Getting out the Door in the Morning

I get this question all the time: "How do you get out the door in the morning?" It's usually followed by something like "I can't seem to get out the door with 2, how do you do it with 5?" Well the answer to that is simple: I plan ahead.

Now weekdays and weekends are drastically different in terms of "getting out the door" and certainly each week night faces it's own challenges, so let's start there. On a weekday morning we generally leave the house at around 7:30 am...well, my husband or myself often get a run in before that, but let's just talk about the kids. The trick is preparing the night before. So to get out the door by 7:30 am, and not being a morning person, I do as much as possible the night before. So, clothing for everyone is layed out the night before. Lunches...including dad's, are made the night before. Homework is put in backpacks and papers are signed the night before. All showering for the kids is done the night before. Seeing a pattern here? So the only thing the kids need to do in the morning before school is get dressed, eat breakfast, comb hair and brush teeth. That's it.

Now throw a baby into that mix and it is a bit more challenging. When you have a baby at home as well as children that need to "be" somewhere it takes two. Yes, it works best when dad can pitch in a little more than usual and fortunately for me my husbands schedule allows for that (he is self-employed). But once your baby is getting up in the morning at a predictable time, you should have no trouble getting where you need to go. Just add packing the diaper bag to your list of things to do (drumroll please...) the night before.

Now there is one more piece to the getting out door puzzle I should mention. I generally do not shower first thing in the morning (remember, I'm NOT a morning person...can't do the 5 am workout followed by 6 am shower). I shower at night once the kids have gone to bed...it helps me relax and honestly, I feel so filthy by the end of the day that a good rinse is necessary! So I do give my kids full attention in the morning. I found that when I was trying to get myself showered and ready at the same time the kids were preparing to leave for the day it was disastrous! Not that they needed my help dressing per say (any child above 3 can dress themselves in a timely manner....more blogs on that to come) but knowing that I am available to them is huge. And you'll find that if you are available too, and not rushing around yourself, your kids will be much less stressed out in the morning and they will have a better start to their day.

Having trouble doing all your tasks the night before? Enlist help. I have found that husbands are more than willing to help especially if you are clear about what you need. Sometimes us moms try to do too much on our own so that it's "done right". You can double check the lunches and diaper bag in the morning if you have to. Now go take a bath.

Back to Basics: Clothing

So this economy is really throwing a wrench into my shopping habits. My kids wear uniforms to school, so I generally don't have to spend a lot of money on clothing...they only need so much. But I am guilty of going a little overboard during the summer. I shop all the clothing parties and manage to spend more than I intend. But of course I am always happy with what I end up with.

This year is a little different. I simply can not spend that kind of money. The problem is, I still desire to have unique, cute outfits for my children, especially for Janie who will be two this summer. So I have really been searching for clothing that is really really cute but is also really really reasonable.

And I found it! A friend told me about his website which you may have heard of. It is http://www.etsy.com/ and they have fabulous vendors. Some are more reasonable than others, but all offer really unique things from adorable aprons, to hand-made kids hats to clothing. I happen to find a vendor that sells clothing...and I like simple styles, like A-line dresses for girls and John-Johns for boys...but I'm really picky when it comes to the fabric. So I contacted this etsy seller named Davina ("toddler tailoring" is her brand) and she is going to sew a few outfits for me. And the best part is she is charging approximately $15 an outfit...I am supplying the fabric. But I was able to find fabric for around$5 a yard that I love! That is $20 for a custom outfit. I'm sorry, but you simply can't beat that.

All you have to do is a little bit of investigating and I'm tellin' ya, these deals are out there. Just like you and I are looking to save a buck or two, other people are trying to make the same ammount. Feel free to contact Davina yourself on her Etsy sight or email her at www.toddlertailoring.com . Happy shopping.

