Scrub Scrub

As I am scrubbing away at dishes that have been sitting all night, or scrubbing a floor that had a spill and it is now tough to get up because, ah hum....  I let it sit and dry.  

I wonder...

Why didn't I clean this when it was soft and easier to clean?  I could be saving water, energy, TIME!!

Well, I will tell you why!  

There are some times that I just have to walk away.  There are some times that I get so upset that the mess happened in the first place that I just have to walk away so I don't hurt feelings. Then I come back and ugh, the mess is still there, but it is even uglier.  

I think of yesterday.  I was busy sewing.  (I have a fun little project I have been working on.) My kids want to make their own "jelly sandwiches".  They ask, and I say "sure, go for it!"  So they do.

David stands and makes his sandwich on a chair.  Jelly gets everywhere!

Abby gets up to the table.  Jelly gets everywhere!

Abby wants her sandwich to be cut, so I come out and cut the sandwich in two.  Abby is sticky from her mess and goes to the kitchen sink to wash off.  She climbed into the sink, I thought is was unusual.  But she was taking care of it herself and that is great!  

Then I hear.  "Mommy, I went potty in the sink.  I couldn't hold it so I went in the sink."  

I am staying calm this whole time, we go to the tub to clean up.  She looks good smells beautiful!  

Then the mess!  We go to the kitchen to eat "the sandwich".  The reason we are in this "mess".

She doesn't like the sandwich now.  So, being the sucker that I am, I make her a new sandwich, before I start I say, "be careful of the jelly please".  She is not careful.  Abby finds a toy car that is close by and starts spreading the jelly around on the floor with the car and her foot.  So then I start throwing a fit!  I ask her why she is doing this.  She looks perplexed that I would be upset.  So I chill.  I tell her that we can't make the mess bigger.  That made sense.  

Finish making sandwich and Abby is off to play, happily.

Then to clean up the jelly.  As I am cleaning, I am thinking I sure am glad I am getting this done now while it is soft.  That jelly was on the wall, table and chair legs, backs of the chairs, the seat of the chairs and on the table.  I am so thankful I did that right away.

Last night I made some banana bread for those that I visit teach.  (This is not normal for me, I was feeling ambitious.)  It was dinner time, dinner had just come out of the oven and the bread was just going into the oven.  I didn't want dinner to get cold and I didn't want my family to start with out me.  So I leave the mess for later.  Well, that mess waited till this morning. And YUCK, it is not fun to clean off when it is dried up and gross.  The whole time I am thinking, why did I wait?  I didn't wait on the jelly and I was so happy that I didn't.  Why do I wait?  It is because I just made dinner and banana bread and cleaned off the table, who wants to do dishes?  So I went outside and had fun.  Then I came inside and bathed the kids then read some books  and sang to Jacob.  All great things to do.

I am now remembering some great words from one of President and Sister Hinckley daughters.  This is from a book that I LOVE called Glimpses into the life and heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley edited by Virginia H. Pearce 

On page 145 A daughter talks about her mothers willingness to teach without insisting that a person learn!

Page 146  

"After I became an adult, I don't remember her ever telling me how I should or should not do things, being critical, or even giving advice.  But I do remember one time when she offered a suggestion.

Unlike women of character, I have always been able to sleep quite comfortably at night with dirty dinner dishes all over the kitchen.  After I've fixed and served dinner, I have just enough energy rationed out to do the "getting-the-kids-to-bed" routine.  Barely.  However, I have boundless morning energy, and I quite like whipping the kitchen into shape first thing.

Mother came to help me when my twins were born.  After observing my habit of leaving the kitchen cluttered at night, as well as my inability to get a handle on the other housework, laundry, child care, and so on, she said:  "Ginny, you might be better off if you just did the dishes at night.  Then you could start every day with at least a clean kitchen."  So unlike her was the comment that I remember exactly where both of us were standing when she made it. But, as unusual as it was, her voice still said that it was entirely my option.  I didn't take the advice, and I don't believe she ever mentioned it again.  It really shows your mettle as a teacher when you can offer an idea and then let go.  And I don't think she was even biting her tongue." 

Even though it would be easier to clean all the dishes at night and pick up after oneself right away.  I am just not that way.  So, I am in the same boat as Ginny, I am stuck there and I think there I will stay.

By the way, if you want to read a good book this one is great!  Sister Hinckley was an amazing person!!

I better get now, I have some more dirt to sweep outside and need to spray some ant killer. Jacobs feet are swollen with ant bites!  -Ma

Sweeping Dirt

Yep, that is what I did this morning.  

