Wasted Time? Nah

I'm just getting ready for bed and wondering, did I just waste my time?  You see, I am a multi-talented, multi-tasking "do it all" kind of gal.  Okay, I may be bragging just a little.

I'm not a fan of seeing time go by and realizing I've done nothing productive with it.

I just watched a dumb movie... I do NOT like watching dumb movies!
HOWEVER, I recognize that my husband likes spending time together.  He wanted to watch this movie, so after a few minutes of me saying no, and him restarting it... I finally gave in and watched it.  The whole dumb thing!

Ugh, So now here I am thinking that was pointless.  But not entirely.  The movie, yes,  VERY pointless.  The time with my husband, on the other hand, was quite enjoyable.

For an added bonus, I didn't even use my laptop while we were watching.  Instead I had a notebook and pen writing down any thoughts that came to mind.

Oh & the movie, in case you want to cross it off your list was "Dinner for Schmucks".



On another note, we're discussing the possibility of me getting a smart phone...More on that later.

The Question Jar

Here at our house we have what is called a "Question Jar".  It's a fancy glass pitcher I picked up at the thrift store for $2, wrapped ribbon around & threw a bunch of slips of paper into. 
Each of those slips of paper has.... you guessed it- A QUESTION on it.

So Saturday we were sitting around the table & I thought to myself, wouldn't the question jar be perfect right now!  Since honestly, for once we didn't have much else to talk about (unless bickering about how to finish the basement stairs counts... which it doesn't... so, out came the jar).

The question was:

  If you could invent anything to make your life easier, what would it be?

I hardly even had to think about it!
Of course, I would invent one machine that washed, dried, and folded the clothes. 
Then I thought for a minute what I would invent for each member of my family to make their lives easier....

For my children I would invent a toy box with a large diameter vacuum hose on it.  That way when they were done playing all they needed to do was take out the vacuum and suck up all the toys into the box.  The hose would have to fold in accordion style, so it didn't look ugly.. & the box would have to be huge, and have some type of sorting 'thing' in it so the toys wouldn't all bunch into one spot.  Great idea, I know!

But it gets better, for my husband I would invent a magical shelf that every time he put something on it, it put ITSELF away!  That would end the c.on.s.t.a.n.t "I didn't know where it went, so I left it there".  Then when the laundry was washed, dried and folded in my super machine, I could just set the clothes on his shelf and they'd put themselves away.

It'd be wonderful.  I cannot wait for someone to take my ideas and make them a reality.. please.. at least the super laundry machine?  :)

Alright, I'll stop, but it is fun to dream!  Have a great week!!

Oneness

A year ago at this time my husband and I attended a marriage conference.  Last night I was looking over my notes and in the first few pages I found this:

ONENESS
Oneness in marriage involves complete unity with each other. It is more than a mere mingling of two humans- it's a tender merger of body, soul and spirit.
-Dennis Rainey

The web defines oneness as "the quality of being united into one".

Either way.. That's pretty powerful stuff.  I mean, think about it... Oneness.  Not being two people that just enjoy each others company and don't mind being together, but really working towards a tender merger.   Sounds pretty romantic to me. 

When my husband and I were dating I thought this stuff was a cake walk.  Even a few years into our marriage this still came pretty easily. 

Then all of a sudden our lives looked something like this: Sunday school, church, ball practice, MOPS meetings, bowling night, play group, school concerts, friends house for dinner, Thanksgiving here, Christmas at the in-laws, and every other commitment that seemed like fun, but pulled us in every direction, except closer.  Sometimes I don't know how we have managed to eat and sleep the past year. 

So it's been a year since I was reminded that my goal with my husband is oneness.  And you know how it goes, "out of sight out of mind". 

This isn't magical, it takes work... YOU have to work to achieve ONENESS. (And I sure do too!)

Ephesians 5:22 (King James Version)

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Bathroom Upgrade: Shower Filter

Last night we installed a shower filter.  This should have taken about 5 minutes, but quickly turned into 20.  Oh how I wish I would learn to read the directions FIRST.

It all started yesterday, Sunday, when went to Home Depot for a few pieces of lumber we forgot to order from the local lumber yard on Saturday (when they were open and we ordered the rest of the lumber we needed).

  I was browsing and decided to look for a new shower head & hose for the kids' bathroom.  Theirs has been broke for quite some time, so they've only been using the bath in there. 
After MUCH comparison (mostly on the gallons per minute, and the "looks"), I decided the $12 shower head was just as good as the $74 one.

So it was settled, until..... I saw a shower filter!  This is something I've been meaning to look into.  So there I was again, now comparing shower filters for our grown up bathroom (the one that doesn't have rubber ducks everywhere).  I decided on the Sprite Slim Line.
This brand claims to do quite a bit, you can read about that HERE.

Total cost of upgrade, about $20 and 20 minutes

Oh, and the lumber there didn't work out for us... So I'll be ordering that from the local lumber yard today ;-)

Activity Calendar

Last Thursday I unplugged the TV... literally.. I disconnected the DVD player, VCR, converter box, Wii, & UNPLUGGED the whole stinkin' thing from the wall.  I even covered up the entertainment center with a huge piece of fabric. AND put the couch in front of it so it is NOT easy to get to it. 

It's  not that we don't like our TV... You see, we are a little hooked on so many shows that really aren't doing anything for us.  For me, watching TV even just a 30 minute episode is taking away from time I could be spending helping my daughter become a better reader, or teaching my son the right way to use his scissors and draw a straight line.  Or ummm.. I could be doing laundry!

Having the TV on as background noise isn't something we do here, so any time it is on, it is very distracting to the little people in this house. 

I came up with this cute little chart, inspired by a friend who made a much more adorable one  for her boys. 

We are using this as a FAMILY activity chart, so even Daddy played Barbies with us last night.   By having a plan in place we are less tempted to run to the TV to entertain us.  I am especially excited for warmer weather so we can add in things like...Dinner at the park, riding bikes, and other outdoor activities!

Total cost about $17. All items from Wal-Mart.
$7.88- Magnetic Dry Erase Board
$5.44- Plastic Name Badges
$2.97- Week Day Magnets

...Used 3 sheets of card stock & some markers for the pictures. I measured for the grid & applied it with perm. marker.