Yep, I still sew!

 

I took a really long break from sewing after the Kids Clothing Week Challenge. And, I just haven't put any proof that I did anything that week, but here is one, the market skirt. I told Little Belle to look off to the side and look mischevious. I love her.

Back to the Chalkboards (errrr...white boards)

If you remember from this post, I did not set out on this mom journey with the overwhelming desire to stay home. As a teacher I always thought that I really could kind of get the best of both worlds as I would have decent hours as well as some breaks and summers off to be with my kids. But, God had other plans when Mr. Van Dyke landed a new job in a new city, and I left mine in the middle of a wheat field in Kansas.
Job opportunities came up, but I never felt a huge desire to leave staying home with Little Belle in order to pursue that particular job until there was a 7th grade L.A. opening in a district that really is where I wanted to be. After subbing in a couple districts I knew this is where I wanted to be, and after teaching 7th grade I knew this was an age that I loved. I got a call to come interview, and my stomach instantly turned in to knots. What would I do about my little girl?
I started to pray, and seek some wisdom from friends and family. One of those people sent me this:
In thinking about your decision, I reviewed some notes I had from a book called Let Your Life Speak. The title is an old Quaker saying that means that we should listen to our life and what it is telling us about who we are. We wonder, "what am I meant to do?" He mentions Frederick Buechner who defines vocation as "the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need." We should start with our true nature, what brings us joy, and move toward the needs of the world. For guidance we should pay attention to the way that seems open and the way that seems closed. God asks us to honor our created nature, our limits as well as potentials. "One dwells with God by being faithful to ones nature. One crosses God by trying to be something one is not."

While I AM a mom, I really don't think God created me to be a stay-at-home mom. Don't get me wrong. The time spent with Little Belle over the course of this past couple of years has been beyond precious. I've learned all of these things and the list goes on, but God was opening a door for me and closing another. One thing I believe God was teaching our family was definitely that money doesn't buy happiness. When we first moved back I felt pressure to get a job in order to stay on top of our finances, but the longer I stayed home wanting to teach was not at all about money. Sure it's nice, and now we'll be able to afford to do things with Little Belle that we weren't able to do before, but that wasn't a factor in the decision at all.

My stomach was in knots at the beginning of last week, but as the days progressed and the interview came closer, I had made up my mind. If I was offered the job, I would accept it. Other factors helped like knowing where Olivia would go while I was teaching and having a supportive husband who truly wants me to be happy.

So, with all of this said, I was offered a 7th/8th grade Language Arts position in the city that we live, and I accepted without hesitation.. All of the puzzle pieces have now come together, and I couldn't be more excited about this new challenge.

This means that come August my blogging will be quite infrequent and maybe a little different, but I do plan to continue to craft and sew, discipline and love my daughter, and read books, but I may have one or two funny stories about my students to throw in there as well.

The Ministry of Motherhood (Week 4)

"Positive words act as water and sunshine to our souls to help them grow strong."
--Sally Clarkson

uplift
motivate
boost confidence
provide an anchor of hope
carry you through times of doubt
provide:
love
strength
comfort
encouragement
hope
faith
forgiveness

These are ALL of the things that encouraging words can do (and then some). This chapter was a definite reminder that the power of my words is great.

The final "grace" chapter touched on the power of God's forgiveness and how we can pass that on to our kids. I love how Clarkson writes how extending grace and forgiveness to our kids gives them a living example of the forgiveness that God extends to us, but it sets them up for healthy relationship in their future. How important is it to humble ourselves when we've done something wrong in the eyes of our friends and family, too? Our kids definitely need to start this process early in life in order to carry it out in future relationships. Can you imagine a middle school girl who is in a scuffle with a friend, and she recognizes her mistakes and asks for forgiveness? I wonder if that might just pave the way for a life-long friendship and a lot less heartache.

Both of these final "grace" chapters reminded me of some steps in correcting Little Belle's behavior that I don't always do. I don't always reassure her with uplifting and encouraging words. Using this kind of language is definitely easier to do when things are going "well". But, it is so important for me to be very aware of what I say to her at the end of disciplining her. She needs to always leave feeling encouraged and forgiven. The words, "I forgive you, " don't often come out of my mouth when dealing with Little Belle, but they certainly need to.

The Ministry of Motherhood (Week 3)

You can read this on Jess's blog, too, but I'll rewrite some information from Sally's introduction to provide a little bit of a guide for how her book is outlined. She tries to think about parenting within the following acronym:

G represents the gift of grace (model grace so that our kids will, too)
I represents the gift of inspiration (viewing life in the context of God's purpose)
F represents the gift of faith (teaching and modeling faith)
T represents the gift of training (moving a child's character and habits toward God)
S represents the gift of service (ability to minister God's grace and truth to others)

Sally Clarkson begins with the gift of grace. What hit me hardest about her first two chapters was modeling Jesus's "unbreakable bond of a loving, serving relationship".

