The Mind of Tyner

Tyner's preschool teacher asked each of the kids to tell them a story the other day.  Here is Tyner's:

"This is for real!  This happened to my friend.  My friend went out to feed his chickens.  He is eight years old.  The chickens were dead upside down on their backs.  There was an animal with a long snout, kind of like elephant skin with razor sharp teeth and sharp claws.  He was called Antalopesaurus.  It eats ants too.  It ate and it also tore apart part of his house.  He got his phones at night so he couldn't call the police or the vet.  And it also eats people."  

She asked how big it was.  He said "Probably 200 feet long and 200 feet big and that's all.  And it also eats eyeballs.  It eats bugs and it is kind of camouflaged and I saw it too.  It was freaky and it also eats bears."

There is nothing I could type here that could in any way do this story justice.....  This is the brain of my son.....

Diaper Pics

These are just some cute pictures of Zeke I wanted to share.  He is in a prefold with a Snappi.  I put his fleece pants on over this when he started to play with the Snappi.  The pictures look a lot better if you click on them so they are bigger.

I think he looks a lot like Tyner in this picture.

He looks really old in this picture.  I don't know if it's the teeth or what.
He was running at me in this one.  That's why it's fuzzy.
Checking out his sister's bracelet.

Fluffy Mail

So, now that I got our 5-gallon bucket of Charlie's in the mail, the cloth diapers are making (another) comeback.  The stripping that I did to my prefolds with the hot water and the bleach and the Charlie's seems to have worked.  Zeke wore them to bed a few nights in a row, and never had a problem.  

Now, I told you all that I joined a forum over at The Diaper Pin.  I'm really loving this forum.  The ladies are great, and while I'm learning a lot about all of the cloth diapering options, I'm also realizing how much I love my basic stash. 

Now, I really do love my basic stash.  But that doesn't mean I can't have fun adding to it (in as frugal a way as possible, of course).  Here are some things I have gotten in the mail recently.

An Aristocrats Wool Soaker.  I won this on an eBay auction and paid $24.50 (that includes shipping).  It's a large, and at the website I linked to, they cost $36.75 (without shipping).  So I'd say I got a pretty darn good deal.  It's been washed and lanolized, and should be ready to use tonight.  I'm excited to try wool overnight, because of it's awesome waterproofness, and because it's an all-natural, breathable material, which will make Zeke's bum a lot happier.

These are newborn-sized wool longies that I got off of Etsy.  They are made from an old merino wool sweater.  As you can see, they are double-sided and reversible.  I haven't lanolized these yet.  I will wait to do that until the baby comes.  

This is a Crickett's Cotton Fitted Diaper.  I got these for nighttime, to wear under the 'Crat.  It has a snap-in doubler, so there is lots of absorbency.  He has worn these for the last few nights, under a PUL wrap cover, and they work great.  I can't wait to try them with the wool though, because the PUL doesn't breath, and his skin is usually pretty damp and warm in the morning.  I got the 100% cotton instead of the hemp/cotton combo, because I saved $2.00 a diaper this way.  
These are some cloth wipes I got from Quilter's Nappies.  They are flannel on one side and velour on the other (you know, the soft stuff that the track suits are made out of?).  I got some really cute boy prints.  I got 16 of them, to try them out.  If I like them, I will probably get more.  In fact, I just looked at the Boy Prints on the website, and she has some really cute new prints.  But, since I don't have any money, I will resist.

So anyway.  That is some new stuff I have gotten for my stash lately.  

This is the next thing I would like to do/get.  They are called Tinkle Traps.  You send this lady some of your prefold diapers, and she trims them, adds elastic, and serges the edges.  I will just do them very basic, so they will be cheaper.  I want to get some of Zeke's done, so I can try them out, and if I like them, I will get some of the baby's done too.  But, I have to get a slot with the lady first.

Anyway.  I'm off to look around the Great World Wide Web.  See you all later.

