Busy?

It's 2:00 in the afternoon.  A typical afternoon.  What's ahead today?

2:30 pick up twins from middle school. Drive home.

3:30 pick up Drama Girl from middle school, where she has been tutoring, drop Wasabi Girl at gymnastics.  Drive home.

5:00 feed Jungle Boy and Drama Girl early dinner.

6:00 drop off Jungle Boy at ballet.

6:15 drop off Drama Girl at Improv performance.

6:30 pick up Wasabi Girl from gymnastics. Drive home.

7:00 Feed Wasabi Girl dinner.

8:30 pick up Jungle Boy from ballet.  Drive home.

9-ish or whenever she's done and calls me - pick up Drama Girl and drive her home.

Collapse.

I'm looking forward to my husband returning from his business trip.  Not just because I miss him, but because he can help drive.

If I even get one load of laundry in between all these trips I will consider this day a great success.

Finished for Friday: Nine bags full

This week is another finish in the "massive cleaning" department.  Since Jungle Boy is off to study ballet for a month at ABT, I took advantage of his absence to go through his room and clean it out.

His room didn't look bad to begin with, but once I got in there it turned into a much bigger job than I anticipated.  Stuff under the bed, stuff stuffed in drawers, stuff everywhere.  I started out with an empty bag for trash and an empty bag for items to donate.

It isn't hard to fill a donation bag when you have a kid who's grown about six inches in six months. His voice has changed now, and his tastes and sensibilities have done a lot of growing as well.  The Hungry Hungry Hippos game in the closet had to go, along with Candyland and a stack of other games that had been forgotten in there for years.  All the shirts that only skim his midriff went into bags, and all of those half-finished lego models that were missing the rest of the pieces.

The closet was like an archeological dig.  The hobby horses and jigsaw puzzles (60 pieces!) and long-sleeve shirts that now only go past his elbows all went into bags.  The more I pulled out, the more things seemed to multiply.

Then I found ballet tights.  Then another pair, and another.  Men's tights are almost like pants - thick and sturdy and about $24 each.  Oh look, another pair - had they been multiplying in the back of a dark drawer?  After I pulled out six pairs I jumped in the car and sent them to him UPS.  He told me later on the phone he doesn't think he needs them but I'd rather he have too many pairs than too few.  I was a little annoyed that he didn't check his drawers carefully enough when he was packing.  Boys!

In the end, I had six bags of items for the thrift store and three bags to go out with the garbage.  I spared some things he needs to sort through himself.  I bought a new mattress pad and pillow and did everything I could to freshen up the place.

Many hours and sore back and hip later, the room doesn't look very different, but it's better equipped for my big teenager.  If I did my job right, he probably wont even notice.

What have you been up to this week?  Link up so I can visit and congratulate you.  Feel free to grab the button from my sidebar.

The Usual End of School Year Frenzy

The kids were thrilled when I picked them up from school today.  "Mom!  We have to turn in our history textbooks!  Turning in textbooks means the school year is almost over!"  I may have furrowed my brow pondering this one because the last day of school is June 10, which still leaves a lot of days for study.

"How were your other classes?"

"We saw 'Finding Nemo' in French.  Well, English with French subtitles.  But nobody reads the subtitles."

And on it goes.  They've seen "The Music Man" in band and countless movies in other classes.  In some cases there were substitutes (ok, if you don't know how to play an instrument you can't sub very well in band class), but more often than not movies are being shown again this year to waste time since all the standardized testing is done.


Outside of class preparations are underway for the ballet school's big recital.  Costume fittings (remember to hang that tutu upside down so it will fluff!), extra rehearsals, new clean shoes (who decided male ballet dancers should wear white shoes - were they insane?).

Wasabi Girl's gymnastics team is getting ready to march - er backflip I guess - in our local Hometown Days Parade.  Need to get white gloves to protect her hands.

Jazz band concerts (Wasabi Girl again), Boy Scout swimming tests and merit badges, Open House at school - and of course the important milestone of Drama Girl's "graduation" from 8th grade.  (I hate the misuse of that term.  Graduation means completion of study, where a diploma is granted, such as at a University.  Not middle school.)

It's like August all over again.  A frenzy of activity and writing checks.  Pictures to take, supplies to obtain, forms to sign.

I miss January.

The 12 Hurdles of Christmas

Every mom knows that the Christmas season is a marathon. A marathon with some milestones along the way that we can all celebrate passing. Here is my list of seasonal challenges. Would some of these be on your list too?

