Tuesday on Friday

So tonight we went to a fundraiser for our local MOPS group. I hadn't had the girls picture made professionally since Emma Claire turned a year old. SO, I wasn't sure how they were going to do. They were actually really good and took what is sure to be some great pictures. It's those scam pictures though, the old-fashioned ones that advertise $10!!!! for a free 10X13, then you get there to look at the pictures and they hit you with the $300 package. Ehh, it's a "free" picture...

Afterwards we went to Ruby Tuesday. Do you have one of those? We'd never been. The only reason we went this time was because they sent us a coupon for buy one entree get one free. It was so tasty! Olivia LOVED the kids menu too and even asked me if she could ask the waiter for a refill on her food! HA! I told her that was only for drinks and she wasn't very happy about that. Anyway, shout out for Ruby Tuesday.

Emma Claire has recently put a new knot on her head. We're talking BIG knot. She fell off the bench in the kitchen and hit the tile floor. She's not the most graceful of children. I thought about taking her to the doctor. I probably would have a few years ago, but in recent years I've learned to weed out the trips to the doctor's office. I'll take her in if it doesn't get better, but it's not bothering her any more. It's just BIG. I mean like it feels like there's a golf ball back there.=)

I'm starting to think that Addison may be our most difficult child. If you'd told me that 6 months ago I would have fought that she was the best, sweetest baby, but in the last few months she has made a turn for the worse and is getting HARD to manage. She's so stubborn and ornery! She's starting to walk though and OH so cute!! I recently had to give her mop head a trim. I'll post a picture soon. She's turning into a red head. My dream come true!

What cleaner do you use to clean your floor?

Watch "Forever Strong." It's good and available to watch instantly on Netflix.

The giveaway of all giveaways!

So, I recently found a new blog! Natalie is doing a KILLER giveaway with some of the best baby stuff you've ever seen! I mean seriously good stuff. Even if you don't have kids you should go over and try to win. These are GREAT gifts that anyone with kids would LOVE to have!! Make sure you tell her who sent you!

Disapointments Disapoint, Disapointingly

Have you ever had someone in your life with so much potential. So much talent or smarts, or personality, or faith. You can fill in the blank. It's that person that you think of and go, DUDE. That person has it goin' on! Yeah, and then they do nothing or anything with their life and it's such a disappointment. They loose faith, quit school, booze it up, or just go nuts.
I keep facing this with a few people in my life right now. I'm not going to go into detail, but seriously.
People are human, so they aren't perfect and they are going to disappoint us, but at some point it gets to be too much and you eventually loose faith in that person all together. The potential you've seen in them for so long starts to fade and they begin to blend in with all the other people. Their stardom dulls. I guess that's why we don't put our faith in others. We place our faith in God alone. People will let you down MOST of the time. God sometimes has other plans, but He will never disappoint. There's always that great stardom. Ha! God has got it goin' ON.=)
Have a great day.
L

How I Love My Husband and His Job

So, for those of you who don't "know" me I am the wife of a therapist. Nope. Not a physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist. A head therapist. People always raise their eyebrows when I saw that. It's usually followed with some random comment about how so and so needs a therapist. Does he bill insurance. Totally cracks me up. Scotty would rather I say he's an accountant. That gets him less questions.=) ANYWAY, I am so thankful for my therapist husband today. Know why? I'm sitting up in Hot Springs FREE OF CHARGE with the girls napping in soft hotel beds while he is in a conference. Praise the Lord for this little mini-vacay!=)
Scotty works for UAMS Department of Pediatrics as a Behavior Therapist for kids with special needs. He loves his job and loves the kids he works with(well for the most part anyway.) He has excelled really fast in his few months of working since completing his Master's degree in December. At first he was reluctant to take the job as he doesn't really get to do much actual therapy as in sitting in an office with someone on your couch type stuff, but since he has started he's found the job to be a rewarding one and he is changing lives one special needs child a at time! That's why we are here this week. It's a conference for kids with special needs. UAMS and KIDS First is sponsoring the event, so while he's working we are playing! We have great plans of using our hotel indoor/outdoor pool, going to the Mid American Science Museum, and we've already been downtown to the shops and bath houses. What fun!
AND, my kids have been angels! We went into the hotel restaurant this morning for breakfast and got those glaring looks of OH MY! A woman alone with three small children! Here we go!! But, as soon as they saw how sweet my girls were they were all nice and helpful. The wait staff kept coming over to talk to us and tell me how they'd never seen such well behaved children and I must really have things under control. HA! Anyway, I rewarded their behavior with a new toy from the expensive toy store downtown. Found something under $10!!=) Hey! Don't judge. There's nothing wrong with a little bribe now and then. Especially when it's AFTER they've already been good.
More later.
L

