school confrences

well, the day of the great sickness (that's last friday folks), we also had school conferences. i had to send the hubby in my place. he doesn't usually do school stuff, but since i had been dealing with puke for about 6 hours at that time, not to mention all the other kids, well, he knew better than to just leave me and go to work. so he did the parent teacher stuff.

6th grade alex: his teacher said that he is amazingly smart. well, the standardized testing* said he was amazingly smart. he is in advanced math (basically a grade above his peers) and tested better than 98% of his peers nationally. now, as great as it is to have a smart kid, she also has some concerns. nothing terrible, just that things come easy to him. he doesn't have to work for good grades. so he hasn't learned how to study, or how to work. it is something she's been trained to look for (she's our former gifted teacher) and she's seeing some of that in alex. no surprise there, i've been a bit worried about that myself.

4th grade haley: her teacher is awesome. she said haley is a pleasure to have in class. haley also tested about the same as alex (actually 99%) and the only thing she really mentioned was that haley takes a long time with her work. at first she was a bit worried, but as she got to know haley, she realized that haley takes great pride in her work. her penmanship, the detail in her artwork, all of it she takes her time in doing. as a result, her work is something she (the teacher) really enjoys grading. haley is also in advanced math. her math teacher had no issues.

1st grade grace: grace's teacher is so happy with grace. she said she wants to have grace tested for the gifted program at the school, and also thinks she would benefit from the special gifted program at our local public school. it's a one day a week, all day program that runs through the school year. um, not so sure i would want to do that. i know she's smart. i'm not so sure the benefit would be enough to make it worth the extra school work, and missing time with her friends. i don't want to burn her out on school and learning. i would have to talk to some of the other parents that have kids in the program before i would make that decision. oh, grace is also a wiz at math. the teacher is actually worried that she's going to get bored with the work.

i'm glad hubby was the one that got to hear all these good things about the kids. i wonder sometimes if he thinks i make all the good things up. it was nice to get some really good and positive info on my kids...especially on a day that i really needed it!

*i don't necessarily think that testing is perfect. believe me, i've had my own issues with it and my kids.

pillow talk

i have been dealing with puking kids since 4am yesterday.



zack woke me up by puking on my pillow.



he didn't get any on me, but not exactly the way i want to wake up.




he continued to puke all day, and by evening he was feeling better. but he wasn't able to go to grandma and grandpa's house. and he was ticked!


i picked the rest of the kids up right before the girls played. both my girls were playing at 9am. alex was complaining about his belly hurting. yeah, great.


except it wasn't him that threw up as soon as i parked the car.


it was haley. she did good though. for the most part, she hit the parking lot and not much got in the car.


so she didn't get to play. and she's missing her volleyball game too. and i'm not sure if i'll be sending her to the game tomorrow.



the weekend isn't all shot though...josh's team won! coach d is out of town (ha go figure) and i was the one coaching. i had 2 parents helping me, but we only had 9 kids today. we have 20 on the team. for not getting much of a break, they played awesome. the kid that scored the goal is one that hasn't scored yet. i was so proud of him. he was so proud of himself. he kept asking me if i saw his kick.


then i got the call that zack puked again at the soccer field.


what a fantastic weekend!

well, the chickens are growing...the cats are trying to come in the house every time the door opens...and my sister's 3 girls are spending the night tonight.

i also have kids coming tomorrow starting at around 6am.

my kids are spending the night at my dad's house tomorrow.

the hubby will be playing cards at his brother's house tomorrow.

i will be hanging at the homestead...all by my self.

i think i'll be ready for an evening to myself.

works for me wednesday

i had no idea how hard it would be to come up with something that actually "works" for me.

i hate to spend lots of money on stuff for my face. i've never really had problems with breakouts, but i've always had sensitive and dry skin. i love to use scrubs to keep my skin looking fresh and bright, but i HATE paying $20 to $50 for them (salon types).

and then i found something in readers digest. queen latifah was talking about how her grandma had beautiful skin...and used baking soda a couple times a week to wash her face. (i think she said a couple of times)

just about a teaspoon or so in the palm of your hand. wet it ever so slightly, and rub on your face. not too hard, it really does scrub.

i have had so many compliments on my skin since i have started doing this. you do have to use a moisturizer afterwards, but it's really great!

since i started using it, i haven't had the breakouts i normally had with my period.

granted, i haven't been doing it that long, but it's really working for me!

for more great ideas head over to http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/!

miracle monday

how about another birth story?

my grandpa just had a birthday, i think he's 73. this is the story of his birth...

my great grandparents had tried for several years to conceive a child. they had several years of sadness and no child.

