rainy days of summer

We've been playing a lot of games on the down days this summer.

We've had a wet, cool week and needed some things to do indoors. 

Bingo is a favorite of Sarah's.

 

 

Four square is Grace's.

We usually do that in the garage or in the brief moments the rain stops.

We've limited tv, ipod and Wii use.

We're reading and enjoying trips to the library. 

 

I cleaned up my office which was a feat in itself. 

We moved everything home from school.

It's amazing what you collect in 5 years.

This is the before shot.

 

 

I had to move everything out into the foyer to get my big shelf into place.

I worked on this for two days.

The girls helped, as well as Art with the heavy things.

My thought was to set up a craft area for my girls since they've used this room before for it.

It would also be something we could do on the rainy days.

Problem was I had craft supplies everywhere.

In the kitchen, in the girls bedrooms, in my office.

We collected them all and brought them together.

We purged and organized.

 

For my school stuff I purged some of it.

Boxed up what was loose. 

Amazingly enough, after doing all that, most of it fit in the closet of this room.

The bigger things went downstairs which Art was thrilled about {insert sarcasm}. 

It's all in the unfinished part, behind the door so I can close it :).

 

The after.

 

The girls have already used it and love the easy access to all their supplies.

They spent a couple of hours in there yesterday creating.

Heard lots of giggles coming from them.

This is some of what they created.

 

 

 

I'm glad this is off my to do list.

 

But now...

We begin to organize and purge more of the school stuff that was housed in the basement.

That should be fun.

It's never-ending.

 



morning rituals (even in the summer)

 Ever since finding out I have candida and an issue with sugar I've scoured the internet for holistic remedies. 

Found something interesting about having a balanced Ph level in my system and if not balanced how it can lead to other things, things which I've had, pesky things.

So to help I started drinking red wine vinegar each morning and each night. 

Now I tried to do the vinegar straight up but that didn't go over well {insert pucker}. 

So I added it to OJ. 

{Yes, OJ is a natural sugar but it helps get it down and with my decreased daily intake of sugar, I've been okay.} 

Every morning I pour a tablespoon into a glass and fill it halfway up with juice.  I reserve the other half for the evening.

This in combination with other changes I've made has helped. 

 

 

Another morning ritual is reviewing the to do list of the day. 

 

I have a real sleek, custom approach to this... NOT!!! 

 

It's just me my handy bic pen and a spiral notebook. 

Fancy dancy! 

 

You would think the lists would be obsolete, it is summer!  But no. 

Life moves on, things gotta get done and in my mush for brains a list is a must have.

 

It's funny but we haven't moved from the house today yet the list says to go by JCPenney and the library :).

 

Guess those two get moved to Wednesday. 

preparing for back to school

We're in countdown mode here for school starting even though our schedule still has us running from one summer activity to the next.  We are going to get as much out of summer as we possibly can. 

 

I've been organizing and de-cluttering the house during these last few days of the girls freedom and they have helped along the way.

We created a breakfast menu.  When I was a kid my parents did this and it worked for them.  They discussed breakfast options and assigned them to a day of the week.  It was super easy when Mom went to shop plus we always knew what we had on Monday, Tuesday etc... It was always the same.  The girls and I created their list as well.  A personal favorite for both is Waffle Wednesday!

I made waffles this morning and we froze them.  We keep doing this throughout the year, making pancakes as well on weekends to cover busy weekday mornings.  My plan is to add more to our freezer stash after the girls are back in school and I have a little free time before I go back.

I also created an excel worksheet that will help me prepare a shopping list.  I've gone from idea to idea, trying to make one fit and work smoothly and I think over this summer I've accomplished that.  I made a worksheet that covers everything we need, when I see we are out of a basic supply I mark it one the list.  I also create my menu plan every two weeks.  Once the plan is done I add food needs to the list.  It compiles it all and I put it into a Grocery list app on my iPhone and off I go.  It's worked so far and takes care of the many post it notes I had laying around as reminders.  It hangs inside my pantry with our breakfast menu list and the girls lunch menu for school.

I also created this summer a cleaning schedule for Fall.  It's not a set list.  I don't assign certain days to certain tasks around the house.  I found last fall I couldn't keep up with the list and it frustrated me.  Activities would come up and things moved.  So, this year I am going to mark off tasks when they are done, that way I know when the last time I cleaned the girls bathroom last etc....  I'm also big on cleaning as you go and I'm trying to teach my girls that.  It is a challenge for them but I've seen progress. I like this list because it gives me freedom to clean when needed and to not feel pressured because I didn't make "the schedule."  It is also a reminder in case I forget something.  Laundry will probably be on a schedule, fitting it in on the nights I have more time at home but everything else will be done, on a need to be done basis.   As I said, I clean as I go everyday.   I've also learned to keep cleaning supplies under the sink in each heavily used bathroom (ours and the girls).  Grace has learned to wipe down the vanity and mirror (those pesky toothpaste spatterings) which has helped.  I've come to rely on my girls to help out and they have stepped up to the idea.  I do get grumblings once in awhile but they are always eager to get their reward come Sunday!  Art is a help too in cleaning all the showers, tubs, putting away our laundry and helping to keep his stuff picked up. 

