On big happy "dysfunctional" family

Well, post Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope all your Thanksgivings were great! We sure had a great time. I always love the holidays. I was just telling Michael one of my favorite moments of the holidays is walking through the door or watching others walk through the door. I love that initial burst of energy with everyone hugging. It may be a sister you saw last week or an aunt you haven’t seen in a year, it still on of my favorite moments. I really do love the holidays; they make the winter seem warmer.

I know sometimes the Holidays can be a bittersweet. Perhaps you have lost a loved one, or there is turmoil in your family. I too can recall the day I just wanted to sleep through the holidays because my family dynamic had changed and it was a very painful time for me. I remember when I just couldn’t stand the sound of Christmas music because it reminded be I no longer had “one big happy family”. My Christmas no longer looked the way it was supposed to. But through time and acceptance the Holidays are back at the top of my list, well, right under “summer time!” And the ironic part of it all is I have learned to appreciate family “dysfunction.” Every family has it’s own dysfunction. It may be divorce, a sibling spat, or your crazy aunt Martha. But what I love about family is just before you leave the party, you hug and wish each other the best because no matter the dysfunction, they are your family and you love em. And that is why I love the phrase coined by my “step-sister”

“We are just one, big happy, dysfunctional family”

So to all the “dysfunctional” families out there…. embrace your dysfunction and enjoy each other this holiday. Even enjoy your crazy Aunt Martha. haha

It's like "magic"

Well, as most of you know, Bo has recently entered what I call the “Mostly Potty Trained World.” He does really well for about a week and then has an accident. And then does really well for another 4 days and then has an accident. I think we are down to about 5 accidents a month, so I am choosing to see the glass half full. Yeah, still having some accidents, but 5 a months is a lot better that 5 a day! His new thing lately is if he has an accident, he takes his pants and underwear off himself and then comes to tell me. So he comes to me with nothing on from the waste down saying, “I go acky in my pants” and I scramble to get him hoping he hasn’t left a trail of road apples along the way.

So last Friday he had gone outside to play before it was time to go to the parade. As I walked out to load my stuff into the van I saw my three year old naked from the waste down playing in the 35 degree weather. Oh my gosh. Seriously, it is time to leave so I can meet my sis-in-law by a certain time and now I need to clean Bo up and get him dressed. So I frantically accomplish that and load the kids up. On my way out the door I saw he had ditched his clothes in the corner of the garage, but I didn’t have time to get them. And by the time I got home and got the kids in bed that night, I didn’t CARE to get them. I knew Michael was cleaning the garage tomorrow and I was running errands, I was hoping they would be taken care of “magically while I was gone.

I actually forgot about them until Sunday, when I noticed them in the yard being washed by the rain. At first I thought, “Darn it I guess I better clean those up.” Then my thoughts shifted to, “Well, actually if I leave them there, after a few good hard rains, I won’t need to clean them up, I will be able to just throw them in the washer. It will be like they were “magically” taken care of. So yup, they are still in the yard. Now I just have to make sure I get them before it snows. Haha Now if that isn’t redneck, I don’t know what is. But hey, some days ya just have to let it go, if you want to stay sane anyway. lol

What a great Day with the Kids!

What a great night. I had thought I would be staying in with my sick Bo, but turns out 24 hours on an antibiotic is all the little “red bull” child needs. My sis-in-law works for HOME.FM and she invited the kids on the float for the Christmas parade in Jackson. So I, and I alone packed four kids and myself up. Anyone who knows me well, knows what a big deal this was. I do NOT like cold weather. Personally the idea of a “Parade” in the cold weather is just crazy. But my husband was hunting and a thought I would be the “FUN” parent. Don’t get me wrong; I am certainly a fun parent. But outdoor cold fun, yeah, not so much. But I put on my long John’s, and layered everyone else up too. I dropped my older 3 off to their Aunt and Bo and I found a parking space and went to watch the parade. It seemed like forever before it started. Once it started Bo wanted me to hold him so he could see. “No problem” I thought. “I mean, how long could a parade in the cold weather be?" Well I soon found out those cold weather parades could be quite long. And after about 45 min. of holding my 39-pound kid, well, I thought it would never end. It was a cute parade though; I especially enjoyed the float with the hot air balloon fire things on it. (Not sure what they are called) They were blowing FIRE. I could feel the heat began to melt the ice icicles that had begun to form on my chin. I wished I could ride on that float. Now that would be my kind of cold weather parade! Just before the parade was over and I was getting tired I set Bo down. He then began to run around me in circles. He thought he was quite funny. I just watched him go round and round thinking, “Really, didn’t you just get on an antibiotic? Shouldn’t you be recovering?’’ I always love those snuggle times when they don’t feel good. I got one afternoon of snuggle time with Bo, and then back on his feet he was a runnin.

