Important Decisions

Hoss has been trying to make a few important decisions lately. We were talking in the car about what he wanted to do when he grows up. He has decided as of today that his chosen field lays in Nascar. He originally told me that he wants to be a race car driver like Jeff Gordan or Dale Jr. But after careful consideration he now claims to want to be in the pit crew. I couldn't figure out why he would change from a driver to the pit crew so asked him why he made his decision. His response showed he has put a lot of thought into this one.

"Mom, I decided to be in the pit crew because then I could go to the bathroom any time I wanted to. If your a driver than you have to hold it until after the race is over."

How could I possibly argue with logic like that?

The Toothless Wonder

Hoss has a new nickname here lately. I'm sure you've figured out why. It started with one but before long they were both gone.

Child Labor....I'm all for it!!

I must admit to being all for a little bit of child labor in my home. My bunch is all old enough to help out around the house and I must admit to taking advantage of it. And if I'm honest here, I really don't do it all that often. But then when I do make them pick up and clean up I am left to wonder why I haven't done more of it.

Our regualar scheduled cleaning was postponed due to a broken toe accident our house cleaner had. Now instead of me just doing all the cleaning myself, I drafted the kids. Z. had to do the dusting (which I truly hate), Hoss and K. got to wipe down the bathrooms. And A. followed me around with a soapy wash cloth wiping down any spots on the walls she found. Most of them put there by her I may add. That left me to run the vacuum and mop the floors. We were able to get everything taken care of in around an hour. Not a bad time. Granted it wasn't up to it's normal clean standard, but it was clean. And the kids felt a bit more empathy for all the hard work that goes into keeping it clean. Well at least they felt that way for about five minutes then they forgot all about it again.

This morning I looked around and the house was looking a bit dingy again. So the kids were drafted again. Only instead of dusting, Z. had vacuum duty. Now the house is back in order again for at least another three days or less. So once again I am left to appreciate the joys of child labor.

Photo Hunters-Dark

This weeks theme is dark. So I had to go back through some old photos to come up with something. This picture was taken last winter when I took the kids to see Ice. We were in a very dark room surrounded by lots of ice sculptors and some twinkling lights.



So there's my take on this weeks theme. For other views on this week's theme visit TNCHICK.com or PhotoHunt

A new reason to love jello

I have heard of a new reason for us to love jello. This falls into the friend of a friend category if you know what I mean.

She was having some surgery done (she'd apparently lost a lot of weight). Anyways...her plastic surgeon has instructed her to eat jello at least once a day. Why? Well because the gelatin in jello is supposed to be great for our skin by making it a bit more elasticy (is that a word). So your skin will heal better after surgery. It also makes your skin look younger for the same gelatin reason. And if your hoping to avoid strech marks during pregnancy then he also suggests eating at least one serving a day. So whether it's regular jello or sugar free jello, it's supposed to be really good for the elasticity of your skin.

Now I am not sure how reliable this information is, but if it's going to give me a new reason to enjoy my jello then maybe I better not risk it.

Wordless Wednesday

Summer Beauty

Updated to add that this is a Mexican Hat flower. It was taken in the Lincoln National Forest in Ruidoso,NM.




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Sixty Five and 10,000

I'm trying to get back into shape. Who isn't really? But I've really made more of an effort here lately. I'm actually trying to watch what I eat and seem to be doing pretty good so far. I'm also back to my walking. I finally added it up, and in the last three and a half weeks I have walked sixty five miles. When I actually see it like that, I'm a bit surprised. I usually do a three mile walk in the evening after the kids go down so I've never added it up before. But suddenly sixty five seems like a pretty big number.

But just so you can see a glimpse of how my mind works, I am now trying to figure out when I will hit the 100 mile mark. The way I figure it, I should hit that hundred mile mark somewhere around the 19th of the month. Because we all know that 100 is bigger and better than 65. I don't know why numbers can make me obsess the way they do but they do. I do the same thing with trying to reach 10,000 steps in a day. In fact that's why I walk the route that I do. I calculated it out and by walking this path I am just about always guaranteed to hit that 10,000 step mark, unless I sit the entire rest of the day.

So now you see how crazy my mind gets when it comes to numbers. Kind of strange isn't it? I know this and probably should seek some kind of help or something. Maybe I can start my own support group...we could talk out our therapy while we are all out walking and trying to reach our 10,000 steps each day.

Which Select do you want?

