A little rant

I realize we live in a time of gadgets and entertainment where we're constantly watching or listening to something. I find it hard to leave the radio off when I'm driving (unless the kids have provided more noise than I can handle). I flip my phone open several times a day and check Facebook, news, and email. Music plays in stores, and restaurants, billboards line the highways, TV's are in most waiting rooms. One restaurant we go to occasionally is a sports-bar atmosphere and there are TV's everywhere. You can watch 4 different sports on 4 different screens without leaving your seat, or even so much as turning your head. And this is true for each table. The walls are lined with flat-screens all the way around the top of the wall. It is a little much for me.  And in case you've had too much beer and have to make a run to the restroom, there's even an older model TV in there to keep tabs on at least one game while you're waiting in line. Well, okay the one in the ladies' room was unplugged, probably by a woman like me, but I can't speak for the one in the men's room.

Do we need TV's in Walmart? Is it not enough to just shop? Must we hear Walmart ads played on a 5 minute cycle, so by the time we're done shopping we've heard the same commercials more than we can count? Doctor's offices are boring. But adding a TV  in the corner with uninteresting slide shows about medication doesn't help pass the time. And the other TV in the opposite corner plays cartoons, but the volume is all the way down. That's probably a plus. Apparently magazines aren't sufficient entertainment anymore.

 All of these things show our addiction to noise and images even when we don't care about what is on, but have we become so incapable of dealing with four minutes of relative quietness that we now need Gas Station TV Network?! Murphy USA gas station at our local Walmart feels the need to subject  me to little facts about race car drivers, national weather reports, and demonstrations of how Adatech can do wonders to my engine, taking all the enjoyment out of standing at the pump feeling the breeze blow (it's always blowing on that little hillside; don't know why). A few years ago, the kids could be wailing in the car, asking for things through the glass, tattling on the sibling who touched them. I used to smile and wave at them from my quiet spot by the pump, but now I have the grating noise of GSNTV playing behind me. It's tempting just to get back in the van.

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A couple of kid sayings:
Micah thinks the name of  the card game we played is Crazy Apes (crazy eights).

We were listening to some songs on Pandora  while folding clothes the other day. I heard Cassie singing
"Give-it-away, it's hers, give-it-away it's hers" and thought she was making a song up about clothes. Then I realized she thought she was singing along with the song that was playing "Even when it's hard, even when it hurts".

Some quick kid sayings

Cassie To Daisy while eating a hamburger: "These are teeth. They are for chewing. You don't have any teeth. I'm so, so sorry."

Felicity: "I know why they call that restaurnt Bumpers. It's because the road is so bumpy right here beside it."

Micah explaining how he can add things like 6 +2 in his head: "The numbers are all in a line and I know the next number after six is seven. So I just go up two numbers." I love how it is so simple and logical to him, unlike to most of the rest of his family. He's loved adding and subtracting since he was 3.

Kamote cha role: remote control, in Cassie's language.

Being Rose

These past 9 days have been something I've never experienced before. Matt and the four oldest kids are in Missouri, and Daisy and I stayed home. Matt went up to help his sister Melissa with house renovations and the kids went to play with cousins and give Mamma a break. Daisy still doesn't sleep all night (getting there though) so I really didn't want to make the trip. It's a 10 hour trip on a good day, counting a quick stop for food and some bathroom breaks, but 12 hours is closer to what it usually ends up being. Matt wanted us to take two vehicles this time to give us more flexibility while we were there, and make travelling less crowded, but I couldn't see staying alert for 12 hours after broken sleep the night before. Plus needing to stop and nurse Daisy (that's not the best way to combat sleepiness either). Matt was okay with me not going, and even agreed to take 4/5 of our kids along. :)

The first 4 days I cleaned closets, cleaned our room (it's been needing that for months) so now we can see so much floor it looks like the room has grown in size, cleaned house, cleaned bathrooms, folded 2-3 loads of laundry, cleaned the playroom, slept when I needed it, ate when I felt like it, watched movies, and the only thing I had to re-clean was what I messed up. :) No stray toys in the living room, no crumbs in odd places. I even learned how to dance the macarena one night by watching a youtube video. :) Tried a few swing dancing steps but that was a little tougher, especially without a dancing partner.

 Daisy slept pretty well and made it easy for me to complete the projects and chores I started. That was something I've not been able to do much for the past 8 years. With little ones there are always needs, and with 5 little ones there are too many needs to make focusing on any project very feasible.

On Sunday I decided to call my friend Amy in Tuscaloosa, AL and see if she wanted some company. Her husband was going to be out of town Tuesday through Thursday so we decided Daisy and I would go up Tuesday morning. I looked into taking Amtrak just for fun, but it was going to cost nearly $100, twice what gas was going to cost me to drive it.

It's about 3 1/2 hours to drive it straight through, but why would I want to do that when I could take my time and see and do things I normally couldn't? Mom had told me about a restaurnt in Meridian, MS called Weidmann's so I decided to try it for lunch. Growing up in Lucedale I'm only barely familiar with one-way streets. I know the principal behind them, alternating directions every street, but trying to keep up with that and look for the correct street and find parking close to the building you need caused a little extra driving. But it was fun. The food at Weidmann's was wonderful. I had crabcakes, glazed sweetpotatoes, and salad. It's the oldest restaurnat in MS and the building was beautiful.

