It's Been A While...

I can't believe that it has been over three months since my last post.  Where does all the time go?  I honestly thought that I would be able to post at least two to three times a week; when I first began this blog.  Hmm, life does have a way of throwing those curve balls when you aren't looking.

 So speaking of curve balls...what have we been up to for the past three months?

Well, the Fall Baseball season finished up and honestly I am not sure if fall ball is worth it.  We started off thinking that it was going to be a "less competitive, more practice like season" boy were we wrong! What they actually meant was that there wouldn't be any "actual" umpires and the rules were going to be based on the morals of the teams and coaches we played against.  Let's just say it was an interesting season that I had to bite my lip through most of.

We spent a lot of the summer going to the park and just enjoying the outdoors.  Honestly, I would have liked to spend much more time outside.  I think that next summer we will be able to accomplish a lot more outdoor time, and a lot of the activities that I had planned on doing.  If Christmas works out to my plan...

In October Monkey turned 11!!! Goodness I feel old admitting that.  We celebrated at a local laser tag place and the kiddos had a blast.  Monkey wanted a zombie theme, which works out with the venue because it's Zombie laser tag.  I even made these super scary zombie cupcakes to celebrate the day.

 All I did was buy these zombie finger puppets from the dollar section of Wal Mart and place them on top of each cupcake.  The red sprinkles were supposed to represent blood, and the icing was supposed to be green. They were supposed to look like zombies coming out of the ground, but alas the green color never turned out right.  They were still a fun addition to the party, and we may be venturing back to laser tag, just for a fun night out.

Towards the end of October I was blessed to be there for one of my amazingly beautiful friends when she was married.  She had a wedding shower vs the bridal shower. Again I played with cupcakes and made a pull apart cake that looked like a wedding dress! I found the inspiration on Pinterest, and was pretty pleased with the way that it turned out!

We didn't carve pumpkins like usual for Halloween this year, instead we melted crayons all over them.  This was a task that took a lot of thought...and practice makes perfect.

 

During the first week of November a tree tried to murder me. The tree was vengeful and jealous, it let emotions run high and fell flat on it's face. Honestly, I was standing where it fell not two seconds before.  I did suffer injury from the debris of flying pine cones, but nothing too substantial

On Monday the kids and I finally convinced Jerm that we needed another pet.  I wanted a larger dog, but nothing too large. I have been reading up on good family dogs for a while, and was watching the local shelter's web page for a while.  Well, we found our perfect puppy! He is a Blue Heeler mix and we love him to pieces already.  He was one of four puppies and I so wanted a blue one, but our dog won out.  The day I went to look at them, he was the most loving towards Baby Boogie and I knew he was ours the minute I held him.

Na na na na na...meet Batman!

Honestly, that's about it! I can't really think of too much else that happened over the past three months.  Work, kids, sleep...and repeat!  I plan on eventually giving some step by step instructions on the pull a part cake, and I have a ton of crafts I plan on doing for Christmas.  Let's hope that I can get back to blogging on a regular basis.  I know it's good for me, and hopefully every once in a while someone else will find it useful!

DAD'S ARE GETTING SMARTER!

Happy Father's Day Jerm!

 

Today is Father's Day, a day to celebrate all the wonderful daddy's out there that keep the children under watch, relieve the mommies from too much stress and simply make all our lives that much better.  Reading all the great comments that people have been writing about the dads in their lives I realized that dads are smarter than us moms! That is right I said it! I have never heard one dad put another dad down because of the way they are parenting.  I have never, not once ever heard or seen them dicourage each other.  Mommies on the other hand do it all the time!  Proof that the dads are smarter than the moms, they know that encouragement is the key to surviving parenting!

 

What do we mommies fight about?

 

Working mom..Stay at home mom...work from home mom?

Family dynamics are so different from each other. Many factors influence rather or not mom is going to need an income.  There are options for a mom who needs an income she can look outside the home for work, or she can find a way to work from home.  I have worked outside the home, been a sahm and there was a time that I only worked outside the home for two days a week allowing me to spend the rest of the week with my family. Then there are the families where mom doesn't need to work, so she doesen't or she does.