Summer flew by as it always does.  I am going to miss warm days in the pool BUT getting back into a routine is always a blessing.  At least I think so....

This girl isn't in agreement with me. 

This is Grace working on some multiplication.  Can you tell she's really into it?  I gave them a break last week from homework and sometimes when I do that it's hard to get back into the swing of things.  It's going to be a harsh reality for her in seven days :).

ways for improving - school morning routine

We created this morning routine middle of the last school year when Sarah really began reading.  It did help to have it all listed and hanging in the kitchen for a quick reminder.  They know the (old) routine which is good and this summer we have called it our summer routine, minus the last two since they don't apply.  On this current list, again we sat down and talked about what we needed to do to make the Sanderson ship run smoothly and with the addition to making their own lunches on their "help around the house list", we added packing it in our backpacks too. 

When the girls (and we know they will) loose their way I will point them back to this list and hopefully (fingers crossed) the mornings will flow easily. 

there's always room for improvment

I recently finished a parenting book (like last night).  It was suggested to me by a friend.  My kids have their good and bad moments each day.  For those bad moments I realized I could use a refresher course and this book was just what I needed.  I needed a good kick in the pants you might say.  At times I found myself saying "OUCH!"  that one hurt because the finger pointed back at Art and I.  While I continue to learn from it and practice its techniques I have taken some of the "easier" suggestions and put them into practice already. 

Chores.  I really don't like this word, it denotes negativity.  While the author calls it just that we choose to label it as our "Help our family around the house list."  All family members are responsible for doing their appointed tasks to help our home run smoothly.  We are a team.  With 3 1/2 weeks left until school and the busyness that comes with that - we needed an updated plan.  I combined this books suggestions with a list of age appropriate chores I found on Pinterest and our current system.  This is one example of what we all sat down, discussed and agreed upon.

Our girls have two lists -

1) What they are expected to do for their age group

2) What they do to receive a commission ($$)

Grace's list: (expected to do at age 8)

Clean room

Make bed

Mama and me journal

Practice Violin

Dirty clothes to the rolling hamper

Put clean clothes away

Feed Truman

Crate Truman each morning

Take her own shower without assistance

Homework

Make school snack

Make lunch

Grace's list: $$

Empty dishwasher

Take out the kitchen trash

Clean out the car

Clean girls bathroom vanity and mirror

The expected list is longer than the commission list but we're okay with that when they are doing it for the good of the family. 

I took these lists and typed them up.  My plan is to laminate them and hang them in their rooms so they can refer to them when needed.  They agreed to these lists and with that they will get paid every Sunday if completed. 

We will have to remind them to do some of these things, that is expected.  But the system we are using is tell them once, turn around and walk away.  If it gets done, GREAT! If it doesn't, without their knowledge assign it to their sister or do the job ourselves and either one of us will reap the reward come pay day.  His advice is to wait until pay day, when they notice they didn't get their normal amount they will question it.  He calls this their learning moment.  You explain that since they didn't choose to do the work, they shouldn't be paid for it.  Also explain when they don't complete their tasks it lets the family unit down and our team doesn't function correctly.  The author said in the beginning some of his techniques would hurt and seem mean but it will teach your children about respect, following through, team work etc... 

This is just one teachable moment from the book, there are many more we have yet to throw out there.  So many I ran out of book marks for the pages I wanted to go back and refer to.  :)  In reading it I've also found techniques that will help me in preschool with my class. 

So we're off and anxious to see improvement in our family unit, one technique at a time.

fall planning, being frugal, my pantry and freezer

I talked to a good California friend last week.  We both had fall on our minds.  We were also in the planning stages of compiling lists of new recipes and reading up on how to be even more frugal with our grocery purchases.  I checked out this book from the library, the author is a local living in St. Charles MO.  I read through it, some of her ideas I already knew, some were ones I noted.  One thing she kept going back to is making things from scratch.  I do this with some things but on others I look to the stores for help.  She talked about making your own pizza sauce, pancake syrup and yogurt. 

We eat alot of yogurt around here and while she says "it's easy" to make I am a little intimidated by it. Not sure I will try that one just yet but here are the other two recipes I thought I would share:

Pizza sauce

2-8 ounce cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 T Italian Seasoning

Honey or sugar to taste. 

