Trying out Terrariums

I have been wanting to make terrarium. As with most things there are lots of ways to do it. Some of them are complex and very artistic. I started out by checking out a few books on Terrariums and looking for directions on various sites. I saw lots of very inspiring examples. But, to start out, I decided to keep it simple. 

First I gathered jars and vases. I found all of these around the house or by collecting various interesting jars. It was a great way to re-purpose items and supplies that I already had on hand.

This craft could easily be done with children. But this time I enjoyed a quiet mommy moment when I assembled these. It was quite enjoyable! 

Step one I gathered materials: Rocks or Pebbles, Charcoal, Moss, Soil, & Plants. 

Level 1: Rocks or Pebbles. I used left over rocks from when we set up our aquarium.

Level 2: Charcoal. Charcoal is also used in some aquariums. I did not have any, so I bought some that is traditionally used with plants. There was a lot to choose from. I decided to use Black Gold.

Level 3: Add a layer of moss. I used left over moss I had from potting my Orchid.

Level 4: Add a layer of potting soil.

This long spoon came in handy when I was adding layers and arranging the plants.

Level 5: Plants. Next I matched up the plants to the jars, and planted them in the soil. I found these plants at our local nursery for about $2 a piece.

Level 6: Moss. I added moss around the base of the plants.

This was a perfect little spring craft that created lovely little gifts, made with many things that I had around the house.

  

Red Light! Green Light!

I am on a 40 day journey to a well-ordered home through the book Organizing Magic by Sandra Felton. Feel free to grab the book and join me.

Alright, I have dreamed my dreams, assessed my organizational level, and now it is time to start implementing small changes. We are challenged to decide on three habits to stop, three habits to continue and three habits to start. These are supposed to be simple changes that propel me towards my dreams of orderly living.

Stop

• I am going to stop being in charge of ministries at church, and limit our commitments outside the home.

As a wife of a pastor it is so easy to get swept into the many great ministries and activities that take place in our church. It has taken me a long time to see and understand my role and where I fit into the life of the church. I have had to ask the hard questions... What does God want me to do with my time? What does my husband want and need me to be doing? How can I best support him?

I started out feeling that I should have a ministry that I did personally. Or, at the very least, minister at my husband's side. This was especially felt in youth ministry. I wanted--and still do want--to be part of what is going on and ministering to the young girls.

But, over the past year God has made it abundantly clear through his word and through my husband what His will is for me. My ministry is being a wife and mother (Titus 2:4-5). In addition to that, my husband needs me to be his behind-the-scenes supporter. He needs to come away for a while and rest in the peace of our home. If I am constantly in the middle of all the church activity and bringing it into our home, where will he rest and replenish his soul?

I have been going through the sometimes painful process of pulling out of activities. This has truly enabled my husband to accomplish so much more in ministry. It has also made me more available, that way when he needs me to step in and help out...I can!! I let my husband pick and choose which activities he wants us to attend and participate in. This is one way I can accept his leadership and protection over our family. It is actually freeing for me, because I don't feel conflicted, obligated or guilty in anyway. Saying no is so healthy!

By the time our third baby is born I will no longer be in charge of anything or volunteering specifically in any ministry at the church. This sounds so wrong. But is it? Ministering to my husband and my children is a full-time, 24-hour ministry! It is vital, it is God ordained and husband sanctioned. It's better to be in God's will than fulfilling my own ideas so I can feel more fulfilled...or worse yet, trying to meet the expectations of others.

Furthermore, this is a season... my babies will not stay babies forever. They require a lot of care and attention right now. If I am stretched too thin in every direction...do you know who will suffer?...the little ones!
Continue

• I would like to continue to stay active physically. Doing pilates and walking really energizes me and helps me to get more done.
• I want to continue to try to get my daily chores done. These are the bare minimum chores that I set up in my Super Flipper. 
• I need to continue to find time for prayer and Bible reading. This may or may not include being part of a Bible Study Group. Either way, I need to be in prayer and in the word. I need to commit everything to the Lord.

Start

• I want to start setting a timer for myself when I get on Facebook. That way I don't space out and waste a bunch of time.
• Actually complete one organizational project/room before starting a new one.
• Declare our bedroom a 'No Dumping Zone'--- as in not allowing any more baskets and items to be brought in there until they are dealt with.

Stay tuned... next journal entry will be about Day Five.

