The Glass Slipper

A Non "Working" Mom

2011-05-20T12:45:00.012-04:00

So I had an apt at the doctors the other day. No big deal, just some things that needed to be taken care of, end of story. I brought my 1 and 3 year old with me so they wouldn't cause troubles at home, and like I said, the apt. was no big deal. Until I remembered that my 1 year old is a fresh out of the gate, just walkin', full blown, tazmanian devil...what was I thinking??

The nurse practitioner who was trying to go over some stuff with me, was totally distracted by Baby-Zilla. He was climbing in the chairs, banging on the window yelling at ducks outside, and at one point even climbed up and stood on top of the trash can. She remarked "He is so cute!". I said, "Yeah. He is also SOOO bad!". To which she replied, "I see that! He is a hot little mess, and I think that's what makes him so cute to me. I can't stand it! These two must keep you busy all day long, I can't imagine." And then she said it. Three seemingly little words that make me cringe, "Do you work?"

These words shouldn't really make me feel negative. I mean, what's the big deal? I know what she means by that. She means, do I have a nine to five that I get up and go to every day that provides me with some kid of compensation at the end of the week. I get it. But in the crazy feminist society that we live in, the words "do you work" have so much more meaning behind them.

A long time ago, women used to work because they had to. And yes, there's still women today who only work because they have to. But the majority of working women, are working because they want to. Now that's not my issue, do what you like. My issue is that somewhere along the way, women decided that it's no longer "work" to stay home and raise a family. That doing such "menial" things is only what uneducated, oppressed, women do because "they have to". That just staying home is not a worthy endeavor. It's much better for a woman to get an education and a career and make a lot of money. That she can and should "do it all". And that mentality, that this society teaches our little girls, is why I hate those three words.

Let me tell you what I do-

I wake up to 6 beautiful children every single day, for better or worse, rain or shine, sleep or no. There are no sick days, personal days, weekends, or vacations. There is no sleeping in. Because there are budget restrictions with the life that we have chosen, there is no take out, delivery, or eating out. I plan for, shop for and prepare 21 balanced, healthy, meals a week, on a tight budget, every week. I clean up after all of those meals, and I don't have a dishwasher to assist me with it either. I do about 15 loads of laundry every week, and there is no dry cleaning. I wash, dry, iron and hang all of my husbands work clothes. My children are home schooled, and yes, it is hard work. Five children in five different age/grade levels, and I am teacher to all of them. No one gets on a bus to leave all day. My house can get very messy, very fast. There's a lot more cleaning to do when the children are home all day. There's also a lot more quarreling to referee, and 6 schedules to keep up on every minute of the day. There are floors to mop, bathrooms to clean, things to dust, windows to wash, walls to wipe, and four out of six children require my assistance with bathes. Then there's the dressing, teeth brushing, hair combing, diaper changing, nursing, and helping with the potty on a daily basis. I'm the nurse when they're sick or wounded. I wipe noses, kiss boo boos, and hug the tears away. I pull teeth, and clip nails. I remind them of their please and thank you's and yes ma'am/yes sir. I pray for them, encourage them, and I know them so intimately, I weep for them when I know things are heavy and hard for them. I have a husband to support as well. He works full time, an hour and a half away from home. He is studying for the gospel ministry. We're involved in planting a church in our community. We're learning to raise chickens, and grow our own food.

My duties don't end at 5 o'clock every day. They go on, and even interrupt my sleep on many occasions. There's no manual, or training, just learn as you go, and pray for God to guide you and bless your efforts. Most times there's success, sometimes, not so. I don't get benefits, or a paycheck. I don't get time to myself, and I don't have time for hobbies.

What I do get is all the most precious time with my children before it's gone for forever. I don't have to miss out on things. I don't just get time with my children for a few hours in the evenings and on weekends. I teach them. I watch them learn. I watch them grow. I nurture them, and love them. I trust the person who takes care of them all day. I know they are safe and in good hands. And my family gets 100% of me and my efforts, not what's left over after I have pursued other things all day. They are my priority over all other things. I am so blessed to be able to say this, I know many women who cannot, and wish that they could.

One day, when I'm old (Lord Willing), I do not think I will look back and say "I wish I had had a career, and more free time to myself". I believe I will miss my children, and all the work that came with raising them.

So the answer to the question "do you work", is this-

Yeah I work...and dollars to donuts, my job is way harder and way better than yours.

Out to Lunch-Be Back Soon

2011-04-13T10:17:00.002-04:00

Yep, that's pretty much where I've been, out to lunch! And I'm not really talking about the meal that falls between breakfast and the leftover dessert I woof down while I'm cooking dinner either.

Don't know the date on my last post, but I know i'ts been a while. Well, look out peops, I'm back. I'm back to annoy you with my sarcasm, and complaining about the wonderful, beautiful, insane, crazy life that I have been so blessed with.

I imagine that my next post will be something to do with moving into this here place we live in now. Yeah I know it was a year ago (almost) but I figure that's a good place to pick up where I left off...wherever that was...

Stay tuned

Tolerance huh?

2008-06-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

Recently I came across this little tidbit...

Well, to all of you who seem to find this humorous, I dedicate this post...

tol·er·ance-
–noun 1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.

I love how I get hung out to dry constantly for being a Christian, by those who run around screaming about my intolerance.

Please, all of you self-righteous people out there, someone direct me to the place on the Duggars or my website that makes fun of Jews, homosexuals, the disabled, people of other races, or those who have no kids at all.

Seems like this society is FULL of "tolerant" people wanting me to know how wrong, crazy, humorous, stupid, or oppressed they think I and others like me are because we're different from the norm.

