Gunny Sack Monster

If your kids are anything like mine, getting them to pick up their toys is like pulling teeth - from all of our mouths. It takes FOREVER for them to clean up their playroom, with a million bathroom & drink breaks in between. Last week, I decided it was finally time to implement an idea that worked for my mother-in-law - the Gunny Sack Monster.

As you see, the Gunny Sack Monster hangs on the wall of the playroom to remind the boys throughout their playtime to put things away as soon as they are through. We're hoping to thus eliminate the toybox explosion we find at the end of the day. When the end of the day does come, the boys have a timer set for them to pick up the toys in their playroom, and put them away NEATLY. (Parker has just entered the stage of stuffing things in closets and under beds an proudly announcing "All clean, Mom!" Right.) So, after the timer has ended, the Gunny Sack Monster makes his appearance. Anything that is not put away neatly is eaten by the Gunny Sack Monster and not regurgitated for one week. I hope my string of jute can withstand the weight of his consumption!

Poop

I feel a little bit crazed today - and I've gotta talk about it.

I've already vented to many of you over the phone, email, facebook, even this blog, about my neighbors' dog (now DOGS - have a boxer, and they just bought a doberman pinscher) pooping in our yard. Plug your ears of you're sick of me - I'm getting sick of myself over this!

We got the backyard fenced, and so, of course, no more poops in the backyard. Hooray! However, "fido" has not taken the hint and is still pooping in the small part of our yard in front of the fence gate. Oy. This is worse than the initial poopings in the side yard, because you can see them right from the driveway and they are closer to where the kids like to play. Our neighbors are very aware of our dislike of the poops, since from day one we have shoveled/flung the poop right back into their yard. One time we even made a neat little pile, and they talked to us about it, blaming it on their kids not watching where the does does his business. In my stalking, I have since learned that it is not just the kids' negligence.

I bought some Critter Ridder (granules) to try and keep the dog out - to no avail. I've found three poops since yesterday afternoon. This is making me absolutely crazy! I almost don't recognize the crazed insanity that has possessed me over getting rid of these poops! I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I already deal with poop WAY more than I wish! My three-year-old is still refusing to be potty-trained!

After much googling (apparently this is a major problem with a lot of people everywhere), I've found and purchased this beast:

It was a good deal on Amazon (free shipping, honey!) and has many great reviews - and it had better work, for that dog's sake. Who knows what crazy will do to me if it doesn't!

Beachy Keen

Today I was supposed to be headed over the mountains to my mom's. Every year she puts on our neighborhood's easter egg hunt at the park and every year I have wished for my boys to be a part of it - this was going to be my chance! Alas, the menacing snow is making his appearance once again on the Pass and I'm not desperate enough to take my chances alone with two kiddos. b-u-m-m-e-r.

In an effort to get over the disappointment, I designed Parker's birthday party invitations:

As you see, we are having a beach theme (take that, snow) and Parker is beyond excited to invite his whole class, along with a few other friends. How glad I am for our new fence to keep everyone corraled! We have some very fun plans in the works and I will update on it after the fun is over!

How Michelle Got Her Groove Back

Three months have come and gone, my little chickens' birthdays come and gone. Why did I stray from the ways of blogging? I know only that my family was tired of digging for clothes to wear out of the hamper, and eating cereal out of tupperware in the mornings. I think I've found some balance lately. Hence, I've decided to make a comeback.

Where do I start? Today is always a good place to start...but since this is technically my family journal, I will have to do some backtracking at some point. For now, I'm catching up Facebook style.

Right now I am happily listening to the fence guys outside drilling holes in my yard for fence poles. Ahh, a lovely sound indeed. Lovely when you have dreams of a sandbox that your neighbor's dog won't poop in - a garden that the Chinook winds won't thrash. The boys and I made strawberry jam today, so Domino's was a great solution for dinner. Peter is teaching at WSU tonight, a side job that he enjoys, but will be happy to be done with in May to give him extra time with us in the newly-fenced backyard. His practice is thriving. The weather is getting warmer, the grass greener. I am sublimely happy here in "little tuscany," as I like to call my new home and neighborhood.

Here's to a few phone calls from old friends lately that have inspired me to return to blogging and remember to "make new friends, but keep the old - one is silver, and the other gold."