Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now......

This morning when my sister walked in my house she said the litter box was very stinky, GASP!!! Well, not really that shocking. I've been so sick that I have let a lot of things go, and the litter box was one of them. I can't smell anything right now due to a major sinus infection so really, the stinky things have been at the bottom of my priority list. Probably not one of the best choices I've made, but.........I'm only human.

I had Codi take the box out and dump it. I walked into the garage to get litter and.....OH NO! No more litter! So I threw all the cats out and decided I had to go to the store after taking the kids to school. I really needed to go to the store anyways, we needed milk, and a few other things.

When I got home I noticed the box needed to be sprayed out....thanks to dear old Grandma, I now check this stuff. So I sprayed the box let it air dry, and kept the cats out.

About 30 minutes later the box was dry. I brought it in and called in the cats. They came in like a heard of buffalo being chased by a lion!

I had three cats very interested in what I was doing. They all three ran over with me to put the box in it's place, I open the bag and Lucy screamed at me the entire time. As I poured it in the box Toots did circles around me. Blue sat on the table and watched me with his usual cross-eyed look.

Once I had the litter in the box the three of them fought over who got to use the box first!

Apparently Toots was doing the pee pee dance around me, and Lucy was yellin at me to "hurry up" and Blue must have been in so much pain he couldn't do anything but sit and stare at me cross-eyed!

You'd think the dirt field across the street would have worked, but I guess they don't want to do their business where they play! Stinking up my house is a much better idea!!!!

I make me laugh

I've been sick for a week now. I felt like I was coming down with a really bad case of Strep Throat.....but some days I would feel fine. Just when I'd pick up the phone to make an appointment my sore throat would go away and my symptoms would subside. My illness was tricky! It went from a tiny sore throat, to a really bad sore throat, then to a clogged nose, then my nost ran, and then.....my eye gooped shut! Yes, gooped shut! I pulled out so many eyelashes in the cleaning process every morning I don't think my eye will ever be the same!

After alot of "encouragement" from my mom, and one too many sleepless nights and many many days with such a heavy head and acky neck and back I caved.

Today I went to the doctor pretty sure I would get a strep test and the doctor would give me the (much loved) Z pack! and in 2 days I would be just fine.

Dr. Buhr, my beloved doctor had a different schedule. It is funny how professionals know best!

He checked my nose, ears, throat, and glands.

"Hey doc, swab my throat! What are you doing?" That was all I was thinking.

He said when he was done, and I quote him "your throat looks really good!"

"How can that be doc, that hurts the most!!!!"

So finaly pushed on my sinuses....ding ding ding.....it hurt!!!!

I have a sinus infection! That explains so much. That explains the headach.....I always get a headach with a sinus infection.
That explains the sore throat.....drainage!!!
That explains the eye goop.....it traveled up to my eye.
And the clogged and drippy nose....duh! It's gotta go somewhere!

So I walked into the doctor office with a strep throat, and walked out with a sinus infection.

As I was driving home all of a sudden my cheeks became really puffy, I almost couldn't see over them! I felt the drainage coming down my throat, and my other eye started to feel really goopy!

My mind is very powerful!
And that is all I have to say about that!

My new favorite quote

I was just on facebook and I ran across a quote put up by my second cousin's wife. I am not a quote person, but this one particular quote really grabbed me.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them" ~Mother Teresa

Isn't this so right? It is so hard to not judge the actions of others. It is so easy to mock others and put down their actions and words. But really, are we that perfect that we have the right to judge others?

Ummmm, I think not!

I am guilty of the judging, I try really hard not to be, but every day as I reflect on my day I am convicted of judging. I judge my kids, my parents, my husband (He gets it more than others unfortunately), my friends, and yes I even judge the almighty God. But what can I say...I am only human. I wasn't given that gift of perfection. I was however, given the gift of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ!

So next time you catch yourself judging remember........how can I be loving this person just as Jesus would if I am spending all my time judging them?

Patietently waiting.......

