Mom....Mamma....Mother......Me

So many things ...

2006-11-26T19:42:00.000-05:00

have happened since my last post on the 10th (I can't believe it has been that long!). I have so much to post but there is just not enough time nor would it be the best use of my time to post it in detail so here is a glimpse of the last two weeks....

1. We received a call that my grandmother was in the hospital and was not doing well. Since the hubby was on leave we loaded up the van and drove 26 hours to Nebraska to see grandma for what may be the last time. Super Mommy was impressed with her Hubby's ability to daddy-task while driving and deemed him qualified for Super Daddy status. We pulled the kids out of school for an entire week...ahhh that is a whole different story.

2. On our last night in Nebraska Moe ended up in the ER. He had to get a breathing treatment, poor lil' guy.

3. The next day we went to Iowa to see my FIL one more day before heading back to the coast. While we were there our oldest boy was involved in a 4 wheeler accident and ...yep had to get 7 stitches in his lip. 2 states, 2 ER's, 2 boys.

4. Before we left for the ER "K" was trying to talk his way out of it saying that we could just slap a bandage on it and call it good. My FIL said that sometimes we just need to do things to make moms happy and going to see the DR was going to make his mom (me) happy. "K" replied "But I thought that if I was happy she was happy, and I AM NOT HAPPY!"

5. Then at the the E.R. he asked the DR if he really needed stitches and the DR said yes that he really did need them. He tried to explain what the scar would be like and how the healing would go if he didn't get stitches and "K" my sweet spiritual son said with tears in his eyes "That doesn't' matter the only thing that matters is that I live righteously"

6. While in Kentucky the lady working at McD's referred to Moe as Lil' Bit and now my lovable hubby can't resist calling him Lil' Bit. Now the poor kid gets called Moe and Lil' Bit, neither of which are his real name.

7. My oldest started Homeschooling when we returned home from our Nebraska trip and WOW is it off to a great start! He even said that his math made more sense doing it the way I was showing him. I was thrilled as I expected a lot of resistance to my methods. We started out slow last week and will be doing a bit more each day this week. I may need a new printer for our computer by the end of the school year, I think I may wear this one out....LOL

8. We had to talk in Church today, just for that fact alone you know that something bad had to happen....yep it was a puke fest at our house last night and this morning. But we were still there "K" sat in the foyer and waited for us to be done with our talks so that the sick ones could go home. That left only me and "Biene" (pronounced Beena). The other 4 including "no time to get sick Dad" all headed home.

9. Not only did I have to talk in Sacrament meeting today but when we got to Church I realized that I was the only Primary leader there. Not just the only one in the Presidency but the only adult period! Not even one teacher was there. UGGGHHHH! Good thing I was prepared with a great sharing time and singing time. I thankfully found two wonderful ladies to teach (we only have 12 kids and 2 of mine were at home sick). We managed, but wow, there were a few stressful moments.

10. Now I am home and looking ahead to the next week, the puppies are going in to be "fixed" and my MIL is moving in. At least Homeschooling is going well thus far and I have the lessons for the week all printed out and ready to go. Should be yet one more typically busy week.

What a day

2006-11-10T19:44:00.000-05:00

Why didn't I decide to do this homeschooling thing earlier? I waited and now my son had to sit outside his school buliding for THREE long hours today as law enforcement searched all the lockers, backpacks,etc... while looking for a bomb. They had found a suspicious letter in the hallway and felt it compelling enough to call in the officials. D (hubby) and I drove by and saw the 815 kids (4-6th grade) from his school all outside the building while on our way to run errands.
I said "huh must be a fire drill."
Thirty minutes later on our way back home the kids were still outside. My thoughts...."must not be a drill"
Then 15 sec. later a silver unmarked car with blue lights comes flying down the road towards the school. I became nervous and D could tell, so we searched for the closest local radio station (not that there really is one local) and nobody was talking so we decided that since the kids were playing duck-duck goose and other games to keep them occupied outside they must be okay. Once home I turned on the news and nothing, so I went about my chores all the while wondering if my little man was okay.

When he got off the bus I was very relieved (to put it mildly) and calmly asked him about his day. He became very animated describing every little detail. I am glad he isn't worried about having to go back on Monday (the 22nd is his last day) but I am still sad that as a 4th grader he had to experience this.

D is finally home! Having him here full time with us is such a wonderful feeling! Knowing that Sunday night he won't be packing his bag and driving back to that big city too far from home gives me great joy.

It's a busy weekend for us and we hope that the weather allows us to get some much needed outside work done. We laid gravel in the barn this morning and that was oddly relaxing. Well for me, D was sweating tons. He was getting the buckets of crushed rock (moondust) out of the truck bed and I was raking it. I felt like I was at one of those fancy spas where one of the relaxation techniques is to rake patterns in the sand. LOL poor D had the hard work and I was at a fantasy spa. *smiles*

oh and my spell check tool bar is gone yet again! I do hate that.

Thursday Thirteen #7

2006-11-08T23:09:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Reasons to Vote for ROB!
My friend Tiffany entered her hubby in a contest for FREE Lasik eye surgery from Sutton, Linder, and Sutton in Lincoln, NE. Out of several hundred who entered he was one of the top 10 chosen. Please help my friend Tiffany give this wonderful gift to her husband.

click4 VOTE FOR ROB! 3click
(The top 10 reasons are from Tiffany)

1. Because he is a WONDERFUL husband

2. Because he is a TERRIFIC father

3. Because he is a volunteer fireman

4. Because he is a volunteer EMT(Emergency Medical Technician)

5. Because he is a leader and a provider

6. Because he is selfless

7. Because he works at his real job all week, then helps his dad farm on the weekends.

8. Because he serves on a committee at a local Community College

9. Because he is the Treasurer for the local Firemen.

10. Because he likes to volunteer at his daughter's school when it's needed in her class.

11. You can count it as your good deed for the day!

12. He has small children and we all know they can break glasses and they think it is funny to flush anything including contacts tucked safely in their case.

13 aka-mom is asking you nicely....pretty please with a cherry on top

Vote for ROB!

