tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45576340657267002492024-03-13T13:29:26.722-07:00So this is what being a mom is like.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-78995782562213420022014-03-07T13:25:00.001-08:002014-03-07T13:25:30.619-08:00employee of the month ????? I think notlet me acknowledge I am not #1 best employee in the world. I come in late. I leave when I want. I put a lot of things before my job. This being said I am also the only employee that does whatever needs to be done to make this company successful. I do daily phone operations, bookkeeping, payroll, HR compliance, PennDot compliance, IT maintenance, financing, dealership compliance, pinch hit parts sales, warranty processing and property management (my boss has other properties that are leased). I happen to work in a very specific industry but anyone who works with others can relate to what I am saying. I have 2 co-workers who do not pull their work weight. Both say they just don't know how to do what ever it is that needs done. I have had this in both of the other places I work. How is I that when some people are presented with a situation that is not readily known to them one person will dig in their heals and figure it out the other will throw their hands up and declare it can't be done (at least not by me). Can anyone guess which one I am? So my bottom line is if I'm doing my job and all these other jobs and now all the jobs they can't figure out, should I ask for an extra $100,000 or $200,000 per year?????Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-90624329534804321812013-10-15T10:29:00.000-07:002013-10-15T10:29:27.537-07:00You can't go home again...Well not without the new tenant thinking your crazyAs some of you know my mother passed away this summer. This was especially hard because we were always very close in a special and unusual way. It was always just her and I. Not having her around has been harder than I ever imagined. I know I am still early in the grief process but it has been very easy to just pretend that she was over in her little apartment and we just haven't talked for a few days. Strangely the other day when I was passing the road to her apartment I had an over whelming feeling to go it and visit my childhood home. See we moved into this apartment almost 33 years ago when I was just 5 years old so all of my childhood memories are incased in those walls. When she passed it was the task of emptying the place and getting out so we wouldn't have to keep paying rent. After the last load was gone I walked away and haven't went back...until yesterday. I parked in my usual spot and walked up to the door and knocking, having no idea what I was going to say if and when someone opened. I stood there for what seemed like forever noticing all the changes that had taken place already to the exterior of the house. Finally a man open the door a crack and said very bewildered "can I help you." I started with "ok this is going to be very strange to you but I need to do this so just bare with me." I then explained that this was my mother's apt and my childhood home and I needed to do this to get some closure. I talked for about 15 minutes about our life there and how I hoped his family would get even 1/2 as much out of it as we did. By the end of the conversation he had canceled the restraining order opened the door (the whole way) and was very pleasant to talk to. Point is this will never be my home again. I will never walk thru that door and see me mom but those memories will live in me forever and seeing that someone else has made it their own really does give me closure to this. I felt like the book was done when I walked away several months ago but now it has a back cover.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-2216656938269960942012-09-18T10:00:00.000-07:002012-09-18T10:00:24.295-07:00Best of intentions!I started this blog sometime ago as a way of expressing myself creatively. I was also hoping to have something all for myself. I now realize as the mother of children under the age of 100 this is impossible. It really shouldn't have taken me so long but as most mothers will attest kids suck out your brains. My original plan was to right weekly, then it became monthly. Now it is just before they close my account or when something really sets me off, which is about daily. With the kids back in school and only soccer (x2), scouts, cheerleading, pageant, dance (x2), gymnastics, PTO and work to take up my time I should be able to blog on a more regular basis. That's right you have been warned!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-45536324422035006952012-07-18T13:26:00.000-07:002012-07-18T13:26:45.841-07:00Do's and Don't for the physically fit challengedI have never been the picture of physical fitness. Wait I'm wrong I was born a normal weight but it went down hill from there. As most women I have dieted on and off for most of my life. Some things worked some didn't. I even had on of those trendy weight loss surgeries awhile back and while I would call it successful I still didn't hit my goal and here we are years later and my body doesn't like being over weight anymore and it tells me so. Oh yes every morning I wake up to cracks and pops and pain shooting from various appendages. It takes my body at least 30 minutes longer to wake up than my brain and internal organs. Several months ago I started a "life style change" and have had some success. My husband and I also purchased some exercise equipment. He got a home gym and I got an elliptical machine. Today was my first morning on the elliptical and I learned several do's and don't. Read closely this could save someones life or at least their pride.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Do wear comfortable clothes.</li>
