The return of the Queen

To say things have been crazy since our move is an understatement. Without a little crazy life is just not worth living and we have had enough for the year. The kids are all in school and we arwe finally on a house, its much smaller then our last but its also less than half the rent wish has been a blessig. We have a vehicle and my husband started his new job yestersay. We have been blessed with loads of help from our family and believe me we are truly grateful. As we comtinue on this journey we know that at some point life we again feel normal and things will be more settled. I am happy to be here no matter how difficult it was to get here or how complicated things could and have gotten and will get. I hope to be able to post more and get back into my regular schedule. Well it time to get started on laundry. Looking forward to my normal average life.

Blog Block

Its been less than a week since we moved and I have had a really hard time.  First and foremost, the family is safe and sound in Memphis; minus my son who will be on his way in a week.

Our hunt for a house is still going on but we hit a few snags.  I lost a large sum of money while traveling and so our move has been less than impressive , thank goodness for my mother always having a back up plan and paying for our temporary housing..  Our kids are doing well and adjusting the best they can and we hope to have all our issue resolved in a few weeks.  Its been an adventure to say the least and it looks like we will survive. 

The second is my lost phone, I lost my IPhone on the final leg of the trip and I am seriously going though withdrawal.  I will not be able to replace it for a few weeks at least and I have decided that its a good time to see how dependent I am on this little gadget.  I have promised to go at least 30 days without my beloved phone and so far I have realized that I used it a lot and I miss it a lot.  Its like missing an arm for me and I am not doing well but its been less than a week and I think its a good experiment to see if its really needed or just wanted. 

Memphis is where we wanted to be so we will of course make the best of it.  I hope to have better news the next time I check in and I hope to be able to check in more often. 
A new adventure awaits my family and we are all looking forward to the wonderful things that are ahead.

Leaving the Sticks

This could be the last weekend that I spend in the state of California and I hope to only come back to visit every so often. Don't get me wrong it’s not that I don't love this place, it’s become very evident that this place does not love me. Two years ago my family and I pack our house in a U-Haul and jumped in our minivan with loads of hope that the place we knew and loved would still be the same, full of opportunity and carefree as ever. It started off good, but ended bad. My husband’s big dream of becoming CHP was impossible to reach due to so many road blocks. My dream of reconnecting with old friends and family came to a halt when I realized too much had changed. My husband came back for family and soon learned sometimes loving your family from a far is better for all.


I was never really able to truly commit to looking for a job let alone taking one because too many kids and not enough babysitting opportunities in our area. In California's defense we did settle in a very small town, with limited resources and I think that is what really did us in. Living in the sticks was the first of many bad decisions that we made while living here. It’s been a long two years filled with doubt and regret and learning that you cannot really go home and even if you do it’s not what you remember.

As we get closer to leaving this place I will miss it believe it or not, in this small town I found a few kindred spirits who made it a little less boring. I loved the fact that there was only one school system and I could walk my kids to and from school every day. I will miss the feel of a small town, but not the drama that can go hand and hand.

We look forward to our future and hope that things work out better for us in Memphis then they did here, we have no illusions and know that times are hard everywhere, but we have hope that we can and will survive. I promised myself that this would be our last big move for a long time and our goal is to give our family the stability and security that so many strive for.

Crazy run in the family

This week has been really really crazy.  My husband was in a accident and although he is OK, my car is no longer with us.  It was not the way we wanted to start our week.  Since he no longer has a car and we don't have anyway to get him to work he no longer has a job.  We decided that this was a sign that it is time to pack up and return to the place we were before.  We have been looking for a way to get back to Memphis and I think this is it.  For some strange reason we decided that a move right away would be the best and we are actually moving before the 25 of the month.
 My head is swimming with all the things that need to be done and all the things that need to be packed.  I am under such a large amount of stress that it is not even funny.  During all this time we had to share the news with our kids, our little kids were thrilled, our teens not so much.  My oldest child had decided to stay in California and although I hate to leave him here I do respect his decision.  Our oldest daughter of course took the news pretty hard, but after a few days of pouting she is now understanding the reasons we are going and has accepted our choice.  Its not going to be easy to move a family of 7 across the country in less than 30 days especially since 4 of them are under the age of 6.
 I look forward to the change of scenery and hope that our lives get a lot better then they were here.  I have to say our move to Cali never really worked out well for our family and in hind sight I think it should have been a vacation and not a move.  I look forward to seeing my family and getting our lives started again.  So for now it time that I attack another room and try pack a few boxes before I start my homework. 

Shout out

I have to give a shout out to my friend Jessica, for thinking of me when she was given some medium size gdiapers.  She decided they were not for her but offered them to me to try, it turned out I was already using the gdiaper system but was desperately in need of the medium ones.  It was a true blessing when she called, she gave me several gpants, liners, and the flush able inserts.  I just wanted to remind everyone that passing along an unwanted item can really make someones day.  Remember if you are interested in cloth diapering but do not have the funds, you can always visit diaperswappers, facebook gdiaper pages, and other groups on baby center and mom central and even ebay to search for used items.

Thanks again Jessica you really made not just my day but my month and they are really appreciated and in heavy use. 

Jayde

And So it begins

School officially started for us on August the 12 and it was super crazy the first few days.  The kids are now going on the 2nd full week of school and I think we all have the hang our routine.   This year we have a kindergartner, preschooler, and one in high school.  My teen dd also has tennis practice Monday-Thursday.  Everyone comes home hungry so this for the next 30 days I will be working on my after school snack list. 

Right now my goal is to be able to make a healthy snack and I have been looking everywhere for ideas.  I have a few recipes that I have been working on and so far so good.  I am looking for any suggestions of easy, quick, healthy, homemade snacks.  If you have any please leave me a comment and I will get back to you on if it passed the kid test.  This last week I made Pretzel Monkey Bread from Amazing Moms, it was a big hit with my girls.  We took it a step further and omitted some of the salt and in turn the girls dipped their bread in cinnamon sugar.  I love the fact that they have several recipes for monkey bread and I look forward to trying a few more.  This week I am hoping to work on a bento box inspired snack, fruit platter, a few baked goods and even some cookies just for fun.

Looking forward to a wonderful school year and looking forward to some amazing after school snacks.

How Old Is He?

Our son was born 2 months premature, he is considered to be a newborn right now.  He was born over two months ago but on a chart he is only a little over two weeks old.  When someone ask me how old he is I stumble to remember his adjusted age and feel like I should explain my fumble by stating he was a preemie.  I have read the articles and know that his adjusted age is how he is currently developing, but he had actually been on the earth for almost 3 months.  I know that at some point he will catch up and we wont have to give his adjusted age anymore but for right that is the best way to go.  I will get better at it with time and once I am truly use to it, I wont have to utilize it anymore.  So yes my son was born in May, but he is only 2 weeks old. 

Side note, his father want to celebrate his birthday every year on his due date not the date he was born.  We are currently still in the middle of that argument (discussion) and hopefully by next year we will be at some sort of compromise or I will have won.

What is Normal?

L2 is our odd child, she has been since the day she was born.  The moment she came into the world I knew she was different and she would play by her own rules.  She is a loving child and a smart child, but I have been worried that something was off with her and so I decided to ask for help.  She had a physical for preschool and after talking to the doctor she was given an appointment with the behavioral specialist.  I want to be able to find out if I am just over reacting or if she is really in need of extra help.  I have vowed to not paint her into a corner or try to define her, I just want to be able to handle it when she has her famous meltdowns and when she goes off on one of her moments.  The doctor said they will work with her twice a week and also help myself and my husband handle her issues so that she is not overwhelmed.  I will let her got to preschool without putting any stigma on her and if issues arise then we will discuss them with the specialist.  This is new territory for me and I hope that I can navigate it with grace and patience.  I look forward to learning about my daughter and learning how to become a better parent for her.  Is there a normal, nope, not really and if there is its definitely not any person in this house.

