while we were gone on our vacation, 8 or 9 inches of rain fell...in one night. it caused major flood damage pretty close to our home, and we actually had a little bit of water come in our basement. several houses were moved off of their foundations by flood water, one only just around the corner from us (maybe quarter of a mile "as the crow flys") and a couple of miles down hwy P, the highway completely washed out. an 8 foot sized section just washed out. this is right by my hubby's uncle's house. his house is fine, but several houses a little lower than his washed away. like 50 feet away. one of the homes belongs (ed) to a friend of my mother in law. she was in her home with her two daughters (one of which is disabled). they escaped it when it came to rest, and had to drag the disabled daughter to safety. she lost her husband just a year ago, and has now lost her home and her car. please keep her in your prayers! i don't know if they had flood insurance. if they didn't, they are totally screwed.
i don't think we had much water in our basement. the rug down there is shot. it was pretty wet when we got home. we had 2 boxes that got a little wet, but for the most part, we got away pretty clean.
while we were in florida, my oldest 2 stayed with my dad, stepmom, and little brother the whole time. they usually go with them for a couple of days or a week in the summer...or the school year. they really love going on vacation with them, and they are able to go places that...well, we can't afford to take them. they've been to mexico a several times, aruba, jamaica a couple of times, and to florida several times. most of the time, the rest of us stay home. grace has been able to go the last couple of years. she doesn't go with alex and haley though, she goes with my neices...they are about the same age (they'll be 8 and 7 the end of june).
alex caught a 10 pound flounder, a couple of 4 pound mackeral, and a stingray. he was the only one to catch anything while we were down there. my dad has been there since march, and has been fishing the same dock (since march) and hasn't caught anything. alex caught 3 of the 4 fish from this dock. the kid loves fishing. he reminds me of myself. i loved fishing, and getting into the creeks and rivers, and lakes...you know, catching minnows, or turtles, or tadpoles...whatever i could.
my kids are out of school! yeah, yippee...for now. until the start to wear on my nerves...then i will be counting the minutes until they go back. they get awards the last day of school. this would probably mean more if it wasn't an "every kid gets x-number of awards" ceremony. if it was based on actual merit, well, i would be totally stoked about the both of them getting 4 awards. with that said, haley got an award (voted on by her classmates) for being the "most understanding" in her class. very cool. she also got an award for being in the excelerated math group. also very cool. alex got a reading award (he better get that award, the kid finished his reading goal 3 weeks into the quarter), an a couple of other english type awards. really cool, considering boys are usually better at math. i guess my kids switched. not that they aren't good at the other, haley especially.
this monday is the last day for the rest of the kids. we really need to get the pool cleaned out. otherwise these kids are going to drive me batty!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
hello? is anyone still there?
sorry for the long hiatus. i was celebrating the cook win on american idol!!!!!!
ok, not really. not that i wasn't happy about him winning, believe me, i was overjoyed! i was actually really busy on tuesday and wednesday, and then left on thursday for florida. in fact, i got home last night at about 10 til 12. it was a very long drive (we left at 9 am), but the kids were fantastic on the ride.
we left thursday evening at about 8pm. we drove from our place to sam's town in tunica. we spent the night there (we got there after 12). we were up and on the road by 11, you know, after a nice buffet breakfast. the ride from tunica to the beach took forever! my youngest niece had to pee every single hour. she fell asleep, and then peed in her seat. zack was pretty good, we had to pull over for him once, and he peed on the side of the road...we had left the gas station like 20 minutes before, he had gone there, and then peed for like 5 full minutes. then, when we got to mobile alabama, we hit rain. not just rain, but a torrential downpour. the storm drains were at least an inch or two under water. it was so hard, we had to drive 40 mph to get through it. it slowed us down a lot. we got to the condo after 9pm. i think we had a total of 15 hours just driving (according to hubby's new toy...gps) on a trip that was supposed to be a 12 hour drive.
the first day, we went to the beach. oh, did i tell you my nieces are fair skinned? well, two of them are. did you know that 30 spf is really not enough for fair skinned kids? or their dad? yeah, well, my brother in law was red. like lobster red. my oldest niece burned so badly that she had blisters on her shoulders. blisters covering her shoulders. not just one little blister, these were big, and clustered on the tops of her shoulders. she had close to ten, the biggest was the size of a dime. she's almost 8. the poor thing was miserable. i felt so bad for the kid. i got burned too, but nothing like her. just the tops of my feet and my chest...oh and my shoulders some, and the top part of my arms. it's almost gone already. we went to the dog track that night, the kids had a great time watching the dogs race, and my dad won a hundred dollars on a trifecta (?). we all got to meet the girl my brother met...the night before. she seems like a nice girl. her entire back was one big tattoo. entire back. big tattoo. very smart girl, she's looking for a school to get her master's. she was visiting her brother (he's on the airforce base there). i actually liked her. she reminded me of the redhead from american pie (the movie...you know band camp girl).
we didn't get to the beach the next day. the kids kind of stayed inside and then we took them to the gulfarium. very cool. they had dolphin and sea lion shows, and a show with 2 dolphins and a sea lion. they had gators, and a big sea turtle, and otters, and sharks. the kids had a great time. i had a great time. we ate lunch at fudpuckers. the kids had their picture taken with a baby gator.
