First Day Of Preschool!

So Missy had her first afternoon of preschool today. She is going to the same teacher that taught Goober preschool and boy was she excited!

She ended up loving it of course and was mad at me when I told her she couldn't go back tomorrow, but would have to wait till Wednesday. :) Glad she liked it so much.

She is getting to be such a big girl!!!

Sounds Good to Me!

Check this out.... doesn't that sound like a great way to get the kidlets to look forward to doing chores?!?! I think so and I waaaaaant :)

When Good Friends Come to Town

Goober says he found a friend at school today.... I hope that friend will last as long as this one has for me :)

The is Erika, I've known her for like... a billion years... or in other words, since 2nd grade. While we spent the 2nd and 3rd grades in the same school, after that we had completely different paths though somehow managed to stay friends. And boy has that been a godsend! It's so nice when you know you have a friend that likes you for YOU, not for your friends or your clothes or your social status. In high school when my friends were being a bit challenged I would always pick up the phone and call Erika... and we would talk for hours.

In college we were roommates for a fantastic summer semester before we once again split schools. And ever since we have been Email and IM buddies because long distance phone bills can be a real booger, especially when one of you lives in Italy for a few years. :)

Well, she has been spending a little time in town due to her husband being in training and her house in TX being up for sale... so today she stopped by for a visit!

It's always so nice to talk to someone you know won't think your a nutcase or "one of THOSE parents". I think she and her girls stayed for about three hours, but man, it felt more like 20 minutes! Time flies when you enjoy the company! The kids enjoyed playing with each other, the babies took naps, and we "adults" tried to avoid any major kid mishaps.

I'm so glad she was able to come by....even if she did break her toe to avoid going walking with me! j/k

Getting Back Into Gear and Hoping I Don't Grind the Gears too much!

This morning I got up.

I got up at 6:15am... I not only got up, but I exercised.

Anyone who has witnessed my usual day to day routine up to this point KNOWS this is NOT a small thing to say. And guess what?

I think I may need to get up earlier... hear that gear grinding? yeah, that's my brain screaming NOOOOOOOOOOOO... nononono!

I got every one of the kids up by 7:15 and started helping them get dressed. When I gently reminded Missy that she would not be attending school this morning she started to cry. Poor girl. She wants to go with her big brother. I had to bribe her by telling her she could wear her school clothes this week even though her preschool doesn't start until next week.

I was so glad I made Goobers lunch last night instead of putting it off till this morning. I would have never had everyone ready by the time his bus is supposed to come. 8:09am mind you. I took him to school today partly because I didn't think the buses would be picking up today (misunderstanding) and partly because I still have a hard time letting him go.

As he gave his siblings and I kisses and hugs and then hopped happily out of the van. I started to really worry. I worried that he would make it to were he was supposed to be, I worried that he might not make friends, I worried that the older kids would pick on him, I worried that he might try to boss around said older kids and become a target for teasing, I worried that he would be okay eating lunch at school and getting his lunchbox back home afterword, I worried about him listening to his teacher.....

I am a mom. I worry.

I had no idea that mom's were so out of the loop when I was a kid. I always kind of assumed that my mom knew about the things I did every day, the friends I hung out with at school, and what I learned. I assumed she knew the good teachers from the not so good ones... etc etc. Boy was I clueless.

I hope that when Goober gets off the bus this afternoon that he may tell me a little about his day, about what he learned, about the other kids that he met, about the friends he made.... I hope that he knows when to go to a teacher or an adult with problems, I hope he remembers the things I told him that will keep him safe.

Because when it all comes down to it, I sure love that little boy of mine even though he insists he is big. I cherish his happy giggles and the sparkle in his eyes when he finds something funny or tells a six year old style joke.

I love how willing he is to help, not only me, but his younger siblings. I adore those big hugs and quick kisses he gives when one of us is leaving... and know I probably won't be getting those for terribly much longer though I hope that maybe I will.

I will forever love him to death and I hope he never forgets that.

One last bash!

So yesterday was a busy day to say the least! I woke up at 7:15 and went walking around our neighborhood for exercise before it got too sweltery hot... I know the high was supposed to be about 100 Degrees. YUCK!

