I woke, did my mom things with 6 kids in tow. Had the doctor tell me I was an awesome mom and that the kids were doing wonderful. Took everyone up to the post office and tossed some fenugreek in the mail for a lady I do not know, other than on my new twitter that is. The kids even said it needed to be in a pretty package and have a fancy label, so we did that. We visited the park and then made dinner and cleaned up house. I managed to get everyone (except 8 yr old) sleeping before 8 and took a shower.
But yet there is something missing. As I stepped into the shower I could see the water hit my feet and the blackened bottoms started to muddy the water and I watched it. Clearly I had the dirtiest feet of the day. I swear I only wore shoes into the doctor's office for a short time. I did not put them on for the post office nor the walk, nor the park, yet I don't FEEL like they were dirty, even as I watch the evidence wash down the drain.
I don't FEEL like I had any fun at all.
I missed her at that moment.
We have best friends that we make along the way in life, through childhood and beyond. I met my best mommy friend many years ago. We clicked and stuck. She would make me laugh at how she would look at her kids feet at the end of the day and declare who must have had the best day because they had the dirtiest feet of all.
I miss hanging out with her and her crazy ass kids. I miss being able to tell my BFF that she's fucking nuts and not have her judge it later on thinking that I might have meant that she needs drugs, because we both already know shes on them! HA! I miss when I have a day from hell that I can go to her and just let it OUT and she will not question my sanity, but talk me off the wall. I love that when she had a hard day she could just chat me up and I would make her laugh because I would win the "it could be worse, you could have my life game."
I love that she would just pop over whenever and I could then manage to get her to stay for dinner. Or that she would let me steal her 3 kids and take them to the park so that mine had someone else to play with.
But now she lives in Texas. She has for some time now. But it still sucks.
And when I want to share with her, she's far.
And its not fair, because I swear I had the dirty feet.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
And then there were 7...
My eldest two went off for a 2 week vacation and tonight I will tuck the 6 kids, age 8 and under, into bed... do last minute safety checks for my ones that like to wonder, then take a nap.
Yep. Nap.
At 3 am I will get up, place said 6 kids into the van. DH will pack his stuff he requires for the week into the van and we will make way to his work. Somewhere along the 1.5 hour drive the kids will be in and out of sleep, some recharged from their 8pm to 3 am nap, some not giving in to the wakeful state and instead choosing to be lulled back to sleep by the sounds of the empty road rushing under the tires.
Once we get there I will say goodbye and then make the trek back past all the McDonalds and Burger Kings that are not even open for breakfast yet, past the small town stores that are still dark and sleeping. Around the time we hit town again there will be a small bustle of people starting off their daily drives to work. I will be unloading the 6 kids and hoping that bedtime will come quietly, and quickly. (it doesn't trust me)
The kids will be ready to move and get all their squirrly behaviour out. I will have one at the tap eating while the rest are saying they don't like their breakfast, it's too early, they would rather have fruit, and why can't we have cookies at 630 am.
Sometime during the day there will be a point when I just cant take it anymore and we will leave this house. If I don't stay in motion I will nap, and I know this... so we will venture out to a park, or two. I will end up at a grocery store while in town, which will make me crazy because I know better than to push it on a Monday, but I never learn... I must keep them busy and myself moving...
By the time dinner rolls around I will have witnessed a few meltdowns by the 4 yr old, and the horror of a 2 yr old that refuses a nap.
Showers for the crew and off to bed. No one wants to go, but for my sanity and their ability to function the next day, they must. 8 pm did not come soon enough, and I need to nurse the baby and clean before I go to bed, then nurse him one more time.
By about 11 pm I am able to lay down and nurse the baby until we both pass out in some sort of milky dream land.
As much of a pain it all sounds, right now I can't wait because my DH is sitting on the couch behind me watching television as the toddler is destroying the kitchen, has the projector and speakers WAY to loud (even the 8 yr old is asking him to turn it down) and I'm fairly certain its only that loud because I was being too loud when yelling at the kids to get out of the kitchen and put the almond milk back.
The sanity of being a family of 7 can't come soon enough.
Yep. Nap.
At 3 am I will get up, place said 6 kids into the van. DH will pack his stuff he requires for the week into the van and we will make way to his work. Somewhere along the 1.5 hour drive the kids will be in and out of sleep, some recharged from their 8pm to 3 am nap, some not giving in to the wakeful state and instead choosing to be lulled back to sleep by the sounds of the empty road rushing under the tires.
Once we get there I will say goodbye and then make the trek back past all the McDonalds and Burger Kings that are not even open for breakfast yet, past the small town stores that are still dark and sleeping. Around the time we hit town again there will be a small bustle of people starting off their daily drives to work. I will be unloading the 6 kids and hoping that bedtime will come quietly, and quickly. (it doesn't trust me)
The kids will be ready to move and get all their squirrly behaviour out. I will have one at the tap eating while the rest are saying they don't like their breakfast, it's too early, they would rather have fruit, and why can't we have cookies at 630 am.
Sometime during the day there will be a point when I just cant take it anymore and we will leave this house. If I don't stay in motion I will nap, and I know this... so we will venture out to a park, or two. I will end up at a grocery store while in town, which will make me crazy because I know better than to push it on a Monday, but I never learn... I must keep them busy and myself moving...
By the time dinner rolls around I will have witnessed a few meltdowns by the 4 yr old, and the horror of a 2 yr old that refuses a nap.
Showers for the crew and off to bed. No one wants to go, but for my sanity and their ability to function the next day, they must. 8 pm did not come soon enough, and I need to nurse the baby and clean before I go to bed, then nurse him one more time.
By about 11 pm I am able to lay down and nurse the baby until we both pass out in some sort of milky dream land.
As much of a pain it all sounds, right now I can't wait because my DH is sitting on the couch behind me watching television as the toddler is destroying the kitchen, has the projector and speakers WAY to loud (even the 8 yr old is asking him to turn it down) and I'm fairly certain its only that loud because I was being too loud when yelling at the kids to get out of the kitchen and put the almond milk back.
The sanity of being a family of 7 can't come soon enough.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
TYPICAL?! What does that mean?
People ask me what a typical day is and I have to ask what typical even means?
It might be described as organized chaos. How about loosely structured with some sprinkled OMGWTF thrown in each day? Wait, I got it...
Busy.
At 3 am I missed a call from my BFF that now lives across the country from me. I do not get calls from people at 3 am, so this was alarming to me at 5 am when I noticed that my stupid iphone did not alert me to her call. I was up feeding the baby at 3 am so I would have welcomed some company.
I texted her at 8 am, since I didnt want to wake her at 5 am, my time, I waited till 8. I asked what was up.
An hour later I am situating my day and my kids are telling me the pending storm is causing the power to flick on and off in the entire house. So off they run to unplug the precious flashing entertainment boxes so that they dont break. I miss a call. I am expecting it to say that it was my BFF and kinda excited to catch up with her.
nope.
It's my DH. DH is a trucker that leaves me here with this crazy bunch at 3 am Monday morning and we don't see him till Friday about 10, or 11, or 12, or sometimes 3 am... So I call him back right away and hear him crying.
Oh dear Zeus what the hell is wrong?! He blurts out that he may have just lost his job. Not knowing what the heck is going on I am trying to get him to calm down and be rational. We just got a house, are just getting back on or feet after his year long stint of being unemployed. He can NOT loose his job!
I find out that he rolled his truck.
A SEMI!
He is freaking out that he rolled his semi and is more worried about loosing his job. So hysterical he cant barely talk to me. So I ask to talk with who is there with him. Thankfully its his boss. I explain that DH will be VERY concerned with his job and not really rational and to please make sure to take him to a doctor to get examined. Not ER material, but just checked out ya know. He agrees and says to please explain to DH to not worry about job and just talk to him and let him make sure he is ok. (apparently DH was not communicating with boss at all. He was that messed up)
I try and start my day again, I have two well child visits today... I need to keep moving and have no time to sit and dwell. I manage to shower and get ready and the biggers are watching some of the littles while I take the two littlest in for their exam.
Quickly I fix the internet issues so that my oldest doesnt have a heart attack. This means removing hardware and removing programs in order to point somethingoranother to another area so that my router will work properly.
