Look At ME!

I'm taking a break. I am posting just because I can!

Things here on the official day 2 of school are going okay. I did two loads of laundry today. Served lunch without too much chaos. Cleaned the bathroom sink. Got Ms. Boo a shower (I still wash her hair.) Made butternut squash soup. Completed all of Boo's lessons with her. Built a fort (several times.) And - this is the kicker - all the kids had their teeth brushed today.

Maybe, and I do mean maybe, I can settle in with this schedule. Much of it depends on how willing the Boo is to do her work. Today was better than yesterday. But we've had lots of breaks (read: snacks) worked into the day, so maybe it will be doable.

Ms. Bao has been a little bit difficult. She's still very impatient and can't wait for us to finish part of a lesson if she has decided that she needs me for something. But we are working on it. And she is only getting older, so I take comfort in that. (And any of you out there who want to tell me that the threes are worse than the twos, please don't.)

In the mean time, I'd like to ask you all to pray for Ms. Bao. She has been getting various itchy welts all over her body for over a month now. It calmed down considerably about a week ago, but the last two days have been bad. Huge welts. Her lip has swollen a few times. She scratches so hard that she bleeds.

The initial blood test for all the "regular" allergies came back clear. We are scheduled to see the pediatric allergist on Friday of next week - and she can't have any allergy medication for five days before the testing. If the reaction doesn't calm down soon, it will be a very difficult five days.

Anyway, that's all for now. If any of you have been praying for me as this school year has started, I appreciate it.

I'm a regular defensive lineman

Okay, I know I said I'd be gone for a while, but I lied. I am taking this "Tackle it Tuesday" thing to heart. Or maybe I just felt motivated this morning. As I sit to write this it is 9:23 a.m. So far today, this is what I have accomplished:

~the dark laundry is in the dryer
~the white laundry is in the washer
~the living room floor is clean and vacuumed
~cleaned the windows on the front doors
~wiped down the smudges around all the doors in the living room and hallway
~wiped down the dusty baseboards
~emptied the dishwasher and loaded with the breakfast dishes
~cleaned off the stove top
~vacuumed the cobwebs from the living room
~vacuum dusted the ceiling fan in the living room
~vacuum dusted the air intake vent for the AC
~vacuumed the candle wax that Jonathan scraped off my three-wick candle
~vacuumed under the cushions on the big couch (Jonathan wanted to do the loveseat, but I think he got sidetracked...)

And I'd like to add that my kids are dressed.

I'm not. But at least they are.

And, here is the "after" picture of my entertainment center that I was trying to post last night.



(Really, isn't that HUGE space for our tiny TV just goofy? What were we thinking?)

Alright, NOW, I am going.

Later, PEEPS!

;)

In my ongoing battle against clutter in my home, I have decided that I would try to participate in "Tackle it Tuesday," hosted at Five Minutes for Mom. I don't know if I am supposed to POST this on Tuesday, or DO this on Tuesday. But here is my Tackle it Tuesday:

The entertainment center, which was OUT OF CONTROL:


Now looks like this. (Okay, you are just going to have to believe me that it is done. I started writing this post at 11:00 and it is now 12:40. I got two photos loaded out of the four I was planning on posting. I am not going to wrestle with Blogger anymore.)

And I also mounted a container in the garage to store all the plastic grocery bags that we've accumulated. (Again, no photo thanks to Blogger.) They were all stuffed inside of a bag and had their home in the kitchen, over the doorknob to the garage door. I didn't like it. So, here is their new home.

Having tackled these jobs, I would like to let you know that I won't be around for a few days. I have another "job" that I have been working on for a while. I set a goal to get it done before the summer ends. And I need to put some time into it, or that won't happen.

It shouldn't take TOO long. And I will post a picture when I get it done.

Talk to you soon, peeps.

This should be good...

So, uh, Bev tagged me to do a list of, of all things, cleaning tips.

Dear, sweet Bev. So innocent, she is.

