Marker Keeper

I have to preface by saying that I saw something somewhere that had a similar project to this but they used small cans, it was for crayons, AND I can’t remember who it was to give credit to. :(

I didn’t want it for crayons though.  I needed a place for all the markers in my house though.  We do have crayons for Parker but us {older} kids prefer to color with markers. 

I took a 2x4 and painted it white.  I still have intentions of putting some vinyl wording on the front but since I don’t have a vinyl cutter yet – well it just isn’t happening.

Dumb, debt payoff gets in the way of all the “fun” stuff I want to buy.  I have to keep our end goal in mind though.

Back to the project…

I got small terra cotta pots and painted them in a variety of colors.  Ultimately, I wanted all of the like colors in the same pot.  I know there are browns in the black pot but  we’re just going to act like they go there.

I have a white pot too.  Don’t know what I was thinking.  No other colors will go into the white pot except, DUH, white!  So I’m thinking we have a lot of paintbrushes and watercolors and so that may end up being the home for them.

I super glued all of the pots down and so far, they aren’t going anywhere! 

 

I know.

I really need to work on my photography skills.  They aren’t very good :(

You know, professional bloggers say that blogs with bad photos don’t keep followers.  In actuality, they lose followers.

Hopefully you hang around even though I can’t get a Marker Keeper to look “cute” for the life of me!

http://todayscreativeblog.net

My COWBOY!

It’s the Wild West!

James had his Second Grade Music Program and I must give kudos to the music teachers!  They did a great job with teaching the kids very entertaining, fun music!

   

He sure is a Handsome Cowboy!

Another Beautiful WINTER Day

Who would have guessed after getting ice and 3” of snow last night that exactly one week ago, it was 72 degrees!

Of course, we took full advantage of it!

I have a feeling Parker is going to be a BIG help with our garden this year! 

So what was he doing?  Scooping dirt {and mulch} into a planter and dumping it out only to scoop it back in again.  Yep, that’s my broom and dustpan that I use in the house.

It’ll wash!  Life is too short!

Look at that tongue!  That’s a sign of concentration for my boys :)

       

SPRING WHERE ARE YOU!?!

Inspired Spotlight Thursday!

This weeks post is highlight Christie from A Lemon Squeezy Home!

"Hello!  I'm Christie and the lucky stay at home mother of 3. Being a mom is hard work, and it's good to take a break to do what I love--crafting or sewing!  My favorite part of having my blog is that I get to be in contact with a lot of amazing women!  I started my blog because my family blog was beginning to look like a craft blog with all the craft posts I started writing.  It's fun for me to think of new ideas or make things from other tutorials I find.  It feels like a balancing act sometimes, but as long as I try to put my family first and know when to quit crafting (which is hard sometimes!), then things run pretty smoothly around here and we're probably all better for it!"

THIS post shares some of the trials she has been through in her life and focuses on where she gets her strength!  Her kids are blessed to be able to call her “Mother”.

I am going to make this Crayon Roll someday!  She shares the tutorial on how to do it if you want to try it.  I LOVE that she included a spot for a small notebook! 

Easter is right around the corner {COME ON SPRING} and THIS tutorial from last year is right on time!

This Vintage Bike Basket is very chic!  Now I need to find a bike like that so I can make it!  Want a tutorial?  She’s got it!

There you go!  Another Inspired Spotlight from a fellow blogger who inspires me!

Thanks so much Christie!

Hoo Are You?

Linking up to NIGHT OWL CRAFTING for Hoo Are You?

Here are this week's questions!

1. Where do you usually have your thermostat set at in the winter?

We keep our house set at 70 degrees.  I am cold all the time and would prefer to have it set at 72 but hubby is not so this is our compromise.  He likes it at 68.

2. What room do you tend to put off cleaning until last?

UGH – the bathroom!  I despise it!  If I cleaned it more often it probably wouldn’t be as dirty when I do clean it.  I just have to make myself do it and honestly I don’t do it enough.

3. Do you like to clean with music on or off?

I HAVE to have music on.  It motivates me!!  I like to dance to it too!

4. When do you take time to blog?

Usually at naptime or bedtime.  There are occasional poses that I do when everyone is at my feet.

5. How much time do you spend looking at other blogs a week?

Ummmm…..dare I say!  Probably at least 30 minutes a day on average.   Some days are a lot longer and there are some days I don’t ever get the chance.

Time To Hammer Down Some Rules!

