Makin' Whoopie (Pies!)

I have been dying to make these things since I found them on a blog I stumbled upon the other day. Never mind that I have one million things to do before leaving for Disney World on Monday - I've got to make these pies! And I'm so glad that we did. They were delish! This was the "trial run." We'll make them again when Valentine's day is a little closer and give them to neighbors and/or teachers. My kids are so weired...they wouldn't try them. Will said, "I'm too scared of that stuff on the inside." Good grief!

(BTW, that "stuff on the inside" is marshmallow cream, butter, and cream cheese. Heavenly!)

Sleep Tight.

This is what my bedroom looks like when M's on call and sleeps at the hospital! Arms and legs all over the place and no room for me (but I don't mind...I tiptoed upstairs and slept all by myself!).

That Just Ain't Right Part 2

All four children had dental appointments last week. It was a nice hour - I sat in the waiting room reading trashy celebrity magazines while the children had their teeth cleaned. I was really concerned about KitKat's teeth because she told me the day before the appointement, "I don't use toothpaste when I brush my teeth." What???" I had no idea. I asked, "Why wouldn't you use toothpaste when you brush your teeth??" She replied, "It's takes quicker if you don't use toothpaste."
I am happy to report that despite the fact that she eats junk everyday, she had no cavities!

That Just Ain't Right

Dinner conversation tonight:

Me: What is that smell?

Everyone stares blankly.

Me: WHAT is that awful smell?
Son , is that your socks??
It IS your feet. Get up and go put your shoes on.

Son: But mom, can't I just take my socks off?

Me: No way. Get up and go put your shoes on.

Son comes back, slightly grinning.

M to son: Are you wearing dirty socks?

Son: Yesuh. (Yes sir)

M (firmly and loudly): You better change your socks every day. And your underwear.
If I catch you wearing dirty socks, you're gonna get a spanking.
If I catch you wearing dirty underwear, you're gonna get a spanking.
Do you understand?

Son: Yesuh.

M: When we get up, I want you to go take a bath.

Son: But I had one yesterday.

Mom My Ride

I bought a new van yesterday. It's just a matter to time before it starts to look like my old van. This morning as I was driving through Star Bucks, I was on the phone with Mimi. The children asked for a doughnut. I said, "No, we aren't eating in Mommy's car." Mimi said, "What? How long do you think that's gonna last?" I replied, "At least the first 24 hours!" I remembered this video that someone sent me plast year and thought it would be appropriate for today.

Double Dare

My youngest sister dared me to post this.

I feel like I've already "exposed" myself to the blogosphere, so why not one more time?

When I was expecting baby #4, KitKat was only 6 months old. She was as demanding as a baby as she was a toddler and now a pre-schooler. AAA was 4 years old and my L'il Man was 3. In other words, I was worn OUT! So one afternoon, M and I were driving around and I was thinking about names for the baby. At that point, I didn't know if baby #4 was a girl or boy. M - his name is Mark - I just need to go ahead and tell you this because the story is not funny without you knowing this - likes "plain" names for boys, like Bob, David, Steve, Dan, Mike, John, etc. So I was thinking through his brothers' names - Philip, David, and John - and I said, "Hmm. I'm surprised you don't have a brother named Mark." He said, "It would be kind of redundant, don't you think?" And I thought to my tired, pregnant self, "Oh, does hehave a brother named Mark?", except I actually SAID IT OUT LOUD "Oh, do you have a brother named Mark?" He just looked at me. And all of a sudden I realized, my husband's name is Mark. True story.
The worst part of this story is that MARK DIDN'T LAUGH! I could have handled it if we had enjoyed a good laugh over this. But he did not laugh. It didn't stop me from laughing, but you can only gutt-laugh for so long until you start feeling embarrassed. Fortunately, we had a girl. And the one thing that I was sure of was my own name, so I didn't have to worry about naming her "Tiffany."

(If you don't understand the above post, it's not you. It's just that you are a man and you have never experienced the extreme exhaustion that settles into your bones when you are expecting a baby.)

