A Labeled Pantry

Clearly labeled. All the same size and shape. 

 

We do most of our dry good shopping in bulk. This ends up in an assorted mish-mash of jars and bags that crowd the pantry shelves. It's so hard to find what I need with out dismantling an entire shelf!It gets even more exciting when I unpack and put away a bunch of grains and beans from my Lonesome Whistle CSA.

On my last deep-clean-the-kitchen-day, I started with tackling the pantry. I was in there for hours. I came up with a system for storing and sorting my bulk dry goods that I am just tickled about.

Problem: Inconsistent jars and bags make storing and finding difficult.

Solution: I have lots of canning jars, and all thing considered, canning jars are pretty darn cheap. And things look so much better when they are all standardized.

New Rule: everything in the pantry should live in a canning jar.

I think this is the best use of sheet space...

Problem: I just am not that good at remembering to label things... Now which was the rye flour? Was it this? Or is that buckwheat...

Solution: Laminated card stock inserts for my canning jar done lids. So easy.

I laminated 8 pages of white card stock and cut out lots of narrow mouth and wide mouth sized circles. One goes in the top of each jar. They get labeled with a wet-erase marker. When I wash the jar or fill it with something else, I can wipe off the label and re-use it.

New Rule: All jars must be labeled. Taking the moment to create a label when I put groceries away will save me a world of searching later.

As always, I was amazed at how much space my pantry actually has when I use standard containers and organize the heck out of the space. Already I am excited to put away my next batch of beans and grains from my CSA - they look so pretty and tidy in their labeled jars!

Mindful Monday: Get Back on Track

Okay. I know it's Tuesday. But that's part of what we're doing this week. Trying to the best of our ability to re-establish our daily routine.

For the last two weeks there have been family in town, mad holiday preparations and celebrations and Papa home from work. It's been fun. Bedtimes have been erratic (almost to the point of non-existance most nights. Yawn.) Eating has been haphazard and involving more sweets than usual. I'm glad it's time to get back to our dull, fairly predictable, life.

Who: All the family
What: Re-establish our habits and routines. Get ready for a new school month that starts next week.
Why: We intentionally let most our routines disappear for the month of December. It's that time of year. But we also know that our housekeeping schedule, bedtimes, circle times, and so on, keep us sane. It's time to call back a little bit of that sanity.
How: Papa is back at work, and though we miss him, that helps re-create our habits. We will keep on with our morning circle (the only thing that didn't fall apart in the Holidays, thank goodness!). I will try to get the housekeeping back to the established schedule. The kids will go to bed at bedtime, movies will happen on movie nights, and so on. I anticipate this taking two weeks to really get back, but that's okay. I have to work extra this week and next at our food co-op, so I'm giving myself a little leeway to re-establish our days over the two weeks. This will also get us ready to delve back into our school work in January.

Here's to sanity!

Housekeeping Week - Friday

After the craziness that is any week input home, I'm ready to slow down and have a not-so-essential chore on Friday. One that I can comfortably miss if we are out of town or there has been too much going on and we need a down day.

Friday is Clean the Bedroom Day.

We use the bedroom for sleeping, movies, and getting dressed, so it doesn't get very messy over the course of a week, but of I don't put it on the schedule it gets pretty darn messy before I prioritize it. And I feel that we all sleep better if we are sleeping in clean space.


To get this room good enough I
*clear the surfaces.
*put the clean laundry away, and the dirty laundry in the laundry room.
*pick up the random stuff.

Ultimately I try to
*dust.
*vacuum.
*wash the sheets.




Because its such a light set of tasks, Friday is also the day I clean the hall.

Like the bedroom, it doesn't need much. I feel it's good enough if I
*do a quick tidy up on our family desk.
*sweep.

Ultimately I try to
*dust the desk and photos hanging in the hall.
*organize the random piles that grow on the desk.
*wash the floor.

Mostly I can get through both these tasks with ease, leaving the rest of the day free for a quick living room pick up.

