Simplicity

Hopefully I can find a way to write this post without it being too choppy or overwhelming. Let me start by putting this out there: I'm craving simplicity. Not the extreme kind of simplicity where we sell all our belongings and move into an 8x8 hut with no electricity. That's a little too simple for this city girl. I just want things to be easier. Life to be more enjoyable. Of course, life - in all it's complicated beauty - is not easy. But there are people out there who are making things as simple for their families as possible and seem incredibly happy doing it. I want to be one of them. I say this as I'm about to go back to school as a mom of two little boys, by itself making things NOT simple, but that's why I want simplicity.

Let me go over the basics of what I want to change:

My house gets messy too fast. I've already started going through things stuffed into closets, clothes we don't wear, things packed in boxes that are never touched, toys/games that are broken/missing pieces, etc. They are getting sorted and either sold or given away. We will limit our belongings. Messy areas in the house are being newly organized.

Our schedule, well, isn't one. With Aiden going to school five days per week and me going to class twice per week, we HAVE to have a schedule. This is not an option. I have one week to get us on a new basic schedule and will adapt it to include the things that need to be done as we adjust. The schedule will include housework, homework, and exercise. This will be done as a family. We will avoid over-scheduling and burning ourselves out.

We spend too much on groceries and I stress about meals. I've been spending the past few days researching how other moms tackle this. Meal plans and batch cooking are must-haves to make this work. I am going to attempt a challenge of keeping our grocery budget to $300 per month (family of four with two growing boys). Crazy? Maybe. But I'm sure I'll learn a lot along the way.

I've requested books on making family life easier and more fun from the library. I've discovered mom blogs dedicated to this very subject. Yes, it may require some lifestyle changes, but that's ok with me. Once things really get going, I may start a "spin-off" blog of sorts just so you don't all get bombarded here when you just want updates on the general goings-on. Having a place dedicated to writing about the changes we're making may also hold me accountable and keep me on track if I know people are checking in on me.

So, let the simplicity begin!

Happy Birthday John!

Happy birthday honey! Nothing says "we love you" quite like devil's food cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting. The sprinkles were a special addition from Aiden and Nathan. Yum yum!

Dry Creek Falls

We celebrated John's birthday (29!!) this weekend. The boys went to grandma's for the night, and we stayed home and got some work done. I know it doesn't sound like much fun, but organizing is so much easier without kids around! Saturday night after some cleaning, John and I went to happy hour at one of our favorite restaurants and it was nice to not have to worry about getting home at a certain time. We stayed until 12:30am!

This morning (Sunday), we packed up a backpack with some lunch and headed to the Columbia River Gorge. We drove out to Cascade Locks to the Bridge of the Gods and parked there at the trailhead.

It was a gorgeous day! We started up the Pacific Crest Trail and made our way into the woods to hike out 2.2 miles to a waterfall. I had been told that this trail wasn't usually crowded, so we didn't expect to see many people - and we sure didn't. It felt very secluded and out in the middle of nowhere. It certainly felt more out in the middle of nowhere when I turn a corner (I was in front of John) and see a juvenile black bear sitting on the trail about 30 feet in front of us! I froze instantly and the bear sits there looking at me. I hear John from behind me, "Was is it? A badger?". That startled the bear and John came around behind me just in time to see it run away into the woods. I had stopped breathing the moment I saw the bear, so I start having panicked breaths as John is saying, "That was so cool!!". I wanted to turn around and leave, but John insisted that we go on ahead because "there probably wasn't a mother bear around anyway". Now this probably doesn't sound like a big deal to our family who live out in wilderness areas, but seeing a black bear not far from the start of a trailhead in a fairly populated area isn't what I expect to see while hiking in Oregon. It sure gave me a big shock, but we had a pretty interesting story to tell the boys when we saw them later!

We kept a close eye on our surroundings for the rest of the hike, but we made the rest of the 2.2 miles and 710 elevation climb without seeing much else. And oh, was it worth it.

