Dirt….

This post is about dirt… literally. I have a lot of it in my house. And I’m coming clean about that. Hah hah! =)

See, I used to be practically OCD. Infertility did that to me. I cleaned and straightened because it was the only thing in my life that I could control.

6 years and 3 boys later, I have had to let go of some control issues in this area.

Without further ado, I shall confess my filthiness in order to make the rest of you feel just a little bit better.

- My bathroom sink is surrounded by thick yellow soap scum. I can’t tell you about my shower because it would frighten you.

- The top of David’s dresser is stacked high with picture frames that I’ve been meaning to put up for a year and a half now. They’re covered in dust. If you blow on them, you might start coughing.

- There are stains on my sofa cushions. I’ve turned them around to hide the stains. Then I acquired more stains. I then turned them around and upside down. They’re still stained.

- We have a beta fish in a bowl. I didn’t change the water in that bowl for 3 months once. It got lower and lower and scummier and scummier. Eventually, it looked like the fish was swimming around in a little puddle barely deep enough for him. It was terribly guilt inducing. I kept forgetting to buy the bottled water you have to have to change the water. I put him upstairs when we went away for a weekend because I didn’t want the neighbor who was feeding the cat to see him and be totally horrified.

- Does anyone want a beta fish?

- There is a pile of quilts, old Valentine’s, and Evan’s baby items in the corner of my room beside my dresser. Have I mentioned that Evan is currently 2 1/2?

- I just discovered that the back of a rocking chair rocker in Ben’s room was covered with dried spit up. I have no idea how long it’s been there.

- When my shower scrubby fell apart, I left the rope handle thingy lying in the bottom of the shower…. for 3 weeks.

- I can write my name in the dust on the bookcases in my bedroom.

- I find cobwebs in the corners of rooms occasionally.

- The number of moldy things I’ve pulled out from behind the produce drawers in my fridge now numbers in the double digits.

- The angel Christmas light that sits in Ben’s bedroom window is still there. It may be there until Easter.

- When the boys drop cereal on the floor, I ask them to clean it up. They then get on the floor, pick it up, and eat it. I praise them for this, and I haven’t told them that it isn’t an acceptable way to clean up the kitchen floor. So sue me.

You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that confessional just a little. I keep my kitchen clean, and the downstairs bathroom gets cleaned pretty regularly. Nobody’s ever gotten sick from eating from my kitchen. Just don’t go upstairs without your tetanus shot.

And this is even though my in-laws have paid for professional house cleaning a few times since the baby has been born. I’ve stretched it out to once every 2-3 months. I shudder to think of the state of affairs if they hadn’t….

This post is in honor of my Sarah, the cleanest person that I know. If I can find happiness living in filth, so can you, my dear. =)

Catch up post…

- Well, we’re finally all clear of the stomach bug. David came down with it again Valentine’s night, and I held my breath that we wouldn’t get it again. I had everybody I knew praying…. and we didn’t. The thought of having that thing go through every single one of us again was so disheartening, and we’ve been so tired the last month.

- After a couple of months of Ben getting up 5-9 times a night, we’ve finally kicked that bad habit. I pulled out Babywise, looking for advice, and I discovered the suggestion to let him cry for 10 minutes every time he woke up. Gradually, he started waking up less and less. He’s usually only waking up once a night to nurse now. Hallelujah!

- My parents got me a Kindle for my birthday. I opted for the plain Kindle without a touch screen, and I think now that that definitely was the best choice. I LOVE it! Since most of the novels I want to read are old ones by dead authors that are difficult to come by from the library, the Kindle is a dream come true for me. I can get everything Elizabeth Gaskell ever wrote for FREE!

- I have a guilty secret. I actually like Grace Livingston Hill books. I know, I know. I think what I like about them is that the style is so quaint. I enjoy getting into the mind of a Christian author from 100 years ago. The things focused on are very different (like Sabbath breaking and dancing), and there is no such thing as subtlety in the message. I think you can learn a thing or two from some of the badly written books of yesteryear about certain culture and habits….

- My mom and dad are taking the big boys to their house this weekend. To quote my BFF, I spell “vacation” N-A-N-A-+P-A-P-A and M-I-M-I-+P-O-P-P-O-P. =) I asked for a mostly child free weekend, and that’s what I’m getting. We’re keeping Ben with us, staying here, and David said we could do some shopping. I really could use a few new clothes that fit, and I just don’t have time to go out and get them. Oh, and Mom is bringing me a homemade chicken casserole. She knows that giving me the gift of food so I don’t have to cook all the time is a great gift.

- If you’re going to get a Kindle, you can get one from Amazon, but I’d suggest buying a cover locally. You’re going to be holding it in your hand a lot, and I think you should be able to touch it before you buy. Just my two cents…

- My house is pretty filthy, and I am mostly ok with that. I have had to learn how to let a lot of things go in that department with three small children in order to have any contentment. I picked a couple of things to do tonight, and I may try to do a couple of things tomorrow, but there are still many, many things in the house that could use cleaning. That’s alright. This is big for me.

more birthday fun…

I smell of bleach from cleaning Evan’s vomit out of the tub. At least we had a ball today before another wave of sickness fell on us…. 

A new indoor playplace opened about 5 minutes from our house, so we decided to go and check it out this morning for Seth’s birthday celebration. It was great! Not crowded at all, and they had a lot to do. Mom and Dad came the last few days to celebrate with us, and Seth loved having them here. (I sure hope they don’t catch whatever Evan has now.)

We’ve become good friends with our neighbors, so we took little Logan along to play this morning. We haven’t done an official party in years, preferring instead to have a special outing with one or two friends and maybe a set of grandparents.

Evan learned how to play air hockey today. He really caught on quickly, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed playing with my 2 1/2 year old. I let him score a lot. He liked that. =)

Seth wanted a shark cake this year. We are all tired because Ben has slept really badly the last 2 months, and I almost gave up and went out and bought a cake.

Mom wasn’t having any of that. She decided that she’d make the cake for me. We almost had a disaster when I didn’t have any black food coloring to make gray icing with, but I think it turned out fine, if a little green, using brown and blue. And who doesn’t love homemade cream cheese frosting, no matter what color it is? =)

he is five….

How did you get this big, my sweet Seth? Over the past year, you’ve become my right hand man. You’re learning to share with Evan before I even ask. You sit down next to the baby carrier and tickle Ben to make him smile a gummy grin. You are their excited leader into the land of make believe. You are the one who always reminds me to give you a kiss and a hug before nap and nighttime. I can always count on you to to share your hopes and fears and pretends… all the good and the bad. You are my tender hearted, open, loving big boy, and it’s beautiful to see Jesus touching your life in new ways the older you get.