The Big White Farmhouse

Around here, I have been:

finishing Different and starting The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God.  This is my tenth finish so far this year and I’m so pleased!  I credit it to a lot less television at night and taking advantage of those 10-20 minute pockets throughout the day.  It all adds up!  I also think reading begets reading.  Once the habit is firmly established, I want to read all the books and learn all the things!

making lists and plans to finally get tasks done around the house.  We have a broken TV, a dozen paint cans from the previous owners and a handful of “un-giveawayable” Ikea furniture that need to go, so making that phone call to the trash company.  I’ve been going through all of the toys we have in the basement that we’ve kept “just in case” but the kids never play with.  This weekend, I’ll be rounding up all of the little donation piles around the house and dropping them off.  It feels good to complete things that have been on our to-do list forever.

laughing at the little kids and their love for Bob Ross.  Sophie has been extra inspired this week and has painted along with him almost every morning.

receiving my essential oil order for February.  This month, I ordered Cedarwood and Joy.  Cedarwood is a woodsy scent (duh) and is supposed to be very calming.  I want to diffuse it with lavender in the boys’ room to see if they’ll sleep more deeply and – hopefully! – longer.  Joy is supposed to be really good for lifting emotions and with my up and down postpartum anxiety, I thought it may be a good one to try.  (My personal link if you ever want to order something too!)

praying our dryer isn’t broken.  We caught TJ standing on the door trying to press the buttons and now the door is wonky and keeps popping open, thus stopping the drying.  Currently, we’re package-taping the door shut (#soclassy) until we have the time to see if we can fix it.

thinking about these articles I found around the Internet this week:
+ Harvard Psychologists Reveal: Parents Who Raise ‘Good Kids’ Do These 5 Things
+ The Anxiety Epidemic: Why Kids Need Less School and More Freedom
+ Screens In Schools Are a $60 Billion Hoax

having issues with the IntenseDebate commenting system I have had on the blog.  I finally decided to go back to Blogger’s comments, but that deleted over two year’s worth of kind thoughts and words from readers.  So bummed.

starting a new system for the kids: color-coded cups and dishes! I really don’t know why I was so resistant, but after weeks and weeks of passing illness around, I was convinced that everyone needed their own things with NO sharing!  I got this Ikea set which was perfect for our big family.

loving our new waffle maker!  I’ve wanted one for months and just finally bit the bullet.  I’m planning to make a batch to freeze for school mornings, but one search on Pinterest and now I’m in trouble.  Cinnamon roll waffles, chocolate dessert waffles…the possibilities are endless!

Big White Farmhouse notes:
+ New in the shop!  We just got in these really cool sustainable wraps made from beeswax.  They are supposed to mimic plastic wrap, but without the waste.  The heat of your hand creates a seal on bowls and cups.  You can also use it to wrap up produce, like half a lemon or greens from the garden.  I can’t wait to try them too.  We carry them in small, medium and large sizes as well as a sandwich wrap.

finally relaxing after a crazy week!  Mark worked a big conference all week with early mornings and late nights.  We seemed to only see each other a few minutes before my eyes started drooping and my head bobbing…thank goodness he was as exhausted as me!  Weeks like these make me appreciate him so much – with all of these children, we have become a good team and you just don’t realize how much you depend on each other until half of the team is away.  Looking forward to getting back into our routine again.  

cheering for J as he lost his first tooth!  He’s been wiggling it for awhile, but finally pulled it loose in the school drop off line.  

listening to all of the exciting things happening at school.  D has been working on a big project for Merchant Day, where all of the kids made and sold items to other kids in the second grade.  He drew 40 trading cards with super heroes on them and they were really popular!  He was pleased with the response.  M is shooting a real bow and arrow in PE, which is a huge deal.  J has started weekly spelling tests and has been doing great.

celebrating a successful contract on our old house!  There was quite a bit of back and forth, which is always stressful, but it looks like we may be in the clear for closing in early March!

signing up M, D, and Sophie for soccer this spring.  We’re excited to watch them learn and play.  And see Sophie in tiny shin guards, hah!

finishing The Summer Before the War and Elizabeth is Missing.  Still slowly working my way through Different.

preparing for a house full of visitors as we celebrate P’s baptism!