Gawrsh...
I don't know who it was, but I'd like to say thanks! Someone nominated me for a Bloggy Hoss award over at An Island Life! If you go to the spot marked "Nicest Personality" (aw, I'm blushin!) you'll find my name on that list! I sure would appreciate it if you'd give me a vote :) You'll have to use her contact form since there is a glitch in the poll voting. And scroll through the other categories... you might see a few blogs you recognize! Vote for them too while you're at it! And if you decide not to vote for me in the "Nicest Personality" category, may I suggest Diane from Sunshine on My Shoulders? She's a pretty darn wonderful gal! I'm sure the others are too... but if I can't win it, I would like to see her take home the honor of Bloggy Hoss Nicest Personality Award!
Some of you may remember when I was nominated last year for most talkative, but I didn't win... I did have fun making some great signs... like this one

Or this one...
Or my personal favorite... I'm sure that if I get some free time tomorrow (or maybe I'll just MAKE some free time) that I'll create a few more banners so that you can remember to vote for me! You have from now till the 12th.
It's not like there's been any BIG campaigns this year that you 're sick of ... vote for me!

Apathetic
Have we become to desensitized? Do we see scenes like this so often in movies, TV, and video games that we forget a real human life is at stake here? Watch this video.

The police car that came along? Technically it was responding to another call. They don't have record of ANYONE calling 911 to report this accident. They all just stood there and gawked as a 78 year old man lay on the pavement bleeding.
Red came in while I was watching this. I asked him what he could see happening. He said, "No one is helping... why aren't they helping?" We talked about how sometimes people are afraid and about the best ways he could help in a situation like this - running to get an adult or finding a phone to call 911. He's a pretty sensitive kid and maybe this is bad of me, but I was pleased to watch his eyes fill with tears when he asked, "Will he be okay?". He still has a sense of humanity and compassion and I am so thankful for that.
This post kind of ties in with my last post. Our homes need to be places where our kids can learn to be sympathetic, kind, merciful human beings. Apparently that's not a lesson they'll learn whilst out in the "real world". I know there are good people out there, but I went back and counted the cars that went by or were coming the other direction and turned around (10 counting the scooter) and the number of people that just stood there (about 15). Seriously? 25+ people that didn't even touch the guy or pick up a phone? Grrr...
What about you? Does this video shock you at all? Are you surprised at the crowd's reaction? I took a poll on AOL and only 64% of people were surprised that no one helped him. 21% said they weren't surprised AT ALL! And 15% said they were only somewhat surprised. 95% of those people did say they would have helped. 4% were a maybe and 1% said no. Apparently the entire 1% of the population that wouldn't help was sitting on that corner.
So, what do you think? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this...

Common Sense
Some people think I'm too strict as a parent. And maybe I am. I'm really careful about the things I allow my kids to read, listen to and watch. I try to let them make choices so that they can learn and grow, but I also know I don't want a bunch of crap in my home. I have friends that say, "Well the kids are going to hear all that craptastic stuff at school and from friends, so what's the big deal if they hear it at home too?" I disagree. I think it is a big deal. I feel like my kids should have a safe place they can escape to. They need to have somewhere to get away from all the crappiness this world throws them! And I want that place to be our home.
So, I'm strict. I'm constantly asking you people for book suggestions. I try to look up lyrics on popular songs so that I know what my kids are chanting along with. And I spend a lot of time checking out movie content on sites like Kids in Mind - which gives a rating for violence, language and sexual content.
Now, you guys have always been good for the book suggestions, but, I've always wished that there was a similar rating site for books. As I've mentioned before, Red is an avid reader. And he's read a few books that I now wish he wouldn't have. I probably would have eventually let him read them, but they weren't appropriate for his 9 year old brain.
Welp, today I stumbled across a site that reviews and rates books! Woohoo!! AND it reviews current movies, DVD's, TV shows, games, music and websites! I'm really excited to dig through and see what I can find. I don't know how accurate it is yet, but I thought I'd pass it along in case anyone else had been searching for something similar. It's called Common Sense Media and besides the ratings, there are also suggestions for things to talk about with your kids (after you've seen a movie, read a book, played a game, etc.) and articles on how to become a more media savvy parent. I'm hoping that it will give me some good ideas and suggestions on how to let my kids explore without exposing them to all the trash that's out there!
What about you? How do you decide what media is appropriate or not for your kids?

I Shouldn't...
...but I'm gonna anyway... today Red had some homework about the digestive system. It was pretty hard for him to get through. He brought the page in for me to look at. But, I was in the middle of getting my buttocks kicked by Baby Girl in Mario Party 8. So, I asked him to read the question out loud. Now, I'll be honest here. I didn't catch the first part of the question... but I did catch the part where he said"... in the large Einstein."
Pause.
Me: "What did you say?"
Red: "It's a question about the small and large Einsteins."
At this point I'm laughing my head off and of course, he doesn't see why this is so funny.
I had to retell the story to Hubby when he got home. He laughs and then I turn to Red and ask...
"Do you know who Einstein is?"
"Yes. I do now! He's that monster guy."
He then proceeds to put his arms out in front of him and moan and groan.
I'm laughing so hard at this point that I can barely say...
"Do you mean Frankenstein?"
Ah. This is why I had kids. For my own personal amusement. To his credit, I did ask him again if he knew who Einstein was. And he said...
"He was a genius."
Correct! But the process to get to that point was just what this tired momma bear needed!

Conundrum of Sorts
California is weird. I'm sure you already knew that, but I'm here to reinforce that statement. In this lovely state a child can start kindergarten when they are 4. They don't have to be 5 till December of that year. I am not sure why this seems logical to our education department, but it does. Every other state has an August or September cut off. But not here. And I'm struggling.
You see, Baby Girl's birthday is in October. So, technically, she can go to school next year. And I know that academically, she's ready. It's the social stuff that I'm worried about. I didn't put her in preschool this last year. It was expensive and I'm cheap. So, we worked on things here at the house. Which is why I'm not worried about her academic skills. But she just seems too young for school. I know there will be other kids just as young as she is, but I want her to be really ready. Also, I don't know if California will be our home forever. It might, but I doubt it. If we move to another state she would be the youngest kid in her grade and I'm not sure how that would play out.
I don't want to send her off to school so that I can have some free time or because it's what all the other mom's I know are doing. On the other hand, it would be nice to have some free time to do what I want :)
I'm also wondering if it's just me. I've always been the mom to say, "HURRAH FOR SCHOOL! Let's have year round school! Send them out the door!!" I relish my time while the kids are at school. In the morning Little Bug and Baby Girl are hanging around. In the afternoon Little Bug goes to school and Baby Girl is here with me. She is a wonderful little shopper and she is always willing to dole out the compliments "Mom - you look like a princess in that dress!". I'm wondering if I'm feeling some sadness about my baby growing up and I just don't want her to go. I don't know if I'm ready to be totally alone for a big chunk of the day.
So, tell me. What would you do? Would you send her off to school and hope that the other kids and the teacher help her with social skills? Or would you wait a year for her to be a little more mature? Or would you take a deep look at yourself and see if you're being a tad selfish?
Sigh. This growing up stuff isn't as fun as it used to be...

