How do YOU keep your house clean?

That's it. I give up. I am a no-good housekeeper! And so I need to hear from you all...how do YOU keep your house clean?!

Ever since I became a stay-at-home mom, I put it in my mind that part of my "job" was to maintain an orderly household, and I still hold myself to that standard. Theoretically, anyway. But if this were a "real" job, I'd so be fired! Maintaining a clean house with little ones seriously has become what seems like an impossible task to me. It's weird, because I don't like messiness and chaos. It kind of drives me nuts. Yet it obviously doesn't drive me so nuts that I do what I need to do to keep things looking halfway decent around here.

Now, I know that a perfectly clean house is NOT the most important thing in the world. I spend a whole lot of time every day just playing with the kids and enjoying them, and I know time spent in that way is much more valuable than time spent cleaning. I won't give that time up. On the other hand, I think I would enjoy that time with them more if I didn't have this huge housework to-do list hanging over my head. That, and I do think it's important for kids to grow up surrounded by more peace and order than disorder, and for them to learn lessons in daily responsibilities.

So, I guess I'm looking for the most effective ways of doing things. I know that work is involved, even with shortcuts. But the less time we can all spend on cleaning and chores, the more we can spend doing the things we love! Let's talk specifics...

Here are some problem areas for me:

1. Just keeping stuff picked up. I feel like 98% of the time I have to clean every day goes simply to picking things up and emptying/reloading the dishwasher. Which leaves virtually no time for any other chores. I know this will become less of an issue as the kids get older and can do more of this kind of thing, but for now, I feel like all I do is pick up after others. I will say that I recently dubbed 7:00pm as "clean-up time", with great success. And that way I don't spend the first half-hour of the kids' bedtime cleaning up their toys. (still other clean-up to do, but at least not that). Any other ideas in this department?

2. Laundry!!! Does anyone else feel like they are constantly drowning in laundry? My current system - to let it pile up until it really needs to be done - is not working. Because then it becomes too overwhelming of a task. It worked when there were just two, and even three of us, but not now. So I'd like to know if there's anyone out there who has a system that works for them. Do you do a little every day? All of it on one specific day every week? Twice a week? Any other thoughts?

3. I consider picking stuff up and laundry to be the two biggies. Then there's everything else...bathrooms, changing sheets, scrubbing bathtubs, dusting, organizing closets...you all know how endless this list is. Do you all just do these things randomly as needed? That's what I've always done, but then again, I can't tell you the last time I changed all of our sheets....(I know, that's gross). Dusting...I'm not kidding when I tell you I dust MAYBE twice a year. And our closets make me cringe. Does anyone out there have a cleaning schedule for these kinds of things? I'm considering starting one, but kind of afraid that would mean setting myself up for failure:) But I think I need to discipline myself somehow in order to keep things nicer/cleaner than they are now.

So those are the things I'd like to ask you all about. Solutions that have worked for me...like I said, 7:00 clean-up time. Also, there are some great products out there that make cleaning easier (love my toilet wand, and also anti-bacterial cleaning wipes for counters and bathrooms).

I do know that part of the solution is for me to just buckle down and get it done. But again, I'm looking for effectiveness...to spend the least possible amount of time necessary while still accomplishing what I need to. There are a few of you out there - even moms with young kids - who DO somehow manage to maintain incredible order in your home...I want to hear from you!

Fall fun, part one

We've been having a whole lot of fall-type fun here in the Butts household in the last month! Unfortunately, I left our camera at my sister's house in Bellingham the last time we were there, and most of our pictures are still on it (and not on the computer), so I'll have to wait to share most of it. I do, however, have pictures of a recent trip to the park. That sounds like kind of a lame thing to be documenting (especially when it's just the park across the street!), but hey, the everyday stuff is important, too! These were taken on the kind of fall day I love...chilly air mixed with warm sun. Pretty soon winter will be here and trips to the park will be infrequent, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather!

On the "dizzy fing", as Travis calls it. They like to be pushed, but not too fast! The Engmans gave Jayna this tutu for her birthday in June. She forgot about it for awhile, but lately loves to wear it all the time. :)

On "the fing that goes round and round". This park really is geared more toward older kids, but these kids find ways to make it fun!Rock jumping/counting!

Together, we named our front porch scarecrow Tiny Tim. They now refer to him casually, as if he is a real person.

Um, this is not a park picture. Not sure it was even taken on the same day. But I have to include a picture of the cute baby:)

Happy birthday, Aunt Bonnie!

