Home Decor

Have I mentioned my quandaries with paint? Hmmm… yes. I have a serious problem. Mostly due to a serious inability “picture” anything in my head.

When I painted my living room, I went through no less than 8 different colors. Do you remember Bridget Jone*s Diary? I wanted the color of the walls in her garret apartment. It said “warm, cozy and comfy”. Finding that color in a paint was a very long process, however. There is no “garret apartment” color, FYI.

I finally found the color I wanted. I love it. In fact, I love it so much, that I later purchased one of those decor signs with a homey saying on it, in the same color. To hang in the living room. To say it wasn’t very noticable, is an understatement. Totally faded into the wall.

So I moved the sign into the kitchen. Really pops against the blue walls. Looks fantastic.

But now I have a hole in my living room. Finding another sign was going to difficult. Not only would I have to find the right color, but also the right saying. One that wasn’t too preachy, or twee… and be able to find it in about 5 minutes, which is the Cuddler’s shopping limit. Right.

Instead I found Jennifer of Onion Grove Mercantile. Or rather I found her blog Notes from the Heartland. Gardening, DYI, kids… all the stuff I love to read about. And you can probably tell where this is going… I had her paint a sign for that spot. One that is so personalized it makes me squeal. It makes my mother jealous it’s so personalized.

My great-grandfather was a rancher. My great-grandmother was a rancher’s daughter, going back to the days before Canada and the US had really settled on a border. Every story about them tells something about the ranch. The flowers (of which cuttings are now planted in multiple locations throughout the state – I have a granddaughter of the famous rose bush) or feeding the chickens, even stories about the neighbors are still told! The ranch was sold a long time ago – ranching was a hard thing during the 70’s and 80’s, especially when the US government started ‘paying’ people to stop. It’s not an easy life, especially in a place so rural that cell phones can only get signals on mountain tops.

The sign was designed around that piece of family history. I was pretty specific, but Jennifer took my requests and ran with them… even when I changed them!

I asked for a specific type of wood color to mimic the beaten weathered look of wood in that area. Jennifer suggested the colors for the text – which I totally trusted, because of my color issues. At the last minute, I asked her to include my great-grandfather’s brand, incorporated between the ranch name and town. It’s being shipped as I write! It’s going to work so well in that spot and NOT fade into the background!

Easter

We’re still in recovery mode. With four egg hunts, we’re still bursting with candy.

 

It took the Cuddler a little practice to get into the groove, but once he got the idea of picking up eggs and that said eggs were filled with candy, he was a machine! The one time I was able to get video, I had to edit out my unsuccessful attempts to get him to stop gathering eggs so that other children would be able to gather a fair share.

We’ve also had an egg hunt or two every day since then. Sans candy, of course, but no less sought after.

I finally tossed the plastic eggs this afternoon. At least all the ones I could find. The cuddler found two more an hour later. I’m sure we’ll still be finding errant eggs for the next month.

On Sunday, after church, we went to the house of one of Lala’s sisters. Most of her siblings gathered there for the holiday. Plus the cuddler, and the biological children other the adoptive parents, and foster children, and… it becomes so confusing to figure out who is what that eventually we all just gave up. Lala was very happy to see her siblings. At her age, it’s hard for her to verbalize how she feels about them, but her grin and hugs say that she loves them. Luckily, all of the parents are committed to maintaining contact and respecting each other. I can’t imagine how this would work without that… and what a loss it would be for her.

Remodeling Project – Mostly Finished?

Thanks to the help of my parents, most of my spring remodeling project has been finished! And I have photos to prove it!

 

The walls have been painted. The blue always reminds me of the summer sky in the eastern part of the state – where it doesn’t rain for six months straight and the temperature actually goes above 70 in August.

I still haven’t installed shelves in the pantry, but I did move a shelving unit into it and it was filled about 30 minutes later. Space is at a premium around here.