 

Breastfeed or Bottlefeed?

I breastfed my children, for different amounts of time.  They were also all bottlefed with breastmilk and formula.  There were reasons for this, some medical, and some were financial.  I did what I had to do.  All of my kiddos have pretty great immune systems, I think they are smart, and they are all at the weights they should be.

 

Co-Sleeping or Independent Sleeping?

While I was breastfeeding my kiddos slept with me, because it was easier.  When the kiddos switched to the formula I put them in their cribs. I also only rocked my kiddos to sleep occasionally if they were sick or I just wanted some one on one cuddle time.  Most often I would lay them in their crib and they would go to sleep.  If they were cranky and cried I would pat their little backs and either make hushing sounds or sing.

 

Only Child or Siblings?

I have four children, three that I gave birth to and one who I have been blessed with through my marriage.  I was an only child and couldn't stand it, I always wanted siblings.  My kids argue, they fight and they drive my husband and me insane.  They also love each other, stick up for each other and have adventures together.  I was spoiled with time and materials because I was the only one in the house. My kids don't get as many material items and sometime Jerm and I have to work hard to ensure we get that one on one time with each child.

 

Attachment Parenting or Something Else?

Attachment parenting is all over the media recently and honestly I have no clue what it is.  I know that it was created by a Dr. Sears and it encompasses his 7 Baby B's.  I just stumbled though everything with my oldest son, and use what I learned with the following three kids.  Some things I changed and some I still use.  I also noticed that what works for one kiddo doesn't always work for them all...so we do what we think works.

 

Home School or Public/Private School?

My kids go to Public School, two different School's for now.  Babydoll attends one in her mom's area, and the boys attend our school..both are ran by the same county.  I like the Schools, the Teachers and the way things are ran.  I also believe that it isn't just our Schools that should be teaching our children I believe parents have a role too.  You don't blame your macanic when your car breaks down because you didn't keep up with the maintnance! I work with the kids during the summer on things that they learned the year before, and things they should expect the next year.  I want to pull my hair out sometimes while working on School work and could never do it all year.  My kids would grow up to be idiots because I would quit!

 

 

So you see we do things differently and you have your reasons and I have mine.  Do you think that my kids are being deprived in some way or form?  Am I a perfect parent....heck no!!! I send my kids to school in missmatched socks because no matter what I do we never have enough matching socks. My kiddos get angry with me and I get angry with them.  Our house is sometimes spotless and sometimes....no visitors allowed! Jerm and I love our babies, they are some of our biggest joys and yet sometimes we put ourselves first and do something nice for ourselves (mainly our yearly 3 days vacation just him and me) Then there are the times that Jerm and I go without something to ensure that the kids have what they need, or sometimes just something they wanted.

 

Ladies all I really wanted to say...or beg is please "live and let live" lets take a que from those daddies and encourage each other to make the choices that fit our own families, the choices that will make our families thrive.  I will never agree with everything that you do, but I can agree to be positive, uplifting and supportive of what you do.  As long as your kids and my kiddos are not neglected or abused then there is nothing that we are doing wrong.  Child specialists are specilists who do not live with you, know you, or know your children....but mom does so listen to your gut!

 

Happy Father's Day Daddies....you're smarter than us on this one!

(there that was your gift for the day)

 

 

 

 

 



PARTY SUPPLIES MAKE THE ORDINARY DAY...A LOT BETTER!

My babysitter not only watches my kiddos (Monkey, Bubby, Babydoll, and Baby Boogie) during the day but her daughter's two children (Little Miss #1 and #2) as well.  These six children range from 10 years old to 2 years old.  Now with school out (for three of them) they are pretty hard to entertain.  On nice days she takes them outside to run off a little bit of that extra energy, you know the kind we would all like to bottle up and sell.  The kids love the slip-n-slide she bought for them and they have too many toys to play with, but they still get bored sometimes.

Parachute to the rescue!!

