Spring Break and Spring Cleaning

At the end of the morning last Friday I announced that this week would be spring break for us. After all, we have spotted a crocus or two in the backyard. And I had great plans for spring cleaning - which for me means a better, deeper cleaning than what I ordinarily get done in a week. I know for some people that involves a lot more than what I'd include, but these days I'm just happy to have the whole house clean at.one.time. So no washing down walls or anything...just dusting baseboards and window blinds and washing windows in addition to the regular stuff.

The kids were strong-armed into helping with their own rooms, but then they wanted to spend the remainder of their time playing on the tree that is lying in the backyard.

They were also spotted trying to spark a fire by
rotating a stick in a small hole. Great. Better
hide the magnesium fire starter because I have
just enough experience with kids who play with
fire to know these things. 

Anyway, we lost a pin oak tree over the last year due to disease, and we finally brought it down over the weekend. A kind (and crazy!) neighbor took the tree down for us. There were a few hairy moments watching him climb forty feet up the tree to strap himself onto it. We thought he was just going to go to the top of the ladder and cut off some branches to make felling it easier. But thankfully, he made it up and down again in one piece. There was lots of praying involved, I assure you!

This would be the neighbor in the tree.

The neighbor is safely back on the ground
using a chainsaw to notch the tree while
another neighbor and my husband watch.

Making some progress.

Getting ready to "guide" the tree down where
they want it.

She's really excited by all
the action!

Soon!

Done. Whew!! And everyone is safe.

So the tree came down, and the kids are having a blast climbing all over it. It reminds me of the things my brother and sister and cousins and I did on Grandpa's farm as kids. The trees that my uncle and Grandpa and dad fell were bigger ones, and we had a great time playing on them once they were on the ground. I'm glad my kiddos are getting some "country kid" experiences even though we're smack-dab in the middle of suburbia. And I'm beginning to get a taste of what my mom went through when we all dragged our tired selves in the house covered in mud...just a taste, though, mind you. These kids only have a fallen tree in the backyard; we had an entire farm!

Of course, because I didn't already have enough cleaning to do, yesterday Elsa begged to paint. As you might guess, I had more cleaning (and laundry) to do afterwards. She was trying to turn herself into the Incredible Hulk, she claims. And I'm silently shaking my head, taking a deep breath...and holding my tongue. After all, our most recent memory verse says, "Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." (Prov. 21:23) And I've got to teach by example.

After the painting session, it was back outside for some more fun climbing on the tree. Actually, Elsa spent more time collecting acorn tops "for the squirrels" and piling them on the patio table. Caroline just enjoyed the wind and watching the boys jumping around on the tree.  

Flyaway hair!

This is the look she gives me every
time I get her up from her bed.
I can't get enough of it!

 

Love her chubby cheeks.

This boy is the one who already fell
and knocked his head. 

 

Weapons of all sorts!

See?

She liked seeing herself in the
patio window too.

Part of spring cleaning, though, has been my effort at cleaning out toxic cleaning supplies and replacing them with safe ones. I've learned how to make my own, and it's actually made cleaning easier and more pleasant (scrubbing the shower floor was so much easier with this scouring powder). I haven't replaced everything yet (I'm going to use up that whole container of toilet-bowl cleaner I bought at Costco so as not to just waste the $$ spent on it), but I plan to soon. You can check out this link if you're interested (also here).  

From the same site I've also found recipes for making personal care items like lotions and moisturizers and toothpaste! Wooo-whee! I've gone crunchy, I think. First essential oils - now this! My husband says I've gone "new age" (and technically, I guess he might be right according to the dictionary definition), but I claim it's "old age" since it's only been in the last hundred or so years that people have used so many toxic, chemical-laden products. :-) Anyway, I hope to replace a lot of what we're using with safer products.

I'm hoping to add a lot more veggies to our diet as well, and I've been trying to do just that. But the attempt at getting the kids to eat sweet potatoes (even in a casserole with butter and all the rest of the stuff that makes them really yummy) was nearly a total flop (nearly because Cade did eat some willingly). And the green veggie slaw that I made was tasty...even the neighbors took some home...but the kids were pretty resistant to that, too.

I guess it'll take time (baby steps, right?), and hopefully I'll stick to my resolve to eat better (I say as I just demolished the last bit of a bag of chocolate chips - ahem). But I've eaten fewer chocolate chips this week than I did last week and the week before, so that's progress, I say. And I'm trying hard to remember that there's only so much we can sanely do, so there's to be no guilt over the rest. No guilt! After all, if we are in Christ, he's already born all of our guilt.