The toy room is done!!

Ok, so last week I finished the toy room but I couldn't find the camera to take pics. Well, I've found the camera :)

So here are the pics! I'm really pleased with it, especially the fact that as everything has it's own home, it all get packed away really easily and the kids have been keeping it tidy with NO help from us!! Woooohoooo!!

View from the door. The cabinet in front of the window I picked up off the side of the road (Thanks Donni) and is just perfect for the toy room! In the drawers, we have (L-R) matchbox cars, littlest petshop animals and bits, random small toys and figurines for the dolls house (the dolls house is folded up and slid in beside the expedit bookcase). The expedit is in the robe recess and we have Taylor's books and other special books on the top shelves, communal books on the bottom shelves, James' books on the second and Ellie's books on the third shelves.

James' little workshop bench is in between the bookcase and the sofa bed (which I also picked up from the side of the road with Donni's help). It keeps it kinda out of sight out of mind for Ellie as she doesn't see it as soon as she walks in the room so it all stays together MUCH better than it used to!

The kids love the sofa bed (please ignore the knickers and makeup on Taylor). James slept on it over the weekend when we had Lilly here for a sleepover. I need to make a cover for it as it's such horrible fabric to sit on!

Beside the sofa bed is the toy box, fan and heater. All necessities of course!

So glad the James and Taylor are sharing a room now! Life is much easier having that extra living area.

the start of a new week

I've been thinking about making little weekly planners for each of the bigger kids so that in the morning I'm not constantly reminding them what is happening. I was browsing blogs earlier and found this post and went ooooh that's a nice simple idea that should work well!! So, I've made the pages and now all I need is to print them :)

Let's see how we are going for the meal plan :P

* Thursday - Richard made the kids and his dinner and I had fried rice
* Friday - possibly going out...... I did indeed go out!!
* Saturday - something simple - bacon and eggs? I made fried rice instead
* Sunday - lamb korma roast with baked veggies I didn't get it out of the freezer in time so we had fajitas!!
* Monday - fajitas so, I need to come up with something else for tomorrow cos we had it tonight lol I'm thinking spag bog (will just have to cook the pasta for the kids as the sauce is in the freezer) and I'll have left over fried rice from last night!
* Tuesday -savoury mince
* Wednesday - chicken and veggie stir fry with noodles
* Thursday - fish, chips and salad
* Friday - lasagne and salad
* Saturday - savoury mince
* Sunday - silverside and veggies
* Monday - burritos
* Tuesday - sausages, mash and steamed veggies
* Wednesday - curry with brown basmati rice

Tomorrow I will be........
* finishing the toy room - vacuum, organise remaining toys
* go through kids drawers and get rid of everything that doesn't fit (both sets of drawers are in the one room now)
* 3 loads of washing to be washed and hung out (after I get the clothes off the line and hang the nappies out)
* sweep whole house
* fold and put away all clothes
* get to school for 2:30pm appt with James' teacher :)

Half the week is over

Hump day is now over!

Today was a big let down. The air con people came around to install the new split system but alas, we are still without said air con. And so....... I got cranky and went out instead of staying home and sorting out the kids bedrooms!

So, today I have;
* dyed Donni's hair (and then she dyed mine)
* made play dough with the kids and then played with it for ages - it turned out pretty crappy though :( dry and crumbly even following Donni's recipe which is always so fab when she makes it!
* washed the nappies
* swept the floors - omg you wouldn't believe how much crap I swept up even after sweeping and mopping last night and the kids being at school/daycare ALL day!!!
* played banana drama with the big kids

I am now thinking about sewing!! My table is nice and clear so I've got plenty of cutting space but what to make first!!?? The challenge for March in the 2010 Challenge is to make a softie and god knows I've got enough cuddle fleece/minky to sink a ship so I might make something for that. James has also put in a few requests for blankets for winter oh and I have Gen's birthday next month and I've got plans for that hehehe. Caitie's birthday is next week but that one is all sorted :)

Richard is working so damn hard at the moment! He is doing a lot of 10hr days and is coming home REALLY exhausted. I really need to start having dinner organised to be ready for 6pm. And so, here is our menu plan for the next fortnight (Thurs-Wed also fits in with the supermarkets sales);

* Thursday - Taylor has dance -  fried rice and thai fish cakes
* Friday - possibly going out......
* Saturday - something simple - bacon and eggs?
* Sunday - lamb korma roast with baked veggies
* Monday - fajitas
* Tuesday -savoury mince
* Wednesday - chicken and veggie stir fry with noodles
* Thursday - fish, chips and salad
* Friday - lasagne and salad
* Saturday - savoury mince
* Sunday - silverside and veggies
* Monday - burritos
* Tuesday - sausages, mash and steamed veggies
* Wednesday - curry with brown rice

Looks good..... now if only someone else would cook it all for me too lol.

