EMBRACING THE CRAZY

Hidden Treasures in a Chaotic Day

2011-02-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

I love listening in on my kids conversation..not in a creepy stalker mom like way...just hearing special conversations shared with one another and hearing things that a mom might not otherwise know.

Ryan had a friend over today and I was listening to him while I was doing laundry.
Friend: "Don't you have a sister? Where is she?"
Ryan: "She's at track. She's REALLY good. Like she runs fast and everything."
Friend: "Like a train track?"
Ryan: "Yeah just like that but around the outside of the school. And she goes faster than a train I think. She's cool".
Friend: "I like trains. That's cool that your sister can go faster."
I couldn't help but laugh, and also feel so much pride hearing Ryan talk about his big sister.

I also love that my big boys are so close. At night I hear them giggling and after the millionth time I remind them to be quite I listen in. I hear secrets about girls or friend problems or something funny that happened at school. I absolutely love to hear them talking and sharing about so many things in their lives. I love how they bring each other up to date on current events of the 5th and 3rd grade... and share secrets with each other or ask for advice.

My favorite though is when I catch Jenna and Tyler carrying on conversations when they think no one is around. They are the ones that have the most sibling rivalry, but when it comes down to it they also have a great admiration for one another. He asks her advice on girls or drawing, and in return he is helping her learn to play the Playsation so she can have something to discuss w/ a boy she is a little interested in. She even allowed him in her room this week...this is a huge step. Her room is like a secret area to the boys...it's almost a black hole of sorts with magical powers that only she can enjoy...they always peek in when she opens the door hoping to catch a glimpse of something truly exciting....Chase is the only one who is not scared to enter without being asked. But he's not scared of much. The others just wait by the door to speak with her...sometimes even speaking through the door. Cracks me up!

Another favorite is hearing Chase sing himself to sleep and read himself books that I've read to him before. He mixes up words, adds is own, and changes words to the song...I could listen to him forever. I think I will keep the monitor in his room forever just to hear him talking.

With the kids growing up so fast I am trying to breath in every second of hidden treasures that I can. I am missing so many things already. Things I never thought I'd miss...middle of the night snuggles, the joy of finding new teeth, early morning snuggle time (on the weekends they all sleep past 8 and I'm actually up before they are now), needing mommy to feed them, or brush their teeth, or even singing time before rubbing their backs...Jenna and the big boys think they are too old for this now... at least they still like their one on one hugs and kisses from mommy and the love notes I leave in their lunch boxes:)

I love finding hidden treasures within my days of chaos. Makes it all worth it!

Mischevious is an under statement

2011-02-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I had 4 children. Being a teacher and mom made me a little crazy and stressed no matter how many cute little bundle of joys I delivered. So I begged and begged for #5. And when he arrived he was one of the easiest babies ever.

His brothers and sister love him so much! They all took to "mothering" him and teaching him. He just laid back and took it all in. And then one day, soon after he turned 2, he combined all that he had learned into his cute little body...and crazy things began to occur.

He began taking over his brothers beds and eating snacks while watching T.V.

Washing his hands 2.5 million times a day...except when I tell him to.

He has learned the art of good temper tantrum, telling me "NO" quite often, refusing to do what his brothers and sister say, and even resorts to screaming at the top of his high pitched lungs...which immediately sends them running away from him.

Thanks goodness he is as cute as he is! And he brings great joy to this otherwise laid back quiet family...hahaha yeah right.

But it's moments like this that I totally cherish most because he completely wears me out!

Each night I know I need a good nights sleep because he starts off his mornings raring to go.

To be continued...

Wordless Wednesday...well sort of...

2011-01-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

Really it's a picture post about what one does when snowed in w/ 5 kids (well Jenna has only been here for a short time. She was snowed in at a friends for 2 days, had a friend over today, and went to another friends house tonight.)

On the first day we had a ton of fun sledding! But there are many more things we can find to do when our life has been basically put on pause. And it has been wonderful!

Just what the Dr. ordered...

2011-01-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

(this is our 1 yr. old pup Taz...he loved the snow and chasing the kids and you can see how high the snow got)
First thank you for all the sweet comments and prayers for our family. The kids truly believe that our sweet Jade sent us a present..and that present was a complete snowed in family day. She loved the snow! And she sent it down to us to let us know she is having a blast in heaven. (And here I am "southern Sledding" for the first time)

We enjoyed a day off from school today as we woke up to 6 inches of white beautiful snow. I've never experienced this much snow that I can remember, so I was excited to get to do a little "southern" sledding today.

And running up and down the street to a friends house in the snow several times is great exercise I might add. I might be really sore tomorrow. Unfortunately, it didn't stay nice powder for long and it was mostly ice. So no snowman building or snowball fights...but great sledding experiences!

I'm sad that Jenna was snowed in at a friends house, so I have no pics. of her. But she is having a blast and having to stay another night. And we're off school again...I might play and enjoy myself some more:)

Saying goodbye

2011-01-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

I started a post last night about how this year was off to a good start...some funny things my kids say...how great my life is and how blessed I am. And not that those things aren't true, but something stopped me. I got tired, I couldn't hold my eyes open, and I was taking care of my sick pup (well she was almost 11, but has always been my pup).

Then this morning I knew it wasn't going to be a good day. Yesterday was not a good day b/c our Jade was pacing around, digging in to the floor, and came to find me quite a bit. I took her to the vet b/c she just wasn't right. They took some blood and urine, but the vet felt she was having some kind of anxiety attack. When we got home she vomited quite a bit, but I thought it was b/c of the car ride and she was anxious about being at the vet. She drank 2 bowls of water after that and then came to sleep upstairs w/ me. She wanted to lay close to me and be with me. She had arthritis and hadn't been upstairs to sleep in our room for sometime.

Around midnight she whimpered out in pain several times, and I knew she wasn't doing good. I tried to get her to take a doggy aspirin, but she would eat anything to take it. She went outside and my husband couldn't get her to come back in. She wanted to stay outside behind the grill. She eventually came in, but went to sleep in the kids bathroom.

When they all got up this morning she wouldn't come out of the bathroom to go outside. She came down after they left for school and just laid under the chair in the dining room. I made her some eggs and tried to get her to drink. She refused it all. I knew from then that this day was not going to go well.

I took her back to the vet. They took some Xrays and could tell some sort of "mass" was in their. Well to put my mind at ease before we made a decision they did an ultrasound. I left her there so they could observe her.

The vet called me back in what seemed like an eternity (was really 4 hours). She didn't have good news. She could see several masses on her spleen, kidney, and intestines. She said they could do an exploratory surgery or could go in and try to remove anything she found. However, I knew we couldn't afford it and she said there was no guarantee that anything could even be done once they got in there. So I headed back to the vet...I made the hard decision to put her down.

They brought her in so I could say goodbye. And boy oh boy I had no idea how hard this would be. But I could tell from her reaction that she was ready and we were making the right decision.

We couldn't stand the thought of having to tell the kids...and we especially couldn't tell them that we had "chosen" this decision. So I told them that the vet had called me and told me it was time. I reassured them that she was ready and I pet laid w/ her and pet her until she was gone and she wasn't alone.

My daughter screamed out at me that I was lying and this couldn't be true. The boys all began crying. I held Jenna reassuring her that she was in a better place. She is now up in heaven playing chase with her other friend Riley (our other dog that passed away 2 yrs. ago). I reminded them of all the good times we had with her...that her almost 11 years were full of lots and lots of love. She was Jenna's pre-k graduation present 10 years ago and was hers...and I knew she would take it the hardest.

I kept them busy while Chris went to bury her. They were curious and the 3 oldest kids wanted to go out and see where her final resting place would be. They are each handling it in their own way...but I am having a much harder time than I could have ever imagined. Jenna and I decided we would write her a letter and tell her all the amazing things about her. She wants me to take them down to her grave and bury them with her. So tomorrow I will go dig up a little dirt and place them in the ground.

I never imagined I would take this so hard, but I am even more surprised at how many times I've caught my husband crying. He said "She was our family and she's been w/ Jenna and Tyler since I can remember". I keep waiting for her to bark, or run in and beg for my food, or just come lay with me. My first run without her is going to be so hard...and I think I need to update my play list w/ some major upbeat music...b/c I need a run to clear my head.

I am glad I went back to tell her goodbye and kiss and pet her one more time. I miss her so much already...and I just pray that this gets easier.

The Past, The Present, and The Future

2011-01-03T04:21:00.000-08:00

This time of year brings out the "what am I going to do different this year? how am I going to make my life better? why am I here?" type of questions in me. At the end of 2010 I posted a Facebook status that stated "Resolution for 2011...not dwelling on time lost and moving on from here to live in the here and now...and live it up!" And I truly intend to live this way each day.

After all, we can't change the past. Besides who would really want to? It is what brought us to where we are today. Without the people that have come and gone, the events that have occurred, the days that have past...well we wouldn't be who we really are.

That brings me to the present. With all of the past events and people I find myself bitter, angry, holding grudges...which by the way only effects my happiness. All of that "holding on" only makes it impossible to fully move into the present. It makes the present gloomy and dark...which is not who I want to be. I know a lot of it comes with being a woman. We are so hard on ourselves for so many things. And I am making positive changes in my life, but I have failed to see them.

So in the "present" I intend to keep my journal writing so on days when I feel I have not accomplished anything I can look back and say "see I did loads of laundry and put the clothes away on this day", "I washed and changed all the sheets on this day", and "I ate so healthy and worked out on this day".

I see my future as very positive. And I intend to begin this new year with many goals in mind. Writing them down and how I will accomplish them each day. I will hold myself accountable. And I will enjoy the bad with the good!

We had so much fun on our "Winter Break" and cannot wait to share those photos with you. Lots to do today as we get back to our work and school, but I will post through out the week.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Sock Hop Addition

2010-12-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hi? Hello? You still there?

2010-12-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Alas, I am alive! No I haven't been swallowed by the never ending mounds of laundry around here...

Or sucked into the drain while doing the dishes...

Or eaten alive by toys as I clean them up daily...

I have been taking care of this sick boy...with a severe case of croup that landed us in the hospital twice this weekend.

And the Princess has made a generous donation to Locks of Love...

Our main computer that I load my pictures to has decided it wants to move slower than a snail, which has caused me more stress than it's worth to download pictures. So all of these pics. today are brought to you by my fab. Droid phone:)

I do have some awesome pictures from our beach trip....which was the best year ever by the way. I will get them loaded and posted...as soon as I have the patience to wait for each pic. to download.

Happy Monday!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

33! A new year and I'm up for the challenge.

2010-11-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday! YAY 33...I know you're thinking "No way! You look so young!" But oh yes...today begins another year of my life. I'm excited for the unknown like I've never been before. Today begins a new chapter. An unopened gift full of 365 days of more life until the next big day.

This morning I woke up with the same old plan. I wasn't expecting much...just a day with a few FB messages from family and friends wishing me a happy birthday, 4 little boys that wouldn't even know it was my birthday unless someone told them, a daughter who would probably be reminded from FB, and husband who tries to pretend he didn't forget but who buys flowers before leaving work (he isn't home yet so maybe he didn't even get them this year)...he did get me a new Dyson a few weeks ago upon the death of our old vacuum (but the fact that a household cleaning tool is my present kind of sucks b/c it would be nice to get a real surprise one of these years but you can't teach an old dog new tricks I suppose).

But to my surprise by midday I had a whole new view on things. I'm tired of the self loathing and the "oh woh is me" mentality. I did get A LOT of FB messages today, my daughter remembered 3rd period at school and sent me a text, and then she and the 2 little boys helped make me a chocolate cake when she got home, and my big boys cleaned up and sang Happy Birthday to me. Anyway, about halfway through the day today I decided that this was the year. A new beginning! A year to let go of unnecessary anger, forget about the hurt and pain, and realize the bad things don't define me.

If there is anything that I've learned from the blogging world is that everyone has a "story". A past that paves the road to who they are. Well I have been holding on to my hurt and pain for too long. And this year I'm going to put a little fork in the road and change my path.

I'm ready to LIVE again! I'm ready to work toward those goals I've been putting on the back burner. I'm ready to turn my dreams into reality. I'm ready to keep a journal, put the pain and anger into words and rip it up and let it go, and write my goals and focus on those instead.

So this my friends is going to be a complete life changing year. Starting today I will find the Danielle that use to not only watch life but make it happen. I'm ready for this challenge! Stay tuned for big changes:)

Happy Birthday to me!

"UGH! Mom do I have to?"

2010-11-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

How often do you hear that in your house? From eating vegetables to wearing certain clothes...from getting up for school to running errands...from cleaning the bathroom to taking out the trash...from doing homework to feeding the dogs...it's a constant phrase in my house.

Well this week was no exception. The weather has been absolutely beautiful here lately. So I decided last weekend to torture my children by making them take some family photos. They are used to me snapping pictures because it is a rare moment when my camera isn't handy. And they often say "Hey mom take my picture doing ...". But when I actually say "go comb your hair and put this on" I get a resounding "UGH MOOOOMMMMMMMMMM do I have toooooo?"

Well it was even more exciting when I informed my husband he would be join us. If there is one thing he hates it's definitely smiling for pictures. In fact out or the 200 pictures I managed to snap only a few that he was actually sort of smiling in. He made lots of weird faces...but mostly in the pictures where everyone else was actually looking at the camera all at once and looking cute...his mouth was open, eyes closed, mouth squished to the side, giving me bunny ears. Looks like I better find a better bribe for him next time. I was able to get a few that I really liked though...so here's a little preview.

There are many more and I'm excited that I will be able to put some on this year's Christmas card. I can take the little bit of complaining for this great success. (I took most of the shots, but the family ones were done by a friend of the Princesses that is in her photography club at school.)

Random Ramblings on a Monday

2010-11-08T06:35:00.000-08:00

*Love the time change....did not change th clocks upstairs therefore after showers and baths last night the boys hustled off to bed thinking it was 8:00...when truly it was 7:00....for that I am grateful!
*In great debate with myself about returning back to the classroom.
*I am ready to get out of the house each day!
*I need an update to my sweat pants and t-shirt wardrobe...I think that effects my mood so much.
*My kids are the best! I got great compliments this weekend at a birthday party about how well behaved they were.
*less than 2 weeks until we leave for the beach...and I am more than ready...broke, but READY!
*The van needs new tires and an oil change before we leave.
*Laundry is overflowing.
*I miss running each day.
*I do not like getting up at 5:00 to run, especially when the temp. is now 30 degrees or less in the morning...
*Needs to figure out how to run at night...I really need this for me.
*I also need a night time job to get caught up on things around here...hmmmm are there enough hours in the day.
*The unknown is quite scary.
*I'm letting go of who I was to embrace who I am.
*My kids are the best! Did I already mention that?
*I did not meet my Fatbet goal...but I did lose about 6 pounds and will probably put it back on over these winter comfort food months.
*With that said - I do LOVE my body b/c it allowed me to grow 5 awesome kids!
*I want to go back to school to get my masters.
*I've put my career on hold long enough and I'm ready to move forward.
*My princess told me this morning she wants another sibling. She loves our family and wants it to keep growing.
*I'm always up for another baby, but that would keep my career on hold even longer.
*I have awesome kids!
*Why do I have so much gray hair?
*I'm hungry.
*Ready to start my day of teaching!

Making messes w/ Mom

2010-11-04T05:21:00.000-07:00

Dirty Jobs

2010-10-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

You've seen the show...gross jobs that someone has to do, right? Well, I think they should add potty training to that list of "Dirty Jobs". I HATE potty training. Well, it's not that bad at home really, it's in public that I hate potty training the most.

Public restrooms are no fun regardless...especially with kids. First you rush in at the moment your child says, "Mommy potty". Oh crap! Where the heck is the bathroom in this place...The front? The back? Oh I'm hurrying honey. You beg and plead with your wee one who is literally holding himself and at this point yelling "Pee Mommy Pee Mommy...and POOP".

Oh great! Running faster to the restroom which of course is opposite from wherever you are in the store...and of course add a few extra children to the mix and remind them to keep up...don't touch...no we can't get that....hurry...come on!

Finally you arrive at the bathroom, praying there is no line, and run into a stall. Only this stall has pee all over the seat and you scream "Wait eww no don't touch". Next one, lock the door, proceed to take off all clothes b/c said child will not aim if his pants are on. Finally success and laughing "Haha Mommy, poop splash, ahahahha". Glad the whole bathroom knows he's pooping. And eww gross public toilet water splashing my cute little man's hiney. Bath time for sure tonight!

Then you need to go. So you dress your child and remind him to "stand over there" and "don't touch". Plead to stop unlocking the door. Now you have your foot propped up holding the door closed while child is screaming to "Move your foot Mommy!". You whisper, "Please leave the door locked, don't touch, can you put your hands in your pockets? Leave that alone. Hold on honey". And you tell the others who have finished to please stand outside your door. "Don't move I need to see your feet."

It's a chore really. By the time you're done your stress level is through the roof and you're trying to keep it together and be cheerful and proud of your child.

But ugh all I want to do it take a bath and bathe cuteness in a great heap of bubbles!

And who knows what went on in the other children's stall. Imagining the worst you scrub them all up with lots of soap and give them hand sanitizer after you get out.

No more drinks on this trip...please please please hold it until we get home.

I will admit I am a bit of a germ-a-phobe...I think God gets a good laugh everyday at the fact that he blessed me with 4 boys after 1 girl...boys are dirty and stinky and gross! Thank goodness they are super cute and so cuddly after a nice bath. Other wise this potty training thing might just throw me over the edge.

Hello? Fall? Are you there?

2010-10-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've made pumpkin muffins. I'm enjoying Pumpkin Spice Lattes (and I LOVE that Coffee Mate has come back out w/ their flavor too so I'm not throwing down $5 everytime I'm hankering for one). We've gotten Macintosh apples from Trader Joe's (b/c those were my grandpa's favorite) and made homemade warm apples and applesauce. I've made several peach cobblers.

We've been to the pumpkin farm for our annual hay ride. We brought home some baby pumpkins. We have been on several scavenger hunts for fall foliage. We have brought home our loot of pine cones, acorns, baby pumpkins, and a variety of fall colored leaves to decorate our dining room.

I had great visions all summer of having some great afternoon runs after work. After a 10 hour day full of wonderful kiddies I would love to take a nice run before the craziness of my evening shift takes over. BUT IT'S TOO HOT!!!

I find myself still getting up before the roosters just so I can get 45 min. to an hour to myself before my day is consumed by meeting the needs of 10 other people. After I talk myself into stop hitting the snooze button a gajillion times I truly do love my morning walks/runs. But I would really love to get more sleep! So I have visions of running in the afternoon or early evening. I think it would give me a great break between work and hectic evenings. BUT IT"S TOO HOT!!!

Today, even after an afternoon of thunderstorms, it was 80 degrees. I know that should feel better than the 100 degree summer days. But I like to feel the coolness on my face...not the sweat.

There are cooler days in the forecast. So hopefully Fall is actually coming...hopefully before the freezing winter get here.

Wondering

2010-10-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

Why I feel so overwhelmed all the time?

Why I'm so tired?

Why I can't seem to get it together lately?

Why I sweat the small things?

When I will have a minute to breath...and actually feel relaxed from it...

Where did this year go? How is it the end of October already?

How in the world there are only 2 months until Christmas?

How in the world we will get it together for Christmas this year?

How did we get here?

What I'm going to do about it?

Why I am in charge of so much...yet seem to have so little control?

Will it always be this overwhelming? Is it because we have so many kids? And why do I so badly want more?

So many questions, so little answers or solutions, and I'm really hoping a good night sleep will help things seem much better in morning.

Good news is baseball season is coming to an end. I put my foot down and said no to winter sports...after all we haven't had any time off since February. And maybe, just maybe, we can get a few things together and feel more relaxed before spring sports start back up. I'd really love to get to know my husband again:)

Show Us Your Life...Childrens Rooms

2010-10-22T05:40:00.001-07:00

I'm linking up today to Kelly's Show Us Your Life Children's Rooms.

Jenna is the only one who gets her own room (lucky girl!) and it's the biggest of all of our rooms (again...lucky girl!). She has had it this way since she started middle school, so now that she is a Freshman she is looking for a change. So, I'm planning on a room change for Christmas:) I've got my eye set on several things that she has been pointing out. I'm excited, but not about the process...as we will be sanding her walls down b/c of all the painting the hubby did before.

Chris made her furniture (I picked it out of a Pottery Barn catalog) and he painted and designed the walls by himself. With a little help from Ashley and Jenna.

She has a corner desk and an armoire that cannot be seen in the picture. She loves the furniture, but is ready for new bedding and excitement.

Next up is the big boys room. Tyler and Kyle are both into sports so we have decorated with all of their favorite teams flags and sports bedding. Again, Chris build their beds. Both beds have great bookshelves and drawers underneath.

And now for the little boys room. Ryan and Chase have an animal themed room. Alligators, monkeys, zebras, and lions to name a few. Chase is our little monkey so it's very fitting. Daddy made their dresser, but has not had any time for bed making this go around. Unless somehow I can convince him to build while he's coaching 3 baseball teams I don't see it happening. So I am on the hunt for some bunk beds for these 2 boys.

