An Act of Grace ~ I Didn't Deserve

Ok - so this isn't really a tip for today .... just a reminder of what a complete wreck I can make of other people's schedules when I make a mistake ... this just totally bums me out.

I am the one with the "data organizing business" .... I have my "desk reference family handbook" .... my "on the go family handbook" with the "color coded calendar" and a Blackberry!

I (of all people) should have my routine down to scientific perfection .... I should never be late to an appointment ... mess up a carpool (I am the queen of carpool emergency cards) ... miss a meeting ... forget to return a phone call ... pay a bill late .... or forget anything off of my grocery list.

Unfortunately, today .... was just one of those days I wished I had "woken up in Australia." Have you ever read the children's book "Alexander & The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day." Where after a bad day he tells his mom that he wished he could move to Australia to escape bad days? Her reply ... "some days are like that ... even in Australia."

So here were my gaff's in order .... they all add up to a pretty big mess:

1. I got the time wrong on my girls' doctor appointments today. I originally thought they were for 9am then checked my calendar yesterday and realized I had written them down for 2pm. When I showed up at 2pm today they told me the appointment was for 11am all along .... SERIOUSLY .... what is wrong with me? How did I manage to get ONE appointment wrong 3 times!!

2. I had managed to think through the morning carpool routine enough in advance to know that I needed to find a ride to school for my daughter (I had told the original carpool that we wouldn't need a ride because I thought my daughter was going to the doctor instead - back when I thought the appt was at 9~~!

3. I didn't think through the afternoon carpool implications of a 2pm doctor's appointment until after I walked the dog today at 11am (yes - that is the original time I was SUPPOSED to be at the pediatrician)! I realized (only 4 hours before school let out) that I would either have to ask another mom to switch days with me OR not tell anyone and still drive carpool (even though my own child wasn't participating) and have the kids be home a little later than usual. My thoughtlesness (or just lack of thought ... I wasn't trying to be rude but it WAS rude nonetheless) caused a big interruption in her day.

4. After wrecking my schedule, my girls' 'schedule, my carpool mom's schedule AND the pediatrician's schedule I was definitely wishing for Australia!

Here was the end result .... a COMPLETELY unexpected and UNDESERVED act of amazing grace and kindness!!!

When my pediatrician (Dr. P!) heard from her nurse that I had arrived (3 hours late .... ) she came BACK to work (she was already in her car leaving the parking lot!) to see my girls. I am still bowled over by her graciousness for my tardiness. She was NOT short with me, not the slightest bit put out .... no huffs ... no, "please remember to be on time next time" .... no smirks ... NO lessons at all! She was JUST as gracious and kind AND amazing as she always is! WOW!!!

I had a friend in college who taught me a good lesson one time .... she said "when you are late to an appointment or meeting you unconsciously tell the other person that YOUR time is more valuable than theirs." She is SO right. Today I unconsciously told everyone that my time was more important than theirs .... Except for Dr. P whose act of undeserved graciousness dismissed my gaff and said "i forgive you" through her act of kindness.

The lesson ~ I need to be more gracious & forgiving to those who make mistakes that disrupt MY schedule! I have received the lesson today that a bit of undeserving grace goes a LONG way! I can't wait to pay it forward TENFOLD!!!

Go ahead, wreck my day .... I've got grace to freely give!

Thanks Dr. P!

Mommy Tip of the day ~ When your routine doesn't work ... let things go!

I was the kid in school who had to be involved in EVERYTHING. Clubs, Music, Equestrian activieies & the occasional game of tennis tended to drive my schedule into the ground most days. Somehow in high school, I even managed to hold down a part time job at a dry cleaners! I actually WASHED the shirts! There are not many memories I can recall where I was not scheduled to do something.

I can remember walking home from school (we did that back then) in the 2nd grade and telling my friend (who asked me to come over to play) that I couldn't play because I had an activity every day of the week. I honestly do not know how my mother did it! My father traveled EVERY day of the week and I was the oldest child of 3! How did she get us everywhere, still manage to put dinner on the table AND maintain her sanity? I am so grateful for all of the experiences I had as a child! Thanks Mom ... you're the best!!

I just can't seem to pull it all off nearly as gracefully as her .... So ~ this fall I have had a "watershed" moment and made a big lifestyle change for my kids (and me!). Not everyone will agree with me, but I wrote down my personal priorities and decided this new idea was best for my ENTIRE family.

