Typical Evening Rountine

All right, I thought some of you would love a glimpse into a typical evening in the Gill Home.  Here is how it goes....

6:30- herd all children upstairs for bath, brush, books, and bed

6:32-tell children it is time to go upstairs

6:35- chase all children up the stairs

6:36- girls run into their room to get pjs and get naked, bear goes into his room to do heaven knows what, Parker runs into his room

6:38- chase after Parker as he runs down the hall with a toy sword

6:40- retrieve Parker from Bear's top bunk

6:43- chase Parker out of girls room so they can fish undressing

6:45- retrieve Parker off Bear's top bunk

6:48-start showers for girls, retrieve Parker off top bunk

6:50- comfort Bear who has been hit in the head with a plastic sword by Parker

6:55- holler to girls their shower time is almost over, ask Bear why he is not yet ready for shower, retrieve Parker off top bunk

6:56- chase Parker down the hall to get him undressed

7:00- finally tackle Parker to ground and undress him for bath, herd girls out of shower and Bear into the shower

7:05-Bathe Parker and wrestle him into his PJS

7:07- chase Parker out of Girls room, grabbing the pjs out of his hands and handing them to the girls so they can get dressed

7:10-check on Bear in shower, help girls brush teeth, retrieve Parker of top bunk

7:12- cut shower off and send bear to his room for the pjs ( which he was supposed to have brought into the bathroom with him) 

7:15-check all three older ones teeth, send them to pick story, grab Parker off top bunk and take him into his room for a story

7;20-read story to other three children

7:30-prayers, hugs, kisses, and LIGHTS OUT!!!!

7;35- collapse on sofa

Repeat each evening......

Two Little Gifts from God

Okay, I thought I would share with you a very wonderful thing that happened to me.  I had to go to the grocery store last Wednesday.  Before I go any further, I want all of you to realize that yes this WAS the day before Thanksgiving and yes I DID have to go to Walmart for more than a few items.  The children got out of school early and I had no intention of taking ANY of my children to Walmart the day before Thanksgiving sooooooo, I hired a sitter. This was the first gift, imagine being able to go to the store to grocery shop BY MYSELF... I think the amount of money I saved by the kid impulse buys CERTAINLY paid off the sitter.  Secondly, before I left my neighbor was feeling guilty that I had to brave the crowds for food so she said a little prayer for me.  Well, someone in the cosmic universe was listening because my shopping experiences was wonderful.  Not only did I find everything I needed, THERE WAS NO LINE!!!  I was able to walk right up to the register.  So, thank you to whoever it was out there looking out for me.... ANd if there are those of you who do not believe in God, come on... look at the facts... NO LINES AT WALMART!!!!!!!! And a sitter willing to watch four children....

Out of town

My dad is out of town.  This is important for a good reason.  He does not leave all that often but when he does, things seem to fall apart.  Last year when he left in November, my mom had pluresy and was bedridden, we had a horrendous rain storm in which my parents house flooded.  My husband was out of town for the day so I had to drive over with a five month old and 2 year old and try to coax my ill mother into the car with us so she would not be alone in a flooded house.  She refused so my sister and I took turns staying at the house for 3 days.  

Well it started again this morning.  I got a call while I was at the pediatricians office (getting Parker's second flu shot which he ended up NOT needing, a whole other post...)  and it was from my Mother's principal (she is a first grade teacher).  Mom was sick and needed me to come and pick her up.  SO, I packed up Parker, we drove out to her school to bring her home.  I got her all settled at the house, bowl beside her, coke and crackers next to her bed, reset the alarm and came on home, knowing I will be going over to check on her later in the day.  At least it is not supposed to rain, RIGHT???

Another Monday Morning....

Well my Monday morning started off well.  But then went quickly downhill... I think my wallet was stolen AGAIN so I have been spending the morning canceling, replacing, and changing all the info one keeps in their wallet.  Chad has to change the locks (yet again, 2 times in 10 months).  WHy does this seem to happen to me?  I guess I am too trusting of our fellow neighbors... Which is really upsetting to me.  My neighbor called and said he had money stolen out of his car as well last night, at least I am not the only one.  AND, I learned the hard way last time how to minimize what I do indeed keep in my purse.  HE did not get the motherload of cash and giftcards like last time but it is STILL a pain in the ---!  