Oxy-morons!

Maybe if Mrs. Duggar would have had and MBA, a big house, a successful career, and 17 abortions rather than children, she would have gotten applauded instead of poked fun at...

Oh, and P.S. - You're right, I am intolerant...of hypocrites

House of Cards

2007-12-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

"For those who thought a Democratic congress would end the war in Iraq, think again: their new budget proposes supplemental funds totaling about $150 billion in 2008 and $50 billion in 2009 for Iraq. This is in addition to the ordinary Department of Defense budget of more than $500 billion, which the Democrats propose increasing each year just like the Republicans."- Congressman Ron Paul M.D.

No matter what your political affiliation may be watch this video about Ron Paul speaking on the Dollar / currency policies of America. It will give you a little crash course in basic economics. Read the texts that appear on the screen. Pause the screen if you have to.

FACT: The Dollar is worth .04 cents of what it was in 1913 - right before the Feds seized the Gold (from citizens) and created the fiat money system we are under today.The "Federal" Reserve is not Federal at all. It is an amalgamation of PRIVATE banks. They pull the strings of the US economy and thus, set its policies.

"Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes her laws." - Mayer Amschel Rothschild.

Home Sweet Home

2007-09-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

Finally after almost 4 months of living like a bunch of hobos, we're in our own house. We still have lots of work to do though. Everyone is happy to be getting back to normal , and we love our new house. The kids love their huge yard, and mommy loves her brand new appliances and floors. NO MORE CARPET! It's like a dream! Now we just have to unpack and prepare for baby :)

Side note: Thanks to all who helped out with the renovations. We couldn't have done it with out you!
Thanks especially to Joe and Becky. Joe spent week after week over here breaking his back with Chris for months. Becky spent week after week holding down the fort alone, missing Joe, all the while never complaining. Their selflessness is something I will forever admire and always be truly grateful for.

Guess What?

2007-09-27T14:22:00.001-04:00

Happy Tears

2007-04-06T09:11:00.000-04:00

Probably everyone in the world has seen the video about the soldier who surprised his son at school when he came home from Iraq. Apparently I live in a cave, and this morning was the first time I actually saw it, or even learned that it existed.

I was sitting there, watching this video, with tears streaming down my face, hoping my kids wouldn't notice. The thought of explaining to my kids how women cry when they're happy, was not really appealing to me. So I look over at my oldest, hoping he hasn't noticed me, or isn't starring at me wondering what my problem is, and there he is, eyes welled up with tears, saying "I can't imagine if Daddy was gone for that long, I bet it would seem like forever". I didn't say a word, or even acknowledge his tears. I didn't want to embarrass him.

If you're a mom, then you can most assuredly know that was officially the end of any successful efforts to hide my tears. There was no stopping the water works now. But you know what? That conversation about "happy tears" that I was trying to avoid, would no longer be an issue. You see, with out ever having to say a word, my little boy (not so little anymore I guess) understands. My heart is filled with joy, and a certain bitter-sweet feeling that comes with the realization that your kids are growing and maturing. Sometimes these things come out of no where, unexpectedly, and catch you off guard. This one hit me like a ton of bricks, "happy bricks", but bricks none the less. My boy is growing up.

It was a wonderful blessing this morning to see my son experience something that so many people don't, compassion. As a parent I try my best to teach my kids to be compassionate, to put themselves in others shoes. Now I know he actually gets it, wow.

Look out world, my kids are growing up, and there's bound to be lots more "happy tears"...better get yourself an umbrella :)

Stop! Thief!

2007-03-30T13:10:00.001-04:00

Seven thirty A.M. and it was already starting to be “one of those days”. I woke up to Ethan raising the roof in his room, the baby screaming, and Libby sitting in a HUGE puddle of pee in the middle of her bed. Yay!

Mission: Kick start my brain, corral and occupy other 3 kids, clean up the mess, then the girl, and try not to swear at anyone.

Step one: I got Chris to go down stairs with Ethan and Abby, and got him started on breakfast.

Step 2: I worked on cleaning up all the pee and bathing Libby. It took a while, but I finally got everything clean and smelling fresh.

Step 3: I put the pee pee laundry in the washer, turned it on, and got Libby fed, all the while still smiling

Mission accomplished!

So now I’m sitting down, about to enjoy my breakfast when I notice that Abby has some brown stuff on her pants, hmmm. She was whining too, so I figured I should investigate. I picked her up, and realized that she had pooped through her clothes, and now it was on me too, the fun just keeps on comin’! So I cleaned us both up, and went to throw her diaper away, outside. I came back in thinking about how hungry I was and how I couldn’t wait to relax with my bagel and coffee, finally. I got to my breakfast only to discover an empty plate. I looked up and there it was, my bagel, in Abby’s hand. She was smiling as big as she could, obviously enjoying my breakfast. If she wasn’t so cute I think I would have been mad. No big deal I guess, I’ll just make another one right? WRONG! There’s no butter left.

Think I’ll go take a shower and pray for naptime to hurry up.

Notice the little bites missing...

Walkie Talkie

2007-02-13T09:05:00.001-05:00

She's just started saying things like "this", "that", "daddy", "bye bye", and "hi". It's very cute. On Thursday she decided to top that with her first steps! She's growing up way too fast. Time to have another! LOL, Just kidding :)

Hmmm, what's missing here?

2006-12-06T14:47:00.000-05:00

Buried at PhotoCasket.com

Yes, it definately needs more cowbell...

