A month again!

It is already 8:30, I am still in my pajamas. The house is a disaster, clean laundry scattered in piles on the living room floor, dirty cereal bowls on the kitchen table, bills that need to be paid, bathrooms that need to be cleaned, Christmas cards that don't even stand a chance of getting out by Christmas. How has it been a month since I have written anything if nothing else is getting done?

We did go spend a fabulous week with my Nana in Florida. With the exception of the ridiculously long car ride with all four kids, we had an excellent time. As I grow up, I am learning what important lessons can be learned if you just listen. Why did I wait so long to learn that lesson? How do I teach it to my kids before it is too late and so much of that great knowledge is lost?

Brandon bought me an incredibly awesome sewing/embroidery machine for my birthday (and once I learned how much it cost, it is for my Christmas, Mother's day, anniversary and probably next year's birthday too) but I have been having a great time getting to learn how to use it and am looking forward to all of the cool things I can make. The kids might soon grow tired of having their name sewn on to everything they own, but for now it is great!

I made the all important and difficult decision to re-enter the world of daycare. I am going to start (and hopefully) stay small for at least a year or two. I am taking back a family that I had before and I am looking forward to new playmates for the kids and some of the challenges that come with having other people's most prized possession in my home. I can't lie either and the added income will make life a little more comfortable and not so strained like it has been for the last year.

I'm sure in the last month a lot more has gone on, but nothing that has left enough of an impression that I can think of it early in the morning before the coffee has kicked in. My early new year's resolution (in addition to eating better, losing weight before May, counting to ten before I explode, and making beds everyday) is to blog at least twice a month. I would love to write more, but let's be realistic here!! This way I can make sure all of you out in cyber land know what's up at our house!! I am sure the quotes will be fun in the coming months of new additions as well. Love you all!

The Invisible Mother

My friend Elise sent this to me this morning and I thought I would share. Get out the Kleenex!



Invisible Mother...... It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone! One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ..

Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.

I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe ..

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.
It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.


And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!
Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...I just did.


Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.
We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.

I Forgot!

I forgot I was going to mention a cute picture that we took on Friday night! After a while of trick or treating, we realized that we didn't have a picture of ALL of the kids together. So as they were walking down one of the driveways, I grabbed my camera and said "Everyone go stand by that tree!" and pointed to a tree in the parkway. All 6 of our kids we had that night went to the tree I was pointing at.

When I looked through my view finder, there was a little girl in a pink poodle out fit that did not belong to us. Her dad was standing on the sidewalk cracking up, telling her to get out of the picture. She had been walking past when I said everyone get to the tree, and she did exactly as she was told :) We took the picture with her in it and the kids talked about it for the rest of the night!

This weekend

What an absolutely FANTASTIC Halloween weekend. I could not have asked for better weather (I probably could have asked, but would I have really gotten anything better?) Even though I made the kids costumes to fit over winter clothing, we were able to trick or treat for 2 hours, coat free! We had a great time in the neighborhood in town and Mason even saw a few friends that he knew. One little boy did ask if he could come trick or treat at our house, and Mason had a little bit of a hard time telling him why he couldn't come to ours. It was cute listening to him trying to rationalize to another 5 year old that our house was in the country, with a really long driveway, and also that we didn't have the light on in front of our garage, so he shouldn't knock on our door. (At least that means he was listening to the rules for Trick or Treating!)

I got a couple of pretty cute pictures of all of the kids in their costumes. I was a little bummed that this year the kids were big enough to pick their own costumes instead of being willing to let mommy pick a theme and make them all coordinate. They looked cute anyway, and they truly show their personalities.

We took some out of town friends trick or treating with us, and when we were done walking, we headed back to our house for pizza. The kids all had a great time completely destroying the play room. Garrett enjoyed eating almost half of a cheese pizza by himself (yes, we are talking about my 7 month old child!) I thought the other mom was going to fall off her chair!

Saturday night we had a bonfire to celebrate the end of fall. The weather was perfect, the fire was warm, and the kids again were thrilled to get to roast their own marshmallows! One little snafu on Saturday was noteworthy. I had run into my parents house to grab some more crackers. When I opened the people door to the garage, one of the cats darted past me. Then, a large bouncy animal went under the car. The bouncy animal happened to be our pet rabbit, Bob. No, Bob is not a free-range bunny. He lives in a cage outside my parents back door. He was NOT supposed to be wandering around the garage. It took Madelin and I almost 15 minutes of chasing him around the garage before we finally were able to catch him.

It seems that one of the cats had pushed hard enough on the bottom of Bob's cage to slid it open. Then, probably in an attempt to escape being eating and fully not realizing that he is as big if not bigger than the cats, Bob jumped free. I have no idea how long he was hopping around the garage waiting to be saved. I just thank heavens that we didn't open the large garage door before realizing he was out! It was have been nearly impossible to catch him outside, in the dark!

That was pretty much all the exciting stuff that happened this weekend. I am very excited that I may be heading to Florida during Thanksgiving break to spend some time with my Nana. I am sure that 24 hours in the car in each direction will leave me with some fun stories to post!

When do you have time to blog?

After watching my kids for a few hours on Saturday, my cousin asked me when it was that I had time to blog. I just laughed it off and smiled, but it actually did make me start thinking. My day is jammed packed, start to finish, with something to do at every minute. It might not be scheduled meetings or "important" phone calls, but there definitely isn't a minute to just sit and, well, blog.

So when is it that I have time to blog? Whenever I choose to I suppose. Right now, for instance. There is a mountain of laundry in my bathroom, I stuck to the kitchen floor when I was making coffee, some one behind me has a stinky diaper, my desk is so cluttered there is barely room for my coffee cup, I have to finish making my Halloween costume and iron the rest of Charlotte's, Levi dumped a pretty large selection of crayons on the playroom floor, everyone's sheets need to be changed, I need to pay bills and balance the check book, and through out the day I need to interact with the three kids who are here, teach them to count, color, and become overall good people, and make dinner for tonight.

I guess the real question is, why aren't you blogging?

The pin cushion

Last night I was putting together the pieces for Charlotte's Kim Possible Cheerleader costume. I am making a box pleat cheerleader skirt from scratch, so I'll let y'all know how that turns out! But there was a lot of pinning and cutting going on last night, and I kinda went to be with out putting it all away.

My little ninja got up this morning and headed down stairs while I was getting clothes for Mason. Before I made it down stairs (less than a full minute!) he had taken out all of the remaining straight pins from the cushion and placed them in the fabric on the table. Luckily most of them were on the scrap pieces, so I don't have to decipher which ones I put in and which ones are his handy work. I couldn't exactly be mad, I left the stuff out. And, he did put them in the right way as opposed to just sticking them in the couch!

It was pretty cute when I came downstairs and he told me he was 'whoahing like you!!' I gathered up the pins, and explained although it is great to help mommy, little boys shouldn't really play with pointy pins. He shook his head yes, but he is still eying them on the counter! Lets just hope he stays away from the sewing machine until he is at least old enough to thread it on his own.

Early in the morning

I sat down at the computer this morning with the intention to write a blog about how my 2 year old managed to take out EVERY SINGLE straight pin from my pin cushion in a matter of 3 seconds, and then reminisce about how yesterday he escaped to the yard while I took a shower.

