Hey, guess what?

Joseph is asleep... IN BED! I hope this lasts more than just a few minutes...

Oh, I've had so much to post about, and absolutely no free time to do so. In these precious few minutes before he starts screaming again, let me recap what's been going on.

First, I've missed you guys!

I mentioned before how chaotic life has been since Joseph's birth. I'll admit it -- I was thinking that having baby #8 would be a piece of cake. After all, I've done this 7 times before, so I should be an old pro at this, right? Well, either he's the fussiest baby we've ever had, hands down, or I somehow forgot everything about mothering a newborn since Grace (a tough kid as well).

On top of that, I am now homeschooling 6 kids, 7th grade down to kindergarten, with a three-year old and a newborn on the side. I knew THAT would be a challenge, so I sat before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and told Him I was going to go down in flames if He didn't guide me through this next year. As I was writing out all this in my journal, the quiet thought came to me: Teach them all separately. As I've mentioned before, I thought it was either the voice of God, or the dumbest idea that's ever flitted through my head. But, with nothing else to go on, I decided to jump in and use the Mother of Divine Grace curriculum for each kid. Seventeen weeks into the school year, I can say that homeschooling has been MUCH easier this year, since I'm not driving myself crazy trying to find some magical way to mesh all their classes together.

So I knew that the Lord was interested in how I homeschool this wonderful troop of kids He's given us, but was He just as concerned with my sanity and the state of my home?

That was my question as I saw everything I had ever worked out... every bit of organization I thought I had... crumble into dust. I'm not what you would call an overly organized person to begin with. Sure, everyone ASSUMES that because I have 8 children, I must have this magical organizational gene that makes mothering so many a breeze.

Nope. Not a chance. (and by the way, I'm not a patient person either. Guess that's two strikes against me, or God's way of showing the world that you don't have to be organized or patient to be chosen to do this).

Many times since July I have hidden myself in the bathroom, crying over the complete chaos that has taken over my home. No, I wasn't a candidate for How Clean is Your House, but my home wasn't that haven of peacefulness that I wanted it to be, either. I begged Jesus to please show me how to do this, because I was filled with anxiety and rage over the "lack of control" I was dealing with.

I shared my tears and frustrations with a good friend of mine, who has transformed her home from a place where she felt anxious and out of control to one where there is real peace. She already had an amazing gift of hospitality, but now her home just radiated it.

Our Bible study group voted to read A Mother's Rule of Life for our next study, and I had some hope that THIS time, things would be different. On top of that, I borrowed a friend's copy of Managers of Their Homes. Those two books, plus the advice and good example of my friend, pushed me into doing something I thought I would never do: SCHEDULE MY DAY.

Like I said, I'm not an organized person, so this sort of thing did not come naturally to me. I sat down with a spreadsheet, bowed my head and asked God to guide my efforts, and then started plugging in the various activities that must be done in the course of a day. The difference between this, and something like a schedule from the FlyLady, is that EVERY person in the family is scheduled in. Instead of simply stating that 12:00 pm is lunchtime, for example, I had to decide what each person should be doing. If I was teaching the younger girls, who was going to be taking care of Joseph? What time did I need to get up to make sure that I had my time with the Lord in the morning?

Doing this schedule was a lot like working out a budget. When you just wing it, you have a general sense of what should be in each category, but there's nothing definite. As I was scheduling our day, I became VERY aware of the fact that there just weren't enough hours in the day to do everything. I was forced to be honest with myself and determine how much time I needed to allot to each task. After a few days of thought, however, I came up with a basic schedule that I thought might work.

The result? Immediate peace. I was floored.

I've been able to keep that schedule for over a week now, including Thanksgiving, visits with relatives, and my husband being home during the day -- all things that normally would throw our house into confusion and mess. We've been able to end our homeschooling several hours earlier, AND I've been able to incorporate the FlyLady's zones into the whole thing, so our house is getting (and staying!) clean.

This is a miracle, people -- a real miracle! Nighttime cleanup (which used to take an hour and a half) is now cut down to less than 20 minutes. The toys are now being put away on a regular basis during the day. I'm no longer freaking out over the never-ending list of things that need to be done, because I know that these tasks will be addressed at certain times.

My bathrooms are cleaned twice a week.
My entire house is getting swept and mopped on a regular basis.
Baseboards, walls, and kitchen cabinets are getting washed weekly.
Chairs are getting wiped down daily.

The peace that I felt was so dramatic I knew that I was headed in the right direction.

So when we went out and got the Christmas tree on Saturday (it's tradition), and the kids started taking all the decorations out of the boxes, I started to feel that uneasiness and anxiety creep back in. Very quickly I realized that I don't handle visual clutter well, and I can now give myself permission to get rid of the things that no longer bring me joy. I'm under no obligation to put it all out, because -- to be honest -- our house is very small, we've got a lot of people, and I don't need to contribute to that claustrophobic feeling by putting out a gazillion different Nativity sets.

