Rick's Christmas Present

I couldn't wait until Christmas to give Rick his present.



Well, actually his present couldn't wait. A new little White Lab.



She has made herself at home with her new big sister.

Christmas list

For all of those asking, here are some Christmas ideas for the kids:



Tabitha: Money or anything Hanna Montana.



Christah: Money, anything High School Musical, or anything crafty (she loves to knit, crochet, and cross stitch).



Ricky: Cars, Cars the movie, Hot Wheels, Legos, and puzzles. He wears a size 8 in clothes.



Bri: She loves taking care of her baby dolls like mama takes care of the baby and could use accessories for them like strollers, carriers, etc. She also LOVES blocks, like the little old fashioned wooden blocks and also loves the wooden board puzzles.



Dani: Size 2T (this will be a little big now, but 18 months is getting tight). She also loves wooden blocks and anything she can put things in and out of.



Izzy: Crib toys, she likes things that light up and play music.



I only mentioned clothes sizes for 2 kids because they are the only ones who don't have a overload of clothes. All the rest of the kids have so many clothes that they don't all fit in the dressers and closets.



Group gifts: Wii games (I have some on our amazon wish list, but don't hesitate to buy used from game stop because those little games can be expensive), All the kids love Veggie Tales either movies or music, Coloring books and crayons always make good gifts too, We all also love games (card games and board games).



As for Me and Rick, there are some things that I would like to buy for the kitchen (like bigger pans and cookie sheets) so gift cards/money so I can put it together and get some of these things would be nice. You could also go into any craft store and buy something and I would love it (Chrisi gets her love of knitting, crocheting, and cross stitch from me). For Rick, he also loves money. He has been hoping to buy a new R/C car to keep in his truck so I am sure he would put it towards that.

Our amazon list has plenty of ideas in it, I just checked it and updated it and put a link on the side of the blog.

Back to the ER

Well, I have made my second trip to the ER in just over a week. This time it was Dani.

Last night she did a perfect somersault/flip off the couch, she cried a few seconds, nothing big. Seemed fine so we all headed to bed. She was cranky last night, but I thought it was because she is coming down with the same cold we have been sharing. Today she was cranky and wanted to be held just about all the time (Dani is not a cuddler so this is very unusual for her). Tonight, I realized she hasn't been using her left arm, then I noticed a small bruise, then I noticed that her left shoulder looked different from her right, then she wouldn't let me move her arm. So we loaded up and headed to the ER to have my diagnoses of a broken collar bone confirmed. She was given a sling, but won't keep her arm in it. The nurses were all quite surprised at how much she can move her arm.

Update on B

I figure this will be the easiest way to update everyone on Beep.

First, for those who don't know, last week Beep started acting like she was going to be sick so rick took her to the bathroom, upon the realization that she was too young to know how to hit the toilet he let her walk to me in the kitchen while he went after a towel or bucket for her. About 1/2 way to me she started loosing her balance and passed out and threw up at the same time. She went white, then blue, and we called 911. When the paramedics arrived they looked her over and took her blood sugar (it was way high, 212), then we headed to the hospital. She perked up about a hour after we arrived at the hospital and was hopping around the ER like a frog. He blood sugar came down to 150 while we were at the hospital, they didn't seem worried about it, and because she perked up and was acting fine they decided to send us home.

She had one more episode where she woke up in the morning vomiting, but other than that she has been fine.

All Beep's test results from the hospital came back normal (blood work and a CAT scan).

Glucose tests all came back normal, so no diabetes.

The Upper GI also came back normal. So we still have no clue what caused this.

I haven't talked to the doctor again so I am not sure where we are going from here. The last thing that was mentioned was maybe she just got too wound up or stressed.

"Grow A Frog" Update

After reading through some old posts, I do not believe I ever updated on our tadpoles.

Here is the post if you don't remember:
http://mama2my6littleones.blogspot.com/2008/03/our-next-science-project.html

WELL, Rick ended up taking the kids to the golf course and came back with MILLIONS of little tadpoles. We put them in 2 of our aquariums and waited for them to grow into beautiful frogs.....

And watched them swim......

And watched them swim.....

a month later, guess what? we were still watching tadpoles swim.....

and Swim.....

3 months later, we were down several thousand tadpoles, and we were looking at the remaining, still swimming, ARGH!!!!

Yesterday, Ricky asked me, "what ever happened to those tadpoles?". HAHA

Now that we have had a lesson on how tadpoles die and disappear, I think I will purchase the "grow a frog" kit.

How do I do it?

This is a question I am asked, OFTEN! So here is the answer....

When I am up at 2:30 (like right now) still trying to get one to bed or feeding the baby or still doing dishes or still doing laundry or just wanting one minute to blog(yep, there are a lot of things that keep me up late), I remember that someday I will miss my kids being young.

When there is more than one child wanting my attention, I remember kids grow fast.

When I have carried both my one year old and 4 month old for the last hour and my arms now feel like they are going to fall off(because there is some button that makes them cry as soon as I even act like I may put them down) I remember that they are only small enough for me to hold and cuddle 2 at once for a short time and this time is precious.

When I have complete and total chaos in the house, I see how much fun they are all having and the smiles on their faces and this makes me smile.

When I can't talk on the phone because they suddenly have a dozen questions for me as soon as the phone rings, I remember that they are growing and learning with every question they ask.

When I can't go to the bathroom alone, I realize that someday I will be able to and I will likely be wishing I wasn't so alone.

So even when things are not "picture perfect", I wouldn't trade a moment with my kids for ANYTHING because every moment with them is PERFECT.

Now I have to go cuddle Boo who just woke up because she has a awful cold. Looks like she will be sleeping with me, something I am sure I will miss someday so I am going to take full advantage of elbows and feet jabbing me all night and enjoy every moment of it.

