Blitzing is a way of life--even if I'm not reporting on it.

Blitzing. One little commenter said she missed my blitzing posts. O.K. you guys.. is it boring or not boring to hear about someone's big laundry list of "just did these chores" kind of posts?

I would think: boring! You guys are addicted to this insanity that I call my life, and all of the strange people I meet or the dumb things I say (really addicted to the latter..).

And some of you are addicted to the high brow thoughts I have (which occur about once every 3 months) and finished craft projects (about the same), and no one really cares if I'm organized or not.

In fact, I had a conversation with a really organized friend, and I told her "you do the organizing" and "I'll just write about it." LOL.

Blitzing is my survival method. In fact, a really interesting thing for you guys would be for you to WATCH ME on video (sped up) as I toddle out into the kitchen with my hedgehog hair and still in my pajamas and frantically "blitz" the kitchen on Wednesday morning BEFORE I go and teach pilates. I log it as a cardio workout, since I work so hard. (Who the invisible people out there checking invisible logs, anyway?)

In fact, I have to go put down my hair and wash my pits before I go teach exercise class.. (You had to know that, eh?) Especially the pits part. Reminds me of a line from a movie. (Kung Fu Panda) "One does not wash their pits in the pool of sacred tears.." (which is not an endorsement for the movie, but that line was so funny..)

Anyway, you may need to "clean up" after a blitz. Once you learn that you CAN get a lot done in just a short period of time, you'll be addicted to blitzing. In fact, I'm such a lazy bum that I can pretty much do all of my kitchen duties in about an hour in the morning, and let the kids' chores suffice for the rest. If I'm slightly above the lazy bum status on that particular day, I will EVEN start dinner in the morning.. be still my heart.

Just so you don't get the wrong idea, that DOES not happen every day, but it HAS happened, and that counts, you know?

So, it wouldn't kill me to have a menu up once in a while.

I start my menus on Friday, and we've already eaten these foods.

Friday: meatloaf, smashed fingerlings

Saturday: macaroni and cheese from a box (GAH!!!!!!!!) (sewing day--yeah!!)

Sunday: spaghetti and meatballs, bread, salad

Monday: clean out the fridge soup

Tuesday: soft tacos

Wednesday: pasta dish

Thursday: beans and rice

If you would like some information on blitzing, here's the scoop. A past blitzing post that will give you all of the links. Because I'm lazy like that. But you'll love it. Just go there, OK?

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Moms the Word/ Makes my home sing

and Menu plan monday with the Organizing junkie.

Frugal Fashionista Friday II

This is combination craft/ frugal fashionista post.

Do you see this sweater? Well, it was a combination of two sweaters.

(I had a pic of each separately, and they vanished!!) So, one sweater was a purple (cotton blend) crewneck pullover. The multicolored one was a wool turtleneck. The green is fleece on sale from Joann's.

The most obvious question is: why would anyone want to take TWO sweaters and make them into ONE? Isn't that working backwards?? Well, not really. I have three reasons for doing what I did.

1. Both sweaters were too tight and small. I bought them both from thrift stores because I liked their colors, not because they fit so well.

2. Cardigans get worn a lot more often than pullovers. Zippered cardigans get worn outside. So, I knew I'd double my usage if I could make them into one sweater.

3. This project was "screaming" at me since the purples in both sweaters matched perfectly.

So, how did I do it? First I cut right through the center of the purple crewneck. I made plans to enlarge it and lengthen it. The zipper was from a different sweater I cut up for a pair of slippers for my dear old dad..
To a large extent, the length of the zipper determined the length of the sweater.
I tried my best to utilize obvious design details in the patterned sweater. This was probably the hardest part, since the entire thing had to look cohesive as well. The purple at the bottom of the sweater was from a finished edge (sleeve) on the patterned sweater, combined with part of the finished edge (bottom) of the same sweater. the lining is only attached at the top and zipper. I did not want the sleeves lined, and I did not want it attached to the bottom.
You can see how the lining is not attached to the bottom, but it serves the purpose of covering the many seams and adding warmth the sweater. I don't like bulky sleeves, so it was a preference of mine not to line the sleeves.
The hood.

The hood was essentially a design decision, but it is a useful feature. And there was enough for the "matching mittens"--of course.. we need matching mittens!

As you can see, I love wearing it. This was my actual birthday, and my dear hubby brought a cake to Hallstrom and had the kids in the gavel club sing/ eat cake with me.. Here he is--singing away..

What a sweetie!

The rest of these bargains were just "regular" purchases from a thrift store. Each thing was about $2.00 or $3.00 a piece.

The suede-looking coral top below has just beautiful lines.

The lower sweater is 100% cashmere.

The black wool sweater is my latest favorite

The details are very pretty, and it's 100% wool, which you know, scores high in my book.

Frugal and fashion together--oooh what a fun thing. For more of these, check out: Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

I've got joy.. Woo!!

This is my little motivator.. Emily Joy. Hope you enjoy her song!

She came back!!

Even I am surprised at this one. Remember last week, when I so adeptly inserted my foot in my mouth by calling a new pilates student weak and skinny?

Well, she came back!! She was in the front row, even. Thank you, Lord. She was working so hard!! I found out that she's a 21 year old co-op. She's probably used to corporate abuse and being pushed around. Still... I don't like to be rude! I told her that I prefer wearing peppermint socks, since I have to stick them in my mouth so much!

And here's something else that happened today. It's somewhat noteworthy.

So, I'm in the thrift store called "Share Stuff" (For the Rockford locals, they are having a 30% off sale on ALL clothing, and if you spend $25.00, you get a $10.00 gift card!).

Anyway, I was in the Share Stuff thrift store, and I decided to look in the men's department for some pants for my husband. They always label the waist size "34" but you have to hunt to find the length. A woman was looking in the 34's also, and she told me she was looking for jeans.

