Motivated Moms

Money Saving Mom posted a link on her site awhile back on a daily chore planner that she had bought through http://www.motivatedmoms.com/ and I went to check it out. I really think that over the past year or so that I've been dealing with depression. I was a burned out Mama dealing with so many behaviors from my middle 3 and then with my Mother-in-Law living here causing more behaviors to flair up, I was just in survival mode. Right before she moved out, I had bought the chore system and I was accomplishing more around the house. I just thought I'd share it because it's given me some mojo back in dealing with the house. It's also helping the kids chip in a little more too which is nice.

Busy day...

We had church this morning, which I spent out in the vestibule with Melina and 5 other Moms with their babies. We are slowly starting to get to know each other as the babies are all aroudn the same age and don't sit for long. They gotta move aroudn you know. On the way home, we stopped to get our newspapers so that we could get our coupons and then we stopped at McDonald's to get breakfast. After we ate, Andy and I talked about somethign that I have been thinking about for awhile. I have a vision that I see in my head for a business...but that's a whole other post. Anyway, we put Melina down for her morning nap and left the littles downstairs to play. Andy and Deidra went up to her room to clean her carpets and get her room picked up so that her room is ready for her to bunk with Grandma Hoffman in a few days and then I worked on switching out the littles closets since they switched rooms a few months ago (yes, that's right...I said a few). So, now their clothes are in the proper rooms. Now, I'm working on getting our laundry done and I think I'm going to wash our bedding today too if I have time. I also need to clean the upstairs bathrooms and vacuum the floors up there. Then, we have to plan our meals for the week and look for coupons so that we can go get the groceries for the week.

Trying to be a good Mom...

All the littles want to do is watch tv or they're begging to go to a restaurant or do something fun. I have the day separated into segments to try to keep them out of trouble and I keep telling them that I wouldn't be a very good Mom if I just let them sit in front of the tv all of the time. They need to use their brains and their imaginations and play pretend and learn how to entertain themselves at times. We have a hard time doing free play as they tend to find trouble. But, it's hard on me to get much done when I'm feeling like I have to keep them occupied constantly. Mondays are clean the house day in which they help, but otherwise I try to stick to this schedule. obviously it's not set in stone as we do have things that come up, but this is what we try and stick to when we're at the house.

7:30 am breakfast, devotions, get dressed

8-9 am tv time

9-10 am outside time

10 am snack

10:30-11:30 am errands

11:30 am lunch

12-1 pm speech

1:30-2:30 pm occupational therapy

1-2 pm quiet time

2:00 pm snack

2:30-3:30 pm table play

3:30-4:30 pm outside time

4:30-5:15 pm playroom time

5:15 pm clean up

5:45 pm dinner

7 pm bath, jammies, and story time

7:30 pm family activity

8 pm littles bedtime (one-on-one time with kid of the day)

9 pm Deidra's bedtime

and I try to do themes for each day...
Monday is House Cleaning Day and Movie Day
Tuesday is Tasty Treat Day
Wednesday is Water Day
Thursday is Craft Day
Friday is Park Day

sometimes again, things get mixed up as things come up, but I try to give them something to look forward to each week.

Household Weekly Chore Chart

Trying to get the kids more involved with helping with chores. Deidra always claims that she doesn't always know what needs to be done, so I figure this will help. I told them that if they do something they can let me know and I will mark it off. I expect to see their initials up there as many times as they are old in years. They will continue to earn their quarters for chores. Anyway, here is our list:

ENTRY WAY Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun.
Shoes picked up __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Floor Swept __
Floor Mopped __

PLAYROOM
Clear Floor __
Vacuum __
Clean Table __
Disinfect Toys __
Clean Windowsills __
Pick up Toys (am) __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(noon) __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(pm) __ __ __ __ __ __ __

BATHROOM Little Bath Kids Parents
Clear Floors __ __ __
Sweep Floors __ __ __
Mop Floor __ __ __
Sinks __ __ __
Toilets __ __ __
Bathtub __ __
Mirrors __ __ __
Door Knobs __ __ __
Windowsills __

