Life Happens

Do You Hear Me?

2009-01-08T20:56:00.015-06:00

O.K. So I've left you hanging for a long while. I can't guarantee I won't do it again. I felt moved to post for anyone out there who may still check in once in a while. I have a story to share with you, and it is a story of faith. It is a long story, so get a soda, go to the bathroom, do whatever you need to do before you settle in to read the rest of this post.

It begins my senior year of high school. I had a religious ed teacher I absolutely loved. She was new to the school that year, and I have no clue where they found her. All of us students were certain she was beyond rich. If I remember correctly, I think she really was married to a brain surgeon, or maybe it was a rocket scientist. Either way, she had money, and it wasn't from her teachers salary. I am not exaggerating when I say she honestly NEVER wore the same outfit twice that entire school year. She was the nicest, sweetest, most down to earth, caring, compassionate, rich person I ever met. Although I don't think I have ever actually met anyone else who has as much money as I believe she did. She also had a very strong faith in God, and even more so in the Virgin Mary. She told us many stories of visions people had of the image of Mary shedding real tears in all kinds of different places. I can't remember the specifics of any of them, but I remember thinking at the time that some of these stories were pretty far fetched and unbelievable. But she obviously adored the Virgin Mary, and somehow, somewhere, something must have rubbed off on me. I remember she taught us a prayer called The Memorare. I don't know why this prayer always stuck with me, but it did. I have never forgotten it.

Many years later, many of us were gathered at the hospital waiting for a miracle to bring Brittney back to us. The doctors had given us one last glimmer of hope after many days and nights of nothing. As we all stood there, I asked everyone to join me in saying The Memorare. (At least that is how I remember it happening. If someone else initiated it, I apologize. A lot of details from that time have blurred into each other.) Anyway, as we all gathered in prayer, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of strength and faith. But The Lord works in mysterious ways, and he called Brittney back to him. I was hurt, angry, disappointed, and felt betrayed. I don't want to get into all of that too much, because it took me to a sad, dark, lonely place that I never want to visit again.

Shortly after all of this, there was a new pastor assigned to our church. Something wasn't right about him. He didn't seem as compassionate and understanding as a priest should be. He would hurt peoples feelings, and their faith, and it didn't seem to bother him. Again, I felt betrayed by the Church and the God I was taught to believe in. I drifted away from the church. I pretty much stopped attending all together. I wasn't sure what I believed in anymore.

Even after all of this, I still managed to hold onto something. Whenever I found myself going through a difficult time, or facing a difficult decision, I prayed The Memorare. I asked Mary for guidance, strength, patience, compassion. Reflecting on it now, I guess it made sense. Mary made the ultimate sacrifice in giving her Son to God. I guess I felt a bond with her, and she was something I could still have faith in.

After many years of absence from the church, I have tried to get back for the sake of my children. Regardless of what I do or do not believe, I always felt it was important for my children to have a faith to believe in. I tried to go to church on Christmas, Easter, and the occasional Sunday in between. I tried to teach my children that it was important to love and have faith in God. Yet, I still did not really feel it myself.

But slowly, things have started to change. Our church again has a new pastor. I was there the first Sunday he said mass. I wanted to be there to see what kind of priest we got this time. As he said mass, he seemed sincere in his faith and in his words. He was warm, funny, and passionate about his beliefs in God. But when he requested that the church join him in honoring the Virgin Mary by praying the Memorare, it brought tears to my eyes, and I thought of how many times I used this prayer to ask for help. I felt a sense of belonging that I hadn't felt in a long time. Our new pastor invites us to pray The Memorare at every mass now. Though I haven't made it to mass every week, I am making an effort to go more often.

Tonight I joined a few others to pray the rosary for a young woman my age who is struggling with her fight against breast cancer. She has been in my thoughts and prayers often these days and so has the rest of her family. I can't begin to imagine how difficult this must be for all of them. After we finished praying the rosary, the Brother who led us in prayer said he wanted to say a special prayer for Jena. And so he began The Memorare. Again, I could feel the tears fill my eyes as he said this prayer that has become so dear to me over the years.

As I drove home, I realized that this one prayer has been my one true link to God over the years. It seemed odd to me that it is suddenly popping up everywhere I turn. And then it occurred to me that perhaps this prayer that I used for so many years to call for help was now being used to call me back to my faith. I felt a sudden awaken and awareness. It was like one of those "Ah ha!" moments you hear about but never experience. I felt like God was asking me "Do you hear Me?" and I had to answer Him, "Yes, I hear You. I get it. "

I would like to end my post there, but I feel compelled to ask anyone who is reading this to keep Jena and her family in your prayers. If you would like to pray The Memorare for her, the words are listed below.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

The Dangers of an SUV

2008-05-09T15:07:00.003-05:00

Let me start by saying I ALWAYS make sure I know exactly where all my kids are, and the neighborhood kids too, before I EVER back my truck out of the driveway! I have heard the horror stories, and I do not want one of my kids to become the victim of carelessness. No matter how much of a hurry I am in, I always take the time to make sure I know where the kids are.

That being said, Yesterday I was quite busy after the kids got home from school. I couldn't tell you exactly what I was busy doing. But I was supposed to pick Kate up from her friend's house at 4:30, and I remembered at 5:20 when we were getting ready to leave for baseball. Austin was finishing mowing the front lawn so I was going to hurry and get her from her friend's house, then come back and get ready to leave for baseball. I counted heads. Austin is on the front lawn with the lawn mower. His friend is across the street on his own front lawn. Shannon is in the house finishing her homework. Kyle is dressing for baseball. Kate is at her friend's house. Emily is in the car with me. Everyone is counted for, so I hurriedly back out of the driveway thinking Kate's friend's parents must wonder what kind of mother I am. Leaving my child an hour later than I said I would. I am flustered and my head is spinning. I never saw it, I never heard or felt the car hit it. It wasn't until I saw the look of shock on Austin's face that I realized, I ran over the garbage can full of grass clippings.

It had been sitting in the middle of the driveway. I knew it was there, but I forgot and I couldn't see it in my rear view mirror. The scary part was that I never realized I hit it. This was a big garbage can and it was full and heavy! It was bigger and heavier than a small child would be. It was a BIG reminder of how important it is to always be cautious when driving these SUV's. They are powerful machines!

A Nice, Hot Shower??

2008-05-08T21:01:00.004-05:00

I sent the kids off to school this morning and took care of a few things on the computer. Emily started getting fussy, so I laid her in my bed for a nap. I have to admit, I was a little tired so I laid with her for a while. My husband called and said he was coming home from work early today and thought we could go out for lunch. I decided I couldn't go out without a shower, so I finished up what I was doing earlier and then headed to the bathroom.

As I got in the shower, I thought about how nice it is to just relax and enjoy a shower for a change. I don't have to hurry and get ready to go anywhere. I don't have any kids pounding at the door because they need to use the bathroom. I don't have to rush out of the shower to break up a fight between a few of the kids. I can actually ENJOY this shower! At some point I heard my husband come in the front door. I knew he had some things to do before we could go to lunch so I continued to take my time. As I finished my shower, I turned the water up nice and hot and just stood under it. I contemplated staying there until the hot water ran out. Then I noticed it! I felt something on my neck. It felt kind of like a "skin tag". I don't have any skin tags! I grabbed it with my fingers and gave a little tug, but it was attached to my skin! I pulled open the shower curtain and tried to look in the fogged up mirror. All I could see was a small dark spot on my neck. But I don't have any beauty marks there, not on that side! I screamed for my husband to come help me. He yelled that he was in the middle of something, and was I OK? I yelled back to him "Yes, but I think I have tick on my neck!"

My husband comes up to the bathroom, takes one look and so sweetly says "Yep, you sure do!". Followed by, "Where the He-- did you get that?"

"I don't know." I told him, "But would you please get it off?"

