Spring Break Takes

1. Spring break began on a Thursday. The kids and I relaxed at home and I finished up a class that night. The next day, we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and my parents arrived in town that afternoon.

2. We had a free room from a hotel voucher and Adam wanted to use it for his birthday. Honestly, I would have said no except, you know, his birthday so his call. It was right near his office, 20 minutes up the road and, in my opinion, not worth the energy to pack, unpack, etc. It was a very nice hotel and I would certainly stay in one when and if we traveled but for 20 minutes up the road? Eh.

3. We had dinner at a Sushi restaurant and it was really good! I had the Godzilla rolls just so I could tell the kids I ate Godzilla! We poked around a few shops and I found Star Wars pancake molds at Williams Sonoma for $5! The kids are going to be so excited!

4. My four year old is super interested in birds now so I found a downloadable pattern on line to make a stuffed bird. I have been making birds out the wazoo for two weeks now. Everyone wants a stuffed bird! Since I have my machine out, I'm also making myself a dress using a thrift store dress and a little bag for my bird-boy.

5. Speaking of my bird-boy, I'm making him a little bag to carry his bird watching books in, binoculars and I found a shirt on Zulily with real birds on it. He informed he wants one with real birds, not Angry Birds or anything else. Do you know how hard it is to find a cute bird shirt for BOYS?

6. Spring break is... interesting. As much as I was looking forward to being off work and sitting around, I was reminded- rudely, rather- that my children do NOT do relaxing. They will watch TV or whine the whooooole time. Not cool. And they days they didn't want to do anything? It was sunny. The days they wanted to go to the zoo? Rain. UGH.

7. Summer camp sign ups began this week. Guess where you are going, kids? I'm kidding... but swim team, VBS and science camp sign ups begin soon! Our summer won't be packed but they will be busy!

Quick Takes Friday: John the Baptist and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

1. I teach kindergarten CCD once a week. (Note: Never again. Never, ever, ever again.) When they first come into the room, I have a children's bulletin with coloring activities at every spot. They work on this for a bit before our story. This week it was about John the Baptist and it had a picture of him baptizing people in the river; the kids were supposed to find the differences between two pictures.

One little boy was confused as to why John was drowning people. I quickly explained full-immersion baptism, which the kids probably haven't seen. (It's clear the children all attend Mass but our parish doesn't do full-immersion baptisms.) The group thought for a moment and then someone's eyes lit up and he said, "Oh! Like when you dump a bucket of ice on someone's head?"

It took everything in me to not burst into hysterical laughter. I mean, great connection, right? But how hysterical would it be to baptize people via the ALS ice bucket challenge?

2. George began piano last month. He likes it and is doing very well. We finally went and got him a keyboard. He practices frequently, much more than a certain older brother of his. (I'm looking at you, Joe.) Of course, this creates draaaammmma because Cole is not taking piano lessons. Cole likes to go up to the keyboard, turn it off and scream, "I DO PEE-ANO TOO!"

Keep in mind, Cole takes preschool music classes at the same place George takes piano and Joe has cello lessons!

3. Camille now wants to take piano. It's official; I coach swimming so my kids can take music lessons.

4. Speaking of swimming. I have four weeks off until the next session begins. This is working out well, since both boys have recitals, Joe has a strings concert and its generally just a busy season for us. I may pick up some hours here and there but I'm off for awhile.

5. My older two kids have several sticks of deodorant each. Cole has been swiping one and applying it. My four year old now smells like a tween boy who is having a love affair with Axe.

6. I think we over bought for Christmas- again. At least I can put some of Camille's away for her birthday.

7. I got to read a short story a friend wrote and helped her brainstorm the title. It was really fun to talk shop with a REAL writer- she's published! You bet I will pimp her story out when it goes live.

hop over to Jen's for more quick takes!

Quick Takes Friday: Gettin' Old and Funerals

1. So my hairdresser said she didn't see any grey hairs last night. Now, she has no reason to lie to me because she would make MORE money off me if I was gettin' grey. I should rejoice, right? No because YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? My eyesight is going! I'm as blind as an eyeless bat so it's not like I have sight TO LOOSE.

Geez.

2. Our church called today and asked if Joseph would be an Alter Server at a funeral tomorrow. He's already serving the daily Mass before that, so I said yes. He's fine with it. I'm not sure if I should be like, "Yay, Joe! They think you're good enough to serve at a funeral!" or be all, "that's sad," because, um, funeral.

3. Yep, one of our kiddos is an Alter Server. You have to be in the fifth grade to be one. Camille is bummed but it will be her turn soon.

4. Ninja Alter Server Picture:

Taking "defending the faith" to a whole new level.