LIVING ROOM
Dust __
Clear Floor __
Vacuum __
Clean Windowsills __

KITCHEN/DR Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Put away leftovers __ __ __
Clear Table __ __ __
Rinse Dishes __ __ __
Load Dishwasher __ __ __
Wash Table/Chairs __ __ __
Wash Stove __ __ __
Wash Pots and Pans __ __ __
Clean Countertops __ __ __
Put away clean dishes __ __ __
Move Chairs (sweep) __ __ __
Sweep Floor __ __ __
Mop Floor on Mon __



WINDOWS/MIRRORS
Kitchen __
Living Room __
Playroom __

BEDROOMS D E&T J Parents
Clear Floor __ __ __ __
Pick Up __ __ __ __
Door Knobs __ __ __ __
Vacuum __ __ __ __
Windows __ __ __ __
Put Laundry Away __ __ __ __

LAUNDRY ROOM
Clean Floor __
Clothes in Bins __
Sweep Floor __
Mop Floor __

GARBAGE
Monday __
Thursday __

PETS AM NOON PM
Food/Water Dog __ __ __
Food/Water Cats __ __ __
Litter Boxes __ __ __
Play with Lucy __ __ __
Kitties Brushed Wk T__ V__ M__ P__ S__ O__ C__
Lucy Bath 15th__ 30th__

YARD
Pick Up Trash __
Mow Lawn __
Weed Flower Bed __
Water Flowers __
Water Lawn __

Organization Challenge Day 2

Today's challenge was to organize the coat closet...


Before



After

A crazy day...

The littles all woke up full of energy, yelling, screaming, badgering one another, not playing nicely, tempers a going, and into everything. I put Baby T to bed 15 minutes after she woke up this morning because she couldn't stop crying and screaming. After she calmed down, she did a lot better. Josiah wouldn't stop whining and running all over the house and he wouldn't leave Little E alone. Little E wouldn't stop hitting and trying to take toys from the other kids and it was all just constant. Little E finally settled down once I gave her her ADHD meds this afternooon, Josiah got put to bed because he wouldn't stop whining and he fell asleep in his bed. Baby T didn't want to take a nap in her room, she wanted to lay on the couch. I told her I'd let her lay on the couch, but the minute she got down, she was going to go in her room. She laid there for a few minutes, the phone rang and I was talking to a friend for about 20 minutes. I heard something sound like somebody poured water onto the floor and went around the kitchen wall to find that Baby T was in the little bathroom playing in the sink. Water and toilet paper were in the sink, toilet paper clogged the drain, so water was pouring over the sides of the sink and onto the floor. She was all wet and there was standing water on the floor. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad of a mess and I was able to get it all sopped up with most of my towels that I had just washed that I had downstairs. I got her out of her wet clothes and put her to bed. She wasn't too happy about it, but oh well. She was sound asleep a couple minutes later though and I went to work on cleaning up the mess that she made. I'm just glad that it wasn't as bad as the last over-flowing bathroom incident that we had almost 2 years ago that Josiah and Baby D made. UGH

Halloween parties...

The littles all had parties today at school. Deidra didn't have a party and she was pretty bummed. I got them all little Halloween outfits to wear. Deidra had a skull shirt, Baby T had a Tinkerbell halloween outfit, Josiah had a bat shirt that said "I may be cute, but I still BITE." And Little E, had a orange and black kitty shirt. They all looked adorable. I dropped Josiah and Baby T off at MDO and then I took Little E to the library to get Halloween books and some videos. We got the Wizard of Oz to watch and she picked out a Dora movie and I picked out a Veggie Tales movie for them all to watch. We came home and I edited some pics and then it was time to take her to school. After I dropped her off, I went up and had lunch with Mom. We went to Ryan's and talked and ate. It was good and I got my mashed potato craving filled. :-) Then, after lunch we went back to her work and the girl's in her office had put together candy baskets for my kids. I thought that was sweet of them and so I gathered those up and brought them home. I wanted to take a nap, but there wasn't any time. So, I headed up to gather them all from school. Now, we're home and they're watching Dora for a bit. I wish I could nap. I may lay down for a bit when Andy gets home. My Dad is coming in later tonight and I'll need to run to Rockwall to get him from his truck around 9. My Dad was worrying about me as I've been so tired lately...he was so sweet wondering if that was too late or if I just wanted to come get him in the morning. I told him Mom had volunteered to come with me so I wouldn't be by myself. That made him feel better. He's been calling me every other day or so to check on how I'm feeling. He is SO excited about this baby. I haven't seen him this excited about something in a long time. I think I'm going to do a pasta bake for dinner tonight...something I can just throw in a pan and bake. I feel bad that I really haven't been cooking much lately. Either Andy cooks when he comes home or the kids have been eating whatever I can throw in the oven easily. I am really lacking gumption.