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Good Things

2006-11-08T06:59:00.000-05:00

My week started off pretty darn rough having to take three kids to the Dr.'s office on Monday and then my other daughter in the following day. 2 out of 4 kids have strep throat.

Last night however things started to look a bit better for me. I was looking online for the best buys for homeschooling curriculum when I stumbled across this site. It is AMAZING it has everything we need. I even pulled out my sons objectives paper from the public school to see if there was anything lacking and really there is not. Well I will have to do a bit more on our state history but I can do that no problem. I was thrilled with the spelling and vocabulary lessons and the fact that they have a list of books we should read along with ready to print chapter quizzes and more.

This is just what I was looking for. It may not be great for the long haul but it is def. perfect to get us started and it might just be good enough to take us through the end of this year. The best thing was the price. It is very affordable.

I can't wait to put this site to use.

Oh and now all of my editing buttons are back, what a great way to start the morning! LOL

Monday Madness

2006-11-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

#1 I have posted a question to the almighty ones who control my blog and a week later I still have no spell check or nifty little html insert options.

#2 3 of my 4 kids are sick and when I called the Dr.'s office I was told there was no way they could see 3 new patients today. Arrrggghhhh.....as if it is my fault we moved here in Aug. and only one of my kids has been ill and had to be seen by the Dr.(and she is not sick this time). Yeah and like I planned for 3 of them to get this sick all at once. It's a mom's dream to have 3 sick kids and no husband at home to help....or at least listen to her vent about it.

I asked if they could possibly split it up between today and tomorrow and I was only met with sighs. I thought this was the kind of treatment that was unique to the military clinics we are used to but I guess I was wrong.

Somehow she managed to squeeze us all in this afternoon and I really wasn't sure if I was supposed to thank her beyond the normal "thanks, see you then" or not. I mean am I supposed to bring her flowers? Maybe just candy would do...I do have 16 or so pounds of it in the house from Halloween. LOL On second thought she should give me flowers for the stress she put me through this morning!

#3 I am still searching and searching the homeschooling web sites. There is information overload out there. My plan was to go and deliver the NOI to the superintendent today but with the sick kids in the house that won't be happening today.

#4 My son (the older one) is supposed to start wrestling tomorrow night and is seriously stressed that he may have strep and won't be able to start tomorrow. I can only smirk as he lays out all his worries about missing this practice....wouldn't it be nice if my biggest worry was missing a practice. Ah to be young again. Nah, nevermind kids are cruel and I don't think I could survive todays youth, my generation was bad enough but what kids today face is way worse. Sad but true.

#5 We are getting the house ready, well I am the sick ones have no energy, the hubby will be home later this week and this time we don't have to send him back after just 2 days. He is ours! Yay us. This has been a very long 3 months. I know 3 months isn't long, esp. since we were able to see him 2 days a week, compared to what others are dealing with right now. After being a Navy wife for 10 years though, I have decided that no matter how long they are gone it is hard work! I think that seeing him on the weekends has been harder than just having him gone for 3 months. Just when you think you are getting a routine in place BAM he shows up and it all goes out the window. Then he leaves again and you have to wipe everyones tears and start the process all over again. I am ready for this to be over and just have him home for a while.

Okay that is all the Monday blah, blah, blah I can think of to share right now. I do have some things I would love to post but I am waiting for the blogger people to fix my posting screen. I am not that good with html or maybe I could do it myself.

Homeschooling Help...PLEASE

2006-11-02T18:46:00.000-05:00

We are pulling our 9 year old out of public school to homeschool him. I have been online checking out site after site trying to decide which math program to use. I think I have decided to use the Saxon program. We went to the site to night to have him take a placement test and according to the placement test he should be in the 76 book. Fine but that is for 6th graders! He is only in 4th grade and frankly struggles big time in math. One of the big reasons I am pulling him out of public school is to get him caught up in math. He uses really weird methods to come up with answers and relies WAY TOO much on his fingers. Then there is the dot method which I CAN NOT stand. The poor kid is a military child and has been in 4 different schools and has learned 4 from 4 different methods, it is no wonder to me that he is confused.

Should I buy the Saxon books for 4th grade or should I buy the one that according to the placement test he should be in. Is Saxon typically at grade level or is it a bit behind?

Any advice would be SO appreciated.

Halloween Candy GALORE!

2006-11-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

So this year we went to the Church and participated in Trunk or Treat. The kids had great fun playing games inside while the adults chatted and ate dinner. There was dinner for the kids too but with all the games none of them wanted to eat. Then after an hour or so the adults headed out to the parking lot and stood next to their decorated trunks and waited for the parade of kids in costumes to begin. We are not in a large ward, in fact we are in a small branch and there are only 12 kids in our primary. We did invite the members of the ward we share the building with but since they had already had their trunk or treat earlier in the week only a handful of their members came. That being said I was AMAZED when my kids made it back to our truck barely able to hold their LOADED bags of candy.

When we got home they wanted to weigh their bag to see who had the most candy. I pulled out the scale and one by one they were weighed with and without their candy to find the weight of their bags o' cavities. Are you ready for this......16.2 pounds of candy!!!!! That is right each of them came home with over 5 pounds of candy! Well all except Moe, he is only 14 months old so he hung out with me handing out the candy.

What in the world do you do with 16 pounds of candy? I combined it and sorted it into piles then put it in bags for our food storage. I have kept out one bag and am rationing it out. There is no need to have that much candy just sitting around. Good grief that is a lot of candy!

I am also using the candy to get my kids to remember to turn off lights in the house when they leave a room! It drives me nuts when I have to walk around the house turning off lights that everyone has left on. So now I have told them that for every light I have to turn off they lose a piece of candy. They were horrified, by the thought of losing any candy. We shall see how this works but so far so good.

