Merry Christmas to All!

It was a good Christmas. As I sit here, Wyatt is laying on the floor in the middle of tons of wrapping paper. Amelia and Greta are playing "Twister Sisters" in their new Dora and Princess tents. Caroline is playing "Tim McGraw" for the 50th time in her new CD player trying to learn every word.

The other reason that it's a great Christmas is that THIS was last year and NOT this year! Love me some Wyatt but wow. That was hard.

Now on to Hilton Head. . .I think. . .If Tim can talk me into it. . .

Hope y'all had a great holiday!!

Balls Are Good

If you have never enjoyed a snack of Christmas balls, go here. And be prepared to pee your pants. And hide the kiddies away. Grown Up humor.

Friday Five

Back by popular demand. The Friday Five

FIVE THINGS TO MAKE YOU GAG
1. The smell in a public bathroom.
2. Your almost 3 yr old drinking out of strangers cups at McDonalds.
3. Peas.
4. Warm water and mustard.
5. Opening up a tube of crescent rolls and seeing bugs.

FIVE BEST CHRISTMAS SONGS
1. 12 Days of Christmas~McKenize Brothers
2. The Hanukkah Song~Adam Sandler
3. Redneck 12 Days of Christmas~Jeff Foxworthy
4. Merry Christmas from the Family~Robert Earl Keen
5. Blue Christmas~Elvis

FIVE BEST QUOTES FROM CHRISTMAS MOVIES
1. "It's just like Santa's workshop! Except everyone looks like they want to kill and it smells like mushrooms."
2. "I could not be more surprised if I woke up with my head sewed to the carpet."
3. "THE BLESSING!"
4. "What's the problem, TODD? I don't know, MARGO!"
5. "You're supposed to miserable. It's Chrismas."

Ebay Christmas Goodies

Here's my newest round of auctions. And they are tanking. Ugh. Please bid 'em up. Please. I beg of you.

We Gather Together: A Thanksgiving In Pictures

Everyone at the feast. Notice how it's one of those tables that goes on into the sunset? Rich turned preacher and gave a nice mini-sermon. Short enough that the girls did not throw themselves on the floor in fits of hunger. All take note of the absence of Boy Wonder. He slept straight through dinner. Yep.

Josh and Sara were down for their official first Thanksgiving as married folk. I think only 50 people hinted for a baby announcement soon. Josh was unduly excited by stuffing. And Sara sporting cute new hair!

Very cute Joel and Liz. Celebrating their third Thanksgiving as married folk and their last as child-free people! WOO HOO!! Liz is expecting their first baby! Yeah! I get to be an aunt again! Yes, it is all about me.

Greta finished off her dinner with a nice Reisling. Yes, I did stop her before she actually drank it but hey, I know a great picture for her high school yearbook when I see one.

Happy Rich and Judy after a little food and a lot of wine. Amelia ends up in all the pictures.

Here's a quick photo tour of Rich and Judy's awesomely cool house. Lighting isn't great~I was playing with my camera. Here is the 2-story stone fireplace.Here is how my entry way would look is I never threw my keys and mail on the table. Or I didn't have 4 kids. And a husband. And I bothered to clean up one in a while.This is the happy place. Whenever our family therapist says "Go to your happy place." This is where we go. Maybe that is part of the problem. They have a fab wine cellar.A bunch of us sipping dessert wine. I'm not sure what it was but we bought a bottle. Jefferson bought 5. I think I'll go to his house for dessert.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As per tradition, Tim's fam comes down for the rest of Thanksgiving weekend. We get a lot of Christmas shopping done, go to the movies, eat, and watch a Christmas movie. This year is was "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" "Grace? She passed away 30 years ago. THE BLESSING!"For the past 5 years we have gone to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The kids love it and we always have a good time and eat WAY too much. This was Amelia first year to go with . We get a sitter for the little kids and this year she got to go along. She was mesmerized by the whole process and particularly enjoyed her Kiddie Colada, complete with little umbrella. I tried to take her picture but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the grill.Just a shot of 5 of the 7 grandkids.Amelia had a B-I-G weekend. Goodnight.

Move Over. . .I'm Jumping on the Bandwagon

OK, I hate to be a joiner but since all my BFFs have cute new avitars, I so needed one too. Ain't I cute all animated?!

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours

I walked into this discussion tonight when the little girls had been sent upstairs for PJs. They were both nekkid from the waist down and checking things out, ahem, "down there."

Mom (very casually, as not to scar them for life)~Whatcha doin?

Amelia (very excitedly)~We're looking at the holes in our bottoms!

Mom (trying not to turn green)~OK, well, let's get our PJs on.

Greta (jumping up and down with joy)~I HAVE A HOLE IN MY BOTTOM!!!

