Too Tired to Title...

We are in the midst of packing chaos.  Combine that with saying goodbye to friends, preparing for my hubby's final flight in the Air Force, along with family coming to visit for the flight... and with Christmas and such added in... it's all a little nuts around here!  So lets pause a minute and Hodgepodge... a little bit of normalcy in this chaos!

1.  So, when did you last take a walk in the woods? A stroll along the beach? A drive going nowhere in particular in the car? 

A couple of weeks ago when hubs and I were in CA trying to find a house - and we stopped to take a walk on the beach to try and sort out our thoughts on the whole deal.  It was overcast, so not what you would call a "gorgeous" day at the beach... but I'm of the mindset that there's no such thing as a bad day at the beach!

And yeah... this is roughly 10 minutes from where we will be living.  :-)

2.  Are you sending Christmas cards this year?  About how many do you send?  Photo card or something more traditional?  How do you display the cards you receive?

I usually send out about 75 Christmas cards, and we always do a family photo of some kind, or a newsletter of sorts.  I love receiving them from friends and family!  I vary each year on how they are displayed - sometimes simply in a basket, other times taped to a closet door.  This year, however, with us moving next week, my Christmas cards will be more of a "Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, oh by the way we moved and left the Air Force to start a new career" cards... sent after the dust settles a bit in january.

3. What's a word you've heard too much of in the past week?

"Goodbye"  :-(

4. December 13th is National Cocoa Day-are you a fan?  Plain or flavored?  Marshmallows or no marshmallows?

Oh yes, I do love hot cocoa!  Especially the salted caramel coca at Starbucks.. yummy!  And double on the marshmallows please!

5. What is something you do to help alleviate the hectic pace of the Christmas season?

Sit quietly with a cup of tea and just listen to Christmas music in the background.  Normally I would also include just enjoying the Christmas lights on our tree... I really do miss that this year.

6. Besides jewelry, what's a favorite sparkly-glittery item in your home or closet?

Hanging in our kitchen window is a gorgeous sparkly hummingbird that my dear friend Martha brought me back from the Bellagio in Las Vegas.  It is gorgeous and it makes me smile when I see it!

7. Share a favorite line or two from any Christmas carol.

"Long lay the world, in sin and error pining

til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth!"

Amazing... that it was the appearance of God Himself that satisfied the weary soul and gave us worth.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I shared this video with my friend Erika (Hi Erika!)  and she reposted it on FB - I love what she said as an intro, so I'm going to shamelessly steal it and post it here.  Because It doesn't matter if you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist, agnostic...or if you think that this whole "Jesus thing" is just a nice little story; you're gonna love Love LOVE this (or at the least appreciate it)!!  Be blessed this Christmas season, dear friends.

A Holly Jolly Hodgepodge

Oh how I missed doing this Hodgepodge last week!  But it was definitely a perfect storm of events that kept me from posting - my hubs and I were in CA on our massive "lets find a house to move into in a month" extraveganza, my parents and 95-year-old grandmother came down to have dinner with us, and then our computer cord died, leaving us without computer for me to post!  So yep... no Hodgepodge last week... but I'm back this week!  Exhausted, fighting a cold, all that fun stuff... but I"m here!  Let's HODGEPODGE!

1.  Share your traditions surrounding the Christmas stocking. 

No matter where we are spending Christmas, the kids are ALWAYS up way before us and they know that they can open their stockings first thing. It's usually a lot of fun, listening to their giggles and excitement about their stockings.  However -  Last year our daughter decided to wake us all up at 3 am to go through her stockings.  And let me just say... it's REALLY hard to get into the Christmas spirit at 3 am.  Expecially when we have two church services the next day that I'm performing in.  And it's REALLY a good thing that she's so darn cute so I didn't kick her tiny behind to the moon and back because I'm REALLY grumpy at that time of night if you're not throwing up or bleeding excessively.  And she'd REALLY better not pull that stunt again this year.  Because we will have just packed up our entire house and will be stopping in Utah for Christmas with the in-laws and I'm really really really going to need my sleep.  I'm just sayin.  Ahem.

2.  How many hours of sleep do you average at night?  Is it enough?

here.Hahaha - well, obviously by my response above you can tell that I dearly need my sleep.  At least 7 hours - 8 is better.  Any less than 6 and I pay for it dearly in health and attitude and mental clarity.  

See this comic to see what I mean.

3.  If you had to give up one thing for the remainder of this year what would it be? 

Packing!  Because our movers come in 15 days and there is SO much to do in between now and then!  

4.  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (or Wills and Kate as I like to call them) have announced they're expecting a baby. Do you follow news of the Royals? 

I do, only in what the news gives us.  I'm not like a cyber-stalker or anything.  But my aunt loves everything to do with the Royal family, and so I kind of got interested through her.  

5.  For me,  the sound of childhood is__________________.

Pure laughter!  Nothing better than baby/toddler/kid belly laughs and giggles!!

6.  Fruit cake-yay or boo? What's your favorite dessert made with fruit?

Fruit cake is ok if I have a good cup of coffee to go with it.  It's not really something I crave, though, if you know what I mean.  My favorite dessert made with fruit is a toss up between a struesel fruit pastry (yum!) or THIS AMAZING apple/caramel/struesel apple pie.  Hmmm, maybe it's just all about the struesel for me!  Seriously, though, I make this apple pie every Thanksgiving and it is unbelievable!

7. What is one thing you want to accomplish before 2012 comes to an end?

Umm, see my answer to #3!

