i am really starting to hate the snow. another f'ing snow day. another day with a house full of kids that can't even go outside to play and burn off energy. no, i just get to listen to them fight and argue because there is nothing for them to do.

my kids actually spent the night out last night. my step-mom brought them home this morning. hubby got off work at a decent hour, so we had a night of fun.

no, not that kind of fun. aunt flo saw to that.

we went to the mall. i haven't been there in at least a year...maybe longer. we got josh a birthday present, tried to get some monster jam tickets, went to the pet store (i know it's not P.C. to like them but i can't help it), and we ate at sbarro's (yum!), and then we went and saw the newest eastwood flick.

let me just say, i love clint. even though i am "technically" young enough to be his (grand)daughter i think he's sexy as all get out. i know people have said he always plays the same type of character. that's ok with me. he has it down. total badass, with a slight bit of hero-shine. in this movie, he plays a believable old guy that could still kick ass. (made me think of my grandpa...he's that guy) my hubby and i cracked up at some of the movie, winced at some of it, and i almost cried at the end. ( i HATE to cry and do anything not to.) there is definite unexpected plot twists, and the kids that play his neighbors were great. i don't know why they got flack on not being "real" actors. they were WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY better than sandra locke. you remember that chick that was in a lot of eastwood's movies because he was dating her...then she sued him saying he ruined her career because she was only in his movies. newsflash lady, you weren't any good! at least not on the screen. clint must have seen something, but we sure as heck didn't!
anyway, i really liked it. hubby really liked it. the 2 other people in the theater liked it (i think). so if you dig eastwood, go see it!

off to yell at some more kids and check on my veggie soup!

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?

adventures in babysitting

just a warning, this is a self serving complaing type of post! basically i just needed a place to let it out...

i lied. there was no adventure. only aggravation. not even a major one at that.
as i'm sure you know, we have soccer practice on tuesdays and thursdays. haley has practice both nights, josh has it both nights. i also watch haley's coach's kids after school. on tuesdays, the oldest one stays at school for some activity. the younger one hangs with me until around 5 when his dad picks him up.

except for yesterday....yesterday, dad forgot.


not the "oh man, i need to turn around and grab him real quick" type of forgetting either. the "had no clue because i'm too focused on one kid" type of forgetting. to focused on making his oldest a great athlete, and completely forgot all about the younger (not athletic at all) kid.

not too big of a deal. i just stayed at my house, waiting...and waiting some more. finally at 5:25, i loaded all the kids up and left. i was late for josh's practice. this would normally not be a big deal, but coach d. wasn't able to be there because he had to meet his new boss. not a meeting you can miss. i thought i would have no problem getting there in time. i had 3 kids, hubby took 2 (zack and alex) to alex's game. sometime between 5:45 and 6, the mom called another coach's cell to find out if i kept the youngest with me or left him at my house*. he was with me. she picked him up and apologized profusely. then later last night, her husband called to apologize too. i told them, not a majorly big deal. i just would have liked to have known so i could just take him up with me. that way, i'm not all pissy when i get to my practice.

whew, i feel better letting that all out.

*oh, like i would leave a 7 year old at my house alone!?! seriously? why would you leave your children in my care if you think i would do that?

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!

this is so not fair!

all 5 kids have those thick dark eyelashes...just like their dad. why couldn't i get them too? is it too much to ask? i mean, i did give birth to all 5, i nursed all 5, i cook their meals, drive them to their sports practices, friends' houses, and oh so much more...is having some thick luscious eyelashes too much to ask for? i guess so. i guess getting my old metabolism and my flat stretch mark free belly back is not going to happen either.
i guess i can live with that.
i do need to lose some weight though. not for health or beauty reasons, but for the "youngest child uses my belly roll as a security blanket" reason. he has to rub my bare belly when he is near me. in fact he has even gotten to the point of pulling his shirt up and exposing my unsightly belly and laying tummy to tummy. this was so cute when i was nursing, but the kid is going on 3, and my belly is not something i want out there for the world to see. i don't know what to do. the hubby thinks it is not normal. then again, he thought nursing a baby was not "normal" either. i changed his tune on that one! so maybe if i lose the weight, get a flat (uh i should add an er to that) stomach, he won't be so interested in it.

ok, i want to give a shout out to hawaii, texas, missouri, north carolina, and new jersey! thanks for coming by regularly (or not so regularly) to see my little old blog! much appreciated!
and amanda, i would be down there in a second if i could! that is one of the places i want to see so badly!
thanks to all who comment, and those who don't.

