Can you be ready in an hour??

That is today's magic question. This is the phone call Chris and I got from the realtor when we were getting ready for the day this morning. She had forgotten to call us yesterday and apologized. But her office of agents does a walk-through of all new listings every two weeks and she wanted to know if we could pull it together (she put it a little more nicely, I'm sure) in an hour. Chris's eyes got huge and he relayed the question to me. I nodded frantically, water from my wet hair spattering the bathroom counter and mirror. We then started our fast-forward mode, straightening and hiding and wiping down. I hid the dirty dishes, but we did end up (Chris did, anyway) having to vacuum. Chris started work an hour later than he had planned, but we were safe (whew!) and everyone was out of the house. On a side note, the worst thing about selling the house (besides having to keep it clean...that's a big one) is having to disappear every time the real estate agent sneezes in our general direction. Granted, this is only the second time, but if they ever need to come at a time when the library is closed, "Woe to me!"

On a happier note, we went to Walmart for a couple of things, since we got a bunnnnnncha stuff from Sam's (like gwee wees). A great thing, since both kids are cranky and have yucky sounding coughs that result in germaphobes and the elderly running away from us like we carry the bubonic plague (which was caused by fleas and rats, Hello!). Finally got a mesh bag thing for Erin to chew on. If you are new to this arena, it is a little mesh bag with a handle that locks things inside the bag. You can put in ice cubes, apple pieces, carrot pieces, fresh fruits and stuff and your baby can chew on the mesh bag and not get any little pieces in her mouth and choke. These things are GREAT! Ian loved his (until we clogged the mesh with banana, I would not recommend these for bananas) and Erin did too. She ate 2 pieces of ice in hers about 2 hours ago until she fell asleep face first in it (I guess it wasn't cold anymore). Her cough syrup kinda knocks her out. I also got some of that 'soothing vapors' baby wash that's supposed to be bubbly Vicks. You put it in the bathtub and menthol and eucalyptus will clear your baby's clogged nostrils or something. It helped Ian some (Erin was still sleeping) though he said that the bubbles tasted funny. That's what you get for eating bubbles.

We had a recon mission in the dirtpile today for any and all missing vehicles. About 48 filthy Hot Wheels were brought in for maintenance and thoroughly detailed in the kitchen sink by PFC Goforth with a lot of Palmolive to add extra shine. The cleaning of 2 pounds of dirt out of the sink was commenced by the mess hall captain (me) as well as the wet tracks the vehicles left on the mess hall floor as they exited. Some were inspected and still found to be dirty, and were given demerits, resulting in their subsequent rewash in the bathtub by PFC Goforth, who punished them with 'Soothing Vapors'.


The only other noteworthy thing today happened in the Walmart bathroom (which is very nice; kudos to the remodeling guru) while we were having a pit stop. Erin was hungry, I had to pee and Ian was getting whiny, when we U-turned next to the olive oil and headed for the bathroom, me walking funny due to prolonged waiting and two howling kids in my cart (just one cart today; a light trip). We immediately got the Handicapped/Family stall and found the neatest thing. A little seat attached to the wall with a safety strap to put your baby/toddler in so you can pee without holding their squirming selves on your lap! It looked like those little fold down seats that flight attendants use, but Erin fit very nicely in it, though she looked puzzled as to why she had to watch me pee from 10 feet away. She usually gets a much closer view (poor thing). Ian, who was encouraged to pee into the big toilet, immediately declined with big eyes (darn you, noisy auto-flush!) but was very enthusiastic about peeing into the drain on the floor. I sat by the wall, trying to feed Erin, who had only eaten about half of a baby food container while we were walking. And if anyone has ever tried to feed a baby some food while shopping knows that it will never be attempted more than once. Our last bite was on the TV aisle, where Erin was distracted, resulting in a spoonful of apricots in her ear. So I am sitting on the [clean] floor, feeding Erin while Ian is trying to be sneaky and attempt to pee into the drain without me noticing. Ha ha. Ian is still at the stage where he thinks I can't tell what he's doing if his back is turned. Well, this turns into a family discussion about drains. People come and go in the other stalls and you can hear a dime drop in between flushes. I'm sure there are a few people who will talk about our episode over supper tonight. But eventually, Erin finishes, Ian gets his Pullup changed and no drains are whizzed in. Barely. I guess that's how those floor urinals were invented.


Potty training is going right along. Our sticker chart on the wall is filling up. Maybe not as good as that first week, but we are being consistent and Ian is getting used to it. Though I wish he would figure out that stand up peeing is not the best method for his potty seat. The hole in the potty seat is a lot smaller than the one that fits on the big toilet. And let's just add that his aim is often off. Yeah.