A Craigslist kinda Day

IN the true spirit of Spring Cleaning,
I gathered the "MUST GO'S" together,
and went to Craiglist to get a jump start on
my goal of having a clean garage.

First up:
the old navy blue leather sofa and loveseat
the solid oak entertainment center with ball/claw feet
the red plaid sofa from the basement

I got 6 hits within 10 minutes
and the leather stuff was OUTTAHERE!
The oak center has a "pending pickup" for this week.

Next:
The Trampoline Parts leftover after a windstorm
picked it up and carried it over the neighbor's fence.
The mat was still perfect, as were all of the posts but one.

I got more than 6 hits in 10 minutes on that
and it was gone in 30 minutes.
YES!!!

Next:
a Graco baby carseat/carrier with two bases.
I lost track of how many hits we got on that,
but it too was gone in an hour!

Still on:
Two kids' bicycles, 8 car tires (4 snow),
and the red plaid sofa.

At this rate,
I'll reach my goal next weekend
of a clean garage...
thank you Craigslist!!!

I love the ease of letting things go
to SIMPLIFY my life!!

What about your Spring Cleaning efforts?
Just getting revved up
petered out
or all finished?

February Frost

The kids had fingers and toes crossed last night.
Even as surrounding school districts announced
two hour delays
and closings--
ours had yet to do so.
"C'mon!", The kids chanted before bed,
"Snow Day! Snow Day!"

But by 10pm there was no announcement.

At 5:47AM I got a call saying Seminary was cancelled
because School was closed.
Finally.
I didn't even get up and tell Daisie.
She has a cell phone,
I'm sure she got a text.

The other yahoos slept in
and so did I.

Can't see out the windows,
because they're frosted over so thick.
Weather guy says it's -16 degrees right now.
-35 with the windchill!
May get up to -2 in the "heat" of the day.

I'm hoping the store is closed.
Oh, PattyAnn, it's an Interior Design Showroom.
So I can't think that housewives
are gonna be out and about
with their kids in tow today
at our store, anyway.
But I'm betting the Mall is going to be packed
and
Micky D's playland.

Me?
If work is called off,
I'm inside today--
put on one of my favorite movies,
"Pride and Prejudice",
hot cocoa,
and start a sewing project.

Thanks to everyone whose been so kind and encouraging
with my experience of moving Dean.
I appreciate your compassion very much.

Hope you're warm and safe
wherever you are on this February First.

My Home Is Not A Dump Station

I had a "light bulb moment" this week...
an epiphany,
if you will...
here it is:

Sometimes a home
is mistaken for a
dumpster:
instead of slimy banana peels, wadded up napkins,
used cans of corn and empty bread bags,
there is an attitude of
fussy
whiny
ingratitude.

The realization came when I noticed
la familia
saving their "worldly trash"
for me and our home.

I became sensitive lately to it all...
my socially-polite family
goes out into the world,
functions at their best,
uses their best manners to deflect
awkwardness, rudeness, negativity
and that which isn't deflected
is brought into the front door,
dumped out.
And then--
BAM!
before I know it,
I am covered in the smudge of their lives
outside of my house.

I work hard to make my home
a place
I want to be
and
a place my family wants to be too--
and I realized I don't like it
when my family comes in and
wrecks up the peace!

So, at dinnertime last night,
I spoke to them all about their
dumping habits
and I declared that my home
is
not a Dump Station!

Truly,
I told the family how their dumping affects me
and while I am fine to listen to their trials and challenges,
as in, "I had a crummy day because....",
it is when they come home
snippy
fussy
whiny
that it's not fair to expect me to have to listen to it
and then smile back at them!
If we want our home to be a haven,
it's up to us to create it!
Hear! Hear!
"he that hath ears to hear,
let him hear!"
And you know what?
I think they listened.
Mr. Wonderful agreed that it's hard to go out into the world,
and not bring that negativity back through the front door,
but it's also true
we just don't need that stuff in here.
I'm trying to think of some visual reminder
I can put outside for the yahoos
by the front door
that will help them
leave the
"trash"
outside.
A trash can would look awful,
so I'm thinking
with my thinker
so we'll see.
Any ideas?? Hmmm??

Molly Mormon for a Day

Today I played pretend...
I pretended I was a Molly Mormon.
It was a total hoot!

I got up at five-thirty a.m.
and made eggs and toast and juice
for Daisie
to send her off to Seminary.

Then I got out my sewing machine
and sewed 4 pillow shams
for the Caboose's school teacher
who wanted them for her reading circle.
Forget that she gave me the pillow forms
2 months ago, okay?


While I sewed,
I turned on
"Pride and Prejudice"
to keep me company.

