I am hopeful because I feel like Coop is already somewhat helpful, although he certainly creates more work than he accomplishes (as it should be). :)

Making the schedule took several hours, and I'm sure once we are fully implementing it we will find things we need to change. For instance, I realized this morning that I have no time to do my hair or make-up. That's fine for the days we stay here, but those other days we'll have to squeeze it in. Baby T will get older and drop a nap and that will also change the way our days look. But life is always changing, and there is no "master schedule" so if we can find something that is helpful for a season, great. Flexibility seems to be the key. I'm working on it.

Speaking of flexibility, Organization Week, Day 2 has been derailed by the Common Cold. I am now one of its captives and if I am released any time soon perhaps I will file some papers and organize my recipes.