Random Bits

I mentioned in my last post about my drive for perfectionism. It makes me cringe inside when the girls are disappointed when they don't score goals in soccer, score 105 in spelling tests or rip an art project because "it's not perfect". I hate hearing them say "I can't do it, it's not right". I hate it because I know how it feels when you try your hardest and you don't live up to your expectations. So I usually try and calm them down and say "It doesn't matter if you score a goal or three, as long as you try your hardest and you're having fun".

I think it's getting through to them because one day, Eieny came home from school with a smile and said "did you know if I get an 80 on my spelling test, I still pass?" {Big Smile} "Um, well yes, and that's great IF it's the best you can do. You've shown us your best and your best is better than an 80".

What I didn't tell you in my last post is that Husband has some anal quirks himself. Being a painter, color is big for him. For me, I look and see green, where as he see's goblin green and moss green and about 100 other colors of green. Seriously, I go with him for complementary colors when painting the house and other such things. Also, with colors, things have to be arranged as such. He has been know to take out every single crayon in a box and arrange them by color. the same goes for packets of kool-aid, lolli-pops and other such items. His paints are in perfect order and I dare not touch them. (Although I think he does it now more to bug me - but then I will also mix things up to bug him). So I cringed a little when Einey came home from school and said "I took out all my crayons (I had to send a new box in this week) and put all the blue's together and all the orange's together and all the red's together..."

They're screwed, aren't they?

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Speaking of soccer, Einey whines and complains when it's practice time. Often she's found laying on the ground during practice. But games? Those are a different thing all together. Two games ago, she scored 2 goals and her last game, she scored 3. She's been so happy. Unfortunately, she's made it her goal to beat her goal count each game making her a tad to much of a ball-hog.

She's also been banged around quite a bit this season. She was sporting a cleat shape bruise on her thigh for a while. It's finally almost gone and then last night, she took a ball to the knee (kicked from the biggest player at close range - you could hear the thwack!). And then a kick to the elbow. She was crying about "how the boys play to rough". Yup Einey, that's why the separate boy and girls next season.

Of course, I told her, part of childhood is getting bruised and battered. That you're not living it right if you don't break a bone or two growing up. That getting down and dirty is the best way to experience life. And above all, that it's all part of being adventurous. They'll probably have more fun than if they walked through life carefully and cautiously.

And I have come to decide that being a youth soccer coach (or any coach) is probably the hardest job ever. I've seen what they put their coaches through (the team, not just the girls) and there are many times that I feel for them. but you know what, even on the toughest days they are always smiling (even if it hurts!) and seeming to enjoy themselves.

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I learned something new today. Meenie has this odd habit (or so I thought - it's actually fairly common). When she's deep in concentration, she sticks her tongue out. It bugs the crap out of me (I'm not sure why, but it does), but I don't think others really notice. I only noticed because during the winter, she kept getting chapped lips and a chapped chin. At first I thought it was from the cold, but I couldn't understand why it was just one area. So I started watching. And when she's concentrating, she sticks her tongue out. And so, ends up with a small chapped area on her face, just below her lip. Apparently it has to do with the hemisphere in your brain in which you process motor input. By sticking out your tongue, your suspending motor activity and making it easier to concentrating. It eliminates interference. And also, it's speculated that it's why adults bite their lips when concentrating. Apparently kids get used to being told, stick your tongue back in, that over time, they bite their lips.

So all in all, it's normal and now I don't have to worry about asking her doctor about it or asking for her to be evaluated by an occupational therapist. It also makes sense that we started to notice it when she started school, since she's working on learning so many new things now.

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And in other news, we have grass! It's actually growing. I know it will be a long process as we will probably need to re-seed a few times and hit it with something to eliminate weeds yet saves the grass. but it's a start and I'm happy!

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This morning, I left Meenie and Moe at home with Husband while I brought Einey to school. School is right around the corner, so I knew I wouldn't be gone long. When i returned home, I went upstairs to shut the door so Husband could have some quiet while he slept. I had to stifle a laugh when I saw what the girls had done. Husband fell asleep and they quietly stacked the bed with stuffed animals for him.

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I've got a new review blog. Check out my first review of The Rice Krispie online site.

Ten More Things About Me

Along time ago - well maybe not that long, but long enough, FOM from Fairly Odd Mother reached out and touched me for this meme.

Here are the VIR (very important rules):

· Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

· Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. Then, share the five top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list.

· Tag a minimum of five random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

So, here we go:

Random and/or Weird Facts about Whirlwind:

1. I am the first person in my immediate family (Husband excluded) who has not only gone to college, but graduated with a degree. That degree, however, really isn’t helping me right now.

2. I am a mommy. Sounds obvious, right? But I am a mommy in the sense that my kids come first. Most of our activities and schedules revolve around them. That’s not to say that I put my Husband behind them (I don’t) but we try to schedule around them. It does, however, mean that I will never have a career. Sure, I’ll have a job at some point (once Moe is in school sometime) but it’s not going to be one of those soul-stealing, married to your job type deals. It will be one where I can be there for my kids when they need me and so I won’t have to rely on other to raise my kids. (sorry if that sounds to sancti-mommy-ish).

3. I was (still am?) a tom-boy. I had more male friends because I couldn’t relate to the girls (I didn’t care about clothes, hair, make-up and giggling at boys). It was easier to have real friendships with boys than superficial friendships with other females. Now as an adult, I have many female friends. It’s easier once you get past high school!

4. I have dimples in my shoulders. They are kind of unique. My dad has them and so does Moe. I’ve had plenty of people comment on them.

5. I tend to over analyze things which cause me to have mild panic attacks. It’s part of some unconscious drive for perfectionism. It’s what drove me to be a straight A student all through school. It wasn’t until after I graduated college that I realized I don’t have to be perfect. I can fuck up and the world will not end. I try to show the girls that yes, I make mistakes and that as long as they try their hardest we will be proud of them.

Places I'd like to visit/revisit:

1. St. Thomas. We went there on our honeymoon almost 9.5 years ago. It was everything I expected and then some. White sand beaches, incredible banana daiquiris (seriously, nothing can compare!), and incredible scenery. A trip to nearby St. John’s for some time on some private beaches is a great escape.

2. Hawaii. It’s one place I’ve always wanted to visit.

3. England. I’ve always been intrigued by the countryside and of course, Stonehenge! And of course, I’d love to visit London. “Look big Ben. Look Big Ben. Look Big Ben.”

4. Australia. Everything about it interests me. I’d love to spend a few weeks there. Of course, the plane ride’s a killer!

