Happy birthday to me!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear me, happy birthday to me! Today is my birthday! I love my birthday! It is one of my favorite days of the year AND one of my favorite times of the year as well. I do not mind getting a little older (that will probably change in the near future!) Anyway, it has been a wonderul day and only promises to get better! I love to look back and see how much we have accomplished and been through and survived over the past year.... I try not to focus on what I HAVE NOT done but on what I HAVE DONE!!! I have survived a full year ( and a little more) as a stay at home mom of four, survived hospital stays, sicknesses, celebrated 10 years of marriage to the love of my life, managed to get eveyone to school, appointments, practices, rehearsals, meetings, and numerous playdates ALMOST on time, survived a summer with 4 kids at home with each steadfast vying for my attention, we've made creative projects and games on a whim, the house is still standing and is reasonably clean most of the time, most of all I have enjoyed this past year of life to the fullest and look forward to enjoying the next....

Great people

I know MANY wonderful people in my life. I have been blessed with encounterig so many caring, generous, loving people throughout my experiences. I have also had many role models, on the career and mom front. I had lunch with one of them today. My own mom is wonderful...she has taught me so much and I thank her for that. Another mom has also played a large part in my life, the mom of 5 that I nannied for while growing up. We had lunch today and it was no surprise to me how at ease and comfortable my children feel around her. She is a wonderful mother and helped show me that bigger families are the way to go. She handles her five (now 2 of which are grown, one out of the house, and 2 still at home) with such ease I simply watch and learn. I hope I can look that at ease one day with all of my wonderful offspring AND look as rested!

HUG YOUR BABY

I just received some terrible news about a friend's little girl today and in light of some news I heard early this week of another friend's little girl, I just want to remind every MOM and dad and anyone else who reads this to hug your babies today!!!!!! I am off to hug and play with mine.....

Playing meme

Okay, my friend tagged me to play this game. What you are supposed to do is pick up the book you are reading and turn to page 161. Read and post the 5th sentence on that page and then tag five bloggers to do the same. Here it goes, I am actually going to write the 4th sentence, because the 5th isn't a real sentence and would make no sense.
I am reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
"The murderous thing is what we do every morning after meditation and before breakfast (my God, these mornings are long)- a chant we called the Gurugita."
What could that chat be or mean? What kind of chat would you say you might say in the mornings?
Mine would be, "Get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast...get dressed, brush teeth, eat breakfast..." I wish it were more exciting or spiritual. How about ya'll????
I tag:
Cathy L.
Christie B. Rossen
Dorothy
I do not feel comfortable tagging others because I do not know them well enough, despite reading their blog everyday but PLEASE feel free to comment and I will come and check you out!

Not much to say

I dont have much to say today but in keeping with my goal, I wantd to at least write s short post. Things are quiet on the homefront for the time being but that could change at any moment. One is sleeping and one is quietly playing while I frantically try to catch up on all it takes to run a house of 6 somewhat smoothly. In fact, I think I here the wild man calling... til next time..

Odd sort of Morning Off

Today I had the morning off. I dropped the oldest 2 off at school, the 3 year old at preschool, and my dad arrived to watch the baby for the morning. Why you ask? So I could go to the OBGYN for an annual checkup. YEP folks, that is my big exciting morning off..headed off to the doctor to be stripped down and examined once a year. Don't feel bad for me though, in fact it was quite blissful. I was allowed to drive for 25 minutes with the windows down and radio on music I enjoy. I then was free to park anywhere I wanted without fear of small children running through the parking lot or complaints of being to tired to walk. I then breathed in the wonderful (warm) fall air as I strolled into the office. I entered the elevator and did not have the referee a fight over who was going to push the buttons. I checked in, sat and waited in the quiet waiting room and read my book. She was running behind so I was given 45 minutes of peace and quiet to read. After a QUICK and PAINLESS ( I LOVE my ob!) checkup, it was back down the elevator, back to the car, and back home where my wonderful dad had picked up the 3 year old from preschool AND LUNCH for us all.

HAPPY HAPPY FALL!!!

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I just want to wish everyone out there in blogland a very happy fall! I know it is not the official first day of fall, that already past, but I finally felt like it was becoming fall this past weekend. We went to the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins and had our carving session at the house. I just love this time of year. I love the flavors, smells, sites, temperature (NORMALLY, we are having a heat wave right now as I sit and type in my shorts and a tshirt)... I love Pumpkin spice lattes and apple pies, changing leaves, football games, jeans, sweatshirts, cool evenings with our windows open. This time of year just makes me happy. I feel so good.......
The pics above are from our outing this weekend and LOOK, Mommy is actually in one of the pictures. A family on the hayride took it of all of us and I took one of them. We then proceded to have a conversation about how very few pictures there are of Mommy because she is always the one with the camera. The others are of my two girls and my two boys. Please notice Parker's shirt, it is SO APPROPRIATE...it says, Lil' Wild Man and he SO IS! Everyone had a wonderful time AND got great pumpkins.

