We have been living a septic tank nightmare the past two days and I just don't have enough energy left to go into all the smelly details. But I've got to remember some important things we've learned through this trial:
1. Beware of "flushable" wipes! They will clog your drains and plumbers will tell you to never use them.
2. If you have more than four people in your household and you have a septic tank, you really should have it pumped SOONER than every five years. The more water that gets used by a family, the more often the septic tank should be pumped. We were just told that ours should be pumped every 1-2 years.
We had a clog AND the tank was full/overflowing. It has been incredibly disgusting, but we finally have almost everything cleaned. Housecleaners and carpet cleaners are coming tomorrow so maybe we can try to get back into our normal routine again.
In case you didn't know, Bed, Bath and Beyond will honor any of their coupons..even if they are several years old. Basically, the expiration date means nothing . . so save those coupons! If you get on their mailing list (fill out in-store or online) they send you coupons every month or so for $5 off a $15 purchase or 20% off a single item. I saved $38 today as I handed over a stack of expired coupons (one for every item). One of those had an expiration date from two years ago. I got several $5 items for free! It would be a shame to ever purchase something there without using a coupon. Great deals! :o)
It took three years and three children before I mustered the courage to hire a teen to babysit. She came highly recommended (from a very close friend) but I had never seen her. I opened the door to an adorable blonde girl who looked all of 12 years old. But she drove herself, her car was in my driveway, and I knew she was almost 17. We had waited until the 3 and 2 year old were asleep to go out, so she was only left really having to care for our 9 month old and all went well. But that was the fastest Cracker Barrel meal I've ever eaten!
Since then we've hired several homeschooled teen girls to babysit the children, sometimes with me at home doing chores and other times where we've left them and gone out to eat. I've learned a few things and made some mistakes.
1. Advertising in a homeschool newsletter, subdivision newsletter, and church bulletin boards (even for churches you are not a member of) can help you find a good sitter.
2. It is vital to be very clear about what is allowed and is not allowed. I now post a list on my fridge with many details and try to go over as many things as I can as to what I prefer be done. A big mistake once was not thinking to say "Don't let the children run up and down the very steep hill of our concrete driveway." My daughter has two good sized scars from such an experience with a babysitter. Better yet, "Don't let the children run up and down the very steep hill of our concrete driveway while you are inside the garage and unable to see them." I know. Not something you'd think you'd have to tell someone. But there it is. Now I say more specifically "Please keep up with the younger children. Don't let any of the children out of the back yard!"
3. Teen siblings can be a blessing or . . . not so much. I'll call for one teen and they'll sometimes send her sister without letting me know in advance that the one I called wouldn't be available. I now won't call families with close-in-age siblings unless I know that all the girls all good sitters!
4. A great babysitter is a gift from God! The best sitter we've ever had brings a canvas bag full of games, markers, crafts, and spends the entire time entertaining our children even though we tell sitters they are welcome to use videos as much as they need to for maintaining order and sanity.
5. I like to pay them as much as we can reasonably afford (which ends up not being very much for them when you break it down per child/per hour considering we have six children!) and if possible give gifts for Christmas, graduation, etc.. They work hard and are taking care of the most precious little souls in our world and I want them to know how much we appreciate their help.
A vacation (including just a weekend away) for our family takes several days of planning/preparation and then several days of "recovery" once we get back home. One thing that makes our Vacation Recovery much better is coming home to a clean house. It's always nice to come home, but walking into a clean, tidy home is SO very nice! Coming home to piles of dirty laundry and dishes which will immediately be doubled or tripled once we unpack is something I work hard to avoid.
Our vacation planning includes lists of clothes needed for each day away, lists for foods for each meal and snack (due to food allergies), and lists of stuff we can't do without. I keep a running master list on file for reference and tweak it with each trip. I spend several days before vacation trying to get all the laundry done (and I fold and leave much of it out for packing as it comes out of the dryer. I'm less likely to forget to pack items of clothing if all the clothes we needed during the past few days are sitting in front of me.). I also start baking "safe" foods the children can eat and freezing it so it will be fresh for the journey. Ideally, before we walk out the door the children help tidy up all the rooms in the house and the dishes are put away.
One way or the other we will be coming home to "clean." The goal is for that to be the adjective rather than the verb!