Buried at PhotoCasket.com

Now it's perfect

New Member

2006-07-24T09:47:00.000-04:00

This is Luther, after Martin Luther, father of the Protestant Reformation. He's a 3 month old rottie/boxer mix. We got him from a dog rescue. He's very sweet :)

Stay tuned....

Two too fast

2006-07-20T12:56:00.000-04:00

My little Princess turned two! I have to admit, it was really hard for me when her birthday started creeping up. I’m very thankful to have a healthy, happy little girl who’s growing and thriving, but every year that goes by is another step she takes away from me, and being my little girl. Now I know, she’s still little and all, but it made me weep to see her turn two. I can’t even imagine what it will be like (Lord willing) to see her turn 16, or 18, or 21. To watch her go away to college, or dare I say….to get married…UGH! The thought makes me nuts! I’m not really sure why it hits me so hard with this one, but it really does. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dying to watch my boys grow up either, but something about Libby just gets to me.

Anyways, she’s two now and life goes on. But part of me really misses one.

Just What I Needed

2006-06-22T13:57:00.000-04:00

This week I've been volunteering at my church's VBS. I got put incharge of the crafts. This means that I had to plan a craft for 3 different age groups each day for 4 days. I haven't been doing anything really "crafty" for a long while now. So even though I was excited, I was little worried about the task I had before me. This week has been going really great. I think the kids have been having a good time, and even though I've been too busy for words, I have been having fun too. In fact, it seems that this has reopened the door to the creative part of my brain. I'm all excited about being creative, and have TONS of ideas that I can't wait to get started on. Now I am a realist, and I know that I have 4 kids, so time will be hard to find, but just the desire to want to do these kinds of things again has been all the encouragement I need to manage my time better so that I can get some craft time in on a regular basis.

Today I started the first of many things I hope to do in the near future...stay tuned for more!

Libby's little house

Thumb, pinky, ring, middle, windex?

2006-06-15T10:25:00.000-04:00

My son Ethan likes to know all the unimportant things in life that most kids could care less about. He ponders things like, “Can birds fart?”, or “How do flies sniff?”. Last week, we had a little talk about “Do our fingers have names?” We got through thumb, and pinky, and how Mommy doesn’t know why they’re called that. Then the ring finger because it’s the one for your rings, and the middle finger cause it’s in the middle. Then we got to the “windex finger”. That’s right, the windex finger. And it’s not called the windex finger cause that’s what Mommy sprays windex with. That would be silly he says. It's cause that’s “what you pick your nose with”

Makes perfect sense….?

He’s the one who always fell off the bed when he was a baby….

Never Thought Id' See The Day

2006-06-15T09:45:00.000-04:00

I never thought I'd see the day when my football lovin' husband couldn't throw the ball with his boys, cause he was busy having a pretend tea party...

You gotta love that!

Night and Day

2006-05-24T15:39:00.000-04:00

The difference between my boys and girls is night and day. When my boys do something wrong, they run. When I get them, usually some yelling is involved, and possibly a spank. They get mad, they cry, and then life goes on like it never happened. It seems as if they're not capable of being corrected by a gentle word of encouragemment to behave. In fact they down right laugh at you if you dare approach it that way. They're boys, full of testosterone, and definately in need of being ruled with a wooden paddle, and a stern, loud voice.
My daighter just graduated to a "Big Girl Bed" as she affactionately calls it. She loves her new bed. She has also discovered that she can get out of said big girl bed. She has gotten in the habit of coming out of her bed, creeping down the stairs, and watching tv from the foyer. We dicided that we had to put a stop to this. The first night, Daddy discovered her and said loudly "NO NO", and she lost it. We're used to talking that way, so this fragile little girl has proven to be quite a challenge. The next night, I discovered her, and said in a more quiet, soft voice, "no no, that's bad", again, she lost it. The third night, we heard her door squeak, and knew she had come out. I quietly walked upstairs, and found her hiding, behind her door, waiting for me. When she looked up and saw me, I inhaled in order to speak, and ....you guessed it, she lost it.
This is all so foreign to us. Our boys NEVER got upset just by a look. The don't even get upset by a yell sometimes. The boys are all business, and my little girl is ALL emotion. It's a strange, strange little world on her planet, and I wonder if we'll ever get it right.

Naked Soccer

2006-05-18T12:15:00.000-04:00

For those familiar with my blog, you can probably recall several posts that contain the words "Why is it always him?", referring to my youngest son. Well, here's another one that fits the very question.

Last night after dinner, I was trying to get the kids cleaned up and directed to their baths/showers. Ethan's clothes were muddy, and like so many times before, I told him to take them off and put them by the washer(located off of the kitchen). He usually will take everything off but his underwear, and socks. But last night, I guess he was feeling wild. Now if you know Ethan, than you know that he's wild, unafraid, full of energy, and chocked full of testosterone. So it's perfectly fitting that when we couldn't find him for his bath, it's because he was outside...playing soccer in the yard...naked...and completely unashamed.

A small glimpse of the Garden in the beginning perhaps...or maybe just the blessing of a good chuckle to lighten the mood from a long day.

Either way, I know I'm growing, because it made me laugh out loud. Thanks to Doc for one of the greatest pieces of wisdom I've ever been blessed to hear...I miss you

Sweet Humor

2006-05-08T14:13:00.000-04:00

This man is my hero...

http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/togo/togoindex.html#
(Check out the "To Go" video at the bottom of the webpage)

P.S. That T-shirt would be a great Mother's Day gift....hint hint

Finger Painting??

