The Shores of Sanity

As the new year draws near...I sense the closeness, the within reach, the opportunity to have sanity back in our lives!
Sanity, order, lists. organization, and yes our routine. They are all within my reach and I can not wait for the calm and serenity of the boredom sanity brings.

I don't know about you, but I could use a bit of boredom in my life about now. Let Spring bring with it the chaos of new. Until then, I will be cleaning, organizing, and relaxing with the boredom!

Happy New Year to everyone, may yours be safe and joyful!

Insanity, Chaos, And Fatigue- Are they making me crazy?

Insanity, chaos, and fatigue oh my!

Albert Einstein was quoted saying, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Buddha was quoted saying, "chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence".

Benjamin Franklin was quoted saying, "fatigue is the best pillow".

In my day to day routine of doing the same things over and over and hoping for a better outcome combined with the chaos of the unplanned, unwanted, and the daily good surprises, brings forward change in all results, which of course causes sever fatigue.

I can't say I would have it any other way. Am I crazy? Maybe a little bit. My kids are loud, they make mess after mess after mess, which I walk around picking up and pointing out to them as I clean it up. That's a little crazy. It would make more sense to point it out and have them clean it up, I know. I am in a constant state of "shhhhh" to my children. "Shhhh, the baby is sleeping, your father is working, your father is sleeping, I can't hear my own thoughts, please be quiet". Yet when the house is quiet I can't sleep or concentrate. That's a little crazy.

The chaos from our last 2 weeks was definitely crazy. We topped it off today with a trip to the Dr's office after my husband had his appointment and came out of it with a Strep Throat diagnosis. So I took them all in. We all have sore throats, so lets just get this over with. I think it made our doctor a little crazy, too.

So with a sanitized, tea tree oil and peppermint oil treated house, antibiotics for everyone, and a lack of sleep I go into this next weekend with my head held high. I will complete everything to do on my list. I will get my house back into an organized manner. How and why will I do all this? Easy, our life is awesome.

Our life is awesome. Just saying it makes me feel better. You should say it a few times. Why is our life awesome? We have security, love, comfort, and health. We are always cutting things close on money (duh, we have 5 kids and I am a stay at home mom-that's normal unless you are rich), but my husband has a good job, we have a nice house, our children are wonderful (even though they are brats because they are going through that teen stage), our marriage is happy and strong, and even though we have health issues, we are healthy. How can you not have all of this and see it as anything but awesome?

We all have our daily challenges and issues, but through them all we have what is truly important. I wish for you and your families a wonderful, safe, and happy new year! Be awesome thru the insanity, chaos, and fatigue, a maybe a little bit crazy. Its fun!

Chaos Anyone?

It seems that no matter how much planning and preparing I do for times such as these Chaos will find me and challenge me to a dual. Well you fought well Chaos, you lead a surprise attack on the eve of Christmas Eve,, you held your ground, and for a while there I did think you were going to pull off the win. However, I am strong, I am organized, I am fearless (until I am done anyway), I have the gift of power, and I have an incredible husband on my side! Not today Chaos, not today!

I decided to double the batch of fudge. I had all the ingredients ready, lined up, measured out and my stand mixer ready to go. I could do this. After all since the humidity here is so high I had decided to use a Tablespoon of corn syrup and not risk the "sugaring" of my fudge. I was ready. I began the process. I chatted with my husband as he kept our two year old son away from the hot mixture on the stove. And just as the boiling began a frantic child ran into the kitchen wearing her bath towel in total hysterics.

I love my children. And let me tell you before we get into all this, I am a clean freak! I hate going to bed with dirty dishes in the sink, I steam our kitchen floors often (because my son insists on eating whatever he drops on them), there is no food or drink aloud outside of the kitchen (and I am huge on this one, I go crazy when the border is breached), my children are not aloud to wear the same clothes two days in a row (no matter how hard they try), I even get irritated when they don't wear pj's to bed (it isn't good for your clothes), I change my children's sheets often, and I bully my children to bath if they have gone more than 2 days without a shower (I don't care if it's vacation and all you've done is sleep). So the residents of my house have no choice but to be clean. The problem is that for the majority of children who have the issue we had last night, it isn't about being clean. It is about contact with the wrong person.

So back to the hysterics. My daughter says I have to talk to mom...so I ask my husband to stir the sugar cooking that will be fudge. I casually walk over to my beautiful daughter and say yes? The tears start to stream, she is a mess and can barely get the words out. But she manages and the 7 words every mother in the world fears come out of her mouth, "Mom, I have bugs in my hair"!

Oh, CRAP! Maybe she is wrong, let me see honey, turn around. Deep breath. Nope, she is right. A full blown case of Head Lice, on the eve of Christmas Eve!

The orders are being directed now, they may be polite orders, but they are orders! I sent her back to the shower, continue washing your hair in as hot of water as you can stand. Husband, "Honey please go to CVS and get at least 3 Lice kits and a heavy duty lice comb. I know the kits come with one, but since our girls all have very long hair, we need the heavy duty metal kind. And please make sure that there is the disinfecting spray in the kits, otherwise get 2 or 3 of them as well. Done...husband grabs keys and is out the door.

Now I have 2 more minutes of stirring and the sugar mixture is ready for mixing into fudge. I am not going to waste a double batch just because utter chaos has hit my home. So I finish the fudge, it only took me 5-6 minutes. Fudge in pan, counters a mess, I grab the olive oil and I am off to the bathroom.

So I learned over 13 years ago that olive oil when used properly can help get rid of lice. That's the last time I had to deal with this, 13 years ago!!!So I coat my daughters long hair in olive oil as she is standing naked in the warm shower. She is really freaking out now because you can see the adults that are going down the drain. After her hair is coated, an entire bottle, I covered her head with saran wrap and she stood there while my husband continued his trip to the pharmacy. Meanwhile, as she is standing helpless in the shower, I make every other child in the house come to me and check their hair. I was just sure that there was no way one of them could have a full blown case without another having it too. Nothing so far, and my head starts to itch like crazy! I couldn't tell if I had the heebie jeebies or if I had it too. Nope, no freaking out. Deep breathes!

The husband comes in with exactly what I asked for (he really is a wonderful man, definitely a keeper). So with comb in hand I thoroughly check every child in the house and Christmas miracle...no one else has it! Although the supplies not including the olive oil was over 75$! Then I check myself with the comb. Oh thank you lord! I don't have it either. I still don't get how she is the only one with it, but I have more important things to do.

So we wash out the olive oil with hot water and shampoo. Did I mention that my daughter was freaking out? Well now it was worse, because olive oil does work wonders (although I wouldn't trust in it to do the whole trick, but it does condition the hair and scalp well for the poison to come). I would say that after the olive oil and regular shampoo 99% of the adults were gone. So then she sat on the toilet while I blew dried her hair. The medicated shampoo is to be applied to dry hair, and I am in no way going to stray from the exact directions. Shampoo applied. She sits there helplessly.

Meanwhile, the beds in the house are being stripped into black bags. Everything! Spray is being applied to furniture and beds. I start the sanitation process in the laundry (I am so glad we got that washer and dryer set with the sanitize setting). And then I decided to treat the daughter in my house with more hair than three of us put together with olive oil. Just to be on the safe side. Her hair is almost to her butt. So I get that on her hair, manage to clip it up, and put it under a shower cap.

Back to the poor girl sitting on the toilet with her hair covered in medicated shampoo, we wash it out. There is much less chaos as she has calmed down. She at one point was worried her sisters would embarrass her by telling friends she had lice. I told her I would keep that from happening, if they told anyone we would spread the rumor that they all had it. And finally, I got my first smile of the night from her.

We finished the showering (I checked my hair probably 5-7 times throughout this) and she got to put on jammies. We went downstairs, sat in the comfy chair, and applied the gel to kill and strip nits and began the painful scraping combing of the hair. All of it. Strand by strand, section by section. Then she had to go upstairs and rinse her hair again. She decided to lean over the bathtub instead of getting in. Can't say that I blame her after about an hour and a half in the shower earlier.