We had another chicken pass away yesterday.  It was Big Mama.  We have been reading about different diseases that chickens can get.  I read about a disease called ascites.  But we don't think it is that.  Because it has something to do with gaining weight quickly, this hasn't happened with ours.

Pa is thinking that it might be coccidiosis.  This one makes more sense.  It is when the chickens eat other birds poop.  And what I get from it is that a parasite gets into the chicken and it takes 4 to 7 days for the chicken to die.  You can tell that something is wrong because they wont eat as much and their egg production is fewer.  Both of these things have happened.

So, today I swept up a lot of the dirt in the chickens run just to get up the little bird droppings.  I hope this save the last two big ones that we have, I don't want them to be in pain. -Ma

That's Weird!

Yesterday I looked out our kitchen window and noticed that all the "big" chickens were in the coop.  Just sitting there.  I thought it was odd because they don't just sit in the coop.  Unless they are sleeping or laying an egg.  I thought it was strange but that was it.  I didn't feel the need to go into the heat to find out what they were doing.

When Pa got home he wondered how many eggs we got that day.  I don't think anyone checked. So he went out.

We have a chicken that we call No Tail.  Because the other chickens pick on her so much she doesn't have a tail from all of their pecking.  Our plan as you know from a previous post was to butcher all of the big ones in the near future.

Well No Tail past away yesterday.  Not sure why, it didn't look like there was any foul play she was in a corner by a bail of straw.  Big Mama, one of the chickens, she was the nicest to her. She just sat there by No Tail.  After we disposed of No Tail, Big Mama went and sat where No Tail was, then she went in and sat in the coop where No Tail would sleep.

The kids dealt with it fine.  Emma wanted to call her Friend Megan.  David wanted to look and touch No Tail (I let him for closure purposes.).  Abby said in a cute sad voice as she handed me the telephone, "Mom, can I call Grandma Norgard?"  She did and they talk for quite some time. Then all of the other kids talked with her too.  I am thankful to have a Mom who takes the time to talk with her grand kids.  They sure do love her. -Ma

School is Almost Out

I am so excited!!  

-Ma

Chickens for Dinner?

When we first got our chickens they were just the cutest little things.  I never thought that we would kill them so we could eat them.  I thought, "How could ANYONE do such a thing?"

Now they are big.  And, well they just aren't cute anymore.  I am grateful for the eggs they give us. Grateful that I am able to work outside more.  (Really I like to work outside, lots more than in the house.)

A problem we have with these older chickens is that they are mean.  I think it is because David needs a dog to play rough with.  He played rough with the chickens, they are mean.  He is learning and I am so glad that he can be taught.  This will prepare us for the day that we do get a dog.  So we can have a nice dog.

So thankfully they are chickens and they can and will nourish us.  I still have a hard time thinking of killing our own meat.  Pa will do that and then we will can it.  We will let it sit for a while so we can forget a little bit.  Then we won't be so grossed out when we cook up the pets.

This will take place when our baby chickens start laying eggs.  That should be in another 2 or 3 months.

The kids are excited to "kill" the chickens because we told them we could get more babies when the older ones are gone.

Then Emma goes out today to get an egg.  One of the chickens was in the nest laying an egg. Emma goes in the coop and the chicken stood up and gently pushed the egg over to Emma with her beak.  Emma was so excited that the chicken would be so nice.  I am very impressed with the chicken.  However we don't want to make relationships with the birds right when we decided to have them for dinner. -Ma

One Little Thing...

Can bring back so many memories.

Early Sunday Morning.  Abby comes in and said, "Mom, I am wet."  It is 2:30 am.  I said, "oh, did you go potty in bed?"  Her little fists ball up and she shakes them at me and said, "Noooo, my blankets made me wet!!"

"Okay."  I replied, "lets get you cleaned up then."

I get Abby in the bath, and Emma off the shared bed and onto the floor.  Back to the bathroom I spot a COCKROACH!!  Of course I can't just grab a shoe to squish it, it is far to big!  I freeze for a moment then I remember that Pa is here and he is MY protector.  He can come squish it for me.

(This is what it looked like)

He comes in to take care of the ugly beast.  But he says that it got away and went back to bed.  I still had chills going up my spine.  The little creature returned (I knew it would).  So I go back to sleeping Pa and say, "honey it isn't gone will you come take care of it please."  He gets up out of bed and I hand him a shoe.  That little critter is running for it's life and Pa, thank you so much, he squished it with one blow.

I get Abby out of the bath and get her dressed and on the floor with her sister.  As any Mom would do.  Or maybe just a Mom like me.  First thing on Mothers Day I am cleaning up potty off of a child's bed.  I can't stand to let it sit their and dry all night.  I've gotta soak it up and then clean it with vinegar.

