i am back for another exciting post.

i finished up a bunch of books. kelley armstrong, patricia briggs and a bunch of short stories (trying to find some new authors to try). loved all of the books. they kept me from being able to post, or clean, or cook, or well, pretty much anything.

the kids spent the weekend with my dad and stepmom. they had a blast, and came home all the richer. they spent most of the weekend getting the yard ready to open the pool. i guess grace was such a pain that they actually paid her to sleep. seriously, i think that should tell her she has a problem with whining. will she take the hint? i doubt it.

hubby had to work on sat, and went golfing with buddies on sunday...and had tball practice. so he was wiped out.

we lost 2 chickens over the weekend. josh's rooster and one of the polish crested hens. no major loss there, the rooster was starting to get mean, and the hen only laid a couple times a week...but i would like to know what happened to them. there were feathers in the yard but no sign of what took them. ah, well, like i said, no major loss. we have a bunch in the basement ready to go out, and more on the way in june.

the pigs are doing well. well enough i guess. they a tearing up the pen like nobody's business. and they really aren't getting that friendly. haley needs to work with them a lot more.

that's pretty much it for us right now. i'll try to remember to post more. but honestly, my life has been pretty boring as of late, and i don't have much to say.

in the last 4 days i have had 2 kids down with a stomach bug. not the nice kind where you throw up once or twice...no, they had the "puke on the floor/couch/bed/mom" kind. lovely, i know. they couldn't hold down anything. the littlest sip of water would cause them to start all over again. in fact, when i got "it" it was still cold. zack had snuck someone else's tea, and it didn't even get time to warm up to body temp. how sad/disgusting is that? i am hoping and praying that it ends here. i am washing all the blankets and the couch today, scrubbing the floor, and probably taking multiple showers today. no extra kiddos today. i called all the parents yesterday and told them what was going on. they decided they didn't want it in there houses. friday, i was up with grace until 5am. she not only was puking, but couldn't make it to the bathroom and i guess forgot about the bowl she had to use. so i had to clean the floor/couch for her a couple of times.


i guess the good thing about having puking kids is that i'm not hungry...in the slightest. i had to force myself to eat, and even then didn't eat much. hard to have much of an appetite when i've been cleaning that up. so no snacking between meals for me!


funny but embarrassing story. i found out one of my children has a very big mouth. my sister in law was telling me about how one of my kids was telling her that "mommy and daddy lock the door to their bedroom alot". hubby's family is pretty funny. they started laughing hysterically, and my face turned BRIGHT red.

the we played cards. and they found other things to laugh about.

ok, i am re-reading the 5 books i read on sunday and monday. let me tell you, charlaine harris is a fantastic writer. i can really get into her books. i started reading the "sookie stackhouse" series, and i can't wait to read the other 3 books that i haven't read yet. i really to love her style. i grew up reading stephen king and dean kontz, and of course anne rice...but i think i like this series much more. her books are anything but predictable. that is something i have found lacking lately. most of my normal "fave" authors are so, well, predictable. in the first chapter or two, you can pretty much figure out what is going on and who caused it...and how it will be resolved. not so with these stories. (at least not for me) i haven't watched the hbo series "trueblood" but i am looking forward to it...as long as it can compare to the books.


the kids are going to with my step-mom tomorrow night. my dad is leaving today for virginia beach, and so she volunteered to keep the kids for us. so very nice of her. so hubby and i are trying to figure out what to do.

haley is spending the night at the zoo with the girl scouts. she's so excited! i would be too if i was her. seriously, that's my idea of a fantastic night! lucky kid!
she got glasses over the weekend. they look really cute on her. so grown up. uh, too grown up if you ask me. i think i'd rather her be blind.


alex did well in the math competition. he tied for 3 with three of his friends out of the kids from our school. there were several other schools that were represented. he did great. we were so proud of him.

grace started indoor soccer. they lost their first game. they were surprised, but i'm glad. this team deserved to win.

sorry, i had to go outside. the new little girl was telling me about the new gray kitty sleeping in the garage. well, since smoke was where i could see him...and there are no other gray cats around...i had to check it out. hubby was just leaving when i was out there...and had to flag him down to help me because the cat wasn't a cat...


it was a possum. sleeping in an old towel in the trailer for josh's little ride-on tractor. i ended up pushing the trailer out with a shovel, and then tried to get it towards the woods. unfortunately, it woke up when i accidentally dumped it. whoops! and then it looked up at me, snuffled back to the towel, and tried to go back to sleep. i guess i don't cut a very imposing figure! when i pushed it with the shovel, it took off to the woods. i followed it halfway to make sure it made it. it wasn't very big, smaller than smoke.. poor baby. hope it finds a better place than my garage to sleep tonight!

