I'm blind!!!

OK, not blind, but I can't see. I actually cannot see what I am typing right now. I'm a good typist, so I am pretty confidant in it, though. I will have to lean really, really, really, really close to the screen to check for errors before I send it, or have my mom proof it.

"What happened?" you ask?

Well, it all started a couple of days ago. I think. Friday night Samuel slept through the night pretty well, but he didn't really wake up on Saturday. He had a low grade fever and slept the WHOLE day. Yes, the whole day. Then he slept the entire night on Saturday night. Sunday morning he seemed much better, though he was still clingy and a bit on the testy side.

At some point he took a nap for Drew yesterday while us grown-ups were out for lunch, but we aren't sure how long that nap was. But in hind sight it must have been a doozy.

Last night Sam was wired. He ran around playing basketball, chasing the cat, playing and playing until finally at midnight I decided he needed to go to bed even if he didn't seem tired.

Well, he didn't agree. And finally, at around 2:30 I gave up and went to watch a movie with him. Often a movie will put him to sleep. Nope. He climbed all over me, tortured me, fussed and cried and occasionally watched the move and laughed at it.

Pretty soon, time went too fast for me, I had to start the movie again. After giving him a pain killer and some night time Triaminic hoping it would knock his butt out. Nope.

Obviously this was not going to be a good night, so I decided that I may as well sleep on the couch while he climbs all over my face and suffocates me, so I took my glasses off and settled in for as much sleep as the brat would allow.

At 5:05 I woke up to Samuel standing in front of me. And what was he doing? Not suffocating me or pulling me hair or hitting me. Nope, he decided to blind me instead.

That part standing up? Yeah, that is the inside part facing outward and down. (pointing up in the picture, but down if I was trying to wear them.)

And, yes, that is the lens sitting there. I had to wake Donnie up to come find the lens because I cannot see without it. Then we went to bed, no more TV.

Oh, and at 5:17am, he finally went to sleep.

OH, I am so not the only one!

Samuel, my 17 month old child, was playing with his dad's cell phone. He was sitting on my lap and right next to dad, so we were watching for the old 911 trick he likes to pull. He's called 911 twice now. And both times we got calls from the sheriff's department.
Well, he figured out how to turn on the camera on the cell. No problem, kind of funny even. So he took a pic of the floor and coffee table. I was watching him and we were snickering about him doing it when he went to the phone book and had a check mark on my email, Donnie's email, and then one on "all contacts."
I tried to grab it away from him but in his struggle to keep it from me he hit send.
Not even kidding.
See. Here is the pic he emailed to me.

Announcements, Invitations and a Giveaway!

mommysweeps is the winner!! Congratulations!

















My baby graduates from high school this year! Part of me is very sad, and part of me wishes he'd gone last year, but you know, generally I'm sad about it.

I hated the announcements that the school offered. They were ugly. And besides, I don't like being like everyone else. I need something unique, something personal, and something I can buy when I miss the deadline to order through the school.

Dawn at Announcements Galore made this sample up for me to look at. I love it! The quality is fantastic! Dawn was so easy to work with, and anyone who knows me knows that she didn't get this on the first try, lol. I am pretty particular, ok, a pain in the butt, same thing.
I still haven't decided on a date for the open house, or even the location (I'm pretty sure we don't even have a Fireman's banquet hall here), but I have decided where I am going to order the invitations from!
Announcements Galore has a large selection of birth, engagement, wedding announcement cards, graduation invitations, and even moving announcements.

If you order graduation cards you can get 15% off an order of 50 or more with the code 15GRADUATE at checkout now. And, if you order bridal or baby shower invitations before July 1 you will receive a special $20 coupon for the bride or mom-to-be!

Dawn is also offering an amazing $30 gift certificate to one lucky reader! Head over to Announcements Galore and tell me what you would like to order with the gift certificate. Leave the card you would like, though you don't have to order it if you win, in the comments.
I use Prizey Winners, so you don't have to leave an email, but please do leave a unique name for me to announce. Thanks!!
The giveaway ends April 10th.

What happened to my blogging?

