Such a busy day!

I always hold out hope that Saturday will be a quiet at home day, but it never happens.

Britt had soccer pictures at 9:15 this morning and then an 11 o'clock game. We came home, I fed the kids lunch and the kids picked the garden. We got another huge haul of tomatoes, both the yellow pear and the jersey, as well as the last of the carrots and a cucumber! So I had a counter full of produce, so I put a bunch of the yellow pear tomatoes in with some garlic to roast. I figure they will make a nice salsa tomorrow to go along with the tortilla soup I have planned. Then I decided to start dinner, which is homemade mac and cheese and cucumber and tomato salad. Then, because I don't have enough to do, I made a chocolate pudding pie with a Nilla wafer crust for dessert. Since I need to run out to the store this evening, I will grab some cream and make fresh whipped cream for the pie. I have four more assignments to grade, a paper to write, a ton of laundry to wash and fold and a house to clean. If I can just get the grading done soon, I can dust, switch laundry and vacuum before dinner, and while the family eats, I can go to the store. See, never a light day!

My poor husband

He is on the phone with his mom, trying to help her make a good choice. She is falling apart, financially, emotionally and physically, and we keep trying to get her help. It hurts to hear him on the phone having to deal with this. He is such a good man, he is a kind and loving husband and father, a hard worker and just a great person. It hurts that he is feeling so much stress, between the issues with Haven and this, it is too much for one man, no matter how great.

Movie Night

The kiddos, Ryan and I are having movie night again. I find that in Friday nights the kids need some time with us and they really enjoy when we all snuggle up and watch a movie. I think Fridays will be family movie and game nights every week, and I am looking forward to winter nights with the fire going :)

Today I picked them up two new movies, and they chose this...



I LOVE this movie, so I hope they enjoy it too!

Hi ho hi ho

Today is a work day, and while I love teaching once I am there, getting up and going is tough. It is a gloomy day again, and all I want to do is curl up in my PJs and watch a movie. Needless to say, even if I was home all day, I wouldn't be lounging, the house always needs work and with my mom coming, I have some things to get ready. Thankfully, I know that once she is here, she will handle everything and will be happy to fold the mound of clean kids clothes I saved for her. Hopefully Ryan will do some basic straightening while I am gone, and if he is really trying, he will clean my bathroom for me!

Tonight we are taking the easy route, ordering in pizza and making it another movie night. I am looking forward to snuggling up on the couch, doing a little work, while surrounded by my favorite people. The kids don't know we are having another special night, so they will be excited when I tell them after I get home. So it will be dinner and baths, then popcorn and a movie. Fun family time :)

Too much Kool Aid

I have a ton of Kool Aid packets from certain deals I have been working at the grocery store. I decided to make some home made scented Play Doh and Maggie came to play with Grayson.

Look at all the fun they had!

Here's the thing.....

If you want to share your opinion, views, beliefs, I am more than happy to read, listen and consider BUT you have to also read, listen and consider my opinions, views and beliefs as well.

Talk all you want about what YOU think is right, just understand that it doesn't mean you are. People who cannot even entertain an opposing concept do not do so because they are so secure in their beliefs, they so so because they are close minded and fearful. I can honestly tell you that I 100% know what I believe and why. I can clearly elaborate to anyone who cares to listen (and that means actually listen and hear with respect) why I feel the way I do. I also can listen to and consider opposing beliefs, in fact, I really welcome hearing the how and why people believe what they do, sometimes I have even rethought my stance on something because the argument they made. However, hiding behind clearly skewed articles, a book of man's words or the preachings of your church will not convince me that those are your true feelings, those are other people's beliefs that you are hiding behind.

Just sitting

So today I feel like I haven't gotten much accomplished. I did get my work done, and dinner is cooking, so that is something. Britt decided she felt well enough for school and if she comes home OK she will go to her soccer game, which means Ry needs to drag everyone since I have work.

I switched laundry and did dishes, and took care of the kids who are home, but mostly, I sat here.

Here is the thing, all jokes aside, I am scared. I am sacred to be hoping that all Haven has is seizures. I am scared that something may be really wrong. I am scared of the medication, side effects and what it means for my girl. Life with Haven is always a roller coaster, and we have been here before, waiting, watching and knowing that there could be one horrible outcome and one not great outcome, and it never gets easier and we have always been lucky.

I can't cry today, she is home. I cry when she isn't, or last night when my husband walked out the door and I heard it close, I stood in my dark kitchen and actually let the bad thoughts in, I cry then.

Please.....just hope for the not so bad for us, let us be lucky again.

Life gets messy.....

So this is where we are at right now.

Haven is beginning her anti seizure meds tonight. She will need to stay home from school tomorrow so I can see how she reacts to the medication. Brittan is sick, a bad cold, fever, cough and headache. Poor kid :( She will have to stay home tomorrow as well because of the fever.

My mom is coming on Monday, which I appreciate since we have so much going on, and I need some help keeping up on the house work and laundry, plus I need someone to watch Gray for me.

Ryan has taken off on Monday and Tuesday. Haven will have her MRI on Tuesday, they will knock her out which will make this bearable. She can't eat before hand, so I am sure she will be starving when she wakes up. Wednesday, we will see how Haven is, she will have to be off her meds, so she may have a hard time. Weds night she needs to stay up all night as Thursday she has a sleep deprived EEG at Children's Hospital.

Needless to say, I am a bit of a mess. Throw in work times two, school, three kids and a house, and it is a bit overwhelming. As always, I know we have love and support and we can weather any storm, I just wish there was no storm today.

Haven

I love my oldest daughter, I love her deeply and thoroughly and painfully. She can make me crazy in an instant, but we have a special bond. Part of what makes us so close is her health. There are so many people out there who have sick children, really sick children, and every day I wonder how they do it. Our story is quite different, Haven has no disorder, we have no plan or expectations, she just keeps having one thing after another. I joke that I want to go to a specialist and have nothing be wrong, but truthfully, I would love that as it has never happened. In her eight years, Haven has had a pediatric gastroentrologist, pediatric cardiologist, two pediatric allergists, two pediatric neurologists, an orthopedist as well as the standard pediatricians and dentists. currently we are awaiting final diagnosis of the seizures, but while we wait, her behavior is getting more bizarre and I am watching the kid I love and who makes me crazy slip away. She is not herself, she is acting strange and is horribly explosive. She scares me, I am afraid she will hurt herself, and I have real reason to worry. Tonight, my beautiful girl, who loves her long, blond hair, cut a huge section out. She went, got scissors and cut it off and then went back to what she was doing. When her father saw, and he asked, he said she then realized what she had done and was upset. That is not like my girl, she won't even let me trim her hair.

Now tomorrow, I will send her to school, trying to disguise the blatant bald spot. I will call the neurologist to see if there are other tests she needs. I will call the school nurse and explain her erratic behaviour and ask that they watch her. I will call the teacher and ask for a conference. I will then cry.

Two nights in a row

my kids have INHALED dinner. They have never been big dinner eaters, so this is new. Last night I made homemade sauce with Italian sausage, wheat pasta, salad and bread. Grayson had three servings of pasta and sauce and two of salad, the girls had two servings of pasta/sauce and salad! It must have been the tomatoes, fresh from our backyard.

Tonight I was really nice and cooked taco meat, sliced tomatoes and lettuce and pulled out the chips. The kids made their own nachos, but I made sure it was mostly meat and salad. Again, two helpings per kid!

We'll have to see what happens tomorrow, I was thinking of roast chicken so I can use the leftovers for spiced chicken....we will see.

Update on faith

So, we made it out the door, all looking decent and early to boot! I wasn't positive where the church was, so I appreciated the extra time. We made it there and everyone was very welcoming! They introduced us to the pastor, showed the kids where RE classes are and so many people came up to say hello. Aside from Grayson getting bored and distracted at the end,and me having to drag him out from under a chair where he was kicking his sister, it went well. I will be happy to go back next week, send the kids to RE and meet some of the people. I also love that they serve coffee during the mass, that's my kind of church!

Haven says she is so excited and wants to join the youth choir, so I think they will make great friends here.

