I'm unprotected

Tonight was court of honor for my boys.  Josh got some badge thing.   Apparently Jake needs to complete something then he can be a star.  Whatever that means.  I know I'm not all girly girly, but all into scouts isn't my thing either.  haha 

My computer has a virus.  At least I think it is a virus.  Every twenty minutes or so, I hear a screeching noise and a pop up is telling me that I am unprotected.  I live in a constant state of fear now.  I'm unprotected.  I haven't been unprotected in years.  Please don't ask what I have been protected from.  I really cannot say.  The main reason being that I have no clue.  I have been blissfully unaware that I am unprotected or protected whichever the case may have been.  Oh what ever will I do?  Do you think Saran Wrap would help?  ;)  Just know that if you get any strange messages from me, it could be a trap.  Although, if you get any strange messages from me it might not be a trap.  I can be pretty strange.  I just hope you can sleep well tonight knowing I am unprotected.  Actually, don't worry about me.  Mike just looked up something and told me he figured out how to protect me.  I'm SO excited.  I'm going to be protected again.  I will be able to relax now and feel like all is well with my world. 

Who would I be?

Today while on my journey thru blog land, I came across a new blog. This looked yummy, so I figured I could make it for dinner tonight. Then I noticed the name of the blog. If she is Snow White, then who would I be? This led me on a journey of self discovery of sorts. What mythical creation would be most like me? This is about the point in which I realized that I am pretty much my own mold (as are most of us~ only most of us don’t hold lengthy conversations with ourselves and have 85 kids). Any of the Disney creations are definitely not in the mix. I’m not lovey dovey, beautiful, or living in a dream world. I have nothing against these characters. They are all wonderful in their own ways. My girls love them. I just don’t have anything in common with them, other than the huge breasts (did I really just write that?). Maxine is definitely in the running, maybe the best suited, but not a complete fit. I feel old and cantankerous at times, but she is a bit harsher than I am. The old lady living in the shoe also comes to mind. I think she and I would get along. Maybe I could drop my kids off at her shoe for a while. With all the ones she has, I bet she wouldn’t even notice. Nah.  That wouldn't work.  Knowing her, she'd want to do swaps and leave hers over here.  We all know that isn't going to happen!  :)  Oh well.  I guess it's good to not have a mold.  That way I don't have to worry if I am doing something "right" or not.  I am me and that's all I can be.  :) 

Looky what I found!

Today I went to a couple of my favorite resale shops. I think I did pretty good. I didn’t spend very much money but I enjoyed my time out. Maybe I was just avoiding the laundry that I sorted, or the dishes piled in the sink, or the floor that needs vacuumed, or the bathrooms that need cleaning, or the… well, you get the idea. The list goes on forever. I was avoiding it all today. :)

First, I found this pan that I thought would fit in my new toaster oven. It is a perfect size for smaller casseroles. It is about 4 big servings.  I figured it would be better to make smaller casseroles since two of the 85 kids that live here don’t eat much of what I make. Actually, when Mike is gone, I hate making huge meals that I am the main one eating. This will hopefully cut down on wasted food. (So, if Mike asks, it’s all in the name of saving money, it has nothing to do with going out shopping.) The only problem is that it is just a tad too big for my oven. Maybe I will use up some of my pent up energy and smash the handles down so it will fit. For $1.97, I don’t really care if it looks perfect. It just has to work.

I also found a CD/game thing for the boys. To be honest, I think it is a game, but I’m not sure. It says something on the back about being a game, but who knows. It could just be a bunch of pictures on a CD for all I know. Josh is into Star Wars games and making new worlds for them. I personally am doing good to write a blog, and he is designing worlds… Go figure! Anyway, I thought he and/or Jake would enjoy this thing. For $1.07 (tax included), if it doesn’t work, they can always use the cover for one of their many projects.

Lastly (Is that even a word?), I found a MAJOR steal! Mason jars ~ 10 of them (not a full dozen but still awesome) ~ for… $1.97! The rings were in the box and everything. It’s as if someone took 2 jars out and left everything else intact. I actually went looking for jars for a project that I saw on another blog. It is the cutest idea. They made pumpkins out of them. These jars will be perfect. I have a few on hand, but for some reason, I can never have enough jars! I just hope and pray that I don’t screw these up too bad. I’m not the most talented craft person/artist. I think I might come runner up for the worst one, though.  I'll let you know when I work up the nerve to try and make them.  If they turn out good, I'll post it.  If they turn out ugly (my usual style), I will post it and say the kids did it!  haha

I'm a reader! Who whould have thunk it?

