Organizing Phenomena and Other Household Facts

Once again, hubby did it. Yes. We had an organization issue that was baffling me and he fixed it. He is a better organizer than I am. I know, the common joke about couples is that he is the man is the slob and the woman is constantly trying to keep things picked up but he makes it so impossible. Now don't get me wrong, he does leave his share of things lying about, but no more than I do. And I really do love organizing and having things organized. I could be one of those people who has all of her spices labeled nicely and her canned goods cupboard the picture of perfection, but I am not. My spices get used far too often to stay lined up neatly, and I don't see the point in taking the time to have them all poured neatly into matching containers. Not that I wouldn't love to do that, but at the end of the day I still haven't gotten many other important things done, like those pants of hubby's. In all seriousness though, I don't have a place to put one of those cute little spice organizers with all the matching bottles; but as soon as I do, it will probably jump to the top of my priority list to go get one and institute it's immediate use in an nice little corner on my kitchen counter. And as for my can cupboard, I have given up--I have a 2-year-old who loves to "reorganize" it, and allowing that reorganization is how I get work done in the kitchen with him underfoot.

The dishes got washed in sections today, but they are finally done. Now if only I can keep them that way.  One of my breaks was spent making a peanut butter cookie in a mug, the other break was eating it. The only reason it was a peanut butter one is that I am out of chocolate chips :( .  I did enjoy trying the peanut butter one tonight, but the chocolate chip one is way better!I ate it standing up in the kitchen watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" on my Kindle Fire (Netflix <3) because I didn't want to sit in the living room and tempt my poor hubby with it. He has been sooo good on his diet and trying so hard to get in shape that the least I can do as a supportive wife is to eat my desert standing up.
The pain my back is in after a catch-up session of dishes ought to be better incentive to not get behind... I was thinking as I was washing dishes tonight, that my biggest area of discontent in my life is my lack of a dishwasher. Then I was contemplating that my mother grew up without a dishwasher because her mother felt it was an absurd waste of money when washing dishes by hand worked just fine. I should add that my Grandmother had 5 children for a total of 7 people's dirty dishes per meal, so I guess that means I really have no room to complain or get behind on the dishes when I only have a total of 3 people. So to all of you who have big families and no dishwasher, my hat is doffed to you!

How to Put on Makeup with a 2-Year-Old

4:45 pm and my third cup of coffee. Actually, that's not so bad considering that our new coffee maker is a single-serve style, which makes smaller cups (well, normal size) than I used to drink. So now instead of two huge cups of decent coffee, I drink two or three smaller cups of very good coffee, and I enjoy it much more.
Small Boy is watching Paddington Bear and I have about 15 minutes till he will want dinner so I thought this the perfect time to sit and relax.

I think I should also add that "Small Boy" is not so much a descriptor as a name; I called him "Tiny Baby" till he was 6 months old and anything but tiny. The name obviously needed an update as he was wearing 9 mo size clothes at that point and has never been a petite child. So he became Small Boy and that name stuck; I suppose when he is 8 or 10 years old he may no longer approve of it but I think he will always be my "Small Boy". Anyway, this child just turned 2 and is wearing 3T so he is anything but small!

He has also (Yayyyyyy!) gone back to napping for me! Apparently two days was his limit for holding out on naps. He is back to being asleep by about noon and then ready for bed by 7pm, so predictability has once again been restored to our little home. And as always, there is a pile of dishes calling me. We went to the park on Saturday afternoon, after which I didn't want to finish the dishes; and Sunday was church then I decided that being as it is a day of rest, I would only do the necessary dishes.

