Misadventures in Mommyhood

Guess who's back... back again...

2012-01-20T11:42:00.000-06:00

Hey, look! It's the worst blogger in the world!

Ahh, yes, I am back again and boy what a week this has been. Mostly in a good way although I think I'm going to stop praying for patience because every time I do, the kids are real boogers that day. hehe

I have to say that since Sean got this new job, things have been looking up for us. God really blessed us. It's nice to be able to pay your bills before the due date and still have money left over. I know! It's great!

Last week and the week before we were doing a little internet searching. It seems my husband finally gave in to us needing a new car. Well, not new new, but new-to-us new. Which is how we would prefer it. Last week we found the perfect vehicle with everything in it. Well almost. It comes with a flip down dvd player but Sean wants to add some screens to the headrests as well. Otherwise, it has a moon roof, touchscreen navigation/stereo, leather seats with memory set (yay!), tow hitch, and as I said before, a dvd player. Now we're just waiting on it to get shipped in from California. It's only been a week but it feels like foreeeever! Also, it's blue. Just like we wanted. I can't wait!

On another note, I got myself up and went to church this past Sunday morning. It had been a while since I had been to our church. We checked out a couple others to see if we may prefer something different, but I feel at home at this church. I am really glad I went. I almost cried to when I saw my neighbor and stopped to talk to her. She is the sweetest little woman I know and it felt so good to be back in the Lord's house. I even went to the women's group Sunday night. I felt like I belong there. Not something I feel very often. The kids also seemed to enjoy being back at church. Maybe this Sunday we can get there early enough for Sunday School class. Maybe this Sunday we can get Sean to go with us. Last Sunday he needed a haircut so he didn't want to go. Yeah, I'm still trying to explain to him that no one cares. Especially God.

Another thing I did Sunday was attend a meeting at the church regarding the start up of a new homeschool academy. I'm kind of excited about this for the kids. I think that starting in the fall my kids will be in the pastor's Latin class. I have wanted to teach the kids Latin, but I don't know it myself soooo.... I think it's going to be great for them.

It also looks like I'm going to be heading up a Junior Master Gardener class with a group of kids from our homeschool group. I have wanted to put the kids in the program and I wanted to plant a garden so I was super excited when one of the other moms asked about doing a community garden. The JMG was sort of my idea so I said I wouldn't mind leading that. I like it. It makes me feel like I have some purpose. Ya know, besides taking care of my kids and cleaning up after my husband. ;-)

Now I'm going to try harder at keeping up with my blog and writing on a more regular basis. Until next time, have a blessed day!

Bring it on!

2011-11-02T12:03:00.001-05:00

Wowzer, wowzer, wowzer! I have really missed blogging lately and have been trying to get back on here. So here I am!

So much has been going on around here. Halloween was a ton of fun with our sweet babies despite the fact that I fell and apparently twisted my ankle something fierce. All I know is it is swollen, bruised, and super sore.

This past week we have been remodeling our bedroom. We took everything out and painted the walls a beautiful blue. We still have to cut and paint the trim before installing it but the room already looks amazing! I don't want any more white walls in my house whatsoever!

Now on to something that I am super excited about. The kids, eh, not as much. As many bloggers probably already know, November is NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. The kids and are participating for the first time this year and I can't wait to see what the kids write about! There is a preset word minimum for adults of 50,000 that I hope to achieve but I have adjusted both of the kids goals. Sage is expected to write a minimum of 24,000 words and Raiden's goal is 15,000. That doesn't sound too difficult for a 13 and 10 year old, does it? I'm hoping that next year Sage will be able to make the 50,000 word goal! You may want to say a little prayer for us. We're getting started a bit late! (the story of my life)

Sweet Dreams

2011-09-13T12:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday evening I took the kids on a little trip to Target. Over the past couple of weeks I have been trying to make Sean's and my bed toddler-free. I am proud to announce that my efforts were successful. But not without resistance. Kaitlan usually finds some reason to get out of bed. Even if it's just lying on the floor instead of her bed. I don't get that. Her bed is so much softer than the floor. One night she even told me that she couldn't get into her bed because there was a robot in it. Seriously? I don't know where she comes up with this stuff. So, the reason I dragged the kiddos to Target at 8:30 at night. I told KK last week that if she starts sleeping in her own bed like a big girl I would buy her a new baby doll. That's right. I am not beyond bribery one bit. I also owe Pandora Radio and Sleepytime Tunes a *huge* thank you! Raiden even falls asleep quicker with the awesome, soothing music they play. Now KK has a new Dora doll and Sean and I have our bed back. With the occasional early morning snuggler which I am not completely opposed to.

Liar

2011-08-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I lied.

I have told myself that I am happy when I am oh so obviously not happy. I actually feel as though I am falling apart inside. Medication can't keep the negative thought from entering my head. It can't keep the 'what-ifs' away.

I don't feel that I am a difficult person. I don't ask for a lot. I know that I am unable to make my husband happy right now, though. I think he has basically given up on our marriage. He is just waiting for me to leave. I have tried to work on myself but it doesn't seem to be enough. I want my relationship with God to be first and foremost. I need that. Sean on the other hand seems to push God away more and more.

Neither of us are being good examples to our children either. I think they see that, too. It makes me sad.

We are in a bad place right now. I am going to try to hold it together, though. I am going to pray. I am going to trust in God and seek his guidance. I have to make my marriage work. I know this is His will.

Faster than you think

2011-08-04T17:40:00.000-05:00

School starts around here in just over three weeks now. I believe I almost have the kids curriculum finished.

Almost.

I'm getting excited, though!

We're going to give preschool a shot this year as well. Boy am I nervous about that! Little miss KK is such a firecracker and so so smart. I feel like I need to do something to keep that little brain stimulated. It's going to be so much fun!!

ABC pages are printing as I type this.

We are doing a free preparatory program that I found online. And who doesn't like free! It's called Brightly Beaming Resources. I love this site. It just makes no sense to me to pay so much for school and curriculum when you can learn plenty for free or very cheap! Even for my older kids. The library is full of books. Wonderful, paper books. The kids will be reading plenty of classic books. Some that I don't even think I've read yet! I guess I better get on that. He he

I am using a site that seems to loosely follow the Charlotte Mason method. It's called Old Fashion Education. I love it as well! Our math program is free also. The only things left to get are science and a Texas History curriculum. Both Sage and Raiden want to do Texas History and I found an awesome curriculum for just over $100. I'm sure Rai will want to go over it again at some point and it will also work great for Kaitlan.

I am getting much more confident in my ability to home school the kids. I still want to focus on our work a lot, but want to try to branch out more and add some activities that we may have missed out on last year. We already signed up for 4-H and need to get started on building a rabbit hutch.

Rabbits. Oh boy.

Okay, I have got to get back on task! I want to make sure I have everything ready when the day comes. Wish me luck!!

Tea Time with Daddy

2011-06-15T12:10:00.000-05:00

I thought this was so super cute. KK pulled out her little tea set and asked Daddy to have some tea with her. With all that cuteness, I had to pull out the camera!

Tea for me

tea for you

and more tea for me

You have to mix it up, Dad

This is fun!

I think it's good now

Cheeeeers!!!

drink it up

That was some good tea :)

Proud Mommy Moment

2011-03-02T16:39:00.000-06:00

This weekend I had a proud mommy moment. Only the thing is, it isn't even my kid.

Almost four years ago we became friends with a family who we met as they were the leaders for our son's Cub Scout den. They actually have two sons that are in the den. The older of the two is a few years older in age, but participates in the same den due to the fact that he is autistic and basically on the same level as our 9 year old boys.

I tell you, this kid is awesome! He is so super smart and I love his affinity for telling the complete and utter truth.

So I guess you want to know why we're so proud, huh? Well in his 13 years of life, he has never slept over at anyone's house besides his grandparents. Really just his granddad's. He is such a Pop-Pop's boy! This past Friday my friend H and I took our kiddos to CiCi's for lunch and I was asked before we left if both boys could stay the night. H and I looked at each other with wide eyes.

Of course they could stay!

That evening we did a kid switch. They also have two daughters so Sage stayed over there while the boys stayed at our house. We had a great night of PS3 playing and then all three boys crashed in the living room.

He never once asked to even call his mom.

Both of us were so proud of him! It's a big step with any kid, but it was a huge step for my man C. He has tried once before at another friend of ours home a year ago and was calling to go home within a couple of hours.

I have to say that I am so honored that he trusts us enough to actually make that leap. He wants so badly to be like other teenage boys. He is such a sweetheart. I hope we can have him over again sometime soon.

Fun with Government

2011-02-25T10:38:00.000-06:00

Doesn't everyone love a day at the DMV?

Yeah, neither do I!

But that is exactly where I spent most of my Tuesday this week. In an attempt to renew my extremely overdue driver license, I headed down to the local Department of Public Safety office. I couldn't believe my eyes when I rode up at about 9:30 and the line was out the door! Fourty-five minutes later I was back out the door. Apparently you need three forms of identification here when you want to renew. I don't ever remember that from times I've renewed my license in the past. So how many forms of ID can one person have? Not too many from what the DPS agent tells me.

So back home I went, searched for my high school diploma and went up to the DPS for the third time. Oh yes! The third time. I went up on Friday and was turned away due to lack of identification. The lady wasn't real clear that time so I wasn't real sure how many items I had to have. Well it was three. I'm really beginning to dislike the number three now.

Now with my social security card, my old license, and my high school diploma in hand (I also brought my marriage license just in case) I stood back in that month long line which was actually inside of the doors at this time. Woo hoo! So I stood in line. I gave them my three forms of identification. Then I sat for 2 more hours just to get yet another awful picture on yet another form of identification.

Don't laugh. Please.

That is definitely the face of a tired, sick woman who has been at the DPS for hours on end. And yes, my picture that was taken approximately 10 years ago was almost as bad.

Why do I look so mad when I'm at the DPS office?!

I'm just very thankful that I now have a legal Texas ID and can buy a margarita or a glass of wine when out with my husband or friends. Although. I will be back once Dallas County courts get caught up on their paperwork and I can go get my actual driver license. Oh joy. 0_0

Ready for the change

2011-02-16T18:11:00.000-06:00

I don't get people who do things with the intention of other people not knowing. That sounds so vague. I know. Really, I don't get people that do things that are not bad and still want to hide it. If you wanted to hide it, why do it in the first place?! I guess I need to explain, huh?

Some friends had invited me out and I accepted since it was my birthday weekend. They all were going to get Glamour Shots done and go out dancing after. First of all, I'm a stay at home mom where all of these other women are working moms with only one or two kids so I'm the odd man out so to speak. And I am often left out. Being that I am usually left out, I was pretty excited to be invited along. I know, I sound like a giant loser. It's kind of like being the in-between kind of kid who knows all the cool kids and gets to hang out with them for a while until my dad loses his job and I can't afford the coolest shoes anymore so I don't get invited to hang out as much any more. No, I'm not trying to gain sympathy either. I think I used to be a friend of convenience since we all have boys that are the same age and they are all in Scouts together. We used to be closer. But not so much since I started home schooling and one of them has gotten divorced so they all think it's okay to go out almost every weekend. I don't think it's okay.

Fast forward three weeks later after we all received our pictures.

There was one of the women that I have always been closer to than the others. I only bought a picture of myself and not any of the group but my friend (we'll call her Sally) had received the group pictures from another one of the girls and shared them with me. Well, the only ones I received were of us all in a white men's button up shirts fishnet stockings and heels. Not my idea but I thought it would be cute so went along with it. Well what do we all do with pictures nowadays? We post 'em on Facebook! I posted my single picture and the two group pictures I received just to get a call today from Sally asking me to take the group pictures down. She said that her son may be president one day and she doesn't want that on the internet.

Then why did you do it in the first place!!??!!

I told her that I didn't see it as a big deal. I wanted to tell her that there is no way her son is going to be president if he has to sit her down and ask her to spend time with him instead of going out and she keeps calling that time she spends with him "punishment". It's a group of women. There are no men there except for the photographer. I agreed to take them down though to appease the others. If I had known the whole thing was going to be such a big deal, I would have never gone in the first place. There was so much more to the night that I just don't feel like going into.

Truthfully, a feel that a couple of the women are really genuine. They could be real, true friends but I have had issues with friends in the past that has made it hard for me to get close to others. Sally seems like a good friend, but she also seems like the type to turn around and talk about you when you walk out the door. I've known her for almost 5 years and still don't know if I trust completely.

This all is one reason why I can't wait for our life to change here. I am ready to make real friends. We have been presented with the most amazing opportunity with some of the awesomest, er, most awesome people I have ever met! The wheels have been set in motion. Now we just have to keep them greased and on the right track. One of these days you'll hear of us!

I'm so excited

2011-01-26T16:25:00.000-06:00

And I just can't hide it!

(dunt dunt doo da doo)

Anywho. I'll spare you all my musical skills. Dang I should do that vloggy-style! Ha! Just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you guys.

Here lately the hubs and I have been quite busy. I don't want to go into details, but we are finally working on something that will give us financial freedom at last! And yes, it is legal. :P Hopefully, by the grace of God and with some real commitment, things will be looking up in the next few months. AAAHHH!!! I'm just so excited about it!

I love my dear husband so much. He is my rock. My life. He has also been sick for the past week. Something with his stomach. He isn't "getting sick" but he does feel cruddy. He hasn't been at work this week and I ~~reeeally~~ kinda wish he would get better and get back to work! My days are thrown off by him lying in bed all day watching t.v. Raiden and I are sitting at the computer studying the Ojibwa while Sean sits there watching Modern Marvels. It's a bit distracting and annoying. I love him though and I will hang on to hope that it isn't anything serious.

Someone's Special Day

2011-01-10T16:26:00.000-06:00

I felt it was time for a new post. So here I am.

Christmas was great! We visited C-town for just a few days and then headed back home where Sean had a whole week off from work! We did a lot of laying around and a lot of cleaning. I let Sean get rid of a bunch of Kaitlan's baby stuff that I was holding on to. Hoping he would agree that we could have another baby. But I guess he's right. We have three beautiful blessings that we are more than grateful for.

Speaking of our three blessings, today marks thirteen years since we were blessed with our first. Sage is officially a teenager as of 8:39 this morning! It really is an awesome thing to watch our babies grow before us. They make me so happy!

Some other exciting news... Sean came across a Nikon D60 and put a down payment on it for me!!! **happy dance** I've been moping about mine since it died on us at the end of this summer. I don't know what all accessories will come with it, but I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

This Saturday we all piled into the car and drove down to Houston to visit Sean's granddad. He has been in an assisted living home for several years now suffering from alzheimer's. We all hung out for a while visiting with some of Sean's uncles, aunts, cousins and his dad. We had Chipotle. We drove around downtown Houston for a bit when we were told the wrong direction towards food. And we visited some more. Yesterday afternoon we got the call that his granddad passed. He wanted to be cremated so they will be having a memorial for him in a few months.

Okay, I'm getting out of here. We're going to our family's favorite restaurant for Sage's birthday dinner!!

What's going on

2010-12-23T01:39:00.000-06:00

Boy, oh, boy is December a busy month or what?! But it is so much fun! Now that I stay home and home school the kids it seems I have never been busier. It's great being able to have such a flexible schedule!

