Crib Update...

Hmmmmm.... yeah.... not going as anticipated.  Super sleepy tired.  Now I know why sleeping with her on the couch has been the easy way out and has kept everyone else asleep all night.  She is relentless in waking up every few hours and now she knows she's going back to the crib... sooooooo... she just lays with you, her eyes slowly blinking up at you to make sure you're still there, and doesn't go back to sleep.  I know, what I've known all along, that we will have to just let her cry.  And cry she will... and let me tell you her cries are loud and very screech-like.  She is my toughest one yet.  Hubby wound up sleeping on the floor by her crib when he couldn't get her back in w/o crying.  ha ha... and so, we march forward with getting her on track... wish us luck in the new year:)

Barbies...

Barbies, I think, are like one of those toys that will be timeless.  They will always be in our future and I wonder what little girls did before Barbie and Ken and that little sister (what was her name Skipper or something), and the house/camper/corvette/etc.  I haven't played with them in a LONG time but today I had the pleasure of spending time with my 2 girls.  And we played Barbies.  Yup...now, we all played with them differently.  Um, the 3 year old just kept tearing things apart and chewing on everything...the 8 year old took them in the other room, gave them baths, let them 'swim' and dried them off with my dish towels, and I kept trying to find clothes for them and try to put everything back on where it belongs.

Kyra has several 'naked' ones in her collection.  What is it with little girls and naked Barbies and dolls??  I do remember that my dolls never had clothes on and I used to draw on them with markers to try and make them look pretty.  What was I thinking way back when??  Do we all take off dolls clothing or am I just a freak with a scary freak-a-like daughter??  I can't even begin to figure out where all the clothes are... perhaps Franny ate them??  She seemed to enjoy gnawing on the camper today...

However you play with your Barbie's, I hope you have fun.  And if you don't take the time out the play with them, I'm sorry.  You should every now and again...I forgot what I was missing:)

Christmas and Cribs..

Whew...Christmas is over.  And I can't believe the winter break for the kids is almost over too...time sure does fly by.  We had a really great Christmas this year.  My mom (and her hubby too) drove up to celebrate with us and we sure do love when she comes to visit:)  Brother and his family also came over to celebrate.  And, hubby's mom... good food, beverage and company.

I was also able to get all of my 'paid' baking done and delivered with ease this time around... looking back, it felt like very little stress this time around.  I was able to buckle down and get a lot of it done during the day.  Of course, Franny was crying at my feet and Max kept wanting to help and taste, but it just got done.

AND... my holiday cards were sent out BEFORE Christmas this year... that NEVER happens.  AND... I sent out my niece/nephew presents BEFORE Christmas.. that, too, NEVER happens.

So, with all this great timing, why not throw Franny in the crib??  Yes...we did it.  Tuesday night, after all the holiday celebrating was finished and the family was gone, we threw her in there.  OK, so I didn't just toss her in and hope she slept... but that would have been ideal, right??  Nah, I (yes...am still nursing...one thing at time here folks) nursed her to sleep and gently placed her in the crib.  She slept in there 'til about 1AM.  Now, at this point, hubby is supposed to be the one to get up and get her back to sleep.  Guess what??  Yeah, he got up and went to get her...but she cried, pointed to the door and he obeyed taking her right to me.  Nice one, right??  We discussed this and he insisted he was ok with getting up with her b/c he wasn't working this week.  Guess his mind clearly doesn't function at 1AM.  Took me over an hour to get her back into the crib.  Yes, we are taking the bad route of putting her in sleeping, I know.  When she woke up at 4AM, he kicked me to go get her.  Yup, his brain power definitely diminished.  Yelled at him the next day... And so, last night (day 2 in the crib), she went in again around 10 and woke up about the same time (1ish).  This time, hubby learned from his first mistake of bringing her to me and was able to get her back in the crib on his own.  So, at the 4AM wake, I was ok with getting her.  She proceeded to sleep 'til 10am after falling asleep again.  You would think she was an infant or something, right??  I'm hoping she will start to sleep through the 1AM wake up... that would be really cool!!  ha ha

My body hurts from sleeping in my own bed too... so used to sleeping on the couch..lol

Hope you are all having a great Holiday Week!!

Too much...again..

I know, I do too much crap, right??  Holidays are the toughest b/c I get most of my 'baking' orders.  And it's tough to get those done, even though it's really not alot, and do everything else I do.  But, I do it.  Why??  I don't know.  I love to bake and make people smile and enjoy something that I created and put together.  But, it's just so much work and so hard to get it done and try and take care of my own stuff.  My family gets whatever I make from the orders...you know, I double something I have to make or if I have something extra, that's what they get.  I didn't even make my spritz cookies this year...and I always make those.  Oh well.  Thank goodness hubby is OFF tomorrow and hopefully he will do as I say..ha ha.  Have 3 pies to make in the morning (have already made 4 cheesecakes) and a batch of rice pudding.  Perhaps I can throw in some chocolate chip or m&m cookies for my own kids??  Oh, and I have both babies tomorrow...and all of my kiddies will be around.  Should make for an interesting day.

Still have to clean the 'apartment' attached to our house for my mother and her hubby, shop for Christmas Eve and Christmas food, make Christmas Eve food, prep Christmas food, clean my own house, wrap ALL presents... doesn't sound like a long list but we all know that a lot of time goes into all of it.

With that said, I think I'm going to veg out and hopefully pass out.  Franny girl has a cold and is all stuffed up...thus making it difficult for her to sleep...yeah..gotta get that crib and her room cleaned out.  While I'm at it, going to clean out Kyra's room and take away everything except 7 outfits.  I'm tired of seeing her clothes, books, shoes, dolls, blankets, etc. all over the floor and under her bed.  I've showed her how to clean her room, how to fold her clothes, how the room should be but she doesn't get it.  Either that or I haven't been 'mean' enough about it.  gotta get tough.  I get the sense that she feels entitled to anything.  If she wants something, she feels as though she should get it.  Doesn't matter who's it is, she just believes that they will give it to her.  It's like she doesn't even think about the other person or about anyone but herself.  Must work on this... any suggestions??

