Excitement

Life has been rather exciting lately, and tonight takes the cake. My brother-in-law made a 3 layer bunk bed for my kids, and tonight is their first night in the bed. As you can guess that brings about a lot of excitement, and not really going to sleep.

My man's two brothers are at our house for Thanksgiving, and they along with the hubs decided that to cook the turkey they wanted to make a fire a pit in our backyard garden. Then bury the turkey in the pit, and let it slow cook over night.

So as I was hearing banging noises from children jumping out of beds upstairs, the boys were running around out in the yard making their fire.   Therefor it was my responsibility to handle the kids.   I went in there, and was helping them remake their beds, because they had thrown the blankets off.  As I climbed off the top bunk to the middle one, I noticed an ambulance out in our cul-de-sac.  It didn't have it's lights on, but I started wondering what was going on.   

Then I noticed the guys get out of the ambulance and walk toward my house.  "What?  There is an ambulance in front of our house."  I said.  At this all of the children were instantly looking out the window.  "There is a police car, and fire truck too!"  one of the children cried.  By this time it had clicked in my mind that this must be about their fire.  So that is what I told the kids.  "Oh, no! Is Daddy going to have to go to jail?"   One cried.   "No, he won't have to go to jail, but he may get a fine."   "What is a fine?"   "It means he will have to pay some money."

At this point I told the kids goodnight and went to make sure no one was hurt.  I get out there to 4 firefighters and the hubs and his two brothers, talking about some neighbor had called concerned they were burning the neighborhood down.  Apparently it was a yellow burn day (meaning low air quality), and so they shouldn't have a fire.  The firefighters were pretty good about it, and said that because it was in a pit, and they were using it for cooking, it was ok.  We may get a fine for having a fire on a yellow burn day, but that is up to someone else.  

I think we will always remember this Thanksgiving as the one where the fire department came. 

Gift ideas

Lately I have been downsizing on toys in our house.  With Christmas coming I am trying to come up with meaningful gifts,  that the kids will enjoy, but don't just add more stuff.  To some degree I a having a little bit of difficulty with this.    For Aurora I am making a binder dollhouse, and some furniture to go with it.  Cinderella got a dollhouse last year, but would like some more furniture.  I am afraid if Aurora gets a dollhouse and furniture,  but Cinderella only gets furniture, even if it is different, Cinderella will feel cheated.

Now Cinderella's birthday is right after Christmas,  and she could get th furniture then instead.   However, if thay is what I do, I am not sure what toy she could get for Christmas.   She loves to read, and she playes barbies.  That is about all she does inside for recreation.   Outside ahe rides her bike, or plays with the neighbors dog.

Any suggestions?

Pain in the foot

So I crashed on my bike like a week and a half ago right?  And the place where I was the most sore was my right foot.   I have large bunnions (a bone that sticks out to the side of my foot at the base of my big toe)  which cause me a lot of pain on a regular basis any how.   This was the area on my foot where the pain was strongest first.   Then the pain spread up into my toe and down into the arch of my foot.  There was no swelling or visible bruising,  and when the hubs gently probed my foot it didn't cause the pain to increase.   So I figured it was probably a sprain, and tried to not put too much weight on my foot that day.  But really even saying that is a joke of sorts.   I am mom to 5 kids, one of which is a nursing baby.  Even with t being a day that the hubs was home how so you not walk around?  But I did try to sit down with my foot up a lot that day.  After that day however I didn't really treat it different than I usually do, and figured the pain would eventually subside.

Well it still hurts, and today it was hurting enough that right now I have it up with ice under it.  I am not sure what to do however,  because I don't feel like I can just sit down with my foot up all the time.  I feel really lazy, and unproductive.   How do I cary my baby to bed if I don't walk?  How do I I do much of anything and stay off my foot.  It is so frustrating!

Recap

So lately I haven't been on top of doing my nightly blog posts.  Seeing as how this is the journal I am keeping right now, I need to do better.

So a lot has happened in the last week, and that could be a big part of why I haven't been writing.

The hubs brother has been having a hard time keeping a job.  He is an entrepreneur, and has tried starting his own company a few times.  And as is the  common thing with trying to start a business, they all didn't really get off the ground.  He has had a few other jobs here and there trying to support his family, but it has been a rough go.

His family has been living with my father-in-law, in a pretty rural community, and the hubs is of the opinion that that is part of why he has had such a hard time with employment.  So when my brother-in-law lost his most recent job last week, the hubs invited him to bring his family here, and stay with us, while he looks for a job in a more populated area.  

So in a whirlwind, it has been decided that they will be coming, soon.  We just aren't sure exactly how soon.  There are a few variables that have to be figured out.  But they could show up as early as Thursday.

I think we can fit them in our house, but it will take some rearranging.  Thus I have been spending a lot of time and energy lately getting things squared away.  I don't mind doing it for them, but it does take a lot of time.

So that is the big thing that is happening around here.  

Then on Saturday, the hubs and I needed to run some errands, and figured it would be a good time to get a sitter, and spend some time with each other.  Well the sitter got here and asked where Spike and Guy were.  I had been so busy rearranging things that I wasn't as on top of it as I should have been.  I knew they had been outside, but I wasn't sure where.  Last I had seen it was in the back yard.   So we went to look.  No kids.   We looked all around the house, all around the yard, around the street, no boys.  Then we noticed that not only were they missing, but their bikes were missing too.

So leaving the girls with the sitter, we took Scooter, got in the van and started to drive around the neighborhood looking for them.  The whole time I was praying that we would find them and they would be OK.  We finally found them, they had left our neighborhood, and were on their way to our church house.  Guy said it was because Spike wanted to go to the church.  

Now I don't know if Guy was just trying to make himself seem innocent, or if he really has a problem of allowing himself to be led down the wrong path by his 2 year old brother.   Either way we have a problem.  He often blames Aurora as well for when he does things wrong.  And I know she can be a mischief maker, and does often suggest breaking rules.  I really don't know what to do with those kids some times.

