Oh, the Choices We Must Make....

Do I starve the children and live in a shining castle or feed the children and live in squallor? I don't seem to have the time for both cleaning and making meals.

It feels like if I make a good meal, it takes all my time in the afternoon, I make a hideous mess, and don't have time to clean up the mess that I made for the meal or the time to regain the cleaning that didn't get done while cooking. If I clean, I barely finish wiping up the last crumb at about bedtime and our kids have existed on cold cereal, toast or nothing (according to them) that day.... Oh, woe is me! And to make myself not feel whiney!!! Distressing!

I can't complain though....exactly why I can't still evades me but I'm sure I can think of something.

***Thinking.................thinking............thinking.............................................THINK, THINK, THINK!!!***

1. I have a darling baby...fussy, but darling!!!
2. Our other kids are becoming more and more helpful...and complain less and less when I ask them to help.
3. My husband spend 1 1/2 mos at home while laid off. I think he gets it how hard it is to keep up with especially so many littles...like shoveling when it's still snowing....and when you add in a very fussy baby....nearly impossible!
4. Ummm.....hard to think with all the chaos here! Our littlest toddler, our little fella, is extremely nice and gentle and loving to his baby sister. He looooves her and kisses her whenever he can....and he only kisses her on the head or forehead or top of cheek...so when he has a booger nose he doesn't infect her at least.
5. I have really been enjoying my big girls....my oldest two are a blast to bring to school every morning and we get some really good gab time in.
6. My two middle girls have really grown up since we started homeschooling. They are really responsible and dependable.
7. Our 1st grader also has shown some considerable changes since she started homeschooling this year. She was really full of outbursts much of last year and most of the summer. When we started the school year, she somehow has just mellowed out and is extremely diligent when it comes to doing her schoolwork. She wants to learn every day and works hard.

There, I really do have a lot to be thankful for! :)

Oh, yeah! AND we have a BLIZZARD coming...similar to the Halloween Blizzard of '91. Remember Kristin and Joni? We had such of a blast being snowed in with lots of friends and family! And when it came time to start shoveling our way out, remember how we could hardly even find the cars in the parking lot...seriously! I can't wait!!! :)

Hmm, Chocolate Toxicity...Is There Such of a Thing?

Those mint M&M's I mentioned the other night? I ate probably too many of them and just as I was tucking in to sleep that night, about 1am, I suddenly had a wretching stomache ache and then eventually diarrhea. I was up for hours, between sitting on the toilet and wondering if I was going to puke. I finally went to bed about 4:20am....next morning I was fine.

I gave those mint M&M's to my 11 y.o. She was thrilled!

P.S. I didn't give my daughter the mint M&M's to poison her, btw. I just knew she wouldn't eat them by the handful after handful after handful like I did. :)

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! :)

A New Path...

The economy has finally bit us in the backside. My husband just got laid off from his job of 20 years. What a shock that was!

Just last week, E was told he was to go down to 3 day weeks. We've had that happen twice before over the last few years. His place of employment has surprisingly kept him busy thusfar all these years. Although we were a little concerned due to our baby due to be born at any point now and me being off work, we figured that we would be fine with the 3 days plus the little unemployment benefits he would receive during this slow time. We then found out that he wouldn't be receiving unemployment benefits for some reason. He explained it to me but I didn't really get it too well.

Well, on his first morning off, on this little mini- or partial-layoff, he got a phone call that he is being laid off fully, indefinitely.

We had a few hours of pure shock and utter disbelief, both of us just huge-eyed and wandering around the house, many times wondering out loud, "Now what?" Then a kind of peacefulness settled over us. We both agreed, this too has a reason for happening. Life happenings aren't just random, there is a reason for this too and we will someday understand why. Maybe we will even be happier for it, you never know.

Now we have decided to have him just help out around the house in the next week or so until baby is born, until he finds out one way or the other if the lay off looks for sure permanent or not, and then go from there.

Well, I will have to say, he makes a better housekeeper than I have been the last few weeks. He has had me lay low, just resting up for my possibly last weekend of work, and has totally taken over the house, the meals, and the kid cares. Wow, I never knew how nice that can be! Sometimes when he is just bustling around, doing all the stuff I usually worry about, I pull myself out of my chair and putz around along with the rest of the crew, trying to do my part. He just chuckles and tells me to sit down and relax, that I've done all this for so many years, it's about time he contributes, especially now that he has no job. What a dear man!

I truly believe we will be guided in the direction we are meant to be guided. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy this time waiting for baby, and count the many blessings I do have.

If all else fails, we have a solid Plan B. If E doesn't have any promising job leads by the time our baby is about 6 weeks old or so, I will plan to pursue full time hours as a nurse. I don't like to even think of that since my heart is with my other full time job-being a mom. I, however, recognize that it is a huge blessing that I am a nurse and probably can find work to support us.

Things are going to be incredibly tight for us for a couple months but we will survive and probably be more insightful, grateful, and wise for it all.

"No Shirt, No Shoes...."

My husband, getting kids ready to go to Sam's Club, tells Izzy, "You need to remember to wear your shoes. You can't go into the store without them. There is even a sign on the door that reads, 'No shirt, no shoes, no service.'"

Izzy: " But you don't need to wear pants?"