Holiday pic

Holiday pic

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Sweating..

OK, I admit, I AM A SWEATER!!  No, not that thing you wear in the winter time...but one of those people who constantly glistens in the warmer temps.  And even in the colder temps...but it's easier to hide by wearing a sweater...LOL

So, yesterday I embarrassed myself and talked about Poop...thought I'd just add to that and talk about Sweat!!  OK... here goes:)

Sweating, I think, can be embarrassing and gross.  Yes, I know.  I do get those wonderful pits of wetness for all the world to see.  Though, I've noticed that if I don't shave my pits, the wet pit isn't as noticeable??  Weird, right??  The hair must just soak it all up or something.  When there is no hair, it's like every pore is a faucet with a constant leak...you know??  Maybe??  So, if notice hairy armpits on me, please don't fret.  It's b/c I don't want that silk shirt to get ruined from my rivers of sweat, ok???

Which is grosser:  big old water marks under your pits or hairy pits??

And so, here we are, entering the biggest sweatiest time of year for us.  Here are some things to look out for and some tips to keeping yourself 'dry':

- Swamp Ass...very common when sitting in hot gymnasiums, dancing in hot rooms, or sitting in a vehicle with no AC for long periods of time.  I'm pretty sure there is no cure for this one...bring extra undies and shorts and sit on a towel:)

- Toilet slip and slide... very common to those with Swamp Ass.  Be careful when sitting on the toilet as you might just slip and slide right off...especially if the Swamp moved to the backs of your thighs.  I recommend powder yourself before sitting:)

- Arm pit circles... yeah, there is no cure for this.  Even those deodorants they thing are 'clinically' proven to prevent it... those are bogus.  Just use something that smells good so that every time you sweat, the nice smell comes out!!  Powder can only do so much here.  I also recommend lots of tank tops that are darker in color as they don't show the 'wet spot' like a lighter colored shirt would.

- Slick Skin... jump in the kiddie pool (or 'accidentally' trip into it making sure to cover your whole body).  People will think you are wet from the water and not from your actual sweat pouring off you skin

- Hot Feet... my feet sweat all the time, all year round.  So, I LOVE summer time specifically b/c I can wear flipflops and my feet stay dry all summer long... Well, that is until I fall into the kiddie pool or something..  But, if you must wear sneakers, I say throw some powder in there.  Nothing is going to stop the foot smell from all that sweating but powder will mask it a little bit.  Those sprays are just as gross as the smell of your sneaker...think bowling alley shoe spray!!

- The lower back pool... yeah, that's a fun one, right??  just don't lean into anything and wear a loose shirt!!  You can go into the bathroom and soak it up.  Or, if you're feeling kinda crazy, throw a rubber ducky back there to see if it floats on sweat!! LOL

- Sweating twin powers, Activate!!  ha ha... yeah, that just sounds gross

- The sweating in places we don't want to talk about... yeah, we'll keep on not talking about it.  But, we'll all know you're sweating if we hear the swish swish as you walk.  Again, a fall into the kiddie pool is perfect!!  Or you could 'accidentally' fall down the slip and slide??  Or not...let's not forget that we are not children anymore and sliding down that thing might do more damage than good...

I hope you stay cool.  Always carry some powder, extra deodorant and some body spray!!
Woman In Underwear Having A Hot Flash
And Happy Sweating!!

Here's some 'real' info on underarm sweating..
http://www.wikihow.com/Lessen-Underarm-Sweating

