Election Day

OK, so, I'm going to be outright and honest. I'm LDS, living in a Catholic town. I must say, I've been impressed with the openness of discussions here. Also, as the following video is circulating, I'm impressed with it as well.



Read. Think. Vote. Any questions?

Why Having a Make-up Artist For a Mom is COOL.

Zach here is a turtle. They aren't in costume yet, but I wanted shots of their faces before they got messed up. Of course, the nice thing about Ben Nye theatrical make-up is that if you do it correctly, it stands up to the worst of circumstances (think sweating under hot lights on stage), so I figure the little rain we're getting tonight at ZooBoo will do little damage. But, just in case... Oh, yes, and as I've been asked before, it comes off with cold cream, or you can buy fancy shmancy removers, but I don't.

Another photo of Zach, with the flash. He really was thrilled with the results, I just told him not to smile til the makeup was set.

My darling Chayce! She's actually a ballerina today, but with Zach getting done up as a turtle, she wanted in on the action. I think I'll add glitter right before we go out. It's not completely symmetrical, but I was working with a three year old, so I will just let it be. Plus, it looks even better when she's not squinting...but she squints when I use the flash, and you couldn't see detail if I didn't. Trade-offs.

Intellectual Property Rights

Today I had the opportunity to teach Zachary about intellectual property rights. Chayce had started singing a song she made up* which consisted of repeating "shaka-shaka boom-boom!" Zachary listened for a minute, then nonchalantly declared he had made a song called "shaka-shaka boom-boom!" which he was about to perform for us if Chayce could just quiet down. I then tried to explain to him that stealing ideas is just as naughty as stealing toys. He acted as if he understood, but we'll see whether the understanding lasts.

* Chayce was obviously not completely innocent either, since her song could be seen as a rendition of the popular children's book "chicka chicka boom boom." A video of the book can be seen here.

More Signs of Fall

Must be my day to catch up, eh? That's what happens when you put off blogging for a few days...and when you use your blog as family history, you can't just let things slide! This is for posterity! Oh, and the grandmas.


The children having a discussion in the "pumpkin patch." Zach is eating.

They are looking at the camera...but Zach is still eating.

Three feet?! Oh, my...how she has grown.

Zach must be in the process of growing...still eating. He's also leaning funny, he's not just three feet and a few inches tall.

Still eating.

Tackle It Tuesday

There's a saying in the blog world that goes something like this, "The first sign of a broken computer is a clean house." However, that is not the case if you are subscribed to 5MinutesForMom. Why? Because Tuesday is the day you "tackle" large cleaning projects, and there is definite motivation...giveaways! Plus, getting on the computer reminded me that I had promised to do this tackle, despite the fact that I'd already cleaned and vacuumed both children's bedrooms. I regret that I don't have photos, they look really good, but I can't take them now, as they are asleep.

This week's tackle was wonderful. First, those who signed up got a free bottle of CLR (no postage, either, really, FREE); then, we agree to whoop up on some nasty, dirty spots in our house, and post our results. How hard is that? And even if you don't win the giveaway after posting the results, your house is still cleaner than it was. Can't beat that. So, here is my review.

The Kitchen BEFORE (aaack!)

Now, I know that is scary, but please believe me when I tell you the mess is the result of another tackle: canning & mass cooking. Really, in the long run, it'll be a good thing that I made that mess!

Given that I'd taught a class a few years ago named Cleanliness is next to Godliness, but is it also next to Impossible? I thought I'd take some of my own advice, and multi-task. So, I put all the stove parts in the bath tub, which also needed a little cleaning (it wasn't bad, though, this is the before shot), and sprayed away! Then I sprayed the stove, and then I let those soak while I did the dishes. The bottle says to let the CLR soak for 2-3 minutes, and not prolonged periods of time, but doing the dishes takes about 5 minutes, maybe 10. Time yourself sometime, you'd be surprised how much longer you put it off than it takes to do.

A few minutes later, I rinsed all things off (stove parts, stove, counters), and here is my finished product!

Stove AFTER

Not super impressed with the results, but it is better than it was. I went over it twice. Might need something a little stronger. However, the rest of the kitchen looked great!

Kitchen AFTER

My overall opinion of the CLR? It removes hard water very well. My pictures of the white, solidified minerals on my sink didn't turn out so great, but the sink looks much better, as does the dish drainer. It doesn't work as great on cooked on dirt / grime, but it's satisfactory for today. I also did not like the smell. Given, I don't like the smell of very many cleaners...I prefer soap and water, it just smells...clean. Would I buy CLR? Yes, for cleaning the hard water with less elbow grease (I usually scrub it off--much less scrubbing with CLR).

One more thing. I must add that after a good scrubbing session, my hands feel thrashed. So, I rub them down with Dairy Maid Skin Cream in either Peppy Mint or l'Orange Crush. Yum!

Fall is Here!

I love fall. I'm hoping to instill this love into my children. Today, we ventured out into the leaves, making bird nests (we were the birds), burying each other, eating leaves (well, Payge tried), tossing leaves, rolling in leaves, and jumping in the piles. For me, it just doesn't get any better.

And the Most Talent EVER Award Goes to...

Kathleen!
Oh my! She has made another amazing dress. Can't you just picture little Chayce in it? I'm not above yelling, "Pick me! Pick me!"
http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2008/10/marie-thrse-gown-giveaway.html