Greencation: Day 1 & 2

After a day of packing and running around, we loaded up the newly fixed Civic (thanks FedEx for the wreck and the money to fix it) and took off on our "Greencation." We decided to really do our vacation as green as possible we should pile 5 people and luggage for said 5 into the Civic Hybrid and drive to Chicago where we are staying downtown and using only public transit.

So here was the scene prior to leaving Thursday evening. It all fit...barely.

The kids were ready to take off on our vacation even though they were sitting hip to hip and shoulder to shoulder. I was skeptical on how long this enthusiasm would really last. To my surprise we made it the first night (2 hours) with giddiness from all three kids.

Tidbits from the first night:
- We saw a set of fresh burn-out marks on the road and Matthew piped up: "That is a spin-out and I know how you do that. You put one foot on the stop pedal and one foot on the go button at the same time and keep it that way; then it makes a squealing noise and leaves the marks." I then turned my attention to J who gave me a look of "I have no idea how he would know that, I would never take part in that sort of activity." Then Jacob says "Yea, and its really fun too."

- We encountered every animal poo stench there can be while driving for 2 hours in IL. My city-grown children did not appreciate the odors of true nature.

Today we toured Abraham Lincoln's restored home in Springfield, IL before continuing our trek to Chicago. The kids loved the tour and remembered several things about the period from our trip through Callaway Plantation. While the history of President Lincoln and his home are very interesting, the tour of Callaway Plantation was much more informative and educational. I encourage anyone who might be in GA and have an opportunity to tour the plantation to definitely do so.

On the drive in the kids were looking at the skyscrapers and Emily asked if the Sears Tower really scrapes the sky and that is why it is called a skyscraper. Matthew chimed in with "yea, I used to think that is why they called them skyscrapers too, Emmy, but that was when I was a little kid, and then I learned about it." Ouch, that wasn't very nice.

We are in a very nice hotel; I'll write more about it later. Our kids are tripped out by the "FANCY" hotel and all the things that go along with it. They are adjusting to sights and sounds of downtown Chicago. Our hotel sits directly in front of an elevated El track so if you are outside when it passes you can't hear each other talk. Jacob told us later that all the sounds were giving him a headache and he thinks it is just too busy. This might be a long 4 days.

Weekend Tidbits

It is never a dull weekend around this house; I long for the "boring" weekends when we decide to touch up some painting or plant a couple of new bushes.

We took down the dreaded fluorescent light in the kitchen that has been tormenting me for the last three months. Last weekend we put up a new chandelier in the dining room, here are a picture of each.

Sunday morning we were going to get an early start on the wood floors hoping we can get the majority finished before our vacation this weekend but impulsively decided to re-do the half bath instead. We figured the mess would be better tracked across plywood sub-floor instead of finished wood floors. Man, were we right!

Here is the bathroom before, slightly. It originally started with carpet (BLECH!) but we pulled that out about 6 weeks ago and we've kept a big rug on the floor to soften up the look of plywood. We demo'd the bathroom which registered an 11 on the EWWW scale. Notice the tub of Lysol wipes; we used an enormous amount of these because the water was shut off. The builder decided to skip the $5 shut-off valves on the faucet plumbing making it necessary to cut off the water to the house until we were able to install those. We demo'd quickly so we could make a trip for the shut-off valves otherwise we would all be bathing in antibacterial wipes and relieving ourselves in the forest behind the house. Did I say we did the demo very quickly?

We now have a toilet on the patio; it makes for such a nice "getting back to nature" experience. I wish we could always have such tranquility while pooing. If the project goes on too long I might just fill it with potting soil and plant some bulbs in it for next spring. It would complimented nicely by some daffodils.

The bathroom floor is now covered with backerboard and ready to tile today. I predict the bathroom will be finished by Thursday.

Dinner Review

A couple of weeks ago while grocery shopping I picked up a boxed dinner kit that looked tasty. We tested it out a few nights ago and I will definitely buy it again. For 30 minutes I thought I might actually be sitting in Romano's Macaroni Grill with terra cotta tile floors rather than plywood sub-floor. My daydream quickly ended when a server didn't come around and pick up my dishes; instead it was time to clean up the mess myself. Luckily, I have a manly man that doesn't mind getting his hands wet and usually helps with clean-up.