Back to Basics: Meals

I believe that many families will in fact benefit from this economy. Of course I'm not referring to those whose lives have been drastically altered due to job loss or losing their homes. They are in a terrible state and my heart goes out to them. I am talking about those of us who are going back to basics: the type of family life that is simple, inexpensive and fulfilling.
A generation ago, most families were this way. Meals were prepared and eaten at home. "Entertainment" consisted of charades, game-show television and playing outside past dark. Toys were gifts saved for special occasions such as Christmas and birthdays and not weekly occurances. This economy has forced many of us to re-embrace this back to basics lifestyle, my family included. Although I pride myself on keeping things simple, I have to admit that looking back on the past year I have strayed a bit from this lifestyle.
I am proud to say that not only am I re-embracing it, I actually LOVE it! It's so fun to be so simple. For example, we have cut our spending in all the obvious places, perhaps the biggest was eating out. And I do love to cook and feel like I am actually cooking constantly. We probably ate out 2-3 times a week. And I'm not talking 2 or 3 dinners a week...I mean any meal not prepared by me in the kitchen. So ordering in a pizza on a Friday night...that's one. Bagels and coffee on Sunday morning...that's two. And sometimes my husband and I would get carry-out after the kids were in bed, three. So nothing outrageous, but it sure adds up. Quick.
Well, not only did we completely eliminate this 3x per week eating out, we ate no lunches out. So no Subway, Quizno's or any other type of lunch for my husband. He brings his lunch daily. Oh, and we bought a coffee maker so he brings his coffee too instead of buying it every morning.
It is really entertaining to see how much money we have saved...and it's just not that big of a deal to prepare 3 more meals per week. In fact, on Sundays I am making a "big" breakfast including eggs, bacon or sausage and English muffins. WAY better than bagels!
Guess how much we saved the first month by eliminating those 3 meals a week, the coffee and the lunches? Over $500.
And here is the best part. My husband and I both have birthdays in February, so we do one special occasion dinner and incorporate Valentine's day into that. We went to a great restaurant. And since it had been so long since we had eaten out, we savored every bite. Every single one. It was so delicious. It made it so much sweeter when you don't have it so often. We're already looking forward to next February!
Back to basics is going to be a reoccuring theme in this blog. Look for the next Back to Basics to be for all you clothes horses out there....I have some really cool tips!

Traveling Office

If you're like me you have a wish list a mile long...new kitchen, second floor laundry room, private office with a lock on it...the list goes on and on. Well, one of my wishes was recently granted. Not completely, but us moms learn to take what we can get.
We all share on desk top computer in the basement. And not the finished half of the basement. It's literally set up on my husband's "workbench". In this area are lots and lots of paper...mostly coloring pictures the kids have printed online and spread all over the concrete floor. Where the mouse is suppose to move are markers, fruit snack wrappers and crumbs. The washer and dryer run continuously so you can forget about watching a clip on YouTube or listening to music on iTunes. Oh, did I happen to mention that it's cold down there? I mean like mittens cold, not sweater cold.
So 2 weeks ago my husband tells me that an extra laptop became available at his office. I try not to get my hopes up, but come on! A computer! All for me? There is nothing in this home that is all mine. We all share one full bathroom, I share hair accessories with my 10 year old and shoes with my 21 month old. Don't believe me? Go check out my upstairs hall at any given moment on any given day. She tries them all on every morning. Without fail.
So I am so thrilled to say that this is my first blog on my own computer! I feel so grown up. And although I won't be getting my own office until a few of my little "friends" as I like to call them, move out of the house, I now have a travelling office. It's in the kitchen with me all day. And then at night I can respond to emails in my own bed. I don't have to wait my turn or close out 10,000 games before I can log in. I'm so spoiled. It's mine. All mine. And you can't have it.

A GREAT dinner table game

As a mother of five, I've always struggled to find games that everyone can play. There are very few activities or games that interest my entire brood, ages 21 months to 10 years. A good standby is coloring. Everyone likes to color, right? So I'm always trying to think of other activities that everyone can play.
Here is one of my favorites. We eat dinner together every single night. With the exception of an occasional Saturday night when my husband and I get out alone, we are always at the dinner table together. So I made up this game where you take turns saying something you like about the person next to you. So we pick one child to start with and say go right...and so each one makes a really great comment about their sibling-sometimes it's just really sweet and sometimes it's really funny-but it's a crowd pleaser of a game, let me tell you. And it can go on and on. Then we'll go left, across...they figure out all kinds of ways to say nice things about one another. Refreshing, huh? Imagine siblings TRYING to prolong a game in which they can say kind things.
Kids really do love their siblings. It's hard to show that. And sometimes all they need is FUN way to show they care.
And they especially love when mom and dad get to say nice things about each other. It's amazing...mom and dad appreciating oneanother NEVER gets old to them. More blogs on that to come.

