Well I've started this post about 5 times this week and have yet to get it published. Between starting back to work, my 6 kids still being home, meeting teachers, preparing for a new school year, laundry, housework...you know the list...I just haven't found the time to blog.
So while the little ones are napping I can hopefully write about something exciting.
We have been to visit the children new teachers. I am very pleased with all of them. Hopefully, that will continue throughout the year of course. I can't believe how fast the summer has gone, but I am more than ready to get back on schedule around here. I have planned meals in awhile b/c of traveling and practices. We've been eating good though...Chicken N Dumplings, several apple pies w/ cinnamon sauce have been made, a Low Country Boil has been made almost every week, Potato Soup, and few different creamy chicken recipes have been tried. While my step-daughter has been here she requested a few meals so I have tried to make sure she had her requests met.
This weekend will be full of getting school supplies, finishing up all laundry so things are organized w/ easy access for our hectic mornings, and just getting it all together for an easy transition back to the real world. I'm getting the menu together today as well as getting our 4 year olds home school pre-k stuff planned. I am going to start adding some of that to my blog as well...some lessons and various projects that we are working on.
Stay tuned for updates on menu and easy homework transitions.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Hiatus... But back and ready for a new start
We've been off to the 6U Little League World Series w/ our little Bubby. Man that boy loves baseball. We've been home a day and a half and all I hear is "Mom will you pitch to me? Play catch? Please? Dad...anyone want to play baseball?"
This whole summer revolved around baseball and various weekend to mid-week tournaments.
I can't believe my summer vacation is over in less than a week. I am ready for us to get back to a schedule and routine. I know hubby and the kids are too. I've been quite cranky lately. The house being disorganized and me not having any time to myself what so ever makes for a cranky mommy. I long for the days when things are "done" and I can find a good book and fall into bed. Every night lately I've thought to myself "There is so much to do when I get up in the morning. When am I going to be able to enjoy climbing in bed and reading again?" I'm not seeing the light yet...but by next week I have no choice but to have everything done as I start work back up on Monday.
I am ready to get back on our schedule. I like having dinners planned, going to the gym, baths done, and everyone in bed before 9. Maybe when the kids start back to school in a week I'll get my reading and gym time in.
This whole summer revolved around baseball and various weekend to mid-week tournaments.
I can't believe my summer vacation is over in less than a week. I am ready for us to get back to a schedule and routine. I know hubby and the kids are too. I've been quite cranky lately. The house being disorganized and me not having any time to myself what so ever makes for a cranky mommy. I long for the days when things are "done" and I can find a good book and fall into bed. Every night lately I've thought to myself "There is so much to do when I get up in the morning. When am I going to be able to enjoy climbing in bed and reading again?" I'm not seeing the light yet...but by next week I have no choice but to have everything done as I start work back up on Monday.
I am ready to get back on our schedule. I like having dinners planned, going to the gym, baths done, and everyone in bed before 9. Maybe when the kids start back to school in a week I'll get my reading and gym time in.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
If I Could Write a Letter...to me...and send it back in time...
To myself at 17...
First I'd start by saying..."The struggles you are about to face are all going to be worth it in the end. Challenges are about to come your way that are going to seem impossible to face, but you have the strength to get through them. Sometimes giving up would be easier than giving it the best fight you've got...but you will succeed so push as hard as you can to get through them.
Right now your worries about the right clothes, your body image, the cute boy you can't get over will be long gone when you're married (for the 2nd time) and raising 5children. Your worries change to money, health, your marriage, and keeping it all together. But you will find strength!"
When I think back to when I was a teenager and sometimes felt like my life was so hard, or was coming to an end over a silly situation I can't get over the fact that at those times I thought I'd never make it through. Little did I know I would be having a baby at 18, left to raise her on my own, putting myself through college, and finding love again all before I was 21 years old. I never imagined I'd go on to marry and have 4 more children. This job is much harder than anything I've been through yet, but looking at the past and where I've been and what I've been through I know that this time too will be something I look back on and say "Wow I did it. I made it through."
I'd also tell myself to live a little more. Experience more, date more, enjoy being single for a little while longer. Not that I would trade this life for another but it's good advice I give my babies...Live Life you only get one! Stop worrying about the end "prize" in a situation...the fun of it is the whole process.
Having a teenager now who is facing many of the same struggles that I thought I'd never live through I find it hard not to say "Suck it up. He's not worth it. When you grow up you won't even know him". But to her it's so real right now and her world really feels like it's going to end. Listening to her I remember those same feelings of hopelessness and thinking "he" was the one...whichever "he" it was at the time. Many more "he's" will come and go, but this too shall pass.