Does Jesus care about little things like the state of mind and home of some 40-something-year old in upstate South Carolina? Yes, He does. What I think He's been telling me, as an answer to my desperate prayers, is simple:

1. Teach them all separately (which gives them that individual time with Mom that is so important)
2. Schedule your day
3. You don't need to keep everything. Get rid of the excess.

I'll keep you posted on my progress, but so far that's what we're doing over here.

Home Cooking

We have had the blessing of many, many meals brought over after Joseph's birth, and I am so thankful for the love and care that went into each one of them. However, after four weeks my family is missing "Mom cooking," so I'm cooking a simple supper tonight -- burritos, with a side of rice and black beans. A great culinary experience it is not.

And yet...

One by one, my children have come into the kitchen, bent their heads over the pots on the stove, and exclaimed, "Oh, this smells so good!" (Sean actually proclaimed it to be "heavenly"... God bless him!)

After they left I smiled as I stirred the food, and I thought:

"By virtue of my office, I dictate what home is for ten people."

I'm not a master chef, and yet the way *I* cook is the way my children think things are supposed to taste.

The way I fold clothes is the "proper" way to do it.

The atmosphere I create here forms what my family considers to be home.

What a privilege! To think that I, just mucking around doing my job, am somehow forming their lifelong perceptions of how things should be is stunning. I shouldn't be stunned, because after all these years, I am still trying to do things the way MY mom did them. No one can make roast beef and browned potatoes the way my mom does. Her meatloaf is the standard by which I judge all others. I set up my kitchen based on how she set up hers. I fold clothes the way she does.

It makes sense to me that I should emulate her, but it's mind-boggling to me when I realize that I've got eight little ones following ME, watching and learning.

It covers much more than simple homemaking, however. Many, many times I have caught a glimpse of my children watching me as I pray, or read the Bible, or participate in Mass. What are they seeing in me? What sorts of lifelong perceptions of God have they formed in their heads because of my actions?

May the Lord repair what I've done badly, and may He bless all the good that has been done in this family!

The Final Nesting Moments

I think the nesting urge is slowing down now. I'm sure my children are rejoicing, because I've had them hopping these past few days, decluttering just about everything they can. We've purged toys, clothes in closets, books, etc. You name it, we've probably covered it. We did a massive clothing "swap/hand-me-down" thing this weekend as well. I'm feeling better about the house I'll be bringing this little one home to, but I'm still feeling somewhat cramped.

I'm not sure if this is an invitation for us to "suffer" the inconvenience and grow in holiness, or the opportunity to say, "wake up! This house is way too small for a family your size!" Guess we'll just have to see... *grin*

In the meantime I can be thankful that we managed to get so many things "off the list" before I go in to the hospital:

--I wound up making 3 batches of strawberry, 2 batches of blueberry, and 1 batch of peach jam. I feel like such the pioneer! *grin*
--I ground wheat and made two loaves of bread this afternoon (it's been awhile since I've made any!)
--We decluttered the girls' rooms and the boys' room.
--Thanks be to God and St. Anthony (for his intercession) we now have a real twin mattress for Thomas, who was able to relinquish his crib mattress (I know... the poor guy has been sleeping on one on a trundle bed....) to the baby. At least now everyone has a place to sleep!
--Clueless one here managed to squeak in a quick hospital preregistration.
--My dh has been getting so many of those little projects around the house done, AND managed to clean up the yard (which was on my "I'd love to get this done list" but never shared with anyone)
--I'm washing my last load of baby clothes this evening.
--And we've managed to pull off a decent 1/2 week of homeschooling so far (I'm only having them to half a day's work... they'll do the other half next week when dh is home taking care of me).

Whew!

I still don't even feel close to being emotionally ready for a new baby... OR a hospital stay... but like it or not, the time is almost here. I'm not one of those women that bond instantly with their baby. I never have. (and, truth be told, I never liked babysitting either. Hated it, actually... that's what makes it so funny that God decided I needed to be a "Mom of many.") At the end of the first day, I'll hold him in my arms, look him straight in the eye, and say, "Well stranger, I'm your mommy. I guess it's time we got to know each other a little bit." By the time I've been home for a few days, however, I'll start feeling those maternal instincts kick in, and then I'll start drinking in every feature, and go through that babymoon period.

I will do my best -- when the time comes -- to post some pictures from my iPhone to my blog. If that doesn't work, I'll have dh post at least a picture or two.

As always, thank you for your prayers. I will be praying for all of you while I'm on the table, offering up that experience for any intentions you may have. Lord willing, you will hear from me soon after his birth!

Anyone else inspired?

I am thrilled to see that Money Saving Mom and her dh were able to buy their first home WITH CASH. I think that's one of the most inspirational financial success stories I've heard in quite some time! Many congratulations to MMM and her family!!!

Over at Grocery Shrinks, there is a great link to a tutorial (from Little Green Notebook) on how to convert those cheap ugly blinds into Roman shades. This is exactly what I needed! I've got fabric on roller shades right now, but I'm tired of having to replace the rollers every two years or so, and I think turning that fabric into Roman shades would work wonderfully well!