Z. tried out for two select baseball teams this weekend. He was offered a position on both teams. So even though mom and dad had a favorite coach we really wanted him to play with we let Z. make the final decision. He is officially a Dragon now ( not the one we would have picked but that's okay). So this fall he will play his regular rec. league of baseball while doing the select baseball as well. Once next spring comes around, he will be to busy with select so he will only play on one team then. But he is excited about it and anxious to get back with some of his former teammates again. I swear that boy eats, sleeps and dreams baseball. And as such now we will all be doing the same.

Daddy's Got A Lawn Mower or Two

Since we moved into our new house, Hubs has been faced with an enormous yard he has to mow. We spent the first part of the summer just using the regular push mower we have had for a few years. But I felt really bad for Hubs, it would take him up to four hours to mow and edge and then clean up with the blower. By the time he was done, he would be absolutely wiped. Then the next week he would have to do it again.

So when Hubs started watching Craig's List for a riding mower I was all for it. And it didn't take long for him to find one at a reasonable price. Sure it wasn't a brand new one, but it seems to be doing a great job so far. But Hubs is a planner. And as such, he is already planning on the day when he may need replacement parts for his green mower which I have dubbed "Lawn Boy" (by the way don't ever Google that phrase or else your going to a bunch of X rated sites...not a good thing... so all you pervs that got here from Google this isn't that kind of site). I call it that since it has that name across the manual we got to go with it. But anyways, back to my point. Hubs is planning for the day when Lawn Boy will need replacement parts. So he has been back to Craig's List to watch and see if another Lawn Boy will appear. Well it hasn't.

What has appeared is another riding mower. A John Deere mower in need of a little work to tune up the engine. And a little bit of a paint job. But Hubs decided that for thirty five dollars, he had to have it for parts alone. So he brought it home and I'll be darned if the new mower didn't start up right away and work. Not a bad investment for thirty five dollars. So now Hubs has a new plan for this mower. And I'm a bit embarrassed to say it has nothing to do with mowing. It has a big engine on it and he and the boys are now going to start working on it. So that they can make it race. Yes I did say RACE! They want to join in the fun of Lawnmower Racing. I think my family has dropped deeper into the pits of being a redneck than I ever imagined. But both boys and Hubs have watched tons of You Tube videos on this stuff and want to give it a try.

So now Hubs is back to surfing Craig's List again in order to find parts for his Lawn Boy and his Speed Racer. I am afraid I don't see an end to this anytime soon. But at least now it only takes him an hour and a half to get the lawn mowed to his standard.

In other news...

It's been busy this week. Z. has been at a baseball camp all week long. With the heat index being anywhere from 105-109, well I just don't know how they can do it but they can. K. and Hoss were invited to attend VBS with a friend this week, so I thought why not. They have had alot of fun with that as well. They said that they liked it but liked the one from our church more. But they are super excited to go the water park tomorrow night for only a dollar with their friends VBS. Who knows maybe then it will come up to their standards.

So, it's been me and A. doing a lot of running around this week. We finally decided to replace the old swing set with a new one so we went and bought it. The kids have been patiently waiting for the weekend when dad can put it together. We bought a few school clothes but are waiting for the cooler weather to actually start before we buy pants and such.

Hoss started flag football this week and I have to say he is living up to his name. He is the second tallest on the team. He was so excited to be there that the heat and the drills didn't put him out at all. When all the other little boys started whining about the heat and running, he just asked me to poor more water over his head. But he is my child that I can not keep indoors. No matter the temperature he is happiest outside. I think it's paying off for him right now. The heat doesn't seem to be bothering him. His team is practicing three nights a week just to get them (and parents) used to the heat

Z. has decided he wants to do select baseball again, so tryouts are tomorrow morning. It should be fun. They aren't planning on to much traveling for this particular team which is why we chose them. And the costs are actually kept at a reasonable price. I'm sorry but we just can't afford to pay 1500 dollars just for the gear and uniforms some of these teams want you to pay. Not to mention all the out of state tournaments they have to pay to attend.

I'm also going to sign K. up for her dance class tonight. She keeps begging to go and they are finally enrolling. So once a week she'll have her chance to dance. So that just leaves A., who is happily not interested in doing anything just yet. I'm sure that will change in the next year so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

So there you have all the latest on the Juice Box household. Lots of sports in the last few weeks of summer. Not to mention as much swimming we can squeeze in. Before we know it school will be starting so I'm trying to enjoy my kids while I can. Especially since they aren't driving me crazy yet.

Late Again

Is there anything more embarrassing than thinking that the baseball camp your son is in is over at 11:30 when it's really over at 11:00? If there is than please share. My poor Z. was the last kid picked up and was hanging out in the cool AC car of the coach. When I arrived at 11:15 to watch the last few minutes, I was surprised to see that everyone was long gone. Here I am thinking I am going to be fifteen minutes early when instead it turns out that I'm fifteen minutes late.

