Marshmallow Circus

I'm a member of a country club

2011-06-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

No for real! It's such a cookie cutter thing to do, and so unlike us.
It's a relatively small club with a 9 hole golf course. The main draw
for me right now is the pool. It is just a few minutes from our house,
and it is SO hot this summer, that local receation was needed. I am not
a golfer though, and neither is Rob. We have always wanted to learn though.
Once we all have our own clubs, it will be a great sport for the family to do
together. There are other benefits I'd not expected though. This is a great way
to teach the kids better ettiquite. There are formal dinners where the kids will
get to dress up, and practice social skills. Golf is a game of good manners as well.
While I feel we are starting to conform a bit, we will have to find a way to redeem
ourselves.

P.S writing this from my iPhone is weird!

What I am not anymore

2011-06-02T12:30:00.000-05:00

Change used to be hard for me. I used to like consistency, but as I'm getting older, I find I'm much more willing to accept it.

There are some changes I'd thought never would come. First, I'm not wanting to expand our family any more. This is a huge deal for me. I really thought I'd want to keep going till we had a dozen or so. I find I no longer even look at young babies, or oohh and awww over newborns. I'm SO glad to be out of the newborn stage for good. I'm looking forward to Xane's upcoming potty training, and him growing up and out of the toddler stages. I'm not sure if it's because we have six kids, or if having four so close in age was the final cure. :)

Second, I'm not breastfeeding any longer. Xane is fully self weaned. This happened a month after he turned two. I was so sure he would go much longer. I'm okay with it too. I'm pretty proud that all together, I've been a mom for 14 years, and 7 1/2 of those were spent nursing. I'm pretty proud of that milestone. It is a little weird for me that I will never do it again. It was a huge part of my life-even a lifestyle really.

Third, I'm not longer much of an AP parent (attachment parenting.) Xane is super independent and no longer wants anything to do with being carried, or in a sling. He actually prefers the stroller over being carried.

I'm not sad about anyone I'm not anymore. Life is moving forward and these changes mean my family is growing and changing. It's all good. :)

Some updates, some brags, a little of everything.

2011-06-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

Trying to get back into old routines, which included blogging. :)

It's been six months since my last ~~confession~~ blog post. Most everything has been good! Yay, for no bad news. Since my family is the most important thing to me, I will start there.

There have been lots of birthdays! Matteo is now 14 years old. Xane is now a 2 year old, Zoie just turned 5-catching up with Zander, so the "twins" are the same age again. Lilly will be 4 next month and Nicko is 9 1/2.

We have been crazy busy! We had all the kids involved in activities. Matteo, Nicko, and Zander just finished a season of baseball. This was Zander's first year in t-ball. Oh man, is he good! Zander is ambidextrous, and is able to bat equally right and left, and throw equally right and left. He was very popular with the coach. And my kid can hit! He was very happy with his first year, and looks at his trophy every day. He is OBSESSED with baseball. Nicko was a huge surprise! He's my kid that seems apathetic to most everything. But not baseball! He was very competitive, and I've never seen this side of him. For a first year player, he did excellent. His team won first place in their division. I have no doubt he will be on All-start next year. Matteo, found a great passion in baseball. He initially did not want to play. He never really liked baseball as a game. The last time he played was as a five year old. So really, this is his first season. Well, from never playing to being selected as an All-star is a huge deal! We are very proud of him. His All-star games will begin in two weeks, and I'll be sure to update.

The girls were too young this year for softball. Zoie missed the cut-off, but really, she didn't care. She hates any sort of physical activity. lol She did however like library story time this year. I think I might make her get involved in softball next season, but haven't made a final decision. I think it would be good for her.

We are all moved in to the new house. We are enjoying our new community so far. The kids LOVE their neighborhood. This is the first time we've lived in a suburban area, and they love their neighborhood friends. We have the largest yard, so we have kids over every day.

I have a lot going on in my own life as well. I'm well into my ordination program, and hope to graduate next year. Super excited about that. I have tons of plans to start my own ministry. I did have to put photography on hold. I still take pictures of the kids, and did some team pictures, I found I really enjoy sports action shots, which I never thought I would.

So, hope to see my bloggy around more, and get back into it. :)

2010 Christmas, with pics

2010-12-27T20:50:00.001-06:00

Our Christmas, in pictures. So Christmas Eve used be be getting together with family. This year was different, but everyone was very happy. Our Eve was spent with the kids friends. Some of the kids friends had parents that had to work that night. Some of them were like us and had never been away from family. I was very thankful that the kids and I could cheer them up. I made cookies, candy, and hot chocolate, and we spent time chatting and laughing on the front porch. I'm so happy that the kids were thrilled to be hosting their friends.

My littlest marshmallow, with a marshmallow. I think he might have consumed his weight in these. Funny guy.

Zoie's favorite part about the night were the rice crispie treats. These are her favorite treat. She is the kid with her face in the bowl when I make these.

Matteo didn't eat much. He was too busy chatting it up with his friends. He did say that the malted chocolate chip cookies were the best cookies ever. At least he paid some attention to me. :)

Zander has a grand time being cute and shy. I think he fakes shy to get the girls to pay attention to him.

Lilly ate all night. lol I can't recall her ever stopping. She just ate, and ate, and ate.

My "class clown," enjoyed keeping every ones attention with his silly jokes. He is loved where ever he goes.

Christmas morning, and Santa came! Santa brought each kid one present and a stocking. The stockings are always a big hit. We usually have a rule that if they wake up before the sun comes up, they are allowed to get their stocking and go back to bed. They can play quietly until the sun comes up and wake us up. This year though, Nicko is at my bedside at 345 saying Santa came. This woke up Xane, who sits straight up, looks at the tree and yells "TOYS!" So no extra sleep this year. lol

Xane had a great time this year. He was really into opening his presents. I'm a little disappointed I forgot to put on his cute jammies though. His favorite toy this year was his My Pal Scout. He is just thrilled his puppy knows his name and favorite things.

Zander. The award for most dramatic acting during opening of presents goes to him. He laughed, yelled and clapped for everything. His favorite toy was the space ship Santa brought for him.

My teen mallow got some teen things this year. Santa brought him cologne in his stocking with the other kids thought was just the strangest thing. He was thrilled though. He loved his scull kandy ear phones, and his favorite thing was still a nerf gun. So I got some kid time left in him yet.

Lilly, was thrilled with all her baby stuff. She got a new baby, diaper bag, stroller and she was just so happy. She is still playing mommy nonstop.

This was the year of Barbie for Zoie. I have a feeling the next five years will be. She just adores them. Her favorite was Barbie and her horse Tawny. I don't think I've heard a peep out of Zoie since Christmas morning, she is too busy playing.

My cheap kid. Man I love this kid. Every year, he is the one that asks Santa for the cheapest present. He does it because it is the thing he wants most too. This year his Santa gift cost a whopping 25 bucks. lol He is having a great time playing with it, but in a small space he has been coming up with unique hiding spots to keep it out of his siblings reach.

I hope everyone had a joyful, peaceful Christmas filled with laughter!

It was just a little different is all

2010-12-26T14:55:00.000-06:00

How do you explain that you've never been happier, but that it's also a sad history in your life? I'll do the best I can. I will probably sound a bit like I'm holding out...and I will be some to protect my families privacy.

It started six months or so ago. There was a family issue that had nothing to do with me, my husband or kids. It was one of those situations where sides, and lines had to be drawn. I believe I chose the right side. But it has torn our family a part. It didn't have to completely. If my mother would have seen that she could have simply kept the different families separated, it could have worked. But that is on her.

So why am I talking about this? Because I have choosen to make myself an orphan. I might as well have been any way. I was abandoned at a young age, then abused by a step-guy, and my sisters and I have never been the focus. As a mother who is so very much in love with her kids, I think this is the hardest part for me. I'd literally die for my children, but have never had a parent who was willing to put their own needs aside for me and my siblings. Now, my siblings are torn a part too.

At the same time, great things are happening because of Rob's new opportunities. We can do things now. We can travel if we want, we can have extended vacations, we can buy a house! But all my energy was focused on the bad side of what was happening. I have always had to struggle with trying to want to be in my family. There were times I could completely disengage from my mother and all her issues, and then times I wanted normal. I wanted a family. I wanted Christmases where we got together and I felt like a normal person, with a normal family. But the reality of it is something else. You can only allow destructive and dangerous people in your life for so long. I think my spirituality and my religious convictions in a way hindered me with this. I've always tried so hard to follow what God wanted for us in our lives regarding families. But I know that God is a benevolent and loving God, He doesn't want us to destroy ourselves on his behalf. Even with my studies, it took me a bit to get this.

So that is what I'm doing. I'm releasing as best I can my past. I'm coming to terms that I can make my family. I don't have to have traditional. We can be our own family, we can have friends who are our family, we can make a new start.

Speaking of new starts, I'm going to list my resolutions soon, along with a nice blog post about how much fun the kids had for Christmas. They said it was one of the best yet, and I am so happy about that. :)

Turning of the tide

2010-12-13T18:08:00.000-06:00

A glimpse of what our life has been like these past month in pictures. For a state that is on the warmer side, it's been chilly this winter. Things are going great. We are officially living in the cottage, and on the hunt for permanent housing. I actually really like it here, even with the small living space. It is not a hardship because of all the things to do here. I am way more active here. The kids and I go for two to three walks every day. The boys love to fish most days, the little one's are loving the playground. Not only that, but we are meeting a lot of homeschoolers here. I was a little taken back that we have met four homeschooling families. Some are families staying the month because they are traveling the US, and some are here because their dads are contract oil workers. My kids have made some really good friends while they are here. The older boys are outside with their friends as soon as their school work is finished. It's been great.

The big boys showing off their favorite fishing spot.

Zander loves to take a walk by the water. He was my kid who refused to learn to swim, so I am hoping this new love will ease him into swimming lessons as soon as we find a house.

The views are inspiring. I find myself often meditating on our walks, and soaking in the peace.

Zoie tries so hard to keep up with her brother's. She is more active here; it's been good for her.

On one of our walks Nicko found some broccoli. We are guessing some industrious rabbit pilfered a garden of someone who lives near the resort.

I don't mind admitting I have had moments of sadness here. Matteo has become a real teen here. I think the daily presence of other teens has inspired him a little. I'm really happy for him though to get in a lot of social time. Our kids have always said they only want to live in the country, Rob and I are now looking at suburban areas, because the kids have been thriving with the daily social interaction. They had that before, but most was when we went to homeschool classes or park days. They really like having kids knock on the door asking for them.

I think these are tangerines. The bigger makes them seem bigger, but they were a little smaller than tennis balls. The kids love discovering something new on our walks every day.

Zander playing peek a boo with Santa. We have to walk by this every day for them to wave and talk to Santa.

Zander's favorite spot. He loves swinging.

My oldest, and my youngest. sniff

Just look at my Zoie! She has decided she doesn't want help anymore. She struggles a bit to get herself on the swing, but she does it!

I love that little face.

See. Triumphant!

I can't help but snap a bazillion pics of him. I am conscious that my bitty baby will be turning two in just four months. My last baby will soon be an older toddler.

So that was our month so far, Stay tuned as I try to pull off Christmas on a small scale, in a small space. :)

We might be coo coo for cocoa puffs...

2010-11-30T19:10:00.000-06:00

It all started when we were kind of forced into a vacation. Rob is a supervisor with his job, and he needs to be within 25 min of work. From home, it was taking him around an hour to an hour and a half to and from work. It wasn't a convenient highway either, it was dark and winding old country roads. After working 12 hour days he was burning out.

So over Thanksgiving we found a resort type place. There are cottages here they just completed that are meant to be corporate housing for all the oil jobs around here, and summer vacation spots. So Rob could get to work on time, and we could see him over Thanksgiving, we decided to stay a week. It is a beautiful place, the cottages are like mini suburban houses really. It is only one room, and a full bath-GASP-about 540 square feet-with a full kitchen, and front porch.

I've always been the adventurous type, Rob....not so much. But it is his idea that we move out of our house, and stay here for a month while we look for a house. This will solve several problems. Right now we are down to one vehicle. With Rob working an hour away I could not even take the kids to their regular doctor, but had to go to urgent care on the weekends. I couldn't keep the suv to look for a house, because the gas would have been outrageous. So, while it is a little scary to pack up without a home, I think this is going to work. Already being here has given me a better feel for the surrounding towns, and what is a better place for us to live. I'm not even worried about living in such a small space with all our kids, since I am an expert at streamlining our possessions, and a good space problem solver. It helps that out the front door is a pretty little shaded hill for them to run and play. There is a playground, and fishing. I don't mind saying I'm a little thrilled too that for a month I don't have to worry about paying all those house bills since everything including cable and Internet is included!

Best of all, the kids are really thriving here. All of us have been getting outside and by the river everyday, playing basketball, and generally just being happy. For Rob it's the same ole working everyday. For the kids and I it's like a month long vacation. OH, I didn't say----it's like an early Christmas present for me because housekeeping is included!!! Woot!

I will be sure to chronicle our adventures here, and to add pictures as soon as I get my camera here.

Can you just stay gone on holiday?

2010-11-27T18:29:00.000-06:00

I think we just might. More details to come on our radical move...but for now, I will just say that I am sitting on the front porch of a beautiful cottage on a river. We celebrated Thanksgiving here, and our kids are fishing, climbing trees, rolling down hills, and playing like there is no tomorrow. Everyone is super happy and I can't wait to get my camera here to share pictures of our adventure!

So much to be thankful for!

2010-11-21T12:43:00.000-06:00

This has been a year of low- lows, and high-highs. We went through Robert losing his job, and being in real financial trouble-to finding a better job, to this job leading to bigger and better opportunities for our family. I am very thankful for all the numerous good things that have been coming our way. I am sending out prayers, good vibes or whatever you call it, into the universe that others open themselves up to these things as well. Just so thankful this year turned out better than it began! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

You'll be a kid hero with these!

2010-11-16T09:50:00.000-06:00

My kids always make me feel like the most clever mom ever. I love that about them. It's good for the ego.

I have been wanting to make these sticky buns from the Barefoot Contessa for a week now since I caught this episode.

I must say though-I think mine are SUPERer easier! You can cut your time in MORE than half with my version, and be a kid hero like me. These are a perfect morning wake up for the upcoming holidays. You could even put everything together on a cookie sheet the night before, then just bake when you are ready!

Caramel Apple Hero Sticky Buns

Ingredients for buns

* 2 packages Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells(12 Ready-To-Bake & Fill Shells)

For the filling

* 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
* 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 11 oz Kraft Caramel Bits
* 1/2 cup sweetened applesauce

Icing

* 1 cup confectioners sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla

* 1/4 cup milk-or less

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (IMPORTANT-don't forget to preheat). Line cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up if you wish.

In a bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and mix till combined. Add frozen puff pastries to cookie sheet. For each sticky bun put 1/3 teaspoon of applesauce, 1 Tablespoon of of the sugar/cinnamon, top with three caramel bits.

Bake for 25 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top. Make the icing in a bowl, adding milk until the icing is the consistency you want. Make it easy by putting in a small sandwich baggy.

Sticky buns are done when they are puffed, golden and firm to touch. Be careful! They are HOT! Snip off a tiny corner piece on the icing baggy and ice the cooked buns.

Allow to wait 5 minutes only to cool-then watch your kiddos devour and worship~!

My baby LOVES to dance.

2010-10-02T13:57:00.001-05:00

Check out his baby moves! This is the first time I was able to get this on video. For some reason I had this weird thing about not using my camera for recording video-but my video now broke and now I'm wondering what took me so long.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! lol

Don't Judge Friday: Dignity is overated.

2010-09-17T05:28:00.001-05:00

Remember that scene in the Mighty Ducks when the kids suddenly come together and learn the meaning of team work? My kids have suddenly developed a cohesiveness, their own version of the V formation...

Are you raising a wimpy kid, and need to toughen them up? How about one that is a little full of themselves and thinks they are a bully? Lets say you run into me and my marshmallows at the park. Then say your kid wants to go down a slide and yells at the kids already there to get out of his way. And my three preschoolers decide to tag team your kid, one pushing him down the slide, one sliding after him and nailing him in the back, while the other one commandos down the twin slide and clocks your kid in the stomach with an elbow jab. Uh, huh. My kids really did this. Even better...I'm standing next to this kids mom doing my "of course you can homeschool your child, don't worry about them being socialized," monologue. As I am looking on, horrified his mother goes. "Oh thank goodness, he's needed to be brought down to size for years now, he is such a little bully." Well then. Glad I could help. Maybe I should lease them out?

Dear Fraternal Order of the Police,

I know what your thinking, you should have never have called though near nap time. Please let me explain so that what you heard is not taken out of context. Remember as you started asking for money-and my 3 year old interrupted and asked who was on the phone? I know that her screaming "It's the poe poe, It's the poe poe! And then you heard the sound of crying, and whimpering right? Can you please give me the benefit of the doubt that when I threw the phone down, and you heard me yelling "Oh my God, I swear the cops are not coming to get mommy Lilly." and "Stop holding your breath!" There is another explanation besides us being a criminal sect who has scarred their children. Why did you hang up? I would have told you that last week I woke up to a blaring television, Lilly on the couch with her feet up, chugging back one of my Coke Zero's watching what else? Yes, cops. I blame the helpful guy in the video for saying "poe poe," over and over again along with a mom crackhead being drug away while her children are screaming. I just wanted to explain a little. Money is on the way, as I secretly believe that sticker might just get me out of tickets.

Thank you,

Mom who is not a criminal, I just have unsupervised night owls that like watching violent television. (cause this sounds better to me. :)

Don't swim on your cycle-you might catch a cold!

2010-09-16T06:05:00.002-05:00

Listen, nobody better say I did not warn you about this phenomenon. True, I could have told you all at the beginning of the summer-but maybe I assumed you all knew. Watch the end for an explanation. :)

OMG! I think I found the sex ed video!

2010-09-15T10:01:00.003-05:00

I just HAD to post this. lol I about died when the girl says she is looking forward to menstration...snort. Don't forget to listen close to the awesome song at the beginning. Enjoy!

I had to edit this and say that I am so freaking immature, because I spit my tea out when the boy confesses about his erection in the pool. It's a wonder I ever grew up people.

TMT: The day I became a woman or TMI

2010-09-14T07:03:00.004-05:00

Time Machine Tuesday

lol...I had to laugh at my own title. I wrestled with myself on putting something even more corny, but toned it down a bit.

Yesterday, the hubby and I were talking about embarrassing times in our life and I told him about this day. I was in middle school around 13. It just so happened my classmates and I the week before all had to watch that super embarrassing video about "blossoming," did you all have to watch that? So when I started getting crampy that day at school I was sure what was coming. Unlike some girls though, I was really upset. I did not want this! I wanted to be carefree, and did not want to grow up! Resistance was futile though and so off to the girls room I went. Because of that super awesome video I knew I needed supplies but they, and my mother, kinda neglected to tell me how to use them. After paying around 5 dollars in nickels for a bunch of tampons and pads I attempted to use these new womanly items. Only one problem-these things were antiquated. They were the super cheap kind-and after opening one tampon-well lets just say I took one look at that and thought it looked like some kind of ancient torture device and decided to pass. So to make it short, after spending a whole class crying in the bathroom and trying to figure out the exact position of a pad-I ended up stacking a few of them, one on top of the other-to make sure I had good coverage. So basically, I should probably get credit for inventing the first overnight, super long pads....but after nicely written letters to several companies I haven't received any checks yet. :)

as if I'm not busy enough-I gave birth!

2010-09-12T13:41:00.001-05:00

I spent the week looking up homeschool blogs. I love reading any blog, but when I am sitting around at the end of the day my favorite thing to do is to read blogs by other homeschoolers. So, I got this idea....

There are all kind of avenue's to form a homeschool blog, sometimes I miss out on good blogs because of the variety of ways of getting your blog out. I also though have favorite sites not related to homeschooling that I have always admired for how they bring all these blogs together and feature bloggers, like SITS and FoodGawker. Using these as inspiration, I wanted a place similar for homeschool blogs....and thus Homeschool Blog Parade was born! I love the idea of featuring a new homeschool family every week. I intend to buy a nifty new templete and blog button to spruse up the site, and have featured topics and fun giveaways! I hope if you have a homeschool blog that you will join in the parade!

Don't judge Friday-the football editon

2010-09-10T06:46:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year. I become a widow every football season. There are nice things about it, don't get me wrong. My bookshelf will suddenly expand from my husband buying me books out of guilt-Yay! I won't feel guilty about solo trips out to eat on the weekends or a splurge on a new lipstick, and I can wear my comfy cartoon pj's to bed because I am suddenly invisible.

When I want to be evil though, I love to mess with him. For instance, he still has NO idea I actually know the basics of the game. Seriously, I know quite a bit! BUT, I love to sit next to him and play the helpless female and ask him endless questions. Something that gets him every time? I will constantly yell "Way to go! That was an awesome goal," or "oh look, he made the basket!" It drives him batty, and he will go on this huge rant and try to explain it all to me. lol Ignore me will he? pfft.

But more than anything I love that I get to super spice up the food. I know it's evil damnit but I LOVE spicy food. I will make wings and cheese sauce all to my taste-and I can take some heat-he will be practically foaming at the mouth and reaching for bottled water instead of coke (I'm saving his waistline at the same time) and never ever complains about the food, because he is too busy watching. :)

Living in limbo

2010-09-09T09:29:00.003-05:00

This is how my husband and I are feeling about everything lately. First, I have not been doing any photography since we thought we were going to have to sell my camera and equipment. I even gave my clients (all four of them lol) the number to another photographer. This was because we thought we were moving too. I have not taken one single photo this month, afraid I would sell the camera and break it or something. That is totally something that would happen to me! Gosh it was SO hard to go daily and see opportunities for photos and not pick up my camera. I don't have to worry about selling it anymore thank goodness, but I'm not sure it's worth it to take on clients again since we might move....

Our circumstances have changed drastically. My husband is just made of awesome stuff. When he was laid off, did he quit and settle? NO! He went out there and got an even better job, and he so deserves it. We can now actually afford to move-but in maybe six months, we could also buy. If we stick it out here until after Christmas that is. :)

Limbo is not a bad place to be, but I sure would like it better if I could see into the future. Anyone have a crystal ball I can borrow?

Don't Judge Friday-gross stuff

2010-09-03T09:16:00.003-05:00

I have no excuse. After thirteen years of parenting, rookie moves should be in the past. Right? Well apparently not, because this morning I woke up to Xane being soaked. I am sleepy and lay him on the changing table, open the diaper without paying attention, only to get a morning baptism. Happy Friday!

This past Wednesday night was a great moment in parenting for me. NOT! Lilly had been sick the weekend before. She had a yucky tummy. So days pass and she seems fine. Well Wednesday night, I hear her calling for me, but I was so tired and it just did not compute for a few minutes. She yelled "I'm gonna poop my pants!" in this horrified post potty trainer way and I went flying in there. Just in time for things to come out both ends as I am hauling her football style to the bathroom. See? I hope you all are satisfied that sometimes I pay a high personal cost for these mistakes. :)

What my preschooler's think-Hurricane Earl

2010-09-01T05:30:00.001-05:00

What do your preschoolers think about the news? Every Tuesday I read a article from the New York Times to them. I read, then ask them a question and post it here. :)

Article

Question-What do you think about hurricane Earl?

Zander says "I will punch his eye out. I punch it and I eat it."

Zoie says "What color did the storm get?"

Lilly says "I don't like woud tunder."

Our school decision

2010-08-30T20:30:00.001-05:00

I spent my day making plans and talking with my husband. We came to a decision about schooling. You can read it here~!

I need a weekend redo!

2010-08-30T06:06:00.003-05:00

It was not a rough weekend per say, but I feel a little cheated. The husband and I spent a lot of time contemplating what to do over our school issues. (which I will post about later on the homeschool blog) I agonized over it because there were big decisions to make. It kept me in the house all weekend, researching and sitting with Rob and the kids in discussions.

Our three year old Lilly was sick this weekend. She had a yucky tummy and spent most of her weekend sleeping and lying on the couch. Everyone just seemed grouchy and icky. I think mostly we all feel in limbo. We are still trying to decide where and when to move-school issues, and just the end of summer blues I guess.

A jingle for Booby

2010-08-29T08:02:00.000-05:00

If Booby for baby was a product I'd have the perfect jingle for a commercial.

Xane expects to be entertained at this age. Yesterday we are sitting in the recliner while he nursed after his nap. He looks at me expectantly and I could tell he wanted a song. For the moment I just couldn't think of something appropriate for the mood, so I made up this....

Booby is delicious, Booby is nutritious,
Have some for your brunch,
It's good after lunch,
Have some after dinner, it might make you a winner.

Can't you just see it in a commercial?

Our first week of school

2010-08-28T10:46:00.001-05:00

Marshmallow Homeschooling

Don't Judge Friday-First week of school edition.

2010-08-27T19:52:00.004-05:00

Don't judge me but....

I really should learn to spell my own baby's name. So, first week of school here and it was the first time I have done preschool with my four under four kids. I like to include 16 month old Xane, and I do a circle time activity where I chant their name's to help them learn to spell it. The whole week we did this. Come Friday, we start doing the chants and I realize....OMG, I've been spelling Xane's name with a Z instead of an X. Oops

This is my evil moment. Kids love their art work right? They love mommy and daddy to post their hard work on the fridge, they want you to be proud! So, when I mistakenly (I swear I forgot!) left the preschoolers art projects on the porch, and it rained cats and dogs...and all their nice pictures were ruined....well I just reproduced what I could remember and put the fake one's up after their nap. Zander and Zoie, being a little more savvy almost caught on until I shoved a plate of cookies in their face as a distraction. They still walk by their work, and I can see the suspicious look in their eyes as they try and figure out what is wrong. :)

Hugging Bloggy

2010-08-26T05:05:00.004-05:00

Oh bloggy, I've missed you as an outlet!

To sum it up. I have not had time to blog. This summer has been a scorcher and real challenge in keeping the kids occupied. My youngest Xane, is a busy little bee and at 16 months he is just all over the place!

My funny little guy likes to spend his days dancing and playing with his play kitchen, trying to climb tables, climbing the cabinets, and in general endangering his cute little self. So, I spent most of my time being his shadow.

Now that he has settled down...well somewhat, I'm able to do more things, such as hug my bloggy and return to writing here. Oh, and be sure to check out our homeschooling adventures on my homeschool blog!

Don't judge Friday-I don't do bedtime stories

2010-06-11T16:57:00.005-05:00

You can trick little kids. I will totally use this without shame. For instance Lilly at bedtime will stall. She will ask for a million things-and one of her favorite is for me to read a lot of books. Seriously, this cuts into my Glee time kid. So yep, I trick her. I pick up four or five books and read a couple of sentences from each one. While your kids can probably recite accurately at least one book, if you asked Lilly Madeline is about a mouse who eats a cookie while saying goodnight to the moon.

In my defense, we have family reading time most everyday. Funny how I felt the need to defend that out of all my evil mommy moments. :)

The blob who ate me

2010-06-10T18:28:00.005-05:00

Who's bright idea was it for the family to run a 5k in September? Oh yeah, it was me huh? *smacks self in the head*

Today was week 1 day 2 of training. We got to the park with me feeling fine. The soreness of the day before was gone, and I had psyched myself up to do it. The warm up went fine, but as soon as the first run came, I knew I it was going to be a LONG training session. Double OUCH! I really struggled today. My husband had to keep doubling back to keep me motivated and there were a couple of times I almost quit. The only thing that kept me going was was the kids and the hubby. On the first day it was I who was the encourager, but I needed them today and they really pulled through for me. My legs felt like they were on fire, and it took a good hour for me to feel okay again. I need to do this though. I'm sick of being out of shape and I am almost 37 and have a 1 year old. He needs his mom and dad around for a long time.

Speaking of, he is so funny! My video recorder broke, but I am learning how to use the one on my camera. I have to get him dancing. It's hilarious. He is so smart to. At 14 months he says..

"sit down"

"more booby" (it's what you think-that's his way of saying he wants to nurse longer)

"bath"

"mommy"

"daddy"

"bye, bye"

"outside"

"spoon"

...as well as all his brothers and sisters name's. He's just adorable!

I have other things going on as well. I am going to start keeping up with my school blog, which you can find here. And on my photography blog, I will soon announce a fun assignment for anyone who wants to take part in!

But for now, I am off to enjoy a glass of wine with the hubby. We are both trying to drink for health (wink, wink). No really! We are! We've never been wine drinkers but we wanted to start having a few glasses a week. I will report back on the free bottle we got and if we like it.

Nite Ya'll!

Hips don't lie...

2010-06-09T19:37:00.005-05:00

I like that song, but in my case my hips not lying about me being out of shape. It's not something sexy.

Ouch! Yesterday started our training to do the Couch to 5K. During the training yesterday it was hard, but I pushed through it. I did great all day today until six oclock hit-then I wanted to crawl under a rock and just hide. Man I am out of shape. The muscles in my hips especially are paying the price. I am wondering if it's because they had to contain all the bounce from my ass.

I am currently in my bed after a super hot shower and a dose of ibuprofen. I could cry at just thinking of doing the training again tomorrow. I'm trying not to be a baby though, because everyone else is just flipping fine. I'm a little resentful that the hubby is not feeling the effects too. I'm such a bad wife thinking that! lol

If your doing the CT5K there is an iphone app that is great. It helped us with the training and told us when to run, when to walk all while letting us listen to our music.

Ch ch ch changes....

2010-06-08T16:31:00.007-05:00

Lots of changes going on for us this summer.

So last summer we saw a drop in the hubby's hours; where this summer he actually lost his job. Yikes, right? He was laid off, but we have both never been so motivated in our lives. We spent a month researching like crazy-sending out resumes and ended up finding his dream job. My man landed it of course! But now here we are with an almost fully packed up house, looking to move two hours away in a new town, (haven't found a house yet) and leaving the only home our kids have known.

To add to the craziness, I am putting us all on a fitness plan. We are doing the Couch to 5K running plan. Today was our first day of training. Everything went well in spite of the oppressive humidity and the fact that we are all so out of shape you could hear us huffing and puffing from miles away. But we completed the first day-two strollers and four whiny kids under four and all.

Oh, and we start school next week when the hubster goes back to work. Just the usual crazy, jam packed stuff like always. :)

Invictus


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Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

Why I've been so busy...

2010-04-24T14:25:00.003-05:00

The truth is, I have few marketable skills. Add to the fact that I did not get a degree, have an outdated computer applications certification, and that I've been a stay at home mom for ten years, coupled with the fact that I have four kids under four and cannot afford daycare if I wanted to?

This left me feeling helpless for a while. We need to pull in a little more income, and I feel the need to keep an updated resume. I spent a month on the phone most every day with a friend. ((((hugs-you know who you are)))) who was left with three children after her husband up and decided one day that family life was not for him. Like me; my friend had been a stay at home mom for ten years, had no savings of her own and was just devastated. She is pulling herself up (so proud!) and it pushed me to strive for my dreams earlier than I would have.

So I have been busy getting a business together. I love photography. I took a class in high school, some at the technical school I went to, and recently purchased a decent camera. (although I am saving for another!) My dream was to someday be a fashion photographer. (and a pastor? I'm weird I know!) So fashion photography is not in the cards, but perhaps I can make a go of shooting children and families. A professional photographer friend of mine in Colorado gave me the push I needed. She said "art is objective-if someone likes your work, they will hire you-there are people out there that will like you, there is no sense sitting around waiting, just do it!"

So I did...

Still Magnolias Photography

Blossoming

2010-02-20T13:33:00.004-06:00

Zoie is really blossoming and coming out of her shell. When we first met, and her first 5 months living with us we would forever try to get a good picture of her. Almost all of her early pictures are of the back of her head. She would refuse to make eye contact, and the camera was no different. Today though was an awesome day. I have a new camera and wanted to play with it so took the kids to an old house behind our property. It looks like an old school house, old school bell included.

Zoie had so many good photos I had a hard time choosing but these are my faves!

Don't judge Friday-a tooth on the loose

2010-02-19T10:49:00.006-06:00

I don't think anyone has a purse/diaper bag full of random stuff like I have.

Don't judge but...

I had to do a mid-week grocery trip on Wednesday due to poor planning. I forced the whole family to go just because I felt the kids needed to get out of the house. While in the middle of an isle, Xane spits up a little so I go digging through my jungle of a purse. I am pulling everything out when I see this white piece of something go flying.

"My tooth!" Yells eight year old Nicko.

What? You all don't stash your children's teeth in your purses? I am the only one you say? Hmmph.

So, the tooth he lost two days ago, which I thought I had lost, goes flying and bouncing. I swear this child has rubber teeth, because I tracked this tooth bouncing at least four times before it skidded in a crazy zig zag pattern, down the isle. Because Nicko is distressed ,and in a weepy voice is pleading for help from the audience we have gathered...I suddenly find myself with two elderly ladies and a bread guy looking for my kids tooth. My kid has serious powers of persuasion because four adults were on their hands and knees carefully doing an isle sweep looking for this tooth. I was praying the two old ladies hadn't gotten my name in case they needed knee replacement surgery.

