~Sunday~

My 200th post!!!

Sundays we go to church.

 Breakfast!

 I have been ''cheating'' (I prefer the term ''utilizing my resources") the last few weeks. "Whack open" cinnamon rolls...can't beat 'em! We get out the door in a more timely fashion, and I don't have to come home to a kitchen that looks like it was invaded by monkeys while we were gone.

 The boys playing in the church nursery during Sunday school.

 The first thing Big Boy says when we get there is "Dump!". He loves dumping all of the blocks out!

When we get home, it's a quick lunch, nap time for the boys and Darlin' and I read/rest.

Pretty low key on Sundays!  

~Garden/Barn Day~

Saturday is Garden Day, or Barn Day. Basically things that happen outside of the house day.

 This is pretty simple. In Summer/ warm months, it is when weeding, planting, outdoor projects and mowing take place. For the barn it is sweeping up hay, cleaning pens, straightening, and any projects. In Winter, not too much going on. Looking at seed catalogs, planning the garden, ordering chicks and seeds, reading about related topics (like landscaping tips, etc.)

So in addition to planning for the new season ahead, I've been using this day as a catch up day. This would also be a good day to do some "homesteading'' projects/crafts. Such as candle making, soap making, knitting, crocheting, quilting. Soon we will be getting ready for maple syrup season. Darlin' has been selling the sap, but I'd like having a few buckets out to boil some down to syrup with the boys. There really isn't much to talk about for Garden/Barn Day. Play pens and strollers are awesome for keeping little ones with you while you're outside. I'm sure this year Big Boy will be busy pulling up plants and stepping on flowers this year!

I'm getting a little bit of the ol' cabin fever, even though we've had a really mild Winter. I can't wait to plant seeds, raise new hens, and enjoy the out doors! Not to mention listening to the pond peepers!
  I hope you have an awesome day!

Hand Dipped Candles!

My brother and I made some hand dipped beeswax candles and thought we'd share the fun with you all!

~Town Day~

I've dubbed Friday as Town Day, but really whatever day we have appointments, etc. becomes Town Day. All of these days are flexible, this is just the general pattern.
  On Town Day I get groceries, do any banking, go to the library, etc. I used to get a frozen pizza on Town Day, so that when I got home I could pop it into the oven while putting away groceries and taking care of the boys. Lately, I just plan something simple or utilize my crock pot, which I need to do more often! Not much to talk about for Town Day, but I can share a few things that make it easier for me:

• Park next to a cart return, so that when you put the kids and groceries in the car, you can put the cart back instead of leaving it in the middle of the parking lot out of fear of leaving the kids alone. Plus if it's not raining or snowing, you can grab one to put the kids into when you are going into the store.
• Pack snacks in the diaper bag. Hungry little ones are more cantankerous and misbehave more easily. (Hey, I get cranky when I'm hungry too!)
• If possible, go before they have to nap, everyone will have a more pleasant experience. 
• If you have older kids, put one in charge of the reusable grocery bags, otherwise, like me, you will forget to bring them, or you will bring them and forget them in the car!
• Carry a pocket sized GermX, especially during flu-bug season! Those cloth cart covers are good for keeping older babies from sucking on the cart handle while shopping- yuck. 
• Take a pen and keep an estimated tally on your grocery list as you go along so that you don't bust your food budget. I always round up. 
• Go to the furthest store first, then work your way back towards home so you don't waste time, gas and sanity going in a zig-zag manner.
• If possible, look at the sales flyers or look online to see what is on sale that week, so you can make your decisions ahead of time instead of while standing in the store with impatient little ones. (I do this on Office Day, while making my grocery list/menu plan)
• Have a designated crate or basket at home just for library books. The day before you go to town, gather up all the books to take back. 
• Make your library book list ahead of time.
• Learning as you go-use this time with your toddler to practice colors, and "I Spy" type of thing. "What color are the bananas?" "Do you see any apples?" It makes it fun for them too. 

That about does it for Town Day, pretty basic. Nothing too exciting, buy it, bag it, and bring it home, lol.

~Cleaning Day~

Thursday is usually Cleaning Day. Big Boy's favorite days are Kitchen and Cleaning Day. He LOVES cooking and baking, and he loves ''helping'' me clean! I have a little Grime Boss duster and he dusts everything, including the dog. He gets the biggest kick out of turning the vacuum off while I'm not looking. I'll spin around and look surprised, he pretends he didn't do it. It sends him into a fit of giggles!

Look what happened to my bill box!

