Reinvention of the Wheel

With the start of homeschooling my kids I wanted them to get used to doing work around the house.  Before I had divided the chores by days for myself and did the work while the kids were at school, but then what ended up happening is that I was doing ALL the work.  With my kids being exhausted after 8 hrs of sitting in school, piano, sports, Boy and Girl Scouts...we just didn't have time to enforce any chore activities.  So the first thing I wanted to do this summer was get my kids used to doing chores.  I came up with 2 chores to do everyday; dishes and laundry, and then added 2 chores that would alternate; vacuum and kitty litter and then 1 chore that needs to be done only once a week; dusting, windows, bathroom, clean microwave and fridge, and wipe down floor boards.  (Once Charlotte gets old enough to be assigned a chore I'll have to modify it, until then she's my little helper.) 
I had seen these job wheels before, but I wasn't sure at first how to even make it fit all 4 of my kids. The versions I'd seen had the names on the outside and the same chores everyday that would just rotate through the names.  But because of my weekly chores, alternating chores and daily chores I found it harder to get it organized.  Finally I realized that I needed to put the names on the inside on a smaller wheel to go around instead of vice versa. 
I thought I was even pretty clever with the icons I drew on the wheel, this way even my little who can't read yet will know what their chore is, and they are really cute if I do say so myself. 
I have encountered an odd twist to the chores that I wasn't expecting...apparently all the kids prefer the kitty litter chore and will even bargain with one another so they can get it.  I know why they want to do it, it's because it's the fastest chore!  If it's not a kitty litter day they will try to trade and bargain to get what chore they want.  I had to put a stop to that because it was just leading to fights and me referee-ing WAY more than I wanted to.  The whole point to creating this wheel was that I wouldn't have to deal with the whining and bickering over chores.  But now that I have laid down the No Bargaining Law that put a stop to that.
I'd have to say that I'm loving this idea and I just get all giddy when the kids run to the wheel to see their chore just so they can do it and get it over with without any extra thought on my part.  Love it!

Adjustments

I came across these pictures the other day:

My Alabama kitchen.  I know beggers can't be choosers and living here in NJ we have been blessed to get into Coast Guard housing which is completely free...including utilities and water.  But it sure is hard to keep a positive perspective when you are cooking and baking in this:

I literally can put the dishes away from the dishwasher without having to leave the same spot.  Two people can't be in this kitchen without it being overcrowded. 

It's not that I'm miserable because of this kitchen, I may feel the little pin pricks to my heart when I see my old kitchen,  I just need to make some major adjustments.  I know it will be worth it.  Living here will allow us to become debt free, which is our goal by the time we leave NJ in 4 years. 

So of course I don't regret moving here, the little inconveniences don't compare to the experience we will gain from living in the New England area. 

But man, I sure do miss my Alabama kitchen.

Organizing

Doesn't this look awesome! Such organization. I just wish that I could get my stuff together and in order this precise. Especially with a very big move coming up I have gotten the organizing bug.

I have clothes to throw out, things to sell, but I can't seem to get the little things in order. I have several drawers and a few closets that are filled with miscellaneous odds and ends from scrapbooking, to sewing projects to school work. But the thing that really eats at me is the cost of getting organized.

Looking at this picture I see $10 here, another $20 there...so much equipment just to get organized. Why does organization have to be so darned expensive! I've seen shows where they help people get organized, but they have to buy trays and baskets and shelving! I just don't have the resources or the time to go to stores to find junk to put my junk in.

I am thisclose to just using a baggy system and putting everything in labeled Wal-Mart or Target bags. It won't be pretty, but maybe I can get everything up to NJ in at least an orderly fashion. With 5 kids and no time, that just may be my only option.

Saying Goodbye to My Dream Home

It's not really good-bye, just Until we Meet Again kind of a parting. We had our house on the market since February, but because of the insane amount of foreclosures right now it has really screwed up our plans. We decided to take it off the market and rent it out. The new plan is to hold on to it for a few more years and hope the market goes up and we can try to sell again further down the road.

Lucky for us, we have actually been home owners of a rental property for 10 years now. So we know the ropes, the good, the bad and the ugly of renting out. Our first property was Theo and my first house we bought together. It was the house we brought Tobie home to when he was an infant. But when Tobie turned 2 months, Theo who was fresh out of Coast Guard boot camp decided to go Active Duty instead of Reserve as was the initial plan.

It was heartbreaking to have to leave that house, purely for sentimental reasons. We panicked that we couldn't get anyone to buy, since it was a manufactured house on his Dad's land that someone would have to move themselves. But finding our first renters in a family member we thought that our mortgage bill was secure. That was the beginning of a long line of really terrible renters. The house turned into a thorn in our side, having to evict several tenants for non-payment, making repairs, and covering the smell and stains from smoking inside the house (even though it was clearly stated in the contract NO SMOKING PERMITTED!). But it has also been a blessing in disguise by providing us extra income allowing me to stay at home with our 5 kids and not have to worry about working outside the home.

Hopefully this time around we will have enough knowledge and judgement under our belts to get some good reliable tenants and this experience will also be a blessing in disguise.

