To Wanda!

Oh my! Three posts in one day! I'm going to jamb the blogosphere.

Right now, I'm sitting in a room that's torn up. I've removed all the things on the walls, and taken everything out of the bookcase, and moved said bookcase (found 50 cents too), and now it's down to moving the computer desk away from the wall.

I'm really debating just un-hooking the computer for a lil bit and re-enacting a scene from Fried Green Tomatoes on the desk. TO WANDA!!!! 'Course, then I don't have a clue what we'd put the computer on....but I seriously hate this desk.

Okay, okay...why is the "family room all torn up? Because after 10 months of having the stuff, I'm finally doing the Venitian plaster on the walls! I've got 2/3rds of it done, and I can't go any further due to the desk being in the way.

Right now it looks like I've let some kindergarteners with mud loose in the room. But I'm told that it will look awesome when totally finished. I'll post pics when I'm done! :)

In which I spend 15 minutes on the toilet

No, not like that. Waiting for someone to bring me toilet paper. Oh but it's not as easy as that.

M.M. was using the giant bundle of T.P. as a seat. Shorty went to get it for me, and he proceeded to knock her down (spilling her popcorn-I don't know why she was holding it and getting me t.p. The fight that follows is nothing short of ear-splitting and was probably heard three roads over.

Topping their screaming, I can be heard from upstairs, saying I just need a little, please!

It seriously took 15 minutes to get some toilet paper.

Moral of the day...Check before you go........

Does Hannah Montana wear fast shoes?

Wow, actually two consecutive posts!

Well, this is due to the fact that my sitter has the flu...so she cannot babysit and I cannot goto work. Loads of time on my hands, and lots more time spent with my brood to make funny posts. Also more time to clean and make up blog posts while doing so...

Monster Monkey said just a few moments ago. "Mama, when I was just a kid (holds up 4 fingers), I wasn't so fast." I agree and chuckle; when he was just a kid was only about a month ago. A month must feel like almost an eternity to a five year old.

And he is fast. If he gets more than a 3-second head-start on me I can't catch him. Whichs reminds me of our little outing last Sunday to the dreaded Shoe Store. This special store is famous for it's supposedly low prices, and there's probably one of these great places right in your neighborhood! They are everywhere.

We went, me and all four urchins...who were actually looking more like the angels I keep telling them they've tied up in the basement and replaced with themselves-more like demon-spawn. Unlike anything I could have dreamed I'd give birth to....

Um...where was I? Oh, shoe store! So we went, and we looked, and we tried on. I went looking solely (haha) for dress shoes for the girls, since wearing pretty church dresses and snow boots is just blah. Yeah, Mama, Hannah Montana wouldn't wear snow boots with this dress, I mean come on. We did find nice dress shoes for the girls, and although I told him NO even before we left the truck, M.M. found shoes.

Now, he doesn't pick out shoes by what's on them, nor by the price (yikes), but by how fast they are. He tried out a pair with Power Rangers on them...said they were super fast (and yes he RAN around the store wearing them). I vetoed the Power Rangers right off the bat. I told him to look again. He found Croc knock-offs. They weren't fast at all, and the right one flew off while running and almost hit the store lady in the rear....who then adimently asked me if I needed any assistance in finding what I wanted. I politely told her No, we are just trying out shoes. M.M. tried out some more shoes with the help of Bone Head, while the girls and I finished up finding dress shoes. THREE pairs for Princess Pout and one for Shorty. I then paid all attention to MM and his shoe quest.

I located a pair of fast-looking shoes that were sporting the "sale" sign (Only $12.99), and asked that he try them out. He didn't like them at first, until I reminded him that he didn't try them out. I told him to run around. He looked like I'd just handed him a $50 in a candy store and zoomed out of the isle. After a couple laps around the store he skidded back into the isle I was waiting in, and said "These are the fasterest shoes I've ever runned in!" SOLD!

Fast forward to yesterday, M.M. is getting ready for a quick trip to the store down the road, and he brings me one of his brand-new shoes. The stupid velcro strip on the top is ripped out of it's stitching! WHAT?!?!?!?!!? He'd tried to pull it tight and it just snapped.