This Parachute can be bought at Birthday in a Box,  http://www.birthdayinabox.com/party-supplies.html a great party supply site that has EVERYTHING you could think of for parties, costumes, and items to turn everyday into a lot better!  I remember parachute day being one of my favorite days in gym class and I couldn't wait for our parachute to be delivered so my kiddos could enjoy it too!  The delivery was super speedy, Birthday in a Box promised by ten days time we would find the parachute in the mailbox. I honestly think it was more like 6 days! The package was small enough to fit into my mailbox easily, and arrived in this little blue drawstring bag for storage.

( It now has a permanent home in the back of my van so we can take it to the park with us)

The Parachute is a great size, there are 12 handles which means that all our kiddos had two a piece.  I know that when we have birthday parties our guest list is normally about 10-15 kids, so then everyone would get one handle each.  We may have to take turns, sometimes!  Now, the age group for the parachute is 3 and up, so baby Boogie and little miss #2 didn't really understand what we were doing.  Baby Boogie and little Miss #2 didn't seem to mind too much and were laughing just as much as the bigger kids.

Games...you can play games with the parachute. 

The kiddos were playing Grand Old Duke of York in the above picture.

The Grand Old Duke of York

He had ten thousand men

He marched them up to the top of the hill (parachute up)

and he marched them down again (parachute down)

He marched them to the left (walk to the left)

He marched them to the left (walk to the left)

He marched them to the right (walk to the right)

He marched them to the right (walk to the right)

He marched them up (parachute up)

He marched them down (parachute down)

Oh what a silly sight (shake the parachute really fast)

Name Game

(in the tune of Row, Row, Row your Boat)

Up, up, up it goes

Down, down, down it comes

If your name is_____(put in a child's name)

Now it is your turn to run

Follow the directions of the song, up and down for the parachute.  When the child runs have them run under the parachute, while you slowly lower it trying to trap them under the parachute.

After the Name Game the kiddos decided they just wanted to run under it at that point.  The older kids had a blast running as fast as they could and my babysitter and Monkey tried to trap them as fast as possible.  The parachute took a pretty bad beating during this rough housing, but it held up great.  No rips, tears or crying kiddos, they just ran their tiny butts off! If a toy can last through my kiddos playing rough with it, the toy is dur-ra-ble!!!

After about an hour of playing it started to rain.  Babydoll, Baby Boogie and Little Miss #1 thought that the parachute would make a perfect tent for the rain.  I think they believe all that sugar and spice stuff, and they might melt if they get wet.  Well the parachute only repelled the rain for so long, then we had to head inside. So no it's not water repellent.

We love the parachute! The kiddos have played with it multiple times and I have found a long list of other games that we can play with it, which allows us to change it up enough not to get bored.  I can't wait to have the next Birthday party and see how we can utilize our parachute!

Pros: Fast delivery, multiple uses, up to 12 kids can play, dur-ra-ble!

Cons: not rain repellent (yeah that is about all we could find)

*this is a review for Birthday in a Box, all the thoughts and opinions are honest and my own*



THIS MOM..WELL SHE IS AWESOME!

Straight from Mama Kat's Weekly Writing Prompts I give you:

 15 Reasons You're Awesome

Well, sort of...how about 15 Reasons I am an Awesome Mom!

Now I am going to add a little here..every parenting style is different, every family, and every child requires different lifestyles, and different decisions.  Although we may parent differently it does not mean that either of us are wrong. So some of the things I say or do while parenting my kiddos may not work in your household...but they work in mine.  Please play nice!

Dress-Up

I play dress up...not only with the play clothes that we have in the house but with my own beauty products.  Baby Boogie has learned to come running when she hears the sound of my blow dryer.

Sarcasm Wars

Monkey used to not understand sarcasm, and his momma is extremely sarcastic!  We used to tease him that he was just like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory...and just like Sheldon he slowly started to understand sarcasm. Now he and I will have sarcasm wars! 

