Oh sweet day!!!

Before I completely forget my thoughts tonight, I need to put them somewhere where I won't misplace them. For over a year now, my youngest child started climbing out of the crib, and pack and plays so we placed him in a twin size bed. Only he'd never stay in the bed and go to sleep like happy, good little boys do. He'd come right out of the room, and start playing again, and then I'd pick him up and take him right back to his room, and hope that he'd finally stay put. Some nights I'd even just hold the door closed until he cried so hard that he made himself tired and fell asleep that way.

Yes, I did feel awful, but what else was I to do. Isn't it my job to teach this child how to go to sleep and that it's important to do so in HIS bed?? Well, I didn't have a parenting manual for this child, but with the hind sight looking back I think I could write one, but the only problem would be ... that it might not work for another living soul again. That, of course, would be my luck.

For months I've been going crazy because this little guy wouldn't go to sleep at an early hour, and would be approaching 11 or 12 at night before he'd hunker down and sleep for the night, and I'd usually just leave him where he crashed because I didn't want to wake him up. Do you blame me? I hope not. So I've been thinking that something has to change, there has to be a way to get him to learn to sleep in his bed. Well, something is working now, and I don't quite know what to give credit too!!! But I'm thankful anyway!!!

Now I just need to get back in the productive habit after the kids go to bed. And finish up the kitchen, and fold that last load of laundry before I go to bed. But as it stands tonight, there are a lot of dishes to do, and about 5 loads of laundry to be folded in the morning. I'm pretty happy with myself, for the most part because I've been trying to keep the laundry folded everyday and not have to move it from room to room. But yesterday I didn't fold any loads up, and I didn't fold any up today, but I've washed and dried a few loads. Which means that if I don't fold tomorrow for sure, I'll be swimming in clothes pool again. Something I promised myself a few weeks ago, that I wouldn't do ever again.

But seeing how I haven't been able to "tidy" up the house my way for the last year, it's gone undone most of this time. And just got postponed until the next day. But now I'm hopeful that I can start sending my 2 year old to bed, along with the other kids, and feel like I can be a little extra productive without the whining kids at my feet, or pulling on my legs, or all the other hundreds of demands placed on the mother who tries her all to make them happy and love them all the time without trying to entertain the thoughts of "I'm gonna kill you!!!" after the 10th time of dumping out the trains, or pulling the movies off the shelf, or spilling the juice/milk whatever all over the freshly mopped floor. Or dumping the brand new bag of cereal all over the carpet, and taking lipstick to your white EGYPTIAN cotton sheets that you love with the color RED!! Cause you know that those thoughts and moments certainly do come. For some it happens more then others and for the others, it still happens. If you don't have those moments well either you are PERFECT, or you have PERFECT children or better yet you both are PERFECT. Send us your info on how you do it please.

Just when I felt like I was trying to paddle upstream without any paddles, I've all the sudden found a paddle and think I can now start making some headway in the way I want to be as a "normal" mom.
Although I'm still trying to define what exactly that is... so if anyone has any good ideas on what the "COOL, fun, NORMAL mom" is please share with me your ideas.

Wandering Minds want to know...

This darn daylight savings time!!! I hate it!! Even though, I know I get an "extra" hour this time of year. It certainly doesn't feel like it!! I was ready to put my little ones to bed about 15 minutes ago, and then realized that it wasn't 7:30pm but rather 6:30pm!! Geesh... whoever thought of this didn't take into account that it would really screw up moms!!!

Okay maybe it's just me!! But maybe they'll fall asleep sooner because it's dark already and they seem to need a few hours of dark time before they want to fall asleep. Well we will see how tonight goes, and what happens in the morning. (Monday + Morning + ????? = Who knows??)

We trick or treated last night, and bonus for us, we did it without a stroller for the first time in years!!! YEAH!!! So much easier, and faster to not worry about a toddler in the stroller. Luckily my 2 and half year old thinks he's just as old and big as his brother and sisters and walked the whole time. Mostly.

