Can't keep up

We had Christmas Tuesday morning because it was Tony's day off. I hardly got any sleep the night before because I was wrapping presents and made a 2 am run to Walmart for stocking stuffers. I kept trying to clean up after the boys but I couldn't keep up with them. We had two friends stop by Tuesday who got to see all the aftermath. Tuesday evening Tony, the two youngest and I went out because the three oldest were spending the night at some friends' houses. So I still didn't get to clean up. Yesterday I had people stopping by to drop off kids and presents. One of them knocked and knocked but I was taking a nap with the youngest three while the oldest two were still gone. Koen just broke in to the basement window and then they came in and I woke up totally embarrassed. So it should be clean by now but it isn't. I am totally worn out. I have a huge headache that won't go away. It's probably from lack of sleep because I try to go to bed at a decent hour but then I just lay there totally exhausted but not able to sleep. Then I doze off only to have horrible nightmares that wake me up to where I stay up for a couple more hours. Then I wake up and take care of the boys. So why am I writing on my blog instead of cleaning? I don't know, but I guess I better get to it, huh? So here I go to clean up. Wish me luck.

Here We Come A-Caroling

Tonight I went caroling with the ward choir. This was not easy for me. I had to take all my kids with me and my brakes are going out so I couldn't drive all over the place. I thought about not going but I knew the choir needed me. I ended up being the only alto there. I was also assigned to bring cookies and the cocoa mix. So I drove there, switched all the car seats over to a nice gentleman in the ward's minivan and took them with me to the assisted living home and to the nursing home where we caroled. The boys were not too bad and Taygan only got a little fussy during the singing. Afterwards we went back to church for hot chocolate and cookies. I had to switch all the car seats back to my van and then get all the kids ready to go. The choir director thanked me for coming and said that he understood it was hard for me to drag all the kids along with me. That reminds me. The brother who drove us around tonight kept saying things like, "I remember lugging children around." and "I don't think we ever had car seats in this van before." He also told me the following story.
One day his sons got into some moth balls. The mom and dad rushed them to the hospital where they gave them the charcoal. When all seemed okay they left for home. On the way home they both began to projectile vomit and had explosive diarrhea. He said it just got absolutely everywhere. So I guess things could be worse than taking your children caroling, huh?
It really wasn't that bad. I think last year was worse because we went out in below zero weather and I had to leave the kids in the van every time we went to a different house. I was frozen and the kids were bored to death. I'm glad we didn't do that again.

My Holiday Meme

I think anyone who reads this has already read someone elses first so you know what I did

The last time I went caroling-is tonight with the ward choir

My favorite Drink in the winter is- boiled custard

My favorite holiday meal is- ham, cheesy potatoes, and pie

I think fruit cake- is nice to look at.

One tradition we had growing up- was singing that mistletoe song when we hung it in the doorway.

One tradition we have now- is making sugar cookies during the holiday season.

I get my Christmas tree from- the basement. We got it 3 years ago from a friend.

On Christmas Eve I/we usually- read Luke 2 to the kids.

On Christmas morning I/we wake up- early and open presents.

One special thing I make at Christmas time is- cinnamon glazed nuts.

My Favorite Christmas song is- What Child is This, but I also love Silver Bells

Every Christmas- we go to my in laws to open gifts with them.

I hang my stockings- along the bottom of the stairs.

Something I look forward to at Christmas time is- the movies.

My favorite thing about the holidays- is how people act a little nicer.

Something I want to start incorporating is- putting up a nativity scene.

Singing

Tonight I sang a duet at the Stake Christmas thingy. I was sitting in the very back row near the exit and had my boys sitting on the couch in the foyer so I could keep my eyes on them. We were the second performance so I went up there and left my boys in the hall. While I was singing I saw all the boys come in to watch me. I already had a hard time not crying every time I practiced this song but then you add actually performing it and then having my boys come in like little angels following the voice of their mother I thought I was going to lose it. I stayed strong and just teared up a little and I had my voice crack only twice. After I sat down Eades came up and said, "You sang beautiful Mom. I mean, I was amazed. I didn't even know." It was so cute.

Interviews

I realized I haven't done any interviews this year with the kids. I'll start with Dougan.

Me: Do you like to go to school?

Dougan: I like it a little bit but it's a little hard playing.

Me: What do you like best about it?

Dougan: Playing and doing things.

Me: Do you like your brothers and sister?

Dougan: I like Koen Eades and Taygan but maybe not Brandis, there you go.

Me: What's your favorite thing to eat?

Dougan: Pancakes and rolls and I like to smell roses

Me: What's your favorite thing to do?

Dougan: Play buildings

Me: Do you like all these questions?

Dougan: Uh, I like them a little bit, I do, and Yes.

Me: What do you love most in the whole world?

Dougan: You

Me: Do you want me to stop asking questions?

Dougan: Yeah um, I mean no.

Me: What other question do you want me to ask?

Dougan: I want you to ask me about glow sticks

Me: Do you like glow sticks?

Dougan: Yes

Me: Okay Dougan, thank you.

Dougan: What does that say on the computer?

Me: It says, "what does that say on the computer?

That was Dougan. He really does like Brandis, he was just being silly. He's four years old and he likes to sing and dance. Dougan is really smart and he loves preschool. We love having Dougan around because he is almost always happy and he has a love to share.

The Very Exciting Day

The day started with my alarm going off. I immediately went to the t.v. to see if we had school or not. School was cancelled. I wanted to go back to sleep but the boys all woke up and were ready to watch cartoons. So I decided to go to the store and get donuts and orange juice. We ate breakfast and dealt with some donut drama. Apparently a chocolate long john is way better than a caramel long john and nobody was willing to take the later. We then went on with our lazy day. The baby was taking a nap so I used my prime shower time wisely and hopped in. I got out and was blow drying my hair when I heard a great crack. I ran into the boys room to see glass shattered everywhere and two little boys standing there staring at it. I carried them both out of the way, quickly looked them over, grabbed a box and began picking up the glass. Tony then showed up with the shop vac and finished cleaning it up. It turns out Koen sat on our glass table in there and that's what broke. He felt really bad and was crying not because he was hurt but because it scared him so bad and because it was so overwhelming with all that broken glass everywhere. We calmed him down and then I started lunch for the boys. I had to go to church then to practice a duet for Saturday.
When I got back I thought my eventful day was pretty much over. After a couple hours of calm Eades runs down the stairs and tells me the toilet is leaking. I run upstairs plunge the toilet and start soaking up the water. Then I see the shop vac and get rid of all the glass that was in it and make it wet ready. I clean up all the water and wished I would have seen it before I threw blankets into the water because now I have soaking wet blankets to clean up too. As I go downstairs the boys are freaking out in the kitchen. The water was leaking through. I start grabbing paper towels and cleaning up that mess. Unfortunately it got all over my stove, my pots and pans, my blender, my baking containers, and just everywhere. Now I have a ton of things to wash.
Luckily after things calmed down a bit my sister Ruth called and I got to just relax and talk for awhile on the phone. Now it's night time and the boys are all quiet and we can go to bed. I'm kind of hoping that we don't have a snow day tomorrow after the day we had today. It's just too much excitement for me anymore.

