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rainbows, birthdays & big kids

December 2, 2016

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a couple of weeks ago, Mr. Duerksen bought us a new bed and mattress.
it’s so grown up.
we are loving it so so much.
i’ll show some pics once i have that room in order again.

our bed we had before… moved into the guest room.
but the guest room is now the rainbow room because annie moved to a new room.
everything is getting switched up over here!
she was ready to have a room that was more HER style instead of MY style.
she’s so 12!
🙂
it would’ve bothered me (and it did!) with my first child… but thankfully i have learned a thing or two over the past 20 years of parenting.
NEWSFLASH – each child has their own personality.
crazy right?
just kidding… it’s not crazy at all! it’s completely normal!
their style doesn’t have to be ANYTHING like my style.
and even if i don’t necessarily like their design choice – it doesn’t mean it’s wrong! (i do like her new room)
it just means it’s not my design choice.
thank goodness we aren’t all the same!
YAY for everything that makes us unique!!!

i am grateful that we could move her to a different room so that we could keep the rainbow stripes because they are just so cheerful and fun!

we painted the old bed – i have wanted to paint it for YEARS!
i was painting in the late afternoon and looked up to see the orange & red tree glowing perfectly centered in the window around the orange curtains… it was just so pretty and so typically fall!

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so now it’s all ready for guests!
the rainbow pillow & the yellow polka dot shams are from the Land of Nod.
i found the bedskirt at Goodwill several years ago 🙂
my friend sent me the rainbow quilt that was from target several years ago as well.
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Talby turned 15!
she’s got such a great heart!
it’s been such an honor to watch her grow up!
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by the end of her birthday evening these 3 ended up in my bed – wrestling, laughing and being crazy.
i was loving every second of it.
of course there’s plenty of fighting and normal sibling stuff but when it’s good – it is SO GOOD!!!

we went out for dinner to celebrate both annie & talby’s birthday together to a restaurant we had (half)jokingly told them we would never take them to because of the cost of 7 of us and the behaviors of the past. But since we combined our celebration and only went out once instead of two separate times… we said yes!
It was the best dinner out that we have ever had!
not kidding.
the food was great but our time together was suddenly different.
conversations were good and real.
it was truly enjoyable!
i didn’t know if we’d ever get to this point of a time at a restaurant with all of us that was like that.
it was as dreamy as i had imagined.

i love them but i also really like them. 🙂

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we still have all three dorky dogs.
kobe has adjusted and isn’t as goofy as he was in the beginning (he was terrified of grass!)
he is a good cuddler too.

i put up a few christmas decorations at the Craft House last week.
the wreath was at sam’s club (what in the world???) and then it was officially time to get a white tree to rainbowtize.
the tree is not too big and definitely not fancy but it was pre-lit so i went for it.
i got it at walmart – impulse buy but no regrets.
the ornaments are all from Michaels.

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this was me on black friday.
i drove lauren home the morning after thanksgiving and thought i’d stop for a bit and check out the deals.
ummmm…. i spent THREE HOURS just in Dick’s Sporting Goods!
long story short – i came home at 10:30 pm.
ha ha ha!
just a quick 13 hour black friday shopping day… no big deal.

but seriously… i was alone. i had coffee. everything was on sale.
it was perfect!

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renee - i love your blog! maybe because you’re a few seasons ahead. mine are 7 months, 2.5, and almost 4. i enjoy them and i’m trying to soak these seasons up and be grateful for the time but i’m really looking forward to getting to know them as they’re older too. my brothers in law are 15 and 16 and they’re so fun! love these posts and glimpses into your family life 🙂 how did you not lose your mind when they were all tiny!?! 🙂 haha

carol - hi meg- would love to know where you bought your bed its gorgeous! thank you!

Lori - Congrats on a new bed! And, I love the bedding in the rainbow room. So happy ❤️💛💚💙💜

Andrea - Prefacing with this statement: I know you are really busy being a mom and wife and businesswoman. That said, I MISSED these kinds of posts! The assortment of family stories, house projects and dog faces. It’s what drew me to your blog years ago.

Every time you say “older kids are awesome” I’m nodding my head. While we still parent, and help where needed, we get to enjoy them as humans. People we like to hang out with. I’m fortunate to have one ‘kid’ left (he turns 12 this week) and a 19 and next-week-22 year old. Watching them together is fun, being around them is the best.

Wendy C - Ditto on seeing your new room and Annie’s new room. And the boys rooms? We never see those. Please share! Even if they are messy – any Mom of boys would totally understand 🙂 My definition of “bed made” and my 16 years old son’s definition of “bed made” are very different! HA!

Tracy - I can’t wait to see your room!

Can we see Annie’s new room?

What restaurant did you go to?

My kids are now 20, 19, 17 & 17 and I feel the same way you do. They’re so fun to be around!! <3

carrie - Love the rainbow tree, and yay for you on Black Friday. We had a marathon shopping spree as well and it was so much fun!

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back to school ’16

August 28, 2016

another school year has begun.
annie in 6th grade… talby is a freshman… sean a sophomore… scott started college!
whaaaat??
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how fun are those overalls?!
between that and the birks i thought it 1994 again.
and annie’s shirt – i wish it came in my size!
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one thing that is different about this school year is that sean has his driver’s license!
he is LOVING the freedom that brings.

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starting school is a great reason for donuts (if anyone needs a reason).

scotty started his freshman year at Tabor College.
i cried.
often.
but i’m excited for him… he’s going to do GREAT!

i mean he’s got 36 Ramens – what else would he need?
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i made his bed one last time.
and hit my head three times!

we have dropped a child off at college once already but it didn’t get easier.
it’s HARD to walk away and leave your kid!
but our pastor reminded me this morning that getting the years with our kids that we do is a gift!
we get time with them in our homes and in our every day and then they have to move on.
we raise them to leave.
it’s good.
it hurts but it’s a good hurt… it’s growth!

what a privilege to be all these kids’ mom!!