All of the kids bedding came from Target. I know you can't see the crib bedding too well, but it almost matches the twin bed perfectly. I LOVE Target!

Now if they would stay this clean all the time:)
Hope you enjoyed!

Prayers and a heavy heart...

2010-10-18T18:16:00.003-07:00

Tonight my heart is very heavy and very sad. Kyle's teacher and a former colleague of mine lost her daughter today. She was only 32 years old and has 3 young children...ages 4, 1, and 3 weeks. Tonight I am praying for Mrs. Moxley and her family and especially the husband and father.

She had preeclampsia when she was pregnant and they believe she had a stroke while at home. Very unexpected!

Don't take life for granted...it can change any second.

Please pray for this family and the children who lost their mother.

A Boy and his Best Friend

2010-10-17T04:59:00.001-07:00

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...and a few snacks too

2010-10-11T03:57:00.000-07:00

I am LOVING my Women's Health Magazine that I recently ordered. It has kept me extremely motivated and has helped me find so many new recipes and workouts. So far I have 3 issues (because when I ordered them I got two issues for free) and I look to each of them often to boost my workouts. The Shred and C25K are going GREAT! Today I start week 4 of running and I'm a bit nervous b/c it has a straight 5 minute run and I'm hoping my mind will hold out...it's been talking smack lately and I might have to turn the I-Pod up to drown it out. You see back in March, for those who don't know, I did the Biggest Loser Challenge through my kids school. Well, I successfully lost 12 pounds during the 10 weeks. The challenge ended in May and so did my exercise. The kids were home for the summer, 2 boys were playing all-star baseball, and I just couldn't seem to get on any type of schedule for working out. And we ate out over the summer...A LOT! So, stating the obvious, I put those 12 pounds right back on.

I weighed myself back at the beginning of September and was surprised...well not really...but I guess I was praying for a miracle. So, slap in the face, I realized I had to get back to it b/c nothing was stopping that scale from continuing to go up.

Anyway, back to my mind talking smack, I have lost 5 pounds in the last two weeks and I want to be excited and pat myself on the back and say "You can do this. Again". But then my mind creeps in and says, "Duh you idiot it's 5 pounds that you had already lost. You still have 6 pounds just to get back to where you were and then lost the rest from there." So, it's hard to be excited when it's 5 pounds that shouldn't be there in the first place. But if I don't reward myself I'll give up again and so continues the Yo-Yo.

Ok, back to what this post was originally about anyway, FOOD! One thing I've learned from Women's Health is that women don't get enough healthy proteins...which is key to losing weight. We should be getting 115-150 grams of protein a day...that means we should be eating it with every meal.

Breakfast I have loved lately...
*Oatmeal, w/ all natural P'nut butter, apples sauteed w/ Smart Balance and Cinnamon
*Oatmeal but sub bananas instead of apples
*Kashi Go-Lean Berry Blend
*Omelets w/ spinach and sliced string cheese w/ variety of fresh fruits on the side
**I want to try oatmeal this week w/ pumpkin in it...the others are tasting like warm pies or oatmeal crisps, so I'm imagining pumpkin pie...mmmmm

Lunches...
*Tuna salad (made w/ Greek Yogurt instead of Mayo), on spelt asiago toast from Trader Joe's, string cheese, apples
*Roasted red pepper hummus w/ tons of sliced veggies and peppers
*All natural p'nut butter and all natural strawberry fruit spread on toasted Ezekiel, raw veggies, and fruit
*Turkey roll ups w/ bell peppers, Babybel, yogurt

Dinners...
*Grilled chicken, grilled zuch. and squash, rice pilaf
*Grilled Talapia, Quinoa (cooked in Thai Coconut Curry broth), sauteed tomatoes and onions
*Chicken Primavera
*Pork w/ mushroom gravy, sweet potatoes, cous cous
*Chicken curry, Basmati rice, and Naan, and sauteed fresh green beans

Snacks...
*Honeycrisp apples w/ raw almond butter and cinnamon
*string cheese and any fruit
*Fiber One yogurts and organic granola
*almonds and fruit
*oh and yummy Trader Joe's Meringue

Most of the recipes have come from Women's Health, Publix Apron's meals, and somethings I just throw together b/c they sound good:)

There's something wrong in this country!

2010-10-06T05:45:00.000-07:00

Well there seems to be a lot of things wrong in this country. But at the top of my list is my children's education. I'm so tired of them being "taught" for THE TEST. You know the one that comes at the end if the year and will in some cases determine if they pass or not. I'm a teacher people so I'm not speaking as an unknown. I know there is a test at the end of the year. I know how important it is for them to pass it. But can we have some sort of fun in the process?

For the last few weeks many papers have been coming home from the kids school with scores and such on how they are doing. Of course they are all scan tron sheets that are determining if my children are where they are supposed to be. Which is all fine and good...but do they really need to take these tests every week? I have had conferences with 2 of the kids teachers so far. And the whole conference was about how they placed on this assessment or that. Hello where are the book reports, science projects, some sort of fun...

I see a lot of worksheets and not a lot of original thought out planned assignments. This is the reason I wish we could afford to home school. There are so many other things my kids should be doing. I know teachers are on a time crunch and under a considerable amount of stress and constant scrutiny on how their students are placing on their assessments. But man I would love to see something FUN come home. I feel like I have to make up for the things they aren't getting in their public education. Like book reports, science experiments, and creating hands on projects for them. And hello I work 50 hours a week, am raising 5 kids, and running them to various extracurricular activities trying to keep them well rounded.

My 3rd grade and 5th grade sons have tested out of their math classes...meaning the scored over 95% on the pretest. Well in both of their classes they were one of only two that achieved this. So while the rest of the class is learning the material that they already know they were working on a higher level project w/ this one other student. My 3rd grader was getting bored so his teacher gave me a call this week and wanted to know if it would be alright if she sent him to another class for math. A higher level thinking class...well heck yeah! Anything to keep him excited about his learning. Hopefully that will help to be with more students that are on his level. But my 5th grader is becoming a bit lazy...which has always been an issue with him..if you don't notice he's not doing anything then he will continue to do nothing. I give him extra learning experiences at home and I hear "My teacher doesn't care. I don't have to do that". So I'm beginning to trick him into higher level thinking...but it sure does take a lot of time for me to be planning these undetected learning moments.

It's just frustrating b/c I want them to go to school and have fun and learn new things. I hate the thought of sitting and doing worksheets b/c the teachers are so busy grading and assessing where they are.

Our school is one of the best in the county and "tests" very well. But it sure would be nice for them to assess them on so many other levels than just test scores. But my children are testing out of the pretests...so what is a mother to do?

Chugging Along

2010-10-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Each day is a new day...and for that I am extremely thankful. I accomplished all of my workouts last week, got all of the kids to their activties on time, and finished all laundry. Of course they have all decided they should continue wearing clothes so my laundry room is still a buzz with the whirring of the dryer and constant running water in the washer.

This weekend I picked up a new book..."The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. I am determined to give myself at least an hour a day to read as I have a night stand full of unfinished must reads.

Saturday my hubby and the boys set up the tent and had a camping party. Jenna and I spent the day shopping for her homecoming dress, and we went to lunch at Chipotle. After the boys settled in the tent w/ dad and their friends she and I got to enjoy a movie in the peace and quiet.

I'm looking forward to this weeks workouts, baseball games, and lots and lots of family time as Chris finally has a few days off! Woot Woot that's reason enough for a celebration.

And here's a preview of exciting things to come...

FatBetters

2010-09-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

Well it's back to reality around here. The kids were off last week, and I took off Thursday and Friday. I had a great 4 day weekend! Of course I had a garage sale, cleaned the house, laundry etc... so it's never really a vacation but it was still nice.

A new motivator...I have a friend that I went to school with from elementary all the way through high school who posted a weight loss challenge on her Facebook this weekend. So I jumped on the chance to keep myself motivated. She has set us up for a 6 week challenge on Fatbet.com. We all entered our weight, our target weight, and will put $5 or $10 into the "pot" and the winner gets the money.

Last night I picked out an outfit, printed it off the computer, and I posted it to my bathroom mirror to remind me of my goal. I also sat down to map out my C25K program. I put it on sticky notes in my planner and I will finish up my first 5K in less than 8 weeks on my birthday! Another great motivator seeing it mapped out and knowing I can do this by my 33rd birthday.

This is my planner for the month of October. It's quite scary when I look at the whole calendar of everything that everyone has going on...but when I break it down by the week it doesn't seem so bad.

I will do the C25K plan 3 days a week and on those days I will do my 30 Day Shred since they are both 20 minutes long. Then on my non running days I got Jillian's Trouble Zone workout that is 40 minutes long. My plan is to take every Saturday off. But that is why I put my workouts on sticky notes so I can move them around if I need to.

Now to get my menu planned...

New shows week!

2010-09-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight one of my favorite shows started again. And since I have already started my 30 Day Shred (finished day 3 and going strong)with my favorite trainer Jillian I was already getting in the mood for some change! This week I have been making some really great food and tonight was no exception. Excuse the not so great picture...taken on my phone since I can't load my pictures to our computer w/ the virus.

Chicken Primavera (440 calories for the whole dinner)
So many yummy sauteed fresh veggies and it was delicious! Zucchini, squash, carrots, green beans!

Workout update:
Sunday- 30 Day Shred and 30 min. walk/run (Day 1 of C25K)
Monday- Shred and 1 hour Zumba class
Tuesday- Shred and 30 min. elliptical
Wed will be - Shred and 30 min run/walk (Day 2 C25K)
Thursday-Shred and 1 hour Zumba class
Friday-off
Sunday-Shred and 30 min walk/run (Week 1 Day 3)

This week I hit the jump start because after this week it's back to baseball every night. So, I am going to do Shred during nap time each day and try to get my run in at least 3 nights a week. I may have to start waking up early to fit it in.

And I'm proud to say I haven't had a Diet Coke since Sunday! Feeling great and wishing I could bottle up this energy for those days I know I'm going to really have to motivate myself.

A new "Teen Mom" is on in less than an hour!
Happy Tuesday.

Looking for the silver lining

2010-09-21T04:18:00.000-07:00

Trying to find the positive in a bit of a rough time...bullet form.

*Running your own business has it's down falls...and there isn't a consistent income. This year I lost 4 of my daycare kids and have only been able to replace one. All were for good reasons, but all the children on my waiting list have found other care. Needless to say I'm making half of what I was making last year. But guess what? The bills haven't cut themselves in half...so I'm searching everywhere to find things we can cut out...which isn't much.

*I have found Dave Ramsey in the hopes he gonna help us! And I'm learning to tell my kids "no" which I apparently haven't done enough of in the past. We've never been on a budget like this...even when I wasn't working and was going to school. Of course we didn't have this many kids at that time.

*Over the summer I gained back all my weight that I worked so hard to lose...but I had a great summer!

*I've got my "groove" back and am currently working my butt off...hopefully literally...but man am I sore.

*Running, Zumba, and the 30 Day Shred have helped tremendously clear my head this week.

*I'm also excited that I have been able to find time to read lately.

*I've realized I spend a lot of time waisting time. I love to read blogs and read about other peoples lives. I'm super nosey and love to see the way other people live. Things they do with their kids, their workouts, and all their accomplishments...but keep telling myself "I just don't have time to do that with my kids or for myself". So I've decided to set aside a certain time each day to read blogs and FB once I have done things to better MY life.

*One of my new favorite shows is "Quints by Surprise". Casey and Ethan Jones are some of the Joneses that I want to keep up with! Their house is always clean, they never say a cross word to each other, they work together even when super stressed, and they seem so absolutely happy! I prayed last night for that kind of strength and patience.

*Our main computer has a major virus and is at risk for crashing...so I can't upload any of our fun pictures! This is hard b/c I love sharing my pictures.

*There aren't many part-time jobs out there to supplement our income until I can fill my open spots. Especially for a mom of 5 with very little time. My husband and I both work 50-55 hours a week, he coaches 3 of the boys baseball teams, and it would cost more to pay someone to watch our kids if I were to find a night time job.

*The school system isn't hiring. So glad I have a college degree that really isn't helpful right now...who would have ever thought that teachers wouldn't be able to find jobs!

*Our kids are healthy, happy, and aren't lacking anything! And for that I am more than grateful!

*Okay off to Craigslist and E-bay to sell things we no longer need. And to prepare for a garage sale for this weekend.

Holy Crap!

2010-09-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

I'm outta shape! And though I like to believe my scale is bi-polar I truly know it's going up, up, up, up because I'm not consistent with my workouts. However, I have been pretty consistent with eating a lot of CRAP lately!

Apparently Salt n Vinegar chips are extremely addicting. And if you sit on the couch with your husband nightly...like 10:00 each night...your scale can go up too. After several bags...like I don't know maybe 10 or maybe more...I finally told him NOT to bring them home anymore. Like at all. Or there would be harsh consequences.

Anyway, when I woke up today I knew it was going to be a good day!

And after spending the whole day with the kiddos doing extremely fun things (post and pictures later) I put tucked them all in tightly and immediately put on my running shoes.

I began the C25K program (again). W1D1 went great! Very tired, but so energized that I came home, drank some water, and put on the 30 Day Shred DVD. I took pictures (which won't load) and can't wait to compare my end results.

Anyone out there want to join my Shred challenge with me? I'm printing my calendar off and will check off each day when I complete it. I'm so excited. My plan is 10 days level 1, day off, 10 days level 2, day off, 10 days level 3. I will also run 3 days out of the week so I can complete the C25K program.

After all if I have 20 min. and 30 min. segments of my day to spend being nosey reading about other peoples lives on their blogs I certainly owe it to myself to get my workouts in and get this body back in shape!

So here goes!

Show Us Your Life Friday

2010-09-17T10:17:00.001-07:00

I am so glad Kelly is doing Show Us Your Life Fridays again! I'm one of those nosey type people (you know the ones that follow the fire truck through the neighborhood to see what's going on...). So of course I love to look at other peoples houses. On my nightly walks I'm always wondering what the inside of my neighbors houses look like (and mostly how their family runs things).

So this week is living rooms. I'm linking up to show mine off too...

My husband built our entertainment center and it really pulls the room together. I bought the picture above the mantel for $5 at Kirklands (in LOVE with this store). This is the best couch we've ever owned because all 7 of us can fit and watch T.V. together.

And of course right this minute my living room is not this clean. Being that I run an in-home daycare my house currently has 5 toddlers ranging in age from 22 months to 36 months...therefore, there are many random toys, puzzles, shoes, and magnet letters all over my floor. My ottoman is currently housing many un-read magazines, 2 magnadoodles, and my bill binder full of bills waiting to be paid. But seeing these pictures brings me a sense of calmness:)

Happy Friday!

A New Day

2010-09-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

Sometimes I just need to stop and listen...and take it in..and stop trying to change everything.

Enjoy a little more the life I have.

Because He has my plan...and I must learn to be patient.

Where do my 24 hours go each day?

2010-09-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Baseball games have officially started. We have 6 games this week alone! That means I'm:
**spraying, soaking, and washing uniforms
**planning dinner and preparing by 4:30
**homework for 4 children has to be done by 5:00 (and btw kindergarten sure does have a lot more homework than ever these days!)
**oh yeah running a daycare for 10 hours of my day
**busy creating a new blog for my daycare families so they can stay informed about all of our exciting adventures and projects around here
**cleaning the bathroom every 5 min. b/c we're doing lots of potty training
**picking up shoes, socks, random toys, locating missing DS's
** dishes, cleaning the kitchen
** making and playing play-doh, drawing in the sand, painting the sidewalk, singing and dancing, teaching letters, colors, #'s, blowing bubbles
**signing lots of agendas and school notes, writing checks for picture days, and Boosterthons, checking teacher websites for newsletters and updates
**making lunches
**laundry- and lots of it!
**Various other time consuming tasks that only I seem to remember need to be done each day...you know like taking out the trash, paying bills, bathing children, cleaning out the car, cutting coupons, grocery shopping, walking and feeding the dogs, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and being taxi mom...

And the list goes on...and sometimes I even manage to sneak in a trip to the bathroom all by myself and if it's a good day I get to SHOWER..ALONE!!!

Whew! I'm tired...naptime anyone?

2010-09-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

An award? For me? Yay thanks to Kelly for surprising me today with this Sunshine Award. I've been feeling little dumpy lately so this was a great way to help kick start my day.

So here's what I have to do...

1) tell you 10 things about myself
2) spread the Sunshine to 10 other blogs
3) let you know you've been awarded!

#1 I always knew I wanted a big family. I grew up an only child so I was determined to have more than one for sure. Originally 3 seemed like the magic number. But when Kyle turned 2 I longed for another sweet squishy smelling good baby. So along came Ryan...and same thing happened again when he turned 2. Well you guessed it baby Chase is 2 1/2 and that same feeling is coming again...I want to smell a yummy little baby...but since we haven't won the lottery I will just have to keep washing his hair in baby shampoo and baby wash.

#2 I want to live in the country with chickens, horses, and a huge garden.

#3 I want to be able to wake up early and go for a run before starting my day. But since Chase has recently decided he doesn't like sleeping through the night anymore it's really difficult to want to get up at 5:00...which leads to the next thing.

#4 I really wish I didn't have to work. I want to be able to do more and spend more time w/ my family. I want to give them everything and not be so worn out each day. It leads to a cranky mommy when I don't get my own time and I am working so hard to give to others.

#5 I have always wished I went to nursing school. I would love to deliver babies!

#6 I am super proud of all of my children and I feel so lucky that I was chosen to be their mom. They are truly to BEST children in the whole wide world. They are so well behaved, super smart, and I get compliments all the time about them. I try to keep those compliments in the front of my head instead of the ones like "are they ALL yours", "are you done?", "you have your hands full"...and so on and so on.

#7 I am always trying to lose those same 10-15 pounds...but I truly think I look pretty good for having 5 kids. And my husband tells me all the time I look great so I guess that's most important.

#8 I hate cleaning, but LOVE a clean house! It puts me in a great mood when it smells good in my house and I love to open the windows and the fresh air comes in.

#9 I leave secret messages for my kids around the house. If they are struggling with something or having a bad day I will leave little post-it notes about how special they are and to let them know they can do anything. I write on the chalk board in our kitchen each morning w/ a little quote for them to see right before they leave for school.

#10 I am not very organized and really wish I could afford for someone to come professionally organize my house...I can keep it that way if I could just get it together.

Oh and just for fun a few secrets...I'm secretly excited about Eminem being on the VMA's tonight b/c I'm a closet fan. I LOVE the Jersey Shore (my darn husband got me hooked). But there is also a movie on Lifetime about a student being in love w/ her hot male teacher. And I should really be reading a lot of books I have stacked on my night stand.

So now I have to send this award to some other bloggers who bring me Sunshine!

Kelly - Even though she was already awarded I wanted her to get it from me too b/c she completely inspired me when she had to be a single mom after her husband was transferred and they couldn't sell their house. She had to raise her 2 children by herself while not getting to see her husband except for the weekends.

Melissa - her weight loss journey is so inspiring! She has helped me to become a runner and her eating tips have helped keep me on track even when I wanted to cave. She works so hard at her job and raising her kids and can still keep her journey going.

Tyly I have recently found Tyly through another blog reader. I am inspired by here because she has finished the 30 Day Shred, she teaches 2nd grade, and and has goals set to lose 29 pounds before her 29th birthday. I'm excited to read more about her life.

Tami - Tami inspires me b/c she is setting out to set such a good example for her daughters through her healthy eating and awesome workouts. And she is super funny and the stories about her daughters crack me up!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Yep school has started back! 4 of 5 kiddos are sick...3 bronchitis and 1 pneumonia

Wordless Wednesday (with a little explanation)

2010-09-01T19:30:00.001-07:00

Little Monkey has been potty training. He gets a sticker when he goes. However, he frequently sticks his stickers where ever he feels like. Tonight he and I were dancing in the kitchen and when I turned around to stir the food and keep cooking he began sticking them to my butt. I continued to dance and make dinner forgetting that he put the stickers there. Well, Jenna came in and asked me why I had stickers on my butt. Then she began laughing hysterically...and this is why.

Great! I guess it's time to get out Jillian's Shred and let her start kicking my butt..literally...again.

What I Know

2010-08-25T04:33:00.000-07:00

I graduated high school in 1996.

This pretty girl was born one week before my graduation.

Therefore, I went through my senior year of high school being pregnant. I graduated with honors and in National Honor Society...which was extremely comfortable walking across the stage of our National Honor Society night receiving my award and honors ribbons nearly 8 months pregnant...NOT! But the fact that I was receiving this award, was still in the NHS, and would soon be graduating with a 3.9 and already being accepted to the University was a pretty tough accomplishment if I do say so myself.

And when Jenna was just 3 months old, I began college. During these 5 years I endured a lot of challenges. I divorced, took a little time off of school, worked forty hours continuously through college, had another baby and got married again, enrolled back in school, and had another baby right before I graduated with my BS in Early Childhood Education with a 3.7 GPA and having made the Dean's or President's list each semester.

