My Charmed Story: February 2016

Sunday, February 28, 2016

40 Bags Progress

When I first started the 40 bags in 40 days, I thought it would be super easy to get the 40 bags done. And it was at the beginning, but now I'm slowing down. Mostly because I just don't feel like going through everything in our garages. It's cold out and wet and I just don't have that desire to start something (that REALLY needs to get done) but to only do it half way because of the weather! I'm probably going to have to wait until closer to Easter or maybe even after that to tackle the garages.

Our one car attached garage is basically like a big shed. We have all of the kids outside toys in there, bikes, freezer (for the PKU food), tools, garbage cans and TWO book shelves overflowing with books! Yeah, kind of weird to have those there but they just don't fit in the house. We have an old farm house with little wall space- lots of windows and door frames. So really, there are no walls to put the shelves up against- they already are being used for the TVs and couches. So that obviously needs to get gone through and really changed. Any ideas on ways of storing kid books?

Our two car unattached garage is basically the bane of my existence! The good news is that our 2 cars still fit in there. The bad news is, barely! We keep our mower, snow blower (that barely works), yard stuff, an extra freezer (just in case the other one quits working), old teaching stuff, outdoor decorations, some furniture from my grandparents' house, and bins of clothes that the little ones will grow in to. This garage unfortunately fills as our basement! Over the summer I got rid of ALL of the stuff and clothes that I'd been hanging on to for a garage sale. I just couldn't stand it anymore and donated all of it. I'm also at the point where I'm realizing that my excess stuff could be someone's blessing. And if I think of it that way, it makes it much easier to donate. It's hard for me to get rid of things because of the memories that are attached.

This is the big thing that I want to change. Our basement is a small limestone one but doesn't leak. It's just that I was always worried that things would smell musty or gross from the basement. But there are definitely things that could go down there and would be better off there than in the garages. I would like to put up shelves in the basement and move the clothes bins down there along with some of the decoration bins (Easter baskets, Halloween and fall decorations). This is why I don't want to start this project until I have enough time to finish it. I need to do it right, otherwise it's just another project that has to get redone in a few months.

My goal for this week is to install shelving in the basement, clean out what's already in the basement, and go through the rest of the kitchen cabinets. Anyways, I probably have thrown away 4 bags and have 10 bags ready for donating. So, I guess that right on track for being two weeks into Lent.

I found this super cute printable to help you stay on top of what you want to

work on during Lent. It's from The Polka Dot Posie.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Beautify Your Blog- Back to Top Button Tutorial

I use Blogger for my blog and really wanted a "Back to Top" button for my viewers. I know how to edit my blog using the HTML codes but I don't know how to create new codes! I looked around and found a super easy tutorial with beautiful results!

See that beautiful "Back to Top" tab on the right? When you click it, it
automatically takes you back to the top of my blog pages!

1. Log on to your Blogger blog, go to Template > Edit HTML > search for the <head> just below/after the <head> tag place this bit of code:

<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.0.0/jquery.min.js'></script>

* you may already have a jquery script in your blog’s template, possibly for something to do with Pinterest – take a look at the first few lines of code to determine if you already have it – if you do there is no need to add it again… skip ahead to #2.

Save template.

2. Now go to Layout > click Add a Gadget > select an HTML/Javascript > copy and paste the code below into the content section:

