Alternatively Titled: Why We Might Be Having 9 Children to Give Ayris A Sister...apparently having a sister makes you happier...it's scientific you know!
My friend posted this list from Prevention Magazine on facebook:
9 Signs you're happier than you think
by The Editors of Prevention
Your emotional well-being isn’t just about your genes or the kind of home you were raised in. It turns out that some pretty interesting factors—backed by science—play a role in how joyful you feel:
1. You were a smiley student (I don't think I've ever been "smiley" but I was a happy student...does that count??)
Adults with the biggest grins in their college yearbook pictures were up to 5 times less likely to be divorced decades later than those who looked less happy, according to a new DePauw University study. A smiler’s positive disposition may attract other happy people or rub off on a spouse.
2. You have a sister (Fail...always wanted one...never got one...that's why Ayris is GOING to have one...)
People with at least one female sibling report better social support, more optimism, and better coping abilities, according to a study presented at the British Psychological Society’s annual conference. Sisters appear to encourage communication and cohesion in families.
3. You're not glued to the TV (And here I thought this was what ADDED to my already successful amount of happiness??)
The happiest people spend 30% less time parked in front of the tube, according to a University of Maryland study that analyzed 34 years of data from more than 45,000 Americans. They’re more likely to spend time socializing, reading, or attending religious services—habits that are linked to better moods and health.
4. You keep souvenirs on display (Do my kids count as souvenirs? Because I have a lot of them...and they are constantly on display...and quiet frankly, they ARE a constant reminder of all the good times I used to to be capable of having...I kid, I kid...sorta.)
People who use mementos or photos to remind themselves of good times better appreciate their lives and are happier, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, a professor of psychology at University of California, Riverside. Good memories remind you of your “happiness potential” and promise that soon you can reach it again.
5. You make exercise a priority (You know, I ran 3 days in a row and then I got my stupid period and felt like I was close to dying yesterday...I told Chris I either need to get back on the pill or get pregnant because I can't handle the pain...it felt like really bad contractions...minus the drugs...Not Cool. I feel like I've been on the pill for as long as I can remember but I know I wasn't in high school...and I never remember periods sucking as much as they do now...none the less, I will be exercising again, starting Today).
People who exercise more are less likely to be stressed and more likely to be satisfied with life, according to Danish researchers. Compared with sedentary people, joggers are 70% less likely to have high stress levels and life dissatisfaction, the study found. Couch potatoes who start moderate exercise—the equivalent of 17 to 34 minutes a day—experience the greatest happiness lift.
6. You have a healthy love life (I'm not sure about the statement below...married people get 30% more sex than singles...I need more information...is it married people WITHOUT children?? Or married people WITH children? Because there's a big difference)
Physical intimacy is a key contributor to happiness, found a study by Dartmouth economist David Blanchflower, PhD, and Andrew Oswald, PhD, of England's University of Warwick. Married people report 30% more sex than singles, which may be one reason they also report being happier.
7. You hang out with happy people (I don't really have a lot of time to "hang out" in general...with happy people or not...the kids are generally happy though...maybe that counts??)
Socializing with a cheerful person in your neighborhood increases the likelihood that you’ll be happy too, according to a new study. How often you get together matters most, say the researchers: People who live within half a mile of a buoyant buddy increase their odds of being happy by 42%. If the friend lives farther away (within a 2-mile radius), the chances drop to 22%—probably due to fewer get-togethers.
8. You stay warm with hot cocoa (This just seems like a strange study altogether...Hey, let's study whether or not people are happier when they're drinking hot cocoa!...seriously though...not a big fan of warm drinks, which in this case makes me untrusting and not generous...who ever knew you could get all that from whether or not I drank cocoa =)
Clutching a steaming beverage—coffee and tea also do the trick—can elicit a flood of positive feelings, according to a Yale University study. This may be because people associate physical warmth with emotional warmth, say the researchers. Study subjects held cups of either hot or iced coffee; those gripping warm mugs were more appreciative of friendliness in others and also felt more generous and trusting themselves.
9. You have two best friends (I have at least 2 friends, maybe 3 =) But they all have kids, which really limits the amount of time for get-togethers AND they live more than 2 miles away so, as indicated above, it doesn't really bode well for our relationships)
Among 654 married adults, those who said they had at least two “best friends” (not necessarily including one’s spouse) were likelier to have better mental well-being, says a study. But additional friends didn’t lead to any more happiness than just a pair.
I just realized after going through this quiz...having kids = less room for souvenirs around the house because of the thousands of pictures of said kids strewed about...having kids = less time for sex...having kids = less time for exercise...having kids = less time for friends...so having kids, is according to this study, taking key signs of my happiness away. EXCEPT, kids like cocoa, so I find myself having cocoa more now (like at least once a year versus never before)...so score one for the kids there. I'm starting to think this study might not be for me afterall...BUT I am going to heavily lean on the idea that Sisters make a person more happy...so I can validate my need to give Ayris one of her very own.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Good Grief I Am An Idiot...
So I went to dinner with my friend Michelle tonight and we briefly started chatting about the end of the world...I brought it up because I had heard here and there that some churches are predicting the world might be ending in a couple of years and the other night I started to get worried about having a 4th baby because if the world is just going to end in a couple of years, what's the point? I might as well spend all my time with the 3 kids I have...but then Chris was like "You can't live your life in fear of what IS or ISN'T going to happen"...and seriously guys, I am a lame-o who worries about this more than I should...when I was contemplating going back to school for nursing, this exact same thing was on my list of reasons why I SHOULDN'T go back...because what's the point in studying nonstop for 2 years when I could be spending that time with my kids when the world might just be ending...ANYWAY, so my stupid self comes home tonight and googled "Why are some churches predicting the world is going to end in 2012?"...turns out, it's not just the churches predicting it...it's Nostradamus, and the Mayan Calendar and scientists...and I've now been on here for a good hour reading all kinds of scary crap like this:
See, the day of the LORD is coming -a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger- to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. (Isaiah 13:9-13)
And this:
Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD ? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light-pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? (Amos 5:18-20)
Um, can I just get a "Go straight to Heaven" pass? Like in Monopoly? Because I'd rather not witness any of that above. Seriously, what if I'm not doing enough? What if believing in God and accepting him into my life isn't enough...I should be tithe-ing (sp) and reading the boring bible (sorry God but it's super boring and verses like those from above kind of freak me out), and bringing my kids to church every week and praying more than just once a day. It seriously makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it. I can't go to hell. And then, someone on facebook posted their status about Death being their biggest fear...Um hello...welcome to my world...myself dying, my family...Can't.Deal.With.That. And then other people start commenting about how you shouldn't be afraid of death because when you die, you'll be seeing Jesus, etc...Just so you know, the girls that were posting this are 15/16...what is wrong with me when I'm 29 and I'm completely freaked about dying and making it into heaven yet teenage girls are like "Yeah, let's all die now and go to Heaven!"...so I googled, Fear of Dying...and it was talking about how sometimes it's just fear of the unknown and that it's proven that as you get older, you care less about dying...that's obvious to me because multiple "grandmas" in my life have, on more than one occasion, mentioned that they'd be fine if they died tomorrow...which I absolutely do not understand in the least...and I can't imagine ever getting to that point in my life...hopefully I will...otherwise I will be the only 80 year old nutjob on the planet...of course, if the rest of the world is right...I'm only going to make it to 32...not even...because I'll be 5 days short of my 32nd birthday =( Adler would only be 2, Asher would only be 5 and Ayris would only be 7...that's TOO young! And what about my kids? At what age do they become accountable? Do you get a free pass to heaven if you're under a certain age? How could any kids be left behind? Chris gets annoyed when I start asking all of these questions, because he doesn't have the answers...but honestly, I'd like a Frequently Asked Questions section of the bible...where is that? That would be super helpful to me. Or if there was a webpage that God could set up where you could submit your questions and then he'd answer them. I've never been good with "vague"...plus I don't have patience...and I hate not knowing things...like how much time I have left...not that I'd want to know when I'm going to die...but I sure hope it's not in the next two years...
