Backdirt Annihilation--Day 3

Surprise!  "Johnny Appleseed" (that's what I call our landscaper) called me last night and said that he could come by today to plant our trees and tomorrow to lay the grass!  WOO HOO!
So here is what the backdirt looks like after their work today:

 The two little trees will eventually be shade trees.  Must. Have. Shade. In. Arizona.

And then an orange and a grapefruit tree over in the rock part.  We couldn't have all grass, seemed like a waste of money to pay to water it all.  So we compromised (and the 'we' is referring to Arizona and I).
Can't wait until tomorrow!  Grass... Beautiful Grass!

$20 Challenge--Week 2

I made a rookie mistake at my first store this week and thought that we were going to have a bust (it lost me $2.50).  But I did my first ever coupon trip to Dollar Tree and that boosted my results (and my spirits) for the week. 

What I got:

1 small bottle of lotion (FREE)

1 Gillette Men’s Razor (FREE)
1 Venus Women’s Razor (FREE)
2 boxes of Biore nasal strips
2 bottles of Biore cleanser
2 small bottles dish soap
2 6-packs flavored water
4 boxes Honey Bunches of Oats
2 packages of hot dogs (FREE)
3.69 lbs bananas
3.48 lbs. nectarines
1 dozen eggs (FREE)
2 small ketchups (FREE)
1 package gummi bears
1 loaf of bread
3.5 lbs. grapes
1 package hamburger buns
1 package hot dog buns
2 small boxes Shredded Wheat (FREE)
1 Kraft Sizzling Salads (dressing/marinade combo) (FREE)
2 frozen Super Pretzel Bites
2 deodorants (FREE)
2 Maybelline lipsticks (FREE)
 
Total Out of Pocket:  $23.54
Earned $10 towards future purchases
Total saved with sales & coupons:  $103.36

Both weeks my out of pocket has been over $20.  But if I subtracted the money earned towards future purchases I would be under, I am counting it as a success for the first two weeks.  I like to think of it as the spirit of the challenge instead of the letter of the challenge.  Cheating?  Maybe.

Shaving Cream

One of my very first blog posts was about doing Shaving Cream Art with the kids. It was not a huge success, the kids thought it was pretty gross. But we are eight months older and wiser so I thought I would give it another go (this time with Brisbane in tow).

 We went outside because now that we have a patio, that is our defacto location for anything messy.  As you can see, Reese was pretty into it.  At the end, he had to put on new clothes because he had shaving cream all over his shoes, shorts, shirt, and hair.  And since a mess is his definition of fun, I think he had fun.

 Jessenia wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Reese but she went along with it.  I just think she wasn't sure what to do with all the shaving cream. 

 Reese practiced writing letters and made some pictures.

Jessenia just wanted me to draw a flower for her and then not let Brisbane mess it up. 
No pictures of Brisbane?  That's because he lasted three seconds and then just wanted to put shaving cream on the side of the house and the chairs out there.  Based on my limited sampling and extensive scientific study, I would say that this activity is appropriate for four year olds and up. 

Zombies

I find this picture incredibly adorable.  Mostly because all three of the kids are so cute.  But also because of Brisbane's ability to now do what the big kids do (even if that is sitting in front of the tv and staring).
The kids only get to watch one tv show (on dvd...so it might be several episodes depending on how long dinner takes) a day while I am making dinner.  It is basically a safety issue so that nobody gets burnt in the kitchen.  I admit, I am not one of those moms who when she gets together with her other mom friends says, "I let my kids help me with dinner every single night.  It is such a learning experience.  And we have so. much. fun."  Anyone who says that is a liar.  It can be fun to have kids helping in the kitchen.  But not at the end of a long day when one is making dinner.
Brisbane has been a special challenge because his attention span in the past has not been long enough to watch a show.  In fact, before last week he never even showed any interest.  But just last week he decided that he wanted to sit on the bed with the kids.  That would last five minutes and then he would wail until I would come help him down.  But just two days ago he finally made it through the entire thing while I made dinner.  Breakthrough!  That meant I didn't have to put him as far away as possible, run back to the oven, open it, pull dinner out, and get it closed before he got back into the kitchen.  Doing all of that while looking over my shoulder to make sure he didn't get back quickly and touch the hot oven.  I could have just set up the baby gate, I suppose. 
Dinner making has been glorious (well as glorious as it can be).  Thank you television.  Despite all of your evils, you truly are a great invention.

