Monday, August 30, 2010

Going Paperless???

OK, I think I'm gonna do it. I think I'm really gonna do it. I'm gonna give up paper.
I didn't realize I was headed this way, it all kinda started with the idea of helping The Hubby financially. It began with diapers. I started researching cloth diapers to find that they would cost an arm & a leg! Eventually there would be quite a saving but right off the bat we'd be spending over 400 bux. It was very hard to convince The Hubby behind the logic of spending lotsa cash to save some cash considering we really didn't have any cash.
So he did what he does, he got all stinkin logical on me & pointed out how it wasn't beneficial right now, the bad doesn't outweigh the good, & all that stuff...blah blah blah. UGH, why is he always right?
Anyway, 2 years ago when I was pregnant with my Hannah girl, she's my butterfly in Heaven, I was talking to a Supermom in the waiting room. This Mama was telling me all about cloth diapers & how she used a basic pre-fold cloth with diaper covers. Now, I thought she was impressive but a lunatic. I mean when we're talkin cloth diapers aren't we talkin about all the snazzy newer types with velcro, buttons, & cute little designs?? Not, your mothers diapers...with pins & in order to wash 'em they had to be fed through a ringer & all that other scary stuff! Right???
Well, I quickly chucked that idea right out the window. But now that we have the wee munchkin I've been rethinkin it, but still very leary to the pre-fold diapers. I just really didn't think I was capable of goin that route, keepin up with cleanin the dipes & I couldn't afford 'em anyway.
However, here I am...with no diapers, I forgot to check my supply.
I lost some Supermom points today =(
Well, every Supermom has a Grand Master Suuuuper Duper Mom & thankfully mine quickly threw on her cape & flew over to save the day.
She's able to leap buildings in a single bound---more powerful than a locomotive---faster than a speeding bullet, & shows up at your doorstep with Huggies when your baby's butt is nakey =)
Well, bein that this isn't the first time she had to save the day I thought maybe I oughta look more into this cloth diaper thing, I was ecstatic to come across a much cheaper option.
They're KaWaii Baby Cloth Diapers, they have an on-line store called Luv Your Baby Products & they most definitely fit my budget. I figured I'd have a little confidence in myself & go ahead & do it the "old-fashioned" way & use pre-fold diapers & add a diaper cover. The diaper covers or only $4.50 & I already own tons of the pre-folds! So I can buy a dozen covers for a little over 50 bux!! Considering that we spend that almost monthly I figure it's worth a shot!
And why stop at diapers? Why not wipes, paper towels, napkins? So as of today we are out of paper towels & I'm not buying another roll. Instead I'm gonna go ahead & invest in some good strong cloth towels for my kitchen, I'm also gonna start workin on reusable wipes made out of receiving blankets, & stitch some napkins recruiting my zoo animals to pick out fabric patterns. So this is the beginning of a semi-paperless household.
I mean really there is no way to avoid the toilet paper issue!

The Blessed Zookeeper

Friday, August 27, 2010

Free Dipeys & A Hilarious Phone Message

So scrolling through my blogger dashboard I came across an awesome giveaway from a new Supermom Blogger. She's awesome because she has perfected making her own cloth diapers & is even more awesome because she's giving away a 50 gift certificate!!

Check out her cute dipeys here http://niftynappy.com/

She also has an awesome blog about her life as a Supermom to 6 kiddos! How cool is that?! Take a peek at her blog & follow to show we Supermoms stick together http://6andstillsane.blogspot.com/

Last but not least I hafta share this video/audio from her Blog. It's honestly hysterical & soooo true! Enjoy!

