Bringing out the garbage bag again

I don't know if I was just extra ornery or what, but the other day it seemed like everywhere I looked the boys had dumped, left, scattered, piled, draped and thrown their stuff all over the house.   I could tell exactly where they had been and what they were doing by the trail they left in their wake.

After ordering them around for about an hour, pointing to items and telling them to clean it up and put it away,  I took a deep breath and called them together.

I told them simply that I was re-introducing the garbage bag.  Everything I found that wasn't in it's rightful place would get tossed in the bag.  If you wanted it out, you had to do a job.

It's filling up fast.  Here's hoping for a cleaner house one way or another.

My new weapon

Several years ago, on a whim I bought a UV black flashlight from Walmart.  I went home, shined the light in my bathrooms and was horrified at what I saw.  I learned a valuable lesson about cleaning a bathroom.  You have to wipe down everything and I mean everything if you don't want scary things shinning back at you with this light.

After a year or so, that light broke and I never replaced it.  The boys clean their own bathrooms and with the purchase of a new one recently,  I decided to see how they were doing.  Particularly on the dark brown - never shows anything - tile.  

I went down into their bathroom, closed the door and turned on the light.  Would you be surprised when I told you I was surrounded by glowing drips and puddles?  Neither was I.  Not a bit.  When I took them in and showed them, they all immediately blamed each other.  "I didn't do that.  It was so & so"  Yea, not surprised at this reaction either.   So now I have a new weapon. They tell me they have cleaned and when necessary,  I can verify.

My favorite room

When we designed our house, I specifically wanted a very large "room of requirement" that could handle whatever I needed it to be at any given time.  I have loved it so much.

The other day, I maxed it out.   I had every square inch of counter space covered.   I love snapshots like this because they are so telling about what is going on in my day to day life.

1. Scanning old negatives - Have you ever started a project and then had to go several steps back and complete something else before you can finish the project you started?  I have been working on gathering pictures for a family gallery wall. Some of the pictures I would like to display were taken in the pre-digital age.  I bought a picture/negative scanner and have been scanning not only the pictures I want on the wall, but all of my negatives.  I figured I might as well keep going and scan them all while I'm in the mode.  A few more days and I will be done.

2. Book making supplies/paper cutter for my never-ending book project.

3. Swim towel - Chase took indoor swimming lessons this past month.

4. Black HOA binder - Still on the HOA board, but coming to an end.  Yea!

5. Laundry - That never ends.

6. Basket full of long soccer socks/uniforms that has been taken down and gone through.  Soccer season has begun again and I like to keep all soccer apparel in one spot in my laundry room.  No missing items on game day and the boys know exactly where to look to find their stuff.

7. Easter egg dying kit

8. Piles of Taylor's school work

9. Bennett's swim trunks - Evidence of the boy's weekend in Las Vegas

What are they teaching my son in school?

I found this cardboard sign in my laundry room the other day.  Taylor had written it.

What on earth are they teaching kids these days?  That or I am completely clueless about what is going on in my own house. :)

I did inform Taylor he had misspelled pregnant.  Just wanted to be helpful...

3 days

A few weekends ago, Scott took the boys down to Las Vegas with my family to a car show.  I had zero desire to go with them and happily stayed home by myself.  And you know what?  I honestly can't remember since I have been married that I have had that much time alone.  Really.  Scott didn't travel at all when we were first married and by the time I had Taylor, I've had children by my side most of the time.

I will say that 3 days alone was lovely.  I very much enjoyed the silence, staying in my pajamas, working on my book project and doing whatever I pleased.

Chase and his many blankets

This kid loves his blankets.  All 5 of them.  If he doesn't have all of them laid out on his bed before he goes to sleep,  he lets me know about.  Most of these are baby blankets that have been hanging around the house for years.  I tried to put a few of them away awhile ago and he noticed immediately. He went on a search of the house until he found them all.  I won't try that again.

The wrapped candy challenge and our in-house lawyer

As I have watched the sugar intake of my boys and the amount of candy that they somehow acquire at school and church, from friends etc.,  Scott and I decided to issue a challenge to the boys to eat no wrapped candy, except for one day a month.  I knew taking out all sugar was impossible, but we thought this may be doable.

Each month they do this, they get a certain amount of money which will be paid to them when they quit.  But, they couldn't just start and stop on a whim when they decided they wanted to earn a few bucks.  The challenge was to go for an entire year, but we also recognized that small increments would be best to see how they do.

3 of the 4 boys accepted the challenge and even one of Chase's friends decided to join in.  Taylor opted out.  We then had to discuss what wrapped candy meant.  That was more difficult than we thought.  What about candy not in it's original form?  In a shake?  Fruit snacks? In a cookie? Gum?  Even after we established the rules, including a talk on the importance of honesty,  it was and still is not uncommon for one of them to say something like,  "Mom, is a donut wrapped candy?"


We are 2 months into it and so far (as far as I know) all 3 boys are still in.  Chase's teacher commented to me at parent teacher conference that Chase says no to all the candy that is offered to him.

Now, onto the lawyer part.

About a month into it, Owen came home from school with something in his mouth.  I asked what it was and he non-guiltily said a Hi-Chew.  "Owen, that is a wrapped candy," I said.  He then proceeded to argue with me rather forcefully that a Hi-Chew is a fruit, not a candy.  I laughed at first, but as I continued to assert rather forcefully that a Hi-Chew was most certainly not a fruit, he got even more adamant in his stance.  "But Mom, there's a piece of fruit on the wrapper!  That means it's a fruit!" he argued, with tears running down his face.   He wouldn't budge an inch.  Any lawyer would have been proud.

What I first thought was funny, turned ridiculous and then I found myself getting irritated that he was so insistent.  I started to raise my voice and argue right back.  After a few minutes of both of us arguing our sides and both of us getting more and more upset, I stopped short and just started laughing.  Why on earth am I arguing about this?  Hi-Chews are a wrapped candy.  End of story.

Truthfully, I think he just didn't want to lose the challenge so quick and was resorting to anything he could come up with.

So, the challenge goes on.  I gave him a warning, and his other 2 brothers who were ready to declare that Owen was defeated, I silenced with "the look".  Their turn will come when they ask for mercy.

  

What I'm into these days

Costco Finds

This Chunky Guacamole is to die for.  I seriously cannot hand make it any better.  They come in individual servings, so you can eat as many as you'd like and not worry about the leftovers browning.

Chicken Salad - I love this stuff too.  Perfect little single serving sizes as well.

All of the ingredients in both of these foods passes my "I know all of the ingredients" test which is a plus in my book.

Butter Reds - Have you ever made something and it turned out delicious and you had no idea what you did that was so special?  I bought these potatoes at Costco for no other reason than they said "butter" on them.  Really, I'll eat anything with butter in the title.  I scrubbed them, threw them in a 9x11 baking dish, sprayed them with canola oil, salted, turned them over and repeated.  I remember putting them on a low heat 250 for about an hour instead of higher because I was going to be gone for awhile and didn't want them to cook too fast.  Once I got home I raised the cooking temp to 350 for another hour.

They were absolutely perfect.  Salty, crisp skins and and the creamiest interior you could imagine.  My whole family loved them and they couldn't have been easier. I'm sold.

Crio Bru
I've been eyeing this stuff for months now.  I'd see it online, read reviews about it and then think some more. Some people loved it and others hated it.  I love hot chocolate.  Particularly dark,  hot chocolate.  I could drink it every day and even have a special hot chocolate maker in my kitchen. The darker the better as far as I'm concerned.  But this stuff, according to reviewers is more bitter like coffee than sweet.

I really wanted to try this, but it is brewed and I did not have a french press to try it out.  Heck, I didn't even know what a french press was.

At some point I decided to give it a go as I was intrigued about having a daily hot drink with the dark chocolate taste and without all the sugar.  Plus, this company claims all sorts of healthy stuff about regularly consuming cocoa.

I bought a cute little french press, brewed my first cup and took a sip, not knowing exactly what to expect.  The smell coming from the cocoa beans is absolutely divine and it makes you certain this is going to be the best tasting cup of hot chocolate ever.   Sure enough it was exactly what some of the online reviewers said.  It tasted like weak, watery, slightly bitter,  hot chocolate.  I was somewhat disappointed, but didn't want to give up quite yet on this experiment.

I have tried their different roasts, tweaked the brewing time a bit and added some milk in with the water for a slightly thicker drink.  I also add a dash of cinnamon as well.  And you know what?  I really like it.  I look forward to drinking it every morning.  I can't compare it to hot chocolate because it is bitter and tastes nothing like it.  In fact, every time I make it, smell the chocolate and pour it into my cup I have to remind myself, "Tiera, remember this is not hot chocolate."  After about the 2nd sip I get into it and enjoy the rest of the cup.  I would say it is a comfort thing to drink it every morning. Who knows if all their health claims are true, but I'll consider that a bonus.

So.... if you really love dark, dark chocolate and would really love a "healthy" hot drink in the morning,  give it a try... but I warn you.  Do not expect hot chocolate or you will be disappointed.