The Classroom

One of the major reasons we decided upon this house was the excellent back room off of the kitchen.  It was perfect for a classroom!  I can work in the kitchen and see what's going on because of the pass through and I have plenty of room for all of my bookshelves (and I can't seem to stop myself from adding more and more books, thus needing more and more bookshelves.  I mean who can turn down a good book?  Books are awesome... but I digress) and art supplies (something else I have tons and tons of... I am a bit of a hoarder of all things that I think I can make into something later).  I can also gate off the entry and keep the baby contained.  I have yet to work my make-over magic on the walls, but who doesn't love wood paneling?  ok... me, I don't love wood paneling!  For now, my strategy is to plaster the walls with posters, art work, bulletin boards and teaching aids... and also the windows... because there's not enough wall for all of the cool stuff I want to hang up.  Hmmmm.... the ceiling is empty.....

You may recognize the file cabinet in the corner.  It was a fun refinish job and is now full of art supplies.  The white bookshelves were cobbled together from one 10 foot tall unit intended for the garage.  We found someone giving away a garage full of these shelves on craigslist and are using them in several places.  I basically cut the sides of one shelf into 3 pieces and used some small scraps to make braces for the tops.  After attaching them all together the whole thing wanted to fold over and twist apart so I had to add a back to the center section.  I happened to have a scrap of 1/4 inch plywood laying about that did the job.  Actually, there is very little in this picture that was not a hand-me-down, free-find, cheap used treasure, or curbside rescue... Even some of the technology pieces!

How to make a quick hot ham and cheese sandwich: A guide for Moms

How to make a quick hot ham and cheese sandwich: A guide for Moms 
(a post based upon true life events)

1. Get a plate
2. Retrieve the loaf of bread from the pantry. Strike that. Figure out where the kids have put the loaf of bread.
3. Get the baby out of the middle child’s bedroom and shut the door.
4. Undo the twist tie on the bread that the middle child has managed to twist in 3 different directions at once.
5. Go see what that crash was in the living room.
6. Put bread in toaster.
7. Retrieve ham from fridge.
8. Take the schoolbook away from the baby before he rips the pages out.
9. Retrieve 4 slices, no, 2 slices of meat from the package.
10. Go see what that other crash in the living room was.
11. Retrieve 2 more slices of meat from the bag and put it all on a plate.
12. Pick up the bin of books that the baby has just dumped all over the floor and replace with a smaller bin that is harder for him to reach.
13. Put plate in microwave. Hear toast pop up.
14. Get butter.
15. Take whatever that was out of the baby’s mouth… Wonder where in the heck he found a giant bejeweled ring. 
16. Wash hands
17. Butter 1 piece of cold toast and start microwave.
18. Get the baby out of the cupboard.
19. Butter the second piece of cold toast.
20. Get the cheese out of the fridge.
21. It’s quiet…. Too quiet….
22. Get the baby out of the bathroom that you KNOW the door was just shut to a minute ago.
23. Retrieve plate of cold ham from the microwave
24. Put cold ham and cheese on cold buttered toast
25. Go see what that crash was in the hallway.
26. Get the baby off of the overturned hamper, pick up the dirty clothes.
27. Put cold “hot” sandwich in microwave for 20 seconds.
28. Pick up the bowl of holiday candy that the baby has just managed to get off of the edge of a table and spill all over the floor.
29. Retrieve lukewarm sandwich from microwave and place on dining room table.
30. Sit down
31. Get up and get the baby out of the trash
32. Put the baby in his bouncy seat from which he cannot escape.
33. Eat cold sandwich.