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Oh, just so you know.  To make a long story short, we ended up getting a new washer.  Our old one wasn't horribly broken (from what I could dig up on the internet).  But more often than not, when one thing goes bad, everything starts to go bad.  So, we decided to buy a new one and have 8 more years of worry-free laundry.  Sears had 20% off all their appliances, plus we will be able to get them to repair it if anything happens, since we actually bought it there this time.

So now you're all in the loop.  Sorry for not telling you soon how that all turned out.

Oh, the drama!

Well, say a little prayer, everyone.  I'm afraid our washing machine is sick.  Not sure if he's terminal yet.  Only time will tell.  Well, the repair man will probably be able to tell us too...

I was running a load of colored clothes before Sierra had to leave for school.  I heard the washer filling up for the final rinse cycle.  Usually it will start to agitate right away, but I didn't hear it do that.

Suddenly I smelled burning plastic.  I was walking around the house trying to figure out where it was coming from.  After the water heater incident, that smells kind of freaks me out.  As I got closer to the laundry, I realized it was coming from the washer.  

I opened the lid, and there everything sat, in a tub full of black water.  Oh.  Let me explain that one.  I started using Charlie's Soap again, and the more you use it, the more store-detergent gunk it cleans out of your washer.  So, there sat my clothes in a tub full of detergent-gunk-filled water.

I called Jay, and he told me to unplug the washer, just in case.  I guess the next step is to pull all the clothes out and take them next door to rewash them.  And to call a repairman.  

Anyway.  I'm off to dress the baby and go next door to discuss our options.   

I will update later.

What's on your list today?

"You'll find it at Fred Meyer."

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  I had to finish the jingle.

Not much has been going on here in Podunk the last few days.  Just chillin' out...maxin'..relaxin' all cool...

Oops.  There I go again.

We enjoyed our long weekend.  The date Friday night was great.  Paul Blart: Mall Cop was hilarious.  I'm sure my husband was embarrassed by how loud I was laughing.  

Saturday we went over to Denton & Dora's and had dinner with everybody.  Good food, as always.  We didn't stay to play cards, though.

Sunday was church.  Then home for naps.  Well, naps for everyone but me.  I was on the computer when I should have been sleeping.  I was on the Diaper Pin forums, my new obsession.  

Sunday night I went to.....ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?!?!  Choir practice.  Haha.  Yes, I went to choir practice.  They decided to start an adult choir at our church, and since I've recently discovered that I like to sing, and have actually been told that I'm fairly decent at it, I thought I'd give it a try.  Besides the fact that I was the youngest one there by about 20 years, that I didn't know any of the songs we sang, and that I don't know how to read music, it was all good.  The old folks at our church are some of the nicest people you will ever meet (I guess there are some good things about living in the country), and I felt very comfortable.  I will be going back next Sunday, so it couldn't have been too bad, right?

Monday morning I had my first prenatal appointment (I was 10 weeks on Sunday).  Nothing special.  Just height, weight, BP, blood draw.  I got to hear the heartbeat.  She kind of had to hunt around for it, and it was pretty quiet.  Nothing like Zeke, who was kicking the wand-thingy the whole time.  The heartbeat was about 160, which is what Zeke's was too (another boy, maybe?).  I came home afterwards and we just hung out for the rest of the day.  Oh, and I pretty much Pinned the whole day (I told you I'm obsessed).

Today, I got up and got back on Diaper Pin.  Got Sierra off to school, went to the store, and the Post Office.  Got a few packages (Charlie's AP cleaner, newborn wool longies, and some other diaper stuff).  I'm still waiting for several more packages.  I won't tell you how many, 'cause I'm a little embarrassed.  I'll share what I get as it comes in, though.  Maybe if it's spaced out, it won't seem like so much?  I'm trying to expand my cloth diaper stash for Zeke, and I've done a lot of that in the last few weeks.  I will be going back to the P.O. later to check my regular mail and hopefully pick up my Charlie's laundry soap so I can get my CDs washed and useable.

