Why I Don't Do Dishes At Night

(photo credit)

I don't do dishes at night. More specifically, I don't do dishes right after dinner.

It's a really strange thought process I have, but it's been there as long as I can remember. I mean, it definitely doesn't make life easier. Usually the food is pretty stuck on the plates the next morning, and we have to be careful and get rid of things like chicken bones, or else the dog will eat them and choke on them. And that would be sad.

I have a whole mixture of memories of my mom's cleaning habits. Some memories are of her keeping an immaculate house, scrubbing the floors weekly on her hands and knees and dusting the top shelves. Other memories are of my mom, my sisters and I frantically cleaning our super messy house because company was coming over that night and there was no way we could let them see the mess (even though usually it was our friends that had lived with us for 8 months and knew everything about us, including how messy we were. I tried convincing my mom that this made it so we didn't have to clean up, but she never bought it.) I wonder if my mom had moments of inspiration to get organized and clean, and then got burnt out with having 3 kids to take care of on top of it. At least then I would know where I got that part of me from.

My dad was in construction for most of my childhood, and he often came home too tired to play at night. We scheduled dinner around when he came home, which could easily be 9pm during the summer months when he was roofing. After dinner was when we all spent time together, usually watching tv but with a lot of conversation going on as well. When the basement was finally finished we got big, cushy couches to go down there and a tv without a knob on it. As much as we all loved being down there, I think it bugged my mom that she couldn't be a part of it when she had to cook or clean up upstairs. During the little bit of time us kids had to do the dishes (yes, I'm part of the "entitled generation" where we apparently had everything given to us on silver platters) I remember feeling like it took forever to get them done, and we usually finished just in time for bed. After awhile I remember post dinner times spent with all of us, relaxing and having fun after a long day, and I vaguely remember the dishes being put off until the next day.

To this day in my mind the time after dinner feels almost sacred, when everyone is home together and usually with no plans. It feels almost like a tragedy to me to take that time and spend it cleaning. This is especially true when having company over, as I want to enjoy the time with them and not just cleaning up after them. What fun is it having company over if you can't spend the time after the meal playing cards or just talking over the dining room table?

I guess the point that I'm trying to make is that I don't want to get stuck all by myself cleaning every night during a really special time with my family. I'm willing to take a little bit of extra time scrubbing the next morning to keep those evenings relaxing with my kiddos.

On the other hand, I'm probably just lazy.

Sunburst Mirrors - Really?

Another trend I discovered was creating DIY sunburst mirrors. At first I kind of liked them, pictured one in my house above the couch, and then pictured one of my children impaling themselves while jumping on the couch on one of the hand-sharpened wooden dowels or other deathly objects it might be made out of. So you see, sunburst mirrors are just not for me. Some really and truly are beautiful, like these:

And some of the materials these are made out of make me take a step back and say, "really?"

 I have to admit, clothespins are handy. But I picture this little beauty lasting about 10 minutes before my kids have completely taken it apart and there are clothespins everywhere.

 Now this is a manly sunburst mirror. I picture it in the garage, right next to the bouquet of tools and chalkboard labeled tool chest. Add a candle of man smell and you'll have the most stylish shop on the block.

 Yeah, I can't even caption this one very well.

 This is how I picture the conversation between husband and wife after this piece was made:

"Hey honey, guess what I did with your great grandmother's antique silver?"

"What, sweetie?"

"I got out my hot glue gun and put them all in a circle around a mirror! Now she can be a part of every meal we eat forever."

 This one is similar, but instead of grandma's antique silverware it's made of leftover spoons from Kentucky Fried Chicken.

This one will make your kid super trendy and cool. At least to the moms who read blogs. The rest of the world (including their friends) will probably wonder what the heck their mom was thinking...

 This one is made out of toilet paper rolls. I'm sorry, but I don't think using materials that used to house toilet paper seems very sanitary.

(PS - the silverware mirror - the more I look at it, the more it's kinda cool....)

So In Love...

... with this little girl.

(PS - this photo is another great example of shooting in RAW. The picture was way darker than I wanted it to be, and I was able to completely adjust it to be exact. Then I did the softening and other editing in Photoshop.)

Chalkboard Projects - Really?