Now to the topic at hand: Makeup! Have you ever tried to put on makeup with a two-year old present? No? Yes? Well either way, you may need a little help getting a system down. Here is my system, and I do hope it helps you.
1. Enjoy the 3.5 seconds of quiet while you are applying foundation before kiddo realizes you have gone into the bathroom by yourself.
2. Tell kiddo very firmly to take his chair back out of the bathroom, that he is not supposed to stand in it to reach items on the counter. Finish applying foundation. Remove foundation lid from kiddo's mitts and make mental note to clean foundation off his cheek in a few minutes.
3. Apply powder over foundation quickly. Be prepared as you set the powder brush down to immediately rescue it from small mitts who find it fun to powder the floor. Yuck! Make a mental note to wash it when he takes his nap, and carry on. (Of course you will not actually remember to wash it at nap time.)
4. Apply blush. You may or may not want to apply eyeliner at this point, depending on how many of your makeup items you have had to remove from kiddo's mitts while applying blush.  I usually just go for it; after all, by the end of the day a little eyeliner helps you look much more alert. (And I can always use help with that.)
5. Remove powder and blush brushes from small hands, begin applying eye shadow. Remove lip gloss brush from small hands, tell kiddo to take his chair back out of the bathroom. Quickly blend eyeshadow while he is obeying.
6. Begin with mascara. Stand in front of your makeup box to guard it and use your magnifying mirror to see your eyelashes. At this point you notice kiddo is now in the bathtub, and being as he hasn't got the water on yet, you leave him be.
7. Now for your lip liner. Or not. Kiddo got the water on in the bathtub even though you turned it very tightly off. Remove kiddo from bathtub and remember to close the door as you exit the bathroom.
8. Clean foundation off his cheek, steer him toward the puzzles in the living room, and then apply your lip gloss that is in your purse in the kitchen; you can use the microwave as your mirror.
9. You look beautiful, Mama, now go have an awesome day!

How To Clean a Bathroom with a 2-Year-Old

Today was a busy day and I got a decent amount accomplished, but I am still feeling terribly behind. Maybe it's because there are some sewing projects that have been on my to-do list for a looong time, and that list has only gotten longer and more pertinent this week. They are actually tailoring projects--quite a few waistlines to take in and pants to cuff/shorten. Of course there are some fun projects too, like finish those two denim aprons I started a month ago and make a new decorative cover for our sofa pillow (yes I only have one decorator pillow, too many just get in the way and end up on the floor; although sometimes I think two would be nice...). Anyway, I have also made a discovery; it seems Small Boy will not take naps for Mommy anymore. He goes to bed like an angel for Daddy when I'm not home, of course! The last two days have been napless, and yes I know that doesn't mean anything, and that I need to wait a week or so before I see if this is his new pattern. But sometimes two days can feel like a week. He has been super sweet though, and we have not had the usual meltdowns that we have always gotten in the past when naps are missed. Yesterday and tonight he has gone happily to bed at 6pm, woke up very upset after about an hour, and then I managed to soothe him back to sleep and don't hear from him again till morning. I also have to say that those "wake up and soothe back to sleep" sessions have been much shorter than they used to be, only 5 or 10 minutes as opposed to over an hour...So this boy is definitely going through some changes! He is talking so much more this last week or two and is cutting a new molar (maybe more, I haven't gotten a satisfactory look on the left side yet...); and I know all these things are messing with his sleep patterns.
However I can't complain too much, during his nap attempt today I did get the bathroom, tub and all, thoroughly scoured! I am not sure how I'm going to get that sort of cleaning done when he quits naps altogether since I (so far) refuse to do that sort of work in the evenings; that time goes to dishes/reading/Netflix/whatever I feel like :) I guess I'm just going to have to schedule cartoon time in when I want to get housework done---have you ever tried to clean a bathroom with a 2 year old? I mean really tried?
 It goes like this:
1. Get out rag/sponge/whatever and the Lysol. Decide you don't want to spray Lysol with him in the room so swap it for Windex--after all it does have ammonia in it to disinfect with, right?
2. Pull kiddo out of the cupboard and remove your nail polish out of his mitts. Close cupboard.
3. Wipe mirror while holding closed the cupboard that has the Lysol in it with your foot, then remove kiddo from bathtub behind you since he got in there and is using your shaver on the tub walls.
4. Attempt to wipe the sink faucet and around it; remove child from the cupboard and take your toiletries bag away from him again.
5. Again attempt to finish the sink area; simultaneously using your free hand to keep kiddo out of the makeup supplies you have stashed on the counter. Also remove husband's shaver from his mitts and take away hubby's Axe hair gel before boy gets that open too. Then reach over and catch your jewelry box before it all lands upside down on the floor. (All this time you are cleaning the sink area with your left hand and using your right hand to keep boy out of things.)
6. Remove kiddo from toilet area and give him his toothbrush to play with in the sink. But as you lift the lid on the toilet so you can clean it, kiddo dashes over with his toothbrush cause that big bowl of water looks much more fun than the sink.
7. Abandon bathroom cleaning because it's just easier to do it after he goes to bed at night, even though you will be drop-dead exhausted by then and probably won't attempt to finish bathroom cleaning for several more days.
8. Then get out those new crayons you bought a few days ago and spend the rest of the day coloring with kiddo, because all he wanted in the first place was to do something fun with Mommy! He wants to watch you and then do exactly what you are doing; and isn't that what being a Mommy is all about, after all?

