Bloggin' break for peeps weekend

Well, today is the day!! I feel like SpongeBob singing "Its the best day e....ver....." Just kidding but not really, LOL. I haven't even packed yet, isn't that unorganized? I have gotten pretty good at it in the last 7 years. I use to just pack for me, then in 99, I had to pack for DH too, then in 2001, my DB came to live with us, then 2002 came my girl and 2005, my boy. So now I pack for 5 people each time. So just packing for one is a piece of cake. All the laundry is caught up so its easy-peasy.

My peeps have all purchased essential cropping supplies.....tons of candy. Not only did they buy it but sounds like most of it was purchased from Sams, Costco or BJ's (another warehouse type place) so I am sure they are huge bags! I have purchased nothing yet but I am getting salty stuff to break it up a bit. They have all taken their pictures to the local scrap book store and "power shopped" for each and every layout so that they are all co-ordinated and ready to crop. I'm just going to do a fly by the seat of my pants kind of thing. Can you tell that I am there for the company more than the cropping? I do have pictures and supplies but nothing like what they have planned. Its okay though, they love me anyway.....I think.

Well, better get packing, so to speak....well, for real that is....the kids are so ready to head to the party house....my SIL's. My DH is so ready to be a single dad for the weekend....well maybe not but TOUGH!!! I'm outta here! I'm blowing this pop stand! See ya later alligators, after while crocodiles!

Oh, and have a great weekend!!!!

Can anyone explain....

When did I become a shut-in? It occurred to me that in the last 7 days, I have only left my home twice (not counting going to the mailbox or trash can). I went to Walmart for groceries on Monday and to the Library (for an hour) on Tuesday but otherwise I have not left my home. Is it the weather? Is it my kids? Am I becoming an agoraphobe? I don't know.

I just think about going out and it just seems like more trouble than its worth. It means I have to rush through our school day, rush around getting my daily chores done (like vacuuming, making beds, doing my daily load of laundry and straightening up), spend extra time after my shower getting presentable for public (my kids could care less what I look like so....), getting the kids dressed and my dd's hair presentable, getting their stuff together (not as big a job as it use to be but my ds still needs juice and diapers when we go out), and driving the minimum of 20 mins. to get anywhere worth mentioning (since we live out in the boonies). This just isn't worth it to me unless I have something definite that I need to do.

I used to get out almost every day of the week when it was just my dd and me. We would go to the mall and stroll around just by ourselves if no one else could join us. We would meet up with friends for lunch and all kinds of fun stuff. When my ds came along, it became more work but when he was still a baby, it wasn't too bad because he was so good, I just had to contend with his sister acting up. Now that they are both active and totally mobile, it is torture to take them shopping. If it is not something that is "kid friendly", I just shy away because I know where boredom takes them and its not a happy place.

So here I am, literally a stay AT HOME mom. But this weekend, tomorrow actually, I will get out and be kid-free! Am I looking forward to it? Oh YEAH! Will I miss my family? yes but its only 3 days and 2 nights so I'll survive....heck, I'll do more than survive, I will be having fun!!!
Right now, I need to go referee a fight, my dd says "He bumped his head.." that is codeword for "I just knocked him silly because he actually had the audacity to want to touch a toy"......Is it Friday yet?????

Hump Day!

Only two more days til my weekend "away" with my peeps. I have been a missing peep but they are still kind enough to call me one anyway. I am looking forward to it. This time we are only traveling about 30 mins. away to our crop but it is still away since I will not see my husband and kids from Friday til early Sunday evening. My wonderful SIL has agreed to watch the munchkins on Friday afternoon and they are looking forward to time with their cousins. The other girls are heading up early for some shopping and fun before the crop starts and I will be joining them at around 12:30.
This week has been a lazy one around here. We have done school and not much more, therefore, not much to blog about. Seems like the only times my kids are doing really funny things are when they are getting into trouble and they have been amazingly good lately. Guess, that is good news for me and bad news for my blogging material. I was told by my peep Lil'K yesterday that I could borrow some of her experiences to blog about but I just think....NAH...gots to be real, ya know.
Actually she has three boys and they are all older so it just wouldn't be believable or I might try it. I almost thought about making up stories about my kids but that may make it hard to find a babysitter if I ever need one....so NAH!! You guys are just going to have to wait til something funny happens in my household.
Oh and by the way, I have become a total fan of the show "The Office". It is just so hilariously inappropriate that I just have to count it as a guilty pleasure. I have now watch all of the first and second seasons on my laptop and whenever I can set aside 20 mins (that is how long an episode lasts without commercials) I am watching season 3. It is so stinkin funny. I even missed my soap opera (I know, I know, SINFUL, but it is another guilty pleasure) General Hospital the last two nights to watch "The Office" on my computer. We are expecting a new batch of movies from NetFlix today, so I guess I will have to finish season 3 later. We are getting "Beowulf", "The Game Plan" and "Barbie: Mariposa". Guess who the Barbie movie is for? Well, its not my girl....

