Whirl wind weekend

What a weekend we had. Complete with fun, sun and lots of cousins. We had a late start on Saturday due to bikes. It was the first time I have driven with the kids bikes on the car. They were so pleased to have them and road all over the park with their cousins. We had a nice evening. Cousin One and I made cakes for the birthday celebrations. Uncle P also had a birthday. We made him a castle cake. It looked like something from Candyland. We made Cousin One a round cake with stars. It was a good time. Her and I shared many laughs during the cake preparation. Day two included a trip to the zoo! What a day that was. I was proud of our group, Seven, Five and Three walked the entire zoo. Three was very proud to hold the map throughout the park. She was hilarious. She wanted to wear the zebra dress and was a good girl throughout the entire day. We had a great time and came home with a season pass. Now we can go all year long. The kids loved it and can't wait to go back. It was a bit of chaos keeping track of so many children.

For those of you who don't know, there are nine cousins. Cousin 1 couldn't come, she had to work. She is the oldest and just turned seventeen. Cousin 2 was a big help with stroller pushing and collapsing. He finished the eighth grade this year and recently took a trip to Chicago. Cousin 3 is always amazing with all the kids. He is an awesome baseball player. All the boys want to be like him. Cousin 4 brought a friend and were inseparable during the entire zoo visit. She took Three under her wing our first night at their house. Three slept in the girl room with 4 and 6. Cousin 5 his good buddies with Seven and Five. They work well together and followed each other around at the zoo. Cousin 6 is as sweet as can be. Cousin 7 just turned three. He can take things apart and wants to be with the big kids. Cousin 8 doesn't talk, but is always a step behind Cousin 7. He will celebrate his second birthday in a couple days. Cousin 8 can put on the cheese when a camera comes out. Cousin 9 is six months old and the happiest baby I've seen in a long time. He always has a smile for you and just goes with whatever the situation is.

We were quite the group. We had extra adults with us too. Relatives from Grand Rapids always come to town Memorial weekend. They love the kids and enjoyed our time at the zoo as well. Aunt M and Aunt H, along with Grandpa T and Grandma Y were at the zoo for a short time. We met a friend Miss J there too. It was great, but exhausting.

Sunday we celebrated the birthdays and spent the night at Uncle P and Aunt S's house. My kids didn't really want to leave so we brought Cousins 5 and 6 with. They played hard all weekend, went to bed late and woke up early. I knew it would be rough upon our return. Five had too much sun and was sick in the car on the ride home, didn't make for a very good homecoming. I kept him home this morning for some more rest. We will recover and look forward to the last two weeks of school.

Memorial Weekend

Holiday weekend and we are heading out of town to the cousins! Kids are excited, if only the Sears guy would come sooner than later so we can be on our merry way. Should have much to write about upon our return. The cousins house is always full of fun and good times.

Happy Memorial Weekend! Who's your favorite Vet?

The things kids say

Discussion after school:

Three: You have to be a mom or a dad to work.

Me: No, you don't have to be a mom or dad. You can just be an adult. Like Uncle Dave.

Seven: I want to be like Uncle Dave.

Three: You can't have a mustache.

Five: It's a beard, but it only goes to here. (As he holds his hands below his chin.)

It's actually a goatee.

These days

Maybe the universe is testing me. First, had a strange Doc apt. this week. Left me feeling like I might be losing my mind. (That's all the further I care to explain.) The dishwasher is on the fritz. Who knows when Sears will get around to calling to schedule an apt.
The rabbit, who we tried to rescue, came back. This time we brought him to a wooded area next to the soft ball fields. Hopefully he makes it back there. The kids were happy to have him, some even wanted to keep him. We didn't take him too far from where he started, but enough I hope he can find a home in that area instead.

Many tasks I planned to do this week, did not get done. I planned on helping paint at church again, but never found the energy to get up there. I bailed on my grocery shopping with my partner, disappointing her. Was going to help out every day this week at school, but only made it three days instead of five.

Had every intention to paint three shelves, never got around to it. Guess I will wait for a warm day. The cold kept me inside, as did a cough. I did get quite a bit accomplished, just not as much as usual.

Will be bringing worms in the dirt and worms in brownies to Lupcke's room tomorrow for Five's half birthday. I promised Lupcke worms in the dirt. Five wasn't crazy about it. He wants worms in brownies. I aim to please and have promised both. We will see how this goes.

I changed half of Lupcke's bulletin boards this week. Hope I can get the rest done tomorrow. I am still working on the project for him from the class. I roped myself into more effort than I stared out with. I am excited for the results and anxious to finish it. Will post a picture when complete, perhaps with the man himself!

I became friends on FB with three locals this week. My local friend list is growing. I hope to spend some time with these people this summer, get to know them better. Some of the kids love to play and are pretty good buddies.

