This:

This is not four.  

I repeat, this is NOT four.  

This is actually Zero.  You know, just as a refresher.  

Oh, and if you need a good laugh, my dearsweetlovelywonderful husband is feeling particularly punchy lately.  See here.

Making a Happy Home Monday

This Monday finds me celebrating.  Why?  

SPRING BREAK!! 

Ahhhh, glorious wonderful beautiful Spring Break.  One full week with no Math assessments, no Literature evaluations, no Writing in Action (vomit), vocabulary, Exercises in English.....you get the idea.  

One full week of not shuttling the other kids out the door to get them to school on time, no homework for them, no "you need to get up NOW, you're going to be late!"

Oh sweet pure bliss.  

ANYWAY-

It's also MHHM people!  Get on board!  For the details, hit LL's blog, as always the info is there as well as Mr Linky.  Do yourself a little something and LINK yourself up over there!  I know there are a bunch of you out there that do it, but no one ever links up.  I dare you.  No, I double dog dare you.  If you have read this, this is officially your challenge to participate either today or next Monday.  It doesn't have to be anything big or fabulous or exciting.  Clean out the fridge.  Make your bed.  Read your little one an extra story.  Bake yourself The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever.  (I have the recipe!)  Anything that will make your home a happier place.  Just do SOMETHING.  and go link up.  

Now, if you're still with me, here is my choice today.  

Two little issues in my home that drive my bonkers.  

Exhibit A:  

The pedestal drawer under my dryer.  

I love this contraption.  Who doesn't love extra storage?  And something that puts your laundry machines on your level.  Genius.  

One of ours is the extra sock drawer.  You know, when that lone sock floats through the laundry and comes on without it's friend.  It goes here.

Wowsers.  Apparently my children decided that the true function of this drawer was to hold ALL of their socks just because they didn't want to match any of them and put them away.  Yah, NO.  Enter mean old mom and all the kiddies home today.  BWahahahahahaha!  Sorry, where was I?  

Oh yah.  Over 100 pair of socks.  And a much happier pedestal drawer.  

Ta-da!  

Still about 20 loners, but plenty of laundry yet to be done today.  If any of these are here next week, they get to visit the garbage.  permanently.  

Exhibit B:

My closet.

*sigh*

I know.  I should be better.  But I took down this tub with the warm weather clothes in it and haven't finished switching things out, and tried to hide a sack from the store with treats (even though it still had shampoo, conditioner and baby lotion in it), and geesh, look at me totally slacking at putting my shoes away.  

Now:

MUCH better.  Except now you all know where the girl scout cookies are stashed.  

Now, get to it.  I expect to see at least a few of you linked up on LL's blog by next Monday!

QOTD

Another new quote of the day from Aaron.  

Just for my brother, 'cause I know he'll appreciate it.  And he asked for it.

*ahem*

"Some things you just can't do.  Like trying to breed a chihuahua and a rottweiler.  It just won't work." 

Oh, and in addition to this:

This 

is also four.  You know, just for a refresher.  

(You know you wish you lived with my husband too.  SO much fun!)

Love you Babe! : )

The No Spend Month

After getting the tax return, and bulking up on a few things that needed to be taken care of, we felt like our spending was getting a little, well, too happy.  Not that we'd overspent (thankfully), but with a few other projects in the chute that our return is earmarked for, we wanted to make sure that everything stays in line.  

We also had a realization that we'd let the little "it's only a couple of dollars" mentality regarding spending fall into play more than it should.  

Thus "No Spend" month was born.

Can we really go a month without spending?  Well, yes and no.  

No-we can't just NOT spend.  We still have to pay bills, put gas in the car, buy produce/perishables, and spend on a couple of other things that were planned for this month (like I really need new contacts.  like a month ago.  guess I should get on that.)

and Yes-we can just STOP spending!  How many times are we at the store for a gallon of milk and we happen to pick up $37 more of things either b/c it was on sale or it looked good or whatever reason?  Way too many times.  What about the "I'll just stop and grab something to eat while I'm out?" The email alert to a screaming deal that is just too good to pass up?  Yah.  Me too.  

