Wordless Wednesday

This post is listed @...


...an amazing site hosted by twin moms for us moms!

and It's Not a Weekend; It's a Lifestyle .

I'm Tackling Chores!

This post is listed @ ...


...a great site with ALL KINDS of ideas for moms! Check it out HERE.

Just so you know, there are ten of us and currently we reside in a space built for two.

We will be able to spread out soon, but for now, we are living in the mother-in-law's quarters attached to the home we are building. (Our unfinished kitchen is pictured on right.) They say that it is easy to clean a small house, but with us, there are so many people, that the messes made are extremely concentrated! Sometimes, when the twins are in the living room and we are utilizing their "contraption" (one of those huge saucer things with the toys that surround them) and entertaining them on the rug with blankets, there is literally no room to walk!

Now that school is about to start, I have finally tackled something I have been putting off. I have come up with the chore list for the kids in order to try to keep order around here. This may seem like a daunting list, but just remember that there are five capable children working, and the list is split equitably according to age. At least I think it's equitable!

The six-year-old girl:



Before school:
Make bed
Bring down 5 hangers
Organize shoe closet
Gather the eggs
Clean off her stair (this is the fifth stair where I pile everything of hers that I find throughout the house as I'm cleaning)

After school:
One hour for homework or reading
Organize shoe closet
Clean bedroom
Clean off stair

After dinner:
Clean dishes off table
Help with ten-minute family clean-up session

The eight-year-old boy:


Before school:
Make bed
Bring down 5 hangers
Clean up any remaining dishes from breakfast and wipe off counters and island
Clean off stair

After school:
One hour for homework or reading
Sweep carport
Clean bedroom
Clean off stair

After dinner:
Put away all the food on the table
Help with ten-minute family clean-up session

The twelve-year-old boy:


Before school:
Make bed
Bring down 5 hangers
Put away large dishes that have dried from the previous night (I know, if I were supermom, there would be no dishes left out on my counter EVER. I would towel-dry them and put them away. But, obviously, I'm unsuper-mom.)
Clean bathroom (floor, sink, and mirror)
Clean off stair

After school:
One hour for homework or reading
Put away clothes I've folded
Clean bathroom
Clean bedroom
Clean off stair

Dinner-time:
Be dinner helper
Help with ten-minute family clean-up session

The thirteen-year-old girl:



Before school:
Make bed
Bring down 5 hangers
Feed chickens, bunnies, dog and cat
Clean living room
Clean off stair

After school:
One hour for homework or reading
Unload dishwasher
Hang up clothes I've laundered
Clean living room
Clean bedroom
Clean off stair

After dinner:
Finish table, island and sweeping
Help with ten-minute family clean-up session

The sixteen-year-old boy:


Before school:
Make bed
Bring down 5 hangers
Unload dishwasher
Take out trash
Clean off stair

After school:
One hour for homework or reading
Clean off stair
He will be exempt from other after-school chores as he has football practice until 6:30 every evening.

After dinner:
Wash dishes and clean counters
Help with ten-minute family clean-up session

If you'll notice, the kids are assigned the same tasks morning and afternoon. This, in a way, enables them to have "jurisdiction" over the same room all week, hopefully making them feel ownership for keeping it clean. We shall see! This list is subject to change at any given time and doesn't include lots of twin-and-toddler-toting!


And what, you may ask, do I do all day? Eight to ten hours of breastfeeding twins! Oh, and blogging after midnight!



If you're still here, you get to read it...

The six-year-old, after eating her lunch: My hunger problem is solved!

Ruby Tuesday: Drooled-on Red

This post is listed @ The Work of the Poet's Ruby Tuesday, where one can post a photo with a lot of red or a little red. Mine is some drooled-on red! Check out other neat photos HERE.

Welcome to Homemaker Monday! Why don't you stop on by!

Welcome to...


If you're new to blog carnivals, you might want to check out how it works HERE.

This blog carnival is a bit different from others you might have seen. As stated in the graphic above, I will be featuring "YOURS, MINE, and OURS".

YOURS: Each week I will feature my favorite post from the previous week. If I pick you, you can grab this button if you want...


Grab the code below...