Can I think of my other frustrations this week? No. I know there were more because once I had so many, I decided to write about it. I feel like my mind is on a fog this week. Maybe it's the weather? I did get a migraine with the rain, can I use that excuse?

Just hope I can keep the schedule right and stay on the straight path. Thanks Hermie!

Rain, rain, go away

Soccer was canceled. Is it bad I was sort of relieved? I think I felt that way, only because I didn't want to sit in the cold rain to watch. I also did not want them to be out playing in that weather. Instead, N took them on a bike ride to Pat's. Still outside, but they wore hats. The days they are able to spend time with their dad like this seem priceless to me. The school year can be tough, N works weekends. When he has two days off, the boys are at school. For this reason, I am really looking forward to summer. They will spend more time together and hopefully we can attend some fun activities.

Upon their return from Pat's, (our local grocery store) they each picked out candy. Like most moms I know, candy is never my first choice. We ate a late supper and they were able to have a treat after. Candy before bed never seems like a good idea, but in the spirit of their trip with N, I said they could have one piece of chocolate (Kit Kat or Reeces) and a couple gummie worms. The boys were thrilled with this option and ate all their supper for the reward. Three too, but as we were cleaning up, she stole the last third of a Reeces. N called her on it and asked if she stole it, her reply "No, I didn't steal it, I'm a candy wrobber."

The rabbit is still there. With rain and bike rides. we sort of forgot about him. Guess we will release him today. I hope to get some painting done today. Preparations for the weekend are underway. Saturday am we leave to spend the weekend with the cousins! There are four birthdays in the month of May/June. I plan to bring my cake decorating box. We will see what Cousin One and I can come up with. She is creative and crafty. It was her birthday yesterday. Cousin Two is in Chicago with Uncle K for a class trip. Not sure when they get back. I am going to bring the kids bikes this time. We are visiting a park with trails on Saturday when we arrive. Should be a good time. The kids are so very excited to go. Three keeps saying "the cousins have a big house because they have so many kids." We plan to stay with Aunt S and Uncle P on Sunday night. Possibilities of a picnic with their friends for Monday and before I know it, we will be home. Relatives from the western side of the state are coming to town too. It's always good to see them.

We need the rain to go away for a nice, enjoyable weekend. I am now off to make my taco salad, pack some food up to take with. Let the summer adventures begin!

Bunny update

Happy to report, EB is up and moving around today. After laying in the window well for 4-5 days, he appears ready to get out. I wasn't sure how this would go, hoping he wouldn't die. He did move, but very little. His foot and leg seem to be fine. Our plan is to take him to either the park or some trees next to the softball fields. On the other side of the trees are fields and farms.

I am grateful he made a recovery and appearance in our window well. It was fun while he visited.

Tales of a lost bunny

I mentioned a few posts ago how we rescued a bunny from our window well. We got him out and turned him loose, back to his home. To our surprise, the next day, he was back in the window well. We thought to move him to an area by some trees, but there aren't any in our yard or near our house. He seemed to have an injured leg too. It laid flopped out next to him for the first day.

Three and Five started to feed him spinach and carrots. They started to call him EB. It is sort of neat, we can see him from the window in the basement. They have supplied him with food, water and shelter. We will see where this takes us. I am still unsure of this plan. I guess it is OK for now.

Red, green, purple, or blue?

So many colors of paper on the big rolls at school, I was lucky enough to choose which colors to put on the bulletin boards in Mr. Lupcke's room. I did not get to finish today, but plan to by the end of the week. It is amazing how long it takes to take all the stuff down and put fresh paper up. I love seeing the kids. They ask me to help them with little things and share something from their day with me. Today, I helped with Science on a cart, a program established by the PTO. Kindergarten gets to grow grass. We had fun and the topic led to all kinds of discussions.

I helped Zinnia make some decisions today. Sat in the sun and watched her pull weeds, I would have helped, but was wearing my brand new shoes. : )

Tomorrow, I hope to get some shelves primed and painted. They are painting at the church again, maybe I can talk N into stopping by with me. Three might be a problem though, one can only guess if she will decide to cooperate or be difficult.

A new interest for me, making homemade cards. We made a variety pack of ten cards for the preschool teachers. They turned out so cute. I can't wait to make more. They will be fun to have on hand and are also fun to give. Everyone seems to enjoy them. I tied a pretty pen to them for Three's teachers. I am out of pretty pens, but maybe I will find something this coming week, just in time to give to the bus driver. She is the sweetest lady. I later learned that not all drivers are nice to the kids. Some yell, some are grumpy. I am thankful for our driver and want her to know that's how I feel. She sent home a thank you for the Christmas treats we a gave. The boys like her.