Me: "Oh, I always end up buying my husband jeans in the retail store"

her: "Oh, where's that?"

Me: (trying to be gracious) "The retail store? You know, any store that is not a thrift store is a retail store.."

her: "So, where is it? I mean, I'm new to this area and all"

Me: (perplexed/ embarrassed) "Well, you could find a lot of retail stores at the Cherry Vale mall, I suppose..like Eddie Bauer, for example..." (I'm really not sure where to go with this conversation..)

her: "Oh you mean a REGULAR store!"

Me: "that's right. Regular." duh.

At that moment I had this strange thought. Does everybody call retail stores "regular" stores? Am I the only one living in this town who uses words like "retail"?? Perhaps all of my blog readers are scratching their heads right now in perplexation wondering why I have such an odd vocabulary! In fact, you were just waiting for someone to straighten me out.

It's probably going to take more than just one adjustment to totally straighten me out, but I think we're heading in the right direction. just saying. retail. harrmph...

The Turquoise Umbrella

What about us normal women?

An actual comment from a reader:

"You are awesome, but much too scary for me. Organizing, teaching pilates, 5 kids, homeschooling? Are you kidding? I'm tired just reading your blog. Seriously, what about us normal women or those stuck in a rut?"

My response: Well, I'm tired just living my life too. Let's all just go take a nap, OK?

Well, let's just get one thing straight here. I did not write this blog to spread my awesomeness around the internet, since there really is nothing to spread around. If I have portrayed that image (the unattainable, perfect image) then I'm doing something wrong, or you haven't read long or hard enough yet.

One thing is for sure. I do not organize, teach pilates, homeschool or anything all on the same day. Hardly a day goes by where I do not need a nap. I seriously wear myself out. But I do have five kids every day, and they can wear me out also.

Organizing: I organize on my stay-at-home days. Generally, I try to get organized for all of the craziness that goes on during the non-stay-at-home days. On a home day, I might: clean, organize, menu plan, cook, or ?? whatever you do when you are home.

Teaching pilates: This is probably the easiest thing I do. I just show up in my workout gear and teach class. They are all adults, and we have fun together. I only teach 3 classes a week, and two of them are on Wednesdays. (Woo Hoo for Wednesdays)

Homeschooling: This is the second easiest thing I do, since I hire this out. I used to teach all of the kids (at the same time). That is stressful and fun, but now I just work with my preschooler a little here and there. The other four kids are taking classes one day a week, and I just supervise/ threaten/ coerce/ etc. Oh, and I'm working on a transcript for our oldest child who is "aiming high" towards a military academy.

Five kids: This isn't such a big deal, except they EAT a lot. It's nothing to spend $200.00 a week on groceries, and that is with many beans and rice meals, homemade bread etc. I end up having to be more purposeful about dinner, since my kids are too busy to eat during robotics season. Joanna is the captain of the robotics team, Jamie is the head designer, and Will is a mentor. If I survive the next six weeks, we'll be back to eating together as a family again...

So, what IS normal anyway? Normal is just doing what needs to be done and working hard doing it. Normal is just not complaining and trying to have a joyful attitude even when things are a little crazy. And I know you guys do that.

In fact, I know people who 1. do a better job with 2. more kids and 3. less resources than we have. So, we really are nothing special. Hurrah for you guys! For all of the "normal" people out there: hurrah for you too! I'm right in there with you.

Introducing the THUMBLE

It's time for a basic low-key post. After all of the ramblings about raising teenagers and the comments therein, I think I now officially know how to increase my traffic--talk about teenagers! Everyone has (good) opinions. They are worth reading. In the meantime, life is back to normal on the ranch.

My butt-kicker has been getting me to work on the quilt again. She's such a tyrant. So, I thought I would try hand stitching. For the record, this is probably going to be my last quilt for a while. I got part of my hand cut by a pin, and the first needle I chose broke on me. And I couldn't find a decent thimble, or any thimble for that matter. So, I started foraging around my craft room, and I found this: A THUMBLE!

It's really the top of a dried out glue stick, and it fits on my thumb just fine. Since I do not plan to quilt for 39 more years, I think this will suffice for a thimble. Oh, and (for Sara) note: the hedgehog was posing for this pictures this morning. Do you like the paatooinngg in the back?
So, one little critter is finished. And that snow swirl thing on the side? yeah. I hand stitched that. really. with my thumble, even.
Meet Harold, the first of 8 great seniori-ctizen -looking snowmen to adorn my wall.
He prefers Freedent. (Oh, you are too young for that, are you?)

Makes my home sing at Moms the Word for other forms of greatness.

Need COLOR and visitors

O.K. you guys should know this. This is important. Are you ready?

I need color in my life right now. It is dark, dingy, gray --blech. So,we aren't going to talk about that, are we? So, I dug around into my photos and found these. They have no particular theme except they are colorful. Yellow flowers. I think this photo was from this fall.

How about these? Yes, it's a little over-exposed, but YEAH! happy, colorful veggies. Let's see.. there's broccoli, cabbage, beans, cauliflower and carrots.. I will often cut up a big batch and keep it in the fridge. They will be the "weekly vegetables" for steaming, eating or putting in soup.
Cardinals.. This is last year's photo. I meant to put some seed out and haven't yet. I think they are amazing little creatures.
I hate to admit how much the lack of sunlight and daylight affects me, but it does. It's hard to be my zany, happy self without a lot of effort! But I have a plan to get myself back to speed.

Are you ready?

I would like to meet bloggers and blog readers this year. That's right. I want to meet you.

And I really do not want to travel to blogging conferences to do it. The truth is I really don't want to sit around talking about blogging, you know. I'm not a techie; I'm a writer. I just want to meet people.

So, here's an OPEN INVITATION to visit me at my house. All you have to do is cover your gas money to get here. You (and your family) can stay in my home, eat my food, etc.

