The Greatest Show On Earth

I think everyone over 10 knows what that is. The Ringling Brothers Circus, of course!
Do you have fond memories of it? Well, I do! I was able to go when I was a preteen in Arizona. And it was so memorable for me, and I wish I had the opportunity to take my children. So far we haven't had one near us since we've had children.
The circus is an exciting rush for a kid. The noise just reverberates through your body and builds up that adrenaline and emotional excitement!

When I would watch the girls on the flying trapeze I would dream about being able to do that one day. To be able to fly through the air with such grace and beauty! (now I just wish I could fit in the outfits, lol)

I think the motorcycles in the ball were so amazing! The rush of the engines blaring sending chills through my spine! It was so dangerous, you just knew that one wrong blink and they'd be dead. What a rush! (so glad my boys are NOT going into that field!)

Didn't you just love the elephants!? How often do we get to be near just a huge beast? I went on an elephant ride and even though it was not fast and a rush, it is still cool to be able to say I've done it.

They are in its second decade of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation®. I like that the Ringling Bros are so conscientious about their animals and are well known for treating their animals so well.

Did you know that they have a Baby’s First Circus program where babies can receive a free ticket voucher that can be exchanged for a free ticket to any Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance, anytime, anywhere. No expiration date!

If you are lucky enough to live where there will be a performance of the Ringling Bros Circus you can receive a 20% discount with the code MCC.

The code is valid for the circus shows in the following cities:

Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008

Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008

Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008

Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008

Boston, MA Oct. 8-13, 2008

Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2

Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008

St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008

Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008

Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009

Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

Go to their website to find a show near you. Ringling Bros.

Bye, bye baby!

I was holding onto all the last pieces of babyhood for Sam. He talked baby talk, wears diapers, sleeps with mama, gets what he wants without having to ask nicely, and looked like a baby.
Well, he has started talking a lot and we are starting to force him to say please when he wants something, and today, he stopped looking like a baby. (except for the diaper, and we are working on that one! Still sleeping with mama, too.)
This was Sam, playing "Doggie" a week or so ago. (he crawled in the kennel after licking up spilled milk off the floor like a dog)


Doesn't he still look like a baby? So sweet and little and innocent looking! Well, except the food all over his face, lol.
Well, today I cut his looooong hair.













I also found out how extensive his vocabulary has become.














While wiggling all over he would make me poke him with the scissors and he would yell "Owww!"
and "Let go a' me!" Four word sentences! That is HUGE!
My mom lives with us and recently went away for 3 weeks. She returned on Wednesday night and when she picked him up he left her a present on her white pants. Yep, a big, runny, stinky pile of poo. Did I mention it was on her white pants? She put him down and then he saw it and said "Oh, man!" LOL

Tonight I took him for a walk to the pharmacy, probably 5 blocks away. He RAN the whole way there. And then walked all they way home. I never once had to carry him. No stroller. (he crashed big time when we got home, hehe)

He is getting so big. No more baby.

Just when you think you are a horrible parent

Last night was a pretty bad evening with the kids. The house was trashed and I had set the rule that they can't watch TV or play games/computer until their homework and chores are done each day. Every day this week I have had to tell them to do chores. And they act like it is new or something. "We never have two chores when we cook!" (umm, look at the schedule, it's been that way for 6 months) "What!? I've never had to thaw out meat for my night, it is always just there!" (umm, no, you just don't pick and then we have to go to the store every night to get supper fixings) "We never clean good enough for you, if five of us can't please you, maybe it's YOU and not our cleaning!" (or maybe when you are done cleaning and then I go and mop after you and I blacken THREE disposable mop pads, it isn't clean enough!)

So, yeah, last night was a lot of screaming and tears and grounding and such. I was mean mom extraordinaire.

Then tonight, Devon, my strange Devon, asked me if he could go to the football game.
Not a problem, if you have money. Well, he didn't and would appreciate $4 for it. I can't spare it this check, I have $80 to feed 10 people for the next 7 days. (thank goodness I don't need meat!)
And Devon says
"Thank you. You know, for all you do and stuff."
And I asked him "Are you being sarcastic or sweet?" So not like him!
"No, really, I was thinking about it last night. You guys do so much for us and everything. And I've seen other parents and they aren't good, they don't get it. And you guys are what parents are supposed to be."
"Even though we are horribly mean?"
"Yes, you are supposed to be mean, you have to do it."

Who are you and what have you done with Devon?

Just last year, just 13 months ago Devon was having a fit about us not letting him hang out at the fair that turned into a tantrum about us being "poor" and him not having name brand clothing and all the latest games and such, it even ended with Devon and Drew in a fist fight. (Drew defending me)
Really, what happened? Devon has matured this year and I am just blown away over and over and over this summer. Earlier this week I had someone compliment me on how polite and kind Devon is. If you have any idea of the trouble we've gone through with him, you'd know how that moves me so.
I was shocked enough that it dawned on him this week that when he follows the rules he has lots of freedom, and when Drew broke the rules he had NO life, so he plans to have lots of fun following the rules. He also said he plans to keep his "lipginity" for an indefinite period of time, I'm thinking he meant at least through high school, not sure if he meant until marriage or not.