I love that movie.
I am infatuated with Matthew MacFadyen:

I could just lick his face, ya know?

                                   Is it even legal to be this good-looking?

I know all the words in the movie--
well the good ones--



What??


While I sewed,
Nana lay on the deck in the morning sun
anxious to tan her winter skin...
with the door open
so she could hear the movie too.
Silly child.
She wants a Mr. Darcy, most ardently.

Then we took the shams to Mrs. Z who asked
if I'd be interested in making some more--
my head shook "yes"
while my brain was inside screamin'
"nuh-unh!"

After that,
I went to Hobby Lobby
because I'm doing a makeover for my own
family room
which I am way stinkin' excited about.

I (heart) Hobby Lobby--
and missed it something fierce
while we lived in Boise.
I wander down each aisle
and get lost in all the "pretties".

Then I went grocery shopping
and got 10 quarts of fresh strawberries
and 8 pints of blackberries
then I came home and made it all
into preserves!


Is there a cure for Molly Mormon-ness?
or will it go away on it's own?
Yikes.
I'm tired.

Spring Cleaning Ninja-Style

I love to purge.
The less "stuff " I am responsible for, the bettah.

We've been in this house for two years.
There are boxes that haven't been touched
in those 2 years...
until this week.

I made a list.
I'm checkin it twice,
those boxes are on it.

Heads will roll,
toys will fly...
the Garage--my evil nemesis-thorn-in-my-side-dark-hole-of-misfit-toys-and-unwanted-
unused-thingamabobs
WILL BE CLEANED OUT.

My Ninja-skills will be exercised this week
as I clean/ pack/ haul the unwanted items
to Goodwill--
and I dare anyone in this house
to even name a single thing I've removed.
Dare them.
Mr W will notice the new "space"--
but he won't be able to name a thing that's gone.
I always tell him:
"Tell me what's missing, and I'll buy you a new one."
It's been like this for 11 years now.
Same thing for the kids...
Name it, and I'll replace it.

I love clean spaces.
Empty spaces.
I don't like stuff covering every flat surface
or every open wall space.

I used to let the kids go thru their stuff with me.
Big Mistake.
Don't do that.
It'll take you twice as long
and the results won't be nearly as satisfying!
"What?", they say, "we can't get rid of that! I loved that 2 years ago!"
Shoot me now.

No, purging is good for a closet
a drawer
a toy box
and book shelf.
It's good for a basement and a garage too.
Most of all,
it's good for this Ninja-Momza.

Christmas Birthdays

Alot of babies are trying to do their parent's a
huge tax favor
by coming before the end of the year.
There was a birth on
Saturday.
And another yesterday morning,
And yet another later in the day.
We still have one more to come.

When I was a kid
I used to wish my birthday was on
Christmas Day.


As I was driving to the early morning home birth,
it was beautiful.
The landscape was inspiring--
rolling snow-covered hills,
twinkling Christmas lights
beaming from houses and trees
along the way...
so lovely.

The home itself was decked out
for the holidays--
the tree, the lights, even a little pink stocking
with a little "L" on it--
to celebrate a new sweet little girl
arriving in that family!
It just seemed so perfectly suited
for the birth of a child.

For many of us,
we are celebrating the birth of
the Babe in Bethlehem...
the Lord, Jesus Christ
as we light the lights
fill our homes with lovely carolls,
enjoy our family and friends
with gifts and yummies--
reaching outward to show
an inward
gratitude
for the Gift of God...
that began with a little baby
lying in a manger.
But for these families
who have the blessing of a new child
fresh from heaven-
I just can't think of a sweeter gift.
And for these mothers,
they may be relating to Mary
in a new way this Christmas season.

I watched "The Nativity"
with Dani last weekend...
she commented that she has a whole new
appreciation
for what Mary went through---
"I wouldn't want to ride a donkey
while pregnant. All those miles!"
"Can you imagine giving birth in a stable? ugh."
And I was thinking of Joseph too...
We don't know if he had a donkey too,
or if he had to walk the whole way.
I love Joseph's example.

I love the blessing I have been given
to be doing what I'm doing...
helping in any way,
a woman give birth
is the most rewarding thing I can do,
other than being a Mother myself.
I love it.

So Happy Birthday, all you December babies!

Our Family Council

Sometimes
Sometimes
This Momza has to grab the reins
to harness in her family.
Things start going amuck around here

and I start looking for the EXIT signs.

This week has been building up
to one of those
Sometimes...
the kids in my house
showed signs of alien-abduction:
forgetting all good manners,
arguing like OJ Simpson's lawyers ("You must aquit if the glove don't fit!)
and in all other ways
behaving as though they've been raised by wolves.
In Wyoming,
because we all know how they are.