People are crazy

Yes, if you are wondering, that is a line from the song by Billy Currington. I worked the last two days, and I was so glad yesterday was my "Friday"; my afternoon was mostly a reminder that people are crazy. Some days, you know, it seems like you just run into person after person who's lives are so messed up in one way or another that it leaves you feeling entirely drained and depressed. It just really made me think of how grateful I am for my and my husband's salvation; for God having been gracious to us and rescuing us from the holds of Satan, who so successfully destroys so many people's lives. It made me so grateful, that while we cannot protect all the helpless children out there in bad situations, that we do have our own small boy who we can protect, and raise in a happy home free from fear, knowing only love. It also made me realize how much more faith I need, how much more I need to lean on God. I mean, we all need to lean on God more; but some times things can upset a person so badly that it's easy just to focus on those things and forget to bring that focus back to God. He is the creator and ruler of the world; and while He does not approve of many many human behaviors, He allows them because in the end they bring glory to Him. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever; and that is what we must focus on during those days when it seems the world is falling apart around us. We, in our everyday lives, in all our interactions with others, are to glorify God! So that is my especial focus this week--glorifying God; and now you also  know why I don't read the news much and why I usually only like to watch comedy or happy drama shows/movies...too much wrong in this world for this Mama to handle!

And now for the happy note: yesterday was my and husby's 9th wedding anniversary! Yes! 9 wonderful years together; I can hardly believe it's already been this long. Of course there have been up days and down days, but the wonderful thing is that through every day we have become closer to each other and to God. That is what makes it wonderful (other than the fact that my hubby is the sweetest most loving guy ever!) and that is why I would do it all over again, and why I am so excited to see what the next 9 years will bring! Maybe 9 more kids? :) 
Also our new coffee maker arrived yesterday; what perfect timing! So one thing is for sure, this married couple is not only happily married, but also happily caffeinated!

Marriage and Coffee

Our 9th wedding anniversary is next week, so I've been thinking a lot about marriage lately. You know, I was reading an article recently about some famous person who had been married so long (seven years!) and it dawned on me, our marriage has outlasted most Hollywood marriages! (Not that that was our goal :) ) But along with that I have been thinking of how lightly people seem to take marriage today, even some Christians! So many people these days seem to take an attitude of "Oh well, we just aren't compatible" instead of really trying. I heard someone just the other day (who professes to be a Christian) say he was so glad his divorce was finalized, he and his ex are much better friends now! People, what ever happened to "For better or for worse"??? Isn't that the catch-all phrase that takes care of anything that isn't money or health related? Sadly, our society is very much focused on immediate gratification, i.e., if it doesn't please me now, or if it doesn't work out now, then just get rid of it and get something different. That applies for coffee makers, but not marriage! We bought a new coffee maker this week as an anniversary present to each other; it was a nice single serve one, similar to something we had and liked a few years ago. But it brewed the coffee with a very strange flavor, and after doing a bit of research, we found that this is common with this particular coffee maker. Yesterday, hubby returned it and ordered a different brand; hopefully it will work out better! People, that is what you do with coffee makers, not marriages!!! If we can't stick through troubles and work out issues together, then what are we saying to God? Are we saying that the vow we took to each other before Him is just disposable? Do Christians have so little respect for such a solemn thing as a vow taken before God that they would find excuses and twist the scriptures to excuse their bad relationship as something that "was never going to work out so it's just best to end it"?! Okay, I'm off my soapbox for now; just wanted to give you all something to think about.

Now I'm going to finish eating my Cheerios, make hubby's dinner, and then when Small Boy wakes up we are going to go to the mall and work off some of his energy at the playground there until Daddy gets off work. Hopefully Small Boy will fall asleep sooner than 10pm tonight...Oh the things I never pictured as being part of becoming a Mommy! xoxo Baby!




Edit: I linked up to WLW last week but didn't figure out until just now how to add Courtney's linky button to my post; so here it is! :) My apologies for not having figured it out sooner...

