Heeeey everyone! How are you guys? How is your start to summer? It has really become amazing in the weather department here in the Midwest and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. As someone who is naturally cold ALL of the time (I am the girl who will wear a sweater in Florida in July), I live for warm and sunny days!
First of all, I really want to thank you for all of the comments and conversation in last week’s home office post. It was fun to have such great engagement, and it felt like the good ol’ days of blogging. It got me thinking about how I have been wanting to get back to a “coffee with pals” feeling around here; where we just chit chat about random things we love, things that don’t quite work out as planned, our favorite foods/recipes, books, tips and tricks… Those small purchases for the home or even free re-arranging that creates a fresh new look, but might not warrant an entire post. And I always love a good Craigslist find! It might be just some general iHeart Organizing news, a life topic, a home topic or maybe a small organizational tip, but those are the only parameters I am setting. For months I have been trying to mentally organize how I want these posts to look, and I am finally deciding to run in the opposite direction and am just going wing it. #wildchild
I actually wanted to start something similar back in December, and tried with an overly long “Happenings Around the Abode” post. Truthfully it was just too much to put together, write and read, although I really loved the overall concept. So this time I am going to try and condense my thoughts down to three bullets, and just try to do these posts more frequently, maybe a couple of times per month and see how things evolve. We can’t work on projects around the clock and I miss you all when I am not posting a tutorial, so what do you think? Good idea?
ONE
Last weekend I was scrubbing tirelessly to remove some stains from our cast iron pot, and I was thisclose to cursing and giving up until I remembered I had some Bar Keeper’s Friend Soft Cleanser. I had heard that this stuff is magical for cleaning so I gave it a whirl and sure enough, I was an instant fan. I had previously tried everything from baking soda to scrubby sponges and my arm was ridiculously tired, but with the Bar Keeper’s I just applied it on the trouble spots, let it sit for a minute or two, and then used a mildly abrasive sponge to wipe away the stains.
I was so excited about how well this stuff worked that before I knew it, I had scrubbed down every last pot and pan in our cabinet! This might be old news to some of you, but it was too good not to share for those like me, who had zero clue how fantastic this stuff really is.
TWO
The kids are home for summer! I am always a split decision parent on this time of the year; I absolutely LOVE having them home and am so grateful for the opportunity to soak up these quick and precious years with them, but miss my quiet time and my ability to get anything accomplished. It tends to take us a few weeks to find our groove and then we really hit our prime just in time for the boys to head back to school. Then the next summer comes, and they are all at different life stages and needs and everything is rocked again. Here are a few posts I have shared in terms of figuring things out in the past, we have tried summer schedules and routine/chore lists.
I have definitely learned that my kids thrive on routines and boundaries. When they know their expectations up front, we struggle much less than we do when we just let things go willy nilly. I am already in the process of updating my printables and making sure they know what is expected out of them in terms of chores, general daily commitments and technology time this summer.
Random thought: This hot spot in our garage continues to be a daily lifesaver.
Anyway, where I really struggle is with the work boundaries. Although they are all at ages where they are quite self sufficient, it seems as though they have trouble understanding my work hours. If I am in the house, they will hunt me down and ask me for a cup of water, to tattle on one another, to ask if they can go play or have a friend come over (x3), to give me surprise hugs, to inquire about how to do a chore they have done a hundred other times without question… they really crutch on me even if I push back. In their defense, it also goes the other way. As I sit here typing, I am listening to their footsteps above (and the occasional dreading that the ceiling about to come crashing down from overhead), their disagreements I want to help them through, the door opening and closing and kids knocking every few minutes. Even when I set strict “No Mom Hours”, we all have a hard time sticking to it without interruption and finding the best practices for implementing them. Of course, the obvious solution is to just leave and work somewhere else, but that really isn’t practical for me.
I am asked so frequently about finding a good work/life balance, I thought it would be nice to hear what you all do during summer months? Any suggestions from fellow work-from-home parents? How do you juggle all of the activities and commitments, some summer fun bonding and also getting work done? All tips welcome! PLEASE!
THREE
I have been reading Vanessa’s blog, Decor Happy, for quite some time now; her home is one of my all time favorites on the www. I am infatuated with her use of color, the wallpapers she brings into her spaces, and that she creates looks that are relatable and obtainable. #sogood
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Her home was recently featured on Canadian Living’s website, and I just wanted to share that lovely eye candy with all of you. She is definitely my “One To Follow” right now.
And that is all I have for today, I am off to baseball with the boys! Feel free to comment on any of these quick topics, or let me know what other types of items we can chit chat about down the road.
from IHeart Organizing http://www.iheartorganizing.com/2016/06/iheart-just-three-things.html
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