home organization

I am simply out of control. We don't have a television and so instead of watching the Olympics the last two weeks, I worked on systematizing and organizing my house. I know, it's all I can talk about. But I want to share a few of the ideas I am trying, ideas I found while reading all of the Pam and Peggy books, articles on organizedhome.com and Fly Lady. Hopefully one or two of these ideas will inspire you to tackle a stressful area in your home too. Because I cannot tell you how sincerely pleased I feel when I walk into my clean kitchen. And it has stayed clean for two weeks now! As in completely company-ready clean! Something huge has been figured out, and I not only feel happy that I have a clean kitchen, I actually feel happy while keeping it clean. For real.

Now they say that when you start something new you should start slow and take baby steps. But I'm all for drinking from a fire hose, so here are a whole lot of ideas that have had a huge impact on helping me keeping my house tidy:

This station is set up on the shelves under our grow lights. From March to May we have little seeds growing on these shelves, but from May to March they are covered in clutter. So even though these plastic bins may not looks super sightly, they are a HUGE improvement from the random possessions that gathered there for ten months of the year. I have a basket for things that need to go Back To The Barn.  I keep my Library Books and bags on this shelf as well as a bin for Kids Art that I want to keep. My favorite bin is for Things To Return. Amazing. There is now a place for tupperware left at my house, things I want to bring back to a store, stuff that needs to be donated, returned to church. It all goes in the bin. And there is a bin for Sentimental Papers. This one is also a favorite. It's used for the nice card I want to keep but don't know where to put. Or the pictures my dad brings over from my childhood (they are sorting all of their pictures this summer). It's stuff I want to keep but have no home for. All in all, I adore this space. It has given a 'home' to many random things and my counter stays clear because of it.

My folks always had cubbies for each person in our family growing up. This is my spin on it. We had lots of room above the microwave so I had Rory cut a board to set on the microwave with two boards drilled in to make three compartments: Rory, Becca and checkbooks. Now anything that I find that Rory might want to look at (mail, handouts, random anything) can go right in his cubby and off the counter. Then we are both responsible to go through the stuff.

The premise of Pam and Peggy is that Sidetracked Home Executives (me!) are easily distracted and basically lack direction. But if given a task, they can get it done. So these are my to do lists for each morning and night. And I love them. I don't do every single thing every single night. But I do a whole lot of them most nights and I love the rhythm this is building. Plus, by doing them every day they're just not that big of a deal. Cleaning daily makes everything more manageable. (That last sentence makes me think I might just be Pam and Peggy's teacher's pet...)

Hold onto your aprons. This one is one of my favorites. They compartmentalize their days. This doesn't mean that every Tuesday for the rest of my life will be errand day. But it does mean that each week I look at my calendar and decide which day will be errand day (groceries, dollar tree, library) and save all the running around town for that day. Also, I'm not actually going to bake on Thursdays, but I do love the idea of a day to prepare food that I eat each week (grain-free granola, hummus, and any other meal prep that will make the week easier.)

Actually, this is my absolute favorite. One of the days they designate is called Desk Day. This day is the day you tackle your paper to-do. Imagine this: I am cleaning off my kitchen counter and find an invitation and I need to rsvp. So I take the invite and walk to my computer where I open my gmail where I find a few more emails that I read. I do rsvp to the invitation, but because I just read an email from Rory, I now need to call the doctor and change an appointment time. So I call and change that appointment, read a few blogs and only later that night do I see that kitchen counter and wonder why I can never get it cleared off.

Aha! Behold the Desk Day folder (or the back of my household binder). This is the place for all the paper that requires an extra thing to do. I need to cancel my Kohl's card. I need to send a gift to a friend having a baby shower I can't attend, I need to write a thank you for a kind letter sent to me. Now these all go into the folder so that on Desk Day I can respond to each of them. Desk Day is also the day you are supposed to make your weekly menu plan and grocery list and errand list (based on the 'things to return' bin.) It's a quiet day to get lots of the relational and planning tasks done. People! Do you love this?!! I love it so much!!!

I spent three hours one night going through every cookbook I own and finding our favorite recipes. Then I googled those recipes, found them online, printed each one (some I took out of their original cook book and washi taped to a piece of paper right in the book), compiled them in this binder and made our own family cook book. The next night I typed up a recipe index and wrote down possible sides for each recipe so I can just look at this index page on Desk Day to pick our menu for the week.

I also typed up a grocery list with our breakfast and lunch staples. It's in the order of the store with plenty of room to add whatever I need for our dinners. This way I can print out the master grocery list and then write in the rest of the items.

