They're Baaaaaaaack

Caitlin was waiting for her ride to school this morning when she spotted one of "them" out in our yard. That's right---the ginormous jack rabbits are back. They invade our lawn every year, eat all of my beautiful flowers, and drive John nuts. They get to be as big as small dogs and come in groups of 10 or more to feed on our grass. Back when I first started blogging, John was on a kick of rabbit hunting every evening. In fact, some of the most fun we had when I was very large and pregnant with Caroline was rabbit hunting. I would sit down on the tile entryway and prop the glass front door open with my feet just enough for John to stick the barrel of his bb gun out and take a shot. That's right, my hubby is a mighty rabbit hunter. lol Last year I felt sorry for the rabbits since they didn't have a lot of food out in the pasture due to the drought conditions. Let me tell you, I have NO SYMPATHY this year. It's very green out there--I think they are just being rude! :)

Something Old, Something New..

John made out very easy this year as it pertains to my birthday and Mother's Day. I picked what I wanted, ordered it, and am very excited to see it. So.......just what is it you ask??
IT'S A NEW BLOG LAYOUT! Waahoo! :)
I know that sounds very strange to some of you, but I've been admiring some very cool blog layouts such as the one seen on Steece's Pieces, and I contacted the lady who designs them. Actually, there are several who design, but she's was the 1st to respond of all the ladies I contacted. Anywho, she has been hard at work on my blog design and I am thrilled! I will post her info as soon as she's finished--for all of you out there who are interested.
When I told John about what he bought me for my birthday, he just rolled his eyes. I know, I know....it's hard to understand. lol
Anywho, be watching for the "REVEAL" that's soon to come! One more note: there are several new blogs I read that I've put a link to over on the righthand side under BLOGS WE READ. Please check some of them out--they're mighty cute!

Everything's Better With Butter

Grandma Duke invited us over for dinner tonight, and it was SUPER yummy! She made brisket, so you know John was in heaven. :) Before we sat down to eat, the kids found a pack of balloons in one of her cabinets so Caitlin decided to blow them all up. She rubbed them on her head, Christian's head, and whoever would sit still long enough--just to see their hair stand up on end. After we had finished eating, Caitlin grabbed a pink balloon and sat back down at the table to listen in on the adult conversation. The next thing we know, her balloon is on the ceiling--literally stuck there. We all thought it was the strangest thing, being as it had no helium in it. Grandma Duke made a comment that Caitlin must have rubbed it on her head and it was sticking because of static electricity. Very quietly, Caitlin explained to her that rubbing it on her head wasn't making it "sticky" enough, so she decided to take a knife from the table and butter one side of the balloon. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Butter?? REALLY??
There is one thing I never thought I'd have to say to my children--especially Caitlin who is super easygoing and not a trouble-maker...."Now children, we will NOT butter our balloons."
*deep sigh*

Legs, Dogs, and Bites

Today was a first for me and John. We participated in the March Of Dimes 5k Run in Thompson Park. It was a cold morning to be running, but it was so much fun!! It was very windy and uphill for a lot of the course, but we finished in the top half out of about 100-150 people. There was a group of marines that ran together, and they were right behind us for most of the course. I kept hearing their chants, and it was actually more fun to listen to than my i-pod. OohRah! :) I think John and I will do this more often. It's a great workout and a big challenge--I swear, my legs have never been this sore!

Mimi kept the squirts while we did our 5k. They did some recycling in honor of Earth Day and paid Grandma Duke a visit at her volunteer breakfast called Canines and Cookies (formerly Dogs and Donuts). Grandma Duke (on the right-standing) is such a caring and wonderful woman. She gives SO MUCH of her time to volunteer work, and I think that's very admirable. The kids definitely enjoyed getting to see her and the dogs!