2006-04-19T13:42:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back we made the decision to move our 3 year old from the bath tub, to the shower. He's getting to the age now where it's probably not good for him to be in the tub with our 20 month old daughter. Since his older brother takes a shower too, we thought it would be good to throw Ethan into the shower with Chris every night. The first few nights went well. We taught him how to wash his hair, and body, and he liked getting to be a big boy like Chris. After about a week, we figured they had it down and left them alone. Things seemed like they were going well.
The other night, after dinner, I told them to go up and get in the shower for bed. My 8 yearl old got all annoyed and said "Why does he have to take a shower with me now?" This confused me since we were under the impression that things were okay.

I said "Why are you so annoyed all of a sudden?"

He said "I hate taking showers with him!"

"Why?" I asked, "What's the big deal?"

"He sticks his finger in his butt, and smears it on the wall in the shower!!" He said, "And he thinks it's funny when I get mad about it!"

"Are you kidding me?!?!?" I said, "You can't be serious?"

"Yeah, and it stinks too" he replied.

"Ummm, you smelled it???"

"Yeah" he said all matter of fact like, "I wanted to see what it smelled like"

So Ethan takes a bath now again, and there's no more finger painting on the walls...

I'm so thankful that our last 2 have been girls!

I'll Never Understand

2006-04-19T13:11:00.000-04:00

There's lots of things in life that are a mystery to me. Like why it always seems to rain when I wash my car, or how no one ever knows "who did it" when something gets broken or spilled.

The biggest mystery of all to me is my boys fascination with their...well...their wee wees. I mean, since they were old enough to realize it was there, they have spent much of their time twisting it, pulling it, flashing it, adjusting it, giggling about it, talking about it, etc. It's the first thing they reach for in the morning when I wake them up, as if to check to make sure it's still there. And once they got potty trained, the fascination with the wee wee moved into a fascination with what came out of it. They seem to find great joy in peeing. The make pictures in the toilet, spell things out, see who can make the funniest pee noise, and it goes on. My eight year old even peed in the bathroom trashcan (not now, when he was 6) to see if he could fill it up. When he didn't fill it up, he did what any 6 year old would do, he left it there for me to find later.

But my 3 year old takes the cake. Last week, I was quietly checking my e mail when I was interrupted by a bunch of screaming kids running through my house yelling "Aunt Tammy" "Mooooom" "Mrs. Mangum" "Come quick!". It seemed that my 3 year old thought that is would be a riot to drop his pants and pee in the driveway. Then to top it off, he danced in his little yellow stream and made pee pee foot prints....

Now I was furious, but it seems that my husband, who also has a wee wee, wasn't. He chalks it up to "what little boys do". I guess he would know better than me since he was one (I like to argue, still is).

Like I said, there are just some things I guess I will never understand...

Kid-isms

2006-03-06T15:57:00.000-05:00

My kids never cease to amuse me. And lots of times it's right after they've embarassed me. I always think to myself that "I have got to tell so and so this, they would love it!". But usually I forget and never do. So I decided to start a section called Kid-Isms. That way I can write all the lovely things that my kids do to me, and you the reader, can me amused and even more so, be happy it wasn't you...

I'll add on from time to time, so check abck to see what's new

-A conversation with my 3 year old the other day

"Mommy, can I feed Abby? (our infant daughter)

"No, Ethan, I'm sorry, you can't"

"Because I don't have big boobies and mine are smashed in?"

I had no reply to this one...

-At my niece's 6th Birthday Party

As she was opening up a Barbie Doll, my 3 year old son stood up in the chair and screamed "Holy shit!"

Like I said, happy it wasn't you...

-At the grocery store with my 8 year old

We were in line behind an older man with some kid of disease. He has lots of tumor like things covering his whole head, face, and what we could see of his arms. He was smiling and happy, talking to the kids, and making silly faces at Libby. I continued in a conversation with him, all the while trying to ignore the bumps and the curiosity that I had about them. As soon as our converstaion was done he turned around to pay the cashier for his groceries. My eight year old turns to me and says " Geez, it's a good thing that Ethan isn't here. Who knows what he's be saying about that man's face!"

Um yes, he was still within ear shot of us and I'm quite sure he heard...

He was blogging while I was in labor...

2006-02-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

Well, we did it again!

We welcomed Abigail Faith into the world on January 18th (my due date) at about 11:13 pm.

I did it O Natural, and it was great! Yes, it hurt, but still the feeling of doing it God's intended way, was indeed a wonderful experience.

I walked into the hospital 8cm dilated, and not sure if I was really inlabor or not. Yes, God had mercy on me. A few short hours later, our 2nd baby girl was here. She came so fast the doctor and nurses didn't even have time to prepare. Did I mention how God had mercy on me?

Long story short, during the not so painful contractions, there sat my labor coach, close by me...

...blogging

I still love him though, and I love even more the humerous distraction his blogging gave me.

Check it out for yourself

http://www.chrismangum.blogspot.com

My Kids Poop On Me...Part 2

2005-09-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well, if you're familiar with my previous post about my kids pooping on me, than you will surely love this "part 2" of the poo poo saga.

It was an irregular evening, no chaos, no excitement, no bad behavior. Just happy, well behaved kids, approaching bath time. I should have known right? I have an 8 year old who is far beyond needing help from me to shower, so all I have to worry about is the little ones, Ethan 2, and Libby 1. Now we happen to be blessed with a pretty big bathtub in our master bathroom. So I use that to my advantage. I put both little guys in there at the same time, and then I only really have to give one bath a night. I save on water and time. I'm so smart I should write books!

