On Snow Days and Home Days Around the House

In winter, there are many home days, cold days and snow days.
Some days seem to be full of tantrums and time-outs.

Other days seem to be full of perfect playtimes.

Most days are somewhere in between.

This is glimpse into our home life on these mornings.  Peek in our window, and you might see:

Buddy Bear drawing at the chalkboard,

or E-Bear practicing his letters.

You may hear Buddy Bear serenading me with his music,

or presenting his artwork.

You may receive a morning snack from Chef E-Bear.

If the snow piles high in the yard and school is cancelled,

we may be fortunate enough to have G-Bear home for the day.

"Mommy, you are the teacher today!"

"Time for recess outside," I say.

When we come in from the cold, it is time to make play dough.

My favorite recipe for play dough is here.  It takes about 5 minutes to make.

The play dough is warm when it comes off the stove.  It feels so good on our cold hands.

It makes us all happy.

By the way, has anyone seen J-Bear??  If she isn't in her highchair eating Cheerios,

 then she must be in the playroom in her favorite spot, the music shelf.

Of course, we have time outs and potty training time and story time and lunch time and quiet time and learning time too.  Ann Voskamp has written, "Homemaking is about making a home, not about making perfection.  A perfect home is an authentic, creative, animated space where Peace and Christ and Beauty are embraced."  I have tried to make that a reality for my kids this winter, remembering especially that 'love is patient.'   These winter days are full and wonderful.  I thank God for every one. 

Happily Ever Reviews: My Dear Friend, Robie the Robot

I really like a clean house.  Obviously, this is a challenge with four kids ages six and under.  Right now, since we don’t hire any cleaning assistance, most of the work of keeping a clean house falls to me.  While there are many aspects of a clean house to which I aspire, dirty floors are my particular peeve. Nothing distracts me like crunching cheerios underfoot or soggy rice stuck to my socks.  

When it comes to cleaning our floors (a mix of carpet, hardwood and tile), I try to vacuum the whole house one a week, but unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.  On a daily basis, the more pressing situation is in our kitchen and dining room.  We have a counter in the kitchen where our kids eat breakfast and lunch, but we eat all of our family meals in the dining room due to space constraints.  T was shocked earlier this fall when I told him that I was sweeping the kitchen floor 2-3 times a day (is there any end to the granola, bread crumbs and couscous bits that kids can drop on the floor?).  Sweeping the dining room is time consuming because of all the chairs that need to be moved.  Neither floor cleans well with our upright vacuum, because the vacuum tends to spread stuff around the tile kitchen floor and the wood dining floor rather than vacuuming it up. 

So this fall, T proposed the Roomba iRobot as a way to ease the burden of (and perhaps my perseveration over) the messy floors.  The Roomba iRobot is a robotic floor vacuum that comes in several different models costing anywhere from $300-700.  I’ll admit that at first I was skeptical and not very interested.  After all, we already had a rather inexpensive but fully functional vacuum, and we are not prone to routinely dropping a few hundred dollars on house cleaning tools!  Before I met the iRobot, I thought of it as an expensive gadget that would get in my way and be more trouble that it was worth.  The videos that T showed me always showed the Roomba cleaning spacious, semi-vacant living spaces with nary a toy, cluttered corner, or child in sight (all of which are omnipresent in my house!).  But, T persisted in his generous offers.  Finally, we made a family trip to Bed Bath Beyond with a “20% Off One Item” coupon in hand.  When the BBB sales associate assured me we could return the Roomba at any point if I wasn’t happy with it,  I finally caved.  What did we have to loose? 

T and the kids couldn’t wait to put “Robie” to work when we got home (they had already named it on our way home from the store).   The iRobots work with the help of light-sensor technology and have the ability to “learn” their surroundings over time.  At first, we noticed that Robie would run headlong into walls and chairs. Over time, the semi-random pattern of vacuuming became more methodical, and it started slowing in front of walls and encircling chair legs.  Robie has a spinning brush that helps move stuff from its margins into the vacuum, which helps it clean corners and other tight spaces.  I was impressed that Robie’s low profile (about 4” in height) allowed it to successfully clean under our beds, couches, and around our radiators, which are areas that I am unable to reach with our upright vacuum.  Robie even dragged out a few lost toys from under the couch!  It did a great job on the hard floors and was able to detect especially dirty spots that needed more attention.  When it finished, Robie found it’s docking station and went into sleep mode.  T pulled out the collection compartment to empty it, and we were both amazed at the amount of stuff it had picked up.  T pointed out that if I wanted, iRobot could be programmed to vacuum at specific times during the day.  Swoon.

