Spring Cleaning

I LOVE - LOVE - LOVE Spring!

The idea of opening the windows and shooing the kids outside is refreshing to the soul after a long winter! All that said, it's about 20 degrees outside (give or take) and my kids are driving me crazy. I'm inside tagging clothes for a "kid's garage sale", which has become a semi-annual tradition. Out with the old, and as the saying goes, in with the new...toys and junk that I think my kids can't live without. So bring on the sunshine and let the annual clearing of the shelves and closets begin because I'm ready to be refreshed.

Nobody ever told me....

What the crap....these are some of the things that nobody ever told me about parenting - maybe if they had I wouldn't be in this predicament...

1. Not only will I change a gazillion diapers, but then even when they are potty trained, I'll hear
a voice from the bathroom - "Mom, come wipe my butt."

2. You no longer need an alarm clock. Even if you have one, there is no need to set it because
you'll be woken up before it is set to go off anyway.

3. I will spend everyday from the second they are born doing at least one load of laundry and
two loads of dishes.

4. Just when I think I've figured it all out- they find a new weakness and attempt to exploit it.

5. The terrorizing feeling of taking your first baby home from the hospital is nothing compared to
sitting in traffic after a long day with 3 cranky toddlers.

6. I never knew I'd wish I owned a limo - not only is there more leg room, a sunroof and a mini
fridge, but they have those nifty little windows that roll up between the kids and the driver so
I don't have to listen to anymore (*bleep*) while driving.

7. A boy doesn't need sugar to be hyper - they are naturally designed to run, jump, scream and
shout - all for absolutely no reason at any given time.

8. When you have no kids in tow, the longest line or the slowest cashier at the grocery store is
your best friend. Take that moment to pick up a magazine and catch up on all those frickin
rich people that have kids, then hire nannies to actually raise them.

9. The super mom down the street that you've always admired is really just hopped up on
prozac and faking it, because that much perfection isn't possible! If it is, she's on the top of my
hit list.

10. Boys of all ages are absolutely facinated with their packages - I never knew I'd have to
say"get your hands out of your pants" at least once a day.

Find Money in your Home

This doesn't mean just flipping the couch cushions and hoping to find loose change. I once heard that everybody has money laying around their house - this person obviously didn't know me. My husband and I are both teachers and we have 4 kids ages 4 and under, so there is no cash just laying around my house. Soon after I heard that statement, I learned about Craigslist and got interested in eBay. I started scouring the house for items that may catch a buck or two on either site. The basement was my biggest jackpot - I started going through old clothes and furniture that had been stored away. I quickly found that one man's trash truly is another man's treasure. Every dollar I made I put in a jar hoping to save enough for a large purchase. Sure enough - less than 6 months later, we were able to pay cash for an outdoor playset for our kids - nearly $1,000.00. Since then we've been selling more stuff as we see we don't need it or use it. The key is find stuff you don't or haven't used in a year or so and list on either site for a reasonable asking price. Remember that everybody is looking for a bargain, so it's easier to sell 10 shirts for $1.00 each and make $10.00, then to list them for $2.00 each and never sell them because they are priced to high.

Creative Minds...

I felt it necessary that my first blog be about creating a blog...I spent nearly 20 minutes of my life trying to come up with a url name for this site. I've always thought of myself as a creative person; however, it seems that everyone has already taken every blog name out there. I enlisted the help of my husband in funneling our creative minds and the results were quite humerous. Despite the temptations to alter the spelling, add numbers and down right give up we finally found a name that came up as "blog site name available." After much deliberation, we felt that Deadbeathusband just didn't sum up our life and was in no way a good representation of our family, so we settled on meandmyfour. So for all of you blog readers out there struggling with your own creative genius, I will let all of you fight over the name I left behind.