Much like Emma Woodhouse in Jane Austen's "Emma", I love to make plans. I don't always follow them, but I sure do enjoy making them. Schedules and routines are some of my favorite plans to make and what better way is there of finding new schedule ideas than peeking into the schedules of four moms with a total of thirty-five kids.
The moms linked below have kindly offered a view into their lives and detailed their daily schedules:
I suddenly feel a planning yen coming on.
Last Friday, I ended up at the local Target with my daughter and my Father-in-Law. Not a normal shopping experience for me, but FIL needed to buy a baby shower gift and daughter and I were along to help. Daughter and I basically picked the whole purchase out, but we didn't mind. We even had a bit of fun.
Anyway, as FIL was getting his bearings, I flitted like a nesting bird with ADD over to the Dollar section. Is there shiny? What is that pretty thing over there?
I spotted something, loved it, put it in my basket, and then took it out again. With the temorary mental powers of Einstein, I realized that this item must come home with me - for the betterment of mankind.
So, what was it?
This.
Isn't it lovely? Yes, I bought four TV trays and I am just a wee bit in love with them. I might even be planning an elopement soon.
Sturdy with a nice lip around the edge and only $2.50 each.
We watch a lot of TV together in the Family Room while we eat (oh, shame upon me) and these are very helpful.
They remind of school trays, but so much better. If my school trays had looked like these, I might not have minded the mystery meat so much.
I've posted photos before of the Green Cabinet in our Dining Room, but I don't think I've ever shown the inside of the cabinet.
Here is the Green Cabinet shown again standing in the corner with our wine rack which holds decorative bottles.
The cabinet holds some of our school supplies but had gotten quite messy lately. I decided this week that it had to be tidied. Let's take a look at the results.
Not perfect, but better. I really should have taken a before photo.
Shall I tell you about each shelf?
Here are the top three shelves:
The top shelf holds two free brass planters - one with colored pencils and the other with markers. I plan to spray paint these planters soon. I'm thinking a blue or green.
The second shelf holds pens and pencils. The white milk glass cup holds pens and highlighters. Ten years ago, it held toothbrushes in our bathroom. The large white jar used to be part of a kitchen canister set and now holds our unsharpened pencils. The blue star tin cup is where we keep the sharpened pencils and erasers. The tin cup is from Target's dollar section.
The third shelf holds our stapler and tape dispenser. The white tub has our scissors, staple remover, calculator, hole puncher, and compass, but it held baby wipes long ago. It was long, long ago because my youngest child is nearly twelve-years-old. This sturdy container has been very useful all these years.
The fourth shelf has a large, blue metal bin from the thrift store with all of our crayons in it. The little blue tins has our Crayon Twistables. It came from Target just like its twin above.
On the fifth, and bottom, shelf we have our watercolor pencils, a box of index cards, and our index card binders. The box for the index cards actually was part of a small paper shredder years ago. The part that sat on top broke ages ago, but I saved the the hard plastic box and it has been very helpful.
So, that's my tour of the Green Cabinet. I hope you enjoyed a look inside this useful (and free) piece of furniture.
I suppose I should have known, but I didn't. Obviously, I should pay better attention because I was simply shocked to find out...that the IKEA chalkboard is magnetic. This will really transform our lives. How? I have no idea, but a magnetic chalkboard is an amazing feat of technology and I must reap the benefits - whatsoever they may be.
Above you can see my overachieving chalkboard working her heart out by holding a Columbia Restaurant magnet while simultaneously displaying fractions AND guarding our clothespin doll collection. Quite the skilled kitchen helper, isn't she? She definitely deserves a gold star.
Look what I got this weekend. H and S built me sewing cubbies and I am so glad to finally have a place for everything and everything in its place.
I was also productive. I whittled three large Rubbermaid containers, a laundry basket, and a baker's rack down to what you see in the cubies.
Even though my sewing desk is in the family room, I now feel as though I have a real space of my own in which to be creative.
On the top, you see candle holders from H last Christmas, a basket for my camera, the Royal Game of Ur we made, the children's woodwind instruments, my nature study box.
In the middle, you see cloth, a round tin of pants' patches, a square tin of trims, a picnic basket of ribbons, my white sewing basket, my brown crochet basket.
