Balancing Act

Moving - apologies

I'm in the process of moving my blog, and will post the new address as soon as I get it all or mostly situated.  Hard to do when I can't mess around on my laptop, because my power cord broke (the little piece the connects into the computer - snapped - probably shouldn't drop my laptop). 

My nap time and bed time free time has been engulfed with playing Santa's elf, helping my mom organizing gifts for 16 people. 

Oh, and we have had someone with the flu or a sickness for the past two weeks, as well. 

Hang around, I'm hoping to get things situated and moved sooner than later.

Budget cuts

All I do is write in bullets these days.  Too much going on, and no down time.  But, soon I'll be boring you with more posts, as Cody is just an hour away from his destination.  

First some random tidbits followed by a question:

• No one has thrown up since Friday. 
• Eligh crapped through his pjs, sheets, blankets, you name it still this morning.  Went through 11 nasty diapers, yesterday alone. 
• Eligh finally ate a whole meal tonight.  He has only eaten a couple spoonfuls of applesauce since Wednesday.  
• I'm putting Eligh back on the instant carnation breakfast shake in the mornings.  He is grossly skinny in my book. 
• Need to call the pediatrician to get Kinsley in for her follow up from strep - glad to report she has her full loud voice back, is energetic, taking her meds without screaming the entire time, and has only a little cough left. 
• Xmas gifts are nearly complete.  Couple more books for one child, and a few trains for another and I am done.  
• Addy had to call daddy this evening at bedtime and cried hysterically to him, "I miss you soooo much.  Come back, daddy!"  
• Depending on how tomorrow goes as far as news is concerned, I will maybe share my dissection of my gifts from my birthday. 

Finally, my question.  I have changed my blog title and header thanks to Cali, because she totally rocks.  But, now I want to move my blog to a free hosting site without any annual fees, no obligations, WITHOUT losing all of my blog posts I've previously written.  I'm looking to make some budget cuts, and this yearly blog fee would be one of them.  I don't want to give it up whatsoever, but I don't want to fork out that money every year, either.  Plus, I want my blog name to be attached to my address to make it easier for everyone.  So, with all that mumble jumble explained, who can help me?  An email may be the best, especially if you are long winded, because I'm sure I will have a million +1 questions for you. 

Saturday Leftovers

I was busy throwing up and sleeping most of yesterday, so it's a day late. 

• Today is my birthday - 28th (if you care to know). 
• Thursday was spent with most of the family eating way too much. 
• Thursday around 8, I left to hit up Toys R Us and then the Disney store. 
• Stood outside in 20 degree weather for 1.5 hours and all I got was three small things.  But, I did save a few dollars for these said items.
• Zipped across the street to hit up the Disney store which had 20% off of everything.  Scored quite a big bag of loot.  Stood inside sweating far too long, and nearly passed out from exhaustion. 
• Made it home by 1:30 am to tend to Eligh who started to throw up. 
• Passed out, and was told to sleep (as we were "supposed" to be celebrating my birthday a day early).  Slept till 8:40 to find out that Eligh threw up all over the place during breakfast, and I woke up with a splitting headache which turned into vomitting several times yesterday. 
• I did open my gifts from the kids and hubby. 
• By evening I was able to eat and opened gifts from my parents.
• Cody decided to stay an extra day, since his leave paperwork states he can stay till the 28th (their screw up, not his). 
• So, today is my birthday and it has been relaxing.  Feeling better and looking forward to eating some cake that Cody and Addyson made for me. 
• Tomorrow he leaves for a few weeks (home before Xmas). 

 

Friday Night Leftovers

 

• This week someone saw how many kids we have and their ages and asked me if I ever sleep.  My response, "Yes, I sleep a solid 8 hours if I choose.  Kids sleep 12 hours, and have been for well over a year.  Schedules work."
• Someone else commented, "Addy is skinny!  Kinsley looks older than her."  Yes, poor Kinsley has her mommy's genes and will be chunkier than her string bean siblings.
• Santa purchased the kids' big gifts.  
• I have had this same cold for 2+ weeks now.  Thus, I haven't ran since before getting sick.  Still going to the gym and doing cardio, but not getting any running in. 
• Previewed the twins' 2 year pics late last night.  
• Eligh produces crunchy boogers quite frequently that require me to remove them so he can actually breath.  He HATES, HATES, HATES for me to even come near his nose.  Now he says, "Mommy, I do it," and immediately starts digging them out.  
• Went on an early birthday date with hubby last night.  Went to VS, with coaxing from the hubby, because I don't like to spend that much money on undergarments, but have also run out of bras to wear that aren't torn or falling apart.  After searching for the cheaper bras, I finally found a couple and at the checkout was happily surprised to save $35 on my purchase.  
• Renter situation - still in limbo.  He panicked yesterday when he received his notice that he is going to have to vacate if payment is not made, and said he was going to pay yesterday.  It is now today, and no payment has been made.  
• Tonight we are going on "The Polar Express" train ride, Eligh is going to go bananas!  
• Finally, I'm now a Scentsy Consultant and will soon be annoying you.  In the meantime check out my site to see what it is all about and possibly make some purchases for you or a holiday gift for one of your family or friends. 

As always visit our fabulous host, Danifred.

Santa shopping, princesses, dragons, trains, and yodels

Tidbits of the past week or so

• I still have not even uploaded the Halloween pictures onto the computer.  You may get to see them before Thanksgiving. 
• Cody and I were able to do the majority of our Christmas shopping for the kids yesterday for way less than most stores and the best part is we did it together.  Cody and I have never shopped together for the kids' christmas, so this was so cool!
• This year it is going to be really hard to control ourselves with toys, because the kids are into so much more specific things than in the past.  No more infant toys that take up loads of space.
• Addyson insists on circling what she wants in all the toy ads - which includes Barbies, princesses, princess chairs, princess magic oven, and a 2 ft dragon from "How to Train a Dragon." 
• Kinsley now yodels like Jessie several times a day, and it is the.cutest.thing.ever.
• If you ask Eligh what he wants from Santa it is the same response of "Choo-choo train."  I can't wait to see how he reacts to his train table from gma and gpa.
• Finally introduced the twins to play-doh yesterday.  Kinsley took one stamp and made one shape over and over again.  Eligh wanted mommy and daddy to just make him things, mostly a choo-choo train. See a repeat obsession with trains? 
• I've been sick with a cold that made me actually visit a doctor this week.  It's still here, but the swollen glands are decreasing in size, so that's a start, right?
• Would like to blog more about some thoughts I have on my life. 
• Going to attempt round 2 of many of potty training Kinsley.  Back to pull-ups, and I'm thinking about covering the living room floor in large blankets just in case - you know it's not my house and all.

Just a tad bit extreme

Sometimes as a parent we have to fib, exaggerate, or tell little white lies to get our children to stop asking questions, to answer a question, and to convince them to do something. 

Some examples of what works in our house.

• "Mommy, I need to brush my teeth, or my teeth are going to fall out."  Yes, I have told my oldest that if she didn't brush her teeth that they would fall out.  A tad extreme?  Sure, but it works.

• "If you don't close your eyes and take a nap, then we won't do anything fun."
• "Don't touch that!  If you touch it, it will make you sick and you'll have to go to the doctor."

So what fibs, exaggerations, or little white lies have you told your children lately?

The story of the runaway girl

First lets start with some pictures of what started and ended with fun and joy for everyone, before we get to the middle. 

We started our Saturday morning with emptying the house and loading our camping supplies up in the van, including our children, and we even picked up an extra child along the way.  We then headed out to the pumpkin farm that we have visited two times before.  We were all very excited to revisit, especially since the twins were older and would be able to participate in the farm activities this year.

The two monkeys who are most fond of daddy.   

 

After a couple games, some jumping, and rides, we all piled on the big tractor for a ride out to the pumpkin field to pick out our pumpkins.

 

 See, all full of smiles - very good beginning. 

Cody and I will always be outnumbered, always.  But, I think or thought we have figured out a system to managing them and keeping an eye on them at all times. 

I took Addy's friend to the bathroom and a bigger kid jumpy thing, and Cody took our three to a sand play area with a smaller jumper, all of it was fenced in, except for the entry.  I occasionally would glance over in their direction, and noticed that Cody was looking slightly frazzled, so I walked over to that side of the fence and he asked me where Kinsley was.  Ummm...I wasn't in charge of her, so how would I know.  She was missing.  There were small children all looking the same in their festive Halloween decor EVERYWHERE, with loads of adults mixed in, a road just a couple feet away from where she was, and a HUGE corn maze a little further. 

Yes, panic set in.  I grabbed our two children and Addy's friend, while Cody scrambled and searched towards the road.  Addy was yelling, "Kinsley" repeatedly, while I nearly sprinted to the ticket booth to inform the workers to add in extra eyes and help.  Just as I was about to step up to the ticket center, I saw two workers and heard, "Mommy!"  I snatched that little chub up, and tears fell down my face.  I asked her why she ran away, and she told me, "I wanted mommy." 

Those 15 minutes where hell. 

But, after a couple more death gripping hugs, we played a little longer and headed back home with all the children we started off with. 

And, finally a huge thank you to Rebecca for sending me info about using picnik for photo editing, which means more photos from me.

Monthly leftovers

We have internet again and live tv, and yes, the kids are currently staring at the tube in awe of seeing all the characters they have missed this past month. 

• We have been to the zoo, several playgrounds, visits to our 2nd family, and a pumpkin farm. 
• Many, many, many new family memories, emphasis on family. 
• Addy has to know where daddy is at all times and when he is gone for work before she wakes she asks if he is going to be gone for a long, long time again.  Yes, she is very much in love and happy beyond measurements.
• Kinsley loves to wrestle and play with daddy, and allows him to pick her up and get things for her when mommy isn't around.  If mommy is around, Kinsley is not wanting daddy at all.  She screams, squirms and fights for mommy. 
• Eligh is similar to Addy and wants to do everything with daddy, especially if it involves snuggling, playing, or holding hands.
• I'm having to learn that I don't have to everything on my own, and having every little thing ready and put out isn't necessary when you have another set of hands who is there to equally manage the kids and tasks. 
• Our house is rented out, and the tenants should be moving in today sometime.  Really hoping this works out for our family. 
• We moved into a hotel room on Saturday and will be here until the end of the week when we head to Illinois. 
• We "thought" we had a room divider, but instead it is just a partial wall.  The twins, especially need to be separated from us when sleeping, so Cody took some blankets and put thumb tacs up.  It is actually working.  They all napped yesterday and have slept through the night, but are waking earlier than I would like.  Between 6:30 and 7 vs the 7 to 7:45 wake up we had been getting. 

Camping style

Here's a drive by post:

• We have been in our "house" for the past week. 
• Kids truly enjoy running around the empty rooms doing laps vs. playing with the toys we brought.
• We have been sleeping till 7 or later, and when Addy wakes up she declares that it is still dark out. 
• Truly, and honestly, I have not been stressed or experiencing the headaches as I have before getting back to GA.  You would think that now I would be more stressed, but I'm not.  We are simply ok. 
• We have spent loads of times with our other "family." 
• We have decorated a big white sheet for daddy's arrival, which is supposed to happen soon, really, really soon.
• Exhausting all efforts, I officially listed the house for rent and praying so hard that this is the month.  We must get this out of our hands, pocketbooks, and mind. 
• I try to do a workout video each evening, since I can't get to the gym, and then pop in a movie, read, and finally sleep restlessly.  Waiting, waiting, and more waiting. 
• Miss reading all of your blogs and seeing how everyone is doing, and hopefully no major changes have been made in any way's life. 
• Just got off the phone with the hubby, and he is officially out of Iraq.  Going to be a late, late, night tonight. 

 

 

 

Friday Night Leftovers - fighting knives

 

• This week has just been defeating and frustrating, simply put. 
• I've been fighting off a cold, allergies, heck if I know.  I do know that my throat feels like there are knives or a golf ball protruding out of the one side every time I swallow.  Add on that, the feeling like water is constantly flowing through my ears. 
• With that said, I still managed to get to the gym 4 days this week.
• I have my outfit, including shoes ready for the homecoming.  The girls have their shirts, Eligh's is taking forever to get here. Just want all of it in my possession so I can mark it off that to-do list I started not too long ago. 
• The constant belittling comments about my parenting or my children is wearing me down, and I'm seriously debating heading to GA a week earlier than planned to sort of destress before the big man comes home.
• I haven't really explained to Addy that daddy is coming home soon, because she doesn't grasp what soon means.  But, she is sensing things, as she keeps talking about him being here soon and all the things we are going to do.  Like eat spaghetti and twirl it on our forks like daddy does or he is going to sleep in mommy's bed. 
• The most exciting thing I did this week was get my hair trimmed (attempting to grow it out long) and colored.  I went from a brown undertone with a few blond and red highlights to bleach blond all over with some red highlights.  You think hubby will be surprised? 

As always stop by our fabulous host, Danifred, and leave some love