I love reading blogs as much as the next person. I'm totally addicted to Pinterest. There are so many great ideas out there! And yet, I can't help but wonder if sometimes we take repurposing/trends/the latest "fads" and go a little too far with them. My own personal belief is that just because something is on a blog or has a great picture of it does not mean that it is a very good idea. For today's feature, I thought I would share some projects I found using chalkboard. You know, that stuff we used in school for math. (Okay, I used a dry erase board, but I remember visiting the ancient school in my hometown and there was a chalkboard in there). Nowadays you can buy special paint that can turn anything, and I mean anything, into a chalkboard "masterpiece." I do like the idea of maybe one chalkboard framed with a pretty frame in my house, but honestly I don't know if I would use it. I hate the tingly sensation I get from writing on chalkboard, and the stuff rubs off making a mess everywhere. It also makes half of the projects you see out there pretty much useless, since people are trying to permanently label things with a temporary solution. Just weird. Here are a few projects I have come across that just made  me say, "really?"

 Because nothing says love like writing on your kids' stomach.

Oooooh, the texture issue gets me here. 

Again, really? 

This one really gets me. Have you ever had a baby scratch you? Those tiny little finger nails can draw blood. And picturing them scratching this wall gives me the willies. Plus, the stuff rubs off! Your baby will wake up one morning looking like she was playing in the flour canister (which I'm sure is also labeled on chalkboard vinyl.) 

This one's my fav. It makes me think "sweetie, let's go upstairs, pour a glass of wine, and write sweet nothings to each other and erase them all night." Seriously, I can think of about 10 better things to do with a headboard...

Random End of Pregnancy Thoughts

Note - I wrote these down before I had Baby J. Actually, I was working on them when I went into labor! I just thought it would be fun to share them with you. I probably could have written 20 more if the timing hadn't been off. I realize now, though, how crabby I was. And now I'm riding the awesome wave of happiness hormones and I love, love, love every minute of it all now!!

When I had my first child, all I could think about was what life was going to be like when he arrived. Everything seemed so beautiful, the human body was an amazing thing.

Now that I am on to my third baby, my thoughts are changing. Absolutely I'm excited about meeting this little one, and definitely in awe at what I know my body is going to do very soon. But, I also have some very random, sometimes gross, thoughts go through my mind and I thought it would be fun to make a list just for you. Here goes...


Deep Thoughts of Late Pregnancy


-Placenta. Gross.

-It's so weird packing to go away and not pack any underwear.

-The doctor uses a crochet hook to break your water, right? I have a whole drawer full of those things. Maybe I could give it a whirl......

-I wonder if I'm allowed to bring my own mini fridge to the hospital.

-I hope the sunburn I got on my back doesn't hurt when the rip the tape off from the epidural.

-Hospitals should have Pay Per View movies like hotels, things that you could only normally see in the theaters. I would really like to watch The Help.

-I wonder if I push hard enough this baby will just pop right out.

-Shouldn't the doctor buy me a drink before some of these appointments? I feel like we are a little too close...

-Good job, Em. You filled the cup with enough pee, even though you had to pee 10 minutes before your appointment. Way to go.

-I wonder if anyone has invented a Bella Band for my face. Maybe then I wouldn't look like a bee stung me for the next 4 months.

Welcome Baby J

Welcome to the world, my beautiful girl. I sure do love you.

Just Waiting

Just a quick little update on life right now.

We are (im)patiently waiting for baby number 3 to get here. Due date is Sunday, my mom is rooting for Saturday because that was her mom's birthday. I'm just glad that I'm almost done. (Pic from 37 weeks). (PS - notice the wall color!?!)

We headed up to Estes Park this weekend to see if it would move the labor process along at all. It was actually the first time we had taken our kids and they LOVED every minute of it. From jumping in the river to looking for rocks to eating at our favorite pizza place and getting fudge, they keep asking if they can go back. We are hoping that after baby comes hubby and I can take more initiative to make our Saturdays more special like this one was.

We also discovered frozen yogurt this month. A new place just opened up in town, and we are so excited! Who knew making your own little creations would be so much fun and so yummy!?! We originally went because Little Miss finished up her first potty chart and it was her reward, but we've been back at least once a week since then. Now it's kind of becoming a tradition to go after lunch on Sundays.

I wish I could say that we kept up with all the school stuff we had planned to do, but alas, we didn't. Some days I feel like I can barely get out of bed, much less do a lesson plan and sit on the floor for an hour to do it. But I am trying to make a bit more of an effort to make sure I play with my kids every day. Sometimes it's just reading books, sometimes it's playing video games or Killer Bunnies, and some days it's setting up the sprinklers in the back yard. We try to have fun though, and they are very, very excited for our new little one to be here.