A little tough to keep up...

Poy has been on Vacation since Sunday and I have to say it has been difficult to keep up on my cards.  We have done all of our dailies plus a few extra each day, except for today.  We were out of the house for the majority of the day. We didn't really make messes, but we didn't do much in the house cleaning department either.  

Nolan was at his friend Benjamin's house all day today, so we had a glimpse of what our days will be like when Nolan is in school all day.  It is quite different having just one child around. We walked around Downtown Portland, had some lunch and did a little shopping.  When we picked up Nolan we went to the park and then it was off to more shopping.  I'm starting to feel the pressure of school starting and us vacationing at almost the same time.

We also picked up Nolan's soccer pictures and I have to say, they turned out pretty darn cute.  I love his missing tooth grin.  Here they are, as well as a couple others.

Nolan

August 2008

Green Dragons

Nolan's Last Day of T-Ball

The Sabertooths

Today at the park

I love this picture of my family

I wanted to share a funny quote from Sophie yesterday.  She found an old picture of my nephew Carter and Nolan taking a bath. They were probably 20 months and 9 months or so.  Carter has "red eye" in the photo.  She says to me

 

"Mommy, who made Carter have lasers shoot out of his eyes?"  

Too funny... I just had to share that one :)

Nine years is coming up...

Poy and I will be celebrating our ninth wedding anniversary on Thursday.  We are very excited because we are flying to Las Vegas for the weekend to celebrate our marriage.  This will be our first "child free" vacation in well over 6 years. The last time we vacationed alone was a weekend trip to San Francisco when I was pregnant with Nolan in October of 2001!  We will be staying at Hilton Grand Vacations on the Strip thanks to my parents and their timeshare.  We are going to see Cirque Du Soleil's "Zumanity", and are considering a trip to Hoover Dam.  Neither of us are gamblers, so do you have any great ideas or fun things you've done in Vegas?  I'd love to hear about it.  I'm sure I'll have lots of fun stuff to share when we get back.  Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I was blogging in Vegas :)

Thanks for any comments and I'd love to hear more.  It's great to hear feedback.

Day 5

Today was my first day working (during the day at least), and I was worried about how I would get anything done.  I'm typically exhausted when I get home from work and just want to spend some time with the kids and get them to bed.  Then I want to sit around and relax.  I didn't want to fall off the wagon though, so I pushed myself pretty far.  When I got home around 7:00 most of my "yellow" cards were done by my wonderful husband.  

I met my parents for dinner at Gustavs but the kids were so amped up.  I think I've decided that dinner out after working all day doesn't work well with the kiddos.  They miss me and want my attention and I'm starving so I don't want to be clung to. I get cranky, they get cranky... not too enjoyable for any of us.  I do thank my dad though for taking them for a walk while mom and I finished our dinner with a little peace.  He's always been very good at that.  

We were home a little after 8:00 and a part of me wanted to just file those other cards away, but I pushed that part aside.  I emptied and loaded the dishwasher, re-wiped counters, & put in a load of laundry.  I got the kids in their pajamas (after a bath) and vacuumed upstairs.  Sophie was helpful with her little vacuum (yes it's a real one).   We went through our usual routine, which is not short and finally got the kids to bed just before 11pm.  I'm just about exhausted. I then worked on my box of car stuff that I pulled out yesterday.  Most of it was just toys the kids need to put away so they each got a box and I separated their stuff for them to take care of tomorrow.  I was thinking I would fold a load of laundry now, but I think I'll call it quits instead.

Day 3 & 4

Alright, so here is my quick update of my house cleaning/organization.

Day 3 was great. It was Poy's day off, so the night before we sat down and I asked him what cards he thought we should do on top or our daily tasks.  He added clean the laundry room floor, vacuum the stairs (I hate that), clean the knobs on the stove, and I added shake out rugs, and wash the window over the kitchen sink.  In the morning he had a dentist appointment and Sophie actually slept in, so I did too :) When Poy was back from his appointment, I went up to take a bath and asked him to work on a few of the "yellow/daily" cards. I took my bath and did my bathroom tasks, got Sophie dressed and ready and went downstairs to find my husband working on the stove knobs.  This was not a yellow card, so I look over at the cards and low & behold, almost all of the yellows are stacked in the done pile!  I'm telling you, he can clean when he wants to.  I wanted to have all of our tasks done by 1:00 and we were finished at 12:30!! I was so proud of our progress and how well we worked together when we had a common goal.  