Ahh, but what happens when your 2 year old screams "Libby pooped!!"? Well according to my previous post, he says that all the time, and had only been right once. And even though it was disaster, he's never really been right again since. I had no worries, and just like before, I ignored him. Until he started to cry that is. I turned from the sink where I was getting a rubber band for my hair, and there it was, poop, floating, everywhere. It was an SBD! That's right, silent, but deadly. I never heard her poop, but sure enough, Libby had produced enough diarrhea to fertilize a whole field of corn (that's a nice picture huh?) And there it was floating, covering the entire surface of the water. The blob had come back to terrorize us one more time.

Do they put poo poo repellent on diapers?

Now I don't want to bore you with all the crazy details of how long it took and how hard it was to clean that up. Let me just say this though, I dread bath time, and my daughters cute little heiny isn't so cute anymore. It's the enemy. And Ethan is officially known as The boy who cried poop!

Looks like my brillaint plan isn't really that brilliant after all.

Maybe I'll hold off on that book for now.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2005-09-21T09:11:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful, sunny, Sunday with football on the TV. This is the best time of the year. Yes, we are ready for some football, and we love it. Doesn’t that little anthem just make you think of a bunch of big, manly men, sitting around yelling at the TV over pass interferences, and first downs? Well that little anthem used to indicate the start of the season where my husband will sit in front of the TV for most of the games, expecting not to be disturbed by me or any of the kids. After all, he’s busy counting up his points from this receiver, or that quarterback, for his Fantasy Football Team. This year started off no different from any other really, except the small fact that now instead of a house full of boys running around tackling each other, now, there is a little girl too. But really, what difference could a little old girl make?

After yelling at our soon to be 3 year old son for coming to close to his GIGANTIC glass of iced tea, sitting right on the edge of the coffee table, my husband settled back down to continue watching the game. Only to be startled by ice cold, tea flowing down his legs. It seems that little girl thought it would be amusing to smack his cup off of the table. “Uh oh” were the words she used as she stood there and looked at what she had just done.

Did you just gasp? Are you holding your breath out of fear yet? What in the world is Daddy going to say about that? Afraid to keep reading? Read on…

Daddy spent the next half hour, cleaning tea stains out of our white carpet. The whole time, baby girl is hugging his wet leg, snuggling his neck, and kissing him. The only words that Daddy had to say about this little mishap were these – “You’re just jealous because she loves me best!” Yes, honey, that’s exactly what I was thinking…

It’s funny the way a sweet little girl can ruin the manliest of men. I guess like most things in life, I just never saw this coming. And to say the least, it’s really just short of freaking me out at this point. It’s not that I don’t love every second of him acting like a goober and gushing over our little princess, but I worry terribly for his sanity. In one short year he has become worse than every man with a daughter he used to make fun of. Al it takes is a hug of his big neck, or a sloppy kiss on his cheek, and baby girl could have the world on a silver platter. What’s gonna happen in January when he has 2 little girls?

Forget football honey. Are you ready for some daughters???

My New Drug-Free PSA

2005-08-03T12:17:00.000-05:00

Crack Kills

Even just a little butt, I mean bit, can be fatal.

Look what it's done to my brain already...

Baby Crack

Good Ol' Southern Hospitality

2005-07-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

It’s taken a bit of getting used to living here. At first it was almost scary. I went to the grocery store and around every corner was someone asking me “Do ya need help findin’ anything?” By the end I felt like screaming “I’m not going to steal anything!!” I’ve learned since then, that they’re just really helpful, you know, because it’s their job to be.

It seems that “Customer Service” has a whole different meaning down here. It’s the strangest thing. People here are actually ready and willing, and most weird of all, happy to help customers. They actually feel good when they do too. Has anyone ever even heard of such a thing?

Moving on. The people in general, are just as strange. People pop out of nowhere and just start a conversation with you. I don’t even know these people, and here they are talking to me. When they find out we just moved here, they are eager to help me find my way to the next store, or tell me where the best pizza place is, or where I can get a good burger or BBQ. And their not even paid to help me. What’s the matter with these people?

My neighbors have all made their way over to meet us. They bring cookies, phone numbers, and offers of help anytime we should need it. We even were invited to a birthday party by one of them. They wave when ever they see you. They ask how you’ve been. People out walking will wave too, and their not even my neighbors. When I drive around, people doing yard work will wave and smile. Don’t these people know I’m not their neighbor?

Now that I’ve drown you with my sarcasm, I’ll make my point. Living in general is so different here. It’s like another world. There really is something to be said about that “Good Ol’ Southern Hospitality”. I love it, and I never wanna leave it.

The Princess Has A New Castle

2005-07-26T10:34:00.000-05:00

So, we finally made it. Just barely, but we’re here. We just barely got the truck loaded in time. We had to call in last minute reinforcements – Thanks so much to Dottie, Brian, and Joe. Thanks to the mail ego, and its inability to ask for directions, the truck driver was late picking up the cab. For the first time ever, the male ego paid off!
The ride down south was really nice, no traffic, and no real problems. Settlement went off without a hitch, and before we knew it, we had the keys to our new home. It was very exciting and a little scary all at once.
The truck was late getting here and we ended up waiting in an empty house for the majority of the day. When it was finally delivered, we started to realize that our rushed loading job did not pay off very well. About half of what was put into the truck was broken, and the other half was ruined by dirt and grease from the inside walls and floor of the truck. I had wanted new couches, and stuff, but not this way. As more and more of the truck was unloaded, my carpet went from white to some shade of ugly that I can’t even describe.
After days of scrubbing and cleaning, it finally started to look like a house. Things started to get put away, the kids were getting used to their new living arrangements, and I had begun to actually find stores and places to go – thanks to Andrea.
Now it’s home, and we love it.

Our Yard Sale Was A Success!

2005-05-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

But there was one thing we just couldn't seem to get rid of...

Left Overs

Guess we'll have to keep her!

My Kids Poop On Me....

2005-05-13T21:10:00.000-05:00

...Literally.
My daughter was happy and playing on the floor, my 7 year old was happily playing his Game Boy, and of course, there was distress coming from my 2 year old. I was trying to have a conversation with my mother about my trials that day, while my 2 year old(again, why is it always him??) was constantly interrupting me. "Libby pooped" he kept saying. Now this is nothing out of the ordinary, the pooping, and him telling me she pooped. He tells me about a hundred times a day that she pooped. He's never right, but he still tells me just as much. I was succeeding at ignoring him, until he shouted "Libby's in the toilet!". Again, he was wrong, but she was close to the bathroom door, so I ran over and scooped her up. Just then, I felt it. Warm pasty, smelly, yuckiness!! For the first time ever, my 2 year old was right, Libby did poop. A lot! It was everywhere. It was on the carpet, my clothes, her clothes, my arms, and even up the back of her head in her hair(how does poop travel so well?).
Now you would think that her diaper had never been changed, or it was completely full right? But it wasn't. It never ceases to amaze me how much poop a little baby can produce, and how much it can spread. I think there was only a small trace of it actually in the diaper. The rest seemed to have escaped somehow, and began to terrorize us like the Blob.
The baby was crying, Ethan was laughing, my 7 year old was freaked out, and I was feeling despair. Where do I even begin? If I don't get it off the carpet, then Ethan will surely track it or spread it. If I don't get it off of myself and the baby, it will continue to get on the floor and everything else....UGH!
Poop stinks! Literally and figuratively. Getting pooped on, stinks even worse!

Yard Sale!

2005-05-12T08:21:00.000-05:00

We are just about done with all the packing and cleaning out. We have tons of clothes, toys, furniture, and misc house things to get rid of. Come on out if you're in need of any of that. Pass it on to your friends.
Saturday May 14th rain or shine
8am-1pm
ALL PRICES NEGOTIABLE!!!!!!!
Email me if you need directions

"Call an exorcist"....

2005-05-11T07:52:00.000-05:00

...was the line I heard repeated several times at the grocery store the other day. You see, I broke my own rule(not taking my children to the store ever again in their young lives) and took my three children grocery shopping. From the parking lot, my 2 year old(why is it always him???) was whining that he "don't want to go to store mommy, NO!!". Well it must've been all the packing that has caused some sort of oxygen shortage to my brain, because instead of running away-screaming, like the dope that I apparently am, I went in thinking he would stop. I had to stop right on the inside of the doors to calm him(threaten really). As soon as the cart started to move again, he started whaling, kicking and doing some type of convulsing movement. I quietly informed him that he would be taking a trip to the bathroom if he didn't behave himself. Not only did that not work, but it seemed to have made him even more mad. So naturally, I did what any normal, sane woman would do, I left the store right? NO! I took him to the bathroom and spanked his little heiny. He was so sorry after that, and I was convinced that this thing was in the bag. Now all I had to do was gather up what was left of my sanity, ignore the embarrassment I was feeling, and finish my shopping that I hadn't even been allowed to start.
We left the bathroom, and wouldn't you know it, he threw himself on the floor and started that little convulsive dance of his, all the while, screaming at the top of his lungs. I had to pick him up kicking and screaming, and throw him into the cart. I had finally gotten it through my head that it was way past time to go home, and that I would not be doing any shopping today. I tried my best to console him while I ran down the closest isle to the bathroom, and picked up a pizza and french fries. He just wouldn't have any part of it, and he continued to scream all the way until we go into the car....
I couldn't even look the cashier in the eye, or anyone else for that matter. People were peering around the corners of isles to what the fuss was, the manager came out of his office for goodness sake!
Yesterday I had to go grocery shopping again. I used to go to Shoppers, but yesterday, and until we move, I went to Safeway!

Packing Frenzy

2005-04-29T09:06:00.000-05:00

Since we knew we would be moving even before we bough our house, I decided to get a head start on packing. I thought it would be a great idea to use the extra time to go through all of closets, drawers, and attic (though that is still yet to be finished-refer to an earlier post “BEES”) so that I could throw away all the things that we just don’t need anymore. I’ve been making great progress too. Chris has kept a steady flow of boxes coming in, and I have been steadily filling them up. There really isn’t much left to do, and at this rate, I should be done in the next 2 weeks.
This morning I realized that I may just be getting a little ahead of myself. I woke up with the kids, and slugged down stairs. I started the coffee pot like I do every morning. Chris was getting ready for work, and I was feeding the kids. Just like most mornings, I asked Chris on his way out the door if he wanted to take some coffee with him. He always says yes, because even though my Folgers isn’t gourmet, it is better than the mud at his office. So I went to get him a travel cup, and it’s then that I realized….I packed them already!
Poor Chris, what a tease! I offered some nice coffee, and then he couldn’t take it. I may need to slow down a bit with the packing. We’re 3 ½ weeks out from our move and already we’re eating off of paper plates, with plastic cups.
At this rate, one day Chris will come home and find our kids in a box….

