from our days

{we’ll continue sharing around perfectionism & grace tomorrow :: just a few shots from our family that I am grateful for today…}

Gratitude from our days as a family ::

:: for this 4 month old’s focus 

:: for siblings willing to read together

:: and play together

 

:: for creativity!

  :: for a little girl growing in reading skills

:: for new ways to organize!

:: for the sights & smells of baking in the kitchen 

 

For all this, I give thanks!  Participating in A Holy Experience’s Multitude Mondays.

{to answer a question ~ yes, I’ve recently disabled the comments on the blog; a brief explanation here.  Please feel free to share thoughts via email however, I enjoy hearing from you!  domesticserenity(AT)gmail(DOT)com , replace with appropriate symbols, no spaces.  thanks!}

from our days

full, full days

I am in a major ‘getting ready for the fall’ and organization mode around here!  My husband often comments that I’m usually organizing something in our home.  Ha. Ha. And I usually don’t laugh with him.  But seeing that May and June were spent vacationing for a week, camping for a weekend, attending a high school reunion out of state, and welcoming a new little one….well, by last week I felt completely out of sorts.  All I’ve basically done so far this summer is pack and unpack as we traveled around.

We start school in two weeks, our daughter and grandson just moved in {bringing us to a total of 8 people}, there are three children’s birthdays to celebrate in the next 6 weeks,  and the fall is our busiest time of year.  I desperately needed a plan!  And so I made a h-u-g-e list, a long list {I do love a good list!} that is being carried around the house, to stores and outside as to-do tasks are accomplished and crossed off.  Much progress is being made…yes.

Right now there is fullness, but a good kind!  I leave you with a few photos from our days ::

   :: making sweet treats

:: catching the sunlight 

:: watching the miracles play

full, full days

around the web

I’ve been printing off lists for spring cleaning and such around here.  Actually, I think that fall cleaning has more benefit as the efforts seem to last longer, but in our home full of little ones and full of family life, twice a year decluttering and re-organizing is very helpful to this Mama.  Besides, nothing happened this past fall since taking care of baby and staying sane was the main priority {said with a smile}!  By the way, that still is a priority, but now the baby sleeps longer!

Well, while perusing various sites, distraction hit a bit and so here’s a few goodies for all~

:: first off, the cleaning and decluttering lists are found at Flylady’s site, who is currently doing a week-by-week schedule to home clean-up.  I’m not participating, but it’s seems helpful.

:: comfort soup season is probably over, but this Tuscan-style Potato Soup from Lindsay looks too delicious!  Agree?

:: the kids and I will have to try these creamy mango pops this summer.  I love mangoes!

:: I’m all about simple toys for children, especially babies; making a few discovery bottles for our 7-month old has been easy and fun.  Ours are simply glitter & water, googly-eyes and cotton balls in small plastic containers or water bottles.

:: I want to conquer the fear of sewing clothing and make a few twirly skirts for our 7-yr old.  It’s hard to find modest skirts for young girls these days, so my frustration led to a search for a simple skirt with simple instructions.  Let’s hope I can follow through!

:: As we’ve entered into the Lenten and Easter season, I’m using this book to focus on the sacrifice of Christ.       So. Very. Good.  A bit deep in parts, but very good.  I will use this in future years as well.

:: And what else?  Oh yes…I’m trying to find room in next year’s homeschooling budget to purchase a home laminator.  This is an extra, not really a necessity though it would get used often.  This ‘obsession’ has led to trying to find free history and science curriculums online so I can eliminate those purchases!  It’s all a game….

Hope you and yours are well, enjoy a blessed weekend!

around the web

surrender

okay, I completely & totally surrender to life all around me right now and take a bit of pause from blog land!

here’s an update~

:: my health is great overall, contractions have kept at bay—but tests did just reveal that gestational diabetes is now a part of this pregnancy journey at 31 weeks. I am bummed since watching carbs & sugars was already a part of my routine; just now will be even more so. I’ve already started re-adjusting meals & menus to fit this new reality.

:: THE LIST (things to do before baby arrives) has dwindled down to almost nothing, and I am grateful. de-cluttering top to bottom, spring cleaning and rearranging rooms have all taken place. the garage & shed need attention, but umm…that’s my hubby’s area! we’ve added to the pile of needs for the babe—blankets, clothing, car seat—the essentials are here.

:: this past weekend and the weekend before was full of family reunions on both sides, a birthday party for my father and lots of laughs as I caught up with relatives not seen for a while. much enjoyment, but both were out of town so we pack & unpack quickly.

:: only to re-pack this week as our family joins our church family for a camping weekend! oh, camping. you & I have an odd relationship do we not? it’s a low cost vacation break and this annual event is fun! if I just didn’t have to pack the whole house and kitchen sink up before Thursday {alright, that is a major exaggeration…but still}.

