It was back to work today for me! Oh yeah! After enjoying three days off with the family it was certainly hard to head back. It was quite a busy morning right through to lunch. I then got a nice surprise and was able to have lunch with the munchkins. We all met at TacoBell and munched on some tacos and cheesy tortillas. The icing on the lunch was cinammon twists and Empanadas! Yummy!!
While we were there, Missy Miss was trying to feed Grandma a piece of candy off of the floor and we told her it was yucky, but she replied, "It's perfect"! That seemed to be her word for the day. So precious she is.
Too soon, it was back to work. The afternoon was steady until the power failure that took out my operation for the rest of the day. On the upside I was able to leave work about 45 minutes early. I arrived home just in time for the bedtime fun!
After stories and water for everyone they all actually went down pretty nicely. Then it was calorie burning time with Grandma and Noni.
That's all for tonight folks!!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Weekend with the family!
After working all day Thursday it was time to officially have my three day weekend! It has been a busy three day too I must say. So put on your seatbelt and get ready for a marathon blog posting!
First an update on the great bed experiment! It is still going pretty well. She stayed in her bed all night Thursday night. Friday night she was at Grandma's and last night was a little rough, but all in all I think we made a good investment in upgrading to a better quality, softer mattress for her.
Friday started early!! They were all rearing to go at about 0600. We ate a quick breakfast and headed out a little after 0800 with the double stroller, the three little ones and the dog for a morning walk. We walked to Grandmas for a quick visit and some Gingersnaps and then back home.
Then in a moment of insanity I decided to take all of the littles bowling! I am trying to get the most out of our free bowling passes and just have some good fun. Schnooky Bear kept reminding me that Daddy had told him that maybe the next time we went bowling they would have his size bowling shoes. So I asked for the smallest size they had available and it was only about 1 size bigger than he wears so I splurged on the extra $4 to get him bowling shoes. He was thrilled to say the least.
They all bowled one game and then we started the second, but everyone was getting hungry and Schnooky and Missy Miss were growing bored with the whole bowling thing. So we ordered some pizza and let Woobie pretty much bowl for all three of them the rest of the game. However, he was quite upset to see that Missy Miss beat him again. I tried to explain to him that he essentially bowled for everyone and therefore he really did win, but he just wasn't able to process that at all. He just kept saying how mad he was that Missy Miss beat him again. As we were getting in the car he stated very seriously that last time he was sad but now he was mad because he lost again. No matter how many ways I tried to explain it to him he just didn't get it.
All in all it went pretty well with just the four of us. Schnooky Bear attempted to kick the bowling ball down the lane a few times and they all tried to climb on top of the ball return a couple of times, but all things considered they were very well behaved and a fun time was had by all.
We then headed toward home and of course Missy Miss was out like a light less then 5 minutes after take off. She slept for another hour after we got home and the boys chilled with Nick, Jr. Missy Miss was a cranky clingon after she woke up and I barely had time to jump in the shower before it was time to drop the kiddies off at Grandma and Grandpa's for a sleepover.
Then it was date night for mommy and daddy!!! Wooohoooo! We met the Cha Cha's and hubbies for dinner at Osaka! I was so looking forward to that the whole week. I love Osaka's and especially the white sauce and veggies!!! Yummy!! I saved most of my calories for the day just for dinner. After dinner we then all went to Northland for The Marriage Show.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was a really good program. It was lighthearted and funny, but about a serious topic of how to improve your marriage. It was kind of a spoof of the tonight show, Price is Right with Plinko and a musical montage based on the Wizard of Oz music and a Styx song to share the seven steps to a great marriage!! We had a really good time out with friends. We arrived home about 10pm and shortly there after called it a night.
We were up a little before 0800 on Saturday morning and I went to get the kiddies from Grandma's. When we arrived back home Woobie and Schnooky Bear wanted to ride their bikes around the block with me while I walked Noni. I was not realy confident about how this would all go, but I gave it the college try. Needless to say, we barely made it around the culdesac before Schnooky was ready to go back home. I dropped him off with Daddy and then headed out again with just Woobie. He made it down the street about 3-4 houses and then announced he could go no further. So, we turned around and headed back home again. Poor Noni was dazed and confused by this time. Finally, after returning both boys back to daddy I was able to get a descent walk in. I have been trying to walk twice a day with the dog so she can get more exercise and I can burn more calories and reach my goal to fit back into my pre-babies wardrobe. I am getting pretty close, but not there quite yet.
The day just got crazier from there. All three of the little ones were in rare form. They were wired for sure. Daddy was in charge of lunch while I went to the bank for a cashiers check to have in preparation for our one o'clock closing on the refinance of our house. Yes, it finally all came together and we closed the deal. It only took about a month to hammer out all of the details!!!
We tried the whole nap thing before the notary arrived, but to no avail. I tell you when they get up at the crack of dawn it seems to be harder to get them down for a nap. It's like they are running on pure adrenaline all day. So, while the notary was here biggest brother Peanut played games with them, well at least Woobie because the other two were in and out of the dining room until we finally let them play with playdoh to keep them occupied while we signed and or initialed 120 pages of documents!!!.
That evening after dinner and putting the munchkins to bed, Peanut took his mommy on a date to see the 3D Avatar. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had heard how awesome the move was, but never knew what the storyline was all about. It was quite a movie. Someone had an imagination to dream up this sci-fi movie for sure. We had a great night and it was nice to spend some one on one time with Peanut since I don't see him much anymore.
We didn't get home until about 1130pm and then it was off to dreamland, well at least until about 0200 when Missy Miss came tromping in. I took her back to bed and stayed with her until she went back to sleep. She was so funny while she was going back to sleep. She would take her fringy blankie and hold her foot up and tickle her foot with the fringes and then under her arm. That didn't last long however and she was back up. Finally at about 0330 I gave up and let her sleep on the couch.
All of the little ones were up around 0600 and rearing to go. I am really growing weary of their new wake up time. I liked 0700 much better. Daddy got up around 0800 and made them pancakes while I took Noni for a spin around the block. When I returned it was crunch time to get ready for church. Showers for everyone and then the fight with Schnooky Bear over his wardrobe choices for the day!! He is a funny one I tell you. He gets it in his head what he wants to wear and trying to convince him otherwise takes an act of congress.
I also had to get the green bean casserole ready to take for our church potluck lunch. Needless to say we were quite late for church, but we made it. The sermon was more about how to uphold the Sabbath and trying to make it a priority over the other distractions of this world. Another pertinent message for me for sure.
We then stayed for potluck lunch at church. I so love church potlucks. The food and fellowship is so awesome. I wish we had them more often. Schnooky and Woobie had a great time playing with the other kids and running around the Narthex. Missy Miss so wanted to join the fray, but I was afraid she would get knocked over and hurt for sure. We headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's around 130-2pm and spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out and spending time together.
Grandma and I took the littles outside to play around 4pm and I played baseball with Woobie while she pushed Schnooky and Missy on the tire swing. Schnooky was being onry and kicking his sister. When Grandma stopped the swing he was happy and told Grandma that he kicked her purposely so she would get off the swing and then he could go higher. If that isn't proof that we are all born sinners, I don't know what is. Even at 3 his little heart is sinful and in need of a Savior.
Daddy arrived a little after 4pm from practicing baseball fundamentals with Peanut out at MDB and played baseball with the boys. Peanut is signed up for a camp which will have scouts from many colleges looking at players on Labor Day weekend so he and Dad are working on some fine tuning before this weekend.
Winston came over about 430pm for Sunday dinner. It was so nice to see him. He and his wife Mary lived next door to us at our old house. They used to help us with Peanut when he was younger and they were just like another set of grandparents to him. Mary passed away a few years ago and Winston has been living alone since. He is a little unsteady on his feet, but his mind is sharp as a tack.
During dinner Missy Miss was so cute. She was eating her veggies and cornbread and exclaimed, "Oh this is the goodest".
After dinner, Woobie shared some of his memory verses with Mr. Winston. It was so cute when he recited John 3:16-He said "When God so loved the world he gave his only forgotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life" So sweet. He is so smart and has such a good memory and beautiful heart.
Mr Winston left around 645pm and then it was time to settle the little ones down for the night. I put Missy Miss to bed and she was asleep in less than 5 minutes. Grandpa let the boys stay up and watch The Silly Show aka Wipeout and Grandma and I went walking with Noni. We are really trying to burn those calories.
Well, enough from the homefront for now. Happy reading!
First an update on the great bed experiment! It is still going pretty well. She stayed in her bed all night Thursday night. Friday night she was at Grandma's and last night was a little rough, but all in all I think we made a good investment in upgrading to a better quality, softer mattress for her.
Friday started early!! They were all rearing to go at about 0600. We ate a quick breakfast and headed out a little after 0800 with the double stroller, the three little ones and the dog for a morning walk. We walked to Grandmas for a quick visit and some Gingersnaps and then back home.
Then in a moment of insanity I decided to take all of the littles bowling! I am trying to get the most out of our free bowling passes and just have some good fun. Schnooky Bear kept reminding me that Daddy had told him that maybe the next time we went bowling they would have his size bowling shoes. So I asked for the smallest size they had available and it was only about 1 size bigger than he wears so I splurged on the extra $4 to get him bowling shoes. He was thrilled to say the least.
They all bowled one game and then we started the second, but everyone was getting hungry and Schnooky and Missy Miss were growing bored with the whole bowling thing. So we ordered some pizza and let Woobie pretty much bowl for all three of them the rest of the game. However, he was quite upset to see that Missy Miss beat him again. I tried to explain to him that he essentially bowled for everyone and therefore he really did win, but he just wasn't able to process that at all. He just kept saying how mad he was that Missy Miss beat him again. As we were getting in the car he stated very seriously that last time he was sad but now he was mad because he lost again. No matter how many ways I tried to explain it to him he just didn't get it.
All in all it went pretty well with just the four of us. Schnooky Bear attempted to kick the bowling ball down the lane a few times and they all tried to climb on top of the ball return a couple of times, but all things considered they were very well behaved and a fun time was had by all.
We then headed toward home and of course Missy Miss was out like a light less then 5 minutes after take off. She slept for another hour after we got home and the boys chilled with Nick, Jr. Missy Miss was a cranky clingon after she woke up and I barely had time to jump in the shower before it was time to drop the kiddies off at Grandma and Grandpa's for a sleepover.
Then it was date night for mommy and daddy!!! Wooohoooo! We met the Cha Cha's and hubbies for dinner at Osaka! I was so looking forward to that the whole week. I love Osaka's and especially the white sauce and veggies!!! Yummy!! I saved most of my calories for the day just for dinner. After dinner we then all went to Northland for The Marriage Show.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was a really good program. It was lighthearted and funny, but about a serious topic of how to improve your marriage. It was kind of a spoof of the tonight show, Price is Right with Plinko and a musical montage based on the Wizard of Oz music and a Styx song to share the seven steps to a great marriage!! We had a really good time out with friends. We arrived home about 10pm and shortly there after called it a night.
We were up a little before 0800 on Saturday morning and I went to get the kiddies from Grandma's. When we arrived back home Woobie and Schnooky Bear wanted to ride their bikes around the block with me while I walked Noni. I was not realy confident about how this would all go, but I gave it the college try. Needless to say, we barely made it around the culdesac before Schnooky was ready to go back home. I dropped him off with Daddy and then headed out again with just Woobie. He made it down the street about 3-4 houses and then announced he could go no further. So, we turned around and headed back home again. Poor Noni was dazed and confused by this time. Finally, after returning both boys back to daddy I was able to get a descent walk in. I have been trying to walk twice a day with the dog so she can get more exercise and I can burn more calories and reach my goal to fit back into my pre-babies wardrobe. I am getting pretty close, but not there quite yet.
The day just got crazier from there. All three of the little ones were in rare form. They were wired for sure. Daddy was in charge of lunch while I went to the bank for a cashiers check to have in preparation for our one o'clock closing on the refinance of our house. Yes, it finally all came together and we closed the deal. It only took about a month to hammer out all of the details!!!
We tried the whole nap thing before the notary arrived, but to no avail. I tell you when they get up at the crack of dawn it seems to be harder to get them down for a nap. It's like they are running on pure adrenaline all day. So, while the notary was here biggest brother Peanut played games with them, well at least Woobie because the other two were in and out of the dining room until we finally let them play with playdoh to keep them occupied while we signed and or initialed 120 pages of documents!!!.
That evening after dinner and putting the munchkins to bed, Peanut took his mommy on a date to see the 3D Avatar. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had heard how awesome the move was, but never knew what the storyline was all about. It was quite a movie. Someone had an imagination to dream up this sci-fi movie for sure. We had a great night and it was nice to spend some one on one time with Peanut since I don't see him much anymore.
We didn't get home until about 1130pm and then it was off to dreamland, well at least until about 0200 when Missy Miss came tromping in. I took her back to bed and stayed with her until she went back to sleep. She was so funny while she was going back to sleep. She would take her fringy blankie and hold her foot up and tickle her foot with the fringes and then under her arm. That didn't last long however and she was back up. Finally at about 0330 I gave up and let her sleep on the couch.
All of the little ones were up around 0600 and rearing to go. I am really growing weary of their new wake up time. I liked 0700 much better. Daddy got up around 0800 and made them pancakes while I took Noni for a spin around the block. When I returned it was crunch time to get ready for church. Showers for everyone and then the fight with Schnooky Bear over his wardrobe choices for the day!! He is a funny one I tell you. He gets it in his head what he wants to wear and trying to convince him otherwise takes an act of congress.
I also had to get the green bean casserole ready to take for our church potluck lunch. Needless to say we were quite late for church, but we made it. The sermon was more about how to uphold the Sabbath and trying to make it a priority over the other distractions of this world. Another pertinent message for me for sure.
We then stayed for potluck lunch at church. I so love church potlucks. The food and fellowship is so awesome. I wish we had them more often. Schnooky and Woobie had a great time playing with the other kids and running around the Narthex. Missy Miss so wanted to join the fray, but I was afraid she would get knocked over and hurt for sure. We headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's around 130-2pm and spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out and spending time together.
Grandma and I took the littles outside to play around 4pm and I played baseball with Woobie while she pushed Schnooky and Missy on the tire swing. Schnooky was being onry and kicking his sister. When Grandma stopped the swing he was happy and told Grandma that he kicked her purposely so she would get off the swing and then he could go higher. If that isn't proof that we are all born sinners, I don't know what is. Even at 3 his little heart is sinful and in need of a Savior.
Daddy arrived a little after 4pm from practicing baseball fundamentals with Peanut out at MDB and played baseball with the boys. Peanut is signed up for a camp which will have scouts from many colleges looking at players on Labor Day weekend so he and Dad are working on some fine tuning before this weekend.
Winston came over about 430pm for Sunday dinner. It was so nice to see him. He and his wife Mary lived next door to us at our old house. They used to help us with Peanut when he was younger and they were just like another set of grandparents to him. Mary passed away a few years ago and Winston has been living alone since. He is a little unsteady on his feet, but his mind is sharp as a tack.
During dinner Missy Miss was so cute. She was eating her veggies and cornbread and exclaimed, "Oh this is the goodest".
After dinner, Woobie shared some of his memory verses with Mr. Winston. It was so cute when he recited John 3:16-He said "When God so loved the world he gave his only forgotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life" So sweet. He is so smart and has such a good memory and beautiful heart.
Mr Winston left around 645pm and then it was time to settle the little ones down for the night. I put Missy Miss to bed and she was asleep in less than 5 minutes. Grandpa let the boys stay up and watch The Silly Show aka Wipeout and Grandma and I went walking with Noni. We are really trying to burn those calories.
Well, enough from the homefront for now. Happy reading!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Home with the Babies!!
Well, the great bed experiment seems to be going well. Monday night she stayed in bed all night until 0530 and then climbed in bed with me and slept until a little after 0700. Tuesday night she got up around 0130 and I put her back to bed and she slept until after 0730 this morning. So, I have to say so far so good. Another week or so will tell.
Today I was able to be home with the kidlets. Grandpa took Woobie and Schnooky Bear to get Woobie's "pinches" and then Grandma met them and took the boys to the library. Meanwhile, me and Missy Miss stayed home and caught up on folding the three loads of laundry that has piled up over the last week. Teaching her to be a happy homemaker early in life.
Then it was lunch and naptime. Well, I attempted naptime anyway!! Didn't go so well. No one wanted to sleep this afternoon so I didn't push it. Instead we went outside and played on the playground for a while and then jumped in the pool. Well, the kids jumped in the pool. It has been raining and it was too cold for mommy. I like it to be close to bathwater temperature for me to take the plunge. Our time was cut short however because of rumbling in the sky.
The three little ones were so cute on the playground. They were playing "Mom, Dad and Son". It was so funny to hear them interacting with each other and role playing. Woobie was the son, Schnooky Bear was Dad and of course Missy Miss was Mom. Most of it didn't make any sense, but they were so serious at times. Their little imaginations just never cease to amaze me.
Peanut arrived home about 4pm and had to rush to shower and go to work. Woobie was so sweet and asked him why he didn't play with them very much anymore. It was so sweet and sad at the same time. Peanut just told him he didn't have much time anymore, which is true with him being back at school with baseball practice and work as well. I hope that he tries to make the time this weekend to spend with his siblings.
The evening menu consisted of Sghetti and meatballs which only Schnooky Bear really ate. Sometimes I wonder how they have any meat on their bones with how finicky their appetites are. Although, they snacked on teddy grahams and raisins about 3pm so that probably filled them up.
Then it was goodbyes to Daddy and I took them to Grandmas for a sleepover. I was supposed to be off for 2 more days and work the weekend, but someone wanted to be off tomorrow and volunteered to pick up my whole weekend. So, now I work tomorrow, but then I am off for 3 days and get to spend the weekend at home with the whole family. A fantastic deal I must say.
Time to call it a night!
Today I was able to be home with the kidlets. Grandpa took Woobie and Schnooky Bear to get Woobie's "pinches" and then Grandma met them and took the boys to the library. Meanwhile, me and Missy Miss stayed home and caught up on folding the three loads of laundry that has piled up over the last week. Teaching her to be a happy homemaker early in life.
Then it was lunch and naptime. Well, I attempted naptime anyway!! Didn't go so well. No one wanted to sleep this afternoon so I didn't push it. Instead we went outside and played on the playground for a while and then jumped in the pool. Well, the kids jumped in the pool. It has been raining and it was too cold for mommy. I like it to be close to bathwater temperature for me to take the plunge. Our time was cut short however because of rumbling in the sky.
The three little ones were so cute on the playground. They were playing "Mom, Dad and Son". It was so funny to hear them interacting with each other and role playing. Woobie was the son, Schnooky Bear was Dad and of course Missy Miss was Mom. Most of it didn't make any sense, but they were so serious at times. Their little imaginations just never cease to amaze me.
Peanut arrived home about 4pm and had to rush to shower and go to work. Woobie was so sweet and asked him why he didn't play with them very much anymore. It was so sweet and sad at the same time. Peanut just told him he didn't have much time anymore, which is true with him being back at school with baseball practice and work as well. I hope that he tries to make the time this weekend to spend with his siblings.
The evening menu consisted of Sghetti and meatballs which only Schnooky Bear really ate. Sometimes I wonder how they have any meat on their bones with how finicky their appetites are. Although, they snacked on teddy grahams and raisins about 3pm so that probably filled them up.
Then it was goodbyes to Daddy and I took them to Grandmas for a sleepover. I was supposed to be off for 2 more days and work the weekend, but someone wanted to be off tomorrow and volunteered to pick up my whole weekend. So, now I work tomorrow, but then I am off for 3 days and get to spend the weekend at home with the whole family. A fantastic deal I must say.
Time to call it a night!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Twinkle Twinkle
I arrived at Grandma's house about 0730 this morning to my beautiful daughter singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to me. What a wonderful way to start my day.
My sweet baby girl absolutely loves to sing. She has been talking since she was about 17 months old and she has talked so much and sang so much that her voice began to be hoarse. I took her to an ENT about 2 months ago and they found a very small nodule on her vocal cord. It is kind of like a callus from the vocal cords clicking together so much. Hard to believe! We have been trying to have her rest her voice and not sing as much, but that is nearly impossible. The good news is that it seems to be improving.
Work was pretty busy with the usual sneezes and sniffles sprinkled with a dozen or so flu shots. I have been without a printer and sign in kiosk now for almost a week. Not too happy about that. Hopefully tomorrow it will be fixed.
I arrived home to find Missy Miss and Schnooky Bear still awake. It was nice to get some hugs and kisses before they fell asleep.
Peanut came home from work about 830pm and started his application for UCF. It is really setting in that my baby boy is going to be leaving the nest before I am ready for him to go. Life moves so fast.
Well, goodnight all. Until next time.
My sweet baby girl absolutely loves to sing. She has been talking since she was about 17 months old and she has talked so much and sang so much that her voice began to be hoarse. I took her to an ENT about 2 months ago and they found a very small nodule on her vocal cord. It is kind of like a callus from the vocal cords clicking together so much. Hard to believe! We have been trying to have her rest her voice and not sing as much, but that is nearly impossible. The good news is that it seems to be improving.
Work was pretty busy with the usual sneezes and sniffles sprinkled with a dozen or so flu shots. I have been without a printer and sign in kiosk now for almost a week. Not too happy about that. Hopefully tomorrow it will be fixed.
I arrived home to find Missy Miss and Schnooky Bear still awake. It was nice to get some hugs and kisses before they fell asleep.
Peanut came home from work about 830pm and started his application for UCF. It is really setting in that my baby boy is going to be leaving the nest before I am ready for him to go. Life moves so fast.
Well, goodnight all. Until next time.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Lazy Sunday
When I last wrote Missy Miss had gotten out of bed and come in our room. I put her back to bed and she actually stayed there until a little after 0400 this morning. Not too bad!! She then crawled in bed with us and went back to sleep until a little after 0700.
Schnooky Bear on the other hand was up and ready for the day at 0615. He then roused his big brother and they played in their room until Missy Miss awoke.
Meanwhile, Mommy started her day with a killer headache and Daddy was gracious enough to get up with everyone and let me go back to sleep until the throb subsided. Thanks Daddy!!!
I finally emerged around 0900 and then it was pedal to the metal to eat breakfast, shower everyone and get out the door to church. We made it by the skin of our teeth! The service was nice and a message that I really needed to hear. Pastor C spoke about how God rested on the Sabbath and that he commands that we do the same thing. I find it so hard to just have a day to relax and enjoy my family when the laundry needs to be done, the house needs to be cleaned and on and on. So it was a nice reinforcement for me to take the time to slow down and enjoy my family that I am so blessed to have because of God's love and generosity.
After service we headed to Tijuana Flats. Daddy had a hankering for Mexican. It was very yummy and hit the spot. We then came home and took it easy the rest of the afternoon. The three little ones chilled on the couch for about an hour watching Nick Jr and then they commenced to bouncing all over the place. I pulled out the playhut for them to crawl through which helped burn some energy.
We had a nice thunderstorm for about an hour before heading to Grandma and Grandpa's for our usual Sunday dinner. Dinner went very well. No meltdowns!! Definitely one for the record books.
After dinner the kids played for a few minutes and then it was time to get ready for bedtime. First, they spent about 15 minutes playing in the box from Grandma's new vacuum. To think we spend $100's of dollars on toys and all we need is an empty box!!
Mommy, Daddy and Peanut headed home around 730pm. Then it was time to balance the family budget and give Peanut a lesson in money management 101. We all sat down and discussed the importance of knowing how much money you have in your checking account at all times!! We stressed that mommy and daddy would not be available to bail him out when he overdraws his account once he is on his own. Right now, his account is attached to ours and when he overdraws it comes out of our account to cover the difference. The time is coming that he will not have that safety net and he needs to start taking more responsibility for his finances. This was the first of many lessons he will have during this last year of high school.
All in all a good day. I did a pretty good job of ignoring the laundry too!! I tried to focus on enjoying the day with my beautiful family. It was very refreshing I must say. After all the laundry will still be there tomorrow!!
Schnooky Bear on the other hand was up and ready for the day at 0615. He then roused his big brother and they played in their room until Missy Miss awoke.
Meanwhile, Mommy started her day with a killer headache and Daddy was gracious enough to get up with everyone and let me go back to sleep until the throb subsided. Thanks Daddy!!!
I finally emerged around 0900 and then it was pedal to the metal to eat breakfast, shower everyone and get out the door to church. We made it by the skin of our teeth! The service was nice and a message that I really needed to hear. Pastor C spoke about how God rested on the Sabbath and that he commands that we do the same thing. I find it so hard to just have a day to relax and enjoy my family when the laundry needs to be done, the house needs to be cleaned and on and on. So it was a nice reinforcement for me to take the time to slow down and enjoy my family that I am so blessed to have because of God's love and generosity.
After service we headed to Tijuana Flats. Daddy had a hankering for Mexican. It was very yummy and hit the spot. We then came home and took it easy the rest of the afternoon. The three little ones chilled on the couch for about an hour watching Nick Jr and then they commenced to bouncing all over the place. I pulled out the playhut for them to crawl through which helped burn some energy.
We had a nice thunderstorm for about an hour before heading to Grandma and Grandpa's for our usual Sunday dinner. Dinner went very well. No meltdowns!! Definitely one for the record books.
After dinner the kids played for a few minutes and then it was time to get ready for bedtime. First, they spent about 15 minutes playing in the box from Grandma's new vacuum. To think we spend $100's of dollars on toys and all we need is an empty box!!
Mommy, Daddy and Peanut headed home around 730pm. Then it was time to balance the family budget and give Peanut a lesson in money management 101. We all sat down and discussed the importance of knowing how much money you have in your checking account at all times!! We stressed that mommy and daddy would not be available to bail him out when he overdraws his account once he is on his own. Right now, his account is attached to ours and when he overdraws it comes out of our account to cover the difference. The time is coming that he will not have that safety net and he needs to start taking more responsibility for his finances. This was the first of many lessons he will have during this last year of high school.
All in all a good day. I did a pretty good job of ignoring the laundry too!! I tried to focus on enjoying the day with my beautiful family. It was very refreshing I must say. After all the laundry will still be there tomorrow!!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Bowling, Beds and Beaches
It has been a fun-filled couple of days for us around here. Thursday hubby was off for the day and we took the little ones to McD's to meet Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Ninny for lunch. Always an adventure of course.
Then Mommy and Daddy took the three little ones bowling. It was so much fun. We had free bowling coupons for all three kids to play 2 games. We only had to pay for the shoe rental which was $4. Thankfully they didn't have shoes to fit Schnooky Bear and Missy Miss so we got off cheap. Although, Mr Schnooky Bear took it quite personally that they did not have bowling shoes for him to wear.
We all really enjoyed the experience. We are looking forward to going back. By the way Missy Miss won both games with her score being 108 for the last game. You go girl!!!
Then Mommy and Daddy took the three little ones bowling. It was so much fun. We had free bowling coupons for all three kids to play 2 games. We only had to pay for the shoe rental which was $4. Thankfully they didn't have shoes to fit Schnooky Bear and Missy Miss so we got off cheap. Although, Mr Schnooky Bear took it quite personally that they did not have bowling shoes for him to wear.
Woobie liked to carry his own ball and try to put his fingers in the holes. A few times I thought he was going to launch himself down the lane with the ball.
Schnooky Bear and Missy Miss had tons of fun too. We of course had the bumpers up and part of the time they used this ramp to put the ball on and then pushed it down the ramp and onto the lane.
We all really enjoyed the experience. We are looking forward to going back. By the way Missy Miss won both games with her score being 108 for the last game. You go girl!!!That evening after we got home we all jumped in the pool for some splashing around. Then it was dinner and bedtime for all of the munchkins. Daddy and I enjoyed a relatively quiet dinner of taco salads just the two of us, oops I mean the three of us!! As we were finishing up, Missy Miss made an appearance in the kitchen. She had taken a late nap on the way home from bowling and apparently was not ready for bed just yet. The boys crashed almost the moment their heads hit the pillow. We finally got Missy to bed about 9pm.
Friday was Daddy Daycare day as I had to work and he was enjoying yet another day home from work. Daddy was at home waiting for the second bed to arrive which by the way is much softer and more comfortable than the other one by a mile. Daddy and the crumb crunchers met the grandparents for lunch at the usual hangout and then they came home for an afternoon of playing outside on the playground and then inside for a rousing game of Candyland before Daddy fed them and they were all fast asleep before 7pm.
Phase 2 of the great bed experiment has now commenced. She stayed in her bed all night. She called out a couple of times in search of the lost binky, but she did not get out until around 0630 this morning. We will have to see how tonight goes.
Today Daddy got to go riding on his Harley for a couple of hours and then we all loaded up in the van and took off for Aunt Krissy's beach house. Peanut wasn't able to join us as he had to work today. We arrived at the beach house a little before 1pm. The burgers and hot dogs were hot off the grill and ready to eat.
After eating lunch and meeting Aunt Krissy and Uncle Howie's new "daughter" from Germany we all geared up and headed down to the beach. It only took about 30 minutes to get everyone dressed in their swimsuits and slathered up with sun lotion.
Down at the beach we splashed in the waves and then Daddy took Woobie back out to the big waves while I dug in the sand with the the other munchkins. We then sat in the surf for a while and let the kiddies splash around.
We stayed and visited for an hour or so after coming up from the beach and then we headed home around 4pm before the storms hit. A really fun time for all of us.
After arriving home and feeding everyone it was time for a a couple of games of Chutes and Ladders. Ah memory lane!!! Daddy won the first one and Schnooky Bear won the second. At that point Woobie had a meltdown over not winning any of the games. He has not learned the fine art of being a gracious loser.
Everyone was asleep by 730pm and then I took the Nonster for a walk to burn some of her energy and some extra calories for me to make up for the cake I had at the beach house.
Update-Missy Miss just walked in our room at 1035pm. I have put her back to bed with her binky. Hopefully she will stay there!! The great bed experiment continues.
Goodnight all!!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Work Work Work
So, I have worked the last two days!! Blah!!! I am growing weary of people with 2 days worth of cold symptoms coming in for the magic Z-Pak. It's viral people and the only thing a Z-Pak will do is increase the drug resistance in the world!!! I suppose I should look at these people as job security because I see them and educate them on their lack of need for antibiotics and they pay for my expert opinion, but it does get old sometimes.
Anyway, enough about work. Haven't seen too much of the kiddos the last two days, but have been able to spend the mornings with them before work. This morning everyone was bright eyed and bushy tailed when I got to Grandma's house. Schnooky Bear was very excited to show me how he could jump over a rolled up playmat. So cute he is that boy. Woobie tried to join in, but Schnooky Bear was having no part of sharing the limelight.
They all then donned their capes and began to play superhero, but Missy Miss straightened those boys out when she announced that she was not a superhero, she was "Super Bunny". They are so funny together.
Peanut, well he is growing up. Seems we don't ever see him much since he has now started his Senior year in high school. The reality that my first born is very close to leaving the nest makes me sad sometimes. I am not ready for him to go and I don't think that he is ready to go yet either. No matter how many times he says he wants to move out after he graduates, I truly don't think he is ready for that big step. He still has some finetuning to be done before the end of his high school career.
The Varsity Baseball team has started practicing again. Peanut shared with us last night that he ran practice that afternoon. I am so pleased to see him taking more of a leadership role on the team. He really has a lot of talent. I am looking forward to watching him play his last year of high school baseball. I love to watch him and his team play ball!!!
It is time to call it a night. I get to enjoy a day off with hubby tomorrow. Not often he gets a day off during the week so hopefully we will have a nice day home with the kidlets.
Anyway, enough about work. Haven't seen too much of the kiddos the last two days, but have been able to spend the mornings with them before work. This morning everyone was bright eyed and bushy tailed when I got to Grandma's house. Schnooky Bear was very excited to show me how he could jump over a rolled up playmat. So cute he is that boy. Woobie tried to join in, but Schnooky Bear was having no part of sharing the limelight.
They all then donned their capes and began to play superhero, but Missy Miss straightened those boys out when she announced that she was not a superhero, she was "Super Bunny". They are so funny together.
Peanut, well he is growing up. Seems we don't ever see him much since he has now started his Senior year in high school. The reality that my first born is very close to leaving the nest makes me sad sometimes. I am not ready for him to go and I don't think that he is ready to go yet either. No matter how many times he says he wants to move out after he graduates, I truly don't think he is ready for that big step. He still has some finetuning to be done before the end of his high school career.
The Varsity Baseball team has started practicing again. Peanut shared with us last night that he ran practice that afternoon. I am so pleased to see him taking more of a leadership role on the team. He really has a lot of talent. I am looking forward to watching him play his last year of high school baseball. I love to watch him and his team play ball!!!
It is time to call it a night. I get to enjoy a day off with hubby tomorrow. Not often he gets a day off during the week so hopefully we will have a nice day home with the kidlets.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Crazy Afternoon
So, when I left you Woobie and I were going to play checkers. That little guy is pretty darn good I must say. He beat me fair and square. Then he and Schnooky Bear started playing a game when little Missy Miss woke up and joined in the activity. Woobie was so sweet as he kept telling Schnooky that they should let Missy Miss play with the extra pieces and they should be nice to her because she was the little sister. I am so proud of my Woobie. He is trying so hard to be that peacemaker we talk about so much.
Then the chaos ensued when I discovered another wet spot on the rug from the Nonster. That was the last straw. She has been having accidents for the last several weeks worse than ever and I loaded everyone up including the dog and dropped the three little ones at Grandmas and took Noni to the vet to rule out a UTI. I prayed it was a UTI and not just her aging process starting to set in and giving her decreased bladder control. To make a long story short she does have a UTI and is now on antibiotics for the next 14 days. Oh boy, I am so looking forward to shoving those horse pills down her throat every day. Hopefully, I will survive with all of my fingers intact. She isn't the greatest pill taker to say the least.
After settling Noni back at home, I went back to Grandmas and met hubby there for leftovers. My mom is so great!!!! We then sat around the table while the kids ran around with Grandma's scarves tied around them like capes. Missy Miss was Super Bunny!!! Then they tossed all of the couch cushions on the floor and jumped off the couches onto the pillows. Ain't Grandma's house a blast!!!
We then read stories and tried to get everyone tucked into bed for the night. It was sleepover time at Grandma's. As I left they were all in bed, but not asleep.
I came home and had the awesome privilege of steam cleaning the rug that was violated earlier by the furry one. At least it can be cleaned. No fancy oriental rugs in my house!!! That would be crazy between the kids and the dog!!!
Then the chaos ensued when I discovered another wet spot on the rug from the Nonster. That was the last straw. She has been having accidents for the last several weeks worse than ever and I loaded everyone up including the dog and dropped the three little ones at Grandmas and took Noni to the vet to rule out a UTI. I prayed it was a UTI and not just her aging process starting to set in and giving her decreased bladder control. To make a long story short she does have a UTI and is now on antibiotics for the next 14 days. Oh boy, I am so looking forward to shoving those horse pills down her throat every day. Hopefully, I will survive with all of my fingers intact. She isn't the greatest pill taker to say the least.
After settling Noni back at home, I went back to Grandmas and met hubby there for leftovers. My mom is so great!!!! We then sat around the table while the kids ran around with Grandma's scarves tied around them like capes. Missy Miss was Super Bunny!!! Then they tossed all of the couch cushions on the floor and jumped off the couches onto the pillows. Ain't Grandma's house a blast!!!
We then read stories and tried to get everyone tucked into bed for the night. It was sleepover time at Grandma's. As I left they were all in bed, but not asleep.
I came home and had the awesome privilege of steam cleaning the rug that was violated earlier by the furry one. At least it can be cleaned. No fancy oriental rugs in my house!!! That would be crazy between the kids and the dog!!!
Got to love her!!!
Goodnight all!!
Update from the Homefront
Well, hard to believe that it has been 4 days since my last post. Time just goes way too fast. Not too much exciting news to report from Thursday and Friday since I had to work all day both days.
We actually had Saturday off with the whole family so that was nice. Daddy mowed the lawn and I mopped and vacuumed until lunch time. Then we had a dip in the pool and afterwards headed out on the road. Our first stop was the Altamonte Mall. The place was a mad house. I couldn't believe how many people were there. I then realized that it was 2 days before the start of school and tax free shopping!!!!
We then decided to go back to the mattress place where we bought Missy Miss her new bed. We decided that it was way too firm and maybe that was the reason she wasn't staying in it all night. We can both attest to how rock hard it is. When we tried it in the store it did not seem nearly that firm. So we decided to take advantage of the return policy and traded up to a much softer higher quality mattress for about $150 more than the original cost, but we hope and pray it will do the trick.
We then went and had dinner at Don Pablo's. I had chicken fajitas. Yum!! I haven't had those in so long. They were very tasty indeed. The children of course picked at their food and we left with most of it in a doggie bag. From now on they get water to drink instead of filling up on sprite!!!
It was then off to one of my least favorite things to do-grocery shopping. I must say though that since we have been really sticking to our budget with gazelle intensity (Dave Ramsey fans will get that) I don't find it nearly as painful as I used to. I am enjoying the challenge of staying to our $200 every 2 weeks budget and love it when I come in under that with all my coupons!! We always start at Aldi's where we get most of our staples like milk, bread, meat, etc. and then I usually go to Publix and that is when the couponing begins. This trip I saved over $20 using my coupons!!! I can't say that I go there and get $100 worth of groceries for less than $1 like I have seen some folks do, but I think I am doing pretty good.
Then it was home to put everything away and tuck the little ones in to bed for the night. Peanut was working until 11pm so once the munchkins were asleep it was just me and the hubster. We watched the Reds game and then called it a night around 1030pm. It's tough getting old. And wouldn't you believe it Missy Miss slept all night in her bed until 0630 Sunday morning!!! Go figure we just drop another $150 for a new mattress and she stays in the original bed all night.
Sunday was spent going to church with all of the kiddies. Unfortunately, Daddy had to work. It was a nice service and then we had lunch at McD's and home to Grandma's for naps. Well, at least a nap for Missy Miss. The little boys are getting more resistant to nap taking these days. There goes my quiet time!! Grandma and I tried to do some planning for our homeschool year, but didn't get too much accomplished with everything else going on.
Dinner was a rushed affair for me as we didn't sit down to eat until 550pm and I had a teleconference staff meeting at 6pm. I think the food tasted good as I inhaled it!!! Meeting over by 715pm and then it was time to tackle the bedtime routine again!!! I tell you bedtime has become quite the nightmare these days. They used to all go down so easily for the most part. It has now become a battle of wills and most nights I am exhausted by the time they are all finally asleep. Missy Miss was so darn cute as was trying to get her down for the 10th time and she looked at me and asked for milk. I tried to say no, but she just looked at me with those sweet Hazel eyes and said "just a little bit please"! I was putty in her hands at that point and gave her some milk.
The $150 is starting to look better as she was once again up at 0130 and spent the rest of the night on the couch!!! Hurry up Friday so we can get the new bed delivered and start part 2 of the grand experiment!!!
This morning we were all up a little after 0700 but we all stayed snuggled in our bed until 0830. Then it was breakfast and Bible time. We learned about how even children are known by their deeds. It was a very pertinent lesson as we were headed to the mall again to change out my Invisishield for my iphone again!! Hopefully, it will be great this time and not have any defects. I reminded the children that people would be watching us and more importantly God would be watching us so we needed to behave in a way that glorified God. They all three did very well. We even had pretzels from Auntie Annes and played in the little play area for a while. All three were very good when it was time to go and came right away to load up in the stroller and head to the car.
As I write you Missy Miss is snoozing and the boys, well they are watching a little PBS so Mommy can have some me time. Now, I am going to show Woobie the finer points of how to play checkers!!
Till next time!!!
We actually had Saturday off with the whole family so that was nice. Daddy mowed the lawn and I mopped and vacuumed until lunch time. Then we had a dip in the pool and afterwards headed out on the road. Our first stop was the Altamonte Mall. The place was a mad house. I couldn't believe how many people were there. I then realized that it was 2 days before the start of school and tax free shopping!!!!
We then decided to go back to the mattress place where we bought Missy Miss her new bed. We decided that it was way too firm and maybe that was the reason she wasn't staying in it all night. We can both attest to how rock hard it is. When we tried it in the store it did not seem nearly that firm. So we decided to take advantage of the return policy and traded up to a much softer higher quality mattress for about $150 more than the original cost, but we hope and pray it will do the trick.
We then went and had dinner at Don Pablo's. I had chicken fajitas. Yum!! I haven't had those in so long. They were very tasty indeed. The children of course picked at their food and we left with most of it in a doggie bag. From now on they get water to drink instead of filling up on sprite!!!
It was then off to one of my least favorite things to do-grocery shopping. I must say though that since we have been really sticking to our budget with gazelle intensity (Dave Ramsey fans will get that) I don't find it nearly as painful as I used to. I am enjoying the challenge of staying to our $200 every 2 weeks budget and love it when I come in under that with all my coupons!! We always start at Aldi's where we get most of our staples like milk, bread, meat, etc. and then I usually go to Publix and that is when the couponing begins. This trip I saved over $20 using my coupons!!! I can't say that I go there and get $100 worth of groceries for less than $1 like I have seen some folks do, but I think I am doing pretty good.
Then it was home to put everything away and tuck the little ones in to bed for the night. Peanut was working until 11pm so once the munchkins were asleep it was just me and the hubster. We watched the Reds game and then called it a night around 1030pm. It's tough getting old. And wouldn't you believe it Missy Miss slept all night in her bed until 0630 Sunday morning!!! Go figure we just drop another $150 for a new mattress and she stays in the original bed all night.
Sunday was spent going to church with all of the kiddies. Unfortunately, Daddy had to work. It was a nice service and then we had lunch at McD's and home to Grandma's for naps. Well, at least a nap for Missy Miss. The little boys are getting more resistant to nap taking these days. There goes my quiet time!! Grandma and I tried to do some planning for our homeschool year, but didn't get too much accomplished with everything else going on.
Dinner was a rushed affair for me as we didn't sit down to eat until 550pm and I had a teleconference staff meeting at 6pm. I think the food tasted good as I inhaled it!!! Meeting over by 715pm and then it was time to tackle the bedtime routine again!!! I tell you bedtime has become quite the nightmare these days. They used to all go down so easily for the most part. It has now become a battle of wills and most nights I am exhausted by the time they are all finally asleep. Missy Miss was so darn cute as was trying to get her down for the 10th time and she looked at me and asked for milk. I tried to say no, but she just looked at me with those sweet Hazel eyes and said "just a little bit please"! I was putty in her hands at that point and gave her some milk.
The $150 is starting to look better as she was once again up at 0130 and spent the rest of the night on the couch!!! Hurry up Friday so we can get the new bed delivered and start part 2 of the grand experiment!!!
This morning we were all up a little after 0700 but we all stayed snuggled in our bed until 0830. Then it was breakfast and Bible time. We learned about how even children are known by their deeds. It was a very pertinent lesson as we were headed to the mall again to change out my Invisishield for my iphone again!! Hopefully, it will be great this time and not have any defects. I reminded the children that people would be watching us and more importantly God would be watching us so we needed to behave in a way that glorified God. They all three did very well. We even had pretzels from Auntie Annes and played in the little play area for a while. All three were very good when it was time to go and came right away to load up in the stroller and head to the car.
As I write you Missy Miss is snoozing and the boys, well they are watching a little PBS so Mommy can have some me time. Now, I am going to show Woobie the finer points of how to play checkers!!
Till next time!!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sleep Deprivation and Mammograms
It is Wednesday already! Wow this week is flying by fast! So the great experiment of Missy Miss in her new big girl bed is not going so well. In all fairness, she has not been at her best since we bought her bed last Friday. She has been a teething, crabby little tyrant to say the least. Needless to say, I have gotten very little sleep in the last 2 days.
Monday night she was very fitful and then she came in our room at about 0330 Tuesday morning and thrashed and kicked and screamed. She couldn't make up her mind what she wanted and would get out of bed and cry all the way down the hall to her room and then go into the kitchen and then back to our room. Finally at about 0500 she announced she wanted a snack! I didn't have the energy to say no and she sat on the couch in the dark eating cheerios and raisins until almost 0530 when she finally came back to our bed and fell asleep.
Then to add insult to injury, Peanut came in at 0640 complaining of an upset stomach. It was his second day of school and he was sick! After praying to the porcelain god he came back in and announced that he felt better after emptying his stomach and was going to head to school. As he went back to his room I heard him fussing at Woobie and the next thing I know he brings the little guy in our room to report that Woobie was trying to wake Schnooky Bear. AHHHHH!!! All the while I am trying to shush everyone so the tiny tyrant sleeping next to me would not be awakened!
Finally, around 0830 we all were up and about and I commenced to cleaning the house in anticipation for the appraiser to come at 1030. We jumped in the van as soon as he left and headed to the library with Grandma to get Schnooky Bear his free book for listening to us read him 20 books. He chose a little Biography about Roberto Clemente the baseball player.
Our next stop was Subway before heading to our meeting with our new homeschool coop. On the way to lunch Woobie stated that he hoped the restaurant was close to our destination. Schnooky Bear than asked, "What's a destination"? To which, Woobie answered, "It's another word for place". How awesome to hear the 5 year old teaching the 3 year old a vocabulary lesson.
The coop we were going to was at a couple's house in Sweetwater that they called the Family Fortress. As soon as we laid eyes on their home we understood why it was called a Fortress. This was the biggest house, I mean mansion that I have ever been inside. Their home was 16,900 square feet. It had 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It was 3 stories high and included a theatre room with 2 levels of theatre seating and large movie screen. It was built in 1973 and at some point was home to actor Dan Akroid. We were so in awe of the generosity of the couple that opened up their home to all of us moms and our children. There were probably over 20 children running through every nook and cranny of this house all afternoon.
