The Noise of Our Chaos...

We have added a trumpet and clarinet to our normal noise level -- twins -10 yr olds in band now... so great for them, but that noise along with everyone screaming above it is enough to drive a parent over the edge... I guess paybacks come in all shapes and sizes!


And speaking of paybacks, my math sessions with Mags are reminding me of my dear stepmothers algebra tutoring sessions -- I suspect I was looking at the ceiling instead of the paper just like my Maggie is. The algebra teacher, Mrs. Woods, haunted my dreams.  I thought she hated me, but she was probably just about to pull her hair out because she couldn't get through to me.  I must keep my calm...As a parent I have to stick with it, but the last thing I want to be doing at 10pm is adding and subtracting decimals.  She is my child... and I get why she cannot focus on this stuff.  I remember focusing on every distraction I could find, and looking for every way out I could find.  It is amazing that I made it through.  Heck, I still find myself staring at the ceiling and I am supposed to be the tutor??  And I teach college??  I am sure Mrs. Wood would be shocked to know that!  And my stepmom tutor... and every other teacher I had... and my Papa... and pretty much any adult that knew me in high school or college.  It gives hope for anyone for sure.

Maggie bought a fish tank... another adventure

The Crazy family is back on the blog after a summer break from many things, and a major change in our lives (Momma got a real job!).  It is back to school time, and we are in full swing now, and as is normal, in our world, "full swing" usually results in some funny stories to relay.  The latest funny story is one of a animal loving girl, a piggy bank full of money (well, kind of full), and a moment of weakness... (okay a lifetime of weakness... whatever!)...and a few other elements.

Our horse loving, puppy worshiping, all around animal loving girl is in MIDDLE SCHOOL now -- they call it "Intermediate School".  Her twin brother, who we now refer to as "Major League" (later story), is also in Intermediate school.  They correct me every time I say middle school, but it is the step between Elementary and Junior High, which I guess has different names.  Anyway, they have lockers and 4 teachers, and it seems big for our littles.

Among many first week of school requests, in between various requests for skinny jeans and cell phones, Maggie returned home last week and informed us that she was to buy her teacher a goldfish for her birthday on Saturday, that the teacher loves fish, and that "everyone" is doing this.  By the way, "Everyone" also has a cell phone at age 10 and grade 5, and I am sure we are going to hear more about what "everyone" has and does not have, and is and is not doing this year -- it seems to be more important with this new grade.  Each day, she returned from school and reminded me of the fish.  Each day, the number of fish she was to buy grew, and at some point, it was a fish, a frog, and a shrimp... she just cannot get enough of animals / mammals / creatures.  By the end of the week, she had decided that while shopping for this fish gift for her teacher, she might want to get a fish for herself.  When I raised my eyebrow, she informed that she would use her own money to buy a fish bowl... which grew to a fish tank.  When we began to protest her using her money for a fish tank, she proposed that she use it to buy a cell phone... so fish tank it was.  At age 10, we just aren't ready to take the cell phone step / plunge, even if this person "everyone" has it.  For starters, we wouldn't keep up with them for longer than a day...

On Saturday, after our session at horseback riding, we had 2 tasks.  1) to buy/rent a clarinet, and 2) to shop for the fish (plural).  I knew nothing about fish species, so we visited our friendly Petsmart and inquired about the process for acquiring a sea creature.  What kind of tank / bowl do we need and what other supplies are required?  We asked about the teacher's fish first, and were told that we couldn't keep a goldfish overnight unless we had a tank.  So... we acquired a tank.  It is defined by Petsmart as a small tank, but 10 gallons seems awfully big to me.  I envisioned a small round bowl sitting on Maggie's dresser, but apparently there aren't many fish that will live long in a bowl.  We also learned that you just cannot buy a tank and a fish and be done.  You must take the tank home, add water, apply treatment, install filter, bubble maker, gravel,etc., and allow several days for the water to be ready for a fish.  We left the store with all of the tank parts, but no live creature... sigh!.  BUT... Maggie was determined to return to the store on Sunday to acquire at least her teacher's fish.  With a little luck, she hoped that, although the expert at Petsmart said several days, our tank would be ready for a short overnight guest in 24 hours, to allow her to keep her teacher's gift fish.  So... on Sunday, between Girl Scout meeting and dinner, we returned to Petsmart, talked to another fish expert, who shook his head, but said the fish "might" live in our tank for a few hours, enough to transport it safely to the teacher's tank this morning... and so Maggie selected her fish for the teacher, made one more plea to acquire a few of her own (I held strong - yes that is me... strong), and we left with one fish that would be our guest for one night, and we would all have to pray that he survived in the mystery water that awaited him in Maggie's new habitat.... And... He DID!  We checked frequently before we slept last night, expecting to find a mishap, but we made it through the night.  The fish guy told us to wait until last minute to place the fish back into the bag to transport to school, so we planned to do this after breakfast. 