Late Nights and Naps

Last night there was a Relief Society Meeting at the church.  There was a child care set up, and my children ended up going.  This was not intended.  Our family had gone over to the church earlier for the hubs and I to have temple recommend interviews.  Mine finished just in time for the Relief Society meeting to start, so I headed off leaving the kids with the hubs.  Except for one small thing.

Aurora, Spike, and Guy all took off through the halls, and found the child care.  The thought it looked fun, so they joined in.  The hubs came and found them later, and the people who were watching the kids, didn't have any problem with the kids being there, so the hubs took Scooter with him and went and ran some errands.

Thus, my children were out later last night, and didn't get to bed at their normal bed time.  I also didn't get to bed at my normal bedtime, and then I was woken up in the middle of the night by Scooter, and this morning at about 5:20 by Aurora, who wanted Mom.   So today I was kind of tired  (OK really tired) and ornery.  And the kids were really tired and ornery.   Thankfully I was able to get a little bit of down time, this afternoon, and even got Aurora to take a brief nap.

Tonight, I did a lot better at getting the kids, at least in their rooms at a decent time.   Hopefully I can get to bed before too late as well.

How to have kids and social life go together.

I realized this morning that I have a hard time balancing making sure my kids needs are met and finding ways to interact with other adults.  Particularly when we are at some kind of outing that the whole family goes to.

This last week we went to two such outings.   One was a chili cook off, and the other was an extended family get together.   In both cases meals were served, but the tables were set up in such a way that I just sat by my husband and kids to take care of their needs, and didn't get to visit with anyone over the meal.   At the cook off I felt like I needed to keep my kids in line so they weren't running around being crazy.  I don't know how do that and visit with others.

At the family thing, it seemed like as soon as the meal was done, people were ready to leave.  At this point I felt like I had to get my family rounded up and get a move on.  

I don't blame anyone else for how these situations turned out.  It is just what happened.  I don't have any hard feelings either.  I just know that being a stay at home mom, and me personally with what needs I have, social interaction is a big need of mine.  And I am not sure how to balance interacting with adults and not neglecting my kids.


How do you, or did you, or would you do it?

Wipe out

Today I was feeling somewhat stressed because of the kids, so I left them with the hubs and went for a bike ride.  I had a nice ride, and my legs were definitely feeling exercised,   when I headed back home.  I was probably about half a mile from home, riding along the sidewalk, when  I swerved slightly to get around a tree that was blocking my path, and leaned a bit too far to my left side. Down I went, off the sidewalk and onto my side on the road.  I skinned up my palms, bruised my knees, and sprained some of my toes on my right foot.  My bike also got kind of bent out of shape.   The front wheel turned so that it wasn't in line with the handle bars anymore.   I figured it was probably fixable,  but not rideable in its present state.   I was able to get back up and hobble back home trying to steer a crooked bike.  Finally when I was almost home I saw a neighbor who helped me straighten it back up.  I will probably be sore for a few days, but I am greatfull that I wasn't more hurt.

A Picnic in the French Countryside

Last week I took the hubs for a picnic in the French countryside.  OK not really, but we pretended it was the French countryside.    We really didn't go very  far from home.

We used watercolors to paint the scenery, 

Ate brie on begets with blueberry compote

Drank sparkling cider

 And enjoyed the view

The Ruby of Fire

For my birthday I wanted to have a Mystery Dinner Party.  I told the hubs this, and I also told him that I wasn't the keenest on the fact that pretty much the ones I can find,  are all murder mystery.   Not only are they murder, but they often have immorality involved.  I wanted to do something that wasn't murder, and was clean.

So what did my awesome man do?  He wrote one just for me.  Pretty cool huh?  I helped him iron out details once in a while, but really it was him.  Last night we had the party.  We invited some of our friends to come for the unveiling of the "Ruby of Fire."  There were 4 couples all together.

Our Characters:

General Sean O’Flanagan

A flamboyant Irishman, immigrated to America during his youth.  Retired after a prosperous career as an army officer.  Owns and lives in the renowned O’Flanagan Mansion.  Married later in life to Lady Marie O’Flanagan.

Lady Marie O’Flanagan

Accomplished theater makeup artist, hairdresser, and costume designer.

Wife of Sean O’Flanagan, close associate of actress Dolly Malone.

Dolly Malone

Famous theater actress that starred in “The Purple Fingernail.”  

Close associate of Lady Marie O'Flanagan.

Jeeves

Butler recently hired on by the General.  Has taken interest in the inimitable

Dolly Malone, who frequents the O’Flanagan Mansion as a regular guest.

Professor Thwimbleton

Scholar of archaeology and ancient studies, highly interested in

any news of the recovery of ancient relics, valuable or mundane.

Hot Lips Harriet

Eccentric Artist.  Girlfriend of Professor Thwimbleton.

Gerard Buchanan Herefordshire the Third

Quirky curator of the Winchecomb Museum of Ancient History.  In case you have to use his last name, it’s “HUH-fud-sure”, not “her ford SHIRE”.  Trust me, if you make that mistake you’ll be hearing about it for weeks.

Veronica Le’Clem

Jeweler and collector of minor gemstones.  Rumor has it there

is more fire between her and the curator than just the ruby.

It was a lot of fun, but didn't' quite play out the way we had imagined it. I think we learned a thing or two about writing this sort of thing, and some kinks that will need to be ironed out if this script is ever used again in the future. However it was a great night with friends, fun and food.

Deserted

Tonight while trick or treating Cinderella noticed the next house was dark.   She said to me, "not this house, it looks deserted,  and by deserted I don't mean with a cake on top."  Silly girl.

I Don't Care

OK, so maybe I really do, and that is the problem.  But I am trying not to care.   Care what other people think that is.

I was trying to do the declutter in 91 day challenge, but then I discovered something today.   I have a life beyond decluttering my home.  I have laundry that needs to be done, I have kids  that need me to play with them.  I have children that need me to drop everything at different times during the day and come to their aid.  And I do those things because I am a MOM.   I love my kids.  I will do things for my kids.  But no I am not getting my cupboards all the way decluttered today.   Maybe by the end of the week they will be, but I am making no promises.

