Don't Try This At Home

Slumber Party!

Guess where I slept last night? Nope. Try again.

Nope. Try again.

Nope. Apparently you aren't going to get it so I'll just tell you. I slept at Shannon's house. Notice I didn't say I slept with Shannon. What kind of weirdo are you, anyway? I slept at. her. house. With my kids. Without my husband.

In reality our husbands were both out of town. Neither of us sleep well when they are gone and we decided it would be fun to have a big ol' family slumber party. And this is where I tell you what kind of dorks we really are. If ever you were going to ditch us for the cool kids, this would be the time.

• We spent most of the evening on separate computers at separate tables.
• I was checking my e-mail and said I was going to send her something so she could see it (as if I couldn't just turn my laptop around to show her!).
• Not 15 minutes later she e-mailed me the URL of a blog post she read.
• Then we each hustled to see who could blog about that ridiculously nerdy happening first. (BTW, she won.)
• Our kids played in separate rooms. As in, my kids played in one room, her kids played in another.

I don't know what to tell you. We had a fantastic time. In our little separate bubbles.

My $30 Table

In my travels with Shannon last weekend we took our time on our way home. We stopped at a particularly cute little antique store (Shannon took this picture and I've shameless lifted it from her site). On our way inside we spied a neat side table for just $35. Shannon  squealed with delight as only she can do and announced, "We are in for a treat!" We definitely were. This lady had everything you could possibly want while antiquing or collecting and each item was more than reasonably priced.

Shannon contemplated some Wedgwood dishes and I reminisced over the fact that the basement smelled exactly like my Grandma P's basement. Shannon nailed it when she replied, "I think all basements smell like a grandma's basement."

We mosied about and finally decided to leave. (Shannon decided against the Wedgwood.) On our way out we looked the table over a final time. Shannon and I were thinking the exact same thing (as we do almost constantly): one of us needed to leave with that table. We would both feel better just knowing one of us had the table and scored the deal. Of course, in Shannon-speak "one of us" means me. So after she announced that "one of us" needed the table, she promptly took out her camera to take some pictures and walked off so I could further argue with myself about whether I wanted this table for $35.

The owner of the shop came out to strong-arm me into the purchase. (Had you seen this kindly elderly lady you'd know that was written with tongue firmly in cheek.) She told me what a great piece it was, how it just needed some paint, what a great bargain it was. Not one to be bullied into a decision I remained ambivalent. 

Now, truth be told, it crossed my mind to ask her if she'd take $20. I'm notorious at low-balling price negotiations. I caught myself this time because I a) didn't want to offend the nice lady and b) I didn't want to embarrass Shannon in front of a complete stranger on our first road trip. I had pretty much decided what the heck and I was going to buy it for $35. Then the owner pulled out the big guns: she offered to take off $5 and lower the price to $30.When the lady went to $30, I jumped on it. The table did, in fact, come home with one of us.

As you can see from the photos below, the table definitely needs some work and is not pristine. It has brand new screws under the table top and the top has been repaired. The stripping is not the best job, but I can either finish it the right way myself or just paint it. The detail work, though, is just wonderful. It's a cute little table and the price was right. I would have been cursing myself if I'd let it go.

Now. Where do I put it?

The Chore List

Shannon had a great discussion over at her site a while ago about the implementation of allowance for our children. Along those lines I'd like to ask you all for an actual list of chores and the age of the child(ren) required to complete those chores. Here are my questions:

• What are the ages of your children?
• Do you have a list of chores and then let the kids choose what they'll be responsible for that week? Or is the list unchanging from week to week and specific to each child?
• What chores, specifically, are your children responsible for?
• What chores are included in their daily/weekly/monthly allowance?
• What chores are considered extra? Do they get paid for the extra chores? If yes, how much?

I have been saying for over a year that I must write out a list of chores for my kids. I have yet to sit down and do it because it scares the living daylights out of me. I have no idea what I want them to be responsible for. What control am I willing to give up? What life skills are important for them to have right this very instant? Just how badly do I want to start WW III?

My ideas for Max (age 8) and Wild Thing (age 6):

Max and WT:

• Make bed
• Pick up room
• Bring dirty laundry downstairs
• Put away clean laundry
• Bring down empty hangers

Shared Chores:

• Sweep kitchen floor
• Feed/water hermit crabs
• Help sort laundry
• Help fold laundry
• Sweep living room
• Unload dishwasher
• Load dishwasher

Are these reasonable chores for this age? I know they can unload the dishwasher because they've done it. It's not great and some things are creatively put away, but they can do it. Loading it is really a challenge. I need to show them how to do that a little better and supervise a few more times. The sweeping is iffy. Sometimes it's OK, sometimes I need to do it over. Considering I don't sweep at all, I suppose something is better than nothing.