Just in case you were interested in the definition (now that's a lot of info):
sweat  (swt)
v. sweat·ed or sweatsweat·ingsweats
v.intr.
1. To excrete perspiration through the pores in the skin; perspire.
2. To exude in droplets, as moisture from certain cheeses or sap from a tree.
3. To condense atmospheric moisture.
4.
a. To release moisture, as hay in the swath.
b. To ferment, as tobacco during curing.
5. Informal
a. To work long and hard.
b. To suffer much, as for a misdeed.
6. Informal To fret or worry.
v.tr.
1. To excrete (moisture) through a porous surface, such as the skin.
2. To gather and condense (moisture) on a surface.
3. To cause to perspire, as by drugs, heat, or strenuous exercise.
4. To make damp or wet with perspiration.
5. To cause to work excessively; overwork.
6. To overwork and underpay (employees).
7. Slang
a. To interrogate (someone) under duress: sweated the suspected spy for hours.
b. To extract (information) from someone under duress: The police sweated the information out of the suspect.
8. Metallurgy To join (metal parts) by interposing cold solder and then heating.
9. To steam (vegetables or other food).
10. Informal To fret or worry about: Don't sweat the details.
n.
1. The colorless saline moisture excreted by the sweat glands; perspiration.
2. Condensation of moisture in the form of droplets on a surface.
3.
a. The process of sweating.
b. A condition or period of sweating: worked up a sweat raking leaves.
c. The condition of being sweated.
4. Strenuous, exhaustive labor; drudgery.
5. A run given to a horse as exercise before a race.
6. Informal An anxious, fretful condition.
7. sweats Informal A sweatsuit.
Phrasal Verb:
sweat out Slang
1. To endure anxiously: sweat out an exam.
2. To await (something) anxiously: sweat out one's final grades.
Idioms:
no sweat Slang
Easily done or handled.
sweat blood Informal
1. To work diligently or strenuously.
2. To worry intensely.
sweat bullets Slang
To sweat profusely.
sweat of (one's) brow
Hard work: "keep what they produced by the sweat of their brow" (Mario Puzo).

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Scoop on Poop... and other things:)

Firstly, I just want to say thank you to all of your support on the whole DJ situation.  It makes me feel all warm inside knowing that you are all out there and behind me as a Mom trying to figure out her son!!

Now, on top of this whole motherhood crap that we all go through, I wanted to update you all on my own doctor's visit.  I know I went a couple of weeks ago but haven't written about the 'results'... I have these symptoms that could range from Irritable Bowel to the big C word...yes, the symptoms are similar and the internet has way too much information... but, alas, the doc thinks it's merely a case of Irritable Bowel.  Yup, that's me...always on the run to the Pooper!!  Especially when I enter stores (usually shop-rite or walmart... that's really fun when you've got the kiddies with  you) or on long car rides or at the bus stop!!  Always when a bathroom is never close do I have to go.  Mind over matter??  who knows??   I've got a friend out there in Facebook Land who occasionally wants to hear about your most embarrassing Poop Stories... and I could probably fill a book with them.  I hate it!!

I also have another friend who told me that Irritable Bowel is what they diagnose you with when they don't know what's wrong.  But, again, who knows, right??  My brother told me to stop drinking coffee and drink herbal green tea... um... yeah, I don't think I'm ready to give up coffee.  And besides, I barely make it all the way through my 1 cup in the morning...I'm lucky to drink half of it hot and the other half pretty much sits on my counter until it's lucky enough to have a sip taken out of it:)

There is definitely something in my lower back that pains me to the point of not being able to walk.  Doc thinks it's a deposit of some sort and says when it bothers me to rest (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha), heat it and gentle massage.  Also said to strengthen my Abs but didn't tell me how to.  And when I did some ab exercises, it pretty much made me useless to doing anything a Mom should be able to do (you know, like pick up your child or get up off the couch to get them a drink, etc).  So, that's a fun thing to have.  This is a pain I also had when I was prego... but, I'm definitely not that and it's here with a vengeance.  I'm thinking that there is some kind of deposit on my nerve and when things are expanded in my body, it hurts.  So, when that monthly bloating thing comes around or when the intestines are full and ready to be emptied, the pain comes back.  But, who am I??  So, again, who knows what it really is.

One definitive outcome of this doc visit was my apparent deficiency of Vitamin D.  Yeah...something the doc could actually diagnose b/c of a blood test!!   So, now I take vitamin D every night.  Wonder if this vitamin is the reason my nails are all grown and long and haven't broken yet??

And than, among kids zooming cars underneath his laptop holder thingy on wheels, he feels the need to ask me if I'm stressed.   Um, yeah, no, not at all.  NOT!!  So, he thinks he can get most of my symptoms to stop by giving me some drugs.  Haven't started them yet... but apparently they can also help me stop smoking???  I'm one of those people who will fill those prescriptions but never take them...yeah, I know, bad me.

And so, the conclusion to this doc experience:  I will stop running to the bathroom and my back should stop hurting if I do the following:
1. Strengthen my abs (with exercise that makes it worse)
2. Take some drugs to calm me down

Hmmmmm....now I think I know why I hate going to the doctor these days.

In other news... had a GREAT weekend seeing friends, old and new, and even got to march in a parade with my daughter:)

Hope you all had a good one and celebrated the veterans and current troops who fight for our country!!