(as i'm sure you saw above) they are niece #3, alex, josh, grace, niece #2, niece#1 (her burn didn't show), haley, and zack at the end. they had a great time at lunch. after the day out, the sun was going down, so we took the kids to the pool and grilled some chicken and hot dogs. dinner was great.monday, we hit the beach again. yes i am a glutton for punishment. i didn't get any redder (is that even a word?) and we had a good time again. we went to this place called rick's crab trap...i had the BEST steak ever. seriously, i don't know what they used on it, but it was awesome. my sister had a crab sandwich. it was a crab on a bun. literally, a crab, deep fried, on a bun. i almost gagged when they brought it out. she actually ate it!!! nasty! how we are related, i will never know.
as we were getting ready tuesday morning, we got a call from my stepmom. alex and haley were supposed to be flying home with her and my brother, but the flight had been cancelled. they still have school, so we made them ride home with us. grace got to stay and fly out today instead. the ride was pretty uneventful. we ate dinner at lambert's cafe (throwed rolls....with molasses...yum!) and got home before midnight.
i am rested and ready to deal with kids. i don't know who i missed more, the kids i watch, or the pig.
i'll update more later...you know, about the flood while we were gone, the nephew back in the hospital, and alex's fish he caught.
Monday, May 19, 2008
miracle monday
hello all!
i have been thinking a lot about the birth of my second child. the birth of any child is a miracle in own right, but haley's was a little more complicated...for me at least.
i found out i was pregnant with haley a couple of months before i turned 20. we were really excited, i knew she was going to be a girl. lucky me, i had a grandparent die while i was pregnant with my first 3 kids. with alex, it was my great grandpa, with haley, it was my grandma. she was only in her 60's. it was tough. even tougher was the fact that i delivered my haley in the same hospital that my grandma died in. it was so very hard on my dad, my grandpa, and my uncle (he visited me with every kid).
anyway, i measured big with haley. in fact, the doctor mentioned the possibility of twins. no, no twins, just a big baby. i had a great doctor. he took me seriously when i mentioned some concerns about having a baby over 9 pounds. "you think she'll be that big?" he asked me. i did. he said he'd induce me a week early. that's as early as he could do it without medical cause for the insurance company. well, haley had other plans. my water broke 2 weeks before my due date. she weighed 8 pounds, 15 oz. for 2 weeks early, that's a good sized baby. as miraculous as having another healthy baby was, that isn't the end of the story.
haley was born at 11:45 am. they decided to leave my IV in for a while. my epidural had actually worn off during her delivery, and so i was feeling a little worn out. we had lots of visitors, and a little boy that wanted to meet his new sister, so i lost track of time. i think between 12 and 6:30 pm, i had one nurse come in to ask me if i had to go to the bathroom. i didn't. i didn't think that was strange. i really didn't think about it at all. not until i realized i hadn't gone in 6+ hours and had an IV in the whole time.
i asked the nurse if she could come in and help me go to the rest room. i still didn't feel like i needed to go, but i figured i needed to try. that's when all "H E double hockey sticks". as the nurse helped me to sit up, i felt a rush of warmth, and felt really light headed. as i stood up, the blood just gushed. apparently when your bladder gets really full, it stops your uterus from contracting..well, that and the trauma of having a huge baby. the nurse called for more help, and the two together tried to get me to the bathroom with out dropping me. i felt my legs a little, but i kept almost passing out. i still couldn't pee. they couldn't get me to stop bleeding. they carried me back to the bed, and called the doctor. my poor husband was there watching this all while (hang on a sec, while i compose myself) holding our new baby. needless to say, the man was scared to death. at this time, my dad and little brother show up. i told jeff to take the baby and go in the hall while they worked on me. the doctor had to catheterize me again. it took for ever, and i was feeling everything. i was so scared...scared i would never have any more kids, scared that i wouldn't see my family again. they finally were able to get the bleeding under control. i wasn't allowed to get up without at least 2 nurses. they brought in one of those potty chairs, that's what i had to use for the following day. they left the IV in until i left the hospital.
i didn't need blood. i didn't need to stay any extra time. i went on to have 3 more children (we had to be very cautious after each birth because i had the same problem with all the others). i was blessed with a beautiful little girl, a doctor that shared my faith, and a grandma that i know was watching out for me and her little namesake.
for more miracles, head on down to beth's at http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/. if you have any miracles, she'd love to hear them!
tell your friends, family, shoot, perfect strangers about her blog. we need to hear more miracles!
i have been thinking a lot about the birth of my second child. the birth of any child is a miracle in own right, but haley's was a little more complicated...for me at least.
i found out i was pregnant with haley a couple of months before i turned 20. we were really excited, i knew she was going to be a girl. lucky me, i had a grandparent die while i was pregnant with my first 3 kids. with alex, it was my great grandpa, with haley, it was my grandma. she was only in her 60's. it was tough. even tougher was the fact that i delivered my haley in the same hospital that my grandma died in. it was so very hard on my dad, my grandpa, and my uncle (he visited me with every kid).
anyway, i measured big with haley. in fact, the doctor mentioned the possibility of twins. no, no twins, just a big baby. i had a great doctor. he took me seriously when i mentioned some concerns about having a baby over 9 pounds. "you think she'll be that big?" he asked me. i did. he said he'd induce me a week early. that's as early as he could do it without medical cause for the insurance company. well, haley had other plans. my water broke 2 weeks before my due date. she weighed 8 pounds, 15 oz. for 2 weeks early, that's a good sized baby. as miraculous as having another healthy baby was, that isn't the end of the story.