The pocket door works wonderfully, and it’s sooo nice to have my dining space back without the shelving unit – with the door closed, you can’t even tell that there is a stockpile of pasta and soup lurking behind.

I haven’t painted the door yet. I haven’t figure out what to do with it yet. What can I say, I take a long time to make decisions on things like that. I have pondered a creamy white (the color reminds me so much of vanilla ice cream that it makes me hungry!) to match the cabinets or to make it a chalk board. Can’t decide.

 

Speaking of chalkboards… The former closet door in Lala’s room:

It’s already been used several times! Basically, the doorway measure one sheet of drywall (how convenient!). My contractor just screwed in the drywall and framed it out – no extensive taping required. It goes from 6 and half feet to the floor. It’s big enough to be shared by the two kids, without fighting. Always a huge plus. My contractor’s wife thought it was such a good idea when he told her about it, that he had to build one for his son after finishing mine… I warned him about the huge mess the chalkboard paint makes – I use the spray paint. It’s messy, but it makes such a good chalk surface.

Easter Preparations – free association thinking.

I finally completed the (*SSHHH!) B-A-S-K-E-T shopping. I think it should be a pretty good haul for both kids. And get this… my father is coming just before the holiday. Why is this good news? Besides the obvious, I mean. My father won’t buy them another basket. In fact, my father and step-mother have been very well trained by my sister not to do anything without first checking with the parent. Plus, they’re cheap. This means I get to buy everything for the holiday. Which I rarely get to do.

I know this seems odd, but my mother goes crazy all the time. She would show up with Easter Baskets for them. And probably bikes. And a swing-set. And after that, what’s the point of getting anything else.

Anyways…

Have you seen the pre-candy-stuffed eggs for sale? Seriously, is it that hard to fill eggs? Are people really that busy? Too busy to fill Easter Eggs? If you’re that busy, why not just skip the whole thing and go to a community hunt?

Do you think people just buy things at Wal-#art because they’ve got this reputation as the ‘cheap place’? It seems like people see that smiley face and load up their carts. Every time I go in, I literally have to stop myself from saying to people “it’s cheaper at the local grocery store”. Granted the local grocery store isn’t the most attractive of places and the floors are uneven, but staple products are cheaper. Except butter. Which is now ridiculously expensive.

Do you think people buy those pre-filled eggs because they think they’re cheaper than filling their own, because they’re sold at Wal-#art?

Open Adoption

I have an open adoption agreement with birthmothers of both kids. It’s something I’ve felt was important for them, at least when they’re older.

But it’s a catch-22.

Right now, it’s not all that important to either of them. Let’s face it, they’re little kids and don’t really understand what it’s all about. We haven’t even got to the “where to babies come from” stage, so, it’s not like they have questions or are curious to see anyone. At this stage of game, the agreement is more about birth mom’s feelings. I get that. Really.

At the same time, there are very real reasons as to why neither birthmom could parent in the way the children needed them to. That is concerning to me on many levels. Maintaining contact requires a lot of judgment calls on my part to protect the children from potentially dangerous situations and probably protect myself from them, as well.

And let’s not get into how awkward visits can be.

I guess what I’m trying to tread carefully in saying is that walking that line can really suck. And most of the time I’m not sure if I’m walking on the right side. I’m still a big supporter of maintaining contact, but it’s not for faint of heart.

Recently, I got a request for more frequent visits. I didn’t know how to respond. I still don’t, to be honest. In the funny how life works category, I ran into a former CW, who knows the BM very, very well. When I mentioned the request, her first reaction was ‘No!’. It confirmed what I was feeling. That this wasn’t appropriate.

Now I just need to figure out a way to say it.

Growing

Lala can now go and wash her hands in the bathroom sink by herself. Will I ever get to the stage where I hear running water and don’t feel the flush of panic?

 

My lawn is in full chaos mode! It’s growing by leaps and bounds, but hasn’t been dry enough to cut. I may have to spend my afternoon with babysitter to mow. It would be just depressing if I didn’t love the look of a newly mowed lawn.

