Sunday, December 30, 2012

Boring and Uninspired and Faces {what I wore Sunday}

Do you ever have one of those days where acting natural just doesn't....come naturally?  Yeah, today is definitely one of those.  Oi/Oy (I truly don't know how you're supposed to spell it).  The collection of photos my poor daughter took was nothing short of ridiculous and so I just had to start making faces.  You know, like...

Saturday, December 29, 2012

How To Take a Shower

Subtitle: For kids with sensory issues and their exhausted parents.

If you don't have a kid with sensory issues (you'd know it if you did!) this might still be a fun idea if you're a nicer, more patient mom than I am.  For me, the special stuff only happens when it has to.  Oh my gosh, I am working on it, okay?  It's just that when I do try and be fancy, I end up setting things on fire.  But that's a post for a different day.

Right now: showering.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Who put us in charge? {phfr} {wiwoc}

I've fallen through some kind of space-time something sci-fi sounding and woken up on a day that pretends to be Thursday.  But there is no way that it's ACTUALLY Thursday, right?  Because that would be crazy.  I mean, I'm lol-ing at the idea right now.   Just listen.... (***tee heeeeee heee heee heee!  hahahahaha!***).

Thursday.  Pfffffffffffft.

Wait.  What?

I mean...just....what????  Send help!

{pretty}



Monday, December 24, 2012

A bunch of pictures of decorations. You're welcome!

It's Christmas Eve!  We're drinking wine in the afternoon!  We're not going to the vigil Mass!  Hot-pepper pinconning from Moo-ville!  Flan for tomorrow's family Christmas party cooling on the counter!

Sorry.  I'm a little excited.

You know that thing about kids loving Christmas and grown-ups thinking it's a drag?  Yeah, I don't get it either! It is truly the moooooooooooooooost wonderful time of. the. yeeeeeeeeeeeeeear!

Friday, December 21, 2012

7 Quick Takes- I am Woman of Steel! Be Impressed!

(1)
WHEW!  Have you ever read "Little House in the Big Woods" "On the Banks of Plum Creek" (edited because I'm an idiot)?  You know that part with the huge blizzard and Pa is on his way back from town and then it turns to night and there is so much wind and snow that he loses his way and has to tunnel into a snow-drift to wait it out and then all he has to eat is the Christmas candy that he bought while he was in town and pretty much he could have died and stuff?  Well the Ingalls' ain't got nothin' on us.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Perfect Christmas Cookies: Black-and-White Chocolate Peppermint

I really should not be writing this. I mean, I just published a stinkin' post, like, seven seconds ago or something.  But I've been hollering at people to make these cookies all day and guess what?  They don't have the recipe.

I am so smart....S-M-R-T.


Way too many pictures, trust me {p.h.f.r.)

{pretty}
On Sunday we really enjoyed our annual parish Christmas pageant.


Monday, December 17, 2012

All I Can Do

There's a lot I don't know right now.  I don't know what or why or how things have happened or what or why or how to prevent them from happening again.  I don't know if it's right or wrong to start asking certain questions or to talk about laws and healthcare yet.  Lord knows I have a lot of opinions and ideas, sure.  But I don't know.  This internet is a big, big place filled with big, big hearts and big, big minds.  I'll let those big hearts and big minds do that talking.

But I'll tell you what I do know.

Friday, December 14, 2012

7 Quick Takes- Wailing Women and a Par-TAY

Because you do not want to hear any more, not even a little bit more, about the plague of horrible deathly death that befell our house over the last 6 days, I'll start with this song that's been stuck in my head all morning...

(1)

(2)
And now you know even more about my new-agey acousticy wailing-women musical preferences.  Paula Cole anyone?

Thursday, December 13, 2012

A day trip- and we all survived! {p.h.f.r.}

I'm gettin' brave in my old age. In my two-vehicle havin' life.

Last Friday I loaded up all five of my darling offspring and drove the 1 hour and 22 minutes (not that I was counting) (fine, yes I was) to lovely- dovely Holland, Michigan.

I didn't take this photo.  source





We went to see my bloggy friend Rhonda's new casita, stroll the quaint streets, chat, hang out, give our kids a new adventure...you know, all those things that people do.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Yo dawg, I heard you read blogs


hysterical graphic courtesy of the lovely Cari

We were on our way to our friends' house the other day.  Good friends.  Like, husband and wife BOTH get along with BOTH husband and wife.  Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.  And it struck me- without this blog, we might never have met.  Or rather, I don't know how we would have met.  Because clearly we were always meant to be friends- we just spent 30something years on our winding paths across America, through tie-died disasters and flannel shirts and tumultuous conversion and finally finding the joy we'd been looking for all along before we got here.  Got here to each other's inboxes and twitter feeds and facebook pages and living rooms.

I love blogging.  I never knew I would love it and I didn't even know people could start blogs with the intention of Being Bloggers.  Honestly I don't even like the word "blogging".  It feels weird to say it out loud.  Definitely didn't know what a "link-up" was or a "blog button" and especially I didn't know that people who started blogs could form real friendships.  REAL friendships.  

And then after I started this blog but I was still brand new to it, I read about people being thankful for the friendships and community and you know what?  I thought they were full of crap.  I really did!  Oh no, I can't tell you why a person might make such an outlandish claim unless it were true.  Nope.  No idea what their motivation would have been.  But still.  I thought it was a little bit pretend.

Lo, dear readers, I was wrong!  Wrong a thousand times.  Do you know how hard it is to admit I was wrong?
Veryveryveryveryvery.
Probably because it doesn't happen that often so I don't get much practice.

But yes, I was so horribly wrong.

Oh, the beautiful friendships I have made.  Oh, the way they've lifted me up in times of sorrow and rejoiced with me in times of joy.  Oh how they've helped me cultivate a deeper love for my vocation and a deeper relationship with my Church.  Oh, they are real.

This blog brought us through those horrible days of unemployment, through the birth of sweet baby Mary, and gave me the courage to try homeschooling.  Without it I may never have considered cloth diapering or renovating three bedrooms while I was pregnant or having a Jesse Tree in our house for the very first time.  I would not know about twitter and how a bunch of people all over the country can watch the same movie at the same time and enjoy each other's company and humor and insight and support.  Maybe not all of those while the movie is going on, but one thing leads to another in bloggy land, dear readers.  One beautiful thing leads to another.

So there it is.  This blogging thing, this social media thing, it can be so much more than just a journal or a photo album.  It can be the little unassuming door that leads to a better every day.  It can be your fur coat-filled wardrobe in the spare room.  Walk on through.  There's always room for one more.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

'Cause it's only the funnestest Christmas movie EVER!

Oh, I had plans. Big plans!  Because the two year old is feeling better (yay).

But then things went south in the health-of-other-children department and also in the water-not-leaking-out-of-the-bottom-of-my-washing-machine department (if you have an Amana front-loader and have experience in this regard, feel free to wax helpful in the combox) and I can't seem to write about the stuff I was going to write about.

Now two people who don't even know how to play checkers are fighting over checkers.   Better make this not-post even quicker!

Sunday, December 09, 2012

I Am a Vomit Hating Heathen (w.i.w.s)

I feel guilty even writing this. Truly, I do. Do you know why? I never actually wore this outfit to Mass. Oh, I was going to.  I really, really was.  But then I didn't.  You wanna know why?  No?  Oops, here I go anyway...

Saturday, December 08, 2012

Put Your Laughing Pants On.

Holy moley. moly.  What the heck?  Is "moley" not a word?  "Moly"?  Whatever.  It's been a crazy two days.  More crazy in store.  So watch this and laugh.  Laugh like a rabid hyena.  But do NOT watch it while holding or sitting near a sleeping baby.  Because your shrieks of hysterical laughter will surely wake her.

Friday, December 07, 2012

Prayer and Fasting for Two Sweet Boys

There are two loving families, two sweet baby boys, I'm praying for today.  Prayer and fasting.  And I'm asking if you'll join me. 

I don't know how else to help or what else to say, so I'll just tell you what I know and hope it's enough.

Thursday, December 06, 2012

It's Beginning to Look a lot like my Favorite Time of Year! {p.h.f.r.}

{pretty}
I love this wreathe.  I love this door.  I love this wreath on this door.  The rustic and red, the happy welcome home.  While the world around us turns drab and grey and then covered in white, this is my beacon of warmth and happiness.

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

A Procrastinator and her Jesse Tree

Confession time.

Until this year, I had no idea what a Jesse Tree was.  Oh yes, vague notion of it having something to do with Jesus and Advent, but that's about it.  Are you sobbing for my children and their thus-far deprived childhoods?  Me too.

But then Jessica at Housewifespice decided to host a Jesse Tree ornament exchange and I signed up.  Hey, everyone else seemed REALLY excited, okay?  And I'm nothing if not a follow-the-cool-crowd-er.  So I signed up and we made our ornaments and sent them and I was feeling all proud of us and stuff and then...well, then I realized that we do not have a Jesse Tree.  Because, of course, I didn't even know what a Jesse tree was.

Monday, December 03, 2012

Help orphans AND win prizes? Yes please!

I wasn't planning on writing anything today, but then Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda mentioned this wonderful fundraiser she's hosting to benefit orphaned children in Costa Rica.  She talks about her custom designed Quiltie blankets, which my sweet Mare Bare is lucky enough to have and which YOU could win for your baby!

Remember this hilarious photo from the summer?

Sunday, December 02, 2012

What I Wore Sunday, vol. 7

The other day, I had a startling realization.  I, mother of 5, homeschooler, chicken wrangler, did not own a single ankle-length denim skirt.  Impostor!

So I got one.

Rocked it out Advent Style this morning.  Why yes, the priest and I did match perfectly.  Thanks for asking.

Friday, November 30, 2012

How To Alter Your Jeans- 7 Quick Steps

On Sunday, I decided to de-oldify a pair of boot cut jeans by slimming the legs down 10 minutes before I was supposed to get ready for Mass.  Incredibly, the scheme totally worked out without me even crying or needing to use the seam ripper and I was able to rock a pretty sweet before/after picture here on ye olde bloggy.


And then at least 80 of you...okay, fine, four...four of you asked for more details on the quicky creation of new pants and I said "By Jove, I do believe I could pretend that it coincidentally required 7 steps so I can jam it into a 7 Quick Takes post!"

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Top 10 Ways to Homeschool on the Cheap

This picture has nothing to do with homeschooling. It was just the only one on this computer.

When we started homeschooling last year, we had no extra pennies.  ZERO.  We knew homeschooling was the right choice for our family but we also knew it was going to have to be cheap.  Scratch that.  It was going to have to be free.  Or at least free-ish.  But every time I searched for cheap homeschooling ideas, I would find tips like "Use your library!" and "Make your lunches at home!".

Sunday, November 25, 2012

A Quick Alteration and Dressing on a Budget (W.I.W.S.)

Yesterday I may or may not have gone completely berzerk and made my husband fear for my his safety.  I don't know. Just about life and how...okay fine, I'll admit to you my selfish rant.

I started freaking out because I decided it was "unfair" that when he gets days off, he doesn't have to "go" to work but I LIVE AT WORK so there is no time that I'm not here, unless I'm elsewhere taking care of things for work which is where I live and how unfair is that except no I would not like a job outside the house either.   Blah, blah, blah, being unreasonable, and so on and so forth.

We worked it out.  You can start breathing again.

Friday, November 23, 2012

7 Quick Takes- I'm the worst mother and something to make you laugh

(1) 
So yesterday I linked up with Grace at Camp Patton thinking I could feel all unguilty about not going on about how cute my kids are and how great my husband is, et al. but then I read (every single one of) the other posts linked up with her and almost everyone shared pics of their adorable kids anyway!

I'm the worst mother in the world.

(2)
In reparation for my sins, here is the adorable Thanksgiving pic I took of chubba-lub Mare Bear celebrating her 5th month birthday....

Thursday, November 22, 2012

What I Wore to Thanksgiving Dinner

Every day I be shufflin'...

That song is totally stuck in my head.  Fair?  Certainly not.  But now it's stuck in your head too.  Welcome, my miserable company!  I like you!

So Gracey McGracerson (She said I could call her that) (No she didn't) (sorry for lying to you) (I'm on my third glass of wine) (not really) (Okay fine, really) had this fab idea to have us all post pics of ourselves in our Turkey-giving finery and since so many people would be doing it, we wouldn't feel guilty about not waxing poetic about all the glorious glory that fills every nook and cranny of our lives.  Which it does, of course.  Especially this Ginormous Rooster wine or whatever it's called.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Artistic Achievement Revealed


You know what makes for fab blog content?  Two posts in a row about the same exact thing. Oh yes, I read it somewhere.  Trust me.

Remember last night's minorish meltdown?  Prepare yourself to be impressed by the work of artistic genius created in this casita...

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

I just kinda suck at some stuff, okay?

What oh what have I gotten myself into, folks? Oh lordylordylordy.

So Jessica at Housewifespice  is hosting this snazzy Jesse Tree ornament swap.  And I was all "Sure!  This seems fun!  I like fun things!  Let's do it and it'll be fun!".  But do you know what I forgot?  That I am not creative or artistic or imaginative or, most of the time, even actually interested in having real fun.  I just like the idea of fun.  Or the things that I find fun are not fun in the "enjoyable" sense of the word.  Like, I think spreadsheets are "fun".  And organizing the towel shelves.  And color-coding my closet- ideally with actual codes being involved.  

Monday, November 19, 2012

I'm gettin' too old for this grown-up business

And then I was all "you're what...?"

And he was all "I'm throwing up!"

And I was all "Wait!  Where are you?"

That's how my Monday Before Thanksgiving started.  Yes, that's today.

Friday, November 16, 2012

7 Quick Takes: That Crusty Sweater likes to PAR-TAY

(1)
So earlier in the week, I made mention  of my crusty sweater of atrociousness.  You know, the one you (I) can't give up because you (I) bought it so long ago that it remembers all the fooly foolish things you've (I've) ever done even better than you (I) do?  Yeah.  

(2)
Well, as it turns out, many of you darling readers are roughly my age (imagine that) and also subscribe to the Adore a Nasty Cardi school of fashion obsession.  Specifically, Lisa of All Things Gale, who somehow challenged me, I don't really know how it happened, to write all 7 Quick Takes today about that gross thing.  And I said:

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The Telmaj- A Book Review

A few weeks ago, Charlotte from Waltzing Matilda brought joy and happiness and peace to our lives by sending us a copy of her sister-in-law's new book The Telmaj.  What with five kids who love stories (I'm making assumptions about the baby here), two of whom are in the target range for the book, it made for the perfect gift that keeps on giving.  Katie, the resident bibliophile (I hope that word means what I think it means), snatched it up and read it in two days.

So I made her write this post.  Aren't you proud of me?

Monday, November 12, 2012

Why I Stopped Not Caring and Started Wearing Concealer

If you graduated from high school in the nineties, as I did, then you remember the flannel shirts and the enormous pants and the intentionally-dressing-like-a-smelly-homeless-person that was so aptly referred to as "grunge".  I also remember the day I said to my mother "I think I'm done dressing like an old man".  She may have cried a little. But it's harder than you think to climb back out of that putrescent hole, I'll have you know. 

Thanks a lot Kurt.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

What I Wore Sunday- vol. 4

Could this weather BE any more gorgeous?

Last week I thought we were seeing our last outdoor "photo shoot" for sure.  It was chilly willy like a penguin, dude.

But lo!  Sunny and 65 degrees in November in Michigan!  God doth smileth uponeth us.  Eth.

Friday, November 09, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Office Space and Small Business

(1)
You already know how I like to try and get Gymboree clothes for free, because I'm a cheapskate like that, right?  And that I gets cray cray bargains from Goodwill in a seemingly magical way (just put "goodwill" in the searchbar on the right.  I can't even link to all the smokin' deals we've scored there), yes?  Well this year, for Christmas, besides the free gymbo clothes and the smokin' Goodwill deals, I'm going to try and buy my gifty gifts from small, independent businesses- like mamas with Etsy shops and that lady with the knick-knack store who also sells cloth diapering stuff.  And yes, try and do it on the cheap at the same time.  It may mean fewer (but better!) gifts, but I'm cool with that.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Gratuitous Photos of Cutey Baby

I'm in a little bit of a funk today, I'll admit.  Thank goodness for my online community of friends and my real life community of friends and my Words With Friends friends or I might be...well...even more useless.  Please don't come to my house right now, okay CPS?  Super.

Anyway.

It's Thursday and usually I like to do the PHFR link-up at Like Mother, Like Daughter.  But guess what?  I haven't taken any pictures aaaaaaaaaaaaall week.

Okay, that's a lie.  I did take pictures of sweetyrific Mary-kins in the jumparoo thingy for the first time.  My goodness is she cute!

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Top 10 Things that made me Smile


Oh yes.  It's here.  Election day is finally here!  No more robo-calls, no more piles of flyers in the mailbox every day, no more less cray cray in social media land.  It's gonna be great.

I have already rocked the socks off those old ladies at the polling station with my three youngest kids in tow, the oldest of which demanding to know "WHERE ARE ALL THE FIRE TRUCKS IF THIS IS A FIRE STATION? I NEED TO SEE A FIRE TRUCK! OR A FIRE DOG! WHERE IS THE FIRE DOG?" the entire time.

Sunday, November 04, 2012

What I Wore Sunday- vol. 3

Is it so sad that looking through everyone's What I Wore Sunday posts has become one of the highlights of my week?  I want to say, but I won't. You know why?  Because it makes me feel like we all kind of get to hang out together.  Making this virtual community even more of...well, a community.  And that's what I really love, more than anything else, about this whole internet thing.

"Quit yammering!  Show us the duds!"

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Friday, November 02, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Her

(1)
There are seven funny links to silly things saved in my drafts right now.  "Oh, that'll be fun for Quick Takes!" I kept saying all week.  But I just can't seem to do it.

I didn't know Barbara Curtis the way a lot of moms and writers and bloggers did.  But I do know that she was a strong, loving, vibrant woman.  A champion for adoption and children with Down Syndrome.  A convert.  The mother of 12.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Easy Dinners for the Culinarily Challenged

Before my husband and I got married, I had never cracked an egg.  I could barely make spaghetti.   And by "make spaghetti" I mean "boil premade noodles to an edible consistency" not "prepare a special dough and use that snazzy Kitchenaid attachment".  Now before y'all get all "a woman's place ain't in the kitchen" on me, lemme tell you that he is a MUCH better chef than I am and actually....wait for it...enjoys cooking.  But let's get to the facts, shall we?  He leaves the house every day to go to work.  I am here at said house during those hours.  It only makes sense, despite the fact that I generally loathe it, for me to be the one to prepare the meals Monday through Friday.

He can have the weekends, though, thankyouverymuch.

So how does a girl who had no good domesticy guidance and who possesses no affection for the act of cooking manage to keep her family alive without Chinese takeout five nights a week?  Aha!  I'm going to tell you!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Goodbye, Goats

Oy. I keep forgetting. If I don't just slap it down, I'll never tell you, and then in a year you'll be like "So what's going on with the goats, dweej?" and I'll be all "Goats? What goats? Oh you mean thoooooooose goats. Um, yeah. Well. They don't live with us anymore."

What???

I know!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

What I Wore Sunday- vol. 2

Remember last weekend when I did my first ever fashion-ish post?  Well, despite the embarrassment inherent in trying to take pictures of myself (do they have classes for this sort of thing?  Tutorials?  Special ladies' maids?  One of each, please) it turned out to be pretty fun.  So....I'm torturing you again!  Yay!

Friday, October 26, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Child Artist and Everything is Stupid

(1)
At Tommy's new job (!!!!!!!!!!!), they gave him 17,982 packets of information and forms, a window parking decal, and an employee security i.d.  Oh, and a black pique polo with the company logo on the chest.  So the other day he takes out the polo to wear it and finds this tag attached:

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Tyranny of Something Extra

Sometimes the day speeds by in such a blur.  Of sippy cups and soggy diapers and multi-step word problems.  I'm grabbing toys off the floor as I pass through rooms on the way to find out why so-and-so is shrieking only to be side-tracked by stepping into a mysterious puddle of something I pray, pray, pray is lemonade despite the disconcerting fact that we have no lemonade in the house.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Delish Biscuity Scone-ish Treats Recipe


 A few months ago, the sweet and fabulous Kate Wicker recommended Cricket magazine (for kids 9-14) and tossed a coupon code which I swiftly snatched up.  My girls are voracious readers and the idea of an ad-free publication entirely geared toward them arriving right in our mailbox and making them feel all grown-upish and stuff made me a little giddy.

And the other day it came!  And it was awesome!  Short stories, poems, comic strips, and RECIPES!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

What I Wore Sunday

So anyway, it seems like the cool kids in bloggy land can talk about what they wore and take pictures of their own outfits and somehow end up looking chic and relaxed and fun, but not TOO fun.  Just fun enough to be not angry but still cool.

Then I saw that some sweet gals are starting a What I Wore Sunday link-up so we can inspire each other with our snazzy church-goin' duds.  And I says to myself, I says "Hey!  Self!  You're totally chic and relaxed and fun but not too fun just fun enough to be not angry but still cool!  You should do your first fashion-ish post and everyone will be SO IMPRESSED!"

Friday, October 19, 2012

Yes I DO look like Luanne! Click for proof.

Welp.  It's finally happened. For only the second time in the history of this blog, I'm going to post two times in one day.

And do you know WHY?  Because Cari, who is lovely and kind and generous and delusional, is not convinced that I do, in fact, look like  Luanne Platter with my new-to-me foolish self haircut of horribleness.  Which, of course, I do.

So in response to her hilarious, fantastic post in response to my previous post, which also happens to illustrate her awesome Photoshopping skillz, I must put aside my vanity and reveal, in all it's Texified glory, my enormous coif.

7 Quick Takes: I cut my own hair & I might need to cry

(1)
Awesome business idea alert!  A studio or art shop that specializes in black and white photography named...

wait for it....

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Terrible Trevor helps a mom achieve her dreams

I'm not going to try and say I had a terrible time as a kid or anything.  I experienced lots of fun and excitement and good, wonderful things.  But when I left my small-community non-traditional homeschooly type school, with my obsessive love of reading, my total lack of experience with any pop-culture, and a name that almost no one can pronounce (I mean really?  A "w" AND a "j"?  In the same name? Super.) tucked firmly in my back pocket, things did not go well.

Monday, October 15, 2012

10 Things I Discoverd During my Social Media Sabbatical

1. Getting in shape is more than an idea and just having enough time doesn't mean I'm going to do it.

2. I'm actually a pretty good housekeeper when I bother to keep house.

3. I'm also a pretty nice person when I get enough sleep.  Hanging out with my e-friends at night might be fun for me, but it isn't so fun for my kids the next day.

Sunday, October 07, 2012

A Sabbatical and Something Super Important

(This 1st part really isn't that important. I just talk too much)

Monday is a big day.  BIG DAY! Tommy starts his new job, y'all.  Big day. I even ironed four whole shirts for him in my excitement.  Big. Day.

I'll be expecting my wife-of-the-year award in the mail, thankyouverymuch.

Then I got to thinking and realized that I've been waiting for this day to arrive along with him, with a ridiculous, subconscious, fool idea that somehow everything is magically going to change.  Like, I'm magically going to be a better housekeeper and I'll magically get all the kids' schoolwork corrected on time every week and meal plans will magically write themselves and all the required ingredients for said meal plans will magically appear in my pantry.  All because the new job, the new job that has nothing to do with me whatsoever, is starting. 

Voice of reason over here, folks.

Friday, October 05, 2012

7 Quick Takes: A zillion mostly scandalous pictures

(1)
You know what this blog needs? More pictures of my kids. Because everyone LOOOOOOVES looking at pictures of other people's children, oh yes they do...

But wait.  First, a word about "looooooooooves".

Monday, October 01, 2012

Things may have gotten a little out of hand...

The weekend. The weekend was... It was awesome, you guys.

Sometimes parties happen by accident, you know?  Like suddenly your house is bursting with people and food and drink and you get to complain about terrible, horrible things like having so much beer in the house that it won't  fit in the fridge.  True story.

Friday, September 28, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Myspace and That's Not Okay

(1)
I don't plan these in advance.  It's always a kind of stream-of-consciousness brain-dump.  Which explains why the word "quick" actually means "super long" most of the time.  Because my brain will. not. shut. up.  And also explains why there's not actually any theme the way there is....

Hold on. Before I forget. The boy just ran in here holding a penny whistle (if you're related to my husband, you'll understand the hate/hate relationship everyone except the males in this family have with the penny whistle) declaring that he's found the perfect way to wake up the big girls.

Lucky them!

Wait.  Where was I?  Oh yes...

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

An Invitation. Because I Love You.

I've been wanting to say something for a while, but I didn't know where or how.  A quick facebook status update?  Send out a tweet?  They didn't seem like enough.  But do I really have an entire post worth of things to say on the matter?

Let's find out.

This crazy, wonderful, stressful, beautiful life is a fantastic one, there is no doubt.  My children are an incredible blessing, potty accidents, ridiculous tantrums and all.  My marriage, with its ups and downs (oh yes, there have been many of both) a true testament for me of Christ's sacrificial love for us.

Friday, September 21, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Alf, dumb ideas, and the greatest week EVER.

(1)
So I'm on Pinterest and it's way too late and I'm thinking I could go to bed or I could start writing these, (which you are now reading tomorrow, but really it's Thursday night) and suddenly I see this and I know I have to say something to the publishers of Real Simple magazine:

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Curriculum Giveaway Winner!

The gods of Random.org have chosen a winner of the snazzy mcsnazzerson Twenty-six Letters to Heaven curriculum giveaway.....



**********drumroll************

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Science for the Verbal Set- Curriculum Choices pt. 2

Since the curriculum giveaway ends tonight (hint, hint), let's talk learnin'.

As you might remember, if you memorize my every move as you should and don't ever, not ever, get me mixed up with one of those other Catholic homeschooling moms who blog (I mean, how many of us can there be?), I got most of my curriculum recommendations for this year from Angelicum Academy.

Among the many things I like about them is that I don't need to buy the entire curriculum as a set- I can pick and choose based on my children's needs and strengths and go with something else for a certain subject if I see fit.

Which I absolutely did when it came to Science.  Their recommended science text was the kind of book that weighs 30 pounds and talks a little bit about everything a kid possibly ought to know but never really expects anyone to be very interested in what they're learning.  No thanks.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Sometimes it sucks...and that's okay

Last week, a sweet mother, who clearly needs some encouragement and support, left this anonymous comment on one of my old posts, Pro-Life Means Pro-Child:

Glad to know even mothers of children raised in a catholic church have their moments. I am still pretty resentful that my husband chose to become catholic and force me to wrangle my 4 children into sitting through mass, when they are used to having sunday school and children's church in their protestant upbringing. They used to love church and now they pretty much hate it. My question is HOW IN THE WORLD!!!!! is a "good catholic" mother ever supposed to enjoy/listen/worship during mass? I just have more and more hatred and frustration. Would much rather stay home than fight the fight and have my children feel chastised for wiggling and not paying attention like adults. 

I started responding in the combox, but the response was so long that it started to look like a blog post.  So it became one.

To my anonymous reader, and any other mother who feels similarly exhausted and discouraged:

Friday, September 14, 2012

7 Quick Takes- Cuteness and Gratitude

(1)
Alright, I'm posting before we even start our day because I gotta get that frustrated complain-a-thon from yesterday off the top of ye olde bloggy.  Sometimes a girl's gotta vent, but geez, you'd think I could do it in less than three thousand words.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

That Crappy day and Feeling Discouraged

I'm just gonna tell you what happened yesterday, okay?

First, I awoke to Cecilia's singy-songy-song (as usual)...."moooooooomy, I'm awaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!".  Why she doesn't just exit her bedroom I will never know.  And when I went in there to release her, approximately 2.3 nanoseconds after hearing her, she had already peed on the floor.  And do you know what is particularly frustrating about that fact, besides the obvious requirement that someone (probably me) clean pee out of the carpet?  If you guessed "she has a little frog potty right there next to her bed and she just peed right on the floor next to it", you'd be right.  Don't you just love being right?!?!?

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Twenty-Six Letters to Heaven Curriculum Giveaway

It is so, very schoolish around here these days, folks.  Complete with wailing and gnashing of teeth and discovering that the 10:30 a.m. dance class actually starts at 9:00 and it's 8:03 and your big 'uns are still in bed.  And then being reminded, as they careen around to be ready in time, that you've not sewn the elastic straps onto their ballet slippers yet.  So you grab the sewing box but there are no stinkin' needles in the pin cushion because certain children are constantly doing "projects" which involve taking my things and strewing them about the house like so many pieces of pointy confetti so you holler "And you wonder why I'm always telling you to put away your stuff!  Well you're gonna find out when you have to go to your class BAREFOOT!".

Yep, that just happened.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Monday, September 10, 2012

Happy Homeschooling

It was Tuesday morning, the day after Labor Day.  The first day of our second year of homeschooling.  The very first day of kindergarten for my boy.  After the baby's usual 6:30 wake up for a quick diaper change and a first breakfast before her first early morning nap, I tip-toed down the hall to fire up the coffee maker.  The house was silent.  Outside a steady rain fell from the dark grey sky.

I was nervous.  Excited.  Ready.  Maybe not so ready.  Ready enough.  Yes, that was it.

The schedule for the week was printed out and each little science booklet had its own little staple on the spine, ready for four sets of small hands to read or color or shred, depending on the age of those sweet fingers.

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

A Beautiful Day

When I went berzerk last week, one of the things that was stressing me out was the fact that I'd still not taken two month old baby Mary in to the county clerk's office to submit her birth data so she would officially exist.  If you have a hospital birth, you see, they give you a whole stack of papers and sign off on them right there, and then your baby is a real baby, but since she was born at home, I had to do it myself.  In person.  And she had to come with me.

Boy was I dragging my feet.

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

First Day of School and Curriculum Choices pt. 1

It is 12:15 p.m. on the first day of school, and I am giddy.  Giddy, I tell you!

You know what's awesome?  That planning things out actually helps to make them happen.  I made out a lesson plan in chart form for this first week back so that reading children could just look and see what was expected of them, and reading adults whose brains are fried from, I don't know, life and stuff, can also read and see what's on deck for the non-reading child.  And the 2 year old, who also thinks she's in kindergarten, can just pretend that one of the rows is for her.  Which it's not, but please don't tell her, okay?

Nasty-tastic Hair Update (and you could win!)

You know that thing about the squeaky wheel getting the grease?  Well consider me well-oiled, my friends.  Because first I complained about my atrocious Bride-o'-Frankenstein hair and then I got free Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner in the mail.

They must have noticed that my plight was super dee duper dire.

Check it out.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Overwhelmed

Can I think out loud to you guys for a sec?

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.  I can't seem to get on top of my messy house, my to-do list never gets to-done, I've been hoping to start school next Tuesday but don't even have our books or files organized yet, and I have actual paying work that I really need, and want, do give the proper attention to.  And I just ended a sentence in a preposition.  Which usually doesn't bother me, but still.  Also sentence fragments.  Yes.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

10 Photos from a Baptism

Do you know what I love?  Lists.  Grocery lists, to-do lists, supply lists, alphabetical lists...

LIST POSTS.

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes indeed, I do love me a list post.  Anyway, so I see I've got some new visitors from Faith & Family Live! today (Hey, y'all!  Crack open a beer if you're not pregnant!  Although if you're here because of that thread then you probably are.  So, um, have some super exciting water, then?  Yay!  Water!), and since you came because of lists, I'll take that as a sign that another list is in order.

Hold onto your seats folks because it's time for....

Monday, August 27, 2012

Genius Cake Idea. You're Welcome.

I just can't do it.  I can't let another day go by without a post!  It's an illness.

So even though it's approximately seven moments before tomorrow and late and dark and nighttime and all that, imma tell you a little bit about our exhaustingly awesome weekend anyway.  'Cause this is my blog and I do what I want.

Okay, wait.  Can I just dump a bunch of photos on you instead?  Yes?  Sweet.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Better than I Deserve

I'm thankful.  I'm excited.  I'm exhausted.

Those are my three favorite things.  Life is good.  God is good.

My sweet boy turns 5 tomorrow.  He came hurtling into this world at a break-necking pace and has been keeping us running ever since.  Some days I wondered how we'd survive as I held him in our dark walk-in closet, trying to soothe his screechy screeching, singing the Countries of Africa song under my breath because it was the longest song I knew and I could sing it over and over and over again while I prayed in the back of my mind for a time machine to transport me to future days when he might go to bed and sleep all night and talk and play and laugh at my stupid jokes.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

7 Quick Takes Tuesday: Smorgasbord

(1)
Usually I save this kind of rambling for Fridays, but Friday is my dear boy's 5th birthday and I'm thinking about planning something silly and ridiculous, or at least more enjoyable for him than sitting quietly and staring at me while I troll the internet for funny things.  Enter: 7 Quick Takes Tuesday!
Yay!
Woo hoo!
Cheering!
Banana jump! (that's a real thing, right?  Or what am I thinking of?)

Monday, August 20, 2012

Planner Giveaway from Aquinas and More

Oh boy.  Is it really the end of August already?  

***INSERT DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS EMOTICON HERE***

Because that means this weekend is (not so)tiny baby Mary's baptism and then next weekend is Labor Day and then the new school year starts.  And I am not at all, at all, at all ready for that.  Okay, I'm a tiny bit ready in that we have our books (thank you Lord for inspiring me to use my pre-baby nesting instinct for curriculum shopping!), but I had all these grand ideas and hopes and dreams about the entire year, or at least the first month, planned out for each of my three school aged children.  

Yeah, not so much.

