THE BATHROOM!

I believe I once said I re-did my kids' bathroom. Some time ago. Ok, a long time ago.

So I finally took pictures. Because I believe I also said I would post pictures when it was done. Some time ago. Alright! A long time ago. Well here they are. I know it's a little confusing. If you can't really picture the real thing, come by and see it in person. Just let me know before you come. So I can wipe down the toilet. So I can flush the toilet. I have boys!

Here is the shower curtain (my inspiration) with a cute picture of my kids (ALL my kids) in the tub together for the first time. The picture is hung just above the toilet. On the toilet is the old flower pot that was in the bathroom before, just now filled with color coordinating wash cloths.

On the other side of the shower curtain, the lovely silver hooks on which I hang the hooded towels I made in color coordinating colors. Notice the trim. It's brown. Just wait!!
Aahhh. The door. It's brown. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I painted the inside of the door (and all the trim) with a lovely color coordinating brown. Chocolate brown to be exact. That is a recent picture of my kiddos. I painted both frames in the color coordinating brown paint.
From the hallway, a look inside and to the left. The brown hand towel that should hang on the lovely silver towel hanger is in the wash at the moment. Not only did I do all the trim and the door in the lovely color coordinating brown paint, I also painted the drawers and cupboards!
A complete veiw from the hallway. That's Ruthie's room in the background. My next project (bwaahaaahaaa...).
The other side of the counter. Just in case. The flowers in the pot are violet (or eggplant, as my dear friend Lori said!) to coordinate with Ruthie's eggplant colored bathtowel. The charts on the wall are for toothbrushing purposes! ("Morning and night, otherwise you will get cavities and your teeth will turn black and fall out of your head!" "But, mom, I want my teeth to fall out so the toothfairy will bring me money!" "Brush your teeth!!" "NOW!") Good gracious!
Another shot of the shot of my kids and the color coordinating paint and shower curtain and hooded towels. Sorry if you are getting bored. We're almost done.
Oh, wow! We are done. I hope you enjoyed the tour of my kids' bathroom. Please come visit me again soon.

Mommy Tag...

1- Typically, what time do you wake up?
When the first child moves...anytime between 6-7 am

2- On a good night, what time are your kids in bed?
Every night's a good night....by 8!

3- How long have you been a mommy?
Hmmm...just a bit over 8 years.

4- How old were you when you became a mom?
This is just a ploy to see how old we are!! I was 29.

5- What is your favorite kids TV show?
Scooby Doo

6- What is your least favorite kids TV show?
Anything they turn on loudly!

7- What is your favorite chore?
Anything I do when I am by myself. Except the toilets!(although, I am by myself, so maybe it's not so bad!)

8- What is your favorite meal to cook?
Anything easy that my kids will eat and that gets the response, "This is good, mom!"

9- What meal do you cook most often?
Any mixture of spaghetti sauce, noodles and cheese.

10- What is your kids favorite meal?
Just 1?? Pizza.

11- What's your favorite thing your husband does with your kids?
Just about anything..they are always so happy with dad!

12- What are 5 things that make you smile when you're being a mom?
~When they play nicely with each other.
~When I look at them and see all their potential.
~When I play with them and they think it's best time in the world.
~When I talk to my oldest and he actually talks with me!
~When they are asleep!!

13-If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be?
Anywhere they wanted to go, because they would so enjoy picking the destination!

14- When was the last time you went out without your kids?
Date night a week ago...dinner at Cafe Rio and then a movie, Prince Caspian, then silence in the car...no, no, not a mad or uncomfortable silence, the kind where, if you say something, you might as well have just brought the kids, because then it's not complete silence! (It's really loud at my house!)

15- What is your favorite activity to do with your kids?
Whatever they are having fun doing!

16- Name one thing you said you'd never say as a mother?
"Because I said so!" Yeah, right!

17- Name something you do that your own mom did.
Say, "because I said so!" oh, and read to them.

18- What is your favorite quality your mom has?
She's cool as a cucumber under pressure and her hair always looked good.

19- What is your favorite kids book?
Where the Wild Things Are.