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Housekeeping schedule benefit! I don't have to worry about messes (smallish, non-sticky messes anyway) when I see them. I know that it will be less than a week - and usually less than four days - until I clean it up. I don't have to do it now, or think about those dust bunnies because I know when I will be thinking about them. My mind is free to pursue more interesting things.

Housekeeping Week - Thursday

Paradoxically, Thursday is also my favorite, and for the opposite reason of Wednesday.

Thursday is Bathroom Day.

Unlike the day-long cleaning evolution that is Wednesday, the bathroom is an easy chore that I get done first thing in the morning. I scrub the tub, pop the kids in their bath, and keep an eye on them while they play and I clean the rest of the bathroom.

I start the day with my chore already done, which is good since Thursday is also when I run errands.

If I am doing a 'good enough' clean I
*scrub the tub.
*clean the toilet.
*wipe down the sink.
*sweep.
*take dirty laundry out.

If the kids are both happily splashing, I ultimately try to
*wash the floor.
*clean the mirror.
*wipe out any storage bins that need it.
*deep clean behind the sink, toilet, etc.

This is really only a twenty minute chore, so that leaves me plenty of time to prep dinner, make the shopping list, and otherwise prepare for errands.

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Housekeeping schedule benefit! Because each room gets cleaned on such a regular schedule, it means that the ultimate things aren't always so pressing. Odds are all of them get done within a couple of weeks, and the basics are always covered.

Housekeeping Week - Wednesday

Wednesday has become a favorite. It is the Kitchen Day.

My habit has become to start first thing in the morning and slowly work through it over the course of the day. This chore has, by far, the longest 'good enough' and 'ultimate' lists.

For a good enough kitchen I need to
*clear and wipe all the counters (including under the counter appliances).
*empty the dish drainer.
*clear out old food & leftovers from the fridge.
*pick up the laundry room (which is small and attached to the kitchen).
*sweep and wash the floors.

Looks like a lot, but ultimately I also try to
*scrub the sink.
*clean the toaster & microwave.
*wipe out the fridge.
*clean the stove and/or oven.
*sort the odd socks in the laundry room.
*wipe down the cupboards.

This happens on Wednesday for a couple of strategical reasons. First, Papa-Bug has the car most Wednesdays, so I can assume I will be at home to work on the kitchen all day. Second, since I get home late on Tuesday, we don't usually get our after dinner kitchen clean up done and the dishes are just piled up after dinner. Lastly, I run errands on Thursday, so cleaning the kitchen the day before means I have a clear fridge to put the new food in, as well as a good idea of what we need at the grocery store. Additionally, having the kitchen sparkling as we head into the last part of the week feels good - up and over the hump.

I find, as I work through the day that other kitchen tasks make their way into my chore - like sorting bones and starting a batch of broth, making fruit leather out of some fruit that must be used, and so on. It's relaxing to be tied to this essential room for the day.

Today I opted not to wash the floor - we are carving pumpkins tomorrow evening and I know it will need a wash after that mess. I ended up with time today to start re-claiming the windowsill, taking off some old hardware that was making it look unkempt. I hope to make a little kitchen altar there in the near future - something to look at while I do the never ending dishes. 

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Housekeeping schedule benefit! Because I know I will have this extended time in the kitchen, I don't stress too much throughout the rest of the week - I just try to keep the mess to a minimal pile. The big things I will tackle today. This has opened up a lot of time the rest of the week for Brother-Bug's school time, my time, folding laundry, and whatnot.

Housekeeping Week - Tuesday

On Tuesday I have to be at our food co-op for my volunteer shift by 4:30. I also have to get dinner in the slow-cooker so Papa-Bug and the kids can eat dinner easily while I'm gone. I get home right before bedtime, just enough time to feed myself and hear how the evening was. So I need the Tuesday chore to be pretty simple and one that won't be really noticed if I miss it.

Tuesday is the day we clean the Playroom.

To get it just good enough, we
*pick up the toys off the floor.
*make the bed.
*put the laundry away.

If we are all feeling cooperative (and it wasn't too big a mess to start with!) we also, ultimately, can
*sweep and wash the floor.
*get the toys put in their proper homes.
*wash the sheets (since the kids sleep with us, I don't worry about that so much).



