Surgery tomorrow

Ok guys...tomorrow is the big day, surgery day, and boy am I nervous!  I have to be at the hospital at 5:30am and my surgery is scheduled for 7:30am.  Hubby will be back home with the kiddos so I am on my own which is fine since I told doc to drug me up good!  I have my bags packed for hubby to bring once we have someone to watch the kiddos in the afternoon.  I will be offline till I am back home and up and feeling good enough to sit in front of the computer.  Wish me luck....I think I am going to need it! 

Wordless Wednesday....

Zach...before he lost his cookies AGAIN tonight!  Can we please get over this sickness???

Update on sickies...

Hubby is on his way home...he is sick now!  Please pray for us that we are all over this by thursday evening cause I can't postpone my surgery again!!!  I can only bleach the house so many times!!! 

Gall Stones anyone?

It has been a rough couple days....Madison and Zach have been sick since saturday night, I woke up sick yesterday which was not good since my pre op appt was yesterday and now Emily woke up sick.  My surgery is friday and I am so ready!  I just hope I am not still sick by then..... 

Saturday started really nice, no inkling Maddie and Zach would end up sick.  Maddie had her first ballet/tap class and had so much fun.  After that we hit one of my fave consignment shops and scored big there (will show that find in a minute), bought Mddie some tap shoes, met up with a gal from Craigslist that wanted my empty baby food jars, then off to Target to find the car seats I wanted.  We went to Chick-fil-a for lunch then headed home.  Everyone was fine and napped and played.  Then about 5pm I found another Target that had the booster seat I needed and went there to pick it up.  That was when it all fell apart!  On the way home Zach started to sound funny so I stopped and checked on him.  He was just spitting up a little but  really didn't think much of it.  Not 2 minutes later, Maddie starts losing her cookies in the van, crying that it was all over her and she wanted to go home.  Ugh...  We made it home and got everyone cleaned up and from then on the night was just a disaster.  Two kids getting sick at the same time is just not a barrell of fun.  I called hubby and told him to get home asap and bring pedialyte and gatorade with him.  Today they are finally eating and feeling better....great since Emily woke up sick at 4 am.  Fun times in my house.  Thank goodness I am feeling much better....hope hubby doesn't get sick...lots of people at his work getting this flu bug thing.  Why oh why right before my surgery???? 

Yesterday I went up to hospital to get all ready for my hernia surgery on friday.  My doc is quite the scatter-brain.  It always seems like he forgets what he is going to say (kind of scary but heard he is a great surgeon).  He walks in and asks me if I am ready to get this hernia fixed.  Yes I am and why don't you throw in a tummy tuck since I have had to wait so long (6 months).  He says to me "Did I mention you also have gallstones?"   Me "No you never did, would have liked to know that so I could have been prepared for that."  Doc "I can fix both problems in this surgery but you have a higher rate of infection doing both.  What do you think?"  Me "If I have a high chance of an infection I think I will wait."  Doc "OK".  That was it.  Weird....my last appt was in November and you would think he would have said something then since he had my ct scan results.  Ugh so another surgery in my future..hopefully won't be as invasive as this one.  My hernia is so larger I have to be cut from my belly button to my c-section scar.  He has already prepared me for the pain I will be in the first week or so.  I told him just give me strong drugs and let me stay in the hospital during the really rough days.  We shall see!

Now on to my fabulous finds!  I found Zach a couple really cute outfits from Gap and Children's Place at my fave store, Other Mother's.  I always find clothes for all of us there.  Also found myself a new sweater set that is so cute.  Then I found this gem for only $20...I was beyond excited since I have been looking for one...they normally go for $85!  Soooo excited and it had all the pieces! 

Both Maddie and Zach love it and even though sick, they have played with it everyday since we got it.  I also scored from Target a Graco ComfortSport car seat for Zach for $80 with a $20 gift card and a Graco highback booster set for Maddie for $45 minus $20 gift card = $25 and I also snagged another $20 gift card.  I was quite the happy shopper on saturday!  

Sunday we all just laid around and took care of each other so no church but did watch sermon that evening online.  Larry and I decided to make breakfast for dinner so cooked up some bacon and pancakes.  Well the bacon is what was making me sick on Monday.  I think it has a lot to do with my gallstones since it was real, greasy, honeycured bacon.  Needless to say I will stick with my turkey bacon from now on!  After surgery we are all going to start exercising more and eating better.  I so want to lose this baby weight I am still carrying!  Gonna have to break out the Wii and get some new dvd's! 

Here are some pics from saturday and sunday....have a fab day!

Emily on the computer...as always

                                                                               

Poor little Zach passed out

Maddie sleeping and before ballet class

What a difference a few hours can be!

Maddie and Zach

Maddie being cute

3rd times the charm?

Ah...another full night of sleep and it is so nice!  It did take Zach a little longer to go to sleep last night but he did really good.  I am just so happy and got a compliment from Christina at a MOMS group get together we had today that I looked so nice!  Thanks Christina...I really needed that since my hubby isn't around to see me when I am all dressed and Emily doesn't throw out the compliments to me! 

Today Zach had his 9 month well baby check up...he is doing good but his gross motor skills are a little behind.  I think he is just lazy since he is the baby and everyone does everything for him.  Heck if everyone did for me I wouldn't want to walk or crawl either!    He is in the 95th percentile for height and 25% for weight.  I was amazed he is so slim (almost 19 lbs) cause the boy eats all the time!  I guess he needs a bit more of the "real" stuff that will put some fat on him!  If only I had that problem!  I look at food and gain weight...poor kiddos! 

So on to my pics....I have been so bad about posting them!  We woke up to some snow on the ground which turned to rain by mid-morning much to Maddie's dismay.  She did get to wear her snow boots to Amy's today. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful and restful weekend!  Muah!!!

Our snow this morning

The fog that came with the snow!

Maddie and Zach playing

Emily doing her homework...or so it seems! 

A new day!!!

I am so excited today!  One is that Zach slept through the night last night!  OK I probably just jinxed myself but I just had to shout it out!  It only took him 15 minutes of crying/wimpering last night to go to sleep AND he is taking better naps during the day.  He is also about to embark on crawling any day now so I think he is wearing himself out trying to get somewhere and trying to pull up on everything!  I can't tell you how much better I am feeling!  I just hope this isn't a fluke and he goes back to not sleeping.  Maybe he is a quick learner!  Fingers and toes crossed! 

Second is that I am starting the Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University online, well actually I have been doing it for a couple weeks now.  I sent an email asking if I could blog about his program while I was following it and they said yes!  I received the 2 books yesterday and voucher for the online class!  So you will be hearing alot about his program and how we are doing.  As a matter of fact, I have already done baby step 1 ($1000 in savings) and working on baby step 2 which is paying off debt.  I paid off 3 credit cards today and have only 2 more to pay on and will pay those off when tax refund gets here.   It feels so good to almost have them all paid off and we will not use them anymore!  I don't like debt and was not happy that we were back in debt after paying off all of it before we left Belgium.  Now hubby wants to look into a new truck...maybe just a used one! 

Today has been such a peaceful day...watching a little bit of snow fall, talking to my sister and playing with the kids.  If only everyday could be like this! 

Sleep...

Sleep is one of our most basic needs and one that we always fall short on, why is that?  As a friend of mine tells me "You'll get all the sleep you need when you are dead" I tell him if my youngest doesn't start sleeping I am going to look dead!  I was starting to look forward to having my hernia surgery...the quiet and all the drugs that will help me sleep!  Yeah!  But I started feeling guilty....I lied no I wasn't! 

I love, love, love my little Zachy man.  He is the sweetest little one, so happy and bubbly during the day, but when night comes the little devil comes out!  He is the most stubborn baby when it comes to going to bed at night.  When I took Emily to the doctor I casually mentioned that Zach was still not sleeping through the night and was up 2 - 3 times and what could I do (I did not have this problem with my girls).  The doctor looked at me like I was crazy "You have 3 kids and you haven't figure this out?", me,  "No, my girls slept through the night from about 10 weeks on and only woke occasionally when teething or sick so this with Zach was killing me!", doctor, "Well you need to stop getting up with him and wean him off the nighttime bottle.  Have him cry it out..it should only take a week or so"  My heart sank...what no magic pill to make him sleep?  I had to let him cry?  I knew deep down I needed to let him cry it out but that always wakes hubby up, then I have to hear him complain that he is awake and has to work...yada yada yada!  I was going to be mean and suggest letting him cry it out when I was in the hospital for my surgery since hubby will be off from work but decided action needed to be taken now to save what little sanity I have left.  So last night I decided this was it, I am tired of waking up all night with him and having to hold him for hours to get him to stay asleep...my mind was made up! 

All was quiet at 9pm in my house...all kiddos were asleep and I was letting hubby get his classwork done, then it happened...Zach was up.  "What is going on with him?  You just put him down 30 minutes ago and he is up?" my hubby says.  Hubby went in to have some snuggle time and Zach fell asleep...or so hubby thought!  After 5 minutes hubby had enough and promptly told me "let him cry".  I went in and made sure he was ok, tried to give him a bottle and he wanted none of it so time to cry it out buddy!  And boy did he cry.  Little man cried for an hour and thirty minutes.  I started going in every 10 minutes to rub his back and make sure he was ok, he would quiet down and as soon as he heard me leave he was wailing again!  So then I went in every 20 minutes just to check and he was still going!  I thought the poor boy would never give up and go to sleep!  But finally he did..at 10:15 he finally quieted down....till 4am.  I did get up and give him a bottle but miraculously he feel back asleep!  Woo Hoo! 

Unfortunately at 6 am Emily needs to get up for school which always wakes up Maddie and then the arguing begins!  As I type they are yelling at each other about who will brush their teeth first.  On the bright side I did get almost 5 hours uninterrupted sleep last night so I will not be a part of the living dead today.  Here's hoping for another night of uninterrupted sleep!  And not too much crying for my little Zachy man....

On hiatus....

I am going to step back for a couple days and get some painting done in my house!  I have hernia surgery in a couple weeks and am trying to help hubby out by doing some painting before he lays down my wood floors!  I will still post some pics and be back in a couple days, or when I get tired of painting (I don't care for painting)!! 

Have a good week!!!

Pictures!

I have been missing some days at least posting them!  Here are some from the past couple days....

Emily trying to hide

Maddie feeding her baby

Zach being Zach

Emily on my computer

Maddie and Zach

A Life with ADHD

ADHD...Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often persists into adulthood. Problems associated with ADHD include inattention and hyperactive, impulsive behavior. Children with ADHD may struggle with low self-esteem, troubled relationships and poor performance in school.

Signs and symptoms of inattention may include:

Often fails to pay close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities
Often has trouble sustaining attention during tasks or play
Seems not to listen even when spoken to directly
Has difficulty following through on instructions and often fails to finish schoolwork, chores or other tasks
Often has problems organizing tasks or activities
Avoids or dislikes tasks that require sustained mental effort, such as schoolwork or homework
Frequently loses needed items, such as books, pencils, toys or tools
Can be easily distracted
Often forgetful

The above list describes Emily to a tee! 


My oldest, Emily, has been diagnosed with adhd since she was 5 and has been on numerous medications, diets and nutritional supplements to try to get a handle on it.  She is the most loving, kind-hearted, sweet girl you will meet but when she loses it, it is not fun.  And when she loses it, I usually lose it as well.  Your patience can only get you so far even when you know it is not her "fault".  At times I think I struggle with it almost as much as she does.  I have read so many books to try to find ways to "work" with her to help her through her emotions and anger (yes she is mad she can't always control herself)  but it is such an individual disorder that there is no cut and dry way to help which when you feel you are at the end of your rope you want a cut and dry answer, darn it! 

We are hitting some hard times mostly due to all these new and fascinating hormones that are running through her teenage body!  Middle school has been a difficult adjustment with switching classrooms and multiple teachers, the drama of boys and the meanness of preteen and teenage girls, it is alot for her to take in and deal with.  Teenage girls can be so mean...gives me flashbacks to my middle school years (shudder).  We went back to the doctor this week to see if we can get her meds readjusted.  We had stopped them per her request since she was not happy with the way they made her feel.  Fortunately we have found a wonderful doctor here who has taken the time to really talk to her to find out what her feelings are about the meds and how exactly she feels on them.  Most docs just refill or up doses without finding out how the child feels, just asking the parents how things are going.  So we are back on concerta and hoping this will help her, for now.  As with any meds, doses have to be adjusted numerous times to find that "magic" amount that does what it is suppose to do.  Luckily we like our doc so the numerous trips to the doc are ok...well at least I get to ask questions about all the kids making it a 3 for 1 deal!   

Emily gets so distracted by things around hr and can't stay focused unless she is on meds.  Even her sister talking in the background while she is speaking on the phone distracts her from her conversation.  In the one day since she is back on meds, she is almost caught up on missing math assignments she has been working on all week and is almost done readng her book for her book report.  It is amazing how much of  difference it is!  It also helps her in her friendships.  She actually wants to sit and listen instead of always talking about what she wants, stays out of other's "personal space" and isn't as touchy feely as teens don't like that. 

I love my daughter more than anything and if I could, would wave my magic wand and make this disorder disappear.  Unfortunately I can't do that but will do whatever I can in my power to make her life and our family life the best it can be.  I love you Emily no matter what, baby! 

A Prayer for the people of Haiti...

We cry to you for our Haitian sisters and brothers. We thank you for upholding them in their suffering. Give them continuing strength and comfort. Give us love and courage to stand with them and work with them as they struggle for justice and freedom. Keep us committed to the truth and empower us with your Spirit of love...



Amen

Who am I?

As I sit here at 5:45am wondering what am I doing up (thanks Zach for getting up at 3am), I ponder what happened to me.  Not in a "oh my where did my life go" but in a "where did the happy go lucky gal go".  I say this because this question was asked of me by a former classmate who found me on facebook recently.  It really got me thinking "who am I now?"....

I know when we become Moms and wives that our priorities change and so do our personalities, even a little bit.  I know when I first got married I still went out with my girlfriends (I had not moved where hubby was yet) and let loose and had fun.  Then I moved to where hubby was and from then on I think I have lost bits of myself and my happiness.  I don't have a hard time making friends but the friendships didn't seem as "real" as those I had with the people I grew up with and knew me and my family very well.  I just wasn't happy anymore.  I was thrilled to be married but I just wasn't happy, kwim?   

When we moved overseas (Turkey and Germany) and lived on small bases, I got my happy go lucky self back and started really hanging out with the wives and having a good time again.  I think it was partly that we were in a foreign country and we wives banded together cause we were all we had!  I really miss those gals and still keep in touch with them even though we are scattered all over the US! 