20- What is your favorite advice for new moms?
Don't worry about the mess, it will still be there tomorrow! and You will never sleep again, so get used to it.

21- What is your most heartbreaking moment as a mom?
Watching other kids who don't have what my kids have and knowing I can't change it.

22- What is your most joyful moment as a mom?
When they just say, "I love you, mom", without any prompts.

23- When is the last time you told one of your kids you loved them?
Today!

24- When was the last time you were told, "I love you" by your kids?
Hmmm...maybe they do need a little prompt.

If you are a mom, you are tagged!

A good laugh.

So every once in a while, Sam will wake up in the night when his quilt has come off and yell something like, (now think 2:30 A!M! and a loud yell from the room across the hall...) "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE COVER ME?!?!?! And if we aren't quick enough, he will yell again. And again. And again. Until someone does indeed come and cover him.

Now, before you say, "Why the heck don't you teach him to cover himself so you can sleep peacefully through the night, because I know you need your sleep, because look at how tired and even exhausted you are" please know that we have many times. And then again. And again and even to the point of having a Family Home Evening lesson about covering yourself up if you wake up and find that you are uncovered and it's bothering you to the point that you feel you have to yell in the middle of the night!! Please!

All that aside, it still happens. But 2 nights ago it was a great yell! I had woken up at 5:30 (did you see the dark circles!?) and was just in time for this yell... are you ready?

"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE MARRY ME!!"

I think I yelled that out in my sleep when I was 27 and single. But we'll talk about that another time. I started laughing! Then came the usual yell, "Will someone please cover me!" So I happily, and laughingly, went in and covered him. And then tucked the sides of the quilt down into the sides of his bed so he wouldn't yell again.

I couldn't get back to sleep. Maybe it was the rain. Maybe it was the humor. Maybe it was just the way I am. I asked him yesterday why he yelled that. He said his teeth wouldn't work to say the right words. Now I realize that it runs in the family!

It's A Dead Mouse Brain!!

And it's enough to make me not want to read this post. But, seriously, do! It's a great story. I enjoyed it!

I sent my kiddos out to play on the tramp(oline)(let's not get crude). It's only 8:30 am, but we have beautiful weather. Considering we just had winter like 4 days ago, and will have winter again on Wednesday! But I'm reaching far beyond the story. Then the kiddos want to go into the garage. At first I recall the last time a little one went into the garage without parental guidance....think sunscreen, all over the dashboard which eventually made the clock/radio/CD player/movie sound maker not work, but got fixed and really cleaned by my main squeeze on Saturday. But I figure, what the hay! Then I hear screams of "It's a mouse brain, it's a mouse brain!" "EEK, A Mouse!!!" Ok, I really don't find mice amusing. We really haven't seen too many mice around here lately, either. So I get really brave really fast and go out there. Sam is sweeping something. It's looks like mouse brain, or a mouse, or something. I get closer and get a good (eeeww) look at it....

If you look really close it resembles an apple slice that's really, really old. But it could very well be a mouse brain. So I scream and shreek and jump up and down and really get into the spirit of it. But my dear little ones start to smell a rat. They start asking what it really is. They somehow know I wouldn't stay right there next to anything dead. I would make them get out and call their father at once. Not that he could do anything right then, but just so he knows the horror I'm living in.

So I say it really is a dead mouse brain and we should put it in a box and take it in the house and put it on display. So my dear Sam runs in and gets the clear plastic box that his taxi came in from Abbie and Poppy from New York. It makes a great display case. We put it in.

And show it off. This picture really makes it look like a dead MOUSE! It's not. It's an apple slice. A really really old apple slice.

Have a really great dead-mouse-brain free day!

Moms, Flower Pins, Jewels...

Hmmm. Mother's Day. I'm not complaining, but it's a bit of an oxymoron, isn't it? I mean, c'mon, even if you get breakfast in bed and a nice gift, who's gonna clean it all up? If he could clean it up, he would have been doing it a lot more often over the course of our relationship!

I'm not complaining. Really. I did get breakfast in bed. Well, I was drying my hair and Daniel came in with a plate of yumminess and set it on my night table. Everyone else was at the kitchen table enjoying said yumminess with, apparently, a lot more fun than I was having by myself in the bedroom. So I joined them.

Then came the gift(s). my kids got all excited on Saturday when I told them that for Mom's day I just wanted them to give me a break....you know, listen, obey, go and do, etc, etc. So they hightailed it off to get my gifts they made me at school. Here's where it gets good....Isaac gave me a calender dated May 2008-May 2009. Each month had a wonderful picture, description of me or other art project. I loved the part where he wrote "My mom is as pretty as a princess!'. I was going for Queen, but I'll take what I can get.

Sam had a hard time giving up his gift to me which he had already claimed for himself...a pretty flower pin that he made. Now there's a story here that will take some time to tell, so sit back with something cold to drink.

It was 2 years ago. My baby was in kindergarten. On Mother's Day some of the moms at church were wearing these oh so cute flower pins that their kids had made. I realize that they are all kindergartners' moms. So something snaps in my head. Why didn't I get one?? Why didn't Isaac's teacher have those cute little people make those same flower pins so I could be just like the other k-moms?! I realize in the same thought that Isaac isn't in their class. He's in alternative kindergarten. So I guess they didn't plan that with ALL the k-classes! Bummer.

So this year, I was ready. I was going to have me one of those cute flower pins! I would wear it all day long! I would be one of the k-moms at church! Everyone would know I have a cute kindergartner! But Sam didn't want to give it up. I was a bit upset! I took it from him and said "It's mine! I am going to wear it! Don't take it again!" I wore it. I only saw one other mom wear hers. (she is one of the moms from 2 years ago...she still wears her k-mom pin proudly even though she's done it quite a bit!) I was a proud k-mom. I hope someone else thought "Oh I can't wait till my kid is in kindergarten so I can wear one of those cute flower pins to church!" I hope I represented k-moms everywhere with pride and beauty and sveltness!

Ruthie made me quite a few cards. Cute cards. Cards I will always treasure.

Daniel gave me a camera. Yay! I am so excited. Didn't I just mention in another post that my camera was old?! What a guy. He also got me Burrito Grande drive thru Saturday night. I love that place. The food was off just enough to know it came in styrofoam. But, like I said, I'm not complaining.

Oh, isn't he cute?! I just love him. And he's so good looking, too. because of him, I have....

This...Cute little people in my life. (Notice the flower pin!!)

It wouldn't be mother's day without them.

I've heard it said that children are the jewels in their mother's crown. The queendom I am trying to establish doesn't have a crown yet. I will be going for rubies and emeralds, though. My kids are cute. Real cute. I love them dearly. I want real gems!

I don't do the oopy goopy mommy stuff. I am considering lobbying for Mom's day to be a week long thing. No dishes, No laundry, No toilet scrubbing, No cooking, No general cleaning, No kid homework, No taxi service, etc. I vote that all moms get one week off in the Carribean. No one is allowed on the trip but moms. No little people, no hubbys and you don't even have to hang with your mother in law. Unless you really want to. Mine is nice! I would hang with her.

I hope all you moms and moms to be had a great day/weekend/week. I'll let you know what my lobbying gets us! Probably not much. Think of all the starving, dirty children and the messy, unkempt, disgusting houses we would all come home to. Oh well, it was just an idea.

I do love and appreciate my mom. I wouldn't be here to enjoy the 'hood without her. Thanks, mom! And of course, Daniel wouldn't have been able to help me create my 'hood if it weren't for his mom. I love his mom, too!

Oh, Sweet Heavenly Day!

I now know the reason for my existence!

After the hair and toothpaste experiences earlier in the day, I found my sweet no banged girl in the car with all the windows up and doors closed. That isn't so much the problem. The problem starts (continues on this very fun day) when I can only smell sunscreen!!

Oh yes, sunscreen. The spray kind. It's in the car so that when we are out and I realize we are in the sun, I spray us all! She has sprayed it all. In the car. With the windows down. With the doors closed tight. With all the dangerous fumes! Yes, dangerous fumes!

