HELP!

It's the end of the school year here, and ohhh, that's always an adventure!  I have been trying to get the house ready for the onslaught of kiddos here 24/7.  I like to go into summer pretty organized so that I can be frustrated by the end of day two with the mess the place has become.  

This week, I did a quick project to get the stairs looking less disgustingly grimey.  I painted the bottom half of the stairs (where little hands most frequently go) a dark color so that it hides more grime and is more wipe-able. It was a quick easy project, provided you have a laser level.

I still need to remove the  carpet and finish putting up some more (new) pictures - but those are good summer projects.  Summer, children, and nails in the floor are always a good mix!

I'm realizing more and more that I love being a homemaker. That is SO not an avant-garde thing to say and I'm sure feminists everywhere would shudder, but I love making my house feel more comfortable and providing a place where my family can find peace and be a little better. Is that nuts? Perhaps - but it's my nuts and I enjoy doing it.

Oh - but I was going to ask for HELP and I've digressed!  I mean, I found a great "help" song to accompany the post and everything - how could I have forgotten?

Riddle me this?  It's the end of the school year (you might have remembered me mentioning that a few paragraphs ago) and I've been getting all the end of year teacher's gifts ready.  I like to get them nice things that they don't already have around - and NOTHING apple-y. Ohmystars - they are not orchard tenders - they are educators.

And so that stuff is (mostly) set. But what about folks like dance teachers and piano teachers? Do you usually get those individuals things at the end of the year?

I ask because I have always gotten the dance teachers things at the end of the year, and never once have they acknowledged it. No thank you, etc.  Am I doing the wrong thing? I notice no one else sends anything in and they look at me like I'm wonky when I do.  I'd think they'd come out and say "thanks."  The last two years, one of the teachers has told my girls, "Just put that over there."

I don't want to appear ungrateful - I am grateful for the business they provide - but they are being paid (rather handsomely) for their service. And if they seemed like they enjoyed the gifts or eeeeever mentioned it, it'd seem more special. But for now, it seems like a duty and as they aren't ever commenting, I'm wondering - am I off the hook?  Or should I downscale? Make cookies or something less pricey? Last year I got them dinner out - the year before, they got pedicures...those are examples of the things I've been getting for them...is that too much? Is that what I'm doing wrong? Am I embarrassing them with the "wrong" types of gifts?

hmmmm - HELP!

(OK - everyone help me FAST because I need to post about the argument at book club and for that post, I need to play my great Kung Fu Fighting song, and I don't want y'all to miss either jammin' tune!)

Never say never

When I imagined myself as a wife and mother, of course, I had some specific images in my mind of how that would look.

It was something between my own mom, Donna Reed (a close second to my own mom) and Mrs. Munster. How could I go wrong with a vision like that?

Generally speaking, my life doesn't look a ton like any of those women's. Most sadly, meal time doesn't look as much like the feasts my mother put on each night. We eat out a ton more than my mom ever did and I don't always have 2 side dishes, a meat, and angel biscuits.

Worst of all...and this is bad....I've taken to, for many meals....

eating on paper plates.

It feels good to get that off my chest.  It's not every meal. And it's almost never for dinner, but it has happened.  Delivery pizza + paper plates = a mother's happy Friday night.  And if my kids are eating and I am not (I'm leaving to go out with Mr. Mormon and there's a sitter), ohhhh, those kiddos will be eating on paper plates.  

From everything I can tell, neither my mother, Donna Reed nor Mrs. Munster ever used paper plates.  Both my mother and Mrs. Munster used a cauldron, but that's another story.

At first, I felt like a failure as a mom for paper plate participation.  I felt like a loser that I couldn't keep up with a DISHWASHER. I mean, it's not like I'm taking theses plates out to the pond and cleaning them. I put them in a machine, close the door, and call it breakfast.

But as time has gone on, I have come to realize the beauty of the paper plate.  In the morning, I can have the kitchen cleaned in seconds. There are never breakfast dishes piled up - because there are no breakfast dishes.  Also, the kids can easily set the table in the morning!  Even 3.0 can grab paper plates from the bottom of the pantry and put one out for each sister.

Sure, I'm hurting the environment and my children will have memories of eating on cardboard, but it's not like I use them for every meal and they do get real silverware.  That counts for something.  But I know the truth, my kids will not remember all the good things I've done - they will remember breakfast and lunch on paper plates. It's not that bad, right? It's not as low-level as, say, using your slightly damp towel from the shower to wipe off the piano as you pass it by on your way to the laundry room, thereby saving yourself one thing to dust later.  Not that I do that regularly - just - you know - it could happen...