I know that my house is a mess.  I understand it isn't as clean as I want it, or what many people may think it should be.  But I WILL play with my kids.  I WILL come to their rescue, and I WILL teach them to clean along side of me.  If you have a problem with the state of my house, feel free to come and clean it.  However if you don't want to clean my house, don't judge me for not cleaning it either.

Throw a fit dance

I don't know about at your house, but at my house, when children get upset and throw a fit, it looks pretty much the same.   This morning as Spike was throwing a fit, I made up a song.  The tune may be from another song, because that often happens when I make up songs, but the words are pure Julie.   It might not work with my older kids, and it might not work next time, but at least this morning it defused the situation.  In the video they are hamming up quite a bit, and not really acting the way they do when they are really throwing a fit, but I think you will get the idea.

The Pantry

Today I de-cluttered the pantry.  This one overwhelmed me even thinking about it, so the hubs started helping me this morning.  He didn't know I wanted to get a before picture, so my before picture is actually kind of a in the middle picture.  However thanks to his wonderful help I finished.

Here you go:

Before:

After:

De-cluttering the fridge

I had a friend refer to me to a blog post yesterday talking about de-cluttering your house in 91 days.    She told me she was going to try this, and I decided that since I have been trying to de-clutter that having a plan, might be helpful, so I would join her.

The first week the goal is to de-clutter the kitchen/dining room/ pantry.  On Monday it is the Fridge and Freezer, so that is what I worked on today.

Here are my before and after pictures.  Note:  I was not cleaning, I was just getting rid of the junk, and expired stuff.

Before:

 After:

The Fridge side looks better than the freezer side, because there is only so much you can do with plastic bags of veggies, which is what is most of what is in there.  However if you look at it in person, it is much easier to find what you are looking for.  

Actly

Spike has picked up a new word lately.  His word is actually, only he says it something like, "actly".   Today he was playing a coloring game on my mom's Kindle.  He was coloring a picture of a jack-o-lantern, and he had colored the whole picture green. He turned to me, and said, “It's a keepy pukin, it's geen, but atcly it's orange.”

Sleeping arrangements

What kind of sleeping arrangements do you have for your children on a regular basis?  Our girls share a room, and currently they share a bed.  Tuis is an issue of discontent as far as Aurora is concerned.   She wants her own bed.
Do any of your children share beds?  If they do how do you handle this kind of issue?

Cavities and root canals

Today I had to take Guy to the dentist to get a cavity filled.  Turns out his cavity was so big that the dentist had to do what he described as a baby root canal.  He also had a small cavity in the next tooth over that they also filled.   I wish I could get that kid to do a better job brushing his teeth.

More clothes

I spent today doing laundry,  and going through yet more clothes. Hopefully by the end of this week I will have them all sorted out.

Bike Riding

Today the hubs gave me a couple of opportunities to ride my bike.  I think I rode it about 4 miles overall.  Not bad.

Frustrating

Tonight our elementary school had their fall festival.  I have to give a shout out to the parents on the PTA who did an awesome job putting it together.  I am sure that was a lot of work.  Personally I am not on the PTA, (I have enough other things on my plate right now)  so I can't complain about how they do things.  They do the best they can.

On that note however, I found myself feeling quite frustrated tonight.  Not frustrated at individuals, but frustrated at how things played out, and things that were really outside of my control.   Cinderella is in her schools chorus.  They were told to be on the stage by 6 tonight.  So we got her there, and then stuck around in the gym/lunchroom/auditorium waiting for her to perform.  We had no idea when that would be, and so we felt like we couldn't participate in any of the activities outside of this room, for fear of missing our daughter perform.    For some reason, unknown to me, they didn't perform until about 6:40.  So we were stuck in the gym for 40 min, with 5 kids who wanted to do other things.

Once we finished there, we went and stood in line for the hay ride.  This took another 20 min, which is understandable.   However, there were some kids who cut in line right in front of us.  I wanted to tell them to scram, but one of the kids bore some resemblance to the man who was in line in front of us, so I wasn't sure if they were with him or not.  I am guessing not.  The guy didn't acknowledge them at all.

After this we went to look at the pumpkins my kids decorated, and then we headed to the media center, where there were gift baskets set up for a silent auction.  I wanted to bid on something, and help support the school, especially seeing as how I never got around to donating anything for any baskets in my kids classes.  Well we got there with 30 min to look through baskets.  It was crowded, and I was trying to look at baskets without losing my kids in the crowd.  I found a few that caught my attention, but I couldn't find the hubs, and I wanted his opinion before I placed a bid.  By the time I found him, and we started looking at baskets together the auction was almost closed.  We got only half way around the baskets, and they announced it was closing.  So I just hurried and wrote my name on the list of the one in front of me, which had caught my attention, but wasn't my first pick, because I felt I had no other choice.

Then I had to stick around for them to figure out who was the winner on all of the baskets.  By this point in time, the hubs tells me he can't find Guy and Spike, so he goes off to look for them.  Then he comes back to tell me that they are gone.  That is never something you want to hear at a crowded public place.   I feel like I can't leave, because I need to pay for my basket, so I sent Cinderella off with her dad to find her brothers, and stayed there with Scooter, and Aurora.  Just after they leave, I hear the principle announce over the PA system that he has my boys in his office.  I felt like everyone looked at me and laughed.  Kind of a knowing laugh, but a laugh all the same.  I felt embarrassed, that all these people now knew that I am not able to keep track of my kids.  But at least they were found.  I am very grateful for that.

Little Clean Upper

Last week we bought a used bike trailer, that converts to a jogging stroller.  So this morning I set it up as a stroller, and put the boys in, then Aurora helped me push, as we took her to school.  Then I took a little walk/jog/run around the neighborhood.  When I got home, Spike wanted to play Little People.  Those toys are ones that I keep locked up (the kids each have one type of toy that they enjoy out, and the others are locked away.  I will get them out for them if they ask, and the other toys are picked up.  Otherwise our house becomes a disaster of toys.)  I told him we needed to pick up first, so he helped me pick up the toys that were out.  We got the Little People toys out, and played for a little while.  Then he wanted to play something else, so I told him we needed to pick up the Little People.  He put them all back in the box, and I put them in the cupboard.  