I cannot get over...

how much I've been sleeping or been wanting to sleep lately. I am just dragging. Nothing in my house is really getting done. Andy pampered me all weekend and did the laundry and the cooking when we weren't grabbing dinners out. I told him I feel awful that the house is all cluttered and I start out the day with the best of intentions, but by the time I can grab some time to do something, all I want to do is sit down or if the kids are napping at the same time I want to grab a quick nap myself. I came out and told my CPS worker and my therapists that I was pregnant. Everybody keeps asking me how I'm feeling. I just feel like I could fall asleep at any given moment, I have bouts of queesiness. I am always gassy. (I know, like you really wanted to know that...but it's BAD and gas pains hurt). I have heartburn and yesterday I had a really bad bachache that would not go away. Yesterday, I was really moody and I felt really bad, but I just kept getting aggravated. Deidra's friend was over too and they pleaded to go outside. I told them I didn't care. I get back to resting on the couch and the next thing I know is Deidra is yelling that her friend has to go to the bathroom but she won't come out of the swingset fort because she's afraid of the dog. She managed to walk outside with the dog out there to go to the swingset and now she can't do the same to get back in the house? Well, the next thing I know is Deidra's yelling at the dog and her friend would not come all the way down. Our dog is harmless...yes she's hyper as she's still a puppy, but she's not mean. She's nothing to be afraid of. So, I get back up and go get the dog so she can come in. She comes in and I expect her to head to the bathroom. Nope, she says she never had to go. I'm sorry, but she was the one just bragging about how she could never tell a lie...I realize that it doesn't exactly sound like a big deal...but why say you have to come in because you have to go tot he bathroom and then once you get in the house admit that you didn't have to go. Um, that's a lie to me. So, I told them they weren't going back outside if she was going to be like that.

I just am dragging today. I was trying to sign papers for the OT and I kept hearing something. I go into the kitchen to find Josiah with my spray butter, just spraying it all over the floor, counter, and the oven. Looks like I'll be mopping later. He just looks at me with this smirk on his face. After she left, I made him help me clean it up off the counters and stuff. I'm going to do the floor as I didn't want anyone slipping and falling. And while I should be in the kitchen decluttering my countertops and mopping the floor, here I sit. Both kids finally fell asleep...I desperately want to close my eyes. Yet, I feel like I'm so behind with everything that I really should clean and get some paperwork that I'm behind on done....I have the kids Christmas lists that I have to have turned in by the end of the week, and I have some evaluations that I have to do. Not to mention, complete the girls adoption application and reference forms. Everytime I think about it, I just say it can wait. I know I can't keep thinking like this. I just want to lay down and go to sleep.

A Cleaning Frenzy...