The bread guy ends up being the winner, finding the tooth slightly under one of the shelves. Because I am grateful, I thank him and make sure he sees me fill up the cart with half a dozen loafs of bread I did not need, the brand he was stocking of course. :)

All in all, not a catastrophe, but I need to seriously clean out my purse more!

He's too pretty

2010-02-18T12:58:00.004-06:00

Besides taking pictures of my kids...we are hoping to buy a house. It is stressful and a longer process than I imagined. We never wanted to be homeowner's, and even researched data to back up why it is a bad investment. Now though, with six kiddos it is less expensive to pay a mortgage payment than to lease again. We are working with a builder and I hope to have news soon that we are moving. I won't believe it until we are in a moving truck and actually stepping foot through the front door though.

ehominy matchup #1

2010-02-02T15:51:00.003-06:00

For my first ehominy match up I had to do some research. Rob suggest I make menudo. GAG! Sorry, I love me some tex-mex food. But a bowl full of fat just does not sound appealing -hominy or not.

Sorry there is no pic(getting a camera Friday!) but I made Chicken chili for lunch after googling hominy recipe's and coming up with chili ideas. It was great. The hominy soaked up the chili seasoning adding an almost tortilla flavor to it-kinda like tortilla soup. Also, it is filling and added some bulk to the soup. I am pleased...very pleased and think this is a love match!

Traci's ehominy chili meets hominy love match soup.

1 pound shredded chicken. I used leftover roast chicken!

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery

2 (48-ounce) can diced tomatoes, not drained

1 can hominy, not drained-I have enough to make one again tomorrow from my huge can.

2 cans pinto or red kidney beans, not drained

1 package of false alarm chili mix

Sautee veggies in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add tomatoes, chicken hominy, beans and chili mix and simmer on low for 25 min.

You can of course cut this in half for smaller families. Enjoy the love match!

The weird stuff in my cabinet...

2010-02-01T12:34:00.003-06:00

Am I the only one with weird stuff in my cabinets? I have quite a few random weird stuff. I've had hominy before, used it maybe once in a recipe in 2008 I think. But for some strange reason I bought this HUGE can of it as Sam's Club. I am not sure what I was thinking. Maybe that if there is a huge storm and we have no power, I might want a big ol bowl of cold hominy.

I am thinking of setting up a recipe matchmaking website for weird ingredients in people's cabinet...I think you all know where this is going. eHominy! Right? People could pay me just to find recipes to go with all their random weird stuff...I think it's perfect and am off to make my own official recipe blog. lol

Four!

2010-01-28T23:59:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday mommy's beautiful brown eyed baby! Daddy, mommy and all your siblings love you! We hope your birthday is even half as much fun as you are.

Don't judge Friday-evil mommy

2010-01-28T00:00:00.004-06:00

I really can tell the date! Doing this on a Thursday again as Tomorrow is Zander's Birthday!

Okay don't judge me but...

Mom's are great at multi-tasking right? It comes natural to us to entertain while doing one of the million things we do in a day-so what if said multi-tasking is unintentional. So, I'm on a walk. Exercise, what can go wrong??? Baby Zane is giggling in the stroller, I'm in my stride so I do not stop to see what has him laughing. Eventually my botched tying has me tripping over my own feet. On the way down I glance at 9 month old Xane, only to see this flap on the stroller is steadily bonking him in the head...hence his giggling. Was he not entertained though?

This is just one more reason to stay away from those germ infested play places at the mall. I had to pick something up, and take three year old Zoie with me. I tell her she can have 10 minutes in the play place while I drink a coffee. Next thing I know...

"Ma'am, is this your child?"

How wrong would it be if I said no?

"Yes, she's mine." I said, not very sure sounding.

"She just picked up a dirty cookie off the ground and ate some of it."

She said it with one of those compassionate been-there-done-that, I got your back, way, that let me know I was not alone. As she is walking away her own little girl follows Zoie's example and polishes off the rest of the floor cookie. I think my eyebrows climbed into my head.

Okay, this one is just sick. I am officially a kid framer. Our puppy Bell is going through a "bad" phase. My husband has never had a puppy, and I sort of took advantage of that when I talked him into getting one. The other day I hear "shit!" followed by some stumbling around and some gagging. Apparently puppy has doodied on the bathroom floor and missed her puppy pad. To get her out of trouble I come up with this elaborate story about how poor Lilly has been missing the toilet lately. It worked, and Daddy would never be mad at his princess so he spent 10 minutes reading her potty book again and giving her a bath. I'm pure evil!

Lilly Dogs?

2010-01-25T20:59:00.004-06:00

Family Fun magazine this month had recipe for squid dogs. Lilly though insists these are Lilly dogs...I agree, very similiar. lol

Don't judge me Friday-only it's early Thursday.

2010-01-21T21:51:00.003-06:00

I am so ashamed not really or I would not post them here...duh but decided (Thanks Nicki) to post for fun, the stuff I would not want you all to judge me on. But I'm posting it anyway, and show what a bad mom I am, cause I have these moments every week?

Okay don't judge me but...

I ran to my local grocery store, taking two year old Lilly with me. On the way there, some asshat cuts me off, and I swerved, then swore. It was something colorful ending is some ass kissing. Well, Lilly who I have let walk is behind me once we get to the store. She kisses my butt and when I look back all puzzled why she would do that? She says "I kisses you ass mommy, you like that." oops.

I'm horrible I know, but sometimes a little afternoon delight is the only time the hubster and I can get...ahmmm together. So we are, and think preschoolers are napping, only they aren't and we hear this tiny knock on the door with three year old Zander saying "mommy what did you yell? I can't hear you under the door."

Okay this is the sick one. Since our big hurricane we have not bought another safety net for our trampoline see how I distract with a sad event to make you not hate me for what is coming? Yesterday the sun was finally out. Four year old Zoie begged and begged to jump with me. I gave in and we are having a good time. Then I wanted to show her what a double jump is, as she asked, after hearing her brother's use this word. So I show her. And she goes flying. Far. Like 10 feet far. Ah oh.

Note: no toddlers were hurt by the irresponsible person posing as mommy.

How we came to be us...

2010-01-19T23:25:00.002-06:00

First I wanted to say...is anyone else feeling so helpless? I keep seeing such awful tragedy coming from Haiti. After hurricane Katrina I was able to help. I had no less than 4 shelters within just miles from me. I brought clothes, food, games for kids and even took extra work books that my kids were not using anymore for homeschooling. I have donated what I could to the relief fund, but it doesn't seem enough, and there doesn't seem to be much most of us can physically do. It is so heartbreaking!

So, in my post Don't judge me people were curious about some of my comments about the kids. If you look through my pics you can't help but notice the racial differences in them. There are people though that can be rude about it, and I have gotten good at confusing them. Here is how it goes. I have four kids of Hispanic/Native American descent on my husbands side, and Native American/Italian, Irish, and a whole bunch of other stuff, on my side. My husband looks Hispanic, and my boys pass for most any nationality thanks to their mixture. They've been mistaken for most every heritage you can think of. We are asked all the time if they are Samoan, Chinese, Middle Eastern...we do not mind these questions at all.

But then came the girls. Our girls are not biologically ours. They are distantly related to ME, and were in foster care for 6 months before coming to live with us. We are in the process of formally adopting them. They are VERY light skinned.

The issue is that they are close in age, and older than our youngest boy. Zander is my almost four year old, and Zoie is just four months behind him in age. Lilly and Zoie are "Irish twins" and Lilly happens to be as tall as her sister-although different in looks-they look nearly nothing alike. Then our last baby is Xane who is 9 months old. Because the girls are smack in the middle of the two youngest boys, is why we get the looks and the questions. lol

It's funny, but we live in a pretty diverse town. Where we grocery shop there are a lot of Hispanic people. If I am without my husband we attract no attention from them. When he is with us though is where the fun begins. For some reason they give me dirty looks. They see my husband, look at the girls, and assume I cheated on him. I guess adoption never occurs to them. I get dirty "shame on you" looks, and once. A lady even outright said "good for you getting him back after cheating on him...."?????????? Usually I have snappy comebacks, but I was so shocked, I just stood there with my mouth open.

Now it's the white people, (for lack of a better word) that always ask me the kids age. Because they see how close in age the little one's are, and that they look so different, they first ask if the girls are twins. When I reply no, and tell them that Zoie and Zander are four, they want their ages in months, trying to figure this out. You can see them trying to work this out in their head. Then they will backtrack and say "oh wait, are they all even yours?" lol I know they really want specifics, and want to know the how's, like how we came to be us, but sometimes I just make things up to mess with them. Sometimes I am tempted to make t-shirts that say something like "Yes, they are all mine. Two are adopted. Their ages are as follows 12 1/2, 8, four this month, 4 1/2, 2 1/2 and nine months. For more info visit my site at youranosyass.com for more info.

I can't even imagine..

2010-01-18T10:41:00.000-06:00

http://heartsongsfromhaiti.blogspot.com/

Don't judge me

2010-01-17T08:12:00.003-06:00

Can you imagine what it would be like to have your own reality show? I love watching the kind that feature families. I am sure things are edited to make things into a bigger deal, but I often wonder how the world would view our family, especially those moments I would be embarrassed if anyone saw.

Okay, don't judge me...but here is a small, okay large list of things I am not so proud of this week... notice I said this week like I have a bizzillion of them. :0

Told the kids we were going on an exciting, surprise cultural field trip at the end of the month. I said we would study some architecture, eat food, and that I would buy them a souvenir. Great right? It sounds so homeschooly, I already know this is not a word, don't email me with complaints grammar police and educational. What I didn't say was that it was to Ikea.

On other school news, doing school the Charlotte Mason way has led to some surprising discoveries. For instance, we have art appreciation daily. On Tuesday I told the kids to copy a pencil drawing by Da Vinci. I asked them to try and copy it exactly as they saw it and then we would do oral interpretation. Nicko, my seven year old tells me something along these lines..."You know mom, we could get good at this, copy these and try to sell them on eBay for a lot of money." Great. The lesson he learned is that I am teaching him to forge art.

I confess. I don't know how old my kids are during grocery shopping. Every time. And I mean every...I am asked repeatedly how old the kids are. I am pretty sure they really want to know how I had two light skinned kids, then two dark skinned little boys in less than four years. Instead of having the guts to ask if they are adopted, or if I had an affair and then the hubby took me back? Instead, they want to know-in months no less-how old each of them is. Sometimes I make up shit. I once said Zoie and Zander were twins, and Lilly was their twin, but had been inserted artificially in a surrogate at a later date. I have to keep it interesting, right?

Sometimes, only sometimes I give Lilly drinks of my coffee. She gets a caffeine rush and crashes early. Ooops.

Baby Xane is a smartie. I admit defeat with him, he is ahead of me every darn time. Lately as he is taking a poopie, he likes to squat while holding on to the couch. I had four minutes left of Oprah On Friday, let him do his business, looked down four minutes later to see that he'd somehow gotten one tab of his diaper open, it fell and he is stepping in his poop. Lesson learned, Oprah can wait.

This is guaranteed to have Matteo on a counseling couch for years. I've been having Nip issues lately due to the cold weather. They were chapped and hurting yesterday, so I decided to do some slathering of lotion. Well, mommy was interrupted mid shmear in the bathroom-double handed no less-which I am sure looked just dandy. Poor dude.

Okay, this is sick. Sometimes I start a game of hide and seek with my three preschoolers. I will start counting really loud, they run off all eager beaver. And then I go in my room, open whatever magazine came in the mail, sit back and enjoy.

So, if anyone wants to share in their parental mess ups. I won't judge. I've probably done it. :)

The Bloopers

2010-01-08T10:31:00.002-06:00

My parents are awesome and got me a flip video recorder for Christmas. These things are so fun! They are purse size and so EASY!

For the past few days I have been trying to get a few things on video. Number one on my list is video of Xane who can now take a few steps. I call it the curse of a camcorder-you get one and suddenly no one does the cute stuff you want them to do anymore!!!

Here are some bloopers to show you what I mean...

Notice the popcorn, great parenting right there!

I almost lost my awesome flip here. Baby destructo!

Even the dog got in on the action. I had wanted to show we had taught her to sit and shake...

And yeah, you do hear that I have elbowed my poor baby in the face! Everyone quick! Totally copy my parenting style!

NO! I have FOMN

2010-01-06T18:39:00.003-06:00

I was pretty sure I was dying.

It's been dark in the house all day. It's cold outside, not much sun. Right? So 5:30 rolls around, and it's time for a nursing session with the X man. I am undoing the complicated straps on my nursing bra,(good thing I wasn't born a dude. I'd have never gotten a chicks bra off!) look down and to my horror see that my right nip has his horrid looking fungus growing on it!

I am freaking, drop the baby off with his daddy as I am streaking to the bathroom mirror-when something chips off and falls to the ground. I am sure my whole nip has come off at this point...

...as I stumble in the bathroom and squint my eyes, just in case I need to brace myself-I notice a green pea stuck on my bra. My vision clears as I fully open my eyes, and say out loud, "Don't worry everybody! I just have FOMN! I'm not dying yet."

"FOMN?" Rob asks, peeking into the bathroom carefully-scared after my ruckus...

"yeah, Food on my nipple from the baby. Happens all the freaking time. I just forgot to check today."

Rob was not amused for some reason. :)

My 10 for O ten

2010-01-03T00:38:00.002-06:00

My wishes and resolutions for 2010-in no particular order...

1) Get the hark out of this house! I don't care where we move-if we buy-or lease...I just want real storage and a dishwasher!

2) lose weight, lose weight, lose weight. I lost eight lbs doing the Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred and want to keep it up. It's embarrassing but I have around 62 lbs to meet my goal weight. yikes!

3) Drink water. Simple you would think, but I am horrible about remembering to drink water.

4) Go on exciting outings with the kids. With my bedrest during my pregnancy, and then new baby-we have done nothing in a very long time. We need to get out of the house and have some fun!

5) go to the dentist. I need to stop being a chicken and just go and do all the dental work I need.

6) train my darn puppy. She for some reason has an intense dislike for Zoie. :( She stalks her, I swear! The puppy is only 10 weeks so we either break her or give her up.

7) get ahead of the game-I am determined to start planning ahead for everything-birthdays, holiday....everything.

8) Finally, FINALLY get all my pictures developed, upload my pictures to walmart and order them, and put them in photo albums.

9) learn to knit and crochet.

10) This one is the most important: God knows what it is and I pray, beg and plead to let it happen. I love my baby girls so much and God knows we need to finalize and secure their place with us. PLEASE GOD!!!!!

A happy new Year and a crock pot meal

2010-01-02T12:00:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year! I wish all of you a prosperous, fun filled year. ;)

Traci's After New Years Crockpot Ham and Potatoes

Idaho potatoes(depending on crockpot size)
cubed cooked ham
16 ounce jar Alfredo sauce
Velveeta sandwich slices
milk
onions
garlic
water
salt
pepper
paprika
Jalapeno(optional)

Slice your potatoes, onions and garlic into very thin slices

put a little water in the bottom of crockpot and do layers of potatoes(i use four per layer) onion ring slices, ham, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup of Alfredo sauce, four slices of Velveeta and all your spices.

I make about four layers because I have a huge crockpot and this is enough for dinner and then lunch the next day. make sure on your final layer that all potatoes are covered in liquid. cook on low 7 to 8 hours and sprinkle with cheese and jalapeno the last 30 minutes. My family loves this! :)

I serve it with creamed corn a small side salad and sour cream and chive biscuits.

We have a walker!

2009-12-29T02:24:00.003-06:00

Yes, it is 2:24 AM-but walking is important darn it. :)

He can take a couple of steps before he falls. If he is not too grouchy I am going to try and get some video tomorrow-er tomorrow at a more reasonable time that is!

Really, I am up because bitty baby, myself and my three year old boy all have colds. We feel asleep at 7:00 and now they are awake. blech

A homemade Christmas

2009-12-08T12:52:00.008-06:00

Merry SITSmas!

After our rough summer I learned even more about being frugal. I also really and truly got to know what kinds of toys my kids like. By like I mean, they will play with more than a couple of weeks. So, I went looking for homemade Christmas presents that I thought they would like.

At first my husband was totally against this. He thought the kids would think it was lame. But he even got in on the fun and is now considering building a train table.

We are still buying a few store bought items, but most of them will be from this list. I hope some of you can get some ideas from here! And my kids do not read my blog, so this is a surprise! lol

Just click on the names to follow the links. I would love to see pics if you make any of these. Any ideas of your own! Leave me a link, I will list here with a link to your blog.