Mornings have been uncivilized...
like prisoners of Azkaban
they begin the day by stating their demands
and clanking their cups on the sideboards,
Whining turns into outright fussing
and fussing mutates into
every manner of rotten-ness...
and there I am in the middle
wracking my brain trying to
say the "magic spell"
that will turn these would-be criminals
into law abiding citizens.

We've had moments of peace--
usually when their mouths are full
or their noggins are resting on their wee pillows
but lately,
I tell you what,
there's been awhole lotta fussin' goin on.
Afterschool has become less
"I'm so glad to see my children,
the offspring of my soul--
to
"Shoot! It's 4pm--they'll be here any minute!
Where can I hide until the madness is over?"

So last night,
I. had. had. it.
"FAMILY COUNCIL AFTER DINNER!"
I announced to the whole house,

loud enough for every unruly ear to hear.

Oh that got everyone's attention...
the "Ugh-Mom's-gonna-lecture-us" moan began.
And guess what?
I didn't care.
I was determined.
In the name of Survival
and Self-preservation
I was thinking
time to take control of this wayward Circus!

So they dragged their guilty bums to the sofa
and laid about like they have no backbones--
just skin-covered forms of children...
I normally pull out a diningroom chair
and sit in the middle of the room,
but this time
I stood up
in front of them
like a force to be reckoned with!

I pulled out my cheatsheet--
the notes I had made earlier,
that had the outline I wanted to follow--
and said
"Is everyone having a good time? Do you like coming home
to a bunch of grouchy people? ...something's off-track around here, and
we need to take a look at what's going on around here.
Does anyone know what respect means?"
Ari raises her hand--she ALWAYS raises her hand--because she is 8. Nuff said.
"Respect is when you are kind to others. It's an IB Attitude. And our house needs to be an IB house not a regliar house! An' I go to an IB school and it's great! An' if I went to a regliar school, I would not like it. But I sit next to Iliana an' she doesn't act like an IB kid, an' Mrs. Z says Iliana has to sit by her at the front until she learns her IB attitudes. SO WE need to be an IB Family!!" (hands waving wildly, body contortions all over the loveseat, where she ends up with her legs wrapped around her neck)

That's right, Ari. We show respect for others when we are kind and when we care about them. We listen to them. We may not agree with them, but we don't shout and we don't hit, but we listen. And we are careful about their feelings, right?

Okay, let's talk about HABITS...Joseph, what's a habit?
He grimmaces.  He's boycotting in silence the meeting as a whole.  He's 10.
Ari raises her hand again.
Okay, Ari, what is a habit?

"Something you do all the time."

That's right, it can be something you do at school too...what's some habits, or things you do every day at school?

"We have bell work--we get 10 seconds to hang our coat, and like 10 seconds to pick our lunch, and we haveta take a seat and do spelling words."

Does anyone ever say they don't wanna do it?
She nods her head, "Oh yeah. Marcus. Every. Day!"
And what happens if he doesn't do it.
"He's in TRRRRRoubbble!"
Does he end up doing it?
Raising her eyebrows, "Oh YEAH."
And who made up the bell work?  Who taught your class how to do that stuff?"

"Mrs. Z. She's so AWESOME! I LOVE HER!"

OK, thanks Bee.  Next I wanna talk about another word
Responsibility.
Dara, what's that mean?
The 14 year old favors a zombie...and mumbles out

"Stuff you have to do."

OKay, and let's think about that for a minute.
Can anyone tell me
What is Dad's number one Responsibility?
Silence.
Dad, what's your first responsibility?

"To take care of my family."

That's right.
We all have responsibilites--
Ari interrupts, "WE HAVETA DO OUR PART!"
she is half-laying on the sofa, upside down.

So we talked about it a bit longer
until I got a verbal commitment
from the whole heehaw gang
that they would try harder.

Hugs all around and they were off like rockets!

And I felt cleansed.
I let go of the reins and sighed relief.

The course correction had been made,
we may just have this Circus
on the right track again.

Are you a Target at Target?

Simplify. We hear it over and over again. And yet, as I blog-hop and get a small peek into other women's homes, I am concerned. Consumerism is intoxicating and suffocating our homes, it seems. We've gone from the desire to create a haven and a refuge from the world for our families, to an ego-driven distraction to out-do one another in creating homes of the Rich and Famous.

Mommas, every day does not have to be a parade. We do not have to have homes that look like they came out of HOUSE BEAUTIFUL to be good homes to raise a family.

