As I get into the swing of blogging, I have been checking out a few other bloggers and "borrowing" ideas, checking out "freebies" so that I can share with you. I don't know about you but I click on some of these, and they want me to answer questions about 20 other companies...yes, no, yes, no, yes, no....ummm no. I close out the page after about 4 or 5 of these popping back up. I do not have 3 hours to answer all of these questions, no matter how ''great" the freebie is. So sorry, I will not be sharing those with you. You are welcome in advance!

My SO has been off for 3 days so far this week, (he works 4 days on and 4 days off) and just as I suspected...he hasn't helped with much of anything. He started this new job about a month ago, and before this he worked 6 days a week for 10+ hours a day, and for half the money. So I was able to forgive his Sunday lazing...I gave him the benefit of the doubt for the first month, because I too have an issue with the "day off" mentality. The problem here, is that when he is in "laze" mode...it is at times contagious, or it just utterly makes me angry so I feign a "strike"...either way it is making me be lazy. Now don't get me wrong, he isn't at all times a couch potato, just a little more than I would like.



I personally do not enjoy hours upon hours of the History Channel, or International News, and all of the other things that go along with having men in your household...Football, I can handle...The History Channel, not so much. He does fit in mowing the grass in between these hours of TV surfing (although with five teenagers, this is something he could easily pass off to them), and if I have a scheduling conflict that sometimes requires me to be in up to 3 different places at once, he will drive a kid to where they need to be. But let's be honest...it's been a month, it is time to light a fire under the BOOTY!!!

What tactics would you use? Your ideas are welcome, although I would like to avoid fire, guns, maiming, or any tactics that would expose the crazy, psycho side of myself...Or do you think I am wrong in that line of thinking? I mean granted, he is now the sole bread winner of the family, and I am the SAHM, so does that mean, he should be allotted the privilege of totally relaxing on all 4 of his days off? I'm new to this, so help me out. Are there any other SAHM's that deal with this type of situation as well?



Until Next Time,

My Mixed up Family of 9

Life and Potty Training

So I am still adjusting to the "Stay At Home Mom" life. Hoping to get more of a schedule established. I never realized how hard it would be to establish a schedule for myself. I can schedule the kids; chores, laundry days, practice, homework, etc. but getting myself on a schedule, with my chores and things that I need to deal with and get done, is proving a much bigger feat. I think it may be mindset, for the most part, getting over the "day off" mindset will be the first thing that needs to be tackled. I have taken to detailing one room or one area of a room every day. Realizing that this is indeed my "job" now, I just don't get paid, there's no review, no raise, and they can't really fire me, that is going to be the hard part, lol.

I am currently trying to get Little C potty trained...yes it's a little late, but obviously with the day care life, along with running around for all of the other kids, it kind of got pushed to the back burner. My daughter was awesome when it came to potty training. It took only about an hour to train her. Years ago when was a single mom, it was an afternoon, the day I got paid and I only had 2 diapers left, and 3 kids needed changing? I had a few hours before I could go and pick up my check. Ugghhh...remembering those days makes me sad. Of course the 2 little kids got the diapers, and she got "panties" (M was just an infant, D was one, and she was 2 1/2). She was so proud to put on those big girl panties! I was expecting an accident, but thought, hey she's happy, maybe this will work!

About 30 minutes later, I hear SCREAMING, not squealing, all out SCREAMING!! I ran in the bedroom, because of course some lion has come through the window, or a masked man was trying to take her away, of course all of those things were going through my head as I am running like a crazy person to the bedroom-she screamed THAT loud! I finally get to the bedroom, and there she is, standing bow legged, like she had been riding a horse for a week, pee running down her leg, tears rolling down her cheeks. Guess what? She never had another accident! It was that easy with her.

The boys on the other hand were a different story. When D was about 3 years old, he loved to watch TV, which he still does, he would get so involved with watching TV that he was absolutely not going to miss 2 minutes of that show to go to the bathroom. He would pee on the floor (in the corner), once he even peed in the toy box!! Little M, would pull it out and pee outsideor where ever we were, common words out of my mouth "Hey! Pull your pants up!" "Get that thing back in your pants!"...I tell ya, potty training has always been a thorn in my side.

I know these aren't ideal things to share, but I guarantee one of these things, if not all of them, have happened or will happen in your house. Heck, there are five teenagers here, and I wonder about the potty training issues they still have to this day. Pee goes IN the toilet, not ON the rim, not on the back of the toilet, not on the floor, IN the toilet! Just to prove a point, I will share the next story; about 6 months ago I went into Big C and H's room looking for something, and seen an apple juice bottle, not a single serving bottle, the BIG ones you buy from the grocery store. Not out of the ordinary for a 17 yr old kid, as big as he is, to drink a full one of those, so no problem right? Wrong!

