Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying themselves on the Fourth. They normally don't get to do fireworks so they felt like they had won the lottery.



K. really enjoyed being a "big" girl and holding it all by herself.





After watching all the dancing around that Z. did with his sparklers I am thinking of signing him up for ballet. I swear all he was missing was the pink tights. But he had fun so that's all that matters.



And Hoss, well he thought they were really cool. That is until he tried to hold it to close to the sparks and it burned his thumb. After that he was pretty happy just to sit back and watch the others. But all in all they enjoyed themselves and we still have lots of snappers leftover.

Kid exchange

We have new neighbors and they have two girls that are close in age to mine. So my son Z.has been visiting them alot lately. They have cool video games and a bunch of new toys he hasn't played with before. So today after days of my son living at their house it is finally our turn to have the party here. They have been keeping all my kids entertained which is not an easy thing to do. The noise level isn't any worse since my kids are so noisy. It's just been alot of fun for me to see the way they all include each other. Even baby A. has been included in the fun. And for the new neighbor girls, it's fun playing with toys that aren't their own. They also get to practice being with little kids and babies something they are very excited to be doing. Maybe later they will tire of the novelty it offers but for now I will enjoy it while I can.

One of those mornings

It's one of those mornings. You know the one's. The kids were up way to late watching fireworks (and so was mom). The kids woke up way to early (which meant so did mom). Everybody is cranky and in a bad mood (including mom). So much so that when dad finally did wake up two hours later than everyone else (he is on vacation after all) that he just packed up all the kids and left me in my glorious solitude that I am in right now. So what should I do...I'm thinking I'll just do nothing and enjoy the quiet while it last and drink another cup of hot coffee.

Joining the modern era

We have officially joined the modern era today. We conceded that it was time to buy a laptop. After all the time limits we have to put on the kids games and the surfing that me and my husband like to do, one computer was not enough. After lots of research (not) and looking at lots of sale ads we found the one my husband thought would do us just fine. Wish I could tell you all about it, but as of yet I haven't seen it except for at the store. Sooner or later I will get a turn checking it out. But for now I am still on our old computer and not minding a bit. I am looking forward to being able to take the laptop into other rooms when I need to. So cheers to us for joining the laptop age.

Storm Chaser Wannabe

I always thought the storm chasers that intentionally went into a tornado were absolutely crazy. Now I know for a fact that yes they are. The reason I know this for a fact is because my family and I inadvertently became a storm chaser of sorts. Something I promise to never do again.

We went to my nieces wedding in Missouri this past weekend. As the time of the wedding approached we decided to just follow the rest of the family to the wedding chapel since we had no clue where it was and didn't have directions to get to it. I am standing there putting K. in her car seat when I hear the Weather Service announce on the radio that there is a tornado warning for Webster Co. and if you are in Marshfield to seek shelter immediately. I tell my husband I think that's where we are going, so he goes off to tell the others about it. The response was yes that's where we are going but by the time we get there it should be past us. So my husband packs us up and off we go.

Everything is fine even though we struggled to keep up with the speeding driver that my BIL is. (He was raised on the curvy two lane highways and thinks nothing of driving on them at 90 mph) Then as expected, it starts to rain and it just gets worse. About the time we can no longer see them in front of us, due to the rain, we decide to go back home and just drive back later on. Only we can't since we can't see where to turn around and we are completely lost on these back country highways. So we inch along and I start praying the only thing I can remember which was Hail Mary's over and over. Finally we see our BIL stopped up ahead waiting for us, but since our cell phone had no signal, we couldn't call him to beg him to stop and seek shelter. Instead BIL keeps on driving through this mess but at least he slowed down.

Obviously we did make it to the wedding chapel but we were one of only about twenty other people that did. The rest of the people attending actually had half a brain and didn't get out in it. So it was a very small, small wedding with lots of cake for everyone.

About mid way through the reception we heard that a tornado did touch down somewhere near my in laws house so we were curious to see if any damage had happened out there. From what we could tell it landed in primarily farm land. So, no one was injured, including us, the morons who drove out into the country during the tornado warning with out a map or any clue of getting home. I guess the old saying is true, God looks out for fools and children. He protected my children and the fools in this instance were my husband and myself.

So just in case your wondering if I really do want to be a storm chaser the answer is without a doubt..NO! I will let all those other people who enjoy doing keep their jobs and instead just appreciate them all the more.

Procrastination

I'm the worst at procrastination. And today it has finally reared it's ugly head at me. You see we leave for Missouri early (and I do mean early) in the morning for my niece's wedding. And early is never a good thing with me. So today that leaves me with finding out if the vet can board our dog at the last minute( it can). Taking the dog to the vet this afternoon. Buying new clothes for the boys for the wedding. Getting the boys haircuts. Trying to wash a load of clothes we will need for the trip and then packing. I also need to squeeze the time in there to buy the girls some new dressy shoes that fit. It doesn't help that the kids are in the worst and most whiny moods and really don't want to cooperate with anything that needs to be done.

Yes, procrastination is definitely laughing at me today. But no worries, the things that must be done will get done and those that don't have to..well they just won't get done. I really can't stress to much over it since it's to late for that anyway. I'm off to spend a very hectic weekend at the in-laws and intend to enjoy it as much as possible.

How Addicted to Blogging Am I?

Thought this was a fun little quiz. Apparently I am a bit more into blogging than I originally thought.

53%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Online Dating

A Fun Meme

Saw this meme over at 4andcounting and thought I join in the fun.


Were you named after anyone? No my parents just liked the name.

When was the last time you cried? Oh gosh, during any sad movie or sappy commercial I'll end up in tears in no time.

Do you like your handwriting? It's not so bad. But not nearly as pretty as my friend Anne.

What is your favorite lunch meat? Turkey

Do you have kids? Yes, four of them.

If you were another person, would you be friends with yourself? Yes

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I try not to since I hate it when people are sarcastic to me.

Do you still have your tonsils? Yep.

Would you bungee jump? I like to think I would. But it would have to be something really incredible to actually get me to do it.

What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut Shredded Wheat

Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? I'm afraid I'm to lazy to untie them until I need to put them back on again.

What is your favorite ice cream? Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla

What do you notice first about people? Their body language.

Red or pink? I'm more of a red girl.

What is your least favorite thing about yourself? All the extra weight I am carrying around these days. But I am working on that now. Just need a little more self discipline.

What is the last thing you ate? Turkey and cheese sandwich

What color pant and shoes are you wearing? Denim shorts

What are you listening to right now? My younger son say he broke one of his bones and do I want to feel it.

What are your favorite smells? Baking of any type, apples, and gardenia.

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My neighbor

What are your favorite sports to watch? my son's baseball team.

What is your hair color? Brown

What is your eye color? Hazel

Do you wear contacts? No

Scary movie or happy ending? Happy endings. Scary movies give me nightmares so I never watch them.

What is your favorite food? I have so many favorites that I really can't pick one. Lame I know.

What was the last movie you saw? Shrek the Third

What color shirt are you wearing? Peach shirt

Summer or winter? Summer.

Hugs or kisses? I guess kisses. I'm always giving and getting kisses from the kids and husband. From the family it's always a hug and kiss on the cheek.

What is your favorite dessert? Again, I don't think I can pick just one. But I do love strawbery shortcake and anything with chocolate is bound to be a close second.

What are you reading? Right now I am reading "A Bend in the Road" by Nicholas Sparks. Pretty good so far.

What is on your mouse pad? Don't use a mouse pad.

What did you watch on TV last night? The Prince and Me. The kids were watching it and I really like Julia Stiles so it wasn't hard to get into it.

Rolling Stones or The Beatles? Stones

What is the farthest you've been from home? Lived in Oulu, Finland for a while with my husbands job.

Where were you born? El Paso, Tx

I'm not tagging anyone, if you want to play along let me know so I can go check out your answers.

Are you kidding me?

Okay, I don't normally go off into these murky waters but really today I just can't resist.

Paris Hilton was released from jail last night and apparently she is a changed woman. She decided to walk out of jail in the same way that every other person who comes out does. Naturally she was bombarded by the paparazzi. It's a good thing she changed into some new designer clothes first. Poor thing had to sit there and endure all those photographers for at least five minutes before her SUV could drive off out of the mess. Guess there is something to be said about being just like the rest of us. All I can hope for is that yes Paris did learn something in her time there and that now she will be a better role model for all these girls that actually look up to her.

All I know is that I am tired of hearing all about her every night on the news.
So for those of you who love Paris, I'm happy that she is now out of jail. I don't know her and really can't walk a mile in her heels but I do wish the best for her in the future. I just hope I don't have to hear about every little detail of it.