I'm ticked. These shoes are going back today. I don't care if they are the fastest shoes ever made for a size 11 kids. I refuse to pay any ammount of money (okay maybe 25 cents) for shoes that fall apart after 4 days of minimal wear! ARUGH!

Difficult Procedures

Do you know how difficult it can be to do anything in a normal and not totally strange fashion when you cannot fully use the hand that you regularly use?

After my trip to the doctor yesterday, I now have a wrist/hand brace that I must wear. This contraption keeps my wrist from moving. And as I said, this makes it difficult to do many things.

From typing this to dressing. Doing dishes (without getting it wet) and brushing my daughters' hair. Even bathroom procedures leave me a little perplexed, sitting on the "Great white round one", trying to figure out how to accomplish things left-handed.

My rationalism tells me that I will get used to the immobility with time. My other half is screaming at me to just rip the thing off and toss it in a deep, dark hole. And it hasn't even been 24 hours yet.

But does the hand/wrist feel any better with the impediments placed upon it? Um...wrist yes, slightly, hand no. I think it's taking even more effort to move fingers to compensate for the wrist not moving. Time will tell, I suppose. Meanwhile, I just may become ambidextrous by force.

****Warning for future posts****

My favorite time of year is rapidly making it's way here! In most other parts of the country this time of year is called Spring. Here we call it "Break Up"...cause the ice is breaking up. It's when all the lovely Springy things happen and it's when I start getting all mushy and poetic and garden-crazed. So look for (or watch out for) upcoming posts including me waxing poetic about green things and critter babies and updates on what is growing in my guest-room-turned garden starting room.

Blogger wish: Why don't we have underline and strike-out?
Blogger rant: I can't make the labels thing say JUST spring...it's inserting BREAK all on it's own. grrrrr

Don't forget the coffee in the dryer

Hurray! Spring Break is over! I'll just do a quick happy dance here, feel free to join in.

I did not, nor did Captain, take Spring Break off of work. Captain could not as his boss did, and I did not because, well...because I didn't remember it was Spring Break until the Sunday before....when the kids informed me that they shouldn't have to goto bed at the normal time because they didn't have to goto school the next day. How's that for a run-on sentence? I should fix it....naw....don't think I will.

I'm sitting here, drinking blah regular creamer coffee cause i ran outta the good stuff. It sucks. My jeans are also still half wet. In the seams and waist. I do have time to redry them...I should or I'll freeze...okay they're back in the dryer.

Also ticked this a.m. cause when I pulled one of my fav tops out of the dyer (I forgot to throw clothes in dryer last night), it's missing its zipper! It's one of those cropped (shorter) hoody, mirco fleece things. I like it alot for work. Still looks great under the awful vest I have to wear, and keeps me warm(ish) while at my register right in front of the doors.

It's also St. Paddy's Day. No, I'm not Irish...not even a bit (that I know of), but I love this "holiday" anyways. Not really into the parades or parties or anything like that, but I think that's why I like it. You can celebrate this day without doing much. Or you can go all out. I used to make sure I was wearing green...this year I'm getting pinched cause I'm wearing pink. I once had a pair of really cute Shamrock earrings...they're lost...either grew legs or got lost in a move...or one of my sisters "borrowed" them. I think the latter is the most probable.

Do I think we'll get crazy Irish revelers in the store today? Hmm...50/50 chance. I'll bet we get at least one person that is all decked out for the Greenest day of the year. Probably will be an older lady, buying organic soy milk, bananas (cause how can you not at 75 cents a pound), some various Easter swag and $80 worth of vitamins.

Now I've got totally dry pants, a touch of green (the logo on my eww vest), and still drinking yuck coffee. Yup, it'll be an alright day...I hope!

Sunday...Funday...Shmunday

Another Sunday and another day that's totally nuts. Although today is starting out a bit better than most. I actually woke up before my alarm clock (which Captain so thoughtfully set for me), and there was already coffee made. The children have been nice to eachother (if a bit loud), and I only had one set-back so far....forgetting to put the clothes in the dryer the night before, I'm now running a few items so that Shorty can have clean pants to wear to church....