🙂 Scotty i miss you!
do your best and try hard in all your classes!
i am so glad i get to be your mom! 🙂

and then… craig and i took off for a weekend away with NO kids!
we realized it was the only weekend before sports and all the STUFF for the next two months so we got outta town!
it was such a great way to ease into the new transition.
we slept!
we went to movies both nights!
we ate really good mexican food!
and talked lots and lots about everything.
it was a great weekend!

.
and just for fun….
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funny how my oldest child isn’t in ANY of the group back to school photos….
#funnynotfunny

and all of her elementary school first day pictures aren’t digital.
oh well.
she DID go to school even if she didn’t get in the photos.

🙂

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Sharon / tpt - I agree with you. I agree with your Pastor, and I agree with your getaway!♡

Kasey - These pictures made me cry too. The tears started when you said you made his bed one last time. I want to freeze time with my 8 and 5 year old boys.

Tina - I just love your posts! I just see so many similarities between your 5 and my 5. Love it!

Ps-Talby’s shirt does come in your size. I’m wearing it today. Got it at Target. Going back to by the other colors it comes in. Don’t forget your cartwheel app too….it’s 20% off.

Jenny B. - I ditto Kimberlee! They have grown so much, and it’s crazy how time moves so much faster as we get older. Sigh… I needed to read this today. My oldest (6th grade) has been driving me nuts lately. I need to remember that my time with him is a gift. <3

Ruth Elder - Seeing the old photos just reminds me of how long I have been following your blog! lol And also that I need to plant more flowers next year.

Kimberlee Jost - Were they really that young when you lived at the farm? But it wasn’t that long ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tracy - We took our second oldest to Ku last week.You’re right! It wasn’t any easier than the first! Thanks for sharing what your pastor said…I love that and will try to keep that in mind!

Kelly Munger - The picture of Scott standing in his room, the one after you on the bed, made me cry! Why??? My oldest is just a freshman in high school so I still have a few years until that’s my boy standing in his dorm room but I’m already feeling the hurt of his growing up. How is he almost done here?! (this is seriously too much for a Monday!)

Patti - I only hae one….he is 28 now but when we dropped him off at college I think I sobbed for two weeks….I was nothing short of a hot mess lol…..now when he comes home at 28 i’m like ok…it’s time for you to go home and leave a mess of dishes in your own sink! lol

Tiffany - The throwbacks tho, priceless.

Beth - Well that was all fun and games until you posted the throwback pictures…and I cried! And I don’t even know you personally. Oh, it’s all too much! My girls are the age of your throw back pictures and it got me. Gosh, this mom stuff is so good…and so hard!

beth larson - Meg…what a great post, I especially loved all the old first day of school photos you took the time to post. All just so darling. The other fave? The case of Ramen noodles…haha

Kristi Rediske - I love how waffle is looking out your door in the going back to school pics-I think he is wondering why he doesn’t get to be in any pictures-the black dog does-HA! I love seeing the pictures through the years you posted, time goes so quickly-I am so glad someone invented cameras so we can have those precious memories to look back on.

Iris Brown - I cried while reading your entire post. So true. I then chuckled in the end.

Lori - Love the back to school pictures, and I can’t believe Scott is starting college! Glad you got a grown-up weekend to yourselves before all the crazy sets in 🙂

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5 days in colorado

August 14, 2016

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we left early in the morning which was not fun for anyone but about 20 minutes into the trip everyone had settled in and our car was silent and looked empty for the first few hours. i can’t say that i don’t love that!
i get to talk with mr. duerksen!
and i got to finish Falling Free.
heart eyes! heart eyes! heart eyes!
(go preorder this book people!!! it’s sooooo good!)
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there were plenty of gas station stops and snacks and mcdonalds bathroom selfies.

they eventually began to wake up and talk or play games or… braid hair.

30 minutes after we arrived at our rental house we were already hiking around.
we stayed close to Breckinridge so everywhere we hiked or explored was in that area.
i didn’t pay attention to which trails were which… sorry if you wanted to know.
basically ALL the trails are great.
it’s Colorado!

that’s a mama goat and her baby behind them… the mama looks headless but it wasn’t.
ha ha ha

pretty nice place for morning coffee (and cereal).

more hiking….

i wiped out hard crossing this spot.
this was off the trail and i told craig it was fine and i could do it like the kids were… and i DID but first i had to get really dirty and break some nails and bleed a little. HA!

teenagers are fun.
i used to roll my eyes when i heard that phrase but i have found out it that it’s actually true!
of course not ALL the time but for a lot of the time it’s fun to have people around that can have regular conversations and are enjoyable company!
and that can feed themselves and don’t need you for things nearly as much as they used to.

and they make me laugh so much.

their goal was to get high enough to touch snow in july.
and they did it!

goat selfie!!

my 6 favorite people in the whole world.
and all my people with me!

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breckinridge is completely touristy and i’m ok with that!
i didn’t go into any shops that i would have chosen but it was nice to just walk around before or after dinner.

the sock store was everyone’s highlight.
who would’ve guessed that an entire store of JUST socks was a good idea?
but it is!
ANY kind of sock you can imagine was in that shop!

another day we rented jeeps to go off-roading.
we wanted ATVs but i can’t recall why it didn’t work out… numbers or drivers or not available?
but we ended up with two jeeps.
and for some reason i was completely terrified.
i think i thought i would crash? or get stuck? or fall off a cliff?
so after awhile i let scotty drive and i was so much happier in the passenger seat – crazy right?
but he was SO HAPPY to be in charge and get to play.
we had a blast in our jeep!

we stopped to eat lunch waaaaaay up in the middle of nowhere.
BEAUTIFUL!

craig only had to help us get unstuck one time.
in our defense… our 4 WD low wasn’t working and that contributed to our issue… which makes no sense because you can’t see the very steep hill just to the right out of frame in this picture.
we couldn’t make it up and went backwards to try again but got stuck.

