JEWELSCENT!!!

I'm now a Jewelscent consultant!! That's right, I didn't already have enough to do so I thought I would start selling stuff on the side!!

www.jewelscent.com/winter

Here's the newest scent just launched last week!

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Fun, right?!

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They make awesome gifts too!!! Go order yours today!

www.jewelscent.com/winter

Warning...this might be a rant. (I will try not to use grown up words.)

Okay, so I've not blogged in a LONG time! Almost a year actually! Just no time for it! BUT, since I'm supposed to sit in bed over the next couple of days and not do anything...why not!

Why am I bed bound, or at least tempting to be, over the next couple of days you ask? Well, I hurt my neck.
How? That's not important, what's important is that if f-ing hurts and is hijacking my life! For a MONTH now!!

I've tried a few things including steroids and acupuncture. NOTHING! NO RELIEF!

Over the last few days I've gotten SO sick. Unable to hold stuff down, constantly in pain, no sleep, just MISERABLE! I was supposed to start physical therapy today. On my way to work I had to pull over and get sick, became basically hysterical, and came home.

I try not to cry. I try to suck it up and only be a big baby for my hubby. But today I found myself sobbing uncontrollably. My 16 year old hadn't left for school yet and it pains me to know he saw me that way and that I might have been a cause for concern or distraction for him today.

So I call my doc and they send me to the emergency room. I spend a few hours at the emergency room and they tell me to go see my doc! AAAAHHHHHH!!!! WTF! Seriously?!?!

I basically cried and pleaded with them. I told them over and over how miserable I was and how much pain I was in and that MY DOC SENT ME HERE!! "Well, it's not life threatening so we can't help you."

SO her I am. In bed. In pain. Waiting on my wonderful hubby to come back with some Aleve. Maybe that will be my miracle drug. I've been told to stay in bed and do nothing for a few days and then go see my doc if it's not better.

Have I mentioned I'm MISERABLE?!?! I can't stop crying. I can't stop hurting. I can't stop worrying about my kids seeing me this way.

I'm REALLY going to try and do NOTHING and get better. This is SO a challenge for me!

I have 5 children that NEED me. Who will clean the house. Who will make sure they are eating well and doing homework and bathing and brushing. Who will answer PTO emails and post on the FB page and find that last homeroom parent we need? I need to send a PTO email out. We have a carnival coming up that I've been unable to get a coordinator for. (this is the ranting part btw)

My PTO stuff is on the other side of the room and I'm committing (going to try) to let it just sit there. Brody should be doing his homework, but I'm going to let his daddy worry about that. I might have already cleaned the litter box out and maybe done a load of clothes (cause there are no towels) but I'm not going to do either of those things again ALL WEEK (maybe).

And work. Yes, I have an actual job I'm supposed to go to. THANK GOODNESS for my employer who I'm pretty sure isn't going to fire me but I will for sure worry about none the less because of all the work I've missed. I know that others have to pick up my slack when I'm not there and I know they have there own stuff to do. I really really hate it!

Speaking of PTO and volunteering and being involved with your children's education, WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!?!  I am fortunate to have a great team on my board(this is my 2nd year as Pres.) and a SMALL handful of AWESOME volunteers, but it's like frickin pulling teeth!! We still have an ENTIRE class that no one will be homeroom coordinator for (also known as homeroom mother, etc.)! I just don't understand! There are plenty of ways you can help without actually being up at the school during school hours. All that stuff that goes on at school doesn't just magically happen. I'm so tired of all the excuses. I can say all of those same things!

Ugh, I'm sure it's just the pain taking!!

I really thought this would help. Maybe it's just me putting in writing that I'm not cleaning or PTOing or nothing until my neck is better!! There!

I actually find myself more upset that my hubby has been gone an hour to get some frickin Aleve!

Some chickin and dumplins would be nice....

No visitors at my house this week would be nice too. I'm not sure if my anxiety can handle it. I've been unable to hold my meds down for two days so my anxiety is CRAZY right now. Another reason my pain may be so bad so says the very unhelpful er doc.

Okay, I'm done I guess. I'm going to post this. Even share it on FB. Yes I may be loosing it.

Challenge

I don't think I'm an awful wife and mother, but I'm always looking for ways to improve. While I was laying her, unable to sleep, I came up with a challenge. Here's what prompted it. I'm laying in my bedroom. On the other side of the door is the living room. Where my husband is sleeping with our daughter because she was scared. At first I thought, how is is possible for a man to snore that loud?! Then I changed it to, I'm so thankful that he went and slept in the living room with our daughter. He knows I can't sleep with a kid kicking me in the face and he can sleep standing up. So when she came to our room he took her out there. He's such an awesome husband and father. This moment is one of the many things I love about him.

So here's the challenge. Write down 100 things you love about your significant other. I think it sounds easy at first, but will become more difficult to finish. This is when it becomes homework. Maybe I'll then be so focused on finishing my list and concentrating on all the things I love about him that all the little things that drive me nuts won't be so noticeable.

So give it a try. I think it will be therapeutic! Maybe you'll be able to turn some things around like I just did with the snoring. Start by naming 5 things. Share them in a comment below. Just writing, or typing, it can make you smile. I'll go first:

1. He gives the BEST hugs. Like there is nothing else on earth to be done at that very moment than hug you.

2. He is an awesomely involved father.

3. He doesn't care what I do to the house as long as he has a place to sleep.

4. He always lets me control the remote.

5. He calls me pretty girl.

Parents: What to do when you come home with your new vehicle.