I was "Tagged"

I have never been tagged before so I feel privileged that my peep, dnksmommy, tagged me with this. For those of you who don't care to know this about me, come back later for a regular post but here goes...

1. 10 years ago:

10 years ago I was single, working for a dentist and hanging out with all of my single buddies from church and PCS (Peninsula Christian Singles) every chance I got. I was also inseparable with a certain married couple since I was BFF with the wife and like a sister to the husband. We played volleyball alot and laughed a lot. I was thoroughly enjoying single life and totally praying for God to send me a husband and family of my own. Thank Him that he did less than a year later and it was someone I had been friends with all along.

2. Things on my to-do list today:

Teach my daughter's kindergarten curriculum for the day, help her do her worksheets, get the library books together for our trip to the library, hopefully do my hair and clean up a little, fold a load of clothes and wash another. Get dinner ready and get my girl to swim practice.

3. What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:

We could always use more money but I would not want to be a billionaire. If we had all the money we needed, I would pay off all the bills (we don't have any other than our van and house). Buy a larger house, adopt another child, hire a full time housekeeper (to free me up to spend more fun time with my kids) My husband would retire and become the teacher to free me up to spend time with my girls. I would help out all my friends and family as much as they would let us and give money to charities that we value. We would also travel more.

4. Three of my bad habits:


I talk too much, I am too opinionated and I interupt people too often when they are talking.
I hate all of those things about me and try to control my tongue but it gets the better of me sometimes.

5. Places I have lived:

I have lived in the same state within 20 miles of the same place all my life. I was born in a hospital not more than 20 miles from my current home. I will not say where but it is in the USA and on the east coast.

6. Four jobs that I have had:

I worked at a grocery store at 16, an insurance office from late 16 to 18. I became an insurance agent at 18 and worked for the same State Farm agent for 11 years when I quit and went to work for the craziest dentist in the world. I worked there for 2 years and quit to be a stay at home wife and eventually mother. I am now a mom, wife, maid, teacher, accountant, author (HA, HA), toxic waste handler, cook, hostage negotiator, and referee.

7. Five things people don't know about me:

I can't think of anything that people don't know about me other than
I am sensitive (I get my feelings hurt easily), I am not as strong as I seem, I am not as organized as I seem, I have a low self esteem at times and I often joke around to cover up what I really feel.

I am "tagging" my friends Wendy and Legs though I am not sure that they will do this

How dumb can you be....

I have injured myself....I am such a clutz. I was walking out of the kids room last night after kissing them goodnight and getting them settled and ran right into the folding doors to my laudry room jamming my outer instep under the door and gouging it badly and bringing several choice words to the surface but the mommy in me swallowed them back and I let out a loud OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME!!! In case you haven't heard my daughter, that is now one of her favorite terms of exclamation and you see where it comes from. As a parent, if you are injured, you not only have to deal with the pain but also remember to control your outburst verbally. Anyway, it was quite painful and this morning my foot was swollen and I could hardly walk. It is better this evening but still hurts. Don't you just hate it when you do something dumb. That door has been there forever and I just ran right into it. Its right in a spot where any shoe you put on is going to press on it.
So in my forced confinement alone today, Oh yeah, I sent the entire family off to church and encouraged them to go out to lunch without me since it would get me off the hook on fixing lunch and cleaning up. I found myself with several hours on my hands and so I picked up the computer, pulled up Netflix and browsed their instant movies available to watch on the computer. I have a friend who just loves "The Office" and I just didn't get it. Today I decided to sit and watch the first season. I now get it. It was funny. I am now going through the 2nd season. I still don't think I will watch it on tv but on dvd, its only 19 mins per episode and there are 3 season already out on dvd.
Did I say before that we are really digging Netflix? We really are. We have seen many movies lately. By the way, "The American Gangster", its a definite snoozer. Way too long and just not worth the effort. We also saw "The Last Mimszy", and I was not a fan. Too new age, brainwashy for me. We did get some good laughs out of "Daddy Day Camp" and "Are We Done Yet?" And now these instant downloads, are great too. I watched several of those too lately.
I also have ordered a whole pile of photo prints for my cropping weekend from SmugMug this weekend. Love them too. They are the same price per print as Sam's club One Hour and shipping is reasonable. I ordered them yesterday and got an email saying they had mailed out (which means they will go tomorrow and I will have them on Tues or Weds) I really need to get hopping on DS's baby scrapbook done before he is old enough to realize that his sister has 2 full books and he has none. Not only that but there are 2 entire Disney vacation scrapbooks that were from before him. I have been so lax in the last 3 years on my cropping.
Well, that has been my day! Hope yours was great!

Lazy Saturday, Hooray!!!