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

We were supposed to go see Veggie Tales Live, however after adding up the $20 per kids plus me, gas, food, and all the souvenirs I would end up buying, I decided it would be much much cheaper to simply buy the movie and a new DVD player. "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" is now the preferred movie in the house, officially watched atleast twice a day. A close second is Kung Foo Panda (oh and if you get a chance and want a quick laugh, ask ricky to say "Kung Foo Panda")

Also the movie sing along extra is a great way to wear down a 2 year old.....
(BTW, ignore the mess, first we were trying on all our hockey stuff to be sure it fits this year then ate dinner in the living room so we could watch our new Veggie Tales movie)

You also may want to go to the bottom of this page and mute the music before clicking play



Beep went on like this for about a hour, then after a quick bath we didn't hear from her until morning :)

8 pounds 7 ounces

Nope, not the baby's weight, that is how much candy we got trick or treating. The final candy score is:

Dani - 1 lb 6 oz
Bri - 1 lb 10 oz
Ricky - 1 lb 13.2 oz
Chrisi - 1 lb 13.5 oz

And the winner is:

Tabi - 1 lb 13.7 oz

Now for some pictures:

Halloween Pictures

Better then TV!

Dani has found something that is better than the TV...


That would be mama's new dryer. She stood there for about 20 minutes watching the clothes go around and around and round and round and round. ok maybe she was hypnotized? Or maybe it was because she needed a diaper change and we were waiting for her diapers to dry so we could change her?


Then she saw me with the camera....

Can you tell we just finished off the bag of Cheetos?

2 Year old bed hog...

Where do you sleep when you share your bed with a 2 year old bed hog??????

If you are wondering, here is how a 2 year old hogs a bed....

Retro Technicolor

We have some kind of electrical gremlin visiting our house. He moved in 2 weeks ago and I named him "Brownie" because he moved in after the brown out last week. Since then he has claimed a number of our electrical items. First our DSL box, then each of our computers. I got them all back up and running by the next day, but you would have thought it was the end of the world for the kids. This was my first clue that I need to "unplug" my kids.

The next thing to go was my bedroom TV, AAAHHHHH! (Maybe mom needs to be unplugged too.)

We had a brief scare with the Wii. I think I would have cried with that one, especially with what we went through to get it.

Then the living room dvd player went, followed by ricky's DVD player in his room, then our spare DVD player, then the girls DVD player..... (yes we really do have that many DVD players, one more clue we need to be unplugged) Well, no more DVD's for us.

Then our Direct TV box mysteriously reset last night and began telling us that all the channels were not available in our area. hmmmm. After a few hours with a daughter thinking she would NEVER see Hanna Montana again, another Daughter worried about the next episode of Wizards of Waverly Place, a son who was just going to die if he missed Sponge Bob, and Beep who was beside herself because she was watching Callou when it went out, I sat on the phone with a clueless tech support girl and finally got it working. Order is restored. hmmm, so my kids watch too much tv?

Then the Girls TV went out, this is starting to get frustrating. Did I mention it has been less than a week since "Mr. Brownie" arrived? It is time for him to leave, NOW!

So the girls got my old TV from the garage that is like 30 years old (literally, I remember watching it in my parents basement when I was their age), I also gave them my original Nintendo game system. They have been playing Duck Hunt, and LOVE it. I confess I have been playing it too. The next thing we did was dusted off the old VHS tapes and the VCRs, and watched Marry Poppins in "technicolor". Remember when technicolor was the greatest thing????? Not so great now, kinda looks like someone colored the movie with a pack of bright crayola markers.

I guess this means we are going Retro, "In Technicolor"! At lease until I get to the store to buy a new DVD player. The crazy part, is the kids love it?!?!? They told me tonight that it was neat to do things like mommy did "back then". hmph :/

New blog

I am starting a new blog dedicated to my crafty side, Stitchin Mama Boutique.

http://stitchinmamaboutique.blogspot.com/

I am taking the advice of the many people who have told me that I should sell the things I make. I am working hard, making some cute boutique items, and heading to my first craft show next week.

Flour Hockey

You know why you put flour on your counter before rolling out dough, so nothing sticks. Well when that flour ends up on the floor and you have hockey loving kids, you get Flour Hockey!

Here are pictures of my slippery floured floor and my hockey lovin kids

FLOUR HOCKEY









The bread dough that caused the flour to be on the floor...



And proof that Izzy really does know how to sleep, now if she would just do this at night.



And how does a baby that spits up too much sleep? In her car seat in her cradle...

Why Mothers Are loved

Ever wonder how long it takes a mother to go to bed, I just read this and realized how true this is, and then realized how long it truly does take me to go to bed


Why Mothers are Loved
Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed."


She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.


She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the wash, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button.


She picked up the game pieces left on the table and put the telephone book back into the drawer.


She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.


She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom.
She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a textbook out from hiding under the chair. She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.


Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night Solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.


Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."
"I'm on my way," she said.


She put some water into the dog's dish and put out the cat then made sure the doors were locked.


She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their lamp, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.


In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.


About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed." And he did...without another thought. Anything extraordinary here?


Wonder why women live longer...?


'CAUSE WOMEN ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL......



~Author Unknown

Being a Truckers Wife

Ever wonder what it is really like being a truckers wife? Well, I was sitting here thinking and you might be a truckers wife if...

~You find yourself having in-depth conversations with your pets, tv, radio, kitchen sink, and other various living and nonliving things in your house, and you really truly think they understand you.

~You don't shave your legs until your husband comes home from work.

~You can't wait for your husband to get home and then 5 minutes after he gets home you can't wait for him to leave.

~You have cell phone bills rivaling the national debt.

~You can't tell your kids "wait until your dad gets home" because the kids know by the time dad gets home you will have forgotten what they did.

~You do your Christmas shopping at a truck stop.

~Your loads of laundry double in amount when your husband comes home from "work".

~You cry when your husband leaves for work.

~You find yourself spending holidays and special occasions alone and then celebrating them on a totally different day from the rest of the world.

~You get defensive when you hear people talking about how truckers think they own the road.