Day 4: Poy works on Thursdays but not until 5:30ish usually. Today he had a conference call at 2:00. We decided he would go to his call and the kids and I would meet him an hour later and we'd go to the mall so he wasn't working 12+ hours and we could spend time together.  So, this morning I didn't choose too many cards since I try to make our family days lighter cleaning days.  Poy got a haircut this morning so I did most of the daily tasks today.  One of my tasks listed was to do a load of laundry and I didn't have enough clothes to wash to justify a load... What!! I had the majority of laundry clean all at once?!?!  Too bad I can't say all the toys are picked up... oh well, one day at a time.  I keep reminding myself what they say in the book, "you didn't get into this mess in a day (or week or month), so you can't expect to get out of it that quickly".  When we got home from the mall Nolan wanted to go to the park, but I felt I needed to get another task done.  I told him if he helped me clean out the car (big task), I would take them to the park.  So, he and I started cleaning and Sophie joined us later. We got everything out and vacuumed, but we still need to put quite a few things away.  I am feeling really good about including the kids in our tasks, they are really doing well and it is a great help.  Sophie is always right there and ready to help... sometimes a little too much, but you can't fault her for it. Nolan does very well with helping when he has something to look forward to when it's done. We are doing a responsibility chart with the kids now and that helps him out a lot.

Anyway, that was my "quick" update on my progress. I'm feeling good... I do have to work the next 2 days though, so we'll see how work days go.

Thanks for the support!

Can I become more organized in 21 days?

So, here is my confession... I am not a clean person.  No, I don't mean personal hygiene, but I hate cleaning and my house is always messy.  I have some very organized friends and I am always getting down on myself about my homes lack of cleanliness.  Now, I want to say from the start, Poy is NOT the problem. He tries very hard to clean, but our routine is not working. So, I have started to read "Sidetracked Home Executives" by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. BTW, they are from Vancouver, WA :) Here is the system in a nutshell:

• Using a 3x5 card box with dividers and cards write down everything that you need to do around the house. (They have a list to help you out)
• You mark the card Daily, Weekly, Monthly etc.
• Everyday you do your tasks on your cards... so I have to clean EVERY day!! You aren't even supposed to leave your house without doing all your tasks.
• When you finish your cards you move them to the next day or week or month...

Anyway, they say it takes 21 days to change a habit, so that is what I am aiming to do.  In the book they actually say not to tell people, in case you don't do well.  I'm going with the opposite theory and if I feel that if I tell people what I'm doing I will push myself harder. So, I'm going to let you all know how I'm doing day by day.

Day 1: Yesterday I did all of my daily tasks (I have 17), and I cleaned all the mirrors in each bathroom, cleaned the oven and dishwasher door, vacuumed downstairs, did a load a laundry, except I have not folded and put it away still. (I swear I'm gonna do it when I'm done blogging) I took inventory of all of Nolan's clothes and removed the clothes that don't fit.

Day 2: Today I did 16 of my daily tasks, I skipped making my bed. Aside from my daily's, I took out the garbage, cleaned all toilets including the potty chair :), mopped all bathroom floors, cleaned all bathroom countertops, polished all faucets, washed my bathroom rugs.  Basically I spent ALOT of time in all 3 of my bathrooms. I also cleaned my microwave inside and out.

I am finding it very helpful to have a routine and know what I need to clean instead of just waiting until it is noticeably dirty.  I have reminded myself many times that although it is hard now and I feel like I'm cleaning all day long (well actually I AM cleaning all day long) it will not be so difficult if I stick with it.

Time to do the laundry...

Annual Wong Family Picnic

Yesterday was the Annual Wong Family Picnic. We had a Pot Luck at Fisher Basin Park and the kids played their little hearts out. The kids had tons of fun with their cousin Gabby and Poy's cousin's children as well. The weather was great and so was the company. Here are some photos of the family.

The kids getting food in their bellies before going to the playground.

Poy and the kids

Gabby, Nolan and Sophie

Poy & his brother Howard

Gabby

Madison

Kennedy

The food tastes better on Auntie Irene's plate

Gabby with her yummy noodles.

Our brother-in-law Kyle, Poy's uncle Edmund and Poy

Poy's Aunt Sally

Me :)

Zachary & Nolan

Give this kid some water 'cause he is sweaty!!

Sophie after playing hard

Busy, Busy Day

Yesterday ended up being a very full day.  Sophie and I started the morning at her "Creative Creations" Art class.  They did a very fun activity. They put a variety of things on the table and the children put them on wax paper.  They placed crayon shavings on their creation, covered it with another sheet of wax paper and then the instructor ironed it.  Sophie used feathers, paper, and flower petals. I think we'll put them in a window cause they look really cool when light shines through.  Last week they painted with "sand bags" (which were actually sand inside a tied nylon), that was fun, but didn't keep attention too long and it was obviously very messy. 

After class I had a chiropractor appointment, we went to lunch, and then took Sophie to her 3 year check-up.  She had a great appointment, her doctor was pleased with her health.  She weighed in at a mighty 27 lbs and she is 36 1/2" tall. She is equally proportioned at the 25th percentile in both height and weight. *For those of you without kids, this means 75% of kids her age are bigger than she is. We then were off to Target for some school supplies. 