This has been a lazy Saturday in my house. The kids still have on their PJ's and my DH and I haven't even showered yet today.....Okay so its a stanky, lazy day in my house but that's OK with me. We were out til almost midnight last night at my SIL and the mean BIL's house. They are getting new cabinets in their bathroom and need my burly, manly husband to help carry them upstairs. Then they fed this clan and were stuck with us til after 11pm. We played Apples to Apples. I had heard friends talk about this game but had never played it myself until we played last week and this week we introduced the nice BIL and SIL2B to the game. It was fun but I am convinced it is a matter of luck more than anything else since my brother (who is mentally disabled) won the game and he just laid cards down and really doesn't "get" it. It was kind of funny though. My DH will never live down the fact that he for the word "Sensual" he put in the card "My Family". He swears it was just stategy to get rid of cards he didn't think he would ever use, but his sister says it gives her the creeps, LOL. The kids had a wonderful time as usual. They played and we played and it was all good. My SIL just got beautiful new custom kitchen cabinets and they are beautiful. It got me wanting to remodel and redo stuff too. We need to paint and do some work this spring and summer on our house.

I am starting to wish for spring to come early since we don't seem to be getting a real winter again this year. This is the third year in a row without any significant snow. I am ready for getting the flower beds ready and warm weather. I am also looking forward to next weekend with my "Peeps" We are already making plans on what kind of trouble we can get into when we go out to dinner during the weekend crop.

For a little history for you readers out there who don't already know. Several of us stay at home moms were all in a MOPS group together. (That is Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers for those of you who have never heard of it). My friend JM was in a discussion group with JP and LK. They realized that they had something in common and that was scrapbooking. They started getting together on Tuesdays to scrapbook and soon invited another friend of mine, DM and me, TB. Now at the time I was the only one with a child too young for pre-school and I was also babysitting part-time so I could only go occasionally but we all became good friends. They soon included another friend from their church KR and another friend KQ moved back into our area (military wife) and soon entered the fold. The were now 7 of us. JP offered to host a weekend getaway in her home for us to crop and also invited her SIL and her SIL's sister. During the course of that weekend we came up with the idea (I am not sure who first mentioned it was developed by all of us) of calling ourselves the Gangsta Scrappers or Gangsta Scrappas depending on how you want to say it. We all thought up our "street" names. JM became BabyDuck (it was originally something else but that is another story I can't go into, LOL), JP became JewelDawg, LK became The OCD, DM became Scrappy D, KR bacame Flava K and KQ became Lil'K. I was given the nickname of G2daT mainly because at the time I had just had knee surgery and was still "Gimpy" (limping). Now I didn't say they were good street names, just street names. My friend The OCD started calling us her Peeps (short for her people) and it stuck. (Now someone else might have coined the phrase peeps first but it was her that "Blogged" about it so she was the first one I heard referred to us as the peeps.) The kids became the Peepettes and the husbands became the Peepers. Now this is the history of the Peeps as I remember it but there may be some corrections made.
Now what happens on our weekend crops stays at our crops but lets just say we have a great time laughing and scrapbooking and talking. We go out to eat and normally act thoroughly silly and goofy the entire weekend. It has got to be the best time for these non-drinking, non-partying, Christian stay at home moms. For 2 weekends a year, we are just Peeps and not mommies. Our friend Scrappy D has moved away but she still occasionally makes it back for a crop weekend. She won't be here this time but we will miss her. We also have another peep that joins us (I don't think T. has chosen a "street" name yet) but she will not be there either and we will miss her too. As for the rest of the girls, I can't wait to see you guys, its been too long.
Well, better get going! Have a blessed day!

Equal time....

Let me tell you about my son. He has been my shadow, my hip growth (permanently attached to my left hip since birth), my cuddlebug and my sweet, easygoing, calm little angel. He has been a breath of fresh air after my high energy, high maintenance daughter. We have worries because he doesn't talk much yet at almost 3 years old and he has an affinity for girl things (sadly, one that my daughter has never had) but he has been such a joy to his mother. Every new word that he learns and every sentence that he say is a cause for excitement in this mother's heart. He loves books and puzzles and has a real talent for dancing (much to his daddy's chagrin). He has also become quite the roughhousing little devil with his daddy lately and can tackle his sister to the ground when provoked. He is so much like his daddy in temperment and appearance that it is all most unbelievable. This is my son, or I should say our son, and in case you can't tell, I adore him.

It is never more apparent that we are all created different and unique as when you are parents to such obviously opposite children. They have many things in common such as their loving natures and good looks (In my opinion, LOL) but they are so different. I think it is why they get along so well. Where my DD is willful and determined, my DS is compliant and easygoing. Where my DD is talkative and determine to be the center of everyone's attention, my DS is quiet and content with the attention of his parents. They love each other so much and try to protect each other especially if one of them is due for a spanking.

I sure love my kids. Can you tell? We spend so much time together but I am thankful that I am able to get to know them and appreciate them for the people they are now. I wonder what all these qualities will add up to in the adults they will become. My DD is so much like me in personality and temperment that I suspect she is in for tough ride unless she learns to think twice before she does something. She is so impulsive, she is going to need someone like her dad or brother to bring her back to earth when she gets out there. My DS is so much like his daddy that I think he's going to need someone like his momma and sister to liven up his life when he grows up.