1 Peter 4:8 says, "Above all love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins." To me this is a call to give myself some grace. I am human. I will not parent perfectly, and that's o.k. However, I can provide my kids with a love that would cover a multitude of my mistakes as a parent. I love the concept of "loving well". Loving well means that I am patient, kind, and not easily angered. If I can provide this type of love to my kids then they will be more inclined to pay this type of love and GRACE forward to others.

Sally writes, "Only then, once the wells of their needs are filled with the grace of being loved, will my words to them about God's grace finally make sense."

I often migrate to the quick fixes. If she does THIS then I do ____. Clarkson reminds us that we serve our children best by providing them with loving discipline, BUT this relationship must come first. I have to be patient when Little Belle wants to read this SAME book over and over and over and over and over. To her it's about spending time with me, and sometimes I figure out ways for her to do some of these things independently. If I continue to foster this relationship now, then perhaps when she's 13 and actually wanting to spend time with me I will be very grateful for that time spent now.

Check out what Jessica at Who Left the Light On? had to say about the first two chapters of The Ministry of Motherhood.

The Ministry of Motherhood (Week 2)

Dog ate my homework? My sister spilled her milk on my paper? My printer ran out of ink when I went to print my assignment this morning? (my favorite.) I loved the reasons why my kiddos didn't have their papers and projects done on time. I tried to give them some grace knowing that I'm not always perfect and some things happen that are out of our control. So I'm guilty this time. I ordered the book on half.com the day after Jess informed me of the book club, it shipped last week, but it's not here yet. So, I've kept up with the scripture reading, but will have to play catch up with the book reading. Shoot!


I have been very encouraged with the scripture reading. I LOVE that it is one or two verses a day to digest. I tend to be the type to read the entire [insert type of document here] and then don't give myself time to process thus learning and remembering very little.

In week one I was especially drawn to the verse in 2 Timothy 1: 5 where Paul is reassured by Timothy's ability to lead because his grandmother and mother have such a sincere faith that they have passed down to Timothy. I really, REALLY can have a huge impact on the lineage Kipp and I have created. Sometimes I just naively think Little Belle will turn out just fine if I have all of my parenting tricks up my sleeve ready to be whipped out in time of need. I know in my head how important it is for me to set a good example, and that my everyday language, choices, and reactions are what will primarily make or break a great lineage.

The subsequent verses in our daily reading have been about some part of this concept that it's really MY character that will influence the character of my children. "Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." Well, some days I don't want Little Belle to be like her teacher (me), and that's no good. "A wise woman builds her house with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." I don't want to be foolish! "Her children arise and calls her blessed; her husband also praises her." Whoa. I want my kids to look back on their experience "under my wing" and be encouraged by the type of woman that raised them.

And, this type of woman is wise. These verses about being wise were in perfect timing with a sermon at church that discussed what it meant to be wise.
--Pure
--Peace-loving
--Considerate
--Submissive
--Merciful/good fruit
--Impartial
--Sincere

This is great. Sometimes I think of a wise person as being insanely smart. A person doesn't have to be smart to be able to love people impartially. To treat all people with dignity and respect and truly love them despite what they bring to the table.

Remember Jessica at Who Left the Light On? is also reading through the study and posting her thoughts. In the words of Mamma Odie in Princess and the Frog (yeah, I've seen it once or twice), "Oooooo, this is gone be goooooood!"

Book It! : Bossypants by Tina Fey

I finished another book on my list of books to finish before 2012. Bossypants by Tina Fey was an excellent and quick read. I love comedy, and I especially love women in comedy. Molly Shannon has always been my favorite simply because of her light-hearted, goofy characters. However, Kristin Wig, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey are also on my list of favorites.
The overall theme of Tina's book was women in the "bossypants" role. She wrote about her experiences as a woman in comedy at The Second City in Chicago, then at SNL, and finally as the producer and creator of 30 Rock. Throughout her autobiography she comically touches on women and some of the junk we have to deal with as far as image goes. She writes this about photoshop: "Do I think photoshop is being used excessively? Yes. I saw Madonna's Louis Vuitton ad and honestly, at first glance, I thought it was Gwen Stefani's baby."

