DO NOT FOLLOW THE LINK!

We r puny.


Strep throat among the ranks.


I took an antibiotic from the jar of emergency a.d.d. leftover pills from previous issues.


Well, don't you have those?  
They give you a jar of 86 pills...
take three times a day for the next millennium
and who can always keep focused that long.

I woke up in the middle of the night 
feeling better until some sort of 
germaphobe anxiety attack crept
into my pea brain.  
I could not go back to sleep 
imagining all of those 
nasty streptococcal bugs 
having a party all over my house.


It was so disturbing that I got up 
and put a few of my blankies in the wash.


Speaking of disturbing,
if you are brave look at this.  
(DO NOT FOLLOW THE LINK)
but beware because I regretted googling images of Strep Throat.
(I REPEAT DO NOT FOLLOW THE LINK)


Sorry.  
You couldn't resist could you?
EEEEW I only glanced for one second before I made the link.
Again Sorry.


Ahem.
Yuck.


So I cranked open all of the windows as soon as I got outta bed.
Threw Milo under a pile of blankets 
and gave him the remote.
Put on Elsa's snowboots and mittens,
And declared WAR ON STREP!


My new best friend Clorox
danced with me through the house,
and everybody got clean bedding.


Then we got our internal weapons
aka amoxicillion.
Our town just got a new pop machine at the hospital,
aka instimeds.


You just type in the 
numbers for your prescription and 
clunk... 
clunk... 
bonk...
out drops your meds.


I have been there three days
in a row as there are so many subjects in my charge. 


And yes,Mom, I got a real prescription for me too.


The people that work at the hospital are looking at me funny.
Thinking "oh there is that junkie with all of her snot nosed kids."


So hopefully we have 
got this thing about whipped.
We are thawing out now with the afternoon sun shining through our closed windows and the heater blasting fresh clean air.


Hope those little streppies
have learned not to mess with me
or my babies.


PS. comment if you looked at the link!

P(purposefully) M(making up) S(stuff to be cranky about)

P.M.S.

gonna be real honest here.

i am in the depths of it.

i once asked the Dr. if, 

for the sake of the children, 

there was anything he could give me 

for this little problem.

He said, 

and i quote,

"Watch what you eat and exercise 

and just have some self control."

OK. and thanks a million.

now stay with me here...

i gotta run and check on elsa,

i hear the beeping of my cell phone and 

i gotta see who she is randomly dialing...

Ok. i am back.

and to whoever she called,

please don't mistake that for 

a heavy breathing prank call.

Dang caller-ID anyways.

Sooo...

Back to PMS...

(Isn't that the way it always goes?)

Well, ok. i will exercise.

So i set my alarm for 5:30.

A good hour before anybody gets up.

For three days i sweat and bounce 

my flabby self 

along on the treadmill

with no incidents like this mind you.

But on the fourth day it happens.

Alarm goes off.

i hit snooze and have the back and forth

bantering self talk about 

how after yesterday

sleep would be more productive than exercise

in the analysis of self preservation.

And just the time the health enthusiast 

in me wins the argument,

I hear something from afar...

MAMA!...MAMA!...MAMA!

EAT!...MILK!...UP!

seriously.

baby radar.

every. single. time.

Alright I guess if I can't exercise to fix this issue...

I will watch what I eat.

So I watch it.

I eat everything in sight.

and I watch it go into my mouth.

Still no changes.

I think that Dr. needs to take 

some refresher courses.

In the lab

Been spending lots of 

time in the Laboratory.

Sewing tags for my sister's new store, 

Calamity Pass Trading Company.

Sorting Crayons and Markers.

Removing chewed up crayons from the traps of certain green toothed individuals.

 

Breaking up battles over paper and table space.

Labeling all of my junk so I can recover quicker from my creative tornado issues.

 Making crap out of feathers and leather and whatever else I uncover in my stash.

Enjoying the company of whatever

kid decides to sit for a bit.

And loving watching their own 

creativity blossom.

mess with mama = TROUBLE!

We have been busy.

Crazy busy.

Well maybe just crazy 

because when I sit back and think about it, 

I can't even remember what we have done.

Josi and I spent the better part of one day playing cards.  

We had a little bet thing going on.  

If you lose....

well just watch the video.  

And you might have to turn your head to the side because 

although I can whip anyone except my sister Amy 

at a game of Spit,

 I don't know how to hold a camera!

There was NO way I was gonna lose!

 And no Josi wasn't really crying and yes she herself set the stakes!

Doncha be messin' with the Mama!

my vision

This song has been running 

through my brain 

for the past few weeks.

Saving me in moments of 

downright desperation.

I seem to get a little outta funk 

once in a while.

You know... 

poor poor pitiful me kinda thinking.

Anyways. 

I just started belting this out 

the other night

and other than traumatizing 

my entire family with my 

offbeat n outta tune vocals

I felt better right away.

Usually I listen to it from one of 

my favorite chicks, Ginny Owens

but I couldn't find a video 

of her singing it.

So I was searching away and 

you know how one thing 

leads to another online?

Well, I stumbled right onto this genius!

(o wow just had to spell check genius 

which made me feel like a dummy)

So unless you have 6 minutes to kill,

you should definitely fasty forward to 

about halfway cuz

he is just warming up for a 

loooong time.

but the man can beat this guitar!!!

Quick and deeelish!!

diaper tent

What you're gonna need:


15-20 size one diapers 
clear tape
1 regular size roll of toilet paper
1 yard ribbon 
scissors
poster board
dinner plate
hot glue gun
paint
toothpick
decorative paper


1. To form the "walls" of the tent, roll diapers from folded end and secure with tape.
Gather diapers into a circle.  (I started by placing some around a roll of toilet paper, tied those together with the ribbon, then removed the tp roll and filled in with remaining diapers.)

2. Trace a dinner plate onto poster board. Mark the center of the circle, then cut from the edge of circle to center dot.  Pull the edges of the circle to overlap a bit, forming a cone.  Adapt size of cone to the top of diaper circle. Glue edges. This will be the top of the circus tent. 

3. Cut a strip of poster board about 1-2 inches wide and long enough to go all the way around the topper. Scallop one edge, then put a line of glue around the edge of topper and stick on the strip.

4. Paint topper.

5. Trace a 3 inch circle onto poster board. Scallop the edge with scissors then form a cone. Again,securing with hot glue.




6. Make a small flag from decorative paper and a toothpick.  Insert into center of small circle.  Turn the circle over and glue flag in place.

7. Set the small circle with flag into the center of the topper and glue it.

8. Place roof onto diaper circle.  I didn't attach it since it was used as a table decoration, but you could tack it to the walls with a bit of tape.

And there ya have it! 

A diaper circus tent for that sweet mama to be!!

Scenes From the Circus

The Mama To Be!
And her amazing friend Frances.

Fun Games by Frances:
Name the Baby
Guess how many Animal Crackers
Gift Bingo
Guess the baby's traits
Belly Measurement with Circus Peanuts

Winners' loot!

The cakes were done by the Grandma to be!  

Celebrating her very first grand baby!

Parting gifts:
Caramel corn

listen to this!

My hubby showed us this video.

I thought it was amazing.

Although, it made me wonder how one would cope if ones offspring decided to practice this endlessly......

whatamigonnado??

Been spending days in the "Laboratory" as Miss Josi calls it;

my babies at my feet with their trains and animals.

Me at the craft table surrounded by a conglomeration 

of tissue paper, peanuts, and red striped straws.

We are playing circus, you know??

The baby shower we are throwing is in 

just a couple of days.

So of course here I sit at the computer.

I had to take a break. 

My brain sometime scares me.

Tonight I considered making a paper garland of elephants. 

Finally had to stop and have a little talk with myself.

(Which happens frequently 

only I pretend that I am talking to 

one of the many children in my midst.)

The other day I went to the store by myself.

And had a discussion to the imaginary child over which 

shampoo to buy.  I didn't even notice how that might

appear until someone kindly noted that I was 

talking to myself.

Thanks Carol! ;0)

but I digress...

So the self help talk concerning circus obsession 

went something like this:

"GIRL!  HELLO! GET A GRIP!!!!

You have approximately 

48 hours to 

get 

this 

done!!

FOCUS!! 

To which I reply:

"HOLY MOLY!! 

YOU ARE RIGHT!!

WHATAMIGONNADO???

Mmmm look at these cool popcorn 

party favors!!! 

I should totally make those too!"

spooked.

Was gonna put together a cutsie little 

Halloween blog post 

with amazing collages 

of perfectly edited pics of my little darlings...

Instead I realized I only 

took a few snaps of the day 

and have since scarfed bags of candy

and wondered wide eyed 
onto the next distractions.

As a reassurance that I am not 

an entirely defunct reject...

This years pumpkins made it to the 

trash before they

were sloppy moldy nastiness on my porch....

Yeppers.   

Years of training finally kicking in!!

But wait that gives me an idea...

We are carving a couple weeks 

earlier next year

so our pumpkins will be wicked on Halloween 

instead of the week after!!

So anyways....

Here's what i got:

Milo on the bus going to 
visit the nursing home 
residents.

Somebody said told him they 
liked his
rhinoceros costume.
Offended he told them 
he wasn't a rhinoceros, 
he was a rhino.

Duh...get it right,People!!

Of course Josi had a fantastic
costume as an old nerdy guy.
my camera...AWAL!!!

Miss turtle.
After dissolving Martha Stewart make-up 
plans with snot and slobber...

Refused more pictures
and crawled back into her shell.

Levi, dressed as the 
fuzzy headed big brother,
was in charge of de-gooping the pumpkins
and making everyone scream!!

Sure enjoyed my spooks this year!!