Catching Up

The last several days have been a whirlwind of fun and excitement! On Friday, Jeff took Ruth to Tyler to attend the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) college fair and horse show. They were able to visit with several college recruiters and learn a little more about riding options post high school. On Saturday, Ruth rode in the show and won first place in both of her classes, high point for her division, and high point for the entire show. In addition to two blue ribbons to add to her collection, she also received a gift card to her favorite riding gear store, a beautiful bridle, and a $500 college scholarship. We are so proud of her! On Sunday, Jeff dropped her off with her veterinarian aunt in Houston, so she can spend the week working in the clinic and getting some hands-on experience.

High Point Rider, 1st Place Winner, and all-around amazing young lady

Meanwhile, I stayed behind with the boys so they could attend their weekend practices. I got a wild hair on Friday afternoon and ripped out our grape arbor, took down all the window screens, and pulled up all the dead shrubs around the house, all of which made me happy in so many ways. But it wasn't a weekend of all work. We also managed to squeeze in quite a lot of fun, with pizza and a viewing of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure on Friday evening, a trip to our favorite movie theater on Saturday to see The Batman Lego Movie, and a full day of fun on Sunday, which started with brunch at The Snooty Pig, followed by some quality time at Barnes and Noble, and ended with the library's monthly game day.  

No more arbor means more light inside my house!
(It also means I don't constantly have to worry about that rickety thing falling down on my kiddos!)

Movie date with my boys

Brunch at The Snooty Pig

A variety of reading positions at Barnes and Noble

Game Day at the library

On Monday, Clay realized how close he was to finishing the first book (of two) for first grade math, and he started working math problems like a crazy man. He ended up doing 14 lessons in that one day, knowing there would be a celebration held in his honor when he finished. He worked so hard, and we are so proud of him! He chose the revolving sushi restaurant for his reward, and we had a blast selecting items off the conveyor belt and trying them out. 

So proud of this hard worker for accomplishing his goal and finishing the first half of his first grade math curriculum!
(I don't know many 5-year-olds who would chose sushi for a celebration, but this kid loves it!)

As you math nerds were no doubt aware, yesterday was Pi Day, which happens to be one of our family's favorite "holidays." On the recommendation of several people, we decided to try out Mama's Daughters' Diner in Lewisville. The pies were not in the same league with my Granny's or Jeff's mom's, but the party was fun nonetheless!

Pi Day 

Finally, I'm having a big giveaway of all of my books this week, in an effort to beef up my reviews on Amazon. I still have some of the Geography books to give away, and I'd like to give them to you guys! All you have to do is leave a comment here or on Facebook stating the country--China, Hong Kong, Thailand, or Mongolia--you are interested in. Your comment is your promise to leave a review on Amazon. It's just that simple. Feel free to tell your geography loving friends. 

Favorites on the First

My nails (on both feet and hands) are a disaster.
This cuticle cream helps more than anything else. And, it smells like dessert!

I thought about featuring one oil or oil blend, but it was too hard to choose!
I love all my oils, but right now I'm especially loving Breathe oil and drops,
OnGuard oil, drops and toothpaste, Frankincense oil, Correct X ointment,
Lemon oil, and Serenity blend. Click the link to find out more about essential oils.

Most cleaners overwhelm me and some even give me a headache,
but this one smells heavenly and actually makes cleaning enjoyable. 

We absolutely love our 2016 Honda Pilot,
which is the first truly new car we've bought since we've had kids.! 

I thought it was a little ridiculous when we jumped on the Instant Pot
bandwagon on Black Friday, but I have to tell you, this little piece of
equipment is pretty awesome. In fact, it's kind of a game-changer. 

This is one of the things keeping my brain from turning to mush right now.
Es muy bueno.

At almost any time of the day, you can find myself or one of my family
members plopped down in the Seat of Happiness. 

These flip-flops are super comfortable, and the two-pack means instant variety.

Music: getting me through the endless meal prep that goes on around here.

