Lent: week 3

This week was more difficult than the first two weeks.  And it may seem sort of strange to say, but I was almost glad that I was finding it more difficult - after all, this is Lent!  I'm supposed to be making a sacrifice, right?  Giving something up?  It didn't feel like much of a sacrifice when it felt so good and was so easy.  ;)

So why was this week more difficult?  Well, for one, I've had a few bad nights of sleep (and not even due to the kids), so I've been tired, which doesn't lend itself well to productivity.  Those days I didn't feel like doing much, so I chose small, relatively simple projects, like organizing my guitar music binder or my recipe binder (the recipe binder is still a work in progress though - but I'll write more about that in another post).  Unfortunately, there were a few days when clean laundry was left sitting in the basket for a day (or 3), papers were left on the counter and my daily cleaning tasks didn't get accomplished.

One thing that I did do this week was start getting some of the boxes and bags of stuff that I had sorted through out of the house.  I brought 2 bags of stuff back to my mom and 1 bag of stuff to church (it was papers and stuff from when I helped out with the church receipting, so it really belonged back at the church).  I read somewhere that this step (actually getting rid of the stuff "to donate", or "to throw away", etc) was almost important as doing the sorting itself.  After all, you don't want a bunch of boxes and bags sitting around in the basement or by your back door for weeks and weeks.  I think it actually recommended getting the stuff out of your house within 24-48 hours of sorting through it.  I wasn't quite that good, and I still have a bunch of stuff that needs to go to the thrift shop and a bunch of stuff I'm saving to sell, but it sure was nice to get those 3 big bags out of our back closet.

So, it wasn't a great week, compared to my first two, but I think I'm still on the right track, and I'm not going to let a bad week derail or discourage me.  My goals for this next week are to go through the front closet and the downstairs bathroom, and to continue working on our closets upstairs (which I started doing this past week).

Here's how I'm doing on my decluttering list:

• Recipe binder
• Office
  • Kids' craft stuff
  • Drawers
  • Filing cabinet
  • Bookshelf
• Laundry room
• Email inbox
• Annika's closet
• Emmett's closet
• Our closet
• Our bathroom
• Kids' bathroom
• Main floor bathroom
• Front closet
• Back closet
• Upstairs storage closet
• Kitchen cabinets/drawers
• Pantry
• Fridge
• Freezer
• PVR
• Kids' toys
• Guitar music binder
• Sewing stuff

Spring-time activities

It's that time of year again - time to register for spring-time activities.  The time of year that fills me with anticipation and fear.  I look forward to having new activities begin, but I hate the process of trying to decide what to do, when to do it, and then the whole registration process... don't even get me started on that.  The city has taken steps to improve their online registration system, so I guess we'll see next week whether it actually makes a difference. :P

Annika and Emmett will both be taking swimming lessons this spring (fingers crossed that I can get them both in at the same time!).  This will be Annika's third time in her level, and Emmett's first time taking swimming lessons.  I'm actually looking forward to starting swimming with Emmett, because he loves the water and I think it will be fun to actually do something with him (poor second child, he didn't get to go to any of the "mommy-and-baby" classes that I did with Annika).  As for Annika, I'm hoping that she'll be able to master the skills needed, and get the confidence too, to finally move up from this "transitional" level.  It feels a bit frustrating to be putting her in the same level again, but the instructor last fall didn't feel she was quite ready to move on.  I've briefly contemplated private lessons for her, just so she can get a bit more one-on-one time and instruction (how much do the kids really learn when they spend about 1/2 the lesson just standing with their butts against the wall??), but we're going to try the regular lessons one more time.