Aging... :)

Okay, I took an unintentional break from blogging. Things have been so busy, although not particularly eventful. If my "mommy-brain" weren't working sooo well, I would give you a detailed report on Friday; it would have been amusing! But by evening I was too tired to write it all down and my exhaustion erased my memory, for the most part. I do remember parts though, like when I was trying to put on my makeup, I had to wash out small boy's toothbrush several times because he kept rubbing it in the lip gloss sections of my makeup tray! I also had to keep retrieving my powder brush from him; I think I know why he paints his cheeks with his watercolor paints now! :)  He also has spent a lot of time sprinkling water out of an empty spice bottle and kept trying to get me to open the other spice bottles he was playing with; no thank you, I don't want lemon pepper in my cold cereal! It is so fun watching him change, he is lately really starting to talk more and imitate us. The only difficulty is that he likes to put things on the stove; yesterday he set his sippy cup on a burner he had just turned on! EEeeeeekkkkk! Ya that kinda freaked me out!
Sunday afternoon, we went to visit Grandma, actually she is hubby's Grandma so she is Small Boy's Great-Grandma, but we just all call her Grandma. She had a big galvanized tub in her back yard that we filled with water in a shady area and Small Boy had so much fun playing with cups and buckets and rocks in it. The plus was that it was 95 degrees out, so it kept Boy cool, and in one spot, so Grandma and I got to just sit in the shade and relax instead of our usual activity of chasing him around to get him out of things like the fertilizer or slug bait! :)  Also while at Grandma's, I got to go "shopping" in her fabric stash and came out with some nice fabric to finish off my denim aprons, as well as a piece that will make a nice pillow cover for my sofa pillow. So some time this week I will attempt sewing, while Small Boy gets into mischief behind me. Because that is how it will work.

And I discovered something about myself over the last several days; I am getting older. You see, I have been making more of an effort to make myself look nice lately, i.e. putting on makeup, and I have discovered, much to my chagrin, that I need to start actually taking care of my skin. (Insert very sad face here) When I put on that foundation (the same one I've always used) my skin just looks dry and flakey. Ugh. Yes, I know I've made a good run at my little-to-no skin care regime, but considering my mother and her mom, and I do resemble both of them, I had better get on top of things or I will be looking 50 at 40! Now don't get me wrong, my Mom looks great; and she has been faithfully taking care of her skin since she was like 20. Just the ladies in my family do wrinkle, and although I know I can't prevent it, it is time to at least start slowing it down...  So, having tried several different cream samples, I think I have made my decision. Now to find good coupons/sales for said items, because I just can't bring myself to pay full price for anything if I don't have to. However, in this whole discovery process, I have also found about 5 other items I need to add to my makeup arsenal, so yep, definitely on the coupon hunt! Or maybe I will just go to Sephora, where I get a nice discount anyway. Hmmm ya, that is a really good idea!

And now I am really hungry, so I guess I better figure out something to eat for lunch.

Food for Thought

So I ended up filling in at an office out of town today (yes the same one that ordered me on the wrong day 2 weeks ago)! The funny part was, I don't think any of them even realized who I was! :D  As I was driving I was listening to the Bible on tape where hubby left off and it was in Exodus, where it described how the Israelites made the tabernacle and the priests' garments. The detail was absolutely amazing; I started listening in the middle and it still lasted 20 minutes! Now, I know that kind of beauty in detail is not required by God in our churches today, but I also think many times a little more respect could be shown in how we present ourselves at church. I am not suggesting formal wear at the mid-week prayer meeting (or at any other time, for that matter), but I find it disturbing the number of people who show up in many churches on Sunday morning in their old jeans and comfiest t-shirt. When we show up on Sunday morning to offer worship and praise to the Almighty God I think that we should show our respect not only in what we sing and read and the sermons we listen to, but also in how we present ourselves. The New Testament church is built on the inner man, on our inner hearts, not on outward appearances. However, the posture of our appearances does somewhat show what is the posture of our hearts, does it not? If you are excited to see someone, maybe excited for a date night with your hubby, do you dress in your old tennies and big comfy sweatshirt? I think not! Should we not show at least that same honor to the God who loves us, provides for us, and holds our whole lives in His hands? What do you think?