Needing to be Needed

Most mothers know how much they are needed and wanted by there children. But sometimes mothers require as much attention as their children do! They need to feel needed. Here's an example. I took my four and a half year old son to indoor soccer last week. The children in his group are his age or 5 already-all will be entering kindergarten in the fall. The field is enclosed in plexi-glass and most of the moms watch through the glass while socializing with friends, some read books and there are a couple like me with toddlers that follow there little ones around. The instructor is amazing with the kids and teaches them all kinds of drills and games.
It never ceases to amaze me the mothers that can't let their child just BE. Can't handle not having their child's attention on them...needing them. One of the mothers was literally blowing her son kisses through the glass! He was so distracted by it that he stopped playing and another child ran into him. He was physically fine, but because of his mother's interruption, he remembered that he missed her. And he needed her. And she just ran out ONTO THE FIELD -jumping at the chance to cuddle him. She stayed on the field for another 15 minutes...not only distracting her son but the rest of the kids as well.
It is hard, especially for first time mothers, to "let go" a bit. And letting go happens in stages. This was a big one for this particular mother. However, she is stomping on his sense of accomplishment when she runs to his aid over false tears. Just when he was beginning to have fun with his buds and accomplish something, no matter how small, she jumps in there and reminds him that it cannot be done with out her. She is not doing him any favors.
My suggestion to the many moms that have a hard time letting their children figure it out in situations like this is keep busy. Bring a book. Write out your grocer list. Make phone calls. Do it within his sight so he is assured you are there. But he can't grow, gain confidence in himself or enjoy his own little thing if you are always getting in the way. Remember the saying "This hurts me more than it hurts you"? Think about that.

Bad Idea Jeans

I had my "bad idea jeans" on tonight. Does that ever happen to anyone else? Every few months I just have a really really bad idea or use bad judgement. This bad idea happened to occur on my 34th birthday, which was today.
We decided earlier in the week to enjoy my birthday dinner at the mall, specifically at Chik-Fil-A. Naturally I wanted to not only avoid cooking but also avoid cleaning the kitchen, so ordering in wasn't going to work. Oh, and we had some coupons we wanted to use. Before you start feeling too badly for me I should admit that two dear friends treated me to a delightful lunch. So anyway, we pile the kids in the car and the bickering amongst them should have been my first clue that the night would not go smoothly. I ignored it with thoughts of a Chik-Fil-A sammy and a diet lemonade racing throught my head. We arrive and I realize I forgot the coupons. Whenever my husband suggests that I'm forgetful, I remind him that I not only remembered all the kids, but the sippy cups, pacifiers, diapers....you get the point.
So we get the food and Janie, 21 months, is a total pain in the ass. She won't sit in her seat...she wants everybodies soda, she keeps taking off her shoes (which is a total pet peeve). My husband and I just glare at eachother like "What were we thinking?" We know better than to leave the house after 5pm.
After a not-so-quick bathroom trip, we go to the ipod store, hoping they will fix our screwed up ipod, thanks to too many little fingers messing with it. They were very very helpful, but it was time consuming. There were two low computers set up with kids games and my kids argued over them like cats and dogs. Loudly. Then Janie joined in and started squealing and screaming and it was awful. But we were in the midst of explaining the problem and so couldn't just leave. It felt like it took hours. So I decide that the minute we can leave, we're gonna book it outta there. I start to get my keys out and can't find them. I never lose them. Well, that's not entirely true. But I looked everywhere. F*^#!!!! We finally finish and head towards the car. I tore apart the diaper bag. No keys. Janie at this point has taken her shoes off again, the kids are whining for birthday cake, except Liam (7) who is still whining about climbing the rock wall at the sporting goods store. John (my darling husband) finally goes to the car and finds the keys. Thank God.
This whole thing was relatively predictable, Janie and the shoes, the whining, the ipod taking a while...point is I knew better. Bad Idea Jeans strike again. And on my frickin' birthday.

Mom of 5 Tip of the Day

Here is the best tip you will hear all day. Are the hats mittens and gloves in your house driving you nuts? Get a shoe rack...not the wooden or metal kind, but the clear plastic/fabric one...the kind you can roll up if you need to. Hang it on the door leading to your basement so it is out of sight. I put name tags on each row, starting with Dad from the top and descend to the bottom in tallest to shortest order. Each child will have 4 little "pockets" to place his or her mittens, hats and gloves. They will stay organized AND out of sight.

You Made It!

You're here! You made it to my blog and you are reading my first official post. I think you will be glad you came.

My blogging is going to consist of many different topics relating to motherhood. The one theme you will find in my blog is traditionalism. No, I'm not barefoot, nor pregnant. I'm not married to a man that can't match two socks (in fact, he does all the sock matching in our house!). I mean I like the old school way of parenting...and always have-even before all 5 kids. Let's face it...it works! I'm not talking about being kicked out of your house until the dinner bell or being afraid of your father and his belt. But I am talking about traditional values...dinner at the table EVERY night, bedtimes...as decided by mom and dad, not the kids, and expectations! Yes, kids live up to your expecations no matter how low you set them.

So check in often. I'm glad you made it.

After all, the more the merrier!