My only "inspirational" bit to contribute is that I was able to make 2 batches of blueberry jam this weekend. My family is LOVING IT. The taste is so much better than store bought I have to say that I think I've permanently spoiled my family. I can only hope that somehow we can save some of this jam I've been making for the winter! (I've got 29 jars of strawberry and blueberry jam tucked away in the pantry. The only other fruit I want to try to make into jam is peach -- living in South Carolina, it would be almost a sin not to, doncha think?)

I wish my garden would produce enough food for me to learn how to can vegetables but alas, it's just not going to happen. We have way too much shade in our yard -- a good thing for South Carolina summers and keeping our house cool, but totally wrong for trying to grow a fabulous garden. I seem to be able to grow peppers (jalapenos, that is) and some herbs small containers, but that's about it.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Not being organized enough to ever participate in Jen's Quick Takes, I have to content myself with doing my own version on Sunday -- the Weekend Wrap-Up. It's not on Friday and it's not limited to 7 things, but it'll have to do for me.

1. Lesson Learned: You would think after 13 years of being a mom, and 14 years of being married to a very fair skinned man, that I would be on top of the whole sunscreen issue. Alas, I am not, and my children are paying for it dearly. We went to the pool on Wednesday and while I slathered the young girls with SPF 50, I told the older ones to take care of themselves. Did I double check? You'd think I would have, but I didn't. Needless to say, my kids are burned... especially the boys. (Christopher has specifically asked that the phrase "lobster red" not be used to describe him, so let that show how bad it is)They have been shirtless for 5 days now, and couldn't even make it to Mass this morning, since anything on their sunburns is extremely painful. The next time we make it to the pool, EVERY kid gets SPF 50, AND an inspection before heading out.

2. Projects Accomplished: Since we haven't ventured outside since Wednesday (no, it's not overkill... they REALLY don't need any exposure to the sun right now!) we've been busy doing all sorts of fun indoor stuff. The kids are learning that you really CAN find activities to do other than TV watching or computer games. Friday proved to be an exceptionally creative day for us -- messy, but creative. Reilly sewed a cute hat for herself out of felt, Kathryn made doves and puppets, the little girls also made puppets, and the boys took the bag of colored pipe cleaners and made men appropriately called "the pipe cleaner boys." Being pipe cleaners, their job is to... yes, clean pipes. I keep finding them tucked away in straws, sippy cup lids, etc, "doing their job." I have to admit, it's making me smile!

So, what did I do?

First, I redid my "Control Journal" (from FlyLady). I can't really show many pictures since the pages are filled with lots of personal information, but I'll tell you about it --

The first page has emergency contact numbers, including directions to our house (in case a babysitter needs to direct emergency personnel to our house), cell phone numbers, phone numbers for neighbors, etc.

Next comes a page filled with info on each child -- weight, allergies, birthdate, etc. Again, if a babysitter needs to get help fast for medicine or whatever, they've got it all right there. It had been several years since I updated this, so it was time! On that page is also a typical bedtime routine. Rather useless for the older kids, I know, but still helpful for the younger ones.

Next comes a page of easy meal ideas. My mom (who is a great cook) likes to have some quick ideas like this when she stays to watch the kids whenever I'm in the hospital giving birth (yeah, I think we've got this routine down by now!)

Next comes daily routines, followed by zone routines:

A master calendar page of EVERYTHING that goes on my yearly calendars (in case of computer problems, I've got a handwritten copy of birthdays, death days, sacramental days, etc..)

Followed by a home decorating section, in which I've saved paint chips (and names and colors) for all the rooms in the house, in case we ever need it. This section also includes pages ripped out of various magazines for decorating ideas.

Then, I decided it was time to tackle more projects that have been on my mind for far too long. For example, take a look at this ironing board:

Abysmal, is it not? My husband brought this into our marriage 14 years ago, and I believe his mother (an expert "dumpster diver," as we call them) found it by the side of the road a few years before. I have HATED this cover for 14 years. So, I took it off, laid it down on a piece of free fabric that I got a few years ago from a friend, quickly sketched out the cover and end pocket, hemmed it and zigzagged a string around it so I could tighten it, replaced the foam, CLEANED the frame (who knew it was white under there? Sheesh...)and voila!

It won't win any awards, but perhaps I'll be a bit more inspired to iron!

Then, since I had my sewing machine out ANYWAY (it's a pain to drag it out of the closet and set it up, so I don't do it all that often), I decided it was time to make those art smocks that I had been wanting to do for several years now. I made the original pattern after the art smock that I wore when I was in kindergarten... again, just laid it down on some newspaper, eyeballed the basic shape, and quickly sewed it together with some bias tape on the outside.

Two happy girls with their new art smocks!

In fact, Grace liked hers so much she wore it the rest of the evening... through dinner... and managed to fall asleep in it.

