Schedule Love

Hey, y'all!  I hope you had a great..Monday!  Eeek!  I know it's usually the worst day..back to work/class and all.  I have a *secret*.  I kinda like Mondays.  Is that weird?  I'm into schedules (all the organized things happening in a timely fashion) and it really freaks me out all the hanging loose that happens on the weekends.  I know.  I'm weird.  I have never confessed to being normal.

When we have new seals put on, they'll clean it, and it'll be just like new.  Solid Silver = gorgeous!!

So, today some family friends shared..and we got Mary Claire a flute!  She has decided its her heart's desire to learn to play this fascinating (and gorgeous!) instrument.  She will be in band and hopefully master this sweet little pure silver beauty.  I am praying she sticks with it.  Number one because kids in band really bond together, number two because band kids are good kids, and number three because I am still friends with band friends and they grow up to be great people!  Oh yeah, and because she will have a life skill and appreciate music! : )  Thank you, Rachel, for bringing it over!

We like to Create.

Then we had Mom's Lunch for all the moms of kids with diabetes!  It's always (ok..usually!) the best!  We get to learn and help and counsel and laugh (and have Jose's chips and salsa!)..what's better?  Food makes everything better!  (you did not hear me say that.) (Especially as a mom of kids with diabetes.)  Seriously, they are some of my very best friends..I can even tell them some crazy stuff and send them the little poopy emoji, and they do not judge.  They are the best I tell you.  : )

Painted with this girlie on Saturday!

And then my mom came to get the two big kids, they were excited!!  They haven't gotten to spend time at my parents' this summer, it's been SOO busy!  Vacations, camping, swimming, friends..(and my parents have been busy partying too!) I'm sure they are playing, eating, and having a blast!  It's the one night I don't have to check blood sugar, so I'm kinda hyper..can you tell?!  haha!

Leigh is so sweet!  She did the wood with painted words (which were painstakingly penciled, rubbed, then painted), and Be The Good is a different color inside the quote!  So pretty.  I was so consumed finishing my painting (an HOUR late!!) I missed all the other pictures.

My good friend Tiffany just moved to a new house (we've had Bible study together for a few years, and taught First Communion together two years ago!), and I've been helping her unpack, organize, and get ready for her son Eli's birthday party.  I went over there this afternoon to help again (yes, I secretly love organizing books and shelves and duck tape rolls and pencils and hanging pictures and painting her vases and a chalkboard wanna-be Dana Tanamachi. .for reals).  Her husband has pretty high expectations (ok, impossible!), so I'm doing my best to help her pull the downstairs together for his party TWO WEEKS after they move in.  It's been months since I moved, and I STILL have boxes!  (he wants them all of theirs unpacked..eekk!)  Ok, so it makes me thankful for my husband and his l-o-w expectations.  (Is that bad?)

We all got to pick different projects to work on, and they were so helpful!  The owners (Katie and her husband) are amazing!!

And then the remainder of my family had dinner and split.  Ches took Ethan to the movies to see Planes, and I went to the store with Baby Carter.  I love having no time limit (except for baby exhaustion).  We looked at electrical parts for Tiffany's lamp, bought clear organizers for drawers, 9 boxes of 60 watt light bulbs (you DO know they won't be sold after December 31, 2014, no?)  (100 watt bulbs were gone 1/1/13), new ice packs for school lunches, tiny little gifts, stickers, milks..and some food.  Fun stuff!

I did the Birthday Cupcake sign, and she did a chevron frame with chalkboard paint!  SO FUN!!  (Should I tell you it was pouring down rain and my hair was crazy frizzy?  And I'm all, "Look what I made!!")

Finally home, Ethan asked me to read to him.  My back was killing me, so I said I'd read on my bed (moon-party mama).  He brought down his Bible and Calvin and Hobbes, the essentials if your name is Ethan, ha!  We read from Matthew.  We had amazing conversation about letting your light shine (he remembered the song!).  AND about Matthew 5:27-30 (if your eye causes you to sin, poke it out!).  We talked about how when he plays his Nintendo DS he gets sooo mad when Carter touches the screen in the middle of his game.  I tell the kids (a lot) that if something makes you sin or you like the thing more than people, you should throw it away.  (Conviction: iphone!)  My sweetie fell asleep on my bed, hopefully sleeping sound in Jesus.

