Fly On The Wall- August!

Hey there!  Welcome to the August Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 14 awesome bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Get in there!

Cast:
Me
The man
A., the eldest (daughter, 19)
C., The middle (son, 15)
J., The youngest (son, 8)
Our dogs: Lila and Henry

Why aren't we billionaires?: (convos from the living room)

C. : "You know you're grown up when ring pops won't fit on your finger. Where's a candy key chain when you need it?"

***

J. : "I think there should be a sport called 'Dance-ketball'. You could hip-hop to the hoop!"
Me: "You know how to hip-hop?"
J. : Well, I would fancy-dance with a partner. That way I could get double the points."

***

Me: (about fire safety) "We need a tube slide to go from your bedroom to the back yard."
A big old collective "No!"
Me:  "Why not? How fun would that be?"
A. : "First of all, the cold would get in."
C. : "Second, Hobos and raccoons might come in."
Me: "UP a slide?"
J. : "Plus, during a fire we shouldn't be thinking of fun things like going down a slide."

Outside, Inside.

Me: (to the man after shopping with my friend at a resale shop) "Guess what? I found a table to redo. It was 80% off! Isn't that wonderful?"
The man: "That depends on what it originally sold for. Should I guess?"
Me: "Nope. Just help me bring it in..."

***

Me: "Hey Honey? Your sister (from Germany) is coming over tomorrow. Don't you think we should mow the backyard?
C. : "Don't do it, Dad. She's from Munich. How does she know whether or not small trees grow out of fire pits and cement cracks?"

Dog TV:

Direct TV came out with a channel solely dedicated to dogs. It's intended as a bit of a babysitter while people are at work. The husband wasn't convinced at the $4.99 a month price.

I send this pic to everyone I know:

Lila watching Dog TV!!

 Me.: "It works! Lila loves Dog TV. We have to get it!"

Two days later I receive these pics from the man:

Lila watching CNN!

Lila watching Food Network. It's a Christmas Miracle!

My "Coffee Bean":

After the urging of many girlfriends and family members, I'm posting a photo of my newest baby. Her name is "Sophia". The man says that it's the ugliest car he's ever seen. It reminds me of my old Chevy Chevette. (Is that a good thing?) The two older kids are mad that it's a stick shift. My husband and daughter's boyfriend do not fit in it unless the top is down. But they all are happy that I can see over the windshield and touch the clutch at the same time. Moreover, they are happy because I am so very grateful for it. The color of the car? Espresso. Kismet?

The first day of school:

Well, I have a junior in college starting next week, A sophomore in high school and a third grader that, get ready for it....I'm homeschooling. Yep. That's almost all I have to say about that. The little guy has been a trooper; we really are going to have a lot of fun together.

C.: (to the youngest). "Being home schooled is going to be awesome. The only bully at school will be mom!"
The man: "Yeah. She's going to make you give her your lunch money."
Me: (to the youngest). "Don't listen to them. We'll have long recesses and field trips..."
C.: "I'd be careful. Mom is notorious for pushing kids off the monkey bars and giving wedgies..."
Awesome.

Lessons learned this month:

• You don't have to be a student in this house to get a wedgie.
• Hair appointments CERTAINLY can take 5 hours when you're chopping all of your hair off AND going back to your natural color (What?). So that covers about an hour and a half. Oh yeah, the rest of the appointment took place at the pancake house. God bless girlfriend therapy and strawberry crepes.

• It's a sad moment when you hug your kids over-the-shoulder and realize they are taller than you.
• Old dogs AND old ladies can take stairs two at a time when the pizza guy delivers on Fridays.
• Neighbors that actually watered their gardens this year are good sharers.
• Tears can be shed when the first Dunkin' Donuts opens up down the street. Sheer joy and perhaps dancing may also happen when the man brings Dunkin' Donuts K-cups home for you. Even better? Waking up to your third grader telling you that a dozen donuts equals 11. Yeah, that lemon custard didn't quite make it home.

***For those of you who have been wondering where I've been: I really have no excuse. I love and appreciate each and every one of my readers and online friends. (Yeah, I just used three 'ands" in my last sentence.) I'm just contemplating whether or not this blog has reached its natural end. Please know that I'm going to get to responding to your posts; past and present. Look for me to pop up to the top of your reading list every once in a while. Now that I've typed this, I'll probably become a daily blogger.

Rhetorical question of the month:

Uttered by my truly wonderful (and mostly helpful) therapist:

"What? You are homeschooling this year? Haven't we discussed your blah blah blah? Your youngest? Have you gone mad?"

Um....Yeah. 

That. 

Here's my check.