For Xane who is eight months

felt ball

soft blocks

Safari blankey note: this is not a tutorial but I was inspired by this to make my own. I am considering buying an inexpensive blanket in a safari print and then making the animals to sew on.

Zoie and Lilly 2 and 3 years

No sew tutus

fairy wings

ribbon streamers note: not a tutorial. just take a wooden dowel, drill a hole for ribbon and top with a wooden topper.

fluffs of playsilks

paper dolls-omg I love these so much. Old fashioned and so cute. I loved paper dolls as a friend. I am going to print off a few pages and then every month let her have a new one.

Zander age 3-almost 4

fishing game-i plan to make a pond and sew lilly pads and frogs on it. I will use a canvas bag to hold it all in.

elephant stompers

doorway puppet stage

memory tiles

Matteo and Nicko ages 8 and 12

magic wands

treasure pouch necklace

milk crate game lounge note: don't pick these up at the store! You can actually get in trouble for this. We had a store near my parents house and because we know them they gave some to us when they closed down. You can find them at flea markets, all you have to do is hold them together with zip ties:)

Chinese juggling sticks

All

lunch set

The countdown is on!

2009-12-05T15:51:00.003-06:00

This year, we decided to make our own advent calendar. I wanted to be able to fit enough candy for the kids, so this was perfect for us.

By the way-I saw this idea on a blog, but now can't find it. If it is yours, let me know and I will credit you!

I took a red poster board-found christmas styrofoam cups at walmart-cut some of the top of the cups-attatched the cups with a brad to the posterboard-put in the candy-and glued red tissue paper on the top.

Ta da! Our Christmas calendar. The kids love punching in one every morning and getting a surprise treat. :)

Celebrating on this last day of November.

2009-11-30T17:52:00.003-06:00

Do ya'll hear that? The angels are singing! I have only ONE baby in diapers. I can barely believe it. Just two days ago I decided to potty train Lilly. She has not had one accident in two days, and even does number 2 in the potty. Not since Nicko have I had it so easy with potty training. I know I say I have "six kids" a lot. It's kinda my thing, but the truth is...it was harder having four kids in diapers more than being hard having six kids. Just four months ago I was doing four kids in assembly line diaper changes...now I have time to actually walk to the baby room and use my changing table for once. Woot!

I'm including this picture of the last time Lilly was in a diaper. I will miss those puffy booty pictures on her.

Dear CLorox

2009-11-29T21:33:00.003-06:00

Dear Clorox makers,

I have two sick kiddos. My baby Xane has a fever. My little Lilly is vomiting. I normally do not use chemicals in my house, but do when someone is sick. My husband went to the store tonight to buy your product. Being a guy, the scent choices overwhelmed him so he picked up a few. He was hoping the scented products could be diluted in water and leave a fresh scent. Nope, they all still smell like bleach. Every one of them. Just thought you would want to know.

A Happy Post Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T16:15:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!

Gosh, so much is happening here. I want to make sure I blog even more now...to make sure I have a diary of sorts of all that is going on in our lives.

First of all, I made a life changing decision. I won't dig too deep right now...but will say that I have started an Ordination program to become ordained in my faith. I always, always thought I would be a pastor since I was a little girl. But the religion of my childhood was the hellfire and damnation-only men are pastors-put God in a box, kinda religion. If all that comes from it is a church blog...I am good with that. But I will follow my calling to where it leads me. I never thought at 36 years old with six kids I would be doing this....

Kiddo updates: Xane is getting a tooth! He is SO super smart. He says "bye bye dada," crawls, pulls up and walks pushing a push toy. I love him to bits!

Lilly is potty training. Today is our first full day. She had an accident at nap time but otherwise has made it to the potty!

Zoie is finally interested in movies. She never used to watch and now she is really into everything princess. I am not sure how I feel about it. I mean I love me some princess movies but I don't like the helpless female kinds.

Zander is doing simple math and recognizes about a dozen letters. The best part. I did not teach him a thing...well on purpose. Like his brother Nicko, he is just picking it up here and there.

Nicko is becoming a comedian. Oh my goodness he is our entertainment now. He likes watching Jay Leno and then practices in his room to give a "monologue" for us the next night. I need to get this kid a video camera!

Matteo is becoming a young man. He still plays pretend games with Nicko-but he is also growing taller, faster and stronger. He is very much into his physical self. Not in a superficial way-he is concerned now about his physical health and exercises daily on his own. It is totally cute!

Here are some pics I wanted to share. I am into a homemade kick and taught myself to hand sew on the internet. I made the girls pillowcase dresses and made appliques to put on a pair of overalls for Zander, and on a onsie for Xane. It is very relaxing and fun!

All about bebe!

2009-11-02T18:41:00.003-06:00

Babies grow SO fast. It's like you blink and they are a month older. Xane is now 7 months and 2 days old. Like my other boys he is pretty physically advanced. He started crawling at almost 4 months and now crawls and pulls up. He can push a push toy forward and take a couple of steps to0. He waves bye, plays patty cake and says "mama, dada, hey."

He is such a good baby! Man did I hit the baby jackpot. He only cries when he is hungry or has to be in the car for too long. I LOVE THIS BABY!

Here are a couple of videos of him and I plan to try solid foods with him next week, so be sure to check back and see how he reacts!

Video of baby doing patty-cake

Video of baby crawling and pulling up

A day of rememberence.

2009-11-02T08:56:00.005-06:00

This year Dia De Los Muertos was from Oct 31 through today. Because of a busy weekend though, today is the day I set aside for it. This year for our remembrance altar I set up flowers, candles and put water, apples, baby food and toys.

Everyone we are honoring are important, but the first person that comes to mind is Bailey. Bailey is the name I gave to my baby who died when I was around 27 weeks pregnant. I was twenty-two and Rob and I were so excited when we found out we were expecting. The day before my miscarriage I had a dream that I was in my own womb talking to my baby. He told me(I say he, because I had a male impression) he was sorry, but he was not going to be born. That his fingers and legs were not developing and he had made the choice to stay in heaven. When the miscarriage happened I was definitely upset, but was comforted by the fact that I did get to speak to my baby, and that I felt he was being cared for and loved.

To my grandparents Jim and Wanda. You were awesome grandparents, you led a wonderful adventure filled life! I only regret my children did not get to know you. Tonight for dinner we will have Chili and cornbread, my Pawpaw's favorite, and greens with bacon and vinegar, my Granny's favorite.

To Grandpa Olvedo, Robert loved you so much! You were an awesome grandpa to him. I loved your generous heart and will never forget the sight of my 1 year old Matteo (who was scared of everyone) sitting on a bench and sharing an apple with you. You were the only one he wasn't afraid of. Today will will have apples with honey in honor of him.

To my uncle Eddie. I hope your pleased that I gave Xane your name as his first middle name. I hope he makes education a priority just as you did. Today I showed the kids the picture of you when you were in Vietnam. The picture of you with hundreds of Vietnamese children surrounding you as you are doing dental check ups shows who you were. A person who gave generously of your time and only wanted to help others. Today I am wearing my Inspi(red) gap shirt that I bought two years ago that went to help victims of AIDS in honor of him.

To my brother DJ. You died when you were six months old. I'm sorry we did not get to know you. You would have been an awesome big brother, I hope to meet you someday!

May you all be busy having awesome adventures!

Is it really November??

2009-11-01T21:59:00.002-06:00

Gosh, time flies!

First, I'm so happy to be back online. My husbands hours are returning and we felt we could add in some of those extras, like internet back in. I have missed blogging, and even more-I've missed reading other people's.

There is so much to tell about so instead of just putting everything on one huge post, I will just have to be diligent about blogging this coming week. I can't wait to update with pics of baby Xane and all the kiddos!

What we did for summer vacation?.....

2009-08-30T14:07:00.003-05:00

...we became sort of poor-money wise that is.

We've had a rough couple of months where our finances are concerned. So bad at times we were concerned with how we were going to come up with grocery money. We had to cancel our cable and Internet (we still don't have it back-every once in a while my lap top gets a signal) we were only able to pay our most basic bills. And it is not over. Robert is losing his hours. We are considering applying for government help. We were extremely stupid to think the country's recession was not going to affect us. We've learned our lesson!!!

But...we have learned A LOT. And I mean a lot from this experience. Rob and I have come closer together-as a true team to get through this. Without TV we are now on first name basis with our librarians. The library has been a true blessing for us. This is our only entertainment. We've watched all the academy award movies that we did not want to waste money at the movie rental places, we watched how to videos, and we read a TON! One of our new, favorite activities is to read as a family. I really recommend the RedWall series by the way. Very fun!

We will probably be in this situation for a few months until things pick up at work again (hopefully things pick up!!!!) but as a family we have thrived. We are playing at the parks more, reading more and I hope once we are financially sound again that this does not stop. I like this deeper connection we've forged. I am just sorry it took making us poor to get us here. :)

I hope everyone in blogland is doing well! I hope to catch up soon with what everyone has been up to.

My new homeschool blog.... http://www.marshmallowhomeschooling.blogspot.com/

Frugal Friday: Help me meet my goal!

2009-07-10T11:23:00.002-05:00

I never ask for money-but for 15.00 a minimum donation you can help a great cause!

FAAN or Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network is having a walk in cities across the country and the world. This money goes to helping find a cure and to raise awareness.

PLEASE donate. You can go to Traci's Personal Page and read about my struggles with food allergies. I also have my twelve year old son, Matteo who seems to be following me and is having allergy issues as well.

My whole family is planning on walking this year and I am making a promise to walk all 2.5 miles with ALL six kids. I will also be sure to post some video-see bang for your buck! You know with my brood something is going to go down! lol

I'm immune to the chaos

2009-07-09T19:09:00.005-05:00

Thursday started out pleasant-even a little breeze this morning, that I knew would help to dry my first load of laundry on the line. I paused for a few moments to enjoy the sun shining on my face, snapped the sheet in my hands, and pressed my face in one more time to smell the fabric softener. Awww morning. My favorite time of day.

And then I entered the house to find that:

Lilly had dumped dry oatmeal all over the kitchen floor. Zoie had written in purple chalk on the walls-I swear some of it looked like gang graffiti. Zander was screaming at Nicko because Nicko had DARED to change the channel. Matthew is still asleep after a marathon Wii session and there is a UPS deliverer banging on the front door, and the baby has just woken up and is crying.

So, I open the door, oatmeal stuck on my shoes-purple chalk clutched in one hand-remote with Zander jumping desperately, screaming and trying to get it-in another. The delivery guy, with a shocked look on his face says. "Whoa-chaotic morning huh?." to which I replied, in all seriousness "Oh this is nothing, you should have seen yesterday."

I'm pretty sure I heard him mumble something about "never having kids, never having kids..." on his way to his truck.

Exit strategies

2009-06-26T22:15:00.004-05:00

Every Friday I take the kiddos to the library. All of them you say? Why yes, because I suffer from amnesia evidently.

I forgot last Friday's freak out after 23 month old Lilly went tearing through the kids science sections-rearranging everything in "lilly order."

This time the hubster stayed in the car-he was "sorry" but he had a headache. Not that he really wanted to listen to the all day Micheal Jackson coverage going on talk radio.

The second I enter any public place I start thinking of "exit strategies." With six kids it's just the standard thing. Any number of things could happen....I'm usually a calm, clear thinker, and am prepared for a list of situations...like:

Lilly grabs some strange baby's bottle-steals it and drinks it behind a bookshelf-

Or 3 year old Zoie finds some ladies purse-opens her lipstick and proceeds to decorate herself in Mary Kay's Poppy-

Or 7 year old Nicko terrorizes some poor teenager by helpfully pointing out, that if she washed her face she might not have those spots all over her face-

See what I mean? I've learned A LOT!

What I've never prepared for is the "3 year old Zander CRAPS on the library floor scenario." dumb me.

Yes, my 3 year old is training. I SHOULD have put plastic pants on him and forgot. As I am being a helpful mommy, by picking out books with the older kids-I didn't notice that Zander is in the corner doing the "hide and poop." I notice THE face, the grunt and pull face and do a great -crawl-flip, ninja move to get to him. Only it was too late.

Not only had he done a boobie in his pants....some plopped out on the floor. Gaw, I can't catch a break.

You know, thank GOD for cell phones! I shot my hubby a panicked call for him to haul ass, like never before into the library-wrapped Zander in the baby's blanket-threw him at my husband, and ran to the bathroom for paper towels. The whole time praying the children's librarian has not got her eye on me, like she usually does. I think she thinks we are some sort of cult. But more on that another time...

So, I am scrubbing this floor-I mean for real scrubbing-not the half ass way I do my own-and the shit(pun intended) is not coming up. I have no idea what my kid ate, but it stained the carpet! I. Was. Mortified.

My new "exit strategy" for kid popping on the library floor? Running like HELL!

I seriously grabbed all the kids, pushing them in front of me telling the older kids "move...moooove darn it!" in a heated mommy-means-it-this-time, way.I am booking it-as much as one can while dragging two toddlers, two confused big kids, and one tiny baby...When I hear the dreaded "Ma'am. Oh Ma'am."

I almost boobied in my own pants right then.

I was waiting for this swat team to swoop in on me-tickets in hand-for like defecating in a public place or something-when I'm handed the babies pacifier, which I had dropped in my getaway.

Whewww.

I wanted to just break down and confess right there, but instead took this as a sign that I was getting a break-and no one had found out our dirty little secret. Hell yes, I just walked out of there relieved to have made it through just one more embarrassing-it will never end-situation.

It is time to get a new library, and come up with new exit strategies for potty trainers.

Frugal Friday: Groceries on the cheap

2009-06-24T17:00:00.005-05:00

Blogging this a little early. :)

How do you feed a family of eight on the cheap? Very carefully!

Our grocery bill is one of our biggest expense. Not only do we have big eaters, we try and eat organic foods which can be very pricey. Besides The Hubby losing some of his hours at work-we have several trips we are trying to save for. We have a family reunion coming up-a church convention with speakers we really want to see in Tennessee in November, plus we want to visit San Antonio for a mini vacation. We will have to have two hotel rooms for each of these visits which can really add up.

So, I have been trying to cut down on our grocery bill a bit. To do that I first started with some research. I found this great Blog Hillbilly Housewife that had an emergency $45.00 menu on it. I used this to get some great ideas for cheap meals for us. It worked and I used the menu this week-altered a bit with some things were on sale-and to our family's taste-while still trying to make it somewhat nutritious. I spent $101.58 which is half our normal bill.

Monday:

Breakfast-Pancakes with syrup, orange juice, milk.

Lunch- Potato soup with broccoli and iced tea.

Dinner-Pinto beans, collard greens, salad and iced tea.

Snack-Homemade tortilla chips (much cheaper to buy your own oil and tortillas-cut tortillas and fry or bake yourself-only cost us four dollars)

Tuesday:

Breakfast-Oatmeal, toast, orange juice and milk.

Lunch-half a pbj sandwich, mac and cheese, with carrots and ranch dressing and milk.

Dinner-Bean and rice burritos with lettuce and tomatoes, with iced tea.

Snack-homemade soapapilas with honey.

Wednesday:

Breakfast-French toast, orange juice, milk

Lunch-Potato soup with spinach and iced tea.

Dinner-Tuna casserole, homemade garlic toast, iced tea.

Snack-homemade popcorn

Thursday:

Breakfast-Rice pudding, orange juice and milk

Lunch-half pbj sandwich, mac n cheese, carrot sticks with ranch, milk.

Dinner-Pork steaks, salad, cornbread and iced tea.

Snack-Homemade muffins with preserves, milk or hot tea.

Friday:

Breakfast-Oatmeal, orange juice, milk.

Lunch-Bean tostadas with lettuce and tomatoes, and milk.

Dinner-Pinto beans, potatoes brava, salad and iced tea.

Snack-cinnamon toast, milk or hot tea.

Recipes:

Mothers Potato Soup

6 slices of bacon
1/2 yellow onion
1 garlic clove
3 lbs potatoes-cooked the day before whole in the crockpot
6 cups milk
1/4 cup of chives
salt and pepper to taste

directions
saute bacon, sliced onion and garlic. Peel potatoes, you can scrape off peel easily with a fork. Use crockpot to cook by adding potatoes, milk and the sauteed veggies. Salt and pepper to taste and lightly mash potatoes leaving some large pieces for texture. Add to bowls when heated topping with chives.

Note: you can add other veggies like broccoli, spinach, carrots and even ham or cheese.

My pinto beans

1 12 oz bag of beans
salt
1 tbs of lard

directions

soak beans in the morning-clean and rinse. Boil with 20 cups of water and salt for 10 min. Simmer for 2 hours till done-adding water to cover beans if needed. Why add the lard? I don't know-it's a tip my husbands Hispanic grandmother taught me. You add it the last 1/2 hour. For some reason they just taste better.

