Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas!!  Everyone wanted the big box to be their gift.  Big groans from everyone except Steven when it was placed in front of him.  The gift of warmth - new winter coat, new boots, new gloves.

 Molly is loving her bike.  She has learned to climb up and down from it, but as with most toddlers, pedaling is still a mystery.  Her bike even has a baby seat on the back for a doll.  That was what sold me on that bike!

 A rare picture of Pete- smiling even.  Only because he was trying to hide his face behind the ball and wasn't fast enough!

Zach opening his RC helicopter.  His favorite gift of the day.  As usual, Mom was behind the camera taking the pictures.  Christmas started very calmly.  Mike and I were woken up early by the kitten - even before the  kids were up, so we made a hot breakfast - egg, potato, sausage and cheese "muffins" which were ready when the kids got up.  We all ate our breakfast before the gift opening.   This year, Mike handed out the gifts, so I got to just watch which was great.  Steven's favorite gift?  2 new pairs of jeans.  Funny how things change with age.  My favorite gift was the sewing machine I got a couple weeks ago when my other one died.  Mike got his favorite - Chocolate Charlie candy, a huge Snickers bar, and some other, not quite so exciting gifts.    We had a nice day - everyone was off line all day.  We watched Zach's new movie and the boys all took turns playing the new Wii game Pete got (his favorite gift) - some kind of car racing game that Mike picked out and is apparently a hot item - we didn't even know that, Mike just thought it sounded fun and it met my game rating criteria. 

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas - relax now that the rush is done.

Conversation

Mike (as he was starting my car to check some kind of gauge and the teenagers were helping to empty all the crap their stuff out of my car)  Honey, did you do a lot of driving today?

Me (picture me after just returning from my tax class)  No, just to class and back, why?  (looking to see why he's asking, see him still looking at the gauges) Oh, because I'm almost out of gas?  Could be that I filled my tank Friday and since then you made 3 trips to the big city, with a fully loaded trailer helping your parents move and never put any gas back in my car .......

Mike (a bit sheepishly) Oh.  Yeah.

UpDate

I was asked if I could elaborate on just how much laundry soap is made by my recipe.  So, I just spent the last 45 minutes making a triple batch.  It was a week or two earlier than I normally would have made it, but in the interest of science, and because it's been a while since I actually calculated, I decided that today was the day.

Now, here's one tip:  I hardly ever make a single batch.  If you recall it takes about a half hour to make one.  Since I use a 5 gallon bucket, a double batch can be done in the same amount of time.  Since I'm in the middle of day 2 of solid laundry..... I decided on a triple batch.  While I was mixing the detergent and filling bottles I was boiling water and melting the soap for the last batch, saving more time there.  If I had done these all individually, it would have taken me an hour and a half total.  But I digress.  I had 4 of the large 96 load size detergent bottles - they say 1.17 US gallon - (you know the ones with the dispenser nozzle made to sit on it's side and not have to be picked up?).  That is the size detergent we used to buy, so I have several of those and then a couple of the smaller, pourable sizes.  I fill the pourable bottles from the large ones as needed.  That allows me to be able to pick up the bottle to shake before use.  Also, since this is a gel detergent, it does NOT come out of that little dispenser .... found that out the hard way the first time I made soap!  My triple batch filled 4 of those 1 1/4 gallon bottles.  When I fill these bottles, I'm not so neat even though I use a 4 cup measuring cup to pour into my funnel, so I pour on top of a towel (I also do that when I fill the smaller bottles).  I spill enough on that towel that I put it in the next laundry load without adding more soap.  So that made about 5 gallons and I estimate that this will last me through the end of the year.  I only used 1 bar of soap, 1 1/2 Cups of Borax, and 1 1/2 Cups of Washing Soda total for all 3 batches.  Again let me remind you that washing soda and baking soda are NOT the same.

The soap cost me about a dollar for one bar
The Borax was about 3 dollars for a box
The Washing soda was about 3 dollars for a box
And my recipe barely makes a dent in those boxes.  Let's estimate high and say I used a dollar for the soap and a dollar total for the borax and washing soda..... $2.00 for 4 jugs of soap and 45 minutes out of my day.  Some people think it is too much bother to make your own, but for me, it's worth my while.

Another Recipe

I have also started making my own dishwasher detergent.  Some of these items I already had on hand, so the cost is very minimal.  It took me about 2 minutes to make this, and it is immediately ready to use, so my time cost is nothing.  I spend longer making a pitcher of iced tea.  I keep a 1 cup measure in my laundry soap making bucket along with my cleaning supply recipes.  Again, no one removes these things from my spot under penality of death!!!!

1 C Borax
1 C washing soda
1/2 C kosher salt
5 pkts unsweetened lemonade (make sure to use the unsweetened packets of YELLOW lemonade)

The borax and washing soda do clump in the box a little while they are stored in the pantry, so I use the bottom of my measuring cup to crush the large lumps and then mix it all together.

Use 1 level tablespoon per load - Yields about 45 loads.  Put 1/3 of the Tbl in the little detergent compartment and the rest in the large one, if your dishwasher has them.  We run the dishwasher AT LEAST one time per day for a family of 6, sometimes 2-3 times when school is out, so this is a real money saver for my family.  This batch will last my family about 1 month. The smell of the powder is slightly of lemonade, but there is no smell when the dishwasher is done.  Also no staining inside the dishwasher.

Mix all the ingredients and store in a tightly sealed container - I use a Rubbermaid bowl with a lid that snaps on.   You're only storing about 2 1/2 cups of powdered cleaner, so you don't need a real big container.  A mason jar would probably work just as well, but with my clumsy children, I wanted to avoid a glass container,  I also wrote on the lid of the container so everyone knows they only use 1 level Tbl per load, and then I store a Tbl in the container so no one can say they didn't measure because they couldn't find one.  After all, with my teenagers, if it's not easy, they won't do it.  I have caught one boy putting liquid Dawn into the dishwasher because it was on the counter and he did not want to bend over to pull a detergent tablet from right next to him under the sink...... GGRRRRR.  I always wondered how we seem to go through so much Dawn when we run our dishwasher so often...... that may be the next recipe I look for, hmmmmm.

I had the Borax and washing soda, from making laundry soap, so I bought the salt for about $2 for a container.  The salt is an abrasive to clean the food particles off the dishes (kosher because they are bigger crystals), and the lemonade is for the citric acid, also helping with the cleaning.  I have enough salt to make several batches.  The lemonade I also bought.  I used the generic Wal-Mart brand instead of Kool-Aid, for 12 cents per packet, and it works just as well.  I will now start watching for the Kool-Aid sales again where they sell 10 for a dollar instead of the regular 5 for a dollar.  And if I can find a coupon too, well bonus!! And honestly, the borax and washing soda have lasted me so long that I don't have a clue what I paid for them, but for as little as is used, it's a great value.

