Darth Vader, Fashionista

Since it's now above 75 degrees in our neck of the woods, I pulled out some summer PJs for Joey today, from the garage. I thought he'd like these Darth Vader jammies - but he LOVES them. 

After getting dressed for bed, he realized that he didn't have socks on - he wore sandals all day, but determined that it was just not acceptable to go to bed without socks. I figured that this wasn't the hill I wanted to die on, so I pointed him in the direction of his sock drawer, telling him to pick out a pair. 

There was much wailing and knashing of teeth, as he despaired that he had no BLACK socks. Being the practical mom that I am, I suggested that he wear white socks to bed. 

That was the wrong thing to do apparently. I was informed, via a loud three-year-old wail, 

"Darth Vader wears black socks!" 

(Thankfully, he settled for white socks with navy toes and heels. Whew.) 

Ashes to ashes

Remember this post from last fall? When we had a little campfire in the backyard, and toasted marshmallows? Wellllll... Joey and Luke found the ashes in the firepit and smeared them all over their faces, hands, and legs. They said it gave them, "magical powers." 

Unfortunately, I had to make all of their magical powers disappear in the bathtub before every doorknob, cabinet face, and piece of furniture in my house got to share the magic.

I'm sure someday this will be very funny. 

Easter Pics

Joey is always so cheerful for family pictures. 

The chocolate crash after coming home from Grandma's...

And I included this one, just because he's so stinkin' cute! 

A Green Easter

Now don't go and think that everything that we did for the kids' Easter baskets was eco-friendly, but we did do a couple of things that were friendly to the Earth and our budget.

First, we reused the baskets from last year. I just stack them on a shelf in the basement after every Easter, and they wait to be used annually. It always amazes me how many people are too bothered to just put something on a shelf! (Here's the math: 4 kids, 18 years each, conservatively estimating $2.99 per basket = $215.28. Yep, I can find the shelf space.) 

Secondly, instead of Easter grass, we used shredded paper to fill the baskets. I shred the pre-approved credit card offers I get in the mail anyway, so why not put them to good use? (A side benefit to this is that I'm not vacuuming up that darn Easter grass for six months. I hate Easter grass!) The kids think it's cool to shred the paper and leave the baskets out for the Easter Bunny to fill. 

Third, I shop at Goodwill for some of the kids "filler" items. I can pick up paperback books at a steal. My kids love to read! 

Lastly, and this isn't as eco-friendly as wallet-friendly, I put a few useful things in their baskets. Pencils, crayons, hair bands for Grace (I should branch out to cool toothbrushes next year!), items that aren't junk. (Really, how much play does a child get out of a wind-up plastic Easter bunny that hops? And how long does that item spend in a landfill after that 3 minutes of play?)

Yes, they still get candy. Yes, they get dyed eggs. I use Russell-Stover chocolate crosses instead of chocolate bunnies - I like to keep Jesus front & center. We reuse our plastic "filler" eggs every year. Hubby insists upon jelly beans every year. In other words, there is no horrid suffering and depravation taking place because we've chosen to be crunchy and thrifty. 

Struggling

I need to clone myself. 

I do this to myself every spring. After being cooped up all winter with nothing to do, after purposefully sequestering myself in my home, hunkering down with my peeps, I go a little nutty with the volunteering come spring. This year has hit me especially hard. 

Here's my list for the next two weeks: 

• Adam and Luke are both in soccer this year. Practices and games on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
• I've volunteered to take a meal to a mom with a new baby. This is her seventh child.
• I'll be attending my cousin's baby shower next Saturday. (oops! Soccer game! Oh, and I have to shop for a gift...)
• Cub Scouts is winding down its year, but I have six weeks of meetings, alternating Mondays and Thursdays. I still have Adam's health form to fill out for camp, which includes finding his vax record. (FTR, I don't vax my kids anymore - so finding his vax record is a process in itself. It'll involve looking up his ped that I left... four years ago?) 
• I'm in charge of our homeschool group's Mom's Night Out. 
• I'm working on a spreadsheet for a local pro-life group. I help them organize their data. I have January and February of this year to compile. 
• Did I mention I homeschool?
• And that Hubby started a new job, and works Monday - Friday, from about 9am to about 7:30pm, and Saturday mornings? Oh, and still waits tables on Saturday nights? 
• and my dad wants me to help a friend of his file a complicated amendment on his taxes. 

I'm still trying to be frugal with our meals, and hang my laundry to dry (I've really gotten off the wagon, there.) Couponing is still going strong. I think I'm going to have to give up sleeping soon, if someone doesn't stop me from opening my big mouth to say, "Yes! I'll do that!" 

So when I say that I'm going to bring a meal to a mom in our playgroup who's recently been put on bedrest, someone slap me, okay? There's only so much one woman can do! But for some reason, I seem to think that I can change the world, singlehandedly. "Entropy, beware! I have arrived to save us all! I have come to prevent the decline of Western Civilization in my hyper-domesticity!" 

I'm being a nag

The surest way for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. 

Edmund Burke

This is really a no-brainer. If you value the freedom of any person to follow his conscience, if you believe that a person should be allowed to refuse to act in a way that directly contradicts his own deeply-held religious beliefs, then say so. Don't depend on "someone else" to protect the freedoms that we all hold dear. Stand up and be heard. Heck, you don't even have to stand up. Just click your mouse a few times. 

Here's your chance. 

#1 Laundry Mom

Sorry about the poor picture, but it's hard to take a good picture of aluminum foil! 

A few days ago, I was buried in laundry. I had sheets and towels to wash, diapers to send through, and the normal, clothing laundry to keep up on. Seven loads later, I had again conquered the laundry mountain. I joked with Hubby, "Someone should make me a medal. That was an Olympic event!" 

So he did. : D I love my Someone! 

The stockpile, again

Here's an updated picture of the stockpile. It's still growing, mostly with freebies, of course. Most of my stockpile is toiletries: deodorant, soap, shampoo, styling products, toothpaste, toothbrushes. 

Below is a better picture of (most of) the soap and shampoo. I think I have enough to last us the year.  I hit a killer deal at Walgreens this week on Softsoap, and ended up paying only tax - that's 28 cents a bottle. So I drove around to several stores (because I didn't want to clear the shelves of any one particular store - that's just rude!) and stocked up. I have 35 bottles. I will, of course, be sharing with our parish food pantry. 

Hubby has promised to move some more shelving into the little basement room that houses my stockpile. That will give me more room, and allow me to organize a bit better. I'm excited - it's like having my own little drug store! I have to admit, too, that it's the best-smelling room in the house!