Play-Doh Firsts -->Nursery

The kids like to play with Play-Doh.  I don't like them to play with Play-Doh.  It's a mess.  Excited for cooler weather so I can send them out on the back patio.
In the past we have only done Play-Doh while Brisbane is sleeping becuase of his tendency to chew on any and everything.  But his oral fixation has decresed drastically (i.e. We might be able to move the sofa out from in front of the window.  Remember, the kids ate plaster.)  So I decided to brave the inevitable and let him have a shot.

 "Mom!  You caught me!"
He did really great, had a lot of fun, and almost lasted as long as the big kids.  But the big success was that he did not eat any Play-Doh.

Jessenia is really good at playing with Brisbane.  She is just the right amount of bossy and incredibly sweet.  She is very good at modeling how to play with things and wants her little minion to have success. 
This Play-Doh event (a few weeks ago) gave me courage that Brisbane might be able to survive Nursery at church (I was worried he would just eat the crayons and chew on all the toys...yuck!).  We sent Brisbane for the first time on Sunday.  (He's a month early, but both Mack and I are in callings that we can't really have him with us, so we got permission.  In fact, we were basically told to send him by the Bishop and Primary President.) 
We walked in, I set him down and he ran right over to the toy cupboards and began pulling on the lock, "I know what's in here!"  He did not cry once.  When I went in to do singing time with the kids he ran up to me (but only because he was interested in my singing apron with all the pockets).  The leaders said, "He is kind of a weird kid.  He already went through the garbage and tried to eat the tissues."  Ooops.  I forgot to mention that.  He is obsessed with garbage.  We keep ours on the counter tops or on dressers.  But when we went to get him at the end of church they said he did awesome.  He was very engaged and seemed to really enjoy it.  His coloring picture was actually about on par with Jessenia.  Which means I really need to get Jessenia to draw more than one line on her paper.  Come on Sis, don't let a 17 month old boy beat ya!  I think we may just send him back next week.  I am just glad that he didn't bite anyone.  Whew!

Who Needs Toys?

There are days when I think we need every toy we have ever purchased.  In general the kids like to play with their toys and there are few toys that I can think of that they don't play with often.  And then there are days when I wonder why we have toys.  Reese hates playing in his room if nobody is in there and I hate them dragging all of their toys out into the living room.  So his defactos position is to grab a book and sit on the sofa (because at least there will be other living things in the room with him).  Plus my kids love to play with things that aren't toys (which is fine) and love to use those things to either destroy their toys or destroy property throughout the house.  I am sure this is the bane of many a mother's existance.
On this particular day though, Reese was enjoying playing with his trains on the kitchen table.  The kitchen table is one of the few places safe from Brisbane (or at least it was a few weeks ago when these pictures were taken...now he can climb on chairs and up onto the table).  Reese was happy because he loves his trains and I was happy because he was totally engrossed and using great imaginitive play.

 So what was his little brother to do now that the trains were out of his reach?

Climb in the bin and play with the extra pieces!  Reese would occassionally run over and dig a piece out from around Brisbane.  This relationship worked out quite well.  Brisbane sat in that bin for well over 30 minutes before he cried to be rescued.  Then he pushed the bin around on the tile for another 10 minutes before he climbed back in and played for another fifteen.  Genius!

Cool Spell

A few weeks ago we had a downright cold spell.  It rained almost every night (monsoon season) and so the mornings were a lot cooler.  I almost got out the coats and gloves...not!  But it was still nice and we enjoyed spending a lot more time outside.
One of those days I took the kids to the park to play.  It is so much nicer going to the park now that Brisbane is completely mobile and pretty secure on the equipment (not that I don't still have heartattacks anytime he gets near the edge).  Brisbane even enjoys going down the slides (thanks, Grandma)!

 On this day, Brisbane spent most of his time in the sand.  (There should be a law against cigarette butts at the park...yuck!)

 All smiles!

Reese modeling for me on the slide.  I actually think he was about the fall and caught himself for the photo.  Thanks Bud!
There was another little boy and girl that showed up just before we were heading home for lunch.  The mother commented to me about what a lovely day it was.  It was 90 degrees people.  And here we are discussing the 'lovely' weather.  Pathetic.  Totally Pathetic.

$20 Challenge--Week 1

For the fun of it (and to see if I have enough self-control) I have put myself on a $20 challenge.  That means I get $20 each week to spend on groceries.  I want to see how much stuff I can get for just $20.
Keep in mind, I am not making meals here.  I coupon and so I buy large quantities (stockpile) of things when they are a smokin' deal.  Which means I already have food in my freezer and pantry for my meals for the next month or so.  This has allowed me over the last year to simply look for the best deals and then put those things together for meals in later months.
So, no, we are not eating hand soap this week...

What I got:
4 boxes Fiber One Brownies
5 boxes Fiber One Granola Bars (delicious!)
2 Viola Birds Eye Frozen Meals (FREE)
2 containers of raspberries
2 half gallon milks (I already have some in my freezer)
1 loaf bread
1 package baby wipes
2 small bottles dish soap (FREE)
2 bottles hand soap (FREE)
2 packages feminine pads (FREE)
2 bottles Ken's salad dressing
1 package cupcake liners (FREE)
3 bags mozzarella cheese
2 boxes Yoplait Gogurts
3 bottles hand soap (FREE)
4.5 lbs bananas
4 lbs. grapes
4 cobs of corn
1 head lettuce

Total Spent:  $24.42
Earned a $3 off coupon for my next purchase
Saved (Coupons and Sales): $96.33

I went a tad bit over this week, hopefully I will make up for it in subsequent weeks.  I got some good stuff that we need for upcoming meals (produce and cheese) and got some things that we will probably end up donating (hand soap).
I'm going to try to keep this up until the end of October.  I may cave around Halloween though since I will need to get candy for tricker-treaters and the like.
All in all, I think I am off to a good start. :)

Backdirt Annihilation--Day 2

We were awoken this morning to the lovely sound of pavers being stacked right outside our bedroom window.  Beats kids screaming at each other from down the hall.

 Not much to look at that's new.

 But they did manage to get all of the sprinklers installed and the drip system in place for the new trees.

And look there's Zippy!  Told ya she was the star of this blog.
Turns out we misunderstood the timeline for this project.  He is coming back next Saturday to install the rock and trees and then the following Tuesday will be Grass Day.  Apparantly people expect their lawns to be mowed and maintained between now and then.  Lame!  But I am making a fair attempt at being patient.

Backdirt Annihilation--Final Stages

We have been blessed to have a lovely Backdirt.  It has been a thorn in our side (or feet...literally) since we moved in this house.  We of course had grand plans to redo it ourselves.  Last Saturday we were standing in the backdirt, I with a bucket to collect rocks and Mack with a mattock (aka grub n' hoe), when I turned to Mack and suggested that we just hire it done.  At the rate we are going and with our limited skills we would have the backdirt turned into a backyard in the year 2036.  Since we will only be in this house two more years and would actually like to send our kids into the yard to play this coming winter without threat of impalement, we decided that hiring professionals was a wise decision.
So now you all have the pleasure of seeing day by day shots of our backdirt becoming a backyard.  That's right.  We had this conversation seven days ago, I got two estimates this week, and the crew started today.  We don't mess around.  Plus I am extremely desperate for Reese to have somewhere to run off all that excess energy he now takes out on his siblings.
So here are the three before shots I took last night:

 I will attempt to point out some of the lovely features of the backdirt.  Above you see the massive pile of woodchips that were created when Mack cut down and chipped the two giant Mesquite trees (thorns and all).  Both landscapers said, "Whoa, those were some big trees!" when they saw our woodchip collection.