VMI Trip

We went to VMI last weekend for a football game.  Well it did not turn out as well as we expected but we had a wonderful time.  We drove 2 1/2 hours up to the Institute, parked, unloaded everybody, got out all coats, hats, mittens, and backpacks we needed, and headed to the ticket booth.  It was not until then that we realized it would cost us close to $80 to go INTO the game.  I do not know how many of you who read are familiar with VMI and its football tradition but there is NEVER a game worth $80 to attend.  So, because we are wonderful parents, we quickly devised an alternative plan.  We watched SOME of the game from the hill behind one of the buildings then we headed into Crozet Hall for some lunch.  This is where we found the deal of the century.  It was an all you can eat buffet of hot and cold items for $5 a head.....AND 5 and under were free...yes FREE!!!! SO, my entire family of 6 ate for, you guessed it, $15!  You can not eat ANYWHERE for $15.  YEAH!!!  

After eating, we wondered around the campus with some friends, headed over the Sweat Things for a DELICIOUS ice cream treat then drove a short 1 hour to our friends house in Charlottesville.  There, we stayed on into the evening, having a wonderful time...great food and wonderful friends and ADULT conversation..... the children played and we talked until everyone was about to crash.  Chad and I then loaded everyone back up and headed on home.  All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday with my family!

Crazy Few Days

Well, I want to apologize to my faithful few readers for my lack of posting over the past few days but... hey, I have four kids... give me a break. No, seriously, we are back! I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving. We certainly did. We went to my side of the family for lunch and CHad;s side of the family for dinner. The children got to play with TONS of cousins, new and old, and we got to visit with lots of family. I got the pleasure of meeting some new members as well (not so new to the family but new to me) which was a wonderful delight! The day after Thanksgiving is decorate for Christmas day in our house. We ventured out, put down a small fortune on a tree, came home and attempted to decorate with WILD MAN undecorating as fast as we could work. We chose to save the tree trimming until this morning.... not our best decision but we wanted all children to be a part of it. Let me just sum up the morning with this..ALL CHILDREN WERE A PART OF IT...I am not saying what part that is.
Now we are taking over the great leaf pile in the front SO we can find our kids again. They went out a few hours ago not to be seen since. I figure once ALL the leaves are blown, they will turn up. Probably just in time to pounce on the large pile and quickly spread all the leaves again.

3 Ring Circus

We were at some good friends house over the weekend and we were discussing the wonderful transistion times we both have in the early evening before Daddy comes home from work. (She is a mom of 3) While we were talking, mu husband interjected and said coming home to our house each evening was like' " Walking into a 3 ring circus on fire being attacked by pirates..." We laughed so hard becasue sometimes it is SO TRUE!!! But now that he has voiced that analogy, he must really know what the homefront is like in the evenings...SOOOOOOOO, when he says he needs to work late, is that really true or does he not want to Sword UP and fight against those pirates OR pull out the fire extinguisher.......
Next time he calls, maybe I will lock myself in the bathroom so he can not hear the chaos and he will quickly come home.

Time for the Run Around

Fridays are our run around days. What I mean by that is we literally have to drive to two different activities in opposite directions to drop off and pick up the older two. The younger two get stuck in the car seat from the 3:45 when it is quick get in the car from the bus and change your clothes to 5:30 and finally picking big sister back up at tap. Along the middle is, drive one direction to drop of bear at karate by 4:20 then drive in the opposite direction to drop Logan off at Tap by 4;30 then drive back again to pick up son from karate by 5pm and back again to pick Logan back up at 5:30. Then arriving home at 5:45, trying to decide what and when to fix dinner for four children who are STARVING ( like they haven't eaten in WEEKS!!!!). Do I order pizza? Throw hot dogs inthe microwave? Whatever it is STILL takes time to prepare. AND THEY CAN"T MAKE IT ANY LONGER!!!!!
Now, of course, my husband just called and he has to send his car with an employee to a job site so he needs to be picked up as well. But on't worry, yes his does work in yet another direction, swamped by 5 o clock traffic. I guess I will just squeeze it in between the children. Of course I can do it... NO PROBLEM.... at least the younger two do not get carsick!
Would somebody please hurry up and invent the Teleporter?????

