Please Don't Judge Us!?

For this week's Tackle it Tuesday I've tackled the basement....aka the DUNGEON! I actually tackled this yesterday so I'd be prepared with before and after pictures for today. This was a group tackle...the whole family participated in this one.

Our basement is pretty large and has several different purposes. It's the play room, the game room, my scrapping/sewing/craft room, and the workout room. There's also a kitchen area and bathroom down there.

The basement gets very little attention in terms of keeping it clean because.....well.....because it's a basement. I'm horrible about making the kids clean up after themselves down there and to be honest I'm just as bad in MY section of the basement.

So, here are the before pictures....and again....please don't judge us!

That's Dreamy Smurf swinging on the rings. OK....this is going to totally gross you out....and I probably shouldn't be admitting this..... but under that blue mat below Dreamy Smurf there was actually a spot of mold growing on the carpet!

Those are actually two futons down there that are NEVER in the couch position. When the kids have sleep overs that's where they sleep so the futons never end up put back together. You can't tell but the futon on the right still has a pillow and blanket on it from the last sleep over.

This is MY section of the basement....it's no wonder I've fallen so behind in my scrapbooking! It's a little difficult to feel motivated to scrapbook when you can't even find the desk!

The kitchen hasn't been cleaned or touched since the holidays....I'm talking Christmas....not Easter. You really can't see them well in the picture but to the right of the sink are four Christmas tins with Pizzelle cookies STILL. IN. THEM. from the holidays. Hungry?

And now the after pictures. You can see the floor and all the toys are cleverly placed on shelves hidden behind curtains.

My plan for next week's Tackle is to make a trip to Ikea and find a very long storage cabinet to hide all that clutter and put the TV on.

THERE'S the desk! I think I'll do some scrapbooking tomorrow!

Smurfette was so excited to have a clean basement she said "mommy, it's so clean down here....we can even play tag if we want!"

The one area that I forgot to get a picture of was the bathroom. It was covered in cobwebs and spiders...basement bathrooms really give me the willies. It's clean now. Disinfected and debugged.

So, now, today's project will be to get the carpet cleaner out and steam clean all this carpet.....and there's alot!

Moments for Me Monday - Week 4

Today's Moments for Me post is inspired by Heather J. She posted her experience with her very own runner's high! She was high as a kite when she wrote that post. There were no joints, needles, or huffing involved. Just high on life. Running will do that to you.

Here's an Article from Runners world entitled Get Some Running Therapy. "Exercise - induced happiness fights anger, sadness, and anxiety. Who needs a shrink."

When I started training for my first marathon I had heard the expression "running is cheaper than therapy" from other veteran runners. But I didn't quite "get" it. Not until I experienced my own very first "runners high". Many times during training I'd experience a state of total euphoria. I was on top of the world. The grass looked greener, the sky looked bluer, and all was right with the world. All was right with MY world. Maybe it was the rush of endorphins.... or maybe is was the pride I was feeling in myself for all the progress I could see myself making....or maybe it was the connection I was feeling with my lost loved ones because of the good that would come with my fundraising efforts....whatever the reason, I was HAPPY!


Running, or any strenuous exercise, has been shown to increase the release of endorphins in your body. One encyclopedia definition of endorphins, found on the internet, states that "Besides behaving as a pain regulator, endorphins are also thought to be connected to physiological processes including euphoric feelings, appetite modulation, and the release of sex hormones. Prolonged, continuous exercise contributes to an increased production and release of endorphins, resulting in a sense of euphoria that has been popularly labeled “runner’s high".”


As much as I'd love to say that I was out there running this week....Well....I can't. I didn't run. I had hoped to get out there on Saturday to get back on the training wagon but my lungs were still healing from the chest cold. SO...tomorrow! I'm running! This week I'm climbing back on the training wagon and hope to be back next Monday with reports of at least 4 runs. NO MORE EXCUSES!


On another related topic....I had a fabulous Mother's Day. I woke up to an egg, bacon, and toast breakfast. I spent the morning figuring out how to download the video on my camcorder to my laptop. We've had this camcorder since December and had over 100 video clips on it because I couldn't figure out how to download them. Then we went to a hall for brunch with my entire family. When we got back I purchased Video and Photo editing programs and loaded them on my laptop. And then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to edit videos and make DVDs. It's a work in progress. Then, Smurfette and I watched Mary Poppins. =)



Papa Smurf got a kick out of this....he walked into the great room and found Hefty Smurf and I bonding to a Tivoed episode of Oprah. It was the "what would you do" episode. Hefty would never admit it but he likes Oprah almost as much as I do.




To share your own Moment for Me inspiration link up to your post below!


I've been trying for the last 1/2 hour to get the spacing right in the post...and it can't, I give up!

Happy Mother's Day

A friend of mine sent me this in an email. It's an old one that I've seen before but it always makes me smile. I don't know who wrote it or where it originated from but I thought I'd share it with you anyway....just in case you haven't seen it yourself. Happy Mother's Day everyone!