As I am trying to convince Greta to put her PJs on she says,

Greta~Mommy, can I see the hole in your bottom?

Mom~Um, nope. That's private.

Greta~PUH-LEEZE!!! You can see mine!!

I Don't Want Water on My Baby Brother!

We had Wyatt's baptism last night and wow. What a night! Our church has recently starting doing Saturday night services~identical to Sunday mornings just a bit more casual perhaps. They were encouraging people to have their children baptized on Saturday nights to increase attendance and publicity so we went for it. It was so nice. Music was good~even though our friend who was supposed to sing couldn't make it. Jeff, our worship leader, sang our song instead. We have always picked a special song for each kiddo and it kind of becomes "their song." For Wyatt we chose a rocked-out version of "Savior Like A Shepard" originally done by Todd Agnew a favorite of ours. We liked the old-school appeal of a hymn with the hard guitar that we love. While Jeff sang Tim did what Doug called the "Simba routine" of walking Wyatt around so everyone could see him. Then our small group girls~Shawnie, Leenie, Megs, and Ree Ree (Dawn had a family party so couldn't make it~missed you guys!)~took the boy and passed him down the row and covered him with lipstick. It was so cool~like a blessing from all his "aunties"

The girls had a great time with the whole thing. At least Amelia and Caroline did. Pastor Kris asked them if they promised to be good big sister, love Wyatt, and teach him about Jesus. They got to answer on stage which they thought was just the bees knees. Greta on the other hand was not so sure about the whole thing. We told her at home that Pastor Kris would be putting water on Wyatt and she lost her mind. Threw herself on the floor yelling "I DON'T WANT WATER ON MY BABY!!"

We ended with a big ole party upstairs at Brickhouse, our student ministry center. I have never seen so many kids! It was great fun for them~lots of room for the little ones to run and lots of Playstations for the big kids. I made all the food. Aren't I domestic? We had chili, mac and cheese and cornbread. And cookies! And cookies! And Shawnie cookies! She surprised me with blue cookies with white crosses. Awesome!

I do not have any pics to post~sorry! We were too busy having fun! Here is our one attempt at a family picture before we left for church. Now on to Thanksgiving!!

Toss, Toss

I have never been to the theater. I have never wanted to go. I do not walk around my house singing show tunes (like some of my BFFs) I much prefer a good Sox game or Bulls game to a room full of gay men and melodramatic women singing "I Feel Pretty." Or so I thought.

This weekend I saw "WICKED" in Chicago. Wow. It was really good. There. I said it. I enjoyed the theater. The cast was amazingly talented. I had no idea people could sing like that. I guess I figured those who could had albums and those who couldn't, well, did theater. I do have to add that I was cursing the entire Communications Dept at Calvin College. Could I just go and enjoy the story and the music and the costumes? Nope. I had to disect the entire show for hidden Biblical references and Christian themes and metaphors. (Found a bunch of 'em. Thanks for asking.) I could now write a paper on "Culturally Relevant Religious Themes in Wicked" that Prof. Schultze would be proud of.

So now I have let loose with a few bars of "Popular" and even taught Greta "Tomorrow" this morning. Yes, I do realize it's from "Annie". That's the only other show tune I know. DO NOT volunteer to teach me more. This is already a shock to my system. I am off to practice my jazz hands.

New Auctions Up!

New auctions are up! Bid Bid Bid!! Click HERE and see. 1/2 off shipping for bloggy buddies and as always, win 5 in 5 days and shipping is FREE. I will be adding more big tonight and some stamping stuff and Longaberger tomorrow. I hope.

I Reserve the Right to Change My Mind

About a year ago I had this post that got some fun chatter going and a few "knickers in a twist." I then followed it up with this one. While I still hold to 95% of what I said~including the "no words on your behind" rule, I have come to overturn the "no shirts with sayings on them." I still say no to things like one I saw at Target that said "I want it. You buy it for me. " Gap Kids has brought me over to the dark side with these tops. So stinkin' cute on Amelia and Greta. So I changed my mind. Sue me. :-)

BFF 4-Ever

I love my BFF. I actually am blessed to have a few but today I'm talking about Kary. We had such a great long lunch together. We both laughed about how it completely symbolizes why we're such great friends. It was lovely. Jupiter aligned with Mars and all was in perfect harmony. What was so great about lunch you ask? Must have been food cuz we love food. Nope, we were at McDonald's Playland. So it wasn't the food, although the fries were freakin' hot and fresh today! Was it the company? Not so much, we had Greta and Wyatt with us plus her 5 yr old Liam and 3 yr old Millie Mae (yes, that is REALLY her name). What made it fantastic was what we did. We made schedules. Yep. We sat down and made lists of everything we have to do in a week. Laundry, bathroom, bill paying, grocery shopping and meal planning. Everything stinkin' thing we are responsible for in the life of our families of 6. On a separate sheet of paper, we made a square for each day of the week. Then we plugged in each chore and now Kary and I each have a fabulous weekly schedule to keep us on the path!