Anyone else like me, by the way? I collect fabric that I like, and then I never use it because I like it too much! Goofy... so I'm glad to have used up some of my stash. I need to find uses for all of it and QUIT SAVING IT.

Can't leave my husband out of all this. He's in the process of finishing up lots of little projects that have been piling up over the years. The biggest one right now is building a shed in the back. After enclosing our carport, we lost storage space for all of his tools, which have been taking up serious closet space in our home ever since. How bad is it? Well, let's just say that the little girls don't even HAVE a closet... it's filled with tools. Same with the closet in our new office... and the wonderful bookcases dh built in the office... it's just too sad.

Grace decided to go out and help Daddy with his project. Keep in mind that it's 97 degrees out there in the shade, and THIS is how she decided to go out:

DH says she's being incredibly helpful, though! (as an aside, please don't look at my backyard. It's truly a "walk of shame" for me and I know it's bad...)

3. Baby shower: I've got a wonderful group of friends who graciously threw me a baby shower! (Baby #8 tends to inherit some rather ratty things..)

Is this not cute? Many thanks to "M" and "P" for this one!

Not knowing how some of them feel about having their pictures plastered on my blog, for now I'll just show a happy me thrilled to have so many people love and care for my family. What would I do without them? God bless you all!!!! (yeah, I wear this dress a lot... see my banner picture. It's cool, it has been a wonderful pregnancy dress, and I'm running out of options!)

4. Shopping Score! We take out a certain amount of money each week for groceries, and my job is to stay under as best as possible (I love a challenge!) This week's challenge, however, was large -- I had to take out $70 to cover all the back-to-school supplies needed for Monday (you start buying binders and notebooks for each kid, and it adds up quickly!!). Even with this HUGE amount taken out of my grocery budget, I still managed to come home with $5 left over! I am feeding each person of my family for less than $20 for the entire week -- AND we are eating WELL, with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, homemade bread, etc. I am so excited!!! (praying before shopping is ALWAYS the best option!)

5. Final prep work for homeschooling: Seeing as I was able to buy all the binders and such for homeschooling, the kids spent yesterday afternoon getting them all ready... picking out paper for the covers, setting up their tabs and pencil cases, etc. EVERY single one of them (including my most reluctant homeschooler, Thomas) said, "I can't WAIT to start tomorrow!"

Praise God... let's hope the enthusiasm lasts!

Hope you enjoyed our weekend wrap-up... leave me a comment with links to your blog and all your accomplishments, so I can celebrate and enjoy your domestic victories as well!

Summertime baking

What do you do when you're becoming anemic?

If you are me, you look for recipes with blackstrap molasses, of course!

(wait a minute, you're thinking. It's 100 degrees down there in South Carolina right now! Shouldn't you be sitting on chairs, drinking mint juleps and munching on cucumber sandwiches under a magnolia tree? What on earth are you doing BAKING???? Call me crazy....)

The NEW GOOD HOUSEKEEPING COOKBOOK has two great cookie recipes that call for molasses. Hopefully I'm allowed to print them here... if not, I'll take them down, but for now, pretend I've called you on the phone and given you these recipes, and you've just written them down:

GINGERSNAPS:
2 1/3 c flour
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c salad oil
1/4 c dark molasses
1/4 c maple (or maple-flavor) syrup
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (I didn't have this)
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg

This is a typical dump and mix recipe. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into a separate bowl of sugar and roll them into little balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. You'll be able to make about 44 cookies or so.

MOLASSES COOKIES

2 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c shortening
1/2 c molasses
1/4 c water
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

Again, dump and mix. This dough will be VERY sticky. The recipe calls for you to refrigerate this dough for 1-2 hours, but truly, it didn't help all that much. I just did the same thing I did for the gingersnaps above -- dropped them by rounded teaspoonfuls into a bowl of sugar, rolled them, and placed them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake them at 350 for 10 minutes. I was able to make 42 cookies out of this recipe.
Were they worth it?

The way my kids just chowed down on them, I'd have to say yes!

To boldly go where I have never gone before

I realize that canning is routine for most people, but I have always had a fear of it. After reading so many different articles and books on canning, I had this dread in the back of my head that somehow I'd do it wrong, and my whole family would wind up with a horrible case of food poisoning.

But, with the encouragement of my friends, and almost 3 hours worth of work (I'll explain that part in a minute..)

SUCCESS! Homemade strawberry jam!

Yes, I have that same "look what mine hands hath wrought" sort of feeling that I got the first time I made pudding from scratch (are you sensing a theme, here? It was a milestone moment of my cooking career...)

OK, so WHY THREE HOURS worth of work?

Well, my flat-top stove just doesn't like to co-operate with me, especially when the pans that I'm using are not suited for it. My mom had given me an old canning pot, and it took TWO HOURS to get the water to boil. TWO HOURS! That was incredibly frustrating. The actual work itself was much, much less than that.

