Saturday, December 27, 2008

The aftermath

Well another Christmas has come and gone.....Its such a fun and exciting day for everyone, all the anitcipation, the looks on the kids faces are priceless.....and then its gone....All the work, all the fun of it, over in just a few short hours.
This year we had All the children and now a second generation to enjoy. Our oldest daughter Meghan stayed over with her family....it was so much fun to have ALL the kids together, and the grandbaby too.
It was nothing about gifts, but the time we spent together as a family and the traditions we share that make the day what it is. Although the kids did have a VERY nice Christmas and most of them recieved a Nintendo DS...They have waited years for one....Santa decided that with an upcoming Disney trip it would be a great thing for them to occupy them for the wait at the airport/ plane trip ( We had QUITE a delay last trip ...NOT fun being 36 weeks pregnant, a 1.5 year old and 5 other children). Jarrett & Jonathan got the Thomas Train table he is just in love with it.....I think it will be a much loved toy, that we will get many years of play with.

Alan is on vacation too so we have just been wearing P.J's and hanging out......Its a much needed "wind down" time we all need to recharge after the past few crazy weeks here.

Mallory had a Soccer tournament yesterday......Did not do so well,but she was thrilled to be playing, Jordan had a Basketball game today ...it was a "big" game against his lifelong buddy ( our Godson) ....the boys all played well, We won and I was happy for them as a team, but would have been equally happy had the other team won....it was just fun to go see them both play they are like family so its like rooting on one of their sibling or cousins.....They are now finishing it off with a sleepover at his house, and I traded for Ashley.....her and Miss Mallory ( our little cook of the family) are in the kitchen baking as we speak.

Christmas Day Jonathan decided on his own to use the potty....the whole day I would place him there and he would go......by no means am I trying to potty train him but figured as long as he has intrest I will try.....Well I used the velcro cloth diapers during this time.....Yesterday he was playing so nice and quiet....I KNEW it was to good to be true.....I went upstairs only to find he fingerpainted with POOP!!!!!!!!! Holy crap ( literally) it was everywhere....And I still have no washer.....keeping my fingers crossed the next trip Sears makes out here they will have the right part....the piles are mounting and getting pretty scary.

Heres to another Fun Christmas......Until next year........

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Its Almost Christmas!!

Tommorrow is Christmas Eve......So hard to believe!!! Each year I always comment how fast it came upon us know matter how hard I try to be prepared, no matter how many good intentions I have to do somthing kind for someone else, it seems as though there never is enough time. This year is not the exception, once again I find myself if the scramble that Christmas is just 2 days away.
This year it holds such a special meaning to me personally. Last year I had a new baby, a grandaughter on the way and My husband was in the hospital the week before Christmas, and I still had a job that demanded 30-40hrs a week, on top of my everyday duties of taking care of the house and bringing the kids to their many activites, Drs. Apts ( wonderful flu season) , Church and teaching my CCD class.......It was beyond physically and emotionally draining for me, I tried my best to hold it together as to be the "glue" of the family , for if I fell apart I did not want the family to fall apart, I still to this day do not know HOW I made it through that time, But I did. I must say that experiance was a test on my faith and when a few months went by of Alan not getting better ( working 80+ hrs a week truley did not help) and was told he had Lymphoma Again...my faith was tested. Its the thing everyone fears....the words you dont want to hear.....I felt like I was physically alive but I was emotionally dead!!! I dont even remember some days as the stress was insurmountable.....The pain of my children without their father was more than I could bear. I lost 38 lbs and finally got meds to help get my "brain" back on track.
We dealt with specialist's , tests, u/s , ect for over a month when they told us that all the things he was dealing with was a result of him having MRSA and not lymphoma. He does have a Very strong history of cancer in his family and to this day I still dont feel 100% "out of the woods" but at least now he is being monitored frequently ( up until this he never went to the Dr....even with the History of cancer)
I try to remind myself daily that even though I deal with so much emotionally & physically ...I Still have a great life and God is good. I believe what he brings to me I will get through it. I'am beyond blessed to have a good hard working husband, & beautiful babies which I PRAYED daily after having the challenges of concieving them, clothes, food and a Home to raise our family. I dont dwell or complain to often to others, I do admit I can get envious of what others have ....not in a material sense, but in the family sense .....All that I do ....I do it on my own....I dont have help , My husband works very long hours , I dont have grandparents , aunts or uncles who take my kids to enjoy them.....who spend that quality time....that soley rests upon my husband and I. I'am proud to say I have done this on my own....and I now live by many mottos. my favorite is
"Generosity is giving more than you can.......Pride is taking less than you need" so this Christmas I 'am truley Thankfu for what I have been blessed with and not what I dont have......I will do my best to give all that I can to my family , friends & community. I will teach my children its not about the wants but the needs.
I hope Everyone has a Truley Blessed Christmas.....Be thankful for each and every day that you wake up to....never miss the oppertunity to cherish what we have been given.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

NO WASHER!!

O.k so in this size family I typically do at least 4 -5 loads of laundry a day, I had just made a comment last week about how much I love our Front loading super size washers.( I really need to learn not to say things as I always jinx myself) Well after having the stomach bug run full force through our home and trying to keep up with washing sheets,towels,bathroom rugs ect bringing me up to 7-9 loads a day....wouldnt you know the washer broke!!!! HOLY CRAP!!!