Then I did my freaking out...checking bedding, stripping my clothes, respraying everything, sending the vacuum from room to room. Checking my hair again, checking the other children's hair again, oh and letting the olive oil soaked one finally shower.

Somewhere in the middle of all that my husband cooked dinner. Fed the ones who were not as affected by all this chaos (other than my constant checking of their hair). I love him and can't imagine life without him. Later we retired to our room and began wrapping presents, watched the football game (that was recorded thankfully), and actually relaxed. We even got all the wrapping done! HA!

So Chaos, if was a good fight, but you lost. Until another day my old foe, until another day!

So if you have had a stressful holiday season so far, maybe just maybe this lovely story will help you put things into perspective and feel a bit less stressed. Happy holidays to everyone! (I am now up to about 15-17 times of checking my own hair and really have the heebie jeebies)!

Thankful VS Pissy...

Today was a very long day. So I have a good news and bad news sorta list to vent in my own thankful vs pissy style. Are you ready? Are you sure you are ready? Ok, here we go. Hang on to your diapes babies!

I am so thankful that I got to sleep in this morning! Thank you honey for getting the 3 of 4 kids off to school! That was lovely. I was pissy because my oldest went to school. Hmmm, that doesn't sound right, wait for it.... she had an Endocrinologist appointment today and her high school is 30 minutes away. Although I completely love the fact that she wants to go to school even for just a couple hours, she added 1 more hour of driving to our total driving time of just over 5 hours today (it would have been 4 hours).


I am thankful we have such an incredible endocrinologist for my daughter Macy (she is a Type 1 Diabetic). He has a PA whom my daughter loves (because he has an incredible bedside manner) and the Dr whom we refer to as Dr. Blunt because he doesn't sugar coat anything! (My daughter doesn't like him at all, but I really do and he is incredible). I am pissy because we have to drive just under 2 hours each way to get to their office. Before we moved to our new home they were only 45 minutes away which was nothing, but now the drive is a bit crazy!


I am thankful that my daughter Haley got to meet and spend time with her mom and her brand new baby sister, Lilly. We let her skip school (since its a 2 day week and really all she missed was a class party) since her sister was born on the 16th and we had to drive that way for the Dr's appointment. (We would have gone sooner, but we got our first snow the day she was born and the roads were a mess, some still are). I am pissy because poor Lilly was born 6 weeks early and although she weighed 5lbs 11oz and is doing well, she isn't doing well enough. She had a tacha something issue this morning (heart rate spiked really high and then she corrected it). She may not be my daughter and she may be my husbands ex-wifes baby but she is also my wonderful step-daughters baby sister. Please send positive thoughts, prayers, or whatever your personal belief system uses to help her get healthy and home for Christmas!!!

I am thankful that Haley's little brother Lucas was relatively good while he went with us to Macy's doctor appointment so that Haley and her mom could go spend time at the hospital with Lilly. And Ethan was an absolute angel, waitting and quietly playing with a Mr. Potato Head the entire time. I am pissy because I was stuck in a small room with a 15 year old girl who knew the appointment was going to end with lab work (ie getting her blood drawn), a 4 year old boy who can't stop talking and asking questions, and my 2 year olds son Ethan for over an hour past our appointment time.

I am thankful Macy was so vigilant in her blood sugar testings and remembering to bolus insulin for everything she ate that her A1C level dropped .4 in just 40 days. She had a few ups, but mostly target range sugars with more lows than we are used to to keep us hopping(which bounces the A1C levels around, going low-eat bounce up high). She didn't gain any weight (which is difficult to do when you are bringing your blood sugars down. Your body naturally breaks down your body fat for the stores of insulin in the fat when your blood sugar runs high. So when you are running at the target zone and doing well most people will gain a few pounds. So that means she kept active enough to keep any weight from accumulating) so great job baby! I am proud of you. I am pissy because my baby will be a Type 1 Diabetic for the rest of her life and there is not one damn thing I can do to make it all better.

I am thankful we have such great roadside assistance through USAA. I am pissy because since we were running late for our appointment (after driving 2 hours I was not about to have them tell me they would have to reschedule our appointment) and we got stuck in between not 1, not 2, but 3 big rig trucks controlling the speed in both lanes at 15 mph under the speed limit I pushed things too far. I know I can go quite a ways once the fuel light comes on, I worked for Honda for over 5 years. But I pushed it too far. So after waiting an hour past our appointment time to see the Doctor, having blood drawn, and the backtracking search for Mr. Potato Heads mouth we had to wait another hour in a cold car for fuel to be delivered.

I am thankful we got home safely and well. I exchanged Lucas for Haley (which poor Lucas was very upset about, he wanted his Haley to stay) We ate crappy food on our drive home, which I am neither thankful or pissy for. Ethan fell asleep 2 minutes before we pulled into the restaurant we were going to eat at. And since I believe its a sin to wake a sleeping baby, we managed with drive thru. Well most of us did. We went to KFC, which is Macy's favorite fast crap food. She only gets a bowl. As I explained to Haley that a bowl had mashed potatoes, gravy. chicken, corn, and some shredded cheese she got excited and said oh yum, I want what Macy wants, from now on for everything. This was a bit  of a shotgun reaction that she very quickly took back with full on whiny drama. Which brings me to, I am pissy because I told her what was in those bowls and she wanted one. After 5 minutes of cranky and angry noises from the backseat I finally asked her what was wrong. "I don't like this. Its all together." Yes Haley, its in a bowl. "well you didn't tell me the corn would be mixed in. I don't like it". This was followed by a back and forth routine between Macy and Haley all about the food all going to one place. Its too bad she didn't like it, because it will be awhile until our next fast crap food purchase. I am not a big fan of it.

I am thankful my wonderful husband had a nice relaxing day at home by himself for the first half and then play time together with the twin teens. I am glad there was no fighting and attitude issues. I am pissy because after my day in the car with the 4 children and all its stress, I came home to a house that was a mess. I don't think going into this one is necessary, you get the point.


I am thankful all of my children are respectful, polite (for the most part), and don't bully others. Aside from fighting with each other, our kids are well behaved and good kids. They are loud, opinionated, and quite mouthy at times. But overall they are good kids.I am pissy because for the third time our children have had a problem on their bus. First Jessie was written up by the bus driver for inapporpriate behavior and once everything was worked out, he just assumed it was her that had yelled and thrown whatever it was. So after a long talk between my husband and the vice principal this was taken care of. Then about a month ago Jessie and her friend switched shoes. She was wearing her friends boots, and her friend had Jessies DC skater shoes in her bag (since her last class was PE and she kept her running shoes on) along with binders and notebooks. There was a fight on the bus and during the comotion, her friends bag was stollen. The bus driver was told by the girls, he did nothing. My husband called the school and again with the vice principal was led around in circles and nothing, nothing came of it. Well today a group of very obnoious kids (6-7-8th graders) were squirting lotion all over and thought it was hilarious. Our daughter Toria has very long thick hair and they squirted a large amount of lotion in her hair, against her will of course. The girls have a lot of friends and when one of them saw what happened they told Toria. She was furious, as I am and would have been myself. (although my husband is more angry than we are so he is going to handle it) According to our girls this group of kids is always causing problems and their circle of friends avoid them in a huge way. What is frustrating is that this bus driver is the same driver for our middle school twins and for Haley in elelmentary school. Since day one I listened to him yell (in a bellowing manor) at the kids when they board the bus (from at least 300 yards away). My husband is done with the vice principal, he will be dealing with the principal tomorrow. He called and spoke to the vice principal and made it clear that he considers this a form of assault (not battery but assault, much like spitting on someone is legally assault). The vice principal agreed with him which is a step in the right direction. Tomorrow will be fun. Yay.

And finally I am thankful that I was able to run outside for a moment and catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse tonight. I didn't think I would be able to because my son is sleeping on me. So I am also thankful for a friend Tony who posted pictures of the eclipse in its stages. I am pissy simply because I would have really enjoyed seeing all of the total lunar eclipse on this full moon winter solstice. But I will get over it...