On the bottom, you see a picnic basket of quilting pieces, a crocheted bag of buttons, my craft books, a pink bag of crochet pieces, a hat box of cross stitch and embroidery thread and hoops.
I'm really excited. Can you tell?
H also built cubbies for S's bedroom closet, which made it possible for S to finally clean his room. It turns out there's a floor in there. Who knew?! Sorry, no picture.
And for a finale, H and D built this late yesterday:
Nope, not a furniture crate. It's the frame of a window seat - with lots of storage space. Ever since H built our family room, I have wanted a window seat in this spot and soon I'll be able to sit and watch the birds visit our birdfeeder. The storage space will, of course, allow me to hide a multitude of crafting materials. ;)
I have no idea what made H so industrious this weekend. I suppose it must have been the turn in the weather. Whatever it was, I sure do appreciate it.
H wakes me up, otherwise I'd sleep 'til 10. S wakes up on his own and he wakes his sister. H finishes getting ready. I make the bed, get the morning medicines out, and start the coffee.
We all kiss him goodbye and wave through the window as he drives away.
I drink coffee, eat breakfast, read news, check email, Twitter, & Bloglines / Kids eat breakfast, read news (D), and play on their computers.
The kids take morning showers now.
I explained our Morning Time back in July.
First, Language Arts is Intermediate Language Lessons for both kids. Then, math for D is Saxon 8/7 and math for S is Scott Foresman Grade 5 Mathematics. Some days the children complete a worksheet or math puzzle instead.
We read aloud our together books: Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History,Streams of Civilization by Mary Stanton and Albert Hyma, The New Nation by Joy Hakim, The Ultimate Atlas of the World by Philip Steele, Plutarch's Lives, Shakespeare, and Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock. I keep our Read Alouds (and Morning Time books) in a large metal tub next to the couch so that they are at hand when get comfy.
I have a folder for each subject and keep all the folders in a basket. When I come across articles or worksheets, I place them in the pertinent folder. I let the children choose their work from the folders during this hour.
We have many puzzles in envelopes in another basket. I explained about our puzzles last September.
We tried and tried to keep our lunch break to 30 minutes, but we find we need more time, especially if we need to cook lunch from scratch instead of heating up leftovers. We often watch a previously recorded TV program along with our lunch.
Now is the time for children to complete their math and English if they have not already. Generally, this is when the children work on projects of their own choosing. Some days they spend their Independent Time on Independent Reading (independent reading which must be completed by the end of the Term) or on Free Reading (extra books not required for school but still very educational). Some times I hijack this time period for a Read Aloud and they listen to me while they work on quiet projects, such as sewing. Independent work must have educational value. If good choices are not made, I will make choices for them.
Chores divided betwixt the three of us.
H comes home.
I like computers to be off during this time. This rule encourages the children to work on projects or play with toys they would ignore if a computer game was available.
We almost always eat at 6:30. I plan quick meals that take between 30 and 60 minutes to fix.
Many nights it is spent on television or computers. Our television is almost always educational or old movies, although we also watch a lot of Stargate and America's Funniest Home Videos. Often basketball or football is played in the summertime.
I go to bed sometime between Dinner and 12:00 - often at 11:00. If I don't feel well or am tired, I may end up in bed before the children. The children and I like to read in bed. They can stay awake as long as they are quiet. Many nights, D will stay awake reading or sewing in her bed. S likes to sleep.
I spotted this plate and three others recently at Goodwill. Do you think it looks like a sunflower? I do. Oddly, the design is called "Casablanca" and it was made by the Royal China Company. I think Casablanca was a terrible name for this design. Someone gets a naming fail.
I found a little bit of information on Royal China online.