It's a good day :)

This morning, after taking Taylor to school, I took James and Ellie to the shops to get a quick few things before coming home and putting Ellie to bed. After that, I asked James if he wanted to do some painting and surprise surprise, he said YES!!! He generally declines the offer so I was stoked!

So, we got the paints and the new canvas we just bought for him to paint on and went out the back and started to paint. James decided we were painting Dora, who then proceeded to hide "ahind the bushes". James was pretty pleased with his efforts which I will have to take a photo of tomorrow!

Not too long later, after lunch, James came up to me and gave me a big cuddle and said "I had very good fun". I felt very loved!!

The plan for tomorrow is a play dough free for all after school pick up which I'm sure will be enjoyed! Hmmmmm, where is that play dough recipe I had bookmarked??

I think tomorrow I'll also do some baking - gotta do something while tradies install the air con lol.

So, all up today I have;
* spent my vouchers I got for managing Taylor's teeball team for the season (I got 3 new tops and a new purple handbag - so pretty!)
* painted with James
* tidied, sorted, chucked in the dining room
* swept and mopped - dining, kitchen, lounge and hall
* organised my sewing corner - FINALLY! :)
* taken James to dancing

All in all, a good day!

Tomorrow:
* finish dining table and wipe
* take kids to school/daycare
* put away all folded clothes
* wash nappies
* change James' room into the new toy room!! This will involve moving Taylor's expedit into his room which in itself will involve a LOT of chucking and sorting!!
* Taylor's desk sorted and put in James' room
* James' drawers sorted and put in Taylor's room
* find recipe for play dough play in the afternoon

Looks like a nice productive and busy day!

Plans for the week...

I've been feeling like time is simply passing me by without actually accomplishing much at all. So, I've decided that I'm going to list weekly goals for what I want to achieve in all different areas of life. So, for this week, my goals are......

Health & Fitness
* walk or ride kids to school daily (I won't be able to do this on Wednesday but can every other day) failing miserably at this - Ellie keeps sleeping in lol
* redo week 2 of the couch to 5km program before embarking on week 3 next week
* swim 45mins at least once this week
* get back to into my healthy eating - I was feeling MUCH better when I was eating healthy (less tired, more energy and happier/less moody)

Organisational
* dismantle James' bed and set his room up as our new toy room (planned for Wednesday afternoon)
* sort through/chuck the crap on the expedit in the dining room (not until the rest of the dining room is done)
* sort through Taylor and James' clothes and chuck/sell/give/op shop stuff that is too small (planned for Wednesday afternoon)

Creative
* get all the bits and pieces I need to make the items I plan to next week (will need to make a list for this!)
* do a different craft activity each day with the kids - Tuesday will be painting, Wednesday we are going to make play dough, Thursday will be some drawing (possibly on fabric to make some simple stuffed toys) and Friday we are going to do some simple embroidery like this. Will put my thinking cap on to decide what to do over the weekend :)

Housework
* tidy up the dining room table - sort, chuck, put away and wipe table
* tidy up the dining room floor - sort, pack away fabrics, chuck crap, sweep and mop
* keep on top of all the washing - nappies every second day, towels weekly, sheets fortnightly (unless soiled)
* do a 15min tidy of all living areas before dinner time so far so good :)
* do a meal plan for the next fortnight and ONLY buy what we don't already have to fill the meal plan

It's been a while.......