I have a confession. I read Breaking Dawn in 3 days. Yes, the fourth book in the Twilight series, which happens to have over 700 pages. I can’t believe I did it. I finished the whole saga in less than 2 weeks. I almost feel empty now. Like I have nothing to do. I filled every spare moment I had reading. Now I am forced to watch TV, and there is NOTHING on worth watching. I have taken to watching Smurfs and Snorks on Boomerang. What a sad life I lead!

 I’m almost scared to start another book. I think Mike might shoot me. Dinners haven’t been exactly nutritious for the past 2 weeks. :) The kids have threatened mutiny if I make them have cereal again for dinner. I made sure the cereal has fiber. What more can they ask for? haha

I think we're alone now

This afternoon was a bit of a race there for a while. Thankfully, I made two round pans worth of cake this afternoon so that would be ready to go. After getting the girls, I figured we would go home for a few minutes before picking up Jake. It was a shock to see Mike's car in the drive. He was home and getting ready to go camping with Josh and the other scouts. It was really nice because then I was able to leave the girls home while I went and picked up Jake and Josh from school. Once everyone was home, I iced the cake. Well, I put a layer of frosting between the two layers and then covered the outside. I knew the boys would decorate it. :) Jake's friend came over and then the boys were taking about decorating ideas. While the boys were chatting, I dragged Elaina off with me to get Mike and Josh off to where they needed to be. Once we made it back home, Jake's other friend showed up. Too bad for him that the cake had already been decorated. :) Once everyone was here, we took the boys to the birthday boy's house. Emma, Elaina and I have been vegging ever since. It's amazing how much I am enjoying "The Incredibles" right now. Actually, it's just nice that I am relaxing. Maybe a good soak in the tub is in order! Nah... that might be pushing my luck. The girls haven't realized it yet, but they get to stay up late tonight to go with me to pick up Jake. I figure we will be sleeping late tomorrow for sure! :)

Now he's done it!

This morning, Jake let it slip that one of his best friends, Killian, is having a birthday tomorrow. Like I should have known about it already. ha! I was trying to ask him if that meant that he was going to Killian's house for a party or what exactly was my part in this birthday. If it was mearly taking him shopping, that meant we needed to do it today rather than tomorrow. If he needed a cake or cookie or something to decorate, I would need to have one ready for him when he gets home tomorrow. His group of friends likes to decorate the birthday sweets themselves, then deliver them. I have no problem with this. I just wanted to see if I could possibly have something ready for them when he gets home from school. That way we could get it finished much quicker than the last birthday (@9:30 PM). He is going to think about it and let me know. I also asked him if his buds were giving Killian a party or if he was having one with his family. Of course Jake was clueless. I didn't expect him to know anything like details. :) Then I made the mother of all mistakes. I told him that he should have his buddies give Killian a party. A princess party! HAHA I personally thought it would be VERY funny. What 15 year old boy doesn't want a princess party? haha Jake got very upset with me. Then I made some comment like, "You don't want a princess party this year?". (I know. I just can't help myself sometimes.) Jake is now extremely worried that I am going to give him a princess birthday party! haha I couldn't have worked it any better if I had planned it. Now all I have to do is plan it. No. Not a princess party. That would be too easy. I do however need something good. Any ideas would be extremely helpful. I have till February.

I did however tell Jake that we could go look at the Dollar Tree and see what kind of party supplies they have. He wasn't too thrilled. Then as he got out the door for school, it hit me. A Superhero party! Wouldn't that be great? Superman and his fellow heroes would have an excellent time, don't ya think?

Snappy and Superman

We are lucky enough to have two extra members added to our family. The fact that 3 people exist inside one human isn't really relevant, is it? Snappy just learned to snap his fingers this summer. Jacob got his feelings hurt when his 6 year old sister learned to snap her fingers before him. Now Jacob has found his "instrument(s)" for the orchestra in his new dream school. That boy goes around snapping his fingers ALL the time. We have started calling him snappy to get him to stop. Most of the time he doesn't even realize he's doing it. haha Snappy has had lots of fun annoying everyone in this house. He even taught Elaina that snapping is the best way to wake daddy from sleeping. I don't think Mike was too happy about that one, but it worked nonetheless. :)

Jacob made the mistake of telling me about something he did for seminary. The teacher passed out questionnaire sheets trying to get to know the students better. On it, was the question, "What name do you like to go by?". Jake, being the smart boy he is, put down "Superman". He wasn't expecting me to run with it. ~What was that boy thinking. He KNOWS me better than that!~ What he doesn't know is how very close I came to calling his teacher and letting her know that he really does want to be called Superman. HAHA Jacob is now referred to as Superman in our house, when Snappy isn't around of course. I am thinking he isn't as fond of the name anymore, but it's too late. It has stuck. I even found some superman ice cream at Kroger. You know I had to get it. ;) Turns out that the kids really enjoyed it. HAHA Now they are asking for more superman ice cream. Silly boy. You would think he would know better by now. :)

I snapped

Tonight. I did the unthinkable. I snapped. I have had one too many calls for surveys, and pledge drives. I know it's nothing personal. These poor people calling are just doing their jobs or worse yet, doing it pro-bono. I usually try to be really nice. Let them down easy. Tailor my "no" to their cause. You know... If they are calling for disabled kids, then "I already have 4 kids and they all have special needs, too". It's called food, but I don't have to tell them that. ;) Tonight, I didn't have the heart to have breast cancer. The poor woman was giving her speech and I waited patiently for the appropriate spot to tell her "no" gently, yet firmly. She didn't accept my response, as they often don't. For some reason, I snapped. I cheerfully started telling her (while she was still continuing her speech) that "I really appreciated her call" and "goodbye". I don't know what happened. I think it kind of ticked me off that she started by asking for "Mrs. Murphy", then proceeded to talk as if we had been lifelong friends (without mentioning my name of course). I have only hung up on a few people in my life, and here she is now added to the list. The poor girl was in mid sentence. I can count on one hand the times I've done that... What a monster I am turning into. Oh well. I'll pretend to care another day. :)

Yesterday, I went to redbox and rented Twilight for Emma. Jake had a friend over and he and Josh hung out with him. Mike endured the movie with us girls. Emma was absolutely giddy with joy. Elaina thought it was very "romantic". Don't be mad at me, but I wasn't that impressed. It didn't match what was in my head. I won't go into specifics, but it wasn't something I am dying to see over and over again. I will willingly take Emma to the movie when New Moon comes out, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. I have really enjoyed the books, though. I haven't read this much in a long time! :)

Today, Mike finished the trailer. It looks really good. The boys got a haircut, finally. Jake has been wanting one for a couple of weeks, but timing hasn't worked out until now. Josh was avoiding getting his hair cut. He wants it long. I don't like it long. It doesn't look right to have him passing the sacrament with hair to his ear lobes. Emma was pressuring me to take her "out of this dreadful house" for a while, so we went and ran a few errands. When we got back, the boys had returned. Jake's hair looks really nice. I can't really tell a difference with Josh. He seems happy. I guess that's something. :)

I've been ruined

This morning, I was running an errand to get some milk and bread. Do you know that there were 4 "slug bugs", and 3 "PT Cruiser bruisers" in the parking lot? I almost started slapping strangers to make them count! It all started innocently enough. A little game to play with the kids on trips. Then I started playing with the kids when I was taking them places. Before long, I was even doing it with Mike in the car. He would get slightly annoyed, but didn't say anything. He thought I was doing it for the kids. ha! I have somehow let this little game flow into my everyday life. Now, everywhere I go, I see these reasons to start hitting people. I'm not sure I will be handle the pressure much longer of resisting. :)

New day, same argument

What is it about being sick that brings out the predator in our kids. It's as if they sense we are weak and they pounce on the opportunity to strike while we are susceptible. For some reason, my kids have yet to learn that I am not a normal person. I do not give in when I am feeling week. I do not accept nagging. I do not "change my mind" so easily. Most of the time, I get stubborn and plant my heels in the ground. I've been this way their whole lives. I haven't changed, although they keep expecting me to.

This morning, my lovely child, Jacob, wanted to stay home from school. I talked with him all the way to school about staying home. I tried to see his reason for wanting to stay home. Perhaps someone was being unusually obnoxious or something like that. To my relief, it wasn't anything like that at all, just the same argument we've been having since Jr. High. I proceeded to give him the reasons why he couldn't stay home today. I guess in my foggy state, I thought pure reasoning would win over his desires. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The fact that he misses more school than the other 3 kids combined (his visually impaired outings) did not sway him one bit. The fact that we haven't even finished the first 6 weeks yet, and he could possibly get sick this year did not sway him either, for didn't I realise that he "doesn't get sick". As he gave his last plea before getting out of the car, I reminded him that he could get to school much later if only he would ride the bus. He didn't like that one at all. I guess the timing isn't what was important to him. I was pretty sure he understood he was staying at school.

I guess this is one of those times where our brains didn't hear the same things. I received a call from him @ 8:15 ~ I dropped him off @8:05. I was sure he was bleeding or something because, why else would he call. The matter had already been settled. Unfortunately, the matter wasn't settled for him. He called and requested I pick him up. After making sure he was alright, I told him in no uncertain terms that I would not be picking him up and he needed to deal with it. (I'm not sure, but I think mean mom was here.) It is common knowledge that he thinks his school is a sess pool for druggies (which it is not, they have them, but all schools do), and that it is a complete waste of his time. "They don't even have orchestra", according to him. I guess band doesn't count. The last time he mentioned that one, I shot back that "it doesn't matter if they do or don't have orchestra, you don't play an instrument, so what's the point"! He wasn't happy with that.

He has been asking us since Jr. High to let him go to the school his two best friends go to. Now that his friends go to different High Schools, it hasn't swayed him. Their schools are somehow superior to his. Yes, he goes to a small town school that doesn't have a lot of kids and also doesn't have a lot of the "extras", but neither do his friends. Their schools don't have much more to offer than his school.

This morning was apparently all about his wanting to be at the High School his friend goes to. He told me that he would have a friend there at least. Now mind you, he not more than 2 days ago told Josh he was "popular" at his school. Mean mom came back (maybe she was here the whole time) and told Jake that he isn't going to be pulled from a good school just to go to a new school on the off chance that his ONE friend might possibly be in a class with him. She did however mention taking him out of his school and putting him a different High School. Just not one of the ones he wants. For some reason, this offended him. I found that rather telling. Good grief... what am I going to do with that kid!

Breathing is harder than you think

I spent much of the day trying to breathe. You wouldn't think it would be so hard, would ya? I'm pretty sure I have been blessed with one of the following: (A) severe allergies, (B) a slight cold or (C)beginnings of the flu. It's not that bad actually. I could be feeling a lot worse than I am. I can still find enough energy to get on the computer, so all is not lost, right? :)



Today was activity days for Emma. I found out Sunday night that we needed to bring treats. Being the understanding daughter that Emma is, she wanted to make cupcakes that we made Sunday. Here is the recipe if you want it... http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Brownie-Batter--Cupcake--The-SECOND-BEST-Cupcake-Ever/Detail.aspx. ~I will admit that I do not know how to make that link any prettier. If my head didn't feel like a bowling ball filled with water, I would try harder to figure that out. :) The kids (and even Mike, I think) enjoyed these cupcakes. They are easy. Try them. Anyways, back to the story, Emma wanted to make these cupcakes instead of making cookies or heaven forbid... BUY some cookies. So, today I was slightly incapacitated much of the day, due to heavy medication that refused to work. This afternoon we got home @ 3:20 and started from scratch (isn't it interesting that cake mix is considered scratch?) to make these cupcakes. We ended up making enough for the girls (28 I might add) and then using the leftover batters to make brownie bites and cake bites. I still am not sure how we did it. We got two batters made, assembled, in and out of the oven, cooled, on a "tray" (Fed Ex box with foil) and still made it to Activity Days at 4:45 which was at the church 15 minutes away. Here is what we did, in case you want to see.


Don't blame me for picture quality... I took like 5 pictures and every one of them was off or blurry or something. Maybe I should lay off the meds tomorrow. ha! I didn't have time to ice them. It's alright, though. They are just the right amount of sweet without the icing.

Upon my arriving back home from dropping off Emma I was greeted as I exited the car with some weird noises coming from inside the house. I was immediately on edge because that's not usually a good sign. I gathered every bit of brain power I had left and then opened the door to hear "We all live in a yellow submarine" being blared on the computer and Elaina dancing around singing to the top of her lungs all while Josh was holding Jake's head in one hand while concentrating on drawing with the other (apparently it's a school assignment). I'm still not so sure I wasn't hallucinating. I've seen some strange things in my day, and this is right up there. Elaina singing and dancing around the house is nothing new. The only exception is that usually by 5 PM she has had her fill of noises, and we all get to enjoy the silence with her, whether we want to or not. So the loud music was a bit unsettling to say the least. It was also odd that Josh was touching Jake instead of the other way around. I honestly don't know if it is the blind thing or what, but that boy (Jake) just can't keep his hands to himself. I'm gonna have to warn his dates when he starts dating. Can you imagine? Me having to call his date to let her to know not to worry about her hair. He's just going to grab it and mess it up anyway, so why style it. haha! Ahh, the things I get to look forward to...

Who would have thought

I forgot to mention on the 10th (yes, that was Thursday and today is Monday) that Mike took Emma to the library. She graciously allowed me to keep Twilight, so I could read it. I started that day to read it. I will admit that I got all kinds of "love" from Jake and Josh. They tried to tease me, but it doesn't work so well when I just agree with them, in whatever they happened to try and tease me with. For future reference, "Twilight is my most favorite book ever" and I "love vampires more than daddy". haha Sometimes it's hard to believe that they are actually 13 and 15. Oh well. Today I finished. I can't believe it. Emma hasn't even finished New Moon yet! I think I will die. Can you believe? I finished a book before her! Me, who reads so slowly that the seasons change before I finish a book. I think the only reason I have read thru the Book of Mormon so many times is because we read it at night as a family. I don't have time to sit and re-read each sentence 5 times to try and get the info to somehow connect with the brain.

Another amazing feat is that it has been 4, yes... FOUR days since Emma has been to the library. She is practically chomping at the bit. I won't take her, though, until she finishes the books she has. Apparently one of the books she picked up this last time is boring. ha! I also have somewhat of a confession to make. This has been weighing on me like crazy. I can't think of any other way to say it than to just say it... I went to the library without Emma last week. I know. It's simply horrible. It's like I cheated on her with her best friend. I can't imagine how I've held on to this secret for so long. Whew! You have no idea how relieved I feel. I'm sure we will be going again soon. I just hope the librarian doesn't spill the bean about my visit last week! ;)

Yesterday I didn't blog. Mike wanted to go to get some stuff to make a trailer so we can eventually clear out the back yard. He asked if I wanted to go to Sam's Club since it is really close to the lumber yard. I was going to go, but I couldn't think of anything other than hamburger meat that we needed from there. I am always forgetting something we need from Sam's, so I wanted to make a list before going, therefore I let him go alone to get the lumber. I stayed home and figured out some food for us to eat this week. I made my list and checked it twice, and off I went. Well, I got to go to 3... yes, THREE different grocery stores yesterday, in the pouring rain. It would have been perfect if it weren't for all the thousands of people shopping with me~ I may be exaggerating a tad, but it didn't feel that way yesterday. I must admit that all those people pushing past me in 6 thousand different directions and then the lovely ones who walked as slow as molasses in front of me so I couldn't pass them, they made it pretty easy for me to follow my list almost to the letter. I have a way of looking past the list from time to time and picking up items that aren't truly necessary. That wasn't the case yesterday (alright... I got a few items not on the list, but hey. I'm not perfect). Today came my problem, though. I have all these meals to choose from and Mike and the kids want food with hamburger meat for lunch today. The item I didn't get because I didn't go to Sam's. I was planning on going Monday since I had sent Mike on without me and I have the card, not him. We ended up having breakfast for lunch. It was fun. I saw the idea on another blog. I can't remember which one now, but I'll look it up if you are truly wanting to know. Anyway, I saw someone use one of those squirt bottles (like picnic ketchup and mustard) to make designs with pancake mix. It worked really well. The boys were hovering like hungry wolves, just dying to use the "magic" bottle to make their designs on the grill. It was really fun. I didn't get pictures, but maybe next time I will. :) Jake made a pretty good squirrel and Josh made a bear. At least I think it was a bear. haha Who knew that a little bottle could make lunch so fun?

The boys are mad

I figured it's not my fault that the boys decided to have their camp out cancelled, so the girls and I are going to go ahead with our planned evening. When Jake asked if a few of his buddies could come over for the night, I lovingly let the boys know about the movie we are watching. We had previously settled on the Hannah Montana movie. For some reason his friend invited Jake over to his house instead of invading our house. Josh didn't want to call any of his friends, so as it stands at the moment (which could change at any given time), Mike is going to take Josh out for a $1 movie. Jake is determined to have Josh leave the premises. I never knew Hannah Montana could clear the house of boys so quickly. I think I am going to go invest in a bunch of her videos for when I need a good break. haha

I love the rain

This morning (and last night apparently) it started raining. I absolutely love the rain. It makes me feel so renewed. I can't explain it. It just does. I love that it washes my car for me (I don't want to hear about how soap is best for washing cars that haven't been washed in months... rain does it better!), it waters my dying grass for me, it cools things down (most of the time), and it makes plants in the garden grow faster than if I watered them for 2 weeks in a row!

The light rhythm of rain is so enticing that it makes me want to get out and shop. Yeah. You read that right. Me. The one who doesn't shop except to grocery stores. They have FOOD there, ya know. :) I love to shop in the rain. I guess it's that certain sense of liberty of knowing that I am going to get wet because I always "forget" my umbrella. It's weird, but a lot of people don't like to shop in the rain. That is a double bonus. Not a lot of crowds and I get to play, I mean, shop in the rain.

There is something about being in the rain that reminds me of being a kid. Playing in those huge sewage ditches with my friends and family (yeah, I know. MY kids will NEVER do that~ They play in the muddy forest behind the house instead!). Our street would flood sometimes and we would go play in the flooded streets in our bathing suits. Ahh, to be a kid again. To be carefree and not worry about silly little things like the animals, bugs and germs that swim in the overflowing water that we played in. Hygiene wasn't something I worried about back then, so that kind of stuff just didn't matter. I wonder why it matters so much to me now. Sometimes I will actually let the kids go out in the front yard if it is only raining, and no lightening, and no thunder within 100 miles, and if the wind is blowing from the south in a northerly direction. I know. I need to ease up and let them make some memories of their own. Who knows, they might even let me play in the rain with them. :)

It's official~ she's after Josh

This afternoon was a bit rough. I went and picked up the girls from school, then had to pick up Jake. I told him before school that I was going to have to pick him up to get him to his goal ball practice~it's a game for blind kids. So when a few minutes had past after school, I gave him a call. The conversation went something like this... me; "Hey, just making sure you didn't forget that I'm picking you up for goal ball practice." Jake; "So... Are you are picking me up today?". Me; "Yes, Jake." A little bit later, he actually graced us with his presence. That boy has no sense of urgency. I still had to get him home to get his things for practice and then grab Josh. It takes at least 35-45 mins to get to where his practice is, and we had about 25!

We have a running joke in the family that Jake had a crush on Miley Cyrus. Supposedly she had a crush on him because every time he was in the car one of her songs would come on the radio. Well, about a week ago, she "broke up" with him. He would get in the car and her song wouldn't come on. Then a few days later, we discovered that now, it's Josh that Miley has a "crush" on. She has stopped playing for Jacob, and started playing for Josh. It's really quite funny. The song plays usually when just one of them is in the car. It's hilarious to watch the boys freak out and squirm. Although Jake is quite relieved that Josh is now the object of her desire. My kids are going to be SO messed up when they grow up! haha

Well, the girls and I had big plans for tomorrow (Friday). We were going to rent a movie (a girly movie the boys won't let us watch), eat popcorn, stay up late and veg out like a pros. The boys had a Father/Son camp out planned. The girls and I thought it was last weekend, so we postponed our adventure until this weekend (when the actual camp out is). Well, now I get the joy of telling the girls about the e-mail I just received. The camp out has been cancelled due to weather. To be honest, I don't understand it. It's not raining or anything, but there is a 40% chance tomorrow night for rain. I don't think it's fair of the priesthood to cancel the camp out when PLANS have been made! I will try to figure something out. We don't get many nights where it's just us girls. I think I was looking forward to it as much as the girls. I enjoy the boys, but sometimes I need to be a girl too. :)

Today is Wednesday... YEAH!

Today I was able to go and help with Elaina's class. It's nice to be able to go and spend time at the kids school. It's sad that I only get to spend time at the girls school. The last time I had lunch with Josh was when he was in the 5th grade. He got extremely embarrassed and didn't want me to come again. haha I can't remember the last time Jacob let me come to his school. The girls aren't in public school, so it's not as big a deal if your mom comes. I think it also helps that I am WAY cool! haha



This evening Elaina read the rest of her Little Critter's book we checked out the last time we went to the library. She did really good. She is coming along with her reading. The last book we read took us all week to finish. She seems to be enjoying it. Hopefully she will enjoy reading as much as Emma. Speaking of Emma, she has been walking around the house reading Twilight. She will occasionally look up and say to me (with stars in her eyes), "this is a great love story, mom." I try to not laugh.

Tonight while the boys are all gone to scouts and young mens the girls and I are going to go out and try to see the space shuttle and space station. Supposedly we will be able to see them really well at 8:30 PM. I'll let you know if the morning news was right about seeing it or not. :)

Mean mom came to visit

Growing up I always thought it would be a bad thing to have my kids think of me as being mean. Now I don't feel that way. I don't know what changed my mind. Maybe it was the 12 hours of labor with Jacob or maybe it was all the messes and eventual back talk, but somewhere along the way, it came to my attention that I didn't have to always be nice. Some days "mean mom" stays away and others like today she comes to visit.

Mean mom has a thing for homework. She makes the kids do it. For some reason, the kids don't really enjoy this. Go figure. Emma knows the rules. I have not changed them in the 5 years she has been having spelling tests~actually, the rules haven't changed since the boys were little. We take a test at home and then she writes the words she misses 5 times. Apparently, since she was supposed to write her words as her assignment from her "real teacher". I was supposed to think that would be sufficient and let the rules slide. I always find it amusing that our kids seem to forget that they have a mean mom that visits on occasion. And yes, she wrote the words for her "real teacher" and her mean mom!

We also made another trip to the library. Surprise Surprise. Emma got in the car today and got upset with me when I wouldn't drive her directly to the library after school. I guess I had my mental telepathy turned off. I had no clue I was supposed to do that. Anyway, we ended up going later this evening. Believe it or not, mean mom came to visit at the library. I (I mean, mean mom) has now decided that Emma must read a classic book (or at least a book with substance) with the other books she checks out from the library. She wasn't too happy with mean mom. I know it's not nice, but a part of me thinks mean mom is pretty clever! Emma ended up with 4 Animorph books and Little Women. She had me check out Twilight on my account since she can only check out 5 books. I figure these books should buy me about a week before going back to the library. Only time will tell.