I haven't been able to find the time to blog as frequently as I like to blog. But I am trying to remember all the fun stuff so I can blog it! Like just yesterday, Trinity said something that cracked us up!
My mom took the little kids to McDonald's playland the other night when I was at Place of Hope serving, Donnie, Kaytlin and Devon had a concert, so it was just a few kids left for her to feed. Trinity and Sam played and played until their little cheeks were red! (I have got to find my camera cord!) Sam is a little trooper and loves the slides and tubes.
It was so much fun for them. So I encouraged Trinity to go give grandma a hug and thank her for taking her to the playland. Well, grandma was snookered moved by the gratitude enough to decide we needed to go again for lunch.
While I sat knitting and mom reading, the kids played. Soon Trinity came over to the table and said that the green slide hurt her.
Me "Oh, what happened?"
Trin, holding her foot, "The green slide hurt my nipple on my foot."
Me "What?"
Trin "It hurt the yellow nipple on my foot, see?"
Me "Oh, your WART got hurt! Get your foot off the table and put your sock back on."
We got quite the giggle!

Sam is not very interactive compared to my other kids. It kind of makes me sad. He will play with us some, but he doesn't laugh a lot. He is always happy, but rarely laughs, and we've never heard him laugh until he could barely breathe.
Well, mom and I were in the car with him last night and she was putting on gas. I wanted to keep Sam occupied but he kept throwing his toy. My mom had a little mouse puppet that turned out to actually be something that goes over an ice scrapper to protect your hand from the cold. I started to play with the puppet with Sam. The mouse talked to Sam and he was grinning from ear to ear. Then the mouse decided to play Peek-a-boo over the seat and around the seat. Oh, Sam just cracked up! He was squealing with delight every time the mouse would pop up! So the mouse jumped to him and said "Peek-a-boo" and have Sam a hug. Sam nearly busted a gut laughing! Over and over again he laughed and laughed!
When mom got back in the car and Sam was laughing, the mouse was hiding. She asked what he was laughing at, and the mouse popped back out, and so did Sam's belly laugh! We were so amused!

Think outside the blocks

As a homeschooling mom, I am always looking for something that will bring a learning concept "home" to my children's brains. Some of my kids are just way ahead of me in some areas, like math, but some struggle with concepts and I just don't know how to get it to click for them. Often a product will provide that "click" for their learning style.


Playing is often the best way to make the concept stick. When you learn through play, you often do better in school and are often more successful in adult life.


These are called ThinkBlocks. ThinkBlocks are dry-erasable, safe-magnetic, nesting, stacking, towering, hanging, spinning, clumping, & reflecting blocks that are fun to play with & educational.

Let's say you wanted to get multiplication or division concepts down. You would write a number on a big block and try to figure out ways to break it down, or build to it. Say, the number 18. How many 6's are in 18? The child would build sets of 6 with the small blocks and put them in a medium block and write a 6 on the medium block. Now you have 3 sets of 6 and you set those inside the 18 block. That helps them see how sets of numbers make up a number, 3x6=18. The blocks are fun, too, as they magnet together.


You can use the blocks for other concepts, too. Grouping, for instance. What is alive and what isn't? Write objects on the blocks and have them sort them into the big blocks that say "alive" "not alive." Or group animals by mammals, reptiles, etc.

I really think these blocks would be great for a special ed teacher and even counsellors. A counsellor would be able to use them to help work through situations that are confusing, or to clarify what is OK and what is not.

Here is a video of how they can be used.

You can also find videos of the other uses for ThinkBlocks on their website.

4 miles is NOT going to happen

I had some errands to run today, so I thought I would walk them for my exercise plan. Not that I have any intention of ever walking 4 miles, unless it is shopping at the Mall of America.
I also decided to increase the aerobic benefit by wearing Sam in a wrap.
First mistake was deciding to walk at all, but walking in snow boots carrying a toddler wasn't smart. And then I didn't wear him on my hip so he could see where we were going, so he constantly twisted to see this side and that.
But I did walk. I walked about a block and a half to a nursing home to drop off some applications for the kids. Then I walked two blocks further and stopped at an insurance place to get some quotes. (insuring teens is insane!) From there I walked about 3 more blocks to the bank. (or maybe it was only 1 block, but it felt like 3) Then I had to get back home, about 3 blocks.
I was not loving it, I can tell you that much.
It is outside. Big strike against it. It is exercise, another big strike. And it wore me out!

