Butter on the Couch

It's 9:00 at night. The kids are downstairs trying to beat the monster castle of Bowser in world 8 of Super Mario Brothers. While most of them are down there, I was nursing Lily and Corey was working... all was calm, all was bright. Unbeknowst to us, Abi had two cubes of butter, playing with it like playdoh on the couch. We had finished dinner, the kitchen was all clean, and with the other kids downstairs playing, I am pondering to myself why these little ones always find a way to cause mischief. Silly kids. So I just finished scrubbing two sofa seats. Luckily none of it got on the carpet. (Or maybe I just haven't found that little corner yet...) It definitely could have been much worse. We'll see after they dry if there are grease stains... They were couches that were given to us though. Glad we have hand me downs for the kids to ruin instead of nice stuff. :)

Mice and Fajita Seasoning

Well, we have a mouse, possibly mice.

Last week with the kids out of school, we weren't in a rush in the mornings and so we were able to have scripture reading at breakfast everyday. Now schools started again, but I'm determined to keep up the scripture habit, so I woke up the kids early at 7:00 for hot chocolate and scriptures. After we were done, I was talking with the kids and behind them I saw a little mouse scurry from the pantry around the desk and then under the door of the bathroom by the garage. (He was probably wondering what we were all doing up so early? He wasn't expecting us - we're supposed to still be in bed!) Someone was in the bathroom, I thought it was Mel, so I thought she'd see the mouse and scream. But it was Hyrum, and he wasn't facing the door, so didn't know he had a visitor. I unlocked the door and went in - the poor child was exposed wondering why we were all barging in on him, then I said there was a mouse, and he hurried and shuffled out of the room with his pants around his ankles. We looked around, but the mouse wasn't in there - I'm guessing he was able to squeeze through the vent holes?

So I've spent the morning and afternoon trying to do a thorough cleaning of the pantry, I've been taking some of the big food storage items downstairs and trying to find more clues as to where our little visitor escaped to. As I was cleaning downstairs, I found quite a few mouse droppings which I didn't find any of in the pantry... I also found lots of little wood and cardboard shavings and also what I think is a little mouse hole. I'm going to have the kids help me clean and search more when they get home. Anyway, today as I was moving things up and downstairs, I put Lilian in her little jumper swing that hangs from the door frame of the pantry. During one of my trips downstairs Lilian started screaming. Abi and Wes were both now down with me, but they've been going up and down like I have been. Anyway, I ignored her cries for a few minutes as I finished a task, and felt bad about that after I went up and saw why she had been screaming. Apparently before Abi came downstairs, being the good little mother that she is, she decided she should feed Lilian. Looking around the pantry that had so many choices had now become available to her and were within her reach, she logically chose the Fajitia Seasoning to feed to Lilian, and had shaken out a generous amount onto Lily's jumper swing tray. Lily had some seasoning on her face, stuck on with slobber around her cheeks, chin and hands, screaming "This does NOT taste like Milk!!!" Yes, a little too spicy apparently. Poor Lily, sorry I left you out around Abi. I have to watch Abi - she's always trying to feed Lily pretzels, bread, and raisins, or whatever snack I've given her. I'm glad she likes to share, such a thoughtful toddler.