<li>Do wear a bra. Great pain can occur when you are delirious from working out for a few minutes and body parts are flopping everywhere and they come in contact with oh lets say a hand or even worse moving handle to your exercise equipment.</li>
<li>Do take water or other beverage (preferably non alcohol) for hydration</li>
<li>Do set up a play list of uplifting music to keep you going when you want to stop.</li>
<li>Do set a goal for how long you want to exercise.</li>
<li>Do establish proper ventilation and climate control in exercise area.</li>
<li>Do establish a work out routine and stick with it.</li>
</ul><br />
Now the more important ones the don't!<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Don't wear spandex or any other material that can burst into flames at a high rate of chub rub.</li>
<li>Don't work out in front of people until you have build up endurance. After all you don't want people watching you pant like a Siberian Husky in the middle of July in Texas.</li>
<li>Don't pick an area that is dark musty and over populated by kitty litter boxes. After the work out has ended (or you have passed out) there is a chance for your new and improved jello legs to let you down and you fall face first into lets just say a bad place.</li>
<li>Don't let your kids, or anyone else for that matter, video the workout in an effort to show you ways to improve. Your doing just fine and don't need that type of photographic proof your an idiot.</li>
<li>Don't forget tie your shoes or thing oh I'll get them in a second because in your concentration to get to the next level you may not notice that said shoe lace has wrapped itself around a moving part and you are now stuck to your new workout equipment. Really, really stuck.</li>
<li>Don't take yourself to serious and try to have fun with it. After all this really is about getting healthier and laughing burns a lot of calories. I would look up how many but I'm exhausted from my workout this morning so figure it out yourself.</li>
</ul><br />
<ul><li></li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-43363911373983212432012-07-08T13:12:00.000-07:002012-07-08T13:12:19.070-07:007 Habits of .....Most of us have heard of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. What I am looking for is a book on the 7 Habits of Mom's with a Clean House. I'm pretty sure that one of the tips would be to never sleep. See I've been cleaning for three days. Yesterday was my son's birthday party so of course I spent Friday cleaning the normal weekly dirt and disaster. Yesterday, party day, I cleaned all the stuff I didn't get to and thought was really to gross for non-residents of the house to experience. Because of the heat our party was an indoor/outdoor pool party so the house was filled with water, sprinkles, cake crumbs, crushed chips, and many other miscellaneous things. Today I have spend cleaning up party dirt and dishes. At one point in my life I never cared about having a clean or presentable house. I never cared if there where any clean dishes in the cupboard. I never cared if the floor was crunchy. And life was good but now for some reason, I think it's for my kids, I care about those things and so much more. This is really ironic because my kids are the reason, for the most part, the house is a disaster. The birthday boys decided to get up at 630 and play with his presents which included 2 Lego sets totalling about 300+ pieces. I now have a lovely Lego carpet in the living room. Which leads me to some of the other tips. Lock your children in one room and all their toys in another only allowing them to be together for 15 minute increments several times a week. Only buy your children one outfit and one pair of shoes. This will not allow them to put clothing and shoes all over the floor. On a side note it also makes getting dressed in the morning much easier. No more what will I wear, but that's another book. Only allow them to eat in a the bathtub or back porch that way any crumbs or spills can quickly be dealt with. The rest of the tips are a mystery to me or how you would get your children to comply with these tips. Personally, I have said it before and I'll say it again. I am waiting for the Rubbermaid Corporation to start building homes. Just imagine the easy of cleaning your favorite storage containers in a house. Just bring out a powerful garden hose or for really big messes a power washer and have at it. If needed you can always use your favorite spray or degreaser. And after the soak down it can easily be wiped dry or given a little more time it would dry in no time flat. Now that is a real tip and as soon as production starts I'm outta here. Happy Cleaning to you all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-31977746156064043272012-03-16T12:47:00.001-07:002012-03-16T12:52:37.061-07:00This woman is CRAZY!"This woman is CRAZY! Completely out of her mind and making no sense at all." say the voice in my husband's head, or so I imagine. My husband, like so many others, is very simple on what "needs" to be done to get by each day. He needs to go to work, eat, sleep, surf the Internet, watch TV, help out around the house enough that I don't kill him, take care of his other commitments and whenever possible-attempt marital activities. His what does not need done list is a much more detailed list and strangely pretty identical to my must be done list. These things include but are not limited to (and in no specific order)make dinner, do dishes, clean up after pets, clean up after kids, clean up after spouse, do laundry, review children's school papers, insure homework is done, eat, keep kids from killing each other, bath kids, schedule everything and remember it, check inventories and shop accordingly, etc etc etc, whenever possible attempt surfing the Internet, watching TV or marital activities. I know this is the life of a mom but I'm not sure he does. Last night I did my normal Thursday evening cleansing of our home. This is not cleaning per say it is more cleansing of inappropriate items from each area. Let's go over the top things I remember. Remove empty plate and easy mac container from between couch cushions, move used pull up from end stand and floor to inside of trash can, scoop kitty litter and remove 2# kicked out from carpet around litter box, find don't spill the beans game and put hands that hold bucket back in, deodorize carpets and run sweeper to pick up remains of all things the dog has eaten, remove clothing not seen under sofa from sweeper hose. Next room put all the shoes back where they belong in the shoe rack instead of on the floor, hang giant pile of coats that cover the chair to put your shoes on and floor, move buried dirty clothes basket to the basement, take "found" lunch boxes to kitchen to be dealt with, pick up all things cats have knocked down from entry way stand, clean excess papers from desk, sweep up what appears to be a spare cat made only from hair. Next room "file" all the lovely things my children have crafted for me today, put away crafting materials, pick up all chewed up or played with (destroyed) items, move all shed clothing to basement, return all other mislaid items to their rightful home, sweep up another spare cat. Next room find sink, put away all spices we own that are all over the kitchen because they were used, garbage sweep counters (this is what I call it when I have to pick up misc garbage from counter; you know lids off of cans, food packaging, egg shells), sweep up a confetti mixture of coco puffs, crushed fruit loops, dog food, pencil pieces and sugar, put second load of dishes in washer, remove ice stuck jammed in dispense (thanks Lyd) that is causing the freezer door to kick open. Next would be to take care of anything necessary for my other commitments or for work. Now after all this I am taking a rest in the living room and tell my husband that I would like to mop the floors while everything is actually off of them so he will needs to bath the kids. Even though he knows not to say it, his face gave him away and said, "You are CRAZY! Who cares is the floor is mopped." And in that moment I realized that's why relationships are necessary because if we weren't together he would eat oodles of noodles and drink mt dew for every meal out of the same bowl and spoon rinsing them out right before he would eat. More seriously he could suffer a devastating fate of tripping over all the things that are never picked up, fall into something that was spilled and never cleaned and be unable to get up because of how sticky it is, and then the cat hair would cover him until he was encased in it like a mummy. Wooh thank god he has me! In all fairness he does things that I wouldn't do if he wasn't there but at the moment they have slipped my mind. After all this is about how great I am if he wants his side heard...let him start his own blog. <br />
<br />
Love you Dan! And thanks for always having my back when I'm CRAZY.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-56822437652510226322012-02-20T12:04:00.000-08:002012-02-20T12:04:04.126-08:00What a difference a pound makes.Several months ago I started on a journey to have a healthier life which ment loosing weight. Because this is a journey I have made many times, I knew it would be long hard and most likely not completable. But they say it's not the destination it is the trip so off I went. At first I just made little changes and had little success. Then I started doing things like counting calories and increasing activiities and saw much better results. The problems I had were the things that have always been my problems. First I'm an emotional eater and not just big emotions little ones like someone cut me off I'm having a candy bar. I'm not exagerating. Some may say I was an excuse eater meaning any excuse I would eat. I have a long and strong addiction to sugar. It is my crack. I must have it as soon as I wake up and right before I go to bed and everywhere in between. And let me tell you none of that pink, blue, yellow or even green are gonna meet my needs. If I wanted to taste the rainbow I would have skittles. This is something I am still dealing with. I have allowed myself some sugar daily but I do alot of substitutes also. Next I LOVE food. I love to cook it, eat it, smell it, think about it, watch others cook it, any thing and everything except clean up after it. This is probably the hardest because the other issues can be changed with will power but a true love of something is in your blood. (No pun intended) I was recently looking thru a food catalog to order so items for a fundraiser I am cooking for and I found my heart racing at the possibilities. There weren't even any pictures just criptic descriptions. Now that is love. Anyway I am getting off track, food often does that to me. Over these several months I have worked really hard and it is showing. To me anyway. Before I ever started this I decided that when I lost 30 pounds I would get my first tatoo. So a few days ago I got on the scale and I have lost 29 pounds. One pound from goal. One pound from success. One pound from the rest of my life. What a difference a pound makes. Because of this mile stone I started looking at my clothes. Maybe I would try some of those jeans I couldnt get into before and decide my next goal. Surprise they fit. Then I had a funeral to go to. What to wear? Funerals are never fun but when you are unconfortable it is even worse. Surprise the clothes I used to wear not only fit but are loose. Then one day I had a crappy day. You know the days. You just want to curl up under a blanket somewhere and hide. And to do this you need your comfy clothes. Problem is a fews weeks ago I had went through my closet and cleaned out most of my fat comfy clothes and took them to Goodwill because they didnt fit. But now I needed them and where was I going to find anything to take there place. I went to the closet and found a t-shirt that didnt fit bad the last time I wore it and put it on. Surprise it was loose. Then I found a similar pair of lounge pants and found the same. They were loose. So what difference that pound makes isn't really that much except how we look at it. Even without that pound I had found so many things and realized that you don't need to hang on to the old things that makes the old you happy because your not the old you anymore. BTW I've now lost 32 pounds and will post pictures of my reward as soon as it's done.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-14203605437504977622012-01-20T19:46:00.000-08:002012-01-20T20:00:07.818-08:00Blood does not make a family!Most of you know I have three children but only some of you know I have 2 spares. This is a term I have used for many years when referring to my god son and his older brother. You see his mother and I have been friends since 1st grade (she is my second oldest friend). After this long she is really more my sister than a friend at this point. I have been very involved in both of these boy's lives and them in mine. They are a part of me. This week the oldest graduated from basic training and AIT training from the army. As any family would we backed are cars and started out late at night and drove over 500 miles to be there for his big event. We took of work took our other children out of school at did what was necessary. You ask any of the 9 people in our party and not a one would have been anywhere else. Twelve plus hours in the car gives you time to lots of things, thinking is a big one. While thinking and observing I have learning many things over the week so here they are.<br />
<br />
1. Blood does not make a family. (Ok, I knew this before)<br />
2. My sister and their step father has raised to incredibly amazing young men (and one pretty awesome girl). They are smart, caring, independent and responsible. Luke has showed us the things he was raised with deep down in side that the army has brought to the surface. His future is bright and with his abilities I know there is nothing he can't do. I am proud to have him in my family and hope that I help to shape the man he has become. <br />
3. The sense of pride that overcomes you as you watch others realize the potential that you always knew someone had is too much for words.<br />
4. Kids grow up to fast. It was only 19 short years ago I was sitting in the maternity ward waiting for the little blessing to come. I was only 10 short years ago when I was telling him I didn't want to hear anymore technicalities of how what he was doing was not breaking the rules. And only 1 short year ago when I was helping to teach him how to drive, and praying for my other children's safety since they were in the car, before he left for the army. Again, kids grow to fast.<br />
5. Enough of the sappy stuff. Pennsylvania has the worst construction zones. They are narrow and bumpy and make me hyperventilate. I was much happier driving in any of the other states. So PennDot you suck!<br />
6. The only time I got pictures of my other children was when they were sitting to eat because it was the only time they were moving slow enough for the camera to catch them.<br />
7. Kids really only care if there is a swimming pool on vacation.<br />
8. Technology has made travel completely different.<br />
9. Road side rest stops are weird. Enough said.<br />
10. Changing diaper when traveling when the temp is let than 20 degrees is a project.<br />
