Facing the facts

I can't deny it any longer. Swimsuit season is almost here. I'm being reminded of this from every direction. Time to refocus and start walking again on a daily basis. It's hard to do this time of year with all the practices that are going on but I just need to give up a TV show or two and it should all work out. Hopefully by the time I actually have to force myself into the swimsuit, it won't be as bad as it would be now.

I may say that just a bit to much

I hear myself in my children. What I tell them, usually comes back to me sooner or later. Sometimes it's not so bad, other times I'm embarrassed and then other times I just have to laugh.

I've been listening to A. quite a bit lately. And I must say, she is definitely repeating things that she hears me say. But in my defense it's not the embarrassing phrase of darn it (only it really wasn't darn). Instead it seems that everything she is seeing or noticing for the first time requires a very loud and enthusiastic Holy Cow! (Mental congratulations to myself that it was not anything worse than that) So since this doesn't fall into what I consider the offensive category, I'm enjoying her Holy Cows. Everything from a new roll of toilet paper being put on the roll, to a dead bug in a window sill gets a big HOLY COW.

So I've decided that I may just actually verbalize my thoughts a bit more than I should. I must try to keep things where I really am thinking Holy Cow inside my head, instead of verbalizing them. But Holy Cow, it's harder than I thought it would be. So maybe I will just give it up and be glad that at least it's not quite as offensive as Bugger, which I've been know to say a time or two. But if we aren't actually in England is it still offensive? Just something to wonder about.

It's that time again...baseball season

Baseball season has started up for us again. We now officially have three kids we have to shuttle back and forth to practices and games. So for my friends that I see on a regular basis, I'll see you around June sometime. But contrary to what you may think, I love it. It's fun to watch the kids as they grow and get better at sports. You can really see a difference in them from season to season.

This past weekend we watched my oldest son Z. play in a weekend tournament. He is with a new team this spring. And we decided on this team not for their winning records (which they didn't really have) but for the coaches and parents of the other boys out there playing. We are really enjoying being on this new team. Since we've joined them, the boys have finally started to click and they are finally playing pretty good. They finally finished a tournament and got a bit of hardware (ie. trophies, medals, rings) to show for it. They didn't win this tournament so they didn't get the championship rings (which I'm still laughing over) but they were all so excited to have done so well. Hoss my youngest son is now the official bat boy for this team and even he received a medal. Talk about an excited 6 yr old.

So if you start to hear more and more talk about baseball than you really want to, I'm sorry. But that's pretty much all I'm going to be doing for the next 3 months so I won't have much else to talk about.

So pull up a chair, grab some sunflower seeds and start spitting, it's baseball season.

It's Spring Break

We are on spring break this week. I have high hopes for everyone getting and staying healthy this week. So far it looks like it may actually happen. Z. is fine and at baseball camp this week every morning. Hoss and K. and A. are all better and for the most part seem to be better as well. So that leaves me to plan a few things to do this week. I'm planning but it's a bit hard to do the long all day activities when I have Z. at camp until noon. After being physical and on the go all morning he does get a bit tired. But I'm sure I can get him to go on an extra long all day outing if it were worth his while.

So that leaves me with a lot of free mornings to fill this week. And what seems to be filling it? One of my all time favorite TV shows as a child. My son Hoss has discovered Little House on the Prarie. He likes it because of the horses. I just like it. I can honestly say I've seen every episode ever made. And I can name and place every episode within 60 seconds of sitting down to watch it. I was a bit obsessed as child I think. But I can't deny that I still love this show. Who knows, if I'm lucky I'll get to watch it more than once this week on spring break. It is my kids putting it on to watch, not me. And I will indulge them on this one.

Sick and Tired of Being Sick

I have to say it has been a hard winter for us. For the last two months straight, we have had one person after another in our family getting sick. And it continues to rage on. We have never had it this bad before and I hope to never see a winter like this again. It all started at the end of January when Hubs came home sick from a business trip. Hoss then caught it and developed pneumonia. Then K., A. and I decided to get the flu and spread the love to my parents who were visiting. We finally get through that then Z. comes home with strep throat. Now we are battling the dreaded stomach virus for a second time this winter. Both K and Hoss are fighting this one right now. It's just not seeming to end.

