Perfecting Imperfection

Yesterday, I posted this before going to bed . . . Exhaustion Doesn't Cover It.

I'm still exhausted and, according to my husband, I still smell like onions.  Unfortunately, I woke up WAY too late to get a shower this morning so everyone is going to just have to suffer until the twins take their nap and I can grab one.

On a positive note - I'm not nearly as sore as I was last month.  Last month, I could barely walk the day after our OAMC Day.  Today - I actually don't feel bad at all!  I'm going to contribute that to my SIL telling me that I had to keep my shoes on all day.  Although I very rarely wear my shoes when I'm inside,  I took her advice and my hips and back feel fine today!

I'm also happy to report that THE FREEZER IS FULL - again!!!


This month we made:

For Breakfast -

Harvest Pancakes 

Before the Oven

After the oven

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I couldn't help but think of my Grandmother when I made my pasta the other night.  My Grandmother lives in Florida and I'm pretty sure I've mentioned her before.  One year, I think I was 12 or 13, my sister and I spent a month or so down in Florida without my parents.  We were shuffled between my Grandmother's house, my Great Aunt's house and my Grandfather's house...We even took a weekend trip to the Keys!  We stayed at one of my Aunt and Grandmother's friends' house in Big Pine Key.  I remember swimming in the canals right off their back yard.

Anyway - one of the things I remember from that trip is Pesto Sauce.  I remember having lunch with my Grandmother one day and she whipped up a batch of Pesto and threw it on some spaghetti and I LOVED it!  I didn't find out until the other day that my Dad actually doesn't like Pesto - which would explain why this memory is really the only one I have of eating it.

Jerry loves to grow a garden in summer.  I love fresh basil.  We actually have 5 basil plants.  There are 3 in a little box on my back deck and 2 more in his garden.  The basil was starting to get big and we wanted to use some to make sure we get more when we need it...so, we made Pesto.  Jerry actually likes it, too.  Although, he swears he never had it before marrying me...so, I guess you could say that it's my Grandmother's "fault" Jerry tried Pesto, too!

Of course, the first thing we needed was a lot of basil:


Next, some yummy grated Parmesan:

 
Add some olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper:


Throw it all in the food processor and blend until you get something like this:


I know it doesn't look like it would be that good but trust me . . . it is SO yummy.  We ate ours on spaghetti but we've also put it on bread before with a little melted cheese on top.  It doesn't last long around here.  Even Nate liked it!

I'm sure it isn't the last batch of Pesto we will be making this summer!

I woke up at 7:15 this morning with a blog post forming in my head.  I was going to tell you, in some witty way, about all the emotions that I experienced yesterday – it was a roller coaster kind of day.  Since it is now two hours later, dear internet, and you have sucked up my entire morning, I will have to just do the quick rendition of the whole thing.

I had a lump in my throat for about an hour and a half yesterday – I guess it wasn’t an hour and a half solid, but it was on and off for that long.  You see…yesterday was Nate’s last “regular” day of 3-year-old preschool.  This had me choked up for a few reasons…but it all comes back to the fact that my kids are getting bigger – they are growing up.  I was Nate’s teacher this year – although if you ask him he will probably name every other person who had anything to do with preschool this year…the wonderful women that are aids in the classroom (He LOVES his Mrs. Henry and Mrs. Schwartz!) or the subs that have been in the room at various times (He always talks about Mrs. Merrick and the things she would like when we see them – for example, when we were reading a book from the library the other day he said, “Mommy, I bet Mrs. Merrick would like to see this book.”)  But technically, I was Nate’s teacher this year and yesterday was the last day before our program/graduation next week. 

While we were practicing for the program yesterday, Nate caught my eye and I was his Mommy for a moment, not his teacher.  I sat watching my 4-year-old son sing his little heart out…it kind of sucked…I had to swallow pretty hard in order to not have to explain to 14 darling 3 and 4-year-olds why their teacher was crying.  I did it…but it happened 3 more times that day before we got home and the chaos that is my house prevented me from thinking about it again ~ until now.

