Squeaky Clean

The girls stayed up until almost midnight. I rarely ever let them do this, but once in a while I think, "What's the harm?" It is cool how very thankful they were, especially Annalyn who has had early bedtime almost everyday for the last week.

I look at this picture and my heart fills with such joy. I didn't have this growing up, my sister and I are eight years apart, and so watching my girls doing things together makes me feel like we are giving them the gift of sisterly bonding. Sure there are days when they can't stand each other, but I know that they all love one another and would stick up for each other if necessary.
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I did get to sleep in until 7:34 this morning. As we were all having breakfast Caleb knocked over his bowl of cereal. "This just ruined my day," he said.

"Caleb, try to think of something positive. Don't let this get you in a bad mood."

"At least I didn't pour the milk yet when I knocked it over." Now that is positive, I'd say.
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The kids are loaded in the van ready to go and here's Mom lecturing them.

"Don't forget to pick up the trash and put it in the plastic bags I packed. Put on sunscreen. I mean it! Put it on thick and you should be good for the day. Hide your video game under the seat. We wouldn't want anyone to walk by and see it laying on the seat and be tempted to break the window or anything."

Ugh. I remind myself of someone. Thankfully, they just smiled through my speech.
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When they left, I got started on cleaning. I vacuumed the blinds and window sills before I had Annalyn sweep. Isn't Dennis an observant little boy?

Like Mama, like son.

I tried the Shark steam mop this morning. It was really simple to put together and even a kid could figure out how to use it..... it's that easy. The first time I used it, I put the pad on dry. I had to go over stuck on food at least 8 times before the mop picked it up. When I went to add more water, I rinsed the pad and put it back on, which made the mopping much easier. This way, I only had to go over the food twice. The mop is really lightweight, but I feel like I might break it when I push down too hard. I think the psychological aspect of using hot steam appeals to me...... it makes me think my floor is getting really clean. I would even go as far as to say, the floor felt cleaner on my bare feet. No tackiness, stickiness, or grit was left behind. Overall, I am happy with the mop and actually look forward to using it next time.

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I am a multi-tasker. Here I am reading my email with Dennis asleep in my arms. After 20 minutes, I finally got up to lay him down.

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Today, I let the kids take a bath in my big tub. You would think that I bought them a pony or something by how happy they were. The first time I gave Dennis a bath in here, he was very slippery and not at all sure footed. Amazing how much more control he had of his balance in the tub today.


I supervised a bath for Anna and Annalyn. They are getting to the age where they are too old to be taking bath together, yet I know that they are still my little girls. They soaked in the tub until the bubbles disappeared. I love how sweet their hair smelled afterwards.


Lastly, I want to say hi to everyone in Reedley....... especially Sharon. I miss all of you!