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It is good to have friends that know you to your core. Today I was moving a little slowly even though my daily list is overwhelmingly long, motivation was no where to be found. My friend Katie and I were chatting this morning and she recommended a product she just knew I would love. She knows me so well and wouldn't steer me wrong, so I got Asher ready and headed to Sams. Motivation found. Welcome to my new favorite thing:
At Sams, you can by the Clorox Clean up in a pack with 2 squirt bottles and a refill pack for under $10! I didn't even bother reading all that it can do because it had me at "KILLS Influenza A". Soooooooold! After a spontaneous weekend out of town (more on that later), I had a lot of grocery shopping to do, but I knew just how I would use this when I got home. I emptied out my fridge and used my new Clean Up buddy and now all of my new food has a super germ free, sparkling clean home.
I heart organized food. I cleaned my side of the fridge in under 15 minutes! This is super exciting find, since I clean my fridge before each shopping trip. Hello time-saver! As I was writing this, Katie texted me and said that she told her Hubby she shared her find with me and he said, "Oh so shes a bleach freak too?" *Laughing* Between my Clorox wipes posts and now this....I wouldn't be mad if Clorox sent me some free loot. Seriously.Trust me, my kitchen is thanking me for this purchase and you will too. Sincerely,Bleach Freak
A couple of days ago, I started writing about my boys and their sweet brother relationship. We were having an exceptionally drippy sweet day and my boys were trying to make Mommy's heart explode of love overload. I only made it about half-way thru the post when I had to tend to my little Izzy. He was complaining of leg pain (stinking growing pains) and a bad tummy ache. He had no fever, but was doubled over in pain. I tried to do little things to help him relax, and he kept telling me he wasn't sick. The next morning, he went to school and said he felt much better. Hubby is in test mode, so he was going to be M.I.A for the weekend so I planned a weekend of fun with my boys. After school, I took Izzy to rent a couple of movies of his choice. Unfortunately for me, I only liked one of them. Tales of Despereaux, am I the only one who can't stay awake during this movie? But, Despicable Me saved the day. We were watching Despicable me and snuggling, when Asher burst into laughter. Izzy grumpily said, "Ashey, don't laugh you are going to make me throw up!" I quickly asked for kindness, but before my request was complete...it was too late. Izzy was at the toilet and lost his Papa bought happy meal. Sads. Wish it ended there, but we are in Day 2 of "Empty your guts, then take a nap" weekend. I can't count how many times it happened today, its all a blur. But, instead of eating dinner, I washed bedding off in the DRIVEWAY with a hose. Ghetto? Yes. Efficient? Double Yes.Now, while I despise cleaning up after sickies (I could never be a nurse. Thank you Nurses!), I can do it because it is my kids and I love them immensely. Is there anything sweeter than a sick, snuggly kid? Ugh, my heart aches because I know how badly he feels and yet I am secretly loving how baby-like he is this weekend. What I super-duper appreciate is, the fact that he isn't a baby and can make it (mostly) to the bucket. Why you ask, was I hosing down bedding in the driveway then? Well, my poor boy is so sick he is throwing up in his sleep. That is sick, people. He told me after his 3rd time getting sick in 2 hours this morning, "Mom, I am really sick, so I need you to do special stuff for me to feel better." I had no idea what these "special stuffs" were and when I questioned him, he was a tad annoyed. I got a sigh and a eye roll followed by, "Just ask Papa, he know just the right kind of special stuff I need." I get no credit. I have cared and cleaned and sprayed down bedding in the driveway, I have cloroxed until my hands cracked and I need to ask Papa because only HE can do special things? Well, I did. Papa came home with a Tom & Jerry movie and a Monster Truck bought just for the sickie. It worked, and Papa is the hero. Now, Izzy has been very sweet and appreciative and telling me he is so sorry for the mess and he loves me, but I wish I just knew that "special stuff." So this weekend if you are looking for me, I am knee deep in sickie bedding and Pedialyte. I will have to finish my sweet brothers post another day. It's so sweet you might need some Pedialyte yourself. :)
Asher VOLUNTARILY went to bed tonight without his "Bink"!!!!!
We keep his binky on a shelf above his bed and he is only allowed to have it at nap and bed time. Tonight when I went to grab it for him, it wasn't there. I told him and he said, "It's lost? *pause for thinking* "It okay bink lost." He got into bed, covered himself up and said Night Night. I stood there for a minute in shock and then thought I should close my mouth and go along with it.
When I told Hubby what happened he said, "Shut it, your joking." That is how seriously this kid takes his bink. I keep waiting to hear a yell, or a cry, but so far nothing.
This sums up my little Asher, when he is ready for something he goes full force. Here is hoping he decides on potty training soon!