Pinterest Meals

My kiddos love when we try out new food's.  so, I started pinning meals on Pinterest and I actually started making them.  We have some index cards that hang from a ring in the kitchen that we call our Pinterest Meals.  Sometimes the kiddos get to pick their favorite ones for a whole week of our favorite tried and true pinterest meals.

Working Mom

I know that I miss some things while I am at work, but I think that being a working mom shows my kiddos to work hard for what they want in life. It also shows them that you can have a family and still have a career. They also know that I love my career and they are all very interested in what I do. 

*nothing against stay at home moms and dads..I tried it..just wasn't for me*

Not an evil Step-Mom

Babydoll has a different Mommy, but I am her Lisha.  When Jerm and I began to get serious I worked hard a creating a loving relationship with my Babydoll.  Luckily she was too little to go to school and the boys were in school.  During the school hours Babydoll and I had a lot of one on one time that helped us cement our relationship.  I also get along with her mommy famously...she even helped me make many of mine and Jerm's wedding decorations!

Active Mom

I take an active role in my kiddos lives, I meet their friends, their teachers and anyone that they have a lot of contact with.  Not because I want to know everything about them, I just want to have a good idea of who they are around, and who may influence them.  I grew up with some friends whose parents didn't always know my name much less what kind of kid I was...I just don't feel comfortable not knowing! I also try to be at everything that my kiddos find important, it doesn't always happen but the kids know I try!

Good Wife

My marriage is the reason that I have the family I do, with out my marriage I would be missing people that make my life so perfect for me.  The way that I treat Jerm shows the children what a marriage should be.  The kiddos see us argue (not fighting, no yelling or name calling allowed) but they also see us work out any disagreements we have.  They see us hug, kiss and know that marriage is about comfort and love!

I haven't sold the baby on E-Bay

I have helped raise 3 kiddos before Baby Boogie and I used to work as a pre-school teacher but no child has ever tried me as much as Baby Boogie! She is a handful and a mess! I love that little kiddo with my whole heart but sometimes...phew she can wear me out!

Explain the whys!

As I kid I hated hearing "because I said so" and as an adult I still can't stand to hear it.  I explain to my children why...I answer the whys because I believe if they understand why something is not allowed or why we do things a certain way, they will learn more quickly and behave better.  Every action has a reaction kind of teaching.

I'm a Baseball Mom

If any of your kids are in any kind of activity you understand why this is so important! I play taxi, find and wash uniforms, find lost equipment, and bring the snacks.  Monkey is always there at practice and the games, plus I keep my mouth shut.  I trust my sons coaches, so when he is in the dugout he is theirs...if I didn't trust them we wouldn't play for them!

You can buy this shirt here.

Tricky Tricky Tricky

I like to play jokes on the kiddos, and I have a strange sense of humor! I will walk by my oldest look at his laptop screen and tell him to stop looking at porn! He is not looking at that stuff, we learned our lesson about parental blocks when he Googled a word he heard on the bus and it lead him to a site like that! I know that people wouldn't agree with that but sex has become an open topic to discuss with him since that incident.  He now comes to us with questions and not google. Besides he laughs every-time, and just shakes his head.  I will tie the kiddos doors together in the mornings, give them funny things at random times.  We like to have fun, being a mom is about teaching and raising but you can have fun too!

http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/do-you-play-tricks-on-your-kids/

Single Mom

I am no longer a single mom, but I was for several years.  It was tough, there were nights where I would cry after they boys were in bed because it was so tough. I missed a lot of time with the boys, and I tried to explain to them, in ways that they could understand, why I was always away.  I was working and attending college but I managed to pay all my bills and keep a 3.83 grade point average.  Being a single mom taught me what real quality time was.  Those dinners together, playing in the backyard, laughing and singing in the car on the way to the babysitter.  My boys remember a little about that time and I remember a lot but in the end they were good years.

Video Gamer

I suck at video games, I used to rock at Super Nintendo but X-Box has too many buttons on the controller! I try, and Bubby loves to play video games, so I try harder!  I can tell you the main characters names in his favorite games, and I can tell you when something new is coming out. I am decent on the kinect, and can rock out on Guitar Hero. I have even encouraged them to go to the midnight releases of the newest favorite games.  So while I may be a really bad gamer, I earn points for being an awesome gamers mom.