haley was born at 11:45 am. they decided to leave my IV in for a while. my epidural had actually worn off during her delivery, and so i was feeling a little worn out. we had lots of visitors, and a little boy that wanted to meet his new sister, so i lost track of time. i think between 12 and 6:30 pm, i had one nurse come in to ask me if i had to go to the bathroom. i didn't. i didn't think that was strange. i really didn't think about it at all. not until i realized i hadn't gone in 6+ hours and had an IV in the whole time.
i asked the nurse if she could come in and help me go to the rest room. i still didn't feel like i needed to go, but i figured i needed to try. that's when all "H E double hockey sticks". as the nurse helped me to sit up, i felt a rush of warmth, and felt really light headed. as i stood up, the blood just gushed. apparently when your bladder gets really full, it stops your uterus from contracting..well, that and the trauma of having a huge baby. the nurse called for more help, and the two together tried to get me to the bathroom with out dropping me. i felt my legs a little, but i kept almost passing out. i still couldn't pee. they couldn't get me to stop bleeding. they carried me back to the bed, and called the doctor. my poor husband was there watching this all while (hang on a sec, while i compose myself) holding our new baby. needless to say, the man was scared to death. at this time, my dad and little brother show up. i told jeff to take the baby and go in the hall while they worked on me. the doctor had to catheterize me again. it took for ever, and i was feeling everything. i was so scared...scared i would never have any more kids, scared that i wouldn't see my family again. they finally were able to get the bleeding under control. i wasn't allowed to get up without at least 2 nurses. they brought in one of those potty chairs, that's what i had to use for the following day. they left the IV in until i left the hospital.
i didn't need blood. i didn't need to stay any extra time. i went on to have 3 more children (we had to be very cautious after each birth because i had the same problem with all the others). i was blessed with a beautiful little girl, a doctor that shared my faith, and a grandma that i know was watching out for me and her little namesake.
for more miracles, head on down to beth's at http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/. if you have any miracles, she'd love to hear them!
tell your friends, family, shoot, perfect strangers about her blog. we need to hear more miracles!
Friday, May 16, 2008
the last visit of the year...
today is my last friday lunch with my grandma of the school year. my grandma lives pretty close, and so on fridays, we go and visit her after i get one of the kids off the bus. it's pretty nice. we meet up with my mom, my sister and my niece, and eat lunch and visit while the kids play. all the kids look forward to it. they love going there because grandma always has cookies for them. she is the ultimate hostess. my grandpa likes seeing us too, he loves my boys. he calls josh his little linebacker. i only get to go there during the school year. otherwise i have too many big kids and there isn't much for them to do there. so, until next school year, i will be missing out on grandma's hot ham and cheeses. darn it!
my nephew graduated from high school yesterday. his party is this saturday. it is amazing how far he has come since his accident this past december. he is walking just fine now. he is still brilliant, and his personality is the same or better than before. i hope he remembers how lucky he is to be alive...and holds on to that. i'm trying to decide what to bring for his party. do i bring brownies, or pot-luck potatoes? i don't want to make my twice baked potatoe casserole. it takes too much time, and my mother in law is already making potato salad (blech!)
i am getting my hair cut this wednesday. i am getting it all cut off. i like being able to put it in a ponytail, but i also hate having to put it in one every day. i'm not getting it colored though. i used to always get it highlighted, but i want to try it natural. i don't think i've had my natural color in 10+ years.
ok enough boring hair talk.
my garden is looking ok. one of my lettuce plants, and one of my tomato plants died. somehow they were broken off. the kids swear they didn't do it. i hope it does well. the plants i've been growing in the garage are doing pretty good. i need to get them out in the garden too. it's just been so darn cool. i am a little afraid to put them out there yet. i need to get some straw. i mulch with straw to help hold the moisture in the soil. it works pretty well. it also helps with weed control.
this sunday, we are having my mom, grandma and grandpa over for dinner. i didn't get to see them on mother's day, so we are having our own little dinner for them. i need to figure out what i want to do for them. i was wanting to do some pictures for them, but i haven't had the time (or camera) to do it. i want to get a collage frame and fill it with pics of my kiddos. they are so freakin' cute. i really want to get a picture of alex with his pig, too. how cute would that be!?
my nephew graduated from high school yesterday. his party is this saturday. it is amazing how far he has come since his accident this past december. he is walking just fine now. he is still brilliant, and his personality is the same or better than before. i hope he remembers how lucky he is to be alive...and holds on to that. i'm trying to decide what to bring for his party. do i bring brownies, or pot-luck potatoes? i don't want to make my twice baked potatoe casserole. it takes too much time, and my mother in law is already making potato salad (blech!)
i am getting my hair cut this wednesday. i am getting it all cut off. i like being able to put it in a ponytail, but i also hate having to put it in one every day. i'm not getting it colored though. i used to always get it highlighted, but i want to try it natural. i don't think i've had my natural color in 10+ years.
ok enough boring hair talk.