No matter how many things make me pissy it just doesn't matter because I have:  wonderful friends and family, a caring, sexy, loving husband, incredible children, a warm and comfortable home, and a sense of security that has nothing to do with money but everything to do with the family support and love we have.

Cheers to venting! Enjoy this wonderful Holiday Season!

Santa Baby

I love Santa. Yep, I said it. I believe! Which is one of the reasons I love the movie The Polar Express and the first Santa Claus movie with Tim Allen. In my house Santa is real. Wait, just read on, you'll understand in a minute.

Now I know many people not only don't believe in Santa, but they also frown upon me encouraging my children to believe. Well I have a question for you...

Is the act of giving without expecting or getting anything in return (such as a gift in return or even the "thank you's" and "your so wonderful" personal fulfillment's) a bad thing? Of course not.

My older children (who range from my step-daughter who will be 22 Christmas day, daughters at home ages 15, 13, and 13) love Santa. When they reached the age of question and "hey...!!!" I taught them how much fun it is to be Santa. To give in secret without anything in return. Not only do they love being Santa to their younger siblings (ages 7 and 2), but also to others they don't even know. We have many times bought gifts for less fortunate and they got to be Santa (using their own money and mine as well). And of course there are those not so random acts of kindness to others.

We have the book "The Elf On The Shelf" that we read and "Smidge" our Elf is moved daily by my husband (because he gets up at 4:30 AM). Of course the behavior reinforcement is helpful, but its more of a tradition of fun and giving to believe in Santa.

I have read and researched the history of Santa. I read the information about "lying to your children". Is it a lie? Really? Giving gifts is fun. Giving gifts anonymously is even more fun. If giving gifts isn't fun for you then you should really stop doing it.

When I was 4 years old my Mother told me that Santa's Elves hid the presents for each house in that house to make Christmas easier on Santa. So of course I searched high and low for those presents. My Mother warned me that if the Elves caught me searching for the presents they would be very angry. So I was careful. As I opened the sliding closet door in our hallway, a yard stick fell and scraped the door all the way down which made a horrible sound, I ran screaming to my room! I thought the Elves had caught me. It took me 2 more days, but I found the presents. In hind-sight, I think it took me longer because I avoided the closets, and they were in the top of the guest room closet. True story, by the way.

Did my Mother lie to me? Technically. Am I angry with her for lying? Do I trust her less because of this? NO. I love Christmas, everything about it. Do I understand the original meaning of Christmas (Christianity wise)? Yes. Does it make me a bad Christian for believing in Santa and encouraging my children to believe or be Santa? NO.  (and anyone who has a Christmas tree in their house better not give me any Pagan believing crap over Santa. Because the Christmas Tree has Pagan roots too!)

Anyway, I love Christmas. I love shopping, buying, wrapping, and giving gifts to my friends and family. I love giving more than I love receiving...seriously. I love Christmas baking, decorating, smells, music, and lights. I miss my family and friends so far away in California and wish we could all be together. But most of all, I love the way everyone seems to change during the Christmas season, a little more polite, a little nicer, more generous, and many more smiles than the rest of the year. And I am not talking about the children who are worrying about Santa knowing whether they are being Naughty or Nice!

So if you love Christmas and Santa but your children are starting to doubt you, a kid at school spoiled it with their negativism, or someone else ruined the Santa fun with their bah humbug mentality...teach your children to be Santa. Buy some gifts for a charity, take some donations to a shelter, give your time at a food bank or soup kitchen, or just do something in the giving spirit anonymously together with your children,(have one sneak over to your older neighbors and shovel their snow without them knowing...that's a fun one!)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!!!

Families are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts. -Author Unknown

I would like to add:

If you don't think your family has any nuts, then your the nut!



Laughter, There Is Nothing Quite Like It!

I think it was about 3 months ago that my Crackberry's software fried (again) and I was talked into an Iphone (with what the sales rep called a "rollcage for your phone", an OtterBox, best case ever!). I didn't think I would like it and really assumed I would be using my 30 day return/exchange rights. (The newer Crackberry was the exact same price as the brand new Iphone, so I took a chance.)

Well turns out I love my new phone! The touch screen is different than what I was used to, but even with my big fingers I can handle texting no problem.

Now what does this all have to do with laughter you ask? Well, the Iphone has a very unique spellcheck program system called Auto Correct. Luckily the problems I have had seem to only happen while I am texting my children. A friend sent me the link to this website, Damn You Auto Correct . My son was asleep on my lap, so I clicked over and started reading. I ended up laughing so hard I was actually crying! Now I will warn you that this is not a child friendly site, but not on purpose! These are actual messages that the Iphone has changed with its spell checker/Auto Correct into hilarious very inappropriate (at times) messages.

If you have an Iphone or a friend who texts you from one, then you may find this site as funny as I did! They update regularly so I will be bookmarking and reading daily just to get my laughter (crack like, its addicting) fix!

So if you have a few minutes and could use a good laugh, click on over and read a few...http://damnyouautocorrect.com/ ENJOY, and Happy Holidays!!!

Now for some blog hopping.....

...Sanity Optional

I survived the invasion of teens into my home! I am a teen sleepover survivor mom! There were a few close calls and a couple of times I thought my husband may take out a loud mouthed, over bearing, opinionated teen...but we survived and without any injuries!

You know this is going to make me sound old and possibly uncool, but when did cell phones become a vital teen organ? (I will admit our teens have phones and even though I had really good reasons for equipping them with said phones, there are times when I want to smack the phones right off their faces!) There was one girl, ONE, who was without cellular attire. Out of the 15 or so (I lost count) teens in our house last night and this morning only one didn't have a cell phone.

We have the data blocked and MMS (picture and video sending) blocked on our girls phones. We have unlimited texting (thankfully) but I just don't want to get into any situation where someone sends a picture and it becomes 'bad' and the data (Internet basically) just costs too much to have on their phones. Why do they need that when they have computers?

We have very strict rules in our home for cell phones (even for the adults), like no phones at the dinner table. That means no phones on the table, in your pocket, or within earshot really. I tried to enforce these rules last night and got all gasps and oh my gawwds! I even threatened to have them all put their phones in a big jar at one point. (one of the girls gasped, giggled, and then said, "it would sound like a jar full of bees buzzing"! That was hilarious and true!)

So a few movies, a lot of food, some video games, lots of plates and cups, more food, a few presents, and most of my sanity later - WE SURVIVED! (by the way the coolest thing all night was watching 4 girls at a time do the Wii Just Dance 2 game, one of the guests brought it from home to share. It looked like a choreographed small flash mob in my living room! We are going to have to go buy that game for Christmas!)

We had 2 jackets and a pair of pants left behind (not all from the same girl), only one Christmas ornament broken, and my daughter Toria lost her cell phone somewhere in the house. Not a bad total, all things considered.

Later this afternoon as I lay down on the couch (worn out) to watch football with my husband, the cushion under my head vibrated...found the lost phone! When I brought it to Toria, she lifted her head off her pillow (coming out of her sleep-over coma momentarily) and said "thanks Mom, your the best" and fell back to sleep immediately.

So, I gotta say (even though my husband will cringe) It was all worth it and I would do it all again! I should have my sanity back before the next one...right?!

Why? Note to self...

How about some random whys and notes to self...? Oh, why not?! Whys are fun...right? (whether they are or not I am still gonna do them)

Why is it 17 degrees outside without snow? I love it when it snows. I am not a big fan of driving in it, shoveling it, getting cold and wet, or having it tracked through my house by my kids but it is so pretty and just doesn't seem like Christmas without a blanket of white outside.

Note to self, leaving the baby wipes in the car isn't a good idea. When we got in the car yesterday I needed a wipe to clean off my son's sticky hand. So when I picked up the bag of frozen wipes and smacked myself with them (due to the momentum because they were heavier than I estimated) I realized that they were an entire block or brick of wipes!

Why is laundry so dang hard to complete? No matter how much time I spend sorting, washing, drying, folding, and putting away I still have an enormous pile in my bedroom of everyone elses clothes! Maybe I should limit the kids to 2 outfits a week...you know, hey don't get that dirty you are wearing it all week! LOL, ok maybe not but it would help the piles in my room.

Why did I drink wine while I was doing my Christmas cards? Ok, I know why I did so maybe this is more of a note to self...I'm just not so sure I thought it all the way through. I hope I didn't send some people 2 cards and hopefully I didn't say anything inappropriate!

Why wasn't I more careful ordering cell phone cases for my twin daughters twin phones? Now I will have to send back the first order. Why? Because I ordered cases for the Samsung Solstice and not the Samsung Solstice II's. And why don't they have cute stuff for newer phones? Why do they have to be old to get the different colors and prints in the accessories?

And while I am at it for the covers...why would Otterbox not have the Ipod Touch 4 cases out yet? So I am supposed to be okay with the new thing getting trashed and then get a protective cover? Yeah, sure protecting one that is already scratched or has been dropped multiple times makes perfect sense to me!

Why is my kitchen floor always such a mess! Having a dog to run around after my messy kids sounds pretty great about now, but we have asthma issues! So my sisters floor will always be cleaner than mine! I think a drain in the kitchen floor like in restaurants is a great idea! I can't exactly add one to my kitchen, but I can dream about just hosing the damn floor down!

Why can't the twins be too old for a sleep-over birthday party? How am I going to survive 20 13 year old girls all in one place (my house)? They talked about having separate parties for awhile, but they have some friends that they share and we already moved their birthday since the actual day was the day before Thanksgiving. I will not be entertaining them! Toria asked me what we were going to do at her party this morning. I said you get to eat, have cake, open presents, watch movies, and then hopefully sleep! Thats it. And I mean it! Notice that there is no line about time for fighting and girls being mean to each other? I have allotted no time for such things so I expect everyone to be nice and sweet! Yeah, I know I am out of my freakin mind!

Why isn't my tree decorated yet? Its been up for over a week. Oh..oh... I know, I can have the teen girls decorate it! Ha Ha...of course I will have to drop that "I must control everything and it must be perfect" crap if I am going to have them do it. Hmmm...I guess we will have to see how I am feeling. (Is it inappropriate to drink wine while other peoples teen girls are in my home? My husband will be here and although he will probably be hiding, he will be sober. I need feedback on that one!)

Why does my nose get so cold? Everything else on me is warm and normal, but my nose is freezing! Why? The thermostat says its 70 degrees in here. Is there a different climate around my nose?

Why do home builders design homes with the heating/cooling vents underneath the windows? Not only are we losing heat thru the windows (even though they are insulated and all that) but my curtains poof up when the heater comes on and then they don't lay flat. Its kinda annoying. (And don't even get me started on the vents themselves...I have a 2 year old boy! Enough said on that.)

Why does Jessie like to use my computer so much when she has one of her own in her room? And why did I let her use mine when I was mid-post with this? And why would she close all the windows so I forgot I was in the middle of posting?

Only changes since I started this post three days ago, my tree is decorated. I will be starting my Christmas baking as soon as this Birthday party is done. After my hang over is gone of course. So my next question...do I let my husband wrap my new stand mixer or do I use it right away for Christmas baking?

To recap the questions I would like input on...drinking (on the down low) with a house full of teens if my husband stays sober and the mixer...wrap or use?

Best Christmas Movie Ever!!!

If you haven't watched it...your missing out! Laugh outloud funny even the 99th time watching!!!!

Merry Chritsmas!

A lot has happened since Black Friday, a lot of nothingness

So since Black Friday I haven't written anything. I have been on the computer, searching and stressing that each and every item we are spending our money on is in fact the best price and deal. Its exhausting to be so concerned! I am almost out of my Lorazapam!

I stood in line for 2.5 hours inside Walmart for one of my daughters gifts. Yes 2.5 hours! The line didn't move for the first 1.5 at all. We had no idea if we would even get the item we were waiting for (I don't want to say on the off chance she decides today is the day to start reading mommy's blog). The big deal was the $50 gift card that came with the purchase. The woman in front of me kept going on and on how none of us were going to get one, they would run out before we ever got close, we were just wasting our time in line. Well me, being me, I'd had enough at hour 1.8 and I said to her. "look we are all hoping for the same thing and we have all been in this line for the same amount of time, would it kill you to try to think positively about getting one? How about you think positive and in the event you don't get one you can bitch up a storm about it? (I am thinking at least then I won't have to listen to it). She sighed, apologized. and agreed. Ten minutes  later I snagged the department manager walking by and gave him a lovely and kind earful about some kind of count for us, so the ones who couldn't get one could go shopping for other things. You know I was really surprised. Not only did he do a count, close off the line, and stay at the back of the line for the remainder of the event, he also checked in with the front counter frequently on his radio (and told them multiple times to quit the chit chat and move the line along. Loved this guy!) Turns out two people behind me were the last to get this item. So the woman in front of me got one too. I have to give her props though. She did turn to me with a huge smile and said "you were right! I am so sorry for being so negative. It just seems like nothing is working out for me this year. Thanks for snapping me out of the negative." Ahhh, positive thinking again prevails. It was a good 20 minutes before she started going on and on about how he could have counted wrong. But it all turned out well. Got what I wanted for my daughter and used the 50$ gift card for another gift for another child.

I found the coolest Christmas present to ship to my nephew in California online at Amazon at a ridiculous price, but first I had to ask my sister about his weight and such things. So I left her a message and since she too has a life, by the time she was able to get back to me (same day) and I went to finalize the order BAM price had gone up $29! Holy dirty diapers batman!
After 3 days of searching high and low I finally found the same item for only 10$ more and free shipping. I refuse to pay shipping! Yes I want my cake and to eat it too! Which brings me to the next item..

Why? Why would you advertise free shipping and then charge it on some items? I will give you the minimum purchase of whatever set dollars, that's fine. But to have random items that just don't qualify pisses me off. (I am not talking about something that weights 100-200lbs, we are talking toys!)
The two retailers that pissed me off the most this week were : Target online and Toys r us online.
Target gets the #1 crappy service award though.

How about when you order something and the site gives you a shipping date range with  arrival date range, you actually stick to that? What is it with Target sending you emails 5-7 days after your order telling you the dates have changed?  Usually on part of the order not all of it. I recently earned a $15 gift card from Target Online for enduring some idiot in customer service who told me that I was stupid for not being able to read the shipping/arrival date information. This is a long story- so the highlights are; my husbands new office chair ordered 2 weeks before we needed it (for his birthday), arrival date from Target was 11-22 (cool perfect). Then I started getting those emails saying it would be later. So on 11-22 I called, I was told it had not shipped yet. It was still in processing and was to be shipped 11-24. Then the stupid stuff happened and I was a very angry Target guest. After all that: the chair arrived on 11-23 (and I am the stupid one, since it hadn't left the warehouse yet) so I let it all go. I got the chair and a $15 gift card. Whatever. Now I am feeling it all over again. Why did I order anything with them after that? I have no rational answer to that.

We got our Christmas tree up. It isn't decorated yet, but its up. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. And of course my adorable son pulled one down on him (bringing the stocking holder with it down on his cute little face). Poor guy. He is ok, but I don't think he will do that again.

We welcomed someone new to our home. Smidge as the children named him, has taken up residency for the Holiday season.  He is our 'Elf on the Shelf'. If you haven't gotten one, I encourage you to do so with small children. He is a little creepy looking (you know that hummel doll look) but it has been great fun reading the book every day and searching for Smidge. And of course he is watching for Santa and to be quite honest in this stressfull (although wonderful) season I can use all the help I can get!You can even go online and register him at the North Pole. It is quite cute.
My Christmas cards are mostly done. Aside from those people who I guess really don't want one because they wont send me their new mailing address!

My husbands birthday was last week. His mother called him, I am assuming to wish him a happy birthday, but somehow managed to stir it up big time with him. Apparently due to the fact we do not believe the same way she does and do not regularly attend Sunday church services not only are we Godless and raising our children horribly, but we also do not appreciate the season for what it is (being Godless and all) so she will not be sending the children Christmas presents this year. Wait...let it sink in for a minute. Then say with me, "WTF"?
Not only is she completely wrong (about the Godless and season stuff) but she seems to have some spare time on her hands which she is filling with the Big Guys job...Judgement. I am in now way interested in this becoming a religious debate, trust me. I am just floored she would say and do such a thing. Wow, bet your mother-in-law isn't sounding so annoying now huh?