Max and Clay are thoroughly enjoying the Around the World Stories.
They eagerly wait for new ones and sit entranced through each episode.
These stories are a good way to travel the world when you can't travel the world. 

I could get used to this

After our Trans-Mongolian train trip, I made a post in which I mentioned that our travel lifestyle is a far cry from being all glitz and glamor, and that is absolutely true. But here on Koh Samui, in our large beach house, I must admit, life feels pretty glamorous. The American dollar goes pretty far here, so we've been able to indulge in a bit more luxury than we are used to. First of all, we have been working our way through the beach restaurants, eating the most amazing Thai food, for almost nothing. Tonight, we decided mix things up a bit by having a Thai cook come to our home and prepare a fantastic meal for us here, for about $50 USD, which included the price of the groceries, the preparation of two appetizers and four main dishes (of which we had leftovers), and, most amazing of all, a thorough cleaning of the kitchen and washing of the dishes afterwards. Earlier in the day, a housekeeper came to the house, whose twice weekly services are included in the price of our house. And, we received our laundry back from the laundry facility down the road, all washed, dryed and folded for about $1/kg. All this in addition to living ten steps from a gorgeous, quiet beach in what can only be called "Paradise." It's definitely not my usual lifestyle, but I don't think it would take me long to get used to it! 

Many of the beach restaurants have bean bag chairs scattered around,
which the boys absolutely love hanging out in!

Pool Time
(Our house is in the background--20 steps to the pool and 10 steps to the beach,
according to Weston's undoubtedly accurate calculations.)

Sunset in Paradise

Chicken Satay and Tempura Vegetables, with dipping sauces

A fantastic meal, prepared in our home, and not by our hands
(From the back: Sweet and Sour pork, Massaman curry,
Shrimp Pad Thai, and Pineapple Fried Rice)

10 Things You May or May Not Be Interested In

1. Our internet has been very sketchy, which is why we've been keeping a low cyber profile. (Though, obviously, we are popping online from time to time.)
2. Our hot water in the shower has also been very sketchy. Fortunately, my brilliant husband figured out that if we run the cold water in the sink on full blast, we will create a fountain in the sink that splashes out on the floor, but we will also occasionally have hot water in the shower. Hot water is pretty much my only requirement in life, so I was overjoyed at this discovery and don't even mind mopping up the floor after each shower.
3. We throw a breaker in our apartment if we turn on any two kitchen appliances at the same time. This is just as convenient as it sounds.
4. We had several loads of ski laundry to do when we arrived, including all the coats proudly displaying our family “W” in duct tape, which was much stickier than we originally thought. After many attempts to get the sticky off, I came across a homemade version of Goo Gone, which, along with a good bit of elbow grease, helped more than anything. Here is the recipe, in case you ever find yourself in a similar sticky situation. (I used olive oil, because that's what I had and also added a couple of drops of lemon essential oil, for good measure.)
5. Speaking of recipes, I made these cookies (substituting almond butter for peanut butter), which my family went crazy for. They are a variation on the old stand-by, no-bake cookie I've loved since I was a kid. They are super easy to make, if you need to throw something together for an upcoming Christmas party.
6. It's been sunny and 65 here every day, which is a pretty good way to do December, if you ask me. We've spent time playing at the onsite playground and one of the beach playgrounds, sitting outside, going down to the beach, and barbecuing. 

   

   Playground Fun

   
   

   

   Caldes d'Estrac Beach

7. All of my children seem to be going through growth spurts at the moment, and they have insatiable appetites. Our main chef, Jeff, has spent hours in the kitchen and at the grill, preparing restaurant quantities of delicious food. I did mention to him if he would stop making the food taste so good, it might slow the ravenous crowd down a bit, but he continues to produce one mouth watering dish after another, which continue to be devoured in no time flat. 