5. The adorable Elf on the Shelf:

If this kid doesn't come up with a decent Halloween costume idea, I'm sticking his red sweater on him, red sweat pants and sending him as the Elf on the Shelf. He picked out the color and yarn and my mom made the sweater. It just happens that he look HILARIOUSLY like the Elf!

6. Fall finally arrived, weather wise. I have not, however, had a pumpkin spice latte. That is just sad.

7. The official Mockingjay trailer is out in a few days and I am DYING. Can't wait!

Quick Takes Friday: Birthday, blog, and school

1. Okay, yeah, so I couldn't come up with another "b" word. Anyway, I had my birthday on Saturday. I found a great deal on tickets for the local LEGO discovery zone and we took the kids. We had a great time! All of them did really well and there was only one meltdown, at the end. They took me to a diner for lunch and I had fantastic pie. Summer is here, complete with three-digit degree days so there was no way I was baking myself a cake; besides, you can't go to a real short-order diner without getting pie, can you?

2. That same night we had a neighborhood party at our local pool AND the new season of Doctor Who began. Yes, yes I did get the Doctor for my birthday. Envious? :) I really liked the show especially because Lady Vestra, Strax and Jenny are in it.

3. You know what would be cool? A Doctor Who and Call the Midwife! cross-over with Lady Vestra and Jenny hanging out with Sister Monica Joan and Strax helping the nurses catch babies. "I will now dissolve the mother in acid! Er, I will NOT dissolve the mother in acid!" It's brilliant, no? I should totally work for BBC. ;)

4. On Monday I told our doctor that Joseph and George were handling the transition back to school the best. Of course, the kids then made liars out of me and George had a two day long meltdown. Cole is still a grumpy butt but Camille is getting much better.

5. Cole is partially grumpy because he and I have allergies or a cold. I'm not sure which so I am doping myself with allergy meds. He actually missed school Tuesday because he was so grumpy and tired. I wasn't sure if it was allergies, so he hung out with George and me in the afternoon.

6. I know I need to update more but I do most of my writing while the kids are in activities or in speech. The speech office is the black hole of WiFi and I can't get internet access. I work on other writing projects but it stinks to not blog when I have time to do so!

7. Speaking of blogging, I have a new blog devoted to writing. Check it out!

Quick Takes Friday: The First Day

1.

The first day of school began like this:

 

 

 

Joseph- 5th grade and not amused by the photos. He ditched us shortly after

Camille- third. She has the same teacher Joe had in second grade and is super excited.

George- kindergarten

Cole- last year of preschool!

 

2.

George tried to ditch me right away. I told him mommies stay for a few minutes the first day. He ended up kicking me out after ten minutes, which was fine because I had a preschool meeting to attend.

 



 

3.

When I picked him up, we went to CFA for lunch and then ran an errand. He told me all about "Pete the Cat." Since he can't say "Pete" I had no clue what he was talking about aside from a stuffed cat who had shoes and they colored their own shoes. His teacher sent me a photo of them with Pete and then his SLP said, "Oh, those are cool books!" Whew! But, apparently, he loved the story since he could tell me all the details!

 

4.

His teacher told me that when they introduced themselves he said, "Well, you may not be able to understand me but my name is George." It comes out "Forfe." He didn't seem too bothered by the fact that some people may not understand him, which is good.

 

5.

I met Cole's new SLP at school but have not hunted down the K-5 SLP. I've met her but I need to make sure all the paperwork is in so she can talk to our private SLP. I may also need to ask her IEP questions but I probably shouldn't harass her too much the first few days! ;) Then again, we're going to be working together for the next five years, or more, so she might as well get used to me!

 

6.

There's a new school nurse. The school year is just beginning so we haven't chatted much. Our paperwork should all be finished so I hope I don't have to talk to her about vaccines. Cole had an allergic reaction to vaccines so he's behind. I doubt I will get him the flu shot either, since that's one he had a reaction to. I don't mind explaining to people WHY he is behind but it gets old having to "justify" why we don't want to give something to our kid that he is allergic to!

 

7.

After a good first day at school, there were epic meltdowns last night. No, I wasn't one of them. The middle two were overwhelmed and over-tired, which led to tears and a refusal to go to bed. We finally got them down and life seems much better today... they were ready to leave for school 45 minutes early!

 

 

The Rain in Spain Falls No More (Quick Takes Friday)

1. Please note the completely random Doctor Who reference in the title. "Gallifrey Falls No More!"

2. In other words, Adam's home! I was awake reading last night when he came in around 11 pm. He unpacked to show me what he brought the children: fun coffee mugs and chocolate! I asked him to bring home candy they are familiar with but from Spain so they could taste the differences in candies made for different countries. They had chocolate for breakfast and milk in their new mugs and are completely happy to have Daddy home.

