I recently re-visited an age-old question with my kids–How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Even though the 1970s commercial evidently still runs today, we watch so little commercial television, the kids had never seen it. Because I’m a nerd and a homeschooling mama, we answered it using the scientific method. At the beginning, only the 3 littles were around, and the hypotheses were so indicative of their personalities.

Ty: Mmm…102. No, 102.

Mia: (refused to answer because she was still brooding over a breakfast incident)

PJ: Wait, before I answer, can I ask some questions? (He went on to ask if the approach (i.e., top or side) mattered.)

Before we dug in, I had Ty sort our bag by color* and asked him quantitative questions that included the concepts of most and least. Nerd status…going up.

‘Lest you think I took all the fun out of it, I argue the treat was all the more sweet once we finally got around to the licking part. Once we explained what a Tootsie Pop* was to John and Kayla, they were all in.

*A lollipop with an embedded chocolaty prize at its center.
P.S. Did you know they are only 60 calories and fat free?
P.P.S. Tootsie Roll Pops are produced in a facility that does not use peanuts, tree nuts, eggs or gluten.

As the kids licked and tallied (another aspect of math lesson snuck in) away, I remembered being so much like PJ. I remember watching the commercial and having more analytical questions than desires to actually lick a pop. For some reason, I don’t do fruit flavors mixed with anything non-fruity. I like my fruit unadulterated so the chocolate on chocolate pop was the only one that remotely appealed to me.

Ty’s experiment was short-lived 2 licks and a bite. He then had to surrender his pop since he can’t have chocolate. Mia got to post 50 licks and then asked for permission to just suck it claiming licking was too much work. Oy vay. PJ counted 570 exactly. From the side, not the top. That’s my boy.

I have to ask…has anyone else actually gotten to the center by only licking?

Apparently, a group of engineering students from Purdue University reported that its licking machine, took an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Not to be outdone by a Big Ten rival, a chemical engineering doctorate student from the University of Michigan recorded that his customized licking machine required 411 licks to reach the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop.

Wanna play along? Enter the “How Many Licks?” video contest.

CONTEST PERIOD: The Contest begins October 1, 2012 at 2:00 a.m. PT and ends on October 25, 2012 at 11:30 p.m. PT .

 HOW TO ENTER: Access the Tootsie Roll or Tootsie Pop Facebook page, “Like” the Fan Page, click the “How Many Licks” Contest tab, and click “Submit Entry.” Then, follow the instructions to enter by uploading your “How Many Licks” video.

When my first two were little, I was part of a moms group that spent a year going through a curriculum that drove home the point that moms needs to protect who they are—their identity before kids.  There are lots of ways to do that but one that I have been really good about is carving out “me” time.

Annually
Every year I hit the beach for a weekend with a couple of my closest friends.  There is no agenda.  We sleep, talk, and eat a lot.  It really helps me gain perspective for the year (and renews my hubby’s appreciation of me since he has kid duty for the weekend).

Monthly
I coordinate an adoptive and foster moms’ night out that meets every month.  It is always great to have uninterrupted conversation with moms who really get what I’m living day-to-day.  I also get out in the evenings about six to eight other times during the year with friends.  I am so blessed to have a husband who supports me when I need some girl-time.  (Don’t worry. He gets plenty of opportunities for getting out, too.)

Weekly
Sleep-in Saturdays have probably saved our sanity and marriage.  When our first two kiddos were around three and five, we started letting them fend for themselves on Saturday morning so we could catch up on “sleep.”  They roll out of bed, fix themselves a frozen waffle, granola bar, or bowl of dry cereal and watch cartoons until we decide to join the land of the living.  In general, I try to limit screen time but on Saturday mornings, it is not unusual for them to watch three hours of television.  I figure it is a small price to pay for the benefits.
In addition to Saturdays, Patrick and I host a group of single and/or childless friends for dinner and great conversation every week on a weeknight.  Currently we meet on Thursday evenings.  After dinner, we put the kids to bed early and settle in with a glass of wine for great conversation.  Sometimes we do a Bible Study, sometimes we are a book club, and sometimes a movie club.  Being the extrovert I am, this is one of my favorite times of week.  I love being part of a world that does not involve diapers, carpool, or a never-ending stream of kid activities.

