I'm Done With Dinner!

I am hereby officially done trying to make dinner! For many, many months now I've been cooking healthy, real, somewhat time consuming meals. I've chanted the food pyramid while studiously writing my shopping lists. And for what!? Whines that's what! Every night, before the plates even touch the table, I hear "Eeewww does that have onions, beef, vegetables, tomato sauce.....ect. in it?" I'm done! Tonight I made a meal that I made just a few weeks ago. I thought I was safe. The last time I made it all 3 kids had seconds. Tonight all 3 walked away from the table after 2-3 bites! What! From now on I'm saving time and money. PB&J's for all! I figure if it becomes boring we could always spice it up a bit. How about alternating jellies! We could have strawberry, peach, and then grape. Then we could try jam, or how about preserves?! Oh, then we could go from smooth PB to chunky PB. Fascinating! Ahhh! How about breads? White, whole wheat, stone ground wheat, fake wheat, rye, pumpernickel, sourdough, toasted.....oh the possibilities are endless! How fun! Yep, yep that's it! From now on dinner will be PB& J's for all! Oh, who the hell am I kidding! Ya know one will only like strawberry jelly on white bread with chunky PB, while the other will want grape jam with smooth PB on a roll and another will want it with half strawberry jelly & half peach preserves with no PB on beepin' cheese! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Oh! I am so close to screaming stories about starving children in Africa!

Cleaning The House......

A few years ago my Mom gave me a magnet that says, "Cleaning the house while the kids are growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing." Well last night was the perfect depiction of that statement! I had an hour between the kids coming home from school and dinner. Amazingly the kids came through the door and parked themselves in front of the TV. Ok, this was my chance. All are quite, I'm going to clean and mop the mudroom. I quietly snuck out of the house. I opened the mudroom door and put the dogs outside. I waited, the kids were still entertained by the TV. At this point I realize I have about 25 minutes before their attention will be broken by the end of their show. Ok, 25 min and counting! I started spraying window cleaner like a mad woman! I wiped down the washer and dry, cleaned off the window sills, dusted the bench and the items hanging above it. Wow! I'm on a roll! I froze in place and waited for a sound from the living room. Still silence, woo hoo! Ok, I removed the decorative items on the cabinets. I wiped each one down, shook out the cloth runner and swept the floor. Home stretch! All I have to do it mop and I'm done! I grab the mop and bucket. I sneak into the house and quietly fill the bucket with water and cleaner. I literally tip-toe to the kitchen door. Still undetected by my quiet TV watchers. I place the mop into the bucket and the kitchen door flies open. "What you doin' Mama?" asks Ella. "Oh, just mopping the floor." I responded. "I help?" "No, you don't have any shoes on, go finish watching your show with the boys." "No, I help you now." replied Ella. Ok, let's stop here. For those who may not realize, a two year old has a skewed view of the term help. Helping is never helping. Well, actually it is.... they just help you do the opposite of whatever you are trying to accomplish. Ella walked back into the kitchen and returns wearing Reid's rain boots. Yep, she's here to help. At this point half the mudroom is mopped. "Ella, go outside and play with the dogs." "No, no me stay here wif you." "No, the doggies are so lonely, go pet them and I'll be right out." She runs outside and I quickly mop my way out the door. I did it! My mudroom is clean! Woo hoo! I rock! I'm awesome! THEN I hear it......... "MOM! MOM! Where are you?" Yeah, my 25 minutes were up and out the door came 2 rowdy boys, right out the door and into a mud puddle. I scream. Two MUDDY, rowdy boys ( who apparently didn't notice the freshly mopped floor) think I'm screaming because they are outside jumping in mud puddles with sneakers, turn and run into the house. Ok, people......did you notice the moment between my clean mudroom celebration and the boys running into the house. THAT is the exact moment my house was clean. Most likely, at this rate, the cleanest it will be for the next 18 years! I give up! If anyone wants to watch the "Merry Maids" have a nervous breakdown, send them here! It'll push them right over the edge!

James Is Still A Republican

Ok, for all of those who may be worried...... James is (unfortunately) still a Republican. I noticed the comment in response to my "PA Loves Hillary" post. I figured I'd better issue the previous disclaimer. I begged him to change his party in preparation for the primary. His comment, "If I did that, Scott might fall over dead from a heart attach!" Ok, he's worried about his brother, who lives in Gettysburg, finding out and dying from shock. Understood, however, I could maim him in his sleep. Seriously, which should he be more afraid of! I know he's rooting for Mc Cain. Ugh! He reminds me of "The Man". He is the depiction of the typical uptight, white aristocrat. Yep, that's who I want running he country! Someone who has no sense of reality! James argues that he has the military experience to direct our path in the war. Great! Hillary can make him chief military advisor! Obviously he didn't have enough sense to keep himself out of a POW camp. THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE!