3. He didn't find anything with my last name on it, nor did he get to play tourist. They pulled 13+ hours days in Spain and he only got to go to the beach at his beach front hotel once. I honestly feel bad for him!

4. He also said that they put butter on all the seafood. Like, big giant pats of butter. Cole would be in butter-hog heaven.

5. I think Adam single-handily discouraged people from coming to America, although it wasn't intentional. Apparently, he was chatting with his Spanish co-workers and they were talking about where they go on holiday (vacation). They asked him what Americans do on their month-long holiday and were down-right shocked when he told them we don't get month long paid holidays.
"How many paid days do you get off?" they asked and he counted on his fingers, "about six."

"The government only gives you six paid days off?" they asked in shock.

"Well, it varies. Some employees of the government get a few more but most of us get back six major days off- New Years, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Labor Day- holidays like that."

And, of course, our family doesn't vacation or holiday in any sense of the word and, yes, I will be bitter about that. ;)

6. I've flown international or very long distances lots of time but never business class. Adam brought home all sorts of stuff from business class: travel bags filled with toothbrushes and tooth paste, face creams, and even a little bag of samples of French lotion. He always brings home the soaps and things from the hotel (my favorite hand cream is actually from a hotel chain and he hoards it for me when he stays in that chain) and we use them in "I ran out of soap!" emergencies or for guests.

7. You know who else is happy to have Adam home? THE DOG. I am happy Adam is home to take care of Sir EscapesAlot. Higgins has been full of something this week and he needs a nice, long, long, LONG walk!

Quick Takes Friday: Harry, Hunger, FanGirl moments and, oh yeah, the kids

1. Seriously. Huge Hunger Games fan here. I adore the whole thing. I was so late to the party but I am totally into it now and cannot wait for Mockingjay: Part One to be released the day after George's birthday! (I love you kid but I am going to be in line the moment that theater opens.) I especially love how they are promoting the movie. The propaganda is so in line with the books! I am so picky about my book-to-movie adaptions and these have been really, really well done. Better than the first Harry Potter movies and defiantly better than Percy Jackson. (Please, Hollywood, never ever let Chris Columbus near a children's book to movie script. Please.)

photo credit: here

Click here to see what President Snow has to say about Unity.

2. Speaking of THG and HP, how did the internet not blow up with sheer awesomeness when this happened?

3. Is it wrong that I am re-considering a bob based off J-Law's (oh, yeah, I went there) haircut? I had one before and grew it out. Maybe it is time to reconsider that again.

4. Memo to self: You are a 35 year old, overweight housewife and mother of four who lives in the midwest. Stop trying to be cool.

5. Okay, adorable things my kids have said:

Cole: I hungee!
Me: What do you want to eat?
Cole: ummm (thinks hard) Food!

***
George: Cole, haven't you been wanting to swim underwater YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!

***
Me, sitting at the head of the table: I feel like the lady and mistress of the table! I am in charge!
Joe: And that's why the table at blahblahblah peace talks was round!

And, no, it wasn't a King Arthur or Knights of the Round table reference.

6. Okay, fangirl moment again: You can read JK Rowling's new short story about the Harry Potter characters here. I admit that I loved it. Harry is supposed to be my age, so it was cool to see an update on "Dad-Harry" not "Boy-Wizard-Harry."

7. Bombshell moment: I went way out of my comfort zone and offered myself as tribute, I mean for consideration for a potential coaching position. Long story, weird story but there we go. Maybe this year will be the one where I go all ballsy into life?

You know the drill: Go to Conversion Diary and have your own fandom moments with Jen!

Quick Takes Friday: Someone explain the Trinity to my kid

1. The other day, Camille snuggled up against me in bed and said, "Mom, who is Jesus's mommy?"

"Mary," I said.

"No, JESUS'S mom!"

"Um, MARY."

"No, Mary is the Mother of GOD. Who is the mother of JESUS?"

Oh. I explained that Jesus is GOD and the Holy Spirit- the Three in One. It was hard to explain and I really bumbled through it. Afterwards, she looked thoughtful and then said, "Does God have a wife? Is Mary His Wife?"

Uhhhh.... hey, kids! Let's ask the priest!

2. I'm having another "Damn, I adore our community" moment. Our parish is not without its faults but the VBS program this year is awe-some. It's Cat-Chat, so SUPER CATHOLIC. The newsletter that comes home talks about how they taught the children that the Eucharist is the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus. I know, I know I shouldn't be surprised that a Catholic Church is teaching Catholic stuff to our young children... but you would be surprised at the things that sometimes go on. In our little souless suburb, we have nice conservative parish and I am so thankful for that!