Sean gave it a shot as well on the regular roads… not the mountain stuff.
then i got back in the drivers seat once i was more calm and comfortable.
and i fell in love with it!
i think i need a white Rubicon Jeep now. 🙂

we climbed down and played in the water after all our driving around.

on the night i got to choose dinner… i was the only one who was pleased with their meal.
oops.
sorry picky eaters! my meal was DELICIOUS!
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our oldest daughter was on this trip with us this year.
it’s been a few years since she has joined us.
🙂
it’s weird when you’re kids become grown ups…

i got creeped on in my selfie.
i was loving the green wall… but scott didn’t care.

do you play Dutch Blitz?
it’s a favorite over here.
we have two sets so more people can play at once.
also we played spades and scum and trivial pursuit during our stay.
and watched Everest because it was on.
🙂

our fourth day Craig woke these three hikers up early on and they climbed Mt. Quandry!
i think i may have died if i’d tried it…
but they did GREAT!
they “complained” the rest of the trip about their sore muscles but i know they were proud that they accomplished it.

i sat and read a book the whole time they were gone.
i was equally proud of that.

more of pretty breckinridge.

on our last night we went into denver and went to the Avett Brothers concert at Red Rocks!!!
we offered it to all our kids but we didn’t have a lot of takers.
weirdos!
so we got tickets off craigslist the day of and went!
craig and i had always wanted to go to Red Rocks.
bucket list – check!
the big kids went to movie and got an uber back to the hotel.
see? big kids are awesome! they can get their own Ubers!

it was something i will always remember!

annie even laid down for a little rest towards the end.
🙂

colorado is so good.
we love spending time there… i am so glad we got to be there again this summer.

now here’s the deal… i love photos and i love vacations.
i love to keep memories but be sure to know that pictures don’t always tell the whole story.
blogging and social media makes most everything everyone’s doing look perfect or very close.
and of course we all know that no one has a perfect life!
no one.
did we have an awesome time in colorado – YES!
but….
with 5 big kids we also had some big struggles because there are lots of personalities & lots of opinions.
BUT even with those struggles… even if there were some knock-down-drag-out fights… even if i cried…
i still love to be with my people.
it’s WORTH IT to make the plans, take the time off work and GO – even if it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
i want my kids to know that i WANT to be with them.
I want them to know i enjoy spending time with them.
i want them to know that we can get through the fighting and the feelings and frustrations.
to know that there’s nothing they can do to be unloved, uninvited or less special.
i want them to see different places and get out of our town.
i want them to appreciate nature!
it doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy.
intentional family time together is so important to me and i hope they will remember it forever.
i pray they remember more good than the bad.
because there truly is SO MUCH MORE good.
thanks colorado for more memories!!!
your mountains are my fave!

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Stephanie L. Robertson - I love Colorado!

We live in north Alabama, so it’s such a different climate for us. We stayed in C Springs a few years ago and my dd and I (who was 5 at the time) ran around town while my husband was working.

My favorite was Garden of the gods. Beautiful!

Andrea G. - Oh Meg…what a GREAT trip, but your words at the end are what got to me! We just got back from 14 days on the road and we had all the struggles too!! I love family time and being with my peeps and exploring the world too!! Thanks for sharing great pics…May have to put CO on the dockett some summer!!!

Juli - Am I stupid to admit that I cried looking at your photos? We have kids (ages 15 down to almost 2) and a trip like that would be impossible with the tiny ones. We did a calm mountain stream last weekend and that was nerve-wracking with the 3 youngest and yes, one fell in and had to ride 2 hours home wet! BUT it is also the fact that I’ve been reading your blog for forever and the reality of how fast your kids have grown is just heartbreaking because that means mine are too…and far too fast. When I get irritated with my wee ones and all of the annoying stuff that goes along with that, I remember going all the way to the beginning of your blog one night when I was bored, up too late, probably with a baby in my arms and reading that you were bemoaning the fact that Annie wouldn’t let anyone else have their choice of DVD and you wanted advice on how to tame the toddler. Now, look how big she is and that was such a small thing (but bothersome enough to write about back then) and I still get upset about those daily things despite the fact that I know how quickly it’ll all pass. AND YES, thank you for the last part of your post. So many frustrations, especially with a big family (my husband likens it to pebbles tumbling together and knocking off the rough edges (and doesn’t God use that to make us more beautiful?)), but so many more wonderful things and I hope they’ll remember the good stuff.

Jenny B. - Love it all! When I saw the first bathroom selfie, I immediately thought, “Lauren is there!” 🙂 So glad you got to have everyone together. I remember all the vacations I took with my parents. Your kids are lucky kids!

Di - I miss hearing all the trip details in person. Waah! 😢 You made it with ALL of ’em before you launched Scottie. Love the pic of Talbs & Sean 💛 miss you!

amy jupin - why you gotta make me cry?? MEANIE!!

p.s. you’re so right and it’s so hard and so many thoughts of strangulation…BUT, it’s worth it.

Lisa - Loved seeing the beauty from your pictures! But loved your honesty at the end the most. Seems 4 of my kids are in a phase of not being the kindest to each other. Something we are working on but can feel so discouraging. Thanks for the reminder we aren’t the only ones. 🙂

Chris - You got to see mountain goats? I guess we didn’t get high enough because I was on the lookout for them. Still can’t believe we ran into you on the trail. And even funnier, my sister saw your pics posted on instagram and asked me if we ran into you!! So funny that we actually did. I love Breckenridge and now I need to go back, go higher and see the mountain goats!

meg duerksen - Melanie these are all from my iPhone 6S.😀 I edit them a little too. I brought my big camera but never took a picture with it.