The morning continued with the regular chaos of getting four kids dressed, eight shoes located, and four mouths fed, four backpacks ready, lunches packed, this and that.  As we were wrapping up breakfast, moving into lunchbox requests, our youngest bounces into the kitchen with the goldfish in the net -- no water, just flopping around in the air, in the net!  He was so proud of himself for catching the fish!  EVERYONE SCREAMED in unison "B-E-NNN!"  He ran off, and all kids followed to see if the fish would survive this.  Thankfully, the fish happily entered the water and began to swim around... and then he happily entered that plastic bag and thanked his lucky stars that he would reside in a 5th grade classroom and not in our home.  He sent a prayer up for that not so lucky fish from his tank at Petsmart that would be selected to reside in our home one day.  Ben cried for 20 minutes because everyone scared him so much when we all yelled!  It's all good... whew -- that was a close call!

This story has kept me laughing all day... We all survived the day -- even the fish!

Ready or Not, School's Out

Last day of preschool. Pizza party at noon. 3 more days of school for elementary kiddos.  Had a ton of things on my list then I turned on the TV and the movie "My Sister's Keeper" called out to me -- I had tears from the beginning credits... I now have perspective (and blood shot eyes), and I realize I have no problems whatsoever!... AND I have not accomplished a thing, except for a lot of cryin' -- maybe that is what I needed to appreciate my blessings this summer! Great flick - so sad....
Happy Summer... It is here, whether we are ready or not

Ben... sweet sweet Ben... he "HELPS" me so much!

I noticed Ben had disappeared. He was in the front yard. I called and asked him what he was doing, and he replied "I am making lettuce"... hmmm?... well... he had gotten the garden shears out of the garage in the chaos of big kids getting bikes for school, and was cutting up flowers... I guess boys don't need flowers. I have to keep my sense of humor for sure! I will miss these days one day. right?

I know I will miss it.  He makes my heart smile, even when he is making work for me - which is anytime he isn't sleeping or snuggling, but the snuggling makes it all worth it!  Oh it is so hard to be mad at him!

Happy Tuesday!  (It is Tuesday, right?) 

The Easter Bunny Visited Us!

The Easter Bunny visited, and all kiddos were happy. We awoke early (though, thankfully after 6am, unlike are 4am mornings when Santa visits). Anthony was the first to search out the loot. He is our early riser and this gave him something to do other than watching Astro's re-runs.  He was instructed not to wake the others until 7, but mysteriously, they were all up by about 6:15??  "I didn't do anything" is his hourly response to everything, so who knows!

He no doubt gave the others a nudge to get them going, and all were in our bed, jumping on us by 6:45. We had a great day. We hunted eggs first thing in the morning, then went to church, then we had Paul and a few neighbors over for a Easter Brunch. It was a beautiful day!

We feel truly blessed to have this family!  Children have this way of reminding you of your blessings... especially on those special holidays.

Our California Family Adventure – Legoland, Disneyland, San Diego Zoo, Beaches

The Flying Grizwolds?  We don't get out much...