N is helping Seven count money tonight. He's pretty good, but practice is always good. Plus, the one on one attention from his dad doesn't hurt. Didn't hear from other parents from his class about the gift. I think kindergarten parents seem to be more eager to participate. Not sure how the momentum is lost with the older grades, but it seems to be a common theme. Kindergarten parents volunteer the most. The kindergarten bake sale always brings in the most baked goods. Who knows how it all works. Everyone is different.

Losing my mind?

Today, I may be losing my mind. I think I need a vacation.

This Sunday flew by!

Attending mass on Saturday really took some pressure off of Sunday morning. We got to sleep in, sort of, and had quite a few things accomplished before N went to work. Amazing how much time there is in the morning when you can be home until 1pm.

The garage is once again, borderline clean/organized. It seems to always be a work in progress. Some effort was made today and it doesn't look too bad. I sent out messages to the parents of the kids class. Hopefully I get a good response for a collective teacher gift. Lupcke's class has been pretty supportive. We will see how first grade responds.

We found the rightful owner of a baseball cap found in the garage. We organized things that need to be delivered to people in the area. Snack is all set for the soccer game tomorrow night. Paper mache pigs are tomorrow morning. Three will spend the morning with Miss D from next door. She is so excited. She wanted to know if Miss D will be having breakfast with her, she had a few questions on that level. It was sweet. Seven had a birthday party today. It was at a place called Kokomos. It's similar to Chuck E Cheese, but for adults too. There is a roller coaster, bumper boats, go karts, mini golf, etc. A bunch of other things, I am not really sure what they were. I have heard, these parties can be pretty crazy. The hosts do not always know where all the kids are, and there are people everywhere. Wasn't sure how I was going to make it work with N working and having Five and Three to deal with. Thankfully, another boy in the class was going. His mom offered to watch Five and Three while I took the Seven year olds to the party. Worked out just fine. After, I can see where those parties can be chaotic. Kids running everywhere. This wasn't too bad, there weren't a lot of people at the place. The parents knew where they were most of the time, but did not watch them as closely as I might have. It was great and the kids had fun. I brought the boys home and Five and Three were thrilled with their afternoon as well. The father of the family complimented me on them and said they were very polite. Good to hear.

TGIF

Friday night, the town is hopping! We made a quick trip home for some shorts and were off to our first time playing with new friends. This play date has been in the works all school year, so thankful to get it in before school is over. Of course, no one wanted to leave. It was a fun Friday night.

I forgot to mention, our play date lives next door to a girl from Five's class. She came home from school and told her mom, Five was coming over to play today. The mom was surprised and asked if he lived in their neighborhood. She said no. Confused, the mom didn't think much else of it. Apparently this was all discussed at school. Five sits with her at lunch. When discussing girl names for Julie's baby, Five said this girls name was his suggestion. She is sweet and adorable. They road around the yard in her pink jeep. A mom was going to take their picture, the girl put her arm around Five. He removed it quickly and attempted to flee the jeep. They road around in circles for a short time after the picture, she let him drive.

I changed bulletin boards for Lupcke today. Found out which class Five will be in next year. Got to meet more parents from Five's class. Looking forward to paper mache pigs on Monday. I offered to clean the closets in the classroom. Boy did his face light up at that suggestion. The teacher across the hall wants to know when I can come do his room too. It is so much fun to be helpful.

Wish I had the energy to watch one of my three movies sitting here. People are still awake. We have to get back to schedule sooner than later.

Roll with the Turkeys, soar with the eagles

This is a phrase my father has been saying for many, many years. I feel it today! We decided to take a trip to visit N's family yesterday. We pulled the boys out of school at 11. Five was able to get his testing done before we left, lucky we are at the beginning of the alphabet. We haven't seen N's family members in awhile, some since November.

We went to visit his sister and mother first, followed by a trip to the cousins. Oh man, did they have a good time! It was fun and busy, muddy too. The baby was as sweet as can be, such a happy boy. The toddlers were fun to watch and listen to. Kids ran hard and played hard. The trampoline was in full bounce, never standing still. Some helped mow the dandelions, while others thought rocking the baby was just as important for a job. Everyone participates in something.

Still made it back in time to watch Greys with my friends, but I am tired today. Off to help Lupcke this afternoon with bulletin boards and a play date tonight! Better get my coffee now so I can keep up.

Busy Mittwoch

Started out early, ended late. We had a great day, minus the giant melt down at the end.

Boys were off on time, no worries. Walked with a friend, got my blood flowing. Taco salad was complete and we were on time for the end of the year picnic at preschool. Was able to visit with friends and teachers. Boy, does Three's teacher want me to come teach there! She was so sweet. Looking forward to seeing where next year takes me.

