Besides being mom, wife, Republican County Chairman, I am also property manager for rental property. I have 2 houses for rent in Carlinville. One is a 2 bedroom at 935 N Charles Street; the other is 938 Sumner Street. They are both Sears homes. I am hoping by the end of May to have another house ready to rent at 321 Hillcrest Drive. If you are interested in any of these, please fill out the application below and fax it back to me.
I just watched the movie “Courageous” this morning. It was a good movie and I liked it for the most part. I whole-heartedly agree with the message that we adults need to step up and be good spouses, parents, friends and mentors. But movies like this leave me scratching my head in wonder. Since when does a man/woman need a public, written pledge and ceremony to be a good husband/father or wife/mother?
I respected most of the characters in this movie. I liked it when one of the main characters questioned how he could be there for his family after losing a child. How he searched out how to be the best father and husband he could be by searching God’s Word. I love how the one man repented for abandoning his child and humbly reached out to prove himself to the woman he left pregnant and alone instead of forcing his fatherly role on this already formed family. I also like how the one man mentored to the young boy who was in trouble. And I liked how the one man took responsibility for what he did wrong and realized and admitted how his bad choices were going to affect his child. I really enjoyed the “test” the one character went through and how, because he did the right thing, he was greatly rewarded.
There were only a couple of scenes in the movie that bothered me. I know this was supposed to be a movie about men stepping up to be good fathers and husbands, but why does it seem that the only way to do so is to show the women around them as weak and part of the problem? Yes, maybe I am being a little touchy, but I didn’t like that at one point in the movie, one of the wives was portrayed as weak during a testing time. And I must admit that the scene with the father giving his daughter a promise or sweetheart ring left me a little uncomfortable.
I noticed the other day while doing the grocery shopping (like the good wife and mother I am) that even Wal*Mart is selling these “pledge kits” to go with this movie. Really? Why is it so hard to go about your everyday life and do the right thing without having a ceremony or a ball?
Call me a cynic, but why does it seem to take a “public pledge” to do the right thing these days? Teens are “pledging” their virginity, men are being encouraged to make written pledge to be good fathers, and politicians are constantly bombarded with pledges to sign from all kinds of groups. All this seems to be more for show, since none of these pledges, so-called contracts, or ceremonies are legally binding.
The one thing that always concerns me about all this pomp and circumstances to do the right thing is who is the pomp and circumstance really for? If you cannot do the right thing without a ceremony and contracts, why are you really doing it? It seems to me, by going this route; you seem to be making it more about yourself and not really about being a servant to others.
If you really need to sign a contract, make a public pledge, or have a ceremony in order to do the right thing, then, by all means, go for it. As for me, I will continue to go about my daily life serving the Lord and being the best wife and mother I can be without spending the money on a pledge/contract or having a ceremony for my family and friends. It’s just the way I roll. . . . .
Well, another year has come and gone. That is right, I am another year older. I am taking it in stride and am looking forward to seeing what year number 43 has to offer.
If you know me personally, you know that I am one to set goals and usually set them high. Some of my goals for the upcoming year are the usual; to get in better shape, to get more sleep and to focus on my physical and spiritual health. I also need to get more organized and to relax more with my family. Now I know that these last two goals may seem to contradict each other, but they don’t. If I am running around disorganized, trying to get everything done by the seat of my pants, then I leave little time to relax and spend time with my kiddos.
Part of my plan is to continue working on a doable schedule that blends our schooling with my Chairman’s duties and also allows time for me to work on getting two rental properties ready to rent. Add in there a little time to exercise and a lot of time to play with my kids. This schedule has been evolving over the past couple of weeks. I figure in the next couple of months, we should be good to go.
I tell ya, my kryptonite is papers. No matter how hard I try to keep on top of all the paperwork that comes from all my roles (house manager, property manager,
County Chairman, teacher and administrator to our little school), it always seems
to get away from me. I need to work on a new filing system to keep papers from piling up in my work area. I have learned that no matter how good the plan, if you don’t implement it regularly, it isn’t worth the screen it is entered on.
I am also hoping that if I can get my stuff together and organized, maybe it will inspire my children to keep their stuff picked up and organized. We are an organized family in
progress.
