Newness

Captain Muscles got a new car!!

Yea for you!!! We love it and are excited for you. Now, when did you say I could drive it?

Air Head 101

Tuesday was kind of a hectic afternoon. At 2:15 I picked up my older 2 kids from school. We stopped by a store on the way home. We got home close to 3:00. At 3:35 we left to drop the birthday girl off at her dad's office. (He was in charge of the "party" at Nickel City.) I then left to pick up a friend of the girls to drop her and my youngest off at choir at 4:00. Then I came home and frosted the cupcakes. *Then about 4:40 I loaded up the van and my son and I left, again. I stopped at the library, then went to choir to pick up my youngest. Then we met the birthday girl at Nickel City. It was about this time that I realized I forgot my son's gluten free donut at home. (He needed a gluten free substitute for birthday cake that we were going to eat a little bit later with the rest of the family.) We reached Nickel City and my oldest and youngest went off to play. I found Bret, told him about the forgotten donut. We agreed that when I took the party goers home, he would go back to our house and get the gluten free donut. Cupcakes were dispersed and I left to take the girls home. Then we met up with the rest of the family at Arby's for dinner, cake and presents. Here's the part I left out:
*In my hurry to leave the house at 4:40, I put the gift to my daughter from my mom on the top of the van while I unloaded my arms. Then I went back inside the house to get another load - which I put in the van, shut the door and we were off. As soon as I turned on to Center Street (a busy street with 2 lanes on each side and a turning lane in the middle and NO one driving the speed limit of 40 mph) I heard this noise. When I looked in the rear view mirror, I realized the noise was the present I left on the top of the van being blown off the van. I stopped in the middle lane and waited for the other lanes to be clear enough for me to get the package. In the mean time, a car or 12 hit and/or ran over the box, obliterating the box. There were only clothes inside so nothing broke, but still. Finally I reached the clothes and scooped them up and hurried to get back in the van - all done without 1 single person honking at me. Upon inspection, I saw that only the pair of pink capri's had a tire mark on them - not the white shirt that coordinated with them. Whew! Dodged a bullet there! Seriously, where is my brain?

Happy 9th Birthday

Today is my amazing daughter's 9th birthday. Wow, has 9 years flown by! I say that with every one of my kids' birthdays. I just cannot believe how fast time has gone!

 For her birthday, she has opted for me to NOT take her to lunch like we did last year, but rather wants me to bring donuts for her class. She has invited 3 friends to join her at Nickel City for games and laser tag. After that, we'll meet the family at Arby's for dinner, cake and gifts. This whole day was her plan!

 My daughter is:

*Adventurous - she wants a rip stick for her birthday. Her favorite ride at Disney was Splash Mountain.

*Daring - she'll try almost anything. We went roller skating last night and there was this guy there who was incredible on his skates. She went right up to him and told him so!

*Beautiful - I have NO idea where she got her looks from :)

*Kind - She looks around to see who doesn't have a friend and she tries to befriend them.

*Responsible - I trust her to watch her little sister (and big brother, for that matter) for an hour or so.

*Funny - she makes me laugh all the time!

*Polite - She calls me her best friend.

*Considerate - My son lost his bouncy ball so she tried to make him - just to make him feel better.

*A Singer - She won a karaoke contest when she was younger and now she's in a choir group and loves it!

*Thoughtful - She is constantly making cards and notes for us

*Babysitter - She is naturally drawn to kids and likes to inner act with them.

*A Dancer - She watched "Footloose" and immediately got on You Tube to see if she could learn how to do the line dance in that movie.

*A Great Sister - Her sister wants to come to her "friend party" tonight. I'm sure Noodle will give in and let her come - just so Lewlew doesn't feel sad.

*Creative - She made a Barbie dress out of a sock!

*Accessorizes - She's a true girl!
*Smart - She's getting great grades!

*An all around amazing person and everyday I'm thankful she's mine!

I put her to bed one night and she looked like this (about 1 yr old). But the next morning when we got up something happened. Something like 8 years had passed...

Maggie Rae Tuttle

I know I've talked a little bit about Maggie but I want to devote an entire post about her!

We love her because:

*She is so loyal. I am her first pick and I love that!

*She doesn't bark. Seriously! The only time we hear her bark is when we have come home from somewhere and she sees us pull in, we'll here her barking. As soon as the door is open, she stops.

*She like human contact. She LOVES to sleep, but she really loves to sleep when she laying next to someone.

*She likes to go...anywhere. We don't take her a ton, but we do take her with us sometimes and she loves it - as long as she's on my lap.

*Most of the time I call her "Maggie Waggie Wae" and I talk for her sometimes, too. Ya, I'm that weird!

We do NOT like:

*Her breath! It will make your eyes tear, it is that fierce! We adopted her from a rescue shelter and her previous owners did not do well with her oral health. But it's not bad unless you smell it!

We LOVE that she is a part of our family!