Thursday, May 24, 2012

ADHD and Impulsive Behavior

Yes... we're back to DJ again.  And, yes, I know... you all are going to say to 'Just do something already'.

I know there's something up with him that is not normal 'boy' behavior.  I should know b/c I'm his mother, right??  And now is the time for action.  I know this.  Really I do.  But, perhaps I'm a little scared about it.  I don't know why... sometimes I feel like I should have done something different.  Did I not hug him enough as a baby??  Did I not pay enough attention to him thus far in his little life??  Could I have reacted differently to him and his actions??  Am I just doing this all wrong and his behavior is a direct result of Me??  I often feel at a loss with him and perhaps I tend to just skim over it instead of dealing with it head on.  He is, after all, half of me and a product of me and my actions.

Wow, can you say guilt??  Yup... And, sometimes embarrassment and disappointment.  I know...horrible for a mother to feel that way.  And guilty as charged for feeling that way.

So, what brings us to this entry??  His last incident included the throwing of beer bottles into my deck and yard to see if they would break.  And, thinking that it was ok to bring the 3 yr old into the mix and let him throw them too.  Yes...that's right.  And yes, they did break.  And it's taken me a week to actually get up the nerve to write about it b/c I am still upset that my child would do something like that.  And I can be embarrassed b/c I know most of you who read this and, yes, I worry sometimes about what people will think.  Oh, there goes that Dawn chick and her son who she can't control.  I'm just gonna say 'hi' and keep on going...or, don't make eye contact b/c I don't want to make conversation in case DJ comes up and we have to talk about him or try and make a playdate with them.  Yes, these are the things that go through my head...  DJ doesn't have many friends that he plays with outside of school.  And, sometimes I worry about that.  Is that normal??  His teacher says he gets along with all of his classmates but he is never invited anywhere and has only received 1 bday party invite this year.  And, of course the party is tomorrow night during his punishment period.  Oh, and it's with a neighbor who he does get along with and it doesn't hurt that his mom sees the best in Every kid (even mine).  He wasn't invited to the other neighbor party (and he could hear them all having fun and I could tell he was upset about it b/c the other neighbor boys were there).  I understand why he wasn't invited, but he doesn't...you know?

So, back to the beer bottle incident: He says he doesn't know why he did it... but I am pretty sure he knows he shouldn't have.  And before you ask, I was not home.  He seems to be at his worse when I am at work on Thursday afternoons and there is someone other than a parent watching him.

Acting out??  Maybe.  Trying to get away with things he would never get away with if his parents were home??  Maybe.  Trying to get attention??  Maybe.

It could be any number of things, right??  It's all so confusing to try and figure it out.  So, I scour the internet for information and try to figure it out for myself.  I know...we should never self-diagnose using the internet.  But, I like to try and see what I'm up against.  Don't worry, a call to the doc is in the future for this one.

What frustrates me too, is the whole paperwork crap we need to fill out and have filled out in order to have him evaluated.  When talking to his teacher face to face, I feel like I get the real story.  But when I get his report cards home, there are standard comments in the comment sections like there are no problems.  And when the ADHD paperwork comes back from the teacher, I feel like it wasn't answered as honestly as it could have been.  I guess, we will see what happens when they run the questionnaires against their systems, right??

According to an online 'checklist' (it was actually the same questions on the questionnaire I rec'd from doctor), he does show signs of ADHD but not of Impulsivity.  Again, who knows, right??

All I know is that I am exhausted.  And I am clueless.  How's that for honesty here people??  I am 100% and utterly clueless.

OK... I think that's about all I have for tonight.  Here are some links in case you want to read up on either the ADHD and Impulsive Behavior:)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adhd/ds00275/dsection=symptoms

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/adhd/l/bl_adhd_quiz.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/158184-impulsive-behavior-in-a-child/

http://www.education.com/reference/article/impulsive-behavior-children/

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

I had some leftover shrimp from Kyra's communion party...so I thought I'd use it to make some dinner last night.  Picked up some fresh asparagus and went with a risotto!!  It was super yummy:)

I took pictures and thought you all might like the recipe...enjoy!!