After coming downstairs, a few minutes later, H asked me to go to the store to get juice or something, and I said, "well your brother has a full thing of Apple Juice upstairs, tell him to give you some." The answer H gave me almost made me see red flaming horses galloping through my house! "uhhh no, that's not apple juice." WHAT????? Yes you guessed it...this kid, instead of getting up and going to the bathroom, was peeing in this apple juice bottle, and it was still sitting in his room!! Ugghhh....trust me parents...things will happen in your house, that if you ever find out about it, you will have a hard time believing it, other people will not believe it. People will judge you when you tell them., but it's OK. I have good kids...they just have a tendency to do stupid things, as all children do...I'm just willing to share a little more than most !

Until Next Time,

My Mixed up Family of 9

What a week! What a mess!

So we have made it through the first week of school...YAY (doing the happy dance!) We are now on to week two, and everyone is getting back on track. Although my hand is cramping with all the paperwork I have had to fill out! Why on earth can they not have one piece of paper per family? Instead of every teacher needing a separate sheet filled out on top of 2 emergency medical forms, etc?

Football Friday night was fantastic! I love hearing all the fans cheering! Of course, I also love the fact that we won (: Every week, someone puts Styrofoam cups in the fence, and comes up with witty or inspirational sayings to pump up the team...I have no idea who they are, but I love them for it! This week "One Town, One Team, One Dream...We Believe" is the saying of the week, and as I get on Face Book, all the kids are adapting that in their status updates, etc. Some one needs a pat on the back for pumping up an entire town!


Big M is off until Saturday, so we will See how much help he will be around here. (: This stay at home mom thing is a lot harder than I anticipated. I thought I was good before, working full time and keeping up on the house (somewhat)...NOW, I am expected (or I guess I expect it of myself) to down and dirty clean. I have chosen to take one room on at a time...but as I have finished up the first full week, I now realize that before I even get through the rooms, I have to go back and re clean the other rooms...I never realized just how dirty some things can get?


So this weeks question? What do you do? What is your secret? Where do you start? How do you stay sane without drugging yourself, or drinking yourself into oblivion? Your input will help keep me out of the Loony Bin (:

Until Next Time,

My Mixed up Family of 9

Kiddies BoDiddies

So....school started today, and I should be more excited. 6 of them gone for the majority of the day, and it's just me and the little booger at home. Which is great, except he has chosen today to be sick for the first time in months. Not just sick, puking sick...ugghh. This year is a little bitter sweet, as it begins our roller coaster ride with graduations and colleges. With the ages in this house, we will have a kid graduating and starting college, every year for the next 5 years! The older kids are now in 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade, and then we will have a break with the next one being in 5th grade and then a 3 year old.

Of course the school year is starting off with a bang, with the oldest already calling home because he some how forgot all of his football stuff? So although, I know I should say, "oh well" because taking it to him is only going to ensure that these phone calls continue through out the year, I will take them to him...

With Football season starting, we are keeping busy. The two oldest kids playing Varsity, and our daughter cheering Varsity, it will be the last year all three of them are on the same field on a Friday night. I can't wait to start the bios, and let you meet all of the amazing kiddos in the house (: But for now it will wait! Make sure to check the previous post for the Give A Way! And until we meet again, Hakuna Matata!!!

Contest

To kick off the start of my new blog! I am offering cold hard cash! Yes I said CASH!! How can you win? Well you are here, so you're one step closer! The amount??? $10 via paypal!!!! Hey it's FREE, so don't complain (:

In order to win, you must:

• first like My Mixed up Family of 9's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/#!/pages/My-Mixed-Up-Family-of-9/102034363230346 and comment "I want cold hard cash!" or some other witty saying of your choice (:




• second follow the blog here at My Mixed Up Family of 9: http://mymixedupfamilyof9.blogspot.com/




• Third comment on the About me blog post right before this one! (a comment or question, whichever you prefer!)




• Fourth: Share my page with your friends and invite them to come and visit my fb page and my blog!




• Fifth: have a paypal account (: (since that is the way I am rewarding the money)

In order to award the give-a-way I will have to have a minimum of 25 followers! The comments will serve as your number, and the number will be drawn using random.org! Winner has 24 hours to claim and will be announced on the blog and on the facebook page!! (If we do not have the minimum 25 followers by Friday, we will extend until Monday, so don't despair!)

If the winner does not claim within 24 hours, we will draw a new winner!

Thank you!!!