This last week has been kinda yucky. Sean worked really late all week long. Now when I say late, I mean late. He has to be in at 6am and wasn't been getting home most nights until around midnight. Then he had to be up and back at work come 6am. Plus he missed all of the fun we had last week and over the weekend. It stinks but I guess we should look at all of the extra time as a God-send being that it's the holiday season and all. At least that's the way we choose to look at it!

Last week Thursday we had our Cub Scout Christmas party. ~~Our den~~ I planned it this year and I am glad it's over! That was the first time I have planned any kind of event like this on my own and it is so stressful. Especially when not ~~a single person~~ many people will cooperate with you!

Since my camera stopped working, all I have is my cell phone for pictures (and that's why it's such a crappy pic!). So here's Raiden on Santa's lap at the party. He visits each year. In fact, I wish I could find Kaitlan's picture from last year. Even funnier is the one taken this year the day after Thanksgiving. My sister's boyfriend snapped a shot of Kaitlan running back to her daddy's arms. She wouldn't even go see Santa at the Scout party... and he's a family friend! I guess Sean's pre-Christmas prep on Santa didn't work!

A couple of days before that Christmas party we had really nice weather and took advantage by going to the park.

We had lunch.

Then the kids played.

And they climbed.

And they slid.

And just had a good time.

Apparently this is the look I get now when I ask Kaitlan to pose for a picture. I don't get it, but it's still cute!

We went to the Christmas luncheon for our home school group on Saturday. The food was delicious and included an apple pie I made and from-scratch green bean casserole with fresh green beans so pretty that I had to take a picture of them.

The kids had a book walk and did some crafts.

Sage working on her her ornament. Kaitlan playing with sequins.

I guess this is the finished product.

Raiden working on his snowman ornament.

Raiden's finished snowman.

And then one of the Santa wish list holder craft that we did at home.

Besides all of this fun stuff we've been baking lots of cookies and I've been trying not to eat them! We head out to C-town in the morning and then back home on Saturday. Next week Sean is off so hopefully we'll get some stuff done around the house (yeah right!) and get to have some much need family fun.

Everyone have a very merry Christmas!!

Hostile Environment

2010-11-04T07:30:00.001-05:00

I think it was about 3 weeks ago that I talked to my dad and he told me about the trip he would be taking. He works on the road and stays out there often for up to a month or so. He has even started going to other near-by countries.

This time it's different, though. Pakistan isn't Dominican Republic. Nothing like it.

He called me last night and said that it did scare him some. Actually, I think it scares him a lot. He hasn't been sleeping well and all of the paperwork is overwhelming.

Apparently, the airport my dad will be working at has bombs dropping "no closer than a half mile away."

U.S. bombs, that is. You know how those Taliban guys keep hiding out in Pakistan? Yeah. That's who they're after.

My dad tells me that he has had his employers take out a hefty life insurance plan on him in case something were to happen to him over there. He's also getting his will in order.

I would rather just have my dad back home safely.

It's really cool, all the traveling he does now. But it's not so cool that he's going into such a hostile environment this time.

I'll tell you this. My praying knees are going to be busier than usual.

You Annoy Me!!!

2010-11-03T08:35:00.000-05:00

I am the oldest of three girls. I have to admit that, although I am a pretty laid back, conservative person, there were moments that my sisters would get on my nerves. What I don't remember was getting annoyed by them for doing things that had absolutely nothing to do with me or when they were in a completely different room than myself.

Let me explain.

I love my almost-teen daughter so much. She is a smart, caring, sensitive young lady. She gives me a ton of attitude, but she also gives me so much joy.

While sitting at the computer yesterday, she came to me for help with her Language Arts assignment. As she walked up behind me I could hear her talking under her breath about how she was "gonna kill him". Raiden was in the front room keeping Kaitlan entertained until I came back to prepare lunch. I hear this kind of thing quite often from her. I understand that he's her little brother and I know that he does bug her plenty, but he was in the other room. Talking to someone else! The poor kid can't do anything right in his big sister's eyes.

My response was to stop right there before anything else and ask her (very calmly I may add) what it was that he was doing to directly annoy her. She tried to walk away. Yeah, that's the response I get much of the time when I try to talk to her or get on to her about something. I figure it's pretty normal for a pre-teen/teen. Right?

I wrangled her back in and gave her a talkin' to. I explained to her how her words can hurt not only her brother, but herself. How we never know what tomorrow holds for any of us. I asked her how she would feel if those type of words were the last she spoke to her brother. Needless to say, there were a few tears by the time I finished talking to her. I also talked plenty about how her attitude needs to change. How she makes the rest of us feel like we are making her life miserable.

This kid. I love her so much. I am trying my hardest to make life as happy as I can for her, but she is always crabby and throwing darts at just about everyone in the house. (Not literal darts!) What else can I do?!? She gets to do so much more than her little brother. And rightfully so. I let her stay the night with friends or have friends over when she hasn't cleaned her room or finished all of her chores. Maybe THAT is part of the problem. We have given our children so many liberties without earning them that they now expect them.

AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! So frustrating!

Fall Fun

2010-11-02T07:28:00.000-05:00

Where, O, where to begin this....

I've been thinking about my blog more here lately. I keep asking myself, "Self, why can't you just get in there and write a little something about your day?" So, it may be boring, but I'm going to attempt to get on and just write something. I have already missed the first day of November, but I will now try to get into a habit of writing each day. Wish me luck. :)

With Halloween being on a Sunday, it made for quite a full weekend. I actually wanted to go out on Friday evening, but I'm kinda glad we didn't. I think we got plenty of junk on Saturday and Sunday. We started out Saturday evening with a carnival in downtown. It was a great family friendly event and the kids, well, the two kids we had with us, had a blast. Sage didn't go because she decided to go watch Paranormal Activity 2 with her friend and friend's mom. I didn't really want her to go see it, but she's smart enough to know that that sort of stuff is just a movie and not real. Not to say that she doesn't understand that Satan really does tempt us everyday and.... Okay, I'm getting into a whole 'nother subject now. Let's just say she knows what it truth and what is Hollywood. Reeling it back in now.

So come Sunday, we had a birthday party for an awesome little man. My friend H's amazing little boy turned 1!!! He slept most of the time we were there, but it was still a great gathering with our friends.

After Lil' Man dug into his cake, we headed out to try to get our little monster to nap. I say little monster because she was tired and acting like, well, a little monster. :) The nap never happened, but it's amazing what a nursing session does for that kid. Once we got Sagie made up, we all headed out to the fall festival at the church. We had a great time. Sean lost the keys. Someone found them (thank you, Lord and Pastor Daniel!). And we headed to a trunk or treat at another local church. We tried our hand at the cake walk. We lost. But we did have a great time. We ended the night with some more trick or treating in the neighborhood. I think we ended up getting home no later than 8:30 so we did pretty darn good. We also did pretty darn good in the candy-getting department. I'm trying to change up some of our eating habits and what we put into our bodies, but I think I'll take it easy on them for now as far as the goodies go. It's not like they get to eat a pound of candy a day!

Now on to the good stuff. Apparently our camera decided to die on us after our vacation this summer, so I have no real camera, but I did get a few shots of the kids with my phone:

My 80s rocker chick!

There's Tony Romo! Broken clavicle and all.

And last but definitely not least, my little angel baby.

Running on empty..

2010-10-13T08:10:00.000-05:00

Today I just know that I will be walking around my house like a zombie. I already feel it. It seems that my adorable two year old thought it necessary to stir at around 3:30 this morning which usually prompts a quick nursing and she's back off to dreamland.

Not THIS morning, though. Every time I pulled her off, she would whine again. I'd plug it back in and she would act like she was going back to sleep.

Needless to say, that was not her plan. I attempted to refuse her the ti-ti.

She would fuss louder.

Then Dad began complaining.

Yes, dear, I'll keep her quiet.

Back with another attempt to nurse the little ~~booger~~ angel to sleep. Never mind the fact that my bladder was on the verge of combustion.

Then the alarm starts going off it's normal six or seven times.

She finally decides to fall asleep just in time for me to get up and get Sean ready for work.

I do believe a nap will be on the schedule for today.

She's Aliiive!

2010-09-23T16:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am still alive and I am waaay overdue for an update! I have had such good intentions, but I have been so super busy.
This would make week 5 of our new home schooling adventure and I can now say that things are going pretty darn well. ;) I must admit that week 3 was a difficult one, though.

We had visited our family in C-town (for the first time in almost a year!) for the Labor Day weekend. Once we were back home, I started hearing a lot of complaints from Sage. She was voicing her desire to return to public school on Facebook and Myspace but not so much to me.

It hurt my feelings. It hurt that she had not yet given home schooling a chance. That she wasn't talking to me about it. I let her know how I felt and then left the ball in her court.

The past two weeks haven't been so bad. I am getting more organized and figuring out what works for us.

I'm happy with that.

Last week I finally took care of something that has needed to be taken care of for a while.

I am (what I figure to be) a typical mom in the aspect of taking care of the husband, kids and house and not taking care of myself so much.

I found out a few years ago that I had what they call dysplasia when it comes to my cervical cells. In other words, the cells were abnormal and could form into cancer.

I found this out at about the same time I found out I was pregnant with KK. In fact, I found out about the pregnancy the day I went in for the biopsy.

Praise the Lord that it was not too bad at that time and all I had to do was come back every 6 months for another pap.

Well there I go again not taking care of myself. I went to my first appointment a few months after Kaitlan's birth but failed to make my next appointment 6 months later. And the next 6 months after that.

With some ~~hard nudging~~ gently coaxing from dear husband, I finally went in for an appointment.

What do ya know, it had gotten worse.

That's when the wonderful Dr. W scheduled me for what is called a LEEP procedure. I went in Tuesday morning last week for a (really) quick day surgery that hopefully took care of what ailed me. (When I say quick I mean quick. I went in at 6am and was on my way home at 9am!)

Now I just pray that it has been taken care of and I will not have to face this issue any more.

In other medical news, it seems that Sean's maternal grandfather will probably be joining his wife in the Lord's arms sooner than we had hoped. We found out that he has stage 4 colon cancer that has spread to his liver among other places. We're talking about an old tough Marine who is now weak and depending on his children to take care of him. It's really sad and the family could use your prayers. I don't know if it's awful to think this way, but when it comes down to it, sometimes I just wish God would take them and get them out of the misery they're suffering. Such a difficult subject.

Okay, I really need to get out of the doom and gloom that I'm starting to fill with, so on to something great and sad in it's own right.

My baby girl is going to be 2 years old in just about 2 weeks now! I can't believe it! She is so tiny, but I can see how much she is growing and I wish she could just stay little forever. Especially when I think of her sister and that attitude! Only kidding... kinda. =) Actually, this kid is a teenager in a toddler body, I tell you. She has attitude that is unimaginable for a kid her age. I'm really loving (almost) every minute of it, though. Our family wouldn't feel complete without her.

Well that's it for now, folks. Someone has to do laundry around here and I can tell you that it isn't any of the other 4 people that live here! Have a blessed day and I hope to post again soon!

Nerves

2010-08-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

I almost feel as though am about to have a panic attack.

This is tough.

I am sure I've made the right decision, but I am still so apprehensive.

I feel like a fool sitting here crying over whether or not I am doing the right thing. I am though... right?

I definitely don't take my children's education lightly and that is why I decided to home school them. I would never down the public school system even with all of its flaws, but last year was a difficult one for us. I was tired of hearing my son tell me that he can't. It was hard to see my daughter struggle at something that I know she can excel at.

We start school in three days and I feel so unprepared as sit making our first weeks lesson plans. I know that I have put a lot of thought into home schooling. I thought about it for over a year before I decided for sure to do it. I really believe that we can do this and that my kids will be better off.

Then why do I feel like this?!?

I think the other issues in our life are contributing to this feeling. Money matters. Talk of moving. Talk of fixing up our house in order to sell. Would anyone even buy our house? Wanting to start my own business on top of it all. It is something I really want to do and know I can do, but is it the right time?

I'll be praying for insight and doing what I have to do in the meantime.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Gone Fishin'

2010-08-15T16:16:00.000-05:00

Today is the last full day of our little (much needed) vacation. We haven't been on a real vacation in about 5 years so this has been so nice!

On Thursday, we drove over to Possum Kingdom Lake to meet my dad and then my sister, Brandi and her family joined us on Friday.

This has been the best weekend we've had in a long time despite the sweltering heat!

Yesterday we rented a boat for four hours where we rode out to a spot called "Hell's Gate". There we all jumped in the water for a swim. Well, everyone except for Sage. She was not real happy about the boat at all! As soon as we got on she started telling us she didn't want to go. The rocking was making her sick. It didn't make me feel that way until we had been off of the boat for a few hours.

I can't wait to share pictures! I have never seen an elevator in the side of a cliff that takes you from your house down to the lake until yesterday. As Kaitlan says, it was "tooool"!, or cool for anyone who doesn't speak toddler.

I've been so proud of myself for making sure everyone has their sunblock on. I usually underestimate the power of that big fire ball in the sky and it's effect on our near-transparent skin! The only thing that seems to have been looked over is Sage's scalp.

Now I think we're going to go on a hike.

Catch y'all later!

Five Question Friday

2010-07-30T18:45:00.000-05:00

Good Friday evening everyone! All I can think about right now is getting dinner ready so I can eat, so I'm gonna jump right in to it. Shall we?

1. Did you have a favorite blanket or toy as a kid? If so, do you still have it?

I still have a little doggie that is white with blue tips all over. My Great Aunt Mary gave it to me for my first birthday. She passed away when I was really little, but my mom says that she was really nice.

2. Do you dream in color?

I think so... I don't really know. I'm gonna say yes because I just figure that I do.

3. How tall are you? Do you wish you were shorter or taller?

I totally wish I were taller!!! I'm the shortest of my sisters and the oldest. It so sucks! (you can't tell I'm a little bitter about that, can ya?)

4. If you could have anyone's (celeb or other) voice as the guide on your GPS, who would it be?

Ah, this one is easy. William Shatner. I don't find his voice sexy or anything, I just like the way he talks. It's kinda funny.

5. Do you return your shopping cart to the corral or leave it wherever in the parking lot?

I always return my basket!!! If it's closer, I'll even take it up to the front of the store. That is a HUGE pet peeve for me. I find it lazy to just leave it. You've just walked around the store. You can manage a few more yards to return the cart to it's proper place. It just makes sense.

Okay, I am about to have a mutiny here on my hands if I don't go get dinner ready. You can go to Mama M's place, My Little Life, and play along if you don't already. Catch ya later tater.

Hey people! I have an announcement to make!!

2010-07-21T14:52:00.000-05:00

Well whadaya know. I finally did it. Post 100.

WooHoo!!!

So, for the century mark, I though I would share a few changes that are going on here around the homestead.

First I am excited to announce that I will finally be contributing monetarily to my household once again. It's been almost 2 years since I left my job to stay home and take care of the kids full time. The best part is that I still get to stay home with the kids. I love my babies and could not imagine leaving Kaitlan with someone else all day long. Not really because I don't want to leave her, but because I would never want to do that to another person. I'm telling ya, she's a firecracker!

