Here, so you can satisfy that rampant curiosity, are my answers:
- I used to just toss stuff, but Captain has gone through 6 pairs of pants for school (I admit, they were the cheapest ones at Sprawl-Mart, but still - one wear and those knees were completely frayed and shredded!), and I'm trying to determine if I should attempt to mend them for play, cut them off to become shorts, or just get rid of them...I have switched to the slightly more expensive "double-knee trouser" style. That is my only issue with his uniform (khakis and polo shirts of approved colors - no big deal) because I know that had he been wearing jeans, we wouldn't have had this issue. The other issue is that somehow, Princess ended up with my selecting the pairs of stretchy cotton leggings that had loose stitching at the hems, and we now have hemless leggings that I'm just not sure I'm up to repairing, BUT, I know Littlest One will grow into them all to soon, and it would save an awful lot of money to have things for her already purchased...
- I answered the question about toilets sort of...growing up, we didn't use a toilet brush. I thought nothing of it, it's just what we did. And you knew that you were going to wash your hands a bazillion times to get that slimy feeling of Comet brand cleanser off so no germs would possibly survive anyway...then, I met BB, and he had a brush. Once I started using the brush, I cannot imagine going back. Inkling - I tried the first generation of those pre-loaded scrubbing brushes...not impressed, but it was basically a bunch of flushable paper loaded with cleaning solution, but no scrubbing power - it disintegrated as soon as it got wet...maybe the new ones are better...
- I think I must be weird...but I don't make all that much different effort on days I go someplace compared to staying home - I still get up, shower, put on makeup and do something with my hair. The only thing that changes is what I wear - when I go someplace, I make sure it's a nice shirt with no stains, or visible "wear" marks (cat snags, tears, etc). But I know that on days when I don't put on makeup or fix my hair I tend to just sit around and surf the vast interwebs and watch re-runs of NCIS...I think I just take myself more seriously when I truly "get ready" for my day...or else I'm just a freak... :D
- I'm glad to know I'm not alone in allowing the TV to babysit my kids so I can focus on things...there were days over the first part of winter wherein I think my girls literally sat on the couch with Sprout on from the time BB and Capt went out the door until it was time to go get Capt so I could just keep up with the tasks that needed doing. I try much harder to NOT do that, but there are still days...
- FarmWife - I'm glad to know that BB and I are not alone in the "rarely" category for true alone time with each other! I envy Ordinary Sara and her weekly dates, and know that Inkling has the same issue you and your husband do - lack of funds, places to go, and people to watch the kids. We're blessed that we now have AWESOME sitter that happens to live right next door and charges very little. Our last 3 weekends have been great, but a little frustrating at the same time - we went out each of the last 3 Friday nights and were gone from 5:30 until almost 10:30. That, in and of itself, isn't the issue, its that we came home and sat and watched some TV before turning in, and by the time we were both done with the pre-bed rituals we have, it was after 11 when we finally turned in. Having kids up at 6:30 regardless of what day of the week it is, made for long Saturday's with lots of physical labor as we work on our basement project...I'd like to have more than this hit or miss idea of no dates for a really long time, followed by 3 weeks in a row, BUT, I LOVED every minute of our dates. It was so nice to get out, away from the house and the kids to enjoy uninterrupted time with each other, and some grown-up things you just can't do when you've got kids with you. I don't know any place you can go with minors in CO that will let you take them into the bar area and play pool after 8pm...I think we're going to go bowling with the kids after BB's trip to CA this coming week. We decided to institute a "family date" once a month so we can all do something special together. We will also have a date night for just BB and I, and as the kids get older, they'll each get a night once a month with BB, and once a month with me. That means an awful lot of sitter time, BUT, she's already a freshman and we need to take advantage of her being around while we can. Maybe in another 4 years when she graduates, we'll be ready to leave the kids alone for a bit at a time...but maybe not...
- I'm in the FarmWife camp on this one - when the kids crash into something because they're running through the house, right after I told them NOT to run through the house, I have very little sympathy. They still get attention and kisses and hugs, but I do not cuddle them and coddle them - simply because they got hurt because they chose to ignore my directive to NOT do said activity. When something happens that is a truly random accident they get sympathy...Inkling, I was much more sympathetic with Captain when he was little, because he was the first and the only at the time...now that he's older and is more aware of his body and environment (as well as Princess), I've got a bit less sensitivity about things that are the result of deliberate choices. Especially when those choices involve blatant disobedience - "stop swinging the stuffed animals, or someone is going to get hit in the head" followed by "ok, mom", and then still swinging the animals, and someone getting clocked in the noggin...well, not so sympathetic to that. The time when they're walking down the stairs and just miss the bottom one and crash? Sympathy because it's not a deliberate action that caused the fall...make sense?
- The age-old floor question...sigh...Inkling, rest assured that I do NOT have spotless floors...and you could eat from them, but you might encounter some icky things like cat hair and week-old crumbs...I do sweep the kitchen floor after each meal, but that's because I've got a 2-year-old that is still learning the fine art of eating with fork and spoon and not getting half of it on the floor. I vacuum the main living space daily - family room, formal living and dining rooms. We have 2 black cats and white carpet. Not to mention 3 small children, and 2 adults that track in dust, dirt and debris. I just don't like the idea of my kids hanging out on dusty, dirty carpet...and cannot wait until we can get our Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors installed and finished!!! I know, there are ups and downs to all hardwoods, but I just keep thinking about how easy it will be to use my yarn/rag mop and get all the dust, crumbs, and cat hair, and just run my dust buster to get the piles...sigh...as for actual washing of my floors? I force myself to do it once a week, because I get tired of stepping on sticky spots as I get up from the table...life was definitely neater prior to kids! :D
- I really don't like laundry, and am not opposed to re-using towels at our house. However, with 3 kids, I do find myself throwing a load in almost daily, simply because someone has an accident of some sort, or someone is sick or whatever. I actually do laundry 2 days a week. One day is devoted to all the bedding and towels (unless someone is sick or has a potty accident), and mine and BB's jeans/trousers. The other day I do all our colors, the kids' clothing, and our whites. It works. I just get nosey on how the rest of the world does household management...
- I'm glad to know, also, that BB and I are not alone in assigning our kids regular jobs...they might gripe and grumble about it, but the other night, Captain and Princess cleared all the dirty dishes, used a step-stool to reach the sink and rinsed the dishes off, put them in the dishwasher, wiped the table, and then swept the floor! We have a chore-board on the fridge and we rotate some basic things like setting/clearing the table, emptying/loading the dishwasher, wiping the table, sweeping the floor, and they each have to make up their beds and feed the cats. I distinctly remember being asked to help with things around the house, and by the time I was 7 or 8 was helping do things like that, as well as helping sort dirty clothes, match socks, fold undies, and was starting to be allowed to help with some meal prep. I also know that it just became second nature to help out, and knew without being told (most of the time) that since I lived there and helped make the messes and eat the food, it was just expected that we pitch in...Captain enjoys helping, and loves being in the kitchen with me, or the shop with BB. Princess is a little mother and wants to do whatever I do, regardless of whether she should or not!
- I'm also glad to know I'm not the only one who ends up arguing with their husband when he does those things that just make me want to tear out my hair. Usually things are good, we're on the same page and all those other cliches when it comes to discipline. My biggest issue is that he harps on the kids about putting things away where they belong when we're done using them, but he has 2 side tables FULL of magazines, books, opened mail, dirty glasses, and he leaves things in odd places - his shoes literally sit in front of his recliner for days at a time. If I move them, he gets mad that he can't find them. Even when they're put to the side so someone else can sit there...it's weird. I know I must have things that drive him batty too, but I am trying to set the example so my kids can see that even Mommies and Daddies have to follow the rules of "if you're done using it, put it away where it belongs!"
- I think, in a perfect world, I could eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. All. Day. Long. Seriously - when they came out with the King Sized ones, I think I was more excited than I was meeting Harry Connick Jr in the grocery store with his wife in Boulder one day...But then I see a giant bag of tortilla chips and a gallon-sized jug of salsa, and I could sit down and eat that. By myself. All in one sitting...it's a good thing I don't keep those things in my house...
- This question came about because BB thinks I'm certifiable for singing songs like "inchworm", and the rainbow song (red, and yellow, and pink and green, purple and orange and blue...who can make a rainbow, make a rainbow, make a rainbow too), as well as pretty much anything I sing or rhyme or make up with the kids...but I, in turn, think it odd and a bit sad that he doesn't know those songs and things!
Sometimes, I just wonder if I'm alone in my quirky things that make BB laugh at me, or if there are other people out there that sing those songs, make up silly words and rhymes, or teach my kids to tie their shoes without a double loop/bunny ear...
But I also grew up in a house where we didn't make Nestle's Toll House cookies - we made these amazing cookies that still make me all warm and cozy inside...
PS - I'm still doing my Outside the Box cooking challenge. We've been doing quite well actually!
Toodles for now...
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