I'm hoping to get the kids into Thursday morning swimming classes, because I think that would work best with our schedule.  I've looked at the schedules for our nearest pool, and most of the times when they offer both classes at the same time are at 6:00pm or 6:30pm, which means we would have to rush supper (we usually eat at 6:00).  There was a day that had the classes both at 7:00pm, but I'm wondering whether that would be a little late for the kids.  They only go to bed at 8:00, but we've been finding with Annika's current ballet class (which goes from 6:45-7:30) that she often seems very tired and uninterested by then (even though she'll be excited about it earlier in the day).  Often it looks like she's not having much fun and not paying attention very well (although, I think the teachers are not as good as the ones she had last spring, which also makes a difference).  It makes me question whether it's worth it to put her in activities in the evening, if that's how she's going to be.

Which brings me to my other dilemma when registering for activities - how do you choose what to put your kid in?  Annika has lots of interests, and we could probably register her for a different activity every day, but there's a limit to what you can all do (time-, energy-, and money-wise).  Also, there are things that she's not too interested in, but I wonder if we should try some of those activities, just to give her an opportunity to try it out and possibly develop an interest?  Growing up, I didn't play sports.  I didn't like sports.  I had a bad experience with playing soccer when I was little (got hit in the face with a ball) and to this day, I'm still not a huge fan of playing sports (although I do enjoy volleyball and tennis, every now and then).  However, I often wonder, if I had been given more opportunities when I was younger, would I have overcome that fear and learned to enjoy sports?  But as a parent, how do you know when to push your child, and when to back off?  (I'm not blaming my parents for the choices they made for me, just "thinking" out loud.  I'm actually very grateful to my parents for all the time and money they invested in my musical education, which is still an important part of me). 

A friend of mine has told me about a book called "The Hurried Child" which is apparently about letting kids be kids - not overscheduling them, or pushing them to grow up too fast.  I want to read it soon.  I agree with the idea that kids need to have time to just be kids.  They need time to just play in the backyard or dawdle over supper or go for bike rides around the neighbourhood.  As much as I want to encourage my kids' interests and skills through different activities and programs, I also want to remember to give them time to just play.  After all, there's still plenty of time for all that other stuff, right?

Yummy cheeseburger pasta

Last night I made this delicious cheeseburger pasta and even the kids ate it (a small miracle)!!  I found the recipe on this website, but it's originally from the Taste of Home website.  I recommend you give it a try - it's simple to make and so good!  It really tastes like a burger (at least as much as something that's not a burger can taste like a burger!).


Family Favorite Cheeseburger Pasta

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne pasta (all I had was regular macaroni, so I used that)
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes (I used crushed tomatoes, so there wouldn't be big chunks of tomatoes - I'm not a huge tomato fan.  It was also nice and saucy with the crushed tomatoes).
• 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon steak seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (I didn't know what the difference between steak seasoning and seasoned salt was, so I just used Hy's seasoning salt for both)
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I probably used more than this - we like cheese)
• Chopped green onions, optional (I don't like green onions, so I didn't include these)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Drain pasta; add to meat mixture.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, steak seasoning and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Thanks!

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on my blogoversary post!  You really made my day with your encouraging words.  :)  I know everyone who read it didn't comment (Blogger keeps track of pageviews, and it was viewed a lot more than 12 times - which was the number of comments), so there's still some "lurkers" out there.  That's okay.  I was a blog lurker for a long time too (always read but never commented).  I still really appreciate that you take the time to read my blog, even if you don't comment.  Maybe one day... 
;)

Happy blogoversary to me!

One year ago today I started this blog with this post.  So how am I celebrating my "blogoversary"?  Well, I'm sorry to say that there's no giveaway or anything special for you, the readers.  Instead, I'd like you to give me a little something (it is my blogoversary, after all). ;)  It won't cost you anything but a minute or two of your time - I'd like everyone who reads this post to leave me a comment. 

Like most bloggers, I love getting comments and I really appreciate those who take the time to comment on a regular basis.  But I know there are a lot of people out there who read and never comment.  So, take the plunge today and do it!  And please, comment here and not on Facebook (not that I don't appreciate the FB comments as well, but I prefer having comments on the blog, so I can look back and read them together).  So what should you say in your comment?  Well, you can just say hi, or if you're really adventurous, I'd love it if you told me how long you've been reading my blog and how you came across it.  If you've never commented before and you're not sure how to do it, here's how...