Random Things

1. My parents who were in town for K.'s birthday left this morning. This means that my children are exceptionally whinny and testing all the limits.

2. My house and laundry are once again out of control and I really should be focusing on them today. But I'm not. Instead I'm doing a million of other little things.

3. We are supposed to leave town at the end of the week for my niece's wedding. I really can't say that I'm all that excited about the trip. It's a nine hour drive and we will only really be there for a day and a half. Hopefully we will get a hotel this time instead of trying to camp out in the house. They have enough going on without adding our noisy bunch.

4. Swim lessons are going great for the kids. Hoss is able to go into our community pool now without floaties since he can touch and loves diving for toys. K. is doing super also. It's been fun to watch how much they are improving. Z. is loving his advanced class and so it's been a win win for everyone.

5. We only have a couple of more baseball games left for Z. to play. It's always fun when he makes the All Stars but it really drags the season out a long time. With the heat we have had, I'm ready to be done.

6. I'm hoping to get everything I need done before tomorrow so that I will have a few days to relax before being stuck in a car for along time. Guess that means I better get started on it.

Another busy weekend

We have another busy birthday weekend planned here. Add that to the swim lessons and baseball games and out of town company. I really should be cleaning or shopping but I'm not. Nope instead I am sitting around on my hiney reading a book and loving every second of it. Gotta love it when I just give up and decide to claim a few minutes for myself. It's either that or clean the bathrooms and we all know what any sane person would do.

Shopping for Girls

Shopping for girls is so much different than for boys. Boys have the basic style and you really don't have much to accessorize with. You can keep your boys always looking cute and not spend the entire bank balance in the process. But girls, boy they can break the bank in no time. Now since I have two girls who just happen to be younger than my niece I haven't gone broke just yet. But I am sure my time is coming. It is sheer will power that keeps me from buying cute clothes for them constantly. I mean who can resist when they have all these pretty spring colors. But since I have drawers of clothes for my girls and lots of hand me downs I always feel like there isn't a need to spend a lot of money on new clothes for them. Accessories and shoes on the other hand I will splurge on. I think they are to cute when the shoes match. Sadly my daughters don't agree and K. insist on wearing her pink flip flops with everything. Now my girls are finally at ages where I can even buy matching outfits for them. I know, I know, I swore to never do that sort of thing. But that was before I realized how cute it would look in pictures. What is a mom to do? I can't exactly go out and buy these cute outfits in my size and not look like some loony lady who has lost her mind. So instead of developing a nervous tick of some sort I have decided that next time I see a cute pair of matching outfits that I will buy them for the girls. Then maybe, I will be over this latest compulsion of mine to have them matching.

Rained Out Again

It's been another wet weekend for us and my poor kids are feeling it. They were so excited to start their swim lessons this morning but we had such bad storms during the night I wasn't sure if we would have them. I called and they said so far we are still having them. So I pack up my posse of kids and got them all ready to go swimming. When we get there it was cancelled since it had just started to thunder and lightning. Three very disappointed faces looked at me as if I could possibly do anything about it. But since I couldn't we all had to come home, even the promise of baseball tonight couldn't cheer them up. Once we got home and I managed to get the kids back into a good mood the phone rings and of course it's our baseball coach. The games been cancelled because the fields are to wet. Sigh, here we go again. Hopefully they won't be as grumpy after they find out about this (since I still haven't told them yet). Truly we have had so many rainy days this spring even I am getting bored of with it. How can I expect my kids not to be the same way. All I can hope for is that it will dry out soon and that they can go swimming and play baseball tomorrow.

Raspberry Days

Raspberries are one of my favorite berries. I love the way they taste and even the little seedy things they have don't bother me much. They aren't cheap to buy at the store so I don't buy them as often as I would a bunch of grapes but I do buy them regularly. This afternoon as I was washing the new bunch of berries we had just bought my oldest son Z. came in and popped some in his mouth. He just went "ummm, I love these". So I asked him if he remembered the first time he ate raspberries. Naturally he couldn't so I told him.

We were living overseas in Finland and didn't have a car. We relied on walking, public transportation and our bikes for getting from one place to another. Z. was only two at the time so he had a chair on the back of my bike that he rode in. Since it was summer at the time I was taking Z. out to the beach to play in the sand.

It was about a three mile ride through forested areas on a bike path. I kept noticing these bushes that people would be at with buckets, but never stopped to see what they were picking until that day. So that afternoon on the way home we finally stopped to see what was growing. It was raspberries and they were everywhere. So we started to pick some. My son just ate as many as he could straight from the bushes and so did I. They were delicious. We picked a few and put them into a bucket and rode on home. Z. just held the bucket of berries in his hands while I rode and ate some more. That was the first of many trips we took to go out raspberry picking.

To this day it is one of my favorite memories I have of being in Finland. Things just moved at a slower pace for us in Finland and we actually took the time to enjoy things. If we would have had a car I never would have noticed the bushes and found the raspberries. So as I eat my raspberries today, I am also remembering the raspberries I ate before which just makes them taste that much better.

Dirty Jobs

Have you ever watched the show Dirty Jobs on Discovery channel? It's one that my husband and I will watch on occasion usually with me completely grossed out about something or another. My husband meanwhile is fascinated by this type of programming.

Apparently my oldest son is alot like my husband. He has discovered the nastiness of Dirty Jobs and is only to thrilled to come and tell me all about what cool new things they can do with manure. Something to do with the testorone coursing through his veins I guess.

This morning he has gone back and forth between watching Dirty Jobs and Myth Busters. (Another of hubby's favorites) Only this time he was excited because they were going to be doing something with a chicken and a cannon. Huh? What was that? When I finally asked him to please go enlighten his brain and read something, my oldest son replies. "C'mom mom this manure stuff is educational and I always wanted to learn about canons and chickens. What would you rather me do watch cartoons, play gameboy or watch educational tv." Yeah right, nice try, whatever. I know it's all about the manure isn't it.

Maybe I can educate him some more with some hands on experience and send him out to the backyard to do manure control out there.

Time to Recover

Well after our very busy weekend here I am trying to recover. The laundry is piled up and the house is a mess. Baby A, is not feeling well and is on medicine so hopefully she will be doing better soon. Grandmama and Pappy left this morning so all the kids are bored and missing them already.

I have yet to tell them that we are supposed to be meeting an old dear friend from high school tomorrow. I haven't seen her in over a year and we have both had babies since then. There is always a big bunch of us that meet up when she comes into town and since we all have children we tend to meet in child friendly places. We have decided to brave the tubes of death at Chuck E Cheese since most of the kids are big enough to enjoy them without needing mom right next to them. Hopefully they will be on their best behaviour and let us mom's catch up with each other.

Where did nine years go?

Nine years ago you entered my life. To my unknowledgable eyes, you appeared beautiful and perfect. You soon proved me to be right. One of my most vivid memories of you as a baby is of you nursing and me just holding your small baby hand and wondering what you would be like at different ages.

You smiled early on and you haven't stopped yet. You are always so affectionate and loving and even though it' no longer cool, you still are. I remember holding those small tiny hands as you slept and now when I look at them, they are already scarred up and constantly throwing a ball of some sort. You have never been a quiet child, I always knew that as long as I could hear you, everything was fine. Your still not a quiet child but the noise has now changed. Some days I really miss all those crazy car chases across the rug with your toy cars. Now when your driving cars around it is usually a game that your playing with your friends.

I remember when we lived in Finland how I would hold your hand as we crossed the street to walk to the grocery store, and how you would help me carry our bag of groceries home. You were such a good little helper. I don't have to hold your hand anymore when we cross the street but sometimes you grab it just because and it always makes me catch my breath and smile. I remember the first time you rode a bike and the first day you took off your training wheels, I was so proud of you.

I also remember the first time you cried because someone had said something mean to you. It broke my heart probably more than it did yours. And to this day I still hold a grudge against that child for being mean to my baby. Mainly because that was when you realized that I couldn't protect you from everything all the time.

I am so proud of the boy you have become, so sweet and honest and caring. You were my first child and yet you never showed any resentment or jealousy of the other children that would follow you. Instead you just ask when we are going to have another baby for you to hold. I look at you now and some of my question has been answered. I know what you have been like at the different ages these past nine years and I have enjoyed every moment of them. I still look at you today and wonder how your going to change as you get older. I know I will enjoy each of those moments with you especially since time seems to be moving so fast.

Happy Birthday son and thank you for blessing my life in ways that I never imagined nine years ago.

I love you, Mom.