Daily
Call me crazy, but I am a morning person.  Since having kids, mornings and I have a sort of love-hate relationship.  The sleep-deprived part hates when the alarm goes off at 5:30AM but the morning person part loves being productive before the kids get up.  The kids have a 7AM Rule.  I am not allowed to see any little faces before 7AM.  Before our kids could tell time, we put a digital clock with all but the hour digit covered up and told them not to come out unless they saw a 7.
This allows me time to work and shower in peace…assuming I get up in time.

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1. Get yourself a calendar and use it.  I’ve fully embraced the digital age but I used to carry a student-planner-sized calendar that was my spiral-bound brain.  I’m visual so I used lots of colored pens to categorize goings-ons.  I’m a full-on Microsoft girl.  I love all my Office products and Outlook is my go-to calendar which I have set up to sync seamlessly and wirelessly to my phone and an online Hotmail calendar (just in case I don’t have my computer or my phone…almost never).  Since not everyone has a Microsoft, geeky, software developer for a hubby, I highly recommend Google’s suite of products (all free) which also includes a pretty awesome calendar.   You may also fall in love with Cozi.  I wanted to but Microsoft is holding me hostage as only a great almost-monopoly can.
2. Write it down! I’ve blogged before about Microsoft’s OneNote.  While it’s available for free, some prefer to use the designed-to-be-free Evernote.  Since my OneNote notebooks are synced to the “cloud,” I can access them from all my computers and my phone.  I even write my grocery list here.  I type it as I’m searching for recipes on my desktop and then get to the store and pull it up on my phone…VOILA!  I’ve even taken to jotting down my favorite websites or websites I think I’ll need eventually on OneNote instead of bookmarks because of OneNote’s searchability.
3. Use a timer.  I’m famous for giving my kids “5 more minutes” only to stay around and talk for 50 more.  I also forget clothes in the wash or food in the microwave.  I’ve even <gasp> forgotten to pick the kids up at school.  I started setting my timer or alarm on my watch for everything!  I’m in love with Timex’s Ironman watch.  I go through about one a year.  Over the years I’ve learned they don’t like hot tubs or hitting the water at 40 mph when you fall off a jet ski.
4. Use your kids for chores. My kids help out a lot because I hate chores with a passion.  We love MyJobChart.  We even used it to assign schoolwork last year.  It’s free, cute, motivating, customizeable…if only it actually vacuumed.
5. Goodwill (or any other local charity that will accept your junk). I had a major revelation this year that all those cutsie organizational peeps with perfect sock drawers can do it because they only keep 12 pairs of socks.  I have to admit I have a ridiculous sock collection for a chick who wears flip-flops 8 months out of the year.  Make Goodwill a weekly stop and you’ll be amazed how organized you can actually feel.

Check out the main post at BlogHer for other great resources, and don’t forget to enter the current sweepstakes!

I have to laugh that I was assigned this particular part of the Getting Organized campaign.  My first thought was, “Spring Cleaning?!?!  What’s that?  Do people still do that?”

Here’s my two-cents:

1. Do a daily 10-minute declutter (read: fill the trash can) every day of spring break.  I don’t completely understand the psychology behind it, but clutter induces stress.  Additionally, clutter hinders our cleaning.  It’s much easier to clean a surface if you can actually see it.
2. Take all that money you saved from giving up Starbucks for Lent and hire a maid service.  Seriously.  I used to be categorically against paying money for something I could theoretically do myself.  Then we won a silent auction item last year for a whole-house cleaning.  It was amazing.  It indeed took some pre- work (i.e., straightening up) so they could do  a deeper clean in the allotted time, but it was well worth it.  They even scrubbed my drip pans under my burners clean.  If you go this route, make sure to get a recommendation from someone and find a service that will leave a check list of all completed tasks.  Not all cleaning services are created equal.

Anything you have to add to “the list?” If so, head here to contribute to the conversation and don’t forget to enter the new sweepstakes.

