Isaac....

Today in the van Isaac was being ornery so I said I was going to sell him. (My best parenting skills, if I do say so)

So I acted like I was yelling out the window...."WHO WANTS TO BUY ISAAC?"

So good old Iz pops up and says, "No one can buy my except maybe Grandma."

"I'm gonna go home and pack my bags.

Take me to Grandma's.

I've lived with you for a while.

Actually for a long time.

So, so long.

Yes, take me to Grandma's."

Those were his exact words.   Bwahahahahaha!  This kid, I just can't take him somedays.  I know I am a lot to handle so maybe it is time for him to go live with Grandma.....

My <3's

Apps

I recently got a Kindle Fire and have found a couple of great apps that I am not sure how I ever lived without before!

One is pepperplate.  It's for meal planning, recipe storage and grocery list making.  I love it.

Another one was a free app of the day.  It has all kinds of restaurants listed and the exact nutrition facts for every thing they offer at the restaurant!  I am so happy that was free.

Now having said that all, I just kinda stumbled on these lil' dittys!  But I am sure there are other great apps out there that you all are holding out on!

So SHARE!

I NEED APPS!  

I NEED LOTS OF APPS!

What is your favorite app?  Has it changed your life?  I like life changing apps.  Can you tell?

Bike Rides

I love bike rides.

We usually go quite often to the farm market that is on a dead end street off of our road.  

It's called Boughton Road.

I think all the people who live on that road are Boughtons or are related somehow.

I love it!

But, last year, I  was ginormous.

Then, I had that little incident of death knocking on my door.

So I wasn't able to ride my bike at all.

Booohooo!

But yesterday when Isaac said "Mom can't ride her bike."

I took that as a personal challenge to get on my beautiful old blue Schwinn given me by my wonderful Father in law years ago.  He also got me one of those huge cushiony seats!  I love it!

One time when he was visiting for 2 weeks, we all went on a bike ride to the Boughton Farm Market.  

It's in their barn, lest you think it is a high class establishment.

My Father in law got to talking to the lady who owns it.

Well, Justus took off with the kids but I decided to wait for Dad. 

So, there I was on my bike.

He finished up and said goodbye to Mrs. Boughton.

And started walking down the drive 

WALKING

WITHOUT HIS BIKE.

Hahahaha!  I laughed so hard.

So did he.  

Then he sheepishly turned around with a smirk on his face and got his bike.  

Every time I go there, I remember my beloved Father in law laughing at his own mistake. 

I miss him.

Anyway, so today when we woke up, I said 

C'mon boys, lets go for a bike ride!

Hopefully this new-found "exercise" business will cause much needed weight loss.

We'll see.

I do so love my bike.

Happy Summer in March!

Confessions From the Breakfast Table Part 2:

Isaac:

Mom, you make the best "cninnaminn" rolls.

They are only a little bit disgusting.

Thanks Isaac.  

Happy Sunday!

Confessions From the Breakfast Table Part 1:

Chloe:

"Sometimes I say things and I don't even know what I am saying."

Me:

"Yes, yes you do."

Happy Saturday Everyone!

OUTRAGE!

This morning I had 3 dentist appointments for me and 2 of my children.
This is a new dentist office we decided to try.  My husband had been there before, but we hadn't taken the kids.
So, I got ALL 5 KIDS UP AT 6:30 and left the house at 7:30 to drive the 20 minutes to the office.

I was filing out paper work when they called Benjamin back.  He looked at me and I said, "Will you be okay?"
He said yes, he would be fine.  He's a big man now.

I finished the paper work and walked through the door and told the receptionist that I was going to check on my son.  She said OK.

When I got back there, the dental hygienist was flossing Ben's teeth.  I smiled and said "I just came back to check on him."  She stopped working and said that the dentist hadn't been back to see him yet, they would let me know when they did.  But she wouldn't continue working.  She finally, after moments of me just looking at her, said "Ma'am, you can't be back here."

HUH?

I can't be back here?

No.  You can't be back here.

So, I said "that is my child, I gave birth to him."

Yes, she knew that, but it is policy.  "We have found out that children behave better without their parents."

Again, HUH?

I AM ONE ANGRY MAMMA!


First off:  IS THAT LEGAL?  I mean, can they seriously take my child into a BACK ROOM where it is just my child and a dental hygienist in the room?  IN THE BACK ROOM????