OK...later!!

Photo gig... and lots of baking:)

Because I don't have enough to do around here, I thought I'd throw in a last minute photo gig and some holiday orders for baking.  Go on, laugh.  As Max says, Laugh Mommy, Laugh...and when you don't laugh he gets mad.  OK, now stop laughing.

Thursday night I went to a holiday party for a small company and took pictures for them.  The night was great and I got some really great shots.  The people at the party all seemed to be having a great time.  Though, I did not get a chance to eat while I was there...boo!!  Most of the time, the ones who hire you make sure you get a plate and stuff.  This was a buffet and you have to wait until everyone else goes (obviously) but by that time they are on to something else and you have to get back in there and keep shooting.  So, scarfed a cheeseburger from Wendy's on the way home and had the worst heartburn all the way home.  Got the pics edited over the weekend and shipped them to her yesterday.  Yes, she received them.  Yes, she has a problem.  Seems all the people look fat.  Yes, she says they all look fat in the pictures and is there anything that can be done??  Laugh away I tell you.  I'm thinking it must be her monitor, right??  It's gotta be...So, the next problem is how do I call her and tell her what to do??  I have no clue.  Perhaps tell her to try another computer, right??

Holiday baking- got some orders so I've got to organize all that.  In knowing that I have baking to do in which people will be buying the stuff, I decide to make something completely different.  Yup...something I don't even need.  But, alas, we had some very mushy bananas that needed to be used.  Found a recipe for Banana Oatmeal Choc Chip Muffins... YUM.  Recipe made TONS!!  Want some??

Today, Franny Girl has not yet taken a nap and seems to be on mega destruction overdrive in this house.  I'm tired.  My arms are getting a work out from taking her off the table several times.  Now, she starts to climb up from the chair and if Max says something to me and I look at her, she creeps back into the chair and gives me the look of 'What??  I'm not doing anything Ma'

OK...got lots more things to do...you know, like eat and stuff!!

Later.

Quick Post... Kinda back:)

Wow...what a couple of weeks it's been over here.  Nutcracker is over!!  Thought that would give us more time...but we still have after school crap almost every day and I still have Baby C every day.  Sooooooooo, it really didn't free up much time.  But, I did have this past saturday to catch up on some cleaning..whooo hoooo!!

The laptop I've been using is DEAD... Franny knocked it over and there is a wonderful screen of Black.  Boo. And our 'home' computer is not the fastest piece of machinery around.  I feel a little out of the loop this week.. and I can't make any of my words in that stupid Words with Friends b/c it freezes this computer.. Hopefully hubby will bring home another one to use...please:)

Oh, and Francesca is getting to be more and more daring... so, we waited until this past weekend to put up our tree and it is currently gated so she can't get to it.  The house is starting to look and feel like Christmas and it's a little bit cleaner.  Can't wait 'til next week when hubby is home and perhaps we can get some stuff accomplished???  Ha ha ha... yeah, b/c we won't have all 4 kids home wanting to do stuff, right??

Some pics of my beautiful, feisty Franny Wrecker:

Chocolate Bark Recipe...

1 pound of chocolate (I used semi-sweet b/c that's what I had)
1 cup crushed candy canes (I used the red/white peppermint)
1 cup mini marshmallows

-Lay aluminum foil into a large pan (shiny side up).. I used a 13x9 but you could go bigger for thinner bark
-Melt 3/4 of the chocolate in the microwave (or you can use double boiler method)
          heat at 50% for 2 minutes... stir ... continue heating at 50% for 1 minute at a time stirring in between
-Once chocolate is melted, add remaining chips and continue to stir until shiny and smooth
-Pour melted chocolate onto prepared pan
-Sprinkle crushed candy canes and marshmallows all over chocolate
-Allow to cool and harden (you can put in fridge to speed up this process)
-Break into pieces and enjoy!!


The original recipe I found used white chocolate.  Because I didn't have enough white chocolate, I went with the semi-sweet chips I had.  In the end, I did melt the little bit of white chocolate I had and drizzled it all over the chocolate after the candy canes and marshmallows.

You can totally change it up and add/take away things.  I'm thinking I might try the white chocolate with the green/white candy canes next.  Add nuts if you like them.  Use Andes Mint Candies... or, I just found a bag of Ghiradelli white/red peppermint chocolate pieces.  The great thing about this recipe is that it's super easy and super changeable!!

Enjoy:)

I am NOT a Chew Toy!!!

Seriously... I don't think I'm enjoying this whole 'nursing' mommy thing anymore!!  She is ridiculous and thinks that my boobs are her personalized chew toys these days.  She is ridiculously attached to my boobs.  I've never had a kid so completely attached to these things.  She has no inclination of weening what-so-ever and I'm almost at that point where I just need to sever the ties.  I think it would be so much easier if she actually drank real milk, you know??  She spits it out at me or she smiles with a mouthful of milk in her mouth and just lets is drool out of her mouth onto her chin and clothes.  And then she knows the cup that holds the milk and throws it at me or on the floor.

Ok- enough about that.  Things that have happened since we last talked:
Friday: Christmas tree lighting in town...Kyra and her 2nd grade class sang holiday songs.  She was cute!!  Same night I went to a holiday party that went much later than I wanted it to... was supposed to bake something that night for a party the next day but, since I got home at 12:30 that night, it didn't really happen.  Wound up making some 'chocolate bark' that turned out really good (I'll write recipe below... if I forget, I apologize, my brain has stopped functioning).  Oh, and my phone broke...yup, it went tumbling to the ground for the umpteenth time and the screen cracked right down the middle.  Useless touch screen phone that I can't touch the screen..boo!!