3. For the past few days, I have been writing, cleaning and watching the TV I want to watch. Monday it was "The Hunger Games." Tuesday, "The King's Speech." I had forgotten how awesome that movie is. I need to menu plan and get some little ducks in a row too but it is so nice to do that in peace and quiet, knowing no one is destroying something.

4. It was raining Monday and Tuesday so I suggested the kids get out the board games. Bad idea. They love Sorry! and I hate that stupid game. Hate. it. It's so boring and you have to wait forever for the game to really start. Then when it does, they use the "sorry" cards to harass each other. It always ends with yelling, tears and bloodshed. No, thanks.

5. I read The Fault in Our Stars. It is a very well written book. It's short but not a quick or mindless read. And it left me both uplifted AND depressed. I do recommend it, but I think every book should be sold with a box of tissues and chocolate.

6. Some Surf for you:
35 Things You Learn from being a Lifeguard

Black Dog Days: How to deal with depression- A Catholic view of mental illness

7. And last but not least: I am pleased to announce the birth of Rainbow Doodle, my newest nephew. He was born at a healthy and respectable 39 weeks and is a giant chunk with fat kissable cheeks and black hair. I cannot wait to get my hands on him and smell him!

Quick Takes Friday: The end of the school year

1. This week I had to drive to four different drug stores and call three others to see if they have a medication one of my children needs. It seems like a first world problem, as this medication is not necessary to life but it is to our quality of life. I kinda felt like a drug addict going to all these places, asking if they had the medication in stock. Thankfully, everyone was super nice and I received wonderful customer service. In a stroke of luck, our Wal Mart has the medication so I don't have to drive to another town like I did last time.
2. I'm being a suburban rebel again and hanging most of our laundry out to dry. I love seeing our clothes on a line, flapping in the breeze. Not only does it keep the house a touch cooler but I think sun and wind help with the "funk" our towels can sometimes hang onto and the "tween boy smell."
   I did promise Adam and the kids that I would not line dry his work clothes, socks or underwear. I also don't dry most kitchen towels in the sun, simply because they take up space on our one clothes line. I might start having the little boys drape the towels over the railings on the porch this summer, though. It seems like a good chore for a four and five year old.
3. School is out today at 11:15. We're kicking off summer with a bang! We are going to party it up with some friends and then Camille has a belt test at night.  The boys have their first t-ball game Saturday and we have our pool opening party that night.
4. I prepared for the summer by stocking up on food. My friend hashtags posts like this as "it's a feed them fund, not a college fund." Heh. She's right. Kids can EAT.
5. I may or may not have bribed the children into doing school work over the summer with a trip to a local water park. Is it wrong that I fit their education in with exercise? Maybe?
6. Speaking of reading, Joseph, Camille and I are going to read 10 books each this summer. So far, I am beating them, as I already finished "Something Other Than God." Joe is in the middle of reading a book about Greek myths. Camille hasn't found one she wants to read yet.
7. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers this weekend, as I am heading to a nursing home to bring them Communion. I am terrified I will do or say something wrong!

Head over to Jen's at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

Quick Takes Friday: Summer is almost here

1. George had his preschool graduation this week. Adam and I are so not "graduation ceremonies for ALL THE GRADES" type people but this one is special for George. He's leaving the safety of the preschool where he has been for three years for the wilds of kindergarten. I know and trust and adore the kindergarten teachers but... sniff.

When I think back to where he was and where he is now... wow. At his first program for preschool (Christmas 2011) he sat there and refused to sing. He wouldn't do the hand movements. He cried when I came. This time, he sang with his class, talked out of turn, danced and had a great time. In short, he acted like a ... normal?... five year old. Whoa.

2. If I thought April was a busy month for us, it has nothing on May. There are end of the year forms to fill out, fees to pay. I need to make sure everyone is enrolled for school in the fall. I'm checking shoes and buying sneakers. (Thank you, Zulily, for having the one thing I can't get as hand-me-downs for cheap!) The kids are signed up for various camps and I need to pay for VBS. Oh, and do I have end of the year teacher gifts? (No. No I do not.)

3. Cole: Mommy, I want pop-scile.
Me: You can have a Popsicle after school, buddy.
Cole: But my school over!

He had a point and his school was indeed over for the day... so he got a Popsicle.

4. Adam and I went to a baseball game Tuesday. His work provided free tickets, loaded with x amount of money for food. I go to games for the food and to hang out with Adam. I also refuse to go during the summer. I like baseball well enough but not enough to sit in hot stands and swelter. We had nachos and hamburgers and all sorts of goodies. A nice man who was in town for a conference sat behind us and we talked about kids, IEPs, the difference between where we live and Southern accents. The guy lives in the one place where we would move to if Adam changed jobs within his field. I really hope he wasn't put in our lives because God is planning for us to move!