Busy Weekend

We have a very busy weekend going on around here. My son celebrated his ninth birthday with his friends last night. They went and saw Shrek the Third and loved it. I didn't think it was as bad as I heard it was going to be. So was pleasantly surprised. Tonight him and dad are going off to see the Indy Races at Texas Motor Speedway. He is really excited about it. My family is in town this weekend so naturally we are cooking or eating or cleaning the kitchen. Way to much food is in our home right now. Monday is my son's actual birthday, so we will have a small family party for him. Talk about making a birthday last all weekend. That boy is milking it for everything it's worth. Gotta love being a kid and it being your birthday.

Appreciating my Children

I don't think I as a mom fully appreciate my children enough. That is until you are suddenly surrounded by a bunch of other children that you sometimes just can't help but compare. My children are not perfect by any means. They are loud and very active. My two year old is definitely acting her age right now, but still they are my children. I am used to how they react to things and know how to handle those situations. They listen to me (most of the time) and know what they can absolutely not get away with. My children like to participate in everything. If there is something going on then they want to be in the middle of it having fun.

What brought on this sudden appreciation for my children? I am working at Vacation Bible School this week. I am helping with the games area. This should be a fun area for everyone and you wouldn't think there would be a problem. But there are always going to be some children who will do whatever they can to not be a part of the group. It's very frustrating for me and the other volunteers. We all agree that we are doing the best we can and that we can only encourage the children to participate and not get hurt feelings or become upset. But they are children after all and that is bound to happen.

Regardless, this week has brought a much greater appreciation for my children's teachers and all that they deal with throughout the year. It has also made me appreciate my children a bit more.

Free Books

Joyful Days is giving away some free books this week. Click here for the details.

Our Red Wagon

I was reminded of something the other day. Do you remember growing up having a wagon? Well I remember playing with ours, pulling it up the big hill and then racing down it with my brother and our next door neighbor, Joe. Sometimes we stopped and sometimes we flipped over or crashed. But we always had a blast doing it.

Our kids have a wagon very similar to the one I had growing up. It has been pulled around by everyone and attached to Big Wheels and bikes alike to make a trailer. Since they don't have a hill to drag it up and race down they have had to come up with their own ways to make it race around at break neck speed risking bodily injury. The other day the little kids actually talked some of the big kids into giving them a little taste of a speeding wagon. The big kids would just run as hard as they could and then when the wagon would finally outpace their running they would let it go and crash into someones yard. No one was injured and from the looks of it, everyone had a blast.




I had completely forgotten about some of the dangerous things we did with our wagon growing up until I saw the kids out playing. I can only imagine what they will come up with next and I can only hope to have a camera and first aid kit close by.

A New Look

As you can see, I have a new look and blog name. Nan over at Life is Like a Lunchbox made me this great new banner. Thanks, Nan!! You Rock!!

The reason I chose Enjoying Life One Juice Box at a time.. is simply because I am trying to slow down and enjoy my children and life more. The way my kids love juice bags will not last forever so I need to grab it while I can. The banner has a picture of each of my kiddos doing one of the things they like most, inhaling a Juice Box (or bag whatever the case may be). Even Baby A gets in on the action with the bags that get set down somewhere she can reach. So hopefully you will see a bit more of my personality in this banner and a lot of Nan's hard work.

Let me know what you think...just don't say my kiddos are ugly are anything like that because I won't believe you.

Two cart experience

My shopping habits are definitely different during the summer than they are during the school year. Besides the obvious fact that I will take my four children with me to the store instead of my youngest two there are other differences as well.

The most noticeable one is the fact that I buy a lot more "junk". And by that I mean all those pre-packaged snack items. I do have to admit that it's not just my children eating them though. We seem to have one of those houses where children meet up and the snacks are brought out. So essentially I am feeding the entire neighborhood "junk". I also buy a ton more Popsicles and ice cream for obvious reasons. They play outside so much it's a quick cool down for them and if I buy the right kind I can limit the sugar. We do buy more fruit in the summer since it's in season and my kids do actually eat it and enjoy it so at least there is one healthy thing tossed in there. But the thing I notice the most that we go through literally by the gallons is juice bags. I can buy a big package of forty drinks at Sam's and they will maybe last a week. Again thanks to my children's hospitality to any breathing soul within a five mile radius at our house.

I went to the store this morning and had all my children with me. We bought our usual items and then some, since each kid (except Baby A) begged for one item. Our cart was overflowing. So at the checkout line I realize there is no way that all those items in my cart will be able to fit in my cart once they have been bagged. So I had to ask my son, Z to go and get another cart just so I wouldn't have to fight with the bags to make them all fit without falling off.

So it's official, I have had to use two carts at the grocery store. I wonder if I am going to need more carts as the children get older. You know kind of like those people you see on TV that go shopping with two vehicles just so they can fit all the family and their groceries in at the same time. I mean let me be honest, I really don't want to be the lady that everyone stares at in the grocery store because of the obscene amount of food I am needing to buy. Hopefully it won't actually progress to that though. But if you should ever happen across a lady with four kids in a grocery store with two full carts...it's not me..no really, it isn't.

I scare Mr. Greg

Mr. Greg is our next door neighbor. He's a big guy and a policeman to boot. He has a great heart and his boys are about as tight with our sons as they can be. Apparently I scare Mr. Greg and he is afraid of me.

This is nothing new to me. He has always said this to me and about me so it's really no secret. But why would a big guy with a gun who is trained on how to use it be afraid of me. I guess it's in my genes. You see I have a bit of Greek and Mexican blood in me from my mom, along with all the whiteness that my poor dad could give me. So when he first met me he thought I was just another white girl moving into the block.

That was until he first heard my oldest son, Big Z,who was four at the time, sass me with a bit of back talk. I just handled it the way I always did by taking him inside to talk to him and put him in time out. But for whatever reason he decided that from that day on he would be afraid of me.

So yes, the policeman next door is afraid of me, in a general sort of way. Although he always tells me it's really not fear he has it's just a healthy respect for me and from where I come from. I'm not really sure how to take that one, since really I'm not a ghetto child or anything. I come from El Paso and a nice middle class neighborhood. I always got good grades and was in the drill team. I never got into any trouble, well except for the one time the cops brought me home in the middle of the night. But that's another story.

But even though he claims to be afraid of me I know that deep down he really like me. He is a great friend to me and to my husband. And maybe one day, just to get a reaction from him, I'll even tell him how yep, I do know how to shoot a gun.

Something to Ponder

No one is to be called an enemy, all are your benefactors, and no one does you harm. You have no enemy except yourselves.

~Saint Francis of Assisi

It's an Apronpalooza contest

Nan over at Like a Lunchbox is hosting a cute contests for aprons. Go check it out if your interested. I know my kids always get excited when my apron comes out since it usually means I am baking something yummy.

Sweeping in the Rain

Hoss is just like his dad. He must be outside regardless of the weather. If he stays inside for extended periods of time without being able to go outdoors he becomes a bit challenging. Yes, that's what we will call it challenging. Normally it's not a big deal since he can go out in the backyard to play whenever he wants. But this spring has been very wet for us here in our part of Texas. We have had so much rain and then more rain and then just a bit more rain to top it all off. Well when dad is out in the garage working I send Hoss out to him. After all they are carbon copies of each other, so it's only fair. It was raining yesterday, and Hoss being a boy, couldn't resist being in the rain. So when I went out to check on Hoss this is what I found.




A soaking wet little boy who was having the time of his life. He and his friend E, (who is just like Hoss when it comes to being outside) were trying to help the water down the drain. So they grabbed their dad's brooms and set to work. I think that they literally spent two hours out playing in the rain. And being the mom that I am, I just let him. After all, he wasn't hurting anything and he was happy and safe since dad was watching.

It turned what for him would have been another boring day cooped up inside the house into an adventure. And I for one say let him have his fun while he can. He'll grow up soon enough and then he won't want to be out playing or in his case sweeping in the rain.

Gigi..my dumb dog

Gigi is our dumb dog. She is a boxer and really like any other boxer has way to much energy and enthusiasm. I don't know what on earth my husband (because I blame him completely) was thinking when he decided that a boxer would be a good fit for our family. He wanted a dog, I didn't. He wanted a big dog, if I had to have a dog it would have to be small. I didn't want any dog hair shedding any where in the house and never can a dog be allowed on my furniture. Well, this dumb dog does both. Above all we both agreed that if we had a dog it would have to be great with kids, which is true in our case.




Gigi is great with the kids. She is always willing to play rough with the boys but is very gentle with the girls, especially Baby A. But if you aren't a member of her pack, then she is very protective and has a very big bark to go along with her. So when I got my new camera I thought what better subject to practice on then my dumb dog Gigi. After all she wouldn't pose like a goof ball and beg to instantly see the image on the camera like my children would. And she cooperated initially. She just lied there on the couch she wasn't supposed to be on and let me take her picture.

