Friday, September 8

Reminder ... Switched To Typepad

Just a quick reminder for those of you who have An Iowa Mom added to their feeds ... please change your feed to be updated when http://aniowamom.typepad.com is updated. I will no longer be updating Blogger.

Also, those of you who have me added to their Blog Rolls ... please change the URL to http://aniowamom.typepad.com

Thanks so much! See ya over there! :)

Friday, September 1

Good Bye Blogger ... Hello Typepad

If you've found this blog, and wondering why it hasn't been updated ... it's because I've moved!! You can now find the An Iowa Mom's Blog here.

If you are arriving here because of a feed you subscribe to ... please make sure to change the address, as I wouldn't want you to think I just disappeared off the face of the earth ... though some days (today being one of them) I wish I could!

Please come on over and visit me!

http://aniowamom.typepad.com

Wednesday, August 30

House of Fairies!

Last night, Sporty excitedly tucked his 6th lost tooth under his pillow. Checking it twice to make sure it was secure and would not accidentally fall out of reach before the Tooth Fairy could retrieve it, he settled in with a smile.

First thing this morning, AnIowaDad and I were talking through the door that separates our bathroom from our bedroom. We were briefly discussing our plans for the day ahead. He emerged from the bathroom wrapped in his favorite fluffy green towel, just as Sporty bounced into the room with 2 dollar bills waving high above his head. "She came!" he exclaimed, "The tooth fairy came!"

"That's funny," AnIowaDad chuckled as he opened an empty top dresser drawer, "The underwear fairy did not!"

An obvious jab at my lacking capability to keep up with the laundry. I would like to retract everything I said yesterday!

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Great Tip For Your Child's School Art Work - WFMW # 4




School is back in session for most of our kids and it's back to pulling several papers out of our child's backpack on a daily basis.

When Sporty started kindergarten, I was adamant about keeping and storing EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF ARTWORK OR SCHOOL WORK HE DID!!! Yes, call me crazy, I just couldn't bring myself to part with it. He put his whole heart into these masterpieces, how could I hang them on the refrigerator for a week and then throw them in the trash can? I couldn't. So I saved them. Each and every one.

Then 1st grade! No big deal. A new Rubbermaid storage container, or maybe two, and I was set. He'd bring them home, I'd display them proudly and then tuck them away in the bin marked "Sporty - 1st Grade".

Then Peenee started kindergarten. His papers were just as important ... so I started saving his from kindergarten, and Sporty's from 2nd grade. As you can imagine, I found myself with MANY Rubbermaid storage containers filled with papers. There were so many, I could never see anyone wanting to even sift through them those precious memories years from now. Then I had an idea ...

Scheduling a Sunday afternoon with Sporty, I asked to have him all to myself. He agreed, not knowing why. When we sat down that day, I pulled out the 5 bins full of his school work from kindergarten to the then present. We made 3 piles and sorted each piece of work into the pile we both agreed on:

  • # 1 - An absolute treasure - have to keep the original.
  • # 2 - Something We Like - but don't necessarily need to keep the original.
  • # 3 - Paper That He Did - but there is no reason at all to keep.

We take pile #3, as hard as it is, and throw it away into the recycle bin. We take pile #1 and store it back away into the storage container (should not even take up one container). Then, we take pile #2 and take digital pictures of each piece of work. We place the photos on a disk labeled, "Sporty's Kindergarten School Work". We then take pile #2 and place it with pile #3 in the recycle bin.

This system alleviates A LOT of paperwork, however, some of the things that are important to one of you, yet not important enough to have to keep the original, are stored on a disk for easy viewing and/or printing whenever you'd like.

This works for us ... and I hope it works for you all too! For more great tips, head on over to see Rocks In My Dryer!

Have a great WFMW!

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Tuesday, August 29

Pat Him On The Back and Call Him A Hero!

Wow ... do I ever need to talk up my wonderful husband! The last two days, AnIowaDad's been the BEST there is. I'm not kidding! And it's not very often I'll admit that.

Sunday morning I awoke to a queasy sensation in my belly. After wondering if it could be caused by one too many Miller High Lifes the night before, I ruled it out and came to the conclusion that I was actually ill. I loathe being sick. It is right up there on my list with pickles and uninvited guests. Regardless, I surrendered to it and went back to bed, feeling sorry for myself.