Fpmomma - Yes it is worth the tears and frustrations. When we took a vacation with our adult kids and their significant others there were tense times, a few shouting matches and definitely tears. . I was afraid it would leave lasting impressions. It did. But to my amazement and thankfulness all of them say it was a great time!! And are looking forward to another. . We do try to keep it no more than 4 nights and each couple gets their own bedroom.
Hang in there. You are doing many things right.

Lisa - Meg – thank you so much for your ending comments!
I very much appreciate you sharing the good and the bad. I appreciate the honesty! It looks like you had a lovely trip!
I want to go, too! 🙂

Angie - Have to admit that when I read the after thoughts.. I teared up .. You are sooo soo right.. We go on vacation as a family (kids, sister family, parents, husband 11 total) every year and there are ALWAYS adult arguments, frustration and crying. And sometimes I say this is the last vacation EVER.. but then I think of the good parts and the memories I want my kids to remember with their grandparents and/or their cousins.. It’s all worth it.. I wouldn’t give those memories up for anything..

Marla Jensen - My parents, bless them, took 3 of us every summer to different parts of the country. We have been to 48 states as a family. I was 12 when we started and 20 our last trip together. Ooooohhhh the fights!!!! Bad bad yelling, screaming, and crying. It was like the first few days were a huge adjustment being together 24/7. We stayed in our super teeny tiny camper and spent long hours on the road. But man the memories! Those were amazing times. And I moved to my favorite place when I graduated from college, Montana!

Iris Brown - You know, as I was reading & scrolling through your beautiful pictures I was thinking “Man, their family trips are just perfect & snag free” but then I read the full disclosure portion in the end. Thank you for that. We just did a family trip of 6 (age 8-13) to Chicago and Wisconsin Dells and I could’ve tazed all my kids with a smile at some point. But in the end, it is worth it. It really is. Thank you for the reminder. 🙂

Gillian Currie - Wow love your post… Very inspiring. I too have 5 kids, thanks for your honesty in your post… That’s real life individuals with their own personalities not always easy but always worth the effort… Memories last a life time 😊

Helen - I have lived in Colorado all my life and think our mountains are the best ever. I also think Red Rocks is the perfect spot for a concert. Glad you were able to spend time here and enjoy our beautiful state.

Lori - You can’t beat CO in the summer! My husband and I went 2 years ago and LOVED it! We hope to go back and see a concert at Red Rocks. So beautiful!

Becky Zuithoff - I loved these pictures, and your perspective at the end. It motivates me to embrace the trouble and expense of getting somewhere with my people- it IS so worth it. Glad you had a great trip.

LindaP - Loved the pictures but loved your comments at the end even more. As a mom of 13 and 15 year old boys who can make things painful at times, I still love all the time with them and am willing to work through the rough moments for all the cool moments. You said it perfectly and I always appreciate those moments of reality.

Rebekah - Estes Park, Colorado is our families favorite! We visited in June. It has the same **SOCK STORE**! ☺

Melanie - Breckenridge looks beautiful!! Thanks for sharing your pictures. They are so clear and sharp and the colors are so vibrant. May I ask what camera you used? I’m shopping for a camera. Thank you!

Julie - Thanks for sharing your holiday with us. Looks like you all had a great time, and I love seeing new places in the world.

Maureen - Reading this now after we just got back from a dream trip to Ireland with the 5 of us. So much fun, so many memories but ones that also included us arguing about directions, husband driving too fast (so scary with the driving on other side of the road over there, me getting hurt feelings when they all tease me at once. But so many laughs with older kids, 24, 22, and 20 year olds! Agree with all you said. Love all the pictures as well, thanks for sharing.

Lori H - I have watched all of your children grow up – cannot believe how big they all are now! What a great looking family and I love when you share your fun trips with us. I have marked Dutch Blitz to get before our next family vacation.

K - Amen!! I just had this very same conversation with my husband in reference to our family! I completely agree with everything you said, yoru candid, honest reflection is so welcome!

Kelly S - Thank you so much for keeping it real about the struggle parts of vacation (and life). So true. Our family went to Cancun for Spring Break (we have 17-year-old twins) and we had a GREAT TIME, BUT ….there were moments where it stunk and someone had an attitude or felt grouchy or whatever. I got mad because my kids were moody after a long day of sun and the beach, and they were grouchy about taking a family photo. hahaha So thanks for keeping it real. Beautiful photos with a gorgeous place to make memories. Thanks for sharing. Share what books you are reading lately, if you get time. 🙂

se7en - Dutch Blitz for the win!!! Gotta love your holidays and your kids and the real life of it all… teens are the best, but my word the going can get really tough. And you just have to pick up the game and keep it it, because it is totally, totally worth it!!! Good on you for making marvelous memories!!!

Nicole - Colorado is beautiful! and vacationing with big kids is so much fun. My teen and tweens make me laugh all the time. i love their energy!

Angela - My parents have that exact Jeep and I am kind of in love with it.

