Why it seems nothing ever gets done at home...

Lately, I am trying to keep from losing my hair.  Gray hair, no problem.  Hair loss could be a problem.
I look around my house and it seems to be in utter disarray. 
Then I have a day/night like I did today. 
Up early, got around for the day.  Took care of some paperwork.  Answered some school questions. 
Met realtor to review inspection list for house my dad is buying. 
Get ladder to inspect a roof.  We were having trouble believing the roof was okay.  Seller said the roof was replaced in 2009.  We happen to know there was softball size hail in the neighborhood in 2010. 
Big O Daddy O climbed up and all was well.  Matter of fact, he was greatly impressed.
Off to get a Pepsi, cause I am fading now. 
More paperwork, phone calls, count up popcorn sales and money for Cub Scouts, it is due tonight.
Whoops, missed lunch.  Time to teach English.  High school English and discuss MacBeth. 
The time quickly passes. 
Time for allergy shots, schedule a handful more and then post some packages at Dillons.
Home once again.  Just in time to start thinking of dinner. 
Fortunately, Fun Mom offers to prep dinner, while I lay down and work on Cub Scouts with Daddy's Buddy and Awana with Little Princess.
Little Princess is off to do her research now that I have her pointed in the right direction on the Awana website.
Daddy's Buddy is brushing teeth, lotioning hands and personal chores thanks to the Cub Scouts' section on caring for one's self.  Then, we discuss character trait: Faith. 
Close the eyes, but it is time to eat and I have to choose between snooze or eat.  Did I mention I missed lunch, and instead ate a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a few handfuls of Cheez-its? 
Fun Mom has made chicken noodle soup from the basic of ingredients.  A great job she has done.  No canned soup for this girl. 
Time to leave:
First drop off Fun Mom for a play performance, featuring several home school friends. Then, a stop at the library cause it is only 2 or 3 blocks from Cub Scouts. 
Next, Daddy's Buddy has Cub Scouts and Little Princess and Flutter Nutter will hang out with us there.  Hockey Player will be picked up and taken to the rink by a teammate. 
Blink, blink, notes here, notes there, a little flag folding, wiggling, election, debating, and snacks Cub Scouts is over. 
Late heading out, a few phone calls while driving, pick up Hockey Player, pick up Fun Mom, and take the long way home around because the short way is closed due to construction!  Home sweet home and it is 9:45. 
10:30 and everyone but mom is in bed. 
Leftover Braum's and a bit more paperwork, computer work.  The day is done. 
But wait, just in case I can't remember why my house looks like it does in the morning, I will blog a reminder of the day(s) before. 

What's a Hockey Mom to Do??

So I have never been all that excited about sports that require full on physical contact.
Why risk getting hurt? Just silly.
Then I had boys.
Still not all that excited about contact sports.
But what does this mom do?
Well, when 70 pound Hockey Player is a defenseman,
playing with kids that weigh twice as much,
I PRAY and cheer for him.
Momma knows the best defensive is to be fast and to go in, at full speed.
But that doesn't always get the job done.
I tell him to treat the other players like his sisters.
He actually likes to annoy his sisters. He does a pretty good job at it.
I tell him to knock some kids on their padded backsides.
When Fun Mom loaded these pics up and I was playing with them, I whooped and hollered.
My boy threw his shoulder and raised his elbow, which he shouldn't have done I will admit.
However, my boy played it through and knocked the kid off of him!

Trying something new!

With some encouragement from family, I have signed up with some advertising associates programs. 
What this means, is that I will occassionally include links in my posts to various products that I really like.  Some of them may even be offering a super great deal at the time.  Should you click through the link and share my interest and purchase the same product, I may earn advertising fees as a result of your purchase.

Amazon and SwagBucks !

I am so stinking excited.  Christmas shopping is starting around here.
I was reading my email and learned that Amazon had the Pink Lego Bricks on sale for $15.




We happen to have a very creative princess.  She wanted some pink lego bricks for her birthday.  BigODaddyO didn't believe she would really get into them. But there was an Auntie willing to take the chance.  She doesn't create as much lately cause her hands are busy knitting.  A whole other story there.  One that includes 26 hats and 26 scarves, all before Christmas.  But I think after Christmas she just might want a break from knitting for a while!!!
 
Then I checked my swagbuck gift cards for Amazon and I had enough accumulated to only have to pay tax on these beauties! !
Hush all you readers.  No telling my secrets. :) 
If you are not using Swagbucks to do your online searching, you really should give it a try.  If you fill so inclined, please sign up under me, by clicking on the link below.  I get matching Swagbucks up to your first 1000. 

Many things to post and share

But since I use this blog to help capture moments.  Store them away for another day when I am asked, "Do you remember..??" or just when I need to remember the good, the silly and the precious. 
Tonight, I just want to remember taking the kids to the Christian book store.  I don't do it often.  Shopping, aka browsing in my world, isn't easy with children in tow.  But tonight we were waiting and 1/2 hour to go till sis was done and ready to be picked up.  After explanations that this was a Bible study, Sunday School, Homeschool kind of store, we browsed.  Lots of treasures were found.  But as I perused the card section with one of the children, desperately hoping we could find the right card we came across a twirling tower.  Little business card sized sentiments written out and my dear son, who has been struggling something fierce, found one and asked my help with a word.  "God has a place for me in his heart."  He looked up at me as we walked and asked, "Does God have a place in his heart for me?"  Fighting tears with all my might, I reassured him that yes, God has a place in His heart for him.  He loves him very much and Jesus died for him too.  Right there in the middle of the store, God reminded this broken hearted momma, reassured a scared little boy that there was a place in  His heart just for us, warts and all.  We never found the card we started looking for, just this little 15 cent card that represented hope and love to my boy.  But it was the best 15 cents I ever spent cause he could always carry it with him and look at it whenever he needed to remember, there is a place in God's heart just for him. 
That would have been enough, but then we found the poster he asked for in therapy today, one that will help him in communication.  Then we found clear, blue overlays for one of the sisters.  The colored transparencies help filter light that interferes with her being able to see well when reading.  Her reading is greatly improved when using her transparencies.  Except, the ones she has are 8.5 x 11 and not convenient.  These were bookmark size!  Perfect for stowing in her bible, school books and as a book mark in her leisure reading books.  Her smile was from ear to ear! 
My couponing, frugal self was extremely blessed because all of it cost us not a penny.  I had a gift card in my wallet from several years back.  A service gift from church.  Tucked in my wallet, forgotten about until a month ago.  Cleaning out my wallet, I pulled all the forgotten gift cards and tucked them in the cup holder of the car.  A constant reminder that I have them.  Guess what?  I have now successfully managed to use all but a couple.  The couple I have left, I think are empty.  They are just waiting for me to double check at the store.  What a sweet hug ang kiss from my Heavenly Father tonight.

Another Birthday coming up...

And it will belong to Hockey Player.  What does he want for his birthday? To play golf with his dad and the other men in his life.  A white cake with blue frosting.  To go out to dinner...where?? Golden Corral or  Ryan's.  Both are buffets.  Both options mean he will not leave with a spare spot in his being still feeling empty.  It is not unusual for the kids to go scavenging off of another's plate.  We rarely have leftovers.  But there are always a couple of family members not all that hungry and willing to share what is left on their plate.  All I can think is he is becoming another hard to shop for man in my life....  He is a young man, so he does like his Itunes, technology and games.  Of course, he likes hockey and golf.  None of which are on the slighly less expensive end of the shopping ideas!    At least I have his younger brothers. 

Just another week out of 52 a year....

Not a lot of extraordinary going on here.  Trying to desperately slip into a routine, we keep adding a bit more each week.  But I guess that is life, very little is consistent except for the need to eat, sleep, drink and go to the bathroom.  :)    AND there is alot of that happening around here! 
Fun Mom has chosen swimming laps over running with her dad and brother.  She is up to a mile at a time.  Her current goal is to swim that mile in a 1/2 hour.  Her school work is going smoothly.
 Hockey is trying to get back into a full time calendar filler upper !  We have added Boy Scouts this year.  It looks like maybe some horse back riding and volleyball throughout the year. 
I am teaching high school English this year.  OH MY !  is all I can say.  Due in 3 days for me...15 vocabulary terms defined so I can grade their tests...these are Grandpa's vocab words and they are expanding my vocabulary.  The first 3 chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird so I will be able to tell if they are answering correctly in the discussion.
Grandpa (my dad) is out of the hospital and doing great, all things considered!  Hoping we can work out a trip with him this year.  His emphysema and COPD is starting to really challenge him.  My father-in-law has been on the golf course a couple of times.  Not playing a full 9 holes yet, but able to hit the ball around.  Which is absolutely wonderful after the roller coaster we all went on after his surgery this past February.  My mom and dad-inlaw (don't like the term stepdad...so this is our name) are doing well.  School is back in session for them and keeping them busy.
Little Princess and Hockey Player are being very reliable in their school work and chores.  A huge blessing.
Daddy's Buddy is getting down with it with school as well.  His reading ability blows my mind away.  He caught me the other day and started to read the newspaper to me.  An article on a cattle drive going through Kansas.  WOW.  Flutter Nutter, who needs a new nickname cause he is getting bigger, has started Kindergartner and Sparks.  he knows a lot and just gets after it. 
Little Princess taught Flutter Nutter to ride his bicycle this week..no training wheels.  Dad and Hockey Player and Fun Mom were at the gym.  Little Princess told Flutter Nutter, this is it, you are going to ride this thing.  HE DID !
Another week, another Saturday.  Laundry in process, bathrooms need cleaning....