"I don't know how to remove ticks." he tells me.

By this point I am getting extremely upset about the fact that there is a BUG stuck to me. I am not upset at my husband who is remaining pretty calm, but moving much too slow as far as I'm concerned. I am just kind of freaking out a bit. I suppose by this point I may have raised my voice, though I was trying to remain calm. I'm pretty sure I screamed something along the lines of "I don't care how you remove it, just get this thing OFF OF ME!"

He did manage to find a tweezers and pulled the tick out, head and all. The nasty thing was still alive and wiggling in the tweezers. GROSS!

I have no idea where it came from and how it got on me. I remember that I put on my winter coat this morning when I took the kids to school. My coat had been thrown in the back of the truck where the kids have been throwing their baseball bags and other stuff that has been who knows where. The only thing I can think of is that it must have been brought into the truck from somewhere else, found it's way onto my coat, and ended up on my neck! But just thinking that it must have been there all morning without my knowing still gives me the shivers.

After my husband saved me from the tick, he decided he needed to get online to make sure he did everything right. We were reassured that he accidentally did everything exactly as he should have, except for one thing. Apparently rather than flush it down the toilet, we needed to keep the tick in a jar. This way if I develop a rash, weakness, confusion, shortness of breath, or paralysis we can show it to the Doctor. I'm not sure how that's going to help, but I'll try to remember that in the future. For now, I guess if I have any symptoms the Dr. will just have to take my word for it.

Mom's Overture by Anita Renfroe

2008-04-16T07:50:00.001-05:00

If you are a Mom, or if you know a Mom you have to listen to this!

Words to Mom's Overture

2008-04-16T07:00:00.004-05:00

For those of you who may have missed a phrase or two, I am publishing the words Anita Renfroe wrote for "Mom's Overture".

Get up now, get up now, get up out of bed.
Wash your face, brush your teeth, comb your sleepyhead.
Here's your clothes, and your shoes. Hear the words I said.
Get up now, get up and make your bed.

Are you hot, are you cold, are you wearing that?
Where's your books and your lunch and your homework at?
Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat.
Don't forget, you've got to feed the cat!

Eat your breakfast, the experts tell us it's the most important meal of all.
Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall.
Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at three today.
Don't forget your piano lesson is this afternoon so you must play!

Don't shovel, chew slowly, but hurry, the bus is here!
Be careful, come back here, did you wash behind your ears?

Play outside, don't play rough, Would you just play fair?
Be polite, make a friend, don't forget to share.
Work it out, wait your turn, never take a dare.
Get along...Don't make me come down there!

Clean your room, fold your clothes, put your stuff away.
Make your bed, Do it now! Do we have all day?
Were you born in a barn, would you like some hay?
Can you even hear a word I say?

Answer the phone, Get off the phone.
Don't sit so close, turn it down, no texting at the table!
No more computer time tonight!
Your iPod's my iPod if you don't listen up!

Where you going and with whom and what time do you think you're coming home?
Saying thank you, please, excuse me makes you welcome everywhere you roam!
You'll appreciate my wisdom someday when you're older and your grown.
Can't wait 'till you have a couple little children of your own!

You'll thank me, for the counsel, I gave you so willingly.
But right now, I thank you, NOT to roll your eyes at me!

Close your mouth when you chew, would appreciate
Take a bite, maybe two of the stuff you hate.
Use your fork, do not burp, or I'll set you straight.
Eat the food I put upon your plate!

Get and A, get the door, don't get smart with me!
Get a grip, get up here, I'll count to three!
Get a job, get a life, get a PhD!
Get a dose of ...

I don't care who started it,You're grounded until you're 36!
Get your story straight and tell the truth for once for heavens sake!

AND if all your friends, jumped off a cliff would you jump too?

If I 've said it once, I've said at least a thousand times before
That YOU'RE too old to act this way, It must be your father's DNA!

Look at me when I am talking, stand up straighter when you walk.
A place for everything, and everything must be in place.
Stop crying or I'll give you something REAL to cry about!
Oh!

Brush your teeth, wash your face, get your Pj's on.
Get in bed, get a hug, say a prayer with mom.
Don't forget,
I Love You!
***KISS***

And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom's work never ends!

You don't need the reason why!
Because, because , because , because
I said so, I said so, I said so, I said so!
I'm the Mom!
The Mom, the Mom, the Mom! The Mom!
Ta-da!

Life Happens...

2008-04-08T12:24:00.011-05:00

...And so does death.

As I prepare for the death of Gram, I have been looking for answers and explanations. Not so much the why's. We all know Gram is 89 years old. Her body appears old and fragile. For many months now she has fought the good fight. She has lived a very happy and fullfilling life. That's not to say she didn't go through any hard times. She just was always able to look beyond her troubles, knowing that God has a greater purpose for her and all of us. I think it is HER great faith that has brought me to where I am today. I am not afraid to let her go. I cry tears of sadness because I will miss her terribly. I cry tears of joy because I know she will finally be reunited with God, Aunt Dorothy, Brittney and all of those who went before her.

The answers I am looking for I have not yet found. What is keeping her here? She has said many times she is not afraid to die. Many of us have felt at one point or another over the past few days that Gram was trying to tell us she is leaving and that she is OK with that. Don't get me wrong, I am not anxious to get rid of her. I cherish every moment I have left with her. But I am anxious about not knowing when she will go. It is this anxiety that got me searching the internet for answers. I Googled "Death and Dying". Then I Googled "The Dying Process". I read a lot of interesting things, but I did not find the answers I was looking for.

I suppose there are no answers, and the best we can do is continue to be here for Gram and each other as long as she needs us to be. I find strength in Grams faith and knowing that one day I will see her again. And I suppose that is what draws me to the following story I found while surfing the internet last night. I would like to share it with you.

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!”

”Gone where?”

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: ‘Here she comes!”

And that is dying.

Henry Van Dyke

Poetry Wednesday

2008-04-02T09:08:00.003-05:00

Here is this weeks winner for Poetry Wednesday. I hope the weather warms up again so the kids can STAY outside!

Out-of Doors

The kids are out-of-doors once more;
The heavy leggings that they wore,
The winter caps that covered ears
Are put away, and no more tears
Are shed because they cannot go
Until they're bundled up just so.
No more she wonders when they're gone
If they have put their rubbers on;
No longer are they hourly told
To guard themselves against a cold;
Bareheaded now they romp and run
Warmed only by the kindly sun.
She's put their heavy clothes away
And turned the children out to play,
And all the morning long they race
Like madcaps round about the place.
The robins on the fences sing
A gayer song of welcoming,
And seems as though they had a share
In all the fun they're having there.
The wrens and sparrows twitter, too,
A louder and a noisier crew,
As though it pleased them all to see
The youngsters out of doors and free.
Outdoors they scamper to their play
With merry din the livelong day,
And hungrily they jostle in
The favor of the maid to win;
Then, armed with cookies or with cake,
Their way into the yard they make,
And every feathered playmate comes
To gather up his share of crumbs.
The finest garden that I know
Is one where little children grow,
Where cheeks turn brown and eyes are bright,
And all is laughter and delight.
Oh, you may brag of gardens fine,
But let the children race in mine;
And let the roses, white and red,
Make gay the ground whereon they tread.
And who for bloom perfection seeks,
Should mark the color on their cheeks;
No music that the robin spouts
Is equal to their merry shouts;
There is no foilage to compare
With youngsters' sun-kissed, tousled hair:
Spring's greatest joy beyond a doubt
Is when it brings the children out.
-Edgar Guest

Easter Break!

2008-03-31T09:00:00.083-05:00

I meant to post often over spring break. I thought we would be busy, and there would be plenty to post about. Well, I was right about one thing, we were busy. Let me give you the quick run down.

First, we made cookies at Gram's house!

Then we colored Easter Eggs!