Thoughts on Homeschooling

It seems I've been hearing and reading a lot on homeschooling lately. I have a friend who home schools her 3 kids for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is that her husband's slow time at work in winter. They felt they couldn't go on a vacation during school and it was hard for him to go during the summer. Plus she is super smart and organized. When she started, she ordered all kinds of books and materials to help her pull this off. She even had a wall in her dining room turned into a black board. Her oldest would be in the 4th grade if she were in public school. I'm sure she's smart enough to be in at least 5th grade now. They live in a city with neighbors very close and her kids are in sports so they get lots of interaction. But I know another lady (years ago) who lived way out of town on a farm. She had 8 kids or something and the only time they saw other people was on Sunday at church. For "fun" the kids would tend to the livestock. And some of her kids turned out just weird. Socially challenged.

Here's what I think: I would absolutely LOVE to home school my kids for the following reasons:
*I could give them one on one time with the subjects that are challenging them
*I could incorporate other "things" that public school doesn't have - like prayer, for example
*I could be in charge of our own field trips
*I could be in charge of exactly what they are learning.
*My son's allergies and learning techniques (or lack thereof)


Here's why I could never do it:
*I am not smart enough
*My organizational skills are in the pooper
*I struggle sometimes even parenting my kids - I'm not sure I could teacher them as well
*My son's learning techniques (or lack thereof)
*My son NEEDS the social aspect that school offers.
*I'm not sure I have enough discipline. I sometimes struggle enforcing punishment - much less assignments
*I am not smart enough
*Space
*Besides it's kinda too late now with my son being in 5th grade this year. In order to prepare for college and learning in a class room setting I think kids should go to at least public high school. Plus there is no way no how I could teach anyone something like chemistry.

What are your thoughts?

Demonic Time Change

Not very long ago (less than a year), in the great state I live in, there was a vote to do away with the time change. Our state would stay standard time (I think it was standard - but it could have been daylight savings time.) And for some odd, backward, ridiculous reason, it failed. I want to know what moron voted for this to NOT pass. Seriously, who likes to adjust to a new time and do it twice a year? Who enjoys it? Who looks forward to this for weeks at a time? I, for one, do NOT! I really don't care which time we have, just quite changing it! Leave it one way or the other!
If I understand this correctly, DST started when resources were tight. They decided that if the day went longer in the evening people would use less electricity, thus saving resources. That's great. But why don't we always stay on DST?
I doesn't really matter - I just hate adjusting to the time change twice a year.

Political Thoughts

What are your thoughts on the GOP Candidates? Seriously, does Newt even stand a chance of a comeback? If not, why is he still hanging in there? Does a Republican stand a chance against Obama? Will a new president REALLY make that much of a difference? Who do you think has the best chance at being on the ballot in November? Who do you think will be our next president? Not who are you voting for, who do you think will win?


Reasons why I don't like "voting" years...

*It year seems to drag on forever because that's all you hear about! It's like being pregnant. I found that the longer I waited to share my good news, the faster the pregnancy went. "Yep, I'm already 18 weeks pregnant. Almost 1/2 way there! (Not that I could ever physically wait that long to tell anyone. I showed WAY too early) But you get what I'm saying.
*They interrupt programs to bring you updates. Who cares about updates? Just tell me the end result!
*The soliciting phone calls. Seriously? Trump just endorsed Romney and you want me to make a donation? Ya right!
*They all fall short in at least 1 area. Never has any 1 candidate had it all. (Gosh! I'd hate to think I was perfect!) And yet they think they are the greatest thing that has ever walked the face of the earth. "Yes, let's outlaw birth control." Are you kidding me???
*The commercials. The never ending, long streaming, ever repeating, obnoxious commercials.
*I'm not political at all! I don't do a ton of research on the runners. I don't loudly support one over the other. I don't get all upset if something doesn't go right. My opinion - my teeny, tiny vote doesn't matter a hill of beans in the grand picture! It is what it is and we all have to live here and just deal with the repercussions. Could I do a better job? Heck no! That's why I'm not running. Do I have grand tips that would help this country? Heck no! I'm just one tiny little drop in the bucket. Plus, I'm not all super educated. I'm just simple minded me. I only know what I know. Now, I have a sister in law that is super political. When she starts talking politics to me, my eyes glaze over, her voice sounds like the teacher on Charlie Brown and I start thinking of vacations, a laundry free life, how I can get my veggies to grow better, what it would be like to be a size 8 again, napping, and the list goes on. Then I jump at the chance to break away and do dishes. Don't get me wrong. I love her and she's not dumb - she knows I am politically dumb and never talks to me about politics. I'm just saying this is what would happen if she did.

Why do you like or dislike voting years?

Navajo Taco's - Cheater Style

We love Navajo Taco's - but I don't like the preparation of making the yummy bread (I just love to eat it. So if someone wants to go to all the work and make the bread, I'll enjoy every bite and know that someone slaved doing it!) So I've come up with an alternitive solution. Doesn't taste quite the same, but it's works in a pinch. Here's what I do:

Brown some hamburger, drain. 

Add some chili beans and picante sauce.