But when we went outside, it really became to much for my dumb dog. The fact that I was kneeling down was much to appealing for her and she came running towards me thinking she was going to get to play. And ding bat that I am, thinks to myself, cool I can try out the action feature of the camera and see how the action feature works on the camera. Only that dumb dog didn't stop, she kept on running at full speed and knocked me and by brand new camera right over. Then she has the gall to actually look like she is having fun. The dumb dog.



Tell me again why we have you here. Oh yeah I remember now, it's because I'm a ninny and can't say no to my husband and kids when they begged and pleaded for a dog. And then upon agreeing on a dog, I get one that is completely opposite of everything I envisioned. Your huge and you shed a lot, you snore and you drool real bad on top of it all. Yet still I can't get rid of you, because as the kids say, Gigi is family. Dumb Dog.

The Royal Spa Treatment

I have been to a spa today and received the royal spa treatment. The proprietors of this spa are in my immediate family so I got the works for free. The oldest owner (8 years old) decided that mom needed a special day. Off he went in search of his massage tools. After enduring all that I could take of his gentle shoulder massage I begged for a moment to just to savor how relaxed I could be. It's amazing how much more relaxing it was after he stopped.

Not to be out down the other proprietors (ages 4 and 2) decided that I needed to have my hair done. Off they went to find the brush and comb. I was then brushed and combed until my hair was hanging as limp and straight as it could possibly be. I'm sure that my two year old remembered the times that I encountered tangles while brushing her hair so decided to give a little bit of payback.

Sadly I was unable to stay for the manicure and pedicure since it really was getting late, but maybe next time. All I know is that after such a relaxing day provided courtesy of my children I feel the need to make an appointment for a real massage, but I think I'll have to try a more established spa to frequent. I just won't mention it to my children.

I love flowers

I haven't always been into gardening. It just grabbed hold of me in the last few years. Since then I have tried many different flowers. Some I like and others I pulled out and planted something new the next year. But these are some of my favorite perennial flowers and I love the the way their colors can brighten anything up. This is my hydrangea. It only has two blooms so far but this is only it's second year and is still very small.




I also love the bright color my pinks have. They are such a small flower but pack a big punch, I think.




And of course I can't forget to mention by bright yellow day lilies. I must confess that this was one of the first flowers that really got me more into the gardening thing. It's one of the first to bloom every spring and I always look forward to it's arrival.



I have a lot more flowers that I have just planted and once they mature a bit and fill in then I will take some more pictures. In the meantime I hope you enjoy these as much as I have.

My request

Today is the last day of school for my son. He is already claiming to miss his teacher and is so sad. So now that he is home for the summer, what can I expect? Lots of requests. My oldest son is full of them from everything to special breakfast requests to the playing with friends and anything else that may catch his eye. He sees something on TV and he wants it, he sees it at the store and wants it, he hears about something and he wants it.

So what is a poor mom to do. I get very tired of saying no all the time. With four kids, when one of them makes a request it is inevitable that the rest will soon follow with their own. So for today, I have a special request to make. I request the creativity needed to keep four children and a mom happy and sane over the summer. Notice I am not requesting patience, just creativity and new ways to deal with things. I am sure that my one single request will be lost among the garble of my children's many requests through out the day. Then again, maybe my one request will be heard by others and I will be granted the creativity that I desire.

My Shade Garden

I love gardening. It is always welcomed by me every spring. I like to see the old plants that are back for another year and look forward to the new annuals that will brighten up an area. For me it provides instant gratification. It's easy to deal with the sunny locations of the yard but my favorite spot is in the backyard. I have one flower bed in my backyard that gets very little sun. It is on the north side of the house and has a large oak tree protecting it as well. I have found several plants that do very well there and really love it. But without fail, every year I am required to go and replant all my favorites. This is because I have a very large, dumb dog that refuses to learn and is always digging up my flower bed. So today I have once again planted my Hostas, a new fern and some very colorful Caladiums. Once they have grown some, they will look beautiful along with the pinks, Gladiolas and Hydrangea that I have growing there. I am even tempted to replace the Coral Bells since I really love that plant, but it tends to cover up one of my darn dogs favorite spots so maybe I will just give it a break this year. In the meantime I am excited to once again have my shaded area back in order. All I can do now is try to keep that dumb dog out of my beds.

What my children see

I went shopping for a swim suit today and it was quite the adventure. I sorted through all the racks of swimsuits that I thought were cute that I thought might look good on me. After I had approximately eighty swimsuits in hand, we went off in search of the dressing room. I barely missed out on the handicapped stall since a lady with her one child in the stroller zipped in before me and my two kids along with the baby in the stroller could get there. No worries no hard feelings to you and your single child in that enormous dressing room. I will just cram all four of us in the small dressing room and proceed to try on my eighty swim suits with absolutely no room to turn around in. You and your one child enjoy the big dressing room.

You see I came prepared to entertain my kids with a small snack while I changed. Unfortunately they were far more interested in laughing at mom every time they saw my underwear. What in the world made them find this so funny I do not know but they did and they were laughing hysterically at me as I tried on swimsuit after swimsuit. I really was beginning to develop a complex, I mean if my kids are laughing at me in my swimsuit what will the people at the pool think. Once I finally get it narrowed down to about three suits I ask the kids what they think. It's then that I realize what my child sees when they look at me in a swimsuit versus what I see. All that they see is the big bright flowers and colors and none of the rolls and cellulite. To them the more loud the swimsuit the prettier I was. I just wanted to hug them there on the spot, but unfortunately we were still crammed in that small dressing room and I didn't have enough room to do it. So I picked out what was to them the ugliest suit of all since it didn't have enough colors in it and I somehow managed to maneuver back out of the dressing room. I gave them a quick hug and rushed to the closest check out before I could change my mind.

So I kept telling myself that the important thing to remember is that it will be so much fun for the kids to be at the pool this summer and that is what they will remember most. Not what I am wearing. So today all I have for my children is love, since they have shown me so much of that in the dressing room, well except for the laughing at my underwear bit.

Blessed by the Kindness of Others

I have been blessed today by the kindness of others. So much that it has brought me to tears more than once. You see this morning is my son M. (aka Hoss) last day of pre school. So it's a fun day with pizza and bounce houses and snow cones. You get the idea. He has been looking forward to this for weeks. This morning I went to drive him to school and couldn't get out of the garage. Our spring had broken and we were stuck. I couldn't call my husband since he was in Finland. I checked to see if any neighbors were home who could help me get him to his school. But no one was around. So my very excited little boy took off his backpack and went back inside. He was so upset he asked me if he could go and kick the garage door. My poor baby, little did he know, I really wanted to kick the door also.

So I called the repairman who promised to be here in two hours. Then I called the school to see when the festivities began. When the director realized my situation she offered to come and pick him up for me so he wouldn't miss any of the fun. Which she promptly did, leaving all the activities to be managed by the other women there. She also offered to bring him home if I am unable to get him. Later, one of my neighbors did get home and realized my situation, he brought me his car keys so I wouldn't be home without a vehicle while I waited for the repairman. He then left in his truck for the rest of the day. Truly today, on a day when I needed it, I have been blessed by the kindness of others.

A Week Without Dad

I woke up this morning thinking it was going to be just like any other day. I made it until about 9 a.m. before I realized otherwise. It was at this time that my husband called and asked me to pack him a suitcase. They needed to put him on the plane to Finland before the end of the day. When I asked the dreaded question of how long I was given the answer "just until Thursday". It wasn't until I was counting socks that I realized that meant he would be gone a week. Man is he lucky the laundry is caught up. I explained it to my youngest kids and they immediately went to work making a map for daddy to take in case he gets lost. My oldest son Z, will not be happy to hear about this when he gets home from school. But he is always such a big help when dad is gone that I know I can count on him.

So for the next week it's just mom. I get to deal with all the regular stuff I do everyday, without the hope of relief in the evenings. It's always a struggle at first but somehow God gets me through these times with more patience then I realized that I possess. These trips make me realize how much I do depend on my husband and how much I do depend on God. As they say, God will never give me more than I can handle.

My life of addiction

I have addiction in my life. First thing in the morning if I don't get my coffee then you better watch out. I just don't function without it. I am trying to cut it down. I have gone from 4-5 cups to about 2 or 3. My poor children really know that mommy is nicer after her first cup has been consumed. This is a recent addition that has only been acquired within the last 6 years or so. I'm not the only one with this addiction. I know many other moms who suffer in silence along with me.

