Clean Freak!

If a clean house is a sign of a sick mind then I'm in trouble....

The house has been on the market for 8 days, and I'm ultra focused on cleanliness (as if that's any different than usual. I've just taken it to a new height).

Following is my new norm for a morning routine:

• Get kids up, fed, & out the door (including husband)
• Enjoy a cup of coffee and catch up on Facebook & e-mail
• Kick into high gear
• Make everyone's beds
• Wipe down 6 bathroom sinks, 4 toilets, 4 mirrors, 4 showers
• Make sure towels are nicely folded and hung
  
• Pick up any loose articles on the floor
• Vacuum if it's the "other" day: This includes 5 bedrooms, 1 bonus room, a set of stairs, then all of the tile & hardwood.
• Empty garbages
• Clean kitchen
• Do laundry as needed
• Do a quick dust
• Mop as needed
  

Now, the first couple of days this took awhile, but today I've got this thing whipped! And I sit here and ask myself, "WHY HAVEN'T I DONE THIS ALL ALONG?"!!!!! It takes about an hour. I've got no where to go, and I feel SO good having an uber clean house all of the time!

Why does it take a kick in the rear to knock some sense into us all of the time?

Now if someone would just come look at the place!!!

So Long Great Expectations

Belated Happy Mother's Day to all of you mommies in blog land!

I read on a blog this morning about a mom who used to have such high hopes for Mother's Day. I can relate. She stated that most of us moms care about the planning of our loved ones' special days. I can relate. She mentioned that it matters to us that party plates match the cake. I can relate. It matters that we've planned ahead and had such happy anticipations for that persons' day. I can relate. Then she told her story of expecting such a return on Mother's Day yet feeling hopelessly disappointed at the end of the day. I can relate.

Can you?

It's not that our men and kids don't love us as much. It's not that they haven't thought about Mother's Day at all. I think it's just how we are wired. And, there is nothing wrong with that. Don't misunderstand me. I've always been acknowledged on this day, just not how it played out in my mind. And seriously, why do we do that to ourselves? Great expectations of going out for brunch (Ha! Back in the day with 3 little, rambunctious boys...not too fun but I dreamed of it anyway!), getting a long nap, not having to tend to the needs of anyone but myself, maybe a pedi or massage squeezed in, and finally a wonderful dinner out with my family (or one cooked & cleaned up by them).

Also, when we lived in California, I always worried about making sure my mom and mom-in-law were put first. That we planned something special with them. Then I'd feel jipped by the end of the day and usually exhausted. I'll admit, moving out-of-state sure did change Mother's Day for me. Don't get me wrong. I would love to be with my moms on this day, but I've come to that place after getting some of the Mother's Days to myself for the past 9 years! I've also come to let go of my great expectations and either talk about what I would like for the day to look like and/or plan something for myself. All the while not really expecting too much.

So, in saying all of that, yesterday was perfect! I had scheduled my own 1 & 1/2 hour massage the prior week. My husband brought me breakfast in bed before the kids were up and then left for a bike ride while I went back to sleep :) My youngest boy crawled in bed with me at some point and sweetly wished me a happy mommy's day. One by one the other 3 woke up, found me somewhere in the house, and did the same. Doug came home while I was folding a load of laundry and nicely told me to stop, that I shouldn't be doing this, and that he would :) Before I left for my massage I told him my wishes for the day: Laundry done, a carpets vacuumed. He said, "Just let us bless you"! OK, say no more! I came home to a clean house and laundry just about finished. We piled in the car, did a little shopping, ate dinner, and came home to watch some hockey. (Yes, I loved it!)

No big expectations=no big let downs. There's nothing wrong with making plans for yourself. I felt loved and appreciated. Win-win for all :)

Now, back to reality.....it's Monday.

Benefits of a handyman's wife

The other night I'd just had it with my knife drawer. It was unorganized and posed to be a dangerous situation at times. I have knives I don't use and I am pretty sure all of them were wedding gifts circa November 1990!

I mentioned to my ever-so-talented-with-a-power-tool husband that I'd like to call our cabinet maker and order a knife organizer for the drawer and would he take measurements. He did one better.

We headed out to the shop and he pulled power chords out of the ceiling(seriously-some retractable doo-hickey!), set up saws on the tailgate and hooked up the sawdust sucker upper thing (some sort of huge vacuum). The guy even has an air purifier out there! How did I not know this?!?!?!

He started cutting, measuring, cutting some more, lining the knives up, gluing, nailing, sanding, oiling, and 2 hours later...voila! A knife drawer!
I am getting rid of over 1/2 of my knives because let's face it...how many do you really need? Now they are safe and organized! I'm not spoiled at all :)

My ride

This here is my husbands "return to glory days toy". He had one when we were dating. It is a 1971 Toyota Landcruiser. He sold it right before we got married and had regretted it ever since. A few years back he got the urge for another one and found it on E-Bay. It was baby blue and totally rusted out. He's completely restored the thing. It's fun in the summer!


Not so much in the winter. This is what I've driving this week because my car looked like this:

I was backed into a couple of weeks back in a parking lot. Hit-and-run. His is bumpy and drafty (did I mention it's about 38 out in the mornings?). Mine, well, let's just say I'm grateful for the little things...like HEATED SEATS :)

I hope I get my ride back soon!

I need a TIME OUT!

I'm not throwing a fit. My kids aren't driving me nuts. I haven't lost it. I'm not even hormonal. The fact-of-the-matter is I need a time out from the "To-Do" list! You know the one you don't have to make because it's the SAME EVERYDAY?!?!?!

