Works-For-Me-Wednesday-- Scrub-a-Scrub-Scrub...

I get absolutely annoyed at my shower and bathtub when it doesn't SHINE after I just finished cleaning it. I like my tub and faucets to be not only dirt free, but also smooth to the touch and shiny enough to see my reflection. My bathroom cleaner spray may remove the dirt just fine, but doesn't make it completely smooth and shiny because the soap scum and build up has dulled and roughened the surface.

The best solution I have found for this problem is a lovely product called Barkeeper's Friend. The version I like is in powder form like Ajax or Comet. In addition to cleaning tubs and showers, I also use it on my stainless steel sinks and faucets. The only thing I don't care for is having to rinse it. I have yet to figure out an easy way to rinse the walls in our stand alone shower.

READ the label to make sure it is safe for your bathroom then hop to it.

Here are the steps:

1. Wet the tub/shower down



2. Sprinkle a generous amount around-- shake, shake, shake



3. Put on rubber gloves. It's doable with bare hands but I use rubbergloves if I have them.



4. Spread BKF around with a wet rag to make a paste that covers all the area



5. Let it sit or set for however long you get distracted



6. Go find your child who is screaming "Mommmeeee".



7. Tell big brother to put her down-- NOW



8. Tell little sister to quit taking big brother's Legos and hiding them



9. Remember that you were cleaning the tub



10. Take rag or any scrubby thing and SCRUB 'til that tub is slick as ice so if Bambi fell in your tub his little legs would just go every which way



11. Throw gloves down and RUN because it is TOO QUIET



12. Send children to separate corners with threats of "if I have to come out here one more time, I am putting Webkinz in timeout-- until tomorrow!"



13. Rinse tub and fixtures with lots of water until shiny



14. Dream of the time you will use the tub, alone and without interruption, like in about 18 years



15. Put supplies away



16. Go get a Diet Coke and while you drink it



17. Return to the bathroom



18. Admire your hard work



19. Leave the quiet of the bathroom and go play LEGOS

For other more helpful tips, head on over to Rocks In My Dryer.

Sermon Humor...

Today our pastor was describing different kinds of preaching other than preaching Christ and each description began with the letter F.

He used Flashy, Flamboyant, Flavor and my personal favorite, FLATULATION. The snickers rippled across the congregation but Pastor Pete never missed a beat. I couldn't wait to see where he was going with it. I thought maybe he was going to say something about preaching opinions and being full of hot air. He went on to describe churches that beat you over the head about how you are doing wrong and how sinful you are. They get stuck there rather than going on to the rest of the story which includes God's grace. I realized after a few more pronunciations that he was really saying "Flagellation" as in beating you over and over.

Hee Hee, flatulation was funnier!

What's in your Freezer?

You've all heard the commercials by Capital One with the tag line: "What's in your wallet?"

Today on the Southwest Airlines blog the question seems to be: "What's in your freezer?"

Check this out for a good laugh! Click here.

It is a true story that happened this week. The author is on Daddybug's team at work.

Look what the FedEx man brought me today...

Popcorn, Popcorn and more Popcorn... Orville Redenbacher to be exact.

Look good enough to eat?

A food stylist I am NOT. It was good enough to eat, take my word on it. Was is the operative word. It no longer exists. I had a hard time getting the picture taken because I kept snitching on it. Did I mention how delicious it was? It was delicious. The Natural Simply Salted was light, salty and non-greasy. Auntiebug would love it.

What was left after the photo shoot, was descended upon by locusts otherwise known as Doodlebug and Ticklebug. In the epic battle of Locusts vs. Popcorn, the Locusts won.

The Popcorn will live to fight another day. The calvary will come. There are 3 boxes! I wonder if the Popcorn realizes what it is in for.

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures of the Redenbacher Popcorn!

Organizing attempts...

I have the organizing/decluttering bug at the moment. I cleared a bookshelf off and found completed Bible study workbooks that are quite possibly more than 10 years old.

Up until Monday night, I thought I would refer back to them.

That never happened!

Into the recycling they went.

Now if I can only part with notes and books from nursing school and get Daddybug to part with some Tshirts.

I also found several stuffed animals. Like we need more around here. The only one I kept was "Coconut", the dog from the American Girl store. I have no earthly idea where it came from. I also found a Koosh ball which I thought TB would enjoy playing with. Daddybug said he would enjoy it even if TB didn't. Again, no idea where that came from.

If only I could find some money...

I will hold out hope, there is plenty of clutter left to go through. We have boxes in our closet that haven't been looked through since we moved 4 years ago.

