Mom Competitive Sports, Part Two

Can you walk a dog and make a baby laugh?

I can.

Here's how I found out I had this great talent.

We got a dog, Sadie. She needs to still be walked on the leash because she hasn't figured her name out completely yet, she likes to chase chickens and I don't have the athletic ability to chase after her...or the want to. They just covered the surrounding fields in manure. I would have to think long and hard about chasing after her if she took off in that nasty super covered in poopy slimy field.

But I also have this adorable ten month old baby I am watching. Who doesn't like to take a nap all the time. But the dog, well, she needs to go relieve herself regularly. What's a girl to do?
Walk the dog, with the baby of course!

I did take a moment to remind God how much I love my arms and would rather keep them if it was fine with Him.

And then we were off.

I figure we must have really looked the sight. Me looking like I am about to face certain doom and must protect Jr at all costs. Sadie, all black, basically walking on her hind two legs. Jr, bouncing along for the ride.

Sadie was so excited to be out since I had been putting her off thinking Jr would nap but he hadn't and Sadie has to pee and she wanted to run and she wanted to sniff and she wanted to run and she wanted to play and she wanted to run!!!!!!!

My arms screamed.

Jr laughed. He laughed and he laughed and he laughed and he laughed.

And when Jr laughs, you just can't help but laugh too.

So we jogged, got hauled around, didn't fall, didn't trip, I kept my arms (although I took some Motrin) and all was wonderful in the world again.

So, in the Mom Competitive sports category, I survived...with laughter.

Adventures in the Med Center

S2 had been sick at home for three days before I thought to look down his throat. It was at four in the afternoon on a Friday that I realized we had a case of strep on our hands.
How could a mom of four boys miss this?

Well, for starters, I just plain old fashioned didn't believe him. He complains he is sick all the time. If he hears there is anything at school, if he feels he didn't do his homework well, he is suddenly very ill.

For instance, Pink Eye was in school. His exact words were “Moma, I think I am sick.” He falls on our bed dramatically. “My throat is sore so I know I just have to have Pink Eye.”
“Pink eye is IN your eye.”

“I know, that's why my throat is sore.”

So when he complained he was dizzy and that is all, I figured he was just over tired. And he hadn't read his book all the way for the next day. But he did seem pretty miserable so we decided to let him stay home. He had been getting up with hubby at 5 in the morning to eat breakfast just to spend some daddy time so it made sense he would be over tired.

But Friday afternoon I knew he was really really sick. Perfect timing, as the pediatrician's office closes for the weekend. I called anyhow, dreaming wildly that they would say, “why, yes, we agree that must be what he has, six kids out of his class with the same thing and all. We will call in the medicine for you, bring him by Monday if you feel he isn't getting better. You try to have a good weekend, you sweet mom, you!”

I didn't think that would happen, but I dreamed it would.

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE my pediatrician and the office workers there. Truly. I would go there just to chat with them all if they weren't so busy. But I got a call back from the one person I didn't know who did not appreciate the humor of the moment, half an hour before the office closes I call in about a child who has been sick for three days.

So we (four boys and me) headed to the med center, my thought being it wouldn't be so bad if we were there early.

Moment of silence to brace ourselves for what we are about to encounter.

To even further appreciate the situation keep in mind that I have not showered since the night before. I put on make up to hide that fact. I wore sunglasses on my head to hide the getting greasy hair. Rarely ever do I miss the morning shower, it makes me feel all itchy and icky. S1 is carrying school work and books that must be kept in a very serious order. S2 is sick, wearing the same clothes he has worn for the last two days, his pants are his favorite so they are well on their way to be considered capris. S3 had pajama day at school, he dressed accordingly. S4 is carrying a coffee can with a lid covered in stickers filled with matchbox cars with Mac's trailer (CARS being his favorite movie of all time and the can carrying about five Lightening McQueen's) on the top staying precariously there.

We are a sight, even for the walk in clinic/med center.

There are not five chairs together so we are all the waiting room, S2 sitting on the floor with his head back on the couch, S1 leaned into a corner lost in a book, S3 and S4 seem to need to comment on EVERY PERSON there and who was acting naughty and why it was taking so long.
An hour later we are ussured into a teeny tiny room where there is one chair, one tiny desk and one med worker who's eyes get bigger and bigger as we all file in. “These are all your boys?” she asks incredulously.

I nod. “Yes, ma'am, they are.”

S3 smiles. “We, we all of us, we are all brothers.”

It is at this moment that S4 decides now, for the first time, to take out every blessed car out of the coffee can and line them up on the floor.

The cold woman begins to drill us with questions. I answer them all for her. She visibly begins to soften. She warms to S3 leaning in on her desk pushing his glasses back and sniffing at the same time as he asks some question about the computer she has in front of her. When we walk out, she says “They'll call you when they can see you but I just have to say that these are some of the most well behaved boys I have seen in here and you are a Mom who has it together.”

I find this sweet for her to say, since I have totally missed my son's excruciatingly painful sore throat for three days and told her so when she asked why were there.

Half an hour later, they called us back to a room where we waited another stretch of time until a nurse walked in and exclaimed “Goodness me, this room is full! Are these ALL your boys?”
“Yes,” I answer, “They are all mine.”

“Oh, my, wow, we will try to get them to hurry up with you!”

She swabbed his throat that was covered in icky disgusting goop and left us to count the pictures on the wall, tell S3 to stop riding the wheeled chair next to the door, read the twelve days of Christmas (it was the ONLY book there), remind S3 to stay away from the door, flip thru a magazine to see I like the Bohemian style bathroom, inform S3 if he goes near the door again he will be off the rolling stool, continue answering emails from a friend who is cracking me up, kick S3 off the rolling stool. The doctor walked in.

