A break..

Last night we were hit with the most dreaded, annoying, feared, thing I experience as a mother with many children.  THE STOMACH FLU!  I can't tell you how much I loathe it!  So for a time I will be out of the blog world.  I will return when things have settled down and I am sure you will get to hear of our experince.  Or maybe I will save you from all of it!  That would be kind of me wouldn't it!  Until then, have healthy, sick-free days!  Oh, and we could really use prayer if you think about it!  Thank You!

Sleeping baby

There is NOTHING sweeter to me than a sleeping baby!
I could sit and watch for hours and hours and never get bored!
It is very rare I can get to a camera and take a sweet picture like this before he wakes.

So...

I will just enjoy the moment and savor the peacefulness of...

 

My sweet baby sleeping.

Out of MY mouth!

I know being a mother brings about many things that you thought you would NEVER say or ever thought you would NEED to say.  Being a mother of 8 boys, 7 of them 9 years old and younger, I have stayed awake at night thinking about the shocking things I have said during the day!  Here are a few:

• Why did you put play-dough down your brother's pants?
• Is that potty or water in your dump truck?
• Where did  that screw come from and why are you holding that screw-driver?
• NO, you cannot eat that cookie covered in dust and whatever else that is!
• I suppose you can just tear off the green stuff on the corner of your sandwich and eat the rest! But I would make another one if I were you.
• The ceiling fan IS NOT to throw socks at!  OR balls!
• Why is there dirty toilet paper in your bed?
• Don't tie your brother up to the doorknob!
• No, the dog does not eat fish, that is just what her breath smells like.
• I don't know why the garbage man pulled up his shirt and shook his belly while you were looking out the window at him, but you can't do that! (That really DID happen!  And I would have called the company because I was appalled however, my husband laughed so hard after hearing about it and told me to lighten up.  Still not sure about that one!) :)
• It is not right to stick your toes in your brother's mouth!
• You have cleaned off 3 of your brother's plates, I think you have had enough!
• Honey,  that is not water coming out from that cow's tail.
• You can't wear your mud boots and shorts when we go to the store.
• We don't potty at the park by the slide!
• Yes, I heard that one and yes it does smell really bad!  No, I'm not proud of you!
• Get that snake out of grandma's house!
• No, I really don't want to see the dead, bloody, deer that you shot hanging in grandpa's garage.
• If your dad weren't home on weekend's and mess up all the manner's I have been teaching you during the week, maybe we could accomplish something!  (Said in a loving tone of course!)
• Why is the remote outside under the grill?
• You CANNOT put water in the gas tank of the lawn mower EVER again.
• Don't tear off the legs of bugs!  That is not nice!  It can still walk without it's legs?  Are you sure?
• Next time, you don't need to use the WHOLE bottle of shampoo for your hair!
• You can't play slip and slide in the tub!  You might hit your head!
• It's kind of like diapers for mommies.  No you can't try it on and please don't stick them to the wall again!  They cost lots of money!
• It's NOT okay to EVER eat something that your brother asks you to close your eyes and open your mouth for!
• Yes, that is the noodles that you had for dinner that came out of your tummy into the toilet.  I know it doesn't taste as good as it did when you ate it earlier.  No, you don't ever have to eat it again!

I must just laugh because if I didn't I would have to sit down and cry at all the things my boys come up with!  I love being a mom!  But I wonder what I will say in the coming years if these things have come out of my mouth in the past few days!!  SCARY!

Foto Friday- Before and during

It is no secret we have bunnies, and LOTS of them!  It is true what they say!  They multiply like crazy!  We can identify with them! :)

The kids bring them inside to jump around on occasion and we caught this one in action!

Before the leap...

during mid- flight

 

We thought that was a great photo moment!

Hope you have many great photo moments this weekend!

Thankful for food Thursday!

I always have browned hamburger in my freezer that I cook right after I buy it, put it in freezer baggies so when I need it for a recipe like this, it cuts the time WAY down!  We usually make homemade fries and have fresh veggies and fruit.  Brown beans are also a pleaser with these sandwiches!  Enjoy!

Yummy Sloppy Joes (yes, they are sloppy but oh so worth it!)

Ingredients:


1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste ( leave this out)
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.

2.Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
 
It's that easy!
 
*This recipe makes 4-6 servings.  I double this for our family!

What I am doing- Wednesday

What I am doing, Wednesday:

• Going to Amish store
• making 100 + cookies
• making lunch
• make dinner (any good idea's?)
• take care of a 15 month old with fever
• pray nobody else gets it
• laundry (when don't I do that)
• fold laundry
• put laundry away (least favorite chore EVER)
• get house in order (happens at least 10 times a day)
• make dentist appointments (that is always fun with 11 kids and 2 adults)
• get ready to pack for this weekend
• find time to play with my kids
• take a long nap 
• read a good book
• go shopping for new clothes just for me!

Okay, the last 3 I was daydreaming, but thought I would make a mental note and just enjoy at least typing it!  :)

Terrific Tuesday

My Manic Monday has ended and...

this is why my Tuesday is so TERRIFIC!

How could you look at that little face and...

not just want to explode with terrific-ness in your heart?!

It is worth all the Manic Monday's in my life past, present and future! :)

Manic Monday

definition of manic:
~affected with or marked by frenzy or mania uncontrolled by reason: synonyms; unbalanced,frenzied

"Just another manic Monday. Wish it were Sunday, that's my fun-day.  My,  I don't have to run-day, it's just another manic Monday!"

I think that was sung by Belinda Carlisle when I was young.  I never really fully understood the words until I became a mom! 

I always have these great plans for the weekend and then the weekend comes and...the last thing I feel like doing is the "great" plans I had planned!  I'm not sure if it's because my husband is home for 2 whole days so my frame of mind changes or I just get lazy, but for whatever reason, my Monday mornings always are WAY to manic!  This weekend was no exception plus add in the factor that I have been sick for 3 weeks!  I finally went to the ER last night and found out I have bronchitis.  So, my Monday has been even more manic than normal!  Good news is, my cough is already a touch better so I am on the mend, however, I have so many things I need to do and just don't have the energy.  Which leads me to the joys and ONE of the reasons we homeschool!  FLEXIBILITY!  Our school for today?  To accomplish all the things we did not complete over the weekend!  Otherwise my entire week would continue to be manic! Now, after the work is done, they can play outside and then afternoon naps for the little ones (maybe mom too) and games for the big kids. 

I am a person that does not like spur of the moment change!  I have my plans and that is how I fly!  But God is showing me that MY plans are not always best and if I check with Him first, I may not always feel like Mondays are so manic!  I am learning to go with the flow and beginning to realize that if my house does not get clean when I want it clean or somebody calls for the family to come over and play (which did happen this weekend) I can just toss my hands up in the air and remember everything will be there when we get home!  It's not everyday, a family of 13 gets invited to someones house!  Those are things that matter!  A messy house will get messy again but friendships need to be cherished and built moment by moment!

My manic thoughts are still there of all the things I need to do, but what I do with those thoughts is up to me!  I can let them control me or I can give them to God.  So instead of feeling frenzied and unbalanced, I can feel peace and give all that I have to Him!

Going to work on this and hoping that this will be the last MANIC MONDAY I have for a while!  On to a melancholy Monday afternoon and a TERRIFIC Tuesday! :)