Cabinetalanche

Cabinetalanche: noun.  The avalanche that happens because your kitchen cabinets are such a mess, whenever you try to take anything out, lots of things fall out.

I suck at cabinet organizing.  I'm usually so bored and exhausted by the time I'm doing the dishes, I just shove things in without much of a care about where it goes.  Well, except glass.  I'm careful with that.  Most people would call this laziness mixed with perfectionism ("I'm not going to put this away properly because...look at this mess!  What's the point?  It will take me forever to fix it!"), and the result is this:

Oh, the horror!  Oh, the shame!

Today, I sat down on a big fluffy towel in front of my pots cabinet and cleaned it.  I'm going to tell you how I did it.  If you are struggling with the same thing, maybe it will help.

1.) Check your space.  Do you have an underutilized cabinet?  I realized I had this one little one next to the stove that I never used.  I opened it and you know what?  It was full of phone books.  I kid you not.  Full.of.phone books.  Anyway, I cleaned out all the phone books and decided to use it for the smaller/thinner items that I rarely, but not never use.  If you have such an underutilized space, go clean it out and prep it.

See this dusty cabinet?  I totally forgot it even existed.

2.) Start removing things from the cabinet.  You don't have to do the WHOLE cabinet if it is on the large side.  A section or shelf at a time is fine.  As you pull things out, put them into piles 3 piles: things you use often, things you rarely (but not never) use, and things you will never use again/broken items/trash.

3.) Wipe down and dry shelves.  I used some of my infused vinegar cleaner.

4.) Throw out any trash and broken items.  This includes small appliances that you are never going to fix!  I found a broken coffee grinder, part of a food processor that broke years ago, the carafe to a coffee maker that I haven't owned in years...  Shut up!  Don't judge me!  Anyway, for items that are still good but you never use, you can donate them if you wish.  Everything else gets tossed.

5.) Place seldom used items in the underutilized space, if you have one.  If you don't, skip this step.

6.) Carefully stack and organize your often used items, and place them in the cabinet.  You want these close together so everything is right where you need it, without being so crammed that you can't remove just one thing.

7.) Now you have to figure out what you will do with the seldom used items, if you don't have an extra cabinet.  Hopefully you now have enough room in your newly-organized cabinet that you can put them off to the side.  I actually did this with some seldom used items that didn't fit in the former phone book cabinet.

And now, the reveal!

Ta-Da!  Wait...it looks like it might be time to finally change the contact paper that was probably put in 3 owners ago.

The hardest part is to keep it this way.  I'll admit that I usually clean out these cabinets around every 6 months to a year, but that is clearly not enough, especially since I found a ton of broken things in there.  I think I need to reorganize about every 2 weeks.  The very next time I was doing the dishes, I caught myself just shoving a pan in there and had to stop, backtrack, and do it properly.  I fully admit that this sort of thing does not come naturally to me.

As a final note, Husband, who does most of the cooking (I do the baking), came home, opened the cabinet, and said, "WOW!"  Warm fuzzies.

Upon Joining Twitter

I finally joined Twitter.  I did it after a fellow blogger that I read and respect made the very definite statement that to be a decent blogger, you must have Twitter.  I baulked at the advice.  I didn't want Twitter.  I wanted nothing to do with Twitter.  Twitter, in my mind, was this frivolous thing that only the famous and well-connected could possibly use.  I had a thousand reasons why I shouldn't.  She must have seen people like me coming and said flat out that our reasons why Twitter doesn't matter are wrong and just excuses.  I still didn't want to believe her.

But numbers don't lie.