A Walking Dog

This is Gigi. She's our Boxer and family pet. She's a pain in the neck.


I only agreed to getting Gigi for one reason and one reason only. I wanted a dog that I could walk with, especially after dark. Gigi however is about fifty pounds heavier than the average twenty pound dog that I can handle. She's just downright big. And she's always so darn excited to see you looking at her that she will wiggle her tail so hard her entire back half shakes. And if by some chance you actually say her name, then watch out, she's likely to jump up and give you one big slobbery dog kiss.

So after I agreed to getting Gigi (for walking purposes only) I had to wait for her to get big enough for me to take on walks. Then once she was big enough to take on walks, I had to wait until she was well trained enough for me to control her while out walking. Meanwhile, it seems like years have passed with me still not having a dog to walk with. Finally, she is ready for me to start walking with and things are going great. That is until a year and a half ago when she got attacked by a mean dog that jumped a six foot fence and went after her. Hubs did a good job of keeping the other dog away from her, but it did change her personality a bit on walks. She became very skittish and very much a scared dog. Not her fault at all. But not really what I had planned on when I signed on for this dog. I wanted a dog who would scare away anyone who got to close to me when we were out walking at night. Now it was her dragging me through the neighborhood trying to flee from things that spooked her.

Then we had a small accident while I was out walking the dog around Christmas. She got spooked by one of those inflatable Santa Claus decorations popping out of the chimney. Next thing I knew I was face down in the middle of the street missing a front tooth and pretty banged up. It truly was the Christmas where all I wanted was my two front teeth. And after that my walking personality changed a bit. I didn't want to walk after dark anymore but didn't feel like I was able to keep up with the dog the way she needed. So then you had me and the dog, both moping around the house because we weren't walking (and because I was missing my front tooth).

Finally, I got back into my walking routine but without the dog. I still missed walking without her but now it was me afraid to take her. And I felt so guilty for that. Especially when she stopped getting excited when she saw me put on my walking shoes since she knew she wasn't going anywhere. So guilt finally won out and I finally got my "cajones" back and started to take her out. Just short walks at first until she got used to being out again. And she's been doing great. She's still skittish but now I've retrained myself to hold the leash different so that if she does bolt, I'm not going with her. Small progress I know..but it is progress.

So now I have to deal with the dog getting all excited anytime she sees me in sneakers again. Even if I'm not going walking. But when I do take her out, I'm rewarded. By the time we get back home the walk and the heat have wore her out. And all she can do is lie there like she's gonna die for at least an hour or two.

At least then, I can finally get some peace from my pain in the neck Boxer. By the way, in case your wondering, Santa did get me two front teeth for Christmas that year. I was very excited.

Wordless Wednesday

Make a Wish and Blow



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It's Hot

It's hot here in Dallas. What do you expect in July? Which makes me really miss our way to short trip to Ruidoso, NM and the mountains. Where it was much more cooler. So much cooler...sigh.



But maybe if I pray like the original Franciscan monks did at St. Joseph Mission, the weather will cool off a bit.



Or maybe I should take a lead from my kids and go wading around like they did in the small creek by our cabin. Then at least it would be cooler.



But if I can't do that, then maybe I will just stare at this picture of running water and imagine myself cooling down a bit. It's worth a shot isn't it? Or maybe staring at all this cool running water will have a different effect. Instead it may make me have to go to the bathroom...who knows. And that my friends is a small glimpse into my warped mind. I've turned a pretty picture of running water and somehow twisted it to bathroom talk. I'm sorry...really I am.

To Clip or Not

I've been going back and forth about clipping coupons. I'm sure we have all been there at some point or another. But this time it was brought on by my friend sending me to the grocery game. They tell you how to get all sorts of free stuff just by clipping coupons and being a savy shopper. And well I tend to be of the mind set of "if it's free, then it's for me". So I thought I would try it out. The only problem is that it is still a lot of stinkin' work just to save what looks like a few dollars here and there. I went to the grocery store today and well let's just say that I still have a headache. Was all that actually worth the five dollars in savings that I had. I honestly don't think any headache is worth this unless you start to enter into the thousands of dollars. But at least I can say that yes I did try it. And FYI, for the future if I'm using coupons, I think I'll just buy generic instead.

Photo Hunters- What is That?

This weeks theme is what is that? So I immediately thought of this picture that I took a few weeks back while we were on vacation up in the mountains. I still don't know what it is exactly, some kind of weed or wild flower. But it reminded me of some kind of alien plant that was about to explode or something. See, I have such a great imagination don't I? Either that, or I have watched way to many movies with talking singing plants in them. Anyways, if anyone can tell me what this is then feel free, otherwise I will just keep on thinking of it as the alien weed like thing.