Ingredients

  • Risotto Rice - 1 cup
  • Small onion- diced
  • Minced garlic - can use fresh or jarred
  • Italian Seasonings
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Chicken Stock (can use any stock you want...I also reserve some of the water from the asparagus and use that along with the stock)
  • Butter - 2 tbs
  • Oil - 2 tbs



1. Gentle boil the asparagus in salted water until tender

2. Remove asparagus and reserve the water
3. In sames pan, Sautee the shrimp in some butter and garlic to give it a little flavor

4. Sautee onion in some butter and oil for approx. 3 minutes or until soft
5. Add risotto to pan and toast for approximate 3-4 minutes...this brings out the flavor of the rice.  You can also add your seasonings at this point

6. Add approximately 1 cup of your stock... cook until all liquid has been evaporated
7. Continue adding liquid and cooking down... you can alternate between the stock and asparagus water.  You should need approximately 3 cups of liquid.  Sometimes a little more...

8. Repeat until the rice is al dente.  Make sure you stir often to avoid the rice sticking to bottom of pan.
9. Add in your asparagus (I cut it into bite size pieces before adding) and shrimp
10. Sprinkle your parmesan cheese and stir 

Enjoy!!  Sprinkle some additional cheese on top if you want:)

You can mix up the flavors/proteins in this recipe...as well as seasonings:)  Scallops and shrimp is a nice one too.  Leftover chicken would work well...use rosemary to season.  Sometimes I add  white wine at the end to give it an extra boost of flavor.

Would love to know if  you make it and how you did!!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Oh Brother...

The weekend is over and here comes the rain!!  And still, lots of baking this week.  I love baking and creating and all that fun stuff...but will enjoy next week with no baking agenda (did I just jinx myself??).  It's just really hard to get it all done when you have 3 little ones during the day (2 mine and 1 I watch) and add big kids into the mix at 3:30...you know??

Now, to the Oh brother part..  Tonight I had to do a 'Cookie Decorating Demo' where they got to make and take some cookies.  So, hubby had to step in and take the kids to their polish dance practice.  And, if you all remember, I have to sit in the hall with Franny & Max b/c DJ's behavior pretty much sucks.  I mean, let's be honest here about it.  He doesn't listen, can't stop moving, does inappropriate things at inappropriate times and is rude and disrespectful.  Not to mention, he doesn't try to do the dancing and makes it harder for everyone around him...teachers included.  I don't think hubby was happy with any of them tonight.  I know this b/c he stormed in the house followed by 3 kids (DJ, Kyra, Max) who were ordered straight up to their rooms.  Yes, they came home and went to bed.  And hubby had a beer and chilled out.  Hmmmmm....now he might know what I deal with on a daily basis with these kids.  Particularly DJ.  Now, we all know that he's a little hyper and according to the information I've read on ADHD, he could be borderline in the area.  And they say, that kids with this cannot help themselves.  They have a hard time controlling things.  And so, we try to be understanding and let certain things go.  But, perhaps we've just lost control and need to rein him in again???  It's a constant battle of good behavior vs. bad behavior with him.  Sometimes it is really hard to tell if this is normal or not.  And, I am still hearing 'Oh, he's just a boy...he'll grow out of it'.  But, I really know it's more than that.  And I still struggle with how to deal with him...every day!!

His homework is not finished either.  Because of his behavior hubby decided they all needed to go straight to bed.  Needless to say, DJ did not follow his schedule for after school and did not finish it.  Not that's another kick in the butt for him.  He will have to finish it during recess tomorrow.

I think I need to stop saying 'Let's fix the DJ problem' and start saying 'Let's help DJ'...But, alas, I am still unsure how to do this.

And so, on top of DJ's horrific behavior tonight, Max didn't listen to hubby and Kyra didn't listen to hubby.  And Franny...well, Franny is Franny and she's just being 1.5 and will continue to be a tough one to contain and keep occupied in a small space.

We decided to pull DJ from the Polish dancing.  It breaks my heart b/c he cries when I threaten to take him out.  But now, perhaps he will realize that he cannot behave the way he has been and get away with it??  The instructor thinks it might hurt his self-esteem by taking him out...but I'm thinking it will teach him that he needs to be serious about this stuff if he wants to do it.  It's not a time for fooling around, picking your nose and complaining about doing the dance 1 more time.  I'm not even sure I will be putting him in his dance classes in the fall either.  He says he wants to do them and really gets upset when I tell him he can't...but...I just don't know.  This is one of those parental decisions that will either benefit him or make him go to therapy and blame Me for everying...lol

And than, you think ' well, if I pull him from this activity shouldn't I pull him from his sports activities too??'  Is it all too much for him to handle along with his school work.  Or, am I going to go crazy with him home every single night with nothing to do???  I really love that he loves to dance.  It's something we can share together.  And if I take that away from him, am I taking away our 'special' time together away and one of our commonalities away??  I have a hard time communicating with him as it is...  Yes, these are the things inside my head right now... honesty at it's best in the post!!


