Homemade blueberries = not such a good idea.

Homemade green beans = spitup that looks like it is full of boogers.

My yummy fresh peas vs. the brown Gerber peas. Hands down I win!

   There are many, many things that Jeff and I have in common, but the two biggest things would be our love of music and our love of reading. He is VERY picky about most things in life and this bears no exception. He is a book and music Snob with a capital S!

  There is a certain album that I own and play to the babies while singing my heart out that makes him want to cringe, cry, and duct tape my mouth everytime he hears it. There are 3 songs on this album that really evoke a lot of emotion and I could play them over and over singing them at the top of my lungs. The songs…….’Goodbye My Lover’, ‘High’, and ’You’re Beautiful’. The album - James Blunt ¤ Back to Bedlam.  I admit this is not my usual choise of music, but something about those songs just really reaches out and grabs me (sometimes I’m such a girl). I wouldn’t be surprised to find the album missing and all copies of it deleted from my computer and Ipod. All I can say is at least it’s not country!!

  The babies singing some James Blunt when they were just tiny tots. They really got into it don’t you think? =)

  I know, I know. It is hard to believe that sweet, innocent, lil’ old me could ever be called mean. And maybe, just maybe I was mean - I don’t know how else I got the nickname ‘Mean Lesley Green’.  I’m sure Daniel, Angie, Kristy, Stacey, Levi, and Jeff would all agree that I am way too nice to be mean.

  Can mean be passed down? Not that I’m admitting that I was/am mean, just wondering. There are many instances that could be considered mean, but again we just don’t know. The time that I punched Daniel in the face or scratched his chest deep enough to bleed (more than once I’m afraid). The time I dragged Angie down the hallway by her hair or the time I threw frozen yogurt at her head. The time I dropped Kristy on her head on concrete or when I slammed her head in the bathroom door. Putting tacks around my bed so if they crossed the line into MY side of the room they would step on a tack. Threatening them with future hurt if they dared tell mom and dad how mean I was when I babysat them. Then of course the kicker - the time I hit Daniel’s friend Curtis in the head with a 2×4. Oops, it was nothing 50 stitches didn’t take care of. Last year when I punched Levi in the face - total accident, I swear! And poor Jeff has had his share of scratches and bruises that could be considered wife abuse. I’m afraid I could go on and on with the mean, but I’d better stop there before you start to think I really am mean.

  I think Shenzie may have inherited some of my “mean gene”. I hear poor Heaten whining and what do I find…..Shenzie kicking him over and over in his side and head. Everytime I put them together she somehow manages to manuever around and pull his hair, scratch his face, kick his head, or eat his feet. I think maybe, just maybe she is going to be just like her mama - sweet as sugar with a teensy weensy bit of sour.

Who me? I would never hurt brudder.

 The evidence:

Shenzie ‘eating’ brother’s foot

Shenzie ‘eating’ brother’s hand

Solids bring a whole new level of stinkyness to the diapers and they even turned the babies noses orange!!! All of the squash, carrots, peaches, and sweet potatos are making their little noses turn colors!!! I guess it’s a good thing the majority of food so far is orange and not green!

Happy Earth Day!

  *Disclaimer - The views here are not the views of all parties in this house…..some of us who shall remain nameless are not believers and I wouldn’t DARE have others believe otherwise.

We’re Going Green (ish)!!!

  Jeff does not believe in Global Warming as I do so when I say we’re I really mean I. Today is Earth Day and a start to our going green (ish). I add the ish because there are some things I can’t or won’t do to help Mother Earth such as, get rid of my SUV, not use paper towels, and take shorter showers. The things I will do if I’m not already doing them - recycle, change my lightbulbs to CFL, buy trees (each tree is only $1.00 at www.Americanforests.org), unplug all items when I’m not using them, and use all non toxic cleaners.

