Ten Things

Another little thing I make myself do to (try to) keep the house clean is to put away ten (or five) things whenever I enter a room. Even tiny little things that are out of place count---doesn't matter what it is. It just matters that I'm putting stuff away. Sometimes it's pieces of clothing that go in the laundry, bath toys strewn on the edge of the tub, or the hundreds of ballpoint pens that seem to multiply in the strangest of places.

I can't always do this when Elijah is awake, but when he's napping or in bed for the night, I try. Though as you can see from the previous post, there area often quite a few more than ten things out of place in any given room. I've done this on and off for years, and it keeps me in a "put things away" mindset. Or, it keeps me sitting in one place so I don't have to pick up anything. (Ha, ha!)

Cleaning Out the Tupperware Cabinet

He took it all out; since I have to put it all back in, I might as well re-organize it in the process!

Another cleaner little area

Given our lack of a spare bedroom, office, basement, etc. I had to get
creative with the location of our file cabinet, printer and network
components. This little corner in our bedroom serves that purpose
nicely, and there is also room for the laundry sorter, ironing board
and drying racks (also needing a home since we don't have a linen
closet or laundry room). A bigger house would be lovely, but I'm
getting pretty good at small-space living!

So this area is a dust magnet, but it is also now CLEAN!

One Clean Spot

This may not look like a big deal, but this dresser has been piled
high with papers, clothes and other miscellaneous items (plus lots of
dust) for weeks, maybe months. And now it is clean. I even cleaned the
light switches. The dresser is full, but organized.

I'm still trying to keep up with my goal of cleaning out or organizing
one little spot in my home every week. I also re-hung some drapery
hardware today. Two projects before 10:00 a.m.! I'm on a roll. Time to
get moving again!

Little Cubs fan!

This is the little Cubs outfit my dad bought for Elijah. So cute!

Loving this stage

Every more-seasoned mom out there may laugh at me, but I am just taking a moment to marvel at Elijah's growth and development over the past 11-1/2 months. I was watching his little legs holding him up as he stood next to the sofa. Yes, stood! He's been doing it for a while, but it struck me how amazing that is. That teeny baby grew into this little person who can go get a toy to play with, go pretty much wherever he wants, and is constantly trying new things. And one day he decided to use those little legs to stand up. I didn't teach him how, really, just helped him along. One of these days, he's going to see what happens when he steps away from the furniture without getting back down to crawl away...and walking will open a whole other world to him.

I don't know if I'll be less in awe at these simple things when we have another child (someday! not anytime soon!). But right now, everything amazes me. His love of airplanes, and how he points up to the sky when he sees or hears one. His giddy little laugh when something strikes him funny. How he wants to be independent and go off on his own, but sometimes still just needs a hug. Watching him grow amazes me.

And now, he's playing with something he probably shouldn't, so I have to go!

It's Hot!!

Here is what I saw on a time & temp display near my house:

Flooding

I'm taking a quick break from working to comment on some amazing people around here (at church).  In addition to preparing for VBS, the biggest event of the year (I know VBS is a big thing at many churches, but it's off the charts around here), everyone is scurrying around dealing with flooding.  Several staff members and volunteers have serious flooding in their own basements at home, and they're cleaning out the basement-level multipurpose room (gym) and kitchen at church, PLUS helping some elderly church members who need help dealing with flooded basements. I am in awe.  The only way I can describe it is a relentless pursuit of service to others.  Way to go, everybody!

Today

Other than taking a couple of insanely short naps, today has been a very happy day for Elijah and me.  (He doesn't seem affected by the short naps, but I certainly have been.  I could have used some sleep.)  

He has been happy and smiling, giggling and squirming all day long.  Even when we had lunch out at a nice restaurant.  He had crackers, and all was right with the world.  

So he is teaching me to take joy in the simple things, and enjoy every moment.  Here's a picture of him from this morning.  

Have a wonderful day!

Moving on...

It is finally hitting me that even though we're not leaving town, that we are moving on from our church home (for those who don't know---we're helping to start a new church).  And this will be our last Sunday at our church.  Mixed feelings, of course---sadness, but excitement for the future.  When we started attending SPC eight years ago, I had been out of college for less than 2 months, married for 3 weeks, and living in Park Ridge for one week.  It was the first and only church we visited.  We have changed a lot since then, and I'm looking forward to what the next eight years will bring!