When Shannon and I first got married I shared with him my love for the Dachshund! I told him I had always wanted to have a few, and a few litters. I think they are just the cutest dogs in the world. So my loving husband, always wanting to fill my every want, went out and bought me two of the cutest mini doxy's I've ever seen. Ross is a blond/creme doxy with the cutest little legs, and the most cheer full disposition. Bridgette looks like a little dairy cow. We almost named her Jearsey. She is known as the baby. She has this baby complex and totally eats it up when receiving any type of attention.

Well, here we are two years later and I have one pregnant dam and one very satisfied stud!

Bridgette has been pregnant for what feels like FOREVER! I guess that is partially my fault. When I saw the "deed" being done I counted wrong on the calendar. I figured the puppies would be here around May 5. Boy was I wrong! Here we are May 18 (Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband) and no puppies. Day 63 falls on Friday (today is Tuesday) however, the vet tells me it could be "any day now". Those words are dangerous to an anxious mother to be. I have had a week's worth of sleepless night checking on my mother to be constantly throughout the night. Every noise she makes, I'm up! She is one noisy sleeper! She moans and groans all night long.

I swear Bridgette has been in labor, I mean full blown labor at least 4 times since last Wednesday. I think she snuck on my computer and read up on the signs of labor just to mess with my mind. She has even gone as far as turning her nose up at food. She digs around in her "nest", her belly gets really tight and she strains. I know these are all things that just happen to pregnant women, but when you are a person and the dog in the one that is pregnant, it is kind of hard to know the difference. Do dogs get Braxtin Hicks???

Last night was the the worst. I just knew I would get to wake my kids and husband up with new puppies. ERRR, wrong! She woke up this morning, ate a full breakfast, and ran around the house and greeted everybody like any other normal morning. I am truly 100% baffled!

So I'm sitting here on my laptop with my dog that has been "in labor" all night long laying next to me and she is sleeping the day away like nothing ever happened.

I called the vet and asked if there was something she could do like take a walk, have sex, you know the normal things a doctor would tell a woman to do to jump start labor, and she laughed at me and said "No, we have to let nature take it's course." I am definitely not a fan of "nature" right now. Enjoy the pictures of my poor little girl looking as big as a barn!

The Lonley Housewife

I forget how lonely it is being a stay at home mother. I'm not talking about all the quiet time during the day while the kids are at school, and the husband is at work. I actually find myself very busy during this time of the day, and I am not looking for conversation then. In the morning I am so busy with cleaning, prepping for dinner, laundry, driving "forgotten items" to the kids school (and my mother), cleaning up after animals and resting for the busy activities of the evening I don't have time to think. I also have a phone buddy I call once a week. We catch up on the latest and greatest of Kerman, mommy tricks, and of course our husbands.

In the late afternoon from the hours of 3-7 I am also so consumed with my children's homework, dinner time and practice. I don't even think about life around me. That is when I feel like I should have gone to clown school and learned some juggling tricks!

When I say I am a lonely housewife I am speaking of the few hours just before bed time, my bed time. The kids are all in bed, the house is quiet the chores are for the most part done, dinner is cleaned up and nobody needs me. I'd love to just sit and talk about my day, and about the new things the kids did, but for some reason I have a hard time finding somebody that wants to do that with me. I need an ear......

Shannon is so consumed with homework right now, and his new job that I hate bothering him. When I do approach him with something to talk about, he doesn't blow me off, but I can tell that he is bogged down with a million, billion other things. I feel like my daily interests are just not that exciting, or important right now.

I am an individual with NEED to tell everything! (If your my facebook friend you definitely can tell I need an ear.)

I can vaguely remember this feeling about 4 years ago when I used to stay home. I remember having a pitty-party for myself every evening.

When I went to work, I didn't feel so lonely. I didn't feel the need to talk about stuff so much. Maybe I was just so tired by the end of the day I just didn't care. I also found that my interests were interesting to Shannon. I wonder if that is because they were about other adults??? I wonder if he could relate to them more???

I guess as time has gone by I have grown. I have learned that it isn't all about me. (Gasp, how could that be?) I don't have a pitty-party anymore, I just know this is how it is. Will I just get used to it?