But there is one thing that I have come to HATE about Halloween, well there really is more, but I just want to talk about this one. It's the older kids that act like they are the only kids that matter and exist and crowd you on a porch, and won't be kind enough to MOVE out of the WAY for us to get down. You say EXCUSE US!!! and it's like they don't understand what that means. I guess next time I should just be RUDE AND MEAN and yell, get out of the way now!! LET US DOWN!!!

But I have a feeling, just a feeling, that that might not be the best way to solve the problem. So I don't know if this is due to a parental failure or just plain idiocy of the child. And the other thing, (same group of kids) we were walking to the next house in the neighborhood, and they saw my younger kids approaching the house, and they sprinted to the door, and nearly made my kids fall down. HOW RUDE!!! I know that my children aren't like this, even if I'm not around them. So it just makes me wonder why these kids act like this???

And they aren't even kids that live in the area, or at least ones that I know. So I can't go and talk to the parents and let them know how they are behaving. CRAZY KIDS!!!

Does this kind of behavior get experienced anywhere else, or am I just easily annoyed??

My wandering mind wants to know??

You would CRY too if it happened to YOU!!!

Okay seriously,

Can it get any worse? Well, shh but I think it can but we won't go there right now!

Mind you the word sickness and things associated are described in this post. Read at your own risk!! But pick up reading again after the other set of stars, that part isn't bad.

****************************************************

I've been dealing with sickness in my home for about 2 weeks almost. Everything from Strep to a flu, and random "spewing from the head", to the lingering cough, to headaches, to mommy not getting enough sleep so she wakes up with a killer headache in the morning, and is starting off on a bad note. Sucks to be my family. Oh wait!! Sucks to be me, because I don't like to be this way, sometimes it just happens and the natural tendency is to be "Loud and Mean".

My oldest daughter was feeling fine today, sent her and the second daughter to school today, because they were both feeling fine over the last few days, and now I feel like a "Stupid" mom. The second daughter came home and started acting "sick" again. AGHH!!!! And I just had her at school around all those other kids... ohhhh what is a Mom to do these days!!!/???

She was also running a low grade fever after dinner tonight. BLAH!!!

So I head out for a little much needed break tonight and visited with some women in the ward, while discussing life scenarios, and the possible sewing projects that we'll work on in the near future. It was a great break!!! Thanks Ladies. BUT....

When I got home, little lady, my youngest, had randomly thrown up. Although, I kept her home from school today because she wasn't feeling good this morning. And I had a mess to clean up in the bathroom because apparently she doesn't have great aim. All I have to say is my shower curtain is coming down tomorrow and going straight to the washing machine in HOT water. She's the second one to tag it in a two day period. AGHH!!! (I hate cleaning up BARF!! -- the worst thing besides the smell, and nastiness of it.... I don't even get a bonus for cleaning it up, and I'm fighting off the gag reflex while I do so)

Then when I asked after reading scriptures tonight to have everyone get to bed, my oldest daughter randomly threw up... and she's like 10 and half and completely got it all over the floor in the bathroom area (half of it was carpet, and half was a linoleum type of floor. ** No problemo there, she volunteered to clean up the mess if I showed her what to use. Hallelujah!!

A little while later like within 20 minutes or less she came running back towards the bathroom, and aimed straight for the sink. EW!!!! GROSS!!!! (we left the lights off!!) I immediately started burning a candle because well, I like smelling pretty things like candles!! (* She didn't clean up that mess :( )

I HAD TO!!! BLAH!! BLEEP!!! UGHHH~ !!! HELP!!!! PLEASE!!!

So after an excruciating time of cleaning out our only bathroom sink, and using like a whole container of sanitizing wipes, I finally got it cleaned. YES, it was that BAD!! Or worse!!

Aren't you glad I'm not posting pictures. Lol.

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BEGIN READING AGAIN HERE:

And after dealing with sickness and whining children, and those that don't feel well, and the constant coughing, and the waking during the night, and the keeping them home from school and worrying what the school will say.... I'm getting to a breaking point of wanting to CRY!!!

CRY!!! Sometimes, it is the one single action that can make everything bad seem a little better. I always need a good cry now and then. My husband is okay with as long as I'm not doing it around him. *Which stinks because then no one is around to listen to me, and give me the hug I need and want or the listening ear, or the encouraging phrases to help me get over this bout of Sadness that I happen to be in. I guess it's just one of those emotional traps of being a woman sometimes.