Friends, Food and Fun
We had such a great time with our friends that came to visit! When we lived in Oregon, they were two doors down from us. They now live in Utah, so the trip here isn't too bad. Baby Girl and their oldest daughter N used to be great friends. It was fun to see that they were able to jump right back in and play without any reservations.
On Thursday night I made the PF Changs chicken that usually goes in the lettuce wraps... but we served it over rice. Then we just chatted and enjoyed each other's company and let the kids swim in the pool in the back yard.
Friday we headed to the beach and had a great time. Lots of playing and running and enjoying the sunshine! We ate at Mary's that night (fantastic little hole in the wall type cafe in Oceanside) and headed home. The kids slept so well that night! I wish every day was beach day :)
Saturday was kind of a crazy day for our family. Little Bug is involved in an art class that is funded by a grant. If the students don't show up, the program looses it's money. So, we make every attempt to be there so that this program stays afloat! But Hubby wanted to go out and try to fly his airplane. So we split into two groups. One went to the class to pick up LB and then go to the park and the other went out to pick grapes and fly the airplane. When my group got back I realized that Hubby had the keys to the house. So, we did what anyone would do. We went for ice cream! When Hubby found out we were having ice cream they went and got some too... we had Dippin Dots and they had Coldstone! I was not happy... I had NO IDEA there was a Coldstone in the neighborhood!! Luckily, they brought some of it home for us to eat... so I guess I got the best of both worlds! Red had a birthday party that afternoon and my friend, C and I headed to the outlet malls.
Now, you need to understand that these are called the "Desert Hills Premium Outlets" aka - you can't afford anything here, but it's fun to look! Just to name a few of the stores... The Armani Exchange, Ann Taylor, Barneys, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Dior, Dolce & Gabanna, Gucci, Juicy Couture, Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren, and Saks Fifth Avenue off 5th. Needless to say, I didn't buy anything in any of those stores. But, I did get a few things from Bass - where everything was on sale plus another 40% off your total purchase and I got a few smaller things that were on clearance in Carters and Gap for the kids. Places I don't normally shop, but couldn't pass up dresses for $10 and t-shirts for $6.
Saturday night we just relaxed and ate and visited and let the kids swim for a bit again. It was hard to have them go on Sunday morning. It was so much fun to have them here! Anyone else want to come down and visit? Our doors are open and the beach is close...

Sox Faux Pax and Help!
I made a SERIOUS blunder in my sox blog... I had given the link for this blog as the sender of my lovely sox. I was WRONG! Ack! I'm so sorry! It should have been THIS BLOG!! Go there now and check it out!!! I'm such a dork... I put the link in for the gal I sent the socks too... nice, eh?
Our weekend with friends was awesome, I will blog about it tomorrow...
...but now I need your help! Awhile back I asked for book suggestions for my 9 year old, Red. And now, with summer fast approaching (we don't get out till June 13th) I am in need once again. He's read all of the Chronicles of Narnia, Aretmis Fowl, FableHaven, Leven Thumps, Eragon, Eldest, Hound of Rowan, Harry Potter 1-5 (he's a pretty sensitive kid... I'm not sure he's ready for 6 and 7 just yet), Peter Pan, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, the Samuel books and a few others here and there. These are just the books he's finished this year. Yeah. The kid reads like I do... well, like I do when I have the time!!
We're looking into the Redwall, Guardians of Ga'hoole, Warriors, and Charlie Bones series. Have any of your kids read these? Did they like them? Have you read them? What did you think? Are there any other series that you enjoyed?? It's going to be so hot here (think 120) and he needs something to do! Help!

Photo Shoot 2008
The wonderful and ever-clever Elastic held a Great Sox Exchange this year. I was one of the lucky participants. I hunted down sox with glee and sent them to my exchange buddy. In return, I got these lovely new friends and we just HAD to do a photo shoot!
These are my Converse sox
They were kind of timid...

And in the end were so shy we had to end the photo shoot.
The cow sox on the other hand? Well, they were rather exuberant! It actually got a tad annoying after awhile...
... showoffs...
I do love my new sox! They make me feel all happy and warm inside! Thanks Lola!

Side note #1: Yvonne always does these really cool side notes on her blog and I'm STEALING the idea! BWAHAHAHA!!
Side note #2: ;) A good friend called yesterday and said, "Hey! We want to come visit for the weekend, is that okay?" I think I said something really eloquent like, "HECK YEAH!!" And excitement filled my heart... until I looked at my house. Then I said something extremely eloquent like, "Oh crap." And so, I will be doing laundry, scrubbing floors, wiping down counters, dusting and general cleaning of everything and everywhere. I won't be present in blogland till Sunday or Monday after our awesome company heads back home.
I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Batter Blasters

Have you seen these things? They are a riot! It's pancake batter in an aerosol can like whipped cream! You heat up the pan, squirt some batter in and wah-lah! Pancakes! You can make waffles too, but I haven't tried that yet. My kids actually prefer these pancakes to the ones that I usually make. I found them at Costco... I think it was 3 cans for about $9. I love anything that is going to make my life easier to clean up!

Scale War
We own two scales. The first one gives me my new horrible weight. The second says I'm 4 pounds lighter. Of course, my brain wants to go with the second, but my jeans are telling me that I need to go with the first scale. Sigh. Stupid jeans.

Jump Start
Yesterday was such a fun day! We went to a canyon that's about half an hour from the house and hiked with friends! It was so much fun! We went up and down several ladders...
...took some bad family pictures... I never have looked that great in hats...
...hiked through a "slot canyon" (this shot is from the floor looking at the sky)...
...and eventually made our way back out safe and sound!
After that we swam with some other friends and then barbecued with both families that night.
Today? I'm sore, but I feel great! I had been putting off starting my workout stuff (remember, I'm lazy), but yesterday gave me a pretty good jump. I'm excited to get going today!
How was your Memorial Day weekend?

404 Error
It seems that we have an error here in our town... the "cheap" gas station (you know, the one that is ALWAYS lower than everywhere else) is now up to $4.04 for a gallon of gas. Sigh. I know there are places where it's higher than this, but it's still annoying! I'm afraid we've had to cancel all of our travel plans for the summer. It's just too expensive to drive home. We were going to take a little day trip tomorrow, but we've scaled that back to something more local. I try not to go out and run errands more than once or twice a week. We're doing everything we can to make each tank last for as long as possible.
What is the price of gas in your area? Are you changing any of your summer plans because of the cost? Or are you still going to do the things you'd planned? Has it affected your every day living at all?
Enquiring minds want to know...