  When I was pregnant Jeff didn’t want harsh chemicals around the house so now we use Seventh Generation cleaners which are non toxic, no fumes, no phosphates, no dyes or perfumes, and hypo-allergenic. Other cleaners that are non-toxic to you and your children are Meyers, Shaklee, and Method. If you go to www.Shaklee.com you can get 33% off the Shaklee Get Clean Deluxe Kit and save 15% off all purchases through next month.

  For recycling in the Las Vegas area you can visit http://republicservicevegas.rtrk.com/ to find out the pickup dates in your area - your republic services bill has your recycling route code.  According to the EPA, each person in the United States creates about four and a half pounds of trash every day. One way to reduce that number is by recycling anything and everything you can. Put out your red, white, and blues and help our earth!!

• Red Basket: Aluminum cans, tin cans and plastic bottles. Empty all cans and plastic bottles. Aluminum cans can be crushed and tin cans should be rinsed out. Remove all lids from all plastic soda bottles and milk jugs. Make sure your plastics are recyclable by looking for the recycling symbols that have a 1 or 2 inside the triangle. 
     
• White Basket: Newspapers, telephone books, and magazines. Please remove all strings and rubber bands. 
     
• Blue Basket: Glass bottles. Please rinse bottles. Remove caps. Do not break glass. IMPORTANT: Keep all glass jars and bottles separate from other recyclables. DO NOT include mirrors, plate glass, chinaware or ceramics. 
     
• Corrugated Cardboard: Flatten cardboard boxes and place them next to the recycling baskets. 
     
• Used Motor Oil: Pour motor oil into a one gallon plastic container with a secure lid and place at the curb next to the recycling baskets. LIMIT: Two 1 gallon containers per recycle pickup.
   

    Regular lightbulbs use 80-90% heat and put carbon into the environment.  If every family replaced one bulb with a CFL (Compact Florescent Lightbulb), it would be like reducing carbon emissions from 800,000 cars.  A CFL is 70 to 75 percent more efficient than other bulbs and these bulbs can last 8 to 10 years!
     GE Energy Smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than incandescent lightbulbs and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. For example, by using a 26-watt compact fluorescent lightbulb—equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent lightbulb—users can save up to $59 on energy costs over the life of the bulb. Saving energy saves money and is better for the environment

    This Sunday on the Discovery channel they are airing all of the episodes of Plant Earth as well as two new episodes. If you have not yet had a chance to see this amazing, wonderful, eye opening show you should watch it. It is so, So, SO good!!!!

 The following are links to help our environment, our world - the world that we are leaving to our children and our grandchildren.  
 

 American Forests
The average person is responsible for emitting 94 pounds of carbon dioxide every day. It takes four trees, which act as natural air filters, to offset the carbon dioxide each person generates in a month. For each dollar donated, American Forests plants a tree. For more information and to plant trees, visit www.americanforests.org
 Earth 911
Find information about environmental services and events in your community, visit www.earth911.org
  Engines Off
Lynn Romanek from Glencoe, Illinois, has organized parents at her childrens’ school to turn off their cars instead of idling in the parking lot. Idling 10 minutes less per day can keep 550 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air every year. For more information visit www.enginesoff.org
  Greendimes
A group that reduces junk mail and plants trees. For more information or to sign up, visit www.greendimes.com
 Treehugger
For ideas on green living, visit www.treehugger.com
 Stop Global Warming Tour
Learn more about what you can do to find solutions for global warming. Visit www.stopglobalwarming.org  
 The Green
Simran Sehti hosts The Green on the Sundance Channel. Visit  www.sundancechannel.com/thegreen
 The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen
Simple things you can do to save the planet. Find more at www.readthegreenbook.comHelp save Mother Earth - Get Green!

Holly Homemaker that is!

  Since I was born on Christmas my Grandma Unruh wanted me named Holly Mary. Sorry Grandma, but THANK GOD my parents weren’t that crazy!

