Wide awake and sleeping.

I'm in a much better mood today, which is wierd cause now I've got lots of reasons not to be. :o Well, not lots, but two at least. One being I spent all last night (well, so it seemed at the time) having bright ideas about what to do in the daytime, and woke up being half asleep, and exhausted. The other reason being that I spent WAY too much time shopping today--which is usually an activity that does not bring out the best side in me.


So what am I going to do with all my bright ideas? Well, I'm going to log them down in my wonderful planner--and I'll feel just like I'm that dorky high school student again. This way I can keep track of how many things I'd planned to do and failed!! Yes!

Could use a good book...any suggestions? Preferably a classic. I enjoy mysteries, humorous literature, and epics the most. And romantic literature the least.

I really enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo, Crime and Punishment, and for a romantic book (there are a few ok ones) Gone with the Wind.

Good night all!

Blah

Seems to me if I should have stayed in bed today. There are tonnes of things to do, and yet not much is done. All of a sudden it is quarter to five and time to get dinner ready! Seems to me that happens every time I'm not feeling so chipper. There most be an association there. ;) I should learn how to channel all of my negative energy into work around the house. THAT would be wonderful. Unfortunately I didn't do that, and unfortunately I also couldn't get to sleep in. *sighs* Why don't three young children all decide to sleep in on the same day? :p


On a more positive note, Matthew pulled himself up in the playpen today for his very first time!! He was crying the whole time, but hey, it was still an accomplishment! So exciting!

Nathan and Melanie keep pretending to be Uncles and Aunts from far away. Then they go canoeing or camping together, and sometimes take the appropriate baby or babies along. I guess that's their way of reenacting both holidays at once. Nathan says one day out of the blue "Mommy, Auntie J... and D... should come over for a visit." "Ya, they sure should." "And Grandma and Grandpa and..." Whoa!! Slow down there kiddo, we've only got so many spare rooms...how about they all take turns!!


Don't buy cheap batteries, cause they really are cheap. I've been changing my camera batteries every week--and I DON'T use my camera very much. Not sure yet if my camera is part of the problem too though. It's been dropped a few times, so maybe there's some electrical shorting out that's shorting the battery life. The speaker on the camera is definately(yes, Mom, I know it's misspelled, but I still think it looks better that way. Plus I'm stubborn :o still, imagine that!) busted from one if it's crash landings. I'm much too klutzy. I'm accepting donations for an emergency camera replacement fund, so feel free to be generous!

I usually go grocery shopping on Mondays, since the kids are usually kinda crabby, and being away from home makes them forget about it. Today I didn't, so I spent a lot of time confiscating toys and breaking up fights. *sigh* If only the kids could learn from my great example on how to share and be nice to each other. Actually NOT, maybe they should find another person to imitate!

Okay, so I think that's everything I wanted to unload off my solders (soldiers or shoulders, Glen? How should I say that? :p ). I feel better already. Thanks.


Time to pick up a book. Does anyone else ever get cravings for junk books? I especially do when I'm pregnant, but also occasionally when I'm not. My favorite thing to do when I'm tired and unable to think deeply, is to waste my time ready a book by Carolyn Keene, Brian Jacques, or Gordan Korman(preferably his older novels). Unfortunately, (that's my favorite word today, if you haven't noticed) I don't have an unread novel that fits in the brainless category in the house which I haven't read recently. Unfortunate.

Mobility

My baby has learned to do the hardwood crawl. He's only seven months (well, almost) and he's already moving around!! Seems to me my kids are getting smarter...must be my skills as a mother improving with experience. Nathan learned at 12 months to crawl, Melanie learned a butt shuffle thing at about 10 months...next kid I have is gonna be moving around at five months!! Yikes!!

Isn't his "crawling" cute? He reminds me very much of Katie whenever I see him do that. I think I'm gonna get homesick now.

Gardening Glory

My Veggie Garden!

The corn grew really well, which thrilled me because I just love it. So did the raccoons though, unfortunately. I was forewarned, so I didn't shed tears over it at least.


Behold the stunning weeds that overtook my garden. You probably can't see any of the edible stuff here...since the weeds are rather more lively.


Here is all of my remaining stunning produce. I was surprised to see some parsley hidden among the weeds. I guess we'll consume that in some form or other for dinner. Mmmmm. The potatoes turned out to be fairly large, and considering that I used purchased potatoes that had started to sprout, it seems like it was worth the effort. And no, there wasn't much effort. I spent time planting it all one sunny morning or afternoon, and possibly weeded it a few times. For the rest it was subject to the elements with no other care. I also had good radishes a long time ago.


Sure was a beautiful sunny time outside. A tad too warm for me, but I'm sure everyone else would have found it completely splendid.


It looks like we have a free sandbox now!


And a free...I don't know.

Van

Finally cleaned out the van this week--well, vacuumed it anyways. Will get around to scrubbing it too...sometime this year. The kids thought it was great fun. Not much help though--maybe I'll give them a rag next time and whip them into shape. :p

We all live in a yellow submarine.

OK, not a yellow submarine, but a white bathtub will do.


A bird's eye view of a tub full of trouble.


Boy, somebody is happy to get clean for a change! (As opposed to being grubby and sticky all week long. Gross!)


Swimming lessons. As you can see, the swimming facilities leave a little to be desired.


This kid spent the entire bath time splashing water in his face. I'm still not sure if he figured out where the water was coming from. :p


Please note that they are happily sharing the privilege of getting the freshest water available. This does not always happen-but other than this small problem, my children are almost faultless. ;)

Sick Day

Everybody here had a cold today. But not a major one. I bought a 6 pack of tissue paper today...I think there are 136 in each box. How long will they last? We have to chase Melanie down and wipe her face every3.76 minutes. Good exercise!! I think I've increased 1 87th of muscle tones doing that. Actually, usually I just get her to bring the stuff to me, and then ask her to bring the dirty one to the compost. But it still is a BIT of extra work.

Aww

Lovely Puzzles

Any ideas on what this could be?

Just another sunny day in the park.

Nathan scored a cute pink bike from a friend the other day, so we HAD to go out and try it that afternoon. Don't knock the color of it, because right not he DOES like it, and what's the point in making him dislike it, as I'm too cheap to buy him a new, more masculine, version. He learned to ride with training wheels at Grandma and Grandpa's, so he was pretty pleased to do it again.


The whole load. Nathan's former wheels are slightly collapsible for convenient transporting. Not that it makes much difference. :p


Of course SHE wants to wear a helmet and cycle too!


She looks hilarious pushing herself forward ever so slowly with her feet on the ground. It takes her forever, but she does it anyways. She isn't quite strong enough to pedal on her own unless it's a downhill slope.


Two cyclists training for the Tour de France.

I said NO DOGS in the house!

Nothing like having a bunch of animals in the house!

Not enough time...

And way too way too way too way too way too way too way too many things to do.

I did accomplish getting dinner ready...except the cheese on top. But the kitchen is a mess and the baby is fussing.

What are you having for dinner?

Request your size here, and I'll mail or email it, according to your specifications.

We're the best looking family that I know of. Superlative in all respects, I'm sure. Photo credits go to the sister-in-law whose contiguity to myself is magnanimously appreciated.

Sensational Sundays and Magic Melon

Sensational Sunday

Our live concert pianist.


Our bored Mommy.


Our babysitter. "Look, TWO babies, Mommy!"


Nathan asking for help on his puzzle which he can do just fine all on his own...but he likes the moral support.

Magic Melon!
Nothing beats the Honey Dew we had for breakfast this morning!!

Mmmmmmm.....melon!

Soooooo good that there's no leftovers.

We love to eat!

While we were enjoying our hearty breakfast of rice krispies and raisin bran, the topic of our beauty came up. If you've such a beautiful family as us...the topic can come up quite frequently. :p Nathan figured we were all pretty. "So you're pretty Nathan?". "Yeah, I'm pretty". "No, you're not allowed to be pretty. You can be cute though." "No, I'm not cute!" I have to laugh at the not cute part since that's what his Daddy always says too. Haha!

The hard thing about Monday's is that once breakfast is over, the mess must be attacked! No more procrastination! But it's only me that cleans, and the kidlets get to enjoy themselves with whatever activity their hearts desire, with only a few stipulations. No big messes, no abusing eachother, and STAY OUTTA MY WAY!

They're making cake with cheese here. Nathan thought he'd take the bones out first, and then offer it to me. Mmmmm....boneless cheesecake anyone? I wonder what the other ingredients are? :p


Melanie is memorizing everything he's saying and doing and will copy later with a "Melanie too!".


He grins every time I point the camera in his direction! How cooperative--unless I want a serious pose.

I really should get to work. *big sighs*

Of hair in necks and other things.

As per comment from yesterday, here is a pictorial explanation:
The source:


The action: (He's supposed to be ripping the hair out.)


Gonna bring my wheels in for an oil change. Should be a hoot babysitting at the local dealer! Have to go to the dealer 'til my account is empty there. They messed up on our brakes once...so we've got some money to use up...as slowly as possible.

Any suggestions on where to get a nice hoodie for a decent price?

Time to decide what's for dinner...and thaw some meat accordingly.

My Baby Loves Me

An ode to my baby:

Lyrics from
Artist: Martina McBride
Song: My Baby Loves Me
Album: The Way That I Am



He thinks I'm pretty,


he thinks I'm smart


He likes my nerve


and he loves my heart


He's always sayin' he's my biggest fan


My baby loves me just the way that I am


My baby loves me just the way that I am