Monday, June 20, 2011

The Good with the Bad

  I was doing really good with my 31 days to clean.  Josh was so delighted to come home to a clean and organized, not just kitchen, house!  Not including the shared girls room.  I did make a dent in there, with them, but it's far from over (and even worse now). 
  Then I hit a wall, a virus wall.  You know a real life firewall for your body would be nice.  Especially when your on a good roll with keeping it all together.  A nice little cold knocks you on your butt and well it was nice while it lasted....
   Today I am feeling a bit better, still dizzy but not as wiped out.  Today I have 2 members of my family joining in the sickness fun.  Although what was has got I did not, and no thank you!  We are in lock down, sanitize everything and everyone around the clock terror watch.  Well it's not really that bad, I mean as in terror, but I'd really appreciate this not going any farther than one.  So it's disinfecting time, I mean serious doorknob, light switch, Mama's following you around the house cleaning everything you touch.  Now I'm really exhausted.  Oh and don't forget the homemade medicine chicken broth.  Made a big batch planning on adding it to everything we eat.  Plus lots of garlic!
  I was really down about missing days 9-13 on my cleaning.  But you know what I did clean my kitchen today.  Then I messed it up again.  But it's ok, I'll jump back in when I can.  Other things are demanding attention right now, and I'm not going to get discouraged and give up.  I can jump back in when things are a little more closer to normal.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Uphill Both Ways

  Well I made one goal happen on Saturday.  I got up at 6am!  To be honest I really had to get up that early, actually I stayed in bed till 6:15, but that is still earlier than I ever have without it involving a crying baby.
  I was up at this crazy hour because the boys were participating in the Seafest Parade.  We first had to drive an hour and a half to get there. 
   The girls had slept over at Oma's because Daddy is at camp.  The boys and I got up, ate breaky then into uniform they got.  I downed 2 cups of coffee and off we went.  We grabbed 2 hot chocolates and another coffee at Timmy's!
   It was a really nice drive.  We chatted, they listened to Odyssey stories.  My Sirius radio blasting the Message the whole way. 
  This is a very long parade.  Bevan's drum teacher was concerned that Bevan might not be able to carry the drum the whole way.   Bradon's feet have grown and his shoes are pinching his heels and toes.  We are all gathered with the band at a lovely couples home.  They live right beside where the parade starts. 
  Once we're ready to line up for the parade, I carry Bevan's drum the short walk over there.  In my mind I'm thinking that he should save all his energy for the actual parade. 
  The parade begins, Bevan hooks up his drum and off we go.  I follow along on the side to be there when Bev is done with the drum.   We are followed by the Navy bus and I secretly wish I was brave enough to ask for a ride, cause I'm to lazy to walk this whole thing! 
   We walk up a hill, and not just a little hill, these streets are like rolling hills!   Then down and up a side street.  I lost count of the blocks we walked this far.  If that bus would just get a little closer I could jump on.
   Bagpipes singing and drums beating we turn up a side street and then back down another street.  Heading in the direction we came.  Great another hill!
  The band played great, lots of cheering and hooting from the crowd.  Bevan gives me a look.  I give him the thumbs up and wave him on.  He frowns at me.
  Just at the last building at the end of the parade, he stops drumming and his holding up the straps with his hands.  Ok, I wave him over. 
  "Look! You made it all the way to the end!"  He smiles at me, hands me the drum, and gets back in line.
   The boys get lots of good pats on the back for a job well done.  Brady runs and changes into his runners the first chance he gets!
  We say our thanks, and good byes and head to McDonald's.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Glitches

Yesterday I hit a glitch.  I finished the kitchen no problem.  It actually gets faster as I do the kitchen each day.  It was the main living areas that cramped my cruising and I glitched.
  I didn't get it done.  Well the couch and chair area is easy enough, the computer school area is overwhelming. 
  But today I got it done.  Well for the most part.  To the untrained eye it may not look glorious, but if you saw what it looked like before (your training) it's fabulous!
  Now if I could just get Madi to stop dumping out her blocks!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Right-Brained, Left-Brained

  Apparently I'm right-brained.  This means that if I don't see it, it doesn't exist.  Which really explains why my clothes never make it out of the laundry basket in my room.  Clean clothes are in the basket, I dig out of there.  Dirty clothes on the floor, in the corner, I chuck them over there.  It also means I'm suppose to be artistic, hmm, I must have more left-braininess in there cause I can't draw to save my life!
  I was convinced that my sweet husband, love of my life, was totally 100% left-brained.  My reasons for this conclusion are that left-brainy people are organized.  Everything has a place and everything in it's place.  He is constantly putting things where I can't find them "in their place".  Which I appreciate, but have a hard time with.  You see in my brain if I can't see it, it's gone, therefore I go buy more.  Ya, this is a source of frustration and sometimes laughter in my house.
  Last week I thought it was strange that we went through a whole box of diapers.  But I went and bought more anyway.  When Josh came home he showed me the full draw of diapers! Oops!
   I was pondering creative ideas for when the toilet paper runs out today, you see I am hoping for a paycheck today or tomorrow.  If that doesn't happen we'll be using paper towel!   Anyways not to worry, while doing my 31 days to clean I was actually hanging things in my wardrobe, which Josh and I share and VOILA!! TOILET PAPER!  I thought we went through that big bulk package awfully fast even for this house!  My sweet left-brained man had put it away:)
   Oh and we did an online test, to laugh at ourselves and apparently he's not so left-brained after all.  In fact he's perfectly balanced, 49-51%  Of course as I suspected he's 49 right and 51 left.   I wasn't totally wrong.  
   As for me I lean quite far into the right, with very small slice of left.  Enough left that I can add 2+2 and that's about it.  Sorry I forget the exact numbers, something like 70-30 or there abouts.
   So if you think your seeing double at my house, you probably aren't.  What surely happened was that Josh put it away, I thought it was gone forever and bought another one;)

