Huh, there's a game on tonight?

The World Series begins tonight. You can literally feel the excitement in the air! The entire town is decked out in Royals colors and my kids are wearing their shirts and jerseys. It's funny to think that the last time they were in a World Series, my sister-in-law wasn't even born yet. Neither was my sister! My brother was in diapers. Only five or six states had seat belt laws and babies were still put to sleep on their tummies.

The game starts at seven, local time, so we should still have plenty of swimmers tonight, although I wouldn't blame them if they skipped practice to watch the game.

Once I get home, I will probably put Cole to bed and write, since my writer's block seems to have broken. Here's hoping they win AND I get lots of writing done.

Who am I and what have I done with me?

I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a risk taker. I prefer my feet on the ground. I like things safe and predictable. I'm lazy and I don't do "hard." I don't put myself out there and I don't trust people easily. Oh, and you want to get together and talk about feelings and get all lovey-dovey? I don't do feelings... unless you are my therapist. Then, I do feelings but only because I'm paying you.

I'm not sure what the heck has happened to me but this has been the summer of risk taking. I finished my first novel, the first one I have finished in fifteen years, and sent it out to beta readers and an editor. Okay, yeah, she's a friend but she's a real, live editor and I am paying her real, live dead presidents to give me feedback. People. I do not do feedback for fear of rejection and people laughing at what I have written! I had enough of that growing up and I don't like it... but I've done it. (Granted, we're all adults and they won't laugh... but it's hard to remember that sometimes.)

I "networked" (the formal term- it's more likely that I made myself a pain in someone's behind) at church and with a local swim team. I went up to people and sold my skills, both as a catechist and as a swim teacher. The latter was a "cold e-mail" where I called a team about my daughter and ended up e-mailing them later that night, asking them to keep me in mind if a position was to open up. A position did and I interviewed for it on Friday before we left town. The result? I was offered a job coaching part of a (really, really big and well known) swim team. It's just a few hours now but the potential to move up is there. To work with this team, to perhaps coach some of their swimmers and learn under the coaches who send kids to the nationals and Olympic trials? I'd be stupid not to try!

We juuuuust got back from the Annual Trek Up North and took the kids to a kiddie amusement park. This year, three of the four are old enough to ride most of the rides and I encouraged them to try ones they may not like. George went down a water slide at the hotel. Joe went down the two story water slide at the park. Cami and I did the giant spinning swings. (My thoughts during the ride? "Trying new stuff is OVERRATED!" I don't like heights!)

So, big changes around here, both within the family and myself. Part of me doesn't know what is going on with me but part of me realizes that trying and failing is better than not trying at all. Plus, I've already experienced lots of hard things in the past five years, so sending out my book or "cold networking" with people is no-thing compared to, like, the NICU or all of 2013. As my therapist said, "If you're going to go down, you might as well go down epically!"

Here's to being EPIC!

The Rain in Spain...

Okay, there's actually no rain and five of the six of us are not in Spain. But... I ache and am bone tired so the fact that I can come up with a title is... a miracle.

Let me back the rain-train up. When I said "five of the six of us are not in Spain" what I mean is "Adam got sent on a business trip to Spain and none of us fit in his suitcases and I think his pictures are mocking us." Pictures like this:

This is the view from his hotel room. I love the man deeply but I currently hate him.

Backing way up to two weeks ago, Adam called me from work at nine in the morning. I answered the phone with, "Uh-oh."

"Why uh-oh?" he asked.

"Because a phone call from you in the morning means you either left something at home or you have bad news!"

I won't say it was bad news, because someone ill or dying is bad news. But the co-worker who was supposed to head to Spain en-route home from his job in Asia has... a toothache.

You bet I cursed like a sailor when I heard that. I mean, a dang TOOTHACHE. People. I gave birth and WALKED OUT OF THE HOSPITAL ten hours later. And he has to come home for a toothache?!

Adam clarified that it is more than a toothache; it's a "fly straight home, do not pass go, head straight to the oral surgeon and here's some antibiotics until then" type toothache. I had a little more sympathy for the guy but not much.

Thankfully, Adam called my mother to make sure she could come to visit while he was gone. She can AND his parents helped out! The last time Adam had to go away for over a week, it was an epic mess around here. Coupled with summer break, no camps, Therapy Week and so on, I was sure this would be worse but it shouldn't be, not with help.

Adam left early Saturday morning and I did the whole pick up and drop off from cello club and AG "camp." Then Grandma and Grandpa took the older ones. It was supposed to be from 2 Saturday until 2 Sunday but they got in at five! They had a great time with their grandparents.

I had the little boys and we went to Mass, where the only Commandment I didn't break was "thou shalt not murder." We left alive but barely. I was ready to strangle the boys. They KNOW how to behave at Mass and normally sit in the pew with their penguins and read the missal. Yesterday they ran around the cry room and were so loud. I did the "Receive and leave" thing before bolting. I took them home where we watched the cartoons the older kids don't like and had snacks for dinner. They went to bed late but that was the whole point of going to Saturday Mass- we could sleep in the next morning!

I was glad we could sleep in because I stayed up late watching The Book Thief. It was really good and followed the book pretty closely. I'm always amazed when a movie is nearly as good as the book. I think I can count on one hand when that happens!

Today I was super busy: mopped the kitchen floor, deep cleaned Camille's bedroom for when Mom comes, dusted my room, trimmed the bushes, watered the trees, swept the garage, cleaned off the back deck, trimmed back the mint plant that was about to overtake the deck, put on the sprinkler and painted the play set. Oh, and Higgins escaped two times because he is too small for his collar but I refused to go after him. If he's dumb enough to run away...

Tonight a friend I hadn't seen in ages stopped by. We ended up chatting for hours and the end result is a very crabby five year old who has been up two late nights in a row. Tomorrow will bring house cleaning and a much needed pool day!

Quick Takes Friday: Boom and Book and baby horsies

1. Want to know how to blow your four year old's mind? Make sure he is obsessed with Monster Trucks and then take him to see a REAL "car boom" and its driver. A new tire store is opening near us and for their grand opening, they have bounce houses and a real monster truck that will crush cars. Between the Strom Troopers and this, I think we have made Cole's month.