I should be wearing a clown suit (one with the big red nose and huge shoes) with all the juggling I have been doing lately. Working a full-time job, a part-time job and
homeschooling 3 children is not an easy task to say the least. Luckily, a large majority of the work I do, I do from home, so I am here to supervise my children in their studies.
Performing the duties of a County Chairman takes a lot of time, if you are determined to do it right. Since I do not know how to do a job half-way; I usually give it everything I’ve got. As I said, most of my duties can be done from home. While I do admit that working at home has its perks, it also has its drawbacks. For one thing, my children have inherited my lack of patience. When they want my attention it is hard for them to wait until I am off the phone or done with a task. Sometimes I feel it would make my job a lot easier if I did my work from our headquarters, but then I am not here with my children.
To keep from being interrupted, I have been putting my work off until the late evenings, after my children have gone to bed. I am usually up until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and up again around 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. for a new day. This has worked for a long time now and I have always managed to get everything done on this schedule. Unfortunately, the lack of sleep and my having fibromyalgia has taken its toll on my health. The one thing I do know for sure is that I cannot continue to keep going at this pace if I want to do my job right and give my kids the attention they need.
I am limited on people I trust and who are available to watch my children while I am not home. My oldest daughter is wonderful watching her siblings, but she has college classes to attend, so I have to work around her schedule. My ma watches the kids in a pinch, but I don’t like to burden her with too many requests to fill in. The other thing you need to understand is that I do not get paid for my work as County Chairman; it is a voluntary
position.
So now I am going to try something new. I am going to try to work out a schedule, one that works around my daughter’s college classes; one that better organizes my students; and one that puts time aside for me to work away from home at the office. This is a new adventure for me and my little school. We have done well keeping on a calendar schedule, but I have never really followed a day to day routine. I think my son will embrace it. My 6 year old may not jump for joy, as she is more of a free spirit. I think my youngest will adjust quickly. This will take some patience and some perseverance, but I think it can work for us all. I think a little more structure will be a good thing for my family.
I have been working on a tentative schedule for a couple days now and have an outline for my goals. I only need to be at the office a couple of half days a week. This can be done on the days that my oldest has classes, as she only attends school on Tuesday and Thursday and is home by mid-afternoon. I can go to the office after she gets home. This will give all
of us three “normal” days at home during the week. I know that I can make adjustments as we ease into this new lifestyle, but I also know if it is going to work for everyone,
we have to make up our minds to see it through.
So begins another adventure for our clan. Stay tuned to see how it all works out for us.
The government’s influence on my personal decisions has now reached unacceptable levels. I was not happy when they made lower water level toilets mandatory. Nor was I pleased when they outlawed regular light bulbs; simply because I do not like the look of the new style bulbs in some of my fixtures. But now they have gone too far and are going after my kids’ french fries in their Happy Meals! Seriously?
USA Today came out with a story recently (http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-07-26-McDonalds-apples-happy-meal_n.htmthat) McDonald’s has caved and is going to start placing a half an order of apples slices and only a half an order of french fries in the Happy Meals. Thankfully, you can still “request” your Happy Meal the good ol’ fashion way with all french fries, hold the apples.
Will the nanny state government not be happy until they can ban all things that they deem “unhealthy” and bad for us? What next, close down all the restaurants and grocery stores and have the government food police deliver only the foods they deem healthy and only the amount they feel is necessary for your size family to our doors? Or how about issuing government mandated treadmills to every American that can be monitored in the White House to see to it that each and every one of us puts in our recommended amount of exercise each and every day?
When I take my children to McDonald’s, it is a junk food treat for them, not because I am looking for a health food meal. McDonald’s has offered sliced apples for a while now and not once have my kids asked for them. Yes, I am the parent and I could force them to eat apples instead of french fries, but I choose not to do that. Thankfully, they eat plenty of fruits and veggies at home. Besides, have you tried those apple slices they sell? They taste kinda processed and waxy to me. I would much rather slice them up a fresh apple at home.
The nanny state needs to take a healthy dose of reality. They need to get back to the things they are supposed to be taking care of; those things spelled out in our Constitution. Unless these busy-bodies are paying my water bill, why should they have a say in what size tank my toilet has? Unless they are paying my power bill, why should they care what type of light bulbs I am using? Unless they are paying the costs of raising my children, from birth until college graduation, why should they have any say in what goes in my kids’ Happy Meal?
