Let's Be Friends..OKAY!

I woke up this morning, dreary. I have been dreary almost every day this week. Hence the lack of blog posts. We went from 80 degree SUNNY weather to 60 degree rainy and gray weather. Blah. Blah. Blah.Blah. Blah...

You've got the idea right?

Well I logged into my email this morning. Sifted through the 50+ messages that had accumulated since last night. Junk. Junk. Pizza delivery confirmation. Junk. Message from SB giving me a list of "favors" to do for him today while he's working(like I don't already have ENOUGH to do today!). Facebook message alert. Junk. Junk. Comment from a blogger. Junk. Junk.

WAIT A MINUTE!! I got a blog comment?? I haven't posted anything since Monday, and people are actually still reading? Awesome!!

In fact, not only was this blogger just stopping by to give my hokey weekend recap messages a quick read. She was bringing to my attention that she had awarded me with an AWARD! Oh thank you thank you thank you!!

It's the "Lets Be Friends Award" and it was presented to me by Mrs. M! Thank you, Mrs. M...I like you too!

Try as I may, I could not find the origination of this award so that I could link back to the "creator's" site..so if any of you out there know who created this award..please let me know so I can do add a link!

Anyway..here is what the "Let's Be Friends Award" entails..

"The Let's be Friends award stands for this: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers."

Aww!!

Thanks again, to Mrs. M. And now..on to my 8! (If Mrs. M wouldn't have awarded this to me, she's SO be on my list!!)

Catherine from Evolving Mommy

April's Mom from Little April Rose

Sarah from Kingdom Twindom +1

Veronnica from The Adventures of Miss V

Tiffanie from Three Peas In A Pod

Alicia from Murry Mayhem

Jen from Land of Lovings

Jennifer from Baby Making Machine

Okay..thats it! Have a great day!!!

Reason Why It Was The Best Weekend...

...minus pictures because I am too lazy it's too nice outside to mess around with trying to find my USB plug to upload!

My husband took off Friday, Saturday & Sunday!

We bought a new (to us) minivan!

We had two nights of hanging out until the wee hours of the morning on our breezeway with my husband's adult sons laughing and enjoying the warm breeze.

Our kids rode their bikes and played with the neighbor boy for hours on end, thus NOT whining about being bored.

I finished reading "The Shack".

I started reading "The Host", by Stephenie Meyer.

I got a suntan.

I got to hang out with my favorite neighbor & enjoy some great laughs.

My son's t-ball game went off without a hitch.

We grilled out twice!

We ate all of our meals on our outdoor dining set.

My husband finally installed my old fashioned wooden screen doors on our breezeway.

I then spent the entire weekend opening them just to hear them smack shut.

We bought some new plants and did a little landscape work.

We enjoyed EVERY SINGLE MOMENT!!

How did YOU enjoy YOUR weekend?

I Live In His Glory

Last night I was awake most of the night. I started reading the book, The Shack by William P. Young. It's a little hard to read (so far) as a mother and I was tempted to stay up all night to read it all so that way I could find out if it had a good ending. But I didn't. Instead, I layed awake worrying for my own children. Now, I'm not saying not to read this book. I can't give a true opinion of it yet because I am not even halfway through it. It was loaned to me by my mother, and she never loans me books to read if she knows they will scare or upset me. Especially when the storyline involves a child. So..I'll update on my feelings for the book once I finish.

Anyway, I have been having heightened anxiety over my children's safety and health a lot lately. There was the scare that Twinkletoes gave me. And then of course I have been reading a few blogs from mother's who have sick children or who have lost children, and that certainly isn't helping this anxiety. I know I could just stop reading these kinds of things. But I don't, because I want to continually pray for these women and I can't do that without knowing what they are going through at the moment.

While I was laying in bed, wide awake, around 12:30 in the morning. I heard Ducky. She sounded terrible. Some sort of dry coughing was coming out of her. Then silence. Then a raspy breathing. I instantly freaked and ran to go get her out of her crib. (I honestly think she was just thirsty, now looking back.) But because I was shaken from the book I was reading, I was sure something was wrong. I took her and her favorite blanket into the family room and turned on a dim light. I held her and she kept doing that weird coughing, breathing thing and I just held her. She lay on my chest, refusing to look at me. Probably thinking, "What the heck Mom, give me a sip of water and let me get back to bed!!" But no, I just left her there until she fell back to sleep and her breathing was back to normal. That steady in and out of a sleeping child. I sat there for at least an hour, smelling her sweet head. She's 20 months old as of a few days ago, and she's losing her "baby smell". But I was breathing in what was left of it and admiring the love that I felt for her. I silently prayed my thanks to God for blessing me with not only this sweet miracle. But my other two miracles who were sound asleep in their beds.

