The Great Christmas Decor Debate

Christmas in North Carolina 2 years ago our tree is currently still in the garage.

There is a debate going on at our house right now, do we set up the Christmas tree and all of the holiday decorations or do we wait a little longer?

Here is the problem, we have a very "busy" 15 month old in our house. And by busy I mean, he is into everything. He pushes buttons on the DVD player, we tell him "no". He carries shoes all around the house, we tell him "no". He's into everything. Today he took a toy thermometer and pushed the water button on the fridge and water poured all down his arm! He's busy!

Oswald doesn't want to have to constantly tell him "no, don't touch that." I don't blame him. I get tired of saying "no". I think we all get tired of saying "no".

So what do we do? Do we postpone decorating? doing that makes me feel like it's not even the holiday's. Do we only decorate in places he can't reach? or do we just decorate the way we want to and spend the next month saying, "no"?

It's a tough call. I want to get out the decorations and make my house feel festive. I am ready to see Christmas lights and to feel the joy the holidays bring.

But decorating is a lot of work and I will need to put my fall decorations away in order to get the Christmas ones in place. It's a tough call. Maybe I'll let Oswald make that decision.

Teach them while they're young...

In our family we believe in everyone helping and pitching in around the house. From washing dishes to putting away laundry, our kids learn from a young age that they need to pull their weight around the house. My older two kids clear the table off before dinner starts and then they also set the dinner dishes on. They also put their own underwear away, help sort the laundry and also help me clean the bathrooms. It is very important to me that they learn these things, and understand what is required of them.

Oswald was taught by his mom the importance of a clean home and one of his favorite things is the vacuum. He is my go-to man when it comes to cleaning the floors in my house. All of my kids have taken their turn with wanting to push the vacuum around the house, and now it's my little man's turn. He grunts and whines until he gets to push the vacuum. He's not really picking much up off the floor, but he is learning the importance and he's having fun while doing it, and that is super important to me!

Every time I see this picture, I can't help but think of a verse in the bible,

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I know this is in reference to teaching them the world of God, but I also like to think of it in relation to any kind of teaching. My kids college roommates will love them. Mission companions will love them. Their future spouse with love them. Because, really, what is better than someone who can help you clean up? Someone who can pitch in on the "not so fun" jobs around the house?

So I would challenge all you mom's out there who read my blog. No matter how old or young your kids, let them help you clean. You may end up re-cleaning what they "cleaned", but they've helped and they've learned something in the process. Plus, that's some good quality family time...cleaning!

So, how do you get your kids to help around the house? Do they enjoy doing the dishes or dusting?

Vacation Recovery

We went out to the lake for one last hurrah last weekend! It was a blast, I rode on the tube and tried a knee board for the first time ever!!

But after three days of being thrown from one end of Lake Succession to the other, my body was ready for some R & R.

Yesterday, besides being stressed and having to go to the grocery store, I pretty much just chilled all day long! It was really nice, but now I can see piles of laundry staring at me. I have a dishwasher that needs to be started. A table that needs clearing. All this mess just makes me even more stressed!

What the heck??

I guess it might be time to set my timer again--and see how much work I can get done. Especially since my Little Man is crashed out right now.

Time to get off the blog and get to work!!

What is the hardest part about going on vacation?

--for me it's the laundry waiting for me when I get home. It's a shame you have to wear any clothes when you're on vacation!

What's the best part about vacation?

--not having any worries. 

Favorite vacation of all time?

--When Oswald and I went to Argentina. It was fun being with him and seeing where he served his mission, plus the food was delish!

packing

There's something so hard about getting ready to go on vacation.

Maybe it's the packing for 5 people?

Maybe it's the fact that Oswald is working a lot to get ready to be gone for a week?

Maybe it's the crazy notion that I love to have a clean house when I come home from vacation, making me have to clean BEFORE I leave?

Maybe it's the fact that I have tons of other things I need to take care of before I go?

I don't exactly know what it is, but I do know that I have a list a mile long of things that need to get done before we drive 5 hours to stay for 3 days get back in the car to drive 8 hours to stay for 7 days to drive 5 hours back home. Yep. We're making a triangle out of this trip. Visiting lots of family back "home" in North Carolina. (If I come back even more southern than I already am, ya'll will know why)

Things topping my to-do list:

• bathrooms
• laundry
• dishes
• vacuum
• pack

On top of that, I still have three kids at home to take care of, I need to buy snacks for the road, and new games for them to play since we'll be in our car (with no DVD player) for a total of 18 hours! Crazy! Good thing my kids are awesome travelers!

Wish me luck packing and traveling!! I bet I'll need a vacation from my vacation!

Allergic

When Oswald and I got married, taking turns with chores was easy. We did all things together, except for one. The trash. Oswald’s job is the trash. Always has been, always will be.

But recently, Oswald has been working a whole bunch. Like wake up at 3:30am and not get home until 4:30pm (no he’s not a doctor). 

I cook the dinner, wash the dishes, clean the kitchen, and get the kids ready for bed because even when he’s home, a lot of the time he’s still working (which stinks).

So last night I had a mutual activity at the church and he had been home since 3:30pm and I thought for sure he would realize how stressed and worried I had been about this activity and do the dishes.

Well, I walk in and my Princess is coughing up a lung and sounds like a barking seal. I, of course, think its croup, but give her cough medicine anyway. That seemed to help, thank goodness!

Oswald has resumed his position watching American Idol. I sit on the couch next to him and we talk about my activity, which I’m proud to say went really well. Next thing I know, it’s 10pm and we’re headed to bed. 

I walk into our tiny kitchen and notice a sink full of dishes. I walk into our room and ask, “Do you have an allergy to washing the dishes?”

This is not the first time I have been gone for several hours in the evening only to return home to a messy kitchen. Most times I let it pass because I realize he’s been working all day long and only has a few minutes to relax before he heads back off to bed. But this time, I couldn’t let it go.

“What did you say?” He says as he’s lying all snuggly warm in our King Size bed. 

“I said, ‘Are you allergic to washing the dishes?’” 

“The dishes, ya, I’m allergic” and instantly started snoring.

Guess next time he needs some clean clothes for work, I’m going to be allergic to the laundry!

Updated: I told Oswald about this conversation, and he has washed the dishes several times in the last week. Guess my allergy to washing clothes was short lived!

5 simple words

There are some magic words in my house.

5 simple words that change the tone in my home.

No, they don't involve chocolate.

No, they don't involve yelling or screaming.

You wanna know these 5 simple words?

ok, brace yourself...

"Kids, please clean your room."

"Magic? How can those words be magic?" Is probably what you're thinking. In my house they are magic. They turn the boring old toys that the kids have spread all over the floor into toys they have never seen before. My kids will sit in their room "cleaning" for hours. They're not really cleaning, but playing with their toys and playing together.

It's amazing how asking them to clean up makes them want to play with their toys and play together. I have not heard yelling or screaming.

No, "he just hit me."

No, "she took my toy."

The only sounds I hear from their bedroom are the sounds of two happy kids laughing. Two kids who are using their imaginations. Two kids who have turned their bunk beds into a rocket ship. Two kids who have taken the lids off their tubs (the ones that hold all their toys) and turned them into boogie boards.

I love these noises I'm hearing. Their noises of happy children. Noises of kids who love each other. Noises of kids who are best friends. Noises of kids who never get tired of each other.

I know moments like these will not last forever, but while they do, I'm sitting back and enjoying each little moment. Trying to burn it into my brain. Trying to remember this moment forever, so when they're teenagers and fighting, I can remember the good times. The times like today when they're the best of friends.