I remained strong, focused, and determined that I would graduate and make my family proud. And I did it! All before I was 24 years old I became and wife, mom, and teacher. I had accomplished everything I had set out to do.

I started teaching when my 3rd child was 6 months old. And as I continued this journey I was all along saying "what's next?". So another 2 babies joined the family, I quit teaching for awhile to focus on raising my family, opened up my own in home daycare, and continue to be a wife, mother, and teacher everyday.

But is this it? What am I working towards now? For the last 3 years I've kind of been in a small depression. Things in my marriage haven't gone the way I had always expected, raising 5 kids is quite a challenge, and working from home makes me feel stuck a lot of times. So I have often found myself asking "Is this it? Is this what I worked so hard for?".

Well, after a great talk with an "old" friend last night I woke up feeling stronger, focused, and determined again! I felt a spark this morning that I haven't felt in many years. She helped me see there is more and it's never too late to start something new.

So today I wake up with a new view of life. More determined than ever to pick myself up by my boot straps, grab the bull by the horns, and get my butt living again!

Big changes are coming, only time will tell, but I will not let anything stand in my way. I'm ready to LIVE again! And it feels great.

If your daughter joins the photography club...

2010-08-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

You might find a few silly pics on your camera...

And a few sweet surprises...

Week 3 and settling in

2010-08-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

This is week 3 of the 4 "big" kids being in school. And we are settling into our new routine. I must say it's really great being back on a schedule...especially at bedtime. I love 8:00 bedtime!

This year I've changed things up a bit. Mornings are super hectic when getting 4 kids ready and fed, a toddler who wakes up but shouldn't, and 4 daycare kids being dropped off. This makes for a very hectic 45 minutes, but each day I'm learning new things to do to keep it as smooth as possible. I do as much prep the night before as possible (pack lunches, set clothes out, shoes by the door, agendas signed and backpacks all ready). I have started waking them up about 5 minutes earlier so I can get them started before my first child arrives at 6:30. I give them 2 choices for breakfast and then they each have a few responsibilities to take care of before the bus arrives around 7. Jenna has it a little easier since her bus doesn't come until 7:45 so she usually writes and listens to her IPod for a little peace and quiet.

Afternoons have been changed dramatically. I let the boys come home and play and have snack for about an hour and a half before starting our "quiet time". Around 4:00 the daycare kids start going home and all are gone by 4:30. So during this time I am prepping dinner, cleaning up, and preparing for the next day while I have the boys sitting getting homework done. This way we can put on some quiet music and I can be available for homework help. If they do not have homework or finish early then they are allowed to leave the table and find a comfortable place to read a book. This quiet time usually last 30 min. to an hour. With the exception of Chase everyone is taking to it very well. I am trying to find quiet things for him to do that will hold his attention so he leaves the big kids alone and they aren't whining at me telling me they can't concentrate. This has been great because we can eat around 5/5:30 and then begin our evening activities. This week baseball starts for 3of them so this schedule will be very important to make sure all hw and reading is done.

And then baths/showers and I begin clean up and prep for the next day so we can do it all over again.

So what's your school year schedule? Any tips on more exciting lunches? And more importantly what do you do with your toddler to keep him quiet while the others are working?

Daydreaming

2010-08-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Daydreaming: An escape from the madness of life, a way to dream of things to come, wishes you'd like to come true...

I daydream...A LOT! I love to dream of ways I'd change this or that. Or about things coming up in our life to be excited about. But lately I've been daydreaming about work, school, kids, house and how I have so many ideas and so many things I want to change.

If real life was like my daydreaming I would be able to just be "mom". I'd love to be able to homeschool my children, learn at our own pace, take field trips for real life learning, and most of all spend more time together as a family. I am glad my job allows me to be home and available for my children, but it makes me extremely tired and there isn't much time for myself while I'm taking care of kids 16 hours a day. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to not work.

My daydreaming life has really cute furniture, very organized rooms, everything in its place and easy to find, and I'm always very nicely dressed. I have lots of time to study up on new fun curriculum to teach my kids with, I read for my own enjoyment, and I am at the gym or running a lot.

Some things I know I can make possible, but others seem so far out of reach. I just hope one day the line between reality and daydreaming becomes a little thinner.

Until then I'll keep working away to pay the bills and dreaming of bigger and better things for our family.

Monday-Friday

2010-08-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Every day I:

Serve 10 breakfasts
Serve 5 snacks
Pack or serve 10 lunches
Serve 9 snacks
Prepare dinner for 7
And often make desserts

Each day that makes 41 meals

Each week that makes 205 meals

Not including feeding 7 people at least 3 meals a day on the weekends

And my husband wonders why I spend so much on the groceries each week and why I bring a ton of food home and mid-week he says "There's nothing to eat".

And no wonder I'm a bit tired! And this is why since we've taken the house off the market I've begun suggesting a kitchen make-over. After all, that seems to be where I spend most of my day.

A breakfast must try

2010-08-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

A yummy breakfast I've been eating lately that is only 2 WW points! Well, unless of course you eat two servings like me.

Recipe:

1/2 a peach
small handful of blueberries
1/2 tsp. of non-fat marg.or butter (place in seed pit)
sprinkle w/ light brown sugar

bake @ 350 for 30-40 min.
top w/ half a Fiber One Vanilla Yogurt

So Good!

I usually bake 4 peaches @ once and save the rest for dessert or breakfast throughout the week (just warm peaches and blueberries and then top w/ yogurt).

This morning I had two peach halves and topped w/ blueberries, 1 yogurt container, and sprinkled low-fat granola. It was 5 WW points so for a whole breakfast that's pretty good.

More fear and anxiety...being a parent is HARD!

2010-08-03T05:38:00.000-07:00

So last week I told you how scared I was for Princess to be starting high school. Well this week brings a new fear.

With four kids being in school there is a lot of paperwork that comes home to fill out. I dread it every year actually because I know it will take up my whole night and my hand is killing me from so much writing. I am the one to fill out the paperwork, at first it was because my handwriting is neater being a teacher and all, but now it's because I am the only one who actually knows the information.

Full names, birthdays, ss#, student ID number, emergency contacts and numbers, addresses, phone numbers of all sorts...apparently hubby doesn't know any of it! As I sat filling the paperwork out all night he says, "Wow that's a lot of information you have to remember. You should write it all in a book and label it 'If I die'." What? He thinks I might die? But he's right. He has no idea most of the important information about the kids or myself.

So it really got me thinking. Maybe I really should make him a book. A chapter for each kid. I should include all the #'s and facts that pertain to each one. Various doctor numbers and who goes to each one. But what about all the things that I do that he doesn't know about?

Like the fact that Chase (Little Monkey) likes warm milk before bed, still requires a pacifier and blankie to sleep through the night, likes to run his hands through my hair when we read and snuggle, and hates to have the water dumped over his head when washing his hair. He only gets half of a vitamin at breakfast, does not like orange juice, likes cinnamon and peanut butter in his oatmeal, is deathly allergic to ants and requires an epi-pen, and wears size 2 shorts but size 3 shirts. And how about all the words he says that only I understand? And when he sings "ashes ashes all fall down" he is really singing the "clean up" song.

Ryan(Tooker) likes his milk warm before bed, prefers to wear his hair in a Mohawk, prefers showers over baths, and likes his eggs over easy. Likes ham sandwiches no mayo, likes his yogurt frozen, and says he wants Coke but really means Sprite.

Kyle(Bubby)loves to have his back scratched every night, likes his hair super short, would wear sport shorts everyday if he could, has to be reminded constantly to use the bathroom before bed and to brush his teeth. He writes with his left hand, but plays baseball right handed. He will not share any information with you unless asked directly and often forgets important papers in his backpack. He is good at flying right below the radar.

Tyler(T-man) has to have his feet and back massaged each night, likes it scratched and pounded in a silly way, has to be reminded to take a shower and wear his glasses. He will not read unless he is told to, can get away w/ murder b/c of his charm, and really likes to be told how cute and awesome he is. Tyler does not enjoy school at all except for socializing. He, along with Kyle, likes his eggs hard boiled but calls them "rotten eggs".

Jenna(Princess) can often be found lounging on her bed writing. Her nose is always in a book and I-Pod headphones are always in her ears. But she is taking it all in at the same time. She loves to text and socialize with her friends as long as they don't stay too long. She prefers an early bedtime and can become grouchy if she doesn't get her sleep. She hates doing dishes b/c she hates to touch other peoples food, but will be more than happy to help pack things when it's time to go somewhere. And she loves to try new foods!

Being a mom sure does require a lot of a person! I better go get started on my dad book...this could take awhile. I sure hope God doesn't need me anytime soon. And I promise the next post will be more upbeat...any requests:)

Scary, unknown, a fear I've never felt before!

2010-07-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

See this beautiful girl?

Well as of this coming Monday she will be a freshman. Her first year of real Independence.

And the first truly scary year of her mom's life! Scarier than being pregnant at 18. Scarier than being a single mom. Scarier than any night full of colic and screaming. Scarier than any temper tantrum. Scarier than many sleepless nights with millions of ear infections and busting ear drums.

Really and truly folks this is the time she needs me most. Not when she skinned her knee learning to ride her Barbie bike for the first time. She needs me more now than when she swallowed her first tooth and was so scared the tooth fairy wasn't going to find her. More than any bad dream, or her first "break up", or when the "mean girls" have been mean.

Because the true decisions come now. The first real decisions that will ultimately affect the rest of her life. True the classes and grades are important. But the decisions that will ultimately be thrown upon her...drugs, sex, peer pressure of any magnitude. Those are the true decisions that will influence her life.

She has her head on straight. She knows where she wants to go in life...It's truly the other kids I'm scared about. The other parents medicine cabinets that they find the drugs to experiment with. The older boy she might have a crush on. I was a teenage girl once too, and I remember the great feeling when I found out a boy thought I was pretty. I remember my first kiss and snuggling on the couch like it was yesterday. But times have changed (oh boy do I sound old) and things are even scarier than they were for me.

Oh where did the time go? One minute I'm rocking this precious girl and reading her bedtime stories...and now I'm discussing peer pressure, sex, and drugs. I never knew what true worrying was until I was thrown into it today at her orientation. I was forced to face the fact that my little girl is growing up. And now more than ever she is needing me to help guide her in making real life choices.

So here goes nothin!

Hotels can only bring you closer...

2010-07-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

2 adults, 5 kids, one room, 2 beds w/ a pull out couch...
Brings a family closer...

Well, sorta...

We're traveling for the Little League World Series. Bubby's team started a tournament Thursday night. We haven't slept much at all...well mommy anyway. The first night I woke up every hour...and I mean every hour. The second night there was a car alarm going off for more than 4 hours. My neck is sore and my head has been pounding. Little Monkey does not understand how to be quiet in the room, or to lay down in the bed.

We have an extra little guy with us. The boys are having a great time. They have truly enjoyed staying up late, swimming, playing baseball in the halls, running from room to room, eating out, and most of all jumping on the beds.

It's been great for us. Even with the lack of sleep it's been really nice hanging together and being this close.

Oh yeah and watching lots of baseball and dodging thunderstorms.

Holla... Finally Something I Can Win!

2010-07-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I saw Mommyologist's new contest. "Not" Mom of the Year! And I thought, "Well hell Danielle you could totally enter that contest. Especially since it was actually pointed out to you yesterday that you should be more grateful because you obviously totally take being a parent for granted. And it bothered you so much you couldn't sleep thinking that other people don't think you appreciate being a parent. Oh and you were informed that you apparently yell at your kids too much. Oh and how about all the times people have said 'You have your hands full.' Which obviously implies you look like a total mess every time you go somewhere." But as I was thinking all of these things and crying all night over harsh comments that were made to me yesterday I couldn't come up with one truly catchy story that would entertain and really show my "Not" Mom of the Year side. And because I am such a "great" mom and this was difficult to find a few flaws to discuss...I decided to leave it up to my kids to prove to me today that I am totally "Not" Mom of the Year material.

This morning I was loading a few pictures that I had taken of the kids last week...at the park...while it was raining...because I was insistent on getting some summer photos. And right after this one was taken, that cute blond boy in the middle, slid down the slide right into a puddle, and got soaked.

I believe the words "suck it up" escaped my mouth. I didn't want to hear any whining...after all I was there to take "happy" family photos....of our extremely happy family! See that sweet Princess in this picture? Not too long ago she yelled at me one day saying, "I'm calling DFACS. You are the meanest mom on the planet." My reply to her, "Here's the number. Just remember they are taking you away... not me. I get to sleep in my comfy bed while you get a new family...let me know how they are."

While I was loading said pictures a certain 2 year old was MIA. I didn't hear any noise so I continued enjoying my silence.

After I was done with my FBing, blogging, loading pics...I decided I should be a mom and get the kids showered (I think it's been more than 2 days)and get them ready to go to the library. Because the teacher in me reminded me that the kids go back to school in 3 weeks, and well we haven't been to the library once this whole summer, and the kids have summer reading lists to complete. As I'm yelling to my offspring to hurry and get in the shower, I see this on my counter...

Hmmmm!!! "WHAT?!?!" "Holy Goodness! Who cut their hair?!?!" To which my super sweet, silent, 2 year old says, "Me Mommy. See" (pointing to his head)

Yes that is a small cut on his forehead because he used a daddy's razor to cut his hair. So as I picture all of the horrific things that could have happened while he used that razor, I decide to hurry up and get them showered and out of the house.

So we shower, get dressed, pack up the kiddies and realize it's 12:00 and I haven't fed them lunch. So after packing them into the van...that I am certain would not pass any health inspection test since there are french fries from 2005 shoved beneath the seats and a few sippy cups of curdled milk...I run back into the house to grab a box of frozen Uncrustables, a few apples, a box of gummies, and some very sugary juice boxes...and head back to toss them at the wild pack of hungry and now caged animals.

Finally we're off to the library with a 10 year old, 8 year old, 4 year old, and a very very tired 2 year old. Said 2 year old preceded to yell at me almost the whole 30 minutes we were there. It was more than I could handle, so I quickly grabbed the kids lists, asked the lady at the desk to help me, and warned the 4 year old to please not let the 2 year old get a hold of his books.

I reminded the kids about how we take care of library books, always holding them under our arm so we don't break the spine, how we gently turn the pages one at a time, and how we most certainly not let the 2 year hold them when we read to him because he could tear them up. Well, I never warned them about leaving them where the puppy could get a hold of them.

Crap! Now I must pay for this library book and take it in to explain what happened. I'm pretty sure when I take it in I will most certainly be reminded of a what a GREAT mother I am not!

And after a very long day and night I have finally sat down to blog. While I sit here, at 10:00, I am being pelted with paper airplanes and listening to screaming kids arguing over who should get to jump off the couch next. I'm tired. And have accomplished what feels like nothing today. I need to clean the kitchen, put away the mile high pile of laundry, and put the heathens to bed...before my husband comes home and truly thinks I did nothing good today.

The good news is tomorrow is a new day...the bad news is they get to wake up to the same ol "Not" Mother of the Year. But I wouldn't have it any other way...because how boring perfect must be...and my days are never boring:)

We've been SUPER busy!

2010-07-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Almost two weeks ago we headed down to Florida to see my step-daughter's dance recital. We drove 8 1/2 hours there...watched the recital, took my MIL to dinner, and drove 8 1/2 hours back. It was a long day, but we only had Princess with us so it was kind of nice to just talk and drive.

She did so great and it was so nice to see her even if it was only for a few minutes.

Bubby's team won State Championship...undefeated!

It was so awesome!

And this sweet boy had surgery. He's doing great too:)

So you can see why I am so behind on blogging. But one day, someday, I'll have a minute. Maybe, wait only 2 weeks left of summer vacation? Are you kidding?!?!

Weekend Runaway!

2010-06-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend hubby and I took a suprise weekend getaway. Saturday morning at 4:00 a.m. we hopped inthe van for a 9 hour ride. Only the Princess came with us. We pawned the boys off to friends and family for our quick getaway!

We arrived at our destination at almost 2:00 in the afternoon. We saw who we came to see for only a brief moment before she had to be somewhere to prepare. It was a surprise visit and she was excited to see us.

While she was where she needed to be we got to take hubby's mom to dinner. We had dinner at an authentic Italian owend Italian restaurant. I had the Manicotti...and it's was super yummy!

We cleaned up at my MIL's house and headed out for an evening filled with little feet and big feet that entertained us for a couple of hours.

After we were finished we snapped lots of pictures of who we came to see. And at 9:45 p.m. we were back on the road heading home. Yep you got it...9 hour drive home. Hubby had to work Sunday and our Bubby had a baseball tournament. So, the 3 of us drove...all night...to come home...

I slept from 10-2 and the hubs slept from about 2:30-6:30 when we arrived home. It was a long long 24 hour period. But well worth the trip!

Can you guess what we might have done? Here's a hint...

Mom Sexy Prom

2010-06-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hello...as promised...The Mom Sexy Prom Post from The Mommyologist!

But first things first....I spend most of my days looking like this

Running kids here...

And running them there...

And learning like this...
And lots and lots of playing like this...
And dealing with lots and lots of this...
And having fun doing this...

And cleaning messes like this...

And at the end of the day I might look like this...
But lately I've decided I need to look a little more like this...
And definitely look more like this...

So when I saw a blog post by Mommyologist I was so excited to look like this...

And maybe I will even get to go out with this hot guy soon...

Hello? Can you hear me now? Anyone?

2010-06-24T05:19:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am a little blog illiterate. My great "blog friend" Melissa let me know that my comments were blocked and only members could comment. WHA? How did I? I have no idea! I think I was trying to block the Asian spam coming through...you know the ones "blah blah blah (that's b/c I can figure out how to write in Asian writing) Bon Bon Sex"....and then there was "Blah blah blah touch blah blah blah crazy here blah blah blah move it like this blah blah blah...and crazy other stuff.

So anyway I think (I pray and hope and all that good stuff) that I have it fixed and figured out. I'm still working on this whole blog thing and I bet if I wasn't potty training, being a maid, being taxi mom, laundry goddess, trophy wife at the ball field, chef, personal assistant to 5 off spring... Oh no worries I'll work you in!

I am determined to figure this all out and make a really cute, hip, cool, and groovy place for all of the mommies of the world to pour a cup of coffee (or glass of wine), get a few laughs, and help to make their lives a little less stressful and seem a lot more exciting...

Fingers crossed!

Also, come back later because I'm joining The Mommyologist for her Sexy Mom Prom! I'm so excited and giddy and can't wait to post my pics.

Spend the day being "Danielle"

2010-06-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up knowing I got to spend the day just being me...

I woke at 7:00 and even though it was already hot and humid outside I made myself get up and put my running shoes on. I hit the pavement for an hour and came home to shower.

The two big boys have baseball camp this week so dad was in charge of getting them to the field at 9:00. I got the little boys ready and took them to dad at the field and proceeded to hit the salon for a much needed hair color (good bye gray hair!).

I took myself for a Starbucks White Choc. Mocha non-fat no whip...mmmmm so good:)

I spent two hours at the salon, got an extra long conditioning treatment, and left feeling super refreshed.

I then went to the eye dr. to get my new glasses, took myself to lunch at this yummy little sandwich shop in our downtown area that I haven't been to in over 2 years after I left teaching. And it was so good! Then I took myself for a little shopping. I hit Kohl's and Target. And the best news of all...I bought myself a new jean skirt and tank top...and I have to brag a little...I feel like I looked really good in it. I'm not a shorts and skirt kind of girl b/c I hate my legs...but have to say that after losing almost 15 pounds I'm feeling extremely confident. So confident in fact that I then took myself to the mall and hit the GAP and bought two more skirts. I got a total of 4 skirts today. One dark jean, one light jean, a white denim, and a khaki. It is so hot here right now and I start sweating the second I go outside...so I think these skirts are really going to help with that.

So I have new glasses, new clothes, and a new do. I'm feeling pretty confident tonight:) I am planning on a few more items to be purchased this week like some accessories to go along w/ my new clothes. This is huge for me because I always buy the kids clothes...like it's a true addiction...but losing weight have given me more confidence to want to look good for myself. And although my legs are still not what I would like them to be...and unfortunately they're probably not ever going to be b/c I have muscle from my gymnastic days and that's just part of the way I'm built...but I will say that my cellulite is tanning very nicely this summer and helps that a lot:)

Today was a much needed day for me. And it felt so great to be "ME" and not just hearing "Mommy" all day.

I didn't have time to get my nails done b/c hubby had to go to work and it was time to be mommy again. But I did paint my toes and paint my finger nails.

I am a sucker!

2010-06-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

I am that one...the who believes everything I read....especially when it comes to magazines at the check-out. But not the typical Enquirer, Star, or US weekely. No no not the believer of celeb gossip and the like. I am the one who sees "Lose 45 pounds this month", or "Walk your way lean...No dieting involved", or "Cut this out and lose major weight".

I see those and think "Ha it must have happened to someone because they have written an article." Oh totally believe "The woman on the cover looks great. Of course this works". So I buy it. Which isn't bad because a lot of times they are real stories and good things to try.