My other addictive vice is caffeine free Diet Cokes or diet Dr Pepper. I dream about these drinks. The sweet flavor they have and how if they are so much better when they are ice cold. I refuse to dilute the flavor of these drinks by adding ice cubes. Give it to me plain in a glass where I can watch the bubbles float up. Gosh, how sad do I sound. Yes I know I have a problem. I have shared this addictive problem with my husband only he is not the purist I am and will still add ice to his drinks.

I have also inadvertently shared my addiction with my almost three year old daughter, K. Now please don't think I am one of those mom's who put coke in their baby's bottles because I don't, at least not technically. But for K, she is just like her mama. She sees the way I watch my drink as I pour it and she does the same. Her lips literally quiver in excitement as she ask if she can have some. And bad mom that I am, I give her a sip so that she will go away and leave me and my coke alone. It has gotten so bad that I now have to hide in another room or turn on the faucet, just to open a coke and pour it in a glass without K. hearing it.

I guess the responsible thing for a mom to do would be to stop letting her drink it. And I know if will be agony for both her and I if she sees that I am getting what she so desperately wants. So it looks like now I will have to give up my caffeine free diet drinks along with cutting back on coffee.

Sigh...what else can I do. I truly am sad about this. How sad is that?

Momumentous task

I have tackled a momumentous task this weekend. I have finally gotten every snap shot that has been taken for the last five years into albums. Well most of them anyway, the good ones. I was finally pushed into doing this when my son's pre school requested a baby picture. I couldn't find one and had to dig into a huge tub where all the photos had been placed by my husband. I finally located one for his school. But in the process came across all these other photos of all the kids that really were cute but were hidden away. So now instead of only having baby pictures of my oldest son in an album, we now have all four of the kids from their first pictures to now. Granted some of them may be a bit out of order here and there, but for the most part they aren't to bad and they are labeled. As for the kids, they are excitedly looking at all these neat pictures of themselves from when they were babies and are thrilled.

And it came at a great time for me since I received a new digital camera and am desperately trying to figure it out. Then I can get more pictures to put in the albums. But the one thing I noticed when putting the albums together, I'm hardly ever in any pictures. I am always the one taking the pictures. And of course I feel silly telling my husband to take a picture of me, please. I guess I really should since the kids will one day want to see the pictures with me in them. Then again, maybe I will just start using the timer on my new camera and then I can be in all the pictures. Anyways, I am just so relieved to have finally gotten them all organized and put into albums. That's a huge thing for me.

A time to read.

I see a book,
I think I'll like it,
I pick it up and then I buy it.

I take it home and sit down to read,
What comes next, my babies done the deed.
So off I go to change a diaper.
I sit down, then daughter calls for me to wipe her.
Flush the toilet, close the door then I go and try once more.

At last I think, I can finally read.
Then in comes my son at full speed,
Mom, come quick you gotta see.

First one thing and then another.
By the time I done with this book,
I'll be a grandmother.

My brother's humor

I have a wonderful relationship with my brother. We have always gotten along, even as children. He is four years older than me and has had his share of struggles. But through it all he has had the funniest sense of humor. Some may call it a dry wit. I love his sense of twisted humor and know that when he is joking around he never means it in a mean way.

He had me rolling on the floor this morning when I spoke with him. He had been talking with my mom who is trying to keep my Uncle Soupy to stay with them at least through the weekend. My uncle can get a bit cranky at times, like any 82 year old can. And with the surgery and being gone from home for so long he is a little bit extra cranky. Uncle Soupy has been wanting to go home now and wants Sister to drive him home today. He also wants her to go to the Dairy Queen and drop him off to visit with his cronies. She doesn't need to stay since all the women do is gossip. Now my brother hearing about this got Uncle Soupy on the phone. He said that he wouldn't be able to leave just yet, and if he tried that my mom was instructed to hide his walker so he couldn't make it to the car. Then my brother asked him what was going on at the Dairy Queen to make him want to go. Uncle Soupy just laughed and said he needed to visit with his friends. It was then that my brother said "Uncle Soupy, let me get this straight. The women at Dairy Queen just sit around and gossip. But you men don't gossip right, your just fellowshippin'. Do I have it right?" Poor old Uncle Soupy laughed so hard he made his chest hurt. He said my brother was right of course but he'd never thought of it that way before. And after all the threats of taking and hiding his walker, he thought he would cut Aunt Sister a break and stay a while longer at my parents house.

Leave it to my brother to make idle threats about walker stealing and comments about fellowship. Truly I do love his sense of humor. Does that make me a warped person also?

Spiderman 3

After weeks of anticipation by my oldest son, Spiderman 3 finally came out this past weekend. He has been begging for me to take him to see it since he knows mom likes these types of movies better than dad. Well scheduling finally permitted us to go and see it last night and he was so excited. What he failed to tell me was that his friends had already filled him in on all the cool things that happen in the movie. So for him it was not as much of a surprise as it was for me. It was still a great movie and he absolutely loved it. I thought it wasn't so bad either but really don't go for all the creepiness that seemed to be in this one. I think I will wait until my four year old gets bigger before letting him see it since it would probably give him bad dreams. For me it was just fun to get out and do something with just my oldest son, at his request. As he gets older, mom is always second fiddle to dad in his one on one time. But when it comes to movies, he knows he can talk me into them easier. That's okay, I'll take it.

Thankful Thursday

Since I really don't have much to say today I thought I would just do a Thankful Thursday post.

1. I am so thankful that my uncle has improved and was released from the hospital. Hopefully he will make a full recovery and be back to his old self in no time.

2. I am thankful that as this Mother's Day approaches this weekend that I still have my mother to celebrate it with. As well as my husband's mother. I have so many friends who have lost their mom's so I appreciate them more.

3. I am so thankful for my faith sharing group. It has truly taught me a lot more about my faith as well as brought me closer to a wonderful bunch of Catholic women.

4. I am thankful of my children and how they force me to slow down and do the simple things like paint together. It's messy but it reminds me that they need me in so many different ways.

5. And a silly one, I am thankful that I did finally find that lost book I was looking for. Now if I can find some quiet time to read it.

Trade you

Do you remember the days of trading? When you and your friends were convinced that you were getting the best end of the deal by trading that favorite marble or baseball card or maybe just your lunch. Some days you got lucky and ended up with the best rookie card ever and some days you just ended up with the team mascot. As you get older you stop trading these prized possessions. Instead they end up in a shoe box in the back of your closet waiting for you to find them again. Maybe if your lucky you will have a son or daughter that will want your collection that you saved for all these years. Then the process will begin again only this time it's your child and their best friend. Then the debates over the value of each card start anew. Such is the life cycle of trading. And I wouldn't trade watching my son trade baseball cards for anything.

Bad Memory

Where did my memory go? I seem to have lost it somewhere along the way. I can't remember any of the important things anymore as well as the not so important. I have been trying to remember where I put a book that I know I bought. I can't find it anywhere. And when I tried to enlist the kids help in finding the book I couldn't remember the title of the book or what it even looks like. I just know I bought two books at the store that day and I have only read one of them. Good gosh, how sad is that? Maybe once I get my memory back I will find my book. Sad thing is this isn't the first time this has happened to me with books. I always seem to find them months down the road and it's always such a thrill to me. So if I don't remember who you are and what your name is, don't feel bad it's just my memory has gone bad.

My sweet uncle

My sweet Uncle Soupy has had a heart attack. He is 82 and up until then has been going full force. He still mows his own very large yard. Him and my aunt Sister still travel around a lot and enjoy each other. When I heard he had a heart attack and they had sent him to the bigger hospital then what his town offered I was surprised. I don't know why, he is 82 after all. Well it turns out he needed a heart bypass (five of them to be exact). After the surgery he had a few more problems so they had to put him on a pacemaker as well. Now he seems to be making some improvement. Hopefully he will be out of the hospital soon and back home. But it just shows me once again how short life is. Watching my Uncle and my Aunt you would never know that they are 82 and 80, not until it's brought to your attention like this. I hope that his recovery will be a smooth and easy one and that it will not take a toll on my aunt as well. They have been such an intricate part of my life. Not just relatives from a distance. I feel for them and the worry that they are each going through. It is hard for them to imagine one of them not being there. After 63 years of marriage I know I would feel the same way.