But, as I opened up my email, there was yet another comment sent to me from my now month old cesarean blog. It methodically went through my previous post, much like all of the others who did not agree with me, and pointed out where I went wrong in my statements. Some of her comments simply made me giggle, some made me frustrated because she too is mis-informed on some of the important issues *note I did not say wrong---just mis-informed. At best "under researched", and she is a Labor and Delivery nurse at a large local hospital. Primarily I was concerned with her comment that having a home birth is "playing with fire."

I have documented (and personal experience) evidence to the contrary. Never in a million years would I say home birth is right for everyone. Nor, have a I ever tried to push it on any one. All I have ever suggested is that before you make major medical decisions you do your own research. Use the power of this great country we live in to seek the best medical care for you and your family WHATEVER you decide that may be. Just don't assume that the Dr. is always right. "Mr. Smith, the best solution for your headaches is a frontal lobotomy," Are you gonna do it? Probably not with out at least asking some questions.

And for those of you who say that isn't the same, I disagree whole heartedly. If you choose to take a medical approach to childbirth, it is your right and obligation to ask all of the questions surrounding your medical decisions. I know I asked lots, even of people who I explicitly trusted to help me have all of my children at home. I did not just do whatever they said without at least asking a few more questions.

I also encourage those of you who think that I am doing something unsafe or backwoods to ask me some questions, or do your own research on the subject. I did not just have a baby in my bathroom with no one there to help (at least not on purpose!). I received skilled prenatal care, fantastic labor and delivery support, and more post pardum care then you would get in a hospital. My Dr's and midwives knew me on a personal level, were able to tailor all care directly to me and my wishes, were familiar with my body and my choices, and were able to spend all of their time focused on me and my current situation, not reviewing my previous history and worried about some mysterious imaginary growth they found on an ultrasound. They brought an arsenal of "just in case" equipment and were able to handle a variety of emergency situations in the event they occurred. And, I had the benefit of doing it in the comfort of my own home, not having to bundle up a 24 hour old baby and transport him home in the middle of February.

I was able to pick and choose which intervention I wanted. Vitamin K drops are just as effective as the shot, however require being given for several days following birth. In a hospital setting, mothers are not told that because they cannot be "trusted" to continue on with the care after they are discharged. However, my midwife who came each day for the week following the birth of my children was able to ensure I was still doing what I supposed to do.

I am started to ramble now, and that never helps my case, so I guess I am done here. If you want to know about my birth stories, or where I got my information, I am happy to oblige, just ask! And, before you go assuming that I am a bear-foot, skirt wearing hippy (hmmm?) that doesn't know what she is talking about, let me help you do a little research :)

Ah yes, Monday morning

Good Morning all!

I definitely have been MIA recently, but I promise not with out good reason. First, I was slightly gun shy after the responses from my last rant, second, I have four kids!?!, and of course, third, my house has been on quarantine for the last week, and I feared getting you sick even through the computer.

We are not a family that gets sick. And, even if one of us does, the rest of us usually don't get to join in on that party! I read a statistic once (okay, this weekend, in American Baby magazine) that the average child gets a cold 8-12 times a year until they turn 5. I can count on one hand the number all of my kids combined have been sick, and that includes the chicken pox outbreak of 2007! We just don't get sick! That is, until Mason started going to school. Yet another reason for considering home schooling, I suppose.

First, Charlotte started with the runny nose watery eye thing. We took her to the chiro, one adjustment, and Poof! no more runny nose. Nipped that one in the bud, we are in the clear. HAHA right!

The next morning she woke up and said her throat REALLY hurt. She tends to be a little bit of a drama queen, but I let her hang out in my bed and watch TV and have juice and yogurt and anything else smooth she asked for. Then, Mason came home from school and said his throat hurt. Being as considerate as I am, I told him just because his sister was getting to sit in my bed was no reason to pretend he was sick.

Oh, then my throat started to hurt and I went and apologized to my children for saying that they would be fine. I thought I was going to die! Remember that commercial from the 80's where the little kid grabs her neck and says "I've got a porky-pine in my froat"? That was what it felt like.

Then Levi's eye started watering, and the baby started sneezing. Oh No! I sat pitifully surrounded by sick kids until Daddy came home to take over so I could get some sleep. Or that was what I thought would happen any way. Lucky for us, Daddy got sick too. He came home, curled up on the couch and pretty much stayed in that position all weekend. By Saturday morning we had polished off 2 boxes of tissue, the kids had absolutely destroyed the house due to lack of competent adult supervision (apparently even being sick doesn't really slow down 4 kids ability to take out everything in the play room), we had run out of clear liquids to drink, and my small stash of cold meds was depleted.

I reluctantly got dressed and took a couple kids to WalMart to replenish our supplies. I came home and resumed my sick position on the couch and pretty much fell asleep. At about 10:30 PM, our new tenants called and said they were about to reach town and would like us to meet us at the house with the keys and the lease. I had expected them earlier, but they also were not have such a great day (blew up a tire on their trailer, couldn't find the jack, etc) so I agreed to meet them out there. I probably looked like I had been hit by a truck, but at that point, I didn't really care.

I got all of that taken care of, came home desperately wanting to go to sleep, but instead I was greeted by a screaming baby, who by my assumption, had gotten to the sore throat portion of the looming virus. Garrett and I hung out in the living room until he finally passed out (probably from exhaustion) and we slept curled up together, coughing and sneezing for a few hours.

Sunday morning, the bigger boys seemed to be ALL BETTER because they were up at about 6:30 rearing to go! So, mommy got up and played referee for awhile. Daddy remained sick (men are soooo pitiful) for the rest of the day.

We spent a little time last night picking up the disaster formerly known as my house, but there is oh so much more to do today. Today, although that porky-pine still calls my throat home, and now the inside of my ears have begun to itch (crazy and awful symptom!) I must UNSICK my house. I don't care if it is 50 and raining I am going to open all of my windows, wash all the sheets (and probably hand them on the line outside for extra freshness protection!), scrub the yuckness out of the kitchen and bathrooms, and then take a nap! Anyone want to come and help? I'll pass out paper masks at the door!

Have a great day and take that vitamin C!!

No offensive material here

My child thinks he's Spiderman, is this a problem? He continually tries (sometimes rather successfully) to scale the walls of every room, hallway, shopping center, and bathroom stall we come in contact with. I frequently find him perched in doorways high above my head.

On one hand I marvel at the strength necessary to accomplish some of his acrobatic feats. On the other, I cringe at the thought of having to tell a Dr. in the ER that my child's arm or leg is broken due to an 8 foot fall from the ceiling. We bought him a chess set, hoping to wrangle in his creative side. He did learn to play, but more frequently he spends time trying to balance the pieces on top of each other.

He got a baseball bat and ball. He got pretty good at hitting the ball, but just the other day I found him trying to figure out how to stand on the end of the bat as it stood on the ground.

Tonight, we went out for ice cream and he scaled the side of the building by using the order window ledge and a few "holds" on the side of the brick. I suppose Spiderman is better than Superman (no attempting to fly) but good golly the kid is going to give me a heart attack.

An explaination, not an appology.

Within minutes of posting my last blog, it was brought to my attention that it may be offensive to some of my faithful readers (friends, family). Please note that this was NOT AT ALL my intention.

I am so aggravated at the lack of information and options given to women of our generation and the generations before and after us. If no one questions the direction of our society, and we blindly traverse forward, how can we ever expect change to happen?

This was NOT intended to reflect my opinions about anyone that I know personally. I know that each of you who have been faced with any of the various circumstances I portrayed in the last post made the decision that was best for you at the time, with the information you had been presented with. You all have beautiful children and I am proud of you for bringing them into the world.

