Outtakes

There was a time when I wanted to have the perfect Christmas picture, card and letter. Now I settle. For whatever I can get.

One day, after pulling into the garage after church, I told the kids to not change clothes and to stay in the yard.

I ran in, got my camera and ran back out.

My threat bribe? As soon as you smile nicely, you can go take your church clothes off and eat. Worked like a charm.

However, I still got some cute ones...

Changes

In all my life of blogging, I have tried to fit my blog into a little box.

Just a coupon blog.

Just a homemaking blog.

Just a challenge blog.

Just a family blog.

But it just isn't working for me right now. I keep thinking & wondering why, if I miss blogging so much...why don't I do it more often?

Yep, I am busy. But that is mostly in the evenings. Yep, I am tired. Yep, I have a lot on my plate.

No, I am not always exciting. No I am not the top Mommy blogger in the world.

But I want to get back to sharing a little more of my WORLD. Not just one or two parts. I have a lot of other things that I do. That I am interested in.

It amazes me that very frequently, I am asked for advice. Maybe because I have been married for almost 17 years (how is that even possible?!), or maybe because I have raised babies & toddlers and have now moved onto teenagers. Maybe it is because I have a child with special needs. Maybe it is because I am just cool like that.

Whatever it is, I am making some additions to my blogging life. More about family life, my continuing journey to becoming organized, more about the traditions that my family has, and I am also going to *gasp* add videos!! *gasp* keep talking about menus, my new obsession with the Dollar Tree & the .99 store, saving money and couponing, and all that homemaking stuff that I love.

2015 is going to be awesome!

Back to School & Back to Work...

On Aug. 27th my life changed. A lot. For the first time, in my 15 years as a mother...all my kids are in school.

I now have a good FIVE hours to myself! Woot, woot! I get to do whatever the heck I want during that time.

So far, I have filled my free time with shopping, binging on Netflix (Hell on Wheels, Longmire...) and occasionally throwing a load of laundry in. Such is the life, right?

Except that, doing nothing is not very...fulfilling.

I took a huge long break from blogging and couponing (at least heavily) and enjoyed the break but at the same time, have missed it! I have missed having fun packages arrive on my doorstep to review, the high that comes with getting a great deal, online friendships, and sharing my life.

Now it is time to one again  fill those hours with those things that I have enjoyed. I haven't made the decision of whether to have my coupon blog be separate or not, so I will keep you posted.

I read a blog post about not giving up and just following your dreams. It's time. My time.

My green thumb...or lack there of...

I have dreams and desires of a garden. Beautifully colored flowers in pinks, purples, yellows and reds. A vegetable garden with plump red tomatoes, yummy cucumbers, plentiful herbs...

It is, at this point, still just a dream. If it is not one of my children, I apparently can not keep it alive. Yet every year, I keep trying.

And then I hear Yoda's voice in my mind, "do or do not, there is no try".

Luckily for me, my husband has a green thumb. He is just gone. A lot. So I have to pick up the slack while he is gone. Which hasn't happened yet.

Saturday morning, Ben and two of my boys headed out to Home Depot. We grabbed dirt, seeds and plants.

So far, I have managed to keep my flowers alive. A whole 4.5 days! It is so exciting. Maybe this will be my year?

Getting organized

Here is the situation...

One day while wasting time being very productive on Pinterest, I came across a pin that interested me. No idea what it was but...I clicked. Which led me to You Tube.

Now, I am not a You Tube girl. I have watched the random video here and there but that is all. I actually had a "no you tube" rule for awhile b/c I caught one of my children watching something they shouldn't have.

I clicked anyway. Walking on the wild side, what can I say?! And it was an organizing/cleaning video.

I loved it. So I watched another, and another and...I eventually was downloading the You Tube app to my phone. I have now become an addict. But, everything I have watched has completely inspired me!

I started decluttering, cleaning, organizing, labeling...I was doing awesome. Then...I got sick. Just an annoying cold. That got worse and worse.

My kitchen one day when I was SICK, how scary is that?!

Later, I realized that I had had a sore throat for about 4 weeks. I went to the DR. and was put on antibiotics and am now feeling 1000 times better!

I got back to watching the videos and being inspired again. I have a lot to do but am loving the direction that I am headed in.

Just today I got rid of 52 magazines and 25 cookbooks/magazines. Ahhh! That felt good!

A bit ago, I shared my planner with you. I have a section in there for inspiring quotes and thoughts or even just practical ones. One of my favorite "you-tubers" or "vloggers" was talking about her night time routine. How by the time she got to the end of the night, she was whining and didn't want to do it. She just wanted to watch tv or read or sleep. What did she tell herself? What was it that she said, that inspired me? Wait for it..."suck it up Princess, you are an adult". Talk about tough love right?!

She was saying this to herself, but I really resonated with it! I am an adult. As much as I want to just sit around and do nothing, I am an adult. I have things that need to be done, whether I want to or not.

I am tired of my house being in a state of chaos. No more!!

Are you considered organized? Got any tips? Do you have any You Tube channels you watch? Let me know, I would love to hear it!

My brain

My planner has changed amongst the years.

From small to big, from 3 ring to 6 ring to a spiral bound.

I have tried notebooks and...seriously a lot of different types, varieties and colors. I don't do digital because for me, I have to write it in my own handwriting. I am just not a tech girl!

I call my planner my brain because it remembers everything for me!

 However, right now I am so happy with what I have. It has been perfect for me and my needs.

So here are a few hundred pictures on how I organize my planner!

First off, the binder itself. It is a hard bound 3 ring binder. I believe it is an Avery brand, but now that the sticker is no longer on there...well I have no idea :) It was purchased at Wal Mart but I have also seen them at Target. It has a clear front and so you can slide things in the front & back. I have a picture of my kids on the front and a to do list on the back.

I do have to be careful not to wipe it off on accident!

In the front  pocket I have stickers. Stickers from a previous calendar, some smiley faces, and some of our family labels.

The first section I have is my calendar. I purchased the calendar pages  from the Martha Stewart line at Staples. It has a monthly overview page and than a 2 page spread for each week. On the monthly overview I don't really fill out too much. Unless it is like my husband being out of town for a week or longer.

However, the weekly pages are FULL! There are 3 sections every day for Morning, Afternoon and Evening. There are also 2 small squares at the bottom. I use those for my weekly meal plan and the zone that I want to work on that week. At the bottom of the page, I have a list of who is doing what for family night that week. That way we are sure to rotate it correctly! Then of course it is filled out with all appointments, meetings, activities etc. EVERYTHING!

Why won't this rotate?!

List for the side hee hee!

The volunteer tab, includes any info that I may need for the things I have volunteered for. I am a room Mom for two different classrooms, and I help out with Cub Scout day camp. That is all kept in that area. Things like email lists & phone numbers, schedules etc.

Contacts is pretty self explanatory! Although, with all the variety of therapists our family goes too, I do now have a section for business cards.

This sexy picture of my husband is what starts my "family section" of my binder. Under my husband's section, I have all of his work numbers, work address, command name, etc. Whenever I have to fill out paperwork, and he is not around, I can just look in that section and not bug him. LOL

Each child has a section with their school schedule (5 kids--->4 schools) phone numbers for their school, passwords & pins for their grade trackers, the names & numbers of any coaches, leaders and people in charge of their activities. I also keep teacher emails and schedules of activities. All those things that pertain to that child. Each kid has a pocket with their picture and in the pocket I will keep cards or tickets from their events. Just little reminders & keepsakes.

 

 

 

 

After my family, is the section just for me! It says CEO of Turner Inc. because that is literally what I am! This section includes my weekly schedule of family activities, the things that are the same week after week after week. I also have my daily routines (both evening & morning), things that need to be done on a weekly basis, my list of zones (a Flylady thing that I changed for my needs).

I also have a family section where I include,  a list of restaurants and my families favorites at each place (this has come in handy soooo many times!), clothing & shoe sizes, and any other little info that I tend to forget!

 I have a tab labeled "motivate me". I write thoughts, quotes and sayings that make me want to do & be better. I look at them whenever I need a little pick me up. It also includes nice things people have said to me.

The last section is for menus. I write the plan and then keep it in there. That way, if I am grocery shopping and haven't planned, I can look at those and get ideas & inspirations.

So, phew that was a lot! But I really wanted to go through it. It works so well for me. I can add and subtract as I go along. I have contemplated going to a soft bound binder of the same size but am still on the fence. I like the flexibility of the soft bound, but love having a place to put a picture on the cover. My family is the reason that I do what I do. So it is an awesome reminder for me. Plus they are pretty dang cute to look at :)

If you have any questions or comments feel free to ask! I would love to hear how others organize their crazy lives!

In a slump...

Just clownin' around!

I don't know how many times I have read the book, "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Suess but I love it. I love that intertwined in this story are bits and bits of wisdom.

That Dr. Suess was a pretty deep guy!

There is a part in the book, when the boys finds himself in a slump. The words, "un-slumping yourself is not easily done" have been the words I have been living by.

I don't know when or why it started. I don't know how I got into it. Or what it is that is making me want to come out of it. But, unslumping yourself is not easily done.

I have had blogs. Followed blogs. Admired bloggers. Tried to find my place in the blogging world. Been successful. Been a failure. Been admired. Been forgotten.

I miss the outlet that blogging brings. The challenges that come. To try a new recipe. Or a craft. Or an organization challenge. To try to make my life and those around me better. To celebrate life every day. To commiserate when life is giving me lemons. To share. To belong.

I feel myself slowly coming out of this slump I have been in. Getting excited about things again. Realizing where I have needed to improve.

Slowly but surely, I am getting there. Thanks for taking the ride with me...

Happy Birthday to Ivan!!

OK, how does time go by so stinkin' fast?! I swear I was just in the hospital having this kid!

...and now he is nine. NINE!

So per birthday tradition, here are 9 reasons why I LOVE my nine year old!!

1.He sleeps next to a window, and no matter what the temperature outside, the window is ALWAYS open. And he sleeps cocooned under a good 10-12 blankets.

2. Whatever he loves, he loves it with his whole heart. From Legos, to M & M's, to the American Revolution. He goes all in.

3. He wants to work at LEGOLAND when he grows up.

4. His sweet smiles.

5. When I go pick him up at school, he runs to me like he hasn't seen me for a year and practically knocks me over with a hug! I literally have to brace myself for impact.

6. He only wants to sit by me. At church. During movie night. At the table. That is dedication!

7. He has an awesome sense of humor.

8. He doesn't worry about things like being popular or doing the "cool" thing. He is who he is.

9. He is a good big brother to Mason, even though he struggles with it sometimes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IVAN! I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!