Seriously, I need some medication. That...or just a sign from God...that it's all good...and that I can stop worrying about the world ending in a couple of years....in addition, just reassuring me that I'm not going to die anytime soon either...or my kids...or my family. I should probably just work on the medication part for the time being =)
And P.S. I KNOW that I am a crazy person with sometimes irrational fears (though they are totally rational to me)...God himself knows I am a crazy person...I just hope I don't pass on my crazy to my kids.
See, the day of the LORD is coming -a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger- to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. (Isaiah 13:9-13)
And this:
Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD ? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light-pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? (Amos 5:18-20)
Um, can I just get a "Go straight to Heaven" pass? Like in Monopoly? Because I'd rather not witness any of that above. Seriously, what if I'm not doing enough? What if believing in God and accepting him into my life isn't enough...I should be tithe-ing (sp) and reading the boring bible (sorry God but it's super boring and verses like those from above kind of freak me out), and bringing my kids to church every week and praying more than just once a day. It seriously makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it. I can't go to hell. And then, someone on facebook posted their status about Death being their biggest fear...Um hello...welcome to my world...myself dying, my family...Can't.Deal.With.That. And then other people start commenting about how you shouldn't be afraid of death because when you die, you'll be seeing Jesus, etc...Just so you know, the girls that were posting this are 15/16...what is wrong with me when I'm 29 and I'm completely freaked about dying and making it into heaven yet teenage girls are like "Yeah, let's all die now and go to Heaven!"...so I googled, Fear of Dying...and it was talking about how sometimes it's just fear of the unknown and that it's proven that as you get older, you care less about dying...that's obvious to me because multiple "grandmas" in my life have, on more than one occasion, mentioned that they'd be fine if they died tomorrow...which I absolutely do not understand in the least...and I can't imagine ever getting to that point in my life...hopefully I will...otherwise I will be the only 80 year old nutjob on the planet...of course, if the rest of the world is right...I'm only going to make it to 32...not even...because I'll be 5 days short of my 32nd birthday =( Adler would only be 2, Asher would only be 5 and Ayris would only be 7...that's TOO young! And what about my kids? At what age do they become accountable? Do you get a free pass to heaven if you're under a certain age? How could any kids be left behind? Chris gets annoyed when I start asking all of these questions, because he doesn't have the answers...but honestly, I'd like a Frequently Asked Questions section of the bible...where is that? That would be super helpful to me. Or if there was a webpage that God could set up where you could submit your questions and then he'd answer them. I've never been good with "vague"...plus I don't have patience...and I hate not knowing things...like how much time I have left...not that I'd want to know when I'm going to die...but I sure hope it's not in the next two years...
Seriously, I need some medication. That...or just a sign from God...that it's all good...and that I can stop worrying about the world ending in a couple of years....in addition, just reassuring me that I'm not going to die anytime soon either...or my kids...or my family. I should probably just work on the medication part for the time being =)
And P.S. I KNOW that I am a crazy person with sometimes irrational fears (though they are totally rational to me)...God himself knows I am a crazy person...I just hope I don't pass on my crazy to my kids.
Happy 3rd Birthday Asher!!
Happy Happy Birthday to the coolest little man I know! Not only does Asher melt my heart everyday with the little things he says/does (today I mentioned that my neck hurt and he goes "Oh mommy, your neck hurts? Well let me come and rub it for you!") but his ever emerging personality continues to amaze me on so many levels. His imagination runs wild with baby frogs that must be cared for and passed from family member to family member (we have unlimited amounts of imaginary baby frogs to hand out), or giant robots and killer ants...he's obsessed with spiderman but has been known to request an episode of Hello Kitty too...ever since getting his head shaved, he is absolutely against getting haircuts so this time next year, he may be sporting some shoulder length locks...he still waits to go pee until the very last second, so at least 4 times a day, we get to witness him doing his frantic little pee dance until he is fully declothed and can run lightening fast to the bathroom...he loves his daddy something fierce these days but lately has been requesting to sleep with mom (Score one for me! Could this be the return of my baby boy?!?! Probably not but I'm crossing all my fingers and toes). He stays up far too late and sleeps in even later...and is probably borderline addicted to his spiderman video game right now but hey...he's only 3 once, so we're going to let him have his cake and eat it too...for now...until preschool starts for him and he's required to grow up and get on a more regular schedule =)
Here are a few pictures from his party this past weekend...
These pictures below were taken when Ayris was staying overnight at Grandma Callie's...I asked Ayris to talk to Adler and he was getting SO excited so I whipped out the camera and got some of his last reactions to hearing her voice...so sweet!!! THIS is exactly why I'm having these kids...so many with so little space between...I love seeing their relationships develop...
Two last things before I go...I'm down 2.2 pounds from last week...good grief, only another 10 or so to go...and I'm already SO ready to quit. But I won't...at least I hope I won't =) Lots of super yummy things have been calling my name like all week...
Second, an exchange between Chris and myself a few days ago after I spotted like a billion ants covering some pieces of catfood that Sabine apparently knocked out of her bowl...
Me: Man! Look at all these ants...how can I get them off of that food without killing any of them?
Chris: I don't know...suck them up with the vacuum?
Me: Um no, they'll die in the vacuum!!
Chris: No they won't.
Me: Yes they will, they'll have nothing to eat. Maybe they'll have siesta time later and I can pick it up then??
Chris: Yeah, actually, you should have been down here last night when they were all watching Grey's, there wasn't a one in sight!
Me: (Giggle, giggle, giggle)...I'll just get my tweezers and pick up the tiny pieces of food later...
That Chris...sometimes he surprises me with that long forgotten sense of humor he used to whip out when we first started dating!
Happy Birthday one last time to one of the best little boys on the face of the planet! I love you always and forever buddy =)
Here are a few pictures from his party this past weekend...
These pictures below were taken when Ayris was staying overnight at Grandma Callie's...I asked Ayris to talk to Adler and he was getting SO excited so I whipped out the camera and got some of his last reactions to hearing her voice...so sweet!!! THIS is exactly why I'm having these kids...so many with so little space between...I love seeing their relationships develop...
Two last things before I go...I'm down 2.2 pounds from last week...good grief, only another 10 or so to go...and I'm already SO ready to quit. But I won't...at least I hope I won't =) Lots of super yummy things have been calling my name like all week...
Second, an exchange between Chris and myself a few days ago after I spotted like a billion ants covering some pieces of catfood that Sabine apparently knocked out of her bowl...
Me: Man! Look at all these ants...how can I get them off of that food without killing any of them?
Chris: I don't know...suck them up with the vacuum?
Me: Um no, they'll die in the vacuum!!
Chris: No they won't.
Me: Yes they will, they'll have nothing to eat. Maybe they'll have siesta time later and I can pick it up then??
Chris: Yeah, actually, you should have been down here last night when they were all watching Grey's, there wasn't a one in sight!
Me: (Giggle, giggle, giggle)...I'll just get my tweezers and pick up the tiny pieces of food later...
That Chris...sometimes he surprises me with that long forgotten sense of humor he used to whip out when we first started dating!