A Lib in the Box

Sherlock Mom

2005-04-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, the VCR broke. I could not for the life of me figure out what was wrong with it. Now I don’t really claim to know anything about electronics or other complicated machines, but I can tell if it’s not plugged in for example, or it needs new batteries ? That was not the case this time though. No matter what we did, we just couldn’t get it to accept a tape. It would just keep spitting it back out. Well finally after a week, we figured it out. Someone (Ethan) had put the soundtrack to Shrek 2 in there. Now even though I don’t know much about electronics, I do know that a VCR can’t play CD’s. So I fished it out, and the problem was solved.
Then this morning my son came to me and said “Mom, the VCR is busted again”. Well I was happy to tell him that all he had to do was take the CD out, and it would work. I knew this must have been the problem. I was so happy to have been able to solve a problem so quickly and easily. Today is going to be a good day.
Not so much. He came back about a minute later and told me there was no CD in there. So I had to go investigate. At first glance inside the machine it appeared that everything was normal. So what could be the problem? I knew that something must have been stuck in there since the VCR kept spitting tapes out just like that last time. But I couldn’t see anything in there. I just could not seem to figure it out this time. But I was determined and decided that I couldn’t give up. After all, you cannot have 3 kids and a broken VCR, that combination is lethal.
Anyways, to make a long story short, I just spent the last half hour fishing a Hot Wheels car out of the VCR. Yup, that’s right, a Hot Wheels car. It was an illusive little bugger too. It’s a black and silver car, so you can barely see it lodged in there. It kind of blends in with all the mechanical stuff inside.
Why did it take so long you ask? Well let me tell you. My 2 year old had it so creatively tucked in there, that I really though for a few minutes that I would have to actually take my VCR to a professional. But then I decided that I didn’t want to have to explain to someone how my son used it for a “gas station”, and even worse, pay for them to fix it. So I pumped myself up, got some tools-a popsicle stick and a book mark (what else would a stay at home mother of 3 use??) and I got to work. It took some doing, but I finally got it out. Now I can exhale….
Mystery solved!

Highland Creek Here We Come!

2005-04-25T09:19:00.000-05:00

This is the only photo so far. We didnt take any when we looked at it. Folks can be funny about you taking snapshots of thier houses you know. This is off the website from our realtor. When I get more pics, I'll post em'

You can check out the neighborhood www.highland-creek.com And yes it really does look like the pictures

Movin' On Up!

2005-04-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

Yup, that's right. Just like the Jeffersons! Only not to the East Side, but down south instead. We finally bought a house, and we move on Memorial weekend. We got a great single family with a yard, a garage, and a great neighborhood. Best part is that we're gonna be 9 houses down and one over from my brother in law and his family! Stay tuned for pics and details as moving day approaches.
We're gladly welcoming any one who wants to come visit before we're gone. We'll try to get out to see as many of you as we can, but would really love the company while we spend these last few weeks packing and preparing.

UGH!

2005-04-24T21:02:00.000-05:00

The kids have croup, and the house is a mess. I haven’t slept well in days. I think I’m catching what they have, if an adult can catch the croup. I have lost my voice, and I’m so tired. Things have been nuts lately trying to find a house, lots of doctor apts., getting Chris2 ready for his standardized testing, preparing for a trip to NC to look at houses, and packing our house. In the process of all the chaos, my kids, especially Ethan, have found creative ways to entertain themselves.

Exibit "A" That missing roll of TP has resurfaced....

BEES!

2005-04-04T11:47:00.000-05:00

We are planning a move to NC sometime in the next few months. We thought that a great way to pack would be to start now and take our time going through things. Why throw everything in trash bags (our traditional way) when we can box it up neat and organized?
Our plan starts with cleaning out the attic. Slowly but surely I have been taking a few boxes, bins, or bags at a time, cleaning them out, re-boxing them, and throwing lots of things away. Things have been going well. I feel good about moving now. It won’t be so hard to pack everything and it won’t have to be done last minute. It’ll be 10 times easier to unpack, and this way, things shouldn’t get lost or broken. Sounds like a good plan right?
Saturday I was up in the attic, getting the last of the kids’ old clothes out. It was raining outside, so it was quite noisy up there. Not to mention all the spider webs and other bugs that have made a nice warm home in there this winter. Now I’ve been doing well so far, sucking it up and ignoring all the little creepies, but Saturday was the last straw. There will be no more packing of the attic for me.
As I was throwing the trash bags full of clothes down the attic stairs, I kept noticing a weird type of buzzing noise. Upon throwing the last bag down, I looked around to investigate. I didn’t see anything that seemed like it would be causing such a noise, so I chalked it up to the rain, and went towards the steps to get out of the attic.
I made it down the first step, then the second, and on to the third. Then it happened. A BIG BEE landed on my head! I looked around to notice more bees, BIG ONES! There must have been hundreds (not really, but it felt that way). I never touched another stair. Somehow, I before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of my room, yelling for my husband. I had mysteriously flown out of the attic, over the bags of clothes, and into my room. All without touching my feet to anything, and in a matter of a half a second. I amaze myself sometimesJ
Hearing all the racket, and yelling, my knight in shining armor came running up the stairs. He was upset thinking that something had actually happened…..
Didn’t you hear what I sad about the bees? Something did actually happen. A BIG BEE touched me, there’s lots more up there, and I’m scared now….DUH!
That’s the difference though between men and women I guess. I think that if I would have battled the bee, perhaps with guns or knives, took out the nest, and emerged triumphantly to cook their little dead carcasses, than that would have qualified as “something”. Oh well, you just can’t’ win them all right?
Like I said, there will be no more packing of the attic for me. Moving with trash bags isn’t that bad is it?
And honey, don’t think I didn’t notice you ducking and cautiously looking when you went up to turn the light off and close the hatch…..
What are you afraid of? It’s not like “something” really happened up there.

You think you're tired?