I see tons of bloggers that are no better writers nor any more interesting than I am having thousands of followers.  So, I decided, I would give it a shot.  You know what the scary thing is?  I kind of enjoy it.  So, here I am, on Twitter.  You can find me here: Follow @TheMomtionary

Herb Infused Vinegar All-Purpose Spray

My grandmother was alpha-wife.  Every single area of her home was amazingly tidy.  I'm talking 1950's TV show spotless.  Not only that, it seemed effortless!  Compared to her, I fail at cleaning.  I remember her using, and teaching us to use, heavy duty cleaners.  When I unexpectedly (seriously, completely unexpected) became a housewife and started caring for our own home, I used the same kind of cleaners.  You know the kind I mean.  Sprays that give off air-gasping fumes, harsh powders that you shake from a can, liquids that promise to get your home clean but are covered with warnings about calling Poison Control if you get them on your skin.  In the beginning, these were what I used because I didn't know there was anything else.  They had been part of my life since childhood, and honestly, it never even occurred to me that these cleaners were even dangerous.

It all began around the time we received our beloved Corgi from a rescue.  I read (but fully admit that I don't know if it is true) that dogs like the taste of pine and will lick pine-scented cleaners off the floor and drink it wherever they find it.  Did I mention I don't know if this is actually true?  Anyway, I didn't want to test the theory, and switched to nontoxic vinegar/water solution to clean the floor.

Soon after, I gave birth to Little Viking.  Around that time I started to  realize that vinegar can be used to clean lots of things.  Lots and LOTS of things!  Floors, counters, appliances, toilets!  I realized just how toxic "normal" cleaners are, and loved the idea that if they got into vinegar, it wouldn't hurt them.  After that, I branched out to use vinegar sometimes, and Doctor Bronner's other times, but never together. 

I still loved using vinegar, but the smell, oh, the smell!  Yes, yes, I know.  The smell disappears as the vinegar dries, but in the meantime it is pretty awful.  I know some people don't mind it, but it's just such a strong smell.  Then, I ran across a post by Crunchy Betty that suggested infusing vinegar with dried herbs and essential oil.  I thought, "I wonder if fresh herbs in my garden would have the same affect?"  I decided it was worth a try.  I went to the garden and cut leaves and stems of whatever struck my fancy.  If I remember correctly, I grabbed some thyme, oregano, lemon balm, rosemary, a little bit of lavender leaves, and some peppermint, and made myself some awesome all-purpose cleaner.

The result was amazing.  Whatever I cleaned smelled fresh and herbal, with just a hint of vinegar underneath.  The next time I did it, the result was still good, but completely different, since I very literally just threw in whatever herbs caught my eye and added whatever essential oils I liked at the end.  Currently I have yet another version infusing with tangerine peels and mint.

Here is my version of herbed vinegar all-purpose spray using fresh herbs, with a major hat tip to Crunchy Betty.  To see her original recipe that I based mine off of, head over here.

Herb Infused Vinegar All-Purpose Spray

Vinegar infused with...uh...random herbs

 

 

What you'll need:

Handfulls of fresh herbs  (It helps if you use scents that work together.)
A few cups of vinegar
Large jar or container with a lid
Essential oil of a complimentary scent (optional, but nice)

Snip any long leaves and stems so they are shorter.  I tend to crumple the herbs in my hand a little bit to release some of the oils.  Place in the jar and cover with a cup of vinegar or two.  I'll be honest and say sometimes I use a cup of vinegar.  Sometimes two.  Sometimes I use a cup and a half like Crunchy Betty suggests.  What can I say?  I'm inconsistent.  However, it always works out.

Put the lid on the jar and let it sit for about a week.  Shake it once a day or when you remember.  If you let it sit longer than that, don't worry.  It will just have more of an herb smell and the color will be darker.

When you feel it is infused enough. strain out the herbs and add the vinegar to a spray bottle.  Add another cup or so of vinegar (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.  I'm inconsistent).  Add some complimentary essential oil of your choice.  Go use it.

Confessions of a Possible Homeschooler: the Conclusion

Today, Husband and I finished up our discussions about homeschooling.  I requested that he allow me to try for a year, and if at any time he thinks it's not going well, I would place the children back in school.  He voiced some concerns and I was immediately disheartened.  I wasn't disheartened because I was worried about my ability, but because the concerns he had could not be answered without actually trying homeschooling.  I knew, deep down, he was going to say no.  I know, in theory, I could just do it anyway, but I don't want to.  Unless we are both in total agreement, I don't even want to start homeschooling because I want to have his support.  He agreed that I shouldn't start next year because he couldn't, at this point in time, give me his full support.  He had too many reservations, among them being that he thought Little Viking should at least try public school and see how it goes.  For now, we are putting away all the research and possibly revisiting it at a later time.  Like, a year or more.

