Doing the Dishes

Since moving to our new home, doing the dishes just got a bit nicer. I still have way to many dirty dishes to even want to talk about though. We still have a great dishwasher which I couldn't live without either. (Well maybe technically I could but I really don't want to risk it). So while none of this is any different than what doing the dishes was like at my old house, my perspective has changed a bit.

Now when I am stuck at the sink washing those dishes that can't go in the dishwasher (Whether it's because it's full and I forgot to run it or because it's full and I need to unload it whatever the case may be) I have a window to look out of. And for the last six plus years I haven't had a window to look out while I'm doing the dishes. And now that I have a window I can fully appreciate the view that is something besides dirty dishes.

So I thought I'd show you the view. But to make it authentic, I decided that it needed to show the actual view from my sink inside the house. So that meant that I had to move all those before mentioned dirty dishes out of the way. Then I had to drag a chair over to the counter so I could climb up on it, in order to pull up the blinds, and since I was already there I just stood on the counter to get a higher angle (something my kids would get in big trouble for). Then I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures.

So now you can see what it is that I'm looking at when I do those piles and towers of dishes.


It's beautiful isn't it? It almost makes me forget all those dishes are there. Well at least until I look down from the window into the sink. But then I try to look away again as soon as I can. Anything to avoid those dishes a minute longer.

Congratulations

I just have to share with my few readers the excitement I have right now. My friend Nicole just had her fifth baby this morning. It's a beautiful baby girl. So go wish her and her husband Travis a big congratultions.

One room left

I am proud to say that we only have one room left with boxes. It's our office. But it's filled with boxes of things that I can't put away until we get some new shelves put up. I'm thinking I can actually have Hubs start hanging things on the wall this weekend. Then I can finally relax a bit. I truly hate having things in boxes and not in their right place. But since I had to have the majority of the house put back together for the cleaners, I had major incentive to get it all done. And now because I just LOVE LOVE LOVE Elsa and her magic Dyson I can now enjoy a clean house tonight. Yay for almost being done with everything involved with unpacking. Yay for having my house Elsafied.

And I'm sure your saying yay that such a petty and non substantial post such as this is now over.

To my fellow shoppers

To my fellow shoppers at the grocery store today.

Yes, that was my youngest 22 month old daughter you heard screaming through out the aisles. Yes, it was me that did not pick her up out of the basket like she really wanted. Yes, I am mean enough to let her have a temper tantrum for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. You see, I was trying to finish my shopping as quickly as I could so that me and my three children could leave that store. I really couldn't carry her at the same time as trying to shop and push the cart. And no I really didn't feel like letting her walk, since I was in a bit of a hurry and a tad bit frustrated with her behaviour. So if my screaming child disturbed you while you were talking on the phone or otherwise just looking through your coupon book it really was just unfortunate for you. And to my fellow shopper who actually had the nerve to comment on my screaming daughter, you are truly lucky that I didn't grab your cane from you and tell my children you were a pinata. I'm sure that would have stopped the screaming immediately. (Well at least until they realized you weren't going to provide any candy) My daughter is almost two, but you were well over fifty and definitely know better so shame on you.

But unless you think I'm just a mean stressed out, hateful woman I would like to thank the other mom's that were out shopping at the same time as me. Your sweet encouraging smiles that showed me we have all been there at some point were appreciated and I thank you for that.

Found

I have finally found the missing dance shoes. They were in a box hiding in the boxes in the garage. A very safe place indeed. Now K. is very excited to be going back to her dance class tommorow. After two weeks of quiet tapping she is ready to make some noise.

Cost Breakdown and reality check

I've mentioned how our family has been fighting one thing or another this past winter ever since Christmas. So I thought I'd break it down a bit. I'd just like to add that I'm very thankful that we do have insurance which generally covers most of the basic things and then some. But still we do have our share to pay. Over the last two months we have had about thirteen or fourteen office visits which is right around $280 in co pays. Add in the cost of various prescriptions both preventative and antibiotics and you can add in at least another $250 plus. Now for some of you that $530 total over the last two months may not seem like much but for us it is.

But it has really hit home for poor Z. since it now means he will have to wait just a bit longer for that flat screen he wants so badly for his room. I don't know how he got the idea in his head that he needed one. After telling him how much we have spent on keeping this family somewhat healthy this winter he sadly admitted defeat at getting one anytime soon. He is still pretty hopeful that this spring will prove to be a better season for him. Oh, to have such optimism.

Lost in the Boxes

Well we are offically in our new home. I can proudly say that we are all sleeping in our own beds again. Our pantry is now restocked and the kitchen is pretty much organized. The office is half way done along with the master closet. That's all the great news.

Now here's the reality of the rest of it. I have no idea for the second week now where K.'s dance shoes are. She keeps going to her tap and ballet class barefoot and doesn't think it's fun anymore. I think the kids have some quiet activities to keep them occupied while I try to unpack, but I don't know what box they are in. I think they are in the same box with the baby wipes and diapers. I have yet to find a heavy jacket for the kids so I can only hope the weather stays mild. I have only found half of the medicine cabinet but I'm not to worried about that, Baby A. should find it for me when I'm not looking (she's helpful like that). We are surrounded by boxes everywhere.

I must admit to being a bit discouraged at how much we have done and yet still seeing so many boxes left. But between all the sick kids we have been dealing with during this move, I have made progress. But I am sure that I will soon be able to see the floors again and maybe one day be able to park in the garage, once we get rid of all these boxes.

Wordless Wednesday

"Leaf Love"




For other WW click here or else you can click here .

To Much Happening

I have a lot to do this week since we are moving. Also, Hoss has strep throat and major problems with his asthma right now and Baby A. isn't doing much better. I will be sporadic at best in the blogging world but hopefully will be back full force sometime next week.

Photo Hunters

This weeks theme is heavy. So since we are in the middle of moving right now I decided to save myself a bit of time and go through some of my old photos. Here is a picture of my youngest this past fall. As you can see, she was determined to pick up the "ball", but it proved to be a bit to heavy for her. She sat there straining, huffing and puffing for quite a while. Such a determined young thing. And mean mommy that I am, I just sat there and took pictures instead of helping her.



So there's my take on this weeks theme. For other views on this week's theme visit TNCHICK.com or PhotoHunt

I spilled it

I am trying to win a Wii. Not for me mind you but for the kids (Hubs is included in this category). Well Ree over at Pioneer Woman is having one of her famous giveaways but she wants us to share an embarrassing moment.

Well I can't very well share it with her and not share it with you guys. After all, it's always more fun to have a really embarrasing moment and then have everyone point and laugh at you.

So without further ado, I'll share one of my many embarrasing moments. Hubs and I are recent Catholics. We joined the church about three years ago. At that time we both had to do our First Holy Communion. This is where we eat the communion wafer (Body of Christ) and drink the wine (Blood of Christ). We had been instructed to be very careful not to drop the wafer so naturally I was very nervous about this. But I handled it just fine. No shakes or slip ups there.

But then I moved over to the wine. I don't know what happened, I really don't. I went and reached for the cup and it all seemed just fine. I put the cup to my lips and prepared to take a sip. Then it happened. I spilled the wine (Blood of Christ) all down the front of my white blouse. I just froze, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't move and I couldn't hand the cup back to the Eucharistic Minister. And I most certainly couldn't let the priest see that I now had all of God's Blood down the front of my shirt, let alone the 200+ people that were there for Easter Vigil. As I'm standing there I am wondering what was the Father going to say to me or do. Will I be doomed to a million Hail Mary's for this? Well the Eucharistic Minister assured me I was okay and prompted me out of the way. At which point I found my feet and rushed back to my seat.

I can still feel the embarrassment creeping up my face years later. And as for me spilling or dropping anything since then, it hasn't happened. I'm extra carefull now.

Sweet Dreams

You may recall how I was lucky enough to head out of town a few weeks back. A friend and I hopped in the car and drove the four hours to Austin. We left Friday afternoon after school let out and ended up driving through rainy weather most the time. But since I wasn't the one driving, it didn't really bother me. Except for the fact that as a passenger I get sleepy. I didn't used to be this way but I seemed to have picked it up somewhere along the way. Now being a good passenger I didn't actually fall asleep. Instead I just yawned a bit, well okay a lot and talked about everything that came up with Linda.

When we finally arrive at the hotel, it was cold and rainy. And we were hungry. But since Linda didn't want to get out and drive around anymore we decided to just get some snacks in the sports bar that was in the hotel. And it worked out fine. By the time we had eaten and finished off the drinks we ordered it was getting a bit late. (For me at least because you see I turn into a pumpkin at 10pm everynight) We went back to our room and got ready for bed since we had to be at our conference at 8 the next morning. While washing our faces and brushing our teeth we noticed there had been a leak in the ceiling at some time and commented on how bad the roof was stained. And that was that so then we went to sleep.

Silly me thought that by being four hours away from my children, in a hotel room, would mean that I would get an entire nights sleep without interruption. I was wrong. I was very worried about snoring...either from me or from Linda. You see we hadn't ever shared a room before so it was all new territory. But I had warned her so she at least was prepared for some noise during the night. I was not. So there I am sleeping as soundly as I can and I assume that Linda is doing the same.

That's when I hear this amazing crash and rumble. I jump up and it's completely dark. I'm automatically thinking it's Linda and that she has somehow fallen and hurt herself. But it wasn't she is still in the next bed looking just as startled as I am. So brave girls that we are we turn on the light and go off in search of what that awful noise is that woke us up at 5 a.m. We didn't have to go far. When we got to the sink area we saw that the entire area was a mess and everything was covered in water. It turns out that the stained ceiling we noticed earlier had collapsed.




Why would it collapse just like that? Well whoever had gone in to fix the leak before had just put a big bucket up in the ceiling and then put the ceiling tile back in place. So when this big bucket filled up with water and began to overflow, it got to heavy for the ceiling and it all came crashing down.

So there went my chance at a good night of uninterrupted sleep. Instead I had to deal with wet makeup and clothes and even worse than that wet carpet. We did call down there and get a new room but by that time, sleep was elusive. We did get a free breakfast while we stayed there and they discounted the room that came crashing down from our bill. But still, I think I would have preferred the sleep. As for the guy who put the bucket up there in the first place, I think he needs a lesson in gravity.

Wordless Wednesday

"Just like Pappy"



For other WW click here or else you can click here .

My Soul Mate

I just love my Hubs. He's normally such a quiet sort who will only cut up around those that know him best. But don't be fooled, he does have a fun side that you will see in him every now and then. Take for example the day Hoss came home from preschool with some googly eyed glasses a few months back. I had already been playing around with them with the kids but Hubs decided to join in the fun. And I was quick enough to get a few photos.

Here you see my hottie of a man all googley eyed over Me...



Then I put the googley eyes on and found some redneck teeth to go along with them. Then I struck my best love struck over you pose and Hubs snapped a picture.



So now you can see why Hubs was so googley eyed over Me... I'm quite the looker in this picture. In fact Hubs thought it was so great he took another picture of me on his camera phone. Just to have with him at all times. But for whatever reason, when he showed my beautiful picture to his friends at work, they all cringed.

Some guys don't know a good thing when they see it...that's all I can say. But thankfully Hubs does. Nothing like googley eyes and redneck teeth to make you fall in love all over again.

Only if your Hot

A Conversation with Hoss:


Hoss: Mom, when I get big can I go jogging and running and doing exercise in the neighborhood outside without my shirt on?

Me: You want to run outside without a shirt on when you get big?

Hoss: yeah, Can I?

Me: Only if your Hot and handsome.

Hoss: Yeah, I will be.

Can you feel my redneck pride in my son rising up in my chest.

What are they teaching him?

***UPDATED*** With his teacher's response.


Z. gets home from school today and since he hasn't been feeling well I ask him how he's doing. He says fine but that he has a lot of homework. So off he goes to start working on it. A little while later he comes out and ask me and Hubs if we know how to do Mexican Division? Both of us just look at each other and try not to laugh and say what, since we were expecting a joke? And he says do you know how to do the Mexican division? So this is how the conversation played out.

Me: What do you mean by the Mexican division?

Z: You know where you do division and it looks like your playing hangman.

Me: Well I know how do a kind of division with a box that looks kind of like hangman. But I call it long division. Let me show you. And I do.

Z: No mom, that's different than Mexican Division but it's kind of the same. And he takes the paper from me.

So he shows me a "new" way of doing what I know as long division with some tweaks here and there. It's definetely not the same way I did long division but it comes up with the same answer. I just can't get past the name it was given, "Mexican Division". Z. isn't any help since he just said he thought that must be how they do it in Mexico.

I know this may upset some of you but I truly do find this whole thing funny. And I can hardly wait to get the answer from his teacher as to why it's called "Mexican Division". And just to be sure I wasn't old or anything I googled Mexican Division and nothing came up. So now I really am anxiously awaiting the answer from his math teacher as to why in the world it is called Mexican Division? And I did tell Z. that I'm sure that it's not called Mexican Division because that's the way they do it in Mexico.

Alright for those of you who are actually still curious as to his teachers response I'd thought I'd share it with you.

Z. is correct; we are learning "partial quotients" which is how they divide in Mexico. It helps make division easier for the students who can get stuck very easily on the traditional method of long division. It is where the students break apart the dividend by using multiples of 10, and subtract those pieces from the whole.

Mmmm...okaaay! Since I technically never learned math IN Mexico (just the border town across the Rio Grande) I truly can't 100% contradict her on this one. But I really do kind of want to. ;)

Because I'm really at a loss here

I'm to tired to think of anything interesting to write about. So this is what you get instead. A quiz on the kind of American English I speak.

Your Linguistic Profile:

55% General American English 20% Dixie 20% Yankee 0% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

I can understand all the scores except the 20% Yankee one. I'm not a Yankee and haven't even been further north than Virginia. So how in the world did I score a twenty percent there? I'm curious as to how you guys score, so if you take the quiz let me know.

So then I'm looking at other quizzes to take and I come acorss this one called "What's my Girl Smell"? Well how could I resist that one. I've always been curious about what my girl smell is ya know and here it is:

Your Scent is Mango

Sultry, sweet, and mellow You enjoy every moment of life!

What's Your Girl Smell?

Mango...never would have guessed that one in a million years. No I was thinking more of the soap smell, wearing the same shirt the kids wiped thier hands on yesterday smell but instead I got mango. I don't even care for mango's that much but apparently it's my smell. Who would have thought it?

So there you have it. My thoughts are not working today so instead you get worthless quizzes and what I think of them. I'm sorry about it, really I am.

What are they trying to tell me

I'm driving in the car this morning and K. looks at me and says so sweetly "I like your Zebra shirt". So I look at my red and white striped shirt and just say thank you sweetie.

Then this afternoon, Hoss is in the kitchen and says "Whoa, Mom, you look just like a zebra".

What is it exactly my kids are trying to tell me. I'm feeling very self conscious in a zebray kind of way. And I'm just not sure I will wear this again.

Basket Gremlin Strikes Again

It happened again today. That darn basket gremlin stuck me at the grocery store. Normally I am able to keep most of his mischievous purchases out of my basket. But today for some reason I missed what was put in the basket. And since I had the help of three of my kids to put the groceries onto the cash register belt, I missed them there as well. When I was unloading my groceries at home. I found an abundance of extra cookies and crackers. I also found an extra box of juice bags. But since we go through those so quickly I really don't care about that one to much. But unless you think that gremlin was only after junk food, I also found a poked in kiwi. But that little guy wasn't actually in a bag, he was found left alone in the basket while I was loading the car. Still not sure how he ended up there since he wasn't there while I was paying. All I can say is that those darn gremlins were definitely moving faster than I was today.

Photo Hunters

This weeks theme is old fashioned. And there is nothing more fun to do as a child than swing. So here is a picture of my kids having some old fashioned fun. Big brother Z. is winding up little sister K. so she can spin around is circles until she is dizzy.



So there's my take on this weeks theme. For other views on this week's theme visit TNCHICK.com or PhotoHunt