Hubby shout out!

Here's a little early birthday shout out to my sweet hubby!
Here are just ten out of the many many things I love about you...
10. You are right all the time, just like me. :)
9. You don't mind sandwiches or cereal as a back up meal in case the first plan-my experiment- went wrong.
8. You take care of the wrinkles in your clothes and have never made me feel guilty for not ironing.
7. You do a great job cutting the boys' hair.
6. You sometimes let me watch food network iron chef with you instead of a show of your choice.
5. You take charge of returning the movies and keeping enough milk in the fridge.
4. You give the last good bite to the kids or me even when you really want it.
3. You willingly hop up out of the rocking chair, so I can sit there with the baby, even when you were all settled in.
2. You get up to get me water, even after you have already sat down (I forgot to ask sooner). ps (I really try to remember before you sit down)
1. You are the best husband and father.
I love you! Happy Birthday!!

Better food question

Do you know a good website for healthy recipes? When I know what food is on sale I like food network, because I can type in ingredients and pull up recipes. It works great, but the recipes are not necessarily healthy. So, do you know a similar site that can do an ingredient search but focuses on healthier foods?

Monkeys don't talk

Today one of the kids came up to me and had a tennis shoe on one foot and a water shoe on the other. He said, "Look Mom, I have on two different shoes!" I said, "Oh, are you a crazy monkey?" To that he replied, "No Mom, I'm a boy not a monkey." Then he must have thought I needed more explanation and said, "Monkeys don't talk." ... I'm glad he cleared that up for me. :)

Just when we thought they were asleep...we find...

...more toilet paper helps. If you can't read kid it says, "Follow this line."

The start is here!

Do you need help finding the beginning of the toilet paper roll? Let us send our kids to your house and they can label the start for you!

Camera on the loose

I left the camera sitting around, and when I was browsing through my pictures I came across this one. When I inquired as to why this picture was on my camera, I found out the kids took the picture. They said, "the room was so clean!" So, because of their amazement, the clean room has now been documented.

Serious for a second

Why it's great to be a mother.... I feel like holding a new baby is like holding heaven in my arms. I find I have a difficult time putting my baby down. Instead, I find reasons to hold my baby all day long. The creation of new life is challenging to say the least. I, however, think the spirit of a newborn is like a tangible intangible. This is because the feeling when holding one is so intense, one can not help but feel their radiant goodness. Many times I wish the goodness I felt was tangible; I would bottle it. So, my sweet little one who fills the air with completing joy is one of many reasons it's great to be a mother.

It's time to get TiVo

In the past I have not had a "must see" show, so not having TiVo has been no big deal. And for the amount of tv I like to view, commercials are no big deal. But, now I've changed. The other night we were watching a program as a family. The show was completely appropriate for my children. Then a commercial came on to watch a show about the man who had a baby. Argggh. My kids were so confused. "Mom," they asked, "can a man have a baby?" I spent some time explaining no. Of course no wasn't good enough. Further I explained that he was really a girl who decided to be a man. There is no way a man could have a baby--one major reason is because they don't have a uterus. My kids seemed satisfied. That alone was not enough to have me banning all commercials and running out and getting TiVo. But, it appears as if the idea from that commercial stayed in my children's heads, because after it mulled around awhile they came up with a new question. "So, if he's not really a man, then can two girls get married?" My kids are too smart sometimes...so I guess we need TiVo.

A quote I read off of someone's bulletin board

I liked this quote, "I don't mind going to work each day...it's the eight hours sitting around waiting to go home that drives me crazy."

It's half full today

Lately I wonder if I am happy with the little weight I have lost since my baby, or discouraged with the large amount of weight left to lose. J was so excited to tell me, "Mom, I can reach my arms all around you when I hug you now...you are so small." Not long after, O stated, "Mom, you look pregnant." Ughh. I guess both are true. Kids are pretty frank and pretty honest, for the most part. Realizing I am both small and big is a comforting realization for me. If I am both, I can choose which view I would like to adopt as my vision. In addition, I can stop the habit of quickly discarding the kind compliments of others, understanding that I should not be presumptuous as to how they view me. With this in mind, I choose today's glass to be half full...cuz I'm hungry (and thirsty ha ha). And, hunger and frustration don't mix.

