a christmas cheat

Ok you caught me.  I'm adding in our Christmas photos in February, oh yeah it's March now.  I'm totally back dating it though, hence the "cheat".

 Little man was not cooperating for the photo taking this day.  Apparently there was something on TV that was more interesting than the lens of my camera.

I don't think I got a single picture of him looking at the camera.

My sister in law told me that the older your kids get the more excited you are at Christmas.  Well Christmas has always been a fun time in my of the family, we have always found the holiday spirit, but even so she was definitely right.  This year was so much more fun than last.  This year Gammy, Aunt Heather, myself, and the kiddos loaded up one night to drive around and check out the Christmas lights.  I hope I never forget the image of Heather and Cohen, she calls it car dancing, I call it seizures, whatever it was it was some funny hand movements, in the back of the car jamming away to Christmas Carols.  The kids really seemed to enjoy the lights.  I can't wait to do it again next year.  And of course we have our second annual Santa pic...

Heather and I are going to have to start dressing all holiday-y if these kids don't man up and start getting their picture taken with Santa by themselves.  That was the picture Gammy liked, I think it was because of Morgan.  I mean who can blame Gammy really, your eyes go straight for her, she is so happy.  Heather however preferred this picture...

And who can blame her.  I mean what was she doing in that first pic.  I, on the other hand, would prefer if the kids would've sat with Santa alone.

It was so great to see Cohen wake up and stumble out to see the tree.  He had woke up in the middle of the night and I carried him into our room to go sleep in our bed.  For some reason Jody had gone outside after we woke up that morning, I'm sure he had good reason, I think he was checking something out.  I was trying to keep Cohen in our room until he came back in, without being too obvious, because when your kid is 2 you don't want to be too obvious I guess.  Anyway I failed.  I didn't get to see his expression because I was behind him, but I could picture it.  He walked to our door and just froze in awe.  Then the rest of the day was just kind of chill.  We opened presents, played, ate, and just hung out.  It was really nice.  PS, the tool bench is from Aunt HC, Uncle Rob, and Morgan and there were a couple presents under the tree from Gams as well.  

I can't decide which of these is my fave, this one of the first (the one that is pulled back a bit).  

it's been a while kyle

Yeah so apparently the month of September just doesn't exist around here, since I skipped blogging the whole time.  I have no excuse...no I have excuses, just no good excuses.  However I'm going to ease back into this whole blogging thing with a short but sweet post today.

So we went to Aunt Heather's this past weekend.  It was filled with fall festivals, pumpkin patches, and screaming kids...lots of screaming, mostly from Morgan...ha ha ha, ok ok Cohen did his fair share plus more too.

I didn't take my camera out anywhere near as much as I should have.  The only reason it went with me to the pumpkin patch was because Heather's was dead, then all my pictures were way over exposed.  To say I was lazy in the photo area is an understatement.

We have a few pictures of the two punks because Uncle Rob suggested we toss them in front of the pumpkins once we got home.  Good call Uncle "Rah" (as Cohen says).  So Gammy did get to see the little ones after all, not many pics mind you, but beggars can't be choosers.

a week ago

A week ago today little man attended his first day of school.

So far so good.  He's doing much better than I thought he would.  I didn't really know what to expect in terms of his behavior at school.  Part of me thought he'd cry all day long, and part of me thought he'd love running around with all the other kids (after a few days of course).  In terms of at home behavior, I really thought I'd have a super clingy kid on my hands for at least a week or two, until he settled in.  Nope, nada, not at all.  The kid really seems to love it.

By the second day, he's going Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30-12:00, I was hearing good reports.  By the second day, he was starting to enjoy himself.  By the second day, he was no longer throwing tantrums that resulted in him hitting himself or hitting his head on the floor.  He comes home from school in a great mood, and of course Mom is in a great mood because of this not to mention her time alone.  All in all the kid is growing up, and we're excited to see him do so...of course we're crying because he has to, but still we're excited.

morning routine

The little man starts school this week.  Wednesday is open house.  Then Friday is officially his first day of preschool.  Do you hear the crying?  Oh no it's not me, it's the lovely ladies that will be wrangling him in each day.  Actually it is bitter sweet.  The little guy is all grown up and leaving the nest for bigger and brighter things.