Also on Tuesday I water the houseplants. It's not a big deal, so I easily forget to do it - unless it is on the schedule.

Having the playroom clean on Tuesday means that Papa-Bug has a nice play space for his evening with the kids. And, like I opened with, Tuesday can get a little crazy, so this is a pretty mellow thing to get done.

Another aspect of the kids room that I recently added is the style of their toy storage. I found that a local ice cream parlor gives the sugar cone boxes away. These make for cheerful, standardized storage. The lid is perfect for writing what belongs in the box - and even if the contents are a jumble, the outside looks tidy.

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Housekeeping schedule benefit! Having a small thing, like watering the plants, gives me something I can do first thing and feel accomplished right away in the morning.

Housekeeping Week - Monday

I have been writing so enthusiastically about the functionality of my housekeeping schedule that I thought I would go through it day by day this week, detailing the how and why of each day's chore.

Monday is the Living Room Day.

On this day I do a through clean-up of our living/dining area. Each chore has a list of 'good enough' tasks and 'ultimate' tasks. Good enough is what I need to get done to feel comfortable in the room.

For the living room, that is
*picking up everything on the floor.
*sweeping.
*clearing surfaces.
*tidying the shoes.

If I have a busy day (like two weeks ago when a friend and I made 7 gallons if applesauce on a Monday) I know that all I must get done are those four simple tasks.

If I have a little extra time, I can tackle any of the items of the ultimate list;
*dusting.
*wash the floors.
*clean the mirror.
*excavate under the couch.

I set this chore on Monday, because after a busy weekend (in which we probably didn't pick up much) the Living Room really needs some attention. Also, as the primary room we use (no family room or den in this house), getting it clean first thing in the week sets the tone for the next several days.

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Housekeeping schedule benefit! Since Brother-Bug has gotten used to the cleaning schedule he is easier to cajole into helping and understands which chores I will be involved in and so interrupts less while I get them done.

Re-Covering A Chair

We had this chair. It had been a fairly comfortable chair with a washable cover, until I washed the cover and it shrank so much it was unusable. We couldn't even fit the cushion in, let alone properly fix it to the chair frame.

Take one not-so-special chair...

But recently we upgraded our bed, and had an extra queen size memory foam mattress topper. I contemplated for a while, made my design, and construction began.

First we measured and cut the foam to fit the chair.

Papa-Bug and Brother-Bug work on the cutting.

Next, I covered the foam cushion with an old sheet, to protect the foam itself. I sewed this on to the cushion and it can't be removed.

Already looking better - certainly feeling more comfortable!

Finally, I found some fun fabric and made a washable (non-shrinking) cover for the whole thing. I used zippers to fasten the arm pieces under the chair. I think the zippers will pull more evenly. We will see about that - so far it's working well.

Now THAT'S a chair I want to sit in!

I also added a small pouch off the right arm, to hold books, knitting, or other useful items. So far everyone is a huge fan.

See the pouch off the side? They filled it with board books and read together for a while.

And thanks to Sister-Bug's recent gastronomic adventures, I already got to road test the washable feature! The arm covers make it really comfortable for nursing.

Daisy thinks we did this just for her. Actually, I used the leftover foam, another old sheet, and an old fleece throw to make her a special dog bed.

Papa-Bug says we should call it the Twitter Chair. Sister-Bug calls it the Bird Chair and doesn't like to share it with Daisy. I like that it adds some charm and whimsy to our living room, and is no longer a piece of half-finished furniture looking awkward and less than comfortable.

How To Make Vacuum Powder

This is one of my favorite housekeeping items. I learned the recipe from Gina McGarry about a decade ago, and have used it on my carpets ever since.

It is easiest to make in a food processor, but a blender can work too.


Mix equal parts arrowroot powder and baking soda. Add 1/2 part borax and about 1/2-1/4 part dried lavender or other scented herb. Today I combined lavender and catnip. Dried lemon peels would be nice too.

Run the processor until everything is well combined. For extra scent (as well as germ killing power) add 10-20 drops of a related essential oil - lavender, lemon, etc. Run again. Store in an air tight container.