Friday, August 17, 2012

7 Quick Takes: It's Purple and It Smells

(1)
The night after the very horrible night was a lot better. Then last night was slightly better than the worst but not as good as the previous, mostly because I had to do that thing that only prisoners of war/captives of purgatory should have to endure.  Yes.  Change pee-pee bedsheets.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Not a Holy Mother

Do you think Jesus ever got up at 3 a.m., removed his pajama bottoms, threw them out into the hallway, and then hollered for Mary to come and "get him cozy"?  And "I need my jammies back on!"?  And "I found something.  Come and get it."  If He did, do you think it was after refusing sleep and proclaiming all sorts of other things until almost 11 p.m.?  And then waking up and causing a raucous every frappin' two hours?

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Get Back Into Shape after Baby vol. 2

Can I get a WHUT WHUT?

This morning it was time for my second weekly weigh-in and after last week's embarrassingly revealing post I could only pray that there had been some progress.

And look!  Progress!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Totally Gratuitous Photo of Adorable Baby

Oh my goody goodness, she's learning to laugh!

Heart.  Melting....

Weekend Road Warriors

"Oh, I know!  I'll write a story about a doctor whose last name is Acula and he can't figure out why everyone's scared of him...you know, Dr. Acula?"

"Baby Mary sounds like a crazy chicken."

Friday, August 10, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Paul Simon is the Greatest

(1)
I've been trying to start writing this for at least 23 minutes, but Cari and Bonnie are being super entertaining over on facebook and completely distracting me.  I can't just walk away from a Paul Simon discussion.  I can't!  Which is why I'm listening to the entire Graceland album again right now.  I'm serious...it's become an addiction or something.  My newborn daughter is going to know every word to The Boy in the Bubble before she's out of diapers:
These are the days of miracle and wonder....don't cry, baby, don't cry.

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Phobia Story Time (sounds uplifting, yes?)

You know that one time when something totally tragical and scarring happened and that's when your phobia started and even though you're all adult (pretty much) and reasonable (still up for discussion), you just can't shake it?

Yeah, let's talk about mice.

I'm sure you recall the day of the Rodent Emergency (capitalized because I had to create a holiday so I could recuperate) followed by the accompanying video.  That was the day that many of you really started to question whether I should be allowed to be in charge of this house and these children.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Get Back Into Shape after Baby vol. 1

Accountability time!

I know this is probably gonna be really boring for most of y'all (forgive me) but I did warn you that this here blog was set to be my ticket back to normal-me once baby arrived.  So here I am with my Biggest Loser-esque weigh-in and measurement fest.

Also, if you're scandalized by photos of women in running shorts that are way too tight, then avert your eyes prontisimo!  Click away!  Because I wasn't about to go out and buy bigger workout clothes, no sir.

Monday, August 06, 2012

Help for a Family in Need

Rachael grew up with my husband.  They were little kids playing little games making big memories.  And then we were in college together.  And then we were in Rome together.  Now we're all grown up- Tommy and I here in Michigan, Rachael and her hubby down in Texas.  We started blogs.  We laughed at all our ridiculous adventures.

But now Rachael is on a new kind of a journey.  The kind of journey that makes my heart ache for her and her family.  God has plans for her that we cannot know, but while those plans unfold, we must do all we can to help.

Saturday, August 04, 2012

7 quick takes: Mostly Beer this Time

(1)
This afternoon my husband did "magic" tricks. That means he pretended to stuff peanuts up his nose and then sneeze them out all over the toddlers.

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Reason, thou Dost not Shackle me

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Y'all, I am so excited. Super excited.  SUPER-DE-DUPER excited!  You know how when you're a teenager or even in your twenties (yes, I'm that old.  Old,  tell you), you imagine that you and your friends will just keep doing wacky spur-of-the moment stuff?  And then you have kids and you kinda stop doing wacky spur-of-the-moment stuff despite your self?

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

My very first really real magazine article!

I've written some lame, lazy posts in my day.  But this one...well, this one is handily going to win the gold medal in the Lameness Olympics (see how I worked the word "Olympics" in there?  Makin' it relevant and all that jazz.  The word relevant, by the way, is super lame.  Another 10 points for me!).

See, once upon a time I wrote a real article and it got published in a real print magazine and they sent me a check for real American dollars in exchange and I was all "Quick!  Cash it before they realize their mistake!"  But then people started asking if they could read said article and I got clever.  Photos of words on a page?  Don't mind if I do.

Monday, July 30, 2012

What the Heck is Going on?

My house has a weekend hangover.  Do I say that every Monday?  I think so.

Well, it's Monday....and it's true.

Plus, I just did that thing with the baby where you take off the carrier without removing the  baby and place her ever so gently, still clad in the carrier, onto your bed and then walk very, very slowly backwards because sweetbabyjeezus you haven't used the bathroom in 9 hours.

And now she's awake.  Again.

Friday, July 27, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Mostly About Pee

(1)

I don't want to ruin it, so I refuse to tell you about how my 5 week old baby slept from 11:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. last night.  You'll just have to go around imagining me waking up every two hours and...

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Rosary Giveaway from Aquinas & More

Time to win, time to win, one of you will win....! (yes, sung to Jingle Bells.  I tried to feel bad about busting out a Christmas carol in July, but I just couldn't muster the energy).

As you may already know, the owner of Aquinas & More Catholic Goods is forced to share family reunions with my loud mouth because his wife and my husband grew up together as brother and sister.  Also, they are *actually* brother and sister, so that works out well.  As a perk of sharing family with me, in addition to having me laugh way too loud and wake up all the sleeping children, he also gets to let me give stuff away from his store.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Mary's Homebirth Story: The Conclusion

If you've just started reading, click here for part one then go here for part two.  Or just start here and be all confused.  That's cool.  I'm confused most of the time and have still managed to survive.


One of the things that always struck Tommy about my hospital birth experiences is that no one ever touched me except to put on or take off equipment.  They didn't feel for baby's position, they didn't jump in and offer any physical help or advice for managing or minimizing the pain.  It was always "you ready for your drugs yet?" and then "okay, we'll be back soon to check on you!".  And I felt like a little island alone in that sea of uncertainty.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Thrift and Garden

Sometimes the weather cools off just a little and the rain falls from the sky and suddenly everyone is outdoors and people are happy and you go to the lake at the drop of a hat and you just can't bring yourself to sit down at a computer and tell everyone how glorious things are.  You just have to live the glorious.

But I have this blog, which I also love, that demands just a little attention every now then.  So I'm here and you're here and we'll talk about thrifting and the garden for just a quick minute, yes?

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Cloth Diapering FAQs (from a Newbie for Newbies)

Fine, I'll be honest. Only one person is asking me questions about cloth diapering.  And she didn't ask me frequently.  She just asked me once.  AND I'm going to see her in person tomorrow so I could just wait and tell her out loud but then would this blog post be able to write itself?

No ma'am (or sir, as it were).  If I'm going to blather on anyway (as I am wont to do.  Surprise!), I'm gonna milk it, yo.  Only so many hours in a day, ya know?  And see?  I'm blathering on already and haven't actually said anything yet.   Okay, commence actual information...

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Mary's Homebirth Story: part 2

if you've just started reading, click here to start with part 1 .  And you can get that recently-opened beer back out of your fridge.

So hubby only slightly rolls his eyes (what a nice, accommodating boy he is), grabs the camera and takes the photo.  Then, because he's awesome let's not forget, he notices that I had started doing the dishes and picks up right where I left off while I grab the phone to give the midwife a call.

"Good morning, this is Linda."

Yes, that IS how she answered her phone at 5 a.m.  Gosh I love her.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Mary's Homebirth Story: part 1

This is a birth story.  A real story of an actual birth that happened in my home.  My very first homebirth attended by a sweet and kind midwife and a fantastic husband, so if you are looking for something gentle, something innocuous, something...taupe, you've come to the wrong place.  But if you don't mind a little bit of blood and a smattering of words like "tear" and "gush" and "excruciating", then pull up a chair.  Crack open a beer.  It's about to get real up in here.

Friday, July 13, 2012

7 Quick Takes: 5K, Onions, and Baby

(1)
Whew, I'm a dork.  Did you know that I went through the entirety of yesterday thinking it was the 13th?  And I even wrote our arrive-aversary post and patted myself on the back for being so "with it" and "organized" and "not at all in a postpartum daze"?  Opposite day, friends! Totally not with it or organized and so very much in a postpartum daze!

(2)
Anyway, so Tommy just pulled these out of our garden...

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Happy 2 Year Arrive-aversary

Two years ago today we pulled slowly into the driveway of this fixer-upper we had bought for $27K cash off the internet.  The fixer-upper we never saw in person before the day we arrived to live here, children in tow, hearts in our throats.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

10 Things I Forgot About Newborns

1) The pooping

How many times a day can a healthy human poop?  Apparently the answer is some number greater than 3,000.  Seriously, you guys...I had planned on using disposable diapers for the first two weeks before moving over to cloth, but little miss poopykins was going through so dang many of them that I busted out the reusables at only one week.  Because I am NOT spending another $30 on something that's going to get covered in poo and thrown in the trash.  I did that for 4 babies already.  No more pooping on the money.  That's my new motto.

Monday, July 09, 2012

The One with the Electrocuted Badger



My hair, oh my goodness. It seriously looks like an electrocuted badger has been fastened to my head, but a real haircut would cost me a minimum of $25+tip, at least an hour of my time, and a 17 mile drive each way to the place with the $25 haircut that's worth getting.

Yeah, hi.  I have 5 kids and only one car.  Nice to meet you.
not waves- dreadlocks, folks

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Thank You

Today I got an email.

Today I got an email that touched my heart and moved me so that even if every single one of you unfollowed this blog and not a soul ever read anything I wrote ever again, I would still gazelle leap across my living room.

Friday, July 06, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Baby/Garden/Funny/Blahblahblah

(1)
Y'all.  I just downloaded the photos from the camera and there were 56 of them.  FIFTY-SIX!  98% were from Mary's first bath.  Who in their right mind would want to look at 54 pictures of a 10 day old baby wrapped in a towel?  Here, I'm sure one will do the trick just fine:

Thursday, July 05, 2012

Wherein I Tell You What I'm Going to Tell You

Think, brain.  Think!  Say something meaningful.  Tell the birth story or something.  Anything.  Just make it good.

Ew, did I brush my teeth this morning?  Ugh, I think not.  Nasty, dude.

Monday, July 02, 2012

So I'm Supposed to be...Nice?

Our fifth child was born 9 days ago. Just 9 little days. If anyone were to tell you that they have or haven’t done something (besides your basic life stuff…eat, drink, breathe. Sleep. Ahem.) for NINE WHOLE DAYS, you’d probably wonder if they weren’t being a tad dramatic.

Well put on your drama hats, folks because I have neither left the house nor cleaned the house in NINE WHOLE DAYS.

Click here to read the rest...

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Sunday, July 01, 2012

Winner, winner! But no chicken dinner. Sorry.

Did you think I'd forgotten?  Because if you did, you were right!

Well, not totally, because here I am doing it (obviously).  But yes, I have had periodic moments of complete brain dump during which time I can barely remember when it was I last showered.  So it should come as no surprise that the idea of announcing the winner of this snazzy birthday-guessin' necklace:

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Malpositioned Babies and Prodromal Labor

What better day to start a birth story than on my birthday?  Which is, if you'll recall, also my Lizzy's birthday- you can read her birth story here if you're in a super duper birth story mood.


But unlike with my others, I don't really know where to start.  Do I start when I first really knew it was really time?  Do I start a week earlier when it could have, and perhaps should have, been time?  Do I start by explaining what that even means?

Yes.

Yes, I'll start there.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

She's here. She's here. She's finally here!

I'm in that place. That place somewhere between giddy and delusional.  One minute I'm rejoicing in the incredible miracle I just participated in and the next I'm bemoaning the fact that I can't vacuum the living room.  See? 

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Adios, Dumbphone!

If y'all think that as I approach the arrival date of bambino numero cinco (multi-lingual blog post up in here.  Wut wut!) that my posts are going to become more coherent and more meaningful, then Welcome!  You must be new here!  Have a beer.  Drink a second for me.

So let's talk about spending just a little extra money this month even though eventually it's going to save us money. I swear!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Mini Reno Pics and Rambling

Well, I'm totally still super pregnant.  Because DUH, it's Tuesday!

See, I've gone into labor on Friday with my last three babies.  And #1 was induced, so obviously if we had waited she would have started her debut on a Friday.  Obviously.

So Friday.  You'll see.

Saturday, June 09, 2012

Outfoxing God

I’m a thinker. Not “Hey, let me do your thinking for you because I’m just SO good at it” but “Hey, maybe if I just think super hard about all the facets of this situation and imagine all the possible outcomes, I can will it into working out the way I want it to.” Why yes, I do have control issues. Thanks for asking!

 So here I am, 38.3 weeks pregnant with baby number five, and I am doing my most very best, as usual, to outfox God. If you’ve never tried it, don’t. It’s really exhausting. And it NEVER works. But for some reason I can’t help myself. Something about those control issues or whatever, probably…

Click here to read the rest

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Friday, June 08, 2012

7 Quick Takes: When Critters Attack



(1)
A SNAKE.

(2) 
INSIDE MY HOUSE.

(3)
You guys don't know how badly I wish this was leading up to some lame joke or some story about a thing that happened a looooooooong time ago.  But it isn't and it's not.

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

3 Things I Love for Baby

Before I even start, I want to make sure it's REALLY clear that these are my favorite baby items and not items that babies need.  Because I think we already established that all a baby really needs is food and snuggles.  And all mama really needs are some infant sized diapers so she doesn't get (any more) poo and pee on her during said feeding and said snuggling.  So are we good on the need vs. want thing?

I swear, and this is probably the hormones talking, but I am going to go berzerk if someone leaves a comment about how babies don't need these things.  Fer serious, yo.

Sunday, June 03, 2012

37 week pic + win this necklace!

Oh yes, we are going to have a baby someday.  I swear.  We must.  And then you can all breathe a huge sigh of relief and say "Oh praise the Lord!  She's not talking about being pregnant anymore!"

But really, can you blame me?  I mean, I am the first and only woman who's ever been pregnant in the history of the universe after all.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Look! We're Doing Things! {p.h.f.r.}

{pretty}
I don't know if I nest in the traditional manner.  At least not this early.  See, 'cause you gotta pick the stuff that won't get ruined overnight and do that first, amiright?  Get the most bang for your buck and all.  So yesterday was christened Yardwork Day, during which I turned this completely-wacked-out lilac bush...

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Is it still called nesting if you're not cleaning?

A $1.77 impulse buy at the Gee Dub (Goodwill, naturally) yesterday has resulted in all sorts of ridiculosity today.  And a sink full of dirty dishes as we carry out said ridiculosity instead of doing our regular chores.  What's that?  Oh, you'd like to see my budget-busting impulse purchase, would you?  Thought you'd never ask...

Monday, May 28, 2012

Dwija Googled...

Tractor Supply raccoon traps

Covering diaper boxes with fabric storage boxes

Making corn on the cob in the oven

Cheapest no contract cell phone data plan

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Friday, May 25, 2012

7 Quick Takes- the boy is clearly a genius

(1)
Gosh I was such a mess yesterday.  Thanks for putting up with my whining and offering all your delicious tidbits of wisdom.  Not only did I take a nap (!!!!!) after writing that post, I also went to bed before midnight.  And so today I'm all


as opposed to yesterday's

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Sleepy Tubbo Needs Advice

I am so tired right now.  Sleepy.  I feel like I could sleep for three days.

The midwife came.  Baby is officially in launch position and everything is looking good.

Oh, except that I've gained 45 pounds.  I asked her to check for triplets, but unless the other two are gestating in my buttcheeks, I'm just a tubbo.

Stop!  Right there!  Don't try to say anything about how great I looked in the 35 week profile shots!  Because brace yourselves- evidence of total chubby-wubbiness pending.  Note how the shirt can't even cover the belly all the way.  AND I'M EATING A POPSICLE!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

He Won’t Ever get to be Pregnant

I used to envy my husband.

 Maybe envy isn’t even a strong enough word. Let’s start over.

 I used to nurse a precious little nugget of contempt for my husband. Because he…he will never have to be pregnant. He will never have to endure morning sickness or the feeling of a human’s head pressing firmly on his bladder from the inside. And don’t even get me started on labor and delivery and the lovely fourth trimester known as postpartum recovery from said labor and delivery. How terribly, horribly cruel it seemed to me.

Click here to read the rest.

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Monday, May 21, 2012

The 1st year comes to an end... FREAK OUT!

I feel like a bit of a poser (poseur?) saying this, but here goes: this is the last week of school for the 2011/2012 school year!  But...really?  Can it be?  I just don't feel like it was hard enough.  Usually by the end of the year I'm a dragging mess of exhaustion, just begging for freedom from the early mornings and the homework marathons.  And this year, when I expected to feel more exhausted and more of a mess, I feel strangely at peace.

Oh my gosh.  That means we didn't do enough!  We haven't done enough.  Clearly.  I should start panicking.  I should make them do summer school.  I should get out some flash cards or something, right?!?!?!?!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

35 week Belly Pics and Birthday Poll

As promised (or threatened.  Whichever you prefer), 35 weeks and counting.

Incredibly artistic photo series courtesy of Mr. Dweej, bee tee dub.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Top 10 Cheap Beauty Products


I have this disease.  It goes like this:
Do I like it?  Can I afford it?  Can I access to it?  Yes?  Then I love it!
Do I like it?  Can I afford it?  Can I access to it?  No?  Then I hate it!

Pretty sure normal people call this "sour grapes".  It's really uplifting and endearing, isn't it?

But I'm working on it, I swear  Starting with beauty products, which I haven't been able to justify buying much of lately, but which I still pretty much totally love, even though they're filled with chemicals and probably super un-granola.

So let's get down to business!

Dweej's top 10 Budget ('cause y'all know I'm a frugal Franny) Beauty Products

Friday, May 11, 2012

Now We've got a Chicken Hospital

This morning did not start well, friends.  See, because I'm such an awesome mom with such exhausted children, I let my big girls sleep in and went out with the two youngins (all of us in our pajamas and boots, by the way) to open the chicken coop and give them and the goats fresh food and water.



But when we got out there, something was clearly amiss.  The coop was already open! The ramp already up!  Only a few of the chickens were visible and there was all sorts of angry chicken clucking going on!  

Uh oh.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

She needs to...sniff her armpits? {p. h. f. r.}

{pretty}
Yesterday via twitter, my friend Mary Kate tried to ruin my day by telling me that cloudy weather was headed our way.  I told her she better watch what kinds of lies she's trying to spread (literal quote: "You hush your mouth, Dempsey!").  And just look at who was wrong:


Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Growing (Up) in Faith - an ebook review

One of my favorite things about the Church (that seems such a silly thing to say, though. As if a person could really make a neat little list of all the things they love!) is that the calendar is divided into liturgical seasons, seasons that we collectively celebrate together.  The readings we all hear.  The colors we all see.  Not only does it bring a certain peaceful rhythm to our lives, but it unifies the entire Catholic Christian community, giving us a sense of familial closeness.

I also really like wine.  So we might put that as number two.

Anyway.

Monday, May 07, 2012

(Not So) Great Expectations

"I'm glad we're homeschooling so we don't have to worry about you wanting us to be all...you know...serious about our school work."  -Lizzy, age 9

Witness evidence of lack of seriousness....

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Homeschooling on a Budget pt. 1

Fact: I am a cheapskate

Fact: I love scouring the internet

Fact: Next school year I'll have a 6th grader, a 5th grader, a kindergartner, a toddler, and a newborn all under my roof at the same time, so I need some pre-made lesson plans like I'm gonna need extra dark coffee.

Conclusion: Time for some budget homeschool wranglin', y'all!

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Pretending to be fun. And crunchy {p.h.f.r}

{pretty}
Pretty is the hardest category for me, which ought to tell me something about what I notice and photograph as I go through my days.  Shame on me and my lack of beauty hunting! (Not to be confused with "booty hunting" which is, like, totally different).

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

My Disaster of a Laundry Room

I'm just gonna come out and say it:  I hate having a ghetto laundry room.

Oh yes, there was a time when I had 2 children in an apartment with no washer and dryer and we would have to buy quarters from our employers and then lug dirty clothes and fussy toddlers across parking lots to cleanse their apparel.  I would have killed for my own personal ghetto laundry room during those days, I think.
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