Saturday Night Special

The movie selection for tonight is "Space Chimps 2". There are two seats left for this showing, next to the 3 year old drinking root beer on the couch. I don't think he has spilled any yet, so the couch should still be dry. And be careful as you approach the couch so that you don't step on that blanket. You know, the one covering much of the floor in the center of the room. Somewhere under there is a 7 year old. He's been stepped on before, but he seriously prefers that it not happen. Something about it hurting or something like that. And those chairs facing each other by the desk? Under the blanket on those chairs is a 4 year old. It took her a serious amount of whining and complaining to drive the 3 year old out of his original spot for the night. Meanwhile, the 10 year old and I are taking up residence on opposite ends of the room, in the chairs. A good night will be had by all, I am sure.

The kids are about halfway through their movie selection for the night, which means I still have about 45 minutes to putter around on the computer and in the blogosphere. One of our big time rules for movie night is that EVERY light in the house is off. The only light generated is from my laptop and from the TV screen. They normally do not get to watch TV in the total dark, but this one night a week I do allow it for the length of one movie.

Tomorrow, we are going to the movies to watch Megamind with the three older kiddos. I was hoping to take Boo with us, but Hubby arranged for his mom to watch the boy instead. Yes, I know that Megamind is available on DVD, but Hubby and I saw it in the theaters when it was out originally and we know that the kids will like it. The theater has something going on called "Frosty Flicks". It's something that Marcus Theaters does during the winter time. It is a great deal too! They have showings on Saturday and Sunday mornings during the winter and it costs $2.00 for admission and you can get a small popcorn and a small pop for $2 apiece as well. We generally go for the large popcorn and large pop for like $11.00, because you can get free refills on them, and they even give you smaller bags to divide up the popcorn as well. It's a pretty sweet deal, really.

We got a lot of work done today, despite the fact that I had a most difficult time falling asleep last night and laid in bed until around 7:00 this morning, when I finally fell asleep. Ugh! I slept until 2pm, though. That made for a lot of work to get done in a short amount of time and it was a bit more difficult because the kids had already gotten off track for their daily schedule. It is so rough to rein them back in.

But I did and so now, the bathrooms are clean, the den is mostly clean (it was clean but then I brought in some groceries from the back of the van and they landed in the den instead of in the kitchen), the trash got taken out, the living room is done, our bedroom is looking much better, the guest bedroom is in good shape and the boys' room is done. Tomorrow (or after the movie tonight, depending on how well the kids go to bed) we need to get the little kids to clean their room, get the kitchen cleaned up, continue in our bedroom and then work on laundry and in the laundry room.

We have some things planned for tomorrow though too. We have the movie in the morning, then after that, I will be running JoNo over to play with his buddy, Con. While I am there, I will be dropping off our old stroller and carseat travel system that we had for Boo. He's three and a half now. He hasn't used the infant carseat in at least three years and the stroller in probably a year and a half. I think it's time to get rid of them. Plus, Con's mom is having a baby soon so it really works on many levels. She also has some living room lamps that she is getting rid of, so I will be picking those up for my living room. I love the fact that we are able to do this! Getting rid of what we don't need for something that we do. Totally awesome! It wasn't worked out to be a trade exactly, but that's kind of the way it worked out, which works for me!

Then Miss Punky gets to go to her "bess fren in whole wide whirl" house for a play date. I tell you, those two girls are like glue at school. They just love each other to pieces. It is quite adorable really. Her friend, we'll call her "Bess", I think had a birthday on Friday (or at least that is when her mom brought cupcakes for the class treat) so we will be bringing a gift for Bess with us when we go over there. I didn't even have to go out and buy one for her either, extra bonus. Last week, Punky had been invited to another child's birthday party, but because of snow and cold, we decided not to go. Well, that and the fact that I had forgotten to RSVP to the parents. But I did buy that child a gift before the RSVP was expected. Since we didn't go to the party and give that gift, Bess will get it instead. Which actually, I am quite okay with because it is a gift that I am certain Bess will like. Not sure about the other kid (because I don't even know who the other kid is.)

So, for a few hours tomorrow, we will have two kids out for arranged play dates, Natty will probably go play with a neighborhood friend and it will just be Hubby, myself and Boo, who should be napping at that point. So, that will give me some time to get some work done.

Then tomorrow evening, we will either have my mom come over to babysit (or have the kids stay the night at mother-in-law's house) so that we can go join one of our friends for birthday drinks. And by we, I mean, I will drink and Hubby will drive. That's just how we roll. I love the fact that Hubby doesn't drink and that I always have a designated driver if I need one.