Now, start telling me the dates of when you would like to visit, and I'll schedule everybody in.

I'm serious!!

I probably won't even call you skinny and wimpy when you get here. I cook. I make coffee.

Now get on with it. Schedule your visit.

Do IT!

Oh the joy of 17 year olds!

So, it was my birthday (On Tuesday) and we were all sitting around the table eating Stouffers Lasagna. I know, I know... such nutrition, such elegance.. nevermind....

And my son, the 17 year old going on 37/ future pilot and smarter-than-you-mom, says to me:

"Hey, Mrs. Klaas is such a great teacher!"

(Mrs. Klaas is his U.S. Government teacher at Hallstrom. She also has some local political position.. yada yada yada)

Me: "Oh really! That's great. I'm so glad you like her,"

Dumb son: "Yeah, she doesn't teach at all like you, Mom. She is really good,"

Me: "What? How is she so different?"

Smart alec: "Well, you just read from the book. I've seen you do it."

Me: "You mean when you walked by when I was teaching study skills? Some kid stole my book last week, and I just wanted to make sure I reviewed the highlights from the chapter. I didn't sit there and read the whole hour.."

Kid: " Well she doesn't go around and around like you do. She's so easy to follow and listen to.."

Me: "Oh, but can't you think of anything good to say about my teaching? Other people's kids who have had me for a teacher really like me, you know. Parents give me good feedback all of the time. Why is it that they like my teaching style and you don't?"

nothing. no response. Other kids giggle..

Defensive Dad, "This has gone far enough.. You are being rude to your mother.. etc. etc. "

I think the bird is officially ready to leave the nest.

Here's a kid that would ONLY learn from mommy. Even when Grandma Judy came to visit, he only wanted mommy for a teacher. Around the third grade, we had him attend Sunday school and do AWANA. In the fifth grade, we started with violin and gym and other people teaching him. By highschool, he had a full load of classes from other people. And now, his senior year, he actually prefers someone else teaching him.

So, this is probably what is meant to be, but still...

So, my husband consoles me (logically, like a good man should) and tells me

"Jamie is linear. He likes linear teachers. You are too circular for him."

You know the funny thing? He's right. Mrs. Klaas probably is a logical, linear teacher, and I love circling around the subject when I teach.

Jamie is basically saying three things:

1) He is ready to go off to college.

2) I have a different teaching style than the one he prefers.

3) Even though a lot of people like me as a teacher, he is too egocentric at this stage of his life to see the merit in it.

There. Exhale. I can go on now. Nobody stays 17 forever, you know. Who knows? Someday, I may get to help homeschool my grandkids, and THEY may like it.

Grandma's rule.

I'm healed.

Biscuit mix..

For a while there, my family was calling me the "Mix queen" because everything I made came from a homemade mix. I bought the Make-a-Mix cookbook (around 13?) years ago, and it changed my life. Suddenly everything that was homemade had a convenience factor.

And it wasn't long before I discovered the beauty of designing my own mixes. In fact, some times I even sell them. But usually we just give them away or eat them!

So, here's a Biscuit Mix that I made up

.

4 cups of whole wheat flour

2 cups of white flour

1 cup of coconut oil (in its solid form)

Cut the flours and oils together until they crumble. You can use a pastry cutter, your hands or a food processor.

Mix in:

1 1/2 t. baking soda

3T. baking powder

1T. salt

1 cup of buttermilk powder*

Mix all of these ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 months.

When you want to make biscuits:

Take 2 cups of biscuit mix and stir in (1/3 cup* of water or more if needed). Roll out the biscuit dough on a floured surface (about 1/2- 3/4" thick) and cut into circles or cool shapes.

Bake at: 400* for 10-12 minutes.

Notes: * 1/3 cup of water: We guessed on this. If it is too soggy, add more mix.

* buttermilk powder can be found in the grocery store.

Happy winter baking!

You're a weak skinny one..

I have the most refined gift of gab, I tell you.

Hardly a day goes by when I don't wonder if I don't have turrets or ADHD or both.

And if I sense someone is laughing, it just gets worse and worse.

So, today I'm teaching pilates over at H.S., where hubby works, and I have a gaggle of new people in class. I decided to teach on a "donation only" agreement, and it has been working out quite well.

The reason there is a gaggle is because it's "free" and it's "January" and everybody wants to exercise for free in January. In June, I can hardly pay them to attend class, but that's another worry for another day.

So, I'm trying to get to know my students and teach class. And for some odd reason, I expect skinny people to be strong also. I need to get over that stereotype. Skinny doesn't mean strong any more than it means healthy. Skinny is just skinny. Obviously people agree that overweight is unhealthy, but we fail to recognize that skinny can mean just as unhealthy.

So, I'm making my rounds helping people on their exercises while I was teaching, and I was so surprised to see this super skinny gal really struggling with a basic move. So, blurt out,

"You're a wimpy, skinny gal, aren't you?" And the chubby girls in the class just giggled with glee.. DUH!! How can I be so lame as to say that OUTLOUD??!!

Poor thing. I doubt she'll be back. And I feel awful about it.

Hey, little gal, if you are reading this.. I'm so sorry that I called you a wimpy, skinny girl. If you come back, I'll make you strong, and I'll try not to be so disparaging in the future...

O.K. I blew it. Probably all the skinny girls will quit now.

And if there are any chubby gals who would like to take classes from me, I am partial to you guys. Just so you know. There, now I've offended the chubby ones by calling them chubby. Can't win, can I?

How about this, if there are any "normal sized mid-western sized" gals out there who have a large self esteem, come to my class where I will try not to cut you down..

I'm going to hide under my pillow now....

One Year AGO..

