Summer Rainstorms

I love rain in the summer time.  A day could be so hot that all moisture has evaporated out of each blade of grass and every cell of my skin. Then the clouds get so heavy with vapor that they just can't hold any more and they start leaking and then pouring. I can imagine the earth and vegetation releasing sighs of relief as they take big drinks. I'm drawn to the water too. I step out of my shelter, tilt back my head and close my eyes, and let the rain wash over me. It is warm but it cools me. I start dancing, Julie Andrew's style at the beginning of the Sound of Music. My children come out to join me and we laugh and play. Good times.

Here's Ant as I found him last week when we had a good storm with no lightning.  It was so relaxing to him--his eyes are closed in this picture--until I asked him if he knew what was in the gutter water. Yeah, I had to ruin all the fun. Five minutes later, he decided to come inside to take a shower.

PS--I don't mean to disrespect my friends in the eastern US who have had too much rain in the last month. My heart goes out to you.

Tackle-It Tuesday - Laundry

I'm caught up with the laundry. Woo-Hoo! I love it when Dh is home and can take care of the kids' needs while I concentrate on a project like this. Here's a before picture of all the clean laundry waiting to be put away:

And here's after. I swear I didn't just move the pile to my bed, it's all put away. Everything but the boys' clothes was even folded nicely.
 
And here's bonus picture of my laundry room (more like a closet). As you can see, I still have a few loads to wash, but the counter is clear of dirty clothes and I actually used it while folding things coming out of the dryer this morning.
 
This is a big deal for me. I think I'll celebrate tonight with fireworks.
Happy Birthday, America! Thank you to all the soldiers who have battled to spread liberty.
July 4th is also the date my grandmother died when my mom was 10 years old. I'm thinking of you today, Mom. 

Product Reviews

Here's my opinion on a few products I've recently tried. Tell me what you think of them if you've tried them.

Kroger Comforts Training Pants: Cutie is kinda/sorta potty training. She's has such a strong will and I'm letting her do it herself. She tells me each time she has to go #2 and she does it in the toilet; I haven't had to change a poopy diaper in a long time. Until she can put her potty in the toilet, she will be wearing some sort of pull-up. The brand that I have discovered lately is the Kroger brand Comforts Training Pants--they are inexpensive, easy for Cutie to put on and off, and they're absorbent but let her know when she's wet. I also like the velcro-ish sides so we can adjust them to fit her little belly.

McD@nald's Asian Salad: Yuck! Hated the soybeans, the dressing, the limp lettuce--basically everything about it but the almonds. I do like the McD@nald's Fruit and Walnut Salad. There's a side of vanilla yogurt to dip the grapes and apples, and the walnuts are sweetened.

Rico's Pizza and Pasta: 200 North Main, Ketchum Idaho (Sun Valley). LOOOVE IT! The first time we ate there last year, I had spaghetti with sausage and it tickled my taste buds. I've ordered the same dish at other restaurants that rhyme with Bonny Barino's and Barrabas, and they just don't make it as good as Rico's. This last weekend, I had meat-filled ravioli and my taste buds were tickled again. The sauce was a combination of their marinara, pesto, and alfredo sauces. Yum-E. The pizza is great too. So if you take a vacation to Sun Valley for skiing in the winter or relaxation in the summer, be sure to stop by Rico's.

Kirkland Signature Free and Clear Ultra liquid laundry detergent. No dyes, no perfumes, no cleaning power.

Speaking of laundry, tomorrow I'll show you my mountain-o-laundry before and after I tackle it.

Welcome to my new home

Oh good, you made it. If you haven't already, please change your ABC Momma links to this Blogsome address.

Thanks to Karli at Mom on a Wire for designing this beautiful new template. She is so artistic, talented, patient, you name it (everything good). Now I just need to fill the space with some content that will complement it.

If you are sick of the quirks in Blogger, I highly recommend coming over to Blogsome--it's free too, and more user-friendly in my opinion.

We are off to visit Sun Valley Idaho. My in-laws are letting us borrow the condo they rented for the summer. If I remember the camera, I'll share some pics on Monday.

The Break Up

Blogger, I will always be grateful for all you taught me. You were my first blogging experience, but I'm ready to move on. It's not you, it's me. I need things to work consistently, even if they are free, and you just aren't that way. Who am I to try to change you? I'm leaving.

Will you please tell my visitors that I can be found at my new home on Blogsome? There's an easy link to it right here. Karli from Mom on a Wire has designed the place so beautifully and I know I will be comfortable there for a long time. I'm going to leave my archives with you, though, so I can visit every once in a while and we can remember all the good times we had together. It's just too much to take with me.

So, so long, Blogger. I know you will find someone else who will love you just the way you are.

Two's Fears

^{Thanks to Sherry at Yellow Rose's Garden for the TT graphic.}
Things my children have been afraid of when they were two years old:
1. Wind or slight breezes (Cutie)
2. Trees--especially Christmas trees (Bud)
3. Flies in the house (Cutie)
4. Our dog, Traveler, or any other dog (Cutie)
5. Walking barefoot on the grass (Bud)
6. The Red Robin and other mascots (Cutie)
7. The dark (all of them--me too)
8. Lint--it looks like spiders (Cutie)
9. Bathtub water, especially if there's suds in it (Bud--he takes showers now)
10. Bowel movements (Ant and Bud had to rely on Exlax, the yummy chocolate medicine)
11. Airplane noises--doesn't help that we live five or so miles from an airport. (Ant and Cutie)
12. Boogers (Bud still can't blow his nose)
13. Mom checking the blogs--my Bloglines list is long, but I love these people. (Cutie)

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Works for Me so far

I think I mentioned before about reading the book Housekeeping with Kids. It's a great book so far. I think I've only read about 10 pages, but I already started a cleaning program with my kids. Everyone has a job to do.

Monday - Garbage
Ant-Separate recycling and prepare it for pick-up.
Bud-Take out all the little trash bags in bathrooms, bedrooms, office and laundry room and put in the kitchen garbage bag.
Cutie-Replace all the little trash bags Bud took out.
Me-Take out the kitchen garbage and help Bud & Cutie

Tuesday - Bathrooms
Ant-Clean toilet surfaces in guest and kids baths.
Bud-Wipe down sinks and counters
Cutie-Wash mirrors
Me-Do all of it in my bathroom and help Bud and Cutie and inspect Ant's job.

Wednesday - Bedrooms
Ant-Put away books, trading cards, and stuffed animals and put dirty clothes in laundry room.
Bud-Put away the rest of the toys (he shares a room w/ Ant) and put dirty clothes in laundry room
Cutie-Clean up toys
Me-Help Bud and Cutie and work on my room if there's time :)

Thursday - Dust & Vacuum
Ant-Dust an area of mom's choosing.
Bud-Vacuum room and hallway
Cutie-Vacuum room
Me-Help Cutie, vacuum the rest of the house.

Friday - Laundry
Ant-Bring down dirty clothes, put away his own clean clothes (he can decide to fold them or not)
Bud-Same as Ant
Cutie-Help mom fold and put away clothes
Mom-Try and stay on top of the mountain.

Saturday - Misc.
Ant-Pick up dog poop. If all the week's jobs are done he can earn some money doing extra chores.
Bud-Misc.
Cutie-Misc.
Me-Get everything ready for Sunday

Sunday - Day of Rest

The motivation to do their jobs is so they can play with friends and have some Playstation/Computer time each day. Ant's pretty independent and does his jobs first thing without help. Since Bud and Cutie still want my help, they need to wait until I can get to it so they can play. Hopefully, if I stall, that will motivate them to be more independent in the future.