What Happens When a Mom Gets Organized

January 24, 2013 Lindsey P. Brackett2 Comments

When a mom gets organized, she will start with a list.

But while she’s making the list, her pen will run out of ink because her kids have been using it to draw pictures of people with too many toes.

So she will open the junk drawer to find a new one.

Then she will get distracted by all the junk, things like leftover seed packets and take out menus and pencils without erasers.

So she will be forced to dump the drawer out on the kitchen table so she can sort through it.

But she will need drawer dividers, so she will have to go to Wal-mart.

Before she can leave, she will have to sort through all the unmatched socks to find a pair that matches for the toddler. This will make her evaluate deep questions, such as, “If we have a car accident will the paramedics care that the socks don’t match?”

When she gets to Wal-mart, she will get distracted by the display of fruit snacks and clearance holiday decor. Before she knows it, her buggy will be full, her toddler will be hungry, and she still won’t have drawer dividers.

By the time she gets back home, the toddler will be asleep in the car necessitating a stealth switch from carseat to bed.

Now, she can deal with the junk drawer.

Except first she has to put away all the groceries she didn’t know she needed and sip some water because she just realized that the only thing she’s had to drink all day is half a cup of coffee. The other half is still sitting on the counter where she set it down to empty the junk drawer.

Now, drawer dividers. That don’t fit.

Exasperated, she will sweep all the junk back in the drawer. In the process, she will find one of her favorite earrings that has been missing for months.

So she will go to her bedroom to put it away and realize that her jewelry box could really use organizing…..

Letting Go of My Next House {thankful thursday}

January 17, 2013September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett3 Comments

So if you’ve followed me for anytime at all, you’ve heard me refer to my tiny house. This house, right here.

Don’t worry, that’s an old picture. I don’t still have pumpkins in my yard. I do, however, still have Christmas stuff on the porch.

For a few years now, I’ve really struggled with this house. With the fact that it seems to have no living space and there’s only one shower and at some point all of my kids have had to share a room.

Whoa, epiphany.

I get those sometimes, like this morning, while I was brushing my teeth and Gus was unfolding the clean socks on my bed using his new top teeth.

Even if our house was bigger, I would still have four kids. And guess what? They would still have to share rooms because no house within our budget needs five bedrooms.

So I’m letting go of my “next house”. I’ve been working on this for awhile. Lately, we have people over more and I just let the kids make big messes that then we clean up. We hang out in the kitchen or the living room or the dining room but it’s all the same room, so no one is ever left out or wondering what’s going on in that other room. We leave dishes in the sink and shoes in the foyer and kids cut through my bedroom to the back deck and it’s all good. It’s cozy and comfortable and chaotic. But when the day comes that I can have that “next house”, it won’t be like this.

My kids will be bigger. My friends won’t be just down the street or up the hill.

So this house might be little, but it’s got a foundation that’s solid.

amelia · Home · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · madelynne · Top 10 Tuesday

Top 10: What I Do All Day

April 24, 2012September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett1 Comment

I’m a little bit already on a blog hiatus. It’s because when I sit up, like in this computer chair, this baby protests. He protests lying down, too, but he tolerates it more between the hours of 1 and 3 p.m. than he does between 1 and 3 a.m., so I’ve been doing a lot more napping. But I’ve got a few posts tucked in my head for moments I want to remember before I’m a mother of four and one of them is this Top 10.

Awhile back, I wrote about my “done list”. It’s much better than a “to-do” list because it’s a list of all I’ve actually accomplished in that day and makes me feel a little more justified about being home with my toddler (the fact that I think I need justification is a whole other post I’ve got rolling around and will get to at some point). Often, my husband will ask, “What did you and Amelia do today?” Never in a sarcastic way that implies he can’t believe the house is a wreck and dinner’s not ready, but in a curious, he’d really like to know kind of way. So here’s a bit of insight into my daily grind with one. I’m sure there will be an addendum to this once I’m home with toddler, newborn, and big sisters on summer vacation.

One.

I try to keep the house neat and organized.

See how she’s sorting books?

Two.

When I can’t keep up with #1, I bring in reinforcements.

i.e. We babysit for our friends in exchange for free labor.

Two year olds are excellent at dusting with the baby wipes they pull out by the handful.

Three.

I plan a lot of meals that appeal to my family.

Like chocolate.

And homemade pizza.

Four.

I clip coupons and plan grocery trips that require bribery with suckers.

Five.

I appraise a lot of really fine art.

Six.

I enforce rules.

Such as “no eating off the floor because I’d rather clean the couch.”

Seven.

I make incredible Food Network worthy lunches.