OK, I'm done, I will start bawling soon if I don't stop!

Aloha Friday

Aloha Friday is the day Kailani at An Island Life hosts Aloha Friday, based upon a very popular term used in Hawaii when island residents take it easy and look forward to the upcoming weekend.
So here is my easy question for the week:

Now that the kids are back in school, what are you doing with your free time?

I don't have all the kids in school, but since I am down to TWO at home, I am thrilled to have some peace and quiet that I can work on blogging reviews. It is nearly 9am and the kids are still sleeping so I can blog, read blogs, write reviews, or clean house. Guess what I DON'T want to do?

They just hand it to me on a Silver Platter!

Really, I just wouldn't have a blog without these kids. Drew just this morning told me he thinks that there must be a 5 kid minimum to have a good blog, lol. The more kids you have, the more blog fodder. I don't agree, all kids are blog fodder, lol, some just a bit more bloggable than others, so maybe someone with one kid can have a great blog, too.
Anyway, what happened already, right?
This story comes with a laugh and a lesson and a Praise God!

I'm busy cleaning the house last night, yelling at the kids for not cleaning, being yelled back at that they did clean as I go about cleaning after them. (did I digress already?)
Kaytlin comes running into the kitchen screaming at me.
Mom! Mom! How could you? That is so gross! Why would you leave this out where I can touch it?
What are you talking about?
This! This "ovulation microscope"! So gross! And I opened it and touched it because you left it out on your desk! Why don't you keep it put away?
First of all, I keep it out so I can USE it. Secondly, what do you think it does?
Umm, it says OVULATION right there, gross!
Yes, what do you think it does?
It checks your OVULATION! Oh my gosh, that is so gross, why don't you keep it put away! I thought it was lipstick! Lipstick!
That's what you get for snooping in my "lipstick." Keep your nose out of my stuff and you won't have an issue. What do you THINK I do with it?
You check for gross stuff.
Kaytlin, I SPIT on it. I put my SPIT on the lens and let it dry, then I shine a light on it. Oh, how gross is that?
Well, well, it says ovulation, it could be from down THERE.
I can't get that tiny little microscope all the way up to my ovaries, dear.
Well, you got 7 babies out of there, surely that little thing can fit.

No, I truly can't make this stuff up!
Here is a picture of it. It comes in a little case that looks like it would hold lipstick. It has a cap that comes off like a tube of lipstick.
But you put saliva on the lens and let it dry. When you are ovulating your body produces fern like patterns in the saliva! Isn't God amazing? It gets even better!

The beginning of your cycle you have higher estrogen. As it gets higher and peaks, your body releases an egg.

As that peak goes up and the egg is released, your temp drops then it starts to rise after the egg is released because then your body switches to raising progesterone levels. Isn't God great? He made so many ways for us to know what our body is doing! (I could keep going, but then it may hit the TMI area, because there are two more, gross ways of tracking this)

So, with the microscope I can watch my body go from non-fertile, to fertile, back to not fertile. Then I chart it all and my magic little chart takes all the information and tells me when I am fertile or not and what day I ovulate.
This information is great for people who want to naturally avoid a pregnancy, or to achieve a pregnancy. Or, in my case, to know what your body is actually doing when it starts going wonky.
This is all stuff I am wanting to teach Kaytlin, but as you can see, she is not very cooperative.

I love learning all this. It just confirms to me that no way are our bodies created by a big bang, we were created by a God who is a genius! Every detail is so amazing that I can't help but to recognize my Creator. God is amazing!

Game Night!

Game night is always fun for everyone. Except the little kids. They are always too young to play. It is sad for them, they can't really play and everyone is having so much fun.
Hasbro's new Noodleboro games for preschoolers solves that problem! Sure, there are games for preschoolers out there, but these new games teach values that we all want to teach our kids. Learning through play is one of the best teachers for preschoolers, so I am very happy to share these games with my little ones.
We were able to try out the Share Fun Park Game. You play several carnival type games and earn tokens. When you get one you've already won, you can earn stars by sharing the tokens with other players, so everybody wins! Making it fun to share, and even winning because you learned to share, makes Trinity happy. She loves this game! So does Hope-Anne, at age 11. I thought it was a bit dull, but she begs to play, and lets face it, the game is not geared towards me, but towards her, so they hit the mark on it. (I have a low tolerance for kiddie stuff after 19 years of playing it, lol)
There are 3 new learning games from Noodleboro:
1. Learning to Share Fun Park Game
2. Learning About Manners Picnic Basket Game
3. Learning to Listen Pizza Palace Game

I really appreciate the values themes because these are all issues that moms have to deal with daily.