I even did my nails! Which is a good thing, NOT Martha-style, cause they were looking ratty. While not salon perfection, at least there's no weird edges anymore (a hazzard of work), and the polish is all there once again.

We need to be out of the house no later than 20 minutes from now. Because I didn't go anywhere yesterday, and did not get gas before actually having to be somewhere...I now have to leave to somewhere early to get gas. And since I'll have all four moochers on-board for the gas trip, I'll have to leave extra early to argue with the kids and get them all back into the truck after I cave and purchase something for them.

We'll be leaving the house (hopefully) at 10:05 to make it to church by 11:00, and it's only about 15 minutes away.

And as my children are at various stages of readiness, I'm here at the computer. Dressed, pressed, ironed and painted...

Princess Pout has yet to brush her hair, although I told her to do so 10 minutes ago and I did see her with brush in hand....Shorty is still waiting on her pants....Monkey is 1/2 dressed-he's cowboyed up today...including bright red long underware-cowboy style like in Lonesome Dove. Bone Head is probably dressed, although I don't know if he actually changed his clothes...I should go check. AH HA! He is dressed, and to the nines! Dress pants, button-down shirt and suit top. Spiffy.

Me, other than spending too much time on my hair and makeup, I'm just wearing jeans and a nice-ish top. I'll probably be working in the nursary today, and refuse to subject my really nice clothes to drool, spit-up and all the other hazzards of playing with and careing for babies.

As for the rest of my day...we'll arrive home from church and stuff our faces, I'll start dinner (potato soup tonight), do some more cleaning and laundry (maybe I'll remember to DRY the clothes) and then it'll be BACK to church for Truth Project and more baby watching for me.

I sorta miss the old days when Sunday was a day of rest....

TV Dinners

Today is the first of the month. Have you ever gone grocery shopping on the first of the month? Well stop it! Your cashier hates you.

Okay, okay...not hate; but most definately not love. Not even like. Maybe tollerate. If you get under $200 worth, it's tollerance. Over that, it just might be hate. Just a warning.

My kids are running amock again. I think one of them has eaten their dinner...he did ask for more. And I just gave them all their dessert. Frozen strawberry ice cream something. Don't ask me, it's frozen and says it's strawberry. Came in individual cups...I'm not sure what it is.

I've decided for the maybe 1 millionth time that Captain Morgan is my best friend ever.

MY Captain is working tonight. Allllll night. I'm a single mom until sometime tomorrow when he's ready to wake up. Makes for a fun morning/early afternoon of keeping the children quiet while Captain sleeps.

Monster Monkey was riding his skateboard (yes in the house) during dinner. While the others were eating on the floor in front of the TV. While I was on here catching up on my favorite blogs. Yeah, I didn't care much. Told them to eat at the table. He's just got the hang of going straight on the darn thing without falling. Props to the Monkey! That's better than me.

Shorty has the hiccups, and I don't care. I've got the #1 bestest cure of hiccups, though. If you can lift the person....lift them up upside down and shake them. If they laugh, they are cured of the hiccups...if you can't lift the person, you're on you're own...and if they don't laugh when shaken upside down, you're on your own. I guess crying while upside down would work too....

I really don't feel like writing anymore. So I'll leave you with this thought.

I let my kids run amock, but they still aren't allowed to watch Sponge Bob. Which, I think, is the downfall of all Americans in this century, both children and adults. They aren't allowed to watch a whole lot of other things, either. All of which I think should be taken off the airways all together, not just saved to "adult viewing". There's just too much crap on TV these days to be truely helpfull as a babysitter anymore. Damnitall!

What do you think about while you're cleaning? I think blog posts. Yup, I compose blog posts while I clean. Mostly it's about what I'm doing, what I find, and what I find disgusting. Call it a mental play-by-play, or a voice over in one of those weird documentaries.

The mom is then overjoyed after almost breaking her back moving the couch to clean under it. The agony of the shove and the thoughts of disapearing sanity are whisked away by the discovery of the long-lost (enter item(s) here

This inner blog is usually what keeps me going, as well. I tell myself, "Keep it up, just finish this room and you can go post all this neat-o stuff you're thinking". Most of this mental blogging never makes it to the keyboard, and what does often doesn't get past the edit stage, and what does make it far enough to be posted...well it's just much better when it's in my head.

Something must get lost between the point where I think it and the point when I allow myself to sit and type. Probably got swept up and tossed in the trash with a bunch of other things that I probably shouldn't have thrown away, but didn't care about at the moment. Like the perfectly good pencil I didn't see hiding under a piece of paper until it was in the trash. I didn't fish it out.
It'll soon be on it's way to a trash-heap grave yard to someday be decomposed into dirt. In essence, it's dead. So it goes. (and if you know what book that came from, you win 10 big smacks on the back).

While I was being a lazy slacker this morning, catching up on blogs I've missed...while M.M. watched Dukes of Hazzard on DVD, I found out that one of the blogging mom's whose blog I *heart* is 29 years old just like me! The only difference is that she has seven kids, and I have four (okay there's more differences, but hey...if you didn't know that, there's more wrong with you than not being bored enough desprately click off my page (which is a dig on ME, not you, silly))

I lost my point. OH! She's really cool, kooky, has losta kids and is 29. I got 1/2 of a losta kids and I'm 29. Hahahaaa. Okay sounded better in my head....

I seriously could go on for like pages, but I think that's just a by-product of not having anyone adult to talk to today. I'm seriously thinking of calling the operator just to talk to someone who doesn't call me "Mama".....

Cleaning party

Rather than bore you with tales of what has happened in the space of time that I've apparently fallen off the blogoshere (holidays--were good!), I'll just bore you with tales of today's happenings.

I set the kids on chores. We're trying it differently, and it's working well for the most part. I put slips of paper with chores on them in a bowl, and each kid draws out a slip of paper and then does the chore. It's having amazing success! Except for MM, who did 2 chores, then refused to do any more. That's okay I still have 3/4 of my slaves...errr I mean children....working at full speed.

While they started this new chore/cleaning/cheap labor endevour, I decided to clean off my desk. I plead temporary insanity. Cleaning off my desk doesn't just mean clearing a working area on the top. It also means pulling things out of the cubbies and tossing, filing, or putting away everything that has accumulated.

But about an hour later, I'm done (except for dusting it off and polishing it) and I found some amuzing items. First, right on the top of my desk....a piece of dog food. I have no clue how long it's been there, nor how it got there, but it's now back in the dog's dish (hey nothing waisted here).

The second item isn't so strange, except if you consider that it's January and I have cleaned off my desk at least (at most?) once since summer.....a dried up dandilion.

Also in the dark caves of said cubbies, I found 1/2 of a dollar bill. Not a hint of an idea on that one. No signs of the other half.

The most amuzing thing (IMO). I found a panty liner! No not used, you're gross! I remember when MM brought it to me, asking what it was. And I took it away and tossed it in my desk. Hahahaa, memories....guess you had to be there.

After I polish my desk, I just might attack the bookshelf. No telling what I'll find there!

The pile of junk on the other side of the desk is haunting me. I might just unfold one of the table clothes on that pile and drape it prettily over the mess.

As for the kids...they are well through the bowl of "to do" chores! And the house is rapidly getting cleaner. I like this! No need to tell them what to do, and they aren't getting burned out by doing 'their' chores. Although the thought of Shorty trying to take out the trash makes me chuckle. And the look on Bone Head's face when he drew "bathroom trash" almost made me fall off my chair laughing.

They don't know it, but I've a half gallon of yummy ice cream waiting them when they are finished. I think such great effort deserves a reward! Don't you? I mean, the whole house (minus bedrooms) is getting cleaned! Even the pets fed and the dog brushed! And all I did was write some things down! Seriously...we started about an hour and half ago, and there's only THREE chores left to do!

Oh and the desk...the horrible desk. I might have nightmares....seriously....then again maybe not cause of the nice, clean family areas that I now have!

Okay, okay. The reason that we're doing all this cleaning today, and it's so bad...I got a job cashiering at a local whare-house type store. It's a pretty good job, the people I work with are really cool. But, working leaves me so pooped at the end of the day that I can barely get myself home, let alone make dinner, spend time with kids and hubby AND clean house.

