Rainy Day

The kids were excited to have a rainy day and watch movies in our jammies. All was well until we had to run a couple errands and I told Sloane he needed to put some clothes on. He didn't want to take his jammies off so he asked if he could just put his clothes on over them. Hoping to avoid a meltdown I agreed. This is what he came up with. Not exactly what I had in mind, but with #6 I no longer sweat the small stuff. So, off we went!

Sloanie my Snugglebug

Sloane and I love to snuggle- a lot! So, being creative with nicknames, I call him my Snugglebug. This morning as we were in bed we were hugging and I told him I loved him so much I was gonna squeeze his guts out and gave him a big hug. I asked if I squeezed any of his guts out and he said, "no, just ear wax." I guess I was squeezing a little to high. 

Maybe I should try it with the older boys that aren't really into hygiene right now. I won't name names but they are the ones who look at me shocked when I suggest they brush their teeth or take a shower because they just did it ____ days ago. (Fill in the blank with a number higher than 1 and lower than 4. I do have my limits!)

Their idea of "summer hygiene" includes riding a bike through a sprinkler, spraying their hair with a water bottle, or playing baseball in the rain. Ooooh I forgot my favorite- spraying on some body spray. Cough cough. 

Back to Sloane the Snugglebug, I might squeeze a little tight, or spend too much time holding him, but I know what happens next. Soon he'll be taking sprinkler showers and running wild with the neighborhood gang. Even worse, some day before I even blink my eyes he'll be turning 22 like Skyler-my original Snugglebug.  I still squeeze Sky every chance I get but he doesn't look at me like my snuggles are the best thing in the world anymore. Hold on to that feeling as long as you can!

Sloane

Tonight we were outside and Sloane was giving Lucy and SiSi rides on his 4-wheeler. As the rode up to us he was scowling and Scarlett asked him why he looked so mad. He said, "I'm not mad! I'm just gassy. " OK......

Sagism #1

As we are driving this morning and chatting Sage says, "summer mom is way different than winter mom". 🌞

Back at it-Summer 2014

First REAL day of Vacation (Monday)!!

 Another summer with lofty goals- clean eating, daily exercise, organizing the house. I know I know, I've set these goals before-but this year my kids are older and more self-sufficient. They can all dress themselves, latch their own seat belts, even help themselves to a snack. 

So, day one and I'm up at 8:00. Already I'm a bit cranky because even though it stormed during the night and the dog shivered and whined on my bed the streets are dry which means 9:00 & 10:00 baseball practices were still on. So we were up and out the door before Kelly and Micheal started. Forgetting we were starting "clean eating" today I grabbed a sleeve of graham crackers and off we went. 

As usual in ND we were dressed for cloudy weather but it was also windy, drizzling, and cold! Stell played first and all went well- then it was Sloane's turn. It's his first try at organized sports and after 5 years of watching his siblings he was so excited!

 Excitement quickly changed to disappointment when he realized being on the field meant taking turns, waiting, being in the rain, and missing his siblings playing at the park.  He did get a chance to bat which was pretty cute and them I couldn't find my shivering white-haired ball player on the field. I knew he didn't get passed me so I wasn't in panic mode- yet.

 All of a sudden he struts out of the other teams dugout and says, "I'm done-let's go". If I was a younger, less drenched mom I would've used this as a teachable moment. "You're part of a team, blah, blah, blah" but I was really cold too.

 So as we were leaving he looks up at me with those big blue eyes and says, "Mommy, can we go home and snuggle in bed?" Yes!!!! So, that is where you will find us on our first REAL day of vacation!

Watch Out Summer-Here I Come!

No more pencils, no more books, no more students dirty looks...almost!

Its that time again, the last day of school! One of the joys of teaching is the continuation of the child-like excitement for holiday breaks, snow days, and best of all-Summer Vacation!! I do love my job and truly LOVE my wonderful students but the thought of no alarm clock, reading by the pool, and soaking up the sun while watching many baseball games is truly intoxicating! Although, it may sound like heaven in writing, my summer also consists of 7 kids all home on vacation, a triple grocery bill, and freezee wrappers littered throughout the house. Nobody remembers to shut a door, they track wet grassy feet through the house, and I give up the possibility of running a quick errand alone for the next three months!

I do however have high hopes for a fun filled summer. I plan to exercise more, be outside as much as possible, and organize some closets. More importantly I want to make memories with the kids and enjoy the stress free days of summer. I will keep you posted on my progress ;) So, here's to the start of a wonderful friendship! Leslie+Summer=True Love

Lazy Days of Summer

We wait all winter for warm weather and sun, and when it finally comes...we are inside.  This weekend was so humid and muggy that we literally did not leave the house! We had fun relaxing and spending the weekend together but I am actually looking forward to getting dressed and applying make up tomorrow. I enjoy the kids quirkiness when they want to wear jammies or sweats all day. Ive been tucking Sloanes batman cape into his shirt for the last two days. Scarlett, decided to read the Harry Potter series this weekend. She did however let me know that her ADD (self diagnosed) acts up when she reads so she has to take lots of breaks. By "breaks" she meant times to bug and harass me for a new phone, shopping, new clothes, etc.

The real revelation that I have made this weekend is that my kids are actually very clingy. We all used to joke about my aunt Nancy because she always had her girls and a couple extras on her at all times. She would offer to pick the kids and me up and she'd show up in her little 4 door car with 5 or 6 already in it and promise we would all fit we would just have to squeeze! Well, my kids and I have quite a bit more Oster in us then I thought. I have noticed that the kids find me wherever I hide and then stick to me like a magnet. For example, this morning my wonderful husband brought home coffee and the paper. I nestled down in my favorite leather chair by the front window to enjoy the sun, drink my coffee, and read the paper in peace. Now, you might be thinking, you have six kids you know that its not really possible to have peace with all of them. Yes, that is true. I suppose my idea of peace and most peoples idea is probably different. However while sitting in that leather chair I had Sloane (2) on my lap alternating between rubbing the mole on my face and his new favorite my eyelashes. Then Stell (4) and Sage(8) want to snuggle and since I am trying to avoid playing favorites we make room for them too. I am now holding the paper up in the air on my good side (because my other eye is being rubbed to death). I remain calm for a while-until I realize how crazy my life can be at times. I start to get a little claustrophobic and iinsist everybody climb off with promises we will go watch a movie in bed as soon as I finish the paper. Aaaah finally, I take a gulp of coffee which is now cold and drooly because my kids want whatever I have, and sit back to read. At about that same moment, Soren comes in and gets on the chair with me like a 70lb dog that still thinks they are a lap dog. He starts begging me (in my ear) about his activities for the day (play with friends, not doing chores, avoid showering). At this point I am ready to lose it, I remind him to brush his teeth ASAP !

At this point I realize that my idea of a lazy day at home isnt exactly what Im going to go. So I decide to concede, take a deep breath and relax with the boys. We did have a lazy day, they all showered, cleaned, and stayed close (on) to me all day as we watched XMen, The Hulk, and Ironman. Tomorrow we will brave the humidity and definitely NOT have a lazy summer day!