Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Saturday, January 23, 2010


I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom ~Thomas Carlyle
So my blogher friend Connie Weiss of The Young and Relentless has inspired me to blog my TOP 10 WAYS TO BEAT BOREDOM!



Reading her recent blog really got me thinking about the CRAZY things I have done to stave off boredom...which in my case translates to how to avoid cleaning the house....So here goes..

10. Talk hubby into organizing the garage! Gets the focus off the house


9. Rearrange the living room (code for move everything in the family room to the living room and everything from the living room to the family room)


8. Go Shopping really for anything!! When you are out of the house, you don’t notice what needs to be cleaned.


7. Start a new construction job around the house. Right now I am thinking about installing new flooring in my closet. How does a cedar floor sound? Researching it now to see if it's possible to do and not get splinters in my feet. Or build a playhouse for the backyard....


6. Take everything out of the pantry and move it where the dishes are and load all the dishes into the pantry. This one is not my husbands’ fav--3 years later he is still complaining. Sorry babe!


5. Elfa a closet. This is so fun. One closet left! Who notices when the house needs to be clean when your closets are sooo organized! Honestly.


4. Whip out Grady Spears A Cowboy in the Kitchen and make Stacked Pheasant Enchiladas in Salsa Verde. This recipe is an all day affair because you have two other recipes to make that are used in this recipe! But man-on-man talk about delish! You can substitute chicken for pheasant by the way.


3. Plan a road trip. We are the King and Queen of spur of the moment road trips. To my fellow Texans: Buy the Backroads of Texas Map. AWE-some! This puts cleaning house out of your mind for at least 6-8 hours


2. Can I say sand box? Because after an afternoon lounging in a sand box while two boys cover you from head to toe, along with themselves, that is sure to end in a bath for them, an early bedtime bc they are pooped and a long bath for me...what more relaxation could there be?


1. Just pack up head to the in-laws for the day and let the cleaning lady come! That is the BEST distraction of all. And seems to be the most successful.

So here's to avoiding boredom, finding time for projects and clean houses!
NOTE: All the above are true and accurate accounts of past or present incidents in our house....

Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity. ~R. I. Fitzhenry

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

School is cool


Well New Year means new theme. Not that I know what last year’s theme was. I don't know what last year was from any angle. A blur maybe. Berkeley started pre-school yesterday. Only 2 days a week but enough to give him something social. Bradford was a year older before he started actual pre-school but he also had a schedule full of TCU music classes, swim lessons and My Gym. Compass Pre-school gives Berk all that in one place. Because driving around for all that and Bradford to school is a bit much for me right now.


Berk has reached his mommy attachment phase lately. To the point that I actually pulled out the Baby Bjorn the other day for him to get in while I vacuumed! I had loaned out my Hotsling so he was pretty strapped in tight. So tough time for us to start school. He was sad. All my friends tell me they get better. But compared to Bradford who walked into class and never looked back and still rarely even says bye before he is in class playing, this is a major adjustment. I had Brandon pick him up early so he could nap at home which was a good move I think. We will do the same thing on Thursday then try for all day next week.

So this year I think I have decided to make The Year of Organization! So here's to trying...




Monday, January 4, 2010

The year of the PROJECT

1999 the year of the yard!

2000 the year of us!

2001 the year of the guest bath

2002 the year of the family room and stained concrete floors!

2003 the year of hard wood

2004 the year of paint indoors and out

2005 the year of the baby

2006 the year of the kitchen remodel

2007 the year of just spending money aimlessly

2008 the year of the new baby and the Master Bath!

2009 the year of chaos

And now for 2010? The year of change! Ditching the red walls in the family room, no more Green Hall, leaving the Bermuda for St Augustine, new lighting and the list goes on...
Personally, this is the year for me to tip-toe out of my shell. Who am I kidding? More like tear the door open and race down the street. I am making more time for each of my boys ONE-ON-ONE, making girlfriend time a higher priority than the past few years and I WILL STRIVE TO COMPLETE WHAT I STARTED IN 2009!

Motherhood has truly taken more time than I anticipated. In my easy-breezy, pre-children style thinking; motherhood would be one more thing that fit right into all my "To-Do's". I did not expect that this girl who historically had time for everyone could ever hit overload. And when I did my girlfriend time was the first to go. I figured they all knew I loved them and they understood life takes more time than someone put on a TIMEX. (or Omega or...)

So here I am doing the dance of balance and back-burnering something else. (Watching my 4 year old vacuum with the little hand vac and having a ball doing it!) But girlfriends here we come. Watch out 2010!

Make no mistake, I always make time for my baby sisters!