Today, I awoke, after not much sleep, feeling very calm. I need not worry about what could happen. Why waste time in worry? For it says in Matthew 6: 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And again in Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own. I am writing these verses on an index card and taping them to my fridge today. I need to take each day at a time. Enjoy the blessings that I have been given, and NOT WORRY ABOUT ALL OF THE "WHAT IF'S"!!

Feeling rejuvenated by God's Love, I got online to catch up on blogs. And found this update. God truly is Good. God truly does give us hope in any storm. This mother may still have a very hard road ahead of her, but for today. She is happy. Praise Him!


And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:11

The ULTIMATE Spring Giveaway!

As I was getting ready to go enter my comment on this blog post..I found out..the deadline was last night at 11:59pm. They're doing the drawing today. Lesson learned..read the WHOLE entry to a contest before spending 20 minutes writing up a blog post about it. Ugh.


I wasn't really planning on posting today. I have to make a grocery list so the kids and I can hit the grocery store today. Starting tomorrow we're getting our warmth and sun back, so we need to get the indoor chores and errands done so we can enjoy the outdoors starting tomorrow and probably won't come inside much until the next round of rain is supposed to hit next Tuesday!

The kids are dying to get out there. They dislike the cold, dreary days as much as I do! One of their favorite activities is playing on our swing set. It's not the best, but it works. In fact for Easter, the "infamous bunny" brought an infant swing for us to add so that Ducky can enjoy the swing set now too. But that meant having to take off the rings, so now Punk and my 7 year old step daughter can not do their acrobatics. But you know, such is life with a large family. We can only afford SO much stuff. They're lucky they even got the swing set in the first place!





Another area of the swing set that is starting to cause issues is the slide. When Punk sits on it..his legs go halfway down, so really, what is the fun in that?

Last week, while wandering through Lowe's, SB and I were admiring the "cool" swing sets and just wishing that we could actually afford to get one for the kids. I mean, he and I could do the set up..no need to spend an extra $1000 on that. But alas, there is no possible way we could drop anywhere from $1500-5000 on a swing set. But we can dream..right?

Well, today, I found a giveaway that may just make that dream come true!!! Dad Blogs is GIVING AWAY a Kid's Creation swing set valued at almost $5000! And it is tricked OUT let me tell ya!! Oh and the winner of the swing set..also gets a Canon PowerShot SD1100 Digital Elph..oh yeah! I NEED a new digital camera..mine keeps leaving lines across all of my pics.

So I'm now entering in to win this awesome package of greatness! And did I mention that the shipping cost is covered with the swing set as well??

Now..let me just say, that because my kids do already have a swing set and because I do already have a digital camera. If I win, I am not going to be greedy and keep everything to myself. I will be donating both of my items to a local needy family. Promise!

So if you want to enter..just click HERE. Good luck to us all!

A Brother's Love

When I got pregnant with Ducky, our 3rd (and final baby), Punk was a very mature and opinionated 3 year old little boy. He was excited at the idea of having a new baby. But because Twinkletoes who was 1 1/2 at the time drove him crazy on a daily basis by following him around, copying everything he did (you know, typical little sister worshiping big brother stuff) he was bound and determined that this new baby was going to be a boy.

He'd tell me on a daily basis leading up to the ultrasound that this baby was definitely going to be a boy. He just knew it. And to be honest, so did I. I had correctly guessed the sex of Punk and Twinkletoes from the moment I was pregnant with them. Call it mother's intuition or whatever, I was POSITIVE that this baby was going to be a little boy, whom we would name Wesley Scott, and he would be just as adorable and smart as his big brother! My husband, on the other hand was sure that the baby was a girl. Because I was SO SURE that it was a boy, I never could finalize a girl name with my husband. We went over and over names, just like we had done with the other 2 pregnancies so that once the ultrasound was over we could stop calling the growing baby "the baby" and start referring to it by it's name..but this time. We went in with only a boy's name, and my positive feeling that not having a girl name would be fine, because we wouldn't need it.

Ha.

During the ultrasound, I spotted it first. The 3 little giveaway lines that indicate the baby growing inside of me was definitely NOT a boy. (Remember, I already had had one of each so I knew what to look for). I remember saying "It's a girl," and the ultrasound tech saying, "Hmm, let me..Oh! You're right!"

And then, Punk burst into tears. "NO! I wanted the baby to be a boy! I don't want another sister! And on and on it went for the remaining 4+ months of my pregnancy.

"Mommy, when this baby grows up will she turn into a boy? Because I really don't want her to be a girl."

He asked questions like that on a daily basis. And yes, poor Ducky was referred to as "the baby" until about 2 weeks before she was born because SB and I could NOT come up with a name that we both liked for her.

