A simple task ?

All I was trying to do was empty the dishwasher. Under normal circumstances this would take a few minutes. However, with a giant dog that is always searching for scraps and a one year old that insists upon climbing in to the dishwasher, this task turns in to something near impossible. After repeated attempts at pushing Abe (our other dog, Maddie is currently staying at the vet for a few days...another story) back to his dog bed and Ben trying to yank spoons out while climbing in...I'd had it! I made a barricade of sorts out of Ben's high chair and two bar stools so the entrance was blocked. This was working!! Ben went in to hysterics and Abe just stood there dumbfounded. Awesome. Although my victory did not last for long. There is another way in to the kitchen....which Luke figured out. I knew this would happen, so I was emptying the dishwasher at lightning speed. So, as quickly as the barricade went up, Luke took it apart, thus allowing the 3-ring circus back in. Thanks Luke.

my barricade

PS. An added picture bonus....

For future reference: Do not complain

about my cooking Ben.

Vet Visit

So Luke, Ben, and I were at the vet again yesterday for our poor dog Maddie. She's been battling Blastomycosis since sept of 2009 along with some other junk because it has messed with her immune system. I think we are getting close to having Todd's paychecks on direct deposit to the vet office. Anyway at least every week or two we having been making trips there. I have scheduled these appointments on the two days the boys go to Mother's Day Out so I can have peaceful vet visits. Well....since we have had some real snowy weather, school has been cancelled for almost the last two weeks, so I end up bringing what feels like the entire family tree with me. You are just asking for something crazy to happen when you have a mom, a 3 year old, a 1 year old, and a sweet, but sick dog who just wants peace and quiet. Oh yeah....and all of these visits, everyone is stuffed in to the Accord....are you beginning to see why the car is trashed all of the time?

We made it to the room and the boys and I were waiting for them to bring Maddie back to us after they did some x-rays. It was actually taking awhile and I really had to use the bathroom. Ben was strapped down in the infant seat, so he wasn't going anywhere, it's just Luke I was concerned about. The bathroom door is directly beside the door to the room we were in (this is a tiny vet office). Since I was about to pee on myself I promised Luke a sucker when I returned if he would stay there and keep an eye on Ben (probably not a good idea...). I left the door to the room open, so I could somewhat hear if anything happened. I closed the bathroom door and proceeded to go. As I was sitting down I hear Luke yelling, "Mom, remember to wash your hands!" I yelled back, "Thanks Luke!" Not five seconds later he yelled, "I don't hear any water running....!" Seriously, was he listening at the door?? I'm sure we sounded nice and redneck yelling back and forth also. This vet is in old house, so that bathroom in question had a bathtub/shower in it as well. I don't think there has been a vet trip yet where he hasn't asked me if I want to take a shower before we leave! I hope this concern for cleanliness is a lasting thing....

It's not me, it's you

Obviously a high chair is a necessity for babies, at least for awhile. In the beginning, I loved mine and I still think it's really cute, however that is where my affection ends. I used to think that I just didn't know how to clean it right, now I realize it's not me, it's the high chair. It does not matter what kind of detailed cleaning I do, when you look closely it looks repulsive. I have scrubbed so hard that the finish is off in some places. It still does not matter, in all of it's crevices, weird stuff lurks. I don't have the time to clean this thing with Q-tips or toothpicks and call me crazy, but I just don't think a high chair should require that kind of cleaning. In the midst of all my scrubbing, something strange always happens. I have a friend, who I'll call "C", who is compulssivly clean. That's not a bad thing, but I always feel like he is a level of clean and organized that I can never achieve! Not that C has ever said anything to me, it's just something I think about in my own head. Anyway, back to the high chair. Every time I am cleaning this wretched chair I feel like C would just shake his head in disgust at me....or that someday he will have children and I will randomly stop by his home and his high chair will be so clean it will be gleaming from across the room! At this point I realize I am done cleaning and make myself put down the sponge and simply walk away. This is just something that bugs me. I've considered asking my husband to pressure wash it....I really just don't care what it looks like anymore.

An Inside Job

Whenever I pick up the boys from 'school' I am always embarrassed if anyone catches a glimpse of the inside of my car....I was starting to think my car needed to go on that 'Hoarders' show. So this past weekend I decided to clean out my car. This rarely happens. It's always a big deal, so I had to wait until the boys were down for a nap. Oh, by the way, this is just an inside cleaning. It doesn't matter how hard I try when I attempt to scrub the outside. Somehow I miss entire panels of the car and the windows look more smeared and streaked after I've 'cleaned' them...so my husband takes this duty, thank goodness! First I have to get a few baskets to clean out everything that is not part of the car---this takes awhile and I always find something that I wasn't expecting....

Hopefully you can see the cupcake amongst all of the other crap that's underneath it. This pile is part of what came out of the back seat. Seriously...just part of the mess. I don't drive an SUV, it's a simple Honda Accord. I would possibly like a larger vehicle one day, but sometimes that thought scares me. What would I find when cleaning out that car....a random child or pet lurking under the seat? At least the cupcake was only a few weeks old, rather than a year or two. There wasn't any mold, it was just really hard. A large part of the problem is this: my children think when they finish a snack that you simply toss it wherever. I'm trying to teach Luke to hand something to me when he is finished....this is a work-barely-in-progress. Most of the time I honestly don't care what the car looks like, I just don't like to subject others to it's nastiness. So, right now I'm attempting to keep it clean, which I always do in the beginning. But...then a few cup lids and snack wrappers build up and we are back to our 'Sanford and Son' status. It's a vicious cycle! So...try not to judge to harshly if you see us! If it's between the car getting cleaned or my kids...the kids win every time.

Finger lickin' good...

So my 3 year old Luke was watching me fix his breakfast blurts out, "Get me some milk, Lady!" So, I've gone from "mama", to "mom", to, "lady"! I suppose I could be called worse. On goes the morning. Cleaning up breakfast, getting them dressed and making the beds is pretty typical. Well on this particular day I was feeding one of our dogs wet dog food. We normally never do this, but she hasn't been feeling well so we were trying to get her to eat more. Also we have to feed her indoors because our other dog will eat her food...blah, blah! Anyway she eats about two bites and decides she's done for the moment. I put her outside and finish my morning's tasks. As I'm making Luke's bed, I realize my one year old, Ben, is nowhere to be seen. Making my way to the kitchen I realized I forgot to put up the dog food...No wonder Ben was so quiet, he has scooped the WET dog food up and has been eating it! It's on his mouth and he is licking his fingers....and he is loving it! The day has just started and we are off to a great start.