I don't know why he picked 4 miles, my friend The Token Old Lady was only told 3 miles by the same doc.

My pastor started a blog! You should all go welcome him to the blogging world. Birding Pastor.

I'm off to bring some teens to a homeless shelter or something. I haven't been there, but they needed a chaperon and I am available. Should be fun. Usually my kids go, but so far none of them are going today. Apparently when the band Skillet is in town everything else can wait.

What kind of good news is that?

I went to the doctor today for some female issues I've been having. Oh, how I hoped it wasn't perimenopause or anything like that!
The good news is that I am just getting old. Aging ovaries basically.
Gee, that's good news?
Well, at least it isn't menopause, but really, what's the difference? I'm getting old either way.

How can I make things better?

Walk 4 miles a day. Every day. That was his solution for everything that ails me. Depression, weight, nausea, irregular cycles, pain. Whatever, just exercise. Ok, the pain he said I should try a chiropractor first, because anything he would give me would not be good if I ended up pregnant. So I could only take it from period to just before ovulation. And what good is that?

OK, maybe I will try the working out thing. But 4 miles is a bit excessive.

Family Squeeze~ a review and giveaway!

Family Squeeze is a funny book written by Phil Callaway.
Summary:
You’re in the “Middle Ages”–sandwiched between the “greatest generation” and the “gimme” generations, busily juggling both with no relief in sight. Children are driving, and parents are not. Money is tight and so are your favorite jeans. And things that never ached before are beginning to give you trouble! For every baby boomer who wonders if it’s possible to navigate the Middle Ages with grace and style, Phil Callaway offers plenty of hope and a little hilarity, too. Because there’s nothing like a smile to make wrinkles less noticeable.

I wanted to be a part of this tour because I am sandwiched between generations right now. My mom is living with me and my kids are still at home, lol. Money is tight, but my favorite jeans are tighter. I am going to feature a guest reviewer for this book, however. My mom, Pauline.

What a great book! I love a book that makes me laugh or makes me cry - and
this book did both. In the beginning I laughed at all the mental images
that Mr. Callaway nudged from my memories of raising teenagers - I kept wanting
people to read this part - oh, read this part. Then we came to the dreaded
"aging parents" and I realized how close I'm getting to being that aging parent
who needs constant supervision. (I still get lost in my daughter's
house) Mr. Callaway brought me tears with his poignant revelations of
losing his parents - first to dementia or alzheimers and then to the Lord.
I would recommend this book to all of my friends and their children. I will read
it again!

Author Bio:
Described as “Dave Barry with a message,” author, speaker, and television host Phil Callaway has written twenty books, many of them bestsellers and is a popular speaker at conferences, camps and marriage retreats, coaxing laughter and tears from audiences worldwide. Of his personal accomplishments he rates the following highest: shutting off the TV to listen to his children’s questions (twice), taking out the garbage without being told (once), and convincing his high school sweetheart Ramona to marry him (once).

You can purchase Family Squeeze at Amazon for $11.89.

But, you can enter to win a copy RIGHT HERE!! That's right, I have a copy to give to one lucky reader!
Just leave a comment on this post by March 31. Where are you in the Family Squeeze? Are you the aging generation? Are you the middle ager? Are you the kiddo? I am smack dab in the middle, and I kind of like it, though I am just about to the point of looking forward to grandchildren. (in about 5-10 years)
You do not have to leave an email address if you use Prizey Winners, because I will post the winner there. Please leave a unique nickname, and an email if you prefer that method of being contacted.

The Looney Bin

OK, so most of you know that I call my mom's side of the family The Loony Bin. And they are, and yes, Aunt Gwen, I do know that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I attribute my blogging success to just that trait.
Well, today I found proof of just how wide-spread that looniness is.
A distant, distant cousin is apparently keeping a book of all of our families. I have never even heard of him, or his parents, grandparents, etc. I have no idea who he is or that he was doing it.
In those logs he recorded that, back when I had 5 kids, I was in some sort of fanatical religion (possible wrote a cult, I didn't read it yet) and that because of those beliefs I wouldn't allow my mom to visit my children because she was divorced so many times.



