Age Old Problem

If you are a parent of children, who can talk, I am sure you can relate to what I am about to write.

Today, after we had finished up our school time I was having everyone do a quick tidy when I came into my little office space and found my new trash can filled. I got a bag and began dumping it when I noticed that there were pencil shavings in my trash can. Now, this may seem like a small thing to you but I can't tell you how much I despise pencil shavings. And when I bought my new little trash can for my office space I asked the kids individually to please not put their pencil shavings in my trash can, they can dump them in the big trash can in the kitchen.

So, I was a little annoyed that this had happened. It now needed to be cleaned out. I called the kids together and asked who had done it.

Nobody.

Of course. I could have told you that was who did it before they said it.

Do you ever just get so tired of this "nobody". I know it is nothing new. I remember being a kid. I remember reading the family circus cartoons and the ghost "nobody" did everything.

But I'd had it with nobody this time. I was pretty sure I knew who the culprit was but wanted him to admit it. So I told them they were all grounded until the person who did, admits to it.

I thought I was pretty sly here. I knew the one who I suspected wouldn't be able to stand for this and would come forward. Or so I thought.

The next thing I hear is Joshi's little voice say,"Mommy, I did it." (yeah I am about 99% positive it wasn't him)

Oh no.

As they all stood around staring at me waiting to see what I would do I told him he was now the only one grounded for the day. He would have to go to his room and sit there.

This sucks. I know he didn't do it. Someone talked him into taking the fall and now he is being punished. This went totally wrong.

He is sitting in his room upstairs, crying. All because I tried to beat nobody.

Now what? Is this "Nobody" unbeatable?

Kristen

Tonight is the Night

While the kids were gone in Arizona Mike and I had so much fun, but we also got a ton of stuff done around this house.

I totally re-did my school room(which now rocks!), cleaned out the laundry room, put ceiling fans in all the bedrooms and bought paint for my bathroom.

Notice I said bought paint for my bathroom.

It is the only room I have not painted in this house. I am kind of a nut about paint. It is a cheap, easy and a fun way to change a room. Also makes kids fingerprints not so noticeable.

Anyway, I held out on painting my bathroom because I wasn't sure what I wanted.

But then, I came up with this idea. Try to picture it, with bright pink paint I want to paint about a foot border up at the top of the wall and then paint the rest of the wall a dark brown, above and below the pink. I think I saw it on a chocolate box.

The other exciting thing about this paint project is that I was blessed when I bought the paint! I had a Lowes gift card I had received a while ago and had not yet used so I knew I was going to be getting paint free of charge. Then on top of that, the weekend I bought it Lowes was having one of those five dollar rebates, so on top of the fun gift card I was also excited about the good deal I was going to get. I told the guy I needed the small can of pink and a gallon of brown, but when I came back he had made two gallons of paint. I felt bad but told him that he had messed up and he said he sure did and I could have the gallon of pink for five dollars because it was now an OOPS paint! Very excited about that!

So although I was excited about my idea,I think I got intimidated by my plan for painting. That's the only answer I can come up with for why I have not painted my bathroom yet. That is really not like me at all!!! Usually, once I begin a project it is completed soon after. I don't do well with half done stuff. And the paint in the garage is mocking me.

So this is it. I am doing an inventory of my paint supplies and I am starting this project tonight when Mike gets home. I need his help because for it to work right we are going to have to be painting pink and brown simultaneously, and I don't know if I can do that alone :)

I will post pictures of my development.

Kristen

Kylee's Cake is finished!!

It's finished!!!! It was a pretty easy cake and didn't take too long. And Kylee is out of this world happy with it, so it is all worth it.

We the girls and I are gearing up for our day at the water par, pray for me.

Kristen

I Spent the Afternoon Putting Bikinis on Bears

Kylee is finally getting her birthday party tomorrow.

Since we are doing a one-friend-fun-day for birthday's this year Kylee chose to go to a water park for the day with her best friend Allie.

I asked her what kind of cake she wanted and she chose this. I don't know how close I am going to come to it, but here is the beginning. I am going to finish it in the morning.

Wish me luck!!!

Kristen

Grilled potatoes

I don't know about you, but in the summer I would much rather cook outside.

Grilling doesn't heat up the house and doesn't leave you with a bunch of dishes. All good things :)

I have been trying my hand at grilled potatoes and haven't been doing very well.

But found this recipe and they turned out sooooo good.

potatoes sliced
cream of chicken soup
onion sliced (optional)
1/4 cup of butter sliced
seasoning-garlic salt, pepper

I just cut up enough potatoes for our family (six) and mixed them in a bowl with the soup and onion slices. Poured it all out on to a piece of foil and cut the butter up all over it. Added seasoning and sealed. (I wrapped another piece of foil around the whole thing because I wanted to turn it over half way through the cooking.

I grilled it on the top rack of the grill for an hour, at med. heat, turning once.

Then when it was done I dumped it on a tray and sprinkled cheese over it to melt.

It was so good.

Mike and I decided that it was so yummy and could become very versatile depending on the type of soup you used. I was thinking maybe a cheese/bacon soup (is there such thing?) would be good. You could even make them Mexican style by using cheese soup and salsa or chilies. The original recipe I stole it from had cream of mushroom soup and fresh mushrooms which sounds soooo good but I would not make to serve my kids. No good would come from that!

Kristen

Final Stats on the Pharaoh

I can't tell you how many times i have been asked how the Pharaoh is doing. So here are his stats:

He was officially 3 lbs. 7 oz the last time we weighed him. Today when we removed him from the salt he was 2lbs. 12 oz.

I didn't want to remove him from his salt until I was sure he was good and dry. Our climate isn't exactly like Egypt's you know! But today we removed him and let me tell you he was dry!

Very cool. Everyone except Faith wanted to touch him. She took pictures.

He is now wrapped in linen. I need to get some resin to finish him off.

Then what?

Well of course he needs an appropriate burial location. I don't know where that is going to be yet. Any suggestions?

Chicken a la Pharaoh- Final Burial Preparations

Joshi's Birthday cake

I wasn't so happy with the way the bowling ball turned out.

I wasn't going to post it but then felt lame that I would only post the ones I thought were good.

I think it would have been better had it not been green. A black ball would have been more realistic. Also, if I had had a ball pan I think it would have looked much better.

But the best part of this cake is that it tasted really really good!

I did use the bake and fill pan, and Joshi picked chocolate mint pudding to use as the filling. Also since I only starred the number and the rest I just frosted and pressed flat, I was able to use the good frosting!! Yum!!! The good frosting recipe is here. (I use half butter half shortening) Enjoy!

Doula

My friend Amy in AZ is in the process of becoming a certified Doula!

I am so proud of her. I wish I were there to do it with her.

I investigated it for a bit, the certification and such, and seriously considered it but I wish I had someone here to motivate me into doing it.

I know she will do great. She is a super sweet and caring person, who truly loves women and babies. I know that she would be a benefit to any women who is looking for some Doula support either prior to, during, or after a birth. Or if you know someone who is expecting, I believe that you can give her services as a shower gift. What a cool thing to give someone who just had a baby!!! Here is her website. If you are in AZ and expecting and looking for a fabulous Doula I know she would love to talk to you.

Kristen

Is that A Baby Ruth In the Pool?

Ew.

We had a Caddy Shack moment in the pool yesterday.

My kids were swimming and all of a sudden some kids, on the end I was sitting at, screamed,"There's poop in the pool!"

The kids who shouted it then continued to dive and look at it.

After a couple of minutes they went and got the life guard. This is where I realized that there might possibly be poop in the pool.

I retrieved my kids and their friends out of the pool and we watched the poop recovery process.

The lifeguard stood on the side looking at the suspected poop, not trying to get it out with her net, and also not blowing her whistle to empty the pool.

Now, I don't want to tell her how to do her job, but if there is suspected poop in the pool, BLOW YOUR WHISTLE!

Then the six children who discovered the poop begin diving for it! (where are their mothers?)

They are diving and chasing it around the shallow end until one comes up and says,"EW, it's slimy."

Then the littlest one (maybe 7) catches it. (Seriously, where are their mothers?) Puts it on the side of the pool. This is where the life guard takes out her rubber gloves!

I am in complete and utter shock at this point.

Then she picks up the possible poop, squishes it, smells it and declares to the other lifeguard, "Yeah, it's poop"

Then they blow the whistle.

But that isn't all folks. I am packing up to go home and sterilize all my kids when all of a sudden, I am covered in a powdery substance. Not knowing what it is I begin to brush it off. Faith's friend's mom is sitting next to me and says,"It's in my eye! She just threw shock in the pool and she got it in my eye!" The very same bright life guard who didn't blow her whistle with the suspected poop had just thrown chemicals all over me and several other moms.

I would have tried to rinse off the chemical that was eating away my skin, if the showers hadn't been full of kids trying to clean the poop residue off of them.

We all came home and scrubbed.

Got to love group pools!

Kristen