Our time in Belgium is what really got to me and I think really changed me.  My hubby worked very long hours there (as he has his whole career) which kept me home alone with two kids (Maddie was born there)  and the base, well lets just say I didn't make any connections there.  Yeah I knew people but no one I wanted to really hang out with and make any lasting connections.  I remember thinking "why did I want to leave our last place?"  Our Belgian neighbors were/are wonderful and we still keep in touch with them and their family, they are what made that place bearable.  While we were there I changed.  I got used to just sitting at home and not going anywhere.  I was missing my friends terribly and kind of depressed.  My happiness was gone.   

So this year I have vowed to get my happy go lucky self back.  My former classmate asking me what happened to Wendy really made me snap out of it and realize my unhappiness will take a toll on my kids if I don't change.  Yeah it really sucks that I am home with kids all the time but you know what, I need to step up and ask for help.  I will look for a responsible teen (or ask a friend) who lives near me to watch my kids for me so I can go out, even for a couple hours, to walk around the mall, get my hair done, go workout, whatever I am just going to get out!  I love my kids but I am realizing I am losing myself not giving time to myself and in the long run it is not good for them or me.  I am also throwing myself into school and finish my degree early so I can get back into the workforce and do what I want to do with my career.   I am thankful that I can stay home with my kids but do miss working and being around other adults talking about things other than our kids! 

So, this is my year to get my happy go lucky self back so hold on and enjoy the ride!  It may be bumpy but in the end it will be smooth sailing! 

Happy Anniversary...to me....

Yes today is our 15 year anniversary...wow seems like such a long time!  I of course pulled out our wedding pic and remembered just how young we were and looked.  Boy do kids age ya!  So tonight I grilled some steaks, baked some potatoes and warmed some green beans and had a great dinner with...the kids.  Yes my hubby worked late again.  He did bring me home some pretty tulips and peanut butter M n M's....will try to have a date this weekend.  Gotta love those late nights! 

Today we had Emily's appt with the doctor to adjust her meds for her adhd.  Her doctor sees all the kiddos and is always laughing when she comes in when I have all three kids in tow.  She is always telling me I should get an award for patience since my girls are usually arguing with each other while we are waiting in the exam room.  I sure am hoping this will help her out where she can get focused and keep herself in check.  Emily doesn't want to take meds but it has gotten to the point where she needs something to help her focus on her schoolwork.  We ended up being late for the appt which I was annoyed about.  I went up to her school early so we had plenty of time, had them call her up in class to meet me at the office and was told "she is on her way".  Well 10 minutes later Maddie is complaining "why is Emily not here yet?"  so I go back to the office to find out where she is.  They call the classroom again and now can't get through so the receptionist calls the principal to have her go to the room.   The teacher never told her to go to the office!  And I wonder why she isn't learning anything...geez! 

No pics downloaded so will have to double up tomorrow....was busy today signing up for my classes next term, ordering the books and trying to figure out babysitting for the nights I have class.  So much work and class hasn't even started!  Hope everyone had a great day and a super night! 

Wordless wednesday...

My little love...

Oh the luck....

On the night I decide to try a new recipe, the oven goes all on and off on me!  I made a recipe I found on my friend Colleen's blog   (cornbread casserole) and was so psyched to try it out since it sounded so yummy.  I spent a little too much time out running errands so my prep time was cut short and hubby had to leave for work by 6pm.  I told him I would get going and if it was ready to eat before he left great but if not "Hey go eat with the King"....so I hurried to get it all done cutting up an onion (and of course crying), browning the meat, etc while everyone watched.  Ok off topic...why do they watch you while you struggle to get everything done and not offer anything?  HELLO HELP!!!!!!  Ok back to dinner...well I got everyting ready, in the oven and after 20 minutes I look and the cornbread is not brown...what is going on!  I open the oven and notice it is a bit cooler....darn it the oven is off!  Grrr....needless to say dinner got ready in enough time for him to eat so he went to work with a full belly!   I have to say the recipe was yummy and very easy to make so will keep that in my file!  Never mind...I will use my recipe box on my computer and put it in!  I love that the computer "speaks" to me and tells me the ingredients! 


I am so stuffed I might just have to roll into bed tonight!  I had a very productive day, even with the kiddos with me and Larry trying to sleep since he is working tonight.  Yes that does mean that I got to spend some time with my hubby today even if it was telling him what I need him to do on his morning off!  It was really weird having him around...too used to him being gone!  Zachy really liked having Daddy's attention and just played and slept with Daddy.  I made Zach's 9 month appt, Emily's appt to figure out her meds for her ADHD and finished up getting my classes sorted for Spring.  Now to get my books so I can get a jump start on my reading!  Only two classes this go around since hubby will be gone for a couple weeks in March and will still be working 6 days a week...uck!  Medical terminology and human growth and developement..so exciting! 

Maddie and I went back to Albertson's and bought more coffee and cereal (I now have 12 boxes of assorted cheerios), Smith's to get more coffee filters (40 for $1.50) and those tater tots I forgot yesterday, Walgreen's to get my ink cartridge refilled (now doesn't even work..grr) and Target to just look around.  I found this toy storage for Zach on sale and just had to get it.  I am in an organizing frenzy (don't really know why) and am buying all sorts of organizing things!   I have realized that there is just way too much crap on the floor where Zach can get it and he will be mobile very soon and I need to get it up!  Now to get it put together so his toys aren't all over my family room so I don't fall and kill myself! 

I got a very sweet card from the ladies from my MOMS group.  They were so so sweet to think of me since I have been such a slacker and haven't gone to anything in so long...I do miss them and need to start dragging our butts out of the house.  I miss you gals! 

I also got an exciting email from someone at Dave Ramsey!  More to come on that one!!!

Now to go tackle my sink full of dirty dishes, my children that need to be bathed and readied for bed and my poor little dog that is begging me for some "Mommy" attention.   Moms work is never done...but we wouldn't have it any other way!!! 

The grocery trip

Wow did I get alot of stuff!  And I learned that going shopping early in the morning = less annoying people and Zach is in a great mood!  I really didn't use too many coupons but the store's did have quite a few in store deals.

Smith's is where I spent the most...$144....I think I did pretty good with most of it being cases
what I got:
24 cans of tomato soup (store brand)
12 cans mixed of cream of chicken, mushroom, celery and broccoli (store brand)
10 tubes of colgate toothpaste
12 jars of peanut butter (store brand)
9lives big bag of cat food
kibble'n bits dog food
pork loin chops (2 packages)
2 packages of petite sirloin tip steak
1 big roast to cut into 2 roasts
special k cereal
2 bottles of disney gummy vitamins (clearanced)
24 cans of corn (store brand)
24 cans of green beans (store brand)
20 cups yoplait yogurt
2 bottles of coffee mate (.99 a piece and so yummy)
2 packages of coffee filters (clearanced)

Albertson's was $55...I didn't want to spend over $200 total...
what I got:
4 boxes cheerios
playtex tampons
2 bags caribou coffee (ended up being $.99  piece)
pompeian large bottle of extra virgin olive oil
pompeian med bottle olive oil light
3 packages no yolk noodles
2 packages of gerber fruit puffs
15lb bag of potatoes
1.5lb onions
hartz litter spray (buy 1 get 1)
2 bags santitas ships
2 bags doritos (gotta have my doritos)

All in all I think I did pretty good and don't think I will be looking for peanut butter, soup or canned veggies for a while!  I may go back and get more cheerios and caribou coffee since they were so cheap and I can print off more coupons.  With a little one, there is never enough cheerios or coffee!   I am hoping next week when I am not stockpiling I can see what kind of money it will save me on "normal" shopping! 

Now I am off to enjoy some coffee and savor the quiet while Zach is napping!

Off to try out Grocery Game

As I posted last night, I signed up for the free trial of Grocery Game and plan on hitting both Smith's and Albertson's after I drop Maddie off at her "school" this morning.  I have my coupons and lists ready to go, sure hope Zach is a trooper while we are out.  Quite a few of the products I want are in the case lot sale so won't be too cheap today.  Let's see just how much I save...and if I can find room in my pantry.  Shoot I need to get rid of some stuff I don't use anyways!!!  I will post about my grocery adventure, cleaning out the pantry and pics when I get back!

I also want to give a big thank you to all my followers and all the comments you have left about my kiddos!  I think they are pretty cute too...doing good pushing those devil horns down huh?   I hope to keep you entertained with the adventures we have, whether good or bad, and just our lives in general!   Have a Happy Monday!!!!

Ah Sunday....

Bliss....only 2 kids for the majority of the day.  Hubby knew if he left Emily with me for another day one of us would disappear and he was so afraid it would be me and he would have to take care of the kids!   Smart man...I think!  Hubby on top of working in the Air Force also referees volleyball on the weekends.  Today he took Emily with him so I could get a break and because she loves volleyball and wants to play.  Newsflash Emily...you have to get good grades to play and do more than sit in front of a tv or computer...get exercise kiddo!  I know my mean Mommyism is coming out! 

Anyhoo Maddie, Zach and I slept in (well Maddie got up at 7 but Zach slept till 10 why do they sleep so late when we can't?) so we missed church but still did our devotions this morning so I didn't feel so bad for being so lazy.  So after convincing Maddie that it was ok to not go to church, we decided to just hang out watching some kid movies and just chillin' in the pj's.  Well that lasted for about 20 minutes since Maddie decided she needed to spend some time "logging" on the computer.  So I let her try out a site I am reviewing and that is where she stayed for most of the day.....she says she was working on getting smart and finding friends on the "logging world".  I guess she pays a bit too much attention to me!  LOL!!  I think she just wanted to play on my touchscreen since now there are so many fingerprints I can barely see the screen! 