Fun Fun Fun

I was trying to think of anything fun that was happening to blog about. Again I realized how boring my life is. We're going through another round of colds again. We had a great Thanksgiving. We decorated for Christmas. Then it was back to school. I had doctors appointments today for the two youngest. We met with a new doctor who I really like. We changed insurance so I could have picked a local doctor but I couldn't get the one I wanted so I decided to stay with my old office because they are pretty good too. My usual doctor didn't have any openings so we met with someone else. I might just keep going to her now. I don't mean anything bad about my old one. He is a great doctor and very friendly but nothing was a big deal to him. The one I saw today really listened and seemed to understand my concerns. I like those kinds of doctors and teachers for that matter. Tomorrow is our ward Christmas party and then the two oldest will spend the night at a friends house. I know they'll have a lot of fun. They've been looking forward to it for weeks. Gosh, like I said, really boring, right?

Pictures

I never knew how hard it was to get a decent picture of five kids. Last week I got the kids all haircuted and dressed up for Christmas pictures. It seemed every time we were able to get the boys to smile the baby was crying. We ended up with a choice of only five shots. I was fairly disappointed so I found two that I didn't hate and took those but then I scheduled another sitting with another studio. Tonight we went for round two. I didn't think we could do any worse than the first time but I was horribly wrong. This time there really weren't any that a normal person would like but I had to get one, so I chose the least horrible. Now I know why we never did Christmas pictures before. So when you get your picture of the kids and you think, huh? Just remember that it was the best one we got.

Holidays

The holidays are coming and I am way excited. I am trying to get my house ready to decorate and I've been picking things up here and there at the stores to make sure I can make everything beautiful. We just had a Christmas Tree Shops go up in our area and it was really fun picking up some stuff there. So I think I have everything thing I need to make my house look Christmasy except I might want to buy more lights. I love Christmas lights. I also have all my gifts for my family. Now I just need to get my cards out but I want to wait till after Thanksgiving for that. I can't wait for caroling and all of that. I'll take pictures after everything is up and then you can even see all the painting I've done in the house. I need new curtains though. Hmmmm. I wonder if I can make new curtains by Thanksgiving. Maybe if I get some help.

I'm done with my dare.

So it's been thirty days since my last blog. I've already went through a few of your blogs that I missed. Not much has happened to me this past month that would have merited writing anyway. The last couple of days though have given me something to write about. On Sunday I remembered that I had bought a pair of thinning shears. So after church I was kind of playing around with them. I wasn't very brave so I was just doing little pieces at the bottom. Then I came downstairs for awhile when I finally got the courage to really use them. I went upstairs and grabbed the scissors and grabbed a big chunk right above my chin and started cutting. Suddenly I realized I had grabbed Tony's haircutting scissors. I screamed, I cried. I was in shock. What had I just done. The boys ran upstairs to see me looking at the damage. I've been wearing my hair up in pony tails since then because I can't decide if I want to go get my hair cut really short or if I just want to always have my hair up for a year.
Yesterday morning I was getting the boys ready for school and Dougan said that my eye was red. I figured I must have been tired. I got myself and the two little ones ready to go and then we got in the van to run errands. As I looked in the rear view window I saw a big red spot in my eye. I pulled back into the driveway, got the kids out and went to WebMD. It said that I just had a burst blood vessel. It will probably go away in a few days. Today the blood is kind of spreading out so now instead of just one spot it looks more like pink eye.
Okay, so that's pretty much all the interesting stuff. Other than that I've been doing a lot more baking. I've painted some of the house, I moved the fish over to a different tank and I've done some Christmas shopping.

Internet Challenge

I have been challenged to go without the internet for a whole month. I think I can do it. I will cut out facebook, this blog, email, and any games or any of that stuff. Everything else will just be on a need basis. I like to check my bank balance everyday, so I think I should still be allowed to do that. I think if I also have something that I need to look up like maybe a map or get info about something that should be allowed too. I will try my best to not use it at all. I guess I don't have to check my bank balance everyday. So today will be my last day for the month. I'll be back Nov. 17th. That means no more blogs, no more comments, no more status changes, no more emails. Since I'm starting tomorrow that means I get to still do it today, so today I will be on probably till midnight. ha ha ha.

I've challenged myself before with other things. I've done chocolate and pop. Both of those were fairly easy. I know this one will be very hard especially at the beginning. The more I think about it the more I don't want to get on the internet at all for the whole month. That way I'll feel like I really accomplished something at the end. Otherwise I might feel like I cheated a bit. I suppose if I really need something I could call somebody and have them look something up for me, right?

Okay, I'll go a month without getting on the internet. Now, I'm not doing this because I think the internet is bad. Not anymore than chocolate. I'm just doing it to get a different perspective and to prove that I am not addicted to it. After all, the internet is a very good thing. It keeps me in regular contact with my family and friends, it has a ton of information right there at my finger tips, and it keeps me organized as far as bank accounts and budget go. But I just went to an Amish dinner and we were talking about facebook and I saw my cousin and knew he probably had no idea what we were talking about. I'm going to go back to basics and I'm sure I'll be just fine. It's only a month after all. Alright I think I have talked about this enough. I feel like I'm just rambling and rambling. Maybe because I know this will be my last post for the month I'm trying to stretch it out. Okay that's it, I'll end this post.....right........NOW!!

Grow Up

Do you know somebody who behaves badly on a regular basis? I'm talking about adults who should know better. It could be anything from extreme gossiping, to being abrasively rude, to over indulgence with absolutely no self-control, or even saying whatever pops in their head without thought of consequence. I know a handful of people like this. Every time I witness them behaving badly I am literally shocked. I think to myself, how is it possible for an adult to handle themselves in such a manner? Did they not learn how to play nice with others as children? Is this just something that has developed over the years and has gotten way out of control?
I always think that I have to show them how crazy they are being. I almost feel like I have to cure them before they cause too much damage. Is this my responsibility though? These people are not my friends, they are not my family, they are just people I see on a regular basis. The ways that I usually think would "help" them are typically not very Christian. You know, like public ridicule or being a mirror to them and treating them the way they treat others. This is where I don't want to go. I don't want to be mean to them. Well, I kind of do honestly, but I know I'm not supposed to.
This is where I have a dilemma. Do I try to help them even if it means potentially hurting their feelings, or should I just let those who are close to them deal with it? I guess this falls in the' him without sin cast the first stone' category. I know I'm not perfect so who am I to try to fix somebody who has an obvious flaw where as most of mine or sort of hidden and private. I mean how would I feel if someone was trying to "fix" me? I really do feel bad for these people though because they are often at the center of uproar with their antics and people generally don't like them. Is it their fault that their weaknesses are so public? What do you think? Honestly what do you do when you deal with people like this?

Paul and the Fire

Here's a story I didn't hear before about the fire at Uncle Leo's and Aunt Lorene's.

Paul was planning a trip to Cancun and he asked Aunt Lorene to just wash his clothes and put them on his bed so it would be easier for him to pack. That night he was at his friends house and it was getting late. The thought of going home and having to take all the clothes off his bed did not sound too appetizing so he decided to stay the night at his friends house and pack the next day. That night they had the explosion in the basement and the fire. Paul's room is in the basement and he lost absolutely everything. Aunt Lorene said the explosion was so bad that she doesn't think Paul would have survived had he been down there. She also said that they were back in their house in 7 weeks. To me that is also a miracle that a burned house was completely leveled and then a brand new house was built in 7 weeks and by friends and neighbors even.
It was interesting to hear her talk a little bit more about the fire than what she had already told me. She said that before the fire she always thought about those things she would grab if there was ever a fire. There was no time for her to grab anything and she lost almost everything. She says that she can still smell the smoke damage in the extension where she holds the dinners. I couldn't smell it though. I did see some of the black peeking out from under the white paint. I just thought I should share the story in case some of you hadn't heard it yet either.