Last week, we embarked upon our first ever flying vacation as a family of SIX. We normally drive, and our trips resemble that famous Grizwold adventure to Wally World. We also normally take our 1 yr old lab, who is our best traveler, including Mom & Dad, hands down. To say that a 1 yr old lab is the best behaved of our bunch is a little sad. Actually, it is more that “Marshmallow” is very mellow in the car, and not so much that our children are terrible, though we all have our moments, except the dog it seems (knock wood). Anyway, we were destined for Legoland this Spring Break, as our 6 yr old is a lego building maniac, and has been asking for this for a while, and as the middle child, he has rarely gotten to choose destination. Dad and Anthony were pushing for a Florida Disney trip… “and by the way, we could take in some baseball Spring Training, since we are there.” I insisted that middle guy gets his pick this time. Our life cannot revolve around baseball all the time. Can it? And since I am the travel agent, I also had some pull. We boarded late night Thursday flights both ways to get the best price – w/ 6 passengers, we need every angle we can find. Our 4 yr old set off the metal detector with his cargo shorts that had too many zippers, and was body searched which was scarey for him for a moment, and most of our bags were in need of security search for some reason, because we don’t travel often and are not well versed on current carry on procedures. The people behind us must have loved us! Dad tried to bring juiceboxes and Mom forgot to remove the nail polish from purse (which I obviously never use anyway but keep handy just in case? Don’t ask? It never happens, but I keep dreaming). Though our security process may have started out like the Grizwolds, our air adventures were uneventful, except for the complicated security process.

Our Perfect Vacation House: We arrived in Los Angeles and drove to Carlsbad, where we had the best vacation rental home we could have hoped for, for our crew. It was a 3 bedroom home with a pool, and the pool even had a locking, motorized cover that also provided solar heat. We are always nervous about renting a place with a pool, since we still have one child who doesn’t swim well. This house was nice, great kitchen, enough sleeping, and as a bonus, we scored a closet full of toys that were perfect for our kids ages. There were even a few kid and adult bikes in the garage, sand toys, beach chairs, etc. We were 5 minutes from Legoland, 5 minute walk to the beach, 45 minutes to San Diego Zoo and an hour from Disneyland. Our Camp Counselor (John) had deemed this “not a Disney trip”, as he agreed that we needed to focus on the younger 2 kids this trip, and we were expecting Disneyland to be a bit daunting for us. We would do a day at Disney, but would not attempt to cover everything. Save that for another trip. We wanted to see legos and animals and beaches… and maybe a little Disney.

Legoland: This was our second visit to this amazing park, but our first was when the twins were 4 yrs old and middle guy was an infant. We were again amazed at all of the lego creations to see. You can build just about anything you can dream up out of legos, and those magical Lego engineers have done that. Wouldn’t that be the neatest job ever… to build Legos all day every day? The rides were pretty cool too, mostly geared towards younger children (and adults who are scared of rollercoasters).

The Beach: The weather was perfect – a little chilly for swimming at the beach, but perfect for building sand castles and getting our toes in the ocean. The boys loved playing football on the beach too! We missed our sweet water loving dog here though. We built some cool sandcastles, which Ben took joy in wrecking, thus creating frustration among the other kids, such that one child broke off to try to distract Ben by building him special castles that he was allowed to wreck! He wasn’t born yesterday though, so eventually, he got to our big stuff… it’s all good though. At the end of the day, that great tide would have gotten it anyway, and Ben has all of us wrapped around his tiny finger, so not too much fuss about it.

The San Diego Zoo: Mommy was bummed that the Polar Bear Exhibit is under construction until later in March, but the other animals and the facility were amazing. Unfortunately, the luster of the Panda exhibit was lost with our impatient four, as the line was long, and it was lunch time, and they were cranky. They just didn’t get how special these animals are. Parents enjoyed them though, and then we deemed it was time to give the munchkins a break to feed their little cranky bodies. Ben said his favorite animal was the Gorilla. Maggie’s was the Zebra (because it is most like a horse – go figure). Anthony liked the monkeys, and Alexander loved the giraffes. A good time was had by all.

We attempted a scenic drive at the end of our zoo day to wait out some rush hour traffic, but whining from the back seat as we crossed the Coronado bridge caused Daddy to do an about face and head for the beach house. The troops were a little in trouble, and they knew it, so everyone fell asleep on the drive.

Disneyland: We were actually pleasantly surprised at how manageable Disneyland was with 4 kids. We never attempted to do everything but we were able to make it through the highlights and hit everyone’s favorites at least one more time. The highlight of Disneyland for the younger 2 kids was definitely the Jedi Training show, where all 4 kids were selected from the audience to come on stage for the show (with a little creative marketing, we finally figured out how to get picked on our 3rd try – arrive early, which is not in our nature, and make signs to be noticed). The look on their faces when Darth Vader entered the stage was priceless, and they are practicing the new light saber moves from home often (might be dangerous?)

