I bet you thought that those over-the-door shoe holders were for shoes.
You'd be wrong.
I once read a tip in Real Simple magazine about other ways to use them and so for about 4 years now I've been using one inside my linen closet door to organize first aid supplies and medications (we have a lock on the linen closet). Well yesterday I got two more of them! I now have one hung in the coat closet to hold mittens, hats, and AJ's "stuff" that he stacks on the counter every day when he gets home from work (wallet, keys, glasses, etc). Then the second one I hung behind the laundry room door - which also happens to be the mud room that goes out to the garage. I am going to use it for putting all those things that come out of pockets when you check them. I don't have any other uses for it yet in that spot but since it is on the way out to the garage, I am sure we will find some!
A couple other ideas:
Use in small bathrooms for hairbrushes, hair ties, shaving cream, toothpaste, make-up, etc
Use in offices to organize crayons, pens, glue sticks, etc.
Inside pantry door for spices or to divvy out snacks for the kids.
The other big thing is that it MUST be a CLEAR shoe holder so that you can see what is inside of it!
I know - this post is useless without pictures huh? Well I'll get back to you on that!
Rating: 5 Lollipops
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
So what do you do when you can't even trust what the label says?
I ran across this article today:
Children at risk in food roulette
I guess I shouldn't be TOO surprised that this kind of thing happens. I am grateful that so far nothing bad has happened to Emmaline.
Rating: 5 Fireballs
Children at risk in food roulette
I guess I shouldn't be TOO surprised that this kind of thing happens. I am grateful that so far nothing bad has happened to Emmaline.
Rating: 5 Fireballs
Do you ever wonder...
...if it is worth it to change all the diapers, comb all the hair, find *matching* socks and shoes for everyone, get coats on everyone, and strap three kids into carseats just to get one thing at the store?
Me too.
Rating: 2 Lollipops
Me too.
Rating: 2 Lollipops
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Where does the time go?
Goodness, I haven't written in five days! Shocking! Maybe because life has been pretty dull. My parents are now officially home. We enjoyed having them to visit and Emmaline still prays every night that they will drive safely - she doesn't realize they are home already!
Emmaline had her very last sports class today - Teeball. She actually has a little teeball set here at home so she already knew what she was doing with that. They did practice throwing which was good. They got a sticker on their left foot and right hand so they could remember which foot to step with and which hand to throw with. That seemed to really help! After Thanksgiving, we have her signed up for 3 weeks of ice skating. Come January, we haven't decided yet what to do!
Liliana's new word is "guy" (or "guys"). Instead of calling "daddy" like she used to, she now says, "guuuy! guuuuy!" Pretty funny.
Imogene is just doing that cute thing. She is doing really well now in her exersaucer. She loves to be up in that because she can see better what is going on around her. She is often content to just watch the chaos.
AJ recently got the World of Warcraft expansion (computer game) so we haven't seen him in a few days. It is like spotting Yeti - rarely emerges and when he does - it is kind of scruffy and hungry. ;-) It's all good though. I know it is a new version of his game and it won't last forever. Emmaline spends time on her computer right next to him so they are actually spending quality time together!
As for me - well I'm actually quite boring. Nothing new!
Rating: 3 Lollipops
Emmaline had her very last sports class today - Teeball. She actually has a little teeball set here at home so she already knew what she was doing with that. They did practice throwing which was good. They got a sticker on their left foot and right hand so they could remember which foot to step with and which hand to throw with. That seemed to really help! After Thanksgiving, we have her signed up for 3 weeks of ice skating. Come January, we haven't decided yet what to do!
Liliana's new word is "guy" (or "guys"). Instead of calling "daddy" like she used to, she now says, "guuuy! guuuuy!" Pretty funny.
Imogene is just doing that cute thing. She is doing really well now in her exersaucer. She loves to be up in that because she can see better what is going on around her. She is often content to just watch the chaos.