Round is a Shape
So, I've gained a little weight... again... and I'm trying to get motivated to get up and get moving. It's harder than I thought it would be. I'll admit it - I like being lazy. I enjoy lounging around, reading books, messing around on the computer, and in general, doing nothing. Of course, the health benefits to this type of lifestyle are fairly limited. Okay, really, they are nonexistent. So, I'm trying to get motivated. And so, I turn to you, blogging buddies. I have a few questions that I'd love for you to answer if you get a moment...
What is your favorite healthy meal?
What about healthy snacks?
What do you do for exercise?
Do you stick to the same routine?
Or do you like to change it up?
How do you stay motivated to reach your goals?(Not just weight loss goals... any goals)
I know I can do this. I've done it in the past and I want to do it again. Any thing you can share with me would be much appreciated!

It's Curtains for You!
I live in a desert. It was 113 the other day. And in the summer it doesn't cool down at night. Sometimes our low temperature for the day only reaches the mid 90's. And so, you can see why our air conditioner runs. A lot. And our power bills? They make me want to cry.
So, we've been trying to think of ways to help save money. We're renting right now, so it can't be anything permanent. Our thermostat is set at 81 during the day and 78 for night. We have blinds in all the windows, but they really don't seem to help that much. The other day I put up curtain's in my boys room. I used white corduroy - hoping that the white would help reflect some of the heat. I don't know if you can really see the top... I cut off the tops of some old blue jeans - buttoned them together and then sewed them to the top of the curtain. Not that this helps save energy, I just love the way it looks!And then we tried something. We bought some Mylar blankets - the kind that you find in the camping section at the store. And I got some strong magnets or earth magnets. And I hung the Mylar between the blinds and the curtains using the magnets.
It has made a huge difference! I did this in Baby Girl's room too and I can't believe how much cooler these two rooms feel. Hopefully we will be able to do this in the dining room and living room too.
So, do you have any tricks for keeping your home cool during the summer and saving a little money along the way?

And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
Sunday night we got a phone call from one of Red's friends. Both of his parents were scheduled to work Monday night and they were wondering if he could stay here. "Sure, no problem!" I said, wanting to help out where I could. So, he came over. They played PlayStation for awhile and then it was time for bed.
Yeah, right.
They talked. And they talked and they talked and they talked. And, while Red's friend is a nice kid, he has no idea how to whisper. Red's not the greatest at it either. So, the noise level started out fairly normal, but usually grew to a roar. I've never said "SHH!" so many times in one evening.
And then, to add insult to injury, they were up at 5:15 giggling. And trying to whisper, but it wasn't really happening. And they got louder and louder and I finally got up, threatened them with their very lives, and crawled back into bed. But Red's friend just can't seem to keep the noise to a level considered normal and the "Shh"-ing began again.
Right now, Red is in the shower. And his friend? Quiet as a mouse. Me? I should go back to bed. I'm feeling a tad on the Grinch-y side and a little more sleep would help. But, Red will be out of the shower in a minute and the noise will begin. Again.
At least they'll head off to school in an hour or so... but they'll probably wake up Little Bug (who went to sleep around 10:30 last night) and Baby Girl (who seems to be getting sick and was up half the night with a stuffy nose and a cough). And those two will be so fun to be with! Sleep deprived and a tad on the sick side. Sounds like a recipe for a house full of Grinches to me. Should be a good day!

At a Glance
Do you ever read something out of the corner of your eye and totally misunderstand what is written? For example, in the BlogHer ads on the right hand side, there was a link that said "Bloggers Unite for Human Rights..." . Now, I just kinda glanced at it... and I'm tired... so I hope you'll forgive me when I say that I did a double take because I thought it said "Bloggers URINATE for Human Rights".
And yeah. I can see how that could bring some temporary relief, but really, it's not a long lasting solution. Don't you agree?
I think I need more sleep. Who knows what will pop up in my sidebar tomorrow if I continue to be sleep deprived...

When Does it Come Out On DVD?
Yep. It was that good. It came out yesterday. We saw it this morning and I'm already wondering when we'll be able to get the DVD.

Prince Caspian was an AWESOME movie! Lots of changes from the book, but I still loved it!
Have you seen it? Are you going to see it? Give me your thoughts...

It's Still Me
Some of you have noticed the new avatar... sorry for the confusion. Most of you are used to seeing some kind of frog next to my name. Unfortunately, I can't find a picture of a frog that I really love right now. So, instead, you get this picture of my eyes and a Gerber daisy. And no. My eyes aren't that blue... it was just too fun to play with the tinting feature on Photobucket!
So, don't be afraid... don't hide from the new avatar, it's just me. I'll get back to the frogs as soon as I can find a picture that I love!

Google Me This
It always amazes me the things that bring people to my blog...
orbert skye - author of the Leven Thumps books... pretty good, but not my favorite
http://mejojacspot.blogspot.com/ - Seriously? I really want to know why you are Googling my blog address... wouldn't it be easier to just put it in the box up top?? I'm just sayin...
mejojac - Yep. That's me...
costco cheesecake factory cheesecake topping ideas - we used fresh blueberries... cooked them down into a sauce... so good!
royal icing tiara - I get lost of searches for this... again, go here... here and here and the actual instructions are here
mormon green bracelet - I have no idea what this is about... my son has one of those wrist band things that is green...
dobby sturgis motorcycle - Um... is this really on my blog somewhere?? Probably in different posts... maybe... I think...
we're sorry, but the number you have - Red's friend has gotten so much better about not calling so much. It's been nice
memosfamily party - I'm always up for a party! Who'd like to come?
knuckles splitting - I never did find a lotion that worked REALLY well. Some worked okay for awhile, but nothing really great...
green frog in lettuce bag mexican - this was one of my all time favorite pictures!!

Sorry the picture is so big... I wanted you to be able to see the frog...
it feels like someone is sitting on my chest - I'm sorry... been there, done that. Feel better soon or push whomever is sitting on your chest off...
space mountain kids scary disneyland - yep. Red freaked out... but in the end he LOVED IT!
blogher dentist crowns my temporary 2008 - after THREE permanent crowns, they finally got it right. As I walked out of the office they tried to set up TWO MORE APPOINTMENTS. I laughed!
knock-off recipe for pf changs lettuce wraps - Oh, Amber sent me a link for these... they weren't exact, but they were still good! Go here...
canning jar vases - they do make really pretty vases... as seen here...
i hope your day is going good vs well - ack! A grammar thing! BE GONE!! I don't know nothing about good grammar...