(crickets chirping)



I don't know where he heard that. My mom has no idea where on earth that came from. She was blown away. I have never kept my kids from her. I, at one time, didn't allow them to sleep over at her house while her teenage son was there because I didn't like how mean he was to them. I don't know how that turned into what he reported.

I really have no idea where he got this idea. And this is one of two remarks he has made that he does not reveal the source of the information. He never checks the source for the truth, apparently. So I feel that I couldn't trust anything in his records. He is going to remove it, though. He leaves out the part about one of our relatives being one of the very first sex change operations many, many years ago. She (formerly he) is now an artist on the East Coast, or was before she got really old. Apparently the family announced him as dead when he had the surgery.

Weird, huh? And that is just the tip of the loony that is my family.

Oops!

Not only does my mom live with me, she reads my blog. So I have to keep it kind of, umm, clean?? Whatever! I have 7 kids, she knows how they are made, lol!

So last night Samuel was not sleeping in our bed, which is a rare thing, indeed. I had Donnie get Trinity to bed so she wouldn't bug Hope-Anne, which would have them both coming up and down the stairs tattling for 20 minutes or more. I shut down the lights and the computers and readied the house for the night.
As I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed I decided we should take advantage of Samuel not being in our bed. I ditched my clothes and slipped into my dark room. I got into the bed and slid over to Donnie......... nothing. The bed was empty. Empty.
Where is he? Everyone is in bed. He didn't say he was going anywhere. I got dressed and started hunting for him.
Unfortunately, I had sent a pushover to put a 4 year old to bed. Sure enough, I found him in her bed reading book after book after book.

Happy Resurrection Day!

We had a nice day today. On Easter Sunday our youth group holds a fundraiser breakfast. They raised over $950!!! And one teen always gets additional pledges for eating pancakes, he earned $300, and he applies that for scholarships for a special trip.
My mom and Donnie's mom skipped church to take care of Sam, who wasn't feeling well. My mom did a lot of the cooking for our dinner, and that was a nice load off of me. Sam has an ear infection and a runny nose. On top of that all he is teething his molars, so he has lovely diapers, too. Super fun!

We hid the baskets good. Really good. But it turns out we didn't need to hide Kaytlin's as well as we did. It took her 20 minutes to come across Trinity's and even longer to come across Sam's, lol, and if she can't find the super easy ones, well, we needed to go a bit easier on her. We had to give hints to all the older 3. We also hid a gold and a silver egg with money in them. They didn't find those easily either.

We learned a great new game, too. It is called Imaginiff. Not as funny as Quelf, but at least the teens like to play it with us. We played it twice tonight! You roll to see whose name you are using and then you pick a card and put that persons name in it. Imagine if Drew were a shoe, what kind would he be? And then there is a list of 6 shoes. The most matching answers win and go ahead. Going backwards is rare, so everyone really has a great chance to win. And some are so funny!

I have a great pic of the kids, but I can't find the camera cord since my monitor died and a gigantic, ancient monitor replaced my super trim flat screen. Now I think it is under it, but I can't lift it.

I got sick of the virtual school Cody was in and put him in real public school starting tomorrow. I don't find virtual online school to be virtual or online when it is just me homeschooling him and someone else being paid to teach him. He really wouldn't work well for me, either, and I am sick of fighting him. I'm sick of the computer not working, which it isn't most of the time. Tomorrow marks Cody's end of homeschooling, I am not doing it again with him.

My mom has a phone interview tomorrow, too. I am very hopeful for that for her. It is really a long, long drive for her, but it is well worth it, and they sought her out, she hadn't even applied. They found her on monster.com.

Not much else going on, though. I hope everyone had a wonderful Resurrection day!

Thursday Thirteen #54

I decided it was time to bring the TT back. I've been too busy, but TT is just too much fun and I want to play again. So, housework can wait, children can watch TV; I am playing TT today!

Since this is the beginning of a Holy time, I thought I would pick 13 things from the Lutheran Handbook for TT (probably written for preteens). This is an actual manual for Lutheran kids. Not kidding.

1. How to Survive For One Hour in an Un-Air-Conditioned Church: Plan ahead (sit near a fan or window), Maintain your distance from others to avoid body heat, Avoid acolyte or choir because of the robes, PRAY like Jesus did in the desert for 40 days, and use your bulletin as a fan.