A wonderful day.  (Guess I'm not an introvert?)  I'm telling you, I like my Mondays.  *Love* weekends, just love back-to-the-schedule maybe more?  (If I can overlook your jeggings, Downtown Abbey or Star Wars thing..you can overlook this.)  It's why we can get along, heehee.  That and my cookies are pretty good.  And I can help you arrange your furniture, yo!

Hope your Tuesday is rockin'!  Hugs!

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.  Matthew 13:44

Paint

Once upon a time there was sweet little girl who decided to give up television for Lent.  On Sundays, there was a reprieve.  So she got up before seven to let the tv watching begin!  She tiptoed into her parents' room to quietly ask if she could turn on the television.  Why waste a single moment with your music or Barbies when there is a black tv just waiting to bring life into the room?  And so she had her way with the tv.  Until there were more exciting things to do..outside! : )


It was a gorgeous 80 degree day here, and not an ounce of humidity in sight!  Awesome day to be outside.  We started slowly, but ended up being out ALL afternoon!  Ches trimmed all of our monkey grass (big blue liriope, if you are a stickler), and I planted some flowering bushes I bought about a month ago: a new hydrangea and two peony bushes.  Ok, I should really correct.  I bought the little sticks that become these nice plants.
Here is what the peonies should look like:

Yes, they had me at Guaranteed To Grow.

..and this is the hydrangea packaging.  Also Guaranteed To Grow.

Are you really ready?

This little stub (center, kinda to right) is going to be a peony shrub.  Ha, I know.  But maybe when it's big and beautiful, I'll give you some cuttings!

And here is my little hydrangea.  I bought an Endless Summer Hydrangea two years ago, and I really did get summer-long blooms (and it's still alive!), but this one was only $8.  Big Difference.  Let's just see how it does. : )

I also watered all my plants, and let Ethan dig up some of my vinca vine (that stuff grows as crazy as spearmint or kudzu!!) to plant, since I didn't have any flowers for him to place in his little holes, and he was going to pull up these precious pansies to replant:

They are so happy in partial shade-they would cry over in that stupid bark pit.

Anyway, here is Ethan SO proud of his planted vinca, dug and planted personally with his own (snow) shovel:

Proud Gardener (I don't think he can fail with that stuff!)

And then we made pizza, had dinner outside, and proceeded to fill our evening with paint.

I just love to watch her paint.  She's so careful, and so patient.  And then..

she starts flinging water Maestro-style!

Ethan painted too-I love his too because he has no fear of mixing colors, and it always turns out so beautiful.

Very Carefully.

Look at the two for me...I'm so blessed! : )

And then I began to use leftover paper to clean out the black from each of Ethan's paints, and Mary Claire liked it.

..so this is for my girl.  Notice how the paints got cleaner and purer from right to left?  My only complaint..water colors need a white so you can make light colors.  Like Pink.

I tried and tried to get a good picture of Clay, but he's ten.  Much too old to pose or smile for his momma.  I got this as he disappeared; these are the only ones I got today:

pulling his pants up..

and then Gone.

I hope he doesn't stay in this stage forever, I love his beautiful face.

Last funny for today:
Ethan had some Cheetos for snack, and he said he got a toothbrush-shaped one.  I went to get my camera, and when I came back, Mary Claire was brushing his teeth with it!  Yum.

They said the only thing better was if they had Cheeto-flavored toothpaste!

Teacher *Love*

Slower describes today-good thing! : )  Ethan and I hung around the house this morning, cleaned downstairs, mopped, did laundry, and then I got a shower, did my nails, and we went Out.  (love, love, love Out!)
We started at the school-Sissy wanted some medicine (she's fine on the weekend, and nights, but feels sick at school.  Hmm.)  So, I'm handy-I took her medicine! : )
Then we went to Wal-Mart which turned into a three hour thing.  We got our pictures printed, shopped for groceries, then he always gets "hungry" when he walks by Subway (good advertising, Subway!-the veggies on the front counter always makes kids hungry).  We got some apple slices (that were out of date, and brown!), then a pizza sub, and he got some chips.  Then after we'd just sat down, he needed to go to the bathroom.  I told the lady we were leaving our food (and our paid-for groceries!) and we'd be back-I didn't want her to throw our food away! : )
Next, we were off to Colliers to pick up the other five insulin pens we didn't get yesterday!  Ahh, then some art, kids' conferences, dinner, boy scouts, games (Hi-Ho-Cheerio!), books, and bed.

