Family Briefs

We just got back from a whirlwind Spring Break road trip.  We stayed in New Orleans for a couple of days, drove on San Antonio, TX,  for six days, then headed back to New Orleans for an overnight stay, then back home.  Whew!  Where was the vacation???

If my husband had his druthers, we’d drive straight through and everyone just pee in a cup when needed.  Fortunately, my mother was along with us, so we got to stop every two-three hours.

While hubby gasses up the van, we back up the line to the restrooms.  While we’re standing there, the kids get the gimmies - they eyeball all the yummies surrounding them in the “quick mart.”   That’s why I keep a good supply of snacks in the car - makes it easier to say no.  It doesn’t reduce the whining, but I feel less guilt feeding them something!

A few years ago, I chose a kid-size shoe box with Buzz Lightyear on it to be our snack box.  Crackers and goldfish got smushed in a bag - how is it that everything on a trip eventually makes its way to the floor?  Anyhow, in a box the snacks remain in tact.  I choose from our variety of snacks at home and shove as many of them in the box as I can, knowing already that not everyone will be happy and whatever I choose, will not be fair to someone.  Who cares, right?

So when there get to be too many “he touched me’s,” “she’s leaning on me,” and “he’s breathing,” comments, I whip out the snacks.  Hubby was especially happy this time ’cause the guys at Jerky.com sent us some Spencer’s Beef Jerky samples to try out.  They have a couple of new flavors - Orange and Mango.  Both were labeled as “Sweet and spicy,” and I was only stupid brave enough to try a small bite of the Mango flavor.  Husband LOVED them.  Me?  Flavor was good, texture was good,  and the after-burner stayed with me through most of Texas.   Their beef jerky really is good . . . I just think I like the pineapple better :)  .  If you want to hear more about what my husband thought of the jerky, you can hear his upcoming podcast on the subject at Southeastern Backpackers.

So pack a snack box on your next trip.  When the kids start whining, you can tell them to “stuff it!”  Then head on over to We Are That Family for more Works For Me ideas!

Sometimes I give myself a hard time.  You see, ultimately I’m lazy.  There!  I said it.  Out loud.  Where others could hear it.  If I toss a piece of paper in the trashcan and it misses . . . I leave it if I’m in a hurry.  If the toilet paper roll runs out just before I’m crawling into bed at midnight . . . I let it wait until morning.

I don’t know if it’s having to prepare 80+ Valentines for school parties, washing a minimum of 3 outfits per day for my 3-year-old, or the not-so-simple act of just getting through the day sometimes  that makes me so completely tired.  I become lazy.

So every now and then, I have to try to outsmart myself so that things actually get done.  Without the intervention of others.   I’m lazy about my soap.  You know, you’re washing your hands and the soft soap squirter just kinda “farts” in your hand with that last little bit?  Well, I don’t have time to do anything about it now, so I’ll do it later (there’s that lazy side of me).  When, exactly, does later arrive?  I’ll let that soap dispenser “fart” in my hand several more times before I actually GO TO THE OTHER END OF THE HOUSE AND GET THE SOAP REFILL BOTTLE AND FILL THE THING UP!!!!!

So, I’ve purchased soap refills and placed under each sink in the house.    Whenever I clean a sink, guess what?  I go ahead and refill the soap dispenser.  I mean, I have the time right?   Not to mention saving a trip ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER END OF THE HOUSE  (a whole 25 feet away, mind you).

Like I said, I’m lazy.    But having the soap on hand with an easy refill system, means I can keep on being lazy and everyone can still wash their hands. Now, you don’t be lazy and head over here to find other great Works for Me Wednesday ideas!

One day in the midst of feeling overwhelmed about all the things around the house I needed to do, I stumbled across a great blog post that really spoke to me (because catching up on blog reading is the thing to do when no one has clean underwear). Her feelings about Christmas - honey, I’m all there. Ahem . . . ‘course we still have an Easter basket and a bag full of empty Easter eggs cluttering the countertop.

So what is my problem? If it feels so good to get rid of the clutter, why do I have so much of it!????? The problem lies in that few Read the rest of this entry »

Summer boredom busters . . . well . . . . our favorite is the waterpark. The best part is, I have my mom give us all season passes as a Christmas present - mind you it’s not very exciting to open (unless you’re the one who has to find a home for all the new goodies delivered on Christmas Day), but an awesome gift come the 90^o mark!