Now not only is Hubby away for work, but with the 3 other children I now have in my home there is no way I can get 3 babies, 2 pre-schoolers, and multiple baskets of laundry to the laundro-mat.

Thank goodness it is under warranty, BUT we had to wait a week for Sears to come out...they were very nice but they have to order a part that is going to take until the day after Christmas to arrive....Which leaves an utterly impossible mission to accomplish....HOW DO I GET ALL THIS LAUNDRY DONE!!

The kids have a scary amount of clothing so not overly concerned with them....Hubby takes his work clothes to be drycleaned,but I 'am wearing the same jeans and bra for 3 days now, I'am wearing the last of my long sleeve shirts, and as alot of moms know we always make sure the kids are nicely dressed but seem to neglect our own wardrobe.

I'am overtired, overstressed, and feel totally over my head right now....I know it will get done it always does.....I just need to get to that point.

Just another day in our Crazy life :)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Crazy Boys

So I recently opened up my home to take care of 2 other children ( 3 if you count my grandaughter) One is the same age as Marley who is 8 months, the other is 4, having a housefull anyway I knew that I could handle a few more, I did in my mind think that having 3 babies under 1 would be a challenge but manageable.....So far I was completley wrong!!!!!!! These babies together are wonderful....now I'am not able to take them all out as it is physically impossible for me to carry 3 of them to the car,store ect, BUT we have such a good schedule going, and they are such a delight watching them, I keep thinking wow....if this what its like to have twins....not so bad :)
Now the 2 older boys ( 3 & 4 ) That is another story, I tend to be very structured, and throwing another into the mix that does not seem to have as much is really throwing me off, I have come to appreciate my little terrors even more....The fighting , bickering, back talk is more than I'am use to. I also realized I CANNOT take a shower and think that the two boys will sit quietly on the couch and watch Curious George or The Polar Express........I tried this twice and BOTH times lord help me it looked like a tornado had hit right inside my very own living room........couch cushions off, cabinets open with wrappers and crushed crackers, even tiolet paper streamed the hallway floor. This is week 2 so hoping that each week that passes will get better and a little more organized or I might just have to run away ....very far away :)

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Yawwwwwwwwwnn!!!!

Where to begin....Christmas is just 9 days away, with 7 children, 1 grandaughter, and a husband to hide gifts for this can be VERY tricky. I dont know how it happend but I was able to get a small window of time to myself. The baby was sleeping and my 13 & 10 yr old took the smaller children downstairs for a movie, so I was finally able to lug out all the gifts from their multiple hiding places and sort them into piles as to se"who do I still need to finish", who's stocking needs more, whos pile does not look as impressive, as I did this I noticed that my oldest son Jordan only had 2 gifts ...now mind you Christmas season for us is not only the time we Celebrate the Birth of Jesus, but this is the only time our children recieve gifts. We have chosen not to have Big elaborate Parties , but instead celebrate quietly at home with the family ..The only extended family that we do have around is my parents who even though they live 20 min away we only see them once a month or so due to everyones crazy schedules. We have always instilled in the Children its better to give than to recieve, so for them this is the only day in the course of a year that they do recieve gifts for themselfs, so we try our best to be creative, and think really hard about what they not would love , but can use and will get the biggest grin when they rip the paper off and see their gift. So I need to finish up my Boy Jordy's shopping.
Recently I started watching 3 other children which brings my household level to TEN on some days......6 of them are under the age of 5 , 3 being under the age of 1, thus being the reason I cannot get myself out of the house to do the shopping......So I'am counting down the days and hoping I can get this done before Christmas eve......I'am Miss organized so being this far behind us just killing me!!!!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Another day

Its Thursday and the weekend is just about here.....Thank goodness!!
I think for the most part we are over the hurdle of everyone being sick....or at least I hope, Mallory said she was not feeling good last night and i think perhaps she might have strep....waiting it out a few days to see how she feels. She is the one here that is pretty prone to strep and we have already had a handful of notes sent home about it going around in class....so at some point its pretty inevitable.
This has been my first full week with the children I'am babysitting, its going pretty well, although I must admit come time when they get picked up ( close to 6pm) I have been pretty much sucked of all my energy, I look forward to the spring when they can all go outside and play and we can do our visits to the Zoo and swimming ect....
Last night Alan and I were watching the show private practice....typically one of the only shows I will tune in and watch. Out of the blue he tells me I have to promis when we have another Baby he gets to name it if its a girl....of course I'am laughing at him not taking him serious at all...and he gets a little emotional and says "no you need to promis"....so I appease him and listen waiting for it to be somthing awful......."Mary-Kate" thats the name he wanted forJarrett & Jonathan if they were a girl....kind thought it was just a phase, but I guess he really has an attachment for the name.....so there it is ....When the time comes and if we have another girl her name will be "Mary Kate" so this will be one of those stories I can share many many years from now on how her name came about.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

No more puke

Seriously I'am done with the lingering smell of Barfing children.....charmin description I know, but this stomach bug all started last Thursday and we are now Tuesday it has run through myself, ALL seven of the kids, plus our daughters boyfriend and our grandbaby. I have lost track of the amounts of laundry I have done, how many times I have run the dishwasher and how many cans of Lysol I have sprayed in attempts to dissinfect the germs in this house. Our little guy is still not seeming quite "himself" I guess its just taking a little longer to run its course, I feel so helpless as he is so little and I just want him to be his happy little playful self......all I can say is I PRAY this is it for season....I will gladly take the colds anyday.