Last year around this time, my good friend, Kathy and her family came to visit. Somehow the dads and kids managed to throw a surprise birthday party for my 40th. Kathy and I went for lunch and shopping and came back for the big event. It was so special that I thought I would link back to it. My family is awesome!! This year, I expect that the birthday will be very low key--no parties, no out of town guests, probably no cake. After all, who does all that for 41?? But I am content all the same. But I have been thinking about what a wonderful year this has been. What a blessing it has been to be 40!! Just that little bit of extra amount of living time has provided a huge appreciation for some things, which I expect, in time, will only get better and richer as I get older.

Things that I have come to appreciate this year:

1) Simplicity. I know everyone says that simple is better, but I think I am starting to get it. If you go back to the video where I am walking through the door, and they are saying, "Surprise", you will notice a huge bag from some shopping adventures. Traditionally, I would use the extra birthday cash that I would get and go shopping for something during the winter sales. Not that it is wrong to do that. It's actually the best time to do retail shopping. But this year, I am not going to indulge in retail shopping for my birthday--probably the first time... ever? I have just decided that enough is enough. I don't need anything, and I am content.

2) Bible memory. I have almost completed Psalm 34, and I would like to continue memorizing this year.

3) Trust. There is more uncertainty in our country than ever before, and yet I continue to trust in the Lord. I want to do this more and more, with less worry and more productive praying/ trusting.

4)Invest. Not money, but time. Money is so much of this earth, and we really don't have much of it. But TIME everyone has, and I think I've been too stingy with it. Time is precious but not that precious that we can't give some of it away.

5) Rejoice. I love to laugh, but am I really rejoicing? I think I have started to rejoice on occasion. But there's so much room for improvement. To get God's perspective on things and to glory in it. It's all very beautiful, you know.

So, that's my little starter list. I hope that a year from now, I will have doubled the blessings of these ideas and grown from them.

Finally some holiday photos..

So some of you have been inquiring over the infamous snowman quilt mentioned here. I put the photos up on that post also. The little carrot noses and scarves are just pinned on. I'm using more of Mrs. Beck's seventh grade skirts for the scarves and earmuffs. You remember Mrs. Beck, don't you? She supplied a lot of the buttons for these projects. I told her today that I was continuing to use her stuff; she was elated. I thought I would make each one unique. So, we are still in the planning stages of this quilt.
I think one of the little guys should have a cane, and the other a violin.. perhaps a chain saw? (Starting to let my yooper roots come through again.. I need to control that!)
I don't want to needlessly embarrass my kids or anything. Take my photographer, Jo, for example. She was hiding these photos on her user. Isn't she darlin'??
O.K. in this one, she's all grown up. Same kid: two looks. Every morning when she wakes up, she needs to decide which era she wants to live in. Hmm.. let's see.. Is today the Edwardian era or the Wild West? Or, should we go for the Athena look? Like I've said before: there's never a dull moment around here.
So, I am finally posting the holiday photos. Like I said, my photographer was hiding them on me. And I didn't even think to ask for them! Since I was posing as a graduate student and then an organizing mommy, I forgot that I was a cutting-edge blogger...

So, here's my darling Mom. She and Emily were doing some holiday baking.

And then there's Nathanael, Dad (Grandpa Terry) and Jamie doing some holiday eating.

We did a fair amount of holiday eating, and my mother had no idea how fast a turkey and ham could go in a group our size. We are always posing new challenges for people who try to feed us.

And then people finally opened the gifts! Here are some of the homemade slipper creations. (Mrs. Beck's skirts.. again)

And this is as close to a holiday "uniform" as I could get this year. Snowman sweatshirts. I feel kind of guilty because we were so hot that it was tough to keep them on for any length of time.

Mom, sister in law, Kim, and I below..

PEARS!! Mom got me a few pears to add to my collection!! Thanks Mom!

This is my brother Tony and his wife, Kim. Mistletoe takes the form of clementines in the U.P. You can eat the evidence when you're done.

Tony is my only brother, and we had a roar of a time with him. My mother was hoping for a Christmas poem, but we both dropped the ball on that one. Rather than whip out a pencil, Tony said, "Hey, I've got one for you.."

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I am schitzophrenic

and so am I.

And that set me off for a good half hour until he said,

"Do you want to know the definition for ADHD?"

"Hey, what's that? Wanna go for a bike ride?"

(Yes, once I get laughing.. it's really hard for me to stop. And he knows it...)

Later that night, we had a very old time tradition ignited where we sit an watch old slides from an old slide projector. My brother ran the slide show from a projector that my Dad found at a garage sale for about $2.00. Here is one of the slides. I am the one on the left with that piteous hairdo clutching my brother with our two cousins on the right.

And it's always nice to know that your guests are enjoying the slide show. Note the looks of excited interest in my grandparents (below). (You can't see their feet, but I made them each a pair of slippers also.. just so you know that they are not frowning because their feet are cold)

I really think this photo deserves to be on one of those cards with a caption. "70 happy years and counting.." or "What's that smell?" and "I didn't do it.." "You sure did. I know that smell.."

Oh well, the whirling dervish will brighten up the air..

And then there's Will and I. I told him to wear that plaid shirt so he could match the couch.

Hey, you.. I want a kiss already.

Thanks, cutie pie. And look that those matching slippers!! Thanks Mrs. Beck.

And then there's my Dad, the mighty moose hunter. You can't see it, but his big RACK is sitting in front of the couch we're on and it's probably longer that the entire couch. Oh, there is a hint of a little antler sticking out. Speaking of the moose rack, I've made a decision. I would like to inherit one of those. I would like all of my grandchildren (someday) to have a place to hang their mittens when they come to visit. I'll assign each one a special place to hang something on, and if I have 22 grandchildren, every horn will be occupied. Now there's a goal.

You were just dying to know what I look like in my favorite jammies, eh?

So, that's it. Our great holidays. I had to get this in before tomorrow. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a big day.. can you guess? That's right. I'm turning 39 (again!). I'll be posting more later.