I cut the recipe in half because I needed only enough sauce for one pizza.  2 - 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce makes alot.  I added very little sugar and I think I will leave it out next time since the ketchup already has sugar in it.  Overall it was good, the girls and Art all gave it a thumbs up.

Pancake syrup

{notice she didn't call it maple syrup}

3 cups brown sugar

1-1/2 cups water

*Bring to a boil, stirring  until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in:

1 tsp. vanilla

Serve cold or hot

My mom makes her own but I believe she adds maple extract instead of vanilla.  I have not tried it yet, it seems like a huge amount of sugar that I might have to cut in half and see.

I found a pizza dough recipe that I am going to try and freeze. It makes six ten inch pizzas.  I currently purchase dough at Trader Joes.

Homemade Pizza Dough

2 cups of warm water

1 packet of dry active yeast (1/4 ounce or 2 1/4 tsp.)

5 cups of bread flour {I think I might half and half with whole wheat flour)

1 T of sugar

1 t of salt

1 t garlic powder (optional)

2 T of olive oil

Combine ingredients in a bowl, pour out onto surface and knead the dough until it is combined.  Place in bowl, lined with olive oil.  Place a towell over the bowl and place in a warm spot to rise.  Depending on the spot, let it rise, checking on it from time to time.  Once it has doubled in size, knead again and break into pizza dough balls.  Wrap balls in plastic wrap, place in freezer bags and freeze. 

Art and I are testing our abilities to eat out of our pantry and freezer for the next two weeks.  With the exception of everyday items, like milk, fresh fruits, veggies....we will be only be eating what we already have.  I created a meal plan around it and so far, so good.  I like that we are working on it together and in turn cutting down on our grocery bill. 

I had a borders gift card burning a hole in my pocket so I was able to pick up this book this past weekend.  Haven't had a chance to go through it yet.  I follow her blog and heard rave reviews for it.  On a side note, the author feeds a family of 12, 10 kids from three different countries, WOW!

On eating out of my pantry this week.  On the menu was spaghetti.  I didn't have traditional spaghetti noodles but instead these shells.  So I altered it, kids loved the shells and pretended they were mermaids during dinner. 

clutter ideas and new chores {part 2}

I had a friend ask me about the chore chart I mentioned in my June 23rd post.  Here it is @ 320 Sycamore. 

clutter ideas and new chores

I feel like I've tried them all.  Ways to keep up with the clutter and toys that come out on a daily basis.

I've tried the Saturday box a MOPS Mentor Mom told me about.  When her kids were growing up if they didn't pick up their toys when asked it went into the Saturday box.  That meant it stayed in that box until Saturday and could not be removed and played with until then.  This worked for her and her kids.  My kids, didn't seem to bother them that the toy was off limits.

Make it a game.  Been there, done it.  No matter how many times you play and sing the Barney song, they catch on pretty quickly as they get older and the excitement fades.

Four o'clock shuffle.  I've heard it called many things but I thought four o'clock shuffle was the catchiest.  My friend had heard from another that each day at 4:00 p.m. her kids clean up from the days events.   I tired this but found it didn't fit our schedule, we were just getting home at this time with tired, cranky kids who wanted to just chill before being asked to do anything. I knew it wasn't going to work the first day I tried it.

This is my latest attempt. I call it the put away basket (creative I know). It sits behind a chair in our living room. If Grace and Sarah have pulled out games or big toy sets they are expected to put them away before the end of the night. This basket is for those stray things that accumulate and make their way under the couch, on the floor, in our bedroom etc... When it is full I set it in their hallway, it blocks the hallway as a reminder to clean up. So far it has worked, they do it with less moaning and I don't have to nag them on a daily basis. It sits there, they know it needs to be done and they do it. 

Chores!  These are the latest ones we have added to the lists. 

Sarah has started to make her own bed, this is not what we consider a chore.  It is a part of life.  She's four now which means she can handle more responsibility, the bed being one and the latest is once a week making sure toilet paper and back up rolls are in each bathroom.  Ever have the need for tp when all is gone?  This happens at our house.  She now goes to each bathroom and checks the dispenser as well as the back up stored in the bathroom.  She's enjoys doing it, I've seen toilet paper rolls rolling down the hallway.  She makes it fun.

A new one for both is helping me sort laundry, fold and put it away. They both have fun diving into the pile before we sort.  Grace has been putting away her clothes for awhile now but sorting and folding is new to her, she does well with it.  Sarah needs a little help in the folding department but she knows where everything goes and helps me put it away. 

I found a chore reminder chart on a blog a couple of weeks ago.  I tweaked it and made it work for us.  I adapted it to our morning routine.  With summer the routine is calm and less rushed but I've found with the chart we are getting things done.  The chart has their morning routine listed on it, I printed it on cardstock and had it laminated. With each chore there is a clothesline clip that gets clipped on as each chore is done.  When they complete it they can play.  I sit it at their breakfast spot since eating is the first thing on the list.  They go from there.  I got tired of feeling like I was barking out the same orders morning after morning.  It has helped.