We came home to a quiet house with no plans for the rest of the day. Took a 10 minute nap and I was ready to go. I knew they were painting up at the church today. Father Rick said something about leaving things better than when you came, thus he decided to paint. I arrived around 1:45. There were 5-6 people there and were they surprised to see me. All were over 60 I'm sure. They gave me a roller and put me to work. There wasn't much left, but I rolled pretty fast. I finished two walls and a door. I promised to go back tomorrow and do the second coat to the doors. I also volunteered N to put the light switch plates back on. It was nice to meet more people from the parish. I had never met any of them. They asked how long I have been married. I was proud to say it will be 10 years in July. With a look of shock, a parishioner said he figured me to be 25 or 26. I smiled and thanked him for the compliment. We cleaned up and I was out by the time the boys were done. They insisted I take the left over pizza home to my kids. It was fun and enjoyable work. Glad to help out.

Had a nice chat with Lupcke on the playground. He needs some assistance with his classroom. I plan to head up there on Friday morning. Paper mache pigs are next Monday. My walking partner from this morning and myself will be in charge of painting the finished product with the class the end of the week. I had this job last year too, it was fun.

Home again, home again with two boys and no dad or sis to be found. They took a trip to Pats. The boys are thrilled with our cat/fish job. First thing they wanted to do when we got home, go feed the cat. Five wanted to feed the fish upstairs this time. Seven demonstrates pride when scooping the litter box. Five stands by marveling at Seven's skill. They are hilarious. Seven gets the water bowl to fill, I let Five put it back on the floor. Seven has to voice his opinion that Five should use two hands when putting the water bowl back on the floor. After everyone upstairs is all set, we head down to the basement to the gold fish. Each boy takes a turn feeding them and we are done with our job for the day. We head home, only to run into Miss D next door. Five rushes over to her, thrilled to share that we actually saw the cat today! Such a proud moment for him. She thought he was so cute.

A quick meal/snack and its off to soccer we go. This is where things start to get hairy. Frustrations rise with getting dressed, you'll have to guess who had that problem. Then what to wear, long sleeves, shorts, etc. Which vehicle to take, also frustrating. In the end, we took the wrong vehicle. Had to move car seats and chairs; should have moved water bottles and soccer balls. Five did great at his game. At first, he seemed to just enjoy running up and down the field, paying more attention to the players he was chasing than the ball. He played against a classmate and a friend. One of the boys was about to throw the ball into the game, paused to say "Hi Mrs. B!" This made N chuckle. He is a sweet boy. The game continued with Five ending as goalie. He did alright, but let a few balls roll by. No big deal in U6. We survived, but I am still not sure why Seven didn't have practice.

Three had a monumental melt down on the ride home. She was instructed to go straight to bed when we got home. That didn't go over well. The result was Three put to bed a little after 7 and her room stripped of her toys. She will earn them back, one at a time, when she shows good listening skills. Also, when she can get in the car without fighting with anyone, go to a soccer game and not cause trouble, I will return her things. Perhaps it was a little drastic, but she needed to get the point. I think her behavior has been building up to this. Sometimes, she seems to act like a little queen. Most of the time, a very sweet and compatible queen. Lately, there are too many situations of smartness that are running together for me. An example, my lunch date yesterday. I took her with, explaining how big this was and that she was to be on her best behavior. She was proud to go, but in the end didn't demonstrate such good behavior. First she complained about water to drink. I was not going to let her have soda. Then I offered something for her to draw on, not good enough. I let her look at the pictures on my camera. This was good, but then she started to put the camera strap on her arm and could have possibly planned to dangle the camera. I simply said she needed to treat it with respect, it was important to me. She gave me a smart comment about "it doesn't matter." Oh my! That went into a whole new conversation with the result, next time she won't get to come to my lunch date.

The boys were able to stay up and spend some time playing. I worked in the basement for awhile. After they were in their beds, I noticed something hopping in the window well of the basement. Frog/toad was my first thought. I was really surprised to find a baby bunny. He was so cute. I shared the news with N and told the boys they could come help us take care of a problem, but then they had to go straight to bed. They went to the basement to check it out. Eager beavers wanted to help get it out right away. N brought the fishing net and scooped him out. We let him go in the grass in the backyard. We will see if he is still there in the morning. The boys wanted to keep him, but we all know how that conversation went. They are eager for a pet. Their parents, not so much.

Our results, a pretty good day. We will see how Three makes progress with her possessions. I imagine she will have them back pretty quick. She can be such a sweet girl and wants to be big so badly. With fun activities planned for Friday, the motivation will be plentiful (I hope).

Mittwoch is Wednesday

This morning Three informed me she wants to be a mom when she grows up. The subject was brought up at preschool a few months ago. At the time, she wouldn't give her teachers an answer as to what she wanted to be when she grew up. Today, she has decided. Her reasoning, she wants to be a mom when she grows up so she can "have babies like Julie." N couldn't help but notice the plural ending on babies. Right now, I believe the plan is for one baby in Julie's household. Only one is coming anyway, we will see where it takes them. We are so excited for Julie's baby.

Today is the preschool picnic. I made taco salad this morning and we are off in less than an hour. I better get moving. After getting the boys on the bus, a friend stopped by and we were able to get a 40 minute walk in at the beginning of our day. Sure felt good to get out and was nice to visit with her. Time is up. Gotta get ready.

Tuesdays early bird gets the worm

Today is the last day of preschool for Three. She is happy and excited to go. Tomorrow we celebrate at a picnic with the other families. I have gotten to know quite a few this year, much better than last year. Should be a good time, but I am still not sure what dish I will bring to pass.

We are supposed to turn in our electronic keys today. Wouldn't you know half my party can't find theirs. Pray to St. Anthony and maybe we will find it before the picnic.

Yesterday we cleaned at the church. We sorted through papers, posters, crayons, any type of supply you need to teach kids. It was a lot of work. We started at 9 and I couldn't believe when noon came around. The kids were great. They entertained themselves very well, we experienced little whining. We were thankful for the old pew in the room and a box of felt characters. Oh the discoveries we made cleaning closets! A few highlights, a mirror with a voice. After the voice speaks to you, it tells you to look into the mirror. Eventually a skeleton head lights up and screams. Sure wasn't expecting to find something like that in a church closet.

They are painting the classrooms this week. We made trips with a cart to empty the closets and get the supplies in order. Everyone wanted to push the cart. Fr. Rick said "My dad told me, when you leave something, leave it better than you found it." His idea then, to paint the rooms. At first, I didn't really think that was a necessary task. The room we were in this year was pretty nice. Yesterday, after inspecting each room, my opinion has changed. The carpet is torn in the hallway. Some of the paint jobs, yikes. Not sure what people were thinking. Our classroom was simply white. Others had some sponge jobs and even a wall paper border. Looking forward to starting next year in a fresh, new room.

What a schedule we have for today. N was off to work early, not quietly I might add. Thus, I have been awake before 5:30am. We will see how my day goes, I envision coffee throughout the day. Boys on the bus, preschool, then off to make some cards for the preschool teachers. I have two graduation cards to get in the mail also. Hoping my buddy can hook me up with graduation cards too. I have a lunch date with my friend I helped a few weeks ago. Three will be with. Once N is home from work, I have a grocery shopping date. I did my homework, have my coupons all in order, both paper and digital copies. Just need to be sure I get something to pass at the picnic and snack supplies for 8 soccer players.

In the end, we are supposed to clean out cars tonight. We will see if I am still going strong by then. Chili from the freezer for supper tonight. At least I have one thing accomplished right at the start of my day! It's already out of the freezer too!

SUNday, not so much this Sunday

I woke up a little nervous with our schedule for today. Cold and rainy, second day in a row. My nervousness was from having to be at the school for soccer pictures, right after church, then go to two games in a row in the rain. They did not cancel yesterday like I thought they would have. Things were a little questionable before the game. We got a surprise visit from the cousins. N had to get to work. Five decided he had terrible ear pain right then. I tried to get him to take some meds, but failed miserably. N made it work with a bribe. In the end, Five won all battles. He did take the meds, his ear pain went away and he swindled a certain amount of money out of his father. Probably not the way I would have went, but it worked and the kid didn't get sick. Better safe than sorry? It was a funny story to tell at the church.

Seven played and did great. He even scored his first goal of the season, at the first game! Proud moment for this family. They took pictures before and I can't wait for them to come in. Five had his pictures today. Right at noon. N left church with Five right away to feed him and get him dressed. I followed later with Seven and Three. We had two cars at the church this morning because of the rockin dance we went to last night.

What a blast. I think the final count was over 100 people in attendance. I got to know more people in the parish. We had many good laughs. I hope to get together with all I met again this summer. The babysitter came a half hour early. She was wonderful. The kids were asking me "When are you going to leave Mom?" I was still working on my appetizer. She put them to bed on time, they all behaved and loved her. When we got home, there were giant traced copies of paper they kids had decorated. She brought her own materials and did art activities with them. She reminded me of myself as a babysitter. I used to bring different activities with when babysitting. They can't wait to have her back. I didn't worry one bit when we were out. It was really nice.

In the end, my nerves of our schedule today were laid to rest with the games being canceled. I just had a fear over the kids being out in the cold, wet wind for such a long period of time. Guess my first clue should have been the overturned portable potties we noticed at the fields on our way to church. Lots of wind last night!

The rest of our day was nice and relaxing. N made lunch and had Five dressed when we got back from church. I took him to the school for his pictures. N went to work. I created forts in the basement for the kids. We made a boys fort and a girls fort. Bought Zinnia and myself plenty of time to catch up on Grey's from this past week and cut a million box tops. Soup labels are on the agenda for next time.

