As I go throughout my day, more often than not, I find myself creating blog titles in my head to describe whatever event or activity is going on. Whenever something funny, or crazy, or aggravating, or weird (or anything, really) happens, I think to myself -- if I were going to blog about this "blah, blah, blah" would be the
perfect title for the post. The problem is that most of the time none of these little stories are all that blog-worthy on their own so I end up shuffling them aside and waiting for the ONE that will sum up
everything that has been happening. And then a whole month goes by without a post. So, for tonight I've decided to string these little episodes along into one great, big narrative...
Doing a Little Day-Seizing
On Tuesday of this week, after spending a productive morning running errands sans children and shopping for birthday stuff for Sophie, I decided that I was REALLY going to be productive and finally get around to finishing up the kitchen paint job. I had majorly cleaned and de-cluttered the kitchen the day before and once I got Grace off to preschool and the little girls down for naps, I pulled out the paint and brushes and went to work. And work it was. (It was here, with paintbrush in hand that I thought "I'm just doing a little day-seizing. Wouldn't that be the perfect title if I were going to blog about this.") Let's just say I got my activity points in for the day. Not only was I painting the entire 2 1/2 hours the girls were sleeping, but after I got Ethan and Grace home from school I continued to finish things up for at least another hour or two.
The Horror, The Horror
Along these lines of seizing the day and getting things cleaned and de-cluttered I decided it was time to tackle Grace's room (hence the title which came to me as I was wading through boxes of trash and junk in the battlefield of her room). For the record, I'll just say right here that Grace goes beyond pack-rat and into the realm of trash-rat. She literally had 2 old diaper boxes FULL of garbage and trash and junk stashed away in the corner of her room (containing among other things the calcified remains of
several of Sophie's old wet diapers [and one of Jane's], and lots and lots of paper). In her defense, I'm PRETTY sure that these started out as boxes for her junks to live in and then kind of got taken over as trash receptacles during one of the many clean-up jobs she tried to do on her own. In all honesty, Grace is actually pretty good at "cleaning up" her room when it's on her own terms and in her own time (her own
sweet time).
However, the time had come once again to organize and de-junk and I kid you not when I say that cleaning her room gives me heart palpitations. A feeling of hyper-ventilation comes on and I have to tell myself consciously just to breathe and take it one thing at a time. Because there is so much stuff EVERYWHERE, it seriously stresses me out and overwhelms me to the point of incapacitation. Just ask Scott. He called me in the midst of this cleaning frenzy and immediately asked me what was wrong. I responded that we needed to nip this thing in the bud -- i.e. Grace's pack-rat problem -- or she WILL become the crazy cat lady when she grows up. Scott laughed, but I was only kind of joking. Two hours, one large garbage bag, and several-(hundred)-pony-tail-holders-found later, the room was sparkling clean and vacuumed.
Sweet Sassy Molassy
We've been having a bit of an
attitude problem around here lately. Talking back, screaming, disrespect, and rudeness have hit an all-time high. After reading a remedy on someone else's blog, I decided that what we need is our own "Sassy Spray" here in our house. In case you'd like to steal the idea, too, all you need is some apple cider vinegar and a spray bottle. I'm sure any kind will do. As of right now, anytime the kids talk back (especially when they say "NO!" after we've told them to do something), say bad words, or if they're just being plain rude and disrespectful, they get a little sassy spray in their mouths. So far it's been pretty effective -- although the hardest part is catching them and prying their mouths open when they know the spray is coming. You should see how fast Sophie runs when I tell her she's being sassy. It's hilarious. Hopefully, it will not need to be used for too much longer.
Red Velvet Cake Really Stains -- Like, A Lot
Speaking of the little sassy-pants -- the supermuppet turned 3 today! I convinced her this year that she wanted a Valentine theme for her birthday party, which we celebrated yesterday, and she ran with it from there. On the agenda for the day was making her heart cake (with raspberries on top because that's what was on the picture when I bought the pan), decorating heart sugar cookies, and opening presents.
The cake was red velvet, which in theory was great because it was one of the only box mixes I could find without any dairy in it. In actuality, it made a big mess. I thought the staining would end once the batter was cooked, but it didn't -- even the cake crumbs smeared on the floor left their mark. All-in-all though, it was worth it to see Sophie enjoying her very first piece of cake EVER. And even though she ended up eating mostly the icing (which was also dairy-free thanks to Earth Balance buttery sticks, soy milk, and a recipe search on vegweb.com) it was still a joyous sight to behold.
The sugar cookies were also made with said Earth Balance sticks and "Buttercream" frosting. The result? Surprisingly delicious if I may say so myself. And while the kids aren't the biggest fans of actually
eating the cookies, they sure did have fun
decorating them.
Sophie's presents this year seemed to be a hit. I took Ethan and Grace with me to Toy R Us the other night to each pick out a gift for her, and the results were pretty typical -- they each got her something that THEY really wanted. Grace picked out a dog junk and Ethan picked out a toy broom and dust pan. To round things out, I got some cheapy dress-up stuff for the girlie-girl as well as a Memory game and Crazy 8s (which she actually really loves). I'm pretty sure Sophie had an awesome day. Tonight, however, when the pacifier is being left for the "Pluggie Fairy" might be a different story...