Do you know how hard it is to buy presents for 4 girls? Not just buy them presents, but make it even as well? They aren't exactly easy to buy for in the first place. I have piles in my closet of each ones Christmas spoils. And not just from Mom and Dad. My grandmother and my mother send us money to buy gifts for them (which I can understand because its hard). The boy is easy! Toys! Noisy, happy, new toys! But the girls, even the 7 year old, have begun the ascension from toys to real world stuff. Its hard! It drives me absolutely crazy! I start to worry, will she like this, what if she likes her sisters gift more? Did I buy the right thing for the right one? Are they gonna have to swap presents Christmas morning?
I got lists from them. They all sat down and wrote a letter to Santa with their little sister Haley. But how come one week they want this item and then a week later it is something completely different? So I have anxiety over the gifts we have purchased our children.

My husband...well his was going to be difficult...and then he saw it. Brand new Pool table at a ridiculous price. He convinced me of the family play time (which 3 of the 5 kids will love) and suddenly shopping for him was done. Oh and in the plus side that means he has to clean up the basement! HA HA...No more boxes and random crap. Make it a space we will want to be in. Bonus for me.

Now the biggest anxiety I have had is over the gift from my husband to me. When you are dating someone its easy to want a nice huge expensive gift, its not your money. But married, no matter how badly you want something the money part stares you in the face. My mother made me promise not to spend the money she sent on bills. Ok. So with a high anxiety level my husband is on the way home with my gift for Christmas/and some others in the house too...and elliptical exercise machine.
I don't have time to go to a gym (especially when they are over 20 minutes away) but in my room, while the TV is on, and my son is taking his nap..that's when I will get my tush on it and get some exercise. It is exciting but holy dirty diapers batman a big investment. (I have really bad migraines and recently suffered a mini stroke and spent 3 days in the hospital for it. I am fine but need to start exercising more.) (Can I tax deduct that?)

So we are done shopping. I have some shipping to do, some Christmas Cards to finish (ecch-umm), and a tree to decorate. And then let the Holiday baking commence!

Now, as for next weekend....CHAOS!!! The twins turned 13 week or so ago. Their birthday is so close to Thanksgiving we always move the party date so they can have friends over. I was really hopping that they were past the whole sleepover thing...but sadly no. They did however agree to have one party (phewww). 4 boys were invited with specially written invites for a 10pm mandatory parent pick up and the other 16 girls are invited to sleepover. As much as I would love the girls to have an awesome party with all their friends, I can't help but hope 1/3 to 1/2 won't be able to come.
Tacos have been requested as food (which is a nice change from Pizza, but is just a bit more work) and Vampires Suck and Eclipse will be the evenings entertainment. Cake for dessert (Thank you Costco), and I am wondering if I will get any sleep at all? Do I really need to plan any activities for 13 year old girls? I am thinking they will just want us to leave them alone. Which is fine with me (after the boys go home of course).

And one last vent...I am very disappointed in the weather. Yesterday we had a 80% chance of snow showers. I got excited! I love it when it snows. I do enjoy Virginia for the seasons. We get all 4 so even with a heavy snowy winter it only lasts for a short time and then on to spring. Well there were some random flakes here and there but no...no snow showers! I would like to put my order in now for a White Christmas, thank you!

I hope everyone else has had as much fun in the last week or so but with less stress! Since I am done shopping I forsee more time to actually blog about thoughtful and entertainging subjects. So don't give up on me yet!

TGI Black Friday

Ok, I don't have any links to ads...HOWEVER I found the coolest application for Iphones!

TGI Black Friday

You can also use the web site if you can't use the app for an Iphone or Ipad... using your email address for updates!


You can search for specific items, compare listed prices, add items to your wishlist, manage your wishlist, and they will uppdate as each and every ad comes out!
Love it...so much easier!

So, in conclusion...TGI Black Friday.

Monday Madness

 

So on this wonderful Monday morning I woke up easily, (why? I have no idea.) got out of bed, and did my normal rounds of opening doors and turning on lights. My oldest, who has her bedroom in the basement did not want to get up, so I yelled down the stairs until she did (I can't imagine how my voice echos down there, ha ha).

They all got up, got dressed, had the normal arguments over bathrooms, brushes, make-up, and breakfast. And it wasn't until Macy said, "um, Mom? I thought since daylight savings time it is supposed to be light when we get up?"

"Sorry, I don't control the daylight, test your blood sugar." was my response, I am not much of a morning person. The rolling of the eyes and the I am... as normal.

So as she is testing, I look out the window. It is kinda dark outside. Hmmm. I went to the fridge, fumbled around, lifting up many pieces of 7 year old art clipped to other pieces of paper, and then I found it. The bus schedule I had made at the beginning of the year...Macy-6:50am, Twins-7:00am, Haley-7:57am (yeah the youngest leaves a whole hour later than the rest, it drives me batty too). I casually glance over at the clock... 5:45am. Woops!

Yeah, I woke 3 of the 4 girls up an hour earlier than needed. I admitted my error. Apologized repeatedly and I pretty much just got a bunch of "Jeez, Mom!" and "Thanks a lot!" We had some time to relax and no one forgot anything this morning! I wonder if I try it again tomorrow if it will work again? I bet they go to sleep on time tonight! Ha ha! Monday Morning Madness!!!!

So I love blog hops...its the best way to find other blogs I enjoy reading. I follow a lot of blogs, I go thru my blog updates every day, and I read quite a lot of them.

I love getting new followers (especially when my husband says things like, "there are 91 people out there who actually read what you write? Why?"), I love comments, and I love the opportunity to meet and get to know new people!

So here is to another blog hop...with a twist!

Welcome if you are a new follower to me...will you be so kind as to leave your blog link so I can follow you back? And maybe answer some random and kinda fun questions? (Java at Never Growing Old had a great Idea, I am borrowing her Idea and changing it to suit me...But I always, always give credit where credit is due, hence the link)!

Questions....

1. Do you have children? (How many?)
2. Do you have a favorite holiday? (which one?)
3. Are you a Type A or Type B personality?
4. List something that always makes you laugh out loud...

So answer these questions in your comment to me and I promise to follow you back!

Here are my answers...
1. YES, 5 (plus 1 technically removed) ages, 15, 13, 13 (well the twins will be 13 on Wednesday), 7, 2, and the one who is technically my ex-step daughter (though I still consider her my daughter) is 21!
2. Yes, Christmas of course!!!
3. I am a Type A with a side of Lazy
4. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

     













  

 

Here are my answers for Java's questions....

1. How many pillows do you sleep with?

I sleep with 1 but use 3 to read with.

2. Where will you eat on Thanksgiving?
We will be having it here at our house, the 7 of us and one lucky guest.
3. Would you rather go to a party or host a party?
I would rather host, I am a control freak!
4. How many purses (for the guys..wallets) do you own?
If siaper bags count, then I am in the 30's!

5. What is your favorite kind of seafood?
I don't like seafood...I can't stand anything fishysmelling!

Versatile Blogger Award!!! Holy Full Diaper Batman!!!

 Karen at Not Just Baby Talk bestowed upon me the

Versatile Blogger Award...

*To accept this award, there are 4 rules*

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

Thank You Karen at Not Just Baby Talk for first of all taking the time to read my rants and raving, commenting when you can and of course for awarding me such a huge honor to me. (Since I just started this year and never expected it to be so much fun, it truly is an honor).

2. Share seven things about yourself

1. I spend all day in my PJ's if I can and make the mad dash to change right before my husband gets home. For some reason I have it in my head that he might think if I am still in my PJs then I couldn't have done a damn thing all day. Which he never does, but I still do it anyway. Crazy me.

2. Wonder Woman was my childhood hero, ok maybe she still is! I am talking Lynda Carter Wonder Woman, she had a huge toothy smile, broad shoulders, lots of cleavage and was curvy, could run downhill in high heeled boots, and never did as she was told.