Then he played cars.  Scooter was getting involved in ways Spike didn't like, so I moved Scooter over to the other side of the room, with some other toys, while I folded laundry and interacted with Spike.  He played cars for a bit, and then wanted to do something else, so without me even asking, he picked up all the cars before getting out the next item.  He did a really good job doing this.  

I just wish I could get all of my kids to clean up like this when they are playing together.  

Clothes, clothes, and more clothes

When I have a child change sizes of clothing I box up the old size to be used when another child reaches that size.  This saves a lot of money, but also takes a lot of time and effort.  As well as space.  The problem is, as my children grow, the pile of clothes grows too.  Sometimes  they will outgrow a shirt before the pants, and so the outfit gets separated.  Then when the next child reaches that size, I don't always find all of the clothes I put away, and so sometimes  I end up having to buy more.  Or I have a child who is shaped different than a previous one, so the clothes don't don't fit right, and so I buy more clothes.   Today I spent a large portion of the day sorting clothes so thatI can make room for the summer clothes the kids just wore.  Can I tell you how exhausting that is.

Pumpkin Patch

Today was the preschool pumpkin patch field trip.  The kids really enjoy this one.  I got a few pictures of the kids.  In the top picture the kid in the green hood is Spike, and the girl rubbing her eye is Aurora.  In the bottom one, the witch is Aurora and the green hood is Spike again.  I am not sure if he was in the cat at that point, or standing in front.   Aurora wanted to get in each and every hole, and have me take her picture.  So I don't remember if they were both behind the frame, or just one of them.

I not two!

So Spike is 2. And that being the case, quite often when there is a debacle between him and another sibling, when the other sibling gets talked to about it, they will often say, "But Spike did....."  To which we respond, "But Spike is only 2."

Well last night after such an occurrence, Spike was being taken from the room, and said, "I not two, I not two!"  "How old are you?" he was asked.  "His response, "one!"   Then tonight a similar thing happened.  Only this time when being asked how old he is, his reply was, "twee."

I wonder sometimes if he understands more than we give him credit for.

Smoothie Picnic

Yesterday we were out running errands at lunch time so we decided to stop and get a light lunch at Jamba Juice.  The weather was nice, so we sat on the grass strip in front of the restaurant and enjoyed our smoothies and pretzels.  The kids even found an area that kind of dipped down like it should be fore water drainage, and had fun playing in it.  I am glad we were able to have some fun while the weather was cooperating.

Presidents

When I was younger my mother used educational place mats.  When I bought a nice tablecloth a few months back, I followed her example and bought some for us to use, and hopefully keep the tablecloth looking nicer longer.
One of these place mats shows American Presidents.

Cinderella has enjoyed learning the different names of the presidents, and will often ask questions, or quiz us on them.  IE.  Who was the 25th President?

Well this morning she had been looking at the place mat and came to me saying, "Did you know there were two presidents with the name Harrison?   I am really familure with Benjamin Harrison, because one of my favorate movies is "The One And Only, Genuine, Original Family Band"  which takes place during the election between Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison.   I found myself trying to think of what the other Harrison's name was.  I thought  William, no  I know wasn't Ford's first name Harrison.  Harrison Ford, that sounds right.   So I told Cinderella that.  She went and looked.  No it is William H. Harrison.   So then I told her that Ford's first name was Harrison too.  She went and looked and came back.  By this time I remembered that the president Ford, was Gerald Ford, to which she informed me was correct.  So then I was thinking, who is Harrison Ford.  Then I remembered.

Silly me.  How well do you know the presidents?


On the note of presidents I thought I would share another funny antic dote that happened lately.  The other night we took the kids out for Pizza.  At the restaurant there was a television showing basketball.  Cinderella looked at it and asked, "Is that Obama?"   I told her no, Obama doesn't play basketball.  She then asked me what he plays.  I told her politics.  She then asked, "What is politics?  Is that lying?  Politics and Advertisements are kind of the same.  They are both just different words for lying."   Oh the mind of an 8 year old.

Little Tornadoes

Today I had all 5 kids home.  The school has their fall break today though Monday.  It was crazy.   The hubs decided that since I have been running on little sleep lately, and we didn't have to get the kids to school at a certain time, I could sleep in.   He also slept in.  When we woke up we found that Spike and Guy had redecorated my kitchen floor with dry erase markers.  They also marked the chairs, with everyone's name, so you can know which chair is yours.  Spike also colored all over the white board with permanent marker and crayons.  

I don't know why, exactly, but my boys in particular, are little kegs of dynamite.  Those boys are crazy at times.  They have so much energy, they go around my house like tornadoes.  When the weather is good, I try to send them outside so they can get rid of their energy in constructive ways.  However on rainy day's like today, they spent most of their time indoors.  I would try to get them to work, and use their energy in those kinds of ways, but that was like trying to herd cats.  :/

At one point I shut both boys in their room, but then they were just destroying their room.  So then I took Spike out, and told Guy he needed to get dressed and clean his room.  He did get dressed and his room did get cleaner, but I think the mess was just too overwhelming for him.  By lunch time, he still had stuff all over the floor.  I finally told him he had made a good try, and he could come out, if he could behave well for the rest of the day.  But if he started being wild again, he would have to come back in his room and finish cleaning it.  He was pretty good the rest of the day.

Wow!  That was only day 1.  I still have 2 more days, plus the weekend.  I need to figure out what to do with my kids if the weather stays yucky.

Laundry

I have done a terrible job keeping on top of my laundry lately.  Wednesday is my laundry day, and I usually don't get all of my laundry finished that day.  Well this morning I did't really have anything pressing on my schedule (that I knew about.  I spaced a dentist appointment.)  I was going to get my laundry done.  I worked hard all morning helping the kids do their jobs, cleaning up as I went.  I was feeling really productive.