The favorite of the older kids was Space Mountain. It was very cool, and mommy liked it because, for a roller coaster, it wasn’t to crazy – it was dark, but no loop-di-loops, and no too big drops. Indianna Jones was another favorite of these 2, but the line was a little long, even with the fast pass, and it was a rough ride. I want to kiss the person who invented that Fast Pass system – really makes the best of your time. We are not big fans of waiting in line – I guess the kids get their patience from us. It was a good full day. We could have spent a week there, but we left feeling a little taste of Disney, enough to make us want to come back, but not too much to cause crankiness to set in.   Everyone had a good time, and we all left the park in great spirits.  What more could we ask for?

After Disney, we went straight to the airport, where we caught a late flight home. Everyone was duly exhausted and slept the entire flight, and all was right with the world. We clicked our heels three times and said “there is no place like home”… and we were here… with our puppy… and our cat that hides from us most of the time… and our beds… and neato toys… and laundry and all that other stuff. It was nice to be home.

Our trip was a nice escape that we will remember always, and as usual, we crammed about as much as one can into 7 days. 

Happy Monday now… it is back to the real world. Baseball game tonight, and on and on!

What a Mommy Wants to Hear… so innocent… yet so telling.

Ben has a ritual of updating his career goals daily. Like many 4 year olds, he usually wants to be a police officer or a fireman. When we were in Angel Fire in January, he considered being a ski patrol because the snowmobiles look pretty fun to drive. He has noble ambitions to keep people safe, plus he is totally hooked on trucks and cool vehicles, so public service has many of those to choose from. It is all about the ride for Ben! Today, when I picked up Ben (age 4) from preschool, he said “Mom, I changed my mind… I don’t want to be a police officer or a fireman… I want to be nobody… just like YOU!” He said this with the biggest smile on his face and with the innocence of a four year old, he looks up to me, even though I am a “nobody”. I could dive deeper into this issue, but I choose not to for my sanity. I responded by telling him that” I am not nobody. I am a mommy, and I am a teacher, a wife, a daughter, a sister. I am a lot of things – not nobody”. He pondered that for a moment, and said ”Okay! I will be a mommy then!”.   He later asked if he could still marry me if he becomes a mommy too. 

Please God, can you just let him stay four a little longer. He keeps my heart full!

Our San Diego Girls Week-end

Holly's 40th...Girls Get Away + Luke.

The last time I boarded an airplane was in 2007 when I turned 40. My mom, sister and I went for a long week-end in California for my 40th . We went to Napa and the San Francisco Area and had a blast. We could have fun anywhere though. Our girl time is so rare that we laugh the whole time. We proclaimed then that we would make this an annual thing. We skipped a few years, through Holly getting married, pregnancy, and now with a new baby. On January 11, 2010, Holly turned 40, but her baby is still only 3 months old. We pressured her into thinking about taking Luke on a week-end with Mom and I to celebrate. She was worried about bringing Luke, but we are 3 moms, and one tiny baby… what can’t we do??? Thus the week-end was scheduled around the ability to bring Mark (her hubby, and Luke’s daddy) to help with Luke. Mom and I went along with it although we didn’t understand needing one more adult. I have four children, so one baby I can do with my eyes closed! As it turned out, I think Mark didn’t want to be away from Luke. Holly, welcome to the world of mommy being pretty insignificant in the equation – it is all about the baby.I was glad to see Holly, but the truth is, I was looking forward to some serious bonding with baby Luke. We had world peace to work out!

I love the baby stage, and my baby is not so much of a baby any longer and we are at the end of the road – no more babies in this house – or fish, or dogs, or cats, or hamsters… nothing living!


We were all off to San Diego – sunny California!  It sounded pretty good to Mom and Holly, who had just experienced the worst blizzard in recent Oklahoma history, and a lot of cold and ice after that.  Houston had been cold and rainy, so I was also looking forward to the sunshine too.  We had a great hotel on Coronado Island (close to the famous Del Coronado Hotel).  We stayed at a beautiful Marriott Coronado Island Resort, and our room looked out on the Ocean, and 3 swimming pools…. And it rained all week-end!  My poor sweet new mom of a sister arrived with 3 large suitcases.  This is her first trip with a child.  She has traveled with a memory foam pillow and a cappuccino machine for the past 10 years, and her life has changed.  This trip might be her realization of how much her life has changed. 

