You know it's time to clean the kids' bathroom when

you feel the need to make a toilet paper nest on the toilet seat before you do your business.

Moldy old age of 6.

"Look Mommy!  I'm a little mold spot."

That's what Gabbers said to me last night after putting on one of Danny's old shirts as a nightshirt.  So I couldn't resist posting it and taking a picture too.  It's a freebie.  I rarely plan Saturday posts.  You're welcome.

How twins are made . . .

It really irritates me when people forward emails to me; especially when you can see everyone they mailed it to.  (Don't worry this isn't a rant.)  This increases the risk of computer viruses spreading.

My mother-in-law, bless her heart, knows that this bugs me and only sends me things that she believes are applicable and she usually uses the blind carbon copy feature available.

So, since I'm pretty much anti-forwards, I'm not going to forward this email to you.  I heard that sigh of relief.  I'm going to post it here on my blog and then you can look at it at your own risk.  Thanks to my mother-in-law for sending it.  It gave Danny and me a big laugh.


I did not know this .. Did you ???




How twins are made...



So this is how they do it...



one of life's great mysteries solved.
 

  I've got to get me some shirts like that for my babies-- even though they're not identical.






If you're looking for the cloth diapering post, click here.

Round one cloth diapering Q&A

I am excited about my readers’ interest in cloth diapering.  I am more than happy to share my experience with it.  Here are a few past questions.

New Nikki and Danny blog follower:  What do you use?

Nikki:  Regular Chinese Prefolds,  Bummis Super Whisper Wraps in snaps, also the aplix (velcro) kind, proraps, doublers, and fleece pockets.  Proraps are actually my favorite cover because of the gusseted legs.  They really make a difference.  Flannel wipes I make out of 9 inch squares of flannel.  Some are one layer wipes.  Some are two layer.  You can also buy flannel wipes online through ebay, etsy, and more places like ComfyBummy.com.  We have all-in-ones, but we don’t use them.  I think they’re gross actually because it seems like I can’t get the smell out of them.

Devoted and related Nikki and Danny blog reader:  How do you wash them?

I dump the pail of dirty and wet diapers in the washing machine and run it on hot wash with this detergent.  It doesn’t suds up and gets them really clean.  And it’s cheaper too.  For my front-loader washing machine it only takes 1 tablespoon per load.  I fill the fabric softener cup with distilled white vinegar.  This balances the PH and makes them come out clean and fresh smelling.  With three in diapers, I’m cutting corners and not hanging them all dry.  This WILL wear out the diapers faster though.  It’s a compromise really. 

The covers get washed with my white laundry unless they have poop on them.  If poopy, I wash them in the sink first and then throw them in with the white laundry.

Do you use a wet diaper pail or a dry one?

Dry.  Definitely.  With at least two in diapers at a time, I reach a load in a little over a day preventing the stink level from taking over the bathroom.  I used to do a wet pail with my first thinking it would help prevent stains.  But seeing as these are prefolds and now we’re on the fifth and sixth babies using them, I don’t care if they get stained because I don’t plan on reselling them.  I think I’ve certainly got my money’s worth out of them.  Covers stain a little easier because they aren’t 100% cotton.  The covers don’t go in the pail anyway.  The covers get washed with the whites making sure the velcro is closed so as not to snag anything.  The doublers and fleece liners also go in the pail.

What if you get a poopy diaper?  Are you ready to throw in the towel, so to speak? 

Nope.  Not with fleece liners.  I pull the diaper and doubler out of the pocket and drop them in the diaper pail.  Then I dunk the fleece pocket in the toilet water to get the poop off.  The cold water really helps loosen it.  Use gloves if you’re grossed out.

Do you make your own? 

I make fleece pockets and flannel baby wipes.  I have also made my own doublers.  When I’m using disposables I use disposable homemade baby wipes. 

New Nikki and Danny blog reader:  Have you cloth diapered many?

I cloth diapered Pookie starting at 5 months. 

Gabbers was cloth diapered until she started showing signs of allergies to everything.  We thought possibly the vinegar in the rinse cycle.  We switched her to Pampers Cruisers for a spell.  Then back into cloth again.

I cloth diapered Bun most of his diapering days. 

Hammy has been cloth diapered about half because of overwhelming nausea at the beginning of my twins’ pregnancy and then being overwhelmed with three in diapers.

The twins have been cloth diapered for one day.  I decided I would finish the size 2 diapers we had and then put them in cloth.  We’re almost there.

Appalled mother at church:  Are you planning on cloth diapering your twins? 

No way!  (Yes I am.  I really am.)  Sometimes I’m a closet cloth diaperer.  Why?  People are weird and try to educate me on how I actually do not save money cloth diapering.  I know the reality of it and see the savings in my bank account and my piece of mind knowing I’m not going to be sending 150 diapers a week to the landfill.

I am sure I missed more questions.  Please leave them in the comments and I’ll endeavor to answer them in our next round of cloth diapering Q&A.  Here are the next questions I plan on addressing:

All of these terms are new to me.  Can you explain in laymen’s terms?

Do you cloth diaper at night?

Do you cloth diaper when traveling or on vacation?

Do you cloth diaper when running errands or going to church?

There is something so endearing about a huge cloth diapered tushie. I cloth diapered the twins a few days ago. 

I found that I had no desire to use the cloth diapers that didn't have fleece pockets.  Fleece pockets make it SO much easier for when there's a poopy diaper.  So I'm going to sew up a bunch this week out of my fleece remnants.  They are unbelievably easy to make.  So if you're a cloth diaper mama and are interested, or know someone about to have a baby and want to make an inexpensive gift, check back next week for a step-by-step Fleece Pocket tutorial for Frugal Friday.

Homemade Pizza Dough

Pizza Kits next to the Dinner Rolls Kits

Long ago, in house not far from here
but many years ago,
well almost six actually,
we used to have
Friday Night Pizza.

And now, after living in the Frozen North,
and back here again on the west coast,
Friday Night Pizza is back.

The cheering, the celebrating, the happy children
are all great reasons
to start up yet again, Friday Night Pizza.

And cuz it's frugal.  And you know me, I. am. frugal.  It's my middle name, you know?
Nikki Frugal McMuffin (That's not really my last name.  It doesn't even start with "Mc."  Just sounded good at the time.)

So pizza tomorrow for Friday Night Pizza will be made with a pizza dough kneaded in the bread machine.

4 1/2 cups of flour
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups very warm water.

Just four little ingredients start off your family's new Friday Night Pizza tradition too.

Dump them in and press the dough button.

1 hour and 20 minutes later take it out.   Punch it down.  Shape into two crusts.  Top with your favorite toppings, and bake at 500 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Guess what?  I just learned how to toss pizza dough.  I just googled "How to toss pizza dough" and watched a video.  It was way easier than I thought.  :)

This post is linked at Thrifty Thursdays and Frugal Fridays.

*Funny post title enticing you to click and read.*

You want to know what ticks me off today?  Of course you do.  That's why you subscribe to me.  So you can read my rants and the crazy things my children do.  It gives your life meaning, right? 

I took Gabbers to school and noticed the gas gauge on the van (which we now refer to as Brutus) was near empty.  Seeing as the Blue & Gold Banquet is tonight and the whole family is going, I figured I better fill it up so we'd make it downtown and back. 

I pulled into the gas station, swiped my card, selected the cheapest fuel, and started pumping gas. 

It barely got past one gallon and clicked off.  You know the click that tells you the tank is full and to please stop so you don't overflow and create panic thinking you're going to blow up or something as you drive away?  yeah.  It clicked.  So I squeezed it again to start and it clicked.  and clicked.  and clicked.  and continued this very annoying clicking until I got to almost 2 gallons at which point I pressed the button to talk to the attendant because I was beyond annoyed. 

Here I was standing in my pajamas using my card so I didn't have to go inside and now it seemed I would have to converse with someone and possibly run into someone I know while trying to fill Brutus. 

The attendant said, "How can I help you?"

"This pump keeps clicking off like it's full and it's not even two gallons yet."

"You need a receipt?"

"No.  The pump keeps clicking like it's done.  But it's not done."

"You don't need a receipt?"

"No.  I'm not done filling gas.  The pump keeps shutting off acting like the tank is full."

"I don't think I can hear you very well.  I'll come out there."

The man on the other side of the tank filling up his gas was chuckling.  He came over to show me how to pump gas and how to use the flip thing to hold it so I didn't have to stand there.  But seeing as I am a seasoned driver and twice the age I was when I first started pumping my own gas, I already tried that.  repeatedly.  and it clicked for him too.  over and over again.

I told him, "Thank you anyway.  It does this all the time."  And seriously, no exaggeration, it really does.

The lady came out and asked what I needed.  I repeated my plight.

She said, "Maybe the nozzle isn't in far enough."  She took the nozzle and repositioned it and started to pump gas.  And guess what happened? 

It clicked.  Are you surprised?  It clicked and clicked and clicked. 

And she had the gall to say, "I don't know why this is happening.  Why don't you pull back to that pump there and try?"

Really lady?  Nobody has ever complained?  Then I informed her, "This happens every time I pump gas at this gas station regardless of which pump I choose.  It'll probably just happen there too.  Could you please submit a complaint to let the people know that make these that there obviously is a problem?"

"Good idea," she said.  "I'll let my manager know."

Will she?  I hope so.  Because I plan on letting them know every time it happens to me.  I also plan on taking note of which pumps it happens on to see if there's a pattern.   

I filled up the tank in 1/4 cup increments until it got to 10 gallons.  Then I decided I was done standing there looking like a half-baked ninny with people wondering why I was trying to over fill it.  They could all hear the clicks.


The next item of business is my house.  It's no secret that my house is a constant clutter pile.  Today I decided to tackle it by first hanging up the hooks I bought for Gabbers room and the shelves for the boys room so we could organize better.  One set of the hooks are for hooded towels, bathrobe, jackets, and her backpack.  The other set of hooks is for dress-up clothes. 

The boys have an unnatural amount of books in their room.  So even though I would LOVE to have rain gutter book shelves like Kimberly of Raising Olives, I have to settle on individual shelves here and there until we find the resources for them.

After putting up the two sets of hooks in Gabbers room I decided to finally put the mobile above the babies' crib.  The mobile was on a container that was underneath their crib.  I pulled it out and discovered mold.

People, there is mold under my babies' crib.  The mold spans the entire width and length of the crib.  Is it any wonder we are constantly sick?  My stomach sank.  I felt sick about it.  How could I not think to Tilex my entire bedroom floor after the closet incident?

Hot Cheetos.  We're like this (imagine me crossing my fingers)  right now. 

The apple doesn't fall far . . .

It must be in the blood.  Today I heard yelling from the girls (Gabbers & friend), "Blood!  He's bleeding!"  Bun joined in, "Pookie cut his finger and it's bleeding!"

I went to find Pookie and sure enough his finger was bleeding.  It wasn't so bad or very deep.  It was just about 1/4 inch cut.  I asked him how he got it and he said, "From the glass in my experiment kit."

"Oh?  How did the glass break?" I asked thinking it was some sort of battery-powered-whatever with too much energy that broke it.

"I bit it."  You what?!

"I bit it," he explained, "... the light bulb."

Say what?!  "You bit a light bulb? Why?!"

"I dunno."

Maybe light bulbs should come with warnings.

Top 13 random confessions in honor of my parents' 37th anniversary.

13.  I hit a parked car and dented it while riding my bicycle once.
12.  I was sure I was going to hell for never telling the truth about that.
11.  Mom, I accidentally broke your little blue vase and then hid it in the bottom of the closet in the house on JFK street in England.
10.  I double-pierced my ears in 11th grade using an ice cube, a rubbing alcohol soaked cotton ball, and a sewing needle.
9.  I didn't confess about my own ears when you discovered Erin did it.  She took the blame.  It was her idea after all.
8.  I snuck out of the house at least once a week in the middle of the night in the summertime to go running through the sprinklers downtown (I was over 18).
7.  Rachel and I loaded our water guns and drove past people in downtown P.G. and shot at them.
6.  I used to change my clothes in the car while driving and apply make-up on my way to work from UVSC.
5.  I double-pierced my ears again (professionally this time) when I was nearly 19 and triple pierced the left one.  That hurt.  I let it close up after less than a week.
4.  I never drank.  Not a single drop.
3.  I did try to smoke a rolled up Reader's Digest once.  Erin's idea again.
2.  I balanced eggs once on the floor of Albertson's at midnight with my bff Alecia.
1.  I rode on a bullet bike without a helmet more than once.

Happy 37th Anniversary!  Aren't you glad I'm not a dumb kid anymore?

The PERFECT sunblock for double strollers.

The shades on the carseat do not block the sun during the middle of the day.  The twins shut their eyes tights and toss their heads back and forth trying to hide from the brightly glaring California sun. 

A receiving blanket draped over the edge of the shade doesn't stay put.  When the wind picks up, as it usually does here, the blanket flies right off and the shade is likely to collapse. 

Clip on umbrella courtesy Google images

I have even tried this contraption where the umbrella clamps on to the side of the stroller.  It broke barely into the second use.

I thought maybe a large receiving blanket would be big enough to cover the two carseats.  It wasn't.

Then a stroke of genius came to me while folding laundry one afternoon (as I like to do about once a month when I've exhausted every single piece of clothing we own including the maternity pants that haven't made their way out of my closet and my children have been seen wearing Christmas sweaters in February! in California!).

Crib-size sheets.  We have two toddler beds, a playpen, and a crib currently in use in our home.  These crib-size sheets don't work perfectly for the playpen requiring some extra tucking around the edges.   But since we have a need for them, I pick them up whenever I see them on sale or at a thrift store.  I've even made a few for the playpen.  But the crib-size sheets, well, they are the PERFECT size for the double stroller.  Crib-size sheets work for me to block out the sun and protect my babies!

The first time I took it out I was a little nervous.  I knew in my head what their thoughts were going to be:

There's that crazy lady with all the little kids hanging on her stroller.  What on earth?  A sheet?  How tacky.  How sad to be her. 

Boy was I wrong!  Instead:

Is that a crib sheet?  You should market that!  You could be rich.  Wow, that sure beats buying those expensive covers!  They probably don't even make a cover for a double stroller.  You're one smart Mama!

*Nikki returns home patting herself on the back and indulging in a little afternoon blog-reading.  Not quite famous and still semi-crunchy, she continues to live her life, undiscovered.*






This post is linked at Tuesday Tips, Tuesday's Tip Jar, and WFMW.

Randomness. That's all.

In case you're wondering, I have been doing my month of service.  It's not nearly as glamorous as I had envisioned.  Perhaps it's my stage of life right now that's preventing me from doing bigger acts of service for others.  And I'm okay with that.  There were a few days that I felt really bad about it thinking my little service was lame.  But some service is better than no service, right? 

In the future, I've decided not to announce such things as this on my blog.  Then I don't have to follow through.  :P

One thing I have been thinking about doing and actually told Danny and my little sister about is giving up French fries.  I told them this about a week ago.  Then today, when I was out buying milk, I bought the two middle boys Happy Meals.  It was a big deal.  We don't buy Happy Meals.  It's a waste of money and the toys are crap that will just be donated in next month's 27 fling boogie (flylady-speak).  But today we were celebrating being out and not sick (mostly not anyway) and buying milk and being obedient and happy! 

So, my point, the French fries.  They spoke to me today.  They were persistent.  And I gave in.  I bought myself a little bag of fries with my sandwich for like $1.19 plus tax.  And you know what?  They were gross.  But the frugal-Nazi in me insisted I eat them since I bought them. 

Now as I sit here blogging about it, it makes me sick reliving it.  Good bye fries.  I don't need you anymore. 

It's all in my head.

I have had the same headache for three weeks now.  It dims a little throughout the day with Motrin or Tylenol.  A couple days ago I started getting dizzy.  Last night I had a black spot in my vision.  No idea what's going on.  Maybe a slow death by mold . . .

Out of milk. Fresh out of sanity.

You know what?  We are out of milk.  And you know why?  You know why I didn't pick up milk at Wal-Mart yesterday when I was running errands for five hours with the four oldest kids so Danny could have a well-deserved nap since he'd only have to take care of the babies? 

Wanna know WHY?  Because I am a mean old mommy who refused to buy the $1.00 box of Sour Patch Kids for Bun resulting in him screaming for 15 minutes.  FIFTEEN MINUTES.  Sure 15 minutes isn't a long time to peruse blogs or talk on the phone to your sister.  And FlyLady likes to say you can do anything for 15 minutes.  Well, she's right.  Bun apparently can SCREAM loud enough for people that are six aisles away to hear and poke their heads out and look for fifteen minutes. 

So what did I do?  I high-tailed it out of there.  I bought what was in my cart already:  a package of black t-shirts for Danny to wear under his flight suit, a few casual-ish shirts for me to wear to church and when dropping off kids at school so the other mommies don't think I'm a hobo, and the bag of pretzel sticks I picked out before entering the dreaded candy aisle. 

You know what other aisle I hate?  The cereal aisle.  There's always screaming in the cereal aisle.  And it's not always my children doing it.  I just nod knowingly to the other mean old mommies. 

Sometimes I think about telling my kids when they ask why they can't have something, "It's because I'm a mean old mommy.  I entered a pact with the other mommies when I became one that I would always say 'no' at the times you really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, want that box of [fill in the blank with sugar cereal or candy]."






P.S.  Danny thought I should add in Bun's defense, it was very late.  It was half an hour past his bedtime already.  But still . . .

Mold or mildew?

"Water-induced mildew," the overly confident and tall in stature Housing Facilities Manager said to the frumpy housewife mother of six small children. 

"Mold," she said, standing her ground.

"Well," grinned the weasel, "the PR side of me doesn't say mold."

The top picture (so you get an idea of true-size) goes up to about three feet.  That is a ruined wedding dress you see there.  I'm going to get more up-close shots when I find my face mask.

So I ask you my readers, knowing full well you can't see it and smell it in person,

Tomato or Tomahto?

Cutting costs with paper towels

Is it just me or does my left pinky look freaky weird in this picture?

You can still save money when you're using paper towels.  (Albeit, you can save a lot by switching to cloth napkins and cleaning cloths).  Sometimes though, like when it's OAMC day and you're preparing RAW CHICKEN, paper towels come in handy. 

Make your own select-a-size paper towels.  So easy.  Just cut your paper towels in half with a non-serrated knife.  I mean it.  Use a NON-serrated knife.  Or you'll have a fluffy mess on your hands. 

Come back Friday for my Frugal Friday post on how to cut your baby wipe cost in half by making your own wipes with paper towels.  the GOOD paper towels.  Bounty.  Does it really need saying?



This post is linked at Tuesday Tips and WFMW.

♫ A birthday shout-out to LISA! ♪

Some days I have like three posts in one day.  Today is one of those days.  And by the end of today, I'll have four because of my WFMW post that will go up this evening.  And it's not that I don't like scheduling.  You know I do.  It's because I'm procrastinating my to-do list and because there is time-sensitive information that you simply must know.

It's my cute friend Lisa's birthday today.  She writes about the joys of parenting an adventurous son and a climb-happy toddler girl over at For Kicks and Giggles.  I think she would just be tickled pink if you would mosey on over there and leave her some happy birthday wishes.  or fourteen.  Sing her a ♪ birthday song ♫.  Or even better, follow her.

And just because I am button-happy (see buttons over there in my sidebar →) I made a button for her site Focus and Discovery about teaching toddlers.  They are free today in honor of Lisa's birthday!  So have one!  Pass them around!  Buttons for everyone!

Now back to the carpal-tunnel inducing craft cutting I volunteered for.  *sigh* 




<center><a href="http://focusanddiscovery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="For smart kids!" src="http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/NikkiandDanny/FAD.jpg" /></a><a href="http://focusanddiscovery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"></a></center>

All I heard was "retrieve the pictures blah, blah, blah"

One of my blogging goals this year is to post more pictures.  I started this blog shortly after the birth of my third child in 2005 because of a suggestion from my sister Leslie to keep my parents, Danny's parents and our siblings, up-to-date with clips of the children, funny things they say, and pictures.  It's morphed somewhat since then-- but remains mostly about that.  the kids.  and it's like an online journal for me.  I try to remind myself that regardless of whether or not people comment on my blog, it's for my parents and posterity.  and that's what matters. 

And yes, I am blogging again even though I have a looming to-do list and I have a Tater rolling around on a floor in need of vacuuming.  Judge all you want. 

Back to my point, the pictures.  I forgot AGAIN how to download or upload or install or retrieve or whatever the pictures from the camera or card-thing to the computer.  Well, I know that I turn off the camera.  Take out the little card.  Put it in the computer.  And then something pops up from there and I can't remember the rest. 

Attention deficit much?  I like to to tell myself it's lack of sleep.  The Zoloft is working.  I find myself unseasonably happy about the mundane.

My Tuesday to-do list for your viewing pleasure.

• Take Gabbers to school.
• Pick up Gabbers from school.
• Take Gabbers to Girl Scouts, along with her friend, and all five boys.
• Don't forget to take to Girl Scouts the 20 cut-out copies of each craft for the girls (after they are finished being cut out of course).  *Note to self:  Stop volunteering for things.
• Watch the cloudy meatball movie with the kids and return to the red box thing before 6 p.m.
• Have Gabbers and Pookie do homework before watching the movie. 
• Iron Gabbers achievement patch on her Daisies vest.
• Sew on Cub Scout patches onto Pookie's uniform.
• Plan something for Wednesday's lunch and playdate.  Go to store if necessary.
• Take picture for the WFMW post and post it in the evening.
• List it also with Tuesday Tips.
• Make a dental appointment for self. 
• Think happy, sugar-free thoughts.
• Try not to think about how fun it would be to play with my blog layout and background all day instead of doing the things on the list. 
• Oh yeah, feed Charlie.  (the guinea pig)

Big Bowl Broccoli Salad

 

Originally posted February 17, 2007. 
Don’t be afraid to try this out on your broccoli-haters.  It’s possible they just hate cooked broccoli.  I didn’t even know until I was in seventh grade that some people eat broccoli raw. That’s about the time I converted over to being a broccoli-lover.
Broccoli salad is TASTY and perfect for luncheons, barbecues, receptions, showers, and cravings in the night. So I thought I’d share it with you. This particular recipe is taken from a couple different recipes that I have tried for broccoli salad and I’ve enhanced it with ingredients in portions we like in a generous size recipe.


Nikki’s Big Bowl Broccoli Salad

Salad Ingredients: 14-16 cups raw Broccoli in bite-size pieces
½ to ¾ cup red onion, chopped
½ lb. cheddar cheese or Colby jack in small cubes or grated but cubes are cuter ;)
1 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries (Craisins)
½ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted is best but harder to find)
1 lb. bacon, cut up and fried, drained 

Dressing ingredients: 3 T. Red Wine Vinegar
1 ½ cups Best Food’s mayonnaise
1/3 cup granulated sugar PREPARATION:

Combine all Salad ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together Dressing ingredients:  mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (if you’re patient and don’t want to scarf it down room temperature like I would).


This post is linked at Ultimate Recipe Swap.

These are the memories of V♥lentine's Days past.

I decided not to gross you out with an overly cheesy post dedicated to my soul-mate D♥nny.  Instead I thought I'd take you on a little trip through V♥lentine's of yesteryear.  Have a peek at Pookieville while we were still living in the Frozen North.

♥ Last year for Valentine's Day I still had three in the oven. ♥

♥ The day after Valentine's Day, 2008, I learned I wasn't going to heaven. ♥


♥ 2007 Just potty-trained my second (discovering girls were way easier than boys!), cloth diapering my third, expecting my fourth, and hoping for temperatures above negative 36 Fahrenheit.  ♥

I am a bitter, bitter woman.

My Tater is teething. This is one instance where I'm glad he can't nurse. He chews on everything.

Also, I decided to wean.  Translation:  Pumping nearly four hours a day is driving me batty and switching to formula sounds like a well-deserved vacation.  It was a really hard decision to make.  I think for my sanity, I've got to stop pumping. 

But as I've finally vocalized it and drastically reduced my milk supply this week, I'm realizing that my Squdge (not the one pictured) has allergies.  His face looks just like my Gabbers face looked at the same age.  And when tested, we found out she was allergic to  e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. 

wheat,

barley,

rye,

dairy,

eggs,

soy. 

She couldn't have

fish,

nuts,

citrus,

or berries either. 

Or any of the latex foods.

ie. banana,

avocado,

kiwi. 

Her allergy doctor advised me to nurse her until she was two.  And that was the plan.  But I got pregnant with Bun when Gabbers was 14 months old.  When she was 18 months she weaned herself because of decreased milk supply.  Luckily by then, she had outgrown the soy allergies.

So ARGH.  Dang you pump.  I am sick of you.  The best thing that has come from it, other than mother's milk, is my blogging has increased since figuring out the hands-free thing. 

Aren't you glad?

What's on the menu for Valentine's Day?  Fenugreek.  Marshmallow root, Borage Oil, and Fenugreek.

I hate the way it makes me smell. 

Tilex. How I love thee . . .

I'm convinced our home is making us sick. I called the housing office and complained of mold saying my kids have been sick from Halloween through now with brief breaks of non-sickness (yes, they're sick again-- the three under three have ear infections and need breathing treatments as well). 

So the maintenance people came out, took a look, and said, "Oh, this isn't mold. It's just mildew."  Well, I guess the definition of mold and mildew differ from person to person.  Regardless, they wouldn't do anything about it.  I was hoping they'd move us into a bigger "mildew-free" home on their dime.  He said, "You just gotta wipe it.  Like this."  And then he demonstrated how to wipe away "mildew."  It's about time after nearly 15 years of adulthood, 11 1/2 years of marriage, and 8 years of parenthood, someone taught me how to wipe. 

I've been Tilex-ing everything in sight since.  If they're tearing down this house later this year, I'm not too worried about if Tilex will ruin the 60 years of paint around the windows. 

On a happier (less sarcastic) note:

I keep meaning to look for children's art classes in the area.  My Gabbers shows promise.  (I'm her mother. I can say that.)  She drew this picture a few years ago of a "Happy Slug."  She could draw for hours and hours if given the opportunity.

Happy Slugs don't agree with you?  Go read about a slug that did not bring happiness.  Click here.

The picture contained in this post is sole property of the Gabbers. All rights reserved. Anyone that dare take this picture and claim it as their own is a sicko.

If I Twittered, this is what it might look like.

If I Twittered, this is what it might look like.  And I say "might" because I don't really know much about Twitter.  Nor do I want to.  A blog addiction is bad enough.

This was my phone call to Danny right before he came home from work yesterday and if I Twittered, I'd likely post it:

Poop!  I don't know how!  Everywhere!  My shirt.  The BACK OF MY SHIRT.  MY pants.  Muhh!  COME HOME NOW!  bleck.

Valentine's Day for the Tightwad

Start your celebration at sun-up so by sun-down your kids will have sweet memories to go to sleep with and you and your hubby can watch a dollar show from the red box thing while your Tater and Squdge roll around the living room floor leaving drool puddles.

The going rate in my neck of the woods is $2.50 a kid per hour for a babysitter.  probably more on Valentine's weekend.  I'm not forking over $15.00 an hour! 

It's not legal to leave your kids with the 8 year old.  or smart.

My kids think this day is about them and they want to celebrate it too.  The Ultimate Family Guide to an ALL OUT Valentine's Day Celebration is an article that I wrote a few years ago.  We pretty much follow the same game plan but with minor changes. 

I tried to make these adorable Valentines found at HowDoesShe.com (which is also where the photo is from) and found the kids had a difficult time getting the candy through the maze. 

Today we made these.  Picture and tutorial is from No Time for Flash Cards.

I used red glitter, pink glitter, and heliotrope glitter foam for the hearts.  I didn't end up doing ribbons though.  I think I might add the ribbons for wands I'm saving for my kids.  I'd take my own picture but Danny has the camera. 

So this is what I'm doing slightly different this year:

Prepare pancake batter (using the stuff bought on sale) and pour into an old syrup bottle to make easy heart-shaped pancakes.

Pink milk will be with food coloring instead of strawberry syrup.

In addition to the hearts hanging from the ceiling, I also have Valentine's balloons in pink, white, and red with hearts that I bought for one dollar at Wal-Mart.

The kid activities:

Instead of finger painting with pudding this year, we'll be playing with pink playdough, rolling pins, and cookie cutters.

heart day bingo

The treasure hunt prizes are the pink playdough we'll play with and red Pez refills from after-Christmas sales.  We keep our Pez dispensers in a Mommy treasure bucket (formerly the Mommy-Store) and the kids "rent" them out.

The romantic date basket for Danny and me for after 2/3 of the kids are asleep:

• cheeseball and crackers (make this cheeseball recipe)
• bubbly (Strawberry Fanta- it's red [for Valentine's Day] and it's bubbly but not overly bubbly thus taking away from the taste and atmosphere like Sparkling Apple Cider and FAR more responsible than alcohol [which goes without saying but I had to say it anyway])
• fluted glasses to pour the fancy bubbly drink into (that I received from my bridal shower 11 1/2 years ago)
• a couple of homemade cloth napkins to line the bottom, add to the look, and be a little green ;)

This post is linked at LifeAsMom.com.