Things aren't all set up, yet, but I'll be happy to share once they are. Now I just need to come up with a cute, catchy name for my company. Any ideas out there? Think gift shop....

In other news, it seems my kids will not be going back to public school this year. Yes, we have decided to begin home schooling!

I'm really excited about it and have started stocking up on little things and looking into curriculum. We have joined a home school co-op through our church and are signed up for classes and even an archery course for Sean to participate in with the kids. Now I gotta start making money so I can pay for all of this stuff!

Do any of you home school or have you considered it? Any advice?

I have already heard from family and friends the whole, "are you sure you wanna do this?" and "won't the kids be missing out on socializing with other kids?"

Actually, I am sure I want to do this. I've only been going through the thought process for over a year now. I don't take my children's future lightly.

And actually, I'm not worried about the kids losing out on social interaction. We have class once a week with other kids in the co-op. Kids that my kids are already friends with. Kids with parents that I know are like-minded in the way of the Lord. There are other get-togethers, field trips and extra-curricular activities that the kids can participate in.

All of this change does have me a bit nervous though! But it's a nervous excitement.

So please wish me luck in my new endeavors and keep a look out for my new business coming out soon!

A few of my favorite things...

2010-07-20T16:56:00.000-05:00

There are so many things in life that we take for granted.

I know that I am so guilty of this.

I started thinking of the things that I really love, though.

You know, the simple things.

The quiet of the morning. It makes it perfect for sipping hot coffee and reading.

The sound of my children laughing.

A cuddle from my almost teen daughter.

Babies. Any and all babies. I just love 'em.

Ice cream. It's amazing how a scoop of Blue Bell's Homemade Vanilla can perk up my day.

A beautiful sunrise. Also great while sipping my coffee.

My husband's hand in mine.

Filling my kiddo's bellies with their favorite foods.

Hearing the voice of a loved one or friend.

A beautiful day spent with my beautiful family.

photo via google images

Five Question Friday

2010-07-16T14:35:00.000-05:00

Howdy, folks! I am so glad it's Friday. I have convinced the hubster to take the fam to an Asian museum in Dallas. The theme is Modern Twist: Japanese Art. We have been wanting to go check the museum out for a while now but haven't made the drive. I'm excited!

I'm also excited to participate in Mama M's Friday carnival. That's right, it's Five Question Friday time! And now for the rules and regs per Mama M:

Rules for Five Question Friday: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then c'mon back to link up! If you don't have a blog but would like to play along, feel free to leave your answers in the comments of this blog, or any blog along the way!

Questions for Friday, July 16th: (Thanks to Cristy, Renee, Emily, Maryanne, and my Belle [from her vlog debut] for your question suggestions! Want to be linked in a future 5QF? C'monover to my community and offer up your best question suggestions!)

1. Do you collect anything?

2. Name 3 celebrities that you find good looking.

3. Do you have any scars? If so, what's the story behind it (them?)?

4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?

5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?

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1. Do you collect anything?

I don't collect anything, per se, but I didn't touch a little bit on my hoarding tendencies. I know it's weird, but I don't care.

2. Name 3 celebrities that you find good looking.
Oh goodness, we just had to go there. Well, there are a few that I find to be just delectable. Brad Pitt for starters. He is just gorgeous. Even in The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons where he was a little old man was hot. I also have a girl-crush on Tyra Banks. I think she is beautiful and if I were to swing that way, she would be the subject of many a dream. My third pick is Tyrese Gibson. Rawr! He has the face, the body (oh the body!!) and he seems to be a nice guy. I would sop him up with a biscuit! I know the question wasn't who I would trade my husband in for, but I do find all 3 of these to be very good looking. Now I must move on to the next question because I am committing sin in my head!

3. Do you have any scars? If so, what's the story behind it (them?)?

Hmmm, I have a nice scar that runs along my right arm just above my wrist. That's also were my favorite tattoo resides, so luckily the little scar is next to it, not on it. I got it from our cat we used to have when we first moved into our house. I miss that cat. I don't miss his mean streak. Other than that, I can't think of any more.

4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?
My entire family thinks it gross that I like Moo Goo Gai Pan. They say it looks slimy. I say it looks delish!

5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?

Why, of course I've seen a tornado in real life... I live in Texas aka Tornado Alley! When I was a kid we lived in a tiny community in West Texas called Tell that had a population of about 40(that's being generous) and a cotton gin. That's it. Once there was a tornado in our front yard. It was a small one, but it was purple and we thought it was pretty. I've seen so many tornados that I don't think I could even begin to come up with a number as to how many.

There's my answers and I'm sticking to 'em. Wanna join in the fun? Click on the 5QF logo above and get with it. Everyone have a great weekend!

You can call me a wimp...

2010-07-03T14:05:00.000-05:00

...you can call me a wuss.

You can even call me battered and bruised.

But what you will NOT call me is spider-bitten!

It all happened when I went to take a shower. (No wise cracks, ya hear!)

I looked up and I saw the spider. On the ceiling. And struggling.

It seemed to be slipping from the condensation that was forming from the shower steam.

I'm not some big skeerdy cat when it comes to spiders (normally), but this involved me having to close my eyes at times to wash and I just wasn't risking it.

All I could see in my head was opening my eyes after rinsing my hair out or the soap from my face, and staring smack-dab at a spider!

No, I couldn't risk that.

So I did a little holler...

"KID!"

I didn't care which one showed up, but I needed a kid.

"KID!"

No response.

I thought that they probably couldn't hear me over the television being that Raiden thinks that the t.v. must drown out all other sounds including his own thoughts.

Then I saw that darn spider slip off of the ceiling!

I squealed!

It caught itself and clumsily pulled itself back up to the ceiling.

Whew! That was a close one.

I knocked on the wall and yelled a few more times before Raiden finally came to the bathroom door. That's when I did something stupid.

Right before my son came to the door, I thought it would be a swell idea to prepare myself to squash the little spider. I placed my left foot on the side of the bathtub. I began to lift my right foot to the wall of the bathtub.

That's when I slipped...

...but I caught myself as well! (just like the spider, ya see.)

I did bump my leg on the side of the tub, but no biggie. Could have been much worse! I'll just have a nice bruise on my leg as well as my foot probably.

Funny thing was that when I slipped I let out a little yelp and that was the same moment that Raiden was walking in the door. I heard him let out a little yelp as well and close the door back. I didn't understand why, but I thought it was funny. When he came back in I asked if I had scared him when I yelled but of course he said no. He's such a tough guy!

Well I ended up getting my shoe that I needed and proceeded to step back onto the bathtub side withOUT the shower curtain under my foot this time. Yeah, I'm a genius, I know. The spider was squished and all was right with the world once again.

Five Question Friday

2010-07-02T08:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!! I hope all are having a super duper day! (Don't know why I'm in such a good mood so early.)

Today I decided to get back into Mama M's five question friday. I meant to last week, but forgot by the end of the day. Anywho... I'll copy the rules and junk here (er, down there actually) so that you, too, can play along. Just make sure you link back up to Mama M so everyone else can see your answers! (Just click on the picture link below.)

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Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post. Answer them, then c'mon back to link up! If you don't have a blog, but would like to participate, feel free to leave your answers in the comments of this post, or any post along the way!

Questions for Friday, July 2nd: (Special thanks to Sami, Emily, Sarah, and a couple of patriotic questions from yours truly! If YOU would like to be linked in a future 5QF, visit my community, and leave your best question suggestions!!)

1. What is one thing you miss the most about childhood?

2. Are you still friends with your friends from high school?

3. Is there a catch phrase, cliche, or word that just drives you bonkers every time you hear it?

4. What is one thing that you think symbolizes America...besides "Old Glory"?

5. What are your 4th of July weekend plans?

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Now for my answers:

1. What is one thing you miss the most about childhood?

I think I just miss the innocence of being a child. Discovering new things. Doing the things that children do. Not having a care in the world. I miss all of those. And getting to spend time with my mom and dad and sisters. That is something that I don't get to do now and I miss that so much.

2. Are you still friends with your friends from high school?

I am with some of them. I don't live in my home town anymore and a lot of them still do, so that makes it kind of difficult to actually hang out as friends do. There are some that are still really close to my heart, though and I see try to see them when we do go back to Childress. It's been a while though. I miss them too.

3. Is there a catch phrase, cliche, or word that just drives you bonkers every time you hear it?

Something that really bugs me is "my bad". Especially when I catch myself saying it! I don't know, it just sounds idiotic... uneducated. There are more, believe me, but that's just the one sticking in my head right now. I think I heard someone say it yesterday. =/

Not to mention certain curse words that my DH just does NOT know how to filter. Namely, the "f" word. Our littlest one is a toughy and I can just hear her repeating it at the worst times. Like at church or something!

Oh, and there's the slang term for female genitalia. You know, the "p" word. It just doesn't sound nice. Vagina is a weird enough word as it is... do we have to have a worse slang word for it?! It's definitely a word that I cannot stand to hear.

4. What is the one thing that you think symbolizes America... besides "Old Glory"?

One thing that always makes me think "Americana" is a picture. A picture of children playing in a field. Of family and friends enjoying bbq and each others company. Lemonade. A picnic in the park. Okay, that's more than one, but that's what I see in my head when I think of America. I guess that would be somewhere along the lines of family and freedom or something. Sorry, my mind is usually just a jumbled mess and it comes out the same way sometimes.

5. What are your 4th of July weekend plans?

I really have no idea. I wanted to go to Childress and see our family, but I doubt we're doing that. Gotta save that gas money! Maybe I can convince Sean to actually get up and do something. I don't know if he just enjoys being lazy on holidays and weekends or he doesn't know what to do so he chooses to do nothing. Either way, it drives me craaaaazy and I'm gonna get him up off of his butt this weekend!!

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And there we go. My answers to the FQF this week. I hope you decide to play along if you don't already. It really is fun!

Everyone have a lovely Friday and a wonderfully festive July 4th holiday!!

I'm working on it...

2010-07-01T11:13:00.000-05:00

...and this is what it is!

I have been trying to make more time for sewing with very little luck, but I did sit down one day and make Kaitlan this skirt. I think I did a pretty darn good job considering I didn't use a pattern.

I have also made an apron for Sage and a dress for Kaitlan. I don't know what happened to the apron pics and I still haven't finished the dress. Let's just say that a zipper foot really is needed if you're installing a zipper! I found out the hard way and ended up with a broken needle. Now I just keep forgetting to buy the darn zipper foot every time I go to the store!

I hope to really start getting some stuff done and even teaching Sage how to sew. I had not sewn since high school previous to the apron I did, except for sewing patches on Raiden's Cub Scout uniform and Sean really did most of that. Yeah, Sean thinks he is some seamstress extraordinaire just because he used to work at "the cap factory" before we got together. He would sit at a machine, load up the threads, put the front of the cap (pre-assembly) and the machine would stitch up the design on the front of caps. I told him that wasn't really sewing, but he disagrees.

Anywho, I just wanted to share with you all how proud I am of myself. I hope I can get more done soon!

Summer so far

2010-06-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

My big kids have been out of school for over three weeks now. They haven't started getting on my nerves too badly... yet.

The last week of school was so busy. Especially for Raiden. It seemed that there was something going on every day for him that last week. We had Field Day, the TAKS Test ice cream party, the class picnic, and I don't even remember what else.

It was a great week, though!

The first week out of school we basically just slept in, cleaned the house and chilled at the crib. We also cut Raiden's hair for summer.

Sage attempted to give Kaitlan a mohawk as well.

She doesn't look like she cares much for it.

The second week out of school, Raiden had Cub Scout camp. He has been a Scout since first grade, but this is the first time he went to the camp. He had a blast!

Raiden's group doing the opening flag ceremonies one day.

I had to keep the girls occupied while Rai was at camp so we went to a museum one day. Sage thought it was so awesome to see real art by famous artists.

Sage has also enjoyed playing a bit of dress up with Kaitlan!

One Saturday morning we took a road trip down to Dr Pepper, Texas! (AKA Dublin, Texas the other 51 weeks of the year)

They were celebrating the Dublin Dr Pepper's 119th birthday.
The Dublin Dr Pepper plant is the oldest Dr Pepper plant in the world!

Dublin Dr Peppers are different than regular Dr Peppers, though.

Dublin Dr Pepper is made with real Imperial sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

Some guy did a really awesome sand sculpture.

It looked like a whole lot of work to me!
Despite the look of things here, a good time was had by all. It was pretty hot that day!

And of course, Sage has been taking more pictures of herself.

This past Saturday Sean and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. We went to dinner and then spent a couple of hours together kid-free before stopping for some late night ice cream and heading home. Unfortunately all of the kids were still awake when we got there. We had a really great day, though. We have been through a lot together in this first 12 years of our marriage but look forward to dozens more!

This message is NOT approved!

2010-06-25T07:24:00.000-05:00

What does a parent do when they don't approve of one of their children's friends?

I have never had that problem until now.

I have always had an uneasy feeling when my son talked about this boy. Unfortunately, Raiden thinks this boy is the funniest kid ever. Besides his friend Noah, he says this is his best friend. Other kids at school will tell you that he and Raiden are best friends.

A few months ago I was checking through Raiden's text messages on his phone when I come across one from this boy (whom we will call Jason*). Not unusual. What was unusual was what the message said.

Something along the lines of, " you want to have sex with Kari*"

I was not happy. These are eight and nine year old boys we're talking about.

I was even less happy when I saw Raiden's response:

"you want to have sex with Hope*"

Raiden and I had a talk about that. We discussed how he didn't really even know what sex was and how it was inappropriate for boys his age to be discussing sex and including these young girls in their conversation.

Now I feel that Sean and I are pretty open with our children. I believe in modesty, but I believe that there is nothing shameful about the human body. I believe in answering any questions regarding sex and just life in general in an honest, age appropriate manner.

Okay, so I have allowed Raiden to continue to hang around Jason and he even had him over for his birthday slumber party.

Sean was very unimpressed (I don't think that's a word. oh well!). He felt that Jason acted a little uncouth to be in the house of a friend that he has never been to before. Now don't get me wrong. I know that boys will be boys and I did expect them all to have fun. I suppose I just hope that my son behaves the way I expect him to behave when he stays over at other peoples homes. Not the way Jason behaved that night.

So now to the text message that Jason sent to Raiden at 5:30 this morning. Yes, you read that right.

He first sent a message that said he was camping.

I looked at it, ignored it and put Raiden's phone on the kitchen counter.

A couple minutes later I had walked back into my room and sat on the bed while I waited for Sean to finish getting ready for work. That's when I heard Raiden's phone going off again.

I figured I would just text him back telling him that Raiden was still asleep. I didn't expect to see the message I saw, though.

Once I clicked on it, I saw that it was a forward. No biggie. Then the picture popped up.

I just stared, jaw agape.

There was a va-jay-jay staring me straight in the face.

I know, right?!

It had been edited to sort of look monkey-ish (like a snow monkey IMO --TMI?) and had an attached message that read: "this is what happens to white girls when they have sex with black boys."

I was floored!

I doubt the kids mom knows he has this on his phone. I only met her when she dropped off and picked up Jason for the sleep over. Then again, she may know. I don't know how she rears her children. All I do know is that she appeared to be a young mom, though I don't know how young, and is not with his dad. I am definitely not knocking young mothers being that I am 30 with a 12 year old. Nor am I knocking the fact that his parents aren't together. Things happen. Plus, it's not my place to judge anyone.

I am concerned of my son's relationship with this kid, though.

I am also a little concerned about what else this boy is exposed to.

I immediately deleted the message in order the keep Raiden from seeing it and went straight to Sean to tell him.

Am I over reacting if I tell Raiden that I don't want him talking to Jason anymore?

I will tell you that the first thing I thought was how relieved I am to know that Raiden will not be going to public school next year. In fact, I am about to print off the paper that I send to the school to let them know.

I want to protect my children and keep them innocent as long as possible.

*not their real names! duh!

What is this all about?!

2010-06-16T07:50:00.000-05:00

As mom to an almost-teen girl, I've noticed a big change in my daughter of the past year. One of those changes is how she seems to take tons of pictures of herself mostly in the bathroom making goofy faces. You know, silly teenage girl faces. She posts them to her Facebook and Myspace. Some of her friends take these same kind of pictures and I've seen others as well. I'm sure most anyone who has been on the internet has for that matter.

Here is one just before the goofy faces started:

Now they're all so ridiculously funny! I'll let you judge for yourself:

I find them hilarious! There are many more that she has taken on my cell phone, but I have either deleted them or I'm just too lazy to send them all to my email and then blah blah blah. I have told her that she should wipe the mirror down before taking these crazy shots, but I guess she "forgot".

Does anyone have funny self photos of their children? I could do a whole 'nother post on my son and his up-nose shots. Kids.... Gotta love 'em!

No One's Happy

2010-06-15T10:19:00.000-05:00

What can I say... I tried.

For more than 20 months now, we have been co-sleeping with Kaitlan.

Go ahead, call me a hippie. I don't care. =)

For much of those months, my husband has been trying to get me to start putting KK in her crib. Here lately I have been trying to do that. After all, it would be nice to sleep on more than a corner of the bed.

Can we say bed hogs? Yes, the both of them.

I was doing pretty good at getting Kaitlan to sleep and then putting her in her own bed. It may be 11pm when I get her in there, but heck, I had space to sleep! She may wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning, but I can handle that. Just bring her back to my bed and nurse her back to sleep.

Yes, I am still breastfeeding a 20 month old kid. Call me a hippie again... I still won't care.

You think Dad would be happy about this.

Right?

Well imagine my surprise when we're laying in bed after I put Kaitlan in her crib and he mumbles from his pillow:

"I want my KK back in bed."

You're kidding me.

All I could muster was an "oh really?" and left it at that. I was too tired to ask him what in the world he was thinking.

Where do you think she's been sleeping since?

If you said with Mom and Dad, you got it right!

Since that night, we have moved in Sean's brother who is a truck driver and mostly only here on weekends, so he sleeps in Raiden's room when he's home. Kaitlan's crib is in Raiden's room so we don't even worry about putting her in there when Uncle Jake is here. I try to at least put her in her crib for naps, but she seems to sleep so much better in "our" bed. Actually, I wish we had a king size bed so we could fit all 3 kids in bed with us. I know, I know. I just love all of the togetherness, though!

Ladies Night!

2010-05-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

oh yes it's ladies night

and the feelings right

oh yes it's ladies night

oh what a night

That's right, last night was ladies night! Or "girl's night out" as we like to call it.

Last night I went out with some of my friends to see Sex in the City 2. Am I all that excited about seeing the movie?

Not really.

It was pretty funny though. I never really watched the series, but I have gone and watched both of the movies... go figure! (The first one I went and saw with one of my sisters while Sean took all of the kids to see a different movie. There's no way in the world he would sit at home and watch it with me let alone to pay for it at the theater. I have to watch most chick-flicks by myself.)

I was mostly looking forward to hanging out with some wonderful women, though. There ending up being around 12 of us that went to see the movie and a few less that went dancing afterwards. We had a fabulous time!

It's been since before Kaitlan was born that I've been out on the town with friends and no kids or husband. So it's been at least 2 years. I was so excited that I forgot to even ask what time the movie was starting and almost the house an hour and a half early!

The movie was cute and I ate a salad. It was a pretty good salad for a movie theater.

Us ladies leaving the theater. We had already lost a couple of the girls by then.

I need to lift some weights or something! Guess I should've put my hand on my hip too.

All in all we had a great night! I wish I had some of the pics from us dancing, but I didn't have a camera and no one has sent me any yet.

Is anyone of you looking forward to seeing Sex and the City 2? Have you already seen it?

Getting to know YOU!

2010-05-30T22:36:00.000-05:00

I haven't really even been on the computer all that much here lately when it comes Sunday, but today I was so I decided to get back into Keely's Sunday funday blog carnival Getting to know YOU over at MannLand5. If you would like to play along, then copy the questions and make sure you go back to Keely's to link up as well as see everyone else's posts.

1. Have you ever snooped around someone else's house?

2. Can guys and girls be friends? ( thanks Jen!)

3. Can you curl your tongue?

4. Have you ever stolen anything?

5. Would you rather talk on the phone or text?

6. Memorial Day plans?

7. What do you do to relax?

8. Do you do anything to honor those that have died fighting for our freedom?

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1. Have you ever snooped around someone else's house?

I'm sure I have before. Family of course. I know I do when I'm at my mom's and sister's houses.

2. Can guys and girls be friends?

I do believe that they can. Not all guys or all girls, though. I have had guy friends that were great. I have had guy friends that ended up having ulterior motives. I think that is actually the case a lot of the time. Just not always.

3. Can you curl your tongue?

I can't curl it up like a taco, but I can "make it dance"! I don't know what else to call it and I don't really know how to explain it either. Just think of a belly dancer's belly rolling. There we go! I can roll my tongue! From back to front.

4. Have you ever stolen anything?

I have to be truthful and say yes. Even if it was not actually myself who held the items and walked out, I was there and I knew it was happening.

5. Would you rather talk on the phone or text?

I am totally a texter! I'll answer the phone, but if I miss your call and you send me a text, I'll return the text rather than call. One of my sisters is even worse than myself. You can call her and she'll look at the phone and ignore it. Text her right after that and she'll respond. I've seen her do it.

6. Memorial Day Plans?

We usually would have a bbq or go to Oklahoma for a family reunion (my mom's family) or do both. Yeah, we do both. My side and his.

This year my kids have to go to school on actual Memorial Day (I know, right?!)
It's a snow day makeup day so their having their field day then. We'll be at the elementary school with Raiden this year having a good time watching the kids.

7. What do you do to relax?

I just love to sit down and watch t.v. with a good glass of wine.

8. Do you do anything to honor those that have died fighting for our freedom?

Can't really say I do. I wish I did, though. I do talk to the kids about it, though. We have some family members who are veterans and I just think it is important that our children know what the "holiday" is all about.

Now it's your turn. I know I'm getting mine in late on Sunday, but you can still get in on the fun if you'd like.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!

Five Question Friday

2010-05-28T19:31:00.000-05:00

Here lately I've been trying to make an effort to get back into blogging more often. I know that means that I may not have a post everyday. I'm okay with that. I also know that it means that I get to play along with others fun blog carnivals! I'm getting back into the swing of things over at My Little Life today. I'm gonna let Mama M take it from here and then I'll answer her questions. Here goes!

Rules for Five Question Friday: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then c'mon back to link up! If it floats your boat, you can even grab the blog hop code! I would love it if you'd link back to me, Mama M., but that's not a requirement! ;)

If you don't have a blog, but want to play along...feel free to answer the questions in the comments of my blog, or any blog along the way! And remember, the linky is always open til Sunday night...so any of you who are late to the game, can still play along! (Aren't I thoughtful?!!)

Questions for Friday, May 28th: (Special thanks to Lorilynne, Erin, Sandy, Kyrsten, andRenee for their question suggestions! If YOU wanna be linked in a future 5QF, c'mon over here, to my community and offer up your best question suggestions!)

1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?

2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on?

3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child?

4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast?

5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy?

Now it's my turn again! Here are my answers:

1. Ugh, I don't know about this one! I can't really think of anything. I'm sure I'll read someone elses answer when I'm done and totally have an "oh yeah" moment.

2. This one is not nearly as hard. If I had $100 cash handed to me without Sean knowing, I would most likely spend it on the kids or go buy myself a cute dress or shoes or something. I'm not a big shopper, but I do like to buy myself a little sumthin-sumthin every now and then.

3. I remember playing on the merry-go-round when I was in grade school and liking that. I also used to looove to play on the ring thingies like the ones that they have inside gymnasiums with real gymnasts in them. But that was at the city park, not at school. I used to pretend I was a gymnast. Either I didn't show interest in joining or the fact that my parents weren't exactly loaded kept me from actually joining gymnastics. I was a tiny little thing and pretty flexible so I probably would have been awesome at it. Oh well!

4. I prefer a breakfast that will fill me up. Give me some eggs and potatoes, beans, tortillas, bacon, salsa... now I'm getting really hungry. I better move this along.

5. I'm somewhere in between. I have some weird organizational tendencies but I don't keep things as spotless as I'd like. In fact, right now my house is a disaster area!

Now I have the ol' hubster in there yelling at me to get off of this thing so I better get. Whew! Got things done just in time. So go ahead and click on over to Mama M's where she did her answers vloggy style! Fun!! If you wanna play link up or just answer in the comments if you'd like. Everyone have a wonderful weekend and keep all of our veterans and current soldiers in your mind and in you heart over this Memorial Day weekend.

National Missing Children's Day

2010-05-27T17:31:00.000-05:00

All of us have heard the news broadcasts.

We have all been driving in our cars, enjoying our day when we hear an Amber Alert over the airwaves.

As a parent and a caring human being in general, these things break my heart. I'm sure many of you feel the same way.

This morning while perusing through the news stories on my home page, I came across one story of a little boy that disappeared 31 years ago never to be heard from again. On May 25, 1979, six year old Etan Patz walked from his lower Manhattan home to a bus stop two blocks away while on his way to school. His abduction sparked national attention on the problem of and the lack of plans addressing child abduction. His face would become the first to be put on a milk carton and his case would turn May 25 into National Missing Children's Day.

Another high-profile missing child case came in July of 1981. Six year old Adam Walsh went missing from a shopping mall in Florida. His parents were disappointed to find that there was no protocol on neither a state or federal level to help them in the frantic search for their son. We know, of course, that his disappearance lead his father, John Walsh, to start the t.v. show America's Most Wanted.

These events, as well as a three year long spree between June of 1979 and May of 1981 that consisted of the killing of 29 adolescent children in Atlanta, Georgia, led to the exposure of the flaws in the handling of child abduction cases.

Now, I don't know about you, but this is one of my biggest fears for my own children. It is always in the back of my mind when we are in a busy public place. Call me paranoid, but I don't really even let my older kids play in our own front yard without checking on them constantly. And they're 12 and 9!

I wish I would have realized that National Missing Children's Day was actually two days ago because I would have written this post then. Regardless of what the date on the calendar is, I urge you to pay attention to those Amber Alerts from all over the country.

Check the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children board featured at your local Wal-Mart or anywhere else they may be posted.

Check their website occasionally as well.

Our children are our future.

There is no future without them.

Utter Frustration!!!

2010-05-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

Last night we had an advancement ceremony for our Cub Scouts. Our boys are just so stinkin cute that I can't stand it! My complete and utter frustration comes from the fact that I couldn't hardly get a decent picture no matter what setting I put my camera on. I know Kodak makes quality products and I know I'm not that bad of a photographer, but these are just ridiculous! I mean, check this out:

These are the best shots I got of my own son. Unless you count the ones of the back of his head.

Granted he was a little closer and the lighting may be a bit better than it was on stage, but still....

It didn't seem to matter what setting I put the camera on or how steady I thought I was holding, the pictures would turn out crappy. Makes for a very disappointed mommy.

This one ^ was with the flash on... at least it isn't blurry!

Mr. Serious was a quite blurry, too.

I got a fairly decent picture of Logan here.

And here's Cody in all his blurry glory. I just wish I would have gotten the shot of him bowing when everyone clapped for him. Too cute!

Shawn and Sean got plaques that Nancy made all by herself (woot woot, gettin crafty wit it! hehe)

So I'm thinking it's high time for a new camera. We'll just have to see what Dad says about that one though.

Random Junk

2010-05-21T14:02:00.000-05:00

There's this little game thingy that I've seen on Facebook where in your notes section you write out 25 facts about yourself that others may or may not know about you. Then you tag 25 people including the one who tagged you and try to get them to play along. I'm not going to tag anyone, but I thought I'd lift the idea and share 25 facts about myself that you may, but most likely do not know about me. So here goes!

1. I still think I'm 17 and skinny most of the time. Then reality usually kicks me square in the pants!

2. I love organization, but hate doing the organizing.

3. I wish I could be a race car driver. Sometimes I pretend I am. It's my dream job.

4. I tell my husband that I hate country music when I in fact don't mind it as much as he thinks.

5. I am never satisfied with myself.

6. My husband and children are the reason I wake up in the morning even when I already know that they are going to drive me to the nut house.

7. I sometimes miss living in Childress. (Did I just admit that?!)

8. I have 4 tattoos and want about 800 more. Okay, maybe not 800.

9. I have a weird thing with numbers. I prefer even numbers or multiples of five. Please don't leave the volume on 23... I will rip the remote out of your hand to move it up or down a notch.

10. I used to tell myself that I would never be so uncool as to own a minivan. One now sits in my driveway and I actually love it.

11. I have big plans in my head to build my dream house one of these days. A beautiful Victorian style home with a wrap around porch, a balcony or two, lots of windows and 4 big bedrooms.

12. I am a child of Christ, but don't always act like it. I am working on improving that, though.

13. I absolutely LOOOOVE soul food. I could eat it every single day of my life and not care how much padding I'd put on my hips.

14. I wish I could have a few more kiddos, but don't find it to be the financially responsible thing to do right now.

15. I hate my toenails. They wrap weird and become ingrown and that hurts.

16. I have the greatest intentions of sewing more often but let my computer get the best of me.

17. I love getting dirty. As in working and playing outside dirty.

18. My kids are forced (sometimes literally) to shower everyday except for Friday and Saturday. Then it just depends on whether or not they're dirty or stinky on those days. Sometimes I may not make them shower even if they are a little funky.

19. I don't really care for talking on the phone. I'd much rather have an hour long conversation through text so that I can keep munching on my snack and watching t.v. Makes sense, right?

20. I get upset with my kids for yelling at each other and fighting. I let them know by yelling at them from across the house.

21. I used to never walk out of my house to check the mail without putting on full makeup and at least somewhat fixing my hair. Nowadays I'm just happy to get a shower.

22. I am a bit of a hoarder. I have a thing for office supplies such as pens and pencils and things. I don't let my husband and kids use my "good" pens.

23. I want lots of animals. For my dream house in the country of course. I've always wanted a horse and would like to have some chickens, pigs, goats and what-not.

24. I try to get my kids to help more around the house. They attempt to help and then I step in to do it the right way. I'm getting better at letting go, though... baby steps.

25. I always put my husband and kids first to a point of neglecting myself.

And there we have it. Some things are weird, some you may be able to relate to. Either way, these are just a few things that are all me!

Too Old?!?

2010-05-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

This past weekend a friend of mine had some free tickets to the local Improv and offered two of them up to Sean and me. I mentioned it to Sean and he of course wanted to go.

I was nervous, though.

It's been a few years now since I've been out meaning that I haven't left my baby girl since she's been born. Yes, I know she 19 months old and I still have to be a wife first, but she's my baby!

Well we go but didn't end up taking the girls to their godparents (which would have meant us leaving them over night ~EEK!) since Uncle Jake was already at our house. That made me feel a little better being that I would be there later on in case Kaitlan woke up in the middle of the night.

So we went to the show with our friends and then to a bar to play pool after. I guess you can say that I was a little excited to be out of the house because I drank a daiquiri and 2 margaritas just during the comedy show!

And it was a 6 o'clock show.

I know, I know. The most I usually drink is 1 margarita at the Mexican restaurant we frequent or an occasional glass of wine after dinner.

After the Improv we went to a bar not too far to go play pool. Sounded great. It was great! I had a lot of fun with my friends and some others playing pool and shooting darts.

I decided to drink a beer now since I already had a good buzz. The beer was fine. It was the shots I received that kicked my butt, though!

One shot of something-or-another from the loser at darts.

Another shot, a Jager-bomb to be exact, from someone else. I don't know. It was handed to me and I took it!

I don't remember much after that.

I know that a couple of my friends took me outside to get some air. Next thing I remember is getting in my car and taking Tylenol that one friend shoved in my face.

All I can say is that God was definitely watching out for me that night! He allowed me to let loose as well as pay for it the next day.

Pretty much all day.

One unusual occurrence: Kaitlan slept all night long. In her own bed at that! She actually slept until after 10 o'clock.

See, I told you. He was watching out for me. She usually wakes up and gets in bed with us if she's even in her bed at all.

My husband, being the wonderful guy that he is, took it upon himself to hang out in the living room all day with the kids playing video games and watching cartoons. I just wish he'd-a done that on Mother's Day!

So now I'm thinking that I'm just too darn old for that kind of stuff. I had a great time, but I can't handle the alcohol anymore!

Times they are a-changing

2010-05-12T12:27:00.000-05:00

If you've been here before, you may have noticed a few changes.

I've wanted to change the name, but I have a hard time drawing out any sort of creativity some times. Misadventures in Mommyhood sounded very much like my life. So voila! Got a new name.

I'm working on making a button, but having a hard time figuring out what I want. Yes, I'm super picky. I still don't have a clock on my family room wall because I can't find just the right one. I even took the one back that Sean and his mom got for me. It wasn't a gift, he got it just because, but it was the wrong color. You can't put a bronze clock (which was beautiful) in a room where all of the metal is brushed nickel.

Anyhoodles, I decided to take a nice break from bloggy land and see how I felt about it afterwards. It didn't kill me. I love blogging but I think I lost my reason behind blogging there for a while. It's all good, though and I hope to be able to write fairly regularly without neglecting my family and housework too much. Speaking of, it's time for lunch here so I'm out! Can't wait to get a chance to catch up on everyone else's writings!

Squirrel Crazy

2010-04-07T15:34:00.000-05:00

Would you like to know what I've been doing to past couple of weeks? Sure ya do!

Well it seems that we have interlopers.

Of the rodent kind, that is.

Except I now see them more like this:

or this (being that they seem quite brave):

I can just imagine them setting up their little house inside MY house.

You should hear the parties they throw at 8 o'clock on Saturday morning when I'm trying to sleep in!

So now we are in all out war.

We have tried to run them out and fix the hole in the soffit they created. Wanna see what they have done to my soffit?

Yeah, the little jerks. No need in fixing it until they're gone, but when they are gone, it will be fixed the right way this time.

I have Googled it (of course) and read that I should keep a radio on any all talk station going to try and run them out. They're still there, though! And I'm tired of hearing people talk in my attic.

You wanna know the truth of how I've tried to rid them? I may receive hate mail on this, but it's not your house they're destroying so any protests will fall on deaf ears. Just so ya know. Well, I've been shooting my bb gun at them in hopes of pegging one of the little buggers.

I have found that I am a darn good shot with the pistol and plan to continue with this course of action until I can find another way or the neighbors call the cops on us. They're cool, but still... they could have reason.

Yesterday Sean and I were trying to double team them by him running them out of the attic while I waited in the backyard for them to try and escape. While watching for the squirrels, I decided to test my aim again and

shot at a piece of packing foam that had evaded the trash somehow. Just after I nail the shot I see someone in the backyard next door.

CRAP!

I stand there being very nonchalant with my hands on my hips and the gun behind my back. Just in case.

At that point I decided to run inside and let the hus know what just happened (as minor as it was). I peeked my head back outside and saw that it looked like the wife was just standing in the backyard.

Is she crazy? Didn't she know that we were shooting squirrels back there?!?

The police never showed up, so I'm guessing we're in the clear.

Now I'm going to keep hunting those darn squirrels until they're completely gone and try to rid the attic of their smell somehow.

Lord, help me keep my wits about me when it comes to this matter. I'm not afraid of squirrels, but I am moving out if we get one of these!

Otherwise, I plan on killing and stuffing them for trophies to remind me of what annoying pests they are.

Oh! and just a little something for my little Jedi!

(most images provided via Google Images)

18 MONTHS

2010-04-06T22:34:00.000-05:00

Today marks 18 months since we met the youngest of our crazy brood.

18 months sounds as though she is such a big girl now.

No longer a baby.

Though she will always be MY baby.

This, that and a little bit of what I think

2010-04-01T15:03:00.000-05:00

For the past couple of weeks I have been taking a break from the computer. I realized it was seriously cutting into my family time and decided I didn't like that.

I also have to say that blogging is sort of like being in high school again. Has anyone else ever noticed that?

After a while, I began to see that being a blogger, I mean a good blogger, is difficult.

You have to network.

You have to visit other blogs and comment.

You have to join blogging groups (and get kicked out because you forgot that you have to participate all of the time or they'll kick you out! Stupid!). Sorry about that one. Happened to me and I was a little peeved being that I was a really new blogger at the time. Once again, reminded me of being in high school all over again.

You have to post constantly to keep up and keep your name/blog out there so they don't forget about you. That means you have to come up with something to write about!

That's really just the beginning, though.

I absolutely adore each and every one of the women (and men) who's blogs I read. I wouldn't follow them otherwise. I enjoy checking in on Twitter to see what everyone is talking about, offer up my ~~incredibly sage wisdom~~ opinion and ~~nose in~~ get in on the conversation.

I find it all to be a lot of work, though. I am not blessed enough to be a millionaire so that I can hire people to clean my house and cook my meals. I don't even have a laptop so that I can set it up on the kitchen counter to keep up with things while cooking. Now that would be nice!

On top of everything else, I have seen so much craziness online that I didn't know existed! I find it a little odd how some women will attack others because they don't agree with their opinion on things. I don't know about you, but if I don't like someone's blog or even just a particular post, I don't read it and I sure don't comment on it. I find it rude to offer up a mean-spirited comment and also find that most of the time, it's not that the person doesn't agree with the blogger's post, but they actually have little to no knowledge of the person/lifestyle/situation.

Now THAT is annoying!

What makes me even crazier are the blogs I have found that are dedicated to tearing people down. I'm sure everyone knows of a particularly popular blogger who deals with such a thing. I barely have time to write about my own life, how do these people find time to research someone else's life, pick it apart and write about it?! I feel bad that she or anyone else has to put up with crap like that. I wish someone could get through to them to GET A LIFE!!!

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In other news, since I haven't been online as much, I have been doing a bit of sewing during nap time or when ever I can fit it in.

I did an apron for Sage which turned out okay. Once I finished it, I could see what mistakes I made and plan on learning from those mistakes.

I'm still in the midst of sewing a dress for Kaitlan. It looks great so far! I'm trying to get it done by Easter so that maybe she can wear it for egg hunting and what-not. I definitely feel much more confident about the dress and can't wait to take pictures of it to share.

Speaking of Easter, I'm sure my mom is mad at me. We were planning to drive up to C-Town Saturday but changed our minds. Actually, I had already planned on not going since my van crapped out on me again and I don't want to ride in the truck for 8 hours with my brother-in-law. We took his truck back in February to travel to a friends funeral, but it was like less than a week new and wasn't smelly yet. I've been my BIL's other vehicles, so it will be smelly eventually.

Anyway, I didn't even think about going until Sean said we would go but the big kids would ride with Uncle Jake while we had the baby in his little car with us. Then Sean changed his mind.

Driving 4 hours there. Hang out Saturday evening. Wake up Sunday morning and do the Easter thing. Wait for Easter lunch. Then attempt to travel back home before bedtime Sunday night.

Didn't appeal to him either.

We've done that so many times and end up so tired the rest of the week that it just isn't worth it. I love my family, but I love my sanity as well.

So this has been quite a hodge-podge of a post and I hope you enjoyed it. I plan on writing another post soon on the hubster. You can read the beginning of things here.

I now have a crying, sleepy baby and have to walk down to get my boy from school so I must leave you. Everyone have a wonderful Thursday!!!

Meet the Husband

2010-03-20T01:29:00.000-05:00

I realized the other day that I don't have any sort of introduction (or whatever you call it) in the sidebar about my hubby.

How dare I!

Well I have decided today to introduce you all to the love of my life...

Oh, crud, not that love of my life!

This one:

(This is an old pic from almost 3 years ago on our 9th wedding anniversary. He took me to a very romantic bed and breakfast. It was a surprise and he packed for me so that is why I'm wearing the goofy Happy Bunny shirt and no make-up! I may have to tell you more about that later as well.)

This is the man who stole my heart and has given me more than I could have ever asked for to fill that heart up.

It all started about 14 years ago. The girl I once called my best friend was taking me to some guys apartment that she knew. She told me his name was Sean and he liked her but she didn't like him like that. When we got up there she introduced us and we sat down on the couch next to one another across from him.

I had a weird feeling that only told me that I didn't like the fact that he liked her. Months would pass. I would see him occasionally.

He ended up buying a truck that had belonged to an ex-boyfriend of mine.

While walking up to another friend's house with the friend that had introduced us, he came around the corner in that truck. She went to talk to him. I went inside. I still remember not liking that he stopped and talked to her.

Months later that same friend took me to meet some new guys that had just moved to town. What do you know! There was Sean too.

Then began the era of a lot of hanging out and having fun together. We partied on the weekend. We partied during the week. I skipped a lot of school. I made it a point to go to each class at least once a week. What can I say? Mom was a single mom working full time and I took advantage of that. Not saying that once I got caught I didn't get into trouble, because I did. Lots of trouble. The one person my mom would allow me to see, though, was Sean. He is actually the person who got me to go back to school and probably a big part of my graduating high school even though we had a four month old baby.

He, like all other guys that came into mine and my sisters lives, believed my mom hated him and that she was always giving him dirty looks. I had to explain to him that she looks at everyone like that. haha! Love ya Mom!

We started dating and I became pregnant very quickly. He broke up with me for about two weeks. I won't go into the whole thing because his best friend's sister was in town during those two weeks and as soon as she left he was willing to have me come over and talk about getting back together. Ignore the anger there. I really am over it. I was the one he married after all! ☺

From that day forward we spent every single moment together. Okay, we spent every moment that we weren't at school, work or at home asleep, together.

We moved in together in November of '97 and had our baby girl in January of '98. I talked a little about that here. Our life as a family had come together quite nicely.

So there is a little bit about how we started out. I realize that wasn't so much about the hubster, but I'll go into just how much he means to me later. Until then, everyone have a great weekend and with Spring Break ending, I hope to be able to post more often. I've been pretty busy keeping 4-5 kiddos busy all week!

Five Question Friday

2010-03-12T22:12:00.000-06:00

Ooooh, golly! I can't believe it's already Friday. I've had to remind myself all day. That being, I forgot about Mama M's Five Question Friday until I saw everyone else had their 5QF posted. I'm gonna get right to it, if you don't mind.

1. How much time do you spend on the computer a day?

Too much sometimes! I admit to sometimes neglecting the laundry(... and the dishes... and the dusting... and the sweeping... okay, okay, I think you get the point!) during Kaitlan's nap time just to get in some computer time. I sometimes get on here and next thing I know a few hours have passed! Other days I may not even turn it on until after lunch. But those "other" days are very few.

2. Will you pay for your children's college or raise them to pay for their own way?

The kids already have college savings and I figure it'll be a little bit of both of those for the rest of it. While I will always be willing to help my children, I want them to help themselves first.

3. Have you ever been in a car accident?

Yes! And it sucked each time. There are a lot of crazy people that do weird stuff around here. Need examples?

I once had a man try to pass me on my left when I was making a left turn into my apartment complex. He said he thought I had my right blinker on. Um, no! I think I know which way I live!! Plus he was trying to pass me on a totally blind corner.

Once one my way home from work one night around 11:30ish and young lady decided to pull right out in front of me. I don't know how she didn't see me. I had only been traveling in that direction towards her for a good mile. Anyway, she pulled out in front of me, I slammed on the brakes and t-boned her. My little car was totaled! It was my very first brand new car and that hussy totaled it! I cried... literally.

One more...

On my way home from work on a Sunday afternoon, I approached a bright green light at the top of a slight hill. I get half way through the light and a dude on the other side turns left slamming into my back door and part of my door. That one sucked. He didn't really fight it, we just had to do the lawyer thing because I ended up with a hurt neck and back. In fact, he guy admitted to me that he had just done the same thing a week earlier and that his parent were going to be mad. He was a grown man in his late 20's. Yeah....

There are more but I won't bore you any longer. Only one was my fault and I shouldn't have even been driving in that kind of rain. It was in the library parking lot and the guy just told me that it was no big deal and to get the kids on inside. Okay, that was one more!

4. What is your favorite book?

Hmmm, I don't think I read enough any more to say I have a favorite. I always want to read more, but I don't. There's this darn computer, ya know!

5. Do you make your bed everyday?

No, not everyday. The baby usually sleeps until 9 or 10 every morning so I just pull the covers up after she gets up. Yes, she is 17 months and she sleeps with us. I know... I know....

After that she takes a nap in my bed after lunch some time so it doesn't ever really get made except on the weekend.

I should make the effort more often, though.

I think I will!

So there we have it. The fabulous 5QF from Mama M! Hop on over, read the rules, grab the questions and join in the fun!

Today...

2010-03-08T22:12:00.001-06:00

I just...

wanted to share...

these...

with you!

In these pictures we have:

Kaitlan wearing her tutu and her daddy's work shoes

Kaitlan's first ponytail (if you can call it that!)

My friend Holly's beautiful baby boy

Raiden leading us in the Pledge of Allegience

Our Bear Scouts lining up to receive their Bear patch

Raiden receiving his Bear patch from Sean

Noah and Raiden goofing off as we prepare to take some pictures

All of our Cub Scouts

Kaitlan walking her diaper off (she pooped, was wearing the last clean diaper cover and I hadn't yet pulled the freshly clean diaper covers out of the washer to dry)

Our new aquarium set up

Raiden posing in front of our new aquarium set up

And Kaitlan looking cute sitting in her "Sis-sis's" lap.

Finally Five Question Friday

2010-03-05T11:48:00.000-06:00

So today is Friday which means it's time for Mama M's Five Question Friday. Love it, love it, love it! Alright Mama M, take it away!

*oh yeah! just click on this button or just below to head over to My Little Life and link up your own answers and see how others answered these 5 questions.

Rules: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then c'mon back and link up! If you'd like, grab the code for the blog hop...but you don't have to!! I'd also loooovvvveeee it if you'd link back to me, Mama M., so people know where to go for the next go around!

If you don't have a blog, but want to join in the fun...feel free to post your answers in the comments of any of the blogs along the way!

It's a fun, easy post and it's all about YOU!

Questions for Friday, March 5th: (Thanks to Courtney, Erin,Renee, Thorney London, and Sandy for their question suggestions! Wanna be linked in a future 5QF? Head on over here, to my community, and offer up your best questions! Quirky, zany, fun, serious, advice seeking...it all flies!!)

1. What's your guilty pleasure?

I'll just mention my biggest guilty pleasure... Oreo cookies! I actually blogged about my love for the Oreo here. It's just the best cookie in the whole world and I think God had someone invent them just for me.

2. What is your favorite TV series?

It's kind of funny that I'm home almost 24/7 now and probably watch less t.v. than when I worked full time and only had 2 kids. The one show I canNOT miss, though is Lost. I am so sad that this is the last season, but since it is, I'm soaking up every.single.drop!

3. Can you speak any foreign languages?

I speak a little of the Espanol, but that's practically required when you live in Texas. Well, it should be required anyway. I also speak a little Francais as well. (Spanish and French are actually very much alike!) I took French about 100 years ago my freshman year but moved back to Mom's after that and they only offer Spanish there so I missed out on learning to curse in French. Yep, the teacher said that if we made it to 4th year French, she would teach us the curse words. Talk about motivation for a 14 year old!

4. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I'm really not a big shoe fanatic, but I probably own about 15-20 pair. I have a bunch of heels that I hardly wear and I also have a problem with throwing away my old sneakers. I guess I think I'm going to want to wear them again someday or use them to work in the yard.

You can stop laughing now.... One day I will get my garden going! (hopefully this spring)

5. What's your favorite kind of M&M's...peanut, almond, straight up regular, etc.?

I really love all things M&M, but the peanut butter ones of the bomb-diggity!! They need to make those with dark chocolate!

So there you have it. My answers to Mama M's questions. I'm gonna run now being that my kid is annoying the crud out of me. She likes this little thing called food. Hmph! Who knew?

Black and White Wednesday

2010-03-03T12:23:00.000-06:00

These are the feet of my sweet baby girl at almost 3 months old. I absolutely love footsie shots so I requested one when we got family pics done a little over a year ago. I told my hubby that this was OUR picture only. No one else was allowed to have a copy of it. It just feels too special.

Go to The Long Road to China to join in.

Can I Help You?

2010-02-26T12:03:00.000-06:00

This past week has been one with a lot of contemplating behind it.

One week ago today I found out that an old friend of mine had been in a tragic car accident and died. It has really had me thinking about friendships and mortality and the richness of life.

Sean and I both met this particular friend in about 1996 after he moved to my hometown from Oklahoma. Damn, Okies! (pardon the language, but if you're from Texas, you should understand the joke! Especially if you're from a part of Texas that is near OK.) Our entire circle of friends were really close hanging out with each other everyday. A few of us ended up coupling up and, in my case, even getting married.

After a while, Sean and I moved to the DFW area in order to give ourselves and our daughter better opportunities in life. Nothing against C-town, but we felt we could give her more being in the big city.

This friend ended up moving in with us eventually and would for the next 4 or 5 years off and on. He was really more like family. When we went on family outings to the zoo, he went with us. When we went out to dinner, he went with us.

He was a part of the family.

He, like many of our friends at the time, had a penchant for drugs and alcohol. I admit that I am not excluding Sean and myself on that. All of us had our vices. This friend of ours was one that got into a lot of legal trouble for drugs and alcohol, though. We would try to help him out as much as possible being that we were trying to straighten our lives up and raise a family.

He eventually had a daughter which made it that much harder for us not to help our friend.

Helping him out is what became the end of our communication with him.

After jumping a bail that Sean had taken responsibility for; we felt taken advantage of. We had two small children and were in no financial position to be paying for his mistakes. We were hurt that our brother would do that to us.

Jump ahead a few years later and here we are. Sean and I have continued do what we could to better our lives and found God again.

One day I get a friend request on Facebook. I always get nervous when I see a friend request because there is just no telling who it could be and there are people from my past that I just assume forget I once knew.

Then I saw it was him. I hesitated for a split second then hit approve.

I wish I had taken the time to write him a little note, though. I never did. I never told him that we forgive him for what happened in the past.

The hardest part was watching his mom mourn the loss of her oldest son. Her sidekick as she called him.

This loss has brought other issues into perspective for me. It has also made me question some of those issues.

Sean and I have not seen many of the friends that we once hung out with when we lived in C-town. Some of them are still partying it up like they are 21. They're still doing drugs and getting drunk. Some of them have had their children taken from them due to their irresponsibility and refusal to grow up themselves. Some have been to rehab. Others have been to prison. Some still are. I hate that for my friends! I have known many of these people since before we were born. Our parents grew up together for crying out loud!

There are a few that we have kept in contact with and hang out with when we visit. This trip we saw a few more due to the funeral that we don't normally visit with. Some have cleaned their lives up. Some have not. Some tell me through the computer that they are cleaning themselves up but then I hear different when I'm in town. Some of those people, one in particular, hurt me by not being the friend to me back then that she claimed to be.

My big issue now is whether I should worry about visiting these people when I go to C-town? Losing our friend has definitely made me realize that I can no longer take friendships for granted. No one is promised forever, let alone tomorrow.

I don't know if seeing my old friends will be detrimental to me.

To my children.

Should I put forth the effort to see them?

Should I continue to disassociate myself with people that don't hold the same values that I do?

Should I even continue to think of them as friends?

I'm not real sure of what to do. I sort of feel that I should visit with them and tell them how I am praying for them. How I pray for them to get their life together and be truly happy. I don't think a person who continues to abuse drugs and alcohol is happy with their self. I have been there and I know that for a fact I was not really happy. It seems fun at the time to get high and be able to clean the entire house in an hour. It seems fun to drink until you can't remember what is happening and going home with a different guy. Better yet, going home with your friend's boyfriend. Yeah, that is the type of stuff that was going on when I was younger. That is the type of stuff some of my old friends are still doing.

I suppose it's all just life. I can't change anyone, but I can pray for them to change themselves.

Right?

Who Put That There!?

2010-02-19T17:05:00.000-06:00

Since today is Friday and the littlest rugrat is napping (at least as I begin to type), I am going to jump back onto the 5QF bandwagon. This weeks questions are really cute and I can't wait to see what everyone else has said.

1) Have you ever hit an animal with your vehicle?

The first time I hit a squirrel. I was 16 and I started crying. When I was 17 I also hit a kid, but that's another story.

Okay, I guess I can't just leave it at that,so a quick explanation. I was driving in front of Wal-Mart and a family of about 8 were standing out front. The mom carrying the baby, the dad (I think), and I guess sibling or cousin or something crossed into the parking lot. It was summer so the bicycles were out front. The grandma and a kid or two were standing there looking at them. I stopped 3 times to see if they were going to cross too. Never did so I pulled off slowly. Suddenly a little boy about 3 or 4 decided he wanted to be with his mom. Instead of running around the back of my car, he ran in front of and hit my car. Yes, I just said that he hit my car. I think his little foot got ran over or something. I felt horrible. I was also about 3 months preggo with my first. I did NOT intentionally hit the kid. I'm not stupid. Anyway, I was able to stop by my step-dad's work for advice, hunt my mom down at the city pool and then go to the police station and get half of my report filled out before they showed up to do their report. Just sayin'. The kid ended up being just fine.

Oh yeah, we also hit a giant owl that was about 3 foot tall, I swear, on July 4th that summer. That was scary.

2) When you see a string on your clothes do you pull it off or cut it?

I usually just pull it off unless it's one of those stubborn strings. You know, one of those with it's own little mind. Then I do get the scissors. That's a lot of effort, though.

3)Did you have your own room or share a room when you were young?

I'm all over on this one. I shared a room for a while with my sisters and then we moved out to the country. Since I was the oldest girl, I got my own room. The younger girls had to share and my step-bro got his own room too. At my dad's house, we were only there part time so Bran and I shared a room. Then he moved across the street and Brandi and I decided we wanted to live with Dad. We had our own rooms there. Theeen, I moved back to my mom's and she had a two bedroom apartment so I had no choice but to share a room with my sister 7 years younger than me. I was 15 or 16 so that stunk! As soon as we moved out of there I got my own room again until I moved in with my hubby. He makes me share a room with him still. I guess it's okay. Though I wish he'd keep his side cleaner.

4) Would you rather wear the same thing for the rest of your life or eat the same thing for the rest of your life?

I guess it depends what I would be wearing or eating. If I could at least wash the clothes occasionally I'd be just fine wearing my jammy pants and tank top every.single.day. If you're just talking about eating Taco Bell everyday then why the heck not! I don't think I would actually like to eat the exact same thing forever though. Too boring!

5)What was your favorite t.v. show as a child?

I loved all of the shows on ABC's TGIF. They rocked. I wish they still had that TGIF thing. I also loooved Punky Brewster as a kid. I saw a set that had 5 or 6 Punky's on a cd and I wanted it sooo bad. I hope it's still there when I have money to buy it.

So there ya go. My 5 answers to Mama M's 5 questions. Click on over and link up if you wanna. The old man is home so I guess I'm gonna go spend some time with him. Everyone have a wonderful weekend be safe!

*sorry I don't have Mama M's 5QF button today, but my computer is acting wiggy today.

Friendship

2010-02-19T15:39:00.000-06:00

All of us have friends.

The sad part is when we take those friends for granted. Even if there has been a falling out, we should always put our friendship first.

I hate that I haven't been a better friend.

That doesn't always become evident until we lose one of those friends. I'm not talking about them moving out of town or state.

I mean permanent loss.

What can you do then?

What does that mean for other friendships that have been lost in everyday life? Or even the friends that one sees everyday?

I haven't talked to him in a while. It's been years. He even lived with us for a few years off and on. Mostly on! :) He would drive me crazy but would also make me laugh. He was always so good to my kids. I couldn't ask anymore than that.

It was about three weeks ago that he found me on Facebook. I contemplated for a moment as to whether or not I wanted to accept the friend request. "What the heck", I thought. It had been years since our falling out and I definitely didn't want to be one to hold grudges. He left me a short message. I never took the time to return the message. I did think about it and about how I forgive him because I know he would forgive me.

He really was a good person. He will be dearly missed. His daughter will miss him though she doesn't really know him too well.

I feel so bad for his mother. She let us live with her for a little bit before we moved to the DFW area. I want to give her a hug and tell her that I'm sorry for not trying to make amends with her dear son.

Please, God, walk with her through this difficult time. Be with his little brothers and sister while they deal with their loss.

I've Been So...

2010-02-19T10:09:00.000-06:00

...lazy.

There, I said it.

I have been so incredibly lazy here lately when it comes to blogging. I haven't even been reading as much as I would like.

If I feel like my life hasn't been exciting enough to write, should I just make something up? Should I write about the boring stuff I do on the day to day? I don't like making stuff up. It seems so ingenuine. So the boring stuff it is!

I guess I could tell you about the day I tried to go to the public library.

We have three of them here in town, but I tried to go to the closest one, of course.

I have to tell you that I also am having issues with my van, so I try not to venture too far. Like, within a 2 mile radius of my house. Okay, maybe 3 miles at the most.

So I pulled up at the library and noticed a bunch of people sitting in their vehicles and a few hanging around outside.

Weird, but okay.

I walked into the first door and noticed a young lady sitting on the bench reading. Then I looked at the door inside that actually goes into the library. It said "closed until Thursday 1pm".

Door sign say whaaaaat?!

Our library is only closed on Friday.

So I thought.

When did they decide that the library closes for lunch?

I don't get to make that trip as often as I like so I was not happy. I also wasn't going to sit outside for the next 35 minutes waiting.

So I went home.

On the way home I started thinking.

In the vehicle next to me was parked a man and his companion. They watched me pull a baby out of my tired minivan, haul her up to the door and then back to the van.

From what I remember, they looked at me and was talking some. During their exchange it would have been nice to get a "hey, lady. They're closed till one for lunch."

But nooo.

So I went home and did some laundry.

There you have it. The day I attempted to visit the public library. Hopefully next time I'll actually have something interesting to say. Most likely not, though. Either way, I will try to post more often. Yay you!

Mama Guilt Mondays

2010-02-15T09:41:00.000-06:00

What do you do for a kid that doesn't eat the way you think they should?

I have three picky kids and a pretty picky husband to boot which so does not help the matter. Okay, Sage is getting much better about trying new things and Kaitlan will pretty much eat anything you stick in front of her face. Raiden is still choosy about what he will eat.

My problem is with Kaitlan, though. She is a tiny little girl as it is. Right now at 16 1/2 months she is about 29 inches tall and 16 pounds. We were going on monthly visits to the doc to keep tabs on her weight and see whether or not she was growing properly, including blood work to make sure there was no medical condition. Co-pays were never ending, though and I am pretty convinced she's just of small stature being that I am barely 5 foot and my MIL is a towering 4'7"!

Now for where my guilt sets in. Most of the time I can fix something for her, sit her in her high chair and she goes to town. Except for breakfast. I have tried different cereals, toast, oatmeal and I don't know what all else. She likes them, she just doesn't want to eat breakfast. She does nurse, however. I try to not allow her to until she eats food, but she won't always comply. Actually she never complies in the morning. She will however eat the occasional chip or part of a piece of bread while I fix lunch for the big kids.

Since this has been the way she does things for several months now, I have stopped offering her anything at all in the morning here lately. She usually sleeps most of the morning anyway. For example this morning. She actually woke up at about 7:00 and stayed awake while the kids got ready and I took them to school. Once we got home a little before 9:00 I fix a bowl of cereal, sit down with her and offer her some of it. Instead, she just wants her "ti ti". She nursed and went to sleep. Now she'll most likely sleep until around 11:00 and then she'll be ready for lunch.

I feel so guilty for her not eating breakfast in the morning. Especially since she is already so small. I guess that she is healthy, happy and growing is all that matters.

If you would like to link up and get your Mama Guilt off of your chest, join us over at Cop Mama's.

Rock Out Your Baby!

2010-02-14T17:07:00.000-06:00

I came across this super awesome website thanks to the giveaway over at Familylicious Reviews & Giveaways. It's called Rockabye Baby! and I want every cd that they have. If you like music such as Tool, Nirvana, The Beatles and The Ramones just to name a few, then maybe your little one will love the lullaby version of their songs as well. I know mine loved it just from listening to the snippets on the website. You want one? Then you got two choices.

1) Go to Rockabye Baby and buy your own. I don't think you would regret it.

2) Go to Familylicious and enter to win one!

I know! Easy peazy chicken squeezy. So what are you waiting on? Go!!!

M.I.A.--A week in review.