5. Belize. A friend sent me a link to a place in Belize the visited and it looks amazing. Ruins, rain forest, beaches. What more can you ask for?

Now. . .who to tag, who to tag?
Jane @ Pinks and Blue Girls, Stimey @ Stimeyland, WhyMommy @ ToddlaerPlanet, Karen @ Needs New Batteries and that's it. What, that's only four? Didn't you read that I'm giving up trying to be perfect.

And for those of you new here, be sure to look at 5 other things about me (and about the girls) Coincidentally, the girls parts are still pretty much all still relevant today.

She can talk the talk, but walk the walk?

Ask Moe about any animal and she can give you an answer. She just loves animals. Cows, walrus's and owl's round out her top three. With Horses being a close fourth. So Tuesday, Meenie's pre-school class was taking a trip to a (not so local) farm for the morning. Moe and I decided to meet the class there.

We pulled in and Moe exclaimed "is this the field trip?". After we paid our admission and waited for the class to come in, Moe and I checked out some farm kittens in a cage. Finally, the class entered. They were going to take a hay ride, but we've been there and done that. I just knew if I took Moe, when we got to the part where the really big bulls with really big horns came up to the tractor and started to eat the hay out from under you, she would FREAK. So we skipped and wandered into the animal area first.

Now this place has a fenced in area where you walk around. In this area, there are separated cages (color coded) where you can feed and pet animals. There are also random sheep, goats and chickens wandering around. At first, we approched the baby cows. They were only a few days to weeks old. Moe stopped and backed away, choosing to crouch down and peer at them fro ma safe distance away.

Okay not what I expected. We walked to the other gate and went in by the bulls. Moe quickly grabbed my hand (the one on the far side of the bulls) and peered around me. She quickly pulled me passed. And then stopped. The first of many animals approached us. It was a baby goat. Much smaller than she was. She slowly made her way to the other side of me. And so, as we walked passed the animals, she quietly went to the far side of my body, away from the animals. After a few minutes, I finally got her to feed one of the baby goats. But she wanted nothing to do with the bigger animals in the cages.

As we were watching the ostriches, the hay ride returned. We met up with the rest of the group and I guess Moe felt that safety in numbers was a good thing. When following the bigger kids, Moe easily went into the cages (the one's we were allowed to of course) to get up close and more personal with them. She even combed one of the sheep. She didn't stay in as long as the bigger kids, choosing to stand on the outside watching in, but she wasn't afraid.

Meenie had a blast, but wanted to ride a pony. I reminded her that her party is coming up in a few weeks and that she wanted the pony rides for that. So she agreed to wait. She also insisted on riding home with one of her friends instead of me even though we left at the same time. Ah, independence is a good thing.

The picture of cuteness until they open their mouths

Last week Einey went to a birthday party. It was the first time I allowed her to ride with another friend while I stayed home. I'm beginning to think it may have been a bad idea. That night, she came home and sang a new song. Not one we approve of and we discussed it and told her we didn't want to hear it again.

Flash forward two days.

Einey is on a field trip with school, they went to the aquarium. It's a beautiful sunny 70 degree day. The three girls (Einey and two friends) are sitting at a table with their chaperone, a friend of ours, having a snack. The tables surrounding them are filled with various families. The girls are dressed in their red gym shorts, white polo tee shirts, and sneakers. Their school name is proudly written on their clothes. They are supposed to be representing their school and showing how well behaved they are.

Cue the music.

Yankee Doodle went to town
riding on a heater
accidentally turned it on
and burnt his little wiener

All three girls started singing. People turned to listen to them. They sang loud and clear. My friend's mouth dropped open and she turned beet red. She was totally shocked at the words that came out of their mouths. Apparently the birthday girl has an older brother. He taught it to her and she taught it to them.

All I can say is glad I wasn't there.

Oh yes she did...

Again.

That's Moe, not Meenie.

A week and a half ago.

Reminder me to tell her teacher next year that given scissors, she will cut her hair.

Saving Grace

Moe's been trying my patience today.

Just now she came downstairs after changing for the 6 billionth time. I looked at her and said:

"Moe, I'm ready to find some new family for you to go live with".

Einey : "No, I like Moe, she's so cute" (yeah thats been her saving grace for the last three and a half years - she way too darn cute)

Meenie: "No, she's wearing my tank top. I don't want to get rid of my shirt" (Obviously she's got her priorities in line)

Two times the work, two times the fun

While going from one child to two is certainly easier than going from none to one, it's not always easy. Sure, you know what your doing this time, but you also know just what someone means when they mention "colic", "teething" and "terrible two's".

When I had my Einey, I didn't know that leaving the house would take ten times as long. No longer could you grab a purse and hit the road. Now you need to grab a diaper bag, make sure it's stocked - diapers, change of clothes, food, toys, ect. Dress the child, strap the child in the seat and grab the seat. And oh, wait, look, your older child completely undressed and lost her shoes while you were getting everything done. One thing I learned quick (and something I'm passing onto you ladies) is keep a stocked diaper bag in your car. Have dry formula packets (if you go that route - also good for backups and emergencies), a bottle, liners, diapers, wipes, a change of outfits, crayons and books for you older child and some crackers (or other dry individual snack) and juice box for you older child. Just make sure you check stock if your Husband is the last one out with the children. I can't tell you how many times Husband "forgot" to tell me he used the last diaper in the bag! But keeping it in your truck (or under a seat in your van) saves you from lugging one in and out of the house all the time. I still have two small bins, one with snacks and one with clothes for each child under the seat in my van. You never know when you (or a friend) may need some!

Also, if a friend (or group of friends) offers to bring you food after you have your baby. Take them up on the offer. Do not turn it down. It saves you from needing to think of making meals. Also, don't be shy about asking them to space it out. I know when my friends brought me meals after the second and third girls, they brought enough for 2-3 meals. So don't be shy about saying, hey can you bring in Monday and you Wednesday. The food last longer.

If you can somehow manage to get them on the same schedule - it's easier if you try to get the baby on the older child's schedule - lay down and take a nap. Who cares if your dishes wait a little longer, or laundry takes another day or two to do. Get some rest, you'll need it. If your taking said nap, turn the phones off and hang a sign on the door saying "do not disturb". Because chances are, if you lay down to take a nap, that's when someone will ring the doorbell, waking everyone up.

Try to bring a small present to the hospital with you for your older child. We gave each girl a small gift and said it was from the new baby. Also, if you can remember, bring a few pieces of paper and crayons and some small snacks (lollipops are great) for your older child when they visit you. Let's face it, it can get boring visiting in the hospital, even if there is a cute new baby there.

Oh and the best advice I can give, if your doctor says the day after you give birth, your ready to go home if you want, or you can stay the full two days, stay the full two days. And feel free to send the baby to the nursery with the nurses. They're not going to remember and you can catch up on some much needed rest!

And really, it's easy with two, once you get the rhythm down. It's three that throws you for a loop!

This post is for Her Bad Mother, Mrs. Chicky and Mrs. Chicken who are all expecting new arrivals to their families soon. Share the love and offer these ladies your own advice. Tell them what you wish you knew!

In time, you kids will be best of friends. Or worst enemies. Or both.


Congratulations Ladies,

Love the girls at Whirlwind!

Naughty or nice

It's not secret that Moe is my "naughty child" (not that I'd tell her that, but I'm pretty sure she can figure it out herself. (just click her name below the post to read some of her antics) . In many ways, she's outgrown the terrible twos and threes. And as she approaches her forth birthday (its still a few months away) there are occasions where I start to think "wow, she's really calmed down". Then her inner wild child reappears.

Yesterday, my mom and I were working outside trying to clear the lower lot of my property so that the girls have more room to run. And we did it (mostly). But while we were working, the girls were in and out of the house (which is usually why I can't get anything done myself). Usually it was to grab a snack, go potty, change because when they were grabbing a snack, they put on dress up clothes or pajamas on and then tried to come out an play in them. So as long as they didn't disappear for too long, I was okay with them being in. At one point, I saw the girls playing their new favorite game. The one where one of them stands on the deck and looks into the window on the door to the mudroom. The other child would be inside looking our. They'd laugh and switch. A few minutes later, I see Moe nonchalantly make her way to the swing set. Alone.

"Moe, where's Meenie" "She's stuck in the closet" "And by stuck, do you mean you locked her in there?"
"Uh-huh" Then she laughed maniacally as she ran off to swing.

As I went to rescue Meenie, I could hear, help, I can't open the door.

The little shit.

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I mentioned above that my mom came over to my house to help with yard work. It's probably the first time she's come over to my house in a long time. I really appreciate her coming over on her vacation to help. It took two days and 10 + hours to get it done. And by done, I mean it's no where near completely finished - I still need to trim/purge the forsythia, rake under the bushes near the property line and finish raking the leaves on the far side of the tree laying across my yard. We are going to lay seed on Monday when Husband is home and hopefully, with any luck, the girls will have plenty of room to run this summer.

While raking and cursing the forsythia - I can't believe people actually pay for this stuff - I thought back to some fond memories I had of the forsythia at my parents house. It was growing around a tree and the way it grew, if you went through a certain section, it was all open on the inside, Enough that it sheltered my friends and I. We had this neat little club house. I hated when my parent decided to take it out. I remember them complaining and trying to keep it contained. Now as an adult, I get it. It really is an unruly pain in the ass to keep neat. And while I'd love the girls to have similar memories, I don't think I'm gonna keep it.

I left for a few minutes mid-afternoon to pick up Einey from school and pick up some iced coffee's. When I can back, my mom was mentioning something about finding another pencil in the yard. I saw a few sitting on the tree stump. I could tell she was trying to figure out where the heck they came from. I had to laugh. Last August, we threw a back to school bash for a few friends. For it, I had a school supply scavenger hunt. I placed folders, pencils, pencil sharpeners, pencil cases, rulers erasers, boxes of crayons, post it notes, ect. all over the yard. Apparently we missed a few.

Every now and then, the girls would come to help us. They'd grab some gloves, a rake and spend about 5 seconds helping. Or they'd grab the kids wheel barrow. At one point, the two younger one's were fighting over the one wheel barrow. I tried to find something they could use to drag sticks to the newly formed compost pile. I found an old infant sled and thought it was the perfect thing to drag sticks with. Of course, they thought so too. Then one abandoned the wheel barrow and they were fighting over the sled. They worked things out and helped haul a few sticks. As my mom and I were working, we suddenly heard laughter. Lots and lots of maniacal laughter. As we looked towards the sound, we saw the kids at the top of the hill with the sled. Somehow, they managed to get it to work on the wood chip/dirt hill and were taking turns dragging each other down the hill. Apparently sleds are not just for snow. Who knew?


Anyway, here are some before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

The bags - that's Husband's job to lug up the hill. What you really can't tell is how high the piles of branches/sticks were in the first place. It was alot of work. The lot is much more level now.

Married, whose getting married?

A conversation between Moe and myself this morning.

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Can we go get a smoolie today? I really want a smoolie?

Not today honey, we need to come back for Mass in a little bit.

O.K. Is today Crowning Mary day?

Yup.

Where are we going to get married?

Heh. Not married, Mary. Mary was Jesus' mom. They are going to pout a crown on her statue.

Huh?

A crown, like a princess crown only with flowers. They are going to put it on Jesus' mom.

Oh.

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50 minutes

It's not secret that Moe has a dislike for bugs. First the ladybugs, then the ants and now any bug she sees. And now Husband and I are starting to think she's onto something.

Last night, Moe and I spent a rather quick 50 minutes in the emergency room. The cause? An allergic reaction to a bug bite. We could see a small insect bite like spot in the center, but half of her face was swollen and red. Even after two doses of Benadryl, the swelling would not go down. So we checked into the ER at 8:30 pm, seen the doctor, got a dose of Prelone and were out the door by 9:20 pm (the time things significant if you've ever waited at our ER, your usually treated to a minimum of a 4 hour visit!).

This morning, her face was less swollen, but her eye is still 3/4 closed. We picked up her prescription (bubble gum flavor made especially for her -I never knew that you could have them flavored!) and also a can of DEET-free insect repellent. Since we spend alot of times outside, I'd rather not use the heavy stuff on her everyday! Note to self: order some Skin So Soft from Avon. This afternoon, we go back to her doctor for a re-check. Hopefully in the next few days with the Prelone and Benadryl, she'll be back to normal.

Now, all of the girls have had a visit to the ER. Let's hope we don't have to go again anytime soon!

Let's hope this doesn't happen again!

I don't normally take the kids to the ER for an insect bite, but this was bad.

Shouldn't it be Earth Day Everyday?

I pray for my fish who died.
I pray for my hamster that died.
I pray for the twin towers and the people that died.
I pray for planet Earth on Earth Day.
I pray for the world.

Lord hear our prayers and the prayers in our hearts. *

* The above were taken from the morning prayers in my daughter's first grade class. I happened to be in the school and noticed she was prayer leader, so I got to observe in the classroom. The prayers were followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.

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Today my bloglines were filled with posts about Earth Day. I'll be the first to admit, I don't think of myself as a very "green" person, yet I find myself doing more and more "green" things. Most of them, I can say are subconscious.

• Last fall, we stopped using plastic grocery bags and got these reusable one's from Sephora. I can't say enough about them! We use them all the time. I still need to order an extra set. For those of you with TV Guide, they are the one's featured in this week's issue. Yes they are super strong. We can carry cans and bottles in them. For larger items, such as bottles of juice, I just forgo bags all together. Sure, it makes more trips carrying them in, but then I don't have a zillion bags all over the place. Or, if like yesterday, I'm buying totes (in this case, for the playroom) I just have them put everything in the box. Let me tell you, I get alot of odd looks when I say I don't want a bag for those 1-3 item trips!
• I support our local conservation district. In fact, I have a shipment of plants and bushes I need to pick up Friday. If you've read back through my previous posts, you'll notice that I spend alot of time in my gardens. They are nothing spectacular, but I've learned to view them as ongoing projects. It's great to see them grow year by year. As a person who likes to get things done immediately, it took me a while to appreciate their ever changing looks.
  
• I've tried in the past to grow veggies as well. And while I may not get enough to live off of for the summer, we get enough that we will try again this year. Our best crop is the wild raspberries which we can get bowls full of for two weeks straight at the end of June. What I can't grow, I like to buy at the local Farmer's Market in the summer. I cannot wait until they open again for the season!
• I'd like to try a rain barrel, but after researching and realizing that they need to be hooked up to a downspout for maximum benefit, it's just not feasible here. You see, our house runs off of solar hot water and all of the water from our roof run off is stored in collectors behind a wall in the basement. At least, that's what I'm told. I love having the solar system on the house, but would love to modernize it (it's one of the 70's type). Our next house will have a modern solar system which actually produces electricity.
• This year, we plan on adding a compost heap to the yard. We are not sure if we'll get a barrel or lay it out in a corner of the yard. I look forward to not needing to buy soil and compost each year!
  
• The kids have reusable sports bottles for sports as opposed to throw away plastic water bottles (I've checked and they are not the BPA #7 bottles) and they take lunch boxes packed with reusable containers as opposed to plastic bags for lunch. Even Husband does now as opposed to the grocery bags he used to bring. Sometimes, it's tricky trying to fit everything in, but we always manage.
• We recycle. Even the girls help with this.
  

I know there are other things we can do, like walk to school, but seriously, I can barely get out the door on time when I drive, so I doubt I'd be organized enough to walk. We've done it a few times, but with the three kids, it's more of a pain. We both drive, although Husband car pools and doesn't drive as often as he did. I'm trying to cut our errands to one trip so I'm not going back and forth. We still use paper napkins, although we have gotten out of our habit of using paper plates at home. We keep the heat up because I can't stand the cold.

But I've learned to accept that each small step helps. So things we may not do now, there may come a time in the future where that changes. That many of the things we do today, we didn't do a few short years ago. I like to hope that many of the things we do now, the girls will take with them and pass onto their families.

The videos were taken from YouTube and are lyrics by Jack Johnson (video number two by Jack Johnson and Ben Harper). The girls have a Curious George CD with those songs and love signing them. The other CD the girls like (although I have to admit, its a tad too earth crunchy for me) is Maria Sangiolo's Under the Mystic Sea. The lyrics are catchy and it gets the message across.

Spring Break Recap

Today the girls went back to school. While I really enjoyed spending unhurried time with them this past week, they were more than ready to go back. Well, maybe I was more than ready for them to go back, but they didn't put up a fuss this morning, so I take that as a good sign.

The weekend that their vacation started, we had two birthday parties. Einey was dropped of at one Friday night and picked up later in the evening. Very Easy! Saturday (which did not dawn rainy and cool like fore casted) found us at McDonald's for another party.

Monday morning, we made plans to meet some friends at a local park for some bike riding and to play on the playground. I managed to bring the bikes, despite the jungle gym still sitting in the rear of my van. But then, the seat of Meenie's bike broke off. Broke broke as in there is no fixing it (I still need to call about a replacement). She was not happy to settle with a scooter. Once her sister finished with the other bike though, Meenie spent the remainder of the time riding around and around the track. Oh and we finished Husband's cake for his birthday.


Tuesday found us at the roller skating rink. I was a little apprehensive about getting all three o them skates,but didn't know what else to do with Moe. Einey did okay, she seemed a bit nervous, despite not having any problems zooming around previously. Meenie did remarkably well. Sure, she hugged the walls, but she was able to actually do a short distance unassisted by the time we left. And she was on the rink. Alone. That was a huge improvement over the last time where she stayed on the carpet. Moe did great back and forth on the carpet and even went around the rink once with me, but wasn't comfortable with it. With my first child, I never would have dreamed of putting roller skates on her at three. In fact, she was six before she ever slipped a pair on, it just wasn't anything I ever thought of!

They come in ever smaller sizes. But seriously, how cute is that?

Wednesday found us at the zoo. Normally we stay away during school break weeks, but now that we have a school age child, it make outing like that during the off times harder. But we met friends there (coincidentally in the parking lot!) and had a blast. It was a tad more nerve racking trying to keep track of six kids, but it worked out well. After the zoo (which we've been to a zillion times, but still manage to see new things) we went to Build-A-Bear. But I've already posted about that trip and the fiasco afterwards so you'll have to click the link to read more.

Trying to think outside the box and not add to our bazillion pictures of giraffes. Do you ever find that you have all the same pictures?

I just love the way this came out.

The aforementioned new friends

Thursday dawned and Husband had his one day off of the week that day. We had made plans to go to the aquarium. But like any outing with Husband, the kids had eaten and gotten dressed when he finally started to make his breakfast (he can never deal with a granola bar or bowl of cereal like anyone else). THEN he got on the computer to research other possible ideas/places to go (ALWAYS happens when we involve him). Finally he went to play video games get ready. And much later than we liked, we were on the way to go. We spent a few hours at the aquarium and then had lunch at Olive Garden. Luckily, there wasn't a long wait as the kids were h-u-n-g-r-y. The great thing, that whole trip only cost us $10 plus whatever we used in gas (thanks guys for the gift cards!)!

Husband found the aquarium feature on our camera

Friday we were supposed to go bowling but I decided we needed a day to recharge. SO we hung out and just relaxed! Oh and went for ice cream!

Of course, I didn't list the hour each day Tuesday through Friday that we had soccer practice. Or games as the girls had their first games this week. Neither of them scored a goal, but they tried hard.


Saturday was another birthday party and then dinner at our church.

Sunday, Meenie and I had alone time, just the two of us. The in-laws took the other two girls to church while I took Meenie to her soccer game. They were supposed to drop them off after lunch, but I never went to get them until 5:00pm! So we had lunch together, worked in the garden, sang songs, talked and played games. We both had alot of fun and I enjoyed spending time with her. I often feel that she gets the short end of the stick most of the time.

Whew!

Anyway, that was spring break in a nutshell. Today, Moe and I went for our weekly coffee and then ran some errands we put off last week.

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Oh and did I mention the ants? Just like their cousins the ladybugs, they've appeared in the house this past week. And yup, you guessed it, just like with the ladybugs, Moe stands and screams. Or if she's got shoes on, stomps. But it has made her have two accidents while she's stood outside the bathroom crying about the ants. The girls seriously needs to learn to deal with bugs. Its almost summer. Ey Ey yi.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream

The other day at the zoo, I promised the girls ice cream. The only problem was, we didn't see any ice cream carts after I made that promise.

So today being the last day of spring break (we're not counting weekends here) and a fabulous 80 degrees and sunny, we decided to go get that ice cream. You know, ice cream from a stand where there are choices, many of the places which make their own on site and where we don't have to scoop it from a box. The only problem is, none of the 645 million ice cream stands were open. First we tried their favorite place. Nope. Then the giant ice cream cone - the one with melted ice cream because its just kept in freezers - that just re-appeared for the summer. Nope. Okay, well let's drive across town to Carvel, they're open all the time. "Carvel is closed until further notice. Sorry for the inconvinece" WTF man, why is it so hard to find ice cream? The kids were getting upset, and I was getting desperate - almost desperate to show the kids that McDonald's serves ice cream.

Okay, well I know of one the next town over which is open for the season already. And actually, that town has TWO places open, which I found out!

So we found a nice place and the kids made their choices. AT the counter when asked, the ice cream lady got the reply of

May I please have cotton candy ice cream in a cone?
I would like cotton candy please, in a cone.
The blue and pink cotton candy in a cone. Please?

Repeated a dozen or so times until Einey looked up and said,

May we have three cotton candy ice creams in cones, please?

After getting our ice cream and finding a seat, we all sat quietly enjoying our treats. I was able to sit around and take in our surroundings. We were seated next to a friendly older lady who enjoyed making small talk with the girls. She even got up and grabbed napkins for them. Before she left, she stopped at the table and had a nice conversation with us, before handing each of the girls a dollar bill (in our conversation, she mentioned a recent fund raiser for a friend of ours where she attended and handed out treats to the all of kids. When she remarked about how my girls were special - because thats what Einey told her - Einey replied "Everyone in the world is special". At that point, she seemed a bit taken by surprise, and then she smiled and said "that's right" and to me "your doing a great job with these girls") Behind us sat the older gentleman who appeared to be a companion to a handicapped gentleman. All three of them appeared to be regulars at the stand, you could tell from the banter back and forth. Then in came the small group of teenagers, followed by the father and two daughters. Next were the two mothers with their four tweens and another family like ours. In and out, there were older folks, tweens, teens and tots. Young parents with their mother and baby. Fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. In that short span of time, while we sat licking our ice cream cones, many people passed in on out of the doors. Some staying to eat in the air conditioned room, some taking it outside and others getting it to go.

But do you know what I saw on everyone's face? Every single person had a smile on their face and a relaxed look in their eye. They seemed happy to be there in that span of time. With nothing more important than enjoying that ice cold treat. It's something that we don't see everyday in our busy lives. I was happy to be apart of it, and to be able to say that for once, nothing else mattered.

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In contrast to the short time we spent at the ice cream shop, just being, we had a few more in depth conversations on the way home.

The first was about a sign Einey saw outside the window:

"Freedom is not Free"

We talked about what that meant to us and how it affected our lives.

The second was about the environment. She wanted to know what the eco-friendly label on the on the new Poland Springs bottle meant. So we talked for a bit about the environment and ways we help to protect it. I'm not going to go into much here though as Earth Day is right around the corner.

Holy Build-A-Bear Batman!

It's school vacation week. Instead of staying home and being bored out of our minds, I planned activities to keep us busy all week. Thankfully, the weather has been wonderful all we and we got to do many outdoor activities. More on those later.

Wednesday I took the girls to the zoo (never go to the zoo on school vacation week). Since we were in Providence anyway, and they had been asking, I decided to make a surprise stop at Providence Place, and more specifically Build-A-Bear.

For some reason, I envisioned running in, grabbing what we want, filling, dressing and being out a few minutes later. I'm not sure WHAT I was thinking!

First stop, once we got in, was to pick out our animals. Einey quickly choose a turtle, Meenie took a few minutes and finally choose an elephant. Moe oh Moe. She couldn't make up her mind. The bunny. No a bear. No a doggy. Wait. The turtle too. No this one, the dinosaur. That's the one I want.

Next stop was the stuffing station (we skipped the sound station this time - and I'm glad we did - more on that later). There were only two people in front of us, but still ,we had a good 10 minute wait. The girls were in awe as they stood on the foot pedal and watched their creatures come to life. They loved spinning, jumping, waving and kissing the heart they filled with love to place inside their new friends.

After that, we went to the fluffing station. The girls loved giving them an air bath and were very thorough. They asked if we could get an air bath tub for at home.

After that, it was time to get them dressed. They were told one outfit each that's it. Because if I let them add accessories and shoes, we'd probably still be there two days later! Moe saw a yellow fairy outfit and wanted the Belle outfit for her dino. Since I had seen actually Disney Princess outfits in another section, I brought her over to check them out. She liked the fairy costume better. In fact, all three of them choose different color fairy costumes. That brought us the the next stop, the dressing station. And Oops, the turtle has a big slide off shell, so he cannot wear the wings while he's wearing the shell. Einey was fine with that. She calls him a lizard when he takes the shell off. And once the shell is off, he can wear the wings.

The last stop was the naming station. This took a tad longer only because I had to do each one individually. But they all got named and it was off the the registers.

So we left an hour later with a turtle, elephant, triceratops, three fairy dresses (one red, one pink and one yellow), bows for ears/tails/horns, three build a bear "houses" (because the boxes were the second most important thing they had to have you know!), a gift card for a friend, and minus $120. Not to bad for three of them. Oh and codes for the new online interactive website. I may still keep that information to myself though, they've already been sucked into WebKinz world and Little Pet Shop world.

So it was back to the van, with the girls lugging their boxes. After negotiating the escalators (which there were only two falls on - usually I have extra hands!) and finding my van - because we totally forgot what floor we parked on. Thanks Einey for being more observant that I was! We headed home. Well sort of. We actually hoped on 95N instead of 6W. So I had to turn around and head back. But once I found 6W, it was smooth sailings.

We got home, unpacked, found out we had nothing for super, headed to McDonald's and made it to soccer with enough time to grab some food before practice started. While I was walking around the soccer field handing out shirts and picture information to coaches and solving any last minute issues (there are no more fields, where's my team, ect) my girls were nicely eating their supper. Or so I though. Just as I am walking back to the field Meenie was playing on, Einey comes running over "Mom, look what Moe did to me, she spilled her chocolate milk all over me". Only she failed to mention that Moe also spilt chocolate milk on my chair and most importantly all over Dino. Yup, all over the do-not-wash-surface-clean-only-Build-A-Bear.* I was not very happy. So I followed their suggestions, I surfaced cleaned the spots with mild soap and let it airdry. The next morning "Mooooooooom, my dino feels funny. He's hard and crunchy". And he was. While he didn't have chocolate milk spots, he still smelt like chocolate milk and didn't dry very well. SO we borrowed some Build-A-Bear cleaner from a friend and tried that. Nope nada, still the same results. Pretty peeved still, I emailed Build-A-Bear for any other tricks. Their results, while fast, told me:

Thank you very much for emailing us about your furry friend. Some of our animals should not be washed in the washing machine because of their long hair or manes. In addition, if your furry friend has a sound box, the sound would most likely become damaged if submersed in water.

Some of our animals with short fur and no manes can be hand-washed or washed in cold water on gentle cycle with a very small amount of laundry detergent and then air-dried. You would need to visit a store and have the sound removed (if the animal has one) before washing the animal. Please place the bear in a pillow case and tie the case closed (this is only to prevent the eyes from hitting the sides of the washer and possible scratching).

We also have a product that cleans stuffed animals. It is called Bear Stuff Cleaner(tm). This product is available for $6.00. If you would like to order this product, please visit one of our store locations across the United States or Canada. You can also visit our website www.buildabear.com and type "Bear Stuff Cleaner" in the search box, or you can call our toll-free phone number and any representative will be happy to assist you in ordering this item.

If you do not wish to purchase the Bear Stuff Cleaner, we suggest using a mild soap and washcloth to surface clean the animal, and then let it air dry.

Um thanks, but I already told you I tried both those methods. Since it didn't have a sound card (and I wasn't about to drive back to Providence if I didn't have to) and it was short haired, as a last resort, I threw it in a pillowcase in the washing machine on gentle. And then in he dryer on the air only setting. And you know what, it came out perfect. Good as new. I was going to try this anyway. That or send it over to my mother in-laws. She's usually able to fix any problems I have!

So all in all, Moe is happy to have her Dino back and I'm happy I didn't waste $30 on a stuffed animal that was immediately trashed. It was a win-win situation.

So the moral of this story: Even a chocolate covered dinosaur can easily fit in the washing machine.

* And for the record, I was going to have them leave them in the van. Only my hands were full and they promised me they would not put them on the ground or eat near them. It's more my fault than anyone's. They are never allowed to eat with toys.

Playing Hookey

Today we played hookey. Instead of housework, we went to the park. After school, instead of yard work, we went to the park. Instead of dinner tonight, we're getting takeout. The girls choose KFC.

Here's my favorite picture of the day.

Yes, I know the shoes are on the right feet. They usually are. At least she has matching one on today.

Be sure to read the following post from this morning. It's the girls guide to YouTube.

YouTubing

This post is brought to you by Einey, Meenie and Moe. It's their guide of their favorite YouTube videos (with commentary by me).

First up is Primus. The girls LOVE this video. As I wrote in a previous post, I don't think they quite understand it because they keep asking what a devil is. They like the dancing chickens.

The next two are the White Stripes. The first is what the girls dub the Lego Song. It took me forever to figure out what they were asking for (Husband is the one who go them started on YouTube). The next was a coke commercial that was aired only in Australia and once in the UK. It's a great commercial and song. The other night while the girls were watching it, Einey pointed out that everyone had beer. I guess we don't drink enough soda around here.

Usually after that we move onto a Star Wars themed song. It's on I'm sure many of you have heard before. They are not fans of any of Weird Al's other work though. And yes, they like the Don McLean version of American Pie as well.

Then it's back to another commercial, this time to song heard in Apple's IPod ads.

And then there is the ever popular Smash Mouth, popularized by that great green ogre, Shrek! But wait, there's another one.

And of course, life wouldn't be complete without a big scaly reptile in the mix. I mean after all, the girls love anything cold-blooded. I can't even tell you how many times they've asked for turtles/snakes/more lizards. I mean, come on Mom, how cute is that baby bearded dragon over there? And the two lizards we already have, lets just say they like each other. Alot. I think Husband is jealous with how much action goes on in that tank at night. At least they wait until the girls are in bed.

And even I'm not sure what to make of this one.

So, kids, whats your top 10 YouTube mix? Really, because we need some new stuff.

Little Heathens

Every Sunday, I pack the girls up and we go to church for the 11 o'clock Mass. Our children are being raised in the religion their father was raised in. I, myself, was raised in a non-religious family and only started going to church with my Husband prior to getting married. I've made some of the sacraments of our religion, but have yet to make them all.

But, here I am every Sunday bringing the girls to Mass. Once at church, we join my in laws for the duration of the Mass. Ironically, the weeks we usually miss are the weeks Husband is home. For some reason, with an extra adult, we just cannot manage to make it out of the house on time. Not always, but more times then not.

We've been bringing the girls to Mass ever since they came home from the hospital. We've never really had a problem with them acting out in church, although there are occasions where they are a bit loud. Only once have I felt the need to remove them from church for being disruptive and then was quickly told that there was no need to. Everyone understands.

The older two girls go to a private Catholic school. For our family, it fits. It really is a home away from home and we are grateful for the friends we've all made as well as the education the girls are receiving. The girls are happy and love going to school.

So what have I been hearing from the back of the van every Sunday morning?

"I'm not feeling so well"

Those words were uttered by Husband one week when he really wasn't feeling well. The following week, Einey uttered them in almost the exact spot. Once I turned the car around and got home, she was miraculously cured. Once I realized what was going on, I stopped heading back home. So Moe was probably more than a little upset that I continued on my way after asking her what didn't feel so well and not getting an answer.

Oh and what's their favorite YouTube video? This one. But really, I don't think they understand it.

Helping Hands

We've all got them. Little hands always there willing to help. Some of us have two, others have four, six or even more. These are the hands that are always there, helping put away food, usually into their mouths as you are unloading your grocery bags, helping with laundry by scattering it around your house and even helping with dishes (no explanation needed here).

While I appreciate the hands that help make their beds, put their laundry away, clean up their toys and clear the dishes*, its the other aforementioned hands I can do without.

Where's this all coming from?

The other afternoon, Meenie had a play date with some friends from school. While I was clearing their lunch dishes, the girls escaped upstairs. Moe was quietly sitting with the dog. And a bottle of lavender scented hand soap. Washing the dog. In the middle of my bed. Have I mentioned the dog is big and I had no way of getting her into the tub, so I had to deal with sponging her off?

Those types of helpful hands I could do without.

* The girls are great. They usually do all the above without any compensation. We do not believe in paying them for small household chores that they should be capable of doing themselves anyway. It's just expected.

Male Dominance

Yesterday we picked up two new lizards. The girls thought that Charizard needed a new friend. So we picked up two more green anoles, which were quickly named Charmeleon and Charmander. The girls were very excited. However, almost immediately after we put the two new anoles in the tank, they started fighting. It seems like Charizard is a ,ale and so is Charmander. They were puffing their dulaps, bobbing their heads, charging and biting each other. Charmeleon would just run away. We believe she is a female. We had to separate the two males after letting them duke it out for a few hours. Hopefully, they will let me return the little guy.

The thing that irks me, is I specifically asked at the pet shop about males fighting for dominance over the cage and they told me they have never had any problems (I must note however, it was a younger kid and not the person we usually deal with at the pet shop).

Overall, the other two seem to be getting along well.

Note to self: Having two male lizards will only result in a pissing match.

My Epiphany

Yesterday, I had an epiphany.

Einey is a smart, wonderful child. However, like all kids, she has some quirks. She is highly forgetful. I cannot tell you how many times we've started to leave the school, only to notice she's forgotten her hat and mittens (which the teacher gave her the next day - complete set, and still she managed to lose one of the mittens), lunch box, sweater, folder and yes, even her coat once (and of course, it was right before a snowstorm - I blame Husband* partly for that one, he failed to notice and grab it, making me go over later in the day). For the minor stuff, I just leave it there and send in a note the next day. No biggie.

Usually I check her backpack before we leave the school, so if her homework is forgotten, we're able to grab it before we leave. And in such, I've realized, I have been enabling her. Yesterday, she went to a friends house after school. When I picked her up at dinner time, I mentioned how she left her homework folder in her class (again - second day in a row). It was when she looked at me and said "so, we can just stop and get it" that I realized, things need to change.

No longer an I going to grab her forgotten item. She is going to learn to be a little more aware of her responsibilities. Next year, the teacher isn't going to just say "it's okay, she can just do it tomorrow", so she needs to take a little bit of responsibility for her own actions. Once, when she forgot, she had three pages of homework from one night and one from the other night to do. She whined and complained how it wasn't fair and how her friends didn't have as much homework to do that night (duh! They all remembered to bring their homework home the night before and only had one nights work to do). She was not happy. You'd think she'd learn!

So now, I think I have come up with a plan. On nights she forgets her homework, she's going to have to write a note to her teacher explaining why she doesn't have her homework. In addition, I will print a page of something (or pull one from a workbook) that relates to their work for the week. She'll have to do that page and turn it in. In addition, she'll still have to make up the homework she missed the next day. I'm even considering making her write "I will not forget my folder" 10x each. And adding five each time she forgets. I don't want to torture her, but I do want her to realize that there are consequences to her actions. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

* Actually I blame Husband for the quirk as well. The man would forget his head if it wasn't screwed on. I cannot tell you how many times I have to find stuff for him as well. Maybe the smarter you are, the more you forget? After all, there's only so much room in the brain, something has to give!

Whose with me?

Let's skip April and go right to May. Is anybody with me?

It starts today, which isn't technically April yet, with double birthday parties - one for Einey's friend, one for Meenie's friend. Tomorrow Husband starts a horrendous schedule where he has four (yes FOUR) days off the whole month.

The birthday parties, oh the birthday parties. Rumor has it the there are SEVEN children in Meenie's class celebrating their birthdays in April. We have already heard from four of them. Eieny's class has two, but I think only one of them is having a party. I think we will definitely have to politely decline a few.

Did I mention soccer starts any day now? I haven't heard from either coach, but being soccer VP, I already have the low down on uniforms, coaches, and oh yeah, schedules. Einey has practice Tuesday and Thursday nights. Meenie has practice Wednesday and Friday nights (of course they couldn't have them the same nights, what fun would that be?). Games start on the 19th and are both Saturday mornings with Einey's at 9 and Meenie's anywhere from 10 to 12. Which at least works out, because last season, they had numerous games scheduled at the same time and I found myself running all across the park trying to see both games! I am no looking forward to next season when all three girls can play and of course, be in three different age divisions. At least it's not three hour tee-ball games.

Our Brownies schedule is pretty tame - we have just two events- one meeting and one scouting day at the zoo. Five and a half hours at the zoo. That one, I've already declined, I'm sending Einey of course, with a friend, but I am not taking the other girls and trying to keep them occupied for that long.

I've already volunteered to go into Einey's class and do a project with them once this month. We are going to plant grass seed heads that the kids can take care of. Once the grass grows long enough, they can cut and style it.

Did I also mention that the girls have a week off of school? Yeah I'm thinking we may have to go rollerskating or bowling and spend alot of time at the park. I hope it doesn't rain.

With that schedule, I'm not sure how much yard work I'll get done. I know I can't really plant much until May, but there is still much to be done before hand. Luckily, I've already called a landscaper. And for those who know my yard, he's taking on much of the crap down below. Once it's cleared, I'll just have to bring up the big pieces (which I've already enlisted help for) and I have a friend whose agreed to take that wood. And then, we just need to reseed that area. Then, all that's left is that great hulking pine that's bisecting the yard. I think I'm going to need to call the tree guy and see if he can come cut it into smaller pieces. Hopefully, that will end the yard issues and the kids will have plenty of room to roam!

Oh and Husband just reminded me (as if I'd forget) that his birthday is in 15 days. Luckily I've already got it covered. I've placed the requisite orders with Amazon and Reaper, and will soon be placing one with Vallejo, once he can decide which paints he wants. I've planned time for Moe and I to bake his carrot cake. And he "casually mentioned" he wanted pizza, so that morning, I'll pick up all the ingredients for his favorite pizza's.

Throw in a dentist appointment and I think that's the month in a nutshell.

Cross posted at New England Mama's.

Happy Belated Easter!

Morning Kindness

I have a secret.

Sometimes, after dropping Eenie and Meenie off at school, Moe and I go to a quite coffee shop and relax with a cup of coffee (hot chocolate or juice for her) and a breakfast treat. It's our little thing. It took us awhile to do this, I had been hesitant to go, ever since the incidence last year when I would take Meenie and Moe for a treat after dance class.

Today, we did our grocery shopping and stopped in at one of the local coffee places. You know, one with real tables and doesn't have the word "donuts" in it's name. A quick scan of the place showed that there was one couch with no real table left or one of the 3 1/2 foot tall bistro tables. We opted for the tall table and after she placed her order, I sat her up on one of the seats with her snack. As I was waiting for my coffee, yet standing close to Moe in case she decided to try and hop down, a man approached me. "Ma'am, you can have my table - as he gestured to the now empty regular sized table - I'd hate to see her fall." As I thanked him and helped Moe climb down and carry her food over to the table, I thought about nice it was for this stranger to offer up his spot. It was refreshing to see someone who wasn't caught up in his own little world, take the time and offer a stranger a hand.

And on the way out, another gentleman held the door for Moe and I. I know it's not much, but it's nice to see that chivalry isn't gone. Maybe it was karma coming back around - I recently gave a person behind me in line at TRU an extra $10 off gift card I got as a promotion that I wouldn't use by the expiration date (I tend to get doubles so often I just hand them to the person behind me, or with alot of items). What ever it was, it's little rays of kindness like this which puts a little faith back into humanity in my eyes.

Eggs, Eggs Everywhere

And it's not even Easter yet!

And you know what, of course they are the girls FAVORITE toys right now. Why wouldn't they be? We picked up eggs at the town Easter Egg Hunt, Meenie's class hunt, in which the teacher gave Moe a few eggs as well and then today at drop off, a friend gave the girls bags she made which include eggs (and which means Einey will be coming home from school with them as well). The girls have been hiding EVERYTHING in them lately as well. Luckily, they were smart enough to empty the candy and put in into the basket where I will probably toss it when they are not looking give them a piece or two a day. But now I need to constantly keep check on what they are hiding. They have already discovered that many of the LPS toys fit perfectly inside as well as hair accessories. And I happen to know the Easter Bunny is planning on leaving some eggs as well.

What oh what am I going to do with all the eggs and how can I make them magically disappear?

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On a side note, I need one of those giant plastic bubbles to put Moe in. She's once again sporting a nice black eye. While entering the grocery store yesterday, she walked into the corner on a garbage can.

Easter - Polish Style

With Easter coming up, I thought I'd write a little about some family traditions. So stop by the New England Mamas and read up on what we do.

Weekend Recap

Friday was a perfect day by New England standards. The temperature was spring like and since there was a half day of school, the girls spent many hours outside. They played, they fought, they had snacks outside and they drew with sidewalk chalk. Side walk chalk has to be the best invention ever. It's the tool I use when I need to clean the van. Seriously, after a winter with bitter cold weather, who wants to spend time outside cleaning a van? Not I. And so, my van looked like this:


After about an hour and a vacuum, it now looks like this:

I must like bags, as I had a few in the van. I had to toss an old sports bag, so I put the emergency kit in an unused diaper bag under the seat. I refolded the spare blanket and towels and fixed the bag they were in. I need to add snacks to the empty snack box and put fresh clothes in the spare clothes box. But overall, I'm happy with how clean it it. I do need to go over it with the vacuum one more time, getting in the little cracks. I'm tempted to pull the Dyson out, but don't want to ruin it (your not supposed to use it outdoors). I also need to have it shampooed I think. All the toys found their way inside and the trash got tossed. Most disgusting discovery? The half eaten, so rotten it was liquifying and growing red mold in one of the rear cup holders. Why didn't I smell it decaying because fruit smells when it decays? There was a towel wadded up over over it, so no smell leached out. It. was. nasty. I gagged and then lysoled it after I cleaned it out. Grossest thing evah! I need to make sure I leave enough time for breakfast in the morning s so we are not grabbing fruit on the way out the door. See the air pump in the bottom left hand corner? That's so I can constantly put air in my tire that keeps going flat.

I didn't get to clean the trunk area as it currently contains the jungle gym. The girls cannot wait until it gets set up. I'm excited as well. It has to be the coolest backyard play thing ever (and no, that's not the price we paid for it). Unfortunately, at over 100 pounds, I cannot move it by myself and was not about to drop in on my feet opening the back of the van.

Saturday, we saw the Easter Bunny and leprechauns at the town's Easter Egg / Pot of Gold Hunt. Moe was of course scared. And then went to have cake and ice cream with my sister and my mom. They called that morning to say they were having cake for my mom. Happy Birthday mom! Oh and we found the ladybug.

And Sunday. I spent it cleaning and hope to work on some summer clothes for the girls. I have a few dresses cut, I just need to sit down and start sewing!

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Did you know babies actually DO come with manuals? I found two while cleaning. While you check out the baby manuals, take a look at the FREE stuff I have to give away and leave a comment.

I like ladybugs...

...when they are dead.

~Moe age 3

Springy Surprises

We spent 2 straight hours outside after school today. We haven't done that in forever. The girls fought played while I scooped 3 months worth of dog crap and then raked the play yard. I left the leaves around the plants and that's it. While poking around, I found these growing under the stairs. While I'll leave the mums or whatever they are, I will have to dig up the thistle. While it's nice to look at, its in a highly trafficed area and I'd hate for anyone to get picked by it.


And these? I forgot I threw a bunch of bulbs in the ground on this part of the fence. It was a very pleseant surprise and I can't wait to see them all the way up.


Happy spring! And if your in New England, take these wonderful days when you can, you never know when the next one will be!

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Want to see how my spring cleaning progresses? Visit my new blog here!