I have actually gotten some stuff accomplished today.  Here's my list:

*Wash dishes

*Get laundry out of dryer

*Chop veggies for soup

*Thaw chicken and broth for soup

*Mix up bread dough

*Cook chicken and chop for soup

*Re-package hamburgerScratch this one. I left it in the fridge too long and it went bad. Grrrr!!!!

*Sweep kitchen floor

*Go to Post Office. Still no laundry soap. :(

*Return books to library

*Refill AP flour

*Bake bread for dinner

*Empty dish drainer

*Run/Empty dishwasher

*Pick up Sierra

*Do a small load of dishes

Okay, so that's all I can think of right now.  I will add more later if (when) I think of it.

Hope you all enjoy your Monday Tuesday (three day weekends always mess me up).

The Ugliest Christmas Present Ever

Tyner got something really ugly for Christmas from GG.

They are called Aquasaurs.  They are kind of like the Sea Monkeys of old, where you put the eggs in the water and wait for them to hatch.  

We had two survive from a batch of 25 eggs.  This is normal, I guess.  One grew pretty fast, and one stayed really tiny.  

A few days ago the tiny one disappeared, so we fear he may have become a midnight snack.

The Big One just keeps growing though.  According to the booklet you get with the set, "an Aquasaur's skeleton is outside of it's body, not inside like a mammal's."  For this reason, "an Aquasaur sheds its skeleton (molts) several times as it grows."  

Last night, Jason was cleaning out the "tank" (which is really just a flimsy plastic bowl with a lid).  After he filled it up with spring water (no chlorinated tap water for these guys), he seemed a little worried.  He thought The Big One might be dying.  It was flopping around, bending it's body back and forth, flailing around the tank.  Well, then he looked closer and realized it was molting.  I grabbed Tyner real quick and lifted him up so he could see.  Then Jay had to lift the skeleton out with a stir-stick so Tyner could look at it closer.  It was pretty cool to watch.

An Aquasaur also has "35 to 70 pairs of legs that it uses for swimming and bringing food to its mouth."  Tyner and I got to watch The Big One eat one day, and it was really cool to watch his legs waving back and forth, holding the little food pellet to its mouth.

All in all, this has been a pretty fun present, one the whole family has enjoyed.  It has been slightly expensive, what with having to buy spring water.  But we will probably do it again with the half batch of eggs we still have.

Here is a picture of The Big One so you can see how ugly he is:

Date Night *EDITED*

It is 7:20 a.m.  Do you know where your children are?

I do.  All three of them are still sleeping.  I decided that I would let them sleep as long as they need to, even if it means being late to school.  At this age, I think a full nights rest is more important than perfect attendance.  

Today is looking like it's going to be a pretty fun day.  After I get the kids off to school (that includes taking Tyner to Fort Jones for preschool), I'm going to head over to my friend Corrie's house.  Another of our friends, Jessica, is going to teach us how to make homemade tortillas.  

I don't have to pick Tyner up at 11:30, because Jason gets off of work early today.  He is going to pick him up and then go over to a friends house to help them with a remodeling project for awhile.  

So after I'm done over at Corrie's, I will come home and feed Zeke some lunch and then lay him down for a nap.  Then I have some stuff I need to do around here, like:

*Dishes.

*Wash Jason's work clothes (or at least stick them in the washer so they can be washed once he gets home and puts the stuff he's wearing today in there).

*Hopefully finish the washing process on my diapers (if my Charlie's comes in the mail today).

*Vacuum

Jason should be home and showered sometime after 3:00.  Then he and I are going to head over to Yreka to see our friends Jeff and Lisa at the hospital.  They had a little girl, Samantha Joy, on Wednesday morning.

After we visit with them for awhile, we are going to head on to Mt. Shasta.  We are going to go to dinner at Strings Italian Cafe.  Then we are going to go see Paul Blart: Mall Cop.  

It's been a long time since we've been out on a date, just the two of us.  We go out a lot together, without the kids, but we are usually going to someone's house.  We aren't usually alone. 

So, that is my fun day for today.  Tyner is up now, so I need to get him ready.  We may actually make it to our friends house for his ride.