(It is quite an art form you know)

We had a lot of fun hunting for eggs...

And enjoyed the company of family for brunch AND dinner!

We traveled back in time to the midieval days where we saw a live falcon presentation, a tournament with horses and jousting, and knights in a battle for glory!

We met the King
the Prince and Princess,

and our knight in shining armor, The Black and White Knight.

Did I mention we celebrated some birthdays?

Somewhere between all of that, we found time to enjoy some of the brief but beautiful weather outside. Now break is over and it's time to go back to school. The kids are disappointed but I reminded them we only have 2 more months until Summer Vacation!

Hug O' War

2008-03-26T08:53:00.003-05:00

You asked for it, and here it is. The winner of my poetry poll. One of my favorites as well. For Poetry Wednesday, I give you...

Hug O' War

I will not play at tug o' war,
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs,
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles,
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

-Shel Silverstein

Spring!

2008-03-25T22:00:00.000-05:00

Finally! It feels like spring today! I slept this morning because I worked last night. But then we spent the entire afternoon and a good part of the evenining outside. We went to the park where all the kids ran around. It was crowded today, but who cares, we all had fun. Our park is split into two parts. One part has large slides and climbing obstacles for the bigger kids. The other part has smaller slides and swings for the little kids. Can you guess which park Emily had the most fun at? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't the smaller one. No, she wanted to run around with the big kids. It didn't matter that some of them were high schoolers. She was not intimidated. Of course I kept a close eye on her. But I have to say, all the kids at the park were well behaved. We flew kites, rode bikes, played football, threw frisbees. Thank God we finally had some nice weather for running around in. And the best part? Everyone couldn't wait to go to sleep tonight. Me too!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T15:19:00.005-05:00

Happy Easter from my family to yours! This year seemed much colder than years before, but I suppose that is due to Easter being so early this year. I know last year was definitly greener than this year!

But we found ways to add our own bits of color!

Popcorn or Cookies?

2008-03-21T14:25:00.005-05:00

Here is a recent conversation between Emily, Daddy and Mommy.

Mommy: "Emily get your coat on so we can go to Gram's."

(Emily lays on the floor with her blanket.)

Daddy: "Emily, Daddy is going to make popcorn. Do you want to stay and have popcorn?"

Emily: "Oh, popcorn?"

Mommy: "We are going to make cookies at Gram's."

Emily: "Oh, cookies?"

Daddy: "Daddy is going to make LOTS of popcorn!"

Emily: "Oh, lots of popcorn?"

Mommy: "We are going to make lots of cookies at grams and frosting too."

Emily: "Oh, cookies AND frosting? Oh-kayte!"

Emily puts her coat on and we leave. Sorry, Daddy but it looks like cookies and frosting beat popcorn!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-19T19:01:00.009-05:00

I know St. Patrick's Day was 2 days ago, but that was Monday and today is Poetry Wednesday! So we'll continue the celebration a little longer with a little Irish poem.

There's a dear little plant that grows in Ireland.

'Twas St. Patrick himself sure that set it.

And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile.

And a tear from his eye oft-times wet it.

It grows through the bog...

Through the brake, and through the mireland.

And it's called the dear little Shamrock of Ireland.

Welcome Anthony Louis!!

2008-03-18T08:56:00.004-05:00

We are very excited to announce the arrival of a new nephew/cousin, Anthony Louis!! He was born on his Mommy's birthday, and weighed in at a grand 5lb 11oz. At a whopping 19inches, one has to wonder if he will take after his Grandpa! I know these numbers don't seem that big, but he did arrive more than a few weeks early. His cousins are thrilled to finally meet him. Shannon promises not to hold a grudge, even though he missed her birthday by 1hour and 21 minutes.

By the way, Happy Belated Birthday Jenny!

Loser

2008-03-13T08:49:00.017-05:00

So I missed Poetry Wednesday. Sorry about that. I have appropriately selected a Shel Silverstein poem. Sorry, It's not Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me. No, instead I give you Loser.

Loser

Mama said I'd lose my head
If it wasn't fastened on.
Today I guess it wasn't
'Cause while playin' with my cousin
It fell off and rolled away
And now it's gone.

And I can't look for it
'Cause my eyes are in it,
And I can't call to it
'Cause my mouth is on it
(Couldn't hear it anyway
'Cause my ears are on it),
Can't even think about it
'Cause my brain is in it.
So I guess I'll sit down
On this rock
And rest for just a minute
-Shel Silverstein

An Irish Blessing

2008-03-05T20:07:00.006-06:00

I had intended to write more this week, but as many of you know it has been a very busy week. It's late Wednesday as I am finally sitting to do my promised Wednesday Poem. In honor of Tommy Finnegan I bring you a prayer and an Irish Blessing.

God saw you getting weary,
He did what He thought was best;
He put His arms around you
And said "Come and rest".
He opened up His golden gates
On that heartbreaking day,
And with His arms around you
You gently slipped away.
It broke our hearts to lose you
You did not go alone;
A part of us went with you
The day God called you home.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

The greatest pain a parent can ever know is the loss of a child. My prayers are with Brian and Kathy as they begin this difficult journey. I only hope it is not too long before they can think of Tommy and smile without tears.

Poor Man's

2008-02-29T09:16:00.006-06:00

My husband told me when we were married I had to learn how to make his mother's Poor Man's Casserolle. It was a regular meal in their home, and one of his favorites. It was either that or Tuna Fish Casserolle. Growing up with more than several cats in our house, just looking at Tuna makes me think CAT FOOD! The thought of actually eating the stuff is absolutely disgusting. Not only was I not going to learn how to make it, he is not allowed to make it in the house unless I am out of town. The smell lingers for days.

So I learned to make the Poor Man's, and it soon became a favorite in our house as well. Nobody complains about dinner when Poor Man's is on the table, and there is rarely any left in the pan when we are done.

At special request, I will share this recipie with you today. It is really simple, and even the greenest chef can produce a perfect dish. The ingredients are approximate, and can be adjusted depending on whether you like it more meaty or more soupy.

First, the ingredients:

1lb box of elbow noodles
4-5 10 oz cans of tomato soup
1-2 pounds of ground beef
approx. 16 slices of american cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles as directed on the box. while they are cooking, brown your ground beef. Remove as much grease from the cooked meat as you can. Then add the cans of tomato soup to the cooked meat. Reduce heat to low and allow the soup/meat mixture to simmer, stirring often so it does not burn. When noodles are cooked, strain the water. Then dump the noodles into a 10x14 pan. Pour the soup/meat mixture over the noodles. Stir in the soup until it is al evenly mixed. Level off the top of the casserolle. Then layer the slices of american cheese accross the top. Cover the pan with a larger pan or aluminum foil. (If using foil, be careful so it does not fall onto the cheese. The cheese will stick. using toothpicks can help with this) Let sit for at least 5 minutes or so. Serve with a spatula.

Do You Believe?

2008-02-28T17:00:00.003-06:00

My 5 year old daughter Kate lost a tooth last weekend while visiting her cousins in Wisconsin. Knowing that the tooth was very loose and would most likely fall out while she was gone, I made sure her Aunt Cuckoo knew how to handle the situation. Kate was thrilled when she came home from her trip with not one, but TWO golden dollars from the tooth fairy!

A few days later, my oldest son Austin (11) was complaining that a loose tooth was annoying him. He kept wiggling it and insisting it needed to come out soon because it was bothering him. Well today, He woke up for school in the morning and PROUDLY announced to the ENTIRE house that he "knew there was no such thing as the tooth fairy and now I have the proof!" I knew immediately that this was not a good situation and needed to be diffused immediately. He declared that he had pulled out his tooth the evening before and without telling any one he put it under his pillow. When he got up this morning, the tooth was still there and there was NO money! I quickly and loudly explained to Austin that the reason he did not get a visit from the tooth fairy was because he stopped believing in her and this hurt her feelings. After all, how would he feel if no one believed in him?? I insisted he keep his mouth shut while he thought about this. A little later, I approached him in his bedroom and made sure he clearly understood that if their were any such announcements about the Easter Bunny, he could be certain that their would be no Easter Basket waiting for him Easter morning. I told him he had better stop and think about how he will feel Easter morning if everyone else has a basket and he doesn't. He admitted that he would be sad and his feelings would be hurt if he did not get a basket too. So I reminded him that he does NOT want to hurt the Easter Bunny's feelings by announcing that he does not exist either. We'll see how well this holds up over the next few weeks.

Too bad for Ausin. He still has several more baby teeth in his mouth and the way I figure it, he could have kept collecting until his two year old sister was at least his age.

Poetry Wednesday

2008-02-27T10:34:00.005-06:00

Shannon has recently been given an assignment to do research and write a paragraph on a famous/important person. Coincidentally, the person she was assigned is one of my favorite poets, Shel Silverstein. As I thought about this, my thoughts trailed back to my childhood and how much I enjoyed reading children's poetry. I've decided to revisit this, and bring you along.

From now on every Wednesday will be Poetry Wednesday and will feature one of my favorite poems from when I was young. Many of them I still enjoy now.

The first poem I would like to share with you is the first poem I ever memorized and one of my all time favorites. I'm not sure what drew me to this poem. Perhaps it was just the free, careless feeling you get while reading it. I think I also loved the picture that accompanied it in the book I used to have. I don't know where the book is at the moment, but I can still imagine it. It was a picture of a young girl, all dressed up in a white frilly dress with a pick sash. She is sitting on an old fashioned rope swing tied to a tree in the countryside.

Anyway, here is your poem.

The Swing
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantist thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside-

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown-
Up in th air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
-Robert Louis Stevenson

There's always a third option..

2008-02-25T20:13:00.005-06:00

My husband was sleeping in this morning because he did not feel well. Perhaps he caught my cold?? Anyway, I needed to go to the store to do the grocery shopping for the week. Emily was in need of a nap, but rather than fight with a two year old I decided to give her an option.

"Do you want to go shopping with Mommy, or take a nap with Daddy?"

Knowing that she loves to go shopping and she hates napping with daddy I thought I knew what her answer would be.

I was wrong she replied quite simply, "I play Play-doh!"

I guess their is always a third option with a two year old.

p.s. Yes, I managed to skip the play-doh and convince her to go shopping. She took a nap later.

I Don't Do Sick

2008-02-20T08:45:00.003-06:00

Those of you who know me know that I am usually very healthy. I don't get sick very often. I have a theory for this. It's pretty simple. I don't do sick. It's not something I am very good at. Not that anyone actually enjoys being sick, but some people deal with it better than others. Some people can crawl into bed with their tea and tissue boxes and stay there for days while they nurse themselves back to health. Some people are really good at getting others to wait on them while they are sick. If either of these sound like you, I mean no offense by it. There is nothing wrong with staying in bed for days and having others take care of you. It just doesn't work for me. I don't like to be tied down. I lay in bed and think of all the things I need to be doing. I don't like to depend on others to do things for me. Sure I could tell my husband to go to the grocery store and get something for dinner (and today I just might). I could ask the kids to get the clothes out of the dryer and put them away. I could ask someone to put the clothes from the washing machine into the dryer and start another load. As far as the dirty dishes in the sink, I know those will be waiting for me until I feel better. The rest of the family would rather use paper and plastic than have to do dishes! But the bottom line is, I don't like depending on others to do things for me.

So her I am. It hit me like a train last night while my husband was out at the little league baseball draft. I started sneezing. Then my head started to feel stuffy. Soon after that, my eyes started to get that dry, burning feeling. I can feel that awful nasal drip down the back of my throat. I am so glad I don't have to go to work the next couple nights. And I hope I am feeling better by the time I do have to go back to work. But I am also disappointed that I feel this way when I finally have a few nights off.

I took some cold medicine this morning, and I am starting to feel a little better. Did I mention I HATE the way that stuff makes you feel all druggy? Anyway, I think I will load the dishwasher, transfer the wash and start another load. Then I will crawl into bed and try to pretend I know how to be sick. Hopefully I will feel better by tomorrow, because I don't do sick!

For The Birds

2008-02-19T09:02:00.004-06:00

One of the first things we did when we bought our house was to start taking apart the carport. It is unstable and just an eyesore. We removed the plywood on the underside, and that is about as far as we got. We need to put in new supports, and it only makes sense to redo the driveway at the same time.

There are now small openings which appear to be the perfect size for sparrows' nests. Over the past two years we have had several sparrows who have decided to make our carport their home. They seem harmless enough, (except for the occasional dropping on my car) and the kids enjoy listening and watching for the baby birds every spring.

I do have a new concern this winter. We have found at least 4 or 5 dead birds over the past few weeks. I can't help but wonder why they are suddenly dying. I know we have a hawk in the area, and our first thought was maybe he was killing them. But I would think he would take them and eat them if that was the case, not just leave them lying around. I wonder if they are eating something that could be making them sick? And if that is the case, should I be concerned about the dog? Maybe the problem is that they are not able to find enough food with all this snow, or perhaps it has been to cold for them this winter.

If anyone knows anything about birds, particularly sparrows, I would appreciate some answers to what could be happening to them. Eventually, the carport will be torn down, and the sparrows will lose their home. But for now, I am concerned about what could be causing them to die.

Chicago Auto Show

2008-02-17T21:35:00.000-06:00

We took the boys to the Chicago Auto Show today. It was very crowded, but they had a lot of fun. One of their favorite displays is the ARMY display.

They are awed by the trucks, tanks and helicopters.

We also saw some motorcycles. I tried to get Jeff to sit on one, but I guess he is camera shy. Austin was more than happy to jump on!

We looked at all the different cars. At the Toyota booth, Austin got the chance to make his own commercial! Uncle Danny will be so proud. Check it out!

Welcome Finley!

2008-02-16T13:00:00.003-06:00

Welcome Finley Ames, and congratulations to Patrick and Sarah on the arrival of their new daughter! For those of you who would like to keep up with what is going on in her new world, her parents have put together this site. I've seen the pictures, and she is absolutely beautiful. She may have her dad's musical talents, but I think she look a lot like her mom!

Look Out Hannah Montana!

2008-02-09T09:40:00.011-06:00

Last week, Sue and I took the girls to see the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana 3D Movie. We parked 3 blocks away, and had to walk through the snow and slush to get to the theatre. It was cold, but everyone was too excited to care.

I have attended a few concerts in the past, and I have to say in some ways this was better than a live concert. With the 3D effect, you felt like you were right there and every seat was a front row seat! I liked that they showed some behind the scenes. I think it shows the girls that it's not all fun, some of it is actually work!

As you can see, the girls had a very good time!

After the show, the girls showed off some of their best star poses.

We even got to see some of thier best dance moves!

I can't belives that some people paid as much as they did for tickets to the live concert. Our seats were much better, and as you can see, the girls definitely enjoyed themselves. The giggling and singing continued all the way home! It was totally worth the touble of getting down there.

Beware the Sleepwalker!

2008-02-07T11:12:00.000-06:00

So I have fallen a little behind in my blogging. What can I say, Life Happens!

To bring you up to date, some of you may already know we got rid of Emily's crib. She started trying to climb out of it at night when she would wake up and throw tantrums. You have to love a two year old. Anyway, I was afraid of her falling out so we decided to get rid of it. Kate had well outgrown the toddler bed she was still sleeping in. Because of a lack of space in their room we decided to skip the toddler bed with Emily and get bunk beds for the younger girls. Another factor in this decision was that one way or the other, we would have to put bunk beds in their bedroom. If I gave the bunks to the older girls, Shannon would most likely want the top bunk. Even though she is the oldest of the girls, I was not at all comfortable with that idea. You see, Shannon is the occasional sleepwalker. Since she was a toddler she would get up during the night dazed and confused. She doesn't seem to know where she is, and usually mumbles nonsense. We quickly learned that the urge to use the toilet seemed to be what would "wake" her. If we sent her back to bed, she would wake up wet in the morning. If we guided her to the toilet, she would go to the bathroom and back to sleep. In the morning she would be dry. Now when she gets up at night, we gently guide her to the bathroom and then send her back to bed.

So now that Emily has a big bed, she likes me to lay with her at bedtime before she goes to sleep. I worked Monday night and did not sleep all day Tuesday because the kids were off school. By Tuesday night, I was beyond exhausted. I laid down with Emily around 9:00pm and fell asleep with her. I woke up at about 1:00 when Shannon got out of bed and was walking towards the bunk bed. I thought she was coming to tell me something. She continued to walk past me and then proceeded to climb the ladder to the top bunk. I leaned over and asked her "Shannon! What are you doing??" To which she responded. " I have to go to the bathroom." I laughed and told her she is going the wrong way, she needs to get down and go the other way to the bathroom.

I have to wonder what would have happened if I was not there in Emily's bed. Would Shannon have laid down and gone to sleep with Kate? Or would she have gone to the bathroom in Kate's bed?!! I guess we'll never know. And I guess putting Kate and Emily in the bunk bed did not take care of my worries with Shannon's sleepwalking.

If you are wondering, I asked Shannon the next day and no she does not remember any of this happening.

HOORAY FOR SNOW!

2008-01-03T15:16:00.000-06:00

Winter break is almost over and we have not yet had a chance to go sledding. So after lunch today, we decided to head out and hit the hills.

READY?

SET?

GO!

NO, STOP!!!

Some of us went airbourn!

Some of us preferred to watch.

But we all had fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2008-01-02T22:27:00.000-06:00

Does that say Happy Birthday Jess???

Looks like someone got into the cake early!

But I want it NOW!!!

Oh well, Happy Birthday anyway!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-01-01T00:46:00.000-06:00

Let me be the first to wish all of you a Happy New Year!

Wow, December really flew by. I can't believe it has been 2 1/2 weeks since my last post. It has definitely been a busy 2 1/2 weeks! Christmas concerts, Birthdays, more Christmas concerts, more Birthdays. Not to mention Christmas squeezed in there somewhere. Everyone seemed to enjoy Christmas. The kids are enjoying all their gifts. We haven't done anything exciting over break due to the fact that we have been in and out of the Dr.'s office with Strep Throat. Four of the Five kids are being treated with antibiotics. If you can be the first to guess which of my children does NOT have Strep, I might be handing out prizes. Anyway, we have stayed home all week which has given the kids a chance to really get into their gifts and tear the house apart.

The Christmas Tree came down Sunday. I couldn't take the mess anymore, and the kids needed room to play. I left the decorations in the windows, and the outside lights are still up. I'm not a total scrooge.

I have many pictures I was hoping to share, but haven't had a chance to go through them and get them posted. Maybe I'll get some up later. Considering the 5 nights in row I will be working the end of this week, any pictures will most likely be posted after the kids go back to school.

I have to add that the whole family is enjoying the Wii the kids received for Christmas. We have all been competing for the best scores on Guitar Hero III daily. Jeff and I continue to play after the kids go to bed. I think we're all addicted. Thanks to Danny and Lisa, Jenny and John!

So once again,

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and here's to a great 2008!

Moms' Night Out

2007-12-14T00:53:00.000-06:00

I got an invitation to the 4th graders Moms' Night Out. I guess this group of moms have been doing this every December since their kids started school. I think this is the 4th year, since the kids are now in 4th grade. I know I've seen a letter before in years past, but I never bothered to go. This year, one of the moms organizing it kept asking if I was going so I figured why not? It's Jeff's poker night, so I arranged for Grandma to take the kids. She kept them overnight so I wouldn't have to rush home to get them to bed before going to work. Thanks Mom!

I have to say, I almost didn't go. Jeff got stuck working late. I had to get the kids homework done, fed dinner, changed into pj's, and packed for school in the morning. They weren't listening well at all, and by the time I dropped them off I was 15 minutes late. It just seemed like too much work for a couple hours out. But Grandma had the kids, and I told the other moms I was coming, so I went.

When I got there, I didn't see anyone I knew. I walked through the entire restaurant and bar, but could not find them. I was trying to decide whether to keep looking or just leave, when I saw 2 other moms come in. Apparently, I was the first one there! We sat and waited for the rest to arrive. In the end I think there were 9 of us. Four moms I knew, and the other 4 I didn't. The four I didn't know disappeared to the bar for a smoke and didn't return until dinner was over, so I guess I can say I still don't know them. I was introduced, and I know there names, but I'm so bad with names I'll have forgotten them by next week. The rest of us had a nice dinner. We talked about work, kids, husbands and housekeeping. It was so nice to talk with other moms and realize that we all deal with many of the same issues. After dinner we had a grab bag. I got a pretty red candle that will look nice on my living room cocktail table and a snowman ornament for the tree. By the time dinner was over, I had to head to work. I think the rest of them went to the bar. I'm not a big drinker, so I don't mind missing that part.

In the end I'm really glad I went. It was just the break I needed in what has been a very busy holiday season. Needless to say, I left in a much better mood than I arrived in. I think I might even go again next year!

Just Another Day...

2007-12-12T10:35:00.000-06:00

After a VERY busy weekend, and my last of 3 nights in a row at work, I came home yesterday morning to find Kate sick. She had crawled into bed with Jeff at about 5am and proceeded to throw up all over MY side of the bed. Jeff stripped the bedding, and stated washing it, then put some fresh sheets on the bed. As I got the other kids ready for school, I timed Kate's "episodes". She was vomiting every 5 minutes! I tried taking her temperature, it showed 95 degrees. Darn, I hate those digital thermometers. Is this right, or is their something wrong with the thermometer? Maybe the battery is going out? How do you know? I really miss the days of mercury! Finally I got the kids off to school. Jeff stayed home from work and is going to take care of some shopping. I wanted to go with him after a nap, but I have to stay home with Kate. After he had left, I try to get Kate and myself settled down. I have fresh sheets, but no quilt. I thought I had an extra blanket laying across the foot of the bed yesterday, and I started looking for it. I thought maybe it would have fallen off the foot of the bed and still be OK. I looked on the floor, but did not find it. I have some clean clothes sitting on my cedar chest that I haven't put away yet. I thought Jeff may have tossed the blanket over there. I didn't find the blanket, but let me tell you what I did find. Apparently Kate's vomit went projectile because everything within a three foot radius from my side of the bed is splattered. Clean clothes, dirty clothes, old dresses I've been meaning to pack away. I guess I'll be doing laundry all day. Kate's episodes of vomiting finally started to slow down. Every 8 min, every 11 min, 14 min... Finally at about 9:30 she fell asleep. She woke up at 12:30 and was feeling fine! She ate a light lunch and played with Emily all afternoon. She ate dinner, watched TV and went to bed. She got up this morning feeling fine, so I threw her in a quick shower and sent her off to school.