I'm trying to stay upbeat about all this, but sometimes just the weight of the world and other circumstances that we have to deal with on top of everyone being sick (EXCEPT MOM, by the way I'm knocking on wood and crossing my fingers) it sometimes seems to be a bit much for me to handle without getting a little down in the dumps about it.

Oh I know I'm not the only one that this happens to, but at least I'm documenting this moment, because I know in my future that one of my children will read it when they are in a time of need, and it will mean something to them and help them. Yes, I've been praying, reading scriptures and doing all the things I should, but I've reached the limit I think I can handle.

For this reason I sometimes wish my family lived close by so I could go and chat with them, and they won't "push" me away. Because sometimes, even though, I have a lot of children and other people around me, I often feel all alone. And I hate that every time, I pray for a friend to come around for me to really connect with, it always is short term. But at least the friendship will go on. (You know who you are -- there are a few of you).

And the more that I get this out of my system the more I feel I can handle the next day. Because I've made more room to take on the situations that come. Oh my patience, is wearing thin, and the sleep, well I could use more.

This is just one of those "many" times, that is causing me to become slightly frustrated. And a symbol to those who ask me how I do it... well the simple truth is I don't!!! I have bad days, and a lot of them in between the few good ones that come along. And I find this very therapeutic.

Have you seen my car??

Okay so I know that we've all done this.

What -- is what you may be asking to the screen

while you are reading this. Right?

That's what I thought.

But to answer your question ....

it has to do with being in a parking lot ANYWHERE,

And being the one IDIOT person that has forgotten

where you parked your car.

Translation being: YOU LOST YOUR CAR!!!

If you are laughing you know you're guilty of this.

Well, the other day I went shopping, and luckily without my children.

I happened to frequent a certain major retail store, and on my way out

I noticed this older gentleman pushing his basket and looking a little lost.

So I tried to be discreet in my moments of STARING at him trying to

see what his next move would be. Well he stopped walking a few cars down from

where I parked, and he looked around in confusion. Like he couldn't remember where

he left his car.
He lost it!!

So he looks off in a few different directions, and then suddenly looks off to his left as if

he spotted where he lost his car.

Only to find him walking back up towards me a few minutes

later.

Because it took me that long to unload my shopping cart. I was going slow on purpose

because these moments without kids don't last long, and don't happen very often.

It was my breather!!

But back to this guy!!! He comes walking back in my

direction with his shopping cart still full,

and looked even more lost then before.

I didn't stay around to watch the rest of this play out,

but I can only imagine that his next step was to retrace his steps...

to see if he could remember

where he parked the darn thing.

My point: Well, for one most parking lots offer the little numbered

post at the end closest to the

building so that hopefully this can be prevented.

Only how many people ever pay ATTENTION

to those sign posts? I know I don't . Until the next time,

I LOSE MY CAR, and then I notice it after that.

But my biggest tip and pointer on trying to overcome the

"I LOST MY CAR SYNDROME....

if it's a store you frequent just try parking in the same "general location"

everytime. And if you park in the same general location, you'll always use the same

entrance/exit doors (unless they have them closed for some reason and at the point just pray

you don't lose your car). If it's a store you don't go to but once in a while --

seriously find a land mark and make a mental note of it...

so you aren't being someone's entertainment while they are

unloading their cart.

** This in no way says that this incident only happens to older men,

this just happens to be the one I used to tell my story.

Oh yeah, and how can I forget about telling you my favorite signs that some

one has lost their car!!!

When they come out of the store they look as if they

have never seen this sight before.

As they are walking down the isle in the parking lot, you

hear random "car locking" going on, in hopes of them

knowing where they lost their car at. Because of two

things a) they'll see the lights go on and off and b) they'll

hear the horn too. That has got to be my favorite. Not to

mention they all start "REJOICING" "Oh there it is!!"

And of course, when you just happen to be overhearing

people say ... where did we park? I thought we

were over there, and someone else says the opposite

direction.