The Borax and Washing Soda are in the laundry aisle.  Usually on a bottom shelf at my store.  Kosher salt in the baking aisle, and lemonade in the drink mix aisle.

I have seen this recipe also using straight citric acid or Lemi-shine, but in the side by side comparisons I found on several sites, the lemonade seems to clean the best.  Plus at only 12 cents per envelope for the generic, its cheaper than the acid or Lemi-shine.  The lady who's recipe I used estimates the cost at 2 cents per load, which is probably pretty close, so for 45 loads, it is less than a dollar.  This seems to clean just as well as the Finish tablets or gel packets that I was using.

Here is what the packaging looks like if you are looking for them in the store.  Be sure to use WASHING soda, not baking soda..... they are NOT the same thing.

Frugality

When I bought my first house I made $6.25 an hour.  In fact, I remember going to the owner of the franchise and explaining to him that even though I was an hourly manager, I was trying to buy a house and my income didn't quite qualify, could I have a quarter raise?  I got it, bringing me to the $6.25 and  bought the house.  A year later I was also a new bride.  We didn't have kids then, but money was tight with the house and I  became an extreme couponer, before it was in vogue.  My husband enjoyed the challenge of getting groceries for as little as possible and he took over the grocery shopping.  After we divorced, I had a hard time getting myself back into that same level of couponing.... by then I was the restaurant manager and my time with my kids was precious, I did not want to spend it at the grocery store.  Now that we are a family of 6, living mainly on Mike's salary, I still am not able to get back into the big coupon routine, although I am trying, but I am huge on other ways to save money in the family budget.  My big way right now is to make my own laundry soap.  It only takes about a half hour to make it and my laundry costs only about 3 cents per load for the soap.  WAY cheaper than the other soaps, works well in my "he" washer, cleans well, and smells good.  Quite a feat when I am doing laundry for teenage boys too.  I have my own 5 gallon bucket (penality of death to ANYONE, even hubby who touches my bucket) in which I keep laminated copies of my recipes.  Here is my laundry soap:

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or any other type bar soap
1/2 C washing soda
1/2 C Borax powder

Grate the soap (I use the food processor.  A hard bar like the Fels Naptha works best)
and put in a sauce pan.  Add 6 C water and heat until all the soap melts.  Add washing soda and Borax, stir until dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 C hot water into your bucket.  Now add your soap mixture to it and stir.  Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir again. 

Now, some people leave it in the bucket, I saved some laundry soap bottles and at this point I use a funnel and pour it into these bottles.  Much more convienient for me to store these that way.  The soap needs to sit for about 24 hours before you use it.  It will now be a watery gel.  Be sure to shake it or stir it before each use.  Use 1/2 cup per load.  This is low sudsing soap and if you do not see suds, that is OK.  The ingredients clean, not the suds.

We have been using this for about a year and it works great!

This Week's Accomplishments

Molly has learned lots of new things lately.  She can climb up on Zach's step stool to pull things off the kitchen counters, she can climb up on a dining room chair to pull things off the table, she can pull said chairs away from the table to be able to climb on them, she can unzip the boys' backpacks and pull things out of them, she's learned to unroll the toilet paper, and she can make her toothbrush wet - by dunking it in the toilet - when it's time to brush teeth.... ICK.  Nothing is safe in the house anymore, she is figuring out how to get into everything!!  She even knocked out our phone service for a couple of days because she apparently stuck something in a phone jack, bent some prongs, and shorted the whole thing out.  Good thing we had our cells.  We already had put the child proof things on the outlets, but I am not sure they make them for phone jacks... amazon, here I come to find out.

Let's reflect for a moment on her accomplishments over the last year.  After all, this time last year we were still in China, and Molly had been with us for 15 days ( Then:17 months old, 12 1/2 pounds, Now: 29 months old, 22 1/2 pounds).
We had to buy her size 1 diapers since the size 2 we took were too big- today she goes to size 5!
She wore size 3 month clothes- now I am switching her clothes to 24 month /2T
She barely crawled- now she won't stop running
She never smiled - now she always has a smile on her face
Only ate 5 bottles a day and a snack of bread - now eats lots of different things
She still has a little of her "Budda Belly" - that malnourished distended abdomen, but it continues to improve along with her nutrician.  Her doctor assures me she will grow out of it and be fine.  Silly me, I thought that just went away once her diet was fixed.

Wow, what a year!

Sleep, I need sleep!

Have I told you all that school has started again?  As always, the week before school was filled with phone calls from all the bus drivers.  Yes all of them, since most of the time the one that picks them up for school is NOT the one who brings them home.  And the little kids go to school an hour earlier than the big kids.  And there are a gazillion new bus routes for saving gas money.   Blah, blah, Zach comes home at 3 again, blah, blah big boys go at 8 am again, home a bit later at 4:30, blah, blah WHAT???  Zach now goes to school at 10 minutes 'til 7???  That's 20 minutes earlier than last year.  Lets back track this....... bus comes at 6:50, must be out the door by 6:40, up by 5:30..... Holy Crap that's early!!!  So now Zach and I are getting up 45 minutes earlier than Mike and over an hour earlier than the big boys.  Oh, yes, did I forget to mention that also means Molly gets up earlier too, since when she hears us moving around she feels she must be up too so she does not miss anything?  And on weekends she is getting up earlier since that is when she is getting used to waking up.  I miss the summer when I could sleep  until 6:15 or 6:30 even - whenever Molly would hear Mike getting around for work and I had to get up with her.  AHHHH, the good old days !!!

Update:  I had to order it from Amazon, but I found the matching coat hook for under Molly's Command Center board (yeah, I was bummed when Lowes no longer carried them).  The Command Centers are working great... Zach comes home every day and puts his homework in his box- he has to stand on a stool to reach it, but he is so proud to put it in the correct place.  HHMMM, makes me wonder why he would never stand on his stool to hang up his coat before.......

I have also added a shoe shelf in the hall (one of those plain white ones with the cubby holes) to try to keep the shoes under control - try having 3 or so pair of size 12 shoes laying around the hall taking up tons of valuable space?  But then only being about to find one of them while getting ready to walk out the door because Molly is carrying it around the house.  Yeah, I know, like they could ever find their shoes before Molly came to live here either!!  Funny, both my tennis shoes will fit in the same slot, the boys can only get one shoe in each slot...... 

Bathroom Remodel

 

So, here is the bathroom "Before" .  I "re-did" this bathroom first thing when we got married 4 years ago, I painted the blue walls tan, added a very "country quilt panel" curtain, and have bare walls and basic storage for the "BE" kids' supplies.  We did change to a larger vanity, because the other one was too small for the space and didn't have any storage.  I have been SO very unhappy with this room... plain, utilitarian, but I had no idea what to do in such a tiny bathroom.