I also played around on a site I found Grocery Game.  I signed up for the 4 week trial, printed out the lists, coupons and started trying to make sense of it all!  They say I will save tons of money...we'll see since it seems when I buy things in bulk everyone decides they don't want it anymore!  I am being picky with what I buy and also trying to work in the envelope system I am learning from Dave Ramsey so I don't go too crazy with all these coupons.  Hubby looks at the lists and shakes his head and I promise him in the long run it will (at least I hope) save us money! 

On to my photos...yet again I have a pic of my grumpy teen.  Please tell me they do snap out of it and become human again and want to be part of the family!  Ugh...military school here we come! 

Maddie "logging" on her world...

Zach eating..as always

Emily being the grumpy teen....spread the love baby

Random pic of Maddie being a boppy flower...

My new page!

I found this great blog template on LeeLou free blog layouts and I just love the way it looks!!!!  I am so not computer savvy with these things and was really getting frustrated trying to update my look so I was so excited when I copied and pasted and it worked and looked so good. 

Just wanted to share my excitement on my new page.  I was going to blog some but my girls with their yelling and fighting have woke up their brother from his nap time, which is my "blog time", so will have to find some time later!  Hubby is working all weekend so no rest for the wicked mommy! 

Hope everyone is having a great saturday!

Fun giveaway at xoxoyvonne...living with littles

Here's a great giveaway...let her know I sent ya!!! 

TGIF!

Boy has this been a week!  It started off with my oldest kicking in a cabinet door in her bathroom, not being able to replace just the door so now we get to purchase a whole new vanity/cabinet for the kids bathroom and ended with my oldest (yet again) already failing a class  (went from a 79 to a 44) and she is only 4 days into this semester!    Yes I do have bald spots in my hair and have grinded my teeth so much I think I lost a bit of my bite!   I keep telling myself it's hormones...blah blah blah!  I just can't wait for the real teenage years to come....blech! 

Today I did start the Dave Ramsey online classes and actually sat down and tried to budget.  We will start it next month since we are so in the hole this month with the car expenses and the holidays, birthdays and our anniversary it would be uselss to try to use it.  Can't money just grow on trees???   Or like a friend of mine thinks...If I write the check the bank has to pay it...LOL!!!

Here are some pics of the kiddos....enjoy and have a great night and weekend! 

Zach playing with his drum with his cracker face...he loves his crackers!

Maddie being Maddie showing off her black boots

Emily cleaning up her room....as you can see she is a huge twilight fan

Military life...the ups and downs

As my husband and I are creeping up to our 15 year anniversary (Jan 14th), I can't help but look back on his military career.  My husband Larry is a 21 yr Master Sergeant in the Air Force and is still in!  When I look at our wedding pictures and see his little 2 stripes when we got married I realize just how long we have been married.  Those stripes take some time to work for!  When we got married I was very excited to be a military wife but that soon got tarnished.  It is long hours for them and lots of lonely hours for us.  Military life is very hard on families and is not for the faint of heart.  I am lucky that my husband does not get deployed but he is gone quite a bit for training and other TDY's.  There are long days where he doesn't even see the kids or me which is hard on our kids.  I have gotten used to it but our kids have not.  Sometimes I feel like a single parent who doesn't have to work and have had to convince people that I am married and my husband does live with us! 

Don't get me wrong, there are perks to it.  We lived in Europe for 10 years and loved every location we were at.  When we were first married we lived in Louisiana but after 2 years we got orders to Germany which we were ecstatic about.  We lived in Germany for 4 years and our oldest went to her 1st school there and spoke fluent German.  We traveled and saw things I thought I would never see!  My most memorable trip was to Dachau concentration camp.  That is a trip that will stay with me forever and I wish more people could go and experience.  We also traveled to Italy, Luxembourg, Nederlands and Austria to name a few.  After that we lived in Turkey for 4 years also.  Turkey was a big culture shock for me as a westerner!  We traveled as much as we could there and went to Capadocia and other ruins Turkey is famous for.  We were there when 9/11 happened and had to be evacuated out when the war with Iraq started.  Nothing like leaving your spouse behind not knowing when or if you will see him again.  That was a long flight and a very emotional one.  Thank goodness we only had Emily then.  After our 4 years there we moved on to Belgium.  We drove from Turkey to Belgium when I was 5 months pregnant.  I know what were we thinking?  I was thinking my new van will be waiting for me in Belgium and hubby let me get whatever extras I wanted in the van if we drove!  It was not a bad drive, my only request was find bathrooms that had toilets not holes in the ground! We drove to the coast and hopped on a boat to get us to Italy.  The boat ride was actually nice with beautiful scenery of Greece and other islands.  I couldn't believe we were on the Medeterranian Sea!  I have to say Belgium was wonderful....the base I didn't like but our Belgian neighbors more than made up for it.  I had Madison in a Belgian hospital in Genk and had a wonderful experience.  Nothing like a week's stay in the hospital to get you ready to go home with  new baby!   The beer Larry misses terribly and me well the pastry's and chocolates!  We lived very close to the Nederlands border and rode our bikes along the canals almost daily enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather.  I highly reccommend going to Keukenhof to see the tulips...so very gorgeous!  We left there after only 2 years and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.  Let's just say that seeing the strip was fun and we made some good friends but we couldn't get out of there fast enough!  We saw the Hoover Dam but that was about it...it is way too hot there!  Now we are in New Mexico and so far so good.  We purchased our first home and would like to stay for a good long time! 

