O.k, It's been a while

Blame Facebook. I've been playing over there way too much!

Everything has been going well. School is great; the kids are doing awesome. Kaleigh received an award at the first assembly of the year for showing great caring and compassion for her friends and teachers. I was so proud! She's received this award 3 years in a row now! She's also enjoying her hip-hop class with her friend, Payton. And she's always bike riding with her friend, Lillia, after school.

Garrett is doing really well. He's learning his letters...they do 1 a week, and so far he has learned M, A and P! And he sings all the songs this year. Last year he was really quiet. Still working on the potty training. And he's going on a field trip next week to a pumpkin farm for a hayride. He has so many friends, too. His teacher from last year said that he has to skip school some day and come in because all the kids are asking for Garrett. We'll have to blow off a day sometime soon!

Thomas is doing really well, too. His teacher is trying to find harder work for him to do and is giving him a new book series to start next week. He really seems to "get" Thomas, and Thomas is loving school. He's even playing the trumpet this year! And he's joined our CYO Basketball team...AND he came in 2nd in a townwide cross country (1 mile) race out of all the 4th graders that ran! He's also doing much better with friends and has "a lot of good friends" according to his teacher.

And Braeden...well, Braeden still doesn't sleep well. He's still not eating enough and I'm afraid of his doctor's appointment which is coming up in two weeks! Besides that, he's saying lots of stuff now (mom, daddy, eat, no, what's that, doggy, kitty, up...and more that I can't think of right now). He's got 5 1/2 teeth and I have a feeling more are coming soon!

I have a feeling this is going to be a great year for my superstar kids!

F'n MRSA

I woke up this morning with a spot below my old MRSA scar on my right side. I've already been to my doc this a.m.; she is putting me on Bactrim and calling the ID doctor I saw last year to see what we can do with me and my family. This has been a nightmare! I know it could be so much worse, but the fact that this stupid bug is still lingering is so frustrating and frightening. She sent out a culture, now I have to wait and see if we're treating it the right way, or if it's back to the hospital for IV antibiotics again. I could just scream.........

Housewife's Prayer

HOUSEWIFE'S PRAYER

Thank you dear Lord for things I must do.

Tasks to complete that are never quite through.

Thank you for laundry that piles up so fast.

For the tub I just cleaned, though I know it won't last.

Thanks for the toys that litter my floor.

For shoes that are mud-caked and sit by the door.

Thank you for fingerprints on freshly cleaned glass.

Thanks for the carpet, now covered with grass.

These things in my life just prove that I'm blessed;

God gave me a family, I can live with the mess.

Sheila Hammock Gosney

A Few Questions

Why am I the only one that notices Capri Sun straw wrappers stuck to the dog and lying on the playroom floor? Why am I the only person capable of putting away a pair of shoes? Am I the only person who notices the dirty socks that have been sitting in the hallway all day long? Or how about those few stray cheerios under the coffee table in the living room? Or the empty root beer can on the mantle? Why do they pile more garbage on top of the already full trash can in the bathroom? My favorite is when they just throw garbage over the gate into the hallway and leave it there! How come nobody puts the dirty laundry down the chute until I ask, even if they have to step over it to get to the toilet? And why not throw out the paper cup they use when they brush their teeth? Why are they all left on the sink? And if you see a pencil or crayon on the floor, how hard is it to pick it up? The same goes for loose change... And if you have something on the stairs that belongs in your room, how hard is it to bring it up with you? You're walking right past it!!! And how about getting garbage into the actual can? And what's up with all of the empty cups/cans in their bedrooms? And dirty clothes on their floors? Then they complain that they don't have socks. And why can't they take their garbage out of the van when they get out? I only venture to the back seat occasionally, because I get so mad when I'm back there! And how hard is it to put their outdoor toys away? How many things have we replaced because they got left outside? And those darn dirty fingerprints on the refrigerator door and around the doorknobs and lightswitches...ugh! And leaving empty boxes in the snack cabinet and then wondering why I didn't buy more poptarts? How am I supposed to know that they're empty?

O.k., that's enough for now. I have to go and peel the straw wrappers off of the dog, empty the garbages, throw laundry down the chute, empty the dishwasher, load the dishwasher, make lunch, clean up lunch, fold clothes and put them away, vacuum, clean the fridge, change numerous diapers, figure out what is for dinner, make dinner, clean up dinner, do dishes, do laundry, force kids to do homework, give baths, iron clothes, pack snacks..........

