Merry Christmas

The day is going well. No blowups yet. But he has been out in the garage for almost an hour so something could be brewing.

The boys all liked the gifts we chose for them. #3 was a hoot. Opening his Bionicle costume he shouted, "Holey Pazoolllleeeeyyyy!" He may be a handful but he definitely makes Christmas fun. Even made both of my parents laugh.

We had strata for breakfast, leftovers and snacked all day. The dinner menu is grilled pork roast, holiday potato casserole, steamed broccoli, salad, strawberry pretzel salad and pumpkin parfaits.

still digesting

The Mean Mama

That is me. The Mean Mama.

The boys were behind on their schoolwork. There is a really fun CubScout activity tonight involving a water park. Their father and I told them they had to be finished by 5 pm to be able to have the privilege to go to the activity.

I can honestly say I don't think I have ever seen tears quite so big or sobs so sorrowful. The wailing was tremendous. DS #1 was close. He was only short 4 assignments. DS #2 was never going to make it. They both goofed off too much. Part of me is really sad for them. The other part of me is a bit satisfied they are seeing/feeling the consequences of not finishing their work in a timely manner. I guess I have to really drop the other shoe now. Until they are done with all their bookwork there are no electronics privileges. Man, it is going to kill me.

hanging head in defeat

Mama? Will you please come wipe me?

When will this ever stop? When will the kid wipe his own bottom?

Today I hear the call go out. "Mama! Will you please come wipe me?"
"MAma! Will you please come wipe me?!"
"MAMA! WILL YOU PLEASE COME WIPE ME!!!"

I went to the bathroom and calmly explained to the kid, "You are almost 6, you need to wipe yourself."

His response:
"I am not going to wipe myself until I am sixteen."

What a kid. #3.


My response? "Well, you are going to have a awful sore bottom."

The Little Shyster

The term shyster is something I have grown up with. Not everyone has this word in their vocabulary. People give me a funny look when they hear it. I always heard my dad talking about this shyster and that shyster. So-and-so is a shyster.

I am raising a shyster. (Just so you know shyster and lawyer are in the same category.) I am not doing it on purpose. He is just that way. He is very smart and very loquacious.

Sunday, after being pulled out of the pew by daddy (because he wasn't being reverent) he decided he wasn't going to be reverent on the stand either while sitting on DH's lap. He was on daddy's lap in front of the entire congregation and still not behaving. Tears were rolling down his face, DH was whispering in his ear and trying to reason with him. What does the kid say? He said, "I will be reverent if you take me to Toys R Us." DH was flabbergasted. I laughed when he told me.

Shyster.

So have I been found yet?

My DH told me that he could not find this blog. Have you dear?

Tears

tears

she is growing up way too fast

She will walk for #1 and DH. But not for me.

Heard at Target

We needed new shirts for the Grandma Christmas party. So, 5 kids and one mama off to Target. They were supposed to have long-sleeved polos on sale. We get there do they have the advertised special?

No.

So I start talking to the boys and ask them to pick a shirt.

#1 finds one quickly-solid navy.
#4 finds a sweater and matching hat (which he gleefully wore).
#3 finds a sweater.
#2 is wandering aimlessly so I start pulling shirts off the rack and ask him if he likes them. "Do you like this one?" "How about this?" "This one?" After about 6 shirts, all of them turned down by this persnicketty child, I pull one more off the rack and ask him if he likes it. He looks at me straight in the eye and says without a hint of amusement, "I am not wearing a shower curtain." Turns around and walks over to the sweater rack.

What is a mom to say?

Happy Birthday Numero Dos

Today is #2 DS birthday. He is 9. Our birthday tradition is the birthday person gets to pick all 3 meals for the day and a dessert.

We had egg, canadian bacon, cheese bagel sandwiches for breakfast. Lunch is hot dogs and fries. Dinner will be white waffles (no whole wheat if he has the choice) and bacon. All followed by cheesecake. Can we just clog the ateries now??

T. has been changing a lot this year. He has always been a somewhat serious child. (and considering his parentage-that is completely normal.) His sense of humor is starting to show but so has an attitude. So I am working with him on tone of voice and kindness.

He has an infectious little evil giggle and a great huge grin with gaps as his teeth haven't all come in. He catches on to things quickly and is a fast study. He hates handwriting. He corrects his older brother regularly on reading.