 Already too many buttons, lets add a keyboard!

Use the kiddos as Guinea Pigs!

I use my kiddos as my "testers" the test out the new foods, the diy projects I want to try for myself, and anything else that I can think of.  They don't seem to mind too much and well we can't afford real testers so the kiddos will have to do.  Only problem is that their feedback is not always reliable and sometimes just plain limited!

I love my family!

I know that this should be a given, but let me explain.  In my career I come across a lot of events that make me wonder where the love is in these situations.  I love my kiddos and my husband for who they are, individually and I would never change anything about them.  My husband is stubborn and you really have to prove him wrong, but he is a man worth the effort. Monkey is getting at that age where he thinks he knows everything, but to see his compassion for others makes me melt.  Bubby is the quiet one, but when he speaks it is important and you want to listen, and his smile is heartwarming. Babydoll will push push push to test her limits, but the affection she gives is contagious.  Baby Boogie, well she is a two year old terror but hearing her little voice as she discovers the world around her is like hearing music.

There you go the 15 reasons I think I am an awesome mom! You may agree with them and you may not, and you may realize that some of these were silly and some were very real.  Now think about what makes you an awesome mom, and remember that everyone of us has our hard days but in the end we have everything because we have our families!





 



JUNE IS SNEAKING UP FAST!

My kiddos start school early in August which means with the end of May fast approaching, Summer Vacation is looming it's big ugly head! So what do we parents do when Summer is coming? Prepare, Prepare Prepare! Your kids will now be home all day!!! Summer Vacation is already about to be put on the bad word list and it hasn't even arrived yet! Ok it's not that bad, but seriously we need to PREPARE!

 

Schools out for summer!! I bet that song will now be stuck in your head, it's ok it's a great song!

 

I am no June Cleaver and with four kids home all summer I am scared, shaking in my flip flops scared of what this summer may bring! I decided I needed to be prepared, and made a June Bucket List to help me on my way!!

 





This particular list is for June only, but that doesn't mean that we won't be using it through out the summer.  I need some organization around my house but I want some Fun too! Normally during the summer we try to get out as much as possible and Jerm and I want to spend as much time as we can with the kiddos before School comes and steals them away again!

 

# 1.) Make individual bucket lists!

 

Tutu's and Tantrumn's  utilized the Bucket list with her kiddos by letting them pick the things they wanted to do this summer, and write them on a Popsicle stick.  I love the idea, but I want to tweak it just a bit.  The three older kiddos are going to each pick five things that they want to accomplish, places to go, or things to do (with-in reason) that they can attach to clothes-pins and put on their own personal buckets!

 

 

#2.) Chores need to come back...you have been missed (by me)!

 

The older kids used to have chores but somehow we got out of the habit of them and everything fell back to mom and dad.  This has got to stop, the kids need to help out.  With the way things look now with most the kids gone during the day I shudder to think what it will look like all summer if we allow this to continue. So I am making new chore charts and including some new ideas on how to keep this going...starting in June!

 

 

#3.) Saunder's Springs...hiking, picnic, and learning!

Our family visits Saunder's Springs Nature Reserve as much as we can but normally it is spur of the moment and we mostly just walk the trails and enjoy the weather.  This year I want planned outings picnics, nature walks, ect....are you catching an organizational theme yet?!





#4.) Summer School!?!

 

Bubby had some problems this year with Reading he was 17 points behind grade level at the end of the year testing.  In Math he was 21 points above grade level, but that Reading score is causing some concern for Jerm and me.  Bubby is a smart kiddo and I know that he has it in him to pull that score up so this summer we are going to work towards that goal.  Babydoll is moving to first grade so I am going to work with her to prepare her for the next year.  Honestly Monkey has always tested above grade level in most subjects and has report cards that are full of A's and high B's so we will just review so he doesn't forget anything over the summer.  Baby Boogie is going to learn the Alphabet some counting and how to use the potty!!

