2011 July

Decluttering . . . Genghis Khan Style

July 28, 2011 By Nony 12 Comments

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to see the Genghis Khan exhibit at the Irving Arts Center in Irving, TX.

I’ll be honest. I’ve never thought much about Genghis Khan other than some vague memories of him as a peripheral character in Mulan.

But I love to broaden my horizons, expand my understanding of the world, and expose my kids to the fact that people in history were real, and that not everyone lives/lived the way we do in our little town.

It was fun. They got to try on armor, shoot trebuchets (catapults), dig for artifacts, and see a real ~~live~~ mummy.

Which was creepy.

But the thing I tried to point out over and over to them was that these people were nomads. They lived in tents. And moved . . . a lot. Carrying all their stuff with them.

Which makes you think about which things are worth carrying.

So on Tuesday, I told them we were going to do a little experiment. We again discussed which things these people likely had to carry from place to place. Dishes, clothes, their tents, etc. We talked about how if our family lived this way, Daddy would probably do a lot of the carrying.

But he would carry the stuff we needed. Who would carry their toys?

Easy answer: They would.

So, I gave each of the boys a small(ish) box that they could carry themselves, and told them to put into it their very favorite things. The things they would be willing to carry.

One boy had a hard time filling his up.

The other . . . not so much.

I let him make a pile of stuffed animals that wouldn’t fit in the box. The point wasn’t to limit them to one box of belongings. It was to help them differentiate the things they really love from the things they just think are cool to have.

More than I expected, viewing their possessions from this perspective was extremely effective. We started going through the room, putting most of the things that hadn’t made the cut into the trash or a Donate Bag. Since they had already decided what was important, the little pieces of junk were easier to part with. Only long-lost treasures were added to the soon-overflowing boxes.

And the best part? They’re glad we worked in their room. As my 7yo said (several times), “I never thought I’d say this Mom, but I’m so glad you made us do that!”

It’s amazing how much more fun it is to play in a room where you can actually find things.

Through Business 2 Blogger and the Irving Arts Center, I was provided with tickets to this event and am being compensated for my time in writing this post.

I’m linking this up over at Orgjunkie.com.

Filed Under: Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Experiencing End-of-Summer Panic

July 26, 2011 By Nony 4 Comments

It hit me last Friday that I had exactly one month until my youngest child started kindergarten.

As in . . . one month until things change. Big time. I’ll no longer be a mother of a pre-schooler and the nine-and-a-half-year period of my life that has included a little one by my side at all times . . . will be over.

Handling it well? Not really.

Anyway, I have decided not to worry about my blog this month. That doesn’t mean I won’t be posting (I actually have quite a few written posts that will be going up), just that I’m not going to worry about it if I need to skip a day of posting here and there.

If I have a post burning in my soul that will come out in a matter of minutes while the kids are still asleep . . . great. If not, it can wait.

With that said, I have two giveaways coming up next week, so it’s worth checking in. If you use facebook, be sure you’ve “liked” my page there so you’ll see when posts go up.

And now for an awkward transition . . .

In case you’re starting to realize that the school year is coming up quickly, here are a few things to consider . . .

For the next four days, Vistaprint is offering a set of 140 free return address labels. You can also have them printed with just your child’s name, and they’re wonderful for labeling school supplies. We like to use our last name only, so they can be used for all three kids. ALL three who will be in school this year.

Gulp.

You can go here to design and order some. Shipping starts at $3.03.

And while I’m peddling affiliate links, I’ll mention that in this last blast of summer, as we’re trying to make the most of family time, I’m loving using the deals I’ve gotten through sites like Groupon. There are always great deals on family activities. We’re heading to a water-park later this week using a fantastic deal I got earlier in the summer.

Daily deals on the city’s best stuff only from Groupon. Restaurants, spas, events & more, 50%-90% off!

However, if you’re like us, and sometimes a day of cheap fun loses its value when you end up eating out on the way home, I recommend doing a little research before you leave and grabbing a Restaurant.com gift certificate.

Just keep in mind that these are more like coupons than gift certificates. The one I found that is nearby the waterpark has a 25$ gift certificate that is sold for 15$. With the 80% off coupon code: SAVE, it’s only 3.00. The fine print, though, states that you have to order 35$ in food, and that a 15% gratuity will be added. This means that if we order right at 35$ worth of food, we’ll end up paying 14.75 at the restaurant. That’s after having spent 3.00 online paying for the gift certificate. So, the 35.00 meal, including tip, will have cost us 17.75. Not bad!

And yes, in case it wasn’t clear above, this post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Summer | 4 Comments

Re-Cleaning

July 25, 2011 By Nony 5 Comments

I’m not talking about the daily cleaning that makes me feel a little dizzy thinking, “Didn’t I just wipe down the table? How is it already covered in syrup?”

I’m talking about cleaning things that are clean.

Or at least clean . . . in theory.

It drives me crazy to wash laundry that I know is probably clean, but somehow got mixed in with dirty clothes. (I used the word “somehow” but it really isn’t as mysterious as it sounds. I’m pretty sure it has to do with not putting the clothes away when I should.)

There are occasions, however, when I don’t mind the re-washing.

When my kids get into a pretending-to-be-animal-caretaker phase, I don’t make a bit of a fuss over re-washing the Tupperware that has been on the floor.

Mostly because I love watching their imaginations run.

But a little bit because I don’t want them thinking they need to sneak the now-contaminated Tupperware back into the cabinet.