We got to Amy's about 4:00, making it a 5 hour trip. We settled in and the non-stop visiting began. Her three kids were so sweet, and made it easy for us to spend time catching up. Wednesday morning a babysitter came and watched her kids so we could go to Birmingham for the day. We went to see the Vulcan statue on Red Mountain and looked out over the city. Even though it was very hot that day, there was a wonderful breeze up at the observation point near the top of the tower. We took the glass elevator going up, and the 124 stairs coming down. There was very nice museum on the grounds as well, telling the history of the statue, and a seperate,  interesting display callled Beyond Barbeque and Baklava explaining the history of Greeks in Birmingham. It was after noon so our bellies were telling us to find somewhere to eat, and we got really hungry walking through that display.

I borrowed this from online. Why didn't we think of taking a picture like this?

We found a place to eat in a downtownish area: Jackson's Bar and Bistro. I ordered fish tacos and Amy got a crabcake BLT. We shared and both were delicitous. The chocolate chip cookie dough eggroll was tempting (cookie dough fried in an eggroll wrap) but we were saving room for dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. I'd never eaten there before and was amazed at the size of it and the size of the menu. I ordered carrot cake cheesecake and Amy had Godiva chocolate cheesecake. The slices were huge, but I managed to eat all mine. :)

While we were driving around we saw a furniture store called Nadeau, Furniture with a Soul. The name made us laugh and would have been a good enough reason to go in, but they had such neat looking furniture displayed on the sidewalk that we just had to stop and see what else there was. The furniture is all new, but made to look like old pieces re-done. And not all of it is the "weathered" look you see so much of. Some of it looks like old styles with fresh, bright colors. You can go to their website and scroll through pictures of their items. Mom, you would really like this place.

(I borrowed this from their website, bless their souls.)

We got back to Amy's about 7:30, so it wasn't long before the kids were in bed and we could watch a movie. Amy made us a junky snack of oven-toasted Doritos with cheese melted on top to eat while we watched.

Thursday morning we all got in her van and she drove me through the areas that were damaged and destroyed by the mile-wide tornado last April. Areas that had been subdivisions are now weedy fields, schools are completely gone, a lake that had previously had so many huge houses around it you could hardly see the lake was bare and open around it now. Some homes were deserted because the damage was so bad. It was a sobering way to end a lovely trip, but something I didn't want to leave without having seen.

I had a coupon for Logan's Roadhouse Grill so Daisy and I stopped in for lunch before heading home. I had some great fried shrimp, lots of coke to drink, and dessert in a little metal bucket. I had a book with me too so I got to read while I ate. Daisy napped.

As we crossed the state line into Kewanee MS, I saw one of the brown roadside signs along the interstate for Simmons-Wright General store. I made a spur of the moment decision to stop and see what it was and am so glad I did. Originally built in 1884, it has been in the same family every since. Now they sell antiques, grocery items, and consignment stuff. There are many things original to the store on display throughout the place. My favorite was the shoes. Years ago, the upstairs was where the shoes and caskets were sold. There are no more caskets now, but there is a whole wall of shoeboxes, with 40-50-year old shoes in them, some on display. The original prices were between $2-$3 per pair.  Behind the store, but not yet open to the public, is an old cotton gin, blacksmith shop, and some other buildings I don't remember.The whole place was full of neat, old things. I took a few pictures to show the family and to remember how much fun I had browsing.

This morning, a friend from my elementary school days was in town and she and her 3 kids came over for a short visit. It was nice to catch up a little with her.


This trip to Tuscaloosa was such fun. I love doing things with Matt and with all of us as a family, but it was new to do something on my own (with Daisy)Not having the feeling that I need to get back home within a few hours was very refreshing. No one was there waiting for me to arrive so there was no rush to get there. It was only a small challenge, but one I needed. I think I'd gotten too bogged down being a mom, spending most days in the house tending and cleaning. I needed to do something different, and feel that I can do other things  besides mommy-duties. I needed to feel that sense of accomplishment I got after cleaning two closets and doing other things that I'd put off for so long. And the fun of leaning a dance, staying up late watching a movie without interruption. At risk of sounding irresponsible as a mother or even selfish, I needed to feel independent for a little bit. Why should driving 200 miles on an uncomplicated route make me feel good about myself? Was it really a big deal? Yes. It was. Drowning in the midst of a world of childcare was making me feel unaccomplished and incapable. Constantly thinking about cooking for everyone, keeping track of who ate and can have a snack, staying on top of laundry, dealing with discipline issues, was sucking the life out of me. I felt like I was losing my indentity. I was the wife of Matt, mom of 5, homeschool teacher, baby tender. But I wasn't much as Rose. I remember Mom correcting us when we were little and would say her name was "mom". She'd answer, "No, my title is 'mom'. My name is Mary." It seemed like an unimportant detail at the time. But now I understand. So this 10 day staycation has been a breath of fresh air in Rose's life. I'm missing my family; will be glad to see them. Trading the silent hours for constant chatter and hearing "mom" repeatedly will be an adjustment, but one I'm glad to do because this is what Rose has been given to do. 