Have you ever really looked at your kids and imagined them at your age now? It is an eye opening experience. I think back to my childhood and the way I was then and wonder if my grandma had any of the same thoughts and worries that I do about my two. She had three different personalities and one with a mental handicap. I am sure she worried about my brother's future since she knew that he would need someone to always take care of him. My sister was always so sick that I know she worried about her. I'm sure I drove her crazy with my bossy, know-it-all, strong-willed self. She had already raised two of her own, one of which I know was a constant source of frustration and worry. Being a parent has a way of making you reflect on your own parents or in my case, grandmother with different eyes. I always thought she was so unfair and kept thinking I would do things so differently when I was a parent, but the truth is even though I do somethings different, I do many things the same.
She did the best she could with no money and no help from our parents or support of a husband.
She loved us and sacrificed for us and I love her even more today than I did then. I hope one day both my kids look back on their childhood and remember the love of both their parents and realize that even though we may not seem that wonderful now, we did the best we could.
Have a blessed day!

Do you like a nice slice of lemon in your water at a restaurant....Watch this!

Thanks to my cousin E. for sending this. I dont think I will ever be able to get water with lemon again. Ugh!!!!

My Girl......talkin bout....My Girl....

Today I am going to brag on the amazing creature that God has blessed me with and that is my girl. Now my boy is just as wonderful for other reasons but that is a subject for another post.
My sweet baby girl is the most loving, energetic, inquisitive, stubborn, bubbly, outgoing, sweet, frustrating person I have ever known. I never thought about this when I was craving a baby all those years ago but it has recently occurred to me that as a parent, we have the most amazing gift of watching a real person grow from their first moment (or thereabouts) to the day that we have to say goodbye forever (prayerfully this will be when I go to be with the Lord and not the other way around). As a parent, it is an eye opening experience. I have been so caught up in the day to day trudging through motherhood that sometimes I fail to see the person she is becoming. Everyone of us, from the most beloved paragon of virtue to the most hated of villains, was a five year old child at one time. Have you ever just sat and thought about what went through the head of a five year old Billy Graham or a five year old Adolph Hitler? Were they happy children? If Adolph or Suddam or Osama had had happy childhoods with the same life experiences of the Billy Grahams or Mother Theresa's of this world, would that have made a difference? If I love my kids enough, teach them the right values, support them through every aspect of childhood, encourage their dreams and gifts, and provide a good example will that be enough? I can only pray that this is the case. I look at my childhood and even though it was very difficult and I had an abusive mother and a non-existent father, I still made it through okay, not unscathed but okay. I was blessed by a grandmother who knew the Lord and kept me in a church where I was exposed to other adults who showed me the life I wanted. I am definitely not one of those paragons of virtue that I mentioned earlier. I am a flawed, opinionated, big mouthed (comes from always having both my feet in there at the same time), frustrating, whining, pain in the butt person but by the grace of God, I am also a loving, caring person. Is it just in us from the beginning? I know the sin nature is there from the beginning. Being a parent has shown me that we do not have to teach our kids how to do wrong, it is there. The challenge is teaching them to acknowledge the urge to do wrong and make the decision to do right. I also think we have to let them know that we have the same urges to do wrong but have to make the conscious decision to do what is right.
Now, I know most of you don't come here to for deep thoughts and insight because that is definitely not the normal fare here in the kooky brain of this mom but occasionally I do have moments of serious reflection and this is one of those times. I love my kids so much that I sometimes forget what an enormous task God has charged us with in being parents. I thank Him that we are not going it alone and He is there with us. So for all of you parents out there, I say a prayer for each and everyone of you today. For all of you who are not yet parents or not planning to be parents, I pray for you too because I know that you are still influencing the adults of the future either as aunts and uncles or as friends of their parents.
Now on a lighter note, I've gotta get crackin' on this school thing. In addition to the phonics, math and writing that we do everyday, we are studying the planets and solar system (as much as a kindergartener can understand). I have found that in the years since I have been in school, we have lost a planet and gained several "dwarf planets" in our solar system. Did you know that Pluto is no longer a planet? We have eight planets and Astrologists have discovered what they now classify as dwarf planets. I am learning too. I had to modify one of the "facts" the book gave about space yesterday. The book is called "100 Facts You Should Know About Space". The fact given was that all the different galaxies were created by a "Big Bang". Now I told my daughter that this was a theory (what some people believe) and that they thought that way because they can't think of another explanation and they don't believe in God. Even my 5 year old is smarter than those people, she said "Momma, if it was an explosion, why is Earth round and not all broken up in little pieces?" Pretty smart huh?

Hypo-allergenic dog?

There have been a couple mentions about getting a hypo-allergenic dog but I asked the Allergy specialist and she said that there is no such thing. I told her I had heard that there were dogs with less dander and therefore less likely to cause an allergic reaction and she said that this was a myth. Some dogs do have less of an odor and less dander but if a person is allergic to dogs they are allergic to all dogs. I still wonder if she would be less allergic to a yorkie-poo or a poodle or something with hair and not fur but my DH isn't willing to take the chance because if we got attached and she was allergic, it would be so hard to get rid of it. Believe me, that was my first thought too because I too have heard of hypo-allergenic dogs.

Talk me down girls! Tell me to shake it off.....Remind me...

Ok, now I'm not sure what has brought this all on but I have a serious case of the baby bug! Now maybe its the fact that I held my goddaughter's new baby a week or so ago or maybe it's the fact that my baby is turning three (thats about the age it happened last time). I don't know for sure which one but I have been thinking about another baby and expanding our family....Now this would not be so bad IF I were still in my 20's or even early 30's but at almost 40, do I really want to start over with a newborn? Home videos should be locked up when a woman has this condition (the baby bug). I pulled them out and saw my little angels all tiny and sweet and the bug just got a tighter hold. Not only did I watch the videos but I looked at the pictures (really hitting home the fact that I need to get hopping on my boy's baby scrapbook!!!). They were so stinkin' cute!! I can remember the smell of baby and the feel of holding that sweet little package....Man! I got it bad.

Now, here are the reasons that this just can't happen...1. I'm too OLD!!...2. I need my sleep!!....3. Our house is fulled up! (no, that is not a typo just bad grammar...) 4. It would cost too much money (as you know guys, adoption is EXPENSIVE)...5. I have just got my two kids to the point that they are somewhat independent....6. I am so tired of diapers.....7. I am too old and I need my sleep!!! (I know, I already said that but it bears repeating)

Talk me down girls!!! Tell me to hold out 20 more years for those grandbabies....Remind me of how much work it is...Remind me of the terrible toddler years (The terrible twos is a myth, it actually starts at about 14 mos and doesn't end til about 5 years)...

You know, I would have been alright if I could have gotten a puppy, that would have helped...

Reflections on a Dora the Explorer episode.....

Who is this little girl and where does she live....she can get to mountains, jungles, and icebergs all in a 3o minute episode......Why would her parents let her hang out with nothing but wild animals and never send her to school....Speaking of her parents, what on earth are they thinking! Letting a little girl that can't be more than 8 years old roam all over the countryside with no supervision. What if Swiper steps up his criminal activities and starts swiping more than just a toy every now and then. He is a fox after all and what if he gets rabies? Why on earth hasn't anyone ever reported them to Child Protective Services? Why is that child's head so big and where did she get that talking backpack and map? That thing is better than GPS any day! When is that child going to get clothes that fit her properly? And that monkey, why is he lavender? I have never seen a lavender colored monkey in any zoo or episode of Animal Planet....and why on earth would he wear red boots and no other clothing.....and don't even get me started on her "primo" Diego.......

Now before you tell me I have no life, and start blasting me with the lameness of this post....This has been my life. It is difficult to have deep and profound insight on life when all you do is play, teach, clean and change diapers all day. I did get out into the real world yesterday but that is only if you call Wal-mart, the real world. If so, its a SCARY place and I prefer Dora...........

Happy President's Day!

I guess I am getting a little slack in the posting department lately. I have just been living in "Snoozerville" lately. I like "Snoozerville" a lot better than the last place we lived "Dramatown".
I have had the mother of all headaches for a couple of days along with a lot neck and shoulder pain. I suspect that I have another sinus infection. The kids on the other hand have been healthy. Thank the Lord. My menfolk are off today for the holiday. We are going to get out and go shopping after we get school out of the way. I know most kids are off today but if I give my girl a full day off, she will have a harder time getting back into the swing of things tomorrow. So she will be doing a little bit of school work before we leave. The kids are dragging this morning because we let them stay up late last night to watch a movie "Love's Enduring Promise". It was great. It is such a clean, wholesome movie and part of a series of movies based on a book series by a Christian author, Janette Oke. We had the first one last week "Love Comes Softly" and the next one should come in a day or so. I highly recommend this series! If you loved Little House on the Prairie as a child, you will love these movies. They have been watching a lot of older movies lately. My DD discovered a vhs tape of "Babe" and "Babe 2, Pig in the City" at the library and we checked them out. She loves them. She is such a fan of animal movies. Guess what! It just occurred to me that in a just over a week, I am going out of town for a weekend with my peeps! Oh yeah...we'll be cropping too, LOL, They are much better at it than I am but I do enjoy just getting together with them all. I have missed seeing them. The last few times they have gotten together lately, we have had other plans. Well, gotta go get that school bell ringin'.....Have a blessed day.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Today is that most wonderful of days when you are actually expected to go out of your way to let the people in your life know that they are loved. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we did this everyday? Now, I don't mean that go out and buy flowers, chocolates and cards kind of "showing" but that spending time with, words of encouragement, acts of random kindness kind of "showing".
This morning, my sweet husband gave me a card and some green stuff (he knows I am saving up for something big for the family and would rather have money than flowers or other stuff and before you ask what, the answer is I don't know exactly since it was originally to get us a yorkiepoo or a dog but since my girl is highly allergic to dogs, it may be a nice cuddly flat screen big tv, but I digress....). That was really sweet of him but you know what made me love him even more? We got a smattering (that's Winnie the Pooh's word but it applies here) of snow last night, and my sweet husband went out this morning a cleaned off my van windows even though he knows I probably will not go anywhere today. He said he just wanted to do it in case...Now that is sweet but that is not even the thing that filled my heart with love...He went next door to my neighbors cars and clean the windows of both the ladies next door. My neighbor is a divorcee' who has her 19 year old daughter and 1 year old granddaughter living with her. He did this so that they would not have to stand out in the cold this morning and clean their cars before they went to work. Isn't my husband just a big old sweetie!!!
My dd is busy out in the classroom (garage) creating Valentine masterpieces for everyone she can think of and my son (who has no idea what Valentine's day is) is cuddled up in the recliner with his momma giving her all the love he has. He is so sweet!
So my blog today is to say that I appreciate each and everyone of you who take the time to stop by and read my thoughts every day! I hope you have a wonderful day of LOVE with the ones you love. Happy Valentine's day!!

OH! And by the way....

For those of you who wonder, he is "flowing" just fine now since he has had all those aforementioned remedies to help get him going.
And to answer a question on a comment, We don't know yet if my girl is allergic to Brownie. She needs a blood test to determine that and the actual severity of her egg allergy and we just did not want to traumatize her any more that day. We will be going back soon for a "Surprise" visit for bloodwork. The surprise is only for her. I know some of you moms are say it would be better to prepare her but that would only mean giving her more time to dwell on the fear and would not make the actual visit any easier. I'll update once we find out. We do know that she is allergic to spring and summer so it is a good bet that she is allergic to his main food source which is Timothy Hay (basically a type of grass). I have found that I am too. Whenever I feed him, I sneeze for about an hour straight afterwards. Good thing he's so cute and we can't get a dog......

Another day in the trenches....

Okay, now this post is not for those with weak stomachs, consider yourself warned....My DS has had a problem with occasional constipation since he was about 3 months old. It has been much better in the last year but he will sometimes have a problem. Yesterday was one of those days. He was grumpy and whiny and just downright uncomfortable all day. It started on Monday. Apparently if he gets a little "bound up" he starts to tense up and squeeze "it" back up. If you can catch him before he is successful, you can make him bend up and relax and let it out but if you don't notice the signs, it just keeps growing and growing. Well, yesterday it had grown into a significant problem. It was our primary day here so I needed to get out and vote and it was also our Library day. So out in public, he would just start whimpering and tensing and there was nothing I could do.
Now, for those of you who are wondering, yes, we have tried giving him more water, giving him prune and apple juice, increasing his fiber and even giving him a children's laxative. The problem is that until he gets the initial stoppage out, the soft stuff doesn't help. And we don't give him the stuff as a preventative because then he would have diarrhea all the time.
Are you grossed out yet?
Well, I warned you and the really gross part has not happened yet!
So, anyway, when we got back home from the library, I was able to "catch" him before he had successfully stopped the urge to go and forced him to bend his legs and stretch himself and let it out but by then it was almost too big to come out. So this is when you know that you really love your child, I have to "help" him get this out. So, in essense, I delivered a 3lb BM yesterday. My son was so exhausted afterwards that he crashed for a two hour nap.
This is my life in the trenches of motherhood. If anyone had ever told me that when I have kids, I would have to help a two year old have a BM, I would have sworn off motherhood. Guess that is why we don't normally talk about these things but you stop by to hear about my life when you read my blog and well......that was my day yesterday.
Have a blessed day!!!

Drama, drama, drama!!!

Today was THE day! The day that I dragged my sweet little girl out of bed and rushed her to eat and get dressed to go to the, okay now hold onto your hats, this is a big one, Pediatric Allergy Specialist and Pulmonologist. Now I told my girl that this was just a trip to the doctor to find out if she is allergic to Brownie and if we can get a dog. Also, we needed to find out what was triggering her eczema outbreaks and asthma. She kept asking what they were going to do to her and I had to say, " I don't know sweetie", I lied to my daughter because she is deathly, pathologically afraid of needles and I would not have been able to get her out of the house.
She was okay to begin with but I suspect she knew something was "UP". It all went well for a while, she just had to do a test for her breathing that entailed blowing into a computer and she loved that because she was the big bad wolf and was blowing down the 3 houses of the little pigs. It was a computer game to her and she wanted to take it home. Then came the "fun". We had a long talk with the allergist/pulmonologist and then they administered the prick test. This is 23 little needles that they prick your bare back with that is holds samples of the "allergens". After they prick your back, you must sit 15 minutes and can not touch the area. This was terrible for her because it was like she had the equivalent of 17 different mosquito bites on her back. She cried because it itched so bad. Then they come back and look at each of them to determine what level of allergy she has to each from a 0 to a 4 plus. She was totally allergic to almost everyone, but her highest allergy was to eggs (4+), dustmites (4+), and.....you guessed it! DOGS (4+).
She is also allergic to spring, summer, and fall. Apparently the only thing she wasn't to was roaches (NOT really a problem), mold (again Not a problem) and cats (NOT happening!!!). So we left with a order to come back for the dreaded "BLOODWORK" and 5 prescriptions for creams, inhalers and antihistamine. She definitely has asthma and apparently allergic to life.

