Let the Punishment Fit the Crime

Crime: feeding nutritionally deficient white rice to the kids for dinner.

Punishment: sweeping the floor after dinner.

Organizing, Organizing and Baking

1. I uploaded all my June pictures to Snapfish to share with family and friends. I also uploaded all the pictures I want to order from Winkflash (which has much cheaper rates, but the customer service is not nearly as good) and I ordered them! I've gotten much smarter about my online photo ordering. Now as I go through the pictures during the month, I put them all in a folder, renaming the ones I want to order with the date. Then, at the end of the month, I don't have to think about which ones I want to print. When they arrive in the mail, I don't have to look up their dates (which I like to have for the album), because the file name is printed on the back. Perfect!

2. I helped Kansas Dad go through a pile of clothes at the bottom of the closet and we have a whole box to drop off for charity in addition to the cleared floor space. I also found a bag of maternity clothes that had somehow made it from my sister-in-law to my sister to my mom to me, even though they would never fit me in any stage of pregnancy or non-pregnancy. I was supposed to donate them to charity, but stuck them in the closet and now am happy to say my sister-in-law needs them again and was very glad to hear they were still around! (Now I just need to box them up and mail them to her...but surely we must save something for next week's Small Success!)

3. I've made two successful loaves of bread with the new bread machine and am building my confidence to attempt my old favorite recipe, which will need a little tweaking in the new machine.

And, as a bonus, Kansas Dad was able to successfully release the skunk caught in the trap we set for the raccoon without getting sprayed.

Head over to Faith & Family for more Small Successes.

For Inquiring Minds

Chicks adore watermelon.

On Cleaning Paddles (Not the Canoe Kind)

It's been a while since I participated in Works for Me Wednesday. In fact, I haven't been a part of it since it moved from Rocks In My Dryer to We Are THAT Family. I'm jumping in with another kitchen tip (no surprise there).

Having trouble cleaning the inside of the paddle on your bread machine? I used to try to scrub in there with a bottle brush, but now I just grab a toothpick (stored right above the sink for quick muffin-testing when baking) and scrub the inside. All clean!

Head on over to We Are THAT Family for more Works-For-Me-Wednesday.

Different Dipes for Different Shapes

After trying a few diapers out on First Daughter, we eventually filled out her stash with Knickernappies pocket diapers, which worked perfectly. So, when we needed a few for Second Daughter we bought the same thing. They did not work for Second Daughter. They leaked when she made a wet diaper. Every. Single. Time.

First I tried fixing them. I tried different inserts and combinations of inserts. I contacted Heather (who was very helpful) and even tried hand washing my diapers to rid them of any residues. Nothing worked. They simply didn't fit well enough around her thighs.

We tried a different pocket diaper, a Fuzzi Bunz One Size, because it looked cute and I couldn't resist. It seems to work just fine, no leaks at all. Personally, I don't think it's as easy to stuff as the Knickernappies (especially the new version!), but mostly we decided against them because we were afraid to buy another whole pile of pocket diapers when we were 100% sure the fitted diapers would be successful.

So we made an investment in a days' worth of fitted diapers to use with our trusty Thirsties covers. We have three or four different kinds of fitted diapers and they all work well with only minor differences in fit. The fitted diaper with a cover seems to create an incredible barrier that nothing has penetrated.

We're hoping Second Daughter's shape changes a little as she grows so she can wear all those large Knickernappies we have from First Daughter. In the meantime, she's still wearing them when we're home and frequent clothing changes don't matter so much. Though I wouldn't suggest investing in six diapers just as backup, it is nice to know I have lots of extra diapers and can easily go three days between washing!

Query II

If you're washing the table and intend to immediately sweep the floor, do you wash the crumbs onto the floor or into your hand?

Love Is In the Popcorn

It was late when Kansas Dad was debating to plant any corn. He decided he'd try a small plot and asked if I wanted popcorn or sweet corn.

Popcorn.

You can never never have too much popcorn.

We're not sure how well it will do, being planted so late, but I have high hopes.

When In Doubt, God Is the Answer

After reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom before our quiet time today, I used the alphabet page at the end of the book to spell First Daughter's name. Then we spelled First Son's name. Then I spelled my name, which I knew would be tricky.

First Daughter answered first, even though she's still hasn't quite made the leap to the concept of letters spelling words (nor can she name all the letters if I were to point to them out of order). She made a valiant guess, though.

"God!"

That's Number Five

Second Daughter had a fifth tooth break through yesterday and I wanted to mention it here on the blog before I forgot (because someday I'm going to make a baby book for her and this blog is the only record I have). It's on her right side, on the bottom.

In other news, Kansas Dad tripped and hurt his ankle. He's at the doctor's office now with his mom (and brother to help him hobble) so we'll know the verdict soon, but we expect him to be on crutches and off the foot for a few weeks. Looks like I'll be getting a crash course in chicken-care. At least I'm not three weeks shy of a due date.

Suffering a Loss

Well, it was bound to happen eventually: we lost a few chickens last night, seven to be exact. Kansas Dad is pretty sure it was a raccoon. So he modified the chicken tractor for greater security, set a trap and plans to check on them a few times early tonight to see if he can catch the culprit in action...and take care of the problem.

Happy Fourth!

We won't be watching any fireworks (First Son dislikes them; and I'm not a big fan, either), but we'll be celebrating with something really American. Like ice cream. Or chocolate chip cookies.

Or both.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday! And happy anniversary to our friends (you know who you are)!

Did I Mention She Could Climb?

Kicked Out of the House

In case you were wondering, the plans for building your own chicken tractor in this book are near disastrous. Kansas Dad does not recommend you try them at home. He'll be looking elsewhere for the next one. (This one will house all of them for a while and the males until they head to the chopping block. He's going to build a different one with nests for the hens.)

Kansas Dad now plans a thorough cleaning of the master bathroom, which has housed our seedlings and our chicks for the past few months.

I Didn't Know Chocolate Could Do That

Tonight, I made some hot chocolate on ice for me the kids. (I've had it saved in my recipes to try since June 2004 but in my defense we didn't have a functioning blender for much of that time.) Everyone liked it. Even First Son said, "This is yummy!"

Then, after only a few bites, he changed his mind. According to him, it hurt his throat and his ankle.

So we gave the rest of his to First Daughter and he had a banana. (And then First Daughter needed a banana as well, in addition to her chocolate.)

I think you could even decrease the cocoa a little; it was very rich. (Though we skipped the whipped cream. Perhaps that would soften the cocoa taste a little.)

Apparently, She Can Climb Stairs

Quite well, in fact.