2. How to Sin a Praise Song: Watch Out for raised hands. Some Lutherans emote while singing contemporary Christian songs and may suddenly raise their hands in praise to God. Be sure to give these worshipers plenty of room to avoid losing your eyeglasses.

3. How to respond to a disruption during service: Some people may perceive tennis shoes with light-up soles on acolytes and other worship assistants to be disruptive. If possible, coordinate the color of the shoe lights with the season of the church year to avoid undue flak.

4. How to stay alert in church: Arrive early and find the coffee pot. If all else fails, consider pinching yourself. Dig your nails into the fleshy part of your arm or leg, pinch yourself, bite down on your tongue with moderate pressure. Try not to cry out.

5. What to bring to a church potluck (by region): ask yourself 3 questions: Is this dish mostly meat-free? Can this dish be served with a spoon or salad tongs? Can it be served chilled? If the answer is yes, consider the dish a potluck-eligible salad.
The Casserole: Starch: East Coast: pasta or rice pilaf. Midwest: rice, potatoes, noodles, or more rice. South: Grits. Southwest: black, red, or pinto beans. West coast: tofu.
and is just goes on from there, super funny!

6. How to Avoid getting burned at the stake: Avoid public heresy. Avoid practicing witchcraft. Avoid getting nabbed in a political uprising. Be Aware if you find yourself in a situation where being burned at the stake poses an imminent threat, try wearing flame-retardant material. If there is no escape, request dry wood and plenty of dry kindling. Green wood burns slower, smokier, and at lower temperatures, causing a more painful death.

7. How to identify a genuine miracle: Disregard most minor situations (finding your lost keys does not necessarily constitute a miracle). Look for a lack of predictability, miracles tend to occur out of the blue.

8. How to Confess Your Sins and Receive Forgiveness: Avoid making up sins. More important than facts and figures is a spirit of repentance in your heart.

9. How to Resist Temptation: Run the other direction. Laugh at the tempter. Tell the Devil to go back to Hell. Martin Luther also used to tell people to commit a smaller sin to remind yourself that Jesus came specifically to save YOU from sin. (I personally think this is horrid, ALL sins caused Jesus' death, none are greater than another in God's eyes.)

10. How to banish the Devil from your Presence: Laugh out loud, the devil hates it. BREAK WIND. The devil, and anyone else in the room, might well leave you alone. (this is one of Martin Luther's favorites.)

11. Top 10 Bible Villains: #10 God's People: They whine, they sin, they turn their backs on God. When given freedom they blow it. When given a savior they kill him.

12. The Seven Funniest Bible Stories: David ambushes Saul in a cave while he's going to the bathroom. 1 Samuel 24:2-7

13. The Five Weirdest Laws in the Old Testament: 1. When an ox gores a man or woman, the ox shall be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall not be liable Exodus 21:28 2. The "no kid boiling" law. "you shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk" Ex. 23:19. Obviously a baby goat.

Experiencing the Resurrection~ Review and giveaway!

With Easter right around the corner thoughts stray to the meaning of this holiday. We prefer to call it Resurrection Sunday instead of Easter.
Keeping the resurrection, and what it means to you and your life, in the forefront of your mind is not always an easy thing to do. Do we even fully understand what it means for us, and how to experience it daily?

Henry and Melvin Blackaby wrote Experiencing the Resurrection so that we could know what it means and experience it in our daily lives.

Every Christian needs to know this information, but this book is also so easy for someone who is wanting to understand Christianity to read. The illustrations and examples reach inside of you and help you relate experientially to what the authors are trying to tell you.
I think this would be a great book to give to someone you are mentoring, or someone who just doesn't get it but is seeking. New Christians would also find this book of great value and encouragement.

Book Description
Experience the powerful reality of Christ’s resurrection in your life. Moment by moment, day by day. Two thousand years ago, God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. But that isn’t a mere historical event. It isn’t simply a theological doctrine. It is rather a “huge moment” that reverberates powerfully and meaningfully throughout history. Even today. Even in your life.
When God raised Jesus, He also made it possible for Christ’s life to reign eternally in His followers. The resurrection is the foundation of your total freedom and complete victory in Christ. And so it is an event–an experience–that’s worthy of your daily celebration.

