Been a bit busy...

I haven't written in so long because I have been more than busy!  I don't have time for anything it seems, well unless it has to do with teaching 3rd graders or helping my family here at home!  All this time I have (really lack of time) reminds me of my blog and some helpful tips for a crazy anal, organized mom! 

So here we have it, another tip:

When doing laundry, which seems to never end, I have a laundry basket for each bedroom (Hollin has a pink basket, Johnny has a blue basket, and Ted and I have white).  I do all the laundry together because with this system there is no reason to do Johnny's or Hollin's separately.  Also, I have to wait forever to fill my washing machine (it is MASSIVE) with just their clothes.  So, I throw in the clothes like a normal person and wash them (with my socks pinned together) and throw them in the dryer. 

When it is time to pull them out of the dryer I fold the clothes and place them in the corresponding colored basket.  If it is an item that needs hung up I have a cheap, hanging rack from The Container Store and I hang the clothes up there (usually on matching colored hangers to the laundry baskets).  Then when it is time to put clothes away all I have to do is carry the blue laundry basket and blue hanger items up to Johnny's room, put them away which takes like 5 mins tops and move on!  I love this system and it works for me! 

Pictures to come of all these systems I promise!  I just need time to do it!  :) 

Happy Organizing! 

Socks... Missing friends

I am so tired of sorting socks and wondering each time I do it how I am missing some. Does my washer/dryer eat them? It must! I have to buy socks for Ted every Christmas... But not anymore because I found the solution!

I safety pin my socks, Ted's socks, and the kids socks. Why? Simple so I no longer have to match socks and get irritated at my washer/dryer for eating them. It is simple and takes little to no time. I take my socks off, I pin them. Ted takes his socks off he either puns them or leaves them for me to pin next to my bed (this is really what he does). Hollin takes her socks off I pin them! I take Johnny socks off I pin them!

Once the pair (yep, pair) is pinned I throw them in hamper. I wash them pinned and pull out pinned. Then I put them away pinned! When we put them on we take pin out! Simple... And no more Rolling or matching socks. Life is grand!

After all it is the simple things that make my life easier. I don't miss matching socks, especially those navy and black ones that are so close!

I have a friend, my match, my safety pins!

Changing the Blog...

Well... I have thought a lot about my "blog" and what I wanted it to be!  I read my sister-in-law's blog almost daily and she truly inspires me!  She is the perfect writer and blogger and I love reading it!  However, I am not that person and I don't see myself being that person.  Sure, I love my kids and all the experiences and "-isms" they have, but the real question is... do you care?  Does anyone REALLY care?  No, and this was kind-of a harsh reality for me, but see, my life is really not that interesting. 

I decided I didn't want to get rid of my blog but I didn't want to share every little detail about my kids.  I didn't want to because quite honestly I am a huge scrapbooker and I do it all in their books.  They each have a book per year, and so do I need to do this on top of that too! 

So you ask... what are you going to write about?  I am going to write about:

LIFE AS A WORKING, ANAL, ORGANIZED MOM
    I still want time for myself and enjoy that time.  I need this and therefore, I constantly think of things to make my life easier and more fullfilling so I can spend time with my kids and hubby!  So read on, because rather than bragging and sharing all the crazy, exciting boring details that my kids do on a daily basis I am now going to share... how I make my life easier in my crazy organized world.

I am sure organized!  My hubby would beg to differ at times, but I really am!  Here are some simple things I have put in place around my house (and then I will elaborate more in future, along with new ideas and "systems" that I put in place). 

My clothes, Ted's clothes, Johnny's clothes and Hollin's clothes are Color Coordinated!  Yep, they are hung in the closet by ROYGIV and they go from sleeveless (girls only) to long sleeve with turtlenecks.  I know immediately where all items and clothing items are and what I am missing.  I know where to look when I pull out navy pants and what tops would go (not black, because then we would look like a bruise). 