The funniest part of all of this? We called each other on our cell phones and talked the whole drive home about how awesome our schedules are. Next week Tuesday~MEAL PLANNING!

Blinded By The Light

I think maybe I need some window treatments! I was waiting til I knew what I wanted but when your kids wear sunglasses to breakfast. . .

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesdays (And other neat stuff!) Go to 5 Minutes for Mom.

More Cuteness

Not only were we on time for church, we had time for pictures!

When the cat's away. . .

Tim is away at his annual guys' camping weekend so how did we fill the lonely hours without Daddy? We went SHOPPING!
This shirt says it all. "Here Comes Trouble" Love it!

Caroline has been wanting a Product Red top from Gap "forever" or how ever long "forever" is when you are 9.

I have been wanting this sweater from Janie and Jack since well, forever. I waited til they were marked down and I had a coupon. I paid less for this brand new than they are going for used on Ebay. Score!

Another one of Caroline's cute finds from the Gap. I do love that place!

Greta also got the awesome pumpkin sweater from Janie and Jack. It is SO pretty!

Fridays, Football, and Wyatt

Fall Fridays. I LOVE high school football. Unfortunately, unless we move, Wyatt will never have the chance to play. I cheered for football in high school and it was awesome. Even though we sucked lemons it was great. Cool crisp nights, the crash of the helmets (OK, it was usually the soft thud of the helmets hitting the turf in my day!) I just loved the whole package. Now the closest we get to high school football is watching our favorite TV show, "Friday Night Lights" If you have not seen this show, WATCH IT ! It is great and I have a crush on Taylor Kitsch who plays Tim Riggins. How cute is he?! :-)

Now for an update on my favorite little football boy. Ain't he the cutest?! My little teeny 5 pound boy is a 12 pound moose. He is SLEEPING. THRU. THE. NIGHT. Hallelujah!! He is doing great and is so sweet. I was at the resale shop last night and I found a bunch of cute things for him for next winter. I was a buying a few different sizes and the sales person says, "How old is your son?" I was like "Huh? Son?" She repeats herself. Then it dawns on me. My son! I have a son! How did that happen?!

Pink Ribbon Month

A few weeks ago I was googling a favorite cookbook author to see if she had any new cookbooks out. This is what I found instead. I about fell off my chair. IBC is the cancer that my mom died from and here my favorite cookbook author had it too! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To quote my BFF Kary "Yippee skippy flapper doodles." I have such mixed feelings about BC awareness. On one hand, it is great that so much attention is paid to such an awful disease. We need all the research we can get and the higher the awareness is the more private $$ comes to fight this. On the other hand, it reminds me of all BC has taken from me. I no longer have a mom. I have a great stepmom who I love but she is still not my mom. It hurts to see my friends all drop their kids at Grandma's house for an afternoon so they can do something as selfish as going to the dentist or seeing their insurance guy. I was at the mall yesterday at Gymboree redeeming my Gymbucks (what fun that was!) and there were 3 Grandma/Mom/Granddaughter combos shopping. I don't have that fun of Grandma buying stuff for my kids. (Well, my mom was never the spoiling type anyway, but hey. This is my dream.) Linda was 53 when she died. When I was 20, 53 seemed O-L-D. Now at 35, it ain't old. What is also hard is seeing the survivors of BC. While I am happy for them and do not want to sound mean, it is hard to hear their rhetoric about not giving up and having faith that God healed them. My mom didn't give up or lack faith. God choose to take her and I do not know why. I do not want to try to figure out why. If I could understand God, I would be equal to God. I do not wish to serve a God who is as good as me since that would be pointless! So even though I am not a fan of this month's "awareness" I do want people to know what IBC is. So here is my PSA.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer is deadliest and rarest form of BC. The survival rate at 5 years is less than 40%. Most people have never heard of it. It does not present in the typical fashion with a woman discovering a lump. IBC grows in sheets just below the skin. It is also more common in younger women than older women. The first symptom most women notice is what appears to be a mosquito bite and redness on one boob. Often there is swelling and itching. It often mimics the symptoms of mastisis so docs send you home with antibiotics. For more info you can visit the IBC website or watch this video with lots of great info.

Another thing I am doing is helping to support Whymommy by spreading the word about IBC and what it is. She is a fellow mommy blogger with 2 little boys~ages 3 and 9 mos~who was recently diagnosed with IBC. Please check out her blog and leave a note of encouragement.

