Child Labor Rules!

Which contradicts Child Labor Laws.

(by the way, I meant 'Rules!' as in it totally rocks)

Give the girl a wet wipe & watch her go.

She knows the kitchen is off limits as that could mean drops of dairy which could be ultra dangerous!

Gabe is a good 'picker-upper'; but that's the limit of his cleaning abilities.

He also tends to get distracted (like me) & will go to put one car away in the 'car basket' & I'll look over to see him picking out a new one to play with. Um, Gabe, that's not how it works.

But I see myself doing that too. I will go to put something away, only to be side tracked by something in that room. And, before I know it, I'm looking at an old box of cards from my 16th birthday. No kidding, that happened the other night.

I hope it's not just fun for them. I hope they're learning a bit of responsibility & perhaps a glimpse of how hard it is for Momma, when others aren't doing their part!

Just in Case You Thought I Was Exaggerating

Remember when I said I had 4 loads of laundry?

It was more like six. On the bed. One in the dryer. One in the washer.

Priorities

I might have 4 loads of laundry, clean, ready to be folded & put away.
There's a mini-van full of 'church things' to unpack.
The breakfast bar is full.
And so is the dishwasher.
The floor is cluttered & needs to be vacuumed.
Gabe's floor is covered in blocks.
Flynn's is covered in books.

But,
We worshiped & served together all morning.
We picnicked & played at the park for an hour.
We took a walk.
We played in the backyard, hula-hooped, & made a hopscotch in the mud.
Took a long bath.
And read lots of books.

So,
if you drop by.
Please know,
I had important things to do.

Friday Fun [Sub Post: Monkey Arms & Rachael Ray]

Hi. I'm Gabe.

I'm happy because today my mom took me on a field trip to an open gym gymnastics day.

My arms are very long.

My mom says I have monkey arms.

Can you tell I don't care? Especially today.

I'm having the time of my life.

Maybe my mom's onto something...

I do hang upside down like a monkey!

Do monkeys jump on trampolines?

Or play in parachutes?

Here's more, from my sister Flynn...

I'm Flynn. I'm four now but have been enjoying cooking since I was two.

My specialties include, but are not limited to
BANANA BREAD.


I always sub in soy milk for cow's milk. Of course.

I crack & whip my own eggs.

Some moms would think my momma's crazy.

She even lets me use the mixer (with a warning of what it could do to my fingers...

or braids...)

My mom's always impressed though, that unlike Rachael Ray,

I clean up myself, after my cooking show.

The end.

OPERATION: Dinner Surprise a Surprise!

For Jeff's bday, I had a surprise dinner planned for almost a month.
All I told him was to dress up, take the kids to my parents' & come back 'for me'.

Yesterday, while he was at work, I prepared as much of it as I could. Made the pesto sauce, tossed the salad, marinaded the steak. I had to hide all of this as he was home about an hour yesterday between work & leaving with the kiddos.

He thought he was coming back to pick me up... instead he found me waiting (dressed up!) with course 1 (of 5), sitting on the table. We had fancy dinnerware & linens (Thanks to the Caseys), flowers & candlelight, & Jeff's favorite, steak, simmering in the broiler. I planned an hour long playlist of songs perfect for the occasion.

Jeff was very surprised & after a movie (complete with tv trays for dessert, something we never do with the kids around!), I gave him a gift from me, a subscription to '90-Minute Soccer', which he loved. The movie was 'License to Wed' (I highly recommend, very cute -- and HOW COME NO ONE TOLD US?, had 5 of THE OFFICE actors in it).

He was surprised & had thought I was taking him to see Wicked at the Fox. He said it was his best birthday ever. Everyone, all together now, "Aaawwwwww."

Other news, after baking a batch of chocolate cookies, I was doing a deep sweep -- like moving furniture & stuff. Interesting things I found: an alphabet marker, 2 pieces to lite brite, 2 crayons, a slinky, a fork, a matching game, & a marble from hungry-hungry hippos.

We miss the kids & Nana will be bringing them home momentarily. Flynn has a Princess Tea Party to go to. Again with this kid having a social life.

Photos to come...as soon as we find the camera.

Also to come... Gabe's first night in a big boy bed. Will it happen? Will we survive? Will he??

Just Call Me Heloise

A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide aknife under the flap. The envelope can then beresealed.(hmmmmmm...)
============================================================== Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.
==========================================================For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water andput Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (Wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)
============================================================= To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out.
=========================================================Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped inbaking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).
=========================================================== Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
========================================================== Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors getsharpened this way!
============================================================== Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! (Now, where to put the body? LOL)
========================================================= Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal forinside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks..
====================================================Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't washwindows on! a sunny day.. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
=========================================================== Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
========================================================== Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come You can also do this with towels and linen
============================================================= Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
============================================================= To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!
============================================================ To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.
==============================================================Spray your TUPPERWARE with non stick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.
=========================================================== Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator anditwill keep for weeks.
========================================================= When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness
==============================================================. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away
==================================================== Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces (Left over wine? What's that?!
================================================================ To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
============================================================== Ants, ants, ants everywhere .. Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor orWherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
================================================================= Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
========================================================== When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
============================================================= Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush! and flush.
================================================== Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.
========================================================= Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
====================================================Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four AlkaSeltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
====================================================== Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of white vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

You Are Now Entering Turdburg

Some people have their morning coffee.... they can't function til they've had a cup.

I have

my computer.

There are some days where I don't talk to anyone taller than 3 feet. So, my outlet is my computer. Spending five minutes here & there makes me feel like the walls surrounding my little abode, are a wee bit bigger than they actually are.

So, this morning, I stumbled into the livingroom, eyes still crusty, back still stiff, and I plunked down into the office chair.
Gabe was wide awake, he had been playing for a while when I 'rescued' him from his bed. So he had no interest in cuddling.

So, I engrossed myself in the computer. Finding out a bit about the world, the newest on Anna Nicole's baby-daddy-saga (not really), checking my favorite blogs....
when here comes Gabe, barreling down the hall, eyes twinkling like he's won a prize.

I just smiled at him & returned my focus to the monitor.

When then, I felt him drop it on my bare leg.

IT

was

a

turd.

Yep, a small ball of poop.

Now, I'm legally blind, so sometimes my eyes don't focus correctly.
But yep, after giving them a good rubbing, I concurred that indeed, my eyes were focused enough to see that I did have feces on my leg.

A good mom would think nothing of a little poopoo on her leg. She'd reach down & take it to the toilet. But not me. I stared at it. And I screamed. And then I started barking orders,
"Get me a kleenex!!"
"No, get me a wet wipe!!"

Then what followed was similar to a circus. You could call it Cirque de BM. Flynn trying to find the wipes, then taking the boxes of tissue off the box of wipes. Then trying to get the box open. All while I'm screaming, "WHERE IS THIS POOP FROM???"

After the doodoo had been removed from leg, I went into detective mode.
Just where did this mysterious turd come from?
You would assume it was Gabe who blessed me with the gift of brown...but he had footed pjs on.

So, I went on a hunt. No poo or hint of it anywhere. Flynn offered that she thought the turd was from "the hallway." Gabe just looked at me when I asked where he got it.
I was in a panic.

We never did find out for sure. Flynn still sleeps in a diaper as I have not even begun to work with her on staying dry all night...and part of her wake up routine is for her to take off her diaper & put on underwear. So, this poo mystery could've been best solved had I witnessed her diaper.

So, for now, I'll just spray the entire wall-to-wall carpet with Lysol.

Praises & other things...

God has performed yet another miracle. My aunt, whom I requested your prayer for back in October, who had 50% of her cells being cancerous (multiple myeloma, one of the worst!!), had a bone marrow biopsy done Friday. The results were made known to her on Monday...
SHE IS CANCER FREE! Now 0% of her cells are cancerous!
How awesome is that??
Some people go through their life not seeing any miracles (or not realizing that they're seeing the miracles), but my aunt gets to BE a miracle....TWICE. What a living testament.

I was cleaning the refrigerator the other day. It was completely filthy...dried crusty pickle juice, kool aid, juice, various fridge cheesery, you name it. Nasty. But I had always put it off as it's hard to empty everything & have it sitting around & having a 1 & 3-year old climbing all over you while you are spraying really strong cleaner.
So, we need food & the fridge was fairly empty & I knew it would be a good time.
So, I sprayed the kitchen antibacterial multi-purpose cleaner. And as I wiped the clear glass shelves off, the fridge seemed even dirtier. I rubbed & scratched on that dried pickle juice, only to expose more filth & the underside of the glass, which had gunk on it I didn't even know existed.
So what started out as me just wiping the tops of glass shelves transformed itself into an even bigger job.
As I wiped & saw more & more filth, I thought of the process of our transformation with God. When we ask Him to cleanse us, it might seem to us that we're just a little bit dirty. But as He sheds His light on us, we're made aware that it's more than just a bit of sin. As that bit of sin is washed away, we begin to see the things that were hidden, some jealousy, a bit of unhealthy competition... maybe some hautiness. And then you see back where the crisper is, maybe a tad of self-righteousness has dripped down, you see a little bit of self-reliance is stuck in the crevaces.
I've been a Christian most of my life, but I'd say that in the past year I've started to see my sin as it really is. Things I struggle daily with... somedays I might overcome them & the other days where I lazily refuse to deal with them.
In Corinthians, Paul tells the church that he dies daily. I'm no bible scholar (& you'd think after a yr & 1/2 of bible college, I might know exactly what he means by this) but I know that Paul had lots of struggle & I believe he refers to putting himself under submission each day.
I always liken everything to food (see my previous post wherein I eat a whole thing of bubble gum ice cream in 2 days time), so for me, forcing my body under submission could mean not becoming a glutton. For some, it's going a day without picking up the phone to call someone & gossip. For others, it'even worst (of course, sin is sin, so me using the word worst there is strictly objective).
But isn't it rather cool that we're able to be cleaned? That in our Christianity beliefs, we're lent this ability to pray directly to God & are forgiven, cleansed & handed tools (Holy Spirit, prayer, bible, other believers, etc.) to deal with our downfalls. And through those tools, we rub & scrape at that dried pickle juice, until we see a gleam.
Now....
on to my oven.