Thanks to Pinterest, I came up with some ideas.  Much nicer than those over the toilet stands you see everywhere. I found these towels at Wal-Mart, the crates at Jo-Ann's (which first I stained dark and then put an "orange" wash over that.  Add the fancy brackets and two cute baskets and so much storage added I'm not even sure right now what to put in the bottom crate - other than Molly's "Potty" book.  The curtain was replaced with a roman shade, blue with a small flower that matches the towels.  I even bought a new toilet paper holder and towel ring in the bronze finish to match.

Oh, and that ugly Sterlite storage box - gone.  I used the left over fabric from the curtains to cover 2 card board boxes to hold the BE (bladder exstrophy) supplies, found this cute basket to mount on the wall and got the supplies out of the way.  I just need to find a couple of pictures to hang and it will be complete.  Unfortunately, the bathroom is too small to take pictures of those. (I'm standing in the hall to take these!)

Molly has given the bathroom her seal of approval - now maybe she will learn to go in the potty!! 

Or maybe not

Almost Ready

Well, I spent yesterday in the City getting ready for my weekend project.... the main floor bathroom!  We used to use navy blue towels in there, but then we got a bunch of navy towels to use in our other bathrooms when we added 2 kids to the house, so now they always end up where the showers are and there are never towels in the main floor.  So my day began at Wal-Mart, to pick a cute towel color to build our new décor from.  Then off to Hobby Lobby and Michaels to find curtain fabric, paint for a cute "white washed" project - only not white, a cute color which you will see when I reveal the finished product.  Today I made the curtain and valance.  Tomorrow begins the real work, hopefully getting done before bed time.  This is a very quick, remodel.... no change in wall paint, no new floor tile, and no new vanity, sink, or potty.  But keep watching for what I do.... I'm pretty excited and hoping it turns out as well as it looks in my mind!!

The Command Center Has Arrived

School begins tomorrow, so I have been trying to get our "Command Center" set up.  The goal here is for no one to be running around in the mornings looking for anything before they can be out the door to wait for the bus.  Also so I know where to find that permission slip that HAS to be in today!!!  Where is it?  Oh, yeah, it's in my box.

I started with 4 old black picture frames we weren't using anymore.  They were just a very plain, basic frame. 

So I hot glued some beaded garland around the frame and then spray painted them chocolate brown (yes with my new favorite spray paint for plastics)

I then added a bulletin board to the inside and took out the glass.  I covered the bulletin boards with scrapbook paper, and made each child a large first initial out of cardstock and laminated that to identify who's board was whose.

This morning I was cutting cereal boxes then gluing scrapbook paper to them, and stapled that onto the bulletin board.  (The boxes are for papers I need to do something with, right now Steven has the order form for band parent shirts in his box and Zach has his sign up sheet for what I want to volunteer to donate for school parties in his.)   

I took down the board with the row of  coat hooks that was hanging in the entrance hallway and each kid has their assigned hook, under their command center board. (Still need to buy a last coat hook for Molly, I bought these hooks a year ago just planning to add another row of hooks, lower so the little kids could reach them to hang up their own coats.  I like this idea much better than that one!) 

 

I asked the boys if they like their new area, Zach loves it, Pete likes it but wishes I had used darker blue paper, even though he knows I didn't have anything darker in the house, Steve appreciates all the work I put into it.  I think that is teenager for he doesn't want to hurt my feelings, but.......

Molly thinks hers is pretty.

 

My fall house organization/purge is getting under way.  I couldn't do too much while the boys were out of school, since it just gets messed up again so quickly or they don't want anything thrown away.  This is my year for getting back to basics.  Our house is not big enough for the 6 of us and all the extra stuff that we don't need.  By Thanksgiving I want there to be a place to keep everything so nothing has to sit out and I don't feel like we are all crammed in here.

 

SO FAR:

Command Center- done (except for that last hook I need to get at Lowes next time I hit the city)

 

Pantry- done (that was a spring project)

  Craft Center- done- see, instead of the doors I made fabric panels to cover the openings and I absolutely love it.

We're In Trouble Now!!

Last night when Mike to Molly back to bed, I had put the baby gate up in a different spot than normal.  Usually it is behind her doorway, to block the basement stairs.  But Zach and Molly have a new game that involves Zach pushing a stuffed animal around in the umbrella stroller and Molly pushing one in her toy babydoll stroller.  But Molly kept hitting walls in the little hall by her room so I gated it to keep her out of the hall with the stroller.  ANYWAY...... Molly was walking back to bed ahead of Mike and she walked up to the gate, and released the tension bar......  We always knew she was smart and watches everything, but Zach calls for help taking down the gate because he doesn't like to do it!!!!  From now on we need to be sure the locking bar is behind so she can't reach it.  29 months tomorrow and we are in trouble!!!

And while I am on here, Happy 2nd Gotcha Day, Zach!!!  For those that don't know, in the life of an adopted family, Gotcha Day is the day when the child comes live with the family. It the day we Got You.  It's just as important as a birthday.  Molly's Gotcha Day is coming soon... Aug 6 will be her first.  We love you guys, and are SO glad we Gotcha!!!!

New Loves

As I continue to finish my Craft Nook, I have found some new things that I love.  First is spray paint for plastics.  This stuff is great because it is for those smooth, shiny, hard to get paint to stick to it surface.  I found a nice green color to coordinate with the greens I have already used.  I had some painted metal baskets that were green, but too yellow.  This paint made all the difference.  Then I looked at that laminate material craft caddy Mike gave me for my birthday - I liked it before, but now how I love it!!  I need another can, but then I am hitting those Sterlite plastic drawers too.

So many ideas coming in from Pinterest for organization/storage as well as for crafts. 

Hubby began getting a little grumpy last night.  I asked him to stop at the local RV surplus store for 3 cheap cabinet doors.  He only found one of the sizes I needed, and that cost him $20!!!!!  My cheap garage sale cabinet was getting expensive.  That door is now going back.  He will cut me a panel to replace the glass in the existing door I was going to replace.  I need to think on how to cover the final section without having to buy those doors too.

I am also inspired to get purging and organizing the rest of my house.  I have a garage sale scheduled for in a couple of weeks and am looking through everything that can go.  Simplification..... will add some income to buy the baskets and other tools I want to use for organizing.  More space for living.  Less clutter for peace in my soul.  Maybe I will finally have a place for everything.

Wish me luck..... this is the week of de-clutter!!!!

My New Nook

I can hear you all asking "Amy, What have you been doing this past week?"