What's worse than having to rip wallpaper off the wall? Having to rip a layer of wallpaper, followed by a layer of paint, followed by another layer of wallpaper off the wall! AAGGHH!
I am determined to never put up wallpaper. It's not that I don't like the way it looks. What I despise is its removal. I am tempted to paint over the 80s floral papered walls in our bathroom but I just can't bring myself to do that to any future owners of this house. I've been there before...too many times! Too many times I have spent hours peeling and scraping borders and wallpapers that have been plastered for 20+ years. And one day, some new owner is going to want to change the look of this bathroom and I don't want her (whoever she may be) to have to struggle even harder due to the passage of time to start afresh with nice clean walls. AAGGHH! Why can't people just PAINT?
Want to give stuff away or find things that are free? www.freecycle.org may have a group in your area which lists posts for free stuff. You can post for something you are wanting to find or for something you'd like to give away. Items range from coupons to large appliances.
A hospital room is such a dreary place (even when celebrating the birth of a new baby) and it helps so much to have something cheery in the drab surroundings. But ordering flowers and paying delivery charges from a florist costs too much for our budget.
When someone is staying in the hospital (and I am able) I like to buy flowers from the grocery store (about $4) and put them in a vase from the dollar store ($1) and take them to the hospital. As I often can't get out to run those errands (and some people prefer not to have visitors while in the hospital) I have found that calling the hospital gift shop can be a surprisingly affordable alternative. Hospitals don't charge for delivery and you can order a bouquet of fun balloons (around $3 each) to be sent to the patient's room. Isn't that great? Just $3 can brighten someone's day and let them know you are thinking about them during their hospital stay!
Some hospitals have "Email a Patient" on their websites and they will print out an email note and put it in a decorated envelope to give to the patient.
I just pulled out a box of toys my kids have not seen in several months. My five year old said "Mom, this is the best day EVER!" :o) All five of them are in one room playing with their (old) toys but acting like they are brand new presents. The toys that had been out are now stored away in the closet.
I used to have about seven different boxes of toys in a closet and I would bring out a different box each week. I haven't been that organized since we moved. But the kids loved it and it really kept the clutter down.
After they receive a new stock of toys (at Christmas) we go through the old toys and box up the ones that are rarely played with (or that really annoy me or that are similar to others that we have...how many trucks do we really need?). I then sell them in a consignment sale--toys are big sellers! After Hurricane Katrina a local charity was collecting stuffed animals and the kids got involved picking out some of theirs to give away to the children who lost their toys in the storm. They picked out over 50 stuffed animals to give away.
Rotating the toys is great for "buying time" when I have a project to tackle. Gotta get back to getting out the cold-weather clothes . . . .
We have had a lot of company stay the night lately. And the calendar is full with even more to come. A great book on the subject of hospitality is Steve Wilkins' "Face to Face: Meditations on Friendship and Hospitality". It is a great motivator to be pro-active about inviting others into your home. We are always glad when we do! Once after church (and when I was two weeks away from my due date with baby number five) we invited a visiting family with five children to come over for lunch. We had not planned ahead and all we had to offer was peanut butter sandwiches, hot dogs, chips, and ice cream, but we all had a great time and even shared several more similar lunches with them over the next months!
When having overnight company there are several items I try to remember to provide.
Some things I intend to always have in our guest's room:
*tissue
*a garbage can
*a mirror
*a quilt or blanket and extra pillows
*a fan (for either white noise or temperature control)
*towels/washcloths
Some things I like to provide if possible:
*a welcome basket with snacks and a note
*fresh flowers in bud vases in several rooms
*new bars of soap in the bathrooms
Some things I try to remember as a guest in someone else's home:
*to let them know as early as possible my arrival and departure dates and times
*to bring a small gift (flowers, chocolate, wine or something else fun)
*to strip the sheets and take my sheets and towels to the laundry
*to write a thank you note
and most importantly (so that I do not wear out my welcome) I hope I always remember the very true Chinese proverb that says:
My faith teaches me that the calling of Christian homemaker, wife, or mother is just as holy as one to "full-time ministry."
I am a mom of six children ages eight and under (plus baby number seven on the way) seeking and sharing helpful tidbits learned during this season of life. May we glorify and enjoy Him each day!
:o),
Moms4Psalms