Busy Labor Day

Today Chick Fil A was having a promotional that you got a free sandwich if you wore a team logo. So being the frugal family we are, we went. We hit it just right. We didn't have to wait too long and the line wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We enjoyed our free food and then went about our day.













Remember the shelves I was working on a few days ago? Well, Mike hung them up for me today. They turned out pretty good. Nothing professional, but they do the job. The girls are happy with them, and I'm glad we will have somewhere to put library books so they don't get stepped on. :)

This evening, Mike went out to water the garden. I went out to check on him and this is what I found...



Every time Mike waters the grass, Elaina runs and puts on her bathing suit so she can get sprayed by daddy. She gets so excited! I remember playing in the sprinkler as a kid. It was always lots of fun. Elaina enjoys it as much as I used to!

Mike made some bread tonight. I didn't get pictures in time. It was/is so delicious that we have eaten most of it. Jake also wanted to make some cookies he found in a craft book. We made them. They didn't look so pretty, so I figured I'd spare you all. haha We also were lucky enough to have Mike cook dinner for us tonight. We got to have grilled chicken and potatoes that weren't burnt. :) I seem to have developed my mothers knack for burnt or crispy cooking! I think it's just because I seem to get distracted while trying to cook. Oh well. What woman isn't trying to do 20 things at once and expecting it all to be done at the same time as well as turn out perfectly! I'd say men too, but Mike doesn't seem to have this problem. He is better at staying on track with one thing at a time. :)

So it's Sunday...

Today we went to church. Nothing too exciting there. I got stuck in a room with 5 wild 6 year old boys. Some days it is easier to be a sub than others. :)

Mike got a bit adventurous and decided to make pizza on the grill. They turned out really good. He is trying different techniques for cooking so he is better prepared for the mountain man thingy. Yes, I said thingy. I can't spell the other word. Don't blame me for my imperfections.

It was very nice to sit and relax with the family today. It's always a nice break from the week to have Sunday be so relaxing. :)

What a night!

Someone needs to buy me a lottery ticket and quick! I am one lucky gal. Not only did I get a new phone today, but I also got to go on a date with Mike. Wow. It has been SO long since we have gone on an actual date. He has been out of town quite a bit and when he's home, there's always so much to take care of. It was really nice to just spend time together. It's so nice that the kids are old enough to stay by themselves for a while. I remember when I thought this day would never come. I'm sure in a few years when the boys are off with their friends I will be just as shocked to be able to leave the girls alone without supervision. Time truely does fly when you are busy living life. Even if it isn't all that interesting of a life. Time still flies.

An unexpected gift

Last night I did the unthinkable. I made pizza. It's not the fact that I made pizza that is unthinkable. The problem was that I ate too much of it. We went to QT after dinner. I got my coke Icee while the kids played with the different flavors. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I had to give away half my Icee. I know. I'm a disgrace to all Icee lovers. Ah well, it's in the past.

This morning, Mike, Emma and I went to Walmart. We have been working on the garden and trying to get it ready for a fall crop. Anyway, we went and got some broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach. Not a lot, but enough. I mentioned to Mike about Josh needing a phone and that I wanted to check on prices of the pay by the minute ones. We looked and came to the understanding that it is cheaper to just add another line to our existing plan. We ended up getting a VU phone for free. We decided to give Josh my phone and I would keep the new one. I'm excited to see how it goes. I have a problem with phones, well anything electronic next to my body. I have shorted too many watches to talk about. My phones all do crazy things after a while because I tend to give off too much electricity or something. Crazy, I know. Sometimes the truth is much crazier than fiction. :) Anyway, Josh is very excited. I think he will be very responsible with it. Mike and I were talking in the store and Jake has had his phone for 2 years and it still looks brand new. It's one of the few things he takes care of. lol

It's Friday in the big city!

You know it really doesn't matter if you live in a big city or not. If you have no life... there's still not much to look forward to. I've decided that. Go ahead. Write it down. Our small city on the outskirts of a big city has just had a major event occur. We (the kids and I) have been talking about it for weeks. The day has finally arrived that we are going to have a family outing. Try and contain yourselves. I know you are going to be extremely jealous but, we are going to go and visit the new QT store tonight as a family. You haven't heard of QT? You should be ashamed. It is only the best gas station in the south (as far as this really weird family is concerned). They have enough gas lines to make any walmart customer cry with joy. They have cheap food (which is pretty tasty, too). They also have the holy grail of beverage centers. There is a wide aray of coffee... iced or not. We don't partake of it, but it's still impressive. There are at least 25 different soft drink dispensers. Most QT's even have caffene free diet coke. ~ Can you hear my heart about to rip out my chest?~ They have the "good" ice (the kind like sonic has) and also the "ok" ice (the half moon orbes). Then... there is the reason we go to QT. They have a huge selection of ICEE's. They even have recipe cards where it shows you what flavors together make whole new ICEE flavors. There has to be at least 10 different flavors. Now I will admit that I am a plain "coke" ICEE girl myself, but sometimes I get a bit daring and put just a dab of blueberry blue in there. Wow! What a treat. The kids love mixing the flavors depending on their moods. Mike thinks we are a bit crazy. That's alright. I know I am a bit of an odd duck. I'll pretend to work on it another day. Tonight, I'm going with the family to QT!

Tomorrow is Friday!!!

Today I got a bit bored and decided to go window shopping. I went to the local thrift shop and found some little shelves. I paid $3 for both. They aren't much, but I am going to paint them and put them up for the girls. Emma has a bad habit of leaving library books on the floor by her bed. They get stepped on by mistake while I give her kisses good night. Now she will have somewhere to put her library books so they stay together and off the floor.

Speaking of the library, yep... we went again today. Emma got 4 new books. Elaina is going to work on a Little Critter's book this week. We have to read 15 minutes a night and I have been letting her pick out a book that we can work on. She is doing better with her reading, but we still have a long way to go.

Josh has been working all night on an assignment for health. I haven't figured out it if is the teacher or Josh, but he has had 4 assignments since school started last week. That's not the problem. The problem is that Josh is too smart for his own good. He over thinks his assignments. The assignments are silly things like questions about yourself or things you like and dislike. Josh wants everything to be "just so". We had this same teacher for health last year and had the same problem. I hope my nerves can handle this till the class is over in December. It's just a half year course because he wants to take art. He enjoys art. Instead of having art all year, they only offer it half a year. UGH!

Thank heavens Jake is not having any problems with school or life...yet. He did sit down with me and teach me the fine art of using the blue tooth on my phone to swap ring tones with him on his phone. That was fun. :) He is really a good guy. Actually, all my kis are good. I have been really blessed in that department. :)

Welcome to Wednesday

Today hasn't been extra special or anything. I went up to the girls school and read to Elaina's class. I stayed and had lunch with her. She really enjoyed it. One of the girls in her class was almost as tall as me. I know I am vertically challenged, but a first grader reaching my nose really made me feel bad about my height.

I was home for a few minutes when I recieved a call saying Emma was sick and needed to be picked up. I truely wish I was able to tell when the girls are sick and not. She came home and took a nap until time to go back to school (for the 3rd time) and pick up Elaina. Emma has been fine ever since.

We picked up Jake on the way home since he got out of school early today (Wednesday and Thursday are early release for High School). He seemed to appreciate the ride home.

Poor Josh had to walk home. Not that he minds walking home. He does it on purpose. I just didn't go pick him up from school. He started walking home last year. It scares me for him to do it, but I figure he is getting older and I need to let him grow up a bit. I really wish he would have taken the phone we tried to give him for his birthday! He is finally seeing that having a phone isn't such a bad thing. I think I will check into getting him a phone again. That would help me feel better.

The girls are home

Elaina attempting to do her spelling homework. It's nice that she doesn't fight me on it yet. :)

This is why we go to the library every 3 days. We went and got these books Saturday morning. Emma has read them all. Actually, She finished them yesterday, but I wouldn't take her last night to the library. Now she is bugging me to take her before Activity Days. I don't see it happening. I think it's great that she loves reading so much. I wish I read as much as she does. She has a talent and a love of reading that I will never have. :)

What am I doing here?

My loving sister told me that I should get a blog. I don't know what got into me. I did it. I jumped off the edge of my safety net. It's hard to believe that family members would want to know what I do during my day (other than the juicy stuff like changing the cat litter and doing laundry, since that is SO exciting).

Today has been ever so exciting. Mike is in town this week, so I do not have to wake up earlier than normal to take Jake to seminary. I have been enjoying my extra 20 Min's! Now if I could figure out a way to keep Emma from taking 20 minute showers in the morning. Have they invented remote control shower heads yet? If not, could someone please get on that... pronto!

Once all the kids were off to school, I got to sort the piles of dirty clothes. I don't know why I think I don't need to do laundry more than 2 or 3 times a week. This morning I only had 4 loads. What a treat! I love school uniforms! They really help with the laundry. :)