When a Peach stuffs crayons in her pajamas and nobody notices

Peach almost 18 months

My little Peach has been going through a phase of stuffing things into her clothes or pajamas.  Unfortunately, no one thought to check the toe of her pajamas before putting them through the wash.

This was the end result.

See the foot of the pink pajamas?  It took the most damage.

There is melted violet (non-washable) crayon all over a load of children's clothing.  There was actually a dark green crayon found in the foot of the pink pajamas (belonging to Peach).  I'm not sure why all the stains look violet.  Maybe there's another crayon hanging out somewhere...

At first Danny and I were relieved that you can't tell on the dark clothing that there are spots-- unless you look really REALLY close.  BUT, if we don't remove the crayon on those clothes too, it is very likely to come off in the dryer onto other clothing.

So I looked up how to remove crayon from washed clothing that's been through the dryer.

This is what Crayola brand has compiled for it's customers. 

Place the stained surface down on pad of paper towels, spray with WD-40, let stand a few minutes, turn fabric over and spray the other side. Apply liquid dish soap and work into the stained area, replacing toweling as it absorbs the stain. Wash in hot water with laundry detergent and Clorox 2 or OxiClean powder for about 12 minutes (use heavy soiled setting if there is no minute timer on your machine) and rinse in warm water. SPECIAL NOTE: Heat-Set Stains-Clean the drum of your dryer to remove any remaining wax residue. Spray a soft cloth with WD-40, and wipe the drum. Clean the WD-40 residue from the drum by washing with liquid dish soap and water. Run a load of dry rags through a drying cycle to ensure that your drum is clean.

So, is it worth it?  Should I just chuck it all and peruse the garage sales this weekend?

WD-40 is such a strong-smelling chemical.  Do I want my unborn baby born with 3 eyes or 11 toes?

Is it worth it for the cost of the paper towels, dish soap, WD-40, OxiClean, and laundry detergent?

If I get rid of the clothes, should I just throw them away, repurpose them as rags after putting them through a bleach-cycle or something, save the brand new sweatshirt in the group (and do the heinous routine to remove its crayon) and donate the rest with a note that says what's all over them?

What would YOU do?

Three questions for Thursday

1.  If your children have a tendency toward irreverence during pack meeting, would you:

a.  Spend the time traveling to the meeting in full-lecture mode.
b.  Bribe them. 
c.  Threaten them.
d.  Forbid them from going.

2.  If the day is unseasonably warm and your children remember the promise of playing in the water on 80°+ days, would you: 

a.  let them play in the sprinklers (after they pull the weeds so they don't grow more) and then plan on doing two extra loads of laundry that day.
b.  Send the oldest four to the beach with Daddy to get covered in tiny bugs and sand and almost wash out to sea and plan on doing two extra loads of laundry.
c.  Point out it's really only 76°.
d.  Tell them they can choose a or b if they do the laundry.

3.  Would you rather take the time to wash 600 diapers a month or pay for 600 diapers a month?

R.I.P. pet peeve

Sometimes if you've done something a certain way, like your whole life, you don't know there's a better way.  Like in my instance I just learned I could buy diapers from Amazon for way cheaper than I was getting them from the commissary. I could get them even cheaper than Amazon advertises them when I joined their Amazon Mom and also subscribed to getting them delivered to my doorstep. 

Right now, averaging 600 diapers a month, we are using disposables.  I have been thinking about making the switch back to cloth after I get the oldest three well-trained in the washing of laundry.  I mean at least with washing clothes and towels.  BUT NEVER TOGETHER OF COURSE.  Sorry.  I didn't mean to yell.  It's just a pet peeve of mine.

This is not the pet peeve I'm talking about today. 

The pet peeve I'm talking about today is how to measure flour.  I know how to measure flour because I have a gourmet chef for a mom.  She taught me when I was like 8 years old how to measure flour properly.  I also had a home economics teacher in sixth grade reiterate the proper way to sift and measure flour-- which is decidely different than measuring sugar.

My pet peeve is not with you.  Let me make that clear.  My pet peeve is with me for blindly believing (too many times) that you measure flour like I do-- that my mom taught you and Mrs. 6th grade Home-Ec teacher taught you as well.