~You find yourself glued to the TV and holding your breath when you see a report of a semi accident on the evening news.

~You avoid watching the news at all costs in fear you will see a report of a semi accident.

~You find yourself on websites dedicated to truckers and trucker's wives.

~You heat up whatever food is left over in the House and your husband thinks it's gourmet cooking.

~Your main priority when shopping for a house is making sure there's enough room to park the tractor and trailer.

~You know dozens of trucker jokes, wither you want to or not.

~You call your husband and ask him what his ETA to home is.

~You have cereal for dinner more than one night a week.

~You have your kids convinced that cereal really is a dinner entree

~You know more about trucking than you'd really care to know.

~You love being alone, you hate being alone, sometimes all in the same day.

MOM and the BAB!

Allow me to translate.... Mother Of Many and the Big Ass Bugs!

There is one thing that tends to send my kids into uncontrollable laughter, when mom sees a bug.

Tonight, MOM was visited by a BAB. This was a encore presentation of MOM and the BAB from last night.

MOM was walking out of the bathroom when a BAB, aka cricket, jumped out in front of her. When mom was finished screaming, jumping, and crawling up the opposite wall she noticed all her DC, aka Darling Children, rolling in laughter outside the bathroom. OK, HAHA, now rescue you mother! MOM was STUCK in the bathroom, this is something children find hilarious. Chrisi came to my rescue with a shoe and tabi came with the broom and dustpan. Chrisi squished, Tabi swept, the Cricket Jumped..... MOM, Chrisi, and Tabi instantly and simultaneously jumped in at least 6 different directions to escape from the now living dead BAB.

The girls recovered quicker than MOM and got the BAB outside.

However, last nights BAB is visiting with Tuesdays BAB in vacuum cleaner heaven by the back door waiting for one brave person to empty the vacuum.

I really want to know what is up with the rising numbers of BABs?

How to keep my kids busy....

Introduce them to E-MAIL!

Tabi, Chrisi, and Ricky all got their own e-mail addresses last week. They have sent numerous e-mails to each other and other members of the family. Then they realized that e-mail can be accessed at all the computers in the house. So the first thing they did after realizing that there is a e-mail universe was get me my laptop and told me to "check your e-mail mommy!!!".
I have a mail box full of "hi" e-mails and one "ih" e-mail from Ricky. These are mixed among the many "I love you" e-mails I now receive several times a day.

Thank you g-mail team for giving me a mail box with 7136 MB of space, my kids are taking this as a challenge to fill.

There is also a bit of amusement in the house. We will have one child sitting at the kitchen computer and another will be on the downstairs computer. Approximately every 5 to 10 minutes you will hear one of them yell to the other, "CHECK YOUR E-MAIL!". They will continue like this for hours. The annual yelling of check you e-mail is followed by the running of the e-mail. Oh, you haven't hear of "the running of the e-mail"? This is where the child who wrote the e-mail frantically races across the dinning room and down the stairs and across the basement sliding into the computer desk in a attempt to "beat the e-mail" to the other computer. The e-mail remains undefeated.

Taco Casserole

New recipe for taco casserole, I know there are many taco casserole recipes out there but this one was invented with the idea to use us some items that have been in my cupboard for a long time....

Taco Casserole

~1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (or turkey, or chicken) found in the back of the freezer.
~one packet of taco seasoning found in the back of the cupboard.
~one small can of black olives (drained), that was found next to the seasoning.
~one can of diced tomatoes (drained), found in the back of the other cupboard sitting next to...
~one can of refried beans.
~1/2 bag of taco chip leftovers that were broken so "couldn't be used for nachos" according to the kids.
~3 cups shredded cheese (left over because we had not more "good" nacho chips)

1. cook ground beef according to taco seasoning instructions, making sure to boil out as much of the water as you can.
2. break the taco chips up and cover the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Layer ground beef on top of chips. Spread refried beans on top of ground beef (this can be the tricky part, but it can be done), add a layer of tomatoes and black olives and top with cheese.
3. place in 350 degree oven and go feed baby. For those who don't have the "baby timer" cook until cheese melts.

When done grab the container of sour cream you found in the back of the fridge, open it to find out someone put a empty container back in the fridge, so you serve without sour cream and enjoy.

Amazon wish list

I have created my amazon wish list.... then proceeded to go "shopping" for more than 75 items.

Just to let everyone know, Christmas is only 89 days away!

And for those who are looking for more reasons to send gifts from my amazon list, my birthday is just over 100 days away but I will start accepting gifts today ;)

How to go grocery shopping....

You have not been grocery shopping until you have done it with 6 kids!

First, you mention to you husband that you need to go grocery shopping. It doesn't matter how quietly or how far away your kids are, they WILL hear this and come running yelling "Can I come?????", the first mistake you make is saying yes to the older ones, because they have "promised" to help (and lets face it with 6 kids you could use a few extra "cart pushers"), then you get guilted into taking the younger ones.

So, after taking a good 1 hour and 30 minutes to find one missing shoe and get everyone in the car and buckled, you are off....
Upon arriving at the store, your 2 tear old will immediately run for the car carts, you know those completely germ filled unsanitary carts with the cars on the front. While you are going for the sanitizer wipes, your oldest 2 (remember the ones who promised to help) will grab one cart and fight over who gets to push while your 5 year old decides he wants to push the car cart and starts off before 2 year old gets completely in, which causes 2 year old to fall on bottom and sit there looking stunned and in disbelief that her brother just did that to her. At this point you look up and realize there is a line up of people waiting to get a cart. You grab cart for each older kid, put 2 year old and 5 year old in front of car cart, and head into the store, yes with at least 3 carts.

Once in the store and out of the way it is time to stop to give a brief drivers ed speech before setting your little cart drivers loose in the store.

Now get everyone in a line and go....While heading through the produce section you will stop 2 fights over who is first in line, calm your 12 year old drama queen who "never gets to go first", have the backs of your ankles run into at least 4 times, and remind (aka, threaten) your 5 year old hyperactive son that he will not get a special treat unless he settles down and either walks or rides.