my garden is looking ok. one of my lettuce plants, and one of my tomato plants died. somehow they were broken off. the kids swear they didn't do it. i hope it does well. the plants i've been growing in the garage are doing pretty good. i need to get them out in the garden too. it's just been so darn cool. i am a little afraid to put them out there yet. i need to get some straw. i mulch with straw to help hold the moisture in the soil. it works pretty well. it also helps with weed control.
this sunday, we are having my mom, grandma and grandpa over for dinner. i didn't get to see them on mother's day, so we are having our own little dinner for them. i need to figure out what i want to do for them. i was wanting to do some pictures for them, but i haven't had the time (or camera) to do it. i want to get a collage frame and fill it with pics of my kiddos. they are so freakin' cute. i really want to get a picture of alex with his pig, too. how cute would that be!?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
i am a tad disappointed
why? well, let's see...rachel has quit (was it because i made you start too early? I'm sorry! see...i really am, i even capitalized!) giving her american idol critique. i really do enjoy hearing-uh, i mean reading- it.
i hope paula doesn't get the old "heave ho". i mean, what else is there to talk about? performances? ha....
what the heck was up with fantasia's song/outfit/dancing? pick one. they all were weird. is she sharing paula's cup? i mean, seriously...what the heck? i did love simon's expression though. i think we were thinking the same thing.
i am really sorry syesha went home. i liked her. she was beautiful, had a great voice, and a great personality. i mean come on people...they were giving her babies in her home town! i was really hoping archy was going home. he seems like a nice kid. i think he could do well with contemporary christian music. i don't personally listen to that type of music, but i really see him doing well with it. (boo? what was up with that song choice? i would have been more believable!)
while we are discussing archy...am i the only person that remembers his mom being some blonde white lady? was i totally mistaken? did i just pick some lady out of the crowd and for some reason think she was his mom? i don't know? i do make mistakes like that...so it is totally possible. do you think his dad looks at his son and sees a son to be proud of or $$$? not a fair question, don't answer that! unless you want to.
cook, i loved the props you gave to your old music teacher! that was truly beautiful! one question...in the ford video, you were the only one surrounded by the ford cars in your future...is that because ford wants you to win? are they expecting you to win the hearts of america? i hope so!
so sorry syesha! i was hoping it would be you and cook next week. instead it's the "battle of the davids".
i hope paula doesn't get the old "heave ho". i mean, what else is there to talk about? performances? ha....
what the heck was up with fantasia's song/outfit/dancing? pick one. they all were weird. is she sharing paula's cup? i mean, seriously...what the heck? i did love simon's expression though. i think we were thinking the same thing.
i am really sorry syesha went home. i liked her. she was beautiful, had a great voice, and a great personality. i mean come on people...they were giving her babies in her home town! i was really hoping archy was going home. he seems like a nice kid. i think he could do well with contemporary christian music. i don't personally listen to that type of music, but i really see him doing well with it. (boo? what was up with that song choice? i would have been more believable!)
while we are discussing archy...am i the only person that remembers his mom being some blonde white lady? was i totally mistaken? did i just pick some lady out of the crowd and for some reason think she was his mom? i don't know? i do make mistakes like that...so it is totally possible. do you think his dad looks at his son and sees a son to be proud of or $$$? not a fair question, don't answer that! unless you want to.
cook, i loved the props you gave to your old music teacher! that was truly beautiful! one question...in the ford video, you were the only one surrounded by the ford cars in your future...is that because ford wants you to win? are they expecting you to win the hearts of america? i hope so!
so sorry syesha! i was hoping it would be you and cook next week. instead it's the "battle of the davids".
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
works for me wednesday
i actually thought of something that works for me! no laughing, i know it's only taken me months of racking my brain to come up with something...and in all fairness, it has only recently started working for me...so there!
towels. i have five kids. five kids that constantly fight over what towel belongs to who, and someone used their towel, and who took my towel!
so what did i do? for a while, i just yelled....then i just stopped listening...finally i actually did something.
i bought more towels.
not just any towels, my friends. each child has their own color. my oldest has red, cardinal red (like his room), my second oldest has yellow...perhaps not her favorite color, but it matches her room. my middle child has a pink towel (to match her room) and also a hannah montana towel (because it was like $3). my two little guys were a little tougher. they share a room. the youngest decided his fav'it color is gween, and joshy's is bwue. problem solved. now josh has a blue towel and a cars towel, and the youngest has a gween towel and a spider-man towel.
everyone knows which towel is theirs. they can keep track of them, the older ones wash their own towels, and they hang them up on the hooks. why do they do all of this? well, now mom can tell for sure which towel belongs to which kid. it makes yelling at the right child much easier! bonus!
i hope this helps someone!
towels. i have five kids. five kids that constantly fight over what towel belongs to who, and someone used their towel, and who took my towel!
so what did i do? for a while, i just yelled....then i just stopped listening...finally i actually did something.
i bought more towels.
not just any towels, my friends. each child has their own color. my oldest has red, cardinal red (like his room), my second oldest has yellow...perhaps not her favorite color, but it matches her room. my middle child has a pink towel (to match her room) and also a hannah montana towel (because it was like $3). my two little guys were a little tougher. they share a room. the youngest decided his fav'it color is gween, and joshy's is bwue. problem solved. now josh has a blue towel and a cars towel, and the youngest has a gween towel and a spider-man towel.
everyone knows which towel is theirs. they can keep track of them, the older ones wash their own towels, and they hang them up on the hooks. why do they do all of this? well, now mom can tell for sure which towel belongs to which kid. it makes yelling at the right child much easier! bonus!
i hope this helps someone!