Then my day ground to a screeching halt, when I went to rotate the wash and found this:

That is the inside of my dryer.  It doesn't normally look like that.  The black marks are melted crayon.  Yep! Missed a crayon when I was sorting the wash (or maybe Spike threw it in with the clothes when he helped me put them in the dryer.  Don't know, and it doesn't really matter).
Well, I was afraid if I put the clean clothes from my washer into that dryer, I would end up with wax on them too.  So I did some research. Run your dryer for 15 min, then clean off the softened wax.  There were many options I came across:  Some said "magic eraser."  Some said "WD-40.  On a cloth- don't spray it in the dryer, because it is flammable."  Well that one scared me.  I wasn't going to rub something that flammable around in my dryer.  I also read that you can take a powder cleaner like comet or ajax, and using a toothbrush scrub the wax off.     I opted to try the magic eraser, because I had one on hand.  It worked some, but there was still a lot of wax that didn't want to come off.

I was also concerned as to if there was anyway to salvage the clothes.  I took a look at the batch, and there wasn't a single item in there that didn't have crayon marks on it.  So more research and I found that if you soak your clothes in laundry detergent, borax, and Oxy-clean, it should take most of the crayon stains out.

I didn't have any borax or Oxy-clean on hand, so I went to the store, bought those and some ajax to clean the dryer.  When I got home I decided to get the clothes soaking

 Well I have a front loading washer, so I couldn't soak the clothes there.  So I filled up a bathtub with really hot water, 1 cap full of detergent, 1 cup borax, and 4 scoops Oxy-clean.  Soaked the clothes in there for 1 hour.

While the clothes were soaking I turned my attention back to the dryer.  At this point my older kids got home from school.  Cinderella was intrigued by what I was doing and asked if she could scrub the dryer.   So I let her.  I thought I might have to go behind her and get what she missed, but her help would be greatly appreciated.  

Once she was done, I just needed to clean all the ajax out of the dryer, and send it on a test run.  I put a few cleaning rags in there to see if I got any crayon on them.  Nope!  Came out all clean.  I was then able to rotate my clothes from the washer into the dryer.
Here is a picture of the inside of the dryer after it was all clean.

Doesn't that look a lot better?

I took the clothes from the tub, put them in the washer, and ran them through the Heavy Duty Cycle, without adding anymore detergent.  Probably 2/3 of the clothes came out clean after that.  The last 1/3 I put back in the washer, with a little Oxy-clean, more detergent and ran it Heavy Duty again.  I haven't checked it yet to see how it turned out.

So no I didn't get my laundry all done today.  But I was reminded that you need to learn to flow with what happens in life.  Even if it is a crayon in the dryer.

The Mom Medic Course

I think it could be really helpful if there was a course that you could take as a mom (or dad), that teaches basic medical skills.  CPR (I know you can take classes on this subject), How to remove slivers, how to tell if your child has an ear infection, what a healthy throat looks like verses a sick one, ect.  I think this could be very helpful, and reduce the number of unnecessary doctors visits. 

Scooter hasn't been feeling the best lately, and today he was extra fussy and pulling on his ears.  So I called up the Dr's office and took him in.  Nope, he is fine.

Flu shots

Today I took the kids to get flu shots.   They all cried. However, I would rather have them cry than get sick.

Conference weekend

Seems when ever I get out of my regular routine,  I don't do a very good job keeping up with blog posts.   This weekend we apent some time with the family at my parents house.  Enjoyed the LDS General Conference.   I love having the opportunity to listen to a Prophet of God speak. 

Worthless

There was a book fair at the kids school this week.  Today Guy was talking about it and told us that "there was a book there that says how to defeat zombies.   But since zombies aren't real that book is worthless."

The spinny wheel of death

My computer has decided it doesn't like the wi-fi right now.  It is really frustrating, any time I try to use it I get the spinny wheel of death,  that just goes for a long time, and gets no where. The weird thing is, all of our other wireless devices work fine.
Maybe tomorrow it will work.

Dino Facts- In His Brain

Yesterday we were taking the kids to a dinosaur museum.  On the way there, Guy was reading "Detective Dinosaur."  The book has 3 different mysteries that Detective Dinosaur solves.  The first one is the case of the missing hat, where Detective Dinosaur is looking for his hat.  The first place he looks is in his trash can, where all he sees is a banana peel.  At this point Guy stops reading and says, "Why is there a banana peel in his trash can.  He is a T-Rex, and they are carnivores, and a banana is a plant!'

At this point Cinderella pipes in,  "He's got Dino Facts.....  In his brain!"  It was a lot more funny to hear, than to read.


Another funny, not at all related to dinosaurs.  The other day I was in the bathroom with Spike.  He was looking at the floor, and said, "That a bunny!"  "What's a bunny?"  I asked.  "That!"  He said pointing, "That a bunny!" He then got down closer to what he was pointing to, and said, "Oh, that a bug.  That a bug bunny!"  (By the way my kids don't know Loony Toons.)   'What's up doc?"

A bed, or not a bed? That is the question.

My boys are really rough on beds.  Guy has had 2 beds that he has broken (one of those being tonight), and one that was taken away from him so he wouldn't break it.  Guy and Spike have slept on a queen bed, a queen futon, and twin beds.  They have also slept on mattresses on the floor, and just on the floor itself.  

Guy is not a very good listener, and really not the best at obeying.  He does what ever he gets into his head, without thinking about what the consequences will be, or how his actions will affect those around him.  Tonight, he and Spike, were supposed to be going to bed.  Now unless someone knows something I don't know, all that I can do is get them into their bedroom, and make them stay there.  I can't make not play, or go to sleep.  Sure I can threaten, and  cajole.  I can bribe, and plead, but really when they go to sleep is their decision.  They tend to rough house, and wrestle, instead of settling down.  I really don't know what to do about it, if there is anything that I can do.

Tonight, according to them, they were climbing on Guy's bed, and jumping off onto the floor.  Then the bed frame came apart with one bolt missing, and the other bent totally out of shape.  Needless to say he doesn't get to sleep in a bed tonight.  Spike's bed is still in there, and from the sound of things, they might be repeating their actions.  But short of taking away his bed too, what do you do?

Good weekend

I had a good weekend.   Spent a lot of time at my parents house.  I really enjoyed getting to spend time with them.   It doesn't happen all that often.

A Bike! A Bike! I Got A Bike!