  I am Holly Homemaker, Martha Stewart, Molly UnMormon….you name it. I made homemade baby food. It was actually quite fun. Rather messy due to my inexperience, but not too bad. I made squash and pears. Tomorrow is carrots and peas. The babies ate the squash for dinner tonight and I have to admit having them eat the food that I worked so hard to make was quite satisfying.

To my wonderful babies,

So many times I catch myself wishing I could freeze time and keep you this age for just a little longer. I know as you get older I will love each phase even more than the last, but you are growing up so fast I just want to freeze you here for a little while. There are so many things I will miss as you grow older.

Shenzie, I will miss your tiny little hands. The way you suck your fingers and thumb. The way you grab dada’s beard and pull really hard until he can’t stand it anymore. The way you smell, so yummy and sweet. The way you smile when you see me. The way you sleep with your tiny little butt up in the air. The way you “fly” during tummy time. The way you “talk” and laugh so hard at nothing. The way you snuggle into my neck, so soft and cuddly. You are so precious and sweet.

Heaten, I will miss your big paw hands. I will miss the way you squeeze my fingers so hard. I will miss how excited you get to see me and Dada. The way you shake your little legs and arms until we pick you up. I will miss how crazy you get at breakfast, lunch, and dinner…so crazy for the bottle that you shake. I will miss the way you sleep…sprawled out, arms out, legs bent, so relaxed and peaceful.

I will miss holding you both so close, feeling how tiny you are. I will miss seeing you learn about this great big world for the first time. It amazes me how much I love you both and how happy you always make me. Little Clammies, I am the luckiest Mama in the whole world!

All I can say is THANK GOD IT IS FRIDAY. Holy shit of insane, crying, screaming, grouchy, did I say insane babies!

And Thank God for Einstein Videos. As stupid as they are the babies really like them…and it gives me 15 minutes of peace.

And will someone be my alibi for when I shoot my stupid ass neighbors with my imaginary gun?

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful, amazing, crazy, husband.

Four Years

35,040 Hours

2,102,400  Minutes

126,144,000 Seconds

And I’ve loved every single second.

I love you sugar.

One of the reasons Jeff and I go so well together is we are both crazy. Crazy in very different ways, but apparently crazies attract other crazies!  I’m more of an OCD crazy were Jeff is more of a Crazy crazy. He has a thing with clothes. You would never know how very, very picky he is when it comes to clothes since he wears the EXACT same thing EVERY single day! Eight months out of the year he wears camo shorts, a black t-shirt, and flip flops - and let me tell you how excited he gets when it is warm enough to wear his beloved shorts again - it is like Christmas in March!! People at his work probably think he is a bum and wears the same dirty clothes everyday…..but nooooooooooooo. Let me set the record straight. He has about 15 pairs of camo shorts that are all the EXACT same and just as many black t-shirts. The real problem is when one of the EXACT same shorts or t-shirt starts to fit different and then it become unwearable. So now we have the “good” shorts and shirts and the ones that no longer fit. Now, I understand how clothes sometimes fit different…..but how do they go from once fitting so great to not fitting at all. They are too short, too tight, too loose, too long etc. And OH MY GOD! DO NOT get me started on the nightmare of shopping with him. You think women are bad…hahahahah…they got nothing on my husband. We finally had to agree to stop shopping together because every time we went shopping for him I wanted to poke his eyes out or something just as evil.

  So there you have it….my husband is crazy and he passed it right on down to our poor babies - look how happy they are in their camo uniforms!! Poor, poor babies.

  Camo Babies

  The Camo Family

 Loving her Camo so much she wants to eat it!

**Edited to add.

  Hahahaha. I wrote this yesterday but Jeff hasn’t read it yet. He came home last night and told me that his co-worker Kearn was making fun of him wearing the same dirty beer smelling clothes everyday. I laughed so hard. For one Jeff never drinks…if he does drink it is usually because he is pissed at me…oops…and I knew his work thought he wore the same clothes everyday…glad that is cleared up and they no longer think he is a dirty bum - now they just think he is a weirdo for wearing the same uniform everyday!!!!