my oldest asked me the other day if he had to participate in a math competition. i guess it's something all the local catholic grade schools do. grades 6 through 8 get to answer questions and compete (if you are in 8th grade) for scholarships to the catholic high school. sure you can i said. let me know when it is and i'll be there.





i guess i missed the intention of his question. he doesn't want to do it. all he would tell us is he "just doesn't want to do it". so we kept pressing and finally he said he just doesn't like being the center of the attention.



i don't believe that for a second. if he issues with that, we would have seen that in other things like shooting free throws after a penalty in basketball, or batting in baseball...i think he is afraid of not being "smart", or maybe being too smart. i think he's scared of being considered dumb, so he just sits back and does the little that he has to to get by.



then haley chimed in with how she and alex were both in the spelling bee...and neither of them wants to do that well. well enough, but not so well that they have to compete on a larger level. i don't get it. they are so competitive against each other...and in sports...but when it comes to academics, they want to sit back and watch.



this is the exact OPPOSITE of what i've been trying to instill in them. i love that they enjoy playing sports and all, but learning is WAY WAY WAY more important. i have extremely intelligent children and i want them to be smart. i want them to know they are smart and be confident in it. what am i doing wrong?



hubby told alex if he wants to play baseball in the summer, he better compete at the math competition. not sure i agree with that. i want him to actually want to do well. not be forced into it. i tried to tell him if he wanted any chance of going to the local catholic high school that he has to do well with these things and try for scholarships. we don't have an extra 7 or 8 grand just lying around to spend on one year of school for him. i don't want to add lots of pressure either.



i understand that it's hard to get up in front of people like that and compete. been there done that. i didn't like it either. i still have a hard time in front of people. my face gets bright red and hot. i lose my train of thought. my hands shake. and on rare occasions i break into a rash. it's not a pretty picture. i don't want them to be like that. i want them to be comfortable in front of groups. that's why i am totally for the kids reading in front of church. which is basically the whole school. they get to see everyone makes mistakes during their readings...everyone messes up once and a while.



i just wish i knew what the right thing to do is.

miracle monday

well, i'm a little late, but here it is...

on december 24 of '07, my nephew had a horrific car accident. he was driving his car too fast, and of the 3 kids in the car, one had no injuries to speak of, one died, and my nephew had a broken neck, and a fractured skull with major brain trauma. we spent the entire holiday and several days just praying for him to live...and several weeks praying for him to not be paralyzed and months praying for him not to have have major memory loss or loss of brain function. he was a brilliant kid. he was a gifted athlete. we were hoping and praying that we wouldn't be saying "was" for ever.


fast forward to today...he is in college going for a degree in engineering. he is walking and has no major issues from his accident. (aside from some weight loss that he is trying to gain back still) he has had some battles with depressions, and with adjusting, but he is doing well now.

it's so hard to believe he has come so far in such a short time.!

well, the youngest has pneumonia. yes i know what a horrible mom i must be...my mom and mil have called me a couple of times each in the first 24 hours of finding out he has a very mild case...like he's on a regular antibiotic that the rest of the kids have been on for things from ear infections to strep throat. so please forgive me for not totally freaking out and crying and lamenting on how i am the most horrible mom ever. i mean, if i did that when only one of my kids has ever had it...well, what would that say about my sister in law (both of her kids have it at least once every single year). i don't want to cast dispersions, or make it sound like i don't care, but he has a cough...he had a fever all weekend (started monday and ended 3 hours after his first dose of antibiotics) and is now coughing a little more, but i figure that's a good thing.

and he is yelling for me right now to wipe his butt. i love being a mom.

ok, i'm back. he's doing so much better. he's back to his old self...and i am so happy. well, i am off to fix some lunch and take care of some kiddos!

well, we are down to 15 chickens. i gave away the big white ameraucana rooster. the lady that took him asked me if i was sure...he was beautiful and she was planning on showing him...uh, yeah...he tried to spur my 12 year old in the face...can't have a bird that's like that. i have too many little kids around to have that kind of aggressive bird around. she is our project leader in poultry. she said we may find that we have problems with whoever steps up to the top of the pecking order. she also recommended that i "get rid" of all but one rooster. that means the 5 of the 6 roosters we have left. well, haley wasn't too happy...and josh cried for about 20 minutes...until i told them that i wouldn't "get rid" of their roosters...yet. haley's rooster she has eating out of her hand...but he pecks everyone's hands when he comes close to you now. he's a nice looking rhode island red (well except that his comb isn't perfect), so if you know anyone that would like a nice rooster...let me know. josh's is a beautiful ameraucana rooster. but he's not a solid color so he can't be shown. he's a beautiful white with black splashes. he's actually pretty nice too. i mean if my 4 year old can pick him up and hold him in his lap and pet him? he's got to be pretty good. as for the other roosters? they are all polish crested. not much meat to them. i'm not sure what to do with them. i would like some whole chickens for cooking, but i don't know if they would be worth it. haley's and josh's would be, but i don't know that i can do that to them right now.

