Fish Eyes

This morning I corralled the kids and we all went outside on the front porch so they could breath that thing we call "Fresh Air" and I could drink my humongous cup of coffee. (I was also hoping to welcome my husband home, but little did I know he'd be about 2 hours late...)
The monkeys got a little restless just sitting with me, so they started playing. My middle child is obsessed with Veggie Tales. And the Mr. Lunt character in "Lord of the Beans" kind of scares him. And my oldest child knows this and takes advantage of it. chuckle chuckle. She started chasing him, pretending to be the Mr. Lunt character, and he was screaming like a girl. Then the tables turned, and it was his turn to do the chasing. Instead of saying "My Precious", he's chasing her and yelling, "My Fish Eyes!! My Fish Eyes!" I just about snarfed my coffee right through my nose.

The Cwean Room

So it's been almost 2 months. And not a lot to show for it. Except my younger 2 monkeys' bedroom is CLEAN AND ORGANIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a MASSIVE feat for me. Last week their room had no floor. Seriously. No floor. Instead it was a swimming layer of toys. Really. I thought about taking a "before" picture to prove it, then was too embarrassed and ashamed to click the button on the camera. But you can ask my oldest monkey. She would testify to the horrific mess. Don't ask my husband... he would not only answer, but then probably start talking about the laundry room. And I haven't reached it yet to work the magic. But just wait. I think I have it written in my planner for Tuesday! Back to the room. I told my 3 year old the toys that don't fit in the toy box and allotted containers for toys cannot stay. They have to go. At first he agreed to this. However, yesterday he was not too happy about the arrangement. He told me, "I do not wike my new room. I do not wike my cwean room. I want my messy room back." I told him Tough Toe Nails! So he went into his room and knocked the Wonder Pets and their beloved Fly boat off his dresser. At the crashing noise, I came a runnin'. I saw him sitting innocently on his floor and asked, pray tell, what was going on. He blinked his little eye lids and said, "Is this a mess?" To which I replied, "It won't be as soon as you pick it up. Hop to it, Skippy." Since everything has a place now, it takes no time to clean, therefore it is staying clean!!! (hallelujah chorus playing in the background)

I have been feeling like quite a failure as a homemaker lately. And I have had my little pity party and (as my friend Arlene so eloquently puts it) sat on the pity pot. And then I started praying about what to do about it. And then I started google-ing for help. I came upon a site called "homemaking 911". How much clearer can you get??? So, in my free time I have been studying how to get organized and how to really clean. (The cloth diaper study sessions are on the back burner for now) Guess what I found out? If I put into practice what I am studying, great things happen. ( Keep your "DUH" to yourself, please) After I finished that room, I recruited my eldest and moved on to her room. Because we are like that Rubbermaid family, the one on the commercial that says, "We have too much stuff", and we don't have enough places to put said stuff, some of the stuff has been ending up in the corner in my daughter's room. For shame. Not any more! Her room has now been revamped as well. Well, right now there is one bag that needs to be moved to the trash pile, and there is a broom laying face down in the floor saying "Break time! I surrender!" and there is a stack of books awaiting the arrival of a book shelf that will be moved in next week. But the floor is very visible! The junk has been eliminated. I had forgotten how much a kid can hoard for the sake of being lazy. But, I guess she may have gotten that from me. I am feeling so much better about the whole thing. Today I don't feel like a failure. Especially when I count up the 7 bags to Salvation Army, 2 bags to Birthright (a crisis pregnancy center), 3 bags of baby cloths to 3 different families, and so much trash that my husband thought I forgot to send the trash to the curb last week. There is something cleansing and refreshing going on. Maybe I will retrain the inner pack rat after all. there is hope! I envy the people that can maintain a clean and clutter free house. I am trying to become one of those people, and train my kids to be like that.

A cloth diapering passion

I have been on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer blog for the last 45 minutes catching up on some cloth diapering reading. First, let me say that this blog is an amazing resource for cloth diapering. If you have a question, they have an answer. If you have a problem, they have a solution. And the people seem to me to be very REAL, which is very reassuring and comforting in today's day and age. This week there is a contest for the funniest cloth diapering story out there. I really don't have a great and funny story yet, but I have another year and a half to two years to go, so I am SURE my time is coming. I have enjoyed reading about other's experiences though. They also have a "Fluff Friday" contest where they give one lucky person a prize. Usually diapers of one sort or another, but it's not limited to that. Recently there was an adorable hand bag. To see this weeks coveted prize, click here. Cutie patootie, right? So, I am entering this week's contest, and I am advertising the blog site because I get an extra entry for doing so. :) Win win situation, right? And who knows, if you-the reader- has your own babe in diapers, or will have future babies in diapers, maybe by visiting the blog you might, just might, consider using cloth. Check out the wet bag I just received this week from Kelly's Closet. Well, my bag is pink and brown in this print. The blue was out of stock. I love love love the bag. The inside is waterproof, so it is perfect for putting dirty diapers in, or swimsuits, or what not. And then I got this diaper specifically for night time. It is SUPER SOFT. I haven't used it on the babums yet because I need to wash it a few more times so it can be up to its maximum absorbency level. I can't wait! I feel like such a nerd. If anyone was to ask me what I do in my free time would I actually DARE tell them I study cloth diapering???? My sister was in town last week and she lent me some "nappies" (what the Europeans and Aussies call diapers). The conversation went a little like this:
D: Hey, T! Here are the diapers.
Me: Sweet! These are BumGenious one size pocket diapers!
D: And here are some thingies for them.
Me: Those would be INSERTS.
D: The only thing I don't like is you can't use diaper rash cream.
Me: Oh, yes you can. There's a safe one for cloth diapering called the Magic Butt Stick. Looks like a gigantic glue stick, but instead of glue, its rash ointment.