2. The end of the school year is approaching which means Adam and I are slacking off as parents. In the middle of all the concerts and tournaments, we keep forgetting to check homework folders. Sigh.

3. Remember the rustic cross cake? Yeah, I failed on Joe's birthday cake too! I can make a decent cake- like the blocks for Cole's first birthday or all those cake molds over the years. All Joe wanted was a simple round cake with M and M's in the middle, so when you cut into it, the M and Ms would spill out. First, the cake didn't want to come out of the pan. Then it didn't want to be frosted and completely collapsed. I joked that, given our penchant for Percy Jackson stories, I should just say that it is a Camp Half-Blood cake and Tyson the Cyclopes sat on it.

4. Thankfully, a friend came to the rescue and made an awesome cake with a Jayhawk on it. It looks perfect and Joe loves it. The sat-on cake went with Adam to work.

5. I have spent way too much time this week staring at a horse's butt. A friend posted a link to Stormy Watch and I have been checking the webcam for updates. Before I was born, my parents bred a friends' horse, and we all rode at one point in our lives, so I know a little about horses. My mom is now hooked too and we've been chatting about Stormy and her impending baby.

6. Tonight I should have three extra ten year old boys in my house. This is why I am doing laundry but not mopping.

7. Speaking of books, Joseph, Camille and I have vowed to read ten books each this summer. I am keeping track of my 2014 reads on Goodreads but we'll have an ongoing list on the wall for our summer reading. I'm almost done with the Heroes of Olympus seris and Joe needs to start it. After that, I have a stack on my nightstand but Joe needs a seris to read. Any bets that I can get him hooked to Harry Potter???

Trapped at Target

Yesterday, Cole and I made a trek to Target because... duh. No, really, we had a mission! Camille turns 8 on monday and we needed to buy her another small gift. (I ordered her big gift from Amazon- one of those diaries that will only open to your voice. She's been asking for one and Adam gave me a weird look when I told him what I was getting her. She lives in a house with three brothers. Enough said.) I also wanted to look at towels in person because we are re-doing the master bath this spring.

Yes, I realize how lame the first part of that sentence sounded.

We pulled up to Target and Cole started clapping. He said, "Mommy, I go Tar-get and get car BOOM!"

"Oh, you're going to Target to get a monster truck?" I asked, parroting back his words.

"Yay!" he cheered. "I get car boom!" I started laughing, realizing I had been HAD by a three year old.

We complete our shopping trip, which included a car boom AND Goldfish crackers, and then I realized . . . I hadn't seen my keys the entire trip.

At all.

We went over to the food court and I dumped out my entire purse, looking for my keys. Nothing.

Popping Cole in the cart, I went back to the car and saw my keys still in the ignition, surrounded by five locked doors. I looked at Cole. He showed me his monster truck. I sighed and called Adam.

Adam didn't answer his phone. Of course. I sent him a text, hoping his phone was on even if he was in a meeting. He didn't reply.

Cole and I trekked back into Target and parked ourselves in the food court with popcorn and a soda. While the monster truck ate popcorn, I sent a text to my sister for laughs ("I think this is every mom's dream and every husband's worst nightmare- unlimited time at Target!") and contemplated doing more shopping. But, hey, since Cole was happily eating and playing, I stayed put, thankful I did my errands right after lunch rather than right before school let out.

About fifteen minutes into our snack, Adam sent me a text that said, "I'm on my way. What Target?" I told him and added, "Are you going to mock me?"

"Yes," was the reply. I love you too, honey.

Adam showed up just in time and tossed me my keys. Cole cheered and showed him his new car. I've jokingly referred to Adam as the Prince Charming since then- he even has a white steed! (His car is white.) I suppose there are many, many worse places to be stuck than a nice warm Target with my littlest buddy (trust me, I've been stuck in some of them!)

Oh and the towels? That's a rant for another day. For over 12 dollars A TOWEL the things had better walk themselves to the washer!

Different this year

We put the Christmas decorations up this past weekend. It's become a tradition to do them on the 29th, the day George came home from the NICU. We don't really have any tradition surrounding our decorations, aside from arguing over where the tree goes and Adam trying to corral the ever-expanding Nativity set(s). (I have multiple and one that grows. My parents got me the wine vineyard this year- score!)

Because I love Christmas, I have lots of little things all over the house. But this year, I scaled back. The Jesse tree is packed away. I can't handle policing one more thing with the insane three year old who spent all Thanksgiving weekend jumping onto or off the couch. I didn't have the energy to put away our daily kitchen items to bring out the special napkins or towels. I left part of our snow scene packed away. Adam never puts out outside lights so that didn't matter... although I am on the hunt for wreaths to hang from the windows.

It's different but still festive. I enjoyed unpacking my nativities and hanging up the wire card-tree that I bought the year George was born. (A Christmas present to myself, as I love Christmas cards!) The wreath I made last year is up. I've mailed the first batch of cards and I find myself looking forward to making homemade marshmellows as gifts for the teachers.

Christmas is different this year... and that is really okay. It's still good.

Garage sale find

This post contains affiliate links. Buying items through the links funds our family and helps with the cost of speech therapy.

Adam is becoming a wiz at finding awesome stuff at garage sales!

I should preface this by saying that I have chamange taste on a tap water budget. Good thing I use Pinterest and am not opposed to used items. (Within reason.) Adam knows what I like and I have a habit of saying, "Oh, I want THIS SUPER EXPENSIVE ITEM!" to which he says, "NO WAY."

Take the Phil and Ted's Stroller, for example. I had been asking for one for years, to which he said, "NO WAY." I mean, click on the link. Yes, that is what it would cost with the doubles attachment. However, when he found one at a garage sale, for $75, he snapped it up knowing I would want it. I love this stroller. I can easily take the back seat off and use it as a single stroller. I really only need it for jogging and it is perfect for that.

