Friday, August 31, 2007

Why God, Why?

I just realized I can't by Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Teflon in the store anymore. In fact, I can only find it online by the case. Clorox doesn't even list it on it's site anymore.

I stopped using it because I couldn't find it. Every time I had to buy more toilet cleaner I assumed it would be back on the shelf the next time. Then I tried different stores. Now I'm trying on the internet.

I wasn't sure it made a difference but it totally does. It keeps the bowls cleaner so much longer. Why, why can't I get it? I really don't want to have to order a CASE of cleaner. I'm guessing the shipping will be completely unreasonable too.

I'm really worried this means they are discontinuing this product. Clorox? If you ever see this, please, PLEASE for the love of my sanity in a house of 5 males, DO. NOT. DISCONTINUE YOUR TEFLON TOILET CLEANER.

Please.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Do You Have Dinner Plans?

The last couple months my dinner plans have not been coming together as I hoped.

This past winter I instituted a new policy stating that each individual in the house had to pick one meal for the following week. I would shop for all the ingredients and make the dishes when time, schedules and my mood dictated. If for some reason your meal was bumped, I made it the following week. If you wanted to choose the same meal every week. Fine. The only rule was you could not pick something someone else had already chosen. (i.e. pizza 4 nights)

The plan worked very well for many months. And then Spring sports hit and it was a frozen food free-for-all.

Now it's time to settle back down and eat real food once again. Except now no one knows what they want. I hate, hate, HATE picking meals every week. Every day of every week. Every month of every year. Only to be told they hate what I've made. Is it not enough I must COOK all the meals? Shop for all the meals? I have to plan the meals too? I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if the younger people in house the didn't complain so much - but they do.

Anyway, last week I read Anne Glamore's recipes. Her fabulous, fabulous recipes. Recipes that contained foods my children might actually eat without gagging. Boy tested and approved meals. YAY Anne!

So far I have made 3 of the 4 recipes. Tonight will be #4. And although I forgot to take photos of the finished dishes, I shall still report the results.

Meal #1:
Bowties with Peas and Prosciutto - Except I made it with Penne because that's what I had on hand.
After all of the children spend most of meal DYING because, "What IS that? Are those peas? I HATE peas!" They ate it. There may have been a bit of Ranch dressing involved at the end for the piles of peas left at the bottom of the bowls - but all-in-all SUCCESS! The children also suggested I make it with broccoli next time. The husband prefers peas but suggested bowties would have been better. Whatever. They ate it.

Meal #2:
Bulgogi with Jasmine Rice and Applesauce
HUGE SUCCESS! Not a speck of rice left. They ate all 2 lbs of beef, 6 cups of rice and were saddened when it was gone. My youngest wants to learn how to make it himself. Now if someone could just tell me how to pronounce it.

Meal #3
Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss
Another success. Not quite as huge as the Bulgogi but they all ate it. It was a bit bland for me. I may have to add something next time but the kids did like it.

Tonight: Pork Lo Mein

So Anne, A HUGE thank you! Some new dinners to toss into the rotation.

Monday, August 27, 2007

The weekend

Let's see, the weekend...

It was busy. But not in the usual ways. My weekend started Friday (it always does). And soon it will end on Saturday night again (sniff). But for now I have glorious 3-day weekends.

Friday the children tried to kill me with their arguing and fighting and general pain-in-the-assness. No, really. It is August and all. I know you're stunned. The best argument though was one that ended in tears (not even mine). It was only slightly funny at the time because ENOUGH WITH THE ARGUING ALREADY!!! But it is sure to amuse at least one of you.

THE BEST ARGUMENT EVA:
Scene: the minivan

Participants: The 7 y/o & 8 y/o

Background: Occasionally these two like to ask me to "open their windows". I put that in quotes because they were sitting in the middle seats of the van and the windows don't actually open. I pretend to push a button and make a burrrrr noise and then they ask me to open and close their windows a couple more times.

Friday:
They both asked me to "put down their windows" and I obliged by making the burrrr noise. I then got the brilliant idea to tell them they had their own controls for said windows. They then proceeded to "open and close" the imaginary windows. Soon after they actually got in a fight and the 7 y/o cried real tears because "Dylan keeps closing my window and won't let me keep it open. Whhhaaaaaaa."

Yes. For real. I had to "put a lock on Dylan's control".

This is my life. Don't you wish you were me?

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Anyone?

Am I the only one who wants to rearrange peoples magnetic ribbons? Not take them, just move them.

Say Goodbye

I've decided that starting a home improvement project while your marriage is in disarray is not that bad of an idea. Really. Even if in the best of times you've learned you can't work together on such projects.

In the past my husband and I have found it best if he does the prep work. ALONE. Then I come in and do finish work. If I need him for some manly task (i.e. something I don't want to do), I leave him to it and return to oh and ah and finish what I was doing.

Works for us.

Last night however, we realized we had to rip out some nasty carpet. We've been wanting to for a while (since we moved in) but have put it off until the walls, ceilings, etc were finished as to not ruin what we suspected to be underneath - real wood floor. Well, last week we were on vacation and our upstairs toilet decided to leak while we were away. The result was a flooded foyer. Very wet carpet that has refused to dry in the damp, wet weather we've been having.

- beginning of serious tangent -

Say good bye you fugly carpet. Have I mentioned it was red? I suppose it was some 60's idea of cool to put white and black wallpaper that looks like nerves on the walls and have red carpet. The wallpaper came down a couple of years ago so now we have the look of crumbling plaster and red carpet. Really helps the plaster stand out on the floors.

The carpet still resides on the stairs and upstairs hallway. There is also a patch in front of the downstairs bathroom - much to my dismay.

- end of much too long tangent -

The ripping out went surprisingly well. The scrapping of carpet mat? Also went well. The pulling of staples? Fabulous. I am seriously amazed.

We still have more scrapping and pulling of staples and washing of boards. But I think it will be okay. I think it helped that we each did our own thing and stayed out of each other's way and helped when it was asked for. I'm not sure we've ever done those things quite so well before. Guess it says a lot about our marriage that we haven't been able to do that before. But it does give me hope.

For the Record

I have never said the Biltmore's Who's Who was a scam.

I was responding to a letter I received from them. A letter stating I was an outstanding executive/business person. At the time I was a stay-at-home mom. I have never been an executive nor a business person.

Please person from Biltmore that keeps e-mailing me... stop trying to sell me on what a great networking opportunity it is. I do not care. I'm sorry your son cut his eyebrow. And yes, it shows me you read at least one other post on my site. It will not sway me if you tell me how you kept reading because you could relate.

I. AM. NOT. INTERESTED.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Time

Time has become the enemy. There never seems to be enough of it. It just flies by and leaves me exhausted with nothing much accomplished. ("Yes", I hear you saying, "and yet here you are blogging." Shut it.)

There is suddenly so much I want to do but I'm afraid I'm using all my energy on the planning stage and there will be none left for the actual doing stage. (What is that you say? Why yes, I have done this before.)

I've started a decluttering sweep through the house and it is taking me much longer than they make it look on all those clean house type shows. Then I get disheartened and start doing other things like planning what I shall do when the decluttering is finished. And then of course, I must estimate costs on renovations and such to see what we can actually afford to do (nothing). And then I realize I'm still only halfway through our bedroom and the youngest kids' room is becoming recluttered and it was the only room almost finished. (Yes almost. Enough with the snide comments already. Geesh!)

So now I have two almost finished rooms. Ten not even started rooms. And I need someone to tell me - WHAT, in the name of Niecy the Style Diva do I do with all the sell/give away stuff until I finish the house? I was thinking of doing a 1 day sale with scheduled VOA pickup the following day but where do I put it all in the meantime???

And how do I finish the whole house by the last weekend in August? Especially since I will on vacation for one of those weeks? (No, I will not tell you which one.)

Do you find it odd that I hear your comments while writing? No, I wouldn't say I hear voices exactly. What I meant was... I suppose it's time to make dinner.

Monday, August 6, 2007

More Photos

... up at Flickr. Now you can see what we did yesterday.

Just be warned, the photos on Flickr are unedited. I just threw them up when I pulled them off the camera. So be nice.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

The Weekend

If you twitter, you've heard. I went away last weekend. For a long weekend. For a girly weekend. For a weekend without my children. And no, I didn't go to Blogher. I went to my Aunt & Uncle's. Hung out with my cousins (all girls), mother, grandmother and aunt. Lest we OD on estrogen, my uncle was there now and then.

Let me just say - LOVELY time. Really. A perfect day at the beach (some photos on flickr, more to follow). A pedicure (similar to Did someone say PARTY?). My cousins introduced me to Japanese food (yum). And I spent approximately FOUR HOURS ALONE watching some Clean Sweep type show. Divine! And now I want to throw out all our belongings.

That is all for now...