And that's it for this edition of "Google Me This!" (It's supposed to be a play on words from Batman... the Riddler always says "Riddle me this...". Yeah. It's kind of lame... )

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
We've had our mattress for about 10 years. Honestly - I bought it at a yard sale. The guy said he had bought it a few months earlier and was now having to move to New York and was trying to get rid of most of his furniture and then he'd start out new once he got there. He asked $50 for it... I got him to throw in a set of dishes and we had a deal. You see, we had been sleeping on a full size water bed. But, the bed had been modified or something... so it wasn't actually as big as a full size bed, but not quite as small as a twin. It was very uncomfortable and we really needed a regular mattress.
Now, this mattress was nothing fancy. It was a lovely turquoise color and the coloring bled through the mattress cover and into the sheets for the first while. Lovely. But, we were college students and we took what we could get. It was just fine for many years. But, recently it had developed some dips and odd curves and lumps. Another added bonus was the chorus of squeaking and creaking springs every time you moved. I was waking up each day with back trouble. Neither of us felt like we were getting a good nights sleep. And so, we decided to suck it up and get a new mattress. But, what to do with the old one?
Why, drag it out in the living room and let the kids jump on it of course!
They got to do this under one condition: they would NEVER EVER jump on the new bed! So far we haven't had any trouble... and the kids had a ball jumping on the bed for a few hours before the guys came and hauled it away. It was almost tempting to keep around... but it just didn't match the living room, so it had to go...
And we got a great deal on the new mattress. I'm sleeping better and having less trouble with my back (knock on wood).
But watching the kids jump around made me miss our trampoline. We all used to go out and jump for hours when we lived in Oregon. Now our yard is too small to set the darn thing up. Someday I hope we'll be able to set it up again... someday... but for now, I'll just have to keep them off the bed!

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
Have you ever taken a picture that you just love?? I take a lot of pictures that are just okay. But every now and again, I capture a gem!
The other day Baby Girl and I went out and blew bubbles. I took over 100 pictures (I love digital cameras) and captured this shot:It is my new favorite picture of her! I was really disappointed with how dark it turned out. I wish I had Photoshop, but this is what I did with my program...

It's not exactly how I'd like it to look, but I do think it looks better than before.

What do you think? And, do you edit your photos? If so, what software do you use?

Mother's Day
I'm watching all these fantastic posts creep up all over the blogosphere about how awesome being a mom is. And, for the most part, it is pretty darn amazing. But sometimes... sometimes I wonder, "What in the world I was thinking?!?" How could I have ever thought that I could be responsible enough to bring another human being into the world? And yet, 10 years ago that's exactly what I thought.
10 years ago I was pregnant with Red and I had ALL the answers. I watched other parents and kids wherever I went. And mercilessly, I critiqued them.
"Those parents are way to harsh, I'll NEVER be like that! If they would just do this... it would be so much better!" or
"Those kids are such brats! My kids will NEVER be like that! If the parents would just do that... the kids would be so much better behaved"
My vast stores of parental knowledge lasted for about 8 months. Then reality came in the form of a red headed creature who screamed throughout the night. My amazing Mom came and stayed with us to help out. The day she left, Hubby and I cried. She wasn't that far away, but we had no idea what to do with this tiny person who was 100% dependent on us.
Where were my answers? I had been so sure and confident a few days before! Where had my never ending supply of knowledge disappeared to? I was lost. And so, I did what all new moms do. I struggled. I tried my best and plodded up each new hill, attempting not to mess things up too much along the way. And then Little Bug came along and we had a whole new set of struggles. He was, of course, followed by Baby Girl who brought a diva like quality to the struggling.
I have since come to realize that motherhood kicks my butt on a fairly regular basis. I'm getting better at it, but I'm not the totally amazing mom I thought I would be. It's hard. I lose my temper. I am prone to rash decisions. I am cranky. I make more than my share of mistakes. I don't have the answers I once thought I did.
But, then I have to remember the moments that make it all worth it. Some of these experiences are small and others are almost overwhelming. But the good moments never seem to last long enough. For example: Little Bug said his very first prayer the other night! My heart overflowed as we signed and said words together. The joy I felt is indescribable.
The next day he pooped in his pants 5 times - including once while he was in an inflatable bounce house with a bunch of other kids. The frustration and embarrassment overshadowed that joy. But the memory of that prayer brings those feelings rushing back. And I guess the trick of motherhood is learning how to chain all of these moments together without letting the hardships overpower the bright spots.
I still don't have all the answers I thought I had 10 years ago. But, I feel like the few answers I have now are worth so much more than the unrealistic ones I thought I had before. I'll keep struggling as we head into new territory with each kid, but hopefully I'll be able to focus on the things that make being a mom such an amazing blessing.
Happy Mother's Day!

Deja Vu
Every morning my kids go outside to play.
Every morning the sprinklers go off.
Every morning they squeal and scream.
And then, I smile...
I'm going to take a little bloggy break. Probably just through the end of the week. I find myself in the same situation over and over - I spend too much time on the computer.
Yesterday I had to clean and clean and clean because I had let things go for such a long time. It was frustrating and I wasn't really able to enjoy the class last night because I hurt from running around and scrubbing all day.
So, I take a step back... again. I thought I had this figured out, but apparently not. Hopefully I'll gain some perspective and then I'll be back in blog mode.
Have a good week!

Reward vs. Reality
I've never been one to enjoy house work. I hate laundry. I delegated the dishes to Hubby years ago. I don't like picking up after everyone. Bathrooms are just nasty - end of story. I have stacks of paper all over the place, but I just don't want to go through them.
For a long time I just labeled myself as a lazy slacker. It made me feel guilty - which is what everyone needs in their life, right? More guilt.
But then I realized something about myself - I am reward driven. Completely. If I have to get laundry done then I set up a reward for myself... such as reading or computer time. Sometimes I'll even set it up so that if the house is totally clean, we go out for dinner that night.
But my reward right now is something much bigger. Bigger than dinner, a bag of M&M's, or some reading time. The reward right now is lack of embarrassment.
You see, I have a group of women from our church coming over tomorrow for a class. And the last thing I want these ladies to see is my piles of unfolded laundry or the inch thick dust on every surface in my home or the carpet that at this moment looks like leapord print because of all the little spots on it.
So, I don't know how much I'll be around for the next few days. I'll try to get around to the blogs (as a reward for getting tasks done!) but we'll see how it goes.
I did dust this morning and now my reward time is up for that task. Time to go accomplish some other mundane thing... but before I go, I'm curious... what motivates you to get up each day and do the things you do?

Choices
So, tonight was the concert. Babysitting was arranged. I had bought water and snacks. We cleaned the house and got a few things gathered for dinner for the kids. And with each task and each step I felt worse and worse. I really like Rascal Flatts. I really wanted to see them in concert. But the uneasiness just didn't wear off. So, we called our friends, asked them to come over for dinner and we stayed home. We didn't go to the concert.
The rest of the evening unraveled like this...
... early this afternoon, Hubby stubbed his toe on a box in the hall that contains 6 gallon jugs of water. The aforementioned toe is now swollen to twice it's normal size, super tender to the touch, and it's black and blue. I don't think he will be able to get shoes on anytime soon.
... I put my hip out. I know. I sound like I'm 80! But I have inherited really bad hips. Around 9:00 this evening I couldn't even walk.
... Red went with a friend and his Dad to an air show today. They called us around 8:30 to apologize for being so late. Red had thrown up and was in the bathroom at a Denny's where they had stopped. They didn't get home till 9:30 and he was so upset at what had happened.
Those three things alone make me feel like we made a good choice. Hubby's foot would have hurt all night long, my hip would have gone out an hour before Rascal Flatts even took the stage, and Red would have come home to a babysitter who would have been super sweet to him, but it wouldn't have been Mom and Dad checking on him and letting him know that everything was okay (he's a worrier... he was afraid he was going to be in trouble for throwing up in their car...)
So, instead of the awesome country music filling my ears, I'm listening to my neighbor's dog bark. And bark. And bark... but I still feel like we made the right choice.
But, just out of curiosity.... if you wanted to throw something at a dog to make it SHUT UP, would you throw something heavy, sharp or both? Hypothetically speaking, of course...