This little index card box is the heart of The Sidetracked Home Executives. It's basically your to do list broken up onto individual cards. You'll have to read the book to get the full explanation, but what I love, love, love about these cards is that on each one you are supposed to write only one task, and how long it should take to accomplish. Then, if it is a cleaning day, you can divvy the cards out to your kids and say, "I need you to wipe down the dresser in Hattie's room with a wet wipe. It should only take you three minutes. When you're done, you need to put this card back in my box." It clearly defines what you need done, and sort of makes the cards the bad guys, not the mom that is assigning the jobs. (And do you love this file box?!! Elsie Anderson was the Elsie that our little girl was named after. I love having her signature right there!

And finally, this is my personal work space. I got clever and made it in the laundry room. Rory had put this little counter up for me as a surface for folding clothes after something I saw on pinterest. But lets be honest, I never folded a thing on this counter! So I have made this laundry room my home base. The striped binder with our christmas card on it is my household binder. I love it. And I based it off of this girl's youtube video. (She's a kick!) It's another great place for paper clutter. But I'll spare you a full explanation because I know this is getting long...

So that's it folks! It's all new and I don't suppose all of it will stick. But even if a few of these methods work, I'll be worlds ahead of where I am right now. And I'm hopeful. There is a lot I still need to do by September 7 (our family's first day of school) but I love the thought that some of these other daily and weekly tasks are set into motion to help get us off on the right foot!

some thoughts on chickens

Two years ago we got broiler chicks that we raised, had butchered and then put in our deep freeze for a year of eating. (Remember this cheeky post introducing them?) What I remember is the first roast chicken we ate and how very quiet we were. There were a lot of things going through our heads, reconciling what we were consuming and deciding if we thought it tasted good.

We ate roast chicken a few more times and I began to really struggle. Our birds were really big when we had them processed because we couldn't get in on the ideal butchering date. So it was hard to cook them well. Parts of the bird were very done while the insides still weren't cooked through. 

The real low point was one night after we had a roast chicken for dinner, I went to a meeting and afterwards swung by Culver's and ordered chicken strips. I came home with my food and Rory was frustrated that I purchased chicken when we clearly had an entire chicken in the fridge. I told him plainly, "I wanted an anonymous bird." (Now one of our favorite quotes of all time.)

We basically stopped making roast chicken for a long time. 

Until earlier this summer when I was picking up garage sale signs with my friend Anne. I cannot remember how the topic of whole chicken preparation came up but she told me how her husband wants her to make a roast chicken and broth out of the carcass.  We bonded over our non-wasteful husbands and she said, "so I told him, I'll roast a chicken anytime as long as you take the meat off the bird. Then I'll make it into enchiladas and a casserole." It was a serious aha moment because I realized part of my problem with the chickens was taking the meat off the carcass. It's just not my thing. And then Anne continued, "and then I told him if he'd like to make the broth from the carcass I will leave it in the fridge, but I'm fine throwing it away." 

I came home and told Rory how Anne has worked this whole chicken thing out with her husband and he enthusiastically agreed to take the meat off the bird and either shred or cube it for me, depending on what I was going to use it in. And this changed everything! Each week since then we have roasted a bird. And then had great meals from that bird. And it's been delicious. We have become broiler chicken enthusiasts! Especially me!

The thing that actually solidified it for me was one day when I passed five semi trucks stuffed with white chickens. They were packed in there, feathers were flying all over the road and as I sat next to one truck at a stop light it hit me how ridiculous this site was. It felt so wrong. Anonymous birds are not happy birds. They have a terrible life. And the whole five semi system is just so unnatural. It was my brother who consoled me originally, two summer ago, saying that there was no happier life a chicken could hope for than one at the Grovestead. And it's true. They do live a happy, sunny, well fed, free range life, right up until their dying day... 

Then it's not so great for the chickens! But at least we know they had a great life. And we know exactly where they came from and what they've eaten and what they haven't been injected with.

So we're doing it again. We have eaten down the birds in the deep freeze all summer (we learned to flip the bird in the middle of baking, which helped cook it more evenly) and it's time to restock. So these sweet chicks have joined our family. Interestingly, this time around the kids know exactly what is going on. Elsie has said a few times, "I don't want to kill the chicks." And I tell her they'll be big chickens when they have to be processed, but it is a hard truth for her to understand. Yet it is how it works. I am glad my kids know where their food comes from. And since when she protests she usually has a chicken nugget in her mouth, I think she'll be fine in the end.

