It's a new year....

I'm sure the few people that actually follow my blog and check it every now and then are wondering if I fell off the face of the earth.  Sometimes I feel like I have that's for sure.  Lots and lots going on personally, with the business, with school and let's don't forget the extracurricular activities the kids are involved in.  But I think 2013 is going to be better.  I am in an organizing campaign around our house and it might take me until 2014 to get my ideas actualized but at least I'm heading in the right direction.  Organization makes me feel less stressed and happy.  I always have good intentions of doing things and goodness knows I pin tons of organizational ideas on Pinterest but it seems like life comes at you fast and I always save those ideas for another day.  No more I say!  Already this week I've cleaned out and reorganized the kids bathroom cabinet  (that kind of thing is always good to do when they aren't here because I get to throw much more away when they aren't around! :-), sorted a huge stack of paperwork so it can be filed easily and bought over the door shoe organizers to put in the playroom closet to put all our little art supplies in.  Now everyone can see them and get to them easily.  I'm on a roll people!  Next I'm going to set up a table in the playroom so I can scrapbook and finally get Elisabeth's Lifebook started. The girl is going to be 18 before I ever get it finished!




I have also been reading the book "Cleaning house" by Kay Wills Wyma.  I like it!  I am modifying the plan slightly but basically I am trying to teach my children to not feel like they are entitled.  Entitled to leave their room a complete wreck (which makes mommy go postal), entitled to leave their clothes, dishes and toys whereever they want thinking mommy or daddy will pick them up, entitled to think they can wreck the bathroom and leave it a disgusting mess and think I'll just come and clean it up OR entitled to think the laundry fairy will magically get all the clothes and bring them downstairs, wash them and ever so neatly put them back in their drawers and closets.  Yeah.  Not happening!  I think I owe it to my kids to teach them responsibility and how to do things around the house and make good decisions.  I am not perfect at this by any stretch of the imagination but I realize that one day they will move out and my hope is that we will have taught them some basic life skills on how to survive on their own, make decisions based on priority and save and tithe a portion of their money.  This is no easy task but money does motivate them a bit (most of the time) so they have to work (and have a happy heart while doing it) to keep their monthly allowance of money.  So far it's going well.  I am going to add a new skill in February.  I think it's going to be  how to properly clean a bathroom that will pass mommy's inspection.  Cleaning toilets and all.  That should go over well.  Wish me luck!

Hopefully towards the end of February and into March our skill will be gardening and how to plant and take care of one.  We don't have much space for anything big but I have a space picked out where they can plant some flowers, tomatoes and a few herbs and vegetables.  They will have to help research the plants we want to plant and if they are suited for the soil and sun we have in the garden area, help prepare the area and get it ready for planting, plant everything and keep it alive.  I think it should be fun!  And I'm sure I can find some weeds to pull and flowers to deadhead somewhere in there too.

I've got to get back to organizing......I'll write more soon.......