Filing aka. Hiding the Mess

This time of year always finds me filing. I love to be organized, although you wouldn't know it by looking at my kitchen counters on most days.

I like the newness of taking all of last years bills and financial statements, boxing them up and having them ready and waiting for tax day. More than that, I like to put all of our school documents back in order. It gives me time to look at our accomplishments and know that really, we have made progress - it is easier to see it in hindsight. It also gives me a chance to compare where we are to my original goals for the year and tweak things as needed.

This year I decided that we need more handwriting practice and fun games to help with my daughter's visual processing problems. Easy fix.

I have some serious organizational challenges though. I know, I know - join the club right?

• First - We are home almost ALL of the time, pulling things out, using them, and simply doing life. I can tidy, but things won't stay that way for long.
• Second - We need to do school from here, which means that we have many books and supplies that need to be accessed every day, but they are plain ugly to look at and need to be kept hidden away.
• Third - We have a toddler in the house. Enough said.

In a perfect world, I would have empty floors, countertops and desks. I don't even really like most decorations. I'm not technically a minimalist because it is just too modern for me, but empty surfaces are my preference, even if they aren't my reality.

So, with 3 kids I am finding myself needing to find ways to organize myself and keep all of our supplies hidden at the same time. Here are a few of my favorite tools:

My kitchen - I know, the kitchen isn't a tool, it is a room, but in our house it functions as our school room on most days. We have a real school room upstairs, but it is just too far removed from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. My husband was thoughtful enough to add a few hidden spaces for our kids, which are almost as fun as his MacGyver Cabinet. A chalkboard is under a decorative cabinet door (on the non-functional end of my counter) and a magnet board is under another. These will be something we outgrow eventually, but for now they keep "treasures" handy but out of sight.

I keep my calendar inside an upper cabinet door, and a clipboard holding my grocery list and other to-do items inside another, so we can simply close the door on lots of our mess. In addition, I decided to sacrifice some cabinet space to my schooling sanity. Canned goods and any specialty dishes were all moved to the basement. In their place I keep the kids books (math, phonics) and the manuals that I will need every day. Our audiobooks and CD player are hidden in a lower cabinet, right beside my laminator and paper cutter. Neat and easy access.

Ottomans - Yeah, I know these aren't technically filing tools either, but they are great for hiding messes and they function as extra seating at the same time. I have 3 and they are all full of our supplies. One contains our binders and books, another has math manipulatives, and the third contains files for our upcoming units with lap-book elements, project supplies and any printouts that I need, all organized theme. In fact, one of these ottomans is right by our front door and I've never had a single person peek inside. (Okay now that I posted that I know some of you are dying to open up all of the ottomans in my house - go for it. Why not.)

Binders - Workbook pages (you know, the dreaded math and language arts) are all pulled out of their bindings, 3 hole punched, and put into a binder. I hand the kids the top page, and when they return it I put it immediately in the back of the book. In January I cull the excess and then at the end of the school year I have them help me choose their best work and we toss all but a few samples. I try really hard to not allow myself to have a "to be filed" category anywhere. It either has a home at the end of the day, or I toss it. Period.

So it isn't unusual to find me in a pile of papers, binders, and files during the month of January, attempting to make my life a bit more organized, but this ... well this is ridiculous:

I swear I didn't stage this photo. The dog just jumped in all by herself, spun in a circle and looked as if she was ready to settle in for a long nap. I don't know why. She is a strange little thing - cute but strange. Seriously, why would I file the dog with our homeschool materials?

Everyone knows that dogs go in the personal files!

Another First

I can't believe it.

He waited a year and a half.

The man is patient.

Our oldest two they crossed this accomplishment off of their list of "firsts" within a week or so of birth, but my youngest was born in April. Then she had trouble gaining weight and regulating her temperature properly (purple arms are kinda' scary), so he had to wait another whole year.

Finally!

Baby's first time out skiing.

That's one happy Dad.

The popcorn salesman had a pretty good day too.

Pretty Hair

I love complicated hairstyles. I always have. Wasting an hour curling, braiding, pinning or finding ways to otherwise "fancify" hair is one of the advantages of being a girl.

I remember the day I learned to french braid. I was in the back of a friend's van (without seat belts or even proper chairs now that I think about it - sheesh I had forgotten that) and we were amusing ourselves on the long drive to her house. I had always loved her beautifully braided hair and I wanted her to do mine, but she could only braid on her own head - it turned out upside down when she tried to do my hair. So instead, I spent the next 2 hours watching her braid her own hair over and over again and attempting to do the same. I think it took me those entire two hours, but eventually I got it, and I never looked back.

