Out of the Mouth of Babes

Today Joey's friend called and asked if he could go over to play. I told him that today wasn't a good day because it was New Year's Eve and we had a family day/night planned.

He let his friend know and then got off the phone.

Later he said that if he could have gone his friend told him to bring snow pants and an extra pair of gloves. You see, his friend has a pond and they were going to walk on it until the ice cracked and they fell in. But I was not to worry because it wasn't deep and the spare gloves would have kept him warm.

I'm sure the mother wouldn't have knowingly allowed them to do that. I met her and spoke with her a couple of times. She seemed sane. But like me she has 5 children, all around my kids age. And they can be distracting. And kids can come up with immaturely thought out ideas.

Now I have something else to worry about.

(sigh)

The Calm After the Storm

Yesterday was the storm.

It was just a trying day. Not bad, just trying. Bedtime took 2 1/2 hours. At 6:00 the little ones were so ready for bed, but we still had to eat. So I gave them dinner and a non-sugar dessert and put on their pjs, but of course by then they caught a second wind. Needless to say I was on the verge of frustrated tears.

This morning was the calm.

I came downstairs. The house was warm and I smelled coffee! Jerry had to work in the night so I figured he filled the woodstove before he went to work and the smell of coffee was just lingering. But nope- he was home too! He had stopped at the store and picked up toilet paper! (we had run out in the night- don't you just love that). Plus he picked up milk.

On top of that, Jerry painted over this hideous violet red, burgundy color in the living room and the bathroom (no more purple!). It came out better than I imagined! It finally is starting to look the way I want it!

Jer went to return a car trailer thingy that he rented over the weekend so I had the kitchen to myself and I was able to read my devotional. At 8:46, the first child finally woke up! What a difference a day makes huh?

Bathroom Before

Bathroom After

Christmas Pictures

The 12 Days of Christmas

I posted something about the 12 Days of Christmas on my other blog.

Tomorrow I will post some Christmas pictures, but for now I am going to remove my darling child and his kitten from the kitchen sink and bathe him in Curious Geprge bubble bath that Target strategically placed next to their photography studio. Thank you Target!

All of my big boys (yes Jerry too) are watching the Transformers movie that Uncle Jay bought them for Christmas. Thank you Uncle Jay for a moment of peace!!

Christmas wiped me out this year! I didn't even realize how tired I was!

We are normally early risers. The day begins with Leigha and I waking up at 5:30 and the ends with Jerry Samuel and John getting up at 7:15ish.

I have been waking up at 8:30 the past 3 days! I hate waking up this late. I like everything done by then so I can relax and have my coffee, go over my day, make my lists. I like everyone dressed and fed by then. I like to be prepared and ready for the day.

On the other hand, I feel rested. I don't think I've felt this rested since school began.

And thank God it's garbage day! Even I didn't realize how many Christmas wrappings, styrofoam and boxes that seven people will accumulate! And I had to keep it all in the corner of my kitchen because it would get wet or blow away outside. Or if I kept it in the mudroom then it would be too tempting for the dog to relieve himself on it. So it stayed in the kitchen driving me crazy!

So today I plan to start my routine again. Somehow I'm going to squeeze in making some returns, going to the bookstore, picking up some groceries, picking up Leigha's friend so she'll have another female in the house, going to the library to get some books so Steve can start his HammerHead shark project that's due January 2nd (why do teachers doooo thiss!!!!) and stopping at the post office.

But for now it's 9:35 and I'm going to have my coffee and cross out half of what I have listed above!

Christmas 2005

Merry Christmas

from our home to yours....

May the Lord bless you!

Aunt Barbara sent me this one- it is soooo beautiful :D

Aunt Joyce sent this and I thought it was really neat!

John' concert part 2

In these two videos, John is at the top right of the screen- he was soo cute and excited to see Jerry, Jerry Samuel, and I sitting in the audience!

John's concert was this morning- they were the cutest thing I ever saw!!

We have one more tonight- making a total of 5 concerts!!

Leigha talking to her friend Emily....
The auditorium was packed- there wasn't even standing room!
My two Jers ....

Last night was Stephen's concert! Here's a clip from it!

This picture is from when she was 9, but it's one of my favorites!
So today is my first baby's 12th birthday....my only girl....



I planned on making her some cheesy scrambled eggs for breakfast so we could eat together before she went to school. Her daddy left her a birthday note and some snack bar money on the counter before leaving for work.



5:30- the alarm goes off. In she came all sleepy eyed... I wished her a happy birthday. She smiled.



It went down hill from there.



I was running late because both of the little ones woke up "scared" and I had to get them back to sleep which meant I was late for the shower. She had 'no clothes that fit her' or looked good and was crying because I hadn't seen the only pair of pants that did fit her. My fault.



I was enjoying the quiet, hot shower and lost track of time. I realized that I wouldn't have time to make the cheesy scrambled eggs.



To make up for it I started packing her a yummy breakfast of fruit, a biscuit, juice and some fudge (she likes to eat on the bus so she has time to watch the news- yes, you heard me right). Why fudge you ask? Out of donuts or poptarts.



Five minutes before the bus was supposed to be here, she ran in the kitchen crying because she wasn't dressed. Now I looked at this fully-clothed child (in a very cute outfit I might add) and repeated to her 'you have to get dressed?



Yeeessss!!! ..... Mooommmm!!! I have to get dressed!



But honey- you are dressed. Bad choice of words apparently.



More tears. I give up.



So I helped her get on her coat and gave her the snack bar money, (no time to read the note), told her it was her day today, smile and don't let anyone ruin it, keep her chin up, blah, blah, blah...



Bus pulls up (thank God it's the regular driver- that is a whole other story!)



Bye honey- I love you!



I love you too....



Go inside, the phone rings. It's Jer.



Hi honey, is Leigha there I wanted to wish her a 'happy birthday'.



(sigh)

Leigha's Christmas Concert!

Leigha is in the second row from the top. She's wearing a red top and has a red headband in her hair. This is the last performance she'll ever be in while she's still 11- cuz TOMORROW IS HER BIRTHDAY!!!!!

They sang such nice Christmas songs! The last song was called "Keep On Following the Star" which was about following Jesus- they had an encore and a standing ovation!! I was not only standing for them and the awesome performance they gave, but for the teacher for choosing great music!!

Great job Leigha!!!! And happy early birthday honey!

Brotherly Love and the Little Drummer Boy

Aunt Barbara sent this to me this morning- I thought it was soo cute!


Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, 'Yes, Mommy' to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting 'Don't eat in the living room' and 'Take your hands off your brother,' because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room t emperature without it being
served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet. (you promised me last year you would lose some weight with me so next year you and I could be a cute size two blonde...ok, some req uests go too far, but none the less.....

Yours Always,

MOM...

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children, healthy, safe and of course, young enough to always believe in Santa.

We were elfed!

Click here and here!! My sister made the 2nd one :) (and that's Jamie on the end)and click here to see the pets!

This is a cute little video on saying the word Christmas this time of year. (When you get to the link- click on the screen)

I visit this website daily and have found the most amazing coupons and deals!

Today I bought 3 Duracell 8 pk. of AA batteries and a box of Kleenex and paid $0.97!! Plus I got $5 in CVS Extra Care Bucks (or ECBs)- which is equivalent to cash in the CVS stores. Seeing that Christmas is coming up I wanted to share this deal!

How I did it: Energizer batteries are on sale for for $5.29 each
Then I used this coupon
plus attached to the batteries were $1/1 coupons.
If you buy $15 worth of batteries you get $5 back in ECBs.
(I had another $5 off from ECBs I used from last week whicj is why my total was so low)

Use this printable coupon for $2 off a $10 purchase.

Add in this free box of CVS tissue coupon for a bonus! (it's only good until 12/16 though)

This should cost $7.87 out of pocket plus $5 in ECB's for next time!

Johnny has been such a good boy lately! Between getting out of the terrible three's (I always say that whoever came up with the terrible two's never had a three year old!) and preschool, he is becoming this sweet, funny, lovable little boy!! In fact last night, I put Jer and John in the bathtub, which is normally equivalent to inflicting torture on myself, and went about straightening up the bathroom. Then I grabbed their pj's (no, I am not a neglectful mommy-I can see them from the door) when it hit me- no heart palpitations today! In fact it was 7:30 at night and my blood pressure seemed to be at it's normal level. I am not kidding you when I tell you there are some nights when the day has been so stressful that even the skin on my face hurts!

Johhny has been going through a faze, beginning when he was 8 months old of random screeching/screaming. If you looked at him the wrong way, touched something he didn't want touched, gave him food he didn't like, etc. he would scream. I mean he would go from 0-1,000 decibals in a solitary second. I know it's normal for kids to this, but I have 5, and none did this to this degree. Everyday, no less than 30 times a day!. I was soo worried too. It was such a disruption to everyone.

But, he is now a giggling little boy who walks around singing songs he learned in preschool and we can sit and do little projects together. Life is starting to feel a little bit normal again!