AJ recently got the World of Warcraft expansion (computer game) so we haven't seen him in a few days. It is like spotting Yeti - rarely emerges and when he does - it is kind of scruffy and hungry. ;-) It's all good though. I know it is a new version of his game and it won't last forever. Emmaline spends time on her computer right next to him so they are actually spending quality time together!
As for me - well I'm actually quite boring. Nothing new!
Rating: 3 Lollipops
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Christmas: Complete
Today my parents watched Emmaline and Liliana while we took Imogene with us and went Christmas shopping. I can now officially say we are done - everything from the big gifts down to the little stocking stuffers! We started out the morning by going to breakfast at a restaurant we have never been able to try due to Emmaline's allergies, called The Egg & I. It is a chain that started right here in Colorado and it was GOOD. Wow. If you find you have one in your area - go check it out.
After breakfast we hit Toys R Us, Costco, and Dollar Tree. It was nice having our list and knowing exactly what we were buying at each store. It really made things more efficient.
Bring on Christmas - we're ready!
Rating: 5 Lollipops (we actually found some huge lollipops at the Dollar Tree but there were only 5 left and they were all broken. I am kind of tempted to go back another day and see if they get more in stock...)
After breakfast we hit Toys R Us, Costco, and Dollar Tree. It was nice having our list and knowing exactly what we were buying at each store. It really made things more efficient.
Bring on Christmas - we're ready!
Rating: 5 Lollipops (we actually found some huge lollipops at the Dollar Tree but there were only 5 left and they were all broken. I am kind of tempted to go back another day and see if they get more in stock...)
4 Month Check
Imogene had her 4-month check-up on Friday. She is doing great - growing perfectly along her curve.
Current stats:
Height: 24 3/4 in. - 60%
Weight: 13 lbs. 15 oz - 50%
Head: 16 in. 35%
Our pediatrician had a new nurse today. She told us that the old nurse had a new position. I was so happy because I've never really liked that nurse. Then of course she mentioned that the new position was with MY OB/GYN. *sigh*
Rating: 5 Pixie Dust
Current stats:
Height: 24 3/4 in. - 60%
Weight: 13 lbs. 15 oz - 50%
Head: 16 in. 35%
Our pediatrician had a new nurse today. She told us that the old nurse had a new position. I was so happy because I've never really liked that nurse. Then of course she mentioned that the new position was with MY OB/GYN. *sigh*
Rating: 5 Pixie Dust
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The last couple days . . .
It seems that whenever family comes to visit - I make them help me can! When my sisters were here, we did peaches and pears. When my mother-in-law was here we did grapefruit. Now that my parents are here, my mom helped me can pineapple and taught me how to make jam - spiced pear jam to be exact, YUM!
Yesterday we also took them to the Pearl Street Mall and window shopped. Tonight they cooked us a genuine West Virginian dinner - hot dogs with beanless chili, mustard, onions, and coleslaw on top. It was pretty good!
Yesterday we also took them to the Pearl Street Mall and window shopped. Tonight they cooked us a genuine West Virginian dinner - hot dogs with beanless chili, mustard, onions, and coleslaw on top. It was pretty good!
Emmaline had the tennis portion of her sports class today. It was definitely more tricky for her. They practiced balancing the ball on the racket, and then bouncing it on the racket, among other things. Emmaline's favorite part was balancing the balls on top of some cans and hitting them off - she has quite the swing!
Rating: 4 Lollipops
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
On their way home...
Today my parents arrived to visit for a week. They have spent the last year and half serving mission in West Virgina for our church. They are on their way home but decided that it made sense to stop and visit the grandbabies. Last time they saw Liliana she was just 5 months old - and they have never met Imogene!
Emmaline also had her sports class again today. It was basketball this time. She actually did pretty well but did get more frustrated this time because the ball kept getting away from her when she tried to dribble. Looks like so far she leans towards soccer!
Rating: 5 Lollipops (welcome home Dad and Mom!)
