Organization

I've been on an organization kick as of late. I absolutely have to if I want my house to stay looking like this

and not turn into something more like this

The kids have always been good about picking up toys and such. The only random little toy I find once in a while is a Lego. Well, that and our furry child's toys. He still hasn't gotten the hang of picking up after himself.
So, with the help of Pinterest, of course, I found myself lots of cleaning and organization tips and made myself a home organization binder. Although I've had various apps and reminders on my hand extension (iPhone), I feel like having this larger visual to be able to mark off items and for the whole family to be able to see has helped. On there, I keep daily cleaning schedules, chore charts, weekly menus, project planners, etc. Write everything down, why not? Most of us have enough things on our mind to still have to remember these tedious cleaning and cooking and to-do mental notes. Seriously, if you don't have something like this, virtual or otherwise, make one. It'll free up sooooo much of your time!
Here are some of the links to places where I got the templates from . .

- Daily Checklist
- Cleaning Calendar
- Menu Planner
- Master To-Do list I use this for bigger projects I currently have planned like redoing my daughter's room and our downstairs bathroom.
- Shopping List I'm using this to jot down non-grocery items I don't want to forget.

Those are just a few of the pages I used. Some of those, like the cleaning calendar, I used as a sort of base and customized it to fit our own family routine. To find more, you can look on my Pinterest Organization and Pretty Printables boards. The best tip I can share is a super easy one but that really makes a difference: never leave a room empty handed. There's always a piece of mail, a cup, a toy, a shoe, something that needs to be put away, washed or thrown away. For me I've found I'm worst with jewelry. I leave earrings on an end table, bracelets on the kitchen island, you get the picture. There's ALWAYS something that could be put away. If you have a tip that works for you, please share.

When I was your age . . .

Technically, I've been blogging since 2003. Sure, I haven't been consistent on any one blog, but I've done it. Even if it was only for me to read. Maybe it's because I've had more time now that I'm on Summer break, but for whatever reason, I've gotten the bloggy bug again and even jotted down a few ideas I felt like sharing. Weird, huh? Isn't blogging like out of style now? I know that for one, I don't have the attention span to really read blogs anymore. Micro-blogging is where it's at. Am I wrong? Anyway, in case anyone feels like reading, I feel like writing. First off, let me explain how I'm currently feeling about blogging. It might further explain my lackluster approach in the past couple of years . . .

- Here's my old guy rant, bear with me. Those of you that started blogging before me or at around the same time will probably understand. If not, please don't be insulted, it's not your fault, but when someone tells me that they now have a blog, I feel like explaining how hard we had it "back when". I started when Blogger was Blogspot. There were no "add image" buttons or easy ways to customize your template other than to use code. To change any color, you needed a code. To add an image, you needed the whole Image Source command. Since I knew nothing about HTML coding, I used to take HOURS and HOURS just trying to adjust my template. I was sooooo excited when I learned how to add a picture. Plus there were no comments sections. If you wanted comments to be available to your page, you had to use a separate source. I used Haloscan and it was quite sad once Blogger finally enabled comments and I lost about two years of comments to my page. You couldn't just have a customized blog in minutes and I guess I'm pretty jealous or petty about people who in my mind "have had it easy". We used to have to walk ten miles barefoot in the snow to make one post.

- EVERYONE has a blog now. Seriously. It doesn't seem as fun as it used to. When I first discovered blogs, I read Julie Powell (before she was THE Julie & Julia), Dooce and ljcfyi. Now everyone just writes about their kids. Not that that's a bad thing, I do it too, it's just that blogs were what I used to read instead of books. They were that entertaining and new. Now it's just sort of to keep up with what people are doing. I admit that I'm guilty of the same thing, that's when I thought mine had run its course.

- Again with the EVERYONE has a blog . . . my daughter has started several as school projects. She's made a blog as a book report, a blog from the point of view of an immigrant for another project, etc. It almost doesn't seem fair to write about my kids when they are now tech savvy and can easily access what I'm saying about them. Does that make sense?

All that said, I'm willing to try this once again. With all my whines and complaints, I miss bloggy world. You can't imagine how many times I've "written" a blog in my head. I miss my bloggy friends that I've made throughout the years. We've shared engagements, weddings, babies, trips, moves, and overall, well, life. I'm ready to share again. Care to read?