God Bless hubby for dealing with them tonight!!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

A Blessed and Beautiful Day..

Saturday was my daughter's First Holy Communion.  What a beautiful day we had!!  Gorgeous weather, wonderful church ceremony and great company to celebrate!!

Kyra looked absolutely beautiful and all grown up.  She had a 'speaking' part in the ceremonies and she surprised us all by speaking loud and clearly for everyone to hear... she is my shy little girl and yet she blossomed up there!!

Let me back up a bit and talk about the days/night leading up to this day... for those hours were not so gorgeous..lol -

Spent a lot of late nights trying to make her desserts b/c I was determined to make her a beautiful display just for her.  Also went through her 8 years of life in pictures to print and place in an album...that was oh so much fun...  To top off the week of not a lot of sleep, our smoke alarm decided to go off at 2:04AM the morning of the communion.  Now, I had just gone to bed and was oh so close to actual sleep... but.... alas.... that was not to happen yet.  Woke hubby up too:(  Probably went off about 4 times...each time freaking us out.  Hubby was all over the house trying to figure out what set it off and couldn't find anything.  In between beeps, a neighbor called my cell phone.  Yeah, that freaked both of us out b/c we thought maybe they see something we don't see??  So, at 2:30 in the AM we are outside in the backyard trying to see if there's smoke coming from anywhere.  Freaky...don't know what set it off but it did stop after our expedition outside!!

And so, we woke up a bit later than anticipated and were, of course, running late.  I have to say, though, DJ was actually helpful in the morning.  He helped with Franny, did what I asked him to do, helped Max get dressed, etc.  Crazy...  And, Kyra was extremely helpful the few nights before.  She washed dishes for me, helped make the cookies, and basically anything that I would let her do.  I was pleasantly surprised by her this week.  Now, if she can continue on that path without the ending being a party for HER, than we may be on to something here..lol

Made it to the church on time and had a Franny watcher on duty:)  So, I was able to take pics and hubby was able to sit with the boys and his parents in the pew.

Food was great (had too much as always...some people didn't show, cancelled last minute, or left before food was even out...so, we can have lots of leftovers this week..lol), weather was perfect and kids had fun.  Even had a 'Decorate a Cross' area for the kids.  They really enjoyed that.  AND, I even found some religious tattoos at the $ store..lol


Passed out last night around 10... think I slept more hours last night than all week combined.  I think I also ate more in the past 2 days than all week combined too:)

Hope you all had a great weekend and a Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Wordless Wednesday...

So, a couple of my blogging friends do this thing called Wordless Wednesday.  It's basically a picture with no words.  And since my time seems to be scarce this week, here is a picture...take what you want from it...
(They've been trying to 'dry out' since Monday...lol)

Have a Fabulous Day!!  I'm off to a 2nd grade field trip tomorrow...wish me luck:)

Dear Anonymous...

Thank you for responding to my post!!  Both of you:)

I do feel like everyone is entitled to their own opinions in life and I know that I am probably the most vocal about my own.  Though, I almost feel like I need to defend myself here from the Anonymous 1.  I do spend time with Kyra on a one to one basis.  Is it as much as I want??  No.  But I do what I can and when I can.  I feel like she is expressing her needs to be with her friends more than her family right now...as I'm sure all kids do at some point or another.  It is extremely hard to find one on one time with all of my children.  And, perhaps you'll say that 4 kids is too many.  But, I am blessed by each of them and challenged in different ways by all of them!!  Taking care of them, this house, my husband AND working too much is a very difficult place to be.  But I do thank you for reading and sharing your opinion!!