Sprinkling the carpet and our toes.

When it is time to vacuum, sprinkle a light coat over the carpet - this is something Sister-Bug lives to help with. Allow the dust to settle for ten minutes or so. Vacuum the room.

The oils of the herbs will scent the room - which can minimize airborne bacteria - and the powder deodorizes the carpet, kills germs, and protects against fleas. And it makes it really easy to be sure you have vacuumed thoroughly...

Mindful Monday: Creating A Laundry Design

Laundry is the mountain of mountains - the Everest that I seem to almost get to, and never quite climb to the top. Part of the reason it is such an issue for our house is that there is no good place to fold laundry. It's a Major Chore, right? All the other Major Chores have a place - dishes have sinks and dishwashers, washing the laundry has a designated space, there's a corner for the broom and vacuum to hang out when not in use, and so on. But not the unfolded laundry. Some people use the bed, some keep it on the couch, one co-sleeping mom I know uses her crib. But these aren't solutions.

All to frequently, our couch is unusable due to Laundry Mountain. I hate it. There is an answer out there. I just need to think about it. I need to think as carefully and thoughtfully as I did when I re-did the errands. Now is the perfect moment. Daisy Dog likes to sleep on piles of clean laundry, so I have no choice but to keep it off the couch. Papa-Bug made this wonderful folding table in our tiny laundry room - plenty of clearance for the dirty laundry sorter underneath, room on top to keep clean laundry and to fold it.

A place for clean laundry, made of recycled materials. I love my husband.

Who: Me (and the family as applicable)
What: Create a plan to keep the clean laundry flowing to its proper place...dressers come to mind.
Why: This is my Everest of housekeeping. I want to figure it out.
How: Watch the laundry dance, where it works and where it doesn't. Make a plan and implement said plan.

I can't tackle the "how" in a more detailed way right now - first I have to do some thinking and unraveling of the mountain. I'll keep you posted.

Organizing My Chores

Running a house is incredibly complicated, with myriad details to constantly track. Add the kids, the homeschooling, and personal/family/commnity pursuits to that and it's a wonder my head doesn't blow off.

One thing I found very effective in our last home was to organize my chores by day. I got the idea from Laura Ingalls Wilder, who washed on Monday, ironed on Tuesday, and so on. The first time I tested it out, it really worked. The system was derailed occasionally, but whenever I could pull it together, knowing what I had to get done each day really helped me get it done so that I could do other stuff.

Here's how I make a Housekeeping Schedule:

Step One - Walk around the house, thinking about each room, each chore, what you like about cleaning and what you dislike. How clean do you need each room to be to feel comfortable versus how clean would you love to have it be, if you had all the time in the world? Make lists.

Step Two - Pull out your weekly schedule. Note which days are busier than others and which days you will not be at home as much. Note when you usually go grocery shopping, when dinner runs late, or any other weekly details that rock your world.


Step Three - Start assigning chores to days. I break mine down room by room, tackling one room each day. This works for me because my house is small, and in a couple of places I combine rooms (bedroom & hall, etc.).Move the chores around the week, envisioning when in the day you will do the chore, who will help you - if anyone, what it looks like if the chore gets missed that day, what might get in the way of completing that chore, and so on.


Step Four - Find a way to display your new schedule for yourself. Write it on a white board, put it in your calendar or phone, put it somewhere that you can refer to easily.

I added some new steps this time around, to make it more sustainable. I divided my chore list per room into two different headings - the bare minimum of what I need to get done to keep the room livable and what I would ultimately like to get accomplished. For example, I need to at least clean the old food out of the refrigerator each week, but I would really like to wipe it clean if I have time. I can choose to do the minimum, do one thing from the ultimate list, or go for the gold and really do it all, depending on the day.

The other thing I did differently was how I formatted it. Usually I just note it up on the white board - which room, which day - and try to keep track of it. This time, since I had put the time in to figure out what was "good enough" and how much more I would ultimately like to do, I decided to make it a little more formal. I typed up the list for each room and printed them out. Then I covered them in clear tape and put magnets on the back. Each day is its own magnet, so I can rearrange them when necessary. They stick to my white board, so I can make notes around them if I need to.