So, that is our weekend. It is packed full and we have lots to do (both fun and work stuff) but oh, it will be well worth it! What are you doing this weekend?

ALSO - please consider making a donation and sponsoring my boys by clicking on the links under my banner above. They would really appreciate it!

Finish It Friday

This week for "Finish It Friday" I reorganized my Tupperware cupboard. It was a very necessary thing to do because Hubby had me order some more Tupperware products for him. (How many guys regularly shop the Tupperware catalog, by the way?) I needed to place an order anyhow, so it worked out well. He got some new "toys" as he likes to call them.

But when I went to unpack the box of Tupperware (and the other two boxes from the last order that have just been sitting there for the last couple of months - mostly things for hostess gifts and door prizes and such) I discovered two things. One was that my Tupperware cupboard was once again looking a bit chaotic and number two, that I needed to rearrange some items because I had more Tupperware than I had space the way that it was.

So now, most of the Tupperware is neatly stored in the cupboard and I love it! It is so neat and organized and you just can't beat that! Plus, I love the products so you may see a post or two coming up here about some of the products, especially next month when there is going to be one of my absolute FAVORITE deals of all time coming up. Stay tuned for that.

Well, before I go off on a sales pitch (it's easy to do when you love a product line!) I will share the new after pictures with you all, because really, that's what you want to see right? The inside of my Tupperware cupboard.

This is the top shelf. Up here, from left to right, I have my (and by "my", I mean Hubby's) midgets - those small containers, then some of my Freezer Mates collection (I have the "Complete" collection but some are in use right now), then some of my Fridge Smart collection, (once again, I have the large collection and some of them are in use), then at the back are some of my Thatsa Bowl 4pc. set, but really, it is an 8pc set because it was BOGO free last year and I couldn't pass it up. But I guess technically it is a 16pc set if you count the seals too.

Continuing on around to the other side, is an old ice cube holder thing that is supposed to go in the freezer, but we never use it, so I ended up just using it to store some of the seals for small items, like two different kinds of tumblers and the snack cups. Then next to that are a few pieces of non-Tupperware brand containers that I keep on hand for non-food storage items.

Here on the lower shelf, once again going from left to right, you will see two sandwich keepers sitting in front of a non-Tupperware brand container that I use to store the seals for the midgets, all of which set atop a rectangular modular mate that I have filled with cake mix that I use at parties for demonstration purposes, which is sitting on top of a heat n serve divided dish (which is no longer available). Next to those, on their side are the snack bar keepers (they are red), then a plastic basket filled with seals for most of my products. In the back are some Wonderlier bowls.

Next to the bowls are the Stuffables Super set, with some Crystal Wave dishes stored inside of them. Next to that is my Stack Cooker. In front of the Stack Cooker are my Stuffables Mini set, stored inside a Pampered Chef small Micro-Cooker, which is stored inside a store brand thing that is kind of like the Micro-Cooker, but not nearly as deep or awesome and doesn't have a lid either. Plus, I don't use it, so I should probably get rid of it anyhow... Which leads us up to the front and two of our (many!) snack cups. The one on top belongs to Miss Punky Pie. She has a princess thing going on and she got a set of princess Tupperware for Christmas this last year.



So, that is my freshly organized Tupperware cupboard for today's post. Head on over to Katie's blog to see what she is doing for "Finish It Friday" as well!

I am also linking this up to Org Junkie's 52 weeks of decluttering. 

She listed some questions to ponder this week as well, which are:

1.) Do you know what your "good enough" is?
This question is an easy one for me to answer because not only do I know what my "good enough" is, I can easily explain it as well. My "good enough" is surfaces cleared off, floor free of clutter and debris, and the house smells nice. Pretty simple, really. So, on my worst day, that is my "good enough". Some days, it doesn't even get to that point, but when that happens, I'm stressed out and tense and really, quite impossible to live with (just ask Hubby or the kiddos - they will readily agree!) so what I have listed is my definite minimum, basic "good enough" standard.

2.) What did you organize this week?
Um, see above?

3.) Are there any areas you are struggling with in this challenge?
Mainly just posting about it. I have certainly done 9 different projects, but I don't blog every project, nor do I link up every project - mainly because I forget to. I just might start doing it though. I like joining in on things like this and visiting other people's blogs.

Can't Sleep...