Okay, just in case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I am completely fed up with all these busy-bodies who want to dictate every minute detail of my life. These are the same people who fight against drug testing for welfare recipient, or to limit what foods can be purchased on LINK cards. Do you all see the irony here? Those whom they do have a right to police the food choices of, they refuse to; but to everyone else they want a say in what we spend our own hard earned money on. Does that make any sense to anyone else? Then again, when does anything that is pushed by the government, food police, or nanny crowd make any sense at all?
Is having a yard sale really worth all the work? I have already washed about 8 loads of these clothes that I am selling and am only about half-way done. I know, I know, I could have just skipped washing them and sold them as is, but they have been sitting in totes, boxes and space bags out in the garage for the past couple of months. I want to make them as appealing as possible so I can get a fair price for them.
Next, the task of matching up all the outfits. Some of these infant outfits have 4 or 5 pieces to them, so this should be fun. I basically remember what goes with what and luckily I numbered some of those multi-piece outfits when I got them so I knew what went with the whole outfit. Unfortunately, some of the tags on some of the clothes are so faded you can hardly read them. Fortunately, the clothes are in better shape than the tags.
After I have gone through and matched up all the outfits, it is time to price everything. I have worked up a price sheet and priced most things the same, across the board. All single mix-n-match pieces will be .25 each, all one piece outfits .50, and all 2 piece outfits will be .75, and all those outfits with 3 or more pieces will be $1.00. Party dresses, suits, and coats will be $3.00. Shoes are all $1.00 for the first pair, .50 for each additional pair. Infant sleepers will be 3 for $1.00 and blanket sleeper and p.j.’s will be .50. Socks and onesie t-shirts are 3 for .25. Does that sound reasonable to those of you who shop yard sales?
After I get all the clothes done, God willing today, I am going to start working on the toys. I want to make sure all the pieces are together and then I will wash them down and spray them with some of that Clorox germ-away stuff. The toys, like the clothes, are going to be priced to sell.
As you can probably see, I am not really trying to make a fortune off of this yard sale. Like I said before, I would like to make enough to cover the cost of the things I have purchased and used to get the house organized, but if I make a fair amount I will be happy. I just want all this stuff gone and hope that it goes to people who need it. My worst nightmare is that no one shows or that I am left with a lot of stuff. Since I am only selling the best of what I have that the kids have outgrown, what doesn’t sell is going to the Pregnancy Crisis Center in Litchfield. I guess it is a win-win situation either way, huh.
So is it worth all the hard work or not? Would love to hear from others who have had yard sales or who shop them. I will let you all know what I think next week……
Well I did it! The house is de-cluttered! I finished up the office today and it feels so good. It still amazes me how much stuff had accumulated over the past couple years. I have put out bags for the garbage truck, taken bags down to my ma’s to burn and have boxed up the stuff I am adding to my yard sale. The rest of it is now organized.
Tomorrow, while the heat wave is still in full gear, I am going to spend the day straightening up the rest of the house. While working on the office, the kids have been running amuck, stringing toys and stuff throughout the house. I whole heartedly agree with that saying, “Trying to clean house with little kids, is like trying to shovel a sidewalk during a blizzard”. I am not too bothered by it though, it kept them occupied while I worked. Besides, they can help me pick up and put away tomorrow, now that everything has a place to go.
I am so excited and so relieved. This has been a long time coming and a long row to hoe, but I am proud to say that I stuck with it and completed my task. I knew that if I was going to do this, it had to be now. Amazingly enough, the 2012 election cycle starts in just eight weeks, when we start circulating petitions. From September until March, life will be hectic enough. First the circulation cycle, then the holidays, then the March primary. At least I will go through it all with an organized home.
The ads are hitting the paper and the big yard sale will be on the 22nd and 23rd. Besides working that here at home, I also have a parade to walk that week and our County Fair booth to man in the evenings that same week from Tuesday thru Saturday. Luckily there is not much going on until next week, so I think I will have time to go through everything; match up the outfits and to get everything priced before the big day.
The next big project is the garage. I am going to try to do as much of that as I can, while I am out there pricing and getting things ready for the yard sale. Once the yard sale is over, I will give the garage a good thorough cleaning.