We are giving up afterschool activities for the ENTIRE fall. The only activity will be brownies for my eight year old who has a passion for earning her adorable badges! The bonus is that the troop leaders are great AND we have a fabulous carpool!

I know this sounds radical .... even CRAZY! What mom would deny her kids the activity of organized soccer in the fall, or flute lessons, or art class! These are important, even required for college admittance these days ... aren't they?

Well, when it came down to it, my kids just wanted to be kids for a few more weeks while we transition into school. When asked what they want to participate in this fall, my question was met with grimaces and a few "forced" answers.

As a result, I have officially decided to trade in Junior Soccer for Family Game Night! We are taking a break from the "required" events of sports, piano practice, & swim lessons I would have normally signed everone up for this fall! Instead, we are having "old fashoned play time" after school and "family game night" after I put the my 2 year old to bed. We are having a blast!

Today, for example, my kids ran in from school and begged to play in the sprinkler! Of COURSE I said yes! I got to cook dinner in peace (didn't have to run around town in the car during rush hour) AND they had some amazing fun together! (RARE ... and treasured fun!)

Whether or not your family needs a break from the "required" (or seemingly so) events of fall activities, I HIGHLY recommend a family game night! Our NEW favorite game is Gobblet (see picture)! It is like tic tac toe ... only your pieces can actually gobble one another! My 8 year old and I had a blast playing this tonight and we both had a hard time putting it down! After I put the younger two children to bed, I snuck into her room for a face off ... (I let her win) but it was SO much fun!

I will trade this activity with driving around Charlotte in rush hour for a soccer pick up ANY day of the week!

PLEASE do not get me wroing ... I LOVE activities ... ESPECIALLY soccer! Our family, just needed a new adjustment to school and decided to trade fall activities for family time together. It has ended up not only being TONS of fun, but also economical! My husband gave me bonus points for keeping the activity budget more in the "black!"

My bit of advice for you today ... don't be afraid to challenge the status quo! If your schedule is maddening, even just slightly annoying .... let things go! Simplify your schedule and simplify your life.

If you live in Charlotte, and need new family game ideas, check out the game selection at Toys & Co. in Cotswold! That is where we found Gobblet and today they had all games 20% off!!

All the best to a happy start to your school year!!!

Got Carpool? You NEED Carpool Cards! What Are They? Read Below .....

As quirky as it is, my odd talent of "data organization" does come in handy if you happen to be in one of my MANY carpools! This year I am in 4 different carpools with lots of children I barely know. As a helpful (hopefully not pushy) gesture to ALL of the moms in my multiple carpools, I have put together Carpool Cards (laminated on very cool decorative paper) for EACH respective carpool.

What Are Carpool Cards?
These cards contain ALL critical information for each child in the carpool.

Child's Name & Age
Address
Allergies
Car Seat Requirements
Car Sickness Susceptibility
Teacher's Name / Grade
Mom's Cell Phone
Home Phone
Dad's Cell Phone
Dad's Work Phone
Emergency Contact Name & Number

Why is this important?
1. Your child's safety is paramount! These cards help avoid any miscommunication by ensuring everyone has each other's important emergency information.
2. Not every mom takes the time to program important numbers into her phone.
3. You can't take for granted that moms will remember if your child has a food allergy.
4. If your child is required to ride in a booster seat, it helps to also put that in writing so each mom in the carpool will remember.
5. I have (on more that one occasion) not been able to find a child I was supposed to pick up from school. I immediately turn to my carpool card and start dialing ALL of that child;s emergency numbers until I can get a "live person" on the phone to tell me if that child was either not at school, or had other plans today.
6. One one occasion I was unable to locate my OWN child. She arrived home 45 minutes late! It turns out the mom who drove that day took the kids for ice cream and forgot to call. No big deal ... I just called everyone on the card until I found out where they were :-)

No Time To Make Your Own?
No problem! I would be GLAD to make carpool cards for YOUR carpool! You can email thepurplemartin@bellsouth.net. I will coordinate ALL of the information from everyone in your carpool. Assemble the cards and laminate them on decorative paper of your choice.

Setup fee is $15.00 Each Card is $3.50.

