Counter Top Transformation (with tutorial)

As you know, we've been slowly working on updating our kitchen. We still have a lot of work to do, but even unfinished, it's much improved.

Today I thought I'd show you my counter tops. This was one of the first things I did when we started working on the kitchen. I decided to paint the formica. This idea used to horrify me because I know that paint can be touchy and and can damage easily (my philosophy for Pinterest tutorials is, "Question everything!"), but it got to the point where my kitchen was so ugly and out-dated that I just shrugged my shoulders and went, "Eh. It's worth a shot." I had no back-up plan for if the counters didn't turn out. 

It's been about three months since I painted the counters, and I feel that enough time has passed that I can give you a pretty honest review of this process.

Here is what my kitchen looked like before I did the counters (note that these photos were an afterthought, so I took them after I'd already started painting the walls. They are also from my cell phone - because this ain't no home renovation blog).

Here is the formica up close:

Step 1: Sand the Formica

The first thing I did was clean the formica really well and then sand it lightly. I don't remember what grit I used. It was coarse enough to remove some of the shine from the formica but not coarse enough to leave big grooves. I just used what I had on hand. 

I also removed the caulk from around the sink and from where the counter tops meet the wall. This isn't necessary (you might not even have caulk), but our caulk was looking pretty nasty, so I wanted to get rid of it and put some fresh stuff on. This was a tedious process. I used a Goo Gone product for caulk, and I spent hours cutting the caulk with a blade and then scraping off the residue. 

Step 2: Prime

The next step was to cover the formica with a tintable primer. I taped off the sink, but I didn't worry about the walls since we would be caulking and painting anyway. 

I ended up not tinting the primer. I thought I wanted a little white to show through, but in hindsight, I would probably tint it to a slightly off-white or light gray - something that's not so white - because I later ended up coating most of the white with a different color. 

Here is what the tintable primer looked like on the counter:

I used a brush in the corners and small roller everywhere else. I did two coats.

Step 3: Start Adding Color

After the primer dried, I started experimenting with color. This is a process where you have to be flexible. If you have something specific in mind, you might have to mess around with lots of different colors and techniques to get what you want. You may also not get what you want at all, so this project is definitely better for someone who's okay with "playing it by ear." 

I knew that I wanted my counter tops to have some beige, taupe, and gray tones. I bought several bottles of acrylic paint (this is where I wasn't sure if I could trust this task - how can cheap craft paint work on counter tops?) I bought some tan, some gray, and some black, and I knew I could mix colors if necessary. I also bought a natural sponge.

I cut the sponge into four pieces. I experimented with the colors for a while, trying to find a shade that I could sponge onto the white to make it not so bright. I tried the tan and didn't like it. Then I tried a few different grays and didn't like any of them, either. Then I decided that I trust the color I'd chosen for my walls, so I might as well use that, so I sponged on a layer of the latex wall paint so the white only showed through slightly. 

Then I sponged on some gray. 

At this point, I thought it looked "good enough," and I considered just leaving it, but I wanted to see how it would look with a little bit of black. 

When working with the colors, I found that it took a few tries to get the right color, and it also took a few tries to figure out how to work the sponge. I kept a wet towel nearby so I could sponge on some paint and then wipe it off if I didn't like it. It helped to lightly dip the sponge in the paint and then tap it several times on a paper plate until the paint thinned out slightly and absorbed into the sponge. I also needed to be careful to turn the sponge as I went so I didn't get repeated sponge patterns. I also didn't want it to look "too sponged."

I felt like the black was too stark, so I mixed a little bit of gray in it just to lighten it slightly. Once I got the right shade, I sponged it on very lightly so there is just a little bit of black in the counters.

Step 5: Top Coat

I let the acrylic dry for about two hours, and then I started the top coat. I used polycrylic in a satin sheen. I applied it with a brush and did three coats with about two hours drying time in between. 

When the final coat was drying, Scotty was working on moving the cabinet over the stove, and one of the adjacent cabinets fell off the wall and hit the counter on the way down. I was surprised that, even with slightly tacky paint on the counter, the cabinet did minimal damage. This is when I started to believe that painting counter tops might actually be okay.

Step 6: Lightly Sand

After the final coat dried for a day, I took some fine grit sand paper and went over it lightly to remove and bubbles or bumps. The instructions for the polycrylic says that you should sand in between each coat for best results, but I only sanded at the end.

Here is what the final paint job looks like up close:

And here's a shot of the kitchen after I'd finished painting the counters:

Overall, I'm very surprised and happy with the results. I use cleaners on the counter, I scrub them, and I even use crock pots on them. They're doing just fine! 

If this is something you are considering doing, here is what you should know:

This is a great way to update your counters on a budget. I think I spent about $50. Most of the expense was the primer and the top coat. I have quite a bit leftover, so I will be able to use it for my bathroom someday. My formica is over twenty years old, so it's lived a good life. I figured I had nothing to lose.  In my opinion, this is a great option if you want to update your kitchen but can't afford to have new material installed - which is the case with us. I really don't care what my counters are made of as long as they hold up well, but I do care about the color. I'm hoping to get at least ten years out of them. Now that I've been through the process, I know I can easily paint them again if I ever want to.

Even though I really like how they turned out, they do look painted if you look at them up close. You can see some light brush strokes from the top coat. It's not horrible, by any means, but for some people, this will be an issue. Sanding in between coats will help with this, but I didn't sand in between coats. I just sanded at the end.

You can't really guess what the paint will look like until you're elbow deep in the process. It's a project of trial and error. Other tutorials say, "You can't really go wrong..." but you can. The good thing is that it's easy to fix if you don't like how it's turning out. Flexibility is a must!

The counter tops will still have the same problems that formica has. If your kid runs a knife across it, it will leave a mark. If your kids spills water colors on it, it can stain. Both of these have happened at our house, but the paint isn't to blame.

In hindsight, the only things I might do differently are:

• Possibly tint my primer to a shade of off-white
• Use some acrylics that have some sparkle. The black paint I got had a little sparkle to it, but when I toned it down by adding some gray, it really dulled the sparkle. In granite and quartz counter tops, you can see a little bit of sparkle. 

I will be sure to update this post if anything ever changes with my counters, but as of right now, I am very happy with them, especially now that my cabinets are painted (I'll post about my cabinets at a later time). I'll also come back and add a picture of the counters with the finished kitchen when it's ready.

Spiritual Feast

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I got to participate in some really uplifting events - a spiritual feast before the feast, if you will.

The first was Time Out for Women. It has been an annual tradition to go with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law each year for the past seven years. This year, some of my nieces joined us for the first time. In the past we've made a little mini vacation out of it, and we've gone to Logan or Saint George. This time we stayed near home and went to the Salt Lake event, but we still made it a "get away" by staying in a local hotel.