Summer Schedules

When you have four children you must plan your summer schedules. If you don't you will sure go crazy. I have learned this from experience. If one of them has something going on then the rest of them will want to do something as well. So whenever possible I try to make sure that they are all going to be happy since that will ensure mom is happy. Sometimes it's easier than others. I am lucky that my children love Vacation Bible School since they can all participate at some level in it. Other things take a bit more work. Swim lessons required me to look closely at the available schedule. Finally after pouring over the available time slots I had success. My oldest will be in an advanced swim class at the same time as my middle children. That will give the kids two weeks of swim lessons without mom having to get in the water. Very important detail since the baby will still be there in the stroller needing me. Then of course we have the standard week at grandma's house in there somewhere. We will also be trying to visit my brother and his family since they live close to South Padre Island. Who can resist a beach vacation with family and no hotels. Not us. Peppered in there will be our lazy days spent at the pool and hopefully many playdates with other friends. So let the scheduling begin and bring on the warm weather of summer and let's enjoy ourselves.

Working in the Service Industry

I work in the service industry. I serve the needs of my general public. I do this by being a chauffeur to the many activities that I am required to attend. Such as sporting events, speech therapy and school. I am a shopping consultant. I am continuously on the lookout for the best deal to be found and that which will provide the most nutrition possible. I am a chef for a very difficult clientele. Their palettes are as varied as the individuals that I serve. Some are easy to please and always come back for more. Others are extremely finicky and don't like to try new dishes when put in front of them. I am the first response medical team. I decide how serious an injury is and what the best way to treat it will be. I am an accountant. I oversee the annual budget and decide what expenses are truly necessary. I am a teacher. I teach the difference between right and wrong as well as ABC's and 123's. I am a religion teacher. I make sure that the Lord is present in all that I try to do and am willing to share my faith with any around me. I make sure my children are growing up knowing of God's love for us. I am a mom. That is what my calling in life is right now. By being a mom I am emerged in every imaginable aspect of the service industry. It truly is a wonderful calling.

Another Great Contest

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting another contest, this one is for some very cute hair clips or bows for girls. My prissy 2 year old would love these. So, go visit if you are interested in winning. The clips are from Madison's Room, a very cute line of custom hair accessories. Go have a look.

What's that smell and where is it?

I have a serious problem going on in my oldest son's room. It STINKS! I'm not talking the normal little boy stink that goes along with having a boy. This smell comes and goes and we never know what we will face when we walk into his room. We have all been trying to locate the source of this smell for months. At first I blamed it on a dirty fish bowl since it smells a lot like fish food. But after cleaning the tank the smell would still come back. But we got rid of the fish, just in case. Mainly because I was so tired of having to clean the bowls out but that's another story. So then I thought maybe fish food was spilled somewhere and just needed to be cleaned up. I have taken that room apart, I have vacuumed and used gallons of ammonia to get rid of that smell. My husband has looked up in the attic in case something died up there but found nothing. So what the heck is this smell and where is it coming from. I have noticed that it only starts to smell when the light is on in his room. We can run the ceiling fan (to air it out) without having the smell return. I truly don't know what to do about this smell anymore. I feel so bad for my son although he doesn't really complain about it. At this point in time I would gladly trade this yucky fish food smell for something more desirable, you know like sweaty gym shoes.

Duck and Cover

Duck and Cover...what's that your wondering. Well it's the name of the drill that the elementary schools practice with the students in the event of bad weather. Which we had plenty of yesterday. Students duck under their desks and cover their heads until it is safe for them to get up again. When my oldest son finally arrived home from school yesterday he wanted to tell me all about the duck and covers they had to do throughout the day. The first one was pretty uneventful since it took place in his classroom and went exactly like all the drills they practice.

At the end of the day while waiting in the cafeteria to be picked up they had another alarm go off. He was separated from his friends that he car pools with. They were the lucky ones who went to the music room. Not my son, instead they directed him to duck and cover on the floor of the closet girls bathroom. Now for an almost nine year old boy, there could be no greater indignity. Having to duck and cover in the girls bathroom with a bunch of scared kindergartners really was to much for him. He informed me that they might as well have put him in the library with all it's many windows than put him in the girl's bathroom. He would gladly have suffered broken glass everywhere. After the alarm, my son made sure to inform all the teachers and any available adult that he really had no business being in the girl's bathroom. Some of the adults treated him as he had hoped with a little sympathy at having to lower himself to such levels and commiserated with him. Unfortunately for him, my husband and I found way to much humor in all of this so instead of the sympathy he was looking for he just found stifled laughter. My poor son, he really had it rough yesterday.

Tornados

Living in Texas you become familiar with tornado's at a very young age. Well at least most Texans. I grew up in El Paso, the furthest part of west Texas you can be, yet still be a Texan. In El Paso we were surrounded by mountains and lived in the desert so never really had the threat of tornado's. So as a child I never worried about them until I went to visit my family in the Panhandle. I vividly recall the time at my grandparents farm when my grandmother woke me up and said we had to go the cellar because the sirens were going off. I was in a panic. I remember being so scared and putting my jeans on backwards and being upset that I couldn't get them to snap. Once my grandmama helped me to get them on correctly she told me that the rest of the family was already in the truck waiting for us to drive to the next farm where the tornado cellar was. It was pouring down rain and super windy and of course it was the middle of the night. Once we got to the neighbors farm I continued to panic. Instead of getting out of the truck and following my grandmama and my uncle to the cellar like any child with half a brain would do I took off running in the complete opposite direction. Trying to hide from the tornado, I guess. My poor uncle was sent out to chase me down and get me back with the rest of the family. He finally succeeded and I remember climbing down into the ground and seeing all these faces that I didn't know. I just crawled into grandmama's lap and waited to be swept away by the tornado. The tornado passed us by that night and didn't damage any of the homes of the people who were in the cellar that night. But that night has stayed in my memory.

Now as an adult I wonder what the heck was I thinking? And I pity my poor grandmother who had my brother and me for a week of vacation that included the tornado. Granted my brother didn't cause a scene during the storm but still she was responsible for us. And naturally I cringe every time I think of my poor Uncle Bobby having to chase his runaway niece in the rain. He put up with so much from me that I'm sure he would have loved to have me swept away, but his patience with me was unbelievable.

Lately our area seems to be having it's fair share of tornado's. This time it's my children who are asking me tons of questions about what to do in if a tornado hits our house. My youngest son is extremely concerned about the weather and ask me on a daily basis if there will be tornado's today. And while I try to reassure him it will be okay I know how scary it is to him. All I can hope for is that if we do have to seek shelter some day that my kids will be more prepared to deal with it then I was. And if they are scared senseless like their mom was as a child then I hope I have half the patience that my grandmother and Uncle showed me that night.

Difference between moms and dads

We all know that there is a huge difference between moms and dads. Not only in how we do things with our children but also in how we perceive things. The way a mom changes a diaper is completely different from a dad's way but the smelly thing is always disposed of eventually. Our kids tend to be a bit tougher when dad is around instead of mom, and mom's are completely happy letting their son's play with dolls. Dad's however see this and immediately start to worry and send us mom's off to verify our child is normal in "The Manual" they give you when you leave the hospital. ( In case your wondering, no we didn't get a manual we got the "What to expect the first year book"). Dad's have this same reaction when they see their little boys show off their pretty toe nail polish at the same time as their sisters. Dad's just can't grasp that it's harmless and involves a lot less screaming for Mom if they go ahead and paint their sons toes as well as their daughters.

But recently I discovered that dads have a different view on baby pictures as well. If you were to ask any mom what they thought about a picture of a small bare bottomed, newborn baby with either wings or a big pretty bow on it, the answer would be that it was sweet and precious. Moms would totally get this concept of babies being a gift from God. Dad's are different, they look at the picture and ask why is the baby naked and what the heck did they put on them? Then if by chance they discover how much you spent on these pictures their jaws drop to the ground and their bodies would soon follow. Meanwhile mom's just know that these pictures are priceless, so we step over our clueless husband as they lie on the ground . So for all of us mom's of boys out there who let them play with dolls and paint their toes, I say "don't worry about it". After all I'm sure our husbands had pink polish on at one time or another, there just isn't any evidence of it in photographs like there is nowadays. In the meantime we can continue to try and explain to dad's why it is important to have both a salad fork and a regular fork when you sit down to eat. But I doubt they'd get it.

Cool Digital Frame

5 Minutes For Mom is having yet another contest and I want to win this one. Go check out Phillips and see if it's something you'd like also.

Great Poem

I just read the best poem about motherhood written by Corrie over at One Gal's Life in the Raw. If you get a chance then go read it. You'll really enjoy it.

Road to Recovery

We made it! We have survived another round of three out of four kids being sick at the same time. There were definite moments where I wondered to my self, will I survive this one all in one piece. And the answer is yes. I thought we were over worst of it yesterday but then the fatigue set in and all the little ones wanted to do was sleep and be held. So I let them and tried to reclaim my home which had been declared a natural disaster area by the governor. Pretty sad when you actually lose track of what day it is but my third grader reminded me and put me back into reality. Today I'm hoping to actually get out of the house for more than five minutes and enjoy the weather.