Finally, Mimi took them to get some
"bites" at Donut Stop. It was no wonder
we had a hard time getting them down
for naps--I'm sure they had enough sugar to kill a small animal. Anyway, thank you Mimi for taking care of them--and for rearranging my furniture while I was out. LOL

Family Pics

We recently had our 1st family pictures (as a family of 5, that is) taken by the talented Janice S. She always does such a great job and I love having her come to our home. I think we did fairly well, considering the meltdowns and grouchy attitudes of the kiddos that day! :) Here are some of my favorites (Note: There are several that I am not including that will make an appearance later!)
And for the grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, brothers, etc. that read our blog: you will be getting some pics in the mail very soon, so don't worry about printing any off of here. :)

A Photo Tour

I decided to make a virtual tour of our house so when people pull a flyer from the box next to the sign outside, they will have something else to look at--other than the tiny pictures on the flyer--to decide whether or not they want to view it in person. Here is the link to it (make sure your sound is on when you view it!):

6313 S. Travis Street-A Photo Tour

Not His Thing

Do you ever have one of those days where you think you have spent the entire thing driving? My wonderful "mom mobile" certainly got a workout today. We ran all sorts of errands this morning, met John for lunch, picked Cait and her friends up from school, went to the gym, attempted a t-ball meeting, went to my women's Bible study at the church, and finally ended up back at home around 8:15pm. Whew!
Enough of that jazz---the real reason for this post is to share what happened at the t-ball meeting. I signed Christian up for it last month and have been anticipating the first practice for a while now. Unfortunately, the coach isn't so much on the ball. He didn't call until 8:45 last night to inform us of a "meeting" at 5:30 this evening. I drove like a mad woman from the gym to Wendy's to grab some nuggets, and then arrived at the meeting exactly at 5:30. I piled everyone out of the van and gave each child a little box of nuggets. We stood and ate while the coach talked. Christian seemed plenty interested as the coach explained how they would play and about the practices. First of all, I wasn't thrilled that he chose the practice day as Monday, because I have my Bible study and John has to work. I was fretting about how I would get everything crammed into an already packed Monday evening, so I barely heard the coach explaining the rules of t-ball to everyone. I snapped back to reality just in time to hear him tell the little players to run to 1st base. I reached for Christian's uneaten nuggets, gave him a shove in the direction of 1st base, and said, "Go on buddy--catch up to them!"
"Nope," was his response. I gave him the mommy look---you know, the bugged eyes and disapproving face. "Christian, go. The coach is waiting on you!" I pleaded.
"No, Mom. I don't want to play. Can we go home now?"
Oh for the love of Pete and then some! I could see the other moms looking at me, and I felt the perspiration on the back of my neck. I made the decision right then and there to end this. I walked up to the coach and kindly explained that he needed to mark Christian Haskell off of his players list because we were just too busy--and that Mondays were not good for us. He gave me a weird look and shrugged his shoulders. "Well ma'am, if you change your mind, practice is at 6pm next Monday."
Thanks alot. That's definitely necessary information for the heavily perspiring mother with a stubborn son in tow. So, I guess my sweet boy will just wait another year or so before trying again. Obviously, t-ball is just not his thing! :)

Projects Completed-Round 1

So remember the post with all of the pics of the fabric? Well, here is the 1st round of items I made from that. I made these for a couple in our church that just had their 1st baby. The dad is a huge Tech fan, so he gets to now carry a fun "daddy diaper bag" with that on it, and the other items are cutesy burp cloths.


Round 2 is going to take a bit longer, but I'll post when I'm finished. Nothing like a stack of fabric to get the pulse racing! :)

The Best Stuff Ever

I highly recommend Spray & Wash with Resolve Power. It gets out blood, grass stains, marker, and grease. Oh yeah, it also gets last night's dinner out of crib bedding and the baby's pajamas (did I mention this is day #5 that we've had to deal with this?!?). Ugggg, just don't ask. :)