At the bottom of this post, click on the link to "comments" (it may say "post a comment" or "2 comments" or something like that).  A pop-up window will appear.  Type your comment in the box where it says "leave your comment".  Beneath that it says "choose an identity".  You can sign in with a Google or OpenID account if you have one, or you can just leave your name/URL (don't worry if you don't have a URL, you can just leave your name).  You could also select "anonymous" and include your name in the comment box (please leave a name!).  After you put in your name, you can click preview or publish.  After that you may have to prove you're a human by typing some letters into a box (I can't recall whether I have that function on or not), and that's it! 

"Easy peasy" as Annika would say. :)

Lent: week 2

I've had another good week of giving up clutter.  It feels so good to be getting rid of the "unimportant" (aka clutter and garbage) from our home, and getting things put into their proper places.  It's slow, but I'm working steadily, so I feel like I'm making good progress, even though most of it is visible to only me.  Improvement in this one area has also encouraged me to make improvements in other areas of my life - I'm doing general cleaning more regularly, I've baked 3 times this past week (I try to aim for once a week, and usually fail), and I've been feeling good mentally and spiritually.  I've been setting aside time each day for Bible/devotional reading and prayer, something that has gotten sorely neglected in the past, I'm sad to say.  However, now I've been using some of my "quiet" time in the afternoons (after I've finished my decluttering time but before checking email/Facebook) to be with God.  I'll be honest, it's not an automatic habit yet.  My first inclination is still to just veg out in front of the TV or computer.  However, that's part of my Lenten journey - to break old habits and create new ones.  It just takes time.

I've also been feeling pretty good physically, as I try to wear my "new-to-me" shape-up sneakers (I got them at a clothing exchange) while I do my cleaning and decluttering.  They're like the Sketchers shoes with the unbalanced bottom, but they're not actually Sketchers brand.  They make my legs work a little harder when otherwise they wouldn't be doing much (dusting doesn't tax your legs much!), and I'll admit, I had sore muscles after the first few times I wore them.  I also ran on the treadmill the other day, which I haven't done for some time.

So here's how I'm doing on my decluttering list:

• Recipe binder (it's a disaster! I'd like to get it all organized and come up with a system for meal planning)
• Office
  • Kids' craft stuff
  • Drawers
  • Filing cabinet
  • Bookshelf
• Laundry room
• Email inbox
• Annika's closet
• Emmett's closet
• Our closet
• Our bathroom
• Kids' bathroom
• Front closet
• Back closet
• Upstairs closet
• Kitchen cabinets/drawers
• Pantry
• Fridge
• PVR (need to delete some old shows)

And here's a few more to add to the list:

• Kids' toys (this is a BIG one - how could I forget it on the first list??)
• Guitar music binder
• Sewing stuff
• Freezer
• Main floor bathroom

My main project from the past week was the bookshelf in the office (which also doubles as a craft/play room for the kids - Annika calls it her office).  I should've taken a "before" picture - it was a disaster.  It's not completely finished yet (still a few things to sort and put away), but it's a hundred times better than before, and I can live with what's left.  If you're wondering why there are so many empty shelves, it's because I really can't put anything small or light on the bottom 2 rows of shelves, thanks to curious little hands (and I just discovered that Emmett can pull things off the next row up as well, so we'll see how long before all the books are on the floor).  So that's another reason why I'm not too concerned about it being perfect - I know it won't stay that way for long. :P  I need to finish Emmett's "first year" picture frame (I'm still missing the last 3 months) and then I want to hang both of the kids' frames upstairs by their rooms.  Also, the large basket is filled with stuff that Carey will need to sort through at some point.

If you're thinking "wow, she only got one bookshelf sorted in a whole week - how slow is she?", you should know that I'm very disorganized when it comes to organizing.  I do a little here, a little there, I go to a different room to put something away and get side-tracked by a project in there.  So, I am making progress, but it's slow and it's a little all over the place.  Not everything is ready to be photographed and shared yet.  But it's happening.