But my problem is 1) I don't have the time to actually sit and read the whole thing. 2) When I do read them I either decide I don't have time to try it, it involves more than I could have ever imagined, or I just never even try it.

I also believe that just because I buy something it should work. Like my Weight Watchers. Yes it works, but you have to follow it. And guess what? I totally never log in! At some point I have quit counting points. But guess what else? I only think about it when I see the charge on my bank account.

And my YMCA membership...well we've gone a total of 3 times in the last month...and none the month before that. Baseball season took over the last few months and I couldn't get there at all. Now it's summer, we still have baseball, but I'm not getting my workouts and classes in b/c we end up heading to the pool. I love the pool!

I have been walking almost every morning. But I miss my classes and since we are cnacelling our membership at the end of summer I want to get more in. But I hate to miss pool time.

Even not working during the summer there just aren't enough hours in the day! But that's another post. Until then I need to get my act together, plan a little better, and stop being such a flake and excuse maker. Gather my magazine piles, cut out new things to try, recipes to cook, and just plain get it together!

Procrastination is my middle name...but summer will end too soon and I have a goal!

Strep Throat in the summer???

2010-06-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

How did this happen? Where did it come from? This morning I woke up feeling like a Mac Truck ran me over...and over and over...again. Throat swollen, fever 102, body aches, eyes feeling like they are bulging out of the sockets and pressure...tremendous pressure. So off I went to the dr. to find out what the heck was going on.

STREP THROAT! Ugh! Let me tell you strep throat in a 32 year old woman is exhausting. I think I felt worse than after recovery from delivering a baby.

But after the nurse gave me a shot...whom I totally fell in love with...yes she was a woman but she commented on the fact that she never would believe I had so many children if she hadn't actually seen them b/c I have no stretch marks. I totally heart her for noticing..and commenting...and checking my chart to tell me I'd lost some great weight lately:)

I laid up in the bed close to deaths door...ok not really...but it sure felt like it. After a shot, a ZPac, and a numbing mouth wash, chicken noodles soup, lots of Gatorade...and several interupted naps I am feeling a little more human. I'm really hoping tomorrow brings great recovery as my house looks worse than a war zone and the laundry piles are as big as Mt. Everest.

Kids...why are they so honest? And yummy dessert!

2010-06-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to Old Navy to try on shorts...which I absolutely hate wearing..but it's crazy hot! So I thought w/ ten pounds gone I might give it a try again.

Well, 5 pairs later and one little boy saying "Mommy those aren't good they are fat for you." Wait. What? "You mean like they are too big honey? They don't fit." "Yeah they don't fit. It looks fat."

Okay fine even the 4 year old doesn't like my cellulite. I've been using this firming lotion and walking a lot...but I guess I need more leg workouts!

Tonight I was cleaning the kitchen when Bubby says, "Mom what are we naming the new baby?" Ahhh are you kiding me! Great I thought it was just my legs...but apparently my poochy stomach needs a better workout too.

On a better note...today I logged into my WW to find out how many points my super yummy dessert was. And it was only 2 points...of course I did have 2 servings, but now I know to keep it at one serving.

Anyway it is so GOOD!!!!

It is baked peaches w/ a blueberry drizzle sauce w/ yogurt...like a peach/blueberry cobbler but w/o the fat!

Stay tuned I'll post the recipe tomorrow:)

When it rains it pours...

2010-05-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

About 6 weeks ago Little Monkey was playing outside and came in from the sandbox swollen, red and covered in what looked like hives. So I drugged him up with Benadryl and rushed him to urgent care...on the way he began choking and coughing swelling so much he wasn't recognizable. I had no idea what was happening or why.

The receptionist saw us come in and immediately got the doctor. She grabbed my other boys, kept them in the waiting room, and sent me back. Before I knew it LM was getting shot up w/ shots and drugs in his mouth, oxygen was checked, temps. blood pressure...and finally after a few minutes our wonderful urgent care doctor (who pretty much sees me once a month and tells me I'm like family) says, "Ok mom, what happened?" I tell him he was in the sandbox and all of the sudden was swelling and turning all shades of red and white. On the way he began choking and coughing and his tongue was swelling. So, he says it's sand fleas or something else bit him but we could tell b/c he was so bumpy, red, and swollen. He gives us a prescription for an Epi-Pen, keep him on Benadryl and Zytec for 24 hours, and sends us on our way (after a long observation).

The next morning I figure out it's an ant bite. Well, 6 weeks passes and we're all good. Until this weekend it happened again. We were at the ballfield and he got bit by an ant....a stupid black ant...not even a mean red one.

So Princess snatched him up and put him in the van. I drove quickly to the store, got Benadryl and Zyrtec, and headed to Urgent Care once again. Our favorite doctor was not in, but she was still super nice. Long story short...hahahahah...he is now on Zyrtec all the time and the Epi-Pen is on me at all times.

Then today T-man (10 yr. old) comes home with a red swollen "private" area. So off to urgent care we go. Our favorite doctor is there, checks him out, and send us off to the childrens hospital for an ultra sound. We get to the childrens ER where they waisted no time rushing us back.

Another long story short...he's going in for surgery next week for a hydrocele. Basically something common in infants, but because he is 10 he needs surgery to close up the hole so his bowels and intestines do not come through. Tonight he is resting comfortably w/ a bag of frozen peas and legs propped up on pillows.

I, on the other hand, just took a Hydrocodone for my Carpel Tunnel and am headed off to hopefully a few hours of sleep...hoping Tman doesn't wake in pain and Little Monkey w/ his teething will sleep tonight.

Summer...5 more work days!

2010-05-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am so looking forward to summer break. I can finally be "just mom" That's funny right? Just Mom! HA! The hardest job in the world...

But I am ready for my morning runs, making breakfast, taking trips to the library, going to the park, swimming, and visiting family and friends. Both big boys made their all-star teams so that will take up our evenings and weekends for most of the summer. But knowing I can sleep in (if the puppy lets me of course), stay up late watching crappy TV, and hopefully falling into a good book.

But until then...

I must work 5 more days, keep cleaning like a crazy person, wrap up the end of the year w/ my school kids, and get all of this all-star prep. moving. One day soon I will make it to the gym or at least a walk!

BLC update...10 pounds down...10 more to go!

Great weekend, Fantastic Monday, and what the heck is up the spam?

2010-05-18T04:31:00.000-07:00

The weekend started off with ball games of course...tournaments to be exact. The two big boys won their first tournaments and little boy got his first trophy.

Then it was mommy daughter time. I took Princess to get mani/pedis and brought her home and did her hair and make-up because...

Drum roll please!

She had her 8th grade formal...

Oh she was absolutely beautiful! It's hard to believe that my cute little bald headed chunky baby girl would turn out to be this head turner:)

Then we headed to the Braves game Sunday afternoon where the boys got to walk the field before the game (pics. to come).

Monday was the best Monday in a long time. I weighed in Monday morning under 140! Woo Hoo. Good bye 140's, see ya, so long, don't come back ya hear!

And the two big boys won their second tournament games.

This is one proud and happy momma!

But what the heck is up with all the spam comments? Bonbon sex? Never heard of that.

Too much to do...and I took the night off!

2010-05-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Everynight this week we have been at the ball field until 10:00...that P.M. folks! Tonight was the first night we did not have a game. So I was determined to get this place cleaned and ready for a showing...that may never come. Then I remembered Princess had somewhere to be from 5:30-7:00, and we were supposed to go to Last Chance Workout at the school for our BLC.

Well plans changed. I mowed the grass after taking Princess to her mtg. and skipped the cleaning and last chance workout.

I just needed a night off, but the grass was getting quite high and it is supposed to rain over the weekend and we have another game tomorrow night...so I had to do it. I'll count that as my last chance workout.

But after that I was done...no baths, read a lot with T-man, gave milk to babies, rubbed backs, snuggled a bit...

And now I've been sitting in the bed watchin HGTV. I just can't get enough. I would love to have a day where I could just sit and watch it all day.

Soon...school is out in 2 weeks...and I'm closed for the summer in 3 weeks. Maybe, just maybe, I can fit in a day of just sittin and watching T.V.

But until then the mess awaits me in the morning...ugh!

Rehab?

2010-05-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Everybody's doing it...

Using it as an easy fix to a huge problem...

A way out...

All of the celebrities, politicians, and anyone who is anyone...

So maybe I too should be considering rehab for my choices...

I have a confession...

I am EXTREMELY competetive!

This is one reason my husband began coaching...he didn't want to have to sit w/ me in the stands listening to my every scream and yell.

I grew up playing various sports, but never knew my real side of competition until my children began playing sports. When Princess was 7 she started playing softball and that's when my crazy side began to rear it's ugly head. I'd be on the side of the fence, pacing, and yelling, really really loud.

As the kids have gotten older and the boys are now playing baseball it's gotten ten times worse. This weekend for example, I began getting really ugly looks from the umpire...to save myself just a little...he was making really bad calls. One strike was totally different from another strike...and one ball that looked the same as the previous one suddenly was a strike...he even called a strike using his strike signal and promply changed to a ball making a slice across his throat as if to say "too high". I don't think he even knew what he was calling.

And after a ball was called foul and suddenly called fair...I began saying "oh come on...make up your mind!" And then someone is out and suddenly they're safe. The one good thing was he was inconsistent w/ both teams so I suppose it evened out in the end.

This week has been stressful as we begin to fall into our "place" in the season. Both boys teams finished 2nd...and now we head to play offs!

After last night's homerun and grand slam by T-man I'm hoping we kick some booty in these tournaments...and then we begin all-stars at the end of the month...

Pass the Prozac please!

It's only 8:30?

2010-05-07T05:26:00.000-07:00

It's only 8:30...

And already I have...

Taken a bath, taken out the dogs, done 2 loads of laundry, woke up 2 boys, made pancakes, gotten 2 boys and 1 girl on the bus, had a 2 year old wake up w/ a bloody nose, cleaned him up and dressed him, fed him breakfast, done the dishes, listened to the news, all while the daycare children were being dropped off...

Fed one baby, got him to sleep, listened to lots of crying, changed 3 poops and 3 wets, broken up several fights over toys, stopped blocks from flying through the playroom, cleaned up the playroom, dusted living and dining rooms, swept foyer, picked up toys in the living room only to realize more have been dumped out in the playroom, taken the dogs back out...

And still need to ...

Fold more laundry, put in more laundry, put it all away, clean downstairs bathroom, clean up playroom again, think about what's for lunch, make lunch, clean lunch, play games, wipe noses, change booties again, finish Mother's Day projects, and prepare for nap...

And during nap...
Mop the floors and pray pray pray that this will be the weekend that people will start coming to see the house...I clean everyday and no one is coming!

Oh well, maybe I'll take a nap too:)

Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Little Monkey

2010-05-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Today is this sweet little guy's birthday. He has brought so much excitement and love into our lives. I can't believe it's been two years since he joined our family. When we brought him home he was so quiet and laid back. But being heard in this family of seven has been one mission this little man is determined to do.

So just to let me know he's here....

And that he is now 2...

He has mastered his temper tantrums...

And is making sure he is heard...

And we love him more and more everyday!

Brothers

2010-04-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love to watch the relationship between my boys. The two oldest boys share a room and the two youngest boys share a room. At night I hear the big boys talking while they drift off to slumber land. They share secrets, giggle, and give each other advice. When they get home from school they immediately head to the backyard for a game of kickball, baseball, or football. Sometimes all three!

But last night events took place that I never could have imagined as a mom and I cried at how happy I was that God chose me to be their mom.

A little background on my boys -
T-man, 10 years old, first born son, loud, really believes he's the coolest kid in the world, has a heart of gold, loves everyone, but can cry at the drop of a hat, frustrates easily and will give up before he starts, loves to cuddle, extremely social, wants to please and not let anyone down, but has to try 10 times harder than other children at school and sports...

Bubby, 7 years old w/ an old mans sole, hysterical, but is our quiet child, shy until he gets to know you, extremely gifted at school and all sports, AWESOME baseball player, very sensitive, HATES all vegetables, looks up to his big brother, loves to hang out w/ dad on the ball field, but loves his quiet snuggle time w/ mommy, is the middle child and is often just along for the ride...

So a little observations I've had lately....T-man is a little jealous of Bubby b/c he does not struggle in school and really shines on the baseball field. And last night I became very concerned. T has had an extremely rough week at school...and after several e-mails and phone calls w/ his teacher...I have realized I cannot protect my baby all the time...and is makes me very sad. He's trying and unfortunately he needs a lot of patient people...and Ms. Not Nice is not very patient and has led to many crying evenings this year.

Well, last night T's team did not have enough players, so #1 coach puts in the younger brother. I begin to cringe and get excited at the same time. I love watching them play and am excited they will get to play together. However, I'm nervous b/c I don't want T to feel as if little brother steals his light. The game starts off by T striking out. Oh crap! And then Bubs gets up to the plate and belts it out past 2nd and gets 2 RBI's. He then steals all the bases one at a time and makes his way home. In the field, T is catcher...and he is totally awesome at this position...and Bubs is playing 2nd. Bubs get 2 outs in that inning and I am so excited for him. Back to bat...T strikes out again, Bubs gets on base, T still great catching, Bubs is totally rocking 2nd base and not letting those boys 3 and 4 years older than him get anything past him. But I see T getting a little discouraged b/c all of his team mates are not chanting for his brother.

But then something really cool happens - He follows his team mates. I hear him yelling "Come on Bubby. You can do it." He whispers to him on his way out to bat. I would pay a million dollars to have been a fly to hear what he said. He cheers and cheers...even though his whole team is cheering for him and saying how awesome he is. I hear T say, "That's my little brother. He Rocks!" And each time from then on they hi-5 on the way to the field, whisper before hitting and I see such a great bond.

Today I tell T how really great he is as a big brother. And how all his little brothers are looking up to him. And how they will follow his lead. And what a great example he is setting for them. And he says, "Mom, I had no choice. I wasn't doing much w/ my hitting, but that little guy was doing an awesome job. He was showing my friends on my team and the other team how awesome he is...and he's only 7. He wasn't even intimidated by them. Even though he's weird he really did great."

I was so proud!

Happy, Sad, Stressed, Giddy, Blessed, Frustrated, Excited, CRAZY!

2010-04-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

These are just some of the emotions that I have had as a parent lately.

Happy - These children bring me such joy as a parent. To know that I am capable of making such gorgeous, intelligent, witty, and humorous children. I love being their mom!

Sad - Because they are growing up too fast. I took Princess shopping this weekend for her 8th grade formal. After all the short dresses, I highly considered visiting the Amish community and having one made for her. I also received her schedule for next year...HIGH SCHOOL! On that very same day I registered my little Tooker for kindergarten.

Stressed - T-man is extremely smart, but is easily frustrated. When he doesn't understand something right away I believe he completely tunes out. Which is why he stressed all weekend over a project they are working on at school. Being the protective mommy that I am I e-mailed the teacher to let her know how frustrated he is. Of course it was a misunderstanding, he didn't listen to the directions b/c he thought it was too hard, and so no work was done in class. Thank goodness she gave him and extra day so he can finish tonight...and of course I have to fit that in with his chores, other homework, and baseball game.

Giddy - These kids make me laugh so hard. Princess made a card last week for our anniversary and she drew crazy pictures of her dad and I and let us know we are getting OLD. My Bubby is super crazy lately...he has asked me every night to scratch his back and give him a massage...just like his dad. So each night I've gone into the big boys room they've started laughing before I even come near them. They love for me to pound on their backs and bang their legs w/ my fists. Listening to them laugh and watching them squirm makes bedtime fun!

Blessed - Because I am amazed to have 5 healthy children. I could have never even dreamed how wonderful my life would be. They are truly awesome!

Frustrated - My Monkey keeps me on my toes...ALL DAY! Last week he decided he wanted his toe nails painted and while I was cleaning the downstairs he went in Princesses bathroom and proceeded to paint his entire foot and floor hot pink. Two days later he dumped out the entire bottle of nail polish remover on my bathroom floor trying to clean as I had after his nail polish incident. He never stops...ever...even in his sleep.

Excited - That summer is coming in 5 weeks and my kids will be home. No more bus in the early morning, no homework, baseball all-stars, swimming, picnics, hikes, museums...I can't wait!

CRAZY - 5 kids will do that to you! From getting up, dressing, eating...to ball games, homework, picky eaters, tired and whiny...to cuddle time and story time...to making sure all the necessary hygiene and doctors appointments are taken care of...to more love than you can imagine yet not enough time to sit and enjoy it.

I love being a mom, but holy moly I'm tired!

How We Met

2010-04-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

Today I've joined Kelly's Show Us Your Life...

I was 19.
He was 23.

I had a daughter.
He had a daughter.

I had a good friend that I worked with.
He had a good friend that he worked with.
They were married.

They set us up on a blind date.
We met up in a group at the 3 Dollar Cafe.

I walked in and looked over at the bar. "Which one is he? That one there with the hat turned backwards w/ the super cute body? No? Ummm that one...over there with the arms and muscles I'd like to touch? No? Well I don't think he's here then."

"Yes he is...right there."

"WHAT? That guy? He looks like a DORK! Are you sure that's who you are setting me up with? Come on? Really? White button up shirt, black tight jeans, and black high tops? And a hair cut from 1985 (we met 1997 so he should not have had that hair cut!)? Are you sure?"

And so the night went...we all sat together outside on the patio. Everyone in the group (all 8) knowing we were supposed to be on a "date". We spoke....very little. Because, after all, I thought he was a DORK! We spoke about our daughters, the beer he was enjoying, me going to school and work...

Then someone got the bright idea to go bowling. Sounds like fun right? NOT! As I'm walking in I see him...pulling something. What the hell? It's a bowling bag (more like a suit case) on wheels. Are you kidding me? He pulls his bowling "suit case" in and gets his ball out. His own fitted, perfectly sized to his fingers, bowling ball! And his own shoes. This was my cue if I'd ever had one. RUN...RUN FAR...VERY VERY FAR!

I actually ended up "hanging" out with another guy who was out with us. We hit it off for some reason. I was not looking for a relationship. I was actually in the middle of a divorce... at 19... and raising my daughter on my own...with no help from her father. So, I was really looking to just have a good time and enjoy a little freedom of not being tied down.

The next week I met my blind date at the grocery store where he worked. I was with my friend who was taking her husband lunch. My "date" says, "So what do you do all day? Just hang out with friends?" Ugh what a jerk! "No", I replied, "Actually I work and go to school." He says, "Why are you off in the middle of the day?" "Ugh because I work part-time b/c I go to school the rest of the time and I happen to have a day off."

He sounded so full of himself...and made me sound like a bum! My next response was, "At least I'm going college. You work in a grocery store! What else are you doing with your life?"

Fast forward a few months....My "date" calls and says, "I don't think we got off on the right foot. Let's hang out and try this again." I hung up. He is persistant. We become friends. Hanging out with our "group" and get to know each other. Only as friends...

Next thing I know we are hanging out a lot...like almost every night. He comes to my house, picks me up for dates, brings me flowers, we introduce our girls...and 13 years later we have 6 children together.

Funny how one blind date with the dorkiest guy I've ever met can turn into the hottest dream boat of a man whom I have all these children with. And quite often I remind him of what a dork he was. And how awesome it was of me to come along and save him from himself. And now...I find him extremely sexy and find myself drooling over him even...and I love how when he holds my hand he still makes my heart skip a beat.

Who knew?

1 pound at a time...1 less snack day

2010-04-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

This whole weight loss thing was really starting to get to me. The first 2 weigh ins were so exciting! Over 2 pounds the first week and almost 3 the second week. Then. It. Was. Only. A. POUND! And then weeks 4 and 5 were .2 of a pound. And then...week 6 NOTHING!

But I did realize after looking over my workouts and food journals that I was eating normal...not cutting calories...and I was working out once maybe twice during those weeks. At that point I realized that it was okay that I wasn't losing. The best news of all was that I had actually lost the 10 pounds...and it wasn't coming back. So what I know now is that I can maintain it. I can eat mostly healthy 80% of the time and have sweet treats ocassionally and eat out once a week if needed...and not freak out!

What I have also come to realize...which I've read over and over again...is that losing slowly is really the key to keeping it off. That's the problem I've had in the past. I have done a lot of "Lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks" type diets and workouts that help you lose fast. But for me after the three weeks I completely burn out...and stop. So the weight might go away fast, but it creeps back up and usually a few extra pounds tag along.

I am really excited about this eye opening experience. Even thought I am doing this 10 Week Biggest Loser Challenge and I pledged to lose 15 pounds I am okay with it going slowly. At this rate I won't be down to 135 at the challenge, but the fact that I am so close to being out of the 140's and the scale hasn't crept back up is more exciting. I also knew that I wasn't going to win this challenge b/c the majority of the other people had a lot more weight to lose than 15 pounds.

I also know that I can only fit in so many workouts a week and am not willing to do more to really push myself. That's why I am afraid of the P90X type workouts b/c I know I won't be able to keep doing them for long amounts of time. I need a healthy weight, but also LOVE spending time with my family and enjoying their evening activities. I know that there are some weeks I can fit in more, and I know that some weeks I'm lucky to get a walk out to the mailbox.