Smittle Family Meal List

So, I thought since my blog has been so serious this week I'd lighten things up a bit and post my menu list. There are several meals that we've recently added that aren't on here yet, but you'll get the gist of it. If there are any items you'd like to get the recipe for just leave a comment and I'll get it to you.
When I'm making out our monthly menu I simply print this puppy out and highlight the ones that we'll have. Because all the side are already on there I know what all I'll need to buy. I have a monthly grocery list I've made too, but I won't bore you with that one. It does make shopping easier to have that though, because there are several things that I know I'll need to buy each month. ANYWAY, here it is!=) You'll notice we have mostly chicken meals and that's because we eat mostly chicken. I don't eat beef while I'm pregnant because it makes me sick, so that leave us eating mostly chicken, fish, and pork MOST of the time.=)

Chicken Meals
Crispy Herb Baked Chicken, veggie, bread
Easy Parmesan Gralic Chicken, pasta, veggie, bread
Herbed Chicken and potatoes, veggie, bread
Raspberry Chicken, rice, veggie, bread
Chicken Alfredo, veggie, bread
Tender Chicken nuggets, carrots w/ ranch
Onion Chicken, veggie, bread
Italian Chicken, rice, veggie, bread
Skillet Chicken and Parmesan
Chicken Roll-ups, rice, veggies, bread
Chicken Parmesan, spaghetti, veggie, bread
Teriyaki Chicken, rice, veggie, bread
BBQ Chicken, French fries, veggie
Chicken with Chicken rice, veggie, bread
Chicken with Broccoli rice, veggie, bread
Baked Chicken, veggie, bread
Chicken con Queso, tortilla chips, salsa
Loaded Chicken, veggie, bread
Chicken Wraps, veggie
Foil Packet Chicken
Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
Cheesy Chicken Taco Casserole, salsa, cheese dip
Poppy Seed Chicken, rice, veggie
Lemon Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Pork Meals
BBQ Pork loin, French fries, veggie
Italian crusted pork loin, pasta, veggie, bread
lemon pepper pork chops, rice, veggie, bread
Italian crusted pork chops, veggie, bread
Pork chop and potato casserole, veggie, bread
Smothered pork loin, rice, veggie, bread

Beef and Steak Meals
Tatertot casserole, veggie
Spaghetti, meat, veggie, bread
Lasagna rolls, veggie, bread
Hamburgers, fries
Chili, crackers, cheese, and Fritos
Cheeseburger pie
Roast, potatoes, carrots, veggie, bread
steak stir fry, rice, bread
steak, potatoes, veggie, bread
Sis kabobs
Meal-in-one

Other Meals(These meals are fast and EASY)
Mac-N-Cheese
Fish sticks
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Mozzarella Sandwiches and pizza sauce
Hot Ham, Turkey, and Cheese Wrap-up
Pizza Sandwiches and sauce
Tilapia, Rice and veggies W/ Bread
Salmon, rice, and veggies w/ bread
Breakfast
Pizza Kit
Cheese Quesadillas, salsa

I Heart the Duggar Family

It seems any time I mention the Duggar family I get a slew of comments and everyone shares their thoughts.
Because we don't use birth control and have "a lot"(I didn't know 4 kids was a lot, but whatever) of kids, we often get to hear EVERYONE talk about this precious family.
Now I'd like to share my thoughts. Take them or leave them, but it's my blog.

Do I want 18 kids? No. The Duggar's do though and what they do with their fertility is NO ONE'S business.

Do I think having 18 kids is stupid? No. They have worked their butts off to provide for them. Yes, I'm sure they get a lot of donations, but so do people with multiples and other families. The point is they don't live off of donations and contributions. I'm sure their new found TLC fame helps with this. They don't take advantage of anyone though.

Do I think they should stop? No. People always ask me if they are going to stop like I know them personally because we are like minded. Dang. I guess that means I should know Paula Dean because I also like fattening food. That'd be awesome! We did live close to them when we were living in NWA, but I've never met them before. I did see her at Hobby Lobby once though! I almost cried! HA! The point on this one is that even if I did know them I wouldn't think they needed to stop and I wouldn't know WHEN they are going to stop, because their fertility is THEIR business. Are you getting me??

Do I like it that everyone always starts to talk about the Duggar's when I(not by choice) have to talk about MY fertility? NO. I actually HATE it. I don't like being stereotyped. I don't like it that as soon as they say, "OH!! You guys are going to be like that one family! What's their names? OH yeah, the Duggar's!! You gonna have 20 kids too?!!" That they immediately start telling me how dumb they are because they have so many children.

Something else that seems to happen is this. People who have done things the "normal" way just don't understand things done any other way. Because of that they assume that the not normal way is weird and dumb and not the way to go. I would NEVER tell them that they needed to stop using birth control and start having babies. I know that the way we do things is different. George Washington Carver says that, "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." That statement is so true about having babies. Me out in public with my kids gets attention. People say things like, "poor you." "WHY?" "Are they all yours?" "Are you done yet?" These are all just the strangers. I understand that our decision makes us vulnerable for comments. I just wish that people would filter what they say. I'm OK with it, by the way. If it's the price to pay for having my children, I'm cool with that.

I think that my children are blessings from God. They've been used to show me so many of His attributes and I wouldn't take our decision to have them back. EVER.

Is it easy? HECK NO! Is it fun? SOMETIMES. Not all the time. I have three kids under 5 and one on the way. Do we agree with everything the Duggar's believe? No. There are lots of things that we differ on, but one thing stands the same. God is the leader of our homes and with Him at the head we really don't have anything to worry about. God has and will continue to provide for our family and the Duggar family. When God leads He ALWAYS provides. We KNOW that because of our dependence on Him and trust in Him, He will keep filling our home with beautiful children and keep filling our fridge with yummy food.

SO, this post has been a lot of thoughts. MY thoughts. Don't be a hater. It's not nice.=)

The bottom line is that nothing you say to us or any other family(including the Duggar's) is EVER going to change our minds about the way our family grows. You might as well keep your words to yourself and follow the advice of Thumper the Rabbit. If you can't say something nice. Don't say nothin' at all!

If you'd like more information on the Duggar family you can go here or buy their book. It's fantastic for ANYONE to read.

If you'd like more information on MY family. Keep reading.

A "break down" of my day so far.

I Hear the girls. I get up. Put on penguin pjs and go into the living room.
Find the girls in Addison's room.
Pick up Addison and feel that she is covered in pee.
Change Addison's diaper which is also full of poop.
Strip Addison's soaked bed.
Ask Emma Claire if she is wet(at this point I haven't read the note).
Check EmC's bed. It's dry, by the way.
Put Addison's bedding on to wash with a few other things that were pee covered in the laundry basket.
Make Breakfast.
Eat breakfast.
Put the girls in the tub.
Put new sheet on Addison's bed.
Find new lovey.
Olivia gets out to poop.
Emma Claire gets out to poop.
Both girls make a huge watery mess.
Addison gets out of the tub and gets dried off.
Addison goes down for a nap in a diaper.
I think about the time that I put Emma Claire down for a nap in a diaper and she pulled it off.
Emma Claire gets washed up and out of the tub.
Emma Claire gets her ears cleaned out.
Emma Claire gets her nails clipped.
Emma Claire gets her hair dried.
Emma Claire gets her clothes on.
Emma Claire looks like a little doll.
Emma Claire calls herself "princess Sail boat" because of her dress.
Olivia screams about getting washed up and makes Addison start crying in her bed.
Olivia washes herself up.
Olivia gets her hair washed and ends up crying about soap that isn't really even in her eye yet.
Olivia gets her ears cleaned out.
Olivia gets her nails clipped.
Olivia gets her hair dried.
Olivia gripes about what clothes she has to wear.
Olivia gets told that she can't wear the same clothes every day.
Olivia gets her clothes on.
Olivia looks like a little doll.
The girls pick out a movie.
I start the movie.
The computer looses power.
The computer comes back and is freezing up over and over.
Emma Claire is moving around like she needs to pee.
Emma Claire gets told to go to the bathroom.
Emma Claire pees on herself on the way to the bathroom because she waited too long.
Emma Claire has to get EVERYTHING taken off.
Emma Claire gets a spanking.
Emma Claire gets re-dressed.
Emma Claire looks like a little doll.
Computer decides to work.
The girls watch a movie on Netflix.
Addison is still making noise. Not sleeping.
I get in the shower.
I get out of the shower.
The girls are sitting quietly watching a Shirley Temple movie on Netflix.
I hear Addison singing in her bed.
I smell something.
I dry my hair then go to find what I smell.
I eat a brownie that was supposed to be for Addison(I'm pregnant).
I smell the smell coming from Addison's room.
I figure she's pooped.
I go in to get her out of bed and the smell about knocks me over.
I realize there is something all over the bed.
Addison is naked. Unless you count the POOP all over her.
Addison goes BACK in the tub.
Addison screams.
I strip Addison's bed AGAIN.
I have to take all the bumper pads off.
I have to clean EACH bar on the bed.
I wash the poop off of Addison.
Addison screams.
The girls come in to see what's going on.
I scream for them to go back and watch their movie before they get poop on them.
Addison gets out of the tub.
Addison gets dressed.
I get dressed.
We go to the library.
The craft is painting picture frames.
Emma Claire mixes the paint.
Olivia gets paint in her hair and on her arms.
Addison screams and wants out of the stroller.
One of the helpers at the library informs me about the Duggar's.
One of the library workers asks if we are ever going to have a boy.
The first library lady starts talking bad about the Duggar's. Not good to do that to me(by the way).
I get mad.
I rush the girls.
The girls finish.
We take the crafts out to the car to dry while we go inside to play.
We go BACK inside.
There are some motherless kids climbing all over the stuff in the library. They are out of control.
Our kids sit and stare at them.
Addison climbs up into a chair and decides that the table really is a drum.
Emma Claire starts to yell at the motherless kids that they need to stop.
Olivia starts to tell Emma Claire we aren't in charge of them.
Olivia has to go to the bathroom.
Olivia wants to do it on her own.
We leave to come home to eat lunch.
We get home.
Addison starts to scream.
I try to get the red paint out of Olivia's freshly cleaned hair.
I realize the paint is not washable.
Emma Claire whines about eating lunch.
I make three hot dogs.
Olivia throws a HUGE fit about eating a hot dog.
I tell her it's a hot dog or nothing.
She eats.
They all eat.
I re-make Addison's bed.
I change out the laundry so that the bumper pads can get dry.
I realize that the bumper pads got all messed up in the washer.
I try to fix the bumper pads.
I get mad and fuss under my breath and put them in the dryer.
I get Addison(while she's screaming) and put her in her bed.
I have the girls pee.
Emma Claire gets pee all over her second dress for the day.
Emma Claire starts screaming because she knows she's about to get in trouble again.
I ignore Emma Claire and make her go to bed without saying a word to her about her dress.
I get all the girls in bed.
I clean up the kitchen.
I try to find something that I feel like eating.
I settle on saltines and apple juice.
I rest in the bed and catch up on blogs.

Blog Smog

Hey. I'm here in a blog smog. I can't seem to get out of it. This happens to me alot in the summer. I used to be such a great blogger. These days I can't seem to come up with anything new or interesting.
I'm working on rethinking the whole blog for the fall. A new look, a new format. I'm ready to move forward.

