the chickens are gone. all of them. something pulled up the fence and took them all. had to be something fairly small, like a small dog or fox or raccoon or something. every last one of them though! no bodies, no blood, just gone.

sucks.

i guess i'll have to have the kids clean out the coop. maybe i'll get some more in the spring.

sucks though.

parenting a high schooler is sooooo much tougher. this past week we have had to have several different discussions about things like fighting being wrong (in most but not all situations), typed words do not convey sarcasm, lying to your parents to try to keep out of trouble will only land you in more trouble, and finally defriending your dad will not keep him from finding out the bad things.
little things i found out.
if you put things like "i want to kick your a$$" on facebook to someone and you go to a new jersey school, you are automatically suspended the first time and expelled the second.
depending on your school district policy, the same can happen in missouri.

well, my oldest is 15 now. has been for a almost 2 weeks. he had his first football game. he played both offensive line and defensive line. he didn't start the game, but he played part of the 2nd quarter and then the rest of the game. they won 43 to 8. pretty fantastic first game! we saw hubby's aunt and cousin at the game. the cousin's stepson played for the other team. he was an awesome player, but he didn't have support from the others on his team. i haven't been to a football game in about 15 years. i think i went to one after alex was born. i used to love going to the games...freshman year especially. there have been a few changes since then. cheerleaders uniforms are different, and there are more of them. pommers are now dancers and there are fewer of them. (only 7 out there) but i LOVED it. the day was beautiful and my kid was on the field.

i've been reading a lot lately. i've started reading a new author, Barbara Delinsky. her books are fantastic. very real life. i haven't read one yet that i've had to force myself to finish. they are pretty hard to put down. ones i've read~ together alone, woman betrayed, fingerprints, within reach, family tree, more than friends, suddenly, the woman next door, and while my sister sleeps. i don't think i could pick just one favorite...they were all pretty great in their own ways.

i've been thinking about my life more and more lately. with all of my kids at school, i should get a real job right? or go to school? i mean i still watch kids and all. hubby and i had a decent conversation about it last night. he had thought working at a daycare would be good for me. no. no thanks. is there anything wrong with daycare? probably not. but the reason i like what i do now is it's flexible, and these kids are mine when they are here. not mine for a year. mine until they stop coming. my sis-in-law works at a daycare and really likes it. she has the kids in her room until they turn 3. then they move on. i couldn't imagine giving up these guys before i have to. i like seeing the way they develop their own personalities and quirks. i like being a part of that. especially since my own are older now and i won't be having any more. anyway, back to the job/school issue. i figure i have some time to you know, ponder, what it is i should do. hubby was really great about it. not that i expected anything different. i know he only wants me to be happy with what i do. i just wish i knew what that was.
when i was a kid, i wanted to go to college and get a degree, go to law school and be a lawyer and then a judge. why? my mom pushed for me to do it. why? well for her it was because she missed out on it because she was pregnant with me. would she have gone to college if i hadn't been on the way? maybe, but more for the parties than the education. i'm not trying to be mean or rude, that's just how she was/is. i want my kids to go to college. why? because they will get to see more, and do more and that will help them to figure out what they want to do. won't it? i mean if they know what they enjoy doing or learning about won't that help them? it's a little late for me. my life is set in a path that family is the most important thing. hubby and kids are my main focus. i don't want to change that. but i would like my kids to maybe figure out what they want before they start a family. it just seems like it would make their lives easier. maybe not. i don't know.
parenting is so much harder now. when they were babies we were their main teachers. now, they have teachers and friends and coaches and i worry so much some times. alex is going to a school with 300+ kids in his grade. he didn't have 300 kids in his entire school before this. i don't know these kids. i don't know their parents. i think back on some of the stuff i did, and the kids and their parents and it scares the heck out of me. i hope he does better than i did. i definitely want us to do better than my parents did.

where did the time go?

well, you know it's been a while when you can't even remember your own web address. sad i know. unfortunately, my life has really not been too terribly exciting. hubby has changed jobs a few times. he is now back to selling fords in the same place. he was managing a tire/garage location, but we never saw him. he was putting in 65 to 70 hours a week (sometimes even more) and not taking a day off. if he would have been getting overtime i might have told him to suck it up, but just making a salary and working himself to an early grave? no thanks. the kids need a dad and i need my hubby. so selling cars works out so much better.