This week, we have the last day of preschool, farewell luncheon, recycle creation due, soccer practice and games. Who knows when they will work in the make up games. I forgot to mention, we are feeding the neighbors cat and fish for the week as well. I remembered yesterday before soccer, thinking we would get to it later. Guess it was the surprise guests that threw me off, because I didn't remember again until I heard someone at our table talking about hiring kids to take care of their dog when they were on vacation. The cat sure checked me out when I went over there last night at midnight. We are on our way now to do our job. Should be good training for Seven. He was the one she asked to "hire" for the week.

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We've had over 2,000 people view the blog! Yeah!

What a day. First, I get to sleep in until 9:35! Amazing and never happens. I got to read a few chapters this morning too. Now we are waiting for the cousins to show up for the afternoon.

Seven has soccer pictures today, I believe the game will be canceled due to rain. Not sure when the cousins will be retrieved, but then its the church dance! Babysitter comes at 7. Just need to pick up my crackers and get my Indian relish ready.

Should be a great day, even with rain.

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That's how many views as of today!

Movie time Monday, err, Thursday I guess

I was able to go see the movie Something Borrowed on Thursday night. My good friend Liz gave me the book last year for Christmas. It took me a few months to pick it up and read it. Once I did, I couldn't put it down and read the entire book in one rainy Michigan day. With my birthday been fairly recent, I spent some birthday money and got the rest of the books. Emily Giffin is the author, her blog is listed on the blogs I follow. She is a great writer. Her books all deal with girls in their 30's living on the east coast, mainly in NYC. This book gave me a renewed interest in reading. I can only thank Liz for the inspiration and motivation. She also supplies me with most of my books to read. She will either get an actually copy of a book to me, or provides a good list of which book to seek out next.

My reading list has grown tremendously in the last year. I am making up for all those years I did not read. I thought I didn't have time to read, but somehow it works. I find time and get the book read faster than I can believe. Today for example, I started a new book after the boys got on the bus this morning. I finished my "chores" and took my shower, only to curl up with my new read for awhile. My favorite reading spot is our leather love seat. It is the perfect place to sit and read. I tried to read a little after school, but Five got his first skinned knee and elbow of the season. Road rash while on his scooter. I know he should have had his pads on, that is an entirely different blog entry topic in itself.

My point, I manged to read over 60 pages today. The book is 453 pages long. I'll try to keep track of my reading time and see how quickly I get through it. Tonight will probably bee a good reading night. N works really late. Kids are tired from the week and just want to be free of duties and school work. I let them enjoy their Fridays with as much freedom as I can stand to hand out. After school, we made a trip to the movie store and dollar store. We needed more kids flossers in the bathroom. They love having a movie night. They ask frequently. Friday night is the only night I can approve a movie night. Saturday, we have church to prepare for Sunday morning. Tonight will be great. Now if only I had a great idea for supper.

Back to Something Borrowed, more things were different in the movie than from the book. This happens always when books are turned into movies. Water for Elephants was really as close as they could get to being like the book, except the ending, which still disappoints me slightly. Something Borrowed was fun and a good time. You could tell they hadn't read the book though, a great gasp came from many mouths once Darcy shared her big news towards the end. That sound was priceless. It was a great girl movie, one I would recommend seeing with your best pals. As much as I would have loved to see it with Liz and my little sis, it was great to be with so many new friends. I passed the book around last summer. Some of the girls came to the movie too. We were able to share the differences. The author makes an appearance in the movie too, reading the next book. Overall, I was impressed and can't wait for Something Blue.

Blog repairs

Had a great fish themed entry written out and thought I'd posted it. Thanks to blog repairs, it is gone.

So is life I guess.

Something stinks update: I think it was just the trash. The horrible sent lingered into the house. After trash day, it went away. It has been much more humid, thus the basement is more humid too. I set up a fan and air purifier down there and that seemed to help. With that combination and the dehumidifier, our senses are clear and air quality has improved.

A pleco named Lego

Lego, the Plecostomus: what a fish. He is the ruler of our tank gang. Shiny is a silver dollar fish that belongs to Three. Rumble, a bala shark, belongs to Seven. Poor Five. His bala shark Split (rest his fins) was eaten by the others. Tonight I studied them as Seven read to me. They seem to get along during the day, but at feeding time, all bets are off. It's every gill for itself. Lego becomes really aggressive and chases the other two around the tank. He seems to bother Shiny the most. For a long time, Shiny was losing her tail. It just kept disappearing. At first I thought it was the water quality, but after watching Lego chase her, I realized it was him. We had planned to give Shiny her own tank in the girl room upon our return from MN. With the bonus tank left in Mpls, we returned to MI without a new home for Shiny. Perhaps this summer we will be able to bring it home. I only agreed to this because I have another tank at my sisters.

