Shiloah Baker's Blog, page 180
November 23, 2010
Nov 23 – Wrap Up Last-Minute Details
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: If hosting, walk around the house and see what you can clean up, fix up, hide away, and otherwise do to keep your home happier while company is around.
If traveling, wrap up and make final preparations for your trip.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
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Nov 19 – Wrap Up Outstanding Projects That Can Wait Until Next year GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Its time to put away projects that can...
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November 22, 2010
Nov 22 – Carefully Plan Out the Week
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: If you are hosting, carefully review your plans, check to make sure you are ready, and address any outstanding preparations you have missed or avoided.
If traveling, do final packing.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Nov 17 – Plan Thanksgiving Weekend Activities for Children and Teenagers GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If staying at home, plan what you will...
Nov 5 – Decide on Thanksgiving Invitations GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, decide who is coming...
Nov 18 – Go Shopping for Groceries and Sundries GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If hosting, buy groceries and activities materials for...
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November 19, 2010
Nov 19 – Wrap Up Outstanding Projects That Can Wait Until Next year
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: Its time to put away projects that can be discontinued until after the first of the year. Write instructions to yourself about where you stopped, how to get started again, and where the supplies will be stored.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Nov 5 – Decide on Thanksgiving Invitations GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, decide who is coming...
Nov 10 – Clean Guest Bedrooms GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If hosting, decide who will sleep where, make...
Nov 8 – Decide on Thanksgiving Day Activities GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, decide upon some Thanksgiving...
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November 18, 2010
Nov 18 – Go Shopping for Groceries and Sundries
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: If hosting, buy groceries and activities materials for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Go over your list twice before you reach the checkout stand to avoid having to return to the store again.
If traveling, buy sundries and snacks for your upcoming trip.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Nov 17 – Plan Thanksgiving Weekend Activities for Children and Teenagers GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If staying at home, plan what you will...
Nov 8 – Decide on Thanksgiving Day Activities GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, decide upon some Thanksgiving...
Nov 15 – Prepare Menu for Rest of Meals Served During Your Guests' Visit GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If hosting, make up a simple menu of...
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November 17, 2010
Nov 17 – Plan Thanksgiving Weekend Activities for Children and Teenagers
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: If staying at home, plan what you will do with your children and teenagers during the Thanksgiving weekend.
If traveling, decide what activities you will have for the children to occupy them while traveling.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Nov 8 – Decide on Thanksgiving Day Activities GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, decide upon some Thanksgiving...
Nov 3 – Decide on Thanksgiving Menu GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, decide upon the menu...
Nov 4 – Decide on Thanksgiving Table Favors GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, decide what your table...
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November 16, 2010
Nov 16 – Prepare Grocery List
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: If hosting, prepare grocery list for all items that can be purchased now for the entire stay of your company. This will make cooking and sharing meals so much easier.
If a guest, make of list of items to purchase for the trip.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Nov 15 – Prepare Menu for Rest of Meals Served During Your Guests' Visit GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If hosting, make up a simple menu of...
Nov 9 – Confirm Guest List GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, make any necessary follow-up...
Nov 10 – Clean Guest Bedrooms GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If hosting, decide who will sleep where, make...
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November 15, 2010
Nov 15 – Prepare Menu for Rest of Meals Served During Your Guests' Visit
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: If hosting, make up a simple menu of what you will serve for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while your guests are staying with you.
If a guest, make up a list of meals you will need while traveling and decide how/where you will get food.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Nov 3 – Decide on Thanksgiving Menu GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, decide upon the menu...
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November 14, 2010
Tales from Belleview Cottage: Necessity is the Mother of Invention
This past week brought me to my breaking point with the kids, messes, cats, and disorder. I've been struggling to keep all things afloat as a geographically single mom (thanks to another Army school). So, after a rough week filled with many responsibilities both online, outside the home, homeschool, and church related Sunday rolls around. Our retarded special cat Bach has been stressed out too apparently and had a few accidents on clothes this week. After doing laundry all week we had a difficulty finding clean dresses for the girls. One of the oldest girls got Braedon, the baby, dressed while I quickly dressed for church. Everyone showed up at my room door for clothes and hair inspection and then got into the truck. I grabbed a few last minute things and away we went.