alex starts high school this fall. i'm not sure if i am excited about this or depressed. his is going to the same school i graduated from...while 6 months pregnant with him. there are only a couple of teachers still there from when i was there. he started football. and surprisingly he LOVES it. i say surprisingly because he is pretty lazy, and they work his tail off! he will be taking 3 different advanced/honors classes. honors geometry, biology, and honors history. he's really smart, but i hope he's not overdoing it for his first year. it's a pretty big change. he's going from a class of 19 to a class of 200+.

haley will be in 7th. she's taller than me (has been for about a year now) and looks more like 18 than her actual age of 12. not cool. not cool at all. this i a big year for her. at least a big fundraising year for her. this is the year they raise money for their 8th grade year. there are 2 big trips in 8th grade. one is a team building trip the beginning of the school year, and the other is the pro life trip to D.C. plus the gift to the school, the teacher/staff and other assorted odds and ends. she decided to play volleyball again this year. she skipped last year because she didn't want to play for the coach. but she's not coaching anymore so haley decided to give it another shot. so we are looking forward to soccer and volleyball for her in a couple of months.

grace will be in 4th grade this year. big change there is we are losing the nun who had been teaching this grade for quite a while. there is a new teacher we have yet to meet. she gets to start volleyball this year...well instructional at least. unfortunately, the coach haley didn't like will be grace's coach. thank goodness she has a son so she's only going to coach this one year. i'm pretty sure grace needs glasses. we were discussing the books she reads, and why she likes them...and her reasoning was she could see the words easier and they didn't give her a headache when she tried to read them. great! so i need to get her in to see what she needs and if she should or could do contacts. contacts seem like a lot of work, but if she's like haley, and her prescription changes as much as hers did, contacts may be better. we will see.

josh is going into 2nd grade. first communion year. first confession year. big big year! i can't wait to see how he's going to do this year in school. he's really smart and this teacher is great at challenging the kids. his class is pretty small (i think there are 16 kids) and it makes it easier to focus on the individual needs of each kid. josh is getting so big now. and sweet! he is my most helpful kid. he should be doing instructional basketball this year. boy is he going to be good! he's bigger than most kids his age...not just taller but he's like a brick wall. it's going to be interesting watching him. he's really gotten into Lego's this year. like getting the kits and making whatever. he has several star wars things and i think quite a few halo things too.

zack is going into 1st grade this fall. last year was tough for me. trying to keep up with what he was doing in his class and all the things going on with alex in his class was more difficult than i thought it would be. i appreciate that they were trying to get the kids excited about doing projects and such, but really? a different project a month. he did his own stuff...not like quite a few other kids in his class. but seriously, most of it was stupid. one month was a leprechaun trap. stuff like that. i know, i know. it sounds cute and all, but really? just teach the kid to read and add. but no, he didn't learn much with that. we are still working on that. i'm worried about this coming school year. this teacher is really nice and all, but not the best. i'm hoping i can get him where he needs to be before school starts so he won't get left behind. i think he just has to get interested in what he's learning. i've been taking them to get books from the library and he's been really enjoying that.

i'm still watching kids...yeah for me. most of the kids are great, but there's a couple that are a little tougher. i'm not sure if it's their personalities or the fact that i have them for 12 FREAKIN' HOURS A DAY!!! that's a lot. sorry, i'm complaining and i shouldn't. they are for the most part a nice family. young, but nice. the kids i watch during the school year (3 of them) will be 3 years old this year. the girls are potty trained, but the boy, um, not so much.

we still have chickens. we even hatched some out this year. it was pretty cool. we have casey the dog, and the cat. no name for the cat. it just is. actually i'm pretty sure it's a girl...it has a pretty big umbilical hernia. i wasn't sure it was going to survive when the kids found it last year. it was maybe 4 weeks old and haley found it under the neighbor's truck. the cat and casey have a very loving relationship. casey treats the cat like her play toy/baby. and the cat takes it. in fact when the game is over (swinging the cat by the scruff of the neck) the cat i usually the one to come back for more lovin'.

well, i think that's it for me!

first day of school

ok, i'm excited about it being the first day of school. 4 out of 5 of my kids started today, and zack starts pre-k tomorrow. 3 hours 2 days a week. i think we are both pretty excited about it.

since summer is officially over, i figured i'd hit the "high" points from the last few weeks since my last post.