I had been meaning to tell my sister about this boxed dinner because I thought it was something she would enjoy. Yesterday while talking to her she says "We had a pasta boxed dinner last night that was so good, it was actually like I went to the restaurant." I immediately knew we had eaten the same thing. Sure enough, she was also talking about the Creamy Basil dinner kit.

We will be trying out the other varieties now that we know they actually taste better than a box of pasta and sodium.

Please stay silent

Some commercials are better left off the TV. This morning I watched a commercial for Midwest Hemorrhoid Treatment Center. I just have to say it is a bit odd to see a gathering of people enjoying a backyard BBQ while the announcer is talking about hemorrhoids and internal coagulation. BLECH, what?! The word coagulation reminds me of the milk spit-up you have run down your back 20-30 minutes after feeding your young baby.

The best part, they end it with a sweet jingle "Don't suffer in silence." No really, we want to hear all about it the next time you are invited over for dinner.

Thanks

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my Dad for teaching me how to push the lawn mower at a young age. How did you know we would eventually buy the largest lot in the subdivision in an area that has had over 50 inches of rain in 9 months making the grass think it has been fed with speed laced water? Really, mowing 1/3 of an acre twice weekly with my push mower is nearly enjoyable. I've now passed on my lawn mowing knowledge to Jacob who actually seems to enjoy it, for now.

Kid Style Politics

Last night we were watching the National Service Forum on MSNBC. The kids were piled in bed with us because I was reading to them during the commercials. We asked if they knew who the guy on TV was and they all answered in unison "McCain." Wow, I was impressed; we are raising little political junkies. I asked if they knew his first name and Emily replied with "John." Again, I was somewhat impressed.

Then I asked if they knew else was running for president and Emily answered again, "Iraq Obama." I told her his correct name just as Obama was entering the stage. She said "I think he's better and will be a better president." I asked her why and she said "because he's not old like that other guy."

Gotta love kids.

The Inevitable

5.5 inches of rain in 2 days,

.3 acres of mud and grass

1 six year old boy.

Gustav dumped his remnants last week and Ike will be here at the end of the weekend. I hope he knows how to do laundry; I expect help with these mud stains.

Fireplace

This weekend's major project was refacing the fireplace with slate. There were several smaller projects this weekend as well but this one took center stage. Meme came to visit this weekend too; it is always a delight to have her here. Thank you Meme for all your wonderful help!

The fireplace before any work:

First I coated the brick with a layer of thinset to try and even the surfaces, then J started in with his precise measuring and cutting. The hearth was done first followed by the vertical surround the next day.

This is after all the tiles have been set; the only thing left to do is seal the stone and then grout.

Friday night lights

Police, ambulance and fire truck lights that is. While lying in bed late Friday night I heard a crack and some rumbling. I asked J if that was thunder and he said he thought so. A minute or so later I heard commotion and noticed cars in front of our house. Nope, no thunder here, just a car that mistook the house across the street for a McDonald's drive-thru. I don't think he got any fries with that but maybe the police were nice and supersized his handcuffs. The gentleman that hit our neighbors house supposedly passed out from coughing (per his wife) but he'd had enough alcohol to warrant a sobriety test right in the neighborhood street and a chauffeured trip to jail. During his short unconscious spell he drove over a 10 foot bush (starting to resemble a tree), up a slight hill and straight into the house. If he had turned the wheel the other direction he would have driven straight into our front door.

Within minutes every neighbor was in the driveway and people were calling the owner because she wasn't home. After 15 minutes or so a cop rang her doorbell and she answered the door. She slept through the whole thing! By this time there were two firetrucks, an ambulance and four police cars lining the street. What a sight to wake up to!

The floor and more

You would think an entire weekend of work would yield a lot of wood floor installed. Nope, the websites really are accurate when they say you can install about 200 sq. feet per day as a DIY job. J got the rooms measured and the first row of flooring adhered on Saturday. That was time consuming but I guess if we want straight rows it was worth it.
We worked for seven hours on Sunday and installed approximately 180 square feet of flooring.

Day 2 finished the rows across the front of the house up to the stairs. J had a difficult time installing the last couple of boards in front of the staircase.

Day 3 brought the wood into the dining room; it is now a little over half way finished. We also put a few more rows down in the formal living until J had to earn his money with IT help. OK, he doesn't actually get paid to help family members with IT issues but he loves me so much he does it for free. Gotta love him.

A Tribute

Today, we salute you, Mr. Kitchen & Bath Vinyl Installer. You showed up for work on day #187 of construction ready to show this house who's boss.

You brought the biggest air compressor on wheels and the mother of all staple guns. This was "Man Work" and the wimpy tools simply wouldn't do.

After all the thin plywood was cut to fit and laid this kitchen floor was smooth as butta. To make sure this floor wasn't going anywhere you started adhering it to the subfloor. Of course, you knew that one inch staples meant they needed to one inch apart, at a maximum; you were weren't getting fired today.

So away you went all bent over stapling 48279 staples into this smooth kitchen floor. Just a few staples along each seam would not be enough action for you, this floor needed to stay for eternity.

While nothing can compare to the feeling of the kickback of the gun or the poof of air that it sends towards you, blowing your greasy, blond locks, we really know you were just trying to impress the other construction crew with your massively powerful staple gun. You made sure everyone saw just how deep it drove staples into the floor "Hey Chuck, look at this staple; now you see it (ka-wham) now you don't." You followed up with the brand name and store name where you purchased your massively powerful staple gun so everyone could be like you.

Oh, but you are a special one Mr. Kitchen & Bath Vinyl Installer; there won't be anyone that can ever copy your level of staple expertise. Your work will be forever cursed admired in the years to come.

Now that I was able to semi-joke about this removal of our vinyl floor in the kitchen I will tell you somewhat of our experience. I mentioned that grouting sucks, well grouting is a mere inconvenience. Ripping up the thin, layer splintering, staple ridden plywood under vinyl sucks. What sucks more is sitting on your duff for a couple hours each night after the kids are in bed pulling out the 27328 one inch staples left in the floor. The other 20951 staples were designed to rip your hands to shreds as they stuck out of the plywood while being pried up from the floor. This has taken the gold medal of "worst project ever" from the cabinet painting project who now proudly wears the silver medal.

Snap, Crackle, Fizzle

Just so you can be prepared.
If you hit the electrical cord while using the hedge trimmer you will not get shocked (as I had originally hypothesized). You will hear a pop and see the a ball of fire fizzle though. It is a good thing the hedge trimmer loses the juice when you cut the cord because once you see the fire fizzle and realize what just happened you will most likely toss it on the ground without thought of what is around you...including your toes.

I now owe my husband a new extension cord and my half-trimmed bushes are a pretty sight.

Finally...The Kitchen

The major renovations are finished in the kitchen. Ignore the vinyl floor, it will be gone by this weekend. I guess one might consider replacing the floor in the major renovations but my kitchen is fully functional so I group the floor in with the rest of the house. Ask me next week and I might feel differently.

So, first a couple of before pictures; this is a shot we took back in April when we put the contract on the house. You can view an after of the desk area a few posts down.

We have painted the cabinets (that fiasco is detailed a few posts down as well), added hardware, installed new countertops and backsplash, installed a new faucet and light fixture above the sink. We will be installing a new light fixture above the island as well but we have to wait for it to go on sale. Everything in this kitchen was installed by J or the two of us together.

We changed out the hideous countertop looking windowsills and changed them to a travertine sill to match the travertine tiles on the backsplash.

We extended the island a foot on the right side and now have a L shaped overhang. I can comfortably fit 3 stools under the island now and have help with my baking without fighting (well, one can hope.) I still have to buy the stools.

A couple of overall "after" shots.

