Daily Haiku: October 5th

Dark plums are drying,
Scents suggest future sweetness,
Tasty prunes this winter.

Daily Haiku: October 4th

Pressed leaves and pumpkins,
Cider, mists, sweaters, mushroom hunts...
How I love Autumn!

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.

Daily Haiku: October 3rd

Each day stretches long,
Made of breath and empty moments,
Soon to overflow.

Simple Saturday: The Toy Clean Out

I cleared out the play room last weekend, and have been watching the kids at play in their space since. The pleasure they have had in their space has been amazing to me, yet not surprising. I know that getting rid of excess always feels good for most people, and my kids are no different from me on that attribute.

It was necessary that something drastic change in their room to make space for the refurbished kitchen set my dad made when I was little. I wanted the set in there partly because it's is a beautiful (if ragged after years of play) handmade wooden kitchen that their Grandad created. I have wonderful memories of feasts and fantasies passing through that kitchen while my sister and I played. Additionally I wanted it available so that the Little Bugs could have access to some of that deep, creative play that happen with such a toy.

So I seized the opportunity. The kitchen set was almost ready - after many years of storage it needed some touch ups. The kids went over to my mom's house to help her finish and I tackled their toys.

It was not as big a job as I had anticipated. It was reassuring to know that we have done a good job of keeping a low-ish number of toys coming in the house. But still.

I used the Simplicity Parenting guidelines for clearing space - as I could remember them in the moment of cleaning. I altered them somewhat to fit best with my family's needs and desires.

I got rid of...

Part of the thrift store donation.

Duplicates - when we had two VW bug toys, two memory games, eight stuffed bears, and so on.

Broken toys - trucks missing tires, dolls missing heads, etcetera.

Random Gimcracks - fake teeth from the doctor, extra bouncy balls from a quarter machine, little animal shaped erasers from a past Easter party... You know what little stuff I'm talking about.

Stuff No One Plays With - a set of army men that had never left the box, some of those eight stuffed bears, a set of jacks, and more.

Of course, this is only a partial list. 

I kept new Birthday Presents and all the 'Cars' toys. I kept one noise-toy per kid - a special digger from Brother-Bug's God Mommies and a set of musical flowers that Sister-Bug adores.

The feeling in their room was palpable after I moved the mountain of stuff out to the car. Even though most of the toy storage us not in sight as you walk in the kids room, we could feel the difference as we entered.

All told we took about 5-6 grocery bags and one large trash bag of stuff out. This was probably around a third of the toys. The trash was trashed. The usable items I took immediately to the thrift store, so no little people saw what I was getting rid of.

When the kids got home, I steeled my nerves for sadness. After all, there were a lot less toys than they were used to. But neither has fussed at all, and the available toys are getting a lot more action. Their room is easier to clean up as well.

This has inspired me (and Papa-Bug) to strike at much of our own stuff and to tackle the present giving and receiving issue. The Holidays are just around the corner and I would hate to have all my clearing work undone by well-intentioned relatives.

Finally, I thought long an hard about including Brother-Bug in the process, but I'm glad I didn't. It would have been hard for both of us - he would have wanted to keep all the little bits of detritus that he doesn't realize I threw away. Eventually I am sure he will inventory his vehicles and find many missing, but so it goes.Without his input, I had the freedom to make choices I knew would benefit him. We told him in advance what I was going to be doing, and there were a couple of toys that he told me were really special to him - I kept those to honor his input.

For now, I'm going to enjoy the increased calm in the play room, and the little boy enjoying rediscovered toys and the new kitchen set. And mark down a major win for Simplicity.

Daily Haiku: October 1st

I luxuriate;
Soaking in my morning time,
Quietly alone.

Daily Haiku: September 30th

Lush yellow peaches,
Holding sunshine in their peels,
Will soon shine in jars.

Daily Haiku: September 29th

Sometimes all I need
Is the stillness of a breath,
Like a leaf falling.

Wordless Wednesday: Ready to Ride

This is a knight-faery, complete with velvet dancing dress, lucky tights, rainbow lei, cowboy boots, and Lightning McQueen helmet. This is my son.

Recipe: Not-Ceviche Shrimp and Pasta

Some of my better recipes come from having one dinner plan, but failing to fully read the recipe or buy all the ingredients... and then having to completely alter my plan with what I have, usually at the last minute. That's where I got the Orange-Miso Salmon recipe.

And what happened on Saturday as well. I had been planning on making Ceviche, but at actual preparation time I realized that I...well...hadn't started it early enough. Whoops. So with shrimp, some anaheim chilies, and other stuff on hand, I whipped up this very tasty

Not-Ceviche Shrimp Pasta.



1 pound cooked shrimp (I like to use the already peeled dudes, because it is easier to serve to kids).
1/2 cup lime juice
6 tbl. butter

2-5 cloves of garlic
2 (or more) anaheim chili peppers
6 large tomatoes
2 handfuls of fresh basil
Salt & pepper to taste

1 pound rotelle or similar pasta

Cook the pasta.

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat and melt the butter. Add the shrimp and lime juice, turn to low and simmer until the dudes are cooked through - nicely pink. Remove from the heat.

Mince up the garlic and chilies and coarsely chop the tomatoes and basil (this is so easy if you have a food processor). Mix throughly and add to the shrimp/butter/lime mixture. Add the pasta and let stand for 20 or so minutes to let the flavors mix.

You can leave it to flavor up and serve as a cold pasta dish if you want. It was really good the next day, after it had set over night.

That is all. With the food processor it is a very simple and satisfying dish, especially with a nice salad on the side, or some fruit. If I was making this for my spice-loving brother, I would have passed minced jalapenos or another hot chili to sprinkle on at the table.