Christmas is OVER!!
We had already planned on not doing anything for the kids. And we didn't. In fact, what little we did plan didn't pan out. So the kids woke up to nothing.
And after about 30 minutes of devastation they got over it.
Then the Christmas magic happened, when somehow, midday, as the kids were bringing their dirty laundry into the laundry room, and passing what were empty stockings that morning, lo and behold they were FULL! A couple of trucks for the boys, a necklace and some flower garland for the girl-child, and a handful of candy for each one!
Now I can take the trees back down to the dusty basement. Re-agitate my allergies. And prepare for 2012!
Keep Moving Forward!
Any day can be a good day if it has babies, baking, or Adam Sandler!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
ARG. My husband.
Sometimes it feels like the man wants me to tell him what to do, how to do it, and when, but instead of just SAYING that, he asks a bunch of questions but never answers mine! drives me nuts.
We just had like a 20 minute conversation. He called me to tell me he is going to town tomorrow and wants to know if I want to come. We talked briefly about this earlier this week, and I mentioned that I could just give him my list and he could get the groceries we need if he wanted to go alone. He never really said whether he thought that was a good idea or not, it was just kind of out there.
(To make this make sense you need to know we live 40 miles from the large city where any decent shopping can be done- walmart, target, costco, kmart, etc. So that's an hour drive each way.)
So, he was going over the options of how we could travel and spend the day more comfortably by either taking the pull behind camper or the motor home.
(Apparently I've made him feel bad/guilty because I mentioned that I miss him cause he's been working 7 on and 1 off since september. So now since I "complained" that I wanted to spend time with him on his ONE day off tomorrow, he has to rearrange his whole plan tomorrow so I can come with him. And while we're there we can get the groceries I need to buy.)
In all honesty I DO NOT want to go. Not because I do not want to spend time with my husband, because I do, but I went to IGA today for like 15 minutes and I had such a big panic attack that by the time I got home I was shaking and having an asthma attack, and so dizzy I thought my head was going to explode. So yeah.. not really looking forward to Costco with 400 people 5 days before Christmas.
NEVERTHELESS... he kept slathering on this "you're the one who wanted to spend time with me" line. So I asked him, "How long do you think you'll be gone?"
The reason I asked was because if he could get in and out of where he needs to go in 2ish hours, he could be home in 4, and I would be just fine with staying home while he did his stuff.
His response was, "well, the first place is going to take around 2 or 3 hours, then you figure 30-60 minutes per place after that"
So, naturally I questioned where he would be going that was going to take that long. To which he replied, "none of your business." it was in a teasing manner, so i assumed it meant 'christmas shopping for you'.
So we talked a little about the things I need, and from where, and what we want to get the kids for their stockings. So after we talked about parking with the RV, I asked him 'if you don't want me to know where you're going, then wouldn't it be better for me to stay home so i don't find out?"
And out of nowhere he says "i never said i didn't want you to know."
So I say, "well you're being all super secret ninja evasive whenever I mention that 2-3 hour timespan where you'll be somewhere doing something that's none of my business."
And he's like "How am I being super secret ninja evasive? If you want to know all you have to do is ask."
How much more clear can "Where are you going that is going to take you 2-3 hours?" be?
So I told him "I don't want to know. I just don't want to mess up your plans."
So he gets all "You won't mess up my plans, I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do tomorrow whether you are there or not. So I'll just go alone. I just wasted 20 minutes that I should have been working trying to see if you wanted to go with me, so I'll just go by myself. and now I need to get back to work."
Really? Alrighty then.
UGH
We just had like a 20 minute conversation. He called me to tell me he is going to town tomorrow and wants to know if I want to come. We talked briefly about this earlier this week, and I mentioned that I could just give him my list and he could get the groceries we need if he wanted to go alone. He never really said whether he thought that was a good idea or not, it was just kind of out there.
(To make this make sense you need to know we live 40 miles from the large city where any decent shopping can be done- walmart, target, costco, kmart, etc. So that's an hour drive each way.)
So, he was going over the options of how we could travel and spend the day more comfortably by either taking the pull behind camper or the motor home.
(Apparently I've made him feel bad/guilty because I mentioned that I miss him cause he's been working 7 on and 1 off since september. So now since I "complained" that I wanted to spend time with him on his ONE day off tomorrow, he has to rearrange his whole plan tomorrow so I can come with him. And while we're there we can get the groceries I need to buy.)
In all honesty I DO NOT want to go. Not because I do not want to spend time with my husband, because I do, but I went to IGA today for like 15 minutes and I had such a big panic attack that by the time I got home I was shaking and having an asthma attack, and so dizzy I thought my head was going to explode. So yeah.. not really looking forward to Costco with 400 people 5 days before Christmas.
NEVERTHELESS... he kept slathering on this "you're the one who wanted to spend time with me" line. So I asked him, "How long do you think you'll be gone?"
The reason I asked was because if he could get in and out of where he needs to go in 2ish hours, he could be home in 4, and I would be just fine with staying home while he did his stuff.
His response was, "well, the first place is going to take around 2 or 3 hours, then you figure 30-60 minutes per place after that"
So, naturally I questioned where he would be going that was going to take that long. To which he replied, "none of your business." it was in a teasing manner, so i assumed it meant 'christmas shopping for you'.
So we talked a little about the things I need, and from where, and what we want to get the kids for their stockings. So after we talked about parking with the RV, I asked him 'if you don't want me to know where you're going, then wouldn't it be better for me to stay home so i don't find out?"
And out of nowhere he says "i never said i didn't want you to know."
So I say, "well you're being all super secret ninja evasive whenever I mention that 2-3 hour timespan where you'll be somewhere doing something that's none of my business."
And he's like "How am I being super secret ninja evasive? If you want to know all you have to do is ask."
How much more clear can "Where are you going that is going to take you 2-3 hours?" be?
So I told him "I don't want to know. I just don't want to mess up your plans."
So he gets all "You won't mess up my plans, I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do tomorrow whether you are there or not. So I'll just go alone. I just wasted 20 minutes that I should have been working trying to see if you wanted to go with me, so I'll just go by myself. and now I need to get back to work."
Really? Alrighty then.
UGH
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Halloween!
I will be honest... I had no desire to even THINK about Halloween this year. I'm not sure if it's just the PPD, or just knowing hubby wouldn't be able to come with us, but I just did not want to do anything. I am normally into the costumes and trick or treating, but I don't decorate. I figure, I will dress my kids up, take them around and get candy, then when my kids are too old to trick or treat, then we will hang around the house passing out candy.
But, Sissy now knows how to read a calendar, so she would not stop nagging me about her countdown to halloween.
So I gave in.
Luckily the kids already knew what they wanted to be dressed up as, so it was just a matter of mommy executing the costumes.
And since it was 10AM on halloween and I hadn't even started, I had zero time to drive all the way to Billings to buy some stupid expensive yet cheaply made costumes...and I had even less money to try and make that happen. So I decided I needed to just do what I could with what I had.
Sissy was the easiest of all. She wanted to be a Princess. She pretty pretends she's a princess all of the time anyway, so she already had a pretty party dress, shawl, and crown. She just wanted me to curl her hair, add some faux fur to her shawl, and attach her crown to her head.
Being that I'm uber crafty, I had faux fur in the basement, and clear lastin in one of my many supply drawers. And once upon a time I bought 3 curling irons.
< with her hair curled
Jeremy was a little more complicated... he wanted to be Optimus Prime. I was trying to figure out how to make that costume.
I had thought about somehow using cardboard to create him.. which probably could have been done, had I started a week ago. So, instead, I used his batman costume from last year, looked at his picture of Optimus on his pillowcase, and covered some pieces of cardboard with some blue and red fabric to make the main parts of his armor.
I figured since Optimus has a lot of grey and black on him as well the duct tape shouldn't be too horrid lol. And with his helmet from his aunt and uncle last Christmas it didn't really turn out too horrible.
Then for Nicky. He wanted to be a rocket ship.
That sounded pretty easy to me.
Big box cut down to his size, covered in aluminum foil, with some kind of triangular hat.
He decided he wanted green lights on the front and orange lights on the back.
Felt to the rescue!
I used felt for the fire as well!
I planned Tommy and Becky's costumes weeks ago!
Pebbles and Bam Bam!
Bam Bam was VERY fun to make! I did not have orange with black spots faux fur, but I had white, so I figured it would just have to do. So I used it to make a skirt, with brown fleece on the inside, and it snaps open and closed. I used brown fleece for the shoulder strap and white felt to make the bone, and more faux fur for the hat.
And for fun, I made his club out of aluminum foil and covered it with brown minky!
And my little Pebbles!
I used green felt to make her a little tank dress and drew the triangles on it with black permanent marker.
(She kind of looks like a green strawberry now that I look at it LOL)
I used red printed FOE to make her a little headband to hold her "hair" on.
Once again, a felt bone, and some red ribbon for Pebbles' little tuft of ponytail.
And I used a solid blue diaper to cover her actual diaper, that way it wouldn't need to be changed. :)
Pebbles and Bam Bam together
Here is the candy leftover from last year that I had to throw out
And last night-
a gallon sized zip lock bag! Yay for the fall festival and no actual trick or treating!! The kids had a blast- there were games they played to win candy, and we took a hay ride! My poor broken toe didn't have to suffer inside my sneaker while walking around the entire town, my back didn't have to suffer the walking either, and daddy was called off work so he was able to enjoy it all with us! I'd say, despite the fact my boys are sick with a tummy bug tonight, and I threw the costumes together in like 6 hours, we had a pretty good time!
But, Sissy now knows how to read a calendar, so she would not stop nagging me about her countdown to halloween.
So I gave in.
Luckily the kids already knew what they wanted to be dressed up as, so it was just a matter of mommy executing the costumes.
And since it was 10AM on halloween and I hadn't even started, I had zero time to drive all the way to Billings to buy some stupid expensive yet cheaply made costumes...and I had even less money to try and make that happen. So I decided I needed to just do what I could with what I had.
Sissy was the easiest of all. She wanted to be a Princess. She pretty pretends she's a princess all of the time anyway, so she already had a pretty party dress, shawl, and crown. She just wanted me to curl her hair, add some faux fur to her shawl, and attach her crown to her head.Being that I'm uber crafty, I had faux fur in the basement, and clear lastin in one of my many supply drawers. And once upon a time I bought 3 curling irons.
< with her hair curled
Jeremy was a little more complicated... he wanted to be Optimus Prime. I was trying to figure out how to make that costume.
I had thought about somehow using cardboard to create him.. which probably could have been done, had I started a week ago. So, instead, I used his batman costume from last year, looked at his picture of Optimus on his pillowcase, and covered some pieces of cardboard with some blue and red fabric to make the main parts of his armor.
I figured since Optimus has a lot of grey and black on him as well the duct tape shouldn't be too horrid lol. And with his helmet from his aunt and uncle last Christmas it didn't really turn out too horrible.
Then for Nicky. He wanted to be a rocket ship.
That sounded pretty easy to me.
Big box cut down to his size, covered in aluminum foil, with some kind of triangular hat.
He decided he wanted green lights on the front and orange lights on the back.
Felt to the rescue!
I used felt for the fire as well!
I planned Tommy and Becky's costumes weeks ago!
Pebbles and Bam Bam!
Bam Bam was VERY fun to make! I did not have orange with black spots faux fur, but I had white, so I figured it would just have to do. So I used it to make a skirt, with brown fleece on the inside, and it snaps open and closed. I used brown fleece for the shoulder strap and white felt to make the bone, and more faux fur for the hat.
And for fun, I made his club out of aluminum foil and covered it with brown minky!
And my little Pebbles!
I used green felt to make her a little tank dress and drew the triangles on it with black permanent marker.
(She kind of looks like a green strawberry now that I look at it LOL)
I used red printed FOE to make her a little headband to hold her "hair" on.
Once again, a felt bone, and some red ribbon for Pebbles' little tuft of ponytail.
And I used a solid blue diaper to cover her actual diaper, that way it wouldn't need to be changed. :)
Pebbles and Bam Bam together
Here is the candy leftover from last year that I had to throw out
a gallon sized zip lock bag! Yay for the fall festival and no actual trick or treating!! The kids had a blast- there were games they played to win candy, and we took a hay ride! My poor broken toe didn't have to suffer inside my sneaker while walking around the entire town, my back didn't have to suffer the walking either, and daddy was called off work so he was able to enjoy it all with us! I'd say, despite the fact my boys are sick with a tummy bug tonight, and I threw the costumes together in like 6 hours, we had a pretty good time!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
a personal question
I was thinking about this last night. I had read a pretty gut wrenching story a few days ago, and it's made me thank God for a lot of the choices I've made as a parent. I'm no saint, however, I've made a LOT of mistakes-especially with my older children. After I started having more children, I realized that many times the older children are similar to laboratory guinea pigs- "let's try this and see if it works. Nope, doesn't work! OK we won't do that with the next child". It kind of sucks for the older child, but it's all part of the learning process. That whole "we weren't given a manual with our children" thing. When you know better- you do better.