After I got home I quickly showered and went with a friend to the local farmers market. Where I found kohlrabi (which Jer says sounds like "Kill Rabbi" which is NOT GOOD!) and a funk kind of squash which I can't remember the name of. I quickly purchased both because I had never tried them and with the new diet I might as well find as many things as possible that I like to eat that are allowed!

After wandering around the farmers market for a while and admiring many things I was not allowed to eat... aka apple turnovers and other high sugar foods... I raced home to get there before my parents arrived at eleven.

I got there just in time to change into my swimsuit and grab a few supplies before Gma and Gpa showed up with the boat. We packed into our van and headed up to the local lake for some boating. As it turned out, the boat wouldn't work! The battery had died (probably do to the fix-it guys leaving the blower on) and would NOT take a jump. So we all loaded back into our vehicles and headed to Gma and Gpa's house to swap batteries out. While we were there we ate lunch and then headed up to Palisades Reservoir. We all smashed into the truck for the ride which turned out great.

Once we got out into the lake it was a blast! Unfortunately EVERYONE forgot their cameras! I'm so glad we got to go before school officially starts tomorrow! I rode on the tube, which I haven't done in years, Jer took Goober on the tube too, and then Jer went out for a refresher crash course in tubing behind my dad's boat :) man were those some SPECTACULAR stunts there!!!! needless to say, he is feeling it today!

Goober got to play with his gimpy remote control boat (which only likes to turn one direction) and everyone was happy. EB even fell asleep and took a short nap on the boat floor as we raced about the lake. And since the boat had recently been worked on and was running pretty smoothly both Jer and I got a turn to try and drive the thing. Jer did great, I on the other hand was a little too cautious I think. I was nervous about the whole thing, especially the no brakes bit! I can see why it would be fun to have a boat though!

As we came in for the day and I was looking my worst (you know, swimsuit, sunburned, and wind whipped) I of course ran into an old friend. LOL the only thing I could tell myself to make myself feel better was "next time he sees me he will say to himself 'MAN, she has lost of load of weight!'."

As we got back to the parents house the kids were reluctant to leave for home.... even though we had spent all day with them! So mom offered dinner and we gladly took her up on the offer :)

What a great day! I couldn't have asked for better for the last weekend before school starts! I really couldn't.

And the verdict is......

Insulin Resistant.

This is part of the reason I was getting poked a while ago. I went to my doctor cause I was worried about recent weight gain (almost 20 lbs since January) and the fact that thyroid issues run in my family.

So the doc decided to do a full physical. Blood work and all. Now, mind you, I have NEVER had a full physical that I can remember. Even my yearly "Girl" exams never included blood work, so this was interesting to me and I was glad it was being done, because I WANT to know about my health while things are still preventable.

I picked up the lab results the same day I had the blood work done and by looking over them myself I could tell things weren't right. Heck, even a ten year old knows when things are marked with HUGE letters that they aren't good. "High" is not good in math... need I say more? But it took me till today to know if my thyroid was okay.

The doctor gave me the option of meds or diet and exercise. I'll take "Diet and Exercise" for 1000 Alex! I don't want to be on meds unless there is nothing I can do about it.

Since I got the lab results I knew that there was something up with my insulin, so I started looking into diets etc for insulin resistance and diabetics. I bought a book. And I went shopping for low carb food. Isn't it AMAZING how many carbs are in EVERYTHING?!? Holy crap, and try finding "low carb" anything outside of meat. I know that there is such as thing as low carb bread and low carb tortillas etc... but I can't find them in town. Loverly. No wonder people are so overweight in the United States. Everything we eat has added sugar and/or aspartame etc.

Sooooo over the next several weeks (8) I'll be doing a "carb detox" then slowly reintroducing complex carbohydrates... then finally a FEW of the rest. Apparently the first three days are supposed to be the roughest because I'll still crave carbs like mad... but at least in their place I can have other foods. And I'll be starting to up my activity level a little at a time... a half hour to start with.