Jayde

Back to the Grind

In exactly one week my life will turn from late mornings and late nights to early mornings and late nights.  School is creeping upon us and as a parent I am not looking forward to it.  A lot of my friends will be enjoying the quiet and calm that comes with school, that sadly will not be the case at our house.  This year I have 4 kids in school; the one in college still counts.  Not sure what the preschool schedule will be but it will conflict with the kindergarten schedule no matter what.  High school schedule is set in stone and so is the tennis practice and games that I will be missing once again because of my duties as a mommy to little ones.  I walk the girls to school so these will be awesome exercise for me, which means I can drop the 25 pre-baby pounds that I have been battling with for years.  I of course can only think of the horror of shopping for clothes, shopping for supplies, the physicals (2 down 1 to go), the need to get on some kind of schedule to help stabilize my day (fat chance with a newborn). 

At home with me this year will be L3(2) and L4(newborn), which means nothing will be accomplished unless both are sleep.  I plan to continue to participate in the playgroup this year as soon as it starts up, which means 2 days a week my schedule will be even more insane.  I look forward to returning to the group and allowing myself some time to unwind and interact with adults for about an hour. 

Don't get me wrong I love the fact that they are going to school, but I can see the PTA meetings, the parents nights, the parties, the pictures, the yearbooks, the gym clothes and I panic.  I look forward to my daughters first day of preschool and kindergarten and hope that they have a wonderful year.  As the summer winds down, I look forward to art projects and homework know that these are rights of passages that all kids should enjoy.  So as we mark another day off the calendar I say to all the moms with crazy schedules about to impact their lives.  "Buckle your seat belts its going to be a bumpy ride"

Back and Forth

Here we are again on the same drama as always, should I go back to work?  I have been having a crisis for about a week now, I received a call for the Sheriff's office about a job I applied for over a year ago.  They want to do a background check on me and hopefully offer me a position as a dispatcher.

 Problem is that I am not sure I want the job right now.  I just had Logan a few months ago and him being premature its still like he is a new born.  We currently only have one car and although my DH and I would work in the same town its doubtful it would be the same shift.  Public transportation her is horrible and I would  have to leave super early and still get a ride home no matter what shift I have.  My kids would need a babysitter who can get them to school everyday and who could handle my 2year old  and newborn at home all day.  My one daughter only has school half a day and so they would have to pick her up in the middle of the day and then go back for the second child.  My teen dd will be playing tennis again this year which means loads of practice and she really wont be able to help much at the house.  My son will be away at college so he wont be able to help at all.  My DH is not great with the girls on his own, but he swearers that he would be able to watch them once he got off work and would be able to help around the house.

 I think its all just to confusing to deal with right now and I just want to lock myself in a closet.  I know that we need the money and I know that jobs are hard to come by, but honestly I feel like I would better serve my family at home.  Our house is a nut house already and dealing with chores on a daily basis is difficult when I am home all day.  Laundry, cleaning, cooking and the kids is a full time job and I just now got to where I can handle them all and not go crazy, adding an 8 hour shift would almost kill me.  I know that if I accept this job the amount of work for me will double at home and my husband will really not be much help because he is not much help now.  Also while at my job interview my DH was offered a chance to work a second job, something we had recently discussed him looking for.  He and I had just decided that I would be a SAHM and he would work two jobs until we paid off some of our big bills.  He has decided to try for the second job just in case I don't get the job and even if I do he will keep it.  This means longer hours for our babysitter.

I also have school and would have to find a way to fit all that in also.  The biggest issue is breastfeeding and cloth diapering would have to stop because no one else will use the cloth diapers but me and my dd and I would not be able to pump every 2 hours while at work so my milk would eventually become less.  I have a laundry list of reasons why not to take the job and only a few reasons to take the job.  I would love to get out of the house daily, I would love to help out my family financially and I would love to be able to purchase a vehicle for the family.  Its just so difficult, but I guess in the end its not up to me.  I will be handing in my background paper work Monday and it will take several weeks my papers to come in so I guess until then I just wait to see if I am going to be working this winter or if I will still be a stay at home mom.

Wow, this was a really long vent and I am glad that I have a place to get it out instead of just looking crazy or crying uncontrollable like I have been doing for the past few days.  Life is never easy and always has so many decisions that if you make the wrong choice you think about for ever.  I don't want to make the wrong choice and hurt my family and that is why I am so conflicted, either way I choose its going to impact everyone and in different ways.

Sticky and Sweet

This evenings treat was good old fashion smores.  And let me tell you when 3 little girls hear that you are making them a dessert with chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers they get a little excited.  I let each girl build their own, everything but roasting the mellow. It turns out that 2 out of 3 enjoyed the entire treat but one did not care for the taste of roasted marshmallows.  The only complaint I have is the clean up of sticky little fingers and faces.  My older kids quickly joined into the fun and now a full bag of marshmallows and 3 large candy bars later we are all satisfied with our treats and have decided the once a month should be our official smores night.  We love them any time of the year not special occasion needed, just because is always a good reason.

After such a sweet night, I am really looking forward to tomorrow and the baked potato bar for lunch that my 15 year old and I doing.  I can just taste the bacon, cheese and sour cream.

I am entering a contest for a S’mores prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.






Jayde

The Great Escape

In the last 48 hours our 2 year old daughter has learned to open the doors and leave the house.  She has now done this 2 times and the last time was the scariest.  Our doors are not where we can see them easily and surprising  our 2 year is very quiet when she wants to be.  The first day she went outside and since she did not have shoes on and it was 100 degrees she quickly came back inside, because her feet were burning.  Today the weather was a little nicer and she let herself out and went into the street.  A very nice man saw her and quickly got her out of the street and to us safely.  It was a very scary moment to realize that she was not in her room as we had assumed, but outside of our house and could have been seriously harmed or even taken.

The big question was why had she decided to leave the house, it turns out that she was trying to follow her big sister.  She tried to cross the street and get to the church yard where her sister and her friends hang out everyday.  We now have childproof handles on the front door and the kids know from now on to leave out of the side door.  You can hear our side door opening from every room in our house. 

I know that I can not watch her 24/7 and she is a quick little booger, but it would kill me if any harm came to her so I hope this is the end of her outdoor adventures and I pray that we do not go through this when our son reaches 2.  Tonight as she sleeps my husband and I are just happy that she is safe in her bed, in her room, and yes I have checked a few times just to be sure.