If only I could have written a letter to myself and received it when I was young too...maybe things wouldn't have been so emotional. What would you tell yourself?
First I'd start by saying..."The struggles you are about to face are all going to be worth it in the end. Challenges are about to come your way that are going to seem impossible to face, but you have the strength to get through them. Sometimes giving up would be easier than giving it the best fight you've got...but you will succeed so push as hard as you can to get through them.
Right now your worries about the right clothes, your body image, the cute boy you can't get over will be long gone when you're married (for the 2nd time) and raising 5children. Your worries change to money, health, your marriage, and keeping it all together. But you will find strength!"
When I think back to when I was a teenager and sometimes felt like my life was so hard, or was coming to an end over a silly situation I can't get over the fact that at those times I thought I'd never make it through. Little did I know I would be having a baby at 18, left to raise her on my own, putting myself through college, and finding love again all before I was 21 years old. I never imagined I'd go on to marry and have 4 more children. This job is much harder than anything I've been through yet, but looking at the past and where I've been and what I've been through I know that this time too will be something I look back on and say "Wow I did it. I made it through."
I'd also tell myself to live a little more. Experience more, date more, enjoy being single for a little while longer. Not that I would trade this life for another but it's good advice I give my babies...Live Life you only get one! Stop worrying about the end "prize" in a situation...the fun of it is the whole process.
Having a teenager now who is facing many of the same struggles that I thought I'd never live through I find it hard not to say "Suck it up. He's not worth it. When you grow up you won't even know him". But to her it's so real right now and her world really feels like it's going to end. Listening to her I remember those same feelings of hopelessness and thinking "he" was the one...whichever "he" it was at the time. Many more "he's" will come and go, but this too shall pass.
If only I could have written a letter to myself and received it when I was young too...maybe things wouldn't have been so emotional. What would you tell yourself?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Not Me! Monday
Are you feeling guilty about the lack of attention you gave to your children this week? The house being messy when your husband comes home? Answering the door in your pajamas? Well don't be! Mondays were born to confess all of the things we did "Not Do" and is a great therapy for moms everywhere. Check out MckMama's page and see what so many other mom's are Not doing also.
This past Sunday I did Not allow my children to stay in their pajamas for more than 36 hours. Of course that would not be something this very loving and on top of things mother would do. Therefore, I also did Not wear my pajamas the entire day either. No way Not me!
This same always on top of it super mom did Not allow the children to even play outside in the sandbox and play baseball in those same pajamas. What kind of mother does that? Definitely Not this one!
This same super mom would Not have allowed those same children to then snuggle up on the couch with her in those same dirty pajamas that were slept in, eaten breakfast, lunch, dinner, and played outside in to watch a movie together. No Way! That is horrible parenting. This said movie was also Not put on after the 9:00 bedtime. There is No way that any of this would be allowed to occur.
I also did Not leave all of the sleeping children on the couch and floor in the living room to head up to my own comfortable bed so as to not disturb their sleep.
I also did Not give my 14 month old baby who has been off the bottle for over 2 months a bottle at 6:00 AM knowing it would probably put him back to sleep. Therefore, I certainly did not get to go back to sleep until 8:45! There is no way I would ever do that just for a few more hours of sleep. No Way! I always get up bright and early to get the day started and a yummy breakfast on the table.
I'm so glad to get those things off my Not to do list! What have you Not done this week?
Supper Sunday turned into Menu Monday
Cheesy I know...but the weekend seems to go so fast and I never had a chance to sit and blog last night.
Anyway...Yummy food planned this week before we leave for the World Series Thursday!
Sunday-Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, broccoli w/ hollondaise sauce, dinner roll and strawberries for dessert
Monday-Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo, salad, garlic bread w/ cheese
Tuesday-Pool Party w/ pizza and fruit salad and cake planned
Wednesday-Honey Ginger Chicken w/ Vanilla Basmati Rice, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
Thursday-Leave for World Series- I've stocked up on easy hotel eats...I'll get lunch meats and such before we head out.
I hit the local farmers market yesterday and stocked up on blueberries, strawberries, bananas, a watermelon, cantaloupe,and grapes (yummy frozen treat). All of this will be gone before we leave so I'll get more to take on the trip.