Saturday: early morning...Breakfast with Santa at the school.  I took pictures the entire morning of all the parents and kids who came to enjoy Santa, breakfast and some crafts.  Then off to an annual party with lots of good food and friends!!  Rehearsal for DJ followed by rehearsal for me.  Kyra wound up on the couch with one of her fevers so I kept DJ with me during my rehearsal.  Missed my library holiday party but partook in some lovely Chinese take-out!!  Got home around 8:30 to find an overly tired Franny Girl who didn't want to go to sleep gracefully.. cranky, tired babies suck!!

Sunday: get kids to CCD (sorry, we missed church again.. Hubby went hunting and I just won't take all 4 of them to church).  Run home, call phone co. to try and transfer my # to a different phone and get the 3 of us dressed and ready to go back to CCD to pick up the big kids.  Off to Kyra's rehearsal and some sort of fast food lunch (this fast food stuff is becoming too much of a habit right now).  I go to work and hubby takes over picking Kyra up at rehearsal and getting the grocery shopping done for the week.  Home, make dinner, Kyra still feverish, DJ showered, Franny fell asleep at 6:30 (made for an interesting night trying to get her re-settled)

Monday: get kiddies up and out the door, Baby J came at 9 and Baby C came at 10.  Lots of crying in my house this morning... I find that when one cries, they all cry.  Or, it is eerily quiet in my house.  Taking care of kids is tiring.  But when you add more kids/babies to the mix, it can be utterly exhausting some days.  When babies leave, my big kids' schedules take over.  Had to pick them up at school and get Kyra to rehearsal at the theater.  Took other 3 to Walmart and Michael's and grabbed some, yes, more fast food crap.  Raced back to the theater to get Kyra and go home.  Got here around 6:45...homework done, cook dinner for hubby and myself (steak and potatoes, my favorite and one the kids don't eat).

What's coming up... ha ha... do you even want to know??  I have to make cookies tomorrow so the girlscout troop can decorate them on Wednesday and hand them out when they sing on Thursday.  I also have to make some cake pops I foolishly volunteered to donate for a raffle.    Sometimes, lately, my brain really doesn't think properly.  I also have to oxyclean Kyra's angle dress and try to fluff up DJ's bunny tail.  Gotta get my costume crap together too... Big Blue Bertha (my dress) is coming out of the closet tomorrow...  Oh, and we have a doc appt for Franny wed. morning to check her ears... Baby C is still coming all week ... who says laundry needs to get done this week??

OK- have I bored you enough??  If I don't post regularly these days, I'm hoping you'll understand why.  Most nights I completely pass out while thinking about writing..lol

Have a great night:)

The Christmas Dress... and Pic

Yes, I said Christmas and not Holiday...ok??  We celebrate Christmas and every year it is tradition that my mother gets Kyra and now Franny their dresses/outfits for the holidays.  And so, the hunt is on.  I saw some on Old Navy but I think they are gone b/c most of them weren't even on-line today.  Saw some on Children's Place but wasn't a big fan this year.  Tried to look up some stuff on-line but was unsuccessful.  And, of course, I want the girls to match.  Funny how we don't really care what the boys wear??  Thinking of going out at some point to try and find something matching...even if it's not your typical Christmas dress, you know??

While I am thinking about their dresses, I also have to think about the Photo for the cards.  If you don't know me, I will tell you that my cards usually go out on Christmas Eve and I make sure they say Happy Holidays and New Year (b/c I know they won't go out way before xmas and sometimes not until after...so Happy New Year here's a pic of my kids on my card!!)  I've done so many different things with them over the years...had some fun looking at the pics so I thought I'd take you down memory lane with me:)  Enjoy!! (I don't have the pic we used when it was just DJ but we'll start with the following year)

2004 (DJ almost 2 and Kyra was 6 mos)

2005 (DJ almost 3 and Kyra 18 mos)

2006 (DJ almost 4 and Kyra 2.5)

2007 (DJ almost 5 and Kyra 3.5)

 2008 (Max 6 mos, DJ almost 6, Kyra 4.5)

2009 (Max 1.5, DJ almost 7, Kyra 5.5)

And Finally, 2010 (Franny Girl 2 mos, Max 2.5, Kyra 6.5 and DJ almost 8)

Yes, this is the same sweater as last year... and, he could wear it again this year...lol...)

Four Day Weekend...or NOT..

I know most of the world had the pleasure of having a great 4 day weekend over Thanksgiving break.  And I naively thought I had one too... ha ha ha... not so much.  I had so many things to get done not realizing that I actually didn't even get 1 of those days 'off'.  And so, nothing got done and Franny's crib is still full of crap and so we didn't actually get her in there.  Boo!!

Here's how my 4-day weekend went down (this is after baking several pies/cheesecakes and rice pudding for sale):
Thursday (Thanksgiving)- well, that just says it all.  When you are cooking and 'hosting', you don't really get much of anything else done.  It was a GREAT day and I'm glad we were able to do it and spend the day with the MIL and her sister... but... would've been great to just get stuff done around here, you know??

Friday- had Baby J until about 1ish and then I really did do nothing (after being able to eat leftovers for lunch) for about an hour.  Got kids ready for their sleepover and headed out to Walmart on a bin hunt for our china.  Got some xmas presents and some baking ingredients too.  By the time we got back home, it was too late to really get things going in Franny/Kyra's rooms and Max had to go to bed... And Franny just didn't want to go to sleep... she is NOT fun when she's overtired and doesn't go to sleep!!