100+ Facebook Fans = A BIG Reason to Celebrate With a GREAT Giveaway!

The Prize?
ALL of the Carolina Pad & Co's products I have used creatively in my blogs (one of each product), ONE EXTRA Large Monogrammed L.L. Bean Bag in your choice of color PLUS a $75.00 gift card towards a Customized Family Handbook or Purple Martin & Co. product of YOUR Choosing (including the beach house handbook & bridal organization handbook)!

How to Register?
Comment on my fan page about at least one of the following:
1. Why you would like a Customized Family Handbook
Don't know the benefits? Check out www.thepurplemartinandco.blogspot.com and see "My Story"

2. Your Favorite Purple Martin & Co. Blog
Can't remember? Check out www.thepurplemartinandco.blogspot.com

3. Your Favorite Mommy Data Tip or Solution!!
Can't remember? Check out our fan page on facebook!

4. Current Customer? What you LOVE about your Customzied Family Handbook!

You will Receive 1 Entry for EACH Comment you post on the public facebook fan page for "The Purple Martin & Co" between NOW and AUGUST 15th at 5pm EST. Not a fan, be sure to join - it is SUPER easy - you can search for The Purple Martin & Co in facebook then click become a fan!

Winner will be announced on August 16th. You do NOT need to be a Charlotte Resident to win! This contest is open to ALL Purple Martin & Co. current and FUTURE fans (through Aug. 15th!)

All the Best!
Lori Martin

What's In Your Pool / Beach Bag?

As the summer comes to an end, I FINALLY discovered the best solution to getting my kids (all 3) and all their gear to the pool / beach in an organized manner! If only I had more time to use it.

The Problem?
~ Getting 3 kids to the pool PLUS all their stuff in an organized manner is REALLY tough.

~ How do I prevent myself from having to DIG to the bottom of my pool bag for the sunscreen, goggles, and all the other small items? I really don't like bags with lots of pockets because I forget WHICH pocket I put the small stuff in ~ I prefer one BIG wide-mouthed bag (with a zipper top).

~ How do I keep my dry items separate from the items that will inevitably become wet & sandy?

The Solution?
~ Three of my FAVORITE products pulled together to create one perfect solution!

The Products?
1. The L.L.Bean Beach Tote With Long Handles


2. 3 Plastic Beach Totes (I bought mine at Michael's Craft Store)

3. 3 Zippered Pencil Pouches (Carolina Pad Kendall Collection ~ I bought mine at Wal-Mart) Who knew an office supply product could be SO stylish and versatile?

How To?

1. Insert the 3 Plastic Beach totes inside the L.L.Bean Beach Tote. They serve as plastic dividers (with handles for portability!) to separate your items.

I put pool toys in one tote, dry items (towels, change of clothes, dry swim diapers) in another tote, and sunscreen & shower items in another tote.

Dry Items Stay Dry, The Plastic Totes keep my L.L.Bean Bag Dry, Items are easily identified and best of all NO Digging to the bottom of the bag.

2. I put travel sized shower items (shampoo, shower gel, small shower body puff) in the 3 zippered pencil pouches. The kids each take their own zippered pouch with shower supplies into the pool shower to rise off after swimming.

3. The L.L. Bean Tote serves as the best wide-mouthed bag to carry it all with ease!

Now if only I had thought of this great idea at the beginning of the summer! Here's to next season!

"Taming That Toddler" ~ Should Be An Olympic Sport!

Molly stringing beads & buttons on pipe cleaners at Reed Gold Mine!


My "Molly Martin BUSY BAG" & Contents

Hello Purple Martin Moms!

I just overheard my 8 year old say to my husband .... "WHAT if Molly had a TWIN?" Then she shuddered ... "that would be AWFUL." Well, even though Molly (aka the Mo-Nado) has set records in our family-of-5 for being the most difficult toddler ... EVER ... at least she provides us with lots of humor and some interesting fodder for my blog. That being said, today was just one of those "Molly Days" again where she screamed, yelled, and wore on all of our patience.

Yesterday, however, I took my kids on a field trip to the Reed Gold Mine in Midland, NC. We went with some friends with the intention of touring an underground gold mine (a historic landmark) and then panning for some gold ourselves.

