The Screwdriver That Saved My Sanity

For six years the kids' closet doors haven't worked. For six years I've struggled to get them on the track and for six years I've been getting weirdly angry about it. Like adrenaline-rush angry. Throwing-things-around angry.

Today, I took them off. It required a Phillips head screwdriver and less than half an hour of my time. I packed them away in the basement (which obviously needs to be vacuumed).

So now everyone needs to clean their closets, but it's a small price to pay for six years of wasted space and clothes lost in corners I couldn't see and doors that just don't work for us.

Six years I've been letting this bother me when the solution was so simple.

There's a moral there somewhere...

Thank you for visiting Peace but Not Quiet! I'd love it if you'd like me on facebook and follow me on twitter.

Garden Totem

Let me start by saying that I got a new camera last week. A refurbished Nikon D3100 (actually it's a new old camera...but still exciting for me). So it was all I could do to write a post that didn't feature 25 close-ups of flowers and ducks and my kids making weird faces.

But ever since the glass mushrooms I made a few weeks ago, I've been wanting to try more glass...things. Totems? Birdfeeders? Whatever you want to call them, I'm addicted.

I found a bunch of blue vases and other random dishes at the thrift store and used waterproof glue (I used Quick Grip All-Purpose Permanent Adhesive). I'm not intending to leave this outside during the winter, so I think it will hold up.

I stacked the dishes several times until I found an arrangement I liked and then glued them all together.

There it is, posing by my lilac bush that hasn't bloomed in two years. Incidentally, can anyone help me with that? Anyone?

Since there's a plate on top, it can be used as a bird feeder...or just as yard decor. I've pinned several more if you're looking for ideas.

Thank you for visiting Peace but Not Quiet! I'd love it if you'd like me on facebook and follow me on twitter.

Linking to:

Whimsy Wednesdays, Wednesday Whatsits, ,We Did It! Wednesday, The DIY Dreamer, Look What I Made, Sugar and Spice,  Two Girls and a Party, Linking Up With Lil' Luna, Wow Me Wednesday, The Creative Spark, Show & Tell, I Gotta Create!, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Keep Calm and Link Up, Link It Up Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Things I've Done Thursday, Artsy Corner Link Party, Thursday's Temptation, Live Laugh Linky, The 36th Avenue Party Time, House of Hepworths, Thursdays are Your Days, Catch a Glimpse, Transformation Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday,  Happy Hour Projects, Shine on Fridays, Mix It Up Monday, Mop It Up Mondays, Make The Scene Monday, Project Inspire(d), Skip to My Lou, M.M.M.@C.R.A.F.T, Monday Funday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Take a Look Tuesday, Tuesday's Treasures, Time to Sparkle Tuesday, Tutorials and Tips, Craft and Tell, Get Your Craft On,Time for A Party!, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Keep Your Kids Learning Over the Summer

On the last day of school, the kids brought this home for me:

It made my head hurt and I threw it away. But if you'd like ideas for keeping kids learning over the summer that don't involve what appears to be a college syllabus, join me today at Cheerios and Lattes, won't you?

Thank you for visiting Peace but Not Quiet! I'd love it if you'd like me on facebook and follow me on twitter.

Tips for Young Families at Disneyland

A few months ago, we took our family of six to Disneyland and California Adventure -- a fun, exhausting endeavor from which I am still recovering.

I'm sharing a few tips over at My Favorite Finds today on surviving enjoying your own Disneyland adventure with your family. Come join me!

Thank you for visiting Peace but Not Quiet! I'd love it if you'd like me on facebook and follow me on twitter.

10 Things to Keep In Your Car This Summer

Now. Before I begin, lemme just say something. We don't get out and do stuff every day. Please don't think we're parading through the Rocky Mountains like the von Trapps while you're trying to get through your first cup of coffee and debating whether you can make it one more day without a shower. For goodness' sake.

But on the days when the stars align and no one is sick or grounded or grumpy and we do get out -- well, it helps to have some things already in the car.

If you're done admiring my fancy storage box, let's begin:

1.) A towel. For impromptu trips to parks that have creeks and streams and water fountains. I don't keep one for everybody, just one to share and get everyone a little drier. Also useful for sitting on during picnics.

2.) Sweatshirts. One for everyone. 'Cuz it's usually the times you think, "Oh, it's so warm out, we don't need sweatshirts," that it turns really cold and you need a sweatshirt.

3.) Diapers and wipes. 

4.) Water bottles. I usually buy each of the kids a new one at the beginning of the summer (for around $1 at Target or Michael's). I store them empty in the car and fill them at drinking fountains or sinks before we start a hike.

5.) Non-meltable snacks. In case you're at the library and want to go to the park after. Or something like that.

6.) Sunscreen.

7.) Hats. Definitely sunhats. Depending on where you are (say, perhaps, Colorado), also snow hats. And mittens.

8.) CDs. Or new downloaded music or however it is the kids listen to music these days. We always like to start out the summer with some new music for our day trips.

9.) Toilet paper. Trust me. One of those things you'd rather have and not need than vice versa.

10.) Colored pencils and a notebook or nature journal. Keeps the kids occupied on the way home from a day trip...and helps keep a record of your summer fun. Use pencils rather than crayons since they don't melt.

