Wanted: Babysitter

I need a babysitter. It is for the night shift. It is not for my kids or my husband (though one of my boys has been ending up in my bed at night--last night it was twice). It is for my dehydrator.

Yes, I am slowly becoming a domesticated homemaker, with the help and encouragement from my husband. When my PIL (parents-in-law) gave us a huge bucket of peaches (thanks!) we set to work, peeling and coring, slicing and dipping. Then we put 'em on the trays and flicked the switch. Oye! The first night, two nights ago, I had to check them every hour, taking off the completed slices and rotating trays for maximum dehydration. I gave up at 2 am and stuffed the last few slices into a separate plastic wrap--close enough. I was also somewhat concerned--I have no idea if dehydrators are a fire risk. Mine comes from an obsolete company--no doubt bankrupt from poor marketing, financial matters, or from lawsuits due to fire hazards. Hmm, I don't think that'll help me sleep better.

Yesterday my hubby cut the rest into larger pieces--halves and such. I then sliced up our bananas, dipping them into honey/lemon juice and sprinkling them with nutmeg. I put those on one tray too. So last night I was up every two hours; checking, withdrawing, rotating. I have come to the conclusion that I either need to start the dehydrator at bedtime so I don't need to check it for a few hours or I need a babysitter for my dehydrator.

Any takers?

First day of school

So Chief started school again today. I walked with him, his siblings, and a friend and her daughter. You could just imagine how heart-broken he must have been when he waved me off as we were on the sidewalk leading up to the school and said, "It's okay Mom, I can go from here." I'm sure he just quickened his step so I wouldn't see his tears. Yeah, that's it.
Forgot the camara though. Oh well. As it was, he wanted to walk by himself (uh, not gonna happen).
When he got home I could tell school had really begun. Chief gets all animated and goofy because that's how he acts around other kids. He freezes with goofy expressions on his face for reaction purposes.
I'd better go find, I mean check on, the kids.

Potter is pretend!

Okay, so since I was out of town last weekend, I missed the announcement that the Harry Potter movie due to come out on November 21st has been moved to next July. Apparently, there are a number of distressed fans that are petitioning to still have it come out in November (over 30,000 so far). Um, ooookkkaaaayyy. Can I say one thing? GET A LIFE!!! It's only a movie!!! You've read the book! You KNOW what it's going to be about! So it's going to come out a few months later--you'll still be alive (and if not, you won't care anyway by then). There...I feel better. Yes, I'm a fan, but no--I don't care that it has been put off. Instead, I'm going to the Twilight movie which has been moved to November 21st since the Harry Potter movie will no longer be competition.

Last night the neighbors of the surrounding townhouses got together for a dessert/talent show (given by the kids). We had a good time. I didn't meet any new neighbors because the only ones who went are the ones I know pretty well by now because my kids play with theirs. I made homemade oreo cookies. Again. Chief's talent was to make peanut butter balls with a friend. Red's was to ride his scooter. I didn't sign Punkie up for one.

Home sweet home

So now I have a ton of things to clean/do, but se la vie! (I'm sure I just spelled that wrong--then again, I took high school spanish, not French).

Had a great time without the little ones. Thought about them often though. We were camping somewhat near a reservoir. Our campground had a fishing pond for kids and seniors and a river wound though it. My FIL (I have two) taught us how to fly fish and since we're hooked, we tried out our luck. Apparently we didn't have any. Since my hubby was a little under the weather, we just watched movies and read books. It turns out he has pneumonia :(.

Also you may have noticed that I have edited the prior posts, removing the names of my kids and replacing them with nicknames. Although I try not to reveal too much information concerning my family for security reasons, my mom thought even the first names were too much. My sister has a friend who nicknames her kids on her blog, so they suggested the same. Since I'm not opposed to such a simple change, I've decided to nickname my kids as well. My first born son is Chief. He likes to direct and tell people what to do. My second child is Red. He has auburn hair and many people still ask me where he got his red hair. My youngest is Punkie, short for pumpkin. Yeah, it's not too flattering, but it'll do.

I'm afraid you're going to have to imagine a "gone fishing" sign. While I was looking for a clipart via internet, a mock 'my computer' screen popped up as if my security softeware was warning me I had malicious spyware on my computer. In order to delete them, I had to run a program (which happened to be from unknown origins). Anyway, beware. We shut the screen down and ran our McAfee security program. No viruses found. The point in the first place is that I'm taking a last long weekend. GONE FISHING!

Why I blog

Do you want to know why I started blogging? I could say it is because I wanted to journal some part of my life, and you already know I have an adversion to writting with {shudder} a paper and pen. Or it could be I want family and friends to stay in touch with the little day to day happenings or events. But no. To be perfectly honest, that's not it. If you really must know, it is because...it helps me to procrastinate! Yep, I've got a ton of things on the to-do list and so I don't get overwhelmed, I procrastinate. I know, it doesn't make sense.
My baby girl wanted something in the fridge today. I guess it was to just cool down because she just wanted to sit there. Hmmm...maybe I should clean out the fridge. Naw, I'll just post another picture.

Here's my boys with Punkie (the little one) and their friend.

Red refused to look at the camara.

The other day we decided to give out our weekly treat to the neighborhood kids: otter pops. We even gave refills. Out of the 11 kids present, only 2 were mine. Wow. Good thing the pops come in packages of 100!

Summer Fun

Chief will be starting school a week from tomorrow. Most people are celebrating the return of school, except my sister Jen of course, but I'm not exactly sure how I feel. Less resistance when going places would be nice, but the offset of entertaining his brother, getting him ready in time, and the inevitable butting of the heads over homework is exhausting just to think about. Maybe if Red does get into preschool I'll be relieved.


We'll just have to make the most of our last few days of summer break. Last weekend we were hanging out at Bear Lake for Raspberry Days. We had a great time with my in-laws (although I did manage to fall down the mountainside--thanks to flip flops on a steep dirt trail). And we made new friends on the way home--Nate and Ashley, with their kids.

This weekend promises to be even more fun!