I must say, that I am so tired of being sick and caring for sick children. They've been great but it's just been really hard. I'm hoping that the kids will soon recover and get over all these viruses soon. That should leave us healthy to deal with all the allergies that are about to hit and the asthma problems that go with it. I am hoping that we can spend spring break next week home and healthy. So now you know why I've been gone so much lately.

Birthdays are in the air

We are starting our next round of family birthdays. Today is Hubs birthday. He is now 41. It's really not that upsetting to him so that's a good thing. So what does Hubs want for his birthday? Who knows. He doesn't have anything that he really wants and doesn't really need anything. So we are just going to go out and let the kids pick him something that they think he would like. It's always fun to see what they come up with. One year he got a bag of marbles, Z. really felt that he needed those. And of course he felt he had to play with Hubs in the process. I've already been requested to make his favorite birthday cake. So of course I will do that, what flavor you may wonder. It's almost embarrassing to say it but he really likes pink strawberry cakes. So that's what he gets, even though the girls have told daddy that it's a girl cake. He doesn't care though and still wants a pink cake. I guess he never believed that whole boys don't like pink theory.

So Happy Birthday Hubs, we love you very much. Enough to eat pink cake and play marbles with you. May your upcoming year be filled with as much love and joy as you give all of us on a daily basis.

Sick Again

We are sick again. The girls and I are suffering from the flu. Hoss has recovered for the most part from his pnuemonia so that is a bright spot. Z. and Hubs seem to have dodged the bullet so far. But my poor parents who came up to visit, they went home with the flu. Courtesy of us of course. I feel so bad about that. They always seem to catch something when they come to see us. I am amazed that they continue to risk it but they love thier grandkids and can't be kept from them. But hopefully we will all be well soon. Because I have to tell you, this being sick with the flu is for the birds. I must remember this next year and get a flu shot.

Can you see anything

The last few times I've logged into blogger I can't see anything. I was just wondering if it's happening to anyone else or if it's a user error. Will you leave me a comment either way letting me know if you can or can not see my posts.

Company is coming

It's really sad how excited I get when we have family come and see us. You would think I'd be tired of it by now. But I'm not. In fact, they really don't come enough for me or the rest of the family. Yes, even Hubs thinks they should come more often. But starting tomorrow, we have company in town for about ten days or so. My parents are coming which is not all that unusual but still a reason to be excited.

But during the time that they will be here we will have more company. Hubs sister and her husband are driving down from Missouri to Houston for a cruise. So they will stop and stay with us along the way both coming and going. It's been a while since we have seen them and we are looking forward to it.

I can imagine now all the cooking that will be going on in this kitchen. Because that is what we do when family gathers, we cook. Lots of food and all of it delicious. It's amazing how we cook so much more for company than we do just for ourselves but we do. Hmm, maybe that's why I'm so excited when company comes. It means that good food is sure to follow. It's worth considering....

A Talk with the teacher

I had a talk with K.'s teacher this morning. It was very enlightening to say the least. Ms. Tammy asked me if my husband was doing okay. So I told her yes, he was doing good and would be back from Finland very soon. At this, she looked very relieved and started to laugh. She then told me about a conversation she had with my daughter.

K.,my daughter told Ms. Tammy that her dad was in heaven. Ms. Tammy asked her if she was sure and K. said yes she was very sure. Her mommy had dropped her daddy of at the drive thru and then he went to heaven. He'd be back in a few days.

Of course by now I am laughing and wondering why she came up with this. I can only guess that to her the airport is the drive thru and the planes then fly up to heaven. I still don't know for sure and will talk to her this afternoon about it. But I'm still laughing at this. Especially since I didn't drive Hubs to the airport, he drove himself and left his truck in long term parking.

I'm just glad that he was able to get a return ticket from heaven and I'm sure when I tell him, he'll be just as relieved.

Wordless Wednesday

For other WW participants click here.

Another way in which girls are different than boys

Having girls is different from boys. In so many ways. But I recently realized a new way they are different. Birthday parties. In particular, girls only parties. Now my poor girls will never have a girl only birthday party simply because of the fact that they have two brothers who will always be at their parties. So that along with the fact that my girls like to do a lot of what the boys do means that we very seldom have true girlie time.