1. Lower your standards.  I know…much easier said than done.  But let’s be honest.  When was the last time you stepped into a friend’s house and judge her for the half-finished train track on her floor or the breakfast dishes in her sink?  If you can remember, remind me not to let you into my house.
2. Simplify.  For us, this meant get rid of lots of stuff.  I know this isn’t rocket science but it’s so much easier to have an organized house when there’s less stuff to organize.  Have you ever noticed all those cute Pinterest ideas for organizing your wardrobe only work if you can fit all of your clothes into a single closet or dresser?  My flip flops would look great too if there were only 5 pairs.  We are working toward downsizing so that everything has a comfy home.  It means that all the trains will fit comfortably into their plastic box with no stuffing needed.  It can also mean simplifying meal ideas.
3. Always be ready.  This is not nearly as stressful as it may sound if your embrace #1 and #2.  In our house, we try to maintain the best we can.  This might mean a 10 minute power clean up of toys (which pretty much all have homes now).  It might mean wiping down your toilet and sink on a regular basis so their never overly grody.  We also keep our freezer stocked with frozen pizzas and chicken nuggets so we can always offer lunch if necessary.  Remember, low, simple standards.  No gourmet meals for guests here but we are quick to invite friends over…even if it’s last minute.
4. Make guests feel at home. As long as you can make your guests feel comfortable, they’ll come no matter what.  We’ve found that often coming to a home that feels “lived in” is comforting and makes them more comfortable to return the invite because you’ve set the bar at a reachable level.
5. Get to know your crock pot.  For dinner gatherings, we have a couple go to meals that are great for large groups.  Taco and pasta bars are two of our favorites, but you can also make awesome, large dinners in a crock pot.  Ours is a 6-quarter so it holds a ton.  My favorite recipe site is http://crockpot365.blogspot.com. 
6. Employ your kids.  And by employ, I might mean enlist.  Our kids love hosting, and we’ve helped them have ownership in the process.  It can be helping straighten up, helping with simple kitchen tasks, setting the table, greeting guests and taking coats, playing graciously with guest kids no matter the age or gender, and cleaning up after it’s all over.
7. Recover as you go.  I hate that moment when you see the tail lights fade down the driveway and look around your house at a toy-strewn living room, a sink full of dishes, and crumbs on the dining room table.  I try to have a mostly empty dishwasher that my kids can load as they help clear the meal’s dishes.  I’ve found that clearing the table and putting away food can help conversation flow better because your have something to slightly distract you.  It only take a couple minutes and then you can retire to a more comfortable setting with a glass of wine knowing that there’s only minor work to be finished on the kitchen front.

If you’ve mastered the stress-free gathering (or even if you haven’t), what are your best tips?

Stop by BlogHer to read other Life-Well Lived tips on stress free gatherings.  Also, don’t forget to enter the current Life Well Lived Sweepstakes.

There are, of course, the cliche answers such as take time for myself, live in the moment, get my priorities straight, exercise more, tell corny jokes…you get the idea.  But since I hate cliche answers, I kept thinking. 

Then there was the Vitamin Water moment yesterday.  I love Vitamin Water, but it’s much more expensive than normal water, and I usually can’t justify having it (unless it’s onsale at Costco and the Costco fairy delivers a case).  So was the case (pun intended) twice over the past couple months so I’ve been living the high life.  It occurred to me as I was driving down the road yesterday, savoring my Vitamin Water, that I may have to just start splurging for little things like Vitamin Water for the huge pay off of happiness.

So my answer could be, “Buy myself Vitamin Water.”  Nope, too shallow.  I kept thinking.

I realized that happy seems to be a shallow, fleeting emotion by my definition anyway.  I am happy or unhappy on and off hundreds of times a day.  I would like to think perhaps the question was getting more at a general state so I began to think, “How do you plan to create joy and contentedness for yourself in 2012?”

Mmmm…much deeper.  Service.  I want to take the focus off of me, myself, and I (and my family) and be intentional about regularly going outside of our comfort zones to serve others.  This will also require us to simplify.  In order to have time to give away, we need to pare down on how much maintenance our lives need.  This may mean giving away material things, clearing our schedule, and lowering perfectionistic expectations.  So that’s the plan for 2012.

How do you plan to create happiness (or joy or contentedness) for yourself in 2012?

Join the conversation on BlogHer or enter to win a Kindle Fire in the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes.

Did you see my random fact?

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We were even elligible for ads because our community of readers has become much wider than our original friends and family base.  Did you know we have over 200 different people visiting every day?  I know most of us don’t need another internet time vacuum.  But I’m a people person, curious, and downright nosey, and I’d love to know who you are.  Blogging is no longer a one way conversation.You’ll notice a gray box on the right that says “The Corkboard by Blog Frog.”  You can click the button that says “Visit My Community” to introduce yourself, find out who you’re reading with, and contribute to community conversations.  Happy chatting!