Thursday, September 15, 2011

The transition from being a full time working mom to a SAHM, has been more difficult than I've ever imagined. Cutting costs and saving money is of course one of the key things. Keeping up on the kids' activities, practices, house work, potty training, making dinner, etc the list goes on and it seems like I am falling behind.


I think my main problem is the "idea" of it all. I had great plans when I decided to become a Stay At Home Mom. I would get up and cook breakfast for everyone, get the bigs off to school, I would clean the house in a zip, and me and the baby would spend the afternoon at the park or taking day trips around town, only to return home make a snack and ready for the return of some of the bigs. I would be class mom, join the PTO/PTA, accompany the kids on field trips, volunteer at all the school functions, and I could also finally be team mom!


Needless to say it didn't pan out to be all candy and roses. I've only cooked breakfast for them once or twice; I just don't have the time between making sure every one is up, dressed in clothes that match, aren't too big or too small, ripped,torn or just plain not happening, reminding all kids to put on deodorant, brush their teeth, comb their hair, have their books, back packs, practice gear, etc. and to be honest I'm just plain tired. I thank my lucky stars that they offer breakfast at the school!


After they leave, I have separate email accounts to weed through, looking for business opportunities, keep up on anything and everything with my current business, separating college and ACT emails, and then it's on to facebook business pages, etc to keep them updated and draw in new customers, and that is hopefully all before the baby wakes up.


Then off to do the housework, I am trying my hardest to keep up on everything, but to be honest sometimes I just say, "forget it." It seems to me that everyone has slacked off in the "pick up after yourself" department. Maybe it's just me, and it probably is, but the anger builds every time I pick up a cup, sock, trash or some other item anywhere in the house. It seems that cup is saying to me "It's your job to pick me up" "why should they pick up after themselves when you are here?" "that's what you're here for." Now I know that sounds crazy, because of course I don't think the cup is talking to me, but you get my drift.


I have been down on myself the past few days, because I feel like I haven't lived up to MY expectations as a SAHM. It's been hard for me, not bringing in a paycheck and financially contributing to the family. I take it personally when I have to say, "we just don't have the money right now," I feel guilty and feel like everyone blames me for not having the money. I feel like I see it in the eyes of everyone I see, "why on earth would you quit your job with 7 mouths to feed?" It's hard, and it's grinding on my sanity.


In the end I guess I'm the one in control of my feelings, I'm the one who has to be comfortable in my decision, but it's not always as easy as it sounds. I have always worked, and I missed out on a lot with my kids. Even when I was working, I felt like I did my best to be at school functions and get my kids to practice, although there was a lot of car-pooling involved. There were lots of late nights getting home, because of this practice or that, kids rustling up whatever microwave meal they could for dinner, and trusting kids to do their homework and turn it in on time.


AT work though you get reviews, you are constantly rewarded for a job well done, whether it just be the fact that you get to keep your job, the paycheck at the end of the week and maybe even a raise once in a while. At a job you have the ability to be promoted... At home... not so much. There is no paycheck at the end of the week, there is no pat on the back after a job well done, No one is coming up to you and saying "wow look at the shine on that toilet!" No one really notices anything that you are doing. There is no promotion, there is no raise...not in the here and now anyway. You sometimes have to wait YEARS for the recognition, often it's after your kids have their own families, or so I've heard....


I'll get through it, I always do.


Until Next Time,


My Mixed up Family of 9

Sunday, September 11, 2011


TomTom Button



My Mixed up Family of 9 has teamed up with Ben's Outlet and some amazing blogs to offer YOU a
wonderful chance to win one of two OUTSTANDING Prizes -










1st Prize is a
TomTom XL340S




2nd Prize is $110.00
via PayPal or Gift Card of winner’s choice









Years ago, Hubby
purchased his first TomTom and I thought he was crazy. There is such a thing as
a map, you know. But since we moved to Texas, I have taken over his TomTom and
CAN'T live without it. It has saved me many times, when I have taken a wrong turn,
plus it helps when there is an accident or road work and I need a "back
way" to get somewhere. So, what better product to offer you, than a
-









TomTom XL340S 4.3"
Portable Touch-Screen GPS Vehicle Navigator with Spoken Directions and Lane
Guidance!