Experiencing the Resurrection is the second in a groundbreaking trilogy by the world-renowned spiritual leader Dr. Henry Blackaby and his son, Dr. Melvin Blackaby, that guides you into experiencing the gospel of Christ in its fullness. In this book they offer you a deeper understanding of the glorious, joyous dimensions of the resurrection, with the goal of revealing the living Lord at work in your daily life.
This is the first step to fully knowing and experiencing the peace, joy, power, purpose, and confidence that God promises you through the resurrection of His Son.

About the Authors
Dr. Henry Blackaby, president of Blackaby Ministries International, is the author of more than a dozen books, including the classic Experiencing God. Dr. Blackaby has spent his life in ministry, serving as a church planter, pastor, and missionary. Henry and his wife, Marilynn, have five grown children.
Dr. Melvin Blackaby coauthored with his father, Henry, the Gold Medallion-winner Experiencing God Together . Traveling extensively as a conference speaker, Mel's first love is the pastorate. He serves as senior pastor of Bow Valley Baptist Church in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, where he lives with his wife, Gina, and their three children.

Would you like to win a hardcover copy of Experiencing the Resurrection?
Leave a comment on this post by March 25th.
My postage paid envelope is only good for the US, so I will have to restrict entrants to the US.
Leave a way to contact you, or leave a unique nickname in the comment and you can find the winner on Prizey winners.

Spring Break!

It is spring break here in Minnesota and wouldn't you know it but we got a couple inches of snow.
My camera cord went missing with my monitor dying, so I can't put a pic up yet. (my old monitor that we switched to is so huge that I can't pick it up to check for the cord)


On Saturday, my mom and I went shopping, and for lunch we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings, one of my favorite places to eat. My mom ordered their blue cheese hamburger that is made with Black Angus beef. Oh, it was pure joy to eat! (I ate half) I told Donnie that it was so good that it made the wings taste like garbage. And we LOVE the wings.

A couple at our church raise Black Angus, so we asked them if we could buy a 1/4 from them, and they happened to have one butchered already, so we got it on Sunday. Let me tell you, I can't imagine buying beef from a store again. We had hamburgers from it last night and even Trinity ate it. Super delicious! We are now spoiled. But the price wasn't bad at all, either. I am pretty sure we saved money over the store.



Sam has been a little stinker lately. As I clean the house I find his diapers everywhere. He takes them off all the time. And not just to take them off, he takes them off so he can go to the bathroom. Little turd! So I decided it is time to take out the potty seat. He did sit on it for a moment, but I am not sure that he is impressed with it. I'll be chasing him down for a few days to try to catch him going and see if he gets it. We've been using the big potty with him since he was a few months old, but he hates sitting on the seaton the big pot and tries sticking his feet in the toilet. We'll try the little potty for awhile.

The bug is gone!

I know the bugs will be coming back soon with the upcoming spring weather, but the bug in my computer seems to be gone now!
I couldn't get on my email yesterday on my computer. I could get around the web, but not in my msn account. And it was just my computer, because I could do it on my son's computer. (it was running too slow and annoying me, so I didn't get much work done.)
Donnie fixed things for me today, though, so I am happy again!
And the sickies seem to be gone, and I am really hoping it is true! I was a little nauseated last night, but it seemed different and I was really tired, so I am hoping I am better now. We'll see.

Friday night was Ladies Night Out! Always fun, of course! Sarah at Sassyfrazz highlighted my hair, and Jody's. I love it! I would take a pic, but my mom took pics of the evening, so I want to wait and show them all. When I got home and Donnie saw my hair he said "It's different." Not smart. So when he showed me his new cowboy hat I had the same response. "It's different."
It was different! When he came home from work on Saturday Trinity saw it for the first time. She got excited and said "Daddy, did you ride horses???!!!" He said no, he hadn't been riding horses. She looked at me and said quietly "I think he was riding horses."

