The toy infestation

Our house is infested....with toys. Every size, shape, and color. It started slowly, with a toy under the couch here, behind the curtain there. Then gradually there were more and more. Then it started to spread to all of the rooms....

Sounds kind of like a horror story, doesn't it? IT IS. It is my everyday, living, breathing nightmare. And I can't seem to wake up from it. There isn't a room in my house that doesn't have at least one toy in it, even my bedroom. I "fumigate" daily, but they just keep re-appearing. I have spent the better part of the day, today just cleaning Ryan and Lily's room. Forget the laundry piled high, or the dishes in the sink. I have all I can handle with the toys. I might have won the battles in the 2 bedrooms today, but I am losing the war of the house.

It's all about the money.

Duane and I have started having the kids earn a small allowance. They each have their own chore lists, each chore is worth a nickel. If Nathan does all the chores on his list, he can earn around $2 a week, $1.50 for Lily and Ryan. It really has had some positive effects on their "enthusiasm" for chores.

I have to admit I stole the idea from a friend. I have the decorated jars and chore lists displayed in the kitchen. When the kids reach 20 nickels (which they have to count out themselves), I exchange the nickels for a dollar bill. That way I'm never out of nickels.

Examples of chores are: Get dressed, brush teeth and hair, make bed, set/clear table, sort laundry, take trash out, feed and water the animals, and my favorite...Get to bed on time!

It's the thought that counts?

Well, I finally did it. I broke down and bought a sling baby carrier because Jackson wants to be held. And to tell you the truth, I want to hold him all the time, too. Anyway... I was looking at Target and found one that looked good. It's called the Jelly Bean reversible sling by Munchkin.

I thought it looked comfortable, stylish and pretty. I thought it would be perfect for carrying Jackson around without breaking my back or my arms tiring out.

I was wrong.

I got the large size, but I think it was still too small. The package says the are 4 or 5 ways to carry your baby, depending on their age. The only way that Jackson seemed comfortable was the hip carry (which is shown in the picture). He just wouldn't fit in there the other ways. I was very disappointed that it didn't work out. I think it is a great product, it just didn't fit for me.

Monkey Bizness

Duane and I decided that the kids had cabin fever on Sunday, so we took them to Monkey Bizness at the Great Mall of the Great Plains. It was so much fun! Duane and the kids had been there before and told me it was fun, even for the adults. Huge inflatable slides, big climbing structure with a rope swing and super fast slide, basketball and a infant play area. There is a second room with even more fun things to do, like a rock wall. Unfortunately, it was closed that day because of all the birthday parties in there. (Which, in my opinion, are outrageously expensive) We all got some much needed exercise and had fun to boot. I've got the burns on my elbows to prove it. I even got a chance to slip away with Jackson for some shopping. I found some great sales in Children's Place and Carters.

Our new sort-of pet cat

We have a new pet cat....sort-of. We still have the 2 cocker spaniels (Romeo and Juliet), and one of our cats (Stormy). Lately, a short-haired tiger striped cat has been hanging around. He sleeps in the chairs in the backyard, sits by the back door waiting for the dogs to come out, and comes in the garage by way of the dog door. He must be starving, for he will rip our trash to shreds. So I have started feeding him every day in the garage. He obviously came from a home because he tries to come in the house. I just don't want to have to care for (and pay for) another animal. So for now, we will feed him and enjoy him while we are outside. I wonder what we should call him...