A Manic Monday...

Today was one of those days... our car broke down about a week ago and today was E's first day back to work. We weren't able to figure out what to do about the car so E had to take the van to work. I should have brought our oldest two girls to school but couldn't so a neighbor's carpool friend took them but then one of the kids had to be out of a seat belt because there were eight in a seven-passenger van. I'm kind of rigid about seat belt usage so I knew we had best cure this car situation quickly.

Thank goodness one of my sisters had an extra car that we could use for a while until we get some funds saved up to either fix this car or get another one. Needless to say, a month and a half with both my income and E's stopped suddenly, we didn't really have the extra cash to fix the car right away.

I called our insurance lady to have her switch our insurance from our broken down car to the one we will be using. She went on and on that my sister should still have insurance on the extra car they don't drive, "I mean, home owners' insurance wouldn't cover that car if the house would burn down and the car was in the garage and was damaged!" Her point was that they should have it insured. Just drive it under their insurance.

Lady. This isn't my car. I don't know if it is insured. It isn't my business if they don't have insurance on the car they don't even drive. It isn't your business if they don't have insurance on the car they don't even drive. JUST SWITCH OUR INSURANCE, FOR PETE'S SAKE!!!!!! I told her, "Look. If I get into a car accident with their car, I don't want to do damage to their insurance rates when it isn't their fault and they're being kind enough to lend us their car! Just, you know, to be courteous, I would like to insure it while we drive it." She finally agreed that it may be a good idea. I told her, "Hey, we've done this before! You've advised us to." (I think) :) Grrrr. You're fired, Lady! FIRED!!! I argue 20/7 with my kids, 2/7 with my hubby, and 1/7 with my pets. Knock it OFF!!!! I don't have the energy to argue with YOU TOO. I mean, I PAY you to insure my vehicles. Don't ARGUE with me!

Okay, so then E gets home from his first day back at work, we eat, I nurse one baby, change about 6 others' diapers, bathe one and air out his behinder 'cause he has diarrhea and poops about every 3 minutes....then to try get out the door with all the kids to get to my sister's house to pick up the car. E helped her hubby change the tires from summer tires to winter tires. I told my sister, "Now that's a new concept to me. Summer tires? Winter tires? I remember.....uhhh....maybe putting chains on the tractor tires maybe, but on a car? Never heard of it before!" They are just so sophisticated. And she did have to mention the cool rims the summer tires have...now all I will do is pine for those summer rims! No, actually, as cool as those summer tire rims are, and they are cool, nice looking, the winter ones are just fine. Cuter than our van rims! :)

So, as we were getting ready to leave from my sister's about 11pm or so (way past our bedtime....or at least our imaginary bedtime, or dreamed of bedtime, no pun intended), it started snowing gigantic snowflakes on top of rain. Great. And I had my sights set on stopping by the store for gum......and, um, mint M&M's. Shhhh, don't tell my baby 'cause then she will insist on being gassy all night. If she knows nothing about the M&M's, she should be fine....I'm thinking. :s

So, we drove all the way home noticing the roads are still just fine, just wet. By the time we got to our town, I knew I was safe zipping to the store quick for some refreshments to reward myself for my wearing day.

Now I'm making my plans for my home school day tomorrow. Today we had our first really nice, productive, 100% complete day since Baby was born, just as I had planned. Yippee! A big celebration for me.

Oh, Rats!... Izzy G... and other such updates!

I've been trying to get myself self-disciplined to start posting often, even if not every day, at least a few times a week. So, here goes...I always have many things a day that happen that are so blog-worthy. Let's see how many of them from today I can remember.

We had to take off for a while today to tow our car home from a neighboring town, where it had broken down Sunday night. Upon our return home, one of the girls found our pet rat's cage tipped over and the rat was missing. Our cats had apparently gotten the cage upturned...help! Were we going to find the rat alive or dead, hurt or unscathed?

Well, we found Briggs (the rat) hiding in the bedroom behind a little drawer set in the corner of the room it "lives" in, unhurt and happy to see us. Whew!

Izzy G, the other day, tells me, "Mom. I have had these clothes on for years! I have to change already! Find me new clothes!" Well, she got an instant response. Her oldest sister got such of a kick out of it that she dropped whatever she was doing to go find her a complete new outfit. Well, little Miss Izzy G wasn't to be so easily satisfied, it turns out. She didn't exactly care for the darling, even matching outfit that was found for her.....she's really into pink, you see. This outfit was all gray and cream in color. So, since the years thing worked for her once already, she decided she was ready to give it another round. Within hours of changing, and with sparkling clean clothes on already, she tells me, "Mom. I have had these clothes on for years and years! I think I need to change already."