A New Leaf

gdiapers are now the full time diaper system at my house.  It took me a few days to get a stash of diapers together and delivered to the house, but I feel it was worth the effort.  I started my look on the gdiaper website and quickly realized that that amount would not fly with my DH who had no use for cloth diapers and feels they are backwards to use now with all the options available.  So I went to eBay and started looking at their prices, not the best I have seen, but I did get the firs half of my stash for $50.00 which included 6 diapers, 12 liners & one full package of liners.  I soon joined a gdiaper yahoo group and learned about diaper swappers, and the gdiaper groups on Baby center & Cafe Mom.  I joined all theses groups and became attached to my iPhone and laptop constantly monitoring boards and my emails for responses.  I also joined @gdiapers on twitter and gdiapers on facebook.  My  second purchase was actually from Facebook gdiaper page and I got 2 diapers for $12.00.  My next few purchase were exclusively from diaper swappers and I have to say I love the way it worked out for us I spend less then $200 on 12 diapers, 20 liners, a package of disposable inserts, 6 gcloths and 30 reusable wipes.  It was kind of fun to set a goal and stick to it for once.  I have a starter pack of diapers and I know that when its time for him to move up to the next size I can resale most if not all of them.  Now if you are in a better financial situation then we currently are I would suggest purchasing the diaper new either on the gdiaper website or several other store like Babies R Us and even Amazon has them and a auto refill option.

I learned that there are tons of people who cloth diapers and there are so many different types that it can be very overwhelming. I had decided to cloth diaper before he was born, but was not sure what system would work best for me.  I decided on gdiaprs because I can use the disposables inserts when my husband changes him, and during the day I can use the gcloths or even prefolds (thanks to many suggestions on each board).  I also learned that I don't have to wash as much because I am not washing the liner each time, I just switch out the liner if it gets soiled.  I am on day 3 of this adventure and I will disclose that at night we still use sposies because I still have some and DH stated we are not letting them go to waste so until he grows out of them or we use them all its our night time routine.  So far my 14 year old DD is the only other person to use the diapers and she said it was easy and had no issue using them.

 I will continue to keep you updated on the use of gdiaper and if the system continues to work for us as his diet changes and if we should experience any leaks or blowouts.  I will admit that I did a lot of research on the gdiaper website and on YouTube, I watch tons of videos on how to use them, suggestions on how to make them work better, and even on how to make them.  Cloth diapering is a commitment that I have made with this child and I hope that I will be able to continue the entire time he is in diapers. 

**A few helpful hints**

Coupons are your friend if you decide or are able to purchase new.

Sign up for the gdiaper newsletter they will let you know when items are on sale in their online store and when new items are being released.

Consignment shops and Craigslist for local purchases work better for those in a large city.  I live in a small town so no luck for me but several ladies on different board have found great deals there.

Just a part of my gdiaper stash

Logan's Birth Story

***Disclaimer, this is a birth story and trust me I left the really gross stuff out but left it real.***

On May the 14th I was 7 months pregnant and feeling a little under the weather.  My husband begged me to go to the hospital and I said no.

On May the 15th I was still feeling bad and again my husband asked me to go to the hospital again I said no, but I promised if I was not feeling better the next day that I would go.

On May the 16th I was still not feeling well and for once I actually listened to my husband and against my better judgement I went to the hospital.

I was not bleeding and I was not having contractions, but I had a strange discharge and I was felling, well the best I can put it is, strange.  I went in to the hospital thinking I will make my husband feel better and I will be vindicated when they say that I am just tired and nothing is wrong. 

They decided after a few test that I was just dehydrated and decided to pump me full of fluid and to give me a broad spectrum antibiotic because they thought I had an infection.  It took them several time to find an I.V. because I was so dehydrated and it was actually nice to be able to lay down with all those people fussing over me.  The did a vaginal exam and stated that all was fine, I was not dilated.  Shortly after my exam I started having contractions and they got a little worried but quickly gave me medication to get them under control, over the next few hours I had two doses of the medication and my contraction finally stopped and they sent me home with the promise that I would keep drinking water and that I would see my doctor if I felt ill again.  This was around 11:00 p.m, we live about a half hour away from the hospital my husband took me to that day and had been gone most of the day so I was glad to get home and get into my bed.

Around 3:15 I was awoken by a very bad dream and a strange pain, I of course thought it was just Braxton Hicks.  After a few minutes of these strange pains I realized two things, it was contractions and they were getting really close.  I woke up my husband and told him call him mother to come stay with the kids and to get dressed because I needed to go to the ER.  He jumped into action and in no time we were on our way.  I had a serious of 7 contractions on route to the hospital, this time we went to the closer one which was only 15 minutes away. 

Once we arrived I knew things were bad because when I got out of the car I was bleeding.  I walked into the ER and was wheeled back immediately once they got me in the room to change everyone realized I was bleeding heavily and that things were not alright.  I let the nurses know that I wasn't due for 2 more months and they let me know that this baby was coming right now.  They were in the process of shaving, catheterizing and prepping me for an emergency C section when they noticed that my son was crowning.  As the doctor walked into the room he saw the situation and immediately sprang into action.  I pushed two times and out came my son, along with the placenta which as you might know is not a good thing.  Somehow my placenta had detached and that was the cause of my premature labor.  In less then 5 minutes my son was born, 3lbs 15oz and rushed to the nursery to help stabilize him and help him breath. 

I say my son for a few minutes before he was prepped and readied to head to the NICU of a different hospital 1 hour away from me.  It broke my heart when they brought him in my room in an incubator, but I was relieved that so many people were working so hard to take care of him.  The nurse practitioner assured me that they would do there best and that they would call me once he arrived and was settled.

Logan was given surfactant to help strengthen his lungs and was only on the ventilator for a few hours.  He was on oxygen for a while, but his levels were very low.  Our beautiful baby boy spent  a little over 3 weeks in the NICU and came home a whooping 5lbs.  It was one of the strangest deliveries for me and since the was #6 it was not what I expected at all. 

I learned a few things from all of this.
1. I am not as strong as I thought I was, but I am stronger then I care to admit. (crazy I know)
2. Babies are so strong and such fighters.
3. My husband is my rock and I need him, even when I don't think I do.
4. When you don't feel "normal" or "right" go to the doctor because it could be something serious.
5. NICU nurses are awesome and I am blessed for the wonderful angels that helped our family.

In the end I got my son,he is home and I got out of being 9 months pregnant during the hot summer in the California heat.  Now I am just waiting for the next crazy adventure with my family

Diapers, Diapers, and more diapers

The past few weeks we have been using disposable diapers since Logan came home and I always knew during this pregnancy that I wanted to use cloth.  I actually have a little stash started.  The only thing I don have is diaper covers so I spend the last few days looking for the best covers.  It turns out after much research that I want to give gdiapers a try.  The seem to be the best for me because I don't want to have to do a lot of extra laundry and although I will be using the washable inserts instead of the disposable it will be more convenient for me.  I have seen both the pros and cons and feel like I at least want to try them for a few weeks to make up my own mind.  I spend several house on the gdiapers website and I would of course love to have the newborn package, but right now the price is just to high for us.   Currently I am looking on eBay to get a few covers to start and if I like it then I will invest more money, right now I am hoping to win a 2 pack on twitter via  Wonder & Wander.

I look forward to testing them out and letting you know how they work.

Jayde

Happy 4th of July

This year we will be doing the solo barbeque without all the family around and I am actually looking forward to it.  My husband will be at work until 2 so It will be me and the kids home all day and my oldest daughter and I have some cooking to do and a few crafts with the girls.  My husband is getting excited about fireworks and letting the girls holds some sparklers.  I am just hoping no one gets hurt or burned.

Its the small holidays with just our close family that I really love and I am looking forward to a quiet and peaceful day of fun.  I wish your family fun and safety on this 4th of July

Terrible, Terrible 2's

Things at our house have been kind of interesting lately and its only getting worst.  A new baby is one thing, but a busy 2 year old is another.  She has taken on a new persona since dear "Baby Logan" has come home.  Scream and crying is now her new art form and believe me she has super human lungs that will disturb your nerves in only minutes.  Adding a new person to a family is never easy and adding a new person to a 2 year old life is also full of issues. 