Since he's moving on...seriously before I know it he'll be heading off to college, luckily we live in a college town so he won't be going far, no dorm rooms for you buddy...I thought it was perfectly acceptable to get a bit more snuggle time in last week.  Every morning he woke up, I fixed his breakfast, and we promptly headed into my room to climb on the bed, watch some toons, and eat.

Lately he has been asking to watch movies.  And on top of that he has to watch them in our room.  He is perfectly content to sit on our bed all day, watch movies and play with his cars.  The only thing better is going outside of course.

Caught him mid cough.

Even Sophie has enjoyed our morning routine.  Enjoy it while it lasts Soph.

hey good lookin'

whatcha got cookin'?

We got laundry soap a cookin'

I've wanted to try to make my own laundry detergent for a year or so now.  However I've always been too scared to, in fear that it would fade our clothes.  A week or so ago I decided to make a few of my own cleaning supplies and after making one I wanted to make another then another until finally I was only left with laundry detergent.

So I gave it a go.  All went well until the next day.  I had read not to be alarmed when you wake up the next day to find a few lumps, that it clumps as it cools, to just shake it up a bit.  I put mine in two milk jugs, and I really believe that I could of cute the jugs in half and the detergent would have stood on its own.  There were no lumps, there was one big lump.  I had to stick a wooden spoon handle down in the jug to break it up some, then squeeze like hell to get it out, then mush it up with my hands until it was finally more of a liquid form.  Fun times.

We do however now have homemade laundry detergent and I have used it a few times.  So far it has been a success.  We'll see how it continues in the future.

Here is the recipe I used for the laundry detergent.
I did make a couple changes, because I heard that with hard water you need more stuff to water ratio.

Homemade laundry detergent


1 bar of soap grated (I used an orange honeysuckle softsoap, who knew they made bar soap now)
1.5 cups Borax (I used 1.5 rather than the 1 cup it called for)
1.5 cups Washing Soda (again 1.5 rather than the 1 cups it called for)


Pour a gallon of water in a pot with your grated bar soap.  When the soap has dissolved add the Borax and Washing Soda.  Bring to a boil.  Then add another gallon of cool water.  I let mine cool slightly then poured them in two gallon sized milk jugs...actually one gallon sized milk jug and one gallon sized tea jug.  It will thicken as it cools.


The next morning you could be in big trouble.  Next time I plan to just let mine cool in the pot overnight then mush it the next morning and put it in the jugs afterwards. 


Next up an all-purpose cleaner.  I've looked around trying to find where I found this and can't.  There are tons that are very similar but not exactly like this.  I haven't tried the others so I have no idea if this one is better or not, it's just what I started with and it works so I'm sticking with it for now.

All-Purpose Cleaner

1 T Vinegar

1 tsp Borax

3/4 c warm distilled water

2 T liquid Castille Soap

Mix the vinegar and borax together in a spray bottle.  To that add warm water and mix well.  Add castille soap and 10 or so drops of essential oils if you want.  

For the castille soap I used Dr. Bronners, which I have found in the fancy bath soap aisle of both Publix and Target.  I was unable to find unscented the first time and bought almond honey or something like that but this eliminates the need or desire for essential oils...a cheaper route if you are interested in that sort of thing.  Also I used this on the Mr.'s shower and OMG the soap scum practically jumped off the walls by itself.  Who would've known, I sprayed it, left it on for about 10 minutes, and effortlessly wiped the walls down with a magic eraser.  I'm sure a rag would work fine too, I had the eraser so I used it.

Next we have the best glass cleaner there is.  I used to be a vinegar whore.  I'm a bit ashamed to admit it but it's true.  I used vinegar for everything, my favorite thing was glass and mirrors.  It, especially when used with newspaper rather than paper towels, will give windex a run for its money.  I've seen the light.  This stuff is the bomb diggity.  I compare it to HD tv.  Yeah it's that good.  Just like when you first get HD you sit there flipping back and forth between HD ESPN and regular ESPN...because we all know ESPN is the clearest for some reason...you will sit and look back and forth between the window that you have cleaned with this stuff and the others.  It's that good.

