this hurts me more than it hurts you

It has become normal around here to clean one time a week on Saturdays.

I used to get all the cleaning done by doing one job a day.  That worked for a good many years.

Since we moved into this house, though, I have had not just Jackson, but Lena has really stepped into her own as a solid household helper.  It's like after all these years, she's finally coming off the bench and into "the show".  (Yes, I'm watching the game as I write this.)

A usual Saturday morning includes cartoons, a bigger breakfast, and then an hour of regular chores and house cleaning.  Jack had basketball today, though, so we tackled it after dinner!  And we got it all done except the kitchen floor, which maybe I'll still tackle if I have playoff nerves working through my system.

So I post the house cleaning chart and everyone just chooses the jobs that seem the least tiresome.  Oh, and PJ took a bath, so he was content for a good 40 minutes!  It's not a deep clean, for sure, but if we do the minimum every week, at least, we keep on top of things.  I leave toilets and bathroom/kitchen floors for myself and I usually re-do the sinks, too.  While doing those tougher jobs I just try to keep the two kids moving and in less than an hour, we finish.

I think the kids realize that their help each day around the house frees me up to play games with them in the evening, like tonight.  I'm also able to fully devote myself to homeschooling and food prep during the week days.  I don't even do dishes throughout the day, because I know in the evening we'll all work together to get the place picked up.

In this case, and with the cozy size of our home (read: small, which I love BTW), it doesn't take a village, but having two extra pairs of hands to help really makes a difference!

The Land of Plenty

Today was one of those amazing days where everything is done on the list with time to spare.

It started out early with Lena and I out to help a friend cut grapes.  Two hours, a few donuts, and no bee stings later we high tailed it home to meet the boys home from flag football.  Lunch, chores, house clean (except that elusive mopping) then off to "the project list" aka "the pl". 

Paul did a few fix it jobs, weed whipped and washed the outside of the windows.  Amazing!

My pl included: assembling chili for tomorrow's Pakcer game, making crockpot applesauce (AGAIN!!!), canning tomato sauce (AGAIN!!!) and working on a few chicken coop projects.  The apples came to us cheap, but delicious, and the tomatoes free, so it feels almost a sin to let one drop go to waste.  As for the coop, the chickens are still sleeping on the floor and not on the roost bar, so I put a 2 x 2 in rather than tree limbs.  Maybe they don't like the "natural" look I was going for.  And now that we have one layer... who is also LAYING eggs on the floor and not in the lovely boxes, I set about making those seem more safe ?!?  I DID stop short of hanging curtains, though.

As a family we trekked down the road to help some friends with a small barn they were putting up (Paul), pick garden produce (me, and Jack when he wasn't eating raspberries) and hold kittens (PJ & Lena). 

As I had so much applesauce in the house, and though I have a freezer FULL of beef, we swung by the IGA on the way home to grab some pork chops.  Something about pork chops and applesauce (imbedded in my brain from the Brady Bunch) I couldn't stop drooling!  So looked up a quick recipe and an hour later we had an amazing dinner.   Pork chops, farmer's market carrot, potatoes, onions, and homemade applesauce.  Apple cider to drink and apple crisp for dessert GAH!!!  I know, even I drive myself crazy with over exhausting one food group, but it was all so tasty!

We played a quick football game outside before a quick rain cloud drove us in.  Baths and books for all the wee ones and a quiet living room by 8pm!  Not bad! 

Paul and I were just talking about how this is such a great season of life.  Soon, we know, all too soon, the kids will be up after we are trashing the kitchen and being loud (ha ha, two cardinal sins for me...especially at night).  So for this season, I choose to thank God for his abundance of love and grace and provision for our family. 

Good luck and good night!!!

proof is in the pictures

Life is happening here!  And when life happens, who has time for taking pictures!  Well, I usually take the pictures, but it is the processing to get them onto the computer where the rubber meets the road!

So, it is Monday and already, our tanks are full!  Lena is doing two classes at the local school while Jack is away at camp.  PJ and I built a trellis for the tomato garden and mowed the back yard.  We had lunch at camp, company for dinner.  Pizza on the grill was delicious!  We found Scout bothering the baby bunnies AGAIN! and had to rescue one and bury one. 

So with that full tank of activities and gratitude for it all, off to bed for me!