MY LITTLE GREEN EFFORT
In my home office/playroom I have 2 stacks of paper…
one is brand new paper,
the other is paper that I’ve already used on 1 side.
When I’m printing stuff out just for me,
directions or drafts,
recipes or reference numbers-
I use the ‘already used’ paper.
This doesn’t seem huge at first, but the amount of paper and money I’ve saved is pretty incredible!
With all due respect to Kermit the Frog- It is easy being green.
FOR SANITY… DO MATH
Being around little ones all day has a lot of benefits…
But there are some downsides, like getting a silly song stuck in your head. Many, many times I’ve found myself cooking dinner or folding laundry just to realize that I’m singing in my head,
“Laurie’s got a pig on her head” or
“F is for Fun, F is for Fun… “ (I don’t mind that one, I love that song!).
I bring you an answer! My husband read recently that a tried and true way to get a song out of your head is to…
DO MATH!
Next time your have some song in your head that’s annoying, just start doing math:
1+1 = 2,
2+2 = 4,
1,826 + 3,677 = 5,503 (okay, I used a calculator for that one),
8+8 = 16.
It just takes a minute and your mind will be clear…
Ahhh, Sanity 
BABY STEPS INTO THE 21ST CENTURY OF BLOGGING
You may notice, if you glance to your left, that I am a contributor to DC Metro Moms. It’s a great site and worth clicking over to.
Previously, you couldn’t click over to DC Metro Moms from the button to your left,
BUT YOU CAN NOW!
In fact, now when you click on the DC Metro Mom icon on my page (you know, to your left),
you will go to my archives and be able to read every blog post I’ve ever written for them
(lucky you).
Please also do just one more click,
once you’re over there,
to their home page,
where depending on who is posting that day, you can also read about-
potty training,
losing baby weight,
choosing a preschool,
doing a date night with your spouse,
and a million other things.
Check it out!
IT’S OFFICIAL: I DO HAVE THE COUNTRY’S SMALLEST BATHROOM
That’s right. It’s with great pleasure that I give you the results from BananaBlueberry’s first contest ever…
I WON!
Nobody in the country has a smaller bathroom than me.
Thanks to Not Just A Working Mom and Stella and Thomas for your comments. Thank you to the numerous people who emailed me privately laughing about the contest.
Thanks to RoleMommy for giving her Shout-out to my ‘Smallest Bathroom Contest’.
And last but not least, thanks to Ben for the entry of his 36 x 48 ‘water closet’ of just a toilet and sink-
Ben gets the Honorable Mention award !!!
I will keep the roll of toilet paper that I was going to give away for the prize and you can be certain that it will be used well.
Once again, I’d like to thank all who participated and say that I’ve grown very fond of my
Very Tiny Bathroom.
As I said in my original contest post,
it is perfect for 4-year-olds.
Happy Flushing!
NATURE’S OPTICAL ILLUSION
When I saw this out our second floor window I ran downstairs to get my camera. The sunlight was shining so brightly on the leaves of this tree that they looked wet.
I actually thought to myself, ‘It didn’t rain.’ And then I looked more closely and realized that the leaves were sparkling in the sunlight.
Thanks Mother Nature.
MY LITTLE REMINDER
Today is my son’s 4 ½ birthday. We’ve never celebrated a ½ birthday before, even though my son’s birthday is December 18th, and thus in the middle of holiday celebrations galore. I’ll be honest, we’re celebrating this ½ birthday because my son ‘negotiated’ with us that he would go to the barbershop to get his hair cut when he was… you guessed it- 4 ½.
I’ve been cutting his hair since he was born. This is not a big deal except for the fact that my little guy doesn’t like to get his hair cut because he has LOTS of thick, wavy, curly hair. And as a result, he sits still for 3 ½ to 5 minutes for his haircuts. I’ve gotten really good at the quick cuts, out of necessity, but the coaxing and prodding and ‘deciding’ when he wants to sit down for the haircut has grown old.
But I digress…
Yesterday, our neighbors in back had an ENORMOUS tree cut down in their yard. When we heard the saws, my son and I ran to our backyard to see what was going on and then immediately ran up the stairs of our deck and positioned deck chairs for a first-row view of the tree-cutting, which as any boy-mom knows, toppled ANY plans we had to go the pool or park.
As we sat there and talked and watched, I looked at my little man. I noticed how sweet his profile is, how long his eyelashes are and I thought about all the things he has reminded me of.
Children teach us many wonderful things but more importantly, they remind us of things we may have forgotten…
I thank my son for reminding me that band-aids are good, but hugs are better. I thank him for reminding me that it can be fun to get caught in an afternoon rain,
That saying please and thank you is important,
That butterflies are cool,
That it’s good to drink milk,
And that ‘big boys’ still need their mamas.
He’s reminded me that small problems are just that. He’s reminded me that we really should hold hands,
That being kind always works best,
That nothing seems daunting if you’re laughing,
That playdough is still fun to play with,
And that life is good.
Thank you for the hugs and kisses and giggles and tears. Thank you for reminding me that everything is a little better with a cookie.
And thank you for the haircuts- I know there will come a day when I wish my little guy would still want me to cut his hair.
Whether the weather is good or bad, plans change or stay the same-
Most of all, my son reminds me everyday what a great gift it is to be a mother,
And that even a bad day is a good day when you are with a 4 ½ year old…
Thanks for the reminders, my little man.
An abbreviated version of this can be read at DC Metro Moms.
FABKINS… CLOTH NAPKINS!
Trying to find a way to go a little ‘green’?
Try Fabkins.
These are cloth napkins made for kids… by MOMS.
Early last year 2 California based Moms had trouble finding cute cloth napkins to pack in their kids’ lunches, so they did what Moms do-
they created their own!
This helps the environment, makes lunchtime a little more special and even encourages good table manners…
not to mention, some people just prefer cloth napkins at any mealtime.
A Great Idea. Check them out online and also see if they are carried by a store in your area. They are in stores in Georgia, California and Virginia (Alexandria).
THE WORLD’S SMALLEST BATHROOM… Contest!
This is a Very, Tiny, Bathroom.
This Very Tiny Bathroom has a toilet, a sink AND a shower. This bathroom is in our basement. It is in my son’s playroom. It’s actually just the right size for little ones…
Look to your left and there’s the toilet and sink, a great size for 4-year-olds…
Look to your right and there is the shower…
I’m not complaining… We have a spare bedroom off the playroom, so overnight guests can sleep down there and then leisurely wake up and take a shower downstairs… in this Very, Tiny, Bathroom.
But who designed this… fairies? Did little fairies know we would move in and turn the basement into a playroom for 4-year-olds, and that we should have a Very, TIny, Bathroom?
I am sure this is the smallest 3/4 bathroom ever. I am positive.
If you think you have a smaller bathroom, leave a comment to that effect and I’ll email you to send back a picture of your Very, Tiny, Bathroom.
PRIZE: If anyone out there has a smaller bathroom (with a shower) I will send you a new roll of toilet paper, wherever you are in the country.
Honorable Mentions for bathrooms that are Very Tiny with just a toilet and sink.
This ‘Contest’ ends Sunday, June 22nd. Let the games begin!
THE BEST MOMMY
Last night I put my son to bed in the midst of yet ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM (see below).
For the first time ever, he told me, “You’re the best Mommy in the Whole Wide World.”
I beemed and hugged him.
“You know why Mommy?”
I shook my head.
“Because I love you really much!”
I decided not to correct his grammar… and just told him,
“I love you really much, too.”
Good Night.
THE CALM… AFTER THE STORM
My son and I were on our way home last Wednesday from getting floaties (ironic- no?) when the skies started looking dark. In a matter of 5 minutes it was raining… then thundering, then pouring, then raining so hard I could barely see.
I was immediately annoyed because the rain wasn’t supposed to hit yet, and I was driving in it. But in the next moment, as the storm continued to get worse and the street started to flood, I went from annoyed to ‘I have the most precious cargo of my life in his car seat in back’.
Water was everywhere, with nowhere to go. The street kept filling up, and I grasped the steering wheel.
“You can do it, mommy… You can do it!” My 4-year-old said.
The storm was so loud beating down on the car, ‘No problem!’ I yelled back to him.
I tried to hide my fear and I got us home safe. We were inside and I tried to now hide my shaking…
I smiled at my son and said, ‘Well, that was an adventure’. And just like I thought, he picked up on my vibe and laughed.
Trees were down everywhere. Within just a mile radius of our home I saw three enormous trees down, closing streets.
Wires were tangling dangerously in the neighborhood. A telephone pole was precariously tipping over, being pulled by a downed tree. Branches were everywhere. We learned on the car radio that some small tornadoes went through other areas close-by. All of the fury of that storm… but remarkably, I saw no houses and more importantly, people that were damaged- just power lines and trees.
I turned on the lights- they came on! I turned on the TV for the news of the storm- it worked too!
I picked up the phone- dead.
The computer- dead. We have Verizon Fios, and found out later that our Verizon box had been fried by a power surge or something.
So on Thursday came the calm. We had no phone calls, no internet, and we had to stay close to home all-day-long for a Verizon Representative to come and fix our service.
We made cookies. We colored. We even talked about the storm.
When my husband got home he asked me if I was in ‘email withdrawal’ yet.
I stopped and looked at him, “No… isn’t that funny?”
Everything was restored by late Thursday night.
Friday morning I woke up to the sound of my son’s door opening and little feet pounding into our bedroom. He jumped up on the bed, crawled over to me and with no prompting, announced, “Happy Birthday Mommy!”
There’s no better way to start a birthday… or any day, for that matter. There is a lot to be thankful for.
An abbreviated version of this can be found at DC Metro Moms.
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I Was In The 2012 Show !
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