tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32516367964007163852024-03-27T11:42:26.416-07:00Clean House With KidsCleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-53701408582846413632020-02-17T17:22:00.000-08:002020-02-17T17:22:38.199-08:005 minute way to prep for the day<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the very best things I’ve started doing to prepare for the next day is to write down my TARGETS- basically my MAIN priorities for the following day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether it’s laundry (which was UNREAL today- such a big pile but we got through it- the kids watched Pinocchio while distributing #WIN), a specific call you want to make, something that’s imperative you buy that day (hello, eggs and diapers)....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know ahead of time whats on your days agenda. Don’t let the day happen TO YOU. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you had 3-5 SPECIFIC priorities for tomorrow, what would they be.... and WRITE IT DOWN. I don’t care if it’s the notes on your phone or a 3 x 5 card or a journal from target.... write it down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s to making our days intentional and not chaotic!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If this was helpful, make sure to SAVE this post to re-read on Sunday nights to prep for the week 🥳</span><br />
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Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com133tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-4009260426249289322016-04-27T13:20:00.000-07:002016-04-27T13:20:14.057-07:00Life After Miscarriage<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For anyone out there who has struggled through a miscarriage, this post is for you. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My first miscarriage was early (barely 6 weeks), and afterwards, I seemed to recover quickly, and I felt very peaceful. I focused on the word "hope," and Matt and I agreed that if our next daughter was a girl, her middle name would be Hope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I became pregnant so quickly again afterwards, I'd say my whole 10 weeks of pregnancy were characterized by hope. I thought this new baby was sent by God to comfort me, so when I started bleeding, I was shocked. The crying I did that day (my birthday) was the worst crying I've done in my life. I've written about this before, but honestly I felt like they were tears of despair. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I continued to bleed, but without clots, I clung to hope for five days... until I started bleeding SO much heavier--blood pouring out of me, and I ran to the bathroom saying to Matt, "It's over, it's over, it's over."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is one of those memories that will stick with me forever. It was so painful--both emotionally and physically.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The bleeding lasted for almost a month, much longer than the bleeding after my first miscarriage. I would tell myself, "You're strong, you can get through this..." At the same time, praying and crying, "God, why are You doing this?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The recovery process began once again. But nothing has been quite the same. This miscarriage took me a weak place I've never experienced before. I'd go for days without crying, and then hear a song on the radio, and cry while driving home. Or I told Matt, "I want a baby," and then I'd cry for forever, because I wanted <i>those </i>babies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's also a new fear of pregnancy that I've never felt before. And fear of blood. Blood is such a scary sight when it's associated with a tiny life inside you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are several truths I've been holding onto this time around that have been very encouraging, even through the emotional struggle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">God knows what is happening. God is the One who is healing my body. God is the One who will enable me to conceive again. God is One who controls whether our next baby will live or die. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And best of all... God is my Father, and He loves me. He wants only the best for my life, whether or not I understand what He is doing all the time.</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com118tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-52470812777760840282016-04-04T12:01:00.000-07:002016-04-04T12:01:29.693-07:00My Second Miscarriage Story<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is not the post I was expecting to be writing today. As many of you know, after four healthy pregnancies, I miscarried for the first time in January. I was barely 6 weeks along, and although it was difficult, and many tears were shed on account of our little baby, it was nothing like the miscarriage I just experienced.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After my first miscarriage, I was pregnant again quickly, with a late October due date. It was one of those "I just know I'm pregnant" feelings, and I cried happy tears when I took the pregnancy test. God had blessed again so soon, and I loved the idea of having a baby in October (possibly my favorite time of year). Caroline (our youngest)'s 2nd birthday is in October, and I thought it was going to be so perfect to have two birthdays in the same month. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was 9.5 weeks along on my birthday. My mom had come over to bring me my favorite coffee drink (in celebration), and right as she was about to leave, I needed to use the bathroom. As soon as I did so, I saw red blood. It totally caught me off guard. It was the one thing I wasn't expecting--not now, not after I'd already had a miscarriage. Please, Lord, and not on my birthday!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I started crying, and these were not tears like my last miscarriage. It was a raw emotion that I haven't felt for years. It was fear and despair and so much grief at the unknown. Why again? Why so far along?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I mentioned my story on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cleanhousewithkids/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, the stories started pouring in. Stories of bleeding during pregnancy, and the babies being fine! Miracle babies--when the moms were sure this baby had died, the doctor continued to hear a heartbeat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the next few days, I continued to bleed, but as worrying as it was, I continued to hope that my story would be added to these hosts of others. That the bleeding would stop, and we'd be hearing a heartbeat before we knew it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd been on partial bed rest, trying to sit and rest as much as possible, and I was really feeling pretty well. Sunday morning, I stayed home from church, and that's when the cramping began. The physical pain was on a completely different level than my last miscarriage. I'm not typically a "I'm in pain" sort of person (I prefer to suck it up and keep on going), but this was <i>real pain</i>, like I'd experience in labor. On Sunday night, the bleeding picked up much heavier, and I began losing clots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Even so, I still was saying to Matt, "I think our baby's going to be ok."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But as soon as I woke up this morning, I felt differently. I was just losing so much blood, and so quickly. I think the miscarriage officially began last night, and it ended this morning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm certain it will take a while for my body and heart to heal this time around. The process has only just begun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But for now, I wanted to offer some words of advice on how to respond when someone you know miscarries. Before I miscarried, I had no idea how to respond. I didn't know what miscarriage was like, and I wasn't sure what to say. But now that I've gone through it, and heard a variety of responses to my miscarriages, I know that there is really only one appropriate response.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And that is... I'm sorry. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. I'm praying for you. Is there any way we can help?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That is all. It's not the time to suggest to the grieving mother that she could've prevented this miscarriage if she wouldn't have had her pregnancies so close together. In fact, any "this is possibly your fault" comments shouldn't even enter the conversation. The mother is already going to be dealing with many of those doubts and fears without anyone critically voicing them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No matter how many children a mother has already, she was counting on THIS baby. This next little sibling. Perhaps she was already rolling around baby names in her mind. So yes, of course she values the children she already has, but that doesn't <i>de-value the baby she lost</i> in any way. And losing a baby isn't a <i>sign</i> that she shouldn't have more children. I remember hearing people say this about another mother with multiple children, and it was incredibly insensitive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miscarriage is very painful--both physically and emotionally. A mother finds herself in a place she's never been before, vulnerable and weak and full of emotions she's never before faced. This is the time for friends to show Christ's compassion, and love, and kindness, and to grieve with her for the baby she wanted so much to meet. </span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-16426337882535593352016-03-26T11:15:00.001-07:002016-03-26T11:15:24.906-07:00I Wrote a Book!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, from the girl who hardly ever reads... I decided to write a book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After becoming active on Instagram, and posting daily about motherhood, I started receiving questions all the time--everything from "When do you take a shower?" to "Could you please describe your morning routine?" Eventually I didn't have the time to answer them all individually, so I concluded the best course of action would be to answer all those questions in book form! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dicAAxurqtYb4L9AcJqKUWn9_Kde_Iysl47wNXgCvvqP0RBrzkBHBgEy0zw78fb0ueRaGeHdLGkeWzJQEtKdleEJC5uPh1d8TfcVyq60D-w4mnoL7oeH4yf4-3Q4bAdFSVEO3BjCU1k/s1600/cleanhousewithkidstriciaregar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dicAAxurqtYb4L9AcJqKUWn9_Kde_Iysl47wNXgCvvqP0RBrzkBHBgEy0zw78fb0ueRaGeHdLGkeWzJQEtKdleEJC5uPh1d8TfcVyq60D-w4mnoL7oeH4yf4-3Q4bAdFSVEO3BjCU1k/s640/cleanhousewithkidstriciaregar.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the early mornings, and during the kids' nap time, I typed out my answers and created a small book entitled <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/tricia-regar/clean-house-with-kids/paperback/product-22617582.html" target="_blank">Clean House with Kids</a>. It's very short and readable--perfect for busy moms with little kids! And it's full of practical tips for living life and keeping house with small children.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's a chapter on time management, and one on how to establish a good routine. I also talk about staying in control of the dishes and laundry, and share tips for creating a stress-free home environment!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZwMWolODhpy5FuKTb0f80koQwcqVro8jiDZ2Q369esRkImJwhqoCUHwAl4MYYnJAzt7zKcZ88MvlJnVDHyiTlRN1GsZEyhhaB7tB3iTt-AhHw8IKO65VFRQnG927XZRyQG1ivMT1f4s/s1600/chairwithmug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZwMWolODhpy5FuKTb0f80koQwcqVro8jiDZ2Q369esRkImJwhqoCUHwAl4MYYnJAzt7zKcZ88MvlJnVDHyiTlRN1GsZEyhhaB7tB3iTt-AhHw8IKO65VFRQnG927XZRyQG1ivMT1f4s/s640/chairwithmug.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After working on it for almost 2 months, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/tricia-regar/clean-house-with-kids/paperback/product-22617582.html" target="_blank">Clean House with Kids</a> is ready to order! I hope it's an inspiration and encouragement to you!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com127tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-68961519864250480642016-03-22T10:54:00.000-07:002016-03-22T10:54:02.700-07:00Our $68 Dining Room Makeover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm about to share with you how we brightened our dining room and made it look like a completely different room for only $68 (including a new piece of furniture!). But first, here's what our dining room looked like last year, before we made any of our recent changes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We bought the dining room table set from Walmart, and it's served us well! The curtains are from Target, and the gray wall color is Vessel Gray by Valspar. Those are the elements here that have <i>stayed... </i>though not exactly stayed the same!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've read that whenever there is black furniture in a room, it makes the room appear smaller, and I completely agree--though I'd extend that to all dark furniture! I'd walk into the dining room and just think how dark and small it looked, all the time! Finally I decided that our dining room needed a change. Even though our budget was teeny tiny, I was determined to do a mini-makeover!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-cCbwfr5w5lfTeU1imdQXLYTtNGrenEE_aRPIqVnG3swFBYjJeAssMgn4Kdr3iFmD8k3hzov18EcWIopnw4cxLsTpiNzZbSk02XycOh_wf3mxu1_8gCWu_V36p_Ju-PBrQzSN-hoC5A/s1600/beforetable.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-cCbwfr5w5lfTeU1imdQXLYTtNGrenEE_aRPIqVnG3swFBYjJeAssMgn4Kdr3iFmD8k3hzov18EcWIopnw4cxLsTpiNzZbSk02XycOh_wf3mxu1_8gCWu_V36p_Ju-PBrQzSN-hoC5A/s640/beforetable.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A couple weeks ago, I heard the weather was going to be nice for a few days, so I purchased a bunch of white spray paint (around $40), pulled all the chairs onto the porch, and started working. Originally I was thinking of writing an entire post on the paint I used, and some tips I had, but honestly... even after spray-painting eight chairs, I don't feel like an expert. I thought that spray-painting would be easy and fast, and though it was <i>easier</i> and <i>faster </i>than brush-painting these chairs (which would've been awful), it definitely still took hours and hours of work and patience.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsn4mF1mnLnGLMHPHGUALjPbN52Ep1ObVINO2q3zVdqRrnh7ZgygSUuwKPcnijF_BafazGTLOkmYUAwuWUEOThb7LhpwFkGa1RbvRbzyR7VnBjDbpm8Ewi4TRmKSf3XlkkEL6v0phRfxQ/s1600/spraypaintedchairs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsn4mF1mnLnGLMHPHGUALjPbN52Ep1ObVINO2q3zVdqRrnh7ZgygSUuwKPcnijF_BafazGTLOkmYUAwuWUEOThb7LhpwFkGa1RbvRbzyR7VnBjDbpm8Ewi4TRmKSf3XlkkEL6v0phRfxQ/s640/spraypaintedchairs.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While the chairs were outside drying, I used Valspar bonding primer and then Ultra White Satin (both of which we had on hand) to paint the table legs, and I rolled the top with Polished Silver. I love the contrast between the light gray and the white!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: start;">I mentioned that we had a new piece of furniture for the dining room as well! My sister-in-law bought this sturdy desk for me from Goodwill for $20! I had been looking for a piece just like this! I used Polar Star by Valspar (a very light gray), and rolled as much of it as I could to give it a smooth appearance. Then I spray-painted the handles with Rustoleum </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: start;">oil-rubbed bronze! This whole piece turned out great!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once I finished painting all the furniture, I just needed a little decor! I didn't want to spend much money, so I headed to A.C. Moore, and found a few flowers, a vase, and a candle for $7!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As for the frame, we already had it, but I wanted to add a chalkboard inside of it! I just traced the inside of the frame with a pencil, and then took the frame down, and quickly rolled on the chalkboard paint. Even with two coats, the whole process still took me less than 15 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The boxwood wreath was a gift from my sister. She actually DIY-d it, using a grapevine wreath she already had, plus part of a boxwood garland and some hot glue. The whole project only cost her $4!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our dining room is so much brighter now. Besides the spray-paint, all the paint we used we already had, so it was free! Our table and chairs got a complete makeover, plus we added decor and a new piece of furniture, and spent less than $70! This is definitely something any of you could do! We were so pleased with the final result--both aesthetically and financially!