Crowded house

No this is not about the band Crowded House from the 80s but about the house I live in. Our home is close to 1200 square feet. We have three bedroom, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen, dinning room combo. There are 7 people and a dog living in this space. Three of the people are elementary school kids that feel they should still have mom pick up after them and two are still small enough that I still do pick up after them. Then there is my own messes and my husbands messes. You can add 7 peoples laundry plus cloth diapers and dog poop to my check list of things to do. My son Joey does a fairly decent job keeping his room clean with a steady stream of nagging. Asking the girls to clean often falls on deaf ears and the battle takes many twists and turns to finally achieve a clean home. To be perfectly honest that never happens. A few weeks ago I got mean. I took the girls who have been sharing the master bedroom and gave them their brothers room and Joey became master of space. In the process we got rid of everything the two princesses didn't play with and just became junk on their floor. I still had no plan how keeping these new room assignments clean. There is always a silver lining to every cloud. I had e-mail a catch up letter to my friend Ryan who in turn gave me the link to his wife's blog he was very proud of. The blog was amazing and I found exactly what I needed to tame my little ones in to keeping their own spaces neat and tidy.

http://moreofamom.com/2008/12/07/here-comes-the-room-inspector/

Here comes the room inspector complete with a point chart. I presented the new rule to our kids last Thursday and told them the first inspection would not be until Saturday March 7th at 10 am. Marysa jumped on it. Tanner went back to her Mom's house and Joey did nothing. Marysa left Friday for a 5 day stay with her dad. Thursday evening I did her inspection. The kid got it. Nice clean floor, bed made, clothes and toys put away. She made her Mama proud and herself as well with a $10 bill. Tanner came back from her Mom's house Friday after school. I gave her the heads up in case she had forgotten the room inspector was coming 10am Saturday. She jumped on it. She made her bed, put her clothes, books and toys away and tidied her drawers.

This morning I was on the edge of my seat waiting on this inspection. 10 am on the dot I walked into Joey's room with him. Even with him doing nothing to his room all week the kid was clean enough to get a 90% on his points earning him a $10 bill, then it was Tanner's turn. She was still putting clothes away but also had a passing score of 99%. I think this may be the answer to all my prayers. Our kids may just have motivation enough to keep their rooms clean.

The internet is a very unsafe place

Once again I am glad I was not the victim of any strange or illegal internet scams or crime. I met up toady with two old friends from high school that found me on Facebook. One I spent a little time with and one I spent a lot of time with. I was afraid that I was walking into some weird cult invite. Nothing a happened. I did my normal talk to much about what ever popped in my head thing. You know this sort of word vomit I do. Expressed my love of homeless and disabled people. Described my crazy way of meeting, getting to know and marrying my husband.Not to mention my awkward let me tell you how I give birth stories. I listened very little.... a bad quality I have when nervous and learned odd things about high school. I found it strange my old friends remember me being nice to everyone. I really wasn't. My son was for the most part shy enough that he behaved, nothing broken, no one hurt.We ran once he started to feel comfortable for obvious reasons if you know Sonny. It felt alright getting out of my safety zone. I am so glad I didn't have to call in the spider monkeys. Over all I had a lot of fun.

Since saying what I mean gets me no where I'll just pay tribute to the song my heart is feeling right now.

oo) What you want
(oo) Baby, I got it
(oo) What you need
(oo) Do you know I got it
(oo) All I'm askin'
(oo) Is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit)
Hey baby (just a little bitno) when you get home
(just a little bit) mister (just a little bit)

I ain't gonna do you wrong while you're gone
Ain't gonna do you wrong (oo) 'cause I don't wanna (oo)
All I'm askin' (oo)
Is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit)
Hey Baby (just a little bit) when you get home (just a little bit)
Yeah (just a little bit)

I'm about to give you all of my money
And all I'm askin' in return, honey
Is to give me my propers
When you get home (just a, just a, just a, just a)
Yeah baby (just a, just a, just a, just a)
When you get home (just a little bit)
Yeah (just a little bit)

------ instrumental break ------

Ooo, your kisses (oo)
Sweeter than honey (oo)
And guess what? (oo)
So is my money (oo)
All I want you to do (oo) for me
Is give it to me when you get home (re, re, re ,re)
Yeah baby (re, re, re ,re)
Whip it to me (respect, just a little bit)
When you get home, now (just a little bit)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB

Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me,
Sock it to me, sock it to me)
A little respect (sock it to me, sock it to me,
Sock it to me, sock it to me)
Whoa, babe (just a little bit)
A little respect (just a little bit)
I get tired (just a little bit)
Keep on tryin' (just a little bit)
You're runnin' out of foolin' (just a little bit)
And I ain't lyin' (just a little bit)
(re, re, re, re) 'spect
When you come home (re, re, re ,re)
Or you might walk in (respect, just a little bit)
And find out I'm gone (just a little bit)
I got to have (just a little bit)
A little respect (just a little bit)