Bean and rice burritos

Beans from bean recipe
2 tbs of lard or other oil
taco seasoning
Spanish rice-recipe to follow
large flour tortillas
chopped lettuce and tomatoes
salsa

directions

Make re fried beans. heat oil and add beans with a 1/2 cup of liquid from the beans. Let it boil then reduce heat and mash with potato masher. add taco seasoning and mix.

I heat my tortillas by warming on our gas stove. Spread beans, rice and add lettuce, tomatoes and salsa. Cheese too if you like. :)

Traci's Spanish fried rice-adapted from Abuelitas recipe

3 cups of rice (can reduce for smaller families)
Hot water
2 tbs of lard
1 4 ounce can of tomato sauce
2 chicken bullion cubes
1/2 cup white onion sliced or chopped
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 sliced jalapeno-if desired
salt to taste

directions

Heat oil on medium then add rice. Stir rice for 4 minutes or until rice just starts to brown a little. Add onion and stir for 1 minute. Add hot water till it covers rice by three inches. add tomato sauce, bullion cubes and spices. Heat to boiling and let boil for 3 minutes with a lid covering. Reduce to simmer-removing lid until water cooks out. add rings of thinly sliced jalapenos

Potatoes Brava

8 potatoes
olive oil
1 chopped onion
3 clove garlic finely chopped
3 chopped tomatoes
1 tsp hot paprika (warning can be hot for some kids)
1 tsp flour
1sp wine vinegar

directions
fry potatoes in olive oil till done adding chopped onion and garlic the last 5 minutes. reduce to simmer adding chopped tomatoes, paprika, flour and vinegar. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes, salt and pepper to taste.

I sometimes add a mixture at the last minute of 1/2 cup of catschup, 1/4 cup of Kraft mayonnaise and a dash of hot sauce.

Homemade Sopapillas

Cut flour tortillas into quarter pieces. Fry for 1 minute in deep fryer (I use canola oil) and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with honey or whipped topping if you like. My kids LOVE these.

I should mention-we also give the kids a snack in the afternoon of a banana-bananas are one of the least expensive fruits-My kids like a peanut butter dip with it.

Happy frugal grocery shopping!

It was horrible...and great.

2009-06-22T23:25:00.002-05:00

So, to update on our new venture in homeschooling.

I did not take pictures-I never do of the first day-but will take pictures of second day. :)

The morning started out horrible. The toddlers really acted up-and I mean HORRIBLY!

There were moments of greatness though. Nicko my seven year old, who HATES school, rarely complained today. He was so happy not to have the endless pile of workbooks.

Matteo, THRIVED! He loved it and remarked several times on how much "fun" our new method is.

And, I felt like everyone had not just their physical needs met, but their emotional as well. Xane stayed in the HotSling all day or nursed-the toddlers listened in on schooling and participated occasionally-and the older two seemed more content. Everyone had my attention today, and that felt good. :)

Frugal Friday: Free advice on how to blog more. :)

2009-06-18T23:44:00.003-05:00

I have some burning questions I would ask other moms. These are not normally questions you would ask-because you might be embarrassed-but I'm brave like that and will just put it out there.

1.) What excuses do you tell your husband, to make him do the things you should probably be doing-just so you can blog more?

2.) What television shows do you use to distract your husband or children with-so you can blog more?

3.) What are the best foods to bribe your family with-so you can blog more?

4.) Do you have any recommendations on how to finish laundry quickly-so you can blog more?

5.) What big ticket items have you, or would you purchase to bribe your family-so you can blog more?

I'm waiting and hoping I get a lot of good advice-yep, so I can blog more. :)

New adventures-in old homeschooling.

2009-06-18T13:25:00.007-05:00

I tossed and turned for the past few weeks. I knew I wanted to homeschool through this summer, but just did not have the motivation. I was bored, the kids were bored, and I needed to do something to shake up our homeschool experience.

It all started with watching Band Of Brother's. Thanks to Video on Demand, we finally got to watch this series. It was one of those series I'd heard about, wanted to watch but never had the money to go out and buy it. The kids begged to watch it-and I debated it. I mean it IS gruesome. It is real, and it is war. But, the kids have been asking me questions about World War 2, and it seemed like a great way to learn. Plus the added bonus of them seeing that war is horrible, and should be avoided if at all possible.

So we watched it. The boys loved it, my husband and I loved it, and we watched all 10 episodes in two days. For the next week, the boys read anything on WW2 they could get their hands on. They even noticed all the old papers from a big newspaper hanging in our library. They would insist that we stop and read them, because they loved getting a feel for what life was really like during that time. My boys learned more in those couple of weeks than they ever did from our text books. This time they retained the knowledge!

So a few mornings ago I woke up with an epiphany. How did I learn growing up? With books! I hated school as a child and often skipped school-well into my high school years. Despite not graduating high school, I had a higher vocabulary than anyone I knew. I had a good grasp of grammar and spelling. Not because I'd been on top of my game in school-but because I would read, read and read some more.

Being a long time homeschooler, I'm familiar in a general sense with most homeschool methods-so I remembered Charlotte Mason being a literature based method. I went and read everything I could get my hand on-and wanted to smack myself. It all made sense! Of course this is how I should teach my children. What better way to teach them, than with a method I KNEW worked?

Not only that but it sounds simply great. I too believe in gentle learning, including nature as much as you can, and want my children to enjoy great works of literature. It's what I always wanted for my kids-and it just now clicked. I WISH I would have looked into it earlier.

I have found great resources that even include using this method with secular schooling. I love the idea of doing world religions everyday!

Not only that, but I should mention it is a very frugal friendly method. Most materials will come from the library. It also solves the problem of how to homeschool multiple children at once.

Here is what I have so far, and what we are planning to do when we start next week:

For math-stick to our Math-U-See program (with a lot of CM people use)

For nature studies will will use Keepers of the Earth: Native American-book series

We will also take daily walks, taking our nature journals. We will use artist sketchbooks for these. The kids will write the date, time and weather and any observations. They can draw or write about something they found, or an insect or animal they observe. I plan to make special trips to woodland areas, and lakes and ponds for these times as well.

For History we will start with The American Story-For our timeline, we do not have enough wall space. So instead I'm using an idea I found. I will buy a blank scrap book-and we will do a scrapbook in they style of the Piretology, Dragonology type books my kids love. How fun to print out old maps or treasures from that time and paste them on the page or make envelopes on the pages to hold things.

Art Appreciation, we will use Vincent's Colors to start off with.

Grammar, Nicko will start with A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink and Matteo will use Eats, shoots and Leaves.

For Science, the kids have asked to do Dinosaurs so we are starting out with Day the Dinosaurs Died and we will use Dinosaur Hunters.

What I still need to find are books for Literature, Geography, games and Handicraft books and Shakespeare for kids.

I'm really excited about this and really hope this is the solution I've been looking for. Oh, and this time-I'm not stressing about "doing it right." I'm doing things as I understand the method and will change things as I learn more. I will do updates soon to say how things are going!

Note: Band of Brothers is a great series but beware, in the 9th (I think) episode there is a graphic sex scene. It is all the more shocking as it comes out of nowhere. The other episodes barely even have a curse word.

He laughs!

2009-06-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

T0day at 4:42pm baby Xane let out his first belly laugh. OMG it was the cutest sound ever! He was born on April Fools after all, and has a very mischievous sort of laugh. And wouldn't you know it....he didn't laugh for me but for Robert. Sheesh, my babies think I'm unfunny, because none have ever laughed for me first.

I couldn't get him to repeat for the camera so instead I will add this video. Baby toots are very popular on youtube, we've had 33 hits already. lol

Church at home...thanks Youtube!

2009-06-07T22:29:00.005-05:00

For the past month we've been doing church at home. I have to admit I hesitate to speak about this to anyone. My family does not know and I'm wondering what their response is going to be. Not that it will change my mind-but it's just one more thing that makes us weird to them! lol

So why church at home? Because we have not been able to find a church we are comfortable in. As Christian Universalists we would be welcome at a Unitarian church-but I tried it and did not like it. As a faithful believer in Christ I just could not leave Christ out of my worship experience. We've tried various Christian churches but I was never comfortable there either. I had a hard time, as universal reconciliation is a huge divide between my thinking and most other Christians. I found myself spending more time trying to do damage control for my children, as they were extremely uncomfortable during any children's programs-having different ideas is not very accepted.

I've learned being a homeschooler that our family is great at learning together-so I thought why not worship together at home as well? I have been very pleased with how everything has been going. My husband was extremely uncomfortable at first and had at first decided just to go to church alone and the kids and I would do our own thing. This weekend he got pulled in and said he was impressed with how the kids and I had an open conversation while doing our lesson. He liked that the kids were able to freely say their ideas and that I did not tell them they were right or wrong, but helped to guide them into forming their own ideas. He liked that I brought up examples from different religions so that the kids can hear about other people's views as well, so that we are not pushing them into our own beliefs.

This is how I've been structuring our worship time:

Opening prayer-Everyone recites The Lords Prayer.

The kids watch youtube videos of Hillsong Kids (upbeat fun songs)

This week I found a cute animation on The Good Samaritan that we watched. I had the older boys do a dramatic(oh my goodness were they dramatic! lol) piece where Nicko got to play the part of the Robber, the priest and the levite and Matteo was the injured man. Then we had the little one's all take turns putting a band aid on Matteo. It was very cute. We would ask them "who is your neighbor?" and they would shout "Everyone!"

The older boys were led through a series of thought provoking questions. Then we had the kids all work on a coloring sheet for their Parables Of Jesus book they are putting together. The kids then play quietly and are allowed to play with playdoh or join in with the adult worship time.

My husband and I then listen to and watch worship videos on YouTube-did I say we hook the computer up to the tv? I open everything in a new tab so it makes opening the videos fast and easy. I like this time. It's relaxing. I nurse or rock the baby-sometimes sing along or tap my feet. Meditate and pray. It always goes well-the kids behave and it ends up being a really refreshing time for me.

Since I am not comfortable leading a discussion I had the great fortune of finding several videos on...yep YouTube! This week out "guest speaker" was Rob Bell. I like his thinking so much I had to restrain myself from watching everything he had. I really recommend this video by the way. Even if you are not religious at all I think you can appreciate this.

Be sure to listen for the part where he says.."I love my wife...and I also love tacos?" LOL loved it!

Today was a really good day. We kept the TV off, we read books and put our pool up. I feel like today was a good start for a new week.

Conversations at my house..

2009-06-04T11:03:00.002-05:00

The following is an unedited transcription of conversations in my house.

Transcription began at 11:18 am

Zoie: "stop"

Matteo: "lets see if Lilly does it. Pick up your neck, let me see if yours does it."

Lilly: "ha ha ha ha ha."

Matteo: "if you push on one of their ears the other ear pokes out"

Lilly: "ha ha ha ha ha."

Niko: "sit down Zoie."

Zoie: "I'm gonna play Dora."

Matteo: "baby fight!"

Nicko: "It's spongebob square pants time!"

Zander: "You got a big head."

Zoie: "yes, you do, yes you do, yes you do"

Lilly: "ha ha ha aha ha"

Matteo: "you like sponge bob? Zoie were's the remote?"

Zoie: "Niko has it"

Zander "no he doesn't liar"

Niko :"Zoie!"

Matteo: "wanna watch spongebob or garfield?"

Nicko: "matteo, you should've asked, wanna watch spongebob or back at the barnyard"

Matteo: "Nicko move your chair"

Zoie: "lilly lay down"

Lilly: waaaaaa waaaaa

Lilly: "mommy, where daddy, where daddy? oh wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow."

Zander: "I need to watch funbob"

Matteo: "mommy, can I make lunch?"

Me: "in just a minute"

Nicko: "Zander leave me alone, Zander stop!"

Lilly: "wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, baby got me, baby got me, baby got me."

Zoie: "hmmm?"

Zander: "I need to watch funbob, put it back?"

Lilly: "good? good? good? good? good?"

Me: "yeah."

Lilly: "good? good? good? good? good?"

Me: "yeah"

Lilly: "good? good? good? good?"

Matteo: "Zoie sit down."

Zoie: "I am."

Matteo: "Sit down again"

Zander: "six oclock."

Matteo: "six oclock."

Zander: "six oclock"

Me: "leave the wipes alone lilly"

Lilly: "noooooooooooooooooo"

Matteo: "oh cool, the new star wars clone wars is on tommorrow!."

Nicko: "tomorrow? record it."

Matteo: "no."

Nicko: "can I have some chocolate milk?"

Me: "not right now."

Matteo: "chocolate mok, is that what you want nicko? chocolate mok?"

Me: "be quiet Matteo,"

Nicko: wanna be part of the army?

Lilly: Zander: Zoie: "yeah."

Nicko: "okay follow me. Zoie come on. Zander come on. get under, get under, get under the table! ha ha ha, your all my prisoners!

Zander: "I'll be right back, I'm wet, I'm wet!"

Transcription ends at 11:28

And that are some conversations at my house. :)

It's melting

2009-05-27T17:22:00.003-05:00

I deleted this entry. I did not want to feel like I was tainting my family blog. Instead, for those times I need to drop F bombs and let out my inner Darth Vader-I've created a blog for that. Some have seperate blogs for recipes. I have one for cursing. ha

Frugal Fridays: Fun at home

2009-05-22T11:15:00.014-05:00

(post is very pic heavy)

This week we have done a great job of having fun around the house. This summer we've decided not to buy our usual family memberships to the water parks and recreation places. If this is a test of how much fun we can have...I will have no worries. :0

We saved so much this week by not eating out and having fun at home, that we have it in our budget to take the kids to the drive in movies tomorrow!

I'm not sure why but the girls have been loving them some ladder climbing. We've been cleaning out the pool and they put this in the middle of the yard and climb this.

This is her "pageant" face. Have you seen that show Toddlers and Tiaras? Lilly saw this one time and now she makes this face all the time.

Planting some tomatoes!

Poor kitty. Lilly loves her a lot and is very exuberant with her love.

Zander loves his pop up pitcher

Matteo shaking his groove thang.

Lilly says "Look, I loop a loop."

Tetther ball! One of my favorite activities as a kid.

Today we broke in the slip-n-slide. At first everyone did like Zander above and did sort of a cautious half-slide.

Nicko the dare devil was the first to really give it a try.

Lilly made the mistake of asking daddy for a turn. This turned into a new sport-Toddler Bowling. In spite of the horrified looks on the next pictures, they had a great time!

Poor Matteo, I remember those slip-n-slide belly flops. OUCH!

Zander kept falling like this. It took him a few times before he realized it was to slippery to walk on.

We end our slip-n-slide fun with this pic of Zoie. he he

Note: no toddlers were hurt in the making of these pictures.

And last but not least some random cuteness that is my baby Xane. Not even two months old, and he is already reaching milestones. He pushes up off the floor and looks around. He rolls over from front to back and back to front. He also smiles but his smiles are these sort of half Elvis grins that are too cute.

The haircut results!

2009-05-21T08:36:00.003-05:00

When you have one kid, much less six-plans can go wrong. So I only got to cutting one kiddos hair-Lilly is the only one willing to cooperate. Because she was such a good girl I let her tell you how it went in her own words. :)

Hi Mommy! I don't know what a hair cut is, but I'm sitting in the kitchen chair-so you might give me food? I love love food mommy. Especially Popsicles and cheese sandwiches.

Oh shit! THOSE are scissors! I've seen those before. Have you seen my mommy cut pictures for her scrapbook? Total hack job. She cut off my face three times one night, and now she is so going to do it for reals. PLEASE somebody stop her. I'm a good baby...most of the time.

So okay, she didn't cut off my face. Mommy said she liked that my bangs had some texture. I didn't see her taste them, and she didn't share so I don't know how they turned out. So okay mommy, give me the mirror now so I can see this hair cut.

OH MY GOD! What did you do to me! I hate it. I hate it from the side....

...and I hate it from the front. You mommy are not my friend, and now the whole world knows you should stay away from scissors.

Sleeping with prince valium

2009-05-20T01:02:00.002-05:00

I need some sleep. Are you ready to read about my schedule lately?

Mom of five kids has a baby. Said baby has to eat, resulting in mama having to wake up every two hours. Said baby is a poop machine, who screams bloody murder after pooping but he only poops exactly one hour after eating. Said baby is a little colicky as well, which causes him to wake up twenty minutes after pooping. Said baby is now WIDE awake from being a little colicky which makes him want to nurse to soothe himself.