She is a beautiful child who is ready to take on the world or at least take it apart.  L3 has been the baby for 2 years now and she played her part well.  Right now we are dealing with the terrible 2's as well as the need to be the center of attention sprinkled with the desire to be potty trained.  Its a hard cocktail to swallow, but its what is being served at house all day everyday.  I find myself losing patients with her because her Independence is unnerving to say the least during the time of shift to our family. 

L3 can be super helpful and down right dangerous in the same moment.  We decided while I was pregnant that she would never be alone with the baby at any point.  So far she has done minimal damage, but not without trying.  More and more everyday she amazes me with her ability to be the strangest, cutest, and silliest child around.  2 is a hard year for not only the adults but also the other children, she has worn out her sibling as well.  We have all decided that we will give her the chance to turn 3.  Yes she will continue to grow and change and amaze us and surprise us each day, but we hope that she will run out of some of her energy soon before we are all completely exhausted and unable to keep up with her. 

Loving, learning and looking forward to growing with her.

Happy Father's Day

Today is the day we celebrate the men in our lives who have been fathers or father figures to us or our children.  I am celebrating this day with my husband or at least we will later when he is up.  I will of course call my father and grandfather to wish them a wonderful day. 

Father's Day is both happy and sad in our family.  On this day I am reminded of my oldest daughter's father who passed away when she was still very little.  It has been 8 years now and it still makes me cry to know that he is not here to watch her grown and change.  He was a wonderful father and  not only loved our daughter but also loved my )our) son.  He came into my life with 4 children of his own and I came in with one.  It was a very complicated situation for most people but not for us.  We found a way to make it work and all 6* of our children loved our large and unusual family.  My late husband made a point to never make my son feel like he was less then.  My oldest son was only 3 when I got married but since that day he was always Louis's son and no one could deny that.  He still claims him as his first Father to this day.  He loved all of our children and it was a sad day when we lost him.  But we can look back on all the wonderful times that we had together as a family and how amazing he was as a father. 

My son and daughter are both very lucky to have had a wonderful father and to also be blessed with another man who was willing to walk into my life and take on the role of father to two that were not his own.  My current husband is younger than I and had no previous children, but came in with his eyes and heart open.  It has not been an easy road but he has stuck with it and it has paid off.  We now have a total of 6* children and 4 are ours but no one could tell that he has not been here the entire time. 

It is not easy to parent someone else's children and any man who is willing to step in and try to be not just a parent but a true father to your child is a special person.  In my life I have been lucky enough to truly fall in love 2 times and both times those men have chosen to be part of my children's life. 

So on a day like today, I celebrate the men in my family who have made my life so wonderful by being amazing fathers.  To all the fathers past, present, and future.

Note:  If you were keeping count, yes that is a total of 10 children that I have had a hand in raising over the last 16 years they don't all live with me, but they all still call me Mom. (4 step and 6 biological)

The first full week of having all the kids at home was overwhelming to say the very least.  Its not easy to juggle all the ball I had in the air and I have to admit that I am very tired. The baby is doing great he has even gained a few ounces while being at home.  We had two doctors appointments this week and we have a total of 4 next week.  My teen dd went to camp on Friday and will not return until Sunday, its a academic camp and I hope she learns something.  My son found out that college might not be in his future at least not the one he wanted to go to.  I think I can talk him into a local college at least for one year, but he keeps talking about the military.  My husband returned to work and learned that he can sleep while the children are screaming and playing during the day. 

The next few weeks I am sure will give me a chance to get into grove and be able to handle all the kids at one time.  I have to be stronger with the girls and their lack of patience when I am busy with the baby.  I have also learned the best think to do is involve the girls in the diaper changing process as much as I can.  I have also made an effort to give each girl their own time even if just a few minutes of snuggle and kissing to make sure that they know they are still important and still love. 

The only thing I am really having issue with beside the lack of sleep is finding time to do my homework with out 500 interruptions.  I guess I will have to go with my original ideal of only doing homework when someone else is at the house or when all the little kids are sleep.  It means that I get less sleep, didn't think that was possible.  Best strategy so far is to keep a week ahead in my classes so that when I have off days it wont impact my grade.

As of yesterday Logan is one month old and our life is so much different then it was 30 days ago.  I thank God everyday for all the blessing he has given us and for allowing my sweet little boy to come home. 

Jayde

Night 3 at home and it still feels strange because he is so small. He is already handling his noisey sisters like a little champ sleeping right through the yelling and screaming. Hubby had a hard time leaving him tonight to return to work. Everyday is a blessing and every night is a reminder of how lucky I am.

Jayde

A stressful joy

Logan is home and we are all thrilled that he is happy, healthy and one good looking little guy.  Things at our house have been crazy since the moment we stepped in the house with him.  In the past few nights I have had a limited amount of sleep and that's to be expected.  Our 3 youngest daughters cant seem to get enough of "baby Logan" at some point they will get bored of him but as of now they want to see him all day long.  Its cute, annoying and hard to handle when 3 girls all want to love on him at the same time.  My two teens are a different story, my 15 year old DD thinks he sounds like a cat when he cries and finds the fact that he wears preemie diapers to be really cute.  My 18 year old DS is worried about going off to college and as only spent a small amount of time with his "little bro" but he did note that this is the smallest baby he has ever seen. 

My original plan was to have a nursery ready, and to be totally prepared to welcome him home with a scheduled and organized life.  Not going to happen, I can only hope to be able to remember to feed everyone daily and hope that someone will have pity on me and help with the cleaning.  Best laid plans have gone to the way side and I just think we will have to go on the fly and hope for the best.

In the big picture yes my home is full of chaos, but it was pretty much that way before he was born.  Is it going to be hectic, yep and that is the way I like it.  I know that it might take some time but there will be a routine at some point and it wont be sleepless nights and cranky days forever.  All my kids are home and that is something that brings me a joy that I have never felt.  3 wks and 4 days was a long time to wait for him to come home and now that he is here I will enjoy all the beautiful, crazy, insane, funny, moments that are all part of my family and my family life. 

Jayde

Cartoon on the Brain

This weekend I spend a lot of time looking at and thinking about older cartoons. No, not the Bugs Bunny or Looney Tunes but ones that were out when my kids were little or when I was in high school. I have a fondness for shows like Tiny Toons, Pinky and the Brain and even Animaniacs. Its strange how those off beat shows really stick with you. My 2 older children have watched them and know most of the characters, but my younger kids have yet to really see them.

I have decided to make it my new mission to expose them to these shows because they were fun. Not like the cartoons of today that have taken insane to a new level. My 15 year old daughter is a Cartoon Network junkie and I admit that I do watch a lot of shows with her. I admit to enjoying a few shows on Disney XD, my favorite right now is Phineas & Ferb; I even have one of their songs on my Ipod. Its not that cartoons aren't funny anymore I just want to see my kids do more laughing when they watch them.

I remember really looking forward to Saturday cartoons, and that is not the case with my kids. Partly because cartoons now come on everyday and most of the cartoons on during the weekend are "educational". Who wants to be educated on a Saturday? So over the next few months I will be ordering various cartoons to add to our DVD library in the hopes that my children will find something to really laugh at. Maybe when its all said and done, I need something to laugh at and having my kids along for the ride will make it even more special.