11. Toddlers do not eat on vacation, unless it's off the floor.<br />
12. My family uses too much toilet paper. We were only in our hotel room 2 nights and we used almost 2 rolls.<br />
13. Walmart is everywhere. There really is no need to take anything for a trip. You can buy it all when you get there.<br />
14. Coming home is twice the work of the vacation. (I knew this before too.)<br />
15. I love my family and can't imagine my life with out my kids, birth and spare. (Thank you Loretta for sharing them with me)<br />
<br />
Congratulation to all the graduates from Fort Leonard Wood Missouri 787 Military Police Battalion. We thank you for your sacrifices now and in the future so our freedom remains free for us. We realize just what it does cost for you. We are proud of each and every one of you including Pvt. Lucus Palmer. CHARLIE ROCK!<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0Fort Leonard Wood, MO, USA37.7380556 -92.11722220000001537.6411931 -92.221607700000021 37.8349181 -92.012836700000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-50815066419670763372011-11-22T10:54:00.000-08:002011-11-22T10:54:55.531-08:00The right tools make all the difference.Let me start by saying cleaning is not my favorite job, like it is anyones. But I do love having a well kept or at least somewhat kept house. It has only been for about the last 6 months or so that I cared what my house looked like at all. That being said, do to social standards I have had to clean occasionally. I have always noted what cleaning tools did there job with little effort. When I was first married we had a Kenmore sweeper and I loved it. The power was great. It did a fabulous job and with the exception of the occasional broken belt, never game me problems. I even used it to detail a car that had been in a fire and foamed with no problems. Now eventually it died and I didn't have several hundred dollars to get another so I have had several "on sale" models. None have ever made me as happy as my Kenmore. I announced to my husband when this cleaning kick started my next sweeper would be a Kenmore canister. He had all kinds of issues with the canister part. But because we only have one room of carpet on the main floor I wanted something that would make it easy to suction up pet hair from bare floors. We even did a date night for my birthday and I insisted we go to Sears and look at sweepers so I knew what to save to get it. Did you know you can take a test drive on a sweeper? Yes, you can I think it's how they get out of paying for cleaning people. I found one I loved and as luck would have it last weekend mine died and we had enough money in the bank so my wonderful husband picked up my dream sweeper. Under my direction of "I have had enough. If you ever want to have vacuumed floors again you better go get me my sweeper." Because it is shedding season and we have 1 dog and a herd of cats ( I don't think that's quite right but when they all run it sounds like a herd) I sweep ever other day, at least. The sweeper is everything I had dreamed. Last night I decided to do the stairs which I haven't done it so long I can't remember. It was amazing the attachment was so powerful I couldn't stop I wanted to clean ever piece of furniture and the drapes. It is crazy that the right tool can turn you into a cleaning maniac. All those years of struggle and unhappiness gone with one little sweeper. Now if I can only find a few more of these miracle tools I will have a perfectly clean house. Ya right. A mom can dream can't she.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-47212670627843960122011-11-16T12:34:00.000-08:002011-11-16T12:34:42.117-08:00MINI-VAN MAMA..............AGAINWell it's official I'm a mini-van mama again. Now don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with a mini-van. I have owned 3 before. But I had thought I had moved on to bigger and better things. Yep a Suburban. No really we live in Southwestern Pennsylvania and snow is a way of life. Last year I actually ran car pool to every activity mine and my friends kids were in because the "burban", as the kids call it, was all that could get around. Unfortunately the price of gas has prompted us to look at alternatives and with three kids the options were limited. Now when looking there were several options that were not optional. Let's combare what some of these options really are. Second row bucket seats, or as I like to call them referee seats. By having second row bucket seats the children are seperated there for serving as a referee to keep fighting down. Tinted windows create a dressing room on the go. Anyone who has children in multiple activities it is vital that you have tinted windows for clothing changes. Rear heat control is really the not make mom so hot she explodes option. None of my previous vans have had this option and I have spent much time trying to warm my children in the outer reaches of the vehicle while melting in the drivers seat. Power sliding doors looked like a need feature but I didn't think of them as a must have. At best I thought it would save me the countless trips back around the car when child #2 couldn't close the door and child #1 was being to "I'll show you" to help. I was so wrong since getting this van my kids run out the door to the van as soon as I announce I'm opening the doors Even the baby has a new independance with them. She gets to push the door buttom if she gets into her car seat and doesn't fight me. All in all if you get the right options being a mini-van mama isn't so bad. I may even get one of those catchy license plates or window decals showing how cool I am. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-28107543704265380522011-10-06T12:56:00.000-07:002011-10-06T12:56:31.441-07:00Holiday traditions...out of controlI am very big on holiday traditions. We go to the local parades, including pulling the float in several, take the kids to see <br />