“Wow. These are a lot of boys. Are they all yours?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Wow. Well, he has strep. We are going to write up some medicine for you and get you on your way!” She checked S2 over a bit more, her personality oozed sweetness and energy. “Okay. All set!”

We waited for the medicine script to be written. Have I mentioned there is only ONE chair in the room, the bed, the wheely stool that had now been banned and five of us?

The next girl walked in. She sized us up. “Here is your script for medicine. Follow me to get the final paperwork completed.”

S2 sat up. “Can we all get some gloves, please?”

She laser looked at him. “Gloves. Are. A. Choking. Hazard. This way. Please.” She turned on her heel and walked out of the room. We rushed to gather up and follow after her.

I heard someone at the desk say “That IS a lot of boys!”

We waited amongst 2 chairs for someone to say 'next' and then every one of the boys hovered around the one chair in front of the desk where the woman gushed “oh my! Are these all your boys?”

I just nodded.

She chatted away with them as she quickly filled out our paper work and we headed out of the med center to the darkened parking lot and towards Walmart to fill the prescription.

I handed the prescription over where the woman said “Goodness, you have a lot of good looking boys there.” the boys took this as an invitation to tell her who has strep and how long we had waited and the fact we had not had dinner and all sorts of information.

The check out girl gushed over the boys. “And they are all yours? Oh my! What handsome boys they are! They look like you! Well, a handsome version of your mom.” She was told how old they all were, when their birthdays were, the fact they all had blonde hair by the one son who doesn't have blonde hair.....

We ordered pizza. “Two pizza's?” the lady asked. “I have four boys.” “Oh wow, yah, two pizza's coming up!”

I do believe everyone in town will remember us all. I am happy to be home, alone, with all four of my boys, where I promptly fell into bed to sleep the night away.

Mom Competive Sports, Part One

Can you make a lunch in 30 seconds flat?

I can.

It's a talent I did not know I even had.

Here is how I found I did have the amazing ability to make a FULL school lunch in 30 seconds flat.

The night before S2 had made his lunch along with his brothers. If I stock the house with some goodish choices (notice, goodish. I know every little Debbie snack, really) and make sure they make a sandwich, they are happy to make their lunch and eat it MUCH better. I figure I can let lunches slide a little since I am in control of breakfast and dinner and that if they are starving the fridge is filled with apples at any time.

Anyhow...

S2 made his lunch. We all seen him do it.

In the morning, S2 had lost his lunch. He swore he left it on the bench in the porch. It was not there. He stared at Sadie, sure she had gobbled it up somehow. As in, gobbled up the lunch box, food, any smidgeons that would prove her guilty.

S2 cannot eat school lunches. He has no idea at all who makes that food and you just can't trust someone you don't know to make the food you are going to eat. His thought....thought it up all on his own.

So, we are late (as usual) and he is looking up at the ceiling and wandering in circles, bawling. “My lunch, I can't find my lunch.”

Good grief, he could have made a gourmet lunch in the time it was taking him to search it out!
So, I threw together a lunch with a peanut butter sandwich, juice bag, hard boiled egg, little Debbie snack, chips and we were done. Thirty seconds flat.

He was happy. I was a hero.

When we arrived home, I found his lunch. On the outdoor porch.

He was very glad to find it, smacking his forehead in his “oh, yah” fashion, and happy he got a night off from making his lunch.

The next morning, we ALL reminded him where he had left it so we had a much smoother morning!

Mom Competitive sports, I have you beat in the lunch department, I do believe!

Poop on the Face

Jr has a double ear infection right now. Poor little guy! He is just as happy as can be just as long as you are holding him. Put him down and you know you put him down. He cries and cries and cries. Pick him up, coos and smiles.

The medicine gives him nasty diapers too. If you 'think I just heard something', you better check his diaper. And you will probably find something there.

The thing is, he finds the diaper changing spot THE spot to just explore and knowing he won't be there long he squirms and turns and does all sorts of weird moves to get off the changing table or sit up on the changing table.

It's a challenge, to say the least.

Well, I got him all changed. I threw the nasty diaper away. He cried and rubbed his eyes and buried his head in my chest but would not sleep so I bundled him up, set him in the car seat and headed with S4 for a quick “this will make him fall asleep” drive.

As we got in, S4 looks at me oddly. “Moma,” he points to my cheek, “There is something on you.”
I look in the reviewer mirror. Something about the size of my pinky finger nail and completely brown was on my cheek.

POOP!!!!

I quickly wipe it off, totally disgusted. Nasty!

It's then I realize, it's peanut butter. Not sure how it go there, none of us had eaten peanut butter, but none the less, it was.

Which helped ease my gag reflex and pounding heart.

Never Talk to Strangers

My sister in law is laughing this week because of me. This is why...

I have long known I am not a 'people' person. I am perfectly content to sit at home and hang out here. I love chatting it up with a friend, A FRIEND, not a group. I fear groups. I am not sure why, I just don't like big gatherings.

My husband is the total opposite. Completely.

I have been trying really hard to more talkative out and about. The last thing I want is for someone to think I am snobbish. I may like you very much, I just don't know, because I don't know how on earth to begin talking with you all. I am perfectly content to sit there and listen to all you have to say, maybe chime in a time or two, but just soak up the conversations. That's me.

My husband thinks I'm crazy.

So I decided to start small. One on one with complete strangers. My theory? Learn to talk to total strangers one on one and a big room full of strangers will be nothing more than meeting someone one on one a million times over.

Yesterday I was watching Jr. He has an ear infection and the medicine gives him nasty diapers and he had had two. They were bad. So, I decided to take the garbage out even though it wasn't full because of the stench. On my way down the drive way (it was trash day), I decided to fill the bag up with trash from the yard.