Marshmallow Test

I saw this test on YouTube where they give a kid a marshmallow and tell him he could eat it now or wait till they come back and they would give him another one so he'd have two. They then leave the kid alone in the room with the marshmallow for 15 min. while watching him in another room. Most kids waited for the second marshmallow and only a few ate it. Some wouldn't touch it, but others would lick it, pinch off a piece, smell it, smoosh it, etc. They then watched the kids over the next 18 years and the ones that displayed the self control with the marshmallow were better disciplined, smarter (probably from good study habits), and more successful. I decided to try a small experiment myself with my boys. I gave them each a piece of candy and told them the deal of one now or two later. Then I left the room. I saw Koen pop his in his mouth as I was walking away. No self control whatsoever. Big surprise. Brandis ate his of course, he's too young to get it. Eades waited a little bit and then I heard him open the wrapper and I peeked to see him chewing. Dougan was just sitting there holding his. I came back in and gave Dougan his second piece. Koen thought that wasn't fair. I explained the rules again and told him he failed. He wanted another try. Then I made them watch the YouTube video. Koen doesn't believe in it. Boy do I have my work cut out for me.

Successful Soup

We had a linger longer between sessions on Sunday. I like to make wow dishes for potlucks because it's usually the only time I get compliments on my cooking. My fam. isn't too generous with their compliments you see? So I couldn't figure out what to make this time. I thought about what my favorite things to eat are. I love Olive Garden and I like to go to the soup salad and breadsticks and I always get the Zuppa Toscana. I looked for a recipe online and found one. It wasn't too hard to make so I did. I spent Sunday morning chopping potatoes and onions, boiling soup, browning sausage, you know, making soup. I also wanted to take a dessert/finger food. I made a mix of gold fish crackers, pretzels, raisins, Craisins, M&Ms, candy corn and marshmallows. It looked really festive. The soup tasted just like Olive Gardens and I heard people talking about it. *smiles* The mix was fun and people were picking at it before we were allowed to eat. I think it was an overall success and I'll have to put both in my book of recipes to use again. Even my kids liked the soup, so maybe I'll make it just for them if they start complimenting my cooking. It's not that I'm compliment hungry but when I cook for my family I hear from one that they don't like the onions, and that one doesn't like the sauce, and this one doesn't like chicken anymore. It seems like whatever dish is placed before them, someone has to complain about. So when I take it to a potluck nobody is going to complain about it because that would be rude and you only hear the good reviews which make you feel like you're not so terrible in the kitchen after all.

Nosy Neighbor

The other day I came home to see my neighbors fighting. I was mostly concerned with getting my family in the house without hearing spicy words so I didn't hear what they were fighting about. About a half hour later I hear two loud bangs. I didn't think much of it because we have neighborhood kids who play with fireworks and stuff. Then my imagination started getting the better of me and I decided to just spy on the neighbors a little. I see the husband pacing in and out of the kitchen and constantly looking at the floor. I can only see his shoulders and up so I don't know what is on the floor. I decide to call Tony. He tells me to call the police. I don't want to make a false accusation especially about MURDER and all. So I call up my friend Ellen to see what she says. She says to just call the police. So while I was on the phone with the two of them, I was still spying. I see a friend of his pull up. Then I see them leave with flashlights. I didn't see what they did between these two events because I was looking up the non-emergency number online. I looked up the non-emergency number because I'm still chicken of being wrong. I know, stupid right. By now it's like an hour after the bangs were heard. Here's my conversation with the officer.
Me: Hi I'm calling about something that sounded like gun shots.
Off.: In the Superior, Huron area?
Me: Yes. Do you know what caused the shots?
Off.: No, we do not ma'am.
Me: Well my neighbors were fighting tonight, and I'm worried that he might have shot her.
Off.: The police already have a suspect ma'am, thanks for calling. Bye.
Me: Bye.

Okay, so I felt a little better that my neighbor probably didn't kill his wife but I have to keep watching his house. So I see him and his friend get back. The neighbor shakes his friends hand on the back steps and the friend leaves. Then the neighbor goes in his house and looks out his window right at my house. I jump back from the window and take a deep breath. That night I slept on the couch with both phones beside me and a bat hidden above the door frame. Nothing happened. Yesterday I had almost forget about the whole thing. Then a random thought pops into my head. What if he didn't shoot her? What if he just murdered her? So I've been watching to see if the neighbor lady is still alive, but I haven't seen her yet. Today will be the fourth day.
I also forgot to add in another little bit of history. My neighbors are fairly new. They moved in about two months ago. Their grandchildren are living with them. One of the grandson's told my sons that they have to live with their grandparents because their mom stabbed their dad to death and she's in prison. I don't know if it's true but what if it is? What if the family has a rage problem. I'll keep watching the house for now and I'll keep the doors locked and the phones close. I sure do hope I'm wrong.

Strangers

The other day I was waiting in the van while Tony ran into a store. As I was sitting there I was doing some people watching. While I was looking at the people going in and out I just thought about how I didn't know any of them. These were just people from my town who happened to be in the same shopping plaza that I was in and there were so many of them. I continued thinking about this and how I could judge them or make up silly scenarios of their life stories but the fact was that I had absolutely no clue.
So then I thought about how God knows each one of them. And not just the people who were at that shopping plaza for that 10 min. But everybody whoever was, is, or will be. I think the thing that struck me the most is I can see what's special about the people I know, and I can see good in them and I can be concerned about them and it's so easy then to just forget about everybody else as if they don't matter. God does care about everybody. He cares about the people who our world says are of worth like movie stars and athletes and the rich, but he also cares about that person who drove up in the loud van with the smoke coming out of it that looks like it's going to fall apart any second.
It reminded me not to judge people and that everyone is special. Everyone, even the uneducated, lamest person has worth in this life. Nobody is a waste of space. I still can't get over the number of people that God KNOWS and LOVES. I need to spend more time looking outside my little box of friends. My sister just blogged about loving people, even strangers. Here's the link. http://emmacmiller.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-am-loving-love.html I love her post and how she is already showing her love to strangers.

Gave Brandis a Haircut

Brandis has curly hair so we can't cut it short or else it would stick up in every direction. We keep it a little long so it will lay down but it also grows pretty fast so he often looks like a cute little girl. I don't like taking him to get his haircut because they never get it right, it costs money and he hates it. So I decided to do it at home. Here is the result.


Today I also made a thank you card for my old counselor. Dougan and Brandis wanted to make some too so here's Brandis holding his card that he made for Dad.



We also had Uncle Sam over for dinner last night and Eades took a picture of him holding Taygan for the first time. Koen wanted to get in it too so he jumped up there just in time.