Indulge me for a minute. . .Let me gush about my kids

Caroline has always LOVED getting her pictures taken. Total camera freak. I don't think that kid has taken a bad photo in her life! These are no exception. Wow, she's growing up fast! Amelia on the other hand has always HATED it! I never really got a great picture of her. Til now. These turned out awesome. Wow, my kids are cute.

OK. Gushing over.

Do you have white or red with smores?

Caroline worked very hard to achieve the perfect level of "hot dog doneness." Looks YUMM-O!

What do you get with 6 kids in a sandbox? Six VERY dirty kids! I also gotta say I love our sandbox. People always ask why it's so big~this is why!

Greta Boo L-O-V-E-S smores!

Shiny happy Wesley! Or is that an old picture of Christian?

Christine already mentioned how much she loved the new smore/peanut butter cup combo. Here is a picture of her, um, having a moment of glee.

We did have a great time. Lots 'o wine which I very much enjoyed since my nine month hiatus! See here for a detailed description of all the wine drank. Or is it drunk? Tim bought my absolute favorite wine ever for me too! Cakebread Chardonnay is just awesome. I usually prefer red zinfandels but Cakebread rocks my world. I did have a hard time keeping up with the rest of 'em since Mr Cranky Pants demanded most of my attention. Bummer. I will now go finish my wine and drown my sorrows from the pathetic Bears game. (Shut it Jer.) 5-11. I said it in July and I stand by it. 5-11.

When is it ACTUALLY due?

You know what drives me crazy? Fake due dates. If something is due on Oct. 1 please don't start sending "late notices" til October 2. I do not care if I am the only one who has not returned something or done something. I will do so by October 1. I do not go through paperwork or emails every single day. I flip though to see if something needs immediate attention, if not, I complete things on Thursdays. Otherwise I would sit at my desk all day long. So if you need something on September 25, put "Due Sept 25" on it. Not Oct 1.

Stepping off my soapbox. For now.

Breaking the 10th Comandment

So does anyone want to invite my girls to a fancy Christmas party? Or maybe we'll just switch churches for the holiday season? These are Gymboree's dressy Christmas dresses this year. I. LOVE. THEM. They are preppy/snobby and awesome. I am trying to find a reason to buy them for the girls but I can not. Anyone having a party? Anyone? Please?

Ode to Naptime

Oh how I love naptime. I honestly can't say it enough. Greta still naps about 2 hours every afternoon and Wyatt is starting to take a longer afternoon nap too. They both slept today for about 1 hour AT THE SAME TIME. I watched a bit of Days and sorted through Ebay stuff for Christmas/winter listings. Oh the joy. I didn't have to stop every 4 minutes to change a diaper, wipe a bottom, dress a Polly Pocket, pop a paci in a crying mouth, ect, ect, ect. A full 67 minutes of uninterrupted work time. Then when I went to wake up Greta to go pick up the big kids, she ordered me out. Pointed at the door and said "Go 'way Mommy. I sweepy."

New and Not So New Blogger Folks

Awhile back I had removed anyone from my blog roll who wasn't posting more than once or twice a month. I did not discriminate~I even deleted my BFF! Since then many have picked up the pen so to speak again. I have also added a bunch.

Shawnie~She has finally joined the Blogosphere.

Aimee~Got into the habit of posting one picture of one kid per month. Now she has lots to read!

Melaine~Aimee's sis. Mel had some super-annoying music on her blog so I had to remove her. (Sorry, Mel! It was creepy. :-) No more music and lots of boy pics.

Caroline's 4th Grade Class~They have their own blog. How cool it that?

My Small Group Girlfriends~We are all trying to get skinny. Sort of.

So check everyone out and spread the love. But please not the stomach flu germs. Amelia had it Friday and barfed on the sidewalk in front of the consignment shop. Ick.

Meal Plan Monday, Er, Well, Tuesday

I had my meal plan done on Sunday but Grandma came for a visit yesterday so I really didn't get any puter time or did I actually cook! So here's this week~complete with points.

Monday~GEMS for Caroline so it was leftover night.

Tuesday~Cheeseburger Hoagies 6 and "Fried" Zucchini 4

Wednesday~California Wraps 5 and WW Zero Point Veggie Soup 0

Thursday~Margherita Pizzas 6 and Salads 2

Friday~Out probably Wendys again! Hey, our whole family can eat there for under $20 and it's low points.

Saturday~Chicken Tenders 5 and Sweet Potato Fries 2

Sunday~Small Group and the Bears game. Oodles of points! :-)

For more great meal ideas, go see Laura! She'll also help you organize your underwear drawer.