Oh and for some reason my spell check and post preview have vanished so I apologize for any errors you have had to endure *grin*

2006-11-01T06:41:00.001-05:00

I just got listed in the Mom Blogs Directory at "5 Minutes for Mom". If you've never been there before, check it out... it's is a wonderful resource for busy women. Their goal is to "bring moms the best of blogging, shopping, parenting and entertainment" and they list all sorts of blogs, stores and websites that are run by women. The site owners are work-at-home moms themselves who also run a pedal car store and a rocking horse and kids furniture store.

Tired Tuesday

2006-10-31T14:39:00.000-05:00

Today is Tuesday and like the title says ... I am tired. No tired doesn't quite sum it up, exhausted is more like it.

I am tired of being a single mom. I am counting the days until this crazy military lifestyle of ours brings my husband (best friend) back HOME to live with US!

I am tired of being just one person when so clearly there needs to be at least 10 of me.

I am tired of not knowing how to solve all the problems for my children.

I am tired of trying to cook something for dinner that EVERYONE will like.

I am tired of pretending to know what it is like to be a 9 year old boy....Seriously, I have no clue!

I am tired of that darn monster in the house that is waking my 5 year old up at 2:30am. Doesn't he know he wakes up the mom too? I bet I am scarier than he is when I am going on very little sleep.

My list could go on and on I am sure.

With that all being said I would also like to say that while I am indeed very tired I would not trade my life for any amount of money or material items.

I adore my children and love the big people they are becoming. (even if they have to struggle with that at times)

I am completely in love with my husband and admire him for who he is and all that he stands for.

My husband and my family make me complete and through them and the love of my Father in Heaven I have landed one of the best jobs ever....MOM! The hours are long and the work is hard but the perks and benefits are endless...truly endless.

Friday Fumbles

2006-10-27T11:20:00.000-04:00

Do you ever wake up and think wow what a great day? I did this morning and wow, how wrong could I have been.

I said that to myself before I actually looked at the clock.
Crud only 40 min to get 4 kids fed and 3 of them ready for school
No problem I can do this, I've done it many times before.
Ha, the odds were against me this morning.

I suddenly realized that 2 of my kids had to dress up like their favorite book character, and yes I knew this for two weeks but frankly I had other issues on my mind...something to do with ships and scouts.

Quickly I had to transform my 7 yr old into Junie B Jones from her favorite book in the series Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren . This was not too hard because Junie never seems to match and we could do that no problem! Daughter #1 done, taken care of.

Now daughter #2 is just in Kindergarten. So when I asked her to go and grab her favorite book she just said she would be Junie like her big sis. Ummm not going to work since you just learned how to spell "THE" two days ago. I think your teacher might catch on that something is up. So I asked her once again to grab her very very favorite book and bring it to me. It needed to go to school with her so she might as well go and find it. You will not believe what she brought me...are you ready... Hey Diddle, Diddle...

Now I have to figure out how to make her one of the characters from that book. Now looking at the clock I realize I have 10 minutes to do this....NOT POSSIBLE! Well that is what I thought but I actually managed, with a bit of computer help. I got online real quick and looked up moon clipart and cow clipart. I then cut out the picture of the moon slapped it in the middle of some contact paper and pinned it to her yellow shirt.
"Tu-duh you are the moon" I declared.
Then I did the same with the cow except I fastened him to her headband with pipe cleaner and so now she was the Cow jumping over the moon.

I looked at the clock qucik grabbed the bookmarks I made last night (until 1am!)for the goody bags the girls were going to be getting at the big character party this afternoon. Grabbed Moe who was mid-bite with a spoon of oatmeal. Yes I know not the morning to let your 14 month old feed himself oatmeal, but he loves it. And out the door we went...well almost. My son all of the sudden remembered that it was PICTURE DAY at his school! UGHHHH his hair wasn't picture ready and his shirt well....

"Quick go change and fix your hair a bit more, please" I said with a tone of defeat in my voice. We were so close to making it out the door on time.

5 minutes later and 3 minutes too late to catch the bus we headed down the road not to the bus stop but first to my son's school and then to the girls school.

Once we pulled into the girls school I realized that I was going to need to go in to deliver the bookmarks as the girls didn't know what room the parent volunteers were in and they were going to be late to their classes if they had to search them out. So I parked and in I went with Moe on my hip.

Did I mention that he was still covered in oatmeal? Oh well. Into the school we went oatmeal and all, dropped off the bookmarks said our hello's, and then out the door we went.

Once home I took a deep breath and was relieved that my morning madness was OVER! There is still a chance for it to be a great day but it sure did start off a bit chaotic.

Halloween Fun

2006-10-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

Steady...Steady.....Ahhhh I said DON'T DROP ME!

Making your own coustume can be lots of fun!

Can you tell that he is riding on someones shoulders? Well not really but that is the look we were going for. Did we pull it off?

Super Mom and the Cub Scouts

2006-10-26T12:50:00.000-04:00

Last night Super Mom ventured into the unknown world of Rain gutter Regattas with her Bear Cub. What an adventure this has been. Since Super Dad (the real super hero) is in the military and is not around as much as we would love him to be, Super Mom has had to step in and learn all she can about the science of pinewood derbys and now rain gutter regattas.

Having had two years of practice runs (that is what we refer to them as) with the pinewood derby Super Mom and her cub were shocked and nervous when handed the familiar black box and discovered not a car kit but....a boat kit???? What in the world are we supposed to do with this? Thank goodness for directions!

Super Mom and her Cub carefully set everything out and read the directions. Ah but something was missing....the mast. Crud, Super mom is sick beyond sick, can hardly breathe out her nostrils and now she has to drive to the town over to find the Scout Shop she was told existed there. Hold the phone Batman this is Super Mom you are talking about. There has to be a better solution....right? Super Mom had to go shopping for groceries and noticed the craft store across the street, ya know the one with the great coupons in the Sunday paper. So she ventures in knowing in advance the cash in her purse is for groceries NOT crafts (bummer). For 30 minutes she searched the aisles. Finally in the aisle she had already gone up and down 2 times she found it! There it was in a clear plastic bag....a DIY boat kit complete with mast...Yee-haw! Too bad it was too short.

Super Mom had her cub get busy with the sanding and the painting and she supervised from a distance. It is always dangerous to let Super Mom get too close in these things as she tends to want to take control.

