the truth is out there

the past few weeks i have noticed about 5 extra pounds around my mid-section...
this seems to be connected with some new found knowledge...
it is REALLY easy to use your debit card at chick-fil-a...

coincidence? conspiracy, i say.
trust no one.

the grass is always greener?

our next door neighbor travels. he is young, single, working, etc... translation - he does not pull weeds.

i love to pull weeds, hey, i like to live on the edge.

so each day when i'm outside with the kids my eyes drift over to our neighbor's landscaping. i could just pull a few each day, and soon the flower beds would be clear...

i sneak over, and find the craziest looking weeds EVER! they are huge and spiky and i swear they lean toward you if you get too close. i go inside and get a paper towel to yank them out with - yes i am bored. i wrap the towel around the weed and grab. the spiky things pierce every finger - they don't bend!

so - i looked them up - of course! they are thistles. supposed to get them by the root or use weed killer. must think of a plan b.

when mm asked me what i did yesterday - oh, yes he did! - apparently it wasn't obvious. i didn't share this info as i am a little worried he might have me committed.

back in the groove

almost everything is unpacked from our weekend trip to buffalo. the laundry is finished and the suitcases are put away. we are back in the groove of normal life. bummer.



a top 10 of "out of the groove" things i got used to on my visit...

10. adults outnumbering kids - only by one, but still!
9. holding my newest nephew z - ALMOST making me think about another baby...
8. my father-in-law fixing my coffee AND bringing it to me - that never gets old!
7. the fenced-in backyard - makes counting kids easier.
6. opening the fridge and seeing food - weird.
5. m, g, & k playing with their cousins - triplets can be very entertaining!
4. different toys and books - always good.
3. tekla - the adopted greyhound - ALMOST making me think about a dog...
2. late night talks with adults other than my hubby.
1. thanking my lucky stars i got so blessed in the in-law department.
0. bonus - mm got lousha with the whoopie cushion - classic.

it was a wonderful weekend. food, fun, and i even found a way to sneak off to the jcrew outlet for a little retail therapy...

** weekly green update - got rid of all plastic plates and cups. except for a few sippys that i plan to discard when i find some siggs for the kids. got new dishwashing liquid and hand soap. also toilet cleaner - but again we are using what we have first. found some dryer balls, mostly because k is allergic to dryer sheets, but still a green thing to do. they are kind of noisy. my mom ordered us a low-flow shower head. i'll let you know how that goes. **

what did you say?

the kids are playing with mm's walkie-talkies...

the conversation is going something like this -

"what are you doing?"
"what did you say?"
"what?"
"i can't hear you."
"what?"
"what are you doing now?"
"what did you say?"
"whhhhhaaaaaaaaat?"

good times.

17-year itch

papa sent us this video of the cicadas in his yard. i thought it was pretty cool. the kids really enjoyed it too.

i was reading a little about cicadas - almost 5 billion will emerge in southern ohio alone - very near my parents' house in wv. their strategy is to come out in such huge numbers that their predators get tired of eating them!

protein-rich and carb-free, some people stir-fry them - they taste like asparagus!

odds and ends

found in my purse...

a pair of m's underwear
small packets of tabasco sauce

i don't think these things would ever be on the list for that baby shower game. but they should be. that's what's really in a mom's purse, people!

pre-kids i could never understand that game. now, three kids later, i could kick some serious butt!

stripe-ee three

this morning we let stripe-ee three go home to his family.

stripe-ee one was found last summer in my geraniums. we fed him more leaves and flowers from the same pot until he turned into a cocoon.

stripe-ee two came to us last week by way of mm's car. he ate oranges (we think) until g decided he probably missed his mommy. mama's boy, much?

stripe-ee three used to live at gymnastics. now he lives here. best of luck to him finding something to eat. he was looking a little, dehydrated, would be a nice way of saying it. maybe he can find something in our weed-filled flower beds.

i did a little research. stripe-ees are tent caterpillars. they are considered pests. not in our house. they are honored pets. the article said to pay particular attention on where you find them so you'll know what to feed them.

anyone have any ideas on the proper food for stripe-ees? the geraniums only worked once, and none of them like our purple plum or cleveland pear leaves...

p.s. sorry for the crazy spelling, our gifted children come up with these gems all the time, gray-ee, spot-ee, brown-ee, pink-ee, you get the idea...

*update - stripe-ee four was rescued from the park earlier this morning.*