The truth is in the toilet paper...

* I have invited my blog readers to join me as I go through the book Organizing Magic by Sandra Felton. I will be journaling about my 40 day journey to a well-ordered home and life... 

On day two we are asked to take the famous Felton Toilet Paper Test.... it helps to measure our level of organization based on how we handle a new multi-pack of toilet paper.

I am not sure what my grade would be on this test.... what happens to multi-packs of toilet paper in my house was not even an option on her test. And I found it ironic that this test was in the book considering that the TP sitch in our house has been driving me crazy.

Here is the life cycle of the toilet paper multi-pack in our house.

• The toilet paper is brought in from the car, but placed on a desk in the middle of the house. Or, on the floor in my bathroom.
• For a while I was able to store it under the sink in the main bathroom. However, a mouse came in and ate it all. Then we had to clean it out... and trap the mouse... and remove said mouse... and then clean it out again. (This process got stalled in the final cleaning phase). Additionally, the toilet paper holder in that bathroom is broken... we have a new one that is just waiting to be installed.
• Since we have no place to store the toilet paper and no place to hold the roll... rolls go rolling through out the house. The girls love to TP their bedroom, and drag the roll all over the house. I usually end up throwing out a grocery sack full of TP when I clean their room. 
• So, it is not unusual to sit down on The Throne only to discover that someone has hijacked the TP. This results in yelling for the children to come and bring you some. They bring a TP roll from some hidden place in the house. And you just use it, because when you are delivered TP in this manner it is better to be on a 'don't ask, don't tell basis.'

Just for grading purposes I think it is safe to say that we have failed the Felton Toilet Paper Test. The challenge of this day is to look at what I am already doing and then take it up a notch or two. I am glad to report that the space under the sink has been cleaned and the toilet paper now has a home. I am able to disperse the rolls between the two bathrooms. And hopefully someday soon that toilet paper holder will be installed.

Dreaming a Fabulous Dream!

On day two of 'Organizing Magic, 40 days to a well ordered home and life.'

Sandra Felton challenges us to dream about what we want our homes to be like. 

I like all of the examples she gives in the book. But, here are my personal dreams that I want to add to that list.

In my dream home ...

1.          The stuff we have would fit in the space we have. If at all possible I don’t want our 1300 SF house to feel stuffed to the gills. In this perfect dream; the number of books we have would fit on the book shelf, the clothes we have would fit in the drawers, and we would only store what we have room to store in the shed.
2.          Every item would have a space and a place. If I noticed an item laying around I would be able to pick it up and immediately know where to put it away.
3.         My kid's bedroom would be able to be picked up in 10 minutes or less and the girls would be able to pretty much do it all by themselves. They would also be able to safely play in their rooms, and have a reasonable amount of toys.
4.         I would not be fighting a clutter war all the time. Instead we would be able to tidy up the whole house in 30 minutes. Then I would be able to actually do daily cleaning chores to maintain the house. And… spend more time doing other things!
5.         Our home school materials would be contained, organized, and usable.
6.         I would have what I need and use what I have.
7.         I could be ready for guests in a flash, and be able to entertain on a dime.
8.         My bedroom would be a restful, clean and romantic place to be… rather than the overflow and dumping ground for all things that need sorted.
9.         Our home would be a peaceful place for my husband to come home and recharge and study. Rather than an overwhelming place with a chore in every inch he can see. 
10.      My counter would not be the clutter magnet that it is!!!
11.      Of course I would also like my home to be described as stylish, orderly, peaceful, calm and homey. I don't want it to be so clean that no one feels comfortable. I also don't want to be a slave to my home. But I would like it to be a peaceful dwelling place for my family to reside.

   Well, that's the dream. Now to work towards making that dream a reality!

What about the littlest?

Sometimes it is hard to think outside the box when it comes to engaging our little ones in activities. Of course the very best activities are the ones that they can experience right along side you. Little ones learn so much by doing what you are doing.

Most moms also know about the obvious-- sing songs, read stories, teach them to play patty cake and sign language. And really that is just awesome! But if you want to take it up a notch, or if you are looking for additional developmentally engaging activities for your newborn through three-year-old... Here is the perfect book! Wonder Play by Fretta Reitzes and Beth Teitelman

I loved the book Wonder Play -- it has activities for you to do with your baby up to three years old. It includes games, crafts and creative activities that you might not have thought of.

