Friday, September 23, 2011

Where'd you get that?

Ryan was just in the kitchen and I noticed he was eating a fruit snack. I know we're out of fruit snacks, so I was thinking that maybe one of his sisters had some hidden somewhere. So I asked him. And he just looked up at me and said, matter-of-fact (with a slight drawl),

"Ah mah boot."

Of course- where else would you get a fruit snack from?

Monday, September 19, 2011

Sarah add-on

The kids get "marks" for doing good things around the house. For example: if they do something nice for a sibling without being asked. Or for cleaning a room that is not part of their assignment. Or even doing their chores without being big ol' grumps. They get 25 cents for each mark they earn. So if they do a lot of good stuff, they can earn quite a bit of money. We hadn't paid them since we moved from Illinois, so Ellie made $20 this time! We've never had that before.

Anyway... with that money they pay tithing, fast offering if they'd like (help the poor people), and then the rest is theirs to spend as they would like. We usually try to find a store with quarter slot candy machines because it's very rewarding. This time we took them to the commissary and let them pick out candy from the pick-a-mix. Oh, what a joyous occasion for them! Even Ryan had money that he earned and could spend.

Our rules: gum has to be chewed outside. I am tired of finding gum in very difficult places. And we keep their candy up high so that there isn't snitching from each other. Well, I had confiscated the candy Saturday afternoon because of some fighting that was happening (sugar high had ended?) I went outside to do something and when I came in, I heard the kids upstairs talking about their candy and I heard candy wrappers opening up. I warned them, "you know that no candy is allowed upstairs and if I catch you- you will be in trouble!" And in true Sarah fashion, "quick, hide the candy before Mom comes up."

I guess I did say if I caught them...

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Sarah funnies

Erin and I were out running errands this morning. I had bribed them with their own bag of candy from Target and they were well on their way to a sugar high and soon a sugar crash. We were almost home when that crash began. Sarah and Ryan were fighting in the back seat and Ryan unbuckled his naughty self. I told him that he had better get his buckle back on. I warned him that if he unbuckled I would take his candy away.

Sarah's response: "Quick Ryan, eat your candy as fast as you can!"

hmmm... not quite the reaction I was looking for. Needless to say, the candy was consumed and the buckle was not rebuckled.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Sometimes it's tough

There are all sorts of thoughts that have been rambling through my brain lately and I think I may just go ahead and put them down. This will be self-indulgent, so if you're not interested, don't read on.



Weight. Okay- so yes, I've had 5 kids. And four of those were c-section. But the last one was 15 months ago. And I can't lose that weight. In order to feel like myself again, I need to lose at least 20 pounds. In Illinois I was working out twice a day and still not losing weight. I haven't been as devoted here, so I've gained a few more pounds. I've tried limiting calories, but those stinkin' migraines keep coming because of my lame hypoglycemia. So then I have to eat more to try to keep them at bay. So I'm having a horrible body image at the moment. And while I'm not pregnant (shocker, I know) I feel like everyone is looking at my belly and always wondering if that bump is a baby or just chub (as most people know we want another baby eventually...)

Migraines. I don't know what the deal is, but I've had at least 2 a week since we moved here. I've tried acupuncture, heat, light massage, diet, all sorts of things. And nothing works. I'm so tired of those stinkin' headaches that just knock me out for the night (the only cure is lots of sleep, unfortunately).

Tension. Holy moly the tension in my neck is ridiculous. I'm constantly in pain. Constantly. Again, I tried acupuncture, heat and massage. Nothing is working. Even the ibuprofen barely touches it. I've even tried different pillows and stretching to no avail.

Friends. Okay, so here's my pity party. I felt that I had made some really great friends in Illinois. People I LOVED to hang out with. That was the first place I have lived where I actually went out of my way to have people over and throw parties and just hang out. And they were all such awesome people who actually cared about me and my life and my kids. And it felt really good. And I have an awesome friend here, too. Erin is just the best ever. And while I'm overly thankful for her (she even cooked us dinner tonight!) I miss the group of friends I had. I think I was just really blessed to find people with my similar interests and kids the same age. There have been many tears shed over the loss of those gals and their kiddos. I have made friends on our street. And they are really great. There is just not enough in common to want to really spend tons of time with them.

Enough. I have felt rather inadequate here. My house isn't clean enough. (yes, I'm comparing myself to those with only two or three kids) My house isn't cute enough (yes, I have no interior decorating skills whatsoever) My kids aren't enriched enough (take 5 kids by myself where?) I'm not thin enough, I'm not happy enough, I don't have enough energy (I have been more exhausted than I have been in years), I'm not doing a million things that I really wish I could do. It's frustrating.

Reality. Okay, so my husband, who is always completely honest, thinks I'm attractive. That should be enough, right? My kids are happy, well-adjusted kids. My house is a bit messy at times, but never really dirty. I do have one awesome friend here. My kids have made good friends in the neighborhood. I am comfortable in my home.

So how do you give yourself an attitude adjustment? Prayer and fasting. That's a good start. And I suppose just working at it day by day. Because the Lord never gives us more than we can handle. Some days I wonder, but most days I know it's true. I want to be a super-mom and I don't like falling short. Those crazy expectations of mine!!!

So now you've seen a glimpse into the mind of Tiffany. It's not always sunshine and rainbows around here. I'm pretty good at faking it, but I'm tired. I'm so tired.