3 year old Jello and other good things

Did you know that apparently the expiration date on a box of Jello really doesn't mean anything? I got the idea in my head last night after dinner that I wanted to make some Jello jigglers for the critters. You know, since we'd be stuck at home today, the more sugar the better, right? I knew I'd seen some Jello in the back of the pantry, and knew it had been there for awhile--I was right! One box expired in October 2005 (when the critterboy, who is now almost 4, was only 5 months old!) and 2 more expired in January of 2006. So, what's a mom who is iced in going to do now you ask? Call my mom, of course! We remembered that my wonderful aunt Charlene has many many old boxes of Jello and pudding mixes at her house--much older than mine--so we decided to give it a shot. We now have one big bowl and one pan of jiggly deliciousness chillin' in the fridge. Woo hoo!

Good thing #2: You know how every year, if you're a homeowner, you get the nasty little statement from your mortgage company saying that you have an escrow shortage and you'll have to pay a small fortune RIGHT NOW to avoid having your payment go through the roof? Well, this year we got a CHECK back! Lo and behold our taxes and insurance both went down in 2008--and while I'm sure they'll go back up this year, but hey, I'm not complaining about getting money back for once. Yee haw! Hubby dearest asked me what we were going to do with the money . . . . ummmmm pay down one of the many bills we've accumulated this year? Adoption expenses, new heat and air system, etc? Remember those? I so wish we could do something fun with the little chunk of change, but since I'm always Miss Responsibility, it'll go toward the yucky bills. I'm still celebrating and so thankful that we actually got some unexpected cash. The year is starting out right!

Good thing #3: I get to stay home with my kids today since the daycare is closed due to the ice storm. So far it's been whine and fuss fest around here, but I'm confident the day will get better. The day started as they all do--up by 6:00am for everyone. This mama never gets to sleep in! I made homemade waffles for the family before daddy-o had to head out on the slick roads to go to work. Yummy! The critterboy shredded the paperwork my doctor's office sent, so I need to call them today and get them to resend a new set. After his brief time out, he asked if he could wear a "jammie jumpsuit" (footed jammies) for his clothes today. So, he went potty all by himself, then went in his room all by himself and got out clean underwear and a jammie jumpsuit and got dressed with only a tiny bit of help from me. Can I get another woo hoo??!! Then he put on his bicycle helmet--darn it that I couldn't get to the camera in time! He's a hoot! La princesa is following bubba and me around, bringing us things and taking things from us. She has some pancake syrup in her hair, but so what? Nothing a bath can't fix later!

Good thing #4: I went to a kid's boutique on Saturday after the "Princess Potty" (a party for our friend's Guat tot Danielle who is now completely potty trained!) with a couple of friends and got some great deals. Check out the cutesy cute outfit and red glittery Wee Squeak shoes on my sweet girl! (okay so you can't see the shoes, but holy moly they're adorable--I didn't buy them when I was at the store but thought about them all the way home. So I called Jana, who was still at the store shopping, and she brought them to me at church on Sunday. Yes, I'm obsessed with matchy matchy stuff . . .)

I spent way to much $$, but I never splurge on kids clothes, and most of what I got was either 50% or 75% off. How could I resist?! And, since Mary Ann, mama to the Potty Princess, had plans after the party and couldn't go to the boutique with us, I picked up some pillowcase dresses for her girls. Then on Sunday after all the kids had naps, she brought the girls over to play for a bit. The kitchen was a big hit for the whole group. And now I'm inspired to start making some little boutiquey outfits for la princesa. I haven't sewn in awhile but most of the outfits are very simple and I know I can do it. Stay tuned--when I get time I'm going to make lots of fun stuff and bombard you with pictures!

Good thing #5: We're hosting a "Souper" Bowl party on Sunday for our Sunday school class. So far I think there are about 25 people (adults and kids) coming, and we're expecting about 10 more! I'm sure it will be a great time and we're really excited. I need to get off the computer and clean a bit, but it'll have to wait . . . Anyway, some have said that we'll regret volunteering our home for the event, but I'm not worried! Our house is always a zoo anyway--why not add a few more people to the pandamonium?!

Good thing #6: Since the roads are really bad, Weight Watchers was cancelled this morning. This means I have another week to either blow it or do really well before I weigh in again. I'm only 3 pounds from my ultimate goal, but it's getting harder! Maybe it's because this cold weather makes me want to eat? And since I'm home today I've decided to make homemade pizza for dinner and probably something yummy for lunch in between. Sigh. I really need to stay on track, but it's cold outside and I need to fatten up for winter! :)

Last but not least: Here's a pic of la princesa and me--hubby took it for me to use on my Facebook page and it turned out pretty good considering I like VERY FEW pictures of myself! I think it's gonna be a good day . . .

8 months together & pictures

I just realized that 8 months ago today our princesa was given to us forever. She's changed so much and so have we. Happy 8 months together mi familia! I'm so glad we're a family--abrazos and besos!

The only narrative needed for these pictures is this: CUTE!

Cleanfest 2009 and Facebook

Ahhh, the joy of having a paid day off work to stay home and have Cleanfest 2009! I sent the critters to daycare this morning so I could clean our floors (yes, the whole house!) and get caught up on some things around home. La Princesa isn't feeling well, so in a bit I'll go pick her up and head to the doctor. Again. Last Monday it was the critterboy who wasn't feeling well. Today is sissy priss's turn. I'm feeling really guilty about taking her to school when I know she isn't feeling like herself, but it could be teething. It's not though, I can just tell, but it makes me feel a little better. The little booger didn't get her first tooth until she was almost one. It was the standard "one bottom tooth" tooth for about a month. Then, as if to remind us that she's not just like bubba, she cut her top eye teeth. Nope, not in the middle, the big old honkin eye teeth! Now she's getting at least two more, and I suspect maybe more. She's miserable and fussing pretty much all the time. She's still our pretty pretty princess, but gosh will we all be glad when she's feeling better!

Okay, back to the cleanfest. I'm developing an obsession about my floors being clean. I guess now that there are 4 pairs of feet in this house and we actually have friends over once in awhile, I get a little nutty about cleanliness. So, since I got a bonus at work last week (thanks work!), I decided it was time to buy the right appliances for the job. I so wanted a Roomba and Scooba, but couldn't justify almost $700 for both robots. So I settled for a couple of Hoovers--one for hard floors and one for carpet--to tag team with my Dyson to conquer the disgusting (not really, but I feel like they are) floors. I did it! I started at about 8:00am and finished just before noon. Totally worth it. I got some much needed exercise (read: activity points for Weight Watchers, which equals more food for me!) and have the satisfaction of knowing that my floors are clean, if not only for a few hours. Yes, I'm totally lame. I know and accept that. It's how God made me and I'm even a little bit proud of it! hee hee

Work is still crazy. I'm praying that Miss Priss Pants isn't too sick because I'm really struggling with balancing work and home right now. I feel pulled in a million directions and the only time I have to myself is spent, you guess it, cleaning. Sigh. I consider myself very blessed to have a job. I really do. I just wish it were easier to find the perfect balance for me where I'm not constantly feeling like I'm letting someone down. We're finally in a great routine at home, and can even enjoy some flexibility in the routine without the world collapsing around us, so that's a start, I suppose. I'll celebrate that little victory as long as possible!

Oh yeah--I'm pretty sure the little wild man is going to get kicked out of Sunday school. Yesterday I picked him up early (we didn't stay for the service) so we could get home to daddy-o and sickie sissy. As I was approaching his room but still around the corner, I heard him yelling. That's never a good thing. As I opened the door to the classroom I found him sitting in the corner while the other kids were sitting at tables working on projects. I asked him if that was him yelling and he said yes. The teacher, preschool program director, and another lady all semi-lectured me about him running out of the room and them having to chase him. Then I was told that he was throwing things at the other kids again (last week he threw wooden puzzles at the other kids--this week it was a clip board and little number clippies) and yelled alot at everyone in the room. I think they were relieved when I took him home early. I told him on the way home that the ugly behavior stops here. No more. I'm not sure what it's going to take, but I'm done with it. He came home, ate lunch, and we sent him to bed for a nap. The rest of the afternoon was alot better, behavior wise. Hopefully he's having a good day at school today. I'm just not sure what else to do. We are studying Effective Parenting in a Defective World in our Sunday school class and I'm noticing that it seems that WE the PARENTS are most of the problem and I totally see that with the critterboy. I'm going to have to really focus and pray about how to parent him effectively. He's such a good boy and I love him with all of my heart. We're so much alike that we butt heads. I suspect that I'm not the only mom who has this challenge. I just want to be the best mom I can be and help him grow into a reasonable, easy going boy, young man, and someday, a man and a dad.

These kids just keep me guessing all the time--I can't imagine life any other way! Anything else would be just boring, now wouldn't it!

At the urging and peer pressure from several friends, I've finally been succombed into the abyss of Facebook. I never saw what all the fuss was about, but now I'm hooked! I'm still in the market for Facebook (and real life!) friends, so look me up! If you're not already on Facebook, don't wait another day. Good times, ya'll, good times!

Sadly, I just realized that I never did upload the pictures that I wanted to post and didn't ever click "publish post" earlier today. So here it is, almost time to hit the hay, (not roll in it, just hit it if you needed clarification", and I'm just now getting around to letting you all read this less than amazing post. Since I'm here, I'll add that La Princesa has a pretty bad ear infection. No wonder she's been so fussy. They gave her a steriod shot, an anti-biotic (she actually kept it down!), and some ear drops. She's sleeping now, but I'm not sure for how long. I'm confident she'll be good as new in a couple of days. And the bonus is that she isn't contagious, so she should be able to go to daycare tomorrow.

Sorry. There will be no pictures this time. The kids are still cute though, that's for sure! You'll have to wait a bit longer to see for yourself . . .

Please pray for Abby

Sweet Abby Riggs begins her most difficult round of chemotherapy tomorrow. The doctors have given her about a 20% chance of survival of this form leukemia. Pray that she is in as little pain as possible during her treatments. Pray that she doesn't suffer any harsh side effects as she has in the past. Just pray that Abby can be healed.

I must say that the strength and faith of her parents is just amazing to me. Not long after she was diagnosed, they said that the worst case scenario for them was the best case scenario for Abby: going to heaven. I can't imagine even having to consider that. But it's true, isn't it? Wow.

If you haven't read about Abby before, visit http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/ to learn about her and her amazing family and friends.

I'm praying--are you?