Wonky and Wonderful

Here are two of the wacky things in my new house. First up we have the downstairs bathroom sink - the one used the most. The first time I asked one of the kids to wash their hands in that sink they just stared at it. Then I just stared at it.
We are use to sinks that just have a handle you lift to turn on I think they were caught off cards by the whole twist for on thing. Next fun new feature is the lack of warm water option you have to be quick enough not to burn your hands or freeze them on the cold side when washing up. At least the hot water is on the left like we are use to on this one... upstairs the faucets all have hot water on the right. Opposite of what they were taught. Great.

Second is the oven dial. It has numbers. Numbers that I had no clue on how to decipher for at least a week and a half or so of living here and the purchase of an oven thermometer. I mean seriously... why put the number seven if it corresponds to a temperature... just put the temperature. Puzzling. I am lazy I don't like the look at my recipe and find the temperature... then find the piece of paper with my "cheat code" for cooking and match the number with the right temperature and then wait to see according to the thermometer if that is even right. Get ready to add on an easy extra 30m minutes to cooking anything with the secret codes and warm up time.

I find a few other things wonky as well. Examples: my bathroom light is turned on by a pull string, my fridge is tiny (reminiscent of door room fridges tiny) there is not an outlet in any bathroom and they are seriously committed to the roundabout which frustrates me when I drive and the GPS says "take second exit" and I am thinking it is not an exit I am just driving straight once I get around this blasted circle.
Some of these things have taken getting used to.

On the flip side of that it is gorgeous. Our first few weeks here we would be driving or walking and saying, "That would be a great picture" "Or that" "Or over there" and then I realized I could just point the camera in any freakin direction and have amazing photos. Really it is just beautiful. The people are really nice even when I am dumb and have no clue what I am doing. For example the garbage man who comes in and takes all 80 of my garbage bags down to the curb for me ever week when I forget to do it the night before and never get up early enough to do it the actual day. And he leaves me new garbage bags. Seriously he takes my trash and leaves me bags? This rocks !!!

I've said it before and I will say it again leaving amazing friends and family hurts. A little part of my heart gets left in each place we live and I am a wreck when we go but I think there is a purpose to being here and I look forward to all the opportunities we are afforded here. Even if it means wonky hand washing.

There Will Be Ketchup

The picture holds the three key items that MUST be present at all times in my house.

Item #1 Syrup. Not just for breakfast peeps. My kids will dip just about anything in either syrup or ketchup. "What darling you don't like the roast I spent hours creating a rub for and cooking? By all means drown it in sugar and eat away."

Item #2 Diet Soda. Usually Diet Pepsi but the store was out so I got Diet Coke. I refer to this as "mommy juice" and so my 2 1/2 year old calls all soda "mommy juice". If my husband happens to grab a can Ben will say, "Hey that is mommy's juice not yours!" I find this hilarious. Don't judge me on soda okay it helps keep my sanity and we all have to do what we have to do to survive motherhood in my mind.

Item #3 Ketchup. I firmly believe ketchup should be used for only french fries, hamburgers and hot dogs. My kids feel otherwise. They will dip anything in it... either to hide the taste of whatever I have cooked (the ingrates) or for fun to see how things tasts.
Example: " I wonder what strawberries and ketchup taste like." Dips strawberry in ketchup, eats it and cackles with laughter. They all move onto "what would cucumber taste like in ketchup?" Mom dry heaves and leaves table. *

I understand that my kids have an unrefined palette at 6, 4 and 2 and maybe don't realize life exsists beyond chicken nuggets, hot dogs and turkey sandwiches but really. Must you use it for everything? I find it slightly insulting to the chef.
Also it gags me to watch them eat. The hubs came home the other night and asked why I was standing in the kitchen eating my food. Really? Have you met your children and watched them during a meal. It is often a nightmare.

So I am off to the store because we are out of item #2 which is a travesty in my mind and if I have to survive any more meals with these crazies I am gonna need a surplus.

*Actual event.