I don't want to dissapoint her. So here goes. Just remember, Bev, you ASKED for this:

Lori's cleaning tips
1. Wipe stuff up as soon as it spills. Particularly sticky stuff, or stuff that hardens when it dries. If you don't, it will require a whole lot of elbow grease later on. Or cussing. Or both.

2. A great way to dispose of rotten, solidified milk that has been festering in a sippy cup for a few days, is to dump it down the garbage disposal. Oh, you don't have a garbage disposal? That's okay. "Garbage disposal" is actually Swahili for "toilet bowl." So, whatever works.

3. If you have children under the age of 5, you definitely want to sweep the kitchen floor AT LEAST once a month.

4. And, I read a tip somewhere that when you get around to mopping said floor, you should use your kitchen garbage can to hold the cleaning water. That way it gets cleaned twice a year too! Isn't that convenient?

5. Get you some Oreck.

6. Before you clean out your microwave, boil some water with a few slices of lemon in it for about 5 minutes. Makes it easier to clean. Don't have any lemons handy? That's acutally the best scenario of all. Then all you have to do is gently close the microwave door and sit down for a cup of coffee. I mean, who really looks in people's microwaves, for goodnes sake?

7. If your son ever intentionally squirts mustard on your living room carpet, here's a tip that will save you OODLES of cleaning time: put a piece of furniture over it. That stain won't be coming out any time in this millenium. Of course, I cannot speak to what you should do if the mustard was squirted accidentally, or if it was squirted in any room other than the living room.

8. Children don't know that Swiffer dusters aren't toys. Whatever you do, do not let the secret slip.

9. There is a way to get all the carpets in your house clean without lifting a finger. All you need to do is go to China for two weeks to bring home a baby. But, just before you leave, call a dear friend (who owns a carpet-cleaning device) and casually mention that you really wanted to have the carpets clean for the baby to lay on when you came home, but you just didn't have the time to get it done. Of course this method only works if you have a spare key. Cuz, if you picked the right friend, she'll just get the key from you and do it herself while you are gone.

10. I'm going to let you in on a little secret - The Fly Lady is wrong about one thing: You will save more time cleaning if you spend your day in bare feet. Think "third hand."

Really, that's quite enough of this, isn't it?

You can all thank me later.

For all you women out there living with CHAOS: A photo essay

Warning: this post is LONG. And if you have dialup, I am sorry, b/c it will probably take forever for you to load it!

This is your formal invitation. You are hereby invited to be an uninvited guest in my home. What you are about to see is real. The characters are not actors. This is the real me, and this is my real house - the house you would see if you dropped by... uninvited.

My house is a mess. But, one thing that I have learned about myself in the past few years, is that I care about relationships more than I care what people think of my housekeeping skills. I don't LIKE it that my house is a mess. But if you came by unannounced, I would certainly invite you in... and then clear a space for you on the couch.

I have slowly learned to let go of the insecurities I have about my poor housekeeping skills, and the worry that I let myself feel over what people might think of me. This is not to say that my mentality is "I am a slob... deal with it." On the contrary, I am taking steps to change that. Baby steps. But steps.

Sometime in January, I was taking a serious look at the routines presented by the Fly Lady over on her website. While I do not adhere to every part of her program, I have learned a few basic concepts that I becoming very comfortable with. I will discuss some of those throughout this post. But I started doing some of the things she suggests, and I was enjoying a cleaner house and, more importantly, a more peaceful home. We actually invited people over to our house... SPONTANEOUSLY! It was so nice. (The CHAOS that I refer to in the title is what the Fly Lady calls "Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.")

But, I hit a little bump in the road. Part of it has to do with the depression that I am experiencing (though less and less as time goes on.) But the bigger part of it has to do with some spiritual housecleaning I have been doing also. I will get into more details about those two things later. But the point is, I let things go around the house and we returned to CHAOS.

My goal in writing this post is to encourage three different types of people:
1. those who stink at housekeeping and are too embarrassed to invite anyone over
2. those struggling with depression, and
3. those who want more of Christ but are dissatisfied with what life currently has to offer.

