chores

There will come a day when my day isn't defined by how many loads of laundry I complete or the number of cheerios I pick up off of the ground, but for right now love it or hate it, chores are a part of mine and my girls day. My chores are dictated by the wonderful, awe inspiring, almost life changing flylady rules (www.flylady.net, please check it out if you like your house looking company clean all the time and who doesn't??) and slowly but surely my girls are taking on a more active role in what they do to help keep our home livable. Our five year-old's responsibilities include but are not limited to cleaning up her bathroom daily, picking up her dirty clothes off of her floor and putting them in her dirty laundry bin, putting away her folded clean clothes, helping me sort clothes for laundry, getting her own drink at mealtimes, clearing her dishes, drying the countertops after mealtimes, washing her sister's hands, and the inevitable clean up time which I will get to later. Our two year-old will help put her clothing and washcloths away in their specific drawers, dry her bench that she sits on at mealtimes, and help with clean up time. We don't use charts or stickers (tried them in the past and we either couldn't stick with them or the novelty ran off and they didn't work). I try to set a good example and verbally remind them that at certain times I can't do something "fun" either because I'm working on my chores. Of course please don't think I have a perfect home where my children are merry maids because that obviously isn't the case, but just giving them some responsibility in the upkeep in our home is hopefully going to help them learn to respect their surroundings AND I recently read that one of the best gifts you can give a child is the gift of work because we are raising in fact men and women that are going to have to take care of and respect their homes one day.
So, onto the "clean up time." The clean up time in our house is a hard time because although I try to encourage cleaning up after each activity after a day of play there are various parts of barbies, play kitchen, baby doll, paper, and craft activity remnants scattered through out our house. We opt for either a 4:50 pm clean up time (right before I start to make dinner) or a 6:30 pm clean up time (right before bath). We always start with a "time to put the toys away" jingle stolen from The Little Gym (an amazing place you also need to check out if you have not) and from there I switch it up in the hopes that one strategy will get my girls moving. These strategies include making a chart on the chalkboard of everyone's names and we mark off by 10's of things we pick up (yes, there are that many little bittle things around), or charting off by the different colors of the toys we are picking up,or each being in charge of a room, or playing UPS man that one person delivers a toy that needs to make it back to its rightful room, or even just saying I will only have one "best helper" tonight (in which cause my ultra competitive five year-old hauls booty to be the winner).
It's tiring just writing about it, but it is so worth it to sit down at the end of the day, put my feet up on the sofa and relax in a clean space (even if I do spot yet another cheerio on the floor).

Errands

As much as I wish I could say that our days at home solely consist of craft time, imaginary play of trips to the grocery store (as pictured above), and nap time, they don't. In our real world we go on an errand usually everyday. This is a must do either because we have a need, or, I simply need to get out of the house for a bit because I'm going a little stir crazy. There is something therapeutic for me just to be in the car, have a moment to listen to a non taylor swift song (can you tell my children love tay tay (as they lovingly call her) at the moment, and regroup before reaching our destination, even if that destination is as simple as the drive thru at the bank. With the age of my children (five and two) I can honestly say, too, that most days errands that consist of us actually going inside somewhere usually end better than ok with my oldest giving me an idea for a snack I hadn't thought of at the grocery store, or us reading a book together at the library, or even the girls taking turns getting the stamps at a self service station at the post office. I can also say, honestly, that it hasn't always been this easy. Anyone who has lugged around a rear facing baby carrier with a baby in it knows that it could prepare you to be in a weight lifting competition, add a crying baby at that and you are in for a fun filled errand time. Such fun, in fact that when I only had M and I was still teaching and juggling working and being a good mom, that upon a return from trying to get groceries I put her carrier down on our kitchen floor and literally went to my knees to pray about someone helping me (and He did, allowing me to stay home where there is already enough to juggle). Yes, errands have definitely gotten easier, to the point now where if I don't have my girls with me on an errand I feel naked (that would not be good), and extra light. After talking to a friend about this who feels the same way,the conclusion is easy. Of course you feel light without your nearly 80 lbs of security blanket, loving children surrounding you. They definitely make the errands more entertaining and fun, even if by chance a taylor swift song does come on the radio.

For the Love of Books

I love books. I have been a reader since Babysitter's Club and Nancy Drew were cool, and as a stay home mom one topic I can still feel up to date on in a conversation is books. I have lovely memories of my childhood friend having the whole collection of Berenstain Bear books and spending a good portion of a sleepover with her not doing our nails or watching movies, but reading her beloved collection, me insanely jealous of all of these perfectly ordered stories. Books have brought my mother-in-law and I even closer together in the fact that we like the same kind of storyline and she feels naked without a novel in her hands.
I see glimpses of my girls love of reading and books when the older one painstakingly puts her bookmark in her place after victoriously reading a page, when my younger one corrects me if I read a word different (trying to be funny) than what is in one of her favorite books, and when they would rather read Peter Pan than watch the movie, good stuff.
With my history it is no wonder that the first thing I look to organize in my girls rooms are their bookshelves. Putting their Berenstain Bear collection in order, along with Dr. Seuss, Give a Mouse series, etc., and even having monthly books that are rotated at the beginning of each month obviously shows books are really precious to me, and hopefully to my girls too.
*I can't let this blog pass without passing along two irreplaceable websites involving books: www.paperbackswap.com and www.goodreads.com, for the love of books, check them out :) *

A Weekend Away

Any excuse I have for getting away from the daily routines of chores, cooking, and errands I am all for, so when my husband had to take a road trip out of town for the weekend and suggested the girls and I come along, I immediately began the packing list for our adventure. My husband travels quite a bit and so I must say I have become something of a pro of getting bags, snacks, and activities for along the way together; careful not to forget the necessities of good night story books, ziploc bags of cheerios, fruit cups, and of course extra napkins, plates, and sippy cups. This trip was to New Orleans and although we have done the sight seeing other times, when your husband is traveling for work and you are along for some time with him, he is still there for work hence not with you every minute. I try to be a good mom but I also know my limits. Trying to find my way around a city I'm not too familiar with and finding things that probably cost money to do and wondering if your two year-old will even enjoy them or if you will spend most of the outing chasing her doesn't sound like fun to me. What does sound like fun may sound simple to some, but it works for our family. Picnic dinners of pizza by the hotel pool discussing lizards, clouds, and everything in between works for us. My oldest and I playing silent Uno in a mostly dark hotel room while the two year-old naps (so proud of my five year-old for being respectful of the baby's nap time) works for us. My girls eating cheerios and having juice boxes in bed while watching cartoons while Mommy gets ready for the day (Daddy having been out the door hours before for his work) and then us all going to enjoy a free breakfast (hotel MUST) works for us. Even Daddy making it back to the hotel room and he and I whispering about his day and catching him up on ours seems to be a good way to end the day. There is nothing complicated, expensive, or extravagant about our weekends away, and that's just the way we like it.