Monday, May 12, 2008
my mother's day
this was the front of my mother's day card. the one my kids picked out for me. (this is a zero gravity card from andrews mcmeel pub. llc) inside it says "see, there are things more frightening than having me as your kid". what my boys don't understand is...this picture could be them in a couple of years...WHO'S LAUGHIN' NOW!
anyway, i had the best mother's day ever. i mean it, this was, by far, the best one. i don't think they will ever be able to outdo themselves. first off, with this wonderful card, there was also candy...several pounds of candy, and by several, i mean 5 pounds of hershey kisses and reese's peanut butter cups. yes, i know i am lucky to have kids that love me so...but that wasn't all, there were 2 books by one of my favorite authors. i love my kids.
but that wasn't the best part. no, no, not by a long shot. on sunday morning, the kids let me sleep until 9:30. i woke up to breakfast in bed. not just any breakfast, but banana pancakes with strawberries on top, fried eggs, and a cold glass of milk. oh yeah, my kids love me. alex did most of the work, but all of the kids helped. they watched me eat every bite and loved every compliment (it really was good!). they gave me the presents they had made at school, and let me tell you, i have the most talented kids ever! then alex made his brothers and sisters pancakes and eggs, and i didn't even have to ask him. i am so very lucky!
they did leave me the mess, but that's ok. i can deal with that. everyone got along pretty well, i even got to take a nap (couple of hours long) and i woke up to kids. i was covered in children. they had decided to sneak in and take a nap with me. so the youngest 3 and i took a nice long nap and woke up in time to go do family stuff.
the very best mother's day ever.
miracle monday
sorry about missing last week! this post has been on my mind for a few weeks now, but i wasn't sure about how to post this. here it goes.
my niece celebrated her first communion a couple of weeks ago. her class is a great class...nice kids, nice parents...but it is a very special class. you see, there are 28 kids in this class. there are about 210 kids in our entire school (that's pre-k through 8th grade). out of the 28 kids, 3 have lost a parent to cancer. out of the 28 kids, one child has had cancer...twice. there is also another child with a major illness.
this could be a class of tragedy, but it isn't. this could be a class of sadness and loss. it isn't. these kids, and their parents have come together as a small community. they have supported each other, they have banded together. when the little girl with cancer had a relapse, the parents of this class had a fundraiser and raised over $30,000 in one night!
i think the best thing about this class is...they are still kids. they aren't little adults dealing with issues that are hard for adults to deal with. they are kids, and they continue to be kids. they are truly inspirational to see.
my niece celebrated her first communion a couple of weeks ago. her class is a great class...nice kids, nice parents...but it is a very special class. you see, there are 28 kids in this class. there are about 210 kids in our entire school (that's pre-k through 8th grade). out of the 28 kids, 3 have lost a parent to cancer. out of the 28 kids, one child has had cancer...twice. there is also another child with a major illness.
this could be a class of tragedy, but it isn't. this could be a class of sadness and loss. it isn't. these kids, and their parents have come together as a small community. they have supported each other, they have banded together. when the little girl with cancer had a relapse, the parents of this class had a fundraiser and raised over $30,000 in one night!
i think the best thing about this class is...they are still kids. they aren't little adults dealing with issues that are hard for adults to deal with. they are kids, and they continue to be kids. they are truly inspirational to see.
Friday, May 9, 2008
so sorry i have neglected you all!
yes, all 5 visits i get (and that's me 3 or 4 of those visits!) i have been a bit worn out and i haven't found time to blog much. i have been pretty exhausted this week. i'm not exactly sure why it's hitting me more now, but it has. i was trying to describe how tired i felt to my husband this morning...
me: you know when you were a teenager, and you'd go to school on friday, then work like 6 hours after school, then go out and stay out 'til the wee hours of the morning, then get up at 6am and work another 8 to 10 hours, then go out again 'til the wee hours again, and wake up at 6am again, go to work another 8 to 10 hours, then finish your homework and that's how tired i feel right now.
hubby: i think you are being a little dramatic babe.
ok, maybe i'm reaching, but only a tad. i don't know why this week has kicked my butt, i wish i did.
this little piggy is now one of the little guys' favorite things to do! they love to stick their dirty, muddy, stinky piggies in my face and ask me "how's this one go?". it is so very cute. i don't remember any of the other kids liking that so much. they even do it to themselves.
my hubby came home last night and went straight to the computer (a little strange). i was holding one of my little guys and trying to get him to sleep. he tells me he has something to show me, i had to come over right away. (a little stranger) i put down my lil' guy and come to the computer. he is looking at this website (don't worry, it's not porn...i wouldn't have been as surprised if it had been) http://www.forshamcottagearks.com/index.htm
hang on a sec, my oldest just made me a mint chocolate chip milkshake. mmmmmmmm!!!!
ok, thanks for waiting!
go ahead and click on that link. i promise, it's not porn. it's chicken coops. has anyone seen my hubby? i don't know who this man is (i think i may keep him though), or what he's done with the man i married, but he can't fool me!
anyway, he wanted me to see this site because they are looking for dealers or "trading partners" as they put it, in the good ole U. S. of A. he said that he's been told that if you find something you enjoy, that's the best thing to try to make a living at. so he thought of me. how sweet. but i still want to be a massage therapist.