Three toddlers wake up no later than 6:30 AM. Said toddlers have to eat as soon as they wake up. Two of the said toddlers are poop machine's. Said poop machine toddler's get super cranky if they are not changed right away. Said toddlers are fond of eating snacks causing them to poop all day long. Said toddler's now only take a one hour nap-during which time said baby is awake and wanting to nurse.

Two big kids need schooling. Said big kids like to poop. No just kidding, but you are getting the picture that I do not have time to do anything much less take a nap.

Said mama considers pharmaceutical alternatives as a way to knock herself out and get some sleep.

TMT: My first kiss

2009-05-19T07:14:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Time Machine Tuesday, where I bore you all with antics from my childhood through my teens. Join me if you like, I love to read about people's past.

I had planned on introducing you all to my grandparents today. But I've been busy trying to get a work from home job. I will hopefully do the grandparent post next week. It's a big one because my pawpaw and granny were awesome-but also because I had a wacky childhood with them growing up with chimpanzee's. And yes, I mean the real kind:)

I don't know how such a tomboy became such a romantic, but that was me. When I was in fourth grade "C" the boy I was SUPER crazy about broke my heart. I was so butt crazy in love with him but one day he let his cousin talk him into kissing my sisters. I was so upset I left and went home and cried.

So how I ended up sharing my first real kiss with my sister is beyond me! I grew up in Texas but when I turned twelve we moved to Michigan for one year. My sisters and I were very popular there. We had Texas accent's and it being a small town, we were different and exotic to the local boys.

A boy my age named David Cummings was a smooth talking little devil. He and two of my sisters (who are just a year and two years apart from me) ended up by the rail road tracks at this culvert. After talking about silly kid stuff for a while, this boy ends up using our competitive nature's to get us to kiss him. David told us that if we all kissed him he would let us know who was the better kisser.

The fight was on! My sister's and I could never resist a challenge...and if that challenge led to bragging rights for something like "best kisser?" Oh hell no were we going to turn that down.

I remember not being nervous because I kept thinking it didn't count. It was a contest I wanted to win. He was a really cute boy too, so that helped make me a little more eager. I was the first up(I was older and had thought...oh gross, I'm not kissing him after my sister's. ha ha-take that little sisters!) So my sisters leave the culvert and I was the first one to lean in.

You know how certain things just stay with you? Well what I remember most is that I was wearing Dr. Pepper lip smackers. The flavor of my lip gloss and the smell of the licorice he'd had was in the air as our lips met. Those two flavors are some of my favorite to this day. And there was def tounge action which blended the two scents.

Who won the contest? Why sneaky David told us he'd need a few more tries before he could make it official. ha ha

Don't tell my husband....but the smell of Dr. Pepper lip balm and licorice really do it for me. I have the lip balm in my purse and licorice is bought in bulk!

Spend a friday night with us

2009-05-16T08:00:00.004-05:00

Had a baby recently? Are you-or do you know a mom to be? Check out my post here to learn how to win some great prizes!

I don't mind bragging, we have a super exciting life. So exciting in fact I thought I'd let you all follow us on a Friday evening. :)

Here I've loaded all the kids in the suv. Notice how excited they all are. They know they are in for a real treat-being it's our fantabulous family and all.

And we are off. See how super busy an intersection in our town is?

Our first stop is a local burger joint. Because we're high rollers, we often go here since the kids eat free. Zander and Zoie love the french fries here. Is it just me or do your kids just eat the french fries and the bread? I sometimes want to walk up to the counter and say "burger...without the burger please."

Look at Lilly, I'm grounding her because she is acting too much like a big girl. I no longer have to carry a sippy cup all the time because she tells me "no, mamma, cuppa...cuppa." Which means she doesn't want the "baby" cup. Oh, and she is really into adding the vowel a onto all her words. She will say....

Coca for coke

butta for butt not butter-ha ha

wata for water

You get the idea...

Matteo and Nicko, I think Matteo was at the beginning of an eye roll when I took the pic. He suddenly is all "I'm too cool, I'm 12, I can't be seen with you in public places so I need my own table." pfft whateva

Next on our super night out.

We make a quick stop at a cell phone shop to buy a new charger for my phone. Are you turning green with envy yet? And Mother, this is why I haven't answered your five million calls today. I'm not ignoring you like you accused in voicemail number seven (seriously, actual number).

It took longer than expected. I just know the hubster was looking at crap we did not need-because it's an electronic shop and some men go crazy like women at a bridal clearance sale. So I snapped a pic of myself after waiting ten minutes. Sorry about the bra shot but I have a zit on the forehead and was avoiding a full on shot. :)

Target. My love. My life.

Every Friday I have a ritual of going to Target. I of course have to cruise the end caps in EVERY department for clearance items. I'm especially looking for outside toys that are inexpensive to keep the kids busy this summer.

What I scored:

Double slip and slide

Pop A Pitch baseball pitcher

2, 14 foot jump ropes -to show the kids I really can double dutch

Jammies for the older boys on clearance

Onesie for baby Xane on clearance

t-shirt for Zander on clearance

Socks for Zander-because we always buy one kid or grown up either undies or socks every week. It's how we make sure we don't run out. :)

Total cost-33$ and some cents

Nothing for the girls-which is my excuse to go to Ross tomorrow!

Our last stop on this adventure is Sonic. I know you are peeing in your pants right now, wishing you were me. Every body is treated to those ultra chic and pricey $1.00 jr sundae's. Yummy.

How do you end such an exciting night? Why with Mantracker of course! Okay, total kidding aside you have to watch this show. Especially this episode. Oh. My. Gosh. This lady would not SHUT UP! She was so chatty Mantracker almost caught them three times just because he heard her-she had an echo like no body's business. I swear I think she was using this to audition for a horror movie. She was so overly dramatic and over the top-she actually seems to have been under the delusion that Mantracker was some sort of demon-she even says this! Every time he would get near she would scream "Get AWAY from us. Get away." Her antics had us all laughing and yelling at her to just shut up and run lady! And my goodness. But this lady suppose to be some kind of an athlete. I could just see her yelling at the people behind her in a marathon. "Oh my God, their catching me. Get AWAY from me, for the love of Jesus, geeeeet Awaaaay!"

This concludes an exciting episode in a Friday night of my life. I know you came away with this learning something new. Possibly jealous, and I know your gonna wanna try this yourself.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Mommy Daze virtual baby shower

2009-05-15T10:11:00.010-05:00

(will be updating blog throughout the day so check back!)

It's Frugal Friday and I'm trying to win some fee stuff for the baby! Look at my cutie boy-he would love to be the winner. If you link up please put my name (marshmallow circus) like this on your blog...pretty please!

So Comfort Joy Designs is doing a baby shower! It is in honor of Wade her nephew. Wade was born n Mother's Day-too cute right? You can read his birth story on his moms blog Mommy Daze.

Baby shower game-Baby name advice

I LOVE the prizes. The first one I'm going for is a too cute shopping cart cover that I really need! Chic Covers has the cutest designs. I know I would have a unique shopping cover and everyone would be asking where I got it. My favorite is the contemporary blue green. Isn't it darling!

Baby Shower game-Baby Talk

OMG! lol look at the cutie items by Snug Fits I LOVE the boob man onsie! I could see my little guy looking so cute in these outfits.

Baby shower game-Name That Tune

I can totally see my little bug in one of these hats and glasses from Baby Banz! I think I like the orange stripe the best.

Baby shower game-Celebrity Moms2b

I love anything organic-especially food-but when it is convenient to use? To cool! I love Happy Baby! I can't wait to try this for the baby and the toddlers.

Baby shower game-Caption Me This

Check out these great baby friendly companies!

Spa Time Baby

Boogie Wipes

Seventh Generation

Belli Skincare

Baby shower game-Sing, Mama Sing

I had so much fun with this. You should check out my song in the comments! ha ha. Oh man I would love to win this one! I so want a Sleepy Wrap, I need a light colored one for the summer! Are these not the cutest baby bibs from Bebe Au Lait? I am not a big fan of the bottle-BUT this bottle truly does resemble mommy's breast. I would use this for times when I needed to get a break from the kids. Adiri is a cool bottle!

Baby shower game-Mad Libs

Oh snap! gasped New Daddy. It was noon and baby was awake for the millionth time today. New Mommy had been scrubbing the diaper genie, but rushed to check on New Baby. "No, no," said New Daddy, who had been relaxing by twiddling his thumbs. "I'm always muddle to help with the baby. I'll go." New Mommy was wary, since this was only the second time that New Daddy had offered to help. In fact, New Daddy was more inclined to snack on moon pies, while sitting on the futon, watching Spongebob. New Mommy knew that she should merrily accept, because New Daddy might not offer again!

Check out the prizes!

Childish Clothing

Maggie Maternity

Exergen

Pajamagram

So what are your favorite prizes?

Frugal Friday's-the hair cut

2009-05-14T11:20:00.005-05:00

First frugal tip-If your a new or expecting mom click on the button on the right for the Mommy Daze baby shower!

With my new outlook today, I'm going to do a Frugal Friday every week to keep me motivated, and thinking creatively about how our family can cut back-but still do the things we want and like to do.

There are some things we can do that are obvious. Cutting hair is something a lot of moms do all the time-wether it is to save money-or just because they are competent at doing it themselves.

This is something frugal I was not looking forward to, especially with the girls. With boys if you mess up, heck you can just give them a buzz cut and no one would say a thing. But mess up a girls haircut-yickes! Anyway, miss Zoie decided that with her new potty training skills she would at the same time work on cutting her hair. A few days ago I walked into the bathroom to find her sitting on the potty with siccors and taking off the first chunks of her hair! This is the second time she's done this. She is so lucky I did not go all Mommy Dearest on her rear end. We just spent months re-growing her hair from the last time! big sigh

So how does a mom who is pretty lame in the hair cutting department learn how to cut hair? Youtube of course! Here are a few videos I found to help me out. Check back with me later for updates and pics of the haircuts! How bad could it be?

Looking on "the bright side" today

2009-05-12T13:51:00.003-05:00

I thought we might get out of it this time-but it seems the recession is coming to our house. :(

My husband told me they are cutting back on every one's hours to make sure they do not have to have layoffs.

The bright side-well heck, he gets to keep his job and we get to eat!!

I admit I'm a little disappointed. We've been wanting to move for the past three years now. It seems every time we get in a position to do so, something happens. It really has to do with the house. When we first moved here I knew it was going to take work to live here. The house was built in 1948, is an old farm house and everything in it is really outdated. Not to mention there is NO storage space to speak of. It is three bedrooms and one bath-and with six kids? Yes, it is getting crowded. I have to work really hard to keep the clutter out. And I have to say in older houses clutter just looks dirty. In newer houses clutter can just look like the home is lived in-at my house it looks like we've been through a natural disaster. I really struggle to make myself want to make this house a home. I am going to work on it though-well mainly because I have no choice. ha ha

The bright side-we have a huge yard, we have room to plant a garden, our pool made it through the winter and will be set up in a few days, the lease is DIRT CHEAP!

I'm really going to work on looking on the bright side this summer. If anyone knows how to be frugal, be creative and make the most of things it's me. Today I'm going to make a list of ways we can cut down on our bills, find free things for the kids to do, and get to work on planning a garden.

I'm faking it right now but faking it to make it...

TMT: My first love

2009-05-12T10:48:00.003-05:00

I'm adding a day called Time Machine Tuesday to my blog. Every Tuesday I've decided to write about my days before kiddos, this will be about my childhood, teens and young adult hood. :)

Dedicated to my first love "Chocolate Milk Boy."

Kindergarten was pretty rough on me. As a five year old there were many changes that I could remember. I think I changed three schools that year.

The first school was bad. I had this teacher that during snack time, she would have us all go to the potty. We had to go in alphabetical order and my last name at the time started with a G. I remember telling the teacher I had to go and could not hold it. She either did not believe more or did not care. I cried and she sent me back to my seat-and I swear she made everyone take their time just to be mean.

So, I sat at my chair and peed my pants. I wish I could remember his name but my desk mate was a cutie pie, brown eyed, brown haired boy with these super long lashes. He was afraid of the teacher and did not want me to get into trouble. He pretended to spill his milk to cover up the puddle on the floor. Is that not the sweetest thing! I shared my grahm crackers with him and he earned me a reprieve until it was time for recess.

I learned a lot that day. About loyalty, friendship and first love. I also learned my first lesson in how the women in my family will attack. ha ha My Granny was called (big mistake bad teacher) who brought me clothes. By the time my Granny left I was changed-by the teacher- apologized to and given an extra snack to take home.

Thank you Granny and thanks to "chocolate milk boy! my first love"

Oh happy day :)

2009-05-10T09:12:00.000-05:00

Today I get to celebrate my childhood dream come true! Sure I wanted to be a spy, and a fighter pilot, but most of all I wanted to be a mom. Happy Mama's Day to all you great mommy's out there!

AND Today is our Zoie's 3rd birthday! Zoie was super excited to get her first Barbie! Barbie and Zoie are driving around the living room in Barbie's beach jeep. Barbie is getting a friend very soon because Zoie's mommy ended up playing with Barbie so much Zoie complained she and her new BFF were not getting to play together. :)

We love you Zoie!

Pics of "his evil cuteness"

2009-05-08T19:10:00.002-05:00

As promised in the post below. Here is evil incarnate. Or as my hubby would call "F*ck#r". When he is not pissing on my husband uniforms, on my bed and yes my leg even-he is called Gus. :)

why i'm awake

2009-05-08T06:12:00.002-05:00

I should bed sleeping darnit.

Around 4:30 I woke up to our dog*will post a pic later of his evil cuteness* who was scratching and barking at my bedroom door. I let him in because this is something he never does. I searched the house-with a baseball bat and a cell phone but find nothing out of the ordinary.

Then I go to the potty and realize i've passed some kind of weird tissue or blood clot. I know TMI but that is the icky joys of having had a baby. Then I get paranoid thinking the dog knew something was wrong and that I'm dying. That thought passes so I go check each kid to make sure everyone is okay. They are, except the little bitty teeny tiny is awake.

I pick up the baby to see he's had this MAJOR blow out causing the poop to go clear up to his neck! Seriously, how in the world can one tiny baby have so much poop?

I feed the baby but my mind is in full paranoia mode. I call the hubby just in case the dog sensed something is wrong with him. He doesn't answer so consider maybe he is having an affair on me. That seems far out of left field so I move on to other paranoid delusions-go check the stove, the iron and all the outlet plugs for fires.

Come to the conclusion my dog is not psychic...and so here I sit. Blogging at 5:00 in the morning. And that's why I'm awake. :)

A little history and science lesson for you

2009-05-07T12:09:00.005-05:00

Thank goodness I'm doing the homeschooling and not the hubster....lol

This morning we were watching Good Morning America after breakfast. My oldest Matteo asks
"What are Santa Anna winds?" There was a piece on about the fires in California.

Now had I answered I would have gone to the Internet found the short answer, read it to the kids-then double checked my facts later to elaborate. Sometimes we end up having a weeks worth of science lessons from the questions my kids ask.

Instead my hubby decides to given an impromptu science/history lesson. I'm not kidding this is how it went:

Hubby: "These are winds that come from the sea or something."

"Hey, that's descrimination! How come everytime we have bad weather it gets a spanish name? Remember yesterday they talked about a Derecho, and then there's the El Nino, El Nina...and I know there is more."

While I am scrambling to find info my hubby goes into his history lesson.

Hubby: "You see kids they blame crap on brown people for everything-swine flu and now the weather. Hell, it's our fault though. We won Texas but then the dumb asses got drunk, had a hangover and didn't eat menudo...so what happens? We get our asses kicked by the Texans and lose Texas to Mexico! Now you know what is happening? Santa Anna is pissed, is in hell...."

So then my goofball husband stands up and starts pretending to wave this big matador cape around in front of him then over his head.

Hubby: "And that's how you got the Santa Anna Winds...."

He he, even I have trouble integrating lessons. Yeah, my kids would learn lots if hubby was doing the homeschooling. :)

It smelled like raw poohage mom-

2009-05-03T16:36:00.002-05:00

Why does a trip to the laundromat always make me feel poor? lol

Our dryer broke. I've been taking it pretty well, considering I have stood in our laundry and stared at the piles of clothes in horror-and that's with working appliances. I usually have to do at least 7 loads of laundry everyday to keep up. These past few weeks I have done zip, not one load and it REALLY piled up.

I had the hubby put up a laundry line (which I wanted for the summer anyway). I needed a head start though and so we loaded up the van-which the hubby drove and I drove the other car(i'll tell about other car in a minute)

It wasn't horrible since it was empty but I was exhausting running back and forth-trying to help and then nurse the baby when he needed me. I'm glad we did it though and I feel I can start the week with just the daily laundry now.

