Mothering Many

From my email:
OK, what do you think about Ziploc bags? My husband kind of banned them and we have to use the Tupperware, but I just don’t think that they keep the food as fresh as a Ziploc would. I guess it is kind of like your cloth is best post, but didn’t know what you thought.
Alli

I don’t use very many Ziploc bags, and truthfully only buy them when I have a specific use for them. What I do use are the Ziploc containers. I used to be a Tupperware dealer long ago, and I do like the Tupperware products, but several years ago, they priced themselves right out of my budget. The Ziploc containers are cheap enough that I feel like I get my money’s worth out of them. I use them in the freezer, in the frig, and also for dry goods storage occasionally. And they are totally awesome to send/take food in because I don’t have to stress over my dish!

Moms, play games with your children. You will be creating memories that will last them a lifetime. I know I am so very guilty of deleting the fun stuff when I get pressured for time, but I have to bear in mind the memories I want my kids to have of me. Playing a game with mom and dad is as much fun for little people as staying in Las Vegas luxury condos is for big ones.

I don’t use those in my laundry either. Fabric Softeners coats your clothes, and that will cause your towels to not be absorbent. And most of them reek, IMO. Most of what makes your clothes nor feel soft is detergent residue, which you can avoid by using the small amount of dish detergent I discussed earlier. A little vinegar in the final rinse will also help with that. Use the Downy© ball that you already have, or the fabric softener dispenser on your machine.

One good use of the fabric softener sheets is for “fresheners” if you need to store off-season clothing, which we do. I find that if I toss a dryer sheet in the bins, I don’t need to wash them (again) when we unpack them.

Technorati Tags: fabric softener

If you are a mom of many like me, it can be very difficult finding mother-y things to represent all your children. I discovered this when I was investigating mother’s rings a few babies ago. Even the ones marketed as “grandmother’s rings” stop at around 5 stones. How incredibly sad is that? If you are looking for a large-family friendly item, check out places that sell Catholic gifts. You may be able to find something to represent more than 2.3 children.

And, yes, thank you, I have finally run out of space on my sweatshirt to add more kids. Three children ago, in fact.

Here is one of those pieces of advice you can take because I am not using it. When you get tired at night go to bed. Don’t consistently push through to get just a few more things done. You may be able to get by with it now, but one day you will be old like me, and your body will begin to laugh and mock you. It will say snide things like “if you couldn’t go to sleep when *I* wanted to, I am certainly not going to go to sleep when *you* want to.” This will be almost audible. Ask me how I know.

Technorati Tags: sleep, insomnia

I live in a wonderful place, ya’ll. I moved away for 15 years, and daily longed to be back here in North Carolina. The people, the landscape, the family, the food called to me. Even surrounded by the mountains of Colorado, I only yearned for the sea. I was surprised when I came back to live by the way the cities and towns had grown! Seems like I was just one of thousands who wanted to call North Carolina home again (or for the first time).

The Raleigh real estate market is booming (that being the “big city” closest to me) but the little town markets are growing like crazy, too. Here in my own town, I’ve heard they are adding 1000 new residences per month. That’s just crazy to me! Of course, we don’t have the fine arts opportunities that Raleigh does, nor the excellent selection of major universities, but we do have the traffic!

I have a dirty little secret to share, but it really helps me clean up. I do not buy laundry soap. Ever. I use dish detergent instead, about a tablespoon for a normal sized load, about a tablespoon and a half for a super capacity machine (guess which one I have?). Try it and see how it works for you.

This is the first in a series of posts about some of the blogs I read. You’ll find them listed in the sidebar under “Other Mothers”.

I started reading Nikki’s blog right before she just before she left for Vietnam to adopt the beautiful Addison. I held my breath for several days as a series of diplomatic snafus made her ponder whether she would be able to travel at the appointed time, and whether she’d be able to get Addison once she got there.

Of course, she has other children, and she writes about them, too. As well as homeschooling, crafts and other mothering stuff.

One thing that I find very difficult, even after all this time, is scheduling. Especially when you work at home, it can be an incredible challenge to find balance between not getting your work done because home life distracts you, and working all the time and never getting home stuff taken care of. What I recommend is setting “business hours”, and I recommend that you get home stuff done before you sit down to work.

I’m just trying this plan out myself (I told you I still find it difficult), but what I am trying is this: one hour first thing in the morning working, then get up and be with my children and do my household tasks until quiet time. And then back to work for me until I go to bed. Of course, I have to take some time in the evening for dinner with the family and helping them with their evening needs, but still it’s a schedule, and it’s working better than not having one at all.

If you liked my tip yesterday about using business cards for other purposes, you may be wanting some of your own. Many places online do business card printing, and for the purposes I mentioned you don’t need anything fancy. Any decent quality heavy paper will do. You don;t want anything to flimsy, but you certainly don’t need to break the bank, either. Get something that amuses you or reflects your personality. With a little searching, you can usually find them free for shipping.