Our Chore List

As a family of seven I have finally found the secret of our success. The biggest and most important thing that keeps our family going everyday is A SCHEDULE. Not just any schedule, but a schedule that makes sure everyone has a part. Even the most mundane of tasks. We all pitch in to make the work load less. Here is what we do everyday:

THE PARENTS:

(Jason) Does the dishes

(Jason) Cooks

(Jason) Cleans counter tops before bed

(Jason) Cleans bathroom every Tuesday (including scrubbing everything down)

*You may think Jason doesn't pitch in much. But these three things are GOLDEN to me. I don't mind cooking, but he enjoys it more. Once in awhile I will prepare something during the day (especially on girl scout nights) so we can just pop it in the oven to warm up. I really hate doing dishes. I am not a fan of food in the sink. Though I will help out. The bathroom I would love to clean, and we usually take turns, but its just easier for him to get it done while the house is sleeping.

(Kiley) Sweeps after every meal

(Kiley)or(Jason) Washes floors

(Kiley) Wash, fold and put away laundry

(Kiley) Wash windows (sometimes I let the older kiddos do this, but well. lets just say I end up having to redo them, so its easier if I just do them myself)

(Kiley) Dust

(Kiley)Makes lunch for Oliva and puts together snack for Emma

(Kiley) Bath days are Sunday and Wednesday night (or when needed)

THE KIDDOS:

Olivia, Emma, Owen and Ezme-Clean plates off table after every meal, scrape and put them in the sink

Olivia-Wipes down table

Emma-Cleans the floors after every meal

Owen-Takes out recyclables

Ezme-picks up toys before bed

Olivia and Emma-strip beds on Friday mornings (including blankets and comforters)

Emma and Owen-take trash to front of house. Including recyclables on Tuesday night

Olivia, Emma, Owen and Ezme-5 minute clean up before school and before bed. This includes backpacks, books, toys and anything that is on the floors

Emma-Feeds the pets

Olivia, Emma, Owen and Ezme-Make sure toys are picked up outside and put away. All trash is thrown out. Dishes and cups are brought inside. EVERYDAY

I purchased a cubicle to put next to our door. It has 8 individual cubicles that help to keep our shoe problem under control. Each kiddo now has their own colored box where they keep there shoes, hats and mittens in. Its a huge help and I love it so much more then the community box we have had for the last few years. Its even nice too, because the little guys I nanny for even have their own spot. So when they come in the morning with their toys, books and blankets, they know they have a spot for it.

I have to say our "CHORE LIST" works out pretty well. Its not perfect in the slightest but we are working on it. The kids are earning an "allowance" which they can do with what they wish. We are hoping to save up for a big trip to Florida next year so they have their eye set on saving up for that. I am sure we will work on tweaking things as the kids get older. But for now, I am not feeling so overwhelmed all the time that I am the only one cleaning.

If you come from a large family (or even a small family), how do you keep your house running? Especially if you live in a small house like us. I would love to get some fresh ideas for sure.

Family Closet

I want a family closet. You know, one LARGE organized, labeled put together closet where all of our clothes can hang out with each another. One large space that we can all go too for shirts and socks, pants and dresses. Where I can store all of the off season items together in one cohesive spot. This closet idea isn't anything new to me. I have been dreaming up this idea after having Owen. The the kids, including Jason and I, are in desperate need of new dressers. And frankly, I don't want to purchase another large set of something we have absolutely no room for. Lets face it, our house is too small, there are seven of us, and not enough room. I told hubby the best and most creative solution to this problem is to get a family closet made so I can put EVERYTHING in it. He agreed. But isn't keen on the fact we have no space for said closet. Grumbles. Currently, all the laundry gets piled on top of the washer and dryer. Where it gets folded, laid in organized piles. It makes sense to me. Kids get dressed downstairs. Our bathroom is downstairs. The washing machine and dryer is downstairs. Why shouldn't our clothes, socks, and under garments be downstairs as well. The only problem....how do I make this work for us.

I know one thing for sure. Next house we move into. I will be designed a space for said "FAMILY CLOSET"

So far....

I am doing pretty good waking up in the morning, getting ready and hitting the pavement before the rest of the house even wakes up. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go today. The shoes I was wearing to walk/run in are not at all made for such an adventure so I decided today not to try it. My feet and legs are killing me as well as my back and with my recent neck injury I didn't want to take the chance. So today's agenda is to go to Target and get some good walking/running shoes that will do the job. And in the end, not try to kill me at the end of the day.