A sense of faith

It seems to be in the air, but there seems to be a need for a sense of faith. I have struggled long and hard since having children with how to supply them with faith. I was raised Catholic, and for me, that religion was not the best choice. We have tried a few faiths on for size, and none matched with what I felt was my faith. No details needed, but I hope that the church I am going to tomorrow is one in which I find comfort, and my children learn what they believe. I decided they needed religious education, so all three will start classes next week, and I hope to use this opportunity to meet new people and cement my beliefs. Hubby even agreed to come home early from work next week to help me see the little ones off to their first class, I have some concerns about Grayson.

The best news is, that when I checked on the service focus for tomorrow, I found that it is a multi-generational service, so the kids will be welcomed and comfortable. This will make it easier, since I will be alone and wrangling them. Now if I can get us all up, dressed, fed and out the door by 9:15, I will be thrilled!

Stressed

Our house flooded earlier this year and I am worried that it will happen today with Hanna coming over us. We haven't had the extra cash to regrades the backyard, and when we have serious rain, we get the runoff from the surrounding properties. I will be on edge until the storm passes tonight.

Such a treat!

So I have been busy, busy but tonight I got a rare indulgence, and very long, mostly uninterrupted, perfect call with my oldest, bestest girlfriend Chelle!


The kids were off having movie night with Ryan, and she and I got to talk about everything,work, marriage, family and kids. She is a new bride, and a new step-mom, so there was lots of good chatting to be had!

What a wonderful treat to indulge in catching up, connecting and feeling loved. Love you Chelle!

So early again

I am not sure what is wrong with me, but I went to bed at about 1 am and was wide awake at 6! Good thing Grayson was up too, so I had a good reason to get out of bed and come downstairs. Poor hubby never made it to sleep yesterday afternoon due to his family drama, and then I had to go to work, so I am going to let him sleep while I get the girls off to school. Secretly I am hoping that if I let him get some sleep, he will put my garbage disposal in this afternoon and help me fold laundry :)

On another note, I heard parts of Palin's speech. Her voice is weird and reminded me of someone on Saturday Night Live, anyone else? She did do a great job, not getting my vote, but kudos to her...

Four year olds are fun

Gray made my day today. We are having a crummy day, lots of extended family drama, Grayson put the biggest smile on my face.

This morning I sang him Fried Ham-Fried Ham, Fried Ham cheese and bologna, after the macaroni we'll have onions, pickles and peppers, then we'll have some more fried ham! Holdover from Brownie Days!

He thought that was the funniest thing ever, especially when I sang in a crazy voice.

So then he decided to sing me some silly songs, and he was so cute! Then he told me the next song would freak me out, he said "fweek" and that song had a big ending :)

Then he told me that he had a band and that their names were Rock Boy and Rockie and they played the bologna. He was so funny and made his mama smile!

Something has to give

Soooooo

I woke up around 5 am having a panic attack, nice little nap I got there. I am very stressed, I am always stressed around this time, and while I logically understand that what is stressing me will get better in a few months, still stressed.

Then husband forwards me an email from his aunt, about his mom and brothers. I am not quite sure what she wants us to do, they are a walking timebomb, a wreck, but we can't fix it. We have tried all we can, but for some reason she feels it is Ryan's job...hmm, it's not. So more stress for me and hubby and I just feel really bad for him.

Then we find out that his OT won't be in Friday's check. Swell. Not like I needed it....so now I had to rearrange the bills. Damn I hate September.

The first day!

The girls had their first day of school, and everything was terrific! Two smiling girlies came off the bus and had loads to tell me, new friends, new teachers and a fun day overall. I am happy that they had a great day, and hope we fall into the swing of things soon.

I was also able to schedule Haven's EEG today. We go September 18th, and Emily said she could watch Grayson so Ryan and I could both go. That will be a relief as having to drive to Children's Hospital after keeping Haven up all night and watching them induce a seizure might be too much for one mama to do alone.

More to say

No more political or religious stuff, I remember why I usually keep my beliefs quiet (not with you Em).

So I am really, really tired. I am not sure why, maybe the going to bed late caught up with me, or maybe I am coming down with something. I am just so exhausted, and it really stinks since I have so much to do!

At least dinner is cooked and the kid's cookies are made. I need to do the dishes and fill out all of the paperwork for tomorrow. Then the girls and I have to make their lunches, and we are ready for school!

More randomness

See what happens when I sit to finally eat lunch...hint, that could have been the wooziness since I don't eat breakfast and didn't eat much dinner last night.

So, while eating and surfing, I saw the report on Palin's daughter. I don't like to talk politics too much, with too many people, as I find that most are unwilling to even consider an opposing viewpoint. I have no designated party, and I am liberal on a lot of topics.

Anywho, I am confused by the fact that McCain knew that Palin's daughter was pregnant and somehow felt it was in line with his message. My main issue is that from my understanding of most Christian, conservative, Republicans, that sex before marriage is a no-no, that getting pregnant before marriage is a no-no, that having an abortion is a no-no. What confuses me is that this young lady did two out of the three no-no's, but we are praising her and her mother? Now, I know that girls have sex before marriage, get pregnant and get abortions, and I am okay with it and accept it. I won't condemn my girls if any of those took place, would I be scared, sad and worried, yes, but I won't tell them that any of those choices are wrong.

I am just surprised that it is preached not to have sex and get pregnant because it is wrong, but then we praise her for not having an abortion, and getting married at 17? Is it ok if they get divorced when they are 20 because they were way too young for everything that happened? I am not saying that I think she should have an abortion or that she doesn't deserve support, I think it is great her family is standing behind her. I am just confused on why it is ok to break some rules, but not others.

You'd think I have nothing to do

with the amount of posts today. Truth be told, all the time I am not blogging, I am doing. I swear I am that OCD and that anxious of a person, hence the ribbing yesterday when I said I would sit and watch a WHOLE movie. I can't do it!

Anyway, a thought crossed my mind a few minutes ago while chopping carrots. I was looking at the pile, and in it were just a few perfect little carrots. They looked just like the ones from the store, orange, plump and straight. The thing is, there were only a few, maybe four or five, in the whole pile of at least 50 carrots. The rest of the bunch taste great, beautifully sweet, but they all look a little funny. Some are really stubby, some are bumpy, lots are crooked, and a few had two heads! When cutting the carrots to be blanched and frozen, I thought, wow, they are just like people! You have a very small group that look perfect, and the rest are a bit bumbly and different. The thing is, people expect the same from their veggies as other people. They only want the pretty ones,the perfect ones.

Those perfect veggies are dolled up,genetically modified and hybrid and not nearly as delicious as the kooky ones from the backyard. People are the same, the perfect ones are the select few, and the rest that "look" perfect are modified.

We should take a lesson from the backyard grower, the veggies make not look perfect, but they are just as good, if not better, than the fakey fake ones at the store. Same goes for people, love your bumpies and offshoots and differences!

Feeling woozy

So, I did the dishes, got the kids dressed and we went and got the CSA. When I got home, I had around 400 million tomatoes from the CSA and the garden, so I decided to go ahead and get them peeled and frozen. Then I peeled the 12 ears of corn and got the peels in the compost. The kids pulled around25 carrots, those will need to be washed and blanched and frozen. The kids needed lunch, and while making their grilled cheeses, I started to feel really tired. This wasn't normal tired, this was the fall down on the floor and pass out and sleep for hours tired. Then it hit, the nausea and the weak feeling. Thankfully, the kids are eating and I am taking a few minutes for a break. Then I will go back and peel the last few tomatoes and get them in the freezer, and blanch the carrots. I also HAVE to make the girls cookies today and I really need to make sure I can seal the counters tonight. Not to mention work, filling forms out for the girls, dinner, laundry and general upkeep. Hopefully it will get easier when the girls go back to school!

CSA, Cookies and more!

Tomorrow school starts, and like any big event, we have to have all of the hoopla leading up to it! This morning the kiddos and I will go pick up the CSA and hubby has been kind enough to stop at the store on his way home for the onions I forgot. Then we are home to make cookies for the first day, it has become a tradition. I also must finish scrubbing the counters with a wire brush so I can reseal the counter tops and FINALLY put my kitchen back together!

The girls have their outfits all picked out, school supplies were dropped off last week and lunches will be packed up tonight. Tomorrow, we will walk to the bus stop, and for the first year, they will ride the bus to school the first day. This is also the first year, they will ride both ways, except the mornings Grayson has school, then I will have to drop them off so I have time to haul him across town.