Me and My Iron Constitution
When Scott and I first started dating, I noticed something that has become a recurring theme throughout our life together -- Scott seems to get sick a lot and I don't. At least not seriously sick. In what has become an inside joke, we always say it's because I have such an iron constitution. Well, me and my iron constitution are still going strong this winter. Poor Scott has been burning the midnight oil with work stuff this last week and as a result he's feeling a bit under the weather today. Luckily, my iron constitution has not failed me too much and aside from a slight head cold I haven't had any major sickness so far this season. This is definitely a blessing seeing as to how the past month has been consumed with taking care of 4 sick kiddies and a false alarm for whooping cough.
Ethan and Grace had had a little cough for a few days (but no fever or anything else) and I had been sending them to school anyway, and then Ethan's school sent home an email on a Friday afternoon saying there had been a confirmed case of whooping cough in his grade and not to send any kid to school who might potentially be sick. Well, when Sophie and Jane both came down with coughs and fevers on that Sunday, I figured I should probably take them in to the doctor to get it checked out just in case. Luckily, the test came back negative and after a couple of (LONG) days having all the kids at home with me, I was able to send Ethan and Grace back to school and eventually Sophie and Jane got better, too. Which was a good thing because sick Sophie is a PILL. And a half.
Physical Labor is Not My Forte
Like much of the country right now we woke up yesterday morning to a winter wonderland. It snowed pretty much all day long, and by the time it stopped in the afternoon, there was quite a bit
to shovel out there in the driveway. In an effort to get some activity points in for the day and hopefully counter-balance all the junk I ate in conjunction with Sophie's birthday party, I went on out at quarter to 5 to start shoveling. Let's just say it was hard. The snow was super wet, super heavy, and -- where the car had driven over it -- super packed down.
It took me a full hour (and then some) to finally get it done. Ethan tried to help, but he's not quite up to the task yet. A few more years and then I will gladly relinquish the task to him.
All in a Day's Work
While we're on the subject of physical labor, I guess I've just been a glutton for punishment this week. With the kitchen all cleaned up and painted, I realized I couldn't put off mopping any longer. This project once again ended up taking all of nap time and a few more hours after that as well. It also involved using up an entire bottle of ammonia and getting down on my hands and knees to scrub each and every individual tile. It was intense. Let's just say I will not be waiting so long to mop the floor next time.
Also on my docket this past month has been shuttling Grace to her new ballet lessons once a week. She is super excited about the class, and I'm super excited about the fact that she lets me pull her hair back off her face at least once a week. A friend in our ward teaches the class out of her house, and when we drop Grace off, we pick up her two boys to come back to our house to play with Ethan. Thursdays are now his favorite day of the week, and I have discovered that our family would have a VERY different dynamic if we had 3 boys and 1 girl instead of the other way around!
I Am Not Above Bribing My Children
For the last few Sundays, I have resorted to using a bag of candy to bribe the kids into good behavior at church. The rules are simple. Every 5 minutes I dole out one more piece of candy, provided they have been quiet, good, and reverent enough during that time. If they ask if it's time for another Starburst (or Tic Tac or whatever the candy may be) they don't get one for that 5 minutes. Simple as that. And remarkably effective. The kids (minus Sophie who was still not quite back up to par after her bout with the non-whooping cough) lasted for all 2 hours of Stake Conference last week and aside from a few chastenings were rather well-behaved. So, there you have it. I am NOT above bribing my children.
And finally a few random tidbits:
Ethan was so excited to be the first person in his class to complete his "math scroll" -- writing the numbers 1 through 1000.
Grace is excited to (kind of) learn how to read.
Sophie was excited to be Sister Friendly for Family Home Evening a couple of weeks ago.
And I am excited to read through this stack of library books. After culling through several book lists -- mostly from recommendations on other people's blogs -- I have created an Excel spreadsheet with a couple dozen books that are on my "To Read in 2010" list. So far I've knocked 4 off the list --
Rebecca,
Fablehaven,
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, and
The Lightning Thief. (I'm on Goodreads if you want to be my friend. Hahaha.).
(In case anyone's wondering -- Jane is still a little sugar pop and melts my heart on a daily basis. We've discovered that rolling over to her stomach and sucking her thumb help her sleep better and longer at nap time and night. I love my little thumb-sucker).
The End
(
"And now do you like my hat?" --
5 points to whoever can name what kid's book this quote is from)
(Scott working on my birthday plans as we speak)
(The Party schedule according to the kids -- in case you can't read the list of activities, here they are: 0.) Sleep, 1.) Surprise, 3.) Present time, maybe decorate cookies, 5.) Sing, 6.) Cake time, maybe cupcakes, maybe ice cream, 9.) Party bags, 10.) Baby-sitter. I'm not quite sure what kind of numbering system he was using. Hahaha.)
In addition to sucking her thumb, Jane has taken to playing with her hair at the same time. Precious.