In addition to the stroller, I have been lusting after a Dyson vacuum cleaner for years. Yes, yes. When our vacuum bit the dust, I asked for a Dyson. He said no. I asked for a refurbished Dyson. He laughed. When I pointed out that we have mega seasonal and dust allergies in the house and the Dyson would really help with that, he said that Consumer Reports didn't rate the Dyson as high as a Hoover. I said whatever, all my friends have and love Dysons.

He asked if all my friends jumped off a cliff with their vacuums, would I do the same.

I told him not to be silly; people who own Dysons would NEVER jump off a cliff with their Dyson vacuum cleaner.

Recently, this topic came up again when Costco had a sale on the very Dyson I wanted. It was 120 off. I e-mailed it him and again he said NO.

This weekend, I stayed home with a migraine + sinus headache. Adam took the kids out and when he came home, the kids said, "Hey Mom! Dad got you a Dyson!"

"Very funny," I muttered from beneth my ice pack. "How the heck do you know what a Dyson is?"

"Oh, honey!" called Adam in a sing-song voice. "Look what I got!"

Yep! He had been driving my garage sales and spied a Hoover carpet cleaner. Because our carpets are horribly stained and ugly. he stopped to look at one. And there... there was a new-ish Dyson Animal that had ONLY be used by a Kirby salesman to show how inferior the Dyson was to a Kirby.

Whatever. I don't want a Kirby. I want a DYSON and for 130 dollars total, they sold BOTH to him!

I am now the proud owner of a Dyson animal, minus a few accessories. It is so quiet! It cleans so well! The hose is so long! I can clean the whole downstairs without unplugging it because the cord is so long! It's light! It's purple! It's awesome!

I may just enjoy cleaning now.

Naw, not that. But I will enjoy my Dyson!

Labor... Weekend

It's Labor Day but it's been a full weekend of labor here!

A few weeks ago, my good friend showed me her Habitat for Humanity Re-Store find: a home office cabinet! She can put her computer in there and SHUT AND LOCK THE DOORS, keeping away from little fingers!

Envy, I tell you, envy! I had been looking and looking for ideas to clean up my home office, which was in the master bedroom. I couldn't find anything I liked, and could afford, in real life or on Pinterest. And she had it! Because K is a thrift store guru, I asked her to keep her eyes open for one for me.

Thursday, she called me and told me about a cabinet very similar to hers in a thrift store. I wanted to drop everything and run to it (screaming, "MIIIIINNNNNEEE!") but I couldn't. However, the next morning, I joined her at the store, looked at it, declared, "MINE!" and put 50 per cent down on it.

(And bought 3 books and an awesome flannel sheets with penguins on it that will be turned into Christmas jammie pants for the little boys. I digress.)

Adam wasn't too sure about this, because it involved lugging it home in the back of the van. My sister said, via text, that it was awesome and should totally be MIIINNNNEEE and that my friend rocked. I thus proposed a plan to my husband that involved the following:

Moving the large bookshelf in the playroom to Joseph's room;

Giving Joseph's old bookshelf to Cole;

Move the recliner in the boys' room to the living room;

Moving my home office out of the bedroom and into the playroom, thus creating a "love nest" in our room instead of a dumping ground (nothing says "romantic" like a hot wheel track in your bed and piles of papers two feet away;

moving my old desk to the playroom and moving the kids' computer OUT of the kitchen.

He agreed.

To all of it.

And you don't believe in miracles?! This is one, people!

Saturday afternoon, Adam emptied the van and brought home the home office unit. Our neighbor saw us struggling with it (the thing is a beast) and helped him get it inside. Thanks to my genius idea, he didn't have to haul it upstairs, just two feet inside to the playroom.

(We won't talk about what it took to get the bookshelf into Joe's room. Let's just say that's another post.)

I spent all Saturday and a good part of Sunday dusting, lugging stuff from the master bedroom to the playroom, organizing, dusting some more, making sure cords got put in the right spot, and purging. I realized I would make a bad DIY blogger because I just can't stop to take pictures of the mess and work in progress; I have to get it done now!

My mantra was and is: It has to get worse before it gets better.

We are 90 per cent done now. I have a few more boxes to go through and purdge. I have some pictures to hang on the walls in new spots... and an awesome Catholic saint ABC poster I want to order. The kids have a new homework and computer station that is in a spot I can monitor but not in the middle of the kitchen, where I will trip over them. I can now work AND be with the kids as the play! We have more sitting space in the living room!

The house is beginning to look great and I have some ideas for the empty spot in our bedroom where the desk used to be. (Cute bench? Adorable armchairs?) The only downside? Between the home office unit and the new dining room furniture, Adam has banned me from thrift stores for the time being.

Boo.

But he hasn't banned my friends from looking for me and for cute items for the empty space in the bedroom....

I went out to dinner... and all I got was a kitten.

A few weeks ago, a couple of my friends drop me a message, saying they needed a Mom's Night Out. Of course I am always up for this, and eagerly awaited our night out at a nice, no-kids-menu restaurant.

Dinner was yummy and I got to hold my friend's little four month old, who was more yummy than the food! We chatted, talked about vacations and kids and clothes, smelled on the yummy baby and downed a couple a drinks. After a few hours, my friends headed home to put their kids to bed (or, run errands in peace and quiet!) and I popped into a local drugstore to use the restroom before heading home.

When I stepped outside I heard a very faint, very quiet "meow." I don't hear cats very often; we live in the middle of suburbia and stray/outside cats aren't the norm. This also didn't sound like an adult cat; it sounded like a kitten. Curious, I wandered over to the bushes and this little furball stepped out.

Blinking the harsh lights, he looked at me before meowing and wandering off to the bushes near the drive through. It was clear the kitten was only 2-3 months old; old enough to be away from mama cat but certainly not old enough to survive on her own. Crouching down, I called to the kitten and, after a few moments, she wandered over and let me pick her up.

I completely expected a struggle but the kitten turned into a pile of kitten-mush and began purring. I took one look at the sweetie and knew I couldn't leave her there. I was right off a busy street and she could easily be hit. I stuck my head into the drugstore to ask the cashier if he knew about the kitten. He freaked out and said no, telling me to leave the kitten where I found it.

