Our town has homecoming tomorrow so the city council decided to change Halloween to today. I am sure there will be plenty of people still out tomorrow too - but oh well. Here they have hours for trick or treating, and many parishes have age limits.
So, Daddy was home this year!!! YAY!!!!!! It has been years (literally) since he has been home on Halloween. I was nice and instead of making him take the kids by himself, I went with them. They did good. Andrew even did fairly well. He did exactly what I expected. He was unsure of what was going on, until the first candy was put in his bucket. After every house, he had to stick his head in his bucket and look. We frequently found candy (wrapper and all) in his mouth. But, he enjoyed running up to every house, trying to GIVE his candy or take candy out of the homeowners mouth.
I did not take ANY pictures. I know....I can't believe it either. Tomorrow they will be putting the costumes back on so I can get pictures of them. It was just too crazy and AJ had a blowout so we had to quickly get his off....
Pictures to come soon.
But, I will tell you what everyone ended up being:
Caleb was an astronaut
Isaac was a policeman
Bryce was his trashcan (from last year)
Andrew was a monkey (of course)
After we got back home we put our bowl of candy on the porch and left it. We sat out there for a bit and then went in to get kids ready for school and bed. All the kids were doing good only taking a few pieces of candy. There was still about half a bowl (I am talking the BIG Halloween candy bowls) of candy on the porch. Then we hear lots of commotion and laughing. We were in the kitchen and I told Paul it sounded like the candy was gone. About that time we hear a VERY loud "TRICK OR TREAT". I looked out the door and the candy was all gone (except one sucker that was dropped). On the porch sat an empty bowl and a MASK. I went to get the camera because I thought it was pretty funny that they took all the candy and forgot their mask. When I opened the door, the mask was gone.
It sucks that all the kids were doing so good, but there always has to be THAT kid that has no limits and ruins it for everyone!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
No Fair
It is 6:35, I am dressed and ready for the day. Caleb is in the shower, Isaac and Bryce are laying in my bed. I am drinking my coffee and decided to play a quick game of Solitaire before I go start breakfast and lunch.
Bryce says "Mom, it is not fair that WE don't get to play games in the morning and you do!"
I reminded him I have been up for over an hour and I am dressed and will still be able to fix their breakfast, lunch, get them all dressed and still have time before their bus gets here. Leaving them to get themselves ready in time....we would have three kids missing the bus!
I told him I have EARNED the right to play a game of solitaire in the morning if I wish. He dropped it!
Bryce says "Mom, it is not fair that WE don't get to play games in the morning and you do!"
I reminded him I have been up for over an hour and I am dressed and will still be able to fix their breakfast, lunch, get them all dressed and still have time before their bus gets here. Leaving them to get themselves ready in time....we would have three kids missing the bus!
I told him I have EARNED the right to play a game of solitaire in the morning if I wish. He dropped it!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Parents Who Don't Care (Apparently)
We had this problem in Arkansas with a mom who would let her kids come over, but not watch them. They lived across the street and her son would run back and forth across the street without ever looking and she never even checked on them. It would not bother me, except if something happened to him while he was "at our house" I would not want to be held responsible, especially since the child was never "invited" over.
We are having that problem here to, but to a worse degree. The child in Arkansas was in second or third grade. The children here are in kindergarten and his (I am guessing) three year old sister.
I really don't mind the kids playing with other kids and I also don't mind them playing in our driveway. UNTIL tonight. These two kids came over, they were all in our garage, messing with the dogs (which one bites!), etc. I told the boys it was time to come in and eat and to tell their friends they would be back out later. These two stayed in our garage, going through our stuff.
I went out and told them that the boys were eating dinner and they would be out in a while. He said okay. I told him to stay out of our garage while we were inside and he said okay and got on his bike. I come inside, sit down at the table and notice him going back into the garage - where his sister also was. Paul goes out and tells them they need to go home while we eat. The little boy said "My mommy told me to come play over here." Paul told him to go home until we were done and he said okay and they left.
Not five minutes later, he was back. Paul again went outside to tell them to go home. The little boy told him that his Mommy told him to stay over at OUR house until she calls him.
I am sorry....what?
I have never met these people...EVER. Never even said as much as a hello to them. She is going to send her kids to my house for ME to babysit? They don't even live next door or across the street - they live at least four houses down the street!!
They left, Paul came inside and before he could even sit down, the little boy was riding in our driveway again. I was going to ignore him as long as he did not go in the garage. Then I look out the window and he is taking off on Isaac's scooter. I go chase him down the sidewalk, tell him he cannot run off with our stuff and he needs to go play closer to HIS house so we could eat our dinner (notice I did not tell him to GO to HIS house - where he is evidently not wanted at the moment), or he was not going to be able to play at our house anymore.
