It has taken me a few weeks to get a chance to reply to these questions. I know that you have all been waiting on pins and needles for the answers. So here are my responses.
Mamageek asked “Do you think you will be blogging 5 years from now”? She also asked “what actor makes you swoon”? Before I post the answers let me say something about Mamageek. Go to her site!! Yes, that is an order. She has the most amazing pictures that she takes with her camera! Every time I go to her site I am speechless, in awe, and ask how does she do that? You will NOT be disappointed. I only wish she would (A) teach me her tricks, (B) come to Ohio and do a photo shoot of my family, and (C) sell her work because I think she could make some serious cash.

The first answer is Yes, I think and I hope to be blogging in 5 years from now. I like blogging for a variety of reasons. I like “talking” to others and “hearing” about others lives with children. When I read that others have hard days with their children it makes me feel not so alone in this big world. I also like to know that things my kids are doing are typical and age appropriate behavior. Another reason that I enjoy blogging is because it is an easy way to stay connected with friends and family. My mother-in-law lives in Florida, so I like knowing that she can jump on her computer and see updated photos of her grandkids. My parents travel a lot so it is easy for them to stay connected as well. ** Although both my parents and mil need to start leaving comments** {HINT. HINT} The last reason I like blogging is for my kids. This is a great journal of their lives growing up.

This picture says it all...



Jamie over at “The Heiner Clan” is the mom to four. Bless her is all I can say. She is one busy mommy. She has adorable twin daughters and two handsome little boys. She asked the following questions “So you’ll be working as an RN, I assume”. “How long did you do that before”? “Do you like it”? “What is the best money you’ve ever spent”?

Yes, you assumed right. I would be going back into nursing. I worked in Seattle for about 5 months on a Trauma/ Surgery floor before we moved back to Ohio. I then worked in Ohio in the MICU/SICU for over a year before having complications with Joey’s pregnancy which led to bed rest and then becoming a stay at home mom full time. When you put the amount of “experience” together that I have as a RN it is not much. I always wanted to be a mom and I achieved that. The next most important thing to me was that I was home with my kids. I did not want to miss anything and we are fortunate enough that I was able to stay home for the past 5+ years.
Yes, I do like nursing. I have had days over the past five years where I have missed it. I also though am very nervous and anxious at the thought of going back. In nursing school I was either in class, at clinical, or home studying nursing. I feel like I have forgotten everything I have learned. I also have lost a lot of skill. Let’s face it I have not started an IV or done a blood draw in over 5+ years. That frightens me. I also DO NOT take the responsibility of my patient’s life for granted. I am in charge of keeping them safe and helping them recover. The last thing I would want is to cause harm to another. I wish there was a refresher course. Or it may be like getting on a bike after not riding one for 10 years and just knowing how to peddle the bike and keep it from falling over. We will see.

As for the best money we have ever spent. This has been a tough question for me. I think I would have to say our home, but at the moment we are paying the bank monthly and do not own the house yet. I LOVE our home even though Jeff and I have about 5 things we would change about it. For me it is the home that I conceived four children, we brought two of those children here to raise, this is Jeff and my first house, and it holds all of our memories minus Seattle and Kent from the past 8 years we have been together. We were also the first people to ever be in this home and make this new empty house a HOME that has character, love, blessings, and family.

Look for more answers to these great questions in the coming days.

I have no words...

Please take a moment and view the video I came across.

Only tears of joy

I could say a lot about this post. For example,
Two lunches- PACKED
Two kids dressed for school- DONE
Two kids at preschool- ACCOMPLISHED
One mom at home with a quiet house- PRICELESS

I could tell you a story of a mom being home crying because both of her kiddos are at school and there are no babies in my house to care for, but I would be lying. The truth is I am overjoyed. There are no tears of sorrow only tears of joy. I am so excited for Gabrielle today. She has been so stoked for her first day of school. She wants to be a big girl and be like her brother. She has felt a bit left out because she has not been old enough or potty trained to go to school in the past. She jumped out of bed this morning with a smile on her face. We had to wake her up (Joey, Jeff, and myself) all went into her room to arouse the sleeping beauty and tell her she had to get up for her first day of school. She was happy to pee on the potty, get dressed, and get her HAIR done (believe it or not) for her first day. In typical Gabrielle fashion she even gave us her signature smile/ funny faces for the camera.

Joey is not pictured. He was unwilling to smile, stand with his lunch box, or even look at the camera. This is his last year of preschool. Next year will be his big year.

As for mom… I am going to enjoy the day. I have a whole list of things I could do like laundry, cleaning, organizing, work on my resume, look for a job, but first I think I may go back to bed.

**Notice- bunny got to go to school too. You may also notice that bunny got into some nail polish. When will bunny learn??

It is finally done!!!! Bathroom remodel completion!