And when you have a family full of children that seem to run

off in all directions because they think they are right

in where the family car was left, and was promised

a treat to the first person that remembers. (Okay

so I have never heard of this one happening but can't

you just see it happening?)

I find myself often watching people.. and sometimes that is how I

find a way to relax. Knowing there are others out there that

do the same "STUPID" stuff I do. But at least when it's them,

IT'S FUNNY!!!

Oink, Oink said the daddy...

Seriously nothing can make a woman go more crazy then dealing with sickies all weekend long and then discover that Monday morning the love of her life decides that he doesn't want to go to work and calls in sick. So he decided to do a few things on his day off that he's been wanting to get around to for quite a while but because of having to go to work, he can't accomplish. Still had the boys here for the day, and them up to their wild rambunctious-ness in between Little Man's fever spiking. Not sure if it's strep yet, so I'm just going to watch him for a day or so.

And T-man was one of the confirmed cases of strep as of Friday night, and then on top of that he decided he was a really tough guy and took on the flu head to head. Or so I'm supposing. He kept claiming that he was not able to move, and needed help just to sit up, and he laid on our living room floor all day and then didn't want to even take a break from it, and did the same thing all night. The little creature got quite demanding on his sick floor bed, and said how I needed to clean this or that up, and that the girls couldn't play outside, and they needed to come in. And every time he said he was hungry and asked for something, I brought it into him, and he hardly touched it. Because remember, he was still being tough. And tough he was. Until Monday morning came around and he all the sudden sprang up and got up and ran around the house. Guess he was done playing tough guy. Sent the girls to school, but now realize I should have just kept them home. But they did seem fine this morning, and call me a bad mommy if you want but I didn't even enforce the doing of the daily ritual that some schools deem a necessary evil. (aka homework). I sent everyone to bed EARLY like at 7:30pm because so many were complaining of aches and pains, and sore throats and all sorts of ailments. They even acted tired, and I think this is the first time in months that they have all fallen asleep ... did you hear me... I said ASLEEP before 9:30 at night.

Kind of a breather for me except when I said, the love of some woman's life called in sick to work today? Well, it is true, and he is the love of my life. It wasn't a pleasant day off, by any means. After a trip to the doctor's office, we now have a 99% sure diagnosis of him having the swine flu. He has major body aches, and a cough that is annoying, going back and forth from chills to sweats, and ibuprofen isn't attacking the fever at all. In fact, we took his temperature around 8:45 this morning and it was 101.3 and about 10:30 we had it checked again and it had climbed to 103. So now the love of my life is taking on the roll of being the tough guy. He did, however, get to lay at home on a weekday and watch TV as much or as little as he wanted to.

You know what bugs me the most?? That I know eventually, I'll get sick as a dog, and no one will be home to help nurse me through it. The girls would have to be at school, and I'd still have boys here that I have to take care of, and Chris would be off at work, and I'd still be at home trying to do it all still.

I know a bit of a selfish thought, right now, but is it really a selfish thought, when I'm going through that moment wishing HE could call in and say he has to take care of the Love of his life because she's very badly sick, and just a little while ago, she nursed me back to health, and now it is only fair that I return her the act of love that she showed forth to me.

..... Keep Dreaming Lady!!! Reality Bites sometimes. And this weekend is one of those moments, because I really hate seeing my family sick. (But I'm not sure what I hate more, seeing them sick or having to deal with them and all the complaining and whining and so on) Chocolate anyone? Ice Cream?

So far I'm lucky, and don't have any symptoms and hopefully I'll get through this unscathed. Although I'm afraid the girls aren't going to fare so lucky. Kaylee already is running a fever and she's been on antibiotics since Thursday morning. So I'm thinking she's coming down with a visit from some pigs pretty soon.

I can feel the love ... tonight.

You know it's got to be heaven sent when everything just works out. So earlier today I was just saying how I really needed to find a babysitter, because I NEED a date with my husband. Then not much later when I was back at home I got a phone call from a friend saying that she had extra tickets to a dinner theatre place, and wanted to know if we could find a sitter and wanted to go. I of course, got instantly excited!! But I can't make such a decision without my husband, because , what if he didn't like this sort of thing. Or worse, what if he doesn't like the people that were offering the tickets? hmmm...