2010-02-14T03:10:00.000-06:00

I feel like I've been missing in action this week. Partly because it's so cold and that just doesn't motivate me to do squat! Yes, I don't even wanna blog. I think it has been a case of writers block or just plain no motivation. It seems I would prefer to either play Bejeweled, edit photos or hang out with the kiddos. In fact, I spent the past Saturday with my girls having a little girls-day-out. We sent the boys out of the house to go help Uncle Jake get a new truck and we girls drove down to grab some lunch first.

See. The remnants of KK's sandwich.

Unfortunately, Sage doesn't seem to know how to use the camera. Fortunately, Momma has photo editing software and has learn a little bit about it. Sage took this picture of Kater-bugs munchin'.

Kaitlan was almost completely white somehow! I love how her pretty blue eyes shine, though.

Then we have the lady of the hour.

She and I haven't a girl's day since the weekend before Kaitlan was born.

Here's Kaitlan and myself waiting for "Big Sis" to get her nails done.

I know, I need a haircut... bad!

I wish I would have gotten photos of her fingers and toes. So pretty! She has bright, lime green toes and hot pink finger nails with the most beautifully painted white flowers on her big toes and thumbs. She was very happy with them.

After this we went to Babies R Us to look for a pail liner for KK's diaper pail. (I just can't see ordering one little pail liner online. I guess that means I'll just have to buy something else too!) We didn't find the liner, but did find a few other things including Where The Wild Things Are.

I looove this book and so wanted my kids to have it.

After Babies R Us, we tried to go to Sears to see what they had, but that was a huge mistake. I don't know what the deal was, but the mall was packed beyond belief! Mostly the parking long from what I could tell because that's as far as I was willing to travel. You'da thought it was Christmas Eve or something! Since that was a no-go and the hair salon had like an hour wait to get Sagie-poo in for a cute cut, we went home and kicked our feet up. It was a great girls-day-out that we all enjoyed.

The next few days proved to be nothing more than normal February days. Tuesday we had a PTA meeting and the 3rd graders were doing their musical. I have a 3rd grader if ya didn't know.

This is him after the musical.

I'm a bad mom and forgot to grab my camera before making a mad dash out of the door. We were already running late, of course. He was so super cute. He was supposed to be a kid in the 60's and borrowed the wig from his godparents who are awesome people. I wrote about them here. My kid is such a ham and although he said he didn't want people looking/laughing at him and the wig, his actions said otherwise. Here's Sage in the wig.

Her goofy behind thought it was funny to put a headband on it. I wish I could load up the video I took, but since I only had my cell... well can't figure how to get them on the computer with the sound. I would love for you to see a bunch of 8 and 9 year olds singing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band. They totally rocked it!

Come Thursday we all awoke to a beautiful snow fall.

This was the view from my front porch.

That doesn't count as child labor, does it? Sorry, this one was taken with my cell.

I was taking my baby girl to school.

I needta get her to put on some lipgloss!

Raiden got out of school early so we played in the backyard. I don't know how Kaitlan's legs got that far apart but she was yelling for Momma and Rai was only dreaming of dropping a snowball on her head... not helping her up!

When Logan got to our house the boys had a snow ball fight.

It was better than him throwing snowballs at me!

Everyone had to make snow angels.

Even Kaitlan

I never said she liked it, though.

Dad pulled her out gently ;)

And she had a pretty snow angel! See?

With that, Raiden had to have Dad throw him into the snow just as he did KK.

We also made a snow man.

Raiden thought he needed to be a real snow"man"

BOYS!!!

Here's the final result.

Frosty the Irish Pimp? I don't know.

Dad taught Raiden how to write his name in the snow.

I think all he got written out was "Ra".

We noticed there were a few tree branches down including our own.

Then we went for a drive in the neighborhood.

Not to mention what I noticed just across the street.

This was at about 9am. The snow had been falling for about 5 or 6 hours at that point.

This is the same tree at about 6 hours later. Check out those flakes!

It literally snowed all. day. long.

Speaking of trees, we came across this on the way back home.

Say whaaaat?

In the first picture you can see tire tracks that led toward the tree and exit tracks in the last picture. We just couldn't tell whether or not they drove through before or after the branches had fallen!

All in all we had a great day. I didn't get a bit of housework done for two whole days, but it was so worth trying to smush it all into today. We actually got a record snow fall that day. Sean and the kids had never seen such a thing in their entire lives. I had only seen it once in Colorado and it doesn't really count because all of that snow was already there when we got there for the vacation. Now I'll leave you with a few more pics including other snowmen that we found in the neighborhood.

Stabbing Frosty (?)

This one looked like either Michael Jackson or an Amish guy.

a cowboy

at Sage's friend's house

I'll bet this house has a little girl or two living in it!

my crazy neighbors. (I mean literally crazy)

That's the crazy neighbor! And Frosty as a Clone Trooper, of course.

Fuzzy Feelings

2010-02-05T23:58:00.000-06:00

I think I'm getting sick.

For the past few nights I've gone to bed with my nose feeling a little stuffy. I've awaken in the middle of the night to a dry throat and coughing. Today I have felt that way all day and can't taste a thing. That and my head feels like it's in the clouds. You know, it feels all fuzzy.

I'm not going to let that stop me from having fun, though! It's Friday and Friday is time for Mama M's 5 Question Friday. I'm gonna play along, so here we go.

This weeks questions were contributed by Pam, Christine, Liz, Tara and Renee. If you would like to be linked to Mama M's 5QF in the future, just go here to her community and give 'er what ya got.

The questions:

1) What are you most afraid of?

I guess the biggest fear ever is that I would lose my family or one of my children in some way. You hear some pretty awful stories on the news and I'm sure none of those people thought they would end up there.

If you're just talking general stuff that I am scared of? I am claustrophobic as all get out. (Pardon my southern redneck sayings) I can't stand to be closed in anywhere. Elevators are barely tolerable. Crowded elevators? I'm the first one bustin outta the door and I made sure I had a bar or wall to hold onto while in there. Do NOT hold my arms down or I will beat you once I'm free. My husband can attest to this. And crowds of people. If they're too close to me and touching me, I'm extremely uncomfortable. Yes, that's just one of my many quirks! (that sounds nicer than my craziness!)

2) Do you use a flat iron or curling iron?

Most of the time I use a pony tail holder. I don't have much to dress up for being a stay at home mom. I have been thinking about getting a new flat iron, though. I left my old one at my mom's and my baby sis took it over. I never got it back. (little heifer!) If I do go any where and wear my hair down, I use these nifty velcro rollers and a dollop of super volume mousse. I have super fine and pretty thin hair. I absolutely HATE it!

3)Hands-free or phone to the ear?

I don't do a lot of driving so I no longer use my bluetooth. Plus I just didn't like looking like one of those %#@&^$ that look like they're talking to themselves and they're too cool to acknowledge that you exist. (sorry, I was a receptionist at a business with 98% men. you run into some real jerks.) So, it's phone to the ear for me.

4) Do you have a matching bedroom set?

We used to. Granted it was a set that my Papaw got for me when I was like a year old, but it was a matching set none-the-less. A full sized bed with only one nightstand, a chest of drawers (still have it) and a vanity dresser (still have). We do still own the bed, but it's taken apart and put in the attic since we were given a queen size by my mother-in-law. The kids have matching sets, though.

5) Do you believe in the paranormal?

I think I do believe! It's just too hard to deny when you experience that crazy stuff.

Now, I know I'm squeezing this just under the Friday night gun, but I'm sure you can play along too if you'd like. Or just click on over to Mama M's and see how others answered these questions. You all have a great weekend!

This One Goes Out To The One I Love

2010-02-05T06:16:00.000-06:00

I want to thank you.

Yes, my love, you.

I would like to thank you for taking care of things. You know, like how you took such great care in your PS3 last night. I know that we don't have a real working toilet in our house now, but that game was calling your name! I also know that I am the one that broke our working toilet, but I was only trying to help. It is okay that I may have to dunk the diapers until the toilet is fixed properly. And plus, the corner store is only about a mile away. I'm sure the kids won't mind taking the trip in their jammies.

I also want to thank you for your stellar parenting skills. Yes, I stood there trying to put a dent in the ever growing mountain of laundry that is building on the couch. Yes, I had a bunch of it folded nicely on the table and had to leave it to cook dinner for you and the kids. Yes, you sat there playing your game while Kaitlan pulled most of it onto the floor. That is okay, though. I like folding laundry over and over and over and over again. The same laundry. Over and over and over. It's fine that you didn't pick any of that laundry up off of the floor. And that you laughed. I mean, it was kind of funny, huh?

Yeah.

That kind of reminds me of the other day when you and Raiden sat there so entranced in that game that you didn't notice Kaitlan pulling every tissue out of the Kleenex box. Again. But that is okay too. It is also okay that you didn't bother to re-stack the tissues properly. I like the jumbled mess. It's okay.

It is okay because I love you. I love you and I promise I will not retaliate in any way.

Promise.

My First Time

2010-02-03T18:54:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share with you all my first time. No, you dirty birds! Not that first time. The first time I gave birth.

I was young. Like 17 young. It was actually 18 days before my 18th birthday that I woke up with my mom walking into my house to check on me. There I was laying in bed butt-naked because I had woke up earlier thinking that I was on fire. I had gotten up when my then boyfriend (now hubby) got up for work, took a trip to the bathroom and stripped off all my clothes on the way back to bed. I was that hot. My mom should of known then that something was gonna happen.

Fast forward several hours later to that night. Let's just say Sean and I had participated in a little "canoodling" and were finally going to sleep at about midnight. He was already drifting into dreamland when I rolled my big belly into bed. *Hmph! Men!* I think I had barely gotten laid down good when I felt a weird feeling in my belly.

"Babe, I think something just happened." I whispered.

*grunt*

"I think my water just broke"

"oh"

"Sean, I think my water broke"

"What?"

I stood up...

...GUSSSSSH!

"Yeah, Baby, my water broke."

Finally he gets it. I calmly put on my sweat pants (that were my mom's favorite and I had borrowed from her) and grabbed my little bag for the hospital. The whole while he was running like a chicken with it's head cut off. We hopped (I waddled) into our bean-brown '85 Cavalier. I called my mom to let her know that we were going to the hospital. The phone was busy. Okay, Brandi's on the phone with her boyfriend. We'll just stop by and let her know. You have to understand we lived in a little West Texas town with a little more than 6,000 people. Stopping by Mom's was not in any way out of the way. Once we got there I proceeded to Mom's bedroom knowing that she would be sleeping.

"Mom" -trying to be quiet for some reason.

"Mom, my water broke."

"Well what do you want me to do about it right now?"

"No, Mom, it's Amy. My water broke. We're gonna go to the hospital."

"What are you doing here?! Get to the hospital!"

She had thought it was my sister Brandi who had a waterbed. She thought Brandi was saying that her waterbed had broke. Too funny!

I tell ya, it's a good thing it was a Friday night (rather early Saturday morning) because everyone, including my two little sisters, showed up and stayed most of the night. This was the first grandbaby for crying out loud! We got checked in and set up in the labor room. I so wish I had pictures of this room they had. It was something out of a mad scientist movie. Pea-green tile EVERYwhere. And nothing but a clock to stare at. Talk about watching the clock! I think the intent was to torture women with knowing exactly how long they had been lying there writhing in pain.

At that time, the (one and only) hospital in Childress had these crazy rules of having only one person at a time in the labor room. Maybe due to the small size of the room. Everyone took turns coming to check in on me. I only wanted Baby Daddy in there, though. Not even Mom so much. He was the one that had put me in this predicament, by golly, he was gonna suffer along with me. As I mentioned earlier, he had gotten up and went to work that morning so he was pretty tired. One of the few times I let him leave he had gotten some change from his mom to go the the vending machine and got a brownie. Yeah, I don't know what made him think he needed to eat while I lay in bed about to birth his spawn. It seems karma caught onto that, though because as he went to bite into his brownie, half of it fell on the floor. Yes! One point for Momma! But I digress.

Finally they came in and offered me an epidural. I happily accepted. At that point they told me that I could rest and even try to get some sleep. So I did. Sean also put his head down for a little bit. A couple of hours later I woke up and rolled back over onto my back. Yep, that's what I said. I had rolled onto my left side and taken a nap. Little did I know that when you do such a thing, all of the medicine from the epidural would also roll to the left side of my body.

I woke up feeling contractions on my right side only. It hurt. I didn't like that. It didn't take much longer and she was a comin'. The problem there you ask? The problem was that the nurses didn't believe me. I would yell at Sean to tell the nurse to get in here. He would do as I told for fear that I may knock him upside the head with my IV stand. He would take a peek. Didn't see anything. He didn't really count though because he had never once in his 21 years seen a baby birthed.

"GET THE FREAKIN' NURSE! SHE'S COMIIIING!!!"

A nurse eventually shows up.

Yep, she's crowning.

They move me onto the gurney. Old school, I know. Roll me to the delivery room. Make me move to the birthing chair/bed/thingy. And barely had time to get my legs into the stir-ups. She was a movin'!

They asked if I wanted the mirror to be set up so I could see. Well heck no I didn't wanna see! That was gross!

A couple of pushes and there she was. All 5lbs 4 1/2 ounces of her. She was the smallest baby I had ever seen. I looked up at Sean to see him crying and his first words regarding his newborn babe:

"That wasn't as gross as I thought it would be."

No, it wasn't that bad. She was so cute and so small. She appeared to look just like her daddy. Later she seemed to look more like my sister, Brandi. Now she looks like me.

So there she was. Our first baby. We took her home a couple of days later and loved her to bits. She's not really in bits and pieces, but we really did love on her a lot.

By the way, my baby shower for her was supposed to be that day. She was born the 10th and had been due the 14th. My mom had to call around and let everyone know that we were at the hospital and they were welcomed to come up and meet Sage.

I wish I had pictures of us in the hospital with her. Any that we have definitely aren't loaded on the computer. This one is at about 2 or 3 weeks.

If you would like to share your own birthday story you can link up at Mama M's. You got until tomorrow!

Black and White Wednesday

2010-02-03T08:31:00.000-06:00

I would like to introduce you to my grandmother. Edna Mary Floyd Manuel.

She was one of the strongest women I have ever met and just as bull-headed. I miss her so much. I can't believe it has been almost 9 years since she and Grandaddy left us. I wish I would have taken advantage of spending more time with her when she was still with us here on Earth. I know she's looking down on me from Heaven, though probably scolding me knowing her!

I don't know when this picture was taken but it is an original b&w photo. I attained this and a bunch of other photos after she and my grandfather passed.

I love you, Grandma.

Bad Mommy

2010-02-02T22:44:00.000-06:00

I feel like a bad mommy. Today I took Kaitlan to her doctor for a check up on her ear infections from two weeks ago as well as a weight check. Kaitlan is very small for her age so the doc likes to see her more often to make sure she is growing properly. By the way, I think she's just small stature myself, but she is only 16 pounds and will be 16 months on Saturday.

My tiny tot!