My sister's birthday isn't until the 11th, but in South Korea, the 11th comes tomorrow! Happy birthday, Bonnie! March can't come soon enough!

p.s. This is Jayna's version of the song...she sings that one line over and over again. I don't know why Travis went along with it - usually he corrects her by singing it the right way. Funny, in any case!

October update

Well, fall has arrived! While I don't have anything terribly exciting to report, we've had a lot going on, so I thought I'd post a general update.

The past month has been a month of establishing new routines, and I am so thankful that the transition went quite smoothly. We went from having basically no regular weekly activities in the summer to now having preschool (M/W/F am), MOPS (every other Tues.), Bible study (Thur.), and Cubbies (Wed. nights). It's funny how at the end of the school year I'm always ready for less structure, but by the end of the summer I'm ready for more! Sure enough, I think the newfound structure has been a great thing for us.

Travis has done so well with preschool!! I'm just so proud of this kid! I had the opportunity to go along with him and his class on their first field trip of the year this past week. We went to Build-A-Bear, where they worked together to build a class pet, which they will take turns taking home with them throughout the year. It was such a joy for me to be able to watch Travis in his interactions with his peers and teachers. His various teachers/leaders often tell us what a joy Travis is to have in class, and I'm not sure anything else could make me more proud of him. There is much that Travis may (or may not) accomplish in his life, in academics or athletics or music, etc., but nothing could make me more proud than to see him being respectful, kind-hearted, and caring toward others. I tell you all of this with the utmost level of humility - it is ALL by God's grace that Travis is growing in these ways and exhibiting these qualities. He is by no means perfect, and as I've written before, there are behaviors we're really working to correct. But what God is teaching me is that as wild of a ride as parenting can be, He does not want for us to parent in fear (fear that we're doing things wrong, that we're ruining our kids, that we should be doing more....I could go on and on). What God DOES want is for us to look to Him for all wisdom and guidance in raising these kids God has entrusted to each of us. And after we do that, to give our concerns to God rather than worry or fear. Anyway, I'm thankful for the ways we've seen God molding his little heart!

Jayna, it seems, has grown up SO much in the last couple of months. I think I've said it before, but she's talking more and more all the time. And the things she says so often take me by surprise! Today Travis was upset about something, and Jayna asked me "What's Travis' deal, Mommy?" I had to repeat her to make sure she really was saying what I thought...it just really surprised me to hear her use that phrase, and to use it correctly! We can now have basically full conversations with her. I still totally have to interpret for others, but at least I (and Steve most of the time, too) know what she's saying. So fun to hear how she processes things! Also, I think our time with Jayna - while Travis is at preschool - has been a great thing for her. She plays independently very well, but also loves to snuggle, read books, and help us...and eat. She loves to eat :) She frequently asks us to sing with her, her favorite songs being "ABC's", "Twinkle", and "Jesus Loves Me". The video below was taken a couple of weeks ago...she's much better at her ABC's at this point, but you get the idea. In the next couple of weeks, we're going to attempt potty-training her...hopefully it will only take one attempt!

Evan...seriously, if I could freeze him in time, I would. I just love this age. He's a happy, happy boy. In a nutshell...he has one tooth, is almost sitting, is almost a carry-on-your-hip baby, is pretty fascinated by his siblings, recently started rice cereal (the first time I gave it to him, he practically inhaled it off the spoon!), and LOVES his Jumparoo!! (as evidenced by the video below) I just love cuddling with him and kissing him and squeezing his baby fat! Hard to believe that he'll be 6 months in just 10 days.

Steve's still really enjoying his job (thankfully!). In about a month he'll be 100% done with his training and done with his probationary period. It seems like sooo long ago that he first started at the academy! Looking back, we're both convinced that the timing of him getting this job was perfect....Quadrant (his old job) has had several rounds of layoffs since he left, and there's a good chance he'd be among the unemployed at this point if he had stayed. And we're all still amazed by how much more time he now spends at home, with us!!

And me?... The kids keep me pretty darn busy! I backed way off my responsibilities within my church's MOPS ministry, though I still attend and lead a table. I've also started attending a new Beth Moore Bible study that I am just loving. It is a study of the life and ministry of Paul, and so far has been excellent. More on that later, I'm sure. I've also been running a lot in an attempt to shed some pounds. The weight hasn't come off as quickly as I'd like, but I have lost 11 lbs! More importanly, I'm learning to replace bad habits with good ones. And believe it or not, I enjoy running. It can be hard to find the time to do it, and I'm still super-slow (concentrating more on distance), but so good for me.