This weekend was such a nice one! It started on Friday when I picked up the older kids from school and took them to get their annual Christmas portrait done. They looked soo cute! Jerry who is my most outgoing was sad though and cried :( and John was the one who was most photogenic- go figure! Then we shopped around and picked up some cute stockings and shoes for Leigha's upcoming concert this week. We came home had a quick dinner and watched a Christmas movie together.

Saturday we cleaned up the house a bit. Jer had to work for a while and then he stopped in to say hi to his mom. We haven't seen her in over a month because she's been sick :( .... She opened up her home and was having a craft sale with Aunt Joyce. My mom and brother came over in the afternoon and we baked Christmas cookies together. Uncle Jason brought over his X-Box and I didn't hear a peep from the boys allll day! They don't normally play a lot of video or computer games so I let them play to their heart's content!

The kids set up the Christmas village and I put up the last of the Christmas decorations. It took me 3 weekends this year to get everything out!

On Sunday at church the worship team put on an awesome Christmas concert! They were really good- and I forgot my camera too :( Steve and Joe were really impressed too which I'm glad because I want them to see what they can use their talents for!

It was a beautiful drive home, but the best par was when I walked in the door- everything was picked up and clean! There is nothing worse than having to face a dirty house when you come home! So I made soup and a plate of sandwiches and we ate together and chilled out together. It was one of those warm and cozy weekends that you really long for this time of year!

Here is a video of Johnny (and our Christmas tree). My camera's batteries died right after :( I was trying out the video feature- the little guys thought this was hilarious and giggled until they couldn't breathe!

A Couple of Cuties!!

My Little Men

Article: Are You Listening?

I was flipping through a magazine tonight and this article caught my attention on talking to your teen. Now, I won't officially have a teen until next December, but I figured that maybe there were a few good tips. Ha!

Here are a few that jumped out at me:

Don't... make steady eye contact. Do stand side by side instead of facing your kid directly.
Hmmm.... I'll remember that next time.

Don't...wait until you have their undivided attention before engaging in important conversations.
It suggests instead to wait until they're engaged in another activity. Yup! That'll guarentee that they heard every word you said!

Don't... totally ban screaming, slamming doors, and swearing, or say that you'll continue this conversation when they've cooled down.
This piece advice will definitely enforce the verse that says "honor your parents". I think that if I swore at my parents even at my age I'd be grounded!

Don't... give unsolicited advice. Teenagers as a rule like to figure things ot themselves.
Instead it suggests acknowleding their viewpoint and making statements like "Good idea!" and
"Wow! You did a lot today!"

"Little Jimmy, is that pot I smell on your clothes?"
"That's right pizz-ops."
"Good idea! You did a lot today!"

Don't ... ask about the underlying reason for their behavior such as "Why did you do that?"
Instead it says teens don't often know what's motivating them. You can help by asking them "How did it make you feel?" or "How did that strategy work for you?"

Police officer: Mr Doormat, we booked Little Jimmy dowtown for attending an underage drinking party during school hours.
Mr. Doormat: Is this true Little Jimmy?
Little Jimmy: I know dat's right!
Mr. Doormat: How did that strategy work for you?

I was cutting out coupons this morning when an ad caught my eye.

There's a picture of a woman wrapped in a blanket and holding a Christmassy mug staring at nothing with a ridiculous smile on her face. In the background there's a wreath, ornaments, and a present. At the top of the page the caption reads "Enjoy the beauty of the holidays" So I'm thinking- it must be for Swiss Miss, Flogers, Pilisbury....

At the bottom is a Charmin logo and another caption that says "With DiamondWeave Texture that helps make it stronger.!"

Enjoy the beauty of the holidays? Is she staring into space thinking about her next trip to the bathroom? Or is the coffee mug supposed to be a subliminal message?

I think the advertisers are running out of ideas!


Oh- and we have a winter storm warning! Jer's finishing the last of the finishing touches done on his truck!

Are you ready Sam?

Look what we woke up to this morning! Right now it's about 13.7 degrees (according to the weather bug on my computer) and the wind chill is a balmy 7! It was a total surprise! We got about 3 inches of snow....

***And to all of you who have moved to S. Carolina in last year (and you know who you are Dawn, Dom, Chels (and Nich) and the entire Tharp family!) I know you are probably laughing your shorts off! Hey Chels- the little guys love Winter Wonderland from the Christmas mall shows 4 years ago! I miss (and envy-lol) you all!! ***

Hey Uncle John- do you like the reindeer???

Can you believe the boys are getting? The only problem is that their feet don't seem to be growing! LOL!! They somehow squeezed their feet feet in Jer and John's boots!

We had such a fun day! I took the kids Christmas shopping and then we stopped for cocoa and a donut (and I didn't even use a coupon- can you believe it??)