Who kicks a butt-kicker?

Just in case any of you wondered if any of our children have had a normal upbringing, the following will confirm all suspicions to the contrary.

My older kids had a slightly normal mother until the organizing gene started working (around age 27). Every year, it has doubled or tripled in intensity, depending on the other factors at work. Poor Emily came on to the scene five years ago without ever having seen anything else. There are therapy groups for these kinds of children, but she is probably too young to join..

But I digress.. So, yesterday I was feeling a little down. I had a headache and everything on my list involved thinking: "write New Year's letter" and "sort through this paper pile" or "clean out Hallstrom bag". Even ironing was looking more palatable. So, I went downstairs into the craft room and made the wise decision to fold all of the ironing into a laundry basket and put it out of sight. There! Now, that's not tempting me anymore. What next? I started rifling through some unfinished craft projects and I grabbed the infamous unfinished snowman quilt.

As if in a ritual duty, I take out the snowmen every year in January and look at them. I think I started this quilt in 2001? So, it's only been nine years or so.. All the little snowmen look so pitiful and separate. As far as I can tell, Emily hasn't seen or doesn't remember seeing these pathetic little creatures.

"Mommy! Those snowmen are great!"

Me: "No, they aren't."

Emily: "You can sew those together. Just sew here, here and here, and they'll all be put together. It will just take a short time.."

Me: "Yeah, but I'm not sure I want to work on this now.."

Emily: " Oh, come on, Mommy! You sew fast, and it will be done very soon. And it will look so great... I'll help you lay them out.."

Me: "O.K. then.."

And I did it. I still can't believe I did it. That crazy five year old organizing mommy clone made me do it! And it is, no kidding, already pieced together and ready to be embellished and quilted.

So, now you know my weakness. The world knows. Emily can make me do anything. Guilty as charged. And if you are considering having a baby later in life, don't do it. You are all mush and putty in their hands. It's quite a terrifying miracle, especially when the child is a clone of you and has not only you, but her daddy wrapped around her finger as well. Thankfully, she has an older sister and three brothers who stand as the voice of reason in her life. Most of all, I am thankful for the Lord who knows all of our weaknesses and uses the weak things of this world to confound the wise.

If you are having trouble finishing a project, may I send over my butt-kicker? She gets the job done!

January brings out the exercise in everyone!

So I've added not one but TWO pilates classes to my teaching schedule in this season of life. I'm feeling the need for extra motivation in my workouts. Do you guys get that way?

At first, exercising is so much fun, and then less so, and then not so much.. So, I need to evaluate my reasons for exercising. If it's all about feeling good, that reason won't cut it when I actually am not feeling good. For the most part, exercise does make me feel good and produces the correct amount of happy pills (endorphins) in me. But other times, I feel like I have to drag myself there, and it's just plain hard work. Then, my motivation needs to be about health and commitment to healthy practices rather than a bunch of sloshy emotions.

So, I added one pilates class at Hamilton Sundstrand for a donation only fee. It is a 10 week session, and today was the first day. It went really well. I'm excited about teaching a new group of "students". Sometimes just having a group of enthusiastic people to teach gives me just the motivation I need to work hard. I want to be a good example for them and try my hardest.

The other new class starts tomorrow at the Y. An aerobics teacher and I are teaming up for a class. It should be fun: 45 minutes cardio and 45 minutes pilates. And yes, I am excited about teaching in new environments and new people. I can do cardio if someone else is pushing me to do it. I have a hard time getting it done on my own.

So, what are you guys doing to bump up the exercise for January? Is it working so far? Are any of you exercise teachers? Do you use a video at home? or go to the gym? How many hours/ days do you get to work out?

Those awesome lists...

For Christmas, my husband bought me a planner. I got to choose the color between something boring and lime green.

So, I'm sitting here with my lime green planner in hand, and I made a list of everything that I wanted to get done today. I asked the Lord for guidance as to what I should do first.

Here were the random things on the list:

Make verse practice sheet

clean craft room

hang labels in dungeon

print off things for study skills class

coordinate test for Algebra 1/2 with boys

call Mr. Asher for cello replacement/ repair

Iron

make bread

teach Emily one hour school

study SBC (bible study)

After I did that, I put numbers next to each of the items. At 3:37 p.m., do you want to know what's done for today?

1. Made a practice sheet for my memory verses. I have the entire chapter of Psalm 34 as my memory goal. On the sheet is the first 2-3 words of each verse with lines to write the rest of it.

2. Made bread. (the kids helped)

3. Ate breakfast/ cleaned up room/ got dressed (not on list) and did school with Emily

4. Called Tom and coordinated for the kids to run the cello errand.

5. Got together with the boys to figure out their Algebra 1/2 tests.

6. Cleaned up craft room.

7. Printed off study skills materials for tomorrow's class.

So, what's left? The labels, SBC, and ironing. But I'm tired and hungry. So, they'll have to wait.

All this to say that it feels good to put the Lord first, the household/ kids second and the blogging third. Yes, we CAN have joy and peace and order in our lives if we submit our desires to Him.

Emily said to me, "Let's sing a joyful working song today, Mommy," and she proceeded to sing

(to the tune of old time religion)

I've got joy in the morning

I've got joy in the evening

I've got joy in the noontime.. and that's good enough for me..

I've got joy (rest) WOOO!

I've got joy Wooo!

I've got joy Woo!... it's good enough for me..

And if you want to try this at home, make sure to throw your hands into the air when you say, "Woooo!"

(No, I don't give her coffee... she's just too much like me)

So, let's have JOY in our little lists and submit our desires to him!

Psychology or not?

I'm going to go out on a limb here. Are you ready?

Psychology.

That's it. I like psychology. I mean I really like psychology.

So, what do I mean when I say: psychology? Am I talking about the Psyche 101 class in college? Am I talking about Freud, Skinner, or what? And what does a Christian have to do with all of that stuff? We have the Bible, and that's enough, right?