     When talking of cleaning, sometimes it seems it is swearing. "Oh, the dreaded 'C' word!!!!" I understand, there really isn't anything glamorous about cleaning toilets or scrubbing peanut butter and applesauce off the wall (don't ask!). I don't really mind the actual cleaning part. It is the "what do I do with all this stuff?" part that I don't like. Some of the answer is we have too much junk precious things. And some of it, we just don't have a place for everything yet!?! We have stacks of books because we don't have enough book shelves. There are toys all over the place because we don't have totes to store them in, to rotate out a few at a time. We don't have a cabinet for computer stuff, so that is all over the place (printer paper, CD's, cords, etc.). And I think Big Boy's collection of art and craft supplies grows overnight. I don't have a designated place for all of it. I'm going to fix at least some of these problems this year, Lord willing!

     I would have to say that the longest and most dreadful part of cleaning for me is picking up stuff so that I can get to the actual dirt. Once that is done, the rest is easy and straight forward.

This is how it goes:

    I put Little Boy in his crib, so he can watch us. I start upstairs cleaning windows (as needed), dusting, vacuuming. There is laminate flooring in Big Boy's room, so after I vacuum I run the steam mop over it. I empty the diaper pail and dust pictures on the wall. This doesn't take long. Usually by this time Little Boy is ready for his nap, and Big Boy has quiet time/nap time in his room, or goes downstairs with me. I vacuum down the stairs. I take Little Boy's play seat and Big Boy's potty seat and scrub them in the tub. Next I spray cleaner ( made with vinegar/water/Dawn) in the shower/tub, on the bathroom sink and toilet so it will soak a bit. Then I sweep the living room, move the couch and sweep, sweep the bathroom, dust surfaces, then vacuum the couch. After that it is back to the bathroom to spray another layer of cleaner and clean the shower with a scrubby sponge just for that purpose. I clean the mirror, sink and toilet, change out the towels and I'm done.  The kitchen gets done on Kitchen Day, office on Office Day, and laundry area on Laundry Day.

    Since the cleaning part doesn't take long, I usually play "catch up" on this day too. If there is something that needs to get done that week that I ran out of time for, I do it in the afternoon. Or I spend a little more time on the Focus area of the week, which I will do a post about that later.

~Office Day~

 Wednesday is office day, the day when I do all the paper/money type stuff that is part of family life. This is pretty simple and straight forward. On Office Day:

• Pay the bills
• Write cards/notes/letters
• Make phone calls (During naptime!)
• Plan next week's menu
• Make grocery list for Town Day
• Create any new files needed
• Purge mail folders of unneeded/read mail
• Straighten up and dust in office
• File any papers in the "to file" basket
• Balance the checkbook

Throughout the week I put any bills we get in a designated bill basket, and other papers that we want to keep go into the "to file" basket. If I have time I sort it as I get it, but usually it just goes in the basket until Office Day. As soon as a payment is reflected in the account, the bill goes in the stove (I don't have a shredder, or gerbils, at this time :) ).

     Now that we have internet, I look at the grocery store sales flyers online, then make the week's grocery list and menu. I used Open Office to create blank menu sheets with blocks for seven days, breakfast, lunch and supper. I printed out several at once and stuck them in the front pocket of my Home Management Book for easy use.

  For cards and notes I keep a little square basket on my desk with envelopes, blank cards, stickers and writing paper. I can just grab the basket and sit at the kitchen table to write, and put it back. Stamps and address labels go in a little drawer on the desk (easy for Darlin' to find if he needs one).

  That is about all the excitement on Office Day. I stayed up last night a washed my dishes and mopped my floor. It made for a more pleasant morning today!

  I snapped a picture of the doughnuts: 150 something! I used Grampie's squash doughnut recipe...MMMM! Put on the coffee!

~Kitchen Day~

Hello! This is the second post in my routine series this week. I hope you enjoy!

 

Tuesday is Kitchen Day. This is hands down my busiest day. With the kitchen, each week I have chores I do every Kitchen Day. Then I have a 6 week rotation of  "week specific" chores that I do. For example, this week on Kitchen Day is week #6. The chore for this week is to wipe down outsides of cabinets.Which, I am actually in the process of changing this task, because it seems to be too big of a chore to do in one day, with everything else going on. Each week one of the chores is to reorganize/straighten one cabinet or drawer. So I'm thinking I'll try wiping down that one cabinet I straighten, doing a different one each week and see how that goes.  