Next year, Nate will be with his Mrs. Merrick in the 5-day class.  Danika will be in the other 3-year-old class ~ because I think she will do much better without me to cling to all the time.  Who knows what I’ll do with the twins when their time comes…but I know that this could very well be the only time I had one of my kiddos in my class.  It’s an interesting experience to see them in that setting.  I’m glad I had the chance to do it.  Next year, though, I get to go through the experience from the other side.  The expereince of “giving” my children to other people for a few hours a week…letting other people take care of them…letting other people be important parts of their lives. 

I get it now and I’m sure I’ll get it even more next year.  I get why the beginning of the year is so tough for parents…why they want to walk their kiddos in and peek at them through the windows.  Why they ask so many questions that border on personal but are really just questions that help them understand, know and trust the person who will be responsible for their baby for however long they are in our care.  I know the women who will be with my children (and they are all wonderful) and for most or part of the time my children are there I will be in the building – it still makes my chest a little tight and my throat close up…my eyes water because I won’t be right next to them if they need me.

Please, don’t think I’m not going to be able to handle this.  I’ll totally be fine.  In fact, once it starts I’ll probably enjoy a little bit of a routine and a little break from 4 kids every morning!  Plus, I’m not completely ruling out the possibility that PMS has something to do with this feeling right now.  It’s also probably in part due to the fact that I’ve been oddly aware of how wonderful my children are at the age they are right now.  My mother is good for the, “This is such a nice age” comment and I know what she means – although, I’m not looking forward to finding out about the no-so-nice ages that are in the future.

So ~ I have to just share some pictures with you and let you know about my wonderful friend, Erin!  Erin and I met through the book club I’m in that meets once a month.  We started talking through facebook and then started going to Mommy Group meetings together.  We are a lot alike – we both have quite a few kids and we are both super busy.  Erin LOVES to stamp – and she’s really really good at it, too!  I mentioned on her blog once that I liked the recipe boxes she had made.  So, she made me one for my birthday!  She gave it to me yesterday, so I just have to share some pictures!

Here’s a picture of the top of the box – she did a garden theme because she had read that Jerry and I like to garden!
 
This is the front of the box – isn’t it ADORABLE!?!
She made it big so that I could fit a full size sheet of paper in it!  Which is awesome because most of my recipes come from allrecipes.com or magazines!

Here’s the inside tabs –

And this is her “stamp” on the back!


Too cute, right?  I’m planning on filing and filling it up later today.  I’m so excited about it!  It’s beautiful and I can’t wait to find the perfect place to show it off in my kitchen!
Thanks again, Erin!

I’m exhausted.  We have been so busy it is unreal.  On top of all of that, I’ve been trying to keep up with the Flylady stuff AND stay on track with my E-mealz…both of which are going very well (we had Creamy Roast Beef Pitas today – they weren’t bad at all…)  A lot of the E-mealz recipes are ones I can see myself adding things to so that they are more to our liking.  There have been a few of the meals that we have liked, but didn’t love just because it was missing something . . . so next time I make it I will add the missing ingredient.  The Flylady thing isn’t going as well as I would like…but I’m keeping afloat.  I haven’t been able to dive into my Zone cleaning quite yet, but I’m closer than I was when I started.  My goal is to get there the second week in June – that’s a full week after a full week of no work for me…that should help because Tuesdays throw me all off.  Jerry is home all day with the kids on Tuesday and he doesn’t Fly.  Not that I expect him to and not that it’s really a mess or anything when I get home, but my sink isn’t as clean as I would like it and for some reason the kids just aren’t as happy.  It’s because he’s NOT the Mama…which isn’t a bad thing, but I always feel like I’m paying for being away all day, even if it was for work and not fun.  Okay – so, my exhaustion is causing me to ramble…on with it already.