i had the kids put the chickens out the other day. it was really pretty out and i thought they would like getting out. they did. of course the kids were all gone and i looked up and saw it was dark...and the chickens were still out. so i got my coat, grabbed a bucket of feed, and went out to bring in the chickens. they were all huddled in the corner..but i heard a rustle in the opposite corner. so i went over to make sure it wasn't one of the darker ones hiding in the dark corner...nope, it wasn't. then i saw movement at the top of the pen...it was an opossum. well, it took me a couple of seconds to react, well, correctly. at first i was going to grab it by it's tail and look at it a little closer (not a smart move). i stopped myself, held the bucket in both my hands and hit that little sucker as hard as i could off the top of the pen (without spilling the food).

*question: do opossums eat chickens? i mean like pretty much full grown chickens? i could see them getting some chicks, but they are more scavengers than hunters (i think). *

it was pretty funny though. i told my hubby about it and he gave me a hard time about it. "what if it was a mom with babies in her pouch?" "maybe you should go look and see if you knocked any out when you hit her". no no, dear reader, he isn't really worried about that little creature. he just knows that they are one of my favorite animals, and was surprised i was so protective of the chickens i guess. or he just likes giving me a hard time. yeah, i think that's more like it.

now we are ordering more chicks from http://www.ideal-poultry.com/ (thanks jayedee). we are getting some quail belgian d'anver bantams, and some buckeyes. please don't tell the hubby! he's wasn't too happy when i said something about getting some different ones. so i figure when they get here in march, he should have forgotten by then.

good pic of the bantams here http://www.waidinmiki.com/Ryan/Ryan.html

good pic of the buckeyes here http://www.mypetchicken.com/images/product_images/Large/buckeye-bc.jpg

now i'm not a huge fan of the buckeyes. they don't look very cool to me. i really tried to talk him into getting some black australorps. they are really pretty with shiny black feathers. http://www.mypetchicken.com/images/ChickenPix/medium/FRE_AstlrpCk_1_M.jpg
but he's raising them, so i'm trying to let him choose. i tried to talk him into the japanese bantams too. http://www.freewebs.com/professorchickensbreeds/japwheatenpair.jpg. well, i hope he does well with them.

i have to go. zack is going to the doctor today. he's been running a fever since friday, with a cough and runny nose...oh and throwing up a couple of times too. saturday night his fever was 104.6...and it only went down to 104.2 an hour after his dose of motrin. i had to put him in the tub to get it down. talk about freaking me out. i hate it when they get sick! especially when we haven't gotten the new insurance card yet. we have insurance, they just haven't sent our card to us yet.

happy new year to all of you!

how did we celebrate? well, hubby worked until like 9 because for some strange reason all kinds of people want to enter the new year with cars that work and new tires and stuff. my brother came out and hung out with us at my in-law's house. he even spent the night...although i don't think he will be doing it again any time soon. something about trying to sleep on the couch with 4 kids one of which is so WIDE AWAKE he keeps asking you if you "want to watch this movie" or "uncle chris, you have to see this part!". all night long folks. i took him home at around 10 so he could actually sleep. it was really nice having him around.

my 4h meetings went well. there isn't much to say about the swine meeting...i have one other kid in there with my haley. it's funny...they are the same age and have the same last name...and yet are not related at all. now what's really funny is that this other little girl has the name we actually had talked about for our haley. anyway, we talked about what to expect with their pigs, how to choose, what they would need to do...most of it was stuff she could find out from her dad (his family raised pigs when he was younger).

the crochet meeting went well. i had 3 girls, and 2 of their moms stayed to help me. thank goodness. they needed some help! i wasn't sure how much they would know before the meeting...but i had to show them how to do it all. it made me a little self-conscious because apparently i hold my hook completely different than anyone else. i hold it like a pencil. none of the other moms did. and the 2 girls that had a little (i mean very little) experience were getting confused by the way i explained how to do it. i don't know, by the end of the hour, they were getting the hang of it. they each had projects they wanted to start...and i don't know if they were ready for it or not, but 2 of them started them. the other girl was still trying to get the hang of it. i think once she gets it, she's going to do really well.

well, i have high hopes for '09. i don't make resolutions anymore...i don't keep them. so i'm just going to make plans. plans for a bigger garden this year, plans for teaching my 4h groups, plans for our family...you know, hopes for a better year.

