house Archives - The Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Create a sanctuary at home: My January monthly resolution

January 4, 2018January 4, 2018catherinemryan

This is the first of my 2018 monthly resolutions. Up first in January: create a sanctuary at home by kicking out clutter, organizing like a boss and getting the whole family on the home organization bandwagon. Here’s how.

I hit a breaking point the other day in my home: We had just gotten back from a weekend trip to the beach, the girls were hangry and I was just trying to grab a book to read to them while their dinner cooked. But as I pulled out the library book, an entire stack of stuff—more books, artwork, a box of bibs—toppled onto me.

Having a disorganized, overstuffed house is not new to my family. We have more than we need, and I have struggled to get it under control. In the past, I’ve made progress and instituted systems, only to have the everyday chaos of kids undermine my best intentions. My house usually feels like this:

Not good.

Some folks flourish in clutter; I’m not one of those people. Although I’ve developed a tolerance for mess (thank you motherhood!), the explosion of stuff everywhere is a constant source of stress.

So for my first monthly resolution, I’ve set the goal to create a sanctuary at home.

Deep thoughts and life lessons from an ant infestation

March 22, 2017March 20, 2017catherinemryan

It’s probably a bad sign when a household ant infestation feels like a metaphor for your life.

A few times a year since we moved into our house, tiny sugar ants appear. They swarm on crumbs and march in lines along room perimeters. After a while—and usually more rigorous housecleaning—they go back to whatever outside home they have.

This time is different. I keep fighting the ants, and, predictably, more show up. And they are spreading. They have found the bathroom, a room they’ve never infiltrated before. And I just can’t keep up.

Perhaps it’s not shocking that this particularly bad ant infestation mirrors a time in my life that also feels like every time I turn around, I have more to-do items that tickle me, nagging thoughts that won’t get lost and worries that swarm my distracted mind.

When my home had an ant infestation, the bugs—surprisingly—taught me some good parenting (and life) advice. Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →

Trick or treat sign: Free Halloween printable

October 25, 2016catherinemryan

This is my first year as a mother when I’ve actually felt on top of Halloween. And that’s 100% because I decided to not go all DIY.

I’m so glad I’m half-assing Halloween.

When Peeper said she wanted to wear a Cinderella costume, my inner feminist cringed—but then I hopped on Amazon and ordered her a damn Disney dress.

Kiwi is still too little to have much of a preference or even know there’s a holiday coming up. So I figured that hey, she has fleece giraffe-print pajamas, so why doesn’t she dress as a giraffe? #twoforonepajamas

Now I have to get out and show off these top-tier costumes. And if you’re like us, you won’t be spending all of Halloween at home, either, waiting to give out tiny chocolates to almost equally tiny Elsas and Pikachus. We’ll be taking the girls out to get their own candy (which we’ll quickly appropriate, obvi). So I wanted to set out a trick or treat sign welcoming the neighborhood kids to help themselves to the treats I’ll leave on the front porch.

And hey, so can you, because you can download this Halloween trick or treat sign for free!

Download this free trick or treat sign printable to leave with a candy bowl on your porch this Halloween! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Download your free Trick or Treat Sign!

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(Sorry, the free printable does not come with free candy.)

Happy house-iversary

January 20, 2016June 11, 2016catherinemryan

One year ago we moved into our West Linn home, which, thanks to Peeper, we still call New House.

We’ve been here long enough that people have stopped asking us how we like our “new” neighborhood, house and town. But I’m just as grateful today as I was on that first day we moved in.

Toddler trampoline Read more →

19 months: New House

February 18, 2015catherinemryan

Eric and I stood in the bare living room, grinning at each other. We had just received the keys to our new home, the first property either of us has owned. We were saying good-bye to cramped apartment living, chain-smoking neighbors and car alarms that consistently blared in the middle of the night.

We had ordered pizza because that’s what you do the first night in your new place. Finn and Edie had been sprinting in circles, taking advantage of all the space and complete lack of furniture.

We weren’t going to spend the night; we had hardly begun packing, in fact. We were just about to head back to the apartment when we changed Peeper’s diaper.

Then—but of course—she peed on the floor.

The house was officially ours.