One of the perks of going to the Salt Lake event was getting to see my bestest buddy, Shannon. I don't think I've told you, but Shannon moved to Idaho about five months ago. Idaho is kind of far away, but not as far as Minnesota (I'm not guilt-tripping anyone here - just stating the facts... ahem...) Anyway, Shannon made the trip to Salt Lake to attend TOFW with her in-laws, we we were able to hang out a little bit while she was in town.

I also got to see several other friends, like Sara and Shayla. 

Quick funny story: Sara and Shayla are two of five sisters. Last year, a photographer took some pictures of them at TOFW and then asked Shayla to step out of the photo. TOFW ended up using the photo of the four sisters (minus Shayla) for all of their promotional materials this year - emails, fliers, programs, etc. Last year on Thanksgiving, Shayla texted me and said, "Do you mind if I swear?" I said, "Go ahead!" Then she sent me the promotional photo, and said, "Notice anything missing? What the HELL?!?" So for an entire year, this sisterly photo was EVERYWHERE, and now that year is finally coming to a close. TOFW ended up using an enlarged photo of Shayla with her baby to direct women to the mothers' lounge, but is that any consolation?

Time Out for Women started Friday night and went through Saturday afternoon. The next morning, Nicky and I went downtown to Temple Square to attend Music and the Spoken Word.

Music and the Spoken Word is a weekly musical broadcast with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It's been on air for over 80 years (we attended the 4,601st broadcast). The show is recorded at Temple Square and is open to the public (ages 8 & up).

(If you're visiting Salt Lake, make this a part of your trip!)

I've wanted to take Nicky for a really long time, and since we have 11:00 church this year and will switch to the 9:00 block in January, I only had a few weeks left where we could go before church. Daisy was invited, but I knew she would hate it, so I was relieved when she chose not to go.

I was excited when I walked into the rehearsal and saw that the hand-bell choir was there. What a perfect week to go! I also loved that the program had some familiar songs for Nicky: "A Prayer of Thanksgiving," which was his piano song the week prior (under a different title), "Simple Gifts," which Nicky knows from the Piano Guys, and "I've Got the Whole World in My Hands," which Fred Randall sings from outer space in the cinematic masterpiece, Rocketman. 

I enjoy attending Music & the Spoken Word, and while I was there I kept kicking myself for not coming more. It's cool to see behind the scenes of a live broadcast, and the sound of the choir in the Tabernacle can't be beat! The Spirit was so strong - I was giddy when I left.

Both these events were really good precursors to the holiday season. I feel like my heart was in a good place for Thanksgiving and will hopefully remain there through Christmas.

Ten Thanksgiving Things

1. Thanksgiving Eve

The night before Thanksgiving we went to the Jazz game. Sometimes Scotty is able to get free tickets, so we try to go whenever we can. It was a warm night, so we were able to get the kids downtown comfortably and without a lot of hoopla. There's always a basketball game going on while we're there, but the real sporting event is climbing up and down from the nosebleed section to cater to my incessant pee-er. On the third bathroom trip, we decided it was time to just leave. We made it through the end of the third quarter, though, and that's a new family record!

2. Thanksgiving Morning

On Thanksgiving morning, Scotty and Nicky went to play football with some guys from church (I played the role of "supportive wife" and made 40 orange flags for the event). I stayed home with the girls and finished reading a book (blog post to follow).

When Scotty got home, I left for an hour to go walking with my friends. We decided that we would take advantage of the "day off" and go walking in the light (we normally walk at 5:30 in the morning).

3. The Weather

The weather on Thanksgiving was a real treat! The temperature was in the 60's, so we were able to dress lightly and not worry about coats. The kids played outside throughout the day. It was wonderful!

4. The Meal

We had our Thanksgiving dinner at Scotty's mom's house. All the siblings came but one (there are 7 in this portion of the family), so it was a good sized group. We stayed there for a few hours and then headed to my uncle's house (where my mom was) for pie and games.

5. The Food Assignment

For the past two Thanksgivings I've volunteered to do the potatoes. While I was mashing the potatoes, I realized something about myself - I enjoy preparing food in masses!

A few months ago, Daisy was baptized, and we had brunch at the church after. My step-mom asked me about the food, and when I mentioned my cooking process (I'd baked the breakfast casseroles before the baptism and covered them with foil and put them in the oven, which I'd heated slightly and then turned off, to keep them warm, and I'd made funeral potatoes (four recipes' worth) in the crock pot so they were piping hot when we got to the church), she said, "You did all that? Why didn't you ask someone for help?" I didn't really have an answer for that, so I just said, "I dunno." But now I know the answer - I wanted to do it myself! I liked doing it.

I enjoy the challenge and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with making a dish that feeds a huge group of people! I love the process of forming a strategy (How am I going to boil and mash 25 pounds of potatoes?) Several years ago a friend told me that she halves her chocolate cookie recipe so it only makes one dozen. I remember thinking that was really weird because I use a recipe that makes 4 dozen, and I double it so I get 8 dozen (now granted, cookies aren't my thing, so if I'm going to make cookies, I'm going to make cookies). Ultimately, I would rather make 8 dozen cookies and freeze a few dozen and feed half my neighbors than dirty all those dishes for just a dozen cookies.

Food by the masses! This is my new motto.

(But I do have to throw out a disclaimer here, I like to prepare the food, not plan the food. So don't put me in charge of the next ward dinner. I will make ten casseroles, but someone else has to do the math to figure out that we need ten casseroles. I have no talent for that).

6. The Movie

On Thanksgiving night, we got our kids all pajama-ed up and went to see Coco. I really liked it. Not in a "buy it and watch it over and over" kind of way (it's rare for me to like a movie in that way), but in a "tell people they should go see it" kind of way. So go see it!

7. The Shopping

I'm not a huge Black Friday shopper, but I do like to keep my eye out just in case. I will not fight the masses or stand in lines or do anything crazy or strenuous, but if I see a good deal online that's easy to snag, I'll do it (I won't spend my time creating an account, though. I have "account creating aversion," so if something requires me to type my name and address or enter my credit card info, it's gotta really be worth it. So Amazon or bust, in most cases).

I ended up buying some Rubbermaid for myself, a gift for Eva, and a gift for my nephew. I also took advantage of the 20% off promo for Chatbooks (I already have an account) and put all of my cell phone photos in a book for each kid (I did this last year as well, and they LOVED getting their books for Christmas, especially Zoe. She hauls our Chatbooks everywhere - I may need to order reprints so I can have a "nice" set for posterity and a "reading" set for Zoe).

