Always Running Behind

It's ridiculous. I cannot catch up! With anything!! I've got sewing projects, Easter projects, birthday projects, people projects, organizing projects, shopping projects, scrapbooking projects, housecleaning projects, reading projects, bloggy projects...

Part of the reason is because of this curly-girly. She wants to be potty-trained. But she's not. She has started taking off her pants and diaper all the time. And will then sit on the potty and go through the motions of wiping. But never does anything IN the potty. I tried some training pants this weekend, but she'd wet them before I had a chance to have her try going. {sigh}
I'm trying to take heart in the fact that I do have two successfully potty-trained children, and that this will end. Sometime.

Honey wants to do everything her "solf" right now. More and more independence. This morning she pulled a container of water off the counter all over herself and the kitchen floor. Then acted mad at me, like it was my fault for leaving it there, I should know better. :)

Honey and Speedy scrubbed clean and shiny.
This is how Honey finally gave in to sleep one night.
Honey is talking SO much, it's so cute and fun. For example: 'ite, Mommy?' (right, Mommy?) I wish I had video of it for you, typing just doesn't do it justice.

I can't believe I've made it past 200 posts!

Techie Question

So, Flickr and Photobucket users out there, I need your opinion. I'm working on making my own background and it's suggested to use Photobucket as a place to save the background. Can I do the same thing with Flickr? Will both sites let me make a video and put it on my blog? Is one site better than another? Let me know what you think!

Life

Two cuties in sweaters on Sunday morning. :) A good friend knit the purple one--it is so soft and precious! (Snuggle-bug got several compliments on her sweater, thanks r.c.!)
Speedy jumping (I don't know why.) Honey all dressed up with Sam.
Funny things I've heard lately:
...Speedy helping me in the kitchen, "I'm doing a good job making it more into meat, amen't I?" (he's browning hamburger). "Then it's going to turn into meatloaf." (I wish it was magic like that!)
...Speedy calls Honey a baby, and she replies, "No bah-by. I yay-ya." (her name.)
...Princess talking on a pretend phone: "Yeah, my mom died on my birthday. And my dad died on my brother's birthday. I'm Dan Davis.*" (*the name of our renter, changed to protect the innocent.)

Honey

Honey didn't get much face time in the other posts, so here ya go:
Crazy glasses on a silly girl.

Last night Snuggle-bug would not go to sleep (till 11:45). Honey was up toodling from room to room, closing all the doors, and playing with these glasses again. (till at least 11 pm). Today the two little girls went with me to a crop/craft day, and Honey took Sam the bear (from the 1st pic) and these glasses. Weird.

American Idol

American Idol is really the only show I've watched with much regularity in the past 3 or 4 years. This season, the kids are into it, too. Last week, Princess was standing in front of the TV, holding a pencil like a microphone and watching herself sing in the glass entertainment center door.

While getting in the tub, she asked if I knew what her favorite part of American Idol was tonight. If you watched, you also will shudder and raise your eyebrow when she continues, "Tatiana."
(Dra-ama!)

Triggers

There's something about naptime that triggers Speedy's gut. Seriously, EVERY DAY, after about 15 minutes of rest time, he has to go #2.

One day I specifically asked him if he needed to go before nap. He said no, went in his room and shut the door. About 2 minutes later, I heard his door opening, looked at Hubby and whispered, "He needs to go poopie..." Then we heard Speedy's always loud voice, "Mommy, I need to go poopie." At least he's consistent.

The Toilet Trauma Travels On

Yesterday I woke up to a thunk that sounded like it came from the bathroom. Someone (who shall remain nameless) knocked a ceramic dish into the toilet. Its contents went on the floor and in the toilet. Things like tweezers, hair ties, barrettes, nail clippers, some jewelry. So, it appears one of my earrings got inadvertently flushed. Sad, but I'm glad it wasn't my wedding ring, which I also keep in that dish. I think I'll find a new spot.

Haven't I Learned?

To close the toilet lid when I'm getting something out of the cabinet directly above the toilet?? I've knocked so many things in. But I've also had so many close calls--for example, this morning, I knocked down a bottle of ibuprofen and it was in line for a direct splash in the water. But it landed on the rim and bounced out. Whew. (I've also had things bounce in.)

