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Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts

November 18, 2013

Growth as Measured in Fractions



Before the girls were born, I remember washing all their teeny-tiny clothes.  I had so many items, but they made for such a small load in the washing machine.

It was a fun exercise to work through how I wanted to organize everything.  I enjoyed setting up their closet and deciding how I wanted to fold their onesies and pants, their burp cloths and blankets.

(You may know I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to folding laundry.  If I’m going to wash and fold, then it must look pretty when I put it away.  I want to be able to appreciate my work!)

The girls had a dresser in their room, but they had so many wonderful shelves in their closet.  I decided to buy plastic bins to use as “drawers” on their shelves.  This system has worked incredibly well.  It allows easy access to everything, and when I need to switch out their clothes for the season, I simply put the bin of long-sleeve pajamas on a higher shelf and bring down the bin of short-sleeve ones.

I know this system won’t last me forever, though…at least not with smaller size bins that I have.

When the girls were infants, I folded their knit pants in half side-to-side, and then in half again, top-to-bottom.  I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe I got three stacks of pants in one bin.

It wasn’t too long before the size of their pants increased, and I went down to two stacks per bin, still folded in half.

A couple of years ago, I had to start folding their pants into thirds in order for them to fit in the bins.

And this year?  My B is still wearing mostly size 4 pants, so I haven’t had to make any adjustments.  My A, though, is wearing size 5…and some of those will flash an occasional ankle.  The last pants I bought for her were actually size 5/6.  ACK!

And yes, those LONG britches are too long for thirds.  I’m now folding some of A’s pants into fourths.

As if it weren’t enough for me to see their growing shoe sizes…their increasing height, coming close to my chest…their blossoming vocabulary and number prowess…The Universe just won’t let me forget that my BABIES are growing up, as further evidenced by my laundry piles.

The next thing I know, I'll be asking my girls to reach something for Mommy on a higher shelf...at least I think they'll surpass me in height, which will have its advantages!

March 11, 2013

Super Stuff on a Monday



So much “super” to be thankful for this week!

1)      I watched Baby A, counting out blocks.  She was intuitively grabbing two at a time…she was so close to counting by two’s!

2)      Baby A has been fixed on “100”…and she’s trying to figure out comparisons.  My favorite this week was, “Mommy, I love you more than 100!

3)      On Monday, our task was to make a present and card for GG’s birthday.  The girls worked SO hard and SO diligently on it…it just warmed my heart.

4)      My Baby A has been quite the snuggle bunny lately.  A few nights, after supper, she’s asked me to come into the den.  Mommy, please come snuggle with me.”  Of course I obliged…and she lay with her [now very long!] body entirely on top of mine…conforming to my lap and outstretched legs…as I read her a book.  Mommy was in heaven.

5)      I told the girls about the Superhero Photo class I’m taking.  B has been so cute to ask every day, “Mommy, what’s your photo challenge for today?  And at least so far, they’ve been [relatively] willing participants.

Watching to see how high the ball bounced. :)

 6)      One afternoon after nap, I declared that it was “Game Day” at our house.  The girls and I each took turns choosing a different game to play.  B and I alternated board games and card games, while A picked “Frisbee” every time.  The girls had such a blast!  It was a great change of pace to focus our collective effort on one activity…everyone played…and everyone was a good sport.  And the girls have asked to have “themed” days several times since.  B’s request is usually for “Book Day”, while A would play games all day long, I think.  

7)      Daddy was out of school on Thursday and Friday, and the girls were BEYOND thrilled that he would be able to come with us to school, and that he would be there to pick them up.  They counted down the days all week, leading up to Thursday.  It was so very sweet.

8)      Baby B picked the nighttime story a couple of evenings.  Each time she said, This is in honor of Daddy’s long weekend.

9)      Baby B cracks me up…if she spies I’ve left the pantry cracked open, without fail, she’ll ask, “Mommy, may I close your pantry?  Her organizational tendencies just make me smile.

10)   On Friday we enjoyed a family lunch out at the Thai restaurant.  We haven’t been there in a long time, as they only serve their lunch menu through the week, and we rarely eat out outside of the weekend.  It makes me so happy to see the girls experimenting with different kinds of food…and asking for THIRDS out of the large dish I ordered for the three of us to share.

11)   We usually go out to eat lunch on Saturday, but this week the girls and I had some errands to run, so instead we went out for a mid-morning bagel in between tasks.  The four of us ate lunch at home, and B said, “It’s a special treat to have lunch at home on a Saturday.  I didn’t realize how much she would enjoy an “ordinary” lunch on the weekend.

12)   We took advantage of Daddy being home for a couple of extra days to score some one-on-one time.  Baby B accompanied me to the grocery store one day.  The next day, Baby A went with me to the mall.  It’s so easy being out with “only” one of them…we have such great interaction over the most ordinary of experiences…and I love observing them apart from each other.

13)   And a couple of quotes

B was explaining to me the picture she'd made with her magnetic shapes. And what are these red ones? I asked her, of the shapes she had on each side of the cookie sheet. "Those are the cardinal directions, Mommy." Well, of course they are.

The girls were pretending to make up Easter baskets for their baby dolls. Baby A said, "She will have a chocolate, a Peep, a new book, and a toy rattlesnake." Just what every kid wants, right? I personally think I might faint if I found even a toy snake curled in the bottom of a basket...eek!!!

Looking forward to another "super"-filled week!

February 15, 2013

Fab Friday (at last!)!!!



UGH!!!  Here I am, behind again!!!  But…despite the R-U-N-N-I-N-G that has been this week, I’m so thankful for those little moments that make time stop…

1)      We transitioned the girls a couple of weeks ago to regular blankets…moving away from their zipper blankets for the first time in their little lives.  (Sniff, sniff!)  After the first couple of sleeps, they’ve done great, and it’s just priceless to see Baby A when she wakes up.  She rarely gets out of her bed without balling up her blanket to give it a big hug. 

2)      Baby A is very particular about certain things, and she can’t stand to see someone with their sleeves rolled up.  As soon as I push my sleeves up and she zeroes in on it, she makes a beeline for me.  Here, Mommy…just let me help you with these sleeves.  Hahaha!

3)      The girls have been really fixated on time zones lately.  They love to call out a state or country and ask, “What time is it in India  / China / Australia / Brazil right now? 

4)      Daddy calls most days during his lunch break to check on the home front.  He always speaks to each of the girls for a minute or two, and I can tell that he often asks about the morning’s behavior.  In response to his asking B if she’d been in timeout, she responded, “No, not that I know of!  [I might note she has selective memory at times.  HA!]

5)      One night, as I put B in her bed and wished her goodnight, she grabbed my hand.  Mommy, I love you so much I just can’t believe it,” she told me.  Cue tears from this mama!

6)      We had such a fun time playing with our friends M&C on Monday.  I still marvel how well the four kiddos play together.  We are so very blessed to have such wonderful friends!!!

7)      When M&C were here, they asked about the play “intercom” on our toy cash register.  I explained how you use it to make announcements in a store…like if someone broke some eggs, you might hear an announcement, “Cleanup on aisle 10, please!  I was momentarily stunned when the kids later started yelling, “There’s a broken egg on the couch!  Clean it up!  I was SO thankful to realize they were only pretending.  And it’s cracked me up [no pun intended] all week at how this has been a recurring theme.

8)      I overheard B ask A, "Sissy, did you bite me?" "No, I kissed you," she replied.  I couldn’t help but laugh to myself…but really…if you have to ask, we have a problem. ;)

9)      One day B was making a futile attempt to demand something of A, but A was ignoring her.  Then, from B, I heard, "Mommy, she's not responding to me!"  I can't help you there, Sister. I don't respond without a "please", either...HA!

10)   The girls got an awesome new book from Aunt Alison for their birthday, The Snail and theWhale.  That no doubt prompted B’s random poetic observation: "Snails are small experts at drawing, because they slither and leave a trail.”  

Hoping to be back on track soon...as I sure don't want to miss a beat!

February 10, 2013

"Meal Planning"

I say "meal planning" in quotation marks, as I don't truly consider what I do to be a formal process.

I cook breakfast every day...the hubs and I usually eat cereal, and the girls have their rotation of oatmeal / cream of wheat, scrambled eggs / Greek yogurt / cottage cheese, and fresh fruit.  On the weekends I make a "family" breakfast, often French toast or banana pancakes.

For lunch, I usually send a sandwich to work with hubby and I make one for myself.  I try to rotate the girls between a sandwich + veggie + fruit one day, and then an all veggie / fruit lunch the next.

I don't count those meals into my "planning".  I always have those staples on hand.

My "planning" comes into play at supper.  On average, I cook three dishes a week.  I plan for leftovers, with the intention of us eating each meal twice.  Some weeks I might cook a fourth quick meal, or one dish might last us three meals, or we might get a pizza or a rotisserie chicken.

Each week, I think about what dishes I'd like to make.  I check what I have in the pantry / refrigerator / freezer, and make my grocery list from there.  I try to make different kinds of dishes...not three stews, for example.  And I try to vary the primary ingredients...not three chicken dishes.

None of this is rocket science, I know.  A couple of months after the girls were born...when I was doing my best to establish myself as the stay-at-home-mama-with-the-mostess, I discovered one thing that has been super helpful.

I keep a log of the meals I make.

I don't do this in any kind of formal fashion.  I used to write in a pretty journal, but this year I switched to an Excel spreadsheet.  I jot down the meals I made, and where I got the recipe.

The beauty of this comes when I inevitably feel that "I don't have anything to make"..."I'm tired of everything"..."what in the world can I cook this week?"

I can glance back over the past couple of months and realize, "It's been two months since I made white bean chowder, it's high time I made it again" or, "I forgot about that chicken recipe from Pinterest, and we all loved that."

I share this little tip, as it's an easy way for me feel a little more on top of things in the kitchen.

(And I'll also share this little funny...the pretty journal I used to employ?  It was once...long before children...a wine journal.  My, how times have changed!)

 
Week Dish Source
31-Dec Stuffed shrimp / bacon-wrapped smokies…appetizers Allrecipes / Pinterest
  Honey chicken Pinterest
  Chicken in creamy pan sauce Recipe binder
  Baked shrimp scampi Allrecipes
7-Jan Chicken breast in the crockpot with spaghetti sauce Crock pot cookbook (adapted)
  Chicken pot pie Allrecipes
  Mexican style chili (with black beans) Kitchen Primer
  Cheese ball / stuffed eggs / veggies Pinterest / mine
14-Jan Pork loin / sweet potatoes N/A
  Pork loin made into gyros N/A
  Juvec N/A
  Shrimp cocktail N/A
21-Jan Split pea soup Heathly Choice cookbook
  Garlic cheddar chicken / fresh corn Allrecipes
28-Jan Potato soup my recipe box
  Spaghetti with meatballs Allrecipes
4-Feb Baked chicken with Dijon mustard and maple syrup Pinterest
  Chicken pot pie Allrecipes
  Juvec N/A