Now, there is something you should know, on one day of the weekend, we set aside a "shopping" day where we all go together, around 9am, as a family (yes, all 6 of us). We browse for things we'd like someday, look for something we need, go out for lunch (even though I'm an FFA) and then we do grocery shopping before returning home. Well, Sunday was that day, and there was no way I was going without vomiting all over the Suburban. I wondered how I would break this to AnIowaDad, as he was already up and getting ready for the outing.

He came in, looked at me, and knew right away that I wouldn't be moving from that spot. HE WENT! He took all the kids AND WENT! Oh, the love I felt for him at that moment is indescribable. An all day outing was not in the cards for them, but 2 or 3 hours of complete and total peace and quiet WAS in the cards for me. It had suddenly become the best gift I was ever given.

The rest of the day AnIowaDad spent tending after all the kiddos. He prepared lunch and dinner. He changed diapers. He gave baths. He kept them all very quiet. I didn't leave my bed ALL DAY LONG, with the exception of once, to come from my room to the couch in an attempt to eat something. Then I fell right back into bed until Monday morning.

Monday - oh another "pat him on the back and call him a hero" kind of day. His first words to me were, "Do you need me to stay home from work today?" Ah, again, THE LOVE! If I weren't sick, I may have showed him just how much! (Okay, too much information, but this behavior from him is just the sweetest). I told him I thought I could manage and he said he'd check in at lunch and if I need to rest then he would work from home.

I ended up feeling much better, now I'm just battling the sudden onset of a nasty cold. My head feels as though it must weigh 100 pounds, AT LEAST! AnIowaDad did show up for lunch, with McDonalds. This should not be considered falling off the FFA Wagon, as I wasn't the one to splurge ... it was all him! MY MAN! How did I ever get this lucky!

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Tackle It Tuesday #1 - The Boys Closet!



This is my first Tackle It Tuesday!!

Oh my, the boys closet is so embarrassing (and the girls too for that matter).

We moved into our house about 8 months ago and while we were unpacking (a week before Christmas) a lot of things were just shoved into the kids' closets ... with the thought that I'd get right to it after the New Year. The kid's closets are still packed full of crap and they are completely (or for the most part) unusable.

My goal is to attack each closet one at a time and get all the things residing in there, whether it be in bags, boxes or just thrown admidst, put away where it belongs!! Today ... it will be the boys!

In addition to this, I will be going through a lot of the clothes that no longer fit. It's amazing how fast 5 and 8 year olds grow (not to mention 1 and 2 year olds). There are clothes that have never even been worn. I am thinking of trying my hand at Ebay ... but I'm not sure. Anyone have any advice, tips or comments on Ebay selling?

Here are the before photos ... be sure to make a note to check back later for the "tackled" photos! I plan to get started just as soon as Smilee goes down for a nap later this morning!


The top of the closet:

















The bottom of the closet:

















Wish me luck ... I'm goin' in!

Visit 5 Minutes For Mom for more Tackle It Tuesday Participants!

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Monday, August 28

Menu Plan Monday



This is my first time participating in Menu Plan Monday. I think it is a great way to get new ideas for dinner! I always have a menu and this is a fun way to share it! If you would like the recipe for any of the meals we'll be having this week, just leave me a comment and I'll post it for you. For other great ideas, visit An Organizing Junkie.

Monday - Marinated Boneless Pork Chops; Cheesey Potatoes; Green Beans (from the garden).

Tuesday - Spaghetti with Homemade Pepperoni Sauce; Lettuce Salad; Garlic Bread

Wednesday - Homestyle Chicken and Noodles with (Reams Egg Noodles ... so yummy!); Corn; Rolls

Thursday - Grilled Hot Dogs; Homemade Mac & Cheese (with white chedder); Broccolli

Friday - Pizza; Breadsteaks with Cheese Sauce

Saturday, Sunday & Monday - Short trip to Chicago, we'll be eating out!

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Links



As an American citizen I thank you, Eric M. Steffeney, for your courage and your sacrifice. I thank your family for all they have given for the cause of freedom. I will remember you, and I will teach my children to remember you. We are forever in your debt.