Boys, Boxes, and Busy-ness
I know my life is busy when what I really want to do is blog or read a book or take a nap rather than doing all that needs to be done. Along with all the normal cooking and cleaning and home management, the kids naturally want Mommy to entertain them constantly now that school is out. I have yet to figure out how summer vacation can be so booooooring. The first week was rough, but I persevered and we at least got into a good morning routine--breakfast, chores, reading, and math or spelling practice--all before we go to swimming lessons at 10:30. They don't grumble about it hardly at all anymore. One thing that is working pretty well is giving them a short list of chores to choose from. I make the list--things that I really need or want done that they are capable of doing--and the older boys each have to pick one. It goes much better when they've chosen what they will do than when I assign something. Even Jared (age 3) is figuring out what morning chores are about. It's fun to see him so excited about helping one of his brothers wash the dishes. So mornings are good, but don't ask about afternoons....
And as if all the normal stuff isn't enough, I started packing boxes a couple weeks ago in preparation for our move, which is just a couple of weeks away now. I've been trying to sort through, throw out, and pack things in the afternoons while Jared and Dallin nap. (Jared is ready to give up naps, but since he doesn't fight them too much, I'm hanging on to them as long as I can--at least until we move.) That means Adam and Ryan spend an awful lot of time in front of movies or video games. Oh well, the mornings aren't a waste. I sometimes feel guilty about not playing with them more, but I just can't entertain and get ready to move at the same time. I've tried paying them to help me pack at the rate of 25 cents a box. That worked okay when we were packing books, which were pretty straightforward, but hasn't lasted as I've moved on to other things. Speaking of boxes of books, we are up to 24 Xerox boxes full, and that's not quite all of them. We aren't called Packers for nothing! Yes, we have a few books, but at least the boxes are easy to stack when it comes time to load the truck. Built-in bookcases will definitely be on the "nice to have" list when we get to the house-hunting stage. Anyway, if I don't post again anytime soon, you'll know I'm just up to my gills in cardboard.
Labels: books, life, motherhood, moving
posted by Harmony @ 3:04 PM
9 Comments
9 Comments:
I'm worn out just from reading your post. Good luck and hang in there. You're doing it right - a little at a time. (Of course, from what I gather, you're an old pro at this packing up the packers routine.)
After you mentioned all your books - I did recall that even as newly weds you and Jeff had a LOT of books. I remember hanging out at your little place here in Provo (the tiny white house on University Ave) that summer Jeff was gone and Mercy stayed with you... and I can recall shelves and shelves and shelves of books.
Again - Good luck!
Harmony, How do you manage your 4 boys!!?? I'm about to pull my hair out with my 4 kids. I feel like all day long they are all begging for my attention and I just can't ever give enough. And forget about the house, I'm lucky if I get anything half clean! Sometimes I feel like I'm just barely treading water. Today starts my kids first real day of summer vacation since we were away at a family reunion last week. Already the unstructured madness is happening. I tried to get them to sit down and work on some work books but I got a ton of complaining in the process. Let me know if you get more awesome ideas to keep sane. Serenity now!!
oops, that's from Carolyn, I clicked the wrong button!!
I remember your books too!!! I remember reading alot of them when I lived with you guys that summer. I haven't bought alot of books but I am a regular at the library...
I don't know what you guys are talking about. We had a mere fraction of the books we have now during our early days in Provo.You can never have enough books!!
I think I need to have Enoch come and help you unload your books so that he can then realize that I really don't have that many...I still have two bookcases that aren't even full yet - people keep giving me bookcases...guess I'd better get shopping :)
I would love to see your collection now Jeff!!! We haven't had the space for bookshelves so I have had to be content with the library which is hard since the library here is tiny. But Joy tells me that there are some great librarys out east and I will be adding a column in my budget for books, something Dan and Britt do and I think is a great idea.
Enoch is welcome to come help us unload. Or you could just give us your bookshelves Tasha. :-) We do frequent the library often and we don't actually spend lots of money on buying books, but they seem to accumulate anyway. Half of our boxes of books are from Jeff's office--German and Russian literature and texts. The majority of those he's picked up free from retiring professors--whose wives probably succeeded in convincing them they didn't need to bring them all home!
When I was a kid I was into collecting things--stamps, coins, baseball cards, etc. I guess I grew out of those phases. I try not to get too attached to stuff anymore. And frankly, collecting anything isn't a very good hobby when you move as much as we have. Nonetheless, at some point I decided it was important to have good books and good music in my home. I don't have any organized method or budget column for collecting those things, but collect them we do, and haul them all around the country we have!
I wonder if today's children can "see" the importance of music when you don't have those wonderful 33 rpm album covers that we had, whoops, have. I mean how do you interest a child in music when its on an ipod or mp3 player. When I taught Children's Literature, I learned how important the cover of a paperback is to getting children to read a book. Even old books that have new covers get read, especially if there's a cute boy or girl on the cover doing something cool. Any clues, Janet
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home