So here's to better health for my family and yours.

Cheers

The peaceful shower

For those of you with young children, I know you'll appreciate this. I never and I do mean never get to take an uninterrupted shower. With four children it just doesn't happen. Granted my oldest son never bothers me anymore but when he was younger he did his fair share. My children can tell the moment I step into the water and that is when they come running for one reason or another. My husband says "lock the door" but that won't work either. Because then you have three young children in tears crying and your dripping wet so you can't console them. So this morning as I stepped into the shower I waited...and I waited. And nothing, no kids coming in and out to check on me. Nobody needing to brush their teeth at that exact moment, no tattling on each other and most of all no crying. So I did what any unsuspecting mom would do. I enjoyed my uninterrupted time and got dressed. In record time I might add since I didn't have any interruptions. But I began to wonder what could possibly keep three children occupied for such a long time without needing mom's intervention. That's when the sinking feeling in my stomach began. So off I went in search of them.

My first clue was the trail of toilet paper my baby had drug through the house with her. Truly this is her favorite pastime so nothing new here, but this time it was wet. So I proceed to the other bathroom where I find that my 4 year old son and his 2 year old sister had been washing their cars. When I left them they were racing around the floor together so I guess they just got dirty and needed cleaning up. So they stopped up the sink and put the water on full blast. They did eventually turn the water off once it started to spill onto the counter. And in fairness they did try to clean it up as evidenced by the soggy box of Kleenex and roll of toilet paper everywhere. But it was an absolute mess, except for their cars , which were spotless. So this is where I am supposed to say kids will be kids and no I didn't get upset. But that's not really what happened so I won't even try. I will say that my house is back in order now and I desperately need to go and buy some more toilet paper and Kleenex. And next time I am having an uninterrupted shower I won't be so trusting of their good behaviour. It's a shame really, that the calming relaxing effect of my shower didn't last long enough for me to enjoy.

A friend in need

Relationships are tricky. You want to have friends but sometimes you end up in the middle of something that you really just wish you weren't in. We live in a very close knit neighborhood. To close I guess. There are always friends outside for the kids to play with and the parents watching them. Which means you find out way to much information and that you never really get a moment's peace during your time outside. Right now I have a dear friend who is struggling with the choices made and how it affects her family. It seems like it has put a strain on everyone around here not just that particular family. I am trying to distance myself from all the gossip that is going on but it seems to be the only topic anyone wants to discuss. I spoke with my friend yesterday and she is in pain. She is having a hard time forgiving herself and doesn't really believe that she will get God's forgiveness. In the brief few minutes that I spoke with her I tried to tell her that our God was bigger and better than that and that He does forgive. Since I have never been good at quoting scripture all I could do was tell her that He will forgive all our sins as long as we have a truly repentant heart. She seemed so surprised to hear this since she truly felt the person who she hurt was supposed to forgive her first before she could ask for God's forgiveness. I promised her it wasn't that way, but I wish I could have had some scripture locked away in my brain to quote to her to prove it was so, but I wasn't. She did share with me that for the first time in ages they are starting to go to church together as a family in hopes of healing. Hopefully they will have an open heart and hear God's words of love and forgiveness. All I can do is pray for them and continue to be their friend. And while I know this is vital to them, I just wish there was more I could do. So if you think about it please remember them in your prayers. I want them to truly experience all the love and forgiveness that God has to offer and become whole again.

Sounds that make me smile

Sometimes there are certain sounds that make me smile. They aren't the ususal sounds you would expect like children laughing or birds singing. Don't get me wrong I like these sounds very much but there are other sounds that I really like. I really don't like the wind but I do love the sound of a wind chime and have several of them in the back yard and even the front. But that really isn't even the sound that I'm thinking of that brings a smile to my face. It's the sound of sports that I am talking about. For whatever reason anytime I hear them they just give me a smile and a great sense of satisfaction. Even though it's not me causing these sounds. So I thought I would just list my favorite sounds of sports.

1. The smack of a baseball hitting the glove.
2. The crack of the bat connecting with the ball in that perfect spot.
3. The swish the basketball makes when it makes a basket.
4. The sound a golf club makes as it is slices through the air.
5. The sound of ice skates on the ice.
6. The sound the hockey stick makes when it hits the puck.
7. The sound the pins make when the bowling ball knocks them down.
8. The sound of football pads and helmets crashing together.
9. And throughout all these sounds is of course the cheer of the crowd.

And it's a good thing I enjoy the sound of sports. With two boys and a husband who like to watch sports all the time. I am always having to listen to these sounds. So just imagine the pain I would be in if I didn't like them.

Three things

Well, it is really more than three. 4andcounting tagged me to do the 3 things meme.
And I hate to let someone down.

Three Things That Scare Me:
1. tornadoes
2. losing my husband in a freak accident of some kind
3. horror movies

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
1. husband
2. my brother
3. my children

Three Things I Love:
1. to read
2. watching my son play baseball
3. sitting by a swimming pool watching the kids play

Three Things I Hate:
1. the wind
2. people who drive super slow when I am late ( I know it's my fault not theirs)
3. being late

Three Things I Don’t Understand:
1. people who abuse children in any way
2. what it is my husband does at work...it is so over my head.
3. people who think they are better than everyone else

Three Things On My Desk:
1. bills to be paid
2. art from the kids
3. day planner which never gets used any more

Three Things I’m Doing Right Now:
1. wearing my cleaning clothes while I am not cleaning.
2. typing
3. thinking of all that I should be doing

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. go to Italy
2. hold my grandchildren
3. go to Confession

Three Things I Can Do:
1. bake
2. read a map the old fashioned way
3. make my husband laugh

Three Things I Can’t Do:
1. play any musical instrument
2. read music
3. resist chocolate

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:
1. your parents and grandparents when they talk about the old days. When they are gone so are the stories.
2. U2
3. Compliments (listen to it, say thank you, and be happy--we women have a bad habit of discounting or disagreeing when someone gives us a compliment)

Three Things You Should Never Listen To:
1. selfish people
2. your doubts
3. gossip

Three Things I’d Like To Learn:
1. how to draw
2. how to be a better cook
3. how to fully trust in God

Three Favorite Foods:
1. enchiladas
2. chocolate
3. strawberries with sugar

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:
1. Sesame Street
2. The Electric Company
3. Mister Rogers

Three Things I Regret:
1. gossiping
2. not being there with my husband when his dad dies
3. grocery shopping while I am starving.

Three People I'm Tagging (no pressure, just if it seems like fun to do):
1. Nan
2. Greta
3. any one else who wants to join in.

How time flies

My baby turned one this weekend. It just seems like yesterday that I was holding her for the first time. She was so tiny and perfect and barely weighed anything at all it seemed. When I held her close she didn't take up my entire lap. Now fast forward a year and what do I see. I see my perfect little baby smiling and laughing at the drop of a hat. She has such a happy disposition and seldom cries. Now when she lies on my lap her legs hang over and she kicks them up and down for fun. When I set her down to play she is off like lightning crawling and exploring new ways to get into trouble. I can't tell you how many rolls of toilet paper she has unraveled and crawled through the house with. Every time I catch her in the act she just laughs with joy and looks so proud of herself. It's amazing how much a baby can change in that first year. It seems like life will stay this way forever, and then in a blink of an eye they seem to have grown up on us overnight. It just reminds me that life is short and precious and I really need to stop and enjoy all the little blessing my children provide me throughout the day. Time does seem to fly by when you least expect it and I know I will miss these days I have now, just as much as I already miss the days of her being my baby.

It shouldn't be this way

Have you ever just had one of those days or in my case weeks where everything seems to be a struggle. From the simple like signing on to your blog to post to dealing with difficult children. It has been one battle after another this week and it doesn't seem to be letting up yet. I am convinced part of it is because we have so much going on lately that no one is getting there individual quiet time we all need. Add very young and immature temperaments and there you have all the ingredients needed for a meltdown. On my part I am staying up way to late to do work and am myself tired which doesn't help my handleing of these meltdowns. But I can't seem to get the undisturbed time during the day to get it done. I guess I will have to get through this as well, I sure hope it's soon.

