DIY Pool Maintenence

When we bought our house last year we also became pool owners.
We weren't looking for a house with a pool, but the perfect one happened to have one, so we knew we needed to learn how to do it ourselves because hiring a pool guy was not in the budget.
At first we went to Pinch A Penny and spent ... uh, WAY more than a  penny last summer.  We did it Pinch a Penny's way for about 4 months.
Then we had a really tough go of it with mustard algae-- we just could not keep it gone.  We'd follow PAP's instructions, buy a ton of specialty chemicals, it would seem to be gone, and a week later, we'd see a faint hint of it.

I finally found the site Trouble Free Pools--- this site is a godsend.  Get on there ASAP.  I used info from there and ordered a test kit (Taylor K-2006) and made myself a little waterproof Pool Manual.  They even have a calculator which is an amazing tool to figure out exact amounts for your specific pool.  The community on there really helps you out as well-- they stuck with me through 2 weeks of mustard algae hell and really held my hand--- pool problems can get very frustrating.

The other bonus is it's a bit less "chemical" than the pool store way.  Their method is called "BBB" which stands for "bleach" (did you know chlorine and bleach are the same thing?), "baking soda" (alkalinity), and "borax" (optional).  They keep it really simple and it makes for a healthier and cleaner pool.  It also makes it easier to fix a problem when you get one.  We were frustrated to find out how much those "chlorine tablets" that float in the pool screw with your entire balance and keeps you very reliant on the pool store.

We have been using this method for 8 months and not only is it way cheaper--it's really empowering to learn all about your pool chemistry and take control of it.  After the learning phase, it will take about a daily 5 minute commitment and then one day a week maybe an extra 30-45 minutes-- in the winter it's less, summer is a bit more.

Now that we have our kit ($50), it just costs about $20 a month in chlorine to maintain our pool (less in winter).  We do have to refill the testers when they run out, but they last a pretty long time--I've only run out of two so far and it comes with maybe 12 different test bottles.  Also, Trouble Free Pool community has a site they use that's less expensive for refills.  I have ordered from there twice.

Go learn your pool!

Some pictures of my pool before and then after I started using the BBB method.  Also-- my pool manual and kit. :)

October 4 , 2014 was when we finally abandoned the pool store and started trying the BBB method:

We figured out the normal levels for our pool and printed that, put it in the manual.  Also put stuff about SLAMing (you'll learn about that there), and other useful info-- and also pages to fill in the test results.

Our pool today!

Routine Flip Chart

Oh my goodness. I have tried so many thing to get y kids to self-start... And finish.

I came up with this idea and so far it seems to be working with all 3 kids... Though the oldest is most enthusiastic.  They are supposed to wake up and start flipping through the tasks as they do them.

They wake up and start with "Get dressed" and flip and flip until they have completed all morning tasks.  If it's a school day, they pick up the chart whe. They get home with "Unpaxk Backpack" and go from there.  They also have hooks upstairs so it can come up for bedtime routine.

The goal is for them to move through all the necessary tasks in the morning and at night so they are prepared for the day WITHOUT any prompting. The pictures are for be two little ones who cannot read yet.

So far, so good... Just print up the tasks, cut, laminate, hang.

Zowen

Yes-- my 2nd grader has a celebrity mashup couple name... what?

I'm not 100% excited about writing this as a blog post, BUT... I don't want to lose the story, either.

Zoe helped me at a PTA event today and Owen was there with his dad.  They spent 3 hours chasing each other around.  At various times Zoe came to report back to me...

Zoe:  Owen kissed me!
Me:  What!?  Did you want him to?
Zoe: No!
Me:  Well, tell him he cannot just kiss you without permission, it's your body!
Zoe: Okay.
Me:  Where did he kiss you?
Zoe:  The arm.
Me:  Oh.

(later)

Zoe:  Owen won't stop chasing me!
Me:  Well, then stop running.
Zoe:  But if I stay still, he'll REALLY get me!

(later)

Zoe:  Owen said he loves me.
Me:  What did you say?
Zoe, "I said... "okay".
Me:  Good answer.
Zoe:  Then he said he wants to marry me.
Me:  And you said?
Zoe: "Oh my gosh."
Me:  (laughs)
Zoe: And he said we can have babies but they have to have his last name.
Me:  Isn't his mom a doctor that delivers babies?
Zoe: Yes.
Me:  That's probably why he's thinking about babies.
Zoe:  I really don't know who I'm going to marry.
Me:  That's good, why would you know at 7, anyway?
Zoe:  I guess it's decided then.

Tori, Tori, Tori: Little Earthquakes Release!

Little Earthquakes was the very first CD I ever bought.

It was the summer before 8th grade, and I was in the epic throes of my first heartbreak, Josh.  Before the big breakup, my best friend Rachel and I used to sneak over to Josh's house and he'd often put on his older brother's Little Earthquakes cassette while we sat around being awkward and tortured.  So, not only had my heart been shattered in a  million pieces (I kind of envy the depth of feelings and the commitment I had to them at that age), but I had no more access to Tori.  Rachel and I decided it was time to move on from cassettes...

I saved up, bought a Discman and an adapter for my stereo and set off to Camelot Music at the mall to buy my first CD.  It was $18.99 (holy cow, right?) and it came in a long rectangular cardboard box which I tacked up on my wall after I opened it.

Rachel and I worked for hours trying to decipher Tori's songs on her singles... Then we'd type it on the huge boxy computer and listen to the loudest printer in the world slowly spit them out so we could cut them up and make our own CD insert.  (PS- we got a lot of those lyrics way off, check out the picture below.)