That seemed to do the trick, I did not see him again. It is not the child's fault - the mother should not be sending him to a strangers house. He is deaf (has a hearing aid) and the little girl is young enough that she is riding her tricycle over here with a pacifier in her mouth. From what I have seen they have three kids - hello LADY - if I can keep up with my four while fixing dinner, doing homework for three and everything else we have to do in the evenings, you should be able to handle your three and not pawn them off on me.
I feel bad because I don't even want the kid over here anymore, but it isn't his fault. At the same time, if something were to happen to her kids while they were over here (say a dog bites them when they are sticking their hands into the dog kennel or they get hit by a car,or....or...or...) it would be on ME. Unfortunately, this is the type of world we live in. I can't trust the parents to not sue me if something happens to their kids while they are ignoring them! These kids even walked into our house - no knocking, no asking - our boys came in to eat dinner and a couple of seconds later, these two kids just walked in.
We will have a fence soon! Then they can only stand at the gate and ask to be let in!!
We are having that problem here to, but to a worse degree. The child in Arkansas was in second or third grade. The children here are in kindergarten and his (I am guessing) three year old sister.
I really don't mind the kids playing with other kids and I also don't mind them playing in our driveway. UNTIL tonight. These two kids came over, they were all in our garage, messing with the dogs (which one bites!), etc. I told the boys it was time to come in and eat and to tell their friends they would be back out later. These two stayed in our garage, going through our stuff.
I went out and told them that the boys were eating dinner and they would be out in a while. He said okay. I told him to stay out of our garage while we were inside and he said okay and got on his bike. I come inside, sit down at the table and notice him going back into the garage - where his sister also was. Paul goes out and tells them they need to go home while we eat. The little boy said "My mommy told me to come play over here." Paul told him to go home until we were done and he said okay and they left.
Not five minutes later, he was back. Paul again went outside to tell them to go home. The little boy told him that his Mommy told him to stay over at OUR house until she calls him.
I am sorry....what?
I have never met these people...EVER. Never even said as much as a hello to them. She is going to send her kids to my house for ME to babysit? They don't even live next door or across the street - they live at least four houses down the street!!
They left, Paul came inside and before he could even sit down, the little boy was riding in our driveway again. I was going to ignore him as long as he did not go in the garage. Then I look out the window and he is taking off on Isaac's scooter. I go chase him down the sidewalk, tell him he cannot run off with our stuff and he needs to go play closer to HIS house so we could eat our dinner (notice I did not tell him to GO to HIS house - where he is evidently not wanted at the moment), or he was not going to be able to play at our house anymore.
That seemed to do the trick, I did not see him again. It is not the child's fault - the mother should not be sending him to a strangers house. He is deaf (has a hearing aid) and the little girl is young enough that she is riding her tricycle over here with a pacifier in her mouth. From what I have seen they have three kids - hello LADY - if I can keep up with my four while fixing dinner, doing homework for three and everything else we have to do in the evenings, you should be able to handle your three and not pawn them off on me.
I feel bad because I don't even want the kid over here anymore, but it isn't his fault. At the same time, if something were to happen to her kids while they were over here (say a dog bites them when they are sticking their hands into the dog kennel or they get hit by a car,or....or...or...) it would be on ME. Unfortunately, this is the type of world we live in. I can't trust the parents to not sue me if something happens to their kids while they are ignoring them! These kids even walked into our house - no knocking, no asking - our boys came in to eat dinner and a couple of seconds later, these two kids just walked in.
We will have a fence soon! Then they can only stand at the gate and ask to be let in!!
OOPS!
Today Isaac and Bryce's bus driver drove right past our house when she was dropping kids off. She was watching a kid on a bike in the middle of the street and not the houses. She stopped next door when she realized what she had done. The aide came to the window and said that as she was driving by the house, Bryce's jaw dropped and he stared at the house as they past it, slowly saying "OH MY GOSH!!!"
I told her I was glad to know he cared whether or not he got to come home. She kept apologizing, I kept laughing!
I told her I was glad to know he cared whether or not he got to come home. She kept apologizing, I kept laughing!
Fresh Lemonade - YUM
One of my cravings lately is freshly squeezed lemonade. There is only one place around here I have found that has lemonade that actually TASTE fresh-squeezed (many SAY they are), and it is a 40 minute drive one way to get there. So, I did some searching today to find a good recipe, unfortunately I only had ONE lemon. I was able to find a recipe and made an AWESOME glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade.
Tomorrow I will be going to get lots of lemons! I think this will be a favorite for the kids too!