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cleaning our kitchen

June 13, 2015

summer has been a whirlwind already.
my kiddos are all signed up for sports of every kind.
it’s been a revolving door of kids coming and going at all times of the morning and night.
but the sleeping in has been AWESOME!

we have been staying up late…
the kids have a tan already…
the grill is in use almost every day…
flips flops are everywhere…
swimsuits draped on every chair…

i LOVE SUMMER.

the cleaning the kitchen schedule has relaxed a bit.
because we are gone so often with ball games every night.
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i even set an alarm on my phone so that we can remember to get the kitchen clean before bed.
i am that forgetful.
i know some of you are thinking “how can she forget to clean her kitchen?”
ummm…. i just don’t see the mess.
i have become blind to it.

but then on mornings when i wake up and see THIS KITCHEN i can remember more often.

it is SO GOOD to wake up to a clean kitchen.
and i feel quite strongly that the kids should be a part of keeping it clean.
they make most of the messes anyway.

the thing that is the best… the cordless vacuum.

Eureka Quick Up 2-in-1 Cordless with Battery Pack on Amazon.

you can also order it: Eureka Quick-up Cordless Vacuum without the extra battery for a little bit less money.

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it’s one of my favorite gadgets.
i have even given them as gifts for friends that have wood floors!
it’s mainly for wood floors but you can use on carpet too… but i would think if you have carpet that you would already have a bigger vacuum that you are using for that. 🙂

i dislike sweeping with a broom.
it feels like you never quite get it all… and the sweeping the dirt into the dustpan is messy.

AND this is GREAT for cleaning up all the dog hair on our wood floors!!

this is really light and takes up very little space.
it has a battery that recharges after you use it.
and an extra battery if you want to do more than a small area.
we can usually get our kitchen, living room and dining room done with the charge of one battery.
and that’s what this is for…. quick jobs.
times when you would have normally gotten out a broom and swept.
this is much quicker.
and my kids don’t mind doing this job!
it’s a miracle!
even Annie (my 10 year old) can easily vacuum the wood floors.
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as far as the other jobs… they aren’t quite as “fun”.

but none of them are difficult either.
and when we miss a night… they get to team up the next night.
so if annie missed her night on monday then talby gets help with her job on tuesday.
and sunday is usually a catch up day anyway and we all pitch in if we are even home.

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Stephanie - What do you use to mop your wood floors? They always look so clean! We have three boys and a golden too! So I am very curious. 🙂

Ali - I love your kitchen ! What type / color / style of counter tops are in your kitchen?

Thank you!!

– Ali

jennibell - My sister swears by her cordless vac. I love your kitchen-cleaning idea and *will* be instituting it in the fall (when we are back on schedule and – hopefully – in our new home). Thank you for all the great ideas I come across on your blog. . .I shared your laundry post the other day with another blogger who is struggling with her laundry situation 🙂
You are “my kind” of summer mama!!! Wish we lived closer together to enjoy these more independent years together. . .

Joy Cronauer - I love your kitchen! It looks beautiful and comfortable at the same time!

Maria - We have wood floors and a Labrador. Cordless stick vac saves my sanity (almost) daily!

Alicia - can we discuss that calendar for a second? I’ve been looking for something like that to freehand our calendar. I love that it’s made to flip like a calendar. Can you point me in the direction of where to find it? Btw, your kitchen is amazing, as is your entire house!

Kathi - I love your kitchen!

Mindy - Your kitchen is beautiful : )

Melanie - Do you have hardwood or laminate flooring? I am ripping up my yucky carpet this summer and installing laminate wood flooring throughout the house, including the kitchen, but still torn on what shade/color to go with. I am also putting in a white IKEA kitchen (YAY) and I thought your kitchen here looked so, so nice. Thanks for the tip on the vacuum!

Sabrina - I have three boys, 4, 2.5, 10 months. I am blind to the kitchen mess every single night. I just want\need my quiet alone time at the end of the day, so I let my kitchen go. Someday it will be clean. I hope! 🙂

katie skiff - I need one of those handy vacs. I’ve been using my shop vac. lol We have similar rules for chores too – but I should add vacuuming!!

Marsha Kern - We love our cordless stick vacuum, with 2 dogs, 1 cat and wood floors it is the best!

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twelve

November 14, 2013

talby this is talby at her 3rd birthday. we even got the huge Dora helium balloon.
annie was 9 days old for this party and we moved to Kansas the week after her birthday.

talby requested the yummy cake from sam’s club.
i was super happy to do that. (saves time on busy birthdays) i picked up the star picks at target.
but i added the glitter.
and i glittered the candles too… which you can tell when it’s close up but not enough to matter.
martha would care.
i do not… i just wanted some glitter for the GOLDEN day.

fyi…a golden birthday is when you birth date matches your age…it’s a made up thing… just makes it fun when it happens.
so she turned twelve on the twelfth.
and then sean turns 14 on the 14th next year (in 2014!!)
we missed everyone else’s in our family.

for talby’s Golden Birthday i thought it would be fun to get her a “Golden Gift”.
basically i just wandered through stores and picked out anything i could find that was GOLD.

gold chocolate coins … gloves … a necklace & earrings … party decorations … thank you cards …
gold pencils … gold sharpie … gold pens & stickers from the $1 Spot at target … gold nail polish …
gold polka dot shirt … sparkley sunglasses … glitter spray for your hair …. a gold pouch
all in a gold gift box covered in glitter!!!

oh my goodness it was so fun to put together!

the other gifts she got from us or other people in her life included Taylor Swift perfume, clothes, Keds (like taylor Swift wears) diary of a wimpy kid book, two other books and some money. (someone asked me to post that) sean and annie each made talby a comic – hilarious as always.

just before bedtime and before lauren went back to school and just before the KU game started we attempted a selfie shot in the nearly dark living room.
man…. i sure wish it had been good quality.
this was a great shot.
if only we had had some light. oh well. we got this. it’s better than nothing.
even spanky made it in the picture.