Clicky Clacks and Other News

Caroline Sunshine is turning out to be quite the little princess. She loves anything girly--purses, dresses, and SHOES. The thing with shoes is that she has 1 pair and 1 pair only that she wants to wear. It's a pair of jellies that we refer to as her "clicky clacks" because they make great clacking noises when she walks on the wood floors.
I love the fact that my 2 girls are so different from each other already. It took me a while to come to grips with the fact that Caitlin likes more sporty things and is not so much of a "girly girl." She's still into fashion (the way I know this is because she takes 30 minutes to get ready in the mornings and most of that is spent in front of her mirror--she wears uniforms for goodness' sake!) and she loves to have cutting edge hairstyles and painted fingernails, but she'd much rather be in a good pair of jeans and a t-shirt. They are both cutie pies, and I'm thrilled that they have their own ideas of what being girly means. I hope they are always like this!
I'm sure most of you remember a previous post about potty training the littlest Haskell. Well, we tried. I think our schedule is so hectic right now that it makes the whole thing that much more difficult. She likes to use the potty, but I also think she's still a bit young. I am totally cool with it, and I'll just wait until she lets me know she's ready.
In other news, I get to attend our church's womens retreat this Saturday. It's just a day long thing (not like the mens retreat) but still be praying for Daddy's sanity as he keeps all 3 kids busy for the day. It's actually more like a practice run for when I get to leave for 3 days in May to attend a conference with some friends. Haha
John finally finished his teaching job at AC, so he is now home 6 out of 7 nights of the week. Wahoo! The house hunting/selling is going---well---let's just say it's going. God is good and faithful to us. What more could I ask for? I know deep down that there is that perfect place for us and that there is a wonderful family just waiting to own this casa. I have had a verse playing and replaying in my mind all week. I think it's very fitting to our situation, and it brings me peace when I have a ton of unanswered questions: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

Ack!!

That's the word for the day. Say it with me now--aaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkk!! Dictionary.com has defined it perfectly:
"an exclamation of surprised disgust and is distinguished by a following exclamation point."
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Caroline pulled another "diaper doozy" this morning as I was trying to get to my meeting w/the realtor. We had 5 houses to look at, and I was supposed to meet her at house #1 at 9am. I got there at 9:01am--not sure how, but I did manage it. Caroline decided to open up her diaper and play in the contents (a repeat of Sunday morning's episode). This resulted in a non-scheduled bath and redressing of the changing table and crib. Did I mention she didn't wake up until 8:30? Oy!
The house hunting went GREAT! I found 2 on the same street as each other that are right up our alley--fixer-uppers. I am taking John back on Wednesday with me to view them again and see which one gets his approval. So while I'm driving home from the house hunting, it strikes me---I MUST do something to the front flower beds of my current house if I want it to sell! I fed the kids and made a quick trip out for flowers. Caroline screamed the whole way there, all through the store, and the whole way home. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was wrong with her.....until during one loud scream, I happened to look in her mouth. 2 new teeth. MOLARS!! That's right, my 17 1/2 month old has decided to break all the rules and get her 2 year molars in now. *insert rolling eyes face here*
Ok, so I got the flowers. I put the kids down for their naps and attempted to plant them. Thanks to the West Texas hurricane-force winds, the flower beds are only half done. I think I ate more dirt than I dug up. I guess Project Beautify the Haskell House will have to wait.
One more thing: tomorrow is GET YOUR STUPID TAXES FINISHED day. I know that sends some people running down the street yelling ACK! Thank goodness mine were finished 2 months ago! :) One thing down, 99 million to go!

Taking A Break

As I type, John is doing something that he has NEVER done before--something that makes him extremely uncomfortable, but that he has actually been looking forward to. He is on his 1st mens retreat with a group of guys from our church! I was so excited when he signed up (of course he had to wait until the last minute-haha), and I just know he will be blessed beyond even MY expectations.
If you know John at all, then you understand what a busy man he is. He fights a constant battle to stay ahead of it all--family, work, more work, extracuricular activities, church activities...the list could go on and on. For a while now, I have really been wanting him to have a chance to just let it all go and get away. It is totally out of his comfort zone to not have me around too. I don't say that to sound super important; it's just been US for so long now that I even find myself lonely without him when he works overnight. More than anything, I want him to HAVE FUN, take a break from his crazy schedule, and just enjoy the company of friends. From what I understand, there will be clay pigeon shooting, paintball fights, and fishing, so I'm sure he'll forget about me in no time! :) Hopefully he comes back tomorrow refreshed, renewed, and energized, because the "honey do list" is getting longer--LOL, not really--totally kidding!

