How do they do it all?

My house is a mess!!

With four kids in the house, cleaning is a never ending battle. The house can be sparkling clean but 30 minutes after the kids get home from school, it looks like a tornado went through here.

My fault I'm sure.  I think I've been letting them get away with too much lately.  They had regular chores until school started and now that we are running like chickens with our heads cut off to different extra-curricular activities, band concerts, sports practices everyday, etc., and giving them enough time to complete homework (homework always first), it's bedtime by the time we're done.  When there is a free minute or two, I'm too tired to even think about nagging the kids.

I don't know how to fit it all in right now.  I don't know how some people do it all - super clean house, meals on the table like clockwork, carpool here and there, remember this, remember that. Perhaps they have a durham house cleaning service. I just have me.

 One undomesticated mommy + four kids + their busy schedules = one tired momma!

This schedule will go until mid-February...and the kids are already asking to take dance classes after sports are over.  All four of them.  I am beginning to think this hectic schedule will end when my six year old graduates high school? 

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House Buying Market

The housing market has been hard lately eh?  If you're a buyer, it's great for you.  You have your pick of houses to choose from right now at great prices.  I would imagine it is easy to find what you are looking for.  For instance, type in Des Moines homes for sale in a search engine and I bet you come up with a lot.

For sellers, it's not such a great time. I'm wondering if any of them in our area are considering a "rent with the option to buy" or land contract deal.  If we could get into a bigger house with several acres at a rental price for now and then buy it in a few years, that would be awesome!  I have a feeling we are stuck here until my husband's child support bill is done (3-1/2 more years...wow, time flies...not).  Oh well...if we've managed 14 years, we can manage a few more until we can find the perfect ranch house on a good piece of property.

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Piddle Puddles from Toy Poodle

Having two puppies in the house at the same time can be fun and sweet but I'm finding that having two piddle puddles at the same time isn't much fun. I'm glad we don't have carpeting in our house right now!

Isn't she just the cutest? I was always a "big dog" person (huskies, shepards) and thought little dogs were frou frou, frilly, girly dogs but this little toy poodle just melted my heart. At least she makes just little toy puddles too! That's sure a lot easier to clean up than big dog messes!

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Home Improvements...Finally!!

We have lived in our current home for almost two years. It wasn't the home of our dreams. We were in a hurry to buy, needed a four bedroom (six kids), and wanted in the school district this house is in. In 5-1/2 years, we will sell this house and move out to the country with 5-10 acres for horses, but that is years away from being affordable. My opinion of this house - I hated it. Really. It needed SO much work and we had moved from a 1914 home that we had spent six years fixing up to how we wanted it and it had that charm of an older home - hardwood floors and lots of thick oak trim, high ceilings - just beautiful. Nothing like the house we have now:( We finally bit the bullet and refinanced the house a few months ago to get some of the equity out of it. The leaking roof with green growing on the shingles has been torn off and replaced with a new roof. Yippee!! The kitchen cabinets, which were literally cracking on the sides of the drawers, have been pulled out and replaced with budget-minded but beautiful cabinets. The vinyl floor that was torn in the kitchen and carpet that was unprofessionally laid crooked in the living room and two bedrooms and stained by a child and dog has been replaced with vinyl planks that look like hardwood but will be easy to clean with kids and dogs. BIG YIPPEE!!

The main level of our house is almost fixed up, with the exception of paint, trim, and bathroom flooring.

Cabinets that aren't cracked!

Does this look like hardwood? It's not. It's vinyl!!

Now when I look around the main level, I see the potential of this smaller home. It may not be as big as we would like (and need) or have the charm of our previous home, but it can still look nice. It will soon be ok to actually invite the neighbors in without being embarrassed! As long as they don't go to the other level and see that half of the house that we still have to fix up, lol.

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