 

My garden is full of weeds. I get tired just looking at it.

Easter Basket Goodness

Easter is fast approaching... which means I have to get some easter baskets going! Someone has already been talking about the Easter Bunny bringing candy (durned Daycare friends!).

Here's my problem:

1. I don't want to give the kids a bunch of candy. I can handle the hyperactivity, but I can't handle the whining and screaming that comes with not being exactly even between the two or when we have to stop eating candy.
2. OMG! They have so many toys already! It's such a pain to try to keep things organized and in their places. What small trinket toys can I get that I won't be killing myself to keep track of in a week?

This weekend I'm going on a toy purge! I don't care how much they might play with it or how much I would like them to like it... it's going to be gone! Having less around is definitely better than adding to the current chaos. I'd put up photos, but I'm way too embarrassed.

The cuddler has never played with his wooden blocks unless it was to either dump them out with a loud crash or throw one at someone's head. Apparently, he won't be an architect. They're the first into the bag. Second will be the loud electronic rolly-ball thingy that I purchased in hopes that Lala would start crawling after it (she was a really late crawler).

Please tell me I'm not the only one who buys wish toys for their kids... you know, the kind of toys you hope your children fall in love with and make up elaborate imaginative games with that are not only entertaining for long stretches of time but also mold them into geniuses.

Energy

"Energy...
Sometimes I think I'm runnin' out of energy
Seems like we use an awful lot for
Heatin' and lightin' and drivin'
Readin' and writin' and jivin'"

I have not been keeping up with life. My house is a mess, my desk looks like.. well, you can't even see the desk really. And I've been falling asleep around 8pm every night. I think I'm just in a pre-Spring funk. We're starting to see some sunshine, but it's usually coupled with freezing temperatures and I haven't really been able to get outside to do anything. It's the time of year where I start planning to move some place warmer. Don't get me wrong, I like winter during the winter months. I just can't handle the spring months that are nothing but freezing cold and rain. I want to be warm darn it! Sadly, I haven't found the perfect place yet. I wonder what it's like in Kentucky?

This morning, Lala told me that very soon she'll be "big enough to sit [in the driver's seat] and reach the pedals". Her birthday is coming up soon!... I guess I'm not the only one in hurry for time to pass by.

MidMorning Quickie

Getting back to work after Spring Break has been exhausting. I don't know if it is jump back into the swing of things or the annual rush to squeeze everything in while simultaneously planning for next year... but I've been hitting the pillow about 5 minutes after the kids are in bed!

 

What have we been doing?

• construction on the new pantry took about four days longer than planned. This meant that I've really had no time to paint or put up the shelves. For now it's a pantry, with primed walls and an old shelving unit inside. That will have to hold for awhile.
• the blackboard for Lala's room is nearly finished - hopefully this weekend I will get the frame painted and photos up. She already loves it!
• it rained and poured all break so I got nothing done in the garden. I now have dandelions everywhere.
• I found out that my job is safe for next year, but just barely. In reality, I could still be laid off, since the legislature won't make up it's mind.
• our town is getting a $400,000 "spray park". I'm a tad annoyed as we have about three actual days a year when this could be used. An indoor gym open on the weekends would be a much better use of funding - or my friend keeping her job. Plus there is already a spray park in the next town over. And by "next over" I mean, the border between is a street. Our government is run by such narrow-minded competitive morons.
• my taxes are completed and will be mailed out today. I will then begin my haunt of my bank account watching for the money or will begin a couple of weeks. I have to submit by regular mail because of the finalization of the adoption and it will probably be reviewed pretty closely will the sudden adding of two children and the refund being more than I paid in. That adoption tax credit is the bomb!
• It's been sunny for the past two days! The kids are loving playing outside. Pray for a nice summer. We've had such crappy ones for the last three years.

Today we had our annual tsunami drill. During the discussion, we were informed that we needed to make plans to stay with our students for at least three days, if need be, and trust that our own children would be taken care by whoever they were with for those days. Talk about going above and beyond...  kinda gives a new perspective to that "teachers are greedy parasites on our society" argument. How much are you willing to pay to know that your child will be taken care of in a disaster if you couldn't reach them? I'll be having a chat with the daycare manager today. I'm certainly not willing to leave it up to hoping for the best - which I think most of people do.

Healthy Me

I know someone read that and just about sprayed the computer with their coffee… I’m not really known for my healthy choices, you know. Don’t get me wrong, I am full of advice on what you should do, but apparently, I’m a do as I say, not as I do kinda gal.
Since turning 40, however, I seem to be on an ill health cascade. I won’t go into the gross and some what embarrassing details. Suffice it to say that I seem be going down fast.
I’ve slowly (very slowly) been trying to change. I haven’t been perfect, but I figure it’s better to do something, than just completely give up, you know?
Today I started the Couch to 5k program. I’d say the idea is daunting, but it’s not really. I’ve attempted it before and quit (big quitter here!), so I know the initial days are do-able. The hard part comes in going beyond the first days. Is that a huge metaphor for life or what?
In past attempts the biggest problem I’ve had is the interval timing. I can’t run and count at the same time! I’m too busy worrying about breathing and where my hands are… toss in the new blood pressure thing*, and it’s a no go. Of course, technology came to the rescue. A gentleman by the name of Robert created Couch to 5k podcasts. Totally free, FYI. The podcasts are perfectly timed and a voice tells you when to start or stop a running interval. The music also kicks butt. Instead of trying to count while breathing, I just concentrated on breathing, watching my heart rate and praying desperately that the voice would tell me “great job, now slow back down to a brisk walk”.
Day 1 completed!
On to Day 2, after I’ve recovered and put pressure on my feet again. Oy vey.
*Although, I’ve not passed out again, I have discover that if my heart rate gets to a particular height, it suddenly decides to drop to half. It’s fascinating to watch on those heart monitor thingys, while you’re desperately trying to get off of the treadmill before you do a face plant. There isn’t even a warning… just up one flash of number, down the next. Now I just watch it obsessively and slow down before I get to that point.

Hello!

Today starts the Ultimate Blog Party at 5 Minutes For Mom! I am always on the look out for a good blog to toss into the ol’ reader. Plus the giveaways are fantastic! If you are a regular, you may remember that I won a prize just before Christmas from them for the Cuddler, which was nice. He got quite the haul.

If you’ve just found us, Welcome! I’m Jana. I’m a single mom to two adorable little ones (no bias, they’re way cute!). In November 2010, we became official! You can read our adoption story below, if you’re the curious type.

My daughter Lala is “almost four” (she bypassed three) and is in love with gymnastics. The Cuddler is nearly three and is a firecracker! We love to go for walks, hang out with cousins and generally cause mayhem. They both have a fondness for ink pens… but only when they can draw on furniture. I now have an arsenal of tips to get various inks out of a variety of upholstery. Just ask!

I would love to be a stay at home mom if it weren’t for the whole needing money thing. Instead I spend my days with teenagers, teaching English at a high school. When I’m not working, I’m desperately trying to teach my kids how to play games (with rules!), cooking and figuring out yet another remodeling project. This summer I may drag out my sewing machine, but I make no promises on that one…

Let me know if you stopped by and I’ll return the favor. (:

Our Adoption Story

You know how you read those adoption stories where a baby just seems to fall in to a couple's arms? Or something that seems right out of Life*ti*me TV? I wanted to be that person. There are thousands of parents out that do.. and it's not realistic. Contrary commercials, news casts and telethons, adoption is hard. It's heartbreaking and joyous at the same time.

In 2005, I decided to adopt a child. I won't go into all the details surrounding this decision, but it wasn't something I just jumped at... I did a lot of soul searching, talking with friends and researching. I completed paperwork to adopt from China in early 2007. Just in time for the slow down. In fact, I knew it was slowing down as my paperwork was flown to China - I just didn't think it would drop to glacial speeds. When the wait for a referral hit the five year mark (four months after I submitted my paperwork!) I started to reassess. Five years is a long time and who knew if the wait would keep growing. I did not want to be a new mom at 60!

