Last post on this blog

For the sake of my sanity (what little there is left of it), all family posts will now be on the Coach Mom Says...blog.

See you there!

Taking Mike to School - Last Day!

On Friday, we took a tour of the campus. We got to see Mike's dorm room. Somehow the kid managed to put it all together! Unfortunately, we ended up having to take back home one piece of furniture. Phil was predicting it though so it wasn't unexpected. LOL!

We also got to meet his roommate and his suitemates. I think they will have a great time.

I laughed because the college gave us a folder with all this advice. One of these tidbits said that we should teach our child to do his own laundry. It's a little late now, isn't it? I mean, if they wanted people to know that, shouldn't they have sent that letter home at the beginning of the summer? Anyway, fortunately for Mike, he has been "coached". He knows how to cook, do his laundry, and clean a bathroom. Now, if he doesn't choose to do those things, that's his choice. He'll figure it out. Everyone else does.

So we gave Mike a big hug, and we were off. And yes, he has already called me.

"Super" Climbs a Mountain of Sand!

On Thursday, while Mike worked on unpacking his bags. We took the boys to Great Sand Dunes National Park. The mountains were beautiful. I had never seen anything like them before. But the sand dunes were crazy! (Yes, those specks at the bottom of the picture are people!)

A movie in the Visitor's Center explained how the sand dunes were created. It seems the dunes were formed from sand deposits from the Rio Grande (and the streams coming from that). Then the wind picked the sand up and carried it until it hit the mountain. This process continues to happen today. The wind reshapes the dunes on a daily basis and the streams keep bringing the sand back. I know, the kids were thinking, "yeah, yeah, whatever" too. But Phil and I thought that was cool!

Super might not have been as interested in how the sand got there, but he made up his mind that he was going to climb to the top. The top is about 800 feet high. That may not seem like much, until you realize that you have to climb up sand. And that it's not just one dune. It's one dune that goes up 100 feet, then down 50 feet. Then another dune that goes up 50 feet, and down 25 feet. Then another dune that goes up 100 feet, and then down 25 feet. You get the idea. It's like a Stairmaster...in the sand.

Tutone and I got about halfway up and then he decided he was finished. I was just as glad to let him take the blame. "That's right, he can't make it any further. Sorry, that's too bad. " But Super was determined and there was no stopping him. I told Phil that we'd see them back down at the bottom. And we waved goodbye. Tutone and I made our way back down while they continued the climb up.

Don't you know that kid made it all the way to the top? He was mighty proud of himself. And he should be. When we got back to our B&B, The AppleLodge, we found out that in the all time that they had owned their place (which to be fair was only three or four years) only three other people that had stayed with them had ever made it to the top. And, of course, they had all been adults.

Super said it was one of the two best vacations in his whole life. Our family reunion where he gets to see his cousins being the other one. Yes, he is for real.

Taking Mike to School Day 3

After two long days in the van, we finally arrived! Mike spent the night with his grandparents in their RV, while Phil and I and the boys went to a great bed and breakfast. The next morning we went to the campus and signed Mike in.

Then we prepared mentally to unpack the van. We pulled the van around to the side of Mike's dorm. But we were pleasantly surprised to find out that the college had the football team, girl's volleyball team, and both basketball teams there to help student's unload their vehicles. What a relief! It took less than 5 minutes to unload the van!

And soon his room went from looking like there would be enough room for all his stuff, back to my worrying about where he was going to put everything! But we left him there to figure it out and we went to lunch. We enjoyed our lunch at the San Luis Valley Brewing Company. Then we went to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. But that's a story for another blog.

Taking Mike to School Day 1

I am amazed that it takes 9 months for your child to come into the world, but it takes only one day to get them packed to leave! Okay, to be fair, all the fathers out there are thinking, "One day, nothing! These kids have been here for 18 years!" But it still seemed like it didn't take any time at all to turn Mike's room from the mess, I mean, home it was into our new guest room.

Meanwhile, Mike was excited. And so he should be! College is going to be a great experience for him. He told me, "This is the coolest thing I've ever done." Hopefully he'll still feel like that after his first test!

