A House for Everyone

Several things have happened lately to make me reevaluate how I keep house. First of all, I had outpatient surgery last week and that whole ordeal put me out of commission for a while. I hated running through the Sonic drive thru just so the kids could eat but I wasn't up to cooking either. Sure, Suzie Homemaker would have instructed husband to deftly pull a frozen meal out and heat it up while tossing a salad so her family could eat healthy even in her time of need.

Suzie doesn't live here.

Also, a good friend's husband died unexpectedly Sunday night. They are in their mid-30's. We think he had a massive heart attack. When something happens that close to home, it really hits you. What if a tragedy struck our family like that? I'll tell you the truth, this house isn't ready for tragedy or even a small emergency.

What I mean is, if friends and family had to sweep in here and take over for a while....it would be bad. Could they find anything? Would there be any clean dishes? Would anyone have clean clothes? Would everyone be horrified?

This isn't about what people think, but about having my home ready enough that my husband would be able to function and function well within these walls if I were not able to help. As homemakers we sort of rule the roost. WE are the ones who know where the measuring cups are. WE are the ones who know how much soap goes in the washing machine. WE are the ones who know every one's schedule.

I think it's time to make our homes more user-friendly.

It doesn't have to be for morbid reasons....but what if you had surgery coming up? What if a new baby was on the way and you got put on bed rest? What if someone in your family was hospitalized and others came to take over your house for a while? What if you broke your foot? What if you just had company coming and you wanted them to feel at home?

Some ideas I've had:

• Get a calendar and meal plan posted on the fridge or in a binder or somewhere that everyone in the family can see it. I've been using a calendar on the fridge for a few months now and it really helps S when he's trying to make plans because he can see what's already scheduled. It's not just all in my head.
• Label!! I got a label maker recently and labeled all the shelves in the pantry. It helps my family put groceries away and it helps folks find things. What else could you label?
• Teach your children to do things! Even if loading the dishwasher is usually your job, get a child to help you every now and then so they will have a clue about it. Just by helping you, they will learn where you keep the soap and they can tell Daddy or Grandma if needed.
• Don't have a "this is MY house" attitude but instead, have a "this is OUR  house" attitude. Let everyone take ownership and stop doing everything yourself.
• Be diligent. Don't take off and be lazy all the time. That's how you get caught with your pants down in an emergency! :) This article today was very good on that topic.
• Get rid of stuff. Hotels are easy to move around in because they have very little stuff in them. You know someone, I know you do, whose house is so full you don't even know where to look. Clean out.

Any other thoughts on making your home more ready for others to use?

Today's Project

One effect of all the um, health concerns I've had lately is I have an awesome stash of toilet paper tubes. The last ones I bought were white and sturdy and I just thought, "surely there is something cool we can make out of these."

So I googled and here it is

I think they look kind of flower-y. Gonna get the girls to paint them and then we'll hang them from the ceiling in the new playroom/old homeschool room.

It doesn't get much cheaper than that folks. (hoping they don't look like t.p. tubes)

In Case You Didn't Accomplish Much Today

Enjoy my progress. And thank your lucky stars this mess is not yours. :)

The shelves are beginning to be emptied. I cannot--I repeat---I cannot put all of this back on these shelves. I must get rid of stuff.

These purple curtains (which matched Little Bit's old room) have been given away.

I will soon be moving these curtains to replace them.

After I paint. Wanna see the color?

It's supposed to be two shades lighter than a Tiffany's jewelry box. Sigh. Won't it be lovely?

Wait until you see the cute curtains that are going to replace these in the new playroom. Oh so cute.

Are you confused yet?

This stuff....

will soon be in this room.

And this stuff....

will soon be in this room.

Never mind. I think I just confused myself.

Confessions of a Room Schizo

It's official. I have a sickness. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know I like to rearrange. Not just the furniture within a room, but rearranging whole rooms for whole rooms. The girls have moved back and forth several times between the two rooms in the hallway.....the homeschool room hasn't been the same for two years in a row ever....and if I could figure out how to rearrange the bathroom I promise you it would have already been done.

THIS TIME though....I have a really good idea. This time it's super important and absolutely imperative that I make this switch.

You know our homeschool room?

It's the first room on the right as you walk in our front door.

And the girls' playroom that WAS going to be their bedroom that used to be Little Bit's room?

It's a straight shot down the hallway from our bedroom.

Great.

Well, the homeschool room is now going to be the playroom and the playroom is now going to be the homeschool room.

I've decided that the reason the playroom stays so crapped up all the time is because it is just too big. By moving the toys to a smaller room (and therefore downsizing the toys too), I'm hoping to make it less overwhelming for the girls to pick up. Besides, they don't need all that space anyway.

That will give us a much larger room for homeschooling so I can include an art area and they won't have to junk up the homeschool room going in there to draw etc. when school is over each day.

The best laid plans......

The girls are attending VBS this week so that sounds like the perfect time to get started, don't you think?

Look for updates this week!

Re-Adjustment

OK. So. Well.

We aren't having a baby. Let me get you caught up. On Thursday of last week I started bleeding. You never want to see that, but I know it happens so I wasn't TOTALLY panicked...but almost. On Friday the doctor had me come in for blood work---which of course would not be ready until Tuesday since it was the long Memorial Day weekend.

I think you know what a great weekend we had.

I continued to bleed...continued to pray and yes, even worry. I think I ran through every single possible emotion during the weekend. Twice.

On Tuesday it took all day for the results to come in and they weren't great, but they still gave me some hope. Wednesday morning first thing we went in for an ultrasound and it revealed a blighted ovum. I understand some people have never heard of that. I actually had as it happened to my college roommate after she got married. So my body was pregnant....but no baby ever formed.

The doctor said that the inevitable miscarriage was still a long way off and I had a lot of pain and bleeding ahead of me. She suggested a d & c to avoid all of that, which wasn't a hard decision as there was no baby involved. I went in yesterday morning really early to the hospital and had my first ever surgery unless you include my ingrown toenail in college. I don't...because I sat up and drank a coke through that and this was a little different.

If it sounds like I am talking calmly about this, it's because I am. I have a had a great army of prayer warriors praying for us and I have felt it. I had already had such an emotional weekend that to hear WHAT was wrong and that there was NO baby.....actually brought relief. One friend said it best: we are mourning what we had imagined would be. And I would add: but at least we are not mourning the death of a child. That's better...it really is.

So, we are re-adjusting our plans and our dreams for the immediate future. Does God have a baby (which I have prayed for 2-3 years) in the future plans for our family? I don't know. But I do know I will continue to trust Him.