OH so clean!!!

This is nothing but a bit of excitement because today we cleaned the garage!!! I longed for a garage for the first five years of married life, then when I finally got one we just filled it up with junk! Okay, it wasn't that bad. We could still park two cars in it, but it was a mess.

Today we de-junked, swept, organized, bought pegboard and hooks, organized some more, and swept again. It feels great! I'm even building a little "mudroom" area, since we don't really have a good place for all that wet winter gear inside. So I'm patting myself on the back. You can feel free to do so as well! Doesn't it look gorgeous???

Okay, maybe that garage is still in my dreams. But we'll get there before long!

Tagged

I've been tagged. I'm supposed to post the fourth picture in my fourth album (I think). Not sure exactly what that means, or if it means digital or real photos. I chose the easy route. Here's the shot:That's Sammy pretending to be asleep in Riley's carseat. Sammy was about 2 at the time and had to pretend to be a baby again. Oh wait, he still does that now too!



I tag Phame, Deanne, Tricia S., and Lindsay!

Broc-O-Mama

I'm not surprised about the election results. I'm not overly excited or disappointed. I don't think either presidential candidate really had very many good answers. But in the morning, I will have to confront both sides of the political spectrum.

I mean Sammy and Riley.

They took an interest in politics only because they liked saying "Barack Obama," which almost instantly morphed into "Broc-O-Mama" (me), and several other goofy variations. But the boys do recognize his name on the radio.

Then I took the whole family with me to vote last week, where Sammy very loudly proclaimed that he wanted the "white guy" to win. "Do you mean the man with the white hair?" I asked, feeling condemned as a racist (by my predominantly white fellow voters, go figure). "No, the man with the white face," he replied. No reason that he could specify, though.

Then today, Riley came home with a preschool paper about voting, the president, and the two candidates. I noticed he had marked his "vote" for Barack Obama. He couldn't say why either, so I think it goes back to the "Broc-O-Mama" thing (Riley likes funny words). All he knew was that he wanted Obama to live in the big white house, not McCain. And he called them by their last names, for all the world sounding like a seasoned reporter.

All I want is for my two little boys not to bicker in the morning or taunt each other over the outcome of the election. And I guess it would be nice if the rest of the country wouldn't either!

Where did my little baby go?

Zeke walks!

I've been meaning to post for over a week now. I don't even remember the exact day when Zeke took his first steps (I think it was three the first time we knew they were intended). Does that make me a bad mom? But this weekend he has progressed rapidly from three to who knows how many. He can walk several feet across the room, but only until he's within "diving distance." He's pretty perceptive about just how close he has to be to Mom or Dad to safely tip himself over into our arms. He has tried this once or twice on Sammy and Riley, with disastrous results. Now he only rarely dares walk toward them. (In fact, he's developing a healthy fear of these two, for as much "love" as they give him.)

Anyway, WOOHOO for Zeke!!!!

Happy Costume Month!

Isn't it great that holidays last so much longer than they used to when we were kids? I mean, I got to dress up on Halloween Day. Maybe we had a party at church a few days before. But now, wow, we've been dressing up all month!

Deanne hosted a fabulous kids-only Halloween party two weeks ago. Last weekend she and Dan followed up with another party, this time for adults. This weekend we got to attend our ward Halloween party (where Bruce and I WON THE COSTUME CONTEST!!!). And there is no school on Halloween Day this year, so classroom parties for both boys will be on Thursday.

That's four, yes, FOUR occasions to dress up before Halloween Day. And of course, the boys will spend all day in costume on Friday. I have had a blast with all the dress-up, and even though I'm finally getting a little tired of it, at least I feel like we're getting our money's worth out of the costumes. Truly, we always do, since the boys wear costumes year round.

I just have to mention that I love ward Halloween parties, except for our ward being a little less than spirited about it. (C'mon, grown-ups, how hard is it to throw on a wig and a goofy shirt to pass as a costume? Lighten up!) What I love is that THEY ARE ALWAYS THE SAME!!! Chili and doughnuts for dinner--check! Trick or treating, since we all know the kids never get enough candy this time of year---check! Lots of chaos as children run up and down the halls and plow through the crowd in the gym--check! And my personal favorite: local band playing the same selection of oldies with the volume cranked up so high that all conversation ceases and young children cry--check!

I really do love the band thing. Bruce and I danced, even though no one else did. Of course, that makes sense because no one else dressed up either. (Okay, a few of you did.) I would love to hear if any of you have EVER had a ward Halloween party that was different from this--I can't imagine that happening, but maybe I'm wrong.

Finally, look at my amazing hair! Thanks to my friend Annie for making my way-too-short hair look like a poofy, sleek, Wilma Flintstone up-do. Maybe I was meant to be a redhead!

Domestic Diva

Sometimes it surprises me how superficial I am. The dumbest little things can motivate me. For instance, my new project: a vintage "church ladies" apron that makes me feel like a sassy domestic diva.

My house (and life) was in massive disarray after last week's bout with being bedridden. Okay, I can't blame it on the illness because the house has been that way for months. It bothers me a little, but I deal with it.

Then on Tuesday, I finally found the time and energy to start a new project, the apron of my housewifely dreams. Once I started, I neglected just about everything else to finish sewing it (yes, including my children). Despite my friend's promise that it would take only an hour or so to make the apron, I was up until almost midnight. But it was worth every minute! Isn't it darling?

And now, every time I put it on, I channel my inner June Cleaver. Wow, amazing dinner and clean kitchen three nights in a row? Toys sorted and put away neatly? Fresh homemade cinnamon swirl bread (low-fat and low-sugar)? Floor mopped? Thank you, Apron of Action.

You can be expecting our new action figure, apron-wearing SuperMom, in stores in time for Christmas. Vacuum and homemade bread sold separately.

Modern Medicine

If it weren't for modern medicine, I'd be in really bad shape. I guess a lot of us can say that. Today I am recovering from my fifth bout of mastitis (first time with Zeke, but I've had it a bunch with the other boys).

In case you've never had it (you probably haven't), it's a nursing mom infection and it results in soreness, fever, chills, aches, headaches, weakness. Fun! Luckily I know to go right to the doctor where I get a shot and some antibiotic pills, and I'm usually okay within a day or so. And even more luckily, my wonderful in-laws came and watched my children for several hours today (and drove me to the doctor) because Bruce couldn't get away from work. Thank you thank you thank you!

So I'm glad I didn't end up with a large abscess and a two-week hospital stay from all this, like a friend of mine did. I'm SO grateful for antibiotics, even though I hate shots, because this infection can get nasty. (I wonder how many women have died through the ages from something this minor.) And I'm grateful for TV, which is a wonderful babysitter on days like today, no matter what the experts say.

And there are perks of being sick. How often do I just sit on the floor and play puzzles with my kids for an hour? Or read to them all afternoon? (Okay, I'm a little better at that one.) I used to spend a lot more time playing with them, but today I had to do it because they were crazy bored and I didn't have energy for much else. I guess it's a good reminder to do those things, because we all had a great time, even Zeke!