Do or Die List

I don't mean that as a threat. I'm about to outline the things that, if not taken care of, will cause great sorrow and gnashing of teeth.

• Laundry
  Why: Stinky clothes piling up everywhere. And when you do decide to tackle it, the result is overwhelming: Mounds of clothes that need to be folded and hung in their proper place.
  Solution: Do a load each day. Period. End of story.
• Bedrooms
  Why: A messy room is a harbinger of disorganization for the rest of the home. It's much more peaceful to sleep somewhere that's put together.
  Solution: Change into PJs as soon as possible! If you're tired, you'll toss your clothes on the ground and that's how it starts. Ask the kids to put things away before bedtime. If there are sets of things with multiple pieces, put them in single containers on a high shelf and do not bring it down until everything else is off the floor. --That my friends, is my greatest tip.
• Shoe storage
  Why: More than just being an eyesore when scores are scattered about, when you can't find a shoe mate and you have to be somewhere at a certain time is maddening.
  Solution: Purchased a shoe rack for the entry closet. Put shoes there. Done.
• Pills
  Why: I hate taking my medicine. If I have to sort through bottles and boxes to get to it, I just won't do it. (Even though it's important for my health.)
  Solution: Keep it organized with bins and labels. 
• Messy cars
  Why: This is something that spins out of control very quickly. Half of the time when I can't find something, it's because it got sucked into the void of our mini-van.
  Solution: Keep at least THREE bags in the car. One for regular trash, the other for gooey stuff (like banana peels), the third for things that need to be brought inside. (In an ideal world, we wouldn't eat in the car(s), but that's just not happening.)
• Receipts
  Why: Receipts have this magical power to always be there when you don't want them, and NEVER there when you absolutely need them.
  Solution: I made a receipt dossier for each car and organized them by the store from which they came. I think this will work.  
• House Projects
  Why: Keeping track of all the things that need to get done and the order in which they are to take place is too much for my mommy brain.
  Solution: Making a list, reviewing it with the hubby, and tackling it in a piecemeal way is better for our sanity. 
• Menus
  Why: Because we have to eat three times a day and if an ingredient is missing we don't eat well. Plus, hunger makes for a cranky family.
  Solution: Write a weekly menu, make an ingredient list, and shop for groceries routinely.
• Commitments
  Why: As if raising kids weren't enough, we sign up for other things or have some assigned deadlines to meet. Not being able to keep promises or make good on commitments feels awful.
  Solution: At least once a week (ideally twice or more) have a family business meeting with the calendars at hand. When something comes up, write it on the calendar immediately, and make a note to self (on the phone, or in a personal notepad).
• Paperwork
  Why: It's a beast. We get mail daily, bring home stuff from work and church, and sometimes this stuff just appears.
  Solution: Sort the mail immediately. Shred and toss often. Go through it at aforementioned family business meetings. This has to become second nature or all is lost. 
• Mornings
  Why: Get up late without a plan and NOTHING gets done.
  Solution: Get up earlier and keep to a routine.
• Sundays
  Why: This is supposed to be a day of rest from the cares of the world. A time to focus on heavenly things. Without some pre-planning, it can instead be hellish.
  Solution: Crock-pot those Sunday meals. Get as much stuff done BEFORE the weekend.

Goodbye First Home: Playroom

Remember this post from a little while back? I'm FINALLY getting around to showing what we did with that spare dump-everything-here room. We did indeed turn it into a playroom, it I count it as one of the best decisions we ever made. Why? Because without it, during the first few weeks of Beanie's life, I would have gone insane. There's nothing like being able to say, "I'm feeding/changing diapers/trying to sleep so could you just go downstairs to play?" Ah, yeah.

Let's jog your memory. This is what we started out with:

BEFORE

From dungeon to playroom!

AFTER

The new playroom is the place to be. It was pretty quick, easy, and cheap to do, too. Moving clockwise from the door, we have the following:

• Role-play area with IKEA Bygel rod and hangers for costumes.
• Food prep station with grocery cart
• Gears and wheels section with "table" made by pushing two bathroon benches together (they were collecting dust in the attic)
• Chalkboard
• Activity table
• Chest o' drawers with educational items inside

Storage and fun go hand in hand

• Not shown above, we also managed to squeeze in this handyman area
• See that big Babar poster, I got it from Goodwill framed for $5. 

We did so well with maximizing space (even the little chairs come with hidden storage) that this room also holds our exercise equipment and a full set of drums! It actually makes me want to kick myself a bit because it took us this long to make this happen and our boy could have been enjoying it for much longer. Oh, and who are we kidding, us parents like to spend time here, too. 

Leepo & Beanie

New Traditions

These boots were kinda meant for walkin'.

I admit to feeling a bit goofy when I'm on a hiking trail in my Sunday clothes, especially when I see sweaty athletes in their gear pass me by. And yet, this is going to be a regular occurrence!

Tim and I decided to take walks as a family after church each week. (I don't know how this will work in the dead of winter, but I'm sure we'll come up with something.) It has been SO nice to get out in nature with the kids, enjoy this beautiful earth we've been given, and talk without interruptions. All too often we're distracted at home with phone calls, Facebook status updates, and chores. Getting outdoors does away with such things. The exercise is a nice bonus, too. Before we leave the house, we try to get something cooking in the crock-pot so that when we return we can have something hearty waiting for us. (Coq-au-vin is a favorite here.)

And to think these moments were few and far between when I was a resident. Have you heard of the term 'Golden Weekend'? In the medical world, that means you have Saturday AND Sunday off. Yes, you read that correctly, a Golden Weekend is what nearly everyone else would consider a regular ol' weekend. As a resident, however, it was the thing of folklore and akin to winning the jackpot.

These days I work weekends on-call about once a month. And when I miss out on our Sunday traditions it leaves a space in my heart that I can't wait to fill in. It's the simple things.

These are the Days

Me and the boy, in the late Spring light

This new phase of life is awesome. I'm still working part-time, but in between this boy gets all of me. It was funny and a bit sad my first days back after the oral Board exam when Leepo wasn't used to my undivided attention. I kept having to assure him that I didn't have to study or drop him off with someone else, and even then he would play by himself out of habit. (A skill, I realize, he will have to keep sharp when the baby comes.)

Now most of my week is filled with moments like the one shown above, and I'm so grateful.