Well, you get the picture. When I was a child I never said, "When I grow up I am going to have a passion for cloth diapering". Oh me, oh my.
I am going to give myself a monthly allowance for cloth diapers. I'd better clear it with my hubby first I guess. The diapers can give a bit of sticker shock at first, but they are reusable! and save soooooo much money in the long haul as oppose to disposable diapers. Come on, would you want to wear paper underoos for 2 1/2 years? Then why make your baby????? Ponderous.

So, where the heck has Cousin It been lately?

I got in the mood to clean my living room today. Top to bottom (minus the curtains... I'll save them for another day). My junk corner is No More, the shoe and jacket mountain that was behind the front door is Gone! My daughter's desk is now in my daughter's room. I cleaned the mirror, the panes of glass on the front door and the screen, the trim along the floor. You get the idea! And then I broke out Big Red. The vacuum cleaner. We are talking Big Job. I moved the couches and the other furniture, and I vacuumed where the sun don't shine. Then, all of a sudden there was a horrible noise. First the sound of a rock, or something, hitting all possible hard surfaces inside the vacuum and then the sound of the vacuum chucking it OUT. But then there was another sound that hadn't been there before. And it didn't sound good. I turned Big Red off, thinking "she can't fail me now!" and I turned her belly up. And then I saw a sight that I think I will remember for the rest of my days. And the first words out of my mouth were "Cousin It!!!" and then something like "holy crap". I started to pull at the hair that was wound around the spinning thing-ey (such a technical term). There was not only hair, but string. And I am pretty sure an elastic thread that belongs in my daughter's jewelry making kit. And then a hair pin--not a narrow bobby pin, but the kind for buns--looks more like a tall "V". How long it had survived with Cousin It I will never know. I had to get out the purple handled scissors to free the hair monster. Then I started to get a little grossed out. My daughter has a head full of hair, and up until January it has ALWAYS been down to her waist. Its her fault, right? I worked for probably a good 10 minutes before I could see that spinning thing-ey all nice and clean again. Cousin It is now free, and I would like to think Big Red will be working all the better from now on.

The Thud

Just a little bit ago I was in my bathroom putting on my make up when I heard a loud "Thud" on either my front door or picture window. The thoughts that raced through my mind: That's the morning news--wait, dummy, we don't take the paper; I wonder if its a UPS package-- wait, it's no one's birthday, and we haven't ordered anything; Is it a stupid neighbor dog trying to join our family?--I sure hope not! So I put down my eye shadow and peeked out my curtain. Nothing there. I unlocked the locks on my door and looked out. Nothing within my height's range. Then I opened the screen and saw this red headed woodpecker gasping for air on my front porch! Its eyes were slightly opened, and his beak was moving, and all I could do was just watch. Then he stopped moving and his eyes shut. I couldn't tell if he was still breathing or not--I was barefoot and didn't want to step out. So, I grabbed my camera. My older 2 monkeys are not home this morning and I wanted to capture the moment so I can show them later. I almost shed a tear for this bird. But before doing so, I got curious as to what he hit; my door or my window. So I started looking for clues. That's when I saw this:Pardon the lack of good camera and photography skills. This gunk was fresh and still running. Which then led me to the questions of What Exactly Is It? Was it the remains of a big bug the bird had been chasing? Was it the spit knocked out of the bird? Was it bird puke? Was it bird brain matter??? EEEWWWW Gross. Whatever it is, I need to clean it up before it becomes the permanent "Hello" sign on my front door. Well, I was sure the bird was dead, but was trying to hang onto the little hope that maybe, just maybe he was only stunned. I was wondering how I was going to dispose of said bird before my kids come home today. And do I bury it, or wrap it in a plastic sack and toss him in the trash? He's too big to flush! Do I call the conservation dept? and if I do are they going to blame this accident on moi? The Predicament! Instead of worrying any more, I picked up the phone and called my mom to share the "You'll never believe what's on my front porch" story. We chatted for a bit, and then in the middle of her monologue, I heard a noise. Because I have the great and wonderful cordless phone, I continued listening to my mother and crossed the room to look out on my porch. Low and behold, the woodpecker was gone! And I interrupted my mom to tell her so! :p I did see this in the place of the bird:
(I didn't zoom in close enough, but if you look real hard, there is a red smear in the center to the right, and a wet spot in the center towards the left. If you must, look again at the first pic of the bird, and you can see his head was at the blood end, and his lower self was above the wet spot.)(I just realized that if you click on the picture, you'll get a good blown up zoom!! Now you can really see what I'm talking about.) Why, I do believe the birdie has a head trauma, and soiled itself. I don't have to call the conservation dept, I don't have to bury it, and I don't have to poke it with a stick to see if its still breathing. The bird flew away! All silliness aside, I am really thankful my door did not kill this bird. I am thankful God made birds resilient. And I am reminded of the scripture in Matthew 6:25-34. Not that I was worrying about what I will eat and wear today, but the message is our heavenly Father cares for and feeds them, and that he sees us as much more valuable than the birds! And I was worrying about all the silly notions of how I was going to dispose of this bird when the bottom line is Do Not Worry. I hope this red headed woodpecker's head heals up nicely and he has a long life, and remembers the path to my door so he can avoid it! :)

My son spent a lot of time in grandma's basement over the last 2 weeks while my mom and I prepared for the craft show. One day he came running over to us proclaiming "I found a widdle bucket! I found a widdle bucket!" And the treasure in his "widdle" hand was grandma's thimble. We had a good "widdle" "waf" (that means "Little Laugh" to you slow ones out there) over that.

My first craft show

One cup of coffee. One Splenda, 2 cream. It is very early in the morning (for me) to be up and already on the computer. Well, more truthfully, for me to be up at all! And I am already ready for the day. My 3 monkeys are still in bed snoozin', as is a darling little girl of a friend of mine, who is joining us for the morning. There are so many things I could be doing right now. ie: laundry, dishes, bills But I have chosen to fill my friends in on how the craft show this past weekend went!
My mom--my crafting partner-- and I were informed ahead of the weekend that the spring show is a little slower than the fall show. And then a few times on Saturday some of the other vendors informed us the same. Some were a tad discouraged if not down right irritated. However my mom and I had a wonderful time. We did not make our first million, we did not come close to selling out... of anything, but we did make a little bit of a profit, and we had a great time! We certainly enjoyed people watching, and once in a while gave commentary. (But I will not go into great detail of The Man Who Mooned Too Much) We got to chit chat with some familiar faces, we got to taste test one man's spice/dip booth--the absolute best out of MO! There were a few people who took my card, we got invited to 3 other craft shows, and we got a special order. I think for our very first time it was a very positive experience! And we will definitely be a part of the fall show.
My kids stayed with my dad and step-mom on Saturday. I think it was the first time that set of grandparents has watched all 3 of mine together. Both parties involved had a good time. I know the grandparents were more worn out than my monkeys at the end of the day. I am grateful they got the time together. Then first thing Sunday morning I received a phone call from the babysitter I had lined up that she was sick. I panicked for a moment and then I called my mom. We decided my eldest could go to church with some friends and then they would bring her to us at the show, we schmoozed grandpa Mike into keeping my son, and the bambino would come with us. I was a tad bit relieved, even in that moment, that I would not have to be humiliated and horrified of the condition my house had sunken to, and what the babysitter would have thought of it. Before you judge, grab the nearest 3 active children, let them run rampant in your home, and you sew your fingers to the core-- for weeks, and lets see what your house looks like! lol!! You know, I was really hoping for enough of a profit I could hire a maid to come stay with us for the rest of the month... ahh. What was that response? Did I hear a "Keep Dreamin' Sister"? Oh, the cruelty. lol!
Oh, lets back up for a moment. I mentioned my eldest would be dropped off to us after church. She was, and I was so grateful to my friends for doing so. And she was geared up to have a good time looking at all of the booths. She even brought her very own money. My firstborn perused and meandered looking at each and every booth, zigging and zagging her way throughout the entire building, getting ideas of what she wanted to purchase. She even made friends with 2 other girls around her age that were there with grandmas, and they palled around together for a while. Then, my daughter made her purchases. She bought a gift for one of her friends, a t-shirt for her little brother (monkey #2), a hillbilly telephone (which was a big stick, whittled into the shape of a phone receiver, with numbers drawn in sharpie, and hillbilly instructions on how to use it) for $3.00! and then a hunk of beeswax. I asked her what she would do with that hunk of beeswax. She said the lady told her she could make a candle, or if she rubbed it on her hands, it would make her hands soft. It was a dollar. I thought the lady should have been slapped for taking my daughter's dollar and in exchange giving her a chunk of beeswax. Sorry, that's just my opinion. How is my 10 year old going to make a candle from it??? HELLO. enough said. Anyway, her money is gone, but her heart is huge. She gave her brother the shirt, she gave the phone to her cousin, and the next time she sees her friend, will give that gift as well. I am very proud that she is such a generous child.
I am going to refill my coffee and check on the sleeping monkeys. And then I may sew some more today.