21 Miracles

So for many of you this might not be as meaningful, but trust me this picture is a miracle!! My Brother, my only brother, the youngest of the family- has turned 21!!! Now most people think of their 21st Bday and it means a dizzy trip to the bar and drinks all around. That's not exactly a miracle, maybe getting home afterwards could be considered a miracle, but not the kind of miracle I had in mind. You see my brother has overcome thousands of obstacles to get to this bday. He was born very very sick, was in and out of the hospital for years, had seizures, surgeries, oxygen tubes, feeding tubes among many other complications, way too many to make this short and sweet. In the end he ended up struggling through school, eventually being merged into a regular classroom only to work harder than the rest to keep up. He has been bowling since he was old enough and able enough and finally in high school he made the bowling team. Might not be that exciting to you and me, but it is his life. He also got a job at the local bowling alley where everyone there knows who he is. On vacation days from school, he works at a distribution center filling orders (my dad works there) just what you would expect from a typical high schooler right! The guy is a tightwad, works hard for his money and ended up buying his own car and getting his driving license at the age of 18. Last year at the age of 20 he graduated high school!! He has been working full time, has his own benefits, drives his own car, has his own dog and is an all around giving and loving person. All this from a baby who wasn't "supposed" to live, walk, talk or have a "normal" life! Talk about a success story!!

We have been blessed with 21 wonderful years... 21 Miracles!

Help Save the HUGE Pumpkins!

So I have these great big HUGE pumpkins and yes in the excitement of Halloween coming we carved them. My husband had a fear of the phantom pumpkin squasher coming to our house, therefore these HUGE pumpkins have been sitting in my living room. I awoke this morning to find I no longer have cute kid carved pumpkins, but HUGE scary mold covered pumpkins! Did I mention they are in my living room?? Does anyone have any suggestions for my dilemma? We pondered the idea of spraying them out with a bathroom anti-mold cleaner, what do you think? Is there any hope of not squashing the kids happiness?? Help!!

Fun Pictures

Have you ever noticed that something as simple as a funny picture can make your day so much better? Don't take life so seriously. Comment back and share some of your own pics, make someone's day a better one!

Ran across this info on Military.com

Military Report - Deadlines For Holiday Military Mail: "Deadlines For Holiday Military Mail Week of October 22, 2007 Stars and Stripes reports that the deadlines for military postal mail reaching all destinations by Christmas are: 1) Nov. 13 for surface mail (mail going by truck or ship), 2) Nov. 27 for space-available mail, 3) Dec. 4 for parcel airlift mail, 4) Dec. 11 for priority mail and first-class letter and cards, and 5) Dec. 18 for express mail. 'These deadlines apply to everyone,' said Yvonne Radloff, command postal training manager for the 2nd Air Postal Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. No matter where mail is sent, either to the United States or downrange, Radloff said that it will usually get to its destination within 10 days. To find more deployment news and resources, visit http://www.military.com/deployment."

Where did the weekend go?

Where did the weekend go?



We had a "Fall Festival" of sorts at our house on Friday. All the cousins came over and we did pumpkin carving, pumpkin cookies, donuts and cider, made tootsie pop spiders, (see pic) and of course pumpkin pie. It was a fun night, but considering we had 7 kids all under 6 years old, it was a loud, messy and eventful night! My hubby stood out in the rain with the kids this year and helped pick out the pumpkins, yep you guessed it- they are HUGE!! So teeny tiny Lolo is trying to scoop out the guts of the pumpkin and her whole arm disappears inside. Molly being the oldest of all the kids was also trying to be the most helpful, telling everyone how it should be done and what is the right way to do everything. And then there is Annie, sitting watching everyone, with a look of confusion on her face. She just keeps repeating..."puntkin gooey, yuck" What do you think was going through her mind?

In truth the night was more for the adults, yep another example of us reliving our childhood through our own children. We all had our own ideas of what pumpkin night would involve. In the end, all activities were accomplished, the children all had melt downs and we sent them all home crying and falling asleep walking out the door hanging onto their spiders. What a night!