Looks like Logan is doin much better this week, he is back in an open crib and nursing very well. We are hoping that he will be home in about a week

Today was the day that I hit the wall, I woke up crying and spent most of the day crying. What could it possibly be that was making me so sad? Well I think it was a little bit of everything and a lot of nothing. I am somewhat of a control freak, but not in a "Type A" way just in an I have to have control so that I know what is going on way. And in the last few weeks I have lost control.


My oldest son is moving on with his life and going to college in a few weeks; my youngest son is in the NICU and cannot control either situation. It felt like I was drowning and that there was no live preserver coming to save me. I spend most of the day in a funk and for some reason could not bring myself to talk to my husband. He of course was under the impression that he had did something wrong. After hours of crying and hiding in my room, I finally decided that my husband deserved to know that I was not mad at him, that I was just mad at the situation.

It’s not been an easy few weeks for us and I guess that I was trying to be strong by no letting my emotions out, by not crying, by not being true to myself. It never works out well when you deny your feelings or when you try not feeling what is going on with your inner self. My emotions are complicated and compounded by so many things going on right now and it just seems that when you have hit the wall it really hurts. I know that I have to look at the bright side of things and remind myself that my oldest son moving on is a good thing and shows that I have somewhat prepared him to go on and live life after high school. My youngest son is in the NICU but he is doing well, he might not be making daily progress but the fact that he is steady and not going backwards is a victory in itself.

My husband held me for a long time this afternoon and I allowed him to do it and that was what we both needed. I have to keep him in the loop and remember that we are in this together and when I need to fall he will be there to catch me and I will do the same for him. We look forward to the next few weeks and the challenges that they will bring and we know that together we can face them together as long as we turn to each other and keep looking at the bright side.

Underpressure

The other evening after a long day of worrying about money and not spending enough time with my children at home or my baby in the hospital I had a mini breakdown. My husband decided the only way to make me feel better was to take me to see our son late one night. This was Thursday and although I thought it was too late it turned out to be one of the best visits we had with Logan.

He was alert and hungry when we got there and it gave me a chance to breast feed him, which he not only latch but he ate like a champ. We did not spend a lot of time there but it was enough for me to get my baby fix, for Logan to have some time with us and more importantly for me to feel like I spend enough time with both sets of kids.

This truly is the most difficult part of all being so far away from Logan and never feeling like I give enough to all of my kids. The guilt is overwhelming and I fear it will not get any better even after he is home. I hope to be able to visit him Saturday, but it all depends on our finances which have taken a beating since all this started.

That is the second worst thing about this entire situation. Having to choose between something for my kids at home or being able to visit my son. I will be glad when all of this is over and I can go back to our normal life, or at least a somewhat normal life.

The ungraduation graduate, graduates

Well it looks like there are miracles in this world still today; I received a call from the school counselor that my son will be able to graduate. He actually did all the work he was supposing to and took advantage of as much extra credit as he could. In the last few weeks of school I saw him doing homework (imagine my surprise). He even reminded his sister to bring her note cards to math class so she could get her full credits. What does this mean to me; well it showed that when my son is under the gun he can do the work. What did my son learn that waiting to the last minute makes more work for you in the long run? Yes, he will walk across the stage this evening and yes I will be super proud. When I wrote my earlier post about him not graduation a large weight was sitting on my chest and I really felt like my kid was the only kid in the world not to put on the cap and gown. I know now that many kids have issues and don't graduate for some reason or the other, and that some have to find their own path to graduation. My son watched several of his friends have to change schools near the end of the year and go to an alternative school because they had no other choice, he also watched a few friends just give up and decide to go another route to graduation. I love that he made the choice to fight for graduation, that he got to go on his grad night trip to Disney Land and that he is looking forward to putting on his gown later today. In a few weeks he is scheduled to leave for college in Fresno and I am excited and scared for him. I see this as a new an important chapter in his life and I also know from our experience this last few months that he has to do things on his own, I cannot force him to do anything. As he goes into each new phase of his life, my role is changing from the hands on parent to the listening and giving advice parent. It’s not an easy transition to make and I admit I had serious guilt about my choices as they days grew closer to graduation. I stuck to my guns and allowed him to grown and learn and it worked out for the best, for him. In the next few hours I will start thinking of the child I walked to preschool, kindergarten and elementary school and the young man who wouldn't allow me to walk him to middle school. It has been a very long, interesting and complicated journey with my son and I look forward to the rest of the journey and all the surprises that it holds for both of us.

Update on Logan 6/3/10

Logan is doing better, he was out of his isolet for a day, but is back in which is OK with me.  He is nippling a lot better and he got his hep B shot today.  He is no longer on the feeding tube and that is an improvement we were waiting on.  Only things being monitored are his heart rate and respiratory.  We take all his progress in stride and know that with the grace of GOD he will be home soon. 

Born the year of the Tiger with a fighting spirit!

Today I spent several hours with my son at the hospital and it was wonderful. In the back of my mind I was thinking about my girls and how much I have been away from them. It's be hard to try and jugle my life at the hospital and at home. This week coming up is going to be very stressful, it's graduation we for my preschooler and my senior (fingers crossed). My husband and I know we just won't be able to see him much this week due to scheduling conflicts. It's going to be difficult and I am not sure if this will be my breaking point. Our son is making slow and steady progress and we hope he will be home soon, but until then we remain stressed, blessed and obsessed with keeping our lives together our family together and our faith in the lord that all will soon be right.

Two weeks of relaxation

After our son was born, the instructions from the doctor were as follows.

1. Increase your daily water intake.
   
2. Keep a list of foods daily to monitor your calorie intake.
   
3. Sleep as much as possible
   
4. Do not lift anything more that 20lbs.
   
5. Sit with legs elevated as much as possible.
   
6. Take it easy for the next 14 days, no housework, no stressful activates.
   

Well I would love to say that I followed all the instructions to the letter, but I wasn't even close. I have tried to watch the amount of calories I intake because I am making breast milk and it takes a lot to produce and maintain my body. I have significantly increased my water so much that I think you could hear the ocean if you listened to my belly button. Sleeping is out because I am pumping every 2-3 hours and it's hard to get quality sleep that way. Lifting my toddler doesn't count on the not lifting things that weight more than 20lbs right, I mean how else would she get to bed, out of bed, on the changing table and off the changing table. Sitting with my legs elevated was necessary, because I would swell on a daily basis if I was on my feet for too long, which I was just about every day for the first week. The no housework rule went out the window on day two and I haven't slowed down much on that one because well I like to be able to see my floor.

The sad part about all this is that my husband is currently on medical leave due to the sudden arrival of our baby and I still could not find a way to really take it easy or relax. I am the mother so I guess that makes me the first line of defense when the kids want or need something. We could both be on the sofa and the kids will come to me and my hubby won't hear them make a request. It was somewhat annoying to have him always ask why are you up or why can't you relax, I finally had to tell him that it's not in my nature and that he needed to be more diligent if he wanted to keep me on the couch. Well thank goodness my 14 days are almost over because all this relaxing and rest is driving me crazy. I guess I should have tried harder to take advantage, but as I mentioned before it's just not in my nature and really isn't possible when you have 5 kids at home and a husband who really doesn't know what it takes to keep the house running each day. Well back to resting, I have some homemade cinnamon buns to put in the oven.

Update on Logan

This week was a good week for our son.  He is no longer on oxygen and they are no longer monitoring his O2 level and he is nippling.  We had a chance to try breastfeeding on Friday and although he did latch on like a champ he only drank for a few minutes.  Its was very satisfying to have him no matter how short it was.  He still has a feeding tube but is on no IV fluids and he has gained weight and is over the 4lbs mark.  We are looking forward to more progress as each day approaches and as always can not wait until he comes home. 