Um, no.

Slipping into my car, I turned it on and called my husband. I expected the kitten to freak out but she didn't. She sniffed the air and then settled into my lap, purring.

I told Adam what happened and that I wanted to bring the kitten home for the evening until I could see if she was microchipped. He said no, no way, absolutely not. Fine, I said. Who do I call?

"George's godparents," he said, in his "duh" voice!

Of course! They have a cat and had rescued kittens in the past. They would be able to feed and hold the kitten until we found her owners or a family.

It was nine o'clock at night when I called my friends. My first words were, "So, I found this kitten and I have no idea what to do . . ." and she said, "Bring him here, of course!"

I drove to my friends with this little kitten in my lap. I was so veeeeery careful but the little guy cuddled in my lap, purring the whole time. As I pulled into the driveway, she threw a paw over my arm, nuzzled into my elbow and drifted off to sleep. Oh, baby kitty....

My friends took the kitten, who immediately transferred her affections onto them. She was kitten-mush in their hands, purring and cuddling. My friend labeled her as a possible maine coone and we checked to see if it was a boy or girl. (We thought boy but the vet the next day confirmed GIRL, which is why I call her a "she" in this post. Yes, my husband is still harassing me about not knowing the difference!) They agreed to keep her until the owners came forward or we found her a new home.

The next 24 hours were spent seeing if the kitten was  micrchipped (no), healthy (so far, so good!), putting up ads to find her owners (not yet) and setting up appointments for kitten shots and spaying. After considering several people, my friends finally decided to keep her! She has a new home, a new name and is being spoiled rotten. I am the Offical Unoffical Cat Fairy Godmother and am thrilled that, even though we couldn't keep her, she is with some of the people I trust most in this world. I get to see the kitten when I visit and spoil her rotten.

What does my cat-allergic, cat-hating husband think of all this? That I'm nuts, but he knew that. However, since he once brought home a dog... when I was ten THOUSAND weeks pregnant with Cole... yeah, he can't say much!

The Great Zucchini Strike

My mother is an avid gardener. We moved with the military, but if we had a back yard, she had a garden. She even managed to get roses to grow in the volcanic dirt soil of Hawaii, which is no easy feat.

When I was little, she had a large backyard garden that my grandmother helped her tend. One summer they thought, "Well, if one zucchini plant is great, then SIX is even better!" They planted six, and the bounty of zucchini was endless. Between the two of them, they found every possible use for the vegetable- soups, bread, in main dishes, in place of potatoes in meals, grilled, baked, stewed. By the end of the summer, my father was pushing away his plate saying, "I just can't do this anymore!" I think it was a good ten years before he ate it again.

When Adam suggested planting some in our backyard vegetable garden, I said, "Fine. But only plant two and only if you agree to eat it.." He agreed- and planted more than two.

At our peak last summer, we were getting over six zucchini's a DAY and Adam would asked, "We're having zucchini and what for dinner?" At every meal, even if it came out of a cereal box, the children would question if there was zuc. in it. It was shredding six cups a day and freezing it in the deep freezer. But the end of the summer, the Herd was on strike.

Like, hard-core strike.

The kids would NOT, EVER, eat another zuc. Not in a muffin, in a casserole, in a pan. Not with chicken, not with ham. No zucchini pizza would cross their lips and they banned me from pinning anymore zuc recipes on Pinterest. Peas? Yes, please! Corn? Bring it on! Carrots? Yum! Zuc? NEVER EVER EVER.

Not that I blame then. I was sick of it myself.

Everyone cheered when the last plant died for the season. I got rid of the frozen stuff by offering (so kind! and generous!) to make homemade muffins for the teachers on "snack day." We saved none for ourselves because we are all so stinking sick of it.

But, of course, it's baaaaaack. We have AT LEAST two more plants in the backyard. They have blossoms. I'm considering paying the children $5 to "accidently" weed the plants out of the garden. Unless... anyone want some zucchini?

Quick Takes Friday: Quarantine on Summer Break Edition

1.

There are some perks to being under house arrest while waiting for your kid to break out in spots. Cole decided to use the potty! I put him in underpants to help with the spots that were being rubbed against his diaper. At dinner, I asked him if he need to use the potty and he said, "NO POTTY!" but then jumped down, ran to the bathroom and got himself on the potty. I MIGHT have done an End-Zone dance!

Since then, he's used the potty a handful of times. We have to keep underwear or a bathing suit on him or we have to play "Find the Poop." Since no one likes to play "find the poop", underwear it is!

Except for yesterday, when he was throwing temper tantrum after temper tantrum and I finally put him in a diaper. I am a lazy mom. But not today! Today we wear underwear!

Except I have a load of errands to do... maybe I should rethink this.

 

2,

Speaking of errands, yes we have to STAY AWAY FROM EVERYONE BECAUSE YOUR CHILD IS GERMY AND COULD CAUSE AN EPIDEMIC! OMG! I can take them to a few non-crowded stores until George breaks out. You'd better believe I am maxizing my ability to get out of the house while I can, although we so stay home most of the time.

 

3.

Since someone is using the potty, I washed and sunned all the diapers to get them ready to sell. Cha-ching! Nine years of cloth diapering is almost OVER. You're welcome, Mother Earth.

 

4.

Except Mother Earth probably hates me because a large rainforest DIED for my children's education. They cleaned out their desks and brought home all the end of the year paperwork. The older two had thick folders thanks to end of year testing results and report cards. The littles had IEP updates. I looked over the report cards and still cannot make hide nor hair of the 1-2-3 grading system. Why does my child who has trouble reading get all 3's (saying "mastered the subject") while the child who has clearly mastered subjects gets 2's ("progressing"). Can we say "subjective grading," children?

 

5.

It's been raining cats and dogs, turning our backyard into a swap. On a non-rainy day, Adam mowed the lawn and accidently unplugged the sump pump. The next day, we had a huge rainstorm and a small flood in the basement. Thankfully, the food storage, my dolls and clothing were far, far away from the flood. Joseph and I heard the water spraying and ran down to the basement. Yes, I stood in water to unplug the pump. Yes, it was stupid but, at that point, there was no where that wasn't water! The kids were AWESOME and helped haul up boxes, move stuff away from the water and bring towels. I ended up having to do several loads of laundry because of this but I'm just thankful it wasn't worse... and it wasn't sewage!

