Category Archives: Family

Happy Halloween!

10 Thursday Nov 2016

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We have costumes and lighted pumpkin pictures to share!

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For those who are paying attention, General Grievous and the skeleton are reruns (yes, with the same people) from last year.  Bumblebee was also a rerun, though it didn’t make the picture because the costume was left at school last year.

We had a good variety of pumpkins this year, from the white “ghost” pumpkin to the orange one with really small holes.

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We did have to cut a hole in the back of the top left pumpkin for air, because the candle kept getting snuffed out.

 

 

House Design – The Mudroom

02 Wednesday Nov 2016

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I think a mudroom is critical to a house.  The ability to get out of the wet and cold, but abandon all outside items before coming in is important.  It keeps out the dirt.  It can keep out the cold.  It limits the stuff that naturally collects in the kitchen.

Our previous house had a huge mudroom.  Not the best laid out as one had to  walk the diagonal to move from inside to outside, but huge.  We had a table, an extra fridge, shelves, and room to spare.

This house not so much.  It’s plenty large for a few people.  But, at about a third the size of our previous one, and with all of us, we have to be rather vigilant about the space.  In relatively neat pictures, here it is full and empty (most folks out for the day).

Above the hooks are two shelves which hold out of season goods, hats that aren’t hook friendly, soccer shin guards, etc.  Next week we’ll be adding winter jackets.  There are plenty of hooks, but it will add to the bulk.  At some point we’ll have to figure out winter boots.  They may live in the garage, but that’s still up in the air.  Corralling the winter hats and gloves will be another issue.

So, the space is fine.  A little bigger would be nice, but this works.

Last Week’s Accomplishments – Halloween 2016

01 Tuesday Nov 2016

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This week was pretty much all about Halloween.  Sports continued.  Bike club ended for the fall; Adventure class will start next week.

The boys complained that we were never going to carve pumpkins.  We’ve had essentially no precipitation since last winter and are officially under “Extreme Drought” conditions.  But, once the pumpkins were purchased, the rain and cold set in.

We choose Halloween costumes.

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It has Been Especially Busy

27 Thursday Oct 2016

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I’ve noticed recently that this period where fall activities are overlapping with winter activities is taking its toll this year.  Some of the winter activities are before school, while the fall activities tend to happen around dinnertime, making for very long days.  This is part of why blog posts have been a bit random of late.  We have one more week of this overlap and then things will wind down rather rapidly.

I’ve written about our busy schedule in the past, but here’s the annual update.

Mondays:
7:30 5th grade math morning (1)
8:00 other elementary kids (3) to the bus stop
9:00 preschooler to school
1:00 preschooler comes home
3:45 all elementary kids come home
5:30 first kid to soccer
6:45/7:00 swap kids at soccer
8:00 pick up second kid from soccer

Tuesdays:
8:00 all elementary kids to the bus stop
3:45 all elementary kids come home
4:45 swimming lessons for middle kids (4)
5:30 home for dinner
7:00 often a meeting or activity – Tuesday is the most popular night for such things

Wednesdays:
7:45 5th grade sports morning (1)
8:00 other elementary kids (3) to the bus stop
9:00 preschooler to school
1:00 preschooler comes home
3:45 all elementary kids come home

Thursdays:
7:30 3rd grade math morning (2)
8:00 other elementary kids (2) to the bus stop
12:45 all elementary kids come home
2:30 bike club for the oldest three until 3:45
5:30 one kid to soccer until 7:00

Fridays:
8:00 all elementary kids to the bus stop
9:00 preschooler to school
1:00 preschooler comes home
3:45 elementary kids (4) come home
5:30 one kid to soccer until 7:00

In between all of this during the week is some homework (thankfully still quite manageable), any special items, meals, and sleeping.  Thankfully this morning -> evening stretch is basically limited to the month of October, though it will repeat in the spring.

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Saturdays: 3 soccer games

Sundays: 1 baseball clinic

Last Two Weeks’ Accomplishments – October 2016

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

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We’ve been busy.  Lots on the schedule and the weather has been gorgeous so we’re trying to maximize our time outside before winter bears down.

  • I purchased Halloween candy.
  • We identified what everyone wants to be for Halloween and purchased a few necessary items to make that happen.
  • We went to the local hay maze where this year they had potato cannons.  Those were very popular!
  • 5th grade math mornings started (finally – all the Monday holidays!)
  • We installed blinds in the bedrooms.  They’re helping both with light control and insulation now that its getting colder.
  • Over the two weeks, we had 6 soccer games, 4 soccer practices, and 2 baseball clinics.
  • We attended one play date.
  • 3rd grade math mornings, 5th grade sports, and swimming are ongoing.
  • I attended preschool back to school night.
  • I hosted a ladies evening get together.  The boys were very cooperative as I was the only parent home.

