the last pumpkinbender

i believe that aang can save the world.

i run like a mother

i suppose this means my running hiatus is officially over.

IRunLikeAMother.com

p.s. it is clearly time for a haircut.

girl scout cookies

it's time to order your cookies!

find a daisy.
so stinkin' cute.
brownie.
a little attitude, but still pretty cute.
junior.
all attitude, but who can resist a gal in green?
cadette.
hard to find, i was one, yeah i know.
senior.
very rare, you should probably get her autograph.
or an ambassador.
bow down.

buy a box or five.
$3.50 each.

this year our brownies voted for
an overnight trip to the zoo.
fun times.

and i'm pretty sure cookies
help save the world too.

magic

remember that shower in your apartment in college?
yuck.

ours kind of looked like that yesterday.
kind of.
scrubbing wasn't working.
so i got out the -
magic eraser.

desperate times...
all i can say is wow.

our shower looks brand new.

and i enjoyed cleaning it.
good lord, please don't tell anyone.
pinky swear.

ro*tel it on the mountain

ro*tel, motel, holiday inn?

don't be too jealous,
but i just bought an eight-pack,
of ro*tel.

yes, eight little cans
of ro*telicious-ness.
now, if i just had some velveeta.


what is your favorite ro*tel recipe?

fruitables

oh hell yes.
my kids love these.

they cost a small fortune, but...
a full serving of fruit
and vegetables.

totally worth it.

friendly advice

apparently you cannot put
non-rechargeable batteries
into the battery recharger.

even if they really look like rechargeable batteries.
they really did. really.
i'm not crazy.

it causes a rather loud explosion.
freaks out little dudes.
and pj moms.
and sprays black liquid-ish, powder-ish stuff everywhere.
like the lost mist.

so now you know too.
you're welcome.
or de nada.
whatever.

hobby lobby

you.
must.
go.
now.

seemed like such a great idea

i really, really wanted this.

bertolli oven bake meals.
chicken parm and penne.
to solve all my dinner issues.

eck. don't bother.

detangler

as promised, homemade detangler.

i bought the paul mitchell stuff one day when k was getting her hair cut. i hadn't brushed her hair that morning, it got even worse in the carseat, then we decided, after playing at the park, "hey, let's do haircuts."

so i got the guilt trip from the lady. i know she meant well, but i could tell she was appalled that i hadn't brushed the poor baby's beautiful hair. like she was telling herself, "when i have kids, that will NEVER happen." i know the look. i used to use it all the time...

i thought six bucks for a magical bottle of "red alert" chemicals was a bargain. the way she sprayed it on the rat's nest and pulled the comb through without a scream or a tear. i instantly fell in love with detangler.

i was bragging away at gymnastics, you know - how awesome detangler is, like i'm the only person in the world that knows about this fabulous stuff. i do that sometimes. another mom, with SIX kids, FIVE of them girls, said, "you know that detangler is just conditioner and water, just mix it in a bottle and spray."

well, of course, i knew that. i mean somehow, i knew that already, right? shouldn't moms know that? i'm sure i read it in my mom handbook somewhere.

when the six dollar detangler was finished, i made my own. i used a cup of water, that's how big my bottle was, and all of the conditioner from one of those hotel bottles. maybe 2-3 tablespoons. it works really well. and it was free. go figure. and now mm can stop bugging me about taking the hotel conditioner. haha on him.

in the meantime, i'm looking for organic conditioner? our next batch will be perfect. mwah-ha-ha! who says you never use chem lab again after college?

how does it know?

love this stuff, but...

how does it know when i am stressed?

oh, wait,
i am stressed all the time.

perfect!

the cadillac of sit upons

did you make these in scouts?!? sit upons? i swear mine was two paper plates sewn together with yarn! and i sat on it. on the ground, in the mud, in the rain, in the woods!

nowadays, these young whippersnapper girl scouts have created the cadillac of sit upons.

an empty icing bucket from a bakery. decorate it. put ALL of your scouty stuff in it. mess kit, canteen, bug spray, sunscreen, poncho, and song book. put the lid on - sit.

freaking genius.

don't give me no hand me down shoes

when i was pregnant with m (the first) people were always trying to give me stuff...

big stuff - beds, exersaucers, pack n' plays, etc.
little stuff - clothes, toys, etc.

i politely declined, thinking, "me? no way! no hand-me-downs for my kid!"

i bought everything new. i hand-picked each outfit.

fast forward to third kid...

i have not purchased clothes for k in months, maybe even a year. thanks to friends and family, she has more clothes and shoes than me. definitely more swimsuits.

thanks to friends and family, m and g have lots of "new" hand-me-downs as well.

hand me a bag o' clothes. i'll take it.

i'd like to think it's because i have grown as a person.
so let me just think it.
it's also quite green of me, no?

change always comes bearing gifts. ~price pritchett

my book report

yuck-o.

something i didn't even know i needed

this is not space bags. or shoes under. or aqua globes, mighty putty, twin draft guard, or the snuggie... ah, i'd still like a snuggie...

no - this is the BEST invention ever. forget the crayola watercolors.

truly something i didn't even know i needed. i might buy two.

http://www.driinn.com/

painting

"Crayola Hassle Free Watercolors are like regular watercolor paints—without the mess! There are no cups of water to tip over and no paints to spill. The specially designed paint pots contain a bright, solid color that is only activated when you dip in the brush tip. You can even turn them upside-down—they won’t spill or drip!"

http://www.crayola.com/

BEST INVENTION EVER!

empty bowls

some food for thought...

http://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/Details.aspx?RecId=115&type=Calendar

our empty bowl is blue.
my brother made it.
i keep it in the kitchen.

i voted today

i voted today.

i think i'll just leave it at that.

now you go vote too.

uncommonly good neighbor

our neighbor is the keebler guy.
not an actual elf, but fairly generous nonetheless.

our family has not had to buy snacks in quite sometime. unless, of course, we want something not made by keebler, such as, oreos. shhh.

some things we have not purchased in more than a year, due to our benevolent neighbor...

yogos
cheez-its
crackers
rice crispy treats
fruit snacks
famous amos cookies
fudge graham cookies
special k bars
nutri grain bars
animal crackers
ice cream cones
e.l. fudge
gripz
sandies
vanilla wafers

we have also received lots of promotional materials, including a life size shrek, and giant blow-up footballs.

i could go on and on - and i realize how lucky we are to have a neighbor like this. not only have we benefited, but i have taken food to the school, to gymnastics, to our family, friends, etc. i'm starting to look forward to my neighbor getting home from work almost as much as my own hubby. it is fun to see what the "elf" brings. the kids get very excited too.

can you tell i love free stuff?

moment of genius

i invent things. all the time. the only problem is - they usually already exist...

for example...
i totally thought of kitty litter box liners.
i invented a tool that removes legos from each other.
i also invented a lego sorter.

this doesn't stop me from being creative...

my latest moment of genius is getting mm to scan all of his childhood school work. now it is all on the computer, and not in the attic. genius!

i'm going to do this with the kids' school artwork.

i know, i'm the best, just please don't tell me if you've already thought of this...