Ryan

Ryan never ceases to amaze me. He is currently in football season. Right now he is playing quarterback on offense and safety on defense.
On Saturday he played a game. He set his alarm for 6:45am to get up, eat, and shower before pictures and the game. We stayed in bed as we knew he was fine.
I rested in the afternoon as I was feeling crummy. I went outside to see him playing baseball with a group of boys. He asked for a glass of water, because his throat hurt.
At 5:45 that night, we had him come in for supper. I asked how his throat was (he hadn't come in at all) and said, "Horrible. My body hurts and head too." I proceeded to feel his forehead. Sure enough, he had a fever.
This is typical Ryan. He does his own thing. You never know what he'll do next. He drives me crazy, but in so many ways I so appreciate his self sufficiency. It's not like the other three kids are like that!

Future chef

If you want to get Brady to sit still, then you may as well keep him in the kitchen. Last week he (and Olivia) helped me make a chocolate/peanut butter cake.
After we baked the cake, he watched me make some teryaki (sp) chicken. He will pull up a chair and just watch the food cook.

And when he's done eating whatever it is he's eating, he starts playing with it. Normally he makes a big mess.

Today when Ryan made bacon, Brady was right there to help. All I heard was "Whoa!" come from his mouth.

Today he only shattered one glass. It happens a lot more often than I care to admit...

In other news, I have had monster pink eye. I was under the weather Wed-Fri. During the night Fri/Sat, I felt my eye watering a lot. All day I used the drops I had from last week when the kids had it. But, noooo, that didn't work. By Saturday evening, my eye was hurting, swollen, goupy, and redder than red. So I went in for better drops. The doctor also have me drugs in case the crap causes a sinus infection. Sure enough, I am feeling crappy in my head too.
That's okay. I didn't want to enjoy the weekend weather anyway. ;)
Well I sort of did...b/c I went to Ryan's football game. More on that soon!

Some things I like....

Might as well turn it around today huh? Oh and I promised myself nothing in this post would be about kids.

Here we go...
the smell of coffee
the taste of coffee
drinking water all the time
Young and the Restless
SoapNet so I can get caught up
General Hospital now that my favorite girl is back and might get back with my favorite boy
staying at the Wynn
laying poolside anywhere in Vegas
travel planning
searching travel sites
disboards.com--it's an all Disney site that I go to a few times a day
Bejeweled
Sodoku puzzles--a current obsession
a good book
when my house smells good
being alone
driving alone
music all the time
when my People comes on time which never happens
naps
Sirius satelite radio that is free for a year in my car
listening to Howard Stern in my car.alone.on Sirius
teaching
my students
my colleagues
my family
talking to people
anything Disney related
history
learning new things
discussions with people who aren't trying to push their beliefs or agendas
smiles
pedicures
thoughtful people
picture taking
when my friend Shane capures wonderful photos for me since his son plays on Ryan's teams
talking to people about travel
children
making people feel special
when church is over b/c normally it's a disaster
when the Vikings win
listening to Spuds sports on the radio
my friends
picking up the phone and talking to friends who live far away like we just talked yesterday
not being cold
good health
when Thad picks up the house
frosted cookies from the store (not those ones that have sprinkles and come in a pack)
cake
frosting
facebook
my neices and nephews
traveling with my mom and sister
sunshine
summer
a non windy day
pink

Some things I dislike

I should title this "Some things and people I dislike." I am doing this for fun. I am a pretty positive person, so let's change it up!

In no particular order here are a lot of things I dislike greatly. Enjoy. No really, enjoy! :)

mosquitoes
Dustin Diamond (aka Screech)
beer
wine
anything food with alfredo
most Italian food
Spencer Pratt
bees
dill seasoning
Levi Johnston
being tired
putting away groceries
putting away laundry
putting away clean dishes
carrot cake
cantelope
most vegetables
whining
back talk
Disney shows
anything related to stomach illness
picking up
people who preach
uber judgemental religious people
lack of manners
unwillingness to see another perspective
leaches (that's for you Kim!)
aquatic life in general
how it feels to have my feet in the lake
my fears of water, vomit, and anything related to those things
when there is a good storm coming and it moves in another direction
unwillingness to break out of one's comfort zone (I have put my feet in the lake. I just hate it!)
gross teeth
super obvious unwashed hair
people who think they are better than others
the way girls dress today
the way kids text rather than talk
knowing I'll never have another tiny baby of my own
that I have no real sense of style
anything sci-fi
movies made from a book
the choice of actors to play Edward and Bella
Lindsay Lohan's parents

and that's it for today!

