Thankful in October

 Thankful my closest friend in the whole world is coming tomorrow!!

Sarah!

Here we are just a few weeks ago

 She lives close to 3 hours away, 

so sometimes months go by, especially in the winters, 

and even in the summers because of vacations and busy schedules,

where we don't see each other.

Our littles didn't know each other
Until a couple months ago!
Everything is new to the littles each season

After a couple visits

 they were best friends!

Look at those sweet faces!

 The older kiddos have been friends since they were babies!

 Our 2 oldest boys together.

They always have such a good time!

 Eva my goddaughter, and my 8 year old get along perfectly!

 Thankful for "mom dates" with my son

It's special time to just talk and let them know how much I love them.

That I really care about them and want to spend time with them.

 Thankful for cookie bakers...

 and cookie lickers...

 Mmmmmmmmm......

 Thankful for leaf crunching along side the road!

Even I love to crunch and kick the leaves!

 Thankful for beautiful fall weather

Thankful for funny kiddos, she is rolling him here, like a sausage.

And in the video below, Little Red makes up wrestling moves:

 Thankful I finally got all my recipes into books

 Easier to bring to Texas

4 weeks, 5 days left

 Thankful I still have littles that like to paint

 and play in the tub

(the water is yellow from a yellow tub tablet, we only have yellow left)

Kind of looks gross, doesn't it?

 Thankful I have let go of my old dollies

(Melissa and Elizabeth here)

and my 10 year old loves them

Thankful for sweet notes like this found on my water bottle!

Thankful for a "mom date" with my 12 year old

We went to feed the ducks at a local lake and then off to the mall

 This duck ate right out of our hands!!

 Thankful for dark chocolate chips and little boys that like to sneak some with mama!

 Thankful my Cosmos are still blooming!!

 Thankful for a very active little boy, look at that form!!

 He's an awesome runner!!

 He loves to win too!

It's really funny!

 They race up the hill and back down again...
On your mark, get set, GO!!!!

 Thankful for cute little girls with curls that love their picture taken

Even if it's just to show off her new shoes!

 Thankful, she is READING!!!!

 There is so much joy that comes to a mama when her child first learns to read!

 Thankful all my old crafts and Art projects are so new and fun for the little ones!

Don't you want to tickle that belly?

Are you still here?

Well I'm Thankful for that!

Thankful for big and little things, 

and all the things in between!

You know, poopy diapers, bloody noses, screaming kids,

 and all the crazy things that happen in all families.

that can drive a mama crazy.

Reviews!

 My 10 year old and I went out for some "mom time"

(we used to call them "mommy dates" 

but now that the kids are older, well, um...it's changed)

We went out to eat and then shopping and then onto see this movie!

At the movie theater

(so this one is not out yet in video)

IT WAS SUPER!!!!

I loved it.

Steve Carell was awesome in it.

And
 Jennifer Garner was in it.
  (need I say more?)
(I like her)

Laugh outloud funny!

(my other Steve Carell favorites, besides The Office?

The Way Way Back, and Dan in Real Life)

 Mommy date

Can anyone say Maude?

Seriously, I look like Maude. 

This is what I wore Sunday. 

I look like Maude.

If you don't know who Maude is, you are too young, just look at me.

If you do know who Maude is, then,
 you know I'm right.

 Failed selfie...sunlight...shadows...oh, well!

 TV Show review!

I am watching The Glades on Netflix.

I am really liking it.

The first couple shows, the main character, Jim, I was not so sure about.

But as each season has gone on, I've liked him more and more.

It's a murder mystery type light hearted show.

 Toilet paper!!

We all use it.

We all need it.

But not all toilet papers are the same.

This is the kind I like to buy.

It's soft, thick enough for the job and I've literally used it all my life, 

as my mom buys this kind too.

This is the best toilet paper out there.

 The problem is my toilet paper causes our new toilets to get stopped up

(with a little help from certain little people that like to use lots and lots of it,

 but do not like to flush)

Our plumber told us

(he frequents our home)

that we should switch to Scott toilet paper.

My heart sank.

Have you tried this stuff?

It is gas-station-paper thin!!

I'm sorry in advance, if you come to our home,

for our toilet paper.

You can use a ton though, even choose to not flush 

and it will not stop up our toilets.

 THE BEST THING I LEARNED ALL SUMMER:

(Thanks Amanda)

If you wear skirts and your legs rub together and sweat

 (and you are tired of wearing biker shorts under your skirts)

put deodorant between your legs. 

Yep.

It works!  

 Onto more movie reviews!

These are all in video, we watch via Netflix!

X-Men!!

Well, I suppose you'd have to already be a fan of  the X-Men to like these.

I am.

So I loved it.

But with this one, I didn't like that because Wolverine went back to the past,

the future was changed (which was the point of the whole movie) 

but, I want to know what the new future was, which is now the past, 

because it ends in the present.

Follow me?

(Like did Mystique end up being good?)

I'm excited they could make a lot of new movies because of these questions.

Right?

 This movie was pretty good.

Different, but good.

I think Tom Cruise did a really good job at showing a man

be kind of a jerk and humble himself, by dying over and over again and again.

Now I'm probably going to get in trouble with you for this one.

I did not like this one.

I'll repeat that I did NOT like this one!

half way through, I was ready for both of them to die.

(it's about 2 terminally ill teens)

They sleep together, they show them take each other's clothes off .

Why do they do that?

They did not have to do that for this movie.

They can fall in love without sleeping together.

It happens in real life, really, it does.

But that was only one thing I didn't like about the movie.
I actually didn't like the movie.
It was slow and like I said, I wanted them to die already.

I don't know...I just didn't like it. 

(I'm the happy ending person, remember?)
(which is why I wanted them to die, so I could be happy) 

 Here's another thing I did not like!

I love to workout, really, I do.

I've been trying to work out again

(see above Maude picture)

But, I just don't like her personality, especially while I'm working out. 

Every day.
She's obnoxious.
Maybe she needs to workout in Hawaii or something.
Maybe she'd be happy then.

Like him
I love him.

OK, I don't really love him!

But I sure love his workouts!

This is Gilad.

We do not have TV anymore, we just do Netflix.

I have a couple of his videos, but they are not the same 

as the shows they have on FitTV at 5:30am

Gilad's Total Body Sculpt

(Below)

I don't know, he's just friendlier, happy, 

yet he gives a really good workout.

I signed up for this monthly streaming thing.
HERE

I can get any and all of his TV shows streamed onto my computer.

for $9.99/month.

(yeah, Tom was not happy with that)

But, it's cheaper than a membership 

and it makes me happy.

(and I can cancel anytime I want to)

Just Breathe

We've had a week filled with a lot of little stresses.

You know, family things.

We all have them.

things we can't tell the world on a blog.

 We've got anxiety issues  and

depression issues.

We've got oppositional behaviors and ADHD

It's heartbreaking when you are the parent, the wife
and are helpless
except to deal with it as it comes.

 We have 8 people living here each with a different personality.

Everyone needs some kind of attention

Some are needy and show it

Some are needy and demand it

Some are needy and pretend not to be.

We've had cut fingers, runny noses and sick kids this week

 I had one day this week where I really wanted to go to the noon Mass

but 

one particular child made me late

So late, I ended up leaving without her

but by the time I got to the church it was already 10 minutes after 12

SO

I decided to go to the Adoration chapel instead

(at another Catholic church)

I was mad, but, as I got out of the van

and started walking towards the chapel,

the anger completely left and I felt it lift away. 

As if Jesus had taken it away for me.

I knew in that instant, that I was not mad, 

it was my own fault I was late

I am the adult here, I could have left sooner.

(it was not this sweet girl pictured, just so you know)

 Once inside, I kept hearing these words

Just Breathe

Just Breathe

And you know what?

I did.

(this is the song I kept hearing while in the chapel)

And Jesus filled me with

His Graces

His Joy

and 

His Peace

 Hard things happen to us all.

Every day

 It's up to us to turn to God,

 beg Him for His mercy,

waiting there for us to ask for

And Thank Him for all the blessings He has given us.

Blessings like these little ones

without a problem in the world.

 Except those temporary runny noses, cut fingers and little kid things

Oh, and type 1 diabetes and a cleft lip/palate, but who's counting those?

Life is pretty great 

 

Remember to

Go to God

He makes all things new.

Go to any Catholic church, 

find the Tabernacle, and sit in front of it.

(you know the gold box with a red candle lit by it)

If your church has Adoration, go visit Jesus.

He waits for you and I

(this is in my neighbors backyard, perfectly in my view)