But one recent Saturday K, my oldest girl was invited to a girlie party. So dad packed up the boys and took them off to basketball games while I packed up the girls and took them to parties. The girls were then treated to an experience they won't soon forget. We got to the party where they were whisked off to put on princess gowns. Then they were put into big director chairs and had their hair put up in pretty buns complete with glitter hairspray. After that they were rushed off to get their nails and makeup done. Once all the girls were finished, it was time. Time for the big presentation. One by one all the girls made there way onto a runway through a curtain of golden beads. There they walked the catwalk showing off the new princess look they had. They were then presented with a crown and a certificate.


I'm thinking to myself, what could possibly top this for these girls. Then it was cake time. They had the most beautiful cake from my favorite bakery Candy Haven. So naturally I had a piece. And then we opened presents. Lots of fun. Just when the girls thought it was over they put on their regular street clothes and jackets and went outside. There they were greeted by a very big and long pink limousine in which they all piled into and went for a ride. They loved it. And I was once again left to wonder at how different things with girls can be. Now while my girls loved it, I know I will never spend the money on that kind of party for my girls. I just can't imagine doing it. I know that from now on though that anytime either of my girls gets an invite to a party like this again that my boys will be begging to go. They are pretty mad that both of their little sisters have already ridden in a limo and they haven't. They assure me they will suffer through the whole party if they can go in the car afterward.

Yes, boys and girls are as different as princesses and hot rods.

On my own again

I'm on my own again this week. Hubs had to leave for work for a week. Could have been much worse, he somehow managed to change it from 2 weeks to 1 week. So for one short week, I am the sole chauffer. But at least it will be busy and go fast. We did a quick and quiet brunch (since we only had A. with us) before he left to fly out. It was very enjoyable. Sometimes we forget about how simple it is to eat out with only one child. In fact most of my food was hot while I was eating it. That hasn't happened in a long time. So this week will be an easy week for cooking since the kids are so easy to please. But still, Friday night can't get here soon enough.

Love ya' Award...right back attcha!

Nicole surprised me with an award the other day. She's my friend in real life, so I take it to mean that she really does like me and not just what you see on the computer screen. That's nice to know. I think I'm supposed to pass this on to other bloggers that I read and appreciate. I have several bloggers who I think deserve this, but since some of those blogs are private it makes it kind of hard.

This award is officially called The Love Ya Award, and here's why:


"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be
friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when
the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.
Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight
bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into
the body of their award.”

So thanks Nicole for appreciating me. And I want to pass on this award to a few of my favorite blog writers. I don't know if I have eight though, so if I break that rule, well I'm sorry. I can be lame like that sometimes.

Ginny is my friend in real life and just started blogging. She always writes about things that are important to her. She's amazing.

Lauren is one of my first ever blogs that I started to read. I always enjoy her posts about her life, books and Disney Trips.

Keelan just makes me laugh. I can so relate to her stories and am sure you'll enjoy her to.

Heather, Lynn and Kim are more of my favorite blogs to read. But they're private now so you'll just have to take my word for it. But I want them to know how much I enjoy their blogs.

So if you get a chance, stop by and visit them. I think you'll enjoy their blogs.

Quick Takes

I am so stealing this idea from my friend Nicole. I know she will understand. I just give a few random things (I think)about what's going on. This saves me from actually having to come up with a true blog post.

So without further ado.

1. I cut K. hair for the first time ever this week. She's 4 1/2 and it was long enough to get caught in her bottom during bath time. Enough said. It is now a short and sassy length (to her) of mid back. She can wear it down, and I can still put it up. See everyone wins.

2. I am also a dork like my local friends who are excited about a new grocery store opening close to us. Another option without the traffic is always something to be excited about. I plan on going here in a bit to so some shopping and enjoy all the freebies that go with a grand opening.

3. I think I have found a solution for my child care issue on the few occasions that I need it. Some of my neighbors have used this facility before and it's a pay as you go type place. Plus it's good for all ages and stays open till midnight (can you say date?) I am checking into it further but so far it seems promising.
Plus they have all kinds of camps they offer during the summer months when the kids tend to get bored.

4. The treadmill and I have come to agreements. I don't like it as much as walking outside, but it's pretty darn convenient. So I'm still using it.

5. Lost started back up this week. Can I tell you how excited I am. Very. I now have something non reality to waste my time with. Can't say it's time better spent but it's still good.

