fast fact friday

Once again, I am slacking on posting to my blog. I have been working so much lately. I have been subbing 3-4 days a week (generally 7:30-3) and then my custodial work (3-6). Once I get home, make dinner, clean it up, bath Gage and put him to bed... blogging is the last thing on my mind. BUT... summer is coming soon! Two and a half months with NO work responsibilities! I can't wait! Woooo!

1.  Do you like to cook?

2.  What's your favorite thing to make?

3.  Do you like cooking for others?

4.  Are you a baker, or mainly a taster?

5.  What food will you NOT cook under any circumstances?

1. I love to cook. I wish I had more time and money to cook the things I really want to cook. I could make a new recipe everyday and be happy. I love trying new things and learning new techniques.

2. The one staple in our house when we are in a pinch or a hurry, pasta with my sauce. Yum.

3. I do like cooking for others. It's always fun to throw a party/gathering. I do have a hard time sharing responsibilities when I am cooking. I either want to do it all, or not at all. I like things my way when I am cooking.

4. Baker, taster... all of the above. I would rather cook something than bake something though. I love to bake, but then I eat it, so I try to avoid it all together. :)

5. I will cook anything. I even cook Dustyn mushrooms *gag* and pork chops. Ew.


I hope things are going well for all of you!

Gage turns TWO!

Man, what kind of a "mommy blogger" am I? Gage has been two for a week and I haven't even announced it to the blogging community.

**edited to add 1 year old photos**

2 years old

• Gage is one of the funniest boys I know. He makes me laugh everyday. 
• He is always obsessed with something. 
• Always on his list: trucks, cars, Mickey, Grandpa's truck, Chet's truck, the white car, the blue car.
• He isn't much of an eater. I can't tell you what his favorite foods are because he doesn't like/want anything consistently. It's hit or miss. I can usually get him to take one bite of a chicken nugget. That is the only consistency when it comes to food. :) He usually likes eggs, rice, apples, and tomatoes. His new thing is to chew it up and spit it out. Wait, he LOVES MILK! His days is always better once he can lay on the couch, watch Mickey Mouse while drinking his milk. 
• He loves candy/sweets and begs for it. Always. 
• He is a talker. He is always talking. He speaks very clearly and can say most things. He does talk some jibberish that I can't understand, but for the most part I can understand what he wants. 
• He randomly comes up and says, "I love you Mommy/Daddy" all day. He's too cute. 
• He loves to RUN! I do believe it's his most favorite activity. He always begs to run. 
• He has the best dances ever. He has a dance for each of his favorite dancing songs. 
• He loves to jump. It's right up there with running. He is a good jumper and can get some air. 
• He loves to sing. He knows most of the words to these songs and can sing them by himself. 
• Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (his favorite to sing)
• I Hope they Call Me on a Mission
• I Am a Child of God
• Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
• How Much is that Doggie in the Window
• I Love to See the Temple (this one is so cute!)
• I Belong the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• ABC's (he's getting there)
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Popcorn Popping
• Red Solo Cup (just the chorus. He did not learn this from me! ha ha)
• All of the songs in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Meet the Robinson's
• And plenty of other songs that I am always surprised that he knows.
• He loves to read books and tells us what is in every picture. 
• He knows his basic shapes: Square, Circle, Star, Rectangle, Triangle, Cone, Diamond
• He knows his basic colors: Black, Green, Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, White, Pink, Purple, Grey.
• He can count to 14 or 15 when he thinks no one is paying attention. If you ask him to count he says "one, two, one, two, one, two". If you can get him past two, he'll keep going. 
• He likes to make people laugh. Once someone laughs, he tries and tries to make them laugh again and again. Of course it works. 
• He loves laughing at himself. He finds things so funny. 
• He loves his trucks and cars. He'll play for hours with them. Unless we are at church. Then he wants nothing to do with them. :)
• He is usually a very kind boy. He hugs and kisses everyone he meets, even if they don't want hugs and kisses. 
• If he sees a group of people congregated together, he'll push his way through the middle of them saying, "sorry, sorry, sorry" as he pushes them out of the way. 
• He always says "please" and "thank you". Sometimes it gets a little out of hand, but I am glad he is a polite boy. 
• If he decides he needs a diaper change, he lays down in the middle of the floor and yells, "I'm poopy" It doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing or in what group of people he is currently pushing his way through. 
• Sometimes we'll call him by a different name to tease him, he'll confidently say, while patting himself on the chest, "The names Gagey!" It's so cute. 
• He loves being outside. Once he's out there, coming in is not an option. 
• He talks back to the TV and answers all of Mickey's question and usually correctly. 
• When he gets mad he SCREAMS as loud as possible. No one has to wonder if he's mad or not. He is getting better at using his "nice voice" to get what he wants instead of screaming. 
• If you ask if he wants to do something (eat, sleep, or what he wants to eat) his answer is always, "nope!"
• He loves to get in trouble and knows how to find trouble. 
• If he hears a noise, he says, "Listen, listen!"
• He gets excited to see pictures of Korin, J, and Gagey. He talks about them all the time. 
• When he knows he is in trouble, he takes off running into his bedroom, slams the door, and gets into his laundry basket. 
• He does not like the camera. I cannot get any of his songs on video. Or anything else. No matter how sneaky I am, he somehow knows! 
• He loves to smell things. He'll say, "Smells good!" or "Smells yucky!"
• I may add to this later as I remember. 

