My little 257 ...

I say that I have it better than an inmate because I have a bit more than 257 sq. feet to myself. (Inmates, I've heard get 100.) Anyway, 257 is what you get when you split up an 1,800 sq. foot ranch house with a husband and 5 monkeys. I didn't figure the 3 dogs into the equation because they like to go outside quite a bit. The cat didn't get in either because she lives mostly in the ceiling.

So, anyway, I've been on an organization kick to make better use of my 257. First was the pantry:

The light goes on when you open the door because I am a genius.

Then I did my bedroom closet and the basement area that I use for exercise (LOL).

As for the exercise, the concrete was rough, but then I remembered the flooring samples my brother-in-law gave me, so ....

he saved my butt.

My favorite spot in my 257, though, is the dining room. I'm still adding hub-bub, but it's getting better because e-bay is my friend.

I know, 4 seats for a family of 7 seems odd ... we eat in shifts. It's all about aesthetics.

Boys vs. girls

There has always been debate on whether boys are easier to raise than girls. My younger sister always voted for boys ... but she's not the genius of the family. I believe she just has more energy.

I, on the other hand, like to handle all issues from the couch. Girls let you do that. It's all cerebral ... what if this happened at school, what should I do about that ... and on, and on.

I thought I was pretty accomplished in the realm of parenting pre-son. Come on, I have four daughters who all managed to stay in tact through toddlerhood. They are reasonable children, not breaking anything of worth and being pretty respectful and doing well in school.

Then the boy.

With my son from ultra-early on I needed weapons to pelt him with from the couch to get him to stop touching my stuff. He broke his finger messing with stuff at around 2, burnt the basement carpet with an aquarium heater (we have no aquarium and I can't imagine where he got the heater) at about 2 as well. He was 3 when he said "Hulk smash" and threw a chair through our projection TV for $500 in damage. All of the basement walls are covered in crayon. He's only 5!

So, we made a deal. When he reaches a destruction level of $5,000 he has to get a job or move out. He's probably around $2,000 now. I keep him posted of his balance so he can plan. He wants to be a dinosaur when he grows up, but I don't know if that pays well --- it does fit in with his destruction habit, though.

So, who wins? Boys or girls?

I think it's the parents who stopped at one child.

You can never tell ...

Sara's my firstborn. I could have never guessed 19 years ago that this is where we would be. Granted she was born a Liberal to a staunch Republican (more on this later), but I was able to pull her slowly from the dark side as she grew.

I have 5 kids ranging in age from 5 to 19. The 5-year-old is the only boy. The odds of a "blacksheep" is more than 50/50. You see, my oldest is a nerd. She is in a family of tattooed freaks -- unmarked and knitting.

It's not just the knitting -- that was just the ultimate proof. She decided just 2 years ago to try to learn ... by herself ... from a book. And now she's making her own patterns and planning her life around fiber.

Knitting projects are all around. She only speaks in crazy knitting lingo. She wants a knitting job. She's traveling to New York from Colorado for a big knitting gala. She spends 90% of her money from child care on knitting hub-bub.

Sometimes she looks sad. I love her so I ask, "hey, what's up? Can I help." And then the can of worms. Discontinued yarn, miscalculated stitches, new and expensive yarn she NEEDS. And all of this is Greek to me. I try to be supportive, but I can only stare blankly. It's like listening to Charlie Brown's teacher.

So, I saved her from a life on the left only to lose her to life lost in the abyss of fiber and needles. And you can't tell me it's not an abyss ... just look at her aunt's sewing room at my sister's blog.