I was able to talk myself out of about $600 worth of impulse buys. I had some major purchases in my cart, and then I remembered that we are broke and heavily burdened by "stuff" already. I guess I don't need a robot vacuum... or do I?

8. Friday

Scotty's new job (of six months) allows him to have the day after Thanksgiving off, which is sooooo nice! I talked him into working on our floor. He got the floor laid in the kitchen in September, and then we put our renovation on hold while he traveled to Memphis and Paraguay for work. Now we need to finish extending the floor into the living room. He worked on that on Friday, and got the first third done.

9. The Transition to Christmas

I am one of those people who prefers not to listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. I will occasionally indulge and listen to a few songs the week of Thanksgiving (usually I sneak in Maroon 5's cover of "Happy Christmas"), but for the most part, I steer clear. The day after Thanksgiving, Christmas music is fair game, and I usually throw out a few decorations.

10. The Decorations

I used to go all out with Christmas decor, but over the past three years, I've gotten rid of most of my decorations. I went from four Christmas bins to one (with a few things that don't fit in the bin - such as wreaths, a doormat, and a big wooden sled). Since I patched all the holes in my walls when I painted, I've had to adjust my holiday decor. It can't go where it used to go because the holes aren't there. I decided I'm going to photograph my Christmas decor this year so I can look at it next year and see if I liked where I put everything, and then I will know the answer to the question, "Should I hang the garland over front door or leave it off?" because I'll have a visual (blog post to follow).

Part of my decorating process is changing my blog banner and my profile picture and cover photo on Facebook (I'm still off social media for the month, but I wanted to get all of my stuff changed at once).

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Thanksving 2017 was a success! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday as well.

What I Have to Say About Grammar

Sometimes I like to read articles about grammar and punctuation.* I find it interesting** to learn what's considered proper and how the rules have changed and adapted over time. 

I make grammatical mistakes, of course (you know this because you read my blog), and I don't know everything there is to know about punctuation, but I do okay. I mean, I ace all those Facebook quizzes, and we all know that's what really matters.

 

Even though I have a fascination with grammar and punctuation, I'm not what one would call a "grammar Nazi." I used to be, but then I decided that I don't want to be a jerk when I grow up. 

I know that everyone makes mistakes and that grammar does not come easily to some. If you struggle with there/their/they're, it's okay with me. You are still amazing, and I will split a plate of Cafe Rio nachos with you any day of the week. Plus, I have a confession: the semi-colon? I don't get it. Never have, never will. And flat adverbs? I fear them. So if you suck at grammar, it's cool.  

I only hope that you find memes for your passion that are as funny as the memes for my passion.

*Here are some I recommend:

Here's What to Say to that Jerk Who Corrects Your Grammar

Why Your Brain Lets You Make Grammar Mistakes

I also enjoy many articles from Grammar Girl, for example, What Is the Pural of 'Batman?'

**Another thing I enjoy learning about is pronunciation - the word 'interesting' is one that I've spent a lot of time exploring. Now who wants to come over to my house and pop popcorn and watch videos about t-glottalization with me? (When your name is Brittany, you gotta glottalize)!

Snippets of Nicky's Room

My two older kids are supposed to have their rooms clean every morning before they leave for school. The rule is that they don't get to use any electronics that day if they don't have it clean before they leave. It sounds simple enough on paper, but enforcing it is a beast simply because I don't know what standard to hold them to. Obviously they are not going to make their beds or clean their rooms as well as I would, but I'm not sure how lenient to be. Every day, I go down there and find their blankets sloppily spread on their beds with all sorts of stuff buried underneath. Their floors always have Legos or pieces of garbage on them. And every day I think, "Are they taking me for a sucker or is this really all they are capable of?" Then I don't know if I should take away electronics for the day or not. Did they really, sincerely try? I'm not so sure.

We are working on this... always and forever.

Today I was fed up with their rooms, so I cleaned them to give my kids a fresh canvas to work with. Then tonight I plan on walking them through (for the millionth time) what I expect of them. I'm going to outline these standards:

-Nothing should be under your bedding. If I find a stray blanket, a stray stuffed animal, or even a stray sock under there, you do not get electronics for the day.

-I should be able to come in your room with a vacuum and not have to pick up anything. If I suck up a Lego or a Tootsie Roll wrapper while I'm vacuuming, you do not get electronics for the day.

We will work on surface areas like dressers and nightstands another day. Baby steps.

(But really, why are my kids such hoarders?)

Cleaning their rooms gave me a minute to reflect on who they are and how they've changed over the years. While I was cleaning Nicky's room, I realized that two or three years from now, I will probably be looking at a very different bedroom. For now, his room still reflects a child. There is no teen angst within his walls or signs of an adolescent trying to figure himself out. Even though he has grown up a lot, Nicky is still enveloped by the innocence of childhood.

I spent a moment in his room just looking at his things.

His Diary of a Wimpy Kids books - oh the hours I have spent trying to get him to read something anything else. Up until a few weeks ago when we forced him to read Michael Vey, he kept reading the Wimpy Kid books over and over and over...

His chickens - Nicky has been obsessed with chickens since he was three. If the day ever comes where he isn't a fanatic for chickens, I will die a little inside.

 

His inventions - Nicky is always making things. A whiles ago he built a hockey game out of cardboard boxes and magnets. A few days later, he built this helmet. I'm not sure what its purpose is, but it has a carrying handle on top for convenience, and I'm not allowed to use said handle to carry it to the garbage can.

 

His bedding - Nicky's bed has always been a point of contention for us. He wants all the pillows and all the blankets of the house on his bed along with every stuffed animal he owns. He also insists on having a memory foam mattress topper, and sometimes it gets out of place, and he will sleep on it all lumpy and folded. I've nagged him for years about only having one extra blanket and one stuffed animal on his bed.

His portrait of the Colonel - Nicky drew this picture to commemorate our cat when we put him to sleep a few years ago. He still talks about the Colonel all the time. Nicky and the cat were the best of friends. It's something we'll never get back.

 

When I think about what the next few years might steal from Nicky, it makes me want to just lock him in there, especially now that it's really clean. 

Stay here, boy. With your Legos and your stuffed animals and your Thomas the Train blanket. Don't go out there where you will be lost and confused. I'll let you read Diary of a Wimpy Kid for all eternity!

Currently {November 2017 Edition}

Reading: Nothing - I'm on the hunt for my next read. Last night I finished reading a book called The Girl Before by Rena Olsen. I read it in 24 hours. It's been a long time since I've done that. Quite the page-turner, that one.

(It has some swears and involves human trafficking, so definitely not for everyone).