The Blessed Zookeeper



Saturday, August 21, 2010

Kryptonite

I can say absotively posalutely that people think I'm pretty tough. And I guess on the surface I really kinda am. But the truth is, I'm a big fat sissy. Why do I say this you ask, cuz I'm terrified of a creature no bigger than the palm of my hand....a mouse.
No, not a rat, a little ole' mouse.
The other day Bear came running into my room trying desperately to catch her breath & tell me she saw a mouse. I quickly concluded that she was a loon because there was just no way that a Supermom like me could allow such a thing in her home. With more than a hint of doubt in my voice I asked her to describe this "supposed mouse"
She then went on to describe a furry, gray, pink tailed invader.
And it was in my kitchen no less!! My haven, my sanctuary, the place where I play Susie Homemaker!!
I decided right there & then that we needed to move immediately, packing only the barest of essentials. The Hubby however frowned upon my splendid idea of gettin outta dodge.
He calmly set up a mousetrap while I researched "THEE BEST BAIT FOR....."
As he peacefully applied a bit of peanut butter I questioned whether it should be creamy or chunky? Should we add jelly? And maybe some bread too???
Now...get off the floor & stop laughing at me, I really thought with my awesome Supermom logic that if the P.B. was chunky the mouse would linger longer & SNAP!! Or if we added jelly then maybe the mouse would get stuck a little aaannnnd SNAP-O!!!
And, well....the bread, I got nothin.
So today, the animals thought it would be great dinner conversation to discuss the best way to eliminate Mickey. This is when The Hubby made a grave error. He concluded the most sure fire way to relieve our guest of his breathing ability was to to set a glue trap.

EEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK, again....EeeWEeeweweeeweEEEEEWwwwEWWeEEAAAHHAHHAHAHhhahhhahah!!!!!!

I had all these terrible visions of walking in the kitchen to find Monkey poking at a dying mouse with one of her My Little Ponies. Trust me, it's a strong possibility. So, I quickly told The Hubby it wasn't the least bit possible because I would sooner set the house on fire then have to pick up a wriggling dying & probably ticked off mouse regardless of whether it's "glued" to a piece of plastic or not.

You see this is where all my Supermom abilities go right out the window. This mouse is my Kryptonite.
Can't....fight....getting...dark.....feeling....weak...

I thought maybe it's time for a sidekick, SuperKitty perhaps?? For now though, The Hubby is dragging me, cape & all to the nearest Super Hero store...a.k.a. WalMart to buy...you guessed it...a glue trap. UGH...

Sunday, August 15, 2010

In the Blink of an Eye...



This is my wee-est animal....my munchkin. She's 6 months old. I thank God for her everyday, we waited such a long time to meet her. I want to be careful not to take my moments with her for granted.
I know life is busy & all of us Supermoms get caught up in bein' super.....there is so much to do. But to be quite honest...I'm an older Supermom.

No, I'm not old! Stop that!!

I'm just "older" & starting to understand slowing down & savoring the moments.
Moments of toothless gummy grins.
Moments of big dark eyes starin up at me.
Moments of holding little tiny hands & feet....

Moments are precious & in the blink of an eye, my sweet little beautiful girl that I held in my arms is suddenly a woman.


This is my oldest....she's 15. I thank God for her everyday. I'm in awe of her, only yesterday she was a baby.
I kissed her sweet little nose & held her hands in mine. When did she grow up? My life has suddenly slowed down & I see my sweet girl just running past me. It's like I'm walking in slow motion & she's zipping by getting older & older. I know it's cliche but "where did the time go?" When did her cute grin turn into a breathtaking smile? How did I miss that??
I'm so pleased with the woman she's becoming, I'm so thankful that she loves God even when she doesn't understand Him. And that she forgives my faults.
But oh...how I miss the days of my little girl climbing onto my lap & wanting to be held by her mama.
So, to all my younger Supermoms out there, slow down. Leave the dishes in the sink, let the laundry sit a while longer. Pick up your babies & cuddle them close, kiss their sweet faces, & hold their chubby hands.
Because moments pass....in the blink of an eye.




Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Good Breakfast

I gotta tell ya, I'm done. It's just after 7 & I'm ready for bed. I have been worked over something fierce today. We're still workin on recovering from Hubby's 7 month long vay cay. The animals are restless to say the least. Last week I started them back on a routine & The Bear was so confused, she kept saying "why do you keep telling us what to do??"
Now, mind you she wasn't being disrespectful, she really was at a loss. She's pretty used to runnin wild right now & to have me tellin her every 45 minutes to do this or that was strange.
And it's been an up hill battle but all in all my girls are like most kids, they aim to please. And they're curious to boot.
That's a pretty good combo.

But then we have days like today.

Days when I have cried many tears of frustration & wondered if I have even the faintest idea what I'm doing.
Days when the kids seem to be possessed. And No, not demon possessed more like "I'm insane crazy & my goal for the day is to drive you outta your mind" possessed.
I could ramble on & on and list the many things they did & did not do. But that's really not necessary.
In a nutshell, they were having a rough day themselves. Why was it rough you ask? What could possibly be so hard for a 7 year old & a 4 year old?
I mean nice threads, 4 walls, 3 squares. They've got it easy right???
Well, I guess not, you see when they got up this morning, they had to clean up their room before breakfast. They tore it up last night & I was so itchin for some peace & quiet I said "go to bed but you hafta clean it BEFORE breakfast"
So me, in my great Mommy wisdom had them clean & gave them a late breakfast, which as you other Mommies know, breakfast can make or break your day.
Our breakfast routine is to sit together & while the girls eat I read Bible Devotions with them. Today I didn't do that because we were thrown off with their bedroom.
Isn't it funny how not inviting God to breakfast with you can make the entire day nuts.
He is so important & forgetting Him because the room needs to get cleaned or school has to get started is more than foolish. I can see the fruit of my choices this morning & I can tell you, it's some pretty bitter fruit.
And in all honesty I'd LOOOOOVVVVEEEEE to blame them. I'd love to point the finger & say "ach!! You little heathens, fallin little creatures, MUAHHAHAHAHA!"
But, alas...God points me back to the mirror & reminds me that although my children are not angels they are dependent upon me to teach them what's important. And while a clean room is important, it teaches organization, responsibility, & diligence.
There is absolutely nothing more important than a good breakfast...wait let's make that a
God Breakfast....

The Blessed Zookeeper

Monday, August 9, 2010

RRRRRRRrrrrrrr....

Another older post, but as schooling season is swiftly approaching I thought it was a good read.
Enjoy!

Fall-08

OK so I'm crazy. K? I just wanna get that out there, a disclaimer. First of all I LOVE homeschooling my kids. Really, I do. I love seein all the cool stuff happening. It's like when your baby starts walking & they keep tryin & tryin, toddling, tripping, falling & getting back up. Then when they finally get it & they're walking it's like "WOW!!! AWESOME"

Thats how it is for me to homeschool. When The Bear catches on, sounds out a word & with big ole amazed eyes starin at her book she says MMMAAATTT, MAT! It's like "WOW!! YEAH!!! YOU SAID MAT!"
Ok but heres the down side, I'm a freakin lunatic.
I just have to say teaching a kid to read...not that easy. I mean you would think it's easy because I mean come on, do you remember NOT reading? Probably not, it's second nature, & obviously you can read cuz you're reading this.
But here's my problem...OK ready?
Here it is
"rrrrrrrr"
Yup, thats it.
It's trying to get a 5 year old to make that sound, now lets be specific here OK. It's nor "arrrrr" or "errrr" it's "rrrrr" & that my friends makes a 5 year old angry. Which in turn makes a mommy ANGRRRRRYYY.....ya know like the Hulk(yeah I'm a Superhero, It's on my Facebook profile)
I mean it's not an easy sound to mimic, go ahead say it...sound it out...I'll wait...
SEE!!!
If you did it right, the way the "PERFECT GONNA MAKE YOU GO INSANE" book tells you how, the sound comes from the back of your throat.