hope you all had a great 2008, and an even better 2009!

wow, it's been a while! the hubby had an interesting time at his training. he met people from several of the surrounding states. many were very interesting, some were a little freaky. he wasn't excited about going at first, but once he was there he was learning so much, he was actually really glad he went. he said the instructor told him "i'm sure i'll be seeing you in the near future. i can usually tell when someone is on the right track and you are on it". so hopefully they will be calling him back up there in the near future for more training...then he gets to go on to being a store or shop manager.

christmas was very hectic. we had my MIL's house on christmas eve, and then went to my aunt nancy's, hubby's aunt nancy's, and my grandma's house all on christmas day. it made for a very very long day, but the kids had a great time seeing all their cousins.

we have a scavenger hunt every year for the kids. they wake up in the morning and find santa's note, then all the clues that santa leaves through the house (and sometimes outside). they have a great time, and it makes it more fun. they don't get many presents at our house. just one from santa, one from us, and they each pick a name and buy a present for that brother or sister. this year alex bought for haley, haley bought for josh, grace bought for zack, josh bought for grace, and zack bought for alex. it makes it a little harder, you know, taking each one out to buy for one of the other kids...but they love it. they have a better time buying for each other, and watching them open up the present they picked out, than they do opening their own presents. i have to say, i have a better time watching them open the presents from their brothers and sisters than i do watching them open the ones i picked.

i have my first group meetings for 4H this coming week. one for the swine group, and one for the crochet group. i am a little nervous...well, a little more than a little. i am trying to make sure that i teach these kids what they need to know. but i'm not sure that i know enough to be teaching them anything. i have a kid in each group that has a parent that probably knows way more than i do...and yet i am in charge. the swine group i will probably not have that many meetings with. i just wanted to have one to kind of let them know what they need to have before they get their piglet, and what to look for in a piglet. but i don't really know that much about that either. the other girl's dad probably knows more than i do about that...so i think i will ask him to tell the kids what to look for. as for the crochet group, i need to teach them stitches...and i guess i will have them start with a simple single crochet. i just wish i had a project book that had beginners projects in it. i think i may just have them start out practicing some stitches, and then start a project at the next meeting. i know i will have to have at least one meeting a month for them. this way, if they want to try doing a project like a baby blanket, or a real blanket, well, they are going to need a little guidance.

well, i need to go and sanitize my house. i've had 2 sick babies at my house for the last week, and i need to get rid of all the germs. if they are going to be coming here on monday, i'd like to have the house germ-free.

merry christmas all! and happy new year too!

hello? anyone there?

hello there! well, it's been a busy week or so here at the zoo!

friday was our "breakfast for dinner with santa". i know, the name isn't the greatest. i have no idea why they couldn't come up with anything a little...um...snappy-er. but it is accurate. we had pancakes and sausage for dinner...and the kids were able to get their picture with santa. of course alex didn't want to go...so i didn't make him. i figured he got his "just desserts" by me not making dinner and his friends were all there having a great ol' time...and i let him know it. haley didn't want to look like a baby..even though a bunch of her friends had a big group picture with santa. i don't know what her deal was. but she was super helpful and i was so happy she was there. i pretty much talked the whole time i was there. well, until the work had to be done for the craft fair. we set up tables and chairs...we cleaned up...we brought in waters...it took a couple of hours. it probably wouldn't have taken as long if there wouldn't have been 10 kids (and one dad) playing basketball while we were trying to work. poor paul, he had been working out of town all week and came home just in time for his wife to have him come up and work setting up tables and measuring and well, work.

the craft fair went well. it looked very busy. i don't think it was as busy as we had hoped (another craft fair was going on at the same time across town...with santa arriving by HELICOPTER in the morning) but it was better than the first one we did. my sil did well with the doll clothes. i think there were other people that also did well...and there were people that didn't sell a darn thing. i got a couple of things. not much. i'm not sure i spent more that $20 but well, i can't see spending a bunch o'money on stuff i have no need for or that i can make myself. i worked there from 12:30 until about 5:30.

sunday we made cookies at my mil's house. i totally screwed up some snicker-doodles (added twice the amount of butter needed) but my sil fixed them and all was well. they actually turned out really good and fluffy looking. we cooked up there until 9, then i went home with the little guys. (hubby had already taken the older ones home) i love to make cookies. i really really do.

now i am getting ready for tomorrow...josh is joseph in his pre-k play and he has 2 lines in it. he is a little nervous and doesn't like to talk about it. the other kids were disappointed because it's at 11, and they don't get to see it. the girls are in their program on thursday too. haley is a narrator. she has more lines than any one else in the program. grace gets to sing. that is at 2 and again at 7. poor hubby, he has to miss all of them. he works 11 to close (like 9:30) and so he doesn't get to see anything. i'm going to get the video camera going and tape it (hopefully ) for him.