As intelligent, educated people, we need to look out for our daughters and our granddaughters and provide them with the best possible scenarios in life.

Please put aside any angry feelings you have about what I wrote and take it at face value. If your opinions are different then mine, I respect them. If your choices are different from mine, I honor them. That is what our boys are fighting for, right?

Hopefully this goes a little towards making clear my point, as I have chosen not to delete the last post. Or, quite possibly, I have dug my hole deeper?

Argh

If you are easily offended by me on a regular basis....Please stop reading now.

I just got an email from a friend of mine who is expecting her second child. In it, she was complaining about how her Dr. is insisting on a scheduled C-section because her first labor ~ according to the Dr.~ was such a disaster. She "failed to progress" and had to be rushed for that "emergency C-section". It doesn't matter to the Dr. that they medically induced her at 38 weeks because "that baby is huge!" and the poor kid came 2 weeks early fairly traumatically and only 6.5 lbs.

This same friend was also discouraged by her Dr. and her mother from breastfeeding her little guy because he was a bit colicky and a puker. Their constant nagging of how he probably wasn't getting enough milk, he's still hungry, you can't let him just cry....blah blah blah.... made her lose any confidence in herself she might have had and she quit breast feeding all together. (surprise surprise the formula didn't make any difference in his puking and he was still colicky, he just was gassier and smelled worse when he threw up!)

I am soooo frustrated at the medical field, my friends' lack of confidence in themselves, and society as a whole. For thousands of years women have been having babies. Long before insane medical intervention (less than 100 years ago!) society continued to thrive, babies were born (sometimes by the dozen to the same woman!), and life went on. Jesus was born in a stable, not Rush Memorial. I am not Anti-medical advancement. So many great things have come from science and medicine, allowing us to live longer and healthier lives. HOWEVER, a major abdominal surgery, narcotic pain killers, IV fluids, and staples are NOT necessary parts of child birth.

The United States ranks 23rd out of the 26 industrial countries in the world in infant mortality. That means that 22 other countries have a lower percentage of babies die each year. Yet, the United States ranks 1st in the number of C-sections performed yearly (nearly 48% of all deliveries are C-sections in the U.S. while the rest of the world hovers around or below 5%) Does anyone else see the correlation here?

No where else in the world do so many women feel compelled to go to the hospital to "deliver" their baby. In fact, in Europe or Latin America, if you say you were born in a hospital, you will be questioned on what was wrong with you at birth.

So many women I know have been convinced to schedule their surgery because there is "a risk of uterine rupture" if they were to try to have their 2nd, 3rd, 4th baby vaginally. Yet, there is NO MEDICALLY DOCUMENTED case that EVER a woman's uterus rupture during labor from a previous cesarean. Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is a realistic and viable option that is rarely given to women who don't ask about it. If I hear "My Dr. said I have to have a C-section" one more time I am going to scream! Find a different friggin Dr! Question what medical fact requires you to have a surgery to bring your baby into the world instead of naturally like your body intended! Ask some questions people!!

After listening to my friends' reasons (i.e. excuses) on why they are scheduling (or worrying they will have) a cesarean, I can only shake my head.

"My baby will be too big." Too big for what? I know women who have had 9, 10, even 12 lb babies vaginally (and naturally for that matter). They all survived. None of them ripped in two or did not recover from labor. They can all still walk, function, raise their children. So I ask, too big for what? Believe me, that thing will stretch! (have you seen the size of my kids' heads?!?)

"I am past my due date." Hello? You have passed some arbitrary date set by your Dr. on when she thinks you might be done cooking that kid? Oh, yeah, your Dr. knows more about your body than you, or your body itself. I promise you will not hold on to a baby until its first day of preschool. At most your looking at a couple extra weeks. (believe me, it sucks!) However, you have got to trust that there has to be a reason for it!

"I might tear." You know they use a scalpal for a C-section, right?

"My Dr. is going to be out of town on my due date." Don't even get me started on that one!

"My labor stalled." Ever think that might have to do with the catheter in your back, the sterile stressful environment of the hospital, the fact that you medically induced your labor before it was ready, or you have been lying prone for the last 5 hours because you can't feel your legs anymore? If your body senses stress in a normal situation, it will shut down, or freak out, or some other non-expected reaction. I don't recall ever having to go pee in the middle of an important softball game. My body knew better. And, heading to a hospital (which is where sick people go) surrounded by beeping machines, getting poked with needles, and having lots of people stick their hand up your who-ha is likely to induce a little bit of stress. Your body might decide this isn't a safe place to bring a fragile new life into the world and shut down. Instead of listening to your body, dimming the lights, taking some deep breaths and letting your body recover.... nurses and Drs. come in telling you all the horrible things that can happen if you don't hurry up and have a baby. Ahhh... how relaxing!

"The babies heart rate dropped/spiked whatever." Ok, I want you to go to the garage, stick your head in the vice, and squeeze ever so gently. Release the pressure, and then about 4 minutes later, do it again. Hold each squeeze for about 30 seconds and repeat for about an hour or so. Check your heart rate.

Have I made my point? I realize that this is quickly becoming a chapter (or two or three) of a book, but I just can't swallow it any more. There is so much more I could get going on (epidural, routine ultra sound, glucose tolerance tests, immunizations, that crap they put in babies eyes when they are born, pitocin, episiotomy, weight gain, enemas). The list is kinda long. But for now, I will let you all chew on this one!

A conversation

Me: Please stop playing with that and eat your cereal.
Mason: Look I can make my armpit fart.
Me: Although that is fantastic, please eat your cereal.
Mason: (singing) I have a farting armpit, I have a farting armpit.
Me: Please stop that right now and eat your cereal or you are going to miss the bus.
Mason: (singing with a mouth full of food) Fart, fart, my armpit can fart.
Me: I am going to take your cereal away and you are going to be very hungry all day if you do not stop making your armpit fart and just finish your cereal.
Mason: Charlotte, can you make your armpit fart?
Charlotte: No, show me.
Levi: Amm Pitt.....My amm pitt too!
Mason: Take your hand like this....
Me: Stop making your armpits fart, eat your breakfast, NOW!
Mason: I have more than ten minutes mom, chill out.
Me: Do NOT tell me to chill out! Eat your breakfast! You still have to put your shoes on, get your back pack, find a coat with a hood, and get your library books BEFORE the bus comes.
Mason: Geez, okay. My cereal is all gone. (walking away to get shoes) I have a farting armpit......

I need a drink and it isn't even 8 AM! And, for all of you who are laughing, I wish it upon you as well.

PS I did take dad's advice on if its gonna be funny later (for the armpit part)....however, having to pack up all the kids to take Mason to school when he misses the bus is NEVER funny.

Finished!

We have almost completely finished the renovations at the new house. There was tons of painting, cleaning, re-carpeting, landscaping, weeding, mowing, fighting and screaming, and a little bit of remodeling and removing, but Hooray we are almost finished.

The inside of the house is complete. On the outside we still have to remove the sections of fence that we took down, continue to weed, reseed and otherwise repair the damaged back yard, and we have to wait until everything dries out a bit so we can fix the big muddy mess from where they dug the new sewer line.

I have taken zillion (okay, a hundred) pictures, so if you are interested in seeing before and after, drop me a line!

Oh, and I am dead serious about not having a renter yet, so if you know someone who is looking, let them know. I will give you all the juicy details to share and I promise to be the best Landlord in town!