Tomorrow I will be going to get lots of lemons! I think this will be a favorite for the kids too!
Yesterday's LAZY Day....
was a success! Got some housework done between my TWO HOUR nap!!! I mean a solid two hours - didn't wake up once! Usually if I get a nap it is about 20-30 minutes.
Then I went to bed at 8:30!
Then I went to bed at 8:30!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Election Day
School is closed on election day. This means for me to go vote I will have to take all four kids by myself and stand in line. ARGHHHHH!!
Is This Strange?
Is it strange that I crave something that the smell of makes me nauseous? The smell of peanut butter is nauseating to me, but I am craving peanut butter this morning for some reason.
Being Lazy
This past weekend was a VERY busy weekend. We went and picked out new bedroom and dining room furniture and a new refrigerator. Lots of running around and on the go (an NO house projects :( ). Yesterday I had some more running around to do. Traffic was horrible (both ways home were barely moving), I finally got out of the traffic and got to my exit and there were police closing it off. To make a long story short, I ended up lost (NO idea how because I have gone that way before) with NO gas. This was my first time to have my light come on in my car. I had NO idea how much warning I got. My WONDERFUL navigation system got me out of it FINALLY and I was able to make it to a gas station. After ALL of that, I make it home to find out that for SOME reason we had no electricity. Andrew won't sleep without a fan and he was sleeping in the car, so he was up after a 20 minute nap! (The electicity finally came back about an hour after we got home - still have no idea why it was out)
So, today my plan is to be lazy. But, have you ever noticed that "being lazy" when you become a mother completely changes. Before motherhood, being lazy meant I did NOTHING all day - laid on the couch with a remote. Now, though, I am sitting here planning out my "lazy day". So, other than chasing around Andrew, doing laundry, paying bills and cleaning house - I am going to be lazy today!
I guess it is kind of like when a Mom says she is going to bed. That is a process. It is checking to make sure the doors are all locked, checking in on kids, changing out the laundry, making sure everything is ready for the following day, etc.
I guess being lazy means I am (going to try) not going anywhere today!
So, today my plan is to be lazy. But, have you ever noticed that "being lazy" when you become a mother completely changes. Before motherhood, being lazy meant I did NOTHING all day - laid on the couch with a remote. Now, though, I am sitting here planning out my "lazy day". So, other than chasing around Andrew, doing laundry, paying bills and cleaning house - I am going to be lazy today!
I guess it is kind of like when a Mom says she is going to bed. That is a process. It is checking to make sure the doors are all locked, checking in on kids, changing out the laundry, making sure everything is ready for the following day, etc.
I guess being lazy means I am (going to try) not going anywhere today!
Monday, October 27, 2008
13 Years Together
This past Saturday marked 13 years since Paul and I went on our first date. 13 YEARS!! I could not have picked a better man to go on a date with and eventually choose to spend the rest of my life with.
We have been doing a lot of work (little things) on the house since we moved in. It has been fun, but exhausting. I am so lucky to have a hubby that is not only a great hubby and father, but a handyman too. There is VERY little we have to hire people to do (although we opted to hire someone to put up our fence because of the time and energy it will consume!!).
What is better than the fact that we have been together for 13 years is that we still WANT to be together!! We still WANT to "hangout" together as much as we can. It is hard living somewhere you really don't know anyone, we don't get to go on any "dates", but the majority of the time (this weekend excluded) we really enjoy hanging out with the kids.
I love you Sweetie!!
We have been doing a lot of work (little things) on the house since we moved in. It has been fun, but exhausting. I am so lucky to have a hubby that is not only a great hubby and father, but a handyman too. There is VERY little we have to hire people to do (although we opted to hire someone to put up our fence because of the time and energy it will consume!!).
What is better than the fact that we have been together for 13 years is that we still WANT to be together!! We still WANT to "hangout" together as much as we can. It is hard living somewhere you really don't know anyone, we don't get to go on any "dates", but the majority of the time (this weekend excluded) we really enjoy hanging out with the kids.
I love you Sweetie!!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A Little Backwards
We have a confused smoke detector. In the mornings, since we usually don't remember to turn on the heat before we go to bed, the house is pretty cool. When the house is cold the smoke detector in the boys hallway starts beeping (like a low-battery beep, not a there's-a-fire beep). When it warms up, the beeping stops. Kinda sucks since it has a tendency to wake the boys up! Guess we know Daddy's next project.