this friday the kids are supposed to spend the night at my dad's house and make cookies with my step mom's parents. well, haley has a girl scout christmas meeting that night. they are exchanging gifts and going caroling. so now i have to let my dad and stepmom know that she's not going to be there right away. hubby is off and i was planning on going out with him, but i'm not sure i will be able to since we may have to take haley over to grandma and grandpa's.

this sunday is the annual cookie bake at my grandma's house. it's also the day my hubby is going to chicago for training with work. i have to drop him off at 10 am sunday morning. he doesn't get back until sometime thursday evening. so i will be a single mom for almost 5 days. i am not looking forward to it. at least i will have lots of cookies to drown my sorrows in!

well, i got more than half of my shopping done! that usually doesn't happen. i guess i should say, i have more than half of my expected shopping done, because i always forget something or someone.
i went shopping on friday with my mom and sister. we had such a great time. i didn't buy much (just 3 regular sized shopping bags). between the two of them, let's just say it was a good thing i drove my big 12 passenger van. they needed the room!
my sis and i had a great time. we were funny and sarcastic, and i think my mom appreciated it. even if most of it was directed at her. she cracked up, and cut up, and it was really one of the best times i've had with them. mom teased me about being prepared and having a list...kate and i teased her about her taste in gifts.


i cleaned out the turtle tank (filter died and it smelled quite funky) and gave them some new plants and fish to clean the tank and some for them to eat. it looks lovely! i gotta say, i do like just watching them when it's clean of course. i bought 8 guppies, but actually came home with about 20 because they don't charge for the babies! how lucky is that? so i made sure i got enough plant material for the babes to hide in until they get bigger and procreate and then get eaten. does that sound callous?


i finished the book i had been reading. it was Queen by alex haley. very good book. it was the story of his grandma. she was born a slave and was freed during the civil war. it starts with her grandpas (her irish owner, and one of his slaves) and then her mom and dad, and then tells of her story to find herself. she could pass for white, but didn't fit in, and basically her story of finding where she belongs. it's a great read!

that was my weekend! poor hubby is stuck working 6 days (10 hour shifts) and i feel bad for him...but i'm not complaining! we know too many people out of work right now, and too many facing the possibility of losing their jobs!

hope everyone's thanksgiving was wonderful!

miracle monday

today i want to tell you about my husband's aunt. she is one of the most remarkable people i have ever met. she has one of the biggest hearts and i want to be like her so much!

aunt "em" and her husband married and moved to another state. he was in the military. they tried for 5 or 6 years to start a family, then decided to adopt. they adopted a healthy little boy first, then when he was about 10 months old, they started the process again. this time they were adopting a little girl. when they were finalizing the paperwork, she found out she was pregnant. baby number three was born less than a year after adopting baby number 2! she had 3 little babies under the age of 3! and that was just the beginning! they moved back home to missouri where they went on to add babies numbers 4 through 10 in the years following. as hectic as life must have been, she always was there for everyone in the neighborhood and family. her home is a warm and loving place where all are always welcomed. she now has 30 grandkids, with one more on the way. her children are her children whether they were adopted or born to her...or just friends of her kids that needed a mom. i don't know if i have ever seen anyone so in love with her family. she sees most of her kids everyday. they stop by on their way home from work to see her. to see if she needs anything. just to be around her. they have one of the most special families i know. i see the love she brings to the world around her and well, she is truly a miracle.

for more miracles, visit beth at http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/.

so far so good! the hubby still is likin' the new job. i mean, if the man can get out of bed and be at work by 6:30 in the morning (this includes a 45 minute commute), well he must REALLY like the new job. that or he's living off a "new job" high. probably the latter. this week he's working 6 days...at 10 hours a day he's making some good money.

sunday we went to visit my mom and grandparents...my two aunts...and my uncle and his little girl...and my sister and her husband and their 3 girls. we had a pretty good time. i love my family. they are a little off their rockers, but i love them anyway. my mom asked me if we were really thinking about getting a bulldog.
me: no. no dogs.
her: well i thought i heard you guys were looking and i thought i might get one for santa to give to the kids.
me: santa would be taking it back with him. i don't want another dog. it hasn't even been a year since we got rid of the last dog. no way.
her: well haley really misses having a dog.
me: she can have all the dogs she wants when she has her own house. i am tired of being the only one that takes care of it. i don't have time and i have too many little ones in my house. no way.
her: yeah i guess you guys are pretty busy.