And you want to know what's next? Lamb. Rory announced this one last week. We are going to have one of our lambs processed so we can have lamb chops and gyros and a whole lot of Mediterranean food this winter. I said to Rory, "do we even know how to prepare lamb?!!" and he replied confidently, "you just google it. No big deal."

pam and peggy

My sister Annika and I are still in full swing cleaning our houses and figuring out systems that will work to keep things running smoothly this school year. Last week we met at our folks' house before we all went to the water park. I had a bunch of stuff to return to Annika and my mom, Annika had a bag of clothes for Elsie and my mom had a bunch of stuff from a friend who is moving that she wanted us to look through. It was hilarious...we are all in this deep purge mindset, and spent the first 10 minutes together passing stuff around to each other!

I have been doing a ton of reading though, and really trying to figure out the solution to paper clutter. And the system for returning things to people. And the process for keeping this house orderly. I am naturally an organized person, but something is missing in my routines for cleaning and correspondence.

I mentioned that I started by reading Fly Lady's 31 baby steps. Those were really helpful and my main take-ways were: 1) get up 30 minutes before everyone else and shower and dress fully with shoes and 2) keep your sink empty and shining. Fly Lady sets up her program with a lot of psychological triggers: if your sink is shining, you're going to want to clear the counter. If your bed is made, you're going to want to pick up the clothes and put them in the hamper. And it works! Annika called to say she had gone 9 days in a row with a clean sink! I deep cleaned my car: cleared everything out, vacuumed every inch, wiped down every surface, and it looks incredible. And guess what? I have been emptying it after every outing because the junk looks so obvious compared to the rest of the spiffed up car. It's a psychological trick that is getting me to toss my trash and take my stuff from the car back into the house every single time. It's remarkable to me.

In a quest for paper organization I came across organizedhome.com and found all sorts of tips on creating a Household Notebook. I read a whole lot of posts on this concept, ran myself to the dollar store and now have a binder that makes my heart sing. It holds it all: info for the babysitter, packing lists for vacation, medical history for the kids, budget worksheets, weekly menu ideas, funny quotes from the kids, schedules, important numbers. It's all there.

It was while compiling my Household Notebook that I stumbled upon 21 posts about being a S.H.E. Which stands for a Sidetrackable Household Executive. I read these posts in two nights and felt lights turn on all over the place. S.H.E.'s were coined by Pam and Peggy, two sisters who had a hard time keeping their houses running smoothly until they came up with this card file system. Have any of you done this?!! Do any of you remember these ladies from the 70's or 80's?

First of all, they are hilarious and I have been watching video clips on youtube ever since. Second of all, I think this is really going to work for me. Because I follow instructions really well. I'm naturally an organized person, but I have never seemed to get the swing of the housework (the actual deep cleaning) schedule and menu planning. And their system was so enlightening for me. I just learned so much. The way they organize their week is really remarkable to me and I cannot wait to try this new approach to my days. (Church Day, Family Day, Deep Clean Day, Desk Day, Errand Day, Moderate Clean Day and Rest Day)

And I'm bringing my sister with me! Annika starts a new full-time job tomorrow morning and she's as eager as I am to figure out how to plan and execute all the hats a mom wears. It's exhausting to always feel behind. Our goal is to feel in control of the house, the groceries, the paper clutter, including the family in the work to be done and feeling good about the tone in which it's all done.

Are you inspired?!! Start reading! These are some fun articles and have me so fired up that I'm printing off all of my most-used recipes and making my own Household Recipe's Binder filled with my top 40 go-to's that I actually go-to. This is going to be good!

(And have you watched that video above. They are hilarious.)

girls golf: year three

We've had a few rounds of Girls Golf this summer, and as always, this is one of my very favorite parts of summertime. It feels so good to have an event on the calendar that is a set playtime just for the mama's. We're outside. We talk through each others drives. We stop stories while we walk to our balls and pick up those stories when we meet up again on the green. And we laugh so hard. I have to figure out the equivalent of Girls Golf for the 9 months in between because it's so good to be active, with friends and without kiddos. (No offense to the kiddos!) Any suggestions?

Lake Pepin overnight

I'm going to write out our itinerary for our 30 hours away because it went so smoothly and definitely should be duplicated. Rory and I are getting to know this area really well which also makes for easy planning, and helps the time away feel like actual vacation. Basically we had a Minnesota day, followed by a Wisconsin day.

We met at the park in Lake City right by the marina at 11:30. I brought a greek salad, grapes and chips and we bought fried chicken at the grocery store across the street. We had our picnic right away and then played at the park. But most exciting was Ivar getting to use the remote control car he got from Papa a few Christmas' ago. We had hid it in the laundry room until he was old enough not to break it and I found it while painting the laundry room. Turns out 5 1/2 years old is the perfect remote control car age. (Later Ivar told us this was his very favorite part of the weekend...driving his car in that parking lot.)

