Replacement Hamster

For Sassy's 6th birthday we gave in to her unending request for a pet and got her two "used hamsters" complete with cage, bedding and food all for the low low price of $10 courtesy of Craig's List.

Gotta love the Craig's List.

Anywho... she was very happy.

I'm not sure the hamsters were.

And I was definitely not happy when one escaped and took up residence under our oven where she must have spent most of her time peeing and fashioning the oven insulation material into a fluffy hamster nest.  

I wish this was smellevision so you could experience the putrid, overwhelming, stench of hamster urine wafting through our home any time we needed to bake. 

So. Gross.

Alas, that hamster is long gone. However, the nicer, less-crafty hamster remained with us until she passed about a month ago.

R.I.P Mini.

Ever since her passing, Sassy has been begging for another pet. 

Still a bit scarred from hamster #1, Brent and I were reluctant, but we gave in this weekend after Sassy conducted research on various furry critters and determined that a gerbil might be a good fit for the family. 

Our main criteria was that the animal would fit in our current cage and that if at all possible it could be a desensitized animal that was accustomed to much handling and noise so that it might not totally freak out by the zealous affections of our children. 

Allow me to introduce you to Daisy.

She met neither of these conditions. 

She is a failure. 

And a slob.

She also now has a new glass palace in which to hide from our children. 

Maranda

Barely alive

Hello.

In case you are wondering... yes, I am still alive.

But barely.

Did you know I have 5 kids now?

They are delightful.

 Seriously. They really are most of the time.

They are also exhausting most of the time.

Found him flushing his diaper and pants down the toilet.

Let me introduce you to the newest curly cue.

She needs a blog name.

I'm thinking... roly poly perhaps?

Maranda

Classy Curls

Chilli bean has spent the past few days in a tutu.

She actually slept in two (going for the layered look) last night. Nothin' cuter than Chilli in some footed jammies and a tutu.

Brent however was a bit confused when he heard her up around 4 o'clock in the morning and found a fluffy, pink tutu-clad munchkin whining on the stairs.

Tonight when I tucked wrestled all of them into their beds, Chilli insisted upon sleeping in tap shoes.

Because that is comfortable...and totally normal.

But going back to the tutu... today's version was a tutu-leotard combo. She switched out the footwear a couple of times... even topping it off with an ahem... coordinating hat.

I'd like to say that I'm just super laid back and want my children to dress in whatever way they feel comfortable... that I just want them to express themselves through their clothing choices and feel free to be the fun and spunky kids that God made them to be.

Yes, I'd like to say that...but, the truth is... I'm really just too tired to do anything about their very "special" clothing choices.

Consequently, scenes like this are common in my life:

Yes, that's my child...

in a tutu leotard...

without shoes...

standing on a skeeball ramp...

dancing...

at dinner tonight.



We are so classy.

Maranda

I don't mean to brag, but I am one fine tooth puller

My house is in a state of utter chaos and I desperately need to give it some attention.

So naturally, I thought I would blog.

The truth is, I'm trying to get my bloggy groove back and figured I better not let another day pass without posting, lest I slip once again into oblivion.

Unfortunately, I have little to report today except that Sassy lost her second tooth. She was whining on the way home from the park, uttering dramatic ultimatums such as, "If my tooth doesn't come out when we get home, then I'm not eating dinner! I probably won't ever eat again!"

Not wanting her to waste away, I pulled the tooth.

Now, I hear that some people "don't do teeth"... like it gives them the pee shivers. I however am not grossed out by teeth and fancy myself to be a pretty stellar tooth puller.

I'm two for two in case you want to know my stats.

Within ten minutes of having it pulled, the tooth was missing again. I think she took it into the playroom to show a sibling and set it down somewhere.

Awesome.

I just hope I find it before Banjo does.

Maranda

P.S. What is the "tooth fairy's" obligation under these circumstances?

DeeDee Spangler Photography

Deedee Spangler loves my kids.

Deedee watches my kids... like all 4 of them... at the same time.

Deedee is a photographer.

Deedee is a great photographer.

Deedee is only 16!

We won a photo contest she had which entitled us to a free photo session. I posted these photos from the shoot on my facebook page a while back, but they are worth sharing again. Check out her page HERE and keep her in mind for your holiday family photos. She'll hook you up!

 

Maranda

Baby floor buffet

The little Banjo man is a busy critter.

If I leave the stair gate open for a millisecond, he's climbing like a Sherpa... truly, it is almost as if he he has radar for my forgetfulness in closing it.

He also has a freaky sixth sense for seeking out little pieces of rubbish on the floor. If I wasn't worried about his health, I'd be happy that he was doing his part to keep the floors debris-free. Lord knows I am not doing a very good job of it! Sadly, it was a telling moment when I found tinsel from Abi's Halloween costume in his poopy diaper the other day.

Perhaps it's time for a vacuum.

The dog food and water are particularly appealing to him lately. Also the big kids are really into Legos right now, so there is always a choking hazard to be found in the playroom. Seriously, it's a full time job keeping him from eating crap.

Here's what's weird though: the dude will not eat baby food... or really any thing that I intentionally feed him. There are a few exceptions... he likes yogurt and will occasionally eat baby food carrots or pears... but pretty much he's a hater of solid food.

I'm thinking that perhaps I should just throw the baby food on the floor. Kinda like a baby floor buffet: Cheerios, Lego man head, glitter bead, carrots, dog kibble, pears, yogurt blob, Halloween tinsel.

Like The Golden Coral - only Banjo-style.

Mmmmm.... delicious.

Maranda

Thank you old lady at Aldi

While shopping wrangling kids at Aldi today I was approached by an older woman who said the phrase I knew she'd utter the moment I saw her look our way: "Oh, they grow up so fast. Enjoy it!"

The blog on this subject has already been written by someone far more articulate than me... so I don't need to revisit it, but I was particularly annoyed for some reason today. The thing is, I really do try to cherish these years... but as I held one whining, jello-legged child by the arm while simultaneously attempting to keep the other from knocking jars of pickles off the shelves, with one strapped to my body in a carrier, I wasn't exactly treasuring the moment.

However, I was convicted later this evening as I exhaustedly did the bedtime routine solo...

I was tired...

I was not carpe dieming the moment for sure...

but it was a moment worth cherishing....

And I'm glad I didn't miss it.

Maranda