We will be going there every Tuesday from 12-4 for coop starting in September. The little boys are so excited. Schnooky Bear cried when we left because he didn't want to leave all of the fun inside. When we first arrived Woobie about cracked me up when he exclaimed that there were Lions sitting on baseball's as we walked up the steps to the front door. It was actually statues of Lions sitting on top of balls that had tassels on them, but I could certainly see how a 5 year old would think that they were baseballs.
A great time was had by all. They even got to swim in the pool and jump off the diving board and slide down the 10 foot high slide. Missy Miss was very content to play near the steps. We all look forward to going back and learning and having fun at the Family Fortress.
Tuesday evening we left the three little ones home with Aunt Ninny and took Peanut to our last Truth Project Bible study. We had a nice celebration dinner before starting which totally blew my calorie count for the day, but was worth it!!!
When we arrived home at 930 pm Missy Miss was still up and watching TV with Aunt Ninny. She had a late nap on the way home from coop and didn't wake up until about 6 pm. To my surprise she went down like a dream and I didn't hear from her until about 0130 at which time she was having no part of going back in her bed. Her and I ended up on the couch for the rest of the night so as not to wake poor daddy who had to get up at 0430 to go to work.
At this point I am definitely beginning to question the validity of our experiment and the dent in our budget!!! However, I am not ready to totally call the experiment a failure. We need to wait a bit until she is back to her usual happy self before publishing the official results.
Well, today marks another first for me. I have now had my first official Mammogram. Does that make me old? In all seriousness, my dear friend Krissy and I went together for our first Mammogram to lend each other moral support for this as so many people have extolled torture. I am happy to report that it was not too bad at all. No pain involved really. So, I send a shout out to all the ladies that are reading this and all the men who know ladies very dear to them-Get your Mammogram and perform your monthly self breast exams!!
Newsflash-my sweet little baby girl has just appeared by my side! So, I must bid you all goodnight as my sleep deprivation continues!!
Monday night she was very fitful and then she came in our room at about 0330 Tuesday morning and thrashed and kicked and screamed. She couldn't make up her mind what she wanted and would get out of bed and cry all the way down the hall to her room and then go into the kitchen and then back to our room. Finally at about 0500 she announced she wanted a snack! I didn't have the energy to say no and she sat on the couch in the dark eating cheerios and raisins until almost 0530 when she finally came back to our bed and fell asleep.
Then to add insult to injury, Peanut came in at 0640 complaining of an upset stomach. It was his second day of school and he was sick! After praying to the porcelain god he came back in and announced that he felt better after emptying his stomach and was going to head to school. As he went back to his room I heard him fussing at Woobie and the next thing I know he brings the little guy in our room to report that Woobie was trying to wake Schnooky Bear. AHHHHH!!! All the while I am trying to shush everyone so the tiny tyrant sleeping next to me would not be awakened!
Finally, around 0830 we all were up and about and I commenced to cleaning the house in anticipation for the appraiser to come at 1030. We jumped in the van as soon as he left and headed to the library with Grandma to get Schnooky Bear his free book for listening to us read him 20 books. He chose a little Biography about Roberto Clemente the baseball player.
Our next stop was Subway before heading to our meeting with our new homeschool coop. On the way to lunch Woobie stated that he hoped the restaurant was close to our destination. Schnooky Bear than asked, "What's a destination"? To which, Woobie answered, "It's another word for place". How awesome to hear the 5 year old teaching the 3 year old a vocabulary lesson.
The coop we were going to was at a couple's house in Sweetwater that they called the Family Fortress. As soon as we laid eyes on their home we understood why it was called a Fortress. This was the biggest house, I mean mansion that I have ever been inside. Their home was 16,900 square feet. It had 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It was 3 stories high and included a theatre room with 2 levels of theatre seating and large movie screen. It was built in 1973 and at some point was home to actor Dan Akroid. We were so in awe of the generosity of the couple that opened up their home to all of us moms and our children. There were probably over 20 children running through every nook and cranny of this house all afternoon.
We will be going there every Tuesday from 12-4 for coop starting in September. The little boys are so excited. Schnooky Bear cried when we left because he didn't want to leave all of the fun inside. When we first arrived Woobie about cracked me up when he exclaimed that there were Lions sitting on baseball's as we walked up the steps to the front door. It was actually statues of Lions sitting on top of balls that had tassels on them, but I could certainly see how a 5 year old would think that they were baseballs.
A great time was had by all. They even got to swim in the pool and jump off the diving board and slide down the 10 foot high slide. Missy Miss was very content to play near the steps. We all look forward to going back and learning and having fun at the Family Fortress.
Tuesday evening we left the three little ones home with Aunt Ninny and took Peanut to our last Truth Project Bible study. We had a nice celebration dinner before starting which totally blew my calorie count for the day, but was worth it!!!
When we arrived home at 930 pm Missy Miss was still up and watching TV with Aunt Ninny. She had a late nap on the way home from coop and didn't wake up until about 6 pm. To my surprise she went down like a dream and I didn't hear from her until about 0130 at which time she was having no part of going back in her bed. Her and I ended up on the couch for the rest of the night so as not to wake poor daddy who had to get up at 0430 to go to work.
At this point I am definitely beginning to question the validity of our experiment and the dent in our budget!!! However, I am not ready to totally call the experiment a failure. We need to wait a bit until she is back to her usual happy self before publishing the official results.
Well, today marks another first for me. I have now had my first official Mammogram. Does that make me old? In all seriousness, my dear friend Krissy and I went together for our first Mammogram to lend each other moral support for this as so many people have extolled torture. I am happy to report that it was not too bad at all. No pain involved really. So, I send a shout out to all the ladies that are reading this and all the men who know ladies very dear to them-Get your Mammogram and perform your monthly self breast exams!!
Newsflash-my sweet little baby girl has just appeared by my side! So, I must bid you all goodnight as my sleep deprivation continues!!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Whirlwind Weekend
It is Sunday night and I am beat. It has been a whirlwind weekend for sure. I had to work all weekend which certainly added to the craziness.
So, lets see when I last blogged we were trying out the theory of Missy Miss staying in her new big girl bed all night. Well, it went pretty well. She woke up several times throughout the night Friday night, but in her defense she was running a low grade fever and I think her little 2 year molars are starting to come in. That being said although I went into her room several times she did not actually get out of bed and come to our room until about 5 am on Saturday morning. I put her in our bed to take her temperature and she very firmly announced she wanted to go back to her Princess bed!!!! I took her back to her bed and there we slept until Schnooky Bear awoke fussing and hollering for Mommy at 0630.
I quickly took him to our room so he didn't wake Missy Miss and he continued to fuss and carry on. Finally, after many inquiries as to why he was fussing, Daddy finally asked one more time what the problem was and he announced-"I don't know yet". With that he finally settled down and went back to sleep. All was peaceful for another hour and then I had to get ready for work. It always works that way-when I can sleep in they are all bouncing off the walls at the crack of dawn and when I can't they sleep blissfully!!!
Bedtime Saturday night was like a 3 ring circus literally with all 3 of the little munchkins popping up out of bed for one performance after the other until after 8 pm. Finally Daddy saved the day and lulled them to sleep. I summarily informed him that he was now going to be in charge of bedtime! Yeah right!!!
Little Missy had a pretty rough night last night, hence so did Mommy. She woke up quite a bit fussing because of her little toothies hurting her. Finally at midnight I plopped 2 homeopathic teething tablets under her tongue and she slept for several hours. Of course Mr. Schnooky Bear made an appearance in our room shortly after I got Missy Miss back to sleep. As I said before I sometimes wonder why they have beds at all because he ended up on the couch for the rest of the night and then Woobie joined him on the other end at some point as well.
This morning, however we all slept in until after 730-wooohoooo!!!! One for the record books I tell you!!!
Missy Miss didn't actually wake up until 8 and boy was she crabby!!! She and I snuggled in my bed watching Mickey Mouse while the boys ran around playing with there foam swords!! Finally, at 0830 Grandma arrived and it was time to get ready for work!!!
Work was very busy today. They just kept coming in all day long with one ailment after another. Oh well, that is job security and it definitely helped the day fly by.
Sunday dinner was not too eventful. Peanut made a brief appearance before running off to school for their first Senior prank of the year. It is so hard to believe he is one year from graduating from High School. Dad and I went out to the school Saturday afternoon for a parent information session and dinner with the Seniors. It is unbelieveable how much they have planned to do this year. I remember when I graduated we had Grad night at Disney World and that was about it. Peanut has not only Grad night at Disney, but Grad Bash at Universal, a Senior trip snowskiing in Vermont or Colorado, Project Graduation, etc etc. I think we may have to take out a second mortgage to afford it all. Oh and of course Senior pictures, cap and gown, announcements and on and on. I also need to quit my job and be his fulltime social planner for all of the dates we are supposed to remember and parent planning sessions for all of the parties. I am exhausted just typing all of this!!!
On a serious note, I about broke down in tears on the way home that evening just thinking about the prospect of my first born graduating and perhaps leaving the nest in just over a year. Of course, my hope and prayer is that he will stay home the first year or so of college and save money while getting his general education requirements out of the way at either SCC or UCF. We are also praying for at least a 3.0 so he can be eligible for a Bright Futures Scholarship to help pay for college education.
Oh by the way, after Sunday dinner and tucking the little ones snug in their beds my mom and I walked the Nonster around the block and then we swam laps in the pool for 20 minutes. It was great. We didn't think we would make it the full 20 but we did it. Burned 165 plus calories to boot!!!!
Well, I will close for now. All is quiet in the house tonight because the little ones are camping out at Grandma and Grandpas. So, if the dog doesn't wake me in the middle of the night I might actually get an uninterupted night of sleep. I'll let you know how it works out. Goodnnight all!!! It is bedtime for me as work comes early!!!
So, lets see when I last blogged we were trying out the theory of Missy Miss staying in her new big girl bed all night. Well, it went pretty well. She woke up several times throughout the night Friday night, but in her defense she was running a low grade fever and I think her little 2 year molars are starting to come in. That being said although I went into her room several times she did not actually get out of bed and come to our room until about 5 am on Saturday morning. I put her in our bed to take her temperature and she very firmly announced she wanted to go back to her Princess bed!!!! I took her back to her bed and there we slept until Schnooky Bear awoke fussing and hollering for Mommy at 0630.
I quickly took him to our room so he didn't wake Missy Miss and he continued to fuss and carry on. Finally, after many inquiries as to why he was fussing, Daddy finally asked one more time what the problem was and he announced-"I don't know yet". With that he finally settled down and went back to sleep. All was peaceful for another hour and then I had to get ready for work. It always works that way-when I can sleep in they are all bouncing off the walls at the crack of dawn and when I can't they sleep blissfully!!!
Bedtime Saturday night was like a 3 ring circus literally with all 3 of the little munchkins popping up out of bed for one performance after the other until after 8 pm. Finally Daddy saved the day and lulled them to sleep. I summarily informed him that he was now going to be in charge of bedtime! Yeah right!!!
Little Missy had a pretty rough night last night, hence so did Mommy. She woke up quite a bit fussing because of her little toothies hurting her. Finally at midnight I plopped 2 homeopathic teething tablets under her tongue and she slept for several hours. Of course Mr. Schnooky Bear made an appearance in our room shortly after I got Missy Miss back to sleep. As I said before I sometimes wonder why they have beds at all because he ended up on the couch for the rest of the night and then Woobie joined him on the other end at some point as well.
This morning, however we all slept in until after 730-wooohoooo!!!! One for the record books I tell you!!!
Missy Miss didn't actually wake up until 8 and boy was she crabby!!! She and I snuggled in my bed watching Mickey Mouse while the boys ran around playing with there foam swords!! Finally, at 0830 Grandma arrived and it was time to get ready for work!!!
Work was very busy today. They just kept coming in all day long with one ailment after another. Oh well, that is job security and it definitely helped the day fly by.
Sunday dinner was not too eventful. Peanut made a brief appearance before running off to school for their first Senior prank of the year. It is so hard to believe he is one year from graduating from High School. Dad and I went out to the school Saturday afternoon for a parent information session and dinner with the Seniors. It is unbelieveable how much they have planned to do this year. I remember when I graduated we had Grad night at Disney World and that was about it. Peanut has not only Grad night at Disney, but Grad Bash at Universal, a Senior trip snowskiing in Vermont or Colorado, Project Graduation, etc etc. I think we may have to take out a second mortgage to afford it all. Oh and of course Senior pictures, cap and gown, announcements and on and on. I also need to quit my job and be his fulltime social planner for all of the dates we are supposed to remember and parent planning sessions for all of the parties. I am exhausted just typing all of this!!!
On a serious note, I about broke down in tears on the way home that evening just thinking about the prospect of my first born graduating and perhaps leaving the nest in just over a year. Of course, my hope and prayer is that he will stay home the first year or so of college and save money while getting his general education requirements out of the way at either SCC or UCF. We are also praying for at least a 3.0 so he can be eligible for a Bright Futures Scholarship to help pay for college education.
Oh by the way, after Sunday dinner and tucking the little ones snug in their beds my mom and I walked the Nonster around the block and then we swam laps in the pool for 20 minutes. It was great. We didn't think we would make it the full 20 but we did it. Burned 165 plus calories to boot!!!!
Well, I will close for now. All is quiet in the house tonight because the little ones are camping out at Grandma and Grandpas. So, if the dog doesn't wake me in the middle of the night I might actually get an uninterupted night of sleep. I'll let you know how it works out. Goodnnight all!!! It is bedtime for me as work comes early!!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
What a crazy week!
It has been quite a crazy week. I felt like I was running a rat race for sure. I had a conference for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday all the way down at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort which was quite the drive everyday. It was a great conference so I can't complain much. I tell you though I was utterly exhausted every night after sitting around all day. Funny how that works. The more you are moving the less tired you are and then when all you do is sit all day you feel like you have been run over by a truck!
One drawback of being at the conference was not seeing the kiddies much for those days. I sure missed those little buggers! Grandma was on extra duty for those days so she was pretty tired too.
In the midst of all of this we have decided to refinance our house. What an adventure!! Not sure why it all has to be so complicated, but if it works out we will save quite a bit of money every year so it will have been worth the gray hairs-I can color them anyway!!!
Thursday I spent in front of my computer working on projects for work so the kiddies again were hanging with Grandma at least for part of the day. Bedtime that night was another adventure with trying to keep everyone in their beds. Sometimes I wonder why they have beds because they usually end up on the couch or in our bed. We keep saying we should buy a King size bed to fit everyone.
Today was quite a whirlwind. It started at about 6:30 am with Schnooky Bear wanting to watch a movie! I informed him that it was still nighttime and there would be no movie watching. Then Missy Miss was up about 20 minutes later and the fun began!!! She announced very early in the day that she didn't want anyone to touch her and she let everyone see and hear her wrath if they disregarded her command! Her brothers of course did their best to egg her on, as any good big brothers would do!!!
Things were going along pretty well until I reached under the kitchen sink for something only to find the entire cabinet soaking wet with about an inch of water standing in it. Not exactly what I had planned for my day!!! After pulling everything out and soaking up the water we had our Bible time and commenced to project clean house. Everyone got $.50 for helping out. We are starting them out with small change and then they can work their way up to the big bucks in a few years. The three little ones each have their own container that they are learning to save money in and we give them money when they help out with happy hearts of course. It is a nice incentive and an early start of teaching them the value of money and hard work! They all did a great job of picking up toys and they even helped with the dusting.
After naptime they watched a movie together. I was so proud of Woobie and Schnooky Bear because they practiced their peacemaking skills that they had learned from Bible time and let Missy Miss watch her Tinker Bell movie. I was just beaming at how they both were so giving to their sister.
The afternoon was spent splashing around in the pool with Big brother Peanut and his girlfriend. The kids absolutely adore her. A fun time was had by all until of course it came time to get out and fight over who got which towel. I think I need to buy 3 identical towels and then they won't have anything to argue over. The whole peacemaking thing went out the window. No one was interested in making any peace at this point.
Daddy meanwhile made 3 trips to Home Depot to get a new faucet for the kitchen sink. He returned the first time to find he got the wrong color faucet and then the second time he got all the way to Home Depot only to realize he forgot his wallet. Poor guy!! Finally the third time was the charm and he had wallet in hand and the right color faucet.
Due to the multiple trips to Home Depot and the lateness of the hour it was decided that me and the kids would meet him at the mattress store to look for a new mattress for little Missy Miss. We decided to bite the bullet and the budget to get her a full size mattress instead of the toddler bed she was sleeping in. We were going on Grandma's hunch that she would sleep better in a bigger bed because at her house she sleeps in a full size bed and rarely gets up at all throughout the night. If this theory holds true it will have been so worth the expense just for a goodnight's sleep for her and us!!!
We had a nice dinner with the 7 of us at Red Brick Pizza. It was actually a pretty peaceful dining experience for us which is something to put in the books for sure. Not too much screaming once we got Missy Miss her own Sprite.
After dinner we ventured to Target to get little Missy's new bedding ensemble. We gave her a choice between flowers and Disney Princesses. I am sure we can all guess which one the Princess chose. She was so excited she walked through the store holding her sheets and exclaiming how much she "lobed" them. The Target experience was not nearly as peaceful as dinner. We were approaching overload by then and they were in rare form running hither and yon making enough noise for all to hear. The Sprite had definitely kicked in.
Finally home, it was time to set up the new bed. When all was said and done it was after 9 pm before everyone was tucked into bed, but not before Schnooky Bear had a meltdown because the Princess didn't want him to sleep with her in her new bed. As I write this they all sleep soundly, for now anyway in their own beds.
Well, I think I am going to call it a night!!! Work comes early tomorrow!!! Daddy is on duty with the kiddies while I am off to work treating what ails people!!! I am sure there will be plenty of adventure to report from Daddy's Day Care tomorrow!!!
Goodnight All!!!
One drawback of being at the conference was not seeing the kiddies much for those days. I sure missed those little buggers! Grandma was on extra duty for those days so she was pretty tired too.
In the midst of all of this we have decided to refinance our house. What an adventure!! Not sure why it all has to be so complicated, but if it works out we will save quite a bit of money every year so it will have been worth the gray hairs-I can color them anyway!!!
Thursday I spent in front of my computer working on projects for work so the kiddies again were hanging with Grandma at least for part of the day. Bedtime that night was another adventure with trying to keep everyone in their beds. Sometimes I wonder why they have beds because they usually end up on the couch or in our bed. We keep saying we should buy a King size bed to fit everyone.