then my great grandma found out she was pregnant. it was a pretty normal pregnancy. no major issues. she went into labor at home, and he was born at home, and pronounced dead at home. you see, he was over 11 pounds when he was born. he wasn't breathing, or moving. they assumed he had died, and put him in the sink so they could finish with my great grandma. she was pretty messed up from having such a big baby, and consequently was never able to have any more children. she asked to see my grandpa, and when they picked him up, they found him actually breathing. his arm was not moving right (they thought it was trauma from the birth) and thought it would be crippled. my great grandma wrapped it close to his body, and it healed. my great grandparents were so thrilled. they had prayed so long for a child. they doted on him...spoiled him, and even with all he was given, he was (and still is) so kind. they raised a wonderful person full of love and kindness. he has always given so much to those around him. we are so lucky my great grandma wanted to see him. i don't know that they would have looked at him as closely if she hadn't.

for more miracles, go check out beth at http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/

garden '09

well, i'm trying to think of what i want to grow for next year. you know, what worked, what didn't.

i don't think i'll be doing watermelon again...ever. the kids wanted me to grow them, so i did. we got about 5, and they ate part of one. that's it. i can't stand watermelon, so i didn't eat any. so i wasted a lot of space on something no one ate.

i want to to zucchini again. hopefully i can figure out what happened to my plants. they all died. i got maybe 4 zucchini from my 4 plants! i thought they were a plant you couldn't kill!

maybe one cucumber plant. so many people i know liked them. maybe i'll try to make pickles next year.

i need a greater variety of tomatoes. i grew all big ones, and i really missed having the smaller cherry or grape tomatoes.

the sweet potatoes turned out good. some of my kids really liked them, some were not too impressed. my in-laws like them, i liked them ok.

peppers, well, i didn't have too great of luck with some. the bell types i had didn't really produce, but i think i overcrowded my garden. the hot ones did great, but i didn't' use them as much as i should have. and i didn't do any freezing (dumb, i know). so i wasted them. the smaller ones, well they were so hot, alex was sick for 3 days with acid indigestion from just part of one on his quesadilla.

broccoli, well, there is nothing better than home grown fresh broccoli. i will keep growing them.

green beans, i'm not sure. they didn't produce like i thought they would. the flowers are beautiful, but i only had one plant that survived being outside...that and the sweet potatoes spread out over them.

the lettuce didn't turn out well at all. it was tough and bitter. it was green leaf lettuce, and i'm not sure if that's the way it's supposed to be, or if i let it go too long. this was my first year with lettuce. it's easy to grow, but i'm not sure i did it right.

i think i would like to add regular potatoes, carrots maybe, onions, yellow squash, and i'm not sure.

so next year's garden will be tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, onions, yellow squash, cucumber, some peppers, and maybe another type of melon.

i would LOVE to plant some blueberry bushes, some strawberries, and some fruit trees. i don't know if that will happen, but it's a goal.

miracle monday

i know everyone is scared about the economy. people are having a tough time getting loans, losing money in the market, paying an arm and a leg for gas...and well, i think many are afraid for their jobs.

not exactly the best time to be a car salesman. (like my hubby)

he's been having a tough time the passed few months. he "sold" many cars, only to find out the people couldn't get financed.


and here i am, staying home with our kids. i was feeling pretty low, not helping him out much on the financial front.

so i said a few prayers...
one for thanksgiving. how could i not thank him for our health, the fact my husband has a job, our kids and our families.
one was for direction. how could i help my husband? how can i help take some of the burden from him? the man makes himself sick with worry, how can i help?

this month, God sent me another little one to watch over while his parents are at work.

and the possibility of one more a couple of days a week.

i was worried that i might be taking a little more than i can handle. with caring for my own kids, and the 2 little ones i already watch during the day, but He quieted my mind. He sent them into my life, for me to help their families. if they weren't meant to be here, their parents would not have chosen me to watch them.

i can handle this.

please check out Beth at http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2008/10/miracle-monday_13.html for more miracles!

the new count

well, i went to orschlen's and bought 8 more chicks. 3 rhode island reds and 5 ameraucana chicks. then, on the way home, my oldest totally ratted me out to the hubby.

to say he was not pleased, well, that would be an understatement.

you see, his brother had offered to give haley a few chickens. these hens are close to a year old...or are a couple of years old. my brother in law doesn't believe in handling or interacting with the chickens. you go in, feed them, give them water, take their eggs, and that's about it. no handling unless you are getting them out to butcher. not exactly what she needs for trying to show. you have to be able to handle the birds. the judge needs to be able to handle the birds.

not to mention the unpleasantness that surrounded the last time we dealt with chickens and my brother in law. not something i want to experience again.

anyway, hubby was not pleased. he said, "the coop is only 8X8 and that's not big enough for that many chickens". um, excuse me? the plans said it was for 25 chickens. "there's only 4 laying boxes". um, so? why would that matter? brother in law only has 12 laying boxes and about 40 chickens. it works ok. they don't need their own private condos! all they are doing is laying an egg, and then leaving.