It was about this moment that the garbage man pulled up. He looks like a Santa who is attempting to loose weight. I have assumed he likes to laugh a “ho ho ho” type of laugh, it would fit with his white beard. I smiled brightly and said “hello! Just have one more bag for ya!” He looked at me oddly. “Nice day today,” I added, brightly. He tossed the bag in the back of the truck. I went to peek around it too. “I've never really seen a garbage truck up close.” Keep in mind, he hasn't said ONE WORD to me. I am shocked to see....a dead chicken. Which would have come from our house. No doubt the boys seen it and tossed it in the can. I am sure the shock registered on my face. The man ran, literally ran, to his truck and mumbled a “have a nice day.”
“Yah, you too!” I waved. I will be hiding from the garbage man every week now.

Which brings me to today. Driving the boys to school this morning, I seen one of those toy dogs, all white with a big poofy tail. Girly dogs, I call them. I had never noticed this dog before, and I usually pay attention to such things. On my way home from school, the dog had made good time jaunting out of town, so, tying to forget the mishap of yesterday, I turned around and went back for it. I had seen tags on it and figured I would just call the owners and wait to see if they couldn't just pick it up where I sat on the side of the road.

I am bent down, my just washed hair falling in my face and totally make up less, still trying to get the coffee to work on my tired self. “Here puppy puppy puppy,” I called. The dog ran up, sniffed in my direction and ran off to pee on a tree. I tried again. As I was calling the dog again, a blue blazer pulled up behind me. He opened the passenger door and the dog just jumped in all wag tail happy.

Great. Busted for attempting to steal a dog.

I got in my suburban, and seen the guy wanted to say something, braced myself for the worst and rolled down my window. I then spilled my guts, “I am so sorry I was just going to see if I could call the owner I seen it this morning taking my kids to school and now I seen it way down here and I didn't want it to get hit honest I was just going to call.”

He stared at me a moment. “Where did you first see him?”

“At the train tracks on the way into school, and here now. I just know I would want someone to call me if my dog were missing.”

Silence.

Then he smiled nicely. “He gets off his chain. I don't have any idea how. I sure appreciate you stopping.”

I smiled. “No problem. Have a nice day!”

Well, maybe I can talk to strangers. I just wish it weren't all dramatic all the time.

Why I Haven't Blogged Lately (Part Two)

I was all set to not blog again tonight...but I had to.

After writing that blog, I put the chicken in the oven. I made some french press coffee. I got the rest of dinner ready to go. I guessed when hubby would be home and began the Amish noodles I got down in Shipsi (oh wait, I haven't told you about how we made it there...I'll do that soon. You may have to remind me...)

I should have known that when Hubby arrived home and accidentally knocked over my coffee, things could go 'rough'.

They did.

Hubby decided at that exact moment, at that moment when dinner was about to be put on the table, to get all his seed books out and order some seeds. At the moment he called the seed company, the Amish noodles boiled over. The noodles are boiled in chicken broth. The chicken broth started on fire, filling the tiny kitchen with smoke, setting the smoke alarm off.

Yes, I am serious.

Hubby is holding his non telephoned ear and giving me the stink eye and I hear him say, "sorry about that, MY WIFE IS COOKING DINNER."

Meanwhile, I am jumping up and down (I am not as tall as my super tall husband) and manage to knock the smoke detector off the ceiling and I hit it so hard it clattered and banged across the floor, still going off.

S1 and I quickly ran it outside to wait for it to stop beeping.

S3 watched it all with wide eyes. He had much to tell me how I didn't follow all the rules that the fire men at school told him to do. Mainly, running the smoke detector outside and leaving him inside.

S4, well, he slept thru the whole thing.

S2, he's just sick and still stayed on the couch. He figured we'd get him if we needed to I guess.

Hubby continued to work on the seeds order.

The smoke cleared.

I decided to update the facebook status. I mean, really, that's pretty funny, isn't it. I watched out the window as a little chicken was running for her dear life as fast as her scrawny little legs could take her down the driveway and away from the house.

Odd.

On the opposite side of the yard I caught sight of a big white bird flapping its wings. I looked closer, cocked my head at the odd sight. Suddenly I realized it was Mr. Goose, I have never ever seen Mr. Goose fly before.

It was then I seen Sadie.

She has snuck outside when S1 and I ran out the smoke detector I guess. But either way, she was determined to enjoy her moment of freedom by chasing every chicken she has wanted to chase and the mean humans haven't let her.

I grabbed S1 and we ran outside with the leash. Mr. Goose ran right up to us. He was desperate for help I imagine, since he usually stays far away from us. Unless he wants food scraps from dinner.

S1 and I ran for all we were worth around and around and around the yard. Finally I came behind, S1 ran to the front and he threw his body on her and I slung on the leash and we walked back to the house. We entered in and Hubby says "Oh, that was a good idea to take her for a walk before dinner."

Yup, that was all before dinner even began.

It was good, in case you wanted to know. The noodles were excellant in fact.

You just can't make this stuff up. Our life is insane. Truly funny but crazy. I guess I love it that way.

But I am now going to bed.

Why I Haven't Blogged Lately

I just haven't found time.

And I hear my husband groan, “you were on facebook today”. I need to talk to adults every once in awhile and facebook sometimes just gets you by.

All this week I have been watching adorable Jr and I have been watching another little boy MC too. S2 is sick. Sadie is feeling at home, tearing the place apart and melting my heart all at the same time. Hubby has been working late..as in eight pm. I get up at four am. We don't really see each other much. Right now I should be folding laundry. Getting dinner ready because I have to make something other than hot dogs, mac and cheese, sloppy joes, etc for dinner at some point this week.

I love watching Jr. (He got his first tooth yesterday) I love watching MC. I am thankful to be home. But this morning I was literally thinking I would need to tape my eyelashes to my fore head to keep my eyes open.

This is how the morning goes......

3:45, wake up.
Make hot cocoa.
Drink water.
Say hello to sister in law.
Peek to see Jr is still asleep.
Lay out hubby's clothes.
Make hubby's lunch.
Run dishwasher.
See Jr is still sleeping peacefully so I go back to bed.
Alarm goes off.
Hubby wakes up.
Light goes on and off at least four times.
Sleep.
Wake up at 6.
Shower. Blissful silence.
Make coffee. Wonderful concoction!
Wake boys.
Sadie jumps with glee.
Boys head to kitchen looking for food.
I make insta oatmeal.
Boys call me in to show me how much they just peed.
S3 asks me to turn heat on so he can cuddle next to heater vent.
Notice Sadie ate the vacuum cord.
S4 asks if he can go to school 'jammie naked' (this means wear his jammies instead of clothes)
Write note to teacher to ask for S2's homework.
Realize we have ten minutes to before we have to leave.
Ask S1 to walk Sadie. He does. Then he plays basketball.
S4 freaks, he has no shoes. At all. They are all gone. All ten pairs of shoes, boots, barn boots, summer shoes. Gone.
S3 is still cuddled next to heat vent. He suddenly remembered he needs to dress like his favorite character in a book today.
Jr. wakes up. He's hungry.
MC arrives, with a house for giggly, his favorite stuffed animal. MUST NOT LET SADIE EAT HOUSE OR GIGGLY.
Dress S3 in character and take picture.
Tell everyone we are now late, MOVE.
S2 wakes up.
Grab coffee and phone, put in suburban.
S4 is screaming. NO SHOES.
I tell S4 to go barefoot.
S4 hangs head and cries crocodile tears for his sure to freeze feet.
Load up Jr.
Make and sorta little bit heat up a bottle.
See S2 standing in the middle of the driveway, sobbing.
Find out S2 let Sadie out.
Sadie is chasing every chicken we own.
S1 drops basketball to run after Sadie.
S2 is still crying.
S3 is buckled.
Run into house. S4 is still searching for shoes. Every shoe we own in on the porch. He never looked on the porch.
See S1 and S3's lunches on table, grab them and bottle for Jr.
Sit in drivers seat.
S2 stands in door of vehicle. He doesn't know where to sit. He always always sits in the exact same spot. Always.
Drive to school.
Breathe.
Arrive to school 1.5 minutes before the bell rings.
Drop kids off to classes.
Take four boys back home.
Drink more coffee.

I need time to recuperate from all this before I can blog!

Just writing this blog, S4 and MC were hungry. S2 needed water. Cold water with ice cubes in his deer cup. S4 and MC decided they didn't' need food, they needed to go outside. S4 cant find clothes. S4 can't find a coat. MC decides not to wait for him. S2 asks to watch a movie. MC lets Sadie out. Sadie chases all the chickens. Chickens can fly high. Catch Sadie after being run into by her and running around the whole yard, a few times. S4 finds a coat (on the porch) and goes outside. MC comes in to go potty. S2 decides on a movie and wants me to put it on for him. MC calls me to wipe his butt. Wipe MC's butt to see he did try to wipe his butt and he flushes the toilet, clogging it. S4 comes in to see what is taking so long. Boys decide to watch movie with S2. Sadie is barking like crazy from the tie out chain she is on.

Any blog post I can write is just plain amazing, that's all there is to it.

Morning Mishapes

As most of you know, I watch my now ten month old nephew on Thursday and Friday's. He is sooo super cute. Adorable. To watch Jr, I get up at four in the morning and watch him till some time after lunch. He is a huge joy in our family for the few hours we get him.

Today, the alarm was going off when Husband bolted straight up in bed. “Quick, get up! The alarm is going off!”

We had overslept by all of about five whole minutes.

But the way we woke up left me disorintated as I stumbled for the bathroom. It was worse as S2 came tumbling down the steps to ask me if he could do his reading homework with me right then. At 4 am? He had gone to bed early the night before and hadn't gotten it done and obviously it was heavy on his mind...still.

I sent him to back to bed. He had FOUR hours before school began!

Sadie was ecstatic for the company after hours of being left alone at night. She was circling me and wagging her tail excitadely. I have found her tail to be quite the weapon.

My SIL showed up and Jr was sound asleep so I chatted with her, made hubby's lunch, got his coffee ready to go for him, picked up a bit of the kitchen and seen I could easily go back to sleep for about 45 minutes.

I take any extra sleep I can get.

So, I snuggled down into bed. Where the alarms went off for hubby to get up for his day at work. But since I had crashed in bed the night before way before hubby had come to bed (I mean, he and S1 HAD to watch the Red Green Show before they could go to bed) we had a bit of catching up to do, I was headed to lunch, he was working with some new people, you know, daily chit chat we usually do over coffee at night, when I am not so soundly sleeping that when he tickles my feet I don't move (and do you think that is all that sweet to do to your precious wife? Tickle her feet as she soundly sleeps? Good thing I was so soundly sleeping.....)

Hubby took Sadie for a quick walk and when he brought her in, she leapt for joy upon me, kissing my face and letting me know she was indeed in and she was indeed happy to start a new day and she fell between the mattress and the wall where she was stuck. I laughed as I helped her out and thought about just getting up at this point, being all awake now after my wake up 'kisses'.
At which point S2 came down the stpes again to do his reading homework, again. So, I stayed in bed to hear him read and being the wonderful, caring moma that I am, I fell asleep. His story dealt with Miss Spider and one of the words he didn't know was 'dung'. And I recall wondering why 'dung' would be in such a kids story....but I must have thought bed was warm and cozy and I fell sound asleep.

Sound asleep.

To be awoken at 7:05, to the sound of four boys coming down the steps to get cereal.

How does this happen to me?

How do I manage to have a full day BEFORE seven in the morning?

At least this morning I had coffee in the house. And I made it super strong as I flew around making sure we were all indeed in the suburban before we left. And we did, indeed, make it to school on time before the bell rang and with no tears.....THAT is an accomplishment!

And this, folks, is just a few hours of my life...in the morning, the time when I need the most quiet and darkness and caffine to slowly wake up. Welcome to my wonderful life!

Time Change Woes Continued

After the rough Monday morning, I dared to live precariously and drove to the big town to buy some more groceries. Mostly because Sadie has decided our couch doesn't need a curtiany thing under our couch. Or shoes. Or cell phone chargers.

Sadie has only chewed one shoe to bits, and it was S1's. I do believe he may have bribed her to do it, put bacon in it or something. He has been telling me he needs new shoes and I keep putting it off and forgetting and now he has none. So I had to go.

Biggby was giving coffee away for their 15th anniversary. They were hopping busy but happy as ever as they made us S4's little kiddie drink. “The B shop” is one of S4's favorite places to stop, and I don't mind because I need the caffeine at any given time of the day and next year.....well, next year he won't go with me because he will be in school.

But one cannot think on such things when you on the search for something called a KONG, shoes for your eldest and Sesame Street songs still running thru your head.

I put the lid on the coffee and it exploded out, all over my shirt. I was, of course, wearing a very light yellow shirt. The coffee did not match it.

S4 was still wearing his bright white (although now a mud covered knees) jammie bottoms, a blinding red blinking Lightening McQueen shirt and a bright red sweat shirt along with a camouflage winter hat. Honey, we stood out.

I could not find a KONG. I did find a blue Lightening McQueen, which S4 just had to have.

I could not find shoes.

I did, however, find my detergent for HALF OFF!!!!!! I need little presents like that more often, I nearly floated out of the store.

Until I ended up at Pay-less where I found S1 a pair of shoes in the MENS department. And not like they were just in the men's department, they were half way down the men's isle.
That realization had me leaving the store without the shoes, only to turn back (so yes, we did look like we were a bit more than slightly crazy) to buy the shoes. It was hard. I had to tell the lady behind the register they were for my son.

His shoes would probably fit me.

I have not told him this.

I needed something to help this day out so we stopped for ice cream at the home made ice cream store where we knocked down a picture in the bathroom causing the glass to explode over the floor and then somehow lost the brand new Lightening McQueen.

It was not a good day.

I do hope the week improves.

Time Change Woes

I really thought that by the second day of time change I would be doing good with it.

I'm not.

But really, I have had THREE days to get adjusted to it all. I set all the clocks ahead on Saturday just to get ready for the change.

A one little ol hour change.

But an hour changes everything. Everything.

Sunday we ran late ALL DAY LONG. New Sunday school that we HAVE to be there on time for, late. Sunday night returning to church with two extra cute little boys, late.

I had higher hopes for Monday.

Monday I woke up on time, hooray, rolled over to turn off the alarm and suddenly it was 7:05. We have to leave the house at 7:40. The boys weren't in moving motion at all, because it was DARK. And they are now very used to running around in the yard getting super muddy so all the teachers think I never do laundry and don't actually look at my boys before they leave for school. I DO look at my boys, as they head out the door to play they look great. They just happen to find every mud puddle between the house and the suburban and the school door.

Anyhow, Monday we were sooooo late.

I was rushing around, and I am someone who needs an hour of silent, quiet, darkness to fully awaken as I sip my coffee slowly. I went to make coffee and something I cannot recall happening happened, we were completely and totally out of coffee.

I stared hard at the little bit of grinds as though they should be ashamed of letting me down on a day I needed them to come thru for me.

It was then I recalled the super awesome always wanted one and now I do French Press I just purchased that would make JUST ENOUGH to fill my travel mug.

But I didn't even have enough time to heat water, pour, strain, pour into cup.

That's just sad.

We went to school and S4 bemoaned the whole ordeal. Dressed in brilliant white Lightening McQueen jammies, he bemoaned the fact it was dark out still. That he hadn't had breakfast yet. That his guys were leaving him for the day. He refused to do much other than whine, cry and hang his head dejectedly.

I stopped at the store on the way home and got THREE cans of coffee, one normal size and TWO emergency little cans.

And then I promptly fell asleep on the couch to try to regain the hour of sleep I had lost that suddenly felt like a whole nights worth of sleep I had missed. Except S4 was watching Sesame Street. Do you know how annoying Sesame Street songs are?

They are.

I have higher hopes for the week. It has to get better.......

At Least We Left them Laughing

(warning:this is a long post. I have been working on making them shorter, really, but this was such a bad trip it only could be told long. It could have been longer.)


Today was a day I wish I could just forget. Instead, I will write a blog about it...so you all can laugh along with the workers at Arnies.

When this is written, I am off to bed. With a headache.

Today S3 had a dentist appointment. He was sooooooo thrilled to get to go to school, drop off his back pack and then LEAVE school. This was a BIG deal.

I had Jr with me today. And because Hubby was worried what our Sadie girl might do in the house alone for that long, I had the adorable big five month old puppy with me too.

And S4, of course, who I always have.
What could possibly go wrong?

Because I was going to the CITY, I dressed up a bit. High heeled black boots, fancy black sweater I scored at a going out of business second hand shop and fancy top I wear usually on fancy Sunday's. I shocked everyone when I dropped the boys off at school, I usually am in old jeans, slip on shoes and a hooded sweatshirt.

When we arrived at the dentist, a good 45 minute trip away, I thought it would be good to walk our dog since she has started whining a bit when we were right in the city. When I took her out, she was shaking so badly I was afraid she might be sick. We walked the perimeter of the property, which is really a very pretty wooded lot in the middle of the city, she was shaking so badly. The boys were climbing up the snow banks and falling in them and thinking this was the greatest time ever. I was sinking in the mud, my high heeled boots disappearing.