I can add specifics for the day ("Order flea stuff") and check in with the dinner menu which I write above .



What I find when I do this is that I can let a lot more go each day because I know when I'm going to do the chore. Laundry all over the kids room? It will get picked up on Tuesday, so I don't have to sweat it on Friday. If I miss a week, I know I have missed only one week - I don't have to search my mind for the last time I think I cleaned the bathroom or washed the kitchen floor. If I don't dust this week, I can prioritize it the following week.

I add extra chores (like frequent living room pick ups or watering the plants) in bold at the bottom of the list. I try to keep the Kitchen Day on the day before we grocery shop, so I can have a cleaned out fridge to put the groceries into when I get home, as well as knowing what is in the fridge when I am at the grocery store. I don't have the daily chores (laundry, cleaning the kitchen, parenting tasks, etc.) on the schedule. I try to keep this specifically for general house upkeep. The other tasks find their time on other "To Do" lists.

That's what it looks like - my schedule of the week. And speaking of the schedule, I think it is time to go clean the living room and mop the floor!

Mindful Monday: Double Duty

I have two Mindful Monday Intentions this week. This was not the original plan, but I also hadn't planned to go get Daisy from The Greenhill Humane Society yesterday, either.

The short version of Daisy's arrival in our home goes like this: Through work, Papa-Bug had a Pekingese dog that needed a new home. He liked it and thought we might give it a shot. Biscuit arrived at our house a couple of weeks ago, suspicious and growling. It took him a couple of days to warm up to anyone. Everything seemed fine. Then on Saturday night, Biscuit bit Sister-Bug on the face (she's fine - just a small bruise). We won't keep a dog that bites - it's a one way ticket to the gulag. Currently Biscuit is residing in the shop outside. ((If you are in Eugene, don't have kids, and want a very sweet Pekingese, let me know!)) Papa-Bug and I talked about dogs and our family. Brother-Bug has been afraid of dogs for ages. With Biscuit, I had notieced him getting over his fear, and being way more socially interacting and physcally active than I have seen in a while. Seemed like a good thing. Additionally (to my surprise) I liked having a dog around. Papa-Bug liked having a dog around. We were bummed about Biscuit. So we changed our Sunday agenda and headed to the humane society where we got Daisy.

She's a nice doggy kind of a dog.

That brings us up to Mindful Monday Number One:

Integrating Daisy into Our Home & Rhythm 

Who: The Whole Family
What: Assessing how we fit Daisy into our home and family routines, giving jobs and responsibilities some thought. Re-framing our home as a "dog home".
Why: Well, we just got Daisy. It needs to be done.
How: Have a family meeting about Daisy and what her daily tasks are. Decide who does what, when they do it, etc. Talk about different ways we can help Daisy feel at home. Consider who cares for Daisy when we go out of town, where Daisy hangs out when we aren't home, etc. Put the immediate parts of our plan into action.

Onto Mindful Monday Number Two!!

Last week my intention was to create a Housekeeping Schedule. I did that, and started following the schedule somewhat. I really enjoyed the sense of organization that appeared in my days!

Following The New Schedule

Who: Me (and the kids where applicable)
What: Making the New Schedule into the regular routine.
Why: Because I want to have a better sense of what needs to be done, when I last did it, and how much there is to do.
How: Make an effort to follow the new schedule exactly, to find out how it works and where it needs to be tweaked to better fit with the groove of our average week. There are a few odd things on the schedule this week, but mostly it is a very average week - perfect for testing out the new organization.

That's it. It feels like a lot, but there it is!

Wordless Wednesday: How To Do Dishes With A Cranky Toddler

Put her in the sink!

Mindful Monday: The Housekeeping Schedule

Before I delve into my Monday post, look at my new Mindful Monday Graphic! I drew it myself, drawing inspiration from The Happiest Mom's similar graphic. I like the idea of the continuity that these regular posts have, and giving some of them their own graphic adds to that feeling. And I love to draw. I drew one for Simple Saturdays also...

This Monday I want to get the house a bit more on track, as far as the when and what of cleaning. I had this going on at our old house, and when I kept up with it, the system worked really well. Now it is time to establish it in this new house. I think the system will work even better here, because this house is much more welcoming to us, and easier to keep clean. I am hopeful.

This week --  The Housekeeping Calendar

Who: Me and my weekly plan.
What: Assign chores to each day; Monday = bathroom, Tuesday = kids room & hall, etc.
Why: I have few rooms in my house, and a weekly pick-up and wipe is usually all they need to stay relatively livable. If each room has its day, it is easy to know which task to tackle. If I miss a day I know what I missed and I can plan for a little extra time the following week.
How: Make a comprehensive list of chores that need to happen around the house; make an "ultimate" list of everything I would like to get done, as well as a "good enough" list of what I must get done to feel comfortable and at home. Plan chores around 6 days, giving myself a day of rest, and getting the list settled. Start it off next Monday!

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My intention of last week, to clear off my desk, is most of the way done. I need some quality time with Papa-Bug to finish off some niggling computer/storage type tasks. I'm hopeful that we can get on those tasks this week or weekend...

Simple Saturday: A New Piece of Rhythm

At Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne talks a lot about adding rhythm and "pressure valves" to the day. A pressure valve is a time and space that a child (or family member of any age) can rely on, a time and space in which they can let go if need be. Some examples are grace or a moment of silence at meal times, bedtime check-ins and prayers, of after school snacks... Of course, these options are limited only by what your family needs and can create in your home.

One place that always needs work in our house is the kitchen. Some people seem to be born with a knack for keeping a kitchen clean. Not me. Not Papa-Bug. Both of us enjoy a clean kitchen, and both of us love food and cooking. Neither of us has good follow through when we are cooking. One thing I really want to pass on to the kids is a sense of cleanliness and follow-through, and the joy found in keeping our space clean.

So, about 2 weeks ago we started a new after-dinner rhythm that has been working very well. Everyone helps clean up the kitchen while one grown-up reads aloud to the workers. Even Sister-Bug has a job - she takes the napkins to the laundry - before she does some water play in the sink next to the tidying parent. Brother-Bug clears the table and counters to the space for dirty dishes, scrapes the dishes into the compost, and sweeps up under the table. We frequently find ourselves pausing to listen to a particularly exciting part of our book, or pausing reading to help keep the kids on task. Brother-Bug's chores are still obviously done by five-year old hands (we need to re-sweep usually), but he gains competence with each evening we work together.

Sister-Bug loves doing dishes.

The most amazing thing to me is that there has been no resistance from Brother-Bug (or anyone else, but I didn't expect Sister-Bug to say she didn't want to play in water...). He calmly and even joyfully tackles each task, and is easily drawn back to our project when his attention strays.

I need to do a little preparation for it to work out easily for everyone - like making sure the dishwasher is empty and the knives aren't in Sister-Bug's sink, but that is easily accomplished in a day (most days, anyway). I am delighted at how this is working so far - a cleaner kitchen all around, helpers and learners with me, everyone going to bed earlier since no parent (usually Papa-Bug) is left up late with a filthy kitchen, and such a simple way to connect.

Our after-dinner clean up is rapidly becoming my favorite time of day.

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In related news, Papa-Bug has started a new Blog! When we started dating, almost ten years ago, we were both avid writers. Hopefully some of that passion is coming back and both of us can do more writing. I especially like the way he reviews beer - it always gives me a chuckle.

Errands Re-Done

Ages ago I posted that our errand days was hellish and needed a makeover. I watched errands for a couple of weeks and contemplated how they happened and what restrictions already existed that I would have to work with.

The only major restrictions I found had to do with the day of the week, and the amount of time needed. Our food co-op is open on Thursday and Friday only, and that is where I do the bulk (that's a pun there...) of my shopping. I also needed enough time to do the three essentials - library, co-op, conventional grocery store - and maybe a little extra time for extra small errands - drop this off, get new shoes kind of thing - or a park stop, or ???

Okay, that part was easy. Harder was identifying where the specific issues were around the morass of errand day. It took a while to break it down, but I finally got it.

The first place of difficulty was trying to run errands over lunch time. Duh, right? But I always glibly thought I would pack a lunch, but even if I did (not often) there really wasn't a good place to eat and enjoy.

The other time issue is Sister-Bug's nap, which happens right after...lunch time of course! When I initially started errands with her on Friday morning, it got us home in time for Brother-Bug's resting time and she just slept in the car wherever whenever. But lately she has refused most car naps, and always woke up when I tried to snug her into the Ergo or sling for gocery shopping. So she would get home hungry and exhausted. Not pleasant.

On either side of errands I discovered more issues. Getting the books together, the menu prepared, the containers and bags ready for the co-op, and other extraneous details together (like a diaper bag maybe) actually takes almost as much time as running the actual errands. By trying to leave in the morning I wasn't leaving myself enough time to do the preparation necessary to make the errands work. By the time I got home from errands, I was too tired to think of cooking whatever I had put on the menu. Even if I left at 9 AM, the day was already shot when I got home with hungry, exhausted kids at 1 or 2. So I spent the rest of the day caring for them when I was just tired...and then having to cook dinner as well.

And my long day conicided with Papa-Bug getting home from his long week of work, both of us staring at each other across the table too blitzed to even converse coherently.

So, having put all of those pieces on the table in front of my face... Well, first I was baffled at how far out-of-what errands had actually gotten! The adjustments away from balanced had happened slowly, over a year, and I just hadn't quite caught up.

But I figured it out.

First I changed the time. Now we leave after Sister-Bug wakes up from her nap. We have all had lunch and I just keep some crackers or fruit in the car for a late afternoon pick me up. We are all fed and rested when we hit the road. I use the morning time to do some school work with Borther-Bug, pack for the errands, make the menu, and prep dinner. I get everything in the car while Sister-Bug is napping, so when she has woken and nursed we can hit the road. The un-sought benefit of this is that it restricts my time a little bit, so I try to do less. I assess my errand list and figure out what I can do another time, when I am out without the kids, or after Papa-Bug gets home from work, or if I even need to run that errand.

Next I realized that trying to cook something unique on errand day was just asking for headaches. So I planned out six menus and put them on a master list next to the menu plan. Now for errand day I just look ahead and see what's coming up. To make it onto the list it had to be something we liked enough to eat a lot, no matter what, and it had to take less than a half hour of active kitchen time to prepare. There are 6 weeks planned out and then I go back to the beginning of the list and run through it again.

I also changed the day. Now we go on Thursday instead of Friday, so I am not (as) blitzed when Papa-Bug gets home after the week's work, nor am I too blitzed if we have the opportunity to go out for dinner with friends or do something else fun. The un-sought benefit here is that I am not as close with the people who shop on Thursday at our co-op, so I spend less time socializing and shop a lot faster.

I called in my mom for support. She is out of town every other Thursday, but when she is in town I leave the kids with her after we go to the library. They all love the special play time together. I love grocery shopping by myself, and having them elsewhere gives me a little extra time to do some of those extraneous errands that take so much longer with two kids to load and un-load and cajole through the event.

Frequently Papa-Bug can meet us near the end of errands and get a ride home with us, maybe stopping at the last grocery store and shopping together.

And when we get home, dinner is already to go. Papa-Bug and I can connect and put the groceries away while the kids put away their new library books. The stress dissipates.

It took me a while to find all the puzzle pieces, let alone get them into place. But now that I have made such sweeping change, I'm surprised it took me so long. It's my reminder to closely examine my days now and then, to see how we can make them flow with better rhythm.

What can you fix in your schedule that feels out of whack?

Friday Morning is Hard

On Friday we run errands. Our errands are relatively small - library, groceries, sometimes other side errands like picking up dry-cleaning or similar. I try to break it up with a trip to a park or Bounce for open gym if it is raining. 