With that done I am off to bed.  But how could I sleep after seeing a roach in my house.  We don't have roaches in our house.  I figure it is because Pa has been digging in the back yard and it probably got confused and came in.  So thankful it was squished.  

But I couldn't sleep.

I could however think about the times that I have encountered those dreaded cockroaches.  I think the first time I ever saw them was when I was probably 10 or 11.  My family had gone to visit another family.  There home struggled for cleanliness.  The kid's room had papers from school shoved in corners.  I have always been one that wanted things in order. so I thought.  I will just help this family out a bit.  I went into the room with all of the school papers, I reached to the corner with the papers, grabbed a big handful of papers and out crawled hundreds of roaches all up the wall.  I shivered with yuckiness.  Quickly put the papers back and stayed by my Mothers side the rest of the time.  

Another time I was in Hawaii as a missionary.  Hadn't been out very long when Sister Bagley comes up to me and she doesn't say a word she just uses her finger to say come here.  I follow.  I notice she is holding a small bathroom disposable cup.  We continue to her side of the apartment, go through a door and she closes the door and bit hands me the cup, points above the door and said, 

"Get it."  

"Uh, not with that." I said.  

We go to get the bug spray.  

I use the bug spray.

The roach doesn't like it.  

It turns and starts flying at us.  

We scream like little girls running down the hall. 

Sister Matsuno comes in.  She is just smiling.  "What is wrong sisters?"  She asks.

We point under the table.

She laughs, shakes her head and said, "That is not how you kill it."  

She grabs the church news rolls it up, then she starts whacking the bug and it is DEAD!

Yuck, that gives me chills.

A while later on my mission.  We went to teach a lady.  She was on the couch and we were on the floor.  (Hu, I never thought about that before.  We taught many people from the floor while they sat on the couch.  Interesting.)  She had hard wood floors and those roaches kept coming out from under the couch to visit with us.  I could tell that the lady notices that we were uncomfortable with the "bugs" crawling around.  So she spoke to them like pets.  "Shoo, shoo." She would say, "they don't want you here, you go away!!"  They would run back under the couch.

One more memory  I will write.

I was taking a tour into one of the video rooms, I notice a large roach hanging out be the doors. It wouldn't go away.  So I step on it while I am holding the door open.  The guests go into the room, as do I.  The roach just walks away.  (My shoes were soft and so was the carpet.  It wouldn't squish.)

Oh, one more.  I am just having all of these fun memories.

It was a Sunday.  (I was on my mission)  We were late for church.  We had to sit on the stage in front of everyone.  I quickly shake out my shoes, throw them on and run out the door.  It felt like I had a stick in my shoe but I didn't have time for that.  I needed to get to church.  Still no time we go to church.  During the meeting I realize what is in my shoe.  But I can't take it out and put on the floor in the church building.  So I wait.  I forgot about it till we get to our next appointment.  We park and I pull the large roach.  It had gotten in between my shoe and my shoe insert, but the leg was up by the side of my foot.  I threw it on the ground and the ants took care of it from there.

I sure was brave on my mission, but now... I am so glad that Pa is around to protect me.

Back to reality.  After having all of those memories goes threw my mind I was able to sleep. Knowing that we don't have roaches in our house it was just one because of the digging.  But we are still going to put some bug spray down just to be safe.  :o)  -Ma

P.S.  Happy Mothers Day!!

Dinosaurs

Last night was a rough night for everyone to get to sleep.  Once we were all finally asleep and in one of those really good sleeps.  In comes David.  He woke up from his slumber and wanted to sleep in my room.  Oh it was probably only 3 am!  I set up a bed for him on the floor and we go back to sleep.  

About 30 minutes later David is at my bedside once again only this time he is asking me if I could stop snoring.  He said, 

"Mom, will you stop snoring?  I keep dreaming about dinosaurs, you sound like a dinosaur Mom."  

I reply, I will do my best honey.

Pa has been telling me that I am the worst snorer ever and that we should really see if we can get me to stop.  Maybe it is time to buy something that may help.  

Any suggestions?  -Ma

What Happened?

How in the world did that happen?  All our photo's from 2005 to current were accidentally erased.  So, our external hard drive is now in the shop.  I have posts written out and they will go up as soon as we can get the photo's back and have room to put the new ones up.  

I feel like I am going threw some withdrawals from blogging.  I am missing it.  But we will have some fun posts coming.  

A very colorful blister beetle and many more fun posts.  I do miss keeping up with this new found way of journaling.  -Ma