 

 

#5.) Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!!

 

Our city has a pool/playground that is open to the public.  The playground is fantastic and my kiddos love going there, and what kid doesn't like a pool?!?! We always plan to go several times a summer...but it doesn't seem to ever work out like that.  This year we are going to go as many times as we can starting on opening day in May and letting June set the tone for the rest of the summer!

 

 

I know that it doesn't seem like much but the June Bucket list involves a lot of organization and planning to accomplish.  I want to try and take pictures of each item as we accomplish them or partake in them..we will see. 

 

 

 





  



BEEN MIA FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS!

 

Did you miss me, I have sure missed you!

Where did I go? What have I been doing? Did I forget about my blog?

 

My family was blessed back..back..back in October.  I was hired at a local police station and started my career as a Telecommunicator...fancy name for I am a Police Dispatcher! It is kind of ironic, I grew up with a mother who not only volunteered for many years but worked as a Dispatcher herself.  I grew up around my hometown Police Station and even became a Police Explorer when I was in Middle School and carried on until I graduated High School.  Why didn't I think about this career right away...honestly I have no clue..after 6 months I love it and know that I should have done this a long time ago!

 

Not the actual Police Department I work for, pretty similar though!

 

So after a time of on the job training I was sent to school! Apparently Kentucky is one of the very few states that requires their Dispatchers to go to an academy.  I spent 5 weeks at the Kentucky Dept. of Criminal Justice Training. It was a great 5 weeks. I made some great friends, did really well in class and felt a lot better about going back to work with all the new knowledge!

 

Being here explains why I was MIA from Jan. to mid Feb.

 

When I came home it was a lot of work getting used to the new schedule, working around the kids, and baby-sitter options.  Jerm and I FINALLY got everything figured out about the end of March! The end of March is Bubby's Birthday and Babydoll has one that is mid February so with all this going on we threw a joint (family only) quickie party.  The super amazing theme on this one...wait for it...Green and Pink, well because those are the favorite colors of these two! Amazing isn't it?!

 

I realized that Baby Boogie has photo bombed almost every picture of this impromptu Birthday Party...I can't stop laughing!

 

 

April brought in Easter, Spring (which translates to dang now I have to mow the yard and pretend to take care of it) and Baseball Season!!! I love Baseball Season, I don't watch baseball on TV much, and don't really attend any college or pro games. Monkey's games.....I am at every one that work doesn't interfere with! Monkey has been playing baseball since his first year of T-ball and that means he has been playing for 5 years (counting this season)!  We switched the area that we play for this year, the first four were played in a different area.  We found out that they weren't sanctioned and it just didn't seem like the kids were learning anything! I am much much much happier with the new team we are playing for! They are sanctioned, they taught the fundamentals till the kids could play with their eyes closed, and finally they do talk to the  kids about mistakes but they don't brow beat the kids ( I have seen it happen on other teams). Sportsmanship is important, and working hard and having fun are key!!

 

Monkey up to bat, poor kid gets walked a lot because he is a left handed batter and it throws the pitchers off! These kids are only in their second season of kid pitch!

GO YANKEES!

 

 I have started crafting again. Unfortunately, the crafting was very spur of the moment and like a dummy I forgot to take pictures.  Just trust me when I say that I have a new picture frame turned spring wreath hanging on my front door!  Baby Boogie even has a new lamp sitting on her dresser that matches the bedding I made for her, I used the scraps to make fabric flowers!  Trust me! I may even take some pictures and edit this post at a later time, with the pictures, in case you don't believe me.  You do believe me right?!?!

 

So that is where I was, what I was doing and no I never forgot about the Blog I meant to come back to it a long time ago.  I have a lot of plans for this blog that I am working toward and even hope to have an amazing new post up in the next few days.  So if you stuck around in my absence, found me in my silence, or just clicked the wrong button...Keep a weather eye on the horizon I have much in store for you!!

 

All that weather eye stuff was just an excuse to post a picture of this man, but I do promise to have much in store for you!