Happy Birthday one last time to one of the best little boys on the face of the planet! I love you always and forever buddy =)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Weight Watchers Is Making My Brain Hurt...And It's Only Day 1...
So I joined Weight Watchers yesterday and ate like a crazy person last night just so I could get it out of my system...today, I spent too much time at two different grocery stores buying stuff so I could make various recipes from my 20 minute meals Weight Watcher cookbook...do you know how long it takes to calculate points for a meal? Like FOREVER. Turns out, like everything uses up my very limited amount of points (22)...my beloved ranch dressing...yeah, that's a whopping 4 points for only 2 Tablespoons...(I probably use like 3-4 tablespoons!)...Pepsi (3 points)...Then I had to do some major math just to eat my lunch...noodles, crushed tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, salad, dressing...since my sauce that I made was a packet of Tastefully Simple combined with a can of tomatoes, I had to do all of the servings (since you know, it's like 3.5 servings per can or whatever), 455/3 = ??? + 180 for 2/3 cup noodles...Accckkk! It's like school revisited...I also ended up with a super bad headache towards the end of the day...which was either a result of the enormous strain on my brain from all that math OR the fact that I didn't have my normal caffeine (pop and/or frappachino)...and speaking of the frappachino, I have decided that Weight Watchers works really well for crazy people such as myself because on my drive to Rainbow today, normally I would be driving my little self through the Starbucks window but instead, I'm thinking, "Yeah right, that drink is going to cost me 7 whole points and that's like 1/3 of my daily points!!"....SUCKS!!! From now on if I want that drink, it's going to have to serve as an actual meal =(
LUCKILY, I have 35 EXTRA points I can use each week...thank goodness for that because I will not be giving up my weekly TON-O-BUTTER/SALT popcorn that I have to get at the movie theater...it'll probably require all 35 points but whatever...I've figured out that each point is worth about 50 calories...so 1750 calories (Chris did this math because my brain is completely worthless at this point so if it's wrong...its on him)...I would imagine that would cover a kiddie popcorn and a small coke...the problem with this week is I went over by 6 points already today (Day 1) AND we have Asher's birthday party this weekend so I might go over that day too...because the only reason I order cakes from the bakery instead of making them is so I can have my yearly (or at this point, 3 times yearly) serving of buttercream frosting!
MAN, I hate keeping track of this...I even refrained from Asher's rolos and Ayris peanut M&M's today...do you know how much willpower that took? Way too much people. Oh what I wouldn't give to be pregnant right now...so I could be cute fat, driving through Starbucks and getting to park in the Soon To Be Mother parking at rainbow. Unfortunately, I gotta lose this stupid weight before I'm gonna get pregnant again...that's the ONLY reason I joined WW...well that, and so I could do it with my friend Michelle...but my eye is on the prize...weight loss = 4th baby. Of course, thinking of even having a 4th baby makes me tired right now! So it's good that I have some weight to lose I guess...because that'll give me a few good months before I tack on pregnancy tired to just normal tired.
As this is already the most boring post ever, I figured I post some statistics below...I'm a part of the MN/DOT community (they give you $10 in Amazon a month to answer a few questions each week) and this was info from today's questionnaire...
~There were 33,808 reported traffic deaths in the US in 2009. That’s down 9.7% from 2008 and is the lowest since 1950.
Okay, that's great and all that it's down 9.7% but, super sucky to think that almost 34K people die each year in cars. Just another reason to stay indoors and never leave your house (which is quite frankly what myself and the three littles will be doing once the snow flies).
~To date, around 85% of Americans wear their seat belts.
This is good news...
K, that's all for now...I know...super boring but that's all that's going on right now...and if I keep having to use my brain like I did today...it might be slow going in the blog world for a bit...
LUCKILY, I have 35 EXTRA points I can use each week...thank goodness for that because I will not be giving up my weekly TON-O-BUTTER/SALT popcorn that I have to get at the movie theater...it'll probably require all 35 points but whatever...I've figured out that each point is worth about 50 calories...so 1750 calories (Chris did this math because my brain is completely worthless at this point so if it's wrong...its on him)...I would imagine that would cover a kiddie popcorn and a small coke...the problem with this week is I went over by 6 points already today (Day 1) AND we have Asher's birthday party this weekend so I might go over that day too...because the only reason I order cakes from the bakery instead of making them is so I can have my yearly (or at this point, 3 times yearly) serving of buttercream frosting!
MAN, I hate keeping track of this...I even refrained from Asher's rolos and Ayris peanut M&M's today...do you know how much willpower that took? Way too much people. Oh what I wouldn't give to be pregnant right now...so I could be cute fat, driving through Starbucks and getting to park in the Soon To Be Mother parking at rainbow. Unfortunately, I gotta lose this stupid weight before I'm gonna get pregnant again...that's the ONLY reason I joined WW...well that, and so I could do it with my friend Michelle...but my eye is on the prize...weight loss = 4th baby. Of course, thinking of even having a 4th baby makes me tired right now! So it's good that I have some weight to lose I guess...because that'll give me a few good months before I tack on pregnancy tired to just normal tired.
As this is already the most boring post ever, I figured I post some statistics below...I'm a part of the MN/DOT community (they give you $10 in Amazon a month to answer a few questions each week) and this was info from today's questionnaire...
~There were 33,808 reported traffic deaths in the US in 2009. That’s down 9.7% from 2008 and is the lowest since 1950.
Okay, that's great and all that it's down 9.7% but, super sucky to think that almost 34K people die each year in cars. Just another reason to stay indoors and never leave your house (which is quite frankly what myself and the three littles will be doing once the snow flies).
~To date, around 85% of Americans wear their seat belts.
This is good news...
K, that's all for now...I know...super boring but that's all that's going on right now...and if I keep having to use my brain like I did today...it might be slow going in the blog world for a bit...
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Musings of Ayris...
As I was changing Adler's diaper this morning, I caught the last half of Ayris and Chris' conversation...
Ayris: Everybody knows this...
Chris: Everybody knows what?
Ayris: That God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross so that we could be happy...
(Couldn't hear what Chris said at this point)
Ayris: Yeah, and it happened at Grandma Sooner's house, cause there's a big huge cross over there [by the church] that used to have a white scarf on it!
Chris: Well, it didn't happen by Grandma Sooner's house...it happened...
And then he went on to tell her what city it happened in, etc. I just thought it was cute that since there was a big wooden cross outside by Grandma Sooner's house, it only made sense that that's where it would have taken place...and the "white scarf" was put on the cross around Easter so she's remembering that aspect from then.
Ayris: Everybody knows this...
Chris: Everybody knows what?
Ayris: That God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross so that we could be happy...
(Couldn't hear what Chris said at this point)
Ayris: Yeah, and it happened at Grandma Sooner's house, cause there's a big huge cross over there [by the church] that used to have a white scarf on it!
Chris: Well, it didn't happen by Grandma Sooner's house...it happened...
And then he went on to tell her what city it happened in, etc. I just thought it was cute that since there was a big wooden cross outside by Grandma Sooner's house, it only made sense that that's where it would have taken place...and the "white scarf" was put on the cross around Easter so she's remembering that aspect from then.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
An Open Letter To My Children...