Just as a little note to kind of put things into perspective. This is how my kiddies looked when I first started blogging . . .




. . and this is them now. . .

so very pinteresting

Let's just dive right in and pretend that I haven't neglected my blog (yet again) for several months, shall we? Let's talk about Pinterest. I'm hooked, are you? I realize that I may be a little late talking about this. It seems that everyone has jumped on the pinning wagon. I've had my account for over a year now and am proud to say that I HAVE actually made several of the things I've pinned thankyouverymuch.
Some of the cliches I've heard about Pinterest are that it's a time suck and that people pin things that they never make. I can honestly say that the latest dinner parties I've attended and hosted were pretty much Pinterest parties. In fact, tonight's dinner is courtesy of a pin (slow cooked ginger chicken over rice). So anyway, take a look at my boards if you'd like, follow me or let me know if you need an invitation. I'll send you one pronto!

See my pins here.

Kung Fu 2

I swear my dentist as a kid was some sort of scammer. He was forever billing my parents and wanting to do all sorts of treatments we didn't need. I TRIED telling my parents several time, but I think they thought I was just avoiding the dentist. I wasn't. Now as an adult, they recently said I may have been right. He was sort of shady.

On the other hand, my kids love their dentist. Seriously. Alec actually said those words. I don't think I've ever heard another kid say that. It's just not natural for a kid to speak those words, no? His dentists (there's two that see him, it just depends on the day) are mommies and know exactly how to talk to kids. I can't describe how awesome they are because you'd have to see it, but here's an example of how cool they are . . .

They bought out a theater today and invited their patients to go see Kung Fu P@nda 2. Yes. They. Did. Do you know what my shyster dentist ever game me? Nothing. Not even a toothbrush, nothing. Yeah, and they invited all four of us. Isn't that just the best? Needless to say, we're not switching.



Everybody was Kung Fu fighting. Those cats were fast as lightning . . . .

what are little boys made of

I never told the kids that some items were for boys and others for girls. I didn't specify colors or toys. Yet, they liked what they liked. Brianna always wanted dolls and princess things while Alec has always liked cars and robots and such. Once he started school, he would no longer use pink or purple cups or princess plates. At his age, girls pretty much have cooties. So it was pretty funny that he came up to me and said that he had a confession to make. I asked him what it was (thinking he had broken something) and he said that he had to confess that he sort of liked the Littlest Pet Shop. I didn't laugh but instead told him that it was quite alright to like them. They're cute little toys about animals and there was nothing wrong with them. He went on to say that they were "for girls" and he shouldn't like them. I explained that they pets and both boys and girls can like pets.
Brianna had actually let him pick out three from her collection to keep as his own. I thought this was nice and that the Pet Shop collection she has would at least get some more use out of it.
A little while later, I see Alec playing with this . . .

It turns out that he picked a car for each of the pets he chose and they all travel around in that blue trailer behind them. Oy. Boys will be boys.

. . . frogs and snail and puppy-dogs tails.

And speaking of day trips

This past weekend, we took the kids to Tombstone for Wyatt Earp days. I suppose that living in Arizona, we really have no good excuse for not having gone before. The town celebrates Wyatt Earp days on Memorial Day weekend, so off we went. They loved it. Alec couldn't open his eyes any wider when the gun fights started right in front of us. The kiddies got to have their picture taken with the Earp brothers and Doc Holiday.
It's quite a charming little town and a part of history, so I'm glad we went. We were able to see the OK Coral and walk the town. The kids were hanged in the town square and have their certificate to prove it. This is a definite must-see if you're out in this part of the country




"Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, brave courageous and bold. Long live his fame and long live his glory and long may his story be told."

New month/Summer Break

June already!!!! This year is flying by! So, it's the first of the month, so here are the things I do . . .

1. Go to Smashing Magazine to change my desktop background. This month I chose "Colorful Summer".

2. Fill out my calendar for upcoming activities this month. June is significantly less filled than May was. That's a good thing!

3. Commit to blogging every day for the next month and undoubtedly fail miserably.

4. Monthly house cleaning chores (vacuum the vents, clean switch plates, wash garbage cans, dust the ceiling fans, vacuum inside the couches).