It is true that the book may include some activities and songs you may already know. I still found it helpful to have those activities and songs matched up to appropriate ages to introduce them. Plus I found it helpful to be reminded to do those activities!

Most of these activities and little rhymes are best done spontaneously especially when your baby is young. You will want to either keep the book handy, or create little activity cards that are on a ring. That way you can pick it up, flip to a poem or activity and won't be struggling with the book. You can keep your cards by the changing table or where you feed your baby.

I have enjoyed rediscovering this book in preparation for baby #3.

Play Foam... So much fun and mess free?

While at The Christian Heritage Homeschool conference Rory and I noticed quite a few kids playing with this foam stuff that seemed to work like play dough. I witnessed the Play Foam in action and from what I could see it looked like a lot of fun and it seemed to stay together pretty well.

My daughter Rose is a play-dough-aholic. It is a calming activity for her and it keeps her occupied for amazing lengths of time. When I saw this play foam I immediately thought of her. I was hoping it would be more portable than play-dough.

So, we bought some and brought it home. She loved it...but then came the real test...no mess?

I must say that it is a lot less mess than play dough. And unless you put it in your hair like Rose did, it is really a pleasant activity. Playing with the foam is very calming for Rose and many adults visiting my house seem to enjoy the calming properties as well.

No mess...unless you put it in your hair! (Even if you put it in your hair it will come out.)

Working the system, Making it work for me

For those of you just plugging in, I am going through the book Organizing Magic by Sandra Felton and have invited you to join me. We are just getting started so it is not too late to join in.

On day one of Organizing Magic Felton mentions the Messies Annonymous Flipper. This is a system to help you maintain your home. And, I happen to have this system. 

This includes a day by day plan to maintain your house through daily, weekly, and monthly chores. It also has an option to set up a rotating meal plan complete with shopping lists. It has a guide and instructional CD to help you set up your system.

Setting up my Flipper system was a project. I listened to the CD several times and poured over the guide...and really it is not that complicated! I just had to really think about what chores needed to be done and how to clean my house. Did I want to do the room by room approach? What chores needed to be done daily? How often should we be washing curtains...something I hadn't really thought about. In the end I ate a lot of dark chocolate but managed to set up the system.

My Super Flipper in hiding. 

As you can see the Super Flipper comes with this very streamline photo album to hold all your chore cards. On one hand it is great because you can tuck it on a shelf and it isn't something that is going to add to the clutter in your home. However, I tucked it away a little too easily! And unfortunately my Super Flipper was yet another victim of the out of sight out of mind phenomenon.

When I started reading this book it reminded me of the system I already had in place. But, I had to do something to make it work better for me. My solution was to put my Flipper System front and center.

So, I went to the Goodwill and bought two table top photo albums for about $2 to $3 a piece. One of them has significantly more pages...In this album I put all the cards that make up my days of the week chores. The other album has the daily chores. These chores need to be done everyday, but they only have one card per week.

The next change I needed to make was to give myself a little reward when I finished my chores. When I complete my card and check off all my chores I can flip the photo album around. On the other side I have a cute picture, or a verse or quote for me to look at. It truly is a reward to not have my chores staring at me in the face.

Enjoying one of the cute pictures I get to see when my chores are done.

So far this has worked much better. It is also much easier for my husband to take a look at what I wasn't able to get done and he can help me check one or two off the list.

In the end... I believe the Super Flipper is something I Like A Latte!

40 Days to Fabulous!- Day One Journal

Well, here we are... Day One of the book Organizing Magic by Sandra Felton. I am so excited that several of you have taken up the challenge to read this book and attempt to have a more well-ordered home and life.

I may not do a post about every single chapter...I may combine a few days, but we will just have to see where this journey takes us.

Here I am. Day One.... and I am just coming out of two weeks of letting the house go. First week I hurt my foot and could hardly stand on it. Second week... nasty cold/sinus infection. The result... my house is super messy and overwhelming and desperately needs an over haul. In addition... I am overwhelmed by the task.

So, no place to start but at the beginning!

I found this chapter to be a great jump start. The phrase that best sums up this chapter is..."Make your life easier!" We are supposed to pick out tips from this book that are going to make OUR lives easier. We need to be willing to try new things, and carve out the time to devote to changing our habits.

I think for me the two biggest challenges I have ahead of me are: reducing the amount of stuff in my home and breaking my own bad habits and trying to teach my children new and good habits.