A snippet of my day

Well...

...I haven't heard as many tips as I hoped. So if you still have some, let's hear them. My friend Kim sent me a great website last night (while her son was having a vomiting marathon no less) called: moneysavingmom.com It looks cool. There is a lot to go through, but I want to share it with you all in case it can be beneficial to you.

I was/am worried that you might be thinking, "I have a solution--quit going on trips!" Well two of the three trips I took this summer were paid for. The trip that Thad and I took was saved for, and to be honest, well worth it. It does stink that we have to shell out a decent chunk of money for a sitter for five nights, but what do you do?
Our next big family trip gives me 20 months to pay off. If I can't, we won't go. I have two free flights right now, a bunch of Disney points I have/am acquired/ing, and so I am really trying to get the most bang for my buck.

For me the biggest challenge is to try and not hit Target so frequently. If I need detergent, I end up buying much more. Thad pointed out that it's not him who is buying crap, even though he relies on my to buy most everything....

Pinching pennies

Thad and I had a discussion this weekend about finances. We had several things creep up on us in the last month that took our pocketbook by surprise: a unexpected large dental bill after flex ran out, an early xmas present for my mom/pictures of my kids/xmas cards already ordered, Ryan's hockey camp that we thought we had paid half for (they waited to charge us all at once), registration for hockey, school clothes, etc, etc.
Then I was bellyaching to my parents. My dad got out a calculator and showed me how many meals/snacks I am responsible for each week based on the size of my family: 126! Holy cow.
So my new plan is to try and 'need' to hit the store less often and get a weeks' worth of purchases at one time. It's not entirely possible. Sorry I won't pre buy two dozen bananas to let them rot!
What this requires of me (and I do okay with this during the school year) is menu planning. We eat the same stuff over and over and over. I bought a cookbook at a rummage sale yesterday for a dollar, and really what I found was more desserts to make than anything. Soooo....I have an assignment for you all.
1. Please provide me your money saving tips. (Sorry I am not willing to make my own detergent. I like Tide too much) Give me things that you do, little things, that maybe will go a long way.
Right now eating out less often is on my list.
2. Give me good "my family likes this a lot" recipes. My kids are picky. Never do they all like what I make. But, I have a little plan for that too. Tonight as our kids were being horrible at supper, I said "This is it for the day. You will get no bedtime snack or dessert." Of course as I said it, Brady threw a bean that hit me square in the face but whatever. I am tired of them eating crap prior to and after mealtime, but saying, "I'm full," right after taking two bites. Nope, sorry people. Mama is sick of it.

So give me your ideas, tips, advice, or anything else you have!

(Not) proud mom moment

It's no secret that Brady has turned into quite a busy almost toddler. I am ashamed to say that yesterday I thought to myself, "I need a day for him to be a little under the weather for a break."

I know, horrible right?

This morning when he woke up very warm, I felt horrible. I felt horrible for him, and then I remembered that I had the gall to think about this happening. Jeez!

Now I know that other moms have done this. My friend at school said casually one day at lunch, "I am due for a sick day with one of my kids." That night her daughter got the stomach flu. Nice jinx huh?

So this was Brady this afternoon. He woudn't sleep, eat, drink, or do anything.

I felt relieved when, for only a half hour, he played in the kitchen sink.

I brought him in this afternoon. For certain he has an ear infection. His tonsils were huge and swollen. The doctor tested him for strep, but since we didn't hear back, I'm guessing that was negative. She also took a rectal swab for a staph infection. Who knows.

While we were there, I had Olivia looked at for her beastly cough. She had a fever as well and was given antibiotics for her cough/wheezing thing that she has going on.