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Jenn - Love it! Especially all the gold gifts! Great idea.

meg duerksen - ummmm…. that is an old copy of Fix it and Forget It. a crockpot cookbook 🙂

Tiffany - It’s so good to see your family all together! Happy special birthday to Talby!

meredith - I love how you ran with the golden birthday! The things you (both) picked out are awesome! So much fun! Happy birthday to Talby! Love the photo comparison too. More of those would be cool. 🙂

Jennie - Those are the days… Can you believe it that time has past so quickly?

Soon she will be going to college…

Birthdays are a bittersweet moment. We’re glad and we’re sad. A little bit.

God bless your family.

Jennie

On a side note-
I can’t believe Dora the explorer is actually that old!

Flower Patch Farmgirl - Calvin is nosing his way through your post. “That’s cool!” “Who is that?” “Are those chocolate coins??!”

🙂

I love your family photo and I want a slice of that CAAAAAAKE!

Melissa G. - Meg, you are such a fun Mom!!!! 🙂

Angela - My golden birthday (25th) was back in May – I would like a re-do as no one *cough* my husband *cough* thought to put gold glitter on my cake or buy me gold candles. Dangit! Happy birthday, Talby!

Jen - What a great idea…love the gold theme!

Barbara (WA) - What a fabulous idea for a Golden Birthday (which I knew nothing about when raising my boys, darn)!! Pinning it now for grandchildren reference, heh.

Jessica - Is Lauren reading “The Known World”????

Linda - You really are awesome. And have the most wonderful ideas. Golden birthday that is such a fabulous idea!

Lisa - Happy birthday to Talby – she is growing into a beautiful young lady! 🙂

Molly - Oh so fun! Happy Birthday to Miss Talby!! Great picture of the whole fam! I bet she enjoyed having her big sister home. Hope college life is going well for Lauren. My hubs works division I athletics and i know this can be a tough time of year for college kids. 🙂

Suzanne - Thank you for sharing Talby’s Golden Birthday!
Best Wishes for many more, Talby!!!

Tiffany - Oh what a goober, it was her 12th Birthday! Still didn’t know that was Golden, but I like it.

Amanda - Small Home Big Start - What a great idea for a golden birthday!

Tiffany - Oh Momma, u outdid yourself. What a sweet gift. (I didn’t know 13 was a golden year, did u make that up? ). I hope she loves that her Big Sis made it home for her bday, all of it warms my heart this Friday morning. P.S. I have a suggestion for another book she might like, Wreck this Journal. Maybe for Christmas? it would be great for the two girls to do together. I’m pumped to do it with my 6 year old, but I have a few years yet 🙂 Happy Friday!

Laura - “if only we had some light”……..

TRUST ME my friend…that picture shines a light brighter than you know!!!!

I have pictures of Belle and Talby together..they are LITTLE.
Wouldn’t it be fun to get them together NOW??
Big kids, glitter wearing, Taylor Swift loving, making their own cupcakes, pre teen girls……
sigh….

miss you
and love to Talby
she has the same birthday as my dog 🙂

Laura O - Love that gold polka dot shirt! So cute! I wonder if it comes in my size…..haha! Happy birthday Talby!

Heather G - (Ugh, WAS, not is. I hate when I make editing errors in comments!)

Heather G - Happy Birthday, Talby!

Confession: I am 31 and I love all of her gifts! That shirt is so adorable, and when I was growing up I thought spray hair glitter is THE JAM. (it pretty much still is.) You’re such a great mom, Meg! 🙂

angie - happy 12th birthday to talby… i hope her day was super! the golden gift is so thoughtful… and her at 3 with her dora cake… so sweet! my oldest turns 12 in January… i can’t even believe it…

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i like this.

November 2, 2013

fall1 fall2 fall3 fall4 fall5 fall6
halloween always seems a little crazy don’t ya think?
but at the end of the day it always feels like it was fun…. right?
we painted our pumpkins instead of carving because of time.
and i like doing it 1000 times more that way anyway.

my trick-or-treaters got bunches of candy and were completely exhausted at bedtime.
perfect!

fall is so beautiful here in kansas.
i never feel like i appreciate it enough.
i try but how can we really grasp it all? it is GORGEOUS all around us!
and changing literally by the minute.
i was reminded again that fall is my favorite season.

we are headed for a hike in the woods today to soak it up while we can.

happy saturday!

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Rach - I cannot wait for a little true Fall next weekend! Yay!

Erin Shannon Thibodeau - As a mom who has lived through this (26 and 22 year old)… Separate the ideas….Pumkins either early October or after dh fact..Haloween

Flower Patch Farmgirl - I like your people.

Amy K. - I was all set to rue the day I ever thought of making my kids’ costumes until my oldest said, “I’m so glad you’re the kind of mom who spends time making exactly the costume we want instead of making us choose something at the store.” Well played, kid, well played!

tara - i love those painted pumkins.

we didn’t paint or carve this year.
but, we did have 4 other families over and we had a big pot of chili with all the fixins’ and then we all walked the neighborhood together for trick or treating…so much fun.

enjoy that hike! fall is my favorite, too! for sure!!!

happy weekend.

Kristin S - I know I might look ridiculous, but I wish they made Annie’s leggings/tights in grown-up size. I love them!

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sanitize?

June 7, 2013

the weather is gorgeous today.
and yesterday.
practically perfect.

i was just sitting outside enjoying the weather…chatting via text with some friends
conincidentally about how i was feeling exhausted by parenting.

and i heard "MOM WE NEED TO SANITIZE THE BUTTER! ANNIE STEPPED IN IT!!!"

i sat for a moment and thought … why?

why is butter on the floor?
why is the country crock container ON THE FLOOR?!
how could this have possibly happened?

then i went inside.

it was on the floor IN THE LIVING ROOM?!!!

what the what?

i had a mini meltdown.

my kids KNOW the rule of not eating anywhere but the dining room or kitchen.

they know it.

but they always break it!!!

they had made macaroni together (it is nice that they make their own lunch…)
and were eating it in the living room and
someone brought the butter in to add some extra to their bowl of macaroni.

and annie stepped IN it.

so i had a rant about that…. and then i had them clean the whole kitchen.

stepped in the butter?!!

it could be a long summer.