In light of Haven's recent diagnosis, I will need to write a note to her teacher explaining where we are in the process of getting her condition confirmed, and I will also need to meet with the school nurse. As a kid with food allergies, if she had a grand mal seizure at school they would probably believe it was her food allergy and give her her epi. Now that we know....we can avoid problems.

Prepare to be amazed!!!!!

Want to see what I got for only 32 bucks?????

You may want to get something to drink first, this is a big list.....

5 loaves of bread
4 boxes kids fruit snacks
2 lbs grapes
2 fancy shmancy razors
2 packs of hot dogs
1/2 gallon milk
2 packs of rice side dishes
3 small boxes flavored wheat thins
2 big ole boxes of wheat thins
7 kool aids
2 boxes of nilla wafers
2 fajita kits
1 taco seasoning
jello
bbq sauce
2 boxes of mini wheats
4 boxes raisen bran
powder


That should have cost 124, cool huh!

Beaten and Broken and Taking a Break!

OK,the last few weeks have been rough. Between Ryan's OT, the kitchen redo, and everything else, I am just beat! Today is one of those days I have to ignore the mess, the things that need to be done and just rest a little. I am snuggled under a blanket, cup of coffee in hand, and resting. Will I make dinner, yep! Will I switch laundry, yep! Will I do the bare basics for work, yep! But THAT is IT! Now I am off to watch a movie, and I will watch the whole movie sitting here, which is a struggle for me, but dammit I will REST!

Oh so sleepy

The stress of yesterday kept me up last night, very, very, late. I had also taken a pill that normally makes me sleepy, so when I finally went to sleep around 2:30/3 am, it made it really hard to get up this morning. The kids slept until 8, which is awesome when you are exhausted, but will be terrible come Tuesday when they need to go to school. Needless to sa, the house is very dark, I fed the kids waffles and indulgent cinnamon rolls (I know how to buy myself peace) and now I am just sitting here, thinking of falling asleep.

There are a ton of dishes, so maybe I will get those finished and just doze on the couch, I mean the kids are 8,6, and 4, what could happen??? Hahhhhhhhahhhhahhah!

Smacked down, again

I took Haven to the neurologist today since she has been really off the last few weeks. Behavior is bad, not listening, not following directions. Everyone kept saying it was ADD and I knew in my gut it wasn't. Haven has had a rough go, heart condition (cured as of this year!), SEVERE reflux and gastric issues (under control), food allergies (forever and ever) and a few other small things. We went and the doctor was wonderful. I explained what was going on and she told me right from the start that Haven didn't have ADD/ADHD because she played so well and was occupied while we were talking, so I thought, WHEW! Then she gave her another test....she made her hyperventilate....she had a seizure.

So, she wasn't being bad, or difficult, she has a seizure disorder. Man, that hit me...hard. I guess we will just go forward, get the EEG to confirm and start meds.

Bad, hard day.

Please can I have a real fall, pretty please!!!!!

Fall is my favorite season, and I miss the crisp fall days like we had in NY. In Virginia, summer tends to blend into winter, which here is usually wet, cold and dreary (sounds like fun huh). The winter just becomes summer, no real spring. This summer has been milder, and we have had a few fallish days, so I am seriously hoping for a real fall!

There is something about the kids heading back to school, the leaves changing, needing a sweater and it getting dark earlier. It feels so homey to have the days be cool and crisp, and the evenings dark and cozy in the house. I also LOVE apple season. I used to love peach season too, but since Haven is allergic, we just skip it and wait, wait, wait for apples!

I am guessing we will do two trips to the orchard, one in mid September and one in October. The October trip is also usually the pumpkin trip, so that is when we will do a festival. September is so I can load up on apples for baking and eating. It will be a top day for me when I have bushels and bushels of apples for canning, just think, applesauce, apple butter, spiced apples and apple pie filling! There will be enough to last the winter :)

Muck and yuck

Our disposal has been on the fritz and now it has just died completely. I am more than annoyed since I paid a lot of money for that disposal a few years ago so that this wouldn't happen. The worse part is that the sink won't drain well now on that side and a dirty sink makes me nuts! I also use my sink a lot, especially when cleaning produce, so losing a side is tough. Needless to say, tomorrow I will be buying a cheap disposal and Ry will install it on Weds and I will leap with joy!

I lied

We didn't have chicken. My ride home was terrible, I95 is very slow the Friday before a holiday, add in rain, etc, it was just bad.

I even stopped at the store to get more chicken because I didn't think I had enough for dinner, and then I cam home, put the extra chicken in the freezer and made the kids blueberry pancakes and sausage. They were yummy!

Stinky pork

You what stinks? When you have to go to class and it is raining, and you know you won't be home until almost dinner. So you plan something that can cook while you are gone, for me this was pulled pork. I made the rub and got the pork out, ready to rub it down and put it in the oven so it could cook all day and become delicious while I was gone. I open the pork and it smelled terrible! The only meat I have ever had an issue with is pork, I cannot tell you how many times I have brought home a roast or pork chops to find that they smelled bad and I had to throw them out. Anyone familiar with the price of a pork shoulder will know that it pained me to throw that hunk of meat out! That was two meals for us, dinner tonight and I always freeze some of the pulled pork for a quick dinner down the road. Oh well, better than poisoning the family!

Meet the teachers

So we went and met the teachers, and it went well! It is always interesting to see how teachers react to all of Haven's issues. I prefer them just roll with it, which is what happened today.

The girls are happy, they both have friends in the class, so they will be ready to go back next week. I too will be happy when they go back next week, only ONE kiddo at home then!

Bubble bubble

It is a rainy day, so no riding-hooray! Now where is my million dollar check?

I got a lot done, a number of errands were run, and dinner is cooking away on the stove. Tonight we will have meatball and veggie soup and it smells fantastic! I also have bread baking, and everyone will have some salad as well. Then we are off to meet the girls teachers, drop off a bunch of school supplies then home to put the kids to bed and I have a conference call.

At 9 pm, I am DONE and I will relax!

Secret hopes...

Is it wrong to hope that the rain we are finally getting keeps up so that 1. I don't have to take Haven to riding in the morning and 2. I don't have to water my garden tomorrow

First class went fine, they stare at me like I have ten heads and don't talk...at all, same old thing. No worries, soon enough I know they will become so chatty that I will have to shush them. Plus I am the ultra cool prof who lets them go crazy early the first week. I love teaching on ground, but it really bugs me to have to be somewhere at a particular time, I know I am spoiled, but remember this is my PT job, I ALSO have a FT job that I can do in my PJs. One job would be swell.

I wish my parents would get that while we make decent money, we don't have any. Comments from them regarding how much money my grandfather left and how they have no use for it at all makes me crazy. Hint...over 100K in student loans, I could put that moolah to use. Oh well, they get to make that decision, not me, so I am busy investigating a business opportunity, while writing a book, teaching at two schools, getting a doctorate and raising three kids (and a partridge in a pear tree)

Just my secret hopes :)

Dreary

We have not had decent rain since early July, which is surprising given the extreme winter that started our summer!

The last two days have dreary and cloudy. No rain yet, but they are saying we will get some later, and I am hoping we get a lot since my poor garden is looking sad.

I start back teaching PT school tonight, I am less than excited.

Off to rain dance and get the house together before my weekly call.

Parenting is hard

So, I am emotionally and physically drained. We worked hard doing the kitchen, and I was up late most nights working as well. We have also been struggling a bit with our oldest, and I am concerned we are facing another health/learning issue with her. I know what a smart, funny, sweet and all around fabulous kid she is, but it seem something always gets in the way of all the good things coming out.

Poor Haven has been dealt a tough hand, and I fear this next item will be hard to handle as well. We will see the doctor on Saturday and hopefully I will have some idea of what we are dealing with, and we can go from there.

Being Haven's mom has been tough from Day 1, and I just want to be sure that we are able to give her what she needs, so the true girl can shine through.

Such a change!!!!

My parents left this afternoon and we worked hard the last three days!!

We emptied the kitchen, tore off the chair rail that ran down the back hallway, removed the cabinet doors, painted the walls, primed and painted the cabinets and put almost everything back!

The kitchen looks fantastic! I have hated that kitchen since we bought this house, and even though we replaced the floor, counters and sink a few years ago, the awful wall color and cabinets made the room drab and yucky. Now it is bright and cheerful and very much our kind of room. Tomorrow I will regrout the counters to freshen them up and finish putting up the decorative elements. Ryan still needs to attach the sink cover and a few other odds and ends, and it will be completed.

Right now, my house is a wreck, and the kitchen is still spread all over. It will take a few days to get it together and I will post pictures when it is all done.

It is underway

Let's just say that the contents of my kitchen are spread around the house. My cabinet doors are sanded and primed in the garage. The ugly chair rail is gone, the walls are patched and ready to be painted. Tomorrow we need to sand the rest of the cabinet bodies and start the painting. If we get this done before my parents leave, I will be very impressed!

Ever slightly less annoyed at the world

At least my parents come today. I know that will help us get a lot done, and it is nice that they are willing to come and do the labor with us. Now I am off to finish cleaning the house. Ah, a weekend with people who actually care, maybe it will help my mood.

People

Here's the thing, I used to believe that people were for the most part good and kind. That they wanted to do the right thing, and that they cared about others. Well, I was wrong.

I decided I am just quiting...quiting trying to be part of it all, quiting caring about anyone except my family, quiting looking for the best in people... because no one gives a damn. The worst part is, this makes me the happiest I have been in two months. A huge weight has been lifted and now I get to be one of those people I deal with daily, the ones who don't give a crap, I can see the appeal of it all, although it is quite sad. Maybe someday I will be proven wrong again, I would like that very much.

I am getting excited!!

Today we have a lot to do, right now Haven and Ryan are at riding and I am about to go upstairs, vacuum and clean the bathroom. When they return, we will dust the living room, family room and playroom, feed the kids lunch and at 1:30 I will take the girls for well checks. Most likely, I will be taking Grayson with me so Ryan can concentrate on finally finishing the garage and the mudroom. Then after the pediatrician, I will make dinner (BBQ beef, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes and salad) and then Britt has soccer practice! If all goes well, the entire house will be cleaned, the garage done, a dinner made and all appointments kept. I also MUST go and get the paint for the kitchen, I cannot wait to get it up on the walls!

Tomorrow Ryan and I will empty the kitchen and take the cabinet doors down. I will also begin patching the walls from where the chair rail was and my parents will be here in the afternoon, and I hope we can get started painting and installing the door that evening.

I am getting excited-the house will look great!

Our very big day!

We had a busy birthday day for Grayson!

We got up and I made them breakfast. We gave Grayson his presents and he went off to play the Car's computer game we gave him, and I did some cleaning. Ryan got ready, kids dressed and I had a conference call. AFter the call, the Fallons came for lunch and the children feasted on macaroni and cheese and hot dogs (yum?) and the grownups had steaks and salad. Then we had ice cream cupcakes and headed to the bounce house place.

The kids seemed to have a great time, then we headed to the farm. It was Ryan's first trip there-amazing huh! He loved it, we got our stuff and poked around, then back into the car. We stopped at Toys R Us as Grayson had gotten some cash to spend and we had promised him Play Doh. He decided against the Play-Doh and picked out an awesome firetruck and Batman walkie talkies. Finally home for a quick supper, playtime and then bed.

My baby is now four, can I be a little sad?

My baby

My baby, Grayson, turns four tomorrow. His was a difficult pregnancy and we almost lost him, but he held on and so did we, and we were thrilled to have a boy join the tribe.

Grayson has had my heart since day one. Even now, when he is in a phase where he is testing limits and really pushing me, I love him immensely. Don't get me wrong, I love the girlies loads too, but Gray, he is my baby and he has his mama's heart.

I cannot believe he is four, the time has gone so quickly. I have been home since he was born, with the exception of the two days a week I teach and he is with Daddy. I couldn't even bear to send him to preschool last year, but he will go this year and I will be sad.

He is a funny, smart, loving boy. He can make me laugh when no one else can. We call him the politician, he always has an answer and a justification, he can flash a smile and change your mind. I could see him kissing babies and winking at the mama's and winning them over. He is also quite the ladies man, always getting hugs from them and he can spot a pretty girl a mile away.

Happy Birthday Grayson, you make my days bright and interesting. I love you to the moon and back sweet boy!

Wanna have some fun?

Me too. Too bad today will NOT be fun!

The girls have appointments at the cardiologist. Haven has been going since she was two days old, Brittan they heard a murmur in and wanted checked out just in case. I guess Gray will have an appointment this fall too, to make sure his ticker is a-ok.

The problem with the cardio is the appointments are VERY long, and I will have all the kids. I am packing the laptop and movies to hopefully keep Gray settled, and I will have snacks hidden away as well.

At least we get to have lunch at our favorite Tuesday spot with our favorite Tuesday people.

Tomorrow my baby turns FOUR!! He is not a baby anymore and we will be celebrating that he is here and that we love him. I will spare you all the details of just how hard it was to get that kid born, but I am happy to have him!

Our house

OK, so when we bought this house almost five years ago, I really hated it. It had smurf blue carpets, a gouged kitchen floor, disgusting counter tops, and baby poop looking walls. We have been working on the house ever since, and sometimes, when I walk through now, I am so happy and proud of what we have accomplished. That doesn't mean the work is done, we still have quite the list!

My parents come this week and while they are here, they are helping us get some things done. As you can imagine, with a husband who works nights and three kids and my two jobs, it can be tough to get the big stuff done. While they are here we are:

1. Replacing the playroom door. It broke last year, so I have had to suffer through listening to the kids all summer when they screech and yell :) Also, it gets COOOOOOOOLD in the family room at night in the winter since that room is an addition, so I will be happy to have a new door.

2. Will will be painting the kitchen, the walls and the cabinets!!!!! The walls will be a warm goldish yellow. We have a lot of yellow rooms, all different yellows, not sure how that happened. I wanted the kitchen to flow well with the dining room which has red walls on the bottom and beige on top. The cabinets will be painted a cream color to match the appliances. I am so, so, so, so excited about this! We will also re grout the counter tops we put in a few years ago. They are natural stone tiles and I love they way they look, but they are a pain to clean!

3. New molding will go into the dining room. Hop hip hooray, we will finally have the molding finished in there!

4. The fireplace mantle will also get new molding and a coat of paint. I would personally love to cover the brick with river rock, but well, it costs too much, so I will take new molding.

I cannot wait for everything to get done! The other thing I need my dad and Ryan to do is to cut down the wisteria out back. The previous owners planted it too close to the house and in a place where you can't trellis, so it just attacks things. We will cut it down, haul it to the dump compost, and maybe this spring we will build the deck. My backyard is awful, mostly because we haven't had the chance to attack it yet. I want to build a deck over the patio and a wall next to it to direct the waterfall that flows down our hill when it rains. Then next year, we will put up the umbrella and put out my furniture, oh what a dream!

One more thing on the list...

I think I am going to start writing a book. Not an academic one, did one of those already, well part of one, and I am sure there are many more to come as my teaching career progresses. This will be a book about something I want to write about and I think there is a need for it. I am not sharing my idea, just going to see if I can get the first few chapters written in the next few months.

I know, one more thing, but I HAVE to work and to further my career I HAVE to finish my doctorate and I HAVE to raise the kids (haha, I like them I was kidding) and I WANT to do this. So that is that.

Csa super food

I don't know how to express my love for my CSA. Is it a pain some weeks to go get the stuff, yes. Is it worth it, always.

One of the small steps we made when starting to change our lifestyle was in our food choices. Knowing the food going into my kids really makes me happy. Yes they occasionally eat junk, yes there is Kool Aid in my fridge, we are by no means perfect, but there are things I saw that we could change.

This year our garden took a hit during the floods we had. I am so grateful that every week I get a beautiful supply of fresh food for my family. The kids look forward to seeing what is in the bag, and I look forward to serving it to them. Thanks to the abundance we have received some weeks, we have been able to freeze some of the stuff including beans and tomatoes. Today I have a batch of CSA beans and a batch of our beans to be frozen. We also have a lot of tomatoes, so some will be peeled frozen. This week our garden tomatoes are almost ready to pick, and if we get them all, we should have around 40-60 tomatoes....can we say canned spaghetti sauce :)

off to check the garden and blanch the beans. Dinner tonight is kielbasi, roasted squashed potatoes and beans, plus melon for the kiddos.

Now midnight

and the boy is going strong.

I however am exhausted.

He is running around the house.

This is not good, however he and I spend lots of quality time together.

Around and around and around

goes the terrible sleep cycle. So Grayson and I did not get a good nights sleep, so today when he was getting very crabby, I made him go upstairs to rest. Three hours later, at 4, he came down. Hmmm.

So now it is just after 10 and he and I are watching a movie, since he can't sleep. Hopefully he will sleep in tomorrow morning. At least I can use this time to do course checks so all I have to worry about tomorrow is going to get the CSA stuff and seeing Dr. Tom.

Bing bang boom

So it is 1 in the morning and i am just going to sleep. Grayson had a nightmare and is sleeping next to me, and then BAM! He falls out of bed, and in the process takes my lamp with him and light bulb shatters everywhere.

So I get him up and make sure he is OK. Then I go downstairs for the vacuum and a light bulb. Come back and find the old bulb is stuck, so I get the other lamp and move it so I can see the glass, then I vacuum.

Life is never dull!

Oh and after Gray got up the first time, he said he was hungry. I offered him water to which he replied, "That's OK, water is like chicken to me." What does that mean?

***
Edited
I would like to add that following the lightbulb incident, Gray was then up until after 2 am. He then decided to wake me at 6:40 to start the day. I am EXHAUSTED!!!

Sometimes you just have to do it

After you had a bad start to the morning (see post before this), and then the kid's are having a rough day, and the animals are acting up, and the cats knock over the hamster cage spewing hamster bedding everywhere(it was just cleaned this morning at least) and you have a HUGE paper due tonight that you are barely started on.....


Sometimes then, you just put the kids in the car, drive to the drive through ice cream place, and buy them ice cream for dinner. Actually, they will still have dinner later, but they got dessert before dinner because we were having a bad day and we just needed that.

How do you define

a morning that begins with your three (4 on Weds) year old son screaming at you how much he hates you...as you cook french toast for him, with the homemade bread you made for him.

The problem began as Grayson was arranging the letter magnets on the fridge while I cooked. He then asked me what a string of letters spelled, and I told him that those letters didn't spell any words. THAT WAS IT! He started screaming at me, he says he hates me, that I am mean to him, etc. Um, ok?

Now let's backtrack to yesterday when I was in Giant with my three kids. I told them we could buy 6 boxes of Eggos (a HUGE treat for my family) and they could pick out any kind! They were so excited and picked all sorts of crazy Eggos, Lego eggos, Kung Foo Panda Eggos, etc. Directly following the joy of Eggo choosing, something I did made Grayson angry, I don't even remember what, and he put his hands on his hips, told me he was mad and he was leaving.

I have two other kids who have been 4, so I called his bluff (mistake 1) and said, "OK, sorry to see you go!" and walked away so he couldn't see me, but I could see him. He walked to the end of the aisle, then turned and started back for me. I thought, Aha, as always this has worked! (mistake 2). I poked my head around and asked if he was ready to come with us, and HE TOOK OFF RUNNING TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE STORE!

We followed along the back then cut up and couldn't find him. We were so close to the doors, I was afraid he had left. The girls and I split up, Britt went to the back of the store, Haven went one way up front, and I went the other. The girls saw him, and went to grab him and HE LAUGHED, he thought it was funny!!

He did not think it was funny when I came and grabbed him and threw him in the back of the cart and proceeded to yell at him and fervently try to explain how dangerous that was the whole time we were in the store. He also was not happy when his father then had the same conversation with him about how dangerous it is.

Please say this is a boy thing and a phase :(

I admit it, I am crazy....

After all the running around this morning, I went BACK out with the kids!

We got.....
A new mattress pad for the guest room
Pack of 5 cars for my little guy's b-day
BIG pack of sheet protectors
5 more smelly oil air fresheners (can you tell I had a good deal?)
6 boxes of frozen waffles
4 more boxes of cereal
2 pencil boxes
2 sets of hangers for curtains
2 family sized packs of chicken


for......$28, yes 28 dollars.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee such a great feeling :)

We aren't MIA

We have just been BUSY!!!

Ryan was off yesterday, and I have so much going on at work. We did some work in the garage, I did a million calls and wrote a paper. You know it is busy when I order pizza for dinner. One big bonus, while cleaning out the garage, we found the box that had my German incense burner. My parent's brought him back from their trip there years ago, he is a chef because I like to cook, and he blows the incense smoke out of his mouth...he looks a little like this but mine is cuter :)

Today I went out and robbed, err, shopped at a few stores. I did so awesome, for 125 dollars, I bought:
4 kid's jeans
1 kid's corduroy pants
1 kid's dress
6 kid's shirts (cute hoodie ones too)
3 kid's tights
5 air fresheners things
2 shaving gel
hamster chewies
2 38 lb vats of cat litter
8 boxes of cereal
1 frisbee
2 10 packs of pencils
2 magnetic lists
10 packs of cheese
3 pudding
3 jello
2 bbq sauce
2 butter
3 boxes pasta
12 koolaid packets (hey they never go bad!)
1 bag of dog food

Not too shabby!

Why doesn't he get it?

My husband has bad days at work, busy days and weeks just like everyone else. WHy can't he see that I too have bad days at work, and really busy weeks too at my job too, but I have to work while also doing the job of caring for 3 kids and a house.

This week at work and school is AWFUL! New mentees, old mentees, new course start, old course end, training...you name it, I have it in the next three days. Right now I am getting ready for 3 hours of back to back calls, which I will then top off with a paper I have to write. Not to mention that tomorrow is the ONLY day Ryan is here to help me prep for the work we are doing next week, PLUS I have a paper due tomorrow and one Saturday, and my regular job.

Maybe I should send the kids with him to work so he can see what it is like....

Cheap stress relief

There is something to be said for getting your hands dirty. We needed more bread, and I have five conference calls today, so I got a jump on it and started this morning. There is something glorious about felling the warmth of the bread dough and you knead it, and the smel of the yeast. I am not against bread machines, I even used to have one, but nothing takes the pace of the old fashioned way.

Interesting day

It makes for an interesting day when you have to file a report with 3 different state attorney offices, the local FBI and the local police.

We are going after a company for fraud, and I hope the powers that be take them down hard, so no one else is ever taken advantage of.

Just call me Robin Hood.

I hate money....

August is our worst month since I don't get paid all summer from one job. We thought we had planned well, and pending no major mishaps, we would have been ok. This week was by far the worst we were going to have, and of course, unexpected things happened. Now I am broke, broke, broke until Friday and it is making me stressed. I just hate money :(

It's official

I will be calling the doctor in the morning. I kept hoping this cough would go away, and it got better for a few days and is now worse then ever. I'll probably end up with some antibiotic that makes me feel worse :(

This will screw up my day tomorrow, I will take the kids with me, and we need to do the farm tomorrow since I have calls all day Weds. Oh well, I will pack snacks and keep my fingers crossed the doctor is quick.

The connection is lost

How come on days that you need to connect, no one has time?

This summer has been a sad one for me, I have had conflicts with my mom and have felt like I am putting everyone else out. It is hard to feel like you try so hard, but you are only thought of and wanted when there are no other, better, options.

The last straw was today when my dad hung up on me because someone came to the door. To be fair to him, he will probably call me back, even though I was just babbling about stuff.

EDITED:

My dad did call back, as I knew he would. He listened to me cry and tried to make me feel better. He gets my vote for father of the year.

Trying to make things look up...

and it is getting a touch better.

Right now the kids are driving me a little crazy, imagine three kids on scooters IN THE HOUSE, moon sand dumped all over the dining room and someone letting the dog out the front door, all within a half hour. I have just sent them to do ANYTHING that doesn't involve them making noise, running around or making a mess....we will have to see what they come up with.

I have gotten some work done, which is a relief. Dinner tonight is on the simple side since everyone keeps complaining about everything. I am just making waffles and bacon for the kids, a BLT and soup for me, and Ryan is on his own since he said he doesn't want a big dinner when he wakes up.

I need to go do some cleaning, but when I feel so blah and down, I just don't have the energy. I was excited about the CSA haul today, but other than that, I am just funkified. Maybe I will brew some tea and make a zucchini bread, we have a really nice one that would be perfect. Off to bake bread, do dishes, switch laundry and dust.......