:: and I have to pick a few fresh strawberries right? I think that is going to get scratched off fairly quickly from this week’s priorities. *sigh*, we’ll see.

so, I slip away from this space for some time to focus on the tasks at hand. be back soon enough!

surrender

visual homemaking journal

Finally.  After about only several years of trying to discover which method of organization would work for me in helping to bring calm to the chaos--where to place & record all of my note-taking, menu-planning, random thoughts of things to be done, upcoming events to prepare for, funnies out of my babes’ mouths~you get the picture--

I finally have found rest.  A visual home journal.

Though started in the fall, I didn’t want to post until there was a strong conviction that it would actually work for me.  See, I’ve tried a w-i-d-e variety of ‘helps’.  It finally dawned on me that while my main mode is to be organized and to have a place for everything {not that it stays there always}, I did not enjoy a rigid system of organizing my days & weeks.  Electronic or computerized helps?  Nope, didn’t click with me.  Making lists on paper was preferred, but where to put all of those pieces of paper & post-it notes?

We have a family calendar with wide spaces, enough for writing down appointments & places to be when.  And I definitely have a way of keeping track of homeschool records & papers.  Almost everything else now goes into the home journal~and what fun it has been!

 

This method first appealed to me because of another problem I faced~where to put the various magazine pages that found their way into a stash of ‘pictures that I love’.  Now, I happily tear, cut & paste them into a notebook :: a notebook that holds my church to-do lists, my random doodles (or my children’s), home life to-do lists, cards to send, birthdays to plan, craft ideas, quotes I don’t want to forget…oh, just about whatever!  For some this could seem too random & unorganized.  I understand, but it’s simply how my mind works.

And, since I have a huge need to create on a regular basis, this organizational tool feeds that appetite when there is not time for other crafting or new-recipe-trying.  Really, just tear & paste!  Quick and simple.

visual homemaking journal

home life thoughts

Not sure if second trimester energy has kicked in {which I really believe is taking forever to appear!} or the arrival of 70 degree weather earlier this week, but the past several days have been full of cleaning, sorting, decluttering and the like. Home life for me lately has been centered on moving our belongings around in order to gain more space. And it's working.

It's amazing how much peace can come from knowing where things are and from simplifying. Our shelves, cabinets and closets are not necessarily empty, that's not my goal--with 6, soon to be 7 individuals of varying ages sharing space, homeschooling books and supplies, craft items and room for creativity, and all of the kitchen paraphernalia, clothing, etc.---well, it gets full!

But it also gets used. The vision here is that we keep the items we use on a regular or seasonal basis and to get rid of the rest. Ahhh, home organization!

Happy 1st day of Spring & if you're up to a bit of cleaning and sorting yourself, enjoy the fruit of your efforts!

home life thoughts

Whoa!

That wasn't hard at all! If you look closely, you'll find it. See it as you scroll down.

I've combined our blogs! Our schooling & life with the children blog began a year ago with really no intention of doing anything beyond that. Then the idea of a personal blog had me starting 'Domestic Serenity' back in January.

I love both blogs and keeping up with them has been really enjoyable, a creative outlet. But really, isn't it all one life? All of it my life here on the home front :: the domestic pursuits, the homeschooling, the children's funny antics or updates, our family life in general? After a bit of thinking of how to simplify time spent online each day, it was like a 'duh' moment. Yes, yes, it's all a part of this one-pieced life I'm trying to live, so let me put it all in one place!

Like I said...'duh'.

Plans are to clean it up some and merge the side bar information as well into a more pleasing format. But first, some cooking coming up soon!

Whoa!

Creative Space

My meeting on the 'how to' of publishing went well! One step down...

Ahhh, hello July! I am so glad that you are here. May and June were wonderful. Full and fun, but I am ready for a bit of relaxed summer days. There are several books I would like to tackle and some creative projects to tend to. Not to mention that there are many veggies and fruits to can and freeze! I'll think on that later. On to other topics...

Last summer we were blessed to have our basement finished, which not only added a space for our schooling {though it really happens all around our home}, but also a creative space for me.

I call it my craft closet, because it literally is a closet that can close and hide the disarray of whatever I'm working on. I enjoy this space so much! A place to unwind, to crank out fresh ideas and to putter around and try them out.

I cannot take credit at all, this was an idea of our builder after hearing me explain a desire for a tucked away space for scrapbooking, sewing and such. I'm grateful for his creativity. Plenty of lighting {I added more with some lamps, which are not turned on in the pics} and lots of shelves, which were an added bonus.

I'm looking forward to using this much more this month. Welcome July!

Creative Space

Lists, Lists, Lists!

I'd like to think I'm the queen of lists. But, after today I realize that's not true. Simply because I've discovered a site that houses many, many lists...free for the using!

