Graduation Night

Well, last night was graduation night for my 18 year old. I am so very proud of him and how hard he has worked all these years. He graduated with an A-B average and is enrolling in college next week.

The ceremony was beautiful! The kids were all high spirited and exuberant. I was able to ignore the Ex and her entourage, so that was a really good thing.

Afterwards, a couple of them camped in the South 40 and celebrated. I could hear them dreaming their dreams of the future and making their friendship pacts. It was nice. I remember being that young. It was one of those summer nights you will remember for the rest of your life. I am so honored that he thinks enough of me to allow me to share the best part of it with him.

This morning after they got up and got the tent and whatnot all squared away, I cooked them a big breakfast, for which they expressed their eternal gratitude. (I'm no slouch of a cook, either, by the way.)

Looking at him graduate, I know in my heart of hearts that I made the difference in the life of a child. There's a lot of comfort in that, honestly. And to know that it wasn't just one child but 6 and then some. 2 years ago it was watching my eldest and his best friend, who is a surrogate kid to me. For me it's living a dream. All I ever wanted to do was make a difference in the lives of children.

Huh? Car Troubles

I am just pissed...and pmsing which probably has my attitude all skewed on this issue anyway..but too bad.

He borrowed my car this week because his truck is having brake problems. Well,he isn't giving my car back. He's trading me and just commandeering my car. He says blah blah blah..money saved on gas..blah blah blah. How do you just come along and take something like that? Makes me want to be generous in the future, eh?

When I registered complaint and told him that fine, I was going to be like Jill Taylor (LOL),find my own damn car and nobody was going to drive it he replied that Jill Taylor had a phd and a job. Ok, so glad that's in perspective here and I took inventory of what is mine based on those criteria..I own a chair, a desk, a dryer, and a few books. So, I told him to trade the blazer (which was a gift to HIM..not me..from his dad.) So, if he trades the blazer he's going to get a better car and talking about making payments and THEN I can have the car we already have.

Here's the kicker though..when we got married, we had a truck and a van...the van is in pieces in the back yard because the engine wasn't strong enough to tow the boat a couple of thousand miles and spun a bearing. The truck we traded on the mini van which we traded on the car. He has a van in the backyard his parents bought for him when he got divorced, and a blazer his parents gave to him because his dad can't drive anymore and they thought he could use it to work with.

So, when I get all bent next week about finding a job again and finding a way to earn my own money so that I can say stuff is mine..you know? He's going to be like "What is your problem?"act like this is all pms...like I'm crazy or I misunderstood..and totally miss the point...which I'm not even sure what it is.

What am I missing here? I feel like guilty because I don't want him to have my car that he did pay for..but I'm sick of it being thrown in my face that I don't have a job...THEY DON'T WANT ME TO HAVE ONE. Every time I talk about getting one, it's like but who's going to do this or that or be there for him or her. Besides, I can't get one because I don't have an f-ing car to get there. But then, any time I might want something or want to bitch about something, then it's "You don't have a job." Huh?

Don't get me wrong, I love my husband to pieces and I know that I pretty much caused this by throwing down telling him I was going to get a car he couldn't drive. What was I thinking..LOL? Tell a car guy that he can't drive a car? hahahahahahaha!!! But still, no matter how it plays out, he gets to pick whatever car he wants and I get the leftovers. However, every time I let someone have my car, I don't get it back in the same condition I lent it in.

So, we'll see what the resolution to the car troubles are based I guess on whose rules we're playing by. If we play by my rules, my options are rather limited. If we play by his rules, (which I'm hoping) then the options are almost limitless. Stay tuned!!!

Oh, and remember people..this really qualifies as one of those small things in life...k? Not worth any hatred or anything like that...just some good fun marital squabbling!!! You know, the kind where you can reach an agreement later and seal it with a kiss? Oh damn, I gave away the ending.

Summertime- Part 2

So, while I was off frolicking with the butterflies and all that hoo-dad stuff I wrote about yesterday, I forgot to pay the electric bill and we got to do all that without the benefit of electricity most of the day yesterday. Yee Haw.