At the end of the day, every mommy just wants somebody to sit and chat with about the adventures she has gone through.

Sigh......The lonley life of a Mom! (I'm not complaining, just explaining)

ps. I better not hear from one person "You should think about going back to work" I DO NOT need to get out of the house. I love that I am home and here for my family. I just wish they could be here for me a little bit more.

2010

Well, my last post was the first day of school, here I am and the school year is almost over. But, what a whirl wind of a school year it has been. We have tried new sports, successfully made it through a foot surgery, battled the awkwardness of Middle School, graduated college, reached "big girl" status, changed professions, painted the inside of a house, done our homework, studied for tests, caught up on laundry then lost it several times. We are in the middle of raising 2 teenage boys and two girls, 7 and 10 going on their early 20's, raising a litter of kittens and praying for a grandma who has been diagnosed withe the early stages of breast cancer, and working really hard on not loosing the small ounce of sanity that we (me) are still holding on to.



I've been keeping myself very busy with taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, and trying to get out of my part time job. Finally I have succeeded at one of those things.



My job started out as a 3 day a week deal, I knocked it down to 2 days a week, and after a lot of piles of laundry, dirty toilets, and no dinners on the table at night I have finally convinced my budget that I can no longer work outside of the house. I can say, with alot of joy, this is going to be my last week of work!!!



My kids have all grown so much this school year. Codi is working on escaping the awkwardness of middle school. High School next year! That is just too weird. My mom's neighbor mentioned to me that my kids are all growing up so fast. My reply was "I can't believe my oldest will be in High School next year". That was the first time i verbalized it, and just as the words came out of my mouth the words paralyzed me. "A kid in High School". WOW!!!



Rich....well let's just say there isn't enough time in the world for me to write about his changes. I will try to get through this one without tearing up and ruining my keyboard. The most common words that I hear myself thinking are "Where did my little Richie go?" He has grown and matured so much this year, mustache and all! Yes I said it.....mustache.....we like to call it his Pedro stash! He hates it, but honestly I don't even see it when I look at him any more. It doesn't stick out like a neon sign on his face.....anymore. Something else that Rich has gained is INDEPENDENCE. Well, sort of. When my little boy started Middle School, he had his KCS friends. All really good kids, all from really good families. It was safe, it was familiar, and I heard all about the going on's of the day. Slowly this group of friends has deteriorated down to obsolete. He now has new friends. I only know who one kid is, and barely know this kids family. I hear they are all good kids...and of course I stalk their facebook's to make sure, gotta love that fb! I don't hear a word about what goes on at school anymore. When I ask, I get a "It was cool". I'm told he has a girlfriend, and he swears this girl is just a friend. (crossing my fingers he's telling the truth) Although Rich has gone through so many changes and shifts in his personality I can still say that I love the person he is. He is still so much fun to be around, and when it's just the two of us we can still laugh and carry on like we do. We still have tons of "inside jokes" such as "ja-panies", and "two ticket'ers". But I'd still like to hear about what goes on during his day. I've been told he will come back around the age of 20. So I sit and wait.........



Linsey has also traveled leaps and bounds! She had such a challenging year last year. We discovered that she had a learning disability, something we assumed, but she was just too young to test. Her teachers last year weren't the best for her, so her grades suffered A LOT. Her spirit went down the drain with her grades. But I must say, she has pulled herself out of that drain with a vengeance!!! She had the best teacher in the world this year who has cared about her like she was family......well, she was, but this is just what Linsey needed! My mom has done great things with Linsey this year. She has almost received Honor Roll twice, she gets Citizenship award every quarter, and she just smiles more. What more could a parent want? Smiles are much needed for the soul!



