Whoaaaa!

So remember when I said the older two kids (Amanda and Anthony) got cell phones for Christmas? Well, guess what came in the mail today? Yep, you guessed it, the bill! Oh Rich was fit to be tied and rightfully so. It seems we forgot to explain a few details to the kids about what is on our plan. Yep, big mistake. HUGE!

Apparently one of the kids, who shall remain nameless (Amanda) has over 5,000 text messages. I know she's a teenager and all, but come on, 5,000. I don't think I even made 50 of the suckers. And in one month's time, she has over 5,000. Mind boggling!

I would have taken her phone for a few days, weeks, years, but I already confiscated it, that and her laptop. Both Amanda's and Anthony's. For some reason, they had been getting up late everyday and missing their school bus. And making dear old mom get up before her time and take them to school in the freezing ass cold! So I figure, that they must be playing on the internet (and or cell phones) at all hours of the night. In which case, they aren't getting enough sleep, hence the sleeping in, hitting the snooze button three thousand times and missing the bus and waking up mom and making mom drive them to school.

You know, if it wasn't so stinkin' cold, I would probably just make them walk to school. I'm sure that it would help them wake up and make them think twice about staying up all night. I mean, it's not like we live that far from the school, but far enough that they would turn into popsicles if they walked.

So no more cell phones, no more laptops (at least for a little while) and hopefully no more outrageous phone bills for the time being. I realize that girls are expensive and that phone bills are slightly higher when there is a girl involved, but still. Give me a break!

Two days off

Two days off is not enough time! And it goes by so quick, you barely have time to get anything done. I hate it!

Baby it's cold outside

So I woke up to screaming kids. Apparently the alarm either didn't go off or Rich shut it off. But I set it so I could be up and help get the kids ready for school. Normally they are pretty independent and don't need alot of help getting out the door, but lately they have been struggling to get up on time and catching the bus. I have driven them to school late for the past week. It's not really their bedtimes that are messing with them. They go to bed at 8 and 9 at night. I don't know what the deal is. But every day they have been getting up late. At any rate, when I heard the screaming, I went to check on them thinking that at 10:00 they missed the bus yet again. Luckily the school had a two hour delay, and they weren't late, just being noisy getting out the door.

So then I'm up and can't go back to bed, even though Nathan was still sleeping, so I decided to get dressed and start my errands. I woke Nathan up after I was ready to go, because I figured if he woke up while I was gone, Rich wouldn't hear him and wouldn't get up with him. So Nathan and I trekked outside and it was FREEZING!!! Oh my God, no wonder there was a two hour delay!! Nathan and I got everything we needed to do done, so we are now home warming up. Man, I hate this cold. Sometimes I really wish we did move to Florida after all!

This toddler rules

If you have a toddler than you must know the rules that need to be followed. Not your rules, their rules. Everything belongs to them. Everyone must do their bidding. And in case you forgot, everything belongs to them.

Nathan newest thing right now is to say "mine" about everything. And you better give it to him too, or he will keep saying mine, mine, mine, MINE until you do hand it over. And if you don't hand it over, and Nathan does get it back. You can be guaranteed you're getting smacked in the head with said object.

Just to refresh everyone's memories, I will share with you The Toddler Rules. Oh and I must share that Nathan does use his own toothbrush to brush his teeth with, but everyone else's toothbrush is fair game to play with. And usually it goes into the toilet. It's always better to throw someone else's toothbrush in the toilet, right? At least Nathan thinks so. And I have a lovely drawing in pen on my kitchen table if anyone is interested, LOL!


Toddler Rules
Author Unknown

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it IS food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.

If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.

BIG Vent

So the last couple of times I've been at work, people have made little comments about me/to me. Saying things out of the blue; like maybe your pregnant, going so far as telling the residents I'm pregnant, and hey you never know you could be next (that one came from someone who is pregnant). I'M NOT PREGNANT!!! I don't find this even slightly funny!

This pisses me off!

I mean REALLY PISSES ME OFF!!!

I got my tubes tied for a reason, people! I don't want anymore kids!!! Some days I can barely handle the ones I already have. I am sick and tired of diapers!! I'm tired of cleaning up poop, I'm tired of buying diapers and wipes. And I really do not want to have to go through the heartache of trying to breastfeed, only to find out that I'm starving my child, because I can't produce enough milk. Then buying formula, because the shit is so expensive.

Not to mention the fact that I have had complications the last three times I've been pregnant. Now why would I want to go through all that again. Let's see, oh yay, bedrest is so much fun, when you have a toddler running circles around you. And don't forget how wonderful it is to spend weeks in a hospital bed, because the baby wants to come too early. And let me add how great it is to puke endlessly and feel like your guts are coming up through your throat!

Are you kidding me?! The last thing in the world I want to do is get pregnant again. I'd rather shoot myself! Don't get me wrong I love my children, but I don't want anymore. I have enough. Let someone who is struggling to have kids have some instead of me!