Spoiled

My boys really wish they were spoiled but they're not. On Sat. I went to a woman's dinner and meeting. At the table there were a bunch of mom's. One of them was talking about how much her husband spoils their son and it will probably be worse when the baby girl learns to ask for things too. I was surprised to hear how much of a sucker this dad is. The mom said it was so bad once that he had to say no and tears welled up in his eyes. (Not the boy's eyes, the dad's eyes.) That was the only time he ever said no.
I couldn't even imagine getting my boys everything they asked for. They ask for things all the time but we're all so used to the answer being no that there usually isn't any crying or fits. There are things that they ask for that I really do wish I could get them but sometimes I just can't, things like a trip to Disney World, or a horse lol. There are probably things that they want that they just know they will never get so they don't even bother asking. But I tell you it is the best when they ask for something and you can tell they're ready for a no and I get to say yes. Oh they get so excited. The funny thing is it's usually something small like bananas at the grocery store. Or like this past Saturday when we got to go to a free festival. They thought it was cool that they all got their own little bag of cotton candy and chips and a snow cone. It was fun saying yes that day. Can we stand in line for some popcorn? YES!! ALRIGHT!!! Another great time was last Christmas. My sister sent us a sundae gift basket. It had marshmallows, sprinkles, Magic Shell, syrups, nuts, cherries, etc. The boys loved that they each got to make their own monster sundaes like three night in a row.
So what's my point. I don't get to spoil rotten, but I do get to indulge them sometimes. As a parent I want to spoil them a little. It's like I wish I could spoil them without having them turn out to be spoiled brats. Is that even possible? The way it is now is working for us and I hope that I have happy kids. I also hope that someday I could afford to give them everything they want but I won't. That would be terrific.

oh the drama

Koen made his first batch of brownies without my help yesterday. They turned out really great and we all praised him a lot so ten minutes ago he asked if he could make more. I told him he should try to make a cake today. So he's cracking eggs and measuring things out and Eades catches him. He starts to throw a fit that Koen made something yesterday so he should get to do it all by himself today. So I chatted with him about how Koen is older and had to wait until he was this age to do it all by himself. So Eades is distraught and starts crying and I said maybe you'll have to wait till next year when you're Koen's age. He agrees and cries some more. I am trying hard to hold back the laughter because he's being so dramatic about the whole thing.

Then Koen tells him he can help stir so they got two large spoons out and started stirring and then they each sprayed half of the cake pan. They both helped pour it into the pan and now it's time for me to put it in the oven while they both lick the spoons. So crisis averted. Everyone's happy. The best part of this little story is that I get cake in less than an hour.

The Great Exercise Plan

I did not have an exercise regime whatsoever. I know how good exercise is for your body and spirit. I know that it would be good for my joints which I always seem to have a problem with and I know that it would give me the strength and energy that I need to be a mother of five. Knowing all this I still did not have any exercise routine set up. I mean it wasn't even a sporadic walk outside or anything. It was absolutely nothing. Then at the beginning of this week I saw a commercial. It said that standing is better than sitting and walking is better than standing. I kept thinking of that all day. I decided that I would do my daily routine of housework all in one big shot without sitting down. Usually I would pick up the floor then break. Then soak dishes, then break. Then do some laundry, then break. I wasn't taking long breaks but they were breaks none the less. So on Tuesday I spent three hours straight doing anything and everything that I could think of and even after I was done I did dance party USA with Brandis to burn some more calories. Then the baby woke up and I had to sit down to feed her but I tell you, I was sweating up a storm and I know that I got my heart rate up into the fat-burning zone.
I was so excited. I think I found my perfect exercise. Here I had gold this whole time and I didn't even know it. I can't believe all this time I've wasted breaking up my housework. Before, anytime I started feeling a little hot or tired I took a break. Duh, that's when I should have kept going. So anyway, it only lasted two days because today I had one boy stay home from school and then I had to go pick another one up because they were sick. That really put a halt to everything because I had to keep taking care of them and they kept waking the baby up. I know I have to keep them home tomorrow but on Monday, the plan is on again. I just wish I could weigh myself to know how much I could actually lose without adding anything extra to my day, but just rearranging it a little. By the way if I never mention this again it's because it didn't work out as well as I hope it will, but if I do mention it again that means it was a great success. Just so you know.

A Short Story

I borrowed this from a friend of mine because I found it cute.

One day long long ago there was a girl who did not complain, or whine or yell. That girl was me but it was a long time ago and it was only one day.

Picture of Water

Let me set the stage. Dougan came up to me with a cup and some Crystal light. He asked if I would make him some. I said in a little bit but first I needed a pitcher of water. He walked away. He came back with a glass of water and my camera and asked me to take a picture. I did without realizing he thought I said I needed a picture of water not a pitcher of water. I laughed so hard.

Here are the pictures of water.

Eades' Questions

Today Eades told me about a problem he is having. He says he does like to go to church but it's hard. He says he believes in Jesus but his problem is that he can't see Him. He thinks he should be able to see Jesus at church. He said that this is bothering him so much that it gives him a headache. We talked about it for awhile and he says he knows that he can feel the love of Jesus and that he understands that he just needs to have faith and be good because he believes.
Then he started asking me about how it feels when you die. I told him I've never died before but that it won't hurt after he dies. He also wanted to know if there are toys in Heaven. He actually bombarded me with a whole bunch of questions then. I can tell he's really been thinking about this stuff. All I can do is hope that I answer them well enough. I remember having similar questions and thoughts when I was young. I used to think that Christ walked around the chapel during prayers because we all had our eyes shut.

Self Loathing

I was talking to a friend today who is taking a class where they have to do cognitive thinking as an assignment. She was working it out on me with thoughts that I have. Basically she was telling me that I do way to much self down talking and that I need to stop that way of thinking. I agreed with everything that she said. As we went through some of the things that I might get down on myself about she showed me how to break it down. We went through what my first thought would be and then my next and how I could control what I think to have a different reaction.
Like I said, I know that this is some smart stuff to do. It is supposed to get you to think positively about yourself and to not rip yourself apart all the time. I don't think I am too self loathing, but then I asked what she learned about negative feelings not being ALL bad. I mean, for the most part I think I'm pretty happy with myself. Then something will happen and I'll take an outside look at myself and realize that I'm not doing everything I need to be doing. That is when I will feel like a bit of a failure and a loser. I said I actually like those times because that's when I see that I have so much more to improve on. I almost need those humbling times to become better. Otherwise I would just walk around thinking I'm all that.
It didn't turn into a debate or anything but she did understand what I meant. She agreed that it can be a good thing as long as you don't wallow in self pity because you're not pretty enough or strong enough, or whatever enough. That's true. I think that from time to time I need to evaluate who I am and what I'm doing. If I don't like it, then I need to make a change. I need to make sure that I don't label myself as lazy or ugly or something like that because that would just bring me down. So I'm glad we had that little conversation this morning. I realize that I don't always criticize myself but when I do I need to make sure I make it a positive thing and not something that could spiral into a self loathing depression.
I resolve that I will take the time to consider my feelings and analyze them to make sure I am helping myself. Who knows, maybe this will be the trick to help me be the person that I want to be and perhaps I can finally overcome some of those weaknesses that I have which I feel are holding me back.

Miller Reunion 2009

Here's Koen being a fireman at the kids' museum


Here's Eades being a cowboy.



Here's granddad sleeping at the museum. We wore him out.


Here's Brandis being Austrian.


This is Koen and Eades on a stagecoach.


This is Eades and Aunt Emma.



This is Eades in a coal cart.



This is the family at Lake Tahoe.



Here's Granddad on a train. This was a nice cool for the boys. They like it when the train turned around.

Some pictures

Here's a picture of Taygan just looking innocent.


She really likes her saucer. She plays with toys and just bounces and watches everybody do what they do.


Here's a picture Tony took and then added a border to surprise me when I looked at my pictures on the camera. I didn't even know I could add borders with my camera.


Here's another one. I thought it looked pretty sweet.


Here's Dougan on the bus.

This is Dougan waiting on the bus.


Here's Koen standing next to our neighbors giant mushrooms. Everyday they were bigger than the last. It took about four days for them to get this big. The neighbor mowed his lawn then and now they're gone.


Here's a web that was in our back doorway. Did you know it takes a spider less than an hour to create a web? We watched this spider for 15 min. while it finished this one and then took a picture. The photo doesn't do the web justice. It was beautiful.


This is a picture Koen took. The boys posed themselves and then Koen used his photography skills. If I would have taken the picture I would have made sure Brandis was a little better clothed and that they would have all smiled a little. Oh well, at least he got them all in the shot.

Time on my Hands

Dougan got on the bus for the first time today. After I shut the door I turned to see Brandis just standing there looking so singular. I got out one bowl and one spoon for him to eat breakfast. Taygan is sleeping so its just him and I. I'm realizing as I'm watching him eat that I won't have to mediate for a few hours until Dougan gets home. What will I do with all this extra time and quiet. I already finished my two knitting projects yesterday. Perhaps I should start painting the house. Maybe I can start practicing guitar again. I don't know, I guess I can do whatever I want. I am happy that when I go to the store today I'll only have Brandis and Taygan.
Dougan was so excited for school this morning he didn't mind that I woke him up in the wee hours of the morning to give him a bath because I waited too close to bedtime last night to give baths. No he didn't mind at all. In case you didn't notice I am turning this post into a Dougan's first official day of school post. Him and his brothers all got to wear a brand new pair of spiderman underwear that their grandma gave them. That's a big deal because I buy only plain white to save money. That reminds me of a funny story.
When my boys were first potty training I bought characterized underwear as an incentive. Then suddenly I changed to plain white. My boys were disappointed to say the least. I told them that their artist aunt Rachel could draw them anything they wanted on their underwear. Koen asked if he could have a butt drawn on his. Aunt Rachel said she sure could do that. We ended up not getting customized underwear and just stuck with the plain white but it sure was funny. I couldn't imagine what a teacher would have thought at bathroom time at school seeing a kid with a butt crack drawn on his underwear.
Wow this post keeps changing. Maybe I'm just so crazy because of the house being so different. Anyway. One more change of thought. I get to plan another Amish Dinner for next month. I love organizing these but this will be my shortest notice of one. I had to plan one for October but every weekend has stuff. I found that the 10th is the only night my church isn't doing something. They will be finishing up a camp-out from the night before but that night is open. I'm a little stressed about that. I designed the invite last night but now I have to buy photo paper and envelopes and print them all off and send them all off. I have less than a month!!!! I usually have everything out a month ahead of time. That way I have three weeks to find out who's going and one week to gather money. Oh well it will just have to work. Project runway right? Make It Work.

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday

Sunday has been my favorite day of the week for some time now. I love being around my church family and I love hearing and participating in lessons. I also like when I come home and I just get to relax. Today was another winner. We got to church on time, which we almost always do, and we got our pew. The boys were pretty good. Nobody got kicked out of class or anything. The YW were in good spirits and we had a nice little lesson. I got a new counselor today and she seems really nice.
We came home and ate bologna sandwiches which were quick and simple. Then I got to take a nap. I woke up, did some dishes, and then Eades and I made some cupcake cones. Then I picked up the downstairs while waiting for treats to bake. Tony took the three oldest for a walk so while I'm waiting for the second batch to bake I decided to get on the computer. Now my house is clean and I know I'll soon get to eat some goodies. It can't get any better than this.
Yes this was another pleasant valley Sunday.

School Has Begun

Today was the third day of school. It's really quiet during the day and I can't even imagine how it will be when Dougan starts school next week. Last night I met both teachers and I met Dougan's yesterday afternoon. It was nice to meet them all and I love all of their personalities. I also saw that one of the George boys from Northridge has a boy in Eades' class. I talked to him a little too. Tony volunteered to help out in the classroom which I thought was great. The teachers did too. I think he'll go in maybe once a month or something. I volunteered to do clerical work for Eades' class at home. So I get to cut out lots of things and do stuff like that.
On Tuesday I decided to paint my kitchen finally. It just seemed like the right time with only three little kids at home. It feels good to have finally done it after 2 1/2 years. Now I want to repaint the rest of the house. We'll see how long it takes me to get around to that. I also want to make curtains and do fun stuff like that. I still don't quite have the creative homemaking gift where everything looks cute and great, but I'm trying to.
So my kids were pretty much bored this summer and I didn't have a whole lot of things planned to do. Last week a family moved in behind us with two boys a little girl and a teenage girl. I think it's so funny that now that they finally have neighbor kids to play with they have to go to school all day. So far when they come home all the kids play outside together. It's fun to see them with new friends. They're good kids too so I'm glad that they moved in.
Now I just have four more years until my youngest goes to school. I have some friends and family who have sent there youngest to school this year and I'm glad I'm not there yet. I know I would be very emotional. I wasn't bad with Koen and Eades this week. I was mostly just proud of them. I'm not sure how I'll be with Dougan next week. The school has a first day cry group, but I don't think I'll go because I'll still have Brandis and Taygan. I think I'll be fine. Maybe when Taygan goes I'll need to go to that.

My Family

This is a blog about my kids. See they're sleeping now and I love them most when they're sleeping. They look like little angels. I'm feeling a little sentimental about them probably because school starts this week and I just put their annual marks on the wall to see how much they've grown. So I'll tell you about each of my kids and why I love them.
First there's Koen. He's 7 yrs old. He's shy like I am. He's really smart though and is always thinking about something. My favorite thing to do with Koen is to answer his questions. He has really good thoughts and he just wants to make sense of it all. He blows me away with the things he asks me about. I also love that he trusts me and thinks I have the answers. He's also a natural athlete. It's a joy to watch him pick something up quickly and excel at it. He also gets so proud of himself when he hits the ball into outfield or teaches himself to ride a bike or any physical feat that he can master. He's a really good older brother and he helps me out around the house so much.
Second is Eades. He's 6 yrs old. He is pretty social. He loves to have a good time. If you want to have fun just bring Eades into the picture. He's a real sweetheart too. He loves to give hugs and to put his arm around you when he sits right next to you. He wants to grow up fast. He often tells me about what he's going to be when he grows up and what his life is going to be like. He loves to collect things. Tony and I think it's so funny how he takes his collections so seriously. I think he'll be good with money when he grows up because he is a miser with his stuff. I love just sitting around with Eades and telling him stories. He loves to hear them over and over again.
Third is Dougan. He's 4 yrs old. He loves to talk all the time. He talks to anybody and everybody. He also loves to give compliments. He goes up to strangers all the time and tells them he likes their hair. You can tell they feel special after that. How could you not? He gives me hugs and tells me he loves me all day long. He is super friendly and loves to play with his brothers or anybody for that matter. I love how open he is. He just says whatever he's thinking or feeling. Life for him is simple and fun. I love to watch him just have a good time. He sings all day and tells stories and just loves life. If anybody is feeling sad they just need to spend time with Dougan who just gives and gives and gives love away.
Fourth is Brandis. He's 2 yrs old. He's a little clown. He performs for us all the time. He is the peacemaker in our family. Nobody fights with Brandis. They all just love him. He knows this and does whatever he can to make us all laugh. He'll dance or make faces or just do something funny. We just crack up. Brandis doesn't get in trouble very much mainly because it's just not in his nature but also because he's so dang cute that he just looks at me with those big blue eyes and I forget anything naughty that he could have done. Brandis is a happy kid and likes to play whether it's with his brothers or by himself but his favorite thing to do is to play with his baby sister. I was very surprised to see him absolutely fall in love with her. I was worried that he would be jealous, but no, he adores her. He's such a cutie.
Fifth is Taygan. She's 3 mths old. She is a very calm little baby. She doesn't cry much and when she does she is easily settled. She smiles a lot. She is such a girl and just craves any and all attention. It's fun to talk to her because she just smiles and coos. She's also a little ticklish. It's so much fun to play with her. I think she also likes to get dressed up in the pinkest outfits. Yes I'm pretty sure she does. She likes to watch Jane Austen movies with me in the middle of the night when I'm feeding her. It's just our little thing that we do together.
Okay, I may as well add Tony to this. I mean it wouldn't be right to leave him out. Tony and I love to have long conversations. We usually do this while we go for a drive with the kids and they all fall asleep and we just talk. It is one of my favorite things to do. It always surprises me that I found somebody who thinks so much the same way I do. He is much more of a romantic than I am though and he likes to bring home flowers and chocolates and things like that. I don't mind at all. He is a great dad. I love watching the boys go and do their thing with him. It's good for them. All of them. Tony is a lot more outgoing than I am. He has such an ease with people that I wish I had. It's good for me because it helps bring me out of my shell whenever he introduces me to a new friend that he has. He's also kind, strong, and very loving for all of God's children. I think he's the perfect match for me because where I'm weak he's strong and vice versa.
So that's my family that I love very much. I think it's good to step back sometimes and realize how lucky you are especially when everyone's being loud and you're late for church and you can't find someone's shoe. Yep, that's when you need to realize how blessed you truly are.

