stuffed

Some days I feel that our home is over-run by toys.  Yet it seems we don't have nearly as many toys as many other kids I know.  But every where I look I see "stuff".  I'm reminded just how many toys the kids have when my Step-Dad tells stories of the kinds of things he and his brother played with as kids and how they used their ingenuity to come up with fun ideas (they also used their ingenuity to find trouble too but we won't go there).  Anyway, I digress... somehow that "stuff" just makes me feel so full and greedy.  I want to raise an appreciative boy, and I want him to enjoy these generous gifts he was given by us and many other family and friends.  So I decided to box Samuel and Sydney's toys up in rubbermaid containers and rotate them each week.  I'm hoping Sam will appreciate his toys more this way and that the toys will continue to feel new to both of them.  I also like the fact that our living room and Sam's bedroom is now a little less cluttered.

But even what seem like good ideas can have some glitches along the way, right?  Well, when Sam came down this morning to see a good chunk of his toys were missing he said, "Did I throw those toys Mommy?  Did you take them away?  Did you give them to another boy that will like them?"  The poor kid thought I shipped all of his toys off to another little boy!   You see, we have a rule here that anytime a toy is thrown, it's taken away for the day.  So that explains why he thinks I took the toys away, but you may wonder why he thinks another little boy has them.  Well, I admit it, I once told him in the heat of the moment after he had been throwing trains Sydney's direction that maybe we should give the train set to a boy that would take nice care of it.  So I tried to tell him that no, I did not send his toys to another little boy, and I tried to explain the rotation concept but I think until he sees those toys back on that living room floor he's going to think they are in some other little boy's room.  Poor little guy!  Why must he remember EVERYTHING I've ever said!

getting organized

I have so many things on my "to-do" list but yet I seem to struggle just keeping up with daily life. I thought staying home with the kids would also give me an opportunity to do all the projects I've been putting off (scrapbooking, finishing the decorating touches on Sydney's room, touch up painting, etc.).  Yet my day is plenty busy getting kids clothed, fed, napped, fed, exercised and mentally stimulated (if I'm lucky), napped, fed, bathed, and to bed.  And of course they rarely sleep at the same time so there is no such thing as a lunch break for mama!  

Today I did manage to check one minor thing off the to-do list while Tad kept Samuel entertained swimming in the lake.  Boy was I jealous of their fun, but if felt good to get something done.  

It seems I consistently forget things at the grocery store.  So I decided to do what perhaps many others already do:  I created a standing grocery list of items our family buys.  The food is listed in order of location in my grocery store, which I'm hoping will help save me time on my trip.  I have a comments section next to each item for further clarification if needed.  I found many grocery checklists on the web but since they listed off practically everything a grocery store sells they were 4+ pages long.  This list is 2 pages long (1 page if you print front and back).  Here is a screenshot of a portion of the list.

I plan to put this list on my fridge and check things off as I notice they are needed.  If I want to get really crazy, I'll highlight any items for which I have a coupon.  :)  

I used this on my shopping trip tonight and I didn't forget one single thing!  The only problem:  I spent $50 more than usual (though I did stock up on items we typically are not out of).  But I saved gas money as I think I avoided the repeat trips I typically have to make for forgotten items.

Here is a link to download it if anyone is interested; You could customize the excel doc to include items you frequently buy.  I apologize as some of the check boxes are really messed up (there are many on top of each other but you can't tell until you start to delete them).  I just don't have time to fix it right now.

P.S.  I created this on a Mac but it should work on a PC as long as my formatting works in your excel version.

pyrex lids

Did you see today's safemama post?

Pyrex lids are BPA free!  I've been wondering, as we have a lot of pyrex.  But I haven't taken the time to research it myself.  Thanks for the continual great research safemama!  LUV that site!

Tricia

a great family activity

This past weekend we took some time away from potty training for some fun!  We made stepping stones to replace some of the lime-stones we have leading from our front door to the deck entry off the side of our house. 

Tad simply dug a hole and filled it with concrete. We let it set a bit and then dipped our hands/feet and decorated with beads. I bought Sam turtle beads and brightly colored beads.  For Sydney: pastel and flower beads.  On the stone I share with my husband, he refused to have any beads around his half - men! - so I only decorated my half. *sigh*  Sam had a lot of fun with this activity and Sydney did great with it too!  Here is the result of our home-made handy-work:

The finished product below (more landscape work is needed but you get the idea).  We thought we might do this again in 5 years or so and replace more of the lime-stones and see how much the kids have grown.  We need one for the dog too of course. ;)

Samuel, helping as usual:

Sydney, sitting pretty:

If you don't have concrete lying around and you are looking for a mold and instructions ready for you, check this out:

you heard it here first...

Remember that post I did about fingerprints on your stainless steel appliances?  I directed you to the following microfiber cloths that work like a charm.

Well, it turns out I'm not the only one taking notice of these cloths.  I saw one of my fav blogs, Zrecs, had a post on this yesterday where they linked to a recent article by BusinessWeek.  Here I thought that post I made about microfiber was sort of lame - but guess what?  Lame or not, I posted about them first.  And for a competitive chick like me, that's really all that matters.  Do you think my little blog is getting noticed by the outside world?  Or do you think my family is made up of spies for other blogs and more notable news organizations?  I'm watching you Mom.  I'm watching you Dad.  Sure, your comments seem innocent enough... but I know who's paying you to keep tabs on my content. ;)

OK, reality check.  It's all clearly coincidental.  But nonetheless I feel good about being "in the know" and in a timely manner.  Though I guess Europeans have been using these cloths for 15-some years... but better late than never, right?

One important thing that I clearly was not "in the know" about, however, is just how useful these cloths really are.  I recommended using them on stainless steel but it turns out they are good for just about any cleaning!  It's a great way to clean safely (no chemicals!) and in an environmentally-friendly way!  Now, I'm not saying to use them in your toilet bowl or anything, but these cloths could work great on just about all surfaces.

Check out this blurb from the BusinessWeek article:

"It's one of the greenest products out there. From the research we've done, microfiber cleans and removes dirt and bacteria with water alone. You do not need chemicals," says Judy Klein, director of retail cleaning for Newell Rubbermaid

If you're looking for microfiber, this option seems to be a good deal:

Clean-Rite 7-512 12-Pk Microfiber Cleaning Towels

I know, I know, it doesn't feel clean unless you get high off the chemicals in the process, right?  Well, I dare you to give microfiber a try.  I know I will. 

P.S. I haven't forgotten about my final Digital Scrapping posts I owe ya.  It's a work in progress...

fingerprint art on your stainless steel appliances?

In a time where many of us are looking for more natural solutions I wanted to pass along a great Mother's Day gift I got yesterday from my Mother-in-Law.  Check out this Stainless Steel Cloth from Casabella!  Just add a touch of water and wipe those finger prints away without using any chemicals!  Super easy and effective!  And it doesn't require using paper towels, which I'm guilty of using entirely too much.

I also want to quickly note that I'm in the process of redesigning the look of my blog to help define it better.  Please excuse any design experiments you may encounter along the way while I finalize things.