What would you do?

I find myself endless reading the blogs and sites of other mothers. (Parents, really.) How are they doing things? Do they have any tips for me??? Why am I so interested in that?
I think it is helpful in getting you to look at things in a new way. I was reading this blog, The Reign of Ellen, and she had this really interesting thought on Disney movies. (Joanne, we talked about this once- how they always kill off the mothers before the fun can begin?) Check this out:

Ellen Says:
That got me thinking about all the other Disney fairy tales... could it be that what we see as charm and innocence are actually mental illnesses? What would we think if we met these princesses in real life?Cases in point:Beauty and the Beast-- classic case of Stockholm Syndrome. I always loved this movie. So romantic!... then I started thinking about it... and wait, hold your Patty Hearst horses... this girl was essentially kidnapped and held hostage by a brute of a guy, only to fall madly in love with him? He may have started being nicer to her, letting her use his library and whatnot, but it didn't really excuse the fact that she was still kidnapped. The Little Mermaid-- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Ariel compulsively "collects" human things in her grotto cavern, obsesses about living on dry land, only to turn her attention to her Prince, pretty much as soon as she lays eyes on him. She then sells her soul to go stalk him on land. No compulsive hand-washing, but then, she is under water.Sleeping Beauty-- Narcolepsy. Duh.Alice in Wonderland-- had to really stop and think on this one. (Granted, her whole experience is a dream, but we'll just gloss over that fact for the sake of argument.) In my diagnosis, I briefly considered Dependent Personality Disorder (can't seem to make decisions about where to go, what to eat and what to drink) and Avoidant Personality Disorder (creation of fantasy world, social ineptitude). I finally decided that Alice is schizophrenic, primarily for her paranoid belief that everyone is crazy except herself.

Interesting, no?

I am trying to wrap my mind around all of things I need to do to get this house ready. There is so much! Around every turn we have an outlet to replace (no phone jacks in the house work at all- we had to plug in to a cord in the basement...) Windows, screens, bathroom toilet (installed crooked). This house has so many details. Really, we could live in it the way it is now, but it would drive both Dan and I crazy. I don't relax until everything is pretty much perfect. Hence, I plan to relax around the beginning of 2009. I'll look forward to speaking with you then.

I started making my own laundry detergent. It's easy and cheap, and I like it so far. Want the recipe? I use Fels Naptha soap, but you can use pretty much anything. It's a great way to use up those bits of soap, or a bar of soap from the hotel you stayed at last year. (I save those kinds of things...my grandma's vioce is in my head saying "don't be wasteful!")
Anyway, here it is:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/laundry/ht/drydetergent.htm
Soap, washing soda, and borax. That's all folks. It works great so far, even with our new (old and reconditioned) washing machines.

I am also working on loosing the baby weight (yeah right) and buying more healthy and cheaper food to cook for Dan and I at home. I am looking at some different ways to do this, and am now going to try saving dinner. (www.savingdinner.com) They have some free menus, so I think I'll give that a whirl.

OMG, did I tell you Henry is in the exersaucer now? IT is so cute. He plays in it for about 10 minutes, and then is totally wipd out from all the activity and falls asleep in my arms.
I want to upload some pictures of Henry in his exersaucer so bad I can taste it, but I can't find the cord thingy. WHERE ARE YOU OH CORD THINGY????? I'll try to find it soon.
Much love. Gotta eat before we go to the grocery store.
Love,
M and H Dawg