This outcome to my visit with the doc was the red flag I needed to kick my butt into gear. I really don't want to end up with diabetes or have heart disease at a young age. I sincerely hope that this change in the way I eat and act will help fix everything. Tonight I will take my measurements so I know when I'm making progress (I'm not a big fan of measuring by weight, I feel that it is kinda backwards.... doesn't muscle weigh MORE than fat anyways?). In fact I may include them on here to help make it all "stick" better and possibly make me more set on success.

Wish me luck! I'm starting tomorrow.

Da Nuh nunuh nunuh nunuh, da nuh nunuh nunuh BATMAN!!!!!

So near the beginning of summer I made the boys capes. Batman capes to be exact. I basically made them because I wanted to make Missy a tutu and didn't want the boys to feel shafted.

Well, boy have they gotten some mileage out of those capes! They just keep going and going and going! These pictures were taken today... I'm surprised by how not just one of them enjoys the capes, but both of them. :) And not just for a short time either.

And now I have to make Missy one, cause she now feels shafted! She wants to be Batwoman.... so I got the pink fabric today :)

Back to School Schedule

Last week I decided I should start to get the kids geared for the school schedule. And I guess me too.... since I don't much like getting up early.

Sunday I boldly stated: "I will get them up at the time they will need to get up for school tomorrow!"

And Monday came and my alarm went off at six freaking fifteen in the morning and I looked at it in wonder and thought "what in the name of Hades was I THINKING???!" and I turned it off and went back to bed.

Goober got up at 8:21 (his bus is supposed to pick him up at 8:09am).

That night I decided that maybe a different tactic was needed. I decided to "ease" everyone into it... so the kids went to bed at eight thirty instead of nine.

This morning my alarm went off at 6:45 (trying to eeeeeease... mind you). I hopped out of bed, stood there for a moment, thought "I should probably go exercise", and promptly lay back down again.

The alarm again went off at 7:15 and I got in the shower.... Goober was up by 7:45 courtesy of our loverly randomly opening garage door having to be closed because sometime during the night it opened. Missy and EB were up soon after... though not soon enough the Missy didn't protest loudly about getting dressed for the day instead of staying in PJ's all day long.

Tonight we restarted the whole school night routine. We cleaned up, got on PJ's, (Missy decided that licking her knee was "fun") read scriptures (while the kids sat criss cross apple sauce or"criss crass assol sass" according to Missy), said family prayer (with EB jumping all over), read each kid a book of their choice (which they sat quietly for... imagine!), and told them to go jump into bed at 8:00.

It is now 9:04 and I can hear both EB and Goober messing around upstairs... I'm hoping that getting up early will solve this issue... if not I guess the bedtime goes back to 8:30 or 9:00 again. :P Which then pushes my "me time" back too.....

THEN HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET UP AT 6:15AM?!?! But moooooooooom I don't want to get up early!!!!!!!!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game....

Monday Gpa S took the whole family to see a baseball game! The older kids really seamed to enjoy it... or the food.... I can't tell which they liked better! lol


Goober has recently aquired a hallow leg. The kid can down just about anything. I thought that was supposed to happen when he became a teenager?!?! And if this isn't anything like the kind of food consumption I'm going to witness when he gets that old I'm a little worried about the size of his mouth being too small. The kid can pack it! he had a sandwich before we went (to tide him over) a corn dog all to himself when we got there, some nachos, drinksdrinksdrinks, and about 5 packs of fruit snacks from Gma S and the kid was STILL HUNGRY!!

And little EB of course spent the whole time we were there doing this:

And other fun on the steps next to us. The kids were pretty good so we managed to stay till the 7th inning before we decided to bail. It was fun!

If you think potty training is bad....

you should try having my children.

Seriously.

I love em, but holy crap, I have never met ANYONE who has had as many potty issues as my children. I DREAD the day that I have to potty train EB. If I could, I would hire it out in less time than you can say "potty". In fact I might even consider hiring a nanny to come stay at our house to do it.... if only we had a room to have her stay in. I would probably be willing to go into debt for one just for this period of time.

