Like something up your nose?

Ladies, the question of the night is this: What do you think all 4 of these things have in common?
They all have some thing to do with OLIVIA. Last week she crammed a pop corn kernel up her nose. After several attempts to remove the popcorn kernel, it "disappeared", or so said Olivia.

It had, indeed NOT disappeared. This piece of crap of kernel had been lodged in Olivia's nose the entire time, and after noticing the popcorn again in Miss Livvy's nose, I decided to take matters into my own hands, again, but this time enlisting my husband as nurse. Partner in crime, rather.

Have no fear should this happen to you, because THIS is what you do. Mix one cup of warm water with one 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and grab your booger sucker. Be prepared for disaster. The first attempt I made to remove the lodged kernel ended in a vomiting Olivia. This time I said a little prayer, and Andrew held Olivia tightly on the stool. Basically you shoot water up the nostril that is NOT clogged. The force of the water should help remove the stuck object. Water up one side, out the other. This time it worked. And below, here we have the little treasure. And I am keeping it. Forever. What a nightmare.

And my last tip of the day is this: If you need to sleep "just a little more" in the morning, let your child dress you up in princess attire, while you doze. This REALLY works, and as you can tell, I was thrilled.

Entering eight years.

Today my oldest turns eight. Hannah is a vibrant, loving, nurturer. She is kind and thoughtful, loyal and sweet. She sings and dances, and has a delightful sense of humor. She is a doll in every way.

I took these pictures yesterday afternoon. She's lovely isn't she? Hannah is entering a bright eight year old's world, and I'm entering yet another year of motherhood. Which at this particular moment, I'm not too fond of, as Olivia is still fighting me tonight on bed time.

I remember being pregnant with Hannah and wanting so badly for her to be born. And, of course, she was, and I had no clue what I was doing.

I ended up having Hannah a few weeks early due to Toxemia. My blood pressure was very high and my kidneys started to shut down, my OB decided to induce me. I was in labor for 47 hours. My epidural didn't work most of the time, and I had an episiotomy from hell, cut from sea to shining sea, if you know what I mean. Hannah was too large to pass through the birth canal and got stuck on the way out. 2 nurses and my anesthesiologist took turns getting on top of me and rammed, yes rammed, Hannah out of my body. I remember pushing with all my might, nearly passing out. Hannah finally slipped out and was nearly dead. Earlier my OB had called in the neo-natal team so assistance was ready and waiting. My doctor held Hannah high in the air and she was dark blue and hung like a rag doll in his hands. I remember shrieking "what did you do to my baby?", as he passed the limp baby onto to the next set of hands. She failed her initial screenings for life, and was feverishly worked on. It was then that I heard the most beautiful sound I had ever listened to - the very most faint sound of a new born's cry. She had pulled through. She was bruised heavily, as was I, but we made it... the pair of us did. Andrew nearly passed out from all of the blood, but he soon recovered and jumped into fatherhood head first. A few days later my husband and I brought Hannah home, and this life, as we know it now began. I just cannot believe my good fortune and immeasurable blessing becoming a mother has brought to my life. I love my life's calling with all of my soul. I love my little Hannah, my other children, and the children I still hope to bear with every ounce of my being.

So here we are, still making it through this life together, my children, husband, and I. I love this little girl with all that I am. Happy Birthday, sweet Hannah. You've made my dream of becoming a mother come true. I am every thing with you.

BullsEYE

Here we are at the last day of school, and I am so thrilled to have my babes home for the summer. We can all let our hair down and enjoy days with little scheduling and loads of fun.

At each year end for Hannah, and now for Ian, I've always felt sad on this day. I cry went they dance at their dance party for the parents, and I cry when the kids cry because they'll miss their buds from school.