Saturday- mad dash to make cupcakes for my niece's b-day party that I was also working for.  She was having it at the place I do the birthday party hosting side job.  Also mad dash to get he 1/2 sheet cake baked and the buttercream made so I would just have to put it all together.  After niece's party, went to a bonfire at a good friends house.  Great weather and good times.  Though, had a bit too much wine or something... it seemed to affect me way too much that night (almost felt like I was back in college... think slurred speech, dizzyness, and basically passing out after drinking a TALL glass of water... YUCK)

Sunday- mad dash to put 1/2 sheet cake together, get Kyra to Nutcracker rehearsal and go to work at the library followed by my own Nutcracker rehearsal.  Didn't get home until after 7:30.  Yeah, not getting up to the room that night either!!

And so, aside from Thanksgiving, I basically worked every day over this weekend.  And not just at 1 job but 4 of them... geez... that was a LONG weekend and I'm even more tired!!

On a positive note- Nutcracker is in 2 weeks and that will be OVER!!!  As much as I love doing it and that I love that my kids love it, I will be so glad when it's all over.

New Goal- put Franny in the crib during xmas break.  go on, laugh, I know you want to... I'm a sucker and I know it.  She knows it too!!  I'm gonna need A LOT of wine that week:)

I also know that you all think I'm crazy b/c I want to start a Blog about the trials and tribulations of baking... but I think I've narrowed it down to 2 Cookbooks to go through.
The Dorie Greenspan Baking http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=dorie+greenspan+baking&hl=en&prmd=imvnsoe&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1224&bih=688&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4833208600077065188&sa=X&ei=AWjUTq3aIcHj0QHN8JDaAQ&ved=0CGMQ8wIwAA#ps-sellers
or the
 CIA Pastry and Baking.  http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Pastry-Mastering-Art-Craft/dp/0471443824/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322543300&sr=1-2

Anyone care to comment???  What would interest you more??

Also...still thinking about what to call the Blog...
Wanna be Baker
Trial and Error Baker
Bake my Mistakes
Bake (and mistake) with Me
Stay at Home Baker

Please feel free to shout out anything that comes to mind.  Maybe I'll have some 'give aways' with the outcomes...

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Good night:)

A Day of Thanks and some Pepsi Malfunction..

Today was a good day in our house!!  It was Thanksgiving and there was a lot of thanks to be had:)

Woke up this morning and the house still looked like a bomb had exploded.  Started on the stuffing and turkey so I could get it in the oven.  Hubby came downstairs and offered to be my 'bitch for the day'...lol.  And yes, he was.  I kept telling him what to do and he kept on doing it!!  I think I had only 1 moment of my own bitchiness but that was it.  I was CALM and we just kept on going until everything was done!!  House got cleaned...food got prepped...china was brought up (ha ha...story about this)...MIL and her sister arrived... apps were eaten... naps were had (Franny and Fran..lol).. dinner was eaten and so was dessert.. Pepsi was sent crashing to the floor and exploded all over.. Scrabbled was played and everyone went to bed!!

China story- made hubby go down into our crawl space to dig out our China...the stuff we got for getting married but has never been out of the boxes.  Thought we would use it today.  Turns out there is a major crack in the wall and water has been leaking in for awhile.  The boxes of each place setting was literally destroyed and disgustingly moldy.  And, we actually only received 5 full place settings.  What to do, what to do??  Clean it up and toss the boxes of course.  We used the big plates for the adults and the salad plates for the kiddies.  I even gave the kiddies their own 'wine' glasses (cheap wine glasses that I have stolen from our Myrtle Beach hotel...didn't care if they accidentally broke glasses).  They were thrilled to use them with their sparkling grape juice.  The adults used my good crystal glasses from Ireland:)

Pepsi all over the floor

Pepsi Explosion- in keeping with our pattern this week, Franny decided (at the end of our meal) to literally end it with a HUGE bang.  Yup...she managed to pull off a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi and it somehow ended on the lid and EXPLODED all over my floor.  I'm thinking that she's really a smart little booger and is trying to tell me I need to CLEAN my house.  And so, my floor was mopped today.  It was actually funny and I had a good laugh about it... but also bummed b/c she pulled over MY Wild Cherry Pepsi!!  Boo Franny Girl..

This is what was left..

MIL and her sis had a good time.  I was glad they were able to come up and especially hubby's Aunt.  She lives in Kentucky and he never sees her.  I met her once about 5 years ago.  She was up in the area to help out the MIL b/c she just got out of her rehabilitation place and basically needs the help.  MIL is having a hard time realizing she's getting older and unable to do things for herself.  You know, the basic things we all take for granted like being able to get up and off the toilet and couch??  I wonder how long she will last on her own once her sister leaves her to go home next week.  Hubby needs to take some days to go down and help his Mom go through her house and clean it up and stuff, you know??

We ended the night playing Scrabble with the big kids.  That was interesting.  Playing with hubby can be quite frustrating... he takes so darn long to form his words as he's always trying to find the word with the most points.  Him and I 'helped' out the kiddies so they would get words longer than 3 letters..lol... it was nice to sit down as a family and play a game.  Even with Franny girl trying to eat, play, sit on my lap and stuff.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

These turkeys were made using their feet as the bodies and hands as the feathers!

Cinnamon Anyone??

On first glance, you might think this is just merely peanut butter on her face from lunch that I haven't wiped off b/c I'm preoccupied trying to bake pies and cheesecakes for the Thanksgiving Season.  But than, your three year old walks into the room and his clothes are covered in some kind of brownish substance and you have to wonder what it is... his hands are tinted brown.  Oh, and than you take a better look at Franny and realize her clothes are covered in this same substance as well as her hands.  Hmmmmm...what in the world could it possible be, I think to myself as Baby C is crying next to me and Franny is cackling at me and Max claims to have NO IDEA what it could possible be.  OH CRAP...THE CINNAMON... come to find out, it's not just on them but practically all over the play room!!  Yup... ALL OVER!!  Even Barbie got some...perhaps she needed to bake something.  And the trucks had some interesting soil to drive in... oh geez...not exactly how I wanted to be vacuuming that room!!