P.S. Mimi thinks that I am "ruining my image" by posting this story, along with the previous post about the "17 second microwaved hotdog on white bread" that I ate while standing up and loading the dishwasher. I was just happy to hear that she thought I had an image to ruin! I'm just keeping it real!

So KitKat wet the bed the other night. In fact, it was Tuesday night. So Wednesday morning I put the fitted sheet and mattress cover in the washing machine. Then I cleaned the house because I had a PTA meeting at my house at noon. The meeting lasted until 2:00. After the meeting, I picked the kids up from school, came home, ate "lunch" (didn't have time because I was too busy cleaning and hosting), helped AAA with spelling and math, spent my 15 minutes a day trying to teach KitKat how to read, prepared dinner, cooked dinner, set the table, ate dinner, washed dishes, and bathed children. Then I remembered that KitKat's sheets were still in the washer. I'm not one of these moms who has several matching sets of sheets. I have one set of sheets per bed. When they are dirty, I wash them and put them right back on the bed (in theory!). So KitKat slept on the floor at the foot of my bed in her new sleeping bag.

Fast Forward. It's Thursday. I woke up, took the kids to school, went to the gym, hit all thrift stores in the Auburn/Opelika area trying to find 30 cheap vases for Teacher Appreciation Week, fixed lunch for KitKat and Sunshine (I ate a 17 second-microwaved hotdog on a piece of white bread while standing up and loading the dishwasher), spent my 15 minutes a day trying to teach KitKat to read, picked kids up from school, helped AAA with math and spelling, prepared dinner, cooked dinner, set the table, ate dinner, washed dishes, and bathed children. Then M asks, "Does KitKat have clean sheets on her bed?" I reply (nicely), "Oh. I was just about to ask if you could put them on her bed. They're clean and dry." He says, halfway serious, "Noooo." I looked at him like he had lost his mind and asked (not so nicely), "Why?? Because you've been at work all day and I've been watching Oprah and eating bon-bons?" He says - I mean he actually has the nerve to say -" I just thought that at some point in the last 48 hours you would have had a chance to wash her sheets and put them back on her bed." Oh no he ditt -in'! I won't tell you what I said next! And then what he said after that. And what I said after that. And guess who put the sheets on the bed (I'll give you a hint...it wasn't the lady who watched Oprah and ate bon-bons all day!).

Um

Tonight I took a bubble bath. After the bath, I put on my nice, thick robe and walked into my bedroom. The kids were sitting on the bed. I reached into my underwear drawer and grabbed the first pair of panties that I saw. A pair of black all lace panties. Li'l Man saw them , laughed ,and asked, "What kind of Mom are you?!" I started dying laughing. I said, "If it weren't so inappropriate, I'd put this on my blog." AAA pleaded, "Mom, but please don't post any pictures of you in them!"

Family (Circus) Night

Tonight was "Family Night." We haven't had Family Night since before Thanksgiving because there were so many holiday festivities that interfered with our family night. But tonight...I made a fun dinner (Chicken on a Stick), baked brownies for dessert, and brought out the really fancy BINGO game. But Family Night never seems to go quite as planned. First of all, Sunshine comes in the kitchen crying real tears. "Daddy said I have to take my medicine." I replied, "I'll give you some Sprite to wash it down! How would you like that?" She took her medicine like a big girl then cried and asked, "Can I go lay down in your bed and go night night?" I hugged her and kissed her and off she went. So now it's "Family Night Minus One" .

So we played BINGO. Thank goodness that Kit Kat won! Otherwise it would have been "Family Night Minus One Plus One Was Sent to Her Room For Being A Sore Loser." So BINGO was fun, but we decided to take it a step further and play until the whole card was full. Not a good idea. A little too much down time. KitKat was winning again and chanted over and over, "I'm winning, Y'all are losing." And then, just for fun(?), she adds, "Boo Dogs!" Now them are fightin' words in our house! So AAA and L'il Man, of course, shout back, "Boo Auburn!" Well KitKat can "dish it out" but she can NOT take it! So she cried. (Help me, what am I going to do with this child?) Well the never-ending game of BINGO finally ended and next thing you know we are playing the "Charades for Kids" game that Aunt Holley gave us for Christmas (which can be purchased, I am sure, at one of her fabulous toy stores, Spots and Dots in Brookwood Mall or MAE's In Crestline. Holley, you can pay me later for the advertisement). Anyway...to make a long story really short, KitKat started crying (or maybe she was still crying from BINGO?) because I told her that she could just make up whatever she wanted to be. Well M walked back in the room and KitKat said, "Daddy, mommy said I could just make something up that I want to be." M went into this long explanation about why she couldn't because then we wouldn't know if she was right or not and it wouldn't be fair and she just needs to play like everyone else and read the card and be whatever it tells her to be. I would have reminded him that she can't read, but by this point, she's already crying because she "really wanted to be a princess." And,anyway, he's been on me about teaching her to read! Then Li'l Man did something ...next thing you know, he's in tears, too.