So, I haven't been doing a lot really. Was working but have stopped now and getting back into just being Mum :)

We are having a new air conditioner installed Wednesday this week so I'm not allowed to sew until after then (my sewing area is where the air con is being put lol). I am however going to make a note of all the items that I want to make or do in the near future :)

* chunky crayons - as seen here I think these will be a hit with Ellie!
* shower curtain car mat - found here I think all the kids will enjoy this :)
* snail painting - found here I think James in particular will LOVE this one!!
* cardboard lego cars - found here might even convince James to colour in :P
* a whole themed scene - like this not necessarily the ocean but something :)
* some generic painting in the back yard!
* some random drawing turned into stuffed toys - like this
* paint some rocks to make some rock pets - oh, do you remember the days!!!??

That's enough for now I'd say lol.

I am also going to clean up my dining room tomorrow!! It's been needing to be done for so long now........ will be back to update after I've done it! :) I'm part way there lol

I'll also be doing 3 sessions a week with James with speech games (other times will simply be including it in everyday life). This week we are focusing on categories and using three key words to describe scenarios. I'm hoping that getting James into some more craft activities will help improving his speech too :)

It's a new week!

Ok, so I've crossed out all the things that DID get done last week and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would look lol.

This week, I'm not going to include the 'bigger stuff' in my plan as I think I'm just going to leave that stuff for after school goes back then I can do it while Ellie is sleeping :)

Monday

• load of washing
• strip and make beds, wash sheets
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining, kitchen
  

Tuesday

• wash nappies
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining, kitchen
• picnic at the Fremantle Esplanade for Australia Day with fireworks
  

Wednesday

• load of washing
• bathrooms
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining, kitchen
• WORKING!!!!
  

Thursday

• wash nappies
• snacks, drinks etc
• take big kids to the museum for robotic dinosaurs!!!! (bus and train)
  
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining, kitchen

Friday

• load of washing
  
• toilets
  
• Pick up school books and uniforms from the school 
• meal plan
  
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining, kitchen

Saturday

• wash nappies
• wash towels
• quick shop for fruit and veg
• bake some lunchbox snacks
  
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining, kitchen

Sunday

• load of washing (x2)
• get school bags ready for first day of school
• organise uniforms
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining, kitchen

I've decided not to schedule sewing in as it simply drives me crazy having a time where I am 'meant' to be sewing! I much prefer to do it when I WANT to :)

I can't believe how fast the school holidays have gone! This time next week, I'll be coming home from the school with only Ellie!! Our first day of nobody but us :)



Oh in breaking news............ Richard had a doctor's appointment on Friday and he is now allowed to ride again!!! So, today at work they are getting him to deliver for an hour to see how it goes and they will go from there. He is really excited about getting back to work properly and he went for a short ride on his bike on the weekend. He wants to go full time as soon as they will let him so we can get some money behind us which will be GREAT! So proud of my muchard!

I've started training for a short triathlon that I am going to participate in on February 28th. It is only 150m swim, 5km ride and 1.5km run so it's nothing huge but mentally it is!! The swim and the ride I'm fine with but the run is what I really need to work on between now and then (and for a long time after lol). Last night I went for a 55min ride and Saturday my ride was 45mins. I've done myself a training schedule which includes swimming twice a week, c25k three times a week and riding most days (however I'll only be doing training rides 2-3 times a week). Feeling really good about it all!!

Ok, Ellie is asleep and the big kids are chilling in the lounge room so I'm going to go and chuck a load of washing on so I'm ready to strip the beds as soon as Ellie gets up!!

Doing better at a few things

Ok, so most of my Friday list is done :) Tomorrow when Ellie is down for a sleep, I'll do the appliance cupboard and mop the floors!

Time for me to do the plan for the coming week I think. I'm going to put less on each day and see if that helps in getting it done - maybe I was being a tad unrealistic??

Here goes.......

Monday

• take all of the 'too small' clothes out of the kids rooms - sort into selling, giving and op shopping
• wash nappies (just a reminder of which days)
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining and kitchen

Tuesday

• container cupboard
• cut everything for the NY swap
• decide on what to make for the 2010 January challenge - 'Something for me'
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining and kitchen
• load of washing
  

Wednesday

• sew for NY swap
• wash nappies
• take Taylor to rollaways!
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining and kitchen

Thursday

• snacks, lunches and drinks
• take kids to the zoo!
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining and kitchen

Friday

• toilets
• wash nappies
• strip beds
• wash sheets
• bbq lunch at Bibra Lake - CANCELLED
  
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining and kitchen

Saturday

• wash towels
• organise filing - bills, uni stuff, school, speech etc
  
• quick food shop for fresh fruit, veg and other staples only
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining and kitchen

Sunday

• wash nappies
• 15min tidy - lounge, dining and kitchen
  

I am logging my dietary intake daily at my fitness pal and have so far done it for 15 days straight. I remember reading somewhere that it takes 30 days to get rid of a bad habit and 60 days to forge a new one.