Swimming Poo

Gotta love neighbors when they're throwing out something as cool as a Little Tikes Boat that's a sandbox and/or a pool. I made Bill and Thomas cross the street and snag it yesterday. I cleaned it out and filled it up for Garrett who absolutely loved it. He and Kaleigh were playing for about 15 minutes when all of a sudden, Kaleigh screams "There's poop!". And yep, there it is...on the bottom of the pool. I had thought that the water had begun to look a little cloudy. Sooooo...I grab Garrett, who's swim diaper is dangling between his knees, and wrap him in a towel to get him inside and cleaned up but....he's got poo water dripping down both legs and we left a trail through the house; NASTY! I got him cleaned up, shamPOOed the carpet, and bleached the boat. I'm so sick of poo!

Today I'm hoping to get Braeden in there. I'm hoping that we can keep the water clean for a day!

Bill's Meez

Kaleigh's Meez

Thomas' Meez

My MEEZ

Now add 60 lbs. to her. I guess she's my "After Meez".

Anyway...Garrett is sooo thoughtful:
I had just finished moving all the toys from the living room back to the playroom. I don't understand why they always bring the toys in...they have a playroom to play in, and a t.v. in there, so why do they have to watch t.v. in the living room? Anyway, I put the Wiggles on for Braeden and Garrett in the living room while I went into the kitchen to get things ready for dinner. After about 5 minutes, Garrett was crying at the gate. I figured he wanted to go in the dining room with Kaleigh to watch her play online, so I ignored it. Finally after a few more minutes, I went to see why he was crying. By this time, he was back in front of the t.v. All I saw were cheeks, because he took his pull-up off. I looked to see where B was, and what he was doing. He was sitting on the couch right next to where Garrett was standing and seemed to be occupied. As I looked more closely, I could see a faint brown smear on Garrett's leg...that's when I knew I was in trouble. What could be keeping Braeden so quiet? Well, I think since I took the toys, Garrett felt the need to supply his baby brother with something new to play with. YUCK!!!! Thank God Braeden wasn't snacking, but it was smeared on his legs, feet, all over his hands and under his nails. GROSS! I didn't know who to grab first, so I took off B's shirt and wrapped it around his hands and tied it so he couldn't get his fingers while I grabbed Garrett. Needless to say, they both had a very good scrubbing while daddy disposed of Braeden's newest toy. UGH! Never a dull moment!!!! And after I did all the bathing and cleaning, Bill walked in the room and Garrett says "sorry, dad".

Held Hostage by a Hose

I wish I had a videocamera outside today.

I took Braeden and Garrett out to play since it was so nice out. They ran in two different directions and I couldn't keep up. I kept trying to force K to help; T was in the house and Bill was on the roof. I finally decided to fill up the water table. Garrett loved it, but Braeden was still unimpressed sooooo I took out the hose and just started spraying everyone. This went well until I had to put the hose down to chase Braeden and Garrett grabbed it. He immediately turned it on me, and whenever I'd get close to him, he'd spray me and laugh hysterically! I couldnt' grab the damn hose from him and he thought it was great! It took a while to finally distract him so I could grab the hose. Monster. Then he ran to the water table and jumped right in and stuck his face right under. The kid has no fear (and hopefully his tubes are o.k.). He was actually shivering so much, he had a hard time talking! So, off to the bathtub for a nice, warm, bubbly bath with his partner in crime. I swear, he told Braeden to distract me so he could grab the hose! The two of them have so much fun together. I'm in big trouble!

And we brought T.J. back in the house today. Braeden and Garrett love having him inside. We all (6 of us and 2 dogs) went for a walk tonight, too. What a sight we must have been. Now, Thomas and Kaleigh are responsible for letting T.J. in and out and feeding him. We'll see how long this lasts.

Wet Shower

So far, so good.

Thomas seems to like his teacher. It's the first time he's had a male teacher and we're all hoping he'll give T the kick in the pants he needs. Thomas was finally diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago. We had such a hard time getting the dx because he's a smarty pants; his I.Q. is 122. So, when he gets bored at school, he gets silly. And we've been dealing with this since preschool. We're currently on the 3rd type of medication. Hopefully, it'w doing the trick at school.

Kaleigh loves her teacher. Thomas had her last year, and we were surprised to see that K got her this year. The schools don't usually give siblings the same teachers. She's having fun already.

