Dirty Boy

A couple weeks ago my vacuum died. I was devastated. I'm tellin ya, this vacuum was a champ. Over the past several weeks leading up to it's demise, it was literally falling apart. The adjustable wheel lift underneath next to the beater bar (that raised and lowered the vacuum height based on bare floor and carpet thickness) had actually broken off and was now only working on "bare floor" level. The caps on the pivot wheels were missing. You had to prop the vacuum against a wall when you were done because it no longer clicked into place when you set the vacuum upright after you were done using it. Anywho. You get the point. It was on it's last leg but kept on chugging.

Vacuuming is my absolute favorite household chore. I really like the bissell brand vacuum and wanted to get another Bissell to replace the one that died. I looked up Bissell's on amazon.com to compare and read reviews and find the one that I thought would best suit my vacuuming needs. I wanted one that would be good at picking up pet hair and cleaning up after messy children.

After scouring through all kinds of Bissel models and reviews I found another bagless I liked and it was reasonably priced. I called Charlie to tell him about the vacuum and he told me to go ahead and order it.

I, not so patiently, waited for it to arrive. When it did I was practically doing cartwheels through the house. (did I mention vacuuming is my favorite?). I got right to it and went through the house making up for a week and half of not vacuuming.

It

Was

Awesome!

I filled the bagless canister after going through all the rooms in my house. Time to empty it. Well, this bagless was a different set up for disposing of dust and dirt then my old bagless. This one emptied through the bottom of the canister whereas my old one emptied through the top. I'm fiddling with the canister trying to find where it opens up to empty it. I'm pushing and pulling on this and that when, finally, I push the right button and the bottom flies open and all the dirt, dust and crumbs explode out and all over my son, John.

Poor kid didn't know what hit him. He was just standing next to me watching me try to figure out the new canister and next thing he knows he's covered in all the dusty, dirty ick from the canister. He looked at me in shock and disbelief. I burst out laughing and telling him how sorry I was for getting him all dirty.

Surprisingly, he wasn't upset at all. I carefully and slowly guided him back to the bathroom to get him cleaned up. Once he was showered and clean again I went back into the kitchen to clean up mess.

Now that I know how the bagless canister works, this kind of thing won't happen again.

Big Girl Bed

Now that the girls have their own rooms, I thought it was time for Jessi to get a 'big girl bed'. She's been in a crib the longest out of all 3 of my kids, but, because of the room sharing issue we've had it was best for Jessi to be in a crib to keep her out of Tabytha's stuff during nap/bedtime.

The very weekend the wall went up my friend posted on facebook that she was selling both of her kids toddler beds. What perfect timing!!! I emailed my friend and told her I wanted her daughters toddler bed for Jessi and she said it was all mine. We made arrangements for me to come pick it up the following Saturday.

I was so excited! I got the bed from my friend, who threw in some fitted sheets and blankets. I couldn't wait to get it home and set it up for Jessi. When we got home I left it in the bed of the truck while I disassembled the crib and brought the pieces outside. The toddler bed was still completely assembled from my friend. Tabytha helped me carry it back to Jessi's room and I put it in the spot where her crib used to be.

Jessi was squealing with delight at her new bed and played in it for quite awhile after putting it in her room. I was a little worried about her not adjusting to it very well at first when it was time to actually sleep in it for naps and bedtime. That night I got her all tucked into her new bed and set up a baby gate in the hallway so she wouldn't come out every 5 seconds (because of her new found 'freedom'). She cried one time after I turned off the light and that was because she didn't have her 'snuggle blanket' in bed with her. After I got it for her, gave her another goodnight kiss and turned out the light, she didn't make another peep.

She did great her first night in her new bed. Nap time the next day was a little bit of a different story. She didn't stay in her bed, but, she didn't cry and fuss to come out, either. She just played in her room until she fell asleep in the middle of the floor. She'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Her Own Room

We have a 5 people living in a 3 bedroom house. When Charlie and I found out I was pregnant with our 3rd child we had to figure out where to put new baby when baby arrived. We decided that we'd find out baby's gender and move the same gender sibling and new baby into the biggest room in the house to share. Baby #3 turned out to be a girl. That meant Tabytha would be sharing a room with new baby.

It was great for awhile while Jessi was a baby because she didn't get into much and slept in a crib. Tabytha's stuff in the girls room was safe from little ones getting into it. But, as Jessi has grown so has her curiosity about all the cool things big sister has on her side of the room. Poor Tabytha had to keep all of her things hidden around her room so John and Jessi wouldn't go in and tear it all apart. Puzzles were missing pieces, crayons and colored pencils were all over the room, books were scattered all over the floor and so on.