He did have a hard time leaving the dog though.


We left the dog behind at home. Some friends, The Potts, came in a few times every day to feed and care for her. Our friends, the Viljoens, came by to visit her as well. With her well cared for I could relax and concentrate on Mike.


Now, I started crying before we even got in the car.
But I did get a sweet picture of Mike with Super and Tutone.

The van was filled to the brim with Mike's stuff. Phil and I couldn't imagine where he thought he was going to put it all! Mike kept telling us that dorm rooms were bigger than they used to be. Not that much bigger!

Finally, with the van all packed we were on our way.

Brotherly Love

Breakfast at our house is usually an animated experience. In other words, the boys like to start in depth discussions in order to stall on doing chores or getting ready for school. They think I don't know this, of course. But this morning, Tutone actually came up with a good one.

He said, "I really wanted to be a Longhorn (University of Texas) but needs to be an Aggie (Texas A&M) if he is going to be a Vet and I don't want you to be confused on who to
root for on Game Day, so I guess I will just go ahead and be an Aggie." And he heaves a huge sigh.

I told him, "It's ok, Buddy! They have special flags made for just this reason. It's called 'House Divided'. One side is UT and the other side is A&M. But no matter what college you go to, I will root for whichever team you are playing for. And when is competing in something I will root for his school. Does that sound fair?"

He looked so relieved.

I thought it was so sweet that he would be willing to give up what he wanted for his brother. Usually it's Super that makes all the sacrifices for Tutone. Maybe I am getting through to him. LOL!

Meanwhile, I would be thrilled if Tutone was able to play football for any college team. Of course, I can't blame him for picking the Longhorns!

Bird Watch

On one of our frequent trips to the beach in July, we went to a popular bird watching spot, Goose Island State Park. The park is well known for being a winter home to a large variety of birds. Of course, July is not as active. We were happy to catch a glimpse of the local wildlife.

We happened upon a cardinal, which happens to be Super's favorite bird. He has seen many cardinals and happily reports that he has even seen several female cardinals when we lived in VA, as he says, "which is rare." I think it was probably the same female cardinal several times but in any case these sitings have made it his favorite bird.

So this day in July, we sat in the shade of a tree in the park for a while and watched as the cardinal ate his lunch.














Later in the week, we were fortunate enough to see some American Oystercatchers! I was surprised since they are reported to leave the Gulf of Mexico in the summer months. But I have picture evidence that for whatever reason this small group did not. You can read more about the American Oystercatcher here.
American Oystercatcher

You can read more about the park and it's winter friends here.
Goose Island State Park

I knew that my friend Molly would have enjoyed going with us but of course, she was very busy being chased by sharks and stuff. Oh well! Maybe next time! But if you enjoy birds like we do, you can read all about her birding adventures with her sons on her birding blog at
The Birding Family blog.

On a Break!

We took a big break over the summer to spend time making memories instead of just sitting in front of the computer blogging about them. LOL! But we are back now and in full swing of school, so while the boys are working away at their books and computer, I will have time to catch up!

During July, we took a big vacation to the beach. Our at home vacation activities consisted mostly of swimming, bowling, playing the Wii, and going to the 50cent movie theater.

In August, the boys went to Pre-teen camp. I spent most of the time preparing for school. The rest of the month was spent getting Mike ready to leave for college. Last week, the whole family drove to Colorado to drop him off.

I will post more about all these things in future blogs!

Hope you all had a safe and fun summer too!

Boys Return Home

Super and Tutone are home from Boy Scout Camp! They had fun but they are tired.

Both boys earned the Swimming and First Aid merit badges. But as with any experience there were things that they liked and didn't like about it. The scout troop called this "roses and thorns".

Super's roses were that he enjoyed rock climbing and he was happy he earned the two merit badges. Tutone's roses were swimming and that he earned the two merit badges.

Super's thorns were the food and 119 ant bites that he got one night! Yuck! Tutone's thorns were the food and having to climb "Hernia Hill". Apparently, there were 94 steps. Never one to let a "coachmom" moment slip by, I said, "Steps! At least you had steps!"