Upon passing the meat department you will remind your 5 year old once again about the treat as he finds it is fun to punch holes in the plastic wrap that covers the ground beef...

At this point, you will ask yourself what the hell you were thinking when you said the kids could come with you.

Babyitis

Babyitis - ba·by·it·is - A common occurrence of falling asleep when holding a sleeping infant.

Common symptoms:

• heavy eyes
• a feeling of over all relaxation
• head bobbing
• inability to hold your head up
• yawning
• sleepiness
• sleeping

Highly contagious

See picture for further reference.

How to Crochet

This is for Stephanie, here are some how to crochet videos. Have fun!

Happy Birthday Ricky!

Ok, I am a few days late in posting this, but my little boy has turned 6. And he is letting everyone know.

For his birthday Grandpa and Daddy took him to his first car race. He got a t-shirt and 3 little hotwheel cars which are now his favorite cars. We had Pizza for dinner and Mama made him the Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting he picked out and we all decorated it with candy letters, candy fish, and sprinkles.

The latest local attraction....

I honestly don't think many people have ever seen a family, you know one with actual children who have siblings. Honestly, I went to Walmart this past weekend with all the kids and there were not any of the normal negative comments about the number of kids I have, but instead we felt like some rare endangered species exhibited at the local zoo.

"Look ma, what is that"

"Holy cow Jr, that is a real live family"

"Can I have one ma"

"No Jr, they cost too much and make too much of a mess"

haha, couldn't resist a little humor. Maybe it was the time of day we went, but I was surrounded by the faint whisper from the people around me and they all seemed absolutely amazed and floored by the sight of me and my kids walking through the store. I even had a older man stop me and say how great it was to see a "family".

Aerodynamic Toothbrushes

Did you know toothbrush packages are very aerodynamic?

Yesterday I took Ricky, Bri, Dani, and Izzy grocery shopping with me, that was a mess, literally, Ricky pushed the cart into a display and shot toothbrushes everywhere, I didn't know if I should cry or laugh although when I was telling Rick about it I couldn't stop laughing long enough to finish a sentence! It looked like someone set off a toothbrush bomb and there were little toothbrush package missels shooting everywhere. So, FYI - those little toothbrush packages are very aerodynamic and can shoot several feet, LMBO!

Mama to 6 now

Just a note that I am changing my blog web address from mama2my5littleones to mama2my6littleones, for obvious reasons.

Please be sure to update this anywhere you have my web address stored.

http://mama2my6littleones.blogspot.com

Izzy is home!!!

Izzy came home on monday for her 2 week b-day. She has been approved by Brianna, Ricky, Chrisi, and Tabi, although her approval is still pending with Dani.

Dani is not sure about allowing her the "baby of the family" title just yet, especially since she seem to be stealing quite a bit of Mommy's attention. Dani is doing everything possible, and is pulling out all the cute stunts she can think of to keep the "baby" title. Including her most recently found talent of "monster walking" (for those of you who have not seen this, it is just the way Dani walks while she is learning to balance, with her arms up and swaying back and forth, so we have dubbed this the "monster walk", we have all agreed we need to teach her how to growl)

Today Dani decided to "observe" Izzy's techniques for "stealing" all mama's attention. Later she decided to try them herself. One was that Izzy seems to use more than any other is to snuggle her head into mama's chest and in return she gets to remain there for quite a while (mama calls this breastfeeding), so Dani decided that this must be the way to "remain the baby" and has spent a good portion of the day wanting to be picked up so she can apply the technique of laying her head on mama's chest while also adding her own touch, the cute "shy smile", to this. Tonight, she observed that Izzy gets to sleep in mama's room, so she is applying this technique in a attempt to "stay the baby", so we now have a bassinet and playpen in our room for our 2 sleeping babies....... that are in our bed!

~G-Night

Bats!

As I was driving home tonight I saw a big old bat fly over my car, just about hit the darn thing, and it reminded me of our bats at the old house.

Now, I think bats are cute, but that is if they are behind glass at the zoo. This happened just over a year ago at our old house (built in 1856 and had a history of bats in the attic, which is why it was sealed off and we never went up there).

It was about 3AM and I hear a squeaking sound. I didn't think much about it and went back to watching TV because I always had a hard time sleeping when Rick was truck driving, and he was gone for the week. Then I thought I saw something go by the door. hmmmm.... heard more squeaking, saw the "shadow" again..... at this point I am trying to convince myself I am seeing and hearing things and I really need to be more careful about what I watch on TV that late. This goes on for about 30 minutes when I suddenly realize it is a bat. And I completely flip out! I am home alone with the kids and there is a $%$## BAT flying around our upstairs and to make it worse I can't find it!!!! So what do I do, call Rick. Yep, like he is going to be able to do anything at 4AM when he is 2 states away, duh. So I arm myself with a baseball bat and a flyswatter, haha the only 2 things I could find, and started hunting for the bat. Seriously, picture some crazy woman slowly sneaking around the house at 4AM with a baseball bat in one hand and a fly swatter in the other. The baseball bat may have came in handy, if I actually had good enough aim to hit a baseball with one let alone a flying bat. But I am sure that the bat was in some corner laughing his little tail off at the flyswatter! I never got to sleep that night. I think the next night I got about 2 hours of sleep. Rick was home the next night, and of course there was no "flying shadow" or squeaky sound, so he thinks I am nuts. He was home for 3 nights, and not a sound. Now I am thinking I am nuts. The next day he calls me while I am at the grocery store, I answer and he says "THERE'S A BAT IN THE HOUSE!!! YOUR RIGHT!!!" he was flipping out more than I was. He found it, by chance, in a little toy box. Sorry to say, he killed it and it was laying on the porch when I got home.