The Bear and the Bus

Sounds like a great children's book, huh? Well not so much in our house, however, things do tend to be going better. I have simply decided if he can deal with it in the afternoons, then I will drive him in the mornings. Heck, I have to have everybody up and fed and dressed, throwing them in the car for the 1/2 mile drive to school is the least of my concerns. I think it really comes down to the fact that Barrettt simply does not like the bus, maybe nothing horrible is happening, he just doesn't like it and that is okay. He is seven and you do not have to love or even like the bus as long as you ride it when mommy needs you to. So, the two of us sat down and talked about ways to make the bus ride better, things to do and say, and then I packed him up and he headed out. He says it is not great but OKAY and I guess I can live with OKAY, as long as he is alright, which he seems to be for now.
A good friend asked me how do we get our little guys (and girls) to come to us when there is a problem? I sure do not know the answer but at least for the time being Bear and the rest of them seem pretty comfortable telling me what is going on and what their needs are (emotional AND physical) I hope I have and continue to create a safe and loving environment for them all and then Chad and I do the best we can when each situation arrives.

What to write?

I am trying to be good about posting most days but I more than often stumble upon the quandry of what exactly should I write? Can my life me so exciting that lots ( at least I HOPE it is lots) of people read my blog and are interested in what I have to say...
I guess if you were not intereseted, you would not read any more... Oh well, back to the quandry? What to write? What do you want to hear about? Anyone?????????
Totally off the subject, does anyone know how to check and see how many hits you have on your blog?

Another Day in the trenches

Well the week has been going pretty well, despite the fact that Daddy is out of town. YES, he was out of town last night and called this evening and said it will be at least another day. Now some would feel really sorry for my dear husband, having to work far away from home late hours into the evening and waking early to continue working BUT think about it, WORKING FAR AWAY FROM THE FAMILY. No diapers to change, table manners to correct, homework to help with, dinner to cook and kitchens to clean, baths and showers to assist with, stories to be read, and kisses and hugs to be dolled out (sometimes more than once) Does that sound like a bad thing for him? Not so much. But do not fear, Mommy is here in all her glory to pick up where Daddy can not fill in, even if it DOES involve fixng broken TVs and DVRs, changing batteries in smoke detectors (so they stop beeping in the middle of the night), and taking the trash out.
We miss you daddy, hurry home soon! I am not sure if the masking tape on the Shark will hold much longer.....

A Fine Line

Okay... I am walking a fine line right now with my eldest child. He is having a hard time on the bus. So much of a hard time, that he does not want to ride the bus. He gets very upset before school and today even called me to come and get him because he was not feeling well. I do not know if he really did not feel well ( which I doubt because he was trying to ride his bike 1 hour after arriving home) or if he was afraid to ride the bus home. Something is going on and all I can get out of him is that he does not want to go. I have talked to the counselor at school and the principal. They said Barrett needs to figure out how to solve his own problems and stand up for himself if he needs something. My problem is this. I am a stay at home mom. He does not have to ride the bus. I can easily take him to school in the mornings and with a little trouble, pick him up in the afternoons; BUT, do I need to teach him to tough things out? Does he need to solve his own problems at the ripe old age of seven or is it okay for me to protect and shelter him a bit longer? I mean, really, isn't it our job as parents to watch over, care for, and look out for our little guys? Isn't it ultimately my job as a mom to protect him and help him feel safe and secure each day? I do not want him to grow up and be such a needy child that he can not take care of himself, but he is SEVEN...
I don't know what the right thing to do is... any tips????

4 Day Weekend

Really, do the kids need to be out of school for two days RIGHT after Halloween? I guess Chesterfield County feels like it so here I am attempting to do my typical Monday routine with ALL FOUR KIDS HOME and an extra friend. No big deal but this will not be a long post becasue I just heard screaming from outside. Anyways, Happy Monday and realize they are off tomorrow as well for Election day so another post might not occur till Wednesday but i will try. Have a great day!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Okay, Happy Halloween to all a day late. Here is the picture of my crew in their costumes. Unfortunately, they did not go quite according to plan. The PLAN was to have the Justice league.. with Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Superman, and Flash... What I got was Wonder Woman, Supergirl/Tinkerbell (notice the green wings), Superman, and a scary skeleton. Chad keeps telling me it is not about what I want but what they want to be. I tend to disagree, really it is about a cute picture!
The evening went well, my wonderful mom came over, ate dinner with us, then manned the door while we took all four in our cul de sac. THEN, Cooper and Parker went back to help NANA and the older two ventured out through the rest of the neighborhood. BUT, Cooper did not go before she handed her basket to Logan and asked her to get her some more "TANDY!" Gotta love her..... So, all in all, it was a good and noneventful Halloween with not too much of a sugar high last night or crash this morning.