Second:  Do you, someone who has never EVEN MET MY CHILD presume to know how to get him to behave better than his own Mamma!

I am astounded.  I am baffled.  How is this even possible?  Do people really just leave their child in the hand of a stranger?  And, yeah, they probably do behave better because they are scared out of their minds!  I can't even believe it.

So, we left.  Not my child.  Not my child.

I am getting ready to make some phone calls.  Whose rules are these?  Is this legal?

I'll be back.

Mad, angry Mamma.  

One of those days...er, weeks, er lifes.

I was tired yesterday.
So tired.
I started a new job about a month ago, and I had it a wall yesterday.
I hadn't been sleeping well at all this week.  Going to bed at 12 or 1am.
Waking up at 5 or 6 to go to the gym and work from home at my computer.
Homeschool.
Nurse my 8 month old.
Clean.
Do laundry.
Cook.
Wipe toilets.
Wipe bottoms.
Wipe noses.

I think you get it.

Last night after church, I came home and I was going to give the kids snacks and send them on happily, skipping (or so it was in my dream) on to bed.
I got online to grab some transcripts and my boss wanted me to call her.
Uh-oh.
I hadn't scored well on my 2 week assessment.
So, she had to let me go.
Hmmmm, I said.
Hmmmmm.  Ok.  Well, that's that then.

So, I was pretty bummed.
Justus was pretty bummed.
Woke up this morning bummed.
Until Justus said "go spend a couple of dollars."

Hehehehe!  Um, okay!  Pitty party ova!

Off I went to spend some money.
I got the cutest purse.  Absolutely adorable!

We went out to eat to Macaroni Grill with our Pastor and his wife.
Went to Sam's Club.

Came home.
I tripped up the steps.
I may die.
I'm going to bed now.
Good feeling gone.
Life stinks.
Let the pitty party resume.
Buh-bye.

Saying goodbye......

Last night we said goodbye to this man:

He's joining the military.

Going into boot camp on Tuesday.

And I bawled the whole way home.

This is our nephew. 

The first one that I fell in love with when I became part of the Snow family. 

He was 4.

And the cutest lil' brown headed kid with a button nose you've ever seen.

We've watched him grow.

Brought him Skittles.

Loved him.

Prayed for him.

Now he is all grown.

And it breaks my heart.

Why must they grow up?

Is it going to happen to mine?

Surely not.

We are so proud of you Matthias!

I can't wait to see what God is going to do with you!

A picture post...

This baby!

Has our hearts.

Justus has never been a "baby man."  

He loves our children, don't get me wrong.

He just didn't know what to do with babies.

Until Annaleah came.

Now he pats her bottom to sleep every night while she lays in the crook of his arm.  

Last night he put her there and she pulled the blanket over her head like he always does.

You can't even imagine what that does to this Mamma's heart.

Our kids fight over who gets her attention.

Who can feed her.

Who gets to carry her to Mamma.

Who gets more smiles.

I'm so thankful that when we decided we were all done having kids, 

God decided we needed just one more.

She is absolutely wonderful!

Rough Morning....

Yesterday morning I woke up with some kind of a rash all over my back.
It spread through the day yesterday.
Last night at midnight I was awoken by said rash and an infernal itching ALL OVER MY BODY.
I came down to the couch to catch some Psych on Netflix while I itched.
Justus got up at 4.
He left at 5.
I woke got up at 6:30 for the day.
Ate a banana.
Broke back molar on said banana.
Am still taking Coumadin.
Dentists are very leery to extract the rest of said tooth b/c I may bleed to death.
And they certainly don't want that to happen at their office.
Then they would have a strike against them, right?
So.
Here I sit.
Me and 7 children.
And my coffee that I can't really drink because my TOOTH HURTS.
And I'm still itching.
And that folks, is my sad little life for the day.
May God bless you.
Amen.

Out of the mouth of Isaac

He kept insisting the other night that he was gonna marry Annaleah.  
I tried to explain to him that he couldn't.
That's gross.
There are laws about that kind of thing.
I know you love her, but you just can't.

So, at age 5, he says:  "Well, then who will I marry?"

To which I replied, "Daddy and I will let you know when we find her."

To which he replied, "No way!  What if she is an old lady!?!"

What is wrong with this kid?
He's 5.
I really believe he didn't get enough air coming out of the womb.

