Report Card

Today is the day that our oldest daughter brought home her first report card. I knew it was coming, we got the announcement in her information paper on Monday. I couldn't wait to read it and see how she is doing, but I must admit, I was also a little nervous. My nervousness came from being a Mom. This report card thing is all new to me. You see,when I was in school I wanted to do well, get "good grades", etc. But nothing prepared me for the feeling of wanting my girls to succeed and do well academically! So much I want to be the Mom that is encouraging, helping my girls to see where they are gifted, but also give them room to "fail" and make mistakes. As a teacher I have come across parents who are overly concerned with grades to the point that their children are consumed with them. I just want to tell them that a "B" is great. So, I need to remind myself that a "satisfactory" check mark in kindergarten is acceptable.

Great Finds

I am still in the midst of my organizing and decluttering! So far I am making great progress in the kitchen. Of course, it is going slower than I would like, but I feel good about what I have accomplished. In my previous post I went over some guidelines about what to get rid of and what to keep, by asking yourself a series of questions. One question in particular dealt with sentimental value to an item. While I was going through my kitchen items I found a silver platter dish that had belonged to my grandfather. He passed away over 15 years ago and I've just kept the dish packed up. I also came across some tea cups and saucers that belonged to my husband's grandmother. It hit me that these items are beautiful and hold sentimental value to me, that I should display them and not just "hide them". So, I put them together with some other items in the kitchen where they can add some beauty and also share some of our heritage.

INSPIRED!

This weekend I was visiting my friend, Jen. She has inspired me to clean up and declutter my home. Actually, I have wanted to do this since last summer and it has been weighing on me to get this done. I need to take the Nike philosophy of "just do it"!

Jen has found a great resource for donating her goods that is very dear to her heart. She said that having a great organization to donate things to makes it easier to get rid of things. With all of her decluttering she has re-arranged her downstairs area where they now have a family "studio" to do scrapbooking, crafts and artwork. What is so cool is they painted the walls Benjamin Moore's color Geranium (shown in the newest Pottery Barn catalog) - so cool and cherry!

One of the latest books that I am reading is, "Designing Your Home on a Budget" and they suggest that you ask yourselves the following questions when picking up an object in your home - Am I drawn to this object? Does it have emotional or sentimental value to me? Do I find it beautiful? Does it add value to my home? Some tough questions to think about.

Well, I am off....working in the kitchen and we will see where I go after that. Feel free to ask me how the decluttering is going!

Random Saturday

I titled my blog Random Saturday because that is where I am at. The pictures show my Christmas present - the Kitchen Aid Mixer!! I think I have wanted one of these four the last five years. Hopefully, I will use it to create a number of goodies for my family and others. The second picture shows the results of the mixer! I have been wanting to experiment with cinnamon rolls and I have found a few good recipes. Once,I find the best one I will be sure to post the recipe.

The next part of my randomness is that my husband has been taking a graduate class this weekend. Long hours away from home, so I am trying to make the best of it with the girls. Last night was movie night and all three of us were snuggling on the love seat watching 101 Dalmatians - a classic, but new to them. The other favorite activity was playing the game, Pretty Princess. If you have young girls I highly recommend this game. Be sure to take some pictures as you play.

I mentioned my husband taking this graduate class, but what I really need to let you know is that he has his own blog!!! Check it out www.lionstothesuperbowl.blogspot.com. Don't let the "lions" theme throw you off. He is a great writer and he writes about a lot more than football. He will likely be updating his blog more than I do.

My last random thought is that I got a phone call today from my best friend, Michele. This is nothing unusual, but she was calling from an airplane on the way to Japan. However, her final destination is Singapore! Her entire family is moving to Singapore for at least two years because of her husband's job. This includes three kids - two of which are in elementary school. We were able to go out to diner with them last week and say "good-bye". I will miss her, but I'm thankful for the technology that we have to keep in touch. So, Michele, if you are reading this - START YOUR BLOG!!! Personally, I was just touched that she thought to call me while she was taking off.

That's it for my random thoughts of the day. Need to go give the girls a bath now!

Happy New Year

Here we are -it is 2008! Did you set a New Year's Resolution? I never do, but if you have, please share what it is. If I were to set a resolution I think it would have something to do with organizing and decluttering! After we got back from our whirlwind trip to Pennsylvania, we had a lot of unpacking to do from the Christmas holiday. This also meant we had to make room for all of our new things. I know some people have the philosophy for everything new they bring into their home they will remove something. What a great concept! Our family was unpacking and my husband started decluttering and he was just out of control in a great way! If we can just keep this up. Now, I just need to get my organizing / decluttering list in order. We will see if I dare post it.