     Here is the weekly chore list, the chores I do every Kitchen Day:

• Bake bread
• Refill dry mixes*
• Bake any muffins, cookies, etc. for the week
• Any cooking ahead that can be done
• Dust/cobwebs
• Scrub the floor
• Clean out fridge
• Organize one cabinet/drawer
• Straighten pantry
• Kitchen chore of the week

And this is the week specific chore list:

Week 1: Clean tops and outsides of fridge and freezer

Week 2: Wash group 1 windows

Week 3: Wash group 2 windows

Week 4: Clean oven

Week 5: Dust, wipe down ceiling fans

Week 6: Clean outsides/ tops of cabinets

With this set up, the kitchen doesn't become disgusting. For most of us, this is probably the most frequented/ used room in the house. In our kitchen, we don't have a hood over our stove, so grease tends to collect on nearby surfaces. Yuck. Ordering the work this way for me, is a lot easier than just saying "I'll wash windows when I get time later" or "I'll save the fans for 'Spring cleaning'". Because if I don't purposefully set a time to do it, it just won't happen, no matter how good my intentions are. This method has been working great so far in this season of my life.

 The typical Kitchen Day:

Darlin' leaves for work. I start the bread so that it will rise. Then I do any straightening, dishes, things like that before I start on the rest of the baking. This part doesn't take long if I've cleaned the kitchen after supper, and did a ''walk through'' before bed. Waking up to a dirty kitchen is one of the things I hate the most. It just makes me feel so "blah". It makes it harder to make Darlin's breakfast and pack his lunch for work, I hate fighting through piles of dishes just to get a cup of coffee, it sets my whole day back because I have to clean up and wash dishes before I make breakfast for the boys, which eats into my alone time before they get up, which tends to make me grumpy... You know? It just isn't worth the aggravation. Lots of times I find myself pushing through to get it cleaned up the night before, and I detest it at the time, thinking "why don't I just go to bed, I'll get it in the morning?" But you know, every time I have stuck it out, stayed up 'till 10 or so if need be, I feel AWESOME in the morning. I am glad I did it. And yet, I still have times when I say ''forget it" and go to bed, every time regretting it in the morning. Makes no sense, but that's the truth. 

     Anyway, after starting the bread and straightening the kitchen, I usually start the chore of the week.Then I get the boys for breakfast, after which I start the week's baking. If we happen to have any browning bananas, I make banana muffins. While the goodies are baking, I clean out the fridge, wipe the shelves and put the contents back. I periodically punch down the bread as it continues to rise throughout the day.

      

     The rest of the cleaning and the pantry I squeeze in around daily life with two little ones. When the boys take naps/quiet time in the afternoon I then do the floor. It usually takes most, if not all of nap time, because we have a long kitchen. I sweep the floor, vacuum corners and such then scrub it. I fill a bucket with hot soapy water mixed with a little bleach (our kitchen floor is white) take a rag and start scrubbing. I have found no mop cleans the floor as well as good ol' hand scrubbing it. Occasionally I will use my Shark steam mop, but normally I hand scrub it. Especially if it is really bad. I use prefold diapers to dry the floor as I scrub. This keeps it from looking streaky, and prevents tracking if the dog or I walk on it before it dries.

~The first part of this post was typed Tuesday morning, the following was typed Wednesday~

This week's Kitchen Day was rather interesting. I was making granola yesterday, and while working on this post-I burnt it, ha,ha! Wow. I seriously need to get a timer for my kitchen! (and not blogging while cooking would help, lol) I mixed up three batches of doughnut dough to make for the guys Darlin' works with, which is not typical and took some extra time. For the first time in a long time, I didn't get my floor mopped! But couldn't have been for a better reason- I left to go to my Grandmother's for her birthday. I love her so much, she is one of my most favorite people in the world!
Jackson never did take a nap, and hollered "GET OUT!" from his bedroom. Liam was colicky most of the day, poor guy, and just wanted to be held.
  But then when I got home, there were a few dishes I hadn't finished before heading out, AND I LEFT THEM IN THE SINK!! Oh yes. So here I am, blogging, drinking coffee, (that I had to shove stuff around to get to) and I didn't fold and put away my one measly load of laundry yesterday. So now today, I have today's work, 100+ doughnuts to fry, 2 loads of laundry to do, floor to scrub (this is the type of situation that I will use my Shark mop for, even if it just gets one layer of grim off, next Kitchen Day is a fresh start) and then the usual countless other things that are a part of life. That being said, I'd better get busy! And I hope to blog about what a typical Wednesday looks like. I guarantee you, this will not be a ''typical'' Wednesday. I think the ''snowball effect'' is now in motion!  I hope you all have a great day, enjoy the sunshine, take time to admire the sparkling snow, bird friends, and fresh air! God Bless!