I'm not going to say I'm not disappointed.  In fact, I'm heartbroken.  I did not want to deal with public school for another year.  I don't want the hours and hours of research I put into this issue to be wasted.  I don't want to the several people that helped me through this and pointed me to fantastic information to have wasted their time.  And most of all, I don't want my children to be stuck in classrooms being drilled with standardized tests and Reading Counts.  The way schools are now feels wrong to my mother's heart.


EDIT: I know there are a few people waiting for both of my kids to be in school so they can start putting me into more volunteer positions at the school.  I don't think I'm ready for that.  I told Husband that so many of them think I'm homeschooling next year now, and I'm not going to correct them right now.  I told him, flat out, that I was going to allow them to continue to think that I'll be missing next year so that I won't be pushed into anything yet.

"Nothing has been decided," he said matter-of-factly.


I was very surprised by his statement.  As of yesterday afternoon, he was fixed on putting the kids in public school again next year.  Well, again for Philosopher Child, but the first time for Little Viking.

At this point, I'm exhausted with the whole thing.  I still want to homeschool, but I can't without his full support.  We're back to where we started.  We don't know what we are doing next year and can't move forward with any idea at this point.  Honestly, I'm feeling rather defeated.

Confessions of a Possible Homeschooler Part II

Part I found here.


Today I found out some really disturbing things about the school board.  Apparently, there was some sort of educational committee that they were supposed to be talking to when it comes to big decisions.  When this committee asked if there were any big changes coming, the school board said no.  The next month the school board announced several possible school closings and some scary potential budget cuts.  Evidently, something about all this was illegal.  Now, the school board was set to vote on the school closings next week, but this committee sent them a certified letter that basically said, "You are not voting on a darn thing yet," and there is now a lawyer involved.

The budget cuts affecting the educational programs, however, are what specifically concerns me.  It turns out they have no intention on voting on that until it's almost time for the next school year to start.  Darn it.

How on earth do I make decisions about next year with this kind of nonsense going on?  I honestly don't know.  I'm going to try to pitch the idea of a trial period of homeschooling before real homeschooling to Husband.

We just don't know what to do now.  We don't know the plan for next year.

Glitter Pop

Glitter Pop: verb.  When a child that is way too young bursts his/her parents' bubble when it comes to Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc.

Walking home from school this morning (yes, school.  If we homeschool, it won't be until next year), Little Viking (who is 5-years-old and not yet in school) told me that he wishes it was still Christmas time.

"But we have other holidays coming up," I said.  "Like Easter.  Should the Easter Bunny bring Easter cookies again this year?"

Viking Toddler replied, in a very calm, and matter-of-fact tone, "Mom, the Easter Bunny isn't real."

*face palm*

"What do you mean?  You don't believe in the Easter Bunny?" I asked.

"No," he said.  "He's not real."

"Why do you think that?  Where did you learn that?"

"I recognized the shapes of the cookies.  I think you made them," he said.  No emotion, just stating a fact.  He might as well have said the sky is blue.

I could take a couple of roads here.  I could flat out lie and say, "But he is real!"  Or, I could ignore his question, or, I could say, "Yes, you're right."  I took the latter.

"Ok, you got me.  I did make the cookies.  The Easter Bunny is just a fun story that we tell kids around Easter.  Just don't tell your brother."

He was OK with knowing for a fact that the Easter Bunny isn't real.  He's OK with knowing that it is just a story.  What confused him is why he shouldn't tell.

"He wants to believe, so let him," I answered.

This had gone over the philosophical line.  He started muttering and wondering out loud why it could possibly be a bad thing to tell his brother a fact.

I see trouble coming.

