schedules and crafts.

Back in the summer, yep, the summer, I came up with a loose routine/schedule that worked great during our break. It worked really great. But then school came back and we started homeschooling again in September and well... the new (summer) schedule just wasn't working as great. I mean, we'd get stuff done, but usually in a yell-y kind of fashion. Lots of me saying hurry up and get with it and such. And let me tell ya, when 8 people live in one house all day long, there's a lot of mess that naturally happens. Especially with the really short humans.

So I had been thinking on how to change things up. I have never really zone cleaned before, like tackle one room top to bottom, fan to floor. It never made sense in my brain, I couldn't make it compute. But then something happened, maybe it was the sixth baby, I dunno, but suddenly it makes so much sense to clean that way! One zone each day.

 

Before, I just felt like two things: 1) We couldn't keep anything tidy or clean. 2) When we tried, it felt like I was asking the kids to pick up and clean all the live long day. It was frustrating for all of us.

So. I made up a new daily routine and cleaning schedule that so far, two days in, I love. (and can I just say that I'm so used to speaking in Emoji that I really feel like I need them for my blog to really get my point across. Whur my eyeroll 'moji?) 

 

I have the kiddos tidy their own spaces before school and help with breakfast clean up. Then they do their school thang and reading bits. Then they help with lunch clean up, and following that, we do our zone chores and tidy the floors and surfaces very quick like. Yesterday, the entire living space (fan to walls to floors) took 30 minutes. Today was the dining, bar, and bookshelf space, 45 minutes top to bottom. I have an hour allotted, but working all at once as a team gets 'er done really fast. And they also help with dinner clean up and tidy their own spaces before bed.

The last two days, I have felt more free to do other things. Like, if my house isn't somewhat orderly, I don't feel like I have permission to do anything fun or for me. But today, I was all, yeah! let's bring out all the crafts! who's in?! because I felt free to do so, because the house is orderly. Not spotless, but not giving me anxiety, either.

So. Craft, we did.

 

This photo totally cracks me up. B wanted to make bunock-alurs.

And a few other things with egg cartons, which we'll do tomorrow.

 And you guys, you should know by now that Jo, my bug buy was so all over the spider craft. He even made a web on my wall for Black Widow (what he named his pet) to hang on. Also? that smirk. Forever my serious child. He wants to be a cop, but I'm probably going to push him towards forensic entomology. Right now, it's so fitting. Also and unrelated: my only brown eyed child, in fact, the only set of brown eyes among the eight of us.

And me, well, I did just a couple of things I had been wanting to do. One was copy cat my sweet new friend Manderly and make a burlap garland. Last year, my word of the year was ABIDE, and I love the reminder of having the word hanging on my walls, so I made a garland for it. I'm basically starting to fall in love with all the garlands.

I tried hanging it here first, but it didn't look how I thought it would in my head, so that was out.

 So I started playing and trying it on all the things, including my coffee filter wreath and ended up hanging it with my yarn wall hanging. I really love it there. I also really love layers, if you didn't catch that. I want to do a few more things to it, but it can hang here until I get around to going back to the craft store, which I haven't been to in months. MONTHS. Since before Christmas. true story.

I also repainted this canvas that was not cute on a whim. The first time I butchered painted it, I was all, I'm just going to move the brush til something moves me. That resulted in vertical color blocked hodge podgy lines. Ugly. But I left it there. Until today when I slapped a coat of white paint on it and went in with a plan! Plus signs. 

JoJo now says I'm really good at painting. He is still young enough to believe I hung the moon (which makes me swoon). But anyways, this is so much brighter and fresher and simpler. I love my home decor and all of the unique, cozy touches I bring to it myself. If I had a style, I don't even know what it'd be called. Probably, it would be Hodge Podgy, just like this canvas used to be.

Tomorrow, I start painting the rest of my house. I really want to sew something, so that can be my reward for a job okay done on the painting. And the kids, they'll just go ahead and craft some more, too.

xoxo

Christmas!

Christmas Eve. All of us. 

My heart.

I'm sort of struggling with mothering older children.

Really, just motherhood in general. But it does my heart good to see us all together.

--------------------------

Christmas Day.

This year, we did something a little different. My mom and dad got the boys bicycles for their gifts

this year. (let's not discuss the fact that my kids didn't already have bikes.)

So Toby wanted to set up a scene for them, a way to fight for their gift. Naturally, the kids

had no idea what the heck was happening. It was a fun way to start the day!

We hung a sign up for the boys to get dressed down to shoes,
wait for everyone to wake up (also known as torture),
open the box...

...pick a weapon...

...and go outside!

They had know idea Vader was waiting on them. A few of the kids weren't really sure

what to do. But Vader had no mercy!

Once Vader was defeated, he gave instructions to see what R2 had for them!

The note says OPEN THE GARAGE!

I have video of them opening the garage and the look on their faces.

They first thought they were about to fight off a mob of baddies, 

but no...

...they each got a bike!!!!

Jaws literally dropped! They were so excited!

And it didn't take them long to pick up on how to ride!

Of course, Grey had to go back and chat with R2 and see if he had anything else for them.

After they rode around for a bit, we went back inside for the rest.

Here is what it is like to get them all together.

Greyson requested that R2 be beside him. because, threenager.

Please note: the cutest sad pouty lip ever.

She was woken up and a little confused!

The other thing we did different this year was stockings first. 

In year's past, I always passed out all the gifts. Last year, each boy got his gifts 

wrapped in his own wrapping paper, one style for each kid.

This year, I put different colored dots on each gift, and put a dot in each stocking.

They had to dig to find their dot color and find their gifts that matched their dots!

That meant I could just sit and watch!

Oh and also, my kids are weirdos.

I always put a few pieces of chocolate in the stocking. And this is the only day of the year

it is acceptable for the kids to have chocolate before breakfast. (I put some granola bars in there,

too, so they would have something else on their stomachs.)

Greyson was stuffing face with Reece's before he did anything else!

I swear she is expressing her excitement over this wooden kitten!!

(also, my hair was clean. 

I had put it in braids before bed and didn't do anything with it after I woke up).

You guys, Greyson is the most expressive child we've had!

Every darn day, we crack up at his faces. Here are a few Toby managed to capture!

Did I mention, Toby took most of these?

Her first baby doll! I totally teared up when ordering it, and again when it came in,

and again when I saw this image of her squeezing it tight!!

This child, he concentrates so hard when he is trying to do something!!

I found Grey these amazing shoes on Amazon and when he opened them,

though we tried to persuade him otherwise, he had to put them on his feet right then.

 

Our new favorite headbands! and a cute bandanna bib. We basically never use bibs,

but it's good to have a cute one on hand just in case.

And the last gift! Their together gift! Kids Charades!

Mamoo made hats for all the boys and Ruby and ear warmers for me.

That was our Christmas. If you stuck it out and read all the words and looked at all the photos,

good on you! And thank you!!! 

Christmas wasn't huge, which I prefer, but it was fun!

They bicycles seem to take the cake this year!

Although, my bookworm might say his books are tied for favorite.

He's already devoured one full book and is working on another!

Happy New Year!

xoxo