So somewhere about 20 years ago I got in a bike accident.  My pant leg got caught in the chain of my bike causing me to lose control of the bike, fall onto my side and skid down the middle of the road a few feet.   Let's just say it wasn't that pleasant of an experience.   Since that time I haven't really ridden a bike much.  I think I rode once with a friend when I was in my mid teens.   I think a big part is I was afraid.


Well the hubs bought me a bike.   And I rode it.  And I didn't crash.  And it was actually fun, in a scary kind of way.  I will tackle this fear, one step at a time.   Or maybe that should be one ride at a time.

Not praising the child but giving encouragement

Today in my reading I learned about how praising your children actually has negative effects.  Instead of praising your children you should give encouragement and praise their actions.  Instead of saying "Your so smart, you got an A on your math test", you should say "You got an A on your math test, good job.  You worked really hard on studying and now it paid off.  Doesn't that make you feel great!"

That kind of thing.  So I tried to put that into practice with Aurora today.  When she helped me put Spike's socks on, I thanked her for getting the socks, and trying to get them on him.  And when she did all of her jobs on her own, with me just telling her what to do, but not going around with her and helping her do them, I told her "Good job, you did all your jobs by yourself.  Doesn't that make you feel good!"  (Or something like that.)

Crazy Day

Today was a rather crazy kind of day.  It was kind of an off day for most if not all of the family.  This morning Guy wasn't interested in getting ready for school, and it wasn't until it was time to leave that he decided he should get dressed.  I am guessing they were probably late for school.  

Aurora was very insistent that she was not going to wear a jacket this morning.  All I did was hand it to her, and then she started screaming at me that she's not wearing a jacket today!  She then threw her jacket onto the sidewalk, where I picked it up and tucked it into the bottom of the stroller.  I didn't tell her she needed to wear it, but she screamed and kicked at me all the way to preschool.  Then when we got there, she refused to stay.  She was screaming and crying when I left.   When she got home later, had her lunch, and wanted to play the computer (her normal routine), I told her no.  I told her I didn't like the way she acted this morning, she wasn't nice to Mommy or her teachers.  And because she acted like that she doesn't get to play the computer.  She then cried and screamed at me, about how she is "GOING TO PLAY THE COMPUTER TODAY!"  I just got myself some lunch, rotated the wash, and folded clothes.  I would occasionally acknowledge her feelings, but I never gave in.

Then this afternoon, Cinderella wasn't feeling well, and that might have been part of it.  But we went to pick up the Hubs from work, and he wanted to go to a local dinosaur museum.  However both Cinderella and Guy had ignored me telling them to get their shoes, and got in the car with bare feet.  Needless to say, we couldn't go to the museum.   Cinderella screamed at us the whole way home, about how unfair we were that we wouldn't go home, get her shoes and then go back to the museum.  When we got to our neighborhood, I had gotten tired of her screaming, so she and the hubs got out of the car, and walked the rest of the way home.


I am not sure if this is all due to the changes in parenting that I am trying to make, or if there are other factors involved here.  But lets just say it was kind of crazy.

Parenting

This week we have been implementing a new system of parenting.   I have been reading "Have a New Kid By Friday"  by  Dr. Kevin Leman.  We started trying to implement ideas from this book yesterday,  and life has been crazy.  I have been amazed at times as things I wasn't sure would work did, and we have had some serious drama as kids are testing new limits.  He claims it can get pretty bad  for a few days but then gets better.   I am looking forward to the better part.

Birthdays

My birthday is approaching rapidly, and it has gotten me thinking on the subject of birthdays.  I know that often times I think that because it is my birthday it should be different than other days, that people should reach out to me.   However my birthday doesn't always go the way my mind has planned, and then I let myself get disappointed.

This has gotten me thinking, what do I want out of a birthday.  A birthday is an anniversary of ones birth.  364 days of the year, are just regular days, but one day out of the year is your birthday.   I think that most people like to feel special (extra special) once in a while.  And a birthday is an opportunity for such things.   I don't think (at my age) it is about presents.  Presents are just more stuff.  Sure I can appreciate them, but they aren't what matters most.  What matters to me, is that people took the time to think about me, and let me  know that they care.

In this day and age of technology, this often happens with a simple message on Facebook.  Now I am not against such messages.  I think they have their place, but sometimes I think we take the convenience for granted, and don't deliver messages in the most meaningful way.   A few years ago, on my birthday I spent quite a bit of time visiting some people, one of the people that was there, said very few words to me the whole time I was there.  Later when I got home, and was checking my Facebook page I noticed a "Happy Birthday" message from this person written during the time we were spending together.  I appreciated this message, but it would haven meant a lot more to me, if they had wished me Happy Birthday in person, while I was there.

A phone call, or a visit, where applicable mean more to me than a little message on the computer screen.  I understand that not everyone has the time, or availability to do those kinds of things, and so the Facebook message can be meaningful.  

I guess what I want to communicate most in this post, is are you as a person, really taking the time to let the people you care about let them know you do, on their birthday, or any other day for that matter?  Or do you simply take 5 seconds to write a text or message on Facebook, and then forget about them for another year?

Yelling

Aurora and Guy together are trouble.   I don't know how to getthem to obey.  When they are together,  and I ask one to do something,  the other encourages disobedience.
Today  I was trying so hard to be nice.  I kept asking them to do their jobs, and they kept ignoring me and doing whatever they pleased.   I gave them consequences.   I made them take a timeout,  I told them they didn't get lunch,  until the living room was clean,  no results they just kept ignoring me.  Finally I l9st it, and yelled at them.   They finally started obeying,  but I felt awful for giving in and yelling.   I felt like crying.   I want my kids to listen and obey, but I don't want to yell.  Is that asking too much?

A mommy day

Several years ago I was reading a blog, and found a mom who was saying that to balance the Mommy/Kid time, what she would do was one day of the week was her day.  On Friday's she would still do housework, and do things with her kids, but she got to decide what they did.  I decided to try this out today.

This morning I mopped the floor, and made pumpkin bread.  Albeit my bread didn't turn out, but I made it.   Then after lunch I sat down at the computer to write down some ideas that have been rolling around in my head.  Just a little bit of time for me.    Most of my days are not like that, but maybe I can make Friday's like that.  It is worth a try.