<a href="http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/2007/08/thanks-so-much-for-stopping-by-welcome.html"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234980845500538194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lI-7QbqsoGQ/SKZjV8YInVI/AAAAAAAABMA/vRhXAR8Rlcs/s200/Eleventh+Heaven_Page_82.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lI-7QbqsoGQ/SKCpO-o0HxI/AAAAAAAABBY/ek8AJAp8o9s/s1600-h/Eleventh+Heaven_Page_4.jpg"></a>

...and put it on your sidebar.

MINE: Pretty self-explanatory. I will give you my tip of the week.

OURS: Enter your posts into Mr. Linky and share your know-how with all of us! Old posts are okay, too!

Don't forget - there will be a monthly drawing for all who are part of this carnival. Go over the rules HERE to make sure you qualify for the drawing.

Let's roll!

YOURS:
Picking the "YOURS" post was very difficult, as there were so many well thought out entries. Many of you went to a lot of work to produce your post, but since I could only choose one, I have chosen...

AMANDA B. for her post on how to make chocolate mint brownies with kids!

This post is both imformative and very funny, and has lots of great pictures! We all LOVE pictures, so be sure to add some into your posts!
Not only does she do a great tutorial on how to make a delicious dessert...


...she shows us how to get the kids...




...and even the dog...


...involved! Read her entire post HERE. Thank you, Amanda B. for a job well done!

MINE: Extremely Delicious Chocolate Milkshakes
I've always wanted a cow. By the time our fourth kid came along, we were drinking a gallon of milk a day. Back then it was about $2.50 a gallon, so it cost us $75 a month just for milk! But alas, we lived in the city, where cows are not permitted.

After my first husband passed away, I met John in the city. He married me with my six children and we were happy there until I came here to Mexico to meet his family. I fell in love with the tiny town and asked John what he thought about raising our kids here. We prayed and fasted and received the answer that, indeed, this was the place for us.

Currently we are in the process of building a home on three acres of land here in our small Mexican farm town. We are living in the attached mother-in-law's quarters which were finished last November... and designed for two people. There are ten of us. But that's okay. We're getting to know each other very well. In the midst of this construction, John, seeing how a large family goes through milk, and seeing that our large family has grown by three in the three years we've been married, suggested that we get a cow. After calculating the cost of the cow and the hay as compared to the $4.50 per gallon we pay here, I agreed! (Our cow is pictured on right. I'm so grateful to her!)

It is wonderful to have fresh, raw milk every morning. It has a rich flavor and I can hardly drink pasturized milk anymore. However, our cow produces about three gallons of milk each day. Our family only consumes about five quarts a day, so I knew I had to think of more ways to use dairy products. Since our cow, Daisy, came along, I have learned to make butter, yogurt and ice cream. And ice cream. Oh, I already said that. I love ice cream! This is the machine I use and love...


This baby has a built in compressor, so all I have to do is mix up the ingredients, put it in the bucket and turn on the machine. It's amazing and really too easy. Perhaps that is why I haven't earned my girlish figure back yet after having the twins.

Another thing our family loves are chocolate shakes. Here is a recipe that is to die for. What I do is whisk up a mix, store it in the fridge, then when the kids want a shake, I pour a couple of cups of the mix into the blender, add a few ice cubes, and serve it up! This mix will stay fresh in the fridge for three or four days and it makes making chocolate shakes so easy! Again, too easy!

Here's what you'll need...


5 cups milk
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup chocolate cocoa powder (we like the dark chocolate kind)
3 cups cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch salt

1. Pour the milk, sugar, and chocolate cocoa powder into the blender. Mix on medium speed for about a minute. This will help the sugar dissolve and get rid of any lumps in the cocoa.

2. While the above mixture is blending, pour the cream, vanilla and salt into a medium-sized bowl.

3. After the milk, sugar and chocolate has blended, pour this mixture into the bowl and stir until blended.

Your shake mix is done. Now you can put it away in the fridge to save for when your kids get home from school or you can pour a cup back into the blender, add three or four ice cubes, and enjoy your gourmet shake before they come home! Just try to save them some, okay? (I couldn't take a picture of the final product because the kids drank it all too fast.)

Just to make sure you caught that, use about a cup of the mix plus three or four ice cubes per serving. Enjoy!

OURS:
Okay, it's your turn! Remember, if you're not sure what to do, go HERE for specific instructions, then come back to this page and enter your post. Archived post are okay, too! Thank you for your entry, don't forget to leave a comment, and have a Happy Homemaker Monday!