Miss Mia.........not my baby anymore. Definitely not my baby any more. She is in full blown "girl" action! Independent, spunky, opinionated, in charge and in control! i must say, my little girl has become a great humanitarium. She started a charity called: Mia Helps, and collected money to feed poor people. She raised over $300.00 and donated it all to the Kerman Food Bank. A very proud moment for her Father and I. When there is a spider she begs me to not kill it becasue it "isn't hurting anybody" God help me when this child learn about recycling and going green. I seriously wouldn't be suprised if Mia becomes a vegetarian when she is older. (and not becasue she doesn't like how meat taste) I might even have a grandchild from Ethopia one day.......just sayin, nothing with this child suprises me. When Mia has her mind set.....it is set. We have tried some different things with her this year. We are trying to get her moving around, and busy. You see, if being a couch potato was a Olympic sport we could safely say that Mia has been in training since she was 2. So, I signed her up for gymnastics, she loved it, I signed her up for soft ball.......not so much. She also wanted to do swimming (something I would have never guessed to put her in) and she LOVES it! It has been a lot of fun trying out new things with her.

I am really excited for this summer. I will be home with my kids.....every day! There will be a lot of sleeping in, day trips to the beach, late nights, and Popsicles! I think Mr. Fix it will visit us throughout the summer as well. I have so many unfinished projects laying around the house.

2010 has definitely brought this household a lot of changes, but so far the changes have been for the better.

I am really excited to see what is in store for us in the future.........

First day of school, and lots of tears and worries!

The last time I blogged was July 5! Oops, I guess I can blame writers block, but really it was laziness. Since July 5th not much has happened. Codi and Linsey spend a few weeks at their mom's house which allowed me some special alone time with Rich and Mia. I always cherish my alone time, but it's weird. The house is quiet, which is great, the kids don't argue, which is great, the food is cheaper, which is great, the laundry is less, which is great......but we get bored. All that noise, and food, and laundry is what makes us, US!

Today the kids went back to school.

Right now I'm going crazy. I'm so bored. I can't wait until sending the kids to school, and me being home alone becomes normal again. All I can think about is, What is Rich doing right now? I sent him to 7th grade. I feel like I sent him into a pack of wolves! When I dropped him and Codi off I cried. I did the same thing last year when Codi started 7th grade. Why is it so hard for me to send my kids to 7th grade?


There they go.....all grown up. This image won't leave my mind. I still have the image of Codi be-boppin off to 7th grade last year. I literally mean be-boppin.....he was such a little boy, and when he came out that day, he was struttin his stuff. I think something happens in that first day of Jr. High. I think during that short 7 hours of school something inside clicks and all of a sudden the world is different. I'm having a really hard time with this. My "wittle wichie" (that's what he called himself when he was 2, he also said he was goin got marry me because he didn't want me to be alone. But he did say he would marry me "when he gets big") is now Rich! How did this happen? This little boy that lined Hot wheels up in a row, and would spend hours building with Lego's and Kenex now does things like chat on the computer, sleep till noon, mows the lawn, and talks about his future.

Now my little Mia.......1st grade! She was so happy to get back to school. She was nervous last night. She didn't know how it would be to sit in a desk with no circle time. She was afraid the 2nd graders in her class would be mean to the 1st graders. But when we got to her class, as I was taking her picture the recess bell rang. She said "Hurry, take the picture. I want to go play" I barely got a good bye kiss. She ran off, and never missed a beat. It's like the summer never happened.

She has grown into the greatest person ever. I love to hang out with her. I love to talk with her about stuff. She is so in tune with life around her, and her understanding level is so great! She has a kind heart, and a free spirit. She is one of the most secure people I know she loves her long hair and it's red color, she loves her freckles, and she loves her fair skin (she says it's pink). I hope she stays this way forever. I can't wait to hear about her day. I bet I will get details unlike Rich. He will say "good" that's it!

She's so cute!

So it's 1:30, and I'm bored. I keep thinking about the kids. I can't seem to get anything done today. I have a few loads of laundry and some picking up, but I'd rather sit here and drive myself crazy, I guess.

I'll do all that stuff later.................

Good luck kids on your first day of school. I hope it goes great for you because it's traumatizing your mother!!!

Codi, 8th grade

Rich, 7th grade

Linsey, 4th grade

Mia, 1st grade