I had wanted to leave Molly with a sitter, but my friends said we could make it work. My friends were amazing AND I was prepared! I knew I was NOT going to take Molly on the tour of the Gold Mine once the guide said ... "I hope we ALL behave in the mine! Remember, we will be 30 FEET underground and MUST not touch anything .... EVEN the rocks on the ground are OFF LIMITS."

Well ... since Molly likes to do snow angels in the MUD, I figured the experience of "behaving" in the Gold Mine (30 feet underground) was better left to her older siblings (ages 5 & 8).

Instead, Molly & I took a little hike around the property and settled on a bench where I took out my NEW Molly "BUSY BAG!" It was a HUGE hit!

Here were the contents:
* One sandwich sized Tupperware filled with stray lego pieces for her to build with
* One small (retractable) measuring tape (we even measured the circumference of a tree)
* One roll of stickers from the Dollar Tree (cost $1.00)
* One small "Gladware" bucket containing random beads & buttons
* Misc. brightly colored pipe cleaners from old craft kits (which we used to string the beads & buttons - great for fine motor skills!)
* A plastic wallet sized folder that I used to hide misc. pictures I cut out of magazines in the different pockets (pictures of flowers, birds, dogs, etc)
* A few stray toys I found in our junk drawer
* One "super cute" zipper pencil pouch I found at Wal-Mart (Carolina Pad & Paper Co) that I put crayons into with a few tiny note pads for coloring - the pencil pouch keeps crayon marks OFF of the other items & I stashed it in my purse for our lunch outing!

I zipped ALL of these surprise treasures in a collapsible lunch tote that I bought at the Dollar Tree for $1.00. She had fun opening & closing it as a stand alone activity!

Total Cost ~ $4.50 (lunch tote & stickers from The Dollar Tree + Carolina Pad Pencil Pouch from Wal-Mart)

One would think I had enough "stash" to keep her busy for HOURS ~ an entire plane ride perhaps ~ but in reality, my busy toddler was able to be entertained for exactly 45 minutes. A near record in her book!

I felt like I had won a "gold medal" when my task of "taming my toddler" outlasted my five year old's attention span of panning for gold!

Instead of the medal, I'll settle for the satisfaction of knowing we weren't ASKED TO LEAVE the Gold Mine (unlike our last excursion experience).

The Sad Sate of My Glove Compartment....a coming to terms, & a cute solution!

Ok moms, so the last time I left you I was telling you about my horrific drive home from Atlanta where my toddler (who turned 2 today) screamed 3 out of the 4 hours it took us to get home. It was awful. Well, somehow during a moment of peace, my 5 year old son (who has a fascination with the police and constantly reminds me NOT to speed ~ how kind of him!) asked me what would happen if we DID get pulled over. I told him the police would not be happy with me for breaking the speed limit and that he would ask me for my drivers license and registration card. He seemed happy enough with my response.

When we got home (and one HUGE headache later from said screaming toddler) I peeked in my glove box to make sure that my registration was in fact IN the car where I thought it was ~ I wouldn't want to be misleading my 5 year old that I was always following the traffic rules & regulations!

After digging and digging and MORE digging .... then uncovering an old candy wrapper, some crunched up oil change receipts and some other junk .... I finally DID happen upon my registration card (as I had suspected). It just started to bother me that it took me 10 minutes to find it when the glove compartment is only 12 inches wide by at most 8 inches deep! It was indeed a DISASTER.

It wasn't a value statement or a general sense of me "not caring" it was just someplace I rarely open unless I have to .... and when I do open it, I am generally in a HUGE hurry and just throw what I was looking for back in it haphazardly.

I wanted to give myself a fun reason to organize my small glove compartment disaster & I happened upon it in the least likely of all places .... the Target office supply aisle! I found this really fun, bright & colorful vinyl 13 pocket expanding file folder. I had used a more sturdy (cardboard) version to help my daughter organize her artwork a week or so ago. I had a feeling that this slimmer and more flexible version just MAY fit in my glove compartment to help me organize my chaos.

It Did! I was able to label the tabs as follows:
* Registration & Insurance
* Owners Manual
* Service History & Receipts
* Wheel Lock & Tire Warranty
* & First Aid Stuff ... I stuck some bandaids, Neo-to-Go (neosporin spray) and some tylenol in there .... just so I am BETTER PREPARED for that next AWFUL road trip :-)