Dear Ayris, Asher, Adler and whoever else we might add in the future,
Perhaps one of the saddest things for me as your mother, is the idea that you'll never know everything I've done for you. It's easy to love the daddies...daddies are FUN. They can become a horse at the drop of a hat...they give moon rides and play video games...they're ready and willing to get you all riled up even when mommy has had enough noise for one day..all in all, they're super cool, those daddies...and by no means is this a competition because your father is a good father and he loves you all like crazy BUT us moms...we work behind the scenes...before going to bed tonight, I went out and checked on you Adler...I took off the heavy blanket and traded it out for a lighter one because I didn't want you to get too hot...and before I even put you to bed, I switched you from your long sleeved shirt and pants to a onesie because I know that you sweat at night easily...which also prompted me to buy a lightweight cotton swaddling blanket early on...you know, so I could make you as comfortable as possible during the nighttime. And did you know that I have separate diapers for daytime and nighttime? I have Huggies Pure and Natural for the nighttime because they are the softest diaper I can find and if you have to stay in a diaper for longer than 2 hours at a time, I want it to be the best. Did you also know that when you're old enough, I'm going to put some down bedding in between your crib mattress and your bedsheet so I can go to sleep at night knowing that you hopefully will feel like you truly are sleeping on a cloud. Also, I have everything measured out each night so you don't have to wait any longer than you have to if you wake up hungry.
And Ayris and Asher, how would you ever know that every night before going to bed myself, I check on you one last time...pulling covers up over you and rearranging pillows underneath your heads after you've fallen asleep because I don't want you to wake up with a sore neck... or that it hurt me even more than it did you when I had to stop the pacifier at age three (Ayris) or when I finally took away the bottles (Asher)...and that when you were babies I cried right along with you when you got shots...or the anguish I felt when you dropped a rock on your foot and I wasn't able to stop that from happening...(Ayris) or how scared I was when you ended up in the hospital with your 105.6 temp (Asher)...this list goes on and on,
And the thing is...we moms will continue to do little things no matter how old you get...things that you probably will never even notice...like buying a pink notepad to write your school lunch notes on because even though you're 15 now and could probably care less about the color of paper it's written on, pink was your favorite color and it was a big deal when you were 4. Or making sure that there's 5 bottles of ranch on reserve because apparently it's practically its own food group as far as you guys are concerned.
You'll never know how many trips were made to and from a million different stores trying to get my hands on the latest and greatest for Christmas or Birthdays...all the times I suffered through the SAME SONG 1,000 times before you found another song that we then played to its death...all the nights I laid in bed praying that God would/will bless you with a long and healthy life and all of the nights I worried about your future and how others are treating you in life when I can't be there. All the times I was *this close* to throwing my hands up in the air and saying "I give up!...I can't take it anymore!" but deciding that I had to hang in there because I knew and always will know, that no one can do it better than a mom. There is never going to be anyone like your mother...and that may sound like high praise for oneself but in actuality, it's high praise for you my little ones, because YOU are the ones who have made me who I am today and you are the ones I do this all for...credit or no credit...I just thought I should put it all in writing so when you're teenagers and you're all hooting and hollering about how much I suck, you can look back on this and understand *hopefully* that even though I'm being hard on you or you're not getting your way, I've been here for you all along...I'll be here for you always and I've been loving you since the day I found out I was pregnant.
Love,
Your most awesome mama...
(Who, I hope you always love "all the way up to heaven and back.")
I just want to reiterate one last time that this is nothing against Chris or the dads out there, because they play a vital role too...but like I said above...it's easy to love the daddies because their love is more easily viewed through the eyes of children...
Perhaps one of the saddest things for me as your mother, is the idea that you'll never know everything I've done for you. It's easy to love the daddies...daddies are FUN. They can become a horse at the drop of a hat...they give moon rides and play video games...they're ready and willing to get you all riled up even when mommy has had enough noise for one day..all in all, they're super cool, those daddies...and by no means is this a competition because your father is a good father and he loves you all like crazy BUT us moms...we work behind the scenes...before going to bed tonight, I went out and checked on you Adler...I took off the heavy blanket and traded it out for a lighter one because I didn't want you to get too hot...and before I even put you to bed, I switched you from your long sleeved shirt and pants to a onesie because I know that you sweat at night easily...which also prompted me to buy a lightweight cotton swaddling blanket early on...you know, so I could make you as comfortable as possible during the nighttime. And did you know that I have separate diapers for daytime and nighttime? I have Huggies Pure and Natural for the nighttime because they are the softest diaper I can find and if you have to stay in a diaper for longer than 2 hours at a time, I want it to be the best. Did you also know that when you're old enough, I'm going to put some down bedding in between your crib mattress and your bedsheet so I can go to sleep at night knowing that you hopefully will feel like you truly are sleeping on a cloud. Also, I have everything measured out each night so you don't have to wait any longer than you have to if you wake up hungry.
And Ayris and Asher, how would you ever know that every night before going to bed myself, I check on you one last time...pulling covers up over you and rearranging pillows underneath your heads after you've fallen asleep because I don't want you to wake up with a sore neck... or that it hurt me even more than it did you when I had to stop the pacifier at age three (Ayris) or when I finally took away the bottles (Asher)...and that when you were babies I cried right along with you when you got shots...or the anguish I felt when you dropped a rock on your foot and I wasn't able to stop that from happening...(Ayris) or how scared I was when you ended up in the hospital with your 105.6 temp (Asher)...this list goes on and on,
And the thing is...we moms will continue to do little things no matter how old you get...things that you probably will never even notice...like buying a pink notepad to write your school lunch notes on because even though you're 15 now and could probably care less about the color of paper it's written on, pink was your favorite color and it was a big deal when you were 4. Or making sure that there's 5 bottles of ranch on reserve because apparently it's practically its own food group as far as you guys are concerned.
You'll never know how many trips were made to and from a million different stores trying to get my hands on the latest and greatest for Christmas or Birthdays...all the times I suffered through the SAME SONG 1,000 times before you found another song that we then played to its death...all the nights I laid in bed praying that God would/will bless you with a long and healthy life and all of the nights I worried about your future and how others are treating you in life when I can't be there. All the times I was *this close* to throwing my hands up in the air and saying "I give up!...I can't take it anymore!" but deciding that I had to hang in there because I knew and always will know, that no one can do it better than a mom. There is never going to be anyone like your mother...and that may sound like high praise for oneself but in actuality, it's high praise for you my little ones, because YOU are the ones who have made me who I am today and you are the ones I do this all for...credit or no credit...I just thought I should put it all in writing so when you're teenagers and you're all hooting and hollering about how much I suck, you can look back on this and understand *hopefully* that even though I'm being hard on you or you're not getting your way, I've been here for you all along...I'll be here for you always and I've been loving you since the day I found out I was pregnant.
Love,
Your most awesome mama...
(Who, I hope you always love "all the way up to heaven and back.")
I just want to reiterate one last time that this is nothing against Chris or the dads out there, because they play a vital role too...but like I said above...it's easy to love the daddies because their love is more easily viewed through the eyes of children...
Saturday, September 18, 2010
In My Crazy Mind...
