Oopsy Doopsy :)

Today was my first pass at P90X.

I have other goals to accomplish around here and today looked like the last nice day for a while to do some outside work.

I don't like cooping Cameron in the house all day if I don't have to, instead I put him to work and he loved it.

I tipped the toy bin on it's side and asked Cam to empty it out and sort all the toys into piles. We threw away all the broken toys.

He took his job very seriously and proudly emptied the whole thing.

Then I let him have some fun as a reward :)

What kid doesn't love playing with water, even if it involves cleaning. My theory is that kids are always willing to help if you give them the right jobs.

He discovered a "bug catcher house" as he called it and was determined to catch a bug. He first added grass, rocks, leaves and mulch to the house, "for the bug to lay on".

He found two spiders crawling on the storage container he had just cleaned for me. He looked at me with big eyes . . . shoot, I was going to have to pick up a spider for him! "Mommy's don't like to pick up spiders" I told him. "He'll crawl into his house" he said, so sure and confident.

One of the spiders started crawling down the side and he place the hole of the "house" right below him and sure enough, the spider walked right in.

I was relieved :) I don't fear spiders, but I don't like picking them up either.

Can you see the sad, teary eyed Cameron behind the "bug catcher house"?

Can anyone guess why he is sad?

Because mean old mommy wouldn't let him bring his pet spider in the house for lunch. I thought about it, but this is only the beginning of summer, and if I allow this, who knows what he will be trying to bring into my house in a month or two. Definitely made it clear today "bug catcher houses" stay outside!

I said in the past how my simple projects always seem to snowball on me. Since the hose was out I decided to wash off the front patio, and I splattered some water onto the side of the house and realized how dirty the house was, so I jet washed the siding, and then of course Windexed the lower windows. I noticed how much bigger the patio looked without the storage container and decided I didn't want it back there, so the only other logical place to put it was in the garage. That of course lead to clearing out the garage to make room. Since the container is taller I had to reposition the tools on the pegboard wall above it and make sure the lid could open. Then I swept out the entire garage, moved the piles of boxes to fill towards the back and the filled ones near the front. Then organized all the bikes as best I could for now. I also cleaned out my flower pots and positioned them ready for flowers. I also noticed that the front yard is in need for some new red mulch, but that's for another day :)

While I was getting tons done, by the way, the twins were down for their nap, Cameron was testing out all the summer toys. The baseball tee, putted around the yard for a bit, pulled the wagon up and down the sidewalk, shot some hoops, threw a velcro ball up in the air . . . he's three, he moves from one thing to another crazy fast.

This is my favorite thing he did today.

First time! He drew a picture of me and then wanted to write "mom". He asked for the letters. I told him "M" and he asked, "the letter that goes up down up down" and he wrote it while I was just standing there. He mastered the "O" a long time ago.

I'm so proud of him . . . a little teary eyed.

He needed a little more help with this one, but he let me, which is a accomplishment in itself.

Do you see "dad"? He was being goofy at this point and wouldn't smile.

I think I'm going to start working with him more with chalk, outside. He won't usually sit still long enough at the kitchen table.

Teaching him to write his ABC's in sidewalk chalk all summer might just work and be fun at the same time :)

After the girls came home from school, we stayed outside.

Castiel moved, it was going to be a great pic of all 5.

Emmitt trying new things and loving it.

Boys cooperating.

Girls cooperating . . . this is usually what it's like trying to get a picture of all of them together.

Castiel's sweet but scary smile :)

Emmitt's new favorite place.

Do you see Cam? Where did that come from???

Another great day and lots more done.

Oh yeah, the "oopsy doopsy" is from Cameron. He probably said it fifty times today :)

I Believe In Messy Cleaning

Am I the only one that believes that a huge mess needs to be made to make something really clean?

Sure, a closet can be organized and things can be pulled out that are no longer needed and a person can clean one area at a time . . . . but that's not how I do it.

I believe in total destruction.

That's my entire closet spewed into the room.

Here's the empty proof.

I don't know why I do this to myself. Maybe it's in the motivation that I have no choice but to finish the project before I go to bed.

I knew that my closet would be a huge project. I have been pregnant four times, and the weight gains and losses have been going on for 10 years now. Now my weights back down and I am done being pregnant, so lots of the clothes can go. The maternity clothes have been gone, it's all the in-between sizes that I've kept for "before and after".

I knew my closet had to be done because the "date night" I just had . . . I had to dust a layer off my nice black shoes before putting them on. Dressing up doesn't happen as much as I'd like it to around here. The dust was just proof that I have to get out more :)

I did what I set out to when the day started.

Both sides, nice and neat. And only what I wanted went back in. I donated about 12 pairs of shoes, tons of t-shirts and sweatshirts, comfy pants, jeans, purses, belts, scarves. I packed away winter and put in my summer clothes (a little early, but I'm being optimistic).

There is room to spare!

So, with a clean room, you'd think I'd be happy with that and leave it like that for a while.

Nope. KC doesn't know it yet, but I have a little project waiting for him when he gets home from the school zoo trip with Audrey's class today.

I'm not trying to be cruel, but he'll be home early today and I'll have time to have him go through it. It's only 3 drawers of the dresser (50 t-shirts, 30 boxers, 15 atletics pants, about 50 pairs of socks and 5 swim trunks).

I'm hoping he's not too mad . . . it's on my list of 40 areas in 40 days . . . I'm just seizing my opportunity to cross this one off.

It's his closet and top drawer that is going to be the fight :)

Wish me luck . . . I'm just hoping that he gets rid of enough so I don't have to do the stuff and shove to close the drawers on laundry day :)

Have to Feed the Boys Lunch and Get Back to Cleaning!

I May Just Finish This For Real!!!

Mmmm, the smell of paint!!!

I did what I do best. I got side-tracked.

Today, I gave myself an easy area of the house to conquer. The storage space/closet under the stairs. I knew I had boxes already packed in there, ready to go. Easy adds to my 80 box tally :)

I emptied it all. Made a "go to garage pile" and a "put back pile" and a "go somewhere else pile".

Half of this area is carpeted, and the other half is concrete. I vacuumed it all out. Got rid of spider webs and a couple of spiders in the process.

Then "me" hit. I looked at the walls. Once white. Now gray with scuffs. It actually looked like someone walked on the slanted ceiling.

I looked at the clock and decided I had the time. And went to where I store all the paint leftovers. Found a white and started painting. (A free project, love them.)

It took me less than 45 minutes. And I was done long before the girls got home from school or the boys woke from their naps.

I know it's only a closet. It's only a closet! But now it's a clean, organized, white closet :)

Is it weird that a closet makeover makes me happy? I just figure that this is the beginning . . . I already have my eye on some other walls around here :)
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I have 16 boxes packed already. Usually I hate when my husband has to stay at his sisters or mine (to cut down on all the driving he has to do) but my garage is starting to fill up. I think it might be time for an overnight, so these boxes can be taken to storage (a.k.a my wonderful sisters's basements). LOVE you guys :)