MOTHERS and MOMS

This is for the mothers who have sat up
all night with sick toddlers in their arms,
wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer
wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying,
'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end

soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at
work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains
on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and
make cookies and sew Halloween costumes.

And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to
babies they'll never see.

And the mothers
who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art
collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers

at football or soccer games instead of watching

from the warmth of their cars.

And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?'

they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't
have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store

and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet

and scream for ice cream before dinner.

And for all the mothers who count to ten instead,

but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with
their children and explained all about making
babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who
wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go
hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight,
Moon' twice a night for a year. And then
read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught
their children to tie their shoelaces before
they started school. And for all the mothers
who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons
to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically

when a little voice calls 'Mom?'
in a crowd, even though they know their
own offspring are at home -- or even away
at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids
to school with stomach aches, assuring them
they'd be just FINE once they got there, only
to get calls from the school nurse an hour later
asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone
astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they
bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of
recent school shootings, and the mothers
of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors,

and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror,

hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their
children to be peaceful, and now pray
they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway?

Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?

The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and
sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache she feels when she
watches her son or daughter disappear
down the street, walking to school alone
for the very first time?

The jolt that takes her from sleep to
dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put
her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again
at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear
their key in the door and know they
are safe again in her home?

Or the need to flee from wherever she is
and hug her child when she hears news
of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are
universal and so our thoughts are for
young mothers stumbling through diaper
changes and sleep deprivation...
And for mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers.
Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us...
Hang in there. In the end we can
only do the best we can. Tell them
every day that we love them. And pray
and never stop being a mother...

Thou shalt not.....blacken the broccoli?

I have to set boundaries for myself. I attempted to do this a couple months back by enforcing blogging "rules". These rules are developed on an "as need" basis.


For example, Rule #1 was enforced after almost setting my house on fire when trying to blog during meal preparation.


The "blackened broccoli" didn't go over so well with the family.


And I became a wee bit concerned for my family's safety when on a second occasion I turned Chicken breasts into hockey pucks because I was completely consumed by some stranger's story in blog land.


I don't even know these people....and yet.....the need to keep updated on their lives and daily blog entrees has somehow taken the place of my better judgement and common sense.


Thus, rule #1 was born. No Blogging during meal preparation. If stove or oven are on....the computer must be off.


That rule was enforced shortly after I discovered this blog land a couple months ago....February? maybe?


And I've slowly fallen off that wagon. In the same way that I imagine a recovering heroin addict falls off the wagon. Saying to myself "just one fix"....."one fix won't hurt anyone"....and then I get the withdrawal shakes and so the next day it becomes two "fixes" and then three and before you know it you're back in rehab....or....setting the house on fire again.


Friday morning Smurfette and I were preparing Paula Deen's French Toast Casserole for our playdate. (All of you must make this btw....it's delicious!) I put the dish in the oven, noted the time, calculated when it should come out (45 minutes later), and then RUSHED to the computer to get Flashback Friday's post typed up and posted before my company arrived...got carried away into blog land and forgot about the oven.

An hour later Smurfette yells from the kitchen...."Mommy isn't breakfast done yet?"


OH GEEZ, I forgot!


Run to the kitchen and pull breakfast from oven 10 minutes late....Still looks good....it's not black...that's good.....my daughter saved the day.


I RUSHED back into the office to continue reading the blog I was in the middle of.


Fifteen minutes later Smurfette says "Mommy, you shouldn't leave the oven on or a fire is going to start".


OMG I forgot to turn the oven off. How did my daughter even know it was still on.


I'm out of control. I'm now relying on my 5 year old to keep this family safe....and my house from burning down. And honestly, I have no excuse because I now have a laptop. I could even blog right in my kitchen while meals are being prepared....but old habits die hard. I love my laptop but sometimes there's something to be said for the quiet comfort of my home office.


Just yesterday I posted a rant because I was feeling a little overwhelmed with this week's activities. The truth is....if I could get my ass off this computer I'd be much less overwhelmed and much more productive.


Like right now. It's Friday afternoon as I type this draft for tomorrow's post and Smurfette is at school. It's warm and sunny outside right now and my landscaping could use some TLC and instead of enjoying the fresh air outside I'm here....in my office....typing.....


That's it.......


I'm done........


I'm going outside.......


by myself....


...with my laptop....

Flashback Friday

I've decided for these Flashback Fridays to scan in all some of my old photos starting with my childhood and working my way up through my kids.

Me...through the years...

Rock'n that baby smile!

Man was I cute or WHAT! if I don't say so myself...

On second glance I look like I'm all head....kinda like a bobble head!

Looks like my head should be wobble'n back and forth....

I was 3 1/2 months old here.

Me at the age of 2....still cute...

Then I reached the "what the hell happened to the cute girl" stage...age 5....my poor, poor, poor darling daughter inherited that God awful "cow-lick". This is why she will NEVER have bangs!

Me in 1st grade...trying to pull off the Dorothy Hammell hair cut...I don't think Dorothy had this many "cow-licks" on HER head!