3. I love all 4 seasons! I grew up where there were only 2 seasons (winter and spring) and 2 kinds of weather (rain and fog). I stand on the porch for Summer thunderstorms (light shows as my husband calls them) and when it snows I secretly hope it will be at least 4 feet deep, even though its not good for driving, school, and my husband shoveling.

4.I bring logic into everything. Logically people takes things way too seriously and personally. This drives my husband crazy at least 50 percent of the time.

5.My twins weighed 7lbs 8oz and 7lbs 12oz when they were born. I begged to be induced at 38 weeks. I had to cry to get my doctor to induce because he said they wanted the babies to be as big as possible. I couldn't lie down, sit down, or stand comfortably. There was laughter in the delievery room after Victoria was born and weighed. How much bigger could he have wanted them to be!!??

6. Christmas is my favorite holiday. But not for the gifts. I love giving gifts, but I have gift opening phobia. (when I was a young girl at my own birthday party Erica Lescue gave me a can of MarziPan with a book on how to make figures out of it. Well I don't like MarziPan so I said ewww. I got in huge trouble and everyone went home. Since then I always worry I might not like a gift and the person giving it will be able to tell. So I am the one with a stack of presents at my seat on Christmas, waiting for everyone else.)

7. I have a huge potty mouth. I try to keep it under control, but all my years working in the car business left its mark on me.

3. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic.

Here's my list of 12...(in random order)

Don't Come to My Circus and Try to Wear the Top Hat

BatCrap Crazy
The Superhero and the Princess
Only Parent Chronicles
Raising Marshmellows
Sounthern MoMentum
Three in the Bed
The Meditative Mom

Three Thirty Three

 Tiny Blessings

Tough Cookie Mommy

Confessions of a Semi-Slacker Mom

4. Contact the bloggers you picked and let them know about the award.

Thanks for Reading, Commenting, and Sharing Your Opinions Ladies! And remember,
Well behaved women rarely make history!

Be Right Back!

I have spent the entire weekend and Monday cleaning 4 of my children's rooms. I need to post this blog hop button, and I will be back later at nap time to actually blog!            

Waiting for it to become funny...

When I was a baby (back in the 70's), my mother had an incident she has recalled at times when I feel like I am the worst mother in the world or am stressing out over a parenting issue. I have to say she tells the story exactly the same every time and every time I can picture the entire event unfolding in my mind.

My mom is in her nightie (you know the 70's kind-short, kinda see thru, and clingy) making pancakes with her baby in her highchair and music playing in the background. In the distance she hears the garbage truck and realizes neither her husband or herself has put the garbage out. So to avoid being seen in her nightie, she quickly goes out and puts the garbage on the curb before the garbage truck gets to our house. Phew, that was a close one...she walks quickly back to the door, turns the knob...and it is locked! Oh, no! Baby inside, mommy outside, and the door is locked!
So she goes around back to try the sliding glass door. She can now see her baby playing in her highchair awaiting a pancake. THE PANCAKES...eyes dart to the stove where the pancake is cooking!

I'm fine, my mom is fine. She freaked, the neighbors called the fire department, and all turned out fine. However, not only did the garbage men see my mom in her nightie, but so did the neighbors and the fire department! LOL...

Ok, cute, funny, and true story which usually makes me feel better. Not this time. I keep waiting for what happened on Wednesday to be funny, if it ever will.

We drove 1.5 hours to my oldest daughters Endocrinologist doctor appointment for her Type 1 Diabetes. A routine appointment that lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. Ethan was great, he started getting fussy towards the end. So when we were done I asked Macy to take Ethan out and walk him around in his stroller, entertain him while I checked out, made the next appointment, and paid our co-pay.
I am almost done, sign here...here's this card and that card...put next appointment in my calender...and I overhear in the front office a woman talking to the check-in nurse. "The doors opened, and there he was all by himself. I don't know who would leave a baby in the elevator all by himself"...I casually glance up and around the corner to see MY BABY! Holy you know what! I dropped my phone, wallet, and purse on the counter ran around the corner and scooped up Ethan. In the corner of my eye I see Macy out in the hallway, running to the other elevator frantically.
I was so thankful, but also concerned Macy would be freaking out thinking she lost her brother. So I said, "thank you, I will be right back" and took Ethan with me to the elevators. We got in and went down. When the doors opened there was my 15 year old daughter breathing hard and freaking out...gasping when she saw her brother in my arms.
It's important to know that Macy is very responsible with her siblings (aside from the occasional fight between her and the twins), nothing like this has ever happened before. She is so protective of her brother there are times I find myself reminding her that he is my son.
So I asked her, "How the hell did Ethan end up in his stroller in an elevator all by himself?" Well it turns out she was playing a game of peekaboo with him. it escalated from the stroller cover to the elevator. She thought that the doors would partially close and she would push the button and they would open back up. Well that didn't happen.
When we got back up to the doctors office (in this 3 story very large medical building) the woman who had brought my son into the office was gone. I never got a chance to really thank her and talk to her. How did she know to bring him to that office? Its a big building and she wasn't seeing the doctor in that office? What I do know is that I could have lost my baby and I am truly thankful that the woman who was standing at the elevator when it opened was an honest and caring person. So whoever and where ever you are, Thank you for saving both of my children...my son from being lost and my daughter from a life of horror (from self-blame) for losing her baby brother.

Now you may be asking how can this ever be funny? Well, we watch a TV show called Modern Family. There is an episode where everyone goes to Hawaii and Cam and Mitchell leave their daughter Lily in the elevator while having a argument...Gloria is waiting for the elevator and it opens...she sees Lily in her stroller, and says, "Lily, where are you going?" Then she brings the baby with her and runs into the frantic crazy parents yelling "seal off the island". It was very funny, on TV.

So when I told my husband what happened on the phone while driving home, he said "I hope you are able to laugh at it now". Um, nope not yet! Maybe never!

Giving Thanks

I have been thinking about it on and off all day, and I realized I would be a complete boob if I didn't take a few moments to write out a THANK YOU to all our Veterans, Active Military members, and their FAMILIES! The reason I would be a "boob" is my husband is a Disabled Veteran, he served 10 short years in the Air Force and I have many family members who are Veterans and Active Military.

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their own lives to help protect the rest of us. Not only have they missed holidays with family but also one time events like the birth of thier child(ren). And a thank you to the family members who have gone without their mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, son, and/or daughter so that the rest of us can enjoy the liberties that they are protecting.

Thank You!!!



6 Things I Wish Everyone Understood About Type 1 Diabetes

D-blog Day was started on November 9th 2005 during Diabetes Awareness Month, to help unite diabetes bloggers and create awareness about diabetes.

This year’s topic is: 6 things you want people to know about diabetes.

So here are the 6 things I wish everyone knew about Type 1 Diabetes:

ONE- There is no heartbreak like the daily heartbreak of your child fighting to live the life so many others take for granted. My daughter was 7 years old when she was diagnosed and I will never forget that life changing moment when I knew everything would be different. From the soccer games she had to stop playing to recess time spent in the nurses office all because we had to learn how to manage and fight this disease.
The heartbreak continues everyday as I watch my beautiful baby grow. It is hard enough to be a teenager, but add in something else that singles you out and makes you different and that equals my daughter testing her blood sugar in the bathroom, doing insulin on the sly-hoping no one will see, and not wanting to call home when there is a high because someone will give her a hard time for using her phone, even though she has permission to do so.

TWO- The media does not distinguish Type 1 Diabetes from Type 2 Diabetes when they report the devastation Diabetes is bringing to our children, but their reports are about Type 2 Diabetes.
The misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes could be lessened if only the media took the time to differentiate the two diseases. And while I do agree that the sweeping cases of Type 2 Diabetes affecting children across the world is devastating, when people do not understand that there is a difference between the two diseases they can cause pain and suffering to children with Type 1 Diabetes. Statements like "well you should get more exercise and eat better, then you could beat this" can be confusing and painful to a small child who is learning to fight their battle (and just plain pisses my now teenager off).