I like the idea of starting new things in the summer.  That way we can work out the kinks or try a different approach before fall starts and things get crazy. 

it's not rocket science ny

I am a person who runs on a schedule.

I have a cleaning schedule.

I have a laundry schedule.

I have a menu schedule.

I don't normally deviate from them because they are ingrained in me. I even have reminders of these schedules on my iphone {I know it's sad}. It's how I operate and survive. So to go and change one of these schedules is a big deal. Even though I don't like change I do like to hear how other Mom's tackle their "schedules." I have heard it many times, either by friends, read it on other Mom blogs the idea to do a load of laundry each night {see I told you wasn't rocket science}. My scheduled days to do laundry are Wednesdays and Sundays. I've found that I dread these days because of this schedule, it's overwhelming and takes FOREVER! Plus it cuts into family weekend time. So now, each night I will do a load and I've even taken it another step further {at least for me}. I used to do the girls laundry all together, making matching socks such a joy! Now I do GM's laundry one day, SK's the other. Again this is not rocket science and I feel silly not thinking it through before. It is working, it is more manageable. I start a load at night, move it over to the dryer the next morning and fold/put away after the girls are in bed that night. It's working, change is good, wish I was quicker to realize it :).
I'm learning as I go.

daily organization

I got this organizer a couple of years ago on clearance. I love how it makes mine and GM's life easy. Every Sunday after doing loads of laundry, I look at GM's schedule and fill it up with clothes for each day of the week. I include underwear and socks. Grace goes to it every week morning, pulls down the outfit for the day. Simple. Little did I know there was another positive to it until GM pointed it out. She was using it as a learning tool, learning how to spell the days of the week. Simple bonus!

chop chop with no tears

I usually don't buy into "As Seen On TV" products but when I saw my parents using this one, I wanted one too. I cook with onions and the thing I hate the most about them is the tears {sob..sob}! I don't see how the food network stars make it through a segment without crying. I've heard if you freeze the onion it will help in keeping the tears to a minimum, TRIED IT - didn't work for me! Maybe I am extra sensitive to it? Any-who I found this under my tree Christmas morning from my sweet girls. I've already used it for chili and chicken noodle soup. LOVE IT! Talk about simplifying. Chop! Chop! That's it, you are done, no tears!

It must have caught on because now Williams and Sonoma has one for more $$.

Can't wait to use it some more.

simple at $6.50

I was {crazily} out shopping for after Christmas sales and came upon this. It was only $6.50 at Wally. I had to have it. I was so excited to put it in my cart. Art thought I had gone loopy {maybe a little}.

Every year when I put those precious, cherished breakable ornaments away I say a pray that they will make their way back onto my tree the new year.

This container is great. It holds the ball ornaments perfectly. I even added in some of the other breakable ornaments that aren't necessarily round. I wrapped them up in Wal-Mart plastic bags {you know the ones you have a ton of, recycle - reuse} and placed them in the holes. Perrrrrfect!

AND when putting it away with all the other Christmas decor it not only protects but it fits in those small un-used areas we had on the shelves in our basement {Art loved that one!}.

One problem though. I only bought one and now figure that I need 2 more to complete all the ornaments on my tree. Art saw my excitement and said he would run into town and get me two more {even though he looked exhausted}. Although very sweet of him to offer, I told him not to worry, I would get more next year. I had accomplished what I wanted for now, at least with the breakable ornaments.

I love when simple things make our lives simple. Simple at $6.50. Wow!

{btw - they are made by sterilite in case you want one yourself}

like this...

For all my friends who love binders and organization like I do, here you go, take a read...

http://memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-rules.html

This is great, think I will give it a try. In fact this weekend I picked up the latest Pottery Barn catalog, found an idea for the future. Have the binder, the idea, now to get it all put together. Another project on the to do list :-).

Motherly advice {part 1}

With Mother's Day coming up I thought I would share some favorite things about my Mom. One of the many blessings she gives me is her advice on childcare, cooking, cleaning, health, friendships, prayer, the bible, LIFE! After becoming a mother myself I am amazed at the thought of raising 4 kids like my parents did. How did they do it? I will pass this simple piece of advice onto you, it was one of those "duh" and "what a revelation" moments for me.

It is about cleaning, keeping a house going. Are you ready.....

AN EMPTY DISHWASHER! {told you it was simple}

Every night before bed she would empty her dishwasher so she could be ready to put the breakfast dishes in as they came along. See, so simple but yet very effective on a rushed morning! So go forth and empty those dishwashers! You will be so glad you did come morning!