Now, several weeks into our iRobot experiment, I have to admit I am hooked on Robie.

~ T now moves our kitchen stools and puts Robie to work in the kitchen as we leave for school/work in the morning.  It is such a treat to arrive home to clean floors. 

~If I set Robie to work at the start of afternoon rest time (it is quiet enough that it doesn’t wake the sleeping younger children), it can do a superficial clean around dropped toys and book piles in our living and dining rooms while I work on other projects or obligations.

~T will set Robie to work after dinner while we put the kids to bed, and by the time we arrive back downstairs, the floors are clean. 

~My favorite part is that T (my gadget lover) often offers to take over “Robie Duty” when he arrives home from work or on weekends.  I’ll take any vacuum that makes cleaning more appealing to my husband and kids.

~Robie successfully avoids falling down our stairs and has amazed me with its ability to avoid entanglement.  There is no need for me to watch over or attend to it like a wandering toddler!

In sum, I give our iRobot five stars.  Robie was certainly a splurge, but one that is making our daily and weekly life easier and more sustainable.  For me, it was a perfect Christmas gift.  Thanks to my sweet T for his great suggestion and gentle persistence.  And tonight, thanks to Robie for my clean kitchen floor.

On Guys weekends, breakfast biscuits, mom's group and Robie the iRobot

I am going...to miss T during his annual Guys Weekend coming up.  He has planned the group gathering again this year.  While it is always a lot of work and sacrifice to make it happen, it is always a weekend that blesses him and our family.  He comes back refreshed and encouraged, supported and challenged, a stronger husband and father.  I am so grateful that these wonderful Christian men continue to be part of T's life.

I am hoping...for the success of a new mom's group that is starting at our church.  I am helping to arrange childcare at our house once a month for all the pre-schoolers and toddlers of the mom's who attend the group.  I am hoping this will free moms up to attend the group, facilitate friendships among these great kids, and not result in the crumbling of our home ;).  Today, we hosted three caregivers and ten kids, ages 18 months to 5 years, and it was great!  The kids read a story, did crafts, sang songs and had snack and playtime, while we moms discussed the great topic of gift giving all by ourselves.  I am praying that these mornings will be a blessing to both kids and moms, to help us all in our walk with the Lord and each other.

I am learning...to make biscuits--real, southern style biscuits.  I have tried and failed numerous times since T and I got married, to my great disappointment.  T loves biscuits, thanks to his Grandma Cookie's awesome baking skills and general upbringing in the South.  But, he has had to settle for the refrigerated dough type.  Until now, that is.  I think I may have found the recipe we've searched for, thanks to Southern Living Magazine, and I think I have figured out the technique (fingers crossed!).  Last weekend, we celebrated Nana's arrival with breakfast biscuits!  Hooray!  They tasted great and looked like the real thing.  Now if only I can do it again this weekend....

E-Bear and I celebrate buttermilk biscuit success.

Around the house...we have a new friend, "Robie" the iRobot.  Robie came highly recommended by Aunt A, and now I know why.  He is a great new buddy to have around the house.  I wasn't so sure I would like him.  T, however, made the recommendation when he heard how often I was sweeping the kitchen floor on a daily basis.  Now, Robie keeps me company nearly everyday during afternoon rest time.  He follows me around, vacuuming, as I pick up the toys, books and chairs in his path.  He also works hard when I leave to pick up the kids or run errands during the day.  While we are still experimenting, I think he's a keeper.  He's much cheaper than a cleaning service and has far fewer side effects than the caffiene I would need if I were try to clean our floors on a daily basis.  Plus, the kids LOVE him!  They love to either sit on the couch and watch Robie work or follow him around the house.  He is quite the pied piper!