We have an issue with chores in our house.

Better yet, I have an issue delegating chores in our house.

Someone once convicted me saying that I am not teaching my children how to be responsible adults by doing everything for them.  I need to get my children to do more than they do around the house.  Here are the current chores":

James

Emptying the kitchen trash daily and taking it to the curb once a week.

Feed and water the dog although I almost ALWAYS do this.  I just notice when they are out and then refill which usually happens at when he is at school.  I just need to make him do it every night before bed or everyday before school.  It’s the whole follow-through thing that I have to train myself to do.

Alysia

Doing the dinner dishes although this usually means I wash and she dries them unless days in which we have a messy dinner and I give Parker a bath.  Then she does it all herself.  It’s not very often though.

Clean the bathroom before guests come over.  If you’ve been to my house, you know this doesn’t happen every time we have guests either.  I usually have to hound her to clean the bathroom

Focus On The Family has an amazing list of suggestions and ideas for chores and getting your kids to do them without nagging them. 

Ages 2 and 3

Personal chores

• Assist in making their beds
• Pick up playthings with your supervision

Family chores

• Take their dirty laundry to the laundry basket
• Fill a pet's water and food bowls (with supervision)
• Help a parent clean up spills and dirt
• Dust

Ages 4 and 5

Note: This age can be trained to use a family chore chart.

Personal chores

• Get dressed with minimal parental help
• Make their bed with minimal parental help
• Bring their things from the car to the house

Family chores

• Set the table with supervision
• Clear the table with supervision
• Help a parent prepare food
• Help a parent carry in the lighter groceries
• Match socks in the laundry
• Answer the phone with parental assistance
• Be responsible for a pet's food and water bowl
• Hang up towels in the bathroom
• Clean floors with a dry mop

Ages 6 and 7

Note: This age can be supervised to use a family chore chart.

Personal chores

• Make their bed every day
• Brush teeth
• Comb hair
• Choose the day's outfit and get dressed
• Write thank you notes with supervision

Family chores

• Be responsible for a pet's food, water and exercise
• Vacuum individual rooms
• Wet mop individual rooms
• Fold laundry with supervision
• Put their laundry in their drawers and closets
• Put away dishes from the dishwasher
• Help prepare food with supervision
• Empty indoor trash cans
• Answer the phone with supervision

Ages 8 to 11

Note: This age benefits from using a family chore chart.

Personal chores

• Take care of personal hygiene
• Keep bedroom clean
• Be responsible for homework
• Be responsible for belongings
• Write thank you notes for gifts
• Wake up using an alarm clock

Family chores

• Wash dishes
• Wash the family car with supervision
• Prepare a few easy meals on their own
• Clean the bathroom with supervision
• Rake leaves
• Learn to use the washer and dryer
• Put all laundry away with supervision
• Take the trash can to the curb for pick up
• Test smoke alarms once a month with supervision
• Screen phone calls using caller ID and answer when appropriate

Ages 12 and 13

Personal chores

• Take care of personal hygiene, belongings and homework
• Write invitations and thank you notes
• Set their alarm clock
• Maintain personal items, such as recharging batteries
• Change bed sheets
• Keep their rooms tidy and do a biannual deep cleaning

Family chores

• Change light bulbs
• Change the vacuum bag
• Dust, vacuum, clean bathrooms and do dishes
• Clean mirrors
• Mow the lawn with supervision
• Baby sit (in most states)
• Prepare an occasional family meal

Ages 14 and 15

Personal chores

• Responsible for all personal chores for ages 12 and 13
• Responsible for library card and books

Family chores

• Do assigned housework without prompting
• Do yard work as needed
• Baby sit
• Prepare food — from making a grocery list and buying the items (with supervision) to serving a meal — occasionally
• Wash windows with supervision

Ages 16 to 18

Personal chores

• Responsible for all personal chores for ages 14 and 15
• Responsible to earn spending money
• Responsible for purchasing their own clothes
• Responsible for maintaining any car they drive (e.g., gas, oil changes, tire pressure, etc.)

Family chores

• Do housework as needed
• Do yard work as needed
• Prepare family meals — from grocery list to serving it — as needed
• Deep cleaning of household appliances, such as defrosting the freezer, as needed

Do you know why I like this chart?!?!?  Since I’m so lame at dolling out chores, it has a section for 16 to 18 year olds!  I know, I know, it should be set in stone by then, but it’s not.  At least in my house.