8.  Insert your own random thought 

So yea!  We found a house!  We even met the owners, who were a wonderful couple and spoke very highly of the neighborhood, the schools, and the community in general.  10 minutes from the beach... gorgeous home... yep, it's going to be good!  And after seeing 26 houses in 26 hours, covering 6 different cities... we were ready to be DONE!  Exhausting both physically and emotionally.  A huge THANK YOU to my amazing mother-in-law who stayed with the kidlettes while we traveled, and to my cousin who was our patient realtor through the madness!

Now, off to pack some more boxes...

A Blessed Thanksgiving

I'm sitting in my piano room... surrounded by packing boxes (delivered by the moving company yesterday) and Christmas gifts that need to be wrapped.  Oh yes, I'm already wrapping Christmas presents, because if I don't do it now, the gifts will most likely get shoved in some box and well, we're moving the week before Christmas!  So yep... trying to stay ahead of the game here.  I've got the fireplace roaring, and quite honestly it is WAY too early for me to be up, especially with my in-laws coming today, Thanksgiving dinner to start preparing, plus physical therapy this morning and the kids are out of school early today.  Ok Sal... breathe.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  We are truly blessed... For now, lets procrastinate Hodgepodge and focus on what really matters!

1. Turkey-love it or leave it?  White meat or dark?  What's your favorite thing to make using leftover turkey?

I do enjoy turkey, dark meat please!  My favorite thing to make with leftover turkey is turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce.  My family (who doesn't like cranberries) may gag, but I say Yum!

2. Gotta burn off all those carbs the day after a holiday feast so which would you rather do-run a 10K or climb a mountain? 

Right now, since I'm still healing from my hip surgery, I would dearly love to be able to do either!  When we were in Park City, Utah a few weeks ago I went on a small hike - ok, it was just a walk up a hill at the Olympic Park - but to me it felt like a mountain and I was so darn proud of myself for doing it!  Funny how your perspective changes, eh?  So yeah, if I had to chose, I'd definitely prefer climbing a mountain!

3.  Do you feel like social networking has made your relationships better or worse?  Explain.
It's a toss-up... social networking has reconnected me with many people that I had lost touch with, so for that I am grateful.  And it is an easy way to stay connected quickly.  But I do miss the comfort of writing letters, and receiving letters.  I was even thinking the other day about how when I was in school, we were always passing notes to each other (probably the reason why I didn't do so well in algebra!) - but now, kids just text.  And maybe it's similar... but it's not the same.  It makes me a little sad.

4. How do you find and express gratitude for the hard things in your life? 

By knowing that I'm not God... and He is in control, no matter what, and can bless and teach through the hard times as well as the good.  A few years ago when my best friend was killed in a car accident, I went to church and as I sat in the pew crying, the praise team started to sing "Blessed Be The Name of the Lord" - and I said in my heart, "God, I believe this... but I just can't sing it right now" and I heard His small still voice in my heart say "It's OK... some day you will."  That's the good in the middle of the bad.


5.  In the US, the day after Thanksgiving has been dubbed 'Black Friday'.  Is most of your holiday shopping done live and in person, or is it done more through the magic of the Internet? How do you feel about stores opening at midnight Thanksgiving night? Will you be out amongst the masses on Friday? 

Internet, definitely!  I don't find any joy in the masses of people, cranky salespeople, and the focus on commercialism.  Blech.  I much more enjoy finding special, meaningful gifts on the internet and having them arrive at my door.

6.  Speaking of the color black-which black item in your wardrobe would you say is your favorite?
I have a cute little black dress!

7.  What do you appreciate about your life today? 
My kids.  My husband.  My extended family and friends near and far.  My God, who never leaves nor forsakes me.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Next week my hubs and I will be house hunting in California, while my amazing mother-in-law stays here to hold down the fort and get the kiddos to their various activities!  Please pray for us to be able to find a house quickly, for wisdom and discernment as we decide where to live, and for everything here at home to go smoothly as well.

It is really starting to hit us that this is it... we are taking this leap of faith into the unknown, leaving the Air Force community that has been so good to us over the years and has provided us with security.  We know that this new job is a good opportunity, but it's still scary starting over - at the age of 40, with three kids.  We covet your prayers!

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

So last week we didn't have our weekly Hodgepodge because, well, Sandy came and wrecked havoc on poor Joyce's world in New Jersey!   Thankfully she's ok, but understandably she needed the week off to regroup and give her due attention elsewhere!  It's good to be back, though!  Lets hodgepodge, friends!

1.  What rule of life should never be broken?

Live each day as it is your last... some day it will be.

2.  What's your favorite family recipe? 

My mother-in-law's Carmelitas recipe... oh my goodness, they are SO good!


3.  Is the media manipulative?

Yes, absolutely.  Each news organization, whether it be print, film, or social media has a slant - conservative, liberal, environmental, religious... so of course the news that they present, and the way it is presented, will reflect those values and opinions.  I'll never forget when my husband was deployed to Iraq, I was at a friends' house and she was watching Fox News and their coverage of the war.  I went home and turned on CNN for the same coverage, and it was like watching two completely different wars.  

4. Hubs and I saw Skyfall last weekend...are you a fan of the Bond films? If so, who's your favorite Bond?

Yes, I am a huge Bond fan, although surprisingly I had never seen a Bond film before I met my husband 20 years ago.  I guess they just aren't the kind of movies my parents watched.  We actually just watched Quantum Solace last night, introducing our teen to Bond.  Sean Connery is the classic Bond - I mean really, how can you EVERy compete with him?  I will say, though, that Daniel Craig is incredible in the role.

5. What is one thing you hope people never say about you?

That everywhere I went I smelled.   

