Close Encounters

Yep. Still scares the bujeezus out of me every time I run into a turkey in the front yard. At least Lana finds it fascinating.

Hey Mom, why'd the turkey cross the road??

Flashback Friday

I've spent all my free time this week trying to get my new craft/storage space organized. I've been packing random boxes of stuff that's strewn across the house into totes that fit snugly in our glorious new wardrobes. So now Raf and I each have a big memory box style tote. While gathering stuff to pack the totes, I experienced some pretty awesome belly laughs, sentimental moments, and even the thrill of discovering items I thought I'd lost forever.

That experience inspired me to start a new series on the blog: Flashback Fridays. The plan is to share an old picture, or a memory inspired by some random thing I've stumbled across.

To kick things off: the koala. While unpacking boxes, Lana pulled this little koala out of a box and hugged it, just like she does with her own koala. Definitely a sentimental moment for me. This koala is one of two things I automatically associate with my Pau Pau. I'm not really sure of the story behind it. Maybe it was a gift from her? Maybe it belonged to her? I don't know. But whenever I see koala bears, I always think of her. She was the most incredible woman. She had MS and passed away when I was 4, but she was the type of person that loved ones remember so fondly. I've heard so many stories about her as a mom, a student, a teacher. And I'm so grateful to have even a few memories of my own.

A Reminder

Lana was being a little terrorist this evening. She refused to nap, even though she was clearly exhausted, then refused to be anywhere outside of a 4 inch radius of me. When I put her in her pack and play so I could prep dinner next to the hot oven, she SCREAMED (I'm talking full on temper tantrum freak out) for a good 30 minutes straight. If I looked at her or came over to give her attention, she'd stop. The second I'd look away, freak out. Stupid toddlerhood. 

So why such a happy, silly photo? Because this mama needed a reminder of how many joyful moments we share every day. Even today. 

Wordless Wednesday

Well, maybe a few words. Let's see if some weekly motivators get me back into the swing of this whole blogging thing. Fingers crossed!

Happy Halloween! (MOO.)

My Sister

Could it be that the need to post the best photo of my sister EVER inspires me to make a blogging comeback?? Hmm...we'll see. In the meantime, isn't she fabulous? Love her.

Getting in the Birthday Spirit

With an awesome berry pom garland from Auntie JorJor!

Decluttering Time!

Remember how I challenged you to join me in learning to clean our homes using the FlyLady system? Well, I made it probably half way through the Baby Steps, then went on vacation for about a month. Oops. The good news? While I haven't followed the baby steps to the letter, I am feeling pretty comfortable about the daily state of our home. The sink is clean before we go to bed 90% of the time. I vacuum nearly every day. (Keep in mind that I use a battery operated stick-vac, so it's super easy to cross the house quickly, and the battery lasts less than 15 minutes, so I'm (gratefully) limited on the amount of time and space I cover.) And Lana's 5-6 play areas throughout the house are straightened up every night. I tackle quite a bit of this list while Raf is giving Lana a bath and putting her to bed. Hallelujah for Super Daddies! 

We've been entertaining like crazy, and I haven't felt any pressure to do super cleaning sessions prior, and the house has been back to normal within a day after hosting. And we're even hosting green parties--using real dishes rather than disposable. Yay Us!

Anyway, to the point. When I've found the time, I have been focusing on decluttering as well. The FlyLady constantly preaches that "You Can't Clean Clutter!" In other words, until you get rid of all the extra crap in your house that you don't need/use/love, it's always going to feel messy. And you're never going to be able to get into a good deep cleaning rhythm until your space is free of clutter. This is why decluttering is the second primary focus of the FlyLady system, right after mastering the baby steps, and before moving on to weekly zone cleaning (how she helps you deep clean your house without ever feeling like you did). So, I constantly have a box open to collect good will donations. It's helpful. But it's been slow.

That's why I got super excited when I skimmed the daily FlyLady email this morning--the Zone Cleaning focus through the end of October will be decluttering, space by space! Yay! (Check out the Sneak Peek for the Week here. Sign up to receive daily emails here.) With Zone Cleaning, the FlyLady has you focus on one or two rooms (depending on the layout/size of your home) each week, then they break it down and give you one Mission every day to clean that specific space. For instance, now that we're focused on decluttering, this week we're starting with the Master Bedroom, and today our mission is to declutter the top of our dressers. And...THAT'S IT! Tomorrow we'll do the nightstands. Then underwear drawers. Etc, etc. That's the beauty of the FlyLady system: little by little and before you know it you have a clean and clutter free home! Woo Hoo! 

Long story short: if you've been feeling like you need to whip yourself into shape to maintain a clean house, I urge you--TODAY IS THE DAY TO START! Seriously. Decluttering is the #1 most important thing, and the FlyLady is going to be walking us through it day by day before the holidays hit! So, who's in?? 

I'm off to declutter the top of my dresser...

This Week

We went to the mountains with our neighbor crew last weekend. Highlights included: a 4 mile walk around a lovely little lake, which we finished just as a thunderstorm began....

...kisses, kisses and more kisses!

....and yet another rousing round of Wits and Wagers. Have you played this game?? So much fun! Trivia+betting+totally ridiculous answers from clueless players (like me)=WIN!

Lowlights from the trip: driving home at 3:30am because the Bit woke up at 11pm and COULD NOT go back to sleep. It was awful!! As in: worst horrid baby sleep experience EVER. Wondering if getting a little mattress for her pack and play would help...?? Ugh.

A couple "whatchu lookin at, Willis" faces for your viewing pleasure.

Ah, that's better!

Practicing HUUUUUGS!!! with Koala bear. (Yes, you have to say it like that!)

Playing at the park with her buddy, Jake. Lana is REALLY into sharing food this week. Unfortunately, Jake doesn't seem very excited to be on the receiving end!

Gosh, Mom! Watch the hair, would ya!!?!

My Heart

It's just so full. 

This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com