You can check out the demos HERE and see if the games are a good fit for your kids.

Also, if you enter through this link and sign up with Mom Central, you have the chance to win one of the games. Mom Central is raffling off 200 of them. Good luck!!

I am so loved!

I received two awards in the past week.
The I heart your blog award came from Sarah of Sassyfrazz. Thank you, Sarah! I heart your blog, too!

Now, I am to pass it on to 5 people that I love to read. Babystepper, my mom Bring Your Own Cheese, The Whine Is Free , Canoearoos (go see the gross pics of her husband's almost severed finger tip!), Don't Give Him Crackers, and Losing It. I enjoy reading your blogs, and I love your faithful comments on mine!

Next came the I Big red puffy heart your blog award from Kailani of An Island Life. Thank you so much!

I get to pass this one on to 5 people, also! (do you have any idea how hard this is? The only easy part is not passing it on to the person who gave it to you, so that eliminates one person.)

sassyfrazz gets this first, she is not only a blog I ready daily, she is one of my real life bff's. Miss Sniz because she is so fun to read, when she chooses to blog on that blog, hint hint. (she really needs to blog more to feed my addiction) Heart of the Prairie is one of my constant reads, but she, too, is not blogging enough. She at least has a great reason, when she chooses to blog about you'll see. It Coulda Been Worse, she is so funny and I love reading her blog so much. I can't tell you the laughs I've gotten from her blog. Read The Perfect Gift you'll see why I big red puffy heart her blog. And Family Daze (another mom of 7) another of my daily reads.

Thursday Thirteen Strange Visions

Thirteen random pictures I found on my camera. Not taken by me, of course. Just my weird children. I'll have you know I left out the ones of dirty spots on my floors and piles of laundry. To spare me the embarassment you the eye burning.
1. This would be the main culprit in the picture taking. And she left evidence.
2. A strange friendship.

3. No, we are not a drug house. This is a collection of my mints that were apparently hijacked for an experiment?

4. Same mints, new expiriment.

5. I don't have a clue. Why???

6. Again, I know the culprit here. And there were several poses of the book, too.

7. You have no idea how many pics of the monitor I find. I don't know the facination of photgraphing it, but it is an addiction.

8. An addiction only topped by photographing the TV.

9. Again, why?? And I know how did this one, too.

10. Did I mention it is an addiction to photograph the monitor?

11. OK, I lied, here is one of the mess in the house. Did they really want me to see that they colored on the play fridge?

12. I really can't see a reason for this one.

13. This is probably the only one pictured that was not taken by Trinity. Drew took this one of a semi pulling a semi to send to a friend. He sure did a bad job of shooting it.

Midlife Crisis or Getting in Touch With My Inner Goth?

I don't know if you can see the purple and reds in it, but trust me, there is a bit of purple tint to it.

It is quite shocking to people in person, lol. Hope-Anne does a double take every time she looks at me.

Our new Kid

I got the pleasure of adopting a new Cabbage Patch Kid! Cabbage Patch kids are now 25 years old and to celebrate, they have reproduced the original 1983 dolls!

Do you remember when they first came out? I can remember how excited I was about them. I just had to have one for my very own. But they were impossible to find. (sort of like the Wii today)
I was sad that Christmas when I did not get one. If I know my mom at all, and I think I do, she tried hard to find one and couldn't. I did get one later, and I was so thrilled! I remember years of play with my first CPK.
The funny thing is that for this review I received the same style doll I had back then. Such a wonderful treat!
Trinity and Hope-Anne were so anxious to open the box and hold her and smell her wonderful scent.

Finally! Trinity is thrilled to get to hold her for real. I first let Sam hold her but after hugging her he ran off and threw her on the floor. So, then it was Trinity's turn to hold mom's doll.

You can see here how well Sam took that. He had HUGE tears over it. He was quite sad. Look at the red, puffy eyes, so sad!

The new CPK dolls are in stores for a limited time. They are made out of the original molds and are just as cute as they were back then, and they come with a limited edition 25th Anniversary silver spoon to feed your new Kid. Can you believe that since their debut in 1983 they have sold over 115 million dolls?! Amazing!

It was a pleasure to share the excitement of the original dolls with my children. I hope they will one day be able to share the joy with their children.

Go on, make a Cabbage Patch Kid very happy and adopt one!

Nasty (not really)

Yesterday I took Devon and Cody to Wallyworld to finish up school shopping and get pictures taken. (I don't buy the school pics, and Wallyworld is the only place I can get my big 10x13 wall pic)
When I go shopping with just a couple of kids I try to make it special and take them out to eat and actually let them order what they want off the menu instead of the dollar menu. Apparently that flustered Devon, who isn't used to getting to buy what he wants.