 

6.

Today is the first day of summer break and we were woken up at six am by a thunder storm and the boys, who were freaking out. We had to have the "If the storm wakes you up, come snuggle in bed, sleep on the floor, whatever, but do NOT freak out, turn on all the lights, yell, whine or demand food." Yeah. It went like that.

 

7.

Our summer routine starts Monday. I am busy typing it out, getting workbooks together (I am THAT MOM) and stocking up on food.

 

You know the routine on Friday's- head over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes.

Summer Bucket List

Woohoo! In a few weeks, the kids will all be out of school and within two days, I will be exhausted and wondering when school will begin again! Ha, not really. I like having them under foot. Anyway, to avoid a repeat of last summer when the kids didn't do anything because we were traveling so much, I've signed them up for a few activities and planned for several more trips to keep them occupied. Here's our Summer 2013 Bucket List:

 

 

• Potty train Cole
• Get the Herd on a daily chore routine. This mean you will be working, kiddos!
• Swim lessons for the big kids and, as an added bonus, the little dudes too! (right now, only the big ones are signed up. We'll see how the little ones do at the pool before I throw them to the WSIs.)
• Read the book Food Chaining and work on George's eating enough to keep him out of feeding therapy. (BTW, that's an affliate link, yo.)
• Go swimming- alot!
• Find a new TV show to be addicted to now that Call the Midwife is ending for the season!
• Take the kids to the aquariam or LegoLand. Bonus: Convince Adam to trvael to Omaha for their zoo/aquariam.
• Not cry buckets and buckets when my niece comes home from the NICU. Note: I will fail at this.
• Let the kids each have a special night at Camp Grandma and Grandpa.
• Clean out the closets and organize the masterbedroom and little boys room.
• Hang the gallery wall
• Keep running! We routinely get 100+ degree days in the summer so this will be pretty hard as I do not like heat or sweating. Bah!
• Work on building up the 31 business.
• Have us all eat more fruits and veggies.
• Vacation Bible School
• try alot of the summer pins, messy crafts and sewing ideas I have on Pinterest.
• Work on reading with Camille, speech and fine motor skills with the boys and keep Joseph up to speed.
• visit some of the awesome history musems we have in the area.
•  

The days can be so long with four kids under the roof all summer long. Plus, they eat me out of house and home, so I need to keep them busy! I think I need more ideas; hit me with your best ones!

What ideas do you have on your bucket list?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe: Yet Another Laundry Soap- Liquid Version

This is a picture of the powdered stuff
but I used the same jar for the liquid gel.

About two months ago, I began making my own laundry soap. The first batch of the powdered stuff worked GREAT. No problems and Adam and I were thrilled at how cheap and easy it was!

The second batch (a double) was fine until about half way through. I noticed that it was clumping in the dispenser and it was not dissolving. The clothes weren't getting clean at all. I wasn't amused since I liked this nice, cheap laundry soap and had no "normal" stuff on hand. I didn't want to go spend big bucks on the organic, all natural stuff when I had everything to make it at home! After talking with a few people, I finally ran it through the food processor again to make it super fine. It worked!

Take note: If you want to use the powdered version, really run it through the food processor until it is very, very fine.

Like I said, this worked but I noticed a white cloud billowing up every time I opened the jar. I would inhale this and start coughing, plus it left a nasty, powered taste in my mouth. Honestly, I don't care how natural this soap is, there is no way it is good to inhale into my lungs!

Then came the third batch.... and oh, the issues. I had to add the powder to the drum of the machine which is a big no-no for front loaders. Argh.

But I wouldn't give up. Oh no. The laundry soap WOULD NOT WIN!

I went back to the drawing board- Pinterest- and read about how to make this into a liquid soap. Using the same basic recipe that I had tweaked, I turned the powder into a liquid soap:

In a large stock pot, I put 8 cups of water on to boil. When it was gently boiling, I dumped in my powder mixture. (I had most of one batch left.) With a wooden spoon, I stirred it well until it was dissolved and then turned off the heat.

When it had cooled a bit, I poured it into an old glass jar I had. (Don't use basic plastic but you can probably use any container that is big enough for the liquid.) Allow it to cool and gel. It will look... like a clear jelly. The original recipe said to let it sit over night but I just let it sit all day.

Once it is completely cool, you can leave it in your cooling container or transfer it to the container you will use it from. I tipped the glass jar into the plastic container you see in the picture. I took another old wooden spoon and stirred it a bit and then brought out Fleur.

Who is Fleur, you ask? Why Fleur is my immersion blender! I heart Fleur. We make many wonderful things together, from soup to smoothies and now laundry soap!

I stuck Fleur right into the container and blended the soap. It whipped up nicely and turned the color of whipped coconut oil, a buttery off-white. It's a bit thicker than eggwhites but about that consistancy. It filled my laundry soap container and smelled... like soap.

I hesitated creating liquid laundry soap because it seemed hard (boiling water!!!!!) and the powder is so darn easy to make! But this worked well and (shhhh!) was kinda fun so I think this might be our soap from now on!

The Pretty Pink Princess get a New Room!

 

About a year ago, we began planning some major painting updates in our house. We had done the kitchen, dining room, master bedroom and Joseph' room, but the rest of the house was bor-ing. We have alot of white trim and white/beige walls or oak trim and... white walls. The only room that had color that we didn't paint ourselves was Camille's room. Her room was a light beige-y pink and both she and I wanted some more COLOR on her walls. Plus, she had gone through a phase where she wrote on her walls, toys and furniture. I wanted those markings GONE.

 

For months, she had color samples taped to her walls and she gave us input on what she liked and didn't like. She looked at the colors for several months before she told us what she really wanted.

 

And then we did... nothing. Life got in the way.

