Good News!

Aside from the fact that today is a Saturday, I don't have ANY PLANS WHATSOEVER and Dustin can't mow the lawn because the lawn mower is out of comission for the time, today is a good day because we don't have a mouse in this house anymore! w00t!

We tried traps in the laundry room (the entry point) but, infuriatingly, I think the little bugger found shelter in the house and stopped using his old haunt. I did a daily clean up of poos found and discovered that with predictable rodent regularity he hit up the base of the trashcan. So we set a trap there and had wild success!

Okay, maybe not wild because that would entail a whole mouse family, found in one trap, each holding a fifty dollar bill in his dead little jaw. So we had good success.

I really hate the mouse in the house conundrum. You don't know what is safe and you feel like everything is dirty. When I discovered that two nights in a row it came by my side of the bed, I felt betrayed by the safety of my bedroom.

And then there is the guilt with setting the trap. You hope there is no suffering but feel that some justice is necessary. Plus, what if one explodes? I mean I know that is something right out of an Urban Legend but what if??

We are taking measures to keep this from happening again but (in my opinion) the best measure would be a good cat. Won't you join me in convincing Dustin of the same? Please?

Going Upper (middle) Class

We recently did the whole birthday hoopla. And with that, Dustin's parents came to visit. And with them came a boat.

This isn't one of those fancy-pants boats that you show off to your friends while your butler brings you another martini. No, this is one of those boats that you get because you love water and can't afford one. And your in-laws really don't want it hanging around, anyway.

It is actually in good condition. The most work will be clean up. A thick layer of Texas dirt covers everything. But it runs and they gave us paraphernalia like skis and a tube. So, COOL!

It should be noted that, if I were okay with it, Dustin might sleep on the boat. He loves it so much. The weather has done very little more than rain in the last few days and he is just terribly distraught about the lack of TLC the boat has received.

And then I come along and say things like, "Oooooh, we are going to need to get some cup holders." And I see him die a little.

Probably shouldn't mention how I feel about getting a first aid kit, huh?

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

I have experienced a first today. The Sheriff came to my house. And he didn't do a cavity search!

But really! The sheriff came up my (1/3 mile long) driveway to ask if we have seen anything in the past few days. Our neighbor was robbed sometime in the past 36 hours (they were out of town) and the Sheriff was looking for clues. He even wrote down my name, number and address! Though, really, he was AT MY HOUSE. Couldn't he just have looked on my mailbox??

I digress.

What I really want to say is: WOO-HOO! WE ARE GETTING DEADBOLTS, BABY!!

I called Dustin to convey the info from the sheriff and check if he saw anything. Which he has not. But he decided once and for all that we need better "safety" in our house. Right now, you could get in with an old gift card and 2 hands. For realz.

Also, to add to the Reasons To Freak Out When It Gets Dark: Last night we were watching a movie in our bedroom, it was late (11 pm) and I was ready for bed but needed to bring the dog in. When I say ready for bed, I mean wearing very little clothing. Like 1 article. My right foot gets very cold. Don't judge. ANYWAY, when I stepped into the living room, the front door was STANDING OPEN. The dog was there kind of like, "It wasn't me!" Thankfully no one answered to my calls of, "Is anyone here?" Because then we would have had a real life horror film on our hands. And last night I just didn't have it in me to run through the fields being chased by a psycho redneck.

So today, my friends, I will be the owner of a SAFE house. One with bolts on the doors keeping the crazies out (or in, depending on your perspective). One where I can wear that one article of clothing confident my neighbors will see because I forgot to close the curtains and not because they broke in! A home where, if I get locked out wearing just a towel, I will actually have to call the police instead of use up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a-start.

I am so excited, I may even post PICTURES!!

The Perfect Way to Clean

Right now, there is a lot of people trying to find a good, cheap, natural way to clean. And using your kids is a great idea! I mean, why else would you have kids and raise them to be productive? Child Labor Law, schmild-schmabor-schaws.

Really, I am all for the kids helping out around the house but if you are anything like me, you are such a control freak that the thought of your kids cleaning a toilet keeps you awake at night! Instead, I do the heavy work and let them do simpler things. Jesse can fold his own laundry, take his dishes to the sink and keep the bathroom sink clean. Brea, though much younger, does not lack in desire. Therefore she gets to feed the dog and helps me by putting away/retrieving simple items. Both children pick up their toys and clothes.

I am the first born and Dustin has an older brother but is very much an only. I am used to doing it my way and he is used to having it his way. However, both of us were required to help the family with cleaning. He cleaned significantly less than I did but his mom did a great job of making sure he knew how to wash dishes, laundry and toilets*. Both of us had jobs as cleaning people during highschool. You cannot FATHOM how happy his knowledge makes me!

I was not only the oldest (by 9 years) but I was also the only girl, homeschooled (we all were) and my mom had a part time job. This all added up to lots of cleaning and babysitting for me. I completely understand why it was helpful. With two small boys, homeschooling, a part time job, oh and they did Amway, there was little time for my mom to keep up with some home basics. And I was around ALL THE TIME. And I was really good at it. They would come home and say, "Wow, Jami! The floor looks great!" Then I would explain to them how I was looking at it and realized it could use some detail scrubbing....on my hands and knees.

I am a perfectionist. And to be honest it is very difficult to care for your home if you expect it to be perfect! Flylady calls us SHEs (Side-tracked Home Executives) and perfectionism is our handicap. If I can't mop the floor perfectly, I won't do it until I can. Which might be next week. Or month. Whatever. Regardless, perfectionism doesn't make the perfect house maker, unless she is willing to sacrifice everything for it. Which I am not. So I had 2 choices: 1) Do it perfect every once in a while and not be happy with the state of my home or 2) Do it routinely but not perfectly and be happy with my home.

I choose happiness. I always will.

This is a work in progress. I am not perfect but I love the concepts that Flylady and her crew set out. My family doesn't need an immaculate home. They need a comfortable home, where they can live and find rest. So, with that in mind, my house needs to be a place of peace for it's inhabitants and those that visit. Do you want to pay me the ultimate compliment? Tell me you love coming to my house because it is so relaxing/restful/peaceful/etc.

I see that Jesse has the perfectionism trait (as well as my temper, we are working on both) so I am teaching my kids when to give your all and when to do what you need so that there is enough left to give your all somewhere else. Like in curing cancer. Or playtime. It seems to be working because I find Jesse and Brea are really good at doing what I ask, in a timely manner, so that they can move on to the fun part of life. And when I tell them how thankful I am for their help, how much they have contributed to the family and how valuable they are, they beam and are willing to help in the future.

It might also help that I threaten to make them sleep outside.


*For the record, though he knows how to clean toilets, it is the one thing he refuses to do. But he cleans dishes, deals with the trash, changes poopy diapers, helps make dinner AND clean up after it. Plus he thinks mowing the lawn is FUN. Totally worth the trade off.

My hero

For Christmas my in-laws gave us a Wii and the Fit. Also for Christmas, my parents gave us Guitar Hero World Tour, with 2 guitars. Their family (which still houses all four of my siblings, ages 7-20) received GHWT with all the bits. You know, microphone, drums and both guitars. Needless to say, it was one of the most fun Christmas days ever!

My son, 7 years old, was unsure about the whole thing. He is so self conscious about everything that it has taken Dustin and I YEARS to get him to stop racing from the room, in tears, from embarrassment. So, getting him to participate in the GH festivities was a time consuming process. He started with the drums. Then tried a guitar. But really, he was so frustrated at his inabilities that he refused to play more, until he could practice at home. So, in desperation, I tried the last bit. The microphone. But he was hesitant, so I said I would sing with him. The boys (because, in my family there are a lot of them) chose Linkin Park's song, What I've Done.

A side note: You know how I said I was nerdy? Well, my whole family is, meaning husband, son and daughter. We love movies and specifically superhero, fantasy, sci-fi, action. So this song? Yeah, it is THE closing song for Transformers (which if you have not seen, you should do so before you do anything else, ever). My whole family loves Transformers. But my son LOVES Transformers.

So the music comes on, and he goes all, "Hey, I know this song....." As the lyrics come across the screen, I begin to sing into the microphone he is holding. He starts to warm up to it. Reads the words (OMG!! He is reading the words without trouble!!!!) and then, suddenly, with the crescendo of the chorus, goes all rock star on me! He is totally belting out the words, head banging and adding dance moves during the guitar solo, hogging the mic! RAD!

My grandma, who was watching the whole thing called me over to tell me how proud of him she was. That she knows he is unsure of himself but that she is so happy we work hard to pull him out of his shell.

And wouldn't you know it? He kept on trying other instruments for the rest of the evening.

Like being vaccinated but BETTER

Ring Around the Rosy
as sung by Brea (AKA Girl)

Ring around the Rosy
a poppet dull da dosey
Run around in a circle
Everyone falls down!

They are onto me

My children know me all too well. Today my daughter clomped over to me, wearing an "evening" gown and clear, plastic dress up heels. She laid her head on my lap and begged for lunch. Poor starving girl! Of course I will feed you, child who ate less than 3 hours ago!

The following is what occurred:

Me (internal dialogue): Lunch, okay, to the fridge for the cheese..and...oh, hey! My white board is empty. Isn't there something that belongs on there? Sure, yeah, gallon sized baggies. Oh, and I forgot to write down the dinner plans for each day this week. I can just do that now! I love the way this pen writes. Don't I have a bunch of other colors, somewhere? Okay, so quiche for Thursday, but oh, no wait, we changed our plans, so we will have to change it out with Friday and then, oh shoot, what are we doing for the weekend? Oh right we have that party, so we will all be doing THAT........

Girl: "Mom? Moooooom?? MOM!!! No! I. WANT. LUNCH."

Two years old and this girl already knows her mom is easily lost.

Death by Christmas

I have always loved Christmas. But then I was always the supporting role. The one who helped set up the tree and decorations and then helped take it down. Helped with cooking. Helped with eating. Helped with shopping and then wrapping.

But not now. Now I am the mom and I am responsible for the family's Christmas Cheer. You would think that since my son is 7.5 years old that I would be used to this but really we haven't had a "normal" year, ever. Not a single year where it is just us and the kid(s). Where we aren't expected to make people happy or people aren't visiting or we aren't traveling *shudders*. This would be, in fact, our first real Christmas as a family. And if I had my way, there would be no trees and just some yummy cookies and gifts (because those are easy! and fun!).

How does one get to the point where they are wondering what the very smallest number of days is required for the Christmas tree? I don't even want to pull out my Christmas music and that is weird. Once upon a time my husband actually had to make a rule that I wasn't allowed to pull out the Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. Christmas cards? Count yourself lucky if you get one from me because Scrooge has taken over, my friend! Once I was little like Walmart: Christmas was fair game after Halloween (well, I did have the common decency to wait for Thanksgiving but it was not a patient wait).

I could argue that now, since I am responsible for EVERYTHING, I am feeling overwhelmed. But I think that would be a cop-out. I think mostly I just want summer back and so I am protesting the season. Ice? Freezing rain? lumpy jackets? The only good things about cold weather are: fires in the fireplace (they are less fun out of the fireplace), sweaters (the soft ones, not those scratchy torture devices) and scarves (my new love). Other than that? Okay, maybe snow. I will concede on that one. But other than THAT? blech.

With ALLLLLL of that in mind I have made a decision: Christmas will not be about the lights, gifts and pleasing people. It will be about the time I get my family all to myself. It will be about watching the kids' wonder at the lighted tree. It will be about the bounty, abilities and grace we are blessed with. And it may, in fact, include a vast number of cookies.