As soon as we got home it was time to prepare for Nolan's soccer game, get a little snack in us and get to the field.  This was the first time I was alone with the kids at the game.  Poy took his management team out to dinner to show his appreciation to them, and my parents left for Las Vegas this morning. The ironic thing is, I felt like this was probably his best game so far.  Nolan is not an aggressive player at all, so he is often just running around.  He had a lot more kicks at the ball yesterday and he did quite well at his turn at goalie.  Here are some photos of Nolan playing and Sophie posing.

After the soccer game we were off to T-ball practice!  I know, what kind of a crazy mom has her 6 year old do 2 sports in one day... I didn't know that t-ball practice would be the same day as the soccer game, so when we can, we do both.  The hard part was I had a 3 year old to entertain on a blanket for 2 hours by myself.  Lets just say, she was playing with my camera ALOT, and insisting I take her picture.

We arrived home after 8pm and I then made a quick spaghetti dinner while we waited for Poy to come home. When we were done Sophie was unzipping her PJ's so I asked her what she was doing.  She says in a low gravely voice, as she sticks out her belly "My tummy says he is full". So cute. 

After Poy got home, we remembered that we bought Sophie her first nightgown at Target yesterday cause it was super cheap.  Sophie LOVES dresses, so I knew she'd love a nightgown.  Anyway, so she had to change.  I told her to pose for her picture, and that she did!

And just at the time when we should put the kids to bed and relax... I had to go to work...

As I said, it was a busy, busy day.

Did I hear what I think I heard? Yes I did!

Tonight I was getting Sophie's PJ's on and encouraging her to clean her room.  She really didn't want to do it, so she was getting a bit frustrated.  All of the sudden I hear her say something, but her back is turned to me, and I think "did I hear what I think I heard?" So I ask her, "what did you say?" She looks right at me with the most appropriate face and says "damn it".  She said it another 4 or 5 times while I had to hide my face in my shirt because it was really funny and I didn't want her to see me laughing and think she should continue.  She ended up thinking I was crying so I told her it was because I didn't like her using that word.  The funny thing was she was using it so appropriately.  The tone of her voice, the reason and everything.  I don't even know where she picked it up.  We are actually quite good at not swearing in front of our kids, and Nolan at 6 years old hasn't picked up any.  It was quite surprising, but that's our Sophie, she keeps us on our toes!

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles

The kids and I had some good bubble fun today. It started out with a bubble bath which is Sophie's new favorite thing.  Everytime she sees me in the tub she asks if she can have a bubble bath. Here are some fun pics.

Sophie's polishing the chrome for me

Nolan, I can't see your face...

That's better

Bubble Head!

In the afternoon I decided to try making homemade bubbles. Over all, it wasn't nearly as successful as I hoped it would be, but we did have some fun.  I've been trying to find some fun stuff for the kids to do outside since I feel like the kids are inside way too much.  Last week we made silly putty.  That was some messy fun.

Nolan climbing the rock wall

Check out that trapeze artist!

Cute Pose

Mixing bubbles

Blowing bubbles

It was a such a beautiful day today. I sure didn't get much done inside the house, 

but it was nice to be outside.

A Yucky Way to Wake Up

I was peacefully sleeping this morning when I woke to hear Sophie crying in her room at 5am.  She wakes often and makes her way into our bed, but this morning was different.  She was crying, and yelling "mama".  As I pulled myself out of bed to go to her, she knocks on her door, which of coarse she can open herself.  I opened the door to an overwhelming stench.  I thought she pooped or something.  I asked her what was wrong and if she pooped. She said something about it being in her bed. I turned on the light to see vomit on her PJ's. I went into her room and found that she had thrown up in her bed then she must have been disoriented cause there was a path from her bed to her dresser.  There was the smelliest vomit everywhere.  Yuck, yuck, yuck!  I got her cleaned up and then Poy and I spent a good 20-30 minutes cleaning up her bedding and her carpet.  Luckily she had tossed her "night-night" (her name for her lovey) out of her bed before she got sick, so night-night was still available to comfort her in her time of need. When she woke for the day she didn't eat anything for breakfast, she only wanted milk.  As we were getting into the car to go to Nolan's t-ball game, she threw up her milk too.  I thought we were gonna have a sick kid all day long, but luckily she didn't have any more issues the rest of the day.  I will say we are quite fortunate, both of our kids did not have their first incident of "real" throw-up until they were 3 years old. 

They did like to spit up as babies though :)

My First Post and thoughts on Blogging

Alright, here I go... I'm going to try out this blogging stuff and see if it works for me.  I have some thoughts on blogging and they are 

1. Is my life really exciting enough that people will want to read my blog?
2. It seems that many times what I'm reading on blogs is all positive, but life isn't perfect and I'd like to be honest... are blog readers looking for only the good stuff?
3. Can I keep up?
   

Well, I'm gonna try, and I'm also gonna start with a yucky story... I hope you enjoy reading about Living the Wong Way.