Now the paint was dry but there was still the issue of the mast. The next day Super Mom still feeling under the weather drove to the next town over and hit the local Wal-mart looking for many things including an 1/8" dowel rod. Whoo-hoo they had everything she needed even the dowel rod.

With her cape seemingly flowing behind her she raced home to cut the mast to the correct length. The amazed cub arrived home so loving his Super Mom at that moment. He trimmed the sail, put on some stickers and attached it to the mast. Super Mom was amazed too, she was amazed at the thought her handsome cub put into picking the numbers for his sail. He had chosen to put 06 on the sail for the year 2006. Super Mom would have probably just put down some random numbers without any thought. Next it was time to pose for the pictures and off we went to the Regatta and pack meeting.

Well the Regatta went well but never let it be said that Super Mom has a heart of stone because it tore her heart in two to watch her son so proud of his ship not finish first in any of the heats. He was the one and only cub to not win at least one heat. She held back the tears so as not to let on to her cub that she was sad. Instead she continued to cheer him on and tell him what a great job he was doing. He was doing a great job and she was so proud of him. He lost each race by seconds, literally one extra breath of air could have meant sailing to the finish first. He never let on that he was sad about his losses and was a Super Sport. He congratulated all the other cubs, even the ones who had just beat him. He laughed when everyone was laughing and never had a sad or mad look on his face.

Super Mom knows this cub of hers so well and knows what great restraint that took on his part and let's just say after all the babes were tucked in bed and the lights went out a tear or two were shed for this not so tiny cub, some of sadness for his losses and some of joy for the young man he is becoming.

Thursday Thirteen #6

2006-10-26T12:37:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things I have done so far today

Packed 3 school lunches
Washed and Dried 4 loads of Laundry
Folded and put away 4 loads of Laundry
Made a yummy lunch for Moe
Wrote the checks to pay the bills
Unloaded the dishwasher
Loaded the dishwasher
Cleaned the Master Bathroom
Found my hubby's missing key ring
Told my Hubby I love him *smiles*
Read my e-mail
Fed the puppies
Vacuumed the carpets

Sometimes it feels really good to sit down around noon and look at all that you have done. Makes what is left to do seem a little more possible.

Sometimes it is hard not to giggle...

2006-10-25T13:40:00.000-04:00

when you are walking past another mom who is trying to discipline her kids in the store. Today I was shopping with Moe for various things and as we were walking by NOT through the toy isle I overhear a mom saying

"your behavior is outrageous"

Her cute little blond 3'ish daughter replies in a sweet little voice

"I'm not enrageous mom"

I had to pick up the pace a bit and turn the corner quick so no one saw my smile. It was just too cute. Well to me, I am sure her mom may not have seen the humor right at that moment. I am not sure what she did before that moment to make her mom upset but at that moment I couldn't see the naughty side of her at all.

Love those cute kids!

Super Mommy's Green Kryptonite

2006-10-24T10:16:00.000-04:00

Sorry for being MIA but the Mighty Minni's have found Super Mommy's weak spot and flooded the room with this "kryptonite" (aka GERMS). Those smart little Mighty Minni's figured that if they couldn't stop Super Mommy that they would recruit others. They lured me in with 2 open houses at their schools and a scout meeting last week, all filled to the brim with fellow Mighty Minni's from their local chapter. As Super Mommy walked the hallways she was covered in a blanket of sneezes, un-washed hands, and other flying bits of "krytonite" from coughs and things of that nature.
Well they succeeded in their mission and Super Mommy has been on limited duty around the house this week. She even sent the kids to school yesterday with lunch money instead of the dreaded healthy cold lunch. Upon the Mighty Minni's return home the eldest princess informed Super Mommy she ate everything except the broccoli. The tiny princess in training exclaimed that she wanted "tray lunch" everyday. Super Mommy could only manage a weak smile as she placed the cardboard like frozen pizza in the oven. Oh yes Super Mommy would like you all to know that frozen things cook better in the oven when it is actually turned on, imagine that.

Super Mommy sat in her soft comfy chair with a blanket wrapped snugly around her, trying to find that one position where she could breathe out of at least half of her nose, as she watched her children eat cardboard for dinner. Lovely just lovely.

Super Mommy is on the mend and by Thursday should be good as new. Unless of course they bring home stronger "kryptonite".

Super-Mommy 101: How not to mommy-task

2006-10-20T11:02:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have been following the saga of Super-Mommy you know that the art of Mommy-tasking (multi-tasking) is one that is sometimes a difficult one to master. If Super Mommy is not on the ball situations like the above picture are bound to occur.

In this particular instance Super Mommy had been busily sewing baby blankets while Mighty Moe slept quietly. Once Moe woke up Super Mommy was torn between finishing the trim on the blanket she had been pinning or just calling it quits and putting it away for another day. Well she is SUPER MOMMY and decided that Mommy-tasking would have to be put to good use. HA little did she know the pantry door had been left open. The door was not open wide, just enough for Mighty Moe to slip his pudgy little finger in and open it the rest of the way. Soon Moe emerged with a container of cereal in hand. Super Mommy was putting in that last pin when she saw Moe out of the corner of her Super Mommy eye , ya know the one on the side of her head, shake the container as hard as he could. Before she could get the pin the rest of the way through the soft red fabric he dropped the container with a thud. Of course the container hit the floor at just the perfect angle so that the cereal could be scattered all about the floor. Super Mommy gasped and Mighty Moe with a smirk on his face dropped to his bum and happily started to dig in. Super Mom giggled just a bit, singing "Happy Birthday To Me" under her breath as she went to grab the camera and the broom.

Point to this lesson....know your Mommy-tasking limitations.

There's gotta be a law....

2006-10-20T08:36:00.000-04:00

I awoke this morning to some horrible doses of reality.

1. I am officially IN my 30's. Last year I was 30 but this year I am IN my 30's, and I am not sure how I feel about that.