And, she also touches on being a working mom. Here is the advice she gives about getting "me time":
-Go to the bathroom a lot
-Offer to empty the dishwasher
-Take ninety-minute showers. (If you only shower every three or four days, it will be easier to get away with this.)
-Say you're going to look for the diaper creme, then go into your child's room and just stand there until your spouse comes in and curtly says, "What are you doing?"
-Stand over the sink and eat the rest of your child's dinner while he or she pulls at your pant leg asking for it back.
-Try to establish that you're the only one in your family allowed to go to the post office.
-"Sleep when your baby sleeps." Everyone knows this classic tip, but I say why stop there? Scream when your baby screams. Take Benadryl when your baby takes Benadryl. And, walk around pantless when your baby walks around pantless.
-Read! When your baby is finally down for the night, pick up a juicy book like Eat, Pray, Love or Pride and Prejudice, or my personal favorite Understanding Sleep Disorders: Narcolepsy and Apnea; A Clinical Study. Taking some time to read each night really taught me how feign narcolepsy when my husband asked me what my "plan" was for taking down the Christmas tree.

The Ministry of Motherhood: an online book club (who knew?)

I've been trying to figure out how I can host a book club during the day and without kids. Kind of impossible. Last summer a couple of friends came over during the afternoon. Our girls napped upstairs while we discussed Same Kind of Different as Me. It was great, but probably not likely to happen again this summer.

When Jessica from Who Left the Light On? contacted me about this online "book club", I was thrilled. Perfect timing. We'll be reading through The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson and looking at some scripture that kind of goes along with the reading. I'm excited to be held accountable to read scripture and process it, read the book and blog about it, and ultimately grow as a mom, person, and daughter of the King. You all know that this stay-at-home mom gig wasn't what I had in mind, but the journey that we've gone through as a family has really been rewarding.

I love this: If you feel like a hamster on a wheel–you’re running, but you’re not getting anywhere–then The Ministry of Motherhood is for you! Sally Clarkson inspires us to step off that wheel and parent with purpose, not by adding something else to our hectic schedules but by bringing God into everything we do. With down-to-earth, practical examples, she shows us how we, too, can build disciples as we reach our children’s hearts. A very encouraging and easy-to-read book!
–Sheila Wray Gregoire, author of To Love, Honor, and Vacuum

You can read on Jess's blog that Good Morning Girls is hosting this lovely book club. Feel free to join in with comments, etc.! It's always great to come together and grow as women and moms.

I need a glass of wine (no, not WHINE)

At least it's after lunch.

And, the sad part is I was without Little Belle for 4 hours this mornings, but the MINUTE she sees me it's like she flips on her whiny switch. People who watch her tell me she's so sweet and listens and I'm SO thankful for that, but why do I get the short end of the stick? Me. The one who makes sure her snack cup is full, her drink is cold, and her toys are fun all the while looking like I just ran a marathon (which is how I feel).

I'm exhausted.

It seems like just about every other aspect of parenting I have had such confidence in what to do. If she is about to hurt herself or someone else (or does hurt someone else which rarely happens), we go to the chart, talk about the characteristics and if it continues she gets spanked (yep, we do that.) Or if it's blatant disobedience we do the same thing. But, with whining I canNOT come up with a consequence that will help it to stop. I don't feel justified in spanking her when she whines (although I'm to the point where I'm open to that idea). So, I've put her in a timeout. Last week she put HERSELF in a timeout. So, that must be affective. I've put her in her room, and she just screamed and screamed. I put her in her bed telling her she must be so tired if she's whining, and that was 2 hours ago. She's still up there kicking her bed, jumping in her bed, and making herself gag (seriously, who does that?).

And, let me describe the whining. It's not like she's whining to GET something. She's literally talking in a whiny voice. So, the obvious is to not give her something when she asks in a whiny voice, but that's not always the case. Sometimes she talks in a whiny voice and then smirks because she knows it drives me nuts.

I talk with her about whining like she's one of my 7th graders, so that clearly isn't going to register with her little 2 year old brain. It sure makes me feel better though, because I just pretend like she's comprehending all that I say.

With all of that said, I'm looking for ANY advice or tips to help me deal with this road block in parenting. I've been praying about it and praying about it, and it's time I solicit some advice from other moms (or dads) who have done something that seems to work. I know all kids are different, but I just need another tool to at least try.

Tot Trays

I love this "tot tray" idea found here, here, and here.

We started with our first tray today using beans ($1.20 for a small bag), some big cups, and small cups. First we worked on pouring (with the ultimate goal to be able to pour water without spilling) between the bigger cups. We then worked on pouring between the little cups. Finally, we poured between a big cup and a little cup. Little Belle did pretty well, but didn't quite catch on to concept that pouring from the big cup to the little cup means ALL of the beans don't go in, because the little cup doesn't hold as much as the big one. Good skills to learn!