Happy Mother's Day to Mii

And yes. We're having a blast with it!

Haphazard Happenings
Just some random things happening here...

• I put my kids to bed last night at 6:54. I was done. And for their own safety and my sanity, it was best for them to be in their beds.
• I'm rereading the last two Harry Potter books. Why? Well, I have read the first 5 many times and thought it would be fun to read the last two. When I'm done with those I'm going to read Prince Caspian and then the Fablehaven books again. After that, I'm going to read Eragon and Eldest to get ready for the new book this fall. And this summer, I might, JUST MIGHT, read the Twilight series... we'll see.
• Red is coming down with a cough. I was hoping it was allergies, but it's not looking that way. Grrr....
• Photobucket is a great place to find pictures, but I've learned something very important about that site: NEVER EVER READ ANYTHING ON ANY OF THE PICTURES!! And if you aren't sure what it's a picture of - DON'T LOOK CLOSELY. I've seen some pretty disturbing stuff on there... but if I follow those two rules, it's not too bad!
• We are having a class next week on alternate cooking sources. It's part of a preparedness group that I'm the head of... anyway, I have a gal who will be talking about cooking with a solar oven and then I'm going to talk about Dutch oven cooking. I'm trying to see if I can get someone who knows a little more about it to come, but if not, I'll give the basics... since that's all I really know... does anyone have a favorite Dutch oven recipe they'd like to share?

• I got an early Mother's Day gift... it deserves a blog post all of it's own... so I'll share that with you in a few days.
• Little Bug is saying and signing so much right now! He does this every spring. His language skills go crazy and then they slowly disappear over the summer and fall. Last year he retained quite a bit of his language. I'm hoping he'll do even better this year. Yesterday he said or signed: help, please, thank you, more, cereal, and water! It's such a fun thing to hear his little voice speaking words rather than his usual random sounds :)
• I made cinnamon rolls yesterday... so yummy! I won't tell you how many I ate yesterday... or how many I've already had today. But I'm tempted to go grab another one right now... in fact, I think I will! Have a fabulous day bloggernauts!

Do You Have....
an amazing girlfriend? You know, one that is just awesome in every possible way? If not, may I suggest that you find one...
We needed to find someone to watch the kids so that Hubby and I could go to the concerts this weekend. The problem with this Saturday is that it's going to be 12:30 or so before we get home. I called my friend this morning to see who she uses for a babysitter. You see, we don't go out much. I worry too much about Little Bug. The other two are fine... but I always worry about a teenager here with him. If he escaped, what would they do?
ANYWAY, I was talking to my friend, trying to pick her brain for ideas, and she offered to watch the kids. I told her no way... but in the end, she convinced me that it would be okay. She and her hubby will come over and bring their kids. They will play and hang out till everyone is exhausted. Then one of them will take their kids home. The other will stay with our kids.
I owe this gal BIG TIME!! I am so thankful for her willingness to help us out. Hubby has been working some really crazy hours lately. We haven't had a lot of time together. Now we get to spend an entire evening hanging out and listening to awesome music! I am so excited and so thankful!!
Any suggestions on how to repay this gal? I offered to pay her, but I know she won't take money... and I've offered to babysit her kids for EVERYTHING for the rest of their lives. Would you help me brainstorm some fun things to do for her and her hubby?

The Email
I always check my email before I go to bed. It's a habit that I've had for a very long time. Tonight I got an email in response to my entry for Stagecoach tickets... it said:
The bad news is, you just missed the cut.
Rats. But wait... what's that... there's more to the email...
The good news is, we had some extra tickets, so we're going to send you a pair anyway! Thanks for visiting InstantRiverside.com!
OH YEAH!!! Thank you so much Instant Riverside! Now I just need to find a babysitter... any volunteers?

Ultimate Evil
Has anyone else had trouble with comment verification lately? The last few times I've had to type it in, the letters are so distorted that I can't read them at all! I've had to put it in over and over and in some cases, I've given up because it's just too wacky to figure out. So, if you haven't had a comment from me in the last little while, that might be why.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe the comment verification is out to get me by messing with my mind... it is going to attempt to slowly drive me insane and then it will eventually take over my blog! It will then subject you, my beloved readers, to random nonsense words - kind of like rap music. And in the end, it will drive you all away from me and I will be left alone. Curled up in a corner. Sucking my thumb. I think it's working already...
I did notice that some of you have recently removed the crazy comment verification from your blogs... and for that? I am forever grateful.

Chronicles of Mania: Part 2
This week was not too crazy... I guess. I tried to get the house nice and clean and work on a few projects... wanna take a look?
First we had the cupcakes for the Cub Scout Pack Meeting:Two all beef patties (Keebler Grasshopper cookies), special sauce (frosting), lettuce (tinted coconut), cheese (frosting), pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun (two Nilla Wafers with a light coating of pineapple juice and sesame seeds sprinkled on top).
They weren't too hard to make. The kids helped me and they were a huge hit at the meeting!
Then we had the table... remember how I wanted to finish it before my family came? Yeah. Well, I FINALLY got it done! I didn't really take before pictures... this photo is after I had started the work...It had a horrible groove that I cleaned out and filled with wood filler. Then we sanded everything... after that we painted them black. Then my family came and I bribed them with food to help me sand all the edges to give it an antique look. Then they helped get the first coat of poly on. I finished it up yesterday and this is the final result:(There are paper towels under the legs because I was afraid it wasn't quite dry enough when we brought it in and I didn't want the table to glue to my ugly rug)I am so in love with the way the table and chairs look! I just need to save up and get a different rug. I'm going to go out tomorrow and see if I can find three small square vases to put flowers or something in... I'll take more pictures if I can find what I'm looking for.
So, the mania has ebbed... for now...

Boondocks
Any country music fans out there in blog land? There is a huge festival coming to my area and I WANT TO GO!! Can you see how awesome this show is gonna be?