Then I coerce picky toddlers into eating.

Eight.

I referee these three hoodlums.

Nine.

I listen to great stories about school.

As in, who moved their card (not Annabelle)

the “copper” snake on the playground

and why lunch was no good today.

Ten.

As CEO of a small, but productive, company, I revel everyday in the fact that this is my personal assistant.

Is she ready to take on more job responsibility as a big sister?
I sure hope so!

Top Ten Tuesday at Many Little Blessings

faith · favorite things · Home

A Few Friday Faves

March 16, 2012September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett4 Comments

We’ve been busy this week. But all in the name of nesting

and spring readiness

and 80 degree days that call for

massive wardrobe overhauls.

I volunteered for the annual consignment sale so I could shop early.

Thank goodness.

$1.50 over my budget later and my kids won’t be naked.

Thanks to people who can afford Gymboree, they might even be cute 🙂

I picked up a few things for Gus as well.

Don’t want him to feel left out.

And shopping that section has inspired a blog post you’ll see next week.

I cleaned out the junk drawer this week in search of safety pins.

Now it looks like this.

Ahhh….organized clutter.

And cheapo baskets from Wal-mart because drawer organizers cost like $9.

Seriously?

Can you believe these sweet faces?

Kayden up top hangs with Amelia and me a few times a week

while him mom goes to nursing school.

Leah Kate just turned one

and is the daughter of my best friends.

Then there’s my sweet angel who consented this week

that “uh-huh” baby brother is coming to live with us.

Just not in her room.

Today’s post from Proverbs 31 ministries warmed my heart.

If you’ve ever been stopped by a well-meaning mother in the grocery store

while your child is shrieking and trying to careen the buggy

anywhere other than the frozen food aisle

and you’re praying you can just get some milk and get out

and then this person says smiles at you and says,

“Have you read The Strong-Willed Child?”

Then it takes all your willpower to grit your teeth and not throw the frozen peas.

You need to read today’s post over at Proverbs 31.

Be encouraged that you are not alone.

Let’s all raise God-following adults and not just good children.

Linking up with Rachel over at Finding Joy. Check it out. Be blessed. Happy Friday!

Home · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

October 27, 2011September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett1 Comment

This Thursday I am choosing to be thankful for all that I normally grumble about because after all, all life is a gift, and filled with blessings we disguise as work.

My tiny little house….

Our house has never sold and in eighteen months on the market has had five showings. It’s not happening. We owe too much and it’s worth too little. So it’s coming off the market, and we’re learning to live in a cozy space most people think is crazy. But a wise friend told me last night that she grew up in a small house with two sisters and loved it, and she said, “It made us closer.” Having observed the sweet bond of her family, I believe her. And it does make us closer. We have to watch tv together, the girls are almost always less than ten feet away when I’m cooking or cleaning or talking on the phone or blogging. Our small house has taught us about what is necessary and what is not. And while we’ve still a long way to go in eliminating clutter, we do have less “stuff” now that just takes up space and more of the stuff that’s important to our lives for this moment. Like Weeble treehouses and dollhouses and art easels. Other junk went so those things could come, and I’m grateful.

The dishes….
I hate doing dishes. I’ll cook all day long if someone else will wash and load and put away. I don’t know why I make dishes such a big deal because whenever I actually break down and do them, it takes fifteen minutes, tops. But I hate it. Confession: I cooked a chicken in the crockpot on Sunday. The crockpot was filled with soapy water that night in anticipation of a scrub. Guess where it still sits? That’s gross, I know. In my defense, however, it’s the only thing in the sink longer than 24 hours. So, I hate dishes. But dirty dishes mean my family ate that day. And they usually ate pretty well. Pots mean I cooked instead of giving into the temptation of going out and a sink full of dishes also means I thought it was more important to rock Amelia and read to my big girls on these nights we’ve gotten home late from soccer and church. And I’m thankful my husband could care less if we have dishes in the sink as long as there’s food on the table.

Source: moneysavingmom.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Our tiny house has won me over to the open kitchen/living. I like this one for someday.

Source: houzz.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

The laundry…
Piles of laundry mean my kids have an over abundance of clothes. Which they do. I don’t mind laundry like I mind the dishes. Laundry to fold means I can sit on the couch and watch a movie while Amelia naps. Important note: laundry MUST be folded while Amelia naps. Otherwise she “helps” by unfolding. I’m also grateful that today is Pajama Day at the girls’ school since I’m behind on my once-a-day loads. Sheesh, what have I been doing this week? By the way, if this was my laundry room, I would never do laundry. I would just keep it pristine and keep the real work hidden away.