We also did a little counting by putting the beans on that number sheet. We usually use raisins and then eat them, but beans worked just as well.



Then I got an ice cube tray and Little Belle put beans in the little holes using a spoon.




Little Belle came up with this activity all on her own. : ) Not sure what skill it's working on, but it was pretty funny. She held the ice cube tray on her head like a hat and then spooned beans into the holes. Now that's talent!



Overall, this was a great activity that kept us busy for 30-45 minutes. It was cheap, and Olivia liked being able to manipulate the beans (and sometimes making an intentional mess, but, hey, they're beans...not too messy).

Kid's Clothes Week Challenge

Elsie Marley is hosting a Kid's Clothes Week Challenge. She asks us to sew ONE HOUR per day for our kids. If you're anything like me, you have TONS of sewing "wants" on the docket. Unfortunately, the idea (and sometimes the supplies) is about as far as I get. It's time to finish up all of those started projects, and attempt some new ones in my crafty folder.

First Up: Dana's Warhol Dress

 

over at MADE
The Goodnow Hall t-shirt has a lot of memories for us. My husband worked there when we met, it was our first "home" as a married couple (someone arranged to put a sign in each window of the 6 story building that read "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Van Dyke when we got home from our wedding), and it's the "home" we brought our Little Belle to after she was born. I won't wear this t-shirt, but it's sure special that Little Belle can. I attempted this dress, but it didn't gather as much as it needed to on the top. I need to fix that and shorten it before she wears it.

And, I'd like to make another one out of this Cookie Monster shirt.

2nd: Diaper Cover (again, over at MADE)
Little Belle doesn't wear a diaper anymore (Yippeee!), but she still needs an occasionally diaper cover to hide all of those Dora's on her undies. I need a white one.

3rd: Lazy Days Skirt (free pattern from oliver + s)

4th: Dahlia Headband on kojodesigns

5th: The J.Crew inspired ruffly dress on kojodesigns

I'm going to stick to 5 things on my list to get done. As a beginner sewer things take me a bit longer than originally anticipated. BUT, if I get done with these projects. There are some others I'd like to try.
Big Girl's Romper
Dana's 90-minute shirt (I swear I've had these materials for almost a year now.)
The Shirt Dress I made one last year, but it didn't quite turn out the way I anticipated. I'm hoping for better luck on the second one.

If you're feeling ambitious. Sew along with the rest of us!

Categorizing

Isn't it a wonder why young adults categorize each other into "groups" when as children we encourage categorization? For example, I came up with this activity for Olivia to complete today. I sectioned off a basic piece of printer paper into four spaces. Then using my books of stickers (because ALL teachers have stickers, right?)I had Little Belle categorize various stickers. We started with the basic smiley face sticker and categorized by color. Then we branched out to animals, bugs, and finally ended with types of balls.
She loved playing with stickers, and categorizing ITEMS is a good skill to develop, I suppose.

A litle Easter sewing...

I LONG time ago I promised I would have this project done in a week. Whoops. I need to work on my deadlines. This was the first "real" pattern I've followed while sewing. I learned a lot, but man was that hard. This sucker has a LINING! I hope she appreciates it (nothin' like instilling a little guilt in your daughter!).

He is risen, indeed!

I just finished the Lineage of Grace series (on my list of books to read for this year). While I realize that while there is a lot of “fiction” in this genre, I still do love to read historical fiction. I think often times we study history (even in the Bible) and it’s hard to make it personalized. It’s hard to really get a sense for who the characters are. But, when I read historical fiction I appreciate that the author has taken an opportunity to explore the time period through the intimate details of a character and his/her life.
The final two books in Francine Rivers’s Lineage of Grace series looked at Bathsheba and Mary’s role in fulfilling the coming of the Messiah . I didn’t plan to finish this series on the day that our Lord has risen, but it was oh, so appropriate.
While reading about Mary I often got the sense that she found it difficult to completely give up her motherly control over Jesus. She knew he was coming to fulfill a prophecy, yet her human nature and motherly tendencies (at least in this perspective) constantly wanted to protect him. She felt hurt by him when he wanted to go do what his Father wanted him to do (i.e. be in the Temple and leave to talk with people). I know in my head that Little Belle (and any other kids we’re blessed with) are not mine. God has complete control to do with them what he wants, and yet I , like Mary, so badly wanted to protect her physically and emotionally. But, my heart feels something different. To be in a position like Mary and know that my son/daughter would have to die in order for a prophecy of the Lord to be fulfilled would tear me to pieces.
One of the questions at the end of the final book in the series asked us to make a list of the things that distract us from hearing the voice of God. Unfortunately, I think doubt is one of my distractions. ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, but how hard it is to REALLY trust him. I tend to be one who likes to have a nice amount of control over what’s happening around me. During my final full year of teaching I was on a control high. I had just about full control over everything that happened in my classroom. If I didn’t have control I voiced my opinion until the reins returned to my hands. It was really strange, actually, that that year I would approach a complete reliance on me when a few short months later God revealed to me that I need to stay home with our daughter thus losing my prime arena to hold everything in my hand.
Saying or writing that I have doubt in the ability of God is really scary to me. I know the truth. He has proven that He knows His people from leading Moses to raising Jesus. There should be no doubt that he will lead me as well. At the end of the book Mary was reflecting on her relationship with her son, and she realized that she herself was a source of temptation for Jesus. She questioned where he was going, and tried to persuade him to go places he didn’t need to go to avoid hurt and possibly death.
I have no idea what God has in store for Little Belle. I don’t know how she will be used to turn others to Him, but I know that I don’t want to be the person who stands in the way of God and His perfect plan.