hubby had a dream

unfortunately it wasn't as uplifting and inspirational as MLK jr's.
let me start this by saying, my husband has some very vivid dreams, and they usually don't make much sense. i think it's from the oxygen deprivation (i believe he suffers from sleep apnea).
anyway, he woke up this morning and hugged me tight and told me how much he loves me. not that he doesn't do this every single morning, but this morning it was a little more intense.
in his dream, he and i decided to split up. according to him, it was a mutual decision. it didn't take him long to realize how insignificant and worthless his life is without me. (hehehe) he wanted to tell me he changed his mind and wanted to make it work. he couldn't find me. i disappeared. he spent the rest of his dream searching for me.
it's funny, i thought after the split he would have looked at the house and realized how clean and neat his life is without me. apparently he loves the chaos that is me!

today was a snow day. the kids were all out of school. i ended up with around 18 people for lunch...that includes myself and my sister in law and her 2 kids. (not the one that gave us the dog) if you do the math, i had a total of 14 kids in my care. that includes my five. my house was loud all day. it is cold in here still, and i am supposed to be getting it cleaned up for the superbowl party we are having. will this be possible? your guess is as good as mine. i am usually a pressure cleaner. ie, i clean right before people are supposed to show up. so i will be crazy tomorrow. today, i am going to play cards with all the in-laws. hubby is working late, and his family is playing texas hold'em. hubby is not really into playing cards. his family is pretty competative. we have a good time though. we laugh alot. usually at someones expense, but all in good fun.

i am totally snowed in. i love my 12 passenger van, but it sucks in the snow. any more than an inch of the white stuff and i am stuck in the house until it melts. last time it snowed about 4 inches, i was stuck for about a week...even though the snow had melted on the 3rd day. we live on a gravel driveway and when the snow packs into the rocks it turns to ice. everyone else can get around in their 4 wheel drive vehicles, and i am stuck at home with my red short-bus.

enjoy your weekend and GO GIANTS!!!

me and wally? yeah we hang out...

*disclaimer* this is something that has been on my mind for a while. it may or may not be correct. i don't claim to be completely informed on these subjects. these are just MY thoughts on these subjects *disclaimer*



ok, i know everyone and their brother is walmart bashing now, but i still shop there...alot. i know they aren't letting their employees unionize, but you know what? k-mart isn't union, i don't think target is either. most of those stores are not union. why is it ok to be totally against walmart for this, but these other stores get a free pass? i have heard that they don't give good enough benefits, aren't there alot of jobs that don't have great benefits? do we protest them too? these people who work at walmart are free to find other employment. they choose to work there. walmart has been good about hiring "undesirables". (meaning the elderly, mentally handicapped, physically handicapped) when you walk in the door, you see a huge wall full of pictures of missing persons. i don't know too many other stores that do that.
i don't work for walmart, and i don't hold stock either...but i do have a family member that has worked for walmart for many years. he has always been treated fairly as far as i know. if he hadn't, he would have found another job.
i am not condoning everything they do. the use of illegal aliens was wrong. but i think that was an isolated incident. if it wasn't, i hope someone rats them out on it.
as for raising minimum wage. all i see it doing is raising prices for everything. i know, i am uneducated on the subject. i am, i admit it. but the money comes from somewhere. i don't see why minimum wage should be a "living wage". i don't know about any of you, but even when i was 16 and working for hardee's, i was making more than minimum wage (min wage was $4.25 and i made $4.75). this is a base wage, a starter wage. why would you pay a teenager a "living wage"? (now, believe me when i say this, i am going by my own experiences here.) if we are talking adults, well, even fast food restaurants pay more for adults. if you can work during the day, you get paid much much more. in fact, i know of one mcdonald's that pays more than $10 an hour if you can work during the day. they have a tough time getting workers, so they pay more.
i know i am uneducated on both these subject. i am going by just my experiences. i am letting my wallet dictate my decisions. i can't help it. i am a stay at home mother of 5 kids. i live on a budget. raising of min wage doesn't change the size of my husband's check, but it does change the amount everything costs. at least that's how i see it.

bring it on 2008!

well, it is almost 2008 everybody! are you ready? resolutions? i don't usually do resolutions...but i figured this year should be different. after all i am going to be 30 this year.

1. i want to be more patient with my kids. i am tired of yelling all the time. i am tired of this being the only way to get their attention.

2. i am going to get healthy. i am going to exercise. i am going to be a more fit, and healthy role model for my children.