Maybe I won't close the lid--I need that extra excitement in my day, right? :)

Girl, Interrupted

The story of my life. All day, I have witty and clever blog posts going through my head, things to remember, funny things the kids do. If I'm lucky, I can remember them until I get some computer time. If I'm even luckier, the kids aren't constantly interrupting me and the internet is not down. I wondered if I should get one of those 'note-to-self' tape recorders. But when would I have time to listen to it??

There's so many things I'd like to to, but I don't know where the time goes! Or if I have a minute, I can't remember what it was I was going to do when I had the time! There's a deal at 2peas right now--upload 20 projects and earn $20 to spend in their store! How could I pass that up? Hopefully I'll get to it. :) There was a call for journal-bloggers at Blissfully Domestic that piqued my interest. Maybe I'll get to that, too. Or my lonely scrapbooks.

My 3 and 5 year olds are already telling me they're bored and there's nothing to do. Oh dear. Just another confirmation that we have too much stuff. I've been wanting to declutter and organize, but this also falls into the interrupted category.

Speedy likes to make idle threats when I ask him to do something he doesn't want to do or won't let him watch yet another cartoon. He needs to work on things that might actually be meaningful to me, though. Here's one of his threats this week: 'If you don't let me ___, then I'm going to throw all my toys OUTSIDE!' (Hmm, that wouldn't really bother me! Less to pick up!) Another one, 'I'm not eating EVER AGAIN!' (Again, doesn't really bother me, I seriously doubt he would last for even one meal!)

On the plus side, the 3 older kids all had rags and spray bottles in hand to help me clean this morning. We're still working on which household items can be cleaned with what. Like, let's not squirt vinegar-water on the computer mouse to clean it. But thanks for helping!

I've been enjoying seeing Snuggle-bug change already. Her cheeks are plumping up, her eyelashes are getting longer, she's looking at more things (albeit cross-eyed). I never get tired of checking out the baby features. And wishing they would never get bigger. But at the same time wanting to be done changing diapers. (after 5+ years straight of it!)

Honey has started getting reprimanded. She just gets crushed, but she definitely knows what she's doing. She's just so cute and animated in her facial expressions and what she tries to say and do. She has an adorable gallop-a-skippity-hop she does around the house. We like to say she just toodles all over. :)

No Excuse...

...for my lack of posting. :) Just recovering from the Thanksgiving weekend, and looking ahead to all I'd like to get done before this baby arrives! 37 weeks! (photo by one of my lovely 5 and under assistants).

The kiddos all happened to be dressed in blue for church, so I thought, "why not see if I could get a good photo for a Christmas card?"

Why not, indeed:
Yes, that's a nose-pick. I guess I didn't pick a good word for them to say. Honey just wants to get away.

One out of three with a good smile isn't bad...right??

Neither here nor there...

...As I get older, (i.e. have been a parent longer), some things start to make more sense. For example, growing up, the kitchen cabinet above the microwave in our house held a hodge-podge of miscellaneous stuff. Medicine, bandaids, art supplies, parts of 4-H projects, jewelry. NOW I understand--as the kiddos get into more, you keep moving it higher and out of sight! That cabinet was one place we couldn't get to, I guess. In my own kitchen now, one of the upper cabinets is home to medicine, gum, scissors, permanent markers, scotch tape, fingernail clippers...I'm sure the list will continue to grow as the kids get into different things and make more messes, and Honey CONTINUES to put EVERYTHING in her mouth. One day this week, (and this is just what I remember) she stuck her hand in the meat sauce bowl and snitched; stuck her hand in the raw hamburger in the pan and snitched (I got her to spit that out--eww!); stuck her hand in the can of cream of mushroom and snitched (but didn't like the taste); was drinking fishpond water out of the rain gauge; and sucking on batteries. Seriously, I don't remember the other 2 kiddos being quite like this. Honey has also started mastering the art of cutting. Not that I want her to have scissors, but she's quick, strong, and loud when I try to wrestle them away. She was not deterred by pinching her finger a bit in the blades, either.
Another recent obsession is chapstick--she wants it constantly. She has a tube that is basically cleaned out that she leaves around so she can apply it as needed. Today I saw her putting chapstick on a Little People puppy. (yes, this is a cow, she was posing for me.)