Nicko, my silly seven year old walked to the store next door at one point. When he came back he told me "Man, it stinks over there. It smells like raw poohage mom." ha ha

updates for the past few weeks:

Matteo turned twelve!! I made cake and he got his Star Wars game for Wii that he asked for. When this flu scar goes away we are hoping to do movies with some of his friends.

We got a family vehicle! I feel guilty for driving an SUV but it was a good used deal and it seats eight-nine if I sat someone in the front middle seat. I'm so relieved we can all go together.

Zoie is potty trained! I'm so proud of her-I'm shocked she did it so fast. I tried with Zander but that is a whole post by its-self.

Zoie turns three in just 7 days!

The baby is doing great. We have had to deal with breastfeeding jaundice which is why I'm not posting. It has been raining and cloudy here and I spend half my day waiting for the clouds to break so I can run outside with him to sunbathe for a bit.

I've lost three more lbs!

I hope to blog more this week and can't wait to get caught up on all my favorite bloggy people!

A new week with baby

2009-04-13T18:26:00.002-05:00

It's the start of a new week with baby Xane. Goodness the time FLIES by with a newborn. I've had no emotional issues or "baby blues" but have been extra conscious of the fact that he is my last baby. No kidding, I spend most every moment just sitting with him either nursing or staring at him.

Thank goodness the kids are in on my obsession as well...he is our entertainment and it's a common phrase "is baby awake?" around here. We are all taking it easy and have been camping out in the living room. We watch movies all day until the hubby takes the kids outside for a couple of hours. Our days are easy and we are all enjoying the laid back atmosphere.

Xane is still waking up every two hours to nurse so I imagine it will be another week or two before I am ready to add school or any activities into the mix. I miss talking to friends on the phone but I've been too tired to even dial yet. I'm thinking it's going to be a lazy couple of months around here. I'm off for a cat nap, so I hope everyone who reads this is having a great day. :)

Oh, and breastfeeding ROCKS! I lost 20 lbs!! WOOT!

Introducing...our little "trickster" Xathanael

2009-04-07T12:17:00.005-05:00

(click on pics for larger view)

Our little Xane arrived safely on April 1st at 2:16 PM weighing 7 lbs 12 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long.

On April 1st I walked into the hospital actually making my scheduled c-section! It was very surreal and I kept thinking I was possibly dreaming. It was a wonderful sunny day as we arrived in the parking lot. I told my husband, mother and step-dad that no one was allowed to talk to me. I meant it...I turned on my I-pod and listened to Flo Rida's 'Right Round' ha ha

For me the music helped me to disconnect. Music is a big deal to me and this was a song I had no emotional connection to. It allowed me to zone out and I hit replay over and over up until the point where my husband signed me in until the surgical nurse came to get me. Why? I was scared. I really thought for sure something was going to go wrong.

I started this pregnancy with complications with low progesterone to suspected accreta then gestational diabetes. Instead, I had this super easy uncomplicated, c-section resulting in this beautiful healthy baby boy.

The first time I saw him I connected to the world again. He brought my emotions back to roaring life. He was perfect. Perfectly shaped head, round little tummy and cheeks and I feel in love right there. I cried with joy and relief as they laid him on my chest.

He was in the room with me up until they started the tubal ligation. That took just 5 minutes followed by about 10 minutes for closing up. I actually dozed during this last part as I felt so content and a had a sense of well being. Before I knew it the doctor was saying "and there we go.." with me saying "seriously? That's it?"

In just under a minute I was reunited with my husband and baby. I got to hold and nurse him right away. He was an expert nurser from the beginning. Like a heat seeking missle he latched on and nursed for 30 minutes. I was a pretty numb-and shaky so I had to have my husband help me since I was afraid of dropping him. In a couple of hours I was in our room and hubby left to get the kids.

The kids reaction was so cute. Lilly kept saying "Daddy, look it bebe." Zoie saying "see, that's a baby." Zander response was "That's my faniel, that's MY baby faniel." Nicko was so thrilled to hold him and loved that he had so much hair. Matthew was just amazed that he seemed so tiny to him. It was a wonderful day.

I have to give HUGE props to my husband!! While I was in the hospital he took care of the kids, the house and was always on time with the kids dressed as I asked for them to visit. He made dinner each night and even took the kids for pizza for lunch on the second day-to treat the kids for their good behavoir at the hospital visits. It went so smoothly he was able to bring the kids up twice a day for three and four hours at a time. I'm so proud to have him as my husband!

I was in the hospital for just 2 1/2 days. I needed no strong pain medication, and only needed an advil twice for stinging at the incision site.

My only issue on coming home has been my bed. For the first two days it was hard not having an adjustable bed. My husband went out and bought me two body pillows, and that really helped.

So I am now the proud mom of a six pack, and really adding one more is not that big of a deal. Of course I'm sleep deprived waking up every two hours for nursing-but I would much rather be like this that how uncomfortable I was being pregnant.

Today is day six with Xane. Tomorrow he is already a week old. He is a super easy baby (thank you god!) and very undemanding. He seems to have no issues, just wakes to nurse and goes right back to sleep. We are all so in love with him and so thankful he is here healthy and safe.

Ummm April Fools?

2009-03-30T20:43:00.002-05:00

So, I go to do my pre-admitting labs for the c-section and guess what? They had to re-schedule my c-section to Wednesday!

I told the lady-"If this is some kind of joke I'm going to be pissed-and you do not want to piss off a pregnant chick."

She looked a little scared but showed me the computer screen. :)

minutes after I get a call from the doctor also informing me. He tells me that the nurses had fought over who was going to call and tell a preggo mom she was not having her baby the next day. There was a mix up in scheduling and the c-section will be done on Wednesday instead. I laughed. Then I realized afterwards....ummmm this is April Fools Day!

Poor baby, he is stuck with an April Fools birthday forever. I wonder if he will get some kind of special shirt or hat, you know like they do with baby's born on Christmas or Valentine's day??? lol

I plan on having my husband come out and telling everyone there was a mistake and he is a girl!

Count down to baby...breath in, breath out...

2009-03-28T13:25:00.009-05:00

Out of boredom I'm posting about things I've bought for the baby to pass the time. You'd think I have tons to do, but I did it all last week. Well, except my few loads of laundry that I am waiting on to dry.

Because the baby girl things I bought are SUPER girly I did need some things even though Lilly is just 20 months...plus I gave all Zander's things away. It's so much fun though to shop for a new baby, especially since they are always coming up with new and fun stuff!

Mini co-sleeper. I've never used one of these but Zander will not leave my bed so I need to keep the munchkin safe. It is really mini and perfect for our small bedroom.

LOVE this stroller. I looked far and wide before deciding on this one. I debated weather or not to buy a quad stroller, a triplet for the toddlers and a single for the baby....so many options! I finally decided though to buy one for the boys and one for the girls after finding this one. Zander is three but he is a pain in the tush in public if I let him walk. It just does not work. But this stroller is very roomy and he will def be ablel to fit in this for another year and a half at least! This stroller comes with a SUPER large basket underneith, two drink holders for the parents, snack trays and drink holders for the baby's and it is so easy to handle for such a big stroller. Now I just need to find one for the girls since right now they have single strollers.

Not only that but, (crossing my fingers) we might be getting another vehicle-an eight passenger that can fit us all! Hopefully we will have it a week or two after the baby is born. It will have plenty of room for two big double strollers.

Love the matching car seat for the stroller. This seat can be used for up to a year, with six kids that means I have much longer to buy another car seat-and the safety rating is excellent!

Not a picture of me by the way-ha ha. This is the new hotsling I bought. I got super lucky and found this out of print on ebay for just 15.00 dollars! I am obsessed with carriers and slings and can't have enough of them. Because I have so many of them I am hoping to find a charity and help promote baby wearing to young teen moms.

You might be able to click on this to see it larger-but this is the print I got for my new Moby D wrap. I LOVE it. This is the wrap that I will bring with me to the hospital. I love these for newborns and this one is super cute. Again, I got lucky and found this at a retail shop for just 25.00 which is a great savings for one of these.

Baby clothes-I've had such fun shopping for these. Since I was on bedrest most of these I bought online. To keep to a budget I had some rules for myself that they had to be under 3.00 and 5.00 and under including shipping and handling. Some I bought as lots so I got some really great deals.

This is a super cute gymboree outfit that I can't wait for Xane to wear!

One of my fav's. A Janie and Jack brand jon jon in 0-3 months.

Carter's brand one piece. This will look so cute this summer.

I love this shirt and it was only a 1.00 at target. I am looking for some froggy baby legs to go with this.

This is possibly his going home outfit. It has a newborn hat and a choice of pants. I like it a lot but if I find something cuter I might change my mind.

Love Pooh and Zander picked this out for his brother. He loves pooh and wanted to share this love with the baby. :)

All my onesies. Some of these Robert bought and some I won as a lot on ebay. These are going to have him set for the summer since there are so many.

Some of his sleepers. I love sleepers, they are just so babyish and one of my favorites to put newborns in.

Sleeper with matching blanket.

Lots of bibs. The three on the left are from an online baby shower with a pregnancy group. I love them all. Robert bought the rest and this is not all of them. For some reason he went on a bib spending spree and I think I now have around 25 total...lol

Oh goodness...lol

My husband is in LOVE with the Houston Texans football team. He is a HUGE fan, and I had to "ground" him from the team store for 2 months after he spend a large amount. We actually have a deal that he can't go there, and I can't buy any girls pettiskirts for 2 months...one month down though and I am getting the girls some summer ones!

For the second day at the hospital Robert, and all the kids will wear their Texans t-shirts to the hospital for pictures with the baby. Why I agreed to this I have no idea but if it keeps the hubby happy then I guess it is a simple request. lol

So, I have everything I wanted to buy for the baby which is a big relief and one less thing to worry about. Just 3 1/4 days until I get to meet Xane!!

Tuesday is a GREAT day to have a baby!

2009-03-26T20:07:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it. I'm having a baby Tuesday. :)

I saw the specialist today and baby is head down. Because I've been having some contractions-he's head down and I've had a dramatic increase in amniotic fluid-the specialist and my regular OB think it is best to have him sooner rather than later.

I'm in a little bit of shock-maybe some denial, but I am excited about the possibility of actually making it to a scheduled c-section. If you have to have one, one of the the benefits is knowing the day, time etc.

I have to admit, for this baby I was kinda hoping I would go into labor on my own and that I would have this miraculous at home delivery. But at this point I just want my baby, happy and healthy and in my arms. I've always had super easy c-sections and never resented them, except that I feel it limited my number of births.

I hope, hope, hope I make as super fast a recovery as I did with my other c-sections since I was always up on the same day, showering, breastfeeding and had no issues at all. I rarely needed pain medication and was recovered well before the six weeks.

The only thing I have to do is to make sure I have written directions for all the frozen meals I made, buy a car seat, and then I am set.

I can't wrap my mind around the fact that I will be holding baby Xathanael in just five days!!!!

PLEASE let the time not drag. ha ha

Popcicles...case solved!

2009-03-25T12:00:00.002-05:00

I said I would blog about this, so here goes.

The Popsicle incident. A couple of weeks ago Matt my 11 year old had a sore throat. The hubby brought home some Popsicles while I was having a cup of decaf coffee at the table. I WATCHED him put them into the freezer, and we even had a little argument about buying a deep freezer since the Popsicles had to be shoved in.

Later that day the Popsicles were NO WHERE to be found. Dun dun dun.....

I searched for THREE days for them...nothing. I could not believe they could just disappear into thin air. Then a few days later I tried to get ice. There was this LOUD grinding sound and I jumped back thinking the freezer was about to explode.

After the noise stopped I looked inside and what did I see? Several unopened Popsicles buried in ice and clogging the opening of where the ice goes into the dispenser. I knew instantly what had happened. :)

So, I called my seven year old Nick in and asked him if he needed to tell me anything about the Popsicles. Instant tears and sobbing ensue. He cried like his little heart was breaking. Evidently the guilt had been eating at him. He explained he'd wanted them to himself so had hidden them inside the ice hoping we would forget about them. He even broke down the box and threw it in the outside garbage can. But, his guilt was so great he could not bring himself to eat a single one. ha ha

After getting a lesson in cleaning the freezer and refrigerator with a toothbrush he is back to his happy go lucky self and learned not to be stingy. I actually felt bad for him carrying around all that guilt....poor guy. I think knowing I wasn't crazy, and that Popsicles can't walk away put me in a forgiving mood.

Lilly at 20 months old

2009-03-24T12:00:00.004-05:00

Since coming to live with us at 6 months old, Lilly has grown so much. Having another baby I think has forced me to come to terms with some of her un-baby like behaviors, and all the progress she's made.

Music has become her obsession right now. And, she does not care what kind of music it is. At dinner on Sunday night we were enjoying a meal at a Tex-Mex restaurant. Music comes on and Lilly BEGS her daddy to get down. She shakes her booty all over the place-much to the entertainment of many families around us. She was in heaven and even the laughter and clapping of the other diners would not pull her out of the zone. My hubby swears she was doing a Mexican Cumbia-whatever hubby.....lol

Another form of music is her singing. Man it cracks me up since she has this really low pitched singing voice. Unlike her sister Zoie, who is a soprano-Lilly is definitely a bass. ha ha

Everyone in the family tries to figure out the clues to what she is singing. It is not unusual for an argument to break out and bets being made to see who can understand her first. More often than not it is a song from Guitar Heroes. Slow Ride is her favorite-great right? What a song for a baby to sing.

I'm convinced she will be the first to potty train. Unlike Zander and Zoie, she tells me when she is poop or pee, and is showing signs she understands. On Friday I'm going to buy a potty and see if I can get anywhere with her.

Her new favorites:

The word no-she answers "no" for everything no matter if she really means yes. She giggles after she says it, so I think she just likes the sound? Or perhaps she is a smart ass and is mocking me....hmmm

Sweeping. If only she was coordinated enough to actually get anything in the dustpan, I would have it made. She will sweep the kitchen floor for hours!

Baby's. Where before she had no interest in baby's she is suddenly carrying baby dolls in the pretend car seat. She Shhh's them, and rocks them, but she needs help as a mommy since her baby is always falling out without her noticing.

Me. I seem to be her favorite possession of all. She is extremely territorial over me and has growled at any offender daring to sit next to me. The little dictator will yell "MY MAMMA!" over and over again until the sheer annoying decibel will run off anyone wanting my attention.

I can't believe she is 20 months already! Where does the time go? In just four more months she will be two years old. OMG! HELP!

Road Trip!-The update...

2009-03-22T19:52:00.005-05:00

So, we left today after lunch for a 40 min drive to a small town. We picked up the co-sleeper which was in brand new condition-and off we went to the botanical gardens.
I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit I acted like an ass. I actually cried because Zoie fell down and scraped her nose. She went two freaking whole weeks without falling and bruising herself-and right before we are going to this beautiful spot to take pictures...wham...it happens. She tripped over a drainage hole and poor thing now looks like Rudolph with a shiny nose, and complete with an eye bruise. She's fine, I cried and she did not. :)

Then I cried because my camera would not come on. It is a brand new camera and still under warranty but I was so upset because I was thinking about the baby's birth and having no camera.

I don't know what was worse, me crying or me noticing other people noticing I was crying...

finally got my camera on after we were there for 20 min so I managed to snap a few pictures. I need this baby to be born already though, because I can't take the crazy hormonal moods for much longer.

Road Trip!

2009-03-22T10:48:00.001-05:00

I love online garage sales! I found the min-co sleeper I've been wanting for over more than half off. It is a thirty minute drive but the kids have never been to this area before so we are making a day of it.

After lunch we will pick up the co sleeper then head to a botanical garden. It is spring and sunny so I am hoping it will be really pretty! The bummer-I don't know if my camera is working. Hopefully it is just the battery and I can replace it.

I did my homework and after the gardens we are heading to a kids eat free restaurant. I will update later, hopefully with some great pics. :)

Yay for road trips!

Ultimate Blog Party and copycatting :)

2009-03-21T22:34:00.003-05:00

I am such a copy cat this week! I admit it and am not ashamed. I've cleaned and organized the house and now I have nothing to do but kill time until this baby is born.

So I visited a friends blog Nikki and she is taking part in UBP 2009. This week she does not know this but I have been copying her all week. lol

Some of her posts on sewing have inspired me to try and learn to sew. I have a sewing machine that has been sitting in storage for two years now and never used. So the other day I went to the fabric store bought a So Easy pattern and material and am going to attempt to sew a jumper for one of the girls. I'm going to give it a try and see what happens. :)

So anyway, I am Traci. Mom to five kiddos with one on the way any week now. My kids are Matt-who turns 12 next month, Nick who is 7, Zander who is 3, Zoie who is 2 1/2, Lilly who is 20 months old and our baby Xathanael who we can't wait to meet. I am wife to Rob and we have been together for 12 years.