ok, i was saving the best for last. rachel, you will definitely be proud of me for this! a friend of mine (jen, but not the nurse or the vet) called me yesterday about a great deal on general mills cereal at schnucks (a local supermarket). basically, the cereal was on sale 5 for $10. in the isle there were $.75 off of every 2 boxes. at the check out, it prints out a $2 off general mills cereal coupon, and also 3/ $3 off your next purchase coupons. so i bought 6 boxes every time, the first time was right at $10 (i'm not sure, because i bought ice cream too). the next time i went through, i had just the 6 boxes, and all the coupons, and i spent a whopping $1.04. FOR 6 BOXES OF CEREAL, that is insane!!! so i went through a few times, and came home with tons of cereal.
oh yeah, i forgot about the fact that you get 2 free movie passes printed off at the register too. each time! i mean, how cool is that!?! so for less than $25 i brought home 4 (56 oz)packages of ice cream, and 20 boxes of cereal. not bad...not bad at all!
me: you know when you were a teenager, and you'd go to school on friday, then work like 6 hours after school, then go out and stay out 'til the wee hours of the morning, then get up at 6am and work another 8 to 10 hours, then go out again 'til the wee hours again, and wake up at 6am again, go to work another 8 to 10 hours, then finish your homework and that's how tired i feel right now.
hubby: i think you are being a little dramatic babe.
ok, maybe i'm reaching, but only a tad. i don't know why this week has kicked my butt, i wish i did.
this little piggy is now one of the little guys' favorite things to do! they love to stick their dirty, muddy, stinky piggies in my face and ask me "how's this one go?". it is so very cute. i don't remember any of the other kids liking that so much. they even do it to themselves.
my hubby came home last night and went straight to the computer (a little strange). i was holding one of my little guys and trying to get him to sleep. he tells me he has something to show me, i had to come over right away. (a little stranger) i put down my lil' guy and come to the computer. he is looking at this website (don't worry, it's not porn...i wouldn't have been as surprised if it had been) http://www.forshamcottagearks.com/index.htm
hang on a sec, my oldest just made me a mint chocolate chip milkshake. mmmmmmmm!!!!
ok, thanks for waiting!
go ahead and click on that link. i promise, it's not porn. it's chicken coops. has anyone seen my hubby? i don't know who this man is (i think i may keep him though), or what he's done with the man i married, but he can't fool me!
anyway, he wanted me to see this site because they are looking for dealers or "trading partners" as they put it, in the good ole U. S. of A. he said that he's been told that if you find something you enjoy, that's the best thing to try to make a living at. so he thought of me. how sweet. but i still want to be a massage therapist.
ok, i was saving the best for last. rachel, you will definitely be proud of me for this! a friend of mine (jen, but not the nurse or the vet) called me yesterday about a great deal on general mills cereal at schnucks (a local supermarket). basically, the cereal was on sale 5 for $10. in the isle there were $.75 off of every 2 boxes. at the check out, it prints out a $2 off general mills cereal coupon, and also 3/ $3 off your next purchase coupons. so i bought 6 boxes every time, the first time was right at $10 (i'm not sure, because i bought ice cream too). the next time i went through, i had just the 6 boxes, and all the coupons, and i spent a whopping $1.04. FOR 6 BOXES OF CEREAL, that is insane!!! so i went through a few times, and came home with tons of cereal.
oh yeah, i forgot about the fact that you get 2 free movie passes printed off at the register too. each time! i mean, how cool is that!?! so for less than $25 i brought home 4 (56 oz)packages of ice cream, and 20 boxes of cereal. not bad...not bad at all!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
what doesn't work for me...
this is my very first time posting and linking to "works for me wednesday". why is that? well, i haven't found anything that really works for me.
birth-control pills/shots. i found that the hormones made me nuts. i didn't like the person i was (paranoid and mean) so i stopped taking them. i don't regret it in the least.
having a set dinner time. i babysit and some of the kids don't get picked up until close to 6pm. i have 3 kids playing sports right now (4 in the fall) plus other activities, and having a set dinner time just isn't something i can do. i tried really hard, but when i was making 4 trips in one afternoon (not counting school pickup) and trying to fix a real meal too, it just doesn't work. so i still fix dinner, but we may be eating late one night, and early the next.
doing laundry for everyone. i quit. i have 5 kids. they have their bedrooms upstairs. my bedroom is downstairs, as is my laundry room. my kids will not bring me their clothes unless they have every stitch of clothing they own dirty, and then they bring it down at 9pm and expect it all done by morning. so i quit. my older 2 are responsible for their own laundry. if they don't wash it, it doesn't get clean. i am done. my middle child has to bring me her clothes in the morning, and the younger two i help (they are 4 and 2).
believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg!
birth-control pills/shots. i found that the hormones made me nuts. i didn't like the person i was (paranoid and mean) so i stopped taking them. i don't regret it in the least.
having a set dinner time. i babysit and some of the kids don't get picked up until close to 6pm. i have 3 kids playing sports right now (4 in the fall) plus other activities, and having a set dinner time just isn't something i can do. i tried really hard, but when i was making 4 trips in one afternoon (not counting school pickup) and trying to fix a real meal too, it just doesn't work. so i still fix dinner, but we may be eating late one night, and early the next.
doing laundry for everyone. i quit. i have 5 kids. they have their bedrooms upstairs. my bedroom is downstairs, as is my laundry room. my kids will not bring me their clothes unless they have every stitch of clothing they own dirty, and then they bring it down at 9pm and expect it all done by morning. so i quit. my older 2 are responsible for their own laundry. if they don't wash it, it doesn't get clean. i am done. my middle child has to bring me her clothes in the morning, and the younger two i help (they are 4 and 2).
believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg!
