Finally...

i-pods, how cool are those things? i know i'm a little behind here, but in the past few weeks i have had a few epiphaneal (hmmm...) moments regarding somethings that should've clicked awhile ago. let's start with the i-pod. glenn got one with his laptop when school started, and it was an issue of frustration for me. we love music and have zillions of cd's why an i-pod? unneccesary. oh, it plays movies? cool, but we have a dvd player, the kids don't need anymore tv time. fast forward to me trying to exercise with some problem dvd players and a missing power cord. ahhh..i can use the i-pod and run around the house, and the block, and do laundry, and holy cow this thing is AWESOME!!! still the movie thing, unneccesary, but nifty. next up, shade. umm, ladies how did i live without these capsleeve coverups for the past couple of years? i knew about these tops, the website, the parties, the raves from others, but i adamantly said "no, thanks. too much money." dumb. how much money have i spent on tanks that don't cover everywhere? how much time wasted tugging and pulling to cover up those parts that should be? oh, so lame the christy! i am onboard LaDieS and also discovered the clearance bin-$5 is definitely my price. which totally brings us to my new favorite place to look and save for : shabby apple. again, i knew the site and thought the dresses were beautiful, but too spendy. then liz's friend gabby had a giveaway for one of their dresses and i was reignited with the apple passion! of course, the prices are a bit steep, but i'm saving for a new fall dress. the clothes remind me a bit of my favorite store, that we don't have here, and i don't get to shop at a lot. i definitely have post-dental-loan shopping plans! and the last aha! moment....laundry. it has taken me, well, 10 years to figure out how the laundry system should be for me. i tried all sorts of things. but i have a new system: if the washer is empty-fill it and start the load. the kids hang out for about 30 minutes in the playroom, while i hang and fold, and place clothes directly into large bins; one designated for each person. twice a week the bins are lugged up the stairs and clothes put away. i always start a load before bed, usually towels or sheets, and in the morning while the kids are eating breakfast i move that load and start a new one. i use a large, softer plastic bucket with handles to carry the dirty things down the 2 flights of stairs to the laundry room, and haven rides inside and loves it! it's a little heavy, but worth knowing that haven is safe with me and not alone in the basement. i iron 1 night a week, while watching tv. no clothes enter the bedrooms wrinkled. so that's it for me, now i need to figure out how to get the dishes done? i'm taking ideas.