C's and My Mall Trip

For his birthday, Build-A-Bear Workshop sent him a coupon for a free animal (well, $12 credit towards one). Daddy watched little brother while Mommy took C for the experience. It was one I was so glad to have. It's not very often that I get to be alone with C. Anyway, he chose a turtle that would remind you of Franklin from the kid's book. The turtle even has a shell that is a backpack -- pretty cute! (His first choice was a pink spotted leopard, but Mommy ruled that one out!)

Once we finished our fun there, we were leaving and walked by a trampoline/bungee jump kiosk-thingy in the mall. C had been so well behaved that when he asked to stop and watch, we did. He was pretending to jump with the kids as they bounced. Somehow I found myself asking if he wanted to do it. (I can't remember if he said something first or whether I could just tell that he really wanted to do it.) I had read the sign and it said for 25 pounds and up (he's 34 pounds or so) and for all ages. I guess I don't have to share any more besides these pictures.....

Big Boy turns three!

Oh, my... C turns three today, and Mommy can't believe it! It seems like I cannot remember life without him.... Our little joy...... Of course, this morning was interesting. How would you like 2/3 of a bottle of baby lotion on your carpet at 8:15am? Yup... C went into P's room while I was feeding P and found a bottle of lotion. It went in a nice puddle on the carpet and happened to "bless" some clean, folded clothes. Sigh.....

On a funny note, C was saying something about the Easter bunny this morning. (I had the boys' Easter baskets out in the foyer.) He was asking where the Easter bunny was. I told him that the Easter bunny was like Santa Claus and was at his house. He asked "Where is the bunny?" about three or four times, and I answered him each time. I finally had to tell him that I was not going to answer his question again if he asked me "Where is the bunny?" -- that I had already told him where the bunny was. He then proceeded to ask me, "Well, where did he go?" Grrrrrrrrr... I guess this is the questioning stage, then, isn't it? At least I have a child smart enough to ask the same question in different words.

Donna Reed, here I come!

Hehehehe.... I have now officially done something I never thought I would do.... I made cookies for C's birthday. Mind you, these are not just any cookies.... They were hand decorated sugar cookies. And to top that all off, I made the dough and the icing myself. (Pat, pat, pat -- my back needed it.) The inspiration was a fellow adoptive mom and her cookie-making ability. Here are hers..... She also shows you how at http://tinyurl.com/2fqahy. She has more pictures (like those at http://tinyurl.com/yttkvp) that are just amazing.....

Anyway.... mine turned out pretty well for the first try. They tasted really good if that matters. I used the recipe at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Thick-Cut-Outs/Detail.aspx?src=etaf for the cookies (I substituted 1/2 tsp Haitian vanilla instead of the 1 1/2 tsp regular vanilla) and I used the recipe at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sugar-Cookie-Icing/Detail.aspx?src=etaf for the icing. This one I really had to adjust, though. I used Haitian vanilla instead of the almond extract since a girl in C's class is allergic to nuts and when I did a double recipe per the instructions it was waaaaaaayyyyyyyy too thick to pipe through a bag! I don't remember exactly what I ended up with, but probably close to 1/4 cup of milk and 3 Tblsp corn syrup in the end. I basically got it the consistency of Elmer's glue. It held its place pretty well when squeezed through the bag, but it did not hold its shape -- if that makes any sense. Anyway, here are the results! (Oh -- If you are looking for cookie cutters, check out http://www.cookiecutter.com and http://www.wineandcake.com for a really good assortment!)

What is it about illnesses and Friday afternoons? and other ramblings for the day....

Does anyone else have the problem that you only get sick after the doctor's office is closed? Well, P started getting what I thought was his first cold on Friday ... at 4pm. He kept getting worse and last night about 2am started a croupy cough. At 5:30am Darren brought him in to me to nurse and he (the little one) kept me awake until we all got up. I called the doctor's office and they were able to work him in.

It turns out that he likely just has a virus that has irritated his throat -- drainage, basically. It's great news! So now all we have to do is keep a humidifier in his face, put him in the bathroom when we shower, and keep him hydrated. We've tried giving him sweet potato (that was Saturday -- he would not keep it in his mouth at all), but I guess we will go for apple as our next food to try so that we can try apple juice. Oh -- and he is only 12.45 pounds -- which is the same as he weighed about three weeks ago. SIGH! Mommy is also still trying to get her weight or at least stabilize it. Today I was 100.4 pounds with shoes on and thicker pants. DOUBLE SIGH.

I tried again today (third time is the charm, right???) to order our annual photobook through Snapfish. I have a 2005 and a 2006 one. This was the 2007 one. I've tried to order it twice now and both times they have cancelled the order because of an apparently corrupt photo. Today I again deleted then uploaded the two that they said were corrupt. Keep your fingers crossed for this, will you?

One other thing to write about today... D has helped me in the decluttering. Yesterday we went through most of my Tupperware and put things in boxes... sell versus keep. I have a LOT of Tupperware that I want/need to get rid of. If there is something that you need, let me know! I'll make you a good deal on it!

Valentine's Day

Ahhhh -- the joy of having a Hallmark card in your hands. This Valentine's Day we "celebrated" in an unorthodox way. Maybe it was the unexpected snow that we got yesterday, or maybe it is just us, but we were supposed to go to a Couples' Banquet at church tonight and I ended up going as a single. Of course, it was D's idea in the first place -- honest! We had booked Mom as a sitter but she was sick yesterday and I was not able to get a replacement (OK -- I gave up after calling 9 people). I had a good time with lots of laughs, but I still wish D had been there with me. We will try to celebrate another night, I am sure.

Back to the snow -- C had a blast eating it. D took him out in it last night and this morning. I took him out this afternoon. He loved eating it (no yellow snow, thanks!) and throwing snowballs at me. That kid has an arm!!! He also made a snow angel with Mommy and a tiny snowman. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Good for the Tongue

What a smart little guy we have! "Tuffy the Tooth" came to C's school today and played a game with them. All the kids were given a picture of something to eat. The point was that they were supposed to show it to the class, tell what it was, then have them guess whether or not it was a healthy snack by answering the question, "Is it good for the teeth or bad for the teeth?" C got a picture of a cookie. He stood up, held it up, and told the class it was a cookie. When asked if it was "good for your teeth" or "bad for your teeth" they all answered that it was good for their teeth. Miss Chris said, "Oh, no. Cookies are sweet. They are sugar. They are bad for your teeth." C, without missing a beat, said, "But they are good for your tongue!"

Decluttering -- can I really be having fun???

OK -- so I am a pack rat. I admit it. There's just SOME function that each piece of junk (albeit "important" junk) serves or has the potential to serve, and thus I need to hold on to it, right? I mean, if I drop it off at my local Salvation Army or Goodwill store, they will sell it for only 50 cents to someone else just looking for a bargain and not really needing it. I can give it to Storehouse for Jesus, of course, but they are out of my way....

Interestingly enough (go figure), I don't have a house that is the Better Homes and Gardens/Martha Stewart showcase that so many, including me, want. I can remember my mom saying that my room (and house) should be kept in a state that I would be glad to welcome Jesus in to it. My smart aleck response was that if He walked into my house and saw it in pristine condition He would know that I had been spending too much time in the house and not enough time out doing His work! We all know that was a cop out answer, but it was also the honest truth.

Do I like my home being a clutter-filled mess? NO. Do I know how to get it uncluttered? Well, sort of. I at least know the principles behind it. I just can't ever seem to be able to successfully do it. I feel the desperate need to get it done, but can't find the time to follow after that desire. I keep telling myself that I am smart enough to be able to figure out a way for me to do it, and then I get depressed and defeated or beat myself up about reasons I can't seem to use my brilliance to actually DO it.

The list of excuses goes on and on...... hopefully now it is finally time for a real change....

I've been the recipient of FLYLady (www.flylady.net) emails for quite a while (OK -- maybe even 2 years... I can't remember) now, and never really have caught on to her system. Marla (FLYLady herself) lives in Brevard, NC, oddly enough, and is an inspiration to an unbelievable number of people for whom her emails have literally changed their lives. Some are so devoted to her and her "Control Journal" that I wonder if she has a cult following! Anyway, she seeks to inspire people to have those clean and "pleasant-to-be-in" homes, and she does so through emails designed to motivate, convict, and move you to action. She has zones to clean (one per week), missions to do, and habits to create (one per month). This month's habit is decluttering for 15 minutes per day -- including weekends. I'm trying it this month...... hoping and praying that all those people who tout her system are right.

Oh, back to the habit to form -- the decluttering.... I'm thrilled to say that I have spent some time in the basement this past week decluttering some things, in fact, I've spent more than my 15 minutes per day, except for missing one day when I was not feeling well and was just worn out (so worn out that I really could not follow her "I-can-do-anything-for-15-minutes" mantra). Now, the declutterings don't officially count in the world of FLYLady because the items are not actually out of the house yet, but I'm working on it. I have plans to get the 18 (yes, 18) formal gowns that I decluttered first to the consignment shop to see if they want to take them, then to the mall for the YWCA prom dress collection. Any that they do not want I will throw away, I guess. My thought behind that is that if two places did not want them, likely Goodwill would not either! Of course, you never know what people want...... bell bottoms came back in style, even if only temporarily!!!! In addition to having the plans, I have someone who is going to ride me until I really DO get them there!

In addition, Darren and I are also moving things around in the basement (mainly Darren is doing the moving, which is then motivating me) so that we have a space for items that need to go out of the house. That too is divided up into donate and eBay sections. Now to get to the clearing out, as we discussed earlier.

Perhaps I should also mention that I cleared out another foot or so of clothing that I will take when I take the dresses to the consignment shop. Those more "business-y" pieces that they don't want I will donate to our Shugart Women's Center for their clothing distributions. This was done literally on a grab-what-you-know-can-go basis. I know I could get rid of more, but as I adjust to this new way of doing and thinking, let me go slowly.

So, why have I told you all this? Well, the next time you see me.... please don't ask what I have decluttered in case I haven't done it. I am not really wanting to face any disappointment of this failing again. At the same time, if you are reading this blog and want to encourage me by telling me how wonderful I am doing (so far I am planning to post every time I declutter), then feel free to do so. I guess I need to take pictures of the house so that I can actually see the progress. I bet I won't recognize the "before" shots once I get to the point that I can take the "after" ones.....