I have to say i *love* the kids' teachers.  They are soooo sweet.  I'm just so thankful for the blessing.  We pray everyday for the teachers at the school, for blessings on them, answered prayers for them-we pray for all of them, but I happen to know that happy teachers are great teachers. : )  Mary Claire has done very well, only needs to improve on math and writing-those we know. : )  She is at a 5.6 reading level (fifth grade, sixth month), and don't I know it!  She loves to read.  Her teacher said she is quiet in class-shock to me!  I guess she didn't get my awful talking gene?  My teachers always wrote about my talking on my report card!  hahaha-if I was still getting a report card, they'd still be writing it! : )

Clay had an amazing conference!  He is doing so well, read three times his reading goal for the 9 weeks already, and scored amazingly well on his Benchmark test from the spring.  I cried.  Yes, I know, Psycho.  I couldn't help it!  I was just happy, proud, thrilled, uh-amazed?  We've just come so far from a couple years ago when he used to stand at his desk, get in trouble for talking, not concentrating on work, etc.  His teacher was so complementary-it was so sweet.  I felt like a weirdo crying, but I think just knowing that we nailed the ADHD felt so good.  Like we did the right thing, the money for testing was worth it, the perseverance has paid off.  He is finally acheiving closer to his IQ.  He had such a discrepancy between his IQ and where he was performing (which is one way they diagnose), and now-MaGiC!  I'm just so thankful (and this is one place that the English language fails-there aren't exciting enough words to describe my happy feelings!)

I came home to tell them all the good things their teachers had to say, show them their great grades and scores from testing-I was so happy for them! : )  They bless my soul.  When you have kids, you try hard to help them be all God wants them to be, but you never know if you are hitting the mark.  And then one day, you get a hint that you might be doing something right.  Precious.

Here is Ethan painting (half-naked-well..he had a new shirt on today, and I didn't want paint on it!):

Here is the finished product.  Kinda green!  It's the only color he wanted, so I gave him a few greens:

This is Clay working on his Titanic some more:

This is his finished painting:

And I worked a little bit on Ethan's canvas for his bathroom.  I painted the dots after school, then added the paper and Mod-Podge this evening.  I'll finish tomorrow-I think bed is calling my name now.  ..maybe I should change my name? : )  heehee

Musical Painting

I'm trying something new: posting a short video to this post. It's taking me a while..I think I have it edited (in iMovie)-you know, all the parts where I'm telling Ethan not to play with the blinds..
They painted birdhouses today, and it was so peaceful-then in the quiet, Mary Claire was singing and humming so beautifully!  I got my camera as quickly as I could, and tried to video her.  Did the beautiful painting make her sing, does she just do it as she works, or did the singing help her painting?  Notice, she even continues humming, never even taking notice of Ethan "licking" at her paint!  Ok, so it's not working so well..I figured out how to add it above!  Here is the link to the video on youtube anyway. : )
Here are the kids painting:

And I'm still debating on the school thing.  If I register for fall, I have to get on it really fast.  The one thing I was thinking about registering for has a deadline of the second week in June...so I'd have to call and request a late admission already.  I'm still thinking.
Here are the birdhouses outside, right after a light summer rain.

We saw the two most beautiful yellow finches outside this window a couple days ago-they looked like they could have been caged just moments before-too beautiful to be just flying around!  They both landed-together-on a shepherd's hook right outside the window.  We wanted them to come back, so we bought birdhouses.  We'll buy feed, but where do we put it exactly?  So the big mean birds don't get it all?  And so the wild cats that come and go through our fence don't get the birds?

Pushing Buttons. MY Buttons

Sorry about my last post. I mega-edited it, and therefore took out half of the content (ie: my obsessing). It was just too much. Sorry if you caught it. : (

So. We were planning to go camping last night, just me and Mary Claire with the girl scouts. She was (and is) so high, it just wasn't okay to be away from home. She was 268 this morning, and at lunch, she was 396. I know-horrible. She's just so thirsty (nasty side effect that helps your body rehydrate and flush blood sugar).

To compensate for not going, we took her to a (sugar free) tea party in Bentonville at the Crumpet Tea Room (Express-not to be confused with the old Crumpet Tea Room in Rogers, as they "haven't been associated in years"). She got all dressed up-on her own-in Sunday's church dress (I made no comment), and her pearls. She also dressed up Bella (her unicorn best friend) in a fancy dress that matched her Easter dress last year, and Elizabeth (my Lee Middleton doll that she's adopted for her own) in some of her old baby clothes-precious. So, we picked up Gigi and headed to Bentonville. She chose Ginger Peach tea in a teapot (and got unmatched teacups and saucers for her and Bella). She poured the tea, "sweetened" it, creamed it, and declared it "creamific" (she said it was creamy and terrific all mixed together)!


We went into a gift shop next door (Final Touch, I think), and looked at all their goodies. Gigi chose a beautiful Vera Bradley notebook with all sorts of fun things and a set of clippies to segregate all her musings. Then we went by Wal-Mart-the Bentonville is sooo different! And they were in the midst of moving and remodeling. We told Mary Claire she could spend $10 (I guess you can put a price tag on I'm Sorry), and she looked for almost an hour! The Barbie toys were split up between the old spot and the new location, so that required some time-and memory! She chose a Polly Pocket set, and was very happy with it. So happy, that she could barely wait to check out to open it! It was fun, and that was important to compensate for the loss of the camping.

Back at home, Ches was also compensating! He'd set up the new tent he got the kids. They were just sure they were going to sleep out under the stars last night! I stayed out with them (and my new Off! fans) until 10pm. I wanted them good and tired to SlEeP! Well. After I came in and started to get Ethan to bed (I know, wayy to late!), Mary Claire came in saying it was too hot out there! Not long afterward, Clay came in crying saying he wanted her to stay with him. So, he decided to stay inside, and wanted to know if I cared. ha! I wanted him in all along, but telling them what you think just backfires a lot, so I was glad he'd made the decision on his own! : )

Today it's been a revolving door of in-and-out. Because of the tent. And Ethan. It's been crazy! And we've had two peepee accidents. Ugh. We are back on the m&m routine, which is effective. I keep phasing it out after a good week of no accidents. Anyway, they are outside now (in the nasty heat), and I'm getting ready to check her again. She wants a go-gurt, but 396 is too high to eat! : O

Ok, 346. Too high to eat again. And she's throwing a fit. She no longer wants diabetes, and she wants to be like Clay and Ethan. So, let me just call in my order. I know it's hard, and I do feel sorry for her, but there's nothing I can do but pump insulin into her. It makes me hurt just to know she hurts.

Well, she's stayed in the 200's all day. We haven't gotten a number under 224 today. Boo. We'll have to change her site, this one may just be bad. She swam yesterday, and that always ruins a good site. I've got her set at 120% just to combat whatever it is, but who knows. Sometimes she runs high when she's getting ready to be sick (fighting it off). So check in on Thursday or Friday-it could be virus time! : P

I helped Mom paint, hang drapes and blinds this afternoon, (I've fed my family) and I'm running back over there right now (well, driving). Ches has been so good to watch the kids. He even offered to watch them so I could get back over there to get it finished up. This is week three (for Mom). It is never-ending. You could work on it for another month. There are always more things that could be done!

ps-This morning I had asked Clay to pick up the hearth room so I could vacuum it. I was working my way toward the carpet, when I glanced in there, and it was disgusting! It had been clean five minutes before, but it was then destroyed by billions of toys! First I got onto Ethan and told him to clean up!! Mary Claire was leaning over the rail from upstairs telling my Clay had gotten all the toys out to get me mad at Ethan (?). So I went to Clay and got onto him, and he'd said it was Her Idea! So, back to her. They said they wanted to make me mad at Ethan, and they shared responsibility. They also shared the clean up job. I have totally underestimated them. They can literally push my buttons. On Purpose! : O

Time is Money

So tired. No time or energy to blog tonight.

Must get sleep and finish staging a house tomorrow! Already shaping up and looking fresh and ready to sell! : ) Good work, Mom!

Will resume normal life after this weekend. And laundry is semi-caught up.

I sent all my pictures into Wal-Mart that I wanted printed. It's $46.00. Ugh. That does cost more than making a video and burning it to dvd for the kids to watch. Maybe it'll be easier in the long run, and time is money.

Ps-Keep using your Clorox toilet tabs. Just believe me. You'll thank me later. Keeps funk from growing in your tank. And transferring to your toilet.

My baby got locked in the bathroom today. He did it himself, so I didn't freak out. The kids were running around trying to find a key. He was not panicked, so I kept washing dishes (well, my Paula Deen fancy skillet cooker) until the panic passed. They got him out, so no harm done. Is it a Moment? When you mature into Non-Panic Mode? I think I had a moment today. Or I rather enjoyed washing without help. Hmm..

Fit in some enjoyable painting time today to paint a canvas. Fun, relaxing. I should fit it in every day! I keep canvases in the closet for an emergency. You know, a decorating emergency when you can't find the perfect art. You just Make It! : )

Really gotta go to bed. I guess I did have time. ; )

PiNK & Nice to meet you

If being achy means I worked really hard yesterday, then I have proof. Kendra came back (long-suffering, isn't she?) and we repainted the room (after a trip back to Benjamin Moore for the CoRRecT color! He admitted he'd used the wrong base!). It was a long afternoon, and then I painted till about 10pm. I just really wanted to finish!! After my feet were killing me (I think you are supposed to wear shoes up on the ladder...), and my hand was achey, and my back was in pain (bending over backward to paint the ceiling), it was time to quit.

The color (kind of a dark pink) looks great in the dark, very elegant, and very cheerful in the day. I plan to dress it only in neutrals, so it looks more adult. This color could get out of hand really quickly! I can just tell. I think I'll use the same drapes I have in my bedroom, but maybe a shade darker. Kind of a linen-color. Then when we make pictures on the beach in Ocean City, I'll print them in sepia tones, mat them in white, and frame them in square chocolate frames. Not too much more in there. I'd planned to polka dot the chandelier shades, and add color, but I think sometimes less is really more (especially with a loud color). I want it to just be background. I'll still have to blend in the rooms around it, and I'll do it with the linen color. Unless I order new slipcovers for the couches...which I was kinda planning anyway...

Ethan came to get me this morning after running off mad at me. (Mean old me put milk in his cereal after he'd declared no milk) He came running saying, "Peepee!" So I tried to take him, and he said, "Show You!" So I went with him. Pee. On My Carpet. How not to punish? I made him freeze (in the yucky underwear) on the bathroom floor while I ran to get cleaner and a rag to clean. I came back to him dancing around (on the carpet!). It's like he was a dog, and he was showing me. Ugh. He's cleaned up, and he made a pee on the potty chair again. So, hopefully all's well. I have another Independent Child. I'm just meeting this child I've known for two and half years.

I feel selfish taking ten minutes to blog with the house on Pause (or Play behind my back), but I need a few minutes to myself. I've been so busy with Ches gone, and it'll stay busy till he's back. I need a shower, more paint, more painting time, and I'm planning to make church today. Somehow. Say a prayer for us! If we are supposed to be there, God will make a way.

**I feel like when I don't post, there is so much missed. Yesterday, we were out getting paint, mailing packages to two soldiers (one in Afghanistan, one in Japan), and I found out how difficult it is (and expensive!). I had to fill out forms for them to go through customs (yes, they were JUST girl scout cookies), and we were at the post office way too long. We got to the car, and Ethan had to go peepee. I didn't think peeing on public (government) property was allowed, so I tried to get him to go in my van trashcan. Nope. We headed home, and he just yelled peepee, so I pulled over, and tried again. He went, and went, and went! He must've held it a long time, because there was so much! And then. What on Earth do you do with the pee that's standing in your vehicle in a trash can? Creepy. We drove home (it didn't spill), and got rid of it!! What if we hadn't been pretty close to home? Not gonna go there. But he held it! and made it in underwear again! and went again in Benjamin Moore's bathroom! (BM's bathroom just did NoT look right!)

Peony Pink, Maybe

Hot Pink. It's actually called Peony Pink by Benjamin Moore. That's the color I thought I was smearing all over my breakfast room walls. Well. It was mixed wrong, we found out after three coats!! Going on it was all smooth, dark pink, luscious. Dry, it was almost the same exact color as it was before-red. But the old was dusty, new was fresh. Kendra helped me paint today-who would give up their afternoon to help me paint? Only my mom or a really great friend. It's yucky work! We opened up the can I'd bought as a sample to try-a quart-and it matched the paint strip/chip that Kendra accidentally found. The color we'd been putting up all afternoon matched the bottom color! It was a dark red not far from where we'd started. We'll try again tomorrow. Boy, what a surprise Father's Day gift for Ches when he gets home late Sunday! He knows about it, but I bet he'll be surprised! You only live once, and we live colorfully. Only when you have kids at home can you be so bold. I'll settle into blah colors when I'm older. Grandkid-days and beiges, maybe?

We made it to Story Time this morning-yay! and Early!! (on accident), checked out new books (can I just say it gets harder to find even one good book when they get older? They've read every picture book made, and they have narrowed interests when they get older, ugh, difficult), then to Lowe's to buy spray-able Seven Dust to kill my cutworms that are devouring two of our pine trees out front! It's awful! They ate all the needles off the top, and down onto a branch since last night. I ended up cutting off those branches. I pulled all the worms off (I'll post a pix of the creatures tomorrow) the bottom branches, and covered my fingers in disgusting pine tar and worm slime. Grossest job yet. : P

Then I got the kids (just Clay and MC, don't be crazy!) hair cut, then returned some books to the other library, then home for lunch and nap/rest time. Our days are running really late- nap was 1:30ish, and dinner has been sevenish in our normally 5pm lives. We've got to get it together!

It's almost midnight, and I get to do it all again tomorrow! Painting, at least. : )

ps-He was in underwear all day, even for all that running around, and No Accidents!! Yay!!

Three Baths, Two Games, and One Busy Week Ahead

Whew, what a day.
I can't write much, as I think I'll be going to bed very early tonight. Ethan was up at 6:10 this morning (before the sun is too early in my book), and he woke up the kids (unless it was the other way around...). He'd had two baths by 9, and then was so cranky. I laid him down at 9:20a, and he went right to sleep! He even slept through me banging around making lunch. Wow. I was sure I'd wake him up, so I made his lunch. It got gross, and he didn't even eat it.

It seemed like we had lots of time today (guess getting up early does that for you!). We played outside, I cleaned off the deck of branchy bits, leaves, swept behind and around furniture and pots (full of dead and alive plants). I called Lowe's, Barbara's Gardens, and Westwood Gardens, finally WM, and NoNe of them had pansies (well, the middle two were closed). I was so sad. My pots needed sprucing up, and I had an extra hour and a half to fill (ha!) and I couldn't get flowers. It was so nice and warm today! I'll plan to get some tomorrow.

Then I came in (in my non-planty time) and made a pump pouch for a little girl that goes to another school where Mary Claire's nurse works. She doesn't have one, and she just got a pump. She only lives with her dad, and I don't know if dads socialize about where to get a pump pouch. I hope she likes it-Mary Claire has one like it, and she picked out the fabric. I put her name on it, it has flowers on it! : )

Then gave Ethan his real wash-up-for-the-night-bath, made dinner, cleaned up, played two games of Pretty Pretty Princess with Mary Claire (we each won once), gave the kids baths, and read (Calvin & Hobbes-almost a nightly affair and The English Roses by Madonna-good story!). They are up in their beds, maybe not quite asleep. I'm so tired, did I mention that?

I feel like my desk is so clean and I'm organized! It's such a happy feeling! I feel like I will sleep well. : ) I caught up on bills, mail, my calendar (I just keep saving little bits of paper and reminders and never seem to write them in...), and now I know this is going to be a busy week!
Monday: PTA Mtg, Clay's play
Tuesday: Mother's Day Out for Ethan (maybe), Conferences for kids, Clay's First Reconciliation (Confession)! and he has a Boy Scout pack meeting (he'll probably miss for reconciliation)
Wednesday: Ethan's MDO Valentine's Party
Thursday: Ethan's ENT Dr's Appt., Kids Valentine's Parties
Friday: No School, take the kids to see Coraline, maybe Ches and I going out or maybe Saturday
Saturday: Father/Daughter Valentine's Dance (heehee)

and not to mention that I have to gather BIDS for repairs! Painting, sheetrock, deck, we found someone for the fence. Work! And I just hate to have them come when I'm alone. I'm having Mom come over one day when they can bid the jobs. It's scary when they come in, and I'm alone! Even with Ethan, it's creepy! : O

Other things are in the making, I'll see how they go, and let you know later in the week. A reason to check back in! : )

Oh, and I have to try new paint! Remember when I mentioned the Remodel mag with the green island? I'm trying their lime green (kinda apple-y). Adorable! So tomorrow is flowers and paint. and bids. and find out what I owe for roof repair. And the play. Yeah, I think I'm organized (but that makes me overwhelmed). Whew, what a day.