All of those things have come into play for me. I don't mind sharing them with people because I know someone who reads this will be able to relate. And hopefully they will also be encouraged - because I believe there is a way out of all three of those things.

So I will begin.

Chapter 1: The problem

I had been conscious of what was going on for a while, realizing how much my computer has become an idol in my life. I already knew that I was using the computer to try to fill my longing for relationships (see previous post) and that it was NOT satisfying me. I knew I needed to make God my priority rather than my computer. Yet, I kept turning to my computer. I was letting it steal time away from me. In the process, it was stealing me away from my family and my responsibilites. So, not much was getting done around the house, and when it did, I was crabby about it.

Being a stay at home mom is hard in different ways. Being needed all the time is draining. Constantly having to fend for four people (with no one around to fend for you) is draining. Every moment seems to bring a new decision. Should I give them a snack now or wait until after nap? Should I go do errands in the morning and risk them falling asleep in the car and messing up their nap? Or should I do it after nap and not have enough time to make dinner? What is the best way to deal with them coloring on the wall? or clogging the toilet?

Maybe I think too much. But there is something to be said for having to constantly deal with stuff that comes up for which there is no prescribed plan of action. The mental energy that it requires exhausts me. And when you have depression dancing around in the background, it brings anxiety and loneliness along with it. Hang out with exhaustion, anxiety, and loneliness long enough, and things get pretty desperate.

In my case, I convinced myself that the solution to this desperate situation was to make more time for ME! And, while it IS true that we need time for ourselves (and my husband and I have worked out ways for me to have "me time,") it is not true that the entire day needs to be about me. But, without realizing it, that is what I'd come to expect.... everybody leave me alone and let me be... (write a post)... (check e-mail) did anyone comment?... (read some blogs)... (escape reality)

But this past week of the Breaking Free study (by Beth Moore) encouraged me and reminded me of something that I already knew and have experienced in the past: Christ satisfies me. Regardless of the situation I am in, there is satisfaction that comes from inviting him into my day. My laundry-washing, kid-disciplining, snack-fetching day.

And what I was doing was not working. Relying on an object for satisfaction never does.

So, on Wednesday, I left the computer off. And every time I got the urge to go check e-mail, I just read some Scripture (I love Isaiah 55,) prayed, or worked on my Bible study lesson. I just let God fill me up.

And instead of "computing," I played with the kids. I sat with them during lunch. I held Bethany whenever she wanted to be held. There was time to get some housework done. I wasn't as impatient with the kids as I might otherwise have been. Amazing what one little change can do.

And I think this was the little push that I needed. God blessed in so many ways as if he was saying to me personally, "Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your sould will delight in the richest of fare." (Isaiah 55:2)

God was fulfilling my need for relationship. And not having to search for it elsewhere certainly freed me up to be who I need to be for my family.

And now, my uninvited guests, welcome to my home:

Chapter 2: Refocusing on God

THIS, is what I saw on Friday morning. No, the sink isn't just full. It is OVERFLOWING!

In my FLYdays, I was doing well at keeping the sink empty. But my FLYing lapse caused me to crash land - right back into my old habits. Dishes. Not my favorite.

But, seeing this gave me an idea. I had just posted about how I wanted my blog to be one that glorifies God. So, I had the idea to let you come with me as I tackled some of my chaos. I figured that letting this secret out would free me from the demon that tells me I have to make myself "look good" on my blog. And, having read a few other blogs, I know that I am not the only woman who suffers with CHAOS. So I hoped that letting my guard down would encourage someone else to do the same. I think both of these goals would fit the criteria of glorifying God.

It took a while to get this job done. But I wasn't rushing. I had to start by unloading the dishwasher. This is my least favorite part of doing dishes. And it's how the sink got this way... because I just didn't want to unload that thing again! But I got the next load going, as shown in this next picture, then walked away until it was done.