Anyhow, it seems that little ones are supposed to have a 15 month well visit and get a couple of shots. I had no idea! It's been a while since I had to take a baby in so I guess I assumed 18 months was the next visit. I also looked it up on the good ole world wide web and thought it said 18 months. Either way, she was supposed to be checked out a month ago. Oops! Can we say bad mommy moment? All is well, though. She got looked over, got her shots and a toy to boot. Then, since Mom didn't know about the whole shot thing, she got a trip to McDonald's for a cheeseburger happy meal. I feel I made up for my mistake when I saw that gorgeous smile on her face as munched on her fries!

I promise she doesn't just lay around in her p.j.'s all day every day, but we do have lazy days and this was one of those. Plus she looked so cute and so into "Bob-Bob"!

Getting to Know You

2010-01-31T19:23:00.000-06:00

I missed last week, but this Sunday I'm getting back into Keely's Sunday Funday Getting to Know You. I'm only waiting for my tortillas to be ready in 15 minutes, so I gotta get it done!

The questions..

1. Do you iron your sheets?

Oh geez, no. Who in the world has time to iron their sheets. Who cares whether or not their sheets are ironed? The Pres isn't going to come look at my sheets or anything.

2. Your dream car is....?

I already have my dream car...

3. Do you have an innie or an outie belly button?

definitely innie... that's all I'm sayin'

4. What meal do you look forward to the most..breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

I guess dinner since it's the one time we are all sitting all together as a family.

5. Favorite mascara?

I really love Great Lash! I've always loved it. blackest black, waterproof.

6. What would you say your decorating style is..traditional, modern, eclectic, country, french country, shabby chic, etc..?

Ugh, I don't know what "style" it is. I know that I am beginning to lean towards antiques and less-dark things. We used have dark furniture, dark everything and it got so depressing! I have gotten some progress done, but it is a work in progress whatever style you call it.

7. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

I don't think I ever have.

8. I hate the smell of...?

fish!!! I can't stand the smell of cooked fish. Especially microwaved fish. Bleeech!!! Think Lean Cuisines or something. Now I love fishing. I guess fresh fish doesn't bother me so bad. :P

Okay I'm off now. Thanks for stopping by. Can't wait to read what everyone else's answers are. If you don't play, stop by MannLand5, snag the questions... you know! Hope you all have had a great weekend!

Great Day

2010-01-28T19:24:00.000-06:00

I sat here trying to catch up on reading everyone's blogs. I had turned the t.v. in the living room on Bob-Bob, known to the rest of the world as SpongeBob. I left Kaitlan sitting in her brother's Spiderman beanbag chair watching that t.v. I came back in a few minutes after reading a couple of blogs. I found this mess.

Every.Single.Kleenex. Pulled out. On the floor.

Do you also see the pile of papers and books in the corner? Yep, she is our little tornado. But I love her so much!

That is every surface in our home that she can reach looks like this.

Instructions Included

2010-01-27T08:16:00.000-06:00

I have to say that I am a lover of cookies. Not all cookies, but most cookies. My favorite cookie has to be

Knockoff cream filled cookies are decent, but there is nothing like an Oreo. The smooth texture of the cream. The taste. Even the chocolate cookie part. My birthday is coming up and I would so take one of these

Throw some candles on it and call me 30, Baby!

Yes, I turn 30 today and it has become more real the closer that this day has come. I gotta snap out of it, though! I'm the one who has always told everyone that it is not big deal. It is no big deal. Right?

*had to take a quick break

Going to the state fair? How's about these suckers?

As if Oreos weren't fattening enough, someone had to go and fry some! I have to say though. If I were to meet the person who thought of this, I would probably give them a big kiss. Okay, maybe just a hug. I am a married woman after all.

Besides plain Oreos, they have Golden Oreos

milk chocolate mint covered Oreos

Double Stuf Oreos

and peanut butter Double Stuf Oreos

even these babies!

plus tons of other seasonal variations, but the qu de gra has to be this one

Awesome, huh?

So, do you wanna know what prompted a woman to write about her passion for a cookie? While perusing the snack isle for yumminess for ~~myself~~ my kids, I came across these.

I am warning you now that this is not for the weak. We're talking some serious chocolatey-ness here. They actually sat there for a couple of days before I decided to open the package and try them out. Once I grabbed a few cookies and the mandatory glass of cold milk, I noticed that besides the oblong shape there was something else different about them.

How stinkin cool is that!? My cookies have never given directions as to how I should eat them. I have never had a meter on my cookies to tell me how much I have dunked. Now they just need to make them with the regular cream. As delish as these are, they pack quite a chocolate punch. The inside is slathered with a rich, fudgey cream. Talk about some serious chocolate overload. I'm a little hungry now so I think I'm gonna go have a cookie. Oh, and look out for a future Oreo related foody post. Yes, I plan on cooking with Oreos. I'll let you know how it goes!

Black and White Wednesday

2010-01-27T07:41:00.000-06:00

Let Sleeping Babes Lie

Here Kaitlan was so tired. We had just gotten out of the shower and she was so sleepy that she wouldn't wait to even put a diaper on. So we laid down on the bed in our towels (okay, me in my towel) and I let her nurse and go to sleep. She was just so sleepy.

If you would like to join in on Black and White Wednesdays, go to The Long Road to China. Take a look at what beautiful photos others have posted. Post your own B&W and hook up to the Mcklinky.

Just Dreamy

2010-01-26T14:36:00.000-06:00

We no longer have a big, honkin entertainment center in our living room. I mean, we still have the stupid thing, but hopefully it will be sold and out of our house before long.

pardon the mess here, we got that sucker the heck outta the way a.s.a.p.!

So, we had decided that we wanted to hang our t.v. on the wall. Actually the man decided this. I'm still not sure why. Anywho, that gave me the responsibility of finding something else to put all of our media accessories in. I hafta tell you, though... I am so picky. I may have mentioned that before. That is why we still don't have decorative pillows for our couches. I can't find anything that suites me. The color, the patterns, there is always something off about any pillows I have found. I guess I'll just have to make them myself.

But back to the matter at hand. We went to the local discount and furniture stores in hopes of finding something that would match our coffee and end tables as well as make me happy.

We all know that if momma ain't happy, ain't no body happy.

After making a quick stop for the hubs, I had spotted Main Street Antiques on, well, Main Street here in good ole Grand Prairie. Sean didn't think there would be anything good in there. Boy was he wrong! I wish I would have had my camera when we went in there. I am an antique freak, I tell you! So many things in there reminded me of my grandparents and of being a kid. Granted many of the items were way older than I am, but grandparents have a bunch of old stuff. I doubt they went out and bought all new stuff when they found out they were having their 10th grandchild. Okay, I don't know what order I am in the mix, but let's just say you have a lot of older cousins when both your mom and dad are the youngest or next to youngest in a family with 6 or 7 sibs.

Reel it in...

... bring it back to the story.

As I said, there were so many awesome tables, vanities, clocks, pictures, baskets, suitcases (the hardshell type), old baby carriages, knick knacks, and even an old yarn spinning wheel thingy.

One like this but it was actually broken. I just love this picture!

As I strolled through this man-made heaven, walking back from the back of the store, I spotted the most gorgeous buffet. It was laden with beautiful baubles and looked like it would be a fabulous addition to our home. I tracked down the man and told him that this is what I wanted.

Are you sure?

Of course I was sure! I had found it. That antique piece that I could love and call my very own. The piece of furniture that would cause a most certain death for one of my children should they ever put a leaky cup or freakin Rice Krispy treat on it.

Isn't she a beauty!? I think I am in love. Everything is perfect. From the little scratch and ding on top...

to the characteristic chips here...

and here...

I think it is just perfect and looks great in our front room. Leave it to a man, though to begin placing electronics on the thing as soon as it's set!

One of These Days

2010-01-22T12:08:00.000-06:00

One of these days I'll be able to get back on my computer for more than 5 minutes. My poor Kati-bug has had a couple of nasty ear infections that makes her super clingy. So clingy that my house looks like four tornadoes hit it.

Oh yeah, that's just my family.

Getting To Know You

2010-01-17T21:54:00.001-06:00

This week I'm getting to know you all a little earlier. Today has a been somewhat of an unwinding day for me. Having an unexpected house guest for 5 days can get me a little off kilter. So, to help get back into the swing of things, I'm participating in Keely's Getting To Know You Sunday Funday carnival. Also, in efforts to help the people of Haiti in this horrible time of need, Keely and her Big Mann are donating 25 cents for each link to this carnival (as well as each new follower she gets today) to the Red Cross. Now let's get started.

Today's Questions

1. Hair color... au naturale... or not?

very natural. I have dyed it many time an array of colors including pink and green, but it's been many years since the last time it has been any color than mousey brown.

2. If someone has food in their teeth or lipstick on their teeth, do you tell them?

It really depends on the situation. Someone I know, of course, as discreetly as possible most likely. The lady passing in the grocery store? Not so much.

3. Would you rather have a million dollars or your vision of the perfect body?

I suppose the million bucks! I just think that would be a lot harder to come across. Plus, I could use the money to help achieve the body.

4. Favorite magazine?

I don't really read magazines unless I'm in the doctor's office. Heck, I have internet.

5. Bra style... lacy or plain?

I like both. Gotta have plain to wear under a t-shirt or sweater, but I like to have some lacy ones too.

6. If you walked into Victoria's Secret, would you most likely come out with something sexy or comfy?

Um, I'm a mother of three... definitely something comfy.

7. Do you fake and bake?

Nooo. I'm not sure I would even if I had a membership thingy to do it. I need to though... I'm albino style!

8. What's your favorite body part on a man?

The bottom part of the back where it meets the backside. You know, right where you can put your hand... 'nuff said.

Okay, folks, those are my answers and I'm stickin to 'em. Unless I change my mind or something. Now it's your turn to link up to Keely's Sunday Funday at MannLand5. I gotta get... gotta sick baby to tend to. Hope you all have had a great weekend and have a fabulous upcoming week!!!

Friday Blog Hoppin Fun

2010-01-15T18:38:00.000-06:00

Five Question...

Five Question Fridaaaay!!!

Okay, feel free to call me a dork. I officially deserve it. But first, let's play a little 5QF hosted by the illustrious Mama M. Woo-woo... woo-woo (Wendy Williams style--my hubby is playing with a strobe light as I type this so I thought the wooing was appropriate for the party-like atmosphere).

Let's get started. Here are the question... followed by my answers. (duh) Oh, and here's Mama M's little exert preceding the following questions.

Questions for 1/15/10: (Special thanks to Lolidots, Casia, the Unkept Cook, Keely, and Megan for their question suggestions! Want to be linked in a future 5QF? Offer up your best question suggestions here...and stay tuned!)

1. Worst trouble you ever got into as a teenager?

Oh goodness, we had to go there.Thank God I never got into any trouble with the law, but I did get into plenty at home. I got into pretty big trouble for skipping school a whole heck of a lot my junior year. I did make it a point to show up to each of my classes at least once a week.

I also got into quite a bit of trouble once when I stayed the night with my friend Kyra who was a few years older than me and had her own apartment. We and our boyfriends decided to drive to Lubbock in my car which was a good 2 1/2 hour drive. I let her boyfriend drive for some stupid reason and my car got hot. He didn't notice (or care) and my car overheated so badly that the spark plug wires were melted to the motor. In case ya didn't know, that's pretty darn hot!

We were stranded in a little town 2 hours away from home. I had to call my mom and ask her boyfriend to come get us. Yeah, that had to be the worst. My mom called my dad. He had just bought me the car and rebuilt the engine in it for me. Yeah... the worst.

2. Are you a morning person or a night person?

I am definitely NOT a morning person. It does help if I get up at a decent hour, though. But not too early either. I'm probably more of a night person between the two, but I'd say the middle of the day is when I really shine!

3. Are you a one-handed or two-handed texter?

With the phone I have now I'm two-handed. It's one of those dual slider ones. The Pantech Matrix. I love my phone! When I had a Razr I could so one-hand it.

4. Democrat, Republican, or Independent...or maybe even Green Party(whatever that is).

I don't like to claim a political party. I agree with some things some people say and disagree with other things that same person says. vice versa. You know what I mean? I am a Christian and follow the Bible and believe every thing it says. Politicians... not so much.

5. Are you a pet person?

I am kind of a pet person. I like animals, but I don't wanna scoop doggy poo. Or cat poo for that matter. We have even had a snake and a tarantula. The tarantula died though. It was okay, we hadn't had her too long. We don't have any pets, though because my kids don't wanna help in taking care of them. I know this because we had pets. And I miss Rufus. He is a miniature Schnauzer. Soooo cute!! We gave him to my hubby's uncle though. He had just gotten a divorce and they had 3 mini Schnauzers. His wife took 2 and left one for him. The noisy one at that! Rufus was an awesome dog (still is!) but had heartworms. It was gonna cost a lot of money to fix him and a lot of time to deal with him. Uncle David took him in, fixed him up and is now providing a super happy home for him. Okay, I went a little off subject, but I just loved ole Rufey so much!!!

So these are my answers. I have a husband, father-in-law, and 4 kids begging me to feed them. Go to Mama M's bliggidy-blog and you can read how she and others answered these same questions. Then you can write your own and link up. Well, toodles... happy Friday everyone!!!

I Feel Like A Winner!

2010-01-14T11:16:00.000-06:00

I am super happy to ~~say~~ announce that I have received a blogging award! Yes!! Little ol' me. It makes me feel like a winner. Although it was, like, forever ago that I received it.

Who did I get this lovely award from you ask?

From my awesome bloggy friend, Cop Mama!

Have you checked out her blog yet? Well you should!

Right after you finish this post that is.

Okay, so here it is:

Isn't she pretty!? For some odd reason, I really want a cupcake now. =)

Anyhoo, I so love the thought behind this one. I am one of those people that likes to live by the if-you-don't-have-anything-nice-to-say rule. Good thing is, I only seem to have nice things to say about all of you so it's gonna be really hard to pick 10 people to give this award to myself. That is part of the reason it has taken me almost two weeks to get this posted. I'm a bit of a scatter brain as well.

So, here's what I gotta do:

1. List 10 thing that make ~~you~~ me happy.

2. Give this award to 10 "sweet" friends.

Sounds easy enough. Here goes...

Ten Things That Make Me Happy:

my kids' laughter

quiet time by myself (yes, I know. sounds like a joke)

Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream!!!-- 'nuff said

comfortable weather

reading my Bible

sleeping in

my house clean

warm, gooey brownies

caramel macchiatos

spending quality time with my family

Ten people (of the many!) that deserve this award:

('cause lots of ya make me happy)

Jennifer @ BumpStop

Tyler @ Just Another Day in Our Paradise

Kate @ Kate's Life

Michelle @ The Domestication of the (Once) Single Girl

Amanda @ Belli's Place- Living with Larsens

Shana @ Blaze 'n' Crochet

Deb @ Menopausal New Mom

Mrs. (and Mr.!) Officer @ Mrs. Officer 2 U

Erin @ The Mother Load

Jenn @ My Crazy Sweet Life

So there ya go. Ten things that make me happy followed by ten wonderful bloggers that make me pretty darn happy too. With so many awesome bloggers out there it sure was hard to choose. If you've never been to some of these, please check them out. All of these women (and man) are good for a laugh, cry, some understanding or a great recipe!

And another big thanks to Cop Mama!!

Black and White Wednesday

2010-01-13T11:40:00.000-06:00

wanna join in? go to The Long Road to China.