In the long run, did I save any money? No, not really. By the time you factor in all the ingredients, I'd have to say each jar cost about $2. However, I went in to this for the learning experience and to be able to provide something homemade for my family. It is nice to know that with this particular batch of jam, I know everything that went into it and what sort of cleanliness standards were involved. That actually means quite a bit to me. Having worked in several food establishments, I know that -- even though the people I worked with were very conscientious -- there would have been nothing stopping me from touching the food with filthy hands (or doing something worse) if I had been the malicious sort. Sad, but really true.

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On a completely different note, I just had to share these pictures!

On Saturday, I was greeted with screams of "there's a cicada killer in the house!" As you are probably aware, these are majorly big wasps. As I made my way into the kitchen, I found these brave folks ready to do battle with it:

Truth be told, however, they chickened out once they heard it buzzing rather ferociously in the bathroom (it was stuck behind the shower curtain) and yours truly had to finally finish it off.

Finally, in the "no good deed goes unpunished" category, poor Christopher tried to comfort his little sister (who had been having a rough afternoon) by reading to her, only to have this happen...

He was rather uncomfortable and had to be rescued so that he could get up and let Grace take a much-needed nap.

A Possible Breakthrough

I truly hate to be posting this, because what sane person would try something for ONE day, and then deem it a success? I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure, because as soon as I state, "hey! This is working!" we will crash and burn to the ground.

And yet, here I am posting about our one-day success.

Like most moms, I can tell you about the horrible mess that my children leave behind as they go about their day. Papers, toys, clothes, etc etc etc, along with the normal day-to-day cleaning that has to be done. It's enough to make me want to hide in the bathroom and cry (and believe me, I have chosen that option on many an occasion!)

So what's my breakthrough?

Well, it came about yesterday during homeschooling, as we were talking about Lent. We were discussing Lenten sacrifices, and little mortifications that we can do during the day to take our eyes off of ourselves and turn them to the Lord. In particular I was thinking about St. Faustina, who desperately wanted to see who she had drawn for her patron saint of the year. As a small offering to the Lord, she waited 5 minutes before she looked at the card to see which one she had drawn.

That 5 minutes of waiting stuck with me... just 5 minutes before you go and do what you REALLY want to do... as an offering to the Lord. That thought came right along with Sean's question: "Mom, what does Jesus want us to be doing right now while we're still kids?" We talked about the importance of getting to know Him better, being obedient to parents, doing well in their education, and learning how to live together in a family.

Five minutes of waiting... learning how to live together in a family...

And then the idea popped out: Before ANY of us do whatever it is that we REALLY want to do, whether blogging or reading (for me) or playing a game or going outside, we are going to donate 5 minutes of time to the family. That means that we will pick up an area, or grab a dust mop, or wipe down the bathroom, whatever. We will do this not because it's "our job" or "our mess," but as an offering to God and to the family. After the time is up, they are free to go and do whatever they were wanting to do. If they switch tasks and want to do something else, again they make an offering of 5 minutes.

In practice -- so far -- it's worked great. The older kids are amazed at how much stuff is getting done without having to put in hours of "hard labor" to get everything clean. Last night's normal clean-up-the-toys time was a breeze, AND I had two bathrooms cleaned, the hall swept, the living room swept and mopped, the office swept, the little girls' room totally picked up, and ironing done. ALL without this huge "here are your tasks! Get the jobs done!" with accompanying groaning.

Will it last beyond Lent? I don't know... but I do know that so far I'm liking what I'm seeing in all of them in terms of attitude. It's an offering, pure and simple, instead of a "but I didn't make that mess!" argument.

So, silly as this post may be, I am putting it out there in case it might work for some other family.

Sweet Victory is Mine!

Guess who finally packed away the winter coats... and hats... and gloves............. in July?

Oh yeah, that would be me.

One more item scratched off the list.

Too early to claim success?

Ever since I first ran across a recipe for homemade laundry detergent, I have been eager to try it. After all, homemade usually beats store-bought in so many different arenas, so perhaps this would be yet another example.

However, I was frustrated early on because I couldn't get the main ingredient ANYWHERE around here:

Fels Naptha soap.

Sure, I could order it online, but I was just stunned I couldn't find it anywhere. I knew what it was... I had seen it many, many times... and yet when I needed it, it simply wasn't there.

Even the Mennonite store, for Pete's sake, had never heard of it. (Wouldn't you think that they would stock something like that? yeah, I did too...)

Thankfully, my mom came to my rescue!

Not only did she know what it was (she's been using it for years) and where to get it, but she even said that I was worth the $5 it cost to buy 2 bars of it and ship it down to me. (My mom just rocks! yeah, Mom!)

Quickly collecting the rest of the ingredients (that would be 1 cup of washing soda and 1 cup of borax), Thomas and I made our first batch of laundry detergent.

He was a bit freaked out watching me grate the soap on the cheese grater (and then give it an extra whirl in the food processor). He looked at me very seriously and said, "You're not going to forget that that's not cheese, are you, Mommy?" I assured him I would remember... and that I would clean everything thoroughly when I was finished. He trusted me after that.

