Progress

Mommy and Daughter day on a Sunday without the boys.
Tea Party or Grill Party anyone?


Time outdoors with Mommy while baby naps.

Recent clothing and book finds at Goodwill.



This kitchen book is SO wonderful! We love it. The lessons are very age-appropriate.
A look at everything I found from the book department.
A different day of water play.
I love mud!
Yes I do
I love mud!
How 'bout you?


I had three opportunities recently to declutter and clean. Friday for five hours the boys and Daddy were at King David Bible camp, and on Saturday Daddy took the three older kids for a long park visit, and on Sunday the boys and Daddy took a day trip to PA to visit Don's aunt in State College. They visited the farm of an Amish family, got to ride in their Amish buggy, and see how their clothing style differs from ours.

With fewer interruptions, I was able to declutter all of our hotspots (counter tops, dresser tops, dryer top, entryway). Then I was able to organize the playroom a bit, get the laundry caught up, and finally, CLEAN. It's amazing how much work needs to be done just to prepare the house for a good cleaning.

And today, Monday, I feel like a new woman, a new mom, a new wife! Now I must put the FlyLady's "hotspot" checks into place, and keep up with them. I will set the oven timer for three hours and declutter my hotspots a couple times a day. When I am doing that regularly, and the family gets used to it, I will have the children start it in their playroom. I want to practice what I preach first.

I also put the workbox system into place for our homeschooling. Five boxes were purchased for each boy, and soon I will purchase three for Emily. They were on sale at Target for about $1.49. No, they aren't the sturdiest storage boxes, but they get us started. This morning it went very well. Best advantage of this system is that it encourages Mom to get more creative with the lessons, and it encourages the children to be more independent. I have many, many resources left from my teaching days, and this pushes me to pull out and use more of them. Total time spent last night in filling the boxes for the boys was 25 minutes. Well worth it!

Have a good Monday!