So that was Friday, on Saturday I attempted to attend Molly's last soccer game of the season. Of course it was a 9:00 game! All kids dressed, fed and out the door soccer ball and all. So I was feeling pretty good, not bad everyone is happy, we are actually on time, ha even a tad early. And then.... we get there, it's freezing cold out on the open field, the sun hasn't even reached the field yet. Ok, so I said we were early, I didn't intend to beat the sun!!! The wind is whipping and everyone is now in the state of pure complaint. Why is it their dad can be standing right next to me but they have to complain to me, as if I can calm the wind and heat the earth!! Turns out I sat in the car with three unhappy children until more family showed up to help distract from the coldness. We all ventured out for the end of the game. Ran out onto the field and made a tunnel for the players to run through and then the rest of us all ran back to the heat of the car! In the end it wasn't all bad, this was the first game that our team actually scored some goals and won. I know it isn't all about winning and losing, but our team has gotten squashed every week, it was nice to be the squasher for once. Yeah Team!

It's that time of year...

We are a civilian family now. For me that means comfort, safety, togetherness, gatherings. While my husband comes home every night, it was not long ago that he was not able to. He was aboard the USS Reuben James, stationed out of Pearl Harbor. We endured many times away from each other. I can't imagine what it was like for my husband and the men and women with him to be away from those that they loved during the holiday season. Keeping that in mind, I got into the habit of putting together care packages. It's that time of year again to start thinking about putting together those Holiday gifts for those that can't be home. No matter how big or small, every gesture of kindness and holiday cheer are much appreciated by those who receive them.
Here are some things I have sent:

gum, peanuts, comedy books, pictures, movies, cds, chapstick, candy, cookies, nutrition bars. Avoid chocolate or anything you think might melt easily.

My sister in law is a teacher and all the kids in her class wrote letters to the ship. Some included pictures, stories or questions they had about the ship. This turned out to be a great learning experience for the kids.

If you don't know anyone who is deployed, there are various websites that can connect you with someone. Here are a few that I have found:

http://www.healthytroops.com/index.htm
http://www.treatsfortroops.com/
http://www.carepackageproject.com/
Although I have not used any of these sites, I have found them to all have information on sponsoring troops. If anyone has any other sites they would like me to post, please let me know.

Good websites to refer to:
http://hqdainet.army.mil/mpsa/
http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/

Remember those who volunteer to keep us safe.
Freedom is not Free!

Cheer Up Kiddo

How do you cheer away the grumps? I tend to be a goofy person, I'm not afraid to be called silly, actually I think it is more fun to live a goofy life. I am the oldest of four and now the mother of four. I've learned that goofy is the best way to get through the day. After all, why get out of bed if you're not going to enjoy the day?

Here's a few things I've learned:

Eyebrows up!! Tell a child it's ok to be grumpy, but that if they are going to whine and complain they have to do it with their eyebrows up. Try it!! It's impossible to stay grumpy while trying to talk with your eyebrows lifted. Try keeping a straight face looking at someone who is trying this technique. I learned this from a dear friend who has 5 children, I tend to pick up quite a few good pointers from her. My girls think that eyebrows up is funny and now anytime someone is showing an ounce of grump, out of nowhere someone is bound to say it... EYEBROWS UP!!

Turn that frown upside down! Don't ask me why this works. I have found that if grump child is not responding to just the statement that getting in their face works well too. Let me explain... my Molly tends to be a bit hard headed (I can't imagine where she got that from, certainly not me!) So anyways, Molly will be in one of her grumpy moods, I'll try the phrase, turn that frown upside down, usually it works, occasionally she will hold out that smile. Sure there is a smirk hiding below the surface. So I get right in her face, c'mon get closer...nose to nose until when looking at each other we both only have one eye. Smile, laugh and dare her not to smile. "Don't smile Molly, I dare you not to smile...uh oh, I think I see a smile, don't you dare smile or else I will have to tickle you!!" While she is desperately trying to hold out, we break out into a "Tickle Torture!!" (Her feet are unbelievably ticklish!) After a few minutes of pure laughing and silliness, we tend to sit close and have a impromptu conversation about how much more fun it is to be silly than grumpy. She usually tends to agree and away she goes on her happy way, the grump is gone. Till the next tickle torture that is!
P.S. Tickle Torture works on grumpy hubby as well!!! :)



I'll be back with more silly cheer up ideas. Comment back and give me some of your ideas. I can always use some more ideas to get through the grumps.