When I was pregnant with my 4th child my husband and I decided it was time for a suburban, or a bus as I lovingly refer to it. We were already borrowing my mom's when we all had to go somewhere because we couldn't fit our oldest child between the two car seats in the vehicle we had, a midsize SUV. Why not a minivan you ask? Cause I hate them. Whenever my truck is being worked on that's the loaner they always give me cause it's the only thing they ever have that will haul my crew. I hate them. I can get bales of hay and baseball stuff in the back of my suburban. I don't care what my minivan mom friends say, you just think you can fit a lot in there, but if you've never owned a suburban, or yukon xl, or whatever version, then you have no idea. And you just can't go back to something smaller. My mom still gets a new one every few years and she has no children at home. Sure comes in handy on trips and when she has her grandkids tho. And that's another thing. Trips! I took 5 kids to the beach this summer for a week. Try getting all the stuff you need for that in a minivan, with the 5 kids.

So that was in 2005. We bought a bottom of the barrel used 2003 suburban. We were buying it for room, not for luxury. It was not uncommon for me to have 5 children under the age of 5. At that time I stayed home and was kind of the family babysitter. Which I loved by the way. So when I drove that truck and always had lots of babies, cleanliness was at the bottom of the list. You want french fries? Well, if it will make you stop screaming and hitting the child next to you then here are your french fries. The truck did not have leather. I had never had a vehicle with leather. I had never driven a daycare van either. BIG mistake. One time one of those convenient little tubs of caramel that come with the convenient apple slices got spilled between car seats in the 3rd row. I had NO idea how to clean that up. My solution, tear open paper sack and stick over sticky mess to keep sticky mess from getting on children.

Now I have a new suburban. I've had it for a couple of years, and it was used, but it's still my new one. My hubby turned the old one into a work truck and I just thought it was bad before!

My only demand with the new one was that it have leather! One of those DVD players would have been nice, but maybe next time. I almost only ever tote children small enough for booster seats now, so surely they're old enough to not make such messes as the did before. WRONG!

Whenever my kids tear stuff up, which is just about daily, I say "I just can't have anything nice!" I always say I won't buy new furniture or anything until they're gone. I did however save up and buy the nicest fridge I could cause I've never owned a new fridge. One of the drawers is already broke. I should have known better!

So now I add my truck to long list of things I give up on keeping nice. These are the things I should have done the day I brought it home.

What to do when you come home with your new vehicle:

Take muddy shoes and drag across ceiling of vehicle to simulate small children climbing over seats.

Take those same muddy shoes and rub on the backs of the 1st and 2nd row seats. Depending on how many rows you have.

Place crayons on different surfaces and leave for a weekend in 100 degree weather.

Poke pencils in leather seats to make designs of your choosing.

Spill sticky unidentifiable substances into all cup holders.

Cram used chewing gum into any small hole. The holes in the seats where the belt buckles go are a popular choice.

Take a set of bicycle handle bars and run down each side of vehicle.

If you do have a 3rd row, you're probably not going to climb back there very often, so the floor back there will be a great place to store all your trash.

Take some toys, backpacks, lunch boxes, whatever and slam around back doors to simulate children climbing into car and slamming there stuff all over it.

Have small children drive bicycles and big wheels into it. Every side.

Go ahead and jam 2 cds at a time into the cd player. Make sure they're good and stuck.

If you have a back windshield wiper, go ahead and hang on that til it falls off. Same with the rear view mirror.

If you have pockets on the back of any seats this will be a good place for your left over fast food. Shove it down in there so no one notices til it really starts smelling. Under the seats is another good place for food.

Get you a pack of Dum Dums, suck on a few of them for a minute and then throw those down on the carpet. Make sure they're good and stuck. Any kind of dipping sauce or any liquid for that matter will also go nicely on the carpet as well.

Randomly throw some rocks at it. Make sure you get at least one good hit on the windshield.

Get your hands nice and nasty and put them on all the inside windows. Go ahead and press your face to them and give them a lick too.

And last but not least, put a first aid kit in the back. And if you have little girls, an extra thing of hair ties never hurts.


There you go. I'm sure I didn't cover everything, but you get the point. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can be over it and except that as long as you're a parent, you just can't have anything nice!

The Special Butterfly

My daughter's first grade class has been growing things. Like grass and ladybugs. It's part of their science curriculum. She has enjoyed it so much!

Well, one day last week as I was walking my children to class she insisted that I come see the butterflies! They had grown them from caterpillars. They were very pretty and fluttering around in their special cage. All except one little fellow on the bottom. My daughter's teacher explained that he was a "special needs" butterfly. You see, he did not fully develop wings, and so he can't fly.

I am SO glad this special butterfly came to be in these children's lives! He has prompted not only conversations with me and my children about all special needs creatures, but also conversations and teaching opportunities in the classroom. I have been able to talk to my children about what it means to have special need, and different kinds of special needs, and how we treat others with special needs, etc. AND they have been enthusiastic conversations. They get it. They understand that he's just as wonderful as the other butterflies. A special need does not make you any less. It just makes you more special!  :)

Although I'm sure I knew it, it just never occurred to me that other creatures, like butterflies, can have special needs. This little fellow would have surely been lizard food had he not come to this class. He's a lucky butterfly!