I did not end up creating any new food ideas for kiddo yesterday -- I was sick; I woke up very early in the morning with stomach cramps and was miserable pretty much the rest of the day. I did have to run some errands, though, and there was the issue of the management of our apartment doing inspections today without having given anyone the required 24 hour notice because their maintenance guy was sick. So in the middle of that kaffaful, we got locked out of our apartment. On a hot day. At nap time. I was able to sit in the car and let the air conditioner keep kiddo cool till someone arrived with a key to let us back in, but still... Long story short, I sat trying to compose a post last night and was having a hard time keeping my eyes open, much less come up with anything meaningful to say, probably because I hadn't spent any time at the kitchen sink.

So now I am sitting here on the couch, kiddo is in bed, I am watching Everybody Loves Raymond on Netflix, and trying to ignore the looming pile of dishes in the sink. I love that show; it is what I watch when I am depressed, happy, relaxed, stressed, or tired. It pretty much fits my every mood. Maybe you think that's a little strange, and that's okay---just keep that opinion to yourself. I am currently on Season 2, Episode 23; if you want a good several smiles and maybe a laugh, watch it! "We're not getting any younger, dear. You want to plant your seedlings before winter comes and everything freezes over."  Episode 22 was pretty good too :)

So I'll mull it all over and let you know tomorrow what insights I come up with!

Monday Mommy Notes

Well yesterday during naptime, it being Sunday, I took a nap too. As I also did today, for no good reason other than that I was tired and hubby encouraged me to take a nap. So I am late on posting, and the dishes still aren't done. Small Boy is playing with our cordless phone. I bought this phone at Target for $12 about 6 or 7 years ago. We rarely use a home phone and most of the time I leave it unplugged because it has an obnoxious ringer. I plug it in when I want to make a call, and anyone who wants to call me does so on my cell phone. So the other day I was gone and the phone was dunked in my husband's coffee. You see, Small Boy has a compulsion to put into our coffee cups anything within a decent distance of them that he can fit in before we can stop him. Something catches his eye and you'd think the house was on fire the way he hurries to throw in the napkin or pen or crayon. Anyway, the phone  appears to no longer work. I had it plugged in charging for the last 4 hours and it still seems entirely dead; so now small boy is pounding on the charger base with his plastic hammer. I'll plug it in overnight tonight but I think it is officially a toy.

He has also started the cutest thing; every time he does something, like step over his Big Wheel, (or at this current moment, take the lid off my tea kettle), he holds his arms out and says "Taaaa!" and we have to do it too, or at least acknowledge his accomplishment. I'm sure we will be tired of it after the 500th time in three days but it is cute right now. I'm also thinking I should take away the tea kettle next time he isn't looking; after all he broke the phone and being as he is a very busy two-year-old, I'm pretty sure he will figure out a way to accidentally ruin the enamel on my tea kettle. Which would surely make me cry, I really like that tea kettle because it matches my china. Right now it is being stuffed with little cars. :) 

I made chicken noodle soup for dinner with peas in it. I made a great show of putting some in a bowl for Boy and setting my bowl on his highchair tray and eating it with him, to try to get him to try it. But nope, no way was he going to try any; of course he did squish the peas and spread them on his tray, and he did spoon it from my bowl to his and back again. So he had a hot dog again for dinner, along with quite a few Wheat Thins and some yogurt. The whole theory of "your kids will want to eat what they see you eating" failed yet again... I really should know by now that it doesn't work with this one; I will try something different tomorrow!

Camouflage, observation, and other facts of Motherhood

So after a frantic search for a missing alphabet puzzle piece last night, I was reminded of two things---never leave an open bag out that is intended for the trashcan, and the most obvious things are the most obscure. Yes, I made the mistake of setting out the trash before it was to be taken out (before Small Boy went to bed), and I did end up searching through it for the puzzle piece, to no avail. Then I thought, "Well at least I can let hubby take out the trash and not lose sleep over whether I just threw away a piece of Boy's new puzzle." So I finished picking up the toys, combing through all the blocks and Megabloks, and rearranged some of his new toys in an attractive manor for him to wake up to tomorrow (am I the only OCD Mom who thinks the toys need to look "fun" in the morning?). Then I went to pick up my computer and there it was, the letter "L", on top of his alphabet board book! Camouflage! Yep in plain sight all along, right next to where all the rest of the letters had been before I picked them up 15 minutes earlier! Apparently Small Boy is on to something when he plays "hide & seek" with us and "hides" in the middle of the living room! Lesson: being a mother requires constant observation. (I know, duh!) And not just in the area of missing puzzle pieces, but in all of it. It requires stepping back and looking at things as an outsider sometimes. For example, when I'm home with kiddo all day, I don't notice so much that he won't hold my hand and follow my lead to do something. He does the hand-holding/leading. Eeek! That is cute at home, but when we are out and about, it is a major problem! I have to remind myself daily to observe and critique my child-raising practices, or next thing I know, the child will be raising me :)  Observation. 