Garrett is going to run his new teacher ragged. On Wednesday she called to tell me that he had a great first day, but he was eating woodchips. On Thursday, the ST called to tell me that he was chewing on a crayon and then he proudly took a shower in the water fountain in the classroom (way to watch him). He kept telling everyone "wet shower". We all had a good chuckle. He's just so darn cute! He's able to get cafeteria lunch this year, so we're going to try it out next week. I can't imagine my little guy getting a tray and carrying it back to his seat...I'm assuming he'll have lots of help! Even the kindergarteners don't get lunch! How cool is he?

Braeden has been really rough lately. He never has slept through the night, but he'd at least sleep in his crib for 2 hours at a time...once in a great while I'd get 4 hours of sleep. The last month or so he's been really rotten about sleeping in his crib...screaming and screaming and upsetting Garrett. So, I've let him stay with me in bed (I don't care anymore as long as we all sleep). Well, lately he's waking up crying and crying there, too, and I'm really out of ideas. He fell asleep nursing tonight in the rocking chair. I put him in his crib and he immediately woke up and I let him scream for 50 minutes straight until he couldn't breathe so I gave in. I brought him back downstairs, nursed him again and now he's asleep in his swing and it's after midnight. I'm exhausted. I don't know how to stop this.

Well...I guess I'll go and try and find something to sleep with on the couch. He'll probably stay in the swing for an hour. Then I'll try taking him back upstairs. The 4th should be an easy kid; this has been a nightmare!!!!!! He's so lucky that he's cute.

First Day of School

Crappy Shutup

So...Garrett's teacher this year is Mrs. Clabby. Now, that is tough name for Garrett to say; it comes out sounding like "crappy". We've been working on it for a few days now, and still "crappy". And now for some reason, he's added "shutup" to her name, so now when I ask him to say Clabby, he says "crappy shutup". Great. I already warned her and the ST (both got a chuckle out of it). Should be an interesting year!

We also got a chance to see his old preschool teacher (he had her for two years). She's over at Thomas and Kaleigh's school today. It was great to see her; but I'm really going to miss her. She let Garrett and Braeden run around her classroom while she unpacked. We've already decided that Braeden will be attending the same preschool. I love the fact that it's housed in a grammar school, so that the kids are able to leave the room and go to art in the art room, library in the library, music in the music room, gym in the gym and eat in the cafeteria. And they can participate in the school programs and shows. They also get to go on field trips (on school buses), which I think is great. And the older kids help out as reading buddies and as helpers for school field days. Also, the teachers are wonderful and there are sooo many of them. Last year, Garrett actually helped bake cookies in the school kitchen (and then we ate them when the parents visited), and they get to do neat centers like the water table, sand table, shaving cream center (Garrett always smelled so good when he came home!)

Anyway...there is another little girl with DS in Garrett's class this year, and I'm so excited. She's a little cutie (Natalie). We're practicing saying her name (without adding shutup).

2 More Days....

Back to school on Wednesday! I'm getting a little weepy today; I made Thomas sit on my lap for a while and watch the Wiggles with me, Garrett & Braeden. Would you believe that Thomas' feet are the same size as mine? He's going to be one tall boy, that's for sure. I told him he's gonna have to watch out; all the mommies are going to be trying to get him to date their daughters! I've had a few moms comment lately on how handsome he is....sob. What happened to my little baby?

We had a great time yesterday at our neighbor's pool party. We were there from 2:00 until 8:30, and I went back 'til 10:30 for drinks and lots of gossip. I wish we had gotten together sooner. It always seems like you wait too long to do things. Next summer I promise that we're having some rockin' parties here at our house (guess that means we have to pick up the yard).

Well, my project today is upstairs. If I'm brave enough, I'll take a "before" picture. It's just too darn hard to put away laundry. Braeden is always attached to me, and when he's not, I'm online! But today I'm going up. I'm going to see what clothes the kids have...see what hasn't been peed on by a cat...(gross, I know) and put clothes in actual drawers! Of course, it's already 11:00 and I haven't done a damn thing. Bill is grocery shopping :) so I have to wait until he gets home! And it's almost lunch time anyway...

O.k., I guess I'll go do something. I do have to say one thing, though. I saw a friend yesterday who had a sister who was profoundly retarded. Every time I see her, she tells me a story about her sister and most of the time I enjoy hearing them. Except yesterday, out of the blue, she tells me that someday Thomas will probably be embarrassed by Garrett. And now, this has been on my mind since yesterday. First of all, why did she need to say that? Doesn't she realize that I've pretty much thought of everything by now? I've been optimistic, pessimistic, a realist. It just seemed to me a rotten thing to say. Then I'm thinking that at some point he'll probably be embarrassed by all of (if he's not already :) ).

Off to snuggle with the kids until Bill gets home. Garrett is into the Muppets lately, so we're going to watch them for the gazillionth time.

Fourth Grade Survival Supply List

This is what I had to buy for Thomas for school this year:
1 2" three ring binder, white $9.49
1 binder, not too big, too hold folders $3.99
6 three-hole punched folders $7.00
2 Black marbled journals $2.00
Supply of notebook paper $2.00
3 boxes of #2 pencils $12.00
Sharpie markers, darker colors and have 1 black $8.29
scissors $2.29
erasers, tip of pencil ones $4.79
1 small pencil sharpener that holds shavings $2.99
supply of colored pens for correcting $6.29
2 EXPO markers and eraser $7.99
1 box colored pencils $.99
supply of post it notes 3x3 $9.98
supply of 3x5 index cards $3.59
calculator $3.99
a pencil bag $4.99
ruler $.59

Are you freaking kidding me? I spent close to $100 on Thomas already and he can't wear any of it! Kaleigh needed to buy pencils, a folder and a pencil case. Now this isn't including the $175 I already spent on 2 LL Bean Backpacks and 3 LL Bean lunchbags (one for Garrett, too). And we still need to go back to school shopping for clothes!

It looks so quiet from the outside....

If only you could hear what's going on inside!!!

In Memory Of...

In the last three day, two little babies have passed away due to complications after open heart surgery.

Please keep the families of baby Lillian and baby Gabi in your thoughts and prayers. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain that their parents are going through. When things like this happen, it really makes you stop and think about how thankful you should be for what you have. I'm going to hug my kids now.

Do they really need pants?

I'm getting stressed for back to school. I know that somewhere, upstairs in a bag?, are a bunch of pants from last winter/spring that might (slim chance) still fit the kids. Which means I will have to spend MINUTES searching through the numerous unlabeled garbage bags in order to find the clothes. Then I'll have to dig through the unorganized mess of various sizes of clothing that, at the time, I did not feel the need to sort ("I'll just do it in the Fall"). All to find the pants. And I know that Thomas' will be too short, Kaleigh's will be too short and Garrett's will be too short. I don't think Braeden has anything in THE BAG. I will wash them anyway, and probably fold and put them away, too. And they will get put on the bottom of the pile each time we go through the drawers of clothes. So, why don't I save myself the stress? Why not just leave THE BAG where it is and take the checkbook and run to Target, Kohls, Sears, J.C. Penney? Because I can't get myself to spend the money on new pants if the old ones might fit! Soooooo...I guess I'll have to put aside some time to find THE BAG and search for THE PANTS!

Anyway....
I have 2 extra kids here today, and I'm telling you it sounds like I've got a herd of elephants running through my playroom. I've never heard it so loud in there! I guess I'll get a cup of coffee and a couple of tylenol and try to keep 'em all happy.
What I find amusing is that they're all playing in Braeden and Garrett's Dora Playhouse. The same playhouse that Kaleigh told me would be soooo embarrassing to have in her yard. "I'll never go in there. It's stupid". Hmmmmmmmmmm. I don't even know if they're letting B and G in! I hear they're playing "Little House in the Big Woods". Braeden may be playing the part of the bear, but I'm not sure.
Garrett is just happy to have kids around to play with. He gets so sad when his big brother and big sister are doing their big stuff.

Well...off to make that coffee!

Everyone has one, I want one, too!

So...I want a blog.

I've tried to do this before, but each time I forget I have one.

This time will be different.

I decided to name it "Does Not Work" because, at a doctor's appointment about a year ago, the secretary filling out my paperwork asked me where I worked. I told her that I was a stay-at-home mom to 4. She wrote in big letters across the top of the form "DOES NOT WORK"...then, to make it even worse, she took out a big yellow highlighter and highlighted it! Bill got a chuckle out of it. I wonder if she'd like to come over and spend the day with me sometime?

Anyway...with the kids going back to school next week, I hope to actually blog regularly. Of course, it was my intention to post a little bit now about myself and family, but that family is sitting unattended in the living room and I need to run in there and change some diapers.

I'll be back, I promise.

This time will be different!