After a while we loaded up and drove to Kellogg, where we visited Lark Toys and rode the hand-carved carousel. And Mimi showed us all her very impressive hula-hoop skills. She's really, really good!

And we all got ice cream at Lark Toys too. But then Hattie was ready for her nap, so we drove back to the AmericInn in Wabasha and checked in so that Hattie could sleep. While she slept, Papa and I took Ivar and Elsie swimming at the hotel pool.

A bit before 4:00 we drove to the National Eagle Center. We spent a little over an hour there (it closed at 5) and then walked along the river and scoped out Fun 'n the Sun Family Houseboats for a future family vacation. Rory's family had a houseboat in this area for part of Rory's childhood so they know the river really well. We thought it would be so fun to bring the whole clan for a few nights next summer to play on the river all together. We ate at a restaurant in Wabasha and watched big ships go by. And then Ivar got a fever and said he wanted to go to bed! So we turned in really early. But Madison went back and found a great jazz band concert under the bridge and enjoyed the evening for all of us.

The next morning we ate our breakfast at the hotel and I must say this is a handy part of traveling all together. Rory and his dad were able to take the kids to breakfast while Marlene and I got ready and packed up the rooms. I loved the extra kid help! We visited the Anderson House Bed and Breakfast and then drove across the bridge to Wisconsin. My kids were thrilled to be entering another state! Ha!

We drove right to Pepin and found Laura and Mary's Little House in the Big Woods. Elsie and Hattie wore their bonnets with pride and we took lots of pictures. 

On our way back we stopped at the Country Stop, ate lunch at The Pickle Factory in Pepin and then went over to the beach in Pepin to skip rocks, or as Elsie showed us, sit right in the water with clothes on. The weather was spectacular and the white sail boats were beautiful on the blue water. 

We got Elsie changed and then drove to Nelson to the Creamery for ice cream cones. We sat on their back patio and decided we'd like to come back for lunch sometime. And then we parted ways and drove back home. It really was incredible how much we packed into 29 hours...which included the drive time! If you're looking for a little summer fun to squeeze in, I can't recommend this trip enough. We are hopeful to head back in that area this fall for another visit to the mighty Mississippi. 

30 hour vacation

We spent Friday night in Wabasha with Rory's folks for a little summer getaway. And it was awesome. It felt like a quality vacation and we still can't quite figure out how we fit so much in and how it felt so restorative. I'll give a full rundown in the next post, but for now I just want to say that I need to remember that a simple overnight is totally worth it. I think I may have believed that I'd need more than one night for a getaway to feel worthwhile, but this one felt great. We played hard and I came home feeling sad that it was over, but tired enough that I was glad to be home.

And we got to see Laura and Mary's Little House in the Big Woods. Which was very exciting for Ivar and Elsie who are very big fans of Laura and Mary.

home school and home making

Last week I started organizing all of my home school materials. I cleared out a few shelves in the laundry room and lined up all of the books I have purchased or found at garage sales, or was given as home school hand-me-downs. And I started to get really excited. Something about seeing it all lined up and beginning to think through our "routine" sparked a vision I had yet to see.

I have been so consumed with what others might think of our decision to home school that I had sort of forgotten one key factor: I am going to LOVE this. I was made for this! I went to college for this! I played school my entire childhood. I taught Sunday school for a decade and was a Bible camp program director. My mind is organized in lesson plans!  My brain thinks in educational objectives! 

So the next day I went to the ABC Toy Zone with a little list of things I'd like to include in our home schooling. And I about died of excitement. I wandered the aisles with my list and the nice lady helping me find everything and felt dizzy with math manipulatives happiness.

The fun part about this year is that it is Kindergarten. And our actual formal lesson time will likely last only about an hour each day. That will include math and reading. There are some incredible curriculums to choose from that were created for home school families, and the approach that resonates the most with me are the teaching ideas of Charlotte Mason. I plan to write a post on her but her thoughts on education sort of boil down to: read to your kids books that connect their hearts to people and places and time periods (ie: not text books, but good stories) and get your kids outside in God's creation as much as possible. Explore poetry, music and fine arts. Create good habits in the home, put the emphasis on quality the first time around, and focus on building self-motivated, disciplined, life-long learners. 