I hope all is well with you and yours! I will blog more after we return from our much needed vacation!

Cowbunga Dude!

Vacation Bible School has ended! All the kids had a great time. By the last night we had over 200 children in attendance from preschool to 6th grade. The best news was that we had 8 children accept Christ! Four of them were children who guests of other children! We ask for your prayers that the Holy Spirit will continue to bring people into their lives to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus.

The kids also raised over $100 for the mission trip to Romania. A team from our church will be taking the Outrigger Island materials to Romania this month. The kids were thrilled to help raise money so that other children could have as much fun as they did.

My second favorite thing that happened (the first being how many children came to Christ, of course) was that the 5th grade made me thank you notes. I have them hung up on my bulletin board in my kitchen.

It was a great week! And if you can believe it, we have already started to talk about next year!

Riding the Waves at VBS

This year's theme of Outrigger Island has been fun! The leaders have really gotten into it with the decorations. I'm not sure why this theme has been so much more successful in getting the leaders motivated than themes from past years, but it is fantastic. Maybe it's because "going to the beach" just feels like summer.

The children seem to be having a great time. I have seen several little girls leaving each night singing the songs and making the "motions" that go along with them. Our worship leader, Tracey, is awesome. Not only does she have a great singing voice but she really knows how to get the kids dancing.

Monday night we had 192 children and 115 workers at the church. One little girl brought three friends the first night! We rewarded her with a beach towel and can cozy last night. I hope that this will inspire some of the children to invite some kids from their neighborhood. We still had new children registering last night!

Pray that we get some more "unchurched" children from the community tonight!

Know the truth!
Speak the truth!
Live the truth!

VBS begins, Boys at Boy Scout Camp

My friends and I have been busily preparing for Vacation Bible School at our church. I hope that explains my absence from posting! I hope that I will have some pictures to post at the end of the week, as well as some testimonies from our experience. Please pray that we have children from the community flock to the church! Pray that the leaders reach the hearts of the children for Christ!


Super and Tutone are off at Boy Scout camp this week! Here is a picture of Tutone walking up the "hill". I'm sure we will hear all about how everyday they had to walk up the hill 10 miles both ways to get to the dining hall.


Here is a picture of the "whole gang"! Super is in the first one on the left in the front row. Tutone is the fourth one from the left in the second row. Right within reach of the Assistant Scoutmaster, the Senior Patrol Leader, and the Scout master. That's where I would have put him! I think they are on to him!


I am sure that we will all have a great week! The boys will be swimming and hiking and earning merit badges! And coachmom will be co-directing VBS!

God bless!

Chore Lists - Age Appropriate

Many people ask...how do I know what chores to assign my children? Some people mistakenly believe that their children are "too young" to help with chores. But the fact is that when they are young is usually when they want to help you. So why discourage that? Start early promoting that "team" culture in your family!

Chore charts with stickers or smiley faces are a great way to encourage younger children. "Allowances" that award a small stipend of money or privileges for chores completed is a great way to encourage older children. But beware the allowance comparison game. I don't really care what the "going rate" is for allowance. The point of giving my older children an allowance is to teach them responsibility in saving, spending, and tithing.

And now...The Charts!

Preschoolers - 2's and 3's

• Stripping sheets off the bed on laundry day.
• Take your clothes to the laundry room on the laundry room.
  
• "Making the bed" - putting pillows and stuffed animals in place. Helping pull up the comforter. (Obviously, not tucking the sheets in neatly at this point! ) But this sets the stage that this is your bed and it is your responsibility to make it everyday.
  
• Pick up toys and books at the end of the day.
• Help feed the pets - in the simplest form - putting a scoop of food in the bowl.
  
• Put napkins, spoons and forks on table before meals.
• Put spoons and forks in dishwasher after meals.
• Wiping up spills. Teach them that they will wipe up a spill that they cause.
  
• "Dusting" - just don't expect perfection! But once again it sets the stage for later.
• "Sweeping" - especially with a tool like a Swiffer sweeper.