I hated the last day of school. Truly hated it. Mainly because I knew I was going to cooped up for days in my bedroom. My bedroom had pink flowered wallpaper and pink tie-back curtains in it. I shared with my sister. My brother had his own room. If I recall correctly, it was blue. We weren't allowed to play outside. We couldn't talk on the phone or watch tv. We didn't have toys. No radio. All we got was a weekly trip to the library, which has now created in me a hate for reading. I read a novel a day, some times more. We also went to church every Sunday, imagine that. My parents were the church type. I hated the feeling of being home with my parents. We stayed out of their way, which was easy because we were not allowed out of our rooms. We just tried to stay quiet, stay unnoticed. The alternative wasn't pretty. I hated being around my mother, the cold hardened woman she was, and still is. It was an indescribable prison. I was so thrilled when my parents decided to ship us off for the summers at Camp Fair Haven in Maine. I didn't miss them at all. Not even a little. None, nada, zip. I loved being a way from them. For those three months I was able to grow into myself. I was able to discover myself, with out darkness looming just behind me.

For years I hated what summers meant for us. Truly hated it.

And although I know my children love being home for the summer, my heart aches when their's does. I know what it's like to miss friends. And although I know they'll be happy the second we get home, I still feel like that little girl myself, feeling like I'm going to be missing the better part of my life for the next three months.

For the sake of snapping myself back to reality, I have a dance party to attend, pictures to take, ice cream to dish out. Today is about the kids, not my inner one, and we plan to have a blast. All of us do. The adult me, the child me, and my 3 beautiful children. Today, things are going to be ok.

Ikea.

Here is one EXCELLENT way to avoid buying some thing you can't afford.

Help A Sista Out.

Meet this girl. That's me. I have a confession to make. I have a problem. A big one. A huge flaw. I'm a wreck. I'm guilty.

I HATE doing laundry. Hate, hate, HATE it. No doubt, I'm telling the truth.

The problem is that I do really well at keeping up on the laundry for a week or two, and then.... then I have weeks like this where I've let it ALL slide. And slide in a big way.

This is the laundry in my room. Still waiting for attention.

Folded on top of the basket. No so much on the inside. Presentation is every thing.

And last. My love seat. Not feeling much love currently.

I promise. I PROMISE I will work on the laundry today.... and over the weekend. And I will report back Monday.

Maybe accountability will help. NOT.

Puppy Love.

Tuesday afternoon I went to Hannah's school for a 2nd grade musical program, with Olivia in tow. I took this picture of the two of them. I was disappointed to see that picture came out blurry, but it's darling. To me any way.

The puppy. We still have him. And I know some of you must be thinking I'm going to bite myself in the butt with this one. We've discussed puppies with the children. I know they, of course, want one of their own, but there is just no way. No way at all. We already have 1 indoor cat, 2 outdoor cats, and 1 dog. No.More.Pets.Period. Tempting as it is.... puppies AND kittens grow up to be their full grown counter parts. I certainly don't want another full grown animal.

But, because it's fun to show off this little wonder, here's a clip of Hannah and the ball of sweetness. At least he was a ball of sweetness until the CRAPED on my kitchen floor yesterday morning.



Want to know one of my greatest pet peeves when in comes to my journey of healing? My GREATEST pet peeve is when, in ignorance, some one tells me to "get over" the abuse, abandonment, and molestation of my childhood. I also think it is exceptionally funny when individuals think it's possible for me to NEVER again , feel sorrow or anger, over past circumstances.

I have no idea where I am going with this. But, really. I REFUSE to get over, forget, brush under the rug circumstances that lead me to where I am today. I don't intend to "forget" much of what my childhood was. I REMEMBER as a REMINDER of who I want to be NOW. Who I want to be as a woman, as a wife, as a mother. REMEMBERING ensures I am doing the very best that I can to be whole and healed.

Refusing to forget, is different then refusing to move forward. I don't use my life as an excuse to be less then who I know I can be. I don't use it as a "get-out-of-jail-free-card". I use it as a tool to become my best self. Some days I feel sorrow, some days I feel anger and many, MANY days I feel nothing at all. Neutral-ness, with the underlying frustration that I feel like "getting it right" some days, it all together too hard. Too hard, but REALLY worth it. I think it's my right to chose what my path should be. It's my right to chose what to remember and what to forget. It's my right to chose what to get over, and my right to chose what to let live on. What I chose is happiness, safely, power, strength, love, courage, and intelligence. I chose to have the smarts to get myself to where I need to be. Alone, if I have to.