I may have just botched that explanation, but from what I've read so far, that's what has inspired me the most. The truth is, Rory and I are excited for Life School. All that our kids see us do each day is learn new things. They'll hear us talk about maybe getting goats, listen to us ask God about getting goats, and then watch us research all we can about caring for goats. Finally they will find themselves in their car seats as we go to pick up our new goats and test all the things we learned on paper until we learn what works for us. We learn by doing, by building, by trying, by failing, by trying again, by dreaming things up and then accomplishing those dreams. That's likely our greatest goal for our kids in Life School: This first year we want our kids to learn to love learning. 

So Kindergarten will include 45 minutes of math and reading, Bible lessons at bedtime and then each week or two we will have a different unit study. And that may look like any sort of combination of library books, art projects, map study, field trips or dramatic play. Can you imagine how fun this is going to be?!!

***

Another funny thing began to happen as I began gathering up my teaching supplies. I started thinking through my entire "typical" day as a home educator. And as a mother of a baby. And as a home maker. And as the lunch lady. And dinner cook. And laundress. And dish girl. And maid. And involved community member. 

And I started to get a little panicked. 

Soon I was googling, "organizing your home" and "time management for a new home school mom" and "menu planning." One of my biggest goals for this first year of home school is simply to get a rhythm and routine and structure to our days. I have told Rory many times that I will be my biggest challenge to overcome as I learn the self discipline it will take to keep all these plates spinning. The years of having all little kids are truly a haze of keeping everyone alive and fed and relatively clean. I feel like this next season might be the one where I surface a bit. Maybe not all the time because little kids come with so many unexpected daily demands, but maybe there will be some gained order over my days. Maybe. At least I'm feeling a teeny bit hopeful...

So with all this excited (home school) and nervous (home making) energy I ended up on Fly Lady's website. Over the years I have had many friends recommend her site though nothing seemed to gel. But something is different this time. I feel open to any suggestion, and if keeping my kitchen sink shining is the key to my tidy house, I'll try it! (that's her first lesson...)

Then my sister came over and I showed her my home school cupboards and told her of my plan to take the next two weeks to go room by room in my house and purge, organize and systematize the daylights out of every drawer, cupboard and, well, anything. I asked her if she wanted to join me and she lit up like a light bulb. As she left and I told her, "we are starting with the bathrooms! when you get home take a picture of your bathroom and send it to me. Then purge every drawer and cabinet, deep clean that baby so every inch shines and send me an after picture!" 

You have never seen two women more enthused to clean their bathrooms. And though that spirit waned in the process, I do have one sparkling and organized bathroom to show for it. The next morning we talked and decided we were on to the fridge! This meant the outside had to be organized and washed down (even the dusty top) and inside every surface was to be cleaned. I even cleaned my oven as a bonus. It's actually all very addictive. Over the weekend I hit the garage and it was so clean you could eat off the floor. (Which was immediately proven by the chipmunk breakfast the cats were eating as I took the trash out the next morning. No kidding.)

And today I painted my laundry room! We have lived here for four years and somehow last night was the night I felt inspired to buy the paint and tape up the walls. Today I gave it two coats and I cannot believe it took me four years just to do it! And now that I know I can paint a room in a day, no wall is safe.

Tomorrow I am heading to Annika's to tackle her Paper Organization. We're going to create some sort of "office space" for her...maybe in her basement, maybe in a little nook, maybe just on a few book shelves. We both have homes that are short on spare rooms so we're going to get clever. And I know something awesome will come of it. 

All this to say, Jump On In! We are on a roll. September is right around the corner and life is going to pick up real fast. So pick a room a day. Or pick a problem area. Or go read some Fly Lady and join me as I wear my tennis shoes each day (her second lesson) and shine my sink. It feels good and is contagious. Send me a picture of your before and after. This is going to be fun!

three is company

Hattie is so proud to play with the big kids! They are so great with her.

Today we were outside sitting in camping chairs under the oak tree and I asked the kids what their favorite part of the farm was. I said, "Lately my favorite part has been the fireflies at night." Elsie said, "My favorite part is those bushes by the chickens with the hearts on them." (bleeding hearts) Ivar said, "My favorite part of the farm is Legos (the rooster) and the goats, and the barn." And then we tried to guess Hattie's favorite part of the farm and at that moment we watched Canvas the cat climb nearly to the top of our tallest Ash tree. And as we watched we decided that the cats are Hattie's favorite part of the farm. We'll confirm this with her when she is able to talk.

travel tips

I have a few travel tips that I think are worthy of passing along. Part of the success of a family vacations is keeping a few things in order, so here are my bits of learned wisdom...