Friday, May 2, 2008
coming to my house
this week, i have had strangers at my door twice.
the first time didn't really bother me. it was two nice, older ladies that were Jehovah Witnesses. i am totally being honest in saying that it doesn't bother me when people come to my door spreading the Word. i am catholic, and i don't plan on changing that, but they are nice people and i am not going to be rude to them. i think it takes a lot of courage to go to people's doors to try to spread your faith. i don't know any catholics that do it. i know baptists do because my sister had them visit her several times. they've never come to my door. i've had young mormon men visit us when i was younger. it must have been after alex was born, otherwise i would be burning in the H E double hockey sticks right now. see, back in the day, i would have seen a young man coming to my door to spread the "Word" as a challenge...(awkward little temptress that i was).
i'm sorry, where was i?
oh yeah, people spreading their faith just doesn't bother me. i don't understand why it bothers others.
what does bother me is people that are trying to sell you something...well, not even just trying to sell it to you, but guilt you into buying it. i had a young man show up at my door (this is as parents are coming to pic up their kids, mind you) trying to sell me magazine subscriptions. i don't have time to go to the bathroom most days, let alone read a flippin' magazine, so i told him i wasn't interested. did he leave? no. he told me some hard luck story about how he's trying to stay out of trouble, and move up in his career, and help other underprivileged kids like himself do the same kind of job. you know what? i had the same kind of "job" when i was 14. the only difference was it was candy and nuts we sold door to door. we were given lines to tell people to get them to buy from us. "we are selling these *whatever* to keep us on the right track and out of trouble". the same freakin' lines he's telling me! sorry pal, i know the deal. i hope he gains some self respect soon and gets a real job. i did that job one day. one day was all it took for me to decide i didn't want to humiliate myself for some stupid job.
ok, i think i will leave you on a light note...
josh was playing with my mouth, you know, making it look like i was talking but he was saying stuff. so he's moving my mouth and singing "my mom is stinky, stinky stinky....my mom has hair in her nose nose nose". nice. i do so love kids, i wish i had 10 more just like him!
the first time didn't really bother me. it was two nice, older ladies that were Jehovah Witnesses. i am totally being honest in saying that it doesn't bother me when people come to my door spreading the Word. i am catholic, and i don't plan on changing that, but they are nice people and i am not going to be rude to them. i think it takes a lot of courage to go to people's doors to try to spread your faith. i don't know any catholics that do it. i know baptists do because my sister had them visit her several times. they've never come to my door. i've had young mormon men visit us when i was younger. it must have been after alex was born, otherwise i would be burning in the H E double hockey sticks right now. see, back in the day, i would have seen a young man coming to my door to spread the "Word" as a challenge...(awkward little temptress that i was).
i'm sorry, where was i?
oh yeah, people spreading their faith just doesn't bother me. i don't understand why it bothers others.
what does bother me is people that are trying to sell you something...well, not even just trying to sell it to you, but guilt you into buying it. i had a young man show up at my door (this is as parents are coming to pic up their kids, mind you) trying to sell me magazine subscriptions. i don't have time to go to the bathroom most days, let alone read a flippin' magazine, so i told him i wasn't interested. did he leave? no. he told me some hard luck story about how he's trying to stay out of trouble, and move up in his career, and help other underprivileged kids like himself do the same kind of job. you know what? i had the same kind of "job" when i was 14. the only difference was it was candy and nuts we sold door to door. we were given lines to tell people to get them to buy from us. "we are selling these *whatever* to keep us on the right track and out of trouble". the same freakin' lines he's telling me! sorry pal, i know the deal. i hope he gains some self respect soon and gets a real job. i did that job one day. one day was all it took for me to decide i didn't want to humiliate myself for some stupid job.
ok, i think i will leave you on a light note...
josh was playing with my mouth, you know, making it look like i was talking but he was saying stuff. so he's moving my mouth and singing "my mom is stinky, stinky stinky....my mom has hair in her nose nose nose". nice. i do so love kids, i wish i had 10 more just like him!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
ok, so i didn't get around to posting last night...sorry. after getting home at 8, i had to fix dinner, help some kids with homework that should have already been finished, and watch american idol. come on people, i have priorities! anyway, i was sorry to see brooke go. i really liked her. she seemed so genuine, so pretty, and so nice. in the beginning, i thought she was the one to beat...well, i was wrong. it's a real shame. i think she could go on to have a good career anyway.
anyway, alex's hair looks so much better. when jeff got home from work, he said it looked like alex lost 10 pounds. i said "yeah, it was all hair too!". the kid doesn't have curly hair (as i'm sure you can tell in our family pic) but the longer it gets, the bigger it gets. he looks like he has a hair helmet.