5. The kids have a three day weekend and then 3.5 days of school.  No, it doesn't make sense.

6. I am looking forward to the long weekend. We're getting into a good swing around here. Adam has some car and yard work to do. We're headed to a friends house for dinner one night. It reminded me that we may be able to try and entertain again. We like to have friends over but the kids have prevented that. Maybe I have the guts to try?

7. Let's Surf, shall we?
10 Things Moms of Boys Must Do- Read this if you have a male in your life. It's awesome and so true!

As Long as It's Healthy...- Let's not make health a condition of loving someone. I would also like to add that just because you have a baby without any additional needs at birth doesn't mean it will stay that way. It's a fallible world. Kids get sick, they get cancer, they have delays and disorders. I don't love my kids any less because they have additional needs. Would you? No? Then why your fetus?

What is Apraxia and Why Should You Care?- One of the best articles I have read on CAS.

Quick Takes Friday: Boom and Book and baby horsies

1. Want to know how to blow your four year old's mind? Make sure he is obsessed with Monster Trucks and then take him to see a REAL "car boom" and its driver. A new tire store is opening near us and for their grand opening, they have bounce houses and a real monster truck that will crush cars. Between the Strom Troopers and this, I think we have made Cole's month.

2. The end of the school year is approaching which means Adam and I are slacking off as parents. In the middle of all the concerts and tournaments, we keep forgetting to check homework folders. Sigh.

3. Remember the rustic cross cake? Yeah, I failed on Joe's birthday cake too! I can make a decent cake- like the blocks for Cole's first birthday or all those cake molds over the years. All Joe wanted was a simple round cake with M and M's in the middle, so when you cut into it, the M and Ms would spill out. First, the cake didn't want to come out of the pan. Then it didn't want to be frosted and completely collapsed. I joked that, given our penchant for Percy Jackson stories, I should just say that it is a Camp Half-Blood cake and Tyson the Cyclopes sat on it.

4. Thankfully, a friend came to the rescue and made an awesome cake with a Jayhawk on it. It looks perfect and Joe loves it. The sat-on cake went with Adam to work.

5. I have spent way too much time this week staring at a horse's butt. A friend posted a link to Stormy Watch and I have been checking the webcam for updates. Before I was born, my parents bred a friends' horse, and we all rode at one point in our lives, so I know a little about horses. My mom is now hooked too and we've been chatting about Stormy and her impending baby.

6. Tonight I should have three extra ten year old boys in my house. This is why I am doing laundry but not mopping.

7. Speaking of books, Joseph, Camille and I have vowed to read ten books each this summer. I am keeping track of my 2014 reads on Goodreads but we'll have an ongoing list on the wall for our summer reading. I'm almost done with the Heroes of Olympus seris and Joe needs to start it. After that, I have a stack on my nightstand but Joe needs a seris to read. Any bets that I can get him hooked to Harry Potter???

Quick Takes Friday

1. Why is it that I can think of Quick Takes all week long but when Friday, or Thursday night, comes, I have a brain cramp?

2. Remember how I said that April 13th is a lucky day in our family? Well, ten minutes before I left for Mass on Sunday my sister called to tell me that her best friend had a baby girl... on April 13th. What are the odds? All the babies came on their own- no inductions or c/s. One was 15 weeks early and one was two weeks late. Joseph was even a smidgen early at 37 weeks but he was the only one due in April. Even the April 13th wedding wasn't planned- they eloped!

3. God seems to be in the process of answering a huge prayer. On Monday, I learned that the Catechsis of the Good Shepard program might be coming to our parish. I will blog more about it but I was blown away when I talked to the director. Blown. Away.

4. Sunday, our community was hit with a terrible tragedy. There was a shooting at our local Jewish Community Center. A teenager who attends the high school close to us was killed. In the days that have followed, I have been so impressed with our community- the schools, the staff, the young people. My kids are growing up surrounded by some wonderful people.

5. And, yes, those are spoilers for the next week!

6. I didn't make it to Holy Thursday Mass. Adam was gone and got home right as Mass was beginning. Even though my mom was here, I was exhausted and fell asleep early. I feel bad for Adam but his travel schedule is hard on me too!

7.  In super awesome news, Camille's reading is really picking up. I hope to have another reader on my hands this summer!

You know the drill- head over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes.

Quick Takes Friday: IEP, Lent and a FAIL

1. I needed to be reminded of this: 

"We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials." -- St. Teresa of Avila

It could be debated how close I am to Christ (as I grumpily told my therapist, God and I are NOT BFFs right now) but that brought me comfort.