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Lisa - Yep. Two days ago I had a mini meltdown when I asked my son to take care of his drinking glass, which was (on a coaster!) on the table in the living room, and then minutes late found he had put it on the kitchen counter…..right above the dishwasher! REALLY!?! Couldn’t he open the dishwasher and put it IN!?! (He and his dad are both bad about this) I did hold my temper, though, when I found the empty mini-m&m bag (meant for making cookies) in his bedroom closet last week. Some days are good, some days not so. Hang in there.

tracy fisher - if i had a dollar for every time i told them not to eat anywhere other than the kitchen i would be a very wealthy mom. haha. i hear you! -tracy

Alice H - Why must they always rebel?!?! Darn kids! I have a rule of NO FOOD in the bedrooms! For crying out loud this rule gets broken all the darn time. And I flip out every single time and my older 2 kids think its just hilarious or something.

Tracy - Sadly, this story could so easily apply to my house right now! So don’t feel badly…we’re in this together! You’re not alone. I love how you do notice the good thing. At least they made their own lunch!! LOL

Helen Shields - OMG i am laughing so hard with you not at you at the moment. I have three and I find myself having a meltdown at least twice a day. Crisp packets with my oldest, found one stuffed up the chimney, inside the lining of my new chair (really not happy with this) and 7 in his room the other day. Why don’t they learn!! I’ve told my husband I am going to record my voice and make one of those sound books since I find myself saying the same thing fifty million times a day. Hang in there Mrs.

Lisa - Sometimes it’s those kind of stupid things that make me lose my temper the most. Those are the kind of things that do make parenting exhausting sometimes. My oldest was helping my sister watch all 7 cousins and when I asked my daughter how it went and if her siblings did ok, she replied, “Well, it was easy when they were obeying.” I totally laughed and I told her, “it is easier when you all obey me too!” She got a sheepish look on her face, but I do think it made her think for a moment. Kids, such a blessing. Parenting them, so hard!

Stephanie - That’s ok–I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing during this event too. Lol.

Molly - oh my. i hear ya. sometimes i just don’t know what to say. the things they do.

Gretchen - My kids break the no-food-in-the-living-room rule all the time.
We homeschool so you’d think summer break would be no big deal as far as change for momma goes. Nope. Let’s just say that our 1st week of summer break was less than stellar. Sigh. I’m with ya.
By the way, I linked up to you in a blogpost this week. You might giggle because of my lack of SWAG knowledge.
http://neweveryam.blogspot.com/2013/06/coffee-and-urban-dictionary.html

Jen - We call the a “case of the stupids”. It’s exhausting, isn’t it? Hang in there, mama!

Carol S. - Isn’t it wonderful! I love the quiet mornings, then they wake up and things get a little messy. But I’ll take dirty butter over backpacks of forms and homework and tests and permission slips and….yeah, summer is great!

shepea - Well, at least they are not lighting off FIREWORKS in the bathroom in the middle of the day while you are at work because, you know, there are no windows in there so it could be completely dark for the light show. This may or may not have happened at my house. (No fingers or eyes were lost so I can laugh *almost* about it now.)

Heather - On the roof or in the butter… Yes, it could be a long summer. 🙂

Lindsey - Oh I LAUGHED when I read this! Sanitize the butter…oh my stars! It is super-funny when these things happen at other people’s houses 😉 Ha! Each day is a giant, beautiful mess waiting to happen.

Rach - Glad to see not much changes as they grow. I heard myself say “No Bug, cheese is not worn as a hat” the other day. Kids, eh? 🙂

Darlene - I think I am going to be saying “what the what ?” for a while now. Thanks for being so real!

Janelle - Hee hee. But those days do make good stories don’t they!? One day I was cleaning out the fridge and had all the food on the counter. I was busy and din’t think to check and see why my 2 year old and 3 year old were laughing hysterically in the other room. They had taken not one…but THREE bags of shredded cheese and were throwing all the cheese up in the air like it was confetti. We found little pieces of cheese everywhere for weeks 😉

elma - Ok me and my kids loved this one:)

Leah - Don’t feel too bad. It was the first day of our summer vacation and I found myself saying, “Toes don’t belong on the iPad.” Really?! It’s gonna be a long summer!

MeganM - One time I found a package of ham cold cuts stuffed in my couch! That was about enough to put me over the edge!

Leslie - LOL!! I was expecting a picture 🙂

Katie - My kids break our “only eat at the table” rule as well!! Right there with you! Today found me trying to explain to my two year old why water balloons stay outside! This is after he peed on the living room floor as he is potty training! Aarrgghh!

Pamela Gordon - Oh dear. Kids in the house and summer time. I always enjoy your family stories and even if I don’t visit often or comment I do check in once in a while. It’s been a while. Your kids are getting too big! Little Annie isn’t so little anymore and she is so pretty. They all are pretty/handsome! I love your photos in these recent posts especially the ones of the stormy skies. Amazing. Blessings to you and your family. Enjoy your summer and your kids. Pamela

Alyssa - Oh man. I thought you were going to say they were using as a slip and slide on the floor. There is always that…

GreenDavis - I literally stopped breathing I laughed so hard at this. Thank you for sharing this terrible, hilarious story.