I got up and took the kids to school, came home for our fire inspection...we passed with flying colors, ran up some paperwork to my foster agency, took the littles their lunch that I forgot...they told me that the gas station by there sold lunchables...so I went and got 3. Holy cow! They wanted $4.99 a piece. Wow!! I almost put them back, but I didn't feel like going back in to Wal-mart for stuff and then going home to make lunch, and then going back out to run them their lunches, so I just paid the stupid $4.99 for 3 of them and took them to them. I grabbed a philly steak sub from Subway, came home and cleaned for a bit. Cleaned the kitchen the rest of the way (Andy had a headstart on it last night, did some spot cleaning in the living room, I still need to vacuum and mop the kitchen floor, but I had to go get the kids from school. Got the littles and then went to Miss B's to get State Fair tickets from her (Thanks SO muhc, Beth!!) so we can go to the State Fair tomorrow with my father-in-law. Then, we ran and got Deidra from school. Came home and Deidra asked to go play for a bit. We were going to go to the homecoming parade, but they all want to go to the airport to go get Grampy more. So, we're going to go meet Daddy at work and then go to the airport together to get Grampy. I'm hoping to at least be able to clean the guest bathroom, vacuum downstairs, and mop the kitchen floor all in the next hour. Then, I promised the kids that I'd get them some candy since we're missing the parade, I need some money for parking at the airport, and then we'll be off to meet Andy in Dallas. The house is presentable and looks nice, I just need to finish decluttering my foster counter later today as well.

Oh fly lady...

I really enjoy her system of cleaning. She keeps me in line. However, I hate how my hot spots keep piling up. I told Andy we really need to do better about keeping our countertops cleared off and the stuff filed away. All of our foster parent stuff and the kids artwork wind up in one pile on the counter. The kids do have a file that I keep on the wall and they each have their own bin, but it's a pain everytime I have to record stuff to go find that file and pull it out. If I keep it on the bin on the counter and it's right in front of me I tend to remember better. My island countertop hosts all of my big binders that are filled with minimum standards and training materials and school stuff that I'm working on with them. I also have some occupational therapy materials up there that we practice on. My current books that I'm reading along with library books wind up on that counter too.

Then, all of our mail and bills and stuff that needs to be filed winds up on our other hightop counter above the kitchen sink. I hate how cluttered it always looks and yet it seems like whenever I get it cleared off, a few hours later it's back to looking cluttered again. I need to come up with a better system for all that stuff. I just am at a loss of what to do with it all right now.

As busy as a bee...

So much going on, so much needs to be done. Flylady has me saying "you can do anything in 15 minutes." So, that is literally what I'm trying to do. I have a cycle that I'm trying to do.

15 minutes of sensory activities, 15 minutes of reading my adoption books that we have to read, 15 minutes of cleaning, 15 minutes of educational stuff with the kids, 15 minutes of reading my fiction book, and a 15-minute break for e-mail and 15 minutes of outside time and I'm trying to spend 15 minutes doing some stuff for me, my marriage, and to be a better parent as well. Then the process starts over. Granted, I'm having to stop in between there to make meals/snacks and I have other stuff thrown in there...and I'm always having to stop and get the kids out of something or stopping to discipline or whatever...but I am trying my darndest to do everything. Baby J has t-ball practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Deidra has volleyball practice on Thursdays too. Deidra's games start this Saturday and Baby J's games start next week on Tuesdays and Fridays and they're moving practices for his games on game days and he just needs to be there 30 minutes before.

The kids all have occupational therapy on Mondays for 45 minutes each child as well and I was just told that they're getting a part-time assistant and she asked me if I would be open to having Baby J do another session as she really feels he needs a session just devoted to strictly sensory stuff because he is so over the top. She thought they could give him 45 minutes of massages, joint compressions, and exposing him to different textures and other stuff that will help with his issues. I told her all that I've been doing lately but I think it will help and I'm willing to give it a try. So, that will start in the next week or two. Then, Baby T is still in speech twice a week as well, but I'm still having problems with the speech therapist not showing for appts and now they're starting to crack down on us for not having all the documentation on why appts are missed and they want us to reschedule as much as possible. She cancelled on me 3 times this week and Baby T only had one appt that we made it for. I cancelled the other day due to car problems. UGH! And the kids are all in play therapy every two weeks now as well.

I just got monthly paperwork done and I need to go get that turned in after I get Deidra from school. Summer vacation starts today!

It feels so good to do nothing...