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-62647816507234314492016-03-16T10:14:00.000-07:002016-03-16T10:14:36.874-07:00I've Been Gone for a While... but now I'm back!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So... it's been a while. I was thinking about jumping right into our dining room mini-makeover, but then I realized that I wanted to just do a quick post about our life, and what's been happening. We can talk about spray-painting 8 chairs white at a different time!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the last six months, I've been spending a great deal of time running my Instagram (cleanhousewithkids) and painting or decorating our house. I've also gotten into making videos, which I either do through live streaming (an app called Periscope), or uploading them to my Clean House with Kids facebook page.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As I interacted with my fellow Instagrammers, I started hearing the same questions over and over. How do you control the laundry? How do you manage your time? At first, I was answering all of them individually, but I just didn't have enough time (speaking of time). At the beginning of February, I decided to write a short book answering many of those questions! The writing went well, and I had several people help me with the edits, and it's almost ready to release! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm self-publishing through Lulu (I've worked with them before), and right now I'm just waiting for my proof copy to arrive in the mail! I'm so excited to share it with you--hopefully very soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Also in January, I was six weeks pregnant, and I lost our baby. It was a difficult day with many tears, but thankfully I had an amazing support system to help us through it! We were thrilled to find out I was pregnant again, only a month later! Currently, I'm 7.5 weeks along, and feeling great! Normally my pregnancies are very difficult, but I've been taking some health measures that will hopefully make this my easiest and best pregnancy yet. I'll keep you updated on that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With the book coming out, and a new baby on the way, I'd love to keep up with the blog more consistently. You can also find me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Clean-House-with-Kids-162743183832114/?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cleanhousewithkids/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and the Periscope app! Thanks for being here!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-36669705208753439192016-01-21T07:36:00.001-08:002016-01-21T07:46:07.631-08:00How Do You Do It All?<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Since becoming more active on Instagram, and sharing pictures from our life--both as a mommy with four kids, and as a DIY-er (fixing up and decorating our home!), I've been asked this question over and over: how do you do it all? How are you keeping up with everything?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My first response would obviously be: I'm NOT doing it all. There's no such thing as a "super mom," and there are MANY things (many good things!) I'm not focusing on at this stage of my life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Secondly, we struggle with all the same sort of things that any other family with little kids would struggle with! We might do things a little differently, and we have <i>multiple</i> little kids (I'm pregnant with #5, and our oldest is 5!), but we still deal with crumbs on the floor, and temper tantrums, and toilet paper unrolled all over the bathroom floor. And little kids playing in the toilet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I should probably add ONE more thing: the things we do now, work for us at this stage in our life. When I'm breast-feeding, or throwing up in the midst of a difficult first trimester, or when the kids are sick, or when Matt worked afternoon shift, we obviously had to switch around the things we did. So what I'm going to say below has worked really well for us, right now, and it may just work for you, too. But it also may not! Here are some suggestions, some ideas--and I hope they're helpful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Form good habits--both for Mom, AND kids.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is so huge for us, that I wanted to break it into two categories. First, for me as the mother. Good habits would include waking up every morning between 4 and 5 (please don't stop reading now! this is what I DO, and you don't need to do it, remember?), and showering before the kids wake up. Along with putting on makeup in the mornings, I have done these things every single day since Rachel (my oldest) was a baby. I get up- I get a shower- I get dressed- I put on makeup. It's a routine I've established, that makes me feel ready for every single day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Other good habits would include starting the laundry right after breakfast, or starting school as soon as I start the laundry. Habits can be very difficult to form, but I've found that once they're in place, you just get used to doing the same things every day, and it's no longer hard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ok, now habits for the kids: every morning, the kids wake up between 6 and 7, but they need to stay in their rooms until 7 (this doesn't happen every morning, but it's a general rule). They'll often turn on their lamp and look at books. At 6:45 (or around there), the girls get dressed and make their bed. Then it's time to come out and sit at the table for breakfast. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After breakfast, Rachel sweeps the kitchen floor, Jemima brings the laundry baskets to the top of the stairs, and Matthias dumps the bathroom trash can into the big kitchen one. They have each had these quick chores for a while now, and it's just part of what they do every morning. Breakfast over- do your chore (and it takes them only a couple minutes each!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now for the "keeping the house clean" habits. We really have one rule for this, and that is: <b>before you leave a room, clean it up</b>. That's it. Does it happen perfectly every time? Of course not, but it's what we're aiming for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Same goes for the girls making their bed every morning. Does their bed look perfect? No, but one of my favorite "mom" sayings is: <b>It doesn't have to be perfect, but you have to do your best. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2. <b>Keep it simple. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As moms, in this crazy and busy world we live in, I think we have the tendency to say "yes" to way too much, and take on way more than we need to. I've found that <b>excess </b>(whether it be too many activities or too many toys), <b>leads to chaos</b>--especially when you're dealing with a household full of littles!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here are three things we keep simple in this house...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Toys for the kids. </b>I've talked about this before, but we have one basketful of blocks for our kids, and that's it when it comes to toys. They also have a basket full of puzzles, and a shelf for their coloring materials (stickers, markers, coloring books, etc.). I've <b>never found</b> that the kids are happier, when there is MORE for them to choose from, and more for them to play with. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Shopping trips, or leaving the house. </b>Besides church (and socializing with family and friends) on Sunday, we generally leave the house twice a week--for grocery shopping, and to go thrifting. I'm not involved in mom groups, or tons of "extra" activities. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Meals.</b> I'm not "huge" into cooking, even though we try to eat healthy food. I usually plan ahead what we're going to eat for each meal, and then prepare for that in the morning--whether that means putting some meat in the crockpot before breakfast, or starting lunch at a certain time so I make sure it's ready. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Stay consistent. </b>For us, that means the same nap time and bed times every day. I feel like this is a similar idea to the "good habits" one I mentioned above--we all get used to a certain routine, if we stick with it for long enough. Since my first was a baby, she slept for two hours every afternoon. Whenever another baby came along, they were added to that same sleep schedule, so now we have 4 kids doing either "quiet play" (for the two older ones, who don't nap anymore), or "nap time" every day, at the same time, for two hours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For Rachel and Jemima, they have several activities in their room that are ONLY for "quiet play" time, so they LOVE this time in the afternoon. They also love the chance to play uninterrupted from their younger siblings! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(I should mention that these two hours are so amazing for me as the mom, to either rest and re-focus, or work on a painting project, paying the bills, and so on!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At night, all the kids are in bed by 7:30. (We happen to get up early, which is why they go to sleep early!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We generally do the same things every day, in the same order. Breakfast, then chores, then start laundry, then I read to the kids (Bible, science, and history), then Caroline takes a morning nap while I start school with the older kids. And it goes from there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another area we try to stay consistent would be having the kids obey us, every time. One of the things we're working on is the kids sitting still while watching a movie or reading books together... and <b>teaching our kids is way more important than the book or movie. </b>It's hard to be consistent here, because obviously our tendency would be just keep pushing through, give the child what they want so they'll just BE QUIET so we can HEAR the MOVIE, but obviously that's not best for the child or the situation!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So this is what has been hugely helpful to us recently, and I hope it may be encouraging to some of you! </span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-11380541761640225622015-12-16T03:00:00.003-08:002015-12-16T03:00:59.516-08:00Christmas House Tour<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With Christmas less than 2 weeks away, our tree is lit and decorated, the presents are wrapped, and we are ready to start celebrating! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">One of my favorite aspects of decorating is finding inexpensive ways to make our house look beautiful, so many of the items you see here were thrifted or from the Target dollar section.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I found a picture of an entryway bench that I loved, and I showed it to Matt! He built this adorable, sturdy bench in a few hours, and I stained and painted it (so that I could be somewhat helpful in this process!). It's so convenient being married to someone who's handy in the garage!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now we come to our living and dining room area.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Presents wrapped and under the tree. This yea, we are only buying our kids a few presents each. It saves us time, money, stress, and wrapping paper! We've been reading through the Little House series, and I love how simple their Christmas celebration is. It's definitely inspiring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">View from our kitchen, into our dining room.</span> One of these days, we may hang something on our walls!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Our master bedroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And lastly, our stairs. One rainy, dreary afternoon, while the kids were sleeping, I brought together a bunch of Christmas elements we had elsewhere around our house, and decorated our stairs. I had the stairs back to their usual function by the time the kids were awake!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I hope you enjoyed our Christmas house tour! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Merry Christmas!!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-88942590546861046532015-12-04T13:11:00.001-08:002015-12-04T13:11:34.555-08:00Girls' Bedroom Makeover<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over the past couple years, I've worked on fixing up and decorating various aspects of our house, but re-doing Rachel and Jemima's bedroom has been my favorite project. The last few months, I've grown increasingly more frustrated with not only how their room <i>looked</i>, but how it seemed so disorganized and messy... all the time. I knew we needed a change, but I wasn't sure what I wanted their new room to look like, so I kept putting it off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That is, until I found <a href="http://fancyfarmgirls.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fancy Farm Girls</a>, and the adorable gold polka dot decals they sell! Once they arrived, I started designing the girls' room around the idea of gold dots... and pink (because my little girls love pink)... and a pop of blue (because you can't go wrong there)... and white and gray (I'm the one designing it, after all)! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After several tiring and exciting days of painting, a little shopping, and decorating, the girls' room was completed!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is our source list, for those interested!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Paint: I painted the walls and nightstand with Ultra White (Valspar). We painted the girls' existing dressers, and it made a WORLD of difference! I painted the dressers Polished Silver (also Valspar), which is a <i>lovely</i> light gray, and spraypainted the knobs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Curtains and pillow: Target. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bedding: We already owned the pink sheets. The white bedding is from Amazon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The vases, gold clocks (yes, both of them), the coral flowers, and nightstand all came from Goodwill, which means they all cost less than $5 each. Score! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We painted the girls' lamp, too. I just mixed a little Valspar Rapids (the color of our coffee table) with a bunch of white paint to create a pretty, very light blue! The lampshade is from Walmart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our local Michael's store is responsible for the rest of the small decor. I was putting the room together one afternoon this past week, and I realized I needed just a few more decor touches. It was cold and getting dark, but my last-minute trip to Michael's was definitely worth it. I was so pleased with what I found there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you so much for reading! My blog posts are few and far between these days, but I'd love to see you on Instagram. You can find me @cleanhousewithkids. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Enjoy your weekend!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-7297880440981672902015-10-24T12:43:00.000-07:002015-10-24T12:43:17.421-07:00How I Painted a Fabric-Covered Wingback Chair<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am not a seamstress. In fact, if I made a list of activities I do not enjoy, sewing would probably make the top 10. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That means reupholstering a chair, no matter how awesome it looks, or sturdy, or inexpensive--is "out" for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And yet, as I looked through thrift stores, I came across chair after chair that would have been great options for our house... if it were not for the ugly, outdated fabric.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Which made me wonder: is there anything else I could do with a chair, to restore its beauty--without dealing with needles and fabric?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's when I came across the idea of painting a chair. Not just the legs, but the <i>entire </i>chair, fabric and all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It didn't take me long to find this $10 beauty. Besides the light green fabric being slightly stained, the chair was in great shape. And you can't beat that price! I ordered some fabric medium from Amazon (the Martha Stewart brand), and started painting.