Plus, the kiddies and I are on summer break, so we're doing things we normally only do at this time of year. . .

1. Clean out the drawers and closet to get rid of clothes that don't fit anymore. (I do this for sure in the summer, sometimes during winter break too)

2. Get the kiddies ready for their vacation (Grandma LOVES to travel. Now that we kids are grown up, she takes along the grandkids)

3. Attempt to clear out the garage. Ugh. I think I'd almost rather just leave it open someday and let the burglars help themselves.

4. Various check-ups and appointments.

It's Summer Break! This also means . . .

1. Soccer camp for Alec. Brianna opted out this year.

2. The kids eat and eat and eat, so we often prepare snacks: frozen grapes (their FAVE), fruit salads, raspberries stuffed with chocolate chips (for dessert), watermelon slices, etc.

3. Summer reading.

4. Day trips.

5. Pajama days of doing nothing and just hanging out. My fave.


"School's out for summer. School's out forever" (or in our case at least for the next month and a half.)

wimpy yvett

Did you notice the books I'm reading? Yes, I'm reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Alec had been trying to get me to read them for a while. I already read the some of the same books that Brianna reads. After my last book, I wanted something light and entertaining, so I decided to try them. Alec was VERY happy that I was reading "his" books. These are some of his favorites. He's always talking about them and I can hear him laughing when he's reading.
He was right. They're pretty hilarious! I've had a few laugh-out-loud moments already and I'm barely on the second book. I completely recommend them when you're in the mood for a quick read and something not so heavy.

Never judge a book by its movie. ~J.W. Eagan

tire changing humor

Rodrigo got a flat tire today. OK, not such a bad thing, right? Sucks, but nothing major. He called to let me know that although he did have a spare, he had no tools. ARGH!
So I went to take him the tools that were in the garage. I get there and he tells me about a mouse that was in the tire. Now, I guess I wasn't paying attention but I swore he said that a mouse had been living in the tire. He said the mouse looked scared and was sort of panting then he dashed and hid in another tire before finally running out into the desert.
I was pretty grossed out and went to wait in the car. I kept thinking about the stupid mouse, though. I was wondering how Rodrigo knew he had been living in the tire and imagined the mouse had a sort of little nest or something. I don't know. Then I thought it was a good thing that the truck hadn't been in our garage because the mouse might have gotten out and hung out in there. Eww. Then I started wondering how the mouse had made it all the way from our house to Rodrigo's work in that tire. I imagined he'd been asleep when all of a sudden, his new house started spinning and he was just spinning along with it. Then I imagined the mouse running quickly hamster wheel style and it just didn't make sense. I asked Rodrigo how the mouse could have been living in the tire and that's when he told me he hadn't said that. That the mouse had just been standing next to the tire when he got there. So right there in the parking lot, I started cracking up like some sort of idiot. I stayed in the car while Rodrigo finished up with the tire laughing the whole time. I suppose he regretted not having had the tools just that I wouldn't have had to go and sit there laughing.
I'm not mature. What's more is that I posted it on FB (I was bored in the car) and people had imagined the same thing. Hilarious!

One little mouse came out to play gathering crumbs along the way . . .

Connected

I love technology. Love it. Unlike some people that see new things as hassles or see the potential dangers of everything, I embrace technology. I'm not going to talk about THE BIG NEWS that happened yesterday, but rather of what happened afterwards. It's strange to think that just a few years ago, we had no idea what things like F@cebook and Tw1tter were. Now, I hear big news and immediately go check out these sites if I'm not already on there. In fact, I heard lots of news on there first.
Last night when I heard the news, I immediately went onto FB, and people were starting to post about it. I grabbed my iPad and went downstairs to the TV. I was watching the news and reading Tw1tter at the same time. I find it amazing to be connected to people all around the world all watching and talking about the same thing.
The first time I really felt this was during last year's World Cup. I was (as I am every four years) HOOKED. The difference this time around was that I could watch "with" my friends from around the world. It was sooooo much fun to know I was watching the same match as friends in other countries, in other time zones, in other continents at the same time! Wow, it blows my mind.
I was blown away again last night on Tw1tter. If you weren't on, you missed out. The posts kept coming and coming from poignant to sad to downright hilarious!
Am I geeking out? Yeah, it happens.

Vorsprung durch technik