Update on Mr Moo Cow

So, yeah. I've got a boy. Still getting used to that idea. He is the cutest thing in baby jeans! Oh and the football sweaters. I could cry they are so cute!

Wyatt is 10 weeks old now. NOT sleeping through the night yet. Please little boy. Sleep. Other than that he's a peach. Well, if you don't include the projectile barfing. Or the screaming when no one holds him. OK, I guess newborn is harder than I remember! He's still the cutest thing in little red outfits with firetrucks on them. Who said I couldn't become obsessed with boy clothes. Oh my cuteness. Though after the preemie sizes if I see another baby blue outfit with a puppy dog or teddy bear, I might projectile barf.

Weight~11 lbs 3 oz
Length~21 inches

Yep, he's a short and wide child. Hope he'll make the offensive line for the Bears. He had his first round of shots. Ended up with a panicked call to Uncle Doug asking "Why has my baby been sleeping for 7 hours?" Uncle Doug says, "Hhhmmm. . .interesting." Did you know they now have a vaccine for Rotovirus. Brilliant.

Sorry I don't have any more pictures of the boy. He is the fourth baby so this will be his last picture til the mug shots of kindergarten.

FRIDAY FIVE

FIVE BEST SONG LYRICS~BONUS POINTS IF YOU CAN NAME THAT TUNE
1. I've had the blues, the reds and the pinks
2. You ask direction from a genie in a bottle of Jim Beam and she lies to you
3. I want a bathroom I can play baseball in
4. Leonard Bernstein
5. Act your age not your shoe size

FIVE BEST FOODS I CAN'T EAT ON WW
1. McDonald's French Fries
2. Pizza~or at least the good kind
3. Onion rings
4. Oreos
5. Sausage gravy on french fries

FIVE BEST RESTAURANTS FOR WW DINING
1. Applebees~they were very accomodating
2. Olive Garden~NO breadsticks
3. Outback Steakhouse
4. Wendys
5. Schoops (only for breakfast~they have awesome egg beater omelets)

Meal Plan Monday

Well, folks, it's after Labor Day which means it is time to stop eating like I'm preggers. We are changing the way our family eats forever this time!

Monday~Lean Green Chili 5pts., Southwestern Corn Muffins 3 pts

Tuesday~Chicken Pot Pie 6 pts

Wednesday~Scalloped Potatoes and Ham 4 pts.

Thursday~Mommy is going OUT! They'll eat whatever they can find. :-)

Friday~Out, probably Wendy's since it's cheap and low points options abound.

Saturday~Chicken Tenders 5 pts., Sweet Potato Fries 2 pts

Sunday~Roast beef 3 pts, Roasted Potatoes and Carrots 2 pts, Green Beans 0 pts, Cheese Biscuits 3 pts.

So let's hope there's less Jen next week! For lots more recipe ideas, go to Laura's blog.

Access Hollywood

Candi and I participated in the weekly ritual of all SAHMs who have reached their limit yesterday. We went to the McDonald's playland. While Amelia, Greta, and Sam ran around like loons, Candi and I fielded the question "Are they twins?" about 700 hundred times. We had inadvertantly dressed Wyatt and Camden almost exactly alike.

Did you ever notice that McDonald's playland is a little like Hollywood? All those kids with minimal supervision and you have all your big players.

Donald Trump~This is the little boy in khakis and a polo yelling "NO! This is MY part of the slide!" When any child comes to play, Donald yells "You're fired!" and sends the poor soul scurrying back to Mommy.

Angelina Jolie~This is the Mommy soul of the group. This little girl shows up with 3 dolls and spends all her time checking out the babies who are in carriers. She then proceeds to tell you that she is the MOMMY and begs to hold the baby.

Paris Hilton~This is the girl who comes to play in a pink tutu, tube top, glitter heels, and a tiara. Often that is all she is wearing. We are not talking a kid who just wanted to wear sparkles and mom didn't feel like arguing. This is the 3 yr old who thinks she is 18 and mom thinks it's cute. She spends most of her time disdaining every girl who is not dressed as she is.

Lindsey Lohan~This is the child who can not walk a straight line and Mommy is the pusher. This little one spends half the time over by mom taking a hit off her inhaler while Mom regales the latest tale of how she spent time in the ER for "exhaustion"

Chris Farley~Little Chris shows up to play in shorts that are a Men's Size 42 and a T shirt down to the floor. He eats his Happy Meal, his brother's Happy Meal, and then scans the floor for stray french fries. He is peering over the edge of every booth asking, "Y'all gonna finish that?"

Rosie O'Donnell~This girl is just pi$$ed. She complains about everything. Loudly. And no one is quite sure if she is a she or a he. When in doubt ask mom what the tyke's name is. Hope it's not Jordan.