<!--Smooth Back to Top Button Start-->
<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function() {
var offset = 220;
var duration = 500;
jQuery(window).scroll(function() {
if (jQuery(this).scrollTop() > offset) {
jQuery('.back-to-top').fadeIn(duration);
} else {
jQuery('.back-to-top').fadeOut(duration);
}
});
jQuery('.back-to-top').click(function(event) {
event.preventDefault();
jQuery('html, body').animate({scrollTop: 0}, duration);
return false;
})
});
</script>
<style>
div#page {
max-width: 900px;
margin-left: auto;
margin-right: auto;
padding: 20px;
}
.back-to-top {
position: fixed;
bottom: 2em;
right: 0px;
text-decoration: none;
color: #000000;
font-size: 12px;
padding: 1em;
display: none;
}
.back-to-top:hover {
text-decoration: none;
}
</style>
<a href="#" class="back-to-top"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy92QMTTQD64450GCU5czVMSTWUGVOaslwEuLFAGCEEwOSD1iXdwA4CG6FD_gZHnNWKds5fE8xlIGZHMtA6UljXBzQmpObdF7Px6i5p2GMh9bQGtB0GItvQkY-hljd_aHhC1MrLzRZ_VfH/s1600/backtotop.png" alt="Back to Top" / ></a>
<!--Smooth Back to Top Button End-->

You can either use Cassie Loves' default “back to top” button, which is the URL highlighted in red, or you can replace it with your own.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

My Lenten Journey

We're about two weeks into Lent and I have to say that my journey is a tough one. One of my challenges is to live more within in our means, to use less resources, to live simpler. I'm mostly doing this through the 40 bags in 40 days. I have done this once before but this year it falls in perfectly with what Pope Francis is asking the world-- "Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God's voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades."

When I read this and the insert in our church bulletin, it really spoke to me. My family and I are caught up in earthly possessions. I KNOW we're not as bad as some people but we still have a ways to go. We spend way too much on little things. As much as I try to stick to a budget, we're always running to the grocery store to pick up something extra- usually something we can do without. We have way too many tv channels that we don't watch. Our kids are always asking us to buy something just because. We spend too much time watching tv or playing the computer or video games. We buy sweets and coffees just because. We pick up fast food for lunch or dinner just because it's more convenient. We have more clothes than one person could possibly need. We have the desire to purchase and the mentality that we deserve tons of things for holiday and birthday gifts. We spend more on ourselves than we're willing to give to others.

There. I said it out loud. We're selfish and most of the time we don't realize it. Did you know that today's adults (all ages across the boards) spend more in one year than our grandparents did in a lifetime? That our homes are more than 50% larger than our grandparents' homes and filled with more unnecessary things. Why is that? That's a hard one to answer. I think that most people, sometimes myself included, feel that we deserve it. We figure, hey we have extra money or credit, why not use it. THIS HAS GOT TO CHANGE! Not just for myself and my spiritual and earthly well being but for my kids too.

I need to be better. My husband, my children and I need to understand that we don't need things or shouldn't buy things just because. We NEED to feel satisfied and happy with where we're at. We need to understand that we don't need to keep up with the Joneses or get an upgrade. We need to understand that life is more than just what we have. Life should be about not using more or spending more than what we need (don't confuse want with need)! Our family needs to get back to this. We need to help take better care of God's planet. We need to also take better care of our finances. We need be more accountable.

Stuff is a burden. And I don't want to add any more burdens to my list! I love how Catholic Icing puts it "Stuff is a burden. It just is. There's no such thing as owning things that don't take time and energy. Everything has to be dusted, maintained, organized, stored, etc. Take some time to consider this: There has not been 1 point in History yet where people owned the amount of things that we do today without having help in the home. For the most part, you were either poor and you had 2 dresses- your regular dress and Sunday dress, OR you had tons of clothes but they were cleaned and maintained by servants. So this era of "stuff" with no help in the home is uncharted territory."

This is why this Lent HAS to be the beginning of something better. I get so anxious when I see the extra stuff we have. I am hoping that by downsizing stuff, that I can spend my time where it should be....with God and my family. I'm planning on not just clearing out our clutter but also clearing out things that are taking up my family and God time. I need to have a simpler calendar. I can't stretch myself too much. I'm already seeing Lily struggling with me being away from home so much- due to scouts, volleyball, and a few other things. My family and my God have to come first. There will be time for the other stuff....eventually!

This is where I am on my Lenten journey. I am a work in progress. I am getting there, slowly. Where are you?