We had a great time though.  We had wonderful meals, a lot of laughs, and took in the San Diego Wild Animal Park on a cloudy Friday, and a great movie on a rainy Saturday.  At the end of the day, it was more about the company than the destination.  My mom kept saying we could do everything we had done in Ardmore, Oklahoma, but we wouldn’t have!  It takes a monumental plan to get this busy mom of 4 on an airplane. 

It started off a little slow though.  We had emailed for weeks about going to the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park.  Mom has made several trips to Africa, and always likes to see the animals.  None of us are big shoppers, and this was the chosen outing that we all agreed upon.  We were slow going on Friday morning, but decided this would be the best day to see the animals, given a rainy Saturday ahead.  First...  Baby Luke needed his meal, then we went for a leisurely breakfast, then Baby Luke needed his meal, then we chatted a bit, then Baby Luke needed more meal – does he ever stop eating?  Holly is determined not to allow formula of any kind into their household, and I am all in support of her success at breastfeeding, but the kid seems to be starving.  Perhaps he just needs a little somethin’ after the momma?  Luke apparently didn’t get the hint, when I told my sis that my 9 lb baby was sleeping through the night by 2 months.  I did better with him on breastfeeding than any of my other children, but if he seemed hungry after nursing, I had no issue topping him off with some man made stuff.  He was my 4th child and I needed sleep to keep up with all the crazies here.  At one point, he was growing so well that the Pediatrician suggested I just give him water instead of milk when he seemed hungry after nursing, but Ben was no fool… He looked at me like he knew what I was up to and he was not going to take it.  I decided that my peace was worth something, so I gave in, and he has slept 12 hours ever since.  As the 4^th child, he knew it was his duty to give me some rest!

Back to our Cali adventure…

Our Sunny California day was not to be today.  It was a little chilly, cloudy even, and rain was on its way, but tomorrow was to be worse, so we set out to go to see some animals!  After our slow morning, it was almost time for Holly’s hubby’s flight to arrive, so she insisted we wait, so Mark could bbsit the little guy.  Mark arrived, all greetings exchanged, then… time to eat again for the little guy.  Holly fed him and left daddy with only about a 4 ounce bottle, so Mark has instructions to call us as soon as Luke takes the bottle, so we know when we have to return.  She has Mark convinced that she is the only one who has the key to access any formula – I told him it is available at every grocery, and she gave me the evil eye!  She is jealous of that stuff I think! 

And the Games Begin...

Finally it is now afternoon, and we made our exit.  We were only 3 blocks from the hotel, and Holly stopped and said “ I am not sure I am comfortable being 35 miles away from my baby!”  I could feel my mom’s eyes radiating from the back seat.  If I turned my head, I was sure to crack up.  We were stopped in the middle of the street.  Mom said something like “What is the meaning of this?  We have talked about this for weeks?”  Holly then started barking at me for not being on top of the GPS device in the rental car, and something about we don’t even know where we are going, so that was a problem.  I was using my phone GPS because I know how to work it, but it doesn’t talk so she wasn’t comfortable with it.  I fumbled around and got her GPS programmed then proclaimed that I was no longer the co-pilot.  She would have to yell at the GPS dude.  Okay… we all take a few deep breaths.  We talk in a civil tone, though a bit strained by my mom, I could tell.  I still haven’t looked back at her because I am sure to laugh and that would not be good for the moment.    Whew… the car starts to move again.  Holly is actually completely in control because she is the only driver of our rental car.  She likes to be in control that way!  Anyway… we are on the move.  I can tell this day has the potential for disaster.  It is no fun going somewhere with someone who doesn’t want to be there… especially when that someone is the famous “Princess” who is without her cappuccino machine and pillow for the first time in 10 years.  I offer to turn back if she is going to be unhappy.  She keeps driving, but still not much talking.  As we drive, I can feel the tension building, then suddenly, release.  She is finally okay with this 35 mile distance from her baby.  The sun is starting to peek out, and all of our spirits lift for a bit.  The scenery is beautiful, and we really enjoyed the San Diego Wild Animal Park, once we got there.  We didn’t linger, as the little guy would surely be hungry before long, but we all enjoyed the trip, and were home in time to prevent Luke from starving.