The pantry is more than stocked this week with tons of BOGO buys on a variety of cereals, frozen pizzas, a million snacks, and we froze our yogurt tubes that they have already begun to scarf down. I am proud to say that we saved over $152 yesterday with sales and coupons. Of course I spent $212, but for a family of 8 w/ breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks I'd say that's pretty good. Oh and as we had to go to Wal-Mart for our baseball goodie bag stuff I found they had a whole $1 section on a variety of snacks we regularly stock up on...Cheese-Nips, Vanilla Oreos, Goldfish and so many more. Of course my husband being a manager from Publix (and no we do not get any type of discount at all) was not thrilled that I was so excited about these finds. We typically only shop Publix, but since so many good fruits are in season I have been shopping the local farmers market unless Publix has sales on organic. But now that I know about Wal-Mart's snack deals I may sneak over every now and then.
Hopefully, I will get to Not Me! Monday sometime this afternoon. If I can catch a minute without a Monkey crawling all over the keyboard and stealing my mouse.
What are you eating this week? Leave me some comments so I can get ideas!
Anyway...Yummy food planned this week before we leave for the World Series Thursday!
Sunday-Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, broccoli w/ hollondaise sauce, dinner roll and strawberries for dessert
Monday-Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo, salad, garlic bread w/ cheese
Tuesday-Pool Party w/ pizza and fruit salad and cake planned
Wednesday-Honey Ginger Chicken w/ Vanilla Basmati Rice, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
Thursday-Leave for World Series- I've stocked up on easy hotel eats...I'll get lunch meats and such before we head out.
I hit the local farmers market yesterday and stocked up on blueberries, strawberries, bananas, a watermelon, cantaloupe,and grapes (yummy frozen treat). All of this will be gone before we leave so I'll get more to take on the trip.
The pantry is more than stocked this week with tons of BOGO buys on a variety of cereals, frozen pizzas, a million snacks, and we froze our yogurt tubes that they have already begun to scarf down. I am proud to say that we saved over $152 yesterday with sales and coupons. Of course I spent $212, but for a family of 8 w/ breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks I'd say that's pretty good. Oh and as we had to go to Wal-Mart for our baseball goodie bag stuff I found they had a whole $1 section on a variety of snacks we regularly stock up on...Cheese-Nips, Vanilla Oreos, Goldfish and so many more. Of course my husband being a manager from Publix (and no we do not get any type of discount at all) was not thrilled that I was so excited about these finds. We typically only shop Publix, but since so many good fruits are in season I have been shopping the local farmers market unless Publix has sales on organic. But now that I know about Wal-Mart's snack deals I may sneak over every now and then.
Hopefully, I will get to Not Me! Monday sometime this afternoon. If I can catch a minute without a Monkey crawling all over the keyboard and stealing my mouse.
What are you eating this week? Leave me some comments so I can get ideas!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
All Together
Our oldest daughter finally arrived for the summer early yesterday morning. It is so nice to have all of the kids together. We miss her so much when she is not here. So much in fact that anywhere we have gone the last two days they have fought over who gets to sit by her.
I dropped the girls off at the movie theater today, and I actually sat watching them walk in together and it made me kind of sad. One because they live so far apart most of the year and I wish they were able to really have that close sisterly bond. They get along very well when they are together and seem to have common interests. I just wish they were able to live together and really have that bond that I never had w/ any sisters. Another reason it made me sad is because they are growing up so fast. I use to love to read and have tea parties in the tub with them. I loved to put their hair in rollers before they went to bed. When #1 Dad was working nights and it was just me and the girls we would go to dinner together and laugh and giggle. There was a pizza place that they always wanted to go to because they would give us pizza dough to play with at the table. They were so little then and many things they don't remember and that makes me sad too.
At breakfast this morning I told them stories of when they were little together. Dancin' Girl was 5 and Princess was 2 and I remember very clearly the time they got so mad at me for making them clean their room and they plotted against me to put me in the basement and call Ms. Hannigan. We used to watch Annie together over and over and over again! They laughed so hard when I told them that story.
I am looking forward to the next three weeks of getting to reminisce with them about all the fun we had when they were little. I am also so happy that all of them have their big sister here and get to "hang out" with her and create more memories together.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Menu Monday
I haven't updated on what we're eating around here lately because we have been practically living at the ball field. Which totally means all of my adorable children have definitely been eating all the correct amounts of all of the food groups. (Stay tuned for "Not Me! Monday" to find out the Not so real truth).
So this week (still in a tournament if the weather would straighten out) we are eating what's already in the pantry and freezer. It's a hodge podge, but it's time to get it cleaned out and reorganized from all of the recent chaotic events around here. Most of these are just things that I can throw together in a hurry so it's not the most exciting week, but once school is back in session (ahhh did I say that already...I start work back up in a mere 3 weeks...very sad by the way)I'll have much better plans and meals.