Songs stuck in your head

Normally I absolutely hate it when I get a song stuck in my head. This could be because it is usually some silly song from one of the kids programming. Songs that have absolutely no meaning to me except to annoy me. But this morning is different. I have a song stuck in my head and I can not get rid of it. The thing that is different is that I don't want to get rid of it. I absolutely love this song. It is such a church hymn called "Be Not Afraid". I have been humming it all morning and even decided to go find the lyrics so I could actually sing it correctly. I love this song...love love love this song. I'm not one of those people who can quote scripture or even remember what books of the Bible to find what I am looking for half the time. But this song holds such promise to me in my simple faith, so I will just enjoy it being stuck in my head.

Things that annoy

Last night my husband opened a can of worms when he asked me what are some things that annoy you. This is after I told him he was cutting the casserole we were having in the wrong direction. Yes, I am anal and I know it but I had to tell him since I was starting to have nervous ticks in my face. He was cutting his portion along the longest length of a 9 x13 baking pan. I in my strange quirky world, I have to have it cut along the shorter length. Now this is obviously not the first time this has happened during our almost eleven years of marriage. I really try not to mention it most the time since he always forgets and does it "his" way the next time. But since he asked why I was making such a pained face I told him. Which then brought on the discussion of what other things annoy me. Now not wanting this to turn into a huge discussion on each of our faults I focused on the question. What annoys me? He didn't ask "what things do I do that annoy you?" but he said "what annoys you?" So thankfully I jumped all over the question. I probably amazed him with all the passion I had on the different things that annoy me. I could tell it wasn't what he was expecting since none of my annoyances involved him (at least the ones that I mentioned) but we enjoyed ourselves. We also discovered a few new annoyances that we share together. I guess even after eleven years we still don't know everything.

Works for Me Wednesday

My kids love to drink Kool-Aid type drinks and juice bags. I am always wanting to control the amount of sugar that they have in these drinks which is hard at times. So what I started doing was just buying sugar free mixes like Crystal Light in the flavors they like. They think they are getting Kool-Aid but I know they aren't getting the sugar that it contains. Since I started doing this Wal-mart started to carry a generic version of Crystal Light in their favorite flavors so now I buy that brand for a a lot less. This works for me so maybe it will work for you. For other great ideas on Works for Me Wednesday click here.

Burst of energy

Every now and then you get a burst of energy and it seems like you can do anything you need to. Today was one of those days for me. I had a a lot of errands to do and a doctor appointment for my daughter an hour away. Yet somehow I managed to get all the cleaning done and make dinner for our "new parents". I spent some quality time with each of the kids one on one (a rarity I'm afraid) and even got an hour long walk in I guess when you limit the time you spend on the frivolous things like Internet, television and standing around out front with the neighbors along with sticking to the schedule you have planned for your children that is what happens. Maybe I should try this more often. I feel better about my day then I normally would and I am convinced it's because I accomplished what I normally would do in three days in just one. I hope to continue with this new decision my husband I have agreed on to spend more time with the family instead of friends.

She said yes..

Have you ever just been amazed at something and then wonder if you would be able to rise to the occasion. I am just always amazed at the way the Virgin Mary said yes. She said yes to God and in doing so became the mother of our Lord. What would have happened if she said no. We all have free will including Mary so technically she could have said no. Granted she was handpicked by our Lord to be Christ's mother but still...she said yes. Imagine the joy and pain she had to endure during Christ's life and death and further Resurrection. None of it would have happened if she hadn't said yes. I am constantly trying to follow her example. I feel very inadequate some days in doing so but continue to try. I hope someday to be worthy of her grace and our Lord's and hope when asked I will say "yes".

A full house once again

Today my oldest son comes home from visiting at grandma and grandpa's house. So I will have my full house back in it's entirety. It's amazing how just having one voice not in the mix of things makes our crowded home seem empty. But it's true. We didn't have any shuffling to and from practice. Any begging to play outside with his friends and asking if we wanted to play video games with him. And while I know he had a lot of fun away from home, it was just way to quiet for me. His noisiness is nothing compared to younger three but I missed his sweet personality. So I can hardly wait for them to return late this afternoon so that my normal routine will feel right again. You'd think I'd be overjoyed to have one less in the mix but I've decided I like it all or nothing. Kind of crazy I guess.

Dogs

It seems that lately dogs seem to be the new theme in my life lately. I don't know why since I really don't like dogs all that much really. I reluctantly agreed to my husband to dog sit for a very old friend of ours. Mainly because the friend is looking for a job and really doesn't need the cost of kennelling his dog. So we had him bring his Border Collie up the other night to see how he got along with the kids and our dog. It all seemed okay so it was decided that Harley would come visit us for about a week. Now our dog has no manners and likes to jump up on people which I am forever trying to fix but she's a work in progress. However Gigi is great with our kids and will take any punishment they can dish out. Harley hasn't been around kids much but was pretty calm the other night. So it's all good right? Well after Harley arrived this morning the kids went out back to play and got on their trikes and such and speeded around the back patio as usual. Well for Harley this proved to be to much chaos for him and his natural instincts at herding kicked in. He started trying to round up my kids and naturally started nipping at their heels. So within two minutes both the kids were in tears screaming that Harley bit them. They were fine just upset at the turn of events in their play. Meanwhile Harley looked quite proud to have restored calm to the back yard. So for the sake of my children's heels the new rule is Harley has to stay inside while they are outside riding around on their wheels.

And the day just keeps getting better

I went to visit our "new" baby. He is perfect and mom is doing good. They should be home tomorrow. It amazes me how tiny and perfect all the features are on a baby. How does God do it? Every little crease and fold is perfectly laid out from his eyelids to his ears down to his toes. Amazing.

So what could possibly make a good day like this get any better? Finally hearing from my old college roommate who has proven to be quite the nomad since graduation. Catching up on all that is going on in her life is a lot of fun.

Silly I'm sure, but I just feel like I have been given a little bit of extra sunshine from God today and am thankful for it.

Welcome to the world

Happy Birthday and welcome to the world. My friend had a beautiful and healthy baby boy. He weighed in at 6lbs 9oz and has wonderful red hair. I am so excited for them all since it was a long journey to get him here. For me it's just another small reminder of all God's grace to provide us with a small piece of heaven here on earth. I can't wait to go see them this afternoon and share in the joy a new baby brings.

Good things about today

1. My friend is having her baby today. I'm so excited for them and can't wait to go and see the new baby when he arrives.

2. Hubby called with good news from work. I always like those phone calls.

3. We found a house we like enough to go and have a second look. Hopefully it will still look nice to us today and we can decide if we will do it or not.

4. The kids are all playing so nicely today.

5. Our dog is almost done with being in heat. Now I just need to make sure she isn't having puppies so I can go get her spayed.

Kill the dog

That seems to be the general consensus of everyone we have talked to. Kill that mean dog. We have even had volunteers offer to come and do it for us. Are you wondering what happened to start such an outpouring of support? Well after dinner the other night we decided to go for a walk around the block with the family and our family dog. So we put the baby in the stroller, my two middle children rode their bikes and my oldest ran ahead with a basketball. My husband was holding the leash. And off we went for our walk. As we approach the corner house where I know the dogs will get crazy and bark I warn them all to move past as quickly as they can. One dog is always jumping up on the fence and hanging off it somehow. But this night it wasn't enough for the dog to just jump up and bark at us. It saw our dog and somehow managed to get over the 6 foot fence and went into attack against our dog. As my husband is trying to kick this mean dog off our dog I'm frantically trying to get my children out of harms way. But that dog was everywhere and my husband was in the middle of it all. So I run to ring the doorbell to try and get the owners out to control their dog praying he won't turn on my kids. And he didn't, we got him cornered on the porch and the front door finally opened up. Yelling at the poor boy who opened the door to get his mom or dad. Well mom finally showed up and got the dog inside somehow. And we were only able to get her to say that yes the dog was current on his shots before she locked herself inside and didn't come back out.

Well I am sorry but I am pissed off at this point and this just wasn't enough to my way of thinking. So as soon as we got home I called the police to report this dog attacked us. I wanted it on record before any children were hurt, especially mine. So the next day the animal control officer came and talked to me and then went and talked to the neighbors. The dog did have proof of his vaccinations and would be gone by Sunday. Apparently the mom was the step mom and has always been afraid of this dog. The dad wasn't home at the time so when he got home he called his ex wife and said come get the dog. So hopefully the dog will now be in a place where it can't jump fences and attack other dogs or children. I did go by the house last night and for the first times in months that dog didn't jump up on the fence and bark as I walked past. My only thought was good riddance.

UPDATE:
I drove past the house this morning and saw that the dog was still in the backyard so I guess the ex wife didn't come and get him after all. Maybe I'll just have to start carrying pepper spray with me on walks and use it if he comes up on the fence again and tries to get out again. Or I could just call on some of these volunteers we have had.