Pre-K and Kindergarten

• Anything that is on the preceding list.
  
• Making the bed - at this point start working towards pulling up the sheets and straightening out the wrinkles. Just don't expect perfection. As they get older move up the standard.
  
• Unloading spoons, forks, plastic and wooden items from the dishwasher. Putting them away in the proper drawers and cabinets. Hint: I moved my plates and cups to the bottom cabinets and moved my casserole dishes and breakables to the top so that my kids could unload the dishwasher. Anything they could put away was in a cabinet on the bottom that they could reach.
• Set the table completely for meals. Hint: make a "cheat sheet" that has a picture showing the placement of the plate, napkin, cup, and utensils. The first few times have this map out so the child can follow it.
  
• Clear the table completely after meals.
• Dusting - expect more!
• Keeping their room and playroom clean. Encourage the "one thing out at a time" rule. Make sure they understand the concept of "a place for everything and everything in its place."
  
• Mopping the floor.
  

1st and 2nd graders

• Anything that is on the preceding list.
• Hint: Start a life skills book! Take a picture of how the job looks when it is done right. Take a picture of how it looks when it is NOT done right, but in a way that you have found it done before by your child when they told you it was "done right".
  
• Making the bed - at this point you can expect it to be done right and keep sending them back until it is done right.
• Taking care of pets - including giving them fresh food and water, walking the dog, and brushing them.
• Taking out the trash.
• Completely load and unload the dishwasher.
  
• Fold and put away their own laundry.
  
• Vacuuming.

3 - 5th Graders

• Anything that is on the preceding list.
• Hint: Update your life skills book! Add a detailed description of the chore into your life skills book.
• Wash the car.
• Wash the dishes by hand that need to be.
  
• Help prepare meals.
• Clean the bathrooms.
• Rake leaves.
• Weeding

Middle Schoolers

• Anything that is on the preceding list.
• Planting flowers or other gardening work.
  
• Make a meal once a week.
• Anything on the quarterly cleaning list.
  

High Schoolers

• Anything that is on the preceding list.
• Help plan the grocery list and do the shopping.
• Operate the washer and dryer.
• Mowing and edging the lawn.
• Cleaning the pool
  

Now that your kids hate me, I will have to start posting about things other than cleaning. Next time...menu planning!

Coachmom says...use your kids!

Today's topic is motivating you into making your kids help you clean. There is a reason they call me "coachmom". I love sports, especially football and baseball. My kids have gotten accustomed to me speaking to them in sports metaphors. Hopefully, you will too!

Your family is a team. God created your family to work together as a cohesive unit! If one person is not playing their position, the team is not going to be victorious. Your children need to be taught this mindset. Children learn through repetition or "practice". Therefore, as teacher or "coach", you are going to have to be consistent. Send them out onto the field and if they do not perform the drill properly, you will have to go out there and demonstrate it for them and let them try again until they get it right. This takes patience and perseverance on your part. In the end, it will be worth it.

"That's great," you say, "but how do I make this happen?"

First, you start with daily chores. Even a three year old can put spoons into a dishwasher, or put napkins on the table for dinner. Then you inspect their job, correcting gently where correction is needed, and praising in both cases. Find something to praise about the job in either case. Correct first, then praise something. I know this sounds like a very "modern" philosophy but don't you want to work harder when you feel appreciated?

Move up to weekly chores, involving them in chores that you are not in the room for. Once again, inspect, correct, praise. Send them back to perform a chore again until it is done properly. Sooner or later, they will get the picture. Do NOT redo the chore for them. They need to learn that it does not affect you one way or the other if they spend 30 minutes or 3 hours doing that chore, so they may as well get it done right the first time. So only do this training method on a day where you were planning on staying home all day cleaning.

Once your children are trained to do daily and weekly chores, then they are ready to be involved in the quarterly chores! This will not happen overnight. And yes, my children still drive me crazy at times. They have to be retrained from time to time, when I was not consistent about my inspections. But I have heard from many people that my children are well trained in the chore arena. (Just don't tell them that!)