Our children can look like children and not like America's Top Model and still be happy. My mom said "You don't have to be rich to be clean." Keep the kids clothes clean and their noses wiped and you're good!--no need to be OCD about it. How do I know this? Because I was an over-acheiving young mother--I sewed alot of my kids clothes to match one another, even sewed Mother-Daughter Easter dresses that took me well into Easter morning to finish! I ironed my sons and daughters play clothes, and tried to coordinate them when we went out in public as though we were going to a photo shoot instead of the mall. I thought that was expected of me. I was so wrong. Then, I discovered Mervyn's--a now-closed store--but one that I loved to shop their clearance racks! So when I sound this voice of reason, it comes from a place of experience! Don't do it! Don't wear yourselves and your wallets out just clothing your kiddos. My youngest daughter wears church dresses that my oldest daughter wore, and 2 other daughters in between. She loves her hand-me-down dresses.
Our Kitchens do not have to be full of "gourmet foods" to be appreciated. I ask our missionaries all the time, what's their favorite dish that their moms make for them. You know what they say? Sunday roast with potatoes and rolls. Chicken enchiladas. Tacos. Easy stuff. Comfort foods. Never once has a missionary said, "This one dish my mom makes that takes her hours in the kitchen, yeah, that's the one!"

Why put the pressure on ourselves to out-do? Excellence does not Equal Exhaustion.

Shopping used to be an activity borne out of necessity once humans no longer grew their own food and substance. Now, it is a bonafide hobby.

LISTEN UP: Target, specifically, caters to young homemakers with their marketing. Each aisle is carefully designed to reflect the current season...the messages perfectly hanging from the ceiling which combine to say, "If you buy this stuff, you and your family will be happier." Think about it. Do you really need a handtowel with easter eggs on it? Does your bathroom floor mat need appliqued snowmen to make your shower somehow better? Will your food taste better if there are 4th of July relics all over the plates, glasses, tablecloth, placemats and stemware? I call it "sucker marketing"...and if you spend alot of time in Target you will come home with something you don't need...everytime.

Good taste is classic.Be careful of where your money goes...is "it" a necessity? Our Bishop just gave us that counsel last month--to be more thoughtful about where our money goes, even if we think we have more than enough to cover being frivilous--it is not what the Lord wants us to do with our resources.

The next time you go to Target (later today--lol), walk into the store with "new eyes"...be sensitive to their marketing...notice the "feeling" they are trying to evoke in their shoppers. Look at the junk in their $1 bins...all of it is color-coordinated by theme to match the rest of the wares they're hocking. Be a smart shopper.

Don't get me wrong, I love Target. If I have to go shopping, I will choose Target over Walmart [usually]for household things. Talking with a friend of mine who was a Marketing Manager for Target stores in the midwest, I told her of my observation that Target uses holidays to manipulate homemakers into buying their wares, and she said, "You got that right. That's exactly what they do. That's why they're called "Target" --they know their demographics." Good to know, yes?

Looking for something to buy just to buy something is habitual. It's an expensive habit.

We are charged to be profitable in our calling as wife and mother...profitable in the sense that our time and resources are used wisely to create a loving, faithful home that releases into the world responsible, faithful, loving citizens who are prepared to take their place in society.

There was a family in our Texas ward years ago--the Cannons. They had alot of kids and little money.

But let me tell you what--they remain in my mind one of the happiest, most well-adjusted families I've ever known. Their manners were impeccable, their countenances glowing, and their smiles unforgettable. They drove a huge white van that had seen better days. Their home was modestly furnished. Bro. Cannon shared his testimony one Sunday and said then that he'd always wanted to provide better for his wife and children, and how grateful he was for their love.

The he said he was the most blessed man he knew. I think he was.

That was nearly 26 years ago. The Cannon's got it.

I also think of Mr Wonderful's Aunt Pauline & Uncle Al in Spokane. We went to their home for a visit a couple of years ago. A lovely home. The dishes we ate off of were at least 40 years old. I'm not kidding! They reminded me of the plates my own mother had when I was a kid. The meal served was simple and nutritious and homemade. They had a garden out back that was the highlight of the trip for my kids--they stayed out there plucking beans and berries for most of the morning. I admire their priorities.

Whenever the "envy monster" rears his ugly head to me, I think of President Hinckley's life and home. Modest. No winding staircases with designer railings and window treatments. Simple.

Efficient. When I think of Sr. Hinckley, I imagine she had her favorite special linens and dishes that she cared for and used up to serve her family. Her home met her expectations. Just like she used her life.

Be wise young Mommas...your legacy will not be how your window treatments matched your lampshades, or if your child's room was a palace, or if all your tupperware matched. Legacies are bigger than that.

I'd really be interested to know if other Momma's agree with my take on this, or if I'm just weird. Comment here, or make your own post on your blog!