I'm up late as I can't sleep. It works out, I guess, because Boo can't sleep either. At least not peacefully. He is moaning in his sleep and is coughing occasionally as well. I hope he isn't coming down with something that will make JoNo really sick. The school has already sent home letters this year regarding his attendance. He has missed nine full days of school due to illness. At twenty days, the school refers to the County Attorney for a child missing so much school. We have our pediatrician's support, he knows how bad JoNo gets and will back us up 100%. The thing that I don't get, though, is the fact that the school sends him home when he is sick, tells us to send him to school even when we are on the fence about whether it would be a good idea or not, then they wonder why: a) the child is sick, b) the child is not getting better quickly, c) why the child has missed school. I wonder if they tell other parents to send their children to school when they are sick as well? If so, maybe that is part of JoNo's problem. Ya think? Just maybe?

Hubby is once again contemplating the possibility of homeschooling the kids next year. I have been down this road before. I am so not getting my hopes up for it. Because when it comes right down to it, I highly doubt that he will want to actually follow through with it. Plus, I would like to keep Boo in school because of the services he receives, and JoNo may actually end up qualifying for services as well. He has a marked delay in his reading abilities, while still being at the top of his grade level for math. Then again, Natty is the same way, but I don't think it is quite as severe of a gap with him.

I'm also excited for Punky to start school next year. She is so looking forward to being with her big brothers at school. I just don't know. It makes me happy that Hubby wants to do it, but at the same time, it also makes me really sad that he has waited this long to come to this decision. I just don't know what to think really.

I made a cake last night. For no reason. I just thought that the kids would enjoy having it after school or after dinner today. Hubby even took the time to frost it and store it for me. Isn't that sweet?

I have been going through photos of Boo since I have been up and keeping an eye on him. It is just incredible how much he has changed over the last two years. May 2009, when he was 19 months old, he was just learning how to walk, he was pretty much non-verbal for the most part, he didn't socialize, wouldn't engage, didn't look people in the eye generally, would not sit through a story. Now, he walks, runs, kicks, throws, catches (well, it's evolving), jumps, rides a tiny bike with training wheels. He also talks, though not usually in conversation. He can voice requests and he can count and say his ABCs. He can verbalize pain and joy. He can rote count up to 30, knows his numbers by sight up to 30. He knows all of his letters by sight, both upper and lowercase. He knows the sounds they make, where they are in the alphabet (he can place a missing letter into the ABC sequence), he knows many shapes and colors. He has a fascination with Team Umizoomi and Bubble Guppies. He's just a doll. But is he a typical 3 1/2 year old? Not even close. A while back, we were at a birthday party for one of his school friends and after introducing ourselves, one of the mothers told me, "Oh yes, we hear lots about Boo from little miss. She really likes playing with him at school." The teachers say he has the most friends out of all the kids. He likes to play with them, but he doesn't generally seek them out, he still plays solo quite often. He's just kind of in his own little world. And while I love that he has his own little world, I worry about it too. According to the school, they don't think that he is autistic. The pediatrician is uncertain. We were supposed to have an appointment with a pediatric developmental specialist back in January, but we lost the kids' insurance coverage because of a paperwork ordeal that I'm still working on getting fixed. I just don't know what to think about it all.

I have an appointment for tomorrow to file for SSI for him at the recommendation of his services coordinator. She suggested that we apply for him and for JoNo both. Boo because of his educational diagnosis and JoNo for his lung disease and trouble with illness and because of his vision as well. The child has 20/400 eyesight in one eye, uncorrected. With correction, I believe it is something like 20/80 in the eye and he has essentially no peripheral vision in either eye.

Natty has been having some emotional issues the last few days, not really defiance but more things going on at school, but he isn't talking about it much until it all just bursts out. He can honestly go from everything is super awesome at school one day and talking about things he and his friends did and everything to the next day saying that no one likes him and he has no friends and other things like that. We think that the days that he says he doesn't have any friends, there was mostly something at school that didn't go his way and he had a meltdown about it. He can be incredibly responsible and mature, but he just doesn't "get" a lot of social situations and nuances and such.

And Miss Punky Pie - since I'm talking about the rest of them, I may as well mention her too, yes? She has been a handful. Stubborn and strong-willed. Tuesday evening, she kicked her grandma in the stomach at bedtime. I don't know what exactly is prompting this in her little world, but I wish the behavior would come to a close. I am sure it will too. Our main issues with her are direct obedience. She does okay most of the time, but whenever she is asked/told to do something, she digs her heels in and goes the exact opposite way. It's frustrating, but we just continue to work with her, letting her know firmly that we are asking her do whatever (say, clean her room) because we are teaching her to be responsible for herself and that yes, she does need to do what we tell her to or there will be a consequence and she will still have to do what she was asked to do.