Countdown to Easter

It's REALLY hard for me to just stay home. But, that's what we're doing this week due to needing to be close to a potty for the little one. I needed some type of structured activity for us to do. Something not super messy. Something Little Belle could get and help with. Easter egg coloring with water? Yes, please.

I found this at DLTK's Growing Together website.
Resurrection Eggs seem like such a cool way to "count down" to Easter and help your child learn what it's REALLY about. I've been told I could purchase these, but why not just make my own? I may have to modify as we're a little closer to Easter than I realized, but for a toddler that shouldn't be a problem. I may see if her toddler Bible has a correlating story and read that as she's really into "Jesus Stories".

And, Big Spring Clean update: we worked outside ALL DAY on Saturday and got a portion of the list completed. Maybe another round of work this weekend.

It smells like spring!

I love middle schoolers. I taught 7th grade for a little over five years and it was always around this time of year when I just knew that it was spring. I didn't have to look outside, I didn't have to feel the thaw of the winter for myself, all I had to do was take in a deep breath of that sweet scent. This era of life exhibits such self-conscious behavior, but yet, not quite so self-conscious enough to actually give a little swip, swap of the ol' Teen Spirit (do they even make that anymore?)

Then, the teachers are so tired of their stored up energy they release them out into the wild to roll around in the grass and allow the warmth of the sun to mingle with their newly developing hormones,and the result is breathtaking. Literally. It's a distinct smell. A smell that can only be emanated from a group of these youthful souls. The smelly combination of the mass produced lunch, the sour disinfectant from cleaning up said lunch, and these sweaty little bodies is so overwhelming that not even a gallon of Axe body spray could cover up. (But, believe me. They. Will. Try.) It's only THEN that you know it is truly Spring.

Thanks Gilbert 6th graders for the reminder today.

Big Spring Clean: ALMOST DONE!

Monday: Hallways
1. Dust and vacuum hallways (clean wood floor)√
2. Murphy Oil wood trim and doors √
3. Dust ceilings and corners √
4. Wash walls with warm, soapy water √

Thursday (if it's nice outside!): Outdoors
1. Wash outdoor furniture and toys/stroller
2. Sweep back porch
3. Spot paint screened porch
4. Sweep front porch
5. Rake up leaves from under bushes, flower beds √
6. Spread mulch in flower beds √

Friday(if it's nice outside): Windows
1. Vacuum window sills
2. Wash windows, if possible

SOME kitchen updates

Between taking out a giant tree that's growing into the side of our garage (I know, awesome.) and insulating some areas of our house, there isn't much left for redoing a ton in the kitchen. However, I am SO tired of that 90's forest green, meets honey oak, meets brilliantly ugly brass fixtures. I'm ready for them to dance off to the tune of Roxette's "It must have been love, but it's OVER now". When we looked at the house it was one of those, "Hey, the kitchen has been updated. That's a bonus." But, now that we've been here a year, I am over it. 1995 called and they are dying for some more brass, and I'm ready to give it back. Will you help me?

Here it is in all its glory:


We can't get a new counter, sink, floor, appliances, or cupboards. So, I'm focusing on removing wallpaper (seen in other pictures), painting, and creating some kind of cheap back splash. My biggest set back is the forest green counter. I wish I could ignore it, but it's kind of like the ugly, green monster. How can I coordinate with it, yet not accent its nastiness while creating a little more modern feel?

We got this clock for our wedding from a cousin of Kipp's, and so I started liking the orange/green combo.


