Kids Bathroom

I've been nervous and stressed with the details of selling our rental house. Ack!! I'm not a good waiter...as in terrible at waiting. Yesterday I had a bad case of nerves, plus I had PMS....AND I was really hungry.....for candy. I decided to put my nervous energy to good use and avoid shoveling candy down my throat.

The kids' bathroom was in need of a good cleaning. Really, when isn't that room in need of a good cleaning? Every time I go in there I find clothes on the floor, toilet seat up and/or the toilet unflushed, garbage spilling over the can, toothpaste and toothbrushes out on counter lying in globs of water and toothpaste, wet towels on floor and counter....or better yet no hand towel to be found at all. I should have taken a "before" photo. It was gross.

I got cleaning and scrubbing and then went a bit further. I decided each child should have their own drawer. Instead of all the tooth brushing items in one drawer I would spread it out among each child. When you have more than a couple of kids it is hard give each child very much that only belongs to them. But, I could give each their own drawer and supplies. Plus, then I would know who did not push the drawer in and clean up.

I got out my label maker and printed each child's name and affixed it to the top of the drawer. I put that child's toothbrush into the drawer along with their own tube of toothpaste, box of floss and any other grooming items they use.  I used a sharpie marker to put names on the toothpaste, toothbrushes and other items.

After that I got on a roll and decided to clean out and organize the linen closet and shelves too. I threw out old junk, put items away where they belong and re-organized the stuff.

The bottom section of the cupboard holds a laundry basket. Now if the kids (and Cam) will actually open the door to place dirty items in the bin instead of throwing them onto the floor in front of the door. Please?!

New Year Slice

Outside My Window - It's foggy and cold and grey. I'm in the mood for some sunshine but...nope none today. Spring is coming though. My daffodils are coming up and the trees have some buds.

I Am Thinking - About how we really need our rental house to sell. We are looking forward to having it gone. Taking care of one house is enough for me. We plan to pay off some debt and that will make our monthly finances much more doable.

I Am Thankful - For antibiotics...and for feeling well. Nothing makes you appreciate feeling good like recovering from illness. I had a terrible bladder infection. I was on antibiotics for a whole day but was getting worse and worse. My Dr. called in a new prescription for me and I did start to get better but slowly. I had a horrific headache with bad ache behind my eyes. I had the yucky creepy shivers and general yuck feeling that accompanies a fever. Plus all the owie pain that normally goes along with a bladder infection. Cam had a lot going on at work and worked two 13 hour days in a row while I was sick. On Friday he was able to get off a bit early and take kids to basketball. Yeah! I'm on the mend now and hope I don't feel like that ever again. My New Year's resolution should be to get pee on a regular basis. Seriously, I drink a lot of water but I hold my pee too long. It's a bad habit....a busy mom problem but I need to stop.

From The Kitchen - I'm not sure what to make for dinner....and it's getting late. It's 3:44 as I write this. Maybe left over rotisserie chicken and coleslaw for Cam and I and grilled cheese for the kids?

I Am Wearing -  Old navy blue sweats, white T-shirt, purple hoodie, socks and of course slippers. The kids had no school today. It's a comfy cozy casual day. The only reason I'm out of pi's is because we went to the library.

I Am Creating - Piles for taxes. Exciting huh? It's that time of year to get organized and prep all the papers. I do our taxes and they are not easy or fun. But, I'm too cheap to pay someone $400 to plug all the numbers into software for me. Cam will take the kids out of the house for the afternoon....or day and I'll get to work. It's such a relief when they are done.

I Am Going - To read the kids new books from the library. Taking the kids to the library is still one of my favorite things. They all come home and sit with their new books....quietly. Peace.

I Am Reading - Book club is this week and I'll get a new book title to read. Last month I read City of Thieves. It was good!

I Am Hoping - That all of my kids eventually play basketball. Mr. P and Moses are both on teams this year. I LOVE watching my boys play. It's such an exciting game...plus it's indoors!! 

I Am Hearing - Sis is singing and humming while coloring. Mr. P is laying on sofa reading and I occasionally hear him turn the page. Moses is tapping his foot and humming along with Sis.

I Am Laughing At - We watched old videos of the kids the other night. There were so many cute ones. We have some funny kids. For a good laugh try this one of Moses.

Around The House - Dust bunnies are flying. After being sick I am way behind on my floor cleaning. Oh well, I will get to it eventually. 

One Of My Favorite Things - My dog Kali. She is the sweetest girl. She loves to snuggle me, follow me around, and go in the car with me anywhere. She's laying next to me while I type. 

A Picture Thought I'm Sharing - 

Sis is 6!!

We had another birthday in the house. Sis turned the big HUGE 6!! She was so, so, SO excited for her birthday. She planned the whole day's activities.

She wanted a confetti cake. We searched Pinterest for the perfect cake and recipe. 

As the cake was cooking I could smell something burning. Uh-oh!! Alert-alert!! The cake batter was pouring out of the pans like hot lava and sizzling in the bottom of the oven. Panic! 

I sent Cam off to the store to buy a cake mix. I don't like cake mix but I was desperate!!

He arrived home from the store to find this. Sorry! After cutting off the crispy burned edge it actually turned out good. The taste was fabulous! Next time I will put the batter into three pans....and now I have a back-up cake mix on hand. Win!

The finished cake looked so sweet. Sis loved it!