i am glad we had this discussion when i wasn't PMSing. i might have been a little more ummm pissy(?). i don't want any more dogs. i am tired of neighbors complaining about dogs. i am tired of cleaning up after dogs. i am tired of petting dogs. i am tired of dogs. i have too many kids to deal with...that want and need my attention, i don't need a dog wanting and needing attention too.

that being said, tiger, our cat disappeared last week. i thought he went up to the in-laws, but they hadn't seen him either. no one has seen him. i am hoping someone found him, thought he was a sweet little stray and kept him. i am totally fine with that. he's a sweetheart. he wants lots of love and attention. i think he was getting tired of all the little guys' attention (perhaps being worn as a hat didn't suit him?) and he left for greener pastures. i hope that's the case. i think some of the local toms were giving him some trouble too. he was coming of age, and i guess they didn't want the competition. well, we still have smokey. he's got his little house on our front porch and he's loving life. he is a gorgeous gray with green eyes. he's smaller boned. i'm thinking about getting him fixed...but it seems that as soon as i put money into a cat they die...so i'm not so sure i want to do that. so far he's doing good. but i think he's a little lonely. maybe he needs another friend.

hubby would kill me if i bring home another cat.

still have 16 chickens. they have grown more, and i haven't noticed as much fighting. that may be because the crests are starting to cover their eyes more. i hope that the other roosters don't start picking on them. i need them looking good for the fair.

i found out i have 4 kids in my swine group. i am kind of nervous about having a meeting. i don't really know anything about pigs. add the fact that one of the kids has a dad that was a pig farmer...well, yeah, i'm a tad nervous.

IT'S ALMOST FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my dad, my little brother, and my kids, are almost finished with the chicken coop. they had to work on it at my dad's house because, well, my brother is not allowed to leave the house. (long story, and not mine to tell) anyway, they started on it saturday, and for the most part, it's done. it just needs the nest boxes, and some stain, and i think i may put in some linolium (for cleaning). that's it! well, it needs a door, and it needs to be moved to my house.

my dad had the kids all help him. he was really impressed by zack though. he said zack was hammering like a champ. he was most impressed with the way he did it correctly (bending his wrist). how many 3 year olds do you know that can do that? shoot, i'm 30 and i can't!


alex leaves on friday for his "birthday present" trip with my stepmom. alex still doesn't know where he's going! i don't think he would ever check my blog...but i don't trust the kid so i won't say until friday where he's going.

this is bookfair week. i already have been there, and helped out. but i have to go back on thursday for the "family night" event. my sister in law and i run that. it's pretty easy. really really easy. all we do is make dinner for about 200. no sweat! we usually have about 6 helpers, and that's plenty. the money we raise goes to our library, and buying tests for the kids.

and apparently this is also the first day for the runners club at school. i thought it didn't start until next monday. i still have to send in all the sign up stuff to school. and bring clothes and snack and water up for my kids that are doing it.

that's about it for now!

miracle monday (and some other stuff)

the kids are home. they had a great time...you know, almost dying on the river.
that's how they put it...almost dying on the river.
i guess the river is a little high, and well, a little cold. they got the raft stuck under a tree. as it filled with water, my dad said all he saw were the little faces in the raft with him..."thank God i brought the kids that can swim" was what he was thinking. (he brought my 3 oldest...and skipped my 2 neices that are in between haley and grace)


this actually happened when i was a kid, too. except when i was a kid, the raft popped. my dad went under, along with the cooler, and for several terrifying seconds, we didn't know if he was going to come back up.

he did, and he still had the cooler. priorities man! the cooler had all the beer! (the soda was in the kids' cooler).

only half of the raft popped. but it was next to impossible to paddle. so they gave it to us kids, and we took an extra couple of hours (no joke) to paddle it back.

*the place we rented the raft from actually tried to make us pay for the raft...saying that we did it on purpose. i don't think we ever went back there after that.

those were some of the best hours...just me and zack and caleb (my dad's friend's 2 sons that were so very very very cute).

that is one of my most favorite childhood memories. i'm not sure why my dad almost drowning in a river would be, but it is.

anyway, back to the kids. they had a great time. no raft popping, just one lost fishing pole, some name calling, and lots of laughing and fun.

next weekend, my dad gets to help us build a chicken coop.

whooo-hooo! i am so glad he's home from detroit!

now i have to design it, and decide where it will go.

do i put it directly behind the neighbor's house? or ours? or do i move it all the way down by nathan's? who should i stick with the stink?

anyway, hope everyone had a great weekend!