how do i make him understand that i had to get more chickens? the 8 i have right now, i have no idea if we have hens or roosters. they were straight run. for all i know, they are all roosters. and even if they aren't, they aren't the "production" type of chicken. they are more "ornamental". they will lay eggs, but they won't have the output of other breeds.

anyway, i'm excited.

rhode island reds look like this
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Rhode_Island_Red_hen_on_street.jpg

ameraucanas look like this
http://www.fowlvisions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/new-chicken2.jpg

oh, and i was told wrong about one of the polish ones. he's a black one with a white crest.
http://thai.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/c/ComptonPhotographer/100.jpg

cool aren't they?

ahhahahahahahaha!!!!

i think i'm addicted. i'm off to buy more chicks. i'm not telling my hubby (he will want me to...well, none of your business) and i'm going to take the kids and pick up a few more.

i'm doing this for the kids you know. and well, we like eggs. and i have lots of rationalizations for you, but you don't really care, do you?

haley needs some laying hens...and i need some others to look cool and lay eggs. that's right. that's what i said.

so after my shower, i will head out to pick up some more chickens. i think haley will need 3 or 4...and i guess i can get by with 4 or 6. whatever. even numbers. i have 8, if i add 8 more, i'll have 16 chicks, if i add 12 more, i'll have 20. hmmmm, guess i'll update you when i get home on what i got and how many. and then in june, we'll add a few more for the other kids (market chickens).

+1

last week, i met with a lady that was trying to find someone to babysit her baby boy. she was also going to meet with a lady i know, and another i don't know, but have heard great things about. the lady i know, well, she's fantastic with kids. she would be a person i would totally trust my kids with. the lady i don't know, well, she's great with kids too.

i told the lady interviewing me all these things. i was the first person she met. i answered her questions. i asked her what other names she was given by our parish secratary. these 2 other ladys and myself. i told her that she couldn't go wrong with whoever she chose. the other two ladies were great, and i wouldn't get my feelings hurt if she chose either of them.

finding a sitter is a huge job for parents. you are trusting your child/ren with someone most of the day. babysitters have a big impact on your kid. well, not just the kid, on parents as well. finding someone that fits the needs of your family can be really tough.

i got the call on friday that she had picked me. me? i was pretty shocked. i guess she liked me. i met her husband last night and he seems nice too.

so baby boy starts on monday. he's going on 8 weeks old, and he's 12+ pounds already. bald, but a cutie, and very mild mannered.

i'm a little excited. it's been a while since i had 3 babies at one time. when zack was a baby, i had 2 other babies. they were all born the same week. one was the 10th, zack is the 12th and one is the 15th. i only had all of them at the same time maybe once a week. it was funny lining them all up on the blanket, changing diapers, and seeing the size difference. zack was in the middle for sure. the older one was bigger (still is much bigger), and the younger one is smaller (still is a lot smaller).

anyway, i'm pretty excited.

WE ARE GETTING CHICKS!!!!

i called our 4-H poultry leader to let her know we had our coop. she was checking out different hatcheries by ordering a bunch of chicks this fall. there were a lot of problems with the hatchery they had used previously*, so they wanted to find one that was better. basically she has an abundance of chicks right now, so we are getting 7 polish crested chicks. some are golden, some are silver, and one is white with a black crest.

what will they actually look like?

goldens look like this http://www.oldfrogpondfarm.com/master/images/chickens/Golden_Polish_Hen.jpg


silver look like this
http://www.ruralramblings.com/blog/uploaded_images/rooster-769381.jpg

and the white with the black crest will look like this
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2518853535_4e1c9df428.jpg

don't worry dear friends. we will still be getting more. haley is wanting to do laying hens (so she says) and so we have to get some white leghorns for her. not to mention the market chickens we have to get. so our little 8X8 coop will be full...eventually.

and no i haven't told the hubby yet. believe me, he'll be taken care of.

*there were some problems with chicks being deformed. so they have decided not to use them anymore. i will not post the name of the hatchery, but if you want to know, i can email it to you.

boy i'm glad i'm me!

well, maybe.

today i only have 2 extra. well, until school lets out. yay me...


i was early starting out to the car, you know to take one of my b.s. (babysitting) kids to the bus stop.

unfortunately, the cat had been locked up in my van all night.

i don't keep a litter box in my van.

that's ok, he just used zack's car-seat.

yay me, again...

i didn't find the mess until i had almost put one of the babies in it...of course, i also realized, just then, she had made a mess of her own. yeah, it was all over her onesie, pants, and even her jacket.

yay me, three times over!

so far, i have spent my day cleaning poopy car seats, poopy kids, and well, it's not over yet.

alex comes home today. they are running late because their plane was waiting on a part. it's ok, the part was in chicago, they are in orlando. it should be in sometime today.