Preloaded with
maps of the United States, Canada and Mexico, the TomTom XL340S is ready to
serve as your lead navigator. Featuring turn-by-turn voice instructions, the
unit clearly pronounces street names and features IQ Routes Technology to
provide you with the fastest route. If you get lost or miss a turn, its route
recalculation feature will instantly redirect your vehicle. Including millions
of searchable points of interest, finding your favorite restaurants, shopping
centers and hotels has never been easier!









Features
Include:










  • 4.3-inch LCD
    touch-screen display



  • Text-to-speech
    technology



  • Turn-by-turn
    navigation directions



  • Spoken street
    names



  • Preloaded 7
    million points of interest so you can easily find millions of gas stations,
    restaurants, hotels, and more



  • Maps of United
    States, Canada, and Mexico



  • IQ Routes
    Technology gives you the fastest route



  • Advanced Lane
    Guidance for complex multi-lane exits



  • Modify your own
    map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share



  • Help Me
    Emergency Menu to easily access local emergency providers, such as police, fire
    stations, and hospitals



  • Optional RDS-TMC
    traffic receiver accessory keeps you up-to-date on traffic



  • Rechargeable
    lithium-ion battery



  • Fold and go easy
    port mount



  • Factory
    refurbished



  • 6 Month Warranty










Package
Includes:










  • TomTom XL 340S



  • Easyport Mount



  • USB Car Charger



  • USB Cable










Directions
on how to enter:




To
enter to win one of these prizes, all you have to do is complete the mandatory
entries on the Rafflecopter Form Below, and then you have the opportunity to
get more entries by following all of these awesome blogs via email or GFC
(Google Friend Connect) and by following us all via Twitter.








You can enter the giveaway by clicking here: www.facebook.com/mymixedupfamilyof9 and clicking on the Tom Tom & Cash give-a-way tab!



















Winners will be chosen via Random.org at
Midnight, September 30th and will be notified via email. Winner will
have 48 hours to respond, before a new winner is chosen. Remember – we do
check, so please be honest.

Saturday, September 10, 2011








Do you sit around watching the news and wonder, "what is this world coming to?" I am too; I look around in amazement and shock on a daily basis. There are 30 year old "kids" still living at home with mommy and daddy, no jobs, no money, no car. Kids going to school with knives and guns, toddler babies wondering away from home, and mom doesn't realize it for hours, babies having babies, young people dying from a severely skewed way of life? The list sadly goes on and on. I am a firm believer in the saying, "it starts at home." Now please don't get me wrong, bad things do indeed happen to good people, but what if there was a way that you could do your best to make sure your kids didn't end up on that path? None of us wants to imagine Little Johnny in an orange jumpsuit on his 18 th birthday or Little Sally in her maternity clothes at her Sweet 16 party. Let's face it, it happens, and this day in age, it is a daily occurrence.



When you continue reading (if you even bother) you are going to think I am crazy. I have so many opinions on this matter I have to break it down into two blog entries. This stuff is for real. You would do your family and your community justice to beg your school to offer these workshops in your schools, to teachers AND parents alike. Now wait, before you click the X button because you think I am trying to sell you something I'M NOT! I practice this stuff because it works, my purpose in this, is that even if one of my wonderful 25 followers, listens and does this in their own home, that is one less kid I will see on TV. One less under achiever that seems to be plaguing high schools every day. And the simple information that I am giving you is free of charge.I am a firm believer in Love and Logic, it literally saved my family and when I say literally, I mean it; my family and a child of mine had some very unfortunate events happen about a year ago, that very well could have landed many people in very bad situations, possibly ruining a promising future, or multiple lives. A very smart and talented kid of ours (yes even the smart, talented kids make bad choices), made some very bad choices and another "parent" was contributing to this bad behavior. (Long story short, "other parent" was contributing drugs an alcohol to our child and the children of other kids in our community.)