Temporary

I have found that EVERYTHING in life is temporary...even life in itself. I find it semi-comical that just when I make a comment like "I'll never do THAT again!" that's when it happens. So on that note, John and I have decided to put our house up for sale. Yes, the one that I swore up and down I'd never leave. We put our hearts, sweat, and tears into this house, and I have loved every minute of living here. Let's just make sure to point something out--we are not going anywhere until A.) we get a contract on this one, and B.) we find what we are looking for. We know for SURE that God has the perfect new place for us already mapped out. All we have to do is be patient and wait for His timing. Really, the reasons we are looking to move are simple:

1. we want to be closer to family

2. we want to be closer to the church

3. we want something with a den or extra living area to have a playroom for the kids

4. it would be nice to have a single story

5. we want something we can fix up again (insane huh)

I am not in any hurry, and I don't have any big expectations--I think that's what makes this all the more exciting. Nothing like flying by the seat of our pants huh! :) The nice thing is, it's all temporary---packing, selling, buying, moving, redoing, etc. Honestly, I hope I don't ever get so comfortable that I miss the blessings God has in store! P.S. If you know of anyone interested in a 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath beautiful 2-story on a quiet cul-de-sac with tons of uprades and features, do not hesistate to let me know (how'd you like that sales pitch?!?)!

Playin' The Tag Game

My sweet friend Amy B tagged me, so now it's my turn to give you some very strange but fun facts about me! Here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger. Post the rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself (random and weird).
3. Tag 7 friends.
4. Leave a comment letting them know they've been "tagged."

Let the randomness that is Melissa begin...
Ready.......Set......Go!


1. I can stick my fist in my mouth. Not just to the nuckles--oh no. It goes all the way past that. The only problem with performing this glorious trick is that it tends to tear the corners of my mouth and I deal with sores for at least 6 months afterward. Totally not worth it, I know.

2. I have a huge dislike for possums. More like a HATE. The strange thing is, they seem to find me wherever I live. I'm convinced that they are aware of my strong dislike, so they rally the troops to give me at least 1 good freakout every year. Case in point: when we lived at our house on Anna Street (about 2 years ago), my then dog Toula was barking like crazy at 2am in the back yard. After not being able to get her to shut up, John went out there to see what was going on. Come to find out, she had treed a possum. That's right--just outside the master bedroom window. I guarantee you it was trying to carry out it's mission on me. There have been incidents already since I've lived in this house, but this post isn't supposed to take forever to read....

3. I have had several majors in college: Dental Hygienist, Respiratory Therapist, Nuclear Medicine...none of which have I completed. Still trying to figure out what it is God wants me to be "when I grow up."

4. I totally dig Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. Ahhhhh, if only popular music sounded like that today!

5. I haven't worn a dress in at least a year. It's not that I don't like dresses, it's just that I have yet to find one that's completely flattering. The usual problems are my chest falling out, too much leg showing, makes my legs look squatty, shows too much arm, or squeezes my arms to pieces. Maybe someday the right dress will come along--and when it does, I'll be sure to sport it.

6. I had lasik eye surgery done about 6 years ago. It was the most amazing procedure ever---except it gave me horrible halo vision. I sometimes refuse to drive at night, simply because headlights of oncoming traffic are blurry, I can't read lit signs, and city lights are semi-nightmarish.

7. I would give anything to have a small yip-yip dog (as John so lovingly calls them) to follow me around. It would have to be a girl dog though. I'd name her Beatrice, dress her up, and carry her around in a dog purse. I might even spring for the dog stroller in pink.

Well folks, there you have it! Thanks for bearing with me on that one. I know I'm a strange cookie, but I've come to accept that and love myself. :)
I now tag Keri, Carri, Misty, Tina, Kristi, Lindsay, and Jennifer. You chickies have fun with this!