No seriously, I would hope that no one ever says that I didn't live my faith in my words and actions.

6.  What's a nearby tourist attraction you'd like to see, but haven't gotten around to visiting? 

Ummm... we live in the desert of Idaho.  Honestly, there's not a whole lot that's well known for tourists.  We've been to Yellowstone, Seattle, Salt Lake City, the Grand Canyon, San Fransisco, las Vegas... (all these are within driving distance of us... LONG driving distance, but still...)  So, I'll list a not-so-commonly-known attraction, which is City of the Rocks in Idaho - that's where my husband proposed to me 19 years ago, and we kept meaning to go back and see it while we lived here.  (for those of you who are new to my blog, we are moving in 6 weeks after living here for 3 years)  But with my hubs deployed and gone so much, and now my recent surgery, we just haven't made it out there.  That makes me kind of sad.

7.  Where's your favorite tree?

(disclaimer: When I first read this question, I read "What" instead of "Where" and wrote about oak trees in general... but then an observant blogger - not me, obviously - noted that it was "Where" - so here you go... my favorite tree location)

A big old oak tree that stretches it's big trunk and strong branches over the driveway of my grandparents' old home in San Marino, CA.  I loved that tree - its trunk leaned out so you could climb it easily, and we would sit on their back patio under it and watch the squirrels scamper up and down.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Two weekends ago we had a semi-surprise birthday weekend for my husband.  He was turning the big 4-0.  I say "semi-surprise" because, well, we're in the military and so he had to tell scheduling not to fly him so he could be home in time for us to go away.  We were driving down to Park City, Utah - and that's all he knew.  He didn't know that his parents and brother (and his family) would be joining us from Salt Lake City.  He didn't know that our best friends from here, that we've been stationed with 3 times, would also be driving down to join us.  He didn't know that his sister and brother-in-law were flying in from California.  AND he didn't know that his best friend was flying in from Hawaii to surprise him!

So, I had a minor (!) heart attack when he called me a few days before and said that there was a military exercise going on and he had to report in to work at 6 am on Sunday.  Did I mention that Park City is, oh, 5 hours away from where we live now?  yeah... I freaked out a bit.  Then, after I finished freaking out and growing 15 new grey hairs, I calmly called his commander (who is a friend of ours, thankfully), and pleaded my case with him... and he excused my hubs from his duty on Sunday!  *note to self, buy our commander a bottle of whatever he wants for Christmas*

But, that aside, the weekend was fantastic.  My hubby was duly surprised, the party was a success, my bro-in-law did an awesome job treating us all to a red wine tasting (I had a root beer tasting for the kids so they wouldn't feel left out) And we had SO MUCH FUN!  I felt like I had been hit by a truck for about 3 days afterward - I didn't think about the fact that this was the most activity I had had since my surgery, but it all went so well, it was worth it!  (And, par for course, it wasn't until we got home that I realized there wasn't a single picture with me in it!  Oh good grief...)

happy birthday hon, I love you!

 Big C, my bro/sis-in-law, Middle C, My Hubby, Little C, and our nephew in the pool the first night

 Getting ready for the wine tasting!

 Gorgeous, delicious cake!

 Wine bottles with personalized labels at each table

Little C with his best buddies who came down for the weekend - love the play mustaches!

A Happy One Hundred Hodgepodge!

It's the 100th Hodgepodge!  I wish I could say I had been a part of this fun weekly event since the beginning - but nope, I joined in after seeing my friend Erin (Hi Erin!) do it on her blog... somewhere around Hodgepodge #11 - wow, I had no idea I was so close to the beginning!  Or that I've been participating for 89 posts now.  What does that say about me?  hmmm... I agree with Joyce - it's easy to share with people the quick FB posts, the tweets, etc.  But sharing the nitty gritty, reminiscing and hoping and bonding over the big and little things all at once... that's what the Hodgepodge is.  It has opened up a whole other community to be a part of that is so much fun!

So, without further ado... let's Hodgepodge, baby!


1. What creeps you out?Rodents and reptiles.  *insert full body shudder here* - oh how I wish I could be one of those "cool" moms who allows an entire menagerie of animals in her home to further educate her children and such.  But nope - today when my Little C said he wanted a lizard I said quite calmly "Apparently you forgot the conditions under which you live in my house - Rule #1 is no rodents or reptiles allowed.  Sorry kiddo!"  My "coolness" will lie in other areas apparently... like not driving my kids to school with curlers in my hair.  :-)  (This coolness factor now extends to pajamas... as you will read later...)

2. What's your least favorite candy?

Not a huge fan of sweet tarts - those little discs that numb your tongue.  Blech.

3. Are you a fan of scary movies?  What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?

Nope, I've never cared for scary movies.  My hubby likes them on occasion - but nope, not for me thankyouverymuch.  The scariest movie I ever saw was "The Descent"  scared the living bejeebees out of me!

And on that note... years ago my father-in-law and I went to a huge sing-along of Handels Messiah.  It was absolutely breathtaking and glorious.  We went there while the rest of my hubs' family went to see "Scream."  And let me just say... my FIL and I slept quite soundly all night with the songs of angels in our heads... while everyone else in the family was up All. Night. Long. because they were officially freaked out.

:-)

4. What part of life confuses you the most?

Chin hairs.  What the heck?  They have NO place on a woman's face, I'm just sayin.  And why, when I've spent precious time in front of the magnifying mirror trying to get all rogue hairs plucked, do I then go to church and WHAM - right in the middle of the pastor's sermon - I put my hand to my chin and THERE is a HAIR poking my finger!  So then I obsess about the length of the hair and wonder how many people were obviously staring right at this rogue hair while I chatted with them before service and were surely wondering how on earth I could have missed it... and THEN when I do get to the restroom and look in the mirror, it has disappeared again!