This kid should have been on top of the world; talented, smart...invincible. Well he wasn't, due to this unsavory influence, he found himself in a limbo, and sadly made the wrong choice. Unfortunately the other parent took this opportunity to become "buddies" with him, instead of setting him on the right path. I'm sure you are thinking, "Oh I'd be calling the police!" We did. We got nothing, unless they were caught in the act, there was nothing they could do. We were helpless in the eyes of the law. After a while with the difference in rules between this house and the other house, it only took one small argument to be blown completely out of proportion for him to take off. He left and refused to come home, because the other parent wouldn't enforce any kind of rules, he was able to do as he pleased, and that parent provided the "party". So call children services right? Nope, they can't help either, they are too busy to meddle in things as little as allegations that Mommy gave 17 year old Little Johnny some beer, or whatever. We were shut down yet again.



As helpless as we felt, we knew there was no way we were giving up. We HAD to do something! We were not going to allow this kid to throw away his future. We had to take extreme measures: we had already been to the police, we already called children services in that area, the next thing we did was go to the the athletic director/dean of students at the school. Now I've already explained that my kids live and breath football, well a few of them, and he is one of them. This was the only thing we could think of, even if this decision took away his opportunity of playing football, any other consequences could be dangerously worse. The only thing they could do was offer him help, and if he got the help, he would face no consequences with the team. OK, but doesn't help in the here and now.



Every where we turned it seemed like we were getting no where, we even filed for an emergency hearing in front of the judge, and nothing. They said by the time we got through court the child would be 18 years old, therefore being a waste of time. (and yes I am completely serious). So we had to do the weirdest, most scary, thing imaginable; because the "other" parent lived in a different (larger) county than us, they couldn't do anything, they could only take "larger" "more important" cases, but because we live in a smaller town, we decided to call Children Services, in our area, on ourselves. I know, who would have thought? As scary as it was, it was the most important and pivotal move we had made in the whole situation. Not only could our county intervene, because the child lived in our county, but they did. They were able to travel to the other county and take care of business. Now, there's obviously a lot more to the story, but I won't drone on and on about those details. The most important detail, is that this is how we came to Love and Logic. Without it, we were looking at a host of other younger teens in our house hold possibly taking the same path.



So now we had to start from scratch. We had to figure out how we were going to stop this from every happening again. How were we going to make an impact that would trickle down to the other kids, and make an impression?
I know I don't have to tell you because you can only imagine that with 5 teenagers in the house it is constant chaos. Most of the time it is down right crazy. I am constantly having to tell each kid the same thing 5 times a day (multiply that by 5 kids, that equals 25 times a day I am saying the same thing). I am constantly calling to check on kids to see where they are, because they conveniently "forgot" to call and check in. Constantly reminding all 5 to brush their teeth, put deodorant on, wash your dishes, do your laundry, get your clothes out of the bathroom, get your books out of the living room...that is only a fraction of the things I was constantly having to say to them.



I spent all of my time "talking" but never really getting the opportunity to talk about important things, and a lot of what I was saying was going unheard anyways. As we were explaining the functioning of the home (which is standard with CPS) she suggested Love and Logic, she really talked it up, and thought we were perfect candidates. I was jumping for joy, although there was still a bit of skepticism, I felt like I had tried almost everything, I have thrown stuff away, yelled, screamed, pulled my hair out, taken things away, grounded everyone until their 30th birthday, and even if I would get results for the first few days...it always resurfaced. If this lady could come here and change these kids, I would get down and kiss the ground she walked on!!



OK so imagine my surprise when she came in, listened and came to the conclusion that the problem was "us" as parents? What? No way! I do absolutely EVERYTHING for my kids! My kids have EVERYTHING! How am I the problem? Much to my amazement, that WAS the problem... The problem was, that I DID ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING FOR MY KIDS! MY KIDS HAVE EVERYTHING! DUH!!!! It was one of those moments where your like...OMG, you're right.



The first thing we worked on on that very first day was getting over the, " I got hit in the head with the stupid stick" feeling. Realizing that we in fact crippling our children and were not giving them the tools to function "responsibly" in the real world, and now we had to forgive ourselves for that and move on.



Do you think that when your child gets a job, or goes to college, that their boss is going to repeatedly remind them of things that need to be done? Is there College Professor going to tell them 5 times a day to do their school work? It is our job as parents to pick our battles at home and teach the consequences for small things before they turn into big things. It's going to sound crazy...but it's not, it actually works. These things were hard for me, because I am/was the type of parent that thinks, "do it because I said so, that's why" so the "reasoning" with my children thing was hard...but trust me after the first few tries, it's a piece of cake. Now don't get discouraged, I still get baited into arguments just like everyone else.