Most of you know that Goober had major issues potty training. He peed his pants during the day until last year. The kid is 6 mind you. He still can't get through the night without wetting his pants, and after many a day spent putting sheets in the washer and dryer and having his sheets stained slightly yellow I finally resorted to "Good nights" which are for older kids who have accidents. I know that the pediatricians and what not advise you not to use pull ups and good nights, but when your sanity is on the line after doing load after load of unneeded laundry when it is already one of the most repetitive tasks that a mom does... good nights can be a godsend.

Missy was really great to potty train. In fact she was done and doing better at getting to the potty than Goober was a year ago. I thanked my lucky stars.

Then this last month Missy has started to decided to NOT pee in the potty. And to play in the potty sometimes when she has to poop. I took her to the pediatrician to make sure she didn't have a bladder infection. Nope. Not that. Yet she still continues to pee all over everything. She is 4.

Does anyone know of a way to convince God to make these things go away? It's not for lack of trying, I know that. I have tried everything under the sun. With both kids.

Since she has been having issues with this, apparently Goober has decided it's OK if he has them to. He has been having more "accidents" in the past couple of weeks too.

Today, Missy has gone through two pairs of pants already... I've told her she can't have anymore because I'm so tired of doing laundry and the last "accident" was on a big blanket of ours that is really hard to clean. After trying to talk to her about it (she is not very good at listening, even when it's just one sentence) I look over and Goobers pants are wet too.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!?!

Working for a living is looking really good right about now...

---

and just now... not more than 5 min after writing that EB exploded his diaper all over my pants. lovely.

Getting Poked.

I don't like getting poked.

Now, don't get me wrong I don't mind someone poking me to get my attention etc (as long as it's not a hard poke... those hurt!), but getting poked with a needle is not my idea of a good time.

Then again, I don't know anyone who thinks that getting poked is a fun thing that you would want to do on a daily basis. When I talk about me not liking to get poked, I don't mean mild dislike. I mean freak out dislike. I have to make sure I don't see the needle going in or there is a possibility I could hyperventilate. And that is just joy of all joys I tell you. funfun.

To avoid that, I avoid needles whenever possible :) But when all else fails I count ceiling tiles. Cause I have never been in a place that pokes you that doesn't have ceiling tiles.

Today, my doctor decided I needed to get poked.... so into the lab I went.

As I'm waiting for them to stab me, the tech is looking at my arm... prodding it and whatnot.. and asks "where are they usually able to get them to work?". Not a question most people get asked. On top of the fact that I abhor needles is the fact that I have deep veins... and not just deep, but rolly too. Maybe that is where I get my fear? The fact that many techs in training have attempted to move the needles while they were STILL IN MY ARM? Very likely.

I ended up getting stabbed, not once (like it was supposed to be) but FOUR TIMES. By three different techs. Elbow, elbow, wrist, elbow.... no kidding.

UGH.

So what are your nutso fears?

Fun at Gma S's

So recently Gma S decided that she needed some "bigger kid" toys at her house. Most of the toys there were baby toys, except of course the swing set in the backyard :)

So after going out and getting some toys we found one set of toys in particular that were a huge hit. They are called Magforms and boy did they keep the kids busy. We even had a couple of Goobers friends over that were playing with them and, I kid you not, all four kids played with them nonstop for over an hour. If you have any idea how long attention spans usually last for this age of kids you will know that is simply AMAZING. In fact Goober saw the picture of them just now and said he wanted to go over to Gma S's and play with them. lol

Gma S also got a couple of cool building toys for a little older age (7-12) and I put them together for them. The kids also really seemed to enjoy them. :)




The faris wheel didn't have any people so I made some out of twist ties. The kids loved making it go!

The Energizer Bunny Turns Two!

Today the little man turned two! I can't believe it's already been two years since he was born. Crazy I tell you!

This morning the kids played in the water at Gma S's house. They had a load of fun and the birthday boy managed to get a bit sunburned int eh process. Poor kid, guess it has to happen sometimes though.

This evening we had a family birthday party for EB. He was scared of the candles though....

So Jer persuaded EB to blow them out "with" him.

He loved the cake and ice cream (of course, what kid doesn't???) and then got right into the presents. He got some great ones! Lots of toys tools which fit his personality perfectly, and a train and some tracks too. He was really excited!

What a cute kiddo, I'm so happy he is in our family!