Friday, October 24, 2008
First Drs Appointment
I went for my first appointment this morning. Andrew did awesome sitting in his stroller again! We were there about an hour and a half (they had to do all the paperwork and history, dr visit, blood work and met with insurance). The only time he cried is when I laid on the table to listen to the heartbeat. I guess he has never seen Mom on a table before! I held HIS hand and he stopped when he heard the heartbeat.
The heartbeat sounded great, but the dr thinks I might be further along than we thought. I am going in on the 10th to have a sonogram and find out for sure. Then she will do another one at 20 weeks to get the anatomy, measurements, etc.
When I went in for the blood work, the child who cried when I was on the table, laughed as they stuck the needle in my arm. Such a nice kid!!
I liked the dr. I was kind of concerned not really knowing what to expect. But the clinic was nice and the dr was great. I told her my history with the kids and inductions, etc. I asked her her opinion about inducing and told her my concern about how quickly Bryce came (he beat the induction process and it was 2 hours first contraction to delivered) and the fact that we are a good 35-40 minutes away (with no traffic) and have 4 other kids to settle when we go to the hospital. She said she is fine inducing, but can't do it until the 39th week unless their was a medical reason to deliver earlier than that (for example: poison ivy?). I am not ready to plan a deliver date, just want to know where she stands on it and what our options were when it came to that.
So, still no due date, but all seems healthy and good. As soon as I have a due date, I will pass it along.
The heartbeat sounded great, but the dr thinks I might be further along than we thought. I am going in on the 10th to have a sonogram and find out for sure. Then she will do another one at 20 weeks to get the anatomy, measurements, etc.
When I went in for the blood work, the child who cried when I was on the table, laughed as they stuck the needle in my arm. Such a nice kid!!
I liked the dr. I was kind of concerned not really knowing what to expect. But the clinic was nice and the dr was great. I told her my history with the kids and inductions, etc. I asked her her opinion about inducing and told her my concern about how quickly Bryce came (he beat the induction process and it was 2 hours first contraction to delivered) and the fact that we are a good 35-40 minutes away (with no traffic) and have 4 other kids to settle when we go to the hospital. She said she is fine inducing, but can't do it until the 39th week unless their was a medical reason to deliver earlier than that (for example: poison ivy?). I am not ready to plan a deliver date, just want to know where she stands on it and what our options were when it came to that.
So, still no due date, but all seems healthy and good. As soon as I have a due date, I will pass it along.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
No Snoopy
Bryce got out of the shower and we were discussing getting rain jackets because it is POURING this morning. Bryce goes and looks out the window and says "Snoopy isn't running around today."
I don't know what that has to do with jackets or rain. I asked if he had dreams about Snoopy last night and he said no, "but a couple of years ago Snoopy was running around outside all the time."
He also said his teacher read him a book a few years ago.
I don't know what that has to do with jackets or rain. I asked if he had dreams about Snoopy last night and he said no, "but a couple of years ago Snoopy was running around outside all the time."
He also said his teacher read him a book a few years ago.
Recession
Caleb asked me this morning what a recession was. I was trying to explain it to him and asked if he knew what stocks were. "Oh yeah, CORN!"
(If you are like Daddy and did not get it - corn stalks (stocks))
(If you are like Daddy and did not get it - corn stalks (stocks))
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Are You Kidding Me?
Caleb came home from school and was complaining about how the girls have been annoying him talking about this guy that came to their class today. I asked who it was and he said some guy named Matthew that is in movies. I don't know why, but I instantly asked "Matthew McConaughey?" Caleb says (in an annoyed voice) "Yeah that is him. He was in the movie Fool's Gold" (which Caleb has never seen - I haven't even seen it). I was blown away and pulled up this picture to make sure:
Caleb says "Yeah that is him, but he was wearing a green shirt and his hair was a little different. The girls have been talking about how cute he is ever since he talked to our class."
I asked why he came, Caleb said he didn't really know, but they had a citizenship awards thing and a student in Caleb's class asked him to come and he did.
I want to know who this kid is!!! ;)
Here is the kicker. Remember how a while back in Arkansas, Caleb got the Sherriff's autograph because he thought he was Dr. Phil (they do look alike and they are both named Phil)....HE DID NOT GET MATTHEW MCCAUGHNEY's AUTOGRAPH!!!
Mommy is so disappointed. I guess it has to be Jessica Simpson or someone "hot" to get his attention!
MATTHEW MCCAUGHNEY - why wasn't I called to volunteer for that one?
Caleb says "Yeah that is him, but he was wearing a green shirt and his hair was a little different. The girls have been talking about how cute he is ever since he talked to our class."
I asked why he came, Caleb said he didn't really know, but they had a citizenship awards thing and a student in Caleb's class asked him to come and he did.