+Pack with your three-year-old.
Elsie was packed for Mount Carmel four days before we were to leave. But upon investigation, her suitcase was very heavy on the board books and pajamas with very few outfits or underwear. So I got out index cards and wrote the days of the week and drew a picture if we were going to do anything special that day. (Tues had a birthday cake, Sunday had a cross, Friday had a car for going home.) Then I drew a card the moon and stars for pajamas and a card with the sun and waves for beach attire. I laid them on the floor and together we picked outfits for each day while we were away. She loved this system and so did I.

The plan was that we would leave her suitcase packed, as each outfit had a card on top of it. Unfortunately, my super-organized niece Sonna got to her suitcase before I could explain the system and had Elsie unpack all of her underwear into her dresser drawer. By the time I saw what was going on, Elsie's clothes were strewn across the room. I had to take a deep breath. And you know, she had clothes on each day. Just not the outfits we had planned together, but she was dressed! (I am discovering that I am growing in my need for control in some parts of my life as I age. Organization is one of those...which is hard with little kids!)

Also, just a side story on this organization theme. I told Rory when we moved into the lodge room that I really wanted to keep it tidy. That this mattered to me and my peace of mind. So you can imagine how hard we laughed when we came back from lunch the first day we were in our lodge room and found all birthday presents, linens and toys turned into one epic boat/fort.

Okay, on to more tips...

+ Pack your Room Darkening Curtains and Painter's Tape
This is basically genius. I said to Rory as we were about to leave, "What could we bring to use as room darkening curtains?" And he replied, "Room Darkening Curtains." Of course! I ran up to the kid's room and took the curtains off the rod and packed them in the car. Then I threw in a roll of painters tape and guess what?!! Their room was as dark as a cave. So even though they stayed up until 10 most nights, they slept in until 9 most days. I used the tape to adhere the curtains directly to the walls. People! Admit it. This is brilliant.

+ Thermarest in the pack-n-play
I don't know if our pack-n-play is getting old, or if we are just more compassionate for our third baby, but that little pad is so, so thin. No wonder babies don't sleep as great in there! We have been price checking foam pads to cut to size and even tried finding a couch cushion that would fit in there. But then I had an idea. I called my mom and had her measure her base-camp thermarest and wouldn't you know it was the exact width?!! And if it was folded in half it fit perfectly in the pack-n-play sheet and snug in the crib itself. Hattie slept well and we had peace knowing at least she was comfortable in there.

I think I had one more hot tip, but I don't remember it now. If I think of it, I'll add it. Until then, just trust me on that room darkening curtains tip. It's a real winner.

Brave Girls in the Bible

I saw this book at the Mount Carmel book store and was so thrilled. Elsie is into princess everything. I love that little girls know they were created beautiful and powerful.

I have wondered what to do with all of this energy towards princesses, because the Disney storylines all lack the actual values I want to instill in my little girl. So I was so excited when I saw this book. The women are not all royalty, but the stories are told showing how each one (over 30 women!) was brave. The writing is fantastic and Elsie has had us read ten stories to her already. (Rory likes the book too.) And the pictures are beautiful.

If you have a little girl in your life, I'd recommend this book as their next gift. It's part devotional, part story and ends with some processing of the story pointing out how that woman was brave and showed strong character. Here's a link to Amazon where you can get your own. :)

family camp

We spent most of our week at Mount Carmel down at the beach. It was a great week to be on the water, building rivers in the sand down to the lake, floating with noodles and sitting in camping chairs eating snow cones.

We lived in that yellow cabin below for the first half of the week. It's a duplex and Annika's family was on the other side. This thrilled all of the cousins to no end. The second half of the week our family moved into the lodge and shared a hotel-like room. The switch was due to our late registration, but in the end we sort of lucked out as we moved into air-conditioning for the hotter half of the week!

The camp looked great and most exciting was to see the Youth Chapel looking all spiffed up after a total overhaul by volunteers. This was my 33rd summer attending family camp. I've only missed two summers, both because I was working at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp in Montana. Which I think is a good excuse: one Bible camp for another.

My kids love Mount Carmel so much. It is such a joy to have their excitement match my own! I'm not sure I ever thought that would be possible, but it definitely does. They love this place like I do and as I told them on our last night, "one day I'll be a grandma, and you'll be here with your own kids and we'll all play at the beach together." I told that to my mom and she said, "and that is true! I was here with my grandma when I was their age. Just think of that!" It is a wonder to think about. If any reader is interested in coming to Mount Carmel next summer, PLEASE DROP ME A LINE! They already have their speakers and teachers and preachers lined up. You could get your week on the calendar (and get the best cabins! I'll tell you what you need to know!) even before this summer is over. :) Because Family Camp is the best!

back from vacation

This yearly picture of the back hatch all packed and ready to go is becoming one of my annual favorites. There's lots going on in that picture above: a certain 5-year-old's fishing pole, a certain 9-month-old's favorite animal pop up toy, a certain 3-to-turn-4-on-vacation-year-old's birthday presents. And the art supplies of a wishful mama that never got used during the entire week away. Which means it was a good and busy time.