I am tired and weepy

I have had an emotional few days, and I am just a big ball of weepy,

Not my favorites

Right now my family is not a group of my fave people, they are making me nuts.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Shop til you drop

We have been busy today, lots of errands to run!

Last night I went to get my newspapers, and a few other items and I rocked the cash register :)


It all rang up to 49, I paid 9!!!!!

Today we did pretty well again, the kids and I did Bloom and Rite Aid

Bloom-shelf price $79, I paid 35.
Rite Aid-shelf price $23, I paid 10 and will get an additional $2 back

I love getting what we need for next to nothing, that is how to feed a family of five, and they still eat primarily home made. Most of my savings come from things for school (snacks, etc) and things like shampoo, etc.

Saturday Hooray!

I love Saturdays when I have nothing going on. I get to stay in my PJs all day if I want, I get chores done, and I always try to make or bake somethings fantastic.

So far, by 9:30 am, I folded the mountain of kid's clothes, we are talking at least 8 loads of clothes, and put them away. I also got the lower level vacuumed and enjoyed a cup of coffee. Next on my list is to do the dishes and switch the laundry. I also need to work on a paper and do some work.

Then when Ryan gets up, I get to go to the store and get the early edition newspaper, so I can organize my shopping for the week. That is my favorite thing to do on Saturday night, clip the coupons, read the list and figure out how I can save a ton of money.

Mind warp

Stole this from another super fun blog I read here, check it out...

It is creepy how close this came to who I am. Take the test.

***

rebecca, you are mildly left-hemisphere dominant while showing a slight preference for auditory processing. This overall combination seems to indicate a well-working blend of logic and judgment and organization, with sufficient intuition, perception and creativity to balance that dominance.

You will at times experience conflict between how you feel and what you think which will generally be resolved in favor of what you think. You will find yourself interested in the practical applications of whatever material you have learned or whatever situation you face and will retain the ability to refine whatever knowledge you possess or aspects of whatever position you are in.

By and large, you will orient yourself toward intellectual activities and structure. Though not rigid, you will schedule yourself, plan, and focus on routine and continuity of operations, rather than on changes and disruptions

When changes or disruptions occur, you are likely to consider first how to ensure that such disruptions do The same balance is reflected in your sensory preference. You will tend to be reflective and measured in your interaction style. For the most part, you will be considered objective without being cold and goal-oriented while retaining the capacity to listen to others.

Preferentially you learn by listening and maintaining significant internal dialogues with yourself. Nevertheless, you have sufficient visualization capabilities to benefit from using graphs, charts, doodles, or even body movement to enhance your comprehension and memory.

To the extent that you are even implicitly aware of your hemispheric dominance and sensory style, you will feel most comfortable in those arenas which emphasize verbal skills and logic. Teaching, law, and science are those that stand out among the professions, along with technical sales and management.
***

My favorite part was the "internal dialogue" because I do talk to myself in my head all the time. Also happy to know I picked the right profession :)

I am wiped out

We had a very busy day today. Haven had riding at 9:30, then I had to go up to PT school to meet with another professor. On my way home, I stopped and got new silverware and a few things at the store. While I was gone, Ry and the kids were starting to organized the garage, and when I got home I helped. We took 4 bags of clothes to Goodwill, and put a bunch of things up on Freecycle. Tomorrow I will do a few runs to the dump, and we should have about half of the garage done, which means next week we will be able to finish :)

I have also worked, made dinner, and did some clean up. Whew, at least I don't have to go anywhere except the dump tomorrow, and Saturday I will fold clothes-all day long.

Beef, Blood and Bins

So, I am supposed to be writing my paper. It is outlined and I have the research, I just can't seem to get going on the actual writing. Ah well, after I post, I will finish up.

So tonight, as I am grilling steaks to go with the rice, tomato salad and pasta salad that I made for dinner, we had a few mishaps. The first took place as I started to cut the meat for the children. Grayson came in carrying the canister to my vacuum. Well, my hand were dirty, so I called Haven over to help because I didn't want Gray to dump the canister all over my freshly mopped floor. Needless to say, they emptied the canister NEXT to the trash can. So I send them away as I finish making plates and then I hear it....the blood curdling scream from upstairs, and it kept getting closer. It was Haven, with blood pouring out of her mouth. Thankfully she is my oldest and eight, so I didn't freak, just grabbed a paper towel and ice pack. Turns out her sister kicked her in the mouth "by accident." So we fixed her up, and served up dinner. At least everyone ate, and the ice pops after dinner made her mouth feel better.

Ok ...now I will write the paper.

No adult contact

So for the last few weeks I have been almost completely alone with the kids with minimal adult contact. I see Ryan before work, but most days I don't really talk to anyone on the phone or see anyone except other people in a store.

Normally this would bother me, but I have found it to be calming. The house is quieter, I have more time for the kids and chores, and a clearer head. I may have to keep this up.

I love days at home

I feel like I can get so much more done!

I chopped and froze the jalapeno peppers we got in the CSA this week. I did it without gloves since I couldn't find any. Big mistake, but quickly resolved with Dawn dish soap and baking soda :)

I have a list of chores to complete, and I am happy that they will get done. Nothing big, just basic maintenance, but I will reap the rewards of a clean house.

Dinner tonight will be extra nice, steaks on the grill (a filet for me), pasta salad, rice for Gray and Ryan and a fresh tomato and cucumber salad with mozzerella. MMMMMMMM.

Off to clean.....

The gods are messing with me

I post how we are going to pay down debt and poof, and extra 50 bucks goes missing from my checking account. Seems the bank teller couldn't read the check my dad printed on his computer and decided it was worth 50 dollars less than the amount I put on the deposit slip, you know, the amount it was actually written for. So now I need to wait a week for the them to find the dang thing and have someone ELSE read it to see that it really was written for the amount I indicated so they can give me my money back. I am just appalled that they would take money out of my account without double checking, seems pretty obvious to me! I would also suggest that the person who has trouble reading the typed, printed checks not be the one who logs them into the computer, I can only imagine what is done with the hand written ones, **GASP**

This blasted cough

It keeps me up all night. Every time I lay down, I start sounding off like a baby seal. I know what is wrong, I have bronchitis, which is why I sound like I have croup, pretty much the same things. I don't have a fever, and other than a sore back and chest from coughing, I feel fine. But I am sleepy, and it is almost 3:30 and I just want to go to bed. But even as I LEAN back, hack, hack, hack. I am hoping this is almost over.

OK, Now I can blog :)

BTW-The chicken, lemon, orzo soup was FANTASTIC.....I will make it again and again this winter, except next time I will have homemade stock.

So, one of our biggest goals is to move to more land (minimum of 5 acres)and live more sustainably. In order to make this happen, we must first have a change in the housing market, since we would need to sell our house. Next we would need to know where we are going, we may end up staying here in VA, or there is a good chance we will end up in upstate NY. Then we need to pay down debt. That I am working on now, I would love to be able to move with only a mortgage and school loans (those aren't going anywhere anytime soon) but we will have to see. Now my goal is to take every last cent we have and split it, half into savings and half into debt. Some months it will not be much, some it will, but that is my plan and I am sticking to it :)

I shouldn't be blogging

I should be doing anything but blogging since I have about a million things to do. I could be folding the mound of laundry I have, or mopping the floor, or unloading the dishes. Right now, I have dinner cooking, and I need to do my work, but I am just so dang tired.

We had a rough start this morning and I had to redo all of Haven's clothes, again, refold them and put them away. You would think at eight she could manage to put the clothes that I washed and folded away in her drawers, but alas she can't. Then after a shower, we finally made it out. We ran to CVS to get a few things, then lunch, then stopped at the Wonder Bread outlet to check prices (they were so/so, but good enough for the wheat bread) then to the farm. After the farm, we stopped at Dr Tom's, then home to unload everything. We got home about 3:30 and I switched the clothes, vacuumed, made dinner and checked in with work. Now I just want to go to bed. With Ryan working the extra Fridays, and us having to get so much done on Thursday in anticipation of my parents coming, I am wiped.

Oh well, dinner needs tending to.....

A blast from the past

Tonight I was thinking of my favorite soup when I worked at the Greek place in NY. It was a lemon chicken orzo soup and it was delicious. A quick web search today and I found a recipe that very closely mirrors the one I remember being made in the kitchen.