Doesn’t he look starving?

The rest of our trip was great.  We had a wonderful dinner at the Del Coronado, a relatively quiet rainy day on Saturday, where we took in a movie and visited a shopping center, then  a nice dinner  again Saturday night… then off to the airport on Sunday morning.  It all passed by so quickly, but it was time enjoyed by all.  Though our first day had potential for some problems, we were all able to laugh about it in the end (I think… right??? Holly??? Are you still my sister???)  Remember that the primary reason for my blog is to help me remember things I will forget later.  This is not the Pioneer woman.  You are one of about 3 readers here, so I am not sharing this story with the world.  I just want to remember this special time.  The nice thing about close family, is they can help you to laugh at things that might otherwise seem stressful.  Of course, sometimes they can also help you to be stressed about things that might otherwise be laughable… it is all good though.  This time is so precious to me, the one sibling who had to move to Texas 20 years ago, making these moments less frequent than we all would like.  I miss my family… every part of them… every day!  I wish we were closer, but that potential seems more and more remote as the years of my hubby’s Houston career go on.  So, I just cherish these moments that I have with them, especially the more intimate times – translation, when we are not chasing all of my children and when I actually get to finish a conversation, or for that matter, finish a sentence, or for that matter, when I even have the brainwaves to know how to form a sentence.  I love you all!

Our Exercise Saga – My 9 yr old’s trauma!

Today we are on week #4 of our exercise regimen. It was 31 degrees in Houston this morning, and when I woke to my alarm at 5am, I was tempted to roll over and enjoy my warm bed for one more hour. Then… that little voice in my head wouldn't stop talking to me. Remembering how I have always found an excuse to put it off. If it isn't too cold, it is too wet, or too hot… not setting a great example for my 9 yr old who is starting to struggle running those bases in baseball. I was UP! Then I heard the television in the living room. There he was at 5:15, watching ESPN, snuggled in his OU blanket. I asked if he wanted to go or stay home and do our elliptical machine at home (which means I could curl up in bed for a few minutes longer). He said stay home, but then I saw no movement. I then snapped out of my morning haze and insisted he get dressed so we could go to the YMCA! He did and we were off. Today, we chose the Elliptical. He was tired a few minutes into the workout. Then… he told me his ailment of the day… get ready… it isn't in mommy's first aid kit… He said "my weenie hurts mom!" I told him to shush. Suck it up, quit whining, and stop talking about private parts in public! I learned from the master (my dad), who is known for his motto "it is too far from the heart!" My dad would give this response to any of our pains, even those involving stitches and broken bones. Even the weenie might get a little sympathy from papa, but not from mommy. I just don't understand that issue. He continued. "Mom, it hurts… it is sticking out!" Oh my goodness, this is really not in mommy's first aid kit. The two men who were next to me on the elliptical machine were cracking up. I gave him no slack though, and eventually his problem worked itself out. He is a serious whiner, so I am not sure when it is real and when it is not. This problem's solution is not in my first aid kit and that is all I have to say about it! Life with three little boys is definitely going to be an adventure! Thank goodness for Maggie…she gives me some balance!

My Exercise Partner – My 9 year Old – Pay Backs!

My New Years resolution was to take better care of myself. I spoke at dinner one night about wanting to get back to the YMCA to exercise, now that I am feeling better after my December illness. I declared that I should be ready to go by "next week". Anthony asked if he could go too! Oh, and that was also the week that my college teaching started back up. Probably a little ambitious of me to set out for all of these big changes at once.

