as i sit here finishing up my lunch (a ham, bacon, cheddar cheese and cream cheese wrap...affectionately known as heart attack on a flour tortilla), i was thinking about all the things i have done lately, and all the things that are coming up.

this weekend was spent traveling to a town about 45 minutes away. every. single. day. on friday, haley had a tournament game there at 7. her coach picked her up and drove her there because there was no way i would be there early enough for her to warm up. they won that game. the coach's daughter spent the night with us, and then haley spent the afternoon with them while i went to alex's game, then they met me there. then alex and haley both had regular season games in the same town. so saturday was spent there. alex's game was a mess. the boys weren't playing their best, but the officiating was horrendous. we had boys getting smacked and elbowed in the face, in front of refs and parents, and no calls made. even the parents from the other team were upset at it. no one wants to win that way because when you don't call a fair game, it makes your team look weak. so they lost. haley's team won by more than 10 points. they played a really tough team on sunday (second tournament game). this game, we knew, was going to be tough. they are a very talented bunch of girls. one girl in particular was a monster. she's fast and aggressive...but fouled out because she let her emotions get the best of her and didn't keep herself in check. we won that game by more than i thought. hubby's cousin's little girl was on the other team, so we sat with them during the game. talk about awkward! but we cheered for both kids, and had a good time talking about how the families are. this was the first game we were held to 3 pts in the first half...and they only had 2. i think it ended up being 16 to 4 (most of our points were scored after that girl fouled out or because of her fouls). haley had 4 points in that game, and 12 on saturday. she is at least 2 or 3 inches taller than most of the other kids. her games had different refs than alex's. i don't know why they would put adults out to ref 4th grade girls and kids to ref 6th grade boys, but oh well.

we celebrated my girls birthdays and my sister's 29th birthday. haley's birthday is this thursday. it's hard to believe she's going to be 10. it's even harder to believe that 10 is also her shoe size! YIKES! i sure hope that means she's going to be tall, and not some clown footed freak. oh, i kid! so i will have a post on her coming soon.


my boys spent all weekend at my dad's house. it was much easier than dragging them to games all weekend. and we were going there anyway on sunday. haley spent the night there on sat and sun nights. grace went to a birthday slumber party on saturday night, and then had 2 of my nieces spend the night sunday night.

i got rid of 4 roosters on monday. thank you craigslist! a guy sent his son to pick them up and we are now down to 11 chickens...and 2 too many roosters. though i can't convince josh or haley of it. i asked josh if he would take money for his rooster, and his eyes started welling up...and i was all "bud, i'm just asking, i'm not going to make you!" oh and we now have a cute little black and white girl kitty.


our 8th graders from school are in washington d.c. this week for the annual pro-life trip. what a bad week for that. it has got to be crazy up there right now...not to mention not exactly pro-life friendly. and 4 years from now, it will be my haley going to d.c. hubby and i already had a talk. neither of us has been there yet, so we are taking turns. i can't wait for alex's teacher to get back (she went with her daughter) so we can all hear about the trip. i guess that would be the deciding factor of whether or not i would want to go with haley...or send hubby instead.

well, i am off to take care of my waking babies!

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!

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.

lots of updating...

well, updating may not be the "right" word for it but...

bacon-bits (aka trudy or bebe) went to the neighbor's farm for grace's field trip today. she was there for about an hour. it was pretty hot, and she was a pooping fiend. the field trip went pretty well. they had cows and calves (really cute ones), chickens and chicks, ducks, a lamb, a couple of rabbits, and a horse. the kids had a blast.

i feel like crap today. my head is killing me! we ran out of tea 2 days ago and i haven't bought any yet, and i have the worst caffeine headache! add to that the cough i have, and yes i have been a little bit crabby. i guess i should get in to the doctor, but when would i find the time? i'm hoping it's just allergies, but i doubt it.

american idol...well, andrew loyd weber night was great for some, and not so great for others.

syesha: i think the judges were right, she found her strength here. she's made for broadway. i also found out my hubby has a bit of a crush on her. a woman can tell. it's ok though, it's only fair after all the comments i've made about that adorable jason castro.

jason castro: uh, memories? seriously? couldn't find a better song that suited you? not that it was a bad performance, i just didn't get it.

carly: i don't usually care for her, but i liked her performance. she did a great job with "Jesus Christ Superstar" and i really did enjoy it.

brooke: i don't get it, does she want to go home? is that why she's been blowing it lately? she can't seem to pull off songs that are anything but happy-go-lucky types of songs. couldn't she have found one of those kinds of songs?

davy a: great job on the song. i liked it. not head over heels for it, but i liked it. pretty solid performance.

david cook: i liked it ok. it wasn't my favorite performance of his, but he did ok. i have to agree with simon there, i like the grit to his voice. he didn't have it there. i don't know that he'll be doing broadway anytime soon, but he doesn't need it.

i don't do the "who's going home" picks, but i will say that syesha stole the show. finally!

please continue to pray for jessica and her family.

a little of this and that

yesterday, i was home all day with 2 kids that had pink eye. somehow i didn't notice alex had it when he left. he got to school, and at church, his eye started itching and hurting. they called me at 9am. thank goodness i could just use the drops i got for both him and grace.

jason's girlfriend doesn't have any kids. apparently that was the other girl he had been dating. she was bartender/singlemom contemplating joining the military. he is actually dating unemployed girl contemplating joining the military while sponging off those around her. whew, what a mouthful!


that wasn't very nice of me to say. she will henceforth be known as the job-impaired girl he is dating.


that's a little more PC isn't it?

anyway, the annual cookie-bake at my grandma's is this weekend! this is one of my favorite things in the universe. i really do look forward to this day all year long. you see i have a bit of a sweet tooth. i also like to eat cookie dough. it is actually to the point they make 5 times what we need so all of us cookie dough addicts can get our fill. i think i will be making peanut butter blossoms again. those are a peanut butter cookie with a hershey kiss in the middle. awesome when fresh out of the oven.

i think tomorrow i will try to come up with a cool christmas post. we still have to put up the tree. maybe i can get the tree done tonight, and the post done tomorrow. we shall see.

ode to the beatles

yesterday, how i long for yesterday (think beatles). well, my day at the spa was fantastic! my stepmom ended up getting me a manicure, pedicure, facial, and haircut and highlight. i got there at 10 and left at 2. it was awesome...except for the fact that i ended up leaving jeff with the kids. not just the 3 he was expecting, but 7 more. you see, school was canceled due to a downed power line. so he let me know how thrilled he was. and he took the kids out to the new playtime party center for lunch. it was a very expensive trip. i think he said it was about $100 after all said and done. i was not happy. he can be so freakin' irresponsible with money. it's not like there wasn't plenty of food to feed the kids here. he just didn't want to deal with them. but anyway, the kids had a good time, and they all liked my haircut. the kids that is. jeff always says the same thing, "why do you even ask, you are going to do what you want anyway". i guess he likes the white trash look i get when i have anything but a short cut. fine hair and long hair don't play well together.

now today, i still love my hair! i also love taking antibiotics for a sinus infection and uti. i also love getting called to pick up my daughter because she looks like she may have pink eye. i love it even more when i get confirmation that she does in fact have pink eye. i love taking children to the doctor with me for my appointment and for grace's and letting my husband sleep until 1pm because he just doesn't feel like getting up. thank god for my hair cut, and my nails. atleast i can look at them and remember yesterday (all my troubles seemed so far away).

what is normal blood pressure? i was always like 120/65 or 70. today i was 140/over 80. i guess it was close enough to normal for them not to say anything. or maybe they thought anyone bringing 4 kids 4 and under to the doctor with them should have blood pressure about there. i don't know. maybe it is weight induced. who knows.

thank god for my stepmom getting me this hair cut. who would of thought something so simple could help so much.

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!

VIP, yep that's me!

yesterday, we went to grant's farm...as vip's. this was the most awesome trip to grant's farm i have ever had. we were taken on a tour by safari van (basically it is a van with no roof or windows) all over. instead of staying on the road, like you have to do normally with the tram, we were off roading it, seeing all the animals up close and personal. you haven't lived until you've been licked by an elk! that's right, the animals actually walked up to us! we got to see baby clydesdales and had our pic taken with one of the stallions. i was really amazed at how gentle all the animals were. we fed the baby goats (i wouldn't recommend this for small children, the goats mob you and try to climb and head butt you to get to the bottle). the kids loved seeing the chickens they had, and fed the llamas too. i guess what i liked best, was how excited the kids were. and i think my step mom's parents and sister really liked and enjoyed it too. all in all, it was a truly awesome experience. thanks to "aunt" barb's friend who hooked us up!

by the way, grant's farm is free to the public. and supposedly they give free samples of beer. it is the busch family after all! also, i believe grant's house is open to the public also. it is across the street from the farm, and if you love history, they said that is the place to be!

josh and zack are at the zoo today with my niece and nephew. i hope they are having fun...zack was crying when they left and josh had to be talked into going. sometimes my kids blow my mind. when i was little, i would have gone to the zoo with anyone. seriously. i would have gone with an axe murderer had he said the magic "go to the zoo?" words. i was (and still am) a total animal lover. not as crazily as i was when i was younger, but still love them. in fact i am trying to set up a zoo trip for next week. it depends on the weather. jeff said it is supposed to rain on tuesday. heat we can deal with. the children's zoo has those cute little kid fountains for the kids to play in, and the penguin house is air conditioned. so is the living world. hopefully the boys will be ready to go again next week.

also my friend nike is in town. she got in thursday and she is leaving tomorrow. she brought her daughter this time. she is supposed to come over this evening. i hope she does, i really miss her!