Aging Appliances

We’ve been in our home 11 years. Which means nearly every appliance in our home is at least that old. I knew this day was inevitable and we were living on borrowed time. In the past year, we have seen several appliances in our home fail. First it was the microwave. Next was the fridge, then the computer hard drive, and last, the dryer. Intermixed with these large failings were the food processor, flat iron, toaster and problems with the blender. 

Handy Randy does a fantastic job fixing things, but sometimes needs parts or tools he doesn’t have access to. However, he has had good luck extending the life of most of these useful gadgets. Except one.

Our poor dryer has seen too many loads of jeans in its day and simply had no more to give. But before giving up on it altogether, Randy thought he’d work his magic. He opened it up to give it a good cleaning and see what else might be wrong with it. Mind you, we have vacuumed out the dryer hose in the past and I am religious about cleaning the lint trap after each load. But apparently, a good deal of lint gets caught in the gut of the dryer.

We even found some lost treasure. How the harmonica got past the lint trap, I will never know.

Resurrection was not in the cards this time and the dryer drum is now used as a kid-size hamster wheel around our house.

Luckily, our friends were upgrading to a newer pair and gave us their old dryer. It will get us by just fine until we can save for our own.

Perhaps my favorite part of this long story is what Emma told me yesterday. As I was doing her hair, she said, “All the dryers in our house are old.”

“Yep, they are,” I replied.

“And so are the wetters.”

No comment.

Happy Groundbeaver Day!

Emma came home from preschool very excited about all she had learned today. She had me close her eyes as she pulled each masterpiece from her little bag. Until finally…

“Ta da! Mom, did you know today is Groundbeaver Day?“

I had no idea.

Missing This…

As a surprise for Christmas, Randy had the first year of my blog made into a book. Like so many other things in my life, I had meant to do it for a long time. Seeing it there, in print, made me miss blogging more than ever. I cherish the stories told, the memories shared, and even the hard times recorded.

My life is busy, and I can’t see that changing any time soon. So I will have to make a more conscious effort to sit down and take the time to write. I enjoy knowing that somebody out there is reading my blog, and I feel an immediate reward when someone comments. Selfish? Yes. But knowing that I have so many memories of my growing family recorded forever makes me happy. Looking through the printed pages of my blog is the most rewarding of all. Cheesy? Yes.

Earlier this year, I had a lot of computer problems that were very discouraging. I had been working on a lengthy post about our fun trip to the Oregon coast when my computer crashed and I lost it all. Combine that with the busiest summer in the history of our family, and I really lost my blogging touch. I am not going to fool myself into thinking I can go back and post it all, but from here on out, I will try to capture the blog-worthy events in out home. And from time to time, maybe I’ll throw in a  little flash-back from 2010.

Just for my sake, you know.

It’s Autumn Time

I love seasons. Just as I tire of one, a new one begins. There are things I love about spring, and things I love about summer. The same goes for each season. Here we are at the end of October, and autumn is here in all its glory. I love the crisp air of fall, the leaves crunching under my feet and the anticipation of Christmas.

But let’s be honest, you don’t really care what I love about autumn. Perhaps you’d like a glimpse into my six-year old’s perspective…

A recent school project by Nathan:

 

Let’s take a closer look…

“I love Howluween”

 

“I love the froots and the vechtbel”

“I love pumpcin”

“I do not love wering swetrs”

There you have it folks- his favorite things about fall: veggies and being cold.

‘U’ Better Believe it!

My kids have been wanting to hike to the ‘U’ for a long time now. Well, we finally made the pilgrimage. The trail wasn’t clearly marked from where we started. But we made our way along the steep incline, with our sights set on the destination. 

Emma was excited to see ‘autumn’…

 

Nathan worked hard to keep his britches up, but his spirits never fell….

We went straight up the mountain.  

And finally made it!  

  

True to their style, the kids spent a long time climbing, up, around, over, and through these rocks.

The view was amazing.

 

Oh, yeah- these views were breathtaking, too…

Luckily, we found the real trail on the way back down. Still steep, but we didn’t have to slide on our pockets….  

Did we have a great time?  

U better believe it!

Teach a child to fish…

Casey was really good last year to get himself up and out the door by himself. I would wake up when I heard the front door close. I know what you are thinking…a good mom would wake her child, cook a nutritious breakfast, pack a lunch, kiss their forehead and offer words of encouragement before they head off to school. That’s what I think, too. Unfortunately, my good intentions never made it out of my head.

But this year, with two kids getting up before the crack of dawn, I decided I should turn over new leaf. Hmmm. Well, I think I got up early for the first couple days. I’ve never been good with routine. Ever. But I am proud to say we implemented a new routine and have stuck with it for a whole month! I’m pretty sure that’s a record around here.

We have been making the kids pack their own lunch the night before school. Since Casey was in kindergarten, I’ve been making lunches every morning. I don’t mind it, but mornings are sometimes hectic. Yes, I could make them the night before, but by the time dinner is cleaned up I’m tired and it’s time for the bedtime routine. (there’s that ‘R’ word again.) Not to mention, what I pack is not always what they want to eat. 

So we’ve taken the approach of teaching them how to make their own lunches. You know, a lifelong skill. I realized for years, I was only feeding them for a meal. Now, I’m feeding them for a lifetime.

Let’s take a look at the lifelong skills my children are learning.

Here is Nathan’s lunch:

Clockwise from the top: a whole carrot, unpeeled (yes, my kids like them better that way.) peach yogurt, pear halves, Mini Nilla Wafers, an apple, a s’mores granola bar, and a PB&J.

 

And here’s Hannah’s lunch:

Catalina dressing and some spinach leaves.

Loyalty

If I can say one thing about my fifth-born: Nathan is loyal.

Loyal to his clothes. He wears the same shorts day in and day out. Once he gets comfortable with a shirt, it’s not easily removed. And if I can convince him to take a bath, it goes right back onto his clean body the second he’s dry.
I’ve tried buying duplicates; but like a beloved blanky, there’s always ‘the one’.

I’ve tried throwing the clothes in the wash while he’s in the tub. This usually accomplishes one of two things: a) He throws a fit the size of Jupiter. b) He won’t be persuaded to take a bath for the next 6 months.

I’ll take b.

That is until yesterday. Yes, it may be premature to proclaim my victory, but I am 2 for 2 and trying to be optimistic.
The morning was typical. He consumed his wholesome instant oatmeal, spilling half down his front in the process. As his departure time drew nearer, I risked it all and broached the untouchable subject. He needed a clean shirt, and it was a gamble. Some mornings he complies willingly, other mornings he….(see previous paragraphs.)

The conversation went something like this:

Me: Nathan, will you please change your shirt? (I didn’t dare ask him to change his shorts. He had only been wearing them for two days.)

Nathan: (shooting death rays at me)

Me: You spilled your breakfast all over your shirt, bud.

Nathan: (Looks down at his shirt, not seeing what the problem is, delivers more stink-eye and a groan.)

Me: Nathan, people will think we don’t take care of you. And do you know what they do with kids who aren’t taken care of?

Nathan: (shakes his head.)

Me: They take them from their home, and give them new parents. (This may seem a bit harsh to some, but after 2 years of daily roulette, I am at the end of my rope.)

He wasn’t buying it….until I pointed out a foster situation with some friends of ours. Then, just like that, he went into his room and performed a complete wardrobe change.

This morning was a repeat. He protested at first. But as soon as I reminded him of the fate of neglected children, he changed his tune, along with is dirty outfit.

I am happy to say: Nathan is one loyal kid!

Loyal to his family.