*crossing fingers*
This weekend, my boys and I met our friends K and her kids at a local nature sanctuary. We packed lunches, sunblock, a wagon, strollers, bags...it was a lot of work, but this picture alone shows it was totally worth it!
The weather was beautiful and warm and the kids were so happy to be outside soaking up the sun and trying something new. The big boys hiked while I pulled the littles (Asher and Bella) in a red wagon and K pushed baby Norah in her stroller. It was kind of a double duty day, because not only was it fun, but it was a super good workout for us Mommies! I was pulling about 60lbs up hills and winding trails. K was pushing sweet Norah and all of the "stuff" like my gigantic camera bag, our lunches, diaper bags so her load wasn't a breeze either.
My little scientist Izzy was having the best time "investigating" nature while still staying on the trail. I would love to take them again soon but this time bring some of his science stuff so he can really get into it. We gave Izzy and Elijah each a map and they told us which path to take and where the water ran according to which path we were walking. After our hike we took the kids into the nature center where they were able to see snakes, lizards, turtles and listen to animal noises and learn facts about animals they might see on the trails. The kids LOVED it and played there for a long time. K and I loved it because it was air conditioned...oh and because our kids were happy and learning. :)
My boys love the outdoors and most of all they love being with their friends. It was such a great day with fun memories. Speaking of memories, that picture is going in a frame because every time I see it, I smile. I hope when our kids are teens, they can look back at that picture and smile too.
As I grow with my family and we have moved several times, I am detailing in my mind things I want in our dream house. Hubby and I plan on building a house when he is out of school and we are settled in one place. I have a vision of the outside, but honestly, that doesn't matter much to me. It is the inside and the organization that matters, so here is what I am thinking:
As a SAHM I do a lot of organizing and cleaning and I want my house, to work for me instead of me trying to figure out a plan based on my house. Laundry is a huge task and I know that as my boys grow it is going to become even more so with sports uniforms and sweaty play clothes. As it stands now, I do lots of clothes, but I could do a full load of just scrubs for Hubby. I would love to have a small apartment sized washer/dryer located in my Master closet. Imagine, as you remove your dirty clothes actually throwing them directly into the washer and when it is full, add the soap, push the button and go! Then being able to pull them out of the dryer and hanging them right back in the closet they belong! Oh hello, time savings!
Continuing on the laundry theme, I want a huge mud room off of the garage. The house we live in now currently has a laundry between the kitchen and garage and the location is nice, but with the amount of people living here, it doesn't serve the purpose as I would use it. I would like a large room with a washer/dryer and a giant counter for folding. I picture wall to wall cabinets to store all of those holiday/party items you never know where to put. And in my most perfect dreams a large locker for each family member, labeled by name of course so that as each person comes in they can put their items in their locker- no mess, no searching for things in the morning. My mudroom would also have a second pantry for stock items. A flat screen t.v. wouldn't hurt either. Hey, I spend a lot of time in there!
My house needs a craft room. A pretty room with large work tables and tons of clear labled bins for storage. 2 comfy chairs for when my crafting buddy comes over with a cute end table in between to hold our yummy freshly baked snacks.
One thing that drives me crazy is my boys closets. I do not like having one long bar across the length of their closets. In my house, I want to use the side walls to hang clothes, so I need several short bars to hang on one side and baskets and shelving for the rest.
Closets are a big issue for us and Hubby has a HUGE shoe collection. The best way to make us both happy is to give him a nice big closet all of his own with enough shelving to hold his precious shoes and room to grow his obsession.
Our house will have to have a pool, because it has brought so much joy to this family. Friends love to visit when you have a nice big pool and your kids are always happy in the summer. It is a lot of work, but totally worth it.
I don't have a "vision" for my kitchen so much, but I know I want lots of counters and cabinets because I love to bake. I love having a center island, but a much larger size would be perfect. I'm sure by then, I will need another Kitchen Aid mixer too (wink wink Hubs).
Most importantly to me, I don't want to have a bunch of rooms that only get used on holidays or special occassions. Nothing worse than having to clean a room on a regular basis that you never use. I want a huge play room than can eventually turn into a game room for when the boys are older. Lots of shelves for toys and I would love to have a secret door leading a a little nook for each of the kids.
It is so exciting to think about and I know that time will come so much quicker than I expect. Living in apartments and now with my parents, has really helped me to deicipher what my family really needs and the function I would like in my own house. I want my house to be the "go-to" hangout for my boys and their friends and I want to enjoy living there because it is so organized and functional.
Decorating isn't my thing, it is more of my Mom's gifting. I would love a big beach house feel, with crisp whites and muted ocean colors, lots of comfy furniture, but not lots of "stuff". Kind of like this.
What things would you do in your dream house?
(Can't promise I won't steal your ideas. :)
You know me, I'm a planner. I like to know things well in advance and since Hubby's free time is so limited anyway, our schedule fills up extremely fast. New month means it is time to sit down and compile the family calendar. Ummm. wow. Seems like everyone I know is apparently born in the next two months, add in Easter, events with friends, play dates, Girls Nights, T-ball and *crossing fingers* hopefully a date night squeezed in somewhere, we are booked. Things are hectic, even more so with Hubby studying for Boards AND his regular school schedule, but as I looked at my calendar instead of feeling overwhelmed, I felt super happy. It is such a nice feeling to look ahead and see lots of celebration and so much time with people we love. I want this next spring season to move so slowly, I am so enjoying days at the park and special yummy treats with friends. Picnic and bubbles, baseball games and BBQ's.
In a blink, Izzy will be in first grade and Asher will be a year closer to preschool. It is all moving so very fast. I am having a total blast with Asher on a daily basis and he has very quickly moved from being my little baby to my little buddy. Izzy is blowing my mind with, well everything! He is so smart and sweet. He has such a natural kindness about him and I pray he keeps it for life. Honestly, I am so very blessed right now. New friends that treat and care for me like we have been life-long friends. Old friends who make me feel like a kid again. And two silly, sweet boys who make me laugh until it hurts. The only thing that could make my life better right now would be a personal assistant so I could give them all the yucky paperwork that I dread doing and keeps me from fun. And if they cleaned the bathrooms, that would be perfection.
Today is April Fools Day. This day is so annoying to me, probably because I am gullible. Let me tell you a little story about the worst April 1st, I ever had. I went to a private school as a child and while the school was strict, my parents were even more so. I was a very obedient child and NEVER went against an adults instruction. I was such a good kid, that the principal at the school often let me leave class and help in the office and many times I saw the naughty kids receive punishments and overheard many a call to parents. So needless to say, I was scared to disobey especially at school, because I saw first hand what happens if you do. (Hello, school spanking, I'm looking at you.)
I believe it was 3rd or 4th grade and my teacher passed out a paper that had a coded page. You had to figure out the code and then we were instructed that whatever the page said you "HAD" to do or we would be in trouble. The paper had several instructions, but one said take your shoes off and put them on the opposite feet for the rest of the day. Naturally, I obeyed and wore my tennis shoes on the wrong feet for the day and was self conscious the entire day. We went to gym class, chapel, lunch all with shoes on the wrong feet. Most of the time, I tried to keep my legs crossed in hopes no one would notice my feet were pointing in opposite directions. I'm sure it didn't help. At the end of the day when we were grabbing our stuff to leave, she announced APRIL FOOLS! and enjoyed a huge laugh. I didn't get it at all and she proceeded to explain her prank. I was devastated and went home crying.
I don't remember lots from my childhood, but that memory stands out because I felt so betrayed! Today it made me so sad when I dropped Izzy off at school today and as he was walking up the steps to school I heard his Coach play a joke on him and that is when it hit me that "OH MY WORD, I didn't explain April Fools to Izzy!" My most sensitive and innocent spirited kid is going to think everyone is picking on him all day! It bothered me all day and to be honest I even had the thought to pick him up early. I know, I know...slightly ridiculous, but I know how it feels and hated the thought of him having a similar experience. When I picked Izzy up, he jumped in the car happy as a clam and when we walked in he said Hi to Daddy and then said, "Dad there is a huge spider on your back!....APRIL FOOLS!" *insert hysterical 5 year old laughter* Obviously, I'm a big baby that takes things a tad too personal because he seemed to make it just fine.
Hope you had a great April 1st and kept your shoes on the right feet. :)
I am known to be the Queen of Play dates, but after last night I think it is only right that I also be named the Queen of the Hot Sandwich. Yes, it doesn't seem like much, but let me tell you when your 5 year old is stuffing his face and in between bites telling you "MOOOOM you are the best sandwicher ever!" it becomes kind of a big deal.
This is the sandwich that made it all happen. Lets review. I started with a ciabatta roll that I added garlic and a little butter and then mozzarella cheese. I toasted for 2 minutes then added thinly sliced meat (Hubby prefers turkey and ham while the rest of us are just straight turkey lovers). Toast for 3 minutes. After they were out of the oven, I added freshly cooked turkey bacon, baby spinach and homemade spicy mayo. I sprinkled a little bit of Love added some crunchy french fries and the happiness developed. Now, clearly the roll is not South Beach approved, but when Hubby comes home with them how can I turn them away? Everything else was diet friendly. :)
I am also known to make a mean Meatball sub and my family says I make the best grilled cheese. Obviously, it's a gift.
Sometimes it is the little things that make the family happy. Last night it was a sandwich. Panera....watch your back.
I heart organized food. 