Oh where to begin...I went to see the movie Easy A with my friend Michelle today...as I was driving home after dropping her off, I was thinking about how cool it would be to redo highschool as the 29 year old that I am now...don't get me wrong, I LOVED school and especially highschool but if I could have known what I know now (how many times have you heard that line!), I would have cared a lot less about the little things...of course, they were big things then but still...then I got to thinking about how insanely excited I am for the fall lineup to start on Monday...(for you know, those 20 some odd shows that I'm going to magically find time to watch) and about my previous comments about living vicariously through the people in those programs and I finally came to the conclusion that I spend a lot of time envying other people and what they're doing (be it in movies or in real life)...wishing I could have done things differently in the past or could do things differently now. I bought this card a few years back and just came across it the other day:
"Take surprise in each sunrise and comfort in each moon. Move often, carrying your Home with you. Climb mountains. Stroll beaches. Drive cars on busy streets and sail bicycles down big hills. Love among the Hate when love is what you truly feel. Suck strength from your anger; and then let it go. Scream at the ocean. Run when the sign says walk. Question authority and accept Change. Fill your soul instead of your pockets. Have lunch on busy sidewalks. Dance alone in your kitchen. Talk to everyone you meet, including the soldiers in your head. Watch closely. Read something. Listen hard. Smile in every mirror. Grow with each tear. With a heart and a brain, loneliness is unacceptable. HAVE FUN! without maps or directions. Cherish Happiness. Buy it if you have to, but always give it away freely. Wear short skirts and long dresses. Wave at the uniformed and the unsavory. Keep them guessing, and praying, and hoping, and laughing. Struggle. Fight, Try, Reach, Build, Learn, Crawl, Invent, Rally, Fall, Get Up Again. And if the heavens should happen to open, offering transportation to even the smallest of dreams, Ride the nearest cloud."
Those words sum up exactly how I'd like to be...if I could be and do all of those things, I probably wouldn't be envisioning what it would be like to redo highschool at 29 or getting caught up in the idea that life is somehow more colorful/envigorating/eventful for other people. I've said many times, even recently how fortunate/blessed I am to be leading the life that I am but that human aspect of me always thinks it could be better...I could be better, therefore providing a better existence for not only myself but for the kids as well. BUT I'd be willing to bet, I'm not the lone soul who sits at home watching shows at night or always having the mindset of "Wouldn't it be cool IF" but alas, never following through with it...I could be wrong but I know I've only found myself in awe a handful of times over the people who really do live each day as though it's their last. And call me crazy but IF the good Lord would just give it up and give me another daughter, I have this feeling she's going to be like that (how's that for placing expectations on a not even conceived yet child!)...Little miss Addison Lively is going to be the girl who is out living her life instead of watching it all on tv...she's going to be the girl who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to get it, regardless of what other people think...she's going to be so self confident and strong, that even when she's wrong, she'll admit it, move on and be more respected because of it...she'll be respectful, yet question authority if she really feels it's necessary; she'll be fiery but with a heart of gold...the popular kid in school who wouldn't think twice about offering the least popular kid in school a ride home when she sees them walking in the rain...at least that's how I envision it in my head...OR she could turn out to be exactly like me...sitting at home counting down the days until the next Grey's Anatomy, but hopefully not =) Whoever she turns out to be, she'll be amazing, just like all three of her siblings...I guess the ultimate point here, is that I want more happiness for my kids, then I'll ever be able to figure out how to give them...so I'm hoping, just hoping, that along the way, they can all figure out how to suck every last bit of goodness out of this one precious life they've been given...
But enough of Deep Thoughts with Michelle Collins...on to some pictures...I love this first picture of Ayris and Asher...I just don't like that Adler looks like a little outsider.
Oh man, don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks and gobble up those cute little feet!!
Ayris being the great little mom/sister that she is...I have a video that I'll have to upload at some point that I took tonight...I noticed Ayris was talking in "that voice", the one where you sound like a straight up idiot when talking to a baby...just to make them happy...it was super cute =)
And alas, turns out, Ayris wants to eat Adler just like her mommy! This eat-the-baby face must be as natural as the idiot voice when trying to entertain a baby...
And THESE are the bins I got at Walmart the other day...I started the kids out with the under the bed storage bins for all their little treasures that keeping for them...pregnancy sticks, photo books I've made, drawings, cards, monogrammed pjs from Pottery Barn that I spent way too much on considering they outgrew them in a few months, etc...if you notice, Ayris' bin is almost full, which makes me question how many bins we're going to be having with 4-5 kids over the course of 18 years of each of their lives??
That's all for now...I was going to go to bed early and it's nearing 11 again already!!
"Take surprise in each sunrise and comfort in each moon. Move often, carrying your Home with you. Climb mountains. Stroll beaches. Drive cars on busy streets and sail bicycles down big hills. Love among the Hate when love is what you truly feel. Suck strength from your anger; and then let it go. Scream at the ocean. Run when the sign says walk. Question authority and accept Change. Fill your soul instead of your pockets. Have lunch on busy sidewalks. Dance alone in your kitchen. Talk to everyone you meet, including the soldiers in your head. Watch closely. Read something. Listen hard. Smile in every mirror. Grow with each tear. With a heart and a brain, loneliness is unacceptable. HAVE FUN! without maps or directions. Cherish Happiness. Buy it if you have to, but always give it away freely. Wear short skirts and long dresses. Wave at the uniformed and the unsavory. Keep them guessing, and praying, and hoping, and laughing. Struggle. Fight, Try, Reach, Build, Learn, Crawl, Invent, Rally, Fall, Get Up Again. And if the heavens should happen to open, offering transportation to even the smallest of dreams, Ride the nearest cloud."
Those words sum up exactly how I'd like to be...if I could be and do all of those things, I probably wouldn't be envisioning what it would be like to redo highschool at 29 or getting caught up in the idea that life is somehow more colorful/envigorating/eventful for other people. I've said many times, even recently how fortunate/blessed I am to be leading the life that I am but that human aspect of me always thinks it could be better...I could be better, therefore providing a better existence for not only myself but for the kids as well. BUT I'd be willing to bet, I'm not the lone soul who sits at home watching shows at night or always having the mindset of "Wouldn't it be cool IF" but alas, never following through with it...I could be wrong but I know I've only found myself in awe a handful of times over the people who really do live each day as though it's their last. And call me crazy but IF the good Lord would just give it up and give me another daughter, I have this feeling she's going to be like that (how's that for placing expectations on a not even conceived yet child!)...Little miss Addison Lively is going to be the girl who is out living her life instead of watching it all on tv...she's going to be the girl who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to get it, regardless of what other people think...she's going to be so self confident and strong, that even when she's wrong, she'll admit it, move on and be more respected because of it...she'll be respectful, yet question authority if she really feels it's necessary; she'll be fiery but with a heart of gold...the popular kid in school who wouldn't think twice about offering the least popular kid in school a ride home when she sees them walking in the rain...at least that's how I envision it in my head...OR she could turn out to be exactly like me...sitting at home counting down the days until the next Grey's Anatomy, but hopefully not =) Whoever she turns out to be, she'll be amazing, just like all three of her siblings...I guess the ultimate point here, is that I want more happiness for my kids, then I'll ever be able to figure out how to give them...so I'm hoping, just hoping, that along the way, they can all figure out how to suck every last bit of goodness out of this one precious life they've been given...
But enough of Deep Thoughts with Michelle Collins...on to some pictures...I love this first picture of Ayris and Asher...I just don't like that Adler looks like a little outsider.
Oh man, don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks and gobble up those cute little feet!!
Ayris being the great little mom/sister that she is...I have a video that I'll have to upload at some point that I took tonight...I noticed Ayris was talking in "that voice", the one where you sound like a straight up idiot when talking to a baby...just to make them happy...it was super cute =)
And alas, turns out, Ayris wants to eat Adler just like her mommy! This eat-the-baby face must be as natural as the idiot voice when trying to entertain a baby...
And THESE are the bins I got at Walmart the other day...I started the kids out with the under the bed storage bins for all their little treasures that keeping for them...pregnancy sticks, photo books I've made, drawings, cards, monogrammed pjs from Pottery Barn that I spent way too much on considering they outgrew them in a few months, etc...if you notice, Ayris' bin is almost full, which makes me question how many bins we're going to be having with 4-5 kids over the course of 18 years of each of their lives??