Watching: Stranger Things and The Office

Procrastinating: Finishing our kitchen. We stopped working on it while Scotty was traveling last month, and we're having a hard time getting going again. We still need to finish painting the walls, extending the floor into the living room, replacing the trim, and touching up the cabinets. We also need to build a banister, and we're hoping to make a new top for our table.

Wanting: Motivation. Is there a Black Friday sale on that?

Craving: A feeling of completion. I just want to finish something. Nothing is ever DONE around here.

Wearing: A Salt Lake Bees shirt, second-hand jeans, and pink slippers. I've showered, but I don't look like it.

Relieved by: Having a slow week. Our past month has been so crazy. There's not a lot on the schedule this week, and it feels nice.

Stressing about: My knees. I've had knee problems off and on for a few years, and both of my knees have been on the fritz for the past few weeks. This is the worst they've ever been. In a house where laundry needs to be carried up and down three flights of stairs, this is quite the obstacle. My body is betraying me.

Missing: Our old Cub Scout pack. Nicky earned his Arrow of Light a few months ago, and his den leader has been working on a slide show for the ceremony in December. I've been sifting through photos of scout activities from when I was primary president and from when Scotty and I were Cub Masters. Our pack is now combined with another pack, and it just hasn't been the same.

Excited to: Go to Time Out for Women this weekend with my in-laws.

Neglecting: My ears. They are full of fluid, and I really need to go to the ENT, but I keep putting it off.

Wanting: A new fridge and a new oven. I don't need them, though, so I will wait a little longer.

Trying: To stop drinking soda... again. I'm four days sober.

Feeling: Annoyed. I think that's my dominant emotion - annoyed. Right now I'm annoyed by the child whose feet are on me. I am also feeling slightly cold. Especially my feet.

Wishing: That I had some better writing inspiration right now. I really feel like writing something, but this is all I've got.

Tired of: Changing diapers. I've had kids in diapers for the past 11 years with no breaks. Combine this answer with my need for a feeling of completion, and that's a pretty good indication that I really need to potty train Eva (or hire my sister-in-law to potty train Eva).

Hoping: That Eva will just wake up potty trained one day.

On Gratitude

For the past three years, I've taught youth Sunday school. Right now I teach the 14-18 year olds. I usually start my lessons by asking a discussion question that helps me learn what's going on in the lives of my class members. Sometimes it's as simple as "What did you do this week?" I've asked them what their favorite temple is, what their favorite food is, and the hardest question... "What is something awesome about your family?" (two of them refused to say anything awesome about their families. With enough persuading, one of them eventually said, "Fine. Me. I'm what's awesome about my family." The other never answered, and I'm mad at myself for letting him get away with it!)

Yesterday I asked them to tell me something they had felt gratitude for in the past week. Sometimes during these discussions, the kids are resistant to answer. They don't like being put on the spot. But other times, they really open up, and they say some amazing things. Yesterday I got a few heartfelt answers, and some of them had to do with family. A set of sisters in the class each said they were thankful for the other (I don't know where this sisterly harmony comes from, but I could use a huge dose of it in my own family). One boy said that he was thankful for his parents because they had helped him with a problem during the week. Another boy said he was thankful for his grandparents because they are taking care of his temporal and spiritual needs right now.

(Whenever I get answers like this, I go tell their parents -  or grandparents).

One of the reasons I asked this question is because I've been thinking a lot about gratitude for the past week (tis the season), and I've had many moments where I've felt thankful for something, and I've paused for a moment to acknowledge and wonder at it.

Here are some of the things I've felt gratitude for in the past week:

Friends

I am very blessed in friendship. When I am interacting with friends regularly (as opposed to times when I am in a funk and withdraw from my social life) my life feels so full. My friends bring so much laughter and joy to my days, and we have the best conversations. We talk about everything from symbolism in books to the difficulty of using the bathroom in one-piece pajamas.

I have friends for all occasions - friends to eat with, friends to exercise with, friends to see movies with, and friends to share my most embarrassing things with.

Being Me and Being Them

This is a hard one to put into words. One of my greatest fears is that I or someone I love will get an injury or illness someday that will change my/their personality.

We've been working our way through the new season of Stranger Things, and in episode three, it makes mention of Phineas Gage. In school I had to study behavior and the brain, and the Phineas Gage story came up pretty much any time we learned about the frontal lobe. The short story is that Phineas Gage had a tamping iron go through his head and come out the other side. Miraculously, he lived, but the rod damaged his frontal lobe and completely changed his personality.

Phineas Gage and the tamping iron 

that went through his head (EEEEEK!)

Two women in my book group are experiencing this fear - one with her child and one with her husband. They have had some medical issues that have affected their personalities - not nearly to the extent of Phineas Gage, but it's still devastating. I don't know what I would do if Scotty wasn't Scotty or Nicky wasn't Nicky.

This week I've felt so grateful that I am me and they are them, and my heart weeps for those who aren't themselves and for their loved ones who miss th

Respect of Religion

Belonging to a church isn't always viewed positively by society. In the past few years, my own church has been subject to some very intense scrutiny and criticism (it always has - and so has every other religion, but it's getting worse). Despite the criticism, I stand firm in my faith. I have plenty of questions, but I work very hard to not let my questions become stumbling blocks on a path that I ultimately believe is right.

I have a deep gratitude for those who do not share my religion but who still have a respect for it. I am grateful for those who disagree with what I believe but do not use my beliefs as a reason to hate me.

Music

I love music, and I enjoy music of all kinds. I love listening to it, singing it, dancing to it, and even playing it (I play the piano just enough to hash out about five songs from the HYMNS book, and I always have "Oh Susanna" to fall back on on the harmonica).

I think I could've been "good" at music if I'd nurtured it from a young age. Two of my biggest regrets from my youth are 1) not taking piano lessons and 2) not participating in the school choir. I know it's never too late, but it's harder to learn it now because of time, other priorities, and "mom brain."

Luckily, music can be enjoyed by all - regardless of skills and abilities. I can turn up the blue tooth and dance in my kitchen all I want, I can sing in the ward choir (and ask the choir director what the "thingies" mean in the sheet music), I can play "Choose the Right" over and over on the piano, and I can yell out with excitement, "KEY CHANGE!" during my favorite MoTab pieces (sometimes I conduct - Mack Wilberg would not be impressed, but it's all good cuz Mack Wilberg has yet to show up to any of my kitchen concerts).

YouTube

YouTube makes my life better. It really does. In fact, while writing this post, Zoe decided she needed to do the limbo with two of Scotty's ties. After she passed under the ties a few times, I asked, "Should we turn on some limbo music?" and thanks to YouTube, we had a good old limbo session complete with "Limbo Rock."