We went on vacation soon after this and when we got back we found 2 other bats, both dead (we could smell them, ack). They were all baby bats, from the attic, that got into the house and couldn't get back out which is why they died. We had the "bat guy" come out, he showed us where they got in, why they couldn't get back out, and why the 2 died (lack of food). Then he went in to the attic...... and we moved a month later. The new home owners are also proud owners of MANY bats, and they can keep them!

Oh, one more "scary" story..... I am sitting here (right now) typing and a %^&&%$# SPIDER just ran down my arm and into my chair! (I am now standing next to my chair).

New pictures of Izzy

These pictures were taken by Chrisi yesterday when Izzy was off oxygen. Unfortunately she is back on oxygen today.....

Also, Chrisi was the first sibling to hold her and she is very proud of the picture of her holding Izzy.

The Suppository….

Izzy is doing great, she is off her IV and looks like she will be in a open crib soon. We are just waiting for her to slow her breathing down a little.

She has had one hold up for a few days, which required the help of a, um, suppository.

Now, I want you to think about all those cartoons you have seen over the years, and think about the ones where something surprising happens and the eyes pop out of the cartoon characters head…. This is exactly what Izzy did upon the insertion of the suppository. Honestly both me and the nurse just about fell over laughing. She was fussing and crying, because she hates it when we bother her, then came the suppository and she went completely quiet, her eyes briefly popped out of her little head in surprise, and you could just read her facial expression that was saying “What the hell was that, honestly guys is there no ground that you don’t touch? Seriously are there any holes that you don’t stick things in?!?!?!?!?"

The Quiet Game

The quiet game should be part of the Olympics and my kids should be the first to compete, because no one, and I mean no one, is better at this game than them….

First off, when driving down the road and my darling children are louder than speeding locomotive, you can suggest they play the quiet game. Soon after you say the word “start” you will forget the number of children sitting in the back of the car. You will literally be able to hear a pin drop inside your car. This is usually the only time I use the quiet game, I wouldn't want to wear out this "quiet time".

However, Monday I just happen to go home for some clean clothes to bring back to the Ronald McDonald house and I checked the answering machine, hmmm Dani has a Doctors appointment in an hour (I completely forgot about this, imagine that). So I load all the kids up and head to the doctors’ office, completely unprepared for the long wait. This long wait got to the kids when we were sitting in the exam room so I suggested the quiet game; this was also when I decided it needed to be an Olympic event with my children.

First we had to decide what we are playing for… I suggested a ride home; looser(s) would run behind the car…. The kids decided the chocolate sucker in my pocket was a better prize.

So we start. I decided to add a little more challenge to the game and sat there asking question after question, didn’t work. Tried funny faces, no luck. Tried being quiet then a surprise “serious” questions, nope, not a peep out of any of them…. Then the Dr came in and commented on how quiet everyone was being, I explained the quiet game and he said, with confidence, that he could make them crack. So he started in, first trying to examine the wrong kid, then went on to asking questions, he tried to cut out of our conversation from time to time and asking one of them a off the wall question, but still no talking. Finally in his last effort he asked the kids who didn’t want shots today, still not one of them said a word. “alright” he said while finishing up his paperwork, then turned around pointing and counting each child and as he walked out of the room shaking his head he said “that will be a round of shots for everyone”.

Still not a word from any of my kids! I ended up having to find 3 more chocolate suckers, they all just happened to be wrapped in gold foil.

More from the bedside

Greetings from Izzy's bedside. I am sitting here holding Izzy, my new favorite pastime. She is doing great, her bili levels have come down and mommy has been taking lots of pictures .....

(By the way, purple and white hat was mommy's latest knitting creation)

Greetings from Izzy's Bedside

Greetings from the bedside of Izzy.

Izzy came off the ventilator yesterday morning. I stopped in real quick on the way to the wedding and she was off the vent and laying out under the bili lights. I told her to pretend she was tanning at the beach, lol. I am thinking I should bring her in some ocean sound music and play it for her. She is doing good off the vent, she is still breathing fast but her blood gas is good so they aren't too worried. If the blood gas gets bad they will try putting her on c-pap, which is just high pressure nasal prongs before they would go back to the vent.

She also started feedings yesterday and is doing great with that so far and it looks like they are going to increase her feedings today if everything is going well. Hopefully she will start going poo now that she has food in her and she will get rid of this bili and then I will be able to hold her as much as I want when ever I want. I told the nurses at that point they will be lucky to get her back ;)

Well, got to go she lost her binki again which means I am going to have to hold it for her. By the way, hearing your baby cry is the absolute best sound, especially when you haven't been able to hear her cry because she has been on the vent. (something I am going to have to remember at 3 am in a few weeks).

Guess who's here...

Here are the quick stats:
Elizabeth Maire arrived at 1:58 on July 21, 2008 after a VERY FAST labor. She is weighed in at 4lbs 13 oz and 17 inches long.
Here is the long birth story (read the purple for a short timeline of labor if you don't want to read the whole story):
Saturday night we went to L&D with contractions, I was now 3 cm and they gave me another 2 shots of brethine to try and stop labor, all it did was ease labor up so I wouldn't dilate. I got home and I was once again very sick all night from the brethine and in tons of pain with all the contractions so I got no sleep. All day Sunday I was contracting and still sick and still couldn't sleep. At 1 am very hard contractions started. we headed back to L&D. They wanted to give us more brethine but with all the really bad reactions I have been having to it and the doctors not listening to our concerns we refused that and left the hospital.
We got back home at 5AM and I laid in bed crying until around 9 AM, then decided I NEEDED pain meds, which I figured I would need at some point because I am not the home birth type (I am a wimp when it comes to pain), even if getting pain meds meant going back to the stupid doctors and risking getting brethine and ending up very sick again. However, Rick decided he wasn't going to drive me because he didn't want to make another trip all the way to the hospital and just get sent back home, I could understand that, but I was in pain. After a short argument with Rick, and me attempting to drive myself, he decided to drive me.

Now, here is the time line of events once we got back to the hospital, honestly it seemed like all this took place in less than 1 hour....