My favorite that I tried on the first night: Of course the rule is pick up after yourself, our 15 year H, is usually good about picking up in his room, he's actually quite anal about it. But when it comes to the rest of the house? Not a care in the world. So when he once again had milk and cookies, and left his cup and package on the coffee table and proceeded to go upstairs...I let him make it all the way up stairs...more for me than for him, because I was angry, and my first reaction would have been to yell at him and tell him to get back down here...of course he would come down and pick it up, but the idea here is to get to the point where you DON'T have to tell them, they will just do it.



So I took a deep breath, waited for the door close and calmly, called him on his cell phone...I know, I know, he was right upstairs, but I'm tired of yelling, and he is at the age where the only thing that he pays attention to is his cell phone. So I call him, he answers and I say, "H would you like to come down here and pick up your cup and trash, or do you want to pay me to do it?" He immediately comes down and picks it up without saying a word. I was SHOCKED to say the least. So I started using it on other things with the other kids, and slowly but surely I realized...I'm not having to talk so much.



Another thing where I use this is with checking in; with five teenagers always on the go, I was constantly calling one kid after the other, finding out where they were at, your practice/school/whatever was over 30 minutes ago, or maybe I would come home and they wouldn't be here. So the next opportunity that I got was I came home and 3 of them were gone, no note, no text, no call, no nothing! Of course I am upset and immediately I want to call them and start out the conversation, "How many times have I told you?" But I didn't. I simply called and asked where they were at, and gave them a time to be home. Now that bought me some time to practice exactly how I was going to approach them, since I was hoping it would be the last time...one at a time as they came in, I would sit them down, and say, "I understand that you have a lot going on, you're a teenager, and you feel like you need to keep up with your friends, and I'm OK with that. But here is how it is going to work from here on out, You can check in with me by any means necessary, text, phone, note, email, whatever, and that will be FREE, but if I have to stop what I'm doing, and take time out of my day, to call you and find out where you are then it is going to cost you $2." (see check in for FREE, pay if I have to check in with you).



Now I know what you are thinking, my kid doesn't have a job??? Well neither do mine, But if your kids are anything like mine, they are constantly wanting SOMETHING and I don't care what age they are. So whatever it is that they want has a monetary value. If it's not things we can use work equity, what is something that has to be done around the house that you absolutely hate doing? Maybe it's mowing the grass, pulling weeds, doing dishes, folding laundry, mating socks? Or for little ones, wiping down doors or baseboards, or just picking up their own toys?



Think of how much minimum wage is; Use the amount of time it would take to do that particular job, and put it towards that job. (i.e. mowing small front yard takes 30 minutes and minimum wage is $8 an hour, so the kid would only earn $4) And your kid is going to bulk, "$4 for mowing the yard?" well, they are more than welcome to test their own entrepreneurial skills and go mow someone Else's grass for more money, but they will have to reimburse you for gas, and the mower rental" Sounds tough doesn't it? But you had to work hard to pay for the gas, you have to work for every dime of what you have? What sense does it make to teach your children that they do not have to work for what they want? Then of course, you might possibly be happy with the complaining later in life; You know, when they are calling you because their electric is getting shut off, or they are needing groceries, or a place to live...yea, a bit too real huh? This particular part is important to me,because my kids have so many irresponsible people around them.



One other I will tell you about right now is FOOD! All kids love food...especially teenage boys! So a normal weekend night for us would be going out to the local pizza place. Well the law only requires that you offer your kids, food and water. No where in the law books does it say you are required to take your kids out to nice dinners, or kill yourself at the grocery store buying Doritos, chips, Twinkies, taking them to McDonalds, BK, etc.



We thought we had this one in the bag. I was so proud when I told our Parenting Coach that we do not allow our kids to drink pop at home, we don't buy it for them at all. If they want it they are more than welcome to take their money and walk to the store and get it, but we aren't supplying it. Our kids are big milk drinkers, (we go through about 3 gallons a day) and she was like, "Wow, you guys are nice!" She said did you notice, or have you ever noticed that someone who is inspecting your home, will come in and make sure your faucet works?" uh well yea? "Well that is because that is the only thing that you are required by law to offer them." ?????? I know right?



