Pinning Patterns

I have decided to learn to sew. So far I have made two aprons and a witches cape for Reagan's costume. I must say... I have a sewing bug. I love to sew!

My sweet mother-in-law has spent several hours in my home teaching me the tricks of the trade. Sure, I have plenty more to learn. But at least I have some basics down. I don't know what it is about sewing, but it is very relaxing for me.

Anyway, as you can see, I have posted a few pictures. The first, of sweet, curious, ambitious Oakley. She loves to do what Mommy is doing. She is such a big girl.

The second picture is where I had pinned my pattern to the fabric for one of the aprons. I was showing Oakley what I was doing. She was so attentive and helpful; handing me pins and whatnot.

Then we get into the pictures of my earrings on my bed.

And so, what do all these pictures have in common?

I was out pinning another pattern when Mike called me into our bedroom because, "You have to look at this. But you may not want to look at this." That is never good.

So I went to see. It wasn't as bad as I initially thought (judging by the tone of his voice). If you look closely at the pictures of the earrings, you will notice that they are "pinned" into my silk duvet cover on my bed. Not a big deal really, I just have a few extra holes (but they are very small).

I just thought it was cute how she was modeling what I was doing. However, we did have a little chat.

I thought it was cute until I went to my craft room yesterday only to find my latest fabric that I had JUST cut out had some extra fabric missing. Oakley had been watching me cut it out and then went down to finish off the job.

At first I was so upset. I sent her to her room for a time out. After a few minutes I cooled down and realized that she just wants to do the things I am doing. And so, I have decided I am going to make Oakley her very own craft box with all kinds of ribbon and fabric that she can hack away as much as she wants. I am hoping that will eliminate her desire to go after my projects.

Does anyone out there have any other ideas? How do I keep her from getting into my jewelry, fabric, ribbon, all my stuff?

My Cleaning Frenzy

Do any of you have one of those rooms in your house that is your "craft room" that ends up turning out to be the "crap room"? It just keeps getting stuffed with stuff.

Well...

I have one of those rooms. I am a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I do.

I guess I should say, I did... until today! I went through my crap room and I turned it back into my craft room. As some of you might know, I started working full time about one year ago. Then I went to one day a week back in August (can I get a HALLELUJAH!) For some reason my house seemed to fall apart this past year. Usually I am a clean/organizing freak. It was all I could do just to keep up with the every day surface cleaning, let alone the deep cleaning and organizing.

I don't know how working moms do it. So a little shout out to all you working moms. You are AMAZING! I applaude you. It's hard enough for me to keep up with it all and I am home!(Working one day a week just doesn't count as working, you know?)

Anyway, I feel so accomplished. I feel soooooo much better! Over the last couple weeks I have:

-gone through my kitchen and scrubbed all the cupboards (in and out).
-organized my pantry
-organized the hall closet
-rearranged Oakley's and Jackson's room
-painted my front, garage, and back doors
-organized my food storage
-organized the hall closet in the basement
-and now, finally... taken care of that craft room!

I am not meaning to boast... I am just so happy about it. It is amazing to me how much better I feel. I mean, I actually feel like I am energized and motivated to do more. It has even motivated me enough to start sewing... yeah! (Now that I can actually use the space in that room)

There is still plenty more to do. And I am positive that if I spent 24/7 cleaning and organizing I would never catch up... I just figure this is a start and I am just taking it one day at a time.

Being Sick Stinks (for EVERYBODY)

Yesterday I was feeling oh so accomplished. I went through the house and stripped down all the beds (which is not a lot of fun with the bunk bed, mind you). I washed ALL the bedding, pulled out the flannel sheets and proceded to remake all the beds. While I was in the process of doing this, I decided to rearrange one of the bedrooms.

I was bored with it.

Anyway, I got through most of the laundry, finished the beds, and stepped back to take a look at what I had done. I then made a yummy broccoli cheese soup and sat down with my family to eat. Mike headed off to school and the kids and I went visiting teaching. I came home and got the kids ready for bed. Jackson was in bed by 7:30! Kids were reading books, teeth and hair were brushed, the house was cleaned up. All was well and I was on the fast track to my "quiet time". I only had 30 minutes to go!

