How a Mason Jar Lid Saved Bathtime

We have a little toddler in our house who trots off with important items from time to time.  Phones, toilet plungers, and bathtub stoppers seem particularly appealing. A rubber stopper is the easiest to hide of these three favorites, and also the most essential for bath time.

As you might guess, the stopper went missing recently, but kids still needed bathing.  So I thought about what I could use as a makeshift substitute.  Trying a rubber glove ended in failure.  But then I came up with a solution that worked surprisingly well.  An old mason jar lid (minus the ring).  The rubber seal fit our drain hole perfectly.

So, if your bathtub stopper ever goes MIA, just try a mason jar lid and see if it works for you.

Misadventures and Shared Moments

Despite a series of misadventures, we made it to
Oklahoma to see my sister and parents. We arrived minus one important purple suitcase, but that wasn't the airline's fault. It was mine! I seemed to be a magnet for mishaps on this trip. My eldest daughter, on the other hand, was a generator of creative solutions.

Her solution to the missing case of kids' clothes started with a question-- "Do they have a second hour?"
By that she meant Sunday school. Her proposal was that her younger sister wear the skirt we had with us and attend the first hour. Then my eldest would swap clothes with her and wear the skirt for the second session. Meanwhile, her grandma and grandpa came up with another solution: a last-minute Saturday night shopping spree. My idealistic, cost-free idea to find clothes to borrow did not happen, but we did appreciate having our needs met. On Sunday morning, however, the girls chose two wear two "vintage" dresses that had belonged to me as a girl.

Solution Gal's next idea was a contingency plan, in case our minivan broke down (which it thankful did not). If we had to abandon the vehicle and walk the rest of the way to grandma's, her little brother could be pulled in the wheeled suitcase--the black one I did manage to put in the trunk.

Fog and sickness also assailed us on our trip, but we enjoyed the 60 degree weather and fine views of grass further south. And there was still some of Mom's fruitcake left!

Besides marveling at my daughter's ingenuity, I also was amazed by God's goodness in providing a job to my younger sister. I had not seen her since the summer and it was important to reconnect in person. Furthermore, my children got to spend time with their grandparents, creating a paper bouquet for them to keep during the quieter months ahead.
On the way back home, we broke our journey in Kansas, where Jhona lives. After meeting over Company Girl coffee several months ago, I enjoyed getting to know her and her kids as three-dimensional people. We appreciated how she welcomed us so warmly.

Now it's back to real life. I am hoping to be less forgetful in the coming weeks as we settle back into a routine!

Wishes

My daily goal for the month of November: to arrive early instead of perpetually late. As soon as I resolve to change, however, reality and ingrained habits strike back. Yes, that was me, combing my daughter's hair with a plastic fork before we rushed her to school yesterday.

"Do you want to be healed?" That's a question Jesus asked in the passage from John 5 that we studied this week at BSF. "Get up," he commanded the lame man. Obedience and faith, not will power, were the keys to transformation. Part of me wants to be changed and freed from my hang ups, and yet another part resists, believing it impossible.

After talking about it for weeks, I think we will actually start our Thanksgiving countdown today when my daughter gets home from school. By simply seeking to obey God's command to give thanks, I am seeking to build habits that continue long after November ends.

Meanwhile, even as we prepare for Thanksgiving, Christmas ideas are being tossed around and considered. I came across some wonderful inspiration here for simple gifts to make. The folder games look like so much fun, we might have to enjoy some before Christmas.

To be ever thankful, to simplify, and to arrive early and at peace. These are my holiday wishes. Now it's time to "get up", obey, and celebrate what He does!

Bargain Hunting Mishaps: Will I Ever Learn?

• This week I dropped my cell phone in the grocery store parking lot and didn't realize it was gone until I arrived back home.

• Last month, daughter #2 dropped a jug of V8 juice, splattering red liquid down the aisle.

• On an earlier trip, the same daughter was carrying a quart of yogurt to the car. Yep. Down it went onto the pavement.

• I found great bargains at the Salvation Army Thrift Store--several pieces for each of my kids! After loading all three kiddos into the car, I drove off without my bag. There it sat on the asphalt until someone took those lovely clothes home.
  

• I found a blouse at the mall for under $5 that matched a silk skirt of mine perfectly. One of the kids jostled it out of the stroller basket, and we left it behind on the sidewalk.

The incidents above are good reasons to shop alone, and these are just examples from 2009! Usually I try to do a Tuesday night shopping trip after my children are sleeping, so I can focus on my list. But this is not a foolproof strategy either, since I have left bags of my groceries behind more than once. Sometimes I have been able to retrieve the forgotten items, while other times I suffered the full consequences of my carelessness and did not my get my purchases back.

Haste, carelessness, and distractability often plague me at this stage of life, and this week my weaknesses were again blatantly obvious. So instead of scoffing at my husband's tendency to double check things, I should learn from him. But I resist humbling myself, especially when I think my uniqueness is being threatened. After all, isn't it a good thing to be so carefree?

Really, though, I should be free to focus on the task at hand, and need to take the extra minute to make sure I have everything in order before moving on to the next thing. And then there is the primary question: Is what I am doing at a given moment worthwhile? The number of store receipts I amass and my internet browsing history reveal a need to change.

"Electronic sunsets" are a feat I managed on a couple of nights last weekend. When I turn the computer off, I can devote myself to higher priorities that bring order and peace to a chaotic house (Thanks, Rachel Anne, for spurring me to improve). The weekend trial run proved that this needs to be a regular discipline for me. Of course we can make an exception for our weekly movie night and perhaps e-mail. But It would be wonderful to welcome my dear friend who is arriving on Tuesday to stay in a home that is more sanctuary-like than it was this past week. So here's to another weekend (and week?) of these sunsets!

Simple Tip of the Week: No More Hand Towels On the Floor!

May I introduce you to the joy of suspenders for your hand towels? When three children share a bathroom, it should hardly be surprising that the hand towels were rarely on the towel bar. But enter these clips, which cost $1.00 for a 4-pack at Dollar Tree. By attaching them to our towels we have cut down on laundry and need not worry about germs from dropped towels.




















Note: If you are crafty and can get your hands on an old pair of real suspenders, you could shorten them (or make some) for the same sanity-saving purpose.

There is a suspender hiding behind that neatly folded towel.
Elastic triumphs over entropy.

Where O Where Have My Little Socks Gone?

Socks can be quite revealing. Show me your sock drawer and I will see how meticulous you are. In our house matching socks are a feat to be celebrated.

My exultation in having pairs for both of my daughters in hand came to an abrupt end one morning last week; they were gone an instant later. Poof! No socks. Not just one stray sock vanishing as they often do, but four socks. Two lovely matched pairs gone.

Socks seem so simple, and yet remain so hard for me to manage.

But wonder of wonders, this week the missing socks resurfaced! Yet even I am aghast at where they had lodged. At least they were clean.


The essence of my current haphazard existence is captured in this photo. Still, I honestly don’t think I would have put them in that drawer if I had not been lacking so much sleep. The simple act of going to bed would doubtless save me much untold grief.

Now, where did I put my can opener?