   

   Trying to stay ahead of the demand

8. I have already sold 18 journals in the month of December. It's so exciting to think about all the kiddos who will soon be recording their travel memories in a book I put together!
9. We are having so much fun gathering supplies for our Christmas Saran Ball. It's going to be epic.
10. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mimi and Grandpa, who will be here within the week!

Rethinking some things

My kids used to think loading the dishwasher was a fate worse than death. They would argue and whine and conive to try to get out of it. But, after a month with no dishwasher and having to hand wash all of the dishes, they all practically jumped for joy when we arrived at our current apartment and found a dishwasher. Perspective is a good thing, and we're getting a lot of that.

Finding Nemo

A pooping incident occurred at my house today, which claimed as victims all the cushions of my patio furniture and every single stuffed animal in my youngest child's room. It was…epic. And somewhat confusing. I mean, how in the world…?! I don't even know. My nephew was the prolific poop producer, so I was probably infinitely more patient with the situation than I would have been if it had been one of my own. (Just being honest here.) But, it didn't fully strike me how funny my life is until I laid eyes on this scene:

If any of you are still working on finding Nemo, you can stop now. I found him. He will just keep swimming right on through the spin cycle. See, hilarious, right?! I'm telling you, you cannot make this stuff up.

Since Monday

We officially put our house on the market. Within 24 hours we had an offer.
It was a ridiculous offer, but getting the house ready to show and
thinking about the repercussions of a quick sale,
as we waited for it to come in, certainly got our blood pumping.
If you know anyone looking for a beautiful custom home in the Texas Hill Country
(or if you'd just like to see photographic evidence that this house has ever been clean),
please tell them to check out MLS #129052 in the Highland Lakes MLS . 

This stud had his first scrimmage on Monday

First Grade is exhausting

Dad made dessert

The boys and I have been reading the delightful Stories of Don Quixote for History,
to go along with our study of Spain. We have decided to add the region of La Mancha
to our list of places to visit in Europe, in hopes of putting ourselves in Don Quixote's very shoes.

Someone gave himself a haircut

 This child has become completely obsessed with using
his magnetic scoop to pick up any and all magnets.
It has given us many hours of unprecedented and much appreciated silence.

Our Aggie contingent, ready for the first game of the season

Max came in and reported that our trampoline was missing.
And, sure enough, it was certainly not where we had left it.
It had been mysteriously relocated at least 100 yards toward the back of our property--
from where it sits in the picture to the furtherest stand of trees.

House never cleaner, hubby never happier

Today, my daughter said to me, "I love when we are trying to sell a house, because it is always so clean!" And, my husband fairly squealed with delight when he saw that I had removed all the appliances from the counters in the kitchen and toiletries from the counters in the bathroom. (This reaction is, of course, an exaggeration, but not all of you know my husband personally, so I thought I should clarify. He does not, under any circumstances, "squeal with delight.")  Technically, we have not put our house up for sale yet. We are simply trying to get some pictures taken that look like we don't really live here. Which is super hard. Because, we do, in fact live, here. And, work here. And, school here. We are here all the time, except when we are running kids around to various activities. Southern Living, it's not, folks. I do truly wish I could produce this level of joy in my family members all the time. (The ones that care, I mean. Because there are those, it seems, that actually prefer the mess. Or, at least, they work extra hard to ensure that the messiness is a constant.) But, as there are still only 24 hours in a day, and as I can only do so much, I guess we can simply be thankful that we move as often as we do, so that there are a fair number of days that the house is truly clean and clutter-free.

Let it go

Two months away from most of our worldly possessions has taught us that we have entirely too many worldly possessions. We lived minimally while we were away, and even then, many of the things we had with us went unused. When we returned home, we found a house full of things that we not only don't really need, but many that we don't even really want and have just been too lazy to take the time to get rid of. The American culture is one of consumerism, which tells us we need more things to be happier. We've bought into it. Literally. And I just have to tell you, it is a complete lie. In fact, in our family, we are often finding the opposite to be true. There is an inherent burden to owning things. So, with a little time on our hands this weekend, we have taken a critical look at our possessions, and a great many of them are no longer with us or will soon be moving on to a better place. Every one of us, from oldest to youngest, has been in on the purge, and I can sense a lightening in the household. Just by removing some of the clutter, we have also located a few items that we actually do care about, like a misplaced passport, the title to our van and a long lost pair of favorite shorts. If you've been to our house and you've seen something you love, just ask. There is a good chance I will be willing to part with it. However, if you are deluded into thinking that adding another thing to your collection will bring you more happiness, I will caution you that it is not very likely.