YouTube gives my life a soundtrack - I can always find just what I need. It helps me teach my children - I can always find a video for Family Home Evening or for math problems or for how to make our own crayons (which I really don't want to do - ever! But Daisy keeps asking and asking...) YouTube helps me keep my kids busy. Lately I've been turning on children's meditation exercises for the older two, and they love it!

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A few months ago I bought a sign to hang on my wall that says "We are blessed." It sat in my basement for a long time, but on Friday I finally hung it up next to our new family photo. It's the perfect reminder for me of how much we have to be grateful for. Life is hard, but it's more manageable when I can see the blessings in it.

We are out of milk {and thirteen other random facts}

Fact #1: The morning sky has been amazing lately. I have a ton of snapshots on my phone where I have been at a stoplight while taking kids to school and wanted to capture the sun rays shining through holes in the clouds. The photos never turn out, but I try anyway - just in case.

 

Fact #2: In addition to the morning sky, I am in love with a scene I drive past each day on the way to my kids' school. There are some canals by the school, and there's a spot where I drive around a bend, and as soon as I pass a particular tree, I can see the canal with the mountains in the background. Sometimes the lighting in that spot is spectacular, and with the fall leaves, it's rather splendid. I always look forward to that moment where I can see the water and take note of what is reflected in it. Each day is different depending on the sky. I always imagine taking a photo, but I never do because I'm driving.

Fact #3: I have always been intrigued by flasks. Sometimes I see them at the store, and I want one. I don't drink alcohol, but I'm sure I could find something awesome to put in a flask. The other day, this one caught my eye at Kohl's. The quality is probably poor, but it sure is cute! I assume there's a trial and error phase that must be endured before one finds the right flask.

Fact #4: I may not drink alcohol, but I do wear socks, so I had every reason to buy these men's hamburger socks from Target the other day.

I've not yet eaten a hamburger while wearing my hamburger socks, but #lifegoals.

Fact #5: Last week was my speaking gig in Logan, UT. It went very well, and I met some great people. I even went up to a lady and told her that we needed to be Facebook friends and that I want to go to lunch with her in five years because I know I will need her in my life at that time (any interaction that happens before then is a bonus). Luckily she was okay with this and even did the work of "friending" me.

Fact #6: I tried to get a selfie of me on the Utah State campus to send to my friend, Shannon, but it went like this:

 

A few photos have turned up of me presenting. It's always exciting to see a photo of yourself in mid-sentence with arms flailing (which is what I do when I present - talk and flail).

(Got my dress at DI for $6. It makes me look pregnant, but pretty much everything makes me look pregnant right now).

(NOT pregnant, by the way. Let's just be clear about that).

Fact #7: Next month I will be speaking to a youth group. That will be new for me! I haven't spoken to the youngins before. I'm excited to give it a try.

Fact #8: The day before my presentation, Eva clawed my face during one of her tantrums (this is her new thing - BEWARE THE CLAWS) so I've had a scabby face for the past week.

 

It's cool. They just blend in with my zits. Whatever.

Fact #9: This picture summarizes my daily outings with Eva.

 

Fact #10: Zoe turned five last week. She never skips the opportunity to tell someone that she's five. She has been so excited to turn five because her friend Kayson turned five in September, and it wasn't fair that Kayson got to be five, and she didn't.

 

Fact #11: I made cupcakes for her birthday party, and I let her decorate them with teddy Grahams and Circus Animal cookies. She was pretty thrilled about that (a big relief to me because she wanted something Dora-ish on her cupcakes, but I was only willing to go to ONE store, and that store didn't have anything Dora-ish that I could put on top of a cupcake).

Fact #12: Speaking of cupcakes, I also made some BYU cupcakes for a boy in my Sunday school class for his birthday. I have to give a shout out to my amazing friend, Lynsie, who will whip up anything I need in the graphics department. I'm always asking her for Christmas cards and birthday invitations, and the like, and she always delivers. So, of course, she was able to whip up some BYU cupcake toppers for me.

Fact #13: I never told you about the spilled paint! Boy, that was a bad night.

Early Mornings and Social Media

I didn't go walking this morning, but I still woke up at 5:30. My house does not lend itself well to early rising and keeping the kids asleep. Between my floor plan and my kids' tendency to be easily roused in the morning, I can't really be awake and do anything without waking someone. I'm paranoid to roll over in bed, let alone get out of bed. Every movement I make is a risk, so I have to decide if it's worth it to try and get up or if I should just lay in bed in silence.

I know laying in bed sounds very appealing to some, but it's torture for me if I'm not sleeping or watching TV. I can't just LAY THERE! Yesterday I woke up at 3:30 and laid in bed unable to fall back asleep for an hour and a half before I finally got up.

All of this is to say that I am awake early, and I'm blogging, which is very risky because my laptop creates light and clickety clack sounds. I can already hear Eva stirring. It will only be a couple of minutes before she is yelling for a sippy cup of milk. She is in a bedroom behind a closed door, and yet, she knows.

My children are like animals.

Because of all of the above, I would like someone to insert a microchip in my brain that allows me to write blog posts with my mind and send them to my draft folder. It will be the ultimate luxury! ...until the government taps into my microchip and uses it to make me into a war machine.

To get into the right spirit for the holidays, I decided to stay away from social media for the month of November - specifically instragram and facebook. I guess blogging is technically a form of social media (it is, right?) but it doesn't intrude on my life like other platforms do, so I'm still blogging, and I'm still using YouTube because the things I use YouTube for are not sucking up my life (mostly I use it to listen to music while I clean).

I have a Pinterest account, but Pinterest is not a problem for me at all. I don't follow anyone on Pinterest, and I rarely use it. I just have a few boards for things like Cub Scouts (which I'm not involved in anymore) and birthday poster ideas.

As I've been weaning off my social media habit, I've had a lot of people ask me how it's going (I posted on social media that I would not be using social media in November in order to help me be more accountable). The conversations have been interesting. I've had a couple of people join me, which is awesome because we can check in on each other. But I've also had some people tell me how they could never go without social media - it would completely destroy them! I've asked people what types of social media they use, and the answers astound me. It turns out that my social media use is so minimal in comparison to other people, and yet, I feel my social media use has gotten out of control.

Part of the reason I wanted to step away from it for a while is because I was reading about a research study where they needed participants (college students) to not use social media for 24 hours. The drop-out rate was around 90%. Some refused to even try while others tried and gave up before the end of the 24 hours.

I'm not really part of that demographic, and I know that I can go 24 hours without social media, but it's still too big a part of my life. I've developed some bad habits, and I find myself reaching for my phone all too often, and I get really antsy if I don't know where my phone is. So I wanted to detox and then in December, I will try to set some new boundaries for social media for myself.

