Terror in my Eyes!

How'd you like to wake up to this bad boy staring you in the eyes?



O.k. so it wasn't in by my bed, it was on the kitchen counter under this glass, but still! Nasty. I wouldn't let Joseph take the glass off for an ant photo shoot. It makes me yell and dance around like crazy. He wasn't here when I lifted the carpet piece up from inside the cupboard which was teeming with this guy's little brothers.

Two Weeks Notice!

Last night I threatened Joseph that I was quitting my job. He calmly asked me what I wanted to do instead. I told him that I'd like to take up residence in the Caribbean somewhere. I could keep him updated on my doings through this blog. He had the audacity to laugh at me.

Nathan overheard me talking about quitting and asked me what my job was. I told him "Homemaker." I told him that I was going to change jobs to a "Garagemaker" and that none of the kids were invited to the garage. Elijah told me that he wouldn't want to go anyway. I asked him if it was because of the rodents, cats, giant spiders, etc. that live there. Yep!

The reason for all this unrest is that I made it calmly through one kid's after school meltdown scene, but that used up all my reserved patience supply. When another kid's tantrum hit, I just lost all sense of reason. I lost it! My insides feel like they've been through the shredder.

Here's to another lovely day!?

Lost Glove

This morning I feel like pulling my hair out or screaming. Instead I grumped at my kids all morning and came here to vent. Yesterday, the kids went out into the snow to play for a while. When they came in they dumped their snow stuff where they pleased. This morning, Elijah is missing one of his gloves. This is the same boy who has recently lost two right handed gloves from different pairs of gloves. So, I bought him this nice $13 pair of gloves that are oh so warm. Of course, the glove HAS to be somewhere and I'm SURE we'll find it, although it may be next spring! You would think I was in luck because he actually lost the left glove. But this boy won't wear a mismatch. Nathan doesn't seem to mind. He'll pull on two different socks and not even blink. Elijah is very particular. I picked up two socks this morning that were actually a mismatch, but looked very similar. Elijah looked carefully over them to make sure he could wear them together. UUGGGHHH!

I Should've Taken a Picture

Our toilet has this tendency to just run and run. On Friday night or early Saturday morning, someone used the toilet and that is just what it did. It ran all night long. To complicate things, I forgot to have the drain-guy come out and drill the tree roots out of our drain pipe. I got up at 5 am to do my early morning walk and had to go downstairs to find my shoes. Imagine my surprise when I stepped into and inch of water! AHHHHHHHH! So, I got Joseph up and we went to work. We had to empty the storage side of our basement out except for the things on shelves and the washer and drier.

Since I'm so busy this week, putting on a surprise party for a friend, having an American Girl Club, getting ready for May's birthday & baptism, getting ready for school (because we're going on vacation) and getting ready for vacation, I decided that the most logical thing to do was to sort through all of our possessions and have a yard sale this Friday and Saturday. It's going to be a great week! What in the world am I doing on the computer?!? Wish me luck!

I must be crazy!!

Grocery shopping is bad enough. Well, I should qualify that. I don't think I'd mind shopping for two or three, but shopping for seven is not that fun. If I get to go alone and the store isn't busy, it's tolerable.

I knew Joseph was going out of town and I did stock up about a week before he left. I had planned to buy a few things the night before he left. I didn't do it. He came home from work, we did the family routine and then I was too tired to brave the shopping trip.

So, what do I do? He's gone and I need seeds for my herb garden. Nathan and I dug out a garden of flowers that was overgrown and ugly and landscaped it quite nicely to prepare it for herb seeds. And of course, once in the store, there are always things to pick up with seven (oops! six ) mouths eating up the food).

So, we go through the store this huge parade and of course no one watches where they are going, EVER! I'm referring to my kids here. They walk into things and people all the time. It wasn't too bad a trip as far as them asking for certain foods. Must be because I stayed out of the treat isles. At any rate, things started breaking down in the check-out stand where Nathan got fed up with May and elbowed her in the stomach as hard as he could. May busted out in tears and crying.

I'm not a patient person. Good thing there's someone up there looking out for my virtue development!

Have a nice day!! :)

Humpffff!!

CINDI SAYS:

Joseph and I are about to turn in the resignation papers on this thing called parenting. What a fiasco! After almost 11 years of this, we still don't know what we are doing. Will we ever?

We have been trying to get Nathan and May to ward choir for about three weeks now. Today we actually took two vehicles and we were on our way ON TIME!! About half way there, I lost power steering in the van. Next, the battery light went on. Picture my eyes starting to bulge out. Then, the hot oil light went on and I noticed the oil gauge was all the way at the top and then the incessant dinging started. So I pulled over Joseph did too. He found that there was NO OIL. Luckily our neighbors were inspired to sleep in today and had recently committed to help people on the highway. They rescued us by driving some of the kids home, teaching our primary class, and driving Joseph back from the shop where our van will hopefully be fixed. So, I guess Nathan and May will have to wait another week until they can sing in the choir.

JOSEPH SAYS:

So after Cindi pulled over, I went and bought some oil. I put in 3.5 quarts to see if we could make it home. After about a half mile, the oil was all gone again. Either we have some amazing leaking hose or the engine is dead. Good thing we were already thinking about getting a new van.

At least we have one bit of good new today. Michigan's poor economic stewardship has not resulted in 20 days of lost pay for our family. The Michigan legislature and governor finally came to an agreement for balancing this year's budget that does not include 20 layoff days for all state employees.