Summertime

It is the first week of summer here and it always brings with it a myriad of emotions. I slowly watch my carefully structured routine of the school days slip into the carefree, indolence of summer. I try to resist at first but the squeals of laughter always call to me. I try to be an adult and keep my mind on adult matters, but there are so many children, I allow myself to be carried away into their world. It's so much nicer there. So, we chase the butterflies, and watch the fish, and play with the dog, and eat popsicles and watermelon and play in the water. We read books and take naps and build forts. We also have campfires and roast marshmellows. We dream dreams of fast cars and unlimited leisure time. At the end of the summer sometimes I feel guilty because I haven't 'accomplished' things in the traditional sense of the word. My house is kind of messy and chaos kind of reigns, but I think that's ok for now. I don't think I'm going to feel guilty this year. I'm going to make sure that I enjoy as much of their world as I can...they are growing so fast.

What is wrong with people?

I am getting really afraid to read the news lately. Every day there are children missing and tortured and buried alive. What the hell is wrong with people? Why can't we leave the kids alone?

I just don't understand. I feel that in response, I must tighten the security around my own children, especially my daughter. I feel like each of those children represented in the news were my own. I sobbed for Jessica Lunsford and Sarah Lunde and now this other little 8 year old they found, thank God! What must we do to stop the madness and protect our children? I don't know but my daughter is just going to stay home for now. I think some karate lessons are in order as well. I am afraid to say it but we must teach our daughters to defend themselves...we have to prepare them; we cannot let them be continuously victimized. We have to do something!

Blah, blah, blah

Ok, so I've been trying to quit smoking for like 18 months now with very little success. I finally had to regroup and look at my plan and see what was going on. Well, caffeine was going on. So, I took a week or so to withdraw from caffeine and now I'm on day 2 of no cigarettes.

And let me tell you I am pissed off. I'm pissed because giving up cigarettes isn't about just giving up cigarettes...in order to do this I have to give up a lot more than that. First it's the caffeine so I'm tired and cranky and it's the morning Dr. Pepper AND the alcohol. I'm like lost...my whole routine is shook up and that's kind of scary because was my whole routine propped up by an addiction?

Whatever..you know what, it doesn't even matter. Maybe I'll get addicted to cleaning or something..wouldn't that be cool. Today is kind of sucking because my lungs are starting to clear out and it's not fun. But, I've been this far before and I know that tomorrow or the next day the healing process will start. I feel so strong this time, like I haven't before..or very few times before...I've had glimpses of it and that is what has kept me in the frame of mind to keep trying to quit until I got it right. I feel an immense sense of relief, too. As soon as I'm off the patch, I'm going to take 3.00 a day and put it in a jar and that'll be my money. I'm thinking vacation somewhere!!!

Nextel All Star Challenge

Well, it turns out that my tires have to be special ordered and replacing the power brake booster and master cylinder in the other vehicle was certainly going to take too long to get to the race in time so, we didn't get to go.

But we did watch it on tv anyway and it was awesome as ever. There's nothing like watching the first two cars racing so hard that one of them goes across the finish line sideways as happened in the open last night.

Congrats to Mark Martin for the win!!!

Shit Happens-Roll with it!

So, yesterday I had a little crazy spell. For those of you who don't know, I'm a bit of a nut job..LOL. Anyway, thankfully it passed quickly with nothing more than a broken glass.

Right after calm was restored to the chaos, our wonderful neighbor showed up with two tickets to the Nextel All-Star Race tonight. Ahhh YES!!!! Road Trip!!!

So, we get up this morning to inspect the vehicles and we pretty much came to the conclusion that we don't have a vehicle reliable enough to make the trip on such short notice. One needs tires and the other one's brakes have been acting up lately. So instead of packing for Charlotte, I am pricing tires and master cylinders. It's going to rain like a bitch here and we can't work on the vehicles anyway, so it looks like the easiest solution is going to be to get the tires for the car that gets 25mpg on crappy tires right now (I love my Camaro...LOVE it...it's indecent.)so that my husband can have something reliable and cost effective to get back and forth to work in. It's a wrench but as he did buy it for me and he loves me in spite of me being a nut job, then ya know....I would feel alot better and not feel the need to stay glued to Fox 5 news every morning until I'm sure he's at work just in case he had an accident or something.