Seriously... what's up with that?

Just add this to the list of things I was NOT prepared for as I got older... harumph...  You know, they have books for pre-teen girls explaining what is happening to their bodies as they change and such.  They really should make one for when you hit your 30/40s - with the same cute drawings and positive enforcement messages "You are Beautiful!  Perky boobs are overrated!  Men love pregnancy stretch marks!"

5. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy...what's your favorite seed?

Roasted pumpkin seeds are just so yummy!  I just dislike getting them out of the pumpkin guts and preparing them.  

6. Imagine your life ten years from today...what's changed?
Oh wow... life will be very different.  My Big C will be 24, Middle C will be 21, and Little C will be 18 - we will be looking at the Empty Nest syndrome, changing family dynamics as our children move out and begin their adult lives.

Can I please freeze time?

7.  What do you a) love the most and b) like the least about the Hodgepodge? 

I love the community - the friendships I've developed with people all over, visiting their blogs and looking for their responses each week!  It truly is a highlight in my week!

What do I like the least?  I really don't think there is anything I like least... except when I don't get any comments on my page... makes me feel like I wasn't witty enough to warrant a comment... did I happen to mention that Words are my primary love language? ;[)

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

So - this is the part in which we visit Sally and as she shares with us we shake our heads and say "You just can't make this stuff up!"  Two stories for you from my life this last week... to make you laugh!

Story 1:  Last Thursday I was running a bit late getting my youngest to school.  So instead of listening to that voice inside my head which was saying "You really should get dressed before getting in the car" I figured I would instead just go in my pajamas for the 1 mile drive down the street to his school.  (It was 22 degrees outside... brrrrr!) Anyway - run him down real quick, then come home, shower, and carry on with my day.  Or not.   On the 1 mile drive, I got a flat tire.  In my pajamas.  During school drop-off traffic.  Lovely.

At least my pajamas matched and I had thrown on real shoes instead of my fuzzy slippers.

Came home and indeed threw on some clothes, forget the shower, and drive to the dealership instead.  Sigh.

Story 2:  Last night I was making supper.  As I put the stew on the stove to simmer I noticed that one of the range lights was out.  Frustrated, because I had JUST replaced those lights last month, I decided to take the burned out light out while I was thinking about it.  Got the screwdriver, was unscrewing the light bulb - and electrocuted myself.  Totally forgot (obviously) that the whole REASON I had noticed it was out is because the other one was ON!  My tongue and hands were quite tingly for quite a while.  

I'm pretty sure Julia Child or the Pioneer Woman never electrocuted themselves while making stew.

Don't you wish you lived in my house?  Never a dull moment around here, folks!  Let the head shaking begin.

99 Red Balloons...

Hodgepodge #99!  And while Joyce started her post with talking about that "other" commonly known "99" song - which I'm not going to mention because I had it in my head ALL DAY LONG after reading her questions... I won't do that to you.  Instead, I'll leave you humming the song from my post title.  In case you don't know which song I'm referring to... here you go...

Now... on to the Hodgepodge!  (And for those of you wondering, I'll post about our experiment results at the end of this post!)

1.  So, do you like beer? 

Not really... it's not something I crave or think "Wow, this really sounds good" - but if I take a sip of my husband's Corona or Fat Tire, I'll admit it does taste yummy!  I was at a party the other day though, and they had a banana bread flavored beer.  It was truly bizarre.  Smelled like banana bread, tasted like banana bread - but it felt really weird to be drinking banana bread.

2.  What's your least favorite repetitive task? 

Only one?  I'd have to say dusting.  It just never ends.  Especially living in the desert.  Oy.

3.  When was the last time you rode a bus?  Where was it headed? 

It was a couple of years ago on a field trip with my daughter's 3rd grade class.  We went up to Boise... I'm ashamed to admit I don't remember where we went, except that we had a picnic at a really awesome park afterwards.  Maybe we went to the zoo?  Darn, I'll have to ask her when she wakes up in the morning.  Update: we went to the Discovery Center of Idaho (a really cool science museum!) and then to the park for lunch.  

4.  What song from your childhood or from your own children's childhood could make a parent's nerves stand on end?

Right now I have a pre-teen and teen in the house... and it's like nails on the chalkboard when they sing the "Call Me Maybe" song... I've actually forbidden it from being sung in my house... And I refuse even to post a link to it... I'll spare you.  if you feel like exploring it further, find it on YouTube.  I can't believe I've even wasted three lines talking about the stupid song.

5.  The US Presidential election cycle is drawing to a close (can I get an AMEN??), and the third and final debate was held last night...what was the last thing you 'debated about'?

AMEN sister!!!  

The last thing I debated was, actually, politics and religion at a party last Saturday.  Quite interesting discussion, actually.

6.  Can a person make too much money?  How much is too much?

YES.  I was actually watching a show last week that talked about a billionaire who was reaching out to other people in his company who needed help.  (It was more detailed than that... this is just a summary)  But the whole time, during the show, all he did was build himself up and brag about his hot-model wife, the fact that he paid cash for a 5 million dollar home, blah blah blah.  SO conceited.  He never really "got" it with his employees problems... he was too stuck on himself.

7.  Pop-soda-coke-something else...what's it called where you live?

Either coke or soda.