Comment Challenge on Crazy Morning

Ok, so this morning-a Little Stressful! So, first I get Ethan who's yelling, "Momma! Da-ee!" He's pottied, and stinks! I get him changed, and then to Clay's room...Don't try to paper train your dog. Lexi is sooo small, and hates Outside, so the breeder told us to paper train her inside (and it'd keep her white fur cleaner...). She's pottied in TWO places in Clay's room (he's trying to get her to sleep on the floor so he can get back to the top bunk soon-since I said No Lexi On The Top Bunk!). I tell Clay to take her downstairs to the laundry room to see if she needs to go more. So I get my pet oxygen cleaner stuff and get to work on the spots upstairs, then tell him to look for pee (and yes, he found some). Then to MC's room to wake her up. She's all warm and cuddly. She is slowwwwly getting dressed. Then we all head down to the sound of whining/barking downstairs. All our arms are full-laundry (that's where it comes from!) child, her glucose meter, my oj glass, hangers, etc. The to the laundry room where there are TWO poops AGAin! and a pee. So, Mary Claire is starving looking for food, decides on Rice Krispies (which I have to measure-she can count out Mini-Wheats), so she starts looking for the measuring cups, I'm on the floor picking up poop with tissues, depositing them into the toilet (not in my trash can, no Way!) Cleaning the floor underneath them (steamy, gross), clean up all the pee paper, clean the floor some more, while Ethan climbs on my back and wants a horsey ride. He's so sweet, and he's hugging my neck. I could get crazy, or stop and love on him. I made the right decision! : ) Yay, me! Then back to work...Cereal, Clay decided on a pomegranate (but I only let him have half-other half for lunch as it's not filling and takes eternity to dig for your little seeds. He was using a toothpick-it's why he's so skinny). So I had to add mini-wheats to his breakfast, comb hair, add icepacks to lunch boxes (meanwhile Ethan is balancing-standing up-on a barstool eating messy Rice Krispies-Ches came in and I asked him to man the 'Krispies and Child)-ahhh! So, in the craziness, Mary Claire forgot her meter. I got back from taking them to school (sans makeup and cuteness for that extra bit of sleep), and there was her meter on the counter!!! I sat with Ethan a little (huggy thing) and watched Curious George, then got to the makeup/hair stuff, then the phone rang-8:45 (she doesn't get checked till 9am, so I was taking my time, thinking it wasn't even missed..) and she was in the nurse's office feeling LOW! More guilt, heaped on. I raced to the car, raced to the school, getting the meter ready on the way, parked, ran into the school, bypassed the sign-in in the office, checked her, and she was 236. High. AAhhhh! again. Gave her more insulin, left, back to the house.

New paragraph, finally. (Don't think I don't know they run on. I do.) So, now I'm readying 3 bday gifts for children, finding gift bags, tissue, now I was on to the card-making. But, Ethan got into my paints, so we took a side street and he painted a beautiful canvas for his bedroom. I'll post a slideshow of the Ar-Teest. Messy, but fun. I needed the artful diversion. I have had a few canvasses just waiting! I want to paint, but haven't had so much time... But I left some out, just in case... Now, I'm back to the cards. I printed them, and now I'll stamp, add embellishments, etc. to make them cuter. I'll try to post pix of these also. You know, in my free time.

Ethan is off to take one of his daily baths. He'll be in there for ever! He loves water. He likes 2-3 baths a day-Not Kidding. (If he comes to your house, makes a beeline for your bathroom, and tries to pull his clothes off, cries, etc. You'll Know Why.) And it's good Water Play for him. We are well-rounding him today. Painting, water play, dry play with cars (heehee), tv, snack, story time, classical music at nap... Okay, so it happens rarely. But the stars are lining up today!

Must go make new slidshows for my TWO fabulous readers. I'd like to issue a CHALLENGE! If you've Never left a comment, let's Practice today. Hit the pencil (or the word comment) at the bottom of my post, write a tiny little, "Hi! this is a Challenge Met" or "Love Your Blog!", or advice for the wildly crazy mom, etc. Then choose Name/Url: and just pick a name-any name. Cinderella, Dora the Explorer, Beyonce, whatever-it doesn't verify. Just leave Something (nothing to lower my self-esteem, please). So I can get feedback. Sick of hearing about Poop? No more messy house pictures? You have to say so (not that I will necessarily comply, but there's hope!). I will give you a Hershey's Miniature if you comment (the Krispy, Mr. Goodbar, or Hersheys's plain only, Darks seem to have mysteriously disappeared!). I can be bribed with chocolate, can YOU!?