Monday, November 22, 2010

Lists and Schedules

I've started journaling on a regular basis so I have a hard time wanting to repeat myself in a blog. In my journal I can be as open and honest as I want because no one is reading it (at least until I'm dead and my kids/grandkids are curious) but here I always have to censor myself to a point.

Anyway, things are really wonderful around here. I've settled into my three-kids groove and have most everything under control. (Which, I hate to admit, I love...I'm such a control freak. ) The house stays basically clean (aside from a few piles here and there), the kids are happy and well-fed, and my husband is content. <-- THAT is what I call being a successful homemaker. For a while I was struggling to find a good way to keep track of everything that needed to get done...I was writing notes on the fridge to myself, but I was having to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, every day and that was getting annoying. Then Life As Mom (Google her blog, I'm too lazy to link it) released her home organization e-book and I spent the $9 to download it. It's not a perfect fit for me, but it's pretty darn close. She has all sorts of different charts and calendars and lists you can pick between and figure out what works best for you. I'm kind of playing with a few of them right now but I love that I didn't have to format a document myself and I can just print out as many as I need. Totally worth the $9. I'm not one of those people that does well on a schedule (9am, breakfast; 10am, dishes; etc.) but I do really well with lists...just an overall plan for my day. And so far it's been going really well. I still forget things ocassionally, but that's usually when I think of something and then tell myself I'll write it down later (when we all know that thoughts like that fly out of our minds almost immediately).

My oldest is turning three on Friday. It's really crazy how fast time flies. I've been working with her on some basic preschool concepts recently...just colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. She does all right, but I still need to work on my patience. The other day I was trying to get her to differentiate between a triangle, circle, and a square. She could get two out of the three every time but she could never remember the third. Even repeating myself fifteen times in a row could not get that third shape into her head. She's smart; I think she just has a hard time focusing.

Speaking of Shiphrah, she's having her "rest time" on the couch next to me right now and she looks sleepy enough to actually doze off so I'd better stop typing and see if she will.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Nothing much...

Still pretty congested and snotty over here. And Kirk has broken out in a pimply rash so either it's the dreaded chicken pox (which I think is unlikely because no one they've been around has it, but hubby is paranoid) or just the end of whatever virus is working it's way through them. Hoping it's just the latter because they're still a little young to develop the chicken pox immunity.

Kirk and Ronnie are napping and Shiphrah is reading quietly on the couch. She's been fighting naps again lately so this time we may be done for good. I'm still going to attempt a "quiet time" for her but she rarely falls asleep anywhere but her own bed and I'm not willing to put her in the bedroom because she has a tendency to climb into Kirk's crib and wake him up.

I have a load of laundry going but I'm worry the washing machine is about to bite the dust. The knob is really messed up and I think it's going backwards now. I *think* it's filling for the rinse cycle right now but I need to go and check on it in a few minutes to make sure. If it is broken, I may talk Avery into investing in a new washer/dryer set. We've been buying sets off of Craiglist every time they break but it's getting ridiculous...each set seems to be averaging only about 6 months to a year of good use. Unfortunately we don't have any money saved up for a new set, so I don't know.

I am so sleepy right now. I need to sit down and read my Bible but I'm afraid I'll fall asleep. Maybe I'll eat something first...that usually seems to help.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Getting into a groove

So sorry for the lack of blog posts recently. But taking care of a husband, three kids under three, two pets, and a 987 sq. ft. house can be a teensy bit time-consuming. However, praise God and knock on wood, I have finally found a groove! It's not perfect by any means and things still get left by the wayside, but I seem to have figured out how to take care of almost everything without leaving kids hungry, laundry unwashed, or an unhappy husband. So may I say again, praise God!

Unfortunately this week we're all sick. Shiphrah started with a runny nose on Monday and despite hoping it was just allergies it turned into a full-blown cold a day later. Then my throat started hurting Tuesday evening and Kirk's nose started running on Wednesday. Now the three of us are a mess of snotty noses, congested sinuses, and yucky coughs. Thankfully little Ronnie seems okay so far and Daddy has mostly avoided the cold as well. I'm hoping we'll be feeling much better by Sunday because we have a friend's birthday party that I'd hate to miss.

Let's see...a few weeks ago I stepped waaay out of my comfort zone and gave a presentation for a local MOPS group. I talked for about half an hour about honoring God and family through frugal living and it went really well. The ladies were all really sweet and some seemed very interested in what I was saying. It was also a great MOPS group and if it weren't across town during rush hour traffic, I'd love to join. I still might because I really need to get plugged in somewhere, but we'll see.

I also turned 27 (gasp!) a week ago. Avery surprised me by taking a half day from work and making reservations at a nice restaurant down on the Riverwalk. His family watched the munchkins and we had a really nice evening to ourselves. He also rode his bike to Wal-Mart that morning to pick me up a dozen roses, which is what he had done for another special occasion about five years ago...the first time he said "I love you." My birthday gift was a very nice set of kitchen knives (since I constantly complain about how fast mine go dull) and my in-laws bought me a set of Corelle dishes. It was a wonderful birthday!

And now it's on to other celebrations. Shiphrah turns THREE (I can't believe it!) on the day after Thanksgiving and we're having a pancake breakfast with some friends and family to celebrate. And of course we have Thanksgiving and then a ski trip with my family for Christmas (so excited about that!).

Well, all three kids are miraculously down for a nap so I'm going to fold some laundry and then read my Bible. Have a great Friday, everyone! ♥