The church side show

A few weeks back I went to visit the new pastor at my church to talk about Declan's baptism. While I was there I brought my two boys who ran circle after circle around the table the pastor and I were sitting at. This was the perfect opportunity for me to ask why the speakers in the fellowship room don't get turned on anymore. He did not know but told me I could bring my kids to church. All children that could walk were invited to Sunday school during the service. Today I got brave and decided to take him up on the offer. I got up got dressed complete with running shoes and loaded up Marysa (8), Joey (7), Sonny (2), and Declan (2mos). As we got out of the car we ran into the retired Pastor and his wife and they offered their help. I couldn't imagine how they could help so I declined politely and we walked in together. For the last 22 years I have attend First Lutheran Church I have sat in the same pew on the left of the alter. My children walked in beautifully sat down got a pencil and kept themselves busy. I was very proud. I thought of when my mother would tell me about how well behaved her 5 oldest were in church. No sooner than I completed that thought Sonny got up and quietly walked around in circles in and out of the empty pews. He activity wasn't so bad. I was able to listen to the Gospel and the reading, we then went and joined all the kids for a children's chat on temptation. I'm not sure any of the kids understood at all, and the children were dismissed for Sunday school.
Our new Pastor has a lot of passion in his sermon. I was almost brought to tears when he described a parents love of there child and what a test of faith it would be if God came to him and asked him to sacrifice one of his children. In my heart, holding Declan close to my heart I knew my faith wasn't strong enough my self. I would burn eternally in hell before harming any of my children. Any how the sermon I am sure will be taught about at least a few more days before other thoughts take over.
When Sunday school was over the children were brought back to me. Sonny was amp'd up at this point. He was noisy and very fast. At one point you joined the pastor at the alter. I chased him all over the church. Finally I caught him in front of our retire pastor and his wife. I passed Declan to one of the church ladies to hold for the rest of the service so I could hold Sonny. When the service was complete I felt two emotions. Crying because I felt like a failure that my mother could keep her kids in line and a celebrity when all the members I have known and people I have never met before told me I wasn't alone, that they had been in my position before and to please keep coming back. That my son was a welcome disturbance. Today I earned another star on my mother belt and did not cry after church but took a nice long nap with my kids.

details can be shocking

Marysa has been popping out with a lot of details lately. She has been telling me folk tales of indigenous peoples, what the names of my teeth and muscles are. It's been really fun listening to what her mind has been absorbing.

Today the details blew my mind. She was discussing the details of the budget cut to education for the State of California where we live. Marysa gave me details on her school districts plan on how not to be affected by the cuts our governor is imposing on the school and our children. She told me exact statistics of if each family contributed some $300 something dollars, that would be so many thousands of families and the district would have $2million to spend on their programs like music and physical education that are in danger of being cut. My kid talked politics with me, understood what she was talking about, and how it would affect her. Someone working with her has earned their pay check and my full support. Marysa reminded me today just how important she is and why she deserves the best possible education.

Send me that donation paper work. I'll give up $300 to make sure that I will have more conversations with my daughter that will impress me.

The 680 South freway adventure

My boys were in need of shoes. Joey has completely worn through another pair and Sonny needed a back up now that the yard is becoming more appealing to him, shoes get very wet and dirty. I thought we'd try a Target we usually don't go to.......Target Greatland San Ramon. I picked up Joey from his school and raced over to Missy's school, hit Carl's Junior for our afternoon snack and headed out to San Ramon. Half way there we saw 7 uniformed polices cars, a uniformed motorcycle cop and two under cover cops racing down 680. I'm not sure why I don't program 511's radio station in my car stereo but I can never find it when I want to know what is going on. The cops raced by and disappeared as quickly as they came. It was very exciting.

The next excitement was all the cows on the hill side. Mama's and babies and then we noticed they had all just been branded. Why are they still branding cows. I thought they pierced their ears now? i felt so sad that the cows all had big burns on their rumps just out of reach for them to lick. My mind is boggled.

It's now two hours later. We've made it. We got Sonny shoes, Joey shoes and Marysa shoes. I was shocked to accomplish that in one place it never happens. Then I realize Marysa's has a daddy day and her daddy is already off work. We give him a call and as luck would have it he is only a few cars ahead of us. The day was good.

the mircle dry diaper

Snuggling my son after an exhausting birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. I notice my little one has wet pants. So I go to change his diaper. His pants are soaked but his diaper is dry as a bone. He pushed his diaper down below his wee wee and went wee wee. Lucky me to have such a smart little boy.