 In this picture you will notice the lovely 600 pound (estimated) stump that Mack removed, on the left.  And on the right is the stump that Mack was attempting to remove when I had my brilliant idea of getting someone else to suffer.

 And then this just shows the last of the yard.  Basically just some noxious weeds, a random cactus, and a massive hole (unseen in picture) that has no explanation.
On to events of today.  The crew showed up bright and early.  And then my kids were glued to the window. 

Seriously, it was better than tv (which we don't have).  I eventually pulled them away with the draw of duplos but throughout the day they still needed to check on the progress (you know, make sure we had no slackers out there).  Reese was so interested that anytime they took a wheelbarrow out to their truck in the front yard he would run to the front window to watch, and then run back.  It was hilarious.
I told the kids that the landscapers were coming to put grass in our backyard.  Reese said, "Grass?  Not dirt?"
"Do you want dirt?"
"Ummm..."
"Would you rather have grass or dirt?"
"GRASS!"
So today when a few hours had passed, Reese asked, "Where's the grass?"
"They are going to put that in last.  They have to clean it up first, lay down dirt, put in sprinklers, rocks, and then the grass."
"Sprinklers!?  For us to play in!?"
Obviously, what else are sprinklers for to a four year old?  I will admit the kids are pretty pumped about the prospect of a backyard.  This makes all of the money that we are putting in to it worth it.  (In addition to my sanity and the prospect of being able to sell this place without having to try to 'hide' the backdirt.)
After working all morning (the afternoons here are too hot to work), this is what was accomplished:

 No more woodchips.

 No more stumps.

And no more noxious weeds and cactus.
I almost hugged the man when he knocked to tell me they were leaving for the day.  I refrained.  He was sweaty and I didn't want him to think I was satisfied yet (I still want the grass).  But this is huge!  Mack and I never even dreamed of getting this far.  Flat dirt in the backdirt!  We are pathetic, we know.
Plus the guy trimmed our Dr. Seuss tree in the front yard just for the heck of it.  I looked out the front window and they were raking up the trimmings.  Now before we get all nervous that he should have asked first, the thing needed a trim badly.  Mack and I were just discussing it on our way to church on Sunday.  And last time Mack trimmed the tree it was ugly.  The neighbor even complained about what a travesty the massacre of the beautiful shade tree was.  So this guy taking the initiative and doing it free of charge warmed my heart.
So back tomorrow with more pictures.  They are just digging trenches for the sprinklers, so the before and after may not be as impressive.
And yes, this means that you will get daily updates about the backdirt.  And yes, this is blog-worthy, make no mistake.

Munchausen

This is one of those posts that my kids are going to read as teenagers and be mortified that it was put on the internet.  So with that...full steam ahead, I say!
I had to take Reese to the Dr. yesterday for a 'little boy issue'.  We are a pretty modest bunch but believe in using age appropriate and correct terminology for body parts.  Hence Reese and Jessenia both know what a penis is (they bathe together).  We have had the talk with Reese about not letting people touch his penis other than Mommy and Daddy when they are helping him and the Dr. if Mommy or Daddy are there.  So before we went to the Dr. I warned Reese that the Dr. would be examining his private parts.  He was nervous but agreed that he would be brave.
When Jessenia heard that Reese was getting to be examined by the Dr. she immediately jumped in with all of her ailments, specifically, "Mom, I have a scratch on my...on my...on my...."  Uh-huh, sure.  I told her we are only going to the Dr. for Reese this time. 
In the car on the way to the Dr., Jessenia asked me, "Mom, why do I not have a peanut?"  I told her, "It's a penis and you don't have one because you are a girl".  I could just hear her mind working, 'If only I had a peanut, I would get to go to the Dr. for me too".
We went to the Dr. and everything was fine with only a minor issue that requires some topical medicine.  After we got back in the car, I told Reese that I was going to need to put some medicine on him a few times  day.  Jessenia immediately jumped in by telling me that her eye was hurting her.  Uh-huh, sure.  First thing that came to her mind since the Great Pink Eye Debacle of Summer 2012, I'm sure.  I think Jessenia might have Munchausens (where you make up diseases or make yourself sick for attention from the Dr.).  I informed her that under no circumstances would she be recieving medicine that day.
Good thing she didn't really get sick or I would have had to go back on my word.  Or I may not have believed her in the first place, my little Girl Who Cried Sick!

"Cool"est Ever

I had to dig deep to find acceptable activities in Arizona in the summer.  Basically the activities either need to include water (aka swimming pool or splash pad) or be inside.  But in my vast searching I found a gem.  It is called a Flashlight Tour.  They do them at the Arizona Botanical Gardens during the summer, two evenings a week.  We weren't sure what to expect but we knew that we needed flashlights and so we went.  (Because really, who doesn't love a good flashlight activity?)

 There was a brief orientation when we first arrived and then you were let loose along a designated path in the Gardens where there were informational and activity booths set up.  As always, I was nervous about how the kids would respond.  But the first stop was to see a scorpion under a black light and a tarantula.  The kids thought it was awesome and had a million questions.  SUCCESS!

 There were lots of activities for kids and the whole thing was at your own pace so we didn't have to stay with a group.  Which was so nice.  Above, the kids are making necklaces using toothpicks and ink.  This may not have been their artistic medium of choice.

 There was a snake stop.  You can just tell from the body language that Reese is none too thrilled with that stuffed rattlesnake behind glass.  You can just imagine his excitement about the live snake, outside of the box.  Being the great mother that I am, I encouraged him to touch it (and even touched it myself to show him it was safe....after asking the guide if it was safe... even though I have an overwhelming and irrational fear of snakes.  They are one of the things I make Mack get up in the night and check for when there is no evidence to suggest there is one in our room....just my twisted thought process.)  Reese still didn't want to touch it.  But Jessenia, Mack, and Melanie all did.

 There was this handy little ledge that told you to set your camera on it and self-timer a picture. Brilliant idea! It was dark, but I wanted to try it anyway.  Aren't we a cute bunch?

 The kids made spiders from half a Styrofoam ball and pipe cleaners.  Big hit during the car ride home.  (Until two days later when Jessenia decided to rip all of the legs off of Reese's one at a time while I was driving down the freeway and we had a screaming, crying mess.  The Joys of Motherhood.)

 It was a good thing we had three adults there.

 We could have actually done with one more.  You needed an adult for each kid plus one to run for art supplies.  Not something I would attempt alone.

 We also got to see frogs, toads, and poly wogs.  We learned about various plants and their uses.

 And we got to practice our beaver dam making abilities (not. so. great.).

All in all we had a fun time.  I declared it "The Coolest Thing We Have Done in Phoenix".  The kids had a blast (of course...they were up way past bedtime) and were not grumpy about any of it.  Mack was genius to have us take both strollers so no kids had to walk.  We learned quite a bit along the way and got to see some unexpected things (aka a wild snake by the pond).  It was pretty warm however.  Don't let the nighttime fool you.  It does not cool down in Arizona at night.  But worth it none the less.
The best part for the kids was the tortoise at the end.  They asked the entire way when we were going to see the tortoise and they were not disappointed.  Reese even touched it.
The best part for the adults was Bahama Bucks afterwards.  Because after getting all sweaty pushing toddlers through the Gardens at night, one deserves a snowcone.  Yummy!

Kid at Heart

I kind of figured that Melanie didn't want to just sit around my house all day and watch me clean and keep kids alive.  So I organized some outings to keep her (and by her, I mean us) entertained and out of trouble.
First stop, Phoenix Children's Museum. The second time that we 'met' Reese and Jessenia, this is where Mack and I took them. It is a pretty awesome place and now that Brisbane is walking, all of the kids could enjoy it.

 When you first enter, there is this massive maze of tubes with air shooting through them.

 You put the colorful scarf in and it runs along the tubes and eventually shoots out high above your head.  The kids love this.  It is a shame that it is the first thing in the museum because it is so hard to drag them away to play with anything else.

 There is a three story "treehouse" made of recycled materials.  Melanie took Reese and Jessenia up and in about three seconds they were back down.  Reese is such a chicken.  When Mack and I took the kids, we just made them do it (and p.s. he loved it).  Once they were down on the ground though Jessenia wanted to go right back up.  They made it all the way to the top of the three stories.  I was super jealous.  Next time we go I am leaving the wimps at the bottom and going to the top, even if I have to do it alone.

 Then we did the tricycle car wash.  This was a seriously good time for all of the kids too.  It was nice that they had lots of trikes without pedals because my kids have a hard time pedaling and steering.

 Brisbane just liked being pushed around on his car.

 Reese was a professional!  Look how proud he is of his trike washing abilities.  (Look at the mother in the background who made her daughter wear a helmet.  I saw that and thought I just received a big FAIL as a mother, not promoting safe habits.  And then I thought of lice and felt that I had just done us all a big favor. A+)

 Jessenia is not the world's greatest steerer.  Riding a bike/trike actually requires a lot of coordination that you forget somewhere between learning to ride yourself and being a proficient adult.  She held up the show a little bit but was very determined, and adorable as always.

 If Melanie and I had had these fort making materials the night before we would have had electricity and running water in our fort.  Seriously, they have a room just for fort building.  It's awesome.  Melanie and I wanted to kick all of the kids out and take over the place.  But that seemed rude.

 Instead Jessenia found every clip she could and decorated her fort with them.

 Brisbane got this game started.  "Speak softly and carry a big stick!"

 Those sticks/blocks/boards were no joke.  I am actually surprised that Brisbane could lift them.  So once my kids got bored with forting, they waved those massive beams around.  We finally had to leave this room because I feared for the safety of all the other children.  I don't know much about hockey (worst. sport. ever.), but isn't there a high-sticking penalty or something?  Well anyways, that's what my kids were doing.  Very dangerous.

 Everywhere we went, we kind of took over.  When other kids came up to play, that was our cue to move on.  My kids could have dropped those little discs for hours but as you can see, they kind of have the 'plinko board' monopolized!

 Sand is dirty.  So naturally my kids loved it.

 Best part of the Museum, the Noodle Forest.  It is basically hundreds of swimming pool noodles hanging from the ceiling.  The Noodle Forest should have the sub-heading, "Easiest Place in Phoenix to Lose Your Child".  It's a little nutty when you get in with all those noodles.  Brisbane hated it.  But the rest of us love the Noodle Forest!

 There is a little nook for reading.

 My kids are reading maniacs.  Melanie read at least twenty books to them a day while she is here.  I will often look up from doing the dishes and see all three of my kids sitting on the sofa/floor/chairs in the living room and looking at books.  Even Brisbane.  He just sits there with a book in his lap and turns the pages.  I love my kids!
The best is when Jessenia re-reads a book that we have read to her.  She gets a shocking amount of the words right and an even more shocking number of details mixed up and confused.  It sometimes leaves you wondering what she really thought the book was about.

 Love Jessenia trying to squeeze into this picture...not to mention the kid in the green shirt.  Hey There Kid!

 Brisbane was very proud of his wrench xylophone playing abilities.

 The pencil car was pretty cool.

But the pickle car was the best!
There was also an area where you can race cars, a grocery store, a huge pizza kitchen, and more.  I didn't get as good of pictures in those areas (plus don't you think I included enough?).
It was a fun day and we were all exhausted.  This is the thing about Children's Museums.  I have always loved a good Children's Museum.  Kids love to explore and manipulate toys and materials that they don't have at home.  But the truth is the adults love it just as much, if not more.  If it was socially acceptable I would have moved all those kiddos out of the way and showed them how that grocery store should have been run.
When I was younger, my brother David and I were at a Children's Museum with Melanie and my mom.  Melanie is five years younger than me so we were there for her.  David and I were teenagers but kids at heart and were definitely getting into some of the activities.  We were playing with all of the little kids there and having a blast.  When we were about to leave a lady came up to us (we thought to tell us off for taking over the toys) and said, "Anytime you want to watch my kid, you are welcome to."  I am pretty sure she also asked if we were coming back the next day.  Good times.
All in all, I think the kids will be excited to go back.  Just not as excited as me!