Get Your Tickets While the Gettin' Is Good

You'll Laugh. You'll Cry. You'll Fall In Love With Your Mother All Over Again. Tickets On Sale Now!!

The Bakery Knows I'm Trying To Make Better Choices

This brownie was made for Mothers! 

Mothers with daughters. Pre-teen and teen daughters.

I saw this BROWNIE at the store tonight. Figured, what the hell, why not. It's just ONE brownie. What could it hurt. 

See the picture? It's not exactly small  but the label clearly states BROWNIE. Singular. As in one.  

(Not to be confused with BROWNIES that could be made if the damn thing was cut up.)

Besides, I'm not the kind of girl that would eat a whole package of brownies. This one should be plenty :) 

Nom Nom Nom Babies

Daughter 2 dissected chicken eggs today. She came home from school so upset. She vowed never to eat eggs again. She said "I wouldn't eat a baby out of your belly why would we eat a chicken's baby?" To which I replied "nom nom nom... babies!" Yep- mother of the year :)

The Dish Is Staying Put

So... Night 3.

The dish is still in the sink. 

I'm still not washing it or allowing the Dad to. 

Tonight you'll notice there is now soapy water in the dish from the daughters, 1 & 2, semi-washing some of their other dishes. 

That's daughter 1's cup soaking in the crock pot dish. 

That's daughter 2's left over container soaking. 

One day they'll get it; or the health department will come. 

In Case You Were Wondering

In case you were wondering; I'm staying strong and so is the OCD fueled Dad. 

Night two. All the dinner dishes are done. All but the crock pot dish. 

YEP! It's still sitting in the sink. Right where daughters 1 & 2 left it. 

Go Momma! 

The Barbie and the barrel

Boy 1, he's 4, almost 5, was playing in his room while Boy 2, he's 1 almost 2, took his morning nap. The bedroom door was open and I could hear him playing like he was on a hunting trip. 

"You can't hide from me! I'll find ya! Don't think I won't. I'm just that good"
"Bang, Bang. Told ya!"

I walk in and say "What are you doing?" to which he replies "swamp people Mom. See the croc I got"

I remind him to be careful and not so loud because his brother is sleeping and then I go back to folding the laundry. 

A few minutes later he emerges from his room with a nerf gun in hand. "Momma" he says "Can you fix my gun? It won't shut, so I can't shoot any more crocs." 

Any guesses as to why the gun won't shut and or shoot?

He has shoved one of his sister's Barbie's leg into the barrel. WAY in the barrel.

"Why did you take this leg off the barbie? This is your sister's toy. Why is it in your gun?" I asked.

"umm..well I needed a dart and it kind of looks like a dart. I didn't know it wouldn't work." 

40 minutes later. 40 minutes!! I got the barbie's leg out. (Go me!!)

Dont't ask me what happened to the foot. 

Oh you thought that was bad?!?

Last night after dinner the Dad told daughters 1 & 2 "Dishes. Load and unload." To which they both replied "ugh" and then daughter 1 (the oldest) says "well can I take my nail polish off?" She had just been upstairs in her room painting them. Dad says "Why don't you just wait 5 minutes for it to dry then start." That apparently would just be too much. So instead Daughter 1 goes to the bathroom, leaves the door open, so we can hear just how horrible she thinks this is, and begins tossing stuff about. We let her have her moment, only because we're busy putting the other 3 kids to bed.

About the time the 3 little ones are in bed, daughters 1 & 2, who are 15 & 12 by the way, have made their way to the kitchen where they are complaining with each dish they unload. 

Then the fun really starts. It's time to reload the dish washer. Only things coming out of their mouths are "Gross. Disgusting. OMG." AND the ever loved and enjoyable gaging reflex. 

For dinner we had pot roast with carrots and potatoes, and we added green beans for a side vegetable. 

The dinner was all cooked in my crock pot with the exception of the green beans. They were in a separate pan. (that's two things total so far) Now add in our dinner dishes.  We  had 7 plates, 7 forks, and 7 glasses. 23 things total. 

Sounds horrible doesn't it? 

It didn't all make it in there! (See the picture? That's my crock pot and a cup sitting in the sink still) 

Anyways, after their lovely over grown fit the dad and I decided we might just be making their lives too easy. We clean the house including their bathroom. We do all the laundry. We cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and they occasionally have to LOAD THE DISHWASHER! 

Know that saying "times they are a changing" let's just say that's my new motto. That crock pot dish is still sitting in my sink. As is the cup. They will remain in my sink till the daughters wash them. AND since it didn't get cleaned last night the dinner that was planned for tonight isn't going to happen. Instead, we'll be having their least favorite, hot-dogs. 

Lent Licker. List Maker.

Happy Spring! Who's in the mood to clean? Don't worry I'm not either; too bad it always has to be done. We are just wrapping up a very boring but semi-productive Spring Break at our house. The rain ruined every plan we had except the big "Spring Clean" Thanks Mother Nature. Isn't that just like a mom to make sure we get our chores done?

I should confess now that I'm a list maker. I'm boarder-line addicted to excel spreadsheets. Seriously. I use a list or spreadsheets any chance I get. Including the big "Spring Clean." We generally try to get the inside of the house done on one day and then spend another day working in the garage and on the outside.

We are a family of 7 and all but the little bitty one is reading now and required to help. I find making a list makes it easier, more controllable, and it stops the annoying "now what? Aren't we done?" statements that are whined. Plus we all LOVE the satisfaction of scratching something off the list.

I like to break my list down by room. i.e. Living Room, Bath Rooms, Kitchen, Dining Room, Mud Room, and Bed Rooms. I hang the list in each room so its easily accessed.

 My list start from the top of the rooms and work down. i.e
 **Living Room**
Molding, Cobwebs, Fans, Doors and Frames, Windows, Dusting, Baseboards, and Floors.

The only rule or order is floors. They have to be done last. Each child is responsible for their bedroom and the other chores are divided amongst all of us. We all work together.

We keep all the products and equipment  in a central location and we pull what we need from that.

** This is not an endorsement for any products just a honest list of what we keep and use. Name brands are only listed so you'll know the idea of the product. We buy off brands as well. **

Product wise I use everything from warm soapy water to the Clorox Toilet Wand.

Being a little more specific I try to keep the following on hand:
Windex
Clorox Multi-Surface Cleaner
Clorox Wipes
Clorox Toilet Wand
Swiffer Duster
Pledge
Windex
Ajax
Paper Towels
Small Trash Liners
Large (55gal) Trash Liners

I also use Vinegar, Coffee Filters and Dryer Sheets.

Most products speak for themselves as far as what I'd use them for but here our a few tips I use to make life with 5 kids and a man easier.

1. Clorox Wipes are great to clean baseboards, doors, door and window frames, and moulding.

2. Once the above things are clean I rub dryer sheets on them. It smells good AND it helps repel dust to keep them looking cleaner longer.

3. Vinegar and Coffee Filters is the best window cleaner combo EVER.

As my Momma would say, "You never know who's going to knock on your door."

Happy Cleaning!

Am I drinking enough?

I'm a huge fan of Pinterest. Not going to lie, I love it! However, as I scroll through pins and pins of crafty design I can't help but wonder if I'm drinking enough. 

I see all these wonderful crafty up-cycling ideas but I don't have that amount of corks or wine bottles. 

Cork monograms, cork wreaths, cork coasters, and cork boards out of actual corks!! Geez I need to get poppin. 

How about all those beautiful wine bottles? Hanging lamps, table lamps, vases, end tables, etc. 

What's a wanna be crafty girl like me to do? Drink apparently. So from this point forward I plan to drink more wine. Its all in an effort to up-cycle more, promise. Who's with me?!? Wine party at my house! I've got new lights and coasters to make. :)

Round Two and Then Some...

Well daughter #3 and I had round two with the dentist today. Extractions. Boo. Luckily it was just two baby teeth that were ready to come out. Unlucky was the dentist. 

So my 8 year old is laying back with her headphones and  laughing gas mask on watching a movie when the dentist approaches and says "alright let's get started."

Now, I had prepared her for every possibility and she was ready to go when we left the house at 7 this morning. She knew the masking was coming, she knew what tools he'd be using, she knew she'd be numbed. What I forgot to tell her was that she'd be numbed with a shot from a needle that looks as big as her index finger. Oops. 

The dentist, poor guy, was equally unprepared for the repercussions of using said needle to numb her gums. 

He slides his chair right next to her and begins to inject the numbing medicine. The moment my daughter felt that needle poke her gums the left leg shot straight up and right into the dentist's head. 

He recovered fairly quickly considering. Almost as if it was a natural occurrences for him. 

The rest of the appointment went off with out a hitch and she still got to pick a prize. 

Diaper Duty at the Dentist

If I can smell your child's diaper then you should change your child's diaper. If my almost 2 year old can tell you your child's diaper is "poo-pee" then you should REALLY change your child's diaper. Seriously! just give me your child and I'll change them so you can keep playing on your phone. 

Sitting at the dentist office and the waiting room is filling up with an all too fimilar smell. I immediately grab my youngest and do a quick smell check. Nope, not mine. I see another Mom pick her daughter up, smell check, nope not her either. I also see another mom and dad sitting in the corner laughing and talking about something on the mom's iPhone. Their youngest is playing in the play area (where myself and the other mom I mentioned are sitting watching our children play). The little one's pants are sagging and it's not a fashion statement. She runs over to her parents and starts tapping the mom on the leg. Nothing. My little one is now saying "poo-pee poo-pee" still nothing. The smell is now so strong that even the nurse has said "whoa!" 

So.. Who says something? Am I suppose to? If I do, is that rude? Where's Dear Abby's hotline when you need it... 

15 more minutes go by and at this point the little girl is obviously uncomfortable and ready to be changed.

Here goes nothing. "Excuse me" I say "I think your little one has pooped."  "Oh, is that our girl making it stink in here? Babe go change her diaper." says the mom. 

Seriously!! You could smell it, and you still didn't bother to check your child?!? 

I'm not generally a judgemental person; especially when it involves other parents. We all have our own styles. That being said, is it appropriate to tell another parent to change their child's diaper? 

Get Out The Rubber Cement

March is "National Craft Month" and I decided to check out Pinterest and participate. Shocking I know. I'm not sure how many of you have little ones but if you do, this is the craft for you!!  How many of those little magnets do you have on your fridge; you know the letters and numbers we all buy our children in hopes of them being the next child genius? I have tons of them! Seriously. Well, I'm not sure about you but my fridge is in my kitchen, right next to my stove. (DANGER BABY DANGER) Needless to say my little ones spend more time staring at their magnets then getting to play with them.  That's all about to change.

For this project you'll need the following things. 

Large Oil Drip Pan (9.96 at WalMart)
Rubber Cement (2.99 at Hobby Lobby)
Alphabet Flash Cards (.99 to 2.99 at Hobby Lobby or Walmart)
Magnets (.97 a package at Walmart)
3M picture strips (3.97 at WalMart)

By this time I'm sure you think I'm crazy. I promise I am not. 

You want to wash your drip pan with warm soap and water or a cleaner like Mean Green to get the greasy film layer off of it. DRY IT!! Dry it good or it'll spot and start to look nasty. 

Once it's all dry you want to arrange your flash cards onto the drip pan. 

Still with me?

After you have them all placed out get that rubber cement. You'll use it to secure the flash cards to the drip pan. 

Once everything is dry and secure and the 3M picture strips to the back and mount it to the bedroom or playroom wall. 

Just add the magnets and your kids are set for hours or safe magnet fun.

Morning Coffee and Some Casting

So.. If you don't have plans on April 29th at 2 pm. I'd love to see your beautiful faces at Walton Arts Center Starr Theater for NWA Listen To Your Mother Show. Tickets are $18 and sales benefit the Arkansas Visitation and Exchange Center. I am so unbelievably honored to share my story!! Thank you all for your support. This is one of the scariest things I've ever pushed myself to do. It was so TOTALLY worth facing my fears!!

"Listen To Your Mother is a national series of live readings in celebration of Mother's Day. Born of the creative work of mothers who publish online, each production is directed, produced, and performed by local communities, for local communities." 

I am terrified and thrilled to share the stage with such incredible women. As a newbie to the world of blogging I hope to meet all of them, then pick their brains. My writing has always been for me, but I've secretly yearned for a way and the ability to share some of it with others. Plus, what mother doesn't need a place to clear her thoughts and write. 

Congratulations again to everyone involved!! 

Luck of the Irish!?! I sure hope so!

Did I ever mention that my Momma was 100% Irish? If not, well, now you know. How fitting is it that the next round, the live audition round, to Listen To Your Mother NWA, is being held on March 17th? I can't help but believe she had a hand in that. I mean my piece is about her after all and we all know Irish- Catholic mothers want things done their way or no way. 

My nerves are getting the better of me as of lately and I worry I won't do her justice. All that aside I really do feel lucky to be given the chance to have my words heard. 

So... Here's to luck being on this Irish girl's side, cheers! 

I love a good email!

I am beyond thrilled to have received an invitation to the live auditions for Listen To Your Mother NWA. I am still trying to process the news. Shock would be an understatement as to how I feel. To that, you can add happy, scared, nervous, honored and unworthy. Live auditions are March 17th. I'll keep you posted.