In the picture below you can see the new dishwasher. It is a KitchenAid and is the best appliance in the kitchen, hands down.

5 Short Years

We took a short trip to the science center yesterday. We paid to become members so we can go back and enjoy it often for a lot less money. We took a trip before J left for Korea five years ago and I remembered some pictures I had taken. I wanted to take some pictures in the same location to show the difference five years can make.; you really must click to enlarge these photos!

Matthew was 14 months old when we visited in 2003, he is 6 now. I guess it is official, he is no longer a "little" boy. Unfortunately for him he was born last in the birth order so that gives me full rights to always call him my baby.

Another area of the science center is a train that is set up to run on binary code. Five years ago J didn't have a brain full of computer knowledge (only about half a brain full) and he was trying hard to figure it out. Jacob and Emily sat so patiently watching the train inside the case.

Now, J figured it out within seconds and then the kids to fight for the controls. This picture really captures the family:
Jacob making his face contortion antics (doesn't he remind you of Jim Carrey? That is how we comfort ourselves on face contorting day.)
Matthew is pushing Jacob's creeping hand off the controls.
And Emily is standing there trying to mother the boys and just acts disgusted to be a part of the entire situation.

Tiny Toby

Toby went to the vet yesterday for his initial check-over. He was so calm the receptionist asked me over and over if he had been sneezing or coughing. The only reason a puppy could be so calm is if they are sick, I suppose. They must have passed the word around because the vet wanted to know if I had given him a tranquilizer, and he was serious. Are you nuts?! If I had any tranquilizers around here they definitely wouldn't go to the dog!

Tiny Toby weighs even less than I thought he did. He nearly broke the scale tipping out at 6.8 lbs. I birthed 2 babies bigger than this dog. I think his 2 inch hair adds at least 5 lbs to his appearance.

Toby

First known as Fluffer Doodle, then Nutter Butter. I thought a mid-30's man outside calling Nutter Butter would be a bit too comical for the neighbors so we settled on Toby. For the record, the first names were not picked by the people 10 years and under in the house...no, try the mid-30's male.

Toby is a Maltipoo and 4 months old. He will not shed so that is good for the dog allergies in the house. After his first afternoon at home we have figured out he is most happy when in your lap, follows you around if you leave the room and looks like a white, fluffed out cotton ball when hopping around the yard. He is probably around 8 lbs right now and shouldn't grow much more. He currently looks like a white Benji. We all love him already.

Grout

Grouting sucks.

If we had flat tiles we would have been able to use a float instead of our hands. No, I had to like the beveled tiles.

If you decide to put tile in your house, be prepared. Grouting sucks.

So long slumber

I love nighttime. It is the only time of the day that I can relish in silence and do nothing but sleep. Well, every good thing must come to an end.

Last night I had just fallen into my silent slumber when J crawled back into bed (like I knew he was gone) and he said "did you hear that?!" I was in my non-chaotic, blissful slumber so of course I didn't hear anything. As it turns out, J heard the front door open and went downstairs to investigate. There he found our Matthew walking around in the front yard!! Of all things he imagined I don't think that thought entered his mind on the way down the stairs. He walked him back up to bed and tucked him in.

I asked Matthew this morning if he remembered walking around he acted completely oblivious. I also asked him if he had a dream that he was walking around outside and again, no. I told him what had happened and he thought it was cool, of course. Then he said it would be cool if he had been dreaming about walking outside so he could remember what he saw. Mom freaks out, boy is disappointed because he didn't get to truly experience the front yard at midnight.

Some updates

Jacob's room is the first room in the house completely finished- wallpaper removal, paint, curtains, bedding and most of all- boxes unpacked. I would love to have all the rooms completely finished but I can't unpack and decorate until the wood floors are finished.

You can barely see the flowered border at the top of the wall in the before picture. This turned out to be 2 layers of border of which the bottom layer had been painted over. It was another wallpaper nightmare in our new house. Thankfully it is all done! We have our eye on a new, cool ceiling fan that we will put up soon.

The kitchen. It has been a longer renovation than expected but we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Here is a picture of my desk area, we put up a corkboard in the backsplash area.

We tiled the backsplash today. I think we may leave the spacers in; kind of a new age polka-dot look. The stone will be darker when we seal it. I'm hoping we may get that done before next weekend.

The Rustic Look

If we were looking for the rustic look on our cabinets we hit the jackpot three days into our cabinet repaint. If you would like to achieve this look for your cabinets follow these steps.
1. Get a crazy idea to repaint all of your cabinets.
2. Read all you can on the internet on how to go about your crazy idea. I'll save you this step- Clean with TSP, lightly sand, prime then paint.
3. Wait for the paint store to have a great sale and buy the paint. We used ProClassic paint on our cabinets (which ended up great after the rustic fiasco) and will use it on our trim work as well.
4. Since the paint store is having a great sale, it will be swamped with people like us with many crazy ideas. Don't wait for the associates that usually help you because it will take forever. Go straight to the guy that looks new, or maybe just hired for the day. Take his advice that the ProClassic doesn't need a primer, even though this sounds 100 degrees of wrong.
5. Clean your cabinets, sand ALL of them lightly and start painting. After two coats of paint you will realize that the stain is dissolving your paint in the exact places you've sanded just the day before. This won't work.
6. Head back to your local paint store with one of your cabinet doors for some advice. The associates that usually help you will be available and apologize profusely for the new guy's bad advice and point you to a primer that you must use.
7. Go back home with renewed motivation and prime all the cabinets and boards with 2 coats. Realize again around 8pm that the yellow stain is coming through all layers of paint and primer.
8. Local paint store is closed so take your cabinet door to the blue hardware store. Buy the correct primer (Zinnser B-I-N) and start again in the morning.
9. After all the layers of incorrect paint and primer your doors will be very sticky. You must spend the entire day sanding in order to start painting on the correct primer. This will take quite some time because even with 60 grit sandpaper and a rotary sander only the edges will sand smooth. You will now have the perfect rustic cabinet doors...if that is what you were looking for.

We eventually got everything sanded and re-primed after a couple of days. We finished painting last night and J stayed up to hang all the doors and install the mircrowave. We are installing the hardware today and then starting on the countertops. Here are a couple of pictures.

Kit Kittredge

Emmy and I went to see the new American Girl movie "Kit Kittredge" last week. She had been counting down the days until the movie opened and that morning she dressed her Kit doll in her movie clothes so she could come along too. So, the three of us had an afternoon at the movies, snacking on popcorn.

Now a review.
Even though this movie is targeted towards girls, I would take my boys to see it as well. It was a good movie about the depression era and the children in the movie solve a mystery together while bringing plenty of humor to the story. But, I couldn't help but think of the financial downturn of our country today while watching the financial ruin of many families during the depression. Beyond that I would recommend this movie to girls and boys who are old enough to follow a mystery storyline.

On Fire

A quick shopping tip for you.

When switching brands on diced tomatoes, be sure to thoroughly check the label for anything that might indicate it would be mouth-numbing hot. I usually buy Del-Monte diced tomatoes with green chilies for our quesadillas and salsa. One day at the grocery store I decided to try Red Gold diced tomatoes with green chilies. We moved and I used the new can to make chicken quesadillas a few nights ago. I had already made all the kids' quesadillas when J ate a spoonful of tomatoes. I then watched as he tried to suck air in as fast as possible to extinguish his burning tongue. I was shocked, the other tomatoes weren't spicy at all. He then turns the can around and we read "HOT" on the bottom of the label. Hmm..I really should have checked for that prior to making the quesadillas. Another good laugh in the kitchen.

Update:

We have moved once again making this house #8 in 10 years. This is the first home we have actually got to call our own and we are very busy updating it. We have now purchased 16 gallons of paint. Nine of those gallons are on the walls already so we are over half way! We have painted every day for the last ten days and started our newest project today: painting the kitchen cabinets. We will put in our own countertops this week and then start the tile and wood floors. I can't wait to finally unpack and relax in our new home. I will start posting pictures of this chaotic adventure soon.

Mother's Day

My house is decorated with lovely crafts and pictures from the kids and beautiful flowers from J. This is a portrait of me painted by Matthew. This year I received breakfast in bed except the preparation was done solely by the children without the help of J. After 30 minutes of preparing my feast they delivered the goods. I dined on orange jello and hot chocolate for breakfast. It was absolutely adorable.

Emily made me coupons at school. I am now entitled to a night of movies and popcorn, a massage and free room cleaning. Matthew made a book for Mother's Day at school, complete with his adorable phonetic spelling. According to Matthew I look my best when we go to church, the funniest thing I do is watch them get on the bus in my pajamas, I'm a magician because I find lost things and a nurse because I make him feel better. Who needs to complete a nursing degree? I already have the children fooled!

My favorite entry is about my cooking though. Here it is in Matthew speak.

The best thing my mom cooks is fride rise and this is how she cooks it. She puts rise in a pan and puts chikin and zookeenee and cooks it for two hurs and six menis.

Take years off your life

Want to know how to have a panic attack that will last an entire weekend? Wake-up Friday morning to find this lovely stain across your dining room floor. One sweet princess left her lunch box in her backpack and the apple juice leaked onto the wood floor. However, this was not evident for 2 days when the striking black ghost showed up. If this were our own house I might not have reacted quite as strongly. Oh to the contrary; we currently rent directly from the owner who views this as her mini dream house. I just knew our entire security deposit would be lining her pockets for some time to come. The next week I set out to find a match to the wood and see what repairing the damage entailed.

Want to know how to have a major coronary? Take a circular saw to your wood floors and chisel out 9 boards. Yep, as soon as that blade hit the floor and I saw the sawdust fly I needed the epinephrine. I could feel my entire security deposit fly into the bright white light. Somehow we held it together while J and I chiseled out the boards, measured and cut the new boards and finally glued them all down. As with all home projects, it was not complete without a trip to Lowe's AND Home Depot.

There aren't many pictures quite as disturbing as a circular saw in the dining room of someone else's mini dream house.

At the end of the day we have a dining room floor that is stain-free and our handy work is only barely noticeable. We are ready to floor the new house!

About Birds

While driving to the doctor's office with Matthew we saw a crow and he proceeded to tell me why they are black in color.

"Mom, do you know why crows are so black? Well, it is because of all the seeds they eat...you know, the middle of the seeds? Well, they eat the middle of the seeds and the scarecrows people leave out so then it all turns to black in their stomach. They really have clear feathers so what they eat turns black in their stomach and that makes their feathers look black...but they are really clear. They are colorful when they are babies but then their feathers turn clear. Crows eat the most so that is why they are the blackest bird; because they really have clear feathers."

I just let him talk and he told me this long elaborate story; I didn't have the heart to tell him the crow's feathers are really black and not clear.

Shameless Plug

Kroger (a grocery store here in the South for all you northern folks) is having a design contest for their reusable shopping bags. I designed a bag (as did 9000+ other hopefuls) and I need some votes. Vote for my bag here.

Travel Tips

After completing a 12 hour road trip with three children alone, I have compiled a list of helpful tips.

• State patrol officers now like to drive gas guzzling white Chevy Tahoes or Suburbans. They may also be found having a pow-wow in the median to really try and scare people which then results in highway bumper cars. I bet they are sitting there watching all the whiplash as everyone hits the brakes. "Hey Mike, whiplash in the white sedan; those brakes definitely have the Midas touch." Before long they will issue a neck brace with your citation.
• When highway construction crews don't have enough work they like to drag the orange barrels out and make the highway a one-lane road for miles. I think they are secretly hiding in the woods to see if we remembered our single-file line skills from elementary school.
• Curvy mountain roads and a 9 year old with a book do not mix. The roads were enough to make me queasy and I was the one driving the ship. Poor Jacob was the in the aft of the van where a slight turn of the wheel is magnified like a rocking ship in a thunderstorm at sea. I knew what was happening when he said "Mom, my head hurts really bad" and that was followed shortly by "my stomach doesn't feel so well." Tip- Harry Potter will have to wait until we are on solid ground.
• Illinois makes their road with deep cracks in the right lane and after 45 minutes of driving on the rhythmic road you will really want to take a snooze. Fight this urge with all you've got.
• Swerving around a dead animal while traveling 70mph is quite the thrill ride. If you drive a SUV, I wouldn't recommend it.

I know some thought I was crazy to take a long road trip with the three kids alone but thankfully our career path has given me practice. Road trips started when the oldest was a wee boy and God gave all of our children iron bladders. I thank Him on every road trip when I need to stop only once in 8 hours.

I have entered this post in a blog carnival on About.com; you can receive more information here.

April Fool's

I do not normally pull April Fool's jokes on people but this year was different. This year I schemed for the best way to set up the kids and hubby.
I decided to take a screen capture of the school's website and add my own text "April 1, 2008 School Cancelled." Hubby helped with all the IT geeky stuff and it was an actual webpage. I left it on the laptop (which sits in the kitchen) so the kids would see it around breakfast time. As predicted, Emily was the first to notice the announcement. She immediately said "no, that is just a joke; the school put that on there for April Fool's." I worked on her for awhile to try and convince her but she was standing pretty firm that it was a joke. Matthew came in and saw the screen and running like a wild man, squealing "NO SCHOOL!" I told them a few minutes later that it was a joke but it took even more convincing that I did it and not the school.
The best one of the morning though is the one I pulled on my very loving, won't seek revenge hubby. (Let's hope!) I came in the kitchen before him and placed a rubberband around the kitchen sprayer to hold the handle down. I strategically placed the sprayer to point in the correct direction and then silently waited. Eventually (felt like forever!) he made his way to the sink to wash something. One flip of the handle and cold water was spraying directly at his stomach and his screams were penetrating the house. Just as predicted, he was too stunned to turn on off the water, he just kept getting sprayed while trying to find the source. It was definitely a good laugh. That is until he sought after me to give me a nice big bear hug with very wet clothes.

Looking for luck

Tonight I used up the last of our store-bought fortune cookies for an after-dinner treat. All of them had the standard "apply me to area of your life that would make sense" saying on them except two. Matthew was the lucky one tonight and had two fortunes inside his cookie...Hint #1 that someone was having an off day at the cookie factory. Hint #2: The fortune. What in the world; did they sit around in a 'twiddle your thumbs' meeting on the day these lovely fortunes were put to paper?

I can see it now...the executives called a brainstorming meeting and all the employees tried to think of great, generic catchphrases that would suit the bosses. But every once in awhile someone would slide one in and it would make it through, all the way to the cookie floor. I have decided this was the birthplace of Matthew's fortunes.

Jokester Jim was having a slow brain day so he just starting thinking of his day thus far. Hmmm...the color purple looks really good on Sally today so let's write "Focus on the color purple this week and you will find good luck" (one of the fortunes) I think Jokester Jim had the hots for Sally so he was going to focus on her for the week and hope to find luck for himself. Then my favorite "Let another car cut in front of you today" I'm thinking Jokester Jim was a little slow on the reaction time during his morning commute and had a few cars cut in front of him. But thankfully he was able to spin that into something positive for himself. Good for Jim.

After those in-depth, thought provoking fortunes I think I will find a purple car today and let it cut in front of me. I am sure to be destined for good luck.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere there's signs

I walked down the hall today to find several signs taped up on the doors. One read "famle meding"; that would be "Family Meeting" to those of you who aren't fluent in kindergarten-phonic spelling. He decided we needed to have a meeting about being mean to each other and if you are mean to each other you won't make friends. Hmm...did someone's class have a visitor from the counselor today?

And then I found the pictured sign on the door to the boys' room. "No girls allowed...only Mom." Because you know, moms aren't girls. I like to think that I'm allowed because I'm too cool to be grouped in with the cootie-carrying girls. Yes, that has to be it; at least that will make me sleep better at night.

Part of me doesn't want him to learn anymore because I think his phonic spelling signs and papers are too cute. One day he wrote "My mom is very very very to nise." But my all time favorite... While writing sentences for homework Matthew showed his work to Dad. I heard hubby laughing and say "go show Mom". He came to me and told me he wrote "when is lunch?" I looked at the paper and it read "wine is lush?" I couldn't control the laughter.

Mismatch

Issuing an APB for a size 13.5 Reebok shoe, blue with silver accents, stretchy laces, as dirty as a 5 year old can possibly make it with red mud hardened in the tread.
Somehow in our huge (HA!) house we have lost Matthew's shoe... OR Matthew has lost his shoe. He retreated to the shower last night with both of them on (I'm assuming) and this morning only one shoe was found at the scene. The other must be a victim of the Silent Reebok Sneak, now known simply as SRS. He's been known to snatch in the past and not only from our family either!
To solve our SRS attack, Matthew hobbled around with one shoe on and one off for several minutes, then the searching came to an end. I was waiting with them for the bus and looked down to find my son with a Reebok on one foot and a brown church shoe on the other foot. "What in the world do you have on your feet, son?!" He smiled and said he couldn't find the other shoe so this was the best solution. I quickly grabbed the other brown shoe so he had two matching feet and off to school he went.
The SRS still hasn't returned the missing shoe.

Collision

Just so you know...
A 5 year old daredevil on a bike running into a stationary 'Mom on a bike' has the same feeling of impact as a SUV running into a stopped VW Beetle.
He smashed his hand up under my seat; I flew forward and hit my legs on the front wheels while also sustaining a cut and hit on my calf and we both have sore necks just a short hour after impact. I think I will keep my eye on the daredevil and steer far, far away on the next bike ride.

The Calf vs. the Horse

Have you ever watched a rodeo? If so, think of the calf roping event; the calf takes off running and here comes this big horse and rider sporting a revolving lasso. Run fast little calf because you are about to get lassoed.

Now, apply this analogy to my oldest son and wearing a coat. It doesn’t matter to him that it is 32 degrees outside and he as on short sleeves (because it will be 70 by the end of the day.) He will do anything possible to get to school without wearing a coat; he is most definitely his father’s son! But alas young lad, you are the calf. You take off running “coat free” and here comes the big horse and rider (Big Mama) and she catches you, ties your feet to your hands and sends you back in for a coat. I’m not sure what will happen when he gets too big to chase, eventually he won’t be a calf anymore and my horse will be too old to run.

Priceless Gifts

Emmy's birthday was a couple of days ago. She picked to go out to eat the evening before due to our church lifestyle this spring and afterwards we came home and had cake while she opened a couple of presents. Matthew realized he didn't get her anything for her birthday so he ran out of the room and came back with a picture of Tinkerbell, just for Emmy. It was so incredibly sweet. I asked him how he knew to spell Tinkerbell (he's just learning to spell phonically) and he said "I just looked at the TINKER in my 'Tinker Toys' and put BELL on the end" :) Gotta love him.

Profiting off others

We've considered buying a portable DVD player for approximately three weeks to occupy the kids while riding in the Civic. We've been looking and researching in the stores and online to compare all the brands, features and prices. Thursday I found a DVD player on the clearance aisle marked 50% because it was missing the remote. After thorough research of the materials, that particular DVD player doesn't even come with a remote! I bought it and it works great.

Actual Gas Consumption
I estimated in my last post about how much gas we would save with the Hybrid Civic in a normal month. Here are the true facts for the month of January. I filled my van up one time the entire month (at the beginning) and the gas light illuminated on the 31st. Amazing! The poor van probably feels like a rejected puppy dog right now, banished to the cold driveway and covered in frost each morning while the Hybrid gets the garage and all the love of warm bodies on each drive.
We actually used 36.5 gallons of gas for the entire month for a cost of $105. We trimmed the fuel budget by approximately $190 in one month. Now, becoming the new family car does have its disadvantages. The Hybrid obtained 1500 miles in one month!