Transforming

I just love when God uses my children to teach me a lesson. Most of the time it's very subtle--yesterday, God couldn't have been more blatant.
Christian really enjoys his transformers action figures. They are awesome for kids who like to physically maneuver, take apart, and reassemble things. Christian got 2 transformers for his birthday this year, and he saved the little pamphlet--you know, the one that comes with a toy that tells you what all others are available?--from the one named Bumblebee. He carries this pamphlet around folded up in his little pocket. If he doesn't have a pocket, he stuffs it down in his underwear and walks around looking very uncomfortable all day. :) He has even been sleeping with this piece of paper. He tried to bathe with it yesterday morning, but I was able to talk him out of that in the nick of time. Anyway, last night he brought me a piece of his pamphlet--apparently he decided it was way too bulky, so he tore out just the picture of the transformer he wants next. He put it in my hand and said, "Momma, can you put this by your bed so Daddy can see it when he gets home? I really need to talk to him about getting it." How could I say no? Christian made sure the paper was safe on the nightstand before he went to sleep.
When John got home from work, I told him the story of Christian's piece of paper and how adamant he was that Daddy had to see it. He had full faith that if John knew specifically what it was he wanted, he would get it for him.
Lately, there have been things I have been asking God for, but I haven't been as specific as I should have been. After seeing Christian's faith with something as silly as a transformers toy, my eyes were opened. I want have that kind of faith that my Heavenly Daddy wants to bless me beyond belief if I will just be specific and keep asking Him for exactly what it is I want. I know it's a very simple lesson, but I needed to be reminded of it. I guess, in a way, this story "transformed" the way I think. :)
Just a final note: When Christian crawled in our bed this morning at 2:30am, he whispered in John's face, "Daddy, did you see my paper?" John just smiled.

Bananas, Nachos, and Tequila

Yes, this has to be the strangest title to one of my posts so far.
Apparently, my children had food on the brain yesterday, because all three of these words were used by them (stop thinking that way about the children and tequila--it's not like that).
Let's start with the ever-comical Christian. He was watching Dora the Explorer yesterday morning, and she was teaching the children at home how to say different words in Spanish like she always does. Christian loves Dora and tries to repeat everything she says. I could hear him saying the Spanish words to best of his little ability, and I have to admit it was cute.
That brings us to yesterday afternoon when we were picking up Caitlin from school and driving to the gym. He turns to Caitlin who is in the very back seat and says, "Hey Sissy, I learned Spanish today. Do you want to hear it?" She nodded a yes. Proudly he says, "Bananas Nachos." I could see her reaction in the rearview mirror--a very strange look on her face. "Mom, what is he talking about?" she whined. "Honey, I think he means buenos noches which is Spanish for good night," I replied. She just sighed and stuck her i-pod headphones back in. Christian was so proud of himself--and it was all I could do not to bust a gut laughing at him. He gets an A+ for effort though!
Ok, so now it's Caitlin's turn. You know we recently got her a hamster and she named it Ruby? Well, since getting her, Caitlin has been working on a last name for her--because obviously Haskell isn't going to cut it. :) She came to me just before bed yesterday and said, "Hey Mom, I know what Ruby's full name is now! I named her Ruby Tequilas--you know, like after the restaurant?" My dear, sweet Caitlin. I then had to explain why that wasn't such a great name, and she settled on just calling her Ruby for now. :) She pointed out that even though it isn't a good name for a hamster, it's a great place to eat!

I'm A Dork---I Fell For It

I was driving North on Coulter today when I saw a funny sign. Coulter Road Animal Hospital has a sign that always has little sayings on it, but today's caught my attention for some reason. It said:
"You can't lick your elbow."
My first thought was--"You don't tell me! I can lick my elbow--watch!" So, as I'm DRIVING, I attempt to lick my left elbow. A big no-go. After realizing that it wasn't a good thing to do while on the road, I quit. The whole concept of not being able to do something like that stayed in my mind all the way to my destination.
Fast forward about an hour-----
On my way home, I took Coulter just so I could see the sign again. Assuming it would have the same taunting message on this side as it did on the other, I looked up to read it. It said:
"You tried it didn't you."
HAHAHAHAHA They totally got me! I did try it! Funny sign, but it made me feel like a huge dork!