I know you have clutter in your house too. I was just trying to make you feel better. Ya know, the whole misery loves company thing.

If you are clutter-free like Daralee and Dilenna, I don't want to hear about it. I will just get jealous and then I'll have to spend more time on my knees repenting rather than decluttering.

What's your worst clutter?

Webkinz introductions

I'd like to introduce you to our menagerie of Webkinz. Chooey the Chihuahua, Froggy the Tree Frog, and Spot the Lil Kinz Pug all belong to Doodlebug. Dalmation the Dalmation, Reindeer the Reindeer, and Yellow Lab the Yellow Lab belong to Ticklebug. You have already met Coconut the Clydesdale horse.

I'd better go. I need to play a few games and feed Coconut.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday-- Webkinz

The Webkinz craze has hit our house this Christmas. Want to know how bad?

I've got it too. It's an illness.

I stayed up past midnight New Year's Eve, not because I wanted to see the new year in but rather because I got carried away playing games on http://www.webkinz.com/ and lost track of time. I didn't even know it was midnight until I heard some firecrackers going off nearby.

For those of you new to the WKC (WebKinz Craze), I'll elaborate. Ganz makes many stuffed animals that come with special codes that allow you to adopt the stuffed animal and then create a world for that pet online. You take care of it, decorate it's room, take it to the doctor, get a job and a myriad of other activities that I have yet to do-- all online. You finance your operation by playing games, getting a job, or answering questions for KinzCash. You can only play on the site if you have a code from purchasing an animal. For a more detailed look, click HERE and take a tour.

I had NO idea what a big deal Webkinz were. Ticklebug and Doodlebug had them on their Cmas list. I thought they were just overpriced stuffed animals. I still think that.

Want to see my new toy?

Meet Coconut. I got him on Clearance at Target for $9.08. I spent my Cmas money on him. He's not the cutest thing but now I have my own login and can win my own KinzCash!

The regular WK run anywhere from $10 to $16.50 at retail stores. I have yet to figure out what price the MSRP is. Anyone know?

TB and DB play with the stuffed animals in the house like crazy. They have been giving them rides on their scooters, having playdates, and they even have beds made for them. I think I'll buy some ribbon and velcro and make them collars. Collars for the WK, not the children. Although...

Anyway, my tip for this week... is... buy your own Webkinz.

It will save you some trouble trying to remember which child's account you last played on so you can be fair.

I have an extra Pug who needs a good home. Let me know if he can come live at your house...

For other more helpful tips, head on over to Rocks In My Dryer.

Bear with me just little longer...

I am trying to update ya'll (family) with photos but I cannot figure out Blogger and how to list multiple pictures in a nice neat line with text in the appropriate places like D does on her blog. Maybe it is the template I'm using and maybe it is user failure. I would change it if I could. I am going with the theory that something is better than nothing.

We sat down as a family early in December and created a list of things we would like to do related to the holidaze. We stayed in TX for the first time in 10 years for the entire Cmas break. We missed seeing grandparents and extended family but we had a good time here doing things together at a slower pace and not packing the suitcases. We got the majority done of what was most important to us. I realized that it didn't all have to be done by Christmas Day. We had several days afterwards to get more stuff in. By that time, some of it didn't even matter any more.

We went tent camping the 21st. We had every blanket and sleeping bag in the house but 3, I think. SB and I spent the night for the first time in a looooonnnnnggg time. The little buggers conked out about 10:45 with nary a peep from them. Daddybug and I got to spend a little time enjoying conversation and the fire a little longer. We all got these great headlamps as an early present to use. I used mine to stay up late reading a novel while everyone else slept. They were also great when you needed both hands to do something and didn't want to hold a flashlight. The kiddos didn't get us up until 7:30. I think it was too cold for them to come out.

Christmas Day was a good time. The only family we have nearby, as in, in the same state is my sister, Auntiebug. She told the kids to call her as soon as they got up and she would come over in her pjs. They told her it would be 4a.m. but we restricted it to 7a.m. DB and TB literally came running into our room at 0700. The festivities began around 0740 when she arrived. I walked down to hear TB saying "me, me, me, me" as he counted the presents for him under the tree.

We took all THREE kiddos ice skating for the first time on the 26th. TB and DB didn't know if it was ok to laugh when I totally wiped out in front of them. I am talking pain and embarrassment. The feet went up and the head went down. I think that "broke" the ice for them.

There were a lot of pajama days, reading new books and making Geotrax layouts for the kids. DB headed back to work and we just played with new toys.

Here are a few more pictures of "What I did on my Vacation"...

Christmas Break 2007

Auntiebug and Snugglebug, Doodlebug and Chooie, Ticklebug and Dalmation, Daddybug and Mr. GPS, Snugglebug and Ticklebug.

Christmas Photo Catch Up...

These are pictures from an early Christmas gift opening from Grandpa C and MiMie as well as the school Christmas parties.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday--BACKWARDS-- Simplify, Chill, Slooooowwww Doooowwwnnn

Today is the day that I get to find out what works for you! Here's the scoop. My mantra for 2008 is "Go Slow and Let it Go". My ultimate goal would be to thrive more days than survive, but I'll take what I can get. As a stay at home mom of 3, I would like to know what has helped you simplify, slow down, chill out or otherwise be able to deal with your life. I have let a lot go around the house already.

What have you read, written, or done to get you through the laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, or running around?

Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW.

Zippedee Do Dah! I WON SOMETHING!

I won Netflix and Popcorn for a YEAR!

Check it out! Table 4 Five

... more details to follow after I have taken the kids to school, gotten a haircut, got groceries, put them away, eat lunch... ya get the point? It'll be a while...

Walmart Woes...

The Walmart in my area has changed their return policy to include an extra line and time. When you walk in the door with a return, the greeter SCANS then PRINTS a tag and PUTS it on EACH item. It doesn't matter if you have the receipt or not. After waiting in line there, you get the distinct privilege of standing in line again with your impatient children and impatient self at Customer Service to hopefully get your money back.

Since it is a royal pain in the rear to try clothes on the little buggers at the store, I guess at the size and try it on them at home. As a result, I have many returns. Not any more!

I don't have time for all that. The savings that exists is not worth my effort. I'm going to Target and Kroger.

Target may have limits but at least you can do a return with a receipt without too much fuss. BTW, if you give a gift from Target, please include the gift receipt. Target has severely limited your ability to exchange or return if it wasn't on your registry or doesn't have a receipt.

I think I have a similar look on my face when I walk into a WM!

I read a blog called The Junk Drawer that absolutely cracks me up. Yesterday her sister called to rant about her experience at Walmart. Since I have also sworn off Walmart as much as possible at least for non-grocery items, I could relate.

The Shampoo Snafu:

"Ann: I left a bag over there and now I have to battle traffic to go get it!!! I got home and was looking for all my shampoos and stuff and I realized I left it there!!!

For the rest of the story click HERE.

Movie Nights for a year Giveaway-- Enter quickly!!!

Many of you have heard of our regular "Popcorn Nights" on Sunday evenings. I discovered a great giveaway that would fit us wonderfully. Table for Five is hosting an awesome, totally cool giveaway that ends today. She is giving away a year's supply of Orville Redenbacher Natural Microwave popcorn and a 12 month subscription to Netflix.

So, run over quick, make your post and link and get yourself entered! Click Here

Sonic versus Starbucks-- The Great Debate

For me, there is no debate. Sonic wins, Starbucks loses-- every time. What is it with Starbucks? I don't get the pull that an overpriced, undersized cup of "fancy" caffeine has on people. Around here there is a Starbucks on every corner along with a bank and a dry cleaners. Actually there are 6 banks on a nearby corner, but that is a "discussion" for another day.

Now, Sonic drive-ins are easy to find around here but at least you get something for your money. I can get a 320z drink with all the fixin's for $2. Granted, I think their drinks are overpriced as well. Up until October 1st, I had a window cling coupon that gave me any size drink for 99cents, unlimited, at most Sonics which was an AWESOME, AWESOME deal. I cringed at the increase in cost. A friend once told me that she considers it "mental health" money. Great! I can take it out of the medical category of our budget. I like that!

In order to save money I've tried QT's vanilla and fountain Diet Coke, but it isn't the same. Yes, I know that vanilla syrup is sold at local grocery establishments but even if you can find a decent tasting one, a BIG IF, it still isn't the same.

I am telling you that fountain DC is infinitely better than canned or bottled and it varys from place to place on the ratio of syrup to carbonation. Don't even bother with McDonald's. Just order water and get dessert instead. At one of my local Sonics they used to not question me when I told them that the carbonation was low or that the Coke/Diet Coke hoses had been switched. They just went and fixed it. I am training my new carhops but they keep quitting before I get them broken in.

Well, if you need me to pick you up a drink in the morning, get me your order by 7:45a.m. By the way, what is your favorite Sonic drink?