So there's my take on this weeks theme. For other views on this week's theme visit TNCHICK.com or PhotoHunt

Random Bits and Pieces

We are finally done with our two weeks of swim lessons. The girls really enjoyed it and so did the boys. Although Z., didn't really need lessons, I was able to find a time that all four of my kids could be in the water at the same time. This way everyone had a chance to swim and enjoy themselves. Hoss and K. both learned lots and were able to both play on the big water slide and the diving board today at Fun Day. It was a huge leap of faith for K. to jump into 11 feet of water but she did it and was quite proud of herself. However she really had no desire to do it again after that. Once was definetely enough.

In other non interesting news, my kids finally figured out that when I say please don't play with the buttons on the car windows, I mean it. It's not just because it annoys me, which it does, but it can break the motor on the door, which it did. So until the new part comes into the dealership I get to enjoy having my window down in all this humidity. Makes me a bit cranky to get hot in the car but at least it's only temporary.

And, I don't know about your kids, but mine are always wanting snow cones. So I finally bought a small snow cone maker for us to have at home. The one I really wanted isn't available anymore unless I special order it. And I'm sorry but there is no way I'm spending a $100 for a snow cone machine for our house. But I did find an Icy Treats maker from Hamilton at Target. It only cost about $30 and it seems to be doing a great job keeping us all happy in the snow cone department. I figure with what we have already saved from the snow cones huts that it's already paid for itself. So if your kids are into cool treats like mine, then maybe you should consider this for them.

So now we are back to swimming in our own neighborhood pool with no major things scheduled for at least a few more weeks. It's finally feeling like it's slowing down a bit and I'm enjoying it.

Rise and Shine

It's summertime and so that means bedtimes are a little later than they would be during the school year. That would normally not mean anything to my children who for some reason love to wake up before seven on their own everyday. Even if I put them to bed at midnight they would wake up at seven. (It's times like these when I wonder if they are really mine). Then the next day I'm stuck with tired cranky kids.

But during the summer, something happens about mid July every year, and once again it's happening. My kids are sleeping in later. And by later I don't mean until ten or anything like that. No my kids are getting up at the much more tolerable hour of 8 a.m. and sometimes even 8:15 a.m. That means that mom aka "Grumpy" in the morning, gets to get that extra bit of sleep that makes me a happier and more well rounded person. Okay, not really on the well rounded part but it does make me happier and less grumpy. And it does mean that occasionally I get to have my first cup of coffee with any interruptions. I figure I have about another five weeks left before I have to get them back on the school year schedule. But for right now, I'm going to let them sleep in as late as they will and enjoy another small joy of summertime.

This weeks theme for the Photo Hunt is support. So I decided to show something a bit different. This is a picture of me putting my feet up. Since my feet support me during the day, I like to rest them while I can. In the background you will see some of my children playing. My family supports me in ways other than my feet and are appreciated greatly for it. Even if these particular family members are the reason that I need to prop my tired feet up so often.


So there's my take on this weeks theme. For other views on this week's theme visit TNCHICK.com or PhotoHunt

I miss the desert

Most of the time, I am very happy living in the Dallas area. Until July and August hit along with all the humidity. Then I really begin to miss living in the desert. I grew up in El Paso, where there was never any humidity. No matter how hot the summer days were, you were always guaranteed relief in the evenings when the sun would go down. You could sit out on patios with friends or family and whatever beverage you chose and enjoy yourself. I also really miss the Mexican food from El Paso. It just isn't the same here in the Dallas area. And although I have found many great Mexican food restaurants (usually small family owned ones) it still is not quite the same.

But besides that, I miss the beauty of the desert. For those of you who have never lived in the desert you may not realize how pretty it really can be. You just have to look a bit harder to find it. And if your lucky enough to be in the desert after a rain shower then you will find lots of different colorful blooms on all the different cactus. I got to enjoy a bit of the desert scenery on the drive to New Mexico on our vacation. And since we had our kids in the car, we also made lots of pit stops. It was on one of these pit stops that I just had to grab my camera and take a picture.


Isn't it beautiful. But in case your still not sure what it is I was so excited about, here is a closer look at it. And FYI, I didn't do any editing on this picture. This is all Mother Nature at work here.


Quite a beautiful cactus don't you think? Or maybe your just thinking that I was stuck to long in the car with four children and had to many pit stops along the way. Either way your going to be right. And either way, this cactus really did make me miss living in the desert just a bit more. But then again maybe I'm wrong, maybe you have to have lived in the desert to actually find beauty in this picture.