July 23, 2008
problems...solved
Problem #1: Fighting/bickering/complaining about who gets which colored bowl, plate, cup, fork or spoon EVERY time we sit down to eat.
Problem #2: Dishes and utensils all over the floor - clean (from Stephen emptying the dish drawer) and dirty (from kids playing at the table and/or leaving them on the table for Stephen to climb up and clear off by throwing them on the floor).
Problem #3: A dishwasher full of dishes - dirty or clean, doesn't matter - it's full and I need it somewhere to put the dirty dishes from THIS meal.
Problem #4: Money / energy wasted on washing clean (see Problem #2) and dirty dishes every day. EVERY day!
Solution: Everyone chooses one place setting. Everything that gets used gets washed after each meal. Dishes go in the dish rack, ready for the next meal. Pots, pans, mixing bowls and such go in the dishwasher racks to air dry, saving counter space and eliminating the temptation to throw everything in the dishwasher.
Does it work? After a week of this experiment I can say: Oh, yeah! It takes a bit of discipline on all of our parts - mine especially as I teach the children how to wash and rinse the dishes properly and thoroughly, but I know that this will pay off in the long run. I'm using much less energy doing dishes by hand. There is no more fighting / complaining about the pink bowl or the green cup being dirty. There are no more dishes all over the floor. The best part is that the kids enjoy - ENJOY - washing the dishes. Tonight Teresa finished her dinner and asked to be excused from the table so she could do the dishes!
Problem #2: Dishes and utensils all over the floor - clean (from Stephen emptying the dish drawer) and dirty (from kids playing at the table and/or leaving them on the table for Stephen to climb up and clear off by throwing them on the floor).
Problem #3: A dishwasher full of dishes - dirty or clean, doesn't matter - it's full and I need it somewhere to put the dirty dishes from THIS meal.
Problem #4: Money / energy wasted on washing clean (see Problem #2) and dirty dishes every day. EVERY day!
Solution: Everyone chooses one place setting. Everything that gets used gets washed after each meal. Dishes go in the dish rack, ready for the next meal. Pots, pans, mixing bowls and such go in the dishwasher racks to air dry, saving counter space and eliminating the temptation to throw everything in the dishwasher.
Does it work? After a week of this experiment I can say: Oh, yeah! It takes a bit of discipline on all of our parts - mine especially as I teach the children how to wash and rinse the dishes properly and thoroughly, but I know that this will pay off in the long run. I'm using much less energy doing dishes by hand. There is no more fighting / complaining about the pink bowl or the green cup being dirty. There are no more dishes all over the floor. The best part is that the kids enjoy - ENJOY - washing the dishes. Tonight Teresa finished her dinner and asked to be excused from the table so she could do the dishes!
July 21, 2008
summer entertainment
We finally finished Farmer Boy. I probably should have skipped it, although when I suggested moving on, Teresa emphatically said, "NO!" She sat by my side with interest every time I pulled it out to read another chapter while Catherine played with Anthony and/or Stephen on the floor. It was such a long book, and there was not a single word about Laura or her family in it. When I finished the last (two) chapters, Catherine was standing next to me with On The Banks of Plum Creek in hand, begging me to start reading it today. So, of course, I did. Three chapters of read-aloud time from good books should make up for the extra TV time they got today as we were rearranging the living room.
Adam's co-worker had a "broken" 36" television to give away and, of course, Adam was able to fix it. It's a monstrosity that I was not exactly happy about bringing into our house. Our 27" TV worked just fine and it fit in a beautiful TV cabinet that my MIL picked up from some relatives for us. I could close the doors and it was gone. We came up with a solution that lets Adam keep the BIG TV for watching movies and utilizes the TV cabinet for keeping all the electronics and media hidden from view. It's not the best set up but it works:
It is not the focal point as you walk into the room:
But it is there, lurking in the corner like a scary monster:
Here's the set up. Our old TV was in the cabinet, the electronics were behind the bottom doors and the remotes were on top of the cabinet with a center channel speaker. Our media was in the small drawer and on miscellaneous bookshelves around the house. Now, remotes and CDs go in the drawer and the DVDs and VHS tapes are behind the bottom doors, freeing up some bookshelf space for more books, of course.
Adam's co-worker had a "broken" 36" television to give away and, of course, Adam was able to fix it. It's a monstrosity that I was not exactly happy about bringing into our house. Our 27" TV worked just fine and it fit in a beautiful TV cabinet that my MIL picked up from some relatives for us. I could close the doors and it was gone. We came up with a solution that lets Adam keep the BIG TV for watching movies and utilizes the TV cabinet for keeping all the electronics and media hidden from view. It's not the best set up but it works:
It is not the focal point as you walk into the room:
But it is there, lurking in the corner like a scary monster:
Here's the set up. Our old TV was in the cabinet, the electronics were behind the bottom doors and the remotes were on top of the cabinet with a center channel speaker. Our media was in the small drawer and on miscellaneous bookshelves around the house. Now, remotes and CDs go in the drawer and the DVDs and VHS tapes are behind the bottom doors, freeing up some bookshelf space for more books, of course.
July 16, 2008
Oh dear...
Just as I was starting to pare down the number of blogs I read in order to limit my computer time, Danielle Bean and some others launch a new blog, Faith and Family Live! It is described in their Welcome post as "a supportive online community for Catholic moms" where they "hope to build a Christ-centered community where we can encourage and support one another in the joyful, challenging, important work of Catholic living."
I have hesitated to "give up" some of the wonderful homeschooling blogs and forums that I frequent, even though we have decided that we'll be sending our children to Catholic school. After all, I'm still "homeschooling" my pre-schoolers and there are so many "good ideas" out there. The problem is, I read about them but never get around to doing many of them...and the time I spend on the computer takes away from the time I spend with my children (and around the house). So, perhaps this new blog is a good thing...but only if it replaces my Google Reader list of blogs and if the result is less time on the computer with the outcome of living the Catholic family life I read about.
I have hesitated to "give up" some of the wonderful homeschooling blogs and forums that I frequent, even though we have decided that we'll be sending our children to Catholic school. After all, I'm still "homeschooling" my pre-schoolers and there are so many "good ideas" out there. The problem is, I read about them but never get around to doing many of them...and the time I spend on the computer takes away from the time I spend with my children (and around the house). So, perhaps this new blog is a good thing...but only if it replaces my Google Reader list of blogs and if the result is less time on the computer with the outcome of living the Catholic family life I read about.
July 11, 2008
mulberry days
This tree doesn't look like much from a distance:
But when you get closer, you can see why it is one of our favorites:
Although it was 90 and humid, there was a lovely breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay and to keep us cool while we picked:
and ate:
mulberries:
(As you can see, Stephen is doing just fine...)
But when you get closer, you can see why it is one of our favorites:
Although it was 90 and humid, there was a lovely breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay and to keep us cool while we picked:
and ate:
mulberries:
(As you can see, Stephen is doing just fine...)
July 10, 2008
oh, yeah...
...this is why we don't have pets. After a week of dog-sitting for my mother-in-law, I was convinced that I am not a dog person. I'd decided that cats are much cleaner and not quite so needy. Before I got too carried away dwelling on the virtues of cats, however, we had an accident. Stephen rolled over Princess this morning and, in legitimate self-defense, Princess bit and clawed her way out from underneath him. I washed my poor baby's wounds, nursed him as I googled "cat bite" and then spent the rest of the morning (and afternoon) on the phone, at the doctor for an evaluation, at the pharmacy to pick up an oral antibiotic, and at the County Health Department for his first DTaP shot. Princess is quarantined for 10 days to make sure that she doesn't have rabies...it isn't likely, but please pray that she doesn't, because if she does there will be more shots in order. Besides the risk of infection in the deep puncture wounds from the bite (which includes the risk of tetanus infection), there is also the lesser risk of contracting cat scratch fever (not Cat Scratch Fever) from the claw wounds, which is why he's on an antibiotic and had to get his first DTaP shot today. He's doing well, but...this is why we don't have pets. Anyone want a cat?
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