I told him to order and he leans forward a bit and says to the gal:

I'll have a big and nasty, please.

Then he starts cracking up! LOL He always accidentally says nasty instead of tasty. The girl didn't bat an eyelash. Turns out, that is what she calls it, too, because she thinks it IS nasty.

First Day of School

Finally school starts back up again. It is a good and sad day. Good because my days are about to get a little more quiet. Sad because the older kids won't be around to help with the little two. That means I get to spend more time chasing after them quality time with them. It is also good that my kids are all going with great attitudes and determination to do well in school. It is sad that today is Kaytlin's last first day of public school.
I had to take pics of their first day back at school. Cody had already escaped, he didn't want to ride the bus, so he left early to walk. I'm sure he will be happy to have missed the pictures.
Here is our morning fun:
Kaytlin trying to make sure she doesn't have chocolate cereal in her braces.

Then a cute shot. Isn't she just too adorable?!?
Then I tried to get Hope-Anne. More goofy shots before a good one. Now I have proof that she DOES roll her eyes at me.

Here is a good shot of my next pretty daughter. We are so blessed!

Then I asked Devon how many stupid shots of him we were gonna get before a good one. So he started playing the camera. Kaytlin apparently didn't get enough attention because she walked right into the first shot.
Then Devon started the posing.

Work it, work it.

Looking back........

(pretend my kitchen isn't a disaster and I don't have last year's winter coats still hung up, m'kay? Thanks!)

Renaissance Festival

Donnie and I decided to finally just do it. We've always wanted to go to the Renaissance Festival. We even used to talk about doing a vow renewal all dressed in costume. Wouldn't that be fun? Not surprisingly, the Renaissance Festival has a free vow renewal weekend, lol. Maybe one day.
It was a hot day yesterday, but it wasn't too bad there. A nice breeze was blowing, and just when I was about to get really, really burnt, some clouds came and stayed over the sun.




The buildings were all themed, of course. It was amazing to walk through the village and check out all the great shops. There were a lot of pottery and wood working shops. If you are a jewelry nut, stay away, because they were every where! It is a good thing I am a major tightwad or I would have parted with a ton of money yesterday.





The costumes were everywhere, of course. This guy was one of the rare ones we could photograph. Not because it wasn't allowed, but because most costumes scorched the inside of our eyelids.
Especially the old guy in the super tight, super sheer, purple tights who wasn't wearing underwear. Or the girl whose top was so low on her size H chest that we couldn't figure out how on earth the top was staying on or covering her, ahem, tips. It was bad.
The guys in tights were bad enough, but then there was this group of "guys" (lets just say they weren't very manly and one I thought was a girl at first) and they were dressed in black leather. Like motorcycle guys. Except the black leather kilt, lol, that was NOT motorcycle-like. One guys pants were specially made to have a pouch out front to show off his stuff. Oh my word.




We did have fun watching the blacksmith work on an arrow head. Donnie has been wanting an anvil for quite a while now, so seeing this did not help matters.
Donnie now wants to take up blacksmithing in our garage.
The guy showed us what happens if you forget which end was in the fire, even after the piece looks cooled off. He touched it to the wooden ceiling beam and instant fire. Totally cool!



Then came the real fun!
Jousting!
This is Sir Victor. He was the knight we were rooting for. (you don't get a choice, you root by where you are sitting)
He actually did the best and it was fun to watch. They could probably use some acting lessons, but the action was so much fun.




Here they are about to joust. One of the lances shattered and actually flew into the crowd! Totally freaky!
Afterwards the knights come out into the crowd to beg for tips answer questions. They did a great job performing so we went over to put some money in Victor's helmet. He was dripping sweat! Nasty!
Donnie thought it was great that Victor checked me out. We argued about it. I knew he looked at my chest, but he was on the bleachers and I wasn't, so there isn't much of a choice in noticing a rather large chest at that angle. I saw it, but what could he do? But Donnie says he kept looking when I walked away. Knucklehead thought it was great. "Ha! The knight checked out MY woman!" Neanderthal.



Then Donnie got to show off his manliness.
Throwing this extremely heavy star shaped axes. He did great. But I was scared silly. I worried the whole time that someone would drop one backwards and kill us. When we were watching the people ahead of us, I hid behind Donnie. I just peaked around his arm a bit.

I think he could get a bit too into this sport if given the chance.

He also did the archery shoot, but their bows are so lame. He shoots all the time, and with his nice bow, I couldn't even understand why he'd want to try that game, but he did.





Then we decided to make an idol of our love. So that our children will always be able to remember it.
We held hands and then burned the crap out of them dipped them in hot wax over and over and over again. The guy who took the wax off was a newbie and did not do a great job. We would have complained and done it over, but we didn't want to go through that again, lol.


Oh, well, we'll always have the memory of burning our hands together.