Fabric Softener & A Meat Baster

Bet that title got your attention!

Today I decided to wash all of the girls coats.  So, I pulled them out of the closet.

Man, do they have a lot of coats.  Amazingly, they do wear them all.

I did read the washing instructions because I was pretty sure I need to make sure they were all zipped, velcro fastened, etc.

Then I read the "do not use fabric softener" part.  Oh, ok.  Good thing I read the instructions.

I proceeded to put the 1st load of coats into the washer.  Remember, we have a lot of coats.

I start the water and go ahead with my "normal" wash routine.

Add detergent. Check.  Add fabric softener to fabric softener compartment.  Oh, shoot!

Bad words go through my head.  And I think what the heck am I supposed to do now??????

Then I think, get the meat baster!  And a coffee mug!

So, off to the kitchen I go.  To get the meat baster & a coffee mug.

Then it's back to the washer.  And I suction out the fabric softener(which I had added water to) and squeeze it into the mug.  After about 3 suctions I have it all out of the compartment.

Crisis averted.

Phew.  That was close.  Now, I am not sure what would have happened to the coats if they had gone through the cycle with the fabric softener.  But, I sure didn't want to find out.

I am guessing it would have taken away some of the "water repellency" of the coats. Maybe.

I was super smart on the 2nd load of coats.  No fabric softener added.

So, now you know if you screw up the wash and add fabric softener to the compartment when your not supposed to----get the meat baster!

With all the spring like weather we have had this week, the girls have been scootering and biking away all week after school.

Hubby & I(really Hubby, if it was up to me they wouldn't do this EVER!) have decided the girls are big enough to ride their bikes in the road a bit.  By themselves.  Gulp.

One of us has to be out with them while they are riding.  Baby steps.  Luckily we have a nice park bench to sit on to watch.

D & E are allowed to ride up to where our neighbor across the street has their mailbox.  Then they cross to the other side.  Gulp.

Double Gulp.

After they cross, they ride down the street to just about where our neighbor on our side of the street has their mailbox.  And they cross.  Again.  Gulp.

E on her way up.  They are so excited that they can now do this on the road without Dad with them.  And they know that Mommy is being a bit of a nervous Nellie.

D cruising by me.  Her confidence in riding is growing by leaps and bounds.  That's a good thing.  So, I'll just gulp away.

I am always on the look-out for cars.  Our house is on a straightaway, which is great. And not so great.  There are a couple of curves in the road passed our house.

And people drive much too fast down our road.  We are the 2nd house on the right. So, when people come out of the curves and hit the straightaway, they really speed up.  Grrrrrr.

At the other end, people turn onto our road and really start to pick up some speed as they go passed our house, before they hit the curves.

So, I am a bit of a nervous Nellie.  And they did great.  They watched out for cars.  Mostly.

I helped.  Ok, maybe they think I nagged.  But, that's my prerogative.  I am their mother.

Update on D:  This morning when I went in the girls' room to wake them up, D opened her eyes and watched me thoughtfully.  I sat on E's bed and went through my usual chorus of "good morning", "time to wake up".  I didn't say a word while D watched me.  I knew she was thinking about last night.  E was starting to rouse herself when D got up and climbed into my lap.  She hugged me and said, "I'm sorry Mommy."  I told her I knew she was sorry.  And I reminded her it wasn't the dresses I was so upset about, but the lying.  Hoping she gets it.  Time will tell.

E with her potato decorated like the green pig from Angry Birds.  She was very excited.

potd #72.  Goofy D with her red Angry Bird potato.  She is such a ham!  This was just one of about a dozen pictures that I took of her being a complete goof & making all sorts of faces with the potato.  Silly D.