Football, Lowe's and Gardening

Today was yet another busy day. James worked in the morning and then Reid had his last football practice in the afternoon. Next week Reid will have his first football game against West York. I'm anxious to see how that will go. Imagine a field full of 5 & 6 year olds chasing and tackling each other. Fun, fun, fun! After football we all made our weekly trip to Lowe's. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Lowe's?! I honestly have a Mary Tyler Moore moment every time I walk through the doors. I just want to twirl around and toss my hat, sunglasses..... whatever into the air. Ahhhh, my Lowes! James and Reid shopped for more lumber, for the fence, while Hayden, Ella and I looked for a few "crush resistant" perennials for my flower bed. I have given up planting a garden full of impatients. I love the way they look, but hate seeing them crushed under kiddie feet and doggie paws. Today I purchased a few Hen & Chicks to fill in the very front of the flower bed. I'm hoping the jagged points will deter the dogs from walking into the bed. I suppose time will tell! We also got a large bag of potting soil for the sandbox. This year we are skipping the sand and instead we're planting pumpkins. Reid and Ella already started their pumpkins on the windowsill. Within the week they should be ready to be placed outside. Hayden started his sunflowers about 2 weeks ago, and he was able to plant them outside today. I hoping all of the heavy rain won't crush them. James and I also finished our seed order today. Usually we make our annual trip to Rohrer's in Smoketown. However, this year I can't justify the journey with the increased gas prices. So, we have opted to have them shipped to us. The S&H is only $4. Much less than the cost of gas! We should have them within a week. James already planted some tomatoes, green peppers, sweet corn and indian corn. This is our first year for indian corn. James put a few seeds in now so we can see how it turns out. If it drys nicely then we will plant more in time for fall decorating and Thanksgiving. Hooray! Our shipment from Rohrer's should include zucchini, green beans, beets, broccoli, basil, mint and cucumber. Yum! We've also considered ordering a packet of popping corn. How fun would that be?! I know the kids would love it! Oh, oh, oh I almost forgot. Lowe's did accept our Home Depot coupon. Pass it along. Lowe's WILL take Home Depot's coupons! Yep, never a reason to go to the big ugly, concrete plastered, yuck hut. Yippee!

PA Loves Hilllary!

Hillary won PA! Yeah! I don't have to move.....yet. I had myself sick yesterday waiting for the election results. Even after watching CNN's election coverage and the candidate's speeches, I still don't understand what people see in Obama! As a child I remember viewing the President as a noble, regal leader. My kids see the President as an oaf! The upside of this view, they can see the possibility of themselves actually becoming President of our country! Wow! I know all three of my children, ages 8, 6 and 2, are already more intelligent than the moron we currently have "leading" us! I just pray Hillary is able to make it and clinch the nomination. For all those who may care, visit http://www.hillaryclinton.com/ and donate $5. Just $5! Common! You know you can do it. If I can, you can! She needs to beat Obama! Just watching that man speak makes my skin crawl. I refuse to have my children grow up to watch the Presidential office filled with morons and misdirected dreamers. I mean for heaven's sake, Obamas leading base seems to be young college students. Twenty something college students! Yeah, that's who I want choosing our leader. Pot smoking, keg standing, political wannabes! Open a history book people! Washington is firmly based on back scratching. I know whose backs the Clinton's have been scratching. They've been an open book since the mid 90's. Obama? He took a vacation to the Virgin Islands right in the middle of campaigning! To meet who?! Sounds a little suspicious to me. Yeah, his family needed a vacation. So, Obama are you planning on packing up on going to the beach every time things get a little stressful? Plan on taking a week off every time your kids need some "Daddy time". How about this, back it up, raise your children, scratch some backs, sign yourself up for some leader training and comeback in 8 years.

Happy Earth / Election Day!

What a BIG combo day! Remember today is Earth Day so go hug your favorite tree! Then after feeling relaxed and refreshed from your Earthy oxygen-filled hug, go vote for HILLARY! Ella and I did! We wore our matching Hillary for President T's and proudly tapped the screen over Hillary's name. How fun to vote for a qualified female candidate with my baby girl! Now, tonight we will be sitting at the TV with knots in our stomaches. I pray it is a landslide in favor of Clinton. Obama irritates me. What are people thinking? Has anyone heard him solve a problem yet? I've heard lots of I'm gonna's, but NOT one planned solution! James mentioned that he sounds a lot like Carter when he was running for office. A newbie who was going to change the world in 4 years. Ok, check a history book.... the man has done more for this country, and the world, out of office than he ever did while occuping the Presidential office. So, 'bama go build a home for the impoverished, fight big oil, win the Nobel Peace Prize, but keep your 1960's hippy chick head out of my White House! God I LOVE election day! Now, go hug that tree!

Family Update & No Need To Shop H.D.

Wow! Yet another month is flying by! We Klahold's have been LOVING the warmer weather! GOODBYE cold, dreary winter days....HELLO warm, spring sunshine! The kids have been busy playing outside and digging post holes for our new fence. I can not wait for it to be finished. Finally we won't have to worry about the kids and the dogs running out into the street. James is even installing springs on the gates, so we won't have to worry about the gates being left open! Hooray! Many of our neighbors have passed and made the comment.."So, ya making a fence to keep the kids and dogs in." James and I have started messing with them and responding..."Nope, it's to keep the dogs in and the kids out." Seriously, I love messing with people. Their reactions are great! How about starting a conversation about the way the fence looks, or maybe the effort that is being put into the project. Why begin a casual conversation with a question regarding the obvious?! Oh, speaking of home projects, I know everyone knows my severe dislike of Home Depot. Why people shop there I will never understand. Well now there is one less reason to have to enter that nasty, orange hut. LOWE'S accepts Home Depot coupons! In some gross mailing list accident, we received Home Depot coupons. One of them happened to be $5 off of $50. We've been going to Lowe's for lumber each weekend. We have already blown through all of our $ off coupons, so I called Lowe's on a whim and asked them if they would accept H.D's coupon. They will! I love it! Ahhhh! My Lowe's, it never let's me down. In other news....Reid and Hayden are now in the mist of spring football / soccer. Reid has been doing well running drills and catching the ball. He will have his first game the first Saturday in May. We'll keep our fingers crossed. He tends to be a bit tackle happy. It's FLAG football. I just hope he doesn't hurt anyone. (For those of you who haven't seen Reid in awhile he's a 31/2 ft. brick wall!) Hayden has been doing a great job playing soccer. He scored two goals during his most recent game. He absolutely LOVES the sport! During the spring he has training 2 times a week and one game. So far his knee has been doing great with no further signs of swelling. Thankfully the steroid injection has seemed to work! He will be returning to Hershey next week to have the joint checked. Now, Ella on the other hand is well..... a handful! She is constantly into EVERYTHING! Today while reading a extremely brief email from Reid's teacher, she poured liquid soap over the dog. Tonight she ran right through the flowerbed and trampled the newly planted pansies. Oh, did I mention she also emptied an entire tissue box, dumped shredded cheese all over the living room and covered the door knob to the bathroom with yogurt. "Where was her Mother", you ask. IN THE BATHROOM! Yeah, explain again why I want to wake up tomorrow! Here is my new mantra.... "Two will pass, Two will pass, Two will pass" It will, won't it?

Pictures Of The Drums

Please excuse me as I play around and figure out how to add pictures. Here are a few pictures of the kids with their drum set. The set was an very generous gift from Uncle Eugene (James' brother). Thanks Gene! At least most days I thank you....other days I just take an Aleve to reduce the pounding in my ears! The boys are thrilled with the addition and are excited to start a "basement band". James has been teaching Hayden how to use the drums and Reid has been learning basic chords on his guitar. They seem to both really enjoy it. Who knows maybe some day soon we'll have to make the sacrifice and dish out the cash for real lessons. Perhaps their cousins, Cora and Rosa, could add the vocals and we could have a real family band. Ha-ha! Well, now that I know how to add pictures I will have to keep things up to date. I'm sure there will be plenty of football, soccer and home improvement pictures posted soon! Oh, sorry I couldn't rotate the two verticle pictures. I'm not THAT advanced! Take care till next time!

Tension? WHAT TENSION!

Today Hayden's class went on a fieldtrip to the Susan P. Byrnes Health Center. Therefore, as I was going though his bag tonight I found a "goodie bag" from the center. Inside was a plastic ruler. On the ruler is a stress check meter. According to the key, the color blue=calm, green=normal, red=tension and black=tense. Well, I followed the directions and held the meter between my thumb and forefinger for 15 seconds. The result.....BLACK! I tried the other hand.....still black. I pushed really hard.....black! I barely pinched it......black. Hayden, thinking this is hilarious, tries it....blue. Reid tries.....blue. Ella tries....BLUE! James came home from his "incredibly stressfull job" and tried it. BLUE! I try it again.....black! James tries it....still blue. I tap the strip immediately after James' blue reading and it instantly turns red. I tapped it! I barely made contact with the damn thing and it turns RED! It was at that moment I let them all know, that when I die of a heart attack NO ONE is to ask why! Now here's the real kicker. It is currently 12:17 am. All of the kids and James are sound asleep. I just pinched the strip again. Guess what! It's BLUE! Can this be used as proof that they are all killing me S-L-O-W-L-Y? So, here's to all the tension filled Moms in America. If we can all just make it to 12am, it all gets better then. Well according to the Susan P. Byrnes stress meter at least!