Fun little conversation

A sweet lady asked my husband, "Is this your oldest?" He replied, "Yes." She then asked, "How many children do you have...two?" He countered, "No, four actually." Surprised, she then taunted, "Don't you know you can watch tv, or read books, or play games?"

Candy anyone?

Dazed and confused is what J looked like when checking Valentines after school. "Mom, where is the candy with this card?" I remember when getting a candy with the card was a special Valentine. That brings me to my latest question. Everyone is keeping up with the Jones' such as candy at Valentine's, more treats at class parties, businesses offering candy at every turn, and most of all enough candy at Halloween to last a lifetime. Even our dentist offers suckers! First I'll admit, guilty as charged. So, should any of this change? Is it my responsibility to help make a change? Am I contributing to the problem of obesity? Is it really no big deal? Should schools and businesses be at all accountable? J comes home from school with candy/treats all the time. I try hard not to buy sweets, but it seems like candy is offered all the time, making it almost impossible to avoid or at least only consume sweets in appropriate portions. Thanks to the mom who sent pencils this year for Valentines. Hmmm, maybe I am just cheap. Candy is such an inexpensive way to make a valentine.

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing you the best Valentine's Day. Here's some flowers. Enjoy. And, for all the fam., I've got a big hug for you next time I see you.

Confessions of a late night shopper

I just realized I missed my chance to run to the store tonight. I was informed of a really good sale at Kohls, and I would go now except they're closed. I really love late night shopping trips while the kids are asleep, and watching the kids is just a little bit not as hectic for my love. But, I really shouldn't be surprised I forgot. After running a quick errand, barely making it to the school for after school pick up, feeding the baby, loading up the kids, going to the grocery store with all of them (yes, all of them), and realizing I had no time to make the dinner with all of the groceries I planned on using, picking up pizza, feeding the baby, throwing in the pizza, eating, cleaning up, and then having kids who fought tooth and nail to not go to bed, it's actually amazing I even remembered I had more I wanted to do today. Usually, I don't remember for days, weeks maybe, if ever. And, besides the amazing skills I show shopping on my own such as getting to the front door of the store from my car in under a minute (no kids you see), I have to confess what I probably love the most...even more than not taking the whole entourage into the dressing room...is the drive. I turn up the radio loud to whatever I am in the mood for and car dance. The dancing is not just a little crazy, it's a lot crazy. It makes me smile, and sometimes I notice it makes other drivers smile, which makes me smile just a little bit more.

This blog is making me happy

Yesterday, my hubby called right as I had hung up on the phone. I had been talking with someone about my blog. While I was saying bye to that person, D fell and started screaming. I didn't even hear the goodbye, but I knew it was there. I smiled as I hung up and laughed to myself--just another reason why I love my new blog. No one hears my kids while they read my stories. Right then my hubby called. I guess he could hear my smile through the phone because after only a hello he asked, why are you so happy?

Too close for comfort

Walking by the kids' room I glanced inside only to find D in the corner with pants completely down. I was in save the carpet mode for a second until D saw me and abruptly turned. There was no evidence of pee anywhere, luckily. So, I began the questioning. O, who was standing nearby and looked like the mastermind of this operation was questioned first. I asked what is going on. O calmly replied, "Mom, we were just playing house and that was the bathroom." When I continued and said you only go to the bathroom in the real bathroom O again replied, "Mom, we were only pretending." I tell you what, I didn't think I would ever have to put a cramp in my kids pretending, but I did. No more pretend bathrooms with realistic pants pulled down.

Choosing a blog address

Here it goes, I am all ready to start a blog. So, what's first...pick a blog title and address. I started typing in the first things that came to my mind. Of course, all of those addresses were taken. Then I got creative--I thought. Still they were all taken. Out of frustration I thought, I am too tired to think of anything else, how about (and I typed the first thing that came to mind) crunchy taco. It was taken! Are you kidding?! I wasn't serious. So then I started typing anything I could think of like "free loader" and "wet dog". You guessed it...taken. Seriously, I was already losing my mind a little today and this topped it off. Then I thought, someone, please pass the brain. And there you have it.