Movie Review!!!

We just watched "Wild Hogs" this evening and let me say, it was a hoot! We laughed and laughed. Nothing more funny than 4 biker wannabee, 40 something suburban husbands out for a recover your youth road trip. We just thought it was hilarious. Definitely a movie for us middle age folks.
Some of the language was a bit rough and there were a little to many "gay" references for my liking but an enjoyable comedy none the less. Loving this NetFlix membership!!! We have seen more movies in the last three weeks than in the last 3 years. By the way, "The Notebook"....LOVED IT.
(and so did my DH or so he said). I could however pass on my daughter's newest favorite, THANK GOD we just rented it 'cause it's going back tomorrow, "How To Eat Fried Worms". So disgusting, I can even tell you how much but the kids LOVED it!! Well, I have officially blogged twice today so forgive me for missing so many days in a row.
Well, off to bed for this tired girl.

Yes, I am alive!

Okay, ladies! For those of you who have wondered, I am alive and kicking. Just out living so that I can have some actual "material" to blog about. Thursday was just a boring old normal day with school and kids and stuff. Friday was just more of the same with an evening trip to the hospital to see my god daughter's new baby boy. He is a cutiepatootey and I just pray that he has better life than I suspect he will. I have blogged a little about the situation a few days ago but it just upsets me so much to think of the life this child has in store.

Yesterday was our normal all day swim meet day. This has become an all day event for our family on Saturdays. This was the second week in a row that we have had one due to some silly scheduling problem. We have to be there 45 mins before the meet and the meet lasts up to 4 hours. Loads of fun, let me just say. BUT, the last two weeks I have been the Concession stand QUEEN! I have actually enjoyed it. But for you moms out there, this job is not for the faint of heart. Apparently when YOUR mom runs the concession stand, YOU must have every snack available purchased for you. This can get quite costly if you have more than one kid. It also means that you must become the mom of over 30 kids that are there with their own money to spend and no parents to stop them. I found myself telling many of the kids, you just had 2 candy bars, how about getting a hotdog or an orange.....But the time just flew by. Well, better go, my sweetie has a movie on and waiting for his snuggle bunny, LOL. TMI, I KNOW!!!
Hope your weekend was great!

Is it Winter still?

I'm just wondering. Yesterday it was 70 degrees and its suppose to be up to 78 today. We were out with no jacket yesterday and the kids got too hot. Today it suppose to be heavy thunderstorms but the sky is clear and apart from a strong wind, is beautiful. We would be outside if we didn't need to do school. I even thought about taking a "Field Trip" to the Zoo if the forecast wasn't for 70% chance of heavy thunderstorms. Where is our winter? My spring flowers are even starting to come up. I hope this weather doesn't kill them. If they come out and then we get a few days of severe cold, it might do them in. Hopefully the weather will hold out til we finish up school for the day and I can get a shower and dress the kids so they can get out and play again today.
My sweet kids are playing so well together lately. They have an entire "jungle" out and are playing animals again. I may have two future veteranarians on my hands. My DD has already said that is what she wants to be and her baby brother is just as "into" the animals as she is.
This kind of weather makes me want to go on vacation. I have a friend and her family who are in Orlando this week. I am kind of envious. We are so ready for some down time just to enjoy each other. We are tentatively planning a trip to Gatlinburg, TN in a few months before summer gets into full swing but we dont have a date or place to stay yet. I am looking forward to it. I want to get a cabin near or in the Great Smoky Mountains and we can go to the national park, go to Dollywood and Splash whatever...I feel like I am getting spring fever but it is still the middle of winter. Well, that is all for today. Hope you have a great day!

A movie review and a prayer....