But I'm getting off topic there. All of that concerns the past and what we can't change.
Today's post is sort of about the past, but mostly about the future- and what we CAN change.
So, today I pose to you a question. I'm not asking you to answer it in the comments, I'm not even asking you to answer it out loud. Just ponder it.
As you spend the day interacting with your child or children think about my question. And then let it change what you do. Let it affect some choices. Let it make you a better parent to your child. We could all probably be better parents, right? So, here's my question.
If your child died tomorrow, what would you regret?
But I'm getting off topic there. All of that concerns the past and what we can't change.
Today's post is sort of about the past, but mostly about the future- and what we CAN change.
So, today I pose to you a question. I'm not asking you to answer it in the comments, I'm not even asking you to answer it out loud. Just ponder it.
As you spend the day interacting with your child or children think about my question. And then let it change what you do. Let it affect some choices. Let it make you a better parent to your child. We could all probably be better parents, right? So, here's my question.
If your child died tomorrow, what would you regret?
Monday, October 24, 2011
early morning ramblings
I've been having hubby wake me up with him the last few mornings... at 5AM.
And I kinda like it :)
I usually like to stay up late (until 2-3AM) working or having my "me" time, and then sleep in until between 8 and 9:30- whenever the kids wake me up.
For a few nights I tried to go to sleep early (like 7-7:30 PM) so I could wake up on my own around 5-6AM.. FAIL. I STILL slept until 9 and I was EXHAUSTED.
So, now I just go to bed with hubby between 10 and 12 and wake up with him at 5, and, while I'm groggy til I have my coffee, I am not exhausted, and manage to make it through the day- and am decently productive. The nights I get more sleep, or sleep in with the kids, I feel like I don't get ANYTHING done. So I think I'm more productive when I wake up early and go to bed at some kind of normal hour. I'm still getting the same amount of hours with the sandman, just at a different time of day. Weird.
Now what to do when he goes back to night shift :/
I just... keep.... LOSING stuff!!! Like right now... where did my hemp fleece go??? arg
One of these days I'm just going to pay someone some insane amount of money to come in and build me some kind of organizational monstrosity so I will stop losing crap. Course, then I'd actually have to put things back where I got them from...... ah... one step at a time ;)
And I kinda like it :)
I usually like to stay up late (until 2-3AM) working or having my "me" time, and then sleep in until between 8 and 9:30- whenever the kids wake me up.
For a few nights I tried to go to sleep early (like 7-7:30 PM) so I could wake up on my own around 5-6AM.. FAIL. I STILL slept until 9 and I was EXHAUSTED.
So, now I just go to bed with hubby between 10 and 12 and wake up with him at 5, and, while I'm groggy til I have my coffee, I am not exhausted, and manage to make it through the day- and am decently productive. The nights I get more sleep, or sleep in with the kids, I feel like I don't get ANYTHING done. So I think I'm more productive when I wake up early and go to bed at some kind of normal hour. I'm still getting the same amount of hours with the sandman, just at a different time of day. Weird.
Now what to do when he goes back to night shift :/
I just... keep.... LOSING stuff!!! Like right now... where did my hemp fleece go??? arg
One of these days I'm just going to pay someone some insane amount of money to come in and build me some kind of organizational monstrosity so I will stop losing crap. Course, then I'd actually have to put things back where I got them from...... ah... one step at a time ;)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Where did THAT week go?
I find myself asking myself that question a lot here lately.
Seems like I have way more stuff to do than I'll ever have time to get it done.
Many times I feel like I need to whittle down my "to do" list- I really think it would help me. It would take stress off my shoulders, and allow me to make time for the things higher on the priority list (AKA more time for the kids, less time for me *sigh*). I know it sounds selfish... well, I FEEL like it is selfish, to mourn my lost "me" time. But when you have 5 kids under 9, those couple hours of me time through the week are a necessity.
