P.U. b gone

i have two geriatric dogs and an extraordinarily overactive sense of smell. you can imagine how much time i waste trying to reconcile these unfortunate constants in my life. even the cleanest house still carries that distinct smell associated with the cold hard fact that our dogs are sadly and steadily marching toward life beyond the rainbow bridge. i already bathe each doggie bi-weekly due to angus' allergies, and that doesn't seem to help much. but now i found an ally in my ongoing war against pet funk. and its a green cleaning product. you may not care about this, but i almost did back flips* today when i used the stuff and it actually worked. it was as simple as this: sprinkle the unscented granules, let it sit (preferably overnight) and then vacuum it up. no lilies of the valley or cherries jubilee scent left behind to mask the smell...just an absence of odor. brilliant! i pass along this bit o' knowledge----it is my gift to you.


*but then i remembered that i can't do one.

Summer of Independence

It is a cold hard fact that I love summer. Bright sunny mornings spent outdoors melting into lazy lunchtimes and then hot and sticky afternoons perfect for a good read and a cozy nap, followed by a long golden evening filled with bubble blowing and bug catching and water fights. Oh the freedom! Oh the possibility that summer promises! But wait....oh yeah. I have a nearly five year-old and a tiny monster currently trapped in that terrifyingly fantastic period between age 2 and 3. Needless to say, my "me" time is basically nonexistent, I spend a large chunk of my day searching for things the boys misplace but NEED to find IMMEDIATELY or the WORLD WILL CRUMBLE, and my attention is currently a battleground between the boys and the only one losing is me.
So, as summer began inching closer to becoming a reality and it started to become clear that I needed A Plan or all that freedom and independence was going to swallow me alive. Momma's nerves are simply unable to withstand the amount of "do this" and "watch this" and "where is my _____" and "help me with that" and "I can't find my _____" and "I can't do it" which are thrown my way daily. Correction: All day, every day. Summer 2009 just has to be the Big One. The one in which each of my boys discover how proud he feels accomplishing things on his own, that ends with us never needing to diaper Noah again, with Angus able to execute the tying of his own shoelaces, the pouring of his own milk, with Noah dressing himself, and maybe even with Angus riding his bike sans training wheels or truly reading his first book. The way I see it is this: if these little buddies of mine are in such a big hurry to shake all the baby off them and continue growing up way too fast, then they've got to show some independence while they're at it.
And then I saw this via every little thing. Dang a lang! jane's apron went and put a name to my goal for the Summer of 2009 and now i am apparently part of an actual movement....one with a pledge and all.

Where age-appropriate and within reason,
I pledge to help my kids
develop their independence
through practical activities that are
directly related to life skills.

Brace yourself, boys. Though you will want to resist this change at first, you'll love how great it feels to be doing things for yourself. Its what big kids do, fellas.

The end of the year is bitterweet.

Click here to view this photo book larger