Skating In The Yard

 Today was a fun day.  Snug had a calamity day due to a load of icy rain dumped during the night.  It's mostly gone now, but it was just enough to keep the kids home.

 After helping me make muffins for breakfast the kids donned their boots and coats and headed out to "skate in the yard".  It was really slippery.

 They had a great time sliding around on the deck together.

 Rosebud fell when she first got out there and cried and cried.  Snug helped her up and then held her hands helping her around the deck.

 Little Monkey Man did spins and daredevil tricks.  I made him stop jumping from one level of the deck to the next.  It made me nervous that he'd fall and split his head open.

 First thing this morning we made lists of things we wanted to do, and things we needed to do.  We ended up getting lots done.  Blogging was on my "want" list.  Legos, PBS kids, and baths were on the kids "want" list.  BUT, we also did real work. Dishes, clean sheets, loads of laundry, school work and clean bedrooms.

Because I told them they didn't have to get dressed till later they were all outside in their pajamas.  I knew they were going to get washed anyway, and we did things today we don't normally get to do...like wear pajamas outside!  After lunch they all took LONG baths and then we got dressed.

Now everyone is having nap and or quiet time and I need to get back to doing the "need" list.  Next up:   paperwork I can't ignore any longer!

Free?

Ok so I love free.  I love to find free stuff that I can use.  I love it when I have something I don't need/use anymore and someone else can benefit from it.

Craigslist is a great place to find things used, at little or even sometimes no cost to you.  Once in awhile when I have oodles of extra time on my hands (not) I browse.

Here are some things I found today that I'll say "no thanks" to. There are just some free things that I don't need.

1.  You can lease miniature ponies for FREE!  You pay the farrier costs $25/each if you want to "lease" them and oh yes, they are "unhandled".  I'm guessing that means you'd never ride them and they may or may not enjoy your companionship!!!  WHAT A BARGAIN!!!  Oh, one more thing, you don't get to take them off their property, just take care of them.  Basically you are doing all their work.  Hmmmm.

2.  A free toddler bed mattress.  It says "the new pee smell is gone but I'm sure you'll create your own if you have a toddler."  What is "new pee smell?".  Anyone?  Also, we have owned 3 crib/toddler bed mattresses and I assure you, NONE of them smelled.  

3.  Two free Bantam roosters.  In case you're in the market for a rooster. 

4.  Someone looking for a free gelding.  Too bad he wants to have it at his house for his grandkids or he could hook up with the free(ish) miniature ponies.  Good luck finding a free horse dude.  WAIT A MINUTE.  A few lines down there is a posting for a free horse, but it's a mare.  Too bad.  

5.  Free pit bull!!!  Used pit bulls are usually high quality.  (I have a friend who used to have a pit and she was very sweet, but she was the exception).  

6. Several free couches...that you have to haul out of their house yourself...and look like you'd expect (probably smell as nice as they look).  Yikes.

7.  MORE roosters.  Makes me wonder a little.  Why do we not eat the roosters?  

8.  Free Guinea chicken.  She is a bully to other chickens and mean to people.  Sign me right up.  I love mean poultry.  

9.  Free rat!  SUPER!!!!  

10.  FREE non-working washer and dryer.  The dryer goes around but has no heat, the washer will HOLD water, but won't run at all.  That my friends is a bargain.  You put those unwashed clothes into a unheated dryer and within 2 days you'll have clean(ish) clothes.  

SO.  If any of those things tickle your fancy, please please let me know and I'll get you in contact.  We all love a little free! 

14 Month Update

 Well our baby is 14 months old.  So hard to believe!  She is a ball of energy, but still a very cuddly mama's girl.  She's getting better about going to other people-doesn't totally lose it.  She walks about as much as she crawls these days.  Although she started walking at 11.5 months, it has been slow going.  The other three never took steps till the week they turned 15 months old.  Then they were WALKING.  She loves loves loves stairs.  She can go up, but not down.  And she knows she's not supposed to go up.  She alos LOVES cat food.  I have to be very diligent about putting up baby gates or else she is getting into trouble.  And she has a sin nature.  For sure.
We are also very grateful that she is 14 months old.  She loves to sit and watch as I do things in the kitchen.  I let her grab some baby tomatoes.  They were really little ones, maybe a little bigger than a standard marble.  We always cut her grapes in half, but these were already pretty small so I didn't-she chews everything as she has 12 teeth.  My mistake.  She choked on one and couldn't breathe.  I immediately flipped her over my arm and did infant back blows that I learned in CPR/First Aid training.  After a few back blows it flew out and she is fine.  Very scary.

 Sweet baby girl 16 pounds, 12 ounces.  (one ounce short of a pound since her birthday!) and 28 inches long (nearly 2 inches longer than her birthday!).  She has one inch to go and she can get out of her bucket/pumpkin baby seat!
She stopped nursing sometime this past month.  It was so sporadic by the time she hit 13 months I'm not exactly sure when she stopped officially.  Probably about 13.5 months.  I was so blessed to be able to go that long.  She also has started eating wheat...although her diapers are AWFUL, it isn't causing any rash, she doesn't seem unhappy (or any unhappier than she normally is, she still is very serious and upsets easily) and had a HUGE growth spurt when she started eating crackers/regular cereals/pasta so we're going to keep her on wheat and just monitor her.  Praise the Lord we're all eating on the same diet these days!!!

Here she's showing off a few of her 12 teeth.  Happy 14 months SweetPea! We love you so much and you are a blessing.