Happy trails! Thank you for reading Peace but Not Quiet. I'd love it if you'd take a minute to like me on facebook and follow me on twitter.

Linking to:

Whimsy Wednesdays, Wednesday Whatsits, ,The DIY Dreamer, Look What I Made, Sugar and Spice,  Two Girls and a Party, Linking Up With Lil' Luna, Wow Me Wednesday, The Creative Spark, Show & Tell, I Gotta Create!, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Link It Up Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Thursday's Temptation, Live Laugh Linky, House of Hepworths, Thursdays are Your Days, Transformation Thursday, Mix It Up Monday, Craftastic Monday Link Party, Mop It Up Mondays, Make The Scene Monday, Project Inspire(d), Skip to My Lou, M.M.M.@C.R.A.F.T, Monday Funday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Take a Look Tuesday, Chef in Training, One Project At A Time, Time to Sparkle Tuesday, Tutorials and Tips, Get Your Craft On, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Brag About It Tuesday, Thrifty Thursday, Happy Hour Projects, Shine on Fridays, TGIF Linky Party, Show & Tell at Gingerly Made, A Night Owl Blog The Shabby Nest, Craftionary, Love and Laundry, The Fun in Functional, Weekend Wrap-Up , Financial Friday. I'm Lovin' It, Weekend Reading, The Humble Brag, Feathered Nest Friday, See Vanessa Craft, Friday Flair, Angel's Homestead, Get Schooled Saturday, Cheerios and Lattes, Six Sisters Stuff, The Motherlode of Ideas, The Sundae Scoop, Spotlight Saturday, Saturday Night Special, The Foley Fam, It's Overflowing, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Think Pink Sundays

I'm Back, Baby!

Hello! After being off-line for a wee bit and lots of long conversations with my new best friend at Google, I'm back up and running. Phew!

Stay tuned -- later today I'll have a summer-related post that will change your life (or not. Maybe it will just entertain you for a few minutes during naptime...) and this weekend, I'm guest posting for two wonderful bloggers I wanna be like when I grow up (Carrie at My Favorite Finds on Saturday and Mackenzie at Cheerios and Lattes on Sunday).

I'm also supposed to be training to run a relay around Lake Tahoe with my family this weekend and I'm So. Not. Ready. But I am pretty excited about a three hour wait in Reno...not to visit the casinos, but to go here:

Come on, fellow knitting crazies -- help me out here. You get me, I know you do.

The Rhythm of Summer

School's almost out. I'm pretty excited about this. I'm glad to move into lazy days that (mostly) don't require us to be somewhere at a certain time.

During the summer, we don't operate on a tight schedule. We have a general routine to our days...but we adjust it, or ignore it completely when we feel like it. I heard someone refer to it as a "family rhythm" and I like that term. An order to things, but no need for me to run through the house shrieking that we're going to be late and if you'd just listened to me and put away your shoes like I told you to you wouldn't be making four other people late along with you and next time...Um. You know. Hypothetically speaking.

So our rhythm looks kind of like this over the summer:

Early to Mid-Morning: Get up. Eat breakfast. Let Mom have one cup of coffee in peace or she'll cancel summer. Get dressed. Do chores.

Mid-Morning: An outing. Not always a big one -- to the park, library, pool, or lake. Hiking. A trip to a place tourists go when they visit our city, but that we've never bothered to see. A trip to the garden or grocery store and then home to plant or bake whatever we bought. Things like that.

Early afternoon: Lunch. Rest or reading time.

Mid-afternoon: Playing around the neighborhood or house. Limited video-game playing. Splashing in the kiddie pool. Crafts or sidewalk chalk.

Late afternoon: Helping with dinner. Occasional movie-watching. 

Evening: Dinner, baths, pjs, reading time and bed.

The only outing I try to keep on the same day each week is our library trip -- makes it easier to remember when books are due. And I'm pretty strict about bedtime because my kids don't sleep in (*$%$!!). They can go to bed at 7pm, they can go to bed at 2am, they will always wake up at 6:30 in the morning. 

So obviously everyone's rhythm is different. And we're always changing or adjusting ours. But it's nice to have a place to start.

Happy summer! Thank you for visiting Peace but Not Quiet. I'd love it if you'd like me on facebook and follow me on twitter.

Linking to:

Whimsy Wednesdays, The DIY Dreamer, Sugar and Spice,  Linking Up With Lil' Luna, Wow Me Wednesday, The Creative Spark, We Did It! Wednesday, Show & Tell, I Gotta Create!, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Under $100 Linky Party, Link It Up Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Thursday's Temptation, Live Laugh Linky, The 36th Avenue Party Time, House of Hepworths, Thursdays are Your Days, Transformation Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, Keep Calm and Link Up, Artsy Corner Link Party,Catch a Glimpse, Happy Hour Projects, Shine on Fridays, Show & Tell at Gingerly Made, The Shabby Nest, Craftionary, Love and Laundry, The Fun in Functional, Financial Friday.  Weekend Reading, The Humble Brag, Feathered Nest Friday, See Vanessa Craft, Friday Flair