I watched a show with the kids. And I dusted the tops of the door frames! HAH! That is SO, not something I would do. But, one thing I learned from the Fly Lady is to do one small piece of detail cleaning each day. The dust was "spilling" over the frames, so I figured this was a good one to do. Easy. And before I knew it, my dishes were ready to unload.


So I unloaded the dishwasher and got it running again. All but a few dishes were left, so I decided I needed to return to the clean sink of my FLY days. Fly Lady insists on a shiney sink. I am satisfied with CLEAN. But clean meant that I had to get rid of the slime that you see pictured here. This, fair reader, is my A-number-one MOST HATED and DESPISED task. I HATE cleaning out the drain "thingies." And if the food has been sitting there a few days (as was the case here) and become slimey, I find this absolutely LOATHESOME.

I am not complaining. I am simply stating a fact. Because my honest-to-goodness thought at the time was, I will do anything for my sink to be clean again. All the while I am hoping that my readers will be looking at the picture of my sink and thinking I can't even believe she is letting us see this... and hopefully realizing that there is no shame in letting people see our weaknesses. There is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Laughing to myself, I start scouring the sink and I tell God I can't believe he found a way to make this fun for me. Already I am seeing how much he does care about the smallest details - like my nasty sink. And, enjoying the fellowship he offered during this endeavor, I start looking for another task that we could tackle together.

And it comes to me almost immediately. It was the one thing that I NEVER want anyone to see. EVER. This is the spot I ALWAYS think to cover when someone comes over. But my only thought is Oh, Lord... that's PERFECT. I finish up my first task, snap this picture...

And I run to the bathroom, throw open the shower curtain and snap a picture of this. At that moment I remember what the Fly Lady says about how we should feel good when we are in our homes. People, this tub does not make me feel good. I cringe every time I see it. So, I chuckle to myself because I realize that, while God is busy picking tasks that will encourage you, he is also making sure that completing them will make me feel good too. I love it!

Having snapped my picture, I turn around and I see my SPARKLING CLEAN sink, mirror, and toilet. Clean, thanks to a Fly Lady routine that I'd already been doing. So, I snap a picture of it too, lest you think I am only here to make myself look bad. There ARE a few things I am keeping up with. Why not celebrate the success? (The toilet is not pictured here, but you'll have to take my word that it is clean.)



I got out the Tilex, and sprayed down the tub. The first application did little to get the mildew off of the caulking. So I re-applied the Tilex and let it sit for a long time. In that time, I hung out with the kids, did a little laundry, put Bethany down for a nap.

When I return to the bathroom, I start scrubbing the caulking and chipping away at the soap scum that had caked up under the soap dish. It occurred to me that maybe I could actually salvage all those soap chips and reconstitute it into a brand new bar of soap. I decided I'd just stick with the cleaning for now, because MAN was it ever difficult.


And I suppose that's one reason why I never do it. Also, I don't like using harsh chemicals like Tilex... But I especially dislike the Tilex when it doesn't work... because I was having to use some serious elbow grease. I decided to get an X-acto knife so I could remove some of the uneven portions of caulking that were making it difficult to clean. But it didn't help much. So I tried my old standby, Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda. I was pretty sure it wasn't going to do the trick, but I tried anyway... and it just made more of a mess for me to clean. So, I tried the toothbrush with bleach approach. (Bleach, another chemical I'd rather not be using.) But it just ended up that I needed to go back to my scouring sponge and scrub HARDER. The whole thing probably took about a half hour. I will admit to ignoring some "screaming" coming from the living room. I really wanted to get this one done. Eventually, I did. TA DAAAA!

Chapter 3: The REAL reason why I never scrub the bathtub


When I walked out of the bathroom, I was reminded of another reason I never clean the tub... too much time away from the young'uns.

