My Common Sense

Some days I really honestly wonder how people can be so ridiculous.

I just found out that the NASA space program landed some kind of device on Mars. Big congratulations! Now tell me, seriously, does anyone care?
I just can't understand why these super intelligent quadrupled IQ people think it's so fascinating to study a rock that's so freakin far away. I'll tell you what's there, nuthing nuthing...n u t...you know nuthing. If the rising economy is frustrating and global devastation is tragic, why doesn't the US stop floating our tax dollars out to space and spend it on things that really matter. I couldn't find out how much it cost to put that little robot thing on Mars, you know why...they don't want you to know how much it cost to do some worthless adventure in the name of exploration. I say if they want to do exploration, start looking at our planet and find cures for the common cold or obesity, they might actually find something. Or if they're really feeling adventurous, we could send them all to find the fountain of youth, it would probably cost less money.
I suppose this is one of those examples of Christian's having their eyes open and everyone else around them being blind. When the world seems like everything is falling apart and crashing in around them, they have scientists that are playing with remote control toys in space.

It's Like Magic

So my husband and I decided that the kids needed a dog. (Last summer) We chose a yellow lab because they're suppose to be these wonderful family dogs and really smart and great for kids. So we did it, we bought our kids a yellow lab puppy last memorial day weekend. Of course she was cute and cuddly and the most adorable thing. The kids loved her and played with her.

Then we had her for a day. I am convinced that puppies are cute so people won't kill them. We now have dead grass spots all over the yard. Holes next to the fence and planting any trees or bushes is just a waste of time and money.

Ok, ok, so it just grass and she's just a puppy (70lb puppy), this stage will pass.

We even hired a dog trainer to personally come to our home and help us train her. That was actually worth it. By the time Ginger was 6 months old...she knew all the basic commands plus extras like play dead, crawl, spin in a circle. That's great!

But the challenge with her is a bit more serious. She has never challenged mine or Luke's authority. She knows I'm the boss and I will pick her up and lay her on the floor if she dares to challenge me. I will never let her win. The kids, however are a completely different story. The second she thinks I'm not looking, she jumps up on them, bites them and is constantly pestering them.

I looked out the window yesterday to find Justin in tears and hitting her from frustration. THIS MUST STOP NOW! Luke and I were at a stand still, we've done everything we could but this was when our backs were turned. Our kids have been told what to do, but when a 70lb puppy charges a 59 lb kid full throttle, there's little you can do. It was coming down to giving her up.

Then we had a brilliant idea. The shock collar. Some people will argue that it's cruel, but we don't put the level up to it's full potential. Not only that, but my children's legs and arms should not be her personal chew toy.

Luke tried it on his arm first. ZZZZ "Yep, it works!" So we straped it on. It's the most hillarious thing I've ever seen. Ok, so I feel a little rotten for laughing.But it's the funniest thing to watch. Luke and I sat in the window where the dog couldn't see us, let the kids out and hit the remote everytime she jumped or bit the kids. It really only took one time for her to figure out, she didn't want to ever do that again. So we set a challenge in front of her...we sent the kids outside with their dinner in tow. Let me just say, whoever invented these things deserves a big hug.

My Baby's 2

Happy Birthday, Anna-Claire!

Oh my goodness! I just can't believe my baby is two.

I really do hear a lot..."wow, five?!" "That's a lot of kids!"

But just look what we would be missing without Anna-Claire.

I love my you, my baby!

The Room of Doom

I couldn't take it anymore. There was a perforating stench as I entered the hallway. Even though I 'v told the kids time and time again to take this cleaner and get it. The fact could not be denied any longer. It was a job that had become so atrocious that even my children couldn't tackle it.

The children's bathroom. My room of doom.

So I armed myself to the teeth with every weapons in my arsenal.

With my rifle in tow I march as a brave soldier would into the unknown. It was like a scene out of a horror movie. I hold my breath and start to scrub and scrub and scrub. As I scrub only one movie comes to mind, Daddy Day Care. There is a bathroom scene which only a mother can fully appreciate. Eddie Murphy enters the bathroom after a child is finished only to find a "room of doom." I mean, it takes real talent to get a bathroom this disgusting. The places these children hit, you'd think that they were in a battle zone of world war 3.