...Back up a year or so ago… Anthony and I set out to work out at 5am a year or so ago, and we made it about two days. He is a early morning person, and has a routine that involves ESPN or watching a recorded sports event on TV at 5:30am. That doesn't seem healthy for a 9 year old, so I had offered to take him to work out if he would wake me up. That would surely be better for him than watching re-runs of Astros games at 5am, which is what he often does – he is a baseball fanatic, and a huge Astros fan. He loved the permission to wake me up. He is pretty relentless about waking me, and I think it is fun for him – certainly more fun than watching a 1999 Astros game by himself. I didn't want to wake up, but once he started, I knew he would not go away. I had to get up. This was good for me too. I needed all the help I can to get this baby weight x 4 off, and my baby was three! After a couple of trips to the gym, he stopped waking me up. He was up, but I think he got bored with the exercise, and missed catching up on his Astros trivia. I, of course, was not that entrenched in my exercise routine, and quite fond of my sleep, so I didn't say a word. (Bad Mommy!)

So now in 2010, we are off to another journey at the gym. Mother and Son are so different, yet so much alike – sadly. Anthony is my type A child (that isn't me) and he takes a lot of patience.  He has no patience -- even less than your average 9 yr old, maybe because he manages to be so annoying that everyone gives into his demands.  He is a stickler for doing what you say you are going to do (unless it is something he doesn't want to do – ha!). He is a rule nazi (unless it is a rule he wants to break). He may be a little wishy washy on keeping his word, but he is very good at keeping others to their word though. He is so annoying that you have to do it, just to shut him up! After I had been up late working on my college classes, he woke me up on the first Tuesday after I proclaimed I was ready, and I whined and rolled over. I told him I didn't feel well yet. I begged for him to leave me alone. I did this long enough that it was too late to go! I didn't get anymore sleep, and the morning was painful. I hate starting mornings this way. We had a huge scene at breakfast about mommy not doing what she said she would – give me a break! I was in a bad mood for 2 days. How dare anyone question what I don't do – after all I DO do so much for these little stinkers! He was right though. I have done this all my life. I put it off. I find any excuse (sorry Dad). I think early morning exercise sounds great. It is great, once I have gotten to the gym, but waking is so hard for me.

When I was about 14 years old, I lived with my single dad for a while. It was just he and I (and a couple of Nannies that didn't last). He and I set up a plan to start jogging in the early morning. We would jog to the highway and back (2 miles on a gravel road). He would wake me at something like 4am (probably 6am, but it seemed too early). When I tried not to get up, he would bring a cup of ice water and start dripping it on me, drop by drop on my face. Finally, I would give up and get up. We'd start jogging… "I have cotton mouth… I can't breathe, My leg hurts, my pinky hurts"... anything… just make it stop! He didn't let me stop. He teased me for being a wimp, but my dad is the toughest of tough nails! We didn't even take any water on these jaunts, and these gravel roads were not the best track. I disagreed then, but I see it now. I was a whiney wimpy girl. I still think we could have had some water. Sorry Dad! Thanks for putting up with me.

So when Anthony and I hit the gym for the first time, we quickly made it to the stairmaster. I haven't exercised in quite some time, so we needed to get going. In the beginning, he started climbing really fast, claiming "this isn't hard". That lasted about 30 seconds. 5 minutes into it, he was tired and wanted to stop. 10 minutes into it, he was hungry… "can't we get something to eat?" At 15 minutes, I noticed he was struggling. I pointed to a TV monitor in front of us and said "Look, that is ESPN. You can watch that." He said "Okay. Thanks!" and started to get off the machine. He thought I was telling him he could sit down and watch TV. I told him "No! You have to watch while you exercise.  If you are going to get me up in the morning, darnit, you are going to keep going!" That wasn't so exciting for him. I don't think this is child abuse.  Is it?  Finally we finished our first workout. Two days later, we tried it again. I didn't get up the first time he woke me and he was mad. I did get up in time to go though. This time, he spied a bicycle machine with a monitor that had some sort of video game where he was to pedal the bike through this course and get some monsters or something. I thought this was right up his alley. I positioned myself at a nearby elliptical machine, and the first time I looked over, he was playing the video game and no pedaling was going on. I had to remind him to keep pedaling a few times before he gave up and joined me on the elliptical. He whined a little, but we made it – one week and 2 trips to the YMCA at 5am. We are on our way!  I need to get in shape to be healthier and keep up with this crazy life, and my boy needs to get in shape because he is used to success, and is entering the years when sports are becoming more competitive.  He has had a huge growth spirt, and is eating us out of house and home already.  We just need to keep him burning enough calories to eat that much so he doesn't fight the battle that his mommy does.  He can't stand not to win, but some tough lessons are ahead in this crazy utopian suburb where kids have personal trainers and private lessons to make the team.  Lord help us!