First thing the morning of Sis's birthday Cam went and picked up her new bike. We got a great deal on a new (to her) bike off of Craigslist. 

Then we all piled in the van and headed for a ferry ride. It's what the b-day girl wanted. We drove onto the ferry so we could go out for pizza at our favorite spot on the other side. 

Another ferry ride home and then off to the movies! We saw Frozen. It was awesome!! I loved it! Sis loved it! The boys loved it too....but they have to be manly and pretend that it was just okay since it was a lot of girls singing. But, I loved it! Sis is singing all the songs from the movie now. You've got to see it!

After the movie we came home for cake! Whew!! What a fun and busy day celebrating our mighty girl. 

Sis, you are energetic and fun! You cartwheel through the day while singing. You love to draw and write words. You love to play with your Barbies and you also love Legos. You are such a good "little mama" to your brothers too. You have a kind heart and are a good friend. We love you spirited girl. Happy Birthday!

Christmas Finally!

Christmas comes early....early in the morning that is....try 4:30 am. Ugh! I do not find it cute or fun to be woken at 4:30 for Christmas. Not even a little. We let the kids open stockings from Santa if they are up early (and the ALWAYS are!!). Then we finally roused out of bed around 6:00. 

Once we are up it is GAME ON!! And it's LOUD! Why do children talk SO loud early in the morning....when it's still dark outside....before I've had any caffeine??? Why?? 

I mentioned before that this year we were going very simple....very low cost. Paying double mortgage payments until the rental sells. So we decided the kids would each get three gifts. Three smallish things. It was awesome!! Simple and awesome! No matter what we can spend in the future we have decided that we will stick with the three gift rule. I read about this online over at Momastery. You tell your kids they get three gifts, just like Jesus. If they balk you ask why they should get more gifts than Jesus. And....if they balk again you tell them they will get frankincense. End of balking. Yes! It works beautifully! 

The other part of gift opening that I LOVE is the opening of Holiday Store gifts. Our kids' school does a Holiday Store. All of the items are goodwill type things. Actually some of them are brand new but everything is donated. The gym is laid out with gifts and each child gets to shop for a gift for EACH person they live with!! We have three kids at this school so this year 18 gifts came home! They gifts are all lovingly wrapped in Christmas paper and put under the tree. Our kids did such a great job of picking items for one another. It was truly my favorite part of the day. They would squeal and thank each other over hugs. Love!!

After gifts we have our traditional breakfast of strawberry crepes and bacon. Delicious!! Aunt Cinn and Uncle Jamie sent Christmas crackers. Fun!! PS....Cinn, Cam says he is sure you were laughing your hiney off since the crackers were FULL of small bits of confetti that was everywhere!! He got to sweep it up. :)

For Christmas dinner we walked to my in-laws. Yes! They live super close and we like it. It was a lovely day for a walk too. 

It was a magical and wonderful day. Family and food and fun. Perfect.

Christmas Eve

We had a quiet Christmas Eve. We spent the day in our cozies. It seemed like a good day to bake and decorate some cookies with the kids. 

Wow!! It is WAY easier and so much fun to do these cookies with my big kids!! I had so much fun. I miss my tiny babies but there are benefits to kids growing up.

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Our dining room is all windows and the light was amazing. 

The kids took turns putting on the sprinkles. The cookies are Amish Sugar Cookies. You just scoop them and then press with a fork and add sprinkles. Easy and yummy!

Snow Day!

We were lucky to have one snow day. The Friday before the Christmas break it snowed and school was cancelled. Yeah!! The kids were as excited as I was.

We don't get snow very often so when it happens it's a big deal. For me it means digging through bins of snow clothes and figuring out what fits who and what we need. Facebook has been a great place to swap too small snow clothes with other families! Bonus!

The littlest two headed out to the backyard to play while the older two boys went down to the park to sled with neighborhood kids. They are getting so grown up! 

Tuba stays in with me. :)

After getting good and cold for a couple of hours they all came in for hot cocoa with marshmallows AND candy canes. What a treat!!

The snow was gone by the next day. So glad they got to enjoy it while it lasted. 

Toe In

I've neglected my blog for so long now that I don't know quite how to begin again. The last month....plus has been a blur. Birthdays and holidays and school break and many adventures.

I'll begin small and then once I get going it will all come tumbling out. If you miss Christmas already, well then you are in luck and can experience it all here again.

My 43rd birthday has come and gone. So fun! I love my birthday. In our house birthdays are BIG deals and everyone looks forward to each other's big day. It only comes once a year ya know?!

My big day falls in the midst of Christmas chaos magic so shopping for me can be a bit tricky. Cam and I sat and did some quick online shopping....my favorite kind. I wanted a new warm coat and viola, that is what I got. I love it....red and down and warm!! 

The best part of my fun day is spending it with my favorite people! I got to have breakfast with my darling sweet girlfriend Anne. Then I did a bit of shopping and spent my birthday money from my in-laws on a new scarf and earrings. 

We are pinching pennies due to selling our rental house and the whole "paying two mortgages" business so we had dinner at home. I made flank steak and Caesar salad. Delicious!!

Cam built a roaring fire in the fireplace and we all snuggled up together. Cam and I enjoyed a nice beer.

The best gift of all was this amazing sunset. What a beauty! The view from our bedroom window facing the Olympic mountains. 

It was a fabulous day and it will be a fabulous year! I'm working on a bucket list of things I want to do while I'm 43. Any suggestions?