We Did It!

Lo hicimos!!


I usually blog in the evening, but tonight I am going to sit in front of the television - or maybe indulge in a good book while enjoying the silence of my home.  It's going to be an interesting schedule change.  Every night we have family prayers, and while Rob reads a story for the kids I sneak out to the computer to blog.  (I then schedule it to pop up at 10:18pm...I have no idea why I chose 10:18 - or why I even do that, it's just habit)


So, ONE YEAR.  That's 365 posts that you all suffered through.  Some were meaningful - many were lame - but it's done.  Thanks for putting up with my silly little goal - and a special thanks to my sister in law, Jessica, who inspired me to do this to begin with.  I needed family pictures taken, and she (after blogging every day for a month) said she would take photos of anyone who could blog for a month straight.  It just kind of snowballed into a weird obsession from there.  (Here's a bit of foreshadowing for you...I am still obsessed.)


Rob has been so supportive through all of this.  He often reminds me if I have gotten off of my usual schedule and never complains that our favorite show is still sitting on pause, or if our red mango is melting while I stare at the computer.  I can only smile when I know he is reading the blog and I hear him let out a chuckle.  He is hands down my biggest supporter. 


 I hope this year of blogging brought a tiny bit of happiness into your life - or made you laugh at least once.  Keeping my blog a positive place to visit has always been my main priority.  I feel like the internet has enough bad stuff on it already, so why not put some laughs out there.  


I'm not saying that I am going to blog EVERY single day, but I will make it a priority in my life. And wrapping this up has actually got me quite sentimental, and a bit nostalgic.  I'm crazy like that.  I can tune into a TV show for the first time, and if it's the series finale you can guarantee I am in tears.  Something about those cheesy photo/video flashback montages just sends me over the edge.  Mostly I get sad when I know something fun is coming to an end, and my friends....THIS HAS BEEN FUN.


I looked at my blog statistics over the last year, and I was blown away when I realized that this page has been loaded over 45,000 times over the past year.  I'm not saying I have that many followers - but that does mean a lot of people have checked up on us a lot of times.  


I'm really feeling the love.  Thanks for the support!  Don't forget to enter the cookie giveaway in yesterday's post. 

Signing off....for now!

One last BDEM for the year:




BDEM:  Maddie's last day of school.  I got there (in all my stinkiness) and was able to spend the last half hour of her last day of first grade.  She has had such an amazing teacher this year - and I could feel the love that she has for her students...especially our quirky little actress!  We played duck-duck-goose (my gosh those kids are fast) and ate treats.  Another end.  Oh great....here come all my sentiments!!     

A TREAT FOR YOU {maybe}

As I bring my year of blogging to a close, I have been thinking a lot about all of you who have been so kind as to follow me, comment on my silly posts, and tell me that you secretly stalk my blog.  As I've mentioned in the past, I have hermit tendencies, and often feel like I'm lacking in friends. But knowing that enough of you care to take a few moments of your day to check in on our little family means the absolute world to me.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for visiting me and reminding me that I actually DO have friends!

Now, because I love you so much - I am going to send homemade monster-sized chocolate chip cookies anywhere in the continental U.S. to two of you that leave a comment on this post.  So, even if you don't normally comment - feel free to post something today.  I will use a random number generator to pick two winners - and the chocolate chip cookies will be yours.

Contest will close on Monday June 4th at 10pm, with winners announced June 5th.  That should give those of you who only pop by a couple of times per week a chance to enter as well.

Good luck, and thanks again for being my cyber friends.  This blog just wouldn't be the same without my wonderful followers!

XOXO

BDEM:  Maddie's school dance program.  I really need to get that kid into some sort of acting/singing/dancing classes.  She's so talented, and I just keep putting it off.  I'm a bad mom.

Water:  80 oz

Red Rock

I thought about adjusting the levels on these photos, but then I decided to leave them natural so you could see the intense color in these rocks.  Even if that meant washing out all of the skin tones of the rest of my family. 

I thought I had avoided this shot (entering "The Narrows")

How narrow "The Narrows" actually get.  Adults have to shimmy along sideways to make it through...IF you can fit! Jude and Ella are ahead of Maddie.

Aren't they darling - red faces and all?!