A favorite snack around here- Frozen Organic yogurt tubes
(should have posted yesterday)
Sunday-All Beef hot dogs, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, and baked mac n cheese
Monday-Swiss Chicken, mixed veggie rice cooked in chicken broth, and steamed broccoli
Tuesday-Game Day (right at dinner time and it's an hour away) BBQ chicken or pork in the crock pot for sandwiches on the go, carrot sticks and apple slices
Wednesday-Terriyaki Pork, fried rice, steamed veggies
Thursday-Fried Chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, corn, applesauce
Friday-Hmmmm what's left in the freezer or order pizza
All of these meals are tentative based on how well we do in our Tuesday game which determines what other days and times we'll play.
On the snack side we will be using up all fruits and yogurts and making smoothies.
Next week will be much more exciting. Promise!
"Not Me! Monday" Coming this afternoon:)
So this week (still in a tournament if the weather would straighten out) we are eating what's already in the pantry and freezer. It's a hodge podge, but it's time to get it cleaned out and reorganized from all of the recent chaotic events around here. Most of these are just things that I can throw together in a hurry so it's not the most exciting week, but once school is back in session (ahhh did I say that already...I start work back up in a mere 3 weeks...very sad by the way)I'll have much better plans and meals.
A favorite snack around here- Frozen Organic yogurt tubes
(should have posted yesterday)
Sunday-All Beef hot dogs, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, and baked mac n cheese
Monday-Swiss Chicken, mixed veggie rice cooked in chicken broth, and steamed broccoli
Tuesday-Game Day (right at dinner time and it's an hour away) BBQ chicken or pork in the crock pot for sandwiches on the go, carrot sticks and apple slices
Wednesday-Terriyaki Pork, fried rice, steamed veggies
Thursday-Fried Chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, corn, applesauce
Friday-Hmmmm what's left in the freezer or order pizza
All of these meals are tentative based on how well we do in our Tuesday game which determines what other days and times we'll play.
On the snack side we will be using up all fruits and yogurts and making smoothies.
Next week will be much more exciting. Promise!
"Not Me! Monday" Coming this afternoon:)
Friday, July 3, 2009
Hi there! I am participating in the Blog Hop today.
I'm Danielle and this is #1 Dad (also known as Coach).
Together we have 6 wonderful children. Dancin' Girl is my 16 yr. old step-daughter. Then we have Princess (13), T-Man (9), Bubby (7), Tooker (3), and Little Monkey (14 months). I am always ready for another one, however, #1 Dad thinks I've lost my mind. Which isn't far from the truth most days.
During the school year I homeschool my 3 (almost 4) year old. This year we will be doing Pre-K. I also run an in-home childcare for teachers children. This allows me to use my ECE degree, bring in money for the family, but most importantly I am with my small children as long as possible and I'm here when the older children get home from school. This gives me the breaks and summer vacation w/ my family only.
My blog is very random depending on what's going on around here. I hope you come back and enjoy the many ramblings of a work at home mommy raising awesome children.
Thanks for stopping by...
I'm Danielle and this is #1 Dad (also known as Coach).
Together we have 6 wonderful children. Dancin' Girl is my 16 yr. old step-daughter. Then we have Princess (13), T-Man (9), Bubby (7), Tooker (3), and Little Monkey (14 months). I am always ready for another one, however, #1 Dad thinks I've lost my mind. Which isn't far from the truth most days.
During the school year I homeschool my 3 (almost 4) year old. This year we will be doing Pre-K. I also run an in-home childcare for teachers children. This allows me to use my ECE degree, bring in money for the family, but most importantly I am with my small children as long as possible and I'm here when the older children get home from school. This gives me the breaks and summer vacation w/ my family only.
My blog is very random depending on what's going on around here. I hope you come back and enjoy the many ramblings of a work at home mommy raising awesome children.
Thanks for stopping by...
Ready for the Weekend
#1 Dad rarely has a weekend off, so this weekend I am super excited to get to spend 4 whole days together. Of course most of the time will be spent at a ball field far away for Bubby's State All-Star Tournament. The other kids and I are ready to cheer him on.
I will not be participating in "Show Us Where You Live Friday" this week as this week is garages, and well, let's not go there. #1 Dad uses it for his workshop (he builds furniture in his spare time), it houses lots of boxes w/ things that are unknown, and all of my teaching supplies have been put in there since I left the teaching world last year. Of course normal things like kids bikes, scooters, and other various riding toys are in there too. But I'll save the embarrassment for another situation and another day.
Hope everyone has a safe and fun July 4th weekend. Happy Independence Day America!
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