Emmaline also had her sports class again today. It was basketball this time. She actually did pretty well but did get more frustrated this time because the ball kept getting away from her when she tried to dribble. Looks like so far she leans towards soccer!
Rating: 5 Lollipops (welcome home Dad and Mom!)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Happy Birthday AJ!
Happy Birthday AJ!
In honor of this day I give you 32 Things I Love About You
1. You're a hard worker
2. You do Dishes
3. Your Smile
4. You play with the kids
5. You are patient with the kids when you do projects
6. You do projects with the kids
7. You are good at organizing things
8. You fulfill all my computer needs
9. You tell me that you love me everyday - usually several times a day
10. You put the toilet seat down every single time
11. You cook dinner once a week
12. You kill critters for me
13. You listen to me blab about subjects that bore you
14. Your Eyes
15. Your Nose
16. Your mouth
17. Your ears
18. Your hands
19. Your toes
20. You study out issues
21. You learn and care about things on a local, state, country, and world level
21. You're great a model railroading
22. You know what a "money maker" is
23. You provide for our family
24. You eat leftovers
25. You're not a picky eater
26. You'll watch chick flicks with me
27. You change diapers, make lunches, give baths
28. You're honest
29. You communicate well (a rarity for programmers!)
30. You're loving
31. You're kind
32. You're YOU
Rating: 5 Lollipops
In honor of this day I give you 32 Things I Love About You
1. You're a hard worker
2. You do Dishes
3. Your Smile
4. You play with the kids
5. You are patient with the kids when you do projects
6. You do projects with the kids
7. You are good at organizing things
8. You fulfill all my computer needs
9. You tell me that you love me everyday - usually several times a day
10. You put the toilet seat down every single time
11. You cook dinner once a week
12. You kill critters for me
13. You listen to me blab about subjects that bore you
14. Your Eyes
15. Your Nose
16. Your mouth
17. Your ears
18. Your hands
19. Your toes
20. You study out issues
21. You learn and care about things on a local, state, country, and world level
21. You're great a model railroading
22. You know what a "money maker" is
23. You provide for our family
24. You eat leftovers
25. You're not a picky eater
26. You'll watch chick flicks with me
27. You change diapers, make lunches, give baths
28. You're honest
29. You communicate well (a rarity for programmers!)
30. You're loving
31. You're kind
32. You're YOU
Rating: 5 Lollipops
Friday, November 7, 2008
Soccer Girl
Yesterday was day two of Emmaline's sports sampler class that she is taking. They did soccer for the first two classes. As it turns out, Emmaline is kind of a natural! This is incredibly shocking since neither AJ or I are athletic - and that is putting it gently. Her teacher commented that Emmaline was picking up the skills very quickly and that she does the best headers she has seen in that class in a long time. Who knew that Emmaline would have no problem bouncing a soccer ball off her head??? Emmaline had a blast learning all the different skills. Next week I think we will start basketball!
Rating: 4 Pixie Dust
Rating: 4 Pixie Dust
A Lil' about Lil
After cleaning up a huge mess that Liliana just made with the salt shaker, I decided that I need to write a blurb about just how fantastic of a girl she is. Let's call it a little "reminder" post - for my sake.
1) Liliana is really picking up with the talking. She is trying so hard to get those words out. She already is speaking in full sentences and having conversations - it still sounds like this though:
"doo be doo yo gabba yo gabba blah blah blah". So in other words - we don't understand a thing she says. The funny thing is she does it all the time - constantly "talking". Yet I found out from her nursery teacher at church that Lil never talks there - surprisingly - that girl is shy!
2) Lil is great about learning new physical skills. She can watch something once and has no problem trying it out and is often successful in her attempt. I have to be careful what I do in front of her - it gives her ideas. She has already learned to turn the locks on doors in the house halfway, which means she is getting very close to even locked doors not keeping her in/out. I also caught her the other day with a door key. She had actually inserted it into the hole on the handle and was attempting to pick the lock - just like we do!