In my next post, I will give suggestions for age appropriate chores.

More Cleaning Checklists

Living Area Super Clean

What is a "living area"? Anything that is not a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, or dining area. It can be anything from a refinished basement kids playroom to a den to a traditional living room. So you may have to skip some things on this list that do not apply to your room.

• Straighten up room before you start. Throwing away trash. Putting knick-knacks, books, and toys where they belong.
• If this is a playroom area, go through your toys with the "clean sweep" method.
• If this is a "tv" room, organize your movies with the "clean sweep" method.
  
• Dust ceilings and corners.
• Wash walls.
• Clean switch plates.
• Dust wall art.
• Wash doors.
• Clean ceiling fan and vents.
• Clean light fixture.
  
• Wash curtains and dust blinds.
• Wash windows.
• Dust knick-knacks.
• Use vacuum attachment to clean lampshades.
• Use vacuum attachment to clean couches and chairs.
• Wash or dry clean any pillows or blankets.
  
• Dust furniture.
• Clean flooring including spots on carpet.
  

Dining Room Super Clean

• Dust ceilings and corners.
• Wash walls.
• Clean switch plates.
• Dust wall art.
• Wash doors.
• Clean ceiling fan and vents.
• Clean light fixture.
  
• Wash curtains and dust blinds.
• Wash windows.
• Dust knick-knacks.
• If you have a bakers rack or china hutch, wash crystal and china in display.
• Wash down dining room chairs and table.
• Dust furniture.
• Clean flooring including spots on carpet.

Kitchen Super Clean

• Run ice and bleach down the kitchen drain. Run the garbage disposal until ice has cleared.
• If you have any dirty dishes lying around, wash them and put them away.
• Organize the kitchen cabinet and drawers. Remember the "clean sweep" way! Throw away anything that is broken and give away anything you haven't used in more than a year!
• Dust ceilings and corners.
• Wash walls.
• Clean switch plates.
• Dust wall art.
• Wash doors.
• Clean ceiling fan and vents.
• Clean light fixture.
  
• Wash curtains and dust blinds.
• Wash windows.
• Clean outside of the cabinets by using brasso on the hinges if they are on the outside, use oil soap and then a wood polish.
  
• Dust knick-knacks.
• Clean inside and outside of stove/oven.
• Clean inside and outside of microwave.
• Clean other appliances.
• Clean out the refrigerator!
• Clean out the sink.
• If you have an eating area in your kitchen, clean the table and the chairs.
• Clean flooring. The old fashioned hands and knees method really does work best for a deep clean.

And that's it! I'm sure you are exhausted. And it will probably take all week! If you want a list for something I forgot here, let me know.

TOG Party

No! It's not a toga party! It's a TOG party! Tapestry of Grace! If you have never heard of TOG, then you can check them out at http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/explore/

I took a break from cleaning to participate in our special TLT ("T"apestry of Grace "L"oose "T"hreads) yahoo group 5th birthday party yesterday. What a blast!

So I didn't get to my cleaning but I will post the lists later anyhow. Hey, who are you kidding? You would have done the same thing!

The party lasted from 9 am to 9 pm Central Time in the "Living Room" at the Tapestry of Grace website. Of course, most people couldn't "be" at the party the whole time. During the course of the day, they gave away prizes for answering trivia questions. I won a prize! Not that I am competitive or anything. KIK! (OK, you had to be there to understand that one!)

But the best part was chatting with everyone! I got to "talk" to some people that I had not really the chance to before. Beth, Becca, Heather, Pam, Sam, Janis, Mel, Lori, Sharon, Marcie, Dody and so many more! And then of course some people that I had "met" before like Siobhan, Molly and Corrine! I missed Jenny though! Maybe next time. There is a rumor that we will have a chat night once a month. I'm sure the husbands would really love that.

Finally, one of my favorite things was having Marcia stop by. If you are a homeschooler and you are not using TOG, you should really consider it. Marcia is so humble. She has this fabulous curriculum, and yet she is so down to earth. If you feel like God is calling you to homeschooling or TOG, I'd love to speak to you about it.

Cleaning Day!

Today was our quarterly cleaning day. We have the traditional "spring" cleaning, once each season. It actually will take two days this time. We got the second floor done today, and tomorrow we will finish the first floor.

Looking for a great spring cleaning checklist? Some people swear by flylady.com. I use organizedhome.com. But this cleaning checklist is one that I have developed as a compilation of many sources.

Basic tips for cleaning...

1. Always clean top to bottom. Start at the back room of your house on the top floor and work forward and down.

2. Gather all your cleaning tools and cleaners and take them with you as you go. This wasting time having to walk up and down the stairs to collect them.

Supplies to gather - long handled dust mop; broom; vacuum with brush attachment; step stool; cleaning rags; bucket; sponge; cleaning brush; glass cleaner; surface cleaner; shower cleaner; toilet cleaner; stainless steel cleaner; wood cleaner; cleaning wipes; and trash bags.

3. As you go from room to room, take a 4 way mind set with you (think about that show Clean Sweep) - think Trash, Give Away, Sell, and Keep. Do it as you go, anything that you can give away don't put it back on the shelf, put it in a box with the name of a person or organization on it immediately! If you are going to sell it at a later date, and you are being honest with yourself that you really will have this yard sale, then you can store all those things in one designated area.

4. Find a "distraction"! For some people, it's music. For me, it's talking to my friends on the phone. I put on a headset and talk my way through hours of work. Praise the Lord for long distance plans!

5. But "stay on task". Don't go from place to place. Work on one thing at a time until it's completed. Don't start cleaning the bathtub and then leave it half done to go make the bed. One completely clean room will feel much better than 3 rooms that are one third of the way finished.


The Bathroom Super Clean

• Take all dirty clothing and towels to the laundry room.
• Wash bathmats.
  
• Dust the fans and vents.
• Clean light fixtures.
• Dust the ceiling and corners.
• Wash walls.
• Clean switch plates.
  
• Dust any framed art on walls.
• Clean doors.
  
• Wash curtains and dust blinds.
• Wash windows.
• Scrub tub and shower. Don't forget the fixtures.
  
• Throw away any empty shampoo containers or old soap.
  
• Wash down sink and fixtures.
• Clean mirror.
  
• Dust any knick-knacks.
• Clean out medicine cabinet. Throw away any old prescriptions.
• Clean out underneath sink.
• Organize linen cabinet.
  
• Scrub toilet.
• Clean baseboards.
  
• Sweep and mop the floor.
• Empty and wash out trash can.
• Put out any finishing touches...clean towels, fill soap dispensers, and freshening candles.

The Bedroom Super Clean

• Straighten up room before you start. Putting away clothes where they belong. Throwing away trash. Putting knick-knacks, books, and toys where they belong.
• Dust ceilings and corners.
• Wash walls.
• Clean switch plates.
• Dust wall art.
• Wash doors.
• Clean ceiling fan and vents.
• Wash curtains and dust blinds.
• Wash windows.
• Wash all bedding, comforters, mattress pads, and pillows.
• Vacuum mattress.
• Flip mattress.
• Clean under bed.
• Dust knick-knacks.
• Use vacuum attachment to clean lampshade.
• Dust dressers, and other furniture.
• Organize closets and drawers.
  
• Clean flooring.

That's all we got to today! Hopefully, I will get to the living and dining areas and kitchen tomorrow!

School's Out!

We have been busy having fun! We've hardly had any time to post! The kids have been riding bikes, swimming in the pool, and playing with the neighbors. I know they are thrilled with the freedom from a schedule.

I was reminded of the old song we used to sing "No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks." It takes on a whole new meaning when you were the teacher though. Of course, I'm sure it's true that the boys got a few dirty looks! But overall we had a great year. Our first year of Tapestry of Grace was very successful. I am looking forward to next year!

Welcome!

When I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a mother. Sometimes, I daydreamed about being a writer. I have had a blast being a mother! Now once in a while, maybe I will get a chance to write about it!