Now we are  looking forward to retirement and he has finally started working on his degree (that the Air Force pays for) so when he does get out, he can get a great paying job.  I am also working on my degree so that he is not the sole breadwinner and doesn't have that stress on him like he does now.  The military does not pay great but it does pay the bills, our mortgage, provide us with free healthcare and he has a job that he will not lose so really can't complain!  And you do travel quite a bit, which some like and some don't!  I personally don't mind just wish they offered a pack and unpack your house service!  The unpacking gets old! 

Well I hope I didn't sound too complainy just wanted to share our military life with you.  These men and women deserve our respect for the job they do and the sacrifices they make. 

Giving my opinion.....My front loading washer and dryer

I have to say I LOVE my washer and dryer.  I started using front loading washers and dryers when we lived in Europe and I was amazed at how well they cleaned our clothes, especially baby clothes.  Emily was a baby when we lived there and boy was she a spitupper but I didn't have stains!  Amazing!  I told hubby that when we came back to the States I would have my front loader! 

Fast forward to 2007 when we moved to Las Vegas, NV and I got my Whirlpool Sport Duet washer and gas dryer.  Never had any complaints with them, I don't even have a smelly washer!  Of course now I see all the fancy steam ones and all the other stuff which makes me jealous (hey whirpool I can review a new one..lol!) but am happy with my pair!  They even moved very well when we packed up and moved to New Mexico.  My mother in law loved them so much she bought herself a pair and now tell all her friends about them!

So if you are in the market for a new washer and dryer, I highly reccommend the front loaders...you won't be disappointed! 

Already thursday.....

Where do the days ago?  Yesterday was a bust...my tummy was bothering me so I planted myself on the couch (when I wasn't in the bathroom) and supervised my kids.  Thank goodness they played well together and Zach loves just laying on Mommy!  He is still fighting a cold which is slowly getting better but this weather is just wreaking havoc on us getting over this stuff.  Now all this cold....brrr!  Why is it that it is in the 100's in the summer and this cold in the winter...I just don't get it!  I though the desert was suppose to be warm?!?!  I should just be quiet and enjoy the cool weather cause when summer comes I will be complaining that I am melting away!  Can we just have weather where we keep our windows open and have the most beautiful days all the time?  Ok a girl can dream! 

Last night I cooked up some barbque shake and bake and it was good!  My kiddos ate it up and normally Maddie is picky but she loved it!  She is also into broccolli all of the sudden and wants it all the time!  Unfortunately it makes everyone gassy which is not a good thing in this house (they inherited the stinkies from their Dad).  Now what to cook today.....I am sort of following a pantry challenge to use everything in there before I go to the store.  I guess I better go digging around and figure out something mouthwatering and yummy for my hungry kiddos!  Hubby is never around for dinner so he gets whatever is leftover....that's what happens when you get home after 9 at night. 

Today if it isn't too cold we need to hit WalMart for more school supplies for Emily (did she eat her pencils and paper?), more gas meds for Zach and try to hit the library to get some reading in before my classes start again in March.  I took this semester off due to my surgery coming up.  Finals and midterms around surgery and recovery didn't look so appealing!  I am so looking forward to my hernia surgery.  The pain is not as bad as it was (or I have just gotten used to it) but the bulge is gross and the sagging belly has got to go!  Maybe sweet talk doc into a tummy tuck?  Hmmm....heck I am just excited to be in the hospital away from everyone and hopefully heavily drugged!  The hospital here will not let kids under 15 visit.  I will miss them terribly but need the time to recooperate so I don't have to do this again! 

My daily devotions are going well even though Maddie tells me the story is too long (lol!) but she does listen to most of them if I make it interesting for her! We were suppose to go to church last night but decided not to share my tummy bug with anyone but family! Thanks to my friend June I have the Dave Rmsey online class for free and will start that next week once I have my mind ready for that and have his book for reference. I have a feeling I am not going to like budgetting! 


Here are my pics form yesterday...see I did follow my resolution just didn't post...lol! Hope you all have a very blessed day!

Maddie being a little diva...

Zach trying to stand up...

Emily....looking like her life is awful....maybe don't kick cabinet doors in and you won't be in trouble...just a thought.....

My pics from yesterday....

Boy was last night rough....my little one was just a whiney mess and my oldest, well let's just say she is grounded for an undetermined amount of time!  Dealing with them last night made me very tired and irritated so I bypassed posting pics till this morning so you will be seeing multiple posts from me today! 