BDEM:  BDEM also qualifies as WDEM (Worst Day Ever Moment).  Tonight we had to say goodbye to my little brother.  He and his wife are moving back east tomorrow, and we will miss them something fierce. But even at his going away party, we had a great time.  Because wherever you find Johnny, you also find good times.  

Water:  60 oz

T-MINUS 3 DAYS AND COUNTING!

Uncle Jeril

I have a bazillion St. George photos - but I am still editing them - so I'll just post these.  While in St. George the kids had the pleasant surprise of spending the afternoon with their great-uncle Jeril.  They have spent time with him before, but usually they are off playing with other cousins when he is around, so this time they REALLY got to know him.  Bless his heart, he put up with (and seemed to enjoy) every single thing they did. You would have thought they were his own grandkids by the way he snuggled with them, read to them, told jokes with them and held their hands as they crossed the street.

Upon arrival he asked the kids for help unloading his stuff, and the three older ones jumped at the chance.  Jude carried in one shoe and newspapers, Maddie rolled in a suitcase, and Ella carried in his pillow - except she totally forgot the "carry" part of it and ended up dragging his pillow all the way from the car - up two flights of outdoor stairs - and across the concrete.  By the time the pillow made its way inside it was completely black.   I was MORTIFIED - but sweet Jeril just thanked her for the help, and ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED TO HELP AGAIN!!  She just beamed with pride while I stripped off the pillowcase and threw it in the wash.

Here he is telling the kids the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  Maddie is whispering to him that maybe they should change the end of the story so Red and the Big Bad Wolf fall in love and get married and have babies.

Please note the stain on Jeril's shirt. He would not want you to miss it.

Thanks, Jeril for enjoying my kids.  It meant the world to them.  They also say thanks for dinner and balloons and suckers - and can't wait to see you again!

BDEM:  Pool time!  Claire hated it - but we all sure had fun!  

Water:  30 oz - I'll get back into it tomorrow when I get back to working out.

T-MINUS 4 DAYS UNTIL BLOG-FOR-A-YEAR IS COMPLETE!!

My Father In Law Says Hi

Honestly.

As he walked out of the room he said, "Goodnight - tell everybody hi from your father-in-law."

I think that was an awfully nice thing of him to say, because truthfully - he doesn't know most of you, and if he had any idea what kind of hoodlums followed this blog I think he would be quite upset with me.

That being said, Rob and I have had such a fun trip with his parents.  We have never traveled with them before - being just us and them - and it's been great to watch them interact with the kids and to spend so much time sitting around playing cards.

I love cards, by the way.  I'm always that person who is up for the next game...so all these hands of Shanghai have been a real weekend treat.

Tomorrow afternoon we will return to the real world and life will get busy as it always does, but I'm glad I've had this weekend to remember his parents by.  I'll just tuck it away into a sweet spot in my mind that I can return to some day many many years from now when I tell my grandkids about how playing cards with Rob's parents was such a fun time for us.

BDEM:  I beat everyone at Shanghai...TWICE!

Water:  30 oz

The Worst. The Absolute Worst.

Of course I am referring to Claire's ear infection.  Well, I WAS referring to Claire's ear infection...until Maddie got pink eye.

PINK EYE.  On the list of things I really hate, I do believe that pink eye is one step above Hell.  I'm pretty sure I hate Hell, but don't have much to go off of at this point.  Anyone with personal info on that, please let me know if it's better or worse than pink eye.

For some reason, as I've mentioned in the past, if I even catch a glimpse of pink eye,  I'll have it.  And, if you've never experienced it, just know that IT. IS. GROSS.

What's NOT gross?

The view from our condo.  It's so pretty here...in a desert kind of way!

BDEM:  It was just a nice relaxing kind of day, and then we got to see some of Rob's family at his cousin's wedding.

Water:  30 oz

I'm down to the wire on this blog-a-day thing, and I almost forgot. Can you imagine the guilt I would feel if I made it for this long, then missed a post less than a week before my time was done? I'm still phone blogging, so it's just going to be a short and sweet check in to say that St. George is awesome. I honestly love it here and often wish I had some reason to live here permanently. We ate at an insanely good Mexican dive called Irmitas. It's not as divey as it once was, but it's still close enough that you know by appearance only, it is going to be authentic. Next time you're here, stop by and grab a Torta. It is life changing for lovers of Mexican cuisine. So, yeah. St. George. Wish you were here! BDEM: Watching the kids get re acquainted with their great uncle. We had so much fun with him today! Water: Does swallowed pool water count? Okay, then maybe 20 oz or so. But I'm feeling my bad choices now.

The Movie

I'm phone blogging. That's my disclaimer. We decided to take a spur of the moment-throw-some-clothes-in-a-bag-and-go trip to St. George. The weather is gorgeous, the pools are cool, but the internet is crappy. So, here's my quick version of last night's brilliant move. The Avengers was just about to start when a couple entered the otherwise empty theatre carrying a sleeping, swaddled infant. I was bugged because in this MASSIVE and EMPTY theatre, they chose the row directly in front of us. Come on, people! The movie started and the mother set the baby down on her lap, and began unwrapping all of the blankets. This is where my super annoyed mood turned into complete and utter submission to their awesomness. Instead of a swaddled baby, this couple has snuck in an entire meal from Cafe Rio wrapped in baby blankets. She even carried the food tenderly in the crook of her left arm. Absolute geniuses. When I was in college my friend Ben and I would see matinees several times a week, and we would always bring my backpack full of McDONALD'S. (Honestly, Droid?? You can't spell Thabks right, but McDONALD'S has its own proper capitalization? Give me a break!!) Anyway, we would bring McDONALD'S in, and Ben would always wait until they were taking our tickets to make some comment about how I didn't need a backpack in a movie theatre. "Geez, Melissa, you didn't have to walk all tye way feom the library with so many books...I could have picked you up!" All those years I could have been faking a baby...and nobody would have even questioned my motives. BDEM: I love our family condo down here. Just being here makes me so happy. Water: 40

Skipping

Here's a really great shot of Rob and I on our first anniversary.  We spent it in Disney World with my family. 

I'm just popping in to say that today was an amazing anniversary.  Rob is always SO great about making sure that I have the most perfect holidays - and today was no exception.  I'll share our date tomorrow....along with quite possibly one of the most brilliant things I have ever seen done tomorrow.  It will put my old buddy, Ben to shame.

For tonight - Rob, you are my best friend and the most wonderful father any child could ask for.  I have so much to learn from you and appreciate the fact that you not only put up with me, but do a pretty good job acting like you may even enjoy me!  Thank you for nine wonderful years.  I love you very, very much.

BDEM:  AVENGERS!!  

Water:  I plead anniversary on this one.  Maybe 40.

May 23, 2003

You know you have been married for a long time when your marriage predates the usage of digital photography!

Happy 9th Anniversary {tomorrow} to my one and only love!   

BDEM:  Had a great time hiking with the Young Women from my church.  They are hilarious, and I couldn't love them more!  

Water:  60 oz

Dinner Guest

Now that's a deal breaker.

BDEM:  I had lunch with Beardy and Beardy's brother today.  Both Beardy and his brother are my brothers.  I was even introduced at lunch as Beardy's Sister.  I like it.  It was a nice change from, "This is Dan, and this is Dan's sister."  I actually had a teacher in high school call me Dan for an entire semester because she, "really liked having Dan in her class."  

Water:  I kind of lost count - I think it was about 40 oz.  

Eclipse

I'm glad the eclipse is officially over.

For starters, I can get "Total Eclipse of the Heart," out of my head.

Secondly - I can stop thinking of this movie:

I tried to look at it, but I'm pretty sure I ended up just taking off a good ten years of my vision.  I know.  I really do.  I did it anyway.  Yes, I am a dummy - and I do deserve it.

Did anybody see ANYTHING?  I just saw a sun that was waaaaay too bright and then spots for the rest of the night.  Then at the ideal viewing time clouds covered the sun and the whole event was a wash.  Oh well.  I guess I'll always have my memories of Halley's Comet.

BDEM:  Spent the afternoon enjoying WAAAAY too much food with my family.  My mom and David head out tomorrow, so it was nice to get to see her one last time!  Love you, Mom!

Water:  30 oz or so.  I'll pick it back up when I work out tomorrow.

As a last minute add-on, I want to send you all over to my friend Bruce's Blog.  He has been working towards a marathon for (I believe) years, and yesterday he completed it.  What an inspirational story he shares - and I'd encourage you all to make your day better by reading his story HERE.  I promise you won't regret it.

A Way With Words

Tonight while driving home from dinner with my mom and brothers Rob broke a dead silence with, "Hey!  That car looks like you!"

I was doing something on my phone at the time and didn't quite catch what he said, so I stared blankly at him trying to figure out if he was talking to me or just saying something crazy.

He must have taken my confusion for anger so he came back with, "Well, just the eyes."

Wait, what?  I guess he WAS talking about me.  But this car has eyes?

I looked at the car ahead of us and he said, "See....someone rear ended that car - and now the tail lights are slanted down....just like your eyes."

I really didn't know what to say because he genuinely thought it was the coolest thing.  I finally asked, "So, it looks like someone punched me in the face and now my eyes are slanted?"

That was the end of that one.


BDEM:  Adult family dinner at Trio followed by dessert at Cheesecake Factory.  HOLY YUM!

Water:  40 oz

Why I Love Facebook

As a general rule, I have a pretty good relationship with Facebook.  Sure, it's sucking away precious moments of my life in which I could be doing much more valuable things - but it's just one of the many things that keep me from doing all those things I'd rather not do anyway. I can't stay mad at you, Facebook. It's only partly your fault for being so deliciously addictive.  

The reason I love Facebook today is because of my brother's status:


"In the words of the guy behind us in the Walmart self check line... 


Come on, this ain't rocket surgery!
 


Really? This guy obviously knows nothing about Rocket surgery."




Comedy gold, Greg.




BDEM:  My mom is in town for about 48 hours, and we got to spend a couple of hours with her at dinner tonight.  Welcome, Mom!  


Water:  40(ish) oz

Love Thy Neighbor

Our neighbors really lived up to the commandment the week that we got sick.  We were showered with all sorts of thoughtful things:  chicken noodle soup, Sprite, toys for the kids, B.R.A.T. diet foods, and a zoo.

Yep, a zoo.  Our neighbors down the street heard that Maddie couldn't go to the zoo because she got sick, so they decided to bring the zoo to her.  How thoughtful was that?!

I should have taken a picture with my camera instead of my phone - but I really wasn't thinking straight that day!

The kids jumped for joy as the family paraded all these balloon animals into our home.  They even made the word zoo out of balloons.  I'm pretty sure that in the secret society of balloonies, (the SSOB) that talent earns you top honors.

Thanks, friends for being SO wonderful to our family in our time of need.  We wouldn't have made it through without you!

Special shout outs to Brownings, Woods,  Wilsons, Thompsons and Hiatts.  You all really stepped up and helped out a family in need.

BDEM:  Maddie's school carnival.  I cannot believe this school year is almost over.  Maddie has said, "It seems like only yesterday I was going to my first day of school..." at least ten times over the past week.  As corny as it is, it's so true.  


Water:  50 oz
Coke Zero:  24 oz  (last time I even mention that)

Music

I have mentioned in the past that I love music.  That's really one of those ridiculous statements - but it's true.  Music is my oldest friend.  When I talk to people that aren't ridiculously obsessed with music I am baffled by their existence.  It's strange, but I can actually remember a handful of songs that started me on this path - and over the next few days I am going to share them with you.  I'm changing my playlist in honor of a picture that I just found on the old internet.

Allow me to share:

This was my first music player.  It was a tape player, and I had three tapes that I listened to constantly.  Because this puppy was portable - it went everywhere with me, and by golly - it was absolutely indestructible.  The tapes that I had were

1.  The Bangles
2.  Billy Joel
3.  Some weird Barbie tape that came with a doll which included "today's hits."  (Which can now all be heard on the Oldies station - when did THAT happen?) There's the tape in the bottom right hand corner of the box.  Oh, and this barbie happens to be selling on ebay for $100.  Wow.

For a five year old, I think I had it pretty good.  My own tape player and three tapes.  I even went to my first concert when I was seven years old - it was a Debbi Gibson concert, and I was in HEAVEN.  I remember screaming so loud that I lost my voice.

By the time I was in Kindergarten I was assigning songs to my boy crushes.  I remember having a crush on this kid named Jared, and Paula Abdul's song, "Straight Up," was the song that always reminded me of him because Jared's older brother was always saying that Jared liked me, but Jared would never admit to it.

Yes....I was FIVE.

I have great memories of singing Guns N' Roses while on the swings at first grade recess.  I had no idea what the lyrics to Paradise City actually meant, and I'm sure I got some odd looks from teachers, but I loved that song!