Thanks once again for stopping by, and to the Fly's AMAZING creator, Karen @ Baking In a Tornado, aka "The Blogging Original", for hosting this challenge! Would you like to join in the next FLY challenge? Click on the FLY button on my side bar. Karen will more than take care of you.

Take a look at what the other bloggers have going on inside their homes. Go on! Leave them a comment. You know you want to...

Baking In A Tornado                                    

Just a Little Nutty                                

Follow Me Home                          

Stacy Sews and Schools             

The Sadder But Wiser Girl                              

Menopausal Mother                   

Moore Organized Mayhem           

The Insomniac's Dream                                  

The Momisodes                                      

Spatulas on Parade                      

Dates to Diapers                          

Sorry Kid, Your Mom Doesn't Play Well With Others                                  

The Rowdy Baker                                  

Trashy Blog                                       

Barbara & 1923     

All my sincerest wishes AND love sent your way,

Michele

                              

Day 23 of Forty: No Allowance for me..

We're pretty strict around here about chores. There aren't a lot, but the ones you have, you do and you do well. After they're complete, then you can ask for whatever favor you need. It sounds a bit staunch, but it works for us. Want to hang out with a friend? Clean your room! Want to watch a movie? Pick up those Legos. Want to live? Make those chip bags under your bed disappear! The kids sometimes get frustrated at their parents, wishing that every once in awhile they could maybe just catch a break...

If you've followed the blog, you know how much time I spend in my craft room. It's where I get all of my sewing and most of my other projects done. I usually start a project, make an unbelievable mess, THEN I try to put everything back.

I had a few new orders I needed to fill and you know I LOVE that room, but it has been an odd weather week in March where I live. The usually junky cold weather has decided to cooperate fully with sun-loving people and to top that, there has been 60+ degree weather to boot.

I started the week by bringing my sewing machine upstairs and setting it up in the back of the living room. I thought, "Oh, I'll only sew a few things so I can look out the window, get some sun and then I'll bring the machine back downstairs to finish everything else."

Only the days kept being gorgeous! I needed to catch up on some laundry and a few TV shows that we DVRd this week. "Perhaps I'll just bring up a few other things and multi-task." I tried to reason with myself. "I'll finish up here and then bring it down there.." Yes, I did sound like the Grinch. I just didn't want to be in the basement!

But by last night, the living room looked like this:

Oh dear.
"I promise Mr. Man, I will have this all picked up soon. I realize that everyone shouldn't have to walk on the carpet and dodge needles like it's a minefield. I will probably take down that ironing board sometime tomorrow morning.."

All of a sudden, "tomorrow morning" became today. It was beautiful yet again, but I knew I had a job to do. The kids were at school, the man was at work and I had a pretty good chunk of time to clean up the disaster otherwise known as Craft Room, Level II. Ah. Suck it up Michele, and get it done.

As I began to dig into the mess, my phone across the room started buzzing. Scissors, fabric and an iron in hand, I contemplated checking it before taking my first trip downstairs. I worried that it might be my daughter, so I picked up the phone and checked the text.

"Hey Loser, Can you get coffee?" It was a sentimental invitation from a very good friend. I looked at the mess in my living room, then at the mess that was me; I hadn't even gotten cleaned up yet. I also thought of all of the rest of the "chores" I needed to do today and texted back, "Yes!"

I know I've got a lot of explaining to do. I should have cleaned up that mess before having any fun. But I had a needed blast with a friend who didn't care that I had holes in my jeans or mascara smudged under my eyes from crying after I stepped on a blasted pin..

The mess is still there. It will have to wait until tomorrow. The kids never mentioned it. The man texted me while I was out after I didn't answer the home phone and said, "I hope you're out having fun!" I knew he meant it. He realizes that by spilling my guts to and laughing with a girlfriend, I will be renewed. Plus I won't have to talk at him about all the minute things that get on my nerves during the day. Win-win.

I realized chores CAN sometimes wait in the name of an unexpected cafe drive-thru, a trip to Target and a good friend.

I will be sure to remember this when I step on the inevitable LEGO later or trip on a backpack or two. The older two kids asked to hang out with their friends tonight. (There isn't any school tomorrow.) Before asking if their chores were done, I paused for a sec, then told them to go and have fun. We all need a break every once in a while.

Have a restful night, friends. Tomorrow is Friday!

The more things change...

I moved (with the man's help) my living room furniture around today. We dusted and swept everything. We rotated the rug, moved and reconnected the entertainment center and reconfigured the placement of the chairs and sofas. At least five different ways. Maybe six. Okay, eight, tops.

 I tried to explain to the man where I thought everything should go. I knew what I wanted in my mind, but the space wouldn't cooperate. Now, the man knew my arrangement plan wasn't going to work. Apparently, it was "mathematically impossible." Yes, I believe air quotes were used. He tried using his outstretched arms and then a measuring tape to explain exactly why it wasn't going to work. He's a spatial magician, remember?