I am tired of being fat! I have just started losing weight again. I don't want to be pregnant and fat for another year plus... It takes me forever to lose the weight, just look at me now - I'm still carrying around the weight I gained 15 years ago, when I was pregnant with Amanda. I'm so tired of it, I can't stand it. It's bad enough having people ask me if I'm pregnant because my stomach is so distorted from being pregnant for so long. Most of the time the people who ask have bigger stomachs than I do! And it just makes me want to say you know I hope you get pregnant with triplets!

Seriously I want to smack the next person who says something to me about it. Better yet, I'd like to punch them out. Why can't people just MIND THEIR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!!! I'M NOT PREGNANT NOR DO I WANT TO BE! I'm tired of hearing about so and so's cousin's brother's aunt that had their tubes tied and now they're pregnant.

My tubes were cauterized, not tied. I begged to doctor to take my uterus, but he wouldn't, just so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

I'm freakin' old people! I'm 35 and not getting any younger. I don't want to be an old mom! I had my kids young, because I wanted to be able to play with them, and do things, not be sitting on a park bench sucking down oxgyen, and praying I can get back up again!

Can I just say one more time I'M NOT PREGNANT NOR DO I EVER WANT TO BE!!!

I don't think you're being funny or cute and anything else. I think you are being ignorant and rude! Stop asking me, stop saying shit and just leave me the fuck alone!

So I'm addicted

Yes, I have lost the battle of wills with MySpace. I started out just wanting to spy on Amanda, since she has a MySpace page. And to tell the truth I was rather dissapointed in her. First she had stated that her age was 15, not 14. I told her I didn't like it and she told me, well I'll be 15 in a few months. True enough, but I'm not ready for her to be 15 yet. She also showed me where alot of her friends (who I know) were also lying about their ages. I still didn't like it, but I accepted it.

She changed it to 14. I noticed that the other day. It makes me smile that she listened (when I thought she wouldn't).

Then I noticed that she was using some profane words on there. Which certainly does not make me proud of her. I mean, Rich and I swear - ALOT. But still I'd rather not have my 14 year old daughter putting curse words on the internet where all the world could see. It's a bad reflection on our parenting skills, maybe. I don't know. But since I was spying I couldn't very well tell her to change the wording.

I can tell you that I am proud of her for making her page private, that sorta, kinda makes me feel better about the sickos in the world out there.

But in my quest of knowledge about MySpace I became quite addicted to it myself. I have found old friends from high school and it's nice to find out how they turned out. It's nice to chat with each other, or find out little things that I never knew about while in school. I also get to share things with my fellow moms from a message board we all frequent. It's nice to look at their pictures and see their own personal styles with their background choices. Things you don't really get to see or know about on a message board.

So all in all, I guess my noseyness paid off in the end.

randomness...

is that a word? If not, it is now.

Looking at my profile pic, it kinda looks like a mug shot or a driver's license pic, LOL! And I usually take really nice driver's license pics. At least that's what I've been told, by people who have carted me, or needed it for ID purposes.

I went to the gym again. This time I took Amanda with me. Only because she said she had to use the machines in gym class before, so she said she would show me how to use them. I had thought about just trying to figure them out for myself, but they have video cameras everywhere in there. And thoughts of You Tube kept flashing in my head, LOL!! Anyway she told me what to do with them and I feel much better knowing what I'm doing now. She got a big laugh out of me when I was trying out the elliptical thing. Because I was going backwards on it, LOL! Glad I could be her entertainment for the night. And that is what I was worried about You Tube for. You know look at that dumb ass who doesn't know what she's doing.

Even though I hate working so much, I got to tell you it's nice to get out of the house every now and then. Today the kids are driving me crazy. It's cold outside, but Nicholas wants to go outside, and he's sick. So he keeps bugging me about going outside, Nathan is screaming his head off, for no known reason. Amanda and Anthony are fighting over the computer, because I took their laptops away from them (another post entirely). And Sarah and Zachary are fighting over God knows what. I don't know why they are acting like this. I do know that Nathan's new thing lately is screaming. And it's ear piercing. I can literally feel my head splitting into two when he starts doing it. I'm not sure, but I think it's his way of vying for attention. But then again they all scream, so who is he really competing with - himself? Hopefully this is a stage that will be over very quickly, because I don't think my head can take any more. Just knowing the damage I'm doing to my liver from all the Tylenol I'm taking is well, not good. So let's all hope he knocks it off quickly.

who ever said having kids was easy, should be shot!

All week long we have been battling the sickies. You know those little buggers that like to crawl into our bodies when no one is looking. Otherwise could be described as the flu, a cold, cough, snotty nose, stuffed up nose, pukey stomach, headache, body chill, fever, sore throat, etc. You get the idea.

First I was sick with a sinus infection. One of those where if you bend over, you feel like your face is going to fall off and you feel like you are never going to breathe normally again. Not to mention the pain from those suckers is horrible. Then Anthony got the pukies and other realm sickies (you know the kind where you sit on the toilet, with a bucket in your hands ~ LOL)! Now Nicholas has it, along with a fever. And Rich said he doesn't "feel well".