The concept of psychology is embodied by this thought: the study of the human mind/ inmost being. Both worldly people and Christians are capable of observing the workings of the human psyche. Under the premise that human thought controls human behavior, many people have come up with interesting observations of what makes our mind work. The study of the human mind is very interesting but very complex.

What most people have trouble with is the interpretations of the data or the bizarre circumstances under which the data was collected. Take Freud, for example. Everyone knows that he think everything boils down to sex drives. Absurd. But did you know that he did his research on prisoners convicted of sex-related crimes? So, yes he had data, but it was really skewed, to say the least! But was there any truth in what he was doing? Well, probably. But very few people want to go digging around to figure that out. But there have been godly Christians who have studied these things and been able to "spoil the Egyptians" in a sense and learn what we can from it. In the case of Freud, we learn that our past experiences can really affect the present. The horror, trauma and sin that we are experiencing at one stage of life can sometimes be hiding and come out in weird ways in another.

At other times, the reason why (worldly) psychologists fail is not because the method or even data is incorrect, but the absence of the presence of a loving God does not offer the person suffering any hope. (Obviously I talking about this in the general sense, since there are plenty of theories that are flawed in method and/or data) It's not enough to know what's wrong with the brain or even how it works, but if we can not point the hurting person to the ultimate healer, we still aren't helping them.

If you are still wondering if much learning hath made me mad, consider this post: Learning how your brain works in organizing. Go ahead and read it, and come back..

I'll wait for you...

What was I doing when I wrote that? I was using psychology. It was probably cognitive psychology, but it was psychology, nonetheless. And what else? It was helpful (or so one of my readers told me), and it was written by a Christian who reads the Bible and loves the Lord Jesus.

So this week in our counseling class, we studied the Bible hard. The book of Hebrews, the tabernacle, Romans, Genesis, etc. But we also had to read about all of the major writers of psychology. Rather than reject them altogether, we were challenged to think, evaluate, ponder, pray. Sometimes we don't have the energy to evaluate things, and it's easier to dismiss them. I know, I've done it. The Bible is our grid from which we evaluate all information that comes our way. It's our job to wrestle with each thing and think. Thinking takes work. It's hard.

Well, I'm done being lazy. I'm done generalizing. I want to know what's up, and how to really help people. And I'm not saying that I fully understand this. In fact, it's just the opposite. I know enough to be very humbled. I just want to really know Christ.. more! Studying psychology has not made me reject God. It has made me all the more amazed at him for creating such a beautiful thing as the human mind. For the little that man has been able to observe about it, I am thankful. The fact that my little brain is capable of thinking about thinking.. is a wonder in itself. It's like that mirror of a mirror of a mirror of a mirror..... AAAhhh!! my brain hurts!!!

Maybe I should stop now before I explode.

And if you disagree with me, don't cut my RSS fee off immediately, we'll be back to funny stories and sorting socks soon enough.

Make my home sing Monday with Moms the Word

Practical stuff like food right now..

So, we arrived home yesterday to a warm house! I spared you the drama of our broken furnace. And I'm still going to spare you the details, but the Lord provided a new furnace AND the funds to cover it.

So, you never know what you are going to encounter, or how the Lord is going to fix it. The important thing to know is that he will do what it takes to take care of us, because he loves us.

So, while Will was inspecting the new furnace (it was installed while we were gone), I had to call my friend, Kathy, and find out all of the nitty gritty of what went on with the kids. All of our kids went up to Wisconsin to be with the Morell family while Will and I went to Moody. As you can imagine, I was a typical mother and had to know every detail of everything that went on. It gives me no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth.. in my presence as well as out of my presence.

About a half hour after we arrived, we were reunited with our five children. Our oldest son, Jamie, drove everyone home safely. It was all hugs and kisses for a long time!! My arms were empty for five days! My youngest, Emily, was back to living under my armpit again. And we were both happy.

So, now we are back to practical things like laundry, grocery shopping, fixing meals, and robotics. Homeschooling starts again on Tuesday. My new pilates schedule starts this week. I am adding two classes to my schedule. Also, I am teaching a study skills class at Hallstrom.

Yes, it's a busy life, but a good one. I have more to say about what I learned in my counseling class, but I need time to process everything. Let's just say this: Moody Bible College is awesome!! (At least the graduate level classes) For us, it was the perfect mix of Bible knowledge and practical helps that are going to be very useful for serving in a counseling ministry.

So, here's the menu for the week. Are you proud of me?

Saturday: turkey/ barbecue wraps

Sunday: Beef stroganoff

Monday: beans and rice

Tuesday: lunch: baked potatoes with fixings/Dinner: crockpot soup

Wednesday: spaghetti

Thursday: chicken packets

For more menus: organizing junkie Menu Plan Monday (check on Monday)

Funnies in my life (today)

So, Will is having trouble getting my computer to hook up to wireless internet in the classroom. (Did you realize that everyone brings laptops to class??) You hear this click click clicking the whole time. I assume they are taking notes and not checking facebook.

Anyway, after some frustration, he says to me, "What kind of chip do you have in here?"

Chip.

Like doritos? or Frito Lay?

I mean really. Does he think I'm a teenager or something? I'm pretty sure he's going through withdrawl from being away from our kids. Is he going to need therapy when he's stuck with non-techie little me 24-7 during our empty nest years?

I'm trying to not be too hard on him for the mental slip of assuming I was my 12 year old son. But I can't help bursting out into laughter.

Speaking of needing therapy, my mother asks, "So, have you been counseling everyone and everything in your path? the waiter at the restaurant? the taxi driver? I assume no one is safe.."

I can not believe how clairvoyant my mother is, "How'd ya know!??" I retort. There aren't enough dysfunctional people at the Bible college, you know. I have to get out and find people. It's not quite the same as being at a family reunion, or even just being in my own head, for that matter!