UPDATE!
I went and got you my numbers 33 Left and 67 Right.:)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Dragging But Still Doing

  Wow, am I tired.  I didn't sleep well last night, but that's normal for the first night Josh is gone. 
  We postponed school this morning and headed to the family garden for some weeding time.  The boys delivered their papers, the girls, Oma and I weeded.  Well the girls alternated weeding with keeping Madi occupied. 
  I'll have to get some pictures of our lovely family garden up on here.  The gardeners consist of Oma and Papa, Auntie Maiya, Uncle Joe and kiddies, Josh, our kids and I.  It's super! I love it.  Planting this year was similar to last year.  3 women and 8 kids.  Great fun, and great conversations. 
   Weeding is lots of fun too, lots of time to chatt and pull weeds.  Lots of time for the big ones to trade of watching little ones.  
  My kitchen is clean, save for one load of dishes waiting for it's turn through the washer.  Today was the day to add picking up the main living areas to the clean the kitchen routine.  Well the floor was picked up from all it's toys, papers and miscellaneous socks/shirts/towels.  Oh Oops! I forgot today is also add laundry to the list.  Gotta run put in a load! See ya!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Sparkling Clean

Today was the day it sparkled.  Yep I HAD a super nice clean kitchen.  With some of the cupboards even cleaned out and organized.  I say some because I have a lot of cupboards and can't get to them all.  More tomorrow:)  My kitchen is still in great shape.  One more load of dishes should complete the job.  And one last wipe of the counters and tomorrow I will wake up to a clean start.  Which maybe happened once before...maybe!
  Looking forward to the next thing!

It Figures, and Thankfullness

   Well yesterday was the first day of the focus group.  The mission....to clean the kitchen.   And.....my.....dishwasher broke.   Ok not really broken but wasn't working and my sweet husband had it in pieces and back together, then apart again.  This process took all day.
    It figures, when I want to get to work, my maids quite on me.  So I washed by hand.....A LOT of dishes.  My kitchen didn't quite get sparkly clean like I intended.  Time was not on my side.  It takes a lot longer to wash by hand, I have a new appreciation for my dishwasher.
   I am thankful for the first 31 days to clean.  My kitchen was in a far better shape then it's been in a long time.  I am thankful I had already done some. 
   So although my kitchen might not be as great as I planned, it's still better than if I'd done nothing;)

Monday, June 6, 2011

31 Days to Clean

Homemakers Challenge - 31 Days to Clean
     A couple of weeks ago I bought an e-book.  31 days to clean

      If you know me then you probably know I'm not a cleaning type person.   It's something I've struggled with all my life.  My bedroom when I lived at home was your typical teenage nuclear disaster area.   Now fast forward to getting married, having children, homeschooling.  I now have a house that looks like my teenager bedroom! 

    I use to think that my Mom didn't teach us to clean.  She was a single Mom raising two girls.  I do remember her making us do dishes and sweep and vacuum.  So I'm pretty sure we had to learn how to clean.  What I think now is that the key was she MADE us do it.  We knew what we had to do but we never did it with out her MAKING us do it.  Seriously!
    Now running my own home, there is no one to MAKE me do anything.  In fact I could sit on my behind all day and do nothing!  If it wasn't for the multitude of children crying for food I probably would have.  Maybe.  
   Besides teaching my children about Christ and generally how to behave, I have a desperate need to teach them how not to be me!
   I know that sounds bad, but really people I'm 35 years old and just learning how to keep a house! Sad, really sad. 
   I can learn from the mistakes my Mom made.  Not that she did anything badly, she did her best.   In hindsight I can see that hounding my children to get their required chores done, and MAKING them do it, doesn't work.  I need to teach them something I don't have.  Which is impossible, if I don't have it how do I give it??
    Here's where I cry to the Lord and He always answers.  Now this isn't going to be easy especially for me.  I have discovered many things about myself these past couple of years.  One of which is that I accept things to be true that are not actually true.  Especially if I perceive it to hard to change.  Well the truth is I can't change.  Nope I can't, but Christ can change me if I let Him. 
    I found this e-book and it's really helping me.  It has Mary challenges, which are more about spiritual growth and Martha challenges, which are cleaning jobs. 
   This combination is really working for me.
   The sweet lady who wrote this book has started a focus group for the next part.  I joined. 
   I am a little intimated to say the least.  I am praying through it.  I'm also excited.  I'm learning.  It's fun.  I do much better when there is someone to TELL me WHAT TO DO!  Hahahaha!  Ok so that is something I'll have to deal with too, but for now I'm working on establishing routine cleaning habits. 
  Sarah Mae has given us permission to blog about our journey if we like.   Writing things out helps me process, so I'll be blogging about my cleaning journey as much as possible.  
   I am doing this for a few reasons. 
   First, because I am a wife and mother and I am at home it is my job to run the home.  Scripture tells me to do everything I do as unto the Lord!   I can honestly say I don't care about housework, I skirt the edges and only do whats necessary when necessary.  I don't give it my all, never have.  But things are going to change, they have to if I want to give my children a chance to be better than I am.  I want them to be able to stand on my shoulders and reach higher than I could. 
   I believe that if I learn this, they will too, and when they leave me to run their own houses this will be one thing they won't have to struggle with.  They will have their own struggles yes, but if I can help them out with one, that's one less thing they have to do later.
    Today it begins! I've been already working through the first e-book so I feel ready for the second one. 
   It's based on the idea of building a task each day.
I will post after today, and let you know how it went;)