We mixed it all together in a bowl and he (quite proudly) scooped it all into a glass jar... and then ran to the laundry room so we could try out our very first batch.


Initial results:

The clothes smell nice, seem to be stain-free, and are SOFT. This is pretty amazing, since I have been dealing with some horribly crunchy clothing as of late. I can never seem to make it back to the laundry room during the magical "rinse cycle," so I haven't been able to add vinegar (which removes all the soap residue and leaves clothes feeling nice and soft).

Am I just gimped? Does everyone else just have an innate sense of when "the rinse cycle" is happening... or is there some buzzer system that other washers have that mine does not? Certainly we are not meant to just hope for the best and try to hit the rinse cycle? (somebody help me, here!)

Will my children break out in a rash from this new detergent?
Will it get serious stains out?
Will I ever achieve rinse cycle mastery?

I'm not sure... but for now, I'm calling this a success.


If you are a fan of homemade recipes like I am, check out this great link from the grocery game!

I'm here... really!

Last week was busier than I thought it would be, and... well... real life has to take precedence over blogging. I wanted to get to the computer so many times last week, but was unable to do so.

So here I am -- finally -- in front of the computer long after everyone else in my family fell asleep, and I'm wondering... what on earth do I blog about? Perhaps this is an opportunity to try Jen's 7 Quick Takes idea!

1. Does everyone struggle with clutter (especially children's stuff), or is it just me? My deep desire is for order, and a place for everything, and a home like you would find in magazines. That is just NOT going to happen around here. I am not slovenly, but I find the task of keeping up (and keeping after) the mess-makers around here more than just a bit daunting and discouraging. I take clutter personally. Towels folded improperly make my eyes twitch. Clothes wadded up in drawers (or thrown on the floor of the closet) have brought me to tears on numerous occasions. My kids run for cover when Mom gets... the bag. I grab an industrial-sized garbage bag and just go to town, grabbing everything in sight and throwing it away. You would think after many such runs (a) my children would know that I mean it when I tell them to clean up and (b) we wouldn't have so much stuff laying around, but you'd be wrong on both accounts.

Does this fall under the "cross" category, or am I just bad at my vocation?


2. The cold weather has, unfortunately, brought my archenemies back. Jen has scorpions (God love her... I'd completely freak), I have roaches to deal with. Every now and then one of those huge "palmetto bugs" (to use a nicer term) makes its way into my home. As I was getting ready to go to bed last night, I was walking around the house, checking on the kids and having (what I thought was) a rather nice conversation with the Lord. It ended with...

"Thank You so much for the gift of these children... thank You for the way You provide for us every day... please help me to follow You every single day and DEAR JESUS THAT IS A ROACH!!!"

I stepped on it repeatedly, telling the Lord that I thought they were the most disgusting creatures He ever created and I really would appreciate it if He would just let the thing DIE NOW. I scooped it up, shuddering with revulsion, and flushed it down the toilet.... only to walk out into the hallway and find ANOTHER one on its back. (at least they were dying when I found them... and they weren't ON me....)


3. My dog is insisting on being let outside. This makes me sad, because then I will have to deal with the cat, who will try to get in while the door is open. I will feel guilty because it IS cold outside, but the cat is obnoxious at 2:00 am, so out he goes.


4. Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka is awfully good.


5. On a much more serious note, I have been thinking quite a bit about Amy's recent post (over at Epiphany Springs) about suffering. Not that I want suffering -- on the contrary, I tend to run away from even the thought of it. I found the idea of suffering increasing our love for God, however, to be humbling. If nothing else, it has enabled me to thank Him for the minor inconveniences of the day.


6. KMart will be having their "double coupon" deal going on this weekend, starting November 30th. They will double coupons up to $2!


7. There is no #7. It's after 1 am and I need to get to bed.

Small victories

This is a picture of success.



This is also a picture of success.


The first is what my refrigerator looked like just before I went to the grocery store on Saturday. As you can see, it is basically bare.

And that thrills me to no end!

See, I consider it a personal challenge to use up leftovers creatively so that nothing gets wasted... nothing gets thrown away... and no one utters a single "Do we have to eat this AGAIN?"

Very rarely do I have to throw anything away, but it's not too often that I can plan out everything -- down to the last egg -- so that I can have a clean refrigerator, ready for the next week's allotment of food.

Goofy, perhaps, but I take my victories wherever I can find them! *grin*

The second picture is another CVS victory. By combining sales, coupons, and ECBs, the total for all of this was $21.95.

I got $20 back in ECBs.

In other words, my final total was basically $1.95.

Score!

(P.S. Don't tell anyone, but CVS wound up paying me $0.55 to take one of those Right Guards off the shelf!)

A work in progress

Ah, the planning is done for this evening -- done, done, done! All the kids' assignments for the week are safely tucked into their binders, awaiting their eager little faces in the morning.

And speaking of binders...

My friend Malia has gotten into this coupon thing with me, and tossed off a little email to me last night, asking "What do you think of this coupon organizer?"