Getting ready for a garage sale checklist, moving lists, grocery lists, health and healthcare checklists, bill paying checklist...

...and on and on! I found it by looking for a list of the US states and capitals (yep, that's on there also).

Check it out and get organized! :: Printable checklists

Lists, Lists, Lists!

Too Much Stuff?

As part of Spring cleaning, I've been evaluating our children's 'stuff' lately. Their toys, their clothing, books, educational materials, etc. It has been a good process and also necessary. The question has not only been whether or not we have too much stuff, but how much is what we have getting used? Or sometimes, we simply have too many of the same kind of thing!

I do enjoy offering a variety of playthings though. The pursuit now is to offer primarily open-ended toys. The others have a place in our life too :: we like the computer games and other techno stuff that adds some spice. And of course things such as puzzles and certain games are great.

The children have been involved in the process and yes, we've carted off some boxes and bags to give away. Now, the temptation will be to replace some of the missing items, but we're learning to be content with a bit of simplicity.

If you haven't seen it already, this video about stuff is food for thought.

Too Much Stuff?

It's Out of the Bag

or actually out of the file folder where it's been for a year.

It's my Spring Cleaning list. Believe it or not, I actually don't mind cleaning and though there is not a huge fanfare around the event, I don't mind the work of clearing out cabinets, wiping down walls, etc...yep, there is some joy in it for me.

So if I'm feeling better tomorrow and the next day, tackling the kitchen is the first priority. Here's the cleaning that would be nice to have done:

• windowsills and windows
• light fixture above the table
• top, outside & inside of fridge
• wipe down outside of cabinets, all chairs & sides of table/table legs
• baseboards
• wipe down walls (Mr. Clean sponges make this a cinch!)
• vacuum curtains & then wall corners for cobwebs
• tidy up inside of cabinets (these have already been decluttered)
• inside of stove (already done since it's new!)
• vacuum & wash carpets, put out to dry

Wow. I'm a little tired just writing it down. But usually once I get started, I'm fine.

Anyone else doing some spring cleaning?

It's Out of the Bag

Organized for What?

So here's part 2 to my thoughts on organization. There are several great informational sites to help you get things uncluttered, in their place and keeping it that way. Some of my favorites in the past years have been FlyLady and Motivated Moms. I use and adjust them to suit our needs. I've also made up my own charts or chore charts for the children as well. I do not have a 100% accuracy rate, but overall I think we have some great systems down. But, that's not what I'm thinking of today.

Right now, I'm pondering the point of my organization. Yes, I believe there are reasons to support the 'why'....and I enjoy the results. However, is my knack for organization and the satisfied feeling of an uncluttered home getting in the way of more imporant things? Such as my attitude toward my husband and children when they leave things undone or not put away? Or what of the command and pursuit towards hospitality?

Creativity is messy. Hospitality is messy. It really is. There is a releasing and letting go in allowing my children to draw, paint, cut, paste, cook, do puzzles, play games, etc. to their heart's content without the constant stream of 'please pick that up' following after them. They will. I've taught them to do this and so I need to trust that they will.

And having their friends over requires an even deeper attitude of letting go. I'm not talking about allowing everyone to run wild and have no respect for our home. But, we often remind our children that 'people are more important than things'. Hmmm....it's a reality check for this Mama. Michael and I have also been talking a lot about opening up our home more in this year and in particular about living out the part in our family mission statement that says 'we will generously share what we have with others'. Did you catch that?

Generously.

And right on cue, I read this article on hospitality today from a favorite blog. Okay. Gotta do a bit more soul searching here on point #4 in the hospitality habits section. And practicing.

Organized for What?

Organization Tip

Organization.

That word can bring on groans or cheers depending on personality, style, and the bottom line of whether or not a person is driven to 'find a place for everything and put everything in it's place'. Hmmm....which one are you?

I'm an organizer and always have been. It saves time, its save money and I find more of both to spend elsewhere. There are only so many hours in a day, so there is a point of threshold for each of us. It's defined by our personal circumstances or responsibilities in life as we know it now. I find that though organizing is a part of me, it's ever evolving.

Cultural styles and norms, my own particular style and at times abnormal ways of doing things, consideration for my husband's and children's needs (or lack of need) for organization or structure.....these are all things to consider! So it's a dance, an ebb and flow if you will of what to do about our stuff and where it goes.

I'll pause here. More on this later.

But oh, yes! My tip on the topic. It's been a huge time saver to find this place for organizing and keeping up with the blogs or sites I would like to read. I really like it! I have serious concerns about spending too much time on the computer and so then time away from my family. Bloglines is wonderful for that; it's allowed me to read more on the web in less time::set up a free account, subscribe to blogs or sites, and they do the work of letting you know when each is updated....super easy. Try it out!

Organization Tip