3. i am going to try to keep the house clean more. i am going to try to do better about getting rid of stuff we don't need, and keeping the house picked up.

that's it. that's my list. i know it's only 3 things, but they are major items in my life. basically i am going to become a total and completely new person.

well, maybe i won't go that far...just better the person i am.

as 2007 comes to a close, it makes me think of how my kids are all getting older. this coming year, my 2 girls are going to be 6 and 9...and that's just this coming month! my boys are going to be 12, 4, and 3. CRAZY!!!

jeff and i were talking about puberty today. you see, my almost 9 year old girl is getting oily hair. jeff didn't realize this is a sign of puberty in girls. he freaked when i told him. he thought that was something we didn't have to worry about for a few more years (like atleast 3 or 4). i told him about a friend of mine who started her period in 5th grade. we were 10. he almost passed out. to think his baby girl could be on the road to womanhood...ahhhh! so now i have to think of ways to have "the talk" with her. jeff had it with our oldest. i get the girls. how do i say "you are becoming a woman, but not really a woman yet"? i mean, puberty is the start womanhood, but you really aren't an adult. you aren't even mature physically as a woman until late teens, right? i just want to make sure she knows more than i did when i was a kid. i had no idea what a menstrual cycle was until we learned about it in school. NO IDEA! my mom never told me anything about any of the changes happening in my body. i was totally freaked out by it. i want to make sure my girls feel like they can come to me about this stuff. my mom tried, i guess, but anything i asked about...the way she responded was more accusation than answer.
example: me "mom, i think i have a urinary tract infection".
mom "oh yeah? whatever" and she stomped out of the room.

why? well, later she told me she thought i wanted to tell the doctor to put me on the pill.
(by the way, she never did take me to the doctor for that. i got it treated a year later...when i was pregnant.)

but you know what? i have to thank her for that. this was a major example of the relationship i don't want to have with my kids.
thanks

a nephew, a trainer, and a black hole

well, my nephew will have surgery on his neck on wednesday. the family is giving blood, he has already needed 2 units, and they are wanting to be prepared in case he needs more.

i joined the gym my husband belongs to. with my membership came a visit with a personal trainer. trina was so very nice. we had a lot in common. she recently lost about 60 pounds, and was a stay at home mom, and she watched kids too. she totally kicked my butt too! i am not too sore yet, but i know it's coming! i need to get some cardio going today. she showed me how to work several machines, and some really good exercises for my whole body. she recommended several classes for me, and let me tell you, she totally rocks! if i had $100 extra a week, i would totally do the personal trainer route. (that gets you 3 sessions)

i think there is a black hole in my house. i have no idea how so much stuff comes up missing! it is seriously getting scary. it started out with shoes. ok, i can see how that could happen, we do have dogs after all. now, it's my broom. i am dead serious here! how do you lose a broom? i saw it in the living room...laying on the floor. the next morning it was gone. i have checked the house from top to bottom. i checked every bedroom (i do have a 2 year old and 3 year old), the laundry room, the basement, the garage, the bathrooms, i have checked EVERYWHERE! no sign of it anywhere. i guess i have to run out today and get a new one. i need to get out and get a new vacuum belt too. for some reason, the only bissell revolution belts jeff could find were way too big. so now i have to look all over and try to find one that works.

thank you for your continued prayers for my nephew and our family. it is very much appreciated.

stress extravaganza

i just have to hang on until the 11th. if i keep telling myself this, maybe i won't go totally nutso. of course i may already be.

what happens on the 11th? well you see, i called my step mom and asked her if she would mind if i made an appt for a haircut. seeing as she owns the shop, i always like to call her first. she tells me she will call me back about what day and time would be best. long story short (because the long story is long and boring) i am now going in at 9:30 for a pedi, facial, oh yeah and a haircut. is she not the best ever?

dawn's new girlfriend is in town. she is really nice. she had a horrible car accident last month. i say horrible because if you saw the car, you would have a hard time believing anyone lived. she had no major life threatening injuries. but she did have extensive damage to her left hand. the doctor said it looked like she stopped her car with her hand. she lost her index finger because it was so damaged. she broke no bones. she just had muscle trauma and major road rash on her hand. she is lucky to be alive.