I wish I was that kind of person that could get up and exercise in the morning...but 5:00 is way to early for me to drag my butt out of bed. The summer will hopefully be easier because I really do like early morning workouts, but I like them after a full nights sleep and when the sun is coming up. And as much as I love my Zumba class some nights are just impossible to make...and with 5 kids I just can't get through everything I need to at night to get a run in. But there are only 6 weeks left of school...so I'll keep going at this pace and just be excited with each little bit that goes away.

Happy Monday!

We did it! We did it! We really really did it!

2010-04-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

So I would totally buy my house...oh wait I already did. But now we've out grown it! Imagine that...5 kids, 2 dogs, an in-home daycare, and a mom and dad. There. Is. No. More. Room.
So for the last two weeks while I've been away from bloggy land...I have cleaned...
reorganized,
repainted trim,
(hubby surprised me with new dining room furniture as we had none)
scrubbed base boards and painted,
packed away the unnecessary,
had a garage sale and will have another one at the end of the month,
stressed over keeping it clean,
continue stressing over how I will keep it clean.
But for now
it is listed and ready to go
and I'm ready to sit back and enjoy all of my hard work.
It doesn't feel like home b/c we've done so much...

but maybe that's God's way of letting me know it's time to go.

No I haven't been abducted by aliens!

2010-04-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

Although my kids are on Spring Break this week so it does feel a little foreign to me to have them home all day....and me not working...but so much to do so not much fun is being had. Maybe aliens would have been a better solution.

Anywho, we have been super busy getting the house ready. I had no idea how much work would go in to this. But the boys have helped me work in the yard. I have completely gutted the kitchen and prepared many boxes of garage sale items. Hubby has taped off the entire downstairs and upstairs so he can paint the trim and freshen it all up. Painters came and painted the outside of the house so it's sparkly new. Today I have got to finish all the kids rooms. It's super difficult with an almost 2 year old who seems to destroy whatever room I am not in which makes for another clean up.
I am trying to go through boxes of summer clothes at the same time to see what fits and pack up winter stuff. Ahhh it's crazy! I'm not sure I could ever survive a complete make-over or re-do an entire house. The mess is killing me...as I look around I think we will never be done. But we must push through as there is officially a sign in the yard and people are hopefully going to start coming to see this place.

I am also restarting WW today...I know you didn't even know I stopped right? Well, I didn't either until I got on the scale today and saw a 2 pounds gain from last week:( I guess I just have been putting things in my mouth as I get through these hectic days and not even realizing it. And the Easter candy doesn't help. But anyway I'm getting pack on track and will prevail!

A few pics. to leave you with just so you know I'm alive:)

After uploading the pics. I realize this is the first Easter I do not have a family photo or even one of just the kids all together. And I didn't take pictures of coloring eggs, hunting eggs, or finding their candy. I won't get mom of the year this year...oh well...

Big Sisters are great!

2010-03-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Lately with all this baseball going on these two have been spending a lot of time together.

She has been a great help watching this wild boy during late night games. He comes with me unless we have a 7:30 or 8:00 game. And the times he is with me...he runs...a lot...all over the place...and I can't watch the game...he's wild!

So the other night I night have begged Princess to PLEASE keep this destructive wild boy. And she had to entertain him as I was leaving..because he screams when he knows I'm leaving...so she distracted him with making cookies.

And she so wonderfully took pictures to surprise me. She even let him lick the beaters! And she taught him how to dunk his cookie in milk.

She made homemade play-doh and played Lincoln Logs.

And when it was time for bed, she read his favorite book "Goodnight Moon"...three times...and told the moon goodnight out the window...a trillion times.

I'm so proud of how she is growing up. And I absolutely love her teaching her little brothers all the things that she learned from me.

They will grow up being able to say "I learned that from my sister."

And that makes everything worth it. I love to see them grow!

Weekend Fun

2010-03-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well this week's weigh in was not nearly as great as the rest...only .2 lbs. lost. It's a loss so I'll take it, but I've got to get my butt back on track. This week is full of baseball games and no time for the gym. But this is how life is right? Can't fit it all in all the time and we have to figure out ways around the bumps in the road.

Despite being a little upset at only losing .2 this week I decided Princess and I needed some mommy/daughter time. I spend so much time with the boys and baseball that the 2 girls of the house don't have much time alone together. So, Friday night daddy took the boys up to the ball field to watch other games (and I convinced him to take the little ones too:) And the Princess and I went to P.F. Chang and had a lovely dinner chatting it up about all the 8th grade gossip. Good times! As we were driving home we saw the movie sign...Opening Night for The Bounty Hunter. On a spur of the moment I swung in to the movie theater and Princess went to see when the movie started. It had started 5 minutes before but we figured that was enough time to get through the previews. We quickly ran to the bathroom and right as we sat down the movie began. It was so funny! We both laughed all through dinner and the movie. It was a great girls night out!

We spent Saturday at the ball field. All day and it was great. Then yesterday the two older boys were supposed to start their Sunday Select teams. But the rain was coming in and the coaches cancelled. But the boys and I were already at the field while Princess was watching the two little ones. So, I decided to play some ball with the boys. It was so much fun and made me miss playing. It was nice b/c usually it's daddy who gets to have all the baseball fun, but the boys were excited to see that mommy has some skills too:) And the fact that I got a ton of running in while they hit the ball all over the field for me to chase after gave me just the workout I needed for the day.

It was such a nice weekend really getting to spend time with the older kids. The little boys and I spend all day everyday together...which is great...but I really need to have more time with the older ones too. So I am going to start making sure to set aside quality time doing the things that they really like.

And on another note...the house will be listed next week and I am so ready to get this going. Of course I hope we find something we like before we sell...and I hope we sell by the end of summer if the kids are going to have to move schools. We are staying in the same middle school and high school but might be changing elementary. We shall see...everything in time right? Now to keep it clean...ha!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

I can almost see it...

2010-03-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

It's a little foggy, but I can almost see my old self! This week has been rather difficult on the eating end. My workouts have been great...but I have eaten much much more this week. We went out Friday night, Saturday 3 times were eaten out, and Sunday night too! And even though I really shoe healthy meals off the menu I'm sure that I still ate much more than I would have at home.

After reviewing the checking account and looking at it dwindle down b/c of multiple visits to Target, Publix and eating out we've realized the great need to buckle down and make a better budget. So this week I sat down and made menu's to finish up everything that we have in the pantry, fridge and freezer. And in doing that I have made a little too many treats...butterscotch clusters, white chocolate Krispy Treats, choc./p'nut butter balls...and um I may have eaten 90% of them myself.

But I've made myself workout twice as hard...which isn't exactly erasing the extra calories, but it has shown me that I'm super tired and it would be a lot easier if I would just eat healthy and not have to workout twice as much. But it is week 3 of the challenge and I am ahead of schedule so I gave myself a little wiggle room. But I'm determined to step up my game b/c the weather is getting so nice and I really want to go buy some spring clothes.

So every time I have a craving for something not so healthy I'm picturing myself in a new outfit! Some shirts with out sleeves and maybe even some shorts this year. I really want some new skirts and a few dressy girl things...since I mostly wear jeans and sweats I am really wanting to get some nice stuff to look good in my new body!

Let me introduce you...

2010-03-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

To my favorite time of year!

Baseball Season! Three of our boys play and I get the most enormous sense of pride watching them play. Of course it's also the most stressful time of year for us as my husband, who works 60-70 hours a week, also coaches the two older boys. So, while I work my 60 hour week I also am on my own to deal with the house, homework, cooking, cleaning and all things pertaining to raising 5 kids. But when I get to the field and can watch them play it makes it all worth it.

T-man plays 2nd base, pitcher, and (his favorite) catcher. He really is one of the best 10 year old catchers I've seen.

He loves to bunt when up to bat, and he is the fastest base stealer! He steals home and slides in right under the glove and most often is SAFE!

He was also chosen for our Sunday Select team (the elite players of the park...consisting of 12 kids.)

My Bubby plays 2nd and 1st bases. I like him at 1st and so does he, but this season dad is getting him to try out 2nd base b/c then he gets more experience. This boys eats, sleeps, and breaths baseball all year. This is his 5th season playing and was on All-Stars last year. He has also been chosen for our Sunday Select team which is the top 12 kids out of the whole park to get him more experience and really focus on perfecting his skill. It also helps prepare them for All-Star try-outs and experience playing with the other top players...which he absolutely loves.

And this year is Tookers first year. He loves being like the "big" boys and is so proud to play. He loves to tell his brothers all about his hits and anytime he gets the ball. This weekend he did a lot of waving to us from his "post" out on the field.

"
Little Monkey just enjoys the concession stand...especially homemade lemonade and snow cones!

And I just wanted to add a picture of the Princess and I since I didn't take any at the field this weekend...but didn't want to be left out:)

No working out happened at all this weekend. And lots of eating that was not so healthy. So I have a lot to work on this week. But I will do it! I really enjoy my clothes fitting better and am

From Snow Cream to Sting Rays

2010-03-19T05:18:00.000-07:00

Here in the good ol' south...which we live in for it's warmth and sunshine...it has snowed a lot this year. So for the very first time ever I made snow cream. And the kids loved it!

And since we were tired of all this snow a couple of weeks ago we headed down to Tampa to visit with hubby's twin brother and his family.

We celebrated their 36th birthday while we were there.

We spent a lot of time doing baseball things...since 3 of ours play and their 2 boys play. Our girls weren't too excited about that, but we did get to see the kids big sister since she lives in Florida and came over for the weekend. We headed off to Rays Fan Fest and the kids enjoyed feeding the sting rays...well except Princess. She thought it was gross!
I can't blame her though....I didn't want to hold dead fish in the water for a stingrays to take it out of my hand either.

Uncle Dave helped the boys while daddy helped the girls.

And Little Monkey wanted to get right in!

They had batting practice set up for the kids.

And even some pitching stations...which I gladly participated in.

Oh how I miss my softball days. I played from the time I was 5 until I got pregnant with Princess my senior year. And I miss getting out there and relieving some stress hitting that ball like it was my worst enemy.
And then we headed off to my nephews baseball game. Our kids really enjoyed watching their cousins play..and Little Monkey enjoyed sitting like a big boy with his big sisters.

And for those of you hanging on my every word waiting to hear about my weigh in...hahaha....It went great! I lost another 2.8 pounds! That's 5.3 since we started The BLC. 8 weeks to go and I'm right on track. Thank you for all your kind words of encouragement.

Last Chance Workout, Yummy Food, and a glimpse of the old me

2010-03-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

Today is week 2 weigh in...and...I'm...not...as...confident...as last week. But I know that week 2 is always a challenge so I'm chocking it up to just that and determined to push through.

I also think I have a bi-polar scale that I cannot trust. I can weigh myself w/ all my clothes on and weigh one thing. Then go to the bathroom and take my clothes off and weigh myself again and gain 2 pounds. WTH!?!? And the opposite can happen. I can lose 2 pounds but adding my clothes and walking from one room to the next. Whatever! I don't want to be dependant on the scale or be defined by a number. I will go by what my clothes feel like and look at myself in pictures and know that I'm losing weight. However, because I'm part of this challenge I would hate to not realize I've gained a pound instead of losing. But for now I will rely on the scale they use to weigh me weekly.

This week I have enjoyed some yummy foods. My favorite snack of the week is Kettle Popcorn sprinkled w/ cinnamon and a tbs. of dark choc. chips. Mmmmmmm!!!!! Just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. And my favorite meal I made was shrimp and asparagus on the grill sprinkled w/ EVOO and Cavendar's seasoning. I was lacking in the H20 department so that is one goal I have for next week.

My workouts have been pretty good. A little hard to get in because of baseball, but when I did workout of took full advantage of my time. Monday I had to miss Zumba and it looks like tonight I will have to miss again. I'm really bummed about that, but to make up for it we've been dancing to some great old throwback jams...a little Brandy, SWV, Salt N Pepa, and a little Rump Shaker. Funny story - the other night I was cooking dinner and jamming out to the cool OnDemand throwback station and Rump Shaker came on. I was stirring and spinning and singing "All I wanna do a zooma zoom zoom zoom in a boom boom. Just shake yer rump." My husband looked at me as if I was some alien he'd never seen and said "Who are you? And what have you done with my country singing wife?" If he only knew me before...ha..he probably would have had no interest.

On a super good note my size 6 jeans are beginning to feel a bit loose! And the other day I had on my size 8's that I was so excited to buy at Christmas...and I had to fold the waist over just to keep them on. My husband laughed and said "Honey you are allowed to go get new jeans you know." I told him I'm waiting so I can get some I'm sure will last for a while:)

Today last chance workout is consisting of scrubbing bathrooms, scrubbing the floors by hand and cleaning baseboards, laundry, running up and downstairs since my laundry room is upstairs, and chasing kids around the backyard (oh and shoveling dog poo so we don't step in it). And trying to get it all done during nap time....so off I go.

Hope ya'll are having a good week!

Local mom emerges after a harsh winter...

2010-03-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

A local mom was spotted at the park this week. Neighbors reported her missing when Georgia began getting too much snow and rain this year. One neighbor said, "Between the rain and snow we were all wondering if she would ever come out of her house again." Another reported, "We've seen her take trips to the grocery store, but other than that we were afraid her children had tied her up." "We all thought maybe she had begun drinking just to keep her sanity." Many others have said, "We don't know how she does it with 5 kids of her own and numerous others being dropped off at her place daily. I mean with not being able to go outside she must really be going CRAZY! We've been waiting on a white van to show up with a straight jacket to take her out of there."

But just last week there was a sighting of her at a local park. She was seen chasing her kids, running up slides, and pushing them on the tire swing.
She was even reported to be hiking and skipping rocks into the creek. The whole community is breathing a sigh of relief that spring might finally be returning. And this woman's husband and children are so grateful because now that means she can keep the laundry going round the clock to keep their baseball uniforms clean.

Now friends are reporting they see her sleeping in a camper at the ball field because she has so many games to keep up with. But they are all glad that she has been found alive and ready for spring!

Another little quickie...

2010-03-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update b/c I have 1.1 million things do be doing tonight...

Super good news...drum roll please...my weigh in went well...I lost 2.4 pounds for week 1 of the challenge. I'm so excited!

The kids came in 2nd place with all their points...not good enough for a prize but I was so proud of how well they ate and how much they were active this week.

Another good thing...they are coming to pressure wash the house tomorrow and get it ready for painting...so in the next 3 weeks we can finally get it on the market.

Bad thing is...crap we are really doing this and I need Clean Sweep BAD! I think maybe just a bulldozer might might be a better option...we just have so much stuff! And I really need to de-clutter, get ready for a garage sale (which I feel confident if we could sell everything for $1 we could make a $Million$ since that's how full our garage is.

And they cancelled our opening baseball weekend b/c everything is flooded and it's still raining. So now I'm bummed b/c I LOVE baseball season and am so ready to watch my boys play.

And since it's raining and everything is cancelled I don't have an excuse of why I can't get the house clean and de-cluttered at this time.

Another bad thing...I cannot procrastinate anymore...gotta get busy!

So I'm on a hiatus...hiding the computer...and getting busy around here...see you Monday...and have a good weekend!

Nit Pick Thursday

2010-03-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

Today is brought to you by things on my list of irritations.

#1 Why do Girl Scouts, who are supposed to be all about helping Americans and all that yadda yadda, sell their freakin' cookies at the beginning of spring? People are trying to lose weight to get ready for bikini season...and these flippin' little cookie pushers are on every freakin' corner around here with their cute little voices "Would you like to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies?" I purposely did not order any this year knowing full well I'd eat them all. But now they're camped out at every store I frequent. It's like they're taunting me.

#2 Why do they tell you to weigh yourself naked first thing in the morning? After all people see us with our clothes on...why not call that they weight you really are. And when you go to the doctor they don't ask you to remove all your clothes...and I can't ever seem to get an appointment first thing in the morning before I need my coffee and breakfast. My frustration for this is because our weigh in is at 6:00 tonight and I have to keep my clothes on after a full day of eating. I've decided to wear the same outfit to every weigh in b/c this will give me a true picture of my weight loss.

#3 What's up with this stupid new Shake Weight gadget? Have you seen the commercials for this? Obsurd! It loks obsecene and I can't believe people actually would purchase this thinking it would make their arms super tone. Why not just walk around flaling our arms about?

#4 Women on their cell phones at the gym! That's a big one. On the elliptical I have enjoyed many conversations between young girls fighting with their boyfriends. And during Zumba cell phones ring and people actually go to answer them. "Hello?" (Like they don't know who it is with caller ID) "Oh yeah hey. At Zumba...Can I call you back?" Ugh! I just want to turn around and say "HELLO you're interupting my groove." But then I'd call attention to myself and I'd rather leave the attention on yappy chic in the back.

#5 Why do Lifetime movies always suck me in when I have a million things to do? I don't even know why I turn the channel on.

#6 Why do my kids come banging on the door of the bathroom the second my rear end hits the seat? It's like the house is on fire and there's this huge emergency. Do they really think I won't come back out?

#7 Why is it raining so much it's flooding the baseball fields and ruining our opening weekend? I really want to see my little cuteies in their uniforms.

#8 Why can't I see the floor of my laundry room? Just one day of wearing clothes around here seems to add up to two more loads. And then they want to use clean towels to shower! As I was loading the washer after baseball practice the other night my husband says "Just imagine when all 4 boys are teenagers and all playing sports. Man you'll have a lot to do." First of all he's lucky I didn't deck him for say "you'll". And then my future flashed before my eyes. I could smell them! Ick! Oh lord I have a lot of training ahead of me.

#9 Why did my daughter get an eye for fashion? I was a tom boy growing up. I was very much into sports, jeans wearing, and tennis shoes...She loves skirts, and fancy shoes, and cute tops...she enjoys fashion magazines. When I take her shopping for new clothes she believes that means entire outfits including matching shoes and accessories. Heck I only own about 6 pairs of shoes...and 3 of those are cheap Old Navy or Payless flip flops. My running shoes are pricey...but other than that I'm not a big spender on shoes. But I guess if I was as cute as she is then I would enjoy a little more fancyness:) But heck I work from home and endure lots of snot noses being rubbed on me, wiping off sandy hands on my pants, and spit up on my shoulder.

#10 Why do women get the crap jobs? It must have been in the fine print! Carry the babies for nine months, gain a lot of weight, work hard at losing the weight, nursing the babies, smelling like sour milk, monthly visitor keeps coming back...and so on. While the men just get to hold the nice clean baby after it comes out, they can shower and shave and be ready in 5 minutes, no pushing involved, and only monthly moods no messisness attached. My husband can just say the words "walk" and "no more Coke" and he can shed 10 pounds...no working out involved...and no dieting. I get the jobs of cooking and cleaning while he gets to enjoy the wrestling and playtime. I guess I do enjoy lots of snuggles and kisses though. But it would be nice for them to call "DADDY" at the top of their lungs once in awhile.

On the upside of Thursday here's my workout from last night and today.

And when we were down in Tampa the Rays Fan Fest they were giving out lots of free stuff. Here's what I got

So what's on your "nit pick" list?

Last Chance Workout!

2010-03-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

(This is our whole group ready for the challenge. I'm right in front in the middle sitting next to Antoine.)

Today is that day! Last chance workout day to be exact! That's because ladies tomorrow is weigh in day. Tomorrow marks one week of our Biggest Loser Challenge.

Last week I piled my cuties in the van and headed up to the school for one of the most motivational talks I've ever heard in person. Antoine and Alexandra from The Biggest Loser came and talked with our school to get us all started. They had some great advice about staying motivated and had great in site into getting started. They also spoke about their own stories, what made them change, and how it's been a great learning process for them. Antoine really made it clear that "It's up to you. No one else is going to do it for you." Isn't that true with so many things! And one of the best tips Alexandra gave was "if you're really craving something and are having a hard time giving it up have it right after weigh in (or the next day). That way you get it out of the way and can work it off. And start each week fresh. I love this idea! So we decided as a family that since our weigh in day is Thursday we could have our eat out night be Fridays...pretty convenient if I so say so myself:) Now my plan is to still choose healthy things when we eat out, but I can afford a little splurge:)

So we weighed in. Made a pledge to lose a certain amount of weight. And the kids were given activity sheets to keep up with and earn points for various things...eating vegetables, fruits, 30 min. of activity, giving up video games, no soda...they earn the points while the parents lose the weight. Now I don't have as much to lose as many of the other families...so I do not foresee us winning any major prizes; however, I'm gonna give my all and challenge myself.

My pledge was to lose the last 15 pounds ( the challenge is 10 weeks long and if I stay on track I really think I can do it). I also made a few extra promises to myself. I want to make one new low-fat dish a week that the whole family will enjoy (not just mom) and I want to try one new class or workout routine a week.

This week I did really good. I made a yummy low-fat Waldorf chicken salad on pita bread. It was so good! Oh and I tried some WW sorbet bars. Mmmmm Good! I have a hard time giving up ice cream so this is perfect for me...and they are big too:) I've been eating the skinny cows and WW chocolate (anything) but this is something other than chocolate and it's only 2 points!