1. Decorate the house and porch and yard
   
2. Get the tree and decorate it
3. Mail the Christmas cards
4. Mail gifts that have to go out of town
5. Gift for the husband
6. Gifts for the kids
7. Gifts for neighbors, friends, associates, godparents, relatives, music teachers, etc.
8. Complete any handmade gifts
9. Wrap all the gifts
10. Bake Christmas cookies
    
11. Throw a party
12. Cook a fabulous feast

I'll admit right now that I "epic failed" on at least one of these this year. (Sorry out of town folks, hope you don't mind that I'm sending emailed gift certificates! ). Every year I vow it will be different, and every year I forget to read my notes to myself from previous years.

But on the other hand, looking back over this list today, I feel I can pat myself on the back for getting so much done. Maybe not as early as I'd like, but other than the mailing issues, it all was done well.

So while I could bake some more cookies and perhaps squeeze out another handmade ornament, I'm throwing in the towel and calling my Christmas to-do list done. The feast will be cooked on Christmas Eve, and then I'll just sit back and wait for Santa.

Tomorrow's post will be my 12 joys of Christmas. Another list that makes me smile as I check things off. Anything left on your lists?

Makes My Monday: Planning

I have a favorite planner that I've used for years. It's called the Uncalendar. I swear by its graphic layout with lots of individual boxes for all the different balls a typical person has to juggle every day.

My kids have been admiring mine and they each asked for one recently, so I happily ordered them. We usually spend some time on Sundays lounging in the living room and making lists. I never tell them to do their planning, they do it on their own when they see me setting up my week.

This week I asked if I could take some pictures of their planners. They were gracious enough to oblige.

Here is Jungle Boy's gameplan for the week, complete with a draft of a story he's working on, the plan of his earth science project for school, the grim reaper and his brother the happy reaper (who knew?), and what might be a self-portrait of himself playing the trumpet. I love the pictures he filled in the other boxes. And have no fear, his twin corrected him on the number of days until Christmas (39 today).

Below is the planner for his twin sister. She has the larger version and I asked her if she could take a picture before she started writing in it. Before she writes she has this elaborate decorating she does with her many highlighter pens. Cracks me up. After she took this shot, she went ahead and wrote over the colors and filled it in.

Seeing my kids get themselves organized makes my Monday. To see more happy posts to start the week, visit Cheryl at Twinfatuation.

Finished for Friday: Eating That Frog

Today's finish is in the "lit" category - a classic book called "Eat That Frog" by Brian Tracy. The Subtitle is "21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time."

If you don't need a book like this, I envy you. I never seem to have the time I want to get everything done. This book is a great motivator. In a nutshell, he urges the reader to get the biggest, most difficult task for the day done first, and do nothing else until it's done. The title is from the Mark Twain quote "If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, the rest of your day will be wonderful."

It's a quick read, and it doesn't astound with anything new, it just inspires with a lot of positive attitude. I'll be picking it up again in the future to give myself a nudge.

The Hocuspocusville quilt isn't done yet, but soon. Soon.

What have you finished up this week? I'd love to see what you've been working on. Feel free to grab a button from my sidebar and please visit the other participants and cheer them on. Have a great weekend!

Lofty goals

I'm not much of a resolution person, and when I make them they tend to be of the easy sort like "floss more."  I hate failure.

But I do make goals every year, and looking back, I accomplished quite a few that I made last year. So here is this year's list of goals (in no particular order):

Finish 10 quilts.  This includes finishing off all the quilt tops that are waiting patiently in a pile.  I'm going to focus on piecing smaller quilts this year, like doll quilts.  I also plan to give each of the kids a new bed quilt next Christmas.  

Double my Technorati rating for this blog.

Walk without pain or limping.  This would be the first time in years if this happens.  Hoping that surgery in the new year will fix everything.

Join the Christmas Ornament Stitch Along and make Christmas ornaments for everybody.  If you know me in real life, this is what you're getting for Christmas this year.  

Say no to volunteer jobs (I'm looking at you, PTA) and do more substitute teaching, where I actually get paid for my time.

Clean out the garage.  Let's not get in to how bad this is right now.  Trust me, it's a big project.

Keep up with the blogs in my reader.  I'm terrible at this right now.  I subscribe to many, and fall behind quickly.  Oh dear.  I just opened my reader and I see that now they have recommendations.  New blogs to read.  This may be my hardest goal.

More harp playing.  I hardly played any music at Christmas time this year, and that's some of my favorite music.  

Then there is the really-tough-probably-out-of-reach list:

Achieve and maintain my ideal weight.  Why does this get so much harder every year I get older?