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyrhBQlcNkoDVNDacyUJolgvVrxp8apQ-PzgC5pKEafVcCacWE2zOY492h4v4rPevpxb7CoRsBoUcqUmDUTcEqAH6zNXVLRixOYEr9w2miSsINOnzdHfiE9H7PbBqCpHLNMpDmzrm1bo/s1600/chairbefore.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyrhBQlcNkoDVNDacyUJolgvVrxp8apQ-PzgC5pKEafVcCacWE2zOY492h4v4rPevpxb7CoRsBoUcqUmDUTcEqAH6zNXVLRixOYEr9w2miSsINOnzdHfiE9H7PbBqCpHLNMpDmzrm1bo/s640/chairbefore.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz28wJ1dEjUbiazYKrEHqic-3Vw99VPkM1iirbF9aIfZ35h9oksc4eJ8fK7TX-ktar6ioNKdqD-27fstB20exDbHj7h3ofMbEdodZv0MjFudWNzxjOkPemykWsx4nsQt-IWawrxyDq0Yc/s1600/chairgray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz28wJ1dEjUbiazYKrEHqic-3Vw99VPkM1iirbF9aIfZ35h9oksc4eJ8fK7TX-ktar6ioNKdqD-27fstB20exDbHj7h3ofMbEdodZv0MjFudWNzxjOkPemykWsx4nsQt-IWawrxyDq0Yc/s640/chairgray.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As for the painting process, there are lots of tutorials out there on painting fabric-covered furniture, but I'll share with you what I learned along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. The better condition the furniture is in, the nicer the end product will be. You'll be doing a lot to the fabric--spraying it with water, sanding it, and (obviously) painting it with several coats. It has to look nice to begin with, or no matter what you do, paint won't fix the problem. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. Some fabrics work with paint better than others do. I specifically picked a fabric that didn't feel like velvet or corduroy, for example, because I've heard those might not work as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. Clean your fabric thoroughly before you begin, and let air dry. Fortunately the chair didn't smell, but I still thoroughly cleaned the fabric with a carpet/upholstery cleaner. I was much more comfortable sitting in it after it had been cleaned! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. When you're ready to start painting a section, thoroughly spray that section with water. It'll make the paint go on more smoothly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5. I mixed two parts paint (I just used Valspar's Vessel Gray, which is the same paint we used on our walls!) with one part fabric medium (which is intended to make the painted fabric softer).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYl313a-E_ncnZo9U4I9CG3olOVoI_fHqFJ_QUX_nFXyF-NWkppNwWBc_sPOblG9gYSm-MJJnjP9BKGTZ79eQ9bZ0wp2lFZkamYxLZKkY9i-jNvKJcGt_PsFtO2cilPIktfRpDDhx3pEA/s1600/chair.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYl313a-E_ncnZo9U4I9CG3olOVoI_fHqFJ_QUX_nFXyF-NWkppNwWBc_sPOblG9gYSm-MJJnjP9BKGTZ79eQ9bZ0wp2lFZkamYxLZKkY9i-jNvKJcGt_PsFtO2cilPIktfRpDDhx3pEA/s640/chair.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. After each coat of paint had dried, I lightly sanded it (by hand) with 220 sandpaper. You wouldn't believe the difference sanding makes to the feel of the fabric! It goes from being stiff to soft in less than 30 seconds!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7. I did three coats of paint in some areas, and only two in others. It just depends on the original fabric (how hard it is to cover), and how thickly you're putting on the paint. I read it's better to put on light coats of paint. I'd say I did more like medium coats, because I wanted to make sure the fabric was really covered. I think it ended up fine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8. As with any other painting project, watch for runs, or extra thick paint spots, because they'll show up (and look unprofessional) once the paint has dried.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9. The last thing I did was sand and stain the chair legs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">People have asked if painting fabric is hard to do. I don't think it's any harder or easier than painting any other piece of furniture. It just takes time! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now for the big question: would I recommend painting your fabric-covered chairs (or even a couch)??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wouldn't say the end result is comfy and cozy. The closest thing I can compare the feel of the fabric to would be outside furniture. But it's not scratchy or overly rough. And it <i>looks</i> beautiful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think wingback chairs (and similar furniture styles) are so lovely, and I've always thought it'd be fun to own chairs like that. But usually the price is way out of our price range. So taking a thrifted chair and painting it is a perfect option for us. You also have the fun and flexibility of painting or designing the chair any way or color you'd wish!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyvMgIARMfvFQzHLOh6cnOpFE6TA72DI8pY_NiioaubhuA_6_gkzLltgGtjuy4Dvd6BkzOPBUnT3t4vBJ_xw0mR-STNsiQOMWxPggkB-3-KfTLppWV6Avna6mAMZ6Ep_d-2J4GSj5JIY/s1600/chairbig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyvMgIARMfvFQzHLOh6cnOpFE6TA72DI8pY_NiioaubhuA_6_gkzLltgGtjuy4Dvd6BkzOPBUnT3t4vBJ_xw0mR-STNsiQOMWxPggkB-3-KfTLppWV6Avna6mAMZ6Ep_d-2J4GSj5JIY/s640/chairbig.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, yes, I'd definitely recommend it! Just don't expect it to be your softest, cuddliest chair. :)</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-55553665653738418112015-09-29T11:34:00.003-07:002015-09-29T11:34:55.362-07:00How to Create a Stylish Fall Wardrobe [when you don't have any money]<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Remember that intriguing blog post I was going to write, about </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cleanhousewithkids.blogspot.com/2015/09/fallwinter-capsule-wardrobe.html" target="_blank">building a stylish fall wardrobe when you don't have any money?</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I've written it and re-written it in my mind. I've completely scrapped the idea and gone for a broader "Frugal Living" sort of post, but I keep going back to this post. I said I was going to write it, so even though I don't have any new or grand ideas, I thought I'd share what I DO have. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I just don't want to downplay the fact that it's difficult to live "without money," whatever your situation is. And seriously, it can be hard to justify clothes-shopping when money is tight. After all, you could take that same $12 for a shirt and buy oats and beans and rice... Am I right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Taking that into consideration, here are some clothes-wearing and shopping ideas for you!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT5BNsXROtpxnwkR8mvKlPvATJCVbKNWYVSYf7QsN7FRNQ6kEPzv0CePP2j5cuR0O36admzXVFp97cc8b-P26OdRxX6fa1FC0jD60_KriOpm_KVn8kmKIrAHBiditgvSjfEN63O_Bdv8/s1600/better.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT5BNsXROtpxnwkR8mvKlPvATJCVbKNWYVSYf7QsN7FRNQ6kEPzv0CePP2j5cuR0O36admzXVFp97cc8b-P26OdRxX6fa1FC0jD60_KriOpm_KVn8kmKIrAHBiditgvSjfEN63O_Bdv8/s640/better.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>First of all, go through the clothes you already own.</strong> Find the items that...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">-fit you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">-aren't pilled or stained or ripped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">-you feel great in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">and put those items in a "keep" pile. See, the easiest and least expensive way to create a wardrobe is to wear the items you already OWN!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>It's a lot simpler to figure out what you need this season, when you have what you own sitting there in front of you.</em> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Next step: figure out what you still need. I like to find items that I can use in multple outfits. </strong> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I went through my clothes, I found that the items I "needed" most were...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">-a long sleeved gray shirt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">-a long sleeved black shirt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">-brown boots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The three main colors I wear in the fall/winter would be dark purple, gray, and black, and I already have a couple purple tops from summer that I can transition to fall/winter if I wear a black or gray sweater overtop!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I love gray and black because I can wear them with my skirts OR jeans, depending on how I accessorize them!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Another great option would be a simple striped top--whether it's white and navy stripes or white and black stripes. It's another shirt that can be worn casually or formally, depending on what you pair it with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I've mentioned buying items you can wear in multiple outfits. Basically, you need to be ok with wearing the same clothes over and over again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I tried doing just this several weeks ago. At the beginning of summer, I'd purchased several tops that just hadn't lasted. They were looking and feeling stretched and worn out. I looked through my summer tops to find the ones I consistently <em>enjoyed wearing</em>, and... guess what... there were two of them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">This wouldn't be possible if you didn't do laundry often (as I do), but I ended up wearing those tops every day for a couple weeks. I'd wear one, throw it in the wash, wear the other one. Then the weather started cooling off, and I could occasionally wear a long-sleeved top to throw in the mix! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Oh, and by the way... I wore them with my dark wash skinny jeans, of which I have two pairs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You might be wondering if I got completely sick of these tops and jeans. Nope! Once you establish that you LIKE a certain shirt, I think it's easy to wear it again and again. Every time you wear it, you feel prepared and ready for the day--even if you last wore it two days earlier!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As for the boots, I had a pair of brown boots that I purchased for $15 at Gabes several years ago. Besides looking worn out, they're super uncomfortable. I wear boots "out" all the time in the winter, so that's why new boots made the short list!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Third step: figure out HOW you'll pay for these new items.</strong> If you're working with a budget, it's recommended that you decrease the amount you're spending in one area, to make up for the extra money you're spending in another area (in this case: clothes).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>OR, my personal favorite way to "earn" extra cash: sell things you're not using around your house.</strong> Once you determine that you really "want" one thing, it's interesting how you prioritize what is important to "keep" around your house. Maybe I'm a rare example, but if I see something just sitting, that we haven't read/watched/touched in the last few months, I'm happy to see it go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Several years ago, we bought the complete series of Stargate: SG1. It came in a beautiful box, and there for several months, we faithfully watched it. But since Netflix came along, and we got different interests, we hadn't watched SG1 in over a year. Which meant... it was gathering dust.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">No longer. Matt and I discussed items that we'd rather have around our house (like boots), and I listed SG1 on Ebay. It sold within a week for almost $100. I found a great price on some new boots (also on Ebay), and spent a <em>fraction </em>of our earnings on winter boots--with plenty of money to spare.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>I call this method "Sell to Buy." You take items you don't need or want, sell them, and then buy what you'd rather have with the earnings.</strong> It's a win-win: you get rid of your unwanted and unused items, and now have the money to buy <em><strong>wanted</strong> items you'll use all the time!</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So now that you have the money in hand, the fourth and final step to creating a stylish fall wardrobe would be...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Four: Buy a few, nice items to round out your closet! </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's what I would NOT recommend... buying a few CHEAPLY MADE items that will get pilled/worn out/stretched out in a matter of weeks. I've made that mistake a few too many times. I've even had to throw away a shirt after ONE wearing, it was so awful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My three favorite places to buy inexpensive and yet NICE QUALITY items would be...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>-TJ Maxx</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>-Goodwill (or local thrift shops)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When you're out shopping (even when the items are inexpensive), keep that list of "needed" items in mind, and focus on <em>just buying those</em>. I've had some thrift store experiences where I thought, "Oh! It's only $4! And it's cute!" So I brought it home, and wore it only a few times. You want to buy items that will fit with your style, and you'll be excited to wear it over and over!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>-</strong><a href="http://www.thredup.com/r/PHHLFD" target="_blank"><strong>ThredUp</strong></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">If you haven't heard of ThredUp before, it's a GREAT place to find awesome deals--good quality stuff, great prices. Once you know which brands you like, and what size you wear, and what you want to buy, you can do specific searches...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Gap, black long-sleeved shirt, size 2 or 4...</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">or whatever you're looking for!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My best luck with <a href="http://www.thredup.com/r/PHHLFD" target="_blank">ThredUp</a> has been with jeans. Now I know that I like American Eagle, dark wash jeans, and what size I wear, instead of buying $50 jeans in the store, I can buy the same jeans I like (gently used) for $10-15--or even less.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And while on the topic of <a href="http://www.thredup.com/r/PHHLFD" target="_blank">ThredUp</a>, if you click my link, <strong>you can earn $10 off your first AND SECOND purchases!</strong> (Once you place your order, I'll also receive $20. So it's a great deal for both of us!!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">If I could add a P.S. to number four, it would be...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Have fun with accessories.</strong> I mean bracelets, earrings, necklaces, scarves, and so on. If you're looking through clearance racks, it's easy to find some of these items for $2 (which is much cheaper than most clothing items). Accessories make it possible to wear the same shirt and skirt three weeks in a row, and no one would ever know, because you're "dressing" it up differently each time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So there are my ideas. Happy shopping!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-47191592788210778912015-09-08T11:55:00.004-07:002015-09-08T11:58:52.729-07:00Why We Got Rid of [Almost All] Our Kids' Toys [and why we don't regret it]<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One of the questions I hear from moms most often is, "Where do I put all this STUFF?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Sometimes they're referring to kids' clothing, or the supplies needed when you have a baby or multiple little ones, but many times... they're referring to TOYS. Books. Puzzles. Dolls. Stuffed animals. Dress-up clothes. Trucks. Cars. Blocks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Ok, I won't keep going. Add on to that any amount of art supplies that little kids have, and it's easy to see how moms could be so overwhelmed and frustrated!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It's easy to see that, because... I was totally there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Now, we never had a LOT of toys, but we had <em>enough</em> so that messes were made easily, and I needed multiple storage containers to organize what the kids had. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When we last moved, we downsized how many toys our kids owned, and I even packed half the toys away in a storage closet to help with the scattered-messes-everywhere situation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And yet <strong><em>still...</em></strong> This is what we were dealing with on a daily basis: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1. The kids would pull out the toy containers and dump them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2. The toys would get kicked all over the room.