I love to get new recipes.  I read fantastic recipes online.  I visualize them.  I get excited about what I'm going to bake.  I start baking and then I go, "Argh!  Fizzly stinkin' spiders!   I should've compared this recipe to others before believing the measurements and making it!"

picture from here

So if you're interested in knowing the "proper way to measure flour" here it is.  It may seem foreign to you at first, but in no time at all, it will be automatic. 

I was going to do a How to Measure Flour tutorial, but someone already did it.  They did it well.  And I approve.  There you have it my peeps.  Click on that link on how to measure flour and you too can contribute more accurate recipes to the world wide web and your family.

By the way, if you're feeling sheepish because you just learned, just now, how to properly measure flour, don't.  Follow along with me and see for yourself that I learn new things all the time. 

P.S.  Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Say what??

"From now on, whoever asks me permission to do anything while I'm wiping my butt, the answer will be NO."

I never would've guessed that when I gave birth to my first child 8 1/2 years ago, that this would be one of the things I'd hear come out of my mouth.

Tell me something you've said recently that you never thought you'd say.

*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. 

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?

I'll feed your kid in exchange for some sanity.

I have this awesome friend Susan who cooks for the masses ALL THE TIME.  And me, well I just cook for my family unless we have the missionaries over.  I don't know how she does it.  She amazes me. 

Recently I started a trade with a friend.  She picks up Gabbers from school and drops her off at home on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  In exchange, I take her daughter to and from Daisy Girl Scouts with Gabbers on Tuesdays, and I also pick her up from school on Wednesdays, feed her lunch, and let her have a playdate with Gabbers for a few hours before taking her home. 

Wednesday lunch a couple Wednesdays ago.

It's really a sweet deal for me.  Taking the kids to school is easy-- especially if I'm going to drive.  I can just swing by and drop them off in front.  But picking up kids from school is an ordeal and is smack right in the middle of Hammy's and the babies naptimes.  There are parents EVERYWHERE.  Cars parked two-deep all around the school prevent the traffic from moving any faster than 5 mph. 

So I really like this arrangement. 

On Wednesdays, the schools get out at noon and the Kindergarteners get out at 11:35 a.m.  I pick up Gabbers and her friend and sometimes we go play at the park first.  She's a lovely little girl with very good manners who eats well.  I love a child that eats well!  Whereas my mom can attest, my kids eat like birds.  I must admit, my grocery budget doesn't complain. 

Anyhow, I have a few questions for experienced moms out there that have fed other people's children.  ahem.  Susan. 

Do you serve up their plates? 

Do you put vegetables on their plates and ask that they finish them before having a treat or dessert?

What are some lunch menus you have at your house?

Random confession for posterity's sake

About 11 years ago I was living in a small town in Utah with my new husband (10 minutes away from my parents).  I was nearly 22, working a full-time job at the same place as him.  Occasionally, we had different work schedules.  On those days that I had to work late it was dark when I got out.  I am scared of the dark.  I would bravely look in the backseat of the car to make sure it was safe to get in and drive myself home.  We had a little white hatchback marshmallow shaped car (a Ford Festiva- don't recall the year but probably pre-1990).  We even called it, "The Marshmallow."  So being a hatchback I couldn't see if some thing was hiding back there beyond the seat (especially with the emergency winter blankets and stuff).


As soon as I was in the car and started driving I'd yell out loudly, "You may as well come up here!  No sense hiding back there anymore!"  Then I'd continue to act like a lunatic, singing obnoxiously loud, blurting out random comments like I was having a conversation with this boogie man, until I was pretty sure no one was there. 


Before you leave, and unsubscribe, know that I don't do that anymore.  And not just cuz of the Zoloft.  ;)

I *heart* little smokies.

I LOVE little smokies. The coming of the 4th of July and New Year's Eve always bring back memories of little smokies. But today, it was my toes on my right foot that made me think of them.

Any favorite little smokies recipes you'd care to share with me?