I just thought you all should know, I made it out alive :)

Announcement

There will be no menu this week, due to circumstances that were unforseen.

Luke has decided to try my diet. Which means dinners are just really odd and different.

I'm so proud of him for stepping up to this great challenge. Us women have no problems saying that we need to lose a little weight or that we're going on a diet. But I think it's a whole other thing for men. It takes real determination to get past that and make the effort to change.

So here's hoping he stick's with it and makes his goal.

You know I'm doing all I can to make this as painless as possible.

Air bags, vasectomies, and toilets

Lord,I'll praise you in the storm!

I don't know if anyone of you have ever experienced this, but the phone rings and you know. You just know, whatever is on the other end is not good. Of course, you answer it, hoping your wrong, but when the other person says "hi" it solidifies all fears. Every loved one you know runs through your mind at the speed of light. (Who? How Bad? What Do You Need?)

That phone call came yesterday morning. My grandfather drove his car into a parked trailer. The trailer was none the worse for wear, but my grandpa's car deployed the airbags and sent him to the hospital.

( Ok, but he's alright, he's fine. I dont see the need for you to come to the hospital and have Luke stay home with the five kids. He's going to be going home later today anyway.)

So I breathe a huge sigh of relief, get the crew ready for church, and off we go.

The phone rings this morning and wouldn't you know it, that same feeling flooding back. "hi"

So grandpa took a turn for the worst. Looks like he's make it, but his heart's weak and he's on a ventilator.

When did it go from he's going home to a ventilator?

The phone rings for a second time, "hi" . It's a good friend of mine. She says "I think I'm pregnant." Not the best timing...several months after he got a vasectomy.

About 2 hours later, Cody comes running down the stairs crying "MOM!" Then proceeds to throw up down the stairs, all the while me yelling "GO TO THE TOILET!"

Which brings me to my point. Life is so quick, sudden, and unexpected. I suppose the best thing to do is laugh at days like this. It can really only get better. (I think)

Three Cheese Garden Pizza

This is one of our favorite recipes. It's pampered chef, but I love doing something different with a classic fav. And really really easy, which means even I could do it.

Igredients

*1 package refridgerated pizza crust (you can make your own, but this is for time management)

*1 small onion, sliced into rings

*1 medium zucchini, sliced

*2 tomatoes, sliced

*1 cup mushrooms, sliced (do you see a pattern here?)

*2 garlic cloves, pressed, chopped or however you prefer

*shredded mozzerella

*shredded cheddar cheese

*grated parmesan

*Italian seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll pizza dough onto pan in whatever shape (could be a heart if your in the mood). Bake crust for 7 minutes.

Once crust is baked, spread garlic over crust and sprinkle with mozzerella, top with veggies evenly. Add grated parmesan and cheddar over the veggies. Sprinkle seasoning over cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes.

I'm sure you could add your own variation of veggies whatever are your favorites.

Enjoy!

No More Sock Monsters!

I love love love spring.

This time, it's not because the flowers are blooming; Or that I'm finally able to turn the heat off in the house; Or we can go to a baseball game without getting frostbite. It's the shear fact that I wont have to search for socks for the next four months.

SANDALS!!!!

There is no more sock monster in the dryer for the next four months, HURRAY!

Secrets!

If there's anything I can't stand, it's trying to keep secrets. Especially, the super cool ones.

( If this is mom reading, don't worry, I'm not spilling anything.)

Of course, I try to be one of those people that others can trust with their secrets, although when they do challenge your goal of being "the trusted friend," you sometimes want to relinquish your honorable title. Tell them, forget it, I really didn't want to know.

This is not one of those secrets. This is about my Mom's 50th birthday.

All I can say is, IT'S KILLING ME!!!!

This Week's Menu

My menu's have always started on Wednesday, been that way for years.

*Wednesday - Barbecue Chicken with Beans and Salad

*Thursday - Tomato and Zucchini Pizza

*Friday - Phillie Cheese Steak and Chips

*Saturday - Fajita Salad

*Sunday - Barbecue Burgers

*Monday - Croissant Braid with Spinach, Cheese, and Ham

*Tuesday - Re fried Bean Casserole

The Mom Survey

1) How long have you been a Mom?
10 1/2 YEARS
2) How many children call you Mommy?
FIVE
3) Girl? Boy? or both?
boy, girl, boy, girl, girl
4) Did you know what you were having?
yeah, either by ultrasound or intuition
5) How old were you when you became a Mom?
19
6) How long were you in labor?
8 hrs, 2hrs, 8hrs, 16hrs, 15 hrs
7) What's your favorite thing about being a Mom?
There are lots of things, joy, pure joy. That and still getting to watch animated movies with a good excuse.
8) What's your least favorite thing?
the mess
9) Do you want more kids?
ha ha ha ha ha ha
11) How many times have you been peed on?
I lost count after the first month
12) Barfed on? thanks for bringing this up, I've chosen to block it out
13) Is your child named after anyone?
Justin Lucas was named after his dad John Lucas
14) How did you come up with their names?
A few just sounded good and we didn't find anything we liked better.
15) When your child gets in trouble, who is the bad guy?
When it's just me at home me, but when dad is home it's dad
16) What is the longest you have been away from your children?
3 days
17) Bedtime routine?
Jam Jams are anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes ahead of time, "GUYS, GO TO BED" violators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Daddy comes in later and gives hugs and kisses.
18) Are your kids toes painted?
the girls are a pretty barbie pink color
19) Last movie you saw in the theater?
National Treasure 2
20) One thing you will not give up just because you're a mom?
some days it seems like everything has been sacrificed. I suppose it would have to be two things, my own panties and my toothbrush.
21) One thing you did give up now that you're a mom?
a house with no water on the floor
22) Best Mom perk:
always having someone to talk to, even if they have no idea what your saying
23) Snack you sneak bites from your child
it's survival of the fittest with five kids so they wouldn't share even if I wanted a bite. It's the concept of "get your own"
24) When the kid is napping, you are.....
I miss the time when they all took naps, now I usually help the older kids with school work
25) Where is your child(ren) now?
2 are taking a nap, one is making what looks like a tornado of the house, one is creating a disaster with paper and scissors at the table and one is watching a movie.
26) Favorite place to buy maternity clothes?
motherhood maternity made me feel more like a normal person, Target was good too, but the best clothes I got were all given to me from friends. (And now, I've given all of the away)

Pirates Party

ARGH!
It was the kids turn to be swachbucklers and buckaneers! We started the night out with passing out pirate bandanas, swords, and eyepatches.
This was really really fun!

The Crew!The Galley! I borrowed fishing nets and had jolly rogers everywhere.

The Ship!

The treasure! Every adult had a clue card and the kids had to find all of them for their loot.

Party Time Planning

Here we go!

The kids birthday party is tomorrow. So here's what I have to do today so I don't go insane tomorrow.

The party theme this year is Pirates. Go figure!

First thing, get things done that can be done early.

*We're having a treasure hunt. I need to pick a spot to hide the treasure chest (containing all of the kids swords, eye patches, gold coins, rings, bandanas, and candy for the loot bags). Write it all on treasure hunt cards so they can follow the instructions themselves.

*Bake the cake. I need it to be cold tomorrow. So I can cut, frost, and decorate it without having it crumble into a heap.

*Wrap all of the kids gifts. I've done this a week early in the past and it just creates chaos, so I only put them out a day early at the most.

*Find tiki torches and oil. They must be in the garage, I think. Everyone loved them at the party last year and they are really nifty once it starts to get dark.

*Last minute grocery shopping. We're having barbecue chicken, brats, and hotdogs. Guac dip and chips (I know that doesn't really go with anything for this party, but they're Codeman's favorite thing) Fruit and veggie trays and one more side that I haven't decided.

*Drink list- margaritas(woo hoo), pina coladas (you can't have a pirate party without Rum), and my husband's personal favorite Coronas( can you say bleck)

It's going to be too fun!

Still Under Par

Ok, so apparently my brain is still not working to it's normal capacity. Today, I got to the grocery store, thinking I'm doing so good. Wrong! I make it all the way inside before I realize I have no idea what I'm suppose to get for the week.I've completely spaced out my only source of power, THE LIST. Well, I have no intentions of packing the car back up with kids and strollers, so I figure I can wing it. Not exactly! I got through the next hour in a complete blur. I haven't the foggiest idea what to do for dinner, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I will have to go back before Friday. All I could do was minimize the damage and get out as fast as possible. So, for now, there's food in the house, well, at least the pantry is stocked. Don't ask me with what, cause I'm not really sure.

Happy Birthday, Cody!

What would the world be like without you? I cannot possibly imagine less dirt in the house, no more broken toys, scraped knees, or hollering. I could not live without the mayhem of cutting your sisters hair, or chocolate finger prints on the walls. What would I do without Cody. When he announces in the back of the car "I'm a cowboy, got no gun and no hat, but I got my boots!"

Not my wish

I really dont like to whine and I certainly dont like to listen to whiners. So, this is just an update, apparently I have a sinus infection. Never had one of these before so obviously, I let it go a little too long and now I am just trying to keep my house from self destructing. The current status of the house, Kitchen (unknown), Dining room (unknown), Family Room (covered in rice cakes, laundry, and whatever else is on the desks), Bedrooms (clean), Bathrooms (one is sinking in water from the baby leaving it running). Children, one is whining at me, one has a ballgame in a half hour, one is probably getting into something, one is cleaning the water up in the bathroom, and the other one is in her room so she stays out of the bathroom. It always amazes me how quickly everything goes to pot when Mom is not at her best. Whether this blog makes any sense or not is really not a concern and frankly if I just make it through the day will be a miracle.

Tears of Frustration

What is it about girls that make them so mean. I know we all have our own insecurities, but why must they pick on others in such ruthless ways to make themselves feel better.

Yesterday, I was sitting in Bethany's ballet class waiting for her to come out of the dressing room and start her class. When I overheard two girls talking about Bethany. All they said was her age and then they gave a sarcastic look to each other, then one said "yeah, I know." All I could think was, "what the heck was that suppose to mean?"

Later on in the middle of class, as they were going over routines and combinations. I heard her teacher clearly say to go over to the corner of the room. It's not what the teacher mean't, but it is what she said. So, of course, Bethany headed over to the corner of the room. She was promptly corrected to move to the line that she was previously in. That was the very second I saw these two girls roll their eyes at each other in complete dissaproval at my daughter who was only trying to do as directed.

Ugh! The frustration I feel! I really don't know what to do about the whole situation.

Bethany, however is becoming a hero to me more and more everyday. She doesn't need the approval of these girls and she certainly doesn't have self esteem issues that can't be resolved by her own parents approval. She has to work harder than anyone else for everything she learns, and things have never come easy to her. That is exactly why I am so proud of her for working so hard.

I'm a gonna have fruit for breakfast

This is a typical breakfast for the kids. I try to get at least three different fruits in their bowls. It takes about 10-15 minutes to make.

Ingredients

Today was Strawberries, Bananas, Mangos, and Oranges chopped

Vanilla yogurt

About 1/4 cup Grape Nuts

Spring Spring Spring

For me when I think of spring, the song from that wonderful classic musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" comes to mind. Sometimes, spring can just be so tricky. Although, it is hard not to enjoy the amazing sites that it offers. Here is a photo of the columbines in my front yard. The kids have picked them several times thinking they were weeds, but for some reason we just can't seem to kill them.

Being New

I know, I'm always 3 steps behind everyone else. But I suppose that as long as I finally get there, it's all good. I started this because I just really wanted to be able to say the things I wanted to and include photos and whatever else I wanted to. I dont get much time without kids so this is the next best thing, I suppose. So here I am, trying something new. Please leave comments and suggestions, Lord knows how much help I really can use.