Busy summer days

How is it that I can find a whole days worth of nothing to occupy my days all in my apartment? Playing on FB and checking the blog/email/BHB periodically are guilty pleasures that I indulge in when I pass by my laptop or I don't know what to do next. Another on going challenge is attempting to potty train (or at least indulging in her asking) the toddler. Nothing has actually gone straight from her body to the toilet bowl yet but things are very warm when she asks to go so I am trying to keep at it with her. I have pulled out the plastic panties while hanging at home today and she has wet one pair even though I am taking her to the potty every 30 minutes. She goes in the pants THEN tells me. I am not sure how to reverse that process.

I have reorganized the girls' closet so I have more shelf space above the hanger clothes. What to put there? Don't know just yet. Our next mission was to save their DVDs from the storage spot as it always was too tempting for the toddler tornado. Now they have 3 empty desk drawer waiting to be filled again. But alas, looking something for something toddler friendly to fill them.

Tomorrow we are attempting to (gasp) leave the house and go to the beach. Wish me luck!

My master plan, bwahahaha......

The wheels have been turning and so these thought begun.

Things I want to remember to execute in the near future (hopefully).....

1) I want to purchase 3 large fluffy towels in 3 different shades of pink. Then have each of the girls' names embroidered on them (one name per shade - I will assign these). That way they have one towel to use, a clean spare one and an extra for "emergencies". I will do the same with big fluffy white ones for me (i like to bleach mine) and Big Daddy is settling for a beige color (he'd prefer black or dark blue but that will not go with the mental motiffe I have for our master bathroom in our new house once we sell our old one and purchase a new one here).

2) I am going to buy a cute binder and baseball card insert holders to clip/organize coupons more effectively. My pile system does not work but I know the binder does from seveeral other Mommies like those here.

3)I am going to make a chore list for the girls for the summer and if their chores are not done, not matter how badly I want to go to the beach or pool or park or library or other super fun outing, we will not go.

4) I have discovered today the best way to avoid confrontation when nagging orders to my children is to tell them ONE thing to do at a time and then CHECK to make sure it was completely properly. I have deduced that they have the short term memory span of a goldfish. Since my mind is always multitasking I tend to give multiple directives and this has not worked in the past. Today (so far....knocking on wood) one thing at a time is working. Ahhhhhhhhh....

5)Since I already have the school supplies list for my soon-to-be Kindie girl, I am will buy a few school supplies each WM/Target visit, that way I can shop sales and not spend a fortune in the middle of August. Maybe my soon-to-be second grader will get her list and I can do this shopping once.

6) Before school starts in August I will have a budget/idea for each of the girls' fall birthdays. We have one is September and 2 in October. Again easily a small fortune could be spent on these.

That is all for now...I am having writer's block....I will continue later when the hamsters start moving again.

One of my girls.....

and again....


Down here they can take dance as classes at the school I teach at.....pretty cool.

Party like a rock star....

Here at the Casa, we decided to stay in for the evening and do the family thing. I did party like a rock star only if you consider guitar hero that magnitude (Sweet Home Alabama became my nemesis and I played it on the slowest setting in practice mode and it became very depressing - not to mention turned into about a 20 minute song!). We also enjoyed Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Disney edition. I won a game of it. :D The questions were not exactly what I expected but still gave the 7yo some reading practice which is always good.

DH battled sleep on the couch as he was not into the board game (more bored for him, lol) and I turned in my guitar to give the 5yo a chance to play the Disney Princess game on the Wii. It holds her attention for HOURS and she does it all by herself. She has beaten the game numerous time but still loves playing.
I highly recommend it for the youngins' but not a game you as an adult will take over. Hubs did actually wake up for all of us (except the baby) to watch the ball drop.

My real event for the night was the continuation of trying to make edible Buckeyes. The day prior I did the peanut butter part (which went well and tasted yummy - heck, I was even thinking how easy these were to make at that point - possible even do as presents or my contribution to various parties next year). Then (cue dramatic music)......for the life of me, I could NOT get my chocolate to melt so I could dip those bad boys. I tried the double broiler thing (for fake - 2 pans + water = water in chocolate b/c Mommy had to also chase a toddler), putting the pan right on the burner (I think this is where I denatured the cocoa hence burning the chocolate and made it grainy) - decided since I now had a pan of chocolate that I would dump in some sweetened condensed milk to attempt fudge so as not to throw out all that chocolate. I restrospect I prbably just wanted to like the can and get a sugar rush so I could continue on my mission for chocolate/peanut buttery greatness. The buckeyes turned fudge....I got out the second and final stash of the normal bark choc I bought for this task and tried the microwave - still no dice. Then tried the double broiler again. This chocolate was beyond help. It got dumped. :( Luckily when I purchased my supplies for this, there was a white chocolate bark there that I picked up to save for a rainy day that was now needed. The white chocolate melted perfectly in the microwave and I then completed the Buckeyes. I was trying to think of some catchy title for this post like "What do you call white buckeyes?....the only ones I can make". Yeah, not funny but.... Enjoy the pic.
(note the "hairy" buckeye of the grainy choc toward the bottom and those that are actually brown covered are covered in the fudge mixture not just chocolate.)