She told us a story about a dad who's kids refused to pick up after themselves, and these kids HATED beef stew. So she gave him an idea, the mom didn't know if she could do it, but dad was completely on board. The very first night he tried it. He simply said, "everyone do your chores, we are going to dinner at 5." He didn't say another thing about it all day, and of course, nobody moved, that is until mom and dad began to gather their things to go to dinner. The kids are grabbing their jackets, getting their shoes on, etc...and dad says, "where are you going?" "out to dinner?" one of the children responded,"you said we were leaving at 5?" . Dad calmly responded, "oh no, only those that finished their chores are going to dinner, and since me and mom are the only ones who did, we are the only ones that are going." He calmly rushed mom out the door and shut it. When they returned, the chores were done.



OK I know what your thinking, how many times can you afford to go out to dinner? If you are anything like me, it isn't very often. So I applied this to home life. "Everyone do your chores, I will be starting dinner at 5" of course no one moves, but I didn't worry, because I had a plan. I was making steaks! hehehehe (I only bought 2 because I knew they wouldn't do their chores when I asked, as usual) So I continue to make 2 juicy steaks, A1 sauce, loaded mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and even corn on the cob. I had to make the house smell amazing! And then I called to Big M, "Dinner's ready!" Making sure that everyone heard me...they all of course come rushing in, to find me and Big M sitting at the table eating dinner.



They are all standing in the kitchen, plates in hand, and you know how they look, mouths hanging wide open, drool coming out. "Uhhh where's ours?" I pointed to the unopened case of Ramen Noodles on the corner, and said "Have at it" (teen)"what? where's our steaks?" (me)"Well, seeing as that me and your dad are the only ones who did our chores, I figured we deserved a nice dinner. Since you guys couldn't put in the time to help with keeping out house clean and so on, I didn't think it would be fair to waste my time putting extra time into making you dinner." Needless to say, it worked.



Now, remember this, no two kids are the same, this isn't some overnight miracle in most situations. Kids are kids and they are going to try and get around it, they will try to fight it. That's who they are. You will have to be consistent and it will be hard, you will falter, they will whine, they will probably tell you that you are the worst parent that has ever lived, and you don't deserve to raise a toilet lid...but you know what, their brains are working, they will get tired of Ramen Noodles, they will get tired of staying home while everyone else goes out. And they will conform. They will.



All I can say is that it worked for me, and because I know you don't have hours upon hours to read with my blog today, this will come in two parts. Why am I giving you this information you may ask, well because I believe it, I am not employed by, nor am I profiting from any information that I am giving you. It's all logical once you think about it.



IF you are interested in finding out more than what one little mommy blogger can give you. Go to http://www.loveandlogic.com/ They are also constantly looking for parents like me and you to be Parenting Coaches. There is a kit you could buy, something I would LOVE to do, but with 7 kids, there's no way I can dignify spending the money.



So until then, I will share you what wonderful knowledge I have picked up in my process as a parent to 5 teenagers, 1 preteen and one toddler. You can also check out the "Parenting Tips" tab on this page for some additional information and sample of what you will receive in your inbox if you sign up for the updates at http://www.loveandlogic.com/ .



Until Next Time,



My Mixed up Family of 9

Monday, September 5, 2011

I'm having a SCENTSY Party!!!



ITEM'S AS LOW AS $4.50!!!






I have decided to help out a Business friend of mine and host an online SCENTSY party!






Some awesome scents and wonderful items for Christmas presents! Do all of your shopping this year ONLINE and help out some amazing people by throwing parties and get your self some great stuff for FREE!!!






I will be throwing an ONLINE party from different companies every 2 weeks in an effort to help out the small business operators! Then once I receive my FREE products I will do a review for them and post it to my blog and pages! (I can only do one party at a time so sign up now for October!) Thank you in advance for your help in supporting small business operators, and moms and families just like us!