Happy to report we are almost up to 2,000 views on These are the days of the week! It's amazing to think how many have read my stories. I wish I knew more about what they thought. The globe shows me readers from all over the world. At one point, I knew some people from those countries listed. What are the chances any of the readers could be someone I used to know? Pretty slim I'm sure.

This new adventure has become a link for me to so many family and friends. I think of those of you who are far away the most when I write my blog. I try to paint a picture of what's going on.

Thanks for the 2,000 views. I must be doing something right for people to take time out of their day to check us out. I'll try to continue and maybe have a few more pictures in the future!

Something Stinks

OK, something stinks in the house. I have yet to figure out what it is. There are no rotten potatoes in the pantry. Our trash is in the garage, today is garbage day. It smells in the basement and kitchen. I am still sick, it can't be in my head. I hope to put N on the job today and figure it out. My first guess in the dehumidifier. We will see.

I am going in to the doc, but do not optimistic. I have an apt. with the doc I don't really care for. If this visit frustrates me, we may try the new office in town. We haven't been to the Dr. in a very long time. I brought Three in once this winter, but that is it. In the past, this doc has failed and frustrated me. I only stay with this office because the kids are familiar with it and it is right in town. A new office was built this past month, I may give it a try. Have to get the info from my pals the who are nurses. They seem to know all the docs in the area. Perhaps I shouldn't be concerned with the kids being familiar anymore. Three screamed through almost the entire visit last time. The boys have not been there since the fall for shots before school. We will see how I feel at the end of the day.

I've got a fever

Mom's do not get sick days. Yesterday was mine and boy was it rough. I have not had a fever in such a long time. I felt painful and worthless all day long. Three was great. She entertained herself throughout the day. I brought her doll house up to her room so she could play Barbies with it. She sang in the basement, played with her ponies, watched cartoons, drew pictures and colored.

N came home and I was able to take a nap. I didn't want to nap with her home alone in the house, just couldn't let myself relax that much.

The evening held soccer and the desire for children to play at the park. They ate and were off to soccer with N. He took them to the park after and they came home happy. We didn't get to the homework though, sorry to their teachers. My fever was worse at bedtime and the motrin did not work. I took Tylenol and went to bed around 9. I woke up at 4am and could tell the fever was gone.

N called in sick to work today to stay home and help. In the end, with the fever gone, I could have probably managed. Yesterday was the worst. How terrible I felt last night, left me with doubts about the morning. If I would have still had a fever, there was no way I could get everyone out the door and to school on time. Wouldn't you know, they called me to sub today. I was supposed to work at the book fair this afternoon too. We also had a babysitter scheduled for tonight. N has a work party. So much disappointment that we will not be able to participate in those activities.

The book fair was this week. Instead of sending both boys to school with money, we decided Five would get to take $10 and pick out a book for him and Seven. It was buy one, get one free. Seven did it last year. I wasn't sure how much the books would be. Five came home so proud of the book he got for Seven. It was a Star Wars chapter book. He was really sweet when he explained it to me. He thought the chapter book would be good for Seven. He was able to get a Star Wars book for himself too. My friend was helping with the sale, I knew he would be in good hands. He is such a sweet boy. Seven seemed shocked at Five's purchase for him. I explained that my reasoning for letting Five get the books instead of Seven, but Seven didn't understand that he would still get a book. Oh well, they were thrilled with how it turned out. I just couldn't see spending $20 this week on books. We have so many already and they are slightly over priced at the book fair, the PTO former president even said so at the last meeting. We have soccer pictures this weekend, that is $15 for each boy. ($15 being the smallest package too!)

My throat still hurts like you wouldn't believe. Swallowing is difficult. I drank some orange juice this morning and it burned all the way down. Thankfully, N picked up some Cepacal for me. It has improved my quality of life today.

Tomorrow there is nothing on the schedule. Thursday is supposed to be a movie night for me and some girls. I hope my throat is much better by then. Saturday is our big dance at church. I have to come up with a great appetizer to bring. Better shake this illness sooner than later, I've already missed so much!

Mothers Day

Another holiday upon us, I am determined to make it a nice day. My attitude has been completely anti-holiday lately. N is currently making breakfast for us. We have church this morning, hoping we can make until the end. Many children are celebrating first communion today. It will be long once again. No plans for the rest of the day, just to hang out with those who made me a mother. N works at 1.

I received some great cards from them and a button Three made at school.

I heard about making brownies in the waffle iron, may give it a whirl with them this afternoon.

Had a wonderful time with some moms in the area last night. It was great to finally visit with them. Many I have had conversations with at school, but brief and always surrounded by children. It was a fun evening.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms I know! Hope you have a great day!

Operation: rescue my husband

Tonight was an adventure for the books. I get a missed call and message from N. His boat motor quit and he is stuck at a launch on the river. I have no idea where this location is. He left his phone in the truck. His motor quit and he had to float down the river to the current location. He repeats himself, this is his one phone call from someone in the area who let him use the phone.