the fair happened the last week of july. starting that tuesday. haley was supposed to have her pig up there by 5pm. guess what happened...well, the stupid things escaped during the major downpour we had. and they stayed gone until the next morning. yeah, she was pretty upset. we were all pretty upset. in fact, i think between jeff and i, we could have just shot the damn things and been done with them both at that point.
especially when they disappeared the next day too. we finally got them secured in the pen, set up a time for them to go the the butcher, and we went on vacation for the weekend.


we had a great time at tablerock. even after the morning call of "hey one of the pigs died". that call came on sunday...they were going to the butcher on tuesday. not happy, not at all. so when we got home on monday we had a pig to bury, and that was a nasty smelly mess. ok, no more about that.

tuesday we took the remaining pig to the butcher. it only took an hour to get it in the trailer. that was with 4 of us pushing and pulling and well, whatever it took to drag it up in the trailer. we have decided that at this time, there will be no more pigs at our house. we are done. unless josh or zack use there powers of persuasion on their dad and talk him into it. i am done.

that leads us to last weekend. friday night i played bunco with a bunch of friends and got home at around 2ish. had way to much fun! hubby's work picnic was sunday. he took the girls to the baseball game first. they had a great time and aunt barb spoiled them rotten. at the picnic they had a raffle for all kinds of prizes. we got tickets for every family member there. alex was fishing with my mom so we got 6 tickets. 4 out of the 6 won. besides the 3 different gift cards we also won a 40 inch flat screen t.v. that's right everyone. a huge t.v. that is now in my bedroom. why? well, hubby was having a hard time seeing the t.v. before...but not anymore.

the kids had a great time at school today. even though (or maybe because) they got out at 11am. that's right all.

i'll try to update more often, but no promises!

well, we've had a fairly uneventful summer...

until last week that is.

one of the kids i watch, a little girl who's 4, broke her foot. her parents didn't realize it. it wasn't swollen or bruised. so they didn't take her to the doctor until tuesday. she was put in a walking cast. wednesday, the doctors called in for more tests because they didn't like something about the x-rays. thursday, i get a call from her grandma saying they were doing even more tests and talking about bone grafts. friday, i get a heartbreaking call from her dad. she has leukemia. she started chemo that day.

i know i've been a terrible blogger lately, but will you keep her and her family in your prayers? her parents are a few years younger than me. his older sister was in my high school class. there are this little girl, her little brother that just turned 2, and they are expecting another little girl in september.

thanks!

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.

long time no see!


corny i know. sorry, i just couldn't resist. i've been reading....a lot. believe me, the hubby would rather me be on the computer. i'm not sure why he. he just isn't big on seeing me reading. if we are watching t.v. i get the "why don't you want to spend more time with me" talk. since when is sitting there staring at a colorful box spending quality time?


anyway, back to why i am here. haley hit a grand-freakin-slam tonight!!!!! she nailed it! i heard anyway. it's cold here, and i brought 2 of the other kids with me...and i saw half the game. so i figured i could just go to the car and keep a look out. not enough apparently. dang it!

got to get to cleaning. i want to sweep the floor before i go to bed.

we have pigs now. 2 to be exact. i'm not exactly excited about having 2 instead of just one, but the lady we bought them from wouldn't sell just one. she didn't want them to get depressed. i don't think that bebe was depressed last year, but i can kind of see her point. her pigs were so friendly. i hope they do well here.

the lady we got bebe from last year, she was in the paper over the weekend. i guess she's been indicted for embezzlement. nice huh? she had her assets frozen or seized.

i've been really busy lately. doing what? well, mostly reading.

i think the new chicks will be here this week. we have been getting 2 or 3 eggs a day now. mostly green, but we also have been getting brown, and 1 white egg so far. the kids have been so happy to go out and take care of the chickens now. i don't even have to threaten them anymore. we'll see how long that lasts!

josh is coughing a bunch again. i think it's the weather. poor kid.

not much else to tell right now. if i can think of something exciting or worthwhile, i'll be back!

i am so depressed about the mail i've been getting.


i think i've gotten more coupons and offers for baby products in the last month, than i did with all 5 babies put together. my baby is three years old! i'm not having any more. why do they have to rub my face in it? i told my hubby to just throw them away before i see them. he's the one getting the mail. what dummy is selling info saying i have a baby the age for using "first year" items.

it just sucks.