And to the rest of the 'comment' leavers...thanks!!  I also appreciate your support in who I am and how I manage.  I did a photo job on Sunday and the grandfather of the little girl was astounded that I did everything I did and with very little 'help' from relatives.  He is in awe of his daughter, who has 3, and all she does...but he doesn't think she could do it all without the help of his wife.  Yes...it's hard.  And of course it would be nice to have my whole family around...God I could use about 5 extra sets of hands this week... but we deal with what we have, do the best that we can, and keep on moving:)

I hope you all have a Great day!!  I have some crazy days ahead of me as I prepare for this communion party.  I think I may have bit off more than I can chew...but, whatever happens and however it turns out, I will pick up my glass of wine (or spiked strawberry lemonade) and enjoy the day!  Because we will be celebrating my daughters First Holy Communion along with our friends and family...and that's what's important.

Though, I just want to say, you might want to wear your waders in my yard...if it keeps raining I fear our grass will remain at 'meadow' status:(  ha ha ha

Later!!

Monday, May 7, 2012

There's Nothing you can DO ...

that will make me LOVE you Less..

We are fast approaching Kyra'a First Holy Communion this week.  This quote 'There's nothing you can do that will make me love you less' is a direct quote from her retreat we took together a few weeks ago.  I think it's great.  Yes, he's talking about God...but, I also think Parents too!!

I know I write about all the crazy stuff my kids do and all their crazy attitudes...but it doesn't mean I'm going to stop loving them.  Be disappointed, get annoyed, need a break from...Yes.  But stop loving them??  Absolutely NOT!!

I think I sometimes lose sight of this fact, as a parent.  If I am tired, frazzled, cranky, stressed, etc...sometimes they don't get the best of ME.

And so, I'm gonna breath a lot more...you know, like those cleansing breaths you take in yoga??  Supposedly they help... And take a moment before responding to them and/or reprimanding them.

What do you do when your kids get the best of you??  Would love to hear it...

Do you have any tried and true ways to respond to them??  I think I'm going to try the 'whisper method' in order to bring back their hearing...lol

Now, I will leave you with some endearing things Kyra does that will irk me to no end, but will never make me stop loving her.  And, hey, one day I might even laugh about it all..

-she would rather sit with her friend instead of her mom during this religious retreat in which we are supposed to be 'bonding' .. yup, I was 2 rows back and every other kid was practically sitting on their mothers lap
-whines, whimpers, cries, complains, etc about EVERYTHING!!
-stomps her feet at me and stomps up the stairs after she's been 'yelled' at
-watches Franny for me...wink wink, she's really in one room and Franny is in the other room tearing it apart but she WAS watching her...lol
-takes her clothes off and just drops them wherever she is
-'cleans' her room but you open the closet and it looks like a bomb exploded
-Spills every single drink you give her... even if you only put in 1 swallow (seriously...watch out for spills when she's around)
-Tattles on EVERYONE!!!  even Me...
- Leaves markers lying around the playroom floor... and than Franny gets a hold of them and has recently started coloring her feet, pants, hands (thank goodness she was wearing pants and not shorts today..)



Ah, but we LOVE her!!  And may God Bless her this weekend:)


Thursday, May 3, 2012

Why I work so much...

I work.  A lot.  We all do, right??  Some of us have 1 full-time job and some of us have several part-time jobs. While others are able to truly be a stay-at-home mom with no outside work.  And these jobs, the $$ jobs, are all different to us.  In our family, my income needs to buy food and gas for the family car.  For a family of 6, that can be quite a bit if you think about it.  I also like to have some extra money in there for the little things, like bday presents, a hot lunch at school, or a quick fastfood meal b/c the night is just too hectic.  And so, I wanted to share with you my many money earning jobs and why I do them:)

I work to make my children's lives easier and sometimes to gain a little sanity from the chaos that is motherhood!!

My biggest income right now is watching another baby in my home.  He comes 5 days a week and I make a pretty regular income with him.  This income, if just the one, would barely keep us going on a week to week budget and it would be of the strictest budget out there.  The pitfalls of this job, for me, include being house-bound (I cannot put this child in my car and drive anywhere) and not being able to fully enjoy the days at home with my own children.  Though, on the flip-side, I am able to be with my youngest 2 all day and I am free to wear all the hats of Mom afterschool.  My biggest goal is to try and replace this job with something else that will keep the same income and perhaps let me be able to roam the town a bit more:)  I do watch another little boy once a week, too.

My second biggest income is my work at the library.  I work anywhere from 1-3 days (only 3-4 hrs each day) a week in the children's section.  I love it there.  I have been there for about 3 years now...wow...time flew by there.  We did live on this salary before I got the babysitting gig and it was extremely tough.  We also flew through a lot of our savings (or tax return money) b/c the income was not enough to feed the kids and put gas in our truck.  I stick it out b/c I have hopes to change my hours to during the day once all my children have moved onto school.  I make twice as much $$ per hour here than I do at the babysitting.  And, right now, I generally don't have to hire a babysitter for my children when I work there.  My hours include 1 night a week and weekends.