Since I have some leftover chicken from last night, and I always have orzo, tomorrow nights dinner will be the lemon chicken orzo soup with the homemade bread I made today. I am hoping the girls like it, as it would be a good addition to their lunchboxes in the winter, nice and hearty, but still fresh tasting :)

I love freecycle

Ryan wanted some baby food jars for saving seeds, so I put out a call today. A very kind lady had a dozen of them and DROPPED THEM OFF!

That goes above and beyond :)

Start with the joy

So, I will start off with the good. The kids and I went and saw Dr. Tom today, and for the first time ever, Grayson let him give him an adjustment. I am so relieved as Grayson is my one child who really needs to see the chiropractor for health, especially with his sinus and ear infection issues. I am hoping that Dr. Tom will help me shake this cough that I have, it is still lingering and when I cough it is terrible, but otherwise I feel fine. I do get breathless easily, but that is really common for me when I have a respiratory infection. I guess it will end soon.

We also went and picked up the CSA bag. Ryan was so excited to see the hot peppers that were included, and I will be sure to freeze any we don't use for winter chilies and tacos.

Now on to the bad. The girls just keep fighting and I am at the end of my rope. I really wish I could figure out a way to stop them, but every summer in August this happens. I guess kids will be kids. They have all been sent upstairs, and I was so exited that I might actually get to relax and watch tv, but alas, the cable is out. Maybe I will go switch laundry and start baking bread.

Sunday Sunday

We left the house. I know, hold the presses, the kids and I ventured out into the world on a weekend.

We hit a number of stores, my girls were great, Grayson was possessed. Same old, same old around here. He does so much better when they girls are at school, I am looking forward to having just the one kid to run errands, and come October when he starts preschool, I will run errands alone :)

Even though he was terrible and awful, we still got the errands done and I was even a nice mama and picked up subs for lunch. Home we came, I did some work and unloaded the car and now need to get on cooking dinner. On our menu tonight...roast chicken with stuffing and green beans. Tomorrow I decided they can all eat leftovers, since we have plenty, and I get the night off. I will, however, make stock from the chicken and get it into the freezer, it is almost chicken soup time. Maybe bread will get baked if I don't cook.

Not tears of joy

My kids can make me angry, make me yell, and even make me swear. They can make me cry for joy, but rarely do they make me sob. Today I have 4 hours of calls. They know the drill, be quiet if they are in the room with me, and always check if I am on the phone before talking. Most of the time I am on mute, but sometimes I need to say something, so I unmute. While on the call, I did laundry, vacuumed, paid bills, and made the kids lunch. They were upstairs watching a movie and I had to unmute and they all came in screaming at me, well Britt was wailing. Seems they had been fighting upstairs. So I banish them, finish my call and go up to deal with the behavior and find their rooms TRASHED. Now I just spent countless hours organizing the rooms while really sick. Needless to say, I burst into tears, woke their father up so I wouldn't kill them and cleaned the rooms. It actually hurts my feelings, especially with the older two, since they know how hard I work around here. They also remember having to go to daycare when I worked outside the home, and now that I work from home, I just need cooperation from time to time. I cram a full time teaching job, a PT teaching job and a doctoral program in, and they rarely notice. Today was an unusual occurrence, since I try to do these trainings at night, so I just wanted cooperation.

Hopefully they will have learned their lesson.

Rainy morning

So we are having a quiet morning. I scheduled myself for 4 straight hours of training for work, yuck! At least I can stay muted and do things like switch laundry, vacuum, mop, etc while getting trained :)

I am bribing the kids with cinnamon rolls while I am on the calls, that should buy me about 15 minutes. I also have a new movie to keep them entertained.

It is a rainy day here, good for the garden and for the soul, I needed a reason to have a slow day. On the agenda today: laundry, move Haven's clothes, mop the kitchen, bathroom, dining room and family room, a paper and dinner. I may even treat myself to a mvie this afternoon with tea.

I think tonight we will have meatloaf, dilled roasted potatoes and green beans, maybe I will toss together popovers or biscuits. Tomorrow is the grocery shopping planning day, I am hoping for good deals on kid's snacks and cheese, since I need to get ready for back to school. It is so close!

I may suffer, but they don't

So, for those of you worried about my kids getting their usual meals with me being sick, don't be concerned :)

Last night Ryan grilled them some hamburgers and made some of our green beans and noodles. We even had my refrigerator pickles :)

Tonight I am making chicken in wine sauce, jasmine rice and zucchini with tomatoes and onions. Out of the meal, the chicken and rice are the only non-local items...the rest are- tomatoes (ours and CSA), basil (ours and CSA), zucchini (CSA), garlic and onion (CSA) butter (farm), wine (local winery) Not too shabby for being sick :)

Burns my britches Part 2

So yesterday someone rings our bell. We have a no soliciting sign since I cannot stand having people try to sell me their religion, their tree service and their politics at my front door. Husband and I opened the door, it is some lady telling us how she is raising money for single moms, buy a magazine and you can donate it to a charity and that everything is tax deductible. As I am leaving to get husband the check book, I hear her explain that half the money goes to her....hmmm, I know non profits, I have worked with them, worked for them and really understand the process, and that is not the process. I alert husband who stupidly still gives the woman $60!!!!!!!!!

I call the company today and asked them flat out if they are a 501c3...they are not. The woman told us that this was tax deductible, it is not, and I am furious! The thing is, we do give to charity, and I know how hard those who volunteer and work for charity groups work to raise money, and it is people like this that make it difficult for true charities to get the donations they need.

Needless to say, I registered a complaint and my check will not be cashed. Husband also learned a lesson, when it comes to donations, DO NOT give money when the wife tels you not to, he got a huge lecture on all the true charities that suffer at the hands of people like this.

Ouchy

So last night as I headed off to bed, I was thinking that I might be feeling a bit better. Then I decided to have a panic attack.....then I had a coughing fit. It was one of those fits where you can't get your breath and your ribs feel like they are breaking and you are sick to your stomach. Then any time I even tried to lean back, I had a huge coughing fit again. Needless to say, not much sleep happened. Now today I am all coughy again and in so much pain it hurts to take a shallow breath let alone cough. This plague really stinks and I am so over it.

Working my tush off

We have been busy. The girls room is almost completely done and organized, and I am happy to report that it looks great! They have more room now to play, and everything has a place, so it should be easy to keep clean. The only thing remaining is to switch Haven's clothes over, which should be pretty easy. I still need a few organizing things from Ikea, but we are really close to being done.

The rest of today will be spent doing the mundane, laundry, vacuuming, general upkeep. I am also going to TRY to relax. Tomorrow morning hubby has promised to help with the under the stairs closet :)

And as a random side note, I just found out something about a good good good friend from way back when that threw me for a loop. Once she tells me the whole story, I am hoping to be posting congrats all over the place, but for now I remain flabbergasted!

Just so you know

no nap for me.

But husband did go to the store for me and is doing the dishes. In the next few minutes I am heading upstairs to bed and am hoping to actually sleep.

I don't nap

ever. I mean I have napped, but I never ask to lay down unless something is really wrong. I napped last spring when I passed out, and maybe when I had pneumonia, but usually I don't nap.

It is almost 5:30 and I have fed the kids and done everything on my to-do list except the dishes and my paper. i just sent Haven upstairs to wake Ryan so I can lay down for an hour...yes, I am going to lay down. I am hoping that when I get up, I can bang out my paper, and I am REALLY hoping Ryan and the kids can finish straightening the house and do the dishes.

The best sound

So, I feel bad, but I have a lot that needs to be done.

So far today I have had my conference call, done some chores and canned 8 pints of dilled beans. The best sound in the world is the pop of the lid sealing, it make my heart full knowing that there is food for the future, all made with love.

I still need to clean another 5 pounds of beans and get them frozen, but that can wait until morning.

The kids have demanded popovers for dinner, I think I have created addicts, and they will eat eggs and sausage since I have so many eggs :)

Now I am off to finish grading and to vacuum and switch laundry. Maybe husband will help out tonight and do the dishes for me, we will see.....

Smoke alarm

So I needed to roast some more coffee, and got out one I haven't used before and boy oh boy did it smoke!!!

I had to open all the windows and use a fan to blow the smoke out. Then the kids and I went and tended to the garden, picked a few tomatoes and a cuke and saw the first zucchini of the season growing :) The tomato plants out back are full of fruit, so once they ripen we will have lots of tomatoes to can and freeze. Our watermelon is growing well, still no pumpkins on the enormous vines, but lots of flowers, cukes are going well and the carrots will be harvested in a few weeks.

After tending the garden, we came back inside and I roasted another batch of coffee. I was more gentle this time, and there was not nearly as much smoke.

I have my work call at 11, and while on the call I am going to be getting my beans ready for pickling. It takes a long time for the water to boil in the canner, so that will be set up, the jars will run through the dishwasher to be sterilized and heated, the beans cuts, and the garlic and dill prepped for the jars. We are using fresh dill (local), fresh garlic (csa/local), beans (local) and the brine is made with red pepper, mustard seed, vinegar, etc.

This is getting old

Still sick, worse even.

I couldn't fall asleep until almost 2 last night. I was tired, but every time I laid back I had a coughing fit. My ribs are aching and I just feel so bad.

I am worried I am going to end up woth pneumonia if this doesn't go away. I also have a lot to do with Ryan this week, and only one day to do it, so I need to feel better tomorrow.

Oh this just stinks....

Popovers=JOY

As a kid, my mom made popovers all the time. I loved the eggy delicate pastry feel of them, and have always favored them steaming hot with butter.

When I was pregnant with Haven, there was a company that put out boxed popover mix. I remember coming home from work and using a muffin tin to make popovers, and while they weren't perfect, I was happy to have them. I had to have eaten a fifty popovers while preggers with Havey.

Since then, I haven't had popovers, the boxed kind disappeared from shelves and I was always unsure of how to make them from scratch. When Ryan gave me my gift card for my birthday, I ordered a popover pan, and I am so happy I did.

Tonight, since I feel so lousy, I whipped up the batter and baked off the popovers. It was super easy and so yummy, and the warm fluffy popovers even made me feel a little better :)

Dinner the bain of my existance

So I feel really bad, but I ran a million errands and took Britt to her friend's house and went to the farm. I got home after 4 and since I bailed out on making dinner last night, I felt I needed to step up tonight. The plan was honey balsamic chicken with angel hair and heirloom tomatoes. I didn't realize that I was out of balsamic vinager, so now I have chicken with garlic and those heirloom tomatoes cooking with some lemon basil and purple basil. This will be served over pasta and hopefully the masses will enjoy.

I do need to make something that uses eggs, since O have three dozen sitting in the fridge. Maybe tomorrow night we have a quiche, I know I have the fixins for a bacon and onion and ham and cheese quiche....hmmm, ideas.

Sometimes you just get it right

OK, so lots of people swear by chores, and other don't, I don't care to debate. My kids are spoiled, they have everything they could ever want, they enjoy a large home with a million toys and they eat like kings. I feel they need to contribute, it is hard to keep up with a house with three kids, two jobs and school. The chore list is a dream come true!

The kids do their chores as asked, they get a check mark, and they know that once their father and I feel they have been consistent, they get a reward. All rewards will be family focused (we are big on being a team here) so it will be a family movie night or a trip out all together (daddy included). Some may say kids just need to do the chores and shouldn't be rewarded, but I feel that as long as the reward is a family event, it just builds more of a strong foundation.

Hooray for chores :)

It's no good

to wake up and feel just as crappy, if not crappier than you did at bedtime. This thing is kicking my rear, and since I had pneumonia two years ago, I don't think I have felt this bad. Ah well, the world doesn't stop for me.

Today Britt has a playdate scheduled and she is very excited. They will be tie dying and swimming, so she is very anxious for 11 o clock to come. While she is at her playdate, the other kids and I will be here doing some chores. My plan includes some laundry, dishes, vacuuming and bathroom cleaning. The kids have been doing their new chore list for a few days, and while they aren't perfect, it has helped keep the house picked up and at least one room a day they work on dusting, etc. This morning it is the dining room, so the table and chairs will get a good cleaning, and the windows will be wiped. The floor gets vacuumed and I will give it a mop.

After picking Britt up after her playdate, we are off to the farm, then to see Dr Tom, maybe he can help move this sickness out of my chest.

So so sad

Before we left for my parents I checked our pear trees. They were still full of fruit, and I figured we would have canned pears within the month. Today as I drove by the trees looked too perky. Sure enough, there were NO pears to be found, not ONE!!!!

I am so sad, i was looking forward to juicy pears, plus a bunch jarred up for the winter. I guess we will have to net the trees next year, and pick extra apples this year. Now I need to find apple trees to plant.

Errands done

So, the kids and I rocked at the errands today. Even though I feel like I have been hit with a truck, we were out the door at 9:30 and hit Rite Aid, then Target, the saw Dr. Tom, then picked up CSA, then I got them lunch, then Shoppers and then CVS. WHEW. The good thing is, all the errands for the week are done except the farm. I also got a ton of green beans for pickling, although I couldn't find the pickling salt and may have to make a special run for that. I also have a lot of pickling cukes from the CSA, so I may whip together some fridge pickles for the family.

Tonight I have a really nice dinner planned, but I will have to see if I can do it, I really feel yucky. If I get it done, we will have grilled chicken over pasta with heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. Popovers were also on the list. We will see....

Tomorrow will be quite the day!

So the plan is laid out for tomorrow. The kids will get a big, homemade breakfast to help tide them over through the errands. After breakfast and morning chores, we will head out to a number of stops. First on the list are CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Dr. Tom's. Then, if time allows, I will try to get to Ikea, although I know it is a long shot. Next we have to pick up the CSA and head home for lunch.

After lunch I am hoping to get moving on organizing the girl's room. We have a few things I need before it is all done, but I still want to get going tomorrow. Also on the agenda for tomorrow, bake 4 loaves of bread and make something good for dinner.

Compensation

We have learned alot this year through our garden. We discovered that the side garden works great as long as it doesn't wash out. Next year it will be framed and used for winter squash and pumpkins. We found that some plants are resilent, as is seen by the lone surviving cucumber plant that has grown to an immense size and is getting ready to bombard us with cukes. We found a watermelon growing today, and our beans continue to surprise us despite the late start. Carrots will be ready soon and we should have bushels of tasty tomatoes to enjoy.

Next year I plan to try corn, even though we have alot of shade, I am confident it will work. After a winter of composting, and hopefully the addition of manure-chicken and horse, the garden soil next year will be much better. We also must get on having the next garden tier added, I want to begin the planning early this year.

We are enjoying the fruits of our labor, and know that it will only get better in years to come!

Home and sick :(

We came home today, and I am so happy to be back. Ryan busted his rear end and got most of the upstairs done, so I was very excited to come home and have the beds all moved.

I seemed to have gotten a cold from Brittan and it has settled in my chest. I feel yucky, and hopefully the meds will kick in soon and I will be passed out in my bed :)

Missing home

I am happy we are visiting my parents, but I am missing home.

I never really enjoy being away, especially when it is just me and the kids. I miss my husband, and my own space. Part of being who I am is being in control, and whenever I am out of my element, I feel I lose some of that.

Tomorrow my mom and I are going out just the two of us, I am very happy that we will have time to spend together without fighting the kids to get a word in. Then on Friday we will try to find something fun for everyone to do, then we head home on Saturday afternoon.

The summer is running away on me, I get home and have only a month before it is back to PT school and the kids are back to their routines. As crazy as they can make me, I will miss them when summer is over.

Back in the Carolinas

We made it!

We left today after picking up our milk and yogurt from the farm, and high tailed it down to my parent's house in NC. The kids were awesome in the car, no fighting or screaming and just one small crying incident, but that was before Richmond, so it doesn't count :)

We did hit some serious rain, if you can even call it that. It was more of an attack from above...and the side. Crazy rain, but it only lasted a little while and we made it through. The kids are all in PJs and playing with Nana and Papa's toys. I am getting ready to shuffle them to bed so I can make some coffee and get my work done before my parents come home (they had a prior engagement). We are so sad Ryan couldn't come and miss him terribly, but I am also thrilled that I will come home to the girls moved into the big room...woohooo!

Tomorrow, if all goes as planned, we will be laid out all over the beach :)