6. Tomorrow is K. first back to back birthday party invites. So it should be fun for her and torture for me. I have a dollar amount that I allow for presents but the ones she picked out were even below that. So she added these giant circle lollipops to the gifts. I think she is more excited about those than anything else.

7. Homework has been hard this week. Z. has two teachers that for whatever reason both had huge projects due. So with all this nice weather we have been having, we have missed alot of it since homework has to come first. Stinks to be a grownup sometimes.

So there we have it. For more quick takes visit Jen

Not Possible

Today is the inauguration of our new President. And yes I know this is a historic day on so many different levels. I'm excited about some of the the history being made. I'd love to be able to have my children witness this change of power in person someday with me. Of course it will never happen because I just don't like being in crowds, but it would still be awesome to watch. But at the same time, it is barely 8am and I'm already tired of some of the news coverage going on. The things that they feel we need to know just in order to fill air time just drives me crazy. So while I will probably tune in to watch the actual inauguration process where the new President will be sworn in, it's not possible for me to watch it all. So just give me the highlights and leave all the fluff alone already, I've still got a house full of kids to take care of today.

Is there anything better

Today is going to be a cold day. And I am so excited that I really only one obligation so far that requires me to leave the house. Is there anything better than getting to stay inside where it's nice and warm when it's cold outside. I myself think it's one of life's little pleasure. Kind of like when the kids are all quiet and happy and not getting into mischief. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does, I try to enjoy it. So my plans for the day don't include to much running around. Instead I think I will stay home with the girls and stay warm. Is there really anything better than that?

Just not right

It's January, one of the coldest months in the year. But even though it's January, I am off to have the AC in my car fixed today. Why? Because the weather is so crazy going from 80 to 40 on a daily basis it seems. And on those regular occurring warm days it gets down right stuffy in the car. And since I'm part of a family whose allergies who are terrible, we never have the window down. So even though to me it just doesn't seem right to have to fix the AC in January, that's what I'm doing. Crazy isn't it, this Texas weather.

A bit of this and that

In case your wondering, and I'm sure you not. Things are still hectic around here. Here's a bit of what's been going on around here.

-School started back so kids are up and going early. Mom, not always the case.

-I've been to some more training classes that I probably didn't really need but had to have anyway.

-Dropped off K. at school and headed to the dealership to have my A/C fixed. (Yes I know it's January but this is Texas and we still are seeing the occasional 80 degrees) So get to dealership and wait while they figure out what's wrong. Get the call from preschool saying daughter is having severe allergic reaction to something can I come get her and can they give her benadryl. Yes give her medicine and I'll be there as soon as my car is off the big rack they have it on. Then go tell them to get it off the rack and I'll be back later for them to fix it. Get to preschool and K. is all better and doesn't want to leave. Still don't know what caused reaction. Now I'm waiting for my part to come in so I can take the van back to be fixed.

-Went and played Bunco with some friends. Lots of fun.

-Hubs and I have talked about getting a treadmill. Discovered Hubs boss just bought an $1800 one last year that has only been used around 6 times. It's now being offered to us to try out. At no cost. If we decide we still want it in 6 months then we can talk about price then. So Hubs said yes and will go get it this evening.

-Talked Hubs into painting girls bathroom last week, now just need to get the rest of the house done. It's just hard to decide on the color I want since there are so many of them to choose from.

-Really need to get the kids used to not interrupting me on the phone when I'm talking. They are having a hard time with it, but since I am now on the phone alot with work stuff, it's vital they learn. The big ones have it, but the girls are still struggling.

So there you have it, aren't you glad you read this far. We are just so exciting in our house. So until I bore you again, that's it for bits of this and that.

Last Day of Vacation

Since today is the last day of vacation for the kids I thought we would do something fun. But instead it started to rain and get cold which pretty much put a stop to any outdoor fun I had in mind. So I did what any good mom would do, I started the laundry that's been piled up since last summer I guess. Now I have half the laundry done and four wound up full of energy kids running crazy through the house. But, I can't say that it's really been all that bad. Well except for the whole laundry thing.

The rest the week should be busy as we get back into our normal routine and all the running around it takes. So it's really a good thing to get caught up on laundry instead, although I'd ditch it in a second if something better came along. Just being honest ya'll. See I told you all that I have one of the most boring life's of all. And yes, I'm still happy with it.