Girliness Finds a Way

In view of my utter lack of experience in all things hairdo, make-up, and fashion, the Babe has found other role models. This morning, she talked me through the creation of this exact hairdo. It's inspired, I believe, by Spencer's mom, but certainly enhanced by Alice's love for hyperbole. Alice wanted it poofy, but over to the side, and the bow couldn't be to close to the front, it had to be further back. Then she ran off and put on her frilly shirt, promptly had a screaming fit that there are currently NO skirts in her wardrobe, and finally settled on shorts. "Mom, can we go to "All Things Kids" (our local consignment shop) this morning? Right now?"

Then she threw on her coat and snow boots to go rescue some balls from out of the bushes.

Hot Spot #3 Wrap up and Introducing #4

My work on last week's hot spot, kids' clothes and toys, didn't progress as I had hoped. Attacking the pile of outgrown clothes was easy enough. I've got another trunk load for Goodwill. I did eliminate the "mend" pile easily, too, because the kids had already outgrown many of the items. Oops.

In my decluttering, I discovered a stash of clothes that Robert has just started fitting. Width-wise, anyway. I simply moved them from the "will wear soon" pile to the "alteration sewing" pile. He still can't really wear them until I conquer the blind hem stitch on my sewing machine. I did begin an attempt to blind-hem some stretchy velvet knit, which is a pain to work with anyway. It wasn't a pleasant experience. I decided to learn on an easier fabric type, then realized that I will need to adjust the needle, the stitch, the thread, the bobbin, and the tension for EACH piece of clothing to be altered. Is a pair of 18-month PJ pants really worth the hassle? Really?! I'll have to get back to you on that.

And now for Hot Spot #4.

This week's hot spot from the Project: Simplify challenge is to declutter and clean the pantry, the fridge, and as much of your kitchen as you can handle in a week *groan* Anything but my fridge! Nooooooo! I signed up to declutter. Not. To. Clean.

(grumble grumble grumble)

This is something I REALLY need to work on. It doesn't help that I'm a food-storage-lovin' Mormon with not only a kitchen full of food, but two full size bedroom closets and a couple shelves in the garage to boot (side note: our Realtor thought we were a bit crazy until he figured out the LDS thing). Does the gigantic freezer in the garage count, too? Cuz' it could sure use a defrost right about now.

So, that's my challenge this week. A real challenge. Ugh.

Here's the attack plan, I guess, if you're gonna make me do it.

1. Organize and update the pantry in Robert's closet. Throw away expired food. Throw away or donate food and food types we haven't eaten in 6 months. Yeah, even the perfectly good pickle relish I received as a gift. You too, brown rice from 2004, I'm talking to you.
2. Sort through the chest freezer. Throw away foods from more than 2 years ago (i.e. garden produce I thought I would incorporate into our diet later...nuh uh). Defrost. Decide on a way to organize it better and keep track of what's in there.
3. Clean. The. Stupid. Fridge. Wipe out the drawers, shelves, and interior/exterior surfaces. Stupid fridge. 
4. I guess I'll clean out the microwave too. It's been, um, several years.

Alice Sharing

Alice brought this picture home from Primary today and described it as follows:

 

"This is a picture of me sharing a toy with Robert. Baby Robert. Baby Robert a long time ago when his hair was so long for ponytails."

Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week has been a long week. My birthday was this week, but because we have had so much going on each day, we have celebrated it some what piecemeal. We went out to dinner on the day itself, because Susan had so much going on that day she didn't have time to make the requested birthday dinner. Later I made my birthday pie.

And finally we made my birthday dinner. We had everything for it, just not a lot of time for dinner.

Yesterday was a very busy day. We are getting our house ready to put it on the market, and would like to put it out in about a week. So we spent Saturday getting some things ready. We panted Robert's room. It hasn't been painted since we moved in, and it wasn't in the best shape when we did move in. I also installed two new light fixtures in the halls. Wow it makes a big difference with the light level in there. And then just a bunch of general things around the house. The whole house is starting to look ready. We still have a lot of clutter to remove, and a few more minor things to finish up, but it is very close.

Heard as a sobbing scream from Alice's room 45 min after bedtime:

"Daddy! There's a bug on my bed! A bug on my blanket and it looks like an ant! A poisonous one!"

Hot Spot #3

Hot Spot #3 is another easy-ish one for me: Kids' Toys and/or Clothes. Apparently I'm already working hard to keep toy clutter down. It's second nature to me to put away toys Alice doesn't play with and bring out "new" toys every once in a while. She loves opening a "new" box for quiet time. Robert's baby toys are put away, too, now that he needs more than something to hold and suck. The boy likes action (bonk bonk bonk, climb and run, topple, throw), manipulation (on and off, in and out, open and shut, push and pull), and noise (banging objects together). The less it looks like a toy, the more he wants it. He plays differently than Alice did at this age, but that's a blog post for another day.