I made the door to my garage a magnetic chalkboard.  This door always, and I mean always, had disgusting finger prints and I was tired of Magic Eraser scrubbing it and the paint literally disappearing so I bought the paint and did it, all in one day.  I love it!  The kids love it too!  The top part (out of kids reach) I put the weekly calendar/schedule and it is color coordinated to people, so even easier to read and understand.  See I am pink, because, well if I have to answer that, then you don't know me at all.  Ted is green, he likes green and well that is easy enough.  Hollin is yellow, because my dad has called her sunshine from day 1 so that is easy to remember.  Johnny is orange, because he loves the Broncos and football, and I equate the two together.  Family functions are in white.  Birthdays are in purple and so on.  You get the point!

I have labeled and coded my pantry.  I love my labelmaker and any excuse I can find to use it, I do!  I have lined up all my cans, rice, pasta, snacks, cereal, chips, etc. by alphabetical order and labeled all the shelves with what goes where.  This way, we are never searching, my inventory is always accurate and life is easy. 

I have labeled all the bins in the playroom with mini-chalkboards of what goes where.  Now, my kids, can't read, but their daddy can!  So when he helps clean, he knows where it goes and someday they will too! 

This is all I can think of right now....

but there is more to come (including pictures).  Thanks for reading!  After all, if you are going to take the time to read, I might as well help you!  :)

I hated Holidays... until now...

I hated Holidays, truly hated them... until now.  I hated them for many reasons.  The main reason though is, because it is ONE day for people to show their love to someone (Valentine's Day), or be thankful to your family (Thanksgiving), or one day to appreciate God (Christmas), should I go on?  I don't think you should have one day of a year to appreciate what you have been given and granted each year.  I love my husband everyday, I don't need Valentines Day.  I am thankful every day for my family and I don't need a meal full of fattening, filling food to make me appreciate my family.  Hallmark hates my feelings.

I hated them until I was sitting watching Christmas Cartoons with my daughter and son last night.  They were mesmerized and completely into it.  The conversations we had afterwards were priceless.  They love the spirit and the holidays.  And for that, I do too!  I love seeing my kids enjoy things but mostly the silly little holidays we are suppose to celebrate once a year. 

Hollin spent this Thanksgiving telling us over and over what she is thankful for.  I am thankful for her.  I will be everyday, not just Thanksgiving.  I am also thankful for her daddy, her brother, and all the other things she was thankful for.   Having her appreciate and realize that one day she needs to be thankful is just the beginning.  I can't wait to take this opportunity to teach her to be thankful everyday!  So this journey begins...

She is also fully aware of Christmas now.  We are going to spend the next few weeks teaching her the true story of Christmas.  I want her to know everything.  For now she knows all about Santa!  I am glad she knows about Santa, and the sparkle in her eye anytime we talk about Santa is priceless.  Last night we were watching the 30 minute commerical 30 minute Christmas Special Elf on A Shelf (which we had last year and she doesn't know will be back when we get home).  She enjoyed every moment and was beside herself hoping and praying that "Buddy our Elf" comes back to our house.  Johnny watched too and at each commercial break would cry and ask for Buddy to come back on.  I love this.  I am so glad they are excited.  In fact, I even got teary eyed watching the sparkle and excitement among them.  Watching them learn and experience all these "new" things and see everything for the "first" time is what it is all about for me.

I am grateful, thankful, loved, blessed and every other Holiday term.  But I am lucky enough to have this each and every day.  Hallmark doesn't need me to buy into it.  I buy into it each and every day.  Some days are easier to remember than others but in the end, I still consider myself the luckiest person ever!  Sorry Hallmark...

Two weeks and counting

Two weeks and counting and my darling little girl will be starting Kindergarten.  Am I ready you ask?  Oh wait you are probably wondering how Hollin feels and if she is ready?  Of course she is ready!  It is all she talks and thinks about it!  She can't wait and this summer she met two kids that are going to be in her class which makes her even more excited!  We got her backpack (we got her the navy and green polka dot) and her name is even embroidered on it.  I am a little obsessed with her name and I love this backpack!  She does too.  We got all her school supplies even!  She is ready!

BUT the real question is am I ready?  NOPE!  My baby girl is starting Kindergarten.  She is also turning 5 in the same week!!!  Really, Kindergarten and FIVE??  This is cruel!  I am proud of her and that she is ready but man it came so fast!  I still remember the day I delivered her!  It was wonderful and I never, ever thought that it would go so fast.  I know every mom I know has told me it would go by fast, but this fast? Really? 

I will be "that" mom.  I will be crying my eyes out when she is heading in the door for her first day. (Heck, I am already crying just writing this).  I will miss her while she is gone that first day but be so anxious to hear all about it.  And for those of you who really know Hollin, I will hear ALL about it!  This I love!  She is so detailed orientiented.  That's my girl. 

Now sweet Hollin Bear go in there and show that teacher of yours how incredible and perfect you are.  I love you and I am proud of you  but please don't get upset if I put a brick on your head to stop you from growing. 

On another cute side note.  Hollin got a Welcome Postcard from her teacher today and she is sleeping with it.  Cute right?

Be thinking of me on August 24th...

Preparing for Motherhood

As a child I dreamed of becoming a mom.  I played house constantly and set up my entire basement as my own "house."  My dad was finishing the basement for most of my house playing days and once he finished framing a room, I claimed it for a room in my house!  I clearly remember when he finished framing the room for the sports items.  I made this my baby room.  I hung stuff from the walls and made it look adorable.  I played house forever, meaning all day and into the night, and way past a normal age to be playing house.  I loved it and I loved picturing life as a mother.  I was obsessed.  I watched Three Men and a Baby and Look Who's Talking all the time.  Truly, I was obsessed. 

Once I was of age to babysit that was all I did from that point.  I quit playing house and became a high demand babysitter.  I loved babysitting and I was good at it.  I use to babysit all the families in the neighborhood and parents would book my in July for New Years Eve.  I was good!  Now if only I had saved all that money I made babysitting, I would be rich now!  Oh well! 

When Ted and I got married we decided to wait a bit to have kids.  I agreed which, quite honestly surprised me because after all I was obsessed with being a mom.  I thought for sure that since I wanted to be a mom my whole life that one day when I got married I would have kids right away and at least a dozen (maybe not a dozen but at least 4).  We waited and we "pulled the goalie from the net" about a year into our marriage. 

I was convinced that since I wanted babies so bad that it would be easy and I would get pregnant right away.  This did not happen, it wasn't even a few months.  You see I remember it clearly.  We "tried" and "tried" and nothing happened.  I never got that + sign.  It took time.  All good things take time.  Finally on Dec. 17th, 2005 (exactly 6 years to the day of our first date) we were pregnant (with the help on a drug called, Clomid.  It was wonderful!  I was thrilled and I was ready!  After all, I babysat every kid in the neighborhood, played house for years, and studied child development in teaching.  Could I be any more prepared?

OH YEA!!!!!  I never expected to experience difficulties or have curveballs thrown at me.  But parenthood has sure done that.  I was never ready and no amount of playing house, babysitting, teaching or child development courses would have prepared me. 

Sure I was prepared to change diapers, bottle feed (not breastfeed), put kids to bed, and even potty train (spent a summer being a nanny to triplets that were potty training).  I was NOT ready for illnesses, or that feeling of not being able to help your child.  I was NOT ready for the extreme love I would develop in an instant that can be overbearing and make you do things you never thought you would. 

I am talking about my last year.  This past year has been difficult.  It all started last September I guess.  It was last September when I realized that Johnny was not talking or making some milestones at the pace that is defined by Dr. Sears or any other "expert."  I contemplated over and over whether to call Child Find and have him evaluated.  Until, one day I was walking in the neighborhood when I ran into another mom here in the neighborhood, who is also a teacher and I respect immensely (she is mom of the year).  I casually mentioned that I was contemplating "the call" she listened and said, "do it! Then you will never wonder, should I have?"  She was right and the next day I called.  His appointment was October 27th.