Saturday Donnie left his computer at home, so I had to drive an hour to his work to bring it to him. I figured I might as well get some shopping done that I planned to do later since I was going by the shopping area. I was gone from 9am-5pm!!! Oh, my feet were SO sore. Cody is going back to mainstream public school instead of online public school. It got so frustrating because we so often couldn't get the computer to work with the website and it wasn't actually online school. It was really me homeschooling and them getting paid. If I am going to homeschool, I am doing it MY way, not someone else's way, especially since their way didn't work half the time.
I bought new pants and shirts for Cody and Devon, that was fun. Plus some crafty stuff for me and mom.
When we got home after that long, long day of shopping Sam came running to see who was coming in the house. He saw me, his face lit up, then he kept looking and saw my mom and he said "Maama" and ran to her. He was happy to see me, too, though. He put one arm around her neck and then the other arm around mine and sat and grinned and grinned as we kissed his cheeks and he held us there, lol. He knows when he has a good thing going.

Cha cha changes...

Yesterday I rearranged my living room! OK, I arranged it back to the way it is supposed to be. We changed it to fit the Christmas tree and haven't changed it back. We tried some other things and it just didn't work. It really stopped working when we moved the kids' rooms around because there isn't room for toys in their rooms, and Sam doesn't really have a room yet.
Now I have the back half of my living room as a computer/toy room again. (I have an enormous living room)

We also are revamping our chore list. The kids didn't like having to do a chore of their choosing each day, and rarely did it without me having to hunt them down and hunt them down and hunt them down, and then drag them out of bed and have a screaming match with them. They felt they should have a detailed list and there should be punishments instead of yelling. I say there should be finished chores and there would be no yelling.
And there was a lot of disrespect from some of our kids. Teens thinking they should be able to not do chores and then not be yelled at and if they are, then they should be able to yell back and smart mouth. Yeppers, that isn't flying.
So yesterday Donnie came home from work early and laid down the law. They are not to disrespect HIS wife. And they are going to do their chores before he gets up the next day or they are grounded for a day AND lose a part of their allowance. He is going to run it military style. Read the list yourself, do it yourself, or get punished. Period. No arguments. He doesn't care if they have sporting events until 11pm, they still have to get the chore done. Homework? Too bad. Get the chore done. See, I tried to work with all that, and they didn't like it. They crapped on me for over a year. He is done. They can, however, approach Donnie in advance if they will be unable to do a chore, and they can work something out. If they don't work something out, then it WILL be done.

Donnie also won't let me argue with them. He says to just keep repeating DO IT. Not argue that the last three times they said they'd do it when the got home they didn't do it. Just say no, do it now.

What hasn't changed is that I am STILL sick. I've felt nauseated for 13 days now. Nothing else, just nauseated. And no, it is not a pregnancy. At least according to the 8 pregnancy tests I've taken. Oh, come on, you'd take that many too, if you were this nauseated, lol.

Tell me the pain is worth it.

Parenting is the most painful job I know of.
Sometimes I just hate doing it. Or more that I hate that there are things that are far beyond me and I just don't know what to do. Why does God give us kids that we don't instinctively know how to raise? LOL Shouldn't we just KNOW what to do? We have to do things on the spot, and it is often so unpredictable that you just can't be prepared.
Throw in a brain injury, a disability, or some other thing and things are really thrown for a loop. Especially if you have something that there isn't a book for.

I know that it is worth it. I just don't feel like that today.

It could be that we prayed about the whole respect issue this morning, and then the big blowout today. It usually works that way. I'm still looking for the insight on it.

Do you ever want to quit being a mom?

Oh, Baby Einstein!

Mom Central sent me this DVD 3 months and up. I think it should be more like 6 months, though.

Sam is a cartoon man, and much prefers his entertainment to come from that route. However, baby einstein isn't a "babysitter," it is meant to be watched with your child. Sam was willing to watch this is parts. He is 16 months old and watching this video was the very first time he was willing to touch his nose. We've been trying to get him to do that for months! But watching babies do it inspired him to do it. Monkey see, monkey do? I think his favorite part was a kangaroo playing peek-a-boo. All the peek-a-parts got him smiling.

The kids in the video were doing all sorts of activities from crawling and sitting to jumping and dancing. Some of it Sam wasn't interested in, but he did join in and jump and shake and dance.

Baby's First Moves is like an interactive book, but it is more than that, too.

There has been some controversy about children watching TV before they are 2. I know Baby Einstein has not been immune to criticism in that area. Parents are qualified to make their own decisions about letting their children watch TV. The quality and the quantity are really up to the parents. I should have some pretty horrendous children if all the experts were right about too much early TV or too much TV in general causing problems. But I have very smart, very well behaved children. I believe there is much more to your children's behavior than television.

