SCHOOLS OUT, SCHOOLS OUT, TEACHER'S EATING SAUERKRAUT!!!!

Today is the last official day of school for the year~ Yesterday we went to the last park day. Want to see what really happy kids look like????

Just wanted to share!

Love and hugs,

Mary

Are blogs the 21st century therapy?

Ok, folks, confession time. I am a blog adict! I love reading about other people's lives. It's like permissive voyeurism. It feels like a peek in their window even though they put it there!

I was in the midle of my little pity party about all the kids being sick and how it kinda cast a shadow over mother's day (it was good, but being sleep deprived and leary of any kid that looked like they might be feeling icky, it was a bit wierd!). When I happened to surf through some of my favorite blogs. One in particular got my attention. Another mom with far more children than I have is going through a particularly hard time. She opens her heart to the kids that have been somewhat forgotten and in the process of showing her love and giving them the life and family they most certainly deserve, they don't always know how to trust it and sadly she gets her heart broken.

WOW!!! What in the world am I complaining about????????

So I am gonna wear my newfound perspective like armor! When my daughter wakes up sick and asks me to scratch her back, I am not gonna focus on the sleep that I am losing, but be thankful that in a world where a child can't bring herself to reach out to her mother, mine is able to look to me for comfort. I am gonna be thankful for the six year old who shoots into my room at night because he is afraid of the lightning because there are children out there who have been so hurt and tossed aside that they don't feel like they have any champions to brave the scary weather for them.

And I am gonna fall to my knees and thank GOD every night that he blessed me with these seven souls to love and learn from!

So I ask you, am I the only one who finds solace and lessons in the ramblings of a blog? I really think it's therapeutic, like stepping into another person's mind for a second and imagining how life could be given different variables. I am grateful to my internet therapists, who unknowingly brought me peace at a time when I thought was so trying and showed me that this too shall pass! I only wish I could do the same for them!

Hugs!

Mary

I am sick of sick babies!!!!

Time for a rant! I haven't slept eight hours in a row in over two weeks! I am lucky if I get two hours in a row! Over the course of the last few weeks a plague has hit our house and won't let up on my kids!

We are dealing with the stomach flu. I currently have one recovering, one "sort of recovering" and two down with it. The kids don't want to lay down and I am a walking zombie! Thinking of spending the few hours I have of coherent time today scrubbing the house and getting the germs out.

So any prayers you can send my way are appreciated. I am seriously hoping the sickies end soon!

The End of The School Year is Six Weeks Away!

Here is a virtual yearbook I created for the kids!

Enjoy!

ok one more movie!

Well it's been a while since I have posted so......

I thought I would fill you all in! Things have been crazy busy around here. Chad's surgery went well. He's still on light duty and probably will be for around three more months. We are so happy with his doctors! If you live in the Phoeninx area and need any kind of bone doctor, head over to The Core Institute!!!!!

We have had two kid birthdays since I last posted. We decided last year we were going to cut back on the presents for the kids so at their birthdays they get one thing they want and one thing they need. Chad made a new tradition last year that one of us takes them shopping with their "grandma money" so they got the option of getting money from us too instead of their "want" gift. It went over well, they get to decide what is most important to themand buy as much or as little as they want. and then we have cake at home and a special dinner.

Here are Tristan and Mack blowing out their candles. We didn't realize Nathan was trying to help!

Our Easter was pretty quiet too. The bunny brought baskets for everyone and we spent the day hunting for eggs, then we bbq'd steaks. It was really nice to sit out in the backyard and just play and relax with the kids. And while they weren't looking we could sneak some of their candy :)

Now we are gearing up for the end of the year. the kids are all excited (as am I) to not have to do homework every day and hopefully relax and do some fun stuff. If I don't get the chance to post to a while that is why.

Hope all is well!

Love and Hugs,

Mary

30 lashes for a bad blogger!

Hello all! Hope all is well. I know I have been quiet for a while so I thought I would catch everyone up on mi vida loca.

We have all fallen back into a routine. The kids are doing great with school, I can't believe the school year is half over already! Still doing park days on Wednesdays (when we can). so in that respect things are pretty normal.

For those who don't already know, Chad has been dealing with a shoulder injury since sometime around November. We originally thought it was another bout of bursitis (he had that in the other shoulder a few years ago), but recently found out that it is far more serious. He has two tears in his tendons in his shoulder and a bone spur. Long story short, he's going in thursday for surgery to repair it. After which he will be off for a week and on extremely light duty for several months. Needless to say this is going to be a challenge on our finances, patience and faith. But I know that GOD will get us through it, just like he always does!

I am reading a wonderful book called "SIMPLE ABUNDANCE: A DAYBOOK OF COMFORT AND JOY" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. It's all about realizing the blessings already present in your life and finding joy from within rather than focussing only on what you think is missing. I can't get over how something so simple can have such a huge impact on us and the people around us! In the book it says to keep a gratitude journal every day and list at least five things we are grateful for, so here are five of mine for today:

1. A husband who gets up early in the morning with the kiddos when he isn't working, so I can snooze.

2. Children who like to help and do their chores with minimal nagging from me.

3. Raven's laugh

4. Nathan's hugs

5. How cute AJ is when he talks now (He lost his first tooth last week)

That's it for now. Until next time,
Love and hugs,

Mary