WHAT DIDN'T I DO ~ SHOULD BE THE QUESTION!!

My friend asked tonight, "What did you do this weekend?"

I think the question should have been "What DIDN'T I do this weekend?"

Anyway here was my answer,

"Let's see I vacuumed, dusted, cleaned the bathrooms including toilets and showers (my "boy" tends to leave that out), cleaned the windows, cleaned/revamped the boys' closet, blogged about their amazingly organized closet, cleaned my closet, blogged about Hub's shoes, washed all shower curtains and bathroom rugs, went to see the Harlem Globetrotters with Hubs and my parents, launched my first blog giveaway (launched like it is a new business hehe), put Isaiah in time out, redecorated the boys' bathroom, found new shower curtain I bought months ago for my bathroom so I washed and hung it also, mopped boys bathroom ~ really mopped on hands and knees (If you know how to get rid of the boys urine smell in their bathroom let me know!), cleaned the carpet in our bathroom/our bedroom/Tez's room, took down the Christmas tree, put Isaiah in time out again, put away all Christmas decor, put Isaiah in time out again, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the refrigerator, two loads of dishes in the dishwasher, washed ALL sheets and comforters then remade the beds, cleaned Lucy's cage, got rid of a ton of crap, washed blankets in linen closet, vacuumed again and put Isaiah in time out yet again, cleaned off computer desk and used the can air to clean the computer (that stuff is so fun!), then of course I had to read some blogs, cleaned the oven (I NEVER do that!), cleaned the microwave, cleaned the washer and dryer (inside and out!), cleaned under all beds (amazing what you can find!), finished the hooks for the boys' towels and hung them up (which also means I had to charge the drill!), scrubbed the dog feeders (dried drool is disgusting!), mopped the floors (quite a feat since our entire house with the exception of the bedrooms is wood floors!! It kills my back), laid out clothes for boys' to wear tomorrow, read 20 books for Elijah's book it program b/c of course I put it off until the VERY last second of his two week break, couple trips to Wally World AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST I literally did (washed/dried/folded/put away) about a KAZILLION loads of laundry in between each and every chore.....wait in between I did manage to feed the kids....I think!!!!" (All of this in 2 days! I told you guys I was seriously sick of my house being a pig sty and I was going to take back control!)

Her reply, "Did you clear ALL the scrapbook stuff off of your kitchen table?"

Well....."NO".....but all I have left is.......clear off the kitchen table, sort through the old "laundry" room area, sort through the pile in the corner of my room (papers to file) then in time I need to repaint the entry way, repaint the hallway, finish painting the baseboards white, paint the main bathroom cabinet white and repaint the bathroom, paint my kitchen cabinets white, put recessed lighting in the kitchen and paint ceiling, change out the fan in the dining room, call the guttering guy, clean out the garage completely, call the pest control guy since he is late and I will flip if I see a giant spider, fix my bedroom fan....I could go on forever. Is it ever truly done? But at least now it is clean so as long as I keep up with the cleaning I can tackle the other "jobs" over time! Wish me luck! Hey and now I won't be embarrassed to have company or drop by visitors!

NOT ME! MONDAY

Thank God it is time for Not Me! Monday again and a little MckNote for MckMama ~ I understand you led a crazy couple of weeks with the holidays, traveling, sick MckKiddos and baby Stellan in the hospital but I think I was experiencing withdrawals and there is a lot of stuff I did NOT do SO I am so glad you are back!!

• I did NOT eat my cereal in my room in the comfort of my bed because I was freezing and wanted to be under the covers. I did NOT do this because this is against our house rules. NO EATING IN THE BEDROOMS! ALL food and drinks with the exception of sippy cups are to be kept in the living room or kitchen! That is the rule!
• Elijah did NOT catch me eating in my room and say, "Mommy, why can you eat in your room but we can't?" My response was NOT an affirmative, "Because I am an adult and I don't sp....(insert mental image of me getting out of bed with my cereal bowl half full of milk, tripping over a random toy in MY room, hopping around trying not to fall, stubbing my toe on the vacuum, falling flat on my face, milk flying through the air to land on my FACE, my floor and my walls) ...ill!" Elijah then did NOT laugh at me and say, "Um okay whatever you say Mommy!" and leave the room. I then did NOT say in a eat my words kind of way , "Elijah can you get Mommy a towel please!" His response with muffled giggling, "Sure did you spill something!" Of course this never happened because I would never break the house rule (in front of the children) especially since I created the rule!
• I had NOT already stubbed my toe twice on the vacuum THAT morning and after the third "spill" I think I broke the pinkie toe on my left foot! I really should NOT have left the vacuum there after the first time I stubbed my toe on it!! Hold on..........I had to go move the vacuum!
• I did NOT allow the kids to stay on New Year's Eve. I think Elijah thought something amazing was going to occur besides the ball drop!! He really said, "Is that it?" I then did NOT think about making midnight the weekend bedtime because I got to sleep in until 11am on New Years Day. Yes you read that correctly 11 am! This DEFINITELY does NOT HAPPEN in our house!!!
• In an effort to avoid crowds or because I was lazy , I did NOT wait until 5:34pm to leave the house to go shopping only to find out that the stores I needed to go to were closing at 6pm! NOT happy NOT happy at all! SO I then did NOT get mad and go to Wally World to get batteries and light bulbs then I did NOT wander around getting stuff for my Mean Green Giveaway and organizational stuff for the house. My kids closet is so clean now I wanted to sleep in there Friday night!! You really should go see it!! When I got home from Wally World, I definitely did NOT lose the bag of lightbulbs and batteries because that is the whole reason I did NOT go to Wally World. So I did NOT call to tell them! I then did NOT return to Wally World the next day only to wait in a LONG line of people to get a new set of lightbulbs and batteries for free since the cashier did NOT give me my bag! Upon getting more goodies out of the back of my car b/c it went on auto-pilot again to Hobby Lobby where I did NOT wander and buy 66% off Christmas stuff that I so desperately needed, I did NOT find the lost bag of lightbulbs and batteries b/c I had looked there earlier and they were NOT there. My friend said maybe the cashier realized I left them and followed me home to put them in my truck! So instead of me NOT losing them and NOT looking over them three times and NOT waiting in line to get a second set of the lost items ~ I'll just go with that theory!!
• I went with Hubs, my Mom and Dad to see the Harlem Globetrotters last night and upon seeing my parents attempting to stand and do the YMCA ~ I did NOT laugh so LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG AND HARD that I almost did NOT pee my pants, coughed, choked to the point I couldn't breathe and I most definitely did NOT drool on myself during the non-choking episode of the laughter! I do NOT wish I had a videotape of my parents very bad attempt at dancing to send into America's Funniest Home Videos but IF I did I am sure it would win something!!!
• I did NOT realize this weekend that I guess either NO ONE reads my blog or NO ONE wants to be a part of my very first giveaway! I have no problem keeping the prize however the realization was sad for me! I then did NOT think I was a freak at all for feeling this way about a BLOG giveaway! Please at least ONE of you needs to participate!
  
  
  
  
  

I'M A MAN, I'M A MAN!

While cleaning.....

wait....inserting random thought... I must say my new idea to make cleaners involves plenty of vinegar and I hate the smell of vinegar. I guess I should of bought the essential oils before making ANY cleaners!

Back to original post ~ I was cleaning the boys' bathroom Isaiah, who has been in time-out practically ALL day today, came in and said, "Mommy wook, wook I have hair on my back!" Knowing he is not a hairy back boy although he is quite "fuzzy" I simply appeased his little thought and said, "Yes you do have hair on your back!" He quickly ran to his brothers and his dad screaming, "I'm a man! I'm a man! I have hair on my back! I'm a man!"

There you have it folks ~ the only thing that makes you a man is a hair on your back ~ just ONE!

I WANT TO BE A WEEKEND WINNER!

Well I joins The Secret is in the Sauce and I will be posting about many EASY giveaways in hopes eventually I will win something! Kat over at Sunshine and Lemonade has a big 'ol stack of loot waiting for me to hopefully win. Stop on over and take a looksie!

POP'RS GIVEAWAY

I read about these things called pop'rs and found a giveaway so I am posting in hopes of winning so MAYBE just MAYBE I can get the kiddos to eat veggies. THIS would be an absolute miracle especially if TEZ ate veggies. At the age of 14, he still cries when we make him eat veggies. All we really ask is that the boys try them. If they don't like them, then we do not force feed them but we do expect them to try them when I cook them. All three of the boys will eat potatoes and corn but make Tez even touch a green bean to his mouth and you would think we asked him to eat dog crap. The boy will completely flip out! Seriously he is the absolute worst of the three when it comes to veggies! So hopefully I will win and the kids will eat veggies without a fight! Hop on over to Pop'rs Blog and join in!

NEW YEAR'S MEAN GREEN GIVEAWAY

It's time!

The one all ten of my readers have been waiting for with baited breath!

MY INAUGURAL BLOG GIVEAWAY

THE NEW YEAR'S MEAN GREEN GIVEAWAY
My goal is to get more people to recycle. I JUST started and it is very simple! First read here to get the basis and fuel for this giveaway besides traffic!! Ha!

I included a couple of links on my sidebar.

This link:

will take Tulsa County residents to the city website for info on recycling within the county and the city's curbside pickup program that is only $2 per month added onto their water bill!

This link:

is for anyone anywhere looking for a recycling center or curbside program. Towards the top of the page you can do a search using your zip code ~ very easy! Centers will pop up with addresses in your area and if there is no address it will say "curbside program"!

It is a very easy to navigate website so go check it out!

Back to the Mean Green Giveaway and the requirements

Don't panic you have until Jan. 14th at 11:59pm to complete the list!!

Elijah is the reason for this particular giveaway so he will be drawing the winner's name on his birthday Jan. 15th!!

He is very excited so please don't let him down and please spread the word!

1. First "follow me" and if you decide I am boring later then stop following once the giveaway is over and learn to deal with my wrath! lol
2. Go to your blog and create a post about the Mean Green Giveaway linking it back to this post:
3. Sign Mr. Linky! If he works for me! Please use your Mean Green Giveaway post and not your entire blog post! **It's easy ~ go to edit posts, view your Mean Green Giveaway post, copy the address in the address bar then paste it on the url portion of Mr. Linky (I wish more people relayed those instructions when I was a newbie!)**
4. After you have completed steps 1-3, sign up for a recycling program in your area and post about it with a picture of your bin! If you plan to take them to a center yourself, then take a picture of the bin you will be using (bought or handmade) and create a post about recycle and how easy it was for you! **Hint: Wally World has their Green "Christmas" Rubbermaid containers half off right now so hurry!! Send me a comment on this post once step four is complete so I can read your bin post too. OR If you absolutely do not plan to recycle, then you will need to send me a comment with three "Green" home cleaner recipes that you use!
5. Last but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST if you know how to get the word out on blogger then do it or let me know! Have fun! It really is a whole lot easier than it looks! Go ahead and at least try! You have until Jan. 14th at 11:59pm!
   

The winner will be receiving an 18gal Rubbermaid Tote FULL of green goodies and items to make "green" household cleaners PLUS a gift card! Sign up now and tell everyone you know!

ORGANIZATION IS KEY FOR ME

I used to be a great organizer then the kids got a little older, my stepson came to live with us, Elijah started school and got involved in sports. All of these things plus hubs adding a part time job and coaching Elijah's football and basketball teams cut back on time spent at the house and an even bigger need to get organized. The house has hit an all time messy, unorganized record for me and besides stressing me out it depresses and overwhelms to the point that I give up far to easily. You know what they say "a disorganized house is representative of a disorganized life"! Well I am here to tell you I can no longer handle it and I definitely don't need anymore stress so I am taking back control.

Last night I went shopping at Wally World. Besides buying stuff for the Mean Green Giveaway, I discovered they had a wild stash of new organizational items probably b/c of the New Year and everyone saying they are going to get organized.

Note: This honestly has nothing to do with the New Year for me!

I just can't take it anymore!!

The boys room is officially done as of this evening!!

One room down ~ closet and all!!!

Before today's organizing fest the boys' closet look like this:

Many bags to Goodwill (like always), a box of clothes to a friend, a couple bags of toys to go to my Mom's, plenty of trash, some new cute canvas organizing bins from Wally World (2/$10) with labels made by moi and this is their closet now:

The space under the TV stand which is normally filled with DVDs, tapes, larger cars and games that once looked like this only worse

Now looks like this:

Then onto our closet to tackle hubs pile of shoes! I personally think he has a shoe fetish and often comes home with off the wall, ugly, crazy looking tennis shoes but I just laugh and get really embarrassed when he wears them. I will often say what in the world are you going to wear those with and he responds with "I'll just have to find a shirt to match!" I guess it is better than him being a porn crazed maniac so I deal although it was quite funny how nervous he got when I told him I was going to organize his shoes! He knows how much I hate some of them and he thought I was going to throw them away! Sorry back to the point ~ see Janelle I ramble too!

This was his shoe pile before:

and after

Notice the orange, pink and purple pair on the second row!

A new hideous pair I discovered for the first time while sorting! Ugh!

WHO KNEW? RECYCLING IS SEXY!

Wow!

While looking for a nifty little recycling symbol for my blog I found this

Who knew?

So I guess I am sexy merely because I started recycling! With me in the house being my sexy recycling self, I don't know how the hubs handles it, looking at ME as well as this

AND THIS

There is no way I can also let him know I have a pile of paper to recycle b/c the sexy status in this house would send him all a tizzy!!

I put this graphic up on my sidebar as well as the beginning of my post with a link to the Tulsa recycling website! If you want to be sexy and you live in the Tulsa County, then click the image and it will lead you to the Tulsa website for info or to sign up for their recycling pick up program. It is only $2 amonth added to your water bill and they bring your bin within a couple of days and they pick up the items twice a month from your curb!! Go ahead and click away then come back to read about the Mean Green Giveaway!

If you do not live in Tulsa County, then click on this

also located on the sidebar (or above) and you can search for a recycling program or dropoff by simply entering your zip code!

FYI

Tonight while channel surfing I found Silence of Lambs on TV. One of my all time favorite movies. Sick I know but hey I like suspense and horror movies and a good one is hard to come by! Anyway while watching I noticed the girl that the serial killer/dressmaker/woman wannabe is holding captive is none other than Brooke Smith who played Dr. Erica Hahn on Grey's Anatomy. You know the cardiologist who started a love affair with Dr. Callie Torres and who now is no longer on the show! Hmmm...just something I noticed!

WHY IS IT?

Why is it every time I find a tampon I like (yes I am picky!) the manufacturer discontinues that particular type? Huh? Comfort is a plus and I would rather have cardboard b/c (one) they are flushable and (two) now that I am a recycler I don't think I want to recycle the plastic applicators! Ha! I know, I know TMI! Just wondering! Stay tuned for the Mean Green Giveaway!

NEW YEAR'S MEAN GREEN GIVEAWAY

It is coming folks! The New Year Mean Green Giveaway will be posted sometime today! I am working on the particulars and trying to figure out Mr. Linky ~

wish me luck!

It will be announced today!

Wait for it............

Wait for it..........

Calm down.........

Sometimes I really crack myself! Honestly I don't have many readers and only have 3 followers but I know I have lerkers. I will probably end up keeping the prize for myself or givinig it to someone in my family because I won't have any response! I am probably wasting my time figuring out Mr. Linky but surely I will need it sometime in my blogging future. It boosts my ego a tad bit to think I am popular in the blogworld so just go with it ok!!

NOTES TO SELF