Here is what I found on the kitchen floor. It wasn't just any laundry. It was the laundry that I had in two OVERFLOWING baskets, all of which had already been folded. But don't panic. Because this is exactly what I thought: You know what? This is not a big deal. Are you with me here, people? God had me so calm that I simply told the perpetrator to pick up the clothes and put them back in the baskets. I even took it as an opportunity to put some of that laundry away. To commemorate the fact that I was able to remain calm, I thought I would take a picture of the perp as the reloading took place.

But then I walked into the living room to find these scattered (and some broken) on the floor:

And, upon returning from the living room, I found this on the kitchen table:


Yes, that's cheese. (And yes, I wrapped it up and put it back in the refrigerator.) What you can't see in the picture is the evidence of it being rubbed all over the table.

All of this happened while I was cleaning the tub.

At this point I am about to revert to my old way of thinking: One step forward, three steps back, right? But as I write this, I am wondering if maybe God was just trying to show me that there is joy to be found with him through every little thing. It isn't about getting ahead. (That is never going to happen anyway, right?) Maybe it's just about taking care of the things I need to and feeling good about not neglecting them. With the unexpected bonus of developing my relationship with God a little more.

Who ever would have thought THAT would happen from housecleaning?

Chapter 4: I'm kind of getting into this

I enjoyed getting my first two tasks done, and wanted to do some more. Mind you, I was not frantically running around the house trying to figure out what else I coiuld do. I just worked when I could and enjoyed the kids the rest of the time. It was a very peaceful day.

I washed the window dressings from two different windows that were covered in dust and cobwebs. (Sorry, no picture of that.) Back in January when I started FLYing, Bethany's high chair quickly became a part of my daily routine. But when your sink fills up like mine did, that makes it difficult to clean up the high chair's tray. So, it was nasty (I took a picture, but I am going to spare you...) It had old food dried and caked on it. Now that my sink was clear, I thought I would quickly clean Bethany's tray and sweep out the seat... both of which had been neglected far too long. Once again, Bethany can enjoy a clean place to sit and eat... something her big brother and sister rarely got to experience!

Chapter 5: The next few jobs

This is one of my "hot spots." A hot spot is the Fly Lady's term for any flat surface where stuff just tends to migrate. The ironing board is right next to the laundry area. Whenever I come across something the kids have outgrown, I fold it up and put it in a pile on the closest flat surface... which happens to be the ironing board. (Paul irons his clothes every morning... it has become a permanent fixture right by that window.)


Here is a picture of another one of my hotspots. It is the counter area right near the kitchen door. It seems like something gets thrown there every time someone walks into the kitchen. But as part of the evening routines the Fly Lady has helped me develop, I spend two minutes cleaning hot spots every night. Two minutes is more than enough time to get this hotspot cleared. And that is exactly how it looked on Friday, because I'd worked on it the night before. (Now that little organizer might be considered a hot spot all its own. This is one area that I USED to clean when company was coming over. Not any more. The Fly Lady is BIG on getting over perfectionism. And the truth is, I don't care that that thing is a mess. It doesn't bother me. So I leave it.) And here is my clean ironing board too.

This was everything I got done by the time 4 o'clock rolled around. Not much. But not nothing either. I had to get ready for a "ladies night out" at church. I made a salad to bring, which is SO MUCH EASIER when the counters are cleared and the dirty dishes can go straight into the dishwasher!

I came home from church pretty pumped about my day with the Lord and about the things I'd heard that night that confirmed a lot of what I have been processing. Somewhere along the way, I am starting to wonder if there is anything to the old adage cleanliness in next to godliness.


So, after putting Bethany down to bed, and realizing I was alone in the house... can you guess what I did? I tackled the floor in front of my closet. Take a little looksie.

I laugh when I see this. Partly because this really isn't all that bad. I had just removed a big pile of dirty laundry from that mountain a few days earlier. But what is REALLY funny is that suitcase. Think, astute reader, what that suitcase might be a remnant of. If you said "your trip to China," YOU WIN THE PRIZE. That suitcase is full of gifts that we bought for Bethany while we were in China. But I can't GIVE them to her, because they are meant to be for birthdays as she gets older. So, what do I do? I park the suitcase in front of my closet. And I leave it there.