Why has nobody thought of this before?

06 Thursday Oct 2016

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Most new kitchens have pull out trash.  One can buy kits to retrofit kitchen cabinets with multiple pull out trash can options.

When I started looking at the design for the family bath in our new house I realized that there was no place to put a trash can except inside the cabinet under the sink (which I realize is typical for many people).  But, the boys have a hard time landing stuff in the trash can on the floor and having it inside a cabinet won’t help.  Plus, they fill it so it often overflows unless someone comes by to crush it down.  So, the pull out bathroom trash was born.

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This was supposed to be a stack of three drawers between the sinks.  Instead we replaced it with one drawer and a pull out trash, just like one has in a kitchen.  Soooo much better.  There’s no mess on the floor.  It doesn’t fill up between trash days.  And, I don’t know what I would have put in those drawers anyway.

When I first came up with this idea, I searched the Internet and couldn’t find a picture or reference to such a thing so I’m claiming an original idea!  I highly recommend you copy it.

The Things You Find these Days – Cutlery

29 Thursday Sep 2016

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I was in the grocery store a month back and stumbled across this set:

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I admit that on the rare occasion I need to pack cutlery I’m still using the cheap, disposable variety.  But, I was surprised to see Chopsticks as part of the set.  I’m also not sure if you’d take the whole set with you each day (with the substantial plastic case) or just what you need (as in the picture).  I didn’t buy one, but frankly they look pretty good.

Then, last week, at a different grocery store I came across these:

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Apparently the sounds are no longer sufficient.  It wouldn’t surprise me if other colors are available (only this when I was there) and/or if a train version exists.  I also suspect this would rapidly turn into a toy with all the extra places for babies to grab the spoon while you try to feed them.

I haven’t actually tried either.  But, looking strictly at the packaging and imagining the functionality, the cutlery set looks like a winner but the airplane spoon does not.

Some Random Thoughts to End Summer

08 Thursday Sep 2016

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I had a few more random photos to share from the summer, but not much to write about any of them.  So, this post will be bits of this and that.

For the second summer, two kids went to video game design camp for a week.  Over the course of the week, they learn to program the movement, characters, backgrounds, music, and other parts of a simple video game.  My guys usually make 2-3 in a week, with 10-15 levels per game.  It was interesting to see their game thought development from last summer to this.

When we started unpacking, our oldest presented me with a box to throw away.  I couldn’t figure it out at first, but it turns out these are his participation trophies.  It’s a rather ridiculous number, I think.  He kept a few that he’d earned for winning something specific, but didn’t feel the need anymore for the clutter of the participation ones.

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I’m Starting to Think About a New Table

26 Friday Aug 2016

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We’ve had our dining room table for a long time, actually since before we had kids.  With the leaf in it does seat 8, though its better for 6.  As you can see from the picture, when set up for 8 there isn’t much space for food.

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Dinner last night was tacos.  We had hard shells & flour tortillas; salsa; cheddar cheese; ground turkey with home-mixed seasoning; corn; tomato; avocado; tabasco; and lime slices.  Normally we have sour cream also, but I haven’t replaced that since we moved.

This isn’t a huge meal – Thanksgiving or Christmas would have more serving dishes, even without guests.  And, it pretty much covers the table.  In our previous houses it was tight fitting this one in the dining room.  Not the case now!  So, I’m looking to get something somewhat bigger – both longer and wider.  Ideally, it would be something that wouldn’t be too huge for us to use on a daily basis, but could sit 14 for family gatherings without everyone feeling overly cramped.  I haven’t seen such a table at a store yet, though I’ll keep looking.  I’ve also been referred to two custom table builders so I’ll explore them.  This isn’t a near term item.  I’d love to have it by Thanksgiving, but I don’t think the stars will align to make that happen.

Last Week’s Accomplishments – We’ve Moved

17 Wednesday Aug 2016

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Well, this post is a bit late in the day.  But, that’s better than not at all.

Really, the big accomplishment of the past month is moving.  I packed most of the house (much to the surprise of the movers).  While this does take more time, I prefer to do this because I can label the boxes better and stand a better chance of finding things during the unpacking process.

Some other notes of interest:

  • Swimming finished for the summer.  For the first time ever, someone (actually two people) passed a level over the summer.
  • Baseball & golf are ongoing so we are still booked most weekday evenings and therefore haven’t gotten back to organized dinners.
  • Thankfully, though, we have eased back to dinners made at home.  We got a little tired of the constant restaurant / takeout menu at the height of the move.
  • I ordered new backpacks & lunchboxes.  After many years ours were getting too small, smelly, worn, etc.
  • I added another missing grocery post:

Sorry for the lack of pictures.  I need to find the wire to connect to the computer for downloads!  Hopefully by Thursday.