The Things Kids Say

A few weeks ago I was picking up Aurora from her preschool.  She got into the car, said "Hi," to me and Scooter, and then she said "hi," to Spike.  Then Spike responded, "Me not Spike! Me Guy!"  This repeated every time she would say "Hi, Spike."  Then finally she said, "Hi Guy,"  to which he responded, "Me not Guy!  Me Gogo."

Last week after I made her lunch one day, Aurora said to me, "Thanks, your a cute little mom."

Another day she told me I am the best mom ever.

Tonight Aurora and Guy were having pretend phone conversations with some of their cousins. (The cousins were just being imagined.)   And one child would be talking on the phone, and the other would come up and try and yell over the other one into the phone, to the cousin "they" were talking to.  The response would then be, "I haven't shut it down yet, your talking to the wrong person."   I never thought of ending a phone call as shutting it down.

A Picnic 2 Days in a Row

Well today we ended up picking up the hubs from work again.  Aurora suggested that we do another picnic, to which the hubs readily agreed.  Therefore we went on another picnic tonight.  This is going to have to come to an end soon, because the weather isn't going to hold out much longer.  But we shall make the most of it while it does, and we have time.

Picnics and kitchens

Tonight we took the kids on an impromptu picnic.  I think they had fun.  This might be the last picnic of the season, depending on how the weather goes.  
I am working on getting my kitchen back into order after painting.   It can get discouraging if I let myself think about all I still need to do, but I am making progress.  That is the part I need to focus on.

Do I show appreciation?

So lately I have been feeling unappreciated.  As a mom, I do many things around the house, that people just expect, and no one says "Thank you"  they just get upset when I don't do those things.   I know this is a common thing mom's deal with.  That doesn't make it any easier to deal with though.

Today I was thinking about it, and realized that I don't always do the best job of showing appreciation to others for what they do.  And if I don't show it, where are my children supposed to learn it from?  So I am trying to do a better job of showing appreciation, and saying thank you.  I know it won't be easy, but I am going to do it.

And the toys went goodbye!

So tonight I found myself feeling frustrated with my children.  Guy and Aurora were playing in the yard and it was time to come inside.  I asked them nicely to come it, to which they just ignored me and kept on playing.   Normally at this point I would go out there yelling, and drag them into the house.  I didn't want to do that, however, because i know that is not how the Savior would have me act.     So I took a minute, and then I went out there, asked them to come inside again.  This time they started giving me the excuse that they couldn't get off their swings, so they couldn't come in.

I then kindly helped them off their swings and into the house.  I then asked them to get in their PJ's.  They told me "no!" then proceeded to go downstairs.  I had a few things that I had brought in from the yard that I needed to take care of, so I took care of those items and then went to find the kids.  They were down hiding in Aurora's room, trying to block the door so that I couldn't come it.   I got the door open, found Guy, put him over my shoulder and started carrying him up the stairs.  The hubs saw me at this point and took Guy to finish getting PJ's on.  I then went back down, cornered Aurora and helped her into her PJ's.  

Then as I was going back upstairs, I passed the mess of the playroom.  Not only was it a mess of toys, but they had also dumped out my laundry basket, so there were socks all over the floor, and someone had left uncapped glitter glue on the floor.  Lets just say, the laundry that had been clean now has glitter glue on it.  And my laundry basket was filled with toys.   By this point I felt like if I asked them to clean up they would just tell me no again, and I didn't want to deal with that.  So I just went and grabbed a few garbage bags, went back down and started putting the toys in.  I got the toys all cleaned up.  The glitter glue and markers that were left on the floor are thrown away.  I am not sure what will happen to all of those toys yet.

The kids did ask what they can do to get their toys back.  I told them if they keep the family room, and their bedrooms clean for a week, they can have some toys back.   We will see how this goes.

What did you do today?

Today, with lots and lots and lots of help from the hubs, and one of our neighbors I painted the kitchen.   OK to be honest, the neighbor did most of it, then the hubs, and I only really painted behind the refrigerator.   Most of the other time I was cleaning, getting food, and taking care of Scooter and occasionally Spike.

I hope to post more pictures of the kitchen in a future post.

Parent daughter date

A few years ago we decided to try to take the kids on an outing,  just one kid and mom and dad,  for their birthday.   We haven't always been very good at getting it done close to their birthday,  but we try to do it anyway.
Tonight we took Aurora out for her evening out.  Scooter came along just like he does on all our dates right now, but other than him it was just her, and mom and dad.

We took her out to dinner, to a museum,  and then a play.   I think she enjoyed it, but had a hard time with the play keeping her interest.   She kept asking if it was the end yet.

Pets

Today there was a preschool field trip to a pet store.  I have to admit puppies and kittens sure are cute.  But they can sure be expensive!  Cinderella wants a chihuahua.  Those dogs were like $500-$600 dollars,  just for the dog.  I know it costs money to have a pet, but I really don't want to pay that much for a pet that my kids will get tired of, and then I will have to take care of it.
I told Cinderella that if she can keep her room clean for 30 days in a row she can have a pet.  I figure if she can stay motivated that long we stand a better chance of her actually staying motivated to take care of the pet.

How do you make time for you?

I have been feeling kind of stressed lately.  I don't really get much down time, and I feel like I am going from the moment I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night.  I am told, "you have to take care of yourself, so that you can take care of others."

I believe that is true, but I am having a hard time figuring out when to take care of myself.  How do you do it?

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Proverbs 15:1

This evening at dinner the kids were running around being loud and crazy.  Often when this happens I lose control and yell at them.  Today I think I was inspired to try something different.   Instead of yelling at them I said, in a voice so quiet I wasn't sure they would hear me, "Anyone not sitting in their seat when I count to five will be done with their dinner."   Then I commenced counting, still in my quiet voice.   The older kids responded first,  and quickly moved back to their seats.  Aurora caught on at about 3, and went back to her seat.  I was actually quite amazed and how well they responded.