I have to admit - Friday night doesn't appeal to me as much. Shoot me, but I'm not much of an Eagles fan... sad, I know. The other two days though? I would love to go! It's a little more than we can spend right now for tickets, but I've entered to win a pair. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

The Ugly Bug Ball
I don't like to pass my fears onto my kids. If they are afraid of something, I want it to be through their own experiences, not mine. I have bent this rule a tad when it comes to bugs. Not just any bugs... bugs that bite. Such as Black Widow spiders and fire ants.
Some bugs just gross me out, but I can't think of a good reason for her not to touch them. Yesterday is a perfect example of this...
Baby Girl: "Mom! Come and see what I found"
I knew by the tone of her voice that she was more than a little bit excited.
Me: "What is it?"
BG: "I found them! Oh, aren't they wonderful? Look at these lovely little fellas!"
Me: "Show me what you found..."
From that moment on I'm suppressing gasps and gagging noises as she opens her little fist to reveal two maggots. That's right people MAGGOTS!
BG: "Aren't they beautiful little white worms?"
Me - frantically trying to think of a reason that she shouldn't be holding these and coming up with NOTHING: "Yeah. They're great. You need to put them back where you found them."
BG: "But WHYYYYYYY? They are my friends!!"
Me: "Um... because... well, um... their family will miss them! They need to go find their mommy and daddy so they can be happy!"
BG: "OH NO! Their mommy and daddy will be so sad! I'm gonna put them back, okay Mom?"
Me: "Okay..."
I'm still shuddering at the thought of it. I went outside to see where they might have come from and couldn't find anything, thank goodness! Later on in the day she found a caterpillar and I was good with that...
What about you? Are there things that your kids enjoy but it makes you crazy?

LOL
Wanna laugh for an hour or so? Turn your speakers on. Go to the very last item on my playlist. Click 'play' and enjoy!

I'm Waiting For...
... Little Bug to go to sleep so that I can too.
... the principal to write me back about that crazy assembly.
... pay day this Friday.
... some perspective about some current school situations.
... a phone call from a support group that is forming to help parents with special need kids within our school district.
... the day when I don't have to tell my kids to pick up after themselves, turn lights off when they leave a room or just in general behave like human beings.
... confirmation that a package has arrived at my parents house containing late birthday and early mother's and father's day gifts.
... the wind to stop blowing so that I can go outside and finish refinishing my table and chairs.
... the energy to go through and type up all the recipes I promised to post... actually, I will give you the fried candy bars one right now. Are you ready?
Candy bars with carmel/nougat centers worked best. Take the candy bars and freeze them. Then you'll mix up funnel cake batter:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 quart oil for frying
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
(The original recipe can be found here... we fried up the rest of the batter when we were done... it didn't make the greatest funnel cake... so if you have a recipe that you really like, use that one) Heat up some oil to 375. Dip the candy bars in the batter and then deep fat fry till the coating is golden brown. You want the centers to still be cold... like fried ice cream. They were good, but SO RICH. I only had three bites and that was enough for me.
And what do you know... in the time it took me to type out that recipe, Little Bug has fallen asleep. Now, let us all cross our fingers and toes that he will stay asleep. He's gotten into a bad cycle - asleep at 11:00 PM. Awake at 3:00 AM. Won't go back to sleep till 7:00 AM when I need to get up and start my day. I can't sleep while he's awake. I'm always afraid he's going to try and escape... even though we now have wonderful door alarms... I still don't like sleeping if he's not. So, I'm off to try and catch a few z's!

Nice
WARNING - this may be offensive to some... Lyrics to a song that was performed at my son's school yesterday:
Soulja Boy Off In This H*e
Watch me Crank It
Watch me Roll
Watch me Crank Dat Soulja Boy
Then Super Man Dat H*e
Now, Watch me You....(Crank Dat Soulja Boy)
Now, Watch me You....(Crank Dat Soulja Boy)
Now, Watch me You....(Crank Dat Soulja Boy)
Now, Watch me You....(Crank Dat Soulja Boy)
[Verse 1:]Soulja Boy Off In This H*e
Watch me Lean And Watch Me Rock?
Super Man Dat H*e
Then Watch me Crank Dat Robocop?
Super Fresh, Now Watch Me Jock
Jocking On Them Haterz
ManWhen I Do Dat Soulja Boy
I Lean To The Left
And Crank Dat Dance(Now You)
I'm Jocking On Yo B*tch A**
And If We Get The Fightin
Then I'm Cocking On Your B*tch
You Catch Me At Yo Local Party
Yes I Crank It Everyday
Haterz Get Mad Cuz"I Got Me Some Bathin Apes"
[Chorus x2]
[Verse 2:]I'm Bouncin On My Toe
Why Me Super Soak Dat H*e
I'ma Pass It To Arab
Then He Gon Pass It To The Low (Low)
Haterz Wanna Be Me
Soulja Boy, I'm The Man
They Be Lookin At My Neck
Sayin Its The Rubberband Man (Man)
Why me Do It (Watch Me Do It)
Dance (Dance)
Let Get To It (Let Get To It)
Nope, You Can't Do It Like Me
H*e, So Don't Do It Like Me
Folk, I See You Tryna Do It Like Me
Man That Sh*t Was Ugly
[Chorus x4]
Yes, letters have been written and I am more than annoyed at the situation. I'm not really up on my rapper language, so I Googled the meaning of the song. It's so nasty that I refuse to repeat it here. I feel bad enough having the lyrics up.
My nine year old came home singing this because a group of high school students sang it at an ASSEMBLY yesterday. I guess there is some kind of dance that goes with it. We fill our kids with music like this and then we sit back and wonder why we have teenage pregnancy and so many high schoolers with STD's.
Unbelievable.
I'll let you know if/when I hear back from the school...

Chronicles of Mania
Just a quick rundown of this last week...
Friday, April 11th: I ran to Wal-Mart for some last minute items before my family came. While I was there, insanity struck (this usually happens when I visit Wal-Mart). I had been wanting to refinish my kitchen table and chairs and thought "I could do that real quick before family comes tomorrow...." WHAT WAS I THINKING? I bought all the stuff and came home. I cleaned out the nasty groove...