I am pondering...when to start J-Bear on solid food.  We are closing in on her 6-month mark, and she is starting to have trouble sleeping at night (because she gets hungry?).  I can't believe I will get to introduce another little soul to the wonderful world of solid food.  Sweet potatoes are looking good right now, so I better start pureeing for sweet J-Bear's upcoming meals.

(Thanks to the Simple Woman's Daybook for the inspiration!)

New life in a new house

 Welcome to our new home!
We'd like to give you a tour of our space.  We are so grateful for it.

We'll greet you in the living room when you arrive.  With our new IKEA lights, it is quite cozy!
The french doors open into the playroom,

which is where you are likely to find the bears.
There is lots of learning and playing to be done in here!

If it is time for a meal, or arts & crafts, we'll lead you to the dining room, right off of the living room.

Here, the bears are often hard at work.

The sliding glass door lead from the dining room to the porch.  From there, you can see our backyard, freshly raked by G-Bear and E-Bear.  The cars are tucked in the garage, leading to the alley.  What a treat to have the cars undercover!

Come back in, and you can leave your shoes on the mat by the backdoor.  Then, come into the kitchen.

I love the south-facing windows that look out into the backyard.  

I can watch the kids playing outside while I cook.  

Behold, our breakfast nook, lunch spot, work desk, playdough center and otherwise all-purpose kitchen counter.  Many nights, we just squeeze together on the stools and eat dinner here too!  The bathroom location is also quite handy.

Time for a look upstairs.

G-Bear said she didn't like the stairs at first.  Too much "up and down for me, Mom," she said.

I think they are lovely.

We'll show you the bathroom where you can freshen up,

and then we'll move down the hallway.

You'll find our room first.  I love the color of the walls, so soothing.  We use the walk in closet as our nursery, which Buddy Bear considers palatial (compared to his bathroom bedroom in our apartment!).

Down the hall is the guest room.  There's not much to look at.  The bed doesn't yet have mattress, and you can see that I am still comparing a duvet cover to see if it matches the walls.  Nana, I promise it will be up, running and super cozy in time for a visit from you!

The bears will be excited to show you the new bunk beds in their room.  They also have a nice reading spot, thanks to the lantern light and rug from our trip to Ikea.  It suits Spiderman quite well, don't you think?

Last but not least, we can take you downstairs to show you the basement, or "Kid's Club," as the bears like to call it.  They assure us that adults are allowed, as long as they are friends.  It's the perfect place to let out some steam!

Thanks for visiting.  We hope to see you soon!  

Prepping for Lent

I have a big decision looming.  

T has been out of town.  

We have had two days of sixty degree weather in a row.  

It is easy to forget than Lent begins next week.  

I find that my Lent is more meaningful if I do a little forethought and preparation.  So today, I laid the groundwork:

Christmas lights still up? 

Took them down.

Moldy fairytale pumpkin hiding on my porch since October,

sorry, buddy, into the trash you go.

The last surviving Christmas books and toys that we couldn't bear to put away in January,

packed away into yet another Christmas treasure box.

The pile of arts & crafts supplies that Baby Bear is always tearing into?

Tucked away into a basket for E-Bear and G-Bear next to their art table.

Today was all about making space to make space.

It is easier for me to pray when my space isn't a mess, and I have a lot of praying to do this week.

The bonus?  T will be so impressed when he gets home.

Why do I have a dishwasher when you are looking at her?

We are definitely home from vacation.  How do I know?  I am doing the dishes.

I always scrape, scrub and rinse our dishes before loading them in the dishwasher.   If I don't, they emerge from the washer with caked-on specks and streaks.  Later, when the washer is finished and we are unloading, we always have a towel in hand because most of the dishes emerge soaking wet.

All of this begs the question, with all of this pre-washer scrubbing and post-washer drying, what is my dishwashing machine accomplishing??  What step am I really saving here?  Why do I have a dishwasher when you are looking at her?

Maybe I'll give our dishwashing machine back to maintenance.  Just think of all the things I could do with more kitchen space.

Good Aim

As seen during a recent trip to a North Carolina boutique:

Perhaps our move next summer will necessitate a new bathroom accessory?

Still having a great time in NC.........