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">3. The kids wouldn't spend much time actually PLAYING with the TOYS.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">4. If one child was playing with a toy, instead of the other children playing with ALL the OTHER toys on the floor, they would end up only fighting (and wanting to play with) that one toy (whichever one it was).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">5. It would be time to clean UP the toys, and it would take a <em>very, very long time</em>. Every time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It was a constant struggle to keep the toys cleaned up. What made it worse is that the kids hadn't especially enjoyed playing with them to begin with! And the fighting. Ohhh, there was a lot of fighting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Neither Matt nor I was happy about the situation at all. Matt kept suggesting that we get rid of all the toys--or that each child could only have one. I hesitated, thinking, What would our kids play with then? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And then one morning, it happened. We'd asked the kids (like we did all the time, multiple times every day) to clean up their toys, and they hadn't, and the toys were just sitting there, un-played with, but very messy and scattered and frustrating.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I got a trash bag, and we just started filling it. All the toys that were worth selling, we set aside to sell.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You know what was the most shocking part of that moment? <em>How happy the kids were with getting rid of their stuff.</em> Instead of being upset, they were like, "Okay! This is cool! I'll help throw away my toys!!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We chose to keep two sets of toys--one set of plastic blocks, and my son kept his wooden toolbox (with a few tools inside). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The next few weeks, we could <em>not believe</em> the change in our childrens' behavior.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">There was less fighting, <em>because there was less to fight over</em>. There was WAY more drawing, which had hardly ever happened before. I suddenly found the kids sitting at the table with crayons and colored pencils and paper and happily drawing--for very long periods of time!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Which brings me to... they were more content to sit and play the same thing, over and over, than they'd ever been, surrounded by countless plastic and stuffed toys.</strong> Their attention spans were longer!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And lastly, they actually became very creative. That set of plastic blocks (which cost me all of $3) has turned into a castle, weaponry, phones, bridges, writing utensils, cups, roads, even a pinata. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As I'm sure you're wondering how long it takes them to clean up all their "toys" now, it's something like 2 minutes and 50 seconds, even if they're not hurrying. Except for the wooden toolbox, which is a little bigger, <strong>all their toys can fit in ONE square basket from Target.</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">If they want to play in their room, they take their basket to their room. It's also been seen in the living room and downstairs. <em>But whenever they're done playing, everything goes back in the basket. <strong>And... done</strong>.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It's such a relief--all of it--that I can't ever imagine going back. But I know that as our kids grow older, they'll enjoy more games, or puzzles, and I'm sure we'll accumulate a bit more, but for now, this is perfect for us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Now a couple additional thoughts...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Getting rid of toys (no matter how many issues they may cause) does NOT eliminate bad behavior. Believe me, the bad behavior is still there as long as there are people present! While the fights definitely <em>lessened</em> between the children, they still fight over other things. It's honestly kind of amazing how one child holding something can increase its desirability by an exponential amount! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Secondly, I'm not recommending this sort of action for everyone. As I mentioned at the beginning, I hear moms all the time lamenting their messy family rooms, and asking for help. This is what we did, and I'm so very glad we did, but I'm sure there are other good ways to solve the problems these moms are facing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-65720678615293510932015-09-03T11:58:00.001-07:002015-09-03T12:04:46.692-07:00Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe<div style="margin: 0 auto; width: 600px;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've mentioned the idea of a "capsule wardrobe" before, but today... I actually went and created one on Polyvore. Talk about FUN. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The prices of some of these items? Ha. Not exactly in my budget, but it gives me an idea of what sorts of items to be <i>looking for.</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To clarify, no, this isn't what my closet looks like, and no, I don't own [only] three skirts or a pair of black skinny jeans. But this was nevertheless very inspiring, and what I'm definitely working towards. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The American Eagle skinny jeans pictured are, in fact, what I own, and true to this Polyvore set, I own two pairs. So that part is true, at least. I couldn't own only two pairs of jeans, though, if I didn't wash clothes so often!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope you enjoy! Let me know if there are any "staples" that I'm missing... </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/fall_winter_capsule_wardrobe/set?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=175423874" target="_blank"><img alt="Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe" border="0" src="http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/eClQd9fv8exU3YomR7dxlA/cid/175423874/id/Zt5562xS5RGRnkPemu7EJQ/size/c600x599.jpg" height="599" title="Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe" width="600" /></a></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/fall_winter_capsule_wardrobe/set?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=175423874" target="_blank">Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe</a> by <a href="http://tricia-regar.polyvore.com/?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger" target="_blank">tricia-regar</a> featuring <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/beaded_jewelry/shop?query=beaded+jewelry" target="_blank">beaded jewelry</a></small></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=120916183" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Boden skirt</a></small><br />
<small>bodenusa.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=126604876" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img align="left" src="http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/126604876.jpg" height="50" hspace="4" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></small></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=126604876" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frye knee high boots</a></small><br />
<small>6pm.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=83064493" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Glitter Pink flat shoes</a></small><br />
<small>$44 - yoox.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=141082675" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Black pumps</a></small><br />
<small>shein.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=140673333" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img align="left" src="http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/140673333.jpg" height="50" hspace="4" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></small></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=140673333" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gorjana long necklace</a></small><br />
<small>nordstrom.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=146764963" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img align="left" src="http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/146764963.jpg" height="50" hspace="4" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></small></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=146764963" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beaded jewelry</a></small><br />
<small>amazon.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=143940096" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img align="left" src="http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/143940096.jpg" height="50" hspace="4" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></small></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=143940096" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gold jewelry</a></small><br />
<small>ylang23.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=139336713" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img align="left" src="http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/139336713.jpg" height="50" hspace="4" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></small></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=139336713" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Echo infinity scarve</a></small><br />
<small>nordstrom.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=146476515" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img align="left" src="http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/146476515.jpg" height="50" hspace="4" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></small></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=146476515" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jasmine infinity scarve</a></small><br />
<small>zulily.com</small><br />
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=139189687" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img align="left" src="http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing/size/s/tid/139189687.jpg" height="50" hspace="4" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></small></div>
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<small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=17212732&.svc=blogger&id=139189687" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chan Luu scarve</a></small><br />
<small>theoutnet.com</small><br />
<small><br /></small>
<small><br /></small>
<small><br /></small>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Speaking of clothes and budgeting, I'm excited about a post that's in the works regarding just that. Something like, "How to Create a Stylish Fall Wardrobe when You Don't Have Any Money." (And no, I'm definitely not advocating credit cards.) Sounds intriguing, right? Stay tuned.</span><br />
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Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-51108037279288668312015-09-01T11:44:00.001-07:002015-09-01T11:44:13.018-07:00Basic Rules of Etiquette for Kids [in someone else's home]<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm finding that as a mom, I have a general idea of what I should be teaching my kids (such as "please" and "thank you"), but there are some areas that I can easily forget about. For example, I may have thought of teaching our kids to be good <i>hosts</i>, but I hadn't put a lot of thought <i>into our children being good guests</i>. The sort of guest that people would <i>want </i>to invite over, and definitely the kind of guest that people wouldn't <i>dread </i>having back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although these rules of etiquette are pretty basic, I thought it would be a great reminder (for myself, first of all) of something else we can be working on with our children. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I promise I won't make the list too long. The best way to work on these things is [definitely] going to be at home, because honestly, most of these are probably characteristics you want your kids to have at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hopefully then if your child is in the habit of practicing these "rules" at home, then he/she will naturally adjust these principles in a <i>host's</i> home. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsoAQWwHA0fec9-TEg8dzmjlhrxVg5tTFkFIKnpztk_nevcdJWH_8-HoKOrU29dMSfK2HMFZ3jIuRRQcR3Ckv-WDf9cMUF5sLIp_pNP66O0gNSKczfKWhHxp0CvvD1j2bPO-JP-wxQrg/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsoAQWwHA0fec9-TEg8dzmjlhrxVg5tTFkFIKnpztk_nevcdJWH_8-HoKOrU29dMSfK2HMFZ3jIuRRQcR3Ckv-WDf9cMUF5sLIp_pNP66O0gNSKczfKWhHxp0CvvD1j2bPO-JP-wxQrg/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When your child walks up to the host's home, ring the door bell (or knock) once or twice if necessary, but not repeatedly. <i>(ding DONG ding DONG ding DONG...</i>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Say hello to the host. Look at their face (instead of down at their feet), and speak clearly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Take off their shoes, unless they're told they don't need to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't be overly loud or silly. Don't run inside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you've been playing outside, and you're coming inside, wash your hands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do not open the refrigerator, touch the host's phone, or get on the computer, unless you're given permission.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ask where the bathroom is (instead of wandering around the house), close the door, flush when you're finished, and wash your hands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If a door is closed, knock before entering. Never enter a bedroom unless you're invited inside. If you need to use the bathroom, and the door is closed, either knock or wait quietly outside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you create an accidental mess (let's say they drop something, and it shatters all over the floor), they need to run and tell either their parents or the host. Accept the responsibility for what happened, and ask what they can do to help clean it up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you need to ask the host something, and she (or he) is involved in a conversation, stand quietly until there's a break in the conversation, and then say "Excuse me."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If the parents aren't going to be present, then tell your child that the host is in charge. Within reason, they'll be making the rules, and your child should be expected to follow them (such as at a sleepover, if the parents say "lights out and stop talking," your child should do so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you're offered something you wouldn't like, say "No, thank you," instead of "I don't want that" or "I don't like that." Same would apply to if someone asks if you'd like to do something that you wouldn't prefer to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After playing with toys or a game, clean it up. To the best of your ability, put all the pieces back <i>exactly how you found them</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the dinner table, do not dominate the conversation. If you need something, ask politely, but otherwise, sit quietly and eat your food. Stay seated at the table unless you've asked to be excused.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't touch anything (especially decor, books, furniture, movies, etc.) unless you've been given specific permission to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you are doing something, and the host asks you to stop, don't talk back. You're in their home; be respectful of their rules.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't climb on the couches, or jump off the coffee tables. Don't slam the doors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And lastly, say thank you. Say thank you for the food, for being invited over, for all the time and effort the host may have put into your time in his/her home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope that list didn't overwhelm you. I certainly didn't mean it to! Generally, I think most of principles are deep-down about <b>respect</b>... respecting both others' privacy, and their property/possessions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This topic has definitely been something I've been thinking a lot about, and I was excited to share it with you! I'm sure there are more "basic rules of etiquette" that I missed... let me know if you think of some!