Even without social media, though, I'm still on my phone all the time. I worry about my kids seeing me use my phone so much, but my phone hosts everything! It's my alarm clock, my radio, my checkbook, my calculator, my GPS, my scriptures, and more. I need to be better about setting aside time for cell phone tasks rather than picking up my phone over and over all day long. It also might be good for me to use a real calculator and real scriptures a little more because my kids will know I'm reading the scriptures if they see me holding a Bible. They don't know I'm reading the scriptures if I'm holding my phone. I need to think about what it looks like to them.

I often think about what it would be like if a disaster were to knock out all of our cell phones and internet service. I imagine an EMP attack or something that massively wipes it all out at once. I want to be one of the survivors. I don't want to be the person writhing on the ground unable to meet my basic Maslow needs because I can't function without my phone.

Technology is such a blessing, but it's a blessing that I need to make sure I can step away from occasionally.

Family Photos: Operation Chill-Out

Last night we had family pictures taken. I decided I was going to force myself to be chill about it. In my practicum workshops I talked about perfectionism, and I used family photos as an example of an area of life where we often want perfection. We talked about the pros and cons to expecting perfection in family pictures.

Many people shared stories of their own family photos and how, at the time, they were so upset about the way their photos turned out, but years later (now that their kids are much older), they love their old family photos and no longer see the flaws that they were so worried about.

In the presentation I did last week, I talked about stress, and I again used the scenario of family photos to get my point across. I told my class that I had an appointment for family photos on Tuesday and that they were welcome to check up on me Wednesday to see if I practiced what I preached.

As part of Operation Chill-Out, I decided I was going to let my kids pick what they wanted to wear. This meant there would be no coordinating outfits, and there was a pretty good chance someone would show up in pajamas (I lucked out, and this didn't happen). I knew Nicky would want to wear one of his Hawaiian shirts that I hate (this did happen), and that there would be outfits that didn't fit the season.

(I almost backed out of this several times. I had to re-convince myself over and over to stick with this plan).

I also decided not to be too fussy about hair or anything else, which worked out really well because I ended up only having 15 minutes from the time we got home from school until we needed to leave for pictures. It was just enough time to give everyone a piece of pizza and make them change their clothes. Aside from the wardrobe change, we went as we were (I do have to confess that I'd curled my girls' hair for school that day to increase the chances of them having decent hair).

Nicky chose his Hawaiian shirt and shorts, Daisy picked a purple shirt and jeans, Zoe wore a black and pink floral dress, and Eva wore a coral and gold Moana dress. I got a little crazy and stayed in the clothes I'd worn all day - they were still relatively clean, an unusual occurrence, so why mess with a good thing?

During the session, I let the kids pick the backdrops for their individual photos. I had two kids take off their shoes, and Eva took off the jacket I'd put on with her dress, so she was in spaghetti straps. Zoe kept rubbing her head on the walls which would make her hair stand up. It was chaotic and imperfect, but I was chill.

I got the link to my photo gallery late last night, and here is what I gained from this experiment:

• It was much less stressful than any photo shoot I've ever done with the kids
• I spent far less money because I didn't buy any clothes or "stuff" for the photos (and as a side note, the shirt I wore came from DI)
• The photos suit my kids personalities perfectly - they are them in the pictures. They are wearing outfits that they wear all the time, and everything else from their facial expressions to their lack of shoes is honest and real 

The photos are far from perfect, but they are no less perfect than they would have been with matching outfits, dolled up hair, and coordinated backdrops. We didn't get any decent pictures of the kids in a group, which is always a risk when you try and get pictures of kids (Zoe kept trying to strangle Daisy, and Eva refused to be in a group shot, which is why the photographer sneakily snapped the above photo). But their individual photos turned out pretty good, and we got ONE decent family shot. Overall, I am pleased.

How Halloween Happened

Last week, Scotty was in Paraguay closing down the Asuncion temple for renovation. His trip spanned a handful of big events such as the primary program, Halloween, Zoe's birthday, and my speaking engagement.

Part of me was up to the challenge. The other part of me was an absolute wreck. 

There were some really terrible moments, but while in the midst of it, it felt so familiar that I wasn't sure if it was any worse than my normal day-to-day happenings. 

My biggest struggle was Halloween. I don't like Halloween, and since Halloween has escaped the 31st and spread its seed through the entire month of October, I was super uptight and stressed about Halloween festivities for weeks. 

On Halloween, as I was navigating a slew of negative emotions, I kept wondering, Why do I hate this so bad? What is it about Halloween that I dread so much?

Then I realized that it's not just Halloween. It's most holidays. 

I don't like holidays!!!

Before last week, I'd never acknowledged this. 

Do you know what this means? It means I'm a horrible, tradition-hating, miserable lump of a human being. People write books about folks like me! I'm the Grinch! Ebenezer Scrooge! Inspector Javert!

(Okay, so Javert's party-poopiness really isn't Christmas-related, but let me ask you this... would you want him at your holiday dinner?)

I thought deeply about this over the span of several days, and I think it's just a matter of holidays being too much. Too much candy, too much stuff, too many events, too many people. I feel like my life is completely out of control around holidays.

But I digress.

It's taken me a few days to get to the point where I can write a blog post about Halloween. I'm still in recovery.

Like I said, Scotty was gone for Halloween. And since I needed to have some control over my life, I wouldn't let anyone help me with Halloween. Three of my kids had a school parade first thing in the morning, so I had to have everyone up and costumed in time for school. After school I had to re-gather all of their costume pieces which they shed throughout the day and re-costume them.

By the time Halloween came, my kids had been the following:

Nicky: Colonel Sanders and a whoopie cushion

Daisy: a bat, a whoopie cushion, and Rainbow Dash

Zoe: Daisy Duck, a witch, Anna, a ballerina, a lady bug, Batman

Eva: a bat, Anna, a lady bug, and a frog

For official trick or treating, Nicky was Colonel Sanders, Daisy was Rainbow Dash, Zoe was a ballerina with a bow and arrow, and Eva refused to wear a costume.

I forced her into a frog costume for pictures. That went really well.

We went to my grandma's house, my mom's house, Scotty's mom's house, and two neighbors' houses. Then my kids decided that they had enough candy (HALLELUJAH! Seriously, though, they had about two five-gallon buckets of candy at home from all of the pre-Halloween events), so we went home. They were excited to pass out candy to trick or treaters, so I let them man the door while I made zombie brains for dinner. 

We ate the brains and watched a Halloween movie. Zoe snapped and was yelling and hitting everyone, so I put her to bed early. Everyone else was in bed by 9:00, and I breathed the biggest sigh of relief. 

It was over.

(Yesssss!)

