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From Susan Merrill

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Encouragement

Tool Me Tuesday: Jail The Kiddos Clutter

I was at a DotMOM Conference and heard Kathy Peel explain this very clever concept – The Clutter Jail. Kathy, author and family manager expert, created a clutter jail for her children. If they left there clutter around the house – she did not nag – she did not chastise – she did not punish. She simply picked it up and put it in jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. When her child discovered the item was missing he received a notice of bail to release the jailed clutter. Let your imagination run wild. Bail can be set at whatever you need – dishes washed – money for a manicure – babysitting – dog poop collecting. You name it depending on the age and ability of your child! If they don’t want to cooperate then the item stays in jail. In that case, the good news is it won’t be cluttering the house anymore. I took the idea to iMOM (Kathy is an iSpecialist for iMOM) and they made a tool out of it. I love it – hassle free – that’s for me. P.S. This concept is particularly effective after Christmas or birthdays when children …

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Encouragement

Temptation: What I Want

What is it with me and white lately?! I am tempted by all things white: the white fire place and my wedding dress the white cabinets I want for my kitchen the silver tub with the white porcelain lining And now the white Nikon J1. I want it. And I am rather attached to it. If I had a J1 my pictures might look like more Ree Drumond’s or Ann Voskamp’s. If I had it I would take more pictures of my family that were worth keeping. If I had the Nikon J1 this blog would be visually inspired by pictures of food and children more beautiful than all the visions of sugar plums that ever dance in my head put together (do you think there is a chance my husband might read this – hint, wink, hint)! I have a million excuses to get it…and just as many not to get it. It is new on the market so there are no deals to be had; I have a looming house renovation (not my choice – the flood, remember) threatening to exceed its budget at every moment; not to mention the three school tuitions I am paying …

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Encouragement

New Year’s Eve…With The Kids?!

I love the holidays. I really think they should just skip Halloween – who needs it? Magazines should be filled with tantalizing Thanksgiving recipes starting in September and let’s deck the malls with Christmas in October. Every year, I can’t wait for the holidays. Until, I get to New Year’s Eve. It’s kind of an afterthought for me. I am somewhat of a New Year’s misfit. After Christmas day all the relatives take that “holiday feeling” home with them and my house seems…very unparty like. My homey visions of Christmas vaporize and are replaced by glossy visions of New Year’s Eve – a picture I just don’t fit in to. I am not glamorous. I am not raucous. And after Christmas, I do not have the energy to produce anything sumptuous! But I do like to celebrate and after holidays and days filled with family, it is fun to reunite with some friends. So here is my favorite New Year’s fit – a progressive party with the kids, kind of. Get together with a few other families. It doesn’t matter if the kids vary in ages a little. Hire the older children as sitters for the night. Then plant them all in the most child friendly house with lots …

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Encouragement

Tool.Me Tuesday: A Thanksgiving Tool For Family Sharing

I love this tool. My children love this tool. My IN-LAWS love this tool. Need I say more? This is a free downloadable from iMOM.com. It is very easy to use and a great way to turn Thanksgiving into a delightful time of thanks. Consider this the whip cream on your pumpkin pie! Thanksgiving Story Cards These are the story cards. They tell the real story! Things I never knew about that first feast. Very intriguing. Everybody picks a card (there are 12) and so everyone has a part in telling the story. Did you know that the first Pilgrim to die was baby Oceanus? Do you know what “Pilgrim” means and how they got their name?

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Encouragement

Say Yes To The Dress

I was asked for an update on the house. This is a tempting question for me because I am trying to stay out of the circle of Fear-Worry-Anxiety (see post below). And when I think about the house it is easy to fall into the circle. When one is abstaining from the circle of fear it is rather interesting what strange, happy thoughts might appear in the brain. For instance, I am mysteriously pleased, actually tickled about these two items that were not lost in the flood: my fireplace and my wedding dress. I cannot even remotely explain why they are even on the same page of my brain. Perhaps it is a strategy of some sort. Do you ever try to distract your child from something painful with something to delight them? You know – they fall and scrape their knee, you see their lip quiver and

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Encouragement

The Circle of Fear-Worry-Anxiety

The circle begins with… Fear – a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, whether the threat is real or imagined; it is the condition of being afraid. When the fear is fertilized it feeds and grows into… Worry – To give way to fear; allow one’s mind to dwell on troubles. To torment oneself with disturbing thoughts; fret. When the worry is firmly rooted it consumes our thoughts and gives birth to… Anxiety – uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune that develops into a state of apprehension and psychic tension. And the circle is complete – happy with the knowledge that anxiety will only lead to… more fear…and worry…and anxiety…and round…and round…and round. And we are miserable in our state of apprehension and psychic tension. But we know this – we know that if we humble ourselves before God that He will lift us up in due time. Humble yourself. Do you mean that I have to admit that I do not have a solution? Give up my analyzing, searching, obsessing, planning? Do you mean I have to wait? Patiently? Trusting God to do what I think I can and must? I …

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Parenting

Techy Tuesday: Keeping Up With The Kiddos

Love this App – it makes keeping up with the kiddos a game. I am trying it out now – so far so good. It’s kind of fun. Let me know what you think. It’s called I’mOK. The kiddos check in by phone with any or all of the who, what and where and a picture. The more info they give the more points they get. If they check in this is what I would see below. Of course this is not my family but I am hopeful I can train them. It would be incredibly efficient when I am out of town. I could

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Parenting

Parenting Plan – Keeping It Simple

Sometimes or most times the best plans are the simplest. Right now my kitchen plans are way too complicated. The myriad combinations of cabinets, colors and contraptions have culminated into a mass of cancerous confusion in my brain. Should I get the GE Monogram 48 inch refrigerator with the Wolf 48 inch range? Or the range top with the double wall ovens? But if I don’t get the Wolf Sub Zero refrigerator with the Wolf range or range top I don’t get the $2000 rebate they’re offering. But the Sub Zero is so expensive and only 36 inches. If I go with Jenn Air they will throw in a free dishwasher! I like their refrigerator but not their range… Parenting can be the same especially if you have multiple children. The myriad combinations of their diverse personalities, shifting stages, ages and gender can complicate and overwhelm a poor woman’s brain. Should I let (daughter)(have to delete names to protect the innocent) go with her friend to the beach for the weekend even though it’s Nonny’s birthday? Where should I send (son) to school. If I keep him where he is it is free, but he really needs more than he …

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Encouragement

Do Not Disturb – Nesting Mama!

Every day this week – not exaggerating – Madison (see Belly Questions for an idea of what I am dealing with working with this girl everyday) has informed me that I have not blogged in 5 days…6 days…7 days… Enough already! Do you see this picture? I am nesting! Madison is trying to get preggers, as she calls it. She has not yet gone through the Jekel/Hyde transformation of motherhood. Which makes her completely unsympathetic to

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