Amish Family Reunion

We went to the reunion tonight and had a great time. We ended up being over an hour late because we had to wait for Tony to get home from work. When we walked in the men were all sitting at the tables and I think it was Sammy who started clapping and the others joined in. As if we made some grand entrance or something. Ernie Lorene came up and apologized that she must have given me the wrong time. I explained that we had to wait so it wasn't her fault. They still had some food out and they FORCED us to eat. Ha ha ha.
We brought some dessert which made everyone happy and it was gone in a flash. After everybody watched us eat the entertainment began. Aunt Elva had a relay game with all the adult males on one team and a bunch of grandkids on the other team. Sammy and Uncle Ernie were being smart with her while she was setting up so she made them sit at the end of the line. Everyone was hooting and hollering how funny they were being.
So the race began and they had to run across the room and grab something from a bag and put it on and run back to there team where they took the item off and handed it to the next person who put it on and then had to run to the bag and put on another article. That's why Aunt Elva made the naughty boys go to the back of the line because then they had to look the most ridiculous wearing everything.
By the end Sammy was wearing an apron, one sock, some clogs, a huge fake ear, a necklace, a tie, a hat, some sunglasses, a belt, a handkerchief, and he was carrying a bucket, a purse, a shovel, and some other things. It was really funny and all the ladies were just laughing at them. It ended up that the kids won by a nose. It was perfect. Then Jacob and a girl who I didn't recognize did a skit, and Aunt Elva and Ernie Lorene did one, and Susie, John and a boy I didn't know did a skit. I think I even saw Uncle Marvin entertaining the men at one point. If I was braver I would have done Ruth's Farley routine, but I didn't.
Then Tony talked with the men and I talked with the women and the kids played outside. On the way home the boys told me about playing outside. Some of the grandkids were kind of mean to them at first but then by the end they were friends. I guess they haven't had much chance to play with English kids at these sort of things because so far all of our cousins have stayed Amish so that's what they're used to. They came around though and my boys absolutely loved it.
I wish I could have had all the families stand in groups to find out who everybody was but I just tried as best I could to figure it out. I talked with Regina a lot. She has five boys now and she wanted to know the trick to having a girl. When I went over by Tony and Sammy they were kind of talking about the same thing so I told Sammy that Regina told me she wanted to keep trying. He then said that he had to go home right away. It was really funny. I said I was just kidding though because Regina said no such thing. She did say that she already has to do so much sewing to keep clothes on her boys that she never catches up and there is always more sewing to be done. So Sammy lucked out. He has five boys to help him with his work and Regina has zero to help her with hers. Doesn't that just sound like Sammy?
It was nice to talk with Aunt Elva, Ernie Lorene, Leo Lorene and Fern. Glen's weren't there and Nina wasn't there. Or at least I didn't see her. Marvin was there so maybe she was just where I wasn't. So I didn't get to see everyone that I wanted to but it was still great to be there. If you want to know what there skits were call me. It would take forever to type them out plus you wouldn't get the inflections. But they were really cute. They asked about everybody and how our reunion went. I felt free to tell them everyone was great and that they should plan on seeing you all in two years.

Spiders II

I guess some of those baby spiders that I was plagued with a while back have grown up a bit. Two days ago we found a nickel sized reddish spider in the kitchen. I caught it and threw it out in the street. It was really scary because he was quick and he liked to hide. Today Koen saw a quarter sized brown spider crawling on the floor and Koen caught it. I had to take it outside though. Again, I threw it in the street. I think the big one today crawled on Brandis last night at the dinner table. Brandis just screamed all of a sudden last night and wanted on my lap. He kept looking back at the bench and crying. Then this morning he wouldn't sit at the table to eat his breakfast. I kept looking for something but I didn't see it.
After Koen caught it I figured that's what scared him and asked if it crawled on him and he said yes and cried. Now he doesn't want to walk on the floor. He wants someone to carry him from the table to the couch and from the couch to the stairs. I guess he doesn't know that spiders can go upstairs too, because once he gets to the staircase he's fine going up and playing in his room. None of the other boys are too bothered by it. I thought they'd all get shoes and and sit on the furniture to play but that's not the case. They're all barefoot and playing and walking on the floor. Well, I am too so maybe they don't think they should be scared because I'm not acting scared. Who knows, but now I'm raising some future spider hunters for some lucky future wives.

Queen of Cheap????

My sister recently posted about my fair post where she said I was the queen of cheap. I started wondering if I really was cheap. I think I do a lot of things to save money but I think it's just being smart. Here are some of the things I do to stretch a penny.
1. I buy groceries with coupons and ads. I don't even buy milk or cereal unless they're on sale. I probably save $50 a week doing this.
2. When we go to McDonald's we do not buy Happy Meals. We either get McDoubles or 10/20 piece chicken nuggets. I break the box to make two and divide them up. We also all share one drink and get free refills. If we go to Taco Bell we get the 10 taco grande meal and share one drink. We spend less than $10 when we go fast food usually.
3. I buy used kids clothes. I can't even imagine buying full price for new clothes. That would put me in the poor house. I usually don't buy clothes for myself but I did recently find a used clothing store that has adult sizes. So I bought some jeans for $10.
4. I buy laundry detergent when Meijer has their buy one get two free sale. That's right buy ONE get TWO free. That costs me $12 for enough laundry soap to last six months.
5. If I don't get my kids clothes at a consignment shop I get them from eBay where you can buy a whole box of clothes for less than $20.
6. We only go to the cheap movie theater and we watch the matinee so it's cheaper. We also bring our own snacks which I know you aren't supposed to but why pay twice as much?
7. I bake instead of buying expensive goodies.
8. I put things on the shelf at the checkout counter if I realize it was an impulse buy and I don't need it.
9. I also do without. If it's hard for me to pay THAT much, than I don't buy it.