Confessions of a Possible Homeschooler

The public schools in our area are in trouble.  Big trouble  Huge trouble.  Our school board is seriously considering cutting all art and music education for next year, along with reducing funding for libraries, support staff, gifted programs, remedial programs, and a whole host of others.  These ideas are very scary for most parents, and they are on the verge of becoming a reality.

More scary stuff: the standardized testing.  In our state, like most other states, standardized testing is not optional.  If students don't pass their state standardized test at the end of the year, they fail the grade, regardless of their previous grades and coursework (unless their teacher chooses to step in and submit proof that the student should be promoted regardless).  I hate state standardized tests, but so far they have merely been a necessary evil, or more accurately, something I couldn't do anything about.  I knew they started learning how to take the test in 1st grade, and much of the course work in every grade has to do with these tests, but they don't actually start testing until 3rd.  The other day, I found out something disturbing.  The kindergarteners at our school are now learning how to neatly fill in bubbles while test questions are read to them.  I was unbelievably frustrated with how much focus there is on these tests.

Add that to the whole Reading Counts situation.  I don't hate the RC program, but I hate the way it is implemented.  Basically, it works like this: a child reads a book from the Reading Counts database, then the child takes an online quiz.  If the child passes the quiz, they get a certain number of points.  Now, don't get me wrong, there are lots of books in the database, but it is far from comprehensive.  In fact, last year I purchased 5 chapter books from Scholastic's own book fair, and not one of them was in the RC database.  Frustrating?  Yes.  Why?  Because the way our school is using RC, a child does not have time to read anything that is not in the RC database.  It was supposed to foster a love of reading, but really did the opposite.  Much of what he is interested in isn't in the RC database.  Philosopher Child currently has to read a chapter book per week and then some to keep up, and he's only in 3rd grade.  If he doesn't earn enough points, it negatively affects his reading grade.  If that isn't bad enough, Philosopher Child told me that he is allowed to take out 3 books from the library each week, and it is mandatory that at least 2 of them are RC books.  This feels wrong, and since this has been pushed on the kids, my amazing reader has started to hate reading.

So, for argument's sake, let's say that the school board shuts down all the wonderful programs they are threatening to.  What then?  I don't particularly love the charter or private schools here (nothing wrong with them, they're just not right for us), so that leaves homeschooling.

Homeschooling has been a back pocket plan since the beginning.  It's not something we wanted to do.  It's not something we really intended to do, but every year we face more and more issues with the public school system, and every year we review the homeschool laws, just in case.

I know that from what I told you it looks like we're making a knee-jerk reaction over nothing.  These things may seem like minor annoyances at best.  But know this: I'm only telling you a small portion of what is going on.  What I haven't told you about yet that I'll just briefly touch on are the following: bullying (we're talking physically dangerous stuff that the principal called security over, not just name calling), being told over and over by a previous teacher that something must be wrong with Philosopher Child and he needs to see a doctor (turns out he was just bored and not being challenged), being told every time I question a policy that makes no sense (and is often detrimental to education) that it is "because of the standardized tests," and get this: there is a kindergarten teacher at this school that covers her windows so the kids can't see outside.  A kindergarten teacher.  Of course there's more, but you get the idea.

The final straw is the removal of the art and music programs paired with test drilling starting in kindergarten.  It's not right.  It does a disservice to our children.  Not just my children, but all the children.  At this point I think I can say with a clear conscience that we, Husband and I, can do better for our children.  Ideally, issues with the schools would be fixed and Philosopher Child and Little Viking would continue to play and learn with their age-mates.  At this point, however, I know that we, personally, can't save the arts in schools.  We can't save the gifted program.  We can't save the support staff that are being cut.  There isn't enough money and the school board has decided that their best choice is to close several schools and severely cut programs and funding to the remainder.  The money needs to be pulled from elsewhere, but it is impossible for me, as a parent, to convince the powers that be that maybe some of the money should come from other (sometimes ridiculous) places.

So, you may ask, now what?  Honestly, I don't know.  We can't make a definite decision until the school board votes later this month.  In the meantime, I'm gathering information, curriculum possibilities, and acquainting myself with the homeschool laws.  If the time comes, I want to be ready.