The whole night~

At 4 am I woke up and REALLY had to pee. Why? you ask. Because usually I am up around midnight, and then again around 3 or so with a very hungry little baby and the opportunity to go to the bathroom. However, last night, I put said very hungry baby to bed around 8:30 pm and was not awakened by him in the middle of the night.

Being the crazy mommy I am, I did go check to see if he was OK on my trip to the bathroom (he was sleeping, of course) and then I went back to sleep. I didn't hear a peep from him until after 7am this morning. It was a good thing he woke up when he did, because otherwise, I probably would still be sleeping, Mason would have missed the bus, and my coffee would have turned off and gotten cold.

But, for the first night in more than 6 months, I got more than 3 consecutive hours of sleep. I think I can conquer the world today. Or, maybe more realistically, I will just start cleaning the house.

A new house

Today's the day. This afternoon we are set to close on our first rental property in Sycamore. It is a cute little 3 bedroom, bath and half ranch, with a full partially finished basement, big garage, and hug lot. As well as huge mess from installing the recent sewer system, a destroyed landscaping project, a dilapidated shed, and a falling down fence.

After much consideration and a little searching, this one kinda fell in our lap and the price was right. I am excited to become new home owners (even if I don't get to live there!) and make some improvements on the house and make it a great place for someone else to live. Because I don't post pics on here (wouldn't want someone to find out who I really am!) I will be sending out before and after pics via email in the next few weeks. I have some ideas that I hope will look fabulous when we have completed them. If you are curious, email me and I will be happy to include you on the list!

We should be finished in the next couple of weeks and hope to find someone by the first of October. I am excited and nervous and anxious and all of those other emotions that go along with signing papers for a 30 year mortgage that I probably can't pay if I don't get someone to rent! We have great ideas on how to be a landlord that everyone loves, and I want the renters to be as proud of the house as they would be if it were there own. It really is a fantastic family house and I would love to see someone with kids who would love the backyard and get to ride the bus to school and play in the fun big basement. And, if my parents decide to move to IN, and they sell the house we live in now, maybe I will live there!

But, in the meantime, anyone looking to rent in Sycamore? :P

The bus

Every morning, we wait at the end of the driveway for the bus to show up. I kiss Mason goodbye, and whatever children happen to be awake with me wave at Mason and watch the bus drive away. At the end of last week we had a bit of a meltdown by Levi because Mason was leaving. Today, I thought he was going to chase the bus down the street. "NO MASON SCHOOL" he cried. "ME GO!" it was very pitiful. However, it struck me that it is only going to get significantly worse next year when Charlotte gets to get on the bus, too, and Levi is still just waving from the end of the driveway.

I know that this is an age old problem (as long as there has been school to go to, there has been little brothers and sisters that have to stay home). I just wasn't ready for it to happen to me.

Charlotte will be going to preschool at the high school child development lab starting in October. I will keep you posted on that as I get more information. She surely is excited!

Also, has any one else noticed how eliminating just one child from my morning schedule has opened up some blogging time? Hmmmm. (I have two kids I can't blog any more...blah...blah...blah!, You know who you are!)

Lug No Read!

There is a running joke at our house that started because of Levi's Frankenstein-esk speech. Every time he does something brutish, some one gives commentary as "Lug". When he was frustrated with the pages of the book not turning smoothly, and threw the book to floor, Brandon commented "Lug No Read!" A mouth full of food generally get the response "Lug eat good."

My baby Lug was proving quite the brute this morning. We have been struggling with him taking off his diaper when ever he can get to it. He is a pro at getting off all clothing (belts, buttons, snaps, zippers, and duct tape included!) and his diaper in less that 10 second flat. This is annoying during the day, but a potentially big mess at night! Last night, at the suggestion of my mother, I safety pinned his pajama zipper shut. This, in theory, was supposed to stop him from being able to get out of the pajamas.

Not Lug! He simply tore a hole in the top of the pajamas and broke the zipper. He managed to squirm out of the mangled pj's and woke up in the buff this morning. With little choice other than admitting defeat, I smiled and giggled "Lug No Diaper". Better luck tonight, I suppose!

More first day fun

You are probably all sick and tired of hearing about Mason's first day of school, but seeing as everyone I know has a job and cannot just listen to me blab, I have to write it down!

The bus was supposed to arrive between 12 and 12:05. When it wasn't here by 12:20, I got a little panicky, at 12:30 I was ready to throw up. Brandon told me I couldn't call the bus company until 1pm. Luckily for them, Mason's bus arrived at about 12:45. Hopefully, when the route is figured out a little better, he will really show up at noon when they said he would. The other kids were dying waiting for lunch!

Mason was a bit of crab when he got off the bus. I could tell it was a really long day for him. He was willing to tell me a little about his day and some of the friends that he met. He seems to really like it so far (but it is only the first day!).

His first homework assignment was to learn all about an assigned letter. He is supposed to learn what sound it makes, what words and objects start with that letter, what it looks like, and if there are any special rules for it. As if it were a cruel joke, Mason's letter is "L" Any of you who have heard Mason talk know that the limited movement of his tongue makes his L sound be a W sound. When we were thinking of L words at lunchtime today, he didn't believe me that wood, watch, and wiggle weren't really L words. Poor kid!

I am hoping this will be a blessing in disguise and give us the opportunity to work on his letter formation. Some of the speech isn't really anything we can do anything about (his tongue doesn't reach!) but I also know that some of it is genetic (courtesy of his daddy Bwandon) and should be able to be fixed with a little direction.

He made some friends today, and from what I can tell they ride the bus with him too. Which is great for me because that means they live in Maple Park. Play dates here we come! He was excited, but exhausted, and is now upstairs napping, even though he cried he wasn't tired!

I think Mommy might just take a nap, too!

From the teacher

Mason's teacher just emailed me:

"Hello!
He is doing just wonderful! I can tell that he is very excited to be here! I can tell he loves to participate, which is great!!!! I wrote down your address. Thanks!"

Why am I afraid that "very excited" and "loves to participate" are code for "your kid is a spaz and I can't get him to sit still or be quiet"?

My baby and the bus!

Mason started school today. It has only been an hour, and I am pretty sure I am done crying (aren't y'all proud?!)

He woke up at about 6 AM and asked when the bus was coming (not until 7:50) he got dressed without complaint, had breakfast, brushed his hair and teeth, and put his shoes on all before 7:15! My mom came over this morning to see him off, and Mason made her go to work. "Please don't watch me," he begged. Later, he told me that he though Grammy would cry, and if she cried, he might. Kinda like saying, "no pressure mom, but don't start crying!"

At 7:30 I let him convince me to go outside and wait for the bus. We played baseball in the yard for awhile, the entire time I was drilling him on what to look for when he got to school (his teacher holding a stick with a yellow house picture), how he needs to use his listening ears, be a good boy, remember his manners, ask when he has to leave the room, etc. Then we saw the bus coming up the street. When he saw it, he grabbed his back pack, yelled "see you at Noon Mama" and went running down the driveway.

Like a crazy woman I yelled for him to stop and made him let me walk him to the end of the driveway. He introduced himself to the bus driver and very reluctantly gave me a kiss and a hug. This reluctance had nothing to do with getting on the bus, and everything to do with not wanting to kiss me in front of the other kids. He bounded up the stairs, picked a spot next to some other kids (opposite of the windows where I could see him) and off they went. No tears (except by Mommy), no waving, no uncertainty. OMG! I suppose it means that I have prepared him well, but that doesn't make it any less difficult!

When I was still doing daycare, there were some kids we literally had to physically place on the bus because they didn't want to go. I definitely didn't want that to happen instead, but I thought maybe he would at least wave and smile through the window! Hopefully the calls from the principal telling me my child is causing problems and class won't start until, well, at least Levi. I am so proud of my little man and pray that the teacher won't think he is a "scurvy elephant."

Despite what I said at first, I think I might go cry a little bit more.

Two more days!

My baby starts school in two more days! I didn't think I would be so sick to my stomach. I know he will be just fine, but I don't think Mommy will be!

He is very excited, but I am not so sure he really believes me yet. We go to his school tonight to meet his teacher and practice getting on and off a bus, and learn about the new rules for kindergarten. I keep telling myself that I have spent the last five years (almost 6!) preparing him to go out on his own, even if it is only for half day kindergarten. He is outgoing, respectful, articulate, and confident. Every time I think about him getting on that bus, though, I just flash on all the potentially heartbreaking things little kids go through. I can't protect him from them, I can only teach him to learn from them, but OH MY GOSH!

I am sure I will be blogging Wednesday morning, that is if I can see through my tears, after he gets on the bus for his first day. Wish me luck!

Oops it's been a month!

In the splendour that is my life, I realized that yet again I have neglected to post anything to the blog! Here's a few minutes on what is new and exciting with us.

Mason starts school next Wednesday and I don't think it is possibly for a child to be more excited. Although, he has asked me several times if he REALLY gets to go this year. Poor kid, I have scarred him for life!

Charlotte is now 4 going on 15. I am so blessed to only have one little girl. Anymore than that, and I think I might go insane. We have been toying with the idea of putting her in "real" pre-school for the fall. I have this fear that she is going to be completely bored out of her mind when Mason leaves for school. It will be great for her to have some friends that are her own age. She also needs a little "girling up" She is kind of rough, even when dressed like a princess. I don't want to push any stereo types on her, but playing makeup always results in making herself look like a monster or a zombie, not so much a model.

Levi is sneaky as ever. He is able to disappear at the drop of a hat and he is so quiet. He is also a little ham. He makes the craziest faces! None of them on demand, however. He is by far our WORST performing monkey! He does nothing on demand.

Garrett is becoming a great little baby, too. He is so funny, even though we have successfully spoiled him rotten. If he sees you walk through a room and you do not pick him up, he will scream and wail and complain until you return and pick him up. Brandon yells at me for giving in, but I just smile and walk away knowing he will be our last baby.

Brandon is going back to school this fall to finish pursuing his welding degree. Being a certified welder will open up more job opportunities for him, and Lord willing, better pay. This will mean I can continue to be a stay at home mommy!

I wish I had more exciting stuff to post, but that really is it for now. Just going on with the daily grind. But, it is fun none the less!

Thomas the Tank Engine

So, today, for probably the millionth time in my life, I am watching "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". This was one of Mason's favorite movies when he was Levi's age. We watched it a minimum of 3 times a day, and I am not exaggerating.

Recently, Levi was perusing the DVD shelf, picking out movies to "watch, press play" He picked out Thomas and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I can quote the movie, and it isn't exactly Oscar worthy. Not one of Alec Baldwin's shining moments (that's a Shining Time Station pun for all you other mommys of little boys :) ) I reluctantly put the DVD in, and much to Levi's amusement pressed play.

He sat completely mesmerized for the ENTIRE movie. Levi doesn't sit still for more than 30 seconds for anything, much less a full length feature film. So, with the baby sleeping, the big kids banished to their rooms until they are clean and nothing is stuffed under the bed (could be weeks!), I have stolen away a few minutes to check my email and blog. Thank you Thomas!

Are we having fun yet?

In only a few short weeks, my baby is going to start school! We went to the elementary school, filled out a whole lot of paper work, wrote a ridiculously large check for what is supposed to be "free" education, and we are now working on securing the two page list of supplies required for a 5 year old to start school. If any of you who are reading this are planning on buying my son a birthday present, HE NEEDS SCHOOL CLOTHES! We have officially tapped out the next size bigger kids. For the first time ever I had to buy my son shorts for the summer. Not that I haven't ever bought him anything, but this was officially the first time he needed something, and I couldn't just go to the attic and pull it out of a tote! (That is, by the way, a REALLY BIG thank you to all of you who have contributed to the clothing of my children the last five years!)

Charlotte is very excited for her big brother to go to school. I think she will be sad when he is gone, but she is looking forward to being the biggest kid at home. I don't know yet what she thinks is going to change, but she is anticipating a whole new big brother free day (as you may be able to tell by one of her most recent quotes).

Levi, my little ninja, has been getting out of his diaper on a regular basis now. My frustration has led me to believe that quite possibly it is time to start working on the potty with this one. He isn't even two, though. And, he doesn't perform well on demand in other arenas, so I am bracing myself for the struggle of "pee now because Mommy said so."

Garrett is still Garrett. He has started eating brown rice cereal and what ever else the kids think they should feed him off of their plates. He enjoys food (Imagine that!), but quickly gets frustrated that he has very limited control getting his little hands to his mouth. He is quickly becoming a (very demanding) toddler and not a little baby. It is sad, because there won't be anymore little Hersts in my home after this one, but I am looking forward to not walking around covered in puke anymore.

My second cup of coffee is starting to kick in and I need to start cleaning before the caffeine buzz wears off. The laundry is busy mating and multiplying like rabbits upstairs in the bathroom and I need to get up there and separate it before it gets to the point of no return!

Ask and ye shall receive, apparently

Okay, so yesterday I commented on how nothing too funny/exciting has happened in our life recently. I should have learned by now to just keep my mouth shut.

Many of you know that Levi has an obsession with stickers. At our garage sale in May, I had to reprice each item more than 10 times because he would take the price sticker off and stick it to himself instead. We have gotten many hours of amusement, and quiet, by simply giving him a sheet of stickers and allowing him to peel them off and stick them all over his body.

This morning, I got up and got the kids breakfast as usual. After they were all situated at the table, I went upstairs to get dressed and get the baby. Shortly after I went up there, Mason came upstairs and said Levi was finished with breakfast so he let him out of his seat. Frustrating, yet helpful, I said thank you, and finished what I was doing. There wasn't any screaming downstairs, which probably should have been my first clue.

I went downstairs and was passed by Charlotte with an American Flag "sticker" on her forehead. What she thought was a sticker was actually a 42cent stamp. I very nicely took it from her and asked where she got it. She said Levi gave it to her.

I walked in to the kitchen, no Levi. And also no roll of stamps on the counter by the bills. I walked into the living room, no trace of Levi, however there was a few dollars worth of stamps stuck to my couch. I found Levi in the play room, quietly pushing around a newly American Flag decorated shopping cart. He turned to me, smiled his "Look what I did" smile, which was also covered with American flags. "Titkers Mom!"

Well, I couldn't exactly yell at him. How was he supposed to know that he had stuck $20 in stamps all over the place? He helped me gather up all the of the stickers that we could get unstuck, including reluctantly giving me the ones stuck to his face. I salvaged what I could and disappointingly threw away the others.

I have moved the stamps to a much more difficult to get to location, although that doesn't really mean he won't get them. I have some errands to run this morning, and it looks like one of them will be going to the store to buy some much cheaper "Titkers"

Just an update

Just wanted to spend some time blogging, even though I don't have anything super fantastic to say.

Congratulations to my sister in law Meghan and her family on the purchase of their new home. I am so excited for you! Just don't ask me to help you move again.