Santa and the Easter Bunny at the mall, have family pictures taken twice a year, and what is on my mind most right now, go to the pumpkin patch to do hay rides, corn maze, and general farm fun. The problem isn't that I love to go places but I also must decorate for all holidays. In fact in January we get a thank you note from the power company for all the extra money we give them October thru December. I seem to have this desire for my children to have a perfect Norman Rockwell existence. They are each in extra activities and my husband and I are very involved parents. With all this we have very little free time. It occurred to me last night as I was finishing the fundraiser order for my 2 two oldest, reviewing the calendar of events and more importantly what I need to get together for scouts, and finishing homework, that October is over and before you know it the holidays will be over! I know . I know. It is only the 6th but I look at time in different terms. Instead of 20 some days to Halloween I see 4 weekends till Halloween. FOUR OMG! Now that seems worse doesn't it. But really we look at things in weekend terms because week nights are out by the time I get home from work and we do what ever activity we have that night we have time for dinner, bath and homework before we have to go to bed. I don't even have time to do the dishes at night I do them in the morning after my older ones leave for school before I go to work. As for the weekends Saturdays go something like this dance 9-10 soccer either 10 or 11 for an hour cheer 2:30 or 5 for an hour and half or more. Sunday church. Yep that's it we take it easy on Sunday. So we have from 1:30 till 6:30 on Sunday to do all the stuff we didn't do last week and need to do next week. At 6:30 we eat dinner and start our bed bath homework routine, not in that order. In case you lost count we're down to 5 hours a week or 5 hours times 4 weekends or 20 hours to make our house spooktacular and create all kinds of family memories for this fall. So what is a crazymama to do? Give up? Stop planning all these memory makers? Pull the kids out of activities? Nope, get your prozac refilled and stop by the liquor store for some wine and keep going. I mean what would life be like without not so perfect adventures.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-52720958663150331102011-09-02T10:10:00.000-07:002011-09-02T10:10:51.338-07:00FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL 2011This was the first week of school for our district. And not even a full week, it started on Tuesday. I have 2 children in school this year. My daughter is in 5th and my son is in 1st. We are trying something new this year instead of going to daycare after school they are going home. Scary yes I know but they have done really well and we have been getting ready for weeks going over the rules and what is expected. Tuesday night came and along with it the usual mounds of paper work. Added to that was my son's overwhelming excitement to be back in school complete with homework which he black marker. I'm sure the teacher will love this. I decide I will dive into the mom homework after dinner and the kids are settled down ready to go to bed. The problem is they never settled down and I must remember to make a note to self for next year to buy a really nice and comfortable pen for me for the first night of school. That tells you how my weeks started. Let count other things that have happened already this week. Remember 4 school days. Number of days kids ate breakfast-2 Number of forms forgotten to return 1+ pictures for each kid (not counting because they weren't really forms.) Number of lunches forgotten 1 Number of days late 1 All in all it could have been worse. I think of it as a success. I mean if I was a baseball team I would be way over 500. Some how looking around my house at the total disaster I have going on trying to keep this all together it doesn't feel like a win. In fact last night I found my self saying " I can't believe that I wanted school to start again. What was I thinking?" Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-37469203949104678382011-05-26T10:08:00.000-07:002011-05-26T10:08:02.859-07:00Enough is enough!It seems like for years we have been fighting a loosing battle with clutter. I'm not sure why it happens and beleive me I have tried to figure it out. Maybe it was because we started out with so little we really appreciated everything we got. Maybe its because our mothers can't throw ANYTHING away. Maybe it's just a sickness and we need help. I have decluttered many times just for it to come back. I really beleive this time is it. I have enrolled in many organizational bootcamp websites that show me it didn't get cluttered in a day it won't get uncluttered in a day. Despite that I still took yesterday off work to organize my life. With three kids, a full time job, a husband, many animals and a bazillion other things going on it finally became enough to never know where the dance shoes were or where the soccer uniform was or be able to find a clean sippy cup. Yes I am tired of emailing the teacher for another one because I can't find the permission slip for the fieldtrip tomorrow. And needing another cheerpacket because ours is lost. Not to mention almost missing lots of meeting/events because I forgot about them. At the begining of this week I decided I needed a me day. Some might call it a mental health day or a get away day but to me it was a day about me. Clearing clutter clearing my mind. I started by writting a list I knew was way to large to complete in a day, but I figured I could do the rest over time. Then I decided what was the 1 or 2 biggest headache areas in my life. That is where I would start. And did I pick a doosie, my desk. I wish I would have taken a picture before I started. Wow did it make a difference. Luckily my husband got called off work, because we tore it up. We also worked on 3 area in our dining room and rearranged our dinning room. When I stopped and looked this morning I did about 6 things on my list. Way more than I thought it would. Yes I do beleive this is it I will keep what I organized clean and add to it alittle everyday. Maybe I can do this mom thing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-75694112712039226022011-04-21T11:37:00.000-07:002011-04-21T11:37:51.896-07:00EASTERWell Easter is just a few daya away and lets say I am less than ready. I think I am skipping making dinner this year. Every year we have Easter with the family either at my in-laws or with my husbands oldest sister which is nice and not to far so we would come home and have a condensed dinner at home. This year we are going to one of my other sister in laws which is considerably further away but I am super excited to have the holiday at her house. We traditional get our kids outdoor type toys for Easter. I find myself running out of things to get them. They have a giant swingset, a trampoline and even a swimming pool so what do I get them this year. I'll have to let you know on Monday. Any way Happy Easter to you all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-4519001701311244302011-04-19T12:00:00.000-07:002011-04-19T12:00:49.015-07:00Is the universe trying to tell me something?Let me start by saying I am not pregnant! The last couple weeks have been strange but usual. I get up run around like crazy all day get home usher the kids straight upstairs and never even look at my kitchen dining room or living room. I can barely get them washed and in bed before I fall asleep. All while I have a headache and generally feel crappy. So of course I mention that I'm not feeling well and of course everyone response with "Are you sure your not pregnant?" This question alone would not bother me, especially since we have 3 kids already. Its not unheard of for me to be pregnant. The really strange and disturbing thing is that the universe seems to be posing the same question. Suddenly we started getting formula samples and welcome gifts from both Enfamil and Similac. Every couple days we get something new. My husband actually thought maybe I was trying to break it to him gently. Then just as I find a way to explain this weirdness away. I get an email from the hospital where my two younger children were born saying information for your new addition. It was all about how they have changed the baby photographer and how pictures are taken. It also had some general information you may have forgotten about what your birth experience will be like with them. They can't wait to see you and your new addition.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4557634065726700249.post-63298756017265277562011-04-14T13:09:00.000-07:002011-04-14T13:09:37.715-07:00Something for meLet me start by saying I've always wanted to be a mom. As far back as I can remember I would mother small animals and dolls the way many young children but I also had many younger cousins and nieces and nephews that gave me plenty of time to sharpen those skills. Funny thing, none of that mattered when I had kids I realized I know nothing (and my older kids will tell you that.) This blog is my gift to me. It is a place where I can share my daily experiences and struggles. So lets talk about me, something I rarely do. I am the youngest child of a worrying woman and an indecisive father. My mother had one other son who was 18 when I was born. My father on the other hand had 7 other children. The youngest was about 9 when I born and lets just say none of them where happy to have a new little sister. Because they lived with their mother we had little interaction until I was a teenager and they were adults. So basically I was an only child with 8 siblings. I knew one thing; I wanted a big family which promts this blog. I never knew having that big family would be so rewarding and crazy at the same time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17089664457526103076noreply@blogger.com0