I started looking into domestic adoption and started down the path to adopting from foster care. I told myself I was walking in with my eyes open. I went to the informational/training classes “knowing” what I was in for. Ha! As I was officially licensed on a Friday at 5pm., I can’t really say it took less than 24 hours to get a placement. By the following Monday morning, however, I got a call. Two days later, Lala was home for the first time.

On the day Lala was born, I posted this. It’s funny that I mention how things change when something goes from possible to imminent. Little did I know that my daughter was being born a thousand miles away that very day. If I had known, I probably wouldn’t have been obsessing about clothes.

Eleven months later, she returned to her BM. I was very conflicted and I had a very sad Christmas. It’s not a memory I like to visit.

In February of 2009, I got a call asking to temporarily take in a seven month old boy. Two weeks at the most. When I got him home, he pee’d on me (as little boys are wont to do). He giggled and I said to him “you’re the one aren’t you? You’re going to stay.” He just smiled. Seriously.

In July of 2009, 8 months after Lala was returned to her BM, I was asked to provide respite for her. Two weeks at the most (do you see a pattern? I know I do.). I saddened. Not because I didn’t want to see her, I did, desperately… but all this moving around could not be good for her.

On November 8, 2010, we officially became a family. It didn’t really hit me until the next day. Then I just grinned like an idiot all day.

Five years. From 2011, it seems rather quick and easy. It wasn’t. But it wasn’t the decades that some people experience and still are… Sometimes I think it I’d started in 2005 with foster to adopt, I wouldn’t have waited so long, but then again, I wouldn’t have my children either. Maybe. Life works in weird ways sometimes.

Bringing in Spring – Simple Birdhouse Tutorial

April is nearly here! To celebrate our intermittent sunshine, Lala and I decided to get a little crafty and build ourselves a bird house!

First we got an empty half gallon milk carton. We have about a million of these as the cuddler is lactose intolerant, but for some reason manufacturers only sell in half gallon cartons. (PITA!)  I cut out out the front and approximately half of two sides. A “roof” is a good idea, to help keep the spring rains off of the seeds. It’s not perfect, but this is a simple bird house for those with the attention span of a three year old.

 

Lala inserted a left over shish kabob skewer through the bottom portion, so that the birds will have something to stand on while feasting on our yummy bird seed. Thin for little bird feet – hopefully the crows and seagulls won’t be able to get a good toe hold.

 

 

I poked a hold in the top, and Lala threaded a string through – FWIW, this is an important dexterity skill for kids. She was very proud of herself for doing this last step in our creation.

You can paint, just make sure to scrape off as much of the shiny coating as you can. Otherwise the paint won’t last more than a day. We did not bother to paint as the rain would have washed it off rather quickly and the dog probably would have eaten the paint chips from the ground. Our dog, while cute, is not the smartest. I also screwed the lid back on – no point in having a ‘roof’ if there is a hole in it.

 

Lala carefully filled the bottom with bird seed and I hung it outside of her bedroom window, so she would watch the birds.

I don’t know if we’ll actually get any birds, given that it’s spring and the dog goes crazy whenever a bird nears our yard, but given that the birds usually tease the dog by sitting just our of reach on a wire or fence post, they probably don’t give a hoot (see above).

Lala is just excited that it’s out there and it means there is something else to look at besides mud and rain puddles.

New Project

Spring time is the time to spruce up, make things anew and let the sun shine in! I have next week and I am planning to clean, declutter, paint, repair and weed up a storm. So, of course, that means starting a new project – because I might as well finish up a new one, while finishing the others. That makes sense right?