And I tried a new class last night. It's called 20/20/20....it's 20 minutes of cardio, 20 minutes of sculpt, and 20 minutes of abs. I am so comfortable in my Zumba class and I felt a bit out of my element. But I kept up and really enjoyed it. So when the time allows I will keep this one on my list.

I had plans today for a run, but from the looks of my flooded backyard the rain has no plans of letting up. So, I thought maybe I would try the Boot Camp class at the Y tonight. I have to really pump myself up for that because it sounds really intense.

I'm Bringing Barney Back

2010-03-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

When Princess was just a wee one back in the day she loved a good episode of Barney. At the time I knew it was a sure thing for giving me about 30 minutes of time to do the dishes, laundry, cook dinner, or maybe even a mini nap for myself. Of course it was also extremely annoying. She wanted to listen to the darn tape (yes I said tape) in the car. If I didn't play it she would scream. And not just any scream mind you....a blood curdling scream that makes you want to swerve off the road and crash your car so you have something else to think about.

The only thing I didn't realize at the time was how important, wonderful, and greatly appreciated listening to those Barney songs 783 million times would become.

Let me bring you to present day...

Location: Target (what a great store)
Children: All 5... BY MYSELF
Me: trying to get important things for our daily lives....feminine products, shampoo, diapers, wipes...you get the picture
Happenings: Oldest 2 children arguing non stop, little boys asking for everything and anything in a package, Little Monkey screaming about the buckle being on...being off...being on blah blah blah

When out of know where (after my head was spinning, my eyes were glazing over, and my ears were hurting from my excessive words of please stop, be quiet, no, yes, sit down....)
I start to hum. Hmmm hmmm hm hmmmm hm hm hmmmm hmmm hmm hm hm hm hm....After few minutes I realize I'm humming Barney and it's getting louder and louder to drown out the noise of these obnoxious children.

They stop and look at me. They have a little bit of a puzzled look. But after a second go back to what they were doing. And all of the sudden I belt out (w/o realizing it) "I love you. You love me. We're a happy family." They all turn w/ mouths wide open....as if to say "Is she really? No can't be. Is she crazy?" They stare and I hear "Mom! Really?!?!

We walk a few more feet. I continue adding the supplies to my cart that I need. The arguing ensues...and now Princess is asking for something. I have said no a million times by now I think. She gets louder with her pleading. "Mom! Mom! I'm talking to you. Mom!?!? Answer me (I'm doing my absolute best to ignore her.) I begin to sing...more loudly now. People are looking at us. I don't care. I don't know them...they don't know me. I'll never see them again right?

But the best thing is occurring. My kids are more than mortified that their mother is singing in the store. Barney of all things! But they are quiet. There is no more arguing, and they are hurrying to the check out. Of course Little Monkey loved this and he began trying to sing with me. And he just laughed and was really happy the rest of the way out of the store.

Princess tried to argue about that too but I only got louder. So she stopped. Like really quick!

Today, we had to grocery shop. I usually don't take all of them, but I had to see if my new found parenting skill could possibly work twice. After all every book says to try things out more than once before giving up. It was great. I didn't even have to sing the words...I just started humming and they immediately stopped whatever they were doing.

So to all the mommies out there....one day your children will be embarrassed by you no matter what. So why not give them a reason to be! After all how many tantrums have they thrown that have caused many o' glares? So write this down for your future teenage and preteen kids. I think I'll add it to my book I will someday write:)

And I'll leave you with a little picture of the weekend workouts (cause I'm a copy cat...thank you Melissa).

Embracing the Crazy...because that's what it truly is!

2010-03-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

Today I'm linking up to Kelly's Korner in Show us You Life...A Day in the Life.

Hold on to your hats your in a for a wild ride!

6:00 am wake-up get myself semi presentable and take out the dogs
6:20 COFFEE!!! and feed dogs
6:30 1st daycare child arrives and I wake up the 2 oldest boys for school....the older boys argue loudly with the Princess who has already taken over the bathroom. I shhhsshhhhh them several times so they do not wake the 2 little boys.

6:45 breakfast for my school age kids and the 2 daycare children that are now here.

7:00 begin freaking out that the boys are going to miss the bus. It's a mad scramble of gathering book bags, stray papers that they haven't packed, and snacks...sometimes lunches, combing wild and crazy hair, shoe and jacket searching. Another child (or 2) is arriving during this time.

7:05 Bus time! YAY 2 kids out the door.

7:10 Prepare breakfast for daycare children, clean up the boys messes they left behind, microwave coffee for the 3rd time, catch a minute of GMA and try to listen to Princess who has been talking my ear off since she came down at 6:45 to tell me about her obnoxious brothers (as if I couldn't hear what was going on) and as I'm multi-tasking between spilled milk and hearing "I don't like this" and "I gotta go potty" Princess proceeds to tell me funny stories about kids at school in such a such class and "can you believe that" stories.

7:30-7:45 The last of the daycare children arrive, Princess heads off to school irritated because I told her she has too much make-up on and made her wipe it off, or her skirt that we bought 3 yrs. ago is too small and she has no clothes and I'm a horrible mother because I want her to be embarrassed and go naked. Like I would do that....it's against the dress code after all!

8:00 My 2 little boys wake-up and are ready for breakfast. Feed them, change all the daycare kids and take some potty, clean up breakfast, break up the 315th fight over a ball or riding toy, all the while singing songs about it being a beautiful day...even if it's crazy cold and snowing out. Tell the voice in my head to stop begging for the candy bar hidden in the cupboard.

8:30 Answer texts from the husband so he doesn't get too excited about his plans of cashing in my life insurance policy...catch up on a few e-mails from baseball parents (did I mention I'm team mom to 2 of the teams this season and hubby is coaching 2 and assisting the 3rd), try to rewind to hear a story on GMA, break up another fight, sing another song, change diapers b/c they held their poop in until they had a clean diaper, warm coffee again and fill up the cup.

9:00 Snack time, circle and learning time, sing lots of songs, read lots of books, art and writing time....keep Little Monkey off of the table and stop him 1.2 million times from pulling the chair to the counter to climb into the medicine cupboard or where the snacks are, stop the Little's from eating the crayons and feeding them to the dogs, chase Little Monkey down who is scaling the baby gate to get upstairs with a Sharpie in his hand that he has already colored all over.

9:30 Catch up on e-mails and texts, break up the 483rd fight, remind everyone how much fun sharing is, potty, diapers, quiet the screaming voice in my head about the stupid candy or chocolate it knows we have, clean up and head outside by 10:00.

10:00 Run, play, push, shove, and chase each other and the dogs. Play with the parachute, freak out over bugs, find poor worms to give a bath and make homes for and fight over the 5 pushing trucks, 2 bikes, and numerous balls that cover the yard. Wash out the mouths that have eaten the sand and wipe faces covered in dirt or grass.

11:00 Clean-up, prepare lunch with 8 little people under my feet playing the pots and pans or singing and dancing along side me - which to an outsider might look more like screaming hungry wild animals that haven't eaten their prey in months.

12:00 Clean-up, wash hands and faces, change diapers, potty time...chase them all down and put 6 kids to sleep for nap. Put my 4 yr.old and his buddy on the computer to do some pre-k work while I clean the kitchen. Eat my lunch and give in to the screaming annoying voice in my head about the chocolate so it will shut up.

12:30 Cover up the littlest who have gotten up to play with the toys or turn on the TV...and rub backs this time so they don't move again. Regret eating the stupid chocolate and sign a contract that I will never do it again!

1:00 6 asleep 2 on the computer...time for me to pay bills, sweep, mop, dust, clean bathrooms and prepare afternoon snack.

1:30 catch up on blogs and Facebook, read e-mails and respond to parents who think I fell off the earth, return phone calls, make appts. etc...

2:00 Think about what to make for dinner, hear someone stirring and pray hard they fall back to sleep, break up the argument between the 2 older boys and shsshhh them for the 40th time so they don't wake the others up, check the mail, get the puppy off the table, rock the baby...

2:30 All up, change diapers, get snack, big boys home from school

2:45 Get my boys started on homework, argue a little about why they can't go outside or get on the computer, remind them of their chores, and tell them to stop wrestling when I'm talking

3:00 Break up 849th argument, tell everyone to share, get them ready to go outside, searching for socks and shoes and jackets...

4:00 Daycare kids begin leaving, wash hands and faces, find all shoes and socks and blankets, put everything by the door...parents arrive, search while they wait for socks, shoes and blankets they have lost again.

4:45 Begin dinner, Princess is home by now and telling me more stories, remove children from climbing on tables, clean up toys and vacuum, keep cooking dinner in a mad rush to get ready for baseball practice...argue with boys about why their homework isn't done, they should be getting dressed for baseball.

5:00 Last of the daycare kids leaving, searching for missing baseball socks, dinner on the table by 5:15, dad arrives home wanting to know why the boys aren't ready, scarf down food...

5:30-6:00 Out the door for baseball practice, argue with Princess about going to the gym, make her feel guilty about having too much alone time, pack little boys in the car after searching for socks, shoes, and a sippy cup...Head to the gym.

6:30-7:30/8:00 Listen to my IPod while running pretending I'm running away and hope the poor kids will survive without me or try to keep up during Zumba and not get upset at the skinny mini in front of me showing all the world her humungo tatas w/ a shirt on that says Fab U Lous! And trying to move away from the old bitty who smells like moth balls who keeps invading my Zumba space.

Pick up little boys from the daycare and head home, argue about why we can't stop for ice cream, listen to Little Monkey yelling our "icweam icweam peas icweam" b/c her heard Princess ask about it.

8:00-8:30 baths, teeth, chase down Little naked Monkey and hold him down to get his PJ's on, read a few books and say good night to the moon about 115 times, tuck him in, go in to rub backs of the other kids and argue for a few minutes about the TV time or lack there of, listen to the big boys tell me about baseball practice and how cold it was, and how dad wouldn't let them stay in the car, and how they got hit in the nose or they think their legs are broken....plead to please be quiet and just go to sleep we can talk in the morning.

9:00 Princess is off to bed, hubby and I speak briefly about our day and say "hello" for the first time, argue about who will clean the kitchen and fold the clothes (I always lose b/c I just get tired and want it done so I can sit down), take a bath and drink more water
10:00 finish up the last few minutes of a show and decide it's a good think we have a DVR, talk with hubby for a few more minutes, finish answering e-mails or blog reading and head to bed by 11:00.

Phew....I'm tired I think I'll put my feet up now and take a nap! Ha that would be a good post for what would happen if I took a nap!

Honest Scrap, Defeat, and Victory

2010-03-03T16:59:00.000-08:00

Melissa awarded me the Honest Scrap award last week and I'm finally getting around to talking on my blog about it. Thank you Melissa! I am so glad I joined the blogging world. I have truly "met" some awesome people. And Melissa is such a great inspirational motivator.

But a few other updates first. This week has been crazy because I've still been trying to catch up from being out of town the week before last. The kids were let out of school early yesterday @ 10:30 because of snow moving into our area which threw off my entire day. My kids and daycare kids were all willy nilly due to this craziness. Then this morning they decided to delay school opening for 2 hours....but daycare kids still started coming early which threw my whole day off today. Trying to feed 6 kids breakfast, one baby a bottle, and juggling getting my boys ready for school and on the bus gave me a crazy start. I did however get an hour alone before the first child arrived and before my crazys came downstairs. I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee that didn't have to be warmed 5 times and I even got to watch the news and a little Good Morning America. The whole time I was thinking "this would be a great time to workout". But never got my booty off the couch before I heard stirring upstairs and there was a knock at the door. Oh well!

Anyway, I have not worked out since Saturday...ahhhh. Aside from cleaning the house of course. I can see the bottom of my laundry room so there is a VICTORY like no other. And I have vaccuumed and steam cleaned carpets this week. But looking at my kitchen...well lets just not go there.

My eating has been horid! I will say I have my second monthly visitor this month. Hello!?!? WTH! I did not sign up for this "friend" to pay me two visits this month. She is not welcome and needs to hustle on out. I'm guessing it's the crazy pills they switched me to.

As I ate yet another yummy treat last night I wondered if before the contestants go on The Biggest Loser they eat everything they think they might not ever get to eat again. Because that's what I have done this week. Never mind that I've been doing WW for the past two months and I haven't been eating too much "crap"....my belly hurts. Ick! That will teach me to "binge" on junk.

But no more! Today the BLC starts at the school and I couldn't be more excited. My GF on Facebook told me when I'm done I'll be wearing a bikini to the grocery store just b/c I can! Well if that isn't motivation I don't know what is:) And I'm very excited to meet Antione and Alexandra tonight and hear them speak.

And I'm exccited to report while at my hair dresser this week the receptionist said "You have 5 kids! But you are so tiny." Oh how I love her!

So much more

2010-03-02T05:00:00.001-08:00

Do you ever feel like what you are doing isn't enough? I have this constant thought in the back of my head that tells me daily "You can do so much more". Not that taking care of children and raising mine isn't a lot...but cleaning poop, wiping noses, disciplining, breaking up fights and enduring an extreme amount of tattling seems to over shadow the fact that I'm teaching life skills, educating our next generation, and providing a safe learning environment for other parents who are educating America's youth.

I often feel my brain cells are slipping away. There is so much more for me to do. When I was in school I loved learning. I think that's why I became a teacher so that I could help others find their love of learning. Every 26 seconds a teenager drops out of high school. Why? That's sounds insane to me. Do they not realize the opportunities they are giving up? I truly believe when I was in school someone should have steered me in another direction. I was extremely good at math and science. And I think if someone would have pushed me in the direction of the health care field I could have done great things. If I knew then what I knew now....don't we all say that....but those high school's need someone to show them what they are capable of.

For the last four years I have dreamt about going back to school to be a nurse or midwife. I love being in hospitals! I enjoy watching all the delivery shows on tv. If over the last four years I would have known where to start I could be doing that career now. But I have no idea where to even start. The only time I have right now would be for online classes...but I don't want to get duped into a program that isn't any good. I've considered going back to the KSU where I graduated from with my BS in Education....but the commute and the fact that I have 5 precious babies that all have their lives and activities I haven't figured out how to fit it in. I have to work so classes during the day are not a possibility. My husband's work schedule is never the same so I can't depend on that either.

But I know there is a way. And if you want something bad enough you'll figure it out, right?

I just need to take the steps now so by the time Little Monkey goes to school I can have my career!

Just a quickie...

2010-02-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

Boy wouldn't my husband enjoy that if I said it out loud...with 5 little creatures running amuck all the time I don't know if we'd even have time for that...especially since the second they sense I've gone to the bathroom or gotten on the phone they hunt me down like a hound dog. I can only imagine how fast there noses would travel if they knew daddy and I had a second of alone time. They would for sure think they were missing out on something good.

Anyway, after that random note...

I have completely over indulged myself this weekend. I spend all of Saturday being Taxi Mom driving 3 boys back and forth to baseball, a birthday party, and Princess (she's been super helpful this weekend)to a friends to work on a project, and a million other errands. I took the Little's to breakfast at Chick Fil A Saturday morning b/c we could eat for free if we wore our PJ's. Heck ya I'm there! I love free anything:) Then after all the millions of things we did all Saturday I was in no mood to cook so out to dinner we went. Then today I decided we needed a yellow cake w/ chocolate frosting just because it sounded good. And well tonight I made myself a bowl of mint choc. chip ice cream.

I am afraid that because I know I have my first weigh in on Thursday for our Biggest Loser Challenge and I want a big weight loss next week to win prizes of course....wait does this mean I'm playing the game? I should be losing weight regardless...it's about a life style change not prizes. But I think I convinced myself it was okay to eat "crap" b/c I was starting fresh on Thursday.

At least I did get my workouts in.....Zumba and tons of cleaning...so hopefully that offset the awfulness of my indulging.

Now that I'm super stuffed I'm falling into bed into what I hope if my last indulging food coma. I'm not gonna gain my 10 pounds back this week just to have to lose it again starting Thursday.

Side note...I love Zac Brown Band and enjoyed getting to watch their special on CMT today. I actually went to high school w/ Jimmy who plays the violin...and we actually worked a hot dog stand together when I was in 8th grade.

I know super random tonight..I'm sure it's the sugar overload! I'll go sleep it off:)

Hello? Danielle? Are you there?

2010-02-26T04:31:00.000-08:00

After two weeks of changing pills for this reason I have finally figured out I am a little off. Okay a lot off. I'm moodier, one minute I'm down, the next I'm buzzing around getting things done, and then I crash and I'm super tired. I have had a few bad headaches this week and felt a little nauseous at night and first thing in the morning. And today I think I even said "Hello Danielle are you even in there anymore". I'm secretly hoping I've run off to this glorious island where there are no worries...just relaxing...on the sand in the sun...sipping something fruitybut since I'm sure I haven't been granted this one wish by some mysterious genie in a bottle I am here feeling a little bit like a teenager with all these hormones driving me bonkers. The only difference is I have realized my problem and am learning to control my sharp tongue and temper...well for the most part after I've already shot off at my husband or kids once or twice...my patience has been not so much this week.

Between feeling a little wacky and this precious Crazy Girlwho really is a teenager I am wondering where I went and what happened to me. Crazy Girl (who I think I have only referred to as Princess on here, but she is no longer this precious Princess...hormones have taken over her body and she is a true full blown teenage Crazy Girl)has been really mean to me lately. She thinks it makes her "cool" or something to make fun of me. Every time I open my mouth she seems to have something snide to say. If my voice cracks, or a little of my southern accent comes out, or if I use the wrong words or get tongue tied...she feels the need to comment rather rudely and make fun of. This morning it happened 3 times alone...I then quit talking to her which infuriated her. Well, two can play this game chica! I've been there, that snooty patooty, I know everything kind of girl....and now that I'm being pumped full of more hormones I'm there again...only now I'm smarter and really do know more....so look out honey cause you're not gonna win! Oh sorry maybe that was a little much...but truly raising a teenage girl can make you feel real dumb real quick...

I told her this morning that she can act cool at school and like she's smarter than me...but at home you're just a little girl and still my child....and the rudeness will not be tolerated...there I put my foot down...showed her whose boss...or well just maybe acted a little immature and just quit talking to her. Either way I'm not happy about this new Crazy Girl that has joined our family. Boo...I miss my little girl that used to love to snuggle and color with me. Now I'm just an irritating nuisance who makes her clean up after herself and do her chores...but still continues to provide a warm clean house, yummy dinner, and clean clothes. I'd hate to see how she'd treat me if I made her do these things for herself...sheeesh.

I'm truly venturing into uncharted territory. Don't get me wrong she's always been a moody girl...with a bad temper...and hasn't always been the easiest child to raise...but now she's as tall as me and probably really is smarter than me...and all of the sudden she's going to be 14 in a couple months and going to high school. And at the risk of sounding really old raising a teenager these days is so different. From cell phones, to Facebook, to anything else on the Internet and of course the same old sex and drug talks (not that we are dealing w/ any of these issues but we talk very openly about all of it)...there are so many "new" things out there. Many new things that we talk about very openly in the hopes of not allowing her curiosity to get the best of her. We talk about the "sexting" issues that now go on among teens...we've drilled it in her head about what a bad idea it is. We've talked many times about drinking and drugs...and let me tell you I have learned so many new things that kids are doing to hide it and I can't even believe some of it's true. All I know is right now I am thankful that the only issues we are having are her rude tongue and occasional moody temperament. But hearing stories of young girls being caught doing things to boys that they shouldn't even know about at this age really scares me. I am now seeing why God has blessed me with only one daughter! Of course I wouldn't want my boys doing these things either...and I openly talk to them as well. But I think girls feel a little more pressure to please and make friends and boys happy and want to fit in.

No one ever said being a parent was easy...so I'm trying to stay ahead of the game...read up on what's going on out there....get out of my little naive world...talk with other parents and teachers...and keep the Internet locks on...monitor her cell phone...and keep tabs on where all my kids are at all times without being overbearing or intrusive...and give as much love and understanding as possible. Oh boy I have my work cut out for me!

Maybe one day if all my kids make it through okay I'll write a book...about how real life is...and not all these cutsie fairy tale type famiyl stories. The Harsh Realities of Being a Parent in a New World....catchy dontcha think?

100th post and I just can't wait!

2010-02-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

Well, my list isn't much shorter than it was this morning even though I busted my boo tay all day. I have a yummy carrot cake cooling off waiting to be frosted for hubby's birthday. His b-day is tomorrow, but since he has to work overnight I wanted to celebrate tonight after he gets home from baseball practice. We celebrated with his twin brother last week when we were down in Tampa, but he loves carrot cake and I wanted to celebrate at home too.

So, anywho...The whole reason for my second post of the day is because I have two super cool things to talk about and then I realized it is my 100th post. So I just couldn't wait!

Okay 1st things 1st. Yesterday I signed up for....drum roll please....this

I am so excited to have joined a team to do the 3 Day Walk for the Cure. 60 miles in 3 days of walking, and camping out with inspirational people, and raising money for a great cause. Another reason for me to keep my running/walking training going. I have until October to raise $2300 and train, train, train!