3) Lil has learned how to hide - and she is very very good at it. She prefers hiding next to chairs/couches, behind doors, and behind curtains. What makes her good at it is that she is very very very quiet. She can sit there a LONG time without ever making peep.
Rating: 5 Pixie Dust
Edited to add an update: While I was typing this - apparently the gate to the upstairs was not shut. Liliana went upstairs, got into my nightstand and got the TUMS that I haven't used since I was pregnant. She then preceded to hide behind the curtains very quietly and eat the TUMS while I ran all over the house calling for her and trying to find her - until I discovered that the gate was unlocked. Just so everyone knows, according to poison control, TUMS are perfectly fine to eat up just like candy - she just may have some diarrhea as a result. Lovely.
1) Liliana is really picking up with the talking. She is trying so hard to get those words out. She already is speaking in full sentences and having conversations - it still sounds like this though:
"doo be doo yo gabba yo gabba blah blah blah". So in other words - we don't understand a thing she says. The funny thing is she does it all the time - constantly "talking". Yet I found out from her nursery teacher at church that Lil never talks there - surprisingly - that girl is shy!
2) Lil is great about learning new physical skills. She can watch something once and has no problem trying it out and is often successful in her attempt. I have to be careful what I do in front of her - it gives her ideas. She has already learned to turn the locks on doors in the house halfway, which means she is getting very close to even locked doors not keeping her in/out. I also caught her the other day with a door key. She had actually inserted it into the hole on the handle and was attempting to pick the lock - just like we do!
3) Lil has learned how to hide - and she is very very good at it. She prefers hiding next to chairs/couches, behind doors, and behind curtains. What makes her good at it is that she is very very very quiet. She can sit there a LONG time without ever making peep.
Rating: 5 Pixie Dust
Edited to add an update: While I was typing this - apparently the gate to the upstairs was not shut. Liliana went upstairs, got into my nightstand and got the TUMS that I haven't used since I was pregnant. She then preceded to hide behind the curtains very quietly and eat the TUMS while I ran all over the house calling for her and trying to find her - until I discovered that the gate was unlocked. Just so everyone knows, according to poison control, TUMS are perfectly fine to eat up just like candy - she just may have some diarrhea as a result. Lovely.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Election 2008
We spent Election Night eating pizza, watching Welcome to Mooseport, and checking the results come in on the computer.
We are quite sad in this household that Obama won last night and even more devastated that with a Democrat majority in Congress, he will have free rein to do as he pleases. We foresee a very unstable and shaky future that will affect our family in many negative ways.
We are extremely grateful though, that Prop. 8 in California appears to have passed. The race is still tight but the Yes vote is currently in the lead with 94% of precincts reported. Similar props passed last night in Florida and Arizona. Those propositions are more important to us than even the presidential election and we are pleased so far with the outcome.
God Bless America. We need it now more than ever.
Rating: 5 Fireballs and 5 Lollipops
We are quite sad in this household that Obama won last night and even more devastated that with a Democrat majority in Congress, he will have free rein to do as he pleases. We foresee a very unstable and shaky future that will affect our family in many negative ways.
We are extremely grateful though, that Prop. 8 in California appears to have passed. The race is still tight but the Yes vote is currently in the lead with 94% of precincts reported. Similar props passed last night in Florida and Arizona. Those propositions are more important to us than even the presidential election and we are pleased so far with the outcome.
God Bless America. We need it now more than ever.
Rating: 5 Fireballs and 5 Lollipops
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Imogene/Emmaline, Emmaline/Imogene
Today AJ and I were noticing how similar Imogene and Emmaline look. The only major difference is that Imogene is chubbier! What do you think?
AJ adds: What's really funny is that Bethany and Emmaline were looking through some scrapbook pages when Emmaline saw the picture above. She instantly said "It's daddy and Imogene!"
Rating: 5 Pixie Dust
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