In 1934, the Royal China Company began production in the old E. H. Sebring China Company plant located in Sebring, Ohio. Early production included dinnerware patterns in groups called "series." The patterns in a series varied from year to year. Also, shapes within a series were not always the same and the same pattern was often used in several series. Therefore, determining what pieces were made in early patterns is quite difficult. Also, fire in 1970 that destroyed all of the early records, has impeded researchers in their efforts to piece together the history of this company. Numeous collectors are interested in three colonial-style dinnerware lines produced by Royal China. These are "Currier and Ives," Colonial Homestad and Old Curiosity Shop. "Currier and Ives" is colored transferware on an ivory background that was adapted for Royal China use by Gorden Parker. It was introduced in 1949 and continued to be sold into the 1980's. Colors made include blue, green, brown and pink. Large department store retail outlets and catalog giants such as Sears and Montgomery Ward helped to make this pattern tremendously successful for Royal. The pattern was also distributed as a premium through the A & P Grocery chain. Gorden Parker also designed Colonial Homestead and Old Curiosity Shop. Colonial Homestead was introduduced in the early 1950's and was still being sold by Sears in the late 1960's. Old Curiosty Shop was sold primarily during the 1950's. The Royal China Company bought the French-Saxon China Company of Sebring in 1964. This plant was initially operated as a subsidiary company, but it became the center of Royal China operations after the fire in 1970. In 1969, the Jeannette Corporation bought Harker China and Royal China. Royal China assumed control of Harker production until that plant closed in 1972. The Jeannette Corporation and all of its holdings was bought by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York in 1976. In 1981, Royal China was sold to the J Corporation, a group of private investors from Boston. Another change of ownership came in 1984 when the plant was sold to Nordic Capital of New York. The Royal China name was retained through all these changes of ownership. By 1986 the company was no longer in production.
The information for this article was taken from the book "Lehner's Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain, and Clay" by Lois Lehner. This book has a wealth of information on pottery companies and should be in every dealers library.
My plates were a dollar a piece and I'm quite happy with them. I've also warned the household as to how unhappy I'd be if a plate met an untimely end. Fair warning, ya'll.
Wow, how long has it been since I posted a Menu Plan? Seems like forever. Don't worry; I've had menu plans. They just never made it online.
When I do my fortnightly grocery shopping, the two-week menu is written on the grocery list. After grocery shopping, I fold the paper with the menu showing and pin it to the side of the fridge or tuck it in my main (and much-loved) cookbook, "Saving Dinner".
Without further ado, here is this week's menu:
Monday: Hamburger Gyros (called "BBQ Gyros") - p. 247. We skip the olive oil, add a whole cucumber, and add one chopped tomato and feta.
Tuesday: Crock BBQ Chicken, home fries, carrots - p. 223) We prefer to use frozen chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken.
Wednesday: Chicken Lo Mein - p. 226) We use a bag or two of frozen Chinese veggies. Saves some time and gets me my beloved water chestnuts and baby corn.
Thursday: Skillet Pizza - p. 174) Calls for red bell pepper. I often use the canned, which is found in the pickle aisle.
Friday: Indonesian Chicken, rice, broccoli - p. 190. We use breasts instead of thighs and skip the cayenne pepper. We fix this with creamy or chunky peanut butter. The peanuts in the chunky add a nice crunch. A lot of times, we mix the broccoli in with the Indonesian Chicken sauce. Tastes great. We also add a bit more peanut butter than is called for. If your sauce gets too thick, just thin it with a bit of water.
I write my alterations on the recipes, crossing out ingredients and adding others in the margins. I also rate recipes on a star system. One=good, two=great, three=wonderful. And I note if certain family members love or hate the recipe.
So, what's your menu plan?
The hot colors of 2009 have been announced and Sunshine Yellow is numero uno. I don't hold much stock in style trends, but I do suspect these "experts" got their ideas from hanging around my house. *wink*
Other 2009 colors are moss green, lavender, gray, earthy brown, beach tones, sky blue, and (Heavens forbid) dusty rose. Somewhere around 1988 to 1990, I had an entire room of dusty rose. It was lovely and screamed estrogen-filled thirteen-year-old. As the stylists say though, don't follow a fashion trend twice.
Hyperbole? I think not. I only received two presents for Christmas and this is the saga of Macy's poor quality merchandise and poorer still customer service.
My dear husband who loves me wanted me to have new cookware for Christmas. He found a coupon for and good deal at Macy's (though we prefer JCPenney's) and purchased Macy's own line of cookware: Tools of the Trade Cookright.