As you can see from my fair blog and some of these. We still get to have fun. We still go out. I just don't want to pay more than I have to. I never thought of myself as cheap though. I do know that if I wasn't as frugal as I am that we would probably be staying home all the time with nothing to do but wear our one name brand pair of jeans and our one shirt and we'd be eating bread and eggs. Also, my kids don't seem to mind all this so much. I think they are just happy to be doing something. Maybe when they're older they'll think it's embarrassing. I'll just tell them to get a job.

Fair Week

I love going to the fair. This week is the Berrien County Youth Fair which is the one that we go to. I like it because they don't have the games there. It's just animals, rides, the commercial buildings and the FOOD! This year we had the perfect fair experience. I will now tell you the parts that made this the best fair experience yet for the Bullocks.
First we went on Monday the opening day. We got there at 6:30 am. We took our breakfast with us and we slept in the van until it was time to go walk around. We watched the tractor pull. That is Tony's main part of the fair. The boys liked it and even I got into it. We went through the commercial buildings which is so much fun. I know when I was a kid I thought it was boring but now we all love going through for some reason. We got to watch a woodcarver make a bear, a dolphin, and a bird. The boys got to go through a farmer's display where they got to gather eggs, milk a cow, pick cherries, go fishing, dig potatoes and a couple other chores. They also got to play in a corn box. It was like a sand box with buckets and shovels but it had dried corn kernels instead. They had a blast in it and it was so clean.
That was pretty much all we did on Monday. We went back Tuesday morning at 7 am. We ate breakfast in the van again and then the kids and I walked around the rides to pick out which ones we would ride later while Tony got a couple extra hours of sleep in the van. After we got Tony we ate some Korn Dog corn dogs. This is my favorite place to eat at the fair because they have the best corn dogs and breaded cheese on a stick. They also only charge $1.50 each. That is so cheap compared to all the other fair food. Oh I guess I should explain why we go so early to the fair. It's because I'm cheap and I don't want to pay the entrance fee. Tony says it's like stealing but I just don't think it makes sense to pay so much money when you could get in free by going early. I don't know if that's dishonest or not. So anyway, back to the food. We also took our own apple juice and we used drinking fountains to keep hydrated. Any way to save a couple extra bucks.
Alright, then we got to the rides. Koen and Eades were big enough to go on some of the adult rides so I went with them and Tony took the younger ones on the kiddie rides. Koen and Eades and I had so much fun. We went on the scrambler, the gondola, the the crazy dance or twister, the bumper cars, some insane ride that I thought I was going to wet my pants on, the gravitron or starship 2000, the spider, the slides, and some hang glider thingy. It was so much fun. We went on discount day so it wasn't too expensive either. It was great to go with Koen and Eades. I think it strengthened my mother/son bond with them. We literally rode until we were sick.
We met up with Tony and looked through the R.V.s and sat on the tractors. We saw a dog show. We went through the wonders of life barn. We looked at Tony's mom's picture of when she was one of the fair queens. We ate some cotton candy. We saw a ton of friends and our kids played like wild animals while we sat and talked. We stayed all day until night. Then we went on a couple more rides to see the lights. It was great.
We got home and the kids just crashed. We did everything that we wanted to do. The kids can't stop talking about it. We set the bar so high that I don't know if we'll ever be able to beat this year's fair. We'll still try though.

My Reunion Experience

I went to Nevada for a week for a reunion. I decided Wednesday night when I got back from a YW activity that I should probably start packing. I packed everything up and had it ready for Tony to put in the van the next day. We woke up early and got everyone ready and headed out. We made it to the airport and Tony helped get us to the gate and saw us off. We flew there and the boys did alright for most of the flight. The last hour they started getting antsy. We arrived and granddad was at the gate to greet us.
That was the trip out. While there we had something to do everyday. We went on a train ride, had a reunion picnic complete with a talent show and games, went to an old world market where I found a beverage I had been looking for since my mission, went to a children's museum and wore gram and granddad out, went to a fiesta, went to Lake Tahoe, went to Virginia City, went to some candy stores, went to a fruit market, had some GREAT food including giant green olives, foot long hot dogs, red hot popcorn, grilled chicken and burgers, pizza, homemade root beer, a ton of candy, and chicken and noodles. We even went to Jack in the Box once. The kids and I had so much fun.
We got to play a lot of games together and even got to watch an old family favorite movie. It was fun to see the grandkids play together and it was fun to be around my parents and sisters again. I think we even had a couple of inside jokes throughout the week. It's too bad we only get together once every two years.
After the week it was time to come home. We had a one hour flight to SLC which was really fun because the plane was fairly empty and we all got to look out the windows. It was a short flight and we had fun exploring the SLC airport once we got there. Then we got on our final flight and all the boys feel asleep except for Brandis. So we had an alright flight home. Tony met us a baggage claim and he said we all grew. Well, not me, he wouldn't make that mistake. I probably did though with all that yummy food around. We had a nice drive home where I told Tony all about the trip. I don't think I left out anything.
So basically I had the time of my life and I am so thankful to my mom for staying in the hotel with me the whole week. I would have lost my sanity otherwise. I am thankful to my dad for driving me everywhere and enduring my kids fighting in the car. I'm thankful to my sisters who saw me struggling with five kids and helped out and even took some of my kids off of my hands a couple of times. A trip that could have been a total nightmare for me turned out to be fantastic. I love to be around my family and even though we are all so different and have such varying lives there is still something so Miller about us all and I love it. I can't wait until the next reunion.

It's not my cat

On Monday we had a little kitten sitting outside our house and the boys went outside to play with her. When it was time to come back inside the kitty came in too. I let the boys feed her a piece of cheese and then we put her back outside. She sat out there meowing so the boys watched her from the window. One of them decided to let her in again. I told them I don't want that cat inside so we caught her and put her out again. Eades was fascinated by her so he kept watching out the window. She was trying to catch flies and such. Next thing I know, she's inside again. Eades got lectured about how the cat is not ours and we don't need another mouth to feed nor a litter box for babies to get into. The cat went back out. Eades continued to watch the cat. The cat was in the house again. Eades got lectured that I already explained that I don't want the cat in the house. He got put in the corner and the cat got put out. One more time Eades let that cat in. He got yelled at and put in the corner. That was the last time Eades let the cat in. He also stopped looking out the window at it.
That wasn't the end of my cat woes though. I had to spend the evening listening to the cat crying outside our kitchen door. I think I began to hate the cat. I finally went to bed. Tony got up and got ready for work. As he was leaving and opened the door the cat ran in. He thought it was funny because he didn't know about the earlier events. He decided it would be fun to put the cat on me while I was sleeping. I woke up to the cat clawing me and I screamed, "Get it out!!!" Tony still didn't get how serious I was so I screamed again more emphatically, "GET IT OUT!!!!!" By this time I'm sure I hate the cat.
The next morning I was going about my own business when there was a knock on the door. I answer to see the little neighbor girl holding the cat. She says, "I have your cat." To which I calmly reply, "It's not my cat."

That's not my name.