Friday, February 19, 2016

Beautify Your Blog~ How to Remove the "Subscribe to Post Atom"

Have you ever noticed a clutter of things at the bottom of each blog post? If so, I've got another easy tutorial about how to get rid of them! There are two different ways to do this. I had difficulty getting the first way to work on my blog. So, I found another route using CSS- my favorite way to make blog changes!

First Tutorial: To remove it search your HTML code and delete the line b:
<b:include data='feedLinks' name='feedLinksBody'/>

This is the website that I created for my daughter's Club Volleyball- Illini Northwest Volleyball

Second Tutorial: To remove the post footer using CSS

1. Open up the template and click on "Advanced", this will get to the CSS section

2. Click on "Add CSS" and enter this code in the custom CSS text area.

.post-footer

{
display: none;
}

3. Click on "Apply to Blog."

And you're done! Now you have a cleaner blog and it's looking great.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Where Did the Time Go?

I'm finding myself in a new season of motherhood. I have a soon to be 16 year old son. He's driving, shaving, going to school dances. Yet he's still my little boy. He still kisses me good night, tells me he loves me, and doesn't mind hanging out with me. But things are different. He's listening to his own type of music. He wants to watch some of the same shows as his dad and me. He's just growing up...way too fast!

I remember reading an article over a year ago about remembering the last time you did things with your children because they grow up so fast. Ever since then, I've been trying to mentally take stock of each of those special moments with all of my kiddos. But I'm starting to forget things that I did with our oldest, Andrew. I can't quite recall the last time we held hands. I'm not exactly sure when I laid down with him at bed time.

It's those little things that happened every day and then slowly stopped. I promised myself that I'd remember but it's getting harder to do.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Beautify Your Blog~ How to Remove the Navbar

I'm trying to clean up my blog and work on it's appearance so it looks much more professional. One thing that I didn't really like having and honestly have no idea what it's for is the "Navbar."

The Navbar is at the top of blogger blogs and are a way to move from one blog to another. However it really makes the blog look a little sloppy in my opinion. So here's a super simple tutorial on how to remove the Navbar.

Go to your dashboard and select the "Layout" tab. This is where you can see basically a map of your blogger blog. In the top right of the "Layout", you'll see your "Navbar". Click on the "Navbar" and then click the "edit" option. A window will pop up with a variety of options of what you want your "Navbar" to look like.

Simply click the opp option and the "Navbar" disappears! Super easy and it changes the look of your blog.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Formula or Juice Box?!?

Lily almost made it half a year in kindergarten with NO formula problems! Her teacher is amazing and the school is super supportive. The problem is the formula. Lily & Thomas used to drink their "milk" with no problems. Then the formula company (Periflex Junior) added fiber and that completely changed the taste. Neither one of them liked the new flavor and we then switched over to Phenylade Essentials. For the most part, both of the kids liked it but it did take a lot of prodding to get Lily to drink the milk.

Lily has a fridge in her classroom to keep her milk cold all day and for it to be available at all times. She also uses a closed container with a straw for her milk. Some people have a hard time smelling the formulas, so a closed container helps. Others use a straw so that the formula bypasses quite a few of the taste buds on the tongue. So, as far as I can see it we were doing everything right, Lily just didn't like the milk.

Her teacher talked to the kids at the beginning of the year about PKU and how Lily needs to drink her milk to keep her healthy. All of the kids seemed to understand and some of them even encouraged Lily to drink it at lunch! If Lily got close to finishing her container, the class would cheer her on! But as the year progressed, the days where Lily finished her school milk were further and further apart.

That led us to have a meeting with her dietitian. We decided to try out some of the PKU milk/juice boxes during the school day. Since Thomas LOVES his milk, we thought that it would be a good idea to have both of them drink the milk at home and save the "juice boxes" for school. The dietitian had quite a few sent to us for Lily to taste test.