I'm considering having the "shared" chores list as a first come, first served list. Everyone has to sign up for X number of chores. If you sign up first, you'll get the ones you want. Also, do you think the shared list is a list that should be considered "extra" chores or part of their weekly list?

Shannon shared her chores list with me and I'm really hoping she'll share it here. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who wants to copy it.

What do the rest of you have? As you can see I need a lot of input in this area.

WFMW: DVDs in the Car

Today's WFMW is a twofer--just because I like you guys. Yes, I'm actually going to share TWO things that work for me when I'm traveling with the kidlets.

When we are going to be in the car for two or more hours, my kids like to watch DVDs. I wish we had a DVD player in the van, but we just have one of those little portable jobbers. Here are my tips for this (the second one is the better tip).

1. Earphone Splitter

In order for the kids to watch the DVD without my having to also hear it, I use a splitter for the earphones. You can get one at any store. I'm sure even Wal-Mart has these for just a few bucks. It plugs into the earphone jack on the DVD player and allows for two sets of headphones (instead of a measly one set) to connect to the player. Voila! The kids get to listen to the DVD and I get to listen to my book-on-CD.

2. CD Case for DVDs

When we first got the DVD player, I would have the kids pick out several movies each and then we'd just throw them in the car and head out. This resulted in (temporarily) lost cases and no where to put the DVD in the interim. Then I figured out that--hello!--a CD case (one that holds about 20 CDs in those little clear plastic pockets) will also hold DVDs. So I can put about 20 DVDs in the case and the kids can pick and choose as they see fit. I don't have to worry about losing the case because it's safely stacked in my closet awaiting my return. The kids always have a place to put the DVD when they are done because the whole thing sits between them (don't ask me why they couldn't do this with the case; they say it kept sliding under the seat). I can even bring both discs of a 2-disc set (Incredibles, Harry Potter, etc.) and they can choose to play the games instead of watch the movie. Yay! The bottom line is that it just lets us have more choices on long trips and I don't have to keep track of those darn cases.

To view more hints and tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer the original Works for Me Wedneday tipster!

KC Blog Meet: My Comfort Zone

My comfort zone is very small. It consists of my family and a few close friends. If you were to quantify my comfort zone via Steve Martin in The Jerk it would sound like this:

"Uh, anything in this general area right in here. Anything below the stereo and on this side of the bicentennial glasses. Anything between the ashtrays and the thimble. Anything in this three inches right in here in this area. That includes the Chiclets, but not the erasers."

I wasn't at all sure I wanted to go all the way to KC to meet new people. Those who met me Saturday may not believe it, but I hate meeting new people. It is right up there with root canal for me. The minute we walked into the restaurant, though, I felt immediately at ease. Hugs were exchanged all around. The laughter never stopped. And the best part? People laughed at my stories and got my jokes. After my family, one of the things I love best is to hear people laughing because I made them laugh. After that, I love to laugh because someone made me laugh.

Shannon and I left at the ridiculously early hour of 7:00 AM on Saturday. Did you get that? Seven? AM? And there weren't even any garage sales involved. People, just so you know, I wouldn't get up that early and wear an outfit that didn't involve a hat for just anyone...especially if it didn't involve garage sales.

On our way to Kansas City we enountered these two things and we were compelled to document them in pictures:

You don't usually get to drive behind hogs in Tulsa. And we had no idea an Amazon.com distribution center was so close! Anyway...

Lunch was delicious. I find it slightly weird that Shannon and I traveled four hours from Oklahoma to eat a restaurant named Oklahoma Joe's. Here's my lunch:

Sadly, after this I was too busy talking and laughing to take any other pictures so I must rely on the others to show you what was happening.

I cannot wait for the blog meet in Dallas in October. It is so wonderful to meet the Ladies of Blog. I encourage everyone to jump out of your comfort zone and just do it. Go ahead. Include the erasers in that three inch comfort zone. You'll be so glad you did.