2005-03-30T11:59:00.000-05:00

This post I dedicate to all the first time moms out there.
When you’re a first time mom, you want everything to be perfect. You follow all the “tips for raising great kids” found in those annoying magazines. You call the doctor for every sniffle or fever, and your kid will not even taste the likes of sugar or junk food until he/she is at least 2. And even then, it’ll be “just a treat” reserved for “once in a while”, on a sunny day when there’s rainbows and joy for miles. Your child is always clean, and dry. You take walks, sing songs, do crafts, read books, and maybe even join some group or activity like gymnastics for infants(what is the purpose of this again?) or kindermusic (again, the purpose?). You read somewhere that if they listen to classical music, they’ll be smart. So you stock up on Bach, and Beethoven. Everything is structured and life is just so wonderful and fulfilling now. You mature to a new level of responsibility. You begin to lecture your childless friends on things like structure and schedules, growing up and “settling down”. Then you do the unthinkable….decide to have another.
Transition from the first to the second child is a bit nuts. There’s things that are good, and then there’s things aren’t so good. You have a bit of an idea what you’re doing this time around, so there’s less calls to the doctor, less worry, and more of a relaxed feeling. You already know that you won’t sleep at first, but it soon passes, and that sometimes they cry and you just don’t know why. But there seems to be less of a schedule, and it seems harder to stick to. There’s less walking and singing, and reading books. It seems a bit harder to find the time now. Beethoven and Bach get replaced by Time Life Kid Songs CD’s and Sesame Street Jams. You end up getting Happy Meals more often, and even start to use those sweets as a bribe or reward for good behavior in the store or at the doctor’s office. Still, it’s pretty nice and even though you don’t really get to see those childless friends of your, you really like the way things are. Besides, they’ll have kids soon enough, and then you can rekindle that friendship at play dates and birthday parties. All in all, kids are pretty fun, and having a family still ROCKS!
One day you’re sitting on your couch at the end of a long day wondering when and where you lost your mind. You used to be multi-tasker, but somehow, it just doesn’t seem to work anymore. The house is still a mess, and you haven’t watched that show you used to like in ages. You haven't hung out with adults or left the house to do somethig other than errands in months. What is free time again? You seem to have forgotten. You haven’t’ combed your hair today and your lucky you even got to shower. You think about hanging out with your husband, but you reek of Tilex, and desperately want to defunk yourself. On your way to the stairs, you make your way through the kitchen. You refill the candy dish, you’ll be needing that tomorrow. You put away what’s left of dinner, and set the coffee pot for 0:dark thirty. You clean the crayon off the walls. That was the latest project that kept them quiet just long enough for you to throw something edible together and call it dinner. And just when you think you’re home free, and that hot relaxing shower is steps away…..the THIRD child wakes up thanks to teething.
Better put a few extra scoops in the coffee pot.

P.S. This is how you get diner done now….wanna go for #4?

Dinner Time Distraction

Shopping at 10pm isn't so bad after all

2005-03-29T14:41:00.000-05:00

After my 3 kids had already spent most of the morning fighting, whining, and acting like zoo animals, I decided to take them grocery shopping. Why you ask? What on this Earth would posses me to do that? I don’t quite know. I suspect that I must’ve hit my head earlier that morning and suffered some sort of brain damage. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

Naturally when we got there, there were no more race car shopping carts left. For those that don’t know, let me explain: these are the carts that have a car attached to the front of them. Meaning I can strap my youngest into the cart seat, and my middle one into the little car. This means everyone is happy and more importantly, contained. Well, like I said, I must’ve suffered brain damage, because instead of turning around and going home, I went on in. I got one of those regular carts. I put my youngest into the cart seat, and my middle one in the basket where the food goes. It seemed that it would work just fine.

We made our way through the store with a minimal amount of yelling and crying. The baby had a melt down half way through and I had to carry her the rest of the time, but other than that, it seemed that this trip just might work out after all. As I rounded the corner of the very last isle, almost triumphant, I could see the finish line nearing. I began my victory dance, only to slip in some sort of puddle on the floor. “What is it?” I thought to myself. “Why is there a trail of drips coming from my cart?”

Horror struck when I recognized the familiar smell of “Tilex Soap Scum Remover”. Yes, that’s right. My 2 year old had not only opened it up, but poured it all over my groceries. “They’re clean mommy” he said to me. He’s so helpful.

Since I’m 26 years old and crying isn’t so much an option anymore, I did what anyone would do. I turned red with embarrassment, and spent the next 10 minutes cleaning it up. You see, when you spill toxic chemicals on your groceries, the store will not let you exchange them for new, clean, chemical free groceries. They pretty much want you to keep the ones you already have and quickly be on your way.

When I finally got to the check out, not so triumphant anymore, the check out girl was very annoyed. And why shouldn’t she be? She had to take every pack of meat that I had, back to the meat dept. and have it re-tagged and re-priced. The ink on the labels runs when you pour cleaning products on them. This took quite a while, and all the people behind me in line started to get impatient. The lady directly behind me finally asked what the hold up was. She thought it was just a regular old riot when I told her. She had raised 4 boys, so she said she understood. At least that lightened the mood a little.

When I got home, I spent half an hour cleaning the rest of my groceries off. I had to throw away 14 dollars worth of roasts, and a few other things. My cabinets still reek of Tilex, and worst of all, my bathrooms are dirty. I don’t have any cleaner to clean them with.

Next time we’ll eat peanut butter sandwiches for dinner.

I used to hate going out late in the evening after the kids are in bed. I'm usually too tired by then, and you never know what kind of weirdos are out at that time either. It used to seem like such a hassle to do it that late. But I learned a valuable lesson that day, shopping at 10 pm isn't so bad after all.