Talk to you later.

**Tyner came out of his room at 7:30.  When I snuck in to get him some clothes, Zeke was sitting up in his crib.  When I came out of the room with Zeke, Sierra was laying on the couch.  I guess they all have the same internal alarm clock.  So we were all able to get dressed, eat something, brush teeth, and be out the door by 8:00.  Yay!  I didn't miss Tyner's ride to school.**

Off we go.

Today I need to go to "the big city" to do our shopping.  I'm talking Yreka, not Medford.  *sigh*  I'm taking both boys with me.  This should be fun.  

But before I leave, these are the things I want to get done:

*Pay bills

*Make a mental grocery list

*Empty dishwasher

*Fold towels

*Get diapers out of garage

*Run diapers through a bleach cycle

*Quick vacuum of the living room?

*Put boys' laundry away
*Tidy house
*Get Zeke dressed
*Put infant diapers back in garage

Well, that's it for right now.  Oh how exhilarating is the domestic life.

New Recipe

Okay, this recipe might sound a little weird, but I promise you, they are really good.  I first had these (or something like these) when we went to a Japanese restaurant.  I came right home and started searching for a recipe.  Anyway, here's the link.

Sour (Pickled) Bean Sprouts (Dua Gia)

You're on my list.

There is something about the sound of the washer and dryer running that makes me want to get up and clean.

I started out my morning (and I officially start my morning after the big kids are at school and Zeke is down for a nap) on the computer.  Reading blogs, checking email, that kind of thing.  I had a load of laundry going in the washer before I sat down on the computer, though.

Thankfully my husband walked into the house (for a potty break) to the sound the washer running and the sight of me on the computer.  He said "Well, at least you're not laying on the couch like I thought you would be."  The funny thing is, if I hadn't gotten absorbed in reading something online, that's exactly where I would've been! 

So after I finished online, I moved laundry around.  Then I laid down on the couch (Jay was already gone to finish his route).  I think I'd gotten a quick half hour catnap in when Jay's aunt called with a question.  I answered it for her, then laid back down on the couch.  

As I laid there listening to the sound of the washer and dryer running, I thought about the things that were on my Mental To Do List.  Laundry, dishes, vacuuming, phone calls.  I laid there and wondered what else I could be doing.  I was very comfortable, and I didn't really want to get up, but I knew I wasn't going to fall back asleep anytime soon.  

So I jumped up and went into the kids bathroom to start gathering towels for the laundry.  While I was in there, I noticed the toothpaste all over the counter.  And thought about how much our bathroom needed cleaning too.

After I picked up all the towels from around the house, I grabbed some rags and my cleaning stuff.  I scrubbed the insides of the toilets, had a AIM conversation with my sister, and called my dad to wish him Happy Birthday before Zeke woke up.  

After he woke up, I gave him a snack and put a video on for him.  Then I finished cleaning the outsides of the toilets, the sinks, countertops, and mirrors in both bathrooms.  

I'm feeling pretty good about getting all that done, especially since bathrooms are NOT my favorite thing to clean.  Now if I could just get myself to clean our tub...

I thought I would post the rest of my To Do list before I have to go get Tyner from school.  So here it is:

-Sort laundry

-Laundry

*Colors

*Whites

*Darks

*Towels

-Vacuum

-Dishes (small load)

-Call MediCal worker

-Bathrooms

-Clean tub

-Get diapers out of garage

-Bleach diapers

Well, that's all I can think of right now.  I should go get ready to go pick up Tyner now.  

P.S.  Congratulations to Jeff & Lisa on the birth of their baby girl, Samantha Joy!!!

P.P.S.  Happy 64th Birthday, Dad!!!

Zeke Pictures

Just a few more cute Zeke pictures I had on my camera.  

He's got a mouthful of apple in this one.

I love the way he has his feet crossed at the ankles in this one.
One of these days I will take some pictures of the big kids so you can see what they look like now....