I then decided to experiment, and went for the rest of the evening speaking in a quiet voice.  Guy often frustrates me, by getting involved in something and then tuning me out.  I often end up yelling just his name in trying to get his attention, then I feel really frustrated.  Well this evening, he was playing down stairs, and I just stood at the top of the stairs and said his name in a quiet voice.  I may have had to say his name 2 or 3 times, but he responded a lot quicker than he does when I yell.   Also there were only a few times during the evening that he had to ask me what I said.  Most of the time he heard me well, and responded in a positive way.

This isn't to say that he didn't whine when I told him it was time for bed.  He still did.  But overall, he went to bed without a fight.  So did Aurora.   I felt like our evening was a much positive experience overall, and I think a big part of it, was me speaking in a soft voice instead of yelling.

Grandparents Day

Yesterday was the official Grandparents day, but today Grandparents Day was celebrated at my kids school.  Grandparents were invited to come and spend a half hour with their grandchildren at school.  My mom came and visited Guy and then Cinderella.  They really enjoyed having her come.

Afterward she came and visited me.  I really enjoyed that too.  I don't get to see a lot of my mom, and so I relish the opportunities I do get.  Aurora, Spike, Scooter and I took my mom out to lunch at the cafe that is at the Hubs work.  It was a nice visit.

Overdone

I think I pushed myself a little bit too hard yesterday.  I was feeling it today.  Hopefully tomorrow is better.

And the rains came a tumbling down

Today I still needed to do some shopping, and the kids were all acting as healthy as can be, so we loaded up the family,  and we all went shopping together.

Afterwards we decided to take the kids on a picnic up one of the local canyons.   We  parked a short walk away from an awesome waterfall, went to see the falls, then decided to find a place for our picnic.  At this point the storm hit.

This was no little storm.  Winds were tearing through the canyon somewhere between 50-70 miles per hour, ripping tree branches and leaving their debri blocking our path.  Lighting lit up the sky, and rain and hail came pounding down on us, as we hurdled down the path back to the safety of our car.

Guy was leading the way, several feet ahead of the rest of us.  Cinderella followed a few feet behind.  I was carrying Spike as Aurora clung to my hand.  The hubs was barreling down the path with the stroller careening wildly  with a terrified Scooter tucked in the front and picnic basket perched precariously on the back.  Suddenly a blast of wind rushed through the trees, knocking the basket to the ground.  At this point Spike , fed up with the whole situation tried to leap from my arms.  We sat him down on the rear stroller seat, and Aurora climbed on behind him.  The hubs then took off again with the stroller, leaving me in the dust flying in the wind.  I picked up the basket and took flight.

By the time we reached our car, we were all drenched, and the kids were all screaming.   We piled in, and then passed out the food.  The kids finally calming down, and fealing pitty on those still out in the storm.

When we finished eating, we started driving down the canyon.  Traffic was really slow, and backed up.  We were wondering what was going on.  When we reached the foot of the canyon, we found the roads flooded with muddy water, some places over a foot deep.  We passed parking lots that looked like swimming pools, roads that looked like rivers.   Some places water was even bubbling up from the street drains.  It was crazy.

I am very greatful we all got home safe and sound.

Contagious

Right now I am frustrated with contagious diseases.   So as I posted yesterday,  both Cinderella and I have been diagnosed with strep throat.  Neither of us are contagious any more, but that doesn't mean that others in my family don't have it, and are contagious.   And we have no way of knowing,  except waiting.

This means we can't really get out and be around other people.
Right now this frustrates me because tomorrow the girls in my family are getting together to spend the day shopping.  Now I am not a big shopper, but I haven't gotten the kids school clothes yet, and I don't have very many opportunities to get a break from my kids, and hang out with the girls.   I was really looking forward to tomorrow.

But I have a sister who just had a baby via c-section,  and her 2 year old is at my parents house right now.  I don't want to get her sixk, and have her take it home to her mom and brother.   I also have a pregnant sister-in-law, who will be going, and I don't want ro get her sick either.   (Not that I want to get anyone sick, those people are just more susceptible rigt now.)

Strep

This morning Cinderella woke up with a sore throat.  I had been told that strep was going around at the elementary, so I decided I should probably keep her home, and take her to the doctor, to see if she had strep or not.

Turns out she did.   Then I got to wondering.  I haven't been feeling the best lately (yesterday and today), and I kind of have a sore throat, so I went to my Dr. to check and make sure if I had it or not.  Turns out I do to.  Isn't that exciting?   I get to be mom, with a sore throat, and headache, but at least I know why, and hopefully will soon be feeling better.

Potty Training again. And a baby that moves

This morning Spike was complaining of some discomfort in his diaper area.  I then decided to put underwear on him instead.   I then just kept telling myself that it is OK to clean up messes.  If I don't leave him in underwear, he won't ever get potty trained.  

It wore me out, but we made it through the day, not using diapers, until I put him to bed.


Scooter is a crazy kid, when he wants to get somewhere, at least in his room.   I changed his diaper in there this afternoon, and left him on the floor while I went to throw away the diaper and wash my hands.   By the time I got back to him, he had somehow scooted into his closet, and barricaded himself in there.

Walking

Today I walked at least 2 miles.  1 mile around the neighborhood and 1 mile around the house.
The hubs has a pedometer which I put on today before walking Aurora to preschool.  I clocked how far I walked, and then I left it on, while I went about my daily chores.
I made sure that I took a route to the preschool and back that covered at least a mile.  It went slightly over.  Then at the end of the day, well at least when I took off the pedometer, ( I still did a bunch of stuff after that), it said 2 .10 miles.  Not bad.

15 minutes of swimming

Tonight Aurora told us she wanted to go swimming for family home evening activity.   Being the last day the outdoor pools are open, we figured we could go there.  We hurried and had dinner, got ready and left.  By the time we got to the pool, they had already closed for the evening.  So Aurora wanted to try the other outdoor pool.  We drove there, and it looked like they were still open.  
We started heading in, and were stopped by some people coming out.  They said the pool was going to close in 15 min.  but we were welcome to use what was left on their punch pass if we still wanted to go in.  So we took them up on it and swam for 15 min.  It was short, but fun.