{My costume}

Meal Planning 'Round Here

Reader Jenn asked how I do my meal planning. I don't claim to be an expert meal planner, but I have a system that works for me. I basically make a list of meals, go grocery shopping, and then make the meals. It's pretty simple, but here's how it looks in-depth:

I come up with a list of 7-10 meals. To do this, I consider what we have on-hand that we need to use up. I keep a running list of what I need to buy. Several years ago I made and printed my own meal planning sheets, but I found it easier to just use a legal pad. I hang it on a clipboard, and the clipboard hangs on the wall. I take it down to do my planning and then hang it back up where I can easily see it. I scribble and cross out and draw arrows all over it. No reason to keep it pretty.

I keep a good stock of things I know we use regularly in my storage room. I also keep a lot of stuff in the freezer. I buy chicken breasts about once every-other month and cook them in the crock pot. Then I shred (or sometimes dice) them and throw them in the freezer. I hate the time it takes to cook chicken for things like enchiladas, casseroles, or soups, so I make sure I always have cooked chicken ready to go. I also brown beef (or turkey) and freeze it for the same reason. As with chicken, I buy it about once every two months and portion it out - brown some, freeze some raw, and I usually make a batch of meatballs to freeze. Because I believe in meatballs. Any time I can double a recipe and freeze some, I do it.

After I make the list of meals, I assign the meals to days. I write out the days and then I compare them to my calendar and write in any events that will affect dinner time (for example, maybe we have Pack Meeting at 6:30 this Wednesday, and Daisy has dance until 5:30. That would be a good day for leftovers or something quick and easy). For Sundays, I try to plan crock pot meals or things I can prepare before church and cook quickly after church. We currently have church from 11:00-2:00, so we are ravenous when we get home. We opt for an early dinner rather than a late lunch on Sundays. When we have church from 9:00-12:00 - we just have normal lunch and dinner.

I make note of meals that need to be fixed promptly (for example, I might have asparagus in the fridge that needs to be used within 1-2 days, so I assign that meal to the soonest day). I also leave gaps for leftovers and to allow for flexibility. I always have meals that roll over into the next planning session because plans change, and we don't always prepare every meal on my list. 

I've been pretty diligent about meal planning for about ten years. I always have a plan, but I don't always follow through. That's were I need to be a little more disciplined. I get easily distracted by pizza coupons and lunch dates. 

So that's it! Nothing special. 

In order for my meal planning to be successful, I have to be proactive about getting things out of the freezer. It also helps if I do as much prep early in the day as possible since my kids go nuts after school and make it really hard for me to cook. I find that when I stick to our meal plan, I save a lot of money, and we always have an abundance of food. When I don't stick to it, we overspend, and we are always scrounging for something to eat. 

Meal planning definitely has perks!

**UPDATE**

When Jenn first asked me this question, she requested links to posts I've written in the past about meal planning. I couldn't find any that resembled my current meal planning practices. After I wrote this post, I found a meal planning post on my old blog, which is very similar to what I just wrote. Glad to know my system has been working for so long!

Questions Answered

I don't get a lot of blog comments, anymore, but over the past month or so, I've gotten some questions on some of my posts, so I thought I'd answer them today. 

From Jenn:

I’m curious about your meal planning. Seems like you’ve posted stuff in the past about meal planning. Do you have links you can send me to those posts?

Jenn, I looked back through this blog and my former blog, and I only found one meal-planning post, and it is so old that it's pretty much obsolete. I will get a post up soon (tomorrow, in fact) about how I plan meals, but prepare to be underwhelmed!

I have one more question. It’s about the check lists. Do you have an actual list somewhere where they check off their stuff? How does that work?

(This question refers to the check lists my kids have to complete before and after school). 

Yes! I have actual lists in their bedrooms. Daisy's is in a frame hanging on her wall, and Nicky's is hanging on a magnet board. We have used check lists since Nicky was in kindergarten. I found that Nicky was great at getting himself ready with a check list. Daisy struggles a little more. It's an imperfect system, but it has been very successful at times. I update their check lists each school year, as needed. 

Last question. I think! How do you do scriptures?

Our scripture study is imperfect (like all of our family routines are) and always changing. Here is how we did it a few years ago, but we have made several adaptions since then. We no longer do the marbles and family store. We did it for about two years, but it got old. I got tired of keeping a stock of prizes in the "store." We decided to have a family treat each time we finish a book of scripture (Alma takes forever, so Alma gets a super big treat!) We also no longer strive for two pages. We just read whatever feels right that night. If it's two pages, great. If it's two verses, great. 

Our current family scripture study goes a little like this:

We gather in the living room, and one of our kids passes out everyone's books (they are kept in a basket on the bookshelf). Those who can read take turns reading. Those who can't read, roll around on the floor and throw tantrums. It's not glamorous, but we do it.

From Anonymous (in response to my celebrity dinner party guest list):

What no Justin Timberlake? I'm shocked!

Anonymous friend, you aren't the only person to mention this, so I better explain. You all know I love Justin Timberlake, but I didn't invite him to my celebrity dinner party because I'm worried he'll be an attention hog. 

There, I said it.

Now, if I ever get to compile my own charades team, JT would be my first pick. Of course, I'd want Jimmy Fallon, too, but it's pretty selfish of me to call dibs on both. 

From Tiffany:

I'm curious about your political views. I've always assumed you are politically conservative but most of your dinner party people are quite liberal so now I'm curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I just wondered.

I don't delve into politics on my blog, but I will give you some insight into where I stand politically. I am not registered to a party. I feel that what is "right" lies in between extremes. I probably tend to steer a little more toward the conservative side but not enough to label myself as such. I invite people of all political affiliations to hug it out. 

Days Right Now

In the past, I've occasionally written about what my daily routines are like. It's been fun for me to look back and see how life has changed and how our routines have adapted to different phases of life.

Last night in my dream, I was writing a post just like that (anyone else blog in your sleep?) so I thought that might be a sign that it's time!

(In my dream post, I made some references to 5 O'Clock Charlie. You guys, my subconscious is a crazy genius that can recall things I don't remember - you know, like the 26th episode of M*A*S*H).

(I also dreamed that my friend picked up a hedgehog from the Bishop's Storehouse - because what good is assistance from the Church if it can't provide you with a pet?)

Anyway, here is a little run-down of what my days are like currently.

Morning

I usually wake up pretty early. Most weekdays I go walking with a friend at 5:45. On these days I set my alarm for 5:30, but I often wake up at 5:15 because I hate waking up to an alarm, and my subconscious knows it! I typically get dressed for my walk and then read my scriptures, pray, and make one last visit to the bathroom. We walk three miles and get home around 6:45.