GreenDavis - This made me laugh out loud (for reals). I love that their logic led them to conclude that it was necessary to “sanitize the butter.” Not that they should pick it up off the floor, throw it away, and get new butter–before Mom finds out. But to TELL you about it and then tell you to sanitize it.
Kids are so awesome and awful and delightful at the same time.
School gets out for us next week. I hope I can keep a sense of humor.

stephanie - BIg hugs! This is so what happens here with the rule about not eating in the living room. The little ones (4 and 2) are the biggest culprits, but the older ones will forget sometimes and wander around the house with food. We live in FL with BIG bugs and plenty of them, so they have gotten the lecture over and over again asking them if they want bugs in their rooms. We have seven and homeschool, so although I love my life–LOVE!–it does feel like two steps forward, three steps back much of the time.
ONe time, just after having a c-section with my 5th, I came out of the bathroom to find my two boys (5 and 2.5 at the time), STOMPING a poopy diaper into the carpet. As I ran towards them, mouth agape, silent screams not able to escape my throat, I saw with every stomp, poop would fly up and around them and my two older girls (6 and 8) who were standing there watching them, laughing. That piece of carpet never was the same. Scrubbing on hands and knees is no fun two weeks after major surgery. Now I can (mostly) laugh about it. 🙂

Lisa M. - Ha! At least mine did something like that on the driveway…and it was raining so no stickyness! 🙂 Glad it was not the kitchen!!

Heidi Jo the Artist - This is my everyday, ha ha… Every once and awhile I will get frustrated and have a mini meltdown; human here too. Especially if I’m feeling tired too, but these are the little things that you (and I) will laugh at someday. My 10 year old is pretty good around the kitchen since we are at home for a majority of our meals, while my daughter, age 6, is definitely still learning. Sometimes she makes messes that seem like common sense things to me–not to do. But then I think about it and say, wow, she is learning, her intentions are good, I need to have patience, she is only 6. I try to let it roll off my back, so to speak. I try to think–how frustrating and sad it would probably make me if someone got mad at me, every time I made a mistake.
My most recent frustrating moment lately, was probably the poop-est mess I’ve ever had to clean up. So maybe this will make your butter incident seem…not-so-bad. I was busy in the kitchen and my 2-year old and 10-year old were in another room. My 2-year old has this habit of sticking his hand down the back of his diaper these days, and well, he pooped, and you can imagine I’m sure how gross that all was. Some of my frustration was that my 10-year old was right there, and didn’t notice what he had been doing. Had the 2-year old been caught sooner it wouldn’t have been such a big mess. Ugh. Now, I can laugh about it…as long as it doesn’t happen for a third time, because it happened again in the same week, just not quite as bad as the first time. Kind of wish though, that I would have used my dad’s old phrase “I tell you what, POOP EVERYWHERE!” I grew up on a farm. And my dad never swore, so this was one of his phrases that he used when poop was involved, and us kids thought it was pretty hilarious since he wasn’t one to get super mad about things. Hope your day turns around, and that was only one bad moment of your day. 😉

Julie S - A few years ago, in the winter, I came home from school in between teaching and conferences with parents that evening to straighten up, start laundry and vacuum the floor in the living room. As I was vacuuming I moved one of the chairs to vacuum under it when lo and behold there was a full-sized Cheeto bag that mice had been eating from. When the children were confronted about it the 7th grader said, “Well, we aren’t supposed to be eating in the living room and when you and Dad showed up I just hid the bag under the chair.” For the mice to eat! We live in the country in an old farmhouse and trying to keep the mice population down with teenage boys who leave food everywhere is difficult! No wonder we couldn’t catch any mice with the traps, they were eating from the Cheeto buffet! I wanted to hurt him!
Good luck getting through the rest of the summer. I am at least lucky enough that they have to be out in the fields most of the time. Our food bill is outrageous though!

Laura Lynn - I seriously miss those days….honest!!!!

Aimee - Oh Meg I feel your pain. Today is my boys’ last day of school. I only have two but they can be handful enough. I foresee lots of long baths in the evenings after my hubby gets home from work this summer. I find myself saying “Seriously?! Did you seriously just do/say that?!” a lot.

Kerstie Pederson - On days like that I remind myself to breath, I am the most oxygenated woman I know! 😉

Alicia @ La Famille - one of those moments when you’re so p.o.ed and then you laugh at later, I’m sure. No? Not yet? Ok, maybe later then…

Rachel Reeves - I need resolution. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!

Mj - Good grief! My son once talked my daughter into shaking a soda and then poking a knife in the can. Sticky soda everywhere in the kitchen. EVEN after they thought they got it all. I am SO glad to be done with those years!!

Robin Canter - hhmmmm – in my house that would have gotten me sent to my room WITHOUT dinner; and believe me, next time I thought twice about breaking the rule of eating in the living room. If they keep breaking the rule, then the punishment isn’t harsh enough. just saying…

Christy - whew.. starting out with a bang

lisa currie-gurney - Oh my friend… I remember those days like they were last week.
Take a deeeeeeeeep breath.
Grab a book..
Go sit under a tree.
They will be grown and gone before you can say,
“Hun, could you stop at the store and pick up another tub of butter.”
😉
Hugs From My Heart

Becky - I’m so sorry to laugh at your pain, but this cracked me up. I have VERY strict rules about only eating in the kitchen and dining room, too, but everyone tries to sneak food into the living room when I’m not looking. What’s up with that?! It drives me crazy!

Lisa M. - Ha! I can’t beat stepping in butter on the living room floor, BUT as I write this the neighbor boy is at our house and instead of playing they decide it would be fun to open cans of soda and throw them up in the air and watch them land and explode on the driveway. I’ve allowed this because I just want to get my dishes done 😉 But in my head I’m thinking…” why can’t you just go jump on the trampoline??” Because they are 7 & 9 year old boys I guess. I can’t wait unitl it warms up and stops raining so we can swim every day!! 🙂

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