It’s the 17th of February, and it’s still up.

Get your head out of the gutter. I know what you’re thinking!

This “chore” is perfect for the 2 and up crowd. It worked for my 4 year-old really well. Do I feel bad about it?

 Not one bit.

Kids like making sock puppets.

Let your kid make a sock puppet. Then tell your kid that the sock puppet hasn’t eaten in DAYS and is starving.

Really. 

So when your kid runs in the kitchen to get the sock puppet something to eat- scream “STOP!! Sock puppets can’t eat food silly, they eat DUST and drink PLEDGE!”

Then grab your can of pledge and “spray” it into the sock puppet’s mouth, and tell your kid to have at it, on all your hard surfaces. Now, if you have a lot of area to cover, get your kid’s sock puppet a friend for the other hand, and repeat. Double fun= double the work YOU aren’t going to have to do!

Little work on your part, big results!

Do you have a messy baby (or toddler) at feeding time?
Take a cue from a dog trainer. No kidding.
Put your already used (or- if you’re getting back at hubby for not putting the toilet seat down- use his new sports section) newspapers down on the floor first, so when baby is making a mess, it goes on to the paper (which you toss), and not your floor- eliminating the need for mopping!
So don’t waste your time on those expensive floor mats that you either have to wash or toss. Instead, re-use that newspaper for your baby, not the puppy.

Yes, I left the name blank. Why? Because after getting your hands on the Power Shelf, you’ll be filling it in with your own. And you’ll do it with pride.
I first came along the Power Shelf on Twitter, through it’s inventor extraordinaire, Lynn Fetzer-Westmeister. Knowing that my hubby J is a techie, I am always looking for something new to help us organize our electronics, and just looking at their site made me think it could work for us. Problem is, J does NOT get excited over anything. Nor does anything impress him. Ever. After explaining this to Lynn, she said she could change his mind. And she sure did. Lynn kindly sent our family, The Original Power Shelf, to give it a try.
I installed it myself, to surprise J when he got home from work. The installation is super simple. All you need is a screwdriver. It’s literally removing the screw, taking off the original face plate, and putting The Original Power Shelf into place with your existing screw. I decided to put ours next to our coffee maker, so when J makes his coffee in the morning, he can also access his cell phone, already charged. And the best part? Not fighting for counter space, and not having any crazy wires to fight with.
How nice does this look?

I know, I loved it. And when J got home, he loved it too. He wanted one for work, for the bathroom, and basically anything that has an outlet, he wanted one for.

So I got back into contact with my new friend Lynn, and got the Mega Power Shelf for J’s razor set in our bathroom:Yes, that does mean I get the extra counter space!! What woman couldn’t use more counter space in the bathroom?

That’s right. It’s his laptop. And it’s not on the floor, and it’s not taking up space on our coffee table. The power cord is neatly wrapped up, and out of the way. Can you say “sigh of relief”? I can now, that’s for sure!
And see all the red crayon? Yeah, M decided it needed a “mooral around the new Power Shelf thingy”.

• Blog about this post, including the link here, and leave a comment
• Tweet about this post, and include @DomesticDebacle & @Its_Lynn (creator of the Power Shelf)
• Just leave a comment after visiting The Power Shelf site, telling us which Power Shelf you would use the most, and what you would use it for
• For three extra entries, order a Power Shelf from Lynn, and leave your first name, last initial and state in each comment.

While I’m waiting for J to get the pictures of my colonoscopy on here, I thought I’d pass some time with you all.
Since my colonoscopy on Thursday, initial results are showing that I have Colitis. To what degree? Well, we have to wait on the biopsy results, which will be in on the 27th. So I’m here waiting with the rest of you, except my waiting is more in the bathroom.

In the mean time, I’ve done some research on the subject, and it turns out the company that J works for does the printing for the Chron’s and Colitis foundation. Kinda ironic, don’tcha think?

I’m feeling worse as the days go by, and I’m finding less and less to joke about. I was feeling great right after the “cleanse” because nothing was in my system to irritate my colon, so I ate all the junk food I could. We’re talking Big Boy, and even some chili-cheese dogs from my favorite root beer stand. I still don’t have the guts (pun not intended folks) to try to drink any soda pop. I think I’ll stick to water for now. I’m not even tolerating milk well right now, which is a total bummer because I used to drink a gallon a week- all on my own. I love the stuff.

On the flip side, the summer has ended. It looks like fall is here to stay, with the school year about to begin (and it has already for some of you). In my effort to keep my baby a baby, we’re starting her preschool in October. I’ve worked it out with the director, so it won’t be a problem. It also benefits me, just so that I can get on the right medication so I’m not in the bathroom all the time, especially when I need to go pick her up (or take her there for that matter).

I’ve let the house go by the way-side, and laundry is piling up to the max. I have a really hard time bending over to get the clothes out of the dryer- but bless her little heart- M tries to help me as much as she can. She’s had a few meltdowns here and there, but according to her it’s because she “doesn’t want my butt sick anymore”. It just breaks my heart to hear her say that. It’s the last thing I want my 3 year-old to think about.

But while we’re on the subject of M, I took her for her second trip to the dentist this morning. Her checkup went great, and she was such a trooper when they took her x-rays. No cavities were found! I would have taken pictures, but my camera battery has died, and I haven’t made it to the grocery store in months to pick any up. Maybe that will be my chore for tonight. Head to the grocery store!

In other news, I’m going to be having some amazing reviews and giveaways coming up. So please stay tuned for that. Also, my new blog will hopefully be ready soon too. I’ll keep you updated on that front as well.

Well, I hope that fills you all in on what’s going on with my life. I hope this post finds you all well.

Love & hugs,

Katie