Then I bought some dish rags in a package from Wal-Mart, I think, that had orange, red, teal, deep purple, brown, and green. I like some of those concepts, but I really don't want to accentuate the dark colors. That room doesn't get a ton of light, so I want to brighten it up a bit.

oranges, eggplants, dark green, light green? Kind of like in this wedding...


And this bouquet...


To save more money, we would love to use leftover paint from other rooms in the house. We have almost a full gallon of this:



What do you think? What else could I do with the ugly, green giant?

Fruits of the Spirit Discipline

A little break from the soapy water, pledge, and windex...

 

I have a particular friend who has great practical things to use to help her little girl understand right from wrong. I love hanging out with her and picking her brain about parenting. She will tell you that she gets her information from dear friends who have a bit older kids. Isn't is awesome to have friends like this?

Our goal is to parent Olivia, so that she will continue to grow in her desire to be like Jesus. When I first introduced this chart to Olivia, she was so excited. I guess that's a good reaction. As a visual learner myself, I just assume my kids will be as well. The conversation goes something like this:
A behavior is happening that you don't approve of, so you pick 'em up and take them to the chart.
Me:Olivia, you are whining. (point to whining on the chart) What color is whining?
O: RED one
Me: Whining is in the red one, and we don't want to be in the red one. Where do we want to be?
O: YEYO one
Me: Yes, we want to be joyful and loving. (pointing to the words when you say them)

8/10 times that's as far as I have to go with regards to discipline. If she continues to whine (or whatever), I take her to the chart and go through it again and then provide a consequence.
It has really seemed to work for us, and I love having words to say readily available at each time of discipline. I like categorizing her behaviors and providing an opposite more Jesus-like characteristic to teach her about. As she gets older these behaviors in red will change, and the conversations will get a little more in depth. But, for now, I think she's getting it as much as a 2 year old can get it. And, it provides a conversation each time she does something we don't approve of.

Big Spring Clean: Olivia's Room

I have to admit. I'm running out of steam. Right now, I've spent way too much time on the computer, I hear Olivia up in her bed NOT taking a nap, I stayed up way too late last night, and all we have to eat for supper is ketchup. SO, I may not get much done on my list today, and that's o.k. I think it's time to get Olivia up and head to the grocery store.


Little Belle's Room
1.General Pick-up √
2.Dust ceilings and corners √
3.Wash walls with warm, soapy water√
4.Dust ceiling fan
5.Dust “stuff” √
6.wash bedding (inc. pillows and pads)√
7. Vacuum mattress √
8.Vacuum and clean wood floor (inc. baseboards) √
9.Organize closet and organize and pack away clothes that don’t fit/wrong season
10.Reorganize toys and label bins with photos of what goes inside

Big Spring Clean: Dining Room (and toy room)

1.General Pick-up √
2.Dust ceilings and corners √
3.Wash walls with warm, soapy water √
4.Dust everything, inc. table and chairs (replace floor protectors on chairs) √
5.Clean light fixture
6.Wash curtains √
7.Clean windows
8.Clean floor √
9.Clean out Olivia’s high chair (remove from chair and clean underneath it)√
10.Murphy Oil wood trim √
11.Put away old/unused toys
12.Reorganize toys (label the bins using photos of what goes inside)

Big Spring Clean: Living Room (and office)

Day One was a success! I got my list accomplished and a little bit more! To the living room we go...

1. General Pick-up √
2. Dust ceiling and corners of walls √
3. Wash walls with warm, soapy water √
4. Dust everything (behind the t.v. and stuff on walls, take books off the shelf) √
5. Vacuum couch cushions
6. Move couches and vacuum behind them (in the corners, too) and everywhere else √
7. Clean windows and screens (1 part white vinegar; 1 part hot water)
8. Murphy Oil the woodwork √
9. Sweep and scrub office/toy room floor
10. Put away papers √
11. Bring up office supplies from teacher boxes and organize in the desk upstairs √
12. Clean computer

Big Spring Clean: Bathrooms

Here we go! We'll start with the gross places. The bathrooms. We gutted and remodeled our bathroom about a year ago, and the final pieces still needed to be put in place. Today I sanded and painted the ceiling to get ready for the Big Spring Clean this week. Good luck to you!

1. General Pick-up
2. Dust ceiling and corners, vent, and fan
3. Wash walls with warm soapy water
4. Windex windows, and scrub screen with a brush and warm soapy water
5. Wash curtain and clean around the window
6. Scrub the shower, removing all of the things and also clean the top edges
7. Scrub toilet (behind and “under”)
8. Wash inside and out of the medicine cabinet (removing everything first!)
9. Wash sink
10. Clean rugs
11. Clean floor
12. Dust chair rail and wash with soapy water
13. Clean/dust light fixture
14. Throw away expired beauty products and medicine
15. Organize linen closet

Spring Cleaning!