Over this past Christmas Charlie and I decided that we'd separate the girls room with a wall with some of the tax money we'd be getting in just a few short months. The girls room was 14'x24'. Big enough to divide and still give each girl a good size room for themselves.

This weekend was the weekend it was going to happen. My brother-in-law (Charlie's sister's husband) Keith came over bright and early Saturday morning (while Tabytha was away for the weekend with her grandmother), and built a wall. He's a carpenter and knows what he's doing so it didn't take long at all. The wall was framed in and dry wall was starting to be put up in a mere 2 hours! In the course of the rest of the day the dry wall was hung, mud applied and a door put in.

I couldn't wait for Tabytha to come home to see her 'new' room! Keith did an amazing (and quick) job of getting the wall up. Finally, Sunday was here and Tabytha was coming home. After her grandmother left from dropping her off I went back into the room with camera in hand to get her reaction when Charlie brought her back to see. Well, her eyes were closed when I took the picture of her initial reaction, but, she was super excited.

She's LOVING her new room and being able to have a door to close to keep John and Jessi out of her things. All that's left to do is have her find a paint color she likes and paint her room.

A Sick Day For Mommy And Daddy

Thursday morning started with a school day cancellation due to snow and hubby calling out sick. That meant all 3 kids AND a sick hubby were going to be home with me all day. My mind raced with all the things that could go wrong throughout the day. I was worried the kids would be fighting all day, keeping hubby from getting the rest he needed to feel better. I was worried hubby was going to be getting on my nerves asking for this and that all day long and complaining about not feeling well. I was worried that with the combination of those things I wasn't going to be able to get much house work done because I'd be too busy catering to sick hubby and plucking squabbling children off each other all day.

I prayed for the Lord to give me strength to deal with any situation that would arise that day and also for an abundance of patience to be able to handle anything that came my way. The Lord heard me and answered me in the most amazing way. Hubby stayed in bed all day watching TV and napping. Hardly even knew he was home. The kids spent the day playing together and watching cartoons back in the girls room. I barely knew they were home. My whole morning was going beautifully. I was able to get the kitchen cleaned up and wash dishes (hand wash people, we don't have a fancy dish washing machine to do it for us). I got 4 loads of laundry washed, dried, folded AND put away and managed to get the living room straightened up and vacuumed all by mid afternoon!!!

I was on a roll!!! Then it happened. I felt like I got hit by a bus. I sat down to take a break from the housework and whatever hubby was sick with had worked it's way in me and I started feeling terrible. I could barely keep my eyes open, I felt flushed and light headed. My body started to ache and it hurt to move. I laid down on the couch to keep the room from spinning to much and w/o realizing it had dozed off for about an hour.

Fortunately the day had faded into evening and the kids would be going to bed soon. Tabytha really stepped up and helped out tremendously with John and Jessi and keeping them busy with playing and letting them watch movies on her TV. I still changed diapers and got the little ones in the jammies for the night, but Tabytha is the one who kept them entertained all day.

Finally all the kids were in bed and I was feeling even worse. I fell asleep on the couch for the night and Friday morning didn't feel any better. I haven't been this incapacitated by a sick bug since I was a teenager. I mean, I've been sick before, but never so bad that I couldn't still take care of the kids, get something done around the house and still be able to make dinner, this was awful. Friday was a half day but I decided to keep Tabytha home from school and asked her if she wouldn't mind watching after John and Jessi for me while I was sick on the couch. She said sure and she told me she wanted me to feel better soon. I felt terrible asking so much of her, but, I physically couldn't do it. Whatever this bug was it had knocked me on my butt and I literally spent Friday on the couch sleeping. I mustered up enough strength to get up to change John and Jessi throughout the day, but aside from that, they were all on their own.

They even managed to keep themselves fed all day Friday. Thankfully I have a lot of apples and cheese slices and bread and a couple lunchables on their level in the fridge and they dug into those when they felt hungry. Tabytha did such an amazing job keeping after John and Jessi Thursday evening and all day Friday, and John and Jessi were also really well behaved and I didn't have any problems out of them. All weekend as a matter of fact the Lord looked down over me and blessed me with good behavior and even tempers from the kids. It's as if they knew mommy didn't feel good and they just got along and played together and let me rest.

