Writers Block

I am working on a post for Deep South Moms. I keep running into a problem, one that I run into here. While I am busy working on other things, thoughts swirl around in my head. I come up with ideas of things to write about, get it organized, sometimes a whole post will be up there just waiting to pour onto the computer screen. Yet, when I get time to sit down nothing flows. No words fly out onto the keyboard because I just can't access the part of my brain where the ideas are stored.

Yesterday, I scrapped the idea I had been working on. It was a great idea, but I never could get it flowing. Something else came to me so I pursued it. I wanted to strike while the iron was hot & attempted to do some writing while the kids were around.

What a mistake! Even though they had been really good all afternoon the proceeded to turn into screaming, running, jumping, loud, chaotic creatures. Otherwise known as... boys!

So, today my mission is to finish the Deep South Moms post. It won't be the best in the world, but it will be something. I need to figure a way out of my writing rut. I feel like I'm almost there.

My Latest Project...

First of all, let me say I plan to start posting regularly again. I have been in a little of a time crunch lately. More to do than hours in the day, and I just can't get it together in time to write. Baseball is almost over, and I do believe I'll have all kinds of extra time on my hands. Until I fill it with something else.

I'm slowly trying to decorate my house as inexpensively as possible, of course. So, I painted my bedroom.

Then I decided to paint the light furniture a dark grey because I no longer love the light maple-ish color that it is now. So far I've done a book shelf. It should have been such an easy project but I tried to be LAZY and used spray on primer and the first problem was one can was not nearly enough, and the second problem was it was all bubbly, bumpy and gross. So the bookshelf sat in the garage for a few weeks while I mustered up the desire to deal with it.

Do you want to know what finally prompted me to deal with it? Well, I'll tell you. And this has absolutely nothing to do that the books that belong in said bookshelf were in a pile in my bedroom floor. Or that Benjamin loved nothing better than to go in there and scatter them around all over creation. Nope, not that. It was the door bell that rang at 4:30 one morning when one of the kids had turned a light on in the van & I forgot to turn it off. Evidentally, I had left my door unlocked too, and a nice officer gave me a little lecture about that and that the light being on was a tell tale sign of burglarly and we've been having problems with that and such. Which, obviously I know all too well. Anyway, I was happy the officer was doing his job, and watching out for us. But clearly the bookshelf had to get out of the garage so I could park in there again. I sanded the bumps down, used regular primer & then painted the darn thing. I think it turned out pretty.

Next I painted the Living Room and the Dining Room (which still had the lovely builder white on it... I've mentioned that I hate builder paint right?) There's not much to tell but I LOVE the color.

Finally, my latest project was to attempt to make something similar to this. (Scroll down to see her finished project.) A friend had mentioned making this and I decided to give it a try. I wanted it to be in greys/maybe blues/maybe black instead of the browns pictured though. So, I had Kevin cut the squares and I painted the edges

If you notice some of the squares have crayon on them. I wasn't exactly prompt in my completing the project after the squares were cut. Zack liked to use them to color on. It's kind of fun to think about his little pictures underneath my completed project. Then I gathered my paper and my Mod Podge.

.

I was pretty nervous attempting this, so when I got started and it was working, not to mention easy, I was thrilled!

I decided to paint a grey square on the wall to kind of frame in the piece, and I think I will go get some moulding to frame the whole thing in. Which will require help from Kevin because really, power tools and I don't get along well. I'll use them, but they scare me. While drilling the hanging hardware (I'm sure there's a name for it, I can't remember) to the wall I slipped and nicked my finger. Hanging it was really the hardest part.

Next up, paint that headboard. And figure out something pretty for about the couch in the Living Room.

Labels

Not too long ago we were having issues with going through every single plastic cup we owned in a day. Because every time my bigger boys wanted a sip of water they got a new cup. I was trying to teach them, and get them into the habit of reusing the same cup, so I got out our label maker & put their name on a cup. They used the cup the whole rest of the day.

A few days later I saw the label maker was out and it had their names on it, and the word bathroom after. I asked why they had done that, and they shrugged and said "I dunno." So, fast forward until bathroom cleaning day. After I scrubbed the toilet I stood up and laughed so hard when I saw this.

I'm not sure why Mark's name isn't on there. I just couldn't stop laughing. It never occurred to me they would label their bathroom.

Edited to add:

I didn't notice before, but apparently they also have labelled the towel bar "lame." I thought it was nice!

Okie Dokie Artichokie

Today we were at the store & Mark begged me to buy an artichoke for us to try. My general rule is if they ask to try a new food, especially a vegetable(!!) my answer is yes.

So we bought the artichoke, and as it rode around in my cart, Kevin asked me if I even knew how to cook an artichoke and of course I said "no." I assured him that I could find a way to prepare it on the internet. Because you can learn how to do anything online. Right?

So I came home and found many, many websites detailing how to prepare the vegetable. There were even tutorial videos detailing step by step how to do so.

I got it all ready, and then boiled it, and then to be honest I wasn't really sure how to eat the thing. So I went looking again, and found a Good Eats with Alton Brown video that showed me even more about preparing the things, and maybe even ways to make it easier next time.

And then even more videos on how to eat the things. Which honestly was a little strange. And I felt ridiculous for wondering if that little bit of yumminess in the bottom of the leaf was all there was to it. And it was. And watching people eat artichokes is kind of creepy. But it was really delicious and I will be making them again.

For the record, everyone enjoyed the new culinary experience except for... Mark. Who I couldn't get to try it at all.

Ironic.

Let's Just Stop Messing With the Clock

So, I'm pretty certain I've mentioned my strong hatred for this thing called Daylight Savings Time before. Possibly every time the clock changes, and then changes back, and back again I gripe & moan about my kids schedule's getting all messed up.

The day after Halloween it was 4:45. I grumpily sent them all back to bed. When I arose a little while later they were eating peanut butter on a spoon watching cartoons. I shewed them into the kitchen with their snack and tried to degrumpify myself before dealing with anything else for the day. It really didn't work. Because, no matter that the day before it was really 6:30, the clock said 5:30 and being up that early, for whatever reason just makes me mad. There, I said it. I am not a morning person, and no matter how I try to be, to convince myself that it's ok. If I'm up before 6:30 it takes a little while for me to be cheerful. Ok, cheerful is stretching it.

Talking to my friends, I don't know one single person (who has kids) that doesn't get their schedule completely fouled up from this little clock tweaking. Is it really that great to have the sun come up a little earlier? I can't stand how early it gets dark now. I can't keep my kids up super late to get them to sleep in, because they never sleep in. Ever. This results in a cranky mommy with four cranky kids and that's not good for any of us.

Can we start some sort of petition to stop messing around with the clocks and the lives of Mommies everywhere?

Someone, somewhere (someone with grown kids) mentioned that DST meant they got an extra hour of sleep due to the time change. I couldn't stop laughing. I guess it's all in your perspective.

Today they didn't wake up until 5:15, so it's inching back. I am not asking for much... just sleep until 6:30 kids!

Pronouns

I've written this post before. Only about Zack and his misuse of pronouns when he was right about the age Ben is now. What can I say, there's just something about the development of language and how cute it is when they say things just a little wrong that makes me smile. Maybe I should correct him (Zack is over most of his confusion, although he will still make the occasional him/her slip.)

But Ben, right now is full of little funnies and he'll I'm sure outgrow it soon enough, so I better make a record of it before I forget.

The funniest thing to me is that he pluralizes every thing.

"That's mines." (Or is he putting an apostrophe in it? Like that's mine's. It is hard to say.)

"There's ours car!" (He can actually spot our van from an amazing distance away.)

"Thems go to school?

Etc. Now that I type this he doesn't really confuse his pronouns as much as just adding that s. It's still adorable in his little 2.5 year old voice.

Halloween

I found the choo choo costume online and knew I had to make it. It was super simple and fun! And super cute (I think.)


Originally Zack wanted to be a spider. Well, originally a pirate, then several other things, then a spider. Then, while I was looking for something other than a Power Ranger for Mark to be, we ran across this skeleton and he had to be a skeleton. So I got some plain black clothes & felt & started cutting and gluing. Easy! And he's pretty much the cutest skeleton I've ever seen. (But that has more to do with the smile underneath that mask than anything else. The mask didn't make it to any houses, but that was fine!)




You can see who won the great Power Ranger debate. I saw this at a consignment store & decided since I found the exact costume he wanted (the right color and everything) for a good price I would go for it. He was so happy it was totally worth it!




And my little (big) werewolf. He wasn't sure about the hood at first but I think it grew on him. He even perfected his howling for the big night. Thanks to my mother in law for helping me with this one. Because I was really nervous. But it all turned out!








Here they all are, ready to go collect more candy than anyone could possibly need.

We had a blast! I love Halloween!