Now I can finally get some things done today. Not so fast! The kids got a late start today. It is usually their responsibility to take care of the dog in the morning, but today I waited until they were gone and then I let the dog out. I watched as he did his business, both #1 and #2. He came in and I fed him. Since I was downstairs, I decided to take care of some more laundry. I took the clothes out of the dryer and Emily helped me fold them. Then we went back in the laundry room and she helped me put the clothes from the washing machine into the dryer. Halfway through this, Bailey came in and stood at the back door. I figured he must need to go out again, so I opened the door. He ran into the pen and as I watched him I noticed he seems to have some diarrhea. Boy does it smell! I can smell it from the basement door! When he is done, I let him back in. I was going to go back upstairs to get more clothes when I saw it! There on the basement carpet is a pile of crap! I yell at the dog. Then I yell at Emily to stay away. After I finally get it all cleaned up, I decide I need some breakfast. I wash up and Emily and I go upstairs to share a bowl of cereal. After breakfast, we play for a little bit. I change her diaper and decide it is time to get our day started. I go to the basement to get her some clothes when I almost step in it! The darn dog threw up! Not once, not twice, but three times! He had been jumping around playing with Emily while I was doing laundry earlier. It probably upset his stomach after having just eaten. As I cleaned up after the dog again I have to wonder, when does it end and who will be next?

Politics or Comedy?

2007-12-04T01:42:00.000-06:00

OK, I am by no means a political person. I don't claim to be democratic or republican. I vote for the candidate I feel is most suitable. I do like to follow The Carpetbagger Report. Even though this site is strongly democratic, it helps me catch up with what is going on in the political world. As a mother of five young children, I just had to share this story. The following was recently posted here:

Yesterday, I got an email from a regular reader noting that Clinton’s campaign had referenced in a press release an essay Obama wrote when he was in kindergarten, titled, “I Want To Become President.” In all sincerity, I assumed the email was a joke, parodying the intensity of the campaign season. There’s simply no way, I thought, that Clinton would reference something Obama wrote before first grade. I didn’t even make a note of it, because I assumed it was a joke.

It wasn’t. Obama, apparently as a subtle dig at Clinton, told a Boston audience yesterday, “I’m not running to fulfill some long held plans or because I think it’s open to me.” The Clinton campaign

tried to turn the tables, citing decades of examples, including these:

In third grade, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled ‘I Want To Be a President.’ His third grade teacher: Fermina Katarina Sinaga “asked her class to write an essay titled ‘My dream: What I want to be in the future.’ Senator Obama wrote ‘I want to be a President,’ she said.” [The Los Angeles Times, 3/15/07]

In kindergarten, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled ‘I Want to Become President.’ “Iis Darmawan, 63, Senator Obama’s kindergarten teacher, remembers him as an exceptionally tall and curly haired child who quickly picked up the local language and had sharp math skills. He wrote an essay titled, ‘I Want To Become President,’ the teacher said.” [AP, 1/25/07

I found this to be quite humorous. I also enjoyed some of the comments posted on his site regarding this article and found myself laughing out loud. I will share some of them with you as well.

On December 3rd, 2007 at 4:46 pm, adam said:
Who the hell writes essay’s in kindergarten?

On December 3rd, 2007 at 6:41 pm, CalD said:

I’m thinking of suing my grade school though. We sure as heck weren’t writing essays in my kindergarten class. I feel deprived.

On December 3rd, 2007 at 8:58 pm, ERA said:
Obama was living in Jakarta at this point in his life. So, the Clinton camp shouldn’t worry. He meant President of Indonesia.

On December 4th, 2007 at 2:08 am, goatchowder said:

First of all, kindergardeners don’t talk like that.
Secondly, Obama “wrote” an essay in kindergarden? An ESSAY? A five-year-old? Are you high?
Kindergardeners can barely form letters properly, let alone spell “president”. If they write a sentence of more than 3 words, you got a genius. If they spell even one of them correctly, hooray.

On December 3rd, 2007 at 4:35 pm, The answer is orange said:

If he’d written an essay titled “I want to be a fire man,” in 1st grade would Camp HRC claim he can’t make up his mind?

And um. No offense to his teachers, but I can’t remember crap I wrote two months ago. How the hell are they able to recall what one student wrote a few decades ago?

I have to say I agree with most of these comments. I know if I asked my kindergartner to write an essay about being president, it would probably look and sound something like this:

I wont to bee pursednt bcouz i can liv in a big wit haus.

I doubt if any kindergarten student has dreams of being president so they can improve world relations, help the national deficit or improve health care. Could it be that my children are just average, and people like Obama and Clinton were just much more advanced for their age?

I doubt it!

OUCH!

2007-11-30T01:53:00.000-06:00

As you know we had some trouble with our furnace the other day. While I was waiting for the serviceman to arrive, I thought I should straighten the house a bit. So I picked up some things in the living room, cleared the dining room table, and then went downstairs and straightened the basement. As usual, Emily followed me through the house repeating "Hepp you Mommy?" When I was done, and the house looked decent, I decided to vacuum the basement. I pulled out the vacuum cleaner, and Emily says "Ouchie Mommy?". I told her no, no ouchies today. Just cleaning. Somehow I don't think she believed me because as soon as I turned the vacuum on, both she and the dog ran upstairs!

This all stems from an incident several weeks ago. Someone broke a picture frame in the living room. As usual, Emily was eager to help me clean it up. I had already picked up the big pieces, and wanted to vacuum the little pieces. I was afraid she would hurt herself on the glass, so I told her over and over, "No Emily! OUCH!". Well she got the idea alright. I don't think she will ever go near a vacuum cleaner again!

By the way, the furnace just needed to be cleaned and is working fine now.

Why Put Off Till Tomorrow? Because It's Cold!

2007-11-28T14:30:00.000-06:00

I had a very busy Holiday Week with several trips back and forth from Indiana. We returned home Saturday afternoon and I had to work the next three nights. So basically my house has fallen apart again and today was the day to put it back together. I had plans to do laundry, go grocery shopping and straighten some of the messes around the house. But alas, I discovered late this morning that the furnace is not working. We had the same problem 2 years ago, though on a much colder day, and it was just a matter of cleaning a sensor. Stupid technology these days. Who would think that the furnace wouldn't work because a sensor is dirty? So I packed up the baby and went to Grams where it is a bit warmer than my house. We had lunch and now here we sit waiting for the furnace guy to call. I am thankful at least that it is a decent day. The temperature outside is in the upper 40's. The house right now is in the 60's. Last time we had a problem, It was bitter cold outside, the furnace stopped working overnight, and we woke up to a house in the 40's. Hopefully in a few hours the house will be nice and toasty again.

What would you do?

2007-11-27T08:48:00.000-06:00

The boys have both been needing haircuts. I try to let it grow a while before the holidays, so when they get it cut, it looks nice for pictures. It has been growing, and it is definitely time to get it trimmed. I had a chance to take Austin before his religion class last night. We ran to Supercuts, and they got us in right away. The lady asked Austin how he wanted it done. He told her to ask me. So I told her, HE wants a buzz, but DO NOT buzz it. I said I like it longer for the holidays so he can part it and comb it to the side. I told her to just clean it up a little bit. I left him with her and sat down with a magazine. That was my first mistake. He came to me a few minutes later with damp hair saying he was done. His hair did not look like it had been cut at all. It wasn't even combed! I tried to part it to the side with my fingers to see if it looked any different, and I couldn't believe she called this a haircut. I tried to be nice about it, although my instincts said just leave and go somewhere else. I told her she needed to take some more off because his hair grows really fast. She said she would have to pull out the clippers then. I told her OK. He went back to the chair, and I picked up the magazine again. This was mistake number 3 ( #2 was not leaving when my instincts told me to). When he came back, he was all smiles, she buzzed it. It's not a short buzz, and it actually looks a little awkward. Kind of like it does those few weeks as I try to grow out his buzz at the end of every summer. At this point, I was so frustrated I just wanted to get out of there. So I paid her the $9.95 and left.

After I got home, I was still steaming about this. I made it clear to her when we came in that I did NOT want her to buzz it. I did not feel that I was giving her permission to buzz it when she told me she needed to use the clippers. Now, I have to wait a few more weeks for it to grow out again, and hopefully get it trimmed just before Christmas. It doesn't look bad, it's just not what I told her to do.

Jeff said I shouldn't have paid for the haircut, but I was in a hurry and did not have time for a confrontation with the hairdresser or management. I feel like I should call Supercuts and complain, but what will that get me? A free haircut next time I come in? I don't think I want to go back there. At the same time, I have a clipper at home, and if I wanted it buzzed I could have done a better job myself for free.

So I am just wondering, what would you my loyal readers do? Would you have left without paying? Even though pressed for time, would you have stopped and complained to the hairdresser or management? Would you call to complain after the fact even though your not likely to get any satisfaction anyway? Or would you have handled the situation completely differently?

Go AWAY Santa!

2007-11-25T00:32:00.000-06:00

Today we went to cut down our Christmas Tree. There is a very nice tree farm in Indiana we have been to once before. After you cut down your tree, they shake the loose needles off, and then bale the tree. You load it onto the horse-drawn wagon, and then you and your tree ride back to the Christmas village. There you will find a gift shop with all kinds of ornaments and other Christmas decorations. This is also where you pay for your tree. With the weather so nice today, it was a busy place. The line went all the way to the back of the store. I stood in line while Jeff's mom took the kids to the "Good Eats" barn for some treats and hot cocoa. Jeff took the tree to the truck. While in line, I had plenty of time to window shop. I couldn't help myself and had to make one impulsive buy when I found myself giggling out loud. I found a small sign that looks like it should hang on a doorknob. I think I will hang it on the railing at the stairway that goes up to the bedrooms. It read, "One thing I have learned in life is that if you want something really badly, you have to keep your room clean all week!" My kids smiled and pouted when I showed it to them.

After a small snack, we continued to walk around. They have a small petting zoo with a few young cows. You can see some real reindeer, and a few peacocks and other unusual birds. We had the dog with us, and he found all these animals and new scents very interesting. I was surprised at how well he behaved. He sniffed at the cows through the fencing, and they met nose to nose, but his tail wagged constantly. I think he would have liked to have jumped in the pen and played with them. Then we took some pictures as the kids played on a wooden train and tractor.

Finally we headed over to the wreath barn to look at the different wreaths and swags. As we finished looking there, Jeff and I were ready to leave. Katelyn, sounding very disappointed insisted she wanted to see Mrs. Clause. So we stopped by Santa's house so Kate could say hello to Mrs. Clause who had been standing outside. Next thing I know, we were in line to see Santa himself. Now I was going to skip this step today because I had caught a glimpse of Santa earlier, and lets just say he didn't look like I remembered him. He was a little scruffy looking today. But Katelyn did not hesitate to go sit on his lap and talk to him when our turn came. After she was done, Kyle went in. I kept telling the kids they could go together in the hopes of getting done sooner, but they each took a turn. Shannon and Austin looked slightly embarrassed and each offered for the other to go first. Austin graciously went and sat on Santa's lap for a few seconds while he said hello, and then Shannon. As each of them left, Santa handed them a small candy cane. Now I have been coaxing Emily for this moment for a while. Showing her pictures of Santa and telling her who he is in the hopes that his face would become familiar and maybe I could get a picture of her on his lap this year. What happened next, only a video camera could do justice to.

Kate kept offering to ask Santa for a candy cane for Emily. I didn't really want Emily to have one. So I told her no, Emily could have one only if she went in to see Santa herself. She had to earn it. And since all the other kids went to see him, I tried coaxing Emily to go too. but she wanted no part of it. Next thing I know, Santa gets up off his chair and comes walking towards us with a candy cane in his hand. Emily screamed, so I bent down to comfort her. She buried her head in my chest, wrapped her arms tightly around me and continued to cry. Santa gently offered the candy cane. I thanked him and accepted it. I tried to get Emily to at least look at him, but she would not remove her face from my chest until he was gone. Then, as quickly as she had started, she stopped crying. She took the candy cane from my hand and asked, "Mommy open?". She may not have gone in to see Santa herself, but I thought she had earned it anyway. If that Santa had approached me anywhere else besides our Christmas Tree village, I probably would have screamed and ran to hide too.

I HATE OHIO

2007-11-17T04:27:00.000-06:00

I have never found Ohio to be a very interesting state. Sure, they have some good amusement parks, but do they have anything else to offer in Ohio? All I can say is Ohio and I do not have a very good history. We just can't seem to get along. I remember many years ago, (I'm gonna guess and say about 8yrs) my husband and I took our 2 (or was it 3) young kids to Kings Island. We borrowed my in-laws' minivan for the trip. On the way home, the van broke down. The transmission completely locked up. We had to spend an extra night in Ohio, take an extra day off work, rent a car, and have the minivan towed home for repair.

Lets move forward a few years. I believe it would be late 2004. We took a trip to Niagara falls with my parents and my grandmothers. I have both Grandmas and 4 kids in the SUV. My parents took my Dad's MR2. The trip was great! We all had a really nice time. Coming home we passed through Ohio. It was getting late in the afternoon, and we really wanted to get home that night. I was trying to push it as far as I could without stopping, but in Ohio we hit road construction and heavy traffic as rush hour approached. After being stuck in traffic in Ohio for a few hours, I really wanted to keep pushing it to Indiana before we stopped for dinner. But the kids were getting hungry and crabby, so what can you do? We decided to stop at Ryan's (a dinner buffet) about 100 miles from the border. Kate was 2, and miserable. She was hungry and tired and so was I. This made both of us a bit crabby. Then Austin, who would have been 8, insisted on carrying his own plate of spaghetti which of course ends up all over the floor. If I remember correctly, we may have even had a few spilled drinks. It was just one of those nights where if something could go wrong, it did. I was getting quite frustrated as every minute spent there was that much longer until we would get home. Finally dinner is done and we are on the road. As we are leaving Ohio an hour and a half later, we come to a toll booth. I reach for my purse and have the sudden dreadful realization that it was left at the restaurant. I have to turn around and go back for it. I frantically call 411 for the phone number to the restaurant so I can verify they have it, and make sure they will be open when we get there. I explain what happened and the manager said they will wait for me. To make a long story a little shorter, we did not make it out of Ohio that night. We got my purse, and a hotel room. Again, I missed an extra day of work. We finally made it home the next afternoon.

November 17, 2007 - 2:30 AM. As I have mentioned before, I work nights. I worked last night, came home and napped somewhere between 1-2 hours. Then I got up, made lunch and headed to the kid's school for their awards assembly. After school, we all worked on cleaning up the yard (raking), and the house. Then it was pizza night at my parents house. At 9:00pm we headed home. Finally at 9:30, I can lay down for another hour before I need to leave for work. When I get to work at 11:00pm, I find that it is a slow night. I'm really tired, and secretly hoping they will send one of us home tonight. I often have luck when we throw names in a hat, and I am hoping this could be my lucky night. Around 2:30am one of my co-workers comes by and makes the suggestions I have been wishing for. OK, she got the ball rolling, and I'm going for it! We check with the other 2 secretaries, and they don't want to leave early. Even better, now my odds of getting some sleep are 50/50! Since there are only 2 of us, I suggest we flip a coin instead of pulling names. My co-worker agrees, but is somewhat reluctant because she knows I have the winning streak. I reach in my pocket and pull out a quarter. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to check what state was on the quarter. I'll bet you can guess... OHIO! At that moment, I knew I was not going home. Sure enough, my co-worker won the toss. She is headed to the boats in New Buffalo. I bet she wins big! I am stuck here at work. Oh well, I'll sleep tonight.

High Honors!

2007-11-12T08:37:00.000-06:00

Was I worried? Yes, I was! I don't put a lot of pressure on them to get good grades. As long as they are doing their homework everyday, and they seem to be making an effort in school, I am satisfied. They all do very well on their own. But Austin has high expectations for himself, and I was afraid he would be disappointed if he didn't make the High Honor Roll. He has had a few papers come home with grades a little lower than what we are used to seeing. I wasn't sure how many exactly, or if they were for the same class. Thank goodness it all balanced out. He and Shannon both made High Honors with all A's except one B each and GPA's of 3.89 and 3.93. Kyle and Kate do not get "letter grades" yet, but they had very good marks as well.