We went to the Children's Museum at the Gateway for Gage's birthday. He had so much fun running and playing all he wanted without getting into trouble. We spent the day with Korin and her family. It was a great day. 

Happy Birthday Gagey! We love you! 

just in case you were wondering

You may remember when I made laundry detergent and dish washer detergent.

I figured it is about time to give you an update. 

First off, the laundry soup. I began using 2Tbsp per load. I love the smell of the soap. Smells so good. When the clothes come out of the washer, they have a slight soap smell. Smells soooo good. Once you dry them, they are free of smells. I love me some smelly laundry. I smell each item of clothing before I fold it, put it on, or put it away. I am a freak. I know. So, I do miss it smelling. I'm strange and I am aware. :) At least I don't smell dirty clothes, right?

At first I didn't think my clothes were getting as clean as I would like them. I was ready to chuck it and go buy some Tide. I decided to bump up the amount a bit and see if that helped. I started using 4 heaping Tbsp and my laundry drastically improved. It is now clean. I finally gave up on the Tbsp and started using a 1/2 cup measuring cup. I just don't fill it completely. 

It has lasted 3 months and I am sure it will last another. Not too shabby, especially since I am using far more than the suggested amount. And, I am okay with that. :) (Maybe my loads are larger than who ever came up with that amount? Who knows) I do a lot of laundry (at least for us). I would guess I do 8-9 loads in a regular week. Seem like much for 3 people? I agree. But, I am a freak. :) 

So, am I going to keep using it? Yes! Not even for the cost. I like the way it cleans my clothes. I love the smell of the clothes when they come out of the washer. (You can bet that I smell each item before I put it in the dryer)

The dishwasher detergent. Where has this been all my life? Seriously. I have never had cleaner dishes. Ever. I must have been using the wrong (expensive) detergent all this time. Again, I use 2 Tbsp instead of the suggested amount because I am weird. My dishes are never greasy. (Previously a huge problem) They are clean. I haven't found a dirty dish since. (I do clean them before I put them in the dishwasher. Ha ha) The only problem? The detergent gets HARD and fast. Even if it's sealed and moisture free. Not a big deal with the results. Will I keep using it? YES! I haven't even dented the soap. I am sure it will last me a year. We run a load at least once a day, often twice a day. And, I use more than suggested. A bonus? My dishwasher is cleaner! All of the hard water that was on the heating element is slowly going away. The stains from the old detergent? Gone. Nice. 

If you are considering trying it, I'd say go for it. :)

Fast Fact Friday

I guess I am boring too, Shelby, because my answer is "no" to all of them.

Questions:

1. Scuba diving?

2.  Bungee jumping?

3,  In a helicopter?

4.  Sky diving?

5.  Cliff jumping?

Fast Fact Friday

Thank you Shelby for reminding me.

We are still as busy as ever around here, but life is about to get a little less stressful! We are almost done with the yearbook. I just have to work on the index and then we'll have it. I am so excited! I am glad to be done with it for a few months, before we start back up again!

I can't say I am very good with movies, but we'll give it a whirl!

1.  What was the last movie you saw in the theaters?

2.  What was the last movie you watched at home?

3.  Who is your favorite movie star?

4.  What movie can you watch over and over again and not get sick of it?

5.  What movie will you never watch again?

1. Um... I am thinking it was Breaking Dawn Part One. While I liked it, I found it so disturbing. The special effects were too good. :) Looking at Bella made me ill. I kind of would like to see it again, just for fun.

2. Meet the Robinson's. Seriously, Gage loves it. He begs for it. :)

3. It seems to be what ever actress/actor I am watching at the moment. I am guessing in a few weeks it will be Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. ;)

4. Blue Crush (and many other romantic comedies)

5. The Lord of the Rings. All of them. Kill me now. I slept through an entire movie in the theater. Best nap I ever had.

Can you tell that movies are not my thing? Weird, I know.