Spring Cleaning? In my house, it’s more like spring, summer, fall and winter cleaning. Where do we store all the stuff we don’t use very often?  Some favorites are in a “spare” room, a large closet, the garage, or even a storage unit –  in our family, it’s the garage. I am so envious of people who can actually fit their car(s) in their garages — wow, what a concept. Although I try to live by many of the principles of voluntary simplicity, sometimes the road to simpler isn’t always easy or simple. This is the third time in only two years that I’ve attempted to clean & organize our garage. I used to think I was somewhat organized… then I had kids. Enough said.

The ‘Mom vs. Clutter’ match went something like this:

• In this corner we have the current champion, the infamous Clutter; and in the other corner sits the stressed-out, always-exhausted, overwhelmed challenger, Mom. [spectators cheer loudly]
• Round 1: Two years ago: We moved into our new home. I only had enough time & energy left to stack the multitude of packing boxes in one (large) area of the garage. Round goes to Clutter.
• Round 2: One year ago: I bought a bunch of plastic tubs and moved all our stuff from the cardboard packing boxes into the tubs. At least it appeared to be more organized. Round again goes to Clutter.
• Round 3: Last October: I started in and I’m almost done now, only five months later. This time I was serious about organizing our stuff.
  Some things I pondered as I cleaned:
  • How many stuffed animals do my two girls need? Four tubs full? Definitely not, but how do I give away all those cute little critters that seem to mean so much to my kids?
  • When am I actually going to have time to fix all those broken toys and damaged clothes? Yep, probably never.

  (more…)

When children get grouchy, it’s a powerful thing to help them gain the self-awareness that they are in a bad mood. Sometimes a touch of humor helps them learn this. When Heidi was young, she and her dear friend Emily used to play “Sourpuss Hats.” I think the game started because one day Emily’s mother had asked Emily if she had put on her sourpuss hat because she was so cranky. Emily (and then Heidi) quickly adopted this idea. They found real hats that became their official sourpuss hats, which they donned whenever being a sourpuss was warranted. With hats on their heads, they stomped around the house with dour looks on their faces, making various grumbly c omments. It was hilarious for all concerned.

But the best part was the holdover for when they really were grouchy. All we mothers had to do at this point was say, “Do you need your sourpuss hat? You’re acting mighty grouchy right now.” And the girls would giggle and somehow the grumpy mood was magically transformed. They started this when they were two or so, and still to this day, nine years later, if they are in a grouchy mood, they both break into a smile at just the mention of the words “sourpuss hat.” It’s astonishing what a little good-hearted humor can do to save the day!

If you’re a cat-lover like I am, you just have to check out this video of a great cats’ house, created by home owner Bob Walker.

You can also “visit” The Cats’ House own website: www.thecatshouse.com.

Photo by Frank Wouters

This kid quote was sent to me from Brenda at Chinaberry:

After her gymnastics class my niece, with her hand on her hip, turned to my sister and said

“Mommy, my hippo hurts.”
- Bowie, 4 yrs old

This quote was sent to me by Patti, Customer Service Manager at Chinaberry:

My husband took our son Ryan (who was about 3 1/2 years old at the time) to the barbershop for a haircut.  The barber put him on his booster seat in the barber’s chair and then asked Ryan how he’d like his hair cut.  Ryan replied by saying, “I want my hair cut just like my dad’s, except–pointing to his temples–without these bald spots there.”

Share your kid quotes!

This kid quote was sent to me from Tammy B. at Chinaberry:

When my oldest daughter Bridgette was about five, we did not get along very well–she was so independent. One day when she was very angry at me, she said:

“I am not going to love you for the rest of my life… and tomorrow too!”
- Tammy’s daughter Bridgette, at age 5

This is a place where Chinaberry customers and employees alike can share the amusing things that the kids in their lives have said. Please share your kid quotes with us. See our first ‘Out of the Mouths of Babes’ column for more info on submitting your kid quotes.