Open an Etsy shop.  Thinking about it this year.  This is probably a goal for next year.

Read the entire Bible.  I've done this in a year about 4 times.  I have software that lets me read part of the Old Testament and part of the New Testament every day.  It is a challenge to finish it all in a year though.  I think the last time I did this was before I had kids.

And finally, goals I should make but won't:

Stop buying more fabric.  My stash is getting big, but how can I pass up fabric like this?

Stop buying books until I've read absolutely every book I already have.  This is a hopeless cause, and I know it.  I'm trying really hard to be good about this though.

Cook fabulous,  well-rounded, delicious meals for my family every night.  Let's get real.  I love to cook, but once in  while the pizza guy is my friend.

There it is.  As soon as I hit "publish" I'll probably think of a dozen more.  What are yours?

Join me tomorrow for "Finished for Friday."  Now with a button you can grab from my sidebar! Short on ideas?  This Friday you can show us that 2008 calendar you finished, that empty bottle of champagne from last night, that Christmas tree you hauled out to the curb.  Get creative and join in.  Happy New Year!

No Post Today

I can't post today. My to-do list looks like this:

1. Sew up some gifts
2. bake dozens of cookies for the cookie party I'm hosting
3. get shoes and pants for Jungle Boy for his concert coming up
4. mail some gifts
5. hurt my brain over the problems with the PTA accounts
6. buy some toys for charity
7. take Jungle Boy for a haircut
8. label all the ballet shoes and tights and stuff for the Nutcracker performances starting this weekend
9. concoct some great craft project for the cookie party
10. baste a quilt
11. get Drama girl some new legwarmers
    
12. sign up Wasabi Girl for the Spring softball season
13. water the tree
14. change the printer cartridge and see if I can get the printer to work again
15. schedule the dentist for the kids
16. clean out the cat box
17. sew a button on Wasabi Girl's pants
18. knit a scarf for Drama Girl
19. sign Drama Girl up for babysitting classes

I need a latte. And some Christmas music.

What has the elf been up to?

Duncan and Meteor were found this morning in Jungle Boy's diorama for school. The diorama is depicting a scene from a book. I guess the book is about tape. And twigs. Whatever.

The Big Scavenger Hunt

When I was pregnant, I read baby magazines and envisioned days of sweet smelling infants in colorful footy-pajamas. I had vague ideas of their school years, and of course, complete plans for the girls' weddings.

What I couldn't see from that vantage point though, is how motherhood is really just one giant scavenger hunt. And I never win - I just get more lists of weird things to find and do.

This week my list includes;

• A new heating bulb for the frog. Requires a trip to the special pet store that has the special bulb that's about $17.
• A ticket to the dance at the youth center for Drama Girl. Note to self: duck out really fast before they ask you to chaperone. Meanwhile, find out who all the chaperones are and call every last one of them.
• Trip to the bank to deposit money for the school PTA. I love the random checks left in my "PTA Treasurer" box with no explanation. I'll just deposit them and figure out what they might be for later.
• Jungle Boy needs a luggage tag for his trumpet case. Don't we have a million of those around here somewhere? But where? Shoot. I'm going to have to buy one.
• A Webelos shirt for Jungle Boy. Oh Joy. I get to sew a bunch of patches on it too. I can quilt all day but I hate utilitarian sewing.
  
• I need to install the software for Wasabi Girl's camcorder.
• I need to get the alarm on Jungle Boy's watch fixed so it doesn't go off every hour.
• Wasabi Girl needs hair stuff so her hair will stay in a bun during gymnastics team workouts. Do they sell sprayable cement?
• Drama Girl needs more ballet tights.
• Jungle Boy could use some new pants for Church
• Everybody needs a haircut
• I need to get a gift for a birthday party
• Jungle boy needs new dividers for his notebook because he already tore the holes in the paper ones. I should have just bought plastic dividers to begin with.
• Keep looking for a baby grand piano on Craigslist
  

My brain feels splintered. I think I need some things too, but I just wont have time.

Who needs reality TV? Motherhood is the most frantic game of all.

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Coming tomorrow: The return of Vintage Thingies Thursday
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Responses to comments yesterday A Picture of Me and All About My Kids

Monkey Memories; I have all kinds of valuable advice (or not). Cheryl Lage; I'm all about wanton leg display, and yes, we do smile a lot around here! Katherine; I knew it! We're not the only ones who nickname our food! Lidian; We Product 19 lovers are a rare breed. Nancy; Save the best pictures and be sure to put dates and names on them! We think we'll remember but we don't. Noble Pig; I thought I'd die when George Clooney left ER. That's when I gave up on TV. Might as well enter a convent at that point. Coloradolady; Thanks! Sister's Style; The "Lit" is slang for Literature - the thing I don't get much of any more because of all the laundry. Scary Mommy; I think that people will be disappointed if I ever finally do get around to posting a picture. For now, it's as if I have a "mystique" about me. Or I'm too lazy to get a picture taken. Amy; Once upon a time I had a lavender suede mini-skirt that I loved. And I was a skinny little stick. And I didn't appreciate it enough. *sigh*. Denise; I don't know how I'd survive this crew without a great husband/bartender. Elizabeth; Thanks! Laura; Actually that picture was from 2004. Wasabi Girl has refined her talent a little. Peg; I really think I might have to do it. I might even pick the same fabrics you did - I love them so much. Anissa; Blame the current administration. Always a safe bet. Jocasta; Thanks!

Chores, Checklists, Children

Learn it from me by threeundertwo related [litandlaundry.blogspot.com]

I'm a dyed in the wool list maker. I have lists of lists on my pda. I love making Excel files and highlighting boxes and sorting. It probably wont come as a surprise that I used to work in data collection.

So I have tried to tackle every challenge around this house with my number one favorite tool -- lists.

Take housework and clutter control for example. I've thrown lists at these people every which way from Sunday but do they clean up after themselves? Can it really be so hard to put a water glass in the dishwasher? Do I have to put that on a list too? They cringe when they see me grinning with my latest printout in my hands. The current master housework list is three pages long. Initial the chores you get done please, and you need to do at least one from column A and three from column B. Isn't this fun?

My most successful list was called "Chores for Food." I am not kidding. In order to get three small kids out the door in the morning I had to make a spreadsheet. Days of the week across the top, chores down the side, separate page for each kid. All three lists taped to the sliding glass door in the dining room, with a pencil on a string taped right next to each. The chores were grouped by time period. They had 6 things to get done before breakfast. Hard things, like "comb your hair." Can you smell my desperation? It was lists or nag. The faster they got them done, the sooner they ate. Ditto lunch, dinner, etc. They got allowance based on how complete their lists were. They worked beautifully.

Then I added schedules to the lists. "Pack library books" and "Pack piano music" only showed up once a week, so the got highlighted, and the rest of the days got x's on that line. The kids figured this system out too, although they'd remember library books and leave their lunch on the counter.

The list kept morphing into a product of my wishful thinking. Towards the bottom, between dinner and bedtime story, they had to check off "clear plate and cup" "clothes into hamper" "brush and floss" "pray" and "in bed on time." Caught the problem here? If they were in bed on time, they weren't going to be in the dining room checking off the checklist. So they'd check it off the next morning. And I trusted them.

It didn't take them long to catch on that mom was trusting them to be honest on their lists. Individual x's turned into lines with arrows going down the page. My son just blacked out big columns of boxes. The system deteriorated. But by that point they were old enough to remember things like brushing their teeth, if not flossing.

Before you accuse me of pure evil or OCD, let me just reveal what I found in each of the kids rooms recently.

They've made their own checklists. David Allen would be proud.

We're Going to Disneyland!

Last night I made reservations for our annual pilgrimage to the Happiest Place on Earth. We first took the kids when they were 3 and 4 years old, and at this point, we have as many traditions about going to Disneyland as Mr. Disney had ideas for characters.

• We've got a jar with change we've been saving up for souvenirs. The kids have already rolled most of it. Sometimes grandparents contribute. Looks like somebody slipped in a fiver.

• We've got our list of Disney movies, so we can watch old favorites before the trip.
• We've got our list of penny press machines; my favorite cheap souvenirs.
• I've got up-to-the-minute information from one of my favorite websites, Laughing Place. If you visit there, keep your eye on the pictures at the top of the page and you might even see a picture or two of me.
  
• Just before the trip, I'll strategize how to avoid all the long lines by using a brilliant bit of software called Ridemax. This is a must! Besides saving you hours of time waiting in lines, it's just darn fun to play with.
  
• The kids each have a personalized tote bag, which they'll fill with things to keep them busy in the car during the 7 hour ride. This picture is from 2004, when Drama Girl was a bit smaller. I also made them Disney pillows and character quilts for our trips. Go ahead, I know you want to say it. . .'overkill.' One thing we do not have in the car is a dvd player. Ask my kids, and they'll tell you getting there is half the fun. Maybe because they bring half their bedrooms along.
  