In other random news, Princess was well for a day and a half, then early this morning started getting sick again. That's NOT the way it's supposed to happen! We were looking forward to a birthday party and football game tonight. :( At least no one else seems to be sick...yet.

Mouse report: I don't know how, but seriously, I hear the mousetrap snap during the night. (or at least I think I do.) So in the morning, I have the kids check the trap, they get the flashlight, and yep, everytime I've heard the snap, there's been a mouse. Hubby has started tally marks on the trap, this will be #4, I believe. Plus the 2 on glue traps and one in the oven drawer. Have we found the whole family YET??

It seems like I have so many fun projects I'd like to work on, and I feel the itch to sew something--but it just doesn't happen. Life gets in the way, I suppose. It puts me in even more awe of the TONS of clothes my mom sewed for us growing up, not to mention the dolls, pound puppies, doll clothes etc. And hubby doesn't understand why I need to stay up so late! That's the only time to have a quiet thought or work on anything without help!

Random Bits

It's been REALLY windy here all week. Tuesday, I think, some plastic grocery bags blew in from their pile by the garage door. Lo and behold, there was something in one of them, and it was the missing toothbrush! I was starting to think I'd gone looney. :)

We caught two more mice this week. Ugh.

A funny from Speedy yesterday: "I don't WANT to share. I'm SELFISH!!!" (Background: we were finishing up our PAT home visit and someone asked for a snack. I said there were leftover pieces of their PB & Js from the day before in the fridge. That's what the fuss was about.)

A couple books I've read lately:

My Antonia (by Willa Cather) A classic that was being promoted in the area to get people reading. I wasn't that impressed, it being a classic and all. It did bring up some interesting points about immigrants to the US trying to make it in Nebraska in the 1700s; but didn't really have a plot (which it said in the introduction), and didn't really leave me feeling like I'd gleaned much from it.

Making Your Home a Haven (by Cindy Salzmann) This was a good, practical, biblical and concise lesson in homemaking. I wish I'd read it several years ago, and I think I'll put it on my list of good bridal shower gifts. :)

And lastly, lest from my queenly Halloween picture, you think I'm one of those people who doesn't show much when they are pregnant, here's a side-view Speedy took for me:

Our week

(disclaimer: this is basically a copy of my weekly email, so if you read that, don't spend time reading here!)

One of the more fun things of the week was visiting the pumpkin patch. A group from church went, so the kids saw some sunday school friends and cousins there. Their favorites were the straw bale maze, hayride,

and inflatable bouncers. (though Honey cried inside the bouncers, came out, then went right back in and cried again.) She and Speedy LOVED feeding the goats; Princess didn't want to get too close.

They picked out some pretty big pumpkins. We also got to walk through part of the corn maze--I was glad we had a guide; Princess said it was boring.

Tonight we visited a new cousin at the hospital; Princess was disappointed she didn't get to hold him a really long time; Speedy thought we were there to have OUR baby; Honey wanted to jump on the beds. :)

Other interesting tidbits for the week: Honey has chewed up an unknown number of crayons; Speedy doesn't put things in his mouth, but does like to lick other people and things--this morning he came to me because there was a hair in his throat (he'd licked the carpet.)

Honey was playing in the toilet for some reason again. (yuck.)

And I'm not sure what the kiddos did to the computer, but one day the keyboard quit working, then the mouse; then the next day I went to plug the camera into the USB cord and there was something stuck in the cord so it wouldn't work. Luckily my handy man was home to come to my aid. :)

The topic of the week has been skunks (we smell quite a few as we're driving). And I told the kids about a couple times when we lived in our first house that the dogs got sprayed and killed a skunk out in the country. They are fascinated and have requested the stories several times already. Hubby tells it better, in case you're wondering. :) Oh, the other topic is water treatment plants, because we smelled that stink while driving, too.