So, who knows where I'm going to be. I really hope it works out and that I get to write a blog on Monday about my whole experience at the Nextel All-Star Challenge!!! Wish me luck!

The Difference a Decade Makes-Part 1 - The Kids

Coming up on our 10 year anniversary, I have had occasion to stop and reflect on a few things. It dawned on me that it is not only my 10th anniversary with him because we were a family from day one, but instead a family anniversary.

I was a single mom of a 5 yr old who was very hyperactive and hard to manage. He was placed on medication and I was very busy trying to make sure he had all the skills he needed to start school. My husband was a single dad of 3 boys ages 11,9,and 7.

His three kids had been victims of abuse by their mother and although the physical abuse stopped, the mental abuse didn't. My son was the victim of a constantly rotating schedule and the neglect that comes with young, inexperienced motherhood.

When we first married, his oldest son had already been referred and tested for ADHD. His evaluation came back borderline but he was having extreme difficulty in school. He had been diagnosed with a language learning disability and placed in resource classes. The same with the other 2. All of them were having difficulty learning to read and write or do schoolwork at all. They already felt like they were failures and at their tender ages had decided that they weren't smart enough to go to college.

What struck me the most about them was their sense of loyalty and compassion. The only thing the oldest kid ever asked of me was that I be nice to his mother. That was the hardest thing in the world for me to do knowing how she had treated them but I did it.

Quickly, I saw that these kids needed some real help. I scheduled appointments with the counselor and had the youngest one evaluated first, then the middle kid, and then the oldest kid. They were all diagnosed with ADD, and the middle kid got a diagnosis of OCD and depression as well. So, now there are 4 kids with ADHD and other problems and I had no idea where to start. All I knew is that I needed to get busy.

The oldest kid was in trouble with the police and had a juvenile record for breaking into someone's house and stealing their snakes. The middle kid was in trouble with the police for shoplifting at the corner store, and the 7 yr old was just the angriest kid I've ever met. The 5 yr old was making everyone miserable because he just felt like his mom was taken away and he didn't understand the tenseness of their situation at all.

Another big part of the problem was the husband's ex-wife. It didn't matter to them what their mother had done, they loved her and wanted to spend time with her. For them, I made every attempt to make her a part of the solution, kept her informed of important things, got her involved with the doctors, etc. It was a very fine line between letting them spend time with her and keeping them safe. She was not an easy person to get along with. I went an entire year without speaking to her at one point because I just couldn't find anything nice to say. Her first attitude was to tell me that she had the power to make them hate me. And she did at that point in their lives. I think she was a test from God or something. All I said to her was that if that was how she wanted to play, then she was playing alone. Then I proceeded to inform her of the truth of her situation and that was that we had custody, and her visitations were limited as it were so if that is how she chose to spend her time with them, that was on her. I also told her to do remember that I have the rest of the year to undo what she had done. All she was going to accomplish was to destroy her own relationship with them.

After I got into a bit of a routine, I started reading voraciously any and every book I could find on the subject of learning disabilities and ADHD. I read Driven to Distraction, Answers to Distraction, You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy, Shadow Syndromes,1-2-3 Magic, The Misunderstood Child, Developmental Theory and Research in Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults, Surviving Your Adolescents, Attention Deficit Disorder and Learning Disabilities, The Hyperactive Child, Adolescent, and Adult, Women with Attention Deficit Disorder, Your Hyperative Child, Attention Deficit Disorder, and one about dyslexia that I can't remember the title of. As well as info garnered from reading books, I joined an online forum on AOL (it was on version like 2.5 way back then..LOL) and found a whole bunch of people who were learned and proactive people that offered information and (I mean from people like educators, and journalists and whatnot,) support, and alternate ideas on dealing with any kind of kid situation be it educational, behavioral or medication-wise. As well, when I got out of the Navy I volunteered in the 3rd grade resource reading classroom so that I could get some exposure to proper teaching techniques of kids with learning disabilities. Their egos are very fragile at this state. It was a blast, let me tell you, I loved those kids.