2. This one is more devastating. I picked up the newspaper and the front page story horrified me (it's never a feel good story on the front page anymore). A woman who shot herself in the stomach (the day she started having contractions) with the intent to kill the fetus, excuse me, her baby, will NOT be going before a jury! You can read the whole story here. The reason she won't be going to court is due to the wording of the law they were using to charge her. Apparently it doesn't apply to an expecting mother. I am OUTRAGED that a woman can on the day she is to deliver take a gun to her belly and it not be called flat out murder. In today's world expectant mothers have such a tough job keeping that baby safe from all the weirdo's out there hurting them to take the babies. Now the babies have to fear their own mother may hurt them before they even get to take their first breath. Not that a mother should hurt them at any point in time but ya get what I mean. Then to not even see the mother be punished by law......GGGGGRRRRRRRR this make me fuming mad!

I had to vent and now I am off to try and salvage some of my morning and make it a happy day.

Breast Cancer Affects Who????

2006-10-19T13:22:00.000-04:00

Well the month is almost over and I have been very bad at letting others hog the soapbox. So excuse me while I push the rest of you off my stage.......

A very dear friend of mine is watching her father struggle with breast cancer. Yes I said her father, it was not a typo. Breast cancer in men is a very real thing and one that does not get much focus. I have been amazed this month by the number of informative shows and articles on breast cancer awareness, they really are informative and motivational, yet they all seem to focus on women. I know I know it is mostly a female thing, but the reality is that it is CANCER and it does not discriminate. Please take time and visit some of the sites on the web that are very informative about this cancer and how it affects men. You can go here, or here, you can even go here to read personal stories from men (and their families) who have had breast cancer. You can also go here to visit my friend's blog and read her story.

-Thank You

*okay guys soap-box is up for grabs, I am done for a little while*

Thursday Thirteen #5

2006-10-19T10:05:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things I should be doing instead of surfing the web....

Washing and Drying Laundry
Folding Laundry (from previous W&D sessions)
Unloading Dishwasher
Loading Dishwasher (can you tell I have been a slacker lately)
Calling Vet to make puppies appointments
Sweeping the floor
Mopping the floors
Uggghh...The bathrooms....they should be condemned
Making my bed
Mowing the yard
Sewing those cute blankets
Hanging Shelves in the pantry
Balancing the checkbook

Mom, could you..., will you..., where is my....,

2006-10-18T10:03:00.000-04:00

Good Grief! There are days where I would really like to change my name to DAD. I noticed this weekend while he was home that even if he was sitting right next to one of the kids they would get up walk into a completely different room and ask ME if they could play on the computer, have a snack, or get out the paints. What is the deal with that?

Now granted Dad wasn't here this morning so all questions and requests had to come my way but gee whiz they didn't have to be thrown at me like I was the last one standing in a bad dodge ball game.

I managed to survive the morning chaos and get the kids down the lane to their buses. Moe and I pulled back up to the house, fed the puppies and went back into the house kicked off our shoes and were just about ready to play a bit before nap when I saw it....the lunch box....uggghhhhh!

Back on went the shoes and out we went to put the puppies back in their "puppy jail" (large fenced in area) by the barn. I felt bad for the pups so I decided to give them a snack before driving off to the school. Just my luck Shilo somehow got the snack wedged in the roof of her mouth and could not get it out. She was very upset and in a panic. Brutis was trying to see what her problem was but every time he came close she growled at him. So after I convinced Bruits it was better just to leave his sister alone I stuck my finger into the land of sharp puppy teeth and wiggled the pizza shaped snack free. *makes note to self - no more pizza shaped snacks for the puppies*

After licks of gratitude from Shilo I was back in the truck with Moe safely buckled in and off to the school to deliver the lunch bag. I managed to find a parking space and walk into the school without dropping anything or tripping, which with the morning I had had thus far was totally what I had expected. Once in the office I placed the Pink Camouflage lunch bag on the counter and proceed to tell the nice office lady that my daughter had left her lunch at home. She asked if I had the lunch with me. I thought that was odd but decided to play along.
"yes, it's right here" I said pointing to the very pink lunch bag

She replied " Oh I just thought that was your purse"

I could only laugh and say "no, I'm not that hip"

I must say I drove back to the house with a smile the whole way. Did she really think I would carry a pink and gray camo. purse? LOL

And the sewing begins....

2006-10-17T13:32:00.000-04:00

Blanket #1 is done and I am head over heals for this one. I am so excited to start on the next one. Did I mention how SOFT this fabric is? I can't wait to get some more made to take up to the store and set up shop.

Tranquility

2006-10-17T08:43:00.000-04:00

Nothing brings more peace to me than to sit by the side of the road and get lost in a field of cotton with my camera in hand. I took some great shots yesterday and as I was driving away I just felt so at peace. It was a wonderful feeling.

The adventures of Super Mom part 4,653.....

2006-10-12T12:57:00.000-04:00

And now the adventures of Super Mom continue....... As she tries to feed lunch to the smallest member of the Mighty Mini Gang she also makes the various phone calls of the day and loads the dishwasher all at the same time. Many would call this multi-tasking but Super Mom refers to this as Mommy-tasking.

After mastering the daily jigsaw puzzle, commonly referred to as loading the dishwasher, she turns to see that Mighty Moe has covered himself with his lunch. Knowing that this wasn't accidental Super Mom grabs the camera to capture that Kodak moment while closing the door on the jigsaw puzzle with her foot and holding the phone in place by cocking her head ever so lightly to the left pinning said phone between her ear and shoulder. Never stopping the conversation on the phone Super Mom is able to snap a picture or two and then with cape flowing behind single handily began the task of running the bath water with out making it too cold or too hot.

Knowing that removing Moe from his chair was not going to be an easy task Super Mommy excused herself from the phone and in Super Mommy fashion approached Mighty Moe in his royal chair and analyzed the situation. Upon further investigation the reality sets in....even Super Mom may get messy. Quickly she removed his bib and slowly stands him up in his chair trying to get all stray pasta pieces to fall onto the tray. Ever so carefully she removes the overalls and shirt and lets them lay on the chair until bath time is over.