*Tales from the kids*

MM found out today that the first 3 letters of his name spells BRA. Everyone had a good laugh on that one. And I must say that I am QUITE proud of my almost 5 year old! He can recognize and WRITE the first three letters of his name and recogizes when the rest of his name isn't right. I'm such a proud mama!

School startes back up on Monday! Shall we all jump up and do the "Go Back to School" dance? I'm gunna!

Just enough energy to....

post these thingies....cause I wanna, and cause I seriously only have enough in me tonight to post these, instead of thinking of something to actually write....*I started a new job on Tuesday-cashier at a local small-time (actually they are big) wharehouse store.

and so...stolen from Seven Seeds (whom I just found and love)

Thursday Thirteen: Thoughts On Babies
1. Babies have to have the most wonderful smell on the face of the earth. Even poopy, pukey, milky and everything else. Their smell is just the best.

2. Babies are wonderful things to have for a while and GIVE BACK!

3. I think a baby's first laugh is what angels sound like.

4. As much as I do NOT want another baby, I still get teary sometimes at the thought that I won't.

5. I sometimes have gas (duh we all do), and that always makes me think of the first flutterings of baby kicks.

6. Sometimes I pray that my husband will someday agree to adopting a baby.

7. I'm about to have 2 new babies to cuddle, and can't wait! (both s-i-l are preggers)

8. I miss reading all the books and articles about being pregnant and having a baby.

9. I have only finished about 1/3 of my first child's baby book. Child #2 has one, that is empty and the other two don't even have books at all.

10. I'd like to be able to say something totally snarky when people ask me "oh wow, are they all yours?" (someday I WILL)

11. I don't miss waking up at all hours of the night, but I miss sleeping with my babies close to me.

12. My youngest is almost 5. He's the child I didn't want (yet), and I cried when I found out I was going to have him. But I wouldn't change things now for all the money in the world. He's my baby, my little man and I love him!!!

13. If it were possible for us to afford 10 kids, I probably would have had more.


AND....stolen, totaly stolen and shamelessly, from Poppy

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. I remember the hours my parents spent putting lights on our real trees, and I don't think it was exactly enjoyable for them. So we got a fake one. But it's got pine tree car smelly things on it! :)

3. When do you put up the tree?This is a source of major contention in my house. I do NOT like my tree up until at the most 3 days before the big day. But hubby and the kids just cannot wait that long! We set it up last weekend. UGH

4. When do you take the tree down? December 30th and NO later!!

5. Do you like eggnog? GOT RUM?? Sure!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I really don't know. I guess it would have been the jewelry box. The one that my son just broke a couple of months ago. The one I had for about 20 years...

7. Do you have a creche? Okay, no clue what that is...so I guess not.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My hubby.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Any of my kids. As long as I can find what I'm thinking about.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Ugh Neither!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas! Family tradition!!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? haven't started yet this year...no clue!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope. Things that have done their time in the house get sent to the thrift store...as the previously metioned items did.....

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Orange Juice! Mixed with either champene or vodka...oh and we always have delish cinimon rolls too.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?Clear.

17. Favorite Christmas song? um....It's begining to look a lot like Christmas?

18. Travel for Christmas or stay home? Stay home. I'm so not up to battleing the hordes on Christmas!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? LOL yeah!!! Got kids, will sing

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star, but Captain had been saying "we'll put our angel on top of the tree", don't know if that's a hint. I like our star, it plugs in!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We're allowed to open ONE present on Christmas Eve, which is always the ornament that Grandparents sent (to the kids). Christmas Morning, we eat our OJ (and alcohol) and rolls then open stockings. Then wait a bit for the anticipation to build then open presents.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The stupid toy commericals! UGH! If I hear "I want that" one more time....

23. What I love most about Christmas? When it works out right to have a QUIET snowy walk after opening presents. If it's snowing all the better!



Okay that's it, and that's really much more than I thought it would be. Gosh, I had to THINK! And I'm sure I could have come up with better answers if I wasn't so drunk*...errr I mean tired!

*I'm not DRUNK! I've only had 2 rum & cokes! lol