A serious matter: Saving our boys

I pulled this picture up on my blog because at thumbnail size, I couldn't tell who it was. I thought it was maybe Tater. It's Pookie.  This picture was taken right before we moved from the Frozen North the end of March 2009.  I love this little guy. Exactly one month ago he turned 8 years old.

So, as you know I have five boys.  FIVE.  And I'm starting to notice the differences between these boys and my one girl.  And these boys are starting to notice things-- the eight year old and the four year old to be precise. 

I'm going to cut to the chase.  I'm tired of going to the commissary or Wal-Mart and trying to shield their eyes in the check-out line.  Sure, I shield them throughout the store and make sure I do NOT walk past the preteen and up female underclothing.  And, side note, what is with the crap they're selling to preteen girls?!  What happened to modesty?  Do you seriously want a pedophile eyeing your fifth grader and thinking nasty thoughts?

Anyhow, the check-out line.  *sigh*  Not only do my children notice scantily clad women on the cover of magazines, they can now read.  I do NOT want to hear these words out of my eight year old's mouth,

"99 different positions" followed by, "Mommy, what is an org***?"  Or from my daughter, "Mommy!  She's not modest," still staring at the magazine cover, "Why does she have her underwear on?"

There was a time when it worked to tell them, "Count how many treats start with the letter 'S'."  But not anymore.  Well, if it was only Bun and Hammy that might work still.

My last trip to Wal-Mart I found myself shoving Bun and Hammy ahead in the line hoping they wouldn't notice the smut that was at their eye level. 

So, this is my request.  I want to start a movement.  I want everyone to contact their Wal-Mart and commissary (those two would be a good start), and request for them to make a family-friendly line-- a line that you could bring your children through even if you have to stand in it for 15 minutes, to help preserve their purity.   I've been thinking about this a lot and figure they're not likely to be willing to put those opaque plastic covers over the magazines that you see in Utah Valley Macey's grocery stores.  I mean, seriously, the images sell these magazines and so do the eye-catching topics.  And although I would LOVE for them to cover them all up just leaving the magazine title, I doubt that would happen. 

So, these particular places that are supposed to be family-friendly like military commissaries and Wal-Marts, maybe they're willing to make a family-friendly line.  Are YOU willing to help me?  Even you that don't have boys, don't you want your girls to grow up to marry fine respectable unblemished boys? 

Please consider linking to this post on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, what have you.  Together we can make a difference.

No more unloading dirty dishes.

Are these dishes clean?  Is this something you say or hear in your home in regards to the load of dishes in the dishwasher?  I know there are magnets like this:

This is a great magnet for your dishwasher if you don't have a gremlin who loves to collect magnets, run around the house and accidentally leave them hiding in obscure places like under your pillow (consequently also leaving crumbs in your bed).

But...


If your dishwasher has a plastic door panel ----> put it on your fridge.
If your dishwasher is plastic and your fridge is too far away ----> just look for the clean or dirty dish clues. 

clues

All the dishes are shiny and the door is clean. 

If you're a bit fanatical, like myself, and rinse all your dishes, tell yourself and your family you are doing them a favor by checking the door. 

It is so gross to find out you've just put away all the dishes and they were dirty.  I know how to look for the clues.  But I'm not sure if Danny does.  or the kids-- not that any of them are prone to just start putting away clean dishes.  They are likely to reach in and grab a spoon for a cup of applesauce or yogurt though.  Danny brought to my attention that this sounds like he's not prone to putting away dishes-- which is absolutely not the case.  I meant that I'm not sure he knows about the clues of the dirty door.  And I was referring to the kids not putting away dishes. 

So what do I do?  I purposely drip orange juice, cranberry juice, chocolate milk, what have you, on the inside of the dishwasher door while I'm loading dishes.  So, despite the rinsed dishes, you will find a speckled door if they're dirty.  And that works for me! 

Go to Kristin's site to see what works for other people.  This post is also linked with Tuesday's Tips at Couponic Stimulus Package. 






Here are a handful of my previous WFMW posts that still get hits (according to Stat Counter):

Reusable Nursing Pads

Cake Mix Cookies

Migraine Relief

3 Easy Baking Tips

Preschool Flip Binder

Teaching Kids in the Car

The Mommy Store- a Disciplining Lifesaver!