It's SPRING! YAHOOOOO!



Who's comin' with me? It's time for a little spring cleaning around our house. Last year we had kind of just purchased and moved into the house, so spring cleaning didn't really happen. It was more like fall cleaning. Or, let's be honest, I didn't really deep clean much of anything.

So, next week I'm starting on the spring cleaning! A different room each day. Each evening, prior to the cleaning day, I'll post a check-list of what we'll do the next day. If you need a little motivation, follow along and post your progress or cleaning ideas as a comment. I'm giving you a week to find your cleaning clothes, cleaning "stuff", AND mentally prepare!

Monday: Bathrooms
Tuesday: Living Areas
Wednesday: Dining Room and hallways
Thursday: No cleaning; insulators coming
Friday: Catch-Up
Saturday/Sunday: Olivia's room/master bedroom
Monday: Hallways
Thursday: Catch-up
Next nice day: Windows and other outdoors

I'm purposefully leaving off the kitchen and the basement for a couple of weeks. Those will turn into "spring semi-remodeling" projects, and then I'll spring clean when that is done. You might just get to help with the kitchen ideas.

Don't Give Up Project

I think Kipp and I might have been her first "real" photo shoot. In, I think, six (although, I know she started prior to taking our photos) quick years, Erica May has developed into one aMAZing photographer. We are not only thankful for all of the beautiful photos she has taken of us and of Little Belle, but she and her husband, Jeff, have always had a special place in our hearts as friends. Erica and Jeff started dating about the same time Kipp and I did when Erica actually worked for Kipp as a residence assistant at K-State. They're such an awesome couple, and have been able to do such great things with their photographer and videography skills (Jeff started a videography company).

I have never thought that photography could do so much for a person until I started following Erica's blog several years ago. This Don't Give Up Project that she and Jeff are a part of is really wonderful. What a sweet way to remind a couple of the importance of "fighting" for your marriage. Like, "Hey, remember this day? We loved each other a LOT, and we exchanged vows that we meant. Let's do whatever we can to make this work."

Low Hemoglobin? Add meat for breakfast...

 

In talking with a group of gals recently, I learned a new way to think about mothering. The highs are very high and the lows are very low. Now my husband would say that it's so important to live your life down the middle. To keep a level head and not live in the clouds one day and in the pits the next. But, as a mom these moments are hard to avoid. "Little Belle" (as my Grandma calls her) has given me some lows lately. In one week we started an antibiotic, an estrogen cream, and an iron supplement. And of course taking this stuff isn't easy. Twice a day for each, but some with food, some without, some first thing in the a.m. an some last thing at night. Whew... we've finally figured it all out (although one is causing her teeth to turn black...awesome.)

So, the iron supplement is due to low hemoglobin levels which I'm still pretty convinced was due to her eating only her own snot for a month and not really eating much of anything else. Rest assured though, Moms out there, snot has high levels of protein which really does cause them to feel full (thanks, Sarah for that tidbit). Anyway, I was on the hunt to increase iron levels in her diet, so we could stop the supplement that is indeed causing her not-so pearly whites to become "discolored".

I LOVE Our Best Bites and they had this recipe that I have to share. O.k. so Olivia doesn't love them, but the hubs and I do.

Delicious.

Getting Crafty

 

A big part of why I wanted to start a blog was because upon staying home I decided I needed a hobby. My super husband agreed and bought me a shiny new sewing machine. In the past year, I have kind of developed an addiction to crafty blogs. Some of them are linked here on the right side. Just warning you. You might just get addicted once you see how easy some of these things are to do.

I will just tell you straight up that I am SO not a photographer. I need to come clean now or I will spend the rest of my bloggy time apologizing for awful photos. I'll do my best, but no guarantees...at all. And, I'll probably be taking my own pictures because I can pretty much guarantee my husband doing a photoshoot of me modeling the things I make would pretty much never happen (or at least happen with a smile).

Here we go! You can see a shirt I made for myself. I love, love, LOVE J.Crew and Anthropologie. And, I shopped there when I was single and thought I had all the $$ in the world. I now have a conscience. I've seen so many of these types of cute ruffly, textured shirts for $50.00+ AND so many ways to make my own for $5.00 that I had to give it a try. This brown shirt used to be a long-sleeved cotton shirt from Target. I think I got some bleach on the cuff, so I cut off the arms, trimmed up the neckline, and used the extra material to sew on this flowery, textury stuff.

