[lambeausam]

I can tell you guys the easiest way to keep your house clean...schedule a home visit with a caseworker or GAL!!! All joking aside, this time of year seems to be the hardest for me to "keep up." Closets have to be changed over from winter to summer, winter gear cleaned and stored, yard clean-up, etc. Since it has been in the 50s and damp for the past week, I have gotten some of that done. The boys' rooms are in great shape, but mine looks like a train wreck.

To keep from being overwhelmed, I take advantage of as many opportunities as possible. A load of laundry is done every morning. The boys sort their own laundry (O's not old enough yet, but he can put his laundry in the bin!) and put the folded laundry away. To minimize some of the morning chores, we use paper plates and cups for breakfast. The three oldest boys set the table for each meal and are responsible for clearing their own place. If you have the patience, some household chores can be fun for kids. We use old socks for dustrags. I spray them with Pledge, the kids put them on their hands and start rubbing the furniture. My oldest son is in charge of vacuuming the stairs - he even picked out the hand vac. My "middlers" are in charge of trash and recycling.

Elizabeth - I will probably be heading up to Door County with the boys sometime this summer, with a short detour through the Packers Hall of Fame Museum. Which side of the state are you in - lake or MN?

Sam

[SavannahGirl]

I'm a single mom to a 4 month old baby girl who was adopted at one month old. I also feel like I can't keep up with the house and yard work. I'm hoping when she begins sleeping through the night and I can get a good nights sleep things will be easier. I'm pretty new at this so I don't have many tips. Other than I leave a large pack of diapers and a change of clothing at the daycare. So I only need to pack the small bottle bag each day. I tried using the crockpot last night for dinner and that also worked well.

I also understand the guilt thing. I left dd on Sunday for the first time with my sister so that I could go to lunch and see a play with friends. It was nice to hang out with adults but I felt like I was cheating dd out of our weekend time.

[waitinginnj]

New grocery delivery service - I learned today about a new service available with some of the grocery stores to have groceries delivered for a nominal charge. It is $6.99 for $100 or more of groceries. You order on line and provide a 2 hour delivery window, including evenings and weekends. I am home then. Sometimes it is cheaper if you can leave a 4 hour window.

The prices of the items are the same as the in store prices. Tipping is optional.

They track your previous lists so that you can easily find your items, they have a list of the sale items etc.

It is available in northern NJ and some other states. It hasn't come to my zipcode yet, but I submitted my name so that they will advise me when it becomes available.

Thought that others may find it interesting to look for. People are swearing by it in my office.

They will even deliver all of the heavy stuff - it would be great when getting ready for a party - bad weather, sick kids etc.

The service I have heard of is peapod. One of the other large chains is offering it directly from their website. It may be worth checking out, especially for those of you with more than 1. I hate the grocery store and you can avoid the extra, "I wants" and candy by the register.

[lambeausam]

Peapod has been in our area for over five years. I have used it on and off. I find it a less cost effective if you have a large family. However, when your kids are sick and you are home-bound, it sure is fantastic.

Sam

[mckenna]

how was everyone's mother's day!!!

did your family do anything for you, since most of our kids aren't old enough to plan anything???

my mom hid a present upstairs in the baby's room and told my son about it. she called sunday morning and said, did tommy give you anything, i said no, she said put him on the phone, then i hear, yeah, ok, yeah and he throws down the phone and comes back with a present it was a picture of him, she had taken, in a frame that says, i love you mom.

all day when anyone asked what he got me for mother's day, he said, "me"

hope you all had a nice day!

[waitinginnj]

McKenna - sounds like you have a cutie on your hands. He certainly will know how to work a room when he is older.

Things were good on the Jersey shore. We got a little hint of sun. I cooked for my parents and my sister's family. I'm tired today, but all in all - lovely.


The best part of the day was putting my little one's hand prints in cement. She liked doing it and decorating around them. As soon as it is dry it will go in the garden with last year's.

[lambeausam]

Originally Posted by waitinginnj

McKenna - sounds like you have a cutie on your hands. He certainly will know how to work a room when he is older.

When he's older???? You should seem him now! He is absolutely adorable and has a smile that will melt you.

Sam

[mckenna]

thanks sam, you have quite a few cuties yourself!

[Indy]

I was reading this thread and laughing to myself...I can relate, even though I am not a single "mom". I am a single dad.

I have a house keeper that comes in every Friday, that way it is clean for the weekend...well kind of, before the boys get home! I also have an "after-school nanny". She comes in from 3-5:30 every day. She helps the boys with homework and keeping their rooms clean. As far as yardwork...not a problem with 6 sons. I even farm them out to help the neighbors! We have GREAT relationships with all of them!

Take care all!

[momm2be]

Just found this post today - and boy do I feel tired, yet can't sleep because there are a million and one things I should be doing - so what do I do-- check the boards.

I have a cleaning lady come every week but you could never tell with all the stuff lying around my house. I have now threatened to start throwing out toys and kid stuff if it does not magically make its way to the proper shelf.

My cleaning lady is a saint, for a few extra bucks she organized my daughters room and the play room. Next weekend she tackles the basement for me.

I gave up today, invited someone in to the house - my daughters school friend (with mom and little brother) who happened to be passing by on the way to the park. Realized how poorly my house is child proofed with her 2 yr old finding all sorts of fun stuff - even at a pretzel out of the dogs bowl. Some how I never have visitors the day the cleaning lady comes but 6 days after.


Our house is a disaster but the other mom sympathizes with the single mom bit. Happy she isn't doing it alone.

Sometimes I love being a single mom - I blew off work this morning to take my daughter for pancakes - dropped her off about an 1 hour late to school - just because I wanted too. Tonight we had snack for dinner, and dinner for snack. Nice being able to make the rules on the fly.

[waitinginnj]

Indy - glad you chimed in. How much do you charge to fly the boys to NJ and farm them out to a distant friend? I bet it is still less expensive then the lawn services in NJ.

[Indy]

waitinginnj - Sometimes I will PAY people to take them...LOL! And others, I wouldn't trade them for the world.

[mckenna]

it has been so hard to get on the boards how is everyone doing???

it is quite hectic at our house. besides the ususal house and yard work, we have a garage sale each year to raise money for my work's childhood cancer walk. well, it is at my house (location, location, location) anyway, the stuff has started coming in and i am also cleaning out my basement to contribute some stuff, so my house looks like a war zone.

i started with the boxes of kids clothes. even after i put (what i consider) a lot of infant/children's clothes into the garage sale pile, i still have 10 rubber maid tubs of clothes birth-5T. 6 years of foster parenting really accumulates a lot of clothes.

indy, what do your kids do for father's day??

i think i am going to celebrate father's day for me this year. i do the work of mom and dad, right???

[Indy]

I hadn't checked this board for a while.

We are actually traveling north to the lake for the day. The boys usually make me something or write me a letter or make a card. They know that I am very hard to buy for. Besides I much prefer something they have made with their hands.

As far as you celebrating Dad's day, I celebrate Mom's day. The boys get a kick out of making me Mother's Day cards!

[mckenna]

this board is driving me crazy, since it will only show 4 pages of recent posts missed and when i look at all my posts, they are not in any kind of order, i can't tell when people have posted on threads.

anyway, glad to hear you celebrate both mothers and fathers day. unfortunatly for me, i will be getting my self a new car for father's day, as mine was totaled.

hello to everyone else, how is the summer going?