That's all for now...I was going to go to bed early and it's nearing 11 again already!!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Non-Mom Time...
So today was the day that I had 8 whole hours to myself. Even though I was plenty busy, I had lots of time for thinking...at one point, I had to get out and get some Rubbermaid bins so I could finish organizing the closet...as I was stopped at the light, I looked to my left and there was a mom in a mini van looking miserable in her gray sweatshirt, with her son looking all bored staring out the window...I just couldn't help but laugh. Motherhood...oh how it just takes the life right out of you sometimes. Probably the only reason that I could even laugh and not cry was because I was in the car by myself...without bickering...without the powerpuff girls playing on the DVD player...without Adler crying and Ayris screaming for me to play the Lego song for the 100th time...
You give up a lot to be a mom...right now there are facebook statuses floating around:
"To all the unselfish moms out there who traded eyeliner for dark circles, salon haircuts for ponytails, long showers for quick showers, late nights for early mornings, designer bags for diaper bags, and WOULD NOT change a thing. Lets see how many moms repost this. Moms who don't care about whatever they gave up, instead....... LOVE what they get in return. Repost this if you're a mom and LOVE your KIDS!! ♥ ♥"
"I've carried a child within my body, i have comforted a baby on my chest, i have kissed booboos, been puked & peed on, woke up in the middle of the night to a feverish child & more. but i wouldn't have it any other way. my body isn't magazine perfect, but when i look in the mirror.....I see a mom, and there is no greater honor or blessing.....make this your status if you're proud to be a mom ♥"
And it's all true...I was never going to be that mom that went to Target in her yoga pants and no makeup...but in addition to roaming the Target aisles in my sweats and no makeup, I have also found myself toting along a child in his underwear (sometimes I'm just not in my right mind)...my showers are more like rinse offs...I've started getting the same damn tangle at the nape of my neck that I used to get when I was 4...except now, I don't have a mom who forces me to sit through getting it brushed out on the weekends (Mom, I would be all for this now...please start making weekend visits to get the tangles out because I'm doing a suck*ss job of brushing my hair anymore)...I actually just broke down and went to Fantastic Sam's for a haircut the other day...Chris has been questioning for years why I make him go to the cheapie places when I pay the big bucks to get my hair cut and colored...well lately people...I just don't care. No one sees me anyway...instead of losing weight like I used to in the past, I just went out and bought bigger jeans *gasp* because if the weight ain't fallin off on it's own, it probably ain't fallin off these days...I wipe so many butts each day, I sometimes get distracted...the other day, I went to bite one of my fingernails and smelt poop...yeah, I still had some on my knuckle from when Adler was going all crazy doing his ninja kicks (he gets to kicking so hard he'll knock his foot in his poopy diaper and then kick my hand with his poop foot)...so back to my original thought...you do give up a lot to be a mom...and life obviously completely changes...which is why it was amazing to have these 8 hours to myself today...being able to get something accomplished without 540 interruptions...running an errand and not waiting 10 minutes for the troops to load in and out of the car...without lugging 20 pounds of baby and carseat on my arm, buckling and unbuckling kids...
And then there's Katy Perry's new song "Teenage Dream"...and the only reason I'm addicted is because it's been the theme song for 90210's new season...and when I hear it...I think of the show...sunshine...beaches...being thin...having fun...just living the ultimate life...I have my 20 hours of nighttime shows to watch because I have to live vicariously through all kinds of people's lives...the teeny bopper girls on 90210...because really, I still haven't figured out that I'm not a highschooler (I keep questioning if when I'm 80 I'll still be reading my gossip magazines and going to see Miley Cyrus movies (or whoever the new hotness is then)...the tight knit family from Brother's and Sisters (oh how I envision the kids growing up all close like this)...delivering babies like Addison Montgomery from Private Practice (too bad you need a degree for this crap, I'd be delivering babies tomorrow if I could)...dating Dr. House and his brooding self (Chris knows this...I've had two dreams about House...he's SO smart...and broken and I'm sure I could fix him)...Glee...which brings me back to my high school choir days...the list goes on and on...and believe me people...I have told anyone who will listen that I feel so fortunate to live the life that I do...sometimes I feel like I have it so good, that something bad is bound to happen...but at the end of the day...no matter how awesome it is to wipe butts and brush teeth...say prayers and make meals...I just need some non-mom time...and today...I got that...and it was good. Now I can go into tomorrow a new mom...one who is going to be happily awaiting the first butt wipe!
Seriously though...motherhood is like nothing else...last night Ayris started to say something about someone being mean to her at school but then decided she didn't want to talk about it...so I said something like, but we're friends so you can tell me anything...and she goes "Mom, we're not friends...I love you way more than I could any friend!" THAT feeling you can't get without having kids =)
You give up a lot to be a mom...right now there are facebook statuses floating around:
"To all the unselfish moms out there who traded eyeliner for dark circles, salon haircuts for ponytails, long showers for quick showers, late nights for early mornings, designer bags for diaper bags, and WOULD NOT change a thing. Lets see how many moms repost this. Moms who don't care about whatever they gave up, instead....... LOVE what they get in return. Repost this if you're a mom and LOVE your KIDS!! ♥ ♥"
"I've carried a child within my body, i have comforted a baby on my chest, i have kissed booboos, been puked & peed on, woke up in the middle of the night to a feverish child & more. but i wouldn't have it any other way. my body isn't magazine perfect, but when i look in the mirror.....I see a mom, and there is no greater honor or blessing.....make this your status if you're proud to be a mom ♥"
And it's all true...I was never going to be that mom that went to Target in her yoga pants and no makeup...but in addition to roaming the Target aisles in my sweats and no makeup, I have also found myself toting along a child in his underwear (sometimes I'm just not in my right mind)...my showers are more like rinse offs...I've started getting the same damn tangle at the nape of my neck that I used to get when I was 4...except now, I don't have a mom who forces me to sit through getting it brushed out on the weekends (Mom, I would be all for this now...please start making weekend visits to get the tangles out because I'm doing a suck*ss job of brushing my hair anymore)...I actually just broke down and went to Fantastic Sam's for a haircut the other day...Chris has been questioning for years why I make him go to the cheapie places when I pay the big bucks to get my hair cut and colored...well lately people...I just don't care. No one sees me anyway...instead of losing weight like I used to in the past, I just went out and bought bigger jeans *gasp* because if the weight ain't fallin off on it's own, it probably ain't fallin off these days...I wipe so many butts each day, I sometimes get distracted...the other day, I went to bite one of my fingernails and smelt poop...yeah, I still had some on my knuckle from when Adler was going all crazy doing his ninja kicks (he gets to kicking so hard he'll knock his foot in his poopy diaper and then kick my hand with his poop foot)...so back to my original thought...you do give up a lot to be a mom...and life obviously completely changes...which is why it was amazing to have these 8 hours to myself today...being able to get something accomplished without 540 interruptions...running an errand and not waiting 10 minutes for the troops to load in and out of the car...without lugging 20 pounds of baby and carseat on my arm, buckling and unbuckling kids...