We went to Child Find and it was overall a wonderful experience.  They (the specialists who evaluate) took us into a room filled with toys and climbing things, etc.  Johnny got to play and they talked to us.  They watched him and talked more.  We answered the questions and I remained strong.  Until, the lightning hit.  They told us he was six months behind.  I was honestly in my heart hoping that I had overreacted.  I am the queen of overreacting!  I was not overreacting.  He was behind, and I was feeling guilty.  I felt responsible.  Remember, I studied child development and I was teacher.  I kept saying over and over in my head, "how could a TEACHER let this happen to HER kid!"  And then I cried.  Ted rubbed my thigh and patted my back, kissed my forehead and told me it was OK.  Which of course, made me cry worse.  Then the poor specialists didn't know what to do with me and I cried out, "I am a teacher, how could this be?"  They were so wonderful and calming and said that we had not done anything wrong.  I didn't believe them.  I was still upset but thrilled that we were taking the right steps to help him.  I was on the other side of the table and it was different perspective to be the parent who is hearing the hard stuff about their kid, instead of being the person who shares the hard stuff about the student.  This, in the end, made me a better teacher and accomplish more but it is still hard.

We got Johnny "staffed" and his speech therapy started.  He made progress and then I looked back and realized that it was so minor and so easy and all in all, I am very lucky.  I have a friend who has a much more difficult situation and she is so strong and continues to amaze me daily on how she has changed and become a wonderful mom.  I am lucky, she is lucky!  We all have different situations and it makes us stronger.

January started and I celebrated the New Year with 2010 being over!  Little did I know that 2011 would not start out so grand either.  Right after the New Year Hollin got sick with croup.  I am a croup specialist now (not really but man I feel like it since my kids get it all the time!!!).  This was by far the worst case of croup she had ever gotten and her fever was crazy high.  She was even having hallucinations.  I remember her pushing the knot on the wood of the coffee table like it was a button and running around screaming, completely out of it.  It was terrifying.  We went to the doctor a couple times and finally, they gave us some amoxicillian to kill any infection that she might have and they weren't finding, also because I had just gotten over strep and Johnny tested positive for strep at the same doctors appointment.  Later that night we were eating dinner and Hollin said she had bumps all over her.  Both Ted and I looked and it looked almost like hives.  We thought she was having an allergic reaction to the amoxicillian but after more doctors visits and Hollin not being able to walk we found out she had HSP.  It took time but we got over that.

In March, I had taken Johnny to an ENT because he had already had 17 ear infections and it was a culprit to impacting his speech.  It was quickly determined that he needed to get tubes, which required surgery.  We had his surgery at the Children's Hospital (amazing place).  They were wonderful and my little boy looked adorable in his hospital gown but nothing prepared me for the anesthesia.  They had Ted and I take him back to OR to put him under and hold him.  I sat in a chair with my little man and he was terrified.  He cried and kept saying momma.  It was hard.  They put the mask on him which made him cry even more and then the cries got quieter and softer and quieter to nothing.  In the meantime, he twitched and his eyes rolled back into his head.  Ted was right there with me and nothing or no one could have prepared me for that awful feeling at that exact moment.  I cried and the nurses handed me gauze to wipe my eyes (word to the wise- don't wipe your eyes with gauze-it is rough and hurts).  After Ted and I left the OR we went back to our room, to get our things and cried.  It was hard.  Really hard and I would wish it on my worse enemy.  It was a quick easy surgery that has performed miracle for my little man but I did not practice this while babysitting or play house in this scenario. 