Another great visit

We had another visit with L4 yesterday and it was short but sweet. We only got to spend about an hour and a half with him but it was great because we got to hold him almost the entire time. L4 is doing very well, he has all his IV's removed and is only taking breast milk right now. He has gained weight and is now above the 4lb mark. Soon we will be able to try to nipple or nurse him once the doctor gives the all clear. He still is on oxygen, but it's very low and he has a feeding tube until he starts to show more interest in nipple feeds. The prognosis is good for our little man to be home in a few weeks. We won't be able to see him until Friday, but I hope that it is another visit filled with good news and good feelings. I am so grateful to the wonderful nursing staff at the hospital where he is staying, they make me feel confident that when I leave he is well taken care of and that helps me sleep at night. Praying for a speedy recovery.

The waiting game

Our son was born just over a week ago and our lives have been turned upside down. It is a different chaos from when you bring your child home from the hospital. I have been on a roller coaster of emotions and I feel like the ride is never going to end. He was two months early and that scared me, he is only 3lbs and that also scares me.


It doesn’t feel like I gave birth, because he is not here for me to hold and cuddle. It’s not easy to get up for pumping as it would be if I were nursing a baby. I feel a little hollow right now, because I got a new baby, but not all the joy that comes with a new baby. It’s a strange feeling to know that my child is over an hour away from me and I can only see him every other day. It’s been hard to explain to my small children that L4 is staying at the hospital because he is sick and needs extra care that mommy & Daddy cannot give him.

I look at his picture everyday and feel a big hole in my heart. I feel like it might be hard for me to bond to my newest child because I am missing so much of his days. It seems silly because he won’t remember not being in my arms, but I will. My husband and I are trying to be there for each other, but it’s difficult because now money is tight, we have had very little sleep and we are stressed with all the driving and just trying to be there for all of our children. I have hope that my precious little man will come home soon and we will be able to take care of him and put all of this behind us. I dream of him every night and cannot wait to add him to our already crazy life. It’s not the easiest road I have ever taken, but I am glad to take this journey if at the end I get to meet my little man and hold him in my arms.

Welcome to our newest member

During the first week of my new babies life things have been very crazy.  Logan R. Norman was born on Monday and transferred to a hospital over an hour away.  It has been very difficult for myself and my husband to travel there each day not just because of money but because of our other obligation. 

Our youngest children still need us to be here for them and that has been the hardest thing to handle.  I am trying to be in two places at once and its just not working.  The recommendation from the doctors is for me to rest and take it easy for 2 weeks.  Not really something that I can do while running back and forth to the hospital and trying to keep life normal for the little ones who are at home. 

My teens have not been the best help during this trying time and that has added to my stress.  Money is a major issue right now because my husband is not working in order to help me keep the house running and being able to transport me to the hospital.  My stress level needs to stay low in order for me to keep up my ability to produce milk. 

Trying to keep a store of milk for my little man is a lot of work as many of you know.  Its not easy to build up a supply while your baby is so far away.  I am working on pumping every 2 hours but it just seems to be impossible to stay on a schedule.  I know that its only been a few days and I hope that things settle down a little in the days to come.  My biggest happiness is that my son is OK and has very few issues and I hope that it remains that way.  I also am grateful for my health at this time, now all I need is some way to keep my sanity until they baby comes home and then of course I will lose it again. 

Our dear sweet baby boy has arrived. He is 2 months early and doing as well as can be expected and holding his own. He willbw in the NICU for a while and that means a lo of car time for mommy and daddy. He is a handsome little fellow who came into the works on his own terms.
Logan Ray was 3lbs 14 oz at birth and 21 inches long. We look for his health to continue to improve and can't wait until we can bring him home.

The ungraduated son

This is one of the hardest blogs for me to write, but I feel if I get if off my chest I can have some peace.  I am the mother of an 18 year old boy who might not graduate.  Now I know that its not the end of the world because he can go to an alternative school and graduate or even go on line and repeat the 12 grade.  It would have been nice to know that my son is going to walk with the rest of the students in his class and it brings me shame and embarrassment to know that my son has not worked to his fullest potential and has basically wasted his time and our money during this last year. 

My son was to attend college in the summer, and play football for a local city college and that dream is now out of reach.  I have spend this entire year reminding him that only he can pass the 12th grade.  I am usually a person who would yell and scream and demand that he does his homework and so on and so forth.  This time I took a different approach because my son is a lot like me and does not respond well to threats.  He has had every opportunity to get his needed credits, everyone has bent over backwards forwards and sideways for him, but he just doesn't seem to care.  So I have decided to let him fail and see how he pulls his butt out of the fire.  I am in no way looking for a last second miracle to happen in this case I have conceded to the fact that I will not have a graduate this year and if and when he graduates it will be on his own terms. 

Since he was a child school has never been his favorite thing and he has always had difficulty.  He has ADD but we have been dealing with that and I feel it has gotten better.  I pray that everyone else would understand that at some point his future needs to be in his own hands and letting him fall on his face is they decision that I have made.  In the next 20 days school will be over and no he will not be the only kid in our town, not to graduate, but I wish that it was different.  I really wish that I was going to be in the stadium and would hear them announce my son as a graduate of 2010.  My next child is due to graduate in 2012 and I hope it will be an easier road with her then it was with him.  I love my son and wish him the best of luck and most of all I hope to see him find his way in the world and learn from his mistakes.

Mother's Day Pride

Happy Mother's day to all current, past and future mother.  This mother's day I was given the gift of sleep by my oldest DD, she did a wonderful thing by letting her old mom sleep in.  She also made homemade biscuits and gravy while watching the children so I am really impressed. 

On this day I look back at all the wonderful things that my mother did for me.  I am not now and have never been a perfect daughter and so I give a special thanks to my mother for putting up with all of my issues and crap.  My mother was a single mom with two kids to care for and one of them was sick.  It was not easy for her to work a full time job with an every changing schedule and still be a full time mom and dad to both me and my little brother.  She was almost always there and even when she wasn't she made sure that we knew it was because she had no other chose.  I applaud my mom for her teaching me that nothing is perfect, nothing is easy and nothing is promised.  I look at my children and hope that they know there is nothing I would not do for them.  I have one person in my life who has never let me down and that is my mother.  I would give anything to be half the parent that she is and was.  As this mother's day goes on, I will continue to think of the wonderful and imaginative way that she parented and the confidence that she gave me to just be me.  I look forward to many more mother's day with my own children.  So to my mother, my grandmothers, and my great grandmothers I say thank you and I love you for each of you has influenced me in some special way and without you I wouldn't be who I am today.

I love my Mom

So close, yet so far

A note to my son at 29 weeks

Dear little boy, you and I have been on this journey for a few months now and I have to tell you that I am very excited to see us getting closer and closer to the end.  I know that we still have a long way to go before we get to meet face to face but its getting really exciting now.  I have had dreams about you and all night I wonder what you are going to look like (more like me we hope).  Its been an interesting time with your big sister making me reevaluate my decision to have another child on an almost hourly basis.  You and I spend plenty of time together now, but what will it be like once you are here.  Are you going to like the house filled with people, will you be able to go down for a nap in the middle of all this insanity.  Are you going to be like L1 and jump at every noise or are you going to be like L2 & L3 who could sleep through anything. 

There are so many question that I have about you and for you and I look forward to discovering the answers with you.  My major concern right now is a name for you, we are still having issues in that area and I am on the losing time this time.  I hope that your father and I can come together and give you a name that fits you. 