Brains, Braun, and Betty Crocker

I really do have an awesome hubby--and to top it all off, he is such a great cook! I really wish some of that cooking genius would rub off on me. After all, my grandma, mom, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law are all amazing cooks. How is it that I'm surrounded by them but still seem to burn, overcook, mess up, and over season everything? :) Honestly, how does one mess up a store-bought boxed cake mix?!? Leave it to me to answer that question (that's why I'm so excited about the new recipe blog--I expect to catch up to him in no time). Anyway, here is what my kitchen looked like today, and I loved every minute of it. We had a whole day of cooking, hanging out, and watching movies. All in all, it was the best day we've had in a long time.

NEW RECIPE BLOG!!

I am so excited to tell all of you in bloggerland that there has been a new blog created! My friend Keri M. and I created a recipe blog called GREEN EGGS AND HAM (click on that title to be taken there) so we can all come together and share great ideas for food. There will be several contributors, so be watching for something exciting everyday! I am still so new at this "cooking thing" that I think this will really help me broaden my horizons and be able to provide my family with some much needed quality time at the dinner table. There will be recipes for all levels of cooks. HAVE FUN BROWSING AND ENJOY!!

Did I Mention I Love To Sew?

One thing I know for sure--I will always be finding things to sew. :) As most of you know, I recently made the decision to close my baby business. What's funny is I've had more requests to make things lately than I have in the entire time I had the business open--which was 3 years! I thoroughly enjoy making things for family and friends, so I am blessed for sure! I thought this would be fun to share with my blog buddies. I have a bunch of fabric that is about to get made into random things. I wanted to kind of do a "before and after" scenario for you all. There are those of you who already know what is to come, but I have managed to keep some things a secret. Here are the pictures of all the fabric before the transformation. Check back at a later date for the afters!!

Please Tell Me Why

Please tell me why....

1. it's so hard to rid your house of anything candy-related, and then it calls your name from the trash can until you actually think about digging it out and eating it
2. a bird never fails to poo on your freshly washed automobile
3. the wind in the Panhandle never ceases to howl
4. most of the interesting tv shows are trashy
5. you always want what you can't have, and you are never completely content with your situation
6. hamsters have to be stinky creatures
7. zits pop up at the most inopportune times
8. the alarm seems to go off too early every single morning
9. gas prices are so high it makes you physically ill to fill up your tank
10. water--something that's so good for you--has to taste so blah

Randomness

I took this picture because it's not something I get to see everyday...Caitlin playing one-on-one with Christian without ANY bickering, yelling, or rough-housing. She is usually kind and loving toward her younger siblings, but she finds it hard to sit and play on "their level." She's trying though, and I have to give her credit for that!

Now this is just a picture to introduce Charlie, our wonderful 4 year old Sheltie. When we got him, I was amazed at how hard it was to find Shelties in this area. We had to go all the way to Lubbock. John had Shelties when he was young, and he was convinced that one would make the perfect pet for our children. He was right--I couldn't ask for a sweeter, more loving animal.

I know this is a silly picture of Caroline, but this is about as much as she'll let me do for now. She is getting to be such a little turkey. Her latest trick: opening the pantry door (yeah, the one with a child proof lock that she figured out how to undo) and helping herself to bagged cereal, granola bars, raisins, and anything else on the lower shelf. Definitely time for some rearranging of the food.
One last thing: as I wrote before, John is now part of an all-firefighter indoor soccer team. He played his first game this past Tuesday and did great. He even scored a goal! :) I'm proud of him for trying new things, but I know that having late night games is hard on him---for example, the game tonight is at 10:15pm. Sheesh! I am trying to convince him to pose in his cool looking uniform, but as of now it's a big NO GO. Someday...

I've Been Fooled

Yep. That's right. My MOM of all people pulled off a great April Fool's Day joke on me. What bothers me the most about it is that I should have known better--and she is SO DUE for a payback! Mom, did you get that?!? P..A..Y..B..A..C..K I know where you live. :)
I was sitting here in the chair (big surprise) waiting for John to get home from his soccer game. The phone rang, and it was Mom. She sounded "strange." She said she had to tell me what she did. Mind you, my dad is out of town for a day or so, so I figured she just bought something she shouldn't have. She deep sighed. I deep sighed and prepared to hear a piece of information that I was sure I'd have to swear not to blab. She said that she did something crazy--more nervous sighing. I told her I was at least sitting down, so she'd better tell me. My mind was racing through scenerios--did she kill the dog? cut off all of her hair? buy a new car? The suspense was killing me but I didn't let it show. Finally, she comes out and says---I GOT A TATTOO! What came to my mind next was funny. I suddenly pictured my mom with a big "I LOVE MOM" tat on her ankle or something like that. I yelled "WHAT?!?!" out of pure shock. After all, this was coming from the woman that nearly freaks out each time John and I get a tat and refuses to get her ears pierced because "if God wanted us to have holes in our ears He'd have put them there Himself." After leaving me in shock-land for a few seconds, she screamed, "HA!! APRIL FOOL'S!! I GOT YOU!! I'LL NEVER GET A TATTOO! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!"
Now that's the mom I know. Never gonna get a tattoo--hmph. She totally had me going. Let me just say it took me at least a half hour to get my blood pressure down. She was laughing hysterically. Yeah, real funny Mom. She started telling me that she was going to pull that on my brother, but he wouldn't answer the phone. JUST as she said that, he beeped in on her. She had to quickly let me go so she could go give him a myocardial infarction. So, not only was it the shortest conversation I've had with her, it was the craziest. Darn April Fool's Day!!

To Be Or Not To Be--That Is The Question

To be or not to be---BUSY. That is my question. I have promised myself for a long time that our family would take life by the horns and ride it until the end. Then again, I promised myself we wouldn't be too busy to just sit down and relax. Boy, are we stuck between the two!
Here's how it goes: We work out for 1 1/2-2 hours 6 days a week. That, for me, is enough in itself. John obviously works a full time job from 7am-4pm 5 days a week. On top of that, he works part time 1 full night a week and then teaches (just for 2 more weeks though) for 4 hours on 2 nights of the week. Man! Add our softball games on Sundays, worship practice and playing in church 2 times a month, John's indoor soccer games (2-3 a week), mommy lunches, and small group on Wednesday nights--where is there time to breathe?
I know everyone assumes that a stay at home mom doesn't do a blessed thing during the day except nap, but I'm here to tell you that is NOT the truth. Somehow, my day blows by and I still don't get everything done. Monday is wash day, Tuesday is bathroom cleaning day, Wednesday is vacuuming day, Thursday is dusting/mopping day, and Friday is usually packed with "to do's" that don't allow for time spent on chores. I love Saturdays because that is really the only time we get to sleep in, eat what we want, and watch tv. :)
All of that is to say, I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. If I had NOTHING in the world to do, I would more than likely be whining about being bored. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. If I had not one single day to rest, I KNOW I'd be pitching a fit and finding things to cut out. Honestly, I enjoy what we do, how we do it, and when. If it seems chaotic to some, that's fine too. Like they say at the beginning of TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8 (tv show)--"Some may think it's a crazy life--but it's OUR life."

Funny Caitlin Moment #648,510

At my mom's (mimi's) birthday party last night, Caitlin had one of her funny moments. Mimi let her help by cutting the cake. Let's just say she had a very unconventional way of cutting it--it reminded me and Mom of someone sawing a log, but in random dirrections and sizes of pieces. Being the anal person that I am, I gasped every time she made a weird cut. At one point, I couldn't take it any longer without making a comment.
"Caitlin, you are bothering my anality," I said. She rolled her eyes and kept cutting. When she began to pull the pieces out and put them on plates, she saw that I was still horrified by the mess she had made. Some pieces were teeny tiny and some were big! Caitlin then looked right at me, and with a big attitude she said, "Hey Mom, am I still offending your personality?" LOL She's so silly sometimes!