First of many similar loads to make their departure

Going where no man(di) has gone before

I will admit that I do not regularly move my sofa to clean underneath it. (Go ahead and judge me, if you must.) In my book, that chore falls squarely into the categories of "out of sight, out of mind," and "ain't nobody got time for that!" Now, that's not to say that I never think of cleaning under there, especially when I'm sitting in the chair that faces the sofa and can see a bit of something poking out. But, it is ultra low on my priority list. I recently lost something, though, and so tonight, after the kids went to bed, I decided to scootch the large sectional out of position and see if I could find the missing item. I did not find what I was looking for, but comfortably situated amongst the dust bunnies I did find the following items:

• four mateless shoes
• a broken crayon
• two pencils
• a foam football with a bite taken out 
• a plastic gun
• three board books, one of which was literally in tatters
• two odd dice to a game I know nothing about
• four large connectable building blocks and one small one
• a plastic pocket knife
• a red foam ball that looks just like a clown nose
• one brown M&M
• a few pieces of popcorn
• the non-sticky (trash) back part of a sticker
• a metal loop to one of those crazy disentanglement puzzles
• a bottled water cap
• a petrified piece of mac and cheese
• a bottle cap toy with a happy apple face on it
• a penny
• a squishy submarine bath toy
• two tiny vehicles
• And, a rotting apple core

So, now you know all one of my dirty little secrets. What part of your house never gets cleaned unless dire circumstances call for it? 

February Faves

After using up every last bit of elbow grease I had,
I ordered these to make my life easier. I love them already.

Absolutely Can. Not. Wait. We are re-watching all the previous
seasons to prepare ourselves for the new season, coming in May.

Jeff and I think we may like this better than regular milk.
(Be aware: pudding will not set up if you use this instead of milk,
but you will still have a yummy milkshakey drink to enjoy.)

This. Light weight and fun enough for the kids to
WANT to clean up (some) of their own messes! Love it!

I love the smell and the soft feel of my delicates when I use this.
It's definitely my favorite gentle cycle detergent.

These delicious, zero-calorie syrups have changed my whole coffee drinking experience.
They are also delicious poured over plain yogurt, ice cream or probably anything.
I haven't tried all the flavors, but so far, I like Salted Caramel best.

Gets grease stains out of fabric, even after it's been through the dryer.
If you have met my oldest son, you know what a miracle this is for me.

We use our KitchenAid immersion blender all the time
during soup season to puree everything. We love it! 

These motivate me to drink more (even water!) during the day.
Hot and cold beverages are equally fun to consume.
And, in our family of six, everyone has an assigned color. 

Possibly the best brunch we've ever had.

Curbing the chaos

Y'all. I'm one of those people that requires order. I seriously need it to stay healthy. Unfortunately (but also fortunately), I decided to have four kids and inadvertently created an environment where chaos rules and order absolutely cannot thrive. I have mostly learned to act like it doesn't bother me ignore the day-to-day chaos. But if I'm really honest, I'm slowly suffocating in it. I can feel the tension creeping up in my neck and shoulders, threatening to choke the life out of me. And, I can hear myself becoming snappy and impatient with the people I live with. I know what's causing it, but I'm afraid I don't have the first clue as to how to fix it. It seems the best I can do while I have small chaos-producing children in the house is to reign in the controllable parts of the chaos from time to time, even though I know it won't last. Today, I tackled the smallest room in the house (the pantry), which is all I felt I could manage. When I was done, I wanted to lock myself inside and just breathe deeply from this life-saving air hole of order. Tomorrow, the kids will no doubt go in there and pull things off the shelves and spill things on the floor and quickly shove something where it doesn't belong in an effort to not get caught stealing, but for a few brief hours, I will have had the pleasure of knowing there was order in the midst of the chaos. And, in this chaotic world where I live, that counts as a victory. (By the way, if any of you experienced moms out there have figured out the key to controlling the chaos, feel free to share your wisdom!)

