So we had an ambitious weekend for sure. In addition to our regular stuff, we also decided to tackle some major projects in our back yard. The weather had cooled off and we couldn't put it off any longer!

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We have an old concrete patio in the back that we've never liked and the time to take it out had arrived. You can see Mr. Plain getting ready to work on it. The perspective in this photo is weird, so it looks smaller than it really is. It looks tiny, but it is really about 20' x 20' x 3 inches thick!

There's also an large mound of dirt under two huge trees that I needed to move. It was unfortunately put there by some well-meaning contractors, but I'm worried it will kill the trees by smothering their roots. (That can happen, right?) So I set to work on this project. The neighbors were having a kid's birthday party with all the trimmings (including farm animals!) and they must have loved the sound of the pounding sledgehammer! But we persevered.

By the end of the weekend, Mr. P had taken out 1/3 of the patio, and I had moved maybe a quarter of the dirt mound. That's hard work! So I took a break to move some plants too. Sheesh, I'm still tired!

But the weekend wouldn't be the same without my favorite (ha!) chore: laundry. With 5 of us in the house I can still get away with doing it once a week, but I have to start in time if I want it all to be done for Monday. I know I've done it right if this is the last thing I see Sunday night:

Yes, that's correct. A load of laundry that runs for 2 hours and 47 minutes. That's after I've pushed every single option button on my beloved washing machine. 'Sanitary' cycle, extra hot, extra spin, heavy soil, pre-wash, extra rinse (for Robbie's sensitive skin!), and stain cycle. Add oxyclean to the wash and pre-wash, and this last load of whites/lights actually gets clean without falling apart into rags!

And my washing machine has a name, apparently. His name is "Tromm" — I know this because it says so right on the front. It makes me think of that great sci-fi movie from the 80s I think. I refuse to wear an all-white lycra suit and ride a motorcycle, though.

I'll end this rambling post with a shot of Chip "helping" Daddy make Gin & Tonics. Aww, isn't that sweet? Warms the heart…

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Hope your weekend was productive too, or at least fun!

My mom just sent me a great picture that shows what our house REALLY looks like:

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That's Mike & Robbie doin' their thing. Too bad there's no sound, because that's how you'd get the full effect. And the only reason Chip isn't in the middle is that he was napping at the time. Usually he's right in there trying to wrestle with the big kids!

Welcome to the tour of our humble home. Just push open the door and step inside!

* And maybe you're thinking Rosemary Clooney, but to me that song will always be Voice Farm! Yes, in the 80s I was dressed in all black. But anyway, back to the tour…

Now that you're here, you'll probably see me sitting in the living room at My Chair. Wave!

The lamp you see is what Mr. Plain got me as a surprise, because he thought I was computing in the dark too often. Isn't he sweet?

I believe that one of the pictures was supposed to be where the blogging 'magic' happens? Hmm, this blog is pretty new and non-magical, but here 'tis anyway. And yes, that is a robot stalking in the background. Now let's go to the kitchen.

Gorgeous, aren't they? Mr. Plain got them at the farmer's market last weekend. He goes every weekend, brings home flowers, and then cooks breakfast for the fam. I love Saturday!

Let's step outside, shall we?

Watch out for the Rescue Heroes! Yes, the sandbox is pretty full, but apparently long vistas of clean, unobstructed sand are not what my boys want. Every single scrap of this sandbox is covered with "projects". I thought that a 10' x 20' sandbox was going to be big enough, but apparently not!

So there you have it. The Plain's Home. I almost threw in a picture of the playroom, but seriously, that's going to have to wait for Tackle it Tuesday!

• Get off your brother!
• Cut it out!
• When he cries, that means you need to stop!
• Because that's what we do in our family
• I need two good listeners
• Time to hit the road!
• OK, goofballs…
• Good night boys
• I love you right back
• Underpants!

My 18 month old needs to wear an eye patch for 30 minutes a day. He's been doing this since he was a couple of days old, and when he turned 1 he discovered that it was really easy to remove the patch. He also decided that the patches were delicious!

So then followed a series of months where we just couldn't do the patching. It was a drag because I felt so guilty about it, but the only choice would have been to hold his little screaming body with his arms at his side!

Then I found the next best thing. Pedi-Wraps. They are like velcro sleeves that you wrap around their arms. I admit I still feel guilty — he can't bend his arms and that makes him mad! But I just keep telling myself that I don't want to have this conversation with him when he's 20:

"Mom, why is my eyesight so bad?"

Well, you cried a lot when we put the patch on you, so we just gave up.

"Way to go Mom."

In the picture [removed] he's watching Lazytown — doctor-prescribed television! Ok, he didn't actually tell us to put on Lazytown, but he did say that TV watching was good for him when he had his patch on. It makes his other eye work harder and that's the point.

For the curious, my youngest son was born with what has finally been diagnosed as a cataract in his right eye. It looks like a white polka dot on top of his pupil. Since it isn't possible to do a really accurate vision test on a baby ("Is this better…or worse? Better…or worse?") they have to just go on the assumption that his vision is compromised.

So putting a patch on the 'good' eye makes the other eye stronger because it has to work hard. You know, like pushups. Um, or something I might actually do!

So there it is, it Works for Me, and it is a Wednesday! Check out Shannon's Blog for more excellent tips. Happy Wednesday!

I've been up since 3:30 am — the baby woke up and then I couldn't go back to sleep — so of course in my sleep-deprived state starting a blog sounds like a great idea! Ha!

Will anyone ever read it? Will anyone ever comment? Will I ever write entry number 2? Who knows… So far the hardest part has been choosing a name for it! As I write this post, my blog has no title. But some time before I click 'publish' I hope to have a magic brain moment where at least 3 synapses fire together and I get a great name for this site. Probably runonsentencemom.com is most apt, but we'll see how it goes…

I live on the west coast of the US with my husband and 3 boys who are 1.5, 3.5, and 4.25 — and that 'and a quarter' at the end is very important to my oldest, so I include it here. Heaven forbid he finds this blog after he learns to read! I would have a lot of explaining to do!

I work part time and my kids go to daycare in the morning. So sue me! ;) But my kids adore it and get the best of both worlds. Time with other kids in the morning, and time with family every afternoon. We are very fortunate.

I'm a big lurker on tons of other momblogs, and I've been adding you lovely ladies to my blogroll. And YES, I'll start commenting now! Hey, I've even got a Works for Me Wednesday planned for tomorrow!

I look forward to meeting you all soon. Since I have to click 'Publish' in a second, I had to pick a name for this blog. Names are HARD, so what do you think of "Plain Jane Mom"? Seems OK to me, and pretty much describes who I am.

So excuse the dust around here as I get everything set up, and here we go!