Laughing before breakfast.

It is an understatement to say that I am NOT a morning person. If I could get up early and start my day in the calm of the sunrise with a book in one hand and my mug of coffee in the other, I would. However, the problem is that getting up even 5 minutes early has proven to be a near impossible feat. Combine that sleepiness with my excessive A.M. grouchiness and you get an unpleasant version of me.

This morning started out the same as most. My husband taps my shoulder to tell me "It's after 7."; the words I've dreaded hearing from the time my head hit the pillow the night before. I get up, smack my glasses on my face and try not to fall down the stairs as I head to the shower. Same old, same old. Only, what happens next is far from routine.

I'm in the shower, paying close attention to the time. (Why did I put that stupid clock radio in the shower anyway?) My husband escorts The Chabbles into the bathroom (we only have the one on the main level so it's a busy place in the morning) and encourages him to use the potty. Next thing I know, I'm hearing my 3 year old son going on and on about 'nipples'. Mind you, my son doesn't say some words to clear due to a bit of a speech delay, but the word 'nipples' is as crisp and clear as a Rocky Mountain stream.

"I have nipples! Mama has nipples! Does the doggy have nipples?" To which my husband replies "Yes, all animals have nipples." Then my son says "A snake has nipples!" And my husband then corrects his previous statement and explains that not all animals have nipples. At this point, I'm smiling. Something about hearing The Chabbles in his little 3 year old voice of innocence utter such a scandalous word is breaking through my surly demeanor. That's when he starts listing his teacher's names (all female, by the way) and exclaiming that, indeed, they too have nipples. Now I'm laughing, and all before I've even been within 5 feet of the coffee pot. Visions of my son reiterating his new found knowledge to his pre-school teachers proves to be just too much for my cantankerous disposition and I instantly feel 10 pounds lighter.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. What exactly did I find funny before I had my children? I can tell you this, nothing was ever funny before 7:30 in the morning, that's for sure. :o)

Taking the Plunge!

Well, it's been a long time coming, but I've finally ordered my first cloth diapers. :O)

I have asked and re-asked my friends countless questions regarding their cloth diapering experiences. Numerous websites have been subject to my near obsessive comparison shopping. I've budgeted and budgeted and BUDGETED and, at last, have come up with the money to get a decent size starter stash. Hippies and Earth, rejoice! ;-)

I went with bum genius 3.0 one size diapers in a 12 pack bundle and also purchased a wet bag for when we're out and about. With 2 kids still in diapers, the one size was the way to go. Being that I tend to reproduce children that stay around or under the 50th percentile, I may very well be able to use one size dipes up until they are potty trained. Plus, the BG dipes came with 2 inserts each as opposed to the other contender, Fuzzi Bunz, which only came with one. I opted not to get the diaper pail liner as, after much conversation with another cloth diaperer, I realized that I don't really want the diapers to dry out before I wash them. Instead, I am going to fill a plastic garbage can 3/4 full of a water and borax mixture to put the dirty dipes in until I wash them.

There are so many things to consider when starting out with cloth diapers that it's easy to get overwhelmed. Aside from the diapers themselves, there are tons of accessories to consider and new habits to form, i.e. possibly changing your laundry detergent, sanitizing the washing machine after washing the diapers, and considering clothesline diaper drying just to name a few. If it wasn't for my longsuffering cloth diapering friends, I would probably still be trying to make a decision! A big "Thank you!" is going out to those special ladies right about now. You know who you are. :-)

So now, I wait. I feel like I'm turning some kind of corner in my life as an environmentally responsible human being. Let's just hope I'm up to the task!

What no one ever told me about Slumdog Millionaire.

I am not one for chic flicks or date movies. When invited to a 'girl's night out' and a poll is taken as to which movie to go see, I make other plans. I much prefer a good psychological thriller, comic book based film, or an epic tale.

I am sure that you, as I, have heard a lot about how great the movie Slumdog Millionaire is. As far as the quality of the film is concerned, I would say that I agree with that statement. The story was well told and engaging with characters that not only caught my attention, but my heart as well. Where I take issue is not so much with the film itself, but with what all it's adoring fans neglected to mention with every endorsement they uttered.

Now, I don't want to be a spoiler here so I'll be intentionally vague. I have a soft spot in my heart for children which has only increased a million fold since having some of my own. This movie really upset that part of me. Honestly, I didn't think I was going to be able to watch the entire thing at first due to the disturbing scenes involving children, but they subsided just before I pulled the plug. There are some things I just don't want to see, good cinema or otherwise. If just one person had mentioned this to me, I would not have watched this movie.

Alas, no one revealed this and therefore, blindly, I proceeded to push play. I said it earlier and I'll say it again now, it is a good movie! If you can stand violence against children depicted in film, then definitely watch it; I don't think you'll be disappointed. However, I'm not writing this for you. :-) I'm writing this for those of you like me who would much prefer to steer clear of this sort of entertainment. Consider yourself warned! I wish I was.

It's not easy being green.

I am the first to admit, I am new to this whole "parent of a student" thing. Gone are the days of knowing everything my son is doing at any given moment of any given day. Now is the time of behaviors unseen, words unheard, and friends unmet and, believe me, I realize these times are here to stay. My son is only 3 years old and I have already lost most of what little control I had over the boy and all his shenanigans.

But I digress. Returning to my original thought, I attended my first PTO meeting the other day. Now, as it was my first, perhaps what I experienced was not the norm. Perhaps I came on a bad night for, let's see, EVERY other parent of a child in the school! Even the teachers couldn't be troubled to show up. (Although I was informed that the teachers are usually the only ones who show) The meeting consisted of the PTO President, Vice President, and myself (who sat on the floor the entire time as we met in the entrance to the school).

Ok, I have to pause here to say: "WHAT?!?"

Again, I know I'm new to this whole scene and some of those not so green in shade are probably not in the least bit surprised at the second paragraph but, again, I'M NEW! :-) Is this the norm in schools these days? I know it's not earth shattering topics being covered in these meetings but come on! I learned that these meetings are to plan fun things for the kids and acts of gratitude by means of free food and small gifts for the teachers. If you ask me, doing things to show our appreciation for all the teachers do (and put up with, quite frankly) is very important. With times as they are these days, teachers all over the state are overworked, underpaid, and some even fear for their jobs on a daily basis. Anyone in that type of working environment deserves a little "pick me up" from time to time. If we (the parents) won't do it, who will? Think about it, mom and dad. These people take care of our children for 3 to 7 hours a day; teaching them, leading them, protecting them and we can't be troubled to buy them some bagels and cream cheese once a month? Please!

Maybe it's because I married a teacher that I take such offense to this meeting's dismal turnout. Not a day goes by that I don't thank the Lord above that he works for a private school. (Not that they are problem free, but that's another day, another rant.) However, I don't think it takes the eyes of a teacher's wife to see that something is wrong with this picture. Teachers have sacrificed much for the future of the human race since their inception; don't you think they deserve a few tokens of our gratitude?

Parents, teachers, please tell me this is not the story district after district. PTO and PTA Presidents, mend my viewpoint and tell me the above is unique to my school group. Certainly this isn't the case around the country; right?

What was that all about?

Tonight my wonderful husband took the two oldest kids to a friend's house for a meeting we go to every week. Our friends have an 18 month old son who is always there. Boos plays with the boy just like she does every child but The Chabbles is terrified of him! Now, when I say terrified, that is exactly what I mean. He screams whenever the boy comes near and, even after the boy goes down into the basement to play, The Chabbles sits upstairs rocking in a rocking chair and covering his ears. To make things even stranger, the second The Chabbles leaves their home, he talks about the boy as if they were best friends.

Am I missing something here?!? I know that The Chabbles is only 3 and rational, adult thought patterns can not be applied to him. The only thing I can think of is that the first time he met the boy, the boy let out an ear piercing scream for one reason or another (18 month olds have a bad habit of doing that) and that scared The Chabbles who is not fond of loud noises. Could Chabs still be holding a "grudge"? He hears screaming all day long and he doesn't react that way; what is different about this boy? Maybe it's just a ploy to get us to leave our friend's home?

This really baffles me. I've tried asking him why he is so afraid of this little boy, but I get nowhere. Have you ever heard of or dealt with something like this?

Keeping it clean for less green.

My husband's most hated phrase at the moment is "In these tough economic times...". You can't watch more than 5 minutes of the news without hearing it and you can't peruse a newsstand without reading it. Everyone is looking to save as much of their hard-earned money as possible and more and more people are looking to "get back to basics"; making things themselves that they had purchased pre-made in the passed.

One of my favorite ways to save money is by making my own laundry detergent. Yes, you read that correctly! It's super easy, good for the environment, and it makes a ton. It's great for those with sensitive skin or sensitive noses. (My husband hates anything scented unless it smells like food.) It can be a little clumpy and therefore not as pretty as commercial laundry detergent but who cares! Personally, I don't think we should judge a cleaning product by it's appearance. ;-) It's low-sudsing and is good for High E machines I'm told. (I don't have one so I've never tried.) Here's how to do it:

5 Gallon Tub with lid and a stir stick (I got a tub from Home Depot and I use a paint stir stick to stir it with.)
3.1 oz bar Ivory Soap
1 C Borax
1/2 C Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
3 Gallons & 5 C water

Pour 5 C of water into a pot. (I bought an old one at a rummage sale to use just for this) Grate soap with a cheese grater and place in water. Bring the water to just shy of a boil and stir until completely melted. When soap is just about melted, pour 3 Gal. hot water into a 5 Gal. tub and let it sit until soap is totally melted. Once soap is all melted, pour mixture into 5 Gal. container and stir.
Once soap & water are thoroughly stirred, add Washing Soda and stir until dissolved. Then, pour in Borax and stir until dissolved.
*Optional: Drop in a few drops of essential oil for fragrance. (I did this once and, even though the detergent itself smelled great, you couldn't smell it on the clothes at all. If you want to smell it on the clothes, you would need to add more than a few drops I guess)
Cover the container and let it sit overnight. Stir before using. Use 1/2 C per load.
Yields 442oz, 4 oz/load = 110.5 loads.

Grand Opening!

Well, I've finally done it. I have pushed passed the intimidation, struggled through the seemingly endless jargon, and at long last landed here in my very own blog. Dishes remain dirty and laundry remains unfolded but praise God, I've entered the blogosphere!

This blog is a long time coming. Just the fact that it broke through the ridiculously strong red tape of my psyche is reason enough to break out the bubbly. Not to mention the repeated interruptions and constant grunt work which is the day to day of the SAHM (stay at home mom) who birthed three children in as many years. *Insert exhausted, yet contented sigh here.* After years of treading water while more important matters were at the helm, my love of writing has once again emerged. A little soggy maybe, but responsive, nonetheless.

Fortunately, life these days does not leave me short of stories to tell or lessons learned. Whether it's recounting the crazy and funny moments of an ordinary day or relaying useful knowledge that helps make my life a little easier, it all has a home here. Thanks to you for reading this far. Now, if you'll excuse me, I hear a glass of red calling..... :-)