We are home again now and had a fantastic time at Mount Carmel Family Bible Camp. This was the longest we have been away from our farm in the four years since we moved here. We were gone six nights and it felt just right. We loved every minute up there and were excited to come home to see our animals, sleep in our own beds and check out the garden. But oh, vacation. We all have an ache now that it's over. Vacation just feels so good. Only 51 more weeks until we go again. :)

three kids

Well, it seems blogging has taken a back seat... But mostly because motherhood is taking the front seat. And it's good. I'm absolutely in love with these three and my gig as their mama is so awesome. And exhausting. My friend Kari sent this thought written by Joanna Gaines to a group of friends today...I loved this thought and felt inspired. I hope you do too! Joanna wrote:

"There's an Adonis blue butterfly bush I planted by the girl's window almost five years ago when we were renovating the farmhouse. I wanted butterflies by the girl's windows that they could see and enjoy. I never told them about the bush and honestly I forgot about it over the years. This morning I found my little Emmie sitting by her window looking excitedly at the bush and saying "Here she is! My little hummingbird comes every morning mom!" First, I didn't know she looked out for her bird every morning. Second, I forgot all about the bush and never told her if she looked out the window she would see the prettiest butterflies and hummingbirds gathered around it. It's hard not to think this is a lot like parenting... You sow seeds early on and work hard to be intentional and then over time you move on to new lessons and challenges. Then one day you look up and the seeds you planted in your little children's hearts are now in full bloom. Be encouraged today to keep pressing in and tending to their hearts. It will be worth it."

playing possum

I read in a book recently about the whole "no girls allowed" phase and I thought naively to myself, 'boy, Ivar is so good at playing with his sisters. I wonder if he missed that phase.' I think it was the very next day I found this sign outside of his little fort. He told me it was a picture of Elsie and Harriet and that they were not allowed in his Possum House. And I couldn't decide if I was more amused by his awesome drawing or the fact that he was playing possum.

Then Elsie assured me, "it's okay because I am playing blossom over here!"

Harriet Joy: 9 months

I remember laughing hard, hard belly laughs throughout my pregnancy with Hattie. I don't know if it was the hormones or just an added measure of happiness, but I laughed deeper and fuller and was so aware of it. There was a bliss and a joy during those nine months, a sincere giddy expectancy, already over the moon for the baby inside of me. We named her Harriet Joy, sharing that middle name with her Grandma Marlene, and also because of those joyful months of hard laughs that filled my body. 

And now that she's here I know that those laughs must have affected her very being, because she is the embodiment of all of that joy. To know Hattie is to know a happy, contented, freely-smiling little baby. (...except for the recent babysitter...she might not say that! Hattie seems to be attached to her mom and dad at the moment...) But if you are her mama or daddy or big brother or big sister, you are certain to find a very charming, happy and ready-to-smile little sister ready to share her joy.

catching up on summer

Well I hardly know what to say. I haven't taken this natural of a break from my blog in a long, long time. But I suppose it has something to do with the fact that it is summer and this is the season that is packed full of farm projects. We have done a few house projects (big windows! natural light!), built a kitchen garden off to the side of our house, are finishing the upstairs of the barn and growing into the rhythm of farm chores every morning and every night.

Plus Hattie (9 months today!!!) is crawling all over and sticking stuff in her mouth all day long. She is in a much more hands-on season and this is likely why the camera is never handy to document the moment and why I am too spent to write much at the end of the day. I know from Ivar and Elsie that 8 months-18 months tend to be pretty demanding in terms of mobile babies that need supervision every moment of every day. And of course it doesn't end at 18 months, but just let me have my moment.

The whole concussion thing took it out of me for a few weeks there, so we've been making up for lost time! Rory and I are suddenly really into state parks. We have visited a few, checking out cabins and yurts to stay in, deciding what time of year would be best to stay, scoping out the beaches and bike paths. It has been a really fun summer project, sort of a "get to know your state" and has me so excited for adventures ahead.

a storm kit

A few Friday's ago I took the kids to the local pool. It was a muggy day, the week school got out and the local pool was the place to be. We met a friend and even Harriet and I got into the water to try to stay cool. But the clouds were building and the sky was growing dark and thankfully we were already beginning to load up because by the time we got in the car, it started raining cats and dogs. We got home and Rory said we should have a storm emergency drill, so the kids could practice going down the basement.