I am worried that their circ were done wrong because my first two did not look like these, but it has been years, so what do I know right? Not like I see them all the time or anything.
So the doc says that the 2 yr old looks just fine. I was worried that it may have been done *too much* but the doc says it is fine.
The 7 month old is not. His was not done properly and so it has healed to the top of his penis. When I brought him home I had said that it looked like they did not circ him at all. I just treated it like a intact, keeping it clean with out pulling, and just moving enough to keep skin away from healing area as per the doc follow up. So now i have to take this poor baby to have it redone. The entire thing makes me mad. The doctor explained to me a little more indepth, it is just a guessing game. The size of the bell, the amount to cut. The fact that it is a little more clean is something he says benefits the boys in the "stinky boys phase" but it can be problematic in the start more than people realize.
So I get to leave there.
Im one of those nuts that dont introduce a food other than breast milk or formula for the entire first year, but I have never been able to breast feed past one year. The doc suggests introduction of iron fortified cereal, although the baby shows no sign of issues with iron and is the fastest growth rate of any of my kids. So now I have to figure this out... introduce and possibly have him quit BF because he wants the food more?
And I finally get to talk to my BFF and she is just missing home, here home. So we text each other down and I pull the "you could have this life" card and she feels much better.
I allow the two girls to go to their friends down the way with directions that they are NOT allowed inside as I do not know their parents, and they are being watched by a cousin.
When I go down to check they are inside this house. I tell the boychild that I need my children and ask if he could please retrieve them. Oldest DD, age 8, goes to the back of the house and comes back with a bla bla bla story. I check her pockets. They come up with nothing so she goes skipping off. DD2 that had been there with her says the water balloons are in her shoe. Nice. She is made to turn around and put them away.
Making dinner and trying to get rid of the left overs so I make stew. Everyone hates it, but I do not care at this point.
One DD on stairs for going in where she shouldnt have, one DD in her room for trying to steal and going where she shouldnt have. One DS freaking out because the doctor pulled on his penis to see if it had healed, it had. One DS yelling at me about a physical he has to take tomorrow (the only doctor visit he has to go to for an entire damn year) One DS asking me to take the upset DS because he justwantstheboobandhatestheworld. One DS horrified because he did not get enough outside time, and no nap. One DD pulling everything out and then saying it is not hers to clean?! and One DD that is cleaning up with out being asked and just going about her own thing.
I managed to get most of them to choke down 1/2 cup of stew with bribery. Two cookies after they finish it ALL.
One child got 2 cookies. The rest filled up on bread and complained they hate vegetables... they hate meat... they hate soup liquid...
Is this typical?
What does that mean?
We always have some sort of thing going on, a little drama, a little tears, a little rudeness, a lot of correction.
Who would have thought that these same children were the ones that ate at the restaraunt with out being loud, without making a mess with their food, with out running around, with out needing many reminders... the same children that walked through the mall all together, hanging out happily. The ones that buckled right into the 6 car seats with out a fuss.
We don't really have a typical here. I don't really know how to define that word.
It might be described as organized chaos. How about loosely structured with some sprinkled OMGWTF thrown in each day? Wait, I got it...
Busy.
At 3 am I missed a call from my BFF that now lives across the country from me. I do not get calls from people at 3 am, so this was alarming to me at 5 am when I noticed that my stupid iphone did not alert me to her call. I was up feeding the baby at 3 am so I would have welcomed some company.
I texted her at 8 am, since I didnt want to wake her at 5 am, my time, I waited till 8. I asked what was up.
An hour later I am situating my day and my kids are telling me the pending storm is causing the power to flick on and off in the entire house. So off they run to unplug the precious flashing entertainment boxes so that they dont break. I miss a call. I am expecting it to say that it was my BFF and kinda excited to catch up with her.
nope.
It's my DH. DH is a trucker that leaves me here with this crazy bunch at 3 am Monday morning and we don't see him till Friday about 10, or 11, or 12, or sometimes 3 am... So I call him back right away and hear him crying.
Oh dear Zeus what the hell is wrong?! He blurts out that he may have just lost his job. Not knowing what the heck is going on I am trying to get him to calm down and be rational. We just got a house, are just getting back on or feet after his year long stint of being unemployed. He can NOT loose his job!
