Many Thanks For the Eye Opener...

... to the older woman at the local health food store who attempted to snatch a plastic bottle of homeopathic children's decongestant tablets from Little Love (who was situated right in front of me at the time) ~ and when I assured this lovely woman that I had it, I could handle it, snapped back at me: "please do!"

Dear Lady, know that I no longer view your health food store as family friendly, will no longer subject myself or my children to your nasty looks or snappy comments.

And you lost out big time on the purchase I would have made had your attitude been a tad bit more understanding.


Seriously, folks, if Little Love had managed to break a plastic bottle on their carpeted floor, I would have paid for it.

Should I have asked for a straight jacket upon entering the store?

I seriously hope and pray this woman does not have grandchildren...

Why does this stuff get me so unbelievably angry?!?

My Early Retirement...

...is entirely justified when I see that:

Little Boo has taught herself to ride a two-wheeler

And Action Man has taken the training wheels off her bike for her


Now I'll have loads of time to sip my lattes and blog!

Oh, except for my loads of laundry...

Where's Little Dear?

:)

My New Friend

Yesterday the girls and I spent the entire day cleaning. I tried to make it sound exciting to them by saying we were going to make the house pretty for Grandma and Auntie...

No dice.

At least my daughters aren't easily duped, eh?

We over-hauled the bedrooms and made a trip to the Dollar Store to acquire their promised vases and flowers for their dresser. (I'm not above bribery) I continued on with the laundry and dinner and such while the girls had some well-deserved playtime.

That evening, after they were finally settled in bed, I surveyed the main bathroom. Messy, of course... but that mold in the tub! UGH.

I've tried everything for tub mold, including good old-fashioned elbow grease. Most of my efforts were in vain, and DH has even had to re-grout where the tile meets the tub due to my failure to eliminate that stubborn mold. And so it was with a supreme dose of skepticism that I read the directions on the bottle of Tilex mold & mildew remover...

To remove mildew stains: Turn sprayer nozzle to spray position. Spray, wait until stains disappear and rinse. (emphasis mine)

HA. They have got to be kidding. Disappear?!? These stains have a reign more powerful than Castro's!

OK, wait. The directions continue...

To disinfect and kill mold & mildew on hard, nonporous surfaces, such as ceramic tile: (ok, here we go, I thought, grab the scrub brush) Spray surface until thoroughly wet, let stand 5 minutes and rinse. (emphasis mine)

No way.

But I did what they said, sprayed it all oh-so-thoroughly, and left it for 15 minutes.

I was astounded.

I really wish I had done a before and after photo. It was truly amazing.

Better yet, are they taking auditions for commercials?

:)

Two More Weeks...

From Magnificat:

God takes an odd vengeance on Jesus' human enemies; he offers them eternal life, if only they will hear and see the truth of the one they pursue with such anger.

I read through this a few times, marvelling at how generous God is. No righteous anger towards those He created, at least not at first... only Love.


Nothing much to report here, that's the reason for the (relative) silence.... We have a busy couple of weeks coming up, with a visit from one of the grandparents and an auntie, plus Holy Week just around the corner.

Have a Blessed Weekend!

I Know, Enough Already!

But I couldn't resist just one more....

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Brain?

h/t: Margaret

Hypothetically Speaking...

Say you had a hectic day, wherein you have:

• accomplished all the homeschooling

• cooked dinner for a friend who just had a baby

• cleaned the entire kitchen

• cut the hair of two of your children
  

• took your boys to their first homeschool PE class

• went to the grocery store with 5 kids

And, let's say, (because this is hypothetical, remember?) that while you're all at the store, your 2 year old opens a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in the check-out line, and you realize you must buy it, since you can't put it back already opened...

You are completely justified in consuming said candy bar when you finally return home.

Right?

That's what I thought.

For future reference, of course...

:)

Blog-post Cheating...

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have low conscientiousness. Impulsive and off the wall, you don't take life too seriously. Unfortunately, you sometimes end up regretting your snap decisions. Overall, you tend to lack focus, and it's difficult for you to get important things done. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is medium. You are generally broad minded when it come to new things. But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it. You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

The Five Factor Personality Test

HAPPY SPRING!!!

For the In-Laws... *and everyone else!*

DH swears that Little Love looks a lot like him when he was 2 or 3. He also swears that this is the reason he was spoiled so much... but don't tell my Mother-in-law we said that.

:)

And so for all you readers out there...






























... Whaddya think?

The Snake Fiasco... (or how to enamor yourself to your neighbors, Nutmeg-style)

I took my kiddos to the lake again on Thursday, and included in my repertiore our adopted son-from-down-the-street, Andrew. He is 10, and since he had spring break and both of his parents work, he was at our house pretty much all day, every day.

No need to ask how this impacted our homeschooling week.

(ahem)

Having never spoken to his mother before, I was a bit apprehensive about what she thought of our crazy, over-sized family and the impending field trip. She was a typical mom, concerned about the child to adult ratio, (6 to... um... 1) and exhorted her offspring to obey me at all times.

As it turns out, having Andrew in the group was a real perk, since his presence provided all of the excitement. He was the one who caught everything:

a snake

a fish

and Little Boo (but that's another story)

Catching the snake was probably the least exciting catch of the day, since it was just swimming along in the water, minding it's own business, when we scooped it out and passed it around. I emptied our cheese container, and we made a nice cozy wet home for Rover and continued on with the more pressing needs like baiting the fishing rods, keeping the pocket knife out of Little Love's hands, and practicing my math skills by constantly counting to 6.

After we had eaten lunch, taken a successful bathroom break, and gotten sufficiently sun-burned, we headed home with Rover in tow.

The next morning, Andrew shows up at our door relaying the hysterics that had occurred the night before when his mom saw Rover the snake. Turns out, Texas has quite a few species of venomous water snakes, deadly enough to kill after a single bite... and this native NYer didn't have a clue.

So, I packed up the kids and the nasty snake, and we headed out to a fish and reptile store to see if the owner could identify Rover for us.

I went into the store first and told Mr. Tatoo/multiple-earring-dude how we caught this snake at the lake-

He said, "You pulled this snake out of the water?!?"

I nodded.

He said, "Ma'am, here in Texas, you need to leave those water snakes be."

I nodded again.

And then I herded in the brood, along with the snake, where Tatoo-man identified Rover as a harmless black corn snake.

WHEW

Much to my relief, Rover was never a threat. But much to my neighbor's consternation, Rover is now a permanent household fixture.

Yer welcome, Ma'am.

:)

*next post will concern "how to enamor your neighbors by RSVPing in the negative for a boys' sleepover, then letting your boys ride their bikes out front while the party is starting" (sheesh)*

I Am...

I am the baby born on Long Island to two young, long-haired, peace-loving souls.

Who entered the world as a surprise and has been constantly surprised by it since.

I am the child who played with Tiddly Winks and made Shrinky Dinks and loved her gray and white rabbit named Shalky. Who loved Donnie and Marie Osmond Barbies and the Rockin’ traveling van that went with them. Who stored pussy willows and buttercups in her treasure box and who dreamed of being a princess ballerina and never thought that dancing with a newborn could be the fulfillment of that dream.

I am the teenager whose father taught in the same high school she attended. Who wore parachute pants and leg warmers and loved Wendy’s Frosties and hated snobby people. Who double-pierced her own ears using Bactine and a needle, and then got caught and had to let them close up. Who dreamt of becoming a lawyer and never had a clue exactly how handy those skills would be when raising her own children.

I am the woman whose family became missionaries leaving the only life they’d ever known, while leaving her to finish college on her own. Who loves her family and friends with a fierce devotion and has come to appreciate and love the awe-inspiring Traditions of her Faith.

I am the woman who loves flowers and sunshine and goes crazy if neither are in abundance. Whose moments of perfect bliss come often, both in the quiet and the chaos, content in the knowing that she is living out the vocation handpicked especially for her.

I am the mother who loves paintings and the park, but absolutely abhors the mall… yet somehow manages to spend way too much money on her children.

I am the woman who plays soccer and the guitar, and loves watching her own kids play sports.

I am the mother who cried for months over the loss of her baby and then cried with joy at the birth of her youngest.

I am the woman who loves surprises, but still balks at change.

Who still longs to learn and know better: patience, true joy, and peace.

I am the person who dreamt of fame and fortune but is now so grateful for being small and secure.

I am the mother whose dreams now include not only her own family, but almost all of humanity. And who is so thankful for the privilege of being entirely connected to this world, while gazing with hope towards the next.

*If you'd like to do one of your own, go here*