Everyday hair is fairly simple in our house; a ponytail or just a basic brush through are the norm, but holidays are something very different. Holidays are special. All of those parties, events, and get-togethers just scream out for something different.

Now that I have two little girls (and have cut my own hair to above my shoulders), I have fewer opportunities to do my own hair, but I have added the fun of doing their hair instead. Even the baby gets fancy hair,

but I have learned to take her hair-twirling habit into consideration. This look had to be altered immediately after I took this photo because she wanted needed more hair to play with.

The girls seem to have picked up my hair fascination. The little one begs for her hair to be combed and thinks that the word "pretty" refers only to hair. If you say "Oh, you look pretty today," to her, you will immediately see her tiny hand fly up to touch her hair ribbon and her little head nod up and down agreeing with you that yes, in fact, her ribbons are pretty.

My oldest is in the more-is-better stage of hair design which, I have to say, is one of the CLASSIC growing up stages for little girls. I remember entertaining my sisters and torturing my father with excess hair ribbons. If you know my dad, you know just how not-him it is to have hair ribbons being clipped in his hair by giggly girls. He endured us with style.

(The kids were getting ready to put on a play

and decided that baby needed a princess costume.

This look, to little girls, screams princess...)

With all of this attention to hair bathroom space is going to be very valuable when my girls get to be teens. Maybe I should begin warning my son now. That stage isn't going to be pretty at all.

Can my 1 year old read?

Have you ever noticed how some things are meant to be? The stars align, paths converge, and the plans you have work out so seamlessly that you have to look twice and pinch yourself to make sure that you aren't dreaming.

About a month ago I wrote “Potty train baby” on my calendar for the week after Christmas. Baby has always hated a dirty diaper and she notifies us the instant it is damp. In addition, she has been very curious about the toilet for the past 2 months, so the slow week after Christmas seemed like a perfect fit.

Then we had our entire family hit hard by a virus and 3 of us had subsequent infections, including my poor little baby. So, in the interest of keeping life balanced, I decided to give her a break and postpone my plans.

BUT

Monday morning (yup, the same morning with the words “Potty Train Baby” written on the calendar - you'd think the kid could read) baby toddled up to me and signed diaper, but said “Potty” loud and clear. She then grabbed my hand and started running toward the bathroom. Who can say no to that?

That was several days ago. She has been diaper free (during awake hours) ever since, and is doing great! We have had to mop up a couple of puddles, but nothing really to speak of. In fact, she has been dry for the last 18 hours and is now napping in her big girl panties, but just for the record, I emptied the washing machine expecting that she will wake suddenly and I won't be able to move fast enough for her.

If this was my first child I would say that I have the entire potty training thing figured out. THANKS GOODNESS she is my third. This is her game, not mine. She is the one potty training herself. I'm just along for the ride. (not a bad ride so far)

Gotta’ love a girl who knows what she wants . . . and one who does it on Mommy’s schedule is even better.

I'm still wondering if she peeked at my calendar though.

Warm Comforting Friendly Chocolate

If someone offered you free chocolate you'd accept. I know you would. Don't try to tell me any different. I wasn't born yesterday.

Hershey recently sponsored a cookie exchange promotion - and they sent me free chocolate to share with my friends. I know! Everyone wants to be my friend now! Chocolate is the best!

Check out the fun time we had! The kids made some gingerbread aprons to wear to the swap. You just have to have the proper attire for such an event don't you know.

We put cute little stickers onto the recipe cards that Hershey included and gave them out as invitations. Then we spent a fun afternoon baking up these yummy chocolate-spice sugar cookies. The picture doesn't do them justice. They tasted better than that. I promise.

We set up a few games and a craft area for the kids. They loved these simple paper bag gingerbread houses. Not only was it a fun craft, but the finished product made great gift bags to fill with cookies and deliver to neighbors later on.

We got together to swap and chat, but most importantly - EAT. All those yummy cookies had to be sampled. Our neighbors in the karate studio, mortgage agency, and fire department were all pretty happy with our "left-overs" too.

Christmas cookies have got to be one of the greatest traditions ever. What other holiday has people busy baking for days on end with the specific intent of giving away most of what they create?

So now, that I have spent so much time baking and thinking about chocolate I am completely distracted with the thought of going on vacation this summer. I know - totally off topic - but it will make sense in a minute, I promise.

