We are alive...

Okay so I of course don't have much time b.c I have two babies in there crying... (now I kind of get a feel of your life 2 years ago Jessica...) AND this phone never stops ringing. I am glad to have friends and family but I need calm, quiet for one stinkin minute! My house is a complete disaster and I need a moment to clean it. (okay maybe a day would be nice!) This is my only "dislike" for holidays being drawn out into something more than what they are intended... the disaster it leaves in my home from not being home more than to gather things and dump things off. yuck!

I also ended up with my 9 year old niece this weekend and so that is another person that "needs". She is pretty self sufficient but she still needs things. And I like quiet time when my boys are down... so I can do the house cleaning uninterrupted... not happening. OH and our car is broken down now. So we are down to just the jeep wrangler. Good thing it has 4 seat belts, but not so good when you have an extra guest. My sister is coming to get her in a bit so that we don't have to worry about transporting her too. This always a no fail tactic. Have a holiday and something goes wrong that you would have to wait for monday to come so something will be open to get a repair! Uggghhhh.

Okay sorry about the complaining fest. This is just what is going on for us at the time. Not so merry and bright! But we are in good spirits to say the least! We did end up getting a new top for the jeep which is a very HUGE blessing. No more driving in 10 degree weather (hey, it did get pretty cold one night) without a top on the jeep. Poor J... making sacrifices for his family. I love him!

I will be back later with some fun posts... hopefully. And some great pictures of our Christmas together!

Greatest job ever

Lately I have felt like I should be doing more. Like "why don't I work somewhere I can see production everyday!" In my mind WORK consists of going to a building every day and coming home after the clock strikes quitting time and you've met a quota for the day.

My job field started at age 15 as a cashier, from there I became a factory/warehouse worker (loved it) for many years, then I wanted to venture out and became a waitress at a (ahem) "Gentleman's club"... I SAID WAITRESS!!! from there I went on to work again in another warehouse and on to be a Chiropractic assistant. I then started doing faux finish and mural painting while attending college to become a RAD tech and had 2 more years to complete before I was accomplished with degree in hand but then I got married and we felt like I was to stay home (to raise my family... hmmmm). HA!

To me that was a joke because nobody in my family stayed home and they have MONEY (wait a minute... no they don't)!!! I need MONEY so I NEED a good JOB! Right? Well there is indeed no arguing with God so every attempt I made to continue my education fell through and getting a job was impossible to say the least! SO I stayed home ( I did however continue doing decorative painting in homes with my then boss. It was just a side business kind of thing.) So then the "journey" of the family began and after all the losses I think I laughed in the face of God and said "Is this really what I am staying out of a job for!!!" "Cause this STINKS"!!!! "Stay home to raise what family!!!" "I could be a RAD tech and be making lots of money and have a CAREER had I not listened to YOU!" (What? like you have never argued with your Father!) ...

But then here we are years later and I do in fact have the BEST job ever staying home to raise "my family"! Some days it is very trying and some days I would LOVE to go to a "normal" job setting and clock out at the end of the day. But days like today make it worth every bit of what I do.

Moe had a visit with dad again today and when I took him in to drop him off I handed him over to his father and proceeded to take his little jacket and hat off. He looked at me as though, "are you leaving me?" He was so puzzled and did not look happy about it at all. I then left to go to Wally-hood and wasted my whole time there trying to buy stinkin' infant pain medicine (I did not get it because the line was too long and I only had an hour before picking Moe up). As I go back to the building to get Moe I hear him crying. I walk through the door and he turns around real quick in time to see me coming through the door and he turns and reaches out for me from his father's arms. He wanted me!!! That undoes every bad day we've had and makes me know that this is in fact the BEST job I could ever have! I love my boys!

Indoor fun...

There are days that you just have to have something for the kiddos to do inside. Today of course was an exception seeing that it was like 80 degrees outside. Okay that MAY be an exaggeration but it sure felt that hot. Who knows it really could have been.

I don't like to let our boys sit and watch TV or cartoons and such, to me it is really not beneficial when they are so hands on. I like to interact with them and teach them things when I can. Some people find freedom in putting in a DVD for a few hours of "cottin' Pickin'" silence, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and I think when our boys get older it will be more meaningful for them and more of a privilege. So now you know where the other posts have come from when I cannot figure out what on earth they like to do other than run a muck (or so it seems.. most people think I am nuts and say our boys are very well behaved...); I am all out of ideas (or so I thought)!

J and I decided that we need something captivatingly boyish; messy, but not so much so that it cannot come inside for the nastier weather (I have been told there will be some sometime soon). We wanted dirt! Sandbox! But how in the world is that going to work bringing a stinkin' sandbox inside!?! Then we came up with the ingenious idea to put sand in a tote that way we can close it up and store it when not in use... say on the front porch for example or in the utility room... or in front of the toilet in the middle of the night as a prank; nope that one would back fire, I'd break a leg or stunt the growth of a toe.

So we went to Home Depot and bought 200 lbs of sand and 4 mouse traps. Well we did. The mouse traps are for a different project. Project:"Let's see how many times we can get Duke to lick the peanut butter off " hahahahaha. Okay that is just mean. Who laughed!

okay, okay so we live in the country sheesh! We have stinkin mice but that is beside the point. Back to the sand box. If we could get the cat to eat the mice and not poop in the sandbox he'd be alright by me. Oh okay back on the train... We couldn't find a tote that was "desirable" for what we were needing... I mean c'mon don't they think of these things... "hmmm someone is going to use this tote for a sandbox for a toddler, it has to be yay big and nay wide"; Nope nobody has thought of one yet! Back off I am writing a patent for it on the other screen right now! Coming soon "Tot in a Tote"!

So we go to Wally-hood (Wal-mart in the ghetto!) and found an O-K tote. I bought that and some little cars and dinosaurs (yes all for the same project). I was looking for a shovel but the same people who didn't think of the tot tote also did not believe that you could use a pail and a shovel in seasons other than summer. OH WHATEVER! So I have spoons and a bowl at home... I go check out at one of their 2 registers and 50 in line customers... Okay why is it that... sorry back to the sand tote.

We get home, put the sand in the tote (only needed 100 lbs.. 2 bags for a 156 qt tote) and dropped in some cars and dinosaurs and there it is... instant fun (and food if you don't watch them close enough, just hope the cat didn't find it with the lid off. "mmm tootsie rolls.. Wait a minute")!




Hello... are you still there?

You can also put them in a box and let them eat tape...It's your call really! Ü