K-Fed~This is the kid with a tatoo and you are not sure if it's real or not. He's also got an earring. He's not yet potty trained but he can kick your a$$ for sure.

Pay attention next time you visit the playland and you might see something new!

FRIDAY FIVE

Friday Five is a bit early as we are leaving for MI for the holiday weekend. Buh-bye.

FIVE BEST SONGS TO SING REALLY LOUD IN THE CAR OR SHOWER
1. You Light Up My Life~Debby Boone
2. Leave the Pieces~The Wreckers
3. I Wanna Know What Love Is~Foreigner
4. Love Stinks~J Geils Band
5. Like a Virgin~Madonna

FIVE THINGS I WILL NOT MISS ABOUT SUMMER
1. Mom, I'm bored.
2. Mom, she hit me!
3. Heat.
4. Rain.
5. Shaving my legs every stinkin' day.

FIVE BEST MINDLESS DAYTIME TV SHOWS TO WATCH WHILE KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL
1. Days Of Our Lives
2. Baby Story
3. I Love the 80's on VH1
4. Shalom in the Home
5. All In The Family Re-runs

It's WWWWWAAAAYYYY Better Than Christmas

What's the happiest day of the year? Not Christmas, my friend. It is the first day of school. Oh the joy. Caroline started 4th grade and Amelia started FULL DAY Pre K~the absolute greatest invention ever. They were both so excited. We had the Open House the night before and what a scene that was. Lots of tears. First from Amelia because she did not want to go home. She had just entered something as amazing as Disneyland and there was no freakin' way she was going to go home for something as mundane as bedtime. Then Greta started in. SCREAMING. In front of all the nice blond people.

"I WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!! I 4!!!"

Mrs S had nicely told her that she needed to be 4 for PreK. You can see how well that worked. We had to carry her out kicking and screaming. And then Wyatt started howling for a bottle.

The first day went off great. Caroline disappeared as soon as we got out of the van. Too. Cool. For. Mom. I walked Amelia to her class line and said goodbye. I even put lipstick on to place a kiss in her hand just like in this book which we knew they were going to read first thing. What does my daughter do? She says, "GROSS MOM!" and wipes it off. So much for cheesy mommy moment.

I picked them up promptly at 11:30, though why we couldn't have a full day is beyond me. Caroline talked a mile a mile on the way home. By the time we reached home I knew what everyone was wearing, who played with who at recess, and that 4th grade was awesome. And that Mrs W is the "BEST teacher ever! Well, almost. Not as good as Mrs D." (Mrs D was the most rad kindergarten teacher who is now one my close friends.) What did Amelia learn? She was pretty quiet. School was "Good." A few hours later Wyatt was screaming. So Amelia says, "I'll teach you what I learned at school, Wyatt." She proceeded to sing about 30 verses of "The Wheels On the Bus" Ok then. She broke out with a new one.

"The Daddy on the bus says, 'Read your Bible, read your Bible, read your Bible.' The Daddy on the bus says 'Read your Bible', all through the town."

Why do we choose Christian schools? That's why. So my kid can learn new verses to childhood classics. Maybe it came from the Protestant Reformers in our midst? I guess I am getting my $2500 worth for pre-K!

Just Call Me Betty Crocker

Well, not really cuz I don't bake. Maybe Rachael Ray. Or Tyler Florence. Or Guy Fieri. I love them all. Anyhoo, I wanted a better way to organize all my recipies online so I can always find 'em. So I started a new blog. Check it out and feel free to add your own faves.

HA!

If you have EVER taken your children grocery shopping, read this. And laugh so hard you'll shoot beer out your nose.

Playdates for newborns are SO first-time mom

Here is Wyatt's first official playdate. Doesn't he look like he's having fun?! On the left we have Camden, born 7-19, almost 2 full weeks after Wyatt. And who's bigger?! (I did try to get a pic of them full length but the lighting wasn't great.)

Camden is the 4th son of my good friend, Candi. We met at MOPS over 5 years ago, lost touch for awhile and then ran into each other at the ABC Preschool Open House last year when I was talking to the teacher and heard this voice yell, "SHUT UP!" I turned around and we started hugging and jumping up and down like we were 13. We like to have babies together. Camden and Wyatt are 2 weeks apart and her #3 Sam and my #2 Amelia are 4 weeks apart. Funny story. . .