So plan ahead and ask for waterpark passes so you can splash down all summer when everyone is bored. Read my original waterpark post for tips on how we manage the waterpark with 4 kids, and read on for more summer boredom busters:

1) You just gotta have a Wii - wii love the Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Wii Fit! Great during a sudden afternoon thunderstorm or when it’s just too stinkin’ hot. But THIS is the game going on my Christmas list this year!

2) We plant things in the garden - it provides ongoing entertainment (weeding, watering, harvesting, and finding creative ways to keep the critters away from your crops). We’re currently anticipating blueberries . . .

3) I take the badminton set and put it up in the backyard. A little extra physical activity usually ensures good naps!

4) This year we’re heading to the bowling alley more often - they have a great deal during the summer you’ll definitely want to check out!

5) Wash the car - a little extra water play that makes the car look good is a definite win-win in my book! You can even wash the dog (which are known to turn in to automatic sprinklers :-)).

6) We participate in the library summer reading programs - every day during quiet time, I have the two oldest read while the two youngest nap. They record the books they’ve read and turn it in to the library to choose a prize.

Typically, my kids don’t complain to me too much about being bored. I think they know I’ll come up with something for them to do - like organize a bookshelf, scrub the baseboards, file paperwork, de-clutter a closet, or take a nap!

I remember a wise parent telling me when I began having children (and apparently couldn’t stop) not to eat the food left on the children’s plates . . . it adds up. This is so true! Yet, as I would push all the food off the plates, I would cringe seeing it all piled up in the bottom of the sink. What a waste!

With one child, it’s not so bad to eat their “leftovers” . . . but by the time I got to three kids, I was afraid that I’d be as big as the side of a barn just trying to keep from wasting food. I tried cutting back on my own meal so I could eat their remnants . . . still it was hard trying to balance what I ate with what I THOUGHT they would eat. Sometimes when they ate more than I expected, I just “fixed” my hunger with an extra bowl of ice cream (after they’d gone to bed, of course :-).

So, I was back to scraping food into the sink for the disposal to handle.  Then it hit me!  There was at LEAST another meal sitting there for someone (of course, it was a bit unappetizing there in the sink).  Instead of dumping this food in the sink, I put all the extra food into a divided Tupperware-style plate and put it in the fridge.  Now when the girls want PBJ’s, I just pop this one-person meal in the microwave (killing any little-people germs) and I’m set!

No wasted food, no extra wasteline, and one less PBJ sandwich I have to endure :-)  It works for me!

Quick! I need an idea for a $50 for my 8-year-old that our cub scout pack can give him as an award for selling the most popcorn in our pack.

Y’all - we walked the streets for days selling this stuff and sold over $1350 worth of popcorn! I was happy just to achieve the $250 goal the pack set, but my son wanted the cool bow-and-arrow prize at a MUCH HIGHER prize level. I’m such an under-achiever .

Anyhoo, we get this email TODAY from the scout master that they’d like to award my son with something special in the $50 price range at the Blue and Gold Awards Banquet THIS Friday night! Any ideas???? Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, our community built a neat new tennis center. The Parks and Rec department charges next to nothing for kids’ tennis lessons. But I think it’s really “tooky” to use tax-payers dollars to build this thing and then require membership dues to play there.

Well, I understood the dues after I went to the bathroom. You wouldn’t believe all the niceties and “girly” stuff that was provided - all in these nice little organizational wicker baskets that I’d love to stuff in my jacket and take home with me because they’re always just too darn expensive for me to justify buying some for myself.

One basket had shampoos and conditioners. Another basket had scented hand lotions, hand sanitizers, and contact lens solution. Then I saw the answer to my prayers Read the rest of this entry »

Hubby and I have been wanting to do a podcast for about six months now. We thought trying to put this together during the busiest time of year when we’re already pulling our hair out would make the most sense. Don’t you agree?

While we should have released this episode (our first) about three months ago, we thought Read the rest of this entry »

Shannon, over at Rocks in My Dryer, has a themed Works For Me Wednesday this week - I’m late as usual.

The theme is last minute dinner ideas when you haven’t planned. Well, I plan, so I’m kinda struggling with this. I could just refer you to all my great menu plans that I post every week over at Laura’s for Menu Plan Monday. I tend to stick to easy, 5-ingredients-or-less kind of recipes.

When those Hormel and Tyson ready-to-eat-meat Read the rest of this entry »

During our monthly Mom’s Nite Out, a friend was talking about her slow-cooker recipe that her family would be forced to eat on for the next week (that’s what happens when you use a 4 lb. rack of meat for a family of three ).

I suggested that she Read the rest of this entry »