I got up this morning at the wee hours of 4:30 am thinking that it was later than it was. However, Baby J woke up when Andy left for work. A few minutes later, Andy walked back through the front door. His headlight on the car had gone out so he came home to replace it. He left again around 5 and Baby J thankfully went back to sleep. I did some digiscrapping and then got Deidra off to school. I came home and cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed the living room, got the kids dressed, read for awhile, came back to digiscrapping, read for awhile, the kids took a nap, they got up for lunch, they took time outs in their rooms, we're working on some behaviors today, Little E keeps refusing to eat and then when I got up to answer the phone she stole a cracker off of Baby J's plate, when I put her back at her spot at the table she flung her plate across the table and tried to make herself gag. Her plate was taken away and she was put into her room. She hasn't eaten since dinner last night, anytime I put the plate back in front of her she tries to fling it across the table...it's not like she doesn't like what we had...she's eaten it many times before without any problem. I'm so tired of her wasting food, that I finally implemented that if she's not going to eat at mealtime, her meals are going to be saved and re-offered at the next one. She does this and then tries to sneak food off the counter and out of the pantry. Drives me crazy! So, hopefully this will work...granted I have to majorly watch her or she tries to sneak and get food somewhere...but hopefully she will start understanding that we eat at mealtime or we go hungry. Baby J is really doing good on his meds too...still dealing with behaviors...but today was a first "I asked him if he needed to go to his room...he immediately stopped and changed his behavior." I rewarded him with a marble...gotta keep the positive reinforcements coming. He's doing really good. Well, Baby T wants to look at her scrapbook and then I think we're going to work on her speech words and then I may try to get another chapter read before I have to go get Deidra from school. :-)

Busy last couple of days...

I couldn't figure out why my phone wasn't working when I went to make a phone call one day. I emailed Andy to let him know that there was something going on with the phone that he'd have to look at when he got home. When I picked up the phone to use it, I didn't notice anything wrong with it. I thought the kids may have unplugged or something, but I didn't really see what was wrong. Andy got home a few hours later and he found that there was water leaking out of it. Turns out after asking the kids what happened, Little E said she put it in the bathroom sink and toilet. How did I miss that?? Kids can do anything in a matter of seconds and sneak it totally by you I swear. So, it was off to Wal-mart to buy a new one. Andy plugged it in to charge overnight in the kitchen jack.

The next day, the phone still isn't working and I figure it just needs to charge a full 24 hours. So, we're without a phone again, but I didn't really mind since the girls had their visit and we're not home much that day anyway. Andy comes home and says "there's a problem with the phone jack now." So, we have to put in a service call. UGH! So, we put the phone back where it was since we know that the other phone jack works, I just don't like the fact that the kids can grab the phone there. So, I hope this one doesn't end up wrecked too.

Andy took Friday off as a vacation day so we could spend the day together since he had to go in to work today (Saturday) and it looks like he'll be working a lot of weekends coming up soon as well. Can I honestly say that I am sick of him having to work Saturdays? It takes away family time so bad and doesn't help my burn out mode that I seem to be in lately.

I do find that this week has gotten so much better when I take the time to spend in God's Word in the mornings. I need to make that a real priority to do this year and feed my soul and trust in Him.

Now, to get this house cleaned as there is clutter everywhere and that is getting to me as well.

New Years Goals...

Well, I think this is the year to lose this weight I want to get off. I'd like to digiscrap at least one layout a day. I'd like to read 1-2 books a month. I'd like to spend some time with God for at least 15 minutes a day. I'd like to make a few local friends down here to spend some time with. I'd also like to continue doing well in ebay and paying off our debts to become debt-free. I'd also like to stay current with fly lady and keeping my house clutter free.

I'm so overwhelmed...

I wrote this yesterday and for some reason it never posted...

I've got so much on my plate right now that I have to get done. UGH!

The girls have speech this morning.
Deidra's got the flu really bad.
The girls need to go get their next round of immunizations today.
I need to do our fire drill.
I need to do a clothing inventory on each child.
I need to do our paperwork for last week.
I need to finish our med logs so I can turn them in.
I have a bunch of laundry to do...that seems to be neverending.
I need to schedule our home visits for this month.
I need to go Christmas shopping as I only have 1 gift bought.
I need to catch up the girl's lifebooks in case they do move them come the first of the year...still waiting on homestudy results so I know for sure and getting ahold of their CPS worker is very hard.
Baby J goes to see the ENT doctor tomorrow to check his hearing and I'm nervous about it.
The kids all have occupational therapy to reschedule for this week as well.
And I told our agency that I would take a sibling that was just born that is a sibling to some previous foster children that we had if they removed the baby. So, we're on standby to see what they do with the baby.