Well, I am glad you asked.  My  big garage sale find was a sturdy, old, oak entertainment center in need of refinishing..... perfect since I wanted to paint it anyway.  My color scheme came from the six green storage boxes you see on the top left.  I painted the cabinet plus an old bookcase I had already a nice celery green.  Instead of painting the existing shelves and the 3 more shelves we cut and added, I covered them in fabric matching the celery paint- sage green on one side and an off white with rose colored flowers and sage leaves on the other side.  I love it!!  After the paint dried Mike helped me attach brackets to keep the book case from falling off and voi-la, my new Craft Nook.  I wish I had taken before pictures, I meant to, but on painting day I was so excited I forgot.  I found a great primer for shiny surfaces such as finished wood so I did not have to sand first- yeah!! I still need to paint the doors to the entertainment center part, but I looked in all my hidey-holes to round up all my craft supplies and now they are all together and organized!!!  Mason jars and other jars emptied as I cooked for the week have become a great organizational tool.  The Hobby Lobby gift card my sister gave me for a birthday gift has also come in handy for this project.  Yeah!!!

This past weekend I found another great garage sale item, a table the perfect size for the corner by the craft nook.  This will keep all but the large fabric cutting projects off the dinner table.  Now, can I keep everyone else off the craft table???  Next week I will also paint that in Celery Green with several coats of polyurethane on the top for protection.  And, based on a pinterest tip, my sewing scissors will both have a pad lock on the handles keeping children/husbands from using them to cut paper because they are now so handy!!!  See my white hexagon organizer caddy?  That was a birthday gift from the hubby.   Yes I have been planning this for that long!!!  I was just waiting to find the pieces of furniture I needed at the right price.   My patience finally paid off!!!  Once I get it completely done, I'll post the final picture.   Have I mentioned I LOVE my new craft nook???

My Happy Thought Of The Day

Pinterest

I have a new passion-- Pinterest.  My sister introduced me to this while we were planning Bob-Fest, since she had several ideas pinned on there she wanted me to look at.  One of the places I visit is the organization area... too small house + too much stuff = always looking for the better way to do things.  I have to say that many of the "I made a craft nook" "I made an office nook" etc areas involve taking a closet and transforming it into these areas...... Sorry, but if I had ENOUGH closet space, let alone EXTRA, I would not be looking for ideas to do it better.

This weekend I will begin Step 2 on the Craft Nook that I am building.  I forgot to take my "Before" picture, but I bought an old oak entertainment center (about 4x4 feet) at a garage sale.  I have painted it Celery green and covered the shelves in some green fabric I had left when I made Roman Shades in the Hampshire house.  I have to finish the doors and add doors to the TV part where there weren't any before.  I also brought a bookcase down from my bedroom to repaint the same Celery color to put on top the entertainment center to make a sort of hutch where I will have some things in jars to store on it. 

Meanwhile I have come up with several new ideas for my craft shows I have set up for fall and winter.  These will give me things to do to relax.

Time to start "Pinning" again......

What A Week

We wrapped up Bob-Fest with breakfast on Sunday morning.  By the time we cleaned up, sorted out the stuff that was to come back to our house and were ready to go, it was mid-afternoon.  I came home to begin checking Steven's suitcase to be sure he packed everything he needed for the Youth Rally in Seattle.  Monday morning Mike, Molly, and I got up at 3AM to have Steven to the airport at 5 to catch his plane.  Back home at 7 after dropping Mike off at work on the way home and Molly and I went back to bed for a while.  Then the fun began..... the car had been unloaded but NOTHING was taken care of.  Just how many Rubbermaid boxes and coolers had we TAKEN for Bob-Fest?   And the leftovers we brought home... let's just say I did not have to think about what was for lunch or dinner until Thursday. The unpacking and putting away took 2 days.....then we had to make sure the rest of the house was cleaned and ready for Thursday's social worker visit, it was time for the kids one year post-adoption home visit. By the time the kids and I finished the cleaning we had a half hour until her arrival.  Mike took an hour off work to spend some time home during the visit and the kids and I finished the visit.    Once she left, I was pooped and nothing had been started for dinner.  A call to Mike and it became "Date Night".  The kids stayed home and ate hot dogs and Mike and I went to Hacienda, Hobby Lobby, and then the hardware store.  Well, WE had a good time.  Back home before 9, because we were so tired and sadly, in bed before 10.  Today we get to relax a little - me getting ready for the craft projects I bought things for last night.  Mike has to work but tonight is a do-nothing night.  Tomorrow it begins again.  Steven's plane arrives about 8:45 PM, Sunday Mike leaves for the Coachmen rally- so Saturday will be doing laundry and packing for his time away, Monday Steven begins the first of two weeks of Band Camp.  School resumes in less than a month, so we need to fit school shopping in sometime soon.  I sure am glad I'm not working full time right now.

It's Official

Bob-Fest 2013 is officially over!!  Not that my dad's 70th birthday didn't deserve a big party.  But I am exhausted!!!!  Our 3 day celebration of everything Bob has been a year in the planning and the last month was crafts/ shopping/ and keeping my Mom sane as she was sitting on the couch following foot surgery and not able to get to doing the things she felt had to be done.  E-mail and phone calls flew between me, my mom, my sister, and a couple of mom's friends.... bouncing ideas off each other, clarifying instructions, and the party began taking on a life of it's own.  And just to add to the stress, this was all to be a surprise for  my dad.  The day before the party began, the port-a-potty people called to confirm delivery time and they were coming an hour early.  Ok, call to mom, get dad out of the house earlier than planned, 9 AM instead of 10.  We were driving most of the way, stopping at my Grandma's to wait for a call from my mom to tell us dad was gone and we could come down to begin decorating and setting up.  I called her a bit after 8:30 on my way up to remind her to have cash for the port-a-potty..... and she said to go ahead and come right to the house, the port-a-potty was early, dad knows there is a party, but not the details.  9 AM and dad goes out of the house for a "Guys Day" with one of his friends and we go to work.  Between my sis and myself we had TONS of decorations and games.  The Big Kids were a huge help, the husbands both took time off work to help, and Mom and her friend did lots of running.  We had beautiful weather and things came together.  5 PM saw guests begin to arrive and then dad got home.  We had dinner, a camp fire and a great time with their camping friends.  Saturday started with lunch with camping friends, then dinner added the family, a great slide show my sister's family put together, cake and ice cream and games.  This morning was breakfast to send the camping friends off.  Clean up went much faster than set up did, so we came home and while Molly went down for her nap, so did Mike and I.    Now I'm helping check Steven's suitcase- he leaves for camp tomorrow and we have to be up early for the airport.  Send prayers for my baby to fly alone to Seattle.  Now I'm exhausted and it's time to send the kids to bed.  I'm too tired to be witty tonight, so if anything didn't make sense, I will clarify it tomorrow.  Love you all, and Happy 70th Birthday, Dad!!!

Happy 4th!

Last night we took the kids into the "Big City" to watch fireworks.  We weren't sure how Molly was going to do- she cries when Mike just uses power tools because she the noise bothers her.  So, with hope we took her to watch fireworks.  We picked up Mike's mentally handicapped brother to go with us and off we went.  We got there about 2 hours early, so we got a GREAT parking spot and a good spot to wait.  The kids got blankets and the grown ups chairs and we waited........