Another Sleepless NIght

I wish there was a way to turn off mommy ears. It is simply not fair that they can pick up the slightest noise from another room and then cause one to stay awake for 2 hours until sleep can be found again. I think I am going to have to invest in ear plugs. Do you know how hard it is to fall back asleep when babies are playing in their crib (happily mind you) and Daddy is snoring right beside me? It is a wonder more husbands are not injured in their sleep by tired mothers. How can they sleep through everything? My favorite is when they wake up well rested and say, "WOW! I slept great last night. The kids must not have made a PEEP!!" Yeah, right....

Too Cute for Words

I have decided that this is by far my favorite time of year and it is becasue of one thing.... FLEECE FOOTED PJs! Have you ever seen anything cuter than a toddler running around in fleece footed pjs? I have not! Bring it on snow, sleet, cold winds, and nighttime chills, MY kiddos will be warm and toasty all season... AND, they are too cute for words!

How do I do it?

Please, someone, tell me how to do it! I DON"T KNOW HOW and I am admitting I need help. The thing that I do not know how to do is spend enough time with everyone AND get everything I want and need to get done. I'm starting to feel really guilty becasue I feel like the time is slipping away from me while my kids are still young. I feel like I simply blinked and now I am a mom of a seven, five, three, and one year old. Never again will there be those days of more then one in diapers, snuggles while feeding a bottle, and babies. I don't know how to split my time up. I keep reading all these articles, emails, bogs, that tell me to stop what I am doing and enjoy my kids. Read them a story, play a game with them, but then I look at the laundry, look at the mess, groceries to be bought and I feel like I will do it tomorrow. But does that tomorrow ever come? I am doing my best and trying really hard to spend at least a couple quality minutes each day with each kid but I am afraid I am missing so much. Please, if anyone has any advice out there I would love to hear it because I don't know what to do!

Another loan

Well we now need another loan on the house... we went to Saxon Shoes yesterday. Seven pairs of shoes and a car payment later we have seven new pairs of shoes ( sadly, mommy did not get any....) I guess I should have prefaced things by saying I am a shoe snob. Not a shoe snob in the way that we have tons of pairs of shoes or that my kiddos have lots of shoes. No, in fact no one in the house has more that 2 pairs of shoes but they are good shoes. Nice looking, supportive, rugged shoes that seem to cost a small fortune. I feel that shoes are one place where I need to spend a little more money because it is so important for the us all to have a good foundation. Because of this, it always seems in the fall and spring we have to spend a small fortune to outfit them in new sneakers and school/church shoes. BUT, I did get a good deal because Saxon gives people over 60 a 10% discount AND if it is your birthday month you get 10 % so I dragged my dad along to get 20% OFF EACH PAIR of shoes ( because he is turning 60 this month so we could take advantage of both discounts...). We saved in excess of $60. YEAH FOR ME!!!!! Now, I wonder if they can hold out until June when my mom turns 60!!! Keep your fingers crossed their feet don't grow too fast...

Glasses....

Okay, I have a few beefs with glasses makers and glasses providers. First off, how are we, who wear glasses, supposed to pick a good looking pair frames that are attractive and compliment our face WHEN WE CAN"T SEE without our glasses. Second of all, how are we, who wear glasses, supposed to be able to FIX said glasses when they break WHEN WE CAN"T SEE. Do you see the problem? It all came to a head when this morning I went to put on my glasses and for some strange unexplanable reason, my lens fell out, along with the screw. SO, I had to get down on my hands and knees and search the rug for the TINY screw and when I did find it I had to attempt to screw it back in, ALL WHILE NOT WEARING MY GLASSES. There has got to be a better way!

Home safe and sound

Logan made it home safe and sound yesterday evening after a short 5 days in the hosptial. She will be home the rest of the week and then off to school on MOnday. I tell you, it amazes me how wonderfully resilient (sure I spelled wrong) children are. Not six days ago. she was doubled over in pain and on her way to surgery and now I am chass after her ASKING her to slow down. If it were you or me, we would have been out of commision for at least a week. The entire experience seems very sureal to both Chad and myself. I can not can a handle on the fatc that just a feew short days aon our daughter was being rushed into surgery and now she is home. I wonder if I ever will... Maybe it is a blessing it happened so fast so Chad and myself simply slipped into survival parent mode instead of having lots of time to ponder the situation. Whatever it is, I am glad it is over and WoLo is safe and sound. Short side note to all the mothers out there....ALWAYS trust your intuition, no matter what the doctors say at first!

