Today's Tidbits

7:30am: All three of the oldest kids attack snuggle with me in our soft chair while we watch cartoons. PT and Josie find great delight in finding ways to shock me by putting their cold feet on my skin.

7:45am: While still giggling about torturing me with her cold feet, Josie picks up my cell phone and rubs it on her behind...and laughs! "That's disgusting!" I reply. "I know!!" she says through her cackles!  (At least her clothes were on.)

8am: PT came downstairs wearing a tank top and shorts and saw no reason why I wouldn't let him wear it on a very cold morning. "But Mom, the sun is shining.". "What is I put a shirt under it and put on some swishy pants."  Whatever.

8:05am: Leah comes down wearing a pink silk kimono. "Mom can I were my kimono today?". She was surprised that I wouldn't think it was a great idea to wear a kimono to the eye doctor!

10:45am:  I survived the three eye appointments with L, J, and CM...now to help L pick out new frames.  We sit down for a minute to figure out some insurance issues and my concentration is broken when CM places both of  her slightly sweating socks and shoes on the man's desk.  "Here Mommy." she states with a smile.  A couple sipping on Starbucks, without kids tried their best to hide their giggles.

2pm:  Getting ready for Girls' Night Out to see the newest Twilight movie... I decide that for the first time in about 5-6 months, I will actually straighten and style my hair.  As I leave, my husband compliments me and I realize that I just did my hair for a bunch of women and not for a date with my main squeeze.  This is the same husband who told me AFTER church last weekend, that it looked like I had "been through a wind tunnel."  I am sure that he enjoyed seeing it a little tamed.  It may have given him hope.

5:00pm:  I find myself wondering "Who would take a young child to see this movie or read this book?", as I witnessed quite a love scene and later a graphic/violent birth scene that made me question if going to an Italian restaurant for dinner was a great idea. (Still had a great time.)

7pm: Enough time waiting for our table that I didn't care about the movie when I had a great dinner and great chat at Bravo with a few interesting ladies. 

9pm: Home in time to tuck three into bed...later followed by yelling at three to "GO TO SLEEP AND DON'T EVEN  THINK ABOUT WAKING UP THE LITTLE ONES UP!"

10:15pm:  Me, the hubby, DVR, and a cold one.  Day complete!

Hope that you are having a great weekend too!

CM's Made Me Grin Today

Today we were waiting for J's dance class to end, and needless to say, 

the natives were getting a little restless.

Including me.

I was all of out of energy for redirecting the little ones.

CM came over and grabbed my new purse (from a 31 party)

 and ran off...

 

I have to admit, I was about to get steamed.

Until...

I heard her say so proudly, "I want to show them my family."

She then picked out which one was her, all with a great big smile on her face.

 

We are HER family.

I love these moments when she claims us as hers.

Sometimes she says,  this is "your car" or "your house" and

J is quick to remind her that it is OUR house and OUR car now :)

Today was progress.

Oh, and she's picking up really quickly.

As we drove home, she told me to "Go Mommy!" when

I stopped the car to get the mail.

I replied, "Please don't be bossy."

She smiled and said, "Oh you are the bossy, right?"

Smart girl!

I Must Tell the Tooth...

I love PT's new toothless grin.

My confession is that I LOVE pulling teeth.

It's gross, I know.

I believe one of the benefits of all of these kids is getting to pull more teeth :)

They say that admitting that you have a problem is the first step,

and I must tell the "tooth."  (Ha Ha)

Yesterday, my in-laws joined us for lunch and football.

Out of nowhere I said, "PT come here and let me see how wiggly that tooth is."

He reluctantly complied.

I didn't pull, but rather I pushed it forward...hard.

He squealed as his tooth literally popped out of his mouth...

flew up into the air...

and came down into the sleeve of my sweater.

I was shocked and thrilled that it came out!

PT was happy...and mad... and worried that we'd lost the tooth,

which we quickly found.

H and his parents were horrified.

Sorry for interrupting your Sunday football, people.

Now PT waits for the tooth fairy to arrive.

$1

That's big cash for a little guy.

Just curious, what does the tooth fairy bring at your house.

A Morning With J

J is a much happier kid lately as she and CM work out the kinks in their new sibling relationship.

She is back to her silly self, mostly.

This morning she made me smile over and over.

First of all, I bought a new cereal in the organic/health section  (Gasp!!) at Kroger

called "Mallow Oats" by Mom's Best Naturals.

It is a healthier version Lucky Charms without crazy colors.

To be honest, 2 for $3.00 is why I got it.

Anyways, I looked over at J this morning to see her enjoying her cereal in this way.

She looked over at me, as she lined up the plethora of marshmallows and smiled,

"Wow, I'm gonna need a bigger napkin Mom."

She wasn't kidding!

Then she said, "This one is a sticky situation!"

FYI, she did eat the rest of the cereal with milk when she finished this project.

After breakfast she wanted to read a book to me that she made at preschool

yesterday while in the writing center.

I have written what she said for each page below.

 "This is a picture so that people know this book is about Jesus."

 "This is when Jesus told his friends he is going to die soon."

(Notice Jesus smiling but not his friend.)

"Then he got dead.  And then he got alive.  Then his mom, dad, sister, brother, and friends were happy."

THE END

As we finish up the book, this sweet girl lets out a big burp.

With a big grin on her face she said, "How does an adult burp come out of such a little body."

Insert giggles here.

Keep in mind, all of these things happened before 8am.

She gave the day a great start.  Let's see what the rest brings.

I am wishing you each a little silliness of your own.

Have a good one.

Monday Funnies: PT is a Funny Guy

Today you are getting my Sunday Funnies on Monday...

PT style.

Just today, he has cracked me up a couple of times without even trying.

This morning when he was looking up sports scores before school, he just randomly looked

over at me and said, "You'd make a great ninja Mom because you are so short they'd barely see you."

All I could reply was, "Thanks."

After all, my son probably thinks ninjas are pretty cool...therefore I must be too, right?

Then tonight, we dropped off L at practice and he and I were going to spend some time together, a mini-date, before his doctor's appointment.  As we headed for the car, he clenched up a bit and said,

"Uh oh, my hot dog is gonna explode!"

  Then he looked up at me with a sheepish and anxious look on his face. 

It took me a second, and then I realized why he was concerned.  He had to pee...bad and he had to give a urine sample to the doctor in about 45 minutes.
He quickly talked himself down, "I can wait.  I can wait."
By the way, no he couldn't.
We headed to the doctor's early and all is well.
Also, who the heck says their "hot dog is gonna explode."
He didn't learn this one from us, I promise.

Later as I drove home with my two oldest in the car, a song came on by Taylor Swift (who is a family favorite) called, "Never Grow Up."
Take a listen.
I made them listen to it twice.
I love those rotten kids, and I not anxious for them to fully "grow up," however being
financially independent someday is still desirable.

                                           (Video source: YouTube)

Red Makes Everything Better

As you know by now, I have had my hands full lately.

You can read about it here.

I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about

a special surprise I got a few weeks ago, in the midst of a very chaotic morning.

The doorbell rang, which I barely heard over the roar of the crowd.

I had to beat children away with a stick (not really) to get to the door.

I opened it and there was no one.

Just a pretty bag hanging on the door.

This is what I found.

Then I found these beauties...

(Sorry the photography is pitiful but I must type quickly before the children attack awake again.)

Awhile ago, I went shopping at T.J.Maxx with my BFF a while ago and feel in love with these shoes

...mostly because they are red.

I love red.

I didn't buy them of course.  I didn't really need them.  After all, red shoes are not a necessity.

Well, T was listening and went back and got them and saved them for one of my "rainy days."

I opened them up, smiled, and teared up.

I now wear them all of the time!

Isn't that sweet of her??

I am very thankful to T for the thoughtful gift and ongoing support!

I am so thankful that we have been seen a lot of progress this week and everyone seems happier.

I am thankful to both of our families, especially Grandma, who has helped our family every step of the way.

I am thankful to friends who have checked in by phone to see how our case is progressing, offered to help with the kids,baked cookies, surprised us with a gift card for dinner, prayed for our kids,

 make me laugh and just plan support us.

I am thankful to my husband who shares this blessed and busy life with me.

I am thankful to God, for so many blessings, especially the privilege of being a mom to my many!

So when I click my heels in these shoes, I can remind myself that "There's no place like home."

Happy November where being thankful gets a little more attention.

Things I learned at the gym...that I wish I hadn't

 Mama needs some stress relief...

that is legal, ethical, and not chemically related.

I have been going to the gym with more frequency.

To be fair, it should still be categorized as occasionally.

I wrote about the gym in an earlier post, here.

Anyways, I have learned a few more things I wish I hadn't.

 I thought I'd share a few.

Feel free to share yours as well.

Some people think it is a stellar idea to sit as close to the vent that blows out the yummy eucalyptus sauna steam as possible...and hack and cough, and hack and cough.  While I am sorry you are sick, get the heck out of the sauna before all of us women who are trying to relax get sick too.

On a similar, and disgusting note (yet unrelated), I decided to try quickly showering at the gym because trying to go home and do it with the kids around proves to be quite difficult, you see.  Wow, this also includes a few minutes when it is quiet, right? Nope!  There is a lady who thinks that spitting up flem balls in her shower stall.  Not once, but several times I heard that awful sound.  I took a moment and thanked Heavens that I had my trusty flip-flops on.  Seriously, this gym is really nice I promise.  Some people are just gross.

Lastly, I found that I feel like a 25 year old in the Dance Jam class.  Occasionally, we do the "tootsie roll" or bust a move to an oldie, from like from way back in the 90's.  I am in my element.  Then it happens...the woman in front of me moves and I see myself in the mirror!!! "I AM NOT 25 ANYMORE!  WHY ARE THINGS STILL MOVING AND SHAKING A BIT EVEN AFTER I HAVE STOPPED?!  WHY, OH WHY??"  The good thing is that the lady gets right in front of me again, which is normally rude, but in my case it saves a tiny bit of self esteem and I just keep on shaking my grove-thang.  

Hopefully I can make a better routine of going and being more healthy and less stressed.  I'd love to try yoga again and I am sure that there would be a hilarious post after that one.  Anyone want to join me?