My fitness/health goals for this week are:

• >30mins exercise every day
• log daily at mfp
• drink 2.5L water daily
• use the cross trainer >2 times

I am really pleased with the way things have been going over the past couple of weeks :) I've been exercising regularly, eating well and drinking plenty of water so my goals are simply to maintain that plus add in the cross trainer - it will NOT beat me hehehe

My creative goals for this coming week:

• sew something with a pattern (or strictly follow a tute)
• cut all pieces for the NY swap before starting sewing!
• keep my sewing cabinet at least usable (instead of a huge big mess)
  

It's not failing if you keep going, right?

Ok, so this week so far has gone completely NOT to plan!

Tomorrow was going to be a trip to the zoo but I've decided to do that next week instead and tomorrow catch up around the house :)

So, here is the NEW plan for tomorrow January 15th

1. Washing - wash two loads, bring all washing in, fold and put away - one done!
   
2. Meal plan - 14 meals for the fortnight and shopping list to suit done!!
   
3. Dining room -  sweep, chuck crap, organise sewing area (this is a BIG job and I've done half so far)
   
4. Floors - sweep and mop (will be done after the kids are in bed tonight)
   
5. Clean bathrooms - showers, toilets, vanities, bath
   
6. Appliance cupboard - sort and wipe out
7. Bake something with the kids for snacks 
8. Do the shopping
   

There, that's enough for tomorrow. I will log in during the day and cross things off the list as I do them :)

Oh and what DID I do from my lists this week???

• sort out the linen cupboard - in desperate need of being done! I'm thinking I'll follow the hint of putting the sheet sets inside the matching pillow case so things don't get separated
• plan what I am making for the EB new year sewing swap

Gee, didn't get much done at all did I!!??

Hello 2010!!

Ok, so this it my first post for 2010 - can you believe it?? It is almost half way through the month already!!

This year, I want to get organised and stay that way (at least on some level!)  With the kids in full time care, the house wasn't too bad but with them all home all the time now, the house is looking like a warzone pretty much every day (and I'll admit, it was never 'good' to begin with!).

So, for the coming week I have the following plan......
Monday 11th Jan

• go through all of Taylor's clothes and sort into wearable/chuckable/op shop-able etc and get them OUT of her room!!
• sort out the linen cupboard - in desperate need of being done! I'm thinking I'll follow the hint of putting the sheet sets inside the matching pillow case so things don't get separated
• vacuum James and Taylor's rooms (Ellie's was done today)

Tuesday 12th Jan

• sort James and Ellie's clothes the same as Taylor's
• clean both bathrooms (including toilets which will then become a Friday chore)
• plan what I am making for the EB new year sewing swap

Wednesday 13th Jan

• container cupboard - chuck all the odds and tidy - wipe it all out
• appliance cupboard - make sure all the bits for each appliance are there, wipe out cupboard
• clear out our wardrobe - it is SHOCKING! I want to be able to actually use the space in there and to do that, I need to get HEAPS of stuff out of there and organise it, find new homes for it all and vacuum

Thursday 14th Jan

• take photos of all the items I want to sell on EB and/or ebay (while Ellie is sleeping)
• tidy my bedroom (which is appalling currently)
• bake something with the kids for snacks
  

Friday 15th Jan

• take the kids to the zoo - with snacks, lunch, drinks etc (catching the train and ferry)

Saturday 16th Jan

• change and wash all towels

I'm hoping that after the next couple of weeks, the house will be in a state where spending 15mins on each room will be enough to keep it looking tidy and comfortable. This week, I will also be spending 15mins each day on a problem area which at this stage is my sewing area - whoops! I need it all organised so that I can get in there and sew without being surrounded by clutter!