Not too much exciting stuff has gone on the past few weeks. We are working through the daily grind. We bought a deck and a security fence for our pool, and spent some time two weekends ago putting that up. I think it looks really nice and keeps my kids out of the pool when I don't want them in there. However, it has made the pool impossible to vacuum without having to get in, and because of all the rain it has been rather chilly in there. Anyone got an automatic pool cleaner for sale?

And consequently, putting up a fence around your pool is a lot of work. I realized all too quickly that I haven't done diddly-doo in the last five years. I pretty much have just been pregnant or taking care of a newborn, so I have gotten out of a lot of the heavy lifting. Sure, I have helped paint, cleaned a few carpets, and even helped Andrea move while I was 7 months pregnant, but as soon as a baby cried, or I looked the slightest bit fatigued, I got to sit down and rest. There was no resting while putting up the fence. And, no one felt the least bit sorry for me. Almost was enough to make me get pregnant again, almost.

This past weekend Charlotte, Garrett, and I went to Aunt Shannon's house to hang out with Samantha and Alaina while Shannon and Andy went to the NASCAR race in Joliet. We had a lot of fun and I gained even further respect for people who have twins! (Garrett and Alaina are only 3 1/2 ish months apart)

I did have a giggle at some of the very "suburban" things that my children are not accustomed to. Every little noise from the neighbors sent a confused look across my daughters face. I thought she was going to have a heart attack when the neighbors phone rang and I made no move to go answer it! Also, Samantha wanted to go outside and play in her sandbox. We all went outside and I removed the cover from her sand table. She dug right in and started playing in approximately 5 cups of sand that occupy the table. Charlotte, my country bumpkin, has a sand box that is 20' by 14' and 4 1/2' deep. She stood for a few seconds, then leaned over to me and very honestly asked "where is the sandbox?" It was too cute for words. Sam and Charlotte played very well (even at the sand table). It was kinda creepy watching them play. I didn't really think she looked much like me until they were playing together and the two of them together look so much like what Shannon and I did as kids.

While I was baby wrangling, Brandon, Mason, and Levi had a "Man's night" as Mason called it. They ate pizza, had popcorn in the living room, and saved the galaxy as LEGO Star wars guys on the Wii. It was a much needed bonding experience. I have determined, though, that mess making is a natural man's flaw. When I got home, my house looked like some one picked it up and shook it a few times. Who takes of their underwear in the middle of the living room? And why is it okay to leave it there after you have taken it off? I was only gone for 24 hours!

We spent some time this evening putting in the window air conditioners in the house. We have done without so far this year, but the threat of really hot weather in the next few days has got us a little worried. Brandon works all day out in the heat (with added heat coming from his welding equipment) and coming home to a hot house wasn't going to cut it. We have the pool to retreat to during the day, but when it is time for dinner, sitting around playing or watching TV, and sleeping, we had to prepare to do something. Hopefully we will be able to keep them off for as long as possible and enjoy our nice country breezes, but better safe then sorry!

I know my blogs haven't exactly been as humorous or touching the last few times, but my life can't be hysterical all the time! I promise when something noteworthy happens, I'll share it! But hey, you gotta give me some feedback so I know someone other than my mom is reading this!

Teething

After what seems likes months of drooling, I have concluded that Garrett is teething. He constantly has fingers, blankets, toys, whatever else he can get a hold of in his mouth. And, to top things off, all sleeping at night has pretty much come to a halt. He cries and looks at me with a extremely pitiful, helpless face and I just feel awful. My feeling awful is slighted by the fact that I haven't slept a lot, so sometimes my sympathy level isn't quite where Garrett feels it should be, making him only more pitiful.

He is otherwise a happy kid, even when throwing up all over himself. I am not looking forward to marring that adorable toothless grin, or being bitten by some new pearly whites, but I would love the tears of pain to be replaced by his smile again. And it will make it so much easier to eat all the food he keeps stealing off my plate!

Out of the mouth of babes

I would like to start by reflecting on the fact that since the birth of their newest additions, those bloggers who were unknowingly making me feel bad have DRASTICALLY reduced their number of blog entrances. And seeing as I am still balancing double the number of children they currently have, I can pat myself on the back for blogging at all :) Congratulations to all of you though, I am very happy for you!

I am going to spend some time this morning trying to figure out how to make a side bar on my blog....I intend to label it "Out of the mouth". Everyday, multiple times a day actually, things are said around my house that I bet many of you don't hear at yours (those of you without little kids anyway). Fun stuff like "Don't put that pickle up your nose" or "He drinks boobs, you can't give him cereal" Some are funny, some are an awesome reflection of what they kids learn from us, and some are just so off the wall I don't know where they came from. Sadly, after they are said and I giggle about them, I generally forget them. If I share them, then at least someone else will be able to enjoy my insanity.

Look for it, it'll be fun!

Maybe we should go to Vegas

So, Brandon and the kids and I played Yahtzee tonight. For the first time we let Levi play too. He actually did a fantastic job taking turns and rolling the dice (even if sometimes they went flying off the table). The most incredible part about it though, was that all of the kids rolled a Yahtzee at least once, and Mason rolled it Twice. All of the kids were able to just magically produce what ever they needed (like, you need a Full house, POOF rolled a full house!)

After watching that, and considering that we have already banned the kids from college due to their propensity to drink, Maybe we should go to Vegas :)

Rough day and such

So, I had a bad day. Those of you I talked to today know all the crabby pants little details. I have decided that I quit adult hood. I just want to sit around and hang out with my kids, play games, and eat ice cream. Can I do that?

Other than being a kinda yucky day, the rest of life is going well, I suppose.

On the potty front; Charlotte is making big strides in the pants peeing arena. Mason has stopped wetting the bed completely (almost three months now with NO ACCIDENTS WOOHOO!!). Levi is looking like he won't be too hard to potty train, except when Gramma feeds him cherries, pits and all! He goes and hides to go poop, and then come out sticks his butt up to me and says "POOPY!" Not very impressive to those of you who don't have kids, but super exciting to you fellow mommies. Garrett was having a rough time with the number 2 this week, but, boy o' boy, did he fix that this afternoon! Did this topic just go into TMI?

I got my arm tattoo refilled today. Some of the black didn't initially heal right and then I got pregnant, so it couldn't be fixed right away. It really really hurt, but it is really really black now, so the pay off is worth it. I also made the appointment to have Garrett added on to my leg with the rest of the kids. It is funny how excited I am about going to get poked with needles!

After months of fighting the carpet store, they are going to replace my carpeting in the living room and front room. The seam that I asked them to relocate before they installed the carpet (which of course they didn't) is splitting apart and ruining the carpet. Lots and lots of reminding them that I am a paying customer and this is my house has resulted in them no longer trying to figure out how to repair the carpet that exists, and just replace it all together. Uncle Bill says "the apple doesn't fall from the tree", so I guess I am turning into my mother whether I want to or not!

Selling the house is kinda a bummer. We haven't had much activity and with the current state of the economy, I don't know if we will. I know that there is a plan for me, I am just too much of a control freak to sit back and let it happen! Other than the fact that I have to figure out how to make some money in order to stay here, I really do like my house and where I live. I could do without the traffic that has all of a sudden popped up on RT 38, but who's complaining?

This particular blog is starting to seem self serving, so I will probably quit while I am ahead. I feel good blabbing about what is going on in life, even if I didn't write it too eloquently. At least I can't be accused of making anyone cry with this one!!