Halloween Spirit

We absolutely LOVE Halloween here, maybe because that's also Theo's birthday?? ;) I've always loved Halloween, to marry a guy whose birthday is actually on the holiday is mere coincidence....or is it?

Our favorite part is decorating, okay...okay...it's the candy, BUT second is the decorating. I'm not crafty on my own, I need friends to help me and hold my hand through all these papery projects. If it doesn't involve icing or cake, I'm screwed. So a friend of mine set up a crafting night where she had everything laid out for us and all the letters cut out and ready to stick. My kind of crafting! It was super easy and super cheap, BONUS! This would easily be $30 at Hobby Lobby or Michael's, but because I had a friend hook me up and then I did the assembly it was only $8!!! You can't get any better than that my friends.

Looks pretty awesome on my mantel! I get happy goosebumps all over just looking at it!

Zoning

Now with the kids in school I feel that I am in desperate need of some structure myself. I need to get my house in order and I found the answer on CJane's vlog. A few weeks ago she videoed how she cleans her house in "zones". I have thought of this technique before, but could never seem to solidify it. After watching her vlog I realized why I haven't been able to be successful at zoning...my house simply isn't THAT big to zone anything. So I really had to simplify and got the idea of assigning certain tasks to certain days.

My project today was determining what to do on what day. This is now my week:

Monday: Dusting, Vacuuming
Tuesday: Windows
Wednesday: Bathrooms, Vacuuming
Thursday: Clean Refrigerator and Microwave
Friday: Mop floors, Vacuuming
Saturday: Wash bed sheets, clean rooms
Sunday: Rest

Of course I didn't add Laundry, since I do that every day anyway, or dishes, since I do that SEVERAL times a day. But I feel like now I have a game plan and I feel that I can finally have order in my home.

I know, I know...it's only taken me 12 years of marriage and 5 kids to finally figure this out and I'm sure probably all my readers have their own game plan already in place. All I can say is I guess I'm a little slow, BUT now I am determined!

Before I just tried to keep my house clean according to how I saw fit....or if we were having company....but no longer! My house will be a house of Order for my family's sake and for the sake of my sanity!

A Successful Family Home Evening

Our FHE was on teamwork.

Snow Day

Tobie woke me up at 6:45 a.m. all bummed that there wasn't snow on the ground.

At 10 a.m. I laid down to take a nap only to be woken up by Theo to tell me that it had indeed started to snow. So I run outside in my pj's and flip flops to snap this picture.

That's right, a snow day in Mobile, Alabama! It does this every few decades. How awesome that it happens the year we move back.
Look at those fat flakes! It started to come down harder and Theo took this one, but I was snoozing away in my warm soft bed.
The kids couldn't wait to get outside and play in it. I couldn't wait to go lay back down.
Good throw pic! Theo took this one safely hidden behind the back door.

The snow didn't stick, but it was just enough to make the kids cold, wet and happy.

Our New House

For almost a month now my family has been going through a huge transition and have been forced to become nomads in the meantime. Theo, being in the Coast Guard, has been transferred to my hometown of Mobile, Alabama.

In our search for the perfect house we have been staying in an 11'X12' room in my parents house. It's a nice size room, for one person, but for a not-so-small family of six this arrangement can get a little hairy. As soon as we came into town the house hunting began.

Our realtor, Angela Locklier, (awesome!) showed us plenty of houses in the area that I wanted and the school district I wanted. But it was the same old story, too old, too small. We also have to keep in mind the resale value of the house since Theo's job could relocate us in 4 years.

Ironically on the way to church on Sunday I went down a road I have been done countless times in my youth, and there was this new subdivision of these really nice expensive looking houses. I have to admit I wondered why those new houses were being put in this area of all places. Out of curiosity, after church we decided to just take a peek. I told the contractor/realtor what we were looking for and what we could spend. And can you believe that he took us to see this beauty!?! I absolutely LOVE it! The brick, the detail, the space, the newness. Everything on our checklist was checked. It is still under construction, but it's just the finishing touches and will be ready by the time our paperwork is completed.

My parents are going out of town to volunteer in the Hill Cumorah Pageant which will free up the master bedroom for us and will be a relief as we wait another month to get into our house. I have a feeling it will be all worth it!
This is a view of the house as you walk in the front door.
My HUGE kitchen, one of my requirements, with granite countertops. BONUS!
The island that Theo started on for me for Mother's Day 3 years ago will go nicely in here. I just hope it doesn't take him another 3 years because I want to enjoy it now!

The dining room with 12 ft. tray ceilings.
Living room and fireplace that has yet to be painted. On the list of things to do to get in move in ready.
Master bedroom with trey ceilings.
Double sinks, the key to a succesful marriage. :)
Seperate shower and tub and a walk in closet that could be the nursery!

Also the funny thing about this location is that it is in walking distance of the elementary school that I went to growing up. Tobie thought that was so cool that he gets to go to the same school his Mommy went to when she was a little girl.

I'm so excited to get our lives started in our new house, and maybe if we really like it we will be given the opportunity to enjoy it for longer than just 4 years.