Filled it with a wood filler....Started sanding...Man - it was a beautiful day... blue skies, light breeze... just amazing...I got three chairs done and then we called it a night.
Saturday, April 12th: Hubby helped me get the rest sanded. Then we started painting. I don't have any photos of the rest of the process... we got everything painted and it took FOREVER. I thought it would be a quick slap of paint, but I was wrong. We finished not too long before my family came that night! We had corn chowder and home made bread for dinner... yummm....
Sunday, April 13: Went to church where I taught the lesson in Relief Society (the women's organization at our church). It was a hard lesson to teach... it was on baptism. But I got through it okay. Then we came home and made Puerto Rican chicken and rice (recipe is forth coming, I promise) and had chocolate trifle for dessert. SO GOOD! We played Scattegories and just hung out.
Monday, April 14: BEACH DAY! See previous post for pictures. I loved that my SIL joined me out in the briny blue. We were a tad on the cold side at first, but then the water completely numbed us and we were fine :) We ate at our favorite spot in Oceanside - Mary's Resturant. So good!
Tuesday, April 15: My brother surprised my SIL with a trip to Disneyland! They had a lot of fun! Mom and I took Baby Girl and went to Kohl's to return a few things... and buy a few things ;) Then we went to Red Robin for lunch. Dad stayed home and waited for Red to get home from school (early release day) and they played Play Station and had a ball! I can't remember what I made that night... maybe we had leftovers... hmm...
Wednesday, April 16: Mom, SIL and I went to the PREMIUM outlet malls. We went into the Armani and Gucci stores and tried so hard not to laugh at the prices. One t-shirt had been marked down from $300 to $150. A T-SHIRT!! We also looked at a pair of sandals for $200... insane... We were going to go into Dolce & Gabbana, but there was a guy in a black suit at the door and it was kind of intimidating. Needless to say, we didn't purchase much that day. Although, I did get my ears repierced. Almost 9 years ago I quit wearing earrings. Red was fascinated with them and just about ripped my earlobe off several times. But, my kids are old enough now that I don't worry so much. The gal gave me the wrong earrings though... I wanted the tiny silver balls... she gave me the cheap little diamond looking ones. You know, the ones that the 8 year old girls pick? Yeah. Oh well... 5 more weeks and I can wear whatever I want! We had a yummy chicken and black bean concoction for dinner. I would share the recipe, but it's one of those "Throw things in till it tastes good" things... and it did taste good! Carmel apple pie for dessert...
Thursday, April 17: We sanded the edges of the table and chairs. It was hot and a lot of hard work. My family is so awesome! Then we went shopping at the local mall, JoAnn's and Costco. That night my parents offered to babysit so that we (my brother, sister-in-law, Hubby and I) could go out to eat... and of course, I chose PF Changs! That place is so good! I had the honey seared chicken and it was delish (thanks for the suggestion Lauren!). We shared meals and everything was so yummy! I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it! Then we hit Wal-Mart and they bought us Ben and Jerry's ice cream. It was a fun evening. When we got home, Mom had done 3 loads of laundry! THANKS AGAIN MOM!!
Friday, April 18: My family decided to stay another day! They were supposed to head home this day, but changed their minds. I was so glad! Everyone came out and helped get the first coat of poly on my table and chairs. They were so helpful on this trip! Another trip to Wal-Mart for traveling goodies and another can of poly for the table. We ordered pizza and had fried candy bars that night. They were sooo rich! But a fun treat. The boys played Nintendo on the projector and we all just kind of hung out.
Saturday, April 19: Sigh. Never fun to say goodbye. They headed home and I bribed my kids with toys to get them to stop crying. It worked. We got the second coat of poly on the chairs and then watched our friends kids for awhile. Then we rested.
Sunday, April 20: Church, home, naps. Then we went to a friends house and played games and ate treats. Early bedtime for me
Which, brings us to today. I was going to finish the poly on the table, but it's windy today. I don't want bugs and such in the finish of the table, so, I'll wait. I'm going to attempt to get around to a few blogs today, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to do an "all read". I won't tell you how many posts are in my Google Reader... I hope your last week was wonderful!

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!
Sorry I've been MIA. I have not blogged and haven't really been able to read any blogs either. Want to see what I've been doing besides eating yummy food? (I promise to post recipes when I get back)That's my sister-in-law and I boogie boarding!Hubby, Red, SIL, and myself attempting to catch a few waves...While I was out, a gerber daisy floated past me! Not sure where it came from... thoughts? My only thought was rather morbid... maybe I'll share it later...Someday I'll be a real surfer girl... but for now, I just like to pretend! Tomorrow we are hitting the outlet malls. Should be a lot of fun! I'll probably be back in bloggy action by Saturday or Sunday! Have a great week!

Dessert in the Desert
Whenever my family comes, we try to have lots and lots of good food. It's how we bribe them to come down here... well that, and our lack of snow! One of my favorite things to make is desserts... who doesn't love a good dessert? I've started to make a list of all the super sweetness that will fill our bellies...we have carmel apple pie, chocolate trifle, Cocoa Crispie ice cream dessert, and strawberry shortcake. I'm still deciding on a few others... maybe a peach crisp or perhaps we'll do a cobbler in the Dutch oven. I haven't decided yet.
The dinners are also gonna be super yummy with Puerto Rican chicken and rice, Navajo tacos, corn chowder, hamburgers with onion strings, tacos with homemade tortillas, and a myriad of other concoctions! They are only going to be here for 5 days, so we have to make the most of our eating time together.
Do you have anything special that you like to cook when family comes to town?

To My Faithful Readers
I would just like to take this moment to thank you for reading this blog. And as a reward, I would like to give each and every one of you one of these:
If you'd rather have a Stanley Nickel, that can be arranged. Please keep in mind that the rate of exchange between the Schrute Buck and the Stanley Nickel is the same as unicorns to leprechauns.
HAPPY THURSDAY NIGHT!!

Little Things
This is one of my favorite little things...

I have three little things that run around my house and I love them all. When they accomplish things, my heart cheers. But, when this one accomplishes something, my heart does somersaults and back hand springs!
Yesterday he brought home this paper:We figured that "no help" meant that they had sat there with the crayons, handed him the color, pointed to the spot and he colored it on his own. But, Hubby wanted to see for sure. So, he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a bunch of colors on it. Got out the crayons and had Little Bug come sit down. Hubby pointed to "red" on the paper, but didn't say the name, and asked Bug to find that color. He grabbed the red crayon and not only did he put the red crayon on the word red, he traced the letters in the word! (Ignore the craft-astic mess in the background)He got every single color right... but he wouldn't use the white. He picked up the white crayon when we got to that point, but then he just stared at us as if to say "The paper is white... this won't work." And then he put the crayon away.Oh how I love the little things!April is National Autism Awareness month. I have been meaning to blog about it, but I'm never sure what to say. Many of you are probably aware of the numbers...
1 in 144 kids will be diagnosed with autism.
3 out of 4 of those kids will be boys.
1.5 million Americans have autism.
We watched a show last night that said that the number of cases of autism has jumped almost 10% each year for the last few years.
And no one knows why.
I don't know what I am trying to say... learn a little more about autism. Be aware of the kids in your communities that may have autism. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most parents are more than willing to tell you about their kids. I know I am. I love it when people ask questions because it means that they now have a little better understanding of why Little Bug acts the way he does.
I'm not going to tell you how many times I have had people glare or mutter about "that brat" because of melt downs in a public place. Before you wonder why that parent doesn't "do something about their kid", consider the possibility that there may be nothing they can do...
Just food for thought.

Chaotic Choppers
Back in January I went to the dentist and gave him every penny to our names to have a little work done. A root canal was the biggest thing they did. They took all the sticky nasty impressions and put on a temporary crown. I was supposed to go back in a month for the permanent crown. But, my appointment came at the time when we were so sick. So, I rescheduled for March. Went in and the crown was the wrong size. The lab had not gotten it quite right. It felt huge in my mouth and the dentist couldn't get floss between my two teeth. This, I guess, is a bad thing. More goopy impressions were taken and another appointment was made for today.
I get in there and they put the new crown in. It feels great to me ... but then the dentist comes in and proclaims that it's still not right! Grr... he walks out of the room without so much of an apology or "We'll see if we can get this fixed as soon as possible" nothing. So, I waited for him to come back. I was ready to start talking about a partial refund! Because if it were any other industry, a discount would be given. But the guy never came back in! The dental assistant took care of everything else... but you can bet that when I go back in three weeks I'm gonna bring it up!
What would you do? Would you say something? Or would you bite your tongue with your temporary crown and just keep going back without mentioning it??