10 WEEKS!!

So, I am officially 1/4th of the way finished with this pregnancy. Ha! That seems much better to say instead of I have 30 WEEKS LEFT! =)

I'm doing great. Feeling tired and kind of queasy, but overall, I'm doing great.

Getting ready to start something new

For the past several years I've tried to do some things on the side to make us a little spending money. I consign, sell stuff we aren't using, sell other people's stuff that they don't want, paint, make invitations, take pictures, and the most recent and favorite-organize!
I'm trying to figure out how to really get going on this whole organizing thing. I've always kept an organized house, and recently, people have started asking for help. I LOVE to do THEIR organizing too. SO, I'm thinking this could be a great way to help pay off our debts faster and give me something fun to do other than rearrange my sock drawer for the 100th time.=) The problem is that I'm not sure what my time is worth and I'm not sure how to get started and how to get the word out. For now, I'm telling you.=)
I'm also trying to think of a catchy name for myself. I keep thinking something along the lines of being a girls best friend since I'm going to be doing the dirty work around her house. Something like that. I don't know! Anyway, just getting my thoughts out.

Oh How I love thee, Chick-fil-A

I don't know anything about that guy, so don't hold it against me if you go to his website and he's not good. I just saw this on another site and thought it went well with today's post.

TODAY was Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day!!

FREE FOOD IF YOU DRESS LIKE A COW!!!

So of course I went all out and had my crew dressed fit to kill. Ha! Saying that makes me laugh since we were dressed as cows...anyway!

So here we are.

This is the girls front and back. Taheet!=)

Addison decided to crawl into the picture without her clothes at the last minute! WHOOPS!

My dear sweet husband being a good sport with our lovely heifers.

Me. I was the "black cow" of the family. Ha!

Addison looking SOOO cute! She actually seemed to like her outfit.

We had such a great night. I'm so so thankful to Chick-fil-A for doing something like this so that my family could enjoy a special treat tonight. We LOVE Chick-fil-A!!!

FOR-EV-ERRRRR

So, I know. I am not doing so good updating the blog world with what's going on with our life.Could have something to do with being pregnant with our fourth child and having a 1, 2, and 4 year old to chase after all day.

We are doing well. I just went today for my first OB appointment and everything looked great. I'm officially due on February 12th, 2010! We got to see the baby on an ultra sound, and I must say, a shear beaut! It's always so wild to see the tiny heart beating for the first time! So amazing!

We had Addison's party on the fourth! I can't believe she's a year old!! She loved her cake and loved all the attention and has been playing with all her new toys and sporting all her new duds.
The child seriously racked up!

Emma Claire and Liv seem a little bored this summer, but I think it's mostly because I'm always so tired! We recently were given a nice above ground pool, so I'm hoping to get that thing sat up soon so that they can get busy swimming. I'd love it too! It's been HOT!

Other than being tired and a little sick at my stomach I'm feeling great. I know I'd be tired anyway with these wild girls, but add another baby in my belly and I'm REALLY tired! I'm praying for an older woman to step in and help me. Seriously, wouldn't that be NICE...Ahhhhh...

Ok back to reality. We recently switched back to Netflix after using redbox for several months, and we are so so glad. We were spending the same amount of money on redbox and once we joined netflix we realized most of the movies we'd been renting or wanting to rent were available on Netflix's watch instantly section. We are loving that! Especially since we no longer have a TV.

I'm currently looking into home school curriculum's for Olivia in the fall. We are for sure going to go ahead with home school this next year since because of her birthday she wouldn't be able to go to public school. After this year, I think we'll have a better feel of if this is the right thing for our family. If you home school, what kindergarten stuff did/do you use?

I'm also on the lookout and ready for your comments on cloth diapering. Most of you know that I am a thrifty momma and I'm sure these are a good investment, but I just want to make sure I(stressed) am ready for the switch. Looking at several brands and several testimonials. Let me know if you use(and I haven't already talked to you) or you have and you don't anymore. I want to know pros and cons. Let me hear from you!

OK, that's it for now! I'd post pictures, but I think just about everyone comes here from facebook and I've posted all my latest and greatest pictures there. Taa taa for now.