The class released the butterflies a few days ago, but the children pleaded with their teacher not to let him go. She had basically explained to them the circle of life, but their little hearts just couldn't stand it. So, now he's a classroom pet. At least for the remaining 2 weeks of school.

Mother to Son

All my children hold their own special place in my heart and pose their own special challenges. I wouldn't necessarily say that one or more of my children are more "difficult", just that there may be a couple that require me to put more effort into my parenting. We'll just say they won't stand for lazy parenting.
A little while ago I was straightening a shelf and came across one of my pocket books, Mother to Son. I've shared from the Mother to Daughter one in the past, but thought I would share some of my favs from this one today. With 3 boys I think everything in this book applies to at least one of them! Enjoy.


IN THE BEGINING
Spend as much time with his as you can. This is for your sake, as much as for his.

Know that your job in life is to feed him, love him, and point him the right direction.

If you wait until he cries to pick him up, you're teaching him to cry.

He will need a nap every day for the first five years. So will you.

Relax. Throwing food is normal. Heck, throw it back! (love that one)

Don't forget, he needs one on one attention from you. (This one can be hard for me, but I think even just a snuggle in bed, just the two of you in the morning, counts.)

Practice staying calm. This will serve you well in his teenage years. (Amen.)

For reasons unknown, he will want to sit in your closet and play with your shoes. For hours! (so true)

THE TODDLER YEARS
Remember, boys tend to be competitive about everything. It will make no sense to you and sometimes scare you to death.

From you, he'll learnt he importance of telling the truth. be a good model.

Teach him how to make a peanut butter sandwich. This could be his main source of sustenance for the next ten years of life.

He will want a bike. He will fall off. He will live.

Your purse will always be a source of mystery to him.

Don't let his father forget that his son is still a little boy.

Don't tolerate his tantrums. EVER!

He will always want to show off his injuries. Act horrified!

Try not to spend time arguing. make a decision and move on.

No matter how much he protests, put him in his car seat. In the backseat.

Be prepared when taking him shoe shopping. Boys test new shoes by racing down the aisles of the shoe store.   (This one made me laugh. SO TRUE!)

Teach him to help you out around the house.

If he comes home filthy and muddy, have no qualms about hosing him off before letting him back inside. (Sometimes it's okay to just give them the soap too.)

SPORTS
Always be his cheerleader.

Generally speaking, your advice in picking out soccer or baseball shoes is not welcome.

Be prepared: The price of his athletic equipment will make you consider taking out a second mortgage.

He'll always look for you at his games. Sit where he can see you.

If he gets cut from a team it will be one of the worst days of his life. And yours.

If he's old enough to play, he's old enough to carry his own equipment. (Amen!)

Tell him he had a great game. Even if there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He just needs to hear you say it.

GRADE SCHOOL
Walk him to school for as long as he'll let you. (I still walk my 3 youngest into school, even tho my 8 year old bolts as soon as we hit the door.)

Teach him to hang up his clothes, even if it's easier to just pick them up yourself. (Some days I struggle with this one. )

When he dresses himself, tell him he looks great. Don't worry about what others think.

Get to know his teachers. They now spend as much time with him as you do.

He will want a puppy. He will love it. You will clean up after it. (Or possibly a goat.)

Join the PTA/PTO. Become a homeroom sponsor. Volunteer as a classroom aide. Know what's going on at his school.

Give him a Valentine's Day card every year. He'll say it's corny, but secretly he'll always look forward to it.

SPIRITUALITY
Treat his father with love and respect. Show your son that being am an is a good thing.

Don't tolerate meanness.

Stand up for your morals. Don't give in. He might protest now, but eventually he will model himself after you.

Make sure his home is a haven of love and peace.

MIDDLE SCHOOL
Demand respect. At all times.

Prepare to spend the next few years in the car. (And depending on how many you have, this could be more time than you can imagine!)

He will want you to be his friend. But what he really needs is a mom.

Everything will smell better when he starts using soap. And deodorant. Regularly. (remind constantly how important these two things are)

Do not let one single disrespectful comment slide.

He's ready to learn about girls. He can either learn form you, or from MTV.

Make sure he does volunteer work. It's a proven way to make him stop thinking about himself.

Feed his friends. You'll learn about them - and your son - as they raid the fridge.

Be unified with his father. (And when you're not, don't discuss it in front of the children!!)

Insist that he let you know where he is at all times.

GIRLS
Don't let him spend every dime he makes on her.

He will need you to explain the way girls think. His dad can't help him here.

Be careful not to attach special meaning to any of his girl friends. They will come and go.

HIGH SCHOOL
Make sure he knows that his grades matter more than ever now.

If he knows he can come to you with a problem, he will.

Hold him accountable for his actions.

Don't be concerned with him disliking you. Instead, be concerned with him respecting you. (AMEN!)

When he's driving and you're in the passenger seat, don't scream, have a panic attack, or claim he's trying to kill you. Be calm. Be calm.  (this one has proven to be a little tough for me...)

Learn to listen without judgement, or even talking. (I struggle with this one too.  But I think I'm improving. My son would probably disagree.)

Apologize to him when you screw up. (!!!!!!!!!!!)

LEAVING HOME (This is a very short chapter. I'm going to put them all here)
Ask him to please never get a tattoo involving the word "mom".

Tell him you will always love him.