~10:58, we arrive at hospital and get checked into L&D triage (I checked the time with the nurse a few minutes ago).
~11:15, I get checked, still 4 cm same as I was when I left a few hours ago, grrrrrrr, I really thought I would be at least a little further along with how much pain I was in. Nurse calls doctor while I stood laboring next to the bed because I can no longer sit because of the pain and pressure durring contrax in my lower abdomen/upper legs and bottom.
~11:30, Doctor calls back and says he just got my results back from my Beta Strep, it is positive. Doc wants to start Antibiotics and watch my contractions while I am getting the meds and see what happens. but won't allow me any pain meds yet!
~12:00 Rick goes to lunch, I can't remember my Lamaze breathing!!!! Find Ipod in purse and tune into that and finally relax a little durring contractions. Only worked for about 4 contractions then it was back to waking the dead with my moans and screams.
~12:45, Re check, 5-6 cm and a OMG bulging bag, called doc and I am having baby and get just a little nubane ( I was worried about it drugging Izzy), which did NOTHING aside from make me a little loopy, but the nurse alerted anesthesia to how I go fast after 6 and started getting things arranged for my epi and moved me to a room.
~1:15, anesthesia arrives and I start getting a epi.
~1:30, I lay back after getting the needle put in my back and I am given a small "test dose" of epi meds and I am told I need to lay on my back in this position until 1:50, etc., and durring all this Doc arrives at hospital, he checks as I am being positioned and I am now 9. He is afraid if he breaks my water right then I will immediately deliver. Everyone is literally running in and out of my room getting me ready to deliver. And because they are still figuring on me being 33/34 weeks along and positive strep and didn't have enough time to get all the antibiotic in me, I am taken (OK the nurses ran down the hall with me in my bed and doctor at the foot of my bed) to the OR to deliver.
~1:40, I realize anesthesia didn't come with us to finish my epi, like hook me up to the meds pump etc. Rick told me later it was because the doc told them to stop because there wasn't enough time. Finishing the epidural is the only thing on my mind while everyone is running around the room like mad people and breaking down the bed and getting ready fot Izzy.
~1:45 Doc touches bag of water, it breaks everywhere, I am complete and I am told to push. I look at the clock and the only thing I am thinking is, I am not supposed to be moving around yet, why are you moving me, everyone is going to screw up my epidural, and why am I not numb?!?!?!?!?!?! My butt cheeks and legs sort of feel like they are asleep, but that is it. (yea, I have a one track mind when it comes to pain)
~1:50, There is NO WAY IN H#LL I AM PUSHING BECAUSE I TRIED AND IT HURT!!! still wondering in my head where my epi is, lol
~1:58 Mommy finally decides to push and Elizabeth Marie makes her grand entrance into the world screaming her little heart out.
~2:00, WOW, did I just have a baby without meds! everything happened so fast it seemed surreal. Usually I come to the hospital, take all day to make it to 6 or 7, then go super fast.

I am still having problems realizing this all actually happened. I just can't believe it happened so fast. I still haven't been able to hold Izzy, Rick cut the cord and they ran her right over to be suctioned out because I didn't get all the Antibiotic I should have. A little while later she had to be put on a ventilator. There was a tear in the placenta, which the doctor believes is the cause of my preterm labor and could be one reason she is having problems breathing. But this was most likely the cause of all the pain I had been in in the last few months, especially when she moved, the tear was behind the placenta (or something like that) and that is why I didn't have any bleeding and only pain, but this is something that should have shown up in the 20 week u/s and should have been in my records that never got sent over to the new doctor and new hospital when I switched from the old crazy bad doctor, I can't wait to get my hands on my records to find out if anything else was wrong/overlooked. Also the NICU nurses said that sometimes because of the positive strep and I didn't get all my antibiotics before she was born it can cause early babies to need extra help breathing (I guess respiratory problems is one complication that babies have from the strep). Then the fact that I had received so much brethine after week 35 could have something to do with it also (I guess new studies show that 35 weeks should be the cut off for brethine because it will start causing more problems, which is one thing I was worried about). SO the odds are against her when it comes to breathing, but the air she is on is room air, she just needs help inflating her lungs. They evaluated her and they said she was 36 weeks on the nose, which goes along with MY due date and last period, not any of the cue dates the old or new doctor gave me. So I have been mumbling all day long, "I was right!!!".

My back hurts where I got the needle for the Epi, which sucks because I never actually had a epi. I can't believe I basically went natural. I will NEVER do it again by my own free will, I seriously can't believe I lived through it. Rick is just amazed I did it also. I was up walking around about a hour after she was born, as soon as that tingling from the epi "test dose" wore off, and I have been walking back and forth from my room to the NICU all day/night.
Izzy is doing great. She just has a few minor breathing issues from the few complications I had.

Here is a picture, I hope it works, the hospital internet doesn't work very well when it comes to uploading things. But at least they have wireless, I can't live without my laptop and the internet, lol.

Waxing

From time to time I actually get a good funny e-mail. today was one of those days.....

"Waxing

Hair Removal....

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal -

The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax.

Read on......

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids.

I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours:

'Maybe should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet.'

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those 'cold wax' kits.

No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and! you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be?

I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together.

Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh.
Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this!

Hair removal no longer eludes me!

I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north.

After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship.

I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet.

Using the same procedure, I apply ! the w ax strip across the rig ht side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip)

I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRRRIIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!!

Blinded from pain!!!!....

OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. Shoot!

Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted.

I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious.

Do I hear crashing drums???

Breathe, breathe............

OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy -
a wax-co vered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it.

I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair.

I hold up the strip!

There's no hair on it.

Where is the hair???

WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly! I ea s e my head down, foot still perched on the toilet.

I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not!

I touch.

I am touching wax.
I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair.

Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet?

I know I need to do something.

So I put my foot down.

Sealed shut!

My butt is sealed shut.

Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to
figure out what to do and think to myself

'Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!' What can I do to melt the wax?

Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!!

I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???

