Wednesday, September 30, 2009

It all sounded good on paper...

Lately I have seen many MASH/MATH papers laying around, crumpled in book bags, folded in pockets...you know the ones that told us our "life story" when we were young. It has brought up many memories of which boys I was going to marry (yes I said boys w/ an S...there was always about 3-5 I had a huge crush on...who knew I would actually marry and divorce and marry again), where we were going to live, how many kids we would have, what I would be etc. etc.

Funny thing is it all looked so good on paper...You'll marry (...of course it was always the same 3-5 that I put down and now I don't even know them at all)...you'll have 3 babies, live in California, be a lawyer. If I had only known.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd have 5 children and continue to want more. I always thought 3 was a good number. California? No way not even in my dreams...well maybe if we could live on the ocean, but I prefer the East Coast. A lawyer...well I have settled many debates/disputes around here so maybe sorta kinda...And thinking back to those boys...I have 4 boys and they are gross, dirty, do weird things that are unimaginable to people w/o children...surely "those" boys of the past were doing those weird things too, not taking showers when their mothers told them too, picking their noses when no one was looking, making fart noises...oh wait they did that in class anyway and everyone thought they were hilarious. Why did I have huge crushes on them?

And living in a "shack". Thank goodness that part never came true. Nor will a "mansion" but we live modestly and I don't mind it at all. I'm pretty much a simple kind of girl and I like it that way. Thank goodness my husband does too...well I'm sure he'd like to see me "dress-up" a little more than my jeans and t-shirts but we'll save that for another post.

The things those papers never told us was that the boy you would marry had a say so in your life too. WHAT? I had my kids names picked out for years. I'd doodle their names on paper in my notebooks, decorated their rooms, designed my house, etc. etc. Needless to say neither of my husbands liked the names I'd doodled for years and each had a say so in what our children were eventually named. It actually brought up much debating and arguing. And our house...looks nothing like I'd drawn for years and decorated. Of course those papers never told us how much money we'd make or how much the kids, house, husband would cost.

And thank goodness those papers never told us what you would go through to get that husband, child, house b/c I don't know that we would have even been interested after all that. Especially the affects of the babies and the body afterward. Yeah I never read that on any MASH paper. Thankfully we can recover and move on from a divorce or marriage issue but going through it seems like the world might actually end. Nope not on any of those MASH papers.

And I for one am thankful I didn't know what life would truly bring because now I can appreciate being pregnant with each child, giving birth (yeah that would have totally turned me off when I was a child) and even the struggles of marriage knowing what it has brought us today. Raising a 13 year old and 1 year old and all the in between at the same time is something quite exciting. And living with a man (which I never experienced w/ no dad and being an only child) is something exciting in itself. I learn something new everyday whether good or bad I'm glad I didn't know beforehand.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Not Me Monday


Do you ever find yourself answering the door with a towel on your head, still wearing your pajamas in the afternoon, or of all unsightly things not wearing a bra? How about the dishes that are over piling in the sink and the laundry spilling out of the laundry room? Well, have no fear that's what Not Me Mondays are for. A free for all of confessions of sorts...things you'd Never do as a Mom!

Brought to you by McMama over at My Charming Kids.

Well, I for one have NEVER allowed my oldest child to dress my youngest son like a girl. This has never happened before and I am appalled by you thinking that he actually has a clippy in his hair.


And they most certainly didn't do it to the next to youngest brother. I would NEVER allow this...No Way Not Me!



I love to bake and make goodies for the family all the time. But I would Never think of letting the two smallest boys frost and decorate their own cupcake. This could lead to eating spoonfuls of frosting. I would most certainly Not encourage this activity as it would lead to a sugar high and cavities for goodness sake.



And I Never, No Way Not Me, ever let my children climb on the table and then take pictures. My children always have their feet firmly planted on the ground!


Friday, September 18, 2009

Show Us Your Life Dinner Recipes...


I'm super excited about this week's blog hop from Kelly. It's Show Us Your Life dinner recipes. I love to cook and try new things for the family. So I am excited to share my own and get to see what other people are making.

This chicken dish is an all time favorite in my house. Everyone eats it and there are no complaints on this night. I usually double this recipe for our family, but this version is for a family of four.