(you can sign up by contact me at marknjen912@yahoo.com)






To order please click the link below:












PLEASE invite your friends that you think would be interested in purchasing some awesome Scentsy products!!! (Go to the Event listed below and invite ALL of your friends!) If you order something please comment here (all you have to say is "I did it!") or comment on my facebook page and I will enter you to win one of the FREE products I receive! Winner will be picked using Random.org












If you are interested in hostessing your own party please contact Christina via her page:












Happy Shopping!!!


Until Next Time,


My Mixed up Family of 9










Sunday, September 4, 2011



As many of you can imagine being a step parent is difficult, I know, this is NOT a newsflash for any of you that have been gracious enough to take the role. I know many people who used to say "I will never date anyone with kids" but it happens. Having step kids reveals an entirely new challenge to just being a parent. One can only hope that the relationship between you and their "natural" parent is a good one, if not, hike up the difficulty meter about ten notches. In most cases, your relationship with the "natural" parent is not a good one, I try to make sure of the opposite, whenever possible. I am one of those "weirdos" who actually make friends with my kids potential step parents. I have known one of my exes SO's for about 10 years, we were actually friends before she even became his SO. I know, WHAT? but It's true. She even got me a job and I worked with her for 3 years, and we are still friends now even though they aren't together anymore.





In our case, I have two step kids, and then add two kids living in the house that neither of you are parents to? An even more daunting task, to say the least. There is always the underlying fear of treating others differently, or playing "favorites", and it DOES happen. Don't let anyone lie to you, it does. No matter how perfect the family may seem. It is inevitable, you will always have a stronger bond with children that you gave birth to, it's human nature-get used it.





As much as you would like your SO or husband/wife to love your children as much as they love their own, it can't happen. It's not a bad thing, so don't go getting your panties in a bunch. I love ALL of these kids. I do for M's kids as much as I do my own, I love my niece and nephew more than words can ever explain, but it is NOT the same as my own children. Don't get me wrong the love, the dedication, the worries are all there, but not as much as it is for your own children.








Then there is the unfortunate part of dealing with the "other half" when the relationships are not so great. In our particular situation there are 7 "other" parents. We have one in prison, one on their way there, one who just got out, one who is bound to end up there sooner or later, another who isn't there for who knows why, and one that is just plain lazy. Now that sounds a little crazy I know, but it's true. Out of these seven other parents there is only one who pays a minimal amount of child support...the others...well they just don't help out at all, physically, mentally or financially.





I'm sure I know what you are thinking..."WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???" Well, I was young...so I wasn't thinking. I didn't get a resume from these people, nor did I contact a psychic to tell me what kind of parents any of these people would be. It happens, but to be honest most of these "other" parents weren't so bad way back when.








  • T's dad was a high school graduate, that took classes in Accounting grew up with a mommy and a step daddy who doted on him his entire life. He grew up in a nice neighborhood, went to a decent school, played baseball and football with his step daddy as his coach.



  • D and Little M's dad, more or less the same, he didn't graduate from high school, but grew up with his mommy and daddy, Daddy coached his little league teams, nice house, nice neighborhood, good school, etc.



  • Big C and H's mom, I don't have much to say about her because I didn't really know her all that well. From what I understand she was kind of a wild teen, lived with her grandparents but both of her parents were involved.



  • N and Little C's mom, grew up in a single parent house hold (I know this because she is my sister) she had a bit of an attitude growing up, but did not have a bad childhood by any means.



  • N's dad has tried to live a bit of a "thug" life, which seemed to be my sister's preference in men, he has been in and out of prison as long as I have known him.



  • Little C's dad, the same as above. Wanna be "G", and it got him a one way ticket to the slammer for the next 15 years.



Sooo...how id we end up here?




I can answer this in one word: DRUGS! Most of them got involved with drugs for recreation at a young age, a few in high school, some in middle school, and one not until later in life. Smoking marijuana to start off with, and as with most addicts, it got worse over the years. As a society we are all faced with the reality of the new Pill Mill problems, "Legal" marijuana, bath salts, posh, etc. People get sucked in very quickly. Which is the case with 5 of our "other" parents. The other 2, just grew up that way and it was acceptable, one's father was a convicted bank robber, and enlisted his son at a young age to help rob houses, and such...I'm a little sketchy on the other's childhood, but I'm guessing it wasn't so hot, considering his brother and sister are in the same boat he is.