ALSO, according to this chart, Parker is ready to start some chores.  I think he will be great at it!  He LOVES helping pick up his toys and cleaning.  I’m afraid he has a little bit of OCD in him :)

I’m going to get to working on something more concrete that is tailored to my family with these recommendations and I’ll share with you soon what I come up with.

I think this may be harder on me than it is on the kids.  I’m going to have to relinquish some control and the face the fact that there may be times it isn’t as clean or put away as good as I would like.

Wish me luck!

My Trash to Treasure!

I have a two year old so I have diaper boxes – LOTS.  They are very sturdy boxes yet I always broke them down and recycled them for the most part.  I used some of them but with the amount that comes in my house I never seemed to have anything else to do with them.

Amy @ Postively Splendid took her diaper boxes and turned them into Canvas Lined Bins!!

INGENIOUS, I TELL YA!  You gotta go check hers out!  They are “positively splendid.”

Soooo…I pulled out two boxes and made some of my own.

The red fabric were some old curtains that I had stashed away.  And the brown striped…a curtain that I found at Target yesterday for $1.24!

Fantastic, huh!!

I think so!

I think the flowers add the perfect character that I was looking for!!

Thanks, AMY

So What If I Wine About It!

I’m not a wine connoisseur by any means, but I do love a glass of wine every now and then!  My favorite is Moscato.  It’s sweet but not to sweet.  I’m not a fan of dark red, dry wines.  I’m open to trying them though.

A friend of mine, who used to live in Colorado, brought me this wine when she came to visit several months ago.

IT WAS HEAVEN!  Very sweet and smooth!  It is a dessert wine so the sweetness is not for everyone.

The thing that I also LOVED was the bottle!  I still have it!

ISN’T IT PRETTY!!

The other day I was stalking reading through my blog list and I came across this link from 9 o'clock Dance of Joy.  This was her pic…

The bottle looked familiar to me so I asked her what it was.  Much to my surprise it was from The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey!  The same place mine was from!!

They have such unique bottles!

Anyways, Kenzie was kind enough to send me a link to their website so I can order more of the wine.

I want to order one of each {even if it is dark red, dry wine} just so that I can have the bottles to decorate with!

 

And the gift boxes are BEAUTIFUL!!  Absolutely STUNNING!

Cork Barrels?!?!  I LOVE THESE!!  I need a decorative place to store my corks and this is perfect!  {I even have a friend in which this would be the perfect gift for}.

 

And yes – T-shirts!  I love their logo THAT MUCH!

Don’t you think they are amazing!  Now before you go and start an alcohol intervention on me – you must know that I only drink a glass or two a week.  It is mostly saved for when we are entertaining.  I just enjoy it when I can!

Thanks KENZIE for the info!

Beautiful VERSUS Ugly!

Today is a BEAUTIFUL DAY!  Days like this make me even more anxious for the onset of Spring.

We’re NOT going to look at what Monday brings though – and the several days after that.  It’s proof that it is still February and Old Man Winter is still hanging around for a little while longer.

But back to today!  Days like this make me feel like Spring cleaning.  Now, I’m going to warn you about the upcoming pictures.

Don’t judge!

I seriously do not remember my mom having to clean these things on a daily or weekly basis to make sure that they did not end up in this state of “nastiness”.

Just keeping it real for ya!

{Maybe I should make these pics smaller – then you wouldn’t see the ugliness as much}

These darn vents are up high and I honestly don’t look at them very often.  Not an excuse, I know.

This poor lampshade is on my husband’s nightstand.  I don’t understand how these little boogers attract so much dust!

 

We have a window in our bathroom which doesn’t open.  It only serves as a light source, I guess.  I don’t ever open the blinds though.  When I did, I see all this yuck collected in the corners.  Should I dare think that is mold?!?!  The rest of my house is REALLY not like this!

Yep – this is my laundry room.  Now I know why this room collects dust but I STILL don’t remember my mom having to clean it as often as it should be.

 

Nasty, nasty light fixture!  I’m really thinking this shows me as a bad house cleaner.  There’s really no excuse for the dust accumulation.  “I don’t look up there” isn’t good enough.  I know!

So I NEED to get onto cleaning these things {along with many more!}

BUT…

remember that BEAUTIFUL weather I showed you?!

I’m going to enjoy it doing things that I really want to do!

The dust will be there tomorrow, or the next day, or the days when we are going to have more snow in the near future :(