Oh well, all of this good stuff won't be wasted just because I can't overwhelm someone today. I have a lifetime of overwhelming people ahead of me. I suspect there will be a lineup of clients at my doorstep when I get home. LOL.

Oh, don't you wish you could just be in the line? Well, not really. Since I will be too busy taking a nap and hugging my kids.

I do miss them, but I am thankful to be in Chicago. It's kind of exciting, even though I look like I just got off the farm with my mouth gaping open at every new sight and sound of city life.

Everyone that I talked to was so friendly. I met a gentleman who is a lawyer for a family in the Chicago area. He looked to be almost 80, and yet he is still employed. But can you imagine having so much "stuff" going on in your life that you need your own family lawyer? I didn't dare ask which family, since that would have made me look like a real hillbilly. Then again, I should have, eh? It made me intensely thankful for a life FULL of Christ and EMPTY of almost everything that would require a lawyer. I say almost, because I don't know the future.

I met a man (at the college) who has an entire ministry based on ministering to an alternative lifestyle people group. Wow! He seems to be doing a great job at it.

The types of ministries here are so diverse and interesting. I feel like I'm a kid in a candy shop--just taking it all in. I'm not even sure what God has in mind to do with this training, but it's fun to imagine. Once again, thanks for your prayers.

Day 2 of counseling class!

My first thought right before the first class yesterday was, "How am I EVER going to sit still for 1 1/2 hours??!!" That's asking a lot, don't you think??

Somehow, by the grace of God, I survived the sitting, the learning, contemplating, and learning not only yesterday but today also!

In one sense, learning is so easy. All you have to do is sit there and soak in information. NOT!

This is a graduate level class, and there is no "soaking in" of information. We all present our ideas for evaluation and compare them with the texts, the lectures and the Scriptures.

In one sense, I feel so inadequate. My personal Bible study has been so sparse over the child bearing years. I don't know Greek or Hebrew or hermeneutics. These are grad students, and I've been an "organizing mommy" all my life, you know?

In another sense, I feel like this is exactly what I should be learning, and nothing is really beyond my grasp. It's all very humbling.

One illustration that made me think is the idea of having heaven and earth meet, and we being the agent of introducing someone to God. For example, it's very simple in a sense. I know God, and another person wants to meet Him, so I just introduce them to each other. We often call this evangelism. There's another sense that heaven and earth meet. When someone is struggling through life and they already know God. He is very fuzzy at the moment, and we help clear the air. We help them see Christ again. This is counseling (in a biblical sense).

It's really just about helping people by using the Scriptures and kind ways with people. We listen, we ask questions, we make observations. We aren't perfect-- (especially not me) but we are able to do something for the hurting person.

Now I have oversimplified everything for the purpose of this blog, but it really is a rewarding, intense study.

For those of you kind enough to pray, thank you. For those of you leaving comments, thank you also. I may not be able to do my "rounds" this week with visiting your blogs. I'll get there soon enough, though! Blessings!

First day of class!!

So, here we are! It has been 19 years since I've sat in a real academic classroom at the college level. Oooooohhhh is it fun! I love teaching, but being a student is fabulous!! Oh, what a treat!

I remember when I was just wrapping up my undergraduate degree (19 years ago) and thinking "enough!" Too many classes, too much stress, and my brain is clogged. I need the Drano of life to unclog it. Learning needs time to process. So, I put my teaching degree to work.

I started having babies. I started a little school in my home. I played "teacher" for years. After I did that for a few years, I swung open the doors of my home and invited other people's kids in for "Write your Own Book" at Mrs. Webber's house. Pretty soon, I was teaching "Write your Own Book" and "Write with the Best" at Hallstrom homeschool workshops. My kids were growing up. My kids enjoyed learning, not just from me, but from all of the other beautifully, talented teachers at our academic co-op.

But there's always been this growing, nagging, "I want to learn" feeling in me. I want to learn.. more! But how can I go to school and bring up a big family and be a faithful wife.. etc. etc.? It was just never an occasion where I could sort it out.

Well, here I am at Moody. I am not taking this class for credit, since I am here as a guest. But no one is going to hold me back from learning all that I can. We are taking a class called "pastoral counseling". What could be more useful than counseling? The information is practical, academic and spiritual. All of my training has been in the secular realm. It's very hard to sort out all of the terms, theories, and practices from a Christian perspective. I'm finding the entire journey fascinating.

Can you tell I'm excited?

The teacher (Dr. Hopkins) asked us to call and ask people to pray for us this week. If you are reading this and know how to pray, would you mind asking the Lord for help for us? We would really like to learn and gain insight into all that God has in store for us. I would appreciate it greatly.

And, as far as I know, the kids are having a fabulous time in Wisconsin with their best friends. Thanks!

Packing when there is pre-trip anxiety

This evening at 10:30 p.m., I was spent. I had just invested a grueling 2 1/2 hours with a preschooler who is given to pre-trip anxiety. And I know, because I have it too. So, not only do I have to squelch my natural tendencies to be anxious about said upcoming "trip", I have to placate the ever-anxious young lady who lives under my armpit in such circumstances. Harrumpppppph.

So, what is an organizing mommy to do? My first instinct is to: get mad, dump her off with daddy or put in a movie. But it isn't taking care of the issue, in fact, it is just making it worse.

So, I lay on the couch with a cozy blanket and invite the little worry wort up with me. We snuggle and talk about every known and unknown detail that could ever be conjectured in her inventive mind right down to: "this is where you are going to sleep.." Half the time it is fiction, but what am I supposed to do?

So, then I let her watch me pack her suitcase. Every single day has an outfit with a clean pair of socks and underwear. The entire ensemble is bundled up with flat twine. Flat twine is that plastic stuff that comes on a roller for wrapping up tools. I discovered it in my husband's shop. He got it from Menards or the Tool Crib. So, we have five days worth of clothing "bundles" in her suitcase, along with a warm and cool pair of pajamas.