The sad part about all of this is our children have been the ones to pay. I get angry on a daily basis, I feel sorry for all of the kids...and at times, I even feel sorry for the parents for what they are missing out on. I push myself daily to try and be the best parent I can be for each of them. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I completely suck, but I try.





The worst is when one of these "other" parents want to cast judgement on either one of us. We have given up, sacrificed and bent over backwards to give these kids the best life we possibly can, with little or no help from any of them.





While they walk up with new shoes, when I haven't had the pleasure of purchasing a new pair for 6 years. While the both of us work our butts off, while they live with and sponge off of others because they could never maintain a place of their own. They are sporting new tattoos, while we struggle to pay the electric bill, they are taking road trips while I am saving pennies to make sure I have enough gas to get them all to practice and doctor's appointments. While they are thousands upon thousands behind in child support, but aren't willing to help with school clothes or extra curricular, while they go without buying their kids anything for Christmas but have enough money to buy drugs or buy for their other kids. Sorry a short vent here, but I'm sure some of you deal with this as well.

I'm done venting,

Until Next Time,

My Mixed up Family of 9

Friday, September 2, 2011

Boredom? What's that??



While pondering my boredom...because you know I don't have enough to do in my life, I realized that in a few short years, I will miss all of this chaos? What on earth will I do with my time? What happens when you don't have to rearrange your entire week to schedule 7 dr visits? What happens when my phone will no longer remind me that it is time to make 7 dentist appointments, eye appointments, schedule teacher conferences, etc...What will I do with my evenings when I am not driving clear to another city to take my daughter to her choice of Elite Cheer gym, directly after her school cheer practice? Only to rush back to get my niece to her Volleyball practice in town on time...Laundry for 2? What is that? Not having to scrub the bathroom daily because someones aim is off? Not having to sweep the floor 4 times a day, or clean jelly off the back splash? No more clear Popsicle wrappers placed randomly around the house, or in the couch? No more reason to make multiple trips around the entire house to turn off lights, TV's, radios, video games, or straighteners? To be honest, I will probably turn into a complete couch potato because I will have no idea how to function! I will look like some comatose woman, sitting on the couch flipping through all of the channels because I don't think I've ever just got to watch what I want to watch, without the echo of Yo Gabba Gabba, or Family Guy coming from the very next room.



Actually, it's really depressing to know that this will all end soon. It will be so different as one after another leaves for college over the next few years. I forget what it's like to only make dinner for a couple of kids, what do you mean you can't eat 5 lbs of hamburger? The grocery bill will be one of many perks; as of now we are going through at least 2 gallons of milk and 2 loaves of bread a day. Pancakes for breakfast? One entire box, and I worry that I will have to open another. A batch of chicken salad lasts almost an entire day, 3 cases of Ramen noodles for a week...the list goes on. On a brighter note, the 3 youngest will someday know the greatness of having their own rooms! Which is a major complaint/accomplishment around here, of course.



For a few years we will be rearranging and driving all over to cover College football games, and still maintaining our schedule here...but that too will end. Right now with T cheering on two different teams, Big C and H on the same football team, and H seeing some time on JV as well (which is Saturday morning), N is in Volleyball, T also has a job and without her license means we are transporting, we are pretty busy, but I love busy and hate it all in the same breath. I guess I will just have to wait on grand kids for it to start all over again.




D isn't interested in anything other than the girlfriend right now, and Little M just finished up 2 (back to back) seasons of baseball...Little C will enter the mix next year with T ball...I guess I have a few more years to go crazy...but I will sincerely miss all of this. I will miss random kids in the neighborhood walking into our house just "because". I will miss the kids saying "Hi Mommy J Wow" lol (which is the most awesome nickname of any of the moms in this town) I love that my kids are comfortable bringing their friends here, I love that their friends stop by and talk to us...But someday, sooner than we can all even imagine, these kids will have their own families...They will be taking their kids to practice, and making dinner for their family. I can only cross my fingers and hope that they will be wonderful parents, and common sense will soon find most of them...Which I'm sure my mother wished for me...I think it found me...but then again who knows!?


Until next time,


My Mixed up Family of 9