And then there's Katy Perry's new song "Teenage Dream"...and the only reason I'm addicted is because it's been the theme song for 90210's new season...and when I hear it...I think of the show...sunshine...beaches...being thin...having fun...just living the ultimate life...I have my 20 hours of nighttime shows to watch because I have to live vicariously through all kinds of people's lives...the teeny bopper girls on 90210...because really, I still haven't figured out that I'm not a highschooler (I keep questioning if when I'm 80 I'll still be reading my gossip magazines and going to see Miley Cyrus movies (or whoever the new hotness is then)...the tight knit family from Brother's and Sisters (oh how I envision the kids growing up all close like this)...delivering babies like Addison Montgomery from Private Practice (too bad you need a degree for this crap, I'd be delivering babies tomorrow if I could)...dating Dr. House and his brooding self (Chris knows this...I've had two dreams about House...he's SO smart...and broken and I'm sure I could fix him)...Glee...which brings me back to my high school choir days...the list goes on and on...and believe me people...I have told anyone who will listen that I feel so fortunate to live the life that I do...sometimes I feel like I have it so good, that something bad is bound to happen...but at the end of the day...no matter how awesome it is to wipe butts and brush teeth...say prayers and make meals...I just need some non-mom time...and today...I got that...and it was good. Now I can go into tomorrow a new mom...one who is going to be happily awaiting the first butt wipe!
Seriously though...motherhood is like nothing else...last night Ayris started to say something about someone being mean to her at school but then decided she didn't want to talk about it...so I said something like, but we're friends so you can tell me anything...and she goes "Mom, we're not friends...I love you way more than I could any friend!" THAT feeling you can't get without having kids =)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
You Got It!
I found this video yesterday...Ayris is SO young in this...I can't even remember her being that young...I love when she says "You Got It!!"...and Asher giggling in the video and making those little noises...that's what Adler sounds like now! It's crazy how fast this time is going...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A Mish Mash of Sorts...
Okay, so the problem with having like a bajillion kids (and by bajillion, I obviously mean 3...but in my world 3 = bajillion) is that there's no time to spend with said kids because those kids seem to think they need to wear about 24 outfits a day, which then turns into about 15 loads of laundry a week...they also like to get out every toy they've ever owned and leave them scattered throughout the house...I'm also pretty sure that they use, on average about 7 sippy cups a day, 11 spoons, 5 forks, 12 plates and 6 bowls...the dishwasher is run every other day...they also like to do super cool things like take their sippy cups and smash them onto the couch so they leave little splatter marks everywhere (therefore leading me to shampoo the couches)...and if your name is Adler, you prefer to just puke all over the couch...and just so the floors don't feel left out, they find numerous ways to enhance it's beauty...like getting face crayolas smeared into it...or spilling kool-aid on it...(sometimes the cats even get in on the deal by barfing all over it...if I'm SUPER lucky, in the summertime, the ants will find the cat barf and then I get to clean up a million ants on top of it)...
Needless to say, there is CONSTANTLY something to pick up...or clean up, or put batteries in, or organize, or fix, or replace, etc, etc....having kids = SO...MUCH...WORK...I've decided I'm going to pay my friend to watch them for 8 hours this week just so I can actually get some things done around the house without 5 million interruptions...Things like dusting...perhaps some windexing...cleaning out the closet and the safe room (the safe room isn't really a safe room if it would take 20 minutes to shove everything out of it in order to fit the family in)...there's also the shower...and Chris' bathroom...tons of baby/toddler and preschool clothes that I'd like to go through and organize by size and gender...I have a rubbermaid bin for each of the kids that goes under our bed...I store all of their keepsakes/pictures/drawings/etc in them and for the past 6 months or so have been just keeping piles of stuff to be sorted and put into each of them...I have 15 pictures waiting to be hung on the walls...the pictures are old at this point but whatever...Obviously I won't be getting all of this stuff done but I should be able to make a dent in it...I personally can't figure out where the heck my time is going...aside from the normal keeping the house picked up, doing laundry, wiping butts and making meals...but seriously, in addition to never having time for the blog anymore, I also have about 30 (and counting) magazines to read...about 20 books sitting in a corner AND get this...I finally sat down and looked at the fall lineup of tv shows that NEED to be watched on my part...yeah, I have 20 hours worth each week =) SO, I hate to say it but the cleaning that gets done this Thursday while the kids are gone, is probably going to be the only cleaning that's done for the rest of this year or until the fall tv shows start their reruns mid-winter...cuz if it's Grey's Anatomy or dusting, Grey's is going to win out...along with House and Bones and Castle and Desperate Housewives and Brother's and Sisters, etc, etc, etc...the list is a mile long...and I'm not giving up my shows...after 13+ hours a day of kids, I need something different...the only problem now is getting the children to go back to an 8'oclock bedtime instead of the 10-11 thing we have going on right now...so actually when you consider no one takes a nap but Adler, it's more like 15 hours of kids a day! But they are worth it...
So worth it in fact that I drove all of us to Target in Northfield to get the squinkies gumball playhouse for Ayris' and Asher for Christmas because I called ahead of time and they said they had it and would hold it...so yeah, turns out, they had the miniature version of it...so we all drove 30 minutes to have a hot dog and some nachos. (AND I forgot to get the stupid extension cord so I can start using the treadmill...hello, that was the OTHER thing I was going for!!!) I said I wasn't going to eat out for lunch today but I wasn't going to have our trip be for NOTHING so we ate...and then we got rained on...HARD on the way out to the car. As soon as we walked out the door, there were these teency tinsy sprinkles...I was telling the kids to hurry up so we wouldn't get wet...it was straight up pouring by the time we reached the car (which was all of 20 feet away) and THEN, as if my children's bodies had been set to "slow motion mode", it took them the next 5 minutes to get into the car leaving me totally soaked. I questioned on the ride home if next time, I shouldn't just get in the car first?? Oh the things we do for these little time thieves...Anyway, enough blathering...on to the pictures...
Does he look like me AT ALL??? I can never see it...Chris or myself in any of the kids...
Ayris always manages to take pictures of me that look like I'm trying to eat Adler...poor kid...I'd turn away too if that's what I saw each time!
Couldn't decide...
Which was my favorite...he's just SO stinkin' cute...
And he is wild about his mommy...thank goodness because the other two "I-take-my-mama-for-granted-heathens" are wild about their daddy. I had to fill out this form for Ayris and her school and one of the questions was "What makes you sad"...Ayris responded when her daddy wasn't here...then the second question was "What makes you happy" to which she said "My daddy!....3 second pause..."And you too mom!"...Well, I'm glad I could be an afterthought!
You couldn't see it in this picture but Adler looked really cute...he had his fist shoved in his mouth and just kept gnawing on it the whole time we were at the Apple Orchard...
More pictures from the orchard...
Ayris LOVES school. She's only had one day but she's ready for this day to end so she can go there tomorrow...that's my girl! I always loved when school started up again...
Daddy and Asher in their Made-By-Grandma-Callie hats/scarves...
That's all for now I think...just one last funny thing...there's this song called "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz...Ayris calls it the Lego song:
I throw my hands up in the air sometimes
Sayin' ay-oh, gotta LEGO (supposed to be "let go")
I wanna celebrate and live my life
Sayin' ay-oh, baby LEGO (let's go)
It took me a bit to figure out which song she was talking about but I finally realized. It reminds me of when I was little...maybe her age, there was a song that said "Every time you go away...you take a piece of me...with you"...I always thought it said, "Everytime you go away, you take a piece of meat with you"...which obviously is weird...which is probably why I still remember it today...I just looked up the singer online...it's Paul Young...isn't that the name of the creepy neighbor on Desperate Housewives?? =) Can't...wait...for...fall...TV!
Needless to say, there is CONSTANTLY something to pick up...or clean up, or put batteries in, or organize, or fix, or replace, etc, etc....having kids = SO...MUCH...WORK...I've decided I'm going to pay my friend to watch them for 8 hours this week just so I can actually get some things done around the house without 5 million interruptions...Things like dusting...perhaps some windexing...cleaning out the closet and the safe room (the safe room isn't really a safe room if it would take 20 minutes to shove everything out of it in order to fit the family in)...there's also the shower...and Chris' bathroom...tons of baby/toddler and preschool clothes that I'd like to go through and organize by size and gender...I have a rubbermaid bin for each of the kids that goes under our bed...I store all of their keepsakes/pictures/drawings/etc in them and for the past 6 months or so have been just keeping piles of stuff to be sorted and put into each of them...I have 15 pictures waiting to be hung on the walls...the pictures are old at this point but whatever...Obviously I won't be getting all of this stuff done but I should be able to make a dent in it...I personally can't figure out where the heck my time is going...aside from the normal keeping the house picked up, doing laundry, wiping butts and making meals...but seriously, in addition to never having time for the blog anymore, I also have about 30 (and counting) magazines to read...about 20 books sitting in a corner AND get this...I finally sat down and looked at the fall lineup of tv shows that NEED to be watched on my part...yeah, I have 20 hours worth each week =) SO, I hate to say it but the cleaning that gets done this Thursday while the kids are gone, is probably going to be the only cleaning that's done for the rest of this year or until the fall tv shows start their reruns mid-winter...cuz if it's Grey's Anatomy or dusting, Grey's is going to win out...along with House and Bones and Castle and Desperate Housewives and Brother's and Sisters, etc, etc, etc...the list is a mile long...and I'm not giving up my shows...after 13+ hours a day of kids, I need something different...the only problem now is getting the children to go back to an 8'oclock bedtime instead of the 10-11 thing we have going on right now...so actually when you consider no one takes a nap but Adler, it's more like 15 hours of kids a day! But they are worth it...
So worth it in fact that I drove all of us to Target in Northfield to get the squinkies gumball playhouse for Ayris' and Asher for Christmas because I called ahead of time and they said they had it and would hold it...so yeah, turns out, they had the miniature version of it...so we all drove 30 minutes to have a hot dog and some nachos. (AND I forgot to get the stupid extension cord so I can start using the treadmill...hello, that was the OTHER thing I was going for!!!) I said I wasn't going to eat out for lunch today but I wasn't going to have our trip be for NOTHING so we ate...and then we got rained on...HARD on the way out to the car. As soon as we walked out the door, there were these teency tinsy sprinkles...I was telling the kids to hurry up so we wouldn't get wet...it was straight up pouring by the time we reached the car (which was all of 20 feet away) and THEN, as if my children's bodies had been set to "slow motion mode", it took them the next 5 minutes to get into the car leaving me totally soaked. I questioned on the ride home if next time, I shouldn't just get in the car first?? Oh the things we do for these little time thieves...Anyway, enough blathering...on to the pictures...
Does he look like me AT ALL??? I can never see it...Chris or myself in any of the kids...
Ayris always manages to take pictures of me that look like I'm trying to eat Adler...poor kid...I'd turn away too if that's what I saw each time!
Couldn't decide...
Which was my favorite...he's just SO stinkin' cute...
And he is wild about his mommy...thank goodness because the other two "I-take-my-mama-for-granted-heathens" are wild about their daddy. I had to fill out this form for Ayris and her school and one of the questions was "What makes you sad"...Ayris responded when her daddy wasn't here...then the second question was "What makes you happy" to which she said "My daddy!....3 second pause..."And you too mom!"...Well, I'm glad I could be an afterthought!
You couldn't see it in this picture but Adler looked really cute...he had his fist shoved in his mouth and just kept gnawing on it the whole time we were at the Apple Orchard...
More pictures from the orchard...
Ayris LOVES school. She's only had one day but she's ready for this day to end so she can go there tomorrow...that's my girl! I always loved when school started up again...
Daddy and Asher in their Made-By-Grandma-Callie hats/scarves...
That's all for now I think...just one last funny thing...there's this song called "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz...Ayris calls it the Lego song:
I throw my hands up in the air sometimes
Sayin' ay-oh, gotta LEGO (supposed to be "let go")
I wanna celebrate and live my life
Sayin' ay-oh, baby LEGO (let's go)
It took me a bit to figure out which song she was talking about but I finally realized. It reminds me of when I was little...maybe her age, there was a song that said "Every time you go away...you take a piece of me...with you"...I always thought it said, "Everytime you go away, you take a piece of meat with you"...which obviously is weird...which is probably why I still remember it today...I just looked up the singer online...it's Paul Young...isn't that the name of the creepy neighbor on Desperate Housewives?? =) Can't...wait...for...fall...TV!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Happy Birthday Daddy!
Here's to all that you do for our family and to like 60 more years of celebrating even more birthdays! We love you all the way up to heaven and back =) Or like Ayris says...she loves you so much it would take more than a day to tell you how much....
Happy Birthday Daddy!
Happy Birthday Daddy!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Adler's Growing UP!
I don't have a lot to say...I haven't been too inspired to blog lately...I haven't even been taking that many pictures...of which, I have none to share from our family trip to Craguns. I did want to upload a few pictures from the past few weeks though along with this video of Adler.
First check out the baby bird...he's growin up so big! And can't get those fingers out of his mouth...I wish he'd just sprout some teeth already so we can be done with it...at least until the next ones decide to come in...which reminds me...I just took a survey yesterday that ended in them mailing me a homeopathic teething product in the mail...I should get it in the next week and then I just have to do a follow up survey on how I thought it worked...I was telling Chris last night that it's pretty lame how excited I got about this free teething stuff...it's not a car or a tv or anything like that but instead teething gel...and I think it's pretty awesome...teething gel is expensive you guys...like 6 bucks a pop...what the heck! None the less, he needs it...the kid has grown some steel traps for gums...he's like an alligator with all that force...minus the actual teeth...
Aside from his constant hand gnawing, he's also discovered his feet so he pulls his legs in and then grabs onto one and just holds it...
And Ayris being goofy...
Ayris wanted Adler to wear her headband...he looks like a little bo peep wanna be...
See what I mean? He's like, I'll smile for you mom but I ain't taking my fist out!
He's SO smiley...don't you just want to eat him up!
In addition to smiling, he's actually starting to giggle alot lately...without much work on our part...dinnertime seems to be when he's at he giggliest...I can just get the spoon out with the rice cereal on it and he starts to laugh...
Hopefully I'll start to get more inspired so I can post more!
First check out the baby bird...he's growin up so big! And can't get those fingers out of his mouth...I wish he'd just sprout some teeth already so we can be done with it...at least until the next ones decide to come in...which reminds me...I just took a survey yesterday that ended in them mailing me a homeopathic teething product in the mail...I should get it in the next week and then I just have to do a follow up survey on how I thought it worked...I was telling Chris last night that it's pretty lame how excited I got about this free teething stuff...it's not a car or a tv or anything like that but instead teething gel...and I think it's pretty awesome...teething gel is expensive you guys...like 6 bucks a pop...what the heck! None the less, he needs it...the kid has grown some steel traps for gums...he's like an alligator with all that force...minus the actual teeth...
Aside from his constant hand gnawing, he's also discovered his feet so he pulls his legs in and then grabs onto one and just holds it...
And Ayris being goofy...
Ayris wanted Adler to wear her headband...he looks like a little bo peep wanna be...
See what I mean? He's like, I'll smile for you mom but I ain't taking my fist out!
He's SO smiley...don't you just want to eat him up!
In addition to smiling, he's actually starting to giggle alot lately...without much work on our part...dinnertime seems to be when he's at he giggliest...I can just get the spoon out with the rice cereal on it and he starts to laugh...
Hopefully I'll start to get more inspired so I can post more!
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