6 Years old with my brother. This was the age of "yarn hair bows"...I had them in every color. My brother is so happy to be sitting beside his big sis. His enthusiasm is heartwarming!

1979..... 7 years old. I remember my hair being rediculously unruly and since flat irons weren't around yet my mom used to try laying my hair out flat on an ironing board and actually ironed my hair to straighten it!

She was desperately trying to disguise that cow-lick in my bangs!

1980 - Is it just me or does this communion dress look like it's 5 sizes too small on me??

1984 - Let me just say......EEEEWWWWW.......Look out Farrah Faucet!

Stay tuned...more photos next week....

Look out.....She's Gonna Blow....

Monday - Take Gracie to groomers. Take Smurfette to School. Grocery shop. Save pictures to DVD. Pick up Smurfette. Pick up Gracie. Drop Dreamy Smurf off at friend's house. Make dinner. Pick Dreamy up from friend's house. Eat dinner. Have a minor breakdown as I realize I forgot to renew my nursing license. I have until the end of this month but now I owe the late fee. Have a bigger breakdown as I debate with myself for the rest of the evening about whether I'll ever go back to nursing and whether I should renew the license at all. Still don't have an answer. Help with homework. Quiz son on Social Studies study guide. Still feel like crap. Take drugs. Drink wine. Lay awake all night with kleenex shoved up my nose.


Tuesday - Bring Smurfette to school. Stay at her school for Mother's Day breakfast and craft. Leave the school. Eat an entire bag of Hall's cough drops. Get Mother's day cards and Dad's birthday card. Pick up Smurfette from school. Catch up on laundry. Clean house. Get dinner started. Boys get home. Feed boys. Run them to gymnastics. Stay for Smurfette's gymnastics class. Run to Walmart. Buy a few necessities along with my very first reusable shopping bags inspired by Domestic Accident....My very first attempt at being environmentally friendly....taking baby steps....I don't even recycle....I'm bad....baby steps. Bring Smurfette to Dance class. Pick up boys from gymnastics. Review spelling words. Help with homework. My 3rd grader has more homework than my 5th grader....why is that? Eat another bag of Hall's cough drops. Congratulate hubby on promotion! =) Do the happy dance! =) Lay awake all night with kleenex shoved up my nose.


Wednesday - Wake kids up early. Listen to Smurfette whine "I'm tooooooooo tiiiirrrrred to wake up" (she's not a morning person). Take kids to school and stay with them for "Muffin's With Mom". Get Dad's birthday gift (then realize I already bought him a gift....Leonard Skynard tickets....so I now have a head start on Father's Day). Buy Mother's Day gifts. Take Smurfette to outdoor Mall to play in the play center. Get rained on. Accompany Smurfette and her preschool class for our field trip to see Seussical musical (fantastic show btw). Come home. Get boys off bus. Run to get Fast food dinner....no time for home cooked meal. Take boys to gymnastics. Get gas....HOLY COW...$71.00 to fill my tank now....HOLY COW....$3.78/gallon now....HOLY COW! Come home. Smurfette has a headache... crying... miserable.... coddle her....rub her head. Pick up boys from gymnastics. Send hubby to store to get Children's Tylenol. Give Smurfette Tylenol. Drink wine. Tuck kids into bed. Drink more wine. Lay awake all night with Kleenex shoved up my nose. Cough up left lung and leave it on night stand. Then laugh hysterically to myself at THREE O'CLOCK IN.THE.MORNING at the thought of ever going back to work. My mother did all this as a single parent (for many years before she remarried) and worked full time....and STILL managed to have a home cooked meal on the dinner table EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. HOW!? Seriously....how.

The agenda for the rest of the week.....

Thursday - Accompany Smurfette and her preschool class to the zoo....it's suppose to be cold and rainy.....oh what fun.....load up on kleenex with lotion as my nose is about to fall off....NO GYMNASTICS! Get groceries for morning play date. Make doctor's appointment if I don't feel better. Figure out when the hell I'll have a chance to get to the doctor. OVER-DOSE ON my insomniac crack....I.NEED.SLEEP!!!


Friday - Host breakfast play date with two friends and their kids. Take Smurfette to school. Go to travel agent. Figure out family trip for parent's anniversary present. Pick Smurfette up from school. No gymnastics...yeay...the older levels went to nationals so we get an extra day off. Niece and Nephew come over to spend the night.

**sigh**

Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens....

WORDLESS? WEDNESDAY

These are a few of my fa.vo.rite thiiiiiings....

(read with Julie Andrew's sing songy voice

Things I am eternally grateful for....

* God Bless the inventor of the children's pants with adjustable waste...

this is at the top of my list for a reason!

* The Cricket...

not the chirping kind....

the paper cutting wizard kind.....

* GPS systems

* Target

* Diet Coke

*Dove's Dark Chocolate and their little inspirational messages!

*Vasectomies

* God Bless the makers of THIS fabulous drug! Tylenol PM...

aka.... Insomniac Crack...

* Lap tops and wireless internet connection....

how did I survive before I had my very own!?

* Last......

but far from least......

Two Buck Chuck