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-78710736726982252062015-08-28T16:56:00.004-07:002015-08-28T16:58:01.138-07:00Guest Post for The Gender Experts Blog!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know, I already published a post today, but I wanted to share this as well... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Recently I was contacted by </span><a href="https://www.thegenderexperts.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Gender Experts</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, asking if I might write a guest post for their </span><a href="https://www.thegenderexperts.com/blog" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">blog</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. Although many of their blog posts deal with gender prediction and pregnancy, they graciously allowed me to write about motherhood in general... and specifically, how I feel like four kids has been easier for me than one was! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yes, I've written about this before, but I chose this topic to revisit, because I love encouraging young moms! And though I'm still very new at mommy-ing myself, hopefully I can pass along what I've learned so far along the way. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here's what I shared over at </span><a href="https://www.thegenderexperts.com/blog/why-4-kids-have-been-easier-than-1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Gender Experts Blog:</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span font-size:12.0pt="" line-height:115="" quot="" roman="" serif="" times="">Looking back, I don't remember anything "easy" about being a first-time mom. Everything seemed to overwhelm me--the overfull diapers, the puddles of spit-up, and especially my daily chores, which never seemed to get done. </span><br /><br /> Then when Rachel was only 3.5 months old, I conceived our second daughter. Our son came fairly soon after that, followed by another daughter. And before we knew it, we had four kids, four and under. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The transitions between kids weren't easy at first. I'd guess my hardest adjustment was probably going from 1 to 2 kids (especially because they were so close together!), and I remember crying a lot the first month after Matthias (#3) was born. <br /><br /> So understandably, you can see why I was a little nervous about adding a fourth baby to our already busy family! My days as a stay-at-home mom were <em>full</em>, just caring with <em>three </em>small children. How could I add a fourth child, without surrendering our house to complete chaos? <br /><br /> But much to my surprise (and relief), we welcomed our fourth baby with [relative] peace and calm! The tears were few, and within the first couple months, I was feeling better and more on top of my "life" than I ever had before as a mom. I felt completely comfortable taking care of four children, and I even had the time to start "officially" homeschooling my two oldest. <br /><br /> Happy as I was, I was also a bit shocked to realize that four kids was somehow easier for me than one had been. This of course led me to wonder: why? <em>Shouldn't I be four-times more stressed-out and overwhelmed?</em><br /><br /> Now Caroline (our youngest) is nearing a year old, and although we have plenty of bad days, and moments where I feel like I'm drowning, I'm still convinced that this time around, life has been easier for me than it ever was before.<br /><br /> I'm sure you're as curious to hear the <em>why</em>, as I was to try to figure it out for myself! We are still growing and learning (always the goal, right?), but here's what I've come up with so far...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>1. I have five years of experience in the mommy-hood world now!</strong> I don't need to be nervous about changing diapers, considering how many hundreds (thousands?) I've changed. I've tried out many different ideas (I can't tell you how many laundry methods I've tried), and found which ones work best for our family. I've made many mistakes, and hopefully learned from them! <br /><br /> Also, the more I've learned, the more relaxed I am about certain areas of motherhood. <em>Breaking up fights and nap-times and changing diapers and feeding multiple kids has become less of a "big deal" and more of a every-day-all-day-long occurrence. </em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><span italic="">2. We teach our kids obedience, and strive to be consistent with this. </span></strong>I just mentioned above about being "relaxed" when it comes to motherhood. Having the kids obey me, though, is something I've definitely become more insistent on. Whether the kids are standing in a parking lot, or riding their bikes in our driveway (which is next to the street), they know that they need to listen to my voice and obey the first time I ask them to do something. The best way I've taught them this is with an obedience "game" where the kids are in a different part of the house, I call their names, and they yell, "Yes, Mom!!" and come running to me. If your kids know that you expect them to listen and obey, it will make your life as a mom THAT much easier. <br /><br /><strong><span calibri="" en-us="" font-size:11.0pt="" line-height:115="" minor-latin="" mso-ansi-language:en-us="" mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa="" mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi="" mso-fareast-font-family:calibri="" mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" times="">3. The older kids are learning to help around the house! </span></strong><span calibri="" font-size:11.0pt="" line-height:115="" mso-ansi-language:en-us="" mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin="" mso-bidi-font-weight:bold="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa="" mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi="" mso-fareast-language:en-us="" mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin="" mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" times="">They sort and put away their own laundry, make their bed, they can load and unload the dishwasher (we use plastic dishes!), and (possibly the kids' favorite) they can operate a hand vacuum! </span><span calibri="" en-us="" font-size:11.0pt="" line-height:115="" minor-latin="" mso-ansi-language:en-us="" mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa="" mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi="" mso-fareast-font-family:calibri="" mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin="" quot="" roman="" sans-serif="" times=""> Obviously, the floor isn't going to look as crumb-free as if I had vacuumed, and their quilt is almost always crooked on their bed, but I'm still thrilled with their efforts! And it gives them a sense of accomplishment, too. "Look what I was able to do!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>4. I don't worry about the kids needing me to entertain them: they entertain each other.</strong> Almost everything my kids do, they do together. They build blanket tents, and block castles, and they chop papers to shreds. Now that Caroline can crawl and play, too, there will often be moments that all four of them are playing together, and I'm able to work on whatever's most pressing at the time. <br /><br /><strong><span font-size:12.0pt="" line-height:115="" quot="" roman="" serif="" times="">5. Lastly, I think motherhood has gotten easier for me, the more I embrace that <em>this is my life.</em></span></strong> I've gotten used to the idea that it's "normal" to type and hold a baby at the same time, or breast-feed while reading to the other kids piled around me. I think once a mother realizes that there's no other task more important in her life, or more worth her time, than investing in these little people... then I think motherhood somehow becomes easier. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Of course, not <em>everything</em> is easier with four than with one. Such as, grocery shopping--or buckling and unbuckling car seats! But while I feel like with multiple children, there is more noise, more crying, more arguments... there is also more laughter and snuggles and fun times. <br /><br /> I can say without a doubt that I enjoy being a mom more than I ever have before. But what would I say to the <em>new</em> mom, perhaps who is feeling the way I did when my first was a baby? <br /><br /> I wish I could give you a hug, and say that everything will be okay! Don't be afraid to make mistakes or to ask for help! If you feel like there's so much you need to learn, or you're feeling inadequate, just know... <em>this is normal</em>. I am sure every mom has gone through this. You have many wonderful years ahead of you as a mother! And I certainly hope for you, the same that has been true for me... that the road of motherhood will gradually get easier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I hope you enjoyed this post! And while you're sitting at the computer (or reading on your phone :)), go check out <a href="https://www.thegenderexperts.com/" target="_blank">The Gender Experts</a>, especially if you're expecting a baby... and you're curious as to the gender! Using an ultrasound scan, they're able to predict your baby's gender as early as 6 weeks old! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Well, that's all from me for today. Have a great weekend!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-30314754062513205702015-08-28T10:47:00.003-07:002015-08-28T10:47:56.450-07:00Downstairs Half-bathroom Remodel<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When we moved into this house, our downstairs half-bathroom was in the top-five worst-looking spots in the house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It was covered in outdated, pink wallpaper, the floor was ripped, and the faucet + sink just. looked. bad. "Neglected" is actually a great word for this room. It didn't look like it had had any care for quite some time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Last year, a week before Caroline was born, my mom and youngest sister stayed up very late at our house, peeling down the wallpaper and repainting the room white. The absence of the wallpaper obviously made a huge difference for the better, but the room still needed some attention.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Matt started by ripping everything OUT (toilet, vanity, medicine cabinet, and flooring). The most time-consuming part of this job was definitely removing the glue from underneath the linoleum floor. We scraped, we sanded, we poured boiling water in an attempt to loosen the glue, we did more scraping... Finally the floor was flat enough to start laying the new flooring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Once the floor was laid, the fun began. Shopping for and buying the vanity, faucet, white hand towel, mirror, decor... that's all the "best part" for me. It's SO exciting to watch a room go from outdated and ripped-apart to new and clean and fresh!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">One by one, we are crossing off areas of our house that need updated! Downstairs half-bath complete, we are off to the next project!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong><em>Source List</em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Paint: Valspar Ultra White</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Vanity and faucet: Lowe's</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Mirror: Walmart</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Soap dispenser and hand towel: TJ Maxx</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Decor: Hobby Lobby</em></span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-61218332787849095832015-08-24T10:59:00.002-07:002015-08-24T10:59:42.155-07:00I'm Furthering My Education<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Back in the days when I'd recently graduated highschool, when I would tell people that I was not attending college, I think most of them assumed that my education was over. Sometimes I'd go on to explain that I was still <i>learning</i>... just not in an actual school building.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a matter of fact, I hurried through my final highschool courses because my post-graduation goal (at the time) was to read and <i>write</i> for hours a day. Feminism in the United States intrigued me, and I remember standing in front of the "feminism" section of our local library, staring at the hundreds of books with that subject, and thinking, "I want to read <i>every. single. one</i>."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I gave it my best attempt, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So no, even though I wasn't <i>enrolled anywhere</i>, I kept researching and writing and <i>learning</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Because I don't think, no matter what my age or what I'm doing in life, there's ever going to be a time when <i>I'll want my education to be over</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sure, when Rachel and Jemima were super little, and I was pregnant with Matthias, I was probably doing more "surviving" than "learning" every single day, but there are stages for everything, and I'm definitely entering a stage where I feel like I'm "<i>furthering my education"</i> more than I have for years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are two main reasons why this is so. The first one is probably obvious, and that is... <i>I'm<b> homeschooling</b> two-going-on-three kids.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I discovered that once you start teaching your children, you realize how much you've forgotten or... how much you <b>never knew</b>! </i>As soon as I started reading to the kids about figures in history, I found myself continually going, "That happened THEN? Before THAT war? She did WHAT?!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And THEN, we discovered the documentaries on Netflix and Youtube. Often in the afternoons (when most of our "work" is done for the day), we'll sit and watch shows (or short videos) about a National Park, or animals, volcanoes, the Holocaust, ships and why they sink, the "Men Who Built America" (Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, etc.), the US Presidents, the Easter Island statues, and so on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The exciting part is that we are learning together--<i>Mom <b>and</b> Kids</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ok, and the <i>second reason</i> why I've been researching and "educating myself" is... I'm a homemaker who happens to be making decisions all day long. If I want our house to run smoothly and efficiently, <i>I'm going to need to do some research!</i> Three easy examples here would be food, clothing, and our house. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Planning meals, shopping for groceries, and preparing healthy and yummy foods, <b>three times a day, for 6 people, 7 days a week</b>, is a fairly big responsibility all by itself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And honestly, I don't <i>love </i>cooking. I'm constantly searching for inspiration and trying new ideas and methods (whether it be freezer cooking, gluten-free every now and then, or whatever). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Onto clothing. We had a couple chilly mornings and evenings last week, and I realized that <b>I was responsible for the fall and winter wardrobes for four children.</b> When I'm looking for clothing for the kids, I'm considering how <i><b>warm</b> it will be, if it's <b>good quality</b>, how <b>stylish </b>it is, and... <b>how I can achieve all of that for the best prices.</b> </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm not done yet, but I've already spent hours researching the best brands and looking into capsule wardrobes for the kids. I want simple, inexpensive, and yet stylish for the kids, and this takes time! </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And lastly, <b>our house</b>. So we bought a fixer-upper, which means that almost every room has needed some sort of renovation project. Matt's the one who does most of the heavy work, but he also has a full-time day job, which means... it's often up to me to figure out what we'll do with each room. I read tutorials and reviews and stare at before-and-after pictures and watch the Property Brothers. Since it's in the back of our mind that one day we'll sell this house (once we're done renovating it), I got very excited about home staging (for whenever the time comes), and I've watched as many videos on Youtube as I could find on how to stage your home before selling it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love this sort of education, because it's very pertinent to what I'm doing now in my life. I'm teaching my children science and history... and learning alongside them. I'm discovering ways to bless my household (and all who live in it), based on our needs now and what my interests are. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What I described here is obviously going to look different for every mom out there, but I'd encourage you--even you moms of little ones!--keep reading and discovering and learning. Your education is a life-long event!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-4474087788074787162015-08-07T10:29:00.000-07:002015-08-07T10:29:16.039-07:00Seven Ways to Style a Striped Dress [Toddler Girl Edition]<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You've all heard of the capsule wardrobe concept, right? Basically you have 10 (or however many) basic pieces that can be mixed and matched to create many awesome, creative outfits! It's such a fun idea, and--more importantly, it would help with the frustration that comes from picking out a fantastic skirt or pair of jeans, and then not knowing what top would match it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Summer is hard on kids' clothes (with all the playing outside in the dirt!), and I knew I'd gotten rid of a few of the girls' tops as the summer went along. But, I had no idea how bad this situation had gotten until we were leaving for the afternoon, and one of the girls announced that she didn't have any tops to wear. I opened her drawer, and she must've had 10 (or more!) skirts and shorts, and not a single presentable shirt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With the cooler weather coming, I decided it was high time I re-did the girls' wardrobes. And because I had to buy clothes anyway, I decided to give the "capsule wardrobe" idea a try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I didn't go completely hard-core, but I did find around six tops, and four or five skirts or shorts that could be easily interchanged to create some cute outfits! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also had the idea to find <i><b>one item</b></i> that could be could be styled in a variety of ways, to make it appropriate for summer <i>and </i>fall! That's when I found this <b>striped dress</b>. It was exactly what I was looking for!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's cute all by itself with sandals, or with a fun bubble necklace!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No one would guess it's the same dress, if it's tucked into a bright skirt!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's some fun belt action, along with mint-colored leggings...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I especially love how this dress is a <i>perfect <b>transitional piece</b> between summer and fall. </i>Layer a long-sleeved shirt and sleeveless jacket or a cardigan, and you're still looking fresh and bright but with the right amount of warmth for the cooler weather. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love how many fun printed leggings there are to choose from. Pair the dress with some cute leggings and BOOTS and you're definitely ready for fall!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And finally, the classic jean jacket, some gray tights, and matching accessories. This ensemble looks completely different from the first summer-y outfit, and yet at the heart of <i>all these outfits</i> is the same <b>basic, striped dress! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;">I hope you enjoyed these </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;">seven ways to style a striped dress</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;">! Even if you don't have a toddler girl to dress, I'm sure you could use these principles to style your own clothing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy Friday, folks!</span></div>
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-87047542897242037782015-07-29T10:41:00.000-07:002015-07-29T10:41:04.787-07:00A Tale of Two Couches<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>[For those of you who also read <a href="http://misformama.net/2015/07/a-tale-of-two-well-technically-three-couches.html" target="_blank">M is for Mama</a>, I already had thought of my title before she published her latest post. And she clearly had better luck than I did... but I'm getting ahead of myself.]</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I wasn't looking for couches, </b>when I saw that set of "Brand New Gray Leather" couches, advertised on a local Yard Sale Group. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had so much fun re-doing our <a href="http://cleanhousewithkids.blogspot.com/2015/04/our-master-bedroom-update.html" target="_blank">master bedroom</a>, that I was planning to fix up our downstairs one day, too... including switching out our fabric, red-and-green couches (that are super comfortable, smell awesome, recline AND have foot rests) for something more modern--specifically gray, leather couches. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But couches are expensive, and I had no intention of buying "new" ones any time. Until, of course, I saw this set of "brand new" couches, which looked exactly like what I'd been wanting!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KFO4AS8xNW_8YoB1hieyc619VWZxDXC9eieVjbss0VKoqFc1tDzly6ZRRiP5GzxZOZMdDECqf8SWWxFqrSfTA9I9lQuiMPXzYsmUEy_HKteSPADaP-HvmvTq4hHVUclJZ3pVT1PgClw/s1600/gray.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KFO4AS8xNW_8YoB1hieyc619VWZxDXC9eieVjbss0VKoqFc1tDzly6ZRRiP5GzxZOZMdDECqf8SWWxFqrSfTA9I9lQuiMPXzYsmUEy_HKteSPADaP-HvmvTq4hHVUclJZ3pVT1PgClw/s640/gray.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCWWAkx4WGxhObDPdnfaOxIz1l91qeM8KGDcH9p0JH7AzuN9jY7d14yQ4FPR2O9-9oFaET-Apyopqc6airclGIo5GpfEfGOpIrVTghyphenhyphenJCyEZvFH35XqKvzqtesGoampjlA5PBClmsoNI/s1600/gray2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCWWAkx4WGxhObDPdnfaOxIz1l91qeM8KGDcH9p0JH7AzuN9jY7d14yQ4FPR2O9-9oFaET-Apyopqc6airclGIo5GpfEfGOpIrVTghyphenhyphenJCyEZvFH35XqKvzqtesGoampjlA5PBClmsoNI/s640/gray2.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Excitedly, I began writing back and forth with the owner, only to find out that this set was NEW, never sat on, and she was selling them for one-fifth of the original price. I couldn't believe our good luck!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My plan was to sell our current couches for MORE than what we'd buy these leather couches for, and use the difference to buy some decor to fix off the downstairs' new "look." My hope was that we wouldn't spend ANY money on the downstairs remodel, or--at the most--$100.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We went to look at the couches, and I missed all the warning signs. The owner said she'd never had animals in her townhome, and when she smoked, it was always outside. I can blame the circumstances... the room was dark, I was very pumped, the lady seemed nice. Considering how much she said <b>she'd paid</b> for this set (and how it had NEVER been sat on!), I thought we were getting an incredible deal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So we bought them. The second they entered our garage, though, we smelled the awful, terrible smell coming from these couches. But I was still excited. They <i>looked</i> great, right? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But we couldn't get past that smell. I researched how to remove a smoke smell from leather couches, and we got to work. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju6dzPNzONWyZ8O7fOHL98vTDR0FMbdt_INQsyvtHImZ3rmeBi7u4Eq8bSFaNa-vdv0FoaJGtobQu62bkidiBprsEd0UgjxiEr1jZePcN8zJWiW-9yaF8fgiPaSAyV48zki5yo1o7VRs/s1600/coffeegrounds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju6dzPNzONWyZ8O7fOHL98vTDR0FMbdt_INQsyvtHImZ3rmeBi7u4Eq8bSFaNa-vdv0FoaJGtobQu62bkidiBprsEd0UgjxiEr1jZePcN8zJWiW-9yaF8fgiPaSAyV48zki5yo1o7VRs/s640/coffeegrounds.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I dumped three boxes of baking soda all over those couches, mixed in some coffee grounds, and went to bed for the night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By the next morning, I'll admit--the smell was MUCH better. I got a bucket of vinegar water and Rachel, Jemima, Matthias and I worked for several hours, wiping down every inch of those beautiful couches.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Vdu-4J_2SY8LxmpMU0ra_5B_Ns2W5an8Za08kcgNpTZ6TbmKzr10FJ7PWr_owRkUgz6LUaZ_zdSU360m00ZhF1FcbrnRyEeqa86H7sHJIkliIkLyQLJImpEy4YqIktJXtVIotvZWFVg/s1600/kids3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Vdu-4J_2SY8LxmpMU0ra_5B_Ns2W5an8Za08kcgNpTZ6TbmKzr10FJ7PWr_owRkUgz6LUaZ_zdSU360m00ZhF1FcbrnRyEeqa86H7sHJIkliIkLyQLJImpEy4YqIktJXtVIotvZWFVg/s640/kids3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGDlrqJdGXCazVU4VFckltSwBJLz6D6R_qBeMmvnIAYoMXEk63TnpDHApR9unIlJYyBLuh-xdnJeHudYvT_FNX30SjSbKDmaq4y58Q5yAjwSksNFXvK5USYDMKn2tn3oaDoI4FpiFZ6Y/s1600/justjemima.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGDlrqJdGXCazVU4VFckltSwBJLz6D6R_qBeMmvnIAYoMXEk63TnpDHApR9unIlJYyBLuh-xdnJeHudYvT_FNX30SjSbKDmaq4y58Q5yAjwSksNFXvK5USYDMKn2tn3oaDoI4FpiFZ6Y/s640/justjemima.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We repeated the wipe-down-the-couches process with Saddle Soap. By now, the couches were seriously smelling better... but still. Not appropriate for sitting on, hanging out, relaxing, you get the idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While removing the cushions, I found the original tag, and called the manufacturer of these couches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And... Bang. These couches originally cost <i>nothing</i> like what the owner had claimed. These were <i>cheap</i> couches. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But we figured that one out on our own, after Rachel climbed onto one of them, in her flip-flops, and nicked the fabric. Sad day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By now, we'd concluded these couches were NOT for us. Besides the smell (which we couldn't fully get rid of), they weren't durable enough to stand the daily wear-and-tear from small children.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I listed them for sale. But I felt I'd been deceived, and I didn't want to be anything less than fully honest with anyone. I advertised this set as (what they were): From a smoker (and possibly) pet home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Guess what. No one wants them. I first advertised them as the price we purchased them, and no one was remotely interested. So I lowered the price--and again, and again. It's a real possibility that we may be listing these gray leather couches as FREE, or (at best) making $100 off them--just to get them out of our garage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Considering how I love being frugal, and how much I watch our finances, this was a blow. If I were pregnant, I would've been a crying mess. Since I'm not, I just thought about crying, and wanted to cry--and couldn't. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the bright side, I've learned three [very expensive] lessons from this whole process.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>1. Don't buy a couch that smells bad--whatever the price. </b>I had no idea how difficult it was to remove cigarette smoke from leather furniture, but yes, it's difficult. Hours of my life are lost in cleaning, and they still reek.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2. Even if it means you have to act awkwardly, if you're offering a wad of serious cash for couches, it's definitely worth the time and effort to sit on them and lay on them and smell them and remove the cushions and turn on all the brightest lights around to get the best look possible.</b> And <i>only then</i>, if you're fully satisfied, offer your cash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3. If you think a room of your house "needs something," it might not necessarily be the most expensive items IN that room, i.e., the couches in your family room.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here's where I come to the happy part in this whole story. While preparing our family room for the "new look," my mom and I removed the black, broken blinds on the windows and painted the dark-colored trim white. Already, this [free] project made that wall look SO much brighter! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After we realized we were keeping our original couches, though, our windows needed some sort of window treatment--as now the light was pouring in, and there was no privacy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I really wanted curtains that looked modern, but still somehow matched our current couches.... and yet, were neutral enough to match <i>any</i> couches (whenever we would find replacement couches).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had no idea if this was possible, until I saw these in the curtain aisle at Target...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">White curtains, with a pretty gold-dotted pattern. Modern, neutral, will match couches present and future. EXACTLY what I wanted!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As soon I ironed the curtain panels, and Matt hung them, I realized these long, light-colored, pretty curtains was <i>what this room needed</i>. Not necessarily new couches, at least not right this minute. Why, oh why, did I not think of this <i>before </i>we paid for the couches?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDb2wc3d6dtn6AhQLRnc6jzbmn3qSUYaHWiC_mYgne-UY-Yh5e_y_yZPjbQklEjxgVvXEmL0wLFdB8p46ePKu7n-AEwdX6jdW71Vo_-aYE-PkWkdYFC8Fb3BFOVtfKKkr9gf_JDHrDcQ/s1600/curtainshung.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDb2wc3d6dtn6AhQLRnc6jzbmn3qSUYaHWiC_mYgne-UY-Yh5e_y_yZPjbQklEjxgVvXEmL0wLFdB8p46ePKu7n-AEwdX6jdW71Vo_-aYE-PkWkdYFC8Fb3BFOVtfKKkr9gf_JDHrDcQ/s640/curtainshung.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But without the purchase of those gray, leather couches, I wouldn't have learned these lessons. And <i>hopefully,</i> I won't soon forget them.</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-87746094772525729992015-07-20T11:08:00.000-07:002015-07-20T11:08:03.240-07:00Life Lately<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I haven't typed here for so long, that I'm having trouble even remembering what font I normally use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But "usual" font or no, it was high-time for an update on the blog. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>A New Job</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our biggest news is this: after 5 years of Matt working [mostly] afternoon shift at the FBI, he has become a Property Manager here in town. What does this practically mean for him?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No more 50 minute-long commutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No more getting home at 2 AM.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A new job, with [of course] new challenges and opportunities!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can imagine this has been a big transition for Matt, but it's obviously effected our whole [small] family. The biggest adjustment so far has been Matt's new schedule--leaving in the mornings (as opposed to sleeping in), coming home for lunch (I know, right?!), and then having him home in the evenings. I haven't enjoyed Matt's company (and help!) consistently in the evenings <i>since having children</i>. It wasn't easy in the evenings, but I had gotten used to the whole dinner/bedtime routine/several hours alone by myself before MY bedtime.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So this is very different.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd say our biggest struggle so far (if you could call it that) is what to do in the evenings. By the time we've put the kids to bed, we are both tired, and yet we want to use our next couple hours wisely (i.e., not watching Netflix). Because of Matt's new job requirements, we started reading <i>How To Win Friends and Influence People, </i>and we're really enjoying it so far. The author is so knowledgeable about both people and history, I felt 100% smarter after only reading one chapter!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>House Projects</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On hold for the moment. Sunday afternoon, we wrote up a list of all the specific remodeling "needs" our house has, and eventually we need to keep working through that list. Unfortunately, almost all of those remodeling projects requires $$ (example: remodel bathroom. Remodel kitchen. Replace garage door. Etc.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There were some bushes that needed torn out, and Saturday afternoon (with the help of Kiddos 1, 2, and 3) we started cutting them down and bagging them up. Although it was ridiculously hot out, chopping up bushes still felt <i>relaxing</i> to me. I love working when I can see <i>instant results</i>--not something that often happens when you're a mom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>[snack on the front lawn]</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sd9XTu7vN0W8FzFQtWzmbQoRAA57LiyvrypLTIGPV_DCKLIGJ1gM0kcStn5_A6P_j3mNPs9owMwLRIEfpZTZbUR6hYQkg8oIhPViPNJjDr_dWBxj1K6m0G6ESHnWjGQILB8zg2tDLzc/s1600/grass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sd9XTu7vN0W8FzFQtWzmbQoRAA57LiyvrypLTIGPV_DCKLIGJ1gM0kcStn5_A6P_j3mNPs9owMwLRIEfpZTZbUR6hYQkg8oIhPViPNJjDr_dWBxj1K6m0G6ESHnWjGQILB8zg2tDLzc/s640/grass.