Kids Say the Craziest Things!

Today we were so blessed by friends. I was at the dr. office when Mike got the call. They asked if they could take all the kids. ALL of them! For the afternoon, AND night. Swimming, BBQ, sleep over. We didn't think the two youngest would do well away from their beds. N cause he likes the familiar at bed time. D cause he has been having lots of night terrors. So they came home for a late bedtime. It was great. I slept on and off all day. Sleeping off an anaphylactic reaction to my antibiotics. Mike just relaxed. Wonderful considering the week we are going into.
The highlight of the children's return was the story about N.

Our Dear Mom Friend asked N, "Would you like this snack?"
N in reply asked, "Would you like me to answer in French or English?"
Dear Mom Friend asked our oldest if he spoke other languages. No.
You just never know what N is going to say. Like the day he looked at his Dad and said, "I have a big head." which he does.
But that is N and one of the things we love about him. He brings a lot of unintentional humor to our lives.

Reading Programs and such..

So Summer is here, at least at our house. My kids are wanting to entertain themselves with technology instead of play outside. I put my foot down tonight. As much as I want to loaf all summer and do nothing cause during the school year I do anything and everything but nothing, I can't cause my kids are already stir crazy. So this summer I am focusing on my younger two. Giving them opportunities to do fun things we can't do during the school year, cause well we are doing school.
Reading programs are big in my house. I love they are reading. I love the prizes. The kids love the prizes. Who doesn't love freebies.
I found this one tonight.
http://www.halfpricebooks.com/feed_your_brain.html
Get free books or free pizza at CiCi's when you complete the week's reading.

Also, Barnes and Noble does a reading program for grades 1-6. Read 8 books, get a free book of choice out of select titles.
Be sure to check with your local libraries. Ours always does a summer reading program. The special activities they host are funtastic. I just spent time jotting down my favorites.
We'll still have plenty of do nothing days. But a little something to look forward to each week as well.

So I think this background sums up my life!
What do you think?

Birthday - update

So, while I couldn't sleep cause I was so miserable I laid in bed and prayed for God's healing hand on her. This morning we woke her and she was feeling better. Thank you Lord. She was well enough to babysit. Momma on the other hand was not feeling any better. A trip to the dr told the story. Not as bad as in previous visits but still impressive. Dr. says I should win a $1,000 for the vast improvement I exhibited. I have a horrible history of sinus and allergies problems. The past 4 or 5 years allergy season meant inhalers, steroids and confinement in my home from March till first freeze. Thanks to allergy shots this year I have been out and loving it till last night. No pain, just fever and chills. In the course of the last 4 or 5 years I have developed an inability to feel the pain associated with sinus/allergy issues. So today, I learned I had perforated one ear drum, had an ear infection in the other and a pretty sinus infection. So today's been a quiet, lazy day for all of us. Abigail has seemed to be content with that in spite of it all. A package in the mail, several cards and gifts from family. We will celebrate in a week and a half with extended family.

Happy Birthday A!

Less than an hour ago my sweet eldest turned 13.
Here we are both of us awake at the same early hour ~ Sick!
To think 13 years ago, we were awake because of her blessed entry into this world.
Her thoughts about today ~ This stinks!
My thoughts ~ She is right.
So maybe in a day or two we will pretend it is her birthday and do the happy, happy 13th birthday posts.

Boys and Hair --- what happened to Girls and Hair?

I have 3 boys and they all 3 have issues with their hair!
What is with that? I thought hair issues belonged to the girls. My girls no issues. Completely confounds me some days.
The youngest likes his hair brushed, oh how he likes it brushed. He however, does not like it washed. He is willing to let us buzz it this week to him cooler for the summer.

Middle boy, just doesn't want his hair to look like younger brother. He wants to look like older brother. However, he is willing to have his hair buzzed to be cooler in the summer...that might not happen, it makes him look fairly bald and leaves him vulnerable to sunburn.

That leaves my oldest. He doesn't like to brush hair. He doesn't like to comb his hair. He doesn't like his hair cut. He likes the sweaty, nasty, messy look when he takes off his hockey or bicycle helmet. He claims he doesn't get hot. Yet today, he is taking ice packs out of the freezer and putting them on his head to cool off. He has the thickest hair of the bunch, so much so, it needs to be thinned when it is cut. He DOES NOT want it buzzed. He would benefit so much from it. The worst part for this mom is when his hair is wet. Know what it reveals?? The strangest tan line. His forehead is white as can be and the rest of his face is tan. Actually, it is pretty humerous whenever we take him for a haircut, cause for about a week and a half to two weeks he is walking around with a white band on his face.
Who knew boys could be so full of suprises?
The girls, they like their hair done and fixed. They like long hair and no bangs. Ponytails, french braids and twists, whatever. The boys??? I am so glad they have a father to take them to get their hair done. :)

2 days and 1 hour-ish till someone's birthday!

Sweet 13 ~ Here she comes!
I can hardly believe I am going to be the mom of a teenager!

Granpa's newest ball player in training!

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to go to Granpa Mac's ballgame. He coaches one of the city's high school soft ball team. They wanted to charge me $20 to go in with the kids. But it pays to be related to coach. It pays for the coach to be Grandpa. Cause, shocked and wondering aloud, I asked the ticket lady if we could just go in and see Grandpa. Cause that is all we are there for. Explained Granpa was coach. Well, of course for Mr. M's, you can go on in! ! Moving on...
While we watched the game, D decides to do some "training". He starts running back and forth. Then he begins to drop and do push ups whenever he gets to the storm drain. Quickly, got our new resident photographer to take pictures. Can I say he slept ever so well that night!

Cages and more...

So Grandma likes to tell us we need to get a cage for the kiddos. Their antics have been fewer, hence the reduced number of posts. However, now that summer is coming upon us, I would not be suprised if there isn't a slight increase of tales to bear.
I was busy doing paperwork for the household and the one particular little brother kept throwing stuff in the window well. I gave permission to get the stuff. Well it turned into a game. But then they became fascinated with hanging out in the window well. Fortunately, Dad ended up on the phone with Mom. He very kindly pointed out how expensive it would be to replace those windows should our brood get a little carried away and one got broke. So, fun and games ended. But the smiles are great and Wonderful dear A took the pictures. SO thank you to our my featured photographer of the day.

It is all in how you say it!

So tonight we went to Horse Back riding!
All the kids love it. Pond to throw rocks and sticks in. Wet dogs to jump all over the boys and get them all wet. (Well maybe the smaller ones don't enjoy that part so much.) The girls get to touch, brush, ride, lope, see, feel, breathe horses. Pure Heaven for them. Tonight I got caught up on coupon clipping and putting away.
Time to leave and I tell the kiddos the plan. Stop at Walgreen to purchase June "suprises"...can anyone guess what is in June?? Then maybe Targets for all the great deals!
After Walgreens I ask kiddos what they thought, ready to go to Targets!

YEAH ! ! ! x4
Nooooo, I wanna go home x1, the littlest one of course.
Hmmm, majority rules, but the minority can make our life miserable.

Quickly, calling to mind one of my mother's favorite sayings, "That's okay, we'll put you in the trunk so you'll stay safe." (Mind you we drive a suburban, we don't really have a trunk, just a cargo area."
"I will be good, I want to go. "

By the end of the trip, noone was smiling. D was telling us "I want to be good"

I told him, wanting and doing are 2 different things. And that I didn't think he would get to go with me until he wasn't 3 anymore and he can 'do' .

We got home in time for bed. Maybe tomorrow I can savor the victory of all my great deals. For now they are in the bags dropped on the floor, cause shopping with wiggling, impatient, busy, curious children with hands that can't stop moving is exhausting.

This is "Beast" A.K.A "IT" and "DOG"

So I got a phone call late one afternoon last week from my neice....
"I don't have anyone else to call.... I know it is a lot to ask..... You have 5 kids and....
I know it is a lot to ask..... I don't have anyone else to call....." SPIT IT OUT!
She wanted me to dog sit for her while she went to Hawaii for 2 1/2 weeks. This is no normal dogsitting. This is brand new puppy sitting. "IT" still has puppy breath. "IT" cries at night.
"IT" is still potty training. YOU HAVE TO TALK TO YOUR UNCLE, I tell her.
So we are puppy sitting.

If you look at the picture below you will notice she is confused as to what a Sunday paper is for! COUPONS! NOT HER! !

I have strongly informed my children they are puppy sitting, not me. They begged to do it. My rules.... DOG is not allowed in house unsupervised. She came on Sat. morning, this morning (Monday) and I stepped in dog poo !! On the carpet no less! Not happy. BEAST went outside and dear sweet oldest quickly cleaned it up while I went to shower. Don't know who I was more upset with. NEW RULE, DOG only allowed on hard floor of basement, kitchen, dining room. In a carpeted room, someone had better be holding IT.

It really irritates oldest, the youngers are getting used to it. I won't call IT by its name. She is cute, but we are soooo not getting attached. We are pet sitters not dog owners.

Dear sweet neice, BEAST is still alive!, that is if you are checking my blog for updates. Dear sweet A informed me I should blog about DOG cause she is like one of the children. (Side note: Yes, we have a tendency of killing (not meaning to) or losing pets. Thus, why we are not pet people. We are fortunate our children are still alive. If you don't understand that statement you must read older posts about my active children who adore visiting the ER.)