*side note: Now, as I am typing, this is the Izzy G dialogue that's going on. From the basement, where we have laundry hanging up (our dryer is out of order): "Mom! There is laundry hangin' out for me! Can I change?" I told her, "Yup." She brought some clothes up and she had a pair of darling jeans I bought for her on ultimate clearance, clearance from Children's Place for a couple bucks...I always try get her to wear them but she tells me she doesn't wear jeans. Well, she put them on, came out of her bedroom and asked, "Should I wear these?" I told her, "Yes! That looks good." She says, "It doesn't look cute though!" Grr...she is just too prissy! She's back downstairs looking for 'leggin's'!*

Well, there's more, always more, but my beautiful baby is fussing now so I must go attend to her. I will probably be adding more on later today...this post took me since last night to write so I think I will just add as I can, in bits and pieces, or I will never get a chance to blog 'til my kids are all self-sufficient. :)

Our little Angel Princess has arrived!

I have other really, really good pictures of her but they've been emptied onto the big computer, which isn't connected to the internet. I could use a flash drive to transfer them but I'm too lazy..I mean, busy....to do that at this point. Maybe later..?!




She's always got lots and lots of loving going on around her...everyone gravitates to where baby is, holding her, holding her hand, holding her pacifier in...can't get enough of her!


Big sister goofing around with the younger ones....see baby nestled in on the crook of her arm? She's a natural with them all!!!

Best Buds, these two are! Still goofin' it up!

And here they are again, just chuckling over their photo shoots! And there's baby, hanging out with them. Isn't she just too tiny? Gasp. I forget from baby to baby just how small they are!

Well, she is 2 weeks old already! I have been getting so crabby at myself for not getting on here and blogging earlier but I guess, after having 8 kids, one is entitled to be a little putzy at getting around to announcing Baby's birth, right? I've been doing lots of holding, nursing, nuzzling, loving, and healing for the past 2 weeks. Oh, and tending to fever-ridden little darlings as well...that tends to take up a little time, energy and focus too!

We are on Round Two of fever bugs since our little dolly has come home. Our Izzy was the first one to get a fever with the first bug (that showed up the day my hubby, E, was laid off from his job). Now we've slowly made our rounds about the household with that one and she nicely popped a fever again tonight! This bug has added the joy of severe sore throat and headache though, thank you very much! Our Viva actually bypassed Bug Number One but yesterday got Bug Number Two that features the sides of sore throat and headache. I'm assuming that's what Little Izzy has now.

But onward to the joyous news: our Baby Girl, born 2 weeks ago (my due date was this coming up Friday, so I once again lucked out and delivered early). She weighed in at a tiny 7 lbs, 4 ozs. For our babies, that's tiny. I still just hold my breath changing her clothes or diaper cause it feels like I'm going to snap one of her teeny, fragile little limbs!

One of the first days home from the hospital, Izzy kept exclaiming over and over again, "Oh, I just love our new baby! I just lOVE her!" Then she would add, "I love her name too! ......What was her name again?....oh, yeah (after I would tell her)...I LOVE that name!"

Well, after about a week of having this lovely baby in our home, Izzy decided that she doesn't like her anymore. "I don't like her. I don't like that baby. Not anymore." I would ask her why. She would just answer honestly, "I don't know. I just don't like her." Then one day, as she was telling me that she doesn't like this baby anymore (and always in between she would be proclaiming her love for her), I told her, "Look at her! Look at her watching you. You're her big sister and she loves you!" She told me, "Well, I do love her. I just don't like her. But I love her. I just don't always like her. That's okay, okay?"

Our little guy just loves the baby to pieces! His whole head gets swallowed up in his grin when he sees her, holds her, or just pauses by her bassinet to chat to her. So far so good with him! I'm always on guard though.... :)

Baby has really been such of a joy and blessing to have around. She's easy to take care of...just feed her, burp her, change her diaper and give her at least several long stretches of just holding and rocking her...or even kicking back in the recliner with her on your chest, and she does just swell! She has minimal complaints.

She's a keeper!

And, last but not least, this video clip says it all. Big Bro taking care of his little sister already! :)