I think the pictures will speak for themsleves:

And so, when you come into my house and walk past the playroom...don't think how clean the room is and how wonderful it smells and ask what the 'scent' is in there because there is no deodorizing element.  It's just plain old Cinnamon... and I know I will continue to find it for the next year or so!!

PS- while I was vacuuming, Max was taking all the nicely folded clothes (future Franny clothes that I had just painstakingly gone through and organized and folded and sized, etc) and throwing them over the gate on the stairs at Franny.  NOT A GOOD DAY!!

Hope you all got a good laugh... I will laugh tomorrow.

Later!!

The things we say too often...

Going through the days and listening to myself, hubby and some other parents out there (yes, I've heard others say this stuff too), I thought it might be fun to write them down...

- Oh, come on

- Seriously??

- What were you thinking??

- What do you think I mean when I say blah blah blah??  I don't mean 'opposite' of blah blah blah!!

- What are you doing??

- Don't look at each other, speak to each other or touch each other!!

- Does everything have to be a competition around here??

- I can't believe you did that

- I'm so disappointed right now

- Do you think I'm your maid??

- Stop whining/crying/moaning/rolling your eyes/etc

- Don't lie to me

- What's behind your back...show me both hands!!

Perhaps I should just start really throwing out and giving away all the crap they leave all over my house.  And perhaps I should just make them stay in their rooms with no contact to the outside world or each other.  I don't know...some days are rougher than others and today was not a good one...

Some things we should say more often (or not)

- I love you

- You are awesome

- Great job... Good sharing... Thank you for picking up after yourselves (ha ha ha)

I often feel like my kids just don't appreciate what they have and what I give to them.  Case in point... I made pancakes for dinner and did some 'shapes' using my cookie cutters.  After about 8 pancakes this way, I went on to make plain old circles b/c it's faster and I wanted to get the batter all made (I make double so that I can freeze the leftovers).  Kyra decides that this is the right time, you know while I'm slaving over the stove not eating with them, to question why there aren't any more shapes b/c she wants another one!!  A bit cheeky if you ask me... And DJ seems to think when we say you can have a treat from your Halloween bag, that he can take 4 (not 1) and hide them behind his back hoping we, the parents, wouldn't see the extras he's taken!!  Oh, and those couch cushions really need to be stapled to the couch at this point...Max just isn't understanding that they need to STAY put!!

OK- lots of baking to be done...gonna be a LONG day... and crazy as it sounds, I'm thinking of trying to pull out my china for Thanksgiving this year.  It's been in storage pretty much since we received it for our wedding...never used.  So, hubby has a task for Wednesday:)

G'Night

I made a Printable...

Hello all... I was at work the other day (the library) and I had to try and make a smaller page fill out an 8x10 page using the copy machine.  Ummm... I'm an idiot and had a hard time and used up a bunch of paper.  I totally couldn't figure it out but I think the problem was the original was not proportionate to the 8x11 paper, you know.  And so, I thought I would just make a similar one on the computer...much more up my alley... and I think I will be printing them off for our Thanksgiving and letting my kids color it.  We can use it as place mats with everyone's name at their seats...

And, since I'm really tired and can't think about anything else to write tonight, I thought I'd share with anyone who has kids and who might like something to color on Turkey Day...

I hope you can print it or down load it or whatever you want with it...or just ignore it if that's your pleasure.  But, I stress, it's late and I really am not sure how to attach it properly.

Back to my hubby and his positiveness of the day:  Today he finally realized that he had 4 kids and they are the reason he cannot possibly sit in a tree every single weekend of Hunting Season!!  At least, I think he finally understands...hopefully:)

Thanksgiving...

This year for Thanksgiving I was going to by-pass all the trimmings of the standard meal.  Why, you might ask??  Well, I didn't really feel like cooking a big meal and going through all the trouble for just us. You see, we weren't planing on going anywhere or having anyone over, so why make this huge meal for just out family.  And someone did say to me "Well, aren't they (my family) worth it??"  YES...they are worth my efforts and time to cook them a meal of thanks.  But, you see, none of my children will eat the turkey and only 1 or 2 will eat the mashed potatoes and hubby and I will eat the stuffing...and depending on the veggies- you never know who will eat it.  So, I thought we would get our "free" lasagna and make that.  All of my children will eat that and will appreciate that meal far more than the traditional turkey (perhaps they have more of that Italian blood running through them...lol).

But, alas, it turns out I will be cooking a traditional meal on our Thanksgiving this year.  My MIL will be joining us as will her sister.  And I know how much she loves this meal and all its trimmings.  And for her (and myself), I will indulge in the huge meal.  I love the turkey and mash and my stuffing and cranberry sauce and gravy and biscuits and apple pie, etc.  So, I will get my meal this year and so will MIL.  The difference this year is that I will not freak out about the absolute cleanliness of my house.  I will have a clean bathroom and that's all I can promise at this point.

I have lots of pies and cheesecakes to make for others but I will be making a lovely apple pie for us and whatever else I make that is 'leftover' from baking for others.  At this point, looks like we will have a pumpkin cheesecake and some rice pudding:)

Perhaps the movies will take place the day after Thanksgiving for the kids?  I will force hubby to take them.  He owes DJ a movie for his perfect attendance last year in school...yeah, we haven't done that yet... we're a little behind:(

On another note... had a great night tonight with my brother and his fiance and daughter.  We really need to keep it up and hang out more often.  It was great to have them over and just hand out.  Perhaps we should try and make it a Friday thing... maybe 'training' the kids so that we can enjoy a game night for the adults??  Speaking of Game Night...I have to start planning another one... I think everyone had a good time last year and another one would be good...