8.  Insert your own random thought here

OK... so... to refresh your memory, last week my hubs and I went on strike.  No cleaning up after the kids - lets see how long it takes for them to voluntarily clean up on their own.  You can read (and see pictures) here and here and here .

In short...It was a very. long. Week.

And it ended with one of my children stepping up to the plate.  But the other two... oh, the other two.  We had a "Come to JESUS!" talk with them on Saturday morning... letting it be known that we were disappointed... and they were going to spend the rest of the day cleaning.  No excuses.  To "Mom Standards" as they are known in my house.  

The next morning, my house was spotless.  The glorious smell of Mrs Meyers Geranium scented counter cleaner filled the air.  And my Little C, he got out his cereal and milk, poured his breakfast, and as he walked to the table, he stopped... and turned around and put the cereal and milk away.  Experiment - success.  And my Middle C, she emptied the dishwasher without being asked.  Experiment success.  Big C has earned his lightbulbs back... Experiment success.

It was a very hard week, much more difficult than I thought it would be, for me to see and SMELL the disaster in the kitchen, plus the emotions I had as I watched my children be OK with the mess... but in the end, I'm glad we did it.  And as people were following it on FB and on the blog, I had others contact me and support what we were doing.  Many said they never thought they could do it.  But I maintain - it was worth it.  I couldn't have done it without my husband's support either... he got in to it, telling me to "Put that trash BACK in the trash can! " and such... hehehe... 

But now... I'll enjoy my now-clean house, and hope we don't have to go on strike again any time soon, thankyouverymuch!

Day 4... and the gig is (almost) up...

So last night I cleaned the dishwasher.  Because I HAD to clean something.  Anything.  And I cleaned my washing machine.  You know all those random "How to clean..." things you put on your Pinterest boards?  Yep... I perused them and cleaned whatever I could... since, you know... I couldn't touch the MOUNTAIN OF DISHES taking over the kitchen!  THIS is my favorite "how-to" cleaning website, by the way.  I know you were wondering.  You're welcome.

I almost ordered new Scentsy bars, thinking that at this rate, I was going to go through my whole stash by the end of the week in my attempts to cover the stench emanating from the sink.

And then...

I came downstairs this morning to find my Big C standing at the kitchen sink, putting the dishes in the dishwasher!  I exclaimed "What is THIS?"  to which he turned around, smiled, and said "Miss ____ told me about the experiment."  (apparently during youth group corn maze last night, a friend of mine asked him how the experiment was going... not realizing that the kids didn't KNOW about the experiment)  harumph... I immediately sent her a text and informed her that she was in the doghouse!  Oh well... so lets see what happens from here...

Big C did load up the dishwasher.  Little C helped him.  Middle C, sat at the breakfast table.

Big C went to school (dishwasher loaded, not running though)  Little C went to school.  Middle C went to school.  Dishes still piled in the sink.  Mud tracked all over the kitchen floor from the maze adventure last night.  I left for the day... and when I came home, immediately got hit with a massive migraine.  My only thought was "This is it... the mess in the house is actually making me physically ill!"

But oh... how hilarious was it, when Big C came home from band practice, and I overheard him stomping around in the kitchen muttering "We are PIGS!  This is disgusting!  I mean, how HARD is it for people to put CEREAL boxes away?  It takes 20 seconds!"  He was understandably upset that his brother and sister weren't helping him - but I took him aside and told him his reward was in heaven.  And that he was my favorite child.  And yes, there would be eventual consequences for the younger Cs.  He was duly excited.

He was amazing.  He ran the dishwasher.  He emptied the dishwasher.  He loaded it again.  He swept the floor and ran the steam mop.  He was on his hands and knees.  And, oh gloriousness, overhearing him talk with his father in the kitchen afterwards and hearing him say "This must have been driving mom NUTS!" and his father say "Remember this when you are married... help out and take initiative"

So the kitchen is about 90% clean.  (Ice cream container still on the counter... I don't know why...) There are still things to be done.  D says we should continue for a few more days - we need to get it across to the younger Cs that they need to do their part, whether they feel like it or not.  Just because the kitchen got cleaned up once, by their older brother, does not mean that they are off the hook.  So for their sakes, we will press on and see how long it takes for them to get the message.

Mumbling "This is disgusting!"

Day 3... and we're not quite done yet

Disclaimer:  In this episode, we find Sally crying a little, quoting poetry, cleaning a part of her kitchen, and her Big C getting rewarded with lightbulbs for his room (see my post from Day 1 to understand)... 

I'll admit... last night, I was getting mad.  Looking at the disaster that was my kitchen.  Dishes piled high.  Fred and Martha (you know, my pear mascots) looking woefully shriveled and starting to smell a little.  (In hindsight, it may also not have been such a great idea to make fajitas for dinner - phew!  Boy do those stink up a kitchen!  Especially when combined with leftover breakfast dishes, pizza, coffee cups, peanut butter knives... etc.)

I have visions of Shel Silverstein's trash poems coming to reality.  Sigh.

So yeah... last night I was almost getting angry.  I mean, seriously... WHEN would it EVER be ok for us to live in such filth?  What kind of mom do they think I am that I would allow this house to be this disgusting without, say, me being in a coma or something.  My house would certainly never grace the pages of Martha Stewart everything-in-its-place-at-all-times magazines, but neither would we be headlining on the next episode of Hoarders.  Looking around, my husband just smirked and said "this is awesome..."  I'm glad he was amused.  "They're kids - they're clueless!" he said.  Quite frankly, I agree.  Truly dumbfounded.  But really... surely we've raised them to be better than this... right?