Now getting him from the chair to the tub without getting Super Mom and the new carpet messy was going to take some real Super powers. Super Mom took a deep breath, picked up the Mighty Mini and made sure he didn't get too close to her Super Mom uniform (aka white t-shirt) Moving swiftly she managed to make her way into the bathroom leaving her uniform and carpet free of pasta sauce. Once there she removed the diaper and plopped Mighty Moe into the tub where he shrieked in happiness and happily splashed in the warm water.

He had once again devised a master plan to get unscheduled playtime in the tub. Ahhh but little does he know that Super Mom won as well because his master plan brought nothing but smiles to her.

Thursday Thirteen #4

2006-10-11T22:38:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Jobs I thought I might like when I was 13

(In no particular order)

Teacher - I guess I sort of do that now
Writer- Does the family Christmas Letter or this blog count?
Photographer- Do that all the time
Mom- yeah sort of a given seeing as how I have 4 kids
Chemist -that was before I actually took a Chemistry Class *grin*
Hairstylist- Oh yeah with 2 girls I am doing this everyday
Childcare provider- duh!
Flight attendant - Sort of I guess. I do tell them what to do in case of an emergency and I serve them meals and beverages. Sometimes we are in such a hurry it even feels as if we might be flying.
Quality Control person at the Hershey Plant- All Chocolate that enters this house must first be approved by MOM unless it's a Milky Way bar....YUCK! Maybe that is why they are my oldest son's favorite....hmmm ya think?
Party Planner- Back then my dream was to do this for the rich and famous now it is for my family ...so not on the rich or famous list.
Actress- I wanted to be on stage somewhere just acting NOT singing. Now I act all the time, putting on my brave face when the kids ask why daddy has to be in the military and why he has to be gone so much.
Professional Pianist- Now ask me if I even know how to play, umm nope. I think it had to do with that whole wanting to be on stage thing.
A Lawyer (family law)- Now I just try to establish the family law and enforce it while I am at it.

I guess that is pretty darn good. I have fulfilled most of my goals, maybe not how I had planned but hey they are not as fun if you go about it the traditional way.

How wrong is this...

2006-10-11T22:20:00.000-04:00

I sit down to watch Biggest Loser and .......eat a mini bag of microwave popcorn! I guess at least it wasn't a big bag.

I did the same thing last week when it was on, only then it was some Ben and Jerry's . I don't know why I do that and it drives me crazy. I go get my snack and sit down, then it happens the commercial is over and there I sit watching people work their tails off while I indulge.

Maybe I need therapy.....nah never mind, I know I need to lose weight and I don't need to pay tons of money to hear someone else remind me of those things I am trying to ignore in my plump life.

Time to start sewing

2006-10-11T09:38:00.000-04:00

I ordered 58 yards of cotton flannel fabric from GotFabric.com and it should be here tomorrow. That is enough fabric to make about 23 baby blankets with some left over for burp cloths and a bib or two. Everything is looking baby around here these days....all but my belly that is LOL. Oh and that is just fine with me by the way in case you were wondering.

Why on earth would I want to make so many blankets? Well there is a craft mall up the road and I am planning on selling them there. They have NO baby items there which amazes me. The owner said people are asking for baby things all the time. My master plan is to start with the blankets and burp cloths etc. and then slowly add homemade baby soaps. I have also started making several crocheted winter baby hats. The possibilities are endless with gift baskets and individual items. If the baby soaps go over well I will then start a line just for the moms. The blankets are going to be my spring board and if they flop....I guess I will have lots of baby shower gifts on hand *grin*

Go to Bed Already!

2006-10-09T23:50:00.000-04:00

This is a typical statement for me to my children at least 3 or 4 times a night. To night however, I am saying this to myself. I know since the kids will be home tomorrow I will not be able to use Moe's nap time to it's fullest. That is when I usually get the most housework, yard work etc... done. I just know it won't be happening that way tomorrow. Instead I will be helping with a 4th grade paper on weather ( as if living through Ernesto and then the Nor'easter this weekend hasn't filled my cup o' tea to the brim) and sewing a pioneer outfit for my 2nd grader who was overjoyed that they picked her to be something besides a background singer. I have already made the skirt and I must say I am pretty pleased with it. Tomorrow is just the apron (keep your fingers crossed for me.)

I also must mow the lawn tomorrow as it is yes supposed to rain again on Wed. Can you believe that? 11.5 inches and now we are going to get more...yuck! The ground is still a bit soft but I think the sun was out enough on Sun and today that I should be okay at least in the front yard.

Oh and the good news from the weekend would have to be that Farmer Boy's Tree is still standing. He is so pleased with himself.

Okay I must get some sleep, I know that even with no school my little ones will still be up at 6am. I am not so sure they are really mine....I never, ever was known to be an early riser.

Oh and real quick.....The Lemon-Berry Slush at Sonic is the BEST thing EVER!

Look Captain....Land ahead

2006-10-09T16:39:00.000-04:00

WOW 11.5 inches of rain is A LOT of rain! We had more rain this weekend than we did when Ernesto came barrelling through.

I almost put up a post to see if anyone knew where I could get my hands on an Arc. We can even board 2 by 2
2 parents
2 sons
2 daughter
and well 1 cat but I am sure I could find a stray around to make that number 2 as well.

My kids stayed home from school today as there was so much road damage the buses could not get to all the kids and one of the elementary schools had a ton of damage. They just sent out an e-mail that they will be out again tomorrow. How on earth will I ever get anything done around here?

Thursday 13 #3

2006-10-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Reasons Why I Need a

"Calgon Take Me Away"

Moment Tonight

I had to mop up oatmeal off the floor at 6am
I am still confused about my 4th graders math homework
My 5 year old insists that pink corduroy pants go with everything in her closet.
I made a bad pick in the stock market yesterday and lost some money.
Did I mention my 9yr old's math homework is stressing me out?
I have 6 loads of laundry waiting to be folded
I had to hear a 10 minute speech this morning on why it was the fault of everyone else that my 9yr old was so grumpy.
I need to mow the grass again before the rain comes (it takes more than 2 hours to do)
My 1 year old thinks the pantry is his toy closet and the spices are his building blocks.
Apparently spilt milk is worth crying over at least that is what my 7 yr old tried convince me of this morning.
My printer is out of ink and my son needs to print a report for school.
I have 4 kids with loads of energy that should be reason enough.
I don't have any chocolate at home so Calgon will have to be a good substitute.

Super Mom.....HA! Not today.

2006-10-04T19:16:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning to yet another pimple on my forehead, an over sized abdomen, and a screaming baby who was not going to give up the screams until he was able to nurse. Mommy didn't feel like nursing him but well what ya going to do when it's 5:30 am and your too dang tired to make breakfast. Plus he only nurses one time a day now and I know that will only be for a few more weeks so who am I to tell him "Not now mommy is pms'ing, maybe later".

I dropped the other 3 off at the bus stop and waved good-bye, drove back to the house and forgot to feed the puppies. How rude of me. I mean they can't exactly fill their bowls on their own. I finally remembered about a hour later and they were very forgiving.

Moe (that is what I call my youngest) didn't want to take his nap and so sadly I sat him on the floor with a bucket of mega blocks and then laid selfishly on the couch and just watched him play. What a slacker!

Finally he went down for his nap and did I do any housework? NO I did not. I instead read a magazine and watched my neighbor harvest the corn from my window.

The kids came home and the thought of cooking dinner made me want to cry but I guess they need to eat right? Is it bad to give them a choice of Spaghetti O's or Mac and Cheese? I did give them a choice so that should count for something right?

I am a married single mom right now and it is days like this when I wish my better half wasn't so far away. He is only a few hours away but it might as well be oceans away on days like today. I really miss him.

Okay that is enough sulking. Just one of those not so super days.

Super Mommy to the Rescue

2006-10-03T22:58:00.000-04:00

Like I said in my profile, with 4 kids everyday is a new adventure and today was no exception.

....As I look frantically around the room I spot it! The blue and orange Binky had alluded me too long and now it was time to capture it and tie it down so future escape could not happen. Ah, but how was Super Mommy going to get from her uncluttered piece of floor space across the sea of toys, cheerios and other booby traps left undoubtedly by the Mighty Mini gang. The gang was notorious for making the home of Super Mommy a death trap waiting to capture its prey.

Super Mommy's motto is to Kill 'em with Kindness and thus the reason she was on the hunt for the AWOL Binky(it belongs to the smallest member of the Mighty Mini Gang). With a wide stride and little luck Super Mommy hurdled the traps that had taken over the floor and managed to grab the blue and orange binky and quickly handed it over to that tiny little man who had been screaming the entire time Super Mommy was on her important mission. With out a doubt he was trying to foil her plans of enjoying a quiet nap time by not letting her find said binky. But as usual Super Mommy could not be stopped.

Super Mommy had too many missions today including 4th grade math (the gang has recruited the teachers ...what next?), find the marker in laundry and of course the super secret Operation Dinner. She is wondering if there were any substitute Super Mommies out there? She needs a vacation!

2006-10-03T10:07:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged by LAMMYANN
Here's the tag: list seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LiveJournal/blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

Here are my 7...in no particular order...

Before He Cheats ......Carrie Underwood
Sunshine and Summertime.....Faith Hill
Love You......Jack Ingram
I Loved Her First.....Heartland
Beautiful Inside.....Everclean
Juanita....Shania Twain
How Do You Like Me Now....Toby Keith

Pretty much a country gal these days.

Ahhh now for the tagging, forgive me but I am a blogging newbie and as of yet do not have 7 blogging friends (I am a MySpace convert) ....

Tag your it:

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

2006-10-03T09:43:00.000-04:00

Okay I need to give credit to 2 different web sites that helped me out in my quest to save money at the grocery store yesterday. First I stumbled across this great site which then led me to my lifesaver of a site here. Without having gone to the 2nd site I would have never known that the best days to shop at my local store was Sun. Mon. or Tues. Those are the best days for me to get the most out of my coupons and their in store sales. Turns out that my store runs their sales from Wed. to Tues. and the in store sales usually coordinate with the coupons that come out on the Sun. during their sale. Which means that if I wait to go shopping on Friday all of the in store sales will coordinate with the coupons that are not out yet. Make sense???

While I can still save using my coupons and the in store sales I get more bang for my buck when I shop on Mon. vs Fri. Yesterday I was able to get namebrand apple juice in the 64oz container for $.92, 2 3lb bags of namebrand cat food for $1.50 each, and a fabulously favorite liquid handsoap for only $.64. All of these great deals only happened because of the combination of my coupons and the in store sales.

Okay I feel I have given credit to the sites that saved me SERIOUS CASH yesterday. Click on those links and check them out!

Coupon Bliss

2006-10-02T22:31:00.000-04:00

So I went to do the grocery shopping today and came home on cloud nine! How is that possible, esp. with a 1 year old with me? The answer my friend is on my receipt. I was a patient shopper today and used coupon after coupon after coupon and when I got to the register and all was said and done I had saved .... are you ready....$55.17!!!!!! I know for those of you who are pro's with the whole coupon system this may not seem to be that big of a deal but this was HUGE for me! I hope to do this good on my next trip as well. The hardest part was keeping the 1 year old happy. He was fine as long as I let him throw whatever he wanted out of the cart...ugghhhh so not my version of a fun game.

Farm Boy's Pogo Stick

2006-10-02T14:24:00.000-04:00

Mom said she had a fun new toy....I think it was a trick!

LOL....He just looked so cute trying to get that shovel in the ground. He was planting a tree for his Bear Badge. He can honestly say he did this one all on his own. It was hard though for mom and dad to sit by and not jump in and do most of it for him. I am excited for him to watch his tree grow.

2006-09-28T08:52:00.000-04:00

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Reasons why I LOVE my Scale (at home)....