When we got home, Brady slept four hours. Now he is in my bed watching Baby Van Gough. He wants his mama, and I am gladly cuddling with him.

The Duggars

I just saw on People.com that my new issue (that is supposed to arrive on Saturday, but never does, which drives me crazy. I just got last week's issue yesterday which is bs.) will have the Duggars on the cover. You know, that family that had their nineteenth child.
I remember back when they caught the media's attention for becoming pregnant with their 16th child. I thought they were nut jobs. I mean who has that many kids?That can kill you. The uterus can't handle that much that fast right?
Then one day last year (or two years ago), I watched their show. At the time it was called 18 Kids and Counting. You know what? This family really seemed to have it together! They had everything down to a science, all the kids were respectful, no one yelled (thank goodness they don't have my house on reality tv), no one was trying to teach their little brother (Brady) to say boogers and fart all the time, and what especially struck me was this: they are getting by financially. Whoa. They chose to let God to decide how big their family can be, yet they are also financially sound enough to handle what comes their way. I'm sorry, but I can't argue with that. I really can't complain about anything they do, other than her bad hairdo (sorry). Have you noticed her skin? Holy cow that women has a beautiful face...ditch that hair and you have a cute gal on your hands.
So here's my personal opinion: They are good parents raising good kids. They make ends meet. I say more power to them. If they were having baby after baby, but couldn't provide simple things like food and shelter without needing help I would be so bold to call that slightly reckless. I am not meaning to say that you have to put a price on life, but whose responsibility is it to care for kids? (I am liberal so don't even go saying I am bashing welfare or foodstamps people)
Another thing: This is in no way written to offend any one in this planet. This is just my opinion. I have been secretly fascinated by the Duggars for a long time. Why am I losing my patience so frequently and I have "only" four? Why do I have a mortgage on my home and they are debt free? Their house is huge! I am so impressed for lack of a better word.
I am curious as to what you all think of the Duggars. Love them? Hate them? Think they are doing something wrong or right?

Brady...

Brady is killing me (slight drama here)
This week he has:
Created a toaster fire complete with flames.
Been taken off the counter that he can climb on to roughly 500 times.
Make taken away from the stove 500 times.
Dumped a box of fruit strips into boiling macoroni and cheese boiling.
Broken part of our floor right in our main floor for the world to see.
Scream and said "I don't want to" approximately 1500 times.
Flailed and hit at me 700 times.
Refused to play with any toy in our home.
Put my toothbrush in the garbage several times.
Brushed with carpet with my toothbrush.
Poured water out of the tub.
Refuse the high chair, get placed at the table with the rest of us, and choose to get up and run around a million times during dinner.
Throw half of his food on the floor during any mealtime.
Dump glasses of water on any carpet.
Turn the tv on and off for entertainment.
Used my make up.

And now my mind is blank. HELP ME.

Do you need a good laugh today?

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/80742118/

Then you must click on the above link. Erin emailed it to my dad and me....she's right. You will laugh out loud. Watch till the end. I promise it's worth it.

I get it

It's taken me 34 years to finally understand the draw of going to the lakes. Ryan was invited to sleepover at a friend's lake for a birthday party. The next day, the families were asked to come. We all know each other well through travel hockey and baseball. Not only are these people all good friends, but we all have kids similar in age so it works perfectly.
My friend Kim was a most wonderful host. I can't begin to tell you about the spread of food she provided: ribs, wieners wrapped in bacon, four different dips, texas cavier, crackers, fruits, veggies, birthday cake, bars, and more than I am forgetting.
The best part? Watching my children enjoy themselves. Kate in particular amazes me. This little girl, for as shy as she can be, has more gumption in her than anyone I know. She tubed, she jetskied, she jumped off the dock, and did everything I never would have dared too.

Oh, and this old bat who is dreadfully afraid of lake water, was coerced to tube with Kate. I thought we were going at a blazing speed, but Kim's husband Jeff said that if I wanted to continue, we had to go faster for the sake of his boat. What? Thad made me jet ski too. I think most of Big Cormorant heard me screaming bloody murder.
Even Brady after about four or five hours of fearing the water finally got in with his dad. Can we go back???