Anyone Watch This?

This was on this past weekend, 

and while feeding the baby 

I watched a few minutes and it intrigued me for the first time

So

we ordered it from Netflix.

I liked.

but

 I always like those teen type movies

Waiting for the 2nd one to come

What do you think?

Have you given in and watched this saga?

(or have I ruined your image of me?)

Thank you Xcel Energy!

 Thank you Xcel Energy 

for letting us know how much energy we use, 

in comparison to all our neighbors 

and 

even to our efficient neighbors!

This is so helpful

especially since we have 

75% more kids than our neighbors 

and

since we are home 75% more of the day

than our neighbors

(they are at work and if they have kids, they are at school)
I know you are so very thankful that

we are actually providing you with a job!

Thank you also, Xcel Energy for letting us know the percentage 

of energy we use compared to our neighbors

who have 75% less people living in their homes,

in which they occupy 75% less than we do

This was so very helpful to us.

So happy we live in the United States of America,

where we can use as much energy as we want to.

(I wonder what our "neighbors" bill shows, since we are their neighbors)

Sheenazing Blogger Award

"The Sheenazing Blogger Awards are named for Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. Sheen was amazing at using the newest forms of media to communicate the beauty of the Catholic Church and his love of Christ to the world. I'm positive that Sheen would be a blogger were he alive today and that he is in Heaven, totally approving of this award."
-by Bonnie

Well, since you put it that way 

and

Because I love Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, 

I am accepting and promoting these 

2 nominations! 

1. Most inspiring blog
2. Best Mommy blog

I am both humbled and filled with pride at the same time

(and I don't know how to handle it!)

Whenever I am nominated for those little square awards,

that bloggers give bloggers 

I graciously thank the person and then don't do anything.

I don't like the competition,

or I don't want people who come here to feel like they are competing 

It's just a blog

A person bla bla blaaaoooging about their life.

But

This is different

People actually vote!

Bonnie, at A Knotted Life

worked so hard and put this whole thing together!  

And someone, one of you, or some of you

nominated me!!  

Me, the blog lady with really dirty floors

If you would like to vote for me, 

or any of the other wonderful bloggers nominated,

go HERE

and follow Bonnie's link

Thank you so much!!

I Need Kleenexes!

If you have not seen the latest episode of Downton Abbey,

I won't spoil it for you.

I just will say, 

I watched it early this morning while pumping

and when I sobbed outloud, uncontrollably,

 I was happy no one was up yet.

Locks of Love Girl

 "Colette" wanted to get her hair cut about a month ago, I got her ready

sat her in the chair, put the apron on her and then she chickened out!  

Lately, her hair has been really tangley and hard to comb (cold, dry air?)

so we decided it would be a good idea to get it cut,

when she told me how short she wanted it, I hoped we had enough

to donate to Locks of Love, 

we headed to Great Clips to see

 They measured and she had just enough (10 inches)

 Great Clips takes care of it all for you
and the haircut is free!

(The other girls and I have done this before)

 But, this was "Colette's" first time!!

 She was a little excited!!

 Yay!!!

 Isn't it adorable?

 I can't help but tell her constantly how cuuuuuute she looks!!

She is loving being able to comb through her hair without tangles!  

(me too)

Thankful

 Thankful the play Oklahoma! Went wonderful!!!  

Rosie here, in her receiving line

4-almost 3 hour shows done!  

Everyone did an awesome job!

 It was so fun to see!!

It was hard to watch anyone else when my daughter was on though!

She's experiencing some very sad days though, missing everyone

After months of practices together every week for hours!

Thankful we also got our piano recitals done this week too

 Thankful for baby gates (and sisters who protect him)

Boy, he can climb these stairs very fast and if the gate is off, 

he's there within seconds, he has a radar for gates and locks off!

Thankful for little girls with laps full of books waiting for me to read!  

I love this!  

Look at those eyes, the excitement!  

(click on the picture to make it bigger!)

 Thankful for standing babies, who smile and dance and sing every time!

 See?  Radar for unlocked things...see the lock hanging?

Thankful for curious, quick babies!  (and locks)

 While locking the other cupboard, he quickly got into this one!! 

 Thankful for old puzzles, they sit and play these for hours...Well, Sweetie Pie does!

 Thankful for string games and big sisters to teach them!

I used to love doing these games, it's so fun to see them doing them now! 

Kind of makes me feel old though...

 Thankful for those curls, click on the picture, they are gorgeous! 

(they are not as tight in the dry winter weather though)

Thankful warm weather is coming (20's)!!

 Thankful for hand-me-downs from good friends! 

 Thankful for rosey cheeks after playing outside!

 And Thankful for hot cocoa, to get them to come in!

 Thankful even "almost teenagers" get rosey cheeks!

Awwww, isn't it cute? 

 Thankful for more book houses

(as our doll houses sit empty)

 Thankful for this happy,  happy little guy!!  

Every time he stands by something, he dances and sings and giggles!

Thankful my floor does get swept eventually....

Enjoy the sweet baby giggles!

 Google Readers: There's a video here!

 Thankful with less pumping breastmilk, I've had the chance to have a couple 

"mommy dates" as we call them.  It's time alone with each child,

not shopping or with any agenda, just time to listen and enjoy them

Jedi and I went to Mongo's to eat, then to the library, where we had time

to look and get all he wanted---usually we are reserving and running in and going quickly

 It had been over a year since we had time to go alone and do something like this

It's catch up time

I told you, everyone has suffered this past year of pumping

After, we went to Cold Stone to get ice cream!

He's such an awesome kid! 

 Thankful I got to take "Rosie" on her "mommy date" too!

(another day)

We went to Old Country Buffet (not my favorite, but she loves it!)

(I do like their salad!)

 We went shopping, she had gift cards to spend! 

She had been saving up her money for quite a while 

and one thing she really wanted to do was buy fish.

She had $66, I donated 20 more bucks and

here's what she got!  

We went to Petsmart and talked with the salesperson there 

she asked questions, and wrote down the fish she is planning on buying 

next week when the water is ready!

It was a fun time, she's also an awesome kid! 

 Thankful for more awesome kids and Thankful that "mommy time" 

for these cuties can be shopping with mom at Sam's Club!  (alone)

 Thankful for Cheerio finders! 

 See?  I told you that floor would get swept! 

Thankful my kids have daily jobs

and weekly jobs!

(see Rosie doing dishes in the background)

I just couldn't do it all alone!

 Thankful we are back into a routine with school

 and didn't lose too much time with the surgeries

We should be done by the end of May!

(With a week off for the next surgery)

 Thankful for messy table-food eaters!

He double fists it, mixing it all together!

 He has peas and carrots and noodle remnants here from 

homemade chicken noodle soup, avocado pieces,

 and I think there is some banana in there too...

 Thankful this mini trampoline keeps the kids hopping

on these cold winter days!

He loves watching her! 

 Oh, oh!  NO NO!

 Hahahahah!  He giggles and laughs with her, it's just adorable!

 Look at her hold his hands

 and kiss him!!

Thankful for so much love! 

Thankful for these little things,

to remind me to be thankful even 

during long days and messy floors!

A Few Things Before My Thankful Post!

 Well, I've been officially exclusively pumping for over 13 months now!

I am down to one pumping per day

(I'm pumping right now)

I try to do it in the middle of the night

It has been hard in more ways than one!

It's the emotional part that I didn't expect

I hate pumping.

At least I thought I did.

I've been so sad about it

about quitting.

I'm nourishing my baby

I'm giving him the best I can

It's hard to stop.

Yes, I have a  couple months worth (tops) in the freezer

I've been trying to get Simeon used to whole milk, 

he doesn't like it.

I've been mixing it with the breastmilk

to get him used to the new taste and texture

He's very much like my 2nd child,

A busy body!

 The "awake" bottles,

 I think he's growing out of

he's more interested in playing, 

so he sips, and sits up sips and sits up

laughs, kicks his feet, and slowly slides off my lap

 while I'm trying to give him the bottle!

I'm always sad when I do the final weaning from breastfeeding, 

and am surprised to be feeling the same way about pumping.

 There have been good things though

I've been able to read again

(for 2 minutes and 5 seconds)

Before the kids found me....

(yes, I wear ol' lady glasses to read, it's better than squinting!)

 Little Stinker!

My kids are weird.

She has always loved my hair...she rubs it on her lips, on her cheeks,

her whole face and her tummy and even tries to rub it on her feet!! 

That's when I say "No feet!"

She says she likes how it feels.

My 6 year old has a thing for hair too, 

but she likes how it smells and feels

and she only likes to rub it on her face. 

 I've had more time to make good breakfasts again!  

Muffin Mondays

Toast Tuesdays (cinnamon toast or toaster strudels)

Waffle Wednesdays

Pancake Thursdays (I couldn't find anything that starts with "th")

French Toast Fridays

Smoothie Saturdays

I've had a lot more time doing pretty much everything!

Our lives were totally scheduled around when I was pumping

So weaning is a good thing.

I'll get there....

 My "mom tips" are these:

1.

Cut off those feet pajamas, it makes them last longer and it's great for your "hot" kids

I have mostly hot kids, they get hot easy (even in MN)

2.

Use baby bottles with lids for water bottles for your younger kiddos

Works great, they're sturdy and they are not too heavy even for your purse!

I wrote about abortion yesterday

and have still been thinking about it

and

I'm trying to be compassionate towards the mothers who have aborted

and the ones that are pro-abortion

But 

It's hard.

It's hard to be merciful when one mother thinks it's OK to kill 

her baby because of a birth defect at 35 weeks along,

while I gave birth to my first baby at 35 weeks along.

And I gave birth to my last at 36 weeks along.

and the one before the last one, at 37 weeks along.

It's hard to be merciful when there are mothers out there 

like this one HERE

Who has so  much  love in  her heart because of her daughter

Is life hard for her?  

Yes.

But is it full of love?

Yes.

Is she doing God's will?

Yes.

What makes me mad is that people used to not KNOW that it was a baby

They were misinformed

They didn't understand what they were doing.

NOT ANYMORE!

If you go HERE

and click on "Blog for Choice Day" 

You can read their sick to my stomach stories

I really think that like Mother Teresa said in the quote above,

the mother is only solving her own problems.

That mother I wrote about yesterday 

killing her baby to (in her mind) save her baby,

is a crock!

It's a cop-out!

She didn't want her life to be any different,

Because if you have a baby with a birth defect, 

your life will change

your life will change

your life will change

Your life will change!!!

These women know it's a baby!

And they still kill the babies!!!!!!

Because they can.

And this mother who killed her baby at 35 weeks, gets the 

pity attention, the "Oh, I'm so sorry" "That must be so hard for you"

What about your baby?  

It was harder being ripped out of your womb, 

and then just before her head was out, 

pierced in the back of the neck, 

to make sure she was dead at delivery.       

I'm mad

but I'm still praying and still trying to be compassionate

by praying

BUT

We also have to call it like it is

It is murder.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox.