My new countertops

SO much to blog about, SO little energy to do it. So instead of starting in on my FL trip(which was SO much fun btw), here is what I had done to my countertops right before we left.

A HUGE thanks to PKB Reglazing (click here for more info) for making my countertops so pretty. I LOVE my new kitchen.

Before pictures.

AFTER pictures.

My Kids

They always have something interesting to say.......

I guess one should "never say never"!

Little Buddies

So I know they don't look too terribly happy in these photos(it was hot out), but they were having fun paling around together and holding hands as they walked around the zoo, because of course, they are both TOO old to be in a stroller. It was pretty darn cute!

Take your kid to work Day

The awaited day finally came. Ashlyn's "best day of the year". The day she gets to go to work with her daddy.....all by herself....just her and him.....all day long. She loves it. So much so that at the end of the day when Paul said it was time to leave, Ashlyn was sad and said, "Let's stay at work Daddy. I don't want this day to end."

The Theme was "How to Train your Dragon" of course. Paul got to teach the "modeling" class to the kids, then they got to make their own dragons from predesigned templates. Ashlyn made hers and then decided that Daddy's job isn't so hard. haha....

She got to meet Hiccup and get her picture taken with him.

And she got to go with some friends into the "secret" room that was created by some guys in the "character effects' department. See, this was a little space in the air conditioning ducts that some guys at work found one day. They slowly started bringing furniture and stuff inside it and made it their own secret spot. Dreamworks found out about it and instead of firing all the guys involved, they helped them make it into a "legitimate" room that was up to code. Before hand, it was just one great big fire hazard. So the "secret" room isn't so secret anymore, although the entrance is still covered by a bookshelf and you have to know which book to move to be able to get inside. So needless to say, Ashlyn thought it was pretty darn cool.

Computer Savvy

It didn't take long for this little boy to figure out how to use daddy's "toys". He's already a pro.

Brandon's TWO!

Ok, so he turned two almost a week ago. I've just been slow to post about it.

His birthday was a fun, casual day. We just had a little family party at home. My brother, Tyler and Brother in Law, Chad (who was in town from FL), came over. We had yummy cupcakes, opened gifts and hung out. Brandon was real into his gifts. He knew just what to do and went right to it. And I think I've come to the conclusion that this boy doesn't much care for cake since he hasn't eaten his birthday cake for two years in a row now. He did like his ice cream though.

He had his well child check up yesterday too. Here are his stats.

Height- 35 inches (60th percentile)

Weight- 27 pounds (30th percentile)

Head- 50 cm (75 percentile)

So basically he's a skinny, slightly above average for height child, with a big head. HAHA....But I love every piece of him. He's perfect!

Other than that, he's doing well with everything else. He's starting to talk more. He has the most lovey personality. He doesn't let other kids take advantage of him(definitely not a push over). But he's kind(most of the time) and is learning to share. He loves balls, swords, guns, cars, and Buzz LightYear. He loves to sit on my lap and wrap my arm around his chest. He still has his beautiful blue eyes and blonde blonde hair. He's a good eater and loves RED bell peppers (not green ones). He wrinkles his nose up and puts his arms out when he's confused (it's hilarious). And every night before bed, he has to personally go around to each family member and give them a hug goodnight.

Here are some pictures from his BIG day!

Earth Day

So, after having a dishwasher repair guy come out to my house today to look at my overflowing dishwasher, I got to thinking about my good ole' planet Earth. How does this relate you wonder? I will tell you.

So the guy showed up. Immediately asked me what kind of dishwashing soap I use, looks at my machine, and then proceeds to tell me I use too much soap. How can I use too much soap I tell him? I use those prepackaged packets that measure the soap out for you. You just stick it in the tray and start the machine. That's more than twice as much soap as you need, he tells me. Great, I think to myself. Then he starts my dishwasher and runs it a few minutes, opens it up and shows me how much soap is at the bottom. Thing is, we didn't add soap. So this is what I have to do, he tells me. Run the washer for a few minutes to let it fill up at the bottom, add 1/2 cup vinegar and then run it for five minutes. Drain it and repeat 3 times. THEN go to Lowe's and buy something called "Dishwasher Magic" (less than 4 bucks a bottle) and use that every 2-3 weeks in an empty dishwasher. THEN, use Cascade POWDER only and fill it half way, nothing in the "prerinse" side. That should fix my problem. So I do it and ya know what....he just might be right, because after doing the vinegar thing three times, there is STILL soap at the bottom of my washer.

Anyway, it got me thinking. I've read online (a lot) lately that we use too much soap for a lot of things. Our washing machine detergent is more and more concentrated these days, yet most of us use just as much as the less concentrated kinds call for. Obviously our dishwasher detergent is not pre-measured correctly, or else I wouldn't have had the problem I had. I'm sure the list goes on. So what can I do about it?

Then I remembered these soap nuts I got a while back and have only used a few times. I like them. They seem to clean my clothes just fine. I haven't used them much though because it's hard for me to "think" they are really cleaning my clothes. So this is my resolve. I'm going to start using my soap nuts for my washing machine. And I'm going to use A LOT less soap in my dishwasher. It may be a little step, but I think each little one counts in helping, not only save our planet, but save my pocket book a little money too.

So that's my "soap" box for the day. Happy Earth Day (tomorrow)!