Mare-ism Monday---Installment #5

Well, the kids have the stomach flu. I remember when I was a kid and had the stomach flu, I always wanted my mom. Well, when my kids have the stomach flu all I want--- my mom.
Boy, it sure is not fun. The two boys had the courtesy of coordinating their efforts by puking at the same time, They finally settled down to go to sleep around 3:00am. Good times. Good times.

Anyway, Big Mare was great when we were sick with the stomach flu. We always had 7up for our tummy, crackers and soup. Big Mare would set us up on the couch w/ a puke bowl, blankets and the TV. Most times she would lay with us which was a comfort to us and it also gave her a little extra sleep. Anyone that knows Big Mare--understands that she loves her sleep. And yes--all 4 of her daughters take after her. (From what I understand, this is a family trait on the Bossinger side:)

When we were sick w/ a cold, Vicks was the cure all. She would slather it on nice and thick.
'Rub Vicks on your chest, under your nose, etc. It will make you feel better and help you breathe."

OH-- and I can't forget the Caladryl Lotion. Ya know--the thick, minty smelling, pink stuff that was used when you got the chicken pox to stop the itching. It was a common remedy for any type of itch in our house--any!

Going to the doctor was always fun. Good ole Dr. Tanrikalu at the Whiting Clinic. If we were lucky enough to be sick enough and go, we would get McDonald's afterwards and sometimes coloring books and crayons.

I sure don't know how Mare did it w/ 4 sick kids at a time. Perhaps it was the age difference from the older two and the younger two but I give her "props" for doing it.

Thanks mom for taking good care of us. I hope I could be just as good w/ my kids.

Mare-ism Monday---Installment #4 and 1/2

To my mother at Christmas. You must know how much I love you. For I took hours to construct this beautiful poem, in just your honor.

‘Twas the night before Christmas at 936 Spruce Drive.
Big Mare’s daughters were excited and felt so alive.

The kitchen was packed full of good stuff to eat,
Turkey, Ham, and of course something sweet.

On weekdays the cupboard was stocked very full,
Cupcakes and Ho Ho’s, Ding Dongs and Swiss Rolls.

For holidays we would bake dozen of treats,
To take to Grandmas --to enjoy and to eat.

The Cookies wrapped in foil-- made a big twinkle,
Peanut butter, chocolate chip and Mare’s famous Crinkles.

It was time to go,--out the back door we went,
To fill the blue Ford Escort –the one with a dent.

Then all of a sudden, arouse such a crash,
We saw Big Mare’s arms--- fly up in a flash.

We looked down to see and made a big gasp,
Only to find Big Mare had fallen on her ass.

She looked up perturbed, as if woken out of bed,
“GET THE DAMN COOKIES”, was all that she said.

We wanted to ask if all was OK,
But if we didn’t save the cookies ---Oh the price we would pay.

Go Ree Ree, Go Leenie, Go Megzy and CoCo,
Pick up the cookies or we’re stuck with just Ho Ho’s.

Big Mare lay like a tick ready to pop,
Pointing her finger—“Be sure to get every last drop.”

We scattered and scurried to pick up the crumbs,
Frost bitten and cold with bleeding knuckles and thumbs.

The last cookie we salvaged from winters cold frost,
Our attention turn to Mare, who looked very lost.

We laughed at her hysterically to get her upright,
She glared and responded, “Kiss my ass you bitches-stay home tonight.”

Mare-ism Monday---Installment #4

Has been delayed until Wednesday---something really special.
To keep yourself occupied until then....

Go for "a" starbucks.
or
Go out for a coke.

(Ha--just a few Mare-isms to hold you until Wed.)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

This afternoon, I sent Abbey to go potty upstairs. After about 5 minutes, I asked her what she was doing and she said wiping herself w/ a wipe.

Well...I don't have baby wipes in the bathroom and Aaron was sleeping so I know she didn't get one from his bedroom. I ran upstairs and yep--she wiped her little bottom with..

Apparently, she loves Clorox wipes as much as I do except she uses hers in a personal way. Needless to say, she received an early bath but never complained of any burning or issues down below.

Mare-ism Monday---Installment #3

Big Mare knows how to come up with some doozie's. Just when I thought I would have to sit back and think about what to post, or dig around for something to tell, she just whips one up for me.

Each year, at Christmas Time, my 3 sisters, mom and I try to go shopping together and then out to dinner. This years shopping took us for a little visit to the hotel where my Uncle Larry and cousin Sean were staying. We decided to surprise them, knock on their door, cover the peep hole, and proceeded to sing Deck the Halls just like they do in The Christmas Story---FARR LA LAARR. Anyway, we arranged to meet Sean for dinner after our shopping at Olive Garden.

We somehow got on the subject of smoking, (probably talking about the last Mare-ism). We were discussing how smokey it can get in restuarants and how most places do not even allow it anymore. In true Big Mare fashion--a big light bulb went off above her head. She perched herself on the edge of her , back straight as a board and put her hands in the air making a box shape and said:

"I just don't know why, with all the spacemen flying up into space, and all that space up in space, why those NASAWWW (NASA -but Mare pronounces is w/ the AWW at the end)-why those NASAWWW people cannot just find an invention to just suck this smoke right up into space."

We stared at her, looked at each other and burst out laughing---hysterically laughing. Our cousin Sean was politely trying not to laugh but how could one not.

Again, in true Mare fashion, she started rocking back and forth--back still straight--chuckled w/ us, ran her fingers thru her hair and scurried out to have a cigarette. I believe she may have called us a bunch of profane names before she walked out but I couldn't quite hear her. I'm surprised we didn't get kicked out of Olive Garden for being so loud.

We are so blessed that Big Mare has a sense of humor and does not hold grudges. I found out that she has read the Mare-isms and said, "Ya--I guess they are sort of funny."

Mare-ism Monday---Installment #2

So... Big Mare has found out about Mare-ism Monday. She refuses to read it. I told her that it is nothing bad but it is actually quite humerous. I told her she would probably get a big kick out of it however, she still refuses. She said maybe, "One day". I said, yes, "One day, when I publish my book about her." She chuckled and said, "Oh..I'll probably be dead when that happens". Now.... she says this alot. I'm starting to think that perhaps that the will to live is starting to dwindle in Big Mare. She was diagnosised w/ COPD this past week and is feeling a little down about herself. I want to think, (and smokers correct me if I am wrong) this should be the time to quit.

My sisters and I have always gotten on her case about smoking. In fact, one of my greatests visions of Big Mare, is sitting at the kitchen table, head lowered with her thumb holding up her forehead with her lit cigarette between her fingers. All the while, with her other hand, grasping her luke warm cup of coffee made w/ a half of cup of milk and 3 full tablespoons of sugar. Or, "occassionally", (def of "occassionally: 3/4 of the time), Mare would also try to wedge the phone between her opposite ear and shoulder, telephone cord stretching as far as it could go because sitting right by the phone was out of the question. Lastly, out of a nervous habit, she would shake her legs, later to be known as restless leg syndrome, so the entire table would rattle. Oh what a site to behold. Multi tasking at its greatest. I guess that's who I get it from.

I often wondered as a child and even question now : How the hell did she never set her hair on fire? Who the heck could spend so much time on the phone? (I realized the answer to this just in the last few years.) What or who does the word "typical" refer to? How the heck could somone smoke so much without even a breath of fresh air in between?

When the latter and similar questions about her smoking has been asked of Big Mare, the responses were:

"I don't puff them all. I let them burn and put them out."
"My cough is not from smoking, it's from the radiation from the whooping cough as a child."
"They never told us smoking was bad when pregnant." (Hence the low birth weight of us all.)
"Smoking was never as bad 20 years ago, now they are more addictive."
"Everyone that smokes has Emphsema."
"Second hand smoke doesn't cause cancer, it's just an old wives tale."
Cough Cough Cough, Hack Hack Hack, Puff Puff Puff "I think (Puff) I have pneumonia (Puff)."
"I cut down to 2 packs a day."
"Hey, if you go to the store, pick me up a pack of cigarettes." Me: "You just got a pack this morning?" Mom: "It for tomorrow."

Ok-so maybe this sounds a little mean, but maybe it's the motivation she needs to get on track to a non smoking life style. I want Big Mare to be around for a long time for my own selfish reasons. I want her to watch my kids graduate high school, college and get married.

SO GET ON IT MARE! START LIVING A SMOKE FREE LIFE!

Tis the season to be singing

I just overheard Abbey singing a lovely Christmas ditty...

Halleluijah, Halleluijah.......Everybody dance now....

Need I say more..

USPS

OK--does anyone know if the USPS guy is allowed to smoke in his truck? I purchased a few things that were delivered by the mailman and they REEEK of cigarette smoke. On Monday, I thought maybe it would be just a one time thing but yesterday and today, I received 2 more packages and they smell so bad that I had to throw the box away.

Guess I'm just blowing smoke (ha ha) but I paid good money for these items and am sad that they are stinky. :(


UPDATE: The USPS DID call me back. Funny---the guy said that no--he our temporary carrier doesn't smoke cigarette's, he smokes cigars. YUCK. He is not allowed to smoke in the truck and only on breaks and lunch.

Weekly Mare-ism.

I have decided to post a Weekly Mare-ism. What is a Mare-ism? ---well, Big Mare--aka, my mom, is lovingly known as "Big Mare". Not sure how we started calling her that instead of mom but it has just stuck.

Our mother is a ...umm...cough cough...hmm hmmm.. a little different. I'm not sure if it due to growing up the only girl w/ 4 other boys but she is definately a little strange. She loves the comfort of her own home and her lounge clothes. So it is not uncommon to go for a visit and she is wear pajama bottoms, hoodie w/ the hood on, and a robe all at the same time. INSIDE the house. We are not sure what fashion magazine or show she saw this ensemble on, but I, and my sisters do not take on her fashion sense.

Don't get me wrong, we love our mother. She was great to us growing up, made dinner everyday an did what she could for us. But boy....did she, and still does, come up w/ some doozies. Perhaps it is the cigarettes that have burned off a few cells in her brain, --not sure --but here are a few that might seem "typical" from mother and others that will make you scratch your head...

'I'll give you something to cry about.' (However, she would be chasing us around the house, not once catching us as we laughed and ran into our rooms. She was so tired from chasing us that she never made it up the stairs to finish the task.) Now, I know what you are all saying. My parents said this too but did yours follow up w/ "You better not let me catch you, 'cause if I start beating, I'll never stop." Like I said, not once, were we caught, nor do I think it was her intention to beat us but to just scare the heck out of us.

"I once knew a kid...." ( She has and still uses this line whenever she can. She will finish it with comments such as... " who choked on a superball" or "who died, walking up hill both ways to school w/out any shoes on" or something really outlandish about a kid dying.)

One of the latest and greatest is regarding my little nephew Mason. He was running a fever yesterday and she said "Maybe he has a fever cause he ate too much"... HUH? What the HECK???

Where does she get this stuff? More to come in the future... Stay tuned.

Where's the beef???

Anyone ever order Omaha Steaks? We did over the summer and got some great deals. However, now that we don't grill out as much, we haven't ordered lately because we still have a freezer full. Well, we are literally being stalked by brochures in the mail 3-4 times a week, phone calls 3-4 times a week pand emails 2 times a day. I never had a complaint about the food, in fact, we really enjoyed it. I never thought we would have been stalked by the beef lady. Now I have a complaint and what did Leenie do? I bet those that know me best know......






I wrote a letter of course:) I never thought we would have been stalked by the beef lady.

The Sky Has Fallen....

Over at my house anyway... I can now say my husband and I had a fight over a "Bucket of Chicken". Yep..you read it right a BUCKET O' CHICKEN fight.
Dan's friend and kids are coming over tonight and Dan said he would pick up dinner. Since he has a Doctor appt after work, he will be in the Highland area. Here is how the conversation went..

D: How 'bout I pick up a bucket of chicken.
K: Where the heck are you gonna get a BUCKET of chicken?
D: I don-no, maybe Browns?
K:-(Thinking, not really saying DO THEY REALLY STILL MAKE BUCKETS OF CHICKEN???) so I said--I really don't want a BUCKET of chicken for dinner. How about Buffalouies. I don't want fried chicken in a BUCKET.
D: I already talked to Kyle and told him we are going to get a BUCKET of chicken.
K: FINE! Get your BUCKET of chicken and me and the kids will eat something else.
D: FINE! CLICK--and I hung up.
I immediatly started laughing hysterically wondering who the hell gets in a fight over a BUCKET 'O Chicken??? So I called him back laughing.

D: So what do you want for dinner if you don't want a BUCKET of Chicken.
K: Buffalouies.
D: But you said you didn't want chicken.
K: I said I didn't want a BUCKET of chicken.
So again, we started arguing about the BUCKET of chicken again.

Is it me or is it just wrong to put chicken in a BUCKET? It just does not sound appetizing to me. I guess it's because I get DEATHLY ill when I eat KFC. This was the most ridiculous fight we have ever had and most humerous. It makes me laugh everytime I think about it. Has anyone else had a ridulous fight like this?

Parental Control?

Does anyone have a parental control blocks on their PC? If so, what do you recommend? I just want to make sure now that Aidan is starting to use the PC more that we are covered. He tried to pull up the lego webite or nick jr or something like that and got something that I wish he wouldn't have seen. Just one little typo and BOOM... your child innocence could be lost.

Please let me know what you suggest.

Pondering....again

Why is that everyone, well woman, when they go to the OB/GYN, they HAVE to wear socks. I know I do. I HAVE to make sure that I have them readily available even if I wore flip flops to the doctor. It makes no sense at all. Is it so we cover what little dignity we have left? Isn't is more embarressing that umm..hmm.. other things are being looked at and not your feet? I just thought it was a little ironic after thinking about it for a while.

EXPLOSIVE GAS IN MY HOUSE TODAY!

I am not kidding...

Aaron tortured my Carbon Monoxide detector so I had to buy a new one. I thought I would spend the extra bucks to get the pimped out one that also detects explosive gas and natural gas too.

I was blow drying my hair and it started to go off. Usually, it is the lil man himself (Aaron) pushing the button w/ a big toothy grin but not this time. I ran over to it to see what is was blinking and it had some odd numbers on it. I started to worry, staring down at it smelling something strange and quite disgusting not thinking it could have been this gas old thing sitting in front of it.............

Yes.. for those that don't know, we have a dog name Sydney. She is old as you can see. She also has horrible gas and apparently it's explosive..... HA.

CHER! OH MY

Ok- I just watched Cher on Ellen. I feel sorry for the ole' gal. She was slumpped over in the chair and her face barely moved. Her tone of voice was just as expressionless as her face. She was asked a series of questions by Ellen and she couldn't answer some of them. They were about her personal life---how could you not know?? She just answered "I don't know". She either needs a really long vacation or is on a really long vacation if you know what I mean.

Don't Forget

Don't forget to vote tomorrow! It is your right and privilege to do so.
If you don't, then you can't complain about who is nominated :)

Halloween

Happy Day-after Halloween! I could just feel my pants getting tighter by the second. Thought I would share some pics of the kids. Aidan was Darth Vader, minus the mask--he said he didn't like it over his face. Abbey was Cinderella and Aaron was Mickey Mouse thank to Mommy25. They looked so cute and had a ball.

Should I Indulge Myself??

I just saw that you could down The New Kids on the Block's Greatest Hit for $5.99 from iTunes. Should I or shouldn't I? Is it worth it? Would you do it?

Cavity Free

Well, Abbey and Aidan went to the dentist today and have been declared cavity free. YEEE HAW. I couldn't believe that Abbey actually let the dentist polish her teeth. She, of course, had to sit on my lap but as long as she allowed them to work, I was fine w/ that.

Aaron actual was very good too. He sat in his stroller eating teddy grahams and actually got his teeth looked at. I was concerned that all his molars weren't in and his eye teeth aren't in yet.
But all is normal and the kids got a trip to the treasure chest and received a new tooth brush.

I was so happy with them that I bought them chocolate shake from McDonalds.

STAY TUNED....

Abbey goes to the dentist for the first time tomorrow. Since she didn't do so well at her doctor appt 3 months ago, I'm curious to see what her reaction is.

She loves to brush her teeth so maybe it won't be so bad. I've also planned to 'play' dentist later today so she is familiar with what will happen.

Ohh-- and I've also signed her up for preschool 2 days a week starting in 2 weeks. Hopefully she will stay healthy we won't have any flair ups of her past breathing problems. She's been off her meds for about a year now. YEAH.

Priorities

I watch TV, read magazines, blogs and the internet. I'm so thankful to God that my priorities for my children are on the right track.
Although I do not claim to be the best mother. I do TRY to be the best I can be, which, as you mom's know can be tough.
I am proud that I am raising them to have faith. I am proud that if they need to go to the doctor I can take them. (This includes the shrink in about 5 years when his parents are sort of nuts, just kidding, uuuuhhhh hopefully.)

I am proud that they mind their manners (for the most part).

I am proud to buy them clothes at Walmart and Target. (We did not have a lot of money growing so we did buy our clothes at such places and we were taught not to be ashamed of it.) Hey--remember Venture? IT ROCKED.
I'm proud that my child will never go to school saying that a Presidental candidate is a baby killer.
I'm proud that some of my kids best friends will be their cousins. (Oh, I've been informed by Aidan that Olivia and Brandon his cousins also:)

I so happy to have my sisters and good friends to help me thru my parenting when I need it. Thanks guys.

DUH

OK--so after 4 years of having the same phones and answering machine, I decided to take charge and look the manual up on the internet. Those who call me will be very happy. I now know how to change the number of rings before the answering machine picks up. No more mad dashes to the phone running up 3 flights of stairs.

It now will ring a whole 5 times until the answering machine picks up....I think...I hope it worked.

PS: WARNING: I'm very crabby today...Just ask Megzy. It was a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG night w/ the kids.

Sorry

I will never publish a post about the Presidental election. Things got a little hairy there so I deleted it all. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and that is what is good about living in the USA but maybe on another blog or maybe yours. I know some of you like the Repub, others like the Democrats. I get that but I was just trying to make a statement, not cause a feud! I'm sorry I posted anything. What is true in all of this, and I'm getting biblical, that GOD is the one we should worship and is our leader. No matter who is in office, who you vote for, HE is the ONE. We all should be putting our energy and time worshiping Him instead of worrying about something that we really won't be able to control. Yes. I'm trying to change my attitude about things these days. I'm reading the Love Dare. It is great! I recommend it for EVERYONE that is married no matter how good your relationship is. If you need a babysitter to go see Fireproof, I will babysit. Go see it. Anyway, I'm learning about unconditional love and no matter who is in your life, you should love them for who they are no matter what. Afterall, God gives us unconditional love why shouldn't we give it to each other?

Is it normal??

For Aaron--now almost 14 months old to:

-Climb on the kitchen counter, table and anything else that stands taller than 4ft?
-Climb into and now out of his bed?
-Be a very very picky eater?
-Poop 4 times a day?
-Scream out the door as if he is calling his best friend over?
-Hate wearing shoes and sock?

I can't remember how the other 2 were but I know they weren't as daring and fearless as Aaron! HELP--what will he be like in 2 years???

YOU HAVE GOT TO WATCH THIS

It's from Saturday Night Live---all about sisters. I almost peed my pants last night when I watched it.

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/the-lawrence-welk-show/727501/

Gotta love....

-When your son makes the first goal of the soccer game.
-When you get slobbery open mouth kisses from your 1 year old.
-When your 3 year old asks you..."Mommy, are you happy?" (Totally took me by surprise.)
-When your hubby asks if you want a massage after a grueling work out.
-When yours sitting among 3 kids that are fighting to hug you.

and

-When you pray to God for help with something and He comes through for you.

Disney Trip

OK- so it's taken me a week and a half to recover from our Disney trip. It was a great time but I think we won't go back until everyone is 44inches so everyone can enjoy all the rides. We stayed at the Polynesian Hotel on the monorail. It was awesome. We only had to take the bus to Hollywood Studios and Downtown Disney. We didn't make it to the Animal Kingdom because we waited an hour for a bus, then it started to down pour so we stayed and vegged in our room. Here are some pics of the kids.

We took Abbey to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and she got her hair done and nails done. She didn't want makeup but she looked so cute and after it was done, she was really happy. They sent her home w/ a bag full of goodies and mommy even bought her a new night gown which she has worn almost everyday since.

I promised Aidan that we would buy him a new halloween costume and after 3 rides on Star Wars, he decided he wanted to be Darth Vader. We bought tickets to Mickeys Not so Scary Halloween Party and it was definately worth the money. The kids dressed up and they were able to get goodie bags of candy. They had special firewords and parade and NO lines at ANY ride. We were able to go on rides over and over. Aaron's costume was too hot so I included a few other pics that are my favorite.

Politics...again

Because I wanted to be fair to the candidates, I watched (watching) Mr. McCain. He sure does have a lot of history and some good views, however, the man is either bad at speaking or has a bad speech writer. I really feel that he would be a very interesting man to sit down and talk to but his speech didn't do him justice in my opinion. Has he swayed my vote his way... not really.

Running on Fumes

OK--so I ran out of gas today! Do women really do that? I was graciously saved by my brother in law 3 blocks away from their house. BUT...can you blame me? Here is what is going on...

1. Preparing for the Bowl a thon for my nephew Mason. Which means running at least 3 places a day.
2. Carpool
3. Preparing for our vacation to Disney. We are leaving on Sunday Morning. Yep---not even 24 hours after the bowl a thon.
4.Running to Ree Ree's house to help her out while she takes Matt Matt for stiches.
5. Running to the Doctor for Abbey because she was eaten alive by Mosquitos and now her eye is half way swollen shut.

Busy busy busy is my excuse. I didn't even notice the big orange light that was on until I started sputtering past the stop sign...Go Figure :)

I'm a nicer person...

Boy--I think I need to drink more often. I'm a light weight. After 3 Mikes Hard Lemonades I'm sitting here feeling....well.... pleasant. I actually find myself quite funny.

Politics

OK: I'm not one to get into a great debate about politics. However, how many people do you think vote because they were brought up by their parents to be a democrat or republican? I certainly voted the way my parents wanted me too the first time I voted at the age of 18.

Do you get irritated at the people that shove their party down your throat and look down at you because you are one or the other? I do.

Do you vote because McCain simply is a Republican?
Do you vote because Obama simply is a Democrat?
Are you going to judge the candiate by the changes they want to make or the policies they are going to keep?
If you watched the Democratic Convention and are swayed to vote for Obama, are you going to watch McCain's speech next week as well?


I did watch the Obama speech the other night and will watch McCain this coming week.
If I had to vote right now, it would be Obama. Change really is needed and McCain will have to convince me that he is the guy to do it.

Titty Tat Priorities

Nope.... it's not a boob tatoo.
It has nothing to do with nakedness.

It's how Abbey says: Kitty Cat.

Dan recently went to Arizona for work and brought back a stuffed cat for Abbey, a webkinz for Aidan and a football for Aaron. In addition to a TShirt for himself and a hat. Me...nothing. I feel so left out:(

Not really but isn't it funny how priorities change as you get older?
--How birthdays no longer want to be celebrated the older you are.
--How Christmas presents no longer are a priority for you but love to watch what you got other people.
--How the best thing to do on a Saturday night is to go see a friends new baby and be totally excited about it. CONGRATULATIONS SHAWNIE AND BRIAN ON YOUR NEW ADDITION JACK ANTHONY!
--How sitting at home just chilling out is so nice.
--How once, your clean and organized home, is now sprawled with toys everywhere and cleaning is not such a priority when friends are coming over.
--How you wouldn't be caught dead watching the daytime "Judge" shows but actually love watching Judge Judy. (Ok, Ok...maybe just me.)
By the way....while I am on the subject....when she retires, I gonna take over. I could be her daughter. I love her and I love that she can say what she wants and get away with it.
That is what I want to be when I grow up....How about you?

Today...

So it was not such a good day for me. Despite getting some good buys at Old Navy, the start to today was just bad.

Aaron decided to throw, no..not drop, throw a can of Hormel chili on my foot. Needless to say, I cried for 10 min straight holding on for dear life to the kitchen sink. I really cried...tears and all. Aaron was so scared from my bellowing that he, too, cried with me. The little stinker, after I sat down with a bag of corn on my foot, tried to go back to the lazy susan to get more amo to throw.

After I bribed Aidan to take him in the family room with him. Aidan starts yelling that Abbey has a screw driver and she is going to poke Aaron in the butt with it. With all the energy I had, I ran down to get it and yelled at Abbey like I never had before. I feel really bad cause it made her cry.

After about 10 minutes Aaron made is way up stairs and I was cuddling w/ him and CHOMP--he bit me in the shoulder so I started crying again. (I think since my foot was still throbbing.) Needless to say he took an early nap.

I had my mind set on going shopping so I wedged my fat swollen foot into a flip flop and took the kids to Old Navy after lunch. Took them to the park and picked up DQ.

The end to the day was not bad. I cooked meatloaf for dinner and had Ree Ree, Megzy, and Shawnie over. We ate pie and homemade choc chip zucchini bread that I made yesterday for dessert. Sorry if I was so crabby girls.

New Blog

Look at Megzy's new blog here. It's called Prim & Proper. She has a really cool giveaway right now for a pair of earrings.

Bowl for Mason

Check out my nephews blog here. We are holding a Bowl a Thon for him. He has CDLS.

The Cake was a hit and Aaron love dump trucks

My Baby is 1 tomorrow!

How can it be that a year has passed already?

Aaron will be 1 tomorrow and I can't wait to see him smash the cake.

He is in full walking mode now and only crawls 30% of the time. He is my little frankenstein and devil. He gets into EVERYTHING.

I'll post more pics after his party.

How do boys know?

Aaron is not yet 1 year old but he already knows:

-How to make car noises when he plays with matchbox cars.
-Where the real fun is when changing his diaper.
-How to pull down my shirt to expose me for all to see.
-Have selective hearing.
-Know that a ball is one of the most important things in the world.

Only 6 more days until the big day. I can't believe I was big and fat this time last year.

I'll Never do that...

Remember when you were a kid or teenager and your parents did something or there was something in general that you said as an adult you would never do or say? Well, here are a few that I said I would never do but find myself doing...

-saying --I'll give you something to cry about.
-saying--If you say that again, I will give you soap.
-saying--You have to wait until your food digests before you go back in the pool. (I now have found the real reason for this. We, adults, are too lazy after we eat to get our butts up and watch the kids in the pool.)
-Watching the news. I find myself looking forward to watching the news. Disgusting--I'm getting old.
-Kicking my kids off a TV so I can watch my own show.
-Kicking my kids off their video game so I can play.
-Driving a minivan.
-Listening to the oldies--yep-- songs from the 80's and 90's.
-saying--Let me go pick some money off the money tree out back.

What about you?

PRAISE GOD!!!

He is GOOD. He has given the talent to Dan's co-worker to retrieve the files and pictures off my laptop. He will, however, have to rebuild it. I am just fine with that just as longs as I have my babies memories. Funny, Colleen's PC is doing the exact same thing and now also needs the same repairs. We think it was due to the website igive.com. It's downloadable to your pc and it will track your purchases and give a donation to any cause that they have. We picked CDLS due to our little Sunny. See Megzy's website for more info about that but DO NOT download igive.com to your PC.
THANK YOU LORD! YOU ARE GREAT!

PLEASE.... Listen to me and do what I say..

OK--ya know that one thing that you have been meaning to do that doesn't seem quite as important to do now but keep telling yourself "I better do that before I forget" and of course you forget because you say to yourself, " I'll just do that tomorrow" because you know that if you didn't do it nothing bad will happen to you? Well..... do it now! No matter what it is. YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!! I PROMISE YOU.
Yep--mine was... I better back up all my digit photos before I forget because if my PC crashes then I will loose all my pictures. As I sit here and literally cry, that has happened to me to me this weekend. I am praying the gods of the PC world at Dan's shop could at least extract my pictures from the PC. Please pray. I have been talking to the man upstairs all weekend hoping for a miracle. All of Aarons birth pictures up until the present are on that PC and I have not printed out many of them. PLEASE PRAY! Thank you.

Who Wants a Burger?

These pictures are about a month old but thought I would share them because they are so hilarious.

AHHH...Can you hear it?

No--of course you can't. Neither can I. It's the sound of silence. 3 kids sleeping at naps (and a dog).

Abbey's 3rd Birthday

Sorry I didn't post pictures on the last post. I had problems downloading them from my old computer. Anyway, we had a great day on Saturday. The weather was great! Abbey was so cute blowing out her candles and was so very proud. I think she has been practicing for weeks. We had a princess party for her and I made her cake. It turned out better than I thought it would and she really liked it because she was able to keep the princesses afterwards. She did get her princess bike she has been asking for so I hope this will be good incentive for her to go potty in the toliet all the time. Here are some pictures of my princess.

My Baby Girl is 3

Oh how sweet she it turning three. We're preparing for a party in an hour and I will post more pictures later but here she is a while ago....

Top 5 TV "Are You Kidding Me"

1. Celebrity Cirus: Are you serious? Watching a Brady kid fly around on a trapeze just doesn't do it for me.
2. "This is my wreck, this is my check". Anyone seen this commercial for an Attorney, underneath the people saying this it says "Dramatization". What does that say for the Attorney and if they are not real cases, then has he ever won?
3. The Bachelorette: need I say more? How desperate can one person be? She is gorgeous and can't find love anywhere than 25 idiots?
4. I survived a Japanese Gameshow--didn't watch it but saw it flash on a commercial. How strange would that really be to watch?
5. 5 hours of the Today show on channel 5. Is the network that hard up on good shows for the morning?

Bump in the Night

This past weekend we went to see my new nephew Mason in Indy at Riley's Hospital. To see the going on's about it, go here to Megzy's website. He is doing great and is ready to be released tomorrow which is a great blessing from God.
It was a great visit. I was formally designated the favorite auntie. (Ree Ree, just let it be. You know it's true.) Everytime I talked to Mason, he just had to open his eyes to look at me and bat his beautiful long lashes at me. That was the best part of the trip.
However, we did get about an hour of shopping in the city and Big Mare bought us whatever we wanted. She even bought us lunch and dinner. Today, she told me she had such a good time that she is going to start saving so we can do it a few times a year. This was the first time EVER that my mom and sisters actually have done an overnight trip and it was so nice. We stayed at my sister and brother in law's house in Carmel. Their house is HUGE. Tyler, my nephew, was gracious enough to give his bed to Ree Ree and myself. Just as we fell asleep....I fell out of bed....screaming the whole way down. I must have been dreaming but I don't remember about what. Normally, when you fall, you brace your self but not this time, just one large THUD...entire body on the floor at one time. Needless to say, we laughed out loud about it for about 15 minutes before we could fall asleep. I'm still waiting to see what type of bruises appear but so far, nothing.

GOOSED

Tonight after Aidan's Baseball game we decided to go to Noah's baseball game. From what I saw, it was Great! They won and I hear things were a little exciting after I left. Anyway, I was teasing Reece about a little girl in his class that he was talking to and tickling him. To much of my surprise, someone came up behind me and pinched me on my butt!
I twisted around so fast to yell at Dan that it was not appropriate to do such a thing at a BB field w/ a gazillion kids around but I looked down to find that it was.........................................................















































MATT MATT-my 5 year old nephew :)

Potty Training Update

Well, there is no update. Peeing in the potty for Abbey is nil. I have come to believe it might be sheer laziness. For example, I was changing Aaron's diaper this morning and Abbey was standing next to me. I told her go potty. She said that she didn't need to and then 2 seconds later proceeded to look at me and pee herself--standing there right next to me. I've tried everything. Bribes, forgetting about it and putting pull ups back on, time outs, positive encouragement, ....she is even wearing a diaper from Aaron. Nothing is going to work. I repeatedly told her when there are things to do for fun that she is not able to participate in that it was due to her not being a big girl--does not phase her. She has her eye on a princess bike but I keep telling her that she does not get it until she is a big girl.. Should I buy it and keep it in eye's distance and not let her ride it unless she goes potty? I know people will say she is not ready, however, in some cultures, they say babies like 6 months old could be potty trained. I also read that Americans are lazy and hold off on potty training for their own reasons. Maybe so...Maybe I missed the boat w/ Abbey and she was ready a long time ago and didn't realize it and now she is way to far gone.

The Moon was Full Saturday Night....

I had the pleasure of spending my Birthday at my cousins wedding. I believe someone over served me. Anyway, Big Mare (my mom) left the same time as us. She was driving next to us and she flipped us the bird---HOW DARN SHE! I couldn't let her get away with such an obscene gesture so I had to remind her what I looked like 34 years ago when the doctor slapped me on the ass. Yep---the moon was bright and full. Needless to say, CoCo had to take the steer wheel while Big Mare laughed HER ass off.

Should we be offended?

Our next door neighbors just put up a fence. Now....this ain't your ordinary wood picket fence. We are talking 7ft, white PVC Privacy fence. I think, normally, ordinary fences run 5-6 ft in height. It is a very nice fence and I like to think we have a good relationship with our neighbors. In fact, our kids play very well together. Maybe I'm just being paranoid....
They just got a new puppy and have a pool and already started taking the fence around it.
What do you think?

Girls...Sugar and Spice???

I don't think so---not in my house anyways.
They say girls are easier to potty train......
I DON'T THINK SO!
She just does the exact opposite. I tell her to pee in the potty, she goes in her pants. I tell her to poop in the potty, she goes in her pants.
Is she not ready?? She will be 3 in July. Is it bad to say she is lazy? She can do it, I know she can, she's done it.

Oh, another thing the sweet princess did.... picked her nose, then wiped it on my couch. I caught her just as she was wiping it on the seat. Mean Ole mom, wiped it up with her precious blankie and she had a fit! Miraculously, she was able to clean up her blanket with a Kleenex.

YUK--I'm thinking of taking up a job sucking Porta Potty's clean. It might be more sanitary:)

Tonights Prayer...

Dear Lord:

Please help my children sleep. Please give them the peace they need to settle into sweet dreams. Last night was just aweful and I was woken up every hour by one or the other including my husband, which I will forgive since it was our 8 year anniversary yesterday. Thank you for giving me "some" patience today to deal with them as they were all cranky, crabby and I was exhausted. AMEN

PS----Thanks for the sunshine but it if it was 10 degrees warmer, that would be nice --Please and thanks.

BLAH!

Just Blah! Feel like blah! Bad weather--well--not so bad today!
Come on Summer!

IT'S OFFICIAL--RESIGNATION IS SIGNED

It's finally official. My lil' Aidee Bug put in is notice. He didn't even give 2 weeks notice. How unprofessional. Resignation is signed, sealed and delivered.
Last week, Dan told Aidan if he could keep his room clean, he would pay him $5 after a week.
He has been doing a great job until today.
Me: Aidan, I see that your room is not very clean.
Aidan: I quit my job.
Me: You quit your job?
Aidan: Yep! I'm done cleaning.
That was it! End of story.

BEST NIGHT AWAY.

We have the best night away last night. No Kids, No dogs, no one to bother us. We went to The Herrington Inn & Spa,http://www.herringtoninn.com/. We have a couples 60 minute massage, we walked around Geneva in the rain shopping. When we got back they had choc covered strawberries and champagne waiting for us and rose petals on the floor with the fireplace going. It was great! We definately needed the time away together for our Anniversary. This past year has been tough and our 8th Anniversary is on 5/20, so that bad 7th year will soon be over.

The only disappointment---we just happened to forget to pick up the $48,000 diamond ring we saw! Darn!

Quit My Job

Dan: Aidan, you really need to start keeping your room clean.

Aidan: WHAT? You think I should just quit my job to try to keep this place clean? (He was TOTALLY Serious)

Me: LMAO

How Lovely is 55 minutes

What a wonderful 50 minutes I just had.
Thank GOD for synchronized naps and Kindergarten. It's such a beautiful day outside, I took my laptop out side w/ me and enjoyed the weather while I worked. It's so quiet inside and out. In about 65 seconds, the school bus will pull up and the hub bub will begin but that's OK. 55 minutes to myself was GREAT!

I FOUND IT!

I found it! The best thing in the world. THIS is the ticket to my happiness. Thank you Fisher Price for a glorious invention. Thanks Megzy for suggesting it. Not sure why I didn't think of it before. I had one for Aidan but it broke. Aaron loves it. I turn it on, and he goes right to sleep. No crying, no screaming and no crappy pants. (Well, for one night anyway.) We'll see what tonight brings.

Cry it out or not?

Ok so, Aaron is having problems with falling asleep. I/we put him down after he falls asleep taking his bottle and he pops his little head up and wants to be held again.

After numerous sleepless hours-last night was the last straw. We put him down this evening at 9:35. He of course fell asleep but popped up. So we decided to let him Cry it out. Cruel? Not really sure. We have let him do this a few time in the last few weeks and he either cried for 1.5 hours or crapped himself so of course we caved. So now it is 9:53 and he just stopped crying. Hopefully, this is a start to a new sleep pattern for him.

What a bunch of cheese heads..

Prayers Needed....

OK. Aimee led me to this blog. It's regarding a husband whose wife has Cystic Fibrosis. He posts a few times a day. Anyway, she is in need of a double lung transplant and they just received a call that they may have a new set of lungs for her. What is also very amazing, that against all odds, they have a baby. The baby is a micro-premie and was born 15 weeks early and she is doing great. You have to read this blog and keep them in your prayers. It truly shows how God works in their lives and everyone's lives as well.

The Duggers..Huh?

OK- so I'm sitting here watching the Duggers on TV. This is the first time I have watched it.. here is what I observed.
1. Birth Control is not in their vocabulary.
2. They a just plain nuts.
3. I think when the camera's off, they really beat their kids into submission to get them to act so well.
4. I think if they could afford a month long trip, afford the 2 campers and beautiful new house, they could spend a few hundred dollars getting appropriate car seats for their children. For goodness sakes, the baby's car seat looked 10 years old and half the booster seats did not have the strap to go across their chest.
5. How about some birth control, huh? I do have to say, most people that have lots of babies are not taken care of.. at least they are great people to take good care of their kids.

Milestones..

OK--the comfy life of having that cute little guy sitting in one place, playing is over. Just today, Aaron decided he could crawl across the room faster than lightening, wave at himself, and pull himself up to a standing position. Yep--I walked in to get him at nap time and there he stood with a cheesy grin on his face.

It seems like Aaron's milestones are much greater than the other two. Why?

Because I feel like I missed the others. They probably started crawling around the same age, pulling themselves up at the same age, and watched their hands for an hour waving at themselves the same time. I feel like I missed everything because I wanted/had to work. I did choose to work so we could afford the house we are in but I think I would give it back to remember everything. I was in a good position at work and enjoyed it. I don't have a college degree and when I left working full time, I had over 20 employees under me, ran two units in the dept and had a great mentor--my boss. I became a supervisor after only working there 1.5 years. My boss is really great and lets me work from home part time which she does not allow anyone else. I'm keeping my foot in the door just in case I want to go back after the kids are in school.

Anyway, I'm not sure if would have remembered everything anyway but watching home video's helps. My opinion still does not waiver either way (stay at home versus working) but just had to ramble.

BFF's Forever

I pray that Olivia and Abbey are as close 20 years from now as they are today.
3 months from now, they will be running around in the swimming suits and splashing in the pool. chasing the beach ball as it flies away in the wind with gobbs of sunscreen on.
3 years from now, they will we attending kindergarten for the first time together, chasing each other on recess, staying away from the boys.
13 years from now, they will be running around town in the convertable car, with their string bikini on chasing boy with ZERO sunscreen on.
23 years from now, they will be running down the wedding aisle with their husbands with the other close behind as their Maid of Honor.
30 years from now, they will be running after their own children, slathering them up with screen and having couch days of their own posting pictures like this of their own.

The only evidence...

Well--I took my camera with me on our great weekend w/ Megzy and Shawnie. We had the BEST pedicure at Asha Salon. Didn't get much uninterrupted sleep but the beds were awesome. Check out Shawnies website for further details.

SO LONG, FARWELL.....

See ya Sunday! Going for a girls weekend away w/ Megzy and Shawnie. We have a long day of shopping tomorrow followed by a 5pm pedicure at Asha Salon. Will miss the hubby and kids but I can't WAITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT to sleep thru the night.

Did it pass thru the Cord???

As some of you are aware--I love Big Macs --no---I think I love McDonald's. Do you think when I was pregnant with Aaron it passed thru to his brain?? Thanks to sister Abbey--Aaron has his future decided for him..

Would you like an apple pie w/ your order?

I've been tagged!!???!!HUH

Thanks Shawnie--Supposedly, I'm tagged so I have to fill out these questions:

1.What is the one BIG goal you hope to accomplish this week?
Go on a shopping trip w/ my gal pals and sleep thru the night WHOO HOO
2.What is the one household chore you do NOT like to do?
LAUNDRY-especially folding. Yep--it will sit and sit and sit until I get up the urge to fold.
3. What would you buy if someone gave you $2,000.00
Spend it on a lavish massage/make over--oh yeah--and a big Mac and a batch of oreo balls.
4. Describe yourself using one word.
Hmmmm.........strange
5. What is the one saying or theme that you live by?
Always say I love you to my hubby and kids everyday--alot.
6. What is the one household item you can NOT live without?
Clorox Cleanup--cleans EVERYTHING and makes it smell good.
7. If you had one chance to go any where in the world where would you go?
Anywhere with a sun, hammock, and ocean.
8. List the one person you admire the most.
Hard one--Supernanny--She has the skills I need to be a "Screamfree" parent:)
9. What is one thing people may not know about you?
I have to sleep with a cotton blanket under my ears. Pillows make a crinkly sound.

OK- Jen it's your turn & Megs, I double tagging ya since I know need the extra nudge.

Daughtery/ Bon Jovi Concert

Here are some pictures from our fun night out to see Daughtery and Bon Jovi (BJ).
We had a good time, however, BJ is getting old and after 3 times seeing them in the last 2 years- I was a little bored with him but Daughtery was AWESOME.

Don't you just love....

10. McDonald's Sweet Tea? Yep, I think I found a replacement for their Diet Coke.
9. Oreo Balls? Need I say more?
8. Judge Judy? Yep....Brian B. I am a closet Judge Judy lover. I want to be her. She always says what is on her mind.
7. Putting your fat Jeans on and they fall off a little bit.
6. Oreo Balls.
5. The first day it is warm enough to go outside and let the kids play? Still waiting for this.
4. Snugglin in bed w/ the whole family on a cold day, including the gimpy smelly dog.
3. Maid service. Had this when I worked full time. It was awesome.
2. Oreo balls.
and the #1...
When God answers your prayers for something you have been praying really hard about
-- not for your own purpose but for those friends and family members you love!

BABY MILESTONE #4

1. 1/28 Aaron Cuts a new tooth

2. 1/30 Aaron sits up

3. 1/31 Aaron get on all fours to move around

READY FOR # 4......

FLIPPING THE BIRD

Abbey Says Goodbye to a Dear Ole' Friend

No folks, it's not Bun-Bun. It's her Nebulizer mask. Tuesday was her last appointment (God willing) at Children's w/ her Pulmonologist, who was great! Abbey was weaned from her Meds and now no more neb at night. YEAH--Thank GOD! (I think no Daycare had a hand in it as well.) The doctor said that it's a good sign she is doing so well in the middle of winter. Let's Pray we have no set backs.

VIOLATED!

Who the hell has the right to steal our credit card number and use it? Last night, during the super bowl, our credit card's fraud division--thank God for them--called to see if we made a purchase in San Francisco. UMMMM --no--wish i was there but NO! They also stopped purchases in New Zealand- not sure where the heck that is or if i even spelled it correctly. What an aweful feeling. I would never think of doing anything like that! It's just wrong.

Need Substitutes so I can Diet...Any Suggestions?

Here are some reasons why I can't go on a diet. Feel free to give ideas on how to substitute my favorite foods.

1. BIG MAC: who can't resist twoallbeefpattiesspecialsaucelettucecheesepickleonasesameseedbun? And a large Diet Coke--pretty ironic huh?
2. DOUBLE STUFFED OREO'S: ice cold mik and an oreo cookie--they forever go together--COME ON--it's a classic combination.
3. CAKE: usually around birthdays or special events--I have to be a good mom and not let Aidan and Abbey's leftovers go to waist.
4. BOLOGNA SANDWICHES: I will use low fat bologna sometimes but it just doesn't compare.

My pretty girl...

I was putting pony tails in Abbee D's hair on Friday. I concentrated so hard to get them to look good. I was talking to her about what a pretty girl she would be and didn't realize she was making this face until after I said it....

My Little Man

Saturday night, Aaron was Baptized. It was great! We were blessed with all our friends and family were there which made the 5:30 service at Crossroads PACKED. Aunt Megzy's sang "Godspeed" by the Dixie Chicks for my little man and she was AWESOME. I would like to post it but I'm sure she would kill me. We also had the best cake, of course made by Aunt Shawnie! Seriously---it was THE best cake I have EVER had---Here are a few pictures.

My Aidee Bug

Of course all of you know Aidan is my oldest. Is it bad to say that I miss the time we had alone before Abbey and Aaron? I do love my others just as much. (I have a tatoo that says Aidee bug on it--Do I need to get 2 more now?) Aidan is getting big so fast. He actually will get Abbey breakfast in the morning (poptart or cereal bar) put a movie in for both of them and sit with her just so I can get an extra 15-20 minutes extra sleep in the morning. He doesn't know I know he takes good care of his little sister. The other day he was getting snacks and it was the last one and he told her "Don't worry Abbey, Daddy and I are going to make sure we buy you more of these snacks when we go grocery shopping."
I really need to start taking time to do special things w/ each of my kids alone.

Thank Goodness! Snoop Dog Clarified

It's not Fo' Shizzle my Dizzle it's-
Fo' Shizzle my Nizzle- It Means:
For sure my Dude!

Guess the internet site I looked it up on was wrong. I apolize.

My Secret Night Life.....A Circus Act

My life at night is compared to that of a Clown Car--



A never ending line of fun things going on in my life at night.



10:00pm I finally get Aaron to sleep and in bed-settled (with bumper pads).

10:45pm I hunker down to sleep myself

12:15am Aidan wanders into my room, and tells me he can't sleep. I tell him then to just lay in bed and not to wake his brother up.

1:00am Aaron wakes up for his Midnight feeding-yeah-he was an hour late w/ it. He did go back to sleep in his crib-YEAH

2:15am Abbey wakes up, turns her light on-yep she can reach it now because I moved her furniture around. She immediately proclaims that she wants water. I tell her OK--if she is a good girl, I will give her water in the morning. (I do realize that this will probably only work for a few more months until she starts figuring out what I said.)

5:30am Aaron wakes once again for ANOTHER bottle. He was on the other side of the bed but not banging his head on the rails. Dan did help out by warming his bottle.
6:45am Aaron finally goes back to sleep.
7:45am Aidan and Abbey get up.
8:15am Aaron finally wakes up.

And that folks is a night in the life of my Circus.

Suggestions anyone??

Now that Aaron is on the move rolling around every where, does anyone have any suggestions about sleeping? He rolls over constantly and wakes up, bumps his head on the side of the crib because bumper pads are a no, no. He then starts crying, I run to his aid because I don't wantAidan to wake up and bring him in bed w/ me. YES=me- the one who said they would never let their kids sleep w/ them. He does however, continue rolling around, bumping his head on my headboard, waking up again. The sleep positioner does not work, swaddling does not work. Should I put the bumpers back? Any other suggestions?

WHAT THE HECK

How the Hell does Snoop Dog get a show??? I'm sitting here, "working", watching him trying to understand what he is saying while he shoves food down his throat.

I know--it's because of idiots like me watching it.

Changing my point of view--a little anyway-

About 10 months ago, I was watching Dr. Phil--Yes, I like watching him--. Anyway, the subject was about stay at home mom's versus working mom's. The stay at home mom said that working mothers do so because it is a way out of raising their kids,they are selfish, and she said some pretty rotten thing. Being a working mother at the time-I was screaming at the TV yelling back saying that was not true --yada yada yada. I actually thought i was going to have a heart attack because I was so angry.

Now that I work part time from home, I can see why that a SAHM would say some of that. IT IS HARD WORK! Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it would be this hard. I love it! But it IS hard. I have NOTHING against working mothers. It is a choice and there is nothing wrong with it at all. I fully support anyone who makes a decision to stay at home or work.

On the Go..

OK--Aidan and Abbey were pretty easy at 5 months, once they were able to sit, they sat in one place and played, never really rolled all that much.

Baby #3--OMG--he rolls everywhere! I put Aaron on his back on the floor in the living room and he ends up 12 feet away. Not even 5 months yet and he is mobile. HELP. I thought things were getting easier but I think #3 is going to give me a run for my money. Maybe it will burn off some calories chasing him around.

WHERE THE HELL IS ROMANCE???

I want romance!! It doesn't have to be a nooner at the Sybiras. But come one. A stinkin' crappy candle lit on the dresser would do it just fine w/ the ole' alarm clock radio playin in the back ground. Boy do I sound like W.T. or what??