I don't make much money off what I do, but I enjoy it, and that matters more.
I just wish I could figure out a good schedule and routine for my day to day activities. That would help out SO much. But it would have to be one that I can stick to. One that is too strict, I'll never stick to. I know me. I know I can't expect a lot out of myself.
I guess a restructure of my priority list would probably be the place to start.
Do you find that your priority list gets askew occasionally?
Seems like I have way more stuff to do than I'll ever have time to get it done.
Many times I feel like I need to whittle down my "to do" list- I really think it would help me. It would take stress off my shoulders, and allow me to make time for the things higher on the priority list (AKA more time for the kids, less time for me *sigh*). I know it sounds selfish... well, I FEEL like it is selfish, to mourn my lost "me" time. But when you have 5 kids under 9, those couple hours of me time through the week are a necessity.
I don't make much money off what I do, but I enjoy it, and that matters more.
I just wish I could figure out a good schedule and routine for my day to day activities. That would help out SO much. But it would have to be one that I can stick to. One that is too strict, I'll never stick to. I know me. I know I can't expect a lot out of myself.
I guess a restructure of my priority list would probably be the place to start.
Do you find that your priority list gets askew occasionally?
Saturday, October 15, 2011
I shouldn't be here but I am
Man, oh man, I've been lazy lately.
Procrastinating.
Disorganized.
Come on, 6, get it together!!
I have 763 things on my list of things to do, and I only keep adding to it.
I sure wish I was witty... it might make my blogs more fun.
Or maybe I should try to not blog at 1AM when I'm exhausted.... ya think?
But, at least I got 75% of my craft area cleaned up! How bout that!
And I decided that 2 of the first AIO diapers I ever made will NOT be thrown away- they will be put away for me to laugh at in years to come :)
Actually, they're not that bad, really. Nicky wore them for quite a while. But I'll probably never use them for 7. I really just don't like AIO diapers. I just don't. They take so long to dry it makes me worry that they're not getting clean enough. And I don't have time to run diapers through the dryer twice for crying out loud.
I just boxed up a large, flat rate box of used CD's for my friend. I had to do some repairs and come up with some soakers... and this is only about half of the ones I have set aside for her! I sure hope she enjoys them. And even if she doesn't, it makes me feel good to help others.
Well... maybe I'll go do some work now.
The congo stocks tomorrow and I need to take pictures of my finished Fuzzies.
Good times.
Procrastinating.
Disorganized.
Come on, 6, get it together!!
I have 763 things on my list of things to do, and I only keep adding to it.
I sure wish I was witty... it might make my blogs more fun.
Or maybe I should try to not blog at 1AM when I'm exhausted.... ya think?
But, at least I got 75% of my craft area cleaned up! How bout that!
And I decided that 2 of the first AIO diapers I ever made will NOT be thrown away- they will be put away for me to laugh at in years to come :)
Actually, they're not that bad, really. Nicky wore them for quite a while. But I'll probably never use them for 7. I really just don't like AIO diapers. I just don't. They take so long to dry it makes me worry that they're not getting clean enough. And I don't have time to run diapers through the dryer twice for crying out loud.
I just boxed up a large, flat rate box of used CD's for my friend. I had to do some repairs and come up with some soakers... and this is only about half of the ones I have set aside for her! I sure hope she enjoys them. And even if she doesn't, it makes me feel good to help others.
Well... maybe I'll go do some work now.
The congo stocks tomorrow and I need to take pictures of my finished Fuzzies.
Good times.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
WAHM Spotlight
I bought a few things from the Peace, Love, Cloth for All congo on Saturday.
http://www.hyenacart.com/peacelovecloth
CLICKY
One of which was an ADORABLE Apple outfit for 7 from Squid Style. FACEBOOK
It got here today, and as usual, I'm super thrilled with her work.
It's size 6 months, and is made from a waffle knit- which is a fabric type that I am in love with anyway!
http://www.hyenacart.com/peacelovecloth
CLICKY
One of which was an ADORABLE Apple outfit for 7 from Squid Style. FACEBOOK
It got here today, and as usual, I'm super thrilled with her work.It's size 6 months, and is made from a waffle knit- which is a fabric type that I am in love with anyway!
My perdy little boo bear.
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