As we continue our journey please note that yes, its always this loud in our house, yes there are a lot of people living here and yes you will be loved by all of them.  There are many sleepless night ahead for us to discuss the rest of the matters but for now we are on this ride together and I want you to know that no matter what I am very happy to be with you.  I look forward to welcoming you into the world, the only thing I ask is that you make it a quick and painless process for your old mother. SMILE

Love and Kisses from your mommy

Why is marriage a crime

When did being married become a sin? Why do all my single friend act as if I have given up my freedom. It's true that I can no longer go out at the drop of a hat, but I have a family. When did it become a crime to want a family and to actually enjoy it? I am no longer on speed dial for many of my single friends and I am ok with that. You come to a point when you realize your friendships have changed and again, I am ok with that. I love the few nights out that I have with my girlfriends and hope that we can continue as friends, I just want them to respect my life choices as I have respect for theirs. Single ladies, cut us some slack, it our friendships that ground us and keep us sane.  One day you to could be in the same boat as us and you will want us to be there for you.

A Rose by any other name

Dealing with powdery fungus on my roses this season, plus aphids is really driving me nuts. I hope that in the next few weeks to have my beautiful roses back. Here's to gardening with success.

The single Married mother

 I am a happily married mother of five going on six kids. I have a husband who works 5 days a week and goes to school full time. I too go to school, but I also take care of the kids and run the house on a daily basis. It has come to my attention that even days that he is off I am the primary care giver to our children. Do not get me wrong he does help with little things, like dropping kids off at school, and he now helps with giving baths since it is hard for me to bend over now. I have been a single parent before when I had my first child and it was hard, but I had the help of my mother. It is not that he is not capable of doing things; he just does not do them. Old school parents who believe that a man has his job and a woman has hers raised him. My mother on the other hand primarily raised me and I believe that it should be an equal thing when it comes to kids.

My husband and I go to be at the same hour, but I get up several hours before he does, to cook and clean and deal with the kids. He gets up eats, and then goes to work out or goes to do his homework. I do not have that luxury; I have to get up before the kids do just to take a shower by myself. I often find myself wondering how in the world I have allowed this to go on for so long. You would think that I would have noticed this after the first few kids’ right, well I did but I just let it be and now I really have no supporting arguments. Therefore, I have put myself in this position and here is where I will continue to be. I have 2 kids who can take care of themselves, but my 3 youngest are a real handful and I just wish I could get him to understand it’s not easy to do it all alone. He does see me struggle and always tells me that I do too much, but if I did not do it who would. With baby #6 on the way, I know that I will be up late at night and early in the morning because there will be no help from my husband and he will not lose any sleep over this. Does this make him a bad person, nope, but it does make me an idiot for allowing it to go on for so long and not being able to change it.

In the larger picture I am grateful for my husband he does love me and the children and even if he is not really helpful around the house or with the kids I should be happy that he is here and makes the money. I have chosen to take it all in stride and hope for the best as each child gets older I will hopefully get more free time (right). I wish that I could just explain my need for help for the 100th time and he would get it but I have decided it is not worth it and I guess I will get some sleep in about what 7 - 10 years from now. In addition, just think he wants me to get a full time job on top of all of this and still be able to take care of everyone and the house and go to school. I think I will go back to work and then hire a house cleaner and a nanny to give me a hand since I am not getting one from him.

That is my gripe for the week and I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend.

How Much Time is Too Much?

Recently I was watching a show that stated that women make their own workload; they were talking about stay at home moms.  Is it true do we creates hectic schedule so that people will feel sorry for us or do we actually have busy days? 
I have to admit that a lot of times there are moments in my day when I do get to sit down and enjoy a moment or two too myself and although they are few and far between it does happen.  In a typical day, I do cook, clean, and take care of the children and that does take a lot of time but I believe that I do actually have more time then I admit to my husband and myself.  For the next few weeks I am really going to re-evaluate how much time I spend doing each chore and how much time I spend alone.  Sleeping, eating and schoolwork will not count as free time, but time on the computer and time watching TV will.  I know that with three little girls' home all day I am very busy at times and I know that I also have down time when the youngest one is napping and the oldest one is at school. 
Does this mean that my day is not hectic?  Does this mean that I do not actually do as much as I think I do?  Not sure of the answer right now, but I know that this little experiment might help me learn that I can do things more efficient or that I can do them differently.  Therefore, as of Monday I will seriously look at my daily schedule to see when I am the busiest and what things I can move around to help me produce a more productive day.

Back on the horse

  Well its been a while since I last posted and I have to say not much has changed. We have been in our usually mode of chaos and craziness. I have been getting great checkups with my doctor my only issue is I have to gain some weight (never heard that before), only 3 pounds but its important for me and the baby. Our little boy is getting closer to being part of our loving little family here I am just a week away from the third trimester. We are about to celebrate yet another birthday on Saturday, our Laila will be 4 and she is ready for her birthday to get her. She asked when her birthday was the other day and I said "its right around the corner", note to self don't say that to a 3 year old because she was looking around corners for days. The weather is getting nicer the days are getting longer and its getting close to that wonderful thing called spring break here for us, and then of course summer vacation. I will be trying to post more often as soon as I find a rhythm with my homework and my house work and I have to admit still not having a laptop is not cool. I look forward to the day I can order my mac book and my life will be good again. Well back to the grind, gotta get ready to pick up Lily from preschool and head to the health fair at the kids school.

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The View Recap: Week March 8 -12

Monday March 8th:  Ok, this week on the view they started without Whoopi and I was of course dissapointed since she makes the show funner, but it was still a good start.  Well Vanessa Williams joined the gang and I always feel sorry for the guest host because they don't get to talk and of course it happended again.  They talked about the confession that could free Amanda Knox and the Jaycee Dugard tape that was realease to the media asking for privacy.  They also discussed the teenager who went missing Chelsea King and how her body was located after mising for almost two weeks.  Also Sherri joined them via skype to talk about her time on the red carpet. 
Tuesday March 9th:  Whoopi and Sherri were both back and i really enjoyed the show.  Andy Garcia and his daughter Dominik Garcia-Lorido were on the show to talk about thier new movie City Island. I enjoyed seeing a non dysfunctional family who can work together.  I wish the interview had been longer.  The also had some authors on to discuss their book, Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation.  I have to tell you that was a very intersting segment and I have decided that it is on my list of books to read. 
Wednesday March 10th:  All the co host were on this episode and one of my favorite actors Forest Whitaker came to discuss his new movie, Our Family Wedding.  He also taked about his movie with Jude Law, Repo Men.  I have to admit that I would like to go see the family movie and my son wants to see Repo Men.  It was a good interview.  Last but not least former governor Jesse Ventura was there with his new book, American Conspiracies, it will not be on my list of  must reads but he is alway very entertaining. 
Thursday March 11th:  Sir Elton John was there and it was just more then I could handle.  I was looking forward to this episode all week, and as usually he did not dissapoint.  Eric McCormack was there to discuss his new Lifetime movie, Who is Clark Rockefeller?  I am looking forward to watching that its recording right now.  I have missed him and was sad to see that his last show was not continued.  National Enquirer's Barry Levine was also there to talk abou the fact that they have been on the front of a lot of breaking news stories lately which is not how things were previously.  I still wont read it but it is intersting to know that they do actually have real journalist working there. 
Friday March 12th:  Sad to say that I was unable to see this one because it was not recorded. Christopher Walken, Carolina Herrera, Carol Leifer were on and I will be watching it in the moring after the kids go down for a nap on the internet.