Lesson Learned
Little Bug is one smart kid. He is patient. He knows how to watch and wait for the moment to try and get away with something. These plotted activities are always things that he knows he shouldn't do. He waits for me to be preoccupied and then makes a dash for it!
For example, when we lived in Oregon he got out the front door. But, I didn't know he had gotten out. I had been folding laundry. He had gone out, taken his clothes off and was trying to play in a little ditch that ran past the house. An officer was driving by, noticed the little naked boy all alone by the busy road and stopped. He asked Little Bug where he lived and what his name was, but, of course, Little Bug can't talk. A friend drove by, saw the cop car and stopped to see what was wrong. She told the officer where the naked little turkey lived and then picked him up and brought him to the door. I had no idea he wasn't in the house.
A few days later he got out the side door. I looked everywhere in the house. I ran hysterically up and down the street. A neighbor got on his bike and started searching. I started knocking on doors. Then I headed home to get in the car to start looking for him... and there he was. Sitting in the van giggling as he shook plastic Easter eggs with rocks in them. After that we got latches on the tops of the doors and alarms. He never figured out how to undo the latches, but if we ever forgot to hook them, the blaring siren let us know he was outside!
We thought the Houdini stuff was over...
Till yesterday. We had friends over for dinner and to play some games in the evening. The kids were all playing when I noticed that the front door was open. We immediately started looking for all the kids, but couldn't find Little Bug. I peeked out the back window and he was outside... on the other side of our back fence. You see, there is a kind of walk way behind our house and you can access it from a little park in our neighborhood. He had gone out, walked down the road, into the park and behind all the houses. I was not a happy camper.
Tonight? Hubby and I were folding laundry. He went out and tried to run into the road when a neighbor kid grabbed him and kept him out of the street. I brought him in, locked the door, sat him on his bed, scolded, tried to get him involved in some toys, and went back to folding. He got out again and got into the neighbor's back yard... the one with the swimming pool. This whole post makes me sound like a horrible mother. I really do try to keep my eyes on him, but I can't follow him around all day. He's so sneaky! He will wait for the opportune moment and then run like mad!
But, now that I think about it... 3 out of 5 escapes have been while I was doing laundry... hmm... I think it's a sign that I should never do laundry again... what do you think?

P.S. - We will be getting some kind of alarm on the doors. We would do latches, but we are renting and I'm not sure the landlord wants us putting holes in the doors... I'm going to call him, just to check... any other suggestions besides never eating, sleeping, doing housework, or going to the bathroom so that I can follow him around every moment?

ILP
My family is coming to stay for a few days! I'm really excited to have them here. It's my parents and my brother and his wonderful wife! They are all a lot of fun to be with... it should be a great week.
And so, I will spend this week preparing. Scrubbing and cleaning and tyring to get things in tip top shape for our guests... well, actually, I probably won't work on it all week. You see, I'm inherently lazy. And on top of that, I'm a procrastinator... ILP (inherently lazy procrastination) is not an ideal combination, but there you have it. I find myself looking around and thinking "Wow, the bathroom needs to be scrubbed... but, then I'll just have to do it again before the fam comes... perhaps I'll just wait and do it Friday... maybe I'll sweep and mop the kitchen today... no, that can wait too... what about the laundry..." And the list goes on and on. So, my poor family has to deal with the dirt and the grime because I don't want to clean my house TWICE IN ONE WEEK. The horror.
Is there anyone else out there like this? Or am I the only person who suffers from ILP?

Escape
Yesterday I ran away from home. I called a friend and said, "I can't stay in this house for much longer! Let's hit the road!" And so we did. She came over that evening and we went out and about. We ate at this place... Where I realized that I had never actually eaten GOOD Chinese food before. I like Chinese food in general... but this? This stuff was amazingly good! My friend ordered the lettuce wrap appetizers pictured at the bottom of the photo here...I admit, I was skeptical at first, but these things are divine! I ate so much that I wasn't sure I'd be able to eat any of the other food they were bringing out! Our waiter was really great. Actually, now that I think about it, he may have been hitting on my friend... she requested extra lemon slices for her water and he brought them out arranged on a plate in the shape of a flower, he added extra meat to the fried rice, gave us fresh brown rice to take home, and was very good about checking up on us throughout the evening... hmmm...
ANYWAY! I ordered the sweet and sour chicken and my friend got the Mongolian beef. Both dishes were super yummy and we split the leftovers to take to our wonderful husbands who didn't even bat an eye when we said we were going out! (Thanks again!!)
After that we headed to JoAnn Fabric. You see, the one here in town is moving locations. So, they have put the entire store on clearance because they aren't going to move any of the old merchandise to the new store. It was like heaven! That is, if heaven were a concrete building filled with crazy women scurrying around trying to find the perfect fabric before someone else beat them to it... yeah... moving on!
Then we headed to the mall, but it was closed. But we weren't ready to be done for the evening... so we headed to Kohls and tried on all kinds of fun things. I ended up getting a new white camisole. Nothing exciting, but it was needed.
All in all the evening was fantastic! We laughed and talked and ate and shopped - it was exactly what I needed!

Deep Cleaning
So, I'm trying to get a few things cleaned up around the house and I need some help. I will never understand why people who own rentals paint it with FLAT PAINT! I have scuff marks and finger prints all over the place, but when I try to scrub it, the paint comes off too. I can get the markings off the wall, but then I'm left with weird faded spots everywhere. Any suggestions?
I have a great love for Magic Erasers and my Windex with Vinegar (awesome stuff) but I haven't really liked any of the other cleansers I've tried for my bathrooms and kitchen. I had one a long time ago called ZAP and it would eat hard water off of ANYTHING! It also ate holes in any fabric that it touched and burned like crazy if you got it on your skin ... for some reason, they stopped making it. That was a sad day. It was an incredible cleaner, even though it was a tad on the toxic side. I have yet to find anything that works that well... so, I turn to you. What cleaners could you not live without? Which ones work best where? Specifically, what ones do you use for your bathroom and kitchen?

Then You Stand
I'm trying to do a few things that will help me feel a little better. I'm not trying to forget, just trying to raise my spirits a bit!

• Changed the music on my playlist. I'm hoping that some different songs will help put me in a better place.
• I read a good book yesterday - the second Fablehaven book. It was fantastic! The third one comes out in April and I'm really excited!
• I spent some time with the kids yesterday afternoon. We threw rocks in a bucket of water. They loved it and so did I.
• I watched some TV last night and truly just zoned out. It was nice.
• Hubby brought home this box for me... I've only had two so far...

I am doing much better. I am learning a lot about myself and trying to focus more on relationships. I'm still doing a little hiding out... but for the most part, I'm moving forward.