I took from all these sources ideas and implemented a few of them some of them worked and those I will talk about. Some of the ones that didn't work, I don't remember too much. I drafted a chore list. Each kid had one chore to do every day (dishes, bathroom..etc.) besides their room. I also color coded their notebooks with a wireless notebook and matching folder, one for each subject, and put it all in a 3 ring binder. They had a pretty rigid schedule when they got home. They could do their homework or their chore when they first got home, but they had to do one before they went to play. Some of them liked to get their homework over with and others wanted to wait til later. The only one that actually wound up working for was the oldest. At 8pm every night he would do his homework.

When I began to understand the gravity of their school situation, I recognized that to handle the grades in a reward/punish kind of way would not be very effective. I instead told them and stood by it that if they gave 100% then they wouldn't be punished for a bad grade. That meant doing their homework and making sure it was all correct before they went to school. I was hoping at that point that the grades would follow. So, if they got a bad grade in something, we would review the material to make sure they understood it, and help them understand what went wrong in the learning process. The grades became like an evaluation tool.

The 11 year old was totally blown away by the success he achieved when first placed on medication. His self esteem was so bad at that point, he honestly believed that the pill was giving him the intelligence. He made the honor roll the first 9 weeks after being placed on medication and seemingly effortlessly. His big problem is disorganization. He would do the work and then not get it to school to be graded. Anyway, he could just not wrap his mind around that the medication made everything fire right so you could use what you already have in a more efficient manner.

The 9 year old was completely different. He did not want to look stupid in front of his peers and he would work as long as it took and do whatever it took to make sure his homework was perfect before he would be satisfied. One example is when he was in the third grade he didn't quite understand multiplication and he need a little more time and practice to learn them. So, when they moved on to division, he was really lost. I explained things to the teacher and asked if she would not mark him down for not doing the division homework if we made sure he got it in over the weekend. He was skeptical but I asked him to trust me so he agreed to it. So this kid worked for 4 extra hours that whole week learning his multiplication tables and at the end of the week when he was able to do the division homework, he was so very proud of himself and his accomplishment, that I will never forget it. That was the first time he learned to believe in himself.

The 7 year old was the challenge. He was too young to remember much about the divorce or understand much and he pretty much believed the story that his mother told him. He would just scream that he hated me and said all I was doing was taking his mommy's place. All he knew is that his parents weren't getting back together. He would fight me on everything. But then, he would turn around and be so sweet. It was a puzzle, like he had a split personality. He went through a phase where he was doing the match thing and let me tell you I lost more sleep because of that kid. He was not responding like the others to medication treatment and we finally made some headway at the counselors and he was diagnosed with depression and ODD(Oppositional Defiant Disorder). They put him on zoloft and clonidine. It concerned me because the feelings driving the actions were still there, he was just being drugged into complacency. I didn't want that at all. Then we were watching some home videos and I looked at him and he had turned into a stick, no more baby cheeks or pot belly, he almost looked like one of those Ethiopian kids you see. So then, I had to get absolutely rigid with his eating. I'm not much of a believer in clean your plate but in his case, I had to make an exception for health reasons. He had convinced himself that I was poisoning him. He also had this horrible bee phobia. He got stung one time and was convinced that they were hunting him and going to kill him. It too was evident in his subtle body language even when he was trying to control it. So we got this diagnosis of ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder)and for those of you who don't know what it is..it's what they call a conduct disorder. So, with ODD, the kid supposedly enjoys the power struggle to the exclusion of all else. The technique for dealing with it is to eliminate the power struggle. First of all, what kid do you know that would rather be fighting with his parents for the sake of a power struggle than be outside playing..day after day. Second of all, this was not a happy kid so he couldn't have been getting that much enjoyment out of it. Common sense dictated that it was a bit of horse hooey. I tended to lean more towards the theory that kids in pain will take it out on the person they most trust to love them anyway and to help. It just made more sense when you think about kids limited communication abilities. But, I tried it...and it worked a little bit. At least with the food. He either ate or went to bed. I started at that point explaining beforehand how choices and consequences worked...if he behaved one way, then the consequence was going to be one thing and if he behaved a different way, then the consequences would be different. He responded well to this as well. He liked being in control and knowing things beforehand. After we moved I had a full psych eval done on him and it was discovered that he had not just depression but a psychotic depression. They placed him on the correct medicine and the results were astounding. As well, the condition had been being aggravated by the stimulants all along. The poor baby.