*WRONG!!!!!!!*

I get in the tub - ! The water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.

Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water.

Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!!

God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!

I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone.

It's a very good conversation starter 'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!'

There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me.

She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?'

She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her.

I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.

YEAH!!!!! Right!!

I should be the joke of someone else's night.

While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor.

Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!

By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point?

I rub some on and OH MY STARS!!!!!!!

The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It 's sooo painful, but I really don't care.

'IT WORKS!!

It works !!' I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up.

I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....

THE HAIR IS STILL THERE........ALL OF IT!

So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts.

I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color......"

So Darn Cute!

I just happen to see america's got talent and this little 4 year old is just too darn cute.

Swan Lake like you haven't seen it before.

Just saw this and the only thing I can say is WOW! Very impressive.




Amazing!

Tomatosphere

We started our "school garden" last week and the seeds are starting to grow and the kids are getting very excited. We have seeds growing in little greenhouses and a selection of seeds growing in a baggie on the window so we can observe just what is going on under that soil.

To add to our garden we decided to participate in the Tomatosphere project this year. http://www.tomatosphere.org/teacher-resources/ and we are looking forward to growing and observing our heinz tomoatos.

Teaching Plurals...

I got this in a e-mail today which may explain why it is so hard to teach English...

Ode to plurals

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England.
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are
square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one
amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends
and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a
recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
in which your house can burn up as it burns
down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out,
and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?

Farm Field Trip

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Country Lane Tree Farm yesterday. This was very surprising because the last few times that Ricky has been around any kind of farm animal he has been absolutly terrified, but wouldn't admit it like a typical boy, haha, he would just hide behind mommy and say "I'm not afraid, I want to stand here and hold your leg".

So we arrive and he was hesitant at first but before we knew it he was not only petting the animals, but also feeding them, holding baby animals, and even milking a cow! I think the best part was when he was feeling very adventurus and tried to pet the duck, the duck didn't want to be petted so he got chased accross the yard by the duck. He went from "here ducky" to "AHHH, Leave me alone" in a blink of a eye, he was aware of where that duck was the rest of the day and would not turn his back to it.

We saw 4 big Turkeys, a peacock with all it's feathers spread, several ducks and chickens and roosters just roaming freely on the farm. We fed goats, lamas, sheep, reindeer, and pigs. Held baby bunnies, ducks, and chicks. Viewed live honey bees through the safty of glass (then they told us that there was a hole for the bees to go in and out, yikes! not as safe as we thought). Planted a sunflower, milked a cow, and found our way through a massive straw maze that ended with 2 great slides. What a great time.

Here are some pictures.

It's a girl, or should I say another girl

Yes, we are expecting our 6th baby! We are due August 26 and found out today that it is yet another girl. Well at least we don't have to worry about buying anything new, we have plenty of pink stuff around here.

I must say that in light of this surprise I have to extend another big thank you to my brother's family, who's gift card for Boo bought our double stroller that has been so handy the last few months! And while at hockey practice this weekend I realized that come August we will use even more than ever! Thank You Again!

And for those who are wondering our 6th baby will be Elizabeth Marie, "Izzie" for short!

"THAT"

I thought I would share the conversation I had with my 5 year old while I was fixing dinner......

Child: I want "that" thing....

Mom: What thing?

C: You know "that" thing.....

M: No, what thing?

C: "that" thing you had "that" day......

M: What day?

C: "that" day!!!!

M: The thing I had "that" day?

C: Yes! "that" thing.....

M: Why do you want "that" thing (still unaware of what "that" is)

C: I want to play with "that"........

M: (thinking: well that sure narrowed it down?!?!?!)

C: Well, can I have "that" thing??????

M: I don't know what "that" is.....

C: MMMMMOOOOOMMMMMM, it's "THAT" thing you had "THAT" day!!!!!!!

M: Well "THAT" narrowed it down, haha.....

C: MOM!

M: OK, so you want "that", what does "that" look like?

C: It looks like "that" and has "that" thing on it....

M: ........................

C: You know it goes like "that"......

M: ...........................

C: And does "that"......

M: um?????

C: (insert groaning sound followed by child walking loudly away then coming back) You know
"that" thing with the kid?

M: (now really confused) The thing with the kid?????

C: YES! "THAT" thing you had "THAT" day with the kid on it?

M: oh you want to watch Jack Jack Attack on my IPod?

C: YES!!!!!!!

M: the battery is dead on my IPod.

C: (insert loud groan/growl from child followed by stomping away)


Dinner: $30
Ipod: $150
Finding out what "that" is: Priceless!

More YouTube / Flying Squirrel

I was reminded of this video earlier today. This has got to be the best goalie hockey fight when Neil Little jumps into the middle of the fight. I think he looks like one of those little flying squirrels.




Now lets compare.....

Flying Squirrel

Our Time-Out Timer

We have a timer that we use for time out. This timer can not only be clipped to the back of your shirt while your child standing with their nose on the wall, but if the child messes with it it will only ADD time . This means if you don't be careful, your 5 minute time out will easily turn into a 5 HOUR time out . So the kids not only learn to be good, but they also learn "don't mess with mom's timer!"

Now, I have been asked by many mom's where to obtain a this timer. Well, there is a method to buying/getting this particular one. First you must break your other timer just in time for a major dinner at your house (thanksgiving), then take ALL the kids to the grocery store with you to buy groceries for this dinner and give them each their own cart because you will need more than one cart. They will proceed with cart races through the store, your 5 year old must then start poking holes in the ground beef packages and giggling, but his giggle is just so darn cute you can't get too mad! At this very moment, out of the corner of your eye you must see a timer on a tab hanging from a shelf, it is the last one and you remember that your timer is broke, you grab timer without reading or looking it over because you are in such a hurry to leave the store. This timer must be in the bag that breaks in the parking lot. You will pick up your new timer from under car after all your kids run to pick it up for you and in the rush it manage to kick it under the car. It must be dropped again upon arriving in your kitchen. Then upon putting the batteries in it you will find it no longer works. The thought of going back to the store for another timer will make you gently tap (bang) the timer on the counter, it works! Sort of, it now only adds time if you mess with it too much and you will be darned if you can get it to stop beeping after times is up. The next day your oldest must then knock it off the fridge and break the magnet off and after more gentle tapping (banging) because it is now acting as if it is possessed you get it to work just in time to put your 5 year old in time out. At which point your child plays with the timer trying to get out early and about 10 minutes after the timer should have gone off , you realize that it is the best timer even though it does seem to have a mind of its own. Enjoy new timer .