Bounce Back.

I love this kid. Ian drew me this picture months ago. He was going for "Mom", but his m's are upside down. Cute isn't it? I've got a busy rest-of-the-week ahead of me. It's Ian's birthday Friday. Today I have to pick the house up, work on the wash, shop for birthday gifts, and clean the car. Tomorrow I have to mow the lawn, pick up the yard, make Ian's Ninga Turtle cake, and take cup-cakes into Ian's afternoon Kindergarten class. Friday we get our tax rebate. Aside from putting money into savings, I get a tidy sum to shop around with as an extra Mother's Day gift. Ian's party is in the evening. We have a couple friends coming with their baby boy, one of Andrew's sister's family coming, complete with 7 (yes, you read that right) kids, and one grandpa should attend. We're having a slip-n-slide party, complete with a cook out! It should be a blast. I love throwing parties. More then any thing I love to spend the celebrating my little ones. Ian is one of my greatest treasures.

Here's the nursery. I'm not quite done Spring Cleaning in there, but it was clean enough to take pictures, so I did. Spring Cleaning is going to resume next week, I've got too much to do the next few days, so it's on the up-coming plans list. In this room we have a set of bunk beds and we're keeping the crib up. Olivia still sleeps in her crib, and as she grows more she'll move into the bunk. We're hoping for success in the conception-department with in the next few months, as it's nearly time to take my fertility drugs again, and we hope to fill that crib with a newborn next year.


Happy Wednesday-ing. I better get back to work.

Break it UP.

I'm having a love affair with these storage bins..... well... maybe not exactly, but they are taking up A LOT of my time. I worked yesterday morning on the laundry. I folded 4 loads initially. Then washed, folded, and put away two more.

I made an Ikea run yesterday with a girlfriend, hauling our children right a long with us... and let me tell you this: What a GREAT day for a break. Getting out of the house was just what I needed. I woke up feeling off, and I've am now a firm believer that all work and no play makes Misty a dull girl......er.... a raunchy, irritable, fussy, cranky-pants girl. Initially we canceled our trip, and on a whim decided to go any way. It was a blast. I'm glad we went. For sure.

We ordered pizza in last night. Tired-ness got the best of me. The children played in and outside last night, and I finished sorting the out-grown clothes into bins, and I'm proud to announce that I am almost done.

I never got to the Spring Cleaning for the nursery, so I "plan" (so maybe, maybe not) to get to that this morning. I've got to shower and pick up around the house, and then I've got an old friend coming to visit with her 4 children to play for the afternoon.

I guess I'll scoot and get started, and look forward to taking the weekend off from my much- needed-Spring-Cleaning. This is exactly why I've been putting off all these chores for 2 months. I guess I didn't really do myself any favors.

Oops, I did it again.

Back at it. Cleaning. Again.

After a slow start Wednesday morning, I managed to get Hannah and Ian's room Spring Cleaned, which I feel super-fantastic about. Yeah, I just said that. Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice? I have to admit though, I dread the start of each new day as I have to think about what the chore of the afternoon must be. Tomorrow I'm going to focus on the nursery, which should be an easy fix, and the rest of my efforts will be on the wash. I'm in the middle of switching out the children's clothing, too. The too-small-gently-used clothes go into bins for the next child in line or child to be, and the current season clothing goes into drawers. You know the drill.


For those that have followed me for some time, through my "5th bed obsession", here is the IKEA fold out bed, which we LOVE. It's comfy, and provides a THIRD bed in this room.

The lighting isn't too hot in this photograph, but here's a desk we put up for the kids, also from Ikea. What's cool about this find was the price - $20.00 for solid wood. The other cool thing is it is mounted into studs for good hold-up, and also folds down.

Here are Hannah and Ian's bunks.

And also more from Ikea. These shelves are also cheap and solid wood. Great for toys AND clothing storage.