• I'll make a shopping trip before we go and wrap up some surprise gifts for the road.
• I'll load up the car with Disneyland CDs including Disney's Happiest Celebration on Earth. You really can't imagine what it sounds like when we're all belting out "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" at the top of our lungs.
  
• I'll make reservations for breakfast at Goofy's kitchen. This is the best place to meet characters.
  

• And if the stars align, I just might get reservation to Club 33. My husband has a friend with a corporate membership. Never been there? Neither had I, until a friend took me. It's the private club Walt built upstairs from Pirates of the Caribbean. Before I die, I want this plate:

• It's so fancy there, they serve you things like this; it's so fancy I can't even remember what it was, but I took a picture of it.

Anticipation is so much fun. I'm as excited as the kids. I love Disneyland!

The Undertwo kids Recommended Reading List

They keep telling me more, so check back. I've included a link on the sidebar under my own reading list.

Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians

The Anybodies

The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain) Series

The City of Ember (The First Book of Ember) Series

Eragon (Inheritance) Series

Fablehaven Series

The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1) Series

The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1) Series

Frindle

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) Series

Here Lies the Librarian

Ida B: . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) Series

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) Series. Read this one first, or join the ongoing raging debate at our house about what order to read these books.

Little House in the Big Woods (Little House) Series

Loch

The Looking Glass Wars Series

Matilda

Pictures of Hollis Woods

The Twits

The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics)

They call me a "Stay at Home Mom"

Here's today's schedule:
8:00-8:30 Open car doors at the elementary school. Remind people for the billionth time to **PUUUUUUULLLLL FORWAAAAAAAAARD** while I wave my hands frantically.

Before 10:00 Get either the piano teacher or my piano tuner friend to come with me to test drive the piano I found on Craigslist.

10:00 Test drive the piano I found on Craigslist. What I know about pianos you could fit into a thimble.

12:30-1:30 Lunch with the girls at the new Mediterranean restaurant.

1:30-2:30 Tutor. My favorite part of the week.

2:30 Pick up Drama Girl and her friend S. at the middle school.

2:45 Pick up Jungle Boy and Wasabi Girl and their friend V. at the elementary school.

3:00 Drive them all to our house where everyone except Wasabi Girl will change into ballet clothes and have some fabulous after-school snack I will prepare.

3:30 Drive the ballet crew to the ballet school. Simultaneously drop Wasabi girl off at her piano lesson.

4:00 Pick up Wasabi girl.

4:30 Pick up Jungle Boy and Drama Girl and S. and drive everyone home again.

5:00 Drop Wasabi Girl at her next softball playoff. I just noticed I'll probably have to feed her something before she goes.

5:30 Cook Rats on a Stick. Remind me to post the recipe sometime.

6:30 Drop Jungle Boy at his piano lesson.

7:00 Pick up Jungle Boy

7:00 Take Jungle Boy, Drama Girl and her friend S. over to see author Rick Riordan at the local public library.

Sometime later, I will put my feet up and have an adult beverage, if you know what I mean. Then I'll realize I never picked up Wasabi girl from her game. (ha ha, not really, my husband will do that.)

In the over-achiever category, I *could* make "Percy Jackson fan club" tee-shirts for Drama girl and her friend, or buttons or something. I could work on that quilt I'm trying to finish. I have to RSVP a few parties for the kids and do some work for my tutoring program. And of course, if that piano works out, I'll have to arrange payment and movers.

So now I'm wondering, how many times will I be forced to implement a Plan B today? Place your bets now. I think I'll set up a poll.

Supermom Monday: The Lit and Laundry way

I love Mondays. The messy people are out of the house (husband included) and I can clean the darn place up.

I have a Lifebalance dynamic to-do list on my Treo, which prioritizes all my to-dos and tells me what's due and overdue. I've massaged it for years until it is a complete collection of everything I need to do in my life.

The challenging part, is the execution and check-off of all these essential things. Flip the mattress annually? Check. Get the car detailed weekly? Sometimes check. Read the Bible daily? Um, once in a while. You get the picture. If I were some kind of perfect I'd have nothing left to check off.

Today however, I had 185 overdue items as of 6am. Time to attack the list and stop being lazy. So I'm using my Lit and Laundry technique. Here it is in all its glory:

1) Read a chapter
2) Get something done
3) Repeat.

It's 9:45 am and the list is down to 160 overdue to-dos. I've been doing multiple things between chapters (a lot of them are really simple). Seven more chapters down in Les Miserables. Fabulous book. Very exciting part. I need to go scrub the sink now so I can read the next chapter.