Looking back, I can see I didn't grasp everything Tori was saying... But what did speak to me, even at 14, was the simple authenticity of her songs.  She wasn't trying to be different or weird.  That was a huge ideal in the mid-90s, at least from my perspective... in fact, Josh declared he wasn't going to listen to Tori anymore once Rachel & I started because we "were making it too trendy". Tori really was a role model for me in my formative years (no Pretty Good Year reference intended here). ;)

Well, Tori has re-released Little Earthquakes... It came out April 14.   Any Tori fan has got to go get this CD.  First of all... Listening to it reminds me who I was in the 90s... it's comforting, it's surreal, it's important. Now I'm 35 and a mother of three...  this is a huge gift.  

This double CD is special... Like having a little sliver of my youth.  There's something about listening to music that was really important to your growing up years... it sticks with you in a  way no other music does.  It's imprinted on you.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to climb into a song again the way I could back then.  And listening to that important music decades later, as a grown woman... I am appreciating it from both sides and it's kind of earth-shattering.  In one ear I hear it as the girl I was, and the other as the mother and woman I am now.  Tori wrote most of this when she was 29 so I am getting an entirely new layer now.  I'm glad it's been a few years since I've listened to Little Earthquakes... had I not shelved it for a bit I don't think I could look at it fresh now.

There are two songs on here I had never heard before, Ode to the Banana King and Song for Eric. When I was in my Tori glory I collected as many singles as I could and wound up with 18 CDs... The singles weren't cheap OR easy to find, they were all either $11.99 or $13.99--- I remember thinking my Tori collection was close to $300 adding in the VHS of Little Earthquakes which I still have! I wish I didn't decide to put everything on iTunes and get rid of 2/3 of my physical Tori CDs...   There was lots of moving after college and I thought it'd be smart, but now I miss my big stack o' Tori.  I still have all the songs, but there is something about holding all those CDs I bought. It's why I got so excited opening this double CD up.

If, like me, you listened to Tori when you were still growing up, and you're listening to this CD again now... here are my top three favorites I'm listening to differently and liking even more than before:
1.  Mary
2.  Crucify
3.  Sweet Dreams

I have been carrying this CD around since it arrived... I can really only play it in my car, but it's just suddenly this talisman connecting the girl and the woman.  I'm so happy to have it.  Tori really has a talent for writing songs that help you uncover pieces of yourself.  Definitely worth another dive in if you loved it back then.

The physical CDs I still have...

ORDER LINKS:
Little Earthquakes Deluxe Edition 2xCD:

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Earthquakes-Deluxe-Edition-Tori/dp/B00SSL4EBO/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpt_1

Little Earthquakes Deluxe Edition on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/little-earthquakes-deluxe/id961925135

Under The Pink Deluxe Edition 2xCD:

http://www.amazon.com/Under-The-Pink-Deluxe-Edition/dp/B00SSL4E5K/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpt_2

Under The Pink Deluxe Edition on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/under-the-pink-deluxe-edition/id962152973

Full streams of each deluxe edition:
Little Earthquakes: http://youtu.be/2CdWEHjaL30  
Under The Pink: http://youtu.be/IfKuZwE-PHQ 

Cold S'mores

I just invented this dessert and it is amaaaaazing.

202 calories and you could easily break it in half and have a delicious 101 calorie dessert.

Makes 6 full or 12 halves...

12 graham crackers (365 organic)

1/2 cup ghiradelli 60% cacao chocolate chips

1 cups TruWhip. (Like cool whip but no crap in it)

Lay out 6 graham crackers on a cutting board

Melt chocolate chips in a glass bowl for 30 seconds and stir, repeat until melted (takes me 3 rounds)

Spoon melted chocolate onto graham crackers and spread evenly over the cracker

Dollop some truwhip on top of the chocolate

Press graham cracker over the truwhip and gently push down 

Freeze for 10 minutes

Enjoy!

M&MS in the couch cushion

We were in the thick of potty training our second when baby boy was born.

Nursing round the clock (and I did clock it on an app with him, it was 37 hours a week of nursing!) and trying to wipe a tushie and rush a 3 yr old to the potty all the time was incredibly frustrating.

What did I do?

I poured a bag of m&ms into a gladware container and shoved it into the couch cushion behind where I nursed the baby.

I offered my 3 yr old: one for making it to the potty, one for peeing on the potty, one for wiping, one for washing her hands, one for drying.  Mom award? Maybe not, but holy moly did it make my life easier those first couple of weeks!

Dads changing the status quo

Some dads seem to act like "sponsors" instead of partners.  

Earning income is a huge deal and of course it is essential--but if that IT, then that sounds more like a sponsor to me--whether it's dad or mom.  The tough part is the parent gig is 24/7...

Everyone is tired at the end of the day... everyone is tapped out by bedtime most days... that's when I really need my partner in the trenches with me.  These are things you're not supposed to say.  These are things you keep to yourself while other moms bash their husband as "another child" or how they don't know how to do anything.  If you're like me-- and your husband does do these things... it's tough to pipe up.  What makes people feel better is knowing that's just how it is for everyone-- men are dumb and useless... but that isn't fair to the men working hard to push against that stereotype and waking at night to rock the baby, or staying up late loading the dishwasher, or packing lunches, or reading to their kids, or throwing in laundry, or signing homework folders at 11pm.  These dads should be the norm... they shouldn't get praise for doing what moms do everyday-- why?  Because a family is a team.  So-- I hope as more men come into fatherhood this becomes the norm.

I hope my children will grow up to be partners with their mates.