And then 7:45 came around...

Jackson woke up and started puking all over. The little guy didn't know what hit him; after all, he has never thrown up before :(... Luckily, Mike came home a little early and held him while I got all the girls in bed. Then I got to sit on the couch and hold him while he continued vomiting.

We called our neighbor over and asked if he would help give our little man a blessing. We have the best neighbors in the world! He came over and they gave him a blessing. One of the things mentioned was that he would stop vomiting and that he would sleep through the night and feel much better in the morning. And all of that has come to pass. Sure, he isn't 100% better, but at least he isn't throwing up and he is smiling again.

I am so grateful for the priesthood, I am grateful for good neighbors who are always there for us. I am grateful for a loving Father in heaven who hears and answers prayers and who is blessing my little boy right now.

So, I got to re-wash his bedding. At least we know his bed is super clean! If only I would have waited one more day to do all that laundry... oh well ;)!

Yes, I know I already posted something today, but something happened that I would like to share.

Many times I have told myself to not send my husband to the store to go shopping for food; but I made an exception this evening because it was only for the basics. That's simple, right? Some fruit, vegetables, milk and bread. I did ask for some frozen cauliflower and broccoli so I could make some broccoli cheddar soup tomorrow (since soup weather is my fave and I absolutely loooooooove soup). ANYWAYS... Mike called me from the store at least 7 times, yep, no exaggeration there... 7 times (or more). He was calling to ask several questions about what to buy. One question he asked was if I would like him to buy some bread bowls. Now, who wouldn't want bread bowls... yum!

So, after several phone calls and several minutes later my sweet hubby came home with all the food he bought. Of course, among the veggies are potato chips, corn chips and cinnamon bears. And we just had to have that summer sausage and the fancy sharp cheese to go with it as well. When he told me he spent $100 I could hardly believe it! Now that I think about it though, some of those items are expensive! Lots more than just fresh produce ;).

Okay... so on with the story. I was digressing. Anyway, he was so excited to show me the "bread bowls". He was all smiles as he opened the grocery bag. I couldn't believe my eyes! Mike had bought two loaves of sourdough bread. Have you ever seen a loaf of sourdough bread? If that was a bread bowl, that would be one ginormous bread bowl! I lovingly explained that they were, in fact, two full loaves of bread and not bread bowls. I'm not complaining however because I love sourdough bread. I just explained I wouldn't be eating it out of the "bread bowl", I would slice it up for the kids and me to enjoy!

I just thought he was so sweet and thoughtful and adorable! I love him so much!

I love sending Mike to the store. I never know what he will come home with. Maybe I'll go up and enjoy some of those cinnamon bears!

I did it!

I did it... I really did it.

I fancied up my blog. I am feeling good about myself. I am good enough, I am smart enough, and doggonit... people like me! Now we'll just have to see if I can keep it up, right? ;)

First Day of Preschool

It's hard to believe that my little Oakley is old enough to go to preschool! Today was her first day and boy was she excited and nervous at the same time! Here she is sporting her Dora backpack AND shoes and all. She picked her own outfit for the first day... so stylin'!

All went well though, she had a blast. She came home all smiles and told me all the things she did in class. She just feels like such a big girl now that she is going to school like her big sisters do.

I am just trying to make it through this crazy schedule! Is there anybody else out there who has experienced that schedule of one child in school all day, one 1/2 day, one in preschool, and one still home all day?

I figure this is the only year I will have that scenario... so I will enjoy it while it lasts!

On a side note... as I was dropping Dakota and her little friend off to kindergarten today, I watched the two of them walk up to the building side by side. I had to giggle at the sight, because I just think those little kindergarteners are so adorable with their backpacks that are nearly as big as they are!