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Homeschooling</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is something I'm very excited about. Not every single day, but in general, I'm pumped about teaching my kids. Rachel just turned 5, and she's already doing school work in two different grades. I remember this well from when I was homeschooled, and I'd stare at people confused when they asked what grade I was in. "I'm in sixth grade math, fifth grade science, seventh grade English..." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm loving ABeka from what I've done with it so far. To supplement, we practice flashcards every day (numbers and letters for Jemima, addition for Rachel, US Presidents for both girls), and I just created a YouTube playlist of educational songs for them to listen through while they're coloring! (Speaking of flashcards--which I'm in love with--I found the US Presidents cards in the $1 section at Target! I've heard there are also Famous Landmarks and Space flashcards, which I'm going to be looking into buying ASAP. I guess I'm just a flashcards fan.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>[school time]</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxXnXbAk9DMYpJMuXFEOQjRuvGKxnX3jNJ7rKBzefAnljJdfCGgFcvNm0K0Jq7hrR1agFU1x5xZeswJjWJfuAziXlKSJwRkGaQ1PqqOQbizPek-q1xZnn0Z-ZF9taAgR0cDYni0QRaqE/s1600/school.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxXnXbAk9DMYpJMuXFEOQjRuvGKxnX3jNJ7rKBzefAnljJdfCGgFcvNm0K0Jq7hrR1agFU1x5xZeswJjWJfuAziXlKSJwRkGaQ1PqqOQbizPek-q1xZnn0Z-ZF9taAgR0cDYni0QRaqE/s640/school.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since I wasn't able to find a history and geography textbook that I liked for the girls' age levels, I decided on simply finding and reading library books that dealt with countries or people throughout history. We've read about Helen Keller, Christopher Columbus, Joan of Arc, Daniel Boone, and Anne Frank. It's embarrassing how much basic history I'd forgotten already! I'm learning along with the girls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>[Matthias and Caroline hanging out while I work with the girls]</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tdimEedN8ECbQxZzOIrae2u5xADD3UvB0G-f_BbmM2uAG1oiz1BtBM_mPKwzph1YMO1evKzuehn1XErspBexm48S1j6Y5PkMwaBT3qNuxoJ9GcPoEvXLqhqDXp8w73WDIZjHeMknl_k/s1600/carolineduty.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tdimEedN8ECbQxZzOIrae2u5xADD3UvB0G-f_BbmM2uAG1oiz1BtBM_mPKwzph1YMO1evKzuehn1XErspBexm48S1j6Y5PkMwaBT3qNuxoJ9GcPoEvXLqhqDXp8w73WDIZjHeMknl_k/s640/carolineduty.JPG" width="506" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's an update for now. Oh yeah, and last week, we took advantage of Chik-Fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day, and received something like $35 worth of free food! Woo-hoo!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfifzuzQ7UilMnxIczAHVkJqCMt7I4aBSYtgP-pS_8yXisSsWxQMloWOEeYawBXwyZf-WzDULOpnbL8i2HPq8F41bPwMbd9S36LW-0UHfPzn_3IWHC5mnFis3FIAHH-_6dGP_zF3DZnxY/s1600/cows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfifzuzQ7UilMnxIczAHVkJqCMt7I4aBSYtgP-pS_8yXisSsWxQMloWOEeYawBXwyZf-WzDULOpnbL8i2HPq8F41bPwMbd9S36LW-0UHfPzn_3IWHC5mnFis3FIAHH-_6dGP_zF3DZnxY/s640/cows.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-78715963840466692542015-06-24T11:00:00.002-07:002015-06-24T11:02:46.123-07:00My "Baby Essentials" List (what I use, what I don't use, and why)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Recently I've enjoyed reading through some baby "essentials" lists that are being circulated online. As I'm perusing the lists that begin, <i>"Every mom <b>must have..."</b></i><b> </b>sometimes I find myself nodding enthusiastically, and at other items, I'm staring at the screen, wondering what that contraption even IS! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So just for fun, I thought I'd write up a list of the <i>baby items that I've used</i> this time around (and honestly, <b>must have</b>), and then I'll write a <i>second list of the baby items I haven't used</i> with Caroline (and what I use instead!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>My "Baby Essentials" List:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>1. Diapers and wipes</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've used cloth diapers (Flip) and disposables (currently I'm loving Up & Up for Caroline, and Parents' Choice for Matthias). I buy wipes at Walmart, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2. Clothing.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My <i>favorite</i> outfit on 0-3 month babies would be a onesie + zip-up sleeper overtop (or just the sleeper, if your baby's a summer baby!). It's so easy--especially for the frequent diaper changes, many of which are during the night! I wanted Caroline to be a *little* dressed up whenever she went to church, though, so I found a bright pink tutu/skirt that she wore <i>over</i> her pink sleepers to church. This is definitely a change since Rachel and Jemima were newborns, though--they wore cute outfits and dresses all the time. I guess once you're on Baby #4, you realize that your little one will be wearing "clothes" soon enough!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3. Car seat.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course. If you're planning on taking them anywhere, this is a <i>must-have</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>4. Crib.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Babies could technically sleep on the floor, or in a drawer, or pretty much anywhere... but our babies have always slept in a crib.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>5. Burp cloths</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I always have one of these handy whenever I'm feeding Caroline. They can double as a nursing cover, too (more on that down below)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>6. Baby carrier.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We don't currently own a stroller, so we've made excellent use of our Baby Bjorn baby carrier! Whether you're shopping or taking the kids to the park, it's so nice to have your hands free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>7. Diaper bag.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Everyone has different "diaper bag essentials." Here's what I keep in mind: light-weight large burp cloth (for nursing), second burp cloth (for when the baby spits up), diapers, wipes, a change of clothes for the baby. Not a lot of stuff, which means it's easy to haul around!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>8. Pack 'n Play</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While not a necessity, our pack 'n play has been profoundly helpful. We've used it as a <i>nice transition item from the crib to a bed</i>, as well as carrying it with us whenever we travel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I could go on, but those stand out as the biggest "essentials" that we've used...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3gPaSrSXlaQPAFegyiQ4Z8wrJ6uCAQCRuvhGcGOVJXx1TsfrzLlFV9rxMYl0lKUv4tVlbsnXwLM5hmgVzRsb7zKfeqRbMF8sbBKoJbqYhyphenhyphenUSGTRpyHRvBbnMQrOdYhbJT7wsSmcoFcc/s1600/1613828_847407115350639_7087567171825544837_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3gPaSrSXlaQPAFegyiQ4Z8wrJ6uCAQCRuvhGcGOVJXx1TsfrzLlFV9rxMYl0lKUv4tVlbsnXwLM5hmgVzRsb7zKfeqRbMF8sbBKoJbqYhyphenhyphenUSGTRpyHRvBbnMQrOdYhbJT7wsSmcoFcc/s640/1613828_847407115350639_7087567171825544837_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now for the "Baby Essentials" We Do NOT own:</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>1. Stroller.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've heard amazing reports from moms who use strollers, so I guess I've just never found a stroller that I found extremely helpful. If we're shopping, Caroline rides in the baby carrier (or she'll sit up in the front of the cart), and the rest of the kids will walk or ride. I try to avoid taking all the kids shopping, though. I'll wait for a time when Matt can watch a couple kids, and I'll take one or two with me. The shopping trip goes by so much faster that way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When we're in a setting where there aren't carts, Caroline is carried, and the rest of the kids walk beside us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2. High chair.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nope, we don't own one. We used to own a chair that clipped onto the dining table, but it didn't fit our specific needs. Caroline's still exclusively breast-feeding, and I'm not sure when we'll be transitioning her to table food. We have a booster seat that we might use, if she's sturdy enough in sit up in that. Aaaand... we might just break down and buy a high chair. Definitely possible!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3. Nursing cover.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I use a large, light-weight burp cloth. When I'm in a public setting, I normally find a private room to breast-feed in anyway, so then modesty isn't so much of a concern.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>4. Changing table.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We've changed a LOT of diapers, but we've never had one of these! We normally change the kids' diapers on the floor, or on a bed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>5. Baby bath-tub.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Again, I've heard glowing reviews of baby bath-tubs, so I'm not saying I wouldn't love it if I owned one! When our babies are small, I wash them in the bathroom sink. When they're old enough to (mostly) sit up by themselves, they "graduate" to the kitchen sink. And when they're standing by themselves, we shower them (we don't have a bath tub, sadly).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>6. Baby monitor.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's always one of us close enough to Caroline's room that we could hear what she's doing. Even Matthias is quick to tell me when "Cayayine" has woken up or is crying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>7. Nursing/feeding pillow.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As with several other of these items (stroller, nursing cover, baby monitor), I've <i>had</i> one, didn't feel like it was helpful, and passed it along to someone else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>8. Musical toys/rattle/stuffed animals.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here I present to you the joys to being the fourth-born in a family. Caroline doesn't have toys <i>specific to her</i>. She plays with whatever the other kids are playing with, whether it's a car, blocks, or an egg separator. The older three keep her very entertained!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While I doubt I'll ever take any items off my "baby essentials" list (I think those items are pretty basic!), there's a good chance I might being using one or two of these non-essential items somewhere down the line. I'll keep you updated!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-79433361714842585322015-05-22T11:42:00.000-07:002015-05-22T11:42:00.487-07:00Some Pros and Cons of Minimalism<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Over the past year, I've increasingly become more of a minimalist. I'm all about "simple" living, and I feel like "living with less" goes hand in hand with that concept.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Matt tells me that when he mentions to his coworkers that he has four kids, one of their most frequent responses is how busy we must be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Yes, of course we're busy. But when you have less STUFF sitting around in your house, fewer toys and clothes and books and everything else, there is honestly less TO DO.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But minimalistic living has pros and cons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>CONS:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">If you have one mint-colored tank top (that you really like), and it gets discolored in the wash (who knows why), then... it effects *several* outfits, and not just one tank. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Your husband suggests an afternoon away at a state park, and you have to go out and buy shorts AND lace-up shoes, because you don't own any.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You sell your church shoes. Then, you must wear flip-flops to church until you buy another pair of church shoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You hear the incredible idea of only wearing what you LOVE. So you get rid 3 shirts, and you're left with three.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What you wear for pajamas are also staples in your during-the-day wardrobe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You overhear a conversation between your kids and the neighbor kids...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Neighbor Kid: Do you have any dolls?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Your kid: No.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">NK: Do you have any dress-up clothes?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Your kid: No.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">NK: Do you have any games?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Your kid: Yes, we have a matching game.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">NK: Well, what do you play?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Your kid: We play blocks. And we draw. And we play outside. Aaand... that's it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Your husband is leaving for a business trip, and you realize he doesn't have enough nice socks to carry him for even a short trip, considering he wouldn't be doing the wash every day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>PROS:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Packing for a trip is a cinch. You open your kids' drawers, pull out their nicest clothes (leaving *not much* in their drawer), and pack it into a suitcase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You tell your kids to clean up their toys, and they stick all their blocks in a couple boxes. BOOM. Done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You tell your kids to clean up their books, and they grab their few books (scattered around the house) and stick them in a basket. Done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Everything has a place--whether it's the diapers, the shoes, or the cooking utensils. There's only one or two of each item (okay, besides diapers ;)), so as long as it's returned to its proper place, it's not easily lost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Laundry is simplified, and there's less OF it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We aren't completely minimalistic, believe me. I love variety in accessories, for example, and so the girls have an entire BOX of hairbands and bows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But for this season of life, living with LESS has been so helpful. There are fewer messes, which are easier to clean up... For me personally, there's less stress, too, so I can focus on doing what I enjoy! </span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-86111689368189804672015-05-01T17:04:00.000-07:002015-05-01T17:08:16.975-07:00Why Four Kids Have Been Easier than One<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If I'm being honest, I don't look back on my "early motherhood" days (when I just had one or even two kids) as the most-amazing-days-ever. </b>I remember feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and inadequate. And believe me, it wasn't like I hadn't had any experience with kids before! I had three younger siblings, and as a teenager, I logged many hours as a babysitter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And yet... being a mom was different. These babies were <i>mine,</i> and the responsibility was great. While as a babysitter, I would watch the kids for a few hours and then leave, being a mom was full-time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was hard to find time to do anything BUT watch my children. My bathroom would sometimes sit neglected for weeks, and there was almost always a pile of unfolded laundry on our guest bed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The transitions between children were hard, too. My hardest transition was probably from no-kids-to-one, but transitioning to two kids was hard, too. It was a little easier with Matthias (#3), but I remember crying a LOT his first month of life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few weeks before Caroline's due date, I started stressing out about adding a fourth. What would my already-full days look like? How do you peacefully add a fourth baby to days that aren't always calm? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then, she arrived. Surprisingly, I hardly cried at all. Within the first couple months, I was feeling better and more on-top of my "life" than I had ever before as a mom. I felt completely comfortable taking care of four children, and I had the time to start "officially" homeschooling Rachel and Jemima.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I was shocked to realize that four kids was somehow easier for me than one had been. This of course led me to wonder: why? <b>Shouldn't I be four-times more stressed out and overwhelmed? </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm still trying to figure out the difference, but here's what I've come up with so far...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>1. I have four years of experience in the mommy-hood world now!</b> I don't need to be nervous changing diapers, considering how many hundreds (thousands?) I've changed. I've tried out many different ideas (I can't tell you how many laundry methods I've tried), and found which ones work best for our family. I've made many mistakes, and [hopefully] learned from them! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also, the more I've learned, the more relaxed I am about motherhood. <i>Breaking up fights and nap-times and changing diapers and feeding multiple kids has become less of a "big deal" and more of a every-day-all-day-long occurrence. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2. Instead of doing all the housework by myself, I have helpers!</b> The older kids are a HUGE help to me. They sort and put away their laundry. They can load and unload the dishwasher, and set the table. They can dress themselves, and the girls are learning how to shower themselves and do their hair! Many of the tasks that I used to help them with, are now their responsibilities. The girls enjoy being independent, and I don't mind delegating! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3. I don't worry about the kids needing me to entertain them: they entertain each other.</b> Almost everything my kids do, they do together. As for Caroline, the kids could sit and talk to her or "play" with her for hours. They especially love when I leave Caroline in their "charge" while I do housework elsewhere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>4. This point probably ties in somehow with #1, but I think motherhood has gotten easier for me, the more I embrace that <i>this is my life.</i></b> Of course I knew along that these children were my responsibility, but once you realize that these kids will take up your time, and that is a <i>healthy</i> thing... that it's "normal" to type and hold a baby at the same time, or breast-feed while reading to the three other kids piled around you... <i>That there is really no other task more important, or more worth your time than investing in these little souls... then I think motherhood somehow becomes easier.</i> You're not always thinking, "Well, I need to take care of the baby so I can do..." because you're used to the fact that your kids will be there at your side (or nearby) all day long, every day for a VERY long time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course, not <i>everything</i> is easier with four than with one. Such as, grocery shopping--or buckling and unbuckling car seats! But while I feel like with multiple children, there is more noise, more crying, more arguments... there is also more laughter and snuggles and fun times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can say without a doubt that I enjoy being a mom more than I ever have before. But what would I say to the <i>new</i> mom, perhaps who is feeling the way I did when Rachel and Jemima were little? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wish I could give you a hug, and say that everything will be okay! Don't be afraid to make mistakes or to ask for help! If you feel like there's so much you need to learn, or you're feeling inadequate, just know... this is normal. I am sure every mom has gone through this. You have many wonderful years ahead of you in which to learn and grow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Enjoy your family time this weekend!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-87823304669598690752015-04-17T11:28:00.000-07:002015-06-27T03:15:47.915-07:00Nine "Cleanliness" Habits we are Teaching our Children<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm going to let you in a little secret: I don't actually <i>love</i> cleaning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If I could spend an hour doing whatever I wanted to, cleaning wouldn't make the list. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But here's the thing--<i>I live in a house with four natural mess-makers, otherwise known as children. </i><b>It can be a full-time job just cleaning up after my kids!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When little ones are still toddling around, drooling and wiping banana-hands on your glass, there's not much for a mom to do besides follow them around with a Windex bottle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But I've discovered that as children start getting older, they are capable of <i>more than making messes.</i> <i><b>In fact, they can help keeping your house clean!</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I don't just mean teaching them how to scrub the toilet (<i>though that is, of course, a brilliant idea.)</i> </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Keeping a house clean is all about <i>habits</i>--those little things we either do or don't do, every day, all day long, which determines if our house will be neat and clean or a chaotic disaster.</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've found some <i>specific habits</i> that have been <b>extremely helpful to keeping my housework minimized, </b>so that once the kids go to bed, I don't have to spend the next couple hours cleaning!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Nine "Cleanliness" Habits we are Teaching our Children:</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Take off their shoes at the door. </b>We generally have a no-shoes-in-the-house policy (unless they're "inside" shoes). You'd be surprised how much less dirt is tracked in onto the floors and carpets. I still have to sweep and vacuum, but this policy has gone a long way in keeping <i>especially</i> our carpeting and rugs nice. <i>As a follow-up to taking their shoes off, we also teach them to...</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Put their shoes away. </b>If their shoes are very dirty, I'll wash them or hit them together outside to shake off excess dirt. But if they seem relatively clean, they need to immediately put them away in their shoe box. (Even Matthias, who is 2, can easily do something like this.) This keeps the foyer from getting cluttered with shoes!</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Make their bed before leaving their room in the morning. </b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you want your kids' rooms to instantly look more presentable, straightening their sheets and pillows is a huge step in the right direction! The girls still need help making their bed, but we're working on this. It's a great goal!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Clear their dishes after eating, <i>and</i> stack them into the dishwasher. </b>This only takes each child a few seconds, and it helps keep the table and the kitchen counters clean! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Wash hands [and face] after every meal. </b>Of all these habits, the girls have this one "down" the most, probably because they love running water so much. I still help Matthias with his face and hands.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Keep all food items in either the kitchen or dining room. </b>The only exception to this rule is popcorn while watching movies (in our family room), but no other food is allowed outside the dining room area. <i>Remember, all these habits are about lessening the amount of general cleaning that the parents need to do. </i>Food crumbs are not only disgusting, but they invite ants in your lovely home. No, thank you. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Put their dirty clothes in the laundry. </b>As opposed to, of course, <i>on the floor.</i> <i>Floors are meant for walking on, not throwing your dirty laundry!</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Clean up their toys when they're finished playing.</b> While the kids are young, their biggest messes will often consist of toys, but as they grow older, there will always be things that need cleaned up or organized. I figure if they learn to "clean up" now, it'll be so much easier to adjust to other, bigger "messes" when they're older!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And lastly (and one of my favorites)...</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If they're finished with something <i>that they want to keep, <b>they must find a place for it.</b></i> If they're finished with something they <i>don't</i> want to keep (a used band-aid, perhaps?), <b>they need to throw it away. </b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Probably because I'm so familiar with the trash can, my kids love throwing things away, too. I have to be very specific when I hand something to them, so that they know to put in the "laundry" or the "sink" or their "drawer," and <i>not in the trash.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why do these habits even matter? Because they all add up to a <i>naturally tidier</i> home. Of course you'll still have to clean, but it shouldn't be nearly as overwhelming... <i>even if you have kids. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>As a great alternative to YOU cleaning your house, why not choose professional and qualified cleaners to clean your house FOR you? If you live in Melbourne, I'm happy to recommend <a href="http://www.maidtoclean.com.au/" target="_blank">Maid to Clean</a>, an environmentally friendly, simple to use home cleaning service. Offering a 100% price back guarantee, plus a $20 discount for new customers, <a href="http://www.maidtoclean.com.au/" target="_blank">Maid to Clean</a> is the home cleaning service you've been looking for! </i></b></span></div>
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3251636796400716385.post-21638534004326287642015-04-15T08:58:00.001-07:002015-04-15T09:21:42.305-07:00Our Master Bedroom Update<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now that we've been in our house for a year, it was time to update our master bedroom! A few years ago, I was very "into" blue and dark brown, and thus our bedroom looked like this...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUWJYnpZ3G8Y0UnsUpGSRVcbtCMWXBkSB4kc79pHuiPrftqHLbTBxicdhyphenhyphensc8qezITSFZ6JDdbRc4Ysmd4O3_rtr7ZZUUyN_OOhPJHnBOz0XzLDaa2NW0Q6cohUH-vu__4hWYJLlU27M/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUWJYnpZ3G8Y0UnsUpGSRVcbtCMWXBkSB4kc79pHuiPrftqHLbTBxicdhyphenhyphensc8qezITSFZ6JDdbRc4Ysmd4O3_rtr7ZZUUyN_OOhPJHnBOz0XzLDaa2NW0Q6cohUH-vu__4hWYJLlU27M/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As we worked in the other rooms of our house, making them modern and fresh-looking, I decided I wanted a completely new look for our bedroom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bright. Clean. Lots of white and light gray. Flowers. I wanted our bedroom to be a refreshing place for Matt and me to retreat to at the end of each day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We bought the comforter set first, a couple months ago, and that gave us the inspiration for how the rest of the room came together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is what our room looks like now!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdNAzswP2wUMcpaBC6pgCiIoA_DjGhKYoi99RyRI9YOOJO-OgXN-9nkp0aFEoVshkjAFG0A5tM7zlrqFGFT2ITw6ZmoNBRVc-97F2qO0PUt8eFibKnFRr7Nowv2H-G4WFlxdp0giEAIQ/s1600/bedroombig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdNAzswP2wUMcpaBC6pgCiIoA_DjGhKYoi99RyRI9YOOJO-OgXN-9nkp0aFEoVshkjAFG0A5tM7zlrqFGFT2ITw6ZmoNBRVc-97F2qO0PUt8eFibKnFRr7Nowv2H-G4WFlxdp0giEAIQ/s1600/bedroombig.JPG" height="450" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLlY-oI3Snxw57iNZ4e164oEM_9r1XYvIgrBc5OjnsnVnP7qfswkxjhnzzYp7ROzcbUPuEh3is5SPeTLOpOa86cEK4y_PuZHiO4BrYyHnbrahhyphenhyphen85ZwSG9t5QNcNEPAZ97xEjwQmHDQ0/s1600/biggerviewdresserclock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLlY-oI3Snxw57iNZ4e164oEM_9r1XYvIgrBc5OjnsnVnP7qfswkxjhnzzYp7ROzcbUPuEh3is5SPeTLOpOa86cEK4y_PuZHiO4BrYyHnbrahhyphenhyphen85ZwSG9t5QNcNEPAZ97xEjwQmHDQ0/s1600/biggerviewdresserclock.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Much of the changes you see here are because of paint. My sister Hannah was an angel and helped me for hours as we transformed this room from blue to white. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also painted the dressers (yes, these are the same dressers!), chair, headboard, and lamp base. Paint works magic on furniture that needs some updating! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3X1wkP_hh1HtlZIMIeGbcqF2uY6w5wkwERK0M9L96pbcec00VuR5Ws2LYrtQ3UnQahGem7TxkBnBbKhby4dXWkDrAv3fcFvz8WrTTM7b3H932H-d_IYOtkOWVDwevNYNUp9tKJQA1mj0/s1600/sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3X1wkP_hh1HtlZIMIeGbcqF2uY6w5wkwERK0M9L96pbcec00VuR5Ws2LYrtQ3UnQahGem7TxkBnBbKhby4dXWkDrAv3fcFvz8WrTTM7b3H932H-d_IYOtkOWVDwevNYNUp9tKJQA1mj0/s1600/sign.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Source List for Master Bedroom:</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Wall color: Valspar Ultra White</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Furniture color: Valspar Polar Star </i></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Chair: Valspar spraypaint white</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Headboard and lamp base color: Valspar spraypaint glossy gray</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Bedding: Target</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Extra pillows: TJ Maxx</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Headboard: found on an online yard sale group</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Dressers: handed down from my aunt and uncle</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Dresser knobs: Lowe's</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Curtains and curtain rods: Target</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Chair: Goodwill</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Chair cushion: Target</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Sign: birthday gift from my sister (purchased from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mypapernest" target="_blank">My Paper Nest</a>)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Small potted plant: Michael's</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Wire basket: Target</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Lamp base: yard sale</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Lampshade: Walmart</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Alarm clock: Walmart</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Hydrangea: Michael's</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Mirror: handed down from my sister</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For those interested in the cost breakdown of this bedroom update, here you go!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Primer + paint: $116</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bedding: $80</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pillows: $20</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Headboard: $40</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dressers: $0</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dresser knobs: $55</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Curtains and curtain rods: $109</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chair: $2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chair cushion: $10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sign: $0</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Small potted plant: $5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wire basket: $3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lamp base: $5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lamp shade: $8</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alarm clock: $15</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hydrangea: $20</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mirror: $0</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Total cost: $488</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Have a great weekend!</span><br />
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<img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/fnfix2.png" />Cleanhousewithkidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15852477248423450841noreply@blogger.com6