So I yell as I run down the garage stairs..."Get out of the car, Get out of the car!!"

She doesn't get out of the car...she goes to the back and hides from me. (Did I already yell too much today!?) I finally get her out and she has also sprayed her pants with it, too.

The car is clean, the bangs are kinda ok, the sink is still full of toothpaste, my bed isn't made, there is dirt on my floor, I don't think I ate lunch (it's almost 2), and I need to detox!

I call my sister. She laughs...hahaha, hehehe, hohoho....and suggests I make these fantastic, wonderful, sinful, heavenly made-from-scratch brownies. So I made them. I ate one. I am feeling better already!

And, Yes!, I did lick the knife when I cut one out! So what?!

I might just make another batch tomorrow and take them to the Ward Auction Fundraiser thingy!

It's a good thing it's Thursday night! I have just 2 words...Survivor...Office...Oh yes, I'm feeling better!

Oh, Sweet Heavenly Day.

P.S. I might even post the recipe soon!

P.P.S. I know the picture is blurry. I Know! I have an old camera. It really looks so so much better in person.

It was bound to happen...

RIGHT??!!

I mean, she has great hair! It's gorgeous! Look at these pics when I took a curling iron to it:

Lustrous and shiny!
Can you believe the shine!? And it's just beautiful!
Let's look at that profile again...
Oh, the cuteness!
This morning I was just minding my own business. You know, just doing the mom things. Apparently not doing all a mom should, because Sam and Ruthie caught my ear with shouts of joy and delight!

This is what I turn to see... The bangs...gone! chopped! on the floor! no where close to where they should be! I'm ruined! I can't leave the house now with this...Oh, wait. It's not about me!
And, she's still smiling!

Here's the evidence.
All scissors have been confiscated and confined to an undisclosed location.

And, last but certainly not least, the culprit!

He has experienced a loss of all priveleges.

After this horrible incident, I took myself to the shower. I calmed down and was ready for action. When I got Ruthie in to see what we could do with the overwhelming lack of bangs, I hear her whisper to Sam, "At least she's not yelling!" Oh, yes, there was yelling. But in retrospect, it's all part of the show, folks! It's hair, it will grow, and every kid goes through some awkward stage.

..........................................................................................................................................

Will it never end? I just found all of a full tube of toothpaste wiped around the kids bathroom sink. A potion. Boy is he in trouble!

One of my favorite things...

My dear friend Holly did a post of her favorite things. My favs aren't really as cute and hip as hers, but I do have a doozy! Well, it's versatile. And I'll bet no one has ever thought of this! Feel free to use my favorite thing as your own!

CHOPSTICKS

Weird. I know. But if you only realized the versatility of these wonderfully crafted sticks!

You can clear out the spaces in the mixer where the bread dough got when you made enough bread dough for 3 loaves.

You can use them to clean out the little spaces of the vacuum!

You can scrape yuck-a-muck out of the washing machine.

You can get them into small places to remove, dislodge, clear out, bug and just do things you can't do with your finger.

You see that tip?! Perfect for so many things!

You can even eat with them. Cool. I know!

(Those are the roses from my sweet hubby) (please don't look beyond the roses at the mess of a Monday morning...don't tell me your house is immaculate after Sunday!)(and no, I am not trying to eat the roses, you're supposed to smell them)

Here is the picture of the day! We were done with dinner a few nights ago and the kids all cleared their places and went outside. I usually find that when dinner is over and the kids move on, I can just sit (imagine that...sit) at the table and do absolutely nothing at all. I know, it's a strange concept...a mother sitting! But then there was the leftover corn on the table. And we had bread with dinner. So I think..."hmmm, the corn looks an awful lot like teeth" (the insanity, remember) and I form 2 rows of teeth and use bread crust for lips. I hadn't realized Daniel took a picture. I thought I would share it with you!

P.S. I have many many many sets of my favorite thing. So if you are in need of something longer and thinner than your finger to get to things, give me a call. I'll send a set over!