That did it.

You see, I've been using this



and it's gotten awfully full.



I had to spend more time organizing coupons than I wanted to, but that was the only way to be able to find what I needed when I needed it. I knew I wasn't happy with my system, but wasn't doing anything about it.

Until I was shown... the binder.

Seriously, I should have thought of the binder idea long ago. I am somewhat of a binder queen, using them for everything from homeschooling organization, favorite family recipe collections, homekeeping "control" journal, Bible study notes, etc etc etc.

I've got a lot of binders.

So it was with great enthusiasm that I jumped on my next project -- getting a better organization system in place!

I gathered my supplies -- a binder and some trading card protectors...


...but first, I had to make the outside pretty, or I wouldn't be inspired.


Then, I got to work. I figured that the front pocket and the zippered pencil holder...


Would be a great place for the flyers and "coupons I haven't filed yet"


The page protectors seem like they'll be a pretty good solution, although I can tell right now that being able to see through the pages is going to annoy me.


That's too much "visual clutter" for me. My dh, who knows me so well, took my complaint in stride and recommended putting dividers between each page. I was going to just put the adhesive tabs on the plastic pages themselves, but now that I see how it looks, I think he's right.

I'll be working on this more tomorrow... filling up the pages, adding category tabs on the side and... here's the big one -- giving it "the drop test." Will I lose all my coupons if (ahem) some little one drops it off the counter?

Tune in tomorrow and see!

More creative inspirations!

I just recently "made the acquaintance" of a highly inspirational blog called "Down To Earth." I love seeing how women around the world are taking the little corner that God has given them and truly made it theirs!

Read her latest post here on "Finding Time for Needlework." I found this to be most helpful!


I think some ladies feel guilt when they take time to sew or knit. They get a lot of pleasure from the doing of it so they think it's just a pure pleasure for them. That's not quite right, ladies. Yes, it is a pleasure, but it also contributes to your home - it is either part of your home making or your home maintenance. No matter how much pleasure you gain from the needles, it is one of your chores as well...

If you do get pleasure from craft work, or if it is something else that does that, structure it into your day. We talked about balance recently - this is a balance item. It is one of those things that you can look forward to during the day, it is still fulfilling your requirement to contribute in a meaningful way to your family and home, but because of its gentle nature, it will provide you with some respite from the heavier jobs.

Remember, this simple life is about finding pleasure in the ordinary and everyday tasks we all face. Don't be afraid to sit down with your craftwork. It is a great skill you bring to your family and if you find pleasure in doing it, well, that's just the icing on the cake.

Wonderful!

And a special "shout out" to my sister-in-law, who has actually done what all of us *say* we'd like to do... and that is, to work on our Christmas projects all year round. She has already finished -- or is currently working on -- quite a few projects for her family. She has incorporated crafting into her daily routines, and as a result, she is waaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of the game. I hope to get started soon!

Some favorites

My "food photography" abilities are basically nonexistent, so I will offer you this photo (and this recipe) from Cooking Light. It is one of my favorite magazines and this recipe is truly wonderful. Trust me. Make it. Your family will thank you.


Reading Elizabeth Foss' blog is dangerous business. Not only will she inspire the heck out of you with her words of wisdom and incredibly creative homeschooling ideas, she will also point you to all sorts of fun links that you just HAVE to visit, and then you'll find even more wonderful ideas that just make your head spin.

Case in point: 2 Peas in a Bucket.

OK, someone help me.

I am a font junkie.

I held myself back... I really did!... and limited myself to 3 new fonts to play with. (I could easily justify six dollars). And then I started playing. I pulled out some fun scrapbooking paper I bought recently and started redoing all the binders that have bugged me for years, like my recipe binder (here's the new and improved version)



Then I decided to make my own address book. I've got an electronic version, but there's just something about having an actual BOOK that means so much more to me. I go completely nuts in stationery stores, oohing and aahing over paper, journals, address books, etc. However, it isn't very often that I find one that has everything I want in it, in a font that I find attractive, etc etc etc. So, I decided to whip up one this weekend and play with it.


Here's the inside, and you'll just have to forgive the horrible picture. For some reason, the flash makes everything look horrible, so I have to go for the no flash mode, and it comes out blurry.


It's still very much a "work-in-progress." I've got tabs for websites, dates to remember, gift ideas, Christmas card lists, etc.

I'm toying with the idea of taking it down to the printer and having them spiral bind the final product, but then I'm left with the problem of not being able to replace pages if (gasp!) a mistake is made, or someone moves, or whatever. Or if I have to put someone in and they are out of alphabetical order. Grrr. Hate that.

[If you want to know how flaky I can really be, I'll confess that in high school, if I made ANY mistake while taking notes, I would TEAR. OUT. THE. PAGE. and start over. Yes, I really would. Now you can see a bit of why living in a small house with a LOT of chaos and visual clutter in the form of children's stuff just drives me NUTS!]