Indoor Hockey and the Corn Missile

Ok, you may be thinking that all hockey is indoors, but what I am talking about in "inside a residential house" hockey. Sounds a little more scary right.

Well some idiot out there thought this sounded fun and invented a hockey game set especially for your living room. This comes complete with a little living room sized hockey net, 2 small sticks, and a puck. Now lets all think about all the BREAKABLE things in your living room...............

It took another idiot (AKA my husband) to think this was a great thing to get for the kids to play.

Now we already have a crack in the screen of our TV from the wii controller getting thrown at it while playing bowling, now we are going to test the remaining strength with a good old game of living room hockey. Rick agreed that this didn't sound like the best idea, he had planned on it going downstairs anyway. So he proceeded to set it up in a "safer place"........

The net now sits "safely" in front of my 72 gallon fish tank that contains my expensive Japanese Koi Butterfly fish. On the left side of the tank I have some shelves, the bottom shelves contain some board books (not a big deal) however the top shelves contain all our art supplies which include about 20 bottles of various colored paints. The Right side of the tank has some more shelves, the bottom contain coloring books (ok) however the top contain all our science stuff which includes various magnifying glasses, our new microscope, and other various very breakable things. But this is a safer place than the living room, right!?!?!?!?! NOT!

Now for the actual playing of hockey, so far the stuff behind the net has withstood the game. My ankles are another story. After getting hit in the ankle by a flying hockey puck for the 3rd time I decided that they needed a "softer" puck. So I grab my knitting and crocheting stuff and set off to make some softer pucks. So, I find a pattern for these really neat hackey sack balls that are just the right size and I get to work making one.

However I guess it was my turn to wear the stupid hat. Remember I said I wanted to make them a "softer" puck? Well, instead of filling this nice little ball with nice soft fiberfill, I listened to my husbands concern that it needs to be heavier....... so I fill it with corn. I have successfully created 3 little corn missiles! And the kids now play little corn missile hockey.

Mathopoly

Here is a great game for the kids to enforce various math skills.

Pixilated School Notes: Pixilated Math Monopoly

Have fun!

More YouTube

This is extremely funny.

Bill Engvall's Thunderbird Flight, with footage from the actual flight.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq36K-vgIPM

Our next science project

This is going to be our next science project....
http://www.growafrog.com/

We are going to get TADpole Tube-Town and grow some frogs.

Rick has the great idea of just waiting for a few weeks and going next door to the golf course to find tadpoles and putting them in a aquarium. I see 2 problems with this....

1. he will come back with more than tadpoles (hint: I have seen several turtles over there)

2. Tube-Town is completely and securely enclosed (at least until the kids play with it)...... The aquarium is not

3. (I know I said 2 problems) Tube-Town is just plain cute!

Anyhow, I think it will be fun for the kids to watch this little fish like mutation turn into a cute little frog, and a great science experiment. Which I know they will then loose interest in and it will grow into a big frog that will have abandonment issues and I will end up "counseling" and caring for the large lonely frog.
But it will be fun!?!?!

Cute Baby Boo

I just couldn't resist posting a few cute pictures

Easter 2008!

Got microscope, now what???

Well, I ran out of ideas of what to do with our new microscope. So after a quick search, I found lots of cool activities...
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/introductory-microscope-experiments-teaching-tip.html
http://www.microscope-microscope.org/activities/school/microscope-school.htm
http://www.greatscopes.com/activity.htm
http://www.cbv.ns.ca/sstudies/activities/science/1.html
http://education.sdsc.edu/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=34

No, I'm the baby!

This afternoon Beep decided that she was the baby.


I think this is because the baby was in "beep's highchair"...

microscope

We got our microscope, and of course it didn't work! I think it is some kind of curse that we are not allowed to research crystals.
ok, the microscope itself worked fine, it was the light that didn't work. So instead of just taking it back I tried to fix it. About 3 hours later I gave up and said it is going back. 15 minutes later Rick had it fixed, figures.
So today we had fun with the microscope. We looked at our sugar crystal, then some grass and leaves, then various other items around the house. When we ran out of things in the house Rick and the kids took a field trip to the golf course next door and got all kind of more things to look at. We spent a whole day looking at "little wiggly things" in the microscope.
But here is a word of caution, never look at anything you are about to eat, or normally eat, under a microscope if you ever want to eat that again.

Jumping For Joy

A few weeks ago our homeschooling lead us down the path of studying rocks. And when you study rocks you somehow end up doing the dreaded sugar crystal experiment (as I now call it). So we followed the "recipe" precisely and waited.....


And waited......



And waited......



And, guess what, we waited some more..........

And this whole time the kids assumed *Mommy* did something wrong and day after day I was asked "why?".......


Finally while cooking dinner I decided it was time to dump our "no show sugar crystals". So I pull them out from the back of the counter and look down into them (as opposed to through the side as we have been looking) and there floating on top, looking right back at me was a wee little sugar crystal. I left dinner to burn and gathered the kids to carefully pulled the string out and fished the sugar crystal out with a spoon. It was our only crystal in all 3 jars, and the older girls are a little jealous of their little brothers ability to grow sugar crystals, but we are all very excited.

It is now sitting on our counter waiting for further observation under a microscope.

We did it, we grew a sugar crystal!

gotta love YouTube!

If working out on a treadmill was this much fun I wouldn't have gotten rid of mine :)

another funny.....