I worry with all that goes around him that he will get lost in the mix. Somehow though he elbows his way through all the needs of the other children and makes a place for himself. Even if it is in my bed in the morning for the cuddle time he needs. He is sweet and kind to youngest brother and little sister. He is mean to his next younger brother. It is hard to describe him.

Dinner Hour-Blessed or Bezerk?

This is a conversation at our dinner table last night. Present were my parents, DH and all 5 children.

"#1 please quit eating like a dog."
"No, #3, you have to eat all your chicken and green beans to get dessert."
"#4 please don't pour water in your food."
"Isn't there anymore bread," said by my father.
"No, dad, I made 48 rolls last night and this is what is left."
"#1 bring your spoon to your mouth, not your mouth to the bowl."
"Yes #3 ALL your green beans."
"Say excuse me #2."
"Sit down #4."
"Yes, all your chicken too."
"YES and all your green beans."
"No, #4 NO THROWING."
"Grammie can you help cut his chicken?"
"#2 you have more bites there."
"Yes, all the green beans and chicken."
"OOOO why did you pour water on your plate?"
"Yes, you may have another helping of mac and cheese."
"ALL the green beans #3."
"No, you do not get to leave any of the vegetable out. We don't have mixed vegetables tonight."
"Don't stab your meat and eat it caveboy, cut it."
"Yes, there is jello for dessert."
"No I am not negotiating. ALL the chicken and ALL the green beans."
"You want another helping of mac and cheese? Is your mouth hungry or your tummy?"
"Please use a napkin #2."
"You have to use someone's name when you ask for something to be passed #1."
"More salt?"
"Yes, Dad, that stock pot was completely full yesterday. Are you seeing a different way of cooking at my house?"
"Why won't you just eat the green beans?"
"Please sit down."

Just re-writing it makes me exhausted. And for the record, the green beans and chicken did not get eaten until all the dessert was almost consumed by the adults. He stuffed them all in his mouth within a 30 second time frame and proceeded to walk around the entire family room showing off his stuffed mouth, gloating that he got to eat jello.

And I made 48 rolls, an 18 quart pot of potato soup the night before and then a huge vat of homeade macaroni and cheese with grilled chicken breast and those green beans.

Quote of the Day

"HEY!!! Get that plunger off your sister's head!!!"

said by me to ds #4. She doesn't seem any worse for the wear. Sometimes I really wish I had spy glasses that could take pictures. That one was a great scene.

Quote of the Day

said to me by #2

"It makes you look like Grammie."

"IT" is my new haircut. I guess I need to have a haircut that is more mommy than grammie. sigh

Questions to Self

I just read Chris' blog at the Big Yellow House. She makes me laugh. Her blog was an answer to prayer for me. I need opportunitities to laugh. It heals me in ways I never anticipated. I find myself laughing and crying now more than I have in years. Life has been so numbing.

Her most recent post was about things to do before she turns forty. Somedays I have angst over my age. It is something that you just cannot stop-time. Angst is something I have been experiencing more and more. When I was younger I could just make a decision. I can't seem to make certain decisions lately.

Are there more children for our family?
How do I ensure that these children have a testimony of Christ and his gospel?
Do I love myself?
Will I accomplish anything that will be good?
Am I a good mother?
Am I a good wife?
Will I be able to educate the children?
Am I happy?

Two Mormons, Two Lutherans and a Catholic

That was the title of our Scrapbooking Weekend. We laughed a lot and had a great time. I would have never thought of taking a picture of a scrapbooking weekend but it was done.

I got over 100 pages done. #5 is done from birth to present, so is #4 and #3. I came home and scanned all the remaining pictures of #2 and I hope to finish scanning #1 before the end of the month.

We talked about doing another weekend in February and I am in! As long as there are photos for me to do I am going. It felt soooo good to get a huge chunk of work done. Now to print all those pages, get them in page protectors and a binder for Christmas morning. Putting new scrapbook pages under the tree is a tradition I started for our family

The Song of Silence

Yes, I know it is a Simon and Garfunkel song. The silence was delicious. It was thick. It was sweet. I guess you could liken it to honey. Pretty, thick, delicious, sweet, precious commodity. Wow! It was a great weekend. I found myself sitting at the dining table on Friday morning thinking, "I am sure some people could tire of silence but right now I CAN'T." It is so foreign to me and so very precious.