Remind him that beer is not one of the major food groups.

He will tell you that you're the best mom in the world.

Hug him fiercely.

Tell him to call you.

Remember, he'll be back. He's hungry.

Let him go.


I just LOVE these little books. My daughter does too. I find them next to her bed all the time. Thank you Harry and Melissa Harrison for writing them.

Meet Willow

I know, second blog of the day. Sorry, our laptop bit it so I'm trying to catch up while I can.

I'm SURE you've seen my post about Sunny. Well, this is our new baby, Willow.

We decided we loved Sunny SO much we that wanted another goat. We wanted him to have someone to play with. The dog just isn't really into getting headbutted! So we went to out sourcee who just happen to have two babies. Daddy took our youngest to pick one out and here she is.

There are a few differences between her and Sunny. First of all, she's more of a farm goat. More of what you think of if you think of a goat. Sunny thinks he's a dog. He's even picky about only eating dog food and fresh leaves straight from the tree and/or rose bush. He tries to run in the house just like the dog. He REALLY thinks he's a dog. Willow does not. She is a goat and doesn't want you to hold her. In fact, it would be hard to even touch her if it weren't for her uniqueness (which I'll get to). You see, we got Sunny straight from his Mommy. He was a BABY! We bottle fed him and he thinks my daughter is his Mommy. Willow is a baby, but she's been away from her Mommy for a while.

When we put her in the fence with the dog and goat, naturally the dog wanted to inspect. This FREAKED her out and she seeked shelter with the other goat. What she didn't know is that the other goat thinks he's a dog and SHE was freaking him out! It's been a few weeks now and things have settled. She lets you get a little closer, doesn't so much mind the dog, and Sunny is nice to her unless he gets jealous.

Now I'll explain the uniqueness...

When Willow was first running through the yard she looked funny. We decided rather quickly that she wasn't the same kind of goat as Sunny. We thought they were both "mutt" goats, until the next day. So the next afternoon my daughter was sitting in the chair holding her. When she put her down the dog ran by, freaked her out, and she fainted! I called my husband who said he had seen her do it that morning. We now have a fainting goat! Or stiff leg or myotonic or whatever you want to call her. It's so funny, but also a little sad I think.

If you've never heard of them do a youtube search. One day I'll get video and maybe I'll share.



King Bed

I've decided I need a king bed. My family LOVES to hang out in my bed. In fact it's our favortie place to hang out. We watch TV, play games, listen to music and color, everything in the bed. The problem is that my family of 6(+ at times) hardly fits in the bed. My oldest son rarely gets in the bed anymore. He usually just sits on the floor if we're watching TV or playing a game. It works, but I wish we could all veg in the bed together. Are we wierd or do others hang out in their beds. Where do you like to hang out with your kiddos?



Pool

This year my husband and I splurged on an above ground pool for the kiddos. In years past we've done sprinklers and the little $20 kiddie pool. This year we made a $100 initial investment on a 12' almost 3' pool for the kids. It even has a filter, chlorine dispenser, etc. I know that may not seem like a splurge for some folks but for us it totally was!

So the kids have TOTALLY been loving the pool. And by kids I mean my 4 and my niece and nephew that also happen to be my neighbors. When we first set it up we didn't realize it took chlorine and we didn't have a bucket for the kiddos to step in and we didn't have a cover for it. It only lasted about a week before the water kinda started turning green. YUCK! So we drained it, cleaned it, and set it up again, but this time we did all the fore mentioned things that we had not done the first time. That was about 3 weeks ago and the water is still nice and clear! We also bought a skimmer and do that daily.

Today I FINALLY gave in and put my bathing suit on and joined the kiddos. The 100+ degree weather made watching unbearable. At first it was just refreshing, but then it was SO much fun! We stayed out for hours! I was the "momma piranha"! It was SO SO much fun! I blew up my raft and we had fun all trying to fit on it, swimming under it, dumping each other off of it, etc. I also showed the kids how to make a whirlpool! We would all swim/walk really fast one way and then just stop. The water would pull us down! It was so fun! I will now be sporting my bathing suit on a regular basis. Maybe not in public, but most definitely in my own back yard!

As much as we love our pool we are having a serious issue with it. It requires these "D" filter cartridges. Last time I was at the local store we got all this mess from, I bought all they had, luckily, cause they've not restocked. Not only have they not restocked, but they don't even offer the products on their website! I finally found them on ebay for 8 times what I originally paid for them! Are you kidding me! I'm peeved! How are you going to sell me something that I'm not going to be able to use for more than a month? I've emailed their customer service so we'll see where it goes. We are down to our last filter!

UPDATE:

The store I got the filter/pool from no longer made or had the filters. They told me I could bring the pool back for credit on a new pool. We ran home, drained, and pack up the pool to get back before the person who told me that left. So they gave me my money back on a gift card. Yay! Or so you would think. They didn't have anymore pools. NO ONE DID! So I went home and did an online search. AMAZINGLY there was ONE store that had ONE left and we got it!! I also bought every filter they had so I'm good for the rest of the summer.

The lesson here is buy the filters upfront! That way you don't have to go on the hunt!

Pocket Books

I have these little books I call pocket books. They're about being a mommy. They're by Harry Harrison, Jr. He has a lot of books and I wish I had them all. My favorite one so far is 1001 Things it Means to be a Mommy. I love to share little excerpts from them. Tonight I'm sharing from Mother to Daughter, Shared Wisdom from the Heart. Hope Mr. Harrison doesn't mind. Here are a few of my favorites from the book.