Ok, so my thinking might be a little off, but it works for me. Lala’s room was the original master bedroom. It has two closets. Lala does not need two closets. I do, however, desperately need storage space in the kitchen. For a mid-1950’s kitchen there is almost no storage space at all. Where did they put all those futuristic gadgets? The fine china that never got used? The canned goods for atomic attack?  Anyway, my kitchen feels cluttered and disorganized. A pantry would be fantastic!  I’m already planning out the shelving plan. 

First, the beadboard was removed from the dinning room by the contractor (I don’t do stuff requiring a circular saw)  - I really hope that brown stuff was some kind of glue… but really, in this town (where taste went to die) it’s entirely possible that someone thought it was cool color.

 

Also, please note the yummy wallpaper. I’ll bet it went perfectly with the dark brown hexagon tiles on the floor.  Actually, I find it really interesting to see the layers and wonder who was living here at the time. What were they thinking? I know it was in style – did someone put it up thinking “this is going to be soooo cute!” and fall in love with it?

 

 

Then the wall was removed. The pantry will have a pocket door (*squee!*), and that required much of the wall to be removed. Then we realized that probably the shelves from the closet would need something to hang on to that wasn’t the pocket door – yep, the whole wall had to come down to rebuild it to be able to hold the door and shelves and anything else I wanted.

Notice the cuddler helpfully attempting to electrocute himself. Luckily, not only were the wires capped, but they were also tucked into the wood and then wrapped heavily with electrical tape. My contractor has little kids too!

Everything was shimmed, screwed in place, wired, nailed, etc. all in preparation for the dry wall tomorrow. Hopefully, the contractor will be finished by Tuesday. Then I can start my painting and shelving.

Is it sad that I’m excited for a place to put canned goods? And the ice chest. A place to put the durned iced chest.

Bathroom Colors

I know that many people have a hard time choosing color – I know that I do. Originally, I thought I would paint the new bathroom with an aqua color; it would look fantastic with all the white. Unfortunately, what it did not look fantastic with was the blue glass tiles.

So, I have a bunch of new samples. I want something that leans toward a warm tone. It’s cold enough around here – warm colors at least will trick me into thinking I’m warm. However, I’m starting to lean towards the grey on the far right – it has a blue undertone, so I’m still wary.

The grey on the far left is a M*arth* Stew*rt sharkskin color with a green undertone. The yellowish one has brown undertones, as does the 3rd grey, but it’s so light, it’s almost white-ish.

 

Opinions?

Starting to Spring

Yesterday was gorgeous! Well, as gorgeous as it gets around here in March, anyhow. And given that it was Saturday, we had to to do something – sitting around all day is not something that two year old boys do really well.

We decided to head out to the local bulb farm. In the spring, the fields can look something like a postcard from Holland. This early, however, it mostly rows of Daffodil bulbs. By next week, it should be a riot of yellow. We also saw many horses and cows along the drive. When you are two and three the farm animals are important.

We picked up several bunches of Daffodils to brighten our table and some Primroses for the front porch.

The cuddler has entered the “helper” stage, so he helped me plant out on the front porch when we came home. He decided which colors should go together and learned about about how to remove a plant from it’s pot without hurting it. He’s got quite an eye for grouping flowers. It looked quite pretty.

blogging with children

 

Last night, I though to myself that I should join one of those ‘blog hops’. You know… see who turns up and who I ‘meet’. I’m a sociable person.  Unfortunately, between dinner, introducing a new babysitter and chaperoning a high school dance I ran out of time. I try not to publish anything after 1 am; nothing good is published after 1 am.

This morning, after making breakfast, I decided to try again.

While trying to keep two toddlers entertained, but unhurt. Also with out loosing any furniture. So far, no one has been seriously injured.

But I typed in the wrong blog address in the Mr. Linky thingy. Yes, I did.

I know there is no such thing as ‘multi-tasking’. Why do I keep trying to do it?

Schooling

Last week I registered Lala for Pre-K. It was exciting, while at the same time bittersweet. I'm excited that she is growing up and exploring new things… but she's also moving out of my control. Sure, she attends daycare, but it's a daycare that I choose with a low child/teacher ratio. A facility where they have time to care for her special needs and her educational needs.