But things changed for Punk as soon as she was born. He fell in love with her. His little baby sister could, and still can, do no wrong in his eyes. He is as sweet as honey to her, while on the other hand he treats Twinkletoes like his arch enemy. Every day he covers her in kisses, even now that she is getting closer to toddlerhood every day.

Just this morning I said to him after he sweetly greeted Ducky good morning, "So, Punk. Aren't you glad Ducky is a girl now, even though you wanted her to be a boy?"

He replied, "Yeah, but you know. I don't know know if she'll still be that cute when she gets bigger."



Huh. I hope his love for her holds on even if she isn't "that cute" as she gets bigger. Because it is the sweetest, purest love I've ever witnessed in my life. And also, I don't think I can handle much more sibling fighting. Those two are the only 2 of my 3 kids who don't fight with each other. Crossing my fingers and toes that it hangs on, for my own sanity!

Praying For Stellan

Baby Stellan, whom I've mentioned before, and really if you read blogs you probably have heard about on a daily basis, is undergoing surgery on his heart, RIGHT NOW!

Please pray for him. Pray for his family who is waiting for the surgery to be over and to be a success. Pray for the medical staff who are working on him. Pray for God's Will to be done.

Pray for STELLAN! (and wear orange for him as well!!)

I've Been Stereotyped

This weekend, after an awesome day at the ballpark watching Punk take part in his first Opening Day ceremonies of our town's baseball association and his first t-ball game, I was excited to come home and relax. One of our neighbors came over, someone with whom I believed I was becoming good friends with, and we decided to have a cookout together. We combined our food and my husband did the grilling while we waited for her husband to come over and join us.

We had a few drinks and the night was progressing nicely. Lots of stories being shared, lots of laughs, and lots of good food!

Not long after putting our kids to bed, my neighbor's husband went home as well because he had to get up early to go to work, but left us his cell phone number with the warning, "Call me if my wife pisses anyone off, she has been known to do it before, so in case you need me, just call!"

We laughed it off. She's always been so fun and nice!

But. Then. Something. Changed.

She started attacking me, verbally that is. I don't know what happened, but one minute we were talking about kids, and the next, she turns to me and starts going on and on and on about what a spoiled housewife I am. How I take advantage of my husband. How I just live the life of luxury and don't know what it's like to put in an honest day of work.

"I've HEARD you sit there and say, 'Oh I'll just let SB do that', or 'SB can take care of the kids for a little bit, I'm taking a break.' Let me tell you something, (Insert a very explicit name that starts with a 'C'), this man (pointing at my husband) works all day, this man is the only one taking care of this family, and you have the NERVE to sit in your chair in the evenings and let him deal with the kids!? How did you become so spoiled? YOU DO NOTHING and yet you expect YOUR HUSBAND TO HELP YOU?"

Yep, she said all that...and then some.

I am not a confrontational person so I just sat there.

Bless SB's heart, he jumped in and said "No, Jen works really hard, we have a system that works for us and I actually want to help her in the evenings, she needs that break."

Well, that just was like pouring fuel on a fire. She continued to go on and on about how he shouldn't be helping me out. I am the one who "sits home all day and does nothing".

I finally managed to get her to go home. I then walked straight to the bathroom, locked myself in, and cried. SB heard me and made me come out. I informed him that I didn't know if I was over-reacting, because after all she had had too much to drink, but I was NEVER talking to her again. I would be polite if I saw her outside, but she was NEVER to come to our house again.

SB then reminded me, that yes, she had had too much to drink, but that was not the first time she had said that kind of stuff to me. That was just the first time she had been HATEFUL about it.

That got me thinking about the snarky comments she's made in the past few weeks. Like the day she came home from work and I was outside with a baby on one hip, and a bag of trash in the other hand taking it to the outside trashcan. She yelled across the street, "Must be nice to live the life of luxury." I laughed. I thought she was joking because, taking out the trash, while dragging an 18 month old around is definitely NOT my idea of luxury, but in hindsight, she wasn't kidding. She was referring to the fact that I was at home all day.

Then I thought about the exchange she and I had had earlier in the day, before our cookout. She had gone inside my house for something and then let me know that our big screen TV was left on even though we were all outside.

I responded "Oh, I TOLD Punk to turn that off when he came out to ride his bike, the little booger didn't listen!"

She replied, "Its YOUR obligation to take care of this stuff, you're the one who's always here. You shouldn't expect your kids to do things for you."

Hmm. So, I guess my kids should have no responsibility. Just me. Since all I do is sit around.

After crying myself to exhaustion on Saturday night. Waking up on Sunday morning and feeling very very down. Constantly tearing up all day Sunday. I've finally came to realize, that there is nothing wrong with me. There is nothing wrong with my life. I am not lazy. I do not overly rely on my husband. He does things for me and the kids after working all day because he wants to. Because he knows that I, too, have worked all day!