And this next challenge is exactly what I need to get my mojo back and keep me motivated for my walk.

I am super duper excited about this! Our elementary school where I used to teach and 2 of my boys go has an awesome nutrition committee. Last year they had fitness nights where they came out and taught Zumba, Yoga, Boot Camp, and other fitness activities to get the parents and children involved. Well this year they are taking it a huge step further and doing the Biggest Loser Challenge. Antoine Dove from last seasons BL is coming next Thursday to kick off the event. There are weekly weigh-ins and prizes to be won. The weigh-ins are based on parents percentage of weight loss and the students have to keep track of various activities each week. It's a challenge for the whole family to keep the kids active and to make the parents accountable. This isn't just about mommy and daddy telling you to eat healthy, but it's about the whole community coming together to fight childhood obesity and stay active. I think it is a great way to get families together to work for a common cause and spend more time together and plan healthy meals. For me this is the kick in the butt that I need. After all right now I'm the only one who sees the scale...and now I am going to have weigh in front of other people. If that doesn't motivate me I don't think anything will. I will weigh in every Thursday and be accountable for our meals and activities.
My plan is to make a menu every Sunday and post on here for the week. Also, I will post my workouts and the activities that the kids will be doing. I will post my weight and any other things I learn from the challenge.
If all goes well this will spread through our community and how great would it be to get this going at other schools and fight this fast moving disease among children!

I can't wait! Of course I've already told myself I can relax and take it easy for the next week until the first weigh in. I'm not being too strict on my eating and I'm taking my workouts this week in stride. I need this time to plan...plan meals, talk with the kids about what they would like to try, what activities they want to do, plan my workouts and look for new things to keep me motivated. I am trying to come up with some sort of notebook for meal ideas and fun workouts. And I think having the kids involved is going to be really exciting. Of course baseball season has just started and with 3 boys playing it's going to be crazy...but I'm hoping to get some easy fast and also healthy meals planned. This time of year for us always turns into lots of fast food and not many meals at the table together. But with this challenge going on it will get me planning better and not relying on drive-thru's.
So here we go! Lots of reasons I am going to change my life for the better. I'm well on may to being a happier and more healthy mom:)

And by the way, thank you for reading my venting this morning and for such positive words and letting me know we're all "real" people:)

Livin on a Blog

2010-02-24T05:09:00.000-08:00

You know like "Livin on a Prayer"...only it's in cyberspace. I read other blogs and imagine them as my own. I have voices in my head that keep me going, but sometimes they don't always match my actual life. I read about other people and wish it was my life. Moms and Dads going on dates, moms that get to stay home and be with their kids but not adding in the work aspect, young women eating super healthy clean foods and spending lots of time at the gym, women eating organic and vegan foods, women clipping coupons and saving tons of money for their families, moms getting to go on playdates and volunteering at their childrens schools, moms having MOPS groups or bible studies with other moms to share their friendships with, couples having dinner parties....

My life is good right? I have 5 healthy kids and a husband who has a great job. We aren't suffering in this economy. My husband and I both work, bringing in money to support our family, and though we still live pay check to pay check we are at least getting a pay check. My kids have lots of toys and clothes and have healthy meals prepared for them daily. We aren't suffering like so many others.

But I am tired. I seem to be in some sort of rut. I feel like a complainer. We don't have a perfect marriage, as I am sure many others don't, but I feel like sometimes I put so much work into it and get little in return. Many days I feel like I am a mom and wife that looks like a chicken with my head cut off. Constant cleaning, laundry, cooking, planning, blah blah blah and I can't find a way to get ahead. My list is long...really long. Do the dishes, wash the laundry, fold the laundry, put it all away, make a grocery list, cut coupons, spend and hour and half at the grocery store shopping, put it all away, cook breakfast, make lunch, cook dinner, get the kids ready for school, or baseball practice, or just to leave the house, or bathtime, bedtime, get homework done, make sure they do their chores, fix boo boos, make doctor appointments, pay the bills, organize something, clean out the van, vacuum, mop, dust, clean bathrooms, get ebay stuff listed, run this one or that one to this friends or this event, walk the dogs, feed the dogs, bathe the dogs, clean up after the dogs...and the list goes on and on. Oh yeah and hello I am supposed to be Danielle too. The one who is supposed to be eating healthy, losing weight, looking good to her husband, dressing nice so as not to embarrass her kids, being patient and understanding of her children and husband. But I want to stomp my feet and throw a fit. Throw in the towel. Call it a day. Sleep in, take a day off, read a book, get my nails and hair done, go to the spa, but if I do the next day will be H E double hockey sticks and this whole place would fall apart and it would stress me out more to get it all cleaned up and too much would pile up and add more to my list.

I used to be a real go getter. Not a complainer...after all I was a teenage mom who put myself through college while working full time and raising children. I used to get my workouts in first thing in the morning and stayed in good shape. Dated my husband, kept the romance alive with surprises, read to my kids every night, taught them to read, had a mostly clean house...maybe I only dreamt that part of my life. But somewhere along the way I've lost that person. I'm thinking of posted a WANTED poster looking for her.

I don't like to admit defeat. I don't want to apear weak. But having 5 active children to keep up with has left me tired. And really craving myself at the same time. People used to say they wanted the Hollywood life....well I want the blog life. I'd like to combine a few if I may. The one who has surprise dates with their husband, clean and organized house, gatherings with friends, children who are always clean and do their chores, moms who have time to do really cool crafts with their little ones, ones with beauty tips and organized closets and kitchens...

HA! Do they really exist? Or are most just showing the good stuff on their blogs? Please tell me other moms have this crazy life...that some of you have struggling marriages, laundry that isn't done, you don't always eat healthy, you fall off the workout wagon too, you have times you want to give up and feel defeated...like everything you do just isn't quite good enough??? Please tell me you're real too!

Nude Beach!

2010-02-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

This is where I will live in my next life! I am really excited about the thought of living in a place where no clothes are required...but only because I won't have much laundry to do. Ahem hello I am on a weight loss journey...so I am obviously super skinny and too cute for words in my next life. All of this makes me very excited thinking about my next life. Although I am hoping it's not too soon as I am not ready to leave this one yet, but the thought of no laundry makes me really happy. Considering right now my upstairs hallway I'm pretty sure would qualify for an episode of Hoarders. I have done no less than 8 loads of laundry since we returned form our mini vacation. I would take a picture, but I am pretty sure someone might call Family and Children Services which would lead to me losing everything that completely stresses me out and makes me completely happy at the same time..i.e. my kids and my job!

So at the risk of losing it all I will just describe it to you...

Everyone in the house has their own clothes basket making laundry much easier to manage. Except when each one is full and I still have a laundry room full of sorted piles that are spilling out into the hallway and also filling up our entire bathroom floor. Plus, genius me, decided to go through the boxes of clothes that have been outgrown by the other children to try and get the next size for the next child. Which has caused 10 more piles of unnecessary clothing items. I, of course, can't just take them out of the nicely labeled boxes and place them into drawers. They must be washed first. And since the weather is not cooperating and staying a certain temperature I must have various seasons worth of clothes in their drawers. And of course they share rooms so it's not like I have a ton of space to put all these clothes. Which leaves me thinking, "Wouldn't it be easier to just let each child have 5 shirts and 5 pants and just rotate them each week?" That would certainly be a lot easier on the washer and dryer. But no no not me...I see a sale and have a coupon and next thing I know I'm buying out GAP and Old Navy's clearance section. Chances are someone is wearing that size and if not someone will grow into it.

After many boxes, piles, and laundry room spillage I have realized I have a problem. I buy too many clothes for my kids. Maybe because I've never felt I could buy "cute" things for myself because I don't look as cute in them as they look on the hanger. Things don't fit right. Too tight in my thighs, too big in the waist, too short, too long...you get the picture. Also, when I was young my mom being a single mom could not afford a lot. We shopped at the less expensive stores and I was not the "popular in style girl"...which led me to really be a kind of tomboy of sorts. I always envied the girls who could shop at the mall and buy the popular brand name things. Of course what did all of this mean...nothing really...but it has made me really want my kids to "fit" in. I want them to enjoy their clothes and look cute and stylish. Of course I have 4 boys and only 1 girl who really cares. The boys could pull something out of the dirty pile and could care less. And luckily my daughter understands Holister and Abercrombie aren't in the budget unless we find them at consignment stores or they are hand me downs. So really it is me. I am the problem to all of this laundry over piling...I always shop clearance, consignment stores, Ebay....but I am probably spending just as much b/c I buy so much.

Anyway, that nude beach is sounding exciting as I am sure no one there cares what name brand I can or cannot afford...or what fits or doesn't fit me...

Unfortunately, I think it all comes back to how I view myself. So, my goal this month is to clean out and de-clutter the clothes. Ebay the good stuff they can't wear, hide all clothing store credit cards, and use the Ebay money to pay off those credit cards. And after cleaning out my closet of clothes I cannot wear and when I am closer to my goal weight I am going to spend a little money on myself and find something I can wear that makes me feel girlie, and pretty, and worthy of my own "cute" clothes.

MIA Vegetables!

2010-02-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Don't worry I'm still alive! We took a little vacation last week and returned today. The kids have a winter break, and we took the opportunity to go down to Tampa and visit my husband's twin brother and his family. We haven't been down in 2 1/2 years...and we used to go 2 or 3 times a year so it was a much needed visit.

Of course while I'm on vacation I gave myself a break counting points and just wanted to eat and not stress and think about losing weight. I haven't been eating bread and gluten products for about a week and a half so I think my body is really ticked at me right now. We only ate out once and the other times we cooked, but I was not eating vegetables like I should and I also ate too many processed foods.

Tonight when we got back the family wanted shrimp fettuccine Alfredo. My body was saying "Don't you dare!". So I sauteed a little shrimp w/ Cavendar's seasoning with a huge helping of broccoli. It was so yummy...and for dessert I had a Clementine. Mmmmmmm so yummy! I love shrimp and broccoli w/ a little EVOO and sprinkle of Greek Cavendar's seasoning. I know my body is happy and full tonight.

I also drank a ton of Diet Coke while we were gone and especially when we were driving. So tonight I guzzled probably half a pitcher of water. I feel like I'm already cleansing my damage. I have started planning our meals for the week and I am really excited about all my fruit and vegetable purchases.

I am sure I gained a couple of pounds back...but this week I am more than determined to get back in the gym and get my eating back in check. I have my calendar made to finish out this month's workouts, and I'm looking forward to a new 10 Minute Solutions DVD that Melissa sent me for her Valentine exchange.

I will try it out this week and give a full review along the way! I also have my Boot Camp DVD I've got planned and 2 nights of Zumba scheduled in. Maybe with the weather being halfway decent I can finally get in a run or two.

My plan is to weigh myself in the morning and get my journals back out and keep track of all points and workouts. This is going to be a great week!

This crazy boy...

2010-02-12T03:54:00.001-08:00

This sweet boy loved the snow...but only for a minute...it was a lot more fun to watch the big brothers play from inside.

He was the best baby....ever...never cried...was always happy and smiling...would lift anyones spirits who might be feeling down...didn't sleep great at night, but was the best nurser of all.

He is the youngest of 4 boys and 2 girls.

Loves to help mommy in the kitchen...even when she doesn't want him to...like when she's trying to unload the dishwasher quickly...but he enjoys putting things back in and slamming the door or taking out the dirty ones and putting them away.

But ever since he was 18 months he has decided that throwing fits is a good way to get noticed. Mommy doesn't give in...because well she's seen it all before...except he's really good at dragging his screaming self in an inch worm sort of way...all around the house wherever mommy goes.

He has lots of friends...but doesn't like to share. (He is laying on and hoarding all the pattern blocks so no one else can play.)

But he does love Ring Around the Rosie!
He smells super yummy after a bath..is very soft and snuggly...loves to brush his teeth...and is good at getting into trouble all on his own.
He's very good at cleaning up his mess...
But is the one who makes the most!

He's full of spunk and charisma!

He cheers for mommy everytime she goes potty. And is so sweet to say "bye bye pee pee". It's really great in a public place!

He loves all of his brothers and sisters....as long as they are cooperative and do what he wants.

Everybody loves to give him kisses! Like I said he's really soft and smells super yummy.
He's a great snuggler! And enjoys being the center of attention.

And I am blessed to get to spend everyday with him. Even though he makes me really tired and does not allow for much down time. He goes and goes until he can go no more...

He's my baby...and I love him so...and I am more than blessed that God chose me to be his mom.

Creepy Old Guy @ the gym wearing booty shorts

2010-02-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

I know...ewwww right! My original post was going to be things @ the gym that drive me crazy. But this title was much more fitting for my evening at gym.

So, I'm 32 years old, wearing sweats and t-shirt, sweaty, working hard, probably panting at this point...now I will say I do not wear my wedding ring to workout because well I swell and I don't think I would ever get it back off...

Ok, back to COG (Creepy Old Guy). I got off the elliptical after 25 minutes and headed to the weight machines. I'm just lifting my legs, counting my reps., probably lip syncing, and out I feel a presence. You know that erie feeling when someone is near you or staring at you? I look to my left and this COG is staring at me. He's lifting his arms on this machine...and he might be 45 or so..but looked older and creepier...he gets up and walks in front of me...booty shorts and all...and looks back at me as if to say "I know you're looking". I think I might have even shuttered...maybe I even said "ewww" while I was singing along to my I-Pod.

He walked off. I finished my reps and moved back to the elliptical for 20 more minutes. Next thing I know he's staring at me again. I see him walk back and forth in front of my machine several times...each time I'm trying hard to avoid eye contact. I just kept on going thinking I might be on the this machine all night if he doesn't ever leave.

After 45 minutes of elliptical and 15 minutes of leg machines- I headed for the track for my cool down and stretching...well what do you know...COG came walking along. I turned up the I-Pod and my cool down turned into a run...and off I went for another mile.

I finally got completely tired and made it look like I was headed for water and hit the elevator instead. I grabbed Princess and the boys and we were out. I avoided all contact...and was so please w/ myself.

I have never been "hit on" at the gym...or been watched to my knowledge...and I had no intention of starting w/ COG!

ICK! BLECK! YUCK! GROSS! And booty shorts? Oh no!
Maybe next post I can comment on the other things that DRIVE ME CRAZY @ the gym.

Back in the saddle again...

2010-02-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

So after last week's news I fell off the wagon...luckily I haven't completely undone my hard work and it should be reversible.

Yes I am an emotional eater. I know this. I also know that I am good at convincing myself the next day will be better....and convincing myself that my husband likes me the way I am. Why am I wanting to lose weight? Who cares? Mmmmm this McDonald's cheeseburger is good. Well, why not have the ice cream? I've already messed up...might as well enjoy the food the rest of the day. I'm already married...I have 5 kids. I look good for having 5 kids. Who do I have to impress?

I wonder if I'll ever really hit "rock bottom" as they say. Why do I work my butt off exercising and eating healthy just to go and eat a ton of unhealthy carbs...and repeat repeat repeat....???

After questioning myself on this journey (all while I was loving my ice cream) I finally said "Self you are doing this for you. You want to be healthy. It is true when you eat healthy you feel good. When you eat lots of fat you feel blah....and your moods are really yucky. You like the feeling of those "skinny" jeans. You like the pride after a great day of eating healthy and working hard." I realized the key word was "YOU".

This morning I woke up with a "can do" attitude. I really do want this. I really do enjoy exercising. And I really do feel better and am in a better mood when I eat healthy. Lots of pep talks and hopefully I will get through. Although I don't feel the "rock bottom" moment that others talk about turning their lives around. Which is scary b/c maybe I'm not ready. But my hope is that I can do this...and keep off the weight. Not just do it and add it back on over time again.

Something I am trying this week - I read an article in a woman's magazine this weekend about being gluten intolerant. I have all the symptoms...joint pains (my knees, elbows, and ankles have really been throbbing), GI issues, yo-yoing weight and moodiness to name a few. I figure it can't hurt to try it out. So I'm reading labels a lot more and also preparing lots of fruit and veggies containers for easy access. This week I have done a lot more prep. after grocery shopping so I don't have the excuse the crap something crappy just b/c it's easy.

Has anyone else tried going gluten-free? If so any advice would be great. I am reading up a little more today to see what hidden words might also mean gluten besides the obvious wheat stuff.

Have a good day!

Harsh Realities

2010-02-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Well, the week started off w/ a bang...and now it's had some blows. There are some days you just want to sit on your bootie and do nothing. Well, today is that day....but I must push on. Work, school time, laundry, dishes, laundry, vacuuming, mopping, laundry, bathroom cleaning all need to get done...along with a list a mile long w/ things like bills, making appts., registration stuff, and the list goes on.

But all I want to do it SIT on my butt! You see I'm in a bad place right now. A little depressed if I can be so honest w/ people I don't really know. But that's what I started this for. To blog...share things, get things off my chest, journal...

I have been having some women issues for quite sometime now. You know one of those things you really only share w/ your husband. I cry to him about pain and fear. Well, he finally said that's it "You need to go to the dr."

But I was afraid. Afraid of new I never wanted to hear. Well, it really was time and so I made the appointment the "girly" dr.

I dreaded yesterday. But was also optimistic for a good outcome or solution to my pain. After an ultrasound and a few other tests...she broke the horrible news to me that I never wanted to hear. "I think it's time we consider an ablation of sorts. Not quite a hysterectomy but it does mean no more children."

I knew it. To me this is devastating...most don't understand. "You have 5 healthy children. You should be happy." But for me this is what I know. This is what I am. A mom. Pregnant. Anticipating a new birth. Raising children. For the last 14 years.

I always knew I wanted to be a mom. I just never knew how much I would truly love it. I figured two or three children. But I always want more. Even after 4 and 5...I still want more.

After sweet #4 was born I remember discussing tubes tied. This was really hubby pushing for this. I remember how scared I was to finalize things.

After #5 they asked me again...

I just couldn't bring myself to "be done". I have thought about another baby everyday. It is somethings that is in the back of my mind at all time.

It's moments like this I can't believe I won't have again...

I am blessed with 5 of the most beautiful healthy babies. And even though we didn't officially have #6 in the works...I'm sad by this news that there probably won't be a #6 for me. The official news will come once the tests are finished. But the dr. seems to think there is nerve damage to the uterus...and this is what is causing my excruciating pain.
I will pray like I do everyday. I am asking God that if this is his plan for me to please take my want of more children away.

I know I am blessed. I know there are too many women out there who have lost children or cannot conceive at all. I hurt for these women and know that I will be okay and I am blessed and thankful.

But for today...I want to sit and sulk for a minute. All of this "list" will be there tomorrow.

No Way! Are you sure?

2010-02-01T10:02:00.001-08:00

This my friends is a picture of me in my size 8 jeans....weight approximately 152 pounds.

And this my friends is a picture of me in my size 6 jeans...weight as of this morning 143!

Wait! Are you sure? Let's see another one...

Yes! Yes they are! Size 6! I haven't worn size 6 in years!

9 pound weight loss...last month I said good-bye to the 150's, and I am so ready to say "Buh Bye" to the 140's. February is going to be a great month!

"Hello sore muscles I forgot I had"

2010-01-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness I am totally loving this new DVD. I actually look forward to doing it and think about when I can do it again. I went to Zumba this morning with very sore thigh muscles...inner thigh muscles to be exact...probably ones that haven't been used since my gymnastics days. After Zumba I was super exhausted and needed a nap...but with this cute little man constantly following me around saying "Mama Mama" "Please" "Mine" "Please Mama Mama!"

There was no way I could even sit for a minute to rest. And there was a pile of laundry a bajillion (as I am sure all of you know this is truly a number when it comes to laundry)miles high. I was able to make a small dent in it...but then we went to the mall...and came home with more clothes b/c Old Navy was having a super duper sale. And now the pile is bigger! I have yet to figure out why I buy the kids more clothes to make my laundry increase...especially when they really aren't lacking anything. I went to get a few things for my brother's baby boy he had this week...but ended up with stuff for my kids too. All I know is it's probably a good thing I only have one girl...b/c Gap and Gymboree tutu's, tights, dresses and hair bows kept catching my eye. And trying to convince a 13 year old girl you want to put her in tights and tutu's was a no go. Don't get me wrong she loves to shop...just not the cutsie stuff I want to put her in.
I even called hubby from the mall asking if we could please try for another girl. I have her name picked out and everything. He hung up on me! UGH! Maybe when we win the lottery he'll let me adopt! Then we could afford all the cute clothes and Pottery Barn rooms we wanted:)

Okay that was a long winded random mess of craziness! Back to my sore muscles...I'm really sore. Like sore where it hurts to bend down and pick up little Monkey, or chase him around, or even to tie my shoes. It's starting to get better after a lot of stretching today. I decided that since I went to Zumba I would skip the Boot Camp DVD...but I'm already planning it for tomorrow during naptime.

And the best news of all....drum roll please...I've lost 2 pounds this week since I started doing it. This is great since the scale hasn't moved in two weeks! I am only a couple pounds shy of my first 10 pound weight loss and hopefully in the next couple of weeks I can say good-bye to the 140's. Then I can get my first goal prize...a new workout outfit. I need different pants that won't make my butt look so jiggly during Zumba. I currently wear Old Navy sweats that are kinda like yoga pants...really comfy but really make my booty jiggle.
So I need suggesstions for good workout pants...inexpensive and not spandex....my booty and thighs are too large for spandex.
Okay ya'll have a good rest of the weekend...I'm hitting the bed so I can have energy for tomorrow. Grocery shopping, baseball try-outs, and of course my new DVD! And that bajillion mile high laundry pile....bleck!

Ready for a February Challenge?

2010-01-29T05:39:00.000-08:00

I am I am...

After doing The 30 Day Shred during the month of January...I got bored. As much as I like it I am a high intensity aerobic wannabe (which is why I love Zumba). I felt after The Shred I still needed a run or fast walk or something was missing. So this week while I was at Target they had several new DVD's on sale ($10 woo hoo!). Several years ago I used to workout to Denise Austin in the mornings before the kids would got up. She was on TV for two 30 minute segments. One was usually cardio/weights and the other was a pilates/yoga type. I loved it. I bought a couple of her Yoga and Dance DVD's and really like them.

Well, I saw this one...

She says 3 weeks Body Boot Camp...drop two dress sizes. It is broken into two 20 minute workouts - one cardio and strength training intervals and the other is athletic training (kettlebell inspired but one only need hand weights) and then there is a bonus 6 min. abs.

I did it yesterday during nap time...and I can't wait to do it again today. I will say I am super sore today! But I am exciting about this b/c it means that it worked me harder than I was used to with The Shred and I'm feeling muscles I had forgotten about. The first session seemed to fly by. When I did the 2nd one I was excited b/c it is a different type of workout than I've ever done. And I really liked the fact that as soon as I thought "Holy crap I can't do anymore" she would change it up.

So, I'm hooked. I am going to make this my February challenge. Then I had this idea...why not do a new DVD each month to really keep my body guessing? I am thinking if each month I choose a new DVD then my body won't get bored and will continue to be challenged.

I took measurements again this morning (I've lost 6 inches since I started really recording workouts and eating.) At the end of the month I'll take them again.

Anyone else up for the challenge? What DVD's do you like to use at home?

Mediation? Relaxation? Or Chocolate Rasberry Truffle Ice Cream?

2010-01-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I chose the latter. This week started off with a bang. Literally! One of my little daycare friends was pushed into the edge of a desk...and hold your hats...required 16 stitches! UGH! It was awful and I boo hooed all day. I felt absolutely horrible...I couldn't have prevented it, but it was so heart breaking.

Then hubby has been super busy working over night shifts and baseball practice...so I've been on my own quite a bit.

Our downstairs heat stopped working...and of course the temps. are supposed freezing this weekend again. So we had to call the guy out last night to come fix it.

I missed Zumba Monday night...for a good reason...I went to get my hair done and cover up all this gray. So it wasn't a total wash, but I have a better week when I hit all three Zumba classes. But I have one tonight so I think I can get back on track.

After all of that added w/ the responsibility of working, cleaning, laundry, cooking and being mommy and wife...I needed something.

So, last night after the boys were in bed Princess said she didn't mind if daddy and I took a little drive ALONE:) So we headed straight to get ice cream. I felt like a teenager sneaking off w/ a really hot guy going to get ice cream. All we needed was a place to "park". Hahaha just kidding...although hubby thought it was a great idea. My luck we be carted off to jail w/ all the babies left at home alone...so we decided on a comfy couch and the President's Address...what a way to kill a mood.

But it was nice having our secret escape...

Mr. Scale and I are not on speaking terms at the moment. He's refusing to move down. So, maybe we'll talk again next week...we'll see. I hoping pump it up and really show him who's boss. Wish me luck!

Dear Weather Gods over Georgia,

2010-01-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

**UPDATE**
This is an ammendment to today's original post:) Thanks to a wonderful husband I was able to run during nap time today. 3.2 miles of walk/run...the wind cuts like a knife...but I felt awesome by the time I was done...thank you.***

I am sending this letter to you so that you might consider changing your mind. You know you never know until you ask. So here goes.

I have a problem with your current patterns. You see I have recently starting running...which I love by the way. It really helps me clear my head, relieves much unwanted stress, and give this mom of 5 about 45 minutes of uninterrupted alone time with just some tunes that keep me going. However, recently you sent out a teaser of sorts. Last week you allowed the temps. to hit almost 60 degrees. To which I was super grateful. Unfortunately, you have since changed your mind and sent us lots of rain and freezing temps. once again. Then today I see that you are considering sending us a "wintery mix" this weekend. I wish you would reconsider. What was the probem with the 60 degrees? Maybe I could fix it.

I'm not sure if you've ever run on a dreadmill or around an indoor track...but it is not clearing my head like it should and it actually causes me to be really bored.

Okay okay so you're not buying that. Well, how about that my scale hasn't moved down in two weeks. Can you do anything about that? I really need to go out and run...baseball season is fast approaching and all of my free time (hahahaha that is hysterical...mom of 5 working full time has free time...hahahaha)is about to be taken up with various boys practices at different times on different days. We have a mini vacation coming up. And so on and so forth....

So you can see I'm busy, stressed, and really needing to stay motivated. Please Please Please consider sending 50-60 degrees and sun instead of freezing temps., rain and sleet our way.

I would forever be grateful!
Sincerely,
Mom of 5 who's incredibly stressed, losing motivation, and actually kind of tired

"Nothing tastes as good as thin feels"

2010-01-23T11:56:00.001-08:00

After an extremely stressful week - last night I was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. But Princess agreed to watch the boys so hubby and I could go on a super hot date...hahaha we were really going to pick up a new steam cleaner and we decided to take advantage and go eat w/o any interruptions. We headed to his favorite place Red Lobster. I got a little worried...I began thinking what am I going to eat. I hadn't looked up the menu and figured out any points before we left and I really did not want to ruin this week's progress. Even though this week was full of stress I really rocked my workouts and stayed within my points almost everyday (w/ a day or two taking away from my flex points). The truth of the matter is I've always been able to do well during the week...then the weekend gets here and I seem to undo all my hard work. Well last night I said (to myself of course I wouldn't want to blurt out random things and have people think I'm going crazy for really) "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels". I have had that fried shrimp and french fries, yummy cheddar bay biscuits, or loaded baked potato and so on and so on a million times. And I knew it tasted good...but I also knew that I would not be happy with myself afterwards. So I opted for this (my husband thought I was super weird for taking a picture of my food but whatever)
.
We sat down and immediately before I could think twice said "I'd like a water with lemon please and can you only bring two biscuits when you bring them." I knew if I drank water through out the dinner just like at home I would eat less. And I also knew I wouldn't be tempted by those darn biscuits if there was only enough for each of us to have 1. YAY I was on a roll...so I ordered the Wood Fire Grilled Shrimp and asked him to please have them cook it without the buttery garlic sauce...with rice pilaf and plain steamed broccoli. I had done it...ordered the healthiest thing I could (oh and salad w/ fat-free dressing on the side...which I barely used...go me!).
I finished off the shrimp and broccoli...and half of the rice. And guess what? I felt full and satisfied. No grease, no frying, and only 1 biscuit.
So off we went with the rest of our date...and trip to Best Buy for the steam cleaner, looking at new baseball gear for the boys at Dicks, and me thinking the whole time "What should we do for dessert?" Instead of saying anything out loud b/c hubby is a total sabotager I kept this dessert fantasy to myself. I knew as soon as I mentioned it we'd be pulling through the Bruster's or Cold Stones in no time...so I began thinking about which hot tea I would make when I got home. And mmmmmm a cup of hot tea was just what I needed! We were gone a total of 2 hours....I know wild and crazy right? But it was so nice to eat and talk w/ out being interrupted, no food was thrown, nobody spilled anything, and no one got hurt or cried for any unknown reason. I also got to hold his loving hand without any foreign sticky substance on it:)

So ladies I had a super successful night! I caught glimpse of myself in a mirror at one of the stores and thought "I look kind of skinny". And hubby remarked, "I think your jeans are too big." These were brand new jeans I had just bought at Christmas..so woo hoo!
So while I had the "skinny feeling" I decided to grab my tea and head upstairs to try on some other jeans that hadn't been fitting...and success...some really fit and some I could get buttoned but weren't quite ready to be worn in public. But the fact of the matter is ladies it's happening this weight loss thing and I are really starting to hit it off!
I woke this morning with a lot of excitement. I headed out to Zumba w/ a great big smile on my face. I totally rocked it..didn't slow down once. I feel so energized today and I might actually get all the laundry and cleaning done. Well that's depressing..so I'm sure I'll find something else exciting to do:)

Have a great weekend my bloggy friends!

Beautiful Blogger, Crazy time, and Ready to move on...

2010-01-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

First, I want to thank Melissa for my Beautiful Blogger Award. It really made my day...heck after the week I'm having it made my whole week:)

So 7 random things about me:
1. I am a mom of 5 and I'm scared of the dark. My side of the bed is furthest from the bathroom and of course my bladder only last a couple of hours at best (I have 5 babies what can I say)so in the middle of the night I run and hop over hubby to get to my side. I'm always afraid something is under the bed that I can't see. I'd never admit that to the kids b/c I would totally be a hypocrite when I tell them there are no monsters under the bed.

2. I secretly pray for another baby girl. I know my husband prays for no more children at all so I wonder if he crosses out my prayers. I have prayed for this baby girl for awhile now...and since it hasn't happened again I've started praying for God to take my wants for a baby girl away...I know one of these will happen on His time.

3. I graduated on the Presidents list w/ a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education (all while I was working full time and raising babies). However, after a few years of teaching I really want to go back to school to be a nurse. I would love to be a labor and delivery nurse but haven't quite figured out how to fit school back into my schedule.

4. My husband and I were set up on a blind date...I actually ended up dating someone else in the group that we all went out with. But after three months we became good friends and realized we should be dating. 12 years later we've had four more babies (even though he only wanted one more...)

5. I live in the south, but during the summers as a kid I lived on a farm in Ohio. I'm originally from there and instead of my mom having to put me in daycare during the summers I'd spend the summer with my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins. I really wish my kids could have this experience...and I really wished we lived on a horse farm:)

6. I was an only child growing up (which is why I wanted so many kids)but when I was 12 I met my half brother and sister (who were one year older and one year younger than me). They are my dad's children...who I only met once when I was 9 and haven't seen him since. My brother and sister and I have kept in touch over the years, but they live in Ohio so we don't see each other often. Thank goodness for Facebook.

7. When I was growing up I played softball and did gymnastics. I had to quit gym when I was in the 8th grade and I remember it being the most devastating thing to me. I picked softball up more intensely at this point and played through high school. When I get back into great shape I would love to teach gymnastics one day.

Well this week has been extremely exhausting...both mentally and physically. My body is super tired and so is my brain...so I think I might sneak in a few minutes of rest while the littles are napping. Happy Friday!

From the inside out...

2010-01-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

I'm getting restarted...after a running hiatus for a couple of weeks due to freezing temps. and ice on the ground I have only been working out at the gym. But this week was super nice and calling my name for the fresh outsdoors. I rocked 2 glorious runs Sunday and Monday. Then last night I headed out after a very stressful day. Half way into my run it started raining. It felt good! But being that I had Little Monkey with me I figured it wasn't good for him so we headed home.

Today it's pouring...so off to the gym we'll go tonight for Zumba...and I still haven't done any weight training this week so I better get something together. Maybe I should strap ankle weights to me...and do they make wrist weights? Surely I could just wear those while cleaning and chasing kids all day and that would be some sort of weight training...right?

Last week on Oprah Peter Walsh was helping this family reconnect. He was telling them it really has to start from inside and the way your house is really helps make your life connections better. You know kind of like if your house isn't in order your life can't begin to be in order. So...this weekend while I had an extra day off I started on my kitchen. Very fitting since I'm trying to get my eating in check and stay on this journey of weight loss. I started by taking some pictures...horrid! I really couldn't believe how disorganized my cupboards, pantry and refrigerator were. I'm super happy with the results and I'm on the kids and hubby to PUT THINGS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG!
Before:

And (drum roll please) After-
(after grocery shopping).

I then scrubbed out the refrigerator and headed to the grocery store. I didn't like the empty look...but it sure was nice to know what we had and didn't have. Now, I can open up and nothing falls out:) I love the feeling of being in the kitchen now. I think once a week (on top of all the regular cleaning of course)I am going to focus on one room and really get it de-cluttered and organized. That in itself is a full time job around here. Nothing ever seems to stay clean for long. I'm still figuring out how I'm going to keep this going...and get the kids and hubby on board so it's not always mommy doing it.

I want to thank Melissa for my Beautiful Blogger Award she gave me yesterday. Tomorrow I will post the 7 random things about me and give the award to 7 other Beautiful Bloggers.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday. One more bednight as my 4 year old says...and it's TGIF!

I'm a "Real" Parent now...(I'm gloating a bit")

2010-01-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

One day after the kids are grown and moved out I am starting a group...Parents Anonymous. It will be for recovering parents who have just endured years of whirl wind emotions....ups, downs, highs, lows...and all the in between. I started this journey almost 14 years ago. I was 18 years old. Obviously starting before all of my friends I didn't really have anyone to go to who really understood what I was experiencing (besides my mom). But I wasn't scared. I don't ever remember a time when I thought I couldn't do it. And I don't ever recall having as much emotions as I did last night.

You see my Princesses arrival into the world wasn't the norm. First she had a teenage mom who was married to a mostly absent father, and was whisked away in the middle of her first night to the NICU where she struggled to breath her first few days of life. She then got pneumonia and jaundice. I was scared at this point...but her doctors and nurses were awesome in calming my fears and letting me know she was going to be alright. When I brought her home we had a home nurse that continued to come by for a few weeks to give her shots daily.

Then she started growing and thriving...amazing me at every turn. Then within her first year of life her young parents divorced and she was now stuck with a single mother and no father. I was a full time student going to college, worked as a waitress on weekends, and mommy the rest of the time. I was determined to provide the best life I could give her...

Okay moving on..."Daddy's" adoption was a long process..but was final by the time she was 5. He is all she has ever known. And together we have raised her the best we could. We are "adults" now...raising children, paying bills, coaching teams, encouraging and fostering all their learning...and the list goes on. But in the back of my head sometimes I don't see myself as this "adult parent"...the "teen parent" vision is often present and I wonder how being born to such a young mother has affected Princess. Could I have provided more? Should I have done things differently? Did I do everything I could to get her to where she needs to be?

Well last night it all became clear. In one single night. And my sense of pride and accomplishment was through the roof.

You see last night I had to attend a career fair at the high school that she will be attending next year. We had to walk through a cafeteria filled w/ various classes that we would be registering her for. I all of the sudden went into panic mode. What if I choose wrong? This could affect her whole career. Have I done everything I could to make sure she is ready for this?

They had counselors and a graduation coach on hand to guide us in our decisions and answer any questions. (I know this post is super long...bare with me I'm getting to the point:)

Anyway, after speaking to several teachers and counselors Princess has decided to choose Healthcare and Services as one of her electives. Several of her 8th grade classes are already counting towards her high school credits and after pulling her test scores, grades, and current course load she will be placed in honors/AP classes next year..when she first enters high school! The Healthcare teacher told her she had the brains of a surgeon! This assured me I have done everything I can to provide and teach and push her in the right direction educationally.

So all at once her little life brought me the most astonishing amount of pride and accomplishment. You see the school district we live in is rated 10th in the state...her high school as received a platinum award in education...one of ten schools out of 480 in the state to receive this award. Her school is one of the only schools to provide this specific healthcare and services class...it's a basic training of becoming a nurse/doctor or anything else in the medical field. It will allow her to begin working in the healthcare field her senior year and throughout her college years and could possibly guarantee her a career opportunity upon graduation. This solidified that we are able to provide for her the best education possible and have been raising her in the right community.

All in one night I realized I am a "real" parent! I am doing my job to the best of my ability and my child is reaping the rewards! So besides the fact that she started out in not the best of circumstances...I feel PRIDE that I have turned her statistical situation around...and hopefully we will continue on this path of great accomplishments.

Now I know I can do anything I set my mind too!

And on a totally different note...I rocked two runs this week w/ the weather being in the 50's. It's supposed to start raining again tonight and tomorrow...so I will head to the gym (although I'm not against running in the rain...I haven't done any strength training...and I'm ready for a body transformation!)

Oh Saturday how I love thee

2010-01-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

After a fantabulous night of sleep...well not really the puppy wouldn't leave the big dog alone...he wanted to snuggle...she not so much. But the baby is on night 4 of finally sleeping:) He's going to bed a little later than I would like, but I'll take it since he's sleeping through the night.

Puppy woke me at 6:15...not really what I had in mind for the weekend. But it proved to be very rewarding for me. I had been reading all the rewards of waking early on Zenhabits.net, but I haven't been actually keeping up with it. So, I decided why not it's only sleep I'm missing. And the peace and quiet of the morning was calling my name when everyone else was asleep. I took puppy outside and made some coffee. I sat on the couch and starting reading motivational stories on WW. I read about plateus and keeping motivation. I will admit this week was harder for me to stay on track. I guess the excitement was wearing off a bit...although I'm trying hard to see myself as the 125 lb. person I want to be. I imagine myself in shorts this summer...this hasn't happened in years. But I went over my points almost everyday. I have used all my weekly allowance as of last night and I still have 3days left in this week. But I have lots of activity points which I'd like to pretend are not there. It's almost the yucky time of the month and I am afraid that scale isn't going to budge this week or might even go up. So I needed to buckle down and stick to my points the next three days before weigh in.
After reading for a bit, I made myself an egg white omelet w/ spinach and shredded low fat string cheese, a piece of whole wheat toast w/ tsp. of all natural pnut butter and all-fruit, and one clementine.

Then I got all the kids ready and we headed to the gym. I did 20 minutes of a legs sesh and then off to Zumba. I guess I had a little more pep in my step b/c the instructor even commented that "someone had their coffee this morning". This made me smile and push harder.

After, we headed to Subway for lunch. Still the joy of eating out but so much healthier than a Big Mac. I skipped all condiments and chips...and I was so proud! I've never done that before...I love the feeling of being proud of myself:)

Then we headed off to baseball sign-ups for the boys. When we got home we ran the dogs around the backyard until the rain started. Now, baby is down for nap, the other boys are on the computer and playing with the pup, and I'm catching the end of a Lifetime movie.

Next up - Organizing the kitchen! I know you're jealous...that sounds so exciting right.?. But I know I will be thankful I did it. I can almost invision what it will look like. I think after I am done I'm going to reward myself my heading to the library or book store for a couple of books I've been wanting.

Have a good weekend bloggy friends.

Show Us Your Life...diet and weight loss tricks

2010-01-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

Today I joined Kelly's Show Us Your Life about weight loss and workouts tips.

I was an extremly active teenager. I did gymnastics and played softball all throughout high school. Then I started having babies. After each one I would nurse as long as possible and this did the trick for me. Then I hit my 30's and baby number five. He threw my whole body out of whack. I had done Weight Watchers a little after babies 3 and 4...but was never trully committed. But the weight would just come off. This time around has been different.

I nursed until he was 10 months old and also started working out at the gym about 3 days a week. I had lost all but 10 pounds of the pregnancy pounds (I had gained 55+ with this pregnancy). Then I stopped nuring and gained 10 pounds back. So the last few months I decided this must be the weight I'm going to be now.

I had a hard time accepting it, but wasn't really willing to do anything else than I was already doing. I love food...and coupled with cooking for a big family, snacks for the kids, and drive-thrus it was hard to not eat what they were eating. I would go to Zumba classes (which I love) about 2 or 3 times a week and lots of walks. However, I was losing 5 pounds and then gaining it right back. I think I lost the same 5 pounds 10 different times in the past year. In December I started reading a lot of fitness and healthy living blogs and decided that truly I wasn't happy, but I was worth it. I have recently found several blogs that actual moms have created and lost the weight. One of them inspired me and encouraged me to try Weight Watchers again, but this time actually join the site and become accountable (thank you Melissa). I joined December 21st and since then I have lost 5 pounds. Yes this is the same 5 pounds, but the good news is it's not the fluctuating pounds I used to see on the scale. It's actaully gone. I am now committed to this weight loss journey.

Along with the Weight Watchers I am taking my Zumba classes at least 2 days a week and am a beginning runner (Couch to 5 K also thank you to Melissa)at least 2 days a week. On the opposite days I am doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred to tone up along the way. I am excited about this journey and can't wait to show off my new bod this summer! Here's me after my sweaty Zumba class:)
I love all the healthy sites about natural raw foods...but I still love junk. So I love Weight Watchers because I can have all the raw veggies in the world and still have points to spare and have a good night out every now and then.

I hope you join me on my journey and I look forward to reading so many others. Oh and I love Extra sugarfree gum...I chew it when I cook so I'm not taste testing and whenever I "think" I need a snack but I really don't...and lots and lots of water:)