Do you think it's rude to allow somebody to call you by the wrong name without correcting them? Today a person that I knew growing up called me by my sister's name. I think normally I would have corrected her but she said it as if she was definite that she got my name right that I didn't want to embarrass her by correcting her. So I think correcting a friend or longtime acquaintance is something I would normally do. However I do not correct strangers. I let them call me just about anything. I remember working at a soda fountain in my teenage years and one old man always called me Sharon. It didn't bother me at all and it became endearing to me that he was the only person to call me Sharon. When I got married I acquired the last name Bullock. Suddenly people were accidentally calling me Sandra. At first I would correct people but I got so sick of it, I just let it happen. To this day I still answer to Sandra.
I remember I had a roommate once named Barbi. For the first two weeks I kept calling her Bambi. It was an honest mistake and she seemed patient enough. I really hoped that I wasn't offending her. I mean growing up with four sisters I was often called by the wrong name. I'm used to it, but I realize that others might not be. I also know people who hate it when you mispronounce their names. It's hard not to do that when they have a name like Christen, Kursten, Kirra, Christian, Kirsta, Christy, you get the point. People with names like these have probably always been called by a variation of their name but to me that should just make them more patient about it. I think with some it does and with others it doesn't. With me, I know I'm very patient. The problem I run into is when somebody hears a person call me the wrong name and then let's them know what my real name is and then they come up and ask why I didn't tell them they were calling me by the wrong name. I just explain I don't care what they call me, I knew they were talking to me. Somehow whenever this type of situation has occurred the person seems so offended that I allowed them to embarrass themselves. So that's why I want to know. Is it rude to let someone call you by the wrong name? What do you think?

Sarah Thinks...

I love doing these. Just google (your name) thinks and then share the funny ones.

Here's some of what I got.

Sarah thinks she will be Germany's next top model.
No I don't. I know they are not looking for a 31 year old, 5'6", you don't need to know the poundage, mother of five.

Caution! Sarah thinks!
Hey, now that's just mean.

Sarah thinks we are radicals.
Yes, I think anybody who reads blogs is a radical. A radical dude or dudette!

Sarah thinks twice..uh, oh.
And I learned my lesson so watch out.

Sarah thinks we should have dinner in the dark and raise some money for earth hour.
I've had dinner in the dark before but it was because the power was out. Go Earth!

Sarah thinks even if it's keeping her toes warm it still might be a bit too...
I wish I knew what it was too...but this was in reference to the Snuggie so I'd imagine it ends in ridiculous.

Sarah thinks you are rubbish.
So drop your tea and crumpets and prepare for a Barney Rubble.

Sarah thinks being pregnant is over.
You're preaching to the choir here.

Sarah thinks she can dance.
I can mash potato and do the twist.

Sarah thinks goals are over-rated.
Whoa, somebody knows me better than I know myself.

Finish This...

Copy this to play too. Just add the ending to these thoughts.
1. I've come to realize that my last kiss...was not that long ago.
2. I am listening to...Phil Collins.
3. I talk...too much around the ones I love, and not enough around the ones I don't know yet.
4. I love...pizza with green olives.
5. My best friends...like to eat at Hacienda and so do I.
6. My first real kiss...was sweet.
7. There is no...end to family.
8. Marriage...is important.
9. Somewhere, someone is thinking...where did I put my keys? That someone is me.
10. I'll always remember...playing ghosts in the graveyard.
11. The last time I really cried was because...I was watching a baby being delivered on t.v.
12. My cell phone...went away a long time ago.
13. When I wake up in the morning...I eat breakfast.
14. Before I go to bed...I check on the kids.
15. Right now I am thinking about...food.
16. Babies are...beautiful.
17. I get on Myspace...rarely.
18. Today I...won a contest.
19. Tomorrow I will...play with the children.
20. I really want to be...organized.
21. I am allergic to...nothing but kryptonite.
22. I am annoyed by...those desperate for attention.
23. One food I refuse to eat is...anything with cloves.
24. The most recent thing I've learned is...that the guy with the white hair from Between the Lions does sound effects for Garrison Keeler.
25. The number one thing on my bucket list is...to take my family to Austria.
26. Something I've always wanted to learn to do is...the trapeze.
27. I have a high tolerance for...messes.
28. I have a low tolerance for...rudeness.
29. I wish...my family all lived in the same town.
30. The one person I would happily make a fool out of myself for if I ever saw them in person...would be Audrey Hepburn.

Fourth of July

We had a fun Independence Day weekend. The Barclay's came to town so we went to the beach. Here's Brandis with a watermelon face. You can see Barclays and my kids in the background.

Here's me and Taygan hanging out in the beach tent, and here's Koen being turned into a mermaid.

Here's a picture of a blister I got on my thumb from lighting sparklers. Who knew that simple little sparklers could blow-up in your hand?

We had a fun time and it was great seeing our dear friends.

We also enjoyed fireworks and had a picnic. I love this holiday. I especially love the patriotic songs that make me feel pride in our nation and a reverence for what brave ones have done for it.

Spiders!!

I like spiders just as much as the next person. Ha ha ha. Normally I don't bother them and they don't bother me. I welcome a little spider in the house in hopes that he'll keep all other bugs away. This is what I'm used to, but this summer I have been overrun by spiders. It started with the one in the bathroom, then one in the kitchen. Of course we have some in the basement but who doesn't. I'm perfectly okay with these ones. I won't kill them or even bother catching them to put outside. Suddenly I've been seeing these tiny little spiders. I think, wow, a spider must have had babies. I've never seen a baby spider before and they didn't bother me at first. Last night I was working on some thank you cards. I was sitting on the floor doing some stamping when a baby spider crawled onto my card. I got him off and squished him because I didn't want him bothering me the whole time. No sooner did I kill that one that another came along. I squished him and then another. I could not believe it. Was I just in a hot bed or were our floors crawling with spiders and I only noticed because I was sitting on the floor?
I'm still not freaking out because right now they are all just the baby spiders but those little guys are going to grow up soon. I looked online to see how to get rid of them. They say that spiders don't like hot and that's why they come indoors in the summer. It also says they don't like eucalyptus or pledge. Time to go shopping.
So why do I post my pest problem? One, because I think it's strange and two, because I wanted to know if you had any suggestions, and three, because I know it would make a couple of you uneasy. You know who you are and you can thank me later.

30 ?'s about you and your spouse

Here's 30 questions about you and your spouse.
1. What are your middle names? Dougan and Rose
2. How long have you been together? married 8 yrs
3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? 6 mths
4. Who asked who out? Tony asked me out
5. How old were each of you when you started dating? 23 for both of us
6. Whose siblings do/did you see the most? his
7. Do you have children together? yes, 4 boys, 1 girl
8. What about pets? one gerbil and a bunch of fish
9. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? not having much time together
10. Did you go to the same school? we both went to Ricks
11. Are you from the same home town? No, about 30 miles apart
12. Who is the smartest? me with some things, Tony with other things
13. Who is the most sensitive? this might be a tie
14. Where do you eat out most as a couple? you mean just as a couple not a family? umm N/A
15. Who has the worst temper? me
16. Who does the cooking? me
17. Who is more social? I have more desires to go out and be social but lack the skills, Tony has the skills but lacks the desire to go out
18. Who is the neat freak? Tony
19. Who is more stubborn? probably me, but I think we're pretty good at compromising where neither one of us has to be stubborn
20. Who hogs the bed? I am a heat monger
21. Who wakes up earlier? Tony wakes up around 10 pm and I wake up around 7 am
22. Where was your first date? Leonard Bernstein concert at Ricks
23. Who has the bigger family? me
24. Do you get flowers often? yes, too often, I don't know how many times I've said I prefer chocolate.
25. How do you spend Christmas? we read the Nativity story Christmas Eve and then wake up early to open presents and then go to his mom's house. Last year was the first year we opened presents at home and it was really great.
26. How long did it take to get serious? two weeks
27. Who eats more? me
28. Who does/did the laundry? me, and Tony on occasion
29. Who's better with the computer? Tony by far
30. Who drives when you are together? Tony usually
If you want to do the survey consider yourself tagged.