{talk about an uncomfortable greeting...}

After 8 years, we're closing the door, literally, on a chapter of our lives. Thursday I dropped my keys off at the house. I left the new owner a card telling him that the house had been a wonderful home for our family and that we pray he will be blessed there as well. I took one final, sobbing walk through the house, through each room...remembering good times and thanking God for His protection and provision through the years.

As I was closing the door for the last time I turned to tell our old house one last goodbye...with tears streaming down my face. I knew this would be an emotional time, but I had no idea that final goodbye would be so tear-filled. I had planned to walk across the street to tell my sweet neighbor, Sara, goodbye, but I was a blothcy mess that no one needs to see...gracious sakes! So, with tears still pouring out of my eyes, I turned to shut the door and escape to my car where I could cry some more as I drove away. No such luck.

There was a man standing on the sidewalk looking at me like I was crazy. Just to prove that the sobbing woman in front of him wasn't a nut-case, I straightened my shoulders and said hello in the cheeriest of voices. He continued to look at me with a very puzzled expression, so I asked if he was Steven...the "new" owner of our house, to which he replied yes. I told him who I was and that I was just dropping off my keys. He's seemed to relax a little. I then proceeded to turn into a blubbering fool before his very eyes...yes, I'm that cool! I apologized all over myself as the tears kept pouring all while trying to reassure him that I wasn't a whack-job...not too sure if I succeeded in that one.

Anyway, we talked for about 30 minutes until his realtor showed up. He told me some of the plans he has for the house and asked me what all we did to the house. He really seems like a nice kid and I pray he's as happy and blessed there as our family was.

Goodbye old house...we'll miss you!

{laundry, laundry, laundry}

Jenny at Zach's Gang is hosting her very own blog carnival today...Thursday's Top Tips. Head on over to her blog, check out all the amazing tips and be sure to give her some bloggy love.

Now, here's my tip...it's kinda dirty! ;)

In an attempt to #1-make life a little easier for ME and #2-instill a little more responsibility into my children, I've changed the way I do our families laundry.

My old method of doing laundry consisted of everyone bringing their hampers into the bathroom on laundry day and I sorted all the laundry by color and a little bit by type(jeans, school uniforms, etc), then the gigantic task of LAUNDRY DAY began. {did you just hear me say LAUNDRY DAY in the big, scary voice of the blue blob on Monsters vs Aliens when he says "SUUUUU-SAAAANNN" b/c that's how it's supposed to sound?!} Once the clothes came out of the dryer, the basket was taken to my bed and dumped out to sort all the clothes into each persons pile and then was folded and put away. Now, please don't think that all of this happened in one day. I'd hate for you to think I'm perfect! More often than not, the clothes sat in the dryer so long that the dryer could have easily been called a "dresser" or I forgot a load of clothes in the washer for a day or maybe two and had to rewash it...cuz that's how I roll people.

When we decided to homeschool last year, I knew some of the household chores would have to be changed up a bit and laundry was the first to hit my radar. Thus was born my new and greatly love method of doing laundry. It's quite simple and hopefully will help you and your family.

Step 1---cut a hole in the box...oh wait, this isn't SNL nor is it a Christmas gift. Let me start over!

Step 1-have each child deliver their hamper to the laundry room
Step 2-turn the water temp on the washer to cold/cold
Step 3-start washer and add detergent
Step 4-dump entire contents of child's hamper into washer, close the lid and walk away
Step 5-put entire load of clothes into dryer
Step 6-put all clothes into basket and call for child
Step 7-hand basket of clean clothes to child w/instructions to put them away neatly in their room

That's it! This has really made doing laundry and the task of putting it all away so much easier on our whole family. I do help Eli fold some of his, but Emma is on her own.

I'd love to hear if you try this w/your family and how it works.

{another blog carnival}

My sweet bloggin' friend Jenny at Zach's Gang is doing all these super fun blog hops and blog carnivals this week, so since she's so cool I thought I'd copy her! ;)

This blog carnival gives you the chance to dig up an old post that is worth a re-visit. Here's one of my fave old post...enjoy!

From June 2008...

{only Eli!}

The kids and I met Rich at Taco Bell for lunch today after I picked them up from spending the morning swimming at my friend's pool. They were still in their wet suits and didn't want to change...until they got cold while we waited for Rich in Taco Bell. So, like every good mother, I got their dry clothes and told Emma to take Eli to the bathroom to change. When I turned to tell Eli to go w/his sister, I about fell out of my chair. He was standing there...in the middle of Taco Bell...NAKED!!! He decided to just go ahead and change out of his suit right there. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. He, of course, got totally embarrassed. I had to just sweep him into my arms (to try to hide his nakedness) and pull his wet swim trunks back on. It was one of the funniest things that has ever happened to me since becoming a mom. I'm sure it will be talked and laughed about for years to come! Once they both got dressed in the bathroom, Emma asked me if she ever took her clothes off in a Taco Bell. The answer to that is NO! Emma would have never dreamed of doing something like that.

For anyone who doesn't have a child like my Eli, you're probably reading this thinking how you would have just died if your kid took their clothes off in a Taco Bell. I will tell you that God has totally blessed my life w/this free-spirited little man. He is so much like me that he drives me crazy most of the time, but I couldn't love him any more if I tried.

For those of you who know Eli, you're not surprised at all!

You can view the original post here.

{another first!}

Today I'm participating in the MckLinky Blog Hop Tuesday. Today's theme is Favorite Photos and y'all know how I love to take pictures. So, without further ado here are a few of my faves: Em & Eli at the swim beach.
Em & Mimi...Em is wearing my mom's wedding dress that she made herself. Isn't this crazy!
Eli buried in the sand at the swim beach.
My tough boy...doesn't he look scary!

Em last fall...she's so beautiful!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

*This is so NOT my very first time ever to participate in MckMama's super fun blog carnival! So, I'm certain that I will NOT, at some point, do something wrong in posting this and getting it to link up w/her blog.

*I did NOT just make a lunch of popcorn, grapes and a few slices of ham. How unhealthy is that! I would NEVER be such a bad example of proper eating habits for my kids.

*Speaking of that uber-delicious lunch, my popcorn was absolutely NOT drizzled {or drenched} in EVOO and an insane amount of salt! That would also NOT be very healthy...again, I'm a great example for my kids.

*My silly son did NOT just walk up to me, glance at MckMama's pictures of her kiddos on the beach and say "I loved being there!" and then run off. He is so NOT a dork and absolutely does NOT have my personality!

*I'm totally NOT sitting at the computer NOT doing my very first Not Me! Monday when I really should be packing since we're moving this weekend either.

So, what exactly are you NOT doing today? Head on over to MckMama's and see what all the other cool kids aren't doing today! You'll be glad you did!

{itchy, itchy, ichabod}

Why, you ask, would I be posting a picture of a brand new bottle of benedryl and an empty tube of hydrocortisone cream?

Here's why...

My little man spent the day at his friends house and came home covered in what I thought were bug bites. I knew they weren't mosquito bites, but I was stumped as to exactly what they were. So, as soon as we got home I had him hop in the shower, gave him some benedryl and put him to bed. He woke up doing fair...he was itchy, but not really complaining. Fast forward to later this evening...the little bumps/bites had spread more and were really itchy. His little neck was covered and he had a few bumps on his face. We get home from taking multiple loads of our stuff to a storage unit and throw him in the shower again. Rich went up to help him and immediately yelled at me to get up to the bathroom. By that point, his little body was just covered! We knew it wasn't bug bites, but some sort of rash. It was spreading down his legs and up his sweet face. So, I took a few pictures and Rich headed to Walgreen's to show the pharmacist the pictures and find out what we needed to do. The pharmacist knew just from Rich's description of the rash that it was poison ivy and sent him home w/benedryl and hydrocortisone cream and instructions to apply the cream 3-4 times a day.

Eli has been such a trooper thus far...we'll see how tomorrow goes! I've got to now wash all his bedding and the clothes he had on, the towel he used and anything else he may have touched. So very excited about that...or not!

Also, I didn't know that taking a shower would cause the poison ivy oils to spread. Talk about a great mom-moment...good grief! I feel so bad for my sweet boy. If you think about him, please say a prayer that he'll not be too uncomfortable and will heal quickly...thank you!

And yes, it took the entire tube of cream to cover all the spots.