I find out that he rolled his truck.
A SEMI!
He is freaking out that he rolled his semi and is more worried about loosing his job. So hysterical he cant barely talk to me. So I ask to talk with who is there with him. Thankfully its his boss. I explain that DH will be VERY concerned with his job and not really rational and to please make sure to take him to a doctor to get examined. Not ER material, but just checked out ya know. He agrees and says to please explain to DH to not worry about job and just talk to him and let him make sure he is ok. (apparently DH was not communicating with boss at all. He was that messed up)
I try and start my day again, I have two well child visits today... I need to keep moving and have no time to sit and dwell. I manage to shower and get ready and the biggers are watching some of the littles while I take the two littlest in for their exam.
Quickly I fix the internet issues so that my oldest doesnt have a heart attack. This means removing hardware and removing programs in order to point somethingoranother to another area so that my router will work properly.
I am worried that their circ were done wrong because my first two did not look like these, but it has been years, so what do I know right? Not like I see them all the time or anything.
So the doc says that the 2 yr old looks just fine. I was worried that it may have been done *too much* but the doc says it is fine.
The 7 month old is not. His was not done properly and so it has healed to the top of his penis. When I brought him home I had said that it looked like they did not circ him at all. I just treated it like a intact, keeping it clean with out pulling, and just moving enough to keep skin away from healing area as per the doc follow up. So now i have to take this poor baby to have it redone. The entire thing makes me mad. The doctor explained to me a little more indepth, it is just a guessing game. The size of the bell, the amount to cut. The fact that it is a little more clean is something he says benefits the boys in the "stinky boys phase" but it can be problematic in the start more than people realize.
So I get to leave there.
Im one of those nuts that dont introduce a food other than breast milk or formula for the entire first year, but I have never been able to breast feed past one year. The doc suggests introduction of iron fortified cereal, although the baby shows no sign of issues with iron and is the fastest growth rate of any of my kids. So now I have to figure this out... introduce and possibly have him quit BF because he wants the food more?
And I finally get to talk to my BFF and she is just missing home, here home. So we text each other down and I pull the "you could have this life" card and she feels much better.
I allow the two girls to go to their friends down the way with directions that they are NOT allowed inside as I do not know their parents, and they are being watched by a cousin.
When I go down to check they are inside this house. I tell the boychild that I need my children and ask if he could please retrieve them. Oldest DD, age 8, goes to the back of the house and comes back with a bla bla bla story. I check her pockets. They come up with nothing so she goes skipping off. DD2 that had been there with her says the water balloons are in her shoe. Nice. She is made to turn around and put them away.
Making dinner and trying to get rid of the left overs so I make stew. Everyone hates it, but I do not care at this point.
One DD on stairs for going in where she shouldnt have, one DD in her room for trying to steal and going where she shouldnt have. One DS freaking out because the doctor pulled on his penis to see if it had healed, it had. One DS yelling at me about a physical he has to take tomorrow (the only doctor visit he has to go to for an entire damn year) One DS asking me to take the upset DS because he justwantstheboobandhatestheworld. One DS horrified because he did not get enough outside time, and no nap. One DD pulling everything out and then saying it is not hers to clean?! and One DD that is cleaning up with out being asked and just going about her own thing.
I managed to get most of them to choke down 1/2 cup of stew with bribery. Two cookies after they finish it ALL.
One child got 2 cookies. The rest filled up on bread and complained they hate vegetables... they hate meat... they hate soup liquid...
Is this typical?
What does that mean?
We always have some sort of thing going on, a little drama, a little tears, a little rudeness, a lot of correction.
Who would have thought that these same children were the ones that ate at the restaraunt with out being loud, without making a mess with their food, with out running around, with out needing many reminders... the same children that walked through the mall all together, hanging out happily. The ones that buckled right into the 6 car seats with out a fuss.
We don't really have a typical here. I don't really know how to define that word.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
shirts, pants, socks OH MY!
We are trying to scale down here. I have MANY garbage bags of clothing for these kids and they wear but a handful.
So instead of actually doing a post, I am doing a question...
How many outfits per person do you have? One for each day of the week? Enough for one outfit each day for a month?
More?!
I'll come back with pictures of our give away pile, we just gave away stuff last May, although from the looks of things you would never know it.
So instead of actually doing a post, I am doing a question...
How many outfits per person do you have? One for each day of the week? Enough for one outfit each day for a month?
More?!
I'll come back with pictures of our give away pile, we just gave away stuff last May, although from the looks of things you would never know it.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Eggplant parm, baked
Real quick directions...
not professional looking at all but I wanted to get it jotted down lol.
Items needed.
Your favorite tomato sauce. (spag sauce)
Japanese bread crumbs
Eggs
Flour
Pepper
You can forgo the flour pepper stage if you want...
Just like regular chicken parm...
One plate of flour seasoned with pepper. You want the seasoning in this stage because it will season the Eggplant and not burn in the oil.
One plate of egg beaten.
One plate of breadcrumbs.
Now you have your plates started heat a pan of oil. then start this next step. Oil should NEVER SMOKE! If it is then you have it too hot and it will burn the food. A drop of water should instantly dance in the oil if it is hot enough.
Take sliced eggplant and dip in the flour/pepper and get it coated well.
Lightly dip coated plant into the egg mixture.
Dredge it around in the bread crumbs. Try and make sure there are a lot because they will fall off.
Set aside and make several more.
Once you have a few you should have a heated pan. Lay them into the oil just long enough to brown each side. (you will have to flip them to brown each side if you are using a pan.)
When you have them all done you can layer them in a baking dish, small amt of sauce on the bottom of pan, then cover them in the sauce. You can layer some skim Mozz on the top once you have the pan full. (either layer it like lasagna or just do one layer, your choice)
Bake at 350, should be no longer than an hour. You can make a double batch and have some for dinner tonight, and then lunch 5 days later. :)
I'll give better directions when I can. For now that is the basic.
not professional looking at all but I wanted to get it jotted down lol.
Items needed.
Your favorite tomato sauce. (spag sauce)
Japanese bread crumbs
Eggs
Flour
Pepper
You can forgo the flour pepper stage if you want...
Just like regular chicken parm...
One plate of flour seasoned with pepper. You want the seasoning in this stage because it will season the Eggplant and not burn in the oil.
One plate of egg beaten.
One plate of breadcrumbs.
Now you have your plates started heat a pan of oil. then start this next step. Oil should NEVER SMOKE! If it is then you have it too hot and it will burn the food. A drop of water should instantly dance in the oil if it is hot enough.
Take sliced eggplant and dip in the flour/pepper and get it coated well.
Lightly dip coated plant into the egg mixture.
Dredge it around in the bread crumbs. Try and make sure there are a lot because they will fall off.
Set aside and make several more.
Once you have a few you should have a heated pan. Lay them into the oil just long enough to brown each side. (you will have to flip them to brown each side if you are using a pan.)
When you have them all done you can layer them in a baking dish, small amt of sauce on the bottom of pan, then cover them in the sauce. You can layer some skim Mozz on the top once you have the pan full. (either layer it like lasagna or just do one layer, your choice)
Bake at 350, should be no longer than an hour. You can make a double batch and have some for dinner tonight, and then lunch 5 days later. :)
I'll give better directions when I can. For now that is the basic.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
A new start?
I'm not really sure what is going to come of all this, but I am going to give it a start. This journal is going to be the start of a new era of friends for me. It will probably be the start of new dissidence as well. I welcome the new road that has unfolded before me, and can't wait to see where it goes.
I welcome you on the journey with me.
I am a mother to 8 children, 6 of them came within 7 years of each other. They take up most of my time and thoughts. We were homeless for the past year and just recently, with the help of our friends, moved into our own home. The downturn of the job state here took us on a very humbling road that took my kids into the public school system for the first time. They enjoyed it and so I am trying to figure out how to transition from being a leader of a homeschool group to a public school mom.
This year will be very challenging for me as I will only have 2 children at home, and 6 in 3 different schools. My DH is now an OTR (over the road) trucker so it is all me, all the time, from Monday through Friday. I am very used to being busy and on the go, but the small town, coupled with the kids tethered to a school schedule, will keep me close to home.
I hope to find some hobby that I can call my own. Who knows, it might even be writing.
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