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.

on monday i went to the library and picked up 3 books. they were a bunch of short stories. charlaine harris had some "sookie stories" in each one so i thought i would get them and read all the stories. um, i returned them today, after reading all of them. some of the stories were, well, not so great. some made me want to just skip ahead, and some made me want more. more from those authors. i don't usually care for short stories. well, i take that back...i like them if they are done right. there were a few that reminded me of something i would have wrote in high school. B-O-R-I-N-G! i love to read, but i'm not so great on the writing part. in fact, in my creative writing class that i took (the teacher ended up running off with a student a few years later...or so the story goes) and had to write a children's story. i wrote about a ghost chicken. a rooster to be exact. and he saves his little girl (the girl that owned him...not another chicken) from a fire. yeah, um, she didn't like it. i had words like "vegetarian" in there. she didn't think it would be "age appropriate". whatever.


authors i want to read*...
laurell k hamilton, stephenie meyer**, rachel caine, vickie taylor, toni kelner, patricia briggs, and carrie vaughn.

the books i read were Bite, Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, and Many Bloody Returns. bite didn't have a particular theme. well except vampires and werewolves. W&B was that and christmas, and MBR was that and birthdays. they were definitely worth reading.



*i don't think anyone really cares what authors i plan on reading...this list i more for me. i forget like nobodies business. so if i have them here on my blog, i can at least look them up!
**well, stephenie meyer didn't actually write any of the short stories in the books i read, but she has been well recommended.

josh

my josh is 5 now. it just doesn't seem possible that my babies are all growing up so fast. what can i tell you about my boy?

he's a big boy. bigger than most of the other kids his age. in fact, he's as big as some 1st graders...and he's just a pre-k kid.

he was my smallest baby. he was 8lbs 2 oz. my doctor induced me 2 weeks early so that he wouldn't be too big. he and alex are the only kids i didn't have major bleeding issues with.

he loves cars, trucks, and tractors. he can play by himself for hours as long as he has some of them to play with. he makes all the different noises, and i even hear him talking in voices for the people in them.

he has one heck of an imagination.

he is so smart...he's the only one so far to know his letters this young. not that the other kids aren't smart too, but he's the only one that was that interested in them. it amazed me when he was picking out letters off of signs and asking me what words they made.

he has the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes. it makes it so hard to say "no" to him!

he used to have a special blankie and suck his first 2 fingers on his left hand. i think he was 2 or 3 before we were able to get him to stop sucking his fingers. when his blankie "disappeared", he stopped sucking his fingers.

he and zack are best buddies. they play with each other all the time. i hope that they stay this close as they grow up.

he idolizes his big brother. he loves being with the big boys.

his favorite color is blue. like his eyes. and his room. and his sheets. and his towel.

he loves that he has chickens. he is so proud of how cool they look, and that they are going to lay green or blue eggs.

he's the only one of my kids to lose a fingernail...so far. it was one of the most disgusting experiences of my life.

his teacher loves to tell us what a great kid he is. how well behaved and quiet he is in class.

he still crawls into be with me at night. in fact he doesn't sleep in his own room. he sleeps on the floor in my room...until he crawls in mine while i'm sleeping. he's the only one that isn't always ready to spend the night somewhere. don't get me wrong, he loves to spend the night...but there are still days/nights that he will tell whoever to take him home, he's tired and wants to sit on his mom's lap.

he is so excited about going to school with the big kids next year. and making friends. he's excited about t-ball too. and that his daddy is going to be his coach.

5 is a big year, but i think he's going to handle it well. i love this kid like crazy! he's handsome, smart, funny, and talented. how i got blessed with a kid like him, i'll never know!

hey all! i have been a holy terror lately. i blame it on my addiction to reading. no, i do have a problem. i am addressing it. i figure that i only have 3 more books to read in the series and i should be good for a while...well not really, but i'm thinking it anyway.

i have been trying to de-stress. watching the chickens in my yard is a lot like watching fish in a fish-tank. it can be quite relaxing. and entertaining. actually the chickens are much more entertaining than the fish...unless you have piranhas or something. maybe the chickens are more like the turtles in the tank than the fish. they look so cute and sweet...then BAM!! crazy psycho killers!

yes, i do find that entertaining.

i can't wait to see these guys in action in the spring and summer. i wonder if i will actually see them eat stuff like mice and lizards. if i can teach them to get moles...that would be so cool. and profitable. i could start my own "mole removal" business. and it would be totally green! how cool would that be!

i am sitting here watching "space buddies" with the kids. they like it. me, not so much. well, it's a kid movie for sure. talking dogs are not normally my thing.

josh is turning 5 tomorrow. he's so excited. i am too...i guess. this year, out of my 5 kids, i will have one that is 13, one that's 10, and one that's 5. those are some pretty big years to me. alex is going to be a teenager, haley's in double digits, and josh is going to start school. then there's grace and zack.

i am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next book. sad, i know. it should be here today, or tomorrow, or the next day. i sure hope it's today. that way i can read it and be all happy and ready to celebrate josh's 5th. otherwise i may end up being crazy mom, jonesing for my next fix.

i know, i know. i need help.

my V-day

well, we finished up with the kids games and then we took them to my step-mom. we dropped them off, and i went home to get ready...








then we headed down town to the Millennium Hotel.












for my niece's gymnastics meet.











that's what the hubby and i did. watched her do her "thing". then we went upstairs (wink wink)













for dinner. they have a revolving restaurant at the top. the food was spectacular! then it was off to home. he had to get up early (6am) for work.





not exactly the most romantic evening...but it was worth getting rid of the kids for the night!

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!

well, i haven't touched the computer in a couple of days.

no my hands aren't broken.


i got the next 5 (that's right) charlaine harris books...and i read them all. all 5, on sunday and monday.


yes, my house is pretty dirty. thanks for asking.


and i think i dropped a couple of pounds. well, when i do a reading marathon like that...well, i forget to eat...and drink...and pay attention to any one or thing.


bad mommy! bad!

i have the next book due to arrive in the next week. (thank you walmart.com) and i can't wait.


i think i may have to read all 5 over again. very slowly this time.

they are like, um, romance type sci-fi type supernatural books.


and yes, the hubby has been reaping the rewards. dirty house and all.




on another subject.

terry's memorial is tonight. my mom picked up a picture of him and i from hubby and my wedding. i was sitting in his lap, and he has this huge smile on his face. he was pretty cute. of course he has his mouth wide open so you can see his tongue piercing. it's going to be a sad night. when i get it back from my mom, i'll post it.


maybe

terry died yesterday. i thought we would have time to come and see him this weekend...

his mom turned 50 this month.

i know he was ready for it. he's been ready for it for a long time. but it still sucks.

he fought MD pretty valiantly for 20+ years. even after the doctors told his parents not to expect him to make it to 18. shows what they know, he was in his 30's.

please pray for his mom, and his sister...and the rest of the family too.

rose!

i am so sorry that rose flack got eliminated last night! she spoke to my inner hippie. i really liked her, and i thought she would have made it farther. (stupid bikini b#$% had to screw it all up!)

on a lighter note, my alex has graduated from D.A.R.E. yesterday. his essay (along with 3 other kids) was picked to be read in front of the assembly. he did a great job on it. he has a way with the written word, let me tell you! he gets that from me. in school, i could b.s. my way through an essay like no-body's business! we (the parents) were all talking after assembly was over, and we were all saying how we hope it sticks with them. the pledges they take, the lessons they have learned. i was really impressed with all the kids essays that were read. they put a lot of thought into them. some of them were more facts (like alex's) and some were more funny ("i don't know why anyone would want to smoke. i don't know about you, but i like my teeth white and my breath not to stink!" was what one of the kids wrote.), but all were very well written and to the point. the deputy they had working with them was great. he will be sadly missed at our school! (he was transferred to another school district) he was funny and the kids all really seemed to like him.

i have 2 new kids now. my days start about an hour earlier now. it is an adjustment...for me more than anyone. the kids are nice enough...but the older one is a bit of a bossy tattletale, and we will need to work on that. the younger one doesn't talk. seriously, he's at the age he should be doing much more than "uh" and pointing. i think it's the pacifier. i don't like those things. josh was my only kid that needed something like that. he had his blanket and his first two fingers on his left hand. when his blanket "disappeared" so did the finger sucking. one of the little ones that i watch has figured out a way of getting out of the walker. you would think after having 5 kids, and watching quite a few, that would have happened to me before. um, no. it hasn't. not until today.

anyway, i am glad american idol is back. i have a few fave's, but i really was surprised rose forgot the words. to much drama i guess. poor girl. i really thought she would go far...hopefully she still does.
good luck kid (if you ever read this!) you have talent and you are likable. i think you could go far.

later taters! i got me some kidlets to round up for naps and lunch!

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!