Okay, so the books start with 5 keys. I usually don't share these, but I'm going to this time. As I read this book, not only am I thinking of my relationship with my own daughter, I'm reminded of my relationship with my mother. A mother to 5 daughters! I may add some personal notes.

1.Be her mother, not her best friend.
2.Let her live her own dreams. Don't try to make her live yours.
3.Be a strong, confident woman.
4.Be a good wife. You are shaping her future relationships with men.
5.Be aware that your goal is not to be the center of her life forever, but to work your self out of a job.

Get ready for the most intimate, explosive, loving relationship you'll ever had. Except for the one you had with your mom. (AMEN!)

Accept the fact that she is Daddy's little girl. She knows this in the cradle already. (My daughter blinks her eyelashes at her Daddy to get what she wants.)

Keep in mind that all she wants to be doing - for the greatest part of her young life - is to be doing what you're doing.

Know the names of her dolls and stuffed animals. (And which ones she needs on her bed at bedtime.)

Be prepared. Little girls' emotions surprise even their mothers. (Amen!)

Agree to let her brush and style your hair. And Dad's hair. This will pass in a couple of years. (And let her paint your nails. It will really make her day if you wear like that all day)

Remember, the traditions you establish now will be passed on to her daughter.

Watch while she talks to her dolls. You'll learn how you're talking to her. (And how she sees you talk to other people!)

Check little brothers and pets regularly for glued on sequins, stars, glitter, or lipstick. (This one made me giggle. My youngest son has definitely worn his fair share of makeup thanks to his sister.)

Crank up the stereo and show her how to boogie!

Don't think doing everything right will eliminate confrontations, tears, accusations, and emotional outbursts. In fact, these often mean you are doing everything right.

Go on a picnic together, just the two of you, even if it's just in the back yard. (I LOVE my one on one with my girl)

Take her to work with you every once in a while so she can see what you do. (During the summer I take my kids to work with me one at a time. They get excited about their day with Mommy)

Keep in mind that she's always watching you. How you care for your family. How you worship. How you handle life. (Mine is laying in bed with me watching me right now.  :)

When she's about 7 years old she'll start noticing what people have. Teach her to pay more attention to what people are. (Oh, that's a good one!)

Take her shopping for pretty, special occasion outfits. Resist the urge for matching dresses! (LOL, my girl won't have this!)

Encourage her to spend time with her Grandmother. For some strange reason they'll get along just fine.

Understand that with girls, independence usually starts with hair. Ask yourself how important it is really, if it's blue. (Just letting my 6 year old do her own ponytail and not "fixing" it is difficult enough. Blue hair?!)

Make sure she and Dad spend time together. They need each other.

Remember if a TV and computer are not in her bedroom she'll find it easier to study, and sleep. (I think this goes for ALL kids!)

There are advantages to playing chauffeur. Teenage girls talk nonstop in the backseat. About everything.

Keep hugging her!!!!

Insist she take part in family traditions. Happily!

When your clothes start disappearing you'll be pleasantly surprised that they were cool enough to be borrowed.

Make your house the hang out house. (This has always been my goal! I'm currently failing miserably with my 14 year old son.  :(

Teach her that no man is worth betraying another woman. (AMEN!)

Teach her how expect to be treated by a man. So she'll know when she's not being treated well and refuse to tolerate it.

Encourage her to invite he boyfriends over for dinner.

When a boy breaks her heart, curiously, you'll find yours in pieces too.

Don't confuse your dreams with hers. Maybe she doesn't want to be a cheerleader.

It's perfectly normal to lie awake at 1am after she decides not to try out for the high school drill team despite ten years of private dance lessons and wonder, "What did we pay for?" You kept her active, graceful, and in good health.

Teach her to shop the sales. (oh yeah!)

If she says all her friends are carrying a $450 purse and she wants one too,s mile, hug her, and hand her the want ads.

Teach her to find 10 blessings a day. 20 on bad days.

Let her see you give of yourself unselfishly. Not just your money, but your time, your patience, and your love. (Me REALLY likey this one! SO SO true. Children learn by what you do, not by what you say!)

Teach her NEVER to get in a car with a drunk boy or girl. She can always call you to come pick her up. No questions asked!

Teach her to change a tire, use a drill, to mow the lawn. She should never have to depend on some guy to do it for her.

Those problems she's telling you about. The best way to help her is to just listen.

Recognize that for all the pulling away and moods and arguments and words, there will be times when she wants nothing more than to talk to her mother. (This still holds true. Even Mommies need their Mommies.)

Oh I so enjoyed that read. I got lost in it a few times and forgot to share. Guess you'll just have to read it yourself.
My mom came into my life when I was a little older. I was being raised by a single dad of 3 until my parents married when I was 14. That's a tough age for mothers and daughters. I am now a 30something mother and my Mommy is one of my very best friends. I love that we can relate to each other as adults, wives, mothers, daughters. She's a shoulder for me when I need it. The voice of reason when I need it. When appropriate she will side with me, stay out of it, tell me I'm wrong, or tell me to put my big girl panties on! I so hope I can have  such a great relationship with my daughter when she's grown.