The waterfall feels like it's hidden away, but in reality you can basically drive right up there and park in front of it (the trail is an unnecessary means of getting there, but much more interesting).
It was so beautiful and you can walk right up to it. John cooled himself down by standing right by it. It felt pretty good after an hour and a half long hike!

There are remnants of an old dam-type structure that crosses over the creek running down from the falls, so we sat on that and ate our lunch with the waterfall in front of us. Definitely one of the most picturesque places I've ever eaten!

Part of the hike requires walking partially on a powerline access road high up on the mountain. When we headed back, we took a moment to enjoy the amazing view that a break in the trees provided. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can make out a bit of the Columbia River just between the trees.

We saw more people on the way back, but no more bears. We definitely smelled a skunk though. The hike down took half as long as the hike up (we were headed downhill the whole way), but thoroughly bothered my knee due to the heavy impact and then I topped it all off by rolling my ankle on a loose rock. Ah, my poor body. When we got back to the car, I had a swollen knee, we were sore as could be from the 4.4 miles round trip up and down a mountainside, and we both smelled awful (it was warm and humid). A successful day out in a nature, I guess!

Despite nearly passing out by getting closer to a bear than I ever wanted to, I loved the hike and John was pleased with my choice. The waterfall was gorgeous and a wonderful place to experience. This was our 2nd year in a row of hiking for John's birthday and I hope we continue the tradition. Happy birthday honey!

We Can't Go To The Post Office

We can't. I guess we're physically capable of it, but it's one of the worst ideas in the world. I don't know what it is about the post office, but as soon as we walk through the doors, my children develop new personalities. Personalities of ignorant, disgusting, uncivilized animals. I have tried everything I can think of. Going over expected behavior with them right before we walk in the door, telling them that if we can get through the post office with no problems, they'll get a treat, making sure they're not hungry, making sure they're not tired, etc. All parenting books will tell you that those things will almost guarantee an errand will go smoothly. I've even threatened discipline in the parking lot if they can't behave. Nothing works. I know the post office is pretty boring (even the faces of the employees will tell you that), but I don't understand why it's so difficult for the kids to just sit and wait for a few minutes. I have never, ever experienced such nasty behavior out of my children anywhere but there. And judging by the behavior of the other kids in the post office, I know I'm not the only one who has trouble.

Today, I went over expected behavior, I offered a treat if they could follow the expected behavior, AND I threatened discipline. They agreed to everything and they'd been pretty well behaved all day. I thought maybe we could actually get through the post office will no trouble. Nope. The very second we walked in, the bad behavior started. Not staying with me, potty talk, touching the garbage can, Nathan hit me, Nathan yelled at me.....and of course everyone is looking. Nathan has been a real trouble maker lately. I held onto him as he kicked and yelled, I kept my voice calm, and I reminded them of our agreement. We finally made it back out to the car and Nathan demands his treat. Excuse me? I tell him no and explain to both boys why they wouldn't be getting their treat. Aiden doesn't argue and agrees that they didn't behave. Nathan, however, begins throwing a massive screaming tantrum. I drive home with a screaming child (and we have no A/C in the car, so all my windows are down which means everyone we pass can hear him). I get him in the house and he continues. It went on for 45 minutes. Following through really sucks sometimes.

I'm part of a group of mommies whose children were born in January of 2008. Nearly every single mom who has a boy is dealing with the same behavior as I am. Why is three so stinking hard for boys? Aiden was the same way. No terrible two's here, but definitely tyrannical three's. I am so happy to know that it's not just my child and that I'm not the only mom wanting to just get past age three with my sanity intact.

So no more post office for us. I have been going often because I've been selling things on ebay and I need to ship things about once a week. I've ordered a postal scale and shipping labels so I can purchase postage online and then just drop my packages in a drive up drop box. Sometimes throwing in the towel and avoiding the bad behavior trigger is what needs to happen. At least until he's four.