THREE- Living with Type 1 Diabetes is a minute by minute, exhausting battle from which there is no rest. Every minute of every day my daughter is Diabetic. She never gets a timeout or a break. And while she can win this battle and live a long and wonderful life, she will have to do so by injecting Insulin into her body which is not a painless process and while every day is a battle, the war will last her entire life.

FOUR- While I will be there to hold my child's hand, she must ultimately learn and become independent with her Diabetes management so that she can live a full and wonderful life.
To the schools, teachers, principals, school nurses, teachers aides and everyone else who may interact with my daughter as a child: trying to control what she does, when she does it, where she does it, and why she does it...will not help her learn to take care of herself. And although we understand you have concerns about liabilities and do not want to be held accountable for a disease you do not understand, my daughter has more understanding of this disease than all of you put together. She has been doing this every day for 8 years, as her mother I have faith in her and trust her (even though she makes mistakes) so I expect you to do the same.
What this means in a practical way is: my daughter will test her blood sugar, giver herself insulin, and take care of what she needs to wherever she is and whenever it is most convenient for her, not you.

FIVE- Insulin is NOT a cure for Diabetes.
While Insulin will keep my daughter and other Diabetic children alive, it is not a cure for the disease. Although we can fight our battles with this weapon, it is not enough. There are so many things science and technology can do, and yet we do not have anymore understanding on why or how to stop the islet cells in the pancreas from dying which results in making no Insulin. My baby deserves a cure. As does every child who carries this war within them.

Six- Medical professionals miss early diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes everyday.
You, the parent, know your child better than anyone else. Whether they have Diabetes or another disease or illness, you must trust your instincts. A simple finger poke in the doctors office can help determine if your child has rising blood sugars. Consult your doctor if you're concerned about Diabetes or if you notice any Type 1 Diabetes signs and symptoms in yourself or your child. We took our daughter to the doctor 3 times over an 8 week period and each time I was told I was being a worrisome mom and I just needed to relax. The last visit my daughters pediatrician diagnosed my daughter with a migraine (because she had a terrible headache and was vomiting). I took her to my mother who is a ICU nurse and my mother recognised the symptoms and we were able to get my daughter the help she needed before she got much worse. Her blood sugar upon admission to the hospital was over 580.

Some of the warning signs of type 1 diabetes (these may occur suddenly) as listed at JDRF.com are:


Extreme thirst

Frequent urination

Sudden vision changes

Sugar in urine

Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath Increased appetite

Sudden weight loss

Drowsiness, lethargy

Heavy, labored breathing

Stupor, unconsciousne


Every person is different and each person's symptoms can be equally different. Like I said, you must trust your instincts about your child and communicate all of your concerns to your doctor. If you don't feel that they are taking you seriously or listening to your concerns (with any medical issue) find another doctor.

Go to DBlog Day Post Central to list your 6 things...



http://diabetestalkfest.com/blog/?page_id=299&ref=nf

"Your Yelling Again." "What? Sorry I Couldn't Hear You, I Was Yelling."

Have you ever been somewhere and there is a mom there with her kids, she is talking all hushed and sweet,  saying things like "Honey, please don't hit your brother. Sweetie, we don't throw rocks". And all of a sudden you start to see the anger boiling behind her eyes? Her kids aren't listening to her at all, she is trying so hard to be polite, not draw attention to herself or children, but at the same time trying to get their attention to behave? She starts to squeeze her fists shut, she is a little flushed now, and she is taking slow deep breathes...you've seen her right? Yeah, that WAS NOT me! I don't pretend to be something I am not, it is just too much work and to be honest I am too damn tired to try and pretend.

I yell. I am a yelling Mom. I grew up with a mom who yelled, although she didn't yell as much as I do. Does that mean I am a newer, better version of her? Wait, no! I am not my mother. My mother only had 2 kids. So of course she yelled less. Yeah, that's it.(Sorry, had a moment there).

When I first started dating my husband, I knew that yelling bothered some people. So I think it was on our 3rd date I asked him very nicely, "Does it bother you when people yell at their kids?" He said, "No, put them in their place. There's nothing wrong with yelling at your kids". Well, whew! He's a keeper! (there are many, many more reasons he's a keeper but this certainly helped.)

Well, I only had 3 kids back then. Most of the yelling I did then was for shear volumes sake, 3 kids can be very loud. Hey, I am not saying its the best choice or the most responsible parenting style. But if you are a perfect parent...well then, you are reading the wrong blog! As a wonderful blogging mom put it "To you I say solemnly, we can't be friends. I have parenting esteem issues as it is". http://threeinthebed.typepad.com/my-blog/ (seriously she is funny).

So flash forward to us now, we have 5 kids. I no longer work outside the home and do not have a live-in for childcare and housework. I no longer get to relax in an adult environment 8-10 hours a day (you know where you can have complete conversations without being interrupted by a child- if you have never worked outside the home, it may be easier for you to not know what that's like). I am home with 5 kids all day, every day. And on top of all that those adorable little girls that were so loud back then, well they are teenagers now. Not as adorable and much louder to be quite honest. (I love them dearly and am proud that they can express their opinions- just do it to someone else please.)

So, 5 kids are obviously louder than 3 kids. I don't have any outlets to release the stress of 5 kids. So, I yell. (I don't yell all the time. I am not a screaming banshee or anything. And for the most part, I am not angry when I yell. It really is for the volume.) When the situation requires volume to control,  I yell.
For example:
We have a 3 story house (basement, main, and upper). Sometimes I yell so they can hear me, where they are. I have 3 teenaged girls, sometimes I yell just to break up the fight. And of course there is that 'no one is listening to me and I have been talking for 10 minutes' yell. (That one usually has some anger involved.)

That little "discussion" my husband and I had on our 3rd date is brought up, by me, A LOT! Why? Because he complains about all the yelling. I tell him, "hey, I asked you years ago if yelling bothered you. You said no. This isn't something I hid from you for years and then all of a sudden just started doing". Which he usually rolls his eyes to and says something to the effect "I didn't know you meant that much yelling".

It's time we stop worrying what other people may think. SuperMom I am not. My house isn't always clean, dinner is not always on time, my kids don't always get to bed on time, there are clean and dirty piles of laundry in MY room, and I yell. If my kids need therapy someday because I yelled, well then I will probably yell at them and say "Oh come on! My mom yelled at me and I am just fine!" I love my children and am the best mom I can be for them.
So if you are one of those moms who is trying so hard not to yell in public and you find yourself making fists, let go...yell! You may even get some applause (if I'm there, you will)!

Just fun Pics...

My Elmo



This is how the Pros eat Popcorn!




Crazy Haley (Littlest Pet SHop Bunny)



Making themselves pretty- the Twins

Theres candy in this pillowcase...even though he will just chew it once and spit it out.

The Jungle Gym of Snacks

So I can see it now as my 2 year old enters school in a few years... The class is released for recess. All of the children run to the playground with happiness and playful anticipation. My son jumps down the stairs and he looks around deciding on a swing. Theres a child who wants him to climb the bars (jungle gym) with him.

I can see my son quietly looking at the bars and then looking at the other child and saying "Why would I climb those bars? Where do they go? Whats my motivation?"

The other child stares at him in in confusion and silence. "Huh?"

My son, "Those bars don't go anywhere, whats the point of climbing bars to nowhere and nothing?" And then he runs for the swings.

Why you ask? Well the current set of bars my 2 year old has mastered, his jungle gym of choice...our pantry. He goes to the door, reaches up to turn on the light, opens the door, walks inside, and then closes the door behind him, and begins to climb. Now before you ask me "you let your son play in the pantry?" let me keep one step ahead and say no. I open the door and ask him "what are you doing?", and take him off the jungle gym and place him back on the floor.

He will reply with, "I am hungy" (yeah he isn't great with the R's yet).

"Well what do you want to eat?" I ask.

"I don know" as he shrugs his shoulders (which is absolutely adorable). Then he will close the door, while he is still inside.

This will happen every time he decides he needs a snack. The level he reaches on his jungle gym depends on how quickly I reach the pantry once he has gone inside. He is a quiet little guy when he wants to be.

