Killin' Time

It's right before the girl's bedtime and if they're not tired, I am. So in an effort to keep them entertained and myself awake we decided to mess around with Daddio's laptop. Maryn and Brynna think this is the best thing since sliced bread!

Shiver Me Timbers

It's 10 degrees outside right now. I hate to break it to Mother Nature, but Georgia isn't really supposed to get this cold.

Top Chef

I know I'm a nerd with cooking shows, but is anyone else watching Top Chef on Bravo? My favorito this season is Fabio. The first episode I saw him on I thought hmm, he's good-looking and Italian, so I took him for some sort of self-absorbed player. That's what I get by judging the book by it's cover! I was happily surprised to find out he's humble, funny, loves his wife, and can cook! I'm totally rooting for him to win!

Squeaky Clean

I'm usually a pretty thrifty girl. I get a rush out of the thrill of the hunt, in search of a good bargain. It's painful for me to pay full price for most things. However, there is one area I drew the line on thrift... cleaning supplies. I thought surely they cost what they did because they worked and because it was a complicated formula to make them work. Ahhh, silly me. I have heard chatter lately about homemade cleaning supplies and I thought that surely it must either stink like vinegar or not do the job.

But I ran out of floor cleaner and kitchen cleaner the other day and I figured why not give it a try. I had all the ingredients and thought I may just save a few bucks. So I got on google and looked for some recipes. I tried the one below and was FABULOUSLY impressed with it! All I have to say is takin' it back to the old school is so much more effective than the overpriced stuff in a bottle that doesn't really get the job done! Things cleaned up much easier than commercial cleaners I've used, no streaks or residue on my counters or floors and not a single hint of vinegar smell! If you like you can even add a few drops of any essential oils to make it smell yummy. So here it is folks, my new found cleaning favorito!

Homemade Cleaner:

1 Tbsp. liquid soap

1/4 C. baking soda

2 gal. HOT water

1/4 C. white vinegar

I put 1 gal. of the hot water in my sink, then added soap, soda, and vinegar. (A nice little effervescing action occurred - think homemade volcanoes in grade school) then added one more gallon of hot water in the sink. Worked like a charm! So go on, give it a whirl!

Meet Topper

We have a new monkey in the family folks! Meet Topper, Lauryn's new best buddy! He found his way into her stocking on Christmas morning and the two have been friends ever since. My mom went ahead and warned me that we should locate a Dos Topperitos right now since she seems to have taken to him already. Nobody wants to have to relive the Coco episode again in a few years!

My Dad and my Uncle Steve helped dub him his name. Apparently when they're joking around together, they have an imaginary monkey they named Topper that does things for them. The joke is if they want a drink of water or something they say "Oh Topper, can you get me a drink?" rather than getting up themselves. Don't ask, but it's funny! So when Lulu's new little monkey came out of the stocking my Mom and Dad said "Oh, it's Topper!" and it stuck! So here's to the beginning of a long and dear friendship!

Frustrated

I'm thinking I could put this little stress reduction kit to good use. The new job Justin had lined up, we found out yesterday had a little snag in it. The guy couldn't receive his funding to pay Justin until June. So he just figured since Justin was still receiving severance right now, he could just start and work for free. FOR FREE FOLKS!!! I really am amazed at the audacity and stupidity of some people in this world. Sigh. Oh well, moving on, back to square one.

Adventures in Sledding

The snow was deep and we were all getting restless being stuck in the house. So we decided to venture out and try our hands at sledding... even though the roads really weren't that great to be driving on. We piled into cars and set off. We found a nice hill and decided to drive to the top of it and park, rather than park at the base and hike up with the kids. The top of the hill took us through a neighborhood thick with untouched snow. My dad, seeing the top of our sledding hill at the base of a street, got excited for an adventure and without thinking, drove down a steep street straight into the deep snow of a cul-de-sac, getting his little Chevy Malibu stuck. My sister-in-law Kristine was laughing her head off, seeing the humor in it. I was scowling because I was certain we'd be stuck in Forest Grove until Spring and Jesse was getting pelted in the face with snow as the tires spun out as he was trying to push on the car to get it out. Luckily for my Dad, he thinks that little Mali is a 4-wheel drive or something, because he gassed that poor car until the chains broke off the tires. But he kept on pushing the pedal to the metal it and finally got it out of what I was certain would be it's snowy grave. Never a dull moment with my family!

We finally got going with sledding, but the girls quickly realized this business was cold! They screamed and weeped and wailed. It only took a few turns down of getting sprayed in the face with snow and it going down shirts and up pant legs for them to realize they were done. Maryn through tears at one point cried "I just HATE this winter!" So I put them back in the car where their cousin Kade was looking at them like "Holy cow, what is going on with these crazy women!"

Ahh, it just wouldn't be a family vacation without the kids throwing out some sort of joy-sucking antics, don't you think? I still had fun in the short time we had. Justin stayed out a bit longer with Steve, Kristine and Cole after Mom and I took the little animals home and had a good time.

I'm pretty sure like most things though, when the kids look back they won't remember all the bad. They'll remember the fun little moments of adventure in between!