 

Around Thanksgiving, I began thinking of what she would like for her birthday. Adam and I tossed around a few ideas before I suggested we re-do her bedroom as a surprise. He thought it was a good idea and I went to town pinning ideas on Pinterest and asking our parents for help. Adam's parents agreed to help paint and organize while my parents agreed to keep all four kids overnight.

 

And I managed to keep it a complete secret from her! It was so, so hard because she asked for a birthday party the weekend of her birthday. I put her off, telling her it wasn't going to happen THAT weekend. She was in tears but I blamed it on her grandparents, my parents, coming to town. She pointed out that my mom had been in town on her actual birthday last year but I brushed her off. It was KILLING me not to tell her but we really wanted to surprise her!

 

Friday my mother and I began to empty and clean her room. Everything but her bed and dresser went into the master bedroom. I was twitching from the mess and clutter but I knew things had to get worse before they got better. Because we didn't want her to go upstairs, Mom and I ditched the boys with my dad, picked her up from school and took her to the mall where this happened:

 

 

Yep, my parents bought her Caroline for her birthday! On a side note, isn't the cut-out of Saige so life-like?! Out of the corner of my eye, it looks like another girl standing there! (Oh, and ask me some time about the creepy stalker saleslady at the American Girl store. It was... weird.)

 

That night we met my dad, Adam and the boys at the hotel for pizza.The kids kicked us out and we went home to finish cleaning out her room. I was "allowed" to place the painters tape around the trim. I say "allowed" because Adam and his parents are incredibly anal about painting. They have a Team Mind-Meld thing going when they paint a room and each knows exactly what to do and what the other Team members need before they need it. It is awe-inspiring and creepy. Mostly awe-inspiring, though.

 

The next morning (after a full night's sleep!) we finished cleaning and began painting. When my in-laws came over, they kicked me out of the room to begin the Top Secret Mind-Meld and finish painting. I huffed over to the master bedroom to get all crafty with printable labels, diaper boxes, and ten billion small pieces of toys (and doll clothes).

 

The small plastic shoe boxes hold small toys and LEGO. The diaper boxes, covered with wrapping paper,
hold her Bitty Baby and AG doll clothes. All this went into her closet, where she
keeps most of her toys.

 

For a room with two windows, two doors, that is not square and had two different colors going on, they finished painting quickly. While we were waiting for the paint to dry, my mother-in-law and I got busy with oil, rags and a Magic Eraser to get the marks off her dresser, nightstand and jewelry box. It took some good scrubbing but in the end the items looked like new!

 

Finally, we were ready for the best part: decorating!

 

 

The wall with the unicorn painting on it is actually a darker color than the other walls. You can only really tell when you look in the corner:

 

The green is painters tape.

 

Some more details:

 

The purple flower pillow is a Pottery Barn Kids find! It's so soft!

Close up of the unicorn painting my sister made for Cami
when she was a baby. Camille wrote on it when she was 3, so my
sister fixed it for her birthday.

dresser, newly cleaned!

But... how did she like it?

 

 

 

We've hardly seen her all weekend! She's been in her room, playing and crafting up a storm. She also swears she is going to keep her room clean but... we'll see!

 

Happy birthday to my sweet princess! We love you!

 

 

Details:

We were able to re-use almost everything from her old room; we just cleaned it up and reorganized. One of the things I love about her room is how many hand crafted items are in there, either made by woman who love her. Those rag dolls? Made by my aunts. The quilt? My grandmother. She is surrounded by love and that is priceless.

We also bought alot of the items when we first moved in almost 4 years ago. When possible, I've listed the prices of the items as I remember them.

Light pink paint:

Darker Pink/accent wall:

Purple curtains: $10/each at Wa-l Mart

black out curtains: about $15/each, Target

Doll lamp: priceless. It was my mother's, then mine!

Quilt: Also priceless. My grandmother made it and it's over 30 years old

Unicorn painting: priceless, an original made by my sister.

Bookshelf: about $25 at Bed, Bath and Beyond

Purple flower pillow: $10, Pottery Barn Kids

pink ribbon boards: $7/each, Target

Purple frame: $7, Target

Cinderella toy box: e-classifieds

Shelf: $25 at Target. It's really a rack to hold shoes and was found in the home organizing section.

plastic boxes on shelf: $5-7, Target

pink stuffed animal hanger and boxes on desk: Babies R Us (price unknown)

Letters: seven years ago, I got them on e-bay. Now you would look on Etsy!

Butterfly hooks: Target

desk: Sam's, ten years ago. It was my old craft desk.

Quick Takes Friday: Holidays By the Numbers

1. ONE sad husband. Christmas night he turned me to and said, "And tomorrow, the secular world will act like Christmas is OVER! It isn't over until Epiphany!" I just stared at him. This is a far cry from the Scrooge I married!

Don't worry, I promised to make Christmas last much, much longer by finally baking sugar cookies and playing my Jingle Spells CDs all the time! I am so giving like that!

 

2. TWO kids who gave me a great picture a few weeks ago:

 

3. THREE times a day I have watched the Polar Express since July. My parents gave the little boys a model Polar Express that runs on a track and says things like, "ALL ABOARD!" Tom Hanks is now haunting my dreams.
 
We also have THREE new boxes of cloth diapers! I have been hunting high and low for affordable cloth diapers for children over 35 pounds. Apparently, kids are supposed to be day and night trained by the time they are 35 pounds. Huh. Sure. Thankfully, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children gifted me with three boxes of hand me down pocket diapers in medium and petite/large. The larges FIT George! It's a huge help since we are at the point where we NEED more cloth diapers and I don't want to/can't spend a ton since someone (either one, anyone!) will be potty training soon.
 
4. FOUR time I am interrupted per page when I try to sit down to read. My mother loaned me the last two books in the Call the Midwife! series. They are so interesting! I love history told through the eyes of people who are not presidents or major leaders. It gives such a different perspective on historical events and life during that time period. The lives of the people in the East End of London during the 1950's is fascinating and the stories of the workhouses are heart breaking but a must-read to understand many social and political ideals of various time periods.Of course, there's enough birth stories and information about midwifery practices during that time period to keep this birth-junkie happy!
 