And you know that little gem of a bug will be passed all through the house. Until we have no clean sheets left. And the laundry room smells like throw up. And you know who has to take care of everybody, don't you? And who will be washing all those sheets? And who will have to listen to all the whining, crying and complaining? And do you think anyone wants to hear that person whine? Of course not! Don't you know that mothers are not supposed to get sick?!

Rich told me that when he was little, his parents went to Spain and brought home these little hand bells. They are beautiful (he has one). The bells were given to who ever was sick, so they could ring the bell when they needed something. So mother dear, could run her ass off taking care of everyone. Rich once suggested that we give the kids a bell to ring when they are sick. Uh, you know what I suggested that he could to do with the bell, right? LOL! Not really I don't normally talk like that. But I did think it! At any rate, the children do not have bells to ring. Thank God. It's enough just to have to run around cleaning up that stuff.

I guess you could say that I have a strong stomach, because that kind of thing doesn't bother me. Or maybe it's the fact that I have to clean it up anyway, so I might as well not make more of a mess to clean, right?

This reminds me of another story. I promise it's the last one, for those who are thinking that just reading this is making them sick. Years ago, when the twins were little babies (toddlers), we drove to SeaWorld (when it was still in Ohio) and after we got a hotel, we went to Burger King to eat. Well, Sarah (who we didn't know got carsick easily at the time) started throwing up her food. Rich jumped up and ran out to the car to get some clean clothes. Other customers got up and left. Rich couldn't eat anymore, the employee who was cleaning the mess up started to get sick. And I went to the bathroom cleaned Sarah all up, went back out and cleaned up the mess on the floor, cause the employee couldn't do it anymore. Went and washed my hands and sat back down and started eating. Rich looked at me and said how can you eat after all that. And I said, Cause I'm The Mom, That's Why!

Water problems, again

Man, just when you think things are going great and everything is working fine. Wham, you end up with another problem you weren't expecting to have to pay for. I just want to scream!!!

Our sink in the upstairs bathroom was clogged and that one ties into the kitchen sink so they were both clogged. Rich tried to fix it, but couldn't get it unclogged, so I called the plumber today. They came and it's now unclogged. The plumber said it was so clogged, backed up all the way to the wall (whatever that means). I do know that I chose the wrong time to go and check on them. Because at that moment he had just pulled the pipe down and there was crap, nasty crap all over the laundry room. Thank God he put plastic down. And Thank God I was almost caught up with the laundry. Could you imagine the mess if I hadn't done the laundry. Oh my! He said he would clean it up and I was just like oh don't worry about it. But man, I hope he did clean it up. I have enough stuff to do, without having to clean that up too. I haven't checked yet, but I'm going to be brave and head down there just as soon as I'm done here.

At any rate, we haven't been able to do the dishes for about two days. We did manage to wash a few things in the tub down in the laundry room, but we couldn't drag everything down there. So I have countertops full of dirty, smelly dishes to do. I also need to clean out the fridge, because I couldn't do it before with the dishes being so backed up. I am also doing the laundry today, finishing it all up. I had today and yesterday off. So I am in full cleaning mode. Which is a good thing, since my house is trashed. Oh and did I mention, that in the mists of all this mess, my sister in law and her family came for a visit (all the way from Georgia). So that was nice, to have them come by and see my disgusting house insert sarcasm here.

Well I'm off to clean dishes (for eight people) from two days ago and do some laundry. Sometimes, having six kids isn't so fun!

The Biggest Loser!

So work is doing a Biggest Loser contest. At first I thought there is no way I'm doing that. One there are challenges and that scares me, cause I'm not good at that kind of thing. And then you have to weight yourself and I don't really want anyone to know how much I weigh, etc.

But the more I thought about I thought, why not. I mean if I were to win there is a $300 prize. And I wanted to lose weight anyway. And if you join the contest, you can join a gym for $10 a month (the company pays the other $20), so it seems like a good idea. Plus some of my friends are doing it, so it could be fun. I also think Rich might go with me and help me choose things that will be good for me, etc.

I also told the kids. I told them I was doing it and also if they saw me eating junk to make me stop, LOL! Funny that a kid would have to do that, but I have so many problems with my weight, and food that I need all the help I can get. So think good thought for me!

2008 is here!

Last year (2007) was a long one for me. It seemed like it was going to go on forever. But now it's over.

The kids went back to school today. Thank God! You know, I love it when they are here, and it's not too bad. They keep themselves pretty busy and it's easier after Christmas when they get their new toys or junk to keep them occupied. But after a while they start to grate on each other's nerves. I think it's from cabin fever or something. But they will start picking fights with each other, just generally doing things for fun (at least they think it's fun). And it's at that point when I know they had enough of each other.

It's like the first week is great than the last 3 days are terrible. Same thing for spring and summer break. For the first couple of months in the summer it's great. But that last week or two before school, I had enough of the crap that they will do to each other.

I really shouldn't complain because for the most part they get along great. It's just every now and then, someone will be mad at someone else. And the other kids will take sides and then it's all out war here.

Oh well, Christmas is over and the new year is here. The kids are back to school and things are going back to normal. I hope we have a great year! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!