The next 3 jobs are in no particular order and are extra income that I use to 'catch up' on groceries (stock up), buy some new undies, put gas in hubby's car, pay a babysitter so that we can have a date night, go out with other stressed out mommy's, etc.

Baking- I love to bake and am recently coming into my own with what I make and getting it out there.  At one point (before Max was born), I was actually working for a restaurant supplying all of their desserts.  That was a great experience.  Now, I am concentrating on smaller things like cookies, cake-pops, cakes and cupcakes.  I do have a regular rice pudding guy who orders it every holiday though!!  Selling my stuff is not as regular as I hope it will be one day.  And, I would like to really get my kitchen certified and a business license so that I can see at local Farmers' Markets and/or street fairs.  Time is definitely not on my side for this.  You see, I lack it!! But, the goal is to get this going and perhaps make this more of a full-time gig:)

Photography- These gigs are very sporadic and tend to be the same clientele.  Every now and again, I will get a new client but they come to me from word of mouth.  I don't advertise for these gigs and they usually come in spurts.  I do love taking pictures and I could definitely make more money doing this if I were to try and bring in new clients.  But, from these gigs, I am able to really stock up on bulk items that keep my groceries down.  They are often on weekends and last most of the day.

Birthday Parties- I am a party host at a local pre-school that handles bday parties on weekends.  I have a time slot on saturday afternoons and am available sundays to them when I am not working at the library.  For me, this really isn't a very difficult job and when I do have one, the extra income is nice to have.

We have good weeks and bad weeks here.  This, being a bad week.  You see, my whole family went down with a stomach bug.  And so, the baby I watch has not been here all week and I will not be getting paid at all from this job at the end of the week.  As they say, all things happen for a reason, right??  It's a good thing I have one of those photo gigs this weekend b/c that will pick up the slack.

I miss a lot on these weekends that I work.  As you can only imagine, I very rarely get a day off from any kind of income related job.  I miss bday parties for family and friends.  I miss fun things planned with just adults. I miss having a day or two to just clean my house.  I also miss the simple luxury of just doing nothing...ok, so it's not like that would happen if I were home but we can all imagine, right?  And I can't tell you how guilty I feel when I miss baseball and soccer and family affairs.  My sister-in-law is very intent on making sure I know just how many of her 'family' parties I've missed.  Though, can't say I feel guilty about missing hers...lol... I could wish for it to be different and I can keep trying to think of ways to make it different...but until I do, this is what I've got.  I hate it.  OK???

But, unfortunately, right now in my life, doing all of these things keeps us fed and ready to roll!!  It also makes the difference in being able to get pizza on friday  nights b/c the schedule is so hectic.  Just last year we would have been bringing pb&j to dance on friday nights.  Now, I'm not saying we are destitute, but we have had our ups and downs.  My sources of income keep us more up than down and keeps some of the stress out of hubby's neck!!  And so, I will keep on keeping on to keep us on top!!

If you made it this far, than I guess I should tell you the real reason I work so much... you see, I just want to keep buying my wine!!!  Without it, I don't know where'd I be...lol..  Oh, and I get to buy some liquor too..you know, to make some martini's on those extra special nights!!

Now, you'll have to excuse me...My butt has fallen asleep and I have those unpaid jobs to go finish up:)

Hope you all have a great day!!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Crazy Days...

Dino cookies and snacks sent to the museum with boys!!
Sometimes, so much happens in my life that I really have a hard time putting it all down in this blog for you... which is why I don't write as often as I should.  There is so much that I don't know what to put and what not to put, you know.  I have a feeling that this blog is going to be all over the place...sorry and thanks for bearing with my verbal diarrhea (had to look up that spelling) of the mouth!!

OK...went to the doc last week to see what's going on with me.  That was a BLAST...yup, had all 4 kiddies with me.  I packed Franny in that stroller and the rest were free... yes, free to race their cars underneath the doctors cart (you know, the one they wheel into your room with a laptop on top...wow, how times have changed) and free to flop on the couches in the waiting room or just stand on them.  And yes, make a lot of noise while Mommy is trying to talk to the doc.  Good thing he has kids, right??  He must have thought mine were a bunch of maniacal heathens though...blood work finished and waiting for my follow up!!