This was only going down hill (and fast!) so I "took the bull by the horns" and quickly ended the charades game with a "You know what? We have had a really fun night, and now everyone is getting tired. Let's get ready for bed because it's already past your bedtime, And let's pretend like we quit right after KitKat won the first game of BINGO. That was really fun." Kids are sooo easy! "Yay!" , they yell, "That was fun. Thanks, Mommy!" No problem...glad that was so easy. So off they went to brush their teeth, say their prayers, and go to bed. And guess what, two of the remaining three kids actually said "and thank you, God, for Family Night." Now that is something! Sweet things!

I apologize in advance...

What it is about me that likes to be the opposite of "the life of the party." I can kill a mood with a sad story in a heartbeat! When my older sister turned "40" she had a pink pajama party. I told "buzz-kill" after "buzz-kill" story until someone finally looked at me and said, "Who invited you!?!" It was hilarious. I just about had that room full of girls in tears by the time the night was over.


I file those sad stories away. The house that we currently live in was built in 1940. The widowed owner, Mrs. Greene, lived in the house until her death in 2006. She raised four children in this house, but she also buried all four of her children (here I go again). The oldest son was killed in Vietnam, the only daughter committed suicide when she was in her early twenties, one of the other sons also killed himself (as did his son), and the last surviving son was killed (along with his teenage son) in a house fire in South Alabama just a few years before Mrs. Greene died. You can only imagine the "stuff" that was left behind in her attic. It was mid-summer when she died. There was no family, no air conditioning, and a swarm of cockroaches in the attic that prevented others from bringing all of the "stuff" down from the attic. It was an incredible adventure when we were finally able to sort through all of her things. Each of her children had a large metal trunk FULL of memories. High school and college papers, awards, diplomas, baptism gowns, Sunday School papers, war uniforms, letters- stacks and stacks of letter bundled in chronological order - from the parents to the children while the children were away. I read every single letter that there was. I carefully went through their papers, even their bank statements. In a sense, I fell in love with Mrs. Greene and her family. I realized that despite all of the tragedy that this sweet family endured, they had once been a happy, healthy, whole family. I truly understood the saying, "You never know what life has in store for you." As I thumbed through the daughter's Sunday School artwork from her pre-school and elementary years, I knew that Mrs. Greene would have never imagined the tragedy and heartache that she would endure as her life continued. And I wondered, "I wonder what my life has in store for me." When I tell strangers that I live in Mrs. Greene's old house, so many people have told me that she was like Job. I would have loved to have known her. I know she was faithful and wise. She left behind Bibles , books, and letters to prove it.

I don't know where this post came from. I wasn't planning on writing this when I "signed in" tonight. In fact, I had no idea what I would write. But here it is. I'm not sure I'm drawing any conclusions. I just think that her story is a good reminder to all of us to stay faithful. When Mrs. Greene was my age, all of her children were still living, she and her husband were happy and healthy and had a lifetime of memories to make with their children, or so they thought. It's a sobering thought to think that any of our lives could have such tragedy and sadness in them. Hug those babies (and Julee, kiss those piggies!), read them "just one more" bed time story, give them seconds on the ice cream. Life is short. There are no guarantees.

Now y'all go have yourselves a nice day!

Mary or Martha? You decide.

(Mimi is so nervous about my New Year's Resolutions from yesterday! She's panicked that there will be no "peace keeper" in the family. O.Kay, Mimi, whatever makes you happy. I just want everyone to be happy.
Just kidding! I'm sticking to my guns! So watch out! )



Today I met with a group of moms/friends and we discussed the latest book that we're reading, Having A Mary Heart in a Martha World. I can't decide if I'm a Mary or a Martha! After describing the state of my house to you in yesterday's post, I think it's safe to assume that I'm a Mary. But I have a heck of a lot of Martha in me, as well. Although, honestly, the more tired I am, the more of a Mary I become. Maybe Mary was just tired! I used to have my kids dressed to a T. In fact, they all four coordinated. Poor Li'l Man! All the girls would have baby blue linen dresses and he'd have blue linen shorts. Or the girls would have the cutest pink dresses with snowflakes on them, and Will would have a blue jon-jon with snowflakes on it. The majority of their clothes were all monogrammed. Their hair was always brushed, and they always had a coordinating hair bow to match their monogrammed outfit. My bed was made and every window treatment, shower curtain, and/or pillow had trim to match the fabric.

My how things have changed. The other day Sunshine had a shirt on with KK's initials on it. I heard her tell my mom, "Mom said she ran out of clean shirts." I would have never let AAA leave the house like that. And almost all of my throw pillows have holes in them. I just arrange them so no one can tell. But that's what having four little ones does to you. You just don't care as much. You're just happy that the kids have clothes on at all. But I don't know if my heart has changed as much as my energy level has changed. Am I really a Mary or just a really lazy Martha? I have to wonder. I hope to explore this a little further during the course of the next few weeks. I'll get back to you. I may have just hit on a really important concept that all of the biblical scholars (men, I'm sure) may have over-looked. Mary was TIRED! I hope I'm not being blasphemous here. I don't mean to be. I 'm completely serious when I tell you that I don't know if I'm a Martha who has just decided that I'm too tired to be a Martha so I'll think I'll be a Mary because it's easier, or if I'm a Mary by nature. But then I think, ya know, I really like for my wrapping paper to coordinate well with my decor, so maybe I really am a Martha. I DON'T KNOW!

(To illustrate my point about not caring as much about how my children dress, I've posted the above picture. Kit Kat wore that cowboy hat with a tiara on it out in public, with her thrift store jean jacket buttoned all the way to the top . And Sunshine wore pink rain boots with her red outfit. And,yes, KitKAt wore flip-flops to the Christmas program).

Let the New Year Begin!

So I think all the moms out there can agree that our New Year officially starts tomorrow! The kids will be back in school, the Christmas decorations will be put away while the kids are at school. We can hit the gym again and start working towards our New Year's Resolution #1 (lose 10 pounds...wait, wasn't that #1 for 2008??). So I have procrastinated, delayed, and post-poned my New Year's resolutions as long as I can. Tomorrow the New Year officially begins! So here are my resolutions:

1. Already stated. Lose 10 pounds. Oh wait - I'm a mom of three girls - I have to re- phrase: lead a healthier lifestyle. (And if that means I look better in a bathing suit by the time summer arrives, well, then that's just a perk- not my goal - I promise.)

2. Eat less fast food and drink less fast coffee. This is more about cutting out frivolous spending, but if it helps me reach Resolution #1 a little quicker, then so be it! And for the record, I finally threw away the rest of the brownies with Reese's p-nut butter cups in them to STOP THE EATING around here. As sad as it was, I knew it was time.

4. Dig deeper. This one will require some explanation.
I am a fan of peace. I am the typical middle child...the peace-maker, the middle man. I don't like conflict or confrontation. So I tend to go for the quick fix in certain situations. I tend to look for ways to simply "keep the peace." I'll agree with you if it'll make you happy. I just want you to be happy. I don't think my "peace-loving nature" is necessarily a bad thing, but I think it can be. It has certainly allowed me to gloss over issues and problems that require a lot more than a funny remark and a friendly smile. So I want to dig deeper - in His word, in my friendships, even in my failures. I pray I will have the strength and courage to dig deeper - even if it's painful.

5. Be more faithful in the small things. Like reading bible stories and bedtime stories to my children. Teaching KIt Kat to read. Kissing Sunshine's boo-boo's. Listening to AAA's heart. Throwing the football with my Little Man.

6. Run a marathon. Okay - I'm just kidding. But as I look back over my short list, I realize that there's nothing really significant on it. I know reading the Bible to my children is significant, but there's nothing on it like "Climbing Mt. Everest." Now that would be something! But, alas, I've never really been an over-achiever. Is that bad? Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not Type A. I'm fairly laid-back about most things (to a fault?...suddenly I'm beginning to wonder). I like most people. I get along well with others. I enjoy life. I enjoy my children. I'm easily pleased. Life is good. My laundry is always a mile high. The refrigerator is always in a state of needing to be cleaned. I have fingerprints on my windows, hand prints on my walls. The roll of toilet paper sits next to the holder (why can't someone just put it on there while they're just sitting there?). I could feed an army off the bottom of my van. The vacuum stays in the room I last vacuumed until I decide to vacuum another room (which may be a week later). There's always at least one bed in the house that is not made. You get the idea. These are things I could work on. But I'm 38 years old and old habits die hard! These things don't really bother me. They do bother me, I guess. But not enough to do anything about them (until company is coming,then I'm hell on wheels trying to get it all done).

So that's it. I kept it short and simple. I'm almost embarassed that I shared it with you. But I guess the fewer resolutions I have, the fewer I have to break!

Have a Happy New Year. And for anyone interested, some moms and I are meeting at Toomer's coffee at 9:00 to toast to the New Year (I guess it'll be my last cup...darn it, I knew I couldn't keep this up!)

It's a good thing my New Year doesn't start until tomorrow since I had both Starbucks and Chick-Fil A by noon today. And a Reese's p-nut butter cup before breakfast. And French Toast with powedered sugar for dinner. Man...maybe I'll re-think thses resolutions. It's going to be harder than I thought!

Happy New Year everybody (all 4 of you!)

Can I just put a book on his head to keep him from growing?

My just-turned-seven year old Li'l Man spent the last four days st the beach with his all-time favorite cousin. I met my sister at the Burger King In Greenville yesterday to exchange kids (I had her four year old princess). I turned my airbag off and let my son sit in the front seat beside me so that we could talk about his trip. He had a blast!! He took his shoes off, then his socks. I immediately regretted my decision to allow him to sit in the front seat. I had been excited about going through Montgomery and stopping AT Krispy Kreme, and suddenly I was thinking, "I won't be able to enjoy my Hot Now with that smell!" So I said, "Your feet REEK!" He grinned and said, "Thanks!! I've been wearing the same socks all four days." "Why?!?" I asked (I knew that I had packed extra socks). He said, "I just balled them up and stuck them in my shoes at night, and in the mornings I put them back on." Then he stuck the sock up to his nose and inhaled. He then commented, "This would make a good air freshener. You should try it!" I reached over to pat the top of his head. He gently grabbed my hand, kissed it, rubbed it on the side of his face, then placed it on the arm rest and leaned against it. I knew his hands were sweaty and smelled like feet, but I was good with it! I love that little rascal!

I used to worry about this little fella being surrounded by a house full of girls. No worries. He's all boy!

Thanking God for this little man in my life!

Happy New Year!

I wish I had something deep and profound to share with you on this first day of the new year. But, alas, I am dry! So...I'll tell you this funny story. When I was in college, I sold New Year's Eve baskest door-to-door. I made up this cute poem that I'll share with you:

In the South,
It is tradition
To get your Black-eyed-pea nutrition.

So bake the cornbread,
Boil the rice
Simmer the peas
And add some spice.

(I can't remember the sentence that would go here>>>)
May your New Year be extra nice!

So I put a bag of black-eyed peas in a cellophane bag tied with purple and gold shiny curly ribbon, a bag of rice, a tiny jar of Tabasco, and a box of Jiffy cornbread mix in a gold spray-painted basket. I sold enough baskets to pay for one more semester of school! I attached the poem to the top of the basket.

I think M would die if he knew I shared this with you!

(With this economy, don't be surprised if I show up at your door!)

Happy New Year!

Thanking God for another happy, healthy year!