KC Blog Meet: Attendees

OK! Here are the list of fabulous ladies that I was able to meet and laugh with in Kansas City:

• Jules at Everyday Mommy
• Shalee at Shalee’s Diner
• Janna at Bread Crumbs
• Susan (This lovely ladies lurks on our sites! Hi Susan!)
• Jamie at Surviving the Chaos
• Michelle at This One’s For the Girls
• Tina at Antique Mommy
• Sarah at Sarah’s Other Blog
• Mary at Aunt Murry
• Kristi at Basketballs and Babydolls
• Addie at Life With Little Women
• Beckah at Happy Mom
• Lammyann at Lammyann Life
• Michelle at Love to Chat
• KPJara at Can You Hear Me Now?
• and of course, last but certainly not least, Shannon from Rocks In My Dryer.

Go to their blogs RIGHT NOW. You won't be sorry. These ladies are truly unbelievable.

KC Blogmeet: The Aftermath

WOW! That's about all I can say. Wow.

Shannon and I went to the KC Blogmeet on Saturday and I came away with so many new friends I don't know what to do with myself. I laughed until I cried. I hugged people I had never seen before. I heard amazing stories from amazing women. I have a bazillion new blogs added to my Bloglines.

Here's the short version (with the long version to come as I can sort it out in my head. Oye, what a whirlwind!):

• Shannon picked me up at an unreasonably early hour. For the next four hours she barely had a chance to speak as I told her all about anything that popped into my head whether it was interesting or not.
• Lunch with an amazing assortment of blogging ladies. Good food, interesting conversations, much laughter! This trip was totally worth it.
• We all piled into our cars and ended up at Everyday Mommy's house. We were going to go shopping, but it was raining and, hey, we bloggers love to talk as much as we love to blog.
• A few people left for home, Everyday Mommy caught up on some family time, and Shannon and I went over to Shalee's for some delicious baked potatoes. We were joined by Shalee's Mr. Right who is quite a gentlemen and huge help around the house.
• We went for ice cream with Shalee, Mr. Right, and Everyday Mommy.
• Back to Everyday Mommy's house for a little wine and more laughter. BTW, did you know that EM is a wonderful graphic artist in her very own right? And her husband is not only works at Hallmark, he's a huge artist over there? Yes! Celebrities, baby! And their son is so darn cute you cannot even stand it. I'm telling you, if you aren't careful you will be completely smitten and end up talking about how cute he is for the next four hours on a long car ride home.

OK. I know you are all interested in more details, who was there, pictures, all that jazz. I promise I'll put up more later. Right now, I need some time with my family and time to process everything. Suffice it to say, I had a wonderful time. I can't believe I almost didn't go.

ABC Meme

My cousin sent this to me via e-mail and I thought I may as well make into an easy post. Ladies and gentlemen and readers (bahahaha, I crack myself up!) I present to you the ABC Meme a la Chilihead. 

Accent: I've actually been told I do not have one. When people discover where I've lived most of my life they are surprised I'm not more "hick". However, I do call people by their last names and say "ya'll" a lot.

Book I Like: I just finished reading The Power of One by Bruce Courtenay and I loved it.

Chore I Hate: Sweeping and mopping the floor. Any floor.

Dog or Cat: Cat. And even that is pushing it.

Essential Electronics: Laptop PC with wireless internet. 

Favorite Cologne: Vera Wang. Mmmmm.

Gold or Silver: I know silver and white gold are the "in" thing right now, but I'll stick with gold.

Handbag I Carry Most Often: Right now I have a little woven straw thing I bought at Wal-Mart. It's OK, but not great.

Insomnia: I have ALWAYS had insomnia. I get my second wind by 9:30 or 10. Mornings suck.

Job Title: Director of Human Resources and Daily Planning. Or, stay-at-home-mom for the uninitiated.

Kids: One boy (Max) and one girl (Wild Thing).Sometimes I wish we had a few more, then I realize we would never be able to put them all through college.

Living Arrangements: Single family home in Green Country. Our town is a city, but it's small enough that you aren't overwhelmed. It has everything you need in about a miles' drive.

Most Admirable Trait: I'm a very loyal friend.

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Puh-lease. You think I'm gonna cop to that NOW? Yeah. Right.

Overnight Hospital Stays: Two childbirths.

Phobias: Spiders. 

Quote: The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one. 

Regular or Decaf or Diet: Regular and fully loaded.

Siblings: I have a very cool brother who is my Irish Twin (he's 34 and I'm 35). He's a Marine and I'm unbelievably proud of him. But not necessarily just because he's a Marine.

Time I Wake Up: The kids wake me up at 7:00am on the dot EVERY. SINGLE. FREAKIN'. MORNING. DH lets me sleep way in on the weekends, though. And, yes, I've taught my kids to make frozen waffles by themselves. That's all I'm sayin'.

Unusual Talent/Skill: I can raise my left eyebrow and I can wiggle my ears.

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Eh, I like veggies. I've never tried brussel sprouts, though, and I don't plan to. 

Worst Habit: Working on the computer while I'm on the phone.

X-Rays: I just had a chest x-ray this week. I've also had MRIs and many back x-rays. I'm scheduled to have a brain MRI soon to see why I'm having so many migraines lately.

Yummy Stuff I Cook: What is this "cook" you speak of?

Zoo Animal I Like: Sea lions. Lions. Hippos. Polar bears. I like the zoo. Very cool.

Anyone else want to play?

Just a Few Things

UPDATE: I stupidly messed up my links below. They should be fixed now. Please check out those blogs. They're good stuff.

No, I haven't forgotten you all. I've just been taking  a break. I keep thinking I'll get back to writing, and then something else comes along and I don't. So here's a laundry list of things that have been happening for those of you jonesing for some Chili.

Wild Thing
This girl is keeping me in stitches this summer. Here are just TWO of the conversations we've had that I can remember.

I was discussing the finer points of attentive lifeguarding with my friend. I used to be a lifeguard and I was quite strict as lifeguards go. I think today's guards are a little lax. I mentioned this to my friend and she said, in a very flip and funny way, "Yeah, you must have been the Pool Nazi." I laughed and agreed. Wild Thing overheard and quickly came to my defense: "Momma, you're not a Pool Notsie. You're a Pool Yessie. You ALWAYS let us come to the pool."

While asking Wild Thing to clean up some things off the staircase she sat down with me and leaned up to kiss me. I thanked her then asked her to get her stuff off the stairs and take it to her room.

Wild Thing: "Anything you say, Momma."
Me: "Thank you. Now please take these things to your room."
Wild Thing (clearly exasperated): "Mom! I was being sartaskick." (followed by much drama and sighing)

KC Blogging

Shannon and I are taking off for a little blogging get-together in KC this weekend. I am excited. We are going to meet all kinds of Mommy Bloggers: Shalee, Everyday Mommy, CMommy, Michelle, Antique Mommy, kpjara, and AuntMurray. I'm sure there are more, but I don't exactly have a list. This is just a list I've been able to glean from different blogs.

I'm excited! Shannon and are driving up to KC together early on Saturday against our respective husbands' better judgment. Both men have misgivings about their precious commodities spending the night with a perfect internet stranger. In fact, I have to admit that both my husband and I have made fun of everyone we know that has made an effort to meet people online and then made additional effort to meet those people in real life. Alas, I am now among those goobersmacks. And I say BRING IT.

My major concern this weekend has less to do with being kidnapped or tortured and more to do with refreshments. Do these ladies drink wine or margaritas? And if not, will they let me drink wine or margaritas? Let's get down to nitty-gritty here, folks. This is the real issue is it not?
 

WFMW: Art Cabinet

What works for me is not having kids constantly nagging me for something to do. Behold The Art Cupboard.

The art cupboard is--are you ready for this?--where I store everything arty and crafty. (That totally came out of left field, didn't it?) This cupboard is not only great for my kids when they are bored, but it has saved me from having to buy craft projects for Daisy Scouts (I was the leader last year) and birthday parties (which I usually choose to host at my house). Playdates are a breeze if the kids are suddenly bored with the bajillion toys upstairs. Every kid I've ever encountered loves to have free reign in the art cupboard.

At first glance, it may seem that everything is stuffed into this cupboard haphazardly. However, upon closer inspection you will see that my madness has a method. Everything--and I do mean everything--has a place. Construction paper is in the large box on the bottom shelf. Smaller pieces of drawing paper are in a handled bag (for easy transport to the table). Trays are there so the kids can paint whenever they want and and their masterpiece won't include the kitchen table. Crayons are in one box, markers in another. There is even a little caddy that has a little of everything so they can move it to the table without dragging everything else out.

The two main rules of the art cupboard are

1. If it's on the bottom shelf, you can use it any time; if it's on the top shelf, you must ask.
2. If you get it out, put it away where it belongs.

Other than that, the kids are allowed to dive into the art cupboard any time they feel like it. They have spent entire afternoons cutting, coloring, glueing, and creating. And that definitely works for me.

To view more hints and tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer the original Works for Me Wedneday tipster!