Same night as doc visit, Kyra wakes up around 3ish puking her brains out.  And, yes, I think I've got hubby trained to get up for all middle of the night crazies... love the stomach bug!!

So, we wait and wait and wait to see who is the next victim.  No one...so it seems... yeah, b/c that's possible with a family of 6, right??  Doug wakes up for DJ's b-day day (this is the 3rd time scheduled, so there was absolutely NO cancelling it this time around) with the runs...yeah!!  He takes some immodium and goes with it.
3 boys and him having to, um, go all day, wouldn't have been a fun one..

Max was up bright an early to say goodbye to them (6:30AM...so much for sleeping in a bit on a saturday) but managed to get him to snuggle and watch a little tv.  The rest of us headed off to church for Kyra's ceremony and first penance.  Church and Franny do not go with each other.  We were fine and she was ok before the actual service started b/c she could roam the church.  Let me tell you, she wanted nothing to do with reading books, playing with toys, eating, anything but running up to the front of the church.  And, yes, every parent was laughing in their heads (I know they were) and thankful that they were not me at that moment.  Towards the end of the service, I picked her up by her hand and she decided to throw herself downward at the same moment.  Um...yeah...something popped and it wasn't me... turns out her elbow popped out of joint.  Go Me...I'm running for Mom of the Year... She was crying, I was crying...it was not a pretty sight.  And of course, while we are in that doctor visit, Max falls off the chair and knocks over the garbage can.  Can it get any better than that???  Nope...don't think so.

Franny is fine...doc rotated it back into it's socket and we went on our 'merry' way!!  Rush home to get ready for babysitter.  Babysitter for Franny that is.  You see...she's so crazy that I really do have to pay someone to watch her:)  The other 2 were dropped off at a friends house b/c hubby was still in the city with the boys and I had a bday party to do at one of my many jobs.

Now, remember the runs from the morning??  Hubby's??  Yeah... let's go ahead and start to put 2 and 2 together b/c while I was doing the puppet show for this party, I start to feel like I'm gonna be sick at any moment.  Seriously??  Is it really this stupid virus that Kyra had 3 days ago??  Looks like it could be... I did all I could do to stay with it but all I kept thinking about, as I'm applying tattoos to these kids is I gotta get out of here.. Thank goodness my 'assistant' for the party was another adult and not a teenager and I was able to leave.  I can't even imagine staying.  But now, I feel absolutely horrible that I have 'let the virus out' so to speak.  My kids were everywhere and kids were with hubby and I was doing a kids bday party and a babysitter was at my house... But, I guess, this is how viruses spread...right??  You are unknowingly passing around these germs and don't realize it until it's too late.  The rest of us went pretty fast and all together.  Saturday night hubby and I were both 'dying' on the couch and I was coaching DJ on how to open a can of ravioli and nuke it b/c neither one of us could get up and feed them... Max was hit early Sunday morning (runs only), Franny just kinda blew through it I think with some nice large diapers, and DJ was hit this morning.  And so, I'm sorry to all who came into contact with us... but, I did lose 4 more pounds with this one (probably b/c I haven't been feeling particularly well to begin with...this just added to the dropping pounds..lol)

Yesterday (Sunday)...still not feeling 100%, guess what I did??  You'll never guess...ok...I went shopping for new clothes.  Yes I did...had to.  I had a coupon that was expiring and I really needed some new clothes to show off my slimmer side...virus was gone from me so I didn't infect anyone else...but I still felt like crap trying on clothes...thankfully I had Kyra with me who told me everything she liked and didn't like:)

I think that's about all I have in me to write.  I'm sure I could go into more depth on some things.  I am hoping hubby will send me the few pics he took from Saturday so I can write about that...or maybe I'll have him guest blog about his day at a museum with 3 boys???  And include his pics??  Wouldn't that be an interesting read??

Here are some lovely pics to entertain you... Kyra's 'sick' day along with some at the doc office:)  Enjoy!!
DJ playing nicely while the other 2 race cars all over the doc room.

Red nose, chocolate face and a lovely scream that says 'get me out of my stroller'

tearing the place apart while Kyra rests on the floor

thinking he's cute

Franny hanging around... before her elbow was pulled out of joint... don't think I'll let her do this anytime soon..