This morning I came downstairs to find that my Middle C had poured her breakfast cereal into a plastic Red solo cup and was eating out of it.  You know... because there weren't any clean dishes.  Never mind the ones that were SITTING IN THE DISHWASHER waiting to be put away!  I just stared at her in disbelief... and my Big C leaned over to her and, in a stage whisper, said "Why didn't you DO the DISHES?"  I walked out of the room so they wouldn't see my eyeballs rolling into the back of my head.

A few minutes later... oh, what was that I heard?  Oh, that was Middle C running upstairs to finish doing her hair for school.  But wait... was that Big C, telling Little C "Hey, lets clean up the kitchen a little bit!"  Oh wow... oh joy... oh bliss...

But darn that school bus schedule... Big C had to leave, so while he and Little C did manage to empty the dishwasher, he walked out saying "Hey, Little C you do as much as you can and when I get home I'll finish up!"  To which Little C walked over, picked up his backpack, and said "I'm ready to go to school mom"

insert sound of me crying... just a little...

Fast forward to after school today.  Dishes are still piled mile high in the kitchen sink.  The kitchen table is covered in school papers, markers and pencils, games, cups, and two sticky spoons.  Photos for evidence:

I'll admit, I'm starting to twitch a little.  An almost burning need to desperately regain some control over my household.  So, in order to make lemons into lemonade (though not literally... ugh, that would just make MORE mess in my kitchen right now!)...  Since I have a completely empty dishwasher... I'm cleaning it.  Yep... as we speak I hear the hum of the dishwasher swish swashing behind me... and in my mind it is scrubbing all of the disgusting dishes, while in reality it is simply washing itself clean with vinegar.

I may need professional help.

A Humberflopper Hodgepodge to You!

Ahh, ye' old Hodgepodge... a welcome break during this crazy week in which I am avoiding my kitchen like the plague (why, do you ask?  because it LOOKS like a plague has hit it... more on that later)  Join me friends, and leave a happy hello below letting me know you stopped by!  I need all the encouragement I can get right now!  (And yes, that's shameless groveling... don't judge me)

1. Noah Webster was born this week back in 1758....besides the online version, do you own a dictionary?  Do you ever use the hardback copy or is your hunt for a definition strictly online these days?
We do own a dictionary - several in fact.  But the main one we use (during Scrabble games and such) is a big Websters dictionary that my hubs was given when he went off to college.

2.  Should public schools ban Halloween celebrations?  What about other holiday celebrations currently under fire?
Oh for Pete's sake... everyone is so worried about everything these days.  (Although NOT worried enough about others as I mentioned in my "random thought" from last week's hodgepodge)  Anyhoo... do what we do, don't allow scary costumes, call it a fall festival!  Let kids enjoy being kids - life's too short.  As long as you're not promoting the devil - thankyouverymuch.


3.  What's your favorite 'dog' movie?  
Turner and Hooch.  (Trivia - did you know they used three different dogs to film that movie?  True!  I heard it in an interview with Tom Hanks!)

4.  When were you last somewhere you'd describe as 'too quiet'?
My friend Kendall's house last week - we had just finished visiting and we noticed it was really really quiet upstairs.  She said "Oh good, maybe J has fallen asleep!"  Only later did she tell me that in fact, he had made an, er, really big gross mess in the bathroom... all over everything.  Quiet houses and toddlers are rarely a good thing.

5.  Are you a neat cook or a messy cook?  In other words do you clean as you go or make a big mess and then deal with it later? 
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!  Oh my... ok... um... I, personally, am a medium cook - I kinda clean as I go, but I always have a mess at the end that still needs to be dealt with later.  But I never ever ever leave the mess for longer than an hour.  Unlike some people in my house.  More on that later.

6.  Did you hear about Felix Baumgartner, the skydiver who broke the sound barrier via parachute?  Was your first thought  COOL! or was your first thought CRAZY!  Are you adventurous? 
My first thought was that he was NUTS!  I mean, yeah his view was absolutely incredible... but yikes, how dangerous!  I'm adventurous, but not stupid.  I know my limits - and while I may push myself a bit, I'm not one to take crazy risks with my life.  I think every day life is pretty darn exciting just as it is.

7.  What's not a word but should be? 
Humberflopper.  Just 'cause it's fun to say.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Here we go... the explanation as to why my kitchen looks like a plague has hit it... and why I laughed maniacally to question #5.

In short, this week my husband and I are doing an experiment with the kids - only they don't know about it.  We sat them down on Monday morning and informed them that we were tired of having to tell them to do every little thing - empty the dishwasher, pick up their clothes, take the laundry upstairs, etc.  We needed them to take more initative on their own and not have to be told.  Now, these are great kids.  They really are.  If we ask them to do something, they do it with only minimal grumbling.  I just wanted to see how long it would take before they acted on their own to clean things up, put things away, etc.

So we have stopped cleaning up after them.  (I have been blogging about this - you can see the posts below)  But this is what my kitchen looked like this morning.

Prayers appreciated.

A glimmer of hope... and then...

Day 1 Complete.  This is what my kitchen looks like this morning.  All kids are off to school, hubby is off to work...

I have decided that every experiment needs a token mascot.  Allow me to introduce Fred and Martha - our two pairs cut up in a bowl, allowed to sit... a living science example of the powers of decomposition.  

I am huddled on our family room couch under my fuzzy blanket rocking myself back and forth.

There was a brief glimmer of hope last night.  My daughter had left her lunch box on the counter yesterday, so her punishment was that she had to make lunches for her brothers last night.  When my eldest came home after boy scouts and we told him that his sister had made his lunch, his comment was "Well that explains the mess."