More MisAdventures in Parenting

First... Congratulations to my cousin Shannon on the birth of her second baby girl! (and consequently, good friggin luck raising girls! Better you than me)

So it's been awhile since I shared with you all of what is going on in our life, but that is just because sooo much is going on.

Charlotte was sick the week before Memorial Day. She ran a REALLY high fever, 103+ for more than a week. It was scary and frustrating and draining. But, happily, after a combo of antibiotics and a few trips to the chiropractor, losing a large portion of her body weight, she is good as new. Now, as long as I don't kill her, it will be great. Last night she we had a slight tiff before she went off to bed. It ended in me telling her to go to bed, right now, no questions asked. About an hour later, I felt pretty guilty for yelling at her at bed time and I went into tuck her in and kiss her on the forehead. Surely she would be asleep by now. HAHAHA

She was laying in bed surrounded by shreds of paper. I was a little confused, and then she pointed at the ridiculously expensive Tinkerbell border on her wall. She had been tearing tiny little pieces off of the border for the last hour. But, she only got the first layer of the border, so there is still white paper backing attached to the wall. Normally, I would have just been angry, because I am getting better at accepting that stuff is just stuff and if it gets broken we live with out it. However....our house is on the market and now I have to replace the border. It is hard to dish out the consequence of "now you have to sleep in an ugly room" if I have to fix it before the next showing!

She is currently still sleeping (tearing border at 10 pm must be hard work) and I haven't decided what punishment is appropriate, so any and all suggestions would be gladly accepted and considered. And, thank you to Janelle for offering to bail me out if I kill her!

The rest of the kids haven't been quite as exciting this week. Levi is becoming more and more my brother every day and that is just so much fun I can hardly stand it! (how do you accurately write sarcasm within the text?) He sings constantly, which is fairly amusing because he doesn't say too much that is really intelligible. He also has started "bonking" when he is tired. Those of you who know my brother have been blessed by that experience before. It won't be long before I have to take apart the bunk beds to save Mason's sanity!

If we don't sell the house soon we are going to have to do some minor room moving and remodeling. Garrett is starting to wiggle an awful lot in his cradle and he will soon need to move to the crib. That means another bed in the boys room which currently will not fit. We have to swap the boys to the bigger room. Brandon is so looking forward to moving all of our furniture again!

Well, I have more to say, but Levi is currently arguing with the dog about eating his oatmeal, so I have to go re-explain why we only eat our breakfast at the kitchen table. Look for more posts later on today!

Youth being wasted...

You know that phrase "youth is wasted on the young"? Does it no longer mean you are young if you agree with it?

Many of my younger cousins and some of my friends' kids are entering the part of life where you set forth the road work for the rest of your life (school, marriage, kids, etc). Having successfully accomplished many of those milestones myself, I thought some of my life advice would be taken into consideration. However, that is sooo not the case.

Apparently, I have no idea what I am talking about and there is absolutely no way I feel the same way about my boyfriend/school/parents/choices as they do. Was I this stubborn? Did I really shun all of the valuable lessons that could have been simply passed onto me instead of having to learn them the hard way myself?

If that is the case and some of you are reading this and laughing outloud, I am incredibly sorry, and you are welcome to kick me square in the pants the next time you see me (except for you Michelle, because you'll actually kick me, and it will hurt). How do I pass on what I know? Should I? Do I? Or, are some things just destined to be learned on their own over and over?

So, I have realized that the rest of my family and friends that use this sight write a million entries a week. How on Earth do they manage that? I can't even take a shower every day without feeling guilty, but they find time to hop on the computer and write short novels about doctors' visits, what new trick their child has discovered, or how fantastic their husbands happen to be this week. C'mon guys, you are making me look bad. As I type this now I have had to tell Levi to take the permanent marker out of his mouth (yes, cap off and ink side in), explain to Charlotte why her imaginary friend doesn't REALLY need her own glass of chocolate milk, and fix the DVD player because Mason put the DVD in upside down (which could very easily take me on a very long tangent about why do some CD's, DVD's look the same on both sides). I am sure the baby is probably freaking out and screaming, but he is upstairs and the baby monitor is broken, so I am going to take the ignorance is bliss route for the moment.

In an effort to keep up with the Jones's, here's what is happening with us this month!

Mason is a Wii fanatic and has been spending the rainy days advancing waaaay further in video games then any 5 year old should. It makes me smile to think that I thought Mario Bros. was hard and he is playing dual control, action fighting games (don't worry, it's only Marvel Super Heroes, not Mortal Combat). He loves to "rock out" on Guitar Hero too, and again, he is surprisingly good! He doesn't only play video games, though. He is really close to riding his bike with out the training wheels, but not quite ready for me to take them off just yet. I bet by the end of May he will be zipping around the driveway training wheel free! And, he is doing awesome in his reading and math stuff. My goal for him was to be able to read before he started Kindergarten. He can read more than 20 sight words, and he is working really hard on sounding out short words that he thinks he should know. He can tell time on a regular clock, though sometimes he has to think about it a little. And, I have been completely astonished by how quickly he picks up math concepts. He must get that from Brandon, because I sometimes have to stop and think about the answer to a question when he asks me if it is right or not.

Charlotte's bangs are finally growing back! Her hair cut is really cute again and I no longer feel the need to explain to strangers that I did not do that to her hair. She has developed a few imaginary friends, which I can't decide how I feel about that. It was okay when they were only part of tea party or house play, but now they watch movies with her and eat breakfast at our table. I just hope they are "friends" and not "voices"! She is a little computer whizz and can boot up the computer and log on to the internet herself. She goes to her game sites and will play there until I tell her to stop. Mommy has been slacking in some of the preschool prep for her, but fortunately we have found some online places that she really likes to play and I think she is coming away with some great skills. (I promise, I will not let the computer be her only teaching, but remember what I said about needing to take a shower!?!)

Levi is my problem child. Several times a day I have to resist the urge to smack my brother right out of him. He looks like Matt, smiles like Matt, smirks like Matt, and crosses his arms and refuses to do what I tell him to, you guessed it, just like Matt. I am trying soo hard to not let him be my self fulfilling prophecy, but each day he does something there is no way I could have predicted! He is Evil Kenevil, Hoodini, Rhett Butler, Elvis, and BamBam all rolled into one! Take a minute and think of all the qualities those men possess and then roll them into a single one year old boy, then imagine our daily challenges! Levi has also started talking a lot more, which is fun. Brandon is excited that he doesn't have to guess so much about what he really wants. Levi is also incredibly polite, telling you Thank You after everything you give him or do for him, so maybe there is a chance for him after all.

Garrett is still kinda pukey, but his colic seems to be subsiding. He still has his moments of random screaming for no apparent reason, but there are many more happy moments in between. Now if I could just get him to space out those darn feedings a little longer! He has a pretty infectious smile and he is soooo close to rolling over. Once he figures that out there will be no stopping him!

Brandon and I are doing fine, nothing too much here to talk about. Mom and Dad are going to Texas next week to look at a truck for Brandon and possibly bring it home. But, I will let you know more about that if it really happens!

Phew, that was a lot of typing. I feel like I may have caught you up on some of what it happening in our life. I know, if I wrote more often, they wouldn't have to be as long, but who has time for that? I plan on taking some pictures of the kids together when the weather breaks, so I promise to post those too, so you can all see how incredibly big they are getting. I do have to giggle at all of my "one child" friends that have pictures of every moment of their child's life, and all I can do is wait until they have a few more, then maybe they might not blog so much :)

Tell them you love them

So, I awoke this morning to the sound of my dog drinking out of the toilet. Yummy. But, he only does this when he either has no water or one of the kids has filled his water dish with food, turning them into giant bloated blobs of goo. Why am I the ONLY one who can remember to give him food or water?
As I walked downstairs to refill his bowl (which was full of bloated food), he stepped on my foot which I burned with cooking oil two nights before. It hurt like hell, and apparently I said something to that effect outloud, because Levi has been saying "Son of a Bitch that hurt" all morning long.
I poured the kids some cereal, including a bowl with no milk for Mason's new imaginary friend who only eats the marshmallows out of Lucky Charms, and went upstairs to take a much needed shower. I stepped on the scale, why? I don't know, because all it did was mock me. More than 10 weeks later I am far from my pre-pregnancy glory. UGH!
I got in the shower to realize someone had used mommy's $8 a bottle shower gel as bubbles, because it was all gone. When I got out of the shower, I picked up the now awake and screaming baby off the bed, and he puked all over the front of me. So much for taking a shower. Now I have to wash my robe, as well.
I got dressed in an outfit of clothes that doesn't really fit and reached for the deoderant which was completely covered in a purple sticky substance (God I hope it is jelly). Before I could brush my hair, I realized the baby was screaming downstairs. Charlotte was attempting to comfort him ~ but from my view it looked a lot like smothering.
I got a cup of coffee, which was cold, and went to check my email.

Sitting on my computer desk was a fist full of wilted dandelions and picture Charlotte drew me in yellow highlighter marker. She was standing behind me just looking to see how I would react. I think she was afraid I was going to yell at her for using the "pretty yellow marker." Then she told me she put them on the computer keyboard because that is where I go with my coffee in the morning. Through my tears, I managed to log onto my home page. My horoscope read:

Scorpio
October 23 - November 21
Give your loved ones the attention they need today, dear Scorpio. Don't let another day go by without telling them that you love them. Life is short, and getting shorter with each passing day. Feel free to be confrontational about a serious issue that needs to be addressed. You are responsible for your own feelings. Do not play the role of the victim. You will only experience more pain and resentment later on.

Ok, you win! Have a great day everyone.

Howdy all

Okay, so at the encouragement of many friends and family, I am going to start cross posting my MySpace blogs here. Please ad this to your favorites list, and pass it on to your family and friends!

Kids, life and stuff

Kids, jobs, and being a grown up

Okay, so some of this is just late night rambling, but I have this overwhelming urge to share. In the past few months I have received a gagillion (yep, that many) birth announcements, "look at our baby" emails, and newspaper clippings from my mother, highlighting the newest additions to the families, engagements, graduations, and other life time accomplishments of my friends. Both those I am near and dear to, and some of you who fall into the "long lost" category. All of this has made me start thinking, and remembering, and dreaming.
First and foremost, damn we are old! I saw a girl at Ollie's tonight with '10 on the sleeve of her letter jacket. 2010, are you kidding me!?! As I listened to her tell the other young girl next to here about how horrible her English teacher was for assigning SOOOO much reading for one week, I thought to myself that it seemed like literally yesterday I was in high school myself. Football games, study hall, PFT and FTKJF (if you were there, you know what I am talking about!), skipping class, crazy lunch periods, after school sports practices, and the overall experience. I was abruptly thrust back into reality by my 5 year old tugging on my sleeve to alert me to the fact that my 1 year old was wandering away. I would not change a thing about my life right now (well, maybe the size of my butt, but you get my point). But, where did all that time go? I distinctly remember rolling my eyes when my mother told me it would all be gone before I knew it!
And then, furthering my wandering thoughts, what does that girl think about my life? Does she just see me as the weird lady in her pajama pants, puke stains down the back of my black hoodie, trying to mantain some semblence of calm while surrounded by 4 kids whom are all anxiously awaiting their ice cream dessert? Does she realize that it wasn't that long ago I was in her shoes? That in what seems like a blink of an eye, she will be the one reading emails and cooing over the pictures of a friend's new born baby? With that same friend, she will look at pictures from high school when she SWORE she was just "too fat" only to dream she could look like that again. That she, too, may decide one night that it is much more important to take her children out for ice cream then it is to do her hair, or put on a more "presentable" outfit?
And, my mind wandering back to my own life, what about those people who I never saw as parents? Shit, to be honest I never saw a few of them as contributing members of society, (unless you count picking up trash on the highway in an orange jump suit contributing). Some of them have grown up to be great parents, spouses, co-workers, aunts, uncles, and FRIENDS. They have beautiful families, successful careers, homes with backyards and picket fences. How awesome is that?
Even more, some of my friends are doing awesome things that I never even dreamed of. Living in different states, different countries, doing important jobs, making a difference! I get to hear their stories, live vicariously through them, and celebrate their successes.
Somewhere between freshman geography class and the ten year anniversary of our HS graduation, we became adults. Good adults. We suffered some pretty shitty losses. Some of us didn't make it to this side. Some of us came out better than others. Some are still struggling to get here, wherever "here" might be. I am proud to say that most of you reading this have made this journey with me. You are my friends and family, the people who made me who I am today. Some of you played a bigger part than others, some of you played a bigger part than you might ever know.
I hope my message is clear, even if the delivery was a bit muddy. Please keep those emails, announcements, and newpaper clippings coming. I am so happy that you all have graced my life in one way or another. I remember fondly the times when I was younger, thinner, free-er. But I am focusing, and I hope you are too, on the now. These times, too, will go by quicker than we know. In ten years I am certain I will long for the day that a trip out for icecream with me is all my kids wanted. The puke stained shirt of the woman in front of me will make me think and remember and dream.

Babies and stuff

Hi All (or possibly no one, I suppose!)
I just wanted to spend a few moments letting everyone who may feel like I am ignoring them that I most certainly am not!
Baby number 4 has been such a blessing and sooooo much hard work. I had forgotten what it meant to go through each day with so little sleep. Unfortunately for us, Garrett is a bit colicy, projectile vomits on a regular basis, and demands to eat every 2 hours round the clock! If this was my first child, I would be concerned, and possibly suicidal (those of you who knew me when I had my first child know what I am talking about!). We lived through it with Mason, though, so I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I will await it patiently.
The rest of our life is going well, but taking a great deal of adjusting. I am trying to figure out how to function with 4 kids under 5 that are all mine. No one comes and gets these ones at 5:30! The kids are getting used to having a baby in the house again, and fewer kids here during the day. They have to play with only each other, which is fun at times, but they do desperately miss their built in playmates. Also, my current hiatus from daycare is a bit of strain on our budget, so we are working through those issues as well.
Although it sounds like I am complaining, I swear I am not. I spend lots of time during the day counting my blessings, smiling and laughing with my kids, and loving the fact that I am here to share it all with them. In between all the laughing and crying, cleaning, bathing (generally the kids, not me!), cooking, grocery shopping, budgeting, and daily living, I have realized that I am neglecting to return phone calls, send thank you notes, and reply to emails. I used to be so good at this! Who would have thought that 10 kids part time would be easier than 4 full time? I wanted to let all of you know that I appreciate your thoughts for me, am greatful to have so many fantastic people in my life, and I am so sorry to be slacking in the world of politically correct.
I am going to go try to steal a few minutes of sleep before Garrett’s tummy reminds him he needs to wake me up! Maybe I will get a chance to post Easter pictures tomorrow, but then again, maybe not!