Whatta weekend!!

Friday night we had our Sunday School care group's ladies night out at my house. There were 6 of us and it was great to have a chance to have a little girl time without the kids. Saturday morning we were out the door early to go to American Adventure's for Harrison's birthday party. Mari and Richard win the prize for most awesome birthday party EVER!! We had as much fun as the kids...I can't remember the last time I rode go-karts!! It's a good thing we found a gastation that wasn't out of gas or we wouldn't have had enough to get to church this morning) Then this afternoon after chrch, we went to a Bowling party for Dawson who is in B's class. I was so proud that B got the only strike of the party!!! Then a quick stop at the grocery store, get the kids fed and down for the night and I'm off for the sesion premier of Desperate Housewives. Oh My Gosh...It's 9:00 right now!! See ya

Thursday 13 things I did this week...

Painted my kitchen and half bath...not quite finished
Watched three movies just for me
Welcomed my family home (K, W and B) from the beach
Painted my nails
Tried to sell our sleeper sofa on Craig's List...no luck.
Forgot a conference with W's teacher
Took W and B to the dentist
Took my beloved laptop to the doctor and all is well
Took the boys for ice cream
Waited in line for gas
Finalized plans for girls night out at my house
Ate dinner with Todd and Annsley
Returned a casserole dish to my neighbor

Wow...what an exciting week!!

I give up

I don't know what's going on with my blog. I changed the background but it didn't do right and now it won't let me change it back to a mina-whatever template so I can change it back to the background I want.I mean, I like this template I just want to tweek it and it won't let me. And my colors on different things are all screwey. I don't like being at the mercy of my laptop so as I said to Bridgette in an e-mail just moments ago...I give up. I'm going to Home Depot to buy paint.

post script....Well, it's been a day and it's grown on me and I think I love it just the way it is!! You know what they say about the small stuff.

Simple Pleasures for this Thursday 13

1. A long nap on a rainy day
2. My standing Wednesday night dinner date with Annsley and Todd Martin
3. Early morning cuddles with the boys
4. Reading with the kids
5. The way certain songs move me
6. Quick Trip coffee
7. Hobby Lobby, Hobby Lobby, Hobby Lobby!!!
8. A bath and a magazine
9. Scrapbooking
1o. The first signs of Fall
11. Smelling candles at the store with the kids
12. Walking through furniture stores
13. Day trips with the whole family

Click on X on top right of slideshow to reveal pictures.

Move over Oprah...It's my THURSDAY 13

These are 13 of MY favorite things. (I snitched the idea from Hollie Hixon's blog...Thanks Hollie!!) Ok, so maybe there aren't throngs of dressed to impress women falling all over themselves at the prospect of having lavish gifts thrust upon them but these are the things that make my life easier and yes, even make me a little happy.

1. Bert's Bees : I've switched to their shampoo and conditioner for me, Baby Bee Shampoo and Body Wash for the kids and Baby Bee Diaper ointment for NayNay. It all smells awesome and is usually at least 98% natural. KB doesn't have much hair so he just uses Suave. HaHa.

2. Palmers Cocoa Butter Stick: It's jumbo sized and I use it for my unfortunate chapstick addiction...it lasts forever!! It's by the palmers lotion at CVS but by the ethnic hair care products at Wal-Mart. I no longer feel the need to explain to the black girls why I buy it. This would also be my #1 pic for what to have if stranded on a desert island. I can brush my teeth with a stick.

3. Reynolds HandiVac System : I started using it because I made my own baby food and would freeze it. Now I use it for cheese or anything I put in the freezer. Since there's no air in the bag, you don't get those frosty ice crystals on your fishsticks.

4. Over the Door Ironing Board : I love to iron and although I don't choose to spend my Saturday nights pressing khaki's, having an ironing board that just flips down at the press of a button is awesome. The best part is not having that nails on a chalkboard noise it makes when you put it up and down. <-- Too tired to redo the sentance so it doesn't end in a preposition...sorry!!

5. The Writers Strike: Ok, so it's not an actual "thing" thing but, because of it, I re-discovered the Discover and History channels. If you've never seen Mike Rowe do his thing or a watched a show on the Roman Aqueducts, you don't know what you're missing. It also made me re-evaluate all of the mindless time I was spending watching...crap. Now if I watch crap, it's because Mile Rowe is standing in it. Ewww. Sorry!!

6. Reusable Grocery Bags: I bought the green ones at Publix and am very proud of myself for sticking with it. I always saved my plastic grocery bags to recycle them (you have to take them back to the store along with your styrophoam, styrofoam, stirophome...whatever....egg cartons) After I unpack my groceries I hang them on the front doorknob so I'll remember to take them to the car the next time I go out. I actually had a friend ask me the other day if I used my Publix bags at Target. Well, YES!! Like they're not gonna bag my stuff if they say Publix on them???

6. My New 65 Gallon Recycling Can: Since we're on the topic of recycling...they delivered my new bin last week..YAY!!. It's like the regular Waste Mgmt. trash can on wheels but a touch smaller. Recycling (much to KB's dismay) is more of an obsession than anything and when it rolled off the truck, the heavens parted and angels sang. We had been using 2 of the regular laundry basket sized ones and they just weren't big enough and stuff blew out and it was just a mess. Now, I just take the paper grocery sack that I keep in my pantry out and put the whole thing in instead of having to unpack it and poke things in where they would fit. This might actually be one if my top 3!! Ok, it's #2.

7. AOL : Sure, it's free now but I even stuck with it all those years that we had to pay $9.99 a month. It's pretty (not blah and utilitarian like Yahoo or Hotmail), it's very user friendly and best of all, I knew the minute they released the information that Julia Child was a spy and they thought they found BigFoot.

8. The Internet : Al Gore is a genius!! We don't even own a phonebook and I can find out in less than 30 seconds what Rolly Pollys eat. (B. rocked show and tell that day!!!) There's just practically nothing I can't find out in literally a matter of seconds. Oh, and just in case you're wondering, it's decaying leaves. Save yourself a Google : )

9. My Cell Phone: I've got 103 names/numbers in it and my plan offers 3000 minutes a month. This is why I talk to my daddy in Alabama sometimes three times a day. (We're both in the car a lot) But I have a regional free long distance calling plan so unless you live in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi or parts of Kentucky, you gotta call me. And this brings me to a related topic...

10. 800-GOOG 411 : Free Directory Assistance from Google. Now, 800-free411 is also free and you can get Government, Residential and Business numbers, but you have to listen to an ad. I don't need term life insurance or want a deal on a trip to the Bahama's. I do use it if I need a residential number but most of the time I use the GOOG411 which is for business numbers only. It's because of #'s 9 and 10 that I know where the two cargo planes that fly over my house every day are going...and why.

11. Spell Check : See #6

12. Electrasol Power Ball Tabs: These things are awesome!! I used to use the liquid Cascade because I don't like the clumpy powder but I got a sample in the mail and was hooked. It's actually cheaper than the other and my dishes are cleaner. Now I don't have to wash my dishes before I put them in the dishWASHER. Nice.

13 A . TiVo : TV for kids is aweful most times of the day so it's nice to be able to save shows that are age appropriate for rainy days or when the boys just need some down time. Most of the ones we record are on either very early in the morning or while they're at school. I like that they always have safe shows to choose from. Don't even get me started on Total Drama Island!!

13 B. NETFLIX : If you don't have Netflix, you should. We've watched the regulars like Nemo and The Incredibles but the we also watched the entire 4 year run of Lost In Space!! (It was so awesome and we were sad to watch the last one today. There are 3-4 episodes per DVD) Some of their favorites were the Frances the Talking Mule movies, and the ones about Herbie the Love Bug. You can even save movies in your Queue that have just or are about to be released in theaters. I love to go to the movie just as much as anyone but I'd rather spend my $40 going somewhere that doesn't have sticky seats. Til next time...

Goodbye Chaos...HELLO ROUTINE!!

Nobody loves having their kids home with them more than me, but I gotta tell ya...I was a little too happy for my kids to go back to school. I'm creative and crafty but not enough to fill the days of three little boys that are so totally different. If I heard B. ask me one more time "Are we going somewhere else fun today?", I was going to pack his bags and dump him out at Chuck E. Cheese....or Startime...or wherever. Ok, not really, but notice the key word was somewhere ELSE. We took them places at least twice a week...which come to think of if might have been the problem. Anyway, all is well with the world and my ADD is back under control with our new schedule. We're up at 6:15ish and even though Niblet doesn't have to be at his school til 9, he insists on getting up with B. They take a wake up shower, dress and make their beds then it's downstairs for breakfast. I have their outfits on hangers with underwear and socks so they dress themselves and all they have to do is find their shoes. We've even started getting NayNay up so he can nap earlier in the morning so I can get a few things done around the house. Then, 4 eggs, an english muffin and a bowl of random fruit later, about 7:15 or so we're out the door to take B. to school...all of us.

School Supplies: $30

New Backpack : $20

Being a Pirate instead of a Ladybug like the class next door: PRICELESS!!

I love to carpool. It's fun time that the kids can ride up front (the school is across the street from our neighborhood) and we have a great time. We wave as we pass the bus riders and their parents standing on the corner on our way to school...and again on our way home. Yep. They're still standing there. (Please refer to earlier post clearly stating that my child will n-e-v-e-r ride the bus)

An hour or so later we head to TLP to take Niblet to his school. We usually get there a little early and use this time to read our Cubbies story, work on our bible verses and wave/yell at friends across the parking lot who are also in the carpool line. Oh, the joy of being 4. His teachers, Mrs. Debby and Mrs. Susan, are great and he's very excited to make friends at his new school. I'm amazed every day at the enthusiasm he shows getting out the door to go to school. But what makes me really happy is the sheer joy I see on his face when he sees me there to pick him up.

WithB., homework has had it's own set of challenges. The boys are in bed at 8 (usually) but B. is so tired when he gets home, we've faced many tears about not wanting to do homework. Niblet didn't start school til 3 weeks after B. so now that they're both in, it's MUCH easier. They have a snack and have to rest for a half hour or so then I give Niblet worksheets to do and he practices his letters/numbers while B. works on his lesson. I've set up a classroom so we have a huge 4 x 5 dry erase board, an equally large bulletin board, alphabet, days of the week and month posters and a calendar station with weather chart. (The School Box is my new favorite place to shop!!) Anyway, we started out at the dining room table but now that we do homework here, it's much, MUCH easier and way more fun. My only issue now is the baby. KB and I are trying to work out a routine so that he can take care of him while we do homework so he's not into everyting. And when I say everyting, I mean EVERYthing. Those with toddlers know what I mean. I do try to savor every moment though because too soon there will come a day when all of my babies aren't babies anymore and I'll look back at the empty car seats and dream of the days that we waved at firetrucks, played endless games of car bingo and the many times we had to pull over to get the sippy that had fallen under the seat. But, as long as I do a good job with them while they're here, I know that the Lord will do the rest. With that said, we're off to church so they can hide His word in their hearts. <><