Mom, I'm HUNGRY!!!!

Mom, I'm THIRSTY!!!!

Mom, I'm BOOORRREEEDDDDDDD!!!!!

Out came the snacks and drinks I packed.  Out came the glow sticks for everyone except Steven who decided he is too old for glow sticks-----  Good, more for ME!

Pete and Zach began playing a game of ring toss with their glow necklaces and the drink bottles.   Even Uncle Charlie (Mike's brother) liked his glow jewelry.   Molly wasn't too thrilled with hers.  It was still light when I got them out but when it got dark and she could see the glow, well that was a different story. 

Once the fireworks started, we waited for the crying to begin.  It never did.  Molly loved them.  She clapped, she pointed at them to make sure Daddy (whose lap she was on) was watching.  She even made happy OOOOOHHHHHH's.  There were other young children there screaming during the boomers, but little Molly was enchanted with the whole thing.

Fireworks were a great success. 

We're Ready For Vegas

Last night Peter and Zach were playing "Black Jack" as they called it.  I would just call it 21 since the only rules were the one closest to 21 without going over wins.  Zach was kicking Pete's butt .... what a run of luck.  So this morning Pete talked Steven into getting out the poker chip set he got for Christmas one year to make the game more exciting.  Lord knows I'm not a hard core gambler,  but I honeymooned in Vegas with Steven and Peter's dad, and while I was there I took a black jack class at our hotel.  McDonalds took us to Vegas several times for conventions, and we had a couple of Vegas night meetings with McD's too.  So when Peter started telling the other boys to throw their bets in the middle and whoever wins the hand gets all the chips...... well I had to step in.  I got them playing by the REAL rules and then went back to my crafting.  I must say, I heard A LOT of grumbling about how they just couldn't win against the "House" often enough.  And Zach wondering how he won so often last night and could not win today.  EXACTLY!!!!!  And a good lesson for you all.... that's the way the casinos work too... you just can't beat the house often enough to really win.   After black jack we made lunch and the big boys promised they would play "Go Fish" with Zach when lunch was done.  After filling their bellies with hot dogs and Mac and Cheese, they began dealing the cards.  Soon I heard them telling the rules of how to play Go Fish and bet with the Poker Chips.  What?????

Hello, Gamblers Anonymous....

Whewwwww

Looks like the big thunder storms we have been having for the last few days are finally out of here.   The first storm left us without power for about 12 hours.  The next night's storm had us running for the basement-  I have NEVER EVER seen so much rain and such high winds.  At least they were straight line winds, but it picked up Zach's metal swing set and rolled it twice.  (That was when Mike agreed we needed to get everyone to the basement NOW)  I had one of these swing sets when I was a kid and don't remember it ever being knocked over, I had one when Steven and Peter were little and that one was never blown over.  The wind picked up Molly's Little Tikes plastic slide and climbing thing and blew it from the back yard to the front yard, and was in pieces when we retrieved it or it still would have been blowing, I think.  We lost a plastic lawn chair that had the seat broken in half and two legs missing (that I still can't find) from hitting a fence post.  Most amazingly though, when we went out to assess the damage, the Amish phone booth that sits across the road from our driveway was blown over.  Now this is not your average phone booth, it's probably 8x10 and made out of 2x4's and plywood, so it's HEAVY.  And it is also anchored to the ground with conduit and wires from the phone company.  It took Mike, Steven, Peter and a few other neighbors to set it back upright and push it back into the old footprint of the building.  And their phone was out for a while :)  .  Needless to say we were on edge last night as we heard of the possibility of more strong storms last night.   The clouds were looking ominous as we sat down to dinner.  Luckily it blew past without any drama.  I can use some quiet, boring evenings around here for a while now.  Next storms aren't due in until tomorrow.  I guess at least we have tonight.

My kids

Molly likes to have LOTS of friends sleep with her in her Big Girl Bed!!

Why is it that ALL the kids like the box better than the present???

Revenge

As I was shopping with my mom the other day, we of course talked about the kids.  As we were discussing my concerns about Pete, she took the opportunity to point out how much he is like me.  Yes, I know that he looks just like me, he is the most similar to me in temperament, and we butt heads more than I do with the others.  She then smiled and told me how nice it was that her "I hope you have kids just like you" came true.  Now, hey, I was a pretty good kid- I didn't smoke or drink or do drugs.  I didn't sneak out of the house or go to wild parties.  So, yes, I do hope he turns out just like me.  I think in the grand scheme of things, I wasn't so bad. 

Shopping With The Kids

Yesterday I decided to take my mom shopping, to get her out since she is still house bound after her foot surgery.  I brought Molly along and left the boys at home, figuring too many kids would only cause confusion and that would make for a bad day.  So I strapped Molly into her car seat and off I went.  Mom was waiting for me, so into the car for her and I put her knee walker into the back of my car.  Got to the first store and get Mom's stroller (she hated when I called it that! :)  ) out of the back of the car and take to her, back around to the driver's side to get Molly out of her car seat and into the store.  Get done, put Molly into her seat, put the bags in the back of the car, go around the car to get Mom's stroller, put it in the back of the car, get in and go.  Repeat, Repeat, Repeat......   Once when I had a car waiting on me to get done in the back of my car, I set Molly in her seat without buckling her until I was done unloading the cart and re-loading the stroller.  I then came back around to buckle Molly, only to find her trying to figure out how to buckle herself.  My smart girl!  Mom and I had to share a cart since she could not push a one and work her scooter.  I had a big item to put into the cart that would not fit with Molly sitting in the child seat, so I had to put the seat away and stand her up in the cart next to my items (no room for her to sit).  Now mind you, my safety baby likes to be buckled in the cart too- she always lets us know when she is in there and we did not do the seatbelt.  She started out leaning against the seat so she could watch where we were going.  Then, when she turned around to look at me, she noticed the seat belt.  she then started asking  me to buckle her while she was standing.  Oh, what the heck, it would work- she is the right height so it buckled around her chest.  She thought she was pretty hot stuff.  Of course, with Mom needing so much help it was like having 2 toddlers with me.  Maybe I should have brought the  boys with me, they could have helped to take care of grandma! 

garage sale

I have been shopping garage sales on Facebook lately.  No, really, they have on-line garage sales where people post the stuff they want to sell, or you can post a question if anyone has something you are looking for, and arrange to meet.  Molly has started helping me shop.....  she sits on my lap while I scroll through the pictures, points to things she wants me to stop on to look at.  The other day she stopped me at a teddy bear chair.  She saw it and kissed the computer screen.  Daddy's a pushover, so when I told him that, he said to go ahead and get it.  Mike went to pick up the chair for me on Saturday, and Molly has been kissing that chair ever since.

The best garage sale item I have bought in a long time...... OK, Steven, what do you want for breakfast?

Wwhhheewww

Today is Zach's 8th birthday.  He came bounding up the stairs this morning when he woke up, looked at me and said "Happy Birthday!" 
Oh, thanks Zach, is it my birthday????  
NO MOM, IT'S MINE!!! 
Oh, yeah, I guess it is.... Happy Birthday, Love Bug.
This is our second birthday with Zach, and we can't wait to do this for the rest of our lives!!!!

When the mail came today there was a letter from Zach's school.  Mike handed it to me and we looked at each other nervously...... after all, at the end of third quarter, his teacher expressed the concern that he had missed too much school this year between his adoption trip to China and his bladder surgery.  Funny, when I told her we had asked the Principal about getting him a school tutor while he was out for the surgery the teacher said she wished she had known that, he really needed to have one.  Anyway, we were all supposed to meet in May to talk about whether Zach would repeat first grade or move on to second.  The end of the  year was busy as always, and we never did have that meeting.  Today's letter was his report card and his school supply list for SECOND grade!!!  I'm glad.  He's smart and I fear he would have been bored and causing trouble if he was held back.  We see what he needs to work on and all the boys have school workbook time every day this summer.  He even improved a lot on his English as a second language and extra reading class that goes along with it.  When I remind everyone that he has only been in the USA for 3 years and did not speak ANY English when he got here..... well it's amazing he does so well.  I'm not sure I would be as far along as he is.

Happy Birthday to my little cowboy.  Quit growing up so fast!!

And the Fence Continues

Last night the teenage boys headed back out to drive more fence posts.  Curious as to how they would handle this after they were both so graceful with the Slammer, I looked out the window a few minutes after they went outside.  Steve was holding the post while Pete drove the post - wearing his bicycle helmet while he slammed..... I so wish I had my camera handy- a Kodak moment if ever I saw one!!

I also bought a new weed wacker this week.  Mike's gas one is too complicated - the kids and I always have problems keeping it running.  The one that I brought with me when we moved here is electric- but with 3 acres and a lot of fence rows to trim, I don't have that much cord.  So I had been looking at the battery powered ones for the last couple of years and decided this was the time to buy.  I went with the one that had the extra battery and said it had a very long battery life.  I charged the first battery (8 hours to charge when totally dead, 3-6 hours otherwise) then put it in while I threw the other battery on the charger.  I didn't seem very long when Pete came back in and said the battery was dead.   HHHMMM, maybe we got a defective battery.  The next morning the other battery was ready.  Sent Steven out this time and after not very long, back in he comes with his dead battery.  Well, THIS is long life?  I know things are grown up so that is harder on the trimmer until it is only maintance, but come on.  So on to Amazon I go, first to check the reviews - ok, other people saying they had called the company and 20 minutes was what could be expected per battery.  Wow, and then so long to charge.  Other people talked about having 4 or 5 batteries to do their large yards.  OK, price 2 pack of batteries, but they don't come with a charger.  Price the one battery plus charger and it is only $20 less than I paid for the whole weed wacker, charger, 2 battery set up.  I also see there is a 40 minute rapid charger.  Well, I am seeing in my future buying the whole set up and a rapid charger.  At the rate we are going now, the yard will never be completed.  And here I thought the price on this was so reasonable when I started this project earlier this week.

Good Night

I was just getting things ready in the house to go to bed, running down my usual checks:
-turn off TV   check
-turn off all the extra lights in the kitchen (just because we have several lights, placed in strategic spots for cooking and food prep does NOT mean they all have to be on every time someone goes into the kitchen)     check
-I reach for the switch to turn off the living room light, right next to where my desk used to block the hall, and I notice the front door has not been locked yet.  I turned around, walked through the kitchen to lock the door, and when I turned around to go back, I realized the desk no longer blocks the hall - heavens, I was just standing in that spot- and I could have simply walked down the hall to the door.  Nope, not me, I'll take the scenic trip through a whole other room.

It's Divine Intervention

Last night Steven and Peter went outside after dinner to drive fence posts in the yard.  They were not out there very long when the boys come back inside.  Steven was driving the posts with the Slammer - and was on a roll getting his post into the ground- when on an up swing of the Slammer, he hit himself in the head with it.  OK, let momma look.... no blood, no goose egg....... this is the one time I am glad my boys are hard headed.  I gave him some ibuprofen and an ice pack and sent him off to bed. 

Steven- but what if I don't wake up in the morning because I have a concussion
Me- then I save on the grocery bill from now on... goodnight

So tonight the boys go out to drive in more fence posts with the Slammer.  I stepped outside to see how they were doing and Pete starts getting all snarky about his brother (as Steven is holding the post steady and Peter is doing the Slamming)

Pete- Hey, Mom, Captain Concussion here is afraid to touch the Slammer and drive in the poles (snicker, snicker, SLAM)

Up came the slammer, right into Pete's head!  He dropped the slammer and walked over to me telling me that his whole body was vibrating to his toes. 

Pete- Mom, it REALLY hurts!

Me- (after checking for blood and goose eggs) You know what that was, don't ya Pete?  That was God, getting you for making fun of your brother, by making you do the EXACT same thing he did.

She's Not Spoiled

A couple of weeks ago Peter started giving Molly ice in her sippy cup of water.  Mike decided it was a good idea, so he picked up on the habit.  Now don't get me wrong, I like a good cup of ice water too, but there are some times when you are just thirsty and ice does not matter...... but not to Molly. 

Two nights ago, Molly woke up around midnight, she was hot and pointing at the kitchen so I got her a sippy of water, rocked her a little and put her back in bed.  I had JUST gotten back upstairs when she started to cry again.   {{{{BIG SIGH}}}}   Back down the stairs and in to see what Molly needs now so we can both go back to sleep.  I looked down into the crib.  Molly looked at me with disgust, shook her cup to inform me there were NO ICE CUBES in her cup.   YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!  Back to the kitchen with her cup, add 2 cubes, and hand it back to the baby.  She shakes her cup, is now satisfied the ice is in there (never took a drink by the way), stuck her fingers in her mouth and closed her eyes. 

It All Started SO Innocently.....

I have been pretty sick this week- Molly gave me her cold which in me turned into Bronchitis - and I finally felt pretty good this morning.  The hubby and kids did their best to keep up with the cleaning, however, the state of my house was driving me crazy.  Considering this was my last peaceful day to do things (the last day of school for the boys), I decided to get to it.  I began with the need to sweep the living room carpet (hairy dog, long haired cat, 4 kids.... every day is a vacuum bonanza).  As I walked on the carpet while running the sweeper, I could feel things under the carpet (it's a LARGE area rug).  I lifted the edge and noticed I really needed to roll up the rug and do the whole floor.  HHHMMMMM, now I need to move the sectional sofa off the 2 edges of the rug.   Gross..... how did all that dirt/toys/trash get under the couch?  Ok, I may as well move the couch and do it right.  Well, now that I have the couch moved, I've been thinking about a new way to arrange the living room.  Guess I may as well put it back together trying the new way.    And WHERE did all these dust bunnies come from?  Every time I think I got them all, dozens more show up.  Maybe that is why they are dust BUNNIES and not dust puppies.   Mike and the boys moved the TV cabinet for me when they got home today and then spent the next couple of hours changing how all the electronics are hooked up/ placed in the cabinet.  I finally was able to do that carpet sweeping about 7 PM.  It's now 10 PM and as I look around, the house is not much cleaner than when I began this morning.  Steven hates my new house set up, Pete loves it and Mike is reserving judgment until he lives with it for a while.

Part of my new set up involved re-opening the entrance to the living room from the  hallway.  Molly has never known that doorway to be opened so she spent the afternoon running circles - leave the living room through the kitchen, turn the corner to come down the hallway, re-enter the living room from the hall......... then repeat, repeat, repeat ....... 

Too Cute

Zach went downstairs to bring Sadie up, since Zach thought it would be cool to shut Sadie in his room- Sadie did not think it was so cool since Zach then came upstairs and left her alone.  When Zach brought Sadie up, he did not shut the kitchen door to keep Molly in the living room with us.  So I asked him (when I heard Molly walking around the kitchen) if he had put the baby gate up to keep her away from the basement stairs when he came up:

Zach, did you put up the baby gate?

HHHUUUUUUUUUU (GASP), I WILL SAVE YOU MOLLY!!!! as he ran out to the kitchen and carried Molly back into the living room (and then remembered to shut the door this time).

A little mello-dramatic, but I'm glad he loves his sister

I Hate When That Happens

Ya know how it is when you find a product you love, then you can't find it again when you want to replace it?  Most memorable for me was the PERFECT PURSE and a pair of very comfy casual shoes.  Neither of which can I find anything even similar.  I should know to buy more than one when I find "the thing".  Today it is a backpack.  I bought Steven and Peter backpacks from Landsend several years ago.  These are wonderful backpacks, they last several school years (unlike the ones you get in the stores which sometimes need replaced twice in one year).  So, it is now time to replace their backpacks, this time I need ones for their school laptops, since Steve tells me the school bags are not any good.  I very confidentially logged onto the lands end site, to get the bags I needed for the boys (all 3 of them, since the small backpack that both Steven and Peter carried finally wore out for Zach).  This time there was only one medium size backpack (no large ones) and several kids small bags.  And the reviews on the med bag said it was not big enough for high school.   Drat, I was counting on that bag.  Oh, yeah, Sears sells Lands end now, I'll try them- no luck there either.  Guess I will cross my fingers that they are simply between school seasons and later this summer the backpacks will have the selection I am hoping for.

Happy Mother's Day

I guess I should be glad that with 4 kids they are not hitting growth spurts at the same time.  Zach has been SO HUNGRY lately he has been in tears right after a meal because he is still HUNGRY!  But Zach, you just ate a hamburger and a half (big homemade 1/4 pounders), pickles, an apple, and beans.  But Mom, I NEED to eat more!!  Hard to argue the point with a boy who without his shirt on looks like he has just emerged from the concentration camp.  I have heard from several people about how much he has grown since they just saw him last week, last month.... Yesterday the boy ate practically nothing after breakfast.  Guess he's done for now.  Molly is not an eating machine, she is a sleeping machine.  Since we picked her up last month she has always taken one nap, slept ok through the night, and has been a very happy camper.  Now she is taking long morning naps, as well as an afternoon nap.  She has not woken up at night for about 3 weeks (YEAH!!).  I think she is in for a HUGE growth spurt with her body resting up so much.  Pete is at exactly the same height as Steven, who when we saw some friends over the weekend that we haven't seen since last summer remarked on how tall and grown up he looks this year (he will be 14 next weekend and is almost 6 feet tall).  Steven has been holding at ALMOST 6 feet tall for a couple of years now and is so frustrated that he has not been able to grow that last 1/2 inch.  He's only 15, he'll make it, his growth spurt is just lying in wait for us to be complacent then WHAMMM!  He will grow another 3 inches or so I'm sure!

Thank you my little eating/sleeping machines for making me able to celebrate Mother's Day with the best kids in the world.

Rumors

No, I did NOT fall off the the face of the Earth.  I was NOT abducted by aliens.  I did NOT just wake from a coma.  I was busy.  Yes, too busy to Blog.  Tax season was here in full force, but my season is now almost over.  I am even on Spring Break along with the kids.  Today I took 3 of the 4 (4th one stayed home not feeling well) kids shopping in the city- amazing that when they have money in their pocket to spend they will even consent to be seen in public with me.  I started working as a part-time receptionist 3 years ago, and this year I worked 60 + hours a week.  I must say  that now I will be continuing part time a couple days a week through out the whole year.  But the good news is that I have time to blog again!!

Molly is developing fast..... She is walking running all over now. In fact, she has only been walking a couple of months and the other night she was cruising backwards through the living room. Silly Baby!!  She also likes to help clean up - so much in fact that she throws everything away.  We had to finally install child safety locks - not to keep her from getting into everything in the cupboards, but because she keeps throwing things away: phones, remotes, sunglassses......  I don't like having to go through the trash before we can change the bag to make sure it is only trash in there.  The big boys think this is a pain to have to unlatch things, but Mike had to point out to them that things were child proofed when they were little making life a bit less convient for everyone else.

Oh well.  Watch for more regular updates from now until next tax season begins!!

Sorry, Guys

Well, I have finally  dug my way out from under a HUGE pile of tax returns.  Every week has been  bringing 15-30 hours of overtime since tax season kicked in.  That just depends on if I need to take a day off for silly things like taking kids to doctors appointments or such. 

Let's see, Zach has had a couple post surgery appointments and is good for 3 months now before he needs to go back to the doctor.  He is cathing all by himself now, home and school.  He is on a preventative antibotic to help keep infection away while he gets his routine down for cathing and making sure he keeps his hands clean.  Today he woke with a fever of 102, so he stayed home from school.

Peter is doing pretty well.  He is getting ready for his confirmation at church.  He is working today on picking his saint.  His aunt teaches confirmation class at her church and has sent him a list of saints she thought he might like.  He now has it narrowed down to three that he is researching tonight.

Steven had a very nasty bladder infection that spread out to his skin.  Two rounds of antibiotics later, and missing 7 out of 10 school days, he is finally better.

Molly is a full fledged toddeler now.  She walks a little more than she crawls, but she is definately mobile on 2 legs.  She knows the word "map" now, since we have a huge map haning in our living room, but she thinks all pictures are maps.  She LOVES looking at family pictures.