i can't complain too much, though. i made it in time to get kid to the bus stop. i got the car seat sprayed out in time, you know before the rain. and it is hopefully going to be dry enough for the kid pickup at 3. i made it in time to pick up josh from school. i made the kids their favorite sandwiches (cheese and mayo). and i've only had 3 poopy diapers to change.

it could always be worse. the cat was in the van all night. i only found that one mess...of course i didn't actually look any farther...oh, i hope there isn't any more! the kids will find it for me i'm sure.

miracle monday

when i was 16, there was a terrible car accident before school, and a friend of mine was killed. he had been a passenger in the car, driven by his best friend, and the driver was the only one wearing his seat-belt.

the driver (i'll call him jay) and i had been close our freshman year. closer than we had any business being. we ended things because, well, he didn't feel the same way i felt.

and i hated him.

well, hate may be too strong of a word.

it hurt to be around him. to see him.

our junior year, we ended up having a class together again.

and it still hurt to see him.

and then the accident happened.

and we both lost a friend.

i visited him at his house afterward...and i forgave him for all the hurt. it's horrible that it took our friend's death for me to see how short life could be. how forgiving him was also forgiving myself. i was just as much to blame for what happened between us as he was.

we became friends again. just friends.

our senior year, we had our last class of the day together. we sat at the same table together. he helped me so much. we talked more than we ever had before. we talked about what had happened our freshman year. i got a better understanding of him. of the man he was becoming. and then i became pregnant with my oldest. he never treated me any different. he saw me as the same person. he helped me in so many ways, just treating me as he had before. most of my guy friends kept their distance, they didn't want to be mistaken as the dad. jay still treated me as he had before.

for that, i will forever be grateful.


i would like to ask for you to pray for jay's wife. she has been fighting cancer for too long now. they have a beautiful little boy, and a wonderful family together. please pray for them all.

this is her caringbridge site http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jessicainchiostro. she is a remarkable woman.

whew!

it's not the pox!!!! i am really happy that, well, it's not chicken pox.


what is it?


well, it is something bacterial...



like a strep infection in the skin (been there done that before)


or a small staph infection in the skin (been there done that too)


or impetigo (don't think we've done that one)


basically, while it is still spreading, it isn't nearly as bad as it was the other night. doesn't make sense does it? she's still getting little bumps (like bug bites) but they don't itch that badly, and they don't hurt as bad as they have been. the ones from the other day have started to fade quite a bit. so she's getting better...but i still have to give her some meds.

and she's not contagious.

so i let everyone at the school know that it's not the pox. and i let all the family know, and the families that i watch. so we should be good to go!


i'll let you all know about alex's soccer game, and baseball game, and leaving for his trip to (ha you thought i was going to tell you!) and the bookfair family night. no major funny-ness, or anything. just boring old me.

*thanks for the prayers for rachel, she's doing well!

a pox upon your house!

grace could have chicken pox.

just in time for the book-fair family night tonight.

i don't think it is, but my MIL said it looked like what her kids had when they had the "pox".

they only itch a little bit, but they hurt if you touch them.

they are only on her trunk.

they looked like whiteheads on her belly, sternum, and sides...oh and a few on her back and arms.

no fever, no feeling bad. just these hurtful little bumps.

and she's had the vaccine! couldn't go to pre school or regular school without it.

we see the doctor today...hopefully it's something else!



**please pray for my dear friend rachel. she's having surgery today. you can check her out here http://theotherhuse.blogspot.com/.


i need to get back to my scratching. ever since i saw those spots, i'm the one itching!

am i asking for too much?

2 things...

1. yesterday was a long day. i had fewer kids to watch, but i had 3 of my kids that had soccer practice, and one that had a baseball game. i left at 5:20 and didn't get home for the night until almost 10. i had to bring all the kids with me to soccer (well, minus alex who didn't want to come) and then dropped them all off to hubby and picked up alex for his baseball game. i had a brat at the game...that was my dinner. i get home, and hubby says, "i made some cheese bread it's really good. go get some." i'm thinking AWESOME, he finally cooks! and get a piece and take a big bite...


and gag! the jerk made it with miracle whip instead of butter!!

knowing full well i can't stand the stuff!

he sat there hiding behind the computer screen watching me...and then had the nerve to call me a baby when i spit it into the trash.



2. this morning zack was whining about his pants. he needed help buttoning them. i'm curled up on the couch, all comfy and warm under my big fleece rams blankie. "come here" i say. i reach and help him with his snap...

and it's a little wet...


"why's it wet?" i ask.


(you all know what's coming next, don't you?)



"i peed on 'em a little"


just by the snap though.


just where i would have to touch it.






am i asking for too much when all i want is a husband that doesn't try to poison me, and a son that keeps his urine to himself?