A Dieters Revelations:

So, I've been on this Weight Watchers diet since the beginning of January.
This is my third go at WW.
Once after each of my last 3 kiddos.
It works.  Every time.  Ha.  You actually have to do it, but it works.
I love going to the meetings and weighing in.
Well, so far I love it!  But, then again, I've lost weight every time so that helps.
Anyway, yesterday I had a "moment."
You know what I mean, right?

We had a Funday Sunday with our teen group.  Once a month, they stay after church for a couple of hours and I fix dinner, we play games, have a time of devotions, etc.
Well, I was soooo hungry at Sunday School time.
Then, I was soooo hungry at church time.
So then when I went back to the kitchen to start cooking, I was ravenous!
So, I figured I hadn't used any of my points that morning and I would just eat a cookie.  That should help.
I ate it.
Then I got my little calculator out to figure up the point value.
(Note to self:  figure out points before shoving into mouth.)

6 points in one cookie!


Of course I didn't discover this until after the cookie was gone.
And then I got to thinking about it and I didn't even enjoy the cookie.
I scarfed it!
3 or 4 bites and it was gone.
And I don't remember one moment of it.

So....fast forward a few hours.
This really began to bother me.
My lack of character.
I just eat and don't enjoy it.
I don't savor it.
I mean, if you are going to spend 6 points on a cookie, you better enjoy every bit of it!
But I hadn't.
So, I  made a bath for myself during the few minutes of afternoon we had between services.
I poured a Pepsi One into a large cup of ice.
And got a cookie.
I sat in the bathtub and savored every bite of that 6 point cookie.
I felt better about it the second time around.

Bwahahahaha!  12 points on cookies in one day.
I'm a loon.
There is always tomorrow, right?

I was so certain....

That one day I would just pull it all together magically.
I dreamed of a life with a lot of children baking cookies while wearing my
Williams Sonoma apron.  Hair and make-up on EVERY.DAY.
House cleaned.
Bathrooms sparkling.
Children educated.
And properly trained so as to never embarrass their parents while out in public.
All wearing beautifully ironed, never stained clothing.

Instead.

I do indeed have a lot of little children.  AWESOME!
I don't bake cookies because I'm fat.
And on Weight Watchers.
And I am a characterless eater so to make cookies would be my down fall.

I do indeed own a Williams Sonoma apron.
It's pretty.
Yellow and blue.
I don't know where it is or if it's clean though.
Or if it would fit over my 5 time champion baby belly.
I cleaned my hair today.
It's not fixed yet.  And I don't put make up on because...I just don't.  I don't know why.

My house....oh my.  What to say about that.
It is always on the verge of shear disaster.
One step away from condemnation.
And even if I just cleaned it, there are always those congested areas that seem to never make it into my daily regimen of cleaning.  They linger in the back of my mind always undone.
Like my stinkin' walk in closet.
Never gets cleaned.

Dishes get done in the morning.
Never time in the evening to do dishes.
Laundry gets done...daily. But never completely caught up.
EVER.
It's the dark cloud over my head.

Children are educated.
Though, they do embarrass me.
I am Isaac's mother, remember?

And yet, I am deliriously happy!
I have 5 beautiful, healthy children who I get to stay home with every day and raise!
A wonderful husband who loves me with or without make up.
I have a nice home.
Dirty, but nice.

So, this is my reality.
And I love it.
How you doin?

Quiet for sooooo long.

I don't think I have ever went this long without posting on my blog.

To say the month of December was busy is an understatement.

But it was a wonderful kind of busy.

Baking cookies with the kids.

Having family over.

I love love love the Christmas season! 

Everyone is in a good mood.

Did you ever notice that?

People are more patient with each other.

Unless of course, you are shopping on Black Friday.

Then all manners go to pot.  It's lovely really.

I've been spending a lot of time with my wittle girl.

She's so ding dong precious!

As her personality develops, I notice a lot of Isaacs humor.

And she kinda looks like Isaac too.

They both have a dimple on the top of their nose.

And, well, she's kinda spoiled.

Imagine that.

But I can honestly say that it isn't my fault.

Her Daddy holds her in the crook of his arm every night and pats her

little bottom for a good 15 minutes before she falls asleep.

I have tried this.

It doesn't work.

She wants him.

I forgot this about baby girls.

I just imagined that since this is the caboose of the Snow family 

I would hold her and rock her and spoil her.

Nope.

It's depressing really.

She's a Daddy's girl.

Poo.

On a side note, I hope to be updating my blog a bit more!

Sorry. 

Still love me?