I had to lift my puppy back into the suburban to take S3 in for the appointment. Doing so got me a bit muddy. From lifting her, sure, but mostly because the boys let go of the leash and she darted, panicked and I had to lunge to save her. At least I was wearing black.

Jr has a cold. He didn't want to be held, couldn't crawl around, and wasn't too bad but wasn't too fun either. It was about this time that I realized I didn't really eat breakfast, just one pop tart at four thirty this morning and that had long done its sugary job and I was starving.

The boys dental hygienist came out to inform me S3 had some cavities. This woman, I am sure, may in fact truly be a nice lady. But she takes the whole “teeth cleaning” to a new level. I, personally, despise going to the dentist. I would rather do most anything else than go there. Really. I hate it. It's why I brush my teeth with a one hundred dollar spinning toothbrush just so I don't have to go. The boys leave her scared to death all their teeth will fall out because they aren't taking proper care of them. I don't think anyone could really take the 'proper care' of teeth the way she thinks they should. And she REALLY doesn't think I know what I am doing to ruin my poor boys teeth...one day she came out of the office to find the boys eating donuts and nearly hit the roof telling me what awful things the sugar was doing to the boys teeth.....but that's another story.

So, I didn't take the advice she had for me well. But I do try to be nice.

And I hope she never finds out about this blog or this post.

I asked the boys if they had to pee, they didn't, and we were off.

To celebrate S3 surviving her cleaning his teeth, we stopped at Biggby and I got them the biggest kiddie drink ever. I have NEVER done this with them so they thought they were just the coolest, and as a mom, it's fun to watch their eyes get huge and realize they are being super spoiled and just enjoy the moment. I have planned this moment since I knew we were going to the dentist.

About ten minutes down the road, S4 starts crying, then wailing, he has to go 'guck' (poop). Bad.
At the same time, Jr begins to really wail. I think he secretly loves coffee and thinks he should have gotten some too. But his bottle was going to have to work, and I couldn't' get it to him.
I pulled into Arnies. All who know Arnies is cheering that is a great place to stop. It's a yummy restaurant, a wonderful bakery, and is one of the cleanest places and prettiest bathrooms.
S4, who always seems to need to get out and in the suburban via the drivers side, suddenly decided he needs the other side. He is standing in the suburban crying and moaning while I am unbuckling Jr and holding Sadie back from jumping out.

I told S3 he could look at the donuts while S4 went potty. S3 took this as meaning he could bring in the pies that he thought looked good and show them to me.

Now just picture him, ripped red coat because it's his favorite, not because he doesn't have another one, dentist gloves on his hands, glasses making his eyes look big and adorable, shoes on the wrong feet...opening the bathroom door to say “this, Moma, I want this!”

All the while, S4 is sitting on the toilet, explaining in great detail to me that the gucks are coming out, that they have to fall out of his butt, why its taking him so long, etc.

S3 had not shown up in awhile so I went out to check on him, who was wandering around, checking out what he needed to show me next. S3 is the kind who would just follow a stranger around talking with them or unintentionally getting lost. He is accident prone. All the time.
Between me checking on the S3, jiggling Jr in the mirror to keep him happy and trying to rush S4 along, I was at my wits end.

I bough three treats for us when we left (2.32, that's CHEAP) just to make up for the commotion we caused. All three workers were laughing and smirking and trying to be professional but not able to pull it off.

It gets worse.

We get to the suburban where Sadie has decided she can't sit in the back anymore and must sit where S3 was sitting. S3 moves his car seat to the very back, then he hands his donut up to me (why?) and drops it. Then he moves his car seat back to the second seat and works on the leash that we realize is caught between the seats. Then he releases the leash, gets the car seat and moves it back to the last seat. Then he needs his donut.

I go to take a sip of my extra shot coffee only to realize that it is spilled all over the lid and every time I take sip it spills over me. There is something defective with the lid. So I look for a straw. I don't have one.

We get on the highway and my purse leans, LEANS, against S4s foot and he has to tell me about it and insist it get moved. I change lanes and his water bottle gets stuck under my foot.

About this time, I see my husband has called me twice. I call him back. He wants to know what has taken me so long today and why I haven't called him yet.

Since my 'good wife' tip is to not bombard your honey with bad news first chance you get, I tell him I am on my way back to school right then.

I'll spare you the ride conversations and minor issues to the school.

I came home and wrote this blog.

And now I can't nap. The extra shot has kicked in.

And my dog is fine and sleeping on the couch and sweet again. And S4 is napping because he informed me he is really really tired.

And I made a lot of people at Arnie's laugh today.

Muddy School Mornings

Yesterday Hubby got new work shirts. Because no one at work is really a size small, he got a few extra. Today, everyone in the family is sporting this bright tshirt.

Think they will notice our boys at school today?

They did.

But after this photo (do you see Sadie's back?), the boys went back to playing. You see, even though its a school morning and it rained last night and Sadie moved all our shoes, everyone got ready about half an hour early for school today. When this photo was taken, S3 already had mud caked on his jeans.

After this photo, S3 ran around the house and accidentally came upon the flock of chickens that Josie the dog was chasing and Josie, not to be deterred, ran into S3, he flew thru the air and landed right in the middle of a mud pile.

Literally.

He was covered in mud from his hair to his toes. So he had to quickly shower, change, and we STILL had an extra shirt for him so he could match his brothers.

When we got to school, I noticed that S2 had a paw print right in the middle of his butt, S3 had ridden his bike in the last remaining seconds before loading up in the suburban and had mud splashes up his back.

But I tell you what, I think they are the still the brightest cheeriest boys at school today.

I love this spring weather!

Our Puppy Has a Name !!!!!

Husband said that naming a child was easier than naming this puppy of ours. I think it seemed that way because I did not think we needed another dog (the dog we have drives me crazy, anyone who knows me thinks I dislike all dogs, which is completely not true. I just dislike OUR dog.) and had not even begun to entertain the idea of a dogs name.

At all.

And then seeing how loveable this dog was, it was even harder to come up with a name. It had to be special.

The friend of my husbands who found and rescued these dogs in the first place has high hopes and a special place in his heart for her. He thinks she deserved the name Princess.

S1 claims there is no way at all that he would be ever heard calling out to “Princess” to his dog as he was hunting. In fact, he wanted the name Hunter for her! His other option was Daisy, like the BB gun.

S2 chose the name Beauty. He also liked the name Rosie.

S3 chose the name College. Why? I do not know. If I knew what was going on in S3's head at any time I would be a genius.

S4 chose the name Leopard. Because leopard have orange and black stripes and she is black. He is not to be budged. When we were “not around” he would lean down and whisper in her ear, “come here, Leopard. Leopard! You like the name Leopard, don't you girl?”

S4 will one day take the world by persuasion and then storm thru the changes he feels fit.
Hubby and I were just stuck. I liked the names Addie and Heidi. He did not. He could live with Heidi, maybe, but not really. And the boys really did not think the name Heidi really existed. And even if it did, they did NOT like it.

Hubby wanted Liberty. Someone informed my husband that they knew a dog named Liberty and the dog ran away. Besides, we would call her Libby and we both weren't crazy about that name. He also loved loved loved the name Vidalia (and then he would break into the country song), and the fact it was an onion name and we are farmers (that don't grow onions, by the way) made him love it more. He also liked Lily, but we know a little girl named Lily.

We went to bed Tuesday discouraged. So very discouraged. On Wednesday, Hubby declared that today we would have a name for our dog. She HAD to have a name......

And weren't you all so great with all your names! We were bombarded with names, and it was lots of fun to read them all.....

Shadow was the one with a lot of votes, but also there was Zoe, Shade, Rinny, Tinny, Elfi (I liked this one, elf strength, that seemed to fit her), Elise, Gisa, Pinky, Maggie, Maddie, Ellie, Montie, Molly, Ruby, Dakota, Katie, Daisy Duke, Maxine, Holly, Tory, Riley, Ree, Essie, Trusty and Snowball.

Phew.

I stopped by some friends of our house and he leaned down to look in her cute black face with her ears all perked up and said, “well, hello there.....Sadie.”

Sadie.

I liked it.

A lot.

S1 liked it, S2 could live with it, S3 just went about calling her it, S4 refused to be budged from Leopard and it was just up to Hubby.

Who loved the name too.

Since we decided we liked that name, THREE other people have mentioned that we should name her that too.

And so it is official, her name is Sadie. My Sadie Girl. Little Sadie Rose.

She is still all kinds of lovable and we are loving having her a part of the family. How could I ever have possibly thought we didn't need her to be part of the family?

Thanks to all of you for your help. To our friend who named her, expect a plate of chocolate chip cookies to be delivered to your door!

We Got a New Dog....

And SHE needs a name.

Badly.

She is full blood, German Shepherd, five months old, completely black.

And she needs a name.
She has lived in a little coop in little garage with her two brothers (who were adorable and it was heart wrenching to choose. I stood coldly away, trying not to be attached to them instantly, but really, that is hard to do)


So here is what we will do.

Post a name to this POST, the best name you can come up with. We will list all the names that you all come up with betweeen this and the facebook post and HUSBAND will pick the name.

Winner will get some sort of prize, really. I am not sure what....it might just be a printed of her footprint but, well, that's a prize, right?

Thanks for your help!!!!

Mr. Goose Updates

Some of you will recall the passing of Miss Goosey. Some of you laughed, some of you felt my sadness, but it has been a few months without Miss Goosey now and I thought you might all by curious to know how Mr. Goose is doing.

Honestly, I didn't think he was going to make it. I thought he would die of a broken heart. He spent well over a month walking bemoaning between the spot Miss Goosey died and the lean to they had shared. My super loud annoying goose hardly made an utterance. And he spent a long time just making 'coo' sounds. It nearly broke my heart.

Sometime in January, he must have made a new years resolution to venture out and he wandered, quietly, toward the bird feeder, the common meeting place of all my chicken flock.
I was so excited to see him venture out I tossed him some leftovers out the window.

Soon he was out and about every day. He wandered to the bird feeder, checked the chicken scraps bucket and then looked by the kitchen window where I had tossed the little morsel. I didn't really need the already slippery, snowy deck covered in constant goose poo so I tossed a few morsels more out the window again to him and it became a comment occurrence. See the goose, toss the food. I began to watch for vehicles passing our house. I didn't need them thinking I was a true hillbilly tossing food out my window.

For a goose.

Well, Mr Goose realized he is basically a Goliath amongst the chickies so he formed himself a little flock. He chases and honks and bites all other chickens who come anywhere near his little flock. Because his flock seemed to think they were too good for the chicken coop, they moved into my hubby's shed.

Now, when I tossed out scraps Mr. Goose, the gang of chickies got in on the good food too. Which meant less for Mr. Goose.

But he is a smart goose, so he began to show up at the dining room window when we were eating. If we ignore him, he taps the window and honks like crazy.

He can honk really really loud.

To show his appreciation for all this nicety I have shown him, he patrols the yard for me. He marches around the house all night, honking to let he know all is well. Usually around two he does a sweep, and since he knows we are sleeping he makes sure to honk REALLY loud right outside the bedroom window closest to my hubby.

He sleeps dozes under the bedroom window closest to me. I think he snores now in his old age.
And my chickies have become insistent too. Now if they so much as me walk thru the kitchen, the gang of chickens run full throttle to the window to wait for the scraps to be tossed out. I didn't give them any yesterday. They, and I am NOT making this up, started pecking the siding in protest!

They, however, do not show any gratitude in the form of eggs. I am still buying eggs from the store.

And so, now you are up to date on the Mr. Goose saga.

For All You Moma's of Little Bitty Babies.......

I was mixing up goulash today. The sun was shining thru the windows and my husband was sitting in the totally-couldn't-live-without-it-best-five-dollar-garage-sale-find-cheery-yellow-chair chatting with me as Jr clung to my leg.

If some of you have just joined in here, Jr is my nine month old nephew. And he is truly the cutest nephew in the whole world. Truly. As I felt his little chubby fists grabbing my jeaned pant legs and my knee length sweater I had on I had a quick “take me back in time” memory that I shared with hubby.

I am pretty sure it was S3 who was a bitty baby, but really, it could have been S4. They kinda blur together at times (and for all of you who think that would never happen to you, I was SURE it would never happen to me, blurred memories of my precious little ones days). I was making cream of asparagus soup. It takes a lot of time and it involves a lot of continual stirring to get it to not burn, not clump and get the right creamy consistency. I had waited until my little guy was sleeping soundly before I began. But he didn't nap very long. At all. And even though I was holding him, he was not to be soothed and was just screaming in my ear.

So, standing there mixing up soup, I started nursing him. Imagine the sight, sun pouring in the windows, cluttered dishes (this was before a dishwasher, the best gift ever) all over the counter, soup steaming on the stove, me leaning against the stove to stir with my right hand while my left arm was holding my baby boy as far away from the stove as I could and still nurse him. And I recall the boys coming in to ask for a drink or a snack or to tattle oblivious to the fact I had run out of arms and energy to deal with them.

It was there, standing there, that I wondered how I would ever survive.

But I did.

It wasn't easy. Remember, I said it was all a blur, but to all of you out there in that position, you are a wonderful moma and, honey, you will make it through. It'll be a blur, this eternity you are now in, but it will pass.

And you will look back with some fondness.

And be extra thankful for a nice long through the whole night sleep.

Hang in there.

MissMatch Day

This month is reading month at our boys school. Every day is a new “action” day, something funny for them to do. Wednesday was miss match day. The boys had the creative idea (from a teacher, their moma does not have the creative costume gene, especially first thing in the morning when I am drinking my first cup of coffee) to wear two different type of shoes.

S4 sat on the floor, in front of the heater vent, soaking all the heat he could into his body so he was the perfect height to watch his brothers walk by. He seen the boys walk by with two different shoes and decided to let his normally got it together brothers of their mistake.

“We KNOW, it's the way its supposed to be,” was the response he got.

I wanted to see how S4 would handle this.

I am pretty sure S4 thought that aliens had taken over his brothers brains.

He would look at the shoes, see the other matched shoes on the floor, study the shoes, study his brothers...and then follow them around to let them know that really, they had the wrong two shoes on.

In exasperation, he threw up his arms about them. When we got to school and seen all the crazily dressed teachers and students, his eyes were very wide but he never said a word. As we left he held my hand and said “Moma, lets just go home.”

He was very relieved when his brothers returned home from school at the end of the day, put on matching boots, and ran outside to play with him.

Life had returned to normal for my orderly little boy.

How to Ruin Your Child

The weather is superb over here in my neck of the woods. Any day with full sunshine is wonderful.

We all have been sick though. Everyone but S3. But he broke his glasses, soooo. Actually, it's pitiful. We JB Welded them together (that stuff is amazing) and I had to bend them in again this morning so they look crocked and weird on his face right now. The new part is coming, soon, We hope....

But with my head feeling all stuffy I haven't had much to write to you all about. A few ideas are knocking around in my head but I can't seem to form them all together.

THIS, however, IS knocking a LOT around my head so I decided I would share it with you.
Sunday our pastor gave a great sermon for Fathers. However, it ended up stabbing me in the heart and I can't get it out of my head.

We have been in Ephesians for over a year now. And I'll admit, I am tired of Ephesians. We were out of Ephesians 6:4. I did not expect to get anything out of this sermon at all. But this I can't get out of my mind.

He gave a list of ways to Ruin and Sow Resentment in Kids Hearts. Here it is...

*by neglecting them (putting other things first. The problem at work will still be there on Monday, spend time with them)

*inconsistency in our own lives

*disciplining them only when you feel like it

*double standards (do what I say, not what I do)

*by changing standards (letting one child slide, playing favorites (think Joseph))

*being flighty/moody/childish

*by unreasonable demands (take in account their age, maybe they can't handle the mental weight you are putting on them)
*by humiliating them

*disappointing them (because you find them annoying...making them suffer cuz you can't 'take it' right now. “I would have taken you fishing but you are driving me crazy asking when we can go!”)

*over protection (little birds have to learn to fly sometime)

*favoritism

*expecting them to be the exact replica of us ( a clone )

*comparing them to other siblings

*abusing them (physical, emotional)

*constantly finding fault (do you just harp on them for not taking care of something and not letting them know when they did a good job)

*refusing to listen to them

*1 Corinthians 13, We demand too much of the kids, physically, mentally, socially

*marital conflicts

*pushing achievement

*withdrawing from your kids (you ALWAYS love your kids, not what they do)

Then our pastor said,
“Are your kids seeing you growing and changing? Doing quiet times? Reading the Bible? Invest time NOW in your family because take a mental snapshot of your family and add
five years
then add ten years
fifteen years isn't so far away.

He finished with “God want you to know you cannot do it without Him. Heaven helps the home when we have a teachable spirit.”

So there, that is something to chew on while I work on getting my mind from being all fuzzy with a cold.