We were at the MOPS convention in St Louis in the fall of 2002. I had just Caroline who was 4 and we were trying really really hard to have another baby. Candi had 2 boys~Jacob was 3 and Tyler was 1~and was NOT trying really really hard to have another baby. She commented one morning that she did feel quite right. I then informed her she was probably pregnant and dragged her to a Walgreens in the ickiest mall in all of Missouri to buy a test. Did I let her go back to the hotel to take the test? Oh no. She went the the bathroom of the ickiest mall in all of Missouri and peed on the stick with me cheering her on from the other side of the bathroom stall. And Yippee! I was more excited than I think she was when it turned blue. Or pink. But nothing in Candi's world is pink so it was probably blue. Bless her heart (throwing in a bit of Southern Baptist here) she felt so bad that she was preggers I was not. Fast forward about 5 weeks. My turn to pee on a stick and turn it pink. Thus Sam and Amelia have entered our lives and caused a ruckus every since!

Candi is one of the coolest people I know. She loves God and her family and still makes inappropriate jokes that make me shoot beer out my nose. Love her to pieces! And now we're pretty excited to have 2 little boys who will be BFFs forever. Do boys have BFFs or is that a girl thing?!?

We'll Always Have 2005

Wyatt still hasn't given up on his Sox. The rest of us are just re-living the Glory Days of 2005. We are now officially in last place. We are even worse than Kansas City. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Please bring back Aaron Rowand.

FRIDAY FIVE

FIVE THINGS I MISS ABOUT COLLEGE
1. Functioning well on 4 hours of sleep.
2. Yelling "Leonard Berstein" in the middle of REM's "End of the World" at parties and dances.
3. Club AWOL.
4. Having very little actual responsibility.
5. Living on salad bar and ice cream at Knollcrest.

FIVE BEST MAKE OUT SONGS
1. In Your Eyes~Peter Garbriel
2. Every Rose Has It's Thorn~Poison
3. Patience~GnR
4. Take My Breath Away~Berlin
5. Bed of Roses~Bon Jovi

FIVE BEST GIRL NAMES I NEVER USED
1. Georgia
2. Charlotte
3. Grace
4. Scarlett
5. Abigail

Works for Me Wednesday

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer hosts "Works for Me Wednesday" every Wednesday (duh!) Leave it to a new mom to state the obvious. I have decided to join in the fun of these things to add to my blogging material. So here's mine for today! (Not anything new for those of you who know me well! :-)

Shannon talked about buying girl's clothing on Ebay. I have learned to finance my fierce kids' clothing habit by selling. I sell 3 times per year~spring/summer, back to school, and holiday/winter. I have gotten up to approximately $6000 per year. Enough to buy new stuff for the kiddos AND pay for Christian school tuition. I do actively seek out gently used stuff, my kids wear it for a season, and I re-sell. Often for more $$ than I originally paid for it. The downside? I am the crazy woman at church yelling "DON'T give her a cookie! DO you KNOW the resale value of that dress?!?!"

I Know Just How To Whisper. . .

I was at the mall yesterday with Christine and something like 4000 children. We got to have lunch at a restaurant with staff that brought me things. Oh the joy. I LIVE to eat at restaurants where the menu is not posted on the wall. Of course My Little Owner of Outdoor Plumbing decided he needed a new diaper change ASAP. So off we went. While I was changing away, I started singing along with this song on the radio. Loudly. To my little man. Then someone walked in on our little lovefest. She looked at me with that look that said "Please, woman, get your tubes tied because you have lost it." Wyatt and I finished up and made a speed exit. Later as we were finishing up our lovely lunch about 20 minutes later than the 4000 kids we had with us, we received that same look.

Tim's Guy Factoid o' the Day~That song is one of two that a guy can rely on to get to at least third base. What is the other?

Let's All Go Back To School!

In my zeal for the girls to go back to school, I am reminiscing. Ah, high school in the 80's. Wasn't it grand? Feel free to cut and paste to your own blog to play along!

1. Who was your best friend?
Jenny, Christy, and Crissie~JJCC anyone? Also, Nancy

2. Did you play any sports?
Cheerleading! And yes, it's a sport.

3. What kind of car did you drive?
Usually my mom's Mercury Sable which was the color of dirt. Sometimes I got lucky and got to drive my dad's really cool metallic blue Cougar.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
At a football or basketball game and then Bakers Square. Or FFN at Nancy's. Or a party at John Lobbezoo's. Or smooching boys from Michigan.

5. Were you a party animal?
Not really~~but I really wanted to be one!

6. Were you considered a flirt?
Sure. Yep.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
That's just too funny to even answer.

8. Were you a nerd?
I was so cool. Or not. I dated a nerd though! (ducking while Doug throws things at me)

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
Nope. Did get detention for walking out of Kwas's class over "women's rights"

10. Can you sing the fight song?
"Stand up and cheer for Christian High, Send the banner waving high!" I can also do the dance routine.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr Decker cuz I would sit in his office for hours. Kwas for US history~he taught like a coach~"You know why the South lost the Civil War? They didn't give 110%!"