 This is the granola. It is supposed to be a light golden color, not brown!!! LOL.

  

~Wash Day~

Monday is Wash Day, or laundry day. This is how this day typically goes:



As soon as Darlin' leaves for work in the morning I throw a load in the washer. On this day I strip the beds and wash/replace bedding. Then continue switching and starting new loads until all of the laundry is clean and dry. When a load is dry I dump the basket out on our table in the living room. Sometimes I get around to folding it as soon as I bring it up from the cellar, but mostly it just piles on the table until it is all clean and dry.
     In between loads, usually right after I start a new load, I sweep the cellar stairs and laundry area, wipe down the laundry shelf, and the machines. I also empty the trash can at this time. There is a small jar on the shelf for pocket "goodies" that I find. If this is full, I empty this too. Our wood furnace is in our laundry area, so regular sweeping on Wash Day helps keep the bark, dirt and wood chips that come with heating with wood under control.

       During the week I try to keep up with the laundry so it is not such a big task on Monday. I usually shoot for "1 by 1" which is one load of laundry washed, dried, folded and put away by one o'clock every day. That seems to be just right for our family of four. Yours of course, will probably differ. The whole "1 by 1" thing tends to disappear on the weekends though, when Darlin' is home and we are doing family things. I'm sure I could still do it, but I honestly just haven't put forth the effort. And when Monday rolls around I ask myself "would it really have been so bad to do one load each on Friday and Saturday?! Oh well, thus the need for Wash Day. That is why I have it on Mondays, after a weekend of probably no laundry. I tried a long time ago only doing laundry one day a week. That did not work. We were always out of socks or certain clothes we wanted were dirty, then babies came, and well, you know how they spit up and diaper disasters happen.Yeah.

 On Wash Day, usually by nap time it is nearly all washed and dried. I put the boys down for quiet/nap time and fold, fold. Then when they get up, I change them, give Little Boy a bottle and Big Boy a sippy cup and applesauce pouch. They are then happy long enough for me to put it all away (their dressers are in Little Boy's room, and I avoid the stairs during nap time because if Big Boy hears the stairs creak-it's all over. "GET OUT!!" He will holler no matter how little of a nap he actually had. And the hollering wakes up Little Boy, just NOT worth it, Lol).
     Wash Day is also when I make homemade laundry soap. I haven't lately because I've just been grabbing cheap detergent off the store shelf instead of taking the time to get the THREE components for the homemade stuff. I know-super lazy! But when I do make it, I make enough for a couple of weeks so that I don't have to do it every Wash Day. Plus, this avoids the problem of running out mid week, which usually results in a laundry pile-up because I don't have the time (or don't take the time) to make it right when it is needed.

    The main goal at the end of Wash Day, is of course to have all of the laundry and bedding washed, dried, folded and put away. That said, on these days I do not plan gourmet meals. It is a good day for the crockpot, or spaghetti, frozen pizza, something like that. I love to cook, but I cannot confine myself to the kitchen when the goal is the laundry.
     In the warmer seasons, I like using my clothesline. It saves on electricity, it is relaxing to hang out and take down, I enjoy seeing laundry on the line, and you just can't beat the fresh smell of sun and breeze-dried laundry! I also like how the towels are stiffer from being dried on the line. I can fit two loads on my line at a time, so it doesn't take that much more time to dry it that way (aside from hanging it out and taking it down).

Well that's about it for Wash Day. If you have any questions, suggestions, or stories just leave a comment!

*UPDATE*

I forgot to mention, Wash Day is also the day I repack the diaper bag for Sunday (I have a separate one for going to town) and gather outfits for church. I know a week ahead seems a little overkill, but all of the laundry is clean and it is just easier for me to remember it on Wash Day rather than the weekend. It makes Sunday go so much smoother when we are ready ahead of time!

~A New Routine~

My Mother is letting me borrow a book called "Large Family Logistics" by Kim Brenneman. This book contains tons of useful tips, encouragement and ideas no matter the size of your family. Meal planning, tackling the "Laundry Monster", getting control of the paper clutter, cleaning, homeschooling, and more! If you click on the link, you may be surprised by the cost, but this book is no longer in print. Please keep in mind, if you are considering buying it-this is a BIG, hardcover book. Not some little travel sized thing that you can carry in your purse. Well, maybe you can carry it in your purse, if so, maybe you ought to ask yourself if you really need a purse of that magnitude! Kim lovingly shares all of the things she has learned in her journey as a homeschooling wife and mother of a big brood, many of which she learned the hard way.
  Anyway, through reading her book, I have tailored a new routine much like the one she describes in her book. Yet this method, as she states, goes way back, and is not her own idea. It follows the "Wash on Monday", etc. that is even found in Laura Ingalls Wilder's book "Little House in the Big Woods." Our fore-mothers knew the value of giving each day its' own work. Christ even said "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matt. 6:34b) He was not talking of cleaning and housework, but of not worrying about food, clothes, etc. He was saying that our Heavenly Father will care for our needs if we seek Him first.(Matt.6:33) So not to take this verse out of context, I'm just saying that like worrying about our basic needs, we should also not stress ourselves out with ''what needs doing". When I do not order my work by days or by times, I find myself getting stressed out way too easily. This is because as a homemaker, there is always something that can be done, especially if you have children. And when there is always something that needs doing, but no set time to do it, the thought of it needing to be done is always in the back of my mind, no matter if I'm doing something else that needs to be done. So if I'm folding laundry, the thought "you need to pay the bills" or "you have to call and schedule that appointment" or "you need to write a thank you note to so and so" or many times all of those thoughts and more at the same time are constantly ''hammering'' the back of my mind, making me feel nutty. It is exhausting. It makes me crabby. I don't like it.  Have you ever been there? So with this method, I can finally fold the laundry with peace of mind, knowing that there is a set time for phone calls, paying bills, writing notes, etc. And I don't have to dwell on those other tasks with this mental sense of urgency. All of this to say I started a new routine a couple of months ago, and have been following it as closely as life's interruptions will let me :). I thought I'd share that with you this week. This really has made such a difference in daily living. Oh how I wish I started this years ago! So grab a cup of coffee and join me for a little daily chat this week on routines. I hope this blesses you in some way, even if that just be entertainment! Ha, ha!

~HAPPY 2016!~

Wow, another year gone! In some ways, last year seemed to last forever and in others, it went so quickly. I am glad for a new year, a fresh start. I am looking forward to a new gardening season, flowers, green grass. I know this probably sounds odd, but I'm glad we finally got some snow. This Winter has been great, warm, no snow until after Christmas. But now it looks like a good ol' Maine Winter out there. Glistening icicles hanging from the eaves, a sparkling blanket of snow covering the fields. Darling and I have thought up some goals for this year, and I thought I'd share them with you:

Personal goals:

• Follow a new Bible reading plan on a consistent basis
• With God's grace, work on being a more patient person ;)
• Manage my time more wisely
• Drink more water
• Get more exercise, spend more time outdoors
• Consistently keep up with housework 

Family Goals:

• Be more organized for Christmas 2016
• Eat healthier
• Get a bird feeder, look up the birds who visit
• Host our annual Independence Day BBQ
• Declutter our stuff so we spend less time taking care of it and more time enjoying one another
• Create and follow a reading list with the boys
• Take lots of photos and work on the scrapbooks
• Have regular dates with Darling (we went on one date, all of last year!)
• Continue paying down debt
• Go fishing!
• Go hunting!

Farm related:

• Stain the two picnic tables
• Stain the front steps
• Start a new flock of laying hens
• Raise another batch of meat chickens
• Butcher two hogs and a beef steer
• Grow a bigger garden/more canning
• Reorganize the barn/build new pens
• "Pretty up" the landscape, plant flowers
• Plant at least two fruit trees
• Transplant the raspberry patch
• Plant strawberries
• Build a new fire pit
• Clear brush/prune around the pond/plant flowers there
• Maybe restock the pond with more brook trout

There you have it. I am going to hang a copy of this list inside my cupboard door.

"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15

And so, Lord willing, at the end of the year I hope to be able to say we did most of the things on our list. :)

May God bless you in this new year, and may you draw closer to Him.

   Happy New Year All!!!

Christmas 2015

Daddy went shopping without Mamma, which means Big Boy got a BB gun for Christmas....

 "Heavy!" he says. Lol!

 Liam and Grampie Aldrich

 And with Auntie Kay-Kay and Uncle Jay

 Tasting the wrapping paper....Mmmmm!

 Thought I'd throw in some pics off the game camera of a doe out back this Fall

Daddy and Big Boy, tryin' 'er out Christmas morning.

A Pleasant Suprise

When Liam was discharged from Maine Medical after surgery to correct hydrocephalus, we figured since we were that close, we would stop at Cabela's. The wardens from North Woods Law were there, just inside the front doors.



The boys with wardens MacCabe and Cross

Big Moose!

Jack kept saying "Big Buck!" every time he saw a moose, buck, elk, anything big! Ha,ha.

Big "sishies".

He loved the indoor shooting range!

I think Daddy had just as much fun :)