The Koru

The Koru is a symbol of new life, new growth, harmony & rebirth.

My aunt brought to me from New Zealand and is one of my favorite things in my house.

What is your favorite thing in your house?

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Spring Cleaning... Meh

When I think of Spring Cleaning, I think beyond the surface cleaning. I clean all week, dust, wipe, mop, sweep, polish. blah blah blah...

What I don't do all the time

• Fill Away Bills/ important paper work
• Finish project's in craft/guest room
• Clean out kitchen cabinets and reorganize

This year for spring cleaning I want to do something different. I do all the normal cleaning weekly and a deep clean once a month. Deep cleans usually consist of cleaning the windows, closets and other random stuff you don't need to do weekly.

Things I just want to accomplish... and need to.

• Fix computer, buy new hard rive and buy windows 7
• Set up printer.... I haven't done this since we moved last may... gah!
• Organize scrap booking supplies, create scrap book spot.
• Buy sewing table and set up sewing machine and organize supplies
• Print all photos of Mack and 2010. Organize photos in an album and prepare for scrap booking
• Buy wall shelving and install in guest/craft room
• Buy storage containers for scrap book, craft and Mack's art supplies. 

I have a few projects I want to get done. Since Tahoe, most of spring consists of snow, I will have plenty of technical spring time to get these projects done. My main focus is the craft and sewing room. 

What projects would you like to get done this spring?

What does your spring cleaning consist of?

Mountain Mum's Letter's

Dear Ian: such a great weekend to relax and hang out with the three of us. Mack enjoyed building houses with you with mega tiles. Thanks for dealing with all of the snow removal this winter and especially this weekend. I'm sure Mack says thank you too! Dear Mother Nature: you have made it clear that you are here to stay for awhile, by dumping 3-4 feet of fresh powder to Tahoe on the first day of spring. Flowers, trees blossoming, and green grass I hope are in are near future, and please don't wait to show us these things until May like last year. Dear Mack: I hope you had fun with Mom and Dad this weekend. We played and played all weekend and had some good naps. Must have been the blizzard like conditions outside. I hope you had fun with mom and dad on Saturday night with dinner and video games and then movie night at home. Dear Day Light Savings: I'm so glad that you have come around this year again. It's nice to come and go to work in the sunshine and be able to have a couple hours of light when I get home. I'm glad you are here to stay for a while. 

P.S. My internet at home has been so slow for the last 3 days due to the snow storm we got today and this weekend. Sorry for the late post. 

P.S.S. Happy Spring! What are you doing to prepare yourself for spring? Any spring cleaning ideas? 

Ok one last P.S. stay tuned for my spring cleaning post this week. I want to do a garage sale this year. 

First day of spring...Not!

First day of spring for Tahoe this year consists of 4-5 feet of fresh snow. Mack and I have been playing all morning. Blocks, play doh, stickers movies and its only 10am. Yikez we have a long day of being inside today.

Hope you have a great first day of spring and happy sunday.

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It finally works ::The Potty::

The battle of the "Potty" is starting to ease from war stage to just a disagreement. Mack has been doing great and has overall been excited about her own accomplishments too. 

I literally tried everything...

* Sticker Chart

* M&M's 

* Bribes 

* Making her sit there until she tried long enough

* Running the water out of the tap in the sink

* Distracting her by singing songs, counting, asking her questions.

I was starting to get frustrated myself. I just never thought that potty training would be so hard. I thought, you start sticking your kid on the pot and then they just get it after a while.I was so wrong. I admit, I didn't do any online research or read a book. I just tried trail and error with Mack and tried to see what made sense for her. Also, being a working parent and not being home with her all day was hard. 

It's finally just started to click with her. She does not like to be wet or have sticky stinky stuff stuck to her butt anymore. 

I basically was teaching her to us the potty from 6pm to 8pm. Between those times it was hard, 2 hours isn't long enough really to get her used to the potty. I've been lucky to have preschool help and ask her all day long and put her in underwear part of the day.

Pull-ups are worthless in my opinion. If you are going to potty train and your child seems like they are ready, then the diapers stop. Don't buy pull-ups in there place, they will just replace diapers in my opinion. That's where I made the mistake. Mack couldn't tell very well when she had to go when she had the pull up on. 

I learned they will have accidents and some times it will be messy. I just carry extra clothes and underwear wherever I go. 

Potty training is tough when you are out and about in public. Some places have bathrooms and some don't. Some are gross to put it mildly. I try and carry the disposable seat covers with me. They are pretty cheap and are life savers. 

I found that if I kept asking her over and over again she would eventually agree. Every night I came home from work, before I'd do anything I changed her in underwear if she came home from preschool in a pull up. She would be in underwear till bedtime. 

Potty training is difficult and challenging. There are some weeks where she acted interested and other weeks where she acted as if she had no idea what the toilet was. 

I feel we are on the home stretch of this potty training business. 

Politics in the word Volunteer?

I'm one of those people that crave and need a busy life. I get bored and annoyed easily and I'm always looking for the next best thing. I really enjoy getting involved in my community, you meet people, not so great people, have fun and overall have the reward of knowing you have given your time and effort into something that is for a good cause. 

I'm not sure if volunteering your time comes with a child or what. I wasn't really interested in volunteer work until I had my daughter. Oh Mack I love you! Volunteer work is fun and 

I'm really getting into it. Until last night... 

I guess I never realized that there can be politics in the volunteer world. I mean shit, I'm tired of politics and the way things are run in my own state (bless California) and this country. The last thing I want to do is attend a volunteers meeting and feel like the independent party that doesn't have a chance in hell getting elected, listened too or feel valid.

The reason I volunteer for a certain organization and foundation is for the kids in our community. I help raise money and donate my time for programs for the kids. It's a great place for the kids to go and play, make friends and be creative. With recent budget cuts across the country and mainly our state, local grants are coming far and few. 

I'm not sure if it's because of where I live, but there are some mom's out there that think there shit don't stink and they are a A class mom because there kid goes to private school and I spend most of my time spending my husbands money, playing with my phone, talking shit and what they have and what they wear. I mean com'on. We are hear to raise money and give our time for each other's children. It's for the kids remember.

Last Week was the annual fundraiser for the local kids spot in our town. It's a museum type place for the kids to go play and do arts. When you have 10-15 feet of snow in your yard or get total for the winter, this place rocks to take your kid to for a couple of hours. 

Therefore, we have to be on our fundraising A games to keep this placed alive and be able to make changes and grow.

I'm just a little disappointed with some of the people on the board and committee and even some other volunteers that have lost sight of why we are actually there. It's for the kids. Not who is cool and who does what. 

Volunteers are selfless and overall good people, don't let the bullies and people that think they are better than you ruin it for you. 

What are your experiences with volunteering? Do share any frustrations? 

Wordless Wednesday- Pineapple Express

Mack loves the rain. What kid wouldn't want to splash in puddles and be soaking wet. Throw an umbrella in the mix and watch the entertainment at your own risk. We started with rain tomorrow and now currently snowing.

Happy Wednesday!

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