The quote that sent my fist shooting up in the air with and exuberant YES! was:

"The purpose of this book is not to ratchet up the details of your life a notch or two. It's not designed to help you fly higher and longer, to be more of a hardworking perfectionist. You're probably already expending most of your time and energy and don't want to expend anymore.
This book will help you work less and still accomplish your aims- maybe even better than before and certainly more efficiently."- (Sandra Felton, Organizing Magic)

Here goes nothing!!! (In actuality, here goes a lot of things... right out the door!)
I need to get my home more organized to make my life simpler... so therefore the solutions that produce the organization can't be complicated systems to maintain.

Mommy and Me Poetry

Enjoying a little "Couch Time" with my girls!

One little activity that my five-year-old and I like to do together is write poems. This is usually a spontaneous activity when we are sharing a little moment of one on one time. CJ usually has a pen and notebook on hand at all times. So when we are inspired... the poetry just flows.

Here are a few ideas for writing poems with your little one:

Create and acrostic. This poem was written when we were learning about Kangaroos. I wrote down commands or imperatives to create the acrostic. The words are leading, or create room for an idea. Then CJ filled in the response or the idea. Here is our poem, My words are black and in bold, her words are pink.

Kangaroo

Keep eating grass

Always follow your leader

Never leave the pouch

Go in the pouch! And stay there!

Ask first to come out.

Remember to stay with your mom.

On occasion, stop for some food at an Oak Tree.

Oh! One more thing... Always keep away from predators.

Then there is always the whatever goes approach. This is a fun way make up a silly poem. For this you can choose a letter and choose words either real or made up for your poem. This next poem has no form, a few rhymes scattered in, but it is all her own. It nothing else it is very expressive!!

Zipity Zackity Zoe

Zackity Zooza

My Father in Heaven loves me!

Zackity Zoo

God loves you!

Nanny  & Poppy, me & Daddy

Have a new baby

Awesome too!

Have a new baby

Zaza Zoo!

Here is one we did together. This was very collaborative. We worked harder on rhyming words. She started out with the opening line. And I helped her pick a word for the last line of each first sentence. She filled in most of it. I let her fly with her ideas and offered a few suggestions.

Snuggle buggle boo!

Mommy loves you!

Snuggle buggle bee!

CJ loves me!

Snuggle Buggle Zipity Zoo!

Daddy loves you!

Snuggle Buggle whee!

Rose loves me!

In the end, I am sure writing poems with your kids has educational value. For us it is a great time spent having fun together. My little one got a chance to express some of her ideas to a willing listener. We got to bond over a few things we both enjoy...snuggling and playing around with words!

Springing into Cleaning

After we found out we are having a boy, the nesting instinct started to kick in. In addition to the nesting adrenaline, we got a bit of Spring sunshine. Where we live winter is a long dreary experience... sun is a novelty. (If it happens to come out while we are driving in the car, poor Rose starts crying and demanding we turn off the light.)

When the sun does start shining through after the long, long winter....suddenly it is apparent that it is well past time to dust and wash windows.

The combination of making room for baby and spring cleaning produced an overwhelming desire in me to get my house in order. Plus, we are making plans for a little Baby-moon....and I would love to have everything in order before we go... an admirable goal.

All these forces coming together...Spring Cleaning, Nesting, and Baby-moon Deadline. I was one part motivated and one part completely overwhelmed. Time to make a plan!

Step #1: Time to commit my ways to the Lord. As always God wants me to have a heart for him. He wants me to be a devoted wife and mother. He also wants me to have a worshipful and peaceful heart.

Step #2: Start lining up some help. I have two small children, limited energy and a husband who is working full time who is also in Seminary. I am going to need some help with some of these jobs, especially with organizing the shed.

Step #3: Consult an expert. There are a lot of great organizing experts out there, but my expert of choice has been Sandra Felton. She is the author of The Messie Manual, and Organizing Magic. She also founded Messie's Anonymous. I like that she is a reformed Messie. Her tips often pertain directly to those of us who are prone to be Messie.

I decided to work through her book Organizing Magic. I invite you to go through this book, which is a 40 Day guide to a well-ordered home.

I will be writing about my journey through this book. Order the book and join me! It will be more fun with buddies to share the road with!

So order your book! Shake off your feather duster and let's get our houses in shape!!