There is however something very wrong with my neighbor. She apparently is jealous of me. That's right, I said it. I still have little kids. Her kid is all grown up and has flown the nest. I get to be home with my kids. She worked while her kid was growing up and is still working. I have a husband who is willing to help me. She apparently doesn't.

Does this mean I'm spoiled? Maybe.

But does this mean I am not worthy of respect? No.

Does this mean I am not worthy of being treated kindly? No.

Does this mean that I am a lazy housewife who does nothing but lay around and leaves all of the actual work for my husband to do? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I work hard. I love my family. And screw HER. I'm done. I have NO intentions of ever having her over to my house again.

My perfect, dream neighborhood just got a little stinky..but oh well. At least now I won't ever have to worry about being attacked in my own home like that again!

Maybe I Was Supposed To Forget? **EDITED**

Last night I couldn't sleep. Why? I don't know. I hadn't had any caffeine since my morning coffee. I was tired. But I just couldn't get my eyes to stay shut. As I laid there staring at the ceiling a great blog post idea popped into my head. I considered getting out of bed and typing it up and scheduling it to post first thing this morning. Therefore, saving me a bit of time this morning because I knew my kids would be impatient to get outside since the sun was finally going to be making an appearance after three solid days or dreary skies and cold rain. But, I talked myself out of it, mainly because I was just too darn comfortable to convince myself to get out of bed and walk into the dining room to turn on the computer. Nevermind that the dining room is about 10 paces from our bedroom door.

"Oh well. I'll just lay here and plan it out in my head so in the morning I can type it out real quick, get everyone dressed and head outside.", I thought.

Ha. What a joke. I spent the next 30 minutes, at least, laying there and "blogging" in my head. It was a great post. I think. It was funny. I think. It had substance. I think. I could win awards for that post. I think.

Needless to say, if you haven't figured out already. I have no freaking clue what that post was going to be about. None. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Zero.

So instead this is a post about a great post that I was going to give you but have since forgotten so now you get to hear about how I was going to entertain you but now I'm not since I forgot what I was going to say. (Is there a blog award for the most random rambling sentence? If there is, will you award it to me?)

Since I don't have anything to say. And my kids are getting ants in their pants waiting for me to get dressed and let them loose outside. I give you a list of bloggers that need your prayers. Desperately. I'd be very happy if you visited them all, and said a little prayer for each one of them today. And remember to keep them in your prayers daily. (Maybe, just maybe I was meant to forget my FABULOUS post so that I could bring these prayer requests to your attention. Nothing is an accident right? I think the Lord meant for this to happen..although I would not complain if at some point today He helps me to remember what I WAS going to post about. And if He does..well then I promise to type it out right then and schedule it to post tomorrow. It was a FANTASTIC post..I KNOW it was..)

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

MckMama & Stellan - battling with SVT (rapid rhythm of the heart) & preparing for the trip to Boston as I type this
Caroline - battling ITP (low platelet count) and may need another trip to the doctor today
Bruce's family - no words here..just please read
April Rose - may she be born healthy
Angie - just passed what should have been the one year birthday of her beloved daughter, Audrey Caroline, preparing for a trip to Calcutta
Hannah's Dad - in the hospital trying to recover from a massive heart attack (She is also a friend whom I have known since grade school!) **EDIT**Just found out he lost his fight, please pray for comfort and healing for the family!
Rochelle's brother Brian - undergoing his second brain surgery on April 27th (info on sidebar)

If you know of others in the blog world who are in need of prayer, please add them to the comment section so that myself and others will know to add them to our prayers lists.

Hope you have a wonderful day, enjoy the sunshine if its shining in your little part of the world, and hug your babies a little tighter today and thank God that they are healthy!!

They Need You To...

PRAY!

100 Thing (That May or May Not Bore You To Death!)

I got the idea to post "100 Things About Me" from this blogger. I hope you enjoy..

1. I am a self-proclaimed "Twilight" addict. It's bad..really, really, bad! EDIT: The series of books..the movie was just okay for me..I think I watched it too soon after reading the book, though. I'll try it again in a couple of months.

2. My favorite color has always been purple.

3. When my husband and I got married, I was 2 months pregnant with our second child. No one knew except immediate family, until my 15 year old stepson announced it during his toast at the reception.

4. I really think I'm mildly OCD. I have to have things in a certain order, or I totally lose my cool. It's strange, but me!

5. Since buying our house in December, my husband and I have not been able to stop working on home projects or planning new projects..we really need a 12-step program!

6. My favorite cartoon when I was a kid was "The Gummi Bears".

7. I watched "Marley & Me" last night, and haven't cried like that over a movie since I saw "Beaches". (NOT recommended for anyone who has lost a beloved dog, recently!!)

8. I check my email multiple times a day. Usually it's nothing but junk, but I hate having a cluttered inbox..again OCD..

9. I am beyond mad that "Life On Mars" was canceled.

10. For that matter I'm still mad that "What About Brian" was canceled, too!

11. I only watch 1 soap opera (contrary to the opinion that SAHM's sit around and watch soaps all day).

12. I DVR that soap opera, "As The World Turns", and as of today am 4 weeks behind. I never have time to actually sit and watch it, but I always get around to it eventually. Last year I watched their Christmas episodes in March!

13. My friends and I when we were growing up (around 9 & 10) used to hold "concerts" for our families. We'd practice for days, and on Saturday night we'd subject our parents to listen to us sing, Wilson Phillips, Mariah Carey, and New Kids On The Block.

14. As many times as I THOUGHT I was in love..I realize now having been married to my husband for the last 4 years, that I never really knew love until I met him.

15. Speaking of my husband, he makes a point to leave the house in the morning before I get out of bed, because I am a total "B" when I wake up..and I stay that way until I've had at least 2 full cups of coffee.

16. I never drank coffee until this past winter. Now I can't survive without it.

17. I gained 55 pounds when I was pregnant with my first child.

18. I only gained 25 and then 30 pounds with the other 2 kids.

19. I lost the baby weight with the "Slim in 6" program, and am now a Beachbody coach.

20. My dad wanted to name me, Heather.

21. I am so glad my mom didn't let him. Not that there is anything wrong with that name, but I'm SO not a "Heather".

22. I live in the friendliest neighborhood EVER! All of the neighbors spend time outside chatting with one another. We share things with each other. We're constantly knocking on each other's doors asking to borrow something, or bringing over goodies. It is my DREAM neighborhood, and I am so happy we moved here. I've made some great, great friends! (And we've only lived here since December!)

23. I live on a "Dead End" street, so since we don't have heavy traffic, it's perfect to let the kids ride their bikes in the road..with close supervision, of course.

24. I love hardwood floors and my husband and I were thrilled to find the natural hardwood floor (in great condition)under the carpet in the dining room, living room & hallway. We ripped it all up this past weekend.

25. I learned this weekend, that taking up carpet is NOT MY THING. I have blisters and my hand still feel like it's in a permanent cramp from pulling up the 1000's of staples that were holding the carpet padding down.

26. My favorite flowers are white roses.

27. My second favorite flowers are hydrangeas..the kind with the blue tips on the petals. They composed my wedding bouquet.

28. My husband and my's song is "Remember When" by Alan Jackson.

29. My dad and my's song is "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra.

30. I would never ever ever relive my high school years if I had the chance.

31. I love the band "Hinder" and if you ever come to my house in the summer, and I happen to be drinking beer(which is almost everyday in the warm months) you will hear their CD played, over, and Over, and OVER! One of my stepson's friends hates coming to our house for that exact reason. And not because he doesn't like the band..he just got tired of hearing me playing my favorite songs on repeat..like 7 times in a row.

32. I have 5 tattoos.

33. I used to have my nose pierced and am considering doing it again.

34. When I eat at the Olive Garden, I always order the same meal, every time. I have no idea what their other food tastes like.

35. I will be 27 on my next birthday.

36. I am (sorta) a Grandma. My stepson has a 2 1/2 year old little boy. He calls me "GiGi".

37. My husband is 11 years older than I am. (He had his oldest when he was 16.)

38. I have begged my husband to let us move to Florida..he isn't budging..even though he lived there for 8 years and misses it.

39. I've come to learn that a healthy relationship involves sacrifices on both sides.

40. I'm not even half way done, and am having trouble..Maybe this may just be 50 things about me??

41. I've had 3 previous blogs before this one that I gave up. This one and STAYING, that's for sure!

42. I knit.

43. I cross-stitch.

44. I can hula dance..oh no wait..no I can't.

45. I pig out while watching "The Biggest Loser"...last night it was a root beer float...ugh..so ashamed!

46. I'm done having children. It's sad sometimes to think about, but in all honesty..I'd probably go totally insane if I had another one.

47. My son has his first t-ball game this Saturday. I can not wait!!!

48. My 3 y/o daughter has her first dance recital in June.

49. As I'm doing this I'm writing out my check for the garbage company.

50. My favorite place to be when I was a little girl was at my grandma's farm. I am a true country girl at heart, even though I've lived most of my life in town.

51. I have many many cousins, but most of them I dont talk to, which I find very sad.

52. One day I was driving home from the bank and I SWEAR I saw the guy that played Brandon in 90210 driving in a HUGE FANCY BLACK HUMMER through our town.

53. Luke Perry(who played Dylan in 90210) grew up in the town beside us..his parents still live there..so really I could have seen "Brandon" driving through our town..maybe here was here visiting with Luke Perry?

54. My cousins rode the school bus with Luke Perry when they were younger and said he was a total jerk.

55. Enough about Luke Perry...I've never been to Disney World.

56. I had never been to Florida at all until my honeymoon. I haven't been there since either. Probably because I bugged my husband for months after we came home to pack us up and MOVE!

57. I have to sleep on my stomach or I can't sleep at all.

58. I get very very angry at my husband when he falls asleep in front of the TV.

59. I LOVE to pick at people. Got a splinter? Let me squeeze it outta ya! My family avoids me at all costs when things like that happen..apparently they say "it hurts"..buncha babies!

60. I am scared to call and order pizza. Seriously, it causes me to have a mild anxiety attack. My husband gets very aggravated with me about it and has been making me do it to get over my fear.

61. I always wanted a big brother.

62. When I was a little girl, my favorite Cabbage Patch's name was "Blanche Catilda". I left her at a neighbors house one day and remembered the next weekend, only to find that they had up and moved practically in the middle of the night. Taking my beloved Blanche with them.

63. If I wasn't a mom, I'd probably have been a nurse. Who knows, maybe someday I'll go back to school and become one..but I doubt it. I like being home with my kids. I think that's very important.

64.Date nights with my husband used to consist of hitting every bar in town and making new friends along the way.

65. Now..date nights with my husband consist of going out to dinner, hitting Lowe's and working on home projects (sober) until 2 or 3 in the morning.

66. I love the sound of wooden screen doors smacking shut in the summer months. My mom just bought us a pair of screen doors to put on our breezeway doors as our Easter gift. (I'm still waiting for my husband to install them..hopefully this weekend!)

67. I used to HATE blue walls. This past weekend my husband and I painted our dining room, living room AND hallway a beautiful blue color called "Smokescreen". It looks absolutely awesome with the hardwood floors!

68. Talking on the phone with friends for hours is probably the only thing I miss about being a teenager.

69. Sleeping is my favorite thing to do. If I didn't have kids, I'd still probably sleep until mid-afternoon on the weekends.

70. I'm the happiest when my family can be outside chatting with the neighbors until dark and watching the kids running around and laughing.

71. I love to read. Every time my 20 year old stepson visits (which is about every other week) he is amazed that I'm reading a different book than the last time he's been here. What can I say, I read fast. Especially when I feel a connection to the characters.

72. I have 3 stepkids. A 21 (almost 22) year old stepson(the one who has the little boy). A 20 year old stepson. And a 7 (almost 8) year old step daughter. The boys and I get along great, it's been harder with my step daughter, even thought I've been with her dad since she was just a year old. But now that she's getting older, and coming to visit us regularly every other weekend, we're finally establishing a good relationship.

73. I have no regrets of things I've done in the past. Every decision I've ever made has made me who I am today.

74. My son's middle name is my mom's maiden name. Giving him that name was probably the best gift I ever gave my mom. The Christmas I was pregnant with him, we gave my mom a snowman ornament that said "Grandma" on it, along with a card (from the baby) signed with his full name. It took her a minute to realize what she was reading and when she did, she started crying because she was so excited and honored.

75. I miss my dad a lot. He moved 2 hours north 4 years ago, and we only get to see him 1 or 2 times a year. We used to see him at least once a week before he moved.

76. I have only one (younger) brother, and we fight ALL THE TIME. We've ruined holidays with our fighting. (Its never my fault..seriously, it's not!)

77. I used to think my husband's sister didn't like me. Now we get along great!

78. I have been impatiently waiting for my 19 month old daughter to start talking. She's only been saying "Bye", "dada" or "Tag"(our dog's name) for months now. The other day she said her first (sorta) sentence. She pointed out the window and said "Side, wanna play!" "Side" meaning "Outside". And she's also started calling me "mama"..finally!!

79. When I was little I had the chicken pox 4 times! I KNOW, you're only supposed to have them once, but I never had them bad enough to become immune until the last time.

80. Last year on Mother's Day I came down with the worst flu I've ever had in my life. It was SUCH a great day..NOT!

81. I never have figured out what the playground taunt "Go suck an egg" was supposed to mean.

82. I can't wait to become one of those "snooty" moms on the PTA.

83. I have a weak lower back and am constantly injuring myself because of it.

84. I blame pregnancy for my back problems..kids really screw your body up!

85. Months 5-7 are the most enjoyable being pregnant. At least for me. You're finally showing, not just looking like you ate too many desserts, and you're not to that miserable point yet. I'd have 100 kids if the whole experience was as fun and comfortable as those couple of months.

86. My tubes are tied. (Too much info? Sorry!)

87. I had all of my kids by c-section. My body is incapable of dilating properly, even with the help of Pitocin(a drug that induces labor). We found that out during labor with my son, and I had to have a (sorta) emergency c-section with him. Hospital policy where I had him at doesn't allow VBAC's (vaginal birth after cesarean) so I had the girls by scheduled c-sections. (Again, TMI? Sorry!)

88. I could have gone to a different hospital and tried a VBAC, but for me, it wasn't worth it. It would have been different if I'd have had a c-section because he was breach or something, but since it was a flaw in my body, I knew it would be safer just to schedule the c-sections. Plus, CONVIENIENT! My husband and mom knew months in advance to plan their vacation time.

89. Even if I won the lottery, I'd probably never move from our 3 bedroom 1 bath ranch house. It's so perfect for us. (Although, I would finish the basement, adding an additional bedroom & bath down there, and expand the girls' room.)

90. Even if I dont ever win the lottery, which is probably pretty likely since we dont play it) we will still do those things to our house..it'll just be YEARS down the road.

91. My favorite holiday is the 4th of July. I love the hot weather, cookouts, fireworks, parades, and the feeling of pride of our country.

92. My wedding dress was priced at $695. I bought it from a local boutique that was going out of business, for $65! (That was including tax!) Can you say BEST BARGAIN SHOPPING EVER!?

93. I'm slightly addicted to Facebook.

94. I dont understand Twitter, but I tweet on it everyday.

95. I never realized how much I love yard work until we owned our own home.

96. When my son was born, and I held him for the first time after he had been cleaned up, weighed, and measured in the nursery. I asked my husband if they had put baby lotion on him. (He smelled so sweet..just like Baby Magic lotion.) My husband told me no, they didn't even use any soap, just a warm towel. I never realized how amazingly good newborn babies smelt. I was instantly in love and wanted to just chew on him!!!

97. I still get butterflies holding my husband's hand.

98. There are 2 books that I read once a year, and have done so for the past 10 years. "Gone With The Wind" in the summer. "Little Women" in the winter.

99. Before my son was born, I wished he would have my hazel eyes. He instead got his dad's gorgeous blue eyes. When my 2nd child was born, I wanted her to get her brother and dad's blue eyes..she did. So when I had my 3rd child, I again wanted her to have those blue eyes..it wouldn't be fair for her to not get them since the other 2 did..but she has my hazel eyes, and I tell ya, I was a tad upset at the beginning, but there is NOTHING like looking into your child's eyes and seeing a reflection of yourself.

100. My name is Jen..and I just probably bored my 2 readers with 100 things about myself..but at least I had fun doing it!


If you want to do this (it is kinda fun!) make sure you leave a comment for me so I can visit you and read your 100 Things!

Punk's BIG Day

Today is the day. The day I have been dreading, yet looking forward to since the day that my little man was born. It seems like just a couple of weeks ago, my mom and I were talking about how quickly the 5 years would fly until Punk went to school. At that time he was probably only 6 weeks old. Now those 5 years are up. And as I type this the kids are getting dressed so that I can take Punk to his Kindergarten registration.

Last week he had his immunizations so that his record would be up to date for today. I've made his dentist and doctor appointments for his checkups that I'll have to turn in before the first day of school. I've gone over and over these questions, "How do you spell your name?" "What is your address?" "What is your phone number?" How high can you count?" Ect. Ect.

I honestly have no idea what they'll actually be asking him, and the fact that they will take him into another room away from me to do the evaluation, I'll probably never know, because my son, is a natural blonde, and it shows! (He'll forget the minute we're back in the car.) So it will probably all be a mystery. Well until Twinkletoes goes through this in 2 years. That girl will give me every detail down to what the teacher was wearing.

But for now, today is Punk's big day. I am a nervous wreck. He on the other hand, is all, "Whatever, lets get this over with." And a little tiny piece of my heart has broken. My baby boy is all grown up. My FIRST baby, my LAST baby boy, is getting prepared to leave our nest. I'm so proud. I'm so sad. But today is a day I will never forget. This is the beginning of a new life for Punk, and I can't wait to see him fly!

Subtle Reminders of His Love

Yesterday was a beautiful Ohio Spring day. The sun was shining, the temperature was in the mid-60's, it was absolutely perfect. Twinkletoes, Punk and I went outside after I put Ducky down for a nap and spent the first hour digging up weeds in the flowerbeds. Nothing exciting, just the 3 of us with our trowels, working together.

After we had finished with that I went inside and got them a juice box and snack and got myself a nice big glass of ice water. I sat on my swing in the back yard and just watched them.

First, they chased a white butterfly all over the yard, squealing and laughing. Then they took turns pushing each other on the swing set. They both know how to pump their legs themselves, but they were having a very rare moment of brother/sister love and I guess decided it would be more fun to help each other.

After they were bored with that they climbed "the mountain". It's really just a steep embankment at that back of our property where lots of wildlife grows. They love to play at the top of it in their own make-believe land.

I sat there absolutely amazed at the peace I felt watching them. No fighting, no crying, just the two of them enjoying each others' company. It was absolutely perfect.

I needed a day like that after what I went through on Tuesday. They are regular kids, most of their time together is spent fighting or competing for my attention, but yesterday was a rare and wonderful time. Lots of laughs, lots of love, and most of all one happy momma!

Sunday is Easter, and as you're hiding your eggs and stuffing your kids' baskets, take a few minutes to remember what the holiday is really about. He is Risen indeed!

Not For The Faint Of Heart

It's been a wild week, that's for sure! Monday was fairly calm, a lazy day due to below normal temperatures outside and snow showers.

Tuesday, topped the chart for the scariest day of my "mommy" life. I was in the living room with Twinkletoes and she was explaining to me how she was going to teach, Tag, the dog, how to play hopscotch. I laughed and told her I had to go potty, but would be right back.

No sooner did I get to the bathroom I heard a VERY LOUD THUMP, a quick scream from Twinkletoes, and then an eerie quiet. When "T" gets hurt, she usually screams forEVER and makes every little injury a dramatic event. And due to the fact that she is about as coordinated on her feet as Bella is in the "Twilight" series, I'm used to her always being bruised or bandaged. The quiet following that scream indicated to me that this was NOT her usual fall.

I took off running to find her. She was laying on the kitchen floor completely still, face down. I pulled her hair out of her face to see what she was doing, hoping beyond hope that she was joking with me. When I saw her face, I knew this was no joke. She was gray, lips were turning blue, and her eyes were rolling back in her head. I started screaming for my 5 year old to bring me the phone. I was ready to call 911 immediately.

I quickly turned her over onto her back so I could start CPR if she needed it, which she looked like she did, only to have her eyes pop open and she started SCREAMING AT ME!

"LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M FINE, GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!"

I was in total shock, but I knew if she was screaming and running away from me she must be okay. That's when the adrenaline that I was running on when I was ready to save her life, left my body. I started shaking from head to toe, tears pouring from my eyes and sobs wrenching my body.

Punk was standing there with the phone still in his hand and just said "Is she okay? Because she really made my heart hurt!"

I went and found T and started asking her, what happened? Are you okay? To which she responded with more yelling to leave her alone.

I called my husband sobbing, barely able to explain to him what was going on. He told me to call my mom, who is a nurse, to see if I should still take her to the ER. Although, every instinct in my body told me she was okay. She HAD to be okay!

My mom told me to check her pupils, she explained that if they were different sizes she had a concussion and I needed to take her in right away. And of course if anything, ANYTHING in my body told me something was seriously wrong, not to hesitate to load the kids up and GO TO THE HOSPITAL!

T finally calmed down enough to let me hold her and check out her eyes. They were fine, as beautiful as ever. She showed me where it hurt. A huge goose egg on her forehead with so many broken blood vessels showing through.

She curled up in my lap for a couple of hours as I cried and prayed, and prayed and prayed.

Thank you Jesus for protecting my sweet baby girl. Thank you Jesus for giving me the strength to be prepared to save her life if it would have come to that. Thank you Jesus for providing me with the support and love to carry me though even if she wouldn't have been okay.

I spent the rest of the day pampering to T. I took her and bought her new shoes like I had been promising for weeks now. I bought her (and Punk) a Happy Meal from McDonald's. And I read her what felt like 100 books, made up songs with her, and tried to keep myself from breaking down every moment that I looked at her.

Last night I had a nightmare about it. Just me kneeling down beside her and pulling her hair back and seeing that face. I woke up screaming and crying. She seems to have forgotten the whole ordeal. I however will never be able to forget it, and am thankful I am the only one who saw her like that. I never would want my husband to have that image in his head.

Yesterday we colored Easter eggs and played outside, today we'll be outside again. Life is back to normal, but I still can't shake the feeling of how different it would be if Jesus would have chosen to take her from us.

Everyday miracles surround us. Some days, Lord, they don't have to be quite so scary!!

Who Licked Off The Salt?

There are lessons that it seems like every mother learns, and then immediately forgets.

For instance, no matter how cute your baby's little tush looks with all those rolls and dimples. Letting said baby run around a room naked, with no diaper, always results in pee on the floor!

You'd think we'd learn, but no. I've made this mistake too many times to count! It's especially embarrassing when it happens when you have company over, and have to lay a towel over the wet spot so people's socks don't get wet. And you have to continually apologize as you watch them hop over the towel multiple times that evening.

Today, I was reminded of another lesson, that I have failed to retain in my memory.

It's a very very bad idea to eat a chip off of a toddler's plate. Nine times out of 10, you'll ended up popping a soggy mess into your mouth and will immediately gross yourself out and completely lose your appetite for your own healthy lunch.

Yep. We mother's just never learn!