Hi there readers! Another day in the boring life of this housewife and mother. The kids are playing contently with each other and Brownzilla isn't out pillaging or plundering the locals. We are on a break now between school sessions while the kiddos watch "Word World" and "Between the Lions".
Little does she know that she is being taught even as she is on break. I sure do love me some PBS Kids broadcasting. The shows are so educational but also entertaining.
So, with nothing else to talk about, I am going to tell you about the movie we watched last night. Now, don't get too excited though, you probably have already seen it since we never actually go to the theater to see a movie anymore. We have only recently started renting them again since we joined NetFlix. This one is relatively new on DVD though. It is called "Freedom Writers". This was a wonderful movie. We both really enjoyed it. It is about a teacher in CA at an integrated school in which the gang students were basically just written off as lost causes. This young, idealistic teacher helped turn their lives around by caring and sticking with them. Great movie!
We have another one for tonight and you are going to be surprised to hear this but we have never seen "The Notebook" so we are going to watch it tonight. I know this one has been around a couple of years but we just missed it. My DH had never even heard of it. I hope it is as good as I have heard.
For the other half of my title, I just want to ask any of you reading to pray for my friend who is having some outpatient surgery today. They are hoping to get it all done today and avoid some more major surgery but will not know for sure until the doctor gets in there. She is scheduled to go on a mission trip in a month and if today's surgery is not successful, she will have to back out of the trip so that she can have the other surgery. She really wants to go on this mission trip and also would like to avoid the more invasive surgery. Please keep her in your prayers!
Have a blessed day!!!

All Hail the New York Giants!!

This is what we were forced to say last night as we enter the home of "The Mean One" and my sweet SIL. We were told on no uncertain terms that we were there to cheer for his team, the New York Giants, and if we could not do this, leave the food and GET OUT!!! Isn't that lovely. My BIL put on his Giant's jersey with some dude named Shucky, Shockey, or Shooey , something like that, on the back along with a knit cap (IN THE HOUSE!) and forced each and everyone of his three kids to dress in a similar nature. The poor little baby of the family had to have on that same old, Snoopy, Soupy, Spooky, whatever that guys name is, jersey as his dad. We had some yummy chili, baked potatoes, and homemade cornbread. We also had THE BEST chicken wings in the state, LOL, just kidding! I made those. The kids had an absolute blast with the cousins and I found out that my brain age is 33. That is a relief because I seriously thought it was more like 83.
My memory has been a little sad lately.
We didn't even get home until 11:30 and the kids got a second wind and I don't know when they actually feel asleep because we put them to bed and crashed around midnight but they were still
giggling in there.
Did they sleep in? NO WAY! Both were up this morning by 7:30. We have had a short school day today due to everyone being tired. The girl is crashed out up in my bed as I type and the little man has just woke up and bounding with energy. He is watching "Go Diego Go" and in the middle of an animal rescue with our little Hispanic friend. He loves Diego and Dora (and so does momma). My DH finally stepped up to the plate yesterday and almost all the Christmas boxes put up in the shed. The tree is still in the garage because he did not have time to rearrange things to make room for it yesterday before we left. What a busy weekend. Saturday was an all day event with a swim meet (my DD got another 1st place, we think) and then went to get groceries. Tiring weekend.

No longer a TEASE, Brownzilla is BACK!!!!

CLICK ON THE SLIDE SHOW TO WATCH IT LARGER OR IF YOU NEED TO SLOW IT DOWN!!!!

Its the first day of February and Christmas is right around the corner....

Is it me or did the month of January just fly by? Didn't we just ring in the New Year last week?
It is February and the kids in this house got hit by the spirit of Christmas yet again. I told them that Christmas was over and my dd informed me that it was "right around the corner", her words, not mine (well not this time, I am sure I've used this term before since she seemed so familiar with it). I told her no way, Jose! It was a year away, and she said, then why haven't we packed the Christmas stuff back in the shed? From the mouth of babes! I told her to ask her Daddy. I packed it all and put it in the garage, daddy is suppose to step up to the plate from there. Now when she tells him, its time to step up to the plate, I am going to conveniently forget all about ever using that phrase. "The stuff these kids get from television and movies...." I'll say.
She also informed me today that she has about enough of this school nonsense. I advised her that although this may feel like the case, she is mistaken. She will not have had "enough" for 16 plus more years. Her daddy has told her and my ds that they will certainly be going to college, in fact, I believe he has it on cd playing in their room as they sleep. You know subliminal reinforcement. If that is the case, I wish he would add "Not only will you go to college but you will not give your mother a hard time about school and you will sleep until at least 7 am."
This is the big Super Bowl weekend! Yeah! Go.....somebody in a jersey, tight pants, padding and a helmet......Big fan! Can't you tell? I love a good game of football about as much as my annual OB/GYN exam! They are equally exciting in my opinion and apparently boobs get exposed at both (sorry Janet, I am sure you are mortified by the attention....NOT!) I just hope that the commercials are good.
Well that is about all I have to ramble on about today. I will say however, that my DD and I pulled old Brownzilla out of his home for a photo shoot today. Hopefully, I will get time this weekend to edit those on my laptop and come up with something creative. I know his "fans" are clamoring at his palatial plastic and wire cage with the red plastic igloo. You would think his fan club would send him fan mail with cash occasionally. He is a starving artist (well, figuratively speaking) waiting to hit it big on the big screen!