OK- enough for now... have a lot going on this weekend.  What else is new, right??  Last soccer game tomorrow, Nutcracker rehearsal and some xmas shopping.  Sunday, Kyra will be doing some Polish dancing in public for the first time.  Still trying to decide if I want to take pics or video.  Need a video tape though...so it may just be pics...

I am thankful that I don't have any birthday parties to do this weekend... it just frees up my time:)

Have a great night!!

Kids...a Reflection of Ourselves..

Since becoming a parent, almost 9 years ago, I have tried to raise all of my kids the Right way.  Is there a right way, you ask??  Probably not and I know I've made a ton of mistakes.  I also know my kids will be in therapy for some of the stuff I've tried with them...lol

But, your kids are a Reflection of who you are, I think.  And, I think this is why I have such a hard time accepting DJ for who he is... I know, back to the whole DJ thing, right?  You're saying 'Just get over it... he is who he is and he can't help it'   But, I lack some self-confidence and I feel as though I am being judged for who my son is.  How horrible does that sound, right??  He's not a bad kid...just a kid with a lot of energy who has problems sitting still.  And sometimes has problems listening...but I guess you could say, What kid doesn't??  I am slowly getting over some of the embarrasment I sometimes feel but there are times when I just don't get it.  How could I have a kid that's so off the wall??  And when he does have his 'mood' swings (they're awful) and his foot stomping episodes, it drives me crazy.  It's a constant struggle to accept this from him and calmly deal with it... I know we joke in my family that he's a special kid.  But, sometimes it gets to me.  I was watching him in gymnastics today and it drove me insane watching him literally bounce off his imaginary walls.  I feel like I could've done something differently or should know how to control him...and I feel like I, personally, am being judged.

Most days, I can shake it off...but today did not start out as a good day so these things tend to bother me when I'm already having one of those dull and dreary days.  Max (love him) wanted a kiss and afterwards said "Do you feel happy now Mommy?"  Well, he did make me smile!!  And DJ makes me smile in other ways and I do TRY.  I guess that's all I can do, right??  JUST LET IT GO AND ACCEPT HIM FOR WHO HE IS AND STOP BLAMING MYSELF FOR TRYING TO MAKE HIM WHO HE ISN'T.  Whew...I feel better!!

Back to the beginning of my day... Hubby and I didn't get off to a great start.  Nope... it was pretty bad.  We had words (loud words) and I was informed that I yell at our kids more then he does and if I didn't believe him I should go ask a family member who shan't be named b/c they said it to him.  Nice, right?  I know that I yell at them a lot more than I want to.  And I feel completely awful when I do.  I feel like I need a week's worth of sleep and a ton of couples therapy with hubby...maybe we would communicate better??  Maybe we would LISTEN to each other better??  A couples retreat anyone??  perhaps we can be reminded of why we fell in love... it's been 10 years now and a lot has happened.  4 kids, a house, bills, making ends meet while keeping 1 parent home, broken cars, sleepless nights, etc.  Great things and shitty things and we are still here.  Now, we just need to figure out how to get us over this hump and move on to enjoy what we do have, you know??

So, back to our children and how they are a reflection of ourselves:  I am so proud of my kids and happy to know that they truly are GREAT kids in every way!!  We are doing something right.  Both kids had rave reviews from their teachers tonight!!  Aside from the annoying noises DJ makes to disrupt his class that is.  They are both doing Awesome academically and both teachers commented on how polite they are and that they are just good kids.  Now, I just have to remember that when they both piss me off for something...lol  DJ is Mr Social in his class and Kyra is Ms Manners (always willing to help others... apparently she is getting close to being fluent in sign language and often helps other students with this)

I know, this post is all over the place...thanks for being patient with me... I will leave you with my thoughts:  I will be more patient, I will try to stop yelling so much, I will accept my children for the beautiful individuals they are and I will get over myself to do all of this!!

How to tell you have a 1 yr old...

Yes, it's true...1 year olds are complete home wreckers... And Franny Wrecka (as we call her) is in her prime wrecking years...  so, thought I'd put together some things I'm sure you have all experienced and may have a laugh at...

1. You turn away for a second and all the puzzles/books you just picked up are back all over the floor.  My Franny thinks it's funny to stand on the fireplace and chuck this stuff on the floor...

2. It seems to take forever to fold a basket of clothes and feels like it is never-ending.  Oh, wait, that's b/c your 1 yr old keeps unfolding them and throwing them on the floor and/or back into the basket

3. Walking out of the room creates a loud cry with lots of tears.  Yeah, she can't see you anymore...crap... separation anxiety has fully set in

4. Every household object becomes a step... yes, upside down pots included and bins are things to empty out throwing items wrecklessly everywhere so they can now climb in and sit

5. While in your pediatrician's office, you need to sit on the floor right in front of the cabinets so that she cannot open them and pull everything out (think these doctors need to child proof their cabinets and drawers)

6. Remote controls go missing only to turn up months later in the back of your tupperware closet... at least you hope it will turn up and she didn't decide to throw it in the garbage or eat it...

7. There is no such thing as sitting down and eating a full meal while it's still hot.  

8. You watch these shows with Moms who have quints and or 20 kids and curse them out b/c they are calm cool collected           The 3 Cs you've lost and may never again have!!  But, you continue to watch in the hopes they, too, will lose it and start yelling.

9. Strange things may end up in your toilet if you accidentally keep the door open...

10. You find random kitchen utensils strewn around your house.

11.  You've lost track of saying NO realizing that it doesn't work and yet you continue to say No constantly hoping they will learn what No really means... yeah, right!!

12. Staircases are gated...all of them... and sometimes they are gated in somewhere, anywhere, just so you can sit for a few minutes...lol

13. There is a constant line of crumbs surrounding the high-chair and on the high-chair tray and there may even be a stray piece of food in the diaper (yes...a whole piece of food that was meant to go into the mouth and missed??)