And lastly, the toothbrush fiasco. The older two got new ones from the dentist, of course, and were excited to use them. So I threw out the old ones (b/c they've got like 3 or 4 each). Princess didn't like her new one and immediately got her old one back out. It took Speedy a day or two to not like his new one; by then the trash man had come and gone with his old one, and it was the end of the world. I looked for his other old Cars toothbrush to console him, but couldn't find that one, either, and couldn't remember if I'd thrown it away or not. A few minutes later, he happened to find the Cars toothbrush behind the jumping couch (I don't know what it was doing back there), but all was good in Speedy's world again. Whew.

Honey's new thing is getting behind Hubby or I in a chair, lifting our shirt and going 'tickle, tickle, tickle' on our back. Except it feels more like 'scratchy, scratchy, scratchy from her fingernails. :) And she is getting in on the knock-knock jokes, too. If the others are telling them, she'll 'knock' her fist in the air and say 'kno-kno' over and over again till someone asks her, 'who's there, Honey?' And bedtime is a mess. Princess and Speedy talk and play--but it's hard to separate them because neither wants to sleep alone. I've been needing naps, and if they fall asleep in the afternoon, it's even worse at bedtime. Oh well.

On the plus side, I haven't found a mouse this week. :)

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I didn't think we'd been spending THAT much time outside lately, but compared to being STUCK indoors ALL day for 2 straight days, with more rain on the way...Whew. What's a tired momma in her 3rd trimester to do??

Here's some randomness for the week: our minivan is getting a new transmission. We're not sure if it's the right decision to pour more money into a vehicle with 150,000 or so miles on it...but too late now, so we'll make it work. Hopefully it will be ready to pick up tomorrow. Wouldn't normally be a big deal, as Hubby can have an excuse to ride his motorcycle every day. But--the rain. Our area is approaching record-setting rainfall for the year. Thankfully, the basement hasn't leaked again.

Saturday I made the mistake of thinking that walking (10-15 min) to our city's fall fest parade would be simpler than driving, finding parking, and waiting in the traffic to get home. Next time I'll think twice. Can you feel the cooperation from this picture?

Speedy whined, screamed, and/or fell down in a heap on the street most of the walk there and back. Princess had to go to the bathroom as soon as we were 2 blocks from home. Honey ate 3 suckers and some tootsie rolls (in the wrapper) in a very short time. Princess had to hide behind my chair from a couple characters dressed up on floats. Not surprisingly, they talk about the parade favorably.

Mousecapades: we'd caught the one, by accident. Then Friday night I was minding my own business doing dishes, when I caught some movement by my foot. Followed by spotting a long skinny tail and shrieking as it ran under the fridge. Loud enough shrieking, that the kiddos (doing shrieking of their own in the bedroom), came running to see what was the matter. They were disappointed they didn't get to see the mouse. I found another glue trap, baited it with some peanut butter, and stuck it under the fridge. Sure enough, early the next morning, I heard some squeaking. Brave Hubby pulled it out for me, and to entertain the kids, he pulled it off the trap (this is more humane than a traditional snap-trap??) and put it in a glass jug for the kids to watch. He told them it would probably like a TP tube to play in, his gerbils always did. I mentioned hearing how his gerbils were always ESCAPING. He kind of shrugged and left for football meetings. I found a TP tube and took the jug out to the screened porch for observation. Did I mention it was a baby mouse? How many more in the family??? Princess was worried the mommy and daddy mouse would be looking for their baby. I don't think I gave a very good answer--I'm not very sympathetic about rodents in the house! It almost makes me ready to have a cat again. Almost...then I think about the flea issues we've had in the past...

A Less Whiny Post

Honey is getting to that fun stage of understanding so much, and starting to use so many words! :) We pulled up to her cousin's house last night, and as soon as we saw P, Honey said, "Hiee!" with excitement. So cute. And she has added "Ses." (yes) to her "Nooo." that she'd been saying so much. Now if only she would quit putting stuff in her mouth...she had some kaleidoscope (multi-colored) poo this week.