The next pic is a sneak peek into two projects I really need to complete within the next week. So, stop by again for my first mini-tutorial mainly using the tutorials of others. : )

"Resting" in the Shadow of His Hand

I'm reading through My Utmost for His Highest this year. I did several years ago and remember being pretty encouraged each day by something unique that Chambers wrote. A while back, I read about visions that God might plant in our minds regarding our future. Chambers wrote about how God might provide these visions or desires, but they won't flourish until His timing is right. Dang, you God for teaching my how to be patient. : ) I definitely have had a desire to teach again. I never thought I would stay home with kids. Last year if you talked with me I would have been slightly miserable as a stay-at-home mom. But, in the past year I've learned a few things:
1. That God provides. God has provided us with enough money to make this stay-at-home thing work. At first we were really frustrated by finances, but over time I've learned that what He has allowed us to make is sufficient. We don't need to overspend by going out to eat a ton or buying more clothes than deemed necessary. I definitely go in spurts where I just WANT. I want more stuff, but He always pulls me back and helps me to realize that this is what He wants for us. Not the ability to spend more money.

2. God provides friends. It was SO hard for me (a pretty reserved, quiet, and quite introverted person) to put myself in situations where I would meet people in this "new" town. I went to activities all. by. my. self. I hated it. Praise the Lord for the people who I got to know and have since branched off to get to know others. I've been strengthened by these friendships and learned that I didn't need to necessarily always hide behind my reserved, quiet, and introverted self all the time.

3. To be content. I went from a bell that rang every 45 minutes that reminded me what to do next. I literally ran to the bathroom at school because I only had 4 minutes to go and be back to my kids. I was the queen of efficiency during my 45 minute planning period running copies, dropping notes, writing emails, grading papers, making lesson plans, changing lesson plans, and making phone calls. EVERY day. When I started staying home my "schedule" consisted of watching The Today Show (or having it on) for 3 hours and playing with my almost walker. I made lunch, put her down for a nap, and was bored. But, now I embrace "down-time". I'm o.k. with not getting a ton accomplished in a day, because I've realized I need this time to recharge. To learn about what it means to be a good parent and wife, and spend time reading encouraging things.

4. Use my skills elsewhere. I've been so grateful for blog land, so I can get ideas on how to use my organizational and creative skills elsewhere. Making the menu and grocery list for the month is kind of fun for me. Keeping the grocery budget under the designated amount is a challenge I never thought I would want to embrace. Creating a list of activities for Little Belle and I to do together is fun. Helping to organize other things at church is refreshing. Before ALL of this stuff would have felt like a chore.

This is just the beginning of what I'm learning while at home that I would not have learned had I been in the classroom.

Oh, to be 30.

Am I crazy? I'm currently living my last and final year in my 20's, but I long to be 30. Ask me again when I actually turn 30 next October, but for right now, I'm kind of tired of feeling like a kid. Maybe it's because I will continue to look like a teenager even while in my 30's, so I'm not weirded out by actually being 30. I don't know, but I'm kind of done with the 20's.

Think about all of the perceptions of a girl in her 20's that you get. Irresponsible. Doesn't understand the world even though she thinks she does. Her only real "struggle" in life is whether or not to buy the brown or black riding boots (okay, so that was a struggle I had, but hey, I'm still in my 20's). To her 401K is a lot of money. (Get it, $401,000).

I once had a boss, who hung her hat on being older than me. Really? I just want to be able to say, "I'm not young, I'm 30!" (and I like to kick and stretch and KICK).

Most of my friends are in their 30's, and I just wish I was in mine, too. Maybe a husband and a kid gives me some kind of street cred in the town of 30's?

Teacher to Mom

Hi. I did it. I started a blog. I wanted one for just my stuff. You see, I'm a teacher gone stay-at-home mom/gone mad. I grew up playing school and really wanting nothing else than to be a teacher. When I filled out forms for college I didn't even hesitate before I wrote "education" when I designated my major. I got my degree and got my first job. Then my second. Then I met my husband and got my third job. I continued to teach when we had our daughter until my husband took a new job back "home" and I was about to have to look for job number four. Little did I know job number four would be full-time stay-at-home mom. Jobs weren't really available, and when I applied for one I didn't get it. You bet I cried. I questioned my abilities as a teacher. I struggled through feeling like a failure around people who just met me in our "new" town and around my husband who just landed his almost dream job. But, after over a year of staying home, I am starting to realize the reason why God chose THIS path for me for now. This stay-at-home, wear sweatpants more than one day a week and let myself go, mac -n- cheese crusted in my hair while at the grocery store, mom.