Brody's Story

Today is my second oldest's birthday. He is 8! I can't believe it! It took us almost 3 years to get him and those years seem like they took FOREVER, but I blinked and now 8 years have passed. I sometimes refer to Brody as my handfull child. He is SO full of energy, but it's one of the things I love about him. He is alwasy such the comedian, even tho his timing can be way off. He's just so full of joy! He brings us so much joy. All my children hold a special place in my heart and have their own special story. Here's Brody's.

My husband and I were married almost 11 years ago. As a matter of fact it will be 11 years on Friday, July 1st! We knew we wanted to add to our family as soon as possible and became pregnant on our honeymoon. Unfortunatley that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. As difficult as that was, we found comfort in the fact that we believed we would one day meet that child. We decided for whatever reason it just wasn't the right time and we would have to wait a while longer. 

The next few years were tough. After some drug therapy, lots of tests, and a minor surgery, we were finally pregnant! It was Oct 27 when we found out. We were 4 days away from our first appointment at the infertility clinic. When you're trying to get pregnant EVERYONE tells you to stop thinking about it. It got to the point where I wanted to punch people in the face when they said that. But I have to admit that I think that's the key. Once my doctor pretty much gave up and sent us to the infertility clinic I think we quit thinking about it. We had decided that we just weren't going to be able to do it on our own. Then voila!

So I was really nervous for a couple of months, but everything seemed to be fine. We were super happy! We were finally going to get to meet the child we'd waited so long for.

Once we found out it was a boy the name game began! My husband was named after Bart Maverick. So we knew we wanted to name him Maverick. We already had an Eric tho so we made that the middle name. Not sure where we got Brody, but it fits him perfect! Brody Maverick.

I was scheduled to be induced on June 27th, but 2 hours before we were to leave for the hospital my water broke. It was time!

A few hours into labor we had a huge scare! The baby was in distress. They kept moving me around and down playing it. My wonderful husband was freaked out but stayed so calm and kept me from freaking out. Turns the baby's cord was around his neck. Luckily everything turned out okay.

I spent EVERY day of his life with him until he started school. EVERY SINGLE DAY! Brody is such a wonderful little boy. He is such his own person and I love all his little quirks. He has become quite the artist and is always trying to be Mr. Funnyman. I just love him so much, as  I do all my kids of course. I've already got one kid that has outgrown cuddling and I know that Brody is getting close, so I squeeze him extra tight when he lets me. 

He's an 8 year old little boy and can definitely play the part. He can get mouthy, bossy with the younger ones, he argues, etc. On the other hand he can be so sweet and helpful, and here lately he's been doing what he's supposed to with no argument. Like brushing his teeth and getting in bed at bedtime. He just does it now. It's quite refreshing!

So today I took off work and we had a special lunch and went bowling. Afterwards it was dinner and shopping with G-Ma and G-Dad. The dinner and shopping is a tradition my parents started a few years ago. Next to the party it is the kid's favorite part about their bday. They start asking weeks in advance when they'er going. They get to pick where to eat and where to shop. It's good times!

So Happy Birthday to my Brody Wody! I love you SO SO much!

Painting My Room

I love, love, love things that my children make! I go beyond hanging it on the fridge. I hang it on kitchen cabinets and frame it and put it in the living room. The problem is that I have 4+ kids and a not so big house. So my solution was to scan their work in and then I could get rid of it but still have it to look at. The problem with that is that I seldom sit at my computer to flip through artwork. So the kids and I have come up with a new way to display their artwork. We are painting my bedroom with it!

It is SO awesome! The kids are helping decide where to hang stuff and we've worked on it when we've had a few minutes here and there. My husband and I lay in bed looking at and talking about their wonderful artwork. I LOVE it! My favorite ones are the drawings they've done of me. I have lots of different looks!

The kids are enjoying it too. They come in and talk about it and compare pictures. One of our favorite places to hang out is Mommy and Daddy's bed. Now it's an even cooler place to hang and chat!

Yard Sale

We had a yard sale on the compound this weekend. I've discovered I have a love/hate relationship with yard sales. Also known as garage sales, tag sales, rummage sales, or whatever.

I love to go to them. I love finding that perfect something that I didn't even know I was looking for. It is a rare occurance now that I even get to go. You know with the kids, and work, and ball schedules and everything. I guess I could go more often if I wanted to have kids in tow, but that would zap all the fun!

After this weekend I've discovered that I hate having one. It's A LOT of work! So much so that when I was asked a few weeks ago if I wanted to do one I said no. But then I found out there was oging to be one anyway, so I got some stuff gathered up and tagged to go in it. We did okay, but I'm SO glad I didn't put that much effort into it, AND I think I've decided I don't want to participate in one again! Okay, I still would, but it sure would be nice if I felt like you got a little pay back for all the work.

Having that said, and not to seem to crabby, but since when do people not like free stuff? We decided after the end to just give it all away. NOT ONE TAKER! We posted on FB even! Lots of good stuff, working tvs, baby clothes, grown up clothes, furniture, all kinds of stuff for FREE!!!

Anyhooo.....that's what's on my mind tonight....

Hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

Feeling Discouraged

Even tho Wed. is my "day off" this time of year because we don't play ball, it was anything but a day off.

It started pretty normal, but then my hubby had a flat, so that was fun. Then he left for work, toting one kiddo to school, and then I finished getting ready and getting the other 3 ready for school. But then I heard the goat alerting that the dog had gotten out of the fence. So I had to figure out where that occurred and fix it before we could leave to pick up my nephew on the way to school.

I got the kids to school and went to work and everything was pretty normal. A fairly busy day that went by pretty quick. After work I went to pick out some invitations for a baby shower I'm throwing and then went to pick the kids up from school. I cracked the windows on this hot humid day and went in to get my Pre-Ker. While in the school the thunder started and the skies opened up. Therefore my truck got rained in, but it wasn't too bad. So I got my 3 younger kiddos, went home to get the oldest boy and took him for a haircut. Then me and 4 kiddos hit the grocery store and then went home and cooked dinner. By the time my hubby got home it was time for me to leave for a PTO meeting at the school. When I got in the car I took a deep breath and kinda felt like it was the first time I had stopped moving. It was nice!

My children go to the school that I went to. I personally think it is a wonderful school with some wonderful teachers. I am involved in any way I can be. It's a troubled school tho. Not troubled as in it's a bad school, it's troubled because of it's location and circumstances. Mostly I believe it's because there have been a number of new schools built pretty close by that have stolen the students. The numbers are SO low. I believe we are actually in risk of being merged with one of the newer schools. I so don't want that to happen! There are so many reasons why, but I'll spare you all that.

The main problem now is we are having trouble getting parents involved. It's not a lack of trying let me assure you. And it's not that we don't have any involvement. In fact they'll send just about anything to school for a teacher appreciation luncheon, etc. It's getting people to step up and be officers on the PTO board that we are having issues with. Getting parents to be in charge and chair and event, etc. The same few ladies have been handling  everything and they just aren't willing to do it anymore. I am one of those ladies. I will TOTALLY be involved, but I just can't commit to be an officer. I believe it will all work it's self out, but tonight I'm discouraged.

I don't want to end up saying "Okay, I'll be PTO President" because no one else will, knowing that I don't have the time to commit to it 100%. It takes a team and our team has just gotten so small and worn out.

I know some of you reading this will know exactly what/who I'm talking about. I SO appreciate all of our wonderful volunteers and especially those that have stepped up to be officers and chair committees/events, but I just can't do it next year and not ONE person has stepped forward. So maybe I'm discouraged and feeling guilty.

Well, I thought blogging would be therapeutic and help, but I'm not feeling any better yet. So I guess I'll just get to work on the invitations and look forward to a new day tomorrow.

Tornadoes Scare Me

Okay, I admit it, I may freak out a little bit when there is a tornado threat. I have a good reason thought. At least I think it's a good reason.

You see, 14 years ago I was in an F4 tornado. I had NO idea until it was over. Many people lost their lives. I'm sure lots of them knew it was coming and tried to take cover. I had NO idea and was SO lucky to be okay. I guess I'm afraid that was my one freebie.

Let me share the story.
I was extremely preggers with my first child. He was due on Feb 23 and it was March 1. My husband was at work. I was at my in laws house. We were all being lazy and chilling. No tv, no radio. Then the chain of events began.

I was laying down resting and I heard this noise, it sounded like a truck gearing down on the freeway. We were near the freeway so this wasn't that odd. It didn't stop though and actually got louder. I got up and went to the kitchen. While standing at the sink looking out the window I noticed pink stuff falling out of the sky. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was. Then the phone rang. It was my husband. He said there was a tornado reported heading down the road we lived on. Then the call dropped. Everything suddenly clicked and we hurried under the house. By this time the tornado had of course already passed. As we were heading under the house you could see pieces of other houses in the yard and shingles had already been ripped off of our house. That strange noise I heard was the tornado! That pink stuff was insulation out of someone's house! It was an F4 tornado!!!

My son was born exactly a week later. I have the paper from the day he was born. The front page, a week later, was still covered in tornado damage. There was a terrible outbreak that day that took many lives.

I like to think my family understands why I get a little paranoid and freaked out. But just in case they don't, this is why.

Negative Baby Fever

Friday night I kept my niece, 2, and nephew, 10 months. My 4  children were home of course, so that makes 6. Crazy? No way. I made a WONDERFUL trade. I traded my sister nights of babysitting children. Now she's going to keep my kids the night before my birthday. This is EXTRA wonderful because my mom has already volunteered to keep them the night of my birthday. If you haven't figured it out, that's AN ENTIRE WEEKEND!!! My mom is going to get the kids from my sister so I won't see them from Friday night to Sunday afternoon! WOW! Unless I'm mistaken that has not happened in almost 8 years! I'm so excited!

As much as I love my nieces and nephews, I was not upset when they left. The baby goes to sleep good, he just doesn't stay asleep good. When you have babies you are more conditioned to the getting up. I was SO tired. Somewhere in my delirious tiredness I then volunteered to also keep my other 1 and  6 year old nephews while my other sister went to the store. That makes 8. Crazy? Well yeah, but the baby was having a nap so it wasn't too bad.

This weekend made me more thankful than ever that I don't have babies anymore. My children will ALWAYS be my babies, but I'm so glad they can wipe their own butts and talk. I officially have negative baby fever!

This weekend also reminded me how lucky I am to have such a wonderful man to share parenting with. He loves our nieces and nephews just as much as I do. They are ALL our babies! He happily helps take care of them when they are here and even gets up with them at night like he did, and does, our own. I'm a lucky girl living a lucky life!

And of course, HAPPY EASTER! I hope everyone had a wonderful time with their families today celebrating, or not celebrating, in your own special way. 