Crickets chirped as my hubs and I just looked at each other... as if she had made this entire mess just by making lunches.  Complete with cereal bowls, cereal boxes, pears cut up in a bowl, etc.  

Then he shocked us both by saying "Would you like me to clean up her mess Mom?"  After I lifted my jaw off the ground and I said "Whatever, that would be great sweetie!"  My hubby looked over at me and said quietly "He's going to ruin your blog hon!"  I had just started humming the "Hallelujah Chorus" and envisioning prancing around my clean kitchen, singing the praises of my teenager for seeing a mess and being the first to take the first step towards making it right!  Shortest experiment ever!  Hallelu... oh wait...

Turns out he "cleaned up 'her' mess" by putting away the peanut butter, jelly, and bread.  Lovely fellow.  That helped so much.  Really.  It did.  

sigh.

(And for the record, he didn't say ANYTHING about his lack of lights in his room.  Little bugger.  When I said "Why aren't your lights working" - because his lack of response was driving me crazy - he responded "I dunno, maybe they are burned out")

double sigh...

Experiment Time...

Last week I heard a short story on the Today Show about a mom who went on strike.  I didn't get to really listen to the story, because, ironically, I was busy putting away the breakfast items, straightening the house up, switching the laundry, and getting everyone out the door to school.  After the dust had settled (no pun intended), I sat down and found the story online.  You can see the whole story here - but in short, this mom and dad decided to go on "Strike" and stop cleaning up after their kids.  To see how long it would take for the kids to start voluntarily cleaning up after themselves and take responsibility for their things.

In our house, I have been finding myself more and more frustrated with things getting "Half-Done"  Getting out the items for cereal, but then not putting them away.  Walking past their piles of laundry and having to be told to take them upstairs - and even then, leaving the folded piles on their floor instead of putting them away.  Leaving their bathroom counter cluttered, towels on the floor, clothes discarded in the counter.

I'm tired of nagging.  They are 8, 10, and 14.  This is not a new thing to them - they are used to cleaning up, we just always have to tell them to do it first.  And we don't pay for chores - during the summer we are more organized with their chore responsibilities, but they also have a lot more time on their hands.  During the school year we are all busier and it takes all of us to get things done.  As Duane said to them this morning, "IT's the whole family's responsibility to clean up after themselves, it's not Mom's job.  You aren't babies anymore."

So, we are going on strike ourselves.  Now, the family in the story above did it without saying a word to their kids.  We felt that for our family, expecting them to all of a sudden raise to a standard that they hadn't been raised with was unfair.  So we sat our kids down this morning and explained that we were tired of seeing them not take responsibility for their things, and for not taking the initiative to, say, take out a full bag of trash or put the milk away on the counter.  Then my husband and I walked out of the room.

(Quick disclaimer:  A few guidelines we came up with, for ourselves - I will do their laundry as long as it is in their laundry hamper.  Duane and I have set aside a plate, cup, and utensils for ourselves and have hidden them away.  We will use them, wash them, and put them in their spot.  Paper plates and plastic utensils have been removed from the pantry.  Any lights left on in their rooms after they leave for school (SUCH a pet peeve of mine!) will results in the lightbulbs removed.  Electricity is a privilege, not a right.)

I came downstairs a few minutes later and all three kids were on the couch watching the morning news.  As I looked over at the kitchen, I saw cereal boxes on the counter, pizza boxes from the night before on the counter, clean dishes in the dishwasher waiting to be put away, and dirty dishes piled up in the sink.  Kitchen trash can sitting in the middle of the floor.  I said casually "I'm doing a load of whites right now" to which my eldest said "Yeah, I have some on my bedroom floor... that's ok"

This is going to be a long week.

After they had all gone to school, I see my daughter's lunch box still sitting on the kitchen counter.  The kitchen mess is still there.  There is a juice box, fruit snack wrapper, and cheese stick wrapper on the family room table - where all three kids had been sitting just 15 minutes before.  Walking upstairs, my son had three lights on in his room.  I removed the lightbulbs.

I feel I may be spending a lot of time here - the only room that rarely gets messed up - our "Piano Room"...

It's a good thing I have Bible study this morning - not only do I need the prayer time (!), but it's only the first day of this challenge - the house isn't completely covered in chaos yet!

An Indulgent Hodgepodge...

Welcome back to the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  I love this break in the middle of the week... thank you so much for joining us here!  After you're done reading through, feel free to hop on over to Joyce's blog, the originator of the Hodgepodge... it's great fun and I've met some really wonderful friends as a part of this little community!

1.  In what ways do you indulge yourself?

Little ways... a glass of wine, a chocolate bar, a good book, a walk to the park... whatever the occasion is suited for!  

2.  Have you ever taken a cooking class?  Any interest?  What type of class would you most like to try?

No, I've never taken a cooking class, but I would love to!  I'm not sure what type of class I would like to try - maybe how to grill perfectly every time?  Nah, then my hubs might get upset.  How about - do they offer a class that teaches you how to prepare appetizers, main course, side dishes, rolls, and desserts so that they all come out the temperature they are supposed to at the right time while the table is also perfectly set and the wine doesn't get too warm and the ice doesn't melt and... 

3. What does it mean to be a good citizen? 

To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.

4.  'Tis the season of the political advert...do these ads influence your vote? 

Nope.  I'm somewhat of a cynic when it comes to political ads.  There is always someone behind them who is promoting their agenda.  Blech.  Personally, I'm all for Big Bird.  I can write him in, right?

5.  What's something you see today that makes you wish you were a kid again?

Um , didn't you read my question above?  Big Bird!!!

6.  What's your least favorite cliche?
I know this is more of a Seinfeld-ism, but I think it has become so mainstream that I think it counts here.  And that is, "Not that there's anything wrong with that" - because you know, sometimes, we have to take a stand and just say NO, this is WRONG and stand up for what we believe is right.  (See my answer to #8)

7.  What percentage of your Christmas shopping has been completed?  How does that make you feel?
Well, if you mean actually purchased, then about 10% done.  If you mean, do I already know what I'm going to get my mom, mother-in-law, and some of our extended family, then I'm 60% done.  And given that we are moving the week of Christmas, being prepared makes me feel incredibly wonderful right now!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

So, about my answer to #6 up there.  That whole "Not that there's anything wrong with that" deal...

Today my eldest (a freshman in high school) was getting ready for school, when I found one of his worksheets on the kitchen table.  It was a word search, and when I asked him what it was for, he said it was extra credit for his geometry class.  Now, I don't approve with word searches being used as extra credit, especially when it has nothing to do with geometry, but that was really beside the point when I looked closer at the word search.  This word search was all about the occult.  I'm. Not. Kidding.  30 different words that all were like : occult. physic network, tarot cards, clairvoyance, tea leaves, soothsayer, shaman, etc.  In no way does this have any place in our public schools, and the fact that this is how he is expected to earn extra credit (in a class where he needs all the extra points he can get!) is disturbing to say the least.

I posted about this on Facebook and it turned into an interesting discussion on Church vs State.  Which yes, I believe should be adhered to - I would have been just as upset if they were sending home crosswords with terms from any other religion or cult.  We have to take a stand, for what is right, and we need to protect our children.

We can't just stand idly by and dismiss our concerns with "Not that there's anything wrong with that".  I would rather risk offending someone than not stand up for what I believe in with all my heart and soul.

Thoughts?  Discuss!

What is Beauty?

Oh, October... the month in which I treasure each warm day because I know it will soon turn cold and be bitter cold for 8 months - though this year since we are moving to a more temperate climate in late December my laments about the bitter cold will not be quite so severe...  but still, I do like the changing in seasons, the leaves turning colors, the autumn colors, the smell of campfires in the air... love, love, love it. So, here's to a new month!  And here's to a new Hodgepodge!  Feel free to jump on over to Joyce's home page, where you can join in on the fun!

1. It's a brand new month...share one thing you're looking forward to in October.

Hmmm - Ok, well, I kinda already touched on that in my intro above... but I'll also say that it has been a month since my hip surgery, so in October I am looking forward to more strength, more mobility, and perhaps even losing a few of the pounds I have put back on since my surgery!  I know, I know... now is not the time to be thinking about getting back into shape... but I can't stand how "blah" I feel after a month of being laid up, limited movement, etc.  

2.  Is chivalry dead?  Explain. 

Oh how I wish I could say no.  Sadly, I think it is... it is so rare for a man to hold the door open for a lady, to rise when she goes to leave, to treat her with honor and be deliberate in courtship.  

3.  On October 2, 1950 the Peanuts comic strip made its debut.  Which character is your favorite?  Which character is most like you?  (Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Shroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock, or Pig Pen)  If you need a description click here .

I couldn't immediately determine which one I was just based on the names, so I Google-searched for a more accurate description (I tell ya, when one has limited mobility one can find ALL kinds of things on the internet!)  Anyway - here is a quiz you can take, just for fun, to figure out which Peanuts character you are most like.

Apparently, I am Woodstock - an incredibly unique person who values originality and loyalty above all else.  i'm always where the fun is and I never lack for friends.  I also like to try new things.

Now, I don't honestly know how all of those traits apply to Woodstock, per say - but they are pretty darn accurate for me!

4.  What's something you're competitive about? 

I can't really think of anything off the top of my head...

5. October is National Popcorn Popping Month...are you a fan?  How do you like your popcorn? 

I do like popcorn - light butter, air popped, light salt.  Yum.  I can't stand movie theatre popcorn that leaves your tongue coated in greasy butter... blech.

6.  When did you first realize the world is small? 

I am sure I had other realizations before this, but the first time that I can remember right now is when my fiancee' (now my husband) and I went to visit the college campus in Northern Arizona where we were transferring to.  I was staying with another girlfriend's dorm - and as I went to the communal bathroom, I ran into a friend of mine that I had gone to elementary school with, but she moved away and we had lost touch.  We hadn't seen each other in probably 7 years... and there she was, next to me!  Craziness.


7.  In terms of architecture, what's the most beautiful building you've seen up close and in person?

Beauty can be described as so many things.  Of course there are the gorgeous, multi-million dollar works of art buildings - I have been to Washington DC and have seen some amazing buildings.  The monuments.  The hand painted murals.  

But I have also stayed in shacks in Guatemala, made from mud and palm fronds.  Bathrooms that consisted of a hole dug in the ground.  Pictures from magazines torn out and pasted to the walls as their only decoration.  And while to the world's eye these places may not have been beautiful... the smiles on the people's faces, the shine in their eyes as they welcomed us into their homes... those made those humble places more beautiful than the most gorgeous pieces of architecture in the world.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I know this is not new news, but oh, how I am LOVING Pinterest right now!  As we are heading into the holiday season, especially with three family birthdays and a move all in the next 12 weeks, I am finding Pinterest to be such an awesome resource for gift ideas, decor ideas, etc.  Love. It.  If you are on Pinterest, tell me your site name in the comments - I'll come check your boards out!  My name is mightymini5... see you there!