We went from a Smurf blue color to a calming Desert color. Remember Angie was kind enough and gave me the name of a paint color called "Gobi Desert"? It turns out that this color went very well with the wallpaper in the foyer, it matched the towels I chose, and Jeff liked it!!! Thanks so much Angie. This project took us a little over a month to complete, but it is now DONE!! I am thrilled.

What would you change???

So I have been thinking lately about some aspects of my body and things that I would change if I could. Some of these things I do have control over, like my weight and the extra 10-15 pounds I am carrying around on me from pregnancies, but some of these things I am unable to change, because well that is just the way I was made. So I have a list of the things that I wish I could change. The number one thing on the list is what I wish I could change most.

5. My weight. I would love to be back into the size I was the day that I got married. I would love to not feel so self conscious about my waist and the extra skin that hangs there and most of all not hear my kids say “mommy your belly is big.” This definitely needs to be worked on. Maybe when the kids are both at school I can get back to the gym.

4. My nose. I feel like when viewed as a side profile my nose is rather large. Once I was walking up stairs during late night hours and I got a glimpse of some sort of shadow that actually scared me. Then I realized it was my nose of all things.

3. I was born with very stubby fingers. I do not have long slender fingers by any means. This proved to be difficult when picking out engagement rings.

2. Hair!!! Not only do I have very thick hair so thick in fact that it is not uncommon for me to be at the hair dresser for three hours for high lights and cuts, but I also have hair in not so feminine places that drives me crazy. Take for example the hair on my upper lip that I have to have waxed off or the hair on my chin. Speaking of my chin right under my chin is a mole and out of this mole grows a thick single hair! I pluck this little sucker at least once every week to week and a half. I have often wondered what will happen when I am old. Will my kids know to come pluck this hair for me? Sometimes I think that I should let it grow and see how long I can get it. If I do that I may be able to use it to wash grime out of pans as opposed to using a bristle pad.

And the number one thing I wish I could change


1. My feet!!! Remember my stubby fingers, well my feel need to come in a category called WIDE LOAD BELOW. This is very hard for a girl that LOVES shoes!!!! Talk about impossible when finding shoes to go with the perfect outfit. Even if you don’t have wide feet sometime when you are out ask if they have that shoe in a wide. Or where the wide shoes are. The limited shoes they show you that do come in wide I promise will be butt ugly. Seriously though this is hard. As I said before I LOVE shoes!!!

So go ahead tell me what you wish you could change about yourself. Oh by the way, you are all welcome in that I did not show you pictures of these not so flattering things about myself.

Bunny

Dear Bunny~
You joined our family in the spring of 2005 and were an Easter gift given to Gabrielle by her Papa John and Dee. Out of all the things Gabby has you have always been her favorite. I know that she loves you dearly. She kisses you, cries to you and for you, takes you to the potty, takes you on vacations and sleepovers, gives you timeouts, sometimes yells at you, plays tea with you, takes you on the swing, takes you for bike rides etc. Basically bunny where Gabby is you are not far from her reach. It has been this way for quite some time. I appreciate your loyalty to her. The problem I am having Bunny, is that I am a busy mom. When Mr. Jeff travels I am even busier. I have my eyes on two kids and adding you to the mix makes it much harder for me. I would really like if you could be like a toy from the movie Toy Story and whenever you are hidden come out to where I can find you easily. Last night I spent a good 20 minutes not only listening to Gabrielle cry and scream for you, but also searching the house from top to bottom looking for you. I was glad that after the 20 minutes was up I did finally find you. You are really good at hiding and at keeping quiet while you hide. Is it okay if I put some sort of alarm on you? I really don’t like playing hide-n-go-seek at bedtime. Oh by the way, the time I found you at bedtime in the refrigerator drawer with the lettuce... that was a good one! Thanks for the chuckle. I hope we can work on the hiding Bunny and thanks again for keeping Gabby secure and safe.
Much Love,
Gabby’s mommy

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In other news: I will be working on all the great questions soon. Thanks to all who left questions. The bathroom is almost done! It has taken a bit longer than expected, but as I eluded to before most projects in my home occur this way. Pictures will be coming soon. Next Wed. is a big day. Gabrielle starts her first day of preschool.

60th post... You ask, I'll answer

I haven’t posted in a while. I still have extra kiddos in my house. With teenage and preteen girls that like computer time, I have not been online much. There is a lot going on in my life right now. Trying to figure out what is going to happen in the next chapters of my life. My youngest will start preschool so I am strongly considering going back to work. This is stressful to me as well as the thoughts of no more babies. I am in a bit of a funk and also facing some depression. My son’s birthday party added extra stress and conflict to my already busy life. As I type this I am currently not speaking to some of my family. And they are also not speaking to me. (dad, sister) This is a post for another time.

I want to get back into the grove of blogging. So I decided to open it up to my readers. This is your chance to ask me any question… Within reason. You ask I’ll answer! I will be back online more often next week and if I have not commented on you blog for a while I apologize. So get busy and ask away.