Yipee!

Medical Alert

2007-11-10T23:54:00.000-06:00

I noticed the other day when I was visiting with my grandmother that she had received a brochure from one of those Medical Alert systems they have for the elderly. I wasn't sure if she actually got one of those systems or was just looking into it. I skimmed throught the brochure, and first thought this could be a good thing for her to have. Besides providing her with a "panic button" if she needs help, it also has an inactivity monitor that will notify the system to contact someone for assistance, and it reminds her when her medications are due. Sounds great, right? Then I continued to read about how she needs to notify the system when she leaves the house so it doesn't detect her absence as inactivity. She also needs to notify the system again when she returns. It should be simple. Just push this button and hold it for 5 seconds. But if there is one thing I have learned, nothing is simple.

The next evening, I am beginning to make dinner when I get a call on my cell phone from my Aunt Gini who lives in Florida. I find this unusual and answer the call immediately. She is concerned because she received a phone call from the Medical Alert company stating that Gram was not responding to them. I told her I thought my other aunt was there with Gram this evening, but I would check it out. I RAN down the block to Gram's to find not only Aunt Tricia there, but the house was full of people. Gram was walking around and seemed to be fine. It was my sister and my aunt who were not ok. They were getting frustrated as they tried to figure out how to work this new Medical Alert system. It seems they tripped the alarm as they were trying to set up the box, and they couldn't figure out how to answer the operator from the Med Alert system to let them know everything was ok. I called Aunt Gini in Florida to let her know not to worry, everything was fine. Then I returned home to finish preparing our dinner.

I assumed my sister and my aunt had read the directions, figured everything out, and all should be well again. Oops, never assume. The next evening we all gathered for my cousin's son's birthday party. Due to the amount of kids coming to the party, his wife rented a party room. Gram was there and we were all visiting. Aunt Tricia was talking about Gram's new medical alert system and I asked "Did you remember to notify the system you were leaving home?". No one knew what I was talking about. I explained that if she doesn't push the button to notify them she is leaving, it will detect her absence as inactivity and alert the system. At first no one seemed concerned about it. Finally I told Aunt Tricia "I guess I better keep my cell phone handy so when Aunt Gini calls from Florida, I can let her know everything is ok." I guess she finally realized we were probably going to cause alarm for her sister. She left a message on Aunt Gini's cell phone that they didn't know about this "away" feature and Gram was with us and fine. Problem solved.

Not so fast! About two hours later, my mother, who is on a cruise, calls my cell phone sounding alarmed. "Do you know where Gram is?" she asks me. I laughed. Sure enough the system alarmed, but instead of calling my Aunt Gini in Florida, or my Aunt Tricia who was here, they tracked down my mother on her cell phone, in the middle of the ocean. I told her Gram was with me and explained that she did not notify the system she was leaving the house.

Hopefully this will be the end of the false alarms, but I'm not holding my breath. I may turn blue!

GOT MILK?

2007-11-08T14:04:00.000-06:00

I recently decided to start walking. I'm trying to get back in shape and thought walking daily would be a good place to start. Now I am a realist and I know there is no way I will get out for a walk every day! If I can get out a few times a week I will be happy.

I noticed this morning we were almost out of milk after breakfast. So I decided I would walk to the local grocery store for milk after I take the kids to school. I bundled up the baby and put her in the stroller. I figure round trip to the store and back should be approximately 1 mile. Good! I took the side streets to the grocery store, and headed down the main road with the gallon of milk in the bottom of the stroller on the way back. As we neared the train station, I thought about the new Dunkin Donuts they opened near there. I haven't had a Dunkin Donuts coffee in a long time so I decided we would stop there before going home. I got my coffee, two donuts for me and one for the baby. I realize this is counterproductive to my walking, but who cares. We pass by my grandmother's house on the way home so I thought we would stop in and have breakfast with her. Then we can head home later to put the baby down for a nap and I can do some laundry! I left the milk in the bottom of the stroller beacause it seems cold enough outside today. After breakfast and a short visit with Gram, the baby is tired and we need to get home. I arrive at the front door, get the baby out and unlock the door. I reach in the bottom of the stroller and grab the gallon of milk only to realize it is dripping!! Sure enough there is a small puddle of milk in the bottom of the stroller. Emily says " Ohhh, messy!" Yes Emily, messy! I run to the kitchen sink which thank godness is not filled with dirty dishes and set the leaking gallon in there. Now what to do with the milk! Thank goodness the old gallon is nearly empty. I pour the new milk in with the old (the expiration dates are only 1 day apart). Milk never lasts more than a day and a half in my house anyway. I think we only lost about 1 glass of milk, but how did this happen? Was the gallon leaking at the store and I didn't notice? Did I hit something with the bottom of the stroller on the way home? Oh well, it doesn't really matter. LIFE HAPPENS!

Welcome To My World

2007-11-08T12:39:00.000-06:00

I've decided to enter the world of blogging. (I think) We'll take this journey together and see how far we go.

If you don't know me, I am a mom of FIVE. My oldest just turned 11 and the youngest is ALMOST 2, though we still refer to her as the baby. My husband works for the cable company and often works overtime. The older kids are involved in Baseball, Softball, Piano, Saxaphone, Chorus, Drama Club, Girl Scouts and Chess Club.

I work 4 nights a week (11pm-7am) as an Admitting Associate in Labor & Delivery at our local hospital. People often tell me they don't know how I do it. My thoughts on that? I DON'T! On any average day you will find coats, backpacks, shoes and papers of all kinds thrown around the living room. Not to mention the pile of mail I haven't gotten to yet. The dining room table is usually covered with more papers, cereal boxes, and cereal bowls the kids have forgotten to put in the sink (I'm giving them the benefit of doubt here) until I clear it for dinner. If I haven't swept yet today there will be cherrios, crumbs, crayons, markers, pencils and anything else the baby may have dropped on the floor. I try to sweep at least once a day! The kitchen table...Wait, do I have a kitchen table? I'll find it someday when I am expecting guests over. It's not really that bad. Just more papers, mail and miscellaneous stuff the kids can't seem to find a place for. The kitchen sink always has dirty dishes in it except for about the first 5 minutes after I have finished washing all the dishes. It's like magic how that fills up again! The basement always has kids toys and games pulled out, and various piles of laundry which have been sorted for the wash. Can you ever get caught up on laundry? Not in my world! If you use either of my bathrooms and actually find a roll of toilet paper on the dispenser, you should buy a lottery ticket because today is your lucky day. It seems the kids prefer to keep the toilet paper roll on the sink counter. It is not uncommon to hear someone yell from the bathroom "Will someone please get me a roll of toilet paper?!?", because no one has bothered to replace the empty roll. The kids bedrooms...we won't go there, at least I try not to go there anymore than necessary. They each have clothes hampers, but they don't seem to get the concept of putting dirty clothes in them. They have toy boxes, shelves, and bins but nothing ever seems to find it's place.

Now don't go reporting me to the authorities. It's not like we live in filth. It's just with working nights, catching a 3-4 hour nap during the day, and running with the kids in the afternoon; housework often gets pushed to the side. I have 4 kids in school and all papers the school sends home come into my house x4. I usually spend most of my days off trying to get things organized and catch up on whatever housework has fallen behind. I recently had an uneventful weekend (meaning I didn't work and I had nowhere I had to be) and even my kids were surprised at how quickly the house was cleaned up when everyone worked together.

The point is my life may be chaotic most of the time and my house may tend to be disorganized, but what can I say? LIFE HAPPENS! I hope to enjoy as much of it as I can!