Avoid the Wild Strawberry Slurpee!!!!!

I had promised Caroline that I would take her out for a Slurpee after dinner thanks to some good behavior yesterday on a number of accounts. We had tried to stop and get one on the way home from our errands but when we did, ALL the Slurpees were not ready. So I promised after dinner and off we went. When we arrived, only 3 of the 6 machines were ready and the only choices available were Pina Colada, Banana, and Crystal Light Wild Strawberry. Neither kid was interested in the first two and I figured while I don't usually drink or give them much stuff with any kind of artificial sweetners in it, this couldn't be too bad. They both tasted it and liked it and since I didn't feel like buckling them both back in and running to yet ANOTHER 7-11, things would be fine.

Well, they were until bedtime. Neither kid would go to sleep. I think it was after 10pm before Caroline actually went to sleep. Bryce was up 3 or 4 times crying about nothing although he did have pee twice (unusual) and then was crying about mosquito bites. Caroline was up between midnight and 2am reading and looking out the window and then got up again when Bryce had his major fit around 2:30. All I kept thinking was WHAT THE HELL WAS IN THOSE SLURPEES? It wasn't sugar, so what is the deal????

Well, I think I figured it out. While the 7-11/Slurpee site doesn't have any information on this flavor (it must not be a current one), I did find information on the Crystal Light mix since the Slurpees come directly from the drink mixes. And what did I find? OMG, it was Crystal Light Wild Strawberry ENERGY! I juiced my kids up with Vitamin B and CAFFIENE!!!! No wonder they were miserable (as were Jay and I as a result).

I feel HORRIBLE. Horrible! What a terrible mom, I am! They were so tired this morning. I would bet that the label by the Slurpee machine did say "energy" on it but because I was trying to help them get their Slurpee and trying to be fast because other people were waiting, I didn't notice the most important word of "energy."

So needless to say, I'm exhausted this morning and so are they. They went to school for their usual half day now and my mom is picking them up around noon and then to the playground but she is going to make sure they take naps today. Seriously, I could use one too. But I don't think that's happening.

A Must Have Item for Parents That Like Clean Walls

Have you heard about the Rubbermaid Paint Buddy? Well, if you're someone who likes to keep your well painted walls free of scuffs and kid marks, you'll LOVE this product!

Jason bought a few of them a while back to have and stored the leftover paint from the family room/kitchen in one and the playroom in the other. Basically, it keeps your paint fresh and in a handy little container to quickly do touchups without having to drag out the messy can of paint and a roller or brush. But, even though we had them, we hadn't used them yet.

So, I took advantage of the kids spending the night at my IL's last night and got them out. Welllll, I must say, HOT DAMN! I have pretty walls again! Not only was their no mess, but it was so easy and the only thing I had to do when I was done was to take the little roller out and clean it and then put it back in.

Granted, this isn't much help if you have a big section to fix, but for all those scuffs, red juice stains (don't ask), and "kid marks" they can be fixed instantly. Jason got ours at Home Depot but I see them online a few places and they retail at Lowes for less than $8. Probably not something you need for say, a master bedroom, but for hallways and kid rooms, man, is this a great invention. I love how it keeps the paint fresh and it's see through so there's no guessing how much paint is left and what color it is!