Since I was tagged, here are eight wierd things about my wife. (That was the idea, right? You don't need to know about me, I'm just the guest blogger.)
8) She learned a lot of wrong lyrics to songs as a kid. Every few months I catch a new one and try not to laugh while she has an epiphany. (For example, "Karma Chameleon".)
7) Will not drink off-brand soda. "Dr. Thunder" is not close enough.
6) She has an insanely powerful grip.
5) She does very well on the grocery budget and other spending. But, when she has a gift certificate or cash that is just for her, she cannot go much more than 24 hours without shopping. She's way too excited and wants to redeem it for a new toy ASAP!
4) Height = five feet, one &1/4 inches. Do NOT forget the 1/4, it is very important!
3) Never turns on the light over the stove. Prefers to cook in the shadows.
2) Used to be a bit messy before we were married. Hard to believe, given that she is bordering on obsessive/compulsive with the vacuuming now.
1) Wears a veil to Mass. I know that's not really weird, but it is fairly uncommon these days. She typically prefers to blend into the crowd, but when she is convinced that something is right for her, she is undeterred.
Monday, June 4, 2007
10 year reunion
This past weekend was our 10 high school reunion. Daddio and I both graduated from the same school at the same time!
We chose not to go for several reasons...
-Rediculous ticket price for the Saturday event, which was held at a bar downtown... which really isn't our scene.
-The family day was on Sunday, cost money per person, and you had to bring your own food.
-Most people that we had friendships with, we are still in contact with on a regular basis... so we don't need to do/pay for something special right now in order to see them.
That being said... it feels weird that it has been 10 years. Oh, and something interesting... Daddio's little sister graduated from high school this year... that makes me feel old!
For reunion's sake, here is a snap shot of Daddio and I on our way to our Senior Trip:
We chose not to go for several reasons...
-Rediculous ticket price for the Saturday event, which was held at a bar downtown... which really isn't our scene.
-The family day was on Sunday, cost money per person, and you had to bring your own food.
-Most people that we had friendships with, we are still in contact with on a regular basis... so we don't need to do/pay for something special right now in order to see them.
That being said... it feels weird that it has been 10 years. Oh, and something interesting... Daddio's little sister graduated from high school this year... that makes me feel old!
For reunion's sake, here is a snap shot of Daddio and I on our way to our Senior Trip:
Yeah, I know... we were so cool!
8 Random Things
For this meme, each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
This is my first tagged meme... and it is kind of a tough one! I will do my best, but I'm gonna make a prediction... Daddio will leave a list of his own about my habits 'cause lets face it, he knows me better than me most of the time. So in no particular order here they go:
- I really don't like thunder/lightening storms. During the daytime I'm okay, but if they are at night I usually tuck my head under the covers... seriously, at 28 years old this is still an issue for me! Yikes.
- The house I grew up in, in La. was more than 100 years old. No one was real sure the exact age because the court house burned down with the orginal records stored inside.
- I can't stand mice/rats (oh, and little frogs too). The sight of them gives me the willies... just having to type about it makes me feel a little ill.
- At night when I have to go to the bathroom, I will jump from the bed... run to our bathroom, finish... dash back to near the bed and leap back in. I'm not crazy about the dark, but I don't want to turn lights on either (no need to alert the burglars that I'm moving around :-). I know, poor Daddio... but he is a deep sleeper so it's okay.
- I really enjoy home improvement projects... especially when I'm bored and left to my own devices for too long, much like Matilda (like when Daddio is away on business...). There have been occasions that Daddio has come home to rooms being repainted, furniture moved... that sort of thing. I can be super industrious, even for my smallness!
- A nice cold Dr. Pepper or bowl of ice cream will solve all my troubles. Unfortunately those are on the no-no list so they are hardly ever found around here... oh, but my new fav. ice cream: Ben & Jerry's Half Baked (Fudge Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough together, seriously you guys are FANTASTIC).
- I'm shy and SUPER NERVOUS. I know some of you are thinking that I'm lying, but a group of people that I don't know, or don't know well, and speaking in front of people scares me to death. My heart races, and I stutter... sometimes just inside my head, but it takes a huge effort for me to do it and sound like I know what I'm doing. (And forget about reading in front of people... you would swear that I just got out of first grade.) I have to spend days preparing so that what I'm going to say is completely committed to memory-- that's why I am so worn out afterwards, and usually end up with a migraine. It is taxing.
- I like peanuts, pecans... nuts, but not on my sundae. Daddio always makes fun of me for the way I like things. Apparently I like most things, but the ordinary way most people like combination foods, I don't... I rather just eat them separate. He can add to this particular one, because I can't name them off the top of my head... I just know when it comes time to order/eat them.
Now... as far as tagging... I'm not sure I know 8 other people who haven't been tagged already! So if you read this and haven't been tagged... consider yourself tagged! Here are the few that I will tag:
Daddio, Just Stuff, Infertility Is Funny, Jen at Be Good. Have Fun.
Okay that's all I can think of right now!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
My two cents
Thought I'd add my two cents on housework. Here are three keys to keeping our house relatively clean.
1) It never gets hopelessly messy because we spend a little time each day straightening up, instead of saving a huge list of chores for the weekend. It's easy to give up when it seems too huge a task.
2) Get organized. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
3) I think the single most important thing is to have the kids do as much as they can. The boys are required to:
-put away their toys before every meal. I can't even remember the last time I had to tell someone to put away their toys. They know the rule, don't even come to the table until your toys are up and your hands are washed.
-put their dirty dishes in the sink
-throw away their trash
-feed the dogs
-let the dogs outside to go potty (this seems like a small thing, but Daisy wants to go out 200 times a day, and that gets annoying!)
-put the dogs in their kennels when we're getting ready to leave the house
-clean baseboards and the A/C vent with wet rags
-put their dirty clothes in the laundry room
-put their clean clothes in their dresser and closet (after an adult has folded it for them)
-pick out their own clothes and get dressed (who cares if they look weird?)
Speaking of clothes, we've found that hanging all shirts, even t-shirts, in the closet is much easier than putting them in the dresser. It arose out of necessity because the one dresser in the boys' room is not really big enough. We put a 48" shelf/hanger bar in their closet, low enough for the boys to reach. They can put shirts on hangers by themselves, and they can see and reach what's in there. And we don't have to fold shirts at all.
The next job I'll teach them is poop scooping in the back yard! Can't wait to pawn that one off on somebody else!
When we first became parents, MamaLlama did everything for them. Most of the time, it is easier and faster to just do it yourself. But all these little things add up and save Mom a lot of time and frustration, plus they teach the boys to be neat and organized, and to be contributors to the family.
1) It never gets hopelessly messy because we spend a little time each day straightening up, instead of saving a huge list of chores for the weekend. It's easy to give up when it seems too huge a task.
2) Get organized. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
3) I think the single most important thing is to have the kids do as much as they can. The boys are required to:
-put away their toys before every meal. I can't even remember the last time I had to tell someone to put away their toys. They know the rule, don't even come to the table until your toys are up and your hands are washed.
-put their dirty dishes in the sink
-throw away their trash
-feed the dogs
-let the dogs outside to go potty (this seems like a small thing, but Daisy wants to go out 200 times a day, and that gets annoying!)
-put the dogs in their kennels when we're getting ready to leave the house
-clean baseboards and the A/C vent with wet rags
-put their dirty clothes in the laundry room
-put their clean clothes in their dresser and closet (after an adult has folded it for them)
-pick out their own clothes and get dressed (who cares if they look weird?)
Speaking of clothes, we've found that hanging all shirts, even t-shirts, in the closet is much easier than putting them in the dresser. It arose out of necessity because the one dresser in the boys' room is not really big enough. We put a 48" shelf/hanger bar in their closet, low enough for the boys to reach. They can put shirts on hangers by themselves, and they can see and reach what's in there. And we don't have to fold shirts at all.
The next job I'll teach them is poop scooping in the back yard! Can't wait to pawn that one off on somebody else!
When we first became parents, MamaLlama did everything for them. Most of the time, it is easier and faster to just do it yourself. But all these little things add up and save Mom a lot of time and frustration, plus they teach the boys to be neat and organized, and to be contributors to the family.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
What do I do?!
I been asked a few times in my course so far of mothering and house wifery how I do what I do as far ask keeping the house and all that jazz. So I thought I would take a few minutes do give kind of a run through of what I do!
The first thing I do in the morning is make the bed! For me, if making the bed is the only cleaning I do in the day... well, I can still feel accomplished. Why? Because it showed me that I got out of bed and didn't plan on hanging out in it till the end of the day. Plus as an added bonus I love folding clothes on a made bed.... there's plenty of room and you can see what you are working with!
The first thing I do in the morning is make the bed! For me, if making the bed is the only cleaning I do in the day... well, I can still feel accomplished. Why? Because it showed me that I got out of bed and didn't plan on hanging out in it till the end of the day. Plus as an added bonus I love folding clothes on a made bed.... there's plenty of room and you can see what you are working with!
Also, I don't like clutter on my counters... so when ever a meal is finished, everything is cleaned... nothing is left out! Everything has its place!!!!
Once the kitchen has been picked up from breakfast, and while the boys are still finishing up I take a few minutes to get laundry going. I don't always do laundry every day. Probably 4 days a week, and sometimes on Saturday if we've done yard work... I don't like sweaty clothes to just sit in there and smelly everything up! And while I'm in there I will make sure everything is tidied up. Daddio was nice enough to install a set of cabinets (above my machines) last year, and we put in that shelf when we got the new machines, and behind the door there are a set of hanging baskets! This way there is plenty of storage for all my odds and ends and things don't have to be left sitting out!
Next it is time for school (or Mass then school depending on the day). Depending on the work for that day, I either sit the entire time with the boys, or if I'm able to leave them to work independently I head off to the laundry and get a load folded and ready for them to put away. Otherwise I fold the laundry done that morning once school is done... and the boys will come and put their own things away. I'm not perfect (by any stretch), so there are times when clean clothes my spend some time in a basket in my room till I'm ready to tackle it (even with the new machines, laundry is still one of my least favorite tasks).
That takes us up to lunch and naptime... PAPER PLATES! If I can feed the kids on paper... I DO... so I don't have to do as many dishes! And then they are down for a 2 hour nap. During nap time am able to clean bathrooms(Tuesdays and Fridays), mop the floors (once or twice a week), finish up any more laundry (specialty stuff like sheets and towels on Thursdays or Fridays) that I want to get done for the day, eat my own lunch, cook dinner, and depending on the weather and I can even get yard work done! Oh, and check email, read blogs, and blog myself.
Let me introduce you to my little friend! I call him Purpie (uh... cause he purple)... and I LURVE HIM!!!! After nap time (around 3 - 3:30) I vacuum. (I've already swept the hard surfaces into the carpeted area so that can just be vacuumed up). And vacuuming usually happens everyday around here!
Now, you might be asking yourself why I vacuum everyday... meet reasons 1 & 2:
Maggie (part Pom and Australian Sheperd) and Daisy (100% beagle):
Dog FUR!
Now, during most of this cleaning someone is usually with me... one of the boys that is. Playing with toys near my feet, helping with folding, reading me stories, helping me cook stuff that couldn't be done ahead of time... I try to make the most out of nap time working as quickly and efficently as possible so that I am nearly done when the boys are up, and during the time they are up and I'm cleaning it is happening in between play sessions with the boys.
There are days things don't go according to a tidy schedule, and Daddio will come home to laundry still piled on the bed, or me still vacuuming with Snookie hanging on to my leg. But at the end of the day I'm a happy mom when I have a clean house, and I know that Daddio likes to come home to a clean house.
I happen to be one of those people who likes a certain amount of control and order, and over the years I've found that life is crazy, child rearing is messy, homeschooling can be chaotic... but a clean and orderly home gives me order and a sense of clarity! Cleaning calms my nerves, and actually makes me a better person!
So there you have it! Throw in grocery shopping on Fridays and you pretty much have what we do, playing in the rain in the front yard, making bed forts, sitting on Mommy's back while I read and you play, making up songs... and some sort of music always on... that's my day till Daddio returns home from a day at the office!
First Summer Swimming
Last night we met up with some friends at their neighborhood pool for our first outdoor swimming of the season. While it was way fun to be back in the pool (which we lived in last summer), um, well it has rained every day around here for like the last 3-4 weeks... EVERY DAY... and been unseasonably cool. So the water, um, not so warm!
COLD!!!! Actually, the water was freakin' COLD! And while I have body fat to keep me somewhat insulated, my kids do not. Poor little Snookie was shiverin' and quiverin'! So our pool fun only lasted about an hour before our grand exit and pizza finale!
COLD!!!! Actually, the water was freakin' COLD! And while I have body fat to keep me somewhat insulated, my kids do not. Poor little Snookie was shiverin' and quiverin'! So our pool fun only lasted about an hour before our grand exit and pizza finale!
Friday, June 1, 2007
Another Successful Meeting
This morning, after Mass, several moms from our homeschooling group sat down with me and their calendars to map out the coming school year. We discussed everything from field trip schedules, our potlucks, more Mom's Night Outs, co-ops... the list goes on and on. It was about having other moms step up and fill these roles themselves... not me or the two other ladies who formed this group continue taking on that role, and everyone stepped up to that challenge in one way or another.
While we are still a new group (we just got started in February), I see great things happening... and great friendships being forged between the parents and children... and for me that actually is the most important part!
Oh, and we are starting a Blue Knights group! I am so excited, all three boys will be old enough (ages 5-11, so Snookie will just sneak in with his August birthday)! One of the projects for year one is building a suit of armor, seriously, how cool is that! Plus, it is for dads and sons... do I hear a night at home quietly attending to some me time... laundry, toilets, heck maybe even some reading!!!! Boy, and having them all schooling next term... I will definitely need a little quiet time at the end of the week (meetings are on Fridays once a month)!
While we are still a new group (we just got started in February), I see great things happening... and great friendships being forged between the parents and children... and for me that actually is the most important part!
Oh, and we are starting a Blue Knights group! I am so excited, all three boys will be old enough (ages 5-11, so Snookie will just sneak in with his August birthday)! One of the projects for year one is building a suit of armor, seriously, how cool is that! Plus, it is for dads and sons... do I hear a night at home quietly attending to some me time... laundry, toilets, heck maybe even some reading!!!! Boy, and having them all schooling next term... I will definitely need a little quiet time at the end of the week (meetings are on Fridays once a month)!
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