“I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.”

http://www.momcentral.com/

Reflections

This week was to say the least one of the most interesting of the month for me. I turned 37 on March 10and I have to tell you it was not scary at all. I found out on Tuesday that we are expecting a little boy in July, my husband is beside himself with joy. It was a week full of reflecting on where I have been and focusing on where I need to go. I finished another set of classes and I actually found the time to fit in study time and class time. I have a planned strategy for myself and my children when it comes to my school time and it might actually work. My girls started a new playgroup that is twice a week and I have committed to getting them there both days regardless of how I feel. Its good to let them have some free range time, plus it allows me some gossip time. I look forward to next week bringing new surprises and new challenges. Here's to being one year older and just a little bit wiser.

General Hospital in Review March 1-5

Well with Elizabeth trying to take control of her future I have hope for her, but not for Nikolas who still has hope for a future with her. Has he not seen the look in her eyes when Lucky walks into a room. Sonny is still walking a fine line with Dante and Micheal and I can not wait for the truth to come out. I am sick of Sonny and Carly holding on to this secret for all the wrong reasons. Alexis would do double time to help out Micheal and so would Jacks. Not sure if I like the story line with Johnny and Ethan, still a little annoyed with him being such a jackass.

“I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.”

the View Week in Review March 1-5

Well lets start with The View, Whoopi was missing in action most of the week and I have to admit that its just not as funny when she is not there. I will say that my favorite interview of the week was with Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes, I wished it had been longer. I liked having Valerie Bertinelli on, but she did not really get a chance to talk. What was up with Robert Pattinson's hair on all the interviews he had this week. I am not a big fan of his and that hair really annoyed me. I will be watching Monday for the Oscar recap with Sherri Sherphard. Oh and I could not believe that Barbara got the guest confused on Thursday.

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.”

  http://www.momcentral.com/

Weekly update for Feb 28- March 6

This past week was crazy and I am glad its over. I have fallen off of the wagon when it comes to being prepared for dinner every night. I have given up on being able to go to my classes on Thursday evening because my kids are just too wild. This week it was cold, wet and just insanity everyday and it felt like no matter what I tried to do it just didn't work. I have decided to change the way I deal with each issue. Meal planning must be done on Sunday if I am to survive the week without going on a bender. Thursday is now craft night for the kids, they will have pages to color, Playdoh, construction paper art, and anything else that I can think of to keep them busy. I am working with my oldest daughter to set up the art center weekly so we can both stop all the yelling that happens and cut down on the stress. My older kids have actually kept up with their chores except on Fridays because my son never comes home on Friday. As we jump into the weekend we hope that next week will be less stress and more productive then last and I hope that I will become a better parent and wife.

General Hospital

I have to admit that I have been a long time fan of GH and I love the fact that most of the characters have not changed over the year. I also have to admit that I am a bit disappointed in the story line with Lucky, Nicolas and Elizabeth. I was sure they would go a different route when it came to the paternity test for Elizabeth, but as soon as the showed Helena in the lab paying off the tech I turned it off (just for a minute). I can not have another baby switching incident l just cant (dramatic pause). I was really hoping we would go a new and interesting way with this but alas its not the case. I will still watch and support GH, but really could we have not come up with something better. What do you think?

The View: Week 22-26, my view

This week on the view there were several good shows that I really enjoyed watching.

Monday,Senator Evan Bayh came on and I would have like them to have more time with him, it seemed he just wasn't able to answer all the questions that were flying at him. From what I have read about him, his decision to quite was not easy. They also talked about credit card regulations and the things you have to look out for with Jordan E. Goodman. Also on the discussion board was their reactions to the Tiger Woods interview.

Tuesday's show included Ricky Gervais and the cast of the Jersey Shore, I have to admit that I am not a big fan of the Jersey shore and was not really interested in the interview but I did sit through the entire thing. I have to admit I felt like I really could feel how Whoopi and Joy were feeling. I just think I am too old to get into the show and really give a crap about the cast. I tried to watch a few episodes with my Son who is 18 and I just got annoyed. To those of you who enjoy the show more power to you and enjoy. Ricky Gervais on the other hand is one of my favorite and I had a blast watching and I have already started watching his new show on HBO it’s a scream. I just love the conversations that he and his friends have and it’s actually a show my sister and I enjoy.

On Wednesdays show, I was very surprised to see Nadya Suleman on the show and was somewhat put off by some of the questions but I thought for the most part it was a good interview. I also did not think it was nice of them to keep calling her the Octomom to her face. I did like the line of questions they did have and I hope that this women can figure out a way to take care of these 14 children and heal her family as well as herself. I know a lot of people did not like that she was on the show, but she was not paid for the interview and I believe that no matter how you feel about her she is a Hot Topic.

Thursday was all about infertility and they had Bill and Giuliana Rancic who are dealing with that issue very openly on their show. It was a good interview and I have to admit that I agreed with Whoopi, if you really want a baby you would gain the 5-10 pounds. It was interesting to see the couple where the man was the infertile one and the two women who are older and still trying to conceive. I myself have not had issue with infertility but I know many who have and it’s a serious and hard issue to deal with and I hope that the information that was provided helped someone.

Friday was a little less serious, on were Regis and Joy Philbin and I have to say it was nice to see Regis in such a good mood. I loved that they performed together. There was also a segment on yet another way for weight loss with The F-Factor Diet, Tanya Zuckerbrot. Fiber and protein with every meal should help you lose weight, well we shall see. Dr Gadget was also back with some fabulous gadgets from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that was my favorite segment.

I am looking forward to next week when they will have Robert Pattinson, Lisa Kudrow not to mention Wesley Snipe and Don Cheadle. See you next week.

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.”

http://www.momcentral.com/

One of the best games I think anyone could come up with and I am happy that I got it for my children. I purchased the Uno Farm game for my kids this christmas and they love it and I would recommend this product to anyone with young children. They seem to have a better time with this over candy land or chutes and ladders so I suggest if you can go out and get it.

Rounding Up

It is less then a week until my younges dauther turns 2 year old and I have to say that its a very exciting and interesting time in her life and I am sad to see her get a year older. She is a wonderful child who is ready to be a 2 year old and ready to run with the rest of the kids in the house on a more equal footing. I know that for most 2 is not a big deal but in our family its really the end of being a baby. She will be working on potty trainging and has a wonderful vocabulary and its just funny how much has changed in just a year. I am amazed at how much she has learned and how much she has changed. I look forward to welcoming this new adventure with this little lady and I hope to be able to welcome many more years with her. On Monday March 1st she will be 2 and I hope that she has a wonderful and exciting day filled with love and family who will always be here for her.

Where will the day take you?

Today is the day that I have vowed to keep my temper and wits about me for the next 24 hours. I have not been the best parent this week while dealing with a few stressful situations. I admit that I have a lot of short comings and that my temper has always been one of them, mainly because I have very little patients. Its funny to think that I can not go an entire day without yelling, but also sad to think I do yell basically from the time I get up to the time my kids go back to bed. Its been a real struggle this month to handle all of the things going on in our family and trying to get ready for the life altering adjustments we are all going to make this summer. Instead of working on changing my children and making them better, I have decided to start with me, it only seems right. I am not trying to become a "perfect parent", but my goal is to be a better, more patient,parent. So lets see where this day takes us and hope that it last at least 24 hours and that this is the start of a new beginning for me.