Zeke Talks and Signs

Here is a video I took of Zeke yesterday.  The coolest thing?  This video started out about 2 minutes long, but I edited it down with iMovie.  Awesome.  Turn the volume up a little bit, 'cause he is kind of hard to hear sometimes.  And yes, my 15 month old knows how to shoot a play gun.  'Cause, well, his big brother is the coolest cowboy around.  And yes, Tyner knows the words to "Love Song."  It's one of his favorites. Anyway, here it is:

New Recipe

Peanut Butter Bars

WORD to 2009

So, I have finally chosen my word for 2009.  Well, chosen isn't really the right word.  Stolen is more like it.  I stole my word for 2009.  

My sister Heather's word this year is MOVE.  I decided that was the perfect word for me also.  I think MOVE is definitely better than "Get-up-off-your-fat-@$$", don't you?

I thought about a few different words before I finally settled on being a copycat.  Here are a few of them:

Productive.  I always say that I love when I have productive days; when I get a lot done around the house, and I'm continually crossing things off my To Do list.  This would remind me of the feeling I have at the end of those days.

Tone.  As The Boss of the House, I am the one that sets the tone of the house.  If I am grumpy, the whole house is in a bad mood.  If I am tired, not much gets accomplished.  If I am happy, then everyone is relaxed and smiling.  This could also be a reminder to be aware of my tone of voice when I'm talking to Jay or the kids.

Home Maker.  I'm not just referring to my job title with this one.  This means that I MAKE my home what I want it to be.  This one kind of encompasses the first two, and several others I thought of that I can't remember right now.  I choose what I want my home to be.  The cleanliness, the activity level, the feeling you get when you walk in the door, the noise level.  It is my job as Boss to make my home into a good place to be.  Which also means it falls on my shoulders when it's a crazy, dirty place.

So, these were few of my choices.  Like I said, I thought of more, but pregnancy brain cells will not let me remember them right now.  

But I decided that MOVE was the reminder I really needed this year.  To get up and MOVE away from the computer, cleaning the house instead.  To get up and MOVE outside, getting some exercise.  To get up and MOVE through the house, being involved in what my kids are doing.  And maybe even sometimes, get up and MOVE to the computer, blogging more frequently.

So, there you go.  My word for 2009.

MOVE

I just want you to know that the spelling of the word MOVE no longer looks right, because I have typed it so many times in this post.  But anyway, that's just my weird brain working.

So, I encourage you to pick a word for 2009.  A word that will "give you something to focus on throughout they year."  That's what Ali Edwards says, anyway.

Okay, enough rambling.  I'm going to try to sneak in a little nap before Zeke wakes up.  Later!

Random Pictures 2452

Since I have nothing to post about right now (except my word for the year), so I thought I'd post some pictures that were on my camera.  ***If you can click and enlarge any of the pictures, you might notice that Zeke has a nice scratch/bruise on his eye.  That was from him spinning around in the dining room and falling, face first, onto a step stool.***

Zeke has developed a love for hats.  He loves to put one on his head and walk around.  It only lasts for about five minutes; then he pulls it off and tries to put it back on by himself.  Of course, he usually can't get it back on, then he screeches, and brings it to us to put it on for him.  Anyway.  Here is a cute picture of him in one of the many hats we have around here.

And here he is in another hat.  His brother's cowboy hat...and boots.  Shoes are another thing he loves to put on.  He likes to bring them to us and then he will walk around in them until they fall off.

I just had to play with this one.  There is nothing that says I'm a cowboy like a Onesie....

This is a beetle that Tyner drew on our fridge.  I had to take a picture before it got erased.  Tyner doesn't like to draw much, so I was surprised when he told me he drew this.  Of course, I wasn't surprised that it was a bug....

***DISCLAIMER:  THE BEER CAN IS CLOSED!!!***  My hubby took this picture.  He thought it was pretty funny.  Of course, it wasn't so funny when Zeke grabbed the can off the table after it was open.  

Anyway.  Those are the pictures I have to share for now.  I promise that one of these days I will sit down and write about my word for the year.