Momnesia...

I miss my blog. I really do. I think I'm going to have to rejoin the blogging world. Mainly because I forget so much about the things that happen daily with my little girls. I'm going to have to start writing everything down because I swear I don't remember what happened last week. uggh. I have momnesia.

While I try to remember what happened yesterday, I'll post a few of my most recent layouts:

This one (about my bathtub... yes, I actually made a scrapbook page about my bathtub!) was made with Sharon's most recent kit, Serenity. LOVE the colors in this kit.

Credits here.

This one is of Gabby with her cool shades on. She loves her sunglasses. She calls them her eyes. She will actually say things like "Need eyes, Mommy" to me. Cute. This layout is using Joana's Simply Girly kit.

Credits here.

A big thanks to Carol and Cheryl, for the encouragement a while back to come back to my blog. Thanks, girls... even though I'm a little late getting started again!

Busy living...

Rather than resolutions, I've decided to join the One Little Word movement. I spent the entire last year of my life pretty much in survival mode with Caleb being in Afghanistan and me being the sole caregiver to four little girls and two dogs. I don't want to live like that anymore. Actually, I don't want to live like that ever again. It sucked. So now, my word is LIVE. I want to actually live every moment rather than just holding on and hoping I don't fall off the end of my rope.

It's easier now that he's home. He's been home for about three weeks. I probably should have blogged about it, but I was busy living. =)

I could have blogged about my one little word earlier... closer to January 1st, but I was busy living.

I could have made a list of resolutions that I'd follow for a little while, and I could have actually posted them on here, but I was busy living.

I could link you up to my 365 gallery, but I've been so busy living and taking photos of it everyday, that I haven't gotten them off my camera yet. Maybe tomorrow.

You catch my drift.

It's an exciting time for me, for sure. I've got lots of exciting things to share, so stay tuned. I'll post them when I'm not so busy living. ;)

I will never forget...

I'm kind of having a hard time keeping it together today. I'll be back later as soon as I can gather my thoughts. Or maybe not.

1-800-222-1222...

That's the number for Poison Control. I have now officially called them twice. It's a dubious honor, I know, but one that I can claim as my own. I should add that I've called them twice for the same child. This is also the same child that tried to walk into traffic. (I still have nightmares about that) She worries me. Obviously not enough for several of these incidents to occur, but I'm not sure that even if I did walk around in a perpetual state of "nervous, hand-wringing, worried mother" that it would hinder her. Fortunately, I was told by David at Poison Control that her drinking about an ounce of children's Motrin was not going to be bad for her. It might cause an upset stomach, but that would be about it. I should add that about an ounce of children's Motrin is about 6 times what her normal dosage would be. Oh... I almost forgot to say how she drank it. I had opened the bottle and then remembered that I didn't have anything to measure it with, so I put the lid back on and left it on the table. I'm not sure if she's ultra-talented or if I just didn't tighten the lid properly (I'll accept the blame because I don't think she could swing the child-proof cap just yet in her early daredevil career) and when I walked back into the room she was swigging down the last few drops out of the bottle. I guess she was thirsty. Thank goodness it was less than 1/4 full. So yeah... raise your glass to congratulate me as Mother of the Year.

Sloopy Rhinohump at your service...

I received this email last night from my sister. I'm not a forwarder of emails. Hardly ever. But this came at the perfect time for me... and it totally made me laugh, even though my name is pretty lame. So instead of forwarding it, I'm blogging about it. Play along if you like and leave me a comment with your new name! I need a few more good laughs today!

The following is excerpted from a children's book, Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, by Dav Pilkey. In it, the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names...

So:-

1. Use the third letter of your first name to
determine your new first name:

A = snickle
B = doombah
C = goober
D = cheesey
E = crusty
F = greasy
G = dumbo
H = farcus
I = dorky
J = doofus
K = funky
L = boobie
M = sleezy
N = sloopy
O = fluffy
P = stinky
Q = slimy
R = dorfus
S = snooty
T = tootsie
U = dipsy
V = sneezy
W = liver
X = skippy
Y = dinky
Z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:

A = dippin
B = feather
C = batty
D = burger
E = chicken
F = barffy
G = lizard
H = waffle
I = farkle
J = monkey
K = flippin
L = fricken
M = bubble
N = rhino
O = potty
P = hamster
Q = buckle
R = gizzard
S = lickin
T = snickle
U = chuckle
V = pickle
W = hubble
X = dingle
Y = gorilla
Z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:

A = butt
B = boob
C = face
D = nose
E = hump
F = breath
G = pants
H = shorts
I = lips
J = honker
K = head
L = tush
M = chunks
N = dunkin
O = brains
P = biscuits
Q = toes
R = doodle
S = fanny
T = sniffer
U = sprinkles
V = frack
W = squirt
X = humperdinck
Y = hiney
Z = juice
Thus, for example, George W. Bush's new name is: Fluffy Chucklefanny. And my new name is listed in the title of this blog entry.

Go ahead. Do it. You know you want to...

Cinnamon rolls, chocolate-covered strawberries with sprinkles, and grapes...

Yeah. That was dinner. And no... I didn't make it. That's the creative mind of a nine year-old, people. I asked her where the protein was. She said, "In the milk, Mom." At least she's absorbing a little of what I try to teach her...

Needless to say my middle two daughters, Spazzy McGee and Squeaks McGillicuddy were bouncing off every wall and even the ceiling. Squeaks was still awake last night at 11:45. Why can't that energy be transferred to me?

Why?...

do kids do this?


What makes the thought of going to sleep in her bed so terrible that this child will stay awake for two hours past her bedtime... crawl rather quietly into the hallway... and then promptly fall asleep in a fully lit area? It's good that I take photos of moments like this. I can remember the sweet stuff. Especially when I want to hang them upside down by their toenails.

ETA: It's now 11:45 pm and my four year-old is STILL awake and trying to sneak out of her room. What is going ON? I'm tired... why isn't she?

Grateful today for these things...

• The subscription to Wonder Time magazine that my sister got for me. Love that magazine... it's a super cool alternative to Parents and other parenting magazines like that.
  
• Hannah feeding Gabby dinner tonight so I could finish making dinner for everyone else.
• Ally (the dog) didn't chew up anything today. BIG accomplishment for her.
  
• The way Lexi climbs up into my bed and pulls my arm out so she can roll right onto it. It's a little ritual for us now.
• The way Gabby bounces in her little duck tub. She bounces up and down on her little bottom like it's some kind of trampoline. So cute.
• Taylor helped me clean up toys tonight before bedtime. Without arguing. HUGE step for her.

Taylorisms...

My Taylor never ceases to amaze me with the hilarious things she says. (At least I think they are hilarious... maybe others don't. That's ok. It's my blog, so I can post what I want, right?) Today was no exception... we were driving Hannah to soccer practice, and she sees a pizza delivery car (you know, with the sign on top?) She says... "Hey Mommy, there's a car with a triangle hat on his head!" At first I had no idea what she was talking about, but sure enough she pointed and I saw it. Another incident from today: spring has brought houseflies... much to Taylor's dismay. She asked me repeatedly for the "flyswhacker" so she could "whack those pesty flies." And I'll share just one more... the girls wanted peanut butter crackers for their snack. Taylor was quite insistent that her's needed "lids." That girl cracks me up.

Finally...

Well... I finally have a blog header! It took me long enough...LOL. For curious minds... "Off we go like a herd of turtles..." is something my grandmother used to say whenever we would go anywhere when I was a kid. It really seems fitting for my family now, though. It takes us FOREVER to get anywhere.

Quick post tonight... I have two kiddos who are sick. Lexi has a double ear infection. I found that out when I rushed her over to our neighbor's house (she's a doctor) because Lexi's fever was 104.1. What started out as a simple cold about 4 days ago has now just knocked out my poor little girl. She's so fussy and whiny, which is so unlike her. She is the most easy-going child I know, and she seems to have a really high pain tolerance. The sad thing is, if it hadn't been for the fever, I wouldn't have even worried about anything more serious than just a cold. She hadn't been pulling at her ears at all. I had no clue that's what the problem was. Hopefully, all of the other girls can just stick with a cold and not move on to any secondary infections. Hannah and Taylor are already complaining of sore throats, and Gabby already has the cold. I would like to hope I don't get it, but my throat is already starting to feel scratchy... yuck.

Anyhoo... I hope all two of you who read my blog are doing well! Bye for now!