2. And this: Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.” 

― Fulton J. Sheen

I think I'm in the middle of Good Friday. Not that what I am going through is close to being alone, denied by your friends, beaten and nailed to a cross for the sake of humankind... but hey! 

3. On a less serious note, Cole's teacher caught me during carpool to tell me that she didn't write any academic IEP goals because... he doesn't need them! He is doing so well and is beyond where they expect typical peers to be! Yay Bear!

4. Tonight at dinner, Camille said, "My friend told me that when you reach forty, your life is HALF OVER!" Considering we turn 35 this year, we were not amused. Joseph was smart enough to not laugh.

5. In other news, we now have only three children.... *wink*

6. I am pretty sure Purgatory might be a giant Pine Wood Derby. My kids are in Adventure Guides with my husband and they too have a pine wood derby. This year we borrowed the boy scouts track so it was more "official" with light up signs telling us who won and a computer system. Man, those Boy Scouts take their little wooden car racing seriously. We got there at nine and did not leave until 12:30. It was . . . long. And official. As usual, Joseph made it to the semi finals and Camille pooped out in the first round. She shed many tears and Adam and I are baffled as to why she always looses and he always wins.

7. Catholic parenting fail: Giving your kids lunch money on a Friday in Lent without checking the menu. The kids had a choice of meat pizza or hamburgers. Ops.

Quick Takes Friday: River Song, Baby Wearing and the Rainforest

1. I'm over at Natural Parents Network today, talking about saying good-bye to my baby wearing years. My Ergo has sat neglected in my closet for too long and it is time for my cousin and her daughter to enjoy it. Read about my emotions in Saying Good-Bye to Baby Wearing. 

2.I realized yesterday that Ash Wednesday is coming up, um, soon. I have lots of thoughts on that, which you can read about tomorrow. I'd tell you more but in the wise words of River Song:

3.  Did I just win Quick Takes Friday with that meme? Because I think I did!

4. Cole starts speech next week with out private SLP. We get a ten percent discount because we have two kids going there. Wheeee! As a result of this increased bill, I am sitting here, surrounded by grant application paperwork. A small rainforest has died to find my boys a voice.

5.  But maybe if they find their voice, they can use it to SAVE the rainforest! Will that make it okay, then?

6. This weekend has been dubbed "birthday party weekend" at our house. Cole was invited to his first friend birthday! Camille has a party to go to also. They are so excited! Joe isn't left out, though, as he is going to one in two weeks and George had a party to go to last week. We don't mind, as we are so happy our children have friends who want them to come to celebrate their special days.

7. The little boys have been walking around the house with swords down the backs of their shirts. They tell me they are Power Rangers and refuse to go anywhere without their toy swords. I'm not sure what bad guys were going to show up at their sister's school performance but, if there were, they were prepared!.

Quick Takes Friday: Snowy Days

1. We've had a rough few weeks with some of our kids. Really rough. The kind of rough that left my anxiety on edge and me wondering how I had failed at life or parenting or whatnot to have this happen to me or the children. I really felt like I had done nothing right.

Today two different people told me how nice and polite and helpful my children are. One was my sons TKD teacher, who praised George for helping his little brother. She then praised Cole for all the hard work and effort he is putting into TKD. Our eye doctor told me Camille was polite, kind and did everything she asked her.

I know there are differing opinion about praising children or parenting but if you see a kid doing something kind or behaving really well, tell them. Tell the parents. You never know what kind of a pick me up that might be to them.

2. Speaking of my eye doctor, they have this cool new machine that scans your eyeball and takes a picture of it. The doctor can then look at the picture and check my eye for any degeneration or detachment. (I am so nearsighted it's silly. I couldn't read a book if it was literally held in front of me.)

This means that, barring any medically indicated problems, I no longer have to have my eye dilated! This makes me so happy!  No big ugly paper sunglasses! No double vision! No headaches from the sun! YAY@

3. We had three snow days off from school. One or two of those days were because it was too dangerous to drive, either due to the roads or the active snowing/blowing of snow. The other was because it was too cold.

My kids were out in the yard playing in the snow when it was too cold for them to walk from my heated car to the heated school. Due to the demographics of the area, most kids do not wait at a bus stop. I am not allowed to get started on the "too cold" nonsense or my BP will rise.

4. With three days off, my kids did alot of crafting. Cami got started on a project for school. They all made Valentine's boxes and we watched alot of movies.

5. I drank a whole lotta wine too. Kidding! We had a fairly relaxed few days. When the highways were clear, we went to the mall and were some of the few people there. Stores were even closed! I also took the kids to McDonald's where they played their hearts out.

6. Camille and Adam are going to their first Daddy-Daughter Dance this weekend! I am so excited for them!

7. Hopefully we will be back on track and in school next week! I have no big plans for Valentine's Day. I should get on that, right?