I have so much to do...

I have so much to do and I just don't have the gumption to do anything. My hubby was really sweet and cleaned the house, did some laundry, and did the kiddo duties while I was out with my Mom for awhile yesterday. The girls had speech therapy this morning. I've played with the kids, played with the rats, checked my email, and I should do some digiscrapping so I can get the kids lifebooks up to date, but I don't feel like doing anything. I need to get the kids some lunch, change some diapers, and get some stuff together before I go get Deidra from school, go get our reimbursement check, run to the bank, and then get back home to get ready for our foster parent association's thanksgiving dinner tonight. Then, I need to run to Wal-mart later to order Deidra's Littlest Pet Shop cake for her birthday tomorrow. My baby is going to be 8 tomorrow!

My new best friend...

I decided to try Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel to see if it would help keep the toilets looking nice and clean in between my deep cleanings. You just place the gel inside the bowl near the rim with the little gel dispenser and you don't have to touch it again. Each time you flush the toilet, the water dispenses a little gel to clean the bowl and it lasts up to a week. I have to say after using them for a week, I am totally sold. They are awesome!

I'm so proud of the girls...

I don't know why I didn't start doing this sooner...both of them were starting to get attitudes that they were just obligated to get their allowances no matter what. Well, with Little A I have go give it to her as it's a foster care rule, but I figure that she doesn't have to necessarily know that.

We set all the kids (well, except for Baby L) up with a chore chart. They have a chore for each year that they are old. So Baby J has 2 (putting the shoes in the closet and picking up his toys) and the girls each have 7. They each have to make their beds and clean up their own messes in their room and putting away their own clothes. Then each week they're going to alternate which bathroom they're in charge of cleaning and maintaining (this week Deidra is doing the guest bathroom and Little A is doing the kid's bathroom and next week they'll flip flop) and Little A is sweeping the kitchen floor, taking the trash out, and getting the mail. Deidra is vacumming the downstairs (play and living room), dusting, and doing the cat boxes. If they tell me they're bored, they get an extra chore to do. Like yesterday they both complained that there wasn't anything to do and so they each got Lysol wipes and one went upstairs and the other went downstairs and they had to wipe all the doorknobs off. They're loving getting to check off their chore charts for jobs done and at the end of the week they'll get their allowance. I just hope that they both keep up their good attitudes about it. They've been awesome and it's nice to have the extra help around the house and they're learning some responsibility too.

Guess I'm a week ahead of myself...

I was rushing around trying to get the kids fed and dressed so we could be up at our foster care agency for Little A and Baby L's initial service plans. I sent an email to my caseworker about something and she wrote me back asking if we had something scheduled or if I was just coming up to drop off paperwork. I went to look at my calendar again and realized that I was looking at next week Tuesday instead of today. Oops! I about gave my caseworker a heart attack because she thought she forgot to do their service plans. I told her that I was sorry and I'm so tired I guess I just jumped ahead on the calendar. Oh well, I can slow down and concentrate on all my lovely laundry and housework I have to do today.

What a day!

We went garage saling for ebay this morning. We went to the arts & crafts fair at the park. I wanted some homemade soaps, but I wound up taking their business card instead as neither one of us had personal cash on us...it was only business cash that we had. So, then we came home and finally cleaned up the garage. Now, there's a bunch of totes we need to go through. I have freecycled so many things today...Andy's synthesizer (sound cards and stands too), guitar amps, our upright carpet cleaner, our handheld carpet cleaner, 2 end tables, my massage chair, my foot bath spa, some candle holders that hold votives, Deidra's easy bake oven, 2 cat carriers, 2 box fans, and 3 garbage bags full of clothes. It feels good to give this stuff to people who need it.

Now, we're off to Dickies BBQ from some loaded baked potatoes with barbeque on top. Then, it's back to organizing we go.