I didn't pass my glucose test for gestational diabetes last week; so had to go back an do the longer 3-hour test. But yay! this time the results came back normal. What a relief.

Speedy had developed that pronounced limp (the doctor couldn't find anything wrong, even did x-rays.) But it now seems to have resolved itself. Another relief.

Hubby's football team is 5-0, which is pretty exciting. In true coach fashion, though, he was not that excited last night because of the sloppiness and mistakes.

I feel like I'm getting into nesting mode--sorting and organizing in the kids' rooms and other places that haven't seen the light of day for awhile. It's just a funny phenomenon when I go to put something away, and I'm not content to shove it in and leave, but have to sort and organize the cabinet, drawer, closet, etc.

And lastly, a 'Have you ever...?'

I was on my way to turn out the kids' lamps at bedtime last week. I stepped on something big and furry. BAREFOOT, mind you. Then it started to scurry away--yes, I did say 'Eek!' or something similar, loud enough for Hubby to come out and check on me. I had squished the HUGE wolf spider by this time, and without his contacts, he squinted, looked down, and said, "it doesn't look that big." He probably saw something about a quarter-sized. I said, "that's because I already squished it and it's curled up!" I'm sure glad that wolf spiders are harmless. But talk about the heebie-jeebies, seriously, I may as well have stepped on a tarantula!

Here's a totally random pic from this summer at my sister's house, just because these posts seem SO boring without any pictures!

Weekly Shenanigans...

...or 'Why Moms Have Gray Hair' (if they haven't pulled it all out already...)

A picnic outside, enjoying the nice weather...until Honey started stealing all the good stuff from everyone else's plate...and Speedy started being pokey and going on and on about getting some string cheese after he finished (an HOUR later)...and Princess started complaining about it being too hot...
Bedtime, at least has been going okay after moving Honey to the big bed. (Remember, she kept crawling out?) Big sis helps her go to sleep, and I think they both love it. :) Naptime, on the other hand, is a struggle. ONCE, Honey was tired enough to lie right down and take her nap. Another time, I had to lie with her 40 min. till the wiggle-worm fell asleep. Yet another time, I got frustrated after so long and put her back in the crib. I heard her saying 'uh-oh' again and again; and when I checked her a little later, she was asleep on her belly on top of the changing table (that's what she climbs out of the crib onto.) What a rascal. Not to mention the TWICE in the past couple weeks she's poo'd in the tub, while her sibs were also in there. That adds a bit too much excitement to the bedtime routine.
Here's the best face-time I can get. :) Speedy wanted to take my picture at the football game. I said, "Can you see my face in the window?" He said, "yup."
Fall decor on the mantle--it's been a fun spot to decorate in this house. I have a variety of candles and candleholders, some fake leaves and bittersweet, some beads. I love fall. :)
My tree candleholders surrounded with acorns we've picked up the last several years. Not real colorful, but kind of fun.

On the side, I've scrapped a couple pages, decorated a journal, finished an Andrew Murray book, and tweaked our school a bit. It's still a work in progress.

A Mini-Tutorial

I'm still relatively new to all this techie and blogging stuff, but thought I'd try to pass on a tip to those who have some blogs that they regularly read. Usually at the bottom of the blog is a link that says Posts (Atom) or some such thing. If you click this, it will let you add it to your feed reader in your favorites section on your computer. Then you can quickly see when a new post is added. It has saved me a lot of clicking around! There are also feed readers called Blog Lines and Feed Burner (?) among others that you can set up (I haven't). These can be accessed from any computer, not just your own. Clear as mud?

Yeah!

I have off and on been trying to experiment with changing my blog background, but was not tech-savvy enough to do it. Today, I found a site (thanks, h.t.!) that's FREE, cute, and EASY! I mean, super-easy! Click the teal box in the upper-left of my blog to check it out, or go to the cutest blog on the block. But there are tons to look through, so I don't want to be responsible for you spending too much time on-line! Enjoy!