Tell Bear that & she looks at you like you're insane. Why would she want a sound to come from the back of her throat???? There's no mouth there...makes no sense! Thats her neck!!!

Well, here we are...stuck on RRRRRRRRR & apparenly learning to read is something I can't blow off. So I'm venting to you in hopes of not going completely bonkers.
I really do appreciate the time to ramble on because running ouside, screaming, pullin' my hair out, climbing up a tree & barking at a bird is generally frowned upon.
"RRRRRR not ARRRRRE" OK? Lana?
Ok, Mommy..."ERRRRR"

AAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

The Blessed Zookeeper

Monday, August 2, 2010

Burnt Chicken & a Pooped Mama

Wow.

I am one overdone Supermom. I am so pooped, frazzled...spent. The hubby went back to work a week ago (PRAISE THE LORD)

We are both happy for him to be back out there workin' & sweatin...gettin' all manly dirty & stuff ya know. Honestly, it really has been waaaaaay too long, almost 7 months!! I mean it's like ice cream, it's soooooo good but after a while your tummy is like "eh hello?? this is too much & I'm done, you're gonna be sick now"
That's kinda what it's like when your workin' man is laid off. At first it's all peaches & cream. I'd get up early & make him a nice breakfast, the girls are all squeals as Daddy becomes the "Tickle Monster"
He's all puffy eyed & cute =)

Well, the honeymoon is long since over & I've had my fill of "Ice Cream ala Hubbee"

So, one thing I need to be honest about is that in the 7 months he's been home I got ever so spoiled! I had him here all...the...time. I could pass off the wee-est munchkin while I got dinner ready. I could enlist his help in getting some laundry done. I could take a few minutes to hide from my animals while he kept the Zoo under control. But nnnnoooooooooowwwwwwwwwww...he's not home (insert pouty sad face here)
And yes, I know what you're thinking, I did complain it wasn't good for us to be in each others faces all day. And yes, I did pray God would give him work. And yes, the kids need Mama to be taking care of them & be consistent...

Hey! Come on...cut me some slack! Enough already!
Wow, you're tough.

Anyhoo, I hafta say, I'm exhausted. The Bear & The Monkey well, they're bein extra stinky, I suppose they need to adjust & they're keeping me on my toes. Today I was outside for not 10 minutes & when I walked in I found crayons all over the floor, the kitchen table was "colored" & Monkey was punchin Bear. As I write they should be "resting" however I can hear The Monkey barking.
Didn't know a monkey could bark did ya? How's that for a visual??
And my wee one has decided sleep is unnecessary & she would very much like it if no one else slept either. Oh! And did I mention it's 90 degrees today & my air isn't working, we have no cooking gas or hot water, & the flies are still invading.

Soooooo, I think I'm really entitled to bein way pooped. However, I found myself gettin pretty self righteous today & feeling entitled to a bad attitude too. Thankfully my Mama was willing to shed some light on my denseness (is that a word?)
Something she keeps remindin me of is the JOY of the LORD is my strength(Nehemiah 8:10). That I can't depend on circumstances to make me feel happy because in this fallen world, it'll just never happen. I need to continually remember that God stays the same & to be dependent on Him for my joy. This is a season of life & although it's a little difficult (I've been through worse) it is only a season & it'll pass.

My Cow, Bear, Monkey, & Munchkin' will get back into a routine & mellow out, the air conditioner will get fixed, the flies will go away, & so on. And as long as I keep my eyes on Him & find ways to thank Him for all that I'm learning through these circumstances..well, then I suppose it's all worth it. Don't ya think?
So, yes..I'm exhausted, & it's likely my munchkin won't sleep tonight & it's a strong possibility that at bedtime there will be "much wailing & nashing of teeth" & I definitely burnt the chicken =( Don't ask. However, I will find my rest in the everlasting God who does not grow weary. I will keep my eyes on Him who does not change. And I will be strong because His joy enables me.

The Blessed Zookeeper