Lily brought one to school each day to drink at lunch. Each day, she'd come home and say that she drank it all but they tasted like "throw up!" Then she tried the Vitaflo PKU Coolers! She LOVED them and our problem was solved. Lily has been drinking one a day at lunch with no problems. Then at home she has to drink her "milk." That still takes some prodding but it's working.

Lily's teacher says that there are no more problems at lunch time. Lily does have an aid at lunch to write down what and how much she eats. Prior to this switch, Lily had been complaining a lot to the aid about not wanting to drink her milk and that her mom said she didn't have to! Well I did say she had to, but she just didn't want to. I think we've turned a page in our PKU book.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Love Letters Math & Literacy Packet

I found these super cute Conversation Heart candies with the alphabet! It got me thinking that we could do some fun activities with these at home. Lily still loves doing Mommy School with me and sometimes even teaches Thomas. When I showed the candies to the kids, they were super excited. So I spent the last couple of evenings creating some sheets and games that we could play with the candy hearts.

When I started making the packet, I just focused on the letters- matching the uppercase letters to the candies, using the initial sound of the heart pictures, and matching the uppercase and lowercase letters. The letter version of the packet is FREE and found here.

Then of course with a math teacher for a husband, I've got to add some math in there too. I then added sorting and patterns. Lily's learning to read, so I also created a sight word activity! I think it turned out pretty good. The extended version is found here.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

2016 Father Daughter Dance

We live in a small town and our kids grades are around 60 kids! There are a few negative things about small schools but over all we LOVE being in a small town with a small school district. This past weekend, the PTO organized our annual Father-Daughter dance. This year, Ryan brought Chloe & Lily to the dance.

All day long, Lily kept asking if it was time to go to the dance. She had so much fun getting all dolled up and picking out her fanciest dress. Ryan surprised the girls with corsages. Ofcourse Lily couldn't believe that she was going on a date with her dad and big sister. Chloe was excited as well because Lily said she NEEDED her sister to come too!

When they got home, they were full of energy and had a blast. I am so thankful for the all of the hours that the PTO put in to this event. They definitely helped to make memories for my girls!

Monday, February 1, 2016

40 Bags in 40 Days AGAIN

It's almost that time of year...Lent! Lent is so special because it's a time for us to think about what Jesus gave up. A time to prepare ourselves for that sacrifice. During Lent, our family gives up meat on Fridays, we pray more, we attend special Masses for Ash Wednesday and Stations of the Cross. A few years ago, I decided that I needed something else along with these. I knew that our house and my mind was filled with way to much clutter!

We have a nice sized house with a small limestone basement. So only the Christmas tree and decorations are in the basement. Everything else that we own is in our house and in our garage. That means all of our out of season clothes, extra toys, books, EVERYTHING is right where we live and park our cars. Honestly, it can get a little (a lot) cluttered quickly. I also and it seems like my kids have a hard time getting rid of things. I hang on to clothes, books, and toys because there's an 8 year gap between kid #2 and #3. That means, the younger two will grow into those things and I just don't see the point in donating to turn around and repurchase things.

We also like to do a lot of crafts and projects around here, so we have quite a bit of that stuff around too. Plus all of my teaching and mommy school stuff. Even though we have a nice sized house, sometimes it seems too small for the 6 of us! But I know that if we got a bigger house, we'd fill it up with more STUFF!

The more stuff I collect, the more I get anxious when I try to clean or even organize. I'm at the point, where once again I need to PURGE a ton of extra things. Our little ones have outgrown quite a few toys, books and clothes and I'm emotionally ready to move them out. Over the summer, I donated all of the kids' clothing (I had been saving them for a garage sale- but I just needed it to be gone!) We also gave our crib away (a very emotional day) but we're in a new season of our life.

So during this Lent, I'm going to give up our extras, our wants, my stress. I'm going to do my best to live more simply and be happy and satisfied with what I have. I'm going to do my best to teach this and share with my family. This year, I'm going to once again complete the 40 bags in 40 days challenge. Are you with me?

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