The thing is, our basement is not just another playroom. Our basement is literally from the 1890's, limestone walls, dirt and broken concrete floors, pipes, vents and storage. And the stairs to get down there require that everyone signs a waiver not to sue if they should collapse. Even Elsie has to sign the waiver. To have Ivar and Elsie "practice" being in the basement was actually a great idea, even though the storm didn't seem too severe. While down there I made a running list of things that would make the basement more accommodating for us. Like chairs. Or blankets.

Then a few nights later we watched a Daniel Tiger for family movie night that just happened to be about thunder storms. This episode showed a big storm coming to Daniel's town and his parent's had a storm kit with supplies to keep them safe.

Well you can imagine how excited my kids were to put together such a kit! We drew pictures of the things we'd need and then I took the three kids to the Dollar Tree where we got all sorts of exciting things to put in our storm kit: their own flash lights, batteries, special snacks and water bottles. Then we came home and gathered blankets, pillows, card games to play and books to read. I made a fancy sign and we put the Kit by the door to the basement for Dad to carry down.

And to their great joy, the very next afternoon, while Papa was here and I was living through day one of my concussion, the weather got so severe that they got to go down the basement! The kids were thrilled! They even went down the basement long before they had to. It was all very wonderful. Meanwhile, I stayed in bed and Rory told me he'd holler if I needed to take cover with them. I was so miserable that death by tornado didn't sound half bad.

Thankfully the kids survived and so did I. But I wanted to pass along this idea of a Storm Kit in case you have kids that are nervous of severe weather. Because this little kit has turned my kids into storm enthusiasts. Every time it rains they ask hopefully if we can go down the basement. Mostly they are hoping to eat a granola bar, but whatever. They aren't scared of severe weather and that was the goal!

Elsie's magic trick

Elsie: Mom, did you know that I am magical?

Me: I didn't know that. What's your trick?

Elsie: (seals her lips tight)

Me: Is that your trick?

Elsie: Yes, but did you know that I just said something? I did! But you couldn't hear it! I could hear it. I said, "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" but you didn't hear. So that's magical.

Me: Oh, yes. I get that. You are thinking things in your head, but not using your mouth to say the words. That is pretty magical!

Elsie: Also, (she runs from one couch to the other) when I run fast, my hair spreads out very lovely.

***

Another magical thing: My mom came and took the kids strawberry picking so that I got to play and make a pie and strawberry popsicles without doing any of the work of getting the berries. Magic.

concussion

Last Tuesday morning I got up to get Hattie a bottle, change her diaper and put her back to sleep. She usually wakes up once a night now, around 4 am. And then sleeps until 7. It's a pretty good deal as she goes down at 7 or 8.

But I got up and felt a little off, made her bottle and she was holding it as I changed her diaper on her dresser. I felt woozy and sort of knew I was about to faint. I called for Rory and by the time he got in the room I was passed out on the floor with Harriet quietly drinking her bottle on the changing pad. We thank the Lord she stayed still and didn't roll looking for me.

I hit my head on a wood desk on my way down and came to about ten seconds later, thinking I had been out for hours. Fainting isn't that uncommon for me. I have a lot of fainting stories...sometime I'll share them all. But I usually get to the ground before I actually faint. This time I didn't.

Rory got me back into bed and woke me occasionally to ask me questions. In the morning I stayed in our dark bedroom and napped. I ate some toast and iced my head. Noises bothered me. Rory's dad came over to watch the kids and we consulted my cousin if we should go to the doctor. She thought we should, but it wasn't until I had a vertigo spell and began throwing up that we decided we definitely should go. I had a new doctor who we loved and he ordered a CT scan that thankfully came out clear. He said I had a mild concussion, likely due to dehydration. I was ordered to sleep a lot, rest, and not look at any screens or read. I need to "rest my brain." What a great request!

So for seven days I've been napping an incredible amount, listening to a book on tape, and enjoying the good care of four grandparents who have all come over to take shifts with the kids.

I'm still not actually supposed to be on any screens. The doctor gave a two week recovery estimate. But I'm basically dying of isolation. It's amazing how disconnected a girl can be when she can't text, email, blog, read or watch any tv! I've broken the rules a bit, but I am trying to heal so here's to more books on tape...

Also, all of the information the doctor gave me on concussions referenced athletic injuries from full contact sports or car accidents. Very little was written about getting your concussion from full-contact mothering.