I also have The Casual Vacancy to read and I think my dad is sending me a book about Joseph Kennedy Senior. I've already read Mrs. Kennedy and Me (another great read!), The Kennedy Detail and Killing Kennedy.
 
5. FIVE things that Cole broke this holiday season: Three balls ornaments that I made several years ago (to be fair, he had help from George), one Royals "ball" and a glass bowl.
 
6. SIX people in this house who are starting to go stir crazy. We need to break out of this joint but don't want to brave the crowds and have nothing we need to buy. Plus, we're not ready to see Valentine's Day hoopla in the stores!
 
7. SEVEN days since I began to tell Adam I needed him to order more of my hippie-dippie-can-only-get-on-line shampoo. I am now plumb out of it and my head itches. That hippie shampoo is well worth the six to seven dollars a bottle I pay for it! Don't worry; we finally ordered more!


Recipe: Yet Another Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe

About 3 years ago, I noticed George and Camille began having dry scaly spots on their arms. It was winter, so I hit them up with olive oil but it didn't go away. Because I had been feeling uneasy about the chemicals in our laundry soap since George's birth (what was my baby breathing into his poor, underdeveloped lungs?!) I used this as an excuse to change their body wash and our laundry soap.

After talking to a neighbor, I switched the kids to California Baby and bought Charley's Soap on Amazon. Overall I was generally pleased with how it worked, although our clothes did smell "sour" every once in awhile. We never bought the 100 dollar giant box of soap, opting instead to buy the small jugs in sets of two. One 80 load container would only last 4-6 weeks. Yikes!

I finally got fed up with spending 12-15 dollars every month on laundry soap. About a month ago, we ran out so I got off my butt and bought the three items needed to make homemade laundry soap.

All of the items were bought at my local Wal-Mart and dollar store. (Cha-ching!) Everything but the dollar store items cost about $4/each. I spent as much as I would on an 80 load container of Charley's Soap but it made 3+ batches of laundry soap.

1 bar of Fels Napa OR Kirks Coconut Soap. (The former is found with laundry soap, the latter with regular soaps)
1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
1 cup Charley's Soap Laundry Booster (this is optional. More on this later!)
A funnel
A container with a lid. (I found a wide mouth plastic jar at the dollar store)

In a large food processor or by hand, shred the bar soap. When that is done, take off the shredding attachment and add in the metal blade. Chop the soap a bit, then slowly pour in the Borax and Super Washing Soda. (This is where the funnel comes in. It was easier to pour it through the small tube on the food processor.) Add in the Hard Water powder. Blitz for a few moment. Then, using the funnel, pour it into your container.

I took a sharpie and wrote "Laundry Soap. Use 1-2 TB depending on the soil level" on the front. I shake it every so often before I scoop out some to use. (I use an old Charley's Soap scoop.) I use vinegar for my fabric softener and that hasn't changed.

For 12 dollars (not including the items from the dollar store) I made 3 batches of soap. I have enough Borax and Super Washing Soda left to make another 3 or so batches. I will just have to buy more bars of soap. That's 15 dollars  and at least six batches of soap before I have to buy more Borax and Super Washing Soda! (This does not count the Charley's Booster, which I had on hand.)

Now, about the Borax. I go back and forth as to whether Borax is safe for the environment. However, because we have super hard water, I felt like I had to use it in the laundry soap or our clothes would not get clean. That's also the reason I used the Charley's Laundry Booster. I had bought it when I used their soap and had it on auto-ship via Amazon. I have 3 jars of it, so it should last me a long time!

Oh and how long does this take? Well, from the time I pull the dish pan that I keep the powders and funnels in off the shelf, to when I clean up, put the food processors parts to soak in the sink and stick everything back in the laundry room... ten minutes. With interruptions.

Cheap and easy and quick. Works for me!

Back to School Cleaning

Some people have Spring Cleaning Fever. Others get the cleaning bug around the holidays, when they need to pack up and purge toys. Me, I get the urge to clean right before school begins.

I have no idea what causes this. Maybe it is seeing all those lovely stacks of notebook paper on the school shelves. Maybe it's the smell of new crayons. Maybe it's the thought that a new school year equals a new beginning for all of us. Whatever it is, I begin to clean and organize in the middle of August, right before school begins.

A few weeks ago, Adam took Joseph to a baseball game and my mother-in-law had the other three children. I had a blessed few hours all by my lonesome. I went to Chiplote and gobbled their guacamole without anyone making "eeewwww, gross" noises. I tried to go clothes shopping but the stores weren't open, so I headed to Wal-Mart to put some Pinterest ideas into action.

I can't find the direct link, but I know I stole this idea from somewhere else. I took a clear hanging shoe organizer and hung it on the door of our downstairs closet (which is in a useless place but anyway). Then I grabbed the box that we just throw our hats, gloves and mittens in and organized everything. I put the little boys items in the lower rows and went from there. Mittens are matched, I know who needs hats and who doesn't and there's even a slot for mitten clips and other odds and ends that we always end up loosing. How organized will this stay? No idea. But for right now, it looks great and is shut away so small fingers can't get in there and dump everything on the ground!

Next I tackled the cess-pool that is the children's bathroom. No matter how often I clean it, or with what, it stinks in there. The shower curtain is dingy and the walls need to be painted. We can't do any painting until it cools off and I refuse to hang the pretty new shower curtain I bought until everything else is done... except for organizing it.

For their toothbrushes and toothpaste, I took a cheap plastic silverware tray and labeled each slot with their names. Each toothbrush has its own spot, as does the toothpaste. The red behind it is that back of an old shirt that I cut off. This keep the drawer a bit cleaner and I can wash it if it gets gross.

In the bathtub I bought a cheap shower rack but hung it on the BACK of the tub. It's out of the way of the water spray and easier for the kids to access. And, yes, so far they have been putting their soap and shampoo away!

 

 

Our front hall is useless when it comes to taking off shoes and coats. because it is so open, we have no where for a cute little coat cubby or shoe rack. The closet is in the living room and houses winter coats and board games. Besides, most people come in through the garage, which means that the downstairs bathroom, that is RIGHT off the garage, needs to hold shoes. I already have a hanging shoe rack for, um, shoes but we have too many to fit in the rack!