Finally the parade was finished and Bo and I made our way to the Michigan Theater where we would meet up with the others and watch elf. That was a blast. As I ate my sandwich I had packed, I could feel my arms shake with every bite I lifted to my mouth. Apparently forty five minutes with 39 pounds in my arms had taken it’s toll. Well, I guess no need to workout tomorrow. As we watched Elf, it took two bags of popcorn to keep Bo sitting still, but he made it through the whole movie. It was 10:20 before we were all loaded up and on the road home. Kate and Timmy fell asleep, but Bo, well, he talked the whole way home. I as so hoping he would fall asleep so I could carry him to bed, but nope, we did our usual bedtime routine. The one where Bo looks like a jumping bean and I look like I need to be tucked in myself. I just don’t know where he gets all the energy. I got all the kids tucked away and let out a sigh. What a great night with the kids!

Here we "BO" again

So yesterday I was in Wal-Mart with Bo and for the most part he did great. I find that if I go to Walmart, PLANNING on it taking two hours then I can just enjoy the time walking with Bo, letting him put the groceries in the cart. Well, it just so happens about halfway through our list Bo had to go potty, of course. No big deal, at least I don’t have to change him any more. I took him into the restroom and he ran ahead and picked out his stall, and then locked the door. Yes, locked me out. He apparently wanted to do things on his own, but I like to go with him to attempt to keep him putting his little pudgy hands on everything. Another lady walked into the restroom and there I was trying to “nicely” get my three year old to open the door. Kinda embarrassing. Finally he opened the door and told me that he didn’t have to go anymore. I just love it when we go into a public restroom and walk out with more germs that when we went in, and NOT go potty. Finally, we could not fit one more item into our cart. All checked out and ready to go Bo announced he had to go potty. And off he went. I followed close behind saying, “No, Bo not that one”, as he walked into the men’s room. So there I was outside the men’s room once again “nicely” trying to get him to come out. Now I had everyone in lanes 6,7,8 and 9 staring at me. Finally, Bo walked out just looking at me like I was the crazy one. I guess it would seem kinda strange to a three year old that his mom was standing outside of the bathroom afraid to walk in.

So crazy yesterday, but today he is not feeling so well. He had a fever this afternoon and just wanted to snuggle with me. It was practically impossible to cook dinner. I through some fish sticks in the oven and reheated the broccoli and noodles from last night and called it good. And as crazy as it all seemed when he fell asleep on my bed, my heart just melted. I hate it when there are sick, but the snuggle time is precious and those moments I will cherish forever.

It's the most "what" time of the year?

Today was great. I had a great reminder that I needed today. Things have been so busy for me this past month with my work. So busy in fact, when the kids talked about putting up the tree this year I didn’t even want to. It bothered me that I wasn’t the least bit excited. Putting up the tree with the kids is one of my favorite things to do. We always turn the Christmas music up loud and take turns falling of the chair trying to reach the high branches. Then when all the ornaments are on, turn all the lights off and then light up the tree. So naturally when my “Christmas Spirit” was lacking and I just saw the tree as one more thing to get done, well, the guilt kicked in. But today Shelby Raines, with Marriage Matters Jackson spoke at our MOPS group about “thriving in the Holidays.” My favorite point she made today was, to make a list of five things you want to do between now and the New Year. Now this doesn’t count all of our obligations, like those “required” family gatherings, but rather the little things that tend to get forgotten in the craziness. When she said this my heart warmed as I began to recall why I love the holidays with my family. Movie night with the kids, making cookies, and yes decorating the tree. I suddenly realized I had been allowing worries and stress concerning my job take over. It had been a busy three weeks and I had been stressing too much. So much in fact it was beginning to rob me of the basic principals my job is ACTUALLY founded on, FAMILY. So today I made my list of my five things I want to do and I put decorate the tree with the kids at the top. It was time to refocus, give my life and career back to my God, and enjoy the most important career I have. A MOM! I still love my job; I just needed to be reminded to RELAX! So as these busy times are upon us, remember to cherish the moments that REALLY matter.

