___1___
I would just like to say: THANK GOD FOR RAIN! Thank God for a break from having to run sprinklers and hoses and buckets to my poor plants, just to keep them hanging on. Even if it’s only a one-day break.
Last night was one of those weird pop-up storms. But usually a pop-up storm looks like a storm. This one was Stealth Storm. The sun was out, the sky was hazy with some billowy cumulus clouds, and I was putting the kids to bed when I heard thunder in the south. The south looked more stormy than we did, but I prayed anyway, and five minutes later the rain started pelting the ground in drops big enough to drown a fly. With the sun still shining. This went on for 40 minutes. It never looked like it was going to rain–not before, not during, not after. But rain it did.
___2___
In fact, Christian and Alex were stranded in the downpour up the street, and I had to take umbrellas to them. I was barefoot, and the water pouring down the streets was hot. Not “bathwater hot” like we call pools, but actually bathwater hot. Craziness.
And today, the heat returns.
___3___
Okay, I’ll leave the rain alone now. Can you tell I was excited?
___4___
We finally bought a car! Meet our new 2011 Hyundai Sonata:
And the answer is no: you cannot put three young children in the back seat. Not until they’re old enough to be in backless boosters. So on Wednesday, when I went to the doctor’s office in St. Louis, we took the van. So far, the car has been driven a) home from the dealership, b) to church and back the next morning, and c) to Christian’s work to show off. He began wondering if we’d made a bad purchase. I promised him I’d use it a lot more once the older two are in school. Just wait a few weeks!
___5___
For the last four weeks, we’ve been using vinegar in place of bathroom cleaner. And this week I discovered that my spray bottle full of vinegar and water works quite nicely in place of Windex, too. I can’t tell you how liberating it is to be using something so cheap, natural and non-toxic to clean! But I will say we’re still using toilet bowl cleaner. That one I’m not quite ready to give up yet.
___6___
Wow, what a boring post this must be to all of you. How about a couple of cute kid pictures to wrap up with? In heat like this, you can’t beat the heat, you can only…get wet. And boy, did they ever, Alex & his friend. I had to make him strip to his birthday suit in the entryway of the house, standing on towels.
___7___
Kathleen M. Basi 
On #5 – If you give the toilet a quick scrub every day or so, you can use any kind of soap you have handy. I have also read that you can use heated vinegar and strips of cloth, but I think that’s a bit too involved. Of course, you always have to do what works for you.
I just want to let you know, I appreciate how much you comment on so many people’s blogs (quick takes and otherwise). It’s easy to feel isolated in blog-world, even though it’s supposed to be a community. Really participating in the conversation helps immensely!
I meant to reply to this, and it was such a busy week it kept slipping my mind. Thank you, Jeanne!
Aww. I miss the days I could fit in small corners and hide from thunder storms. Those were the best days.
Congrats on the car!
I’m jealous that you have rain.
Out of curiosity, what parts vinegar and water do you use for the bathroom cleaner. Other than the toilet, I’ve been wanting to downgrade some of my cleaners … they are too strong and make me sneeze.
Not a boring post at all … any post with rain is GREAT!
I knew someone was going to ask me that…we got online and found about twenty different formulations for vinegar cleaners, depending on how strong you need it. I am not a patient person, nor am I organized in that way, so I just dumped a few tablespoons, a half cup or something, in a spray bottle and filled it with water. It seems to be working just fine. If you are one of the many who are better than I am about that kind of stuff, you can do a search online for the different types of cleaners. The other thing I’ve been thinking @ trying is a paste for scrubbing that I read about: you take half a cup of baking soda and mix in enough vinegar to make a paste of it. Supposedly this works very well.
vinegar and baking soda clean a mean bathtub…I bet they’d do great on the toilet, too….
Yay for rain! I’m with you there!!!
Cute pics of cute kiddos!
Vinegar has become my all around cleaner except for the toilet where I use clorox toilet wands. Love the pictures of the kids. Glad you got rain this week. We got a little yesterday and some last night – not nearly enough to make up for the heat but I’m grateful for it anyway.
Vinegar…I love vinegar! I’ve been using it for years to clean everything (including the toilet). It does have anti-bacteria properties to it according to some UK cleaning ladies on TV. Another tip: give a toddler a wet rag with a splash of vinegar on it and send them around the room to clean up smudges on doors, tables, chairs, and windows.
Mr Clean is a moderately less toxic cleaner for those who don’t want to go completely homemade.