my dryer is broken. not that it doesn't dry clothes, it does...just not all the way. when you look in your dryer, there are like 3 or 4 little wing things in there (at least there are in mine), and one of those things fell off. i took it out, but now there are like 6 holes where it was attached and i guess the heat is escaping from there. why couldn't it have been my washer that broke? i want a front loading washer so bad! maybe i can talk jeff into using it to buy me a front loading washer and dryer... ok, how pathetic does it sound that my biggest dream is a new washer?
we started our garden...well, we started some seeds in the garage. i'm not good at telling weed from wanted plants, so i start my seeds, or buy the plants. we had about half of them sprout. the kids kept watering the seeds that hadn't sprouted, and i think they are dead. so today i planted some more seeds (to take the place of those that didn't). the kids helped, of course. they are so proud of the plants that are growing now. all of our lettuce seeds sprouted, 2 bean plants, a zucchini, 3 tomato, and no watermelon. i felt bad for josh, he was the one that wanted the watermelon. he would go out everyday and look to see if any of them started to grow. so we planted some more today. i hope some of them grow!
i love spring time. i love to look out at all the trees and plants, and watching them turn green and bloom. it's amazing to watch. don't get me wrong, i love all the seasons, but i love watching the babies animals, and they are around so much more in the spring! i love opening my windows and letting the fresh air in. i love smelling people grilling, and flowers, and just clean fresh air wafting through my open windows.
bacon bits is doing well. she is loving being outside now. it's so funny to hear her when she sees the kids out playing. she runs to her pen door and grunts at them! she loves to be washed with a wash cloth, and have her back rubbed. the only complaint i have is she's getting spoiled. she does what she wants when she wants to do it. that won't fly with the judges at the fair. so i have been trying to get alex to work with her more. i'm not sure what i should be doing, but i'm hoping we are doing it right. i think if we want her to have any shot at her being something other than sausage, we have to get her to listen and listen well!
we are going to Florida this month. my dad has been there for a few months for work, and he wants us to come down for memorial weekend to visit. the only bad thing is we are going to miss grace's kindergarten graduation. that bites! she's ok with it. i just hate missing stuff like that.
jeff had a good april. he sold more than 10 cars, that earns him a bonus, plus he is tied for first place sales for the month (another bonus). i'm really proud of him. selling cars isn't easy, especially for someone like my husband. i don't mean to make him sound like he's not a good salesman. he is. it's just that he wants to make sure he gets a person a great deal on a car they are going to be happy with for a long time. not as easy as it sounds, unfortunately.
that's about it for us. at least that's about all i can remember. happy may everyone!
anyway, alex's hair looks so much better. when jeff got home from work, he said it looked like alex lost 10 pounds. i said "yeah, it was all hair too!". the kid doesn't have curly hair (as i'm sure you can tell in our family pic) but the longer it gets, the bigger it gets. he looks like he has a hair helmet.
my dryer is broken. not that it doesn't dry clothes, it does...just not all the way. when you look in your dryer, there are like 3 or 4 little wing things in there (at least there are in mine), and one of those things fell off. i took it out, but now there are like 6 holes where it was attached and i guess the heat is escaping from there. why couldn't it have been my washer that broke? i want a front loading washer so bad! maybe i can talk jeff into using it to buy me a front loading washer and dryer... ok, how pathetic does it sound that my biggest dream is a new washer?
we started our garden...well, we started some seeds in the garage. i'm not good at telling weed from wanted plants, so i start my seeds, or buy the plants. we had about half of them sprout. the kids kept watering the seeds that hadn't sprouted, and i think they are dead. so today i planted some more seeds (to take the place of those that didn't). the kids helped, of course. they are so proud of the plants that are growing now. all of our lettuce seeds sprouted, 2 bean plants, a zucchini, 3 tomato, and no watermelon. i felt bad for josh, he was the one that wanted the watermelon. he would go out everyday and look to see if any of them started to grow. so we planted some more today. i hope some of them grow!
i love spring time. i love to look out at all the trees and plants, and watching them turn green and bloom. it's amazing to watch. don't get me wrong, i love all the seasons, but i love watching the babies animals, and they are around so much more in the spring! i love opening my windows and letting the fresh air in. i love smelling people grilling, and flowers, and just clean fresh air wafting through my open windows.
bacon bits is doing well. she is loving being outside now. it's so funny to hear her when she sees the kids out playing. she runs to her pen door and grunts at them! she loves to be washed with a wash cloth, and have her back rubbed. the only complaint i have is she's getting spoiled. she does what she wants when she wants to do it. that won't fly with the judges at the fair. so i have been trying to get alex to work with her more. i'm not sure what i should be doing, but i'm hoping we are doing it right. i think if we want her to have any shot at her being something other than sausage, we have to get her to listen and listen well!
we are going to Florida this month. my dad has been there for a few months for work, and he wants us to come down for memorial weekend to visit. the only bad thing is we are going to miss grace's kindergarten graduation. that bites! she's ok with it. i just hate missing stuff like that.
jeff had a good april. he sold more than 10 cars, that earns him a bonus, plus he is tied for first place sales for the month (another bonus). i'm really proud of him. selling cars isn't easy, especially for someone like my husband. i don't mean to make him sound like he's not a good salesman. he is. it's just that he wants to make sure he gets a person a great deal on a car they are going to be happy with for a long time. not as easy as it sounds, unfortunately.
that's about it for us. at least that's about all i can remember. happy may everyone!
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