Cindy and I had a great trip. We slept. We scrapbooked. We ate. We had an adult to talk to-none were bickering, fighting, complaining, whining (well, maybe a little whining). But most of all, there was silence. It was wonderful.

I am FREEEEEEEEE

I am free this weekend. I am not a mom or a wife! I am a scrapbooking maniac.

Heading to the Cindy and Greg's family cabin with 3 other women to scrapbook for 2 1/2 days. I only have to cook one meal. I don't have to change any diapers. I don't have to teach school or guess what a person wants while they are screaming. It might just be a slice of heaven.

Halloween-Just One Day of Fun

Monday was a wild day at our house.

A lot of people don't know this about me--I can be really unflexible. One of the things I can be unflexible about is how holidays are not just a day anymore. Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving (or even Halloween). Thanksgiving is forgotten (which is a huge tragedy). Halloween is now getting stretched into a few weeks long event. Good grief. I absolutely refuse to start the sugar buzz early. Therefore, I do not let my children attend any other Halloween activity other than those on October 31. We didn't do the homeschool Halloween party or the church activity. We found things to do as a family-we had a nice dinner together, ate a dessert and played Rummikub. I feel a little deceptive not telling the boys but we have so much fun on that one day.

We cancel school. Carve the pumpkins in the morning, roast the seeds, decorate, get ready for the party, do costumes. Our friends arrive at 5 and then the fun begins. We eat penicillin pizza, maggot stew, snouts and beans and eyeball casserole. We drank algae drink and blood. This year we had 23 kids and the accompanying adults (8). Lots of candy, big kids to help the little kids, candy trading when we all got back, the adults had adults to talk with and the kids had a blast! What is so wrong with keeping it just one day?

Sunday-Day of Rest

Not too much to blob about except whoever came up with the idea that Sunday is a day of rest? Sheesh. It sure isn't around here. And Saturday is spent getting ready to make Sunday as easy as it can be....and it isn't easy.

Let's start with getting 5 kids and yourself ready for church. And then having to not bite the bishop's head off when he is acting all nice when you are walking into church. The man has no clue what it is like to sit in a pew for an hour and ten minutes with 5 kids by yourself. Then the keeping everyone seated or not talking to the family behind you. Keeping your hair intact when the 2 year old decides to place peek-a-boo with your hair. Of course that only happens when you have to teach a lesson that day. Keeping your earrings from being torn out by 9 mo. old and your shirt up or down (depending which way she is going for her snack) and not embarrassing all the people sitting on the stand. (We sit on the front pew.) I am so relieved when that final prayer is said. I wish someday I could shout "HALLE--LU--JAH!" instead of the quiet solemn "amen."

A few weeks ago, #4 was digging around the diaper bag and found an apple. It was from a Friday night activity that had apple bobbing and we got sent home with an apple. I am thinking, "it's okay-an apple is a good snack." #4 sits down on the floor in front of the pew chomping away on the apple. He sits it down on the floor (yes, germs are jumping onto it but he is #4 and is still alive from eating food off of the floor) and walks away. He comes back to the apple, takes a bite and then pitches it across the chapel! DH didn't see it because he wasn't in his usual spot on the stand. The Stake President was in his spot. He saw the apple go flying. His eyes got as big as saucers and virtually popped out of their sockets (think Roger Rabbit). His shoulders start bobbing up and down from laughter and I want to melt from embarrassment. I am just lucky the deacons were dismissed to sit with their families or else we could have had a lawsuit on our hands. (Yes, judge. I did say that correctly. My client was permanently disfigured at church due to an apple.)

For DH after church there is the tithing to count, the callings to issue, people to talk to. More time away from the family, leaving me (with those 5 children) to that wonderful day. Sunday-day of rest-bah, humbug.

The Pace of Life

It seems that life is picking up it's pace again. It has been a solid 4 weeks of busy, busy, busy. I remember the sanctity of peace after L. was born. People left our family alone. It was nice. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy interaction with other people. I enjoy serving others and working. Really I do. It just seems that no matter how many times I say to myself, "We need to cut back. We need to simplify" something happens to increase the pace of life.

This last time it was the Prophet and General Conference. So I am stepping up to the plate to substantially increase our efforts in preparedness-both physically and spiritually. At the same time, life seems to roll on. Coop still happens, service still needs to happen, babies still get sick, DH still has these last minute meetings and disappears for entire Sundays at a time (it feels that way) and for some reason, all these kids still need to be clothed, be educated and eat.