And then we proceed to pack the toy bag, and the sleeping bag and lay out the pillow, the boots, hats, gloves and jacket. Finally, it is time for the bath and pajamas. I am tired and looking at the clock. She does not want a bath, and I want her to have a bath. I'm too tired to be patient.

At this moment, my husband comes in. He was probably just looking for something, but I saw him at the "rescuer" and asked him to take over for 5 minutes. I needed oxygen. or a valium. not sure which. I opened the windows, even though it is -1 out. Five minutes isn't going to kill anyone, although I did notice my rosemary bush croaked. Oh well.

So, after the bath and pjs and teeth brushing, she just cuddled right up on my lap and went to bed. And I lived. Now to deal with my own pre-trip anxiety...

Where is this trip? I'm going to Chicago tomorrow for the week. The kids are heading north to WI to stay with friends, and Will and I are heading to Chicago for a class at Moody. I'll be checking in if I'm able...

linked up to: make my home sing Monday.

Already organized.. what?

I think I have a mental illness. It looks like productivity but it's really obsessive compulsive clutter control, OCCC for short.

So, like, it's what? January 2nd/ dinner time. Two full days into the new year and I have not demonstrated anything close to a moderate/ sane organizing experience. I have been blitzing almost every waking moment, except for potty breaks and eating and the early morning Bible time.

So, let's see...

Yesterday I

--organized the entire master bedroom, all closets, dressers and drawers and under the bed.

--cleaned/ organized hall closet and sorted all of those many hotel samples of shampoo, soap and lotion.

--combined all of the half empty shampoo bottles as well as the hotel samples into a big bowl and filled a huge pump bottle of shampoo for the kids' shower. I wrote in big letters "SHAMPOO" and "Use this for Shampoo" in permanent marker all over it. ( I have boys, you know)

--worked in Will's office, hauling out 3 huge bags of outdated reading material and junk that he was too sentimental to get rid of? whatever. Love the guy, but...

Today I

--cleaned the entire dungeon which was an all day job.

-- Thought about going through some more paperwork, but just threw out some catalogs from 2004 and such... (office surplus)

--filled 2 big bags for donations and 2 big bags for trash

--made a list of all of the labels needed for the cleaned up "dungeon"

--combined all of the available lotions in a big bowl and washed and filled several "new" (newly cleaned out) containers. I give these away to my mother's friends when they have spa parties.

--cleaned out under the bathroom sink/ organized, pitched etc.

and that's it.

Incidentally, I am not planning on teaching any classes on how to be a "sane, moderate, slow-paced organizer".. LOL. And if the adrenaline rush alone isn't a reward in itself, I have also found some very cool things. Yes, right here in my own home, there are a few treasures to be found.

Cool things I have found:

A new pair of boots! I am not even sure where they came from. All I know is that they were possibly given to me or I got them from a garage sale. I think I'll be "stylin'" in Chicago this week with my new boots.

Several dollars worth of change. We'll spend the $$ on meals this week.

A very cool pair of socks!

So, technically, I made money this week! Not only did I NOT go shopping, I found treasures right here! Oh, life is good.

And for the rest of you who have OCCC, I wish you the best of success with your organizing adventures for the year. As for me, it is 7:30 p.m. I think I'll take a hot bath and go to bed.

Goals not resolutions

When you think about a new year, do you think about resolutions or goals?

I like the idea of a resolution. I feel like a noble knight, "I resolve to do better, my liege." I can see myself, bowing down on one knee and making a grand swoop toward the floor. In a way, that is about the way my resolutions typically go. I make a grand swoop towards greatness, as if the emotional appeal of a grandiose production will somehow fuel my efforts down the road. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I feel the burden of the weight of such grandiose endeavors and with it, a sense of impossibility, which lends itself way too easily of giving up midstream. So, I, hereby, am resolving to make no further resolutions.

So, now that we have that organized, what sort of goals should we make?

When I was in my education methods course, we were given very specific guidelines for writing objectives.

1. The first part of the objective had to identify who the goal was for (the seventh grade students)

or in this case, "I" or "My family" .

2. The second part of the objective had to have a verb phrase such as (will memorize)

or "will work out"

3. The third part of the objective has details about the verb (the list of spelling words)

or "at the gym".

4. And the final section of the objective states to what extent (with 70% accuracy)

or "three days a week".

So, a well-defined objective would include these aspects.

The seventh grade students will memorize the list of spelling words with 70% accuracy.

or

I will work out at the gym three days a week.

Goals are different from objectives. If the goal is "to get in shape", then an objective might be "I will work out at the gym doing cardio exercises four days a week".

Some of you may not be ready to write objectives, and that is fine. I think I had an entire semester class on writing objectives. I thought I would throw that out there, just in case some of you found it helpful. I am not going to have objectives for everything either, OK?

So, here are some of my goals/ objectives.

Time Management:

Goal: to spend quality time with the Lord and my family

Objective: I will not get on the computer until I have spent time with the Lord, reading his Word and attending to the needs of my family (90% of the time). [emergencies come up]

Home Organization:

Goal: to get give my family better nutrition on a regular basis

Objective: I will plan a menu (every other week) that incorporates healthy food options and regular meals. [since I do not love menu planning, I figure that every other week is a good place to start]

Decluttering:

Goal: to have an uncluttered home that lends itself to finding things

Objective: I will consistently declutter different parts of the house on a monthly basis, completing the majority of it before spring.

Enrichment/ Learning:

Goal: to be a constant learner of new things

Objective: I will read a book (other than my Bible) once every other month.

So, with that in mind, would you like to link up your goals? You can grab the photo above and link back to this page on your page. I'd love to hear what you are planning for the new year.