I don't believe that my local public school does not have that environment. I know the teachers, working in the same district. They are wonderful, caring teachers. They work hard to give the best education to all of their students. But, dear reader, there are only 24 hours in a day and these teachers are human beings. The kind with bladders and families of their own; they deserve to be able to have access to both.

The fact is that local public school is slowly dying the death of a thousand cuts. Class sizes are so large that there is not enough room for all the desks needed. That alone is enough to give me pause. There will only be one teacher for all those students. No aid, no helper… no one watch others while Susie has a temper tantrum, Johnny wets his pants, Billy eats paste and Betty tries out her Power Ranger super kick on Tommy. By the way, the teacher also gets no break until lunch time. Lunch will be a scarfed down power bar, while trying to set up for the afternoon and tutoring Jimmy, Shawn, Cody and Joe (they don't know the Alphabet). Notice there is no time to use the bathroom… for six hours. The teacher will then spend another four to six hours preparing for the next battle day. There won't be time to cook a dinner for her/his own family or play with her/his own children; just a never ending meat grinder of "get-er-done". Sounds great doesn't it? Remember Lucy and the candy conveyer belt? My child is not a product to be wrapped.

That's why I'm shelling out the big bucks for a private school.  One with small class sizes, teachers who are treated like human beings, lots of helpers and plenty of room to move around. The students actually play – because playing is how littles learn… not by sitting for hours at a desk – because no one can watch 30 kids run around alone. Although I know those teachers in the public Pre-K are wonderful people, I also know that they aren't able to do the job of four people.

Uniforms and standardized testing make great window dressing, but they won't educate my child. Cutting union bargaining laws make great sound bites, but they won't educate my child. Spending billions on the latest fad, the latest test, the latest gizmo will make someone rich, but it won't educate my child.

That's what any parent should care about.

Decluttering

Anyone with children will tell that they come with a LOT of " stuff". Some of it isn't even really their "stuff"! For example, my cookie cutter collection has tripled since Lala's arrival. Toss in very generous grandparents and birth parents who sent boxes of things for every. single. holiday. on. the. calendar. and it just adds up tremendously.

Some things I have no qualms about tossing. Pens without lids. Playdough. Broken toys. Then again... somethings I can't bring myself to toss... MY favorite shirts for the cuddler. All of the children's books in french that my mother would cry about if I tossed away. Some times I think the list of things I can't bring myself to toss is larger that the really usable list.

Really, it's not good to have so much stuff. First, it takes way too much time to keep clean. Second, the kids do not enjoy having cluttered spaces; they can't play and it makes their behavior wacky. Third, it makes me feel like the worst mom ever. Kids deserve to have a nice place to live with a mom who can play with them instead of constantly moving things around or trying to fold 47 pairs of pants - for a toddler!

Do you have a decluttering system? How do you choose what gets tossed and what does not?

For what it's worth, I did toss the stained shirts that were MY favorites for the cuddler. I cut out the designs on the front and tossed the rest. At less the designs take up less room than the whole shirts did.

Mom Tip #33

Keep your car gassed up! I know, it sounds silly… and raise your hand if you heard your Dad’s voice when you read that first sentence. Yah, me too.

In light of last week’s events, keeping at least it at least half-tankfull seems like a good idea.

A few years ago, we had a severe wind storm. A lot of damage and no electricity any where. Many people were living like a pioneer for more than two weeks. Listening to our local radio station it seemed like half the population was lined up at the only working gas station in the area. Some ran out of gas waiting in the line – imagine what would have happened if that person had had to leave because flood or tsunami? Luckily we didn’t have to head for the hills, but the peace of mind in knowing that we could was well worth the extra ten minutes.

We think about getting our children’s favorite snack and making it to swim team practice on time. Some how we’ve got to put those rarely needed, but desperately needed tasks in to the mix too.