I homeschool my kids, am writing romance novels-but haven't submitted anything yet. I am NOT crafty but want to be and am working on learning all the things I've ever wanted to-maybe my form of a mid life crisis? I have grand plans for our family and intend to fulfill some of these very soon, ,like more traveling and being more adventurous.

I blog as a way to keep a sort of diary and I've found I might be slightly narcissistic as I grow older. ha ha

So stick around if you like and soon I will be blogging about the secret of our missing Popsicles, my "trashy" Easter dresses and my obsession with Toddlers and Tiaras-or come wait it out with me as the baby is due any time now! Hope to see you around and especially get to read some great blogs! Hopefully, I will find lots more people to copy this week and keep me busy!

Zoie, Zoie, Zoie

2009-03-15T18:59:00.003-05:00

This post is all about my 2 1/2 year old Zoie.

Zoie came to us almost a year ago. To say she is different is putting it mildly. :)

I won't discuss her past except to say there was a major interruption in the parent child bonding process with Zoie's birth parents. Zoie and her sister are distantly related to me so there are times they remind me of people in our family in a big way. Zoie was also a preemie and born at just 27 1/2 weeks gestation.

I know little about her time in the hospital or what happened to her so figuring her out has been one of the biggest challenges of my life.

Zoie has come SUCH a long way from the little girl who first got here. When she first arrived she was diagnosed with global developmental delays. I was very afraid for her and saw what I thought were signs of early Autism. She would not make eye contact, walked on her tip toes and would focus on items and food with such intensity that you knew she was not present with you.

It took a long time to earn her trust and I STILL feel we are not quite there yet.

I have to admit-as ashamed as it makes me feel, that she frustrates me to no end. Since I was very, very young I have relied on my intuition and gift for reading body language to help me figure people out. Being able to "get" people is something I consider one of my greatest God given talents.

Zoie on the other hand is almost impossible for me to "read" most of the time. She is very afraid of losing her control and she keeps a tight rein on her emotions, including facial expressions and body clues. For the first time in my life I have to ask someone if they are happy, sad or what they are feeling.

She hates admitting to any weakness and will even be hurt without telling me. One morning as I layed in bed reading the Sunday paper I heard her getting into something in the living room she was not supposed to. I called her to me intending to get onto her when I heard a dripping on the papers I had finished with on the floor. I thought perhaps her diaper was leaking but look up to see blood dripping from her head! She never cried, not once. She also said she did not know what happened. It is a mystery to me to this day of what she cut her head on. The only other spot of blood on the carpet was in my bedroom doorway-and no where else.

She is always getting hurt and bruised to no end and will tell me nothing. Some of it is her super fair skin but otherwise I've had her tested for iron deficiencies...and nothing. It is strange but if she is in trouble with me getting on to her, she cries like her heart is breaking. But when she is hurt and I want to comfort her, she puts on this super tough face and wants nothing to do with hugs and kisses. I've even tried to force comfort on her but she freezes up so completely that I feel horrible and stop. I think she is going to need much more time before she allows those moments of comfort from me and my husband. She will cry though if someone else gets hurt and is very empathetic towards others feelings.

What she has made progress in though is so fantastic that I sometimes pinch myself! She now throws fits at home! I know, who wants their kid to throw fits? But for us this is pretty major. Just a few weeks ago she would never express displeasure by having a tantrum. She's had three this week and poor baby does not understand that when I am laughing it is from relief! She used to only do this in the company of other people.

She is being a little more spontaneous and now sometimes picks her own activities. I usually have to direct her in everything. And I mean everything. She has to be told when to get out of bed, when to eat, what toys to play with and even at the park I have to give her ideas on what to do. Today she got a baby doll and baby clothes and on her own played for half an hour. Man I was happy.

Even better was bath time today. Zoie HATES baths...or I'm going to be optimistic and say hated. Tonight she took a bath without any dramatics. She helped me wash her hair, there was not one crying episode or her swearing "Zoie quean awlready." She just got in. How awesome is that?

Yes the progress has been slow, and sometimes frustrating for the whole family but seeing these little accomplishments makes me so happy I could cry. I am really looking forward to her making any sort of progress and I am vowing to be patient but persistent with her. I just know that the "real" Zoie is going to be a bright, loving, and happy little girl.

The case of the disapearing popsicles

2009-03-14T19:40:00.003-05:00

Germs are back in my house! WTF? We just can't seem to get rid of the sickies this year. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out why everyone is getting so sick. I THINK it could possibly be that because of my bedrest and being so tired that the kids are not getting enough vitamin D. The hubster has promised to make sure the kids get outside this week but it's been raining for three fracking days and might be more in store...sigh.

Poor Matt, he has a super sore throat, can't eat much but today, at least he felt well enough to add some variety to his diet. POPSICLES! Gosh I love Popsicles, and hubby brought home a carton this morning after he went to the gym. Matt asked for some this afternoon and what do you know...they had disappeared. I swear I tore the freezer apart looking for them and they are NO WHERE to be found. I watched my husband put them into the freezer, he was gripping because he says we need more freezer space-and I KNOW he put them in there. I was sitting at the table as he did it. It was the only freezer item he brought home so where the heck did they go?

I was so weirded out by the fact that they just up and walked away, that I have been randomly getting up and searching for them throughout the house. Nothing. I even checked under the toddlers beds and have been searching for evidence that they snatched them. Nada...zip...zilch.

So, if any one's Popsicles get up and walk away this week, please know you are not alone!

Holy shit...I'm having another baby

2009-03-13T15:35:00.002-05:00

Why is this just now hitting me?

I think yesterday's ultrasound brought it home how real it is! I'm feeling a little overwhelmed that I will soon have four children under the age of three. And to think hubby and I were so sure all of our children would be four years apart. We planned every one of them-except the girls. The universe had other plans for us and it has taught me that I truly have no control over our fate. Having control is something very important to me. I realize that I have serious control issues and actually was stupid enough to think I could mold and shape our lives as I wanted. :)

The good news is that I am feeling better. I have slept for the past three days and now feel pretty energetic. I have to take it easy because I am suppose to be on bedrest-but I have things I want to get done! I am in major nesting mode right now. Thank goodness hubby is putting up with me and indulging me in my projects. So far we've painted the kitchen cabinets, cleaned out the laundry room and de-cluttered the living room.

The hubby is also helping me to feel better about not being able to move. I SOOO thought we were moving before the baby was born. I dreamed of a modern house with lots of square footage. But actually it has been a blessing in disguise. I know I would have been majorly stressed out with all my doctor bills if our lease would have went up. Right now, we are easily affording our bills and putting some away. We have a plan though, and that too is making me feel better. We HAVE to buy another vehicle. Our minivan will not fit all eight of us and we need to save the money to buy another one. We want to keep the minivan since it runs great and it is paid for.

The hubby has been replacing some things in the house that has greatly improved things too. Like molding in the kitchen-and even better the stove! He found a great deal at an online garage sale and now all four burners work instead of two and a half! lol

I have been doing a pretty good job too of organizing. Yesterday I organized the toddler clothing. It still gets a little chilly here in Texas-but our weather is so crazy it is cold one day and in the 80's the next. So I've kept five winter outfits a piece for the toddlers and packed the rest away. I also straightened their drawers. Instead of the traditional-shirts in one drawer-shorts and pants in another-I've put together all their drawers by outfits. They each have their pj/socks/misc drawer and the other two are put together by outfits. Their second drawer is shirt and shorts outfits. Everything has a match and all anyone has to do is grab an outfit and go. The bottom drawer is the same, but with shirts and pants. The closet is now only the five winter outfits and outfits that are put together for going out. Each outfit also includes a small plastic baggie if it has matching accessories and a sticker picture of the shoes on the bag that goes with the outfit! I am super proud of how this project turned out.

I think this will help hubby while I am recovering from my c-section or my family who comes to help out.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Update on pregnancy and Xathanael:

So, yesterday I saw the OB specialist. She was super nice and did an extensive 4 D ultrasound to make sure the baby is doing well.

She says that in her opinion the baby does not seem to be suffering from any complications due to my diabetes. In her opinion he is just the right size for his gestational age and does not think he will be overly large.

Her only concern is that if I keep having contractions she is afraid of them weakening my uterine scar from the three previous c-sections. She suggests that I have twice a week non-stress tests the next couple of weeks and that if I have to go to the hospital for any more episodes of contractions that they do an amnio-if his lungs are developed she thinks it would be best to go ahead and have him.

I really have my heart set on holding out though! My Zander was born at 37 weeks exactly and had a bit of trouble for a few hours and had to go to the NICU to be monitored. I want my baby with me right away and to stay with me!

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I know it was an all-in-one post.

Big Love

2009-02-16T12:46:00.005-06:00

I'm blogging about things I give big love to right now.

First my hubbby, sometimes he is a genius. I thought we would have no Valentines this year. I'm preggo I have diabetes and most restaurants are out due to my food allergies. Well, he found a Brazilian steakhouse and took the kids and I for a wonderful dinner. I did not get pics since it's a pretty nice place and I would have felt funny :) Most of you would have been drooling on your screens anyway-at the scrumptious fillet Mignon, Parmesan roasted pork, and on and on the wonderful meats came. I ate as much as I wanted along with the BEST cheeses and vegetables from the salad bar. Man I love my hubby big time.

Second my kiddos. I love that I can take them to a decent restaurant and that they are foodies and will sit still and use good table manners. Because they were so good we treated them to Italian ice cream-that's where the pics are from. I love my kiddos Big!

Next, is my new laptop. Why did I resist you for so long? I was scared of them and thought they were fragile. Well, I am blogging from my backyard while the kids are busy playing. I love my lap top big.

Last, is the show Big Love. Have you seen it? Man I am addicted and I do not know why. I am so against polygamy and I would cut my husbands delicate parts off if he even suggested it to me. I am fascinated by the characters relationships and wonder how I would react in those situations. IIn my fantasies I have "sister wives" that clean the house, take care of the kids, but never want refuse to sleep with my husband. ha ha.I am only on season one since I just found it so I am trying to stretch it out and make it last. I give it Big Love for being great entertainment and taking me out of my own world for a while. Awww escapism.

Tuesday bargains on a Friday afternoon

2009-02-13T20:59:00.004-06:00

(click on photo to see the whole picture)

I will admit to a slight problem. I LOVE boutique style clothing. Even though I am pretty frugal in most every area of my life. I used to work in retail, and fell in love with certain types of clothing. Not because of the name brands but because of the quality, the drape and fall of the clothes.

With the boys I only bought these types of clothing for special occasions. With the girls with us, it has become a slight obsession. I did make a few stupid full prices purchases before a smart cookie I know set me straight with some great links to discounts on these things I love.

Today though I was excited to find some of my own. Tuesday Morning is a "discount" store on high end, name brand items. If you have one near you I recommend them highly. The location near me has added more space for boutique clothing and I could not be more excited. Some of the items I picked up were things I was trying to find deals for on ebay, but they would always be out of reach.

The tutus I adore and I was able to find brands like Petit Ami, Carriage Boutique, Bon Bebe and others. Yeah for Tuesday bargains on Friday afternoons. :_)

Is she nucking futs?

2009-02-10T21:36:00.003-06:00

Most people by now have heard of the Octuplets mom Nadya Suleman. Im writing this post after watching the interview with her on NBC.

When I first heard of the birth, I was like...wow. Eight babies at once, talk about getting your family all in one shot. Cool.

Then the rumors started. Like a lot of people I was curious about this Mom and what was driving her. She was a single mom of 6 young kids already and now the mom of 14, eight who are premature babies.

I know for me, I too love children and am driven to have them. I am not an only child and have three sisters I grew up with. I was a bit of a tom boy, but I loved my baby dolls and was serious about playing house. From the time I was very small I remember thinking that I only wanted to be a mom. I had moments where I wanted to be a spy or a fighter pilot, but being a mommy was my true hearts desire.

I still think about adoption and would love to adopt a sibling set of four. For my own health and safety after this pregnancy I am considering having my tubes tied after the c-section. But I won't lie, the thought of the possible children I will be missing out on tugs at my heart. I am already preparing to regret it and have thought of the possibility of harvesting eggs first. Crazy I know. :)

Something that struck me during the interview was when Nayda said it was never a possibility to destroy any of the embryos. I don't think I would have been able to either. I did believe her when she said she did not know it would result in the eight babies. I mean for all her IVF she had just one and the most two with twins being the fifth and sixth births. She truly might have thought that there was no way there were going to be so many babies born.

But then we get to the part of the interview where she says she has no more disability coming in, and she is living on student loans. She seems adamant that she is going back to school and as soon as she is finished she will have a regular income from a job. I just have to say...HOW? Man I hope it all turns out okay and she is not over idealistic and she is able to go back to work. I just can't see how it will be possible. I mean who is going to care for these kids? She does not even have the luxury of a life partner. And then the house....

I will admit, the one stress in my life is my house. We live in a small three bedroom one bath home built in 1948. It does have a HUGE yard, but that is only a help when the weather is nice. The closets are all small, the storage is non existent and I do not have the little luxuries like a dishwasher. Now, I'm the type of person that is pretty frugal and I do not care to keep up with the jones's. Having a modest home is of no importance to me. But we never expected the girls and this baby was def a surprise. We were hoping to move but we are trying to be very careful and wait to see what will happen with the economy. But I'm a bit overwhelmed with the logistics of where the babies things are going to go and many other "what do I do's."

I've seen the Suleman home and the square footage is the same. I can imagine with this many babies you HAVE to have baby equipment likes swings and bouncers and such since you can't hold them all at once. I sure am glad it is not me~!

So is she nucking futs? I don't know, but I do wish the best for these babies and hope all 14 children are cared for as they should be.

Fears and lessons

2009-02-09T21:46:00.003-06:00

My biggest fear as a mom with a large family has come true. Since the girls came to live with us around 11 months ago my big fear was all five kids getting sick at once. I have had two at once but never all five...

The day after the girls moved in I took them all to the grocery store. It was a disaster. I did not take any snacks, everyone whined and the big kids complained of all the noise and interruptions. I think I ended up with some pet food and lunch for two days and that was it. I quickly learned some tricks...one, seating is very important. Zander and Zoie can not sit together even though they are separated by just four months. Zander becomes territorial over everything when Zoie is around. That first trip I had to intervene in a few smack downs between the two. Now I know to put Zander and Lilly together, and Zoie gets her own cart. Snacks and sippy cups are always packed along with sanitizing wipes, Kleenex and kids meal toys (perfect size for diaper bags.)

Another lesson I've learned is to not be in a hurry. There is no such thing anymore. Used to be I was the type of mom who got in and out of places. If I had to get somewhere, I just wanted to get there, and then go home. That does not work with big families. I now take my time even getting the kids out of the car seats and into strollers or shopping carts. Any trip, even to Grandma's house is planned well in advance. If I know I've got to be somewhere I get clothes ready the night before along with any hair ties, grooming supplies etc.

Everyone getting sick though was a lesson I was dreading with every fiber of my being. I just knew that was something I could not handle. Well, now I know I can. I'm a fate kind of person and there are things in my past that I think have lead to all of this. I've lived a pretty interesting life as far as jobs go. I've been a waitress, day care provider, certified nurses assistant, cook, pre-school teacher and even cleaned hotel rooms for a summer when I was sixteen. For the past three days all of these skills have come into play. I've been playing short order cook, nurse,laundress etc, etc. I had to steam clean the carpet three times, changed sheets eight times and the diapers, my god the diaper changes could fill a landfill, and we might have single handidly destroyed the earth.

As lessons go, it is not necessarily that I feel I've conquered this. But I will no longer live in fear of it happening. It happened, I lived through it, the kids lived through it, all this while I'm supposed to be "resting."

And now it's back to temperture check duty...

Bed blogging

2009-02-06T19:07:00.002-06:00

That sounds kind of sexy, right?

If I took a pic of myself right now it would be anything but. I'm wearing maternity yoga pants and a maternity tank that is supposed to be long but my belly is pushing it up over my belly button. I kinda resemble the stereotypical beer bellied hick. Super duper sexy...not.

Anyway, I am blogging from bed because I've been put on partial bed rest. The last few days I've been having contractions. I've had one trip to labor and delivery which confirmed (like my moaning and crying didn't do that) that I was having them 2 to 3 minutes apart. Nothing is happening cervix wise so with medication the doctor is hoping we are going to cook this baby a bit longer. I so do not want this baby to be born premature...although I suspect he would be the biggest preemie in the nicu.

So, I am blogging from bed and trying to stave off the boredom!