100 Things About Me

In honor of my 100th post (wow!) I'm following suit of other bloggers and trying to come up with 100 (semi)interesting things about me:

1. I'm a sinner saved by grace.



2. I'm a blessed mom of 3, soon to be 4.



3. I have a wonderful, Christian, patient, kind husband who is also my friend.



4. I don't have a cell phone.



5. I don't have cable.



6. I love chocolate chip cookies.



7. Well, pretty much anything chocolate, especially dark or semi-sweet.



8. Favorite foods include: ice cream



9. Pizza



10. Italian dishes



11. Mexican dishes



12. A good old cheeseburger and fries.



13. I don't like bananas.



14. Or applesauce.



15. I love fall.



16. I enjoy being outdoors.



17. I like foot rubs.



18. And back rubs.



19. My least favorite chores: ironing



20. Dusting



21. I like organizing things.



22. I love flowers. Just about any kind.



23. I like taking walks,



24. Going for bike rides,



25. Getting dirt under my fingernails.



26. Hobbies: scrapbooking



27. A little bit of sewing, I would love to do more!



28. Cooking



29. Reading



30. Playing outside



31. Gardening



32. Playing with the kids



33. I'm hooked on Parents As Teachers



34. and MOPs



35. I tend to favor the color purple.



36. I am low-maintenance in the hair and make-up dept.



37. My ears are pierced 3 times.



38. My nose and belly button are not.



39. Good thing, because I no longer have a belly button after 4 pregnancies.



40. I'm a little addicted to garage sales.



41. I get frustrated shopping for clothes.



42. I don't drink.



43. I don't smoke.



44. I have 2 dogs.



45. I have a non-functioning inground pool.



46. I journal.



47. I blog. (duh!)



48. I facebook.



49. I don't have an iPod.



50. I have 2 younger sisters.



51. And a younger brother.



52. I have 16 nieces and nephews.



53. And one more on the way!



54. I have more ideas than time to do them.



55. I drive a mini-van.



56. A teal one.



57. I have had chicken pox.



58. And pinkeye.



59. And ACL surgery.



60. I'm a college grad.



61. I can't stand things between my toes (like toe rings, [shiver])



62. I do a little stamping.



63. And card-making.



64. And piano-playing (just a little)



65. I have driven a combine.



66. And a 4-wheeler.



67. I have seen a cow give birth.



68. I have gone car-hooding in the snow.



69. I have been rapelling.



70. I've seen the mountains.



71. And the oceans.



72. But not Alaska



73. Or Hawaii. (sigh)



74. I've never been overseas.



75. I can speak un poco Espanol.



76. I used to know some sign language.



77. I like football season (goes along with the fall, see #15)



78. I root for the 'Cats.



79. My parents are both still living and married.



80. So are both sets of my grandparents.



81. Trying new things is mostly out of my comfort zone.



82. Except in the kitchen, I seem to be more adventurous.



83. I am a home-body.



84. I've had some gray hairs since college.



85. I haven't dyed them...yet.



86. I have never bungee jumped.



87. But before I got OLD, I enjoyed roller coasters.



88. So far, I haven't really minded the labor and delivery part of having babies.



89. But the last 16 weeks of pregnancy I could do without!



90. I enjoy doing crosswords, cryptoquote, sudoku, and other word and number games.



91. Scrabble is one of the top pastimes in our household.



92. I was recently awarded the 'I have a new favorite pie' distinction.



93. I have always been a little scared of horses.



94. I can still fit in some clothes I wore in high school...



95. But not some from a couple years ago (?)



96. I wouldn't mind being a little more stylish and glamorous.



97. I am so tired of automated telemarketer phone calls.



98. I don't like humidity at all.



99. I wish I had more hours in the day.



100. I can't believe I got to 100!

:)

My House Smells Like the State Fair

If you're not associated with MOPs, this year's theme is 'Adventures in Mothering.' Like a carnival or circus. So I won a door prize this morning with some carnival snacks, including Funnel Cake mix. I am always craving funnel cake, but don't want to shell out the bucks for it, so I made some for after lunch. It WAS yummy, but...there's a fine line between 'done cooking' and 'setting off the fire alarm.'

Speedy drug the covers off my bed into the closet again, and is taking his nap under hubby's hanging clothes again. I'm still not sure what draws him to the closet.