The day after Christmas, we had the ceremonial disposal of the old cookware and I opened the new box. Inside I found a skillet (or frying pan for those North of the Mason Dixon line) which was stained orange. Oh dear! Never fear, my husband called the store, took the skillet away, and came home with a shiny new skillet.
So, I cooked, but to my dismay, my cookware changed colors.
Yes, I kept the stove on Low to Medium. Yes, I always keep food or liquid in the cookware while it's cooking.
I used three skillets and one pot and three out of four changed colors inside.
On New Year's Eve, we took the box back to the store, but while I boxed the cookware up, I noticed a thing that didn't belong: a Martha Stewart strainer!
Things were not as they should be at the store either. Instead of listening to our problem, George repeatedly told us to purchase a much more expensive cookware set. I think my husband would have done so, but I said it was not fair to have to spend more money just because the product doesn't work. We left with a new set of Cookright and a bad taste in our mouth.
At home, my husband emailed the company as they request on their receipts. We have had no response.
I hoped the new set would be better.
Alas, it was not.
This is after turkey bacon and scrambled eggs.
Again, my husband and I went to Macy's. This time we asked for a manager.The manager drummed his fingers on the counter while I told him of our past experiences. He then offered us one other brand as a replacement. However, the new set was not at all equal to what we were returning: fewer pieces, metal instead of glass lids, shorter diameter on each piece.
My husband and I are not difficult customers; we just wanted some cookware so we accepted the replacements. We were made to feel like we had no other options.
Of the whole experience, it was the customer service, not the cookware, which was so unbearable. I can't imagine why anyone would shop at a department store with worse customer service than Walmart. We certainly won't be going back.
In a poor economy, good deals and friendly service can increase a company's sales. It's a shame Macy's doesn't seem to understand that.
Yesterday, I mentioned my recent Bronchitis diagnosis. I'll live. My doctor has got me all drugged up. But how did I get so sick? The AC did it. Yeah, my air conditioner had a hit list - with me named at the top.
Last week, the air conditioner drainage pipe clogged up and I found a wonderful post online with instructions for removing the clog. Just suck it out with a shop-vac. So easy. Thanks again, Frugal Dad. Turned out, though, that our clog was a massive, gelatinous mold. Sorry no photos. I'm really doing you a service here. One family member gagged when viewing said mold. No, it wasn't me.
Ever Google "air conditioner mold"? You get hits on Legionellosis. That's Legionnaire's Disease. Pretty scary stuff when you're already coughing up a lung. Naturally, you can understand why I would believe my illness was caused by that mold. Yes, I'm aware that I'm a cyberchondriac. However, you can't fault my logic: I became very ill and harmful mold was living in my house. Cut and dry case is my world.
Therefore, my Public Service Announcement is keep those AC drainage pipes clear. And beware the gelatinous mold.
Do you remember my homemade laundry powder? I didn't like storing it in the cracker tin very much, so I've moved it to this old jar.
Originally, this jar held biscotti from Sam's Club. It was someone's gift to my In-laws one Christmas. When it was empty, they passed the jar along to me. That was many years ago. I promptly did my first stencil work - in the form of a yellow rose - on the wooden lid . For years, the jar held seashells - first, inside the house and, later, on the front porch.
One day recently I was looking around the house for a better laundry powder container and rediscovered this jar. With a good washing, it was ready for its new home atop my dryer. The scoop inside was from an empty Oxy Clean container.
Though the jar is glass, it is heavy and not moved around, so I am not worried that it will break.
Now, I have an eye-pleasing laundry aid which cost me nothing and makes me smile every time I put a load of clothes to wash.
Housekeeping
Cooking
Homeschooling
Crafts
Faith
Holidays
Seriously. Some guy lives in a fantastic, modified garbage truck. Visit Apartment Therapy for lots of photos. This thing looks so good.
I want to know, though, how he got the stinky out?
Water - at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days
-- non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
-- foods for infants or the elderly
-- snack foods
-- non-electric can opener
-- cooking tools / fuel
-- paper plates / plastic utensils
-- insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.
-- proper identification / immunization records / medications
-- ample supply of food and water
-- a carrier or cage
-- muzzle and leash
From the National Hurricane Center.
On today's hurricane preparedness agenda:
