the kitchen cure

something had to be done.

i appreciate mom unpacking my kitchen 5 years ago. (i also appreciate her doing dishes all day every day she is here visiting, but that's another story). i had a new baby, a new house, a newly remodeled kitchen and i was grateful to have one less thing to do. five years later i am ready to reorganize and purge things from my kitchen. its a small kitchen with lots of storage, but most of it out of reach for little me. the very reachable space is also very accessable to two curious kids who i think are finally old enough to know what they can touch. claire is as obsessed with my glass blue beehive blender as i am , so i will keep it out of reach since she accidently broke my last one!

i digress.

i've been ready to really get after it, but i really needed the help of a friend to help me make decisions, and two days without the kids around. then really, if i get a friend, and two days without the kids, would we really clean my kitchen??

then i saw this post on a blog i occasionally follow. BINGO! a month is much more reasonable length of time for me to do a makeover on my kitchen. the motivation i needed and the weekly checklist to go along with it!

so, last week was the pantry and the refrigerator. seriously, even that was a lot for one week!

i'm going to bare all and show you the before and after photos

a.) because YOU are really the ones that will hold me accountable to continuing this!

2.) i am already really proud of myself

3.) it is fun to see before and after shots!

d.) i'd love your feedback - ideas, suggestions. i still want more counter space and more cuteness

so, here are the before for the spice shelves and pantry! snug, i know!

not too bad, but a lot of spices dusting the bottom shelf, and the basket full of misc spices and jars

the pull out drawers are awesome, but (aside from the bottom two) there wasn't really a place for everything.

and after.....

i know, it still looks crowded, but when you cook from scratch, the pantry IS crowded. what you might not notice is that claire and i labeled jars! we also consolidated and put nearly everything into jars (rather than plastic bags from the bulk food section)

the bottom drawer is snack stuff - nuts, fruit, popcorn

the second from the bottom is dry goods - grains, beans

the next shelf up is baking goods - sugars, misc flours, oils

then there is the adult snack shelf - chocolate, a few boxed mixes, more chocolate

then i moved my foil and wraps to the next shelf (they had been above the refrigerator in a sloppy stack that always fell over). behind them are the rice papers for making spring rolls. seriously, keeping those from getting broken was crazy as they balanced on top of other things - behind the wraps - brilliant.

top shelf is very misc stuff that i don't use often - the bulk bags of bulk teas, steve's jerky making ingredients, white sugar

and the spice cupboard? the hubs noticed before i even told him i signed up for this gig! it might not look too different, but i purged at least 10 jars of spices we just don't use, some old coffee from the top shelf and a few jars with unmatched lids.

found: box of vegetable bullion, extra cumin (my favorite!), and the perfect jar for the bag of home grown oregano

the satisfaction will continue as i battle the refrigerator!

heart strings

starting preschool has made more of an impact on our life than i anticipated!
jackson is going to a little neighborhood dual immersion preschool three mornings a week. it is great and over all we LOVE it! it is really close, very diverse, has a really active community of parents and teachers, and he is learning spanish!
that said, it is amazing how three little mornings a week can feel like so much!

• three days where we really shouldn't try to do much else, lest we get overstimulated
• six extra commutes.
• waking up my deep sleeper every. single. morning!
• finally (i know you scheduled people, i've finally converted) getting ourselves a morning routine.
• stopping the morning play, the best play of the day
• being on time. in the morning!

the first few weeks were hard, he wanted to go to school, but he didn't want to leave me. he didn't want to miss out on what claire and i were doing without him! he would cling to my leg, beg me not to leave, or to take him with me. ironically, claire wanted to be a part of the class and would beg to stay just 5 more minutes, every day! we climaxed a week ago when he began to cry as i left. the day he was holding my leg and claire was prostrate on the ground because she wanted to stay, i asked for back up. for one pretty miserable week (just three mornings) i would stay for only 5 minutes, then a teacher would come take jackson while claire and i left. i couldn't' watch, knowing he was clawing at the walls, the door, anything to come to me. i couldn't look because i knew it was the right thing to do, and peeking would only make me question what i already knew.

preschool is about separation. at the end of the day he only had great things to say about school, so i knew he enjoyed it. the teachers are wonderful and we knew we were leaving him in good care. so it was really the act of watching me leave without him and knowing he was missing out on something else that made him doubt.

the following week was magic - he initiated goodbye, he walked away from me to a project table, he gave me a kiss without hanging on my neck.

considering we had him enrolled for kindergarten this fall i'd say we made the right decision to take a year of preschool! next year he just might be going to school 5 days a week all day long! geez! that is a lot!

i have (okay, still do) thought about the idea of home schooling. i know it would be really difficult for me, but there is so much about it i would really enjoy. already i am missing being his lead teacher! he is only gone from me 7.5 hours a week, but i really miss being the one to see the delight in his eye as he discovers something new. i miss walking with him as he figures something out. i miss being able to point something out that i know will challenge his thinking.

and already i am getting an unsatisfying answer to the question, "how was school?". i have to eavesdrop when he talks with his doggy to hear a few more details.

at the same time, i know that it is my job to help him become a strong individual who knows himself independent from me. a person who has the tools to work thru his thoughts, make decisions, and have confidence in his beliefs. i want him to be able to listen to other perspectives, work in groups, be a positive, helpful person in the community, and grow into the person God made him to be.

i want that.

i know we can't lead him in that alone. my old refrain again - we need our community to help us with that. maybe it is that our relationship with this school is still really new, whereas our relationships with the others who are helping us raise our children are relationships we have fostered for years! i am needing to trust as we grow our relationship.

this is good for me.

and i am still processing all this...the desire to protect, the desire to trust, the desire to let go, the desire to hold on, knowing the balance of these desires.

lady of leisure

on friday mornings we go to swimming lessons along with a group of kids who come with their daycare provider. we've been with this group since jackson was 6 months old, mom/tot style, and really like it. this is the first year where both the kids are in the older class, leaving me free to swim laps!!
last week a couple of the ladies called me a lady of leisure as i came out of the water. even though i am sure they meant no ill by the comment, it really bothered me.
i have never, ever, in my entire life had a regular exercise schedule. ever. it has always felt like a perk. i should go for a bike ride or walk AFTER i get my work done. that never happens, so exercise never really does either. it hasn't been a really big deal since i have always had physical jobs. i delivered newspapers, babysat, and worked at a garden center. i know, you are perhaps remembering my days as a barista and picturing me sipping latte's and taking down a pastry or two each shift. well, i also stood all day, running back and forth from car to car, taking orders (this was no drive thru, rather a drive UP to). and don't under estimate the weight of a gallon of milk, lifted up and out of a refrigerator!
my job now is even more active, i actually even get my heart going some days!
at the same time, now that we are raising children it has made me think about how i teach my children the value of taking care of our bodies when i have never placed a high value on exercise. i really thought about it a lot when the kids were little. biking and walking were the best things for that stage. once jackson started walking (before 10mo) he wanted nothing to do with being buckled into a stroller or bike trailer. this made walking pure misery. claire tolerates a stroller much better, and now that jackson can ride a bike on his own, we can go on a family bike ride together. i have not, however attempted that alone!
doing yoga and stretching together results in me turning into a jungle gym.
the kids biking is more like a stroll for me.
so during the week we have been limited to romping around in the back yard, claire and i strolling behind jackson on his bike, and the once a week yoga at the Y (with free childcare!!)
but, now preschool has started, and wouldn't you know there isn't a class i can take between the hours of dropping him off and picking him up. the class times just don't work.
that leaves friday swimming.
30 minutes for me to swim by myself.
30 minutes of exercise for an entire week.
30 minutes a week of trying to push myself.
which i am sure is why that comment bothered me. i am not a lady of leisure! i work hard and certainly do not consider my small workout leisurely! it feels more like an accomplishment. we are exercising together!

how do you exercise with small children?