About a month ago, we had a few weeks of passing around a yucky illness (bad cold? flu? not sure). It was so not fun. Evan was waking up every couple of hours from not feeling well, which meant that I was hardly getting any sleep, and thus, not able to get better myself. It seems like there's been a ton of sickness going around already, so I'm praying now that we will be spared of anything too terrible this year!

That's it for now... maybe I'll actually post more than once in October...maybe:) Free time seems to be a thing of the past!

I made a few batches of applesauce this year, and Travis loved helping with the slicer-peeler-corer machine. He loves to help in the kitchen...maybe one day he'll be a better cook than I am? One can hope!

Daddy dogpile! I threatened to get on top and Travis freaked out :)

A recent visit with Grandpa and 5/6 grandkids. That's probably the best picture ever of all the kids together! There you go, Dad...save it to your desktop!
Evan after he finished his first ever bowl of rice cereal. "I'm not finished yet!"

After another feeding, much more content.


I love this picture!!
Apparently Evan makes a good pillow?

Travis starts preschool!

Remembering back to last fall when Steve and I were questioning whether or not to put Travis in preschool, I am now so glad we decided to go for it! Travis had his first day today and loved it! I know it has only been one day, but I can tell already that Travis is going to have a great year. His teacher is awesome, and I feel beyond comfortable leaving him to spend so much time in her classroom. Thank you, God!

Dropping him off, I was quite proud. I could tell he was a little bit nervous, but he's a pretty confident and self-assured kid. He let us help him get settled, but had on his brave face and clearly didn't need us to stay. His teacher had various play options set up as they walked into the room, and Travis went right to the play-doh. We watched from the hallway for a bit, and when I started to tear up, I knew it was time to go. (He just looked so big and little at the same time, and brave, and innocent, obedient, friendly....creating a mixture of pride and sadness for me. And once I start crying, it can be hard to stop. So I needed to be distracted:)

Anyway, he did great, and when we came to pick him up, the first thing he said was "That was fun!" It was fun to hear about his day. What did we do while he was at school? Steve was off, and we all went to Elmer's for breakfast, then the park!See Jayna in the background, wondering what was going on? After we got back to the car from dropping him off, she said "I want Dawit". A good shot of his classroom. His teacher is the one in front, and the assistant is behind her.

Jayna's first haircut!

Our week of rest

Well, our week with Travis and Jayna was, as expected, restful, productive, and refreshing! And by the end of the week, we both missed the kids and were so excited to go pick them up...which means that the week served it's purpose! The kids had a great time, though I was happy that by the end of the week they were glad to see us and ready to go home. Thank you to Gary and Paula for giving the kids such a great time!

Steve worked a few nights that week, but otherwise, he took things pretty easy (deservedly so). I actually accomplished quite a bit...besides the projects shown below, I also got quite a bit of cleaning and organizing done. I got a few good jogs in, read more than usual, took a nap or two, and went shopping for fall kids' clothes. It was that left me feeling..."on top of things", I guess would be a good way to describe it.

My biggest project was to finish up one that I had begun the week prior, and that was to finish painting the office/piano room and reorganize it. I created a specific place for everything (inboxes for each of us, place for bills, etc.) so that hopefully we can keep it looking this way! I love the color...almost exactly the color of masking tape.

Jayna's room has this one huge wall that has always been basically empty. I was so excited when I stumbled across these wall stickers a couple of weeks ago at Target...the whole set for just $15! It's kind of hard to tell in the picture, but it turned out super-cute.
And in the boys' room...I've had these "wall art" cards since February that are seriously adorable and go perfectly with their camping theme. This week I finally got to put them up! Travis is really into the alphabet and sounding things out (and animals), so he thought these were pretty cool.
Evan was in heaven...he got tons of one-on-one attention this week! Such a sweet baby he is.

Oh yes...and we got a cat!!! We'd been talking about it before this and even went to the humane society with the kids a couple weeks ago, so last week we stopped in and I immediately fell in love with this little kitten. She's 2 months old, a calico, super-playful, loves to cuddle (she sleeps on my pillow), and I'm happy to say that I think she loves me the best. :) Travis kind of helped pick out the name...Ruby! (One of his favorite shows currently is Ruby & Max on Nickelodeon).