We shop at a food co-op where most food is bulk, so I have to remember my own bags and containers. I have to gather the due library books. Also purse, snacks, diaper bag, and anything necessary for any other errands.

No matter how I try, getting us in the car is hard. And I hate it. And I often end up yelling in frustration, which is not the way I want to parent.

**Grrrr**

It is obvious to me that I need to change the way we do errands, but the question then becomes how exactly do they need to change? What can I do to ease the process? I don't need the errands to take less time - I need getting ready for them to have better flow.

I wonder what other people do - when they shop, do they bring their kids, how they balance the errands that must be done with the adventures they want to have...

I need to contemplate and do some brainstorming. Several ideas have come up... If anyone else has any inspiration I would be happy to explore ideas.

Cherries in the Canning Pot

Two weeks ago my dad and his sweetie picked pie cherries. Their season is so very short that it is important to get them at once, or else there will be no cherry pie in the winter. Or, more accuarately, we would have to buy pre-made cherry pie filling. Anyway, the cherries were picked and pitted, then frozen until there was time to deal with them. We got them right as we were getting home from Faire and dealing with head colds and laundry mountian. Not a good time for canning.

We also added a flat of bing cherries to the freezer - some frozen for eating and smoothies and whatnot, some dried, and some saved for cherry jam.

I looked at the calendar and realized that today was cherry canning day. So we defrosted the cherries and  got to work.

Pot o' Cherries

There were too many cherries for the usual pot. We had to get out the five-gallon brewing kettle.

Brother-Bug stirring in the sugar. 

I reduced the amount of sugar reccommended by 1/2 cup per quart of cherries. I figure that you can always add more sugar later, but it's really hard to take sugar out.

Cherry pie filling going into jars. 

We ended up with 7 quarts of pie filling. One I saved out to make into pie immediately. The rest went into the water bath canner. Then it was time to move onto the jam!

Jam in the jam pot.

The jam is approximately 1/2 pie cherries, 1/2 bing cherries, sugar to taste, a dash of lemon, and some pectin. I whizzed the cherries up in the food processor before I put them in the pot.

Sister-Bug eating the skimmed foam from the jam. She approves.

The jam went into jars and into the water bath as well. I saved some cherries out for making some fruit leather, but that is a project for another day.

The day's bounty

At the end I have 7 quarts of pie cherries and 10 1/2-pints of cherry jam. And a dream of cherry pie on a dull day in mid-winter.


And one of my favorite things about a can of cherries? I think they look like I've been pickling the hearts of evil gnomes. Macabre, but true. And so tasty.

Computer Update

My laptop came back from MicroDoc today. It's toast. Far too much water damage and corrosion to be fixed. Hopefully I can craigslist it as parts.

The good news is that we found a desktop Mac G5 for a deal. So now I have this lovely desktop.



I'm hopeful that a desktop computer here makes me less inclined to pile stuff on the desk and more intentional with my computer use.

I'll miss my laptop, but on the whole I think this is a good move for our family. And as soon as the stuff from my old hard drive is on the new hard drive, I will be up and computing again. I'm thankful for my phone and its talents... But I am really looking forward to getting my fingers on an actual keyboard!

In the Pantry

These are some of my jars.

I love to can. There's an art to it, a rythem, and when I stack shelves of broth and jams I feel good. I know what is in those jars, I usually know who grew it.

I like knowing that the food I feed my family is made by me. I like knowing that we have food stored away. I like the alchemy of jellies and pickles, and the way jars of tomatoes and pears look on the shelf. I love the taste of home canned peaches.

Today I organized my shelves of canned goods - jams on one shelf, pickles on another, broths on another. Empty jars kept together, organized more or less by size and neck width.

I discovered that we are set for pickles, probably for several years. We need peaches, possibly some apple sauce, certainly more apple and grape juice. We are completely out of beef broth and fish broth, fine for chicken, and have lots of veggie broth.

So now we can strike into canning season, with its sticky jam pots, jewel colored jars, rich smells, and long days of hard work. Maybe some cherry jam and cherry pie filling this weekend. We will have to see. Maybe some strawberry jam. And I noticed I have only one jar of blueberry jam left...