And the final fact of motherhood I have for you this evening is that you will spend a lot of time in your pj's. WAY more time than you ever imagined! You see, it is only 7:30 pm and I am already in my pj's; and let me tell you, pre-kiddo I was NOT a pj's-all-weekend person. Nope, and I could never imagine how people could go the store in their pj's. :)  Now back to what I was saying--I am in my pj's, not because I have already had my shower for the evening, no! I had a plastic shoe-box sized bucket of water dumped on me while bathing Small Boy; and my pj's were the only thing in the bathroom to put on. Otherwise it would have been a scenario of very wet Mom trying to dry off Boy and get him in his pj's; and that would have been counter-productive, to say the least!
SO---get yourself some nice pj's---plenty of them---cute ones, comfy ones, whatever ones you love.  Because since you will spend so much time in them, you may as well have ones feel awesome in. Goodness knows, some days (especially the pj days) we need all the help we can get in that area! :)  So to all you awesome pj-rockin' moms out there, nitey-nite and God bless you!

The day after...

Yesterday was a great day. I woke up so exhausted that I wanted to cancel the family day and stay in bed. I only got out of bed by sheer willpower, and let me tell you, I have amazing willpower! However, by the time I was finishing my LARGE cup of coffee and bustling about in the kitchen, I was awake enough to carry on. It ended up being a fun day; met some new people, saw old friends, and got a sunburn while Mom and I watched Small Boy throw rocks in the water. BIG rocks--that boy is strong! I also attempted to throw my "little" brother off the jet-ski; ya, since I didn't want to make him hit the water at 50mph, I was unsuccessful. Which is fine, I had fun anyway! So Small Boy had two play sessions in the water, each time playing until he was so cold he started shivering and wanting Mommy to take him to get dry. And then of course he headed straight back to the water, not understanding why Mommy didn't want his dry shoes and clothes back in the water! :)  Anyway, that Boy spent about 6 hours moving non-stop. Yes, that means I did too, although Mom helped me keep track of him also! Which also means that he fell asleep on the way home within 2 minutes, and then when we got home and walked in the front door, it was meltdown time. Poor boy was sooo exhausted he just didn't know what he wanted; so hubby and I gave him a quick bath, then we spent a while soothing and singing to him, then I spent and hour and a half rocking him to sleep. After which I put him in bed slightly awake; I think he finally fell asleep by 10pm.  Then this morning, the phone rang at 6:11. Yep it was some random wrong # call, but it woke Boy and Us up, and I have had a headache ever since.

So now Small Boy is in bed for his nap and I am having the age-old "Mommy debate" with myself--To Nap or Not To Nap? I have a PILE of dishes in the sink to handwash, and I have to go run errands after hubby gets home from work. Right now would be my only chance to nap, but is also an optimal time to do dishes, as Small Boy is napping. What?  What's that you said??? Yes, I agree! I will pick up my newest issue of Martha Stewart Living that I have not finished reading, turn on the TV, and see where this afternoon takes me :)  This is a holiday weekend, after all!

Have a great Independence Day weekend, everyone!!!

Holiday week (not really)!

Ohhhhhhh. It's been a packed week so far, and not slowing down...Tomorrow hubby works and Small Boy and I go to the lake with my parents and some of their friends while hubby is at work; then maybe we will go watch fireworks together after that, depending on how Boy is doing. This week so far I have worked two long days and spent the other one grocery shopping and general housekeeping. So right now I am thinking that the nicest thing will be to put him in bed and go to bed early myself! You know, everyone says "Things change when you have kids."! Well that is the understatement of the year! Anyhoo, I'm feeling entirely uninspired and braindead. So I think the best thing is for me to say goodbye for tonight and just watch Duck Dynasty. First though, I'm gonna go check and see if the loud sound I heard over the baby monitor was Small Boy climbing out of his crib--a highly likely scenario. Here's to a wonderful Independence Day to all; let's thank God and our troops for the freedom we still have.