14. If you don't get out much, your conversation skills will deteriorate greatly... unless of course those around you also understand pointing and grunting and babbling

15. YOU GET THE BEST SNUGGLES AND HUGS AND KISSES ALL DAY LONG!!!

I'm sure there are a ton more but, you see, I do have a 1 yr old and my brain is a bit muddled these days.  Hope you enjoy!!

Long Weekend...

Whew...it's Sunday night.  Oh, wait, it all starts again tomorrow???  Feels like there are no breaks here and it is neverending.

I love doing the Nutcracker and I love that my kids are enjoying their roles in the production... but boy will I be glad when it's over.  Hopefully, with no rehearsals we will get some stuff done around this house.  This dirty, messy house that I am in charge of.  I am beyond embarassed about my house these days.  I don't want anyone coming in it right now.  The floors need a good cleaning and the playroom needs a good 'cleansing'.  I could also use about a day to go through all the bags of clothes I have sitting in the girls room right now.  Mostly clothes that no longer fit Franny girl.  But, I have no one to pass it on to...perhaps I should organize it in lots and sell it on ebay or something.  I have A LOT of clothes which we have been fortunate to receive...would totally love to pass on.  I love the circle of clothes amongst my circle of Moms but right now it looks as though the girl clothes stops with Franny.

Weekends have stopped being a 'catch up' time right now.  We had soccer yesterday morning, I worked in the afternoon while DJ had rehearsal and then I had rehearsal myself.  Afterwards, I worked on making some 'baby' cookies and pink cake pops for a baby shower this evening.  Today we had religion, rehearsal for Kyra, work for me, Doug and kids went to see his mother and I had an evening with the ladies celebrating a new life about to join us.  Good times.

And so, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps not cleaning is a good thing.  Yes, we are all a little sick but not nearly as sick as what's out there right now.  I think it's b/c we are all used to GERMS circulating around the house...LOL... oh, and hubby had the audacity to try and tell me how and when to get laundry done around here...b/c you know, he had the 3 older ones with Max not in preschool and not watching any other babies and so I should do it just like he did while I was away i Ireland.  Oh, Ireland how do I miss thee let me count the ways...

OK- goal this week...finish laundry and sort out the clothes in Kyra's room (and the spillage into my hallway).  Let's see if I can get that done!!

Have a great night:)

Good Hubby of the day: he took the kids to see his mother (she is out of the rehabilitation center and back at home)

Boobs...

So, the last two entries were a little serious... thought I'd go a little humorous tonight and talk about BOOBS!!

Yes, we (women, and yes, some men) have them.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  I think I may have experienced all of them...well, except for maybe those super huge hang to your knees kind.  But, I have had super huge ones (like a size E...thanks DJ for that experience).  Flat, round, perky, melony, square, droopy, lopsided, wrinkly... you get the picture, right??

Right now, mine are a bit huge and not so perky.  But, I do love them.  Isn't that the point??  To love your boobs and everything else about yourself??  But, as I was dancing the other night with my boobs double strapped in sports bra paraphanalia I thought how much I hated sports bras.  They tend to squoosh'em in and schmoosh'em up against your body.  No shape what-so-ever.  Yuck.  If you've got boobs, you like to show'em off, you know??  And sports bras just don't do that.  But, finding just the right bra for your boobs could take a life time.  I am always on the hunt for a good bra and when I find one, I just buy several of them.  And than WHAM, they change!!  These suckers have been through so many changes I can't tell you how many different bras I have to try and keep them looking nice.  I have 1 right now that I really love.  That's it.  I have some Victoria Secret ones that fit so nice in the dressing room but were so disappointing when I got home...I don't know...they just didn't do it for me.  I've even been measured and tried several styles in the size I am supposed to be.  But I still haven't found that Perfect Fit.  Perhaps Oprah needs to go back into business so I can get properly measured and fitted with My Ultimate Bra!!  Wouldn't that be nice:)

My boobs will never be young again but they will continue to comfort the very young and probably the old.  Nice, soft cushions that they are..lol... I do enjoy them right now (especially when they are sitting nicely in that 1 great bra I have).  I know they will never be back to that young and perky stage (that stage didn't last very long for me, how about you??) but I must embrace what my children have done for me!!  To look on the bright side, I will never need a padded bra!!  ha ha  Besides, I think our boobs almost define who we are as women and make us who we are.

So, embrace them and show'em off...whether you're an A or an E:)

That's all I have to say about that:)

Good hubby comment of the day:  tonight I watched him sit at the table with Kyra while she was coloring and he was really admiring her and all her cuteness...I was very touched watching their relationship (but, now I know why she has him wrapped around her finger)

Have a good night:)

Bomb Scare...Oh my

I don't generally get my thoughts together during the day and usually don't know what I'm going to write about until much later in the day...let alone do I have the time to actually write anything during the day.

But, as things happen in life, my brain needs to get it out and I have 2 sleeping babies with Max playing quietly in his playroom.

This morning started out a normal day... crazy hectic morning getting everyone up, fed, dressed and out the door.  Big kids on to the bus and Max out to Preschool.  Morning was going fine and normal (yes, craziness is normalcy in this house and there was lots of crying earlier today).  I get a phone call from the person who picks Max up at school to say that there had been a Bomb Threat on the school and everyone inside was on Lock Down.  WHAT!!!  How does that happen and why aren't I there to pick him up??  My heart stopped and my body started shaking slightly.  My sweet little boy was inside a building and didn't even know what was going on.  As I registered this information, my thoughts became blurred and all I could think about was my little Max and his bubbly personality and how he comes running out of the classroom to hug me and tell me how much he missed me.