Anyway, please enjoy my random music sampler over the next few days.  Feel free to share any life-changing songs from your childhood as well.

BDEM:  I can't even begin to explain the project that I took on and completed today - but I'm so glad it's done.  It was a DOOZIE!  I'll post pictures tomorrow...maybe!

Water:  80 oz  (Take that, David!)

Marshmallows + Rice Krispies =

Love in its most simple form.

That is...until your kids start complaining that one and a half rice krispie treats are not enough, they are still hungry - and wish that you had made something that would fill them up instead.

(But don't you just love how the black and white photos imply nostalgia and a sense of good old fashioned fun?  Like we were some kind of "families are so happy with rice krispie treats" commercial.)

BDEM:  All my kids have been super obsessed with Ghostbusters lately...and I couldn't be more proud.  Today Ella actually said to me, "I was just about to say, eight o'clock?"  Anyway, Jude was watching me make the above treats, and I sat by as he had this little conversation with himself:


"Hmmm...so if you squeeze an orange - you get orange juice.  If you squeeze a grape, you get grape juice.  But if you squeeze a marshmallow, you get fluff.  And fluff is the stuff that falls over pencil-neck on Ghostbusters.  So that means, The Marshmallow Man is made of fluff."  He paused - then the lightbulb struck.  "MOM!!!  I eat Marshmallow Man sandwiches for lunch!"  (He LOVES fluffer-nutter sandwiches.) 


Water:  50 oz

The Back

I've spent the last three summers hating my back yard.  It has so much potential, but for some reason I just haven't put any effort into it lately.  I've complained, I've ignored, I've avoided...but no longer.  I decided that THIS WAS THE YEAR to get my favorite summer spot whipped back into shape.  Truth be told, I'm actually kind of enjoying it - and I'd call today a complete success.  There are only a couple of small projects left - which I will hopefully finish over the next week or so.

Everything seemed to go my way.  Well, everything except for this:

I had to pick up the second Mother's Day chair, but I didn't even think about the fact that it wouldn't fit in my car.  I figured it would basically stay put - but, I guess I figured wrong.  This baby fell out of my trunk TWICE while driving, and I swear I got at LEAST ten, "You stupid woman," looks from men that passed me while driving.  I was so nervous driving home that by the time I pulled into the driveway I could hardly unclench my hands from the steering wheel.

Oh well, lesson learned...and at least my second chair made it home - somewhat safely.

BDEM:  Eating pizza on the patio while basking in the joy of a job well done.  

Water:  50 oz

I am Blessed

My blessings, my homemade crown, and my new chair.  

Happy Mother's Day!  

BDEM:  As we were getting the kids to bed, Rob asked everyone what they loved about me.  They all came up with interesting answers like, "I like when Mom makes my lunch," or "I like when Mom drops me off at school."  I am obviously a VERY compassionate person if those were their answers!  Anyway, I think Ella got a bit confused, because when we were talking, she panicked and realized she hadn't given the answer she wanted.  She begged and begged to say it again, so when it was once again her turn she said, "I love Claire because she kisses me on the bum."  And she was serious.  

Water:  10 oz.  

Kids Interrupted

I walked into the kitchen this evening to see papers all over the kitchen table.  Immediately all three kids screamed, "GET OUT MOM!  CLOSE YOUR EYES!"  As soon as I saw the mess, I realized that I had walked in on them putting together my Mother's Day surprise.  I closed my eyes, walked out, and made myself busy by cleaning up all the toys the kids had left out.  In the process I grabbed a few pieces of garbage and tried to sneakily put them into the kitchen trash can.  Jude spotted me and yelled, "Quit coming in here, Mom - because we're not doing ANYTHING!"

As the kids gathered for prayers Maddie said, "We're all done in the kitchen, Mom.  We weren't doing anything at all - just sitting around and telling jokes and funny stories."

I gave her the sad face and said, "What?  You don't think I like jokes and funny stories?"

She got a little nervous and said, "Oh, I just totally forgot.  Actually we were all just sitting at the kitchen table taking little naps, right Dad? It was just really boring."

Tomorrow is going to be awesome.

BDEM:  Dinner picnic at the park.  Sammies, seven-layer bean dip, blueberries and Otter Pops.  Does it get any better than that?!

Water:  20 oz - I'll be glad when June comes and I can stop blogging about my water failures.

Bye Bye Brandon

Our good buddy Brandon is headed on a super-awesome-nerdy-scientisty-earth-loving-internship for the summer.  It is the dream of every biology major out there.  I'm fairly sure he will be digging up rocks, dusting dirt off dinosaur bones with small brushes, driving a green jeep and searching for the Ark of the Covenant all at the same time.  It will be the summer of his dreams.

To give him a proper sendoff, a bunch of us got together and let him host a party at his super-awesome-has-everything-you've-ever-dreamed-of-having house.  It was so thoughtful of us.

We ate burgers, hotdogs, seven layer dip, red vines, and homemade oreos.  We then played a game called bang, and had some amazing ping pong tournaments.

The night was perfect.  Good luck, Brando on your super-awesome adventure.  We wish you all the best and are looking forward to the welcome home party we're going to let you throw.

Ping Pong Pals

Home Theatre

Home Pirate Room

Home Neverland Club

Thanks for having us, Brando!  Hope you bring home a lovely maiden from your internship!

BDEM:  Round the world ping-pong tournaments.  Literally, hilarious.  

Water:  30 oz

Funnies

With the exception of The Far Side comics, it is rare...borderline impossible for a comic to make me smile - let alone laugh.

However, after having several Canadian roommates and a handful of Canadian friends, this just made my day.

BDEM:  Putting Claire to bed.  Not the act itself, but the ten minutes I got to spend with her in the rocking chair - listening to her laugh while snuggling with her blankey.  The juxtaposition of her sweetness along side the chaos that was happening on the other side of the closed door made the BDEM even more apparent.

Water:  Meh.  Why do I even bother anymore?!  

Foy Foy

As a kid whenever someone asked how I was doing my answer was, "I'm good!  How are you?"  Seems pretty normal, right?  Well, somewhere along the line I heard that one guy who answered my "how are you doing?"  with, "I'm well, thanks." And my life was forever changed.

I know that "good" is a totally fine and socially accepted answer - but for some reason I just can't get myself to say it anymore.  But, at the same time, I feel like people who say, "I'm well," are so hoity-toity.  You know...the foy-foy types who make SURE you know how smart they are.  Whenever it comes out of my mouth I just feel like poop.

Tonight was a perfect example.  I was walking through Macy's when I was greeted by a lady behind the purse counter.  She was very kind and said, "Hi, Ma'am - how are you tonight?"  I replied with, "I'm well, thanks - how are you?"  She came back with, "I'm good.  I mean, I'm well, I'm doing really well."

She corrected herself because I had used the word well instead of good.  You could even tell that she was a bit embarrassed because she totally stumbled over every word that came after good.

I cursed myself for saying well.  I always say,  "I'm doing great," or "I'm fantastic, thanks," just to avoid making anyone feel like they need to use correct grammar around me.

Then I thought about my blog (I swear it is my fifth child), and figured I could ask my cyber friends how they handle this situation.  Does it bother you when people say a certain word?  Is good okay to say?  Do you feel that those who answer with well are uppity English majors?

BDEM:  Rob and I had dinner with some of the Korean men he is in business with...although taking Korean's out for sushi just seems wrong...not sure why!

Water:  40 oz

One Letter

It's amazing how much difference a single letter of the alphabet can change a sentence.  If you replaced an "a"for an "I" in any sentence it could make a perfectly logical sentence become nonsense.

Example:

I went to a store today versus I went to I store today.

Dumb, but true.

Ella kept telling me today that she went poop in the potty.  Ella does this daily, so I really didn't pay much attention to the announcement, and just thanked her for telling me.  I figured that maybe I hadn't given her enough praise during the day - so I let her tell me about ten times, and thanked her every time.

"Good job, honey - you're such a big girl..." yada, yada, yada.

Finally she took my hand, led me to the bathroom and pointed at the HUGE MESS she had left.

"See, Mom!  I go poop on the potty."

On vs. In.

In this case, one letter made all the difference.  

Now, exactly how one forgets to open the lid after being potty trained for over a year completely beats me, but hey - I suppose I've forgotten some important things in my life, too.

BDEM:  I think I am finally caught up on the three million loads of laundry that accumulated while we were sick - clothes, blankets, sheets, towels, rags, you name it.  Everything is FINALLY clean!  I guess the next step is shampooing the carpet.

Water:  40 oz

Awesome

Have you seen this?  Maybe it's been floating around the inter web for a while - but us old folks aren't always on top of it.  

I hope that they were awesome, magic friends.

Speaking of - I could really use some awesome, magic friends.  They seem like they would add a lot of fun to my life.  Anybody want to volunteer?

BDEM:  NOT A SINGLE DROP OF VOMIT IN OUR HOME TODAY.  (I shouldn't jinx this, my stomach is really queasy at the moment - but I'm just putting it out there so the universe knows vomit is not allowed in this place anymore.)
Water:  40 oz

Turning Point

Today was probably the worst of the sick days.  Rob, Ella and Maddie started throwing up last night (Maddie started for a second time after two days of being okay - not sure what that was about).  But Rob ended up with the worst of it and actually ended up in the ER early this morning.  I've never seen anything quite like it - but we are sure glad we got him there when we did.

Seeing as how both Rob and I are on less than two hours sleep - I think I'm just going to condense this blog post and say that I'm so glad he is doing better - it really was a scary situation.  With that, I'm going to shut it down for the night, and hit the hay.

The good news is that after all of that, I think we are finally on the mend.  Knock on wood.

BDEM:  We had so many people call and offer their love and support today, and help us out with our crazy day.  I'll most likely brag about all of them tomorrow.  Thanks to all for helping take care of us!

Water:  Again, Powerade.  I think I'll get back to water tomorrow.

So Well Put

I accidentally ran across this today - and it just so happened to go hand in hand with the lesson that I will be teaching in church tomorrow.  I found it in a magazine - that I don't read, and I couldn't find (believe it or not) an author of the article.  However - I wanted to share this with you all because, honestly, at some point in our lives we are going to have to deal with this.  Probably tomorrow - then again the next day - and quite possibly every single day following it until the day we die.  Maybe even after we die...I'm not sure yet!

How can I repair broken or damaged relationships?

Be the example and take the initiative.  If you are the one offended, do some soul searching to see if there's some truth about what they are saying, and CHOOSE not to be hurt.  Most of the things we get hurt over aren't that painful anyway.  In fact, they give us a chance to grow.

If you are the offender, ask for forgiveness. This simple act is so powerful in mending relationships that it is almost impossible to measure the impact.

When you bow, bow low.  Genuine apologies should not be done halfway.  If you are sorry, then be really sorry.  If you are asking for forgiveness, then make sure you really mean it.

Never say, "I'm really sorry, but if you hadn't done that, I wouldn't have reacted the way I did."  That's not an apology, that's an excuse.

Definitely words to live by.  Now don't go saying I never teach you anything on this blog.  It may be the first and last time...but them words are kind, them words are smart, and them words are important.  

BDEM:  More sicky couch lounging.  But I sure did enjoy watching Follow That Bird with my littles.  One of the top ten movies of my childhood - and I love sharing it with them.

Water:  More Powerade

Rough Times

Last night Maddie started throwing up around 11pm.  Of course it was the night before the zoo field trip that she has looking forward to for weeks.  I was really excited too because I was going to chaperone and I thought it would be a really great day for the two of us to spend together.  Then I got sick about midnight.  Claire was throwing up the day before, and then this morning Jude started.  Yuck.  It has been a rough couple of days, and thus far I'm not feeling any better.  Poor Maddie must have been sick twelve times last night, and I was up to seven.  Jude only hit three - but add on Claire's couple of times and that is a LOT of cleaning up.  

Rob has done it all - on very little sleep.  While I was in one bathroom he was in another with Maddie.  He's cleaned the sheets, wiped the mouths and kept up the house cleaning and dishes.  What a good man. So forgive me for cutting this short and not even worrying about the writing.  I'm too pooped.  I've spent most of the day in bed - and plan to get back in there as soon as I possibly can.

BDEM:  In all of my sickness and grogginess, I have had such a good afternoon just watching Claire.  She is getting so big and is such a hilarious kid.  Even at my absolute sickest that kid is able to bring a smile to my face.

Water:  Pure water?  None.  I've had about a half bottle of Powerade, and a little bit of sprite.  

Lost Kid

I came home from running a quick errand and noticed that Jude and his friend Kadence were not in the back yard.  I asked Rob where they were, and he said that just a couple of minutes ago they had asked to walk down to the end of the street and back.  Jude does this a lot (the end of the street is only three houses away) so I didn't think much of it.  A couple more minutes passed when I realized that I had just driven down the street and hadn't seen them.  I decided to go across the street and see if they had gone to Kadence's house, but they hadn't.  I walked down into the Cul-de-sac to see if they were playing down there, but again I found no kids.  I started to get a little bit nervous - but told myself that Jude was a really great kid.  It was that thought that got me REALLY nervous.  He is totally the kind of kid who would reply, "OF COURSE!" to the stranger that asks for help finding his lost dog.  I checked a few other neighbor houses and still could not find them.  Rob came out and jumped in his car while I imagined the call to the police.

Luckily Jude and Kadence were only two blocks away.  Rob found them while canvassing the neighborhood, and as soon as Jude saw Rob there was fear and relief in his eyes.  He knew he had gone too far and the first words out of his mouth were, "Yeah, I think we got a little lost."  Rob guided them home and all was well, but it really got me to thinking.

I make up, play out, and resolve a LOT of situations in my head - and so many of them have to do with the safety of my kids.  I have tried REALLY, REALLY hard this year to not be an over-protective mother, and do my best to keep an eye on my kids while giving them some sort of freedom.  I still can't decide if I'm too conservative, or if I'm too easy going.  Jude is a very mature five year old.  What should I be allowing him to do on his own?  Cross the street?  Walk around the block?  Ride his bike in the road?  When I was in kindergarten  I walked to school with another kindergartener, then walked home with one of my older siblings, but the thought of sending him and Kadence to school alone is ridiculously frightening to me.  Maddie goes into second grade next year, and I'm not even sure I want her walking there.  Am I SUPER paranoid?  The school is only four very small blocks away...what's my deal?

If any of you have older kids, tell me how it all played out for you.  There are a lot of other kids Jude's age that roam freely around the neighborhood - does that mean that Jude should too?  I want HONEST answers!

Thank you, much!!

BDEM:  Finding Jude

Water: 50 oz

Looking for a Healthy Family Dinner?

Then you had better go elsewhere.

However, if you (like me) have those days when you're really lacking in groceries and just want to make a meal out of something you already have in your cupboards....healthy or not...try these!  It basically undoes any kind of healthy choices you have made throughout the day, so beware.  The GOOD news is that it technically is breakfast, so there's no "but I ate so well ALL day long" guilt.  You had just better try again tomorrow.

So pretty

Serve with fresh fruit...since you're so healthy.  

I don't really feel like typing out both recipes, so I'll just give you the link to each.  I should also say that I have made buttermilk syrup many times, but I think this recipe is my favorite.  A bit more buttery, and a bit less sweet than the other ones I've tried.  Still VERY sweet, though!

CRUNCHY CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST

BUTTERMILK SYRUP

BDEM:  Wandering around Walmart all on my own.  Granted, I genuinely despise Walmart and go there once every billion years, but for some reason it was just a nice little break today.

Water:  40 oz  I've been slacking lately.

The Tomboy in Me

I've never been the girliest of girls.  I try to look nice from time to time when I know I'm going somewhere fancy but as a general rule, I just really love stretchy pants.  There.  I said it.  I feel totally liberated.  I'm trying really hard to branch out of my normal clothing selections - incorporate some new colors every once in a while, but still, it's a process.  My dad bought me a red White Sox hat ten years ago, and I still feel like "me" whenever I put it on.  Then there's the fact that I still wish that my Culver Sailing Staff uniform was appropriate every day attire.  It consisted of khaki shorts and a white polo.  Simple, easy, clothed.

After reading my dear friend Deon's post, I realized that it was time to throw something out into the blogging universe - just to see what kind of response I get.

Confession:  I have never owned a single pair of high heels.

I own a pair of wedges...that are hardly dressy, but I have never owned a pair of "check me out in these sexy shoes" high heels.

Aren't they cute?

Am I a horrible person?  Do I NEED to own a pair?  Part of me wants to, but I just don't know what to wear them with.

Am I the only one with this issue?

BDEM:  The youth that I work with spent the evening doing volunteer work around the neighborhood.  What great teenagers...I didn't hear a SINGLE complaint!

Water:  40 oz