Weight woes and Baby fears

Dear Journal,

Today I weighed myself. I am in the red 6 pounds. That means I weigh six pounds less than I did before I got pregnant. I find this absolutely ridiculous. I started this pregnancy the same amount I weighed the day I gave birth to Ham - before I gave birth that is. My largest ever. I had lost weight after his birth and probably about 10 more pounds within the first few months. But when I miscarried last May I gained 10 pounds. And somehow between that 10 pounds, and pumpkin pie and cheesecake during the holidays, I crept back up to my full glory of weight. To which I will NOT tell you how much. You'd stop reading me. really.

Anyways, I've been reading my beloved multiples book that I previously mentioned. It talks about how very important it is to gain weight throughout the pregnancy when carrying multiples-- even when you are considered overweight or obese to begin with it has a recommended amount.

So, with the enormous amounts of foods I'm supposed to be eating- and I have been doing a pretty good job of it thankyouverymuch- I should be gaining weight right? I have four servings of vegetables, 7 servings of fruit. I try to get my two eggs and 3 servings of meat in as well. I'm eating Triscuits, and Quaker Oat Squares, and whole wheat bread, and noodles and rice. I've been having ice cream milkshakes about 5 out of 7 days a week. I drink whole milk and have been eating 6-10 oz. of yogurt a day. I've been LOADING on the sour cream on to anything it can go on. I even, and I admit, felt extremely guilty about it, put sour cream on a Smart Ones meal. You know the meals you can buy from Weight Watchers that help you with portion control? Yeah. I've indulged in cheese quesadillas smothered in guacamole and of course, copious amounts of sour cream.

So what the freaking heck?! When I WANT to lose weight I CAN'T. When I'm eating like a heart attack waiting to happen AND expecting twins, I cannot budge the scale to go in the right direction.

Today I have an OB appointment. Danny is in Alabama still. I'm scared to death that the doctor will tell me one of the twins died. Danny tells me that faith and fear cannot coexist. I've tried really hard to not have time to think about this fear. But I've already lost one baby. And I miscarried last May as well. My body hurts in ways that it hasn't with previous pregnancies. I can't wait to ask him if these are "normal pains" for a twin pregnancy. But somehow I'm a bit leery about it. I'm 11 1/2 weeks. It doesn't seem like far enough to be having growing pains. But who knows. Wish me luck. And the babies.

Oil spill- send help

Dear loyal readers and super homemakers,

I need your help. A while ago, I'm thinking three weeks now *embarrassed to admit that*, I knocked a bottle of safflower oil off the top shelf in my pantry and when it hit the floor the lid cracked, and before I could stop it, about two cups of oil was everywhere. Being so long ago, I can't recall the details to why I couldn't clean it up "properly" but nevertheless, I made a few bad choices.

Bad choice #1- I yelled to Gabbers bring me two cloth diapers. I was thinking I didn't want to be wasteful and anti-green and use a whole roll of paper towels. Then I asked Gabbers to bring me two more cloth diapers. This was a lot of oil.

Bad choice #2- I did NOT clean up the rest of the oil immediately. In fact, I didn't even finish cleaning up the oil-soaked cloth diapers. I just left them there. For whatever reason I still cannot remember.

Bad choice #3- I forgot to tell Danny when he tossed in a load of towels to keep these cloth diapers separate from everything else.

When the four oil-soaked cloth diapers were no longer in the pantry, I forgot about the oil mess.

Now some evil consequences I am faced with that I need some advice on.

We washed that load of towels on hot with distilled white vinegar approximately 9,238 times. My plushy natural white bathmat (yes the one mentioned here) must've been in the original load. Unfortunately, after the load had only been washed about three times, it went through the dryer.

I've bleached that load a couple times. And still the oil smell permeates the bathmat, every white bath towel we own, and four cloth diapers. Can it EVER come out?

My other dilemma, which I find even more frustrating, is the oil in the pantry splashed onto the bread machines. Now the bread machines and the pantry floor have this sticky oil on them that will NOT budge. I even tried using one of those brown Pampered Chef nylon pan scrapers and VERY hot soapy water.

Please help. :(

My fantasy:

The health news comes out with astonishing reports showing that it is ideal to put your child to bed with a sippy of milk and a kid movie and that ketchup is considered a vegetable.

One can dream, eh?