I'm back!!

Things over the last month or so have been hectic to say the least!

Ball season has started. Baseball that is, and that means LOTS of running for us. All 3 of my boys play on a multi-park league. Some of these parks are an hour away from each other! Some nights we have 3 games at the exact same time at 3 different parks! WE LOVE IT! Every year as spring approaches I can't wait for baseball to start. As summer approaches I can't wait for it to end!!!

There have been all kinds of things occupying my time but the one that stuck out the most occurred 2 weeks ago. 16 days to be exact. My baby turned 5! A WHOLE hand! Never again will I have a baby that is less than a hand old! I shed lots of tears over this one! I BEGGED him to stay 4! He refused!

We had an awesome party at the park and the weather was PERFECT! Warm, but not too hot. We got a pavilion with it's own little playground right by the bathrooms and it was too much fun! The best part, I think, was mine and Daddy's gift. We got the ice cream truck to come! We don't have ice cream trucks out where I live so the kids didn't know what was going on at first! The guy pulled up playing his music and the kids just kinda stopped and stared. Once they figured it out it was on! It was great!

My kids are now 5, 6, 7, & 14. How did that happen? My 14 year old is studying to get his driver's permit. WHAT?! I don't think I'll be able to handle riding with him so I've designated Daddy to be in charge of that. I can't even handle riding with my husband. If we go somewhere as a family I drive. I think I would flip out if my son was driving!

We also got our garden all the way in this past week. We have a pretty big garden so it takes a few days/weeks to get it all in from breaking ground to seed. This year we have white and red onions, bell peppers, burpless and pickling cucumbers, straight neck squash, tomatoes, and okra! I can't wait to start pickling and making salsa! YUMMY!

New Picture

When I started my blog I decided I wasn't going to show my children's faces or say their names. I know, I know, it's not that hard to figure it out, especially since I have family that follow and say their names in comments, but it makes me feel better.

Anywho, when I started my blog I put a picture under the title of them walking away from the camera. I LOVE that picture. So since it's been a while I decided I needed to update.

When I took the first pic it was just a spur of the moment thought. I told them to turn and walk the other way and snapped a pic. Turned out great. So this time I didn't think it would be a problem, especially since it was planned.

We went to a local daffodil field. A great annual photo opp! I think I took a billion pictures. I cannot believe how hard it was to get all 4 of them to do the same thing at the same time. Either someone was walking in front of someone else, someone was turning to see if I was actually taking pictures, someone had their hands in the air, jumping in the air, bending over, you name it! I finally just gave up. We got LOADS of wonderful pictures, but the one now below the title was the best "walking away" pic.

High School?! What?!

Yesterday my oldest turned 14! OMG! 14! Where has the time gone?! I CANNOT believe he is 14 and I CANNOT believe he's going to be in high school! High school!? Yes, high school! In 5 short months he will be in high school!

I'm so utterly proud of him and so utterly scared for him all at the same time! As much of a pain in the butt as he can be, he is REALLY a GREAT kid! I know he thinks I can be a pain in the butt too, but I know, or hope, that one day he will appreciate it!

I'm the parent that has ALL the passwords and reads all the texts and all that great stuff. Some people call it an invasion of privacy, but I call it PARENTING! I often wonder where some of these kid's parents are. There are SO many things today's kids have to worry about that we never would have thought of. I can only hope that I'm doing enough and teaching him enough.

I'm SO SO SO proud of him! He has been through so much in his short life. He lost his father, my first husband, and I just can't imagine. I know how awful it was for me, but I just can't imagine losing a parent. Mine are still here. Even as an adult I just can't imagine how awful it would be. As awful as that is I've not allowed him to use it as an excuse. Life sucks. Period. You have do the best you can with what you're dealt. I think he gets that, most of the time.

For those of you that don't know, his father and I were married in high school. I actually married my high school sweet heart while IN high school, and had a baby. Now our baby is going to be in high school. Lord please help me if he does HALF the stuff I did!!

So anyway, I took him his favorite lunch and cupcakes to school for him and his friends. I just delivered them and didn't stay to deliver any embarrassment. I had LOTS of ideas, but he begged me to please not embarrass him in from of his friends and more specifically his girlfriend. That's right, he has a girl friend. Our first official "love". I try not to give him a hard time about that tho cause I still remember how real it felt.

So all and all I think he's had a wonderful bday. He went to a Razorback baseball game over the weekend and got to spend some extra time with the girl friend at play practice. Mommy had a pretty good birthing day. I thought about his age all day and how old it made me feel. I also thought about his Daddy a lot. His birthday always makes me think of his Daddy and how I wish he were here to share it, but I know he's watching.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY baby! You are turning into such a wonderful young man! I'm so luck yo to have such a wonderful son. I LOVE YOU!!

Now to start working on that Learner's Permit.....eeekkkk!

I'm Sleepy!

I have never been so tired in my life and I can't sleep! The kids keep me busy and I'm WORN out by the end of the day, but I can't sleep. I tend to stress about stuff and it keeps me up, or wakes me up. I can't remember the last time I slept more than a couple of hours at a time. I would pay money to be able to get a solid 6 hours of sleep! Every night it's either my mind, kids, the hubby snoring, or even rain waking me up! I'm probably the only person in the world that hates it when it rains at night cause it wakes me up! I just don't understand why I can't sleep!