Emily's birthday cake

Maddie sneaking some cake or should I say devouring

My poor little Zachy man...he is fighting a cold

Wow...check it out!

Old Navy is having their big clearance sale.  Go check it out HERE !

Life back to semi normal....

Why is it that when the holidays come we say to ourselves "I am going to enjoy everyone being home with me"?   We all know that is crazy talk when everyone is in the house, fighting with each other, calling out ugly names and just causing mass chaos! 

I was relieved to see Larry go to work this morning (I love ya honey but you need to go) and Emily had a sleepover with a friend so only 2 kiddos till at least 3 today.  Tomorrow is the big day....Emily back to school and getting her report card.  We are hoping for all A's and B's but alas I think a C will creep in there.  Maddie will go back to KidsZone the 11th and can't wait to get back to "learning" and hanging out with her friends.  She also wants to sign up for ballet and tap so will put that to the top of the list for things to do tomorrow.  Zach is fighting yet another cold..poor guy.  I wish I had a wand to wave over him to take his cold away but hoping this cool mist humidifier will do the trick instead. 

Today was the first day of my daily devotions.  I have to say that I felt so much better afterwards.  It is amazing how God can just take over your stresses and make the important things shine through.  I look forward to what God has planned for me and my family in 2010. 

On an exciting (well exciting for me) note, my friend June sent me a link to get the Dave Ramsey online courses for free!  I can not wait to get started and start 2010 off right finance wise.  Anyone that has an experience with Dave Ramsey, please share them with me as I would love to hear all the stories! 

Enough for now....I will post my kiddos pics later so I can get a pic of my teen too! 

Whew what a couple days!!!

I can't believe I have missed days of blogging...I love blogging but these past 2 days have been so hectic! 

Yesterday my oldest, Emily, turned 13.  I woke up yesterday in shock that I am the Mom of a teenager.  NNNOOOO!!!!  I can't be!  A Mom to a 4 yr old and 8 month old yes but a teen?  Alas I am...and have come to terms with it.  Emily is beyond excited that she is now officially a teen...not a preteen but a full teenager as the age thirTEEN says.  As I am sure you can tell I am not.  I am sure the drama will get worse, even though I can't imagine that, the interest in boys will tailspin me and the dating questions *gasp* will throw her father into a crazy gun cleaning guy.  As I keep telling myself we will survive this and be stronger so that we can go through this yet again with Madison and Zach a few years down the road. 

So for Emily's birthday she wanted to see "New Moon".  Larry decided that I would have the pleasure of seeing the movie with her (I think he didn't want to hear all the squealing girls) and it is all she has talked about since.  We went out to dinner and again I had to hear all about the movie (even though I had just seen it with her), and of course Jacob, who I have to admit did look good in the movie.  I guess it could be worse!  All in all I think she had a great birthday. 

Today we went to church, stopped at Target and then went to lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.  Boy does Maddie love that place and I think it has a lot to do with that ice cream bar!  Poor Zachy man slept through lunch so he didn't get to enjoy any of it.  Larry was off doing some volleyball stuff but when he came home we took down the outdoor decorations and the tree and now are back to normal...well at least the house is!

Now to share my pics of the day....I do love seeing the little things that change daily with my kiddos. 

The birthday girl with her Alice choker and ipod nano

Maddie and Jasmine

Zach taking a nap

What a giveaway!

This area where the home is is just amazing (I don't live too far away from it)! Don't forget to enter daily!

Happy New Year!

Wow 2010 is here and I am ready to hit it head on!  I hope everyone brought in the New Year in their own special way.

Today I hit Target and WalMart with Maddie and got new plastic ornaments for the tree next year, stockings and way too much candy and other sweets!  Target had some great markdowns on toys and shoes for the little ones.  Maddie got a new pair of Dora tennis shoes and new gloves for next winter.  I found a cool toy for Zach for his 1st birthday in April but decided to wait to see if they mark it down more. 

On the way home Maddie decided she didn't feel well, and well it went downhill from there.  Poor baby has been fighting something for about a week now, no fever just really tired and feeling like she has to "spit".  My little Zachy man is still crabby with his teeth so he was a "joy" today too!   The only one to have a good day was Emily who is beyond excited that she turns 13 tomorrow and will officially be a teenager.  I made her a cake tonight and got totally frustrated that I couldn't make a rose to save my life!  She seems happy with her heart cake and makeshift flowers I threw on there.  As she told me "Anything you make for me Mom is beautiful"....I guess we raised her right. 

Tomorrow is another day and I will take some pics of my kidos to make up for today....no one likes having pics taken when they don't feel well (that is what Maddie told me).  Nothing like breaking your resolution on the 1st day...LOL! 

Win a amazon gift certificate....

Just a quick post to share this wonderful giveaway!

http://www.chelseasaidso.com/2010/01/24-hour-giveaway-50-amazon-gift-card.html