And last, but certainly NOT least. This little one knows when to make a break for it. I found Olivia this way, screeching because her finger was stuck in a tic-tac pack. Mom on phone + toddler = TROUBLE.

Until Friday..... have a great one.

Denial.

I am in serious denial that it is Monday, and in denial of all that means. The laundry that is piled high, the chores that need starting, the meals that need planning, the yard work that is waiting, the home work that needs attention.

Instead I have spent the last 2 hours fiddle farting on the computer organizing 1 years worth of pictures.... which ones need printing, which ones to toss. I'm also in denial over how VERY far behind I am in my scrap booking. Like 8 years. For real. Bad... bad...bad!

This post is going to contain one major butt load of pictures. A few from our zoo trip over spring break, a few of the carnival over the same vacation. Nothing too special, but it was fun, to say the least. Can I say I love my kids. Every thing about them. Spending time with them. Playing with them.

Is any one else counting down the days until Summer Vacation starts? We so are.

Happy Monday-ing.... I suppose I'll get my head out of the clouds now, and get to work.

Happy Go Lucky.

Ian: Mom, why are you taking this picture?
Me: Just because.....
Ian: You're going to put it on your blog, aren't you??

Um, yes, dear, I am. Party because I am nuts, and party because I feel it is my blogging/motherly duty to show my fellow mother-of-boys what can happen when little ones decided to play "cops" outside, on the drive way. Do I hear an "ouch"?

I can't believe the posts I need to comment on from you fine ladies. My google reader is bursting at the seams. My fantastic week of Spring Break has finally caught up with me, and I've started the game of catch up this week.

The house work hasn't bothered me, and I'm getting bursts of yard work done in between the mundane. My laundry is as caught up as it can be. Initially I had this mountain to fold, yet it's folded now, and I have several loads I'm working through both machines, but I'm keeping right on top of it.

If I can get my rear in gear this week I still have 2 posts from Spring Break to get together.... our zoo trip and also a post about our adventures at the carnival. Testing is upon us now at school, so we've been busily studying in preparation.

I've got dinner planned out for tonight.... pork chops, mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli. We're going to make no-bake cookies for dessert, or bake a cake.

Filling my role as Betty Crocker this week, thus far, has been a pleasure. I'll take these days as they come.... some days that kind of attitude doesn't come around often enough.

On a more serious note, I've appreciated your comments on my last post, in regards to the Dr. Phil special outing a suspected pedophile. While I know there are scads of information out there about sexual abuse, I encourage you to educate yourselves more and more. It is FAR more likely that your child is to be molested by some one you KNOW... a family member or friend of the family. Know the warning signs and the dangers. Admittedly, shows of such content, make me ill and uncomfortable just as they make you, but I find them a good reminder to know that the evil exists, and not only exists, but is extremely prevalent. Surviving sexual abuse myself, it is one of my many missions in life to protect my children from the same harm.

Look forward to catching up on my blog reads later tonight.

Well, Thank You.

Walking in to my bedroom this evening, after getting Olivia to bed:

Ian: Good job on bed time, Mom.

Hannah and Ian: Yeah..... we heard you..... making those silly noises...... (laughing manically).......

Me: Did you hear me through the baby monitor?

Hannah and Ian: Yes we did. Mwwwwaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahah.


Oh to have the sense of humor of a child. I couldn't help but giggle myself. Glad to know I put on a good show.

Need Proof?

Need proof that I have a two year old with an obsession with markers? If it's not permanent marker on her face at Easter, it's what I found yesterday: "art work" on my BED SKIRT just for Mom, from Olivia. I have no idea if it will even wash out.



Here's my Hannah. I'm posting a clip today of Ian and Olivia, and it didn't seem fair that Hannah missed out again, so here are my 2 latest favorites of her. I think I took these a month or so ago. But since I get NO sleep at night, I can't really even remember. I'm throwing one of me on here also, from today. And yes, I am headed for the shower. It's on my list of "things to do" today.




Below is the clip of the kids from this morning, fresh from baths. 2 down, Hannah is next when she gets home from school. That's my plan of attack.

Have a GREAT Wednesday.