Quick Takes Saturday

1. I'm sitting here, eating popcorn, in a house that is quiet. Adam has taken the kids grocery shopping by himself. God love the man!

2. Adam and the two big ones are going to a swim party for an Adventure Guides group they belong too. George is beside himself so I insanely promised to take him swimming at our gym. It's January in the midwest! Brrrr.

3. The kids are into Doctor Who with us. I love it because we can watch most of the shows together and it's not some kiddie show. We still watch an insane amount of Jake and the NeverLand Pirates or Mickey Mouse but Doctor Who is fun too. My favorites are the ones where they go back in time and find aliens. I mean, aliens in outer space is fairly predictable. Aliens in Elizabethan England? Well, that's different.

4.  Cole has informed me that his favorite characters are Darth Vader and the Daleks. I'm never going to introduce him to Harry Potter or he might fall in love with Lord Voldemort!

5. Today, we had this conversation:
Me: Cole, where are your Darth Vader shoes?
C: I no have Darth Vader shoes!
Me: The red ones. Where are they.
C: Darth Vader black! He not red!
Me: Fine! The Darth MAUL shoes. Where are they?
C: Oh. I don't know.

6. And this one:

Cole: Doctor kill Daleks.

Me: He killed the Daleks.

C: Yeah! Two.

Adam: How many are left now?

C: One!

Me: Well, that's a fairly accurate summary of the show!

7. We're getting ready for a big day Monday. Our baby girl turns EIGHT!

Quick Takes Friday: Well, that's a start!

It's been a crazy start to 2014 but a GOOD crazy start!

1.

Last night, the phone rang as I was putting Cole to bed. Adam answered and it was Thirty-One, the direct sales company I work for. I've been promoted to Senior Consultant! That means that I have several people below me, they've all qualified (sold a certain amount) and are active. I still have to sell x amount of product in a certain time period but I get overrides. Go me! Go my team!

2.

Cole and George are refusing haircuts. REFUSING. Nothing will convince them to let me trim it, including, "If you don't cut your hair, we will have to wash it more often and put gel in it." Nope. The other day, Cole's curls were looking especially adorable and he was being onery. We've decided that his hair is like Samson's: it's his adorableness and keep us from selling him to the zoo!

3.

I finally got my watch fixed. FINALLY. After a year. Not complaining; I love it!

4.

Camille's 8th birthday is coming up. Eight. Holy moly, she's getting big! The "loose tooth" thing has slowed down and she now has more teeth IN her head than OUT. Her hair is getting long and her sense of style is... Camille. We're planning her birthday party this weekend. She wants a snowman themed party and I spill all the details shortly!

5.

My oldest has been giving us grief about homework lately. His teacher and I are working with him on it. I don't think he realizes that life would be so much simpler if he just did his work in school!

6.

I went to the post office before Christmas and have been dragging my feet about going back ever since then. Mailing packages is my least favorite activity ever! I think all post offices are located in the most inconvenient spots and strive to have the worst parking. They have less employees manning the desk than Wal-Mart during the post-school rush. It's so frustrating!

7. 

The kids have only missed one day of school this week. My friends a few hours away haven't had school at all this week! I imagine they are going insane!

Quick Takes Friday: This week

1. Whoa. Dude. This week, man, this week.

It all began when Adam left for New Orleans Sunday night. He had a traning to go to. My mother-in-law said the week would go by fast but I just shot her a dirty look. A week, alone, with four kids in 2013? Oh, no. Nothing was going to go fast.

I was right.It dragged and in more ways than one.

2. Aside from the general crazy life, things went fine. George and I took off for Aldi. He's pretty good about not wanting wheat products, aside form bread. I am going to try and make him a good allergen free bread this weekend. He misses his toast. I am so thankful our Aldi has almond milk and I can get a variety of fruits and veggies there. They even have gluten free chex! I'm still working on what has cross contamination and what doesn't, so for now I am doing my best when it comes to labels.

3. George has eaten alot of hot dogs, peanut butter and apples and some rice this week. However, I did manage GF EF DF chicken fingers that the kids ate. I will blog about those soon!

4. Come about Tuesday or Wends, I started feeling REALLY bad. My teeth hurt. They had been hurting for a few days but it was worse and the pain was moving around. I made an appointment with my chiropractor but then I couldn't eat. My internet friends (whom I asked- not like I could leave the house!) told me to go to the dentist. I wasn't sure it was a dental problem but 48 hours without proper food was making me grumpy.

5. I called the dentist first thing in the morning. My status said, "Taking two kids to the dentist. It's like hell frosted in hell." Only- they were perfect little angels. Stayed in the waiting room and played nicely while I had x-rays.

6. It turns out I have a sinus infection. As my prize, I got ten days of antibiotics. I think the last time I took them, I had mastitis with Cole so I am not too fussed. I got adjusted and feel better, although still tired. I didn't think I was having problems breathing, but once I was adjusted, I realized I was.

7. In addition to the sinus problems, kids missing Daddy, the DOG missing Daddy, we got an ice storm the same day water poured out of my washing machine. I might had had a small snit fit. Thankfully, Adam got home on time, fixed the washing machine and got me ice cream. I'm going to sleep until Sunday...

Quick Takes Friday: Sin and Sinfully delicious!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

1. The big news! Miss Camille received her first reconciliation last night! Adam took her and said she walked right in and was in for quite a long time. I'm sure she was confessing her sins and chatting the priest's ear off. When Adam told me she had Father Youngin' I was really pleased. He is very kind and understanding and great with the kids. Joseph also had a great priest that he got along well with for his first confession. I am so glad they both had positive experiences for their first confessions. I think it really sets the stage for the future.

2. Adam had to take George with him into the Confessional. I am not sure if he got MORE prayers to say as penance or if Father Youngin' was all, "Hey, you're cool. I get it. FORGIVEN."

3. Speaking of George, we got the result of his allergy testing. No celiac, than GOD, but he's allergic to wheat, eggs and cow's milk.

4, Um, yay. I just packed up a bunch of food to give to our neighbor. I'm trying to take it one step, one meal at a time. I think we're going to be eating more meat, which makes Adam happy. I'm not thinking about how cinnamon rolls and cookies are going to be harder to make during prime cookie season.

5, George seems to be taking the news okay. We told him that not eating these foods will help his tummy feel better. He seems motivated by that. I guess his tummy was hurting more than we thought.

6. As for me, I feel like Job. Is my name Job? Is this JobMommy? At this point, I feel like life is just punching me. I want to stand out in the back yard and scream, "YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS?!" to the heavens. Is this all, "It could be worse!" or "Yay, goodness will come out of this!" No. But it is honest. Real. And please life, stop throwing crap at us!

7. One more thing... and you'll hear more about the allergy stuff this coming week.

Quick Takes Friday: Overheard and computer problems

1. My computer died late Saturday night. It was an epic death, complete with chicken pox like spots on the screen. It also left me freaking out that the novel I have been working on for two years was gone, gone, gone. This has happened once before (and we do not speak of that time, ever), so you would think I have stuff backed up, right? Ah, no. I didn't.
2. BUT I DO NOW! I went to visit the Nice Computer People. The NCP told me that my old laptop was notorious for giving people chicken pox spots and then dying an epic death. I told them that I didn't care about the computer but I did want all the files and, if possible, all the photos. (Yes, THOSE I had backed up on-line!) The NCP sold me a new to me computer, transferred all my files and everything is now backed up on a USB port. They also gave me a discount on the computer. I lub them.
3. We went to visit my parents this past weekend (which is where the computer death took place and my father had to talk me down). While we were there, Cole kept asking, "I eat ice cream cone? I eat ice cream cone?" I told him that if he looked at my parents charmingly and asked for an ice cream cone, I bet he would get one.
   
   He did and he did... in fact, he got two. Little turkey!
4. One the way home, he wasn't quite so cute. He napped really, really well for about 3/4ths of the way home and then woke up. For an entire HOUR, we had this conversation:
   
   Cole: Mommy, we go home?
   Me: Yes, Bear, we're going home.
   Cole: Okay. (two seconds later) Mommy, we go home?
   Me: Cole, what did I just say?
   Cole: We go home. (one second later) Mommy, we go home?
   
   I would have turned up the radio but we didn't get any stations! Ah!
5. Higgins the giant pesky dog continues to get on my ever-loving last nerve. When the kids play outside, we chain him to the house. Yes, the house. Yes, he is that big. If we don't chain him up, he runs away. (Don't feel bad for him. He has a fenced in backyard and several walks a day.) Somehow, he got off the chain. How, I am not sure. His caller was on, the chain wasn't broken and the clip was still intact. Yet, there he was, running down the street.
   
   Me, on the phone to Adam: I am standing outside, freezing my toes off, because YOUR DOG got off the chain.He still has his collar on. His chain is fine. He's running off down the street with YOUR CHILDREN chasing after him.
   Adam: Poor baby.
   Me: And CAMI ATE ALL MY GUMMIES!
6. Cole: Me lollipop! Me TWO LOLLIPOP!
7. I'm still getting used to this new computer. The keyboard is smaller and I need to re-install stuff like my Kindle app and bookmarks. Thankfully, though, everything seems to work okay.
   
   Head over to Jen's for more quick takes! And back up your hard drive!