More growing.....

Have I mentioned how excited I am over this whole process? Back when I was a kid, my mom always had a garden. And I hated it! Spending all day in a garden weeding the sucker when all I wanted to do was play with my friends really sucked. The only thing that I remember liking about it was snapping the beans after they were picked. For some reason, I just loved doing that.

This is our first year doing a garden and for the most part I'm enjoying it. It's kind of hard though when you imagine a girly girl who doesn't like being outside that much, having to not only go outside, but deal with bugs and dirt and other things such as that. I'm not real thrilled with that part. I'm also not really thrilled by the fact that the kids think it's hilarious to "accidentally" spray me with the hose when I ask for their help. And now listening to them whine about having to help weed the garden, makes me a little more sympathetic towards my mother.

But, I am enjoying the rewards of having a garden. It's exciting watching things you planted grow. It's even more pleasant picking some of those things out and washing them to use in a salad or to make dinner with. And when you can grasp a handle on how much money you can save by not having to buy those things in the grocery store or at the farmer's market - it just makes it all more better in my opinion. Now, I just need to figure out what do with all of it, once it really starts coming in....canning? freezing? It'll be like a whole new adventure for me.

Really starting to grow now.....

Making Progress

In the Beginning

Do they make fly cemeteries?

I think I need a swinging door put on my house. My kids are constantly running in and out of the house.

*I need to go to the bathroom
*I'm hungry
*When's dinner?
*It's too hot to play outside
*It's boring inside
*It's boring outside
*Can we go to......(fill in the blank)
*Can we spray the hose
*Can we take a blanket outside and lay on it
*I need my ball glove
*I need a baseball
*I'm thirsty
*I need to go to the bathroom

It's an all day, every day ordeal. I killed so many flies lately, I could fill an entire cemetery with their remains. Not to mention the dirt and sand all over the floor. At this rate, I should just sweep it all up and dump it back in the sand box, considering I have more sand in the house than in the sand box.

The other day, Rich was complaining to me about the flies and how many he has killed. I told him he needs to complain to the kids, not me, because I was just as frustrated about it as he was.

It's not just my kids that are running in and out all day, it's their friends that are doing it too. And while I'm happy that we can be the "hangout" house and I don't mind feeding extra kids (which I have....just about every day, at least once a day), I just wish they could close the door while they are running in and out. And you know maybe scrape their feet on those - what do you call them - Oh yeah, welcome mats that are placed oh so conveniently right in front of the door.

I was just thinking the other day.......

Whatever happened to the days when we were kids? We'd leave in the morning and didn't come back until it was time to eat dinner, or better yet for our parents, until it was dark and time for bed. Rich told me that his mother used to lock the door on him and his sister. I must admit, the idea did sound tempting, but alas, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Plus, what would be the sense in it anyway, they would just bang on the door until I let them back in anyway.

So until, I come up with a different solution, I'll just have to resort to making them sweep the kitchen floor and wipe the muddy, crap covered sinks that they wash their grubby hands in ten times a day. And Rich can continue bribbing their friends with cash while getting them to help out with the landscaping or other outdoor chores. And I'll secretly keep thanking my lucky stars that their friends like coming here, because it keeps the little boys occupied as well. And feel blessed beyond measure when Amanda volunteers to shuffle them all to the neighborhood playground for a few hours of blissful peace and quiet for me.

Summer time joys and all that - I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts, because it won' t be long before they're all back in school and I'm freezing my ass off again.

Char/Charlene

Just to clarify for some folks. I have two accounts with blogger (one here and one for my weight loss blog). I used my nickname Char on the weight loss blog, so if you see someone named Char (that you don't know) and you're used to seeing Charlene in your comments section - it's just me.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

This morning I made myself a cheesy frittata. If you read my weight loss blog, you know that I'm trying new foods and this was a new recipe I wanted to try. At any rate, Nathan brought me a box of cereal and a cup and wanted some dry cereal to eat for breakfast. While I was pouring the cereal he was looking at my plate so I asked him if he wanted a bite. He said "No, I don't like that kind of cereal" LOL!

Summer's are for Pedicures

Thanks Amanda!!

Top Ten Reasons I Hate Doing Laundry

10. Folding Fitted Sheets {those suckers annoy me endlessly. I usually start out trying to fold them, but I end up just rolling them up and tossing them on the shelf}

9. Folded up socks {that need to be unfolded before washing them}

8. Rolled over socks {you know the kind where somebody - usually the boys - roll the sock down their foot when they take them off...it's the biggest pain in the you know what to unroll them just so they can be washed}

7. Finding clean folded clothes mixed in with the dirty ones {this is a boy thing too and it makes me so freakin' mad - we're talking finding hangers still attached to shirts here}

6. Ironing shirts and pants {enough said...remind me to post a pic of my ironing pile later}

5. Stains that no matter how many times you pretreat, don't come out

4. Putting clean clothes away {at least getting the kids to put their clean clothes away - I should definitely get extra credit for this...trust me!}

3. Having to do laundry for a family of eight {it's an all day...everyday....never ending...thankless job, but somebody's gotta do it}

2. Going through pockets to add to my collection of rocks, sticks, matchbox cars, marbles, crayons and anything else they shove in their pockets {Boys are good for this one as well}

1. Finding clothes that went through the dryer that now have crayon melted all over them, that you find after forgetting to go through the pockets {which of course is the whole reason leading up to this post....this time it was a pretty shade of blue...and yep, I'm still wearing the underwear with green melted on crayon that wouldn't come out last time....thanks}

Is that supposed to be a threat?

Nathan asked me where his leftover dinner plate (that he had put in the fridge went). I told him I didn't know what happened to it. He then said Well, that's it I'm drinking milk then.

Go right ahead buddy! LOL!