Today's post is sponsored by the letter B

For starters, I KNOW, quit yelling at me. I forgot to post my "How do you do..." post on Thurs. To satisfy you all, "How do you do time management?" I don't. But stay tuned, this Thursday Jen asks, "How do you get the children to do chores in a timely way?" If anyone has another "How do you do..." question, leave a comment.

For today's post Carpoolqueen, tagged me to list 10 things I love that begin with the letter B. I know you are on the edge of your seat, so here they are:

• Bible Study. I participate in LAMBS at my church. I love it! Sweet girls, great teaching, and the book of John. What could be better? Of course, Bible study on my own is wonderful too. He speaks, that is all I need.

• Basketball. Watching not playing. Six of the children play. I am especially enjoying watching the two oldest girls play for their middle school team. It is so exciting. By the way, they are undefeated in their conference so far this season. Due to a cancellation because of snow, they have four games this week. I'm tired just thinking about it. Do you see why I don't play?

• Best Friends. I have the best friend in the world. You know who you are! ...and bloggy friends are awesome too.

• Bath. I love a hot bath after a long, cold day. Ahhhh!

• Blue Jeans. Does it really have to be explained? These would be on everyone's list, right? One little problem, though, I don't have a really good pair right now. Anyone have a suggestion for a reasonably priced yet well-fitting jean? PLEASE, share!

• Byebyepie. This is the funniest blog. I'm not kidding. HILARIOUS! I love June.

• Blogging. There is something therapeutic about writing a blog. I'm amazed that anyone actually reads it. Maybe I'm saving people money on sleeping aids....zzzzzz.

• Beans. Don't laugh. We have them all the time. And, NO, we do not have the problem you are thinking about. My sweet friend SL gave me this recipe for 5 bean soup. Brown 1 lb. of sausage in a pot. Drain off fat. Dump in 5 different cans of beans (eg. Navy, black, kidney, lima, pinto), 1 can tomato soup and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Heat through on stove or in the oven until flavors blend. This is yummy on a cold day with cornbread.

• Bojangles. When I'm pregnant I have very BAD morning sickness all day long. The only thing that gave me a temporary reprieve was Bojangles cajun fries and sweet iced tea. Sounds like a terrible idea if you are nauseous but it worked every time. One more reason I love the Bo....Bacon and Cheese Biscuit. Delish!

• BC. If you have a headache ..these are the BEST.

"B" is a challenging letter.

What do YOU love that begins with the letter B?

What must it be like...

...to be the youngest of seven children?


Take a peek:

Should I be more concerned about

• the child giving the wedgie?



• the child receiving the wedgie?



• the child quietly filming the wedgie with no apparent concern for his/her little sibling?

How do you do...?

I've got a new idea. Every Thursday will be a post titled, "How do you do...?" As a larger family we often get questions that begin with these four words, for example, How do you do naps? potty-training? eating out? dinner time? grocery shopping? You get the idea. Sometimes I have a nugget of wisdom, sometimes I have a very poor way of doing stuff and need your bright ideas.

So, let's get started. "How do you do all the kid's paperwork clutter?"

Well, for a long time we dealt with this:

And this:

Do you have these stacks on your countertops? They are usually filled with the important papers the kids bring home in the Monday folder, like permission slips and tests that need to be signed and that appointment slip from the orthodontist that needs to be added to the calendar and the numbers off of your sisters paint can that you need so you can buy a gallon for your bedroom. You know, all those important things that can't be thrown away or lost but don't have a specific place to be kept.

Well, I got sick of it! I discovered a solution that has been working perfectly for our family for a few years now. I bought a hanging file box/crate/thingamajig and some hanging file folders. A file was created for each family member, even the little ones and babies, and files were made for Miscellaneous, coupons, bills, etc. It looks like this:

Yes, you're right, it is not the most beautiful thing in the world. It will win NO style awards and my "cute" friends, the ones who do everything with flair and have creativity oozing out of every pore, would definately have found something pink, decoupaged, and bedazzled. Alas, no flair here. But organization...YES! No more lost permission slips. No more piles on every countertop. No more stuffed papers in drawers. When a kid asks where the owners manual is to his new Nintendo DS, my answer is...have you checked your file? When it's the night before the overnight field trip and we suddenly need the packing list that was sent home two weeks earlier from school, no more panicked shuffling through piles of paper, I simply say, "Let's check your file."

If you have a burning question for the "how do you do...?" Thursday post, leave a comment and I'll try to answer it next Thursday.

Changing the subject, lately I've begun to notice that everytime I needed a new toothbrush, my supply was gone. I stock up on toothbrushes almost EVERY time I go to the store and yet there is never one in the closet. So I went on a mission to find out what was going on. This is what I found in the bathroom drawers. Do you think it was pleasant to be in my house on this particular afternoon? I.think.NOT! At least the mystery was solved. I know where all the toothbrushes were going, but now I wanted to know why. I still don't know. Do you think they thought these were a "use once and throw away" product?

By the way, I know that some of you are counting. Aren't you? I'll save you the trouble. There are thirty-eight brushes. 38.

38!

Oh dear, that's all I have to say about that.

Great News!

We've been heard!

Clarification has come from the CPSA regarding the legislation that could have potentially shut down my business and others like it. Read all about it here.

Thanks to everyone who wrote and called their congressman.

Y'all are awesome.

http://www.twiceasnice4tots.com/

Where I've been

I've not posted lately for a couple of reasons.

#1. Christmas.
I enjoyed a lovely Christmas with my family. I would have to say that it has been the most meaningful Christmas we've ever had. Jesus was the focus, rightfully so.
Not to say that we did not have presents. Oh, we had presents. First of all, shopping for seven children is a full-time job. Wrapping the gifts for seven children is another full-time job. Watching seven children open their gifts...well, that's like a full-time vacation. Pure joy!
If we were to give this Christmas a gift theme, it would have to be photography. Five of the children received digital cameras under the tree. {I got a great deal on Black Friday but that's a whole other post. Insanity!} I was so excited knowing that I would be able to borrow one of their beautiful 10.2 megapixal, red cameras. {Red is my favorite color.} As you've probably noticed I've been using a sad, little, 2.0 megapixal camera that was a hand-me-down. It has a broken battery door that will not stay closed so to operate it must have a tight rubberband wrapped around the body of the camera. Sad lil camera. BUT, what do you think my sweet husband handed me to open first thing Christmas morning. That's right! A new digital camera.
You are saved from the barage of bad pictures on my blog. Thank the hubby.
Old Camera

New camera...and, yes, it is red!



#2. My sister and I received some interested news last weekend that greatly affects our business.

A law has been passed that will make the reselling of used children's products illegal after February 10th. In order to be legal we have moved the sale date up from the end of February to February 5th - 7th. Obviously, we have had to kick it into full gear. We are very hopeful that the law will be amended and we will be able to continue with future sales, but not before the Feb 10th deadline. If you would like to know more about this law google CPSIA. You will get a ton of information. If it is not amended then it will continue to be illegal to sell children's clothes and toys on CraigsList, Ebay, at garage sales, Consignment Sales, Consignment shops, and Goodwill. This affects us all. It would be extremely helpful if you would contact your congressman and express your concern about this. In the meantime, check out our website and register to consign if interested.