Oh, and my organized laundry room from last week?  It's still organized!  Yay!!

All about Emmett

This post is all about Emmett, because he's awesome and he's been changing so much in the past month.  His little personality is really coming out, he's learning new things every day and it's so fun to see.  He'll be 15 months old tomorrow.

Walking
Emmett took his first steps a week ago, and then decided never to do it again. ;)  Seriously, I still don't have a picture or video of him walking.  He did it a few times and then wouldn't do it anymore.  Just spaghetti legs.  Yesterday and today he's taken a few steps again, so maybe he's decided that it's not so bad.

Reading
Emmett has suddenly developed a love of books (why couldn't this have happened before our plane rides??).  Up until lately he had very little use for books, other than to chew on them.  However, now he loves looking at the pictures, and he loves to be read to.  He'll even crawl into your lap with a book and snuggle in to listen (sometimes - there are times when he still can't sit still).  He always has to have a book to look at during diaper changes, and he's very particular about which book.  If I give him the wrong book, he'll scream and point until I get the right one.  Same with before bed.

Growing
He hasn't gained much weight (only about a pound in the last 3 months), but he's definitely getting bigger.  I haven't measured him lately (maybe I'll do that when he wakes up from his nap), but I can tell from his clothes. Shirts are getting tight, pants are getting short and it's a good thing that winter is almost over because he'll soon be too big for his one-piece snowsuit.  I'm thinking this growth spurt is perhaps why he's been taking 3-hour naps lately (not that I'm complaining!).

Teething
Emmett's teeth have been very slow to come in. Until this past week he only had 2 teeth on the bottom and 4 teeth on the top. However, now his top molars have just started coming through and it looks like the bottom ones won't be too far behind (his gums are pretty swollen-looking).  Fortunately teething has been relatively kind to him.  Other than the fact that he usually gets a runny nose just before a tooth comes in, things have been fairly decent (although I hesitate to say that - am I jinxing it??). ;)

Learning and exploring
It seems like he's learned so much lately.  He can wave goodbye (that he learned a while ago), blow a kiss, and point to his nose, toes, hair and belly button.  The belly button one is really cute, because if he's wearing a onesie and can't lift up his shirt, he'll put out his hands, palms up, like he's saying - "where'd it go???"  He also loves to climb - one of his favorite spots is the ottoman next to the window.  We originally put it there to block the floor vent, when he was constantly pulling them open and trying to put things down there, but now he likes to climb up there and look out the window.  He's only fallen off once. ;)  He also loves to do stairs - he's pretty good with going up, but down is a bit shaky.  I still keep the stairs gated.

First words
He says a couple words, but they don't quite sound like the real words yet.  However, I'm going to count them as his first words, because he uses them consistently and correctly.  He says "bye" (it comes out "bah") and "book" (it comes out "buh" - a subtle difference, but it's there).  He can say "mum-mum" and "da-da", but I think those are still just babble noises, rather than real words, because he doesn't seem to connect them to us or use them consistently.  Mostly he still just grunts and points.

Personality
Emmett seems to be more outgoing than Annika ever was (or is).  He loves to flirt with old ladies especially.  It's quite funny sometimes.  When we were in Florida, having breakfast at Denny's, he yelled (yes, literally yelled) at a table of old ladies a few tables down from us until he got their attention and they started waving and smiling at him.  And of course, he returned the smiles and waves. :)  He also has his favorite Sunday school teacher, and he loves giving high-fives and "knuckles" to all our friends at church.  The last time we left him at home with one of his aunties, he had no problem with saying goodbye to us (not a tear - he actually looked quite happy to see us go), although he will still cry occasionally when I leave him in the nursery at Y Neighbours.  I think seeing his personality develop is perhaps the most exciting thing of all.  He's really becoming a little person, and not just a blob that eats, sleeps, cries and poops.  I love this stage. :)