On days we don't walk, I still wake up pretty early - usually between 5:45-6:00. I typically read, blog, or work on my Sunday school lessons, if none of the kids are awake. Eva typically wakes up in the 5:00 hour. Sometimes a sippy cup of milk and a snuggle can get her back to sleep, but when it can't, I end up having to tote her around all morning. She is always pretty clingy and needy for the first half hour after waking up.

Scotty usually gets out of bed at 6:45. He showers and helps me get the kids lunches ready. Then we have family prayer, and he leaves at 7:15.

The kids roll out of bed at all different times. The first one (with the exception of Eva who may or may not fall back asleep after her 5:00 waking) - typically Nicky, but sometimes Daisy - appears around 6:15. Every now and then, someone will sleep late, but it's not very often. 

Nicky and Daisy each have a morning checklist that they are supposed to complete. They have to get dressed, do their hair, get shoes on, clean their room, get their lunch and backpack ready, etc. Nicky has to feed the chickens every morning. While they are working on their checklists, I pack their lunches and fix breakfast. 

Daisy takes a lot of reminding to stay on task. She would spend all morning staring at a wall if I didn't intervene. I haven't yet thought of a logical consequence to implement when she doesn't complete her check list (it's on our agenda for the next family meeting). She and I fight all morning. It's grrrreeeaaat!

My sister-in-law picks up my kids for school at 8:15. Then I spend the next 15 minutes getting Zoe ready for preschool. We leave for preschool around 8:35. 

While Zoe is at school, I run errands, if I have any. I do most of my grocery shopping online now, so if I need groceries, I'll place my order for a time that corresponds with car pooling. If I just need a few things, I'll pop into a store, but I do anything I can to not have to take Eva in stores. She is very naughty in stores. 

On days when we come home after preschool drop off, I usually plan to do household chores, but Eva never lets me. She hates being home, so once we've left the house, if we come back home, she throws a mega tantrum. Sometimes she stays out in the garage and screams. Other times she comes inside and screams. But it's very common for her to throw an hour-long tantrum because she doesn't want to be home. She also very frequently wants to be held and will cling to my legs. I rarely ever get anything done around the house while Zoe is at school because I spent the whole time managing Eva's tantrums or sitting on the couch with her on my lap. If I'm lucky, I get a load of dishes done. But more often than not, I get the dishwasher half unloaded, and it sits open for the rest of the day. 

Afternoon

I pick up Zoe from school at 11:45, then I have to take her to get an ice cream cone from McDonald's. I engage in what I call "Ice Cream Roulette." I order two kiddie cones ($.84 is my daily expense), and then I see if Eva wants her cone or not (therein lies the gamble). Some days she wants it, and some days she doesn't. I have to order it, though, because I am a sucker and cannot deal with a half-hour tantrum over an ice cream cone. So sometimes I get to eat it because Eva doesn't want it (I always secretly hope she won't want it). 

Our afternoons vary somewhat. We have about three hours before we leave to pick up the older kids. Sometimes Zoe has a friend over. As always, I try to get stuff done around the house without much luck. I always get really tired around 1:00. Eva doesn't usually nap at home anymore (she only naps in the car while I'm shuttling the older kids around - and this does me no good!) so I don't get a break from her where I can be productive. This phase has really taken a toll on my daily activities. Thank heaven I'm not in school anymore. I'd never survive!

Around 3:00 I leave to pick up my kids and my nephews. I take my nephews home, and then we either A) go home or B) go to piano lessons and dance class. On Wednesdays, Nicky has jump rope club after school, so I pick up Daisy and my nephew K-Dawg, take K-Dawg home, drop Daisy off at piano, drop Zoe off at dance class, head back to the school and pick up Nicky and T-Bone, take T-Bone home, pick up Daisy from piano, and then pick up Zoe from dance class. 

Umm.... yeah.

I try to meal plan in a way that keeps Mondays and Wednesdays quick and simple. When we get home from school, the Witching Hour begins. I give my kids 15 minutes of free time, and then they have to do their after-school check lists. The check lists are easy peasy - put your backpack away, clean out your lunch box, play your piano songs three times, and read for 20 minutes (and if they read before bed the night before, they don't have to read after school). I don't think these things should be hard to accomplish, but it's like pulling teeth. Every day, they skip things on their check list and get away with it. Why? Because it's the Witching Hour, and there are at least two kids screaming at any given moment from 4:00-6:00. All of my energy goes into trying to fix dinner and deal with tantrums, so if Nicky and Daisy skip piano practice, I'm none the wiser. 

I've tried various methods for taming this time of day, and I haven't succeeded yet. Luckily Scotty gets home a little earlier with his new job than he used to, so sometimes he's there to help.

During the Witching Hour, 5 O'Clock Charlie could fly over and drop a bomb, and I've never even know.

Evening

We usually eat dinner pretty early. Scotty gets home by 5:00 most of the time. We eat by 5:30 at the latest. Our evenings don't really have a routine. We just do what needs to be done each day. We have weekly Church obligations in the evenings - scouts for Nicky, Activity Days for Daisy, Elders' Quorum meetings for Scotty, and a self-reliance class for Scotty. We also take care of my grandma's lawn, which used to be weekly, but that is tapering off now that it's colder, and the lawn growth is slowing down. 

We start our kids' bedtime routine around 7:30. We aim for them to be in bed by 8:00. They don't have to go to sleep, but we want them in their rooms for the night (we encourage them to read or write in their journals if they aren't ready to go to sleep). We have them shower or bathe, get pajamas on, and brush their teeth. We read scriptures and then each kid gets to pick one song to sing. Then each kid says their individual prayer, and then we say our family prayer. Then we sing one last song that Scotty and I pick. The kids are shipped off to bed, then we visit their rooms to say goodnight and to "bounce the ball." This is where I bounce them in their beds (like a ball), and I say, "Bounce the ball, it's not hard at all to bounce the ball!"

I don't know how this started other than my dad used to do it sometimes when I was a kid, and I must have done it once to Nicky, and it became a thing. If I try to skip it, I get in trouble. The kids must be bounced!

Night

After the kids are in bed, I just want to plop my butt on the couch and never move again. We are always completely wiped out after we put them to bed. Nicky and Daisy are pretty easy to get to bed (though Daisy usually comes out of her room several times to tell us that her foot itches or that her tummy hurts or that her eyelashes are out of place). Zoe and Eva are brutal! There is all sorts of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth with those two. I call them the Tornado Twins for a reason!

I can't even describe the process of getting them to bed because it's too traumatic for me. 

But when it'd done and over with, I can't even move. I just need to go into a Netflix coma and not have to think again until 5:15 the next morning when it begins again.