So, yeah, that's what is on my mind right now. I think there is a blog meme out there somewhere "Random Thoughts Thursday". I think I might have to look it up and see if I can find it and link up to it, because if this wasn't random thoughts, I don't know what is.

Time For Me Thursday

Can I just say how much I have been looking forward to this day? I mean, seriously - it is a day that I get to spend time on me! The question is, what are my plans for myself for today? I will share that with you, since you so nicely asked, or since you're still reading, whichever may be the case.

I have some things that I need to get done. I need to do some massive laundry tackling today, I need to get the house in order while the kids are at school, I need to unload some non-perishable foods that are still in the van from our grocery trip the other night when I was too tired to bring them in when we got back home. (It was a long day, believe me!) and all of those things are good and well, but not really "time for me". So in addition to all of those other things, I am going to finally get my bedroom in order too!

I have to admit, there are not many huge things to do in this room, just a lot of small things, like clear off the dresser, clear off the chest of drawers, give my Hubby the use of his nightstand again, move some things out of our room, break down a card table that has been living in our bedroom for who knows how long, clear off my chair in there and the shelves I have next to them.

This doesn't sound like "time for me"? Well, you are right, but this is a means to an end. That end being my "time for me" plan, which is to kick back in the chair and enjoy the freshly decluttered room, maybe even make myself some (instant) cappuccino and drink that while I blog or surf the net or whatever. Maybe Hubby and I would even be able to relax and enjoy a game of Backgammon while we're at it. Or Rummy. We always used to play Rummy after the kids went to bed, but before we turned in for the night ourselves. And lately, we started doing that again here and there. We enjoy it and it is some special time just for us. Kind of like a mini-date for us in our own house.

So that is my "Time For Me Thursday". You should take time for yourself too! What are YOU going to do for YOURSELF today?

Just Throw It Out!!

Today's assignment was to grab a bag and get rid of things. Just go through an area that we choose, grab anything that we don't like, isn't needed, is broken or we are just ready to get rid of.

I did this in my kitchen on one counter that gets piled up quickly and easily. Flylady would call it a hot spot, I call it a pain in my tush. I hate that counter. It is so set apart from the actual food prep area that it just isn't serviceable for the making of food. Wish I could rearrange my kitchen, but that is not an option, so instead, I will just clear off the counter that gets junked over. Oh - and for the record, it took a grocery bag and a half to clear off the counter, and that doesn't count the recycling that I moved to the actual recycling bin.

Okay, time for points. Yay! :) Today's task was worth 40 points!
 That brings the monthly total up to 90 points!
 

Tossed It Tuesday

Posting late here, but a post is a post, yes? Violet is feeling better, so yay for that! And she was able to get some things tossed this week too. I am trying to think of what we tossed that was separate from our regular every day trash. Let's see if I can remember:

• My mom finally took home a box of her and my brother's clothing yesterday.
• We sent a load of recycling home with our good friends when they were here on Sunday evening.
• I have two bags of clothes that went out this week.

Yep, I think that is close to being it. I have things already started for this week, but you will find out about that next week! :)

The Refrigerator Door...

Well, Katie asked and I am delivering. There were so many posts that I had hoped to get done yesterday but I just couldn't get everything done. Why is it that Tuesday is a major posting day for me, yet it is also the day that I am home the least? That's something that I am going to have to figure out how to work out more efficiently. So, anyhow without further ado, here is my refrigerator door before I took everything out, threw three items away and combined two ketchup containers into one:

First picture up is my before picture. You can see that the items are just shoved in there without rhyme or reason. I also did not even realize until I was taking these pictures and cleaning it out that we are missing (and always have been - as long as we have been living here - the top bar that holds stuff on the top shelf. I just never really paid attention to it. Not sure we would have really utilized it anyhow, as it is a short space.

These are my after pictures. You can see that I took things out (wiped down the containers and the door shelves and then put things back in there neatly in a way that makes sense. All salad dressings together, all the condiments regularly used for hamburgers are all together and the top is pretty much just whatever fits up there.

And this my friends, is what we will be looking at being made over next Tuesday. It's yucky! The food is all good - just the shelves and the bottom and sides are not clean. It will get done though!