Pulling up in the church parking lot just three minutes late {who hoo!} 
I dropped off all the kids except the eldest and youngest to find us seats in the pews while I parked. Just as I pulled the baby from his seat I smelled cat pee. CAT PEE on my baby!!! That was it. And of course, there wasn't a change of clothes. That was the breaking point. I told my daughter to get everyone back to the car. We were going home.
My friend called me later and asked what happened. She said Makenzie {9} told her that we were going home because her brother "smelled like animal". My friend was curious as to which brother. LOL
In the past month and a half that my husband has been gone I have gotten rid of over 500 pounds of junk that was becoming hard to keep up with—including extra clothes and furniture. It still isn't enough apparently because there are still messes in the house.
As necessity is the mother of invention it's amazing what we as moms can come up with in any circumstance when she wants a change. First of all, the next house we live in I want/need the following:
• A pantry
• More cupboards
• More than a closet and the guest bathroom to put the laundry for 10 people.
• Less carpet
• Two main levels—no more!
As of right now we're in a split level house that irritates me. Split level 
houses are good for Fung Shui in that if water were to run through our house it would flow pretty easily. It isn't my favorite however, for a large family. It seems as if all ten people who live in this house are always on another level, many of which were messing things up.
I love that my friend Dawn, another mom of a large family, has come up with an ingenious plan for her bed-wetting sons. She was sick of the ruined mattresses, the smell and difficult clean up. Since she hasn't found a cure for the bed-wetting {yet} she came up with an ingenious plan. She went to an Air Force surplus store and purchased cots and plastic air mattresses. Now, her sons sleep on cots with the air mattress on top. When they wet the bed, they change their own sheets and take the mattress outside and hose it off. Beautiful! Is their beauty in bed-wetting? Well, there is always a silver lining for sure. Moms are that they might have joy among the occasional situations that arrive from time to time in a family.
So back to today's story. With baby bathed and changed and mom fired up with a renewed energy to conquer this house again; we gathered in my room for a family meeting.
Necessities in this situation are:
• House is to stay picked up and clean
• No more broken furniture or things
• The younger children need to help more instead of being the mess makers.
• Lift some of mom's burdens.
I went back to square one starting with the youngest children. We went over what should happen from the time their eyes pop open in the morning. In our home it should looks this:
• Immediately kneel next to the bed and thank Heavenly Father for watching over them in their sleep, for their beds, family, etc.
• Make their bed. (The two youngest girls ages 5 & 3 had to be taught this today- oops!)
• Get dressed and fold their jammies and place them under their pillows.
• Brush their teeth with older siblings helping as they may NOT touch the toothpaste tube anymore.
• Next is breakfast and we talked about patience for waiting for it to be made and the time it is to be started {again} with our son who is assigned breakfast making.
• We went over new zones of responsibility. Each child is given certain zones in the house that they maintain always. The youngest have their room as their zone. We got to start somewhere. LOL
• All kids are assigned the two zones- the garage and truck. This is because we go through the garage as our main door and they leave their belongings, shoes, coats, etc. there often. For the truck it's often the same story.
Additionally we went over where the toothbrushes are kept. We also went over the proper way to finish using the restroom. Some of the girls {um Bella age 3} leave their undies on the floor and forget them. LOL
Whew. Now that the house is being cleaned up, I'm going through more things to get rid of. I basically do a 6-week purge when hubby is gone. Oh, and the cat is banished to play with his cat friends outside!
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
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November 12, 2010
Nov 12 – Clean Guest Bathrooms
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: If hosting, set out clean towels, find the scented soaps and a spare shampoo, fill the paper cup dispenser, empty the wastebasket, and shine the taps.
If a guest find/replace/mend all necessary clothing items you will need for the trip.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
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Nov 9 – Confirm Guest List GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If you are hosting, make any necessary follow-up...
Nov 11 – Purchase Non-Food Thanksgiving Needs GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: If hosting, purchase napkins, paper goods, centerpiece items,...
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November 11, 2010
Nov 11 – Purchase Non-Food Thanksgiving Needs
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: If hosting, purchase napkins, paper goods, centerpiece items, and anything else needed to make your holiday table appealing.
If a guest, gather appropriate "outside" clothing for your family and pack in one suitcase. This might be winter coats or swimsuits, depending upon your destination.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
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Nov 1 – Decorate the Front Door for Thanksgiving GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Take down exterior Halloween decorations, clean front porch,...
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