Because we moved in the middle of the school year, when they were 13,11,9, and 7, they were homeschooled for the rest of the year. I am still undecided on what affect that has had on everything.

As well, emotions are accepted as just that here. Feelings, everybody has them and sometimes they aren't happy feelings. That's cool. What's not cool is to be destructive or abusive because you're angry or hurt. We always provided them with outlets for their emotions..healthy outlets and we also provided them with an individual space in which they could go and collect themselves without being further provoked.

Some time ago, we decided that medication therapy wasn't needed anymore and decided to try for awhile without it and see how it went, knowing that the treatment is there. That was 4 years ago. 2 years ago my oldest graduated high school and has had a full time job ever since. He brings all his friends here to get healed and counseled by his father and I. He took his bi-polar friend to the hospital after a suicide attempt and gave him clothes to wear while he was in the hospital. The 19 yr old is graduating this year (next week) with an A-B average. He already has one scholarship to start college next semester. The 17 yr old also has an A-B average and plans to join the military after he goes to college. He is my best friend now. That he was ever an angry child, you would never know. He is very protective of me and me of him. We went through so much together. The 15 yr old also has an A-B average and wants to go to college and be a doctor. This is the age when they really start maturing. He chooses to manage his ADHD through sports and joined cross country track and regular track this year. He came in last most of the time but he didn't mind. He was only competing with himself and he improved his times a bunch over last year. The ex-wife and I reached a truce years ago and she has come a long way too. Some tigers never change their stripes completely, though and some of my prediction has come true. They don't have much time for her now that they have a choice. They do their duty, but they also show that they know where home is. (See the Mother's Day post)

I hope that this story helps people understand that yes, those mental conditions do exist. Yes, medication treatment and modern medication are wonderful tools. But they are only tools. There is a lot of work that has to be done too. I have to say it kind of bugs me when I mention that I have 6 kids and people ask if they are 'all' mine. Yes, they are. Giving birth doesn't make a child yours, being a mother does.

So, here's part one of an installment. I am available for questions and not too much shocks me.

Where do all the underwear go?

First of all, let me explain that I am not a materialistic person. At all. I could give a crap less about getting stuff. It's all about functionality and purpose for me. However, that doesn't mean that I don't have a few guilty pleasures. I love to drive my car. It's a 1992 Camaro RS with an 8 cyl. 305 in it ...5 speed..it rocks! I love my Levi's. Won't wear any other kind of jean. And I love my Victoria's Secret cotton underwear. It's expensive. It's comfortable. It doesn't creep or crawl, it stays right where you put it. I finally got enough to wear every day of the week and it just disappears..gone. I am now down to 4 pairs and it's really stressing me out. I don't ask for much...sigh.

Breakfast for 10 anyone?

Ok, so around here, I never know how many are going to be at a meal. Could be six, I have had up to 16. The He Man Woman Haters Club had their weekly meeting at our house this Friday night. It consists of Adult Son 1 (who is 21) and a few of his friends. They pitched the tent in the South 40 and unloaded the beer, started a fire, played a little pool and visited a bit. I reminded them that Friday night was a work night and then my husband and I wished them goodnighte and moved our private party to the bedroom. About 2 hours later, I can hear the Posse down there singing around the fire like a bunch of drunken Irishmen..it was a hoot.

In the morning, I get up and wander on down to the South 40 to check on the boys and there they are..hung down and brung down and hurtin' units. I try to cook a big brunch (I just cook before 10am..I'm in there the rest of the day) on Saturdays because my husband works and it's kind of nice for him to come home and get fed, ya know? Plus all those boys I have are always appreciative of good food.

22 eggs, 2 lbs of bacon ( shoulda made more of that), and 45 pancakes later, there was laughter and happiness and the chore of cleaning up the South 40 didn't seem nearly so daunting. Hangovers were gone and it was time to start readying the house for the Saturday night race party. Way to go Kasey Kahne!!! Can't wait for the truck race tonight..that's where my love really is.

Ya know, it's good to be the Queen.