So! My goal for this week's challenge is to face all those out-grown clothes. It's time to revisit "the pile." Whenever Alice or Robert outgrows something, I throw it in "the pile" under a table in Robert's room. Alice sometimes rummages through it to find new outfits for her dolls. It's helpful for me to let some time pass before assessing an item's future. If Robert was wearing that romper yesterday, I still feel it's useful...even if I never really liked it, even if it never really fit well, and even if it's a little stained. I can't be objective about it because it still smells and looks like my own kid! Distance helps a lot. I pulled out a bunch of newborn stuff from Alice and couldn't believe the condition it was in! There was no way I wanted to put Robert in half the stuff I deemed useful 3 years ago. Here's the plan for "the pile":

I will only keep items that I genuinely like (i.e. I would buy it in its current condition)

I will only keep items that fit my diapering choices (i.e. adios slim pants and all 0-3 mo sizes)

I will give away everything else (very few items are good enough for me to consign, anyway)

In addition to tackling "the pile", I'm finally going to work through my mending/alteration pile. Most of the items are kid-related, anyway (hemming pants, converting holey pants to shorts, long sleeves to short sleeves, etc.)

There. That's the plan. Let's make it happen.

Hot Spot #2

Last week's Project:Simplify Hot Spot challenge was paper clutter. A little more difficult for me than Hot Spot #1. I tend to gather piles of "to-do" items on almost every horizontal surface in the house, but mostly on the kitchen table. Grrrrr! I didn't stop at the random piles this time, though, I tackled our humongous filing cabinet of paper from the last 9 years of marriage. Oh yes, I'm crazy, and feeling good for it! I still have a little more to finish sorting through and then a whole laundry basket full of paper to shred. A job that big would burn out our personal shredder in 10 minutes and send both of my children into conniption fits with all the noise! Robert's noise tolerance has plummeted as of late.

So, I'm hoping for a Community Shred Day during this upcoming "Money Smart Week." If MSW fails me, then I may have to get creative. Maybe I'll compost it!

"Hmmmm, these homegrown tomatoes have a unique flavor."

"Uh, yeah, that's 5 years of utility bills for ya'."

"Identity theft would taste better."

Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week has started to feel more normal. Alice had a family birthday party this week, but it wasn't very high stress. My calling hasn't ramped up that much yet, so I still have some time to do things. Yes this week felt a bit more normal then previous weeks. Yesterday we went to the temple and Alice hung out with an 8 year old, so now she is telling us all bad jokes badly. Why was 8 scared, because 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Knock Knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? (repeat several times) Knock Knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? orange you glad I didn't say banana?

Parent-Teacher Conference

I thought parent-teacher conferences for preschool were just plain silly, at first. Then I realized this would be a great opportunity to hear about Alice in a setting outside our home, amongst peers, in a structured environment outside of my control. I look forward to it all semester, and finally it comes!

Mrs. Strom tells us Alice is a pleasure to have in class. I think, "Yeah, yeah, get to the good stuff. What's she REALLY like?" Mrs. Strom tells us she's an enthusiastically imaginative girl who is interested in everything. I try not to roll my eyes,"C'mon, tell me something I don't already know." Mrs. Strom tells us she plays equally well with all the other kids in her class, not singling out any gender or individual. I'm getting impatient, thinking, "Okay, what else?" Then Mrs. Strom says she has a couple pictures of Alice in class. I think, "Yes! This is what I'm looking for!" and she shows us 1) Alice gleefully squirting water onto powder paint and 2) Alice decked out in princess dress-up. I try not to look disappointed. In my mind it's, "Crafts and dress-up?! Crafts and dress-up?! I already have a million pictures of Alice doing crafts and dress-up! What's she REALLY like at school?!"

I leave the conference with mixed feelings, "Sure, I'm glad Alice is getting so much out of preschool, but what's Mrs. Strom holding back?"

Then it dawns on me a couple days later, "Maybe Alice is the same girl at school that she is at home."

Novel concept.

I thought Alice would reveal something new or unexpected about herself in preschool. I wondered (hoped?) if the new environment would help me understand the girl better, be a better mom, or identify things to work on. I secretly craved additional clues into the young woman she would eventually become. Turns out I have all the clues at home.

Confident, expressive, imaginative, and social, social, social at home or abroad. That's Alice.

Alice manages to convince her cousin Will that he needs a hairdo.

Goody Bag Giveaway

This is the last post about Alice's birthday party...I promise. The goody bags were a fun challenge and I'm really happy with how they turned out. Here's what they contained:

 

Clockwise from top: 3 pieces of sidewalk chalk wrapped in a small Furoshiki cloth (made from fabric scraps I had on hand), craft stick puzzle, 4 small beanbags (more fabric scraps), and a neat little "back-sack" to carry them home in (100% cotton IKEA canvas on the outside, lined with 100% cotton thrifted pillowcase, nylon drawstring). I also included "instructions" for beanbag games, using Furoshiki cloths, and making your own craft stick puzzles (not shown).

Most everything was reuseable and all but the nylon drawstring (bummer!) were compostable when no longer play-worthy. Ta da! Other details of the party were designed to eliminate or minimize landfill waste, too. It was a neat challenge. I don't know if I will do it that way again (lots of effort, restriction, and planning for very little environmental payoff), but it was cool to see that I could actually almost do it. Yeah, I'm a weirdo. I guess you see where Alice gets it from ;)

 

 

 

Alice's self portrait cake. Not too far from the original design.

That said, I've got three extra "back-sacks" (why make 7 when you can make 10?) that I'd love to giveaway. The contents of said sacks will not be identical to what you see above. Some items may be substituted. I'll send/deliver them to whatever address you give me. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment. I'll randomly pick three winners on Monday, March 21st. If you would like more than one bag in order to keep sibling fights to a minimum, put that in your comment. I'm not heartless, y'know ;)

Alice's Birthday Party

Bobby gave you a rundown of Alice's birthday party in his Sunday Summary, but he missed all the details that I found so delightful and fun. Unfortunately, I don't have any additional photos to show you. Perhaps I should just add my comments to his original post.

Yes. I'll do that.

Enjoy!

Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week has been very crazy. Well the last few days have been crazy. Alice had her birthday party yesterday. She was so excited all week and especially in the morning. It was very hard for her to wait until 3:00 for the party to start. The party consisted of cake and ice cream.

WHAT?! There was a whole lot more goin' on than cake and ice cream! Weeks ago, Alice and I started putting the plans together. She decided on a pinata, a cake she would serve her friends all by herself, and an activity ("not a craft, Mom, an activity"). I decided on goody bags and made a crazy goal to put on a 4-year-old birthday party that would produce "zero landfill waste." Alice consented to the goody bags, selected the fabric, and helped with the design (back pack!), but they were stuffed with secret surprises that only I knew about. Mwah ha ha haaaa. Those were SO much fun to put together. I loved it.

Alice decorated the cake herself.

The original "plan" was a fuzzy pink spider cake, but the girlie gets into something and changes her mind all the time. We were at the store picking out candy (in the bulk section) and she still hadn't completely decided on her cake. The night before the party, she settled on a self-portrait cake. I didn't complain. A plain old circle is way easier than a cephalothorax, abdomen, and eight fuzzy legs cake.

It had lots and lots of candy on it, which was exactly what all of her friends (and Alice) wanted. They would ask for pieces of cake by the candy on top of it.

She did end up divvying out most of the pieces herself. She got impatient, though, after serving the 5th piece of cake and seeing the other kids eating theirs. It was a whole wheat super-carrot cake. I had to somehow counteract all the frosting and candy going on, right? ;)



Sorry about the video quality.  

Alice requested it be "dark, dark, dark" in the kitchen, so we had the lights off and the curtains drawn. It still wasn't very dark at 3 in the afternoon, but I humored the girl.



It started out as a self portrait (see her design below), but then became a "Zombi".

"Zombie" was Alice's own description of her work. To her credit, Alice actually did a great job copying her original design onto the cake in candy. Unfortunately, we had a lot more candy than the self-portrait required and she just couldn't stop. I did snap a photo of the cake before it went "Zombie." I should also explain that she doesn't normally have 6 limbs. There are her two arms and two legs, then the long ones at her hips are "bad guy arms stretching out to get me." The blob on top is a "crazy hat!"



After that they did a dancing/movement activity. They jumped and spun and had lots of fun, which also is perfectly Alice.

I was very, very happy with how this turned out. I asked my friend Marianne to do the activity for us (delegation rocks!) and she put on a 20-minute creative dance class. Very cool! The games were spot-on for the age group. Every single child participated gleefully, regardless of dance experience. It cracked me up! I laughed out loud seeing the kids have so much fun. 

Confession here. When I first met Marianne and heard that she was into creative dance, I just kinda nodded and smiled with a non-committal "Oh, I see." Dance seemed so, well, frivolous and unconnected to anything I ever wanted for me or my children. Then we happened to be over at their house one day when she was giving her kids their weekly dance class. Alice didn't get it, but she wanted to. It wasn't anything like I thought it would be. It was a series of fun and active games, using the kids imagination, where each kid gets to choose his/her own movements and yet they're all still part of the same game. It blew me away. I instantly gained respect for children's creative dance and an instructor who can turn enthusiasm and personality into a group fun session.

After that we did a piñata. The kids were not the strongest, and it was fairly well made, so everyone got lots of turns to try and break it open.

The original idea for the pinata was a fuzzy pink spider, too. We made the papier-mache ball ourselves, then started cutting out legs for the spider. Alice was eager to start painting. I told her we couldn't paint until we were all done putting on the legs. She decided two legs were plenty. Maybe I should have made her wait for 6 more legs. Oh well. Next time. Here she is painting it every color we have (and some we mixed up on the spot). She put on a purple spot and I told her Grandma Poulson loves that shade of purple. Alice was sad Grandma wouldn't be at her party. A few days later, we learned of Bobby's new calling and suddenly Grandma and Grandpa Poulson were coming out to Illinois...just in time for her party. I can't picture a calling to the bishopric as a "tender mercy", but the Lord knows how to make hard news more palatable ;)




After that the weather was good enough that they all played out side until it was time to go home. Everyone had a great time.

I liked this part a lot. The idea was to have unstructured free play built into the party. I'm so glad the weather allowed them to play outside. Kids were lugging around fallen tree branches, digging in the garden, playing pirates, chasing balls, tromping through the brush, and just plain enjoying each other. Robert wanted in on the action, too.

Oh and by the way I am now the second counselor in the Bishopric.

P.S. I loved having my parents in town for the weekend. As an added surprise, my friend Julia was able to visit for the weekend, too! There was ample adult help and lots of adult conversation and plenty of people to play with the kids. I actually got a break! A real break!

P.P.S I have three extra backpack/bags leftover from Alice's birthday surprise. How about a giveaway? Details to come soon. I have to figure out what to fill them with...most of the original party favors are gone. Hmmmmm.

Hot Spot #1

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #1 is my wardrobe. I laughed when I read this challenge because I literally don't think about clothes. This was going to be easy, right? The hardest part would be locating my out-of-season clothes and taking the time to try on every single piece of clothing I own...only took me 20 minutes. Ha ha haaaaa! It was very educational, though. I followed the directions very closely and actually tried them on in front of a mirror. What a thought! Not only should a piece of clothing be comfortable, but it should look the way I want to look. Suddenly, I have an opinion on how I look. Go figure. Here's what I found :

1. I rediscovered a stash of navy blue bath towels. Our current bathroom is red, but now I know I can change it up at minimal cost. There's also the distinct possibility that one day I may have more than one bathroom in my home :)
2. No matter how much I like a top's color, fabric, or style, I just don't wear it if it's too short. Half of my top wardrobe was too short, thus taking up valuable closet space for nothing. That's clutter. 
3. Longer shirts are more comfortable, but the long shirts I've collected tend to be button-ups that should be tucked in. I hate tucking. I've never tucked. In front of the mirror, however, it was obvious that no matter how comfortable those shirts were, they looked sloppy hanging out like that. I don't like to look sloppy...anymore. Time for a change.

Unfortunately, this means shopping is in my future. Ugh. Better than looking sloppy, though, I think. I hope. It depends on how many helpers I take with me ;)

Time to Purge!

 
Spring cleaning is a process. A wonderful, refreshing process. I'm not a saver, and I always feel better after a decision is made, so I like a good purge every year. I'm especially delighted to take on the "Project: Simplify" challenge put on by Simple Mom this year. I triple dog dare ya' to join me.

Sense of Style

This cute little Oompa Loompa look:

is brought to you today by this eccentric little designer:

who happened to pick sensible pants and a long-sleeved top in neutral colors for herself this morning:

It's art, baby.

Bobby's Sunday Summary

A bit of a crazy week. This week has felt kind of crazy. but I think that was mostly because yesterday was crazy, but good. Saturday started out early with Alice and Robert's cousins being dropped off. Their mom had to practice for a choir number she was going to sing that night at stake conference. So all the kids played together until about 9:30 when they all got their shoes and coats on so we could go to Read Across America. We have done it for the past several years. Unfortunately, Susan had to go visit a friend in the hospital at 10, so she took Robert and I took the other three to the Mall for the event. We went around to various booths. We listened to stories being read. We played some games, and in the end we got to pick out a new book for each kid. It was a lot of fun. Before it was over though, Susan showed up to help getting the kids home. As we were leaving the mall, Kristen drove up to pick up the kids, so the timing was absolutely perfect. She had called me before she came over, but it was so loud that I couldn't hear it.

After that we had a bit of quiet time, ALice even took a nap. That afternoon we had church meetings. I was gone from just before 4:00 to just after 6:00 and then Susan left and was gone until about 8:30. SO I got to put the kids in bed myself. It went OK, but it was a very long and exhausting day.

Hangin' with Her Homie

This happened forever ago (January 27th), but I finally remembered to post the photos. Alice and her cousin Will were playing dress up. They were specific characters acting out something but I can't quite remember what. D'oh! Cute family memory lost forever. At least we still have the blackmail photos: