Craftiest Mom on the Block Strikes Again...

Check out the advent calendar I just completed. Each number is on a pocket that I'm going to fill with some type of small treat (ornament, candy cane, pencils, piece of a nativity, etc) for each day before Christmas, with the final one being something to do with Baby Jesus. I'm might also add a star or something for J and Z to move from one pocket to the next to mark the day. The sample I stole this idea from had a little Santa. Maybe I'll do a little bird to remind them, "Santa's Birdies are watching!" (If you grew up in my house you get that one.) Hopefully this will help Z count down the days until Christmas. She gets so excited about any event. Everyday she asks me if today is Halloween or my Birthday. I saw a similar thing done for Thanksgiving (I might use this for that too) where everyday each member of the family put a piece of paper in the pocket with something they were thankful for written on it. Lesson of the Day: Love a multipurpose craft!

Repunzel, Repunzel, let down your hair

Picnic in the fort...oh, excuse me...I mean, picnic in the princess castle.

What did one Jack-o-latern say to the other?

Ater Patch Kid's Annual Window Pumpkins

What did one Jack-o-lantern say to the other?  Cut it out!
Why do Jack-o-lanterns have goofy smiles on their faces?  You'd have a goofy smile, too, if you had just had all your brains scooped out!
What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter?  Pumpkin Pi (3.1428571428571428571428571428571)
How do you repair a broken Jack-o-lantern?  Buy a pumpkin patch!
Why do pumpkins never quarrel?  Because they have no stomach for fighting.

Z's Art Studio

(she colored from 2:30-6:30 yesterday with few breaks

and used almost every sheet of paper)

Well, this is different....

For 8 1/2 years, I have been a busy mom.  I've been the classic 24/7 stay-at-home mom and I've been the part-time working mom, but I've always been busy, either cramming a full week of work into the two days of preschool or taking care of someone who needs taking care of.  I've watched my friends drop their kids off at preschool from the time they were teeny-tiny and then go home to relax or go shopping.  While that is fine for them....it's not for me...that wasn't an option I wanted.  Unless I had to work, my kids were going to be with me.  I wanted to be the classic stay-at-home mom and I've loved it.  Yes, it's hard sometimes and you tend to stay in a state of "tired" and you hardly get any time for yourself, but my kids are only going to be preschoolers once.  Anyway, my recent change in employment status is going to take some getting used to.  Last Tuesday, I dropped Z off at school and left the church.  Left is the key word in that sentence because I've worked there the whole time she's been in preschool.  If she needed me I was just on the other side of the building.  I had very mixed emotions...happy, excited, anxious, and a little sad.  Well, I had some errands to run so 5 hours whizzed by.  Thursday, J was sick so I was busy all day taking care of my sweet boy.  Now, it's today.  I dropped Z off and came home .......................................................... it's quiet ........................................................ very quiet and no one needs anything.  I'm not so sure what to do with myself.  It has me pondering life without kids...after they grow up.  What did I do with my free time before I had kids?  This is very strange.  It's nice but definitely going to take some getting used to.  I'm sure I'll get a lot done.  I guess I'm now the classic house wife on T-days.  Good thing I like to bake and iron.  Maybe I'll get a fancy apron to go with my new job.    Lesson of the day:  Change...sometimes it's not easy or hard....it's just change.

Ewwwwwwweeeeee!

Unless you want to hear about my adventures in steam mopping, you might just skip my blog today.

As some of you may know, I've been on a mission to clean my kitchen floor. When we saw the house before we purchased it, I actually thought the grout was brown in the kitchen. Ahhhh, nope! It's white....it's just that the very dirty people that lived here before us with two little indoor dogs didn't do a very good job of cleaning (apparently, ever). All the high traffic areas were a nice shade of brown, where all the non-high traffic areas were gleaming white. So far, I have tried mopping, swifting, bleaching, and good old fashion scrubbing with a scrub brush with somewhat successful results but still not to my satisfaction. After watching a few infomercials on steam mops, I thought, "That might be it!"...because of course infomercials always tell the absolute truth and never exaggerate. So I started my quest for the best steam mop for the money. After ample research and reading about a million reviews I decided on the Eureka Enviro-Steamer. It wasn't exactly what I wanted but the reviews were pretty even across the board that outside of industrial steamers, it was the best for cleaning. I was so excited to clean the floor, I couldn't wait for it to arrive (I know I'm a nerd). I almost skipped to the door when the fed-ex guy dropped the big box on my door step and rang the bell. Those dirty floors had better watch out...they were about to be enviro-steamed! So here's what I've learned now that I'm post steaming two weekends in a row. #1: The Eureka Enviro-Steamer does a great job of cleaning the actual tile. Definitely easier than mopping or scrubbing....gets the stuck on cheese or piece of squished/dried fruit under Z's chair right up after letting the steam soak it for about 8-10 seconds (seriously, you'd think she's 1 the amount of stuff under her chair). #2: The Enviro-Steamer does not do a good job on grout. Sadly, it doesn't get down in the groove. I think I might try a "steam them-scrub them" combo next weekend and see what happens. #3: Steamers are not vacuums. It's a mop. You have to make sure you sweep/vacuum the floor first or you just get the dust, lint, cat hair wet and it defeats the purpose of the steam mop. Lesson of the Day: All in all, the Eureka Enviro-Steamer doesn't have me screaming, "Eureka!" because I really have more of a grout issue, but I do think the actual tile is clean enough to eat off of. So there you have it. Oh, picture #2 is after week two of the high traffic areas downstairs...yuck...and we're pretty clean people. I think I'm still going to try to find powdered bleach for the grout (another infomerical...the source of all great knowledge....don't worry...I'm kidding...or maybe not).

First Soccer Game

Look at that boy get the ball! We're a far cry from J's first soccer experience a few years ago. Back then he refused to try to get the ball from the other team because it wasn't nice and we're suppose to share. J did a great job at his first game this year...even scored a goal. He was sooo proud of himself. You should have seen his smile. I hate I missed the picture but I was trying to coral little sister who was trying to kick an abandoned soccer ball out onto the field (she's pretty good so I had to move fast). We love his soccer league. There are only 5 kids/team on the field at a time so the kids get a ton of field time and get to play every position more than once. Games are every Saturday if you want to join us. Wear your red, black, or white!!! Lesson of the Day: It's going to be a fun season! Go Fire Dragons and congrats on game #1 4:2!!!

Potater Halloween Rap

For your Halloween enjoyment!  Have a happy one!

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/C2iGjZfbsuITZWR4

Obviously, had a little time on my hands this afternoon.