Controllable Chaos

Uncontrollable Chaos

Daily Disaster

Adventure lives on at the Watts' house. Here's some of the fun we had today:

• A slosh fest with the juice (of course)
• Another sticky drink spilled in the exact same location, just moments after clean up
• Poopy toddler pants (again, probably obvious)
• A Kleenex blizzard (Thank you, Clay!)
• A dropped jar of jelly (sticky AND dangerous!)
• Ketchup bombs, while trying to get that last little bit of ketchup out of the bottle
• Overfilled chili dogs
• Escapees from the ant farm
• Overflowing bath tub (and not just a little--there was water running out in the hall)
• Earring down the sink

And that's just the messes. I'm not even going to get into the drama! Makes me tired just thinking about it. Think it's time to bid this Monday adieu. 

(Almost) Perfectly Clean

In the Watts' home, everyone is expected to contribute. We have gone through several methods of chore distribution, including this one from 2012. The thing that actually seems to work best for us is to switch things up every so often, so that the chore schedule always kind of feels fresh. We've been through several methods since that post in 2012. The chores themselves don't really change too much, but the way in which they are displayed and distributed do, and it really seems to make all the difference in the level of enthusiasm the kids have for the chores. For 2014, we have adopted another new method, which I'll just go ahead and count as my Pin of the Week, since it's not likely anything more creative is going to happen around here this week. Assigning specific chores on specific days really gives the kids more focus and keeps them from being overwhelmed, and thus, the chores get done in a more timely manner, with less whining. (Or maybe that's just due to it being a new system, and everyone loves a new system at first.) Perhaps you all already knew and have implemented that in your homes, but I'm a little slow, so I'm just now having that lightbulb moment.

Anyway, what I really want to tell you is this: One of Weston's chores for this week is to clean the kitchen counters. He set to work on it yesterday and very quickly announced that he was all done. One peek at the kitchen told me the counters definitely weren't clean, so I asked him if he really thought it was clean and what he saw when he looked at it. He proceeded to tell me that, to him, it looked "perfectly clean." This seemed like a teachable moment, so I put my arm around his shoulders and began to walk around the kitchen pointing to obvious milk spots and sticky areas and crumbs. Each time, I would point and ask, "Does this look perfectly clean?" To which, he always replied, "No." There were quite a few of these areas, and by the time we were done, he was in tears. Finally, through sobs, he declared, "But you only picked out the dirty spots! The rest is perfectly clean!" 

A couple of things the classical model of education (which we employ in our homeschool) emphasizes are the over-learning of the grammar of any subject and the defining of terms to make communication more effective. Clearly, I need to be better at defining my terms, and Weston needs a bit more practice with the "grammar" of kitchen cleaning. Thankfully, we will both have plenty of opportunities over the next few years to improve in these respective areas. 

Clean Slate

I just love a new year. A clean slate. A chance to start over and get everything right this time. It feels so great to be on the verge of something new and potentially wonderful. And, I know the new year officially started almost a week ago for everyone else. But, not for me and my family. We were gone for three weeks during the holidays and just got home last night. So, the new year really starts for me tomorrow. Which is why today was all about letting go of the the old. I told the kids I would not allow them to take possession of their new Christmas gifts (which were all still packed up, due to the traveling) until they went through every toy box, closet, drawer and shelf to see what they could 1). throw away or 2). donate. I'm appalled to tell you that we filled up a very large section of our garage with all the things that fit into these two categories. Why on earth do I let it get so out of hand before I take action?! Anyway, I feel (and I think several of my family members also feel) relived to be letting go of the excess. To be removing the clutter and making room for new and better things. May we all remain mindful of that principal throughout this new year, whether our clutter is physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Watts Weekend