**beth, i'm not sure if this would be considered miraculous...if you don't think it is, feel free to delete the link.

the bestest doctor ever!!!!

hello all. i think everyone has had experiences with doctors that were less than ideal. my first ob/gyn was not the most friendly...he treated my questions as annoyances. perhaps that had to do with the fact i was 17 and a senior in high school. most of the people he saw were welfare recipients and/or teens. i guess it's understandable...but, well, i wanted...no i needed more than that.
then i found the bestest doctor ever. i was 19 and pregnant with my second child. we had decent insurance at that time. this doctor had really long hair he wore in a ponytail. he was very talkative, and i probably know more about him than i know about my own father. that being said, the man listens. he loves babies. oh, did i mention he listens? he has a great bedside manner. he delivered my middle 3 kids.
then our insurance changed. i had to find a new doctor. the new doctor i found was adequate. he was a 5 minute appt man. in and out in 5 minutes. no time to answer questions. when i told him about my 4 previous labors, and some of the issues and what we did that worked, well, he smiled and said "uh-huh". let's just say, i was not impressed with him, or his 2 partners (2 of the 3 women i mentioned above).
i realized how special my other doctor was. well, not just him, his whole staff. i went back for the first time today for a regular check up. only one change in staff has happened since last time i was there...4 years ago. his wonderful (seriously if she had been an ob/gyn, i would have gone to her) nurse died of cancer a few years ago. she was just like him. you could talk to her. she was there when i was having bleeding when i was pregnant with josh. she was there for me when we had some family issues to work out. she was truly a wonderful woman.
ok, back to my doctor. he is a doctor that takes his job seriously. i may have to wait an hour in the waiting room, but if it was me in labor, i would want him to be there for me like that. in fact he was, 3 different times. his care is worth the wait.
anyway, if you live in the st. louis area.. and are looking for a great doctor, let me know. i'll give you his name!!!

change is on the horizon

i'm not sure why, but i know some big changes are coming for our little corner of the universe. not "the" change for me...at least i don't think that's it...more like something is coming. i'm not sure what, i'm not sure why, but i can feel it. i'm hoping it's just a weight and inches change...but it feels bigger than that. i can't say if it's good or bad...just that something is coming.

soccer is going well. we had our first practice tues, and another one tonight. the guy helping me is really nice (i'll just call him coach d). but, well, a tad on the boring side. i kind of let him take the lead, and i think that was a bit of a mistake on my part. not major, he coaches his older son's team, so he just has his way, and i have mine. i think kids learn by doing. he likes to make them listen to him explain...and explain...and explain some more. out of the hour, i think the kids got to use the ball for maybe half the time. maybe. i just don't work that way. 4 and 5 year olds want to do, not be told how do it. they don't know how do dribble the ball, or kick it in the goal. they have no clue how to pass it to their team mates. that's not something you can explain. they have to try it. he wants to test them on what a corner kick is, or a fullback kick. uh, hello? they are 4 and 5. i didn't even know what they were until 2 years ago. they just need to get the basics of a) kick the ball b) don't touch it with your hands. this is tough enough.
sorry, i kind of started ranting on you. it's my hubby's fault. if he just would have let me rant and rave about it tuesday night, i would have been over it by now. instead he told me it was all my fault, and to either change it or shut up about it. (well, a little nicer than that, but you get the idea)

alex has his first baseball game tonight. they actually started on tuesday, but he had been sick with a stomach bug, so he wasn't allowed to go. (no school, no sports is our motto) he's pretty excited. they won the first game, and they had just had a soccer practice right before the game. haley has practice today. i don't think grace has it tonight. i think she's just on tuesdays. they are all so excited about games starting the 6th.

our parish picnic is this sunday. i love the picnic. we always have so much fun, and see so many people. i help out with cutting the pies (home made pies) and jeff helps seat people at the dinner. kettle cooked beef that is the best stuff around. i don't know how they make it, but oh my gosh, it's heaven on a fork. yes, it really is that good. there is also fried chicken, hamburgers, liver and gizzards (blech!!) and so much more! and that's just the food. they have bands, and beer, and wine, and a kids' section with games and inflatable rides, and a "train". i must say, i love working there. you meet so many other people in the parish you may not normally come in contact with. the kids are excited about it too. alex gets to work it too. kids in 5th grade and up get assigned stuff to do. he's working by jeff. i got to start getting stuff from the garden, they always need tomatoes and anything else from the garden. they have a country store they sell fruit and veggies, and anything homemade. jellies/jams, breads, deserts, anything.

well, i'm off to pick up kids from school.

math? isn't that for geeks?