He's also an abnormally patient man. He wasn't looking for an I-told-you-so moment. He was simply hoping his wife would make up her insane mind so he could sit down in time to watch his football game.

After forever and a minute of insisting we try one more arrangement, I finally hung my head in defeat. Without saying a word, we put it all back. Exactly where it was hours before. Ugh.

On the bright side, (Really? A bright side? Now I'm just reaching, folks...) the benefits of this experience are two-fold.  First, my living room is now properly dusted. Yes, yes it is. Second? The man can't file for divorce on a Sunday.

Pledge and Swiffers- one point. Any sense of accomplishment and three hours of my (and the man's) life- zero.

Cheers to a productive workweek, friends.

Why didn't I think of that?

Remember my post about our baseboards in the living room?

Not into lifting weights...

 I was pretty proud of my white-trash idea of the weights holding up the boards. I just didn't expect them to still be there, half a year later.  People who visit get to think to themselves, "Wow. These people know how to decorate. And look! They must be too busy to go to the gym. They probably work out right here, on the wood perimeter of the living room floor. Poor souls. Maybe there, in the 1 square foot of extra space between the sofa and the wall. Shellybean must work out over there, under the window. Her husband more-than-likely lifts his weights way over there, on the other side of the room, right next to that lamp. Aw, aren't they dedicated? I wonder why they don't look like they're in shape, though..."

I'm sure if you're reading this post you're asking yourself why in the world we still haven't nailed those boards in? How long could it take? Actually, if you've been following the blog you're not in the least bit surprised. Thank you for understanding that there is no reason good enough. They just haven't fallen over yet.

It is to you, dear regular readers, that I must ask,  Is there anyone else in this world who would be too lazy to use a little Gorilla Glue and at least pretend that the base boards were nailed in? Could there be anything more classless than 5 pound weights holding up loose boards?

Well yes, folks. There is. And iphone as my witness, there is a trashier way! The man and I were picking up a few things at Wallyworld (aka Walmart) yesterday and this is what we saw....

Absolute genius.

I don't know. Something about this screams "Man-in-Charge" to me. I'm not saying this just because it's all over the news lately that women are not being promoted to this level of decision making at Walmart. (If indeed that is true, Walmart should be ashamed of themselves).

I say this because my man looked at the base board under those water fountains with astonishment and then slowly smiled back at me as if to say, "Perhaps we should go back for some duct tape...."

This is why I usually shop alone.

At Target.

Happy Monday, friends :)

It's a really good thing I'm not into lifting weights.....

Hello old friends! I can't imagine any of you are still following this blog. I closed my eyes and summer was gone. And then September. Suddenly, it's nearing the end of October..... Ahhh! How does this happen?

Well, let's see...We DID get that floor in the living room finished. It is pretty straight and we're all still living under one roof- I'm calling that a flipping miracle. Because the work never ends and the floor turned out so well, I asked the husband if we could replace our base boards. They were small, heavily scratched and cracked. We're assuming they must have been original to the house because when we tried to pull them away from the wall, we could only conclude that someone was scared they wouldn't stay. Those babies were attached with nails longer than my arms. It's a great thing I don't exaggerate.....

So. On to the post title. Why is it a good thing I'm not into lifting weights? Um, that would be because they are the "nails" holding up my new base boards. Oh sure, we started two of the walls. But then something came up, like, I don't know. Some one's dinner party? Water main break? No electricity? Probably not. More like...."What's for dinner?", " I need to check Facebook."  "Want to talk to the neighbors?" ...Oh, if there is a job to be done, be sure we will come up with any reason not to completely finish it. Don't feel bad for us. We'll get there. I just have to call a friend and have her "ask" my husband if we might have any weights she could borrow.....



Here is  one of the "cleanest" views of the berber floor. See the teeny tiny baseboards?

Here is a view of the new floor. I really love it. The floor still squeaks in places. We replaced a lot of the floorboards. I was amazed at how "Not Square" the room was. Look at how cute the new baseboards are! The ones you see are actually nailed in. Woo Hoo!

These, not so much :)

Happy, Happy Autumn, friends!!

Cover it up and call it a day.

I talked my husband into helping me lay floor in our living room / library. Yep, that would be the guy who uses computers for a living. Along with his non-spatial wife. And three kids. I'm going to go ahead and wish for a few things-

1. I hope we bought the right tools.

2. I hope the floor looks straight.

3. I hope we solve our squeaky floor problem.

4. I hope we're still married when we finish the project.

5. I hope we're all alive and accounted for when it's over :)

Wish us luck!

Happy weekend everyone :)