Baby's First Moves is a fun DVD to help motivate your little one to get active to have some fun, structured play time. It is available at Amazon HERE. I would like to get their DVD Baby's First Signs next, that is something we are working on.

Got Organic Milk? Review and giveaway!

Update*** Winner is Laura of A Day in the Life of a Mom of Six! Congratulations, Laura!

Did you guys know it is Brain Awareness Week? Well, it is. And
since it is Brain Awareness Week, I must acknowledge it and celebrate
it with nothing less than a giveaway! Oh, you know me, I love giving things away
almost as much as I love winning them!
I recently got to try a sample of Horizon Organics Plus with DHA. DHA is important for brain health. It is highly recommend for pregnant women and young children.

Can you just imagine being able to get DHA in your child's diet without force feeding them fish? I KNOW! Amazing, huh? But it is now in milk. But not just any milk, ORGANIC milk!

I am not a huge organic freak, despite my many crunchy ways, but I am not happy with the things put into the cows, like growth hormones and antibiotics. I don't want that stuff going into my growing children's bodies.

The government has decided that many of us are just too dumb to make our own decisions and have forbidden labeling of milk products stating that they don't have the growth hormone in many states. Mine included.
Horizon Organics Plus with DHA does not have those bad products in them. Their website states:

All Horizon Organic® dairy products are certified organic and meet the strictest
USDA organic standards. That means they're produced with no antibiotics, no
added growth hormones and no dangerous pesticides.

I don't drink milk at all. So my family did the taste-testing for me. Everyone said the milk was the same except for Donnie and Drew. They both said it definitely had a different taste. Drew wasn't fond of the difference, but said it wasn't bad. Donnie absolutely LOVED it and wants me to keep buying it.

Horizon has a whole line of organic products from milk and cream to cheese and eggs and Devon's favorite: Egg Nog.

I am very excited about the addition of DHA because it is so important to growing brains, but it is also vital for aging brains. It has been found to help the nervous system and the retina of the eye and help promote heart health.
Check out their website for more information, recipes and fun activities for the kids.

So what am I giving away? Milk, of course! Horizon Organics Plus with DHA. I have 3 coupons for free cartons of Horizon Organics Plus with DHA! I am going to give all 3 coupons to one person.

Leave a comment to be entered. The giveaway ends with the end of Brain Awareness Week on March 16th.
I will announce the winner on Prizey Winners, so you do not have to leave an email, but you do need to leave a nick name that is unique to identify you.
Just for fun, what is the price of milk in your area? It is around $4 a gallon here!

It's time for a treasure hunt!

Last week Cody, Hope-Anne and Trinity received a trio of letters from Gunther the dragon. They had to solve a mystery and follow clues. He even mentioned a local park they love and a game we own.
Ok, so I told Gunther a few things, but he was still pretty smart! At the end of the 3 letters the kids had the clues and knew where to search for their package. Which I had hidden.
Giftventure is a company that makes treasure hunts with many themes to choose from in order to make gift giving more fun and last longer. Often kids lose interest in gifts, but the hunt is so much fun! Giftventure is such a great idea! If you are with the children, it is easy to do, but if you don't live near them, you would have to arrange with someone to hide the package.

The series of clues build off each other and it wasn't immediately easy for them to figure out, even with Cody being 12. But it wasn't overly hard, either. A younger child would love to work with a parent or sibling to find the treasure. The best ages for this treasure hunt are 4-12.
I got all 3 letters at the same time so I could control the days the kids got them and when they found the package. The wanted the next clue right away. No can do!
Every day they begged me for another clue! They really enjoyed it.
The gift doesn't have to be a big deal, a coupon for a story reading, a treat, anything! I left money with a note for the kids to go to the Dairy Queen for a treat. Oh, they were so excited to find it and then get to continue on the adventure to the DQ.

Wouldn't it make the whole Easter Basket hunt more fun if they had clues leading to it for several days? Giftventure has a new Easter Adventure to enhance the fun.

Giftventure is giving 10% off to readers who make a purchase during the month of March! Use the code MOMCENTRAL. The Easter Bunny story needs to be ordered by March 14. The code is good on all stories and through the whole month.