my kids started back at school today. *happy dance* i picked them up at 11 am. i know, why bother even starting the day if you are going to be out in just a few hours? this was the question my kids asked me. well, a school day is a school day. that's it. period.
alex asked me if i knew who his math teacher this year. well, duh...the same teacher you had last year, right? nope. guess who is in the accelerated math now. that's right. so i have 2 math whizzes. at least 2 so far. grace is no slouch. i have told my kids that math is pretty easy. well, maybe easy isn't the right word. math is constant. 2+2=4 that will not change. once you understand the principle, that's it. i wasn't a math genius, but i did alright.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i smell brownies.

oh yeah, that's right. i'm making brownies with chocolate chips in it. i'm celebrating my pounds dropped. a whole 3 pounds.
i'm going to pack them all back on!
hahahaha

i talked to the guy in charge of soccer. guess who volunteered to coach the prek/kindergarten boys soccer team. that's right. yours truly. haley's team is joining up with my niece's team. neither team had enough players. so it actually works out better for me. if i need to send haley with someone for her game...i just send her next door. perfect! hubby's boss is still alex's coach. i 'm not sure when they start practices, but i hope it's soon. he's going to be one tired little pup. with soccer and fall baseball, he's going to be tired.

josh is so happy. he gets to start school next week and he gets to start soccer too. i'm actually excited about coaching soccer this year. the first year or two are easy to coach. at least for me they are. i just cover the basics of the sport. i don't have to come up with plays. i have my whistle. i can yell pretty loud. i handle little guys all day long.

alex leaves for his fishing trip today. he's going with my mom. they both sound pretty excited about it. i need to talk to my brother though. i heard that my mom may have been saying unkind things about my dad and stepmom within earshot of my kids. or directly to my kids. if that's the case, well, we will be changing the amount and how my kids spend time with her without hubby or myself present. if it keeps happening, well, let's hope it's not happening at all. my kids come first. my kids love my dad and stepmom. i will not let her damage that. end of story.

and that, dear friends, is the end of my bloggy free time. until the next time!

free day

today was supposed to be a pretty light day for me. just one family. the others were all going to be out of town or parents were off of work for one reason or another (woohoo!). anyway, the only family i was supposed to have has a sick child and so the mom took off work to stay with them. so it's just me and my own kiddos!!!
what to do, what to do? well, right now, grace is killing some of the flies that have invaded my house. with so many kids running in and out all day, well, some obnoxious little buggers got in. (the bugs, not the kids) so now she is running around smacking them with the fly swatter. i think she gets 1 fly for every 10 swats, but she's the one doing it, not me. so who am i to complain.
alex is up taking a shower. haley is waiting for her turn. they are going with my dad and stepmom to the horse races. they have been cleaning all morning so they can have friends over this weekend. (works for me!)
josh and zack went with me to sign josh up for pre-k. he is so excited about starting school. sure, it's only 2 days a week, but he's in a class, making friends, and learning something. the poor kid has been asking when he can have friends over like the big kids. well, you have to actually have friends before you can ask them over to play. i don't know anyone with boys the same age as josh. soccer starts soon too. he'll have friends coming out of his ears.
zack has taken his second shower for the day. he had to get in when i was taking one this morning, and then had to get in with alex too. he may be the cleanest kid in the house.
so, i am hoping to figure out something fun for lunch. maybe we'll head to the park, or get some pizza or something. something different. i want to be able to sit back and have a good time with my little monsters today.
ok, scratch that...the older two were picked up a little earlier than originally planned. so i am getting papa john's pizza (mmmmmmm!) and then we are going to figure out something fun that they will enjoy. maybe grace's friend will spend the night, maybe we will play some parcheesi, maybe we'll go swimming. the choice is theirs my friends!

now, i am going to play with my kids! have fun today (it's beautiful here!)!

haley's lambs

haley did such a great job last night! i was so very very very proud of her! her lambs were in the first 2 weight classes (one was 90 and the other was 98 pounds). she also did the junior showmanship competition. her first lamb (the black one) one 4th place. her second lamb took 12th (out of 13). she did such an awesome job with these lambs.
for some reason they decided to do the showmanship competition first. haley's lamb was really spirited. i mean like jumping all over, knocked her down, in fact haley fell down on top of her lamb. now what really impressed me (and a lot of people in the stands) is that she never let go. she grabbed it's legs, yanked it back and took control. i got to tell you, i was almost in tears. watching my kids at the fair...i can't tell you how proud i am of them. they have been helpful to those around them, attentive to their animal's needs, and what else can i say?

don't get me wrong, they haven't been perfect. i have argued or yelled at them all...several times...each day. in fact i am yelling at one (actually both) while i am writing this. i am a tad stressed at the moment and have been threatening them continuously all day. i am starting to think i need to move past the threat level...into action level. i am really tired. can you tell? these late nights and early mornings are hard on all of us. ok, time to head back to the fair...wish us luck!