Meanwhile, in February Hollin was complaining of tooth pain so I finally made her an appointment at the dentist (doctors appointments were getting harder to make because I was running out of sick days and Ted's bosses are cranky and not understanding).  I took her to the dentist to have her teeth cleaned.  They took one look into her mouth and found out almost immediately that she had cavities and needed oral surgery to remove a tooth, put a crown on and fill other cavities.  We are not talking laughing gas, a shot and done.  No, we are talking a hospital visit, with anesthesia, the works.  We booked it and she had this surgery on Monday (yesterday).

This surgery was not like Johnny's.  It was hard in other ways (harder? Nope.  Just different).  She was excited and very ready to get rid of the "naughty tooth."  She had her surgery at another facility which I will not name.  It wasn't Children's and I will forever regret that.  She loved her gown, hat and everything else.  She went under fairly easily (helped that I wasn't holding her).  It was still hard but much easier.  Her surgery was 2 hours!!!!!!!!  It was the longest two hours of my life.  When the dentist came out and told me it was over I was relieved.  A little prematurely actually as I later found out.  She came out of it but not so good.  She was angry and in pain.  The IV in her hand was killing her and she was belligerent actually.  A side of Hollin no one has seen and it was scary.  She ripped her gown off and was trying with all of her might to rip her IV bandage out and rip it out.  Ted and I had to keep her hands off her IV and try to talk to her but she was still so out of it.  She screamed and screamed.  I was scared and wanted to get her to stop and calm down but I couldn't.  Her own mother could not get her calm down.  I had not practiced this while playing house.  My babies always calmed down.  Huh?  I wonder why?  Oh wait, I know, they were not real.  Moving on, back on topic, eventually the nurse pulled out her IV and Hollin was right, it did hurt.  It had shifted or something and was under her skin instead of her vein, resulting in a very swollen arm.  I was mad (I forgot to mention that she also had a bruised eye).  My baby had a swollen arm, bruised eye and was not the baby I gave them more than two hours ago.  No one prepared me for this and nothing could have.  All I can honestly say now is I am glad it is over.

Next Monday I am to go back to Children's for Johnny to do a Sleep Study.  It continues but again, it is not that bad.  Could be worse.  It has been hard and I was not prepared.  Nothing could have prepared me.

Would I trade it for the world? No!  Did I learn from it all?  YES!  Am I stronger because of it?  I hope so!  I love every moment but man, oh man, they should find a way to incorporate some of this in "playing house." Just kidding! 

Birthday Party Fever

**** THIS POST DID NOT POST ON THE RIGHT DAY!!!!!! SO ENJOY NOW!! ******

We have birthday party fever here.  You see, Johnny is turning TWO on May 11th!!  (wipe tear from cheek).  I hate that he is turning two but thrilled because he is getting significantly easier!  He was never hard but life is getting easier, much easier.  With the big birthday coming closer we have been planning all kinds of thing for his upcoming party.  He really loves trains (choo-choo) and so we decided it had to be a choo-choo party!  I even learned a catchy phrase to make the train theme tie in!  Choo Choo Johnny is turning 2!  I know cute!  We even found matching choo choo party themed goods.  It is going to be great.  I have thrown HUGE parties, more specifically birthday parties in the past, and I now know how silly that was and I refuse to do it again.  It stresses me out, costs too much and bottom line, is it really necessary?


Hollin's second birthday party was a Backyard Bash.  I thought that we were going to save money, it was going to be simple and small. WRONG!!!!  We invited too many people, it was not cheap (water bill was HUGE from the double water plastic blow up objects out back), and it was not simple.  I went totally overboard.  Hollin had fun!  However, it was also at her birthday when I cried (yes, I am that mom) that I realized I needed to have another and soon!  A month later we were prego!  Below are some pictures from Hollin's second birthday party.

                   Hollin eating with her friend, Brookelyn

          Her ice cream cone cupcakes I made myself- A NIGHTMARE!!

             Eating cake with Papa

         Elmo movie-- She looks so young!  :(

                 our little chef- new clothes for her kitchen!