I started doing a Sunday Wrap-Up a while back and then just forgot about it…kind of like how I forgot to keep up with other Memes that I had been doing.  Anyway – this is going to be kind of Sunday Wrap-upish. 

Here’s a pic of my kiddos with my parents…it’s the last pic I have of the kids before the battery died in my camera (which is why you won’t see any other pictures from our fun filled weekend) 

Friday night ~ I had Mommy Group and the big kids stayed at my parents’ house.  I had a great time at Mommy Group . . . the ride down was a lot of fun, too. 

Saturday ~ The kiddos came home early afternoon.  That gave me time to get the newsletter for school done in the morning.  The twins were really well behaved and I even got a few loads of laundry done, too!

Saturday evening ~ Jerry went shopping all over the place for birthday gifts and groceries.  When he came home we ate and put the kids to bed…then we watched Funny People.  I have mixed feelings about it.  It wasn’t a bad movie and it wasn’t an awesome movie.  It was just an okay movie.  I guess I probably wouldn’t recommend that you watch it because if you hate it I don’t want you to blame me for wasting hours of your life…but if you do watch it, I’d be interested in hearing what you thought about it. 

Sunday ~ by far our busiest day of the weekend.  We started out at a part for our friend’s son, Ethan.  He was turning 3 and had his party at Giggles and Smiles.  Fun was had by all – especially me because those are some FAST slides.  I took my niece, Angelina, up with me and helped her go down them.  She gets nervous with heights and any kind of floor with holes in it.  So I basically threw her over the parts that made her nervous.  I was the only adult going down the slides, though – good thing or bad thing?  I think it’s one of the things that makes me love my job so much – I’m a big kid and enjoy playing more than most kids do.  :)

After that party, we had another birthday party to go to…this one was for Jerry’s grandmother.  She turned 94.  It was a great party – two disappointments, though.  1) The weather stunk and 2) the Penguins lost. 

Well – apparently, I’m not going to get to finish this post beyond this…and I’m not loving it anyway – so, I’ll just end it with a promise to write a better, more complete post in the future….hopefully after a good night’s sleep. 

I haven’t written a blog post since SUNDAY!  I think that’s the longest I’ve gone since having the twins…It’s not because I haven’t wanted to – I’ve just been too tired to do it.  I was more tired yesterday than I have been in a long time.  Not really for any reason I can pinpoint…but it’s not what you are thinking.  I’m not pregnant.  I’m NOT! 

 

Anyway…so another reason I haven’t written is because I’ve been busy.  More busy than  I have been in as long as I can remember.  The twins are eating 3 meals a day now…and feeding everyone (and cleaning up from all those meals) is really taking up a ton of time!  Not to mention planning for them…which is where E-Mealz comes in.  I mentioned it in my last blog post and said that I wanted to give it a fair chance before I told you all about it.  I read all of these reviews saying that it was the most wonderful thing in the world.  I wasn’t sold right away.  Here’s my honest review…good and bad.

 

First of all – I was introduced to E-Mealz by my cousin-in-law, Amy, when I was complaining about having to make a grocery list.  I can’t grocery shop without a list.  My mother very rarely followed a detailed grocery list – but she seemed like she was (and still is) stopping at the grocery store every other day.  I can’t do that.  I have trouble getting to the grocery store once a week!  

I love to cook.  I love cookbooks.  I love when my husband smiles at me and tells me something tastes better than his mom’s version.  (It’s happened twice – in the last 6 years!)  I don’t , however, love grocery shopping or menu planning or grocery list making.  So, Amy suggested I check out E-Mealz. 

My favorite part of E-Mealz is that the planning is done for you.  I still pick which of the meals I want to make on which day based on our schedules.  For example, I’m home all day today so I’m making Slow Roasted BBQ Chicken.  Every Wednesday, not only does E-Mealz give you the menu, it gives you the grocery list AND the recipe!  Plus, it all fits on 2 (or 1 front to back) sheets of paper!  The instructions are easy to follow and the grocery list is super easy to make sense of if you want to cook some meals but not others.