1. It never shares my secret with others

2. Even when I only lose a tenth of a pound it gladly tells me

3. No matter how big I am it never turns me away

4. It only uses numbers so it never says that ugly 3 letter word I use way too much.

5. I never have to worry about weather or not it is being honest.

6. No matter how many times we have moved it has never jumped ship. It always shows up in a box.

7. It is shiny ( I like shiny things :) )

8. It's like a Timex..."it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'"

9. Like a really great friend no matter how mean I am it always forgives me and welcomes me back.

10. When I am having a great week (weight wise) it is just as happy to show me

11. It never yells at me

12. It never asks.... "why?"

13. If it ever turns on me I know it is easily replaced...just like there are many fish in the sea there are many scales in the stores. Too bad you just can't get a new body in the store as well.

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Brutis and Shilo

2006-09-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

Oops these pictures are both of Shilo. I have to look again to see if Brutis has had a kodak moment.

Gotta Love this Kid!

2006-09-27T09:43:00.000-04:00

It's moments like this that make my smashed banana on the floor mornings seem not so bad.

"Like, whatever!"

2006-09-26T14:24:00.000-04:00

Okay now I know my parents sweet revenge came in the form of my children. I used to drive my parents up the ever lovin' wall by constantly saying Like and whatever. I remember my Dad trying SO SO hard to break me of that habit. Now my own child is showing me exactly what a pain in the neck I was. If I have to hear my son say " wha's up " or "Dude" one more time I am going to scream! I guess this is fair warning to all those in hearing range because I know as soon as he gets off the bus today I am going to be greeted with a " wha's up, Mom?" or worse he will look at the baby and say "hey wha's up dude?" GAG, PUKE, BARF!

Outta the Mouth of Babes

2006-09-25T19:08:00.000-04:00

Okay so this is a true story, not very interesting but true. I had been sitting on the couch all snuggled up with my birthday girl (she is FIVE today) when the phone rang. So I gave a good hmmmf and got up to answer the phone as I thought it might just be the hubby. No such luck it was the dreaded sales person. Anyway after I hung up I was met by the birthday girl herself exclaiming....."Wow mom you have a really big bum. Look at all this space your bum took!"

I sighed and simply answered "yep" I mean she is the birthday girl how could I be mad and sadly my bum did require that large dented in spot on the couch. Uggghhhh. Oh and this falls on the same day I read my good friend Lammy Ann's post on Watching Weight Okay, Okay I can take a hint!

Thursday Thirteen # 1

2006-09-21T16:47:00.000-04:00

(13 random bits of info. on ME)

1. No my hair is not really this red
2. If I color my hair what makes you think my eyes are really this green?
3. I have 4 kids ages 9, 7, 5 (on Monday) and 1
4. I have been Married for 10 years
5. I grew up in the Mid-West, Nebraska to be exact.
6. I don't miss Nebraska, but I would move back there as it is a great place to raise the kiddo's
7. I have moved 9 times in the past 10 years
8. I work hard staying at home being a mom
9. I LOVE the Take Five candy bar what took Hershey so long to put that one out there?
10. I really miss walking in the vineyards in Germany, I mean I REALLY miss that.
11. I enjoy the fact that we no longer have cable at our house.
12. I wish we could get more than dial-up internet at our new country locale.
13. We have 2 new puppies Brutis and Shilo

Thirteen Things about Me...aka-mom1…. Be the first on my list of Thurs. 13 friends
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Scissors, Lollipops, and Pencils and other Motherly Warnings

2006-09-19T21:18:00.000-04:00

I find myself telling my little ones not to run with scissors or pencils in hand or lollipops (suckers) in their mouths all the time. I know there is very good reasoning behind these firm warnings but I have lost count of how many brushes with death I must have avoided doing these same things.

What are some of the other motherly warnings you have given while whispering in the back of your mind.... "do as I say, not as I do" ?

Why?

2006-09-19T09:21:00.000-04:00

Why do I think it will only take a few minutes to unpack those last few boxes?

Why do I think my kids will remember to make their beds?

Why do I think that it should be easy to wash the fabric cover for my 1yr old's car seat?

Why would I ever think that it would take less than a professional and 30 min to put the above mentioned car seat back into the truck?

I broke into a sweat last night when I became entangled in seat belt straps and buckles as I took the fabric cover off of my son's car seat. Finally I had it off and in the wash. Then where the next challenge became .... where to hang it so it would be dry by morning? Morning arrived and yep you guessed it....it was still wet. Do the makers of car seats assume that you have a full week to sit and wait for these to dry? Damp as it was I took the time to put it back on said car seat and put it back in the truck. It was a good thing I already knew what a struggle it was to put this thing in properly as I had given myself plenty of time. 30 minutes later we were off to the bus stop to drop off the other kids. Once we were back at home I had to take the seat out again to go through that same darn struggle to remove the cover. It is now air drying on the porch as I watch the ever darkening skies and my hopes are I can quickly grab them before the raindrops fall and take me back to square one.

1 Thing I Love About You

2006-09-18T09:32:00.000-04:00

My kids were arguing this morning and as I walked into the room it was if I walked in to a pillow fight and there were feathers falling all around, only instead of feathers the air was full of hurtful words and tears. This has been happening way too often around here especially in the mornings while getting ready for school. So I decided instead of yelling back at them to get them to stop and then sending them to their separate spaces I would try something new.

I stepped in between them looked towards my son and said okay quickly name one thing you love about your sister. It was amazing how quickly the mood changed. I told them that from now on when I have to step in on them fighting like that they are going to have to stop and tell each other one thing they love about the other person. Oh and the catch is that it can't be the same thing they said within the past 7 days. So they can't just say the same thing over and over again.

My son took a bit too long giving a response and yet he could name 100 things that bothered him about his sister in a matter of 15 sec. I told him that it is quite possible that we spend too much time focusing on the things that bother us about others and not enough time embracing the things we love about others. If we spent more time telling others what we cherish about them it would be harder to see the negative things.

Quote of the day

2006-09-17T21:18:00.000-04:00

"THAT, was dinner?!"

"yep, and maybe breakfast in the morning if you are not careful."