So-how's it going?  Well, almost a third of the way through the month we have done great thus far!  We even got a free date thanks to some friends being willing to take the kids last Friday night and pass on some free dinner certificates.  'Cause nothing says "exciting date night" like an MRI, a stop by Costco for cheese and eggs, and food.  But hey, you can't beat free food!  The only deviation from the dictated spending "necessities" has been a Bolt balloon for Jacob's bday party and a few extra grocery things to make dinner and the cake for the party and feed the extended fam who came out for the party.  Oh, I did get a new dustpan/broom set at Ikea yesterday when I stopped by to pick up some flooring samples, but in my defense it was 99 cents, and I had cash to cover it.  (we never carry cash)  

So-21 more days to go....can we do it?  

That means no paying babysitters, no going out to eat without gift cards/gift certificates (which we rarely do anyway, but still...), no extra treats from the store when we stop in to get milk (take 7 kids shopping with you, it's a good motivator to get in and out as quickly as possible.  Just remember and repeat the word "no" to every request.  I think I may just record it and put it on a loop playback for when we go out!).  

I'm thinking we can do it.  Especially since I survived Ikea yesterday.  What is it about a giant blue building and every possible accessory for your home all under one roof that suddenly makes you desperately want ice cube trays that make ice in the shape of fish and flowers?  (especially when you don't use the star shaped tray all that often?)

9 days down, 21 to go.  Here's to saving a few extra bucks to put towards replacing the nasty awful carpet that currently permeates my home.....

QOTD

Quote of the Day that is:

"It's not a tumor."  

(just make sure you say it like Arnold)

Hallelujah!  (and that little girl's face totally cracks me up!)

I've never been so happy to find out that my husband has yet another freakish sinus/nasal cavity thing going on.  Whatever.  I'll take it!  Much more appealing than a brain tumor.  Thank you.

Making a Happy Home Monday

"Monday Monday (la la, lalalala) Can't trust that day"

Oh wait, sorry, that says HAPPY home Monday up there.  That's right.  

MHHM-the fabulous blog carnival hosted by my sweet friend LL.  

So, what's up around these parts this Happy Monday?  Well, no pics thus far.  sorry.  After a weekend in and a birthday party for Jacob last night, the whole house needs recovery and that just ain't fitting in one picture.  Or that many pictures won't fit on one post.  Either way.  

But the good news is....

My bedroom is clean!  Hallelujah!  And my bathroom is too.  Phew!  Not that it was  really ALL that bad, but you know, after a week or two of neglect life just kind of builds up.  

The other part of the Happy for today's MHHM comes in the form of Happy Birthday-to my wild and crazy, very energetic, very opinionated, very middle-child, very stuck between being one of the little kids and wanting to be one of the big kids Jacob.  (who is currently doing "eenie, meenie, miney, mo" to try and pick which candy from the huge bag of treats from Uncle Christopher he'd like to have now that he finally ate lunch.  Big shocker that he picked Double Bubble.)  

So even though 6yrs ago at this very moment I was very NOT happy (well, very hurting really, but happy that it HAD to be drawing to an end and couldn't last forever-see Twitter), today we are happy.  See-look at this:

How could this not make you happy?

Picky, picky, picky!

Just a note for all of you who keep pointing out that the fake announcement was posted on 3/31 and not 4/1, it WAS actually posted on April 1st.  Blogger stamps it with the date it was written, not the date it is posted.  So since we concocted this little scheme before midnight and wrote it around oh, 11pm, it is stamped 3/31.  But rest assured, we didn't have it posted until the wee hours of April Fools Day.  Plus none of  you read it until then anyway.  : )

But is has been entertaining to field phone calls from people who didn't see either of the follow up posts about it not being real!