MOM!!! Mom! Brooklyn pooped in the baf tub!

As you can tell, this is how wonderful MY night has been so far...

Matthew jumps out of the bath tub screaming "Poopy head, Poopy head"... She was so ashamed, she jumped out of the tub too- putting her head in the corner.

I didn't yell at her, I just scooped it out with a cup and made her dump it into the toilet.

This is one of those moments I wanted to laugh outloud but had to look SOMEWHAT disappointed on my face... so I'll post it here- as one of those internal laughs that I never want to forget. :o)

Meatloaf Tacos

Here's my invention of tonight's dinner.

Jim planned to make Tacos tonight for dinner. He had the small deal of ground beef thawed and when he was still busy at 6:30, I decided to go ahead and cook the meat up for him.

But knowing our family, 1 little deal of meat ain't gonna be enough for our bellies. So, I got creative and ADDED to my skillet. I knew that the whole purpose of meatloaf in itself was to create MORE than there was available. So, I transfered the same concept to my taco dish. I threw the meat in the pan and added 2 eggs, (beaten) mixed with 1 cup of oatmeal. However, the oatmeal tub I had smelled stale... yup, expiration date was Feb 2011. Dumped that oatmeal and decided to add a pouch of instant maple syrup flavored oatmeal. (How weird, right?)

Uh oh- just noticed that the oatmeal is very WHITE compared to the ground beef, I need to flavor it with something dark so that it doesn't stand out... let's look in the fridge... ah-ha! Honey barbecue sauce! (Nope, nothin else...)

I mix it all together and take a big gulp as I say to myself, "I hope this will work.... what if they don't like it? What if they notice how 'different' it looks? Oh well.. too late now."

So I'm cookin along, I can smell the sauce burning off- the egg is starting to sizzle too. You know, giving the pan that burnt look. (ya, I know- 'cause it IS burnt Crystal!) I get the guts to take a taste... ohmigoodness! This ain't bad!

I run a spoonful of 'meatloaf' to Jim as he's workin on his car.

He likes it, he can taste the sauce but doesn't notice the oatmeal. (ha-ha!)

Ok, now for Trevor... he's my BIGGEST critic. (Even without saying a WORD, I can always tell when the boys don't like something... they make themselves something else!)

But we start to make up our plates, I explain that I put in bbq sauce and chili powder. Trevor gets himself at LEAST 3 tacos. Jim gets himself 4.

Once we're finished eating- Trevor can't stop complementing me on the taste of the beef! Over and over again, he said it in different ways. Making me feel pretty darn special. :o) I still haven't told them about the oatmeal, and I know if I did- they'd give me one of 'those looks'.

(I wish I took a picture of it, but failed to do so- we were all too hungry!) I did a google search right now and that's where this pic came from. MeatLoaf Tacos?!

So, here I thought I invented the idea, but I guess not!

There you have it, Crystal's version of meatloaf tacos- but for a 'real' receipe- try this: http://busycooks.about.com/od/groundbeefrecipes/r/Meatloaf-Tacos.htm

Brooklyn's 1st Pet

8:03am

oh no -

brooks up. and she's crying... one sec

lol okay lol

ok, i'm back- hey, what time is it there?

12:30

cool.- it's only 8:30 here.

sorry it took so long, brooklyn found herself a little pet last night. such a cutie-

really?what is it

a bug!

haha cute

she was walking on the floor and saw a little black water bug crawling on the ground. she stopped to kneel and check it out. once she realized how small and harmless it was- she started to talk to it. the last thing she said to it before matthew stomped on it was "oh, he really likes me!"

matthew stomped and stomped and stomped- brooklyn started freakin out. "no! no! no! my fwend! my wittle bug fwend! matt! no!"

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

thats so sweeeettttt

That's when I stopped matthew from destruction and to our surprise, the little bug was still alive and crawling! (thank goodness for carpet.)

so- to help her love him in 'safe conditions' we got a Tupperware bucket and scooped him up.

We gave him some rocks, some water- he seemed so scared but brooklyn was happy.

When it was time for bed, brooklyn let daddy keep the 'bugs home' on the dining room table. Brooklyn went to sleep with a smile on her face.

1st thing she did when she woke up was go downstairs to the table to get her bug.

I hear a wimper- and a cry, I go downstairs and see that she's lost her bug. She's looking all over for it as she calls his name "wittle bug! wittle bug! I'm right here! come back! peeeease?"

I get on the floor with her, I'm lookin too- knowing how much of a 'needle-in-a-haystack' this was gonna be.

to my surprise, we FOUND him! (or his brother maybe- in either case, she thinks it's him!)

So now, she's as happy as a clam, talking to him, sharing her little ponies with him. We gave him a little swimming pool made out of a Gatorade lid.

she's so cute and so loving. I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grows up. :o)

Organizing Clutter

Organizing Clutter- ha! Sounds like a Oxymoron, doesn't it? LoL

I feel soooo accomplished today! I grabbed about 10 'cluttered' boxes and separated them all out into categories- now, I have 8 organized boxes- packed and ready to to go in the 'uhaul' pile. (ALONG WITH A HUGE 'TRASH-IT' PILE & A BIG DONATION BOX) WOOT WOOT!

How did I do it?

I was intimidated by it at first, TRUST ME! If you have clutter boxes, you know what it feels like to just even THINK about going through them.

What are clutter boxes? You know, when you're in a hurry to clean up and you don't have time to put things 'away'- and if you're even a TAD bit of a hoarder like me, NOTHING goes in the trash until it's absoultey TRASHABLE... ya, that's when you get a box and throw all the clutter in it and stuff it in a corner, in a closet or perhaps- it graduates to the garage...

My clutter boxes go CLEAR back to my Tucson days. I STILL had never gone through bills/clutter/photos etc since 2005! With each move I just transfered the boxes to either another box, or another corner-

But I didn't want to start the same bad habit - so here is what I did to organize the chaos, step-by-step:

1. Made a list of all the different 'things' that I had in my 'cluttered' boxes.

* Memorabilia items
* Photos
* Journals
* Magazines/Books
* Office Supplies
* Kids toys
* Computer supplies
* Bathroom / Hair Items
* Wall hangings (shelves/picture frames)

* Craft stuff
* Pens/pencils/crayons & Markers

* Holiday stuff
2. I then printed my list and cut up each 'category' to help remind me of my goal.
3. I then gathered aprox 8 empty boxes and taped their 'name' tag to each box
4. I then Put 6 empty boxes on my bed and the other 6 boxes around the room.
5. I then grabbed individual clutter boxes and worked on one at a time. Separeting items as I pulled them out of the box. (I didn't do it alone, I had the TV going the whole time- it helped me stay distracted JUST ENOUGH to stay busy.)
6. 10 clutter boxes later (as well as about several hours in the last 2 days) I had 8 finished boxes.
7. Now, all I have to do is tape them up /label them and get them ready to go to the new house.

But! Organization doesn't stop there!

8. At the new house, I will have a designated area for each 'catagory' and the overflow will be items to sell/donate.

So proud! What a productful day I've had! :o)

The ABC's of ME

The ABC's of Me

You've been tagged. You are supposed to write a note with the ABC's of YOU. At the end, choose 26 people to be tagged. You have to tag me so really you just need 25 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your ABC's of Me, tag 26 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)


A - Age: 30

B - Bed Size: Full

C - Chore you hate: I HATE ALL CHORES, but when I get my mind made up that I'm doing one- then I'm okay at doing ALL of them.

D - Dog's name: Missy (Pit-bull/German Sheppard mix)

E - Essential start your day item: I've made it a new rule to GET DRESSED before leaving the bedroom... so I'd have to say, CLOTHES.

F - Favorite color: I prefer pastels, light greens- light blues and sometimes lilac and pinks. But if I'm going for BOLD- it's RED all the way!

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5'2" - but according to my husband I'm only 5 foot and a half. ???

I - Instruments you play(ed): Piano, can't read notes and I don't really play by ear- it's more of a memorization process.

J- Job title: Wife

K - Kid(s): Matthew & Brooklyn, oh- and my two *BONUS kids: Branden and Trevor

L - Living arrangements: Live with my husband and our 4 kids in a two story, 5 bedroom home in El Mirage, AZ (35 mins from Phoenix)

M - Mom's name: Mary-

N - Nicknames: honey, babe, shorty- that's pretty much it... oh, and mom.

O - Overnight hospital stay: twice. Once with my son, the other with my daughter. Oh, and there was this one time when I was 10 years old. They thought I needed my appendix removed. But it turns out it was just a kidney infection.

P - Pet Peeve: don't PULL my hair! I will hiss and scratch and screetch like a cat!

Q - Quote from a movie: "To Live, would be an awfully big adventure" - Hook

R - Right or left hand? Right

S - Siblings: 9 (total) 1 fully biological sister (same mom, same dad) 4 half sisters that ALL love and adore me, 1 fully biological brother who thinks I'm shorter than a half second sneeze and 2 steps sisters and a half brother who could care less about me and my family. :'o(

T - Time you wake up: Generally from 7-8:30am (whenever the kids get me up)

U - Underwear: Granny Panties

V - Vegetable you dislike: Beets, Eggplant, Brussel Sprouts and Jalepenos.

W - Ways you run late: Leaving the house and heading home- I'm always late (according to my husband) me, I'd say I'd rather just be calm and prepared than rushed and forgetful!

X - X-rays you've had: teeth, chest, hip, arm and upper mouth

Y - Yummy food you make: Tomato soup with double grilled cheese sandwiches! yum!

Z - Zoo favorite: The ones I get to pet and take great pictures of.

To share or not to share?

Facebook (to me) has been my way of having an audience. I love the idea that people are interested in my life. I also love showing an interest in the lives of others. Because of my love for Facebook and this 'sharing the spotlight' with others- I will always keep my account open. However, having dozens of friends and family members that I never talk to but KEEP as my fb friend (for whatever the reason) makes it difficult to know who I'm really 'sharing' my thoughts with.

So, I've decided to post LESS to my facebook walls/albums and share more on my personal blog- but, I only want to share it with a very select few...

LOL- Jim would probably think I'm pretty pathetic if he could read this right-about now...

I just wanna know who my fans are, that's all. :o)

Geez, fans- I've got such a big ego about myself right now, don't I? lol

Eh, oh well- this is me. Like it, LOVE it or Leave.

The Day that went to... POOP... literally!

So, this morning- I wake up and wouldn't you know it... Missy, our well behaved dog, had an ACCIDENT in our room. And not the wet kind, the lumpy brown, stinky kind. 4 chunks to be exact. This was starting to be the opposite of what I wanted for this Father's Day morning.

About an hour later- Brooklyn wakes up... Jim goes into her room to find, poop? No, throw up. I now know what the kids ate at Gramma's house yesterday- 'cause it's all over her bed... chunks of corn! Ewww! It's on the sheet, her spongebob pillow, her blankets- ugh. Normally, I'd kindly ask Jim to help- or he starts to help right away. But with today being father's day, I calmly tell him that I've got it. He can just relax today.

I hold Brooklyn's hand as we walk to my bathroom. I slowly take off her nasty pj's and tell her to get into the shower. She loves taking showers instead of baths because she likes my 'smell good' body wash.

We get a towel on her and walk into her bedroom, (I tell her to go downstairs but she insists on helping me.) We scoop up spongebob and the sheet behind him and wrap him up. Brooklyn carries him with her arms stickin straight out- I laugh 'cause it looks like spongebob is in a body bag... (I'd die too if I had a little girl puke CORN CHUNKS all over me!)

As the day goes on, Brooklyn has an accident in her pants. She can't seem to hold back the free-flowin #2's very well. Again, more corn chunks- This is BIG MESS #2! (back to the shower we go!)

Of course, showers aren't the only way to clean up ALL the mess... Brooklyn and I take her nasty clothes to the washer, 2nd load of the day.

Laundry load #3 was GOING to be work clothes- but this load was intercetped by miss Brooklyn again. She had ANOTHER COOPY accident (corn + poopy = coopy) and so we did our whole shower process all over again.

Later on, Jim asks- "Crystal, did you go to the bathroom last? It looks REALLY bad in here."
I get up and go look. The bathroom is flooded with water- the toilet is overflowing with nasty brown water and chunks of... you guessed it, CORN!

I knew it wasn't Brooklyn 'cause since her last accident- she's been wearing a pull up. That leaves only one other corn eatin critter: MATTHEW!

I grab every not-so-clean towel in the laundry basket and I bring them downstairs to start cleaning up the flood. After all, it IS father's day- why should I make him clean ANY of it up? (At least, that's the kind of 'day-off' I would hope for on Mother's Day.)

Matthew (of course) didn't help 'cause he didn't MEAN to flood the toilet- and besides, what kind of help could he provide? Brooklyn however, tried to help and just ended up pickin corn off the toilet seats as I could see her eyes grow to the realization of what it was. "PUT THAT DOWN BROOK! IT'S POOP!" She looked at me puzzled and said, "It's KONE MOM!" "No, it's not corn, it's poopy corn, it's nasty- put it down!" She throws it down on the floor and starts to head out the door... "egh egh eghhhh- not before you wash your hands young lady!"

Clean Miss Queen of Corn up and I get the toilet bowl cleaner, I'm scrubbin with the toilet brush- I'm washin with clorox wipes I'm feelin pretty darn good about this toilet and it's cleanliness. Then all of a sudden, I take a whiff and I can still SMELL it! Ugh. As a woman, I rarely lift the toilet seat as it is- so I lift it up realizing I hadn't got to that part yet and what do you know... BROWN slosh and YELLOW CORN all over the brim of the underseat!!! Ugh! I wanted to puke right then and there.

but I just held my breath and powered through it.

ahh- that's better... Sparkly and shiny-I was so happy to get it done. Hoping my 'poopy' day was finished.

But no, not until I went to switch over the laundry did I realize I wasn't completely finished with the darn KIDS & their CORN! I was surprised (but yet, I wasn't... not with the kind of day I was having) that our washer WASHED the clothes and bedding of the poop- but it couldn't even rinse the corn down the tiny holes. I stare into the washer for a moment and almost froze in deep thought - pondering what to do with all this 'washed-up corn'.

Eventually, I snap out of my gaze- I shrugged my shoulders and said to my self, "eh- it may have been POOPY CORN at one time, but it's CLEAN CORN now!"