What I would give for some time to do nothing! (Except read lovely blogs and sip something hot & yummy). Yet, in all the joys & giggles of blog land I've come to realize that I even need a time out from this! To sit in silence maybe. Or just read a chapter in the book I've started. To just be. Even right now, I should be catching up in the office because my 4 lovely darlings will be home in about an hour and it's payroll day. But no, I'm sitting here kinda whining I guess. Tea is brewing and buttery Girl Scout Trefoil cookies are waiting for me.



I don't want the "To-Do" list to go away, I'd just like it to keep working while I take a time out! The clock is ticking...I'm not gonna complain anymore though. Without work to keep the company going I wouldn't have work to do in the office, and of course we need the work so we can live. So, time to be thankful, pull my big-girl-pants up and get my booty in the other room and work.

Thanks for joining me on my mini time out!

Monday morning bliss & blues

So I've been able to follow through with getting up by 5:30 during the week for 5 days now. I have to say that I LOVE it!

This morning I had a quiet, fulfilling time in the Word, and got a little bit of office work done. I was a happy girl. Then, I had to wake up the kids. My daughter is a breeze. She loves school, life, being a girl. The oldest boy gets it easy in the morning because the "bell" does not ring around here. The 2nd boy is not a morning person, and really isn't motivated by much. Then there is the 3rd boy. Unpredictable for sure. He has the "Monday morning blues". Woke up in tears. Sobbing tears! I didn't have the patience or time for it. Which breaks my heart now. I didn't get mad, but I wasn't consoling either.

He comes up with the most negative comments. It bothers me. His life isn't good. He doesn't like school. He didn't have any fun this weekend. Ugh! The only thing that ended his downward spiral was my offer to take him to school instead of riding the school bus. Phew! No more tears. He's not happy, but hopefully it was enough to turn his day around.

I get so discouraged at times when I've had such a good morning, and then everyone wakes up. Is that bad? I try to have an open mind to it all. I tell myself God is testing my true nature this way. How will I respond? Will I show grace & love as He shows me every moment of my life?

God has spoken to my heart about this year. The theme is Relationships & Character. More on that later....off to school for the little guy!

Finding Time vs. Making Time

More often than not I find myself in a battle over my time. I'm not the best manager of it either. I'm easily distracted, and find too many irons in the fire with nothing really getting accomplished.

I could make a list of what I'd like to consistently do with my time, but that would be void the minute I wrote it. As I reflect on this past year I can see how God has removed from my life, and given me new direction and desires. I do like change. As long as it doesn't hurt :)

Two things that are always nagging in my mind is my devotional time, and staying caught up with business office work. So, I've finally DECIDED I would get up an hour to and hour and half earlier than I normally do. That means the alarm goes off at 5am and am not allowed to hit the snooze! It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out if I want more time I've got to have more hours in the day.

So far I've done it, and though I hit a wall around 3 it has been a rewarding feeling. The office has been the only thing I've gotten up early for. This afternoon, when Trevor goes to school, I will have an empty, quiet house for devotions.

Like Peter Brady sang, "When it's time to change, you've got to re-arrange!"

I'm Dreaming of a Permanent Vacation...

Every morning, these past 10 days, as I slowly come out of slumber I struggle to figure out what day it is. When I realize it's another day of Christmas break I smile, roll over and usually go back to sleep dreaming of permanent vacation!

What a concept. No work, no school, no chores. Just play!

Coming home from our vacation in SoCal was wonderful, but a bit depressing. I have so much to be thankful for. Work, house, clothes, food. I must remind myself of this when I spend an entire day just catching up on office work, and the 2+ days it is taking to get the laundry done, and too many $'s later our kitchen is re-stocked.

I've been thinking about next week's dive into homeschooling. I've realized that my personality could use the organized curricula with all it's worksheets and schedules I could check off each day. Unfortunately this isn't about me. Trevor is like me when it comes to organization and list checking, but his learning is not best done by worksheets. Bummer.

I went to Costco yesterday and it hit me again what so many people start out their New Year hoping for: A thinner, healthier body, and organization in their lives. Thus, all of the workout equipment and plastic boxes of various sizes, shelving, and other organizational tools.

This week I thought I'd be all about organization. Purging the office of 2009 documents (which involves a trip to Staples and I LOVE that store), laying out a lesson plan for school, and going through the kids' rooms. Now I'm not feeling so ambitious. I'd love to sit with my kids and watch movies while cuddled under blankets.

No complaints about my life. It is a wonderful one :) I'm thankful to God for every new day He gives me and all that it brings.

Snow Day!

Wouldn't you know it? Day #2 and our public schools are closed due to negative temps and power outages! I'm sorry, but I for one can not focus on such a new program with everyone home! So home schooling went out the window today.
It made me agitated this morning to not keep on the schedule I had planned, but I sat with my cup of coffee in front of the fire, staring at my beautiful Christmas tree and relaxed. That lasted about 10 minutes, and I hit the ground running.
Birthday shopping, errands, lunch with 2 of my kids. Then I got to spend some time with a wonderful friend getting ready to have her first baby. Literally. Unfortunately the contractions I timed for 1 1/2 hours at 3 minutes apart didn't last once she got to the hospital.
This day didn't turn out like we thought for either of us. Our days aren't predictable, and that is o.k.! Well, maybe not for my very pregnant friend at this moment, but I had an unexpectedly wonderful day.