Now, the part I’m not so crazy about is the QUALITY of some of the meals.  Some of them have been really great – like the Breakfast Pizza and Bacon Cheese Strata.  However, some of them have been AWFUL or almost a joke when I think about having to feed 6 people someday.  Pepperoni Loaf for dinner?  Ham and Cheese Crescent Roll-ups, seriously?  The nights Jerry and I tried these they were SIDES to another meal…then again, we don’t eat lightly very often.

E-Mealz charged me $15.00 for the first 3 months of their service.  Dave Ramsey approves it as a way to help you save money…and I will say that (if you can stick to the list) it probably does help to cut down your grocery bill.  I use coupons in combination with E-Mealz and have been saving about 20% of my grocery bill every week.  They also have other plans that you can use.  We are trying the Any Store plan, because we shop at Giant Eagle and get fuelperks and get gas for our cars at GetGo to get foodperks.  However, they also have Wal-Mart (and other grocery stores, too) plans that matches the meals with their weekly specials to help you save even more money.  There are also plans if you are dieting or prefer vegetarian meals.  I can’t comment on the quality of these meals, because I’ve only used the Any Store plan.

So – here’s the bottom line…I like E-Mealz and will continue to use it until my 3 month subscription runs out…I’ll make a decision then if I want to continue or not.  If I had to decide right now, I would probably pay the $5.00 a month and keep trying it out.  It’s a lot more convenient, but with all of the Food, Inc. and Food Revolution talk I’m hearing (neither of which I have watched) I get nervous about what I am cooking with and feeding my children (so, just imagine if I HAD watched them!).

BTW – E-Mealz also has a referral plan…I’m not exactly sure how it works, but if you are thinking about giving it a try please click on that little banner up there on the left or one of the links in this post when you sign up.  It should give me credit for it then.  :)  (oh – and no one asked me to write this review or gave me any kind of compensation for it…I just did it all by myself!  Aren’t I special? hehehe)

So ~ how ya doin’?  It’s been a few days . . . but I warned you all earlier that this was going to be a busy week for me.  I was serious.  It’s been hectic to say the very least – and I have a ton of things I can’t wait to share with you! 

First of all, though, I’d like to show you what I did today.  For some reason, I was a cooking FOOL today.  I blame it on 3 things.

1) I went to the grocery store yesterday with Danika…so there was actually food in the house to be cooked.

2) I really really wanted to bake these.

3) I started using E-mealz (there is a little banner on the left that you can click on if you are interested in checking it out – I’m holding off on my review of it because I’ve only been doing it for 2 weeks…I want to give it a fair chance before I talk about it)

So ~ for some reason only God knows, everyone was awake and downstairs by 7:30 am…everyone except DH, that is.  I decided that I was just going to start cooking.

We started with Breakfast Pizza:

First ~ we used a Boboli Thin Crust Shell

Topped it with some bacon – I fried a bunch this morning for both the things I’m gonna show you.

Next, top it with some Italian Blend Shredded Cheese

Slice some tomatoes and arrange them around the pizza.

Beat together 1/3 C. milk and 1 large egg.

Drizzled the egg/milk mixture over the pizza and bake in a preheated oven @ 425 for 20 minutes (mine was done in about 15 mins)

 

Here is the finished product.  We ate it for breakfast with some strawberries and cantaloupe.  Mmmmm….yummy.

I think that I’ll add some fresh basil once it starts to grow outside.  I like basil, especially when it’s paired with tomatoes…which reminds me – this would be a really yummy way to use up some homegrown tomatoes, too! 

Next, I made the Chocolate-Chip Bacon-Pecan Cookies.

First, I had to make sure I had my recipe…

…and my favorite helper!

I was really excited because it gave me a chance to use my hand mixer!  I never use my hand mixer – I hardly ever bake from scratch!  If you are interested in the recipe, head on over to No. 504 Main where I found it when I visited her on her SITs day!

Here’s the batter…with the chocolate chips, pecans AND bacon in it.

   

Cookies headed into the oven…

 

…can you see the bacon in there?

Finished product – yummy and not at all strange, really.  They are good.  Not amazing or incredible, but good.  To tell you the truth, it’s kind of hard to taste the bacon.  I would probably put less pecans and more bacon to really make it more noticeable.  They were good enough that I would try bacon in other desserts, though. 

For lunch – I made crescent rolls with ham and cheese in them and Caesar salad. (I didn’t take pictures, though.)  Jerry actually told me that I don’t have to make dinner!  We have enough leftovers to finish up and the kids can have something they like that is easy to fix.  Whoo Hooo! 

I am looking forward to a great week!  I have book club tomorrow (we read The Help by Kathryn Stockett) and Mommy Group on Friday!  I’m going on a field trip to the library on Tuesday with my pre-school kiddos!  I’m also going to give Marla 1 week to convince me that I should wear shoes all day long…I usually don’t wear shoes when I’m at home, but I’m willing to give it a shot.  I’ll keep you posted.

If you are here for the party – my UBP post can be found – here!

While browsing blogs over at SITS Saturday Sharefest, I came across It’s a Mummy’s Life and her Little Film Club.  My first thought was that I had finally found something to make me use my Flip Video camera – which is turning out to be a nightmare when I want to get the videos off the Flip and on to anything else…it takes FOREVER to convert them, upload them, etc…I have a feeling I’m doing something wrong – but anyway, I digress (because I’m really really good at it!).

So – the prompt I decided to follow was How to…basically, because that’s the question I get most often.  “How do you do it?”  While I do a lot of things every day, feeding the twins their “solid” food is one that I’m actually getting pretty good at.  Here, have a look at my Little Film Club video and see for yourself!

Now – if you would like to play along head on over to It’s a Mummy’s Life and link up on the MckLinky.  Leave me a comment, too, so I can make sure and stop by and see what you came up with! 

 

First of all – Easter rocked!  Check it out -

We colored Easter eggs

We ate Easter Pizza (that’s what we call it at least)

We were invaded by GIANT Easter Bunnies

We had Easter egg hunts

We wore Bunny Ears (or at least THEY wore them!)

Now ~ we have so much Easter candy I don’t know what we are going to do with it all.  We have more than I could ever allow my children to eat – Easter has totally rivaled Halloween this year.  They got candy at the Easter Party we went to a few weeks ago.  Nate got some candy from school (not as much candy as other stuff, though – which was nice).  They got candy from my husband’s parents.  They got candy from my parents.  They got candy from the “Easter Bunny” (though only a few little eggs with jelly beans and a big chocolate bunny).  They got candy from my sister-in-law.  HELP!  I would like to do something fun with the chocolate…melt it down, maybe?  Any suggestions?  What do you do with all the candy? 

Oh…and…um ~ I reached 75 followers this weekend.  That is a really big deal for me…I’m kind of in awe, actually.  Thank you for finding me interesting enough to listen to while I’m rambling!  *totally blushing*

If you are here from Friday Follow ~ Welcome!

Feel free to find out a little more about me and my family at My Kiddos page and my About Me page!  If you follow, make sure to leave me a comment so I can stop by and return the favor!

It’s also time for the next edition of 5 Question Friday ~ which I haven’t done in a while but decided to start up again this week.

You can play along by copy and pasting the questions from Mama M’s site and linking up to her MckLinky!

1. Do you sing out loud in the car when you're driving?

Yes ~ I sing out loud in the car when I am driving…alone, that is.  I don’t sing out loud if anyone else is in the car with me.  In fact, I LOVE singing out loud when I’m driving – I usually try to calm down a bit when I get to a stop light or intersection where someone may see me, though.

2. What would you never be caught doing?

Everything I thought of here was hygiene related – gross as it is, my personal hygiene has taken a hit since having 4 kids.  I just don’t seem to have enough time to pay the same kind of attention to it that I use to…so it would either be a) using mouthwash instead of brushing my teeth on the way out the door (just call me Ms. Simpson) or b) picking my nose…I know that everyone does it, but you don’t really want other people to see you doing it.

3. Will you go #2 in a public restroom?

Yes,  I have HAD to – no way I was going to make it if I didn’t.  This is because I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago and every once in a great while something I eat will upset me so much that it’s a race to the restroom.  Aren’t you glad that was a featured question this week? 

4. Have you ever broken a bone?

No, not unless you count my nose – which isn’t really a bone, right?

5. Do you prefer cooking or baking?

Cooking!  I HATE baking, in fact.  I never time the oven right – or know exactly when it’s done…so usually I end up with brownies that aren’t really done enough and cookies that are a little “dark” on the bottom.

With that being said…here is my “menu” for the upcoming week!

Friday – Fish Sandwiches (it is Good Friday, after all!)

Saturday – Dinner @ my Mom and Dad’s (so far this menu planning thing is pretty easy!)

Sunday – Dinner @ my SIL’s for Easter (I am making these to take, so it’s not a completely cook free day!)

Monday – Chicken Noodle Casserole

Tuesday – Burgers and Dog and Fries on the Grill (it’s my birthday – and I LOVE a good Cheeseburger…well done, though)

Wednesday – Pasta with mushrooms and peppers

Thursday- Breaded Pork Chops

I kind of cheated by using recipes I knew I had some stuff for and were pretty easy this week.

Have a great Friday!

 

 

I didn’t have to make grocery lists.  I HATE making grocery lists.  I HATE planning meals and trying to have the foresight needed to know what I’m going to feel like eating/making for the next week or so.  I wish someone else could do this for me…but, I’m the Mama/Wife and it’s part of my job description, right?

I’m working on a couple different ideas to make this a little bit easier.  I’m eventually going to figure something out that makes this whole process much much easier – probably around the time I’m going to be spending triple what I spend now at the grocery store.  In case you missed it, I have 4 kids – 3 boys!  Eventually, they will stop being so picky and just start eating everything in sight.  I really hope I have a better game plan by the time that happens!

Anyway ~ I thought I’d share 2 of my tools with you…not that they have single-handedly made this task any easier, but they are worth a look. 

First, this is where I got the Grocery List/Menu Planner (it’s the Menu Grocery List if you go to download it) I use each week.  I LOVE it because I do exactly what Kate does here – I got a clipboard at the dollar store and just clip it to my fridge.  Also, I save weeks past – which is really convenient when I’m looking for something we liked with all of the ingredients listed right there.  I mainly use it for dinner, but have also used it for breakfast if I feel like doing something special when we are all home together (like we will be this Tuesday!).

Next, allrecipes.com is the sight I go to for recipes.  I have cookbooks that I love to look through when I have time – because you know I have a ton of extra time on my hands.  I go to All Recipes, though, when I am looking for something specific.  They have a great search feature!  Plus, you can create your own online recipe box to keep recipes you like in…so I’ll head over there when I’m meal planning to pick stuff I know we like and I can actually make!

I read somewhere – I wish I had the link to share with you…but I can’t for the life of me remember which blog I was reading, (if it’s yours, send me the link and I’ll add it) - that it would simplify meal planning and life in general if you picked a theme for each day of the week.  I’m thinking of giving that a try.  Here’s what I’m thinking:

Monday – Chicken

Tuesday – Ground Meat

Wednesday – Pasta

Thursday – Pork (we love pork chops!)

Friday – Fish

Saturday – Leftovers or out somewhere

Sunday – Dinner with Mom and Dad/Family

This Sunday is Easter so we will be at Jerry’s sister’s house.  We’ll see how this plan works – I’m going to try planning meals starting with tomorrow (Friday) and then for 1 week…I’ll post my “menu” when I’m done – with links if I use allrecipe.com.

I’d love any suggestions on how to make this process easier or just tell me what you do!  I know that eventually I will laugh that this was even a big deal for me – I’ll be a pro, someday.  Right now, though, I HATE this part of being the Mama/Wife!

BTW ~ I’m making these for Easter on Sunday.  I’m going to take them to my SIL’s for an appetizer.  So, I’ll have to remember to add the ingredients to my list!  You should go check them out – and maybe vote for them for The Brown Eyed Baker!  You could win $300!  Wouldn’t that be a nice chunk to help fill the freezer?

 

I don't really have anything to blog about this morning.

The thing is...I know that I complained a bit in my last post and for some unknown reason I don't like to leave a complaining blog post as the first post visible on my blog for a long time - it's a karma thing, or something...

So, since I really have nothing to blog about - but don't want negativity radiating throughout my entire weekend - I'm just going to give you some random stuff...in no particular order...with no purpose, really. 

First of all (because I know it is the first question you would ask), yes - we slept a little bit better last night.  That's all I'm saying because I don't want to jinx anything! 

Did you notice my new layout?  Probably not if you are reading through a reader (like I do) - so head on over to my blog and check it out...let me know what you think!  I used The Cutest Blog on the Block and was totally inspired by my friend, Chrisine's new layout.  (you should check her's out, too!)

I made Tuna Noodle Casserole last night for dinner.  Here's the recipe I used.  It's an Allrecipes recipe.  I use allrecipes.com for just about everything.  I have quite a few cookbooks - and I love looking through them, but when I need a recipe for something it is just so much easier to jump over there and find something.  Plus, there are usually a lot of reviews and suggestions for how to improve a recipe.  Since I'm not a big improviser in the kitchen - this is great for me!  I also love the Easy Meatloaf and World's Best Lasagna recipes from there.

We have an Easter party to go to tomorrow - so be on the lookout for bunny pictures in the near future.  I'm excited for the kids to get out and have some fun.  Plus, it's somewhere where I know I'll have help with the little guys or chasing the big kids if I need it.  I don't have to worry as much because it will be more than just Jerry and I keeping an eye on them.  *whew*  Although, my least favorite part of any outing is packing the bag - I can't wait for the day when I can walk out of the house without a bag the size of a pillowcase full of all the crap I need to take with me wherever I go.  (Please...Please don't tell me to keep an extra bag packed by the door and just refill it as needed - I don't have enough bottles and the last time I tried that the kids didn't get a chance to wear the change of clothes before they grew out of them!)

Speaking of parties, I'm headed to one tonight, too!  Except this is an "adult" party - no kiddos.  It's a 30th birthday part for a friend of mine.  In fact - it's a party with a bunch of my old High School/College Years friends.  Which could explain why I've felt like I'm in High School again lately.  :) 

Mentally, I prepared myself for the comments I'll get tonight.  Now, I don't know for sure if anyone will say anything - but chances are they will and I just want to be prepared...it gets really old, ya know.  So...if someone gives me the look and says, "So, are you done?" or "I think this is the first time I've seen you in the past 4 years and you haven't been pregnant!"  or "Wow, you must really have your hands full!  How do you do it?" or "Better you than me." or "Did you figure out what causes that, yet?" or "I don't know what I would do if I had 4 kids!" . . . I'll be ready.  I may not say exactly what I'll be thinking, but I will know that it isn't their fault.  They really don't understand.  You see, we didn't plan on having 4 children this close together.  Heck, we didn't plan on having 4 children!  However, I wouldn't be able to pick one to give back - I couldn't (and don't want to) imagine life without one of them!  They have all made our lives exactly the way it should be.  Yeah, it's not easy.  I understand why some people stop at 1 or 2.  I even understand why some people don't have any children.  That's just not for me - I always knew I was going to be a mommy...I always knew I'd have more than 1 baby.  Now, I NEVER thought I'd have twins and I NEVER thought I'd have 4 kids, but I'm happy about it and wouldn't change a thing.

All that being said, my kids are really starting to amuse me lately.  Nate says the most bizarre things sometimes!  Yesterday, he was talking to Danika - they were playing dress up and she had a Sleeping Beauty outfit on. 

Danika: I not Danika.  I Sleeping Booty!
Nate:  Okay, you're a Sleeping Booty!

Then he cracked up - like he actually knew he had called her a sleeping butt or something.  Is it possible?  Could he really have gotten that joke?  Well - he did tell my dad that he wanted to look up "SpongeBob Farts" on his Droid while they were waiting in line to get into preschool.  I know nothing about boys - I think it's time to revisit that book I bought when he was born!

"Official" Rules:  Copy the questions of the day for 5QF, paste them to your blog post and answer them! (Easy peasy, huh?!!) Then, head over to My Little Life, grab the MckLinky Blog Hop code (if you'd like!), then link up!


1. Do you sing karaoke? If so, what is your go to song?

I only sang karaoke once by myself - I will probably NEVER sing alone again.  I can't even remember what song it was (hence the reason I was singing alone) but I know it was a Jewel song...ugh.

I do, however, love to sing karaoke with my sister, Nicole.  We tend to gravitate towards Dixie Chicks songs.  Goodbye Earl and Sin Wagon are our top 2...but we've also busted out some slower ones, too.  If my mom happens to be around we end up singing Keep on Lovin' You by REO Speedwagon.  Don't ask...I have NO idea.

2. What is your favorite coffee drink?

Mmmm....coffee.  I LOVE coffee.  I NEED coffee.  I missed coffee sooo much when I was pregnant with the twins.  I was so very disappointed that the smell of it made me nauseous when I was pregnant and was elated when I brewed my first pot at 3am during some random feeding one night and it tasted GOOD again!

My favorite coffee drink...would have to be...a Grasshopper.  It tastes like a thin mint cookie dunked in coffee.  It is delicious!  (coming in second is a peppermint mocha from Starbucks...I like minty coffee, I guess - but I'd never turn down any kind of coffee...except maybe decaf!  hehehe)

3. If you could choose your own name, what would it be?

 I actually like my name.  However, that wasn't the question - I'd have to say I like the name Maggie (which is what we almost named Danika), Claire (another name we considered for Danika) and Veronica (not considered for Danika, but one I've always liked.  Oh - and Morgan...not sure why but I've always loved the name Morgan.

So, to REALLY answer the question I would go with Veronica Claire...but I still don't think I like it better than my real name anyway.

4. Were you ever bullied?

Yes.  Quite a few times, actually...but only when I was really little.  I remember the first bully I stood up to.  She actually wasn't bullying me - she was bullying my sister and I got mad.  Her name was Heather and she was easily 3 times my size - she was a big gal...I was like 3 years younger than her...she seriously towered over me.  My sister was 2 years behind me in school.  So, here is this 8th grader picking on a 3rd grader...making her cry and following her around when she tries to "escape".  After a few minutes (it didn't take long because I hated to see my sister upset), I stepped in front of Heather.  I still remember how fast my heart was beating.  I still remember how dry my mouth was.  I was with my best friend, Colleen, and I looked up at Heather and said, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size - if you can find anyone that big in this school."  I turned around and lead my sister down this little hill and out of sight.  I'm pretty sure I hyperventilated when we turned the corner.  Later on that day Heather actually came up to me and apologized.  I'm not really sure why - but I'm guessing it had something to do with everyone always being afraid of her and no one standing up to her.  She was a little nicer from then on.  (Awww...that really sounds like an after-school special, doesn't it?)

5. How often do you eat fast food?

Too often - especially considering that I am on a diet!  It's not really that much if you think about it but probably twice a month.  Fast food is so bad for you, though.  I really try not to eat it or to pick healthy things when I am eating it.  Some days, though, it is just easier and I'm too tired to fight it.  :)