Mount Lang

We have spent the day working on Tabi's volcano model for school.  I began this afternoon with a little research and having Ricky experiment with different "recipes" in the sink.  Then I did more research, lol.  Did I mention this was TABITHA's project?!?!  Anyhow, it turned out great.  She had been working on the project for a week, it was just a matter of confirming the chemistry part and we took that right down to the wire.  We finally got it done and the paint and clay will hopefully be dry by 5th period tomorrow (yes we had to paint wet clay, not recommended).  And now, Ricky wants to build his own tomorrow.  At least we know how to do it now.
(Oh, and did I mention that after we did all that work to make a working volcano, Tabi turned around and said, "well I'm not sure if we are allowed to have it erupt".....  aaaahhhhh!!!!!!)

I have also started putting together our daily schedule after "reading" my new wonder book, Masters of Thier Home. (My definition of "reading" is opening the book to make sure there are actual word inside, take note of the  font size, color, and possible quick referencing pictures that can give me a good summery of the book, while kids distract me from being able to actually make sense of any of the above mentioned things)  I am sure it is a great book if I can get a chance to read more than just the introduction and listen to the CD Conference, thank goodness I paid extra for that CD or I wouldn't have gotten anything done with the book yet.  But in just the little that I have read and listened to there is so much encouragement and so much more.  The biggest thing that stood out to me when when Terry talked about her 2 year old getting into the bathroom and taking all the toilet paper from the roll and sort of "decorating" the whole bathroom with it.  She, like most moms, talked about how she broke down in tears while rolling the toilet paper back up, then confesses that now that her 2 year old is grown she really laughs and wonders how much did that toilet paper really costs?  She should have just picked it all up and threw it away and moved on!  Seriously, how may times do kids get into the toilet paper (or computer paper, or anything else of little value for that matter), and what is a mom's first response?  yep, cry and neatly roll the darn thing back up, WHY?!?!  I dunno, when someone figures that out would they please let me know.  There should be a club for moms where you stand up and say "Hi, my name is Michelle, and I'm a mom who cry's over spilled milk but tells my children not to".  Kids, Do as I say, not as I do! Lol.

Other news from the home-front.... We have really been trying to crack down on the rules in the house.  We have been getting a wee bit lazy with them lately.  I have decided to take them one by one, first one being the yelling.  (And no I am not talking about yelling at each other in a mad sort of way, that is a big no-no around here no matter now lazy we are with rules)  Oh my, we live in a small house and the one thing that is getting on my nerve is the fact that no one can walk across the house to talk to anyone else, they have to YELL the whole conversation across the house.  I can just see now that the weather is nicer, the neighbors bringing their chairs and popcorn and lining up in our front yard for the free reality show.  I will just simply open the curtains and they can see and hear what real life is like in a large family.  No charge, don't even need a antenna or working tv.  Thankfully everyone is catching on to this rule.... except Tabi.  It is like she has no volume control what so ever, just constant loud and constant on.  I'm blaming it on being a teen!  Only 2201 days, 22 hours, and 48 more minutes until she is no longer a teen, not that I'm counting or anything.

And last, it looks like Ty is following in his older siblings foot steps.  8 months old and crawling and pulling up, but can't sit on his own, not even for a second.  Just goes to show you, my kids just don't like to "sit" still.  Maybe a early sign of ADHD? Can't even pay attention to the "correct time frame and sequence of typical development" (that's just a joke, isn't it, a bunch of old people saying when and how kids are supposed to develop and how they should act.  I say it is just a few doctors just wanting another reason to run more tests just to earn a few extra dollars prescribe a few more meds....  ok I won't go into that now or I will be here all day).  What am I to do with Ty? I Guess I'm just going to have to cuddle him some more because he is growing up way too fast.

~Nite

Sally Saw Sea Shells

FYI, getting a 7 year old who just lost both front teeth to say "Sally Saw Sea Shells by the Sea Shore" is great entertainment.

I haven't just been enjoying having Ricky say tongue twisters (some phonics lessons turned so funny we have decided to put them on hold until the front teeth come in, haha). We have also been entertained with cootie catchers. Remember those little paper fortune tellers from middle school? (pick a color, then you flip it around to reveal numbers and you pick a number, and so on...) Our house is filled with them. We have the "magic 8 ball" one, with this one you ask a question and it will tell you "yes", "no", or "maybe". We are also enjoying some of the fortunes the kids wrote, the best one is "today you will be pestered by someone younger than you", in close second place is "you smell like a toilet!". On the way out the door the other night rick managed to get the fortune "you will soon travel to far off places, he is heading to Texas this week, maybe there is some truth to these fortunes?

Help Wanted

Looking for individual to fill in for stay at home mom! Duties include being capable of simultaneously refereeing a street hockey game from dinning room while feeding 9 month old baby cereal, cleaning off dining room table, and entertaining a cranky one year old who must be held or sit on your lap. Other duties include light house work (example, moving a full refrigerator to retrieve lost toys, min 7 load of laundry A DAY along with 5 loads of dishes), regularly cleaning bathroom after unplugging toilet before it overflows and without causing any more overflow then explaining to children why they could not flush what you found in the toilet, cooking dinner (or breakfast or lunch) with a newly crawling 9 month old and one year old and 2 year old underfoot, the ability to explain why you are not going to cook 7 different dinners/breakfasts/lunches so each child can have what they want. Must also have the ability to lift and carry 3 children at once for undetermined amounts of time and be able to do all of the above and more with only 4 hours of sleep and a smile on your face. Must also be able to kiss boo-boo's, give lots of hugs and receive 100's of little sloppy/sticky kisses a day.
You can send applications to Mama who can be found relaxing at the local beach (ie, back yard sand box next to the kiddy pool).

LOL

Yep, I have had a long day and it is only 5..... and it only took me 3 hours to finish typing that.

Time for some hair cuts

Someday I will have to take the kids to a salon to get their hair cut, but until they ask to go I think I will save the money and do it myself.  So with Tabi we played a little, after getting her hair "done" (we took a good 8" off) she went to "make-up", then wardrobe, and finally to her "photo shoot".  We had just watched a show that explained how they did Kristen Stewarts make-up and Tabi is a huge Twiligt fan so I thought I would give it a shot. 

She is in love with her pictures, this is my favorite one:

White Lie Cake

WHITE LIE CAKE – GOD IS GOOD!

Author Unknown

Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of those who bake for church events.
 
Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Baptist Church Ladies’ Group in Tuscaloosa, but forgot to do it until the last minute. She remembered the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix and quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, and helping her son pack for Scout camp.  When Alice took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly  disfigured. She thought, “Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake.”  This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church & in her new community of friends. So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake.

Alice found it in the bathroom.... a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and covered it with icing. Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect.  Before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter Amanda and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 to buy the cake & bring it home.

When Amanda arrived at the sale, she found the attractive, perfect cake had already been sold. She grabbed her cell phone and called her mom.  Alice was horrified, she was beside herself, everyone would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, and ridiculed! All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back.

The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about the cake and would attend the fancy luncheon at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time. Alice did not want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at Alice because she was a single parent and not from the founding families of town. But, having already RSVP’d, she couldn’t think of a believable excuse to stay home.  The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old South, and to Alice’s horror, the cake in question was presented for dessert!

Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor’s wife said, “what a beautiful cake!” Alice still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, “Thank you, I baked it myself.”

Alice smiled and thought to herself, “God is good.”

I Gave In

Ok, I finally went to the store, but I somehow managed to ONLY get the few things on my list. There was just no way that I could find a substitute for (or make) milk. So far I have only spent $67 on groceries this month. Which means, we have a large stockpile of food in the house that we aren't eating! The kids are not happy about having to scavenge around to find food to eat. I am constantly hearing "but mom, that isn't what I want", "but mom, why can't we just run to the store real quick", "but mom, I'm starving" " BUT MOM......."

Let me say this for the record, I DID NOT have children so I could change my name to Butmom!

There is also plenty of food in the house, so much food that we can not fit is all in the pantry, so much frozen food that when we picked up the deer meat we didn't have room for any of it in our freezer!!!! And there should be caution signs on every door in the kitchen that has food behind it because thing are so stuffed in that things are always falling out (usually on your toes!) Yes there is food, just not what the kids "want" to eat.

I believe this is the very problem with many diets, instead of eating what one has, one runs to the store for something different that "sounds good". Thus leading to weight and health problems. Something to think about, How many times have you decided to change your diet in some way, bought the "new food" for the week, then ran to the store later in the week for something different because what you had "just didn't sound good"? The ability to go to the store has become way too easy. And don't get me started on convenience foods!

Other news from the mob of many kids... Izzy is walking finally! and it wasn't just one or 2 steps. While standing she became hypnotized by the baby Einstein movie on the TV, at which point Chrisi let go of her and she just stood there for about 2 minutes. Upon the realization that there was no one holding her up anymore she ran 4 steps towards Chrisi. We cheered which got her excited and she then proceeded to walk all the way across the room! Several times!

She also started to talk more today, she has added "Peek-a-boo" to her rapidly growing vocabulary. And after a long talk with the speech and physical therapist, we decided it was no longer necessary to attend. We are going just to monitor her development.

Other than that, Life is pretty boring around here lately.

I refuse to go to the store!

Yes we live about 30 seconds from the grocery store, which in turn means it is so easy to "run" to the grocery store "real quick" for "one thing"...... and come home a hour later with a car load of stuff that I "remembered we needed" or was "strategically placed in a good location on sale" in the store, you know where they move things to in order to catch your attention and "force" you to buy it at a good price, lol.....

So we ran out of bottle liners.... well, there is no reason I "have to go to the store" because we do have other bottles that work just as well so I am not going to the store.....

Then we ran out of ice cream, the kids may think this is a national emergency, but I still won't go to the store, instead I think we will make some home make ice cream or pop cycles.

We ran out of foil, but when do we really use it? I can't even think of the last time I bought foil, so I am not going to the store.........

Crescent rolls, hot dogs, Crisco, etc, etc, etc.... still refuse to go!

409, nope not going, I made my own cleaner out of a little dish soap, water, and vinegar.... actually it works better! In fact I sprinkled a little baking soda on my stove top, sprayed it with this and my stove is cleaner than ever, did the same with the inside of the microwave......... So NOT going to the store!

Body wash.... have a bunch of old bar soap, that I made into body wash (for those wondering you grate the bar soap and put it in a pan with some water, stir until melted, then pour into a couple of containers top them off with water and some lotion and you have moisturizing body wash.)

and the latest thing tonight is.... Dishwasher soap! still bound and deturmined not to go to the grocery store and also REFUSE to so dishes by hand, so I started searching for homemade dishwasher soap recipes, but had none of the ingredients for that, so after reading all the warnings about not using regular dish soap in the dishwasher, I did it anyways...... and........ my dishes are cleaner than ever!

Now I wouldn't recommend using regular dish soap in your dishwasher, for various reasons, including taking a chance at a huge bubbly mess flowing from your dishwasher, but here is what I did for those wondering. I put about 1 tbsp (maybe less I didn't measure) in the place where the soap goes then filled it the rest of the way with baking soda. The first load came out a little dull, almost like the baking soda was still stuck to everything, so I did it again, this time I filled the jet dry thing with vinegar, and the dishes came out sparkling clean, better than store bought dish soap.

We are low on laundry soap, but I have some old bars of soap that I am going to make into laundry soap, or I could use dish soap (that is what I use to wash the cloth diapers). I am also bound and determined to use up some of this food that is sitting in the back of the cupboards and freezer.

So we will see how long I can go without going to the grocery store (and I am thinking of all the money I will be saving).