But the point of this post is not to highlight my flakiness (however amusing that might be!), but to direct your attention to some fun sites. I hope you have as much fun browsing as I did!

Total overhaul here at Chez Ouiz

And my apologies to those who have been wondering, "Where the heck ARE you?"

I've been cleaning and organizing (hasn't everyone? It seems like it...)

I finally hit the wall when we got back home after our Christmas visit to my parents' house. I was OK when we unpacked our suitcases, but once the toys were brought in, I went crazy. NOTHING had a home, I felt like my entire house had been turned upside down, and somehow I was supposed to turn this into a peaceful sanctuary for me and my family?

I was a mess.
And that was where my dear, sweet, wonderful husband stepped in.

He took his last two days of vacation and TOGETHER we went through the house, room by room, focusing on those areas that I felt were completely out of control (in my mind). TOGETHER we figured out what needed to be done to house the things that had no home... to make space where there once was none... and to optimize whatever room we have here to make it work for us.

It took two solid days of work, and he wound up putting a lot of things on his "to do list." God bless him!

I was so close to the issue I couldn't see it clearly any more, so I needed his help more than ever.

Besides helping me to see ways that we could fix all the problem areas in our home, my dh also encouraged me to pick up the "control journal" (for all you flybabies out there) I had made several years ago and see if I could use that to help me get my day more organized.

Since that time (almost 2 weeks ago), I can say that my home has been MUCH more restful. While there has still been the inevitable mess that comes with a large family of small children, it hasn't been overwhelming to me anymore... which is a HUGE answer to prayer.

Part of my reluctance to post this has been that it is still a new commitment to the "system" I've got going here, and I have to see how well it suits me once all the "new" has worn off and I'm no longer so aware of the fact that I need to be following it. However, on the off-chance that this is helpful to someone, I'll show you what I've been working on. (I'm still working on the "visual" part of it, because I'm very picky about things like this. So yes, the cover and the inside pages are two completely different styles... I'm trying to figure out how I want things to look -- but that's OK. I can still use the system while I tweak the pages... and play around with the design for the "final product" in the evening))



There's nothing "earthshaking" about my daily routine, but I needed to plan out for myself how I wanted the flow of my day to go. That took more time than I care to admit! While I was so tempted to follow Dawn's (from By Sun and Candlelight) idea of creating my own daily planner, I chose to use what I already had in place.



And here I've got the typical detailed cleaning for "zones," thanks to the FlyLady. I had done this years ago, but the lists needed some revisions.





I also needed to get a grip on homeschooling. We've managed to continue having our regular schooling days after Grace was born, but *I* had lost focus. I could feel my brain shift gear from "let's learn something new" to "let's crank out as much paper as possible so we have plenty to show the accountability group in January." I was more concerned about filling in enough boxes to make our day look productive than I was in making sure they were learning well, or even having fun.

That also was a major prayer request, and God again used my husband and Dawn (from By Sun and Candlelight). I was sooooo inspired by her theme pages for each month of the year (I dare you to read this and not be inspired!) Once I saw her plans for the month, ideas just started swirling in my head and I began to get really excited about teaching again. My dear, sweet, wonderful husband INSISTED that I go into the office, lock the door, and plan ALL WEEKEND LONG. It was heaven! I was able to pull out all the books I've accumulated over the years, rethink where we were going, come up with my own theme plan for the coming months, etc.

I was also able to finally get some sort of order of subjects for each day. Too often I would start one child in one subject, jump to another for a different child, try to teach a third, keep the next three kids occupied, and breastfeed Grace... all at the same time. I was going nuts. Now we've got a simple system for our homeschooling day.

Monday - Thursday
Math for the older kids (feels almost blasphemous to start out this way, but it wasn't working the other way, so I'm giving this a try) while I work with Christopher on his reading/writing/math.

Break

Catechism lesson for all with discussion
Memory work -- Latin review, poetry, phonograms, etc
Spelling (new list on Mon, test on Thursday)
Language Arts

Break (start lunch, fold laundry)

Alternate history/science during lunch

Read-alouds


Friday
Math for older kids, Christopher reads

Break

Art project, illustration of narration/poem, art lesson, or whatever

Lunch

Read-alouds


My biggest joy in getting my "theme pages" together was actually picking out read-alouds and poetry for each month. Poetry has always been fun for my kids, and I've let that slide way too much in order to get the "important" things done. Not any more!

I've also given myself the freedom to be more flexible. Take today, for example. Grace had to go in for her first round of shots (my poor baby!), and we had to be at the doctor's office by 9:30 am. Instead of trying to cram everything in during the afternoon hours (a completely useless undertaking, I might add), I gave myself permission to focus on the themes for this month and not stress out. We had a great time cutting out snowflakes, reading poems about snow, making lemon snowball cookies, learning how to cook in the kitchen, talking about our saint for the month (St. Agnes), listening to the Medieval Babes, etc. It was a thoroughly enjoyable homeschooling day!

My goodness... I've rambled on long enough. I hope this winds up being of interest to someone out there!