A Little Under the Weather

Well, I got to spend my weekend in bed for two straight days. I am just now getting my sense of smell back which is good and bad. Good, cuz I love smelling my fall candles and yummy dinners and actually being able to taste my food. Bad cuz now I can smell when Jax needs to be changed. I must admit, poopy diapers aren't near as bad with no sense of smell! However, the good by far outweighs the bad ;)!

As I was laying in bed listening to my hubby struggle with the kids, I began to think about all the little things I do around the house to keep things running smoothly. Sure, Mike is a terrific husband and father; but he wasn't born to be a mother. He did a great job of taking care of the kids and cleaning things up, he just doesn't really know exactly how things are run around here. He is a-m-a-z-i-n-g and I would never want to make him sound like anything other than that.

I just think he got a great dose of just how much he appreciates all I do. He was good at putting dishes away and feeding the kids... getting them dressed and to church on time and all of that. It's those little things like crumbs on the table and the floor. You know those crumbs? The ones that if they aren't wiped and swept up immediately, they end up all over your house. It's the fingerprints on the windows and the kitchen appliances. It's the food that explodes all over in the microwave. And last of all, it's that darn laundry that never goes away.

Yes, because I spent two days in bed, I am paying dearly for it today. On the bright side, the crumbs are gone and the laundry is ALMOST caught up (until tomorrow). The fingerprints were gone for about one hour.

I am just so happy for a husband who does so much for me. He cared for me so tenderly. He never complained once, and I know he was stressed out. His plate was so full this weekend... not only did he take on Chemistry and changing the brakes and fixing the door of his truck, he handled my responsibilities as well. I love him so much!

My New Rewards Program

Okay, so I came across one of the best rewards programs for my children. I got the idea from the magazine Family Fun and then I kinda added my own little twist. I absolutely love that magazine by the way!

Anyway, this is our program. I posted a list of chores around the house that my kids can do to earn money (this is fake money that I printed off the website funstuff4kids.org). Anyway, the list ranges anywhere from doing dishes to cleaning up the apples that fall from our apple tree. This has even motivated my kids to clean up the dog mess in the yard! Today my oldest daughter asked if she could earn money by changing a messy diaper (ummmm, let me think about that one for about one nanosecond... yes!)

Okay, so on one sheet I have a list of extra chores they can do around the house. It's basically all the work that I normally do (dishes, dusting, sweeping, mopping, in addition to some mentioned above). Mike and I sat down and decided the amount of money each job would earn.

Earlier in the day I had sat down with the girls and together we came up with a list of things they would like to "buy" with their money. We decided on things like making our favorite dessert together, family bike rides, extra time on computer/video games, pizza party, etc. And, just as with the other list, Mike and I determined the cost of each of these items. They could be things that cost money or things that don't. I find the greatest motivators are the ones that don't cost me a dime!

The kids also have the opportunity to earn money morning and night by doing their "high-5". I found a template of a hand and made some copies and wrote down the 5 things we want done before school and at bedtime on each individual finger. So, for example, in the morning I wrote... get dressed, make bed, brush hair, eat breakfast, and brush teeth. And at night I wrote... pj's, brush teeth, brush hair, clean up, and read. Then I give them a time frame and I don't pester them. They either get it done in time and earn the money or they don't finish in time and miss out on the opportunity of earning more money. Of course, my 4-year-old needs a little more guidance than the older two!

I decided that in addition to this earning program, that I would establish a "maid service fee". If my children want me to be their maid and pick up after them, then I simply do it without warning (because I have ALREADY warned them about this). And then I let them know that they owe me $5 for picking up whatever it was that I did. This worked beautifully with my 6-year-old! I have battled with her for years to put her dirty clothes in the hamper. The other day I did it for a fee of $5. There were many tears shed, but guess who puts her dirty clothes directly in the hamper now! I implemented what I have learned from the book, "Parenting with Love & Logic" and I showed her empathy. It was a bummer, and I really felt sad for her, but it was a good learning experience for us both.

Anyway, so far this has worked better than anything else I have come across. I am doing much less work around the house. I am no longer nagging. I have so much more energy and patience!