A Little exhausted

Sorry for not blogging for a few days but things have been a little crazy. Logan got sick last Wednesday evening and long long LONG few days told short she went in for emergency surgery Friday at 11pm with a ruptured appendix. SHe has been in the hospital for four nights and expected home tomorrow. Needless to say, having her there and the other 3 here made for a pretty eventful past copuple days. NOw PArker is coming down with somthing so on the night I have stayed here ( to get a little more rest) he has been up also. At least he does not turn the light on to check vitals every hour...no he just cries. Now that I know she is fine and hopefully coming home tomorrow, I AM EXHAUSTED! I think the adreniline has worn off so I AM OFF TO BED, yes it is 8:30 but I deserve it. Good night......

Ode to our good friend Hanger

Well our good friend Hanger came to stay with us last night becasue he had a conference in Richmond. His wife was to come but she had to stayhome so it was the boys and me. I can tell you Hanger is a really good friend...one of the best...and they way I can tell this is: he volunteered to stay at home with four children, one of them sick, no real guest room, no bathroom to himself, and he woke up and greeted us with a smile despite the endless night of 6 bathroom trips, four calls for mommy and trips up and down the hall, 3 crying baby outbusrts, a tissue run, and a toliet that would not stop running. All this was going on right upstairs while he was tryng to sleep on my tempory fix to the lack of guest room we will call my couch! We love you Hanger
Not to mention, he was the one who introduced us to the Keurig...he gained an entire new level of admiration then.

God Bless the Keurig

We just got a new coffee maker and I am PSYCHED!!!! I LOVE IT!!! In fact, it has come in handy quite well on the past two days. Let me give you a little background. I did not used to be a big coffee drinker. I am not addicted but it sure does taste good these days. Also, my husband is the one to make the coffee. He and my dad are my favorite two men when it comes to coffee BUT Chad has been going to the gym every morning so the pot has remained empty!!! BUMMER!! Not anymore, Chad got me a Keurig. It is a single serving coffee make that even I can work. Also, you make one cup at a time so I can have all the frufru flavored coffee I want and Chad can't complain. LOVE IT!!!! Love the Pumpkin Spice coffee also... Now, why has it come in handy? CAFFINE BABY!!! My eldest daughter has a stomach bug that has kept her up so in turn kept me up. When you have only one kid, that is not so much of a big deal because she does nap during the day BUT CAN I NAP?? NO! I have 3 others I have to get up, fed, dressed, 2 off to school, and then entertain the baby wall while trying to keep him far away from his sick sister in a feeble attempt to keep the germs from spreading though the entire family. Need another reasn to worship the Keurig? Not I!

Why do we promise such things?

Why do we promise such things? Such things as...happy meals after shots, candy after being good in the store, toys for doing homework, going out to dinner or ice cream for a very bad day.... I think we do all of this promising each time to make ourselves better, not for the child but for us as moms. We promise such things to make ourselves feel better when we see our children struggling, hurting, or having a hard time. Do they need it??? Probably not, in fact I know they don't. We do it solely for ourselves. The children would be more than happy with an extra hug, a kiss, or a good old pat on the back. They would be fine with smaller amounts of stuff and more time with us. Time, that can seem like such a difficult thing to give in our busy lives but it shouldn't be. We work so hard to make a good life for our kids so we can buy them things but if we sat down and took the time, we would not NEED to buy such things. It is a tough balance as a stay at home mom. The laundrry needs to be done, house cleaned, dinner made, errands run but the children need the time with us. I find it so difficult to stop what I am doing for the five minutes it takes to play with my children. SO, moms and dads out there...I charge you with a task. This task is one I am going to try and accomplish over the next few weeks and I will keep you updated on its progress. I hope all of you out there in blogland will do the same and keep me posted as to your progress as well. I am asking each of you to try and stop promising so much. Try and to stop give that extra hug and kiss after the doctors appointment instead of hitting the drivethru. Try to put down the dirty dishes and the vacumn and play a game with the monkies while they still want us to play a game with them. I know it is going to be hard, so hard. I mean if any of you are like me, you try and get everything done before bedtime so when everyone is in bed, you can have 5 minutes of peace and quiet before you yourself need to hit the sack. If you stop the dishes now, you will have to do them after the kids are in bed. But, let's think about this, how much longer are these children going to want us to play that game with them????? Wish me luck and good luck to you all!