Swiss Chicken

1 lb. chicken breast
1 (16 ounce)bag baby corn blend (corn, broccoli, baby cob corn, carrots)
3 tbls. butter
4 slice swiss cheese
1 box long grain/wild rice
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tbls flour
1 tbls McCormicks Grinder Italian seasoning
1 tsp seasoned asalt
large zip-loc bag
1/4 cup white wine

Chicken-

Preheat large saute pan 2-3 min. Place flour and seasoned salt in the bag, add chicken and shake. Put butter in the pan and add chicken and left over flour from the bag to the pan. Brown on both sides 2-3 min. Add wine, 1/2 cup broth, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and then cook 6-8 min. When the liquid is about half gone add the swiss cheese to the top of each chiken breast (I usually slice the breasts in half so they are more like cutlets/or filets and will cook faster).

Rice-
Cook rice according to box diretions except add 1 cup broth and only 1/3 cup water, add vegetables and cook together.

Enjoy...so easy and super yummy.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

At a Crossroads...

You know there are times in your life when things occur and you just can't decide which way to go. We are in great debate around here whether to put our house on the market so that we can take advantage of the market beginning to go back up, but also with the hopes we can find a bigger house at a more affordable price for us. The problem is we won't be able to sell our house for what we were hoping.

The real estate agent wants to list is $10,000 under what we need. Is this a sign that it's not our time? Or do we need to somehow figure out how to make this work because we could get a house right now that we would not be able to afford under a normal economy (whatever that is anymore). With our growing family we are in great need of more space. But is now the time?

I have my hopes high and thinking that all things work themselves out. We've done this before we can do it again. We will figure it out. I keep telling myself this...but of course a small, okay quite large, part of me is freaking out. As I sit typing I am staring at 9 empty boxes. Boxes for our "clutter" and personal items that won't be appreciated by another buyer. We of course would like to think our house will sell quick. The upgrades we've made, the small details we've added, and the feel of home...of course we are biased. I mean it is OUR house. If it didn't have that feel to us it would be no good. But considering the upgrades and money we've put into it I hate to settle for less than what we truly feel it could sell for. But we are not agents. And I know she knows much more about the market right now than we do and the price of the homes in our neighborhood. The foreclosures and short sales are really bringing us down.

But on the other hand we are not in a hurry. It's not like we have to get out of here. The kids will be staying in the same school system, my business is here, and it's only a 30 minute drive for my husband to go to work. It's really the fact of the space we are in need of and the price we can afford right now.

So I feel if we price it at what we are wanting I think we will have to wait longer...but in the end it only takes one person to come through and really want the house. Our agent just thinks if we ask less at the start it will sell quick. But that's not helping us. So we are at a crossroads of sort. I'll keep praying and hope the answers come.

In the meantime I suppose I should "declutter" and try to enjoy a little house hunting.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Dyson GiveAway....what a dream come true!

My Organized Chaos




Super Excited about giveaways. But wow this could be the best one ever. Oh how our home could use a Dyson...of any kind. The suction power, removal of pet hair, and allergens...and the even have a specific allergy kit w/ special filters. If I don't win I cam going to convince hubby that this would really be one of our best investments. Considering 4 of the boys have asthma, we have a dog (that sheds all the time), and well we just have mess. Between the kids coming in from the sand box, the dirt in the yard, and baseball cleats from the ball field you can imagine the dirt that piles up. I sweep and vacuum everyday, but the floor never seems completely dirt free. It would be really nice to win this and would definitely be worth the investment.

Check out MyOrganizedChaos for more details on the giveaway.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Rain Rain Go Away...




It has rained or been too wet to go out here for quite sometime. My kiddos and daycare kiddos are tired of being couped up. The ground is too soggy to go out, but the temperature is awesome this morning. But despite all this we have had some amazing fun lately...
We've made Fruit Loop necklaces. We sorted out the colors into groups first and then had so much fun stringing them together. And when we finished we had a great snack.




We've had great fun with our magnets and making pictures as well as working on our letters.


Painting is always exciting.

Puzzles of course!


Lacing Cards are always good for fine motor...

And we made a city out of boxes...