Think about it, the newer pantries have those great white metal shelving in them. Each level is another level of snacks. Where do you keep the snacks that you don't want your toddler to grab? On the top of course! That's where daddy's hot chips are, the Halloween candy, the cereal boxes (just cause they are tall), the cookies, etc! So with every level of difficulty another level of snacks is revealed. Who wants to snack on those potatos and onions on the bottom?

So I flash back to the playground at school and realise that my son will see no challenge or reward to climbing bars to nowhere and nothing. Well until he learns to scare the hell out of mommy by climbing to the top and jumping off. But hopefully we are a ways from that.

Too Much TV? Maybe Your Watching It Wrong...

I have read all the news articles about our children watching too much TV. I have discussed it with other moms (all the while keeping our TV habits to myself). As I was reading another moms blog recently, who is also a Pediatrician, I realized none of my kids watch TV the way discussed in these news articles and the way these other moms children do.

The key line that brought on my realization was "they sit in their favorite chairs to watch their favorite shows". Well that's where it seems to be all wrong to me.

I am going to give a full confession right here all about what my 5 kids do, what both my husband not only allow them to do, but what we enable them to do.

All of our girls have TV's in their rooms. Last Christmas 3 of them got updated with flat screens that are both their TV or their computer screens whichever they may be using.  (Our oldest still has a large TV and a separate computer screen.) So they have DVD players and basic cable for their TVs. We have a huge library of DVDs for them to watch when they chose to.

We do monitor their computer use and we have very strict rules about the internet, which for fear of losing their internet they all follow.

I am one of those noise people. I don't like total silence. I think it has to do with growing up in a very old Victorian home that made a lot of noise and I was just sure the place was haunted (but that's a story for another day). Anyway, before our youngest was born I would have the TV on (mostly news) when I was in no way watching it. I am sure if you are not one of these noise people you know someone who is and you know what I mean.

Our TV in the living room is on almost all the time when we are home. The only time we have a rule it must be off is dinner time. We have dinner as a family at the table every night without interruptions. No cell phones (even for daddy), no home phone, no TV, nothing...just 5 very vocal children.

I rarely watch any TV for myself anymore. If I get a chance I really do prefer news or a few specific shows that we DVR for the occasion I may want to watch TV (and have an opportunity to do so). My husband has many Sci-Fi shows he loves and there are even a few we watch together. Other than that the  DVD player is usually on and our 2 year old son has command. WHAT? That's just plain bat crap crazy you say?!
Well not if you understand how everyone (but my husband) watches TV in our house.

We turn it on. We pick out what will be played. Currently my son is fascinated with Toy Story 2. It plays more than a few times over and over again. I don't like the TV very loud ,(which is like torture to the older kids when they are watching something) so its usually only on 10.

My son plays, runs around, goes upstairs to his room, back downstairs to the living room, plays, climbs in the pantry to find what he wants to eat, eats, plays, climbs all over me, runs around some more, helps me clean something, then messes something up I just cleaned, we play together and thrown in there intermittently he looks up and glances at the TV. Sometimes he even makes a comment. Like "uh,oh" or "Oh, my gosh" (which is my favorite). If you were to change the TV to something else (cause sometimes the other kids do this and sometimes my husband) my son immediately comes in and says "hey". He notices when its not on, but doesn't notice it much when it is on.

We do have shows we have DVR'd like Jacks Big Music Show on Nick Jr, he like to dance to this show and very occasionally if we are paying attention to time he may watch Sesame Street. Which I will have to rewind for him to see the parts he cares about, like Elmo's World.

Our other children...since they have been watching TV longer and should be by all reported standards really messed up are the ones I am sure you are more interested in hearing about.

Well, they watch movies in their rooms at times. The DVR has shows they have requested to be recorded on there. Daddy is the only one aloud to delete anything so there is no miscommunication on who has watched what. Because our internet provider gave us free basic cable in every room we tried it and because there is no DVR they don't watch it. I guess you get used to being able to pause the TV when you have to pee (I know I have).

When we sit down to watch a new movie as a family it drives my husband bonkers. None of us can sit still. He is the only one who is kicked back relaxing watching TV. The rest of us are doing something. The baby is playing. The 7 year old is up and down playing with the baby, going to her room, coming back, talking, and playing with her toys. The twins are playing with the baby, arguing about something, going and getting something, coming back, playing with the baby again...the oldest usually tries to watch, plays with the baby, cuddles with daddy, argues with a sister, gets a text, goes downstairs and then she watches the movie later on her own, maybe (she had friends that were more important). I of course am cleaning up after the baby and everyone else, loading the dishwasher, trying to sit with a child to cuddle and watch but they can't sit still so I can't either. After all I will see the movie a few other pieced together times with a child here and there.
Now that's when we TRY to sit and watch a movie together. Can you imagine when one is watching a show and the others are around? Our living room is a revolving door...people in and out constantly.

Ok, well I am sure you are asking yourself well with all this TV available to them when do these kids do their homework and such...well they do it. And they do it on their own. It is very rare we have to ask them if they have done homework yet. All our girls excel in school and are on honor rolls.
Our children are NOT overweight. They eat well and get lots of activity. They have a hard time sitting still so I think that has something to do with the activity levels.

We have a Wii and a PS3 in the living room also. You know who plays these more than anyone in the house? My husband. Occasionally one of the older girls will play a Wii action game with the 7 year old. But for the most part its daddy. Our 2 year old loves to watch him play Maters Tall Tales.

Reading is actually the problem in our house. No seriously! The reason its a problem is how do you tell your teen to put the book down and go to bed? Well trust me I do, but come on it doesn't always work. If they are all caught up in a book they will figure out how to continue to read it. My mom gets emails of book wish lists and mysterious packages show up at random times with a book. There is a squeal of delight and then a disappearing child.
They do share their books with each other and our 7 year old is in a very advanced reading group. I think its because she wants to be like her sisters and read what they are reading that she has pushed herself to learn and absorb more. She can read a 90 page chapter book in one evening very happily!
There are also a lot of book discussions in this house. And a lot of fights about book discussions because of  "I don't want to know I am going to read it when your done!" Its like a teen book club stuck on fast forward. Thankfully my husband reads a lot of what the girls are reading, he likes to know what they are reading and be in those discussions with them. He can be very judgemental though, don't ask about his opinions on the Twilight Series...not so good in his mind.

The older girls also enjoy writing. They are all involved in writing fan fiction on some of their favorite websites with their friends. They each have their own books on their computers in the works. And there are a lot of arguments about these too...stealing each others ideas and such. Its a crazy world with 3 teenaged girls in one house let me tell you!

I would also like to add that our 15 year old has not even plugged her TV in since we moved here in July (she is the one with a large TV and a separate computer screen). I have asked her if she is missing a cable or something, asked if she needs help. "Nah: she says. "There isn't anything I really want to watch." OK! Her TV is sitting in the storage area in the basement (near her room). And this girl spends a lot of time in her room. Reading, writing, talking and texting on her phone and doing her homework and such. But no interest in TV.
Anyway, after all my rambling and going on and on's my point and question is "What if you aren't sitting down and vege'n out in front of the TV? What if the TV is on and the toddler has his favorite movie on all day but he is playing and running around? How do you classify the TV viewing time? Is it possible that this "watching TV" the experts are talking about is just watching TV the wrong way? You know as your total focus point doing nothing else (except eating, that's a big no-no)? Maybe we are watching it wrong, which makes it ok. Hmmmm?
We have so much TV available, our kids really don't care about TV. When I was growing up there was a girl across the street who wasn't aloud to eat sugar (not for a medical issue). So everywhere she went without her mom, she gorged herself on sugar. Maybe its like that? By having so many limits and being so concerned about it, are parents making it into something their kids will "gorge themselves" on?

I have given this a lot of thought and worried back and forth I have messed my kids up. But how could they be messed up if they get good grades, prefer reading over TV, are in good physical shape, and even though they are hormonal and can be pains in the butt- they are good kids? I don't think they are! They all have great imaginations and can hold great conversations and arguments. So I guess we are watching TV the right way and all those "other kids and families" are doing it all wrong. That must be it.