12. What was your school mascot?
the Knights

13. Did you go to the Prom?
Yep.

14. If you could go back, would you?
Only if I could have a re-do. And pick and choose what to go back to.

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
We did the Wave, sang "Happy Trails", and I was barefoot and bra-less since I was so totally sunburned.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
West Beach~where I got the aforementioned sunburn.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Yep, County Seat selling acid washed Guess jeans and Quicksilver T shirts.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
the yummy cafeteria

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Not at all. And if you believe that let me sell you some real estate.

20. What did you do after graduation?
Party-hopped

21. What year did you graduate?
1990

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date?
Very hot Mullet Boy~Mark

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion?
Yep. I was on the committee. I really didn't want to go but I'm glad I did. It was actually really fun!

Ok, someone needs to cut and paste so I'm not the only dork re-living the glory days. My sis always says she peaked in HS so maybe she'll tell us all about it!

Thunderstorms and Computers Do Not Mix

Remember that thunderstorm we all had last Sunday night? I was online checking the radar~cuz that's what we do in our Tommy Skilling loving household~and heard a loud buzz. And then no computer or phone. Our lines were struck by lightening. Yippee. So we had to go out and buy a new computer and new phones. Spent most of the day Monday with a creepy Comcast guy who appeared as if he stopped by my house after being released from prison. So now we have a groovy new Gateway computer. Its cool! Only bad thing is even though it would be covered under our homeowners policy, our insurance guy said not to bother with the claim. It is only slightly over our deductible and the insurance company will almost certainly raise our rates if we have a claim so it will cost more in the long run. Ick.

On a funner note, here's a few snapshots of our world this week.

Wyatt has taken up barfing for distance. We hope he'll be ready for the 2016 Games in Chicago.

Greta made it exactly 2 hours dry in big-girl undies. And then said she liked diapers better. OK, then.

Amelia needs to go to school. NOW.

Caroline's quote of the day "Mom, when can I get on my hands and knees and clean the kitchen floor?" I am not making that up.

Friday Five Is Back!

FIVE THINGS TO KEEP YOU AWAKE
1. Diet Coke
2. Red Bull and Vodka (thanks Jefferson for introducing me to that new drug!)
3. Nick at Nite
4. Yelling at toddlers who throw things
5. Talking on the phone to anyone who will listen

FIVE BEST MEALS TO BRING TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A MEAL
1. Lasanga~re-heats most excellently
2. Chicken and stuffing~nice and bland for new mommies
3. Italian beef~can be made is small portions when one can eat at 3am
4. Bucket 'o KFC~just cuz I love it
5. Brownies or bars of any sort~great to eat with one hand

FIVE BEST WAYS TO START THE SENTENCE "I JUST HAD A BABY"
1. I can't possibly pay my bills on time, I just had a baby!
2. I can't wear make-up, I just had a baby!
3. Yes, I'd love an extra helping of french fries, I just had a baby!
4. Please carry my groceries, I just had a baby!
5. Sorry, I can't possible make it to that boring meeting, I just had a baby!

Free Candle for Me! Well. . .Maybe. . .If I Win. . .

One of my new favorite blogs to read~I Should Be Folding Laundry~is hosting a giveaway of these cool Febreeze candles. As my home smells of 2 children in diapers, this is a great thing. I wanna win! :-) So check her out!

And Friends Are Friends Forever. . .la la la la la

Way back in the day, us Christian Reformed youth used to attend something called the Young Calvinist Convention. It was a 4 day gathering of several thousand high school students from all over the US and Canada. It took place at a university somewhere in North America. Tim went to 3~~Rhode Island, Arizona, and Washington DC, and I went to 2~~Washington DC and Kentucky. Funny story about both of us in DC but more on that later.

These conventions, while spiritually enriching, were a HUGE hook-up fest. NOT in the way the kids mean it today, just lots of opportunity to meet cute boys/girls who loved Jesus too. We used to have this thing called a Hug Line which was exactly was it was. All the girls would form a huge single file line that snaked around campus and the guys would come thru and hug the girls. It was great fun! Each week would end with what was called Koinonia. All 3000 of us would be in a sweaty gym for hours singing classic worship tunes and weepy songs like "Friends" and "Pray for Me" (What is it with Michael W Smith and CHEESY songs?!) There was an open mic where people would share their stories and then there was even more tears. We would then run around all night long saying good-bye to all our new friends~particularly those of the opposite sex.

Sadly, our church's student ministry does not participate in convention. Hopefully, by the time our kiddos are in high school, we will convince the Brickhouse powers that be that Convention is a must for all teens. Until then, join us in song "Packing up the dreams God planted. . ."