I will try to blog more now that things are slowing down at work.  See ya all soon!!

Boys!!!

Last week was a very  busy week for me.  I'm back to work at H&R Block, but this year I am doing the taxes instead of being the receptionist like I was the last 2 tax seasons.  I had spoken to the boss about working day shifts at the same office I was at before which meant shifts of 9-4, so I could be home with the kids after school.  My in-laws agreed to watch Molly during the day - and from what I can tell they are loving having her.   BUT..... while we were in China,  the boss bought another accounting/tax business (which is actually closer to home for me) and now I am working much longer hours than planned.  Last week I had my 40 hour work week PLUS 26 hours of overtime.  My kids think I am avoiding them.  My husband has new respect for my ability to get the kids up, take care of them all day AND get things done around the house.

Yesterday I worked a half day and in the evening the kids and I started picking up the house while Mike did a couple of projects getting Pete's new room finished.  I sighed when I saw the 3 boxes of cereal on the counter - they belong on top of the fridge.  Let me point out they were walked PAST the fridge to put them on the counter.  I grab them to put them away, and they are all empty.  Sitting on the counter on top of where the burnable trash goes.  So I open the cabinet and put them in there.  Mike's been doing the laundry, so Steve was told to take all his hanging clothes to his closet.  He comes back up
aren't those yours too??
Oh, yeah. 
He comes back again - what about this stuff?  Looks like yours to me... 
Oh, didn't see those. 
Thank you Mr. Oblivious. 

Pete was told to match and fold socks.  When I checked them I found pairs that are not pairs (let me point out that Mike has several different styles of black work socks from all the times we replace bad ones)  Hmmmm, this pair is unique - one dark black new sock, one off black old sock -totally different styles.  Wow!  Not so unique- here is another pair just like them. 
"Um, Pete, you better fix these before they get put away"
Oh.

AHHHH, maybe there will be new respect for all mom does for them when the tax season is over.

A Big Week!!!

Let's see.... this past week Molly added a lot of new words to her vocabulary.  Morning, Thank You, Milk to name a few.  The boys are impressed by how fast her words are coming now.  Soon she will be jabbering away at us like the other kids. 

Today Zach went back to school for the first time since his surgery.  He had a desk full of cards from the other kids when he got there and had a good day.  But tonight he is VERY tired, so I will keep him home from school tomorrow to rest.  We will have to ease him in to full time school again.

There was also a heat wave today.  Yesterday school was delayed 2 hours because wind chills made it feel like 16 below zero.  Today there was still a 2 hour delay, but it was only 6 below - much better.

And tonight, after I got home from work, Molly started standing up on her own.  After she got up a couple of times on her own and we clapped for her, she kept doing it, and clapping for herself.   We tried to coax a step out of her, but nothing doing.  It won't be long before she's walking!!

What Did You Do Today??

Zach was going stir crazy today and kept asking what he could do.  He tried to go into Molly's pop up castle, but she kept going in to play too.  That did not go over well, and Zach said "I wish I had a house to play in"  Which got me thinking about this space ship we bought on the after Christmas clearance.  45 minutes later Mike and I had it put together (much assembly required) and Zach began to color it.  He then decided it was too much work and went inside it to play.  Right after that, Molly found a pencil on the floor, knocked on the door of his space ship and wanted to help him color it.  Soon they were inside together watching a movie on his portable DVD player.

 

 

Then the rest of the family went down stairs to put up the wall to make Peter a bedroom out of the existing family room in the basement.  I had already painted the walls I could (no, I did NOT miss part of the wall, based on where the bathroom doorway is on the other wall, this is where it stops on this side.... of course Pete suggested Mike build him a diagonal wall to maximize the space, but that idea was quickly shot down).  The wall is now up, the drywall up on Pete's bedroom side, boxes in for 2 outlets, a smoke detector, and a light switch.  More work tomorrow ......

Life

So, just as Zach got home from the hospital, I was off to start working again.  Literally, we got home late Friday night and I had a meeting at 9 AM Saturday.  I am now in my second week back to work, in the land of talking to grown ups through the day, having intellectual discussions that don't involve teenagers who THINK they know what they are talking about.  Plotting a career path.... ok, maybe not that, but tax season is underway and this is my first year doing tax prep.  I have spent a week checking files that were transfered to a new system to make sure all the important stuff was there and to fix what was not.  Yesterday I thought everything I did in week one was somehow wiped off the computer system, but thank goodness for the I.T. department, it was found and restored - darned power outage over the weekend messed up lots of stuff at work, but luckily that one was not too bad.

The little kids are surviving grandma babysitting all day while we both work and the big kids are in school.  In fact they like getting a little spoiled while I am gone.  I am warring with myself on sending Zach back to school - lots of good reasons to do it, lots of good reasons not to..... tune in later to see which me wins the fight.

Sadie is back home with the family tonight, and eating blandly for the next week to get her ulcers under control.  The kids have strict rules to keep people food away from her- and we will just have to keep her away from the table when Molly is eating so our little princess does not feed the dog her meals as she likes to do.

Other than all that, things are back to our crazy, "normal" life around here, and we wouldn't have it any other way!!

The Worst

What is worse than a sick male, of any age????  A sick 120 pound St. Newfie.  Yep, got a call from Mike today when he came home at lunch time to check on Zach, telling me that the dog was throwing up and has diareah.  Great.  Throw in a couple of other maladies that I will not gross you out with, and I left work early to run the dog to the vet, where they are keeping her overnight for observation.... They think it may be the table scraps and doggie treats causing ulcers (who knew???  our dogs when I was growing up and mine as an adult have ALWAYS eaten table scraps and treats), but if she's not better tomorrow morning, more tests will be run.  Otherwise the poor doggie is on dry food only, with milk bones thrown in for her treats.  :(

Just Us

Molly's new pretty pink princess castle

Zach get's his own room soon - Pete's is being built, this is ready for Zach when he is able to move back downstairs

Zach's free cars he got while he was in the hospital.  Steve had a good time playing with them too

We wish you a Merry Chirstmas!!!

happy new year

New Years Day has brought great things for our family.  Today Zach finally passed gas - the only time I have been happy to have him farting!  He's also pooped, been up walking 3 times, and sat in a straight backed chair.  Because he made so much progress today, he gets his NG tube out of his nose tomorrow morning and starts a liquid diet. We may yet make it home by the end of the week.  The nurses have also started flushing his tubes that go into his bladder.  His morphine is being decreased daily now and we are relying more on the Tylenol  Another great sign.  He didn't even have to hit his extra shot of morphine button when he got back into bed after his walks today...... do you think I can talk them into giving ME his extra shot of morphine- I could really use the help taking a nap since I have not been sleeping well.  Love you all and thank you for your prayers.  Keep them coming!!!