Realignment

I am so proud of myself.  My toilet has been running for days.  (insert joke here...)  I diagnosed the problem was the flapper thing in the tank wasn't aligned right to close correctly.  My initial solution was to open the tank and re-align it with each flush.  This solution was not ideal, but it worked.

However, yesterday the flapper stopped allowing the realignment.  My next solution was to turn off the water to the toilet and place a hand towel on my closed toilet seat to remind myself and warn all others not to use the toilet.  That solution worked for a night, and caused John some anxiety (what if he just forget and moved the towel?  what would happen?)

This morning I was determined to figure out how to fix this silly problem myself.  Here's the culprit:

I assessed.  I examined.  I jiggled and analyzed.  And then I found the problem...me...all by myself.  I fixed the toilet.  

I am taking the estimated $100 I just saved by not calling a plumber and getting a massage.  I need a bit of realignment as well.

Bunny Time

John has my eyes and my hair and my sensitive skin.  Annie has my love of lounging in the morning and my need to do everything solo (don't offer her help...she DOES NOT need it and will show you my/her temper if you try to help her...).  Neither of them inherited my love of sleep.

So, I took advantage of the holidays as a time to "gift" my kids with clocks that "helps" them know when it's ok to get out of bed.  The sleeping bunny lights up at bedtime and stays lit up as a night light all through the night.  Then, at 7am, the awake bunny lights up showing it's ok to get out of bed.  Brilliant.

It's been unbelievably helpful with John -- he used to come in to talk to me at any hour...if his blanket moved, if he woke up and thought maybe it was time to get up, if he needed water.  Now, he comes in after 7am and tells me proudly that he woke up, looked at the clock, and waited for the bunny to wake up...I am SO proud :)  And more rested!  

Of course, my little Annie is now entering the phase of joining me at all hours and she isn't too sold on this whole bunny concept yet.  We'll get there. 

There is one watch out: there is a setting on the clock to make the light change and also turn it into an alarm clock.  I learned this today when at 7am there was a rooster cockadoodle-dooing in Annie's room.  Do bunnies cockadoole-do?