I want to know who this kid is!!! ;)
Here is the kicker. Remember how a while back in Arkansas, Caleb got the Sherriff's autograph because he thought he was Dr. Phil (they do look alike and they are both named Phil)....HE DID NOT GET MATTHEW MCCAUGHNEY's AUTOGRAPH!!!
Mommy is so disappointed. I guess it has to be Jessica Simpson or someone "hot" to get his attention!
MATTHEW MCCAUGHNEY - why wasn't I called to volunteer for that one?
New Car
We HAD to get a new car in the next five months or so, so we did it Monday. I was asked to put some pictures up, so here they are.
view from front
view from back row
in my car, that stroller took up the ENTIRE "trunk" space - I have more than enough room for a double stroller in here!
Before going to find a car I was back and forth between a Suburban or a minivan. Suburban has more space, van better gas mileage. So, we were really back and forth. I miss my Suburban, except the gas mileage and the fact that it is HUGE to drive and park! We looked at some options that were kind of between-size of the two. This is definently not what I expected to come home with!
We went in to the dealer with our list of MUST and wants. They had a Suburban and this that met my wish list completely. They had the same mileage (we bought used) and they were basically the same price. The Suburban had some carpet stains, a small hole in the back of the driver seat (in the leather) which would become a big hole with kids sitting back there and some other "minor" issues. It was loaded though. This had less "minor" issues, more bonuses and is supposed to be safer! It is shorter than the Suburban, but has more storage than the van has - so it is a good in-between vehicle!
The kids love it. The foot room (which was always a HUGE complaint in the car) for the third row is amazing. They can actually stretch out! They have a DVD player for entertainment. We had all three older boys in the back seat and they were able to sit without touching each other and MINIMAL fighting (come on, if they are in the same vicinity of each other, there will be fighting of some sort).
The best part: we eliminated a car payment - which goes a LONG way in trying to get as close to completely debt-free as we can (excluding ONE house)!
view from front
view from back row
in my car, that stroller took up the ENTIRE "trunk" space - I have more than enough room for a double stroller in here!
Before going to find a car I was back and forth between a Suburban or a minivan. Suburban has more space, van better gas mileage. So, we were really back and forth. I miss my Suburban, except the gas mileage and the fact that it is HUGE to drive and park! We looked at some options that were kind of between-size of the two. This is definently not what I expected to come home with!
We went in to the dealer with our list of MUST and wants. They had a Suburban and this that met my wish list completely. They had the same mileage (we bought used) and they were basically the same price. The Suburban had some carpet stains, a small hole in the back of the driver seat (in the leather) which would become a big hole with kids sitting back there and some other "minor" issues. It was loaded though. This had less "minor" issues, more bonuses and is supposed to be safer! It is shorter than the Suburban, but has more storage than the van has - so it is a good in-between vehicle!
The kids love it. The foot room (which was always a HUGE complaint in the car) for the third row is amazing. They can actually stretch out! They have a DVD player for entertainment. We had all three older boys in the back seat and they were able to sit without touching each other and MINIMAL fighting (come on, if they are in the same vicinity of each other, there will be fighting of some sort).
The best part: we eliminated a car payment - which goes a LONG way in trying to get as close to completely debt-free as we can (excluding ONE house)!
Forced Smiles
Bryce came home yesterday with three checks and a frowny face. This morning he was talking about bringing home the frog and I told him he couldn't because of the frowny face.
"Well, today I will just have to FORCE myself to get a smiley face then."
"Well, today I will just have to FORCE myself to get a smiley face then."
How's That Foot Taste?
McCain has all along used his experience as a big issue to vote for him over Obama. Kinda sad when Obama's running mate plays right into McCain's hand! Biden said Sunday that he could almost guarantee that within six months of Obama taking office there would be an international crisis to test him. HMMMM! Doesn't really give you a warm and fuzzy feeling about electing Obama with his lack of experience?
And, did Biden REALLY expect what he said to not become a MAJOR news story?
If your running mate thinks you will be the cause of an international crisis - you probably ARE NOT the man for the job!
And, did Biden REALLY expect what he said to not become a MAJOR news story?
If your running mate thinks you will be the cause of an international crisis - you probably ARE NOT the man for the job!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Annual Pumpkin Carving
Every year Daddy and the boys carve pumpkins. I let this be a Daddy/son thing!! I unfortunately did not get any pics of AJ cleaning out his because I was having to hold him, but he was funny with the slime! They did this a couple of weeks ago and they did not last too long because of the Louisiana heat and humidity! The boys really look forward to this every year. Daddy loves carving (but hates the cleaning part)them. Usually they use a carving stencil thing, this year Daddy free-handed everything. He did a great job!
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