Links for you to read

The titles of these two posts made me laugh out loud today. These two women have a wonderful humorous way with words. If it were me, in either situation, I'd have cried. lots.

Marcy & Adam's Our TV was murdered

Gurrbonzo's feline AIDS is the number one killer of domestic cats

Thoughts for Thursday

1. Negative 6 degrees does not look any different than negative 51.

2. Sweeping is so fun for children that they will willingly dump 1,623 Cheerios on the floor so they have an excuse to sweep.

3. I'm thinking of giving up my hotmail account for the sole reason that everytime I sign out I see articles about this show or that show that I used to watch and don't anymore. Or I read about a terrible crime that's been committed, or something negative about our president. I mean, seriously, you try running the country. I happen to like our president. alot.

4. I've been having pregnancy dreams again.

5. I also had a dream that all my children were kidnapped by a would-be fiance of mine because I wouldn't marry him because he demonstrated signs of jealousy, possessiveness, and being a control-freak, and because I was already married. And for some reason I had seven kids in the dream and Pookie was still just 6 years old.

6. It's the last day of the month and I have not visit taught two of my sisters. But I am going to call them and give them the lesson over the phone, and maybe drop off homemade oreos.

7. It's the last day of the month and I exercised two times. unless you count jumping on the mini-trampoline. or chasing a two year old down to change him. or carrying a chunky Ham around in a backpack. Those don't really count though. I am resolved to do better next month.

8. Powdered milk is much more expensive here than fresh milk.

9. We've consumed a lot of powdered milk in this last month due to my lack of desire to venture out into the cold with little people.

10. I bribe my children to go to sleep with promises of a surprise. And then I rack my brain thinking of a surprise before they wake up.

11. I have a sixth sense when it comes to baby poop. I know they've done it even if they're on another level of the home. For instance, today I was sitting at my desk in our homeschool classroom minding my own business, not even thinking about poop, and I was greeted by the most horrific smell. Since Bun was in the room, I hopped up, tackled him down, and sniffed his rear-end. Nothing. not even a hint of a somethin'. But the smell was back again in no time. So, I left the classroom, went into the bedroom to find a smiley Ham in his playpen sending out smoke signals. Oh. my. word. It's a good thing I just finished making baby wipes. As it turns out, I used four wipes on that pork butt.

12. Three children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 6 cannot successful "fix" a princess castle into a little home even with an entire roll of scotch tape without the help of a Mommy and her "super tape."

13. Apparently, I am a carnation. Thanks Laura for the link.

You Are a Carnation

You are down to earth and grounded. You tend to be more traditional than trendy. Your confidence gets you through anything. People trust you and are very loyal to you.

What Flower Are You?

Thoughts for Thursday

Ham, 8 1/3 months on his baby quilt

1. Visiting teachers come over now! My house is clean. You have approximately 2 minutes give or take 45 seconds.

2. Negative 8. Not bad at all. I think I will venture downtown today (with all four kids).

3. How did orange juice become duck juice?

4. How did Wal-Mart become Ooh-Mart?

5. How come Pookie can say "vermillion", "parallelogram", and define the three states of mass and the phases of the moon, but he can't say "elbow"?

6. Yes, I think napkins should be renamed "snackins." I think that Gabbers is on to something here.

7. Maybe I should open a real Mommy-Store (disclaimer: this was thought during an unusually tired, disoriented, early morning Mommy-Store shopping trip.)

8. Why don't we have icicles around here?

9. I wonder if the kids would buy broccoli at the Mommy-Store.

10. If I dedicate as much time to an online degree as I do to blogging, I wonder how fast I could get a degree.

11. If they're all fighting over one toy, and we have to repeat this scenario everyday, 17 times a day, maybe I should get rid of all the other toys.

12. Anybody know how to get a book (story for children) published?

The fun continues . . .

*Sit down. Relax. Pull out your child's Halloween candy. This may take a while.

I PROMISE as soon as Danny and I figure out exactly where on the computer the princess party pictures are saved, I'll post it with details.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread the new and improved version: Omit the melted butter underneath the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Then the whole thing sticks together better, tastes better, toasts better, and is a little healthier for you.

So, today I had an appointment to see the doctor (not my regular doctor) just to make sure I knew what kind of "sick" I was dealing with and how to recover ASAP.

He said, "You've got the flu. It's viral." And then he said, "The key is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. You're not 'clinically dehydrated' yet, but pretty close." (And yes, he used the quotation marks sign with his hands.)

And then he prescribed Immodium AD for what Immodium AD is used for and recommended I use it, but that it's up to me, and that I should pump and dump and just give my baby a bottle for a couple days. He also prescribed a medication that's not a sulfa drug (sparing me anaphylactic shock, thankyouverymuch) and thus must be taken for 7 days, 4 times a day for a bladder infection-- instead of the 3 days the sulfa drug would've been. He said I don't have a bladder infection for sure, but the lab detected blood in the urine and it's probably the start of one and was I "possibly having a period or just about to start one?" When I told him the date of my last menstrual cycle, September 14, 2006, eyebrows were raised.

I explained, "I have a 5 1/2 month old and just had a blood pregnancy test at the lab just-in-case." Which was negative. So breathe folks.

And then he said, "How is the medication for post-partum depression?"

"It's working."

He said, "Are you thinking of hurting yourself or anyone else?"

"Umm . . . no. I'm just really ornery" (but I didn't say that, I just thought it and I thought it with the pronunciation awn--ree because I think awr-nuhr-ee is hard to say and sounds weird anyway. And I'm not ornery anymore. Nope. not at all.) "No I'm not. Thank you. (followed by a cheesy "I'm all cured." grin.)

But the worst part about all of it, just before running out the door to the van I looked in the bathroom mirror and noticed a speck of pepper in between my front teeth. Not the two front teeth that are in the middle, but the one in the middle and the one right next to it. On the top. (Important details, I know). And I thought, "hmm . . . that's interesting considering I have had about a gallon of Gatorade in the last 24 hours and 5 saltines and a Twix and I'm pretty sure none of them contain pepper." So I got the nifty little flosser and first used the pokey end of it to try to pull out the pepper. And then I discovered it wasn't pepper. It was in fact a nice sizeable home that a cavity creep created right in plain view of just about anybody. So, I rush downstairs and say,

"Danny, what do you see?" and flash him a toothy smile.

And of course, he's thinking, "Hmm . . . okay, I better answer this right. She's been sick, so I'm not sure how well her brain is functioning." And then he stammers and says, "wellll . . . what should I see?"

So, I say, "That speck of pepper that's not really pepper and it's a gaping hole no wonder my teeth hurt!"

And he says the most comforting thing, "Honey, you're going to be in dentures before you're 40."

But I reassure him with, "No dear. There's Lumineers now."

I'll look like a movie star. At least that one tooth will.

Thoughts for Thursday

1. Today is Danny's 31st birthday.

2. I have a migraine.

3. Bun already puked this morning.

4. My computer is on the fritz so I'm using Danny's laptop.

5. I can't figure out how to download pictures onto his laptop.

6. Danny got a hamster named Lucy for his birthday and a goldfish named Squirt.

7. Pookie wants Carebear fruit snacks for breakfast.

8. I have three little helpers begging to help make the birthday cake.

9. Here's hoping it doesn't turn out like Bun's first cake.

10. Tomorrow is the first day of Fall.

11. You can balance a raw egg on end tomorrow.

12. My house smells. Is it the hamster? Or is it the puke? Or is it the potty-training toddler?

13. At least hamster poop is smaller than dog poop.

Thoughts for Thursday

1. September snow warnings always come sooner than I expect.
2. Minnesota drivers are in a hurry.
3. If you don't build the toilet paper nest just right at the rest stop, a certain 3 1/2 year old will have a melt-down.
4. Two Halloween M&M's when you're two years old makes two wipes worth of mess.
5. Swatting around at flies while on the road will amuse a 2 year old and 3 1/2 year old for at least twenty minutes.
6. Calling the front desk at the hotel repeatedly never ceases to impress a 2 year old.
7. Having a fridge that is three feet tall is obviously intended to entertain the under-three-and-a-half-feet-tall crowd.
8. Ham is 4 months old today!