For five months.

There are too many things in that suitcase for me to find a "place for." And since we bought this suitcase while we were IN China (to carry home all the stuff we bought,) it doesn't have a "home" in our home, if you know what I mean. Finding a home for a big old suitcase is no small task. If I try to store it in the garage, for example, I would have to reorganize the entire garage just to get it to fit. The task has just seemed too daunting. So, the suitcase just sits there. Did I mention it's been FIVE MONTHS?


Anyway, I decided to time this one, since there wasn't much chance of being interrupted. In less than fifteen minutes, I had this. I also had a pile of stuff set aside to give away. Clutter reduction is my new mantra... oh, wait, can Christians have mantras? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, good question. (Sorry, I had to do that.)

Anyway, please note the new home I have found for my suitcase. Works for me.

Chapter 6: Spilling over into Saturday

I went out on Saturday morning to purchase an item that I have been wanting for a while. I found it at Bed Bath 'n' Beyond. I also found dryer balls. Has anyone ever heard of these? I thought I'd give them a try... but I digress.


I came home and noticed the kitchen table. It often looks like this. Why? I thought. That could be cleaned in no time. But, I know what you are thinking... Hey, Lori, what's with the ironing board? I thought you just cleared that yesterday! Well, I TOLD you it was a HOT SPOT, right? But those are the clothes I have to hang, and I don't want them getting wrinkled in the laundry basket... if you MUST know. However, the fact that I need to leave those clothes on the ironing board, brings to mind another little yucky spot that hasn't been making me feel so great. The top of the dryer. This is probably a hotspot too. So, I get to work. While I am working, a little sweetie pie decides to "help" with the socks that have to be sorted. It's only appropriate she would do this while I am cleaning the dryer. You see, Bethany thinks I moved that basket of socks to the floor so that she could have easier access to it. But no, I moved it to the floor because it is *supposed* to be (can you guess where?) ON TOP OF THE DRYER! But, of course, it didn't fit there anymore!




So, thank you, Bethany, for all your help. And, by the way, you are very cute.


Anyway, the dryer didn't take long to clear. And please notice the new contraption for hanging stuff. THAT was what I'd purchased earlier in the day. By the way, I LOVE that thing! (Yes, those are barbecue tongs. I don't have any good place to put those. But you know what? If you came over and saw those on my dryer, I wouldn't really care. I can live with barbecue tongs on the dryer.)

And, of course, we cannot forget the table. I laugh, because as I write this, it looks almost exactly like the "before" picture again. (Same diaper bag is on it, another stack of newspapers... that's worth a good chuckle, I think.) BUT, it WAS clean on Saturday... and this is what it looked like.


Now you are probably thinking, Uhhh, Lori, the laundry in those baskets looks suspiciously like the laundry that was in those baskets YESTERDAY. And, are those JEANS on the ironing board?

Man, you people don't let up! I'll get to it! I guess you have figured out that putting the clothes away is my least favorite part of doing laundry... And the jeans are only there until they finish drying.

Here - take a look at this picture (Yes, it was dark outside by the time I was able to take it... but I did it, so PIPE DOWN out there!)

That's it folks. That ended my Saturday. But I know you still have questions...

Chapter 7: What's next?

Well. My focus over these next few weeks and months will be enjoying God's presence and finding satisfaction in him. Part of that will mean joyfully living up to my responsibilities even when you guys aren't "watching" me. Additionally, I cannot let my computer take precedence over my family, my sleep, or my housekeeping. And I cannot allow myself to look to it for something that only God can provide. What does that mean for blogging? I don't know. I have to determine what my limits will be with my computer. I will be discussing this with God over the next few weeks.

Perhaps in a month or two, I can try to take a few more pictures and give you an update on how things are going. Is the house reasonably clean? Did those dryer balls work? Did anyone die from eating that manhandled cheese?