Ironies of Life

I did my nails today..french tips by the way. I used to do them a long time ago before I had 6 kids. After the 5th came along though, it became obvious that diaper changing and long, manicured nails just weren't going to mix well.

So, no diaper duty anymore (something to really thank the heavens for) so I figure, hey, let's do the ol nails and celebrate the no diaper duty.

Finish the nails in remarkably quick time considering how out of practice I am, came downstairs to get a drink and possibly admire them and I'm greeted by a giant pile of dog shit. Yay. Thank God for rubber gloves.

Who ever said that children need animals either doesn't have children, doesn't have animals and certainly doesn't have 6 children and animals together.

I need a beer. Good thing the sun's up over the yard arm.

NASCAR

Calling all NASCAR fans? Where are all the women NASCAR fans is what I want to know? Who's your favorite driver?

I am a reluctant NASCAR fan. My husband was and had been a die-hard NASCAR fan before we even met. But, as I have explained before, I live in a testosterone driven house, so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I'm sorry to say that my husband had to wake me up to tell me that Dale died. He will never let me forget it either, LOL!

I am of course a Dale Jr. fan. By default initially, and then later because he's an awesome race car driver. Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, and Michael Waltrip are among my favorites and it's probably easier to ask me who I don't like because that's a much shorter list.

Darrel Waltrip drives me nuts. That's the biggest reason I just went to bed during the Daytona 500 in 2001 was because I could not stand to see and listen to him putting down Dale any longer. He trashed him until the second he died and did all of his life and now acts like they were best friends. Right. And, ironically enough, Dale Sr. gave Darrel Waltrip the ride that secured NAPA, the sponsor for his brother. Hmmm, wonder what he's done for anyone lately.

If you've never had the Talladega experience, then you just don't know what you're missing. After the fall, hopefully I'll be able to put some pictures up to capture the essence of the party.

So, all y'all NASCAR fans out there, lets go racing!!!!

War in Iraq

Ok lets get these posts out of the way. Here's what I think about the war in Iraq.

I believe it is sucky that we have to be there, but I believe we have to be there. It's sucky to have to take out the trash too, but someone has to do it.

I look and watch and listen and the Iraqi people remind me of someone has been abused and if you have any experience with abuse or anyone who has been abused then you know what I'm talking about.

When you have a domestic situation and the abused finally gets out of it, you notice certain things. It takes time for them to realize they aren't living that way anymore. It takes time for them to realize they have freedom. It takes time for them to learn to stand up for themselves because they think everyone is like their abuser.

Saddam Hussein, in my opinion, effectively abused an entire nation. Would you turn your back if you saw a woman or a child getting beaten by their spouse or parent? No. You would try to help. The military are the people trained to help. They are over there not just fighting, but teaching the Iraqis that it's their country, they can fight for it now. It's going to take time but it's going to be time that is well invested.

40 percent of eligible voters in Iraq showed up to vote. That is more than show up in our own country.

This isn't about us taking them over. This is about us showing them that the people should be able to govern themselves. We don't care if they wear veils or if they do whatever as long as the PEOPLE want it that way. I love this country and I served during the first Iraq war. I'm glad we got to finish what we started and as far as the WMD's go...whatever...so they couldn't find any. Maybe for once our intelligence community was too good ..they jumped the gun and there wasn't a chance to build them, but you can be assured that they were going to. You don't just keep plutonium rods laying around for no reason but that didn't get very wide media coverage did it?

So, that's where I'm at with the war.

Mother's Day

I am a little late with my Mother's Day post. I got treated so great that I needed a day off to absorb the full emotional impact of the gift that I got.

I tripped downstairs at about 8:30 am and had my morning Dr. Pepper during which no one bothered me except to say nice things. Then I went outside to piddle around in my (drumroll please) new secret 'fort'!

Let me paint a picture here. I live in a totally testosterone driven house. It's 6 males and 2 females. When you cram that many people into a house, then there becomes a constant power struggle for space. Thankfully we have a very large yard that is very vegetative. We have been able to carve forts out for everyone! ( I say we like I did any of it..that's what makes this such a beautiful gift as well..but I'm getting to that)

So, they started a day early on Saturday night, and around here Saturday night always involves a few frosty beverages to enhance the activities. This particular Saturday night there was a NASCAR race on but NASCAR is probably a whole nother blog that I need to attach, eh? So, Saturday evening they brought out the tangible gifts for me, which were decorative flowers and vines for my fort. The Jasmine is beautiful smelling. And, some tomato plants..yummy!!!