I have to admit, it felt good. Once I get up, I am glad I did it. I hope he will last longer than one week this time around. I crack up though. I remember that cotton mouth Dad. Though my child sucks the life out of me, and I blame Daddy for that personality, maybe he has a little of Mommy in him after all.

Happy Birthday Aunt Holly!

Happy 40th Aunt Holly.  We love you and miss you.
If you remember the family photo you tried to take of us all at the beach a couple of years ago, you may understand how many "takes" and edits were required to avoid violence on film.  This is now Rated G, but the unedited version is still unrated for various reasons.

See our Crazy Rock Band Video

Santa Brought Us a Ski Trip - 4 Kids On Skis

I think I could have seriously injured my husband when he sent me an email just a few days prior to Christmas with the idea of pulling together a last minute ski trip in New Mexico to surprise our Children for Christmas. The man just simply cannot sit still. Doesn’t Santa know that Mommy is tired? I should be grateful that he wants to take us on vacations, but I was so looking forward to some family quiet time during the holidays. Quiet time just is not for us though. I keep dreaming, but it somehow never works out. Though I was not feeling fully recovered from my illness and surgery in December, I did not want to be the “fun hater”, so I went along with the plan.

In the end, I think I probably got more rest by agreeing to this trip. I did not ski, for fear of getting sick again, so I had a few hours per day of time to myself. Since we were not at home, I was away from the many projects and tasks that haunt me daily, and keep me from relaxing. While we were away, I could ignore the Christmas tree, and many things that needed to be done at home. Maybe this was a good plan afterall. I just took walks in the snow with the dog and hung out doing not much of anything. This really never happens at home.

The weather was beautiful, and I was tempted to ski, but I held off because I really need to keep my health. I enjoyed the scenery, and seeing my children have a blast in the snow. AND… when I saw my 4th child actually skiing, it made it all worth it. He was actually doing it. He was so proud! We have 4 kids who ski now. The younger two really came into the sport this trip. I am sad that I was not on the mountain with them, but I am glad that I got to see it from a distance and in pictures.

Video of our skiing( click on link)

It’s a New Year! My New Year’s Resolution…

During the last 2 months of 2009, I experienced illness like no other I have experienced. Actually, it started when I ruptured my eardrum in August, just as we were preparing to begin the school year. From that point, I had an infection that moved from my ears to my sinus to my throat, until finally in November, I conceded to have sinus surgery. My 2 boys had tonsillectomy before thanksgiving, and our deductible for the year had been met, so I didn't have much time to waste. I just held my breath and agreed to sinus surgery, which as we discussed, might lead to tonsillectomy, as I just wanted this stage of illness to end. I was desperate.

On December 1, I went in for surgery, and the tonsils were included in the deal. As painful as sinus surgery is, if you have tonsils out at the same time, the sinus surgery seems minor. I would have all 3 of my c-sections at once over that tonsil surgery. In order to swallow, I needed pain med, but taking the pain med on an empty stomach made me nautious, and thus I couldn't keep food down. I got dehydrated, and then developed pneumonia, which would cause the recovery period to triple in time. In December, this was not good news for a mom of 4 kids awaiting Christmas. Santa would be traveling light this year, it seems.

What I learned during this illness though is patience. I haven't been terribly patient in the past. I feel like I am on a fast moving treadmill that doesn't ever have time to stop. During my illness, I was forced to rest and to stop, and nothing terrible happened. I have not stopped to take care of myself at all in the past. I am going to do better at this in 2010. I promise. I am lucky that my illness was something with a cure, and I felt guilty for feeling sorry for myself, knowing that there are much worse things I could have. I cannot imagine going through anything worse or longer than what I just went through, but I know there are many worse things I could face. I will appreciate my health, and take better care of myself in this new year! I am still not 100%, but when I am, I will get to the health club for exercise, and I will stop for rest, eat healthy, and take better care of me! For the first time, I am motivated to do this because I need to feel better, and not just because I want to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I need to be here for my children, and have the energy to keep up with them, and that begins with taking better care of myself. Happy 2010! It is going to be a better year for all of us. I just know it!