Today was quite a whirlwind. It started at about 6:30 am with Schnooky Bear wanting to watch a movie! I informed him that it was still nighttime and there would be no movie watching. Then Missy Miss was up about 20 minutes later and the fun began!!! She announced very early in the day that she didn't want anyone to touch her and she let everyone see and hear her wrath if they disregarded her command! Her brothers of course did their best to egg her on, as any good big brothers would do!!!
Things were going along pretty well until I reached under the kitchen sink for something only to find the entire cabinet soaking wet with about an inch of water standing in it. Not exactly what I had planned for my day!!! After pulling everything out and soaking up the water we had our Bible time and commenced to project clean house. Everyone got $.50 for helping out. We are starting them out with small change and then they can work their way up to the big bucks in a few years. The three little ones each have their own container that they are learning to save money in and we give them money when they help out with happy hearts of course. It is a nice incentive and an early start of teaching them the value of money and hard work! They all did a great job of picking up toys and they even helped with the dusting.
After naptime they watched a movie together. I was so proud of Woobie and Schnooky Bear because they practiced their peacemaking skills that they had learned from Bible time and let Missy Miss watch her Tinker Bell movie. I was just beaming at how they both were so giving to their sister.
The afternoon was spent splashing around in the pool with Big brother Peanut and his girlfriend. The kids absolutely adore her. A fun time was had by all until of course it came time to get out and fight over who got which towel. I think I need to buy 3 identical towels and then they won't have anything to argue over. The whole peacemaking thing went out the window. No one was interested in making any peace at this point.
Daddy meanwhile made 3 trips to Home Depot to get a new faucet for the kitchen sink. He returned the first time to find he got the wrong color faucet and then the second time he got all the way to Home Depot only to realize he forgot his wallet. Poor guy!! Finally the third time was the charm and he had wallet in hand and the right color faucet.
Due to the multiple trips to Home Depot and the lateness of the hour it was decided that me and the kids would meet him at the mattress store to look for a new mattress for little Missy Miss. We decided to bite the bullet and the budget to get her a full size mattress instead of the toddler bed she was sleeping in. We were going on Grandma's hunch that she would sleep better in a bigger bed because at her house she sleeps in a full size bed and rarely gets up at all throughout the night. If this theory holds true it will have been so worth the expense just for a goodnight's sleep for her and us!!!
We had a nice dinner with the 7 of us at Red Brick Pizza. It was actually a pretty peaceful dining experience for us which is something to put in the books for sure. Not too much screaming once we got Missy Miss her own Sprite.
After dinner we ventured to Target to get little Missy's new bedding ensemble. We gave her a choice between flowers and Disney Princesses. I am sure we can all guess which one the Princess chose. She was so excited she walked through the store holding her sheets and exclaiming how much she "lobed" them. The Target experience was not nearly as peaceful as dinner. We were approaching overload by then and they were in rare form running hither and yon making enough noise for all to hear. The Sprite had definitely kicked in.
Finally home, it was time to set up the new bed. When all was said and done it was after 9 pm before everyone was tucked into bed, but not before Schnooky Bear had a meltdown because the Princess didn't want him to sleep with her in her new bed. As I write this they all sleep soundly, for now anyway in their own beds.
Well, I think I am going to call it a night!!! Work comes early tomorrow!!! Daddy is on duty with the kiddies while I am off to work treating what ails people!!! I am sure there will be plenty of adventure to report from Daddy's Day Care tomorrow!!!
Goodnight All!!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Lazy Weekend
The weekend has almost come to an end and all in all I have to say it has been a pretty lazy 2 days. It has been really nice not rushing here and there. We got to spend time with the kiddies and just relax.
We started the weekend with a date night for mom and dad. We went to dinner and then a romantic stroll through Aldi's and Publix for groceries. After 18 years and 4 kids just getting time together is priceless no matter where we spend it. We even got to sleep in on Saturday morning because the little ones spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa. Woohoo!!!
Saturday we hung around the house. Daddy mowed the lawn and mommy entertained the wild ones. Mr. Schnooky Bear was in rare form. He stated matter of factly when I gave him a bowl of Baked Lays chips that he didn't like them. I told him that he couldn't know that since he had never tasted them before. He proceeded to lick one and say "They don't have alot of sparkles". I could do nothing but laugh at that point.
Nap time came and went with only little Missy Miss napping so needless to say the midday peace and quiet I had hoped for didn't happen. Oh well, you win some you lose some!
We had yummy tacos for dinner. The little ones love tortillas and cheese. At the dinner table Schnooky Bear announced that his friends Maddy, Hooty and Cooty were coming later to watch him play his game. He's had this ongoing imaginary friend named Maddy for a while. She pops up every now and then. On one occasion he announced that Maddy was having a baby and on another occasion she was coming over to stay because her mom had died. I swear I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. I don't let him watch Soap operas! Hooty and Cooty are the latest additions to his imaginary world.
Daddy was in charge after dinner because I had to go to a staff meeting for work. He got them all down without too much fuss.
It was church time today and we actually got there on time, which is quite an accomplishment for us. Woobie and Schnooky Bear love worship time. They dance in the aisle to the music and run eagerly to the front of the church for children's time. I helped out in their class today so I got to spend the whole church time with them and 17 other 3-5 year olds. Can you say Calgon! Missy Miss played happily in the nursery and Peanut helped out with the elementary kids.
We spent the afternoon at Grandma's house reading books, painting and just being lazy. Peanut spent his afternoon cleaning his pit, which is another name for his bedroom. Neatness is not his forte'.
Missy Miss was brushing mommy's hair and putting hair pretty's in after nap time. It is so neat to have a little girl to share all of the girlie activities with. I love to brush her hair. It is just so soothing to me to have her sit and let me brush and fix her hair. However, it is a rare moment that she will actually let me do that.
Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpas was another adventure as always. Between the whining about not wanting to eat what was fixed and Missy Miss smashing peas all over her tray it was quite a relaxing meal-Not!!! Of course we can't forget Schnooky Bear who refused to eat and then wanted a cookie for dessert. We stood our ground despite his crazy story about a monster eating his dinner which he rationalized should give him carte blanche to a cookie.
Dinner behind us we packed up Missy Miss and headed home. The little boys got to have a sleepover with the Grands so bedtime was fairly easy except for little Miss insisting on sleeping on her floor. Hey-I have to pick my battles and that wasn't one I was willing to fight. So needless to say she is sound asleep on her floor and all is quiet in the house for now!!!
Goodnight all!!!
We started the weekend with a date night for mom and dad. We went to dinner and then a romantic stroll through Aldi's and Publix for groceries. After 18 years and 4 kids just getting time together is priceless no matter where we spend it. We even got to sleep in on Saturday morning because the little ones spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa. Woohoo!!!
Saturday we hung around the house. Daddy mowed the lawn and mommy entertained the wild ones. Mr. Schnooky Bear was in rare form. He stated matter of factly when I gave him a bowl of Baked Lays chips that he didn't like them. I told him that he couldn't know that since he had never tasted them before. He proceeded to lick one and say "They don't have alot of sparkles". I could do nothing but laugh at that point.
Nap time came and went with only little Missy Miss napping so needless to say the midday peace and quiet I had hoped for didn't happen. Oh well, you win some you lose some!
We had yummy tacos for dinner. The little ones love tortillas and cheese. At the dinner table Schnooky Bear announced that his friends Maddy, Hooty and Cooty were coming later to watch him play his game. He's had this ongoing imaginary friend named Maddy for a while. She pops up every now and then. On one occasion he announced that Maddy was having a baby and on another occasion she was coming over to stay because her mom had died. I swear I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. I don't let him watch Soap operas! Hooty and Cooty are the latest additions to his imaginary world.
Daddy was in charge after dinner because I had to go to a staff meeting for work. He got them all down without too much fuss.
It was church time today and we actually got there on time, which is quite an accomplishment for us. Woobie and Schnooky Bear love worship time. They dance in the aisle to the music and run eagerly to the front of the church for children's time. I helped out in their class today so I got to spend the whole church time with them and 17 other 3-5 year olds. Can you say Calgon! Missy Miss played happily in the nursery and Peanut helped out with the elementary kids.
We spent the afternoon at Grandma's house reading books, painting and just being lazy. Peanut spent his afternoon cleaning his pit, which is another name for his bedroom. Neatness is not his forte'.
Missy Miss was brushing mommy's hair and putting hair pretty's in after nap time. It is so neat to have a little girl to share all of the girlie activities with. I love to brush her hair. It is just so soothing to me to have her sit and let me brush and fix her hair. However, it is a rare moment that she will actually let me do that.
Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpas was another adventure as always. Between the whining about not wanting to eat what was fixed and Missy Miss smashing peas all over her tray it was quite a relaxing meal-Not!!! Of course we can't forget Schnooky Bear who refused to eat and then wanted a cookie for dessert. We stood our ground despite his crazy story about a monster eating his dinner which he rationalized should give him carte blanche to a cookie.
Dinner behind us we packed up Missy Miss and headed home. The little boys got to have a sleepover with the Grands so bedtime was fairly easy except for little Miss insisting on sleeping on her floor. Hey-I have to pick my battles and that wasn't one I was willing to fight. So needless to say she is sound asleep on her floor and all is quiet in the house for now!!!
Goodnight all!!!
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