Yes…you are seeing that correctly. That room holds 4 desks, 4 restaurant sized metal shelving units and a 6 shelf-6 foot wide book case in it. It also holds a smaller book case, a file cabinet, and a small metal rack at the end of Kayla’s desk that holds the printer and laminator, plus a full-size closet. There is not a lot of wall space, but everything fits and we still have plenty of room to walk around.
I think de-cluttering your house is like losing weight. You have to begin with a frame of mind that it took a long time to get like this and it is going to take a while to get it back to the way it used to be. I have had to remind myself of this several times over the past couple of weeks. It may not have gone as quickly as I would have liked it to, but I am determined to reach my goal.
With that said, I see the light! Yesterday, I spent a good portion of my day cleaning off shelves and cleaning out file cabinets in the office. The drawers are basically empty and the shelves are all organized. Today, I spent most of the day cleaning out the closet. How so much stuff could be crammed into a closet still has me baffled. I have sent several bags of trash down to my mom’s to burn . . . . . several; have set some stuff aside to add to the yard sale; and have organized the things that are staying. Everything left in that room are things that I am keeping and my goal for tomorrow is to put it all away. Once that is done, all that is left to do is to dust and vacuum. This is the last room to finish and the house is done.
Tomorrow and Tuesday are supposed to be really hot outside, so I think I will take advantage of that and dust, vacuum, sweep and mop the whole house again. I want to be able to sit down on Tuesday and know that the entire house is CLEAN, top to bottom. It has been a long time since I have been able to do that.
Wow! What a couple of days. The playroom is done. The living room is done. The laundry room is done. The bathrooms are done. The kitchen is done. The kids’ rooms are done. Even the closet under the stairs is cleaned out. Thank goodness, since that is our designated go-to spot (in the very center of the bottom level of the house) in case of a tornado. I am thoroughly convinced that during all the massive storms we have been having this year; God has been looking out for us. He took one look at that closet and said to Himself, “I wouldn’t even banish Satan to that place” and has spared us from having to crawl in there.
Now, the only room left is . . . . . . . . THE dreaded office. Remember when I said that things will look a whole lot worse before they get better. That’s exactly where I am at right now. I am holding steady because boy what a mess. Everything is spilling out into other areas of the house so I can get the room organized and can move everything back in there to where it is supposed to go. You have to understand, there are two rooms in this house that are the “catch-all” rooms where everything under the sun ends up; our bedroom and the office. After cleaning out the closet, I was able to move an old computer and all the Christmas tree stuff out of the office and put them in their new home. By the way, I do plan on getting rid of the old computer as soon as I am able to clean everything off of it.
I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and it keeps me from seeing the mess that is in front of me at this moment. Hopefully, the next time I post, the house will be done and I will be in the garage, pricing all this “stuff” for the yard sale.
Well, the transformation is not complete yet. As usual, life has had other plans for my time. Although I am happy with the progress that I have made so far, I am frustrated at times that everything is not done.
The rooms that are finished look great. When I start feeling like this process will never be completed, I go into a finished room and remind myself what it looked like before. That usually gives me the inspiration to keep going.
Last night, while I couldn’t sleep, I started working on the bedroom. I did get a lot finished; dusted, straightened up the dresser top and night stands, went through and organized books and videos, hung some photos of the kids on the wall, and filled up two boxes of things that do not belong in this room. The kids have a habit (which I am working on fixing) of bringing something in here for me to see and leave it wherever they happen to drop it. Today, I am going to finish up this room by going through boxes of my stuff and organizing or pitching things. Some of this stuff is headed down to the office, but some of the office stuff needs to stay in here, just better organized. I am happy to say that the closet is more than half-way done. I will finish up by vacuuming and ta-da another room done!
I only have one meeting this week and no more parades until the 19th. No doctor appointments and the major shopping is done. So, I am hoping to get the office done this upcoming week. That room was just a lot worse than I thought. Funny how the worst, most cluttered room in the house, somehow, keeps getting put off to the end. I will conquer that room if it is the last thing I do, and it appears that it will be in the house transformation. Then it is on to the garage to get ready for the yard sale.
Wish me luck…….