Monday, Monday, Monday

Monday, Monday, Monday. Well, I know most of my stories are about my little red bull munchkin, but today he was the least of my worries. In fact, today Bo unloaded the dishes and helped switch every laundry load, so yeah, can’t really complain about Bo. One of my others on the other hand, I was about to FedEx to Canada. I can’t mention any names because now that my older ones are aware of my blog, they asked me not to talk about them. But the basic theme of today was “argue with mom”. As I look at my kids, I believe that there greatest weakness will be there greatest strength. Think about it, a kid that won’t take no for an answer, boy nothing is gonna stop them when they get older. Well, judging by the commitment and determination my kids often have to get what they want, well they should go far in life!!!! There won’t be anything that will stop them. What cracks me up though is when they complain about doing their chores with statements like, “I hate cleaning” and “It’s not fair, I shouldn’t have to clean.” I can’t help but think. Really! Cause I just love cleaning. In fact when I was your age I would dream all day about how much fun it would be to clean the house. I thought to myself, “Oh I hope when I grow up I get to clean up messes all day. Just clean, clean clean, clean all day. I will pick up toys, clean up food, do laundry, and on my favorite days I will chisel Play Dough out of the carpet, and maybe use my magic eraser on the walls. And then the best part is I get to wake up and do it all again the next day. I had someone say to me a few years ago, “Jamie, you are just like my aunt, you love to clean.” Um, no, not really. I just like the results. I like it when my house is in order. But I certainly wouldn’t consider cleaning a “hobby”, or a favorite pass time of mine when I am bored. Actually, a hobby I would like to have is being bored. Seriously, all you parents out there think about the last time you were bored. The last time you laid around guilt free because there was nothing to do and therefore bored. Now days, when I think about being bored, I get excited. That’s when you know you have been a parent for a long time. When the thought of boredom is exciting to you. LOL
Well, this story seems to be more stream of consciousness than anything else. Hmmmm. Well, that’s a Monday for ya.

What a laugh.

Tonight was a blast. We went to the Marriage Matters Jackson event to see Mark Gunger. The guy is hilarious. It was a great night. I had a wonderful time, I would just like to erase one tiny part. While I was sitting in my chair, I saw someone two rows in front me that I knew. I jumped up to go say hi. As I stepped toward her the thought ran through my mind, “What if it isn’t her.” So just as I was about to reach her I stopped and walked down the row behind her. I than sat in the chair trying to peer down her isle to get a glimpse of her whole face. She then looked right at me. So she turns and looks at me wondering what the heck I am staring at and I realized it is not her. Oh my, gosh. I shot a look back to my group saying, “Ooops, it is not her” and then I just started laughing. I couldn’t believe what an idiot I was making of myself. Finally, I composed myself and headed back to my chair. Poor girl, I never even explained myself. But other than that it was great and funny.

Pack pack pocket

Well, today Bo woke up at 6:40 insisting we change his pull up he had peed in. Seriously, it’s a pull up and I have to get up in twenty min. I tried to convince him it was just a pull up and go back to bed, but for anyone who knows Bo, knows how “easy” it is to change his mind. So I changed his pull up, and his pants per his request. And for anyone who knows Bo, knows he didn’t go back to sleep in ten minutes therefore he was up at 7am with the rest of us. After he saw me pack the kids their lunch he insisted on making his lunch. Today he was going to be going to day care so it was a good idea. He was so excited putting his sandwich into his lunch box. And then asked every 15 minutes if it was time to go to school and eat his lunch. Finally, it was time to go and he ever so proudly carried his lunch to the van. He was too cute. After I picked him up from day care, he was walking down the hall and I asked, “Do you want to wear your coat?” “No,” he replied without a care in the world. And then he stopped dead in his tracks, and with panic in his voice he said, “Oh, no! I need my pack pack pocket.” I showed him his lunch box and asked “I have this, is this what you need?” “Oh, there it is.” He said with the cutest grin you have ever seen. He took the lunch box out of my hand and walked proudly out the door. Later that day when we arrived home, he wanted to pack his lunch again. He is just to cute these days. Yesterday he unloaded my dishwasher, and what ever items he couldn’t reach he made me take care of right away. I guess I will take the add off ebay once again. He really is too cute!

Bo who?

Well it seems some alien life form has taken over my son Bo, but whatever it is I am welcoming it with open arms. Lately Bo likes to help clean. The other day while the kids were doing their chores he said, “I go do my chores, I go make my bed”. Well I certainly wasn’t going to argue with him. So off he went. Timmy came down and said, “Mom, you have to come see this. Bo made his bed and it looks like you made it!” Sure enough I went up there and the covers were pulled up neatly and his decorative Clifford pillow sat directly on top of his regular pillow as if he centered it perfectly.

Then yesterday he helped me unload all the groceries out of the van and started putting them away. He was so cute. He actually put my bag of cotton balls on the shelf with the marshmallows. When we were finished he put all the empty bags in my bag holder. The only problem was after we were done unloading I was missing my shoe polish, and Kate’s deodorant. After looking everywhere I called Meijer to see if it was left on the check out lane. They made note of my missing items and said nothing was reported. Later that night I found Kate’s deodorant in the junk drawer, and then the next morning I found my shoe polish in the refrigerator. I had to just laugh. He was being so helpful. At least he didn’t put ice cream in the cupboard where the shoe polish goes.

So where were they?

So today I called my husband and the conversation began with me saying, “So, babe, you love me for all the entertainment, non-boringness, craziness I bring into your life, right?” His response was “Oh boy.” Ya see, he is used to me making his life what I like to call “less boring.” Like when Josh was a baby and I sent him back to the football field after it was all shut down, to retrieve a baby bottle I thought I left there. It was an expensive baby bottle Josh needed at the time. I was so stressed thinking it might be lost. So Michael reassured me that he would go get it. He drove back into town, jumped the fence at the field and searched the bleachers but came up empty handed. I later found it in the diaper bag, I never left it at the game. So it is because of numerous “non-boring” experiences like these that warranted the “oh boy”. Well, for those of you who read my blog about Kate’s new bed we couldn’t assemble because of the lost screws, I found them. I found them today and didn’t want to tell Michael, who searched the entire house and the entire garage, that I found them in my purse. Yup, I pulled out my planner today and there they were, in my purse. When I told my friend about it she said I owed Bo an apology for blaming him. lol Hmmm. Maybe I could stick with the “Bo stuck them in my purse story”. Ok, probably not. Oh well, at least we found them. And this way an instructional manual with come with the new screws we ordered.

All in a good days work

Well, I worked “FROM” home today. I started at 12pm and didn’t punch out till 6, when I had an appointment, and then finally had dinner with the family at 7:30. The reason for my emphasis on the word from, is because I didn’t get a dang thing done concerning my actual home. I currently have 3 baskets of laundry sitting next to me on my bed. They are clean I must say but not folded. I have a load in the dryer that I have turned on twice now because my hang-ups are in that load and I don’t want them to wrinkle. My kitchen has the dinner mess left in it, but at least I did cook dinner. And when I say the word “cook” I mean put the pan of frozen lasagna I prepared 2 weeks ago for such a day as this into the oven. At dinner we had our family meeting, which was actually very productive! And while we were being productive Bo accidentally dumped out half the can of Parmesan cheese on his lasagna. We salvaged as much as we could, but Bo still ended up eating quite a bit. The toy room however, is clean, Bo went on a cleaning rampage and decided to clean it all himself. Personally I think he was just trying to avoid bedtime, but hey, a kid that wants to clean, what mom could say no.

As for me I frankly don’t care what my house looks like. I am climbing into bed with a bowl of ice cream and calling it a day.

Good night!