Charlie and I are feeling so much better now. Saturday afternoon our fevers finally broke and we started feeling human again. (Tabytha was picked up Friday night to go to her mommom's for the weekend, as is the custom the last weekend of every month). So, to thank Tabytha for being such an amazing helper while hubby and I were sick we're going to take her out and treat her to something she would like to do that's just for her. We'll get someone to watch John and Jessi for us. I can't thank the Lord enough for the blessing he's given me in my daughter, Tabytha. She's the most caring compassionate person I know, and I'm so proud to call her my daughter.

Date Night

Since Charlie's and my anniversary fell on a weekday this year, we waited until the weekend to go out and celebrate. Alone. Without the kids.

Our buddy Harold came over to watch the kids for us and off we went. Our very first date was at TGIFriday's in Annapolis. So, in honor of that we went to dinner at the Friday's in Dover. We sat at a table for two and enjoyed a delicious meal. After dinner we stopped at the Verizon store to inquire about wireless high speed Internet (details to come in my next blog) and then made our way to the Dover Mall to see a movie. There weren't many movies playing that interested us, but we found one that looked like it would be funny. The only problem with it was the only time left for the evening was 9:40pm and when we decided on a movie it was only 7:30pm.

We killed time walking around the mall and browsing around in various stores. Finally the time came to go into the movie. We got a popcorn and each got a drink and Charlie got his favorite candy (Reese's peanut butter cups). We found a good seat and the movie began. Overall, the movie was decent, what made it better was just being there together w/o the kids climbing all over the place and getting antsy. We were able to see a whole movie without distraction and even held hands and relaxed.

It was a wonderful evening just the two of us and I look forward to the opportunity to do this again next year.

A Marriage Milestone

Today marks Charlie's and my 5th wedding anniversary.

The day we were legally married was a rainy dreary day. Our only witnesses to this new union were my parents, Charlie's parents, my dear friend Drea and my parents dog, Max. There were circumstances surrounding getting married before our formally announced wedding date (March 11, 2006) and no, I wasn't pregnant, but the reasons are not something I'd like to blog about.

So, around 6:30 that rainy Wednesday evening we all gathered in my parents living room and Pastor Tom began. We said our vows, exchanged rings and sealed it all with a kiss.My mom made a huge dinner of spaghetti, homemade sauce, biscuits and even got a small cake for Charlie and I to cut and feed each other. My parents also said that they would keep Tabytha for the night so Charlie and I could go to a hotel for the rest of the night and have some time alone. We said our goodbyes after dinner and went to Annapolis and checked into a hotel. The next morning we made our rounds to the MVA, Social Security Administration and bank to notify them of my new last name.

Since I already purchased my wedding dress we kept our original wedding date for the rest of our friends and family to be a part of and get professional pictures taken. Both days were wonderful. Charlie and I celebrate our 'legal' wedding date each year on January 11th and this year marked 5 years married. We'll go out this weekend to celebrate with dinner and movie w/o the kids with us. Looking forward to that and what the years to come with bring for us.

Getting Fit

I recently learned that a YMCA has opened up a couple towns away. To lure locals to join they've waived the joining fee for the month of January. When Tabytha and John got home from school I packed everyone up and we went to join.

They offer a child care during certain hours of the day. Several hours during the morning a several hours in the evening. It's been wonderful. I'm severely out of shape (well, round is a shape technically) so I've been spending my hour on the treadmill until I have the chance to have a consultation with one of the employees about the kind of workout that would work best for me.

The treadmills, ellipticals and stair steppers all have TV's equipped on them and you can plug in your own earphones and watch tv while you're using the equipment which has been a fantastic distraction to watching the clock wondering how much longer I have to go on the machine.

John and Jessi had a bit of a rough start in the child care area getting along with the other children, but, they have adjusted quickly and really enjoy being there. All I have to do is say "We're going to the Y" today and they run for their shoes and coats. There's another section designated for older kids not yet old enough to be on the floor with the exercise equipment and they can play Wii games, there's a ping-pong table and computers set up for kids to play computer games. Tabytha's used the computers to do some research for a school project and watched some tv shows she likes on YouTube.

The Y offers a couple classes kids can take part in, like a kid friendly "Zumba" class they call 'Zumbatomic' and a "family cycling" class.

I'm so glad we've been able to be a part of the YMCA and look forward to continuing our membership in the years to come and taking part in all the wonderful programs they offer for families and individuals.