I am still getting in a good "workout" so to speak these days though. Keeping up with 7 kiddos everyday is the easiest way to burn off the calories. Between going up and down the stairs, running after kiddos outdoors, sweeping the downstairs floors what seems to be ALL DAY LONG its enough to make anyone loose a few pounds a day. Unfortunately, I am noticing I am not having much luck. Despite my change in eating habits months ago, working out, and trying hard not to eat or snack after 7pm I am still struggling with loosing any more weight. I seem to have been at a stand still for a lot longer then I was hoping for. Unfortunately, I do not have the option of going to the gym. We currently don't have one that is close by. Not to mention, my time wouldn't allow me to be gone for a good hour to work out. Evenings don't work well for me at all. Between homework, supper and bedtime. I hate leaving the house after the kiddos are settled in for the night. Plus its my only time to spend with hubby and get things done around the house. Cleaning, sewing, etc.

I am up to any ideas on how to keep my self motivated despite the fact the weight loss part is just not happening. I have put myself on a 20 pounds in 30 days goal for the month of October. Seeing how its day 5 and I am not seeing any real difference, its not encouraging me to say the least. I wouldn't mind getting a fitness trainer or doing a 6 week boot camp program. But money is tight right now and I would like to see if I could do this on my own. Suggestions are welcome.

Until then. I am working out and having fun! The 45 minutes I am able to spend walking and listening to music really gives me a time to think about things that are going on in my life. Free the mind of clutter and craziness. And let me tell you. There is PLENTY of that going around in my life for sure!

All By Myself

This morning I did 2.4 miles in 40 minutes. Outdoors. FELT SOOOOO GOOD!! My hours at worked have changed starting today which allows me to get up at 7am and walk before Jason has to leave for work at 7:45. This week will be dedicated too keeping the miles but working on time. Next week I hope to increase it to 3 miles, though its hard where I live as there isn't any good walking routes I can take that are safe and would still get me home in a quick manner if Jason needs me. This is what I did this morning, what did you do?

Look What the Kids Won (Mostly for Emma-James)

Jason and I took the kids to the APPLE FESTIVAL over the weekend here in Johnston. Its a wonderful event at the Johnston Memorial Park that the town Chamber of Commerce sponsors every September. Its an event where local artists and crafters can get together to sell their items. I was hoping to participate this year but due to lack of time and money, I wasn't able to enter. Next Year though for sure!

Anyways, as we were walking around we noticed that the Johnston Insider. The local paper here in our town was hosting a raffle. All the items were wonderful but one in particular caught our eye. A handcrafted wooden Dragon to be exact. Those of you who know Emma, know that she is head over heals in love with anything related too DRAGONS, so it wasn't a shock to us when she asked us to buy it. How could we resist not entering? For $5 dollars we scored 6 tickets. The odds looked good as it was already the end of the first day and there were only about 5 tickets in the cup. So to put the odds in our favor we purchased 6 more tickets. Total cost $10 bucks. Plus we really love the Insider and they have done some wonderful things for myself and our girl scout troop so I was happy to help!!

This afternoon they called to let us know that we HAD WON!!! Yup. We are now the proud owners of this beautiful handcrafted dragon. I am so excited and Emma-James in as happy as you can imagine. Our original goal was to wait for her to get it for Christmas, but honestly, who could wait 3 months for that!! One of the ladies who was at the fair came to our house personally to drop it off. She even took a few pictures of Emma holding her new "pet" and a group shot of the kiddos. Here are a few snapshots I took myself after she left. Oh, and before I forget. We also scored a $25 dollar gift card to a local consignment shop that sells these handcrafted toys. So we made out pretty good!!

Emma-James and her new "pet" Dragon Cutie Pie

 

The Gang with the Dragon. Emma is looking less then enthused because Oliver was touching her Dragon and she wasn't having it

 

The Girls at 2

I was really hoping to compare the girls at age 1 like I had done with the boys. Unfortunately, because of a fire near our apartment that forced us to evacuate we ended up loosing a lot of pictures of Olivia's first year. Jason had taken the hard drive out of the computer just in case our home caught fire Sadly, after we returned and started it back up, we lost everything. It was deviating. Thankfully, I was able to find a bunch of pictures of Olivia's 2nd year.

Olivia May 2

 

Emma-James Eileen 2

 

Ezme Anabella 2

 

Similarities:

*All the girls love to talk A. LOT. (much like there mommy)
*All the girls have/had curly hair (though Olivia's straightened out when she got older)
*All the girls are stubborn as heck
*All the girls enjoy to argue. Even Ezme at 2!!

Differences:

*Ezme has a large birth mark on her bum in the shape of a heart.
*Olivia has always been the tallest kiddo in the family and still is
*Ezme has blond hair
*For the first 15 months Ezme's eyes were blue
*Olivia and Emma-James had brown eyes from birth

As they all get older and start truly finding who they are, its going to be very interesting to see how different and alike they really are. The one thing I do know is this. I love them all to bits and pieces and even though some days are harder then others and I am always tested. I wouldn't change a single thing. XoXo!

The Boys at 1

Owen Xavier

 

Oliver Sebastian

 

Similarities:

*They both have dark eyes
*They both have huge dimples on both cheeks
*They both love to smile
*They both love their sleep. 7pm-7am with naps during the day (mostly Oliver)
*They both LOVE their mommy and prefer me to Daddy
*They both love to cuddle
*They both are content to play by themselves all day

Differences:

*Oliver has bigger ears then Owen
*Owen had and still has more hair then Oliver does
*Owen's hair is stick straight black hair
*Oliver's hair is light brown with blond streaks with curls
*Oliver at 1 weighed 5 pounds more then Owen did at 1
*Oliver was fully walking at 11 months where Owen walked at 14 months
*Owen slept through the night from day one where Oliver would wake up once or twice

Here are just a few similarities and differences I have seen between the boys. Its amazing how they can both be born from the same parents but be completely different in some ways and completely alike in others. It makes you wonder though. Does nature vs. nurture really play a role in how different your kids are from one another. I am almost 100% sure. As I look back and think there were things that happened during my pregnancy and after Owen arrived that didn't happen with Oliver. Just a thought.

Little Buddies

Love these two to bits and pieces!!

 

First Week of KINDERGARTEN!!

I still cannot believe that I have a 3rd grader, a kindergartener and a Pre-Schooler. Where is the time going???? My kiddos are growing up way too fast. Here are a few pictures of Emma-James and her first few days of school. As you can see, she doesn't seem to have a care in the world. She is too excited.

Emma-James wanted me to take a picture of her Panda backpack and her hair bows I made for her

 

Posing for the camera. Such a ham

 

Cheese!

 

Taking the bus to school on the first day (annoyed that I wanted to take another picture)

 

Second Day of School. Ready to go.

 

By Far.....My most favorite picture of Emma-James. She is so adorable!!

 

Hairbows

Made some hair bows for the girls for the first day of school. Think they came out great. Need to make some more for sure. They want hair accessories to match every outfit they have. Busy mom for sure!!

 

Random Playing

We scored this great original play kitchen that I once had as a kid. It was free on the side of the road and we scooped it up!!! Couldn't believe how great it looked for someone having it for 30 years. Love free stuff. And I would say from the look of these pictures, the kids enjoyed it too!! Thanks to Nana and Papa for the kitchen play-set toys. They are a great addition to the kitchen!!

 

 

 

 

Ezme Turns 2!

Don't let that blond hair and hazel green eyes fool you. This little girl is 100% ours. And let me tell you, she is the sweetest little girl EVER!! She has a passion for everything. She loves her big sisters and big brother but her heart belongs to her baby brother Oliver. She will do ANYTHING for him. Currently Ezme has an obsession with Boots. She wears them all the time. Morning, Noon and Night. She loves to pick out her own clothes and shoes and doesn't want anyone to help her. She can easily get her shoes or boots on herself, dresses herself for the most part and is excited to start potty training. She is completely into the idea. I however am not. Her vocabulary is HUGE so I wont even try to tell you all the things she can say now. She doesn't have a problem telling others to leave her alone if they are bugging her but has a heart of gold. Ask her for a hug and kiss and she will gladly give you some. I am so proud of all the things Ezme has accomplished this past year and so excited to see what the next year holds for us. Happy Birthday Big Girl. We love you!!

Two Year Stats:
Height: 34 inches
Weight: 30 lbs

Minutes Old
Ezme Anabella Martin Rodrigues
September 8, 2009
8lbs 2oz 20 inches
5:25pm

 

Home from the Hospital

 

One Month

 

Two Months

 

Three Months

 

Four Months

 

Five Months

 

Six Months

 

Seven Months

 

Eight Months

 

Nine Months

 

Ten Months

 

Eleven Months

 

One-Years-Old Happy 1st Birthday Ezme!!

 

15 Months

 

18 Months

 

Two-Years-Old Happy 2nd Birthday Ezme!!! xoxo