My husband's cousin is getting married in PA this summer and we have already decided that we will take a family vacation at the same time. Hooray! (Cue tinkling memory music) I remember taking a family trip to PA when I was a kid. We visited the Amish country, saw deer (deer! Deer! DEER! - family joke, sorry) and went to, what will forever live in my memory as the greatest amusement park ever, Hershey Park. Now, I know that most everyone will say that Disney is better, but I don't know anything better than Hershey. The town has street lights shaped like kisses, lots of fun rides, and it smells like chocolate - honest, the whole town! Since that trip years ago, anytime I smell chocolate (like while I was baking those cookies above) I think of our fun time at Hershey Park and get that warm smushy feeling inside. Sooo...

I can't wait to share my love of Hershey with this little one and her big kid siblings. Candy stores, chocolate museums, amusement parks, zoos. What's not to love about a town dedicated to chocolate?

I wonder if Hershey will have a vacation promotion? If so, I'm signing up!

* Full disclosure - As I stated above, I received supplies from Hershey, but they did not require my promotion of their product and no other compensation was received. It's just simply hard not to talk about free stuff - especially chocolate. Yum!

Silent night - and day too

I have come down with a nasty virus that has left me with laryngitis. I can't speak.

I can barely squeak.

My poor husband needed to know that it was bedtime for the kids so, knowing that my voice is weird, I tried to scream it at him - he didn't even turn around. When I got up and walked the 4 feet I needed to cross to get to him I still had to speak in my "screaming" voice. He cocked his head and looked at me with a big question mark hanging above his head. His expression then turned to sympathy - then laughter. He understood what I needed, but I obviously looked like a crazy lady hollering in his face without making more than a whisper of a sound.

This is not the time of year to loose your voice.

• I can't sing carols in the car with the kids while we bustle about finishing up our holiday errands.
• I can't read all of those wonderful christmas books that we save for just this time of year.
• I can't participate in choir at church, which is performing on Sunday. So not happening.
• I can't do all of the wonderful holiday devotions that we started at the beginning of Advent.
• I can't teach - which the kids don't seem to mind.
• I can't even say an intelligible "thank you" to the cashier at the grocery store.

Maybe God is telling me something.

"Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Being still is not something I excel at. Sadly, this is especially true at this time of year. I am more of a mover, accomplisher, organizer, and planner. Hmm... I guess the best way to say it is that I am a controller. I think that the more I can get done on my own, the better life will be. No, I am not still enough. God is in control and I am not. He has plans that are better than mine and right now his plan is that I will have more time to practice listening to him for a while.

So if you see a crazy lady turning red from exertion and mouthing something in your direction, lean close. You might hear me whispering you a very heartfelt "Merry Christmas."

Maverick

This little independent soul cracks me up. Honestly, I think he may be the funniest person I have ever met - or at least a close second to his daddy.

He dresses like this on a regular basis; lots of accessories; neatly pressed and matching; too cute. Now, just to keep things real, he also dresses like a mess at times too, but his general preference is to create an attention grabbing "look" of some kind. Often this includes a tie - more often it includes two or three ties and several additional accessories. This trend started well over a year ago and it has only gotten snazzier. I have caught him holding his socks up in his closet trying to find just the right green shirt to match them, or digging frantically through his underpants drawer because "these just aren't my style." Not that anyone else will be seeing his underpants, but to him this is important anyway.

His independent nature is beginning to show itself beyond his clothing now and he has begun to develop a young entrepreneurial spirit. Working all the angles to come up with a way to make money (to replace the $10 he lost after intentionally poking holes in my screen) is his new pass-time. Right now he is working on becoming a professional light bulb changer. He has asked permission to borrow his daddy's ladder, and is constantly on the lookout for jobs from family & friends. He hasn't yet found a customer beyond me, but he has figured out that lightbulb changing isn't lucrative unless there is a "minimum charge" (his words) and then a per/bulb "additional fee" (again, his words). I guess all those commercials that he recites word for word have rubbed off.

This guy is dangerous with advertising. We don't allow much TV, but any commercial that he sees is immediately memorized and believed hook, line, and sinker. Just yesterday he woke up and came downstairs complaining of back pain. I immediately turned into crazy protective Momma and started asking him all sorts of medical questions. "Did you fall down?" "Where does it hurt most?" "Can you bend like this?" Well, 200 questions and a heart attack later I finally got to the bottom of his medical mystery when he started quoting the commercial for a sleep number bed and saying that we needed to buy one so that it could "eliminate" his back pain. My reply, "Uh, no. No new bed for you, but good memorization skills kid."

He really is quite the self motivated and unfettered child. This funny boy is going places, but where that is, I just can't imagine!