I hear West Boat Launch. Turns out it was Rust BL. I hear off of Leach Ave. It's actually Lee Ave.

Friends to the rescue! First my phone call to Zinnia, she and Mr. D know the area SO much better than I do (well, that is really an under statement, I don't know the area at all.) She helps me figure out the correct location. It's too much. I have three kids in the car in their PJ's and I have to drive into the ghetto to retrieve my husband. It's six o'clock. Thankfully, my neighbors pull up and rescue me just before I lose it. Miss Diana sweeps the kids off into her house for a movie. Mr. Chuck drives my car, we grab a pool noodle and head off to find N. Zinnia gives Mr. Chuck directions and he knows exactly where we are going.

We arrive at N's current location exactly one hour after he called. N is still fishing. He had no idea if we were coming or not. Someone was watching out for him. My sister called and I heard my phone ring. I missed her call. Had I not heard her call, I would have not noticed his message.

Good to get out of that area before dark. These neighborhoods are beyond questionable. Every other house is boarded up or has been set on fire. Not a place for me to be driving alone, lost with my three kids.

We find our way back to the main road and then to the area he launched the boat in the first place. The truck is still there. Many fisherman were out today. The fish were biting. He came home with one keeper, his first Walleye in MI.

Too much adventure for me. Guess he needs to come up with a better fishing plan, at least program the boat launch addresses into the GPS. So very thankful for Zinnia, Mr. Chuck and Miss Diana. Not sure what my evening would have been like without them. Friends and neighbors are truly angels!

Always try to help

My boys loved the Koala Brothers when they were little. When my brother in law passed away, we all traveled to MI to see N's family. Upon our return, we all came home sick. So very sick, poor little Seven was up all night. All I remember is the Koala Brothers DVD running over and over. Then to raise his spirits, my parents sent him the Koala Brothers and Ned. He was so happy. I have a picture of him and Five with the dolls together, beaming. His cheeks were rosy from the fever, but the smile was precious. Five was just a baby, the only one who didn't get sick, thankfully.

The theme song from the cartoon is Always try to help. It's cute and fun. While some may say it's annoying, I enjoy it still.

I offered to help a friend get her house ready for first communion weekend. Wasn't sure she would take me up on the offer, just tossed it out there. She did and I find myself excited. Cleaning and organizing have always been my thing, but haven't done much of it since coming to MI. I helped out the sister in law when we first moved here, but that was awhile ago. I am not exactly sure how much help she wants, but we will see how it goes.

It feels great to help someone out. I wish I could do more of it.

The Mai adventure awaits

What a schedule this week! N is going to chaperon a visit to the planetarium tomorrow morning. I get to do another German lesson with both boys classes in the afternoon. We will trade off Three at lunch. Seven has his first soccer practice tomorrow night. Thursday will be open to recover. N's last day off. Friday I hope to get to Water for Elephants during the day! So exciting. Next week will be even crazier with the book fair, preschool, soccer, another movie date, N's work thing, and followed by the dance at church. Did I mention Mothers day too?

May is Mom's Month???

Everything is based around the schedule of my kids. From the moment I wake up, to the time I put them to bed, it's all children. Meeting basic needs, keeping up with laundry and house rule my entire day. For some reason, the month of May is going to be different. So many great things planned this month, and most are for me! Ironically, Mothers Day is in May. No plans for that day, but we are going to get a babysitter established this month. N has a work thing and we have the church dance. I need to get to recruiting people to come. I have a few extra people who do not go to our church coming. Have to come up with some great appetizers to bring too. I used to try them out on my neighbors in TX. We would all hang out on Friday nights together. I set me baby monitor to hear the boys and we were outside socializing with the neighbors. It was a memorable experience, I won't ever forget. Our neighbors were really great people, we established such great friendships.

Next is to nail down a couple of movie nights. I saw the trailer for Something Borrowed last night. I follow the authors blog. Also looking to see Water for Elephants too.

Hope its all I've made it out to be!

May Day

Second week in a row, church was a rough experience. Too warm in there and why did I not realize there would be 3 baptisms today. Of course they would be the weekend following Easter.

I recovered thanks to N. Burgers on the grill and a nice time outside. We delivered May Day baskets to some neighbors, a task that put everyone in a great mood. Neighbor kids came to play and they all shared a treat. They were able to put their "short pants" on today, making everyone happy.

I am a little further in my book, not much though. The disaster N left in the garage distracted me a little. He decided to play mechanic yesterday. Thankfully we live next door to the tire guy and delivered the truck to his shop last night. Half the garage looks good, but the other half needs serious help. Guess Three and I have something to do tomorrow after all. Hoping to get a play date in with a friend too.

Some how, I have to talk Seven into finishing his homework and thank you notes.