Sunday morning they got out the serious lawn tools and began cutting back the honeysuckle and tangle of weeds that had completely taken over the fence line. All the while being Oh so careful and mindful where the blueberry bushes are (they didn't kill a single one..not one.) and hacked back the jungle to reveal a most peaceful serene hidey hole. It never gets direct sunlight, it's breezy and I can observe the comings and goings of the whole family without having to be directly involved in their petty litte squabbles. (They are hilarious to watch, though, especially the 6 and 8 yr old.)

The other reason that this is such a wonderful gift is that the chore list is so unbalanced because of gender and interest that it gives me an opportunity to contribute in helping with the yard the way they always help me with the house. These guys sweated building this place for me.

Then, they let me watch a chick flick, The Sweetest Thing, and that was cool because it is so funny and they were so surprised that they liked it too...hehehe!I actually had to play it twice because they were all so skeptical that it was going to be funny. I didn't make it a requirement that they watch it with me, just that I get to watch it uninterrupted..but they all wound up watching it anyway. So the ones that came in late or had to keep coming and going because of the project they had started watched it all later. That's always fun...getting to hang out with them and enjoy their company...it's what makes it all worthwhile.

Oh, and that's not all...oh no...see what I mean? My husband fired up the grill and turned this roast into the most mouthwatering, perfectly spiced piece of meat you have ever tasted. It was seared well on the outside so all the juices were locked in and then he slow cooked it with potatoes roasted right in the fire and corn with all the good stuff to put on it. No ketchup or steak sauce for that meat, though, let me tell you.

Can you feel the love? !

Conversations at 2am

That's one of the things I love best about being married. Those conversations that inevitably happen at 2am.
My husband and I have been married for 10 years (next month). He is 6'2" and I am 5'1"..so we share a king sized bed. He is a very restless sleeper at times to put it mildly. Apparently on the nights that he isn't being restless and trying tohog the bed, then it is my turn because I can hog the covers with the best of them.

This morning it was him that was finally brave enough to start the conversation.

Him: Honey, why are you sleeping in your chair?

Me: Because you kicked me out of bed.

Him: How did I do that, I am all the way over here?

Me: Roll over until you find the pillow in the middle, then throw your leg over it and see where you are then.

(rustling noise...at this point I am laughing a little because he is actually doing it)

Him: Oh. Well, I moved over now, you can come back to bed.

And for the next two hours we found a peaceful coexistance wrapped in the quilt together. I honestly don't know what I would do with a whole night's sleep. I think I might miss something.

Restroom Revelations You Ask?

Hi! So, you want to know why I'm writing this in the bathroom? I am a stay at home mom of 6 kids ranging from ages 21 to 6. My mornings start at 4 am and continue non-stop until 8-9pm at night.

This morning started with the 6 year old having a hangnail. The doctoring process was a bit traumatic for him, as you can well imagine. This, of course, means he's going to be late for school. So, I hug my daughter and send her off on the bus. Then, I get dressed, pause for a few minutes to sign the neverending pile of papers, grab my daughter's lunch money that she forgot to take and out the door I go. The dropping off of the lunch money took much longer than expected because my son, who was escorting me proudly through the elementary school, felt the need to show off his "boo-boo" to every single passer by. (Remember when you were little and compared injuries..those with the worst one were the coolest?) So I get back home in time to tell the other, older boys to have a good day at school and by this time I am really looking forward to just sitting in my chair for a few minutes. So, I sit down, pen in hand, and "tap, tap, tap" at the door and there is my 21 yr old standing there with his arms full of childhood memorabilia that he has decided we would best know what to do with. Then, to round it all out..my husband (who is a saint, by the way) decided that he was going to clean his closet in order to make room for the older one's stuff so I retreated to the bathroom to write this entry. I figure that's where most of them will be written from so, I give you Restroom Revelations. Enjoy!