Alvin Corn Glass Cleaner

1/4 c. rubbing alcohol

1/4 c. vinegar

1 T cornstarch

2 c. warm water

Combine in a spray bottle and shake well.  The cornstarch will settle between uses so shake before using as well.

Let me just say that when you put warm water in a spray bottle with other stuff and shake it, it will create pressure possibly expanding the bottle and possibly leak a bit.  So maybe just stir it with the lid not screwed on.  Or shake then unscrew the lid to release the pressure until the contents are warm.  I'm not sure if this happens with everything but it has happened with everything I've made so far.

Just when you think you've found the best glass cleaner and you think it can't get any better...I will present you with the greatest furniture polish.  I'm not one to believe in conspiracy theories, or even start them but shhhh....I think pledge is trying to screw us.  I'm only kidding here, no lawsuits please.  I gave this one a go and I must say that the dust stays away far longer than it does with pledge.  I've used it on older furniture, that isn't sealed, and so far so good, but please use this at your own discretion, I'd hate to be the reason your Great Aunt Edna's buffett was ruined.

Furniture Polish


1/2 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 c. Vinegar


Mix in a glass jar and use a rag to apply/polish.

I actually used more than 1/2 tsp of olive oil, it just didn't seem like enough.  I actually just poured a slow skinny stream for 3 seconds.  I only dust once a week now, could probably go longer.  I probably only dusted once a week before, could have definitely done it more often though.

And last is just a simple trick.  Dump some baking soda in a jar that has some hole poked in the top, sprinkle in some essential oil, I used lemon.  Cover with saran wrap and shake around.  Let it sit overnight and tada instant carpet freshener....ok not instant but freshener none the less.  Sprinkle on your carpets or rugs and let sit for 15-30 minutes and vacuum as normal.

Ok so go grab you some spray bottles and old pickle jars and go to town.  You will thank me later.

extreme makeover home edition

We've been living in this here little abode for roughly 8 years now.  Boy it doesn't seem that long.  It seems like just yesterday that we were lying on the floor with Chris, Jackie and their only two (at the time) kids when we rode over with them to show them the place...ok I was lying everyone else was sitting, no I distinctly remember Chris was lying as well, see I'm not the only weirdo.

We've made a lot of changes to the place.  I believe each room has been painted at least twice.  Poor Eric, I picked out the most awful orangey copper for his room, good thing he is color blind.  Though I'm not certain the color blindness helped, it was bad.  He lived with it for a good year, then we lived with it for a few after that until I just couldn't take it anymore.  It's a soft yellow now, and I love it...for now.

Now that I'm an official blogger...that's right I have a badge and everything, ok no badge...I figure it's about time I start recording some of our wonderful ideas, and the not so great ones too.  I have this plan to start one room at a time and make over the entire place.

First up, because it was/is going to be the cheapest is the laundry room.  Even though the hubs thinks it's small we are actually blessed with a good size laundry room.  Some people have literally enough space to put the washer and dryer and that is it hon, I'll show you sometime.  Ours is actually too big, did you just hear him scream "what"?  I'll tell you why.  It's too big because we tend to store everything in there.  That's the problem, not the size.  However we don't have another place to put the vacuum, broom, and other random stuff, so it goes in the laundry room.

Back to the point.  I give you what we started out with.

and here is what we've done, so far.

We cleaned off the top of the washer and dryer!  Ha, I'm kidding.  We put them up on a platform.  I know this post was such a letdown.  This is only the beginning, I assure you.  The Mr. wanted to put a counter top above the washer and dryer, to stop things from falling behind, and once he decided to do that he decided he'd lift them up just a bit.  Now we can open the doors with a clothes basket under them, and you don't have to bend over quite as far.  As for the counter top, it is in place as well.  We still need to add molding and trim to it and the front of the platform.  I also want to put two cabinets up rather than the wire shelves.  See...only the beginning.  I'll keep you posted.

waiting game

Friday we went to the Speech and Hearing clinic to have the little man checked out.  WOW.  It was not a good day.  The Mr. had a meeting so he came about half way through.  He missed the meltdown of a lifetime.  Cobra was not liking being confined in that room.  Nor did he like the high chair they tried to put him in in the middle of the tantrum.

We are now aware of a few "concerns".  We also now have a few things to put into the practice.  This is the biggest relief of all.  From the get go it has just been a waiting and guessing game.  Waiting to see what we need to do and guessing what the next person is going to say so it's nice to actually have something to do rather than just sit and worry.  

A couple of the things she was worried about I'm a little iffy on.  In the middle of his fit, little man slung a cup (it was empty, not that this matters, I'm just stating it as a fact) off the table.  She felt this wasn't "age appropriate", that this is a "6 month old" thing to do.  Now I don't think he should be doing this, I think he should know better, and I think I should correct it, but I don't think it's unreasonable behavior at this age.  I think that if she is seeing this behavior stop at 6 months with the kids she is seeing, then she is seeing some super well behaved kids.

She also felt that "the tantrum", which was life altering I will admit, was a bit much.  It went on for far too long,  for no reason.  She said it was as if he was mad about being there then by the middle he didn't even know why he was mad, he was just mad (but don't all kids go through this at one point or another or am I crazy).  That he needs to learn to self calm.  I felt, that the kid didn't get a good night's sleep, he was up for two hours in the middle of the night just lying there and tossing and turning, then he feel asleep 5 minutes before we got there, even though I left a half hour early in hopes that he would fall asleep on the way so he could get a half hour nap in before the appointment.  And he was left to freely walk to the room, which he didn't want to go into, but was made to go in, so we started off with resistance.  All this plus the fact that I really didn't know how much they wanted me to intervene so I didn't try to settle or soothe him much at all, lead to melt down central. 20 to 30 minutes of pure hell to put it exact, actually the fit itself wasn't too bad it was just never ending.  

The main "concern" is eye contact.  He makes good eye contact in general.  He looks strangers straight in the eye.  He makes friends with the cashiers at Publix weekly because of this.  He made a three point....look?  I can't remember what she called it exactly but he looked at a toy, then made eye contact with her, then back at the toy...a good sign.  However, as I've been saying, when he makes a request the eye contact is lacking.  I have been thinking that his lines of communication have been growing, in part because he has been grabbing you and taking you to what he wants, or putting what he wants in your hands, etc.  But apparently I haven't clued in enough.  When he has been doing this he hasn't been making eye contact.  This was a major concern of hers.  I understood and instantly knew what she meant when she brought it up.  He would stare at your hands almost willing them to work to his benefit, it almost seemed like he didn't know that you were attached to them.

We have been working on this all weekend.  If he wants something that I'm holding, I won't give it up until he makes eye contact, as per her suggestion.  If I'm pushing him in his car, I will stop and wait for him to make eye contact, as if to ask why I stopped, before I start back.  If he hands me something to open I will sit motionless until he looks me in the eye.  It's amazing the number of times throughout the day that this little exercise can be worked in.  And it has made great changes.  Now I will say that while I recognized it had been happening once she pointed it out, I didn't notice it before so I hadn't been paying any attention to it.  So I really have nothing to judge his performance now to, but it does seem that he's making that eye contact with less resistance and often times initially on his own, in just 3-4 days.  

So obviously this is a social behavior issue which of course brings us back to the "a word".  I asked and her response was it's too early to tell.  But regardless of what the future will bring if she were us and there were any concerns she would address them.  Which is how I feel.  I mean can it really hurt to teach him to make better eye contact.  However with such great change in such a short time, I'm beginning to wonder that since we can teach him to make better eye contact maybe we just didn't teach him.  

She also told us to talk, talk, talk, talk, and talk some more.  To be his "play by play announcer".  This weekend I have talked, talked, talked, talked, and talked some more.  So much that Sunday night my throat was sore.  Mimic him, and don't put pressure on him to talk.  Treat his babbling/jargon as real speech.  It really does feel good to actually have something to put into play.  This weekend I would pick every little thing apart that he did and wonder if it was a sign of anything.  But now that I have processed things, and had a few meltdowns of my own, and most importantly seen changes in the kid, I'm back to a positive state of mind.

And now we wait again.  Wait for Thursday when the E.I. therapist will come out to play with Cobra and see what she says.  And wait to see what the speech and hearing wants to do.  And wait for Thursday when the new season of Project Runway starts.