The "After" Pictures

So this is my closet after I pulled everything out, rearranged, and reorganized. I still hope to add a few decorative touches along the way...I told Luke if he's ever looking for me during one of these hectic days, he should look in here. It might become my inner sanctum for the next couple of weeks...

Pretty amazing, if I do say so myself (the difference between the old closet and this, I mean). What surprised me the most is how much leftover space I had, and how many empty baskets I came up with that I still have yet to use! It's amazing what happens to space when you put things where they go.   

Total cost: $14.00 ($10.00 for the hanging organizer from Walmart; $3.99 for a wire basket from Goodwill)

Rebuttal

A few days after I posted the Get Real (part 2) post, I came home to a rebuttal. Literally. I was out at Bible study, and when I got home, the supposed-to-be-asleep children came running down to greet me, and to escort me through the freshly cleaned house.

~ the floor had been mopped

~ the playroom had been cleaned

~ the toddler bed was gone (i.e. put away in the attic)

and most importantly, this...

May I remind you that previously, the patio looked like this...

Apparently having your husband read your blog isn't a bad idea, although I promised him I really wasn't trying to make anyone feel guilty...it was just reality. Of course, he did it all in love and good spirit, and so did the children.  So this is my reality--a really awesome family.

A funny for you Monday...

So without fail, it seems like Mondays hit me in the face and before I know it, I haven't gotten around to meal planning yet.  Seriously, I'll go through the morning, and then the thought will hit me, "Oh yeah, I have to cook dinner. Great. What are we going to have tonight?"  And of course, we don't get home til 5:30 so it has to be something quick and easy, or already prepared.  Ugh, why don't I plan better?

Today, I went to the freezer thinking, "I'll pull out some meat and go from there."

But then I found a large freezer bag full of something.  Hmm, this looks like it could be a meal. We'll try this.

I put it in the sink to thaw, and seriously, still had no idea what it was (although I was thinking perhaps it was roast and potatoes and carrots).

Then Luke came home for lunch.  "What's that?" he said.

I chuckled, "Umm, not really sure.  But it's for dinner."

He laughed too, "Oh, freezer surprise!"

*Since then, after pushing my finger around on it, I noticed some beans.  Oh yeah, carnitas and pintos.  We'll have tacos!
**moral of the story: label your freezer bags

Get Real, Part 2

So yesterday, I ranted and raved about women, me included, attempting to challenge us to be more real with each other and to stop putting on airs.  Now that you're feeling guilty about this, lighten up and look at my house this week.  You'll feel much better, believe me.  

yes, there's a griddle, a book of wallpaper samples,
and a roll of paper on the ironing board.  usually there's
a cat there and I have to dust off all his hair before I iron.

the shoe basket on many occasion is filled up to
the top of the table, seriously. it is an actual chore:
empty shoe basket. obviously not this week.

so my washer started spilling forth water yesterday,
 all over the laundry room floor.  nice.

the playroom. yes, there's a jogging stroller in there.
no, i don't jog. no pretentions there. 

yes, there's a bed in there. what, you don't have a bed in your playroom?
so we're behind on putting things in our attic, what's it to ya...

there's always something on the stairs to take up. i'm the one that started that
bad habit--not taking things up right away, but letting them stack up
and taking them all at once. now all my kids do it. time saver, right?

the garage. enough said.
wait, not enough said--yes, there's old tomato plants from the fall hanging from
the ceiling; someone told me to do that to help them ripen.  they've been ripening
there for five months. tomato salad anyone?

the backyard. so before you go getting all dreamy about my lovely gardening
posts, take a good look at what i walk out to. the wood used to be in a neat stack,
but i have kids. who can resist a good stack of wood? the grill never gets covered.
the cover lays nicely in a pile next to it. and yes that's a random chair. not even mine.
used to be on the street for trash until my sister in law rescued it from the
neighbor's yard. and it has a mate. lovely. i knew it'd be stuck in my backyard for
a long time. knew it.

yes, that's a stroller i haven't put back together again, after
it got sprayed by a stray cat, and we had to wash it.
 now it's full of golf balls.
thanks to my father in law, sister in law, and my children.  long story.

Alright, so do you need more? I can post more, really. But maybe you get the idea.

Now go and be real. Seriously.

okay, one more picture for those of you who were craving more...

yes, my babies are messy too. no, i haven't trained him to eat neatly with
a spoon. yes, he throws food, bowls, cups, and utensils.
we're working on it, okay?

Get Real, Part 1

Recently, a dear friend posted a blog about her real life...no pretentiousness or keeping up with Better Homes and Gardens homes; just photos and descriptions of a normal day.  And I loved it, and was challenged to do the same thing here on my blog.  I've realized in recent months that sometimes as women, wives, and mommies what we're not good at is being real with each other.

It seems like we like to pretend that our home life is pretty perfect...that our houses always look like the way it did when you came for dinner last week, or that our children always pick up their toys, no problemo.  We want those on the outside to think we have it all together, even though we don't and we know it.  

Sometimes we even go so far as making new mommies feel like they're doing something wrong because they can't figure out how to shower, dress, clean their house, grind their own wheat, put food on the table, or go to church for that matter, by the time their newborn is 2 weeks old.  And what's the point?  To make ourselves seem to look better (even though it's a deception). We like to appear like Super Mom (who ever came up with that term I'll never know).

And to get more nit-picky about this issue, when was the last time you shared some real struggles you have as a mom or wife with a friend?  Not gripy, complainy issues, but real issues. Issues of normal life that perhaps make you vulnerable, not so Martha Stewart-ish after all.  Have you told a new mom lately about how messy your house was when you had your first baby?  Hmmm..

Well, these are just some thoughts to get you chewing on, and tomorrow I'll post the pictures.  Pictures baring it all, so to speak...

New Shoes

Yesterday, while the girls were in gymnastics, Landis and I milled around the Goodwill.  I was super excited to find a brand new Calphalon pot for a good price.  But mostly,  I was excited about these shoes...

I love them, and Landis loves them!  And they are totally made out of man-made materials, so when he walks they make this suuuper cute squee-eak, squee-eak sound.... I can't wait for Easter!

Luke, on the other hand, had to be more persuaded about these...I'm sure Landis's uncle Miah will need some persuasion too.  But I'm sorry, what reasonable mother could resist? So I'm curious, what do other mother's out there think?