Works For Me Wednesday

I heard once that women walk something like twelve miles in their lives just making their beds. Multiply that by the five beds in my house and you'll see that it's a lot of unnecessary walking for a basically useless task since they just get messed up again! So, my works for me Wednesday tip is one I've figured out to make bed making easier. Ready? Do it while still in the bed. Yup. Before I get out of bed I kneel in between the two pillows. I then center and straighten just the top edges of the sheet and blankets in my hands. Then I give the blankets a big "SWOOSH" and gently shake them all out. Gravity takes over and the blankets all line up neatly. Fold over one corner, crawl out and smooth that corner back down. I think this post makes about as much sense as making the beds in the first place, but making the bed while still in it works for me!

Toby-isms

Toby is our funniest kid yet. He's three. Here are just two of the things he's said today that cracked me up.

This morning I was on my way to drop the kids off at a babysitters so I could go to the doctor's office. I was telling the kids where they were going and that it was because I was going to the doctor. "The doctor? Why are you going to the doctor? Are ya' sick or somethin'?" (Imagine a three year old with a fake southern accent on that last sentence.)

This afternoon he was sword fighting with himself. He was making all manner of sword sound effects. "Toby," I asked, "where do little boys learn to make all those noises?" "In a class." One I certainly would NOT have signed him up for!

Works For Me Wednesday

I discovered a great idea last night when I was making our BBQ chicken pizza (and cheese pizza for my BORING kids!). I have one pizza stone. Our family needs two pizzas. See my problem? So I was going to just put the kids' pizza on the oven rack. As I was opening the pre-made crust it broke. Right in half. And THAT is where my Works For Me Wednesday idea struck! In my large bar pan stone I put both halves of the pizza crust. When put together so they fit in the pan they looked a little like an S. I would have taken a picture, but that would have been too easy. :) So, now I know how to make two pizzas at the same time with just one pizza stone. Break the crust in half and use a cookie sheet! Works for me!

You know the drill. Head over to Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer for more great and practical tips on just about everything.

Tonight's menu

Tonight on the menu we have BBQ chicken pizza and salad. I'm making a plain ol' cheese pizza for the kids because, as Aidan would say, "we're boring".

How do you make a BBQ chicken pizza you ask? Why I'm happy to tell you!

Take:
1 prepared pizza crust (splurge once in a while and get the Boboli whole wheat)
top with 3/4 cup bbq sauce (if I were back in my hometown I'd get Cookies, but alas, I am not) and set aside.

Add 2 cups chopped or shredded chicken cooked and mixed with 1/4 cup bbq sauce.

Top with 1/4ish chopped red onion and 2ish green onions. We don't like onions much so we just use a small sprinkling.

Spread 1/2 wheel of Gouda cheese and 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese. Bake at 425 for about 12 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty.

I double the toppings, put them in freezer baggies and make a "kit" to pull out in the future. Then I don't have 1/2 a wheel of Gouda smelling up my fridge!

You can't make this stuff up

The other day Evan and Jim were talking on the way to school.

"Dad, if sin had never entered the world, would the laws of physics still apply?"

HE'S SEVEN!

Peter Pan

This morning Toby woke up in one of his Eeyore moods. Those of you with kidlets know the one, he mopes around the house, not wanting to eat, not wanting to play, not wanting to do much of anything except mope. He didn't want to go to his Sunday School class so he got to go to "big church" with me. Since Jim was running sound I was running the three boys in the pew. Evan participated well, Aidan snuck off to not be in "big church" and Toby moped. Eventually I picked him up and let him cuddle himself onto my shoulder. He rubbed his hair and sucked his thumb as I sang the praise and worship songs softly into his ear. I glanced across the room at another mom whose three sons are all grown up. Her baby boy is a junior in high school. And then it hit me. This baby soft cheek that is nuzzled up on my cheek won't always be baby soft. Someday my baby son will be all grown up and that baby soft cheek won't be baby soft anymore, but will be covered with the bristly stubble of a man. So, I let my mind wander away from the praise around me and just basked in the nuzzling of that baby soft cheek on mine soaking up that memory to pull out when my baby son is all grown up.

I'm constantly reminded that these baby days ARE all too fleeting. Evan's thinking deep theological thoughts. Aidan's learning to read. Toby's learning about planting and growing seeds. Avery's learning to walk. And someday I'll be watching them all walk the stage for high school graduation and eventually, Lord willing, walk the aisle to get married and start families of their own. I keep reminding myself, at the reminding of another more seasoned mom, that my job is to work myself out of a job. My job is to mother these lil'uns so that they will be successful, Christ honoring citizens not only of Earth, but making an impact for eternity as well. So work on, mammas. Your job matters and these days WILL blow by before you even know it. Those soft cheeks you kiss goodnight WILL become scruffy man cheeks. Soak up those soft memories now to pull out later!

I may be in trouble

Update at the bottom!
The library near us teams up with the nursing home once a month for story time with the residents. Yesterday when we went to regular story time we were invited to meet up with the librarian and some other moms this morning at the nursing home to read, sing and do a craft with the "grandmas and grandpas". So, I thought it would be a fun way to get us out of the house this morning and maybe brighten someone's day.

This morning Toby was jumping and flipping around the living room in the buff. I had one of those mommy moments where I said the first thing that popped into my head regardless of the fact that it may not be the brightest thing to tell a three year old. I said, "Toby, you have to get dressed. You cannot go to story time at the nursing home neked. The grandmas don't want to see your *parts*!" "Why don't they want to see my *parts*? I think I'm going to show the grandmas my *parts*!"

Oh boy. I'll fill you in on the morning and hopefully the lack of *parts* later!

Update: We made it through the entire 1/2 hour of story time with no *parts* show and tell. However, on the way to the nursing home I did get pulled over for speeding. Yes, I was totally guilty. The speed goes from 50 mph to 30 right at the edge of our town. I was heading into town cruising along at 45ish. The boys were extremely well behaved while the officer was talking to me (and the kids were all buckled in properly in their car seats, he checked as he was coming up to the window.) I felt like a huge excuse maker trying to talk her way out of a ticket though. The officer asked where we were headed. "We're on our way to the nursing home to have storytime with the residents." Yeah, right. Like that's really happening! I'm telling the truth, officer! He didn't question me though. And, mercifully, he only warned me to keep the speed down. No ticket. Thank you officer!