Until the next time I post... and I don't know when that will be... I will leave you with a verse that has been of great encouragement and motivation to me over these last few days:

Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. -Hosea 10:12

Anybody got a hoe?

Smart Kids, Bad Housekeeping, and Mmm Mmm Chocolatey Goodness

Ms. Boo knows how to open the cabinet latches that I have on several cabinets around the kitchen. This isn't a problem because there isn't anything dangerous in those cabinets, and generally, she can be trusted with whatever she finds behind the doors.

There is really only one cabinet that I don't want the kids in. It contains cereal and peanut butter. And my little snacker would go nuts with unlimited access to it.

But Boo is too short to reach the latch at the top of that tall cabinet. So, its contents have remained undisturbed for a long time.

That all changed yesterday.

Unbeknownst to me, Ms. Boo climbed up on a chair and unlatched that cabinet. She decided to make some chocolate milk for herself and Bug. The part that befuddles me is that she knew how to make the chocolate milk.

See, we had this HUGE canister of Ovaltine. It was a hold-over from the days when I weaned Boo (now almost 5) and she wouldn't drink regular milk. I was trying to mix in Ovaltine to get her to drink it. But she didn't like it. And, bad housekeeper that I am, we still had that canister of ovaltine sitting in the cabinet.

We just recently finished it, and I never bought more. But Ovaltine is the only thing we have ever used to make chocolate milk.

So, what did Boo use to make chocolate milk?

Well, Nesquik, what else? (Didn't is used to be called Nestle Quik? And what do they have against the "c"?)

My husband used to use Nesquik to make homemade chocolate ice cream. Our ice cream maker broke about three years ago. But the Nesquik remains for the same reason that the Ovaltine did.
Only we have never touched it. It just sits there. I have no idea how LBoo knew what it was or what to do with it.

But she did. And before I knew what was going on, she had two cups of milk poured and had dumped a few spoonfuls of Nesquik into each one.

This was just before we left for the evening service at church last night. Neither of the kids finished their chocolate milk. So, we left for church and the chocolate milk just sat there.

Then we got invited to a friend's house after church... and we stayed kinda late. So when we came home, we just got the kids in bed. And, having promised Boo and Bug that we'd "camp out" with them in the living room, we spent a good deal of the night with them (until they fell asleep and we could sneak out.)

And, this morning, my sweet son walked up to me, innocent as you please, and started talking to me. I have no idea what he was saying, because all I noticed was the big, chocolate milk mustache he had on his face.

"Mr. Bug," I said, "what have you been eating?"

He just looked at me. Then, I remembered. The chocolate milk was still on the table (for the same reasons that the Ovaltine and the Nesquik were in the cabinet so long.)

So I told Bug that I didn't want him drinking that chocolate milk.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because it has been sitting out all night and it isn't good anymore."

"But MOM," says the boy, as if his response will somehow negate my concern about drinking spoiled milk, "It's CHOCOLATEY!"

Makes me want to kiss that spoiled chocolate milk mustache right off of his little Nesquik-y face.

Various and Sundry

- I met the goal of getting the sink cleaned out and have managed to keep it clear (though not SHINEY. My apologies to the Fly Lady.) I also cleared/cleaned the counters and stove top. I still have a bunch of stuff to do in the kitchen, but I have reached maintenance mode in the bathroom, living room, and kids' room. Still to clean are the family room (started decluttering that today,) my room, and the nursery, as well as the rest of the kitchen. And, though the dirty laundry pile is dwindling, the CLEAN laundry pile is HUGE.

But some things are getting done. AND, I have spent some good time with the kids every day since my last post about this.

I must say, I am beginning to feel a little bit like one does after building a huge house of cards. You know how they hold their arms out to keep everyone at bay and say, "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING." Maybe not that bad, but I really don't want stuff getting messed up again - which is unrealistic, I know.

And I am beginning to manifest some of those qualities I see in the neat freaks I know, where they are always wiping counters or rearranging things. The constant movement always impresses me as some sort of nervous twitchiness. No me gusta.

- Plans for China:
arrive in KunMing on October 8. Begin adoption process on October 10. Fly to Guangzhou on Friday, October 14. Bethany's medical exam on October 15. Consulate appointment October 17 at 10:30 am. Leave China on morning of October 19.

- Plans for tonight:
Camping with the family. Until now, all of our camping has been confined to the back yard. Tonight we are going to a campground and we will even cook dinner and breakfast there. Boo is stoked. But we aren't fully packed, and Paul is now home.

I must away. Have a good weekend, peeps.

Everything AND the kitchen sink

Actual conversation at the McDonald's drive-thru:

DT: AAAAAAAARGH! (In a raspy voice-) Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order?
Me: Uh, yeah. I'd like an Oreo McFlurry.
long pause
DT: AAAAAAAARGH! (In a raspy voice-) I'm sorry, could you repeat that, please?
Me: I'd like and Oreo McFlurry.
DT: AAAAAAAARGH! (In a raspy voice-) That'll be $1.90 a the first little window!
Me: Thanks.....Matey.
DT: AAAAAAAARGH!

When I pull around to the "little window," there are two kids standing there. The kid with the headset, who looks like he is about to jump out the window, says, "Are you the one who just called me matey?" When I answer in the affirmative, he turns to his buddy, then back to me. "He didn't believe me!" His buddy just looked at him and says, "Man, if I tried that kind of stuff, people would be reaching through the window to slap me. But you get away with it every time!"

Glad they had some fun.

-------

I felt frantic most of the day yesterday. Part of this is my own fault, and part of it is that there are just a few too many things on my plate. Though there are usually a lot of things to get done, I generally do okay with letting go of stuff that isn't important. But some days I let it get to me. Yesterday was one of those days.

Looking back at it today, I realized that a lot of what happened yesterday could have been avoided with a little bit better planning and organization.

Our house is extremely disorganized. Messy. I am no housekeeper. But it drives me crazy because it gets overwhelming and it needlessly complicates things. So I focused on getting some stuff cleaned up today. Mainly the sink, which was piled with dishes and in need of a major scouring. When I was first introduced to the Fly Lady, I was a little skeptical about her whole shiney sink thing. And, though I think her method of cleaning the sink could be categorized as overkill (and over-chemical, for that matter,) I have realized that when my sink is clean, my kitchen tends to stay much, much cleaner as well. So I knew I had to tackle the sink.

I still had a load of dishes to unload from the dishwasher, and half a sink left to load up, when I had to get dinner started. So, add to my half sink all the dishes from dinner! But I think I can get all the dishes done tomorrow. (And the scouring is already done. Yippee!) My goal: to keep the sink clear until we leave for China. Like I said, the sink really is the heart of it all. So if I can keep it clear, it will be the catalyst for getting other cleaning jobs done.

Also done today - washed two loads of laundry and cleaned the bathroom.

But here is the problem. I didn't spend any good time with the kids today because I was too busy cleaning. As I was cleaning, I was thinking about a post on Robin's blog about having too much to do and not being able to play with the kids. I left a comment for her in which I requested advice about how to balance the housekeeping with time for the kids. Then I thought, maybe I should just ask folks here.

So, here are my questions. Is it possible to have a clean house AND spend quality time with the kids every day? If so, how is that accomplished, short of hiring a maid? Do you schedule your cleaning time and your kid time each day? (Keeping in mind that some kids, especially kids like Boo, get crabby if their moms aren't able to play with them frequently.) What methods have you tried that have helped with cleaning, eliminating clutter, etc. (I am not as interested in knowing what products have worked as much as the methods.) For the sake of spending time with the kids, what things (laundry, dishes, etc.) are you willing to let go and for how long?

I admit that things would likely be easier to maintain once cleaned. (We have not yet reached maintenance status here.) And I realize that I have not developed the habit of neatness. But I am looking for small pieces of practical advice that people have had success with.