Luckily I knew that he was fine with seeing plays and such and secondly I knew he's good friends with these people too. So the problem and only hesitation being a babysitter for our five little people. Seriously who really wants to be with 5 kids for about 5 hours on such short notice? Well, I proceeded to call a few of my friends that don't have kids yet that would be able to come over and watch the kids on Saturday.

Called the first few ... just got voice mail. So I left messages, and still haven't heard back from them. But I called the 4th person and finally got someone home that answered. And she and her husband were more than delighted to help us out. And the other great thing is, they used to be my 7 year old's primary teachers at church, and they loved her and she really loved them. So apparently I've felt some of those blessing coming from the Lord when all else around us seems to be difficult to deal with and hard to know what to do.

This will be just the kind of night that I need. Because this other couple are just hilarious to be around. I'm glad that we have people like this in our lives, and for whatever reason that they thought of us to invite, because they had a few extra tickets. Thanks guys.

Days like today when it just starts out with a bang of a headache sure make me feel better knowing that someone is looking out and thinking about us. And thankfully the headache dissipated throughout the day. So now it's time to make sure that the house is cleaned for the sitters, so it's easier for them to watch the kids.

Button Pushing...

As I was having a conversation with my sister in law today... I got to thinking about something I could post on her. And basically it was the conversation we were having. Or rather the "lecture" or "talk" I was giving... I think I was talking way too much.. but what can I say -- I love to talk, but not only talk but to talk with an ADULT. You know those bigger kids that are over the age of talking like babies, and whining for everything they want. The kind of people that you can relate stories to, and get feedback from.

Well basically I had this to express...

I've realized lately that my husband and I are such a great match for each other. We were one of those "quick" couples. And by that I mean, we didn't date terribly long before we realized that we would get married. Heck from the time we first kissed until we were married... (get ready for this. Are you sitting down?) 100 days. That's it!!

Now some days I think..... 'WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING!' and other days I'm saying...
"WE'RE SO PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER!! I Love YOU SO MUCH!!" and then there are the " I can't live with you/ can't live without you feeling that seems to happen simultaneously. You know the bittersweet scenario.

But more and more, I'm realizing how perfectly matched we are. Because he seriously balances me when I'm loud and crazy. Balances me because he's probably not loud and usually isn't AS crazy as I am. When I'm upset and getting short with the little people, he tends to jump in and take over getting them ready for bed, while I get to go "relax" and "chill out" or basically " go have a MOMMY timeout" . And the same happens in reverse .. when he's upset with the kids or they seem to be agitating him more easily then me, I'll just take over the reins and herd them off to their beds for some much needed quiet time FOR US.

So not only do we work well as a pair that way, but he also knows how to push my buttons. And he knows exactly what buttons I have that get me going pretty sour pretty quickly. He knows this about me. And why shouldn't he? We've been married now for 11 years, so I think that is reason enough that he would know I have "BUTTONS". The problem doesn't lie with the fact that he knows about them, but that he PUSHES them. Oh, and he's good. He likes to tease, and torment, and thinks he's communicating a whole lot of LOVE my way. Hello?? I think we're speaking different languages here. I'm not getting a whole lot of LOVE out of all the "button" pushing. More like getting pretty UPSET and even ANGRY -- depending on my level of "endorphins" (aka the happy drug, well not really a drug you take, but one that is released when you laugh, and exercise and helps you feel better) at the time of onset.

And over the years, I've been trying to figure out what buttons he has... and well, to tell you the truth there aren't very many if at all. But there is one button I wish that he did have, and I'd engage it EVERY NIGHT, or every time he fell asleep. What button is that? Well, my TV comes with one, and the computer can be manipulated to do the same thing, and my kids NEED one too. Any Ideas???

I wish I could push the MUTE button. Let's see how you like that... husband. Ha.

But even as I'm writing this he probably wishes that I was programed with one of those buttons too. Well this might not be coming out vocally but the message is being heard loud and far. (Or at least I hope so)