I usually add a whole can of chili beans and enough Picante Sauce to give it the consistancy that I want. Stir it all together and cook on low-med heat for about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, heat some oil in a pan. Not a lot of oil - about 3/4 inch. Heat it until a small piece of tortilla sizzles.

Carefully place a flour tortilla in heated oil.

When the first side is done to your choosing, flip it. Sometimes they puff...

And sometimes they don't.

I drain mine on a paper bag. But you can use anything you want, like paper towels.

Add the meat mixture, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream - whatever your little heart desires!

These fried tortillas are really yummy with just honey butter on top too!

Buddy's New Diet

Buddy has always been a bit of a hypochondriac and I wasn't sure how much of what he was complaining was true. I thought that he might have a small stomach ache, but was it enough to keep him from doing his chores, school, etc. Was he just using this to get out of doing things. I just didn't really give him much credit. I know, I'm "Mom of the Year." We started seeing a doctor around November, but wasn't having much luck. He had a CAT scan and ultrasoudn in December that resulted in "everything is normal." We had an appointment with a pediatric edno something ologist for February 22 in hopes to find out what wrong. On a whim, we decided to try gluten free until the doc apt. just to see what would happen. So the beginning of February, we started Buddy on a gluten free diet to see if that would help his stomach problems he's been having. He complains constantly of his stomach and has constipation. We took him off gluten on Saturday the 4th and on Monday, we could see a real difference. After a week, he was running and being a normal annoying 11 yr. old - something we've not seen since last spring. We took him to his regular chiropractor who also deal with alternate medicine. He was all excited when we told him what we were doing. He gave us some meds to try with Buddy that have actually reversed the effects of Chrones and IBS. We are hopeful at the end of the meds, Buddy will be able to tolerate some gluten, just not was much as he is used to. We feel encouraged by this finding and encouraged by Buddy's change. However....
Preparing gluten free things is not only a challenge for me, it's EXPENSIVE! Because it's becoming more popular, gluten free things are easier to find and purchase, just not cheaper. So I only buy thing that are necessary and prepare his portion of the meal without gluten products. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's not. But it's worth it. He's doing so much better!

It Hit Us Again...

This is such a continuous loop, I don't even know where to begin. On Tuesday, (2/21) one of Buddy's teachers called and said he wasn't feeling well and could I come pick him up. So I did. But I really didn't feel like he was sick enough to be home. So I told him no TV, toys, computer, games, anything. The only thing he could do was sit on the couch and read. I was upset with him. I could tell he wasn't that sick. He just had a cough and he went to school the next day and swimming with the scouts that night. On Thursday (2/23) I started to not feel quite well. Not sick, but not well. But I was determined not to get sick because my mom and I had a special weekend planned with the girls. On Friday, I didn't feel good. I was congested in my chest and had a full nose. Not a runny nose, just stuffed. But I wasn't going to let a little cold stand in our way of fun. Bret was taking the scouts and Buddy to a cabin for a "camp out" and the girls were going to have a "Girls Night Out." We didn't tell the girls what we had planned. As soon as the boys left, so did we. We stopped to get dinner and some snacks - the whole time the girls guessing and begging us to tell them. Finally we pulled up to a hotel and they screamed in delight! They were so excited. We checked in and ate dinner. Then we promptly went swimming. The indoor pool was supposed to be heated, but apparently the heater was broke, so we played in the very hot tub! Noodle braved the cold swimming pool for a few minutes at a time, even going under water. Lewlew got in to about her waste. I got in to my knees. It was COLD! After playing for a while, we went back to our room, the girls bathed, then we watched TV and then went to sleep. I didn't sleep well. I wasn't feeling good and something kept me up. (I won't say who was snoring!) So on Saturday, we got up and helped ourselves to the continental breakfast. It was pretty good. Then we packed up and came home. O how I wish we would have taken the girls swimming one more time - but I didn't feel good at all. We got home, unpacked and I took a 3 hr. nap! I kept taking meds to help with the congestion but by Saturday night, I was in a bad way. The boys got home and had a great time. They ate well, stayed up late and went sledding. But they were pretty tired.
Monday morning, Lewlew woke up and came into our room. She said she didn't feel good and then threw up. She stayed home Monday and Tuesday. She felt better Monday evening, but I didn't think that she had felt good for long enough, so I kept her home Tuesday. On Wednesday morning about 3:00, Noodle woke up, made it to the bathroom (luckily) and threw up. About a half an hour later, I did the same thing. Luckily all of the times we each threw up, we weren't in the bathroom the same time. It's been a long time since I've barfed, amazing - my body didn't forget how! Of all the things to throw up, Taco Soup has to be one of the worst! So Noodle stayed home Wednesday, Thursday and today. Yesterday, the school called and said Buddy just threw up and could I come get him. So he's home today too.
This seems like such a funny story, except that it's real and it's SO not funny! So if you're wondering what we're up to - this is it. This has been BY FAR the worst few months of sickness for our family that we have EVER had!