FRIDAY

• The kids and I participated in a fun field tip to Longhorn Cavern with our CC group. 
• The boys and I ran errands, while Ruth attended her art class.
• We closed on our Kingwood house!!! Finally, the albatross is lifted.
• We had breakfast for dinner and watched "Tangled."
• It was early to bed due to early sports the next day.

SATURDAY

• Ruth had a volleyball game at 8:00, which ended in her team's first victory of the season.
• Max played football at 9:00, and his team was also victorious.
• Weston's football game was at 10:00, and his team came away with a win as well. 
• Ruth and Jeff each took a turn in the concession stand during the football games.
• Mimi came to all the games and spent the afternoon with us.
• We had lunch at Tea Thyme after Weston's game, which is a place with lots of healthy options that we all just love. 
• We visited a life-size Old Testament Tabernacle replica, which will be set up in Marble Falls all week. It was very well done, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 
• I found somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousand acorns in my washing machine and still don't know whether that was courtesy of just one boy or a concerted effort by all three. It was a good reminder to check pockets before throwing the clothes in.
• Weston, along with the rest of us, got to watch his beloved Longhorns take home a win.
• Ruth cleaned out and organized both refrigerators, which just makes happy. The cleaning part was one of her assigned chores for this week, but the organizing was her own idea. She's a girl after my own heart. 
• We set up a pizza bar, and everyone got to create their own culinary masterpieces for dinner. 
• I had several strokes while watching the Aggies try to eek out the victory over Ole Miss. I do not need that kind of stress in my life!
• The rain came down all night long, making beautiful music to sleep by, as it tapped on the metal roof. 
• Clay slept all night, which he has not been in the habit of doing lately.

SUNDAY

• Clay slept in until 7:30, which he also hasn't been in the habit of doing lately.
• The Dish Network service guy was at our house at 8:00 am to work on our satellite, on a Sunday, on a ladder, in the pouring rain. It was a pretty amazing customer service experience.
• Everyone else also slept in, as the rain continued to soak our little part of the world. 
• There were waffles and omelets for breakfast.
• I got all my CC prep work done before noon.
• Pinterest put the idea of a full-size milk carton igloo in my head, and now I'm trying to figure out how to save enough milk cartons to make it happen. I think my kids might be able to overlook some of my parenting uncoolness if I could make this appear in our loft. Jeff figured out that at our current rapid rate of milk consumption, it would take me about two years to save up enough, which kind of put a damper on my enthusiasm.
• Jeff tapped our surplus of sweet potatoes and made a delicious sweet potato and chicken curry for lunch and a yummy crustless sweet potato pie for dessert.
• A flock of wild turkeys wandered through our property and were just right outside our living room windows, causing all manner of excitement on the other side of the glass.
• Jeff created a web page for us to post articles we come across that help build vocabulary. We are trying this new contextual approach to learning vocabulary in our homeschool. Ruth reads an article or two during a particular class time, writes down and defines any words she doesn't know, and then discusses the article and the unknown words with either Jeff or myself. The web site is a way for us to gather our resources together and even share them with others. 
• Weston got to go to a birthday party for one of his football teammates at Pizza Hut, and I got to flex my socializing-with-people-I-don't-know muscles.
• I made the unfortunate choice to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, but now we have plenty of everything, so we should be good for a while. 

Labor Day Weekend

Friday

• Lunch at Gumbo's
• Real estate papers signed, making the sale of our house in Austin official
• Mega shopping trip to Sam's
• Movie Night

Saturday

• War waged on fire ants, after they invaded Max's bed in the middle of the night and bit him repeatedly on the chest and back
• Pedicure, haircut and a little shopping for Mandi
• First Aggie game of the season, and first Aggie victory
• Diet stuck to, even during multiple football games and the accompanying game day munchies
• Ruth's friend spent the afternoon with us
• Laundry washed

Sunday

• First Sunday potluck, also known as Weston's favorite church day of the month
• Naps
• Laundry folded and put away
• Last-minute prep for the first day of CC on Tuesday
• Potential landscaper here to take measurements
• Pinterest piddling 

It's been a wonderful blend of productive and relaxing. Happy Labor Day, everyone!

"Where undies doe?" And other mysteries

Did you all hear my head explode this morning when I momentarily turned into Rumpelstiltskin, when he found out the queen had tricked him? No? Good; but it's only because you weren't listening. So, here's the story:

Various kids were set in motion on various school subjects. I was helping those who needed help, as they needed it, and things were running fairly smoothly. Then, around 10:00, Clay pooped in his pants. How it's possible for him to go nearly all day dry and clean, when he's wearing a pull-up, but to poop in his undies at the first opportunity, is a mystery to me. But it happens. Every. Single. Time. So, I shooed him off to the bathroom and followed on his heels to provide the necessary assistance. The minute I stood him in the bathtub and pulled his soiled shorts and undies down, all h*ll broke loose in the school room. I left Clay standing in the tub and poked my head out the bathroom door to see what all the ruckus was about. A brief, but serious, conversation with Weston ensued, and when I turned around, Clay had climbed out of the tub, peed on the floor and further spread the filth around. I plopped him back in the tub, gave him the quickest, but most thorough, bath of his life and plunked the foul undies in the toilet for rinsing. But, the issue in the school room was not resolved, so, I left the now clean monster standing on the bathmat wrapped in a towel and called Ruth over for a conversation that turned out to be rather tense and lasted for several minutes. My brilliant parental lecture was stopped short by the whooshing sound behind me, followed immediately by the most sincere and confused question I ever heard:  "Where undies doe?" To quote Ray Stevens, "I turned around, and, a son-of-a-gun, they's gone!" That child FLUSHED his underwear. I am expecting a major septic backup sometime soon. And, I'll just say, for the record, that I have been rinsing poopy undies in the toilet for a whole lot of years, and this was a completely new experience for me. It was then, with my emotions already high, from preceding events, that I turned into Rumpelstiltskin. Which caused Ruth to chuckle and took the zip right out of my lecture. Everyone got back to work, without further incident, and it was business as usual, until lunchtime, at which point another mystery unfolded: the toddler who wouldn't touch his burger at Wendy's last night, ravenously ate his weight in stir-fried carrots and cabbage. And, then, pooped in his pants...

A little chair repair

Recently a tiny terrorist toddler got his hands on an ink pen and went to work redesigning some of the surfaces of our home. One of the places hardest hit was Dad's Chair. This chair is just about the same age as Ruth, and it's been through some stuff, but the pen marks just really wrecked the appearance for me. My first attempt at cleaning up left an even more noticeable eyesore. Jeff told me to call a professional upholstery cleaner. But, unwilling to part with the cash that would require, my brain began to churn and I remembered something that completely justified all those hours brief moments I've spent pinning stuff on Pinterst. I had pinned a step-by-step tutorial from this blog on cleaning mircofiber furniture (which, if I'm honest, I figured I'd never get around to trying, like most of my pins). But the ink everywhere and water ring on the arm were driving me nuts, so I didn't think it could hurt anything to give it a shot. And, wasn't I pleasantly surprised that it not only got the ink out, it also got some of the other icky off! It doesn't look brand new, but it does look a heck of a lot better. And, I think with another round of scrubbing, the look will be further improved. It couldn't have been simpler. All I needed was rubbing alcohol, a spray bottle, a scrubby sponge and a bristle brush.

pen marks all over the seat
(this is only a small portion of the markings)

my first attempt at clean-up just made things worse

no pen marks and no water marks