As the minutes passed on with no other word, I found out that the threat came in before the school started.  Max goes to a preschool at the Boces and his part starts before the actual school starts.  The actual threat was made for a different building but on the campus.  The buses that drop off the high school students were not letting students off and everyone already inside was LOCKED inside.  Ummmmm, WHY??  Perhaps they thought the kids inside were safer in that building??  And why the HELL didn't I get a phone call from the school??  That just baffles me.  My sweet little innocent boy is inside a Lock Down and you don't call me??

Thanking the Lord (and He and I have had our issues in the past so I don't often do that...) that my little boy is back home with me and playing quietly without a care in the world.  I'm still a little shaky and my eyes continue to tear up, but all is good.

Bomb Threats and schools is another one of my biggest fears in life.  I send my kids to school every day and I occasionally think of what could happen to them while they are there.  You always wonder if someone pissed someone else off that day and something is going to happen.  This is a crazy ass world we live in and today makes me cherish my children so much more!!

So, HUG your kids today and LOVE them to the fullest!!  I know I will.

Life..

2 people died today on a road that I might happen to drive on about 5 days out of 7 and more than once on some days.  It appears as though a driver had a heart attack while driving, veered into the other lane and crashed with an on-coming car.  There were no skidmarks...no reminders...no notice... WOW... how horrible.

I cannot even fathom something like this happening to my family and friends.  I heard the 2 people who died were older... but it doesn't make it any less horrible.  My heart goes out to the families of the deceased even though I have no idea who they are.  It makes me grateful for my family and friends and makes me want to "Seize the day" so to speak.  NO REGRETS, you know??

One of my biggest fears is dying... and not just dying.  But leaving this world with regrets and/or leaving with those around me not knowing how I feel about them.  I hope to live a very long fulfilling life.  I want to experience everything my children have to offer and I want to grow old with my husband.

I don't know what else to say.  I am truly sorry but at the same time thankful... is that strange??  I am sorry for the families affected but am thankful no one I know was hurt.  There are too many tragedies in this world to 'just get by'.  You know??

The mom of one of the babies I watch was coming to my house on this road to pick up her baby.  She missed this tragic accident by minutes.  I cannot fathom this.  I think I might be freaking out a bit.

Again, I can't think of anything else to say.  Please, go LIVE!!  Enjoy your time here on earth with NO REGRETS!!  Advice even I, myself, need to follow.

Hypocrisy and Mommyhood

Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have.^[1] Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie


Yup...that's me.  Most definitely towards my kids too.  I was standing at the coffee counter making my coffee at a deli last week.  DJ and I had a few minutes and I wanted something hot and caffeinated so we stopped.  I told him he could get a drink b/c I had the extra few bucks that night.  He brought me one of those juice type drinks that is essentially SUGAR.  As I stood there pouring the sugar into my coffee, I told him NO b/c it was all sugar.  And then it hit me, what a hypocrite I am when it comes to my children... I probably poured more sugar into my coffee than what was in that drink but I wouldn't let him have it.  


And so, I started thinking about other things I won't let them do/have but I turn around the do it or have it...here are some:


1. No cake for breakfast  (yes, I've been know to stand at the counter and dig into the cake with a fork just to get something in my stomach...)


2. Eat your vegetables or no dessert... ha ha ha... I am really not a lover of veggies and so I don't really eat them.  But, in my defense, I do eat them just so I can say to them that they, too, should also eat them.  Though, sometimes I don't.


3. Drink your MILK...as I sit at the dinner table with a soda  (I don't have one every night but it is kind of hypocritical to make them drink the milk when you, yourself, are drinking sugary soda)


4. Don't do drugs or drink alcohol... and my kids will point this out to me that I do drugs (tobacco is now a form of drugs in their little minds) and I drink alcohol on a daily basis (yes, a glass of wine)... but hey, at least they know NOT to do it as they lecture me daily about it...


5. Pick up your shoes, clothes, jackets, etc and put them in their place.  Yet, I can look around and see my stuff not put away... How can I enforce this rule unless I show them the example??  Geez, I'm a mess and yet I expect them to NOT be like me...  ok, this one I gotta change b/c all the clutter makes me crazy.  I can handle my own clutter just not that of 5 other people (hubby is worse when ti comes to this crap)...


6. Turn the TV off and do something constructive... yeah, this is a good one, right??  All while I am lounging on the couch with no desire or energy to get up off my ass and do anything.  Ok, I don't sit here all freakin' day but I usually am sitting down with not a care in the world when I tell them to get off their asses and do something... lol


7. Put on some clean clothes...meanwhile I am still wearing the same sweats from after my last shower which was however many days ago (can never remember when that last shower was)


Yeah, I AM A HYPOCRITE...but, I'm also a Mom and sometimes you really have to tell them 'Do as I say and not as I do', right??  Or do I need to change myself in order to make an example for them to follow??  Do I really need to start eating all those Good for Me foods??  And making sure I've got all those fruits/veggies in me before I eat the 'treat'?  I try really hard to pick up this house so that they can see we need to clean up and be organized and stuff...but some days are a little harder than others, you know??  Is it right to bark out orders and rules without following them myself??  Who knows... Perhaps I'm harder on them for this stuff b/c I don't like it about me and I don't want them to be like that??  Kinda like I am towards my hubby...I'm always telling him what NOT to do towards the kids and some days I realize I've been doing the same thing.  Only, when I see hubby doing it, it just pisses me off and I get angry at him for some of the same things I do.  Does anyone else out there ever feel this way??


Ah well, those are my ramblings for the day.  I leave you with my favorite thought:  Don't judge others unless you've walked a mile in their shoes:)


Good hubby moment:  Was leaving to take Kyra to Polish dancing tonight when Franny girl exploded every direction out of her diaper... after realizing that we couldn't just clean her up with wipes (ummmm, there was poop on her shoulders/hair from the onesie going over her head), hubby scooped her up and declared tubby time.  Both boys followed behind and he was totally ok with me leaving and him having to deal with it... Go hubby!!


Random picture of my beautiful baby: