large family logistics

So, I've been reading this amazing book called Large Family Logistics.  A good friend recommended it to me, and I've been poring over it for the past couple of weeks.  It's fantastic!!  It may even have the capacity to change how I do (or don't do) laundry...which would be miraculous, indeed!

The amazing author, Kim Brenneman is a homeschool mom of nine kids, who keeps a super organized, clean house, cooks from scratch, cloth diapers her babies, hangs her laundry to dry on a line by 8am, and is a good, Christian person.  She seems to be the most amazing woman to ever walk the earth!!  It has been awesome to read the details of how she manages her home and family.  Because really, it's all about the details and systems we put into place in our homes that make them run smoothly.

So many days seem to just pass me by, without my really having accomplished anything around the house.  Most days sneak by without a single load of laundry done or a bathroom cleaned.  I often go to bed with a sink full of pots and pans, and clean laundry piled up around me, instead of nestled in drawers where it belongs.  My kids do their daily chores, so the house stays picked up and relatively swept and vacuumed (meaning relative to an adult version of clean...kids' standards of cleanliness are quite different than adult standards, you know?), but I'm so busy trying to do way too many other (good) things with my time, that my home sometimes falls apart (um...knitting a sweater is good, right?  But that laundry won't wash itself, will it...darn!).

Kim Brenneman teaches that if we have simple, effective systems and plans in place, and train our children to be a part of them, we can keep order and peace in our homes and in our lives.  My favorite part of her book is how she assigns a weekday to each area of her domestic life, as the mothers of the  past did for generations.

Here's how she lays out her week:
Monday is laundry day (catch up on all laundry, but still do at least a load every day...she does 4 loads a day!).
Tuesday is kitchen day (make yogurt and broths, soak beans, clean kitchen, clean out fridge, etc.).
Wednesday is office day (finances, phone calls, menu plans, errand plans, declutter office, calendar, file papers, plan lessons, etc.)
Thursday is town day (errands, appointments, etc.).
Friday is cleaning day (deep cleaning, wash sheets, dust, mop, vacuum, etc.).
Saturday is gardening day (mow, weed, water plants, sweep/shovel porch and walkways, straighten garage, clean cars).
Sunday is the Lord's day (attend church, worship, rest).

Isn't it great?  I want to adopt this in my home.  I want to start working earlier in the morning, and work with a plan to really try to accomplish more in my home each day.  I think Kim's way of organizing her life seems super effective...kind of a way to fit everything in, you know?

If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend you do!  It is super inspiring.  So many great tips and such sound advice on motherhood, whether you have a big family or not.  Kim even included two appendixes: "Coping While Exhausted and Overwhelmed" and "Moving Beyond Survival Mode."  Even though she seems so close to perfection herself, I think she really understands the hearts of mothers.

Have any of you read it?  What do you think?

dishwashers, snow, and happy things

Santa Claus here was supposed to be washing dishes.

Our dishwasher is busted.  Again.  Might be time to replace it...

In the mean time, I have 6 little dishwashers who are happy to wash by hand.  

And face...  

Other things making me happy during an April weekend full of slushy, dreary, muddy snow:

1) Hot chocolate and a fire in the woodstove.

2) Sewing in my new room.  Love!
Oh, and knowing you love it too!  Thanks for all the sweet comments and emails, everyone.
That cute and talented Liz at say yes! to hoboken included my studio in her weekend roundup...thanks, Liz!  (I've had a secret crush on her striped skirt ever since I laid eyes on it.  I want to make one.  Isn't it perfect?)  A warm hello! to all her readers.  So glad you stopped by!

3) These.

4) Hearing my three-year-old brush off and spout out the rusty old phrase: Mom, you're amazin'!--long shelved and likely forgotten by its previous owners, who have entered the realm of teenager.

5) Watching this excellent film again for history.  (On sale here.)  So well done...a must see.  And this too.  Both brought me to tears...multiple times.  I love America, and the people who have fought to make it great!  (we need a James Madison today...)

6) Watching this with my girls.  Twice.  Love the music.  And the scenery.  And the wardrobes.  And the story.  And the message.

7) This Russian novel.  Spent the entire morning Saturday with my nose in it, while waiting for piles of laundry to fold themselves...which, of course, never happened.  But the dear Mr. came to the rescue and folded a few loads.  Like Vronsky, he knows how to get the girl.  Love that man.  (My man, that is--not Vronsky.  Dashing fellow, but he should've stuck with Kitty.  She wasn't his first choice, but at least she wasn't already married!)

8) Re-reading two of my favorite speeches, and the way they inspired me while working on my presentation for BYU Women's Conference.  Which is coming along.  (biting fingernails...)  I've been digging through these three books as well.  Great information about real food.  And studying this, of course.

10) My two oldest rocking another Speech and Debate Tournament.  Romney placed second in Student Congress, and Taylor placed third in Spar.  After having watched two tournaments, I am in awe.  I would wet my pants having to speak impromptu and debate and opponent in front of judges.  And they seem to thrive under the pressure.  Seriously amazing.  Makes a mama proud.  (sniff, sniff)

11) Cafe Rio with great friends.  (Note: despite my numbering, this list is not in any particular order, friends.  I love you just as much as Anna Karenina.  And that handsome devil, Vronsky.  Promise.)

12) Going to a wedding reception.  Is it just me, or do you sometimes envy a new bride?  So young and fresh and in love...full of dreams and hope?  I get nostalgic for that phase of life, and almost want to go back in time (perhaps these romantic novels and movies are getting to me...), and then I think of birthing six kids all over again, and I snap right back into the present.  And feel so satisfied and content.  I am truly blessed.  And I didn't even know back then how great he'd be at folding laundry...


 How was your weekend?

of classics, clubs, and carrot cake

I hosted our neighborhood book club Wednesday night.

I loved:  

• a clean house (and sweet sons who worked hard to help clean it).
• this gluten-free carrot cake recipe.
• whole wheat banana muffins.
• Jane Eyre (oh, my heart!) and this free audio version.
• good friends who live just around the corner.
• discussing deep, timeless principles and feeling myself grow.
• the way classics touch my heart and open my mind in a new way each time I re-read them.

Last night, we gathered with moms and youth for our monthly youth book group.  

This month: Elantris.  Wow! 

I loved:

• reading (listening to) a fascinating, original story, oozing with principles of leadership, virtue, and freedom.  
• watching my sons read 450 pages yesterday and knowing they can do hard things.
• young boys leading a serious discussion.
• hearing my son read this quote to the group and explain what it meant to him: "When you accept authority, you must be willing to take responsibility for it at all times--even when you don't particularly feel like it." (Elantris, p. 394)
• seeing my boys inspired to be a little better after reading a story of true heroism.
• a darling neighbor girl who wanted to babysit for "service."
• Aspen's fresh homemade salsa.
• discussing nutrition and health with other moms while the youth played night games outside.
• knowing that my boys have great friends.

Yesterday I finshed typing up our winter semester schedule for Liberty Girls.  We start next week, and we'll be studying Josefina and 1824 New Mexico.  Can't wait to share some of the fun activities we have planned:  spinning and weaving with wool (my neighbor got a real spinning wheel for Christmas!), sewing and embroidery, learning about herbal medicine, planting flowers...so fun for 6-10 year old girls! (and moms!)  

I love book clubs!  As you can see, they play a significant role in our family's education.  Reading with peers motivates and encourages us to dive into a variety of books and search for real meaning.  Book discussions provide a powerful learning environment, as we listen to the comments of others, analyze different aspects of the book, and practice expressing ourselves before a group.  And we all love to get together with friends and visit and eat treats and play!  

Are you or your kids members of a book club?  

If not, start one!  Or three...

We're compiling a list of our favorite classics to post here.  What are your favorite books?

book love

I love books.  I love creative people who put their talents into words and photographs that inspire others into becoming better people.  I collect classic books.  We have shelves full of them in our home library.  And recently, I've started collecting and borrowing other books that inspire me...mainly cookbooks and craft books.  And just looking at them truly makes my life richer!

Here are a few that I'm loving:  

**Love Soup by Anna Thomas.  This arrived in the mail last week, and I can't stop thumbing through it!  I'm loving the array of yummy comfort soups...360 vegetarian recipes, including soups, salads, and more.  We've already tried the Potato Pizza recipe (YUM!) and I served her Popovers with scrambled eggs and sliced cucumbers.  (the pumpkin soup photographed below was my own creation for last night's dinner...but definitely inspired by this great book...mmmmm!)

**Carefree Clothes for Girls.

My favorite new girly sewing book.  Full of simply lovely creations by Junko Okawa, this was originally a Japanese craft book, now offered in English...hooray!  It is filled with inspiring photographs, and darling, workable patterns and instructions.  Hannah received this pearly-buttoned play dress for her birthday last Saturday.  

And I'm working on the linen lace-trimmed coat for her as well:

**Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick.


This excellent knitting book has beautiful photos with so many warm and wooly holiday gift ideas.  I started this darling elf hat for Eliza yesterday.  Isn't it festive?  My talented and generous neighbor and her sweet daughter are helping me decipher these new knitting patterns...to me they seem to be written in a foreign language!  Hopefully there will be many, many more handknit items for gifting during this holiday season at our house...
Look at this one!  Precious.  One of the very next on my holiday list!

What's been inspiring you lately?

knitting lesson

Hannah and I happened upon a darling yarn shop while the boys were at music lessons a few days ago.  We drooled over the array of soft, yummy woolens, hung around the tidy space on display.  The colorful skeins were neatly arranged on shelves and tables, and the tiny striped baby socks all hung in a row were a sight to behold.

So...

after lots of questions to the kind knitting-expert at the counter, we walked out with a few beautiful skeins of the softest, most luxurious alpaca wool yarn.  

And...

after our three-hour Liberty Girls meeting yesterday, we begged our gracious neighbors to give us a quick knitting lesson.  We spent the afternoon knitting, talking, and laughing, and then they sent us on our way with a stack of lovely knitting books, a new knitting bag for our supplies, and fun new crafting skills!  Thank you, kind neighbors...you're wonderful! 

Then...

after dinner and baths, we knitted the evening away, while a movie played and Sarah slept.  And of course, I spent a little time perusing the inspiring craft books, staring at masterful photos of darling handmade knits, thrilled to be on my way to knitting my own woolen treasures.   

Wisdom of Ages

If I could spend just a few moments in the presence of the heroic
George Washington,

first,
I would offer him my sincerest gratitude for the many sacrifices he made on my behalf...for spending his life in the service of his fellowmen, fighting for freedom.
I, one of the privileged who has reaped the blessings of that precious freedom,
won by sweat and blood so long ago,
would graciously thank him. again and again.
Then,
I might speak to him about the perilous state of our nation today. I would let him know that our hard-earned freedom is now at risk. That many of today's Americans have forgotten the meaning of liberty and what it is to stand up and fight for that God-given right of self-governance
...forgotten by whose hand this great republic came to be, and by whose hand we can remain a blessed and free people
...forgotten that maintaining freedom requires virtue, education, and hard work on the part of the individual.

"When the taste for physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education . . . the time will come when men are carried away and lose all self-restraint . . . . It is not necessary to do violence to such a people in order to strip them of the rights they enjoy; they themselves willingly loosen their hold. . . . they neglect their chief business which is to remain their own masters."
—Alexis de Tocqueville (Democracy in America, Volume 2)

Americans are neglecting that chief business--doing what it takes to educate themselves in truth and virtue--
and the inalienable right of governing ourselves is slipping from our grasp.
In the name of "equality," our government is negating that immortal clause "all men are created equal"
...and America is buying it. Literally.

"There is, in fact, a manly and lawful passion for equality that incites men to wish all to be powerful and honored. This passion tends to elevate the humble to the rank of the great; but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for inequality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom."
— Alexis de Tocqueville

"Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom; socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."
— Alexis de Tocqueville

And this very week in Washington, we the people seem to be surrendering our dear republic:

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."
— Alexis de Tocqueville (Democracy in America)

What has become of us?
******
Do you know how I think President Washington would reply?
He might repeat the following heartfelt call to action, which he gave to a group of officers and soldiers from Pennsylvania during the pivotal Revolutionary War:

"The honor and safety of our bleeding country, and every other motive that can influence the brave and heroic patriot, call loudly upon us to acquit ourselves with spirit. In short, we must now determine to be enslaved or free. If we make freedom our choice, we must obtain it by the blessings of Heaven on our united and vigorous efforts."

And then he might add:

"The General hopes such frequent favors from Divine Providence will animate every American to continue to exert his utmost in the defense of the liberties of his country, as it would now be basest ingratitude to the Almighty, and to their country, to show...the least backwardness in the public cause." (General Orders 1775)

And he would probably repeat what he urgently requested of the Senate and the House of Representatives in 1794:

"Let us unite...in imploring the Supreme Ruler of nations to spread his holy protection over these United States, to turn the machinations of the wicked to the confirming of our Constitution, to enable us at all times to root out internal sedition and put invasion to flight, to perpetuate to our country that prosperity which his goodness has already conferred, and to verify the anticipation of this government being a safeguard to human rights."

And I echo his wisdom:
Determine to be FREE
Practice and teach VIRTUE
EDUCATE ourselves in TRUTH
Take ACTION in the time and manner we feel appropriate
PRAY for our nation's goodness, protection, and prosperity.




******





Of course, I'll never be able to sit down with the General or any of the other influential Presidents of the past (at least not in this life) and discuss the state of the union,
so I'm reading these fantastic books with the kids, hoping to glean a little portion of the wisdom of ages:

and these, too: