if i had a dime for every one of these...

and every one of these,

and every one of these,

{Yes, that's exactly what you think it is. NOT in the toilet, but on the bathroom counter. Thank you, Olivia.}

I'd be rich!

If you're not totally offended by this post, read on! If you are offended, my apologies for such trashiness.

Olivia has sort of been in potty training mode on her own. I am totally not ready to commit to potty training her right now, and probably won't be until I'm done nursing the baby. C'mon! One thing at a time, please! If she tells me she wants to go, then I'll take her, but I'm not pushing it by any means.

One day in January I left to run some errands while Olivia was {supposedly} napping. Clayton and the kids were outside shoveling and playing in the snow. Luckily Hannah happened to come back inside because Olivia was wandering around the house with no diaper on and a poopy butt. Great. She had climbed out of her crib and pulled off her diaper and left her room, completely unsupervised and completely disgusting.

Then one day after I got out of the shower I opened my bedroom door and there she was, no diaper and a poop skid down her leg. "Where is your diaper?!??"

Her response was, "I wipe my bum on the carpet."

LOTS of carpet cleaner.

Another time she ran to go poop on the potty. I told her to tell me when she was done, and I left the bathroom for about 20 seconds. "I done!" she yelled. I came back, only to find her squatting on the bathroom counter. And yes, she was done, just in the wrong place.

There goes all the Lysol.

Somehow, she and Will tend to simultaneously poop. I can see it coming by the look on Olivia's face, while Will is laying there tooting up a storm.

They wear the same size diaper now so that simplifies it a little bit, I guess.

Flushing the empty toilet.

good morning sunshine!

where's all my tupperware?

Oh, of course. It's in the freezer! Ben does this all the time. He takes the big ice chunks outside and either builds castles with them, or shatters them on the pavement. Sometimes he freezes little figurines in the ice for added fun.

cozy kitchen day

Out of the last 9 school days, 8 of them I've had at least one sick child at home. I don't know what this flu bug is, but it has hit Ben, Hannah and Nina each twice in the last week and a half. Headache, stomach ache, cough, fever, and fatigue. They just lay on the couch all day with rosy cheeks and sleep. All the neighbor kids have had the same symptoms, so it's just going around I guess. Poor little Will has a really stuffy nose and a icky cough. Olivia, Clay and I haven't had it {knock on wood!}, but I'm so ready for everyone to be healthy again. I feel like if we could only get some sunshine and warmth, we would all feel so good!

At least the birds are back. That's always a sign that spring is right around the corner. We have had flocks of birds all over our back lawn, and swooping from roof to roof the last couple days. They always come back by March. One bird was singing and checking on the nest that's been on one of our outdoor speakers for the last five years. Maybe she's moving back in?

Today was gray with rain that turned to snow in the afternoon. Nina was sacked out on the couch and Will was sniffling through his tiny clogged nose, so clearly I wasn't going anywhere. I feel so bad for all these sick little kids, but I have to admit, I actually like it sometimes when I have the excuse to not go anywhere. I decided to spend some time in the kitchen in an effort to make a seemingly cold and dreary day into something cozy. I started out by getting a soup simmering on the stove for dinner, even though it was only noon. Clayton came up for a little break from work, "What's that awesome smell?" Then since the babies were sleeping too, I made myself a spinach salad and spread a couple pieces of flatbread with butter and orange marmalade from IKEA {my favorite}. I actually sat down to eat for once!

Baking is a sure way to warm up a snowy day, and I was in the baking mood. I found some big cans of pumpkin in my pantry. Usually pumpkin only sounds good to me in the fall, but Chocolate Chip Pumpkin bread was sounding pretty good today. Halfway through mixing it together, I found that Clayton had hard-boiled all but 2 of the eggs that were left in the fridge {again!}. Grrr...I needed 4 eggs!

Lucky for me, I have an awesome friend across the street. Even though she wasn't home when I called, she offered her garage code and told me to help myself to eggs in the fridge in her garage. I was so happy I didn't have to go to the store! {Thanks Krystal!}

Candles were lit and we all enjoyed some warm food tonight while watching the snow come down.

:)

Here is the link to the Herbed White Bean and Sausage Soup recipe. I don't use dried beans when I make this. I use four cans of white beans instead {drained and rinsed}. Sometimes I add a little pasta to the soup too, and serve it with parmesan cheese grated on top.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 c. flour

3 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. allspice {or cloves}

2 tsp. cinnamon

4 eggs

2/3 c. water

1 c. canola oil

16 oz. canned pumpkin

1 c. chocolate chips

Stir all ingredients together, except the chocolate chips. When everything is combined, add the chocolate chips and mix well. Bake in 2 greased bread pans at 350 degrees for approx. 50-55 minutes, or until set in center.

something to smile about

Don't cry because it's over.

Smile because it happened.

-Dr. Seuss

I've been thinking about this quote a lot lately as certain chapters in my life have come {or are coming} to an end. It's been making me so sad! Maybe it's because my baby is growing up so fast, and because I think he might be my last baby {?}. Maybe it's because I'm watching my grandparents get so old and begin to leave this life. For whatever reason, I have found that if I can just look at my life with gratitude for the experiences and people that have been a part of it, rather than dwelling on the fact that things can't always stay the same, it makes me feel so much better.

:)

P.S. Did you know...if Dr. Seuss were still alive, he would've been 107 years old today? Did you know he was rejected by over 20 publishers before his first book was published? That has always given me hope that maybe one day I will get by books out there too!

image by Ingrid Aune

curly shirley

Hannah decided to learn about Shirley Temple for her famous person report. She loves watching those movies, so it was perfect for her. Everyone in her class had to dress up as the person they studied, and I think she made a cute Shirley Temple, don't you? She brought recipes for the Shirley Temple drink as her "souvenir" for the class.

Recipe for a Shirley Temple Drink

Fill a fun cup or glass with ice.

Pour in some ginger ale or lemon lime soda.

Stir in about 1 1/2 tablespoons grenadine syrup (or until it looks and tastes good!)

Add in some maraschino cherries, an orange slice, and of course a straw!

rice, rice baby

He doesn't know what's coming...

He looks like he's endorsing this product, doesn't he? Actually, he hates it.

You'd think by my fifth child I'd be a pro at getting babies to eat solids, but I need help! This little kid looks at me like I'm so mean every time I put the spoon into his mouth, and then he cries and cries and cries! Any advice?