i was not good company last night. we went out for jason's birthday to o'charley's. home of the kids eat free deal. being as i have 5 kids, this helps when going out as a family. but wait there's more. i also had 4 extra kids. why? well one of the girls i watch, her mom goes to school in the evening. her mother watches the kids normally because her hubby works until 9 or 10. her mother couldn't watch the kids. she had no one else to ask, so of course i said yes. she's a nice lady trying to better herself. her kids are nice kids. they were all fairly well behaved. i just was done with kids. you know you can tell when you are getting pretty stressed. i can atleast. i can feel it in my chest. i had that feeling last night. my sister in law (kim the funny one) asked me if i was ok. sure i am. but, i was thinking i might like another table...closer to the bar. she cracked up. she knows. she's lots of fun. we are definitely getting out for a girls night sometime soon.

oh rachel, no one knows about this, and i hope they never do. i wouldn't be able to make fun of them as easily if they know i'm saying it for the whole webworld to see. so shhhh!

oh yeah, i found out my dad had colon cancer. he had it removed on monday, and found out yesterday it was cancerous. they got it all, and he doesn't have to do anything else right now. but he has to have another colonoscopy done in a year. thank god my step mom kept on him about getting the test done in the first place!

vet

haley recently told me that she wants to be a vet when she grows up. after taking the dogs to the vet yesterday, i think i am going to hold her to it. that way, instead of having to spend $360 for sami to get her shots, her heartworm preventative, and frontline, and the puppy to get her first round of shots, she would do it cheaper (for her favorite mom in the whole world), and she would have lots of money to take care of her dear parents in their old age. $360 seems like alot to me. am i crazy? this is with her only getting 6 months worth of frontline. and to have her spayed...another $180. jeff actually made the appt. why did i send him? oh wait, i remember, he didn't want to stay home with all the kids. so now i have to cancel the appt and find a place that does it cheaper. seriously, it would be cheaper to let her just keep having puppies. i also think i would rather do all the shots we can at home. it would be much cheaper, and easier on me. have you ever tried to get just one dog and 5 kids in a vet's office, and then again in the little exam room? not an easy feat. we would still have to bring them in for their rabies shots, but that's nothing. by the way, black sally weighs 15lbs. this is how much the rest of the puppies weighted 2 weeks ago. i am hoping this means that she won't get any bigger than sami. she ended up weighing 75lbs. considering how she looks right now, she is at the perfect weight.
i guess i just need to foster haley's love of animals. so for christmas, she will be getting any animal loving present i can come up with.

staying home

i love being a stay at home mom. i'm glad we are able to do it. it isn't always easy financially or emotionally, but it is definitely where i want to be....right now. there are some definite draw backs...
1) i don't get alot of adult time. i feel like a junky sometimes when i see other grown ups. i start jonesin' for a adult conversation fix. just to talk to someone i don't have to tell what to do, or explain why they have to do it, when they need to do it, and how they need to do it would be heaven. it has gotten better, though. since i don't have a new baby or pregnant, i am able to go out with some of the parents i know. i don't know why it stopped me in the past, but it did.

2) i don't feel like i can complain to my husband. i know what you are thinking, "why would you not complain to your hubby?". that's easy to answer, he has to work alot. not as much as he did before, but still alot. his job is a stress filled one. when you work on commission, it will always be stressful, but, when you have a wife who stays home with your 5 kids, it becomes just a wee bit more so.

3) i get alot of kid time. some days, perhaps a bit too much. i seriously can't go to the bathroom without someone right there behind me saying "hey mom". my kids think when a door is locked, it means that we want them to just get the key and come in anyway. i don't even get to sleep in my bed without kids. some days, you can't throw a stick without hitting a kid.

4) i know that these are the best years of my life. these are my babies and they are only young for such a short time. i am scared i am not enjoying my kids enough. you see, i am with them all day. i am worried that by being with them all the time, i don't get a chance to sit back and see them for the great kids they are. (atleast not until someone else tells me)

i hate feeling this way. my kids are my life...literally. i have a hard time being away from them. i can't say i don't get away...i have a great family that loves spending time with my kids. my step mom and dad actually take all 5 overnight. yes you heard right, all 5 (ages 2 thru 11) all night, and they even take the kids out places with them! my step mom actually took all 5 a couple of weeks ago, over night, and my dad wasn't even there to help out. just her and my little bro. (he may be 26, but he acts like 11 sometimes) even with the kids gone, i have no idea what to do with myself. i don't know how to do things without being interrupted 10 times. i will suddenly look around trying to find the little ones, only to remember they are out. i have had a baby on my hip, or in the oven for 12 years (in december). they have been the best 12 years. maybe i am just a little scared about what comes next?