 

Enter, the red bucket:

 



 

 

For 5 dollars at Target, I got this giant red bucket. The tray under it goes right by the garage door during the winter so the kids can take off their muddy boots and not track dirt, snow and slush all over the house. The red bucket perfectly matches the bathroom and is purdy... and is currently holding sticks. I need the red bucket BACK.

 

Backpacks and other bags hang right inside the garage door, behind the fridge, on metal hooks. I found a white board with sturdy metal hooks on it it in the bathroom section of a home goods store. I plan to get the same one for the kids bathroom when the time comes. It's nice to hang everything up in one spot so they can grab it right before they leave for school. TKD gear and belts stay there too (in theory) so we always know where they are.

 

I have more organization plans too. I want to get all the lunch items, from non-perishable foods to sandwich cutters to lunchboxes, all in one spot. I need to clean and reorganize the main pantry. And there's the never-ending mess that is the dining/craft/Thirty-One room AND my upstairs office. Oh, and the shelving units Adam is putting up in the garage and . . .

 

I suppose home-ownership is constantly fixing up and taking care of your abode. It's expensive and pain sometimes but at least I have a good reason to spend time on Pinterest!





I am proud of myself.

I have zero computer skillz.

Zip.

Nada.

Yes, I have this here blog and a Facebook page but I could not create a web site to save my life. My friend's husband recently told me and a group of other bloggers how to make badgers for our sites. His directions are simple and clear... and left me going "uuuhhhh... I don't get it."

This mornig I was hit with a virus that no amount of Vitamin C could knock out. Yep, it was a computer virus, the new one that tells you the government is after you and can be bought off for a mere 200 dollars. (I didn't realize that the government could be bribed so cheaply!)

After a not-so-helpful session with a tech support guy, I Googled the name of the virus and how to get rid of it. Following the instructions, I used our Admin Account to download the anti-virus software and ran it. It took all day, but when I rebooted my computer, it wasn't shouting at me that the government wanted me to send them cash.

I (think, I hope so, maybe!) fixed my computer! By MYSELF!

Yes, I realize this is up there with cleaning my oven by hitting the self-cleaning button but  fixed the problem on my computer. MYSELF.

Now, we won't talk about how many M&M's my two year old ate to keep him happy while Mommy fixed the computer... but I did it. MYSELF.

Maybe next time it won't take as many M&M's!

Attack of the giant moths!

Okay, so maybe they aren't giant but we have moths! Ew!

I've been sorting clothes to sell, donate or toss for about a week now. It is slow going but we are going. I needed to see what the little boys needed for winter and once I got into the bins of clothes, I decided I might as well go through everything and pull out what I don't like, they won't wear and so on.

I pulled down Joseph's old clothes and reached in to pull out a shirt. I realized that a plastic decoration on the shirt was gone and thought that it had melted in the wash and I didn't know. When I pulled out another shirt, I realized they were moth-eaten! I quickly put the whole bag outside, pulled out what I knew wasn't worth saving (thankfully, only a few pieces) and tossed everything else in the wash!

I am so glad I realized that we had moths before I packed away the sweaters my mother made the kids! Someone told me to get the lavender dryer sachets from Trader Joe's and to pack those with the clothes to keep the moths out. Since four of them are 3-4 dollars total, it went and bought some. It's worth it to keep the moths out of our clothes!

What the dog ate

We have a giant, 120 pound pain in the . . . I mean, we have a giant 120 pound dog named Higgins.

Higgins has two hobbies: sleeping and counter surfing.



Higgins doing what he does best- nothing



I will fully admit that it's not so much "counter surfing" as "walking by the counter with his mouth open and shoveling food in." He's so big that the counter isn't a challenge for him. Food cannot be left out at all; we have to put it away before we leave the room or it is his.

Thursday I made two loaves of zucchini bread and 3 dozen banana zucchini muffins. I used farm fresh eggs, whole wheat flour, flax seed and coconut oil. In short, these breads were healthy and expensive. Oh, and perhaps I should mention that they were for the teachers at school and a friend who just had a baby?

I timed everything just right. I made the breads over an hour before we had to get George from school. I knew they would be cooked and would just need to cool while I did the pick up, took him to speech and went to the petting zoo afterwards. I stashed the muffins in the microwave but had no place to put the (still cooling) bread.

"Well," I thought, "I'll just pop it in the oven with the door slightly open. No one is home so it doesn't matter if the oven door is slightly open." I popped the breads in the oven, left it ajar, told the dog he was DEAD MEAT if he touched the bread and went on my merry way.

I mean, there's NO WAY a dog is going to go anywhere near an oven that was recently 350 degrees, right?

I was sorta right. I took the boys to George's speech and to the petting zoo. I was going to take George to TKD after the zoo, but I realized that I had forgotten the uniform. I ran home, ran upstairs to grab his uniform and ran to the basement to get some hamburger (which was really liver, ew!) for dinner. I put the hamburger in the (turned off) microwave for safe keeping and noted that the bread was still safely in the oven. I patted Higgins on the head, said, "Good boy!" and ran out the door.

Not twenty minutes later, I was home again. George had fallen asleep and could not be woken up for TKD. I carried him in the from the car . . .  and noticed the oven door was wide open.

And there were crumbs all over the door and my floor.

And only ONE loaf of bread in the oven.

There was ADAM'S DOG sitting happily on the living room carpet with an EMPTY bread pan between his legs! His look was pure innocence as I snatched my bread pan from his paws and dialed my husband at work.

"Do you want to know what YOUR DOG just did?!"

A loaf of healthy (expensive!) zucchini bread right down his hatch! I mean, I'm happy that he didn't break my loaf pan. But seriously? Why did he pick that 20 minute window to open the oven door and get out the bread? And how did he get it out without hurting the pan, the oven, the oven door or the other loaf of bread?

I'm beginning to think this dog isn't a canine, but human. A human with no impluse control but a human.

At least the teachers' party isn't for another week so I have time to make some more bread!