Matt is an awesome husband, daddy, and brother to do what he's done. Melissa is an awesome aunt to take on 4 more kids with her own 4 for over a week. This is a week the cousins will remember for a long time I hope. I sure won't forget it.

Everything I Know About Behaving in Church I Learned From Our Kids

How not to behave in church

Thou shalt not......

...Pretend to shoot the pastor with a lego gun.
...Use your middle finger to shoot, no matter how much it resembles a tank with a gun.
...Lick the knees of your jeans,even though it was, as you claim, because something dirty was on them.
...Crawl under the pew.
...Request loudly during preaching to go the bathroom.
...Sigh loudly during a pause in the sermon and ask if church is almost over.
...Yawn loudly during the sermon.
...Sit with legs in the air exposing your bloomers/panties/diaper underneath your dress.
...Use the top of the pew in front of you as a footrest.
...Fight with your siblings over passing the offering plate.
...Protest loudly when your sister passes the offering plate too quickly for you to grab on.
...Bring your offering of coins in the vitamin bottle which you use as a bank.
...Put a Polly Pocket Shoe in the offering plate.
...Chew on your hair.
...Bite the back of the pew in front of you.
...Play a game of pulling strands of your sister's hair.
...Use the hymnal as a gun.
...Worm-crawl down along the pew.
...Bring toys that roll, such as a small rubber ball. When dropped these make their way under all the pews  up to the front.
...Pick scabs.
...Remove your shoes.
...Use your shoelaces as guns.
...Shoot the choir members with pretend guns.
...Pop ant bites.
...Tickle your sister.
...Tuck your knees inside your tee shirt.
...Hide you head in your tee shirt.
...Completely disappear by doing the 2 items above, and pulling your arms in your tee shirt.
...Put your fingers in your ears during the choir special.
...Fix a wedgie while on stage.
...Adjust the front of your underwear using your hands in your pockets while on stage.
...Go to church with nothing between you and your pants.
...Wear your brother's colorful super-hero underwear under your dress instead of your own panties.
...Pick your nose during the baby/children dedication service of which you are a part, at the very front of the church.
...Use your shoe as a gun.
...Pretend to shoot people behind you with a gun.
...Point at people in the choir.
...Spit on your fingers and rub it on your arms.

Avoid these things and you shall be a perfect little angel in church...and die of boredom before the age of 8.

Note---For those wondering, yes, our children have done all of these things. About 5 or 6 of them just in tonight's service.

Baby Pictures!

Here is our little Daisy at 7-and-a-half weeks. She is the main attraction in the house right now. There's usually a line-up of kids waiting to hold her, and ever alert to let me know when she's crying. Cassie loves picking out her "play clothes" for her, Felicity is the most content to just sit and hold her even if she's fussing, Camie makes sure nobody rubs her head wrong or hurts her, and Micah thinks it's fun to help me give her her evening bottle. Daddy and Mamma get lots of adoring time in too and we're all delighted if we get a big grin out of her. (Camie was the lucky one to get one in the picture below.)

Kid Sayings

I have new pictures of Daisy-girl to post, but I'm having trouble doing so with our new video camera.  So I thought I'd post some funny sayings the other kids have said lately before forget about them.

 Cassie woke up with a runny nose, and the mess had spread a little beyond her upper lip.  I said, "You have a runny nose, don't you?"
"No. I have a runny face."

Cassie has recently decided she likes to swim in the pool with the big kids, now that she has a new swimming suit. She told me yesterday she was making "bottom steps." She would get wet in the pool, then climb out and sit on the porch, making, not footsteps, but bottom steps. Such fun for a three year old.

Micah was outside shooting the BBgun. Lissy ran in and announced that he tried to shoot a red bird, and she saw a red feather drop to the ground. I wasn't surprised, as he's a sharp-shooter, but I went out and told him not to shoot birds. "Well what can I shoot? You won't let me shoot squirrels or birds. All that's left to shoot are stinkbugs." At least he'd know when he hit one.

Cassie was eating icecream yesterday and requested I dip her "chocolate and bedelia"
She told me one day, "There is a holy ghost in the back bedroom." She had gotten this information from a big sister, so it must be true, although I imagine they had just told her it was a ghost. The holy part was her own interpretation.  Another day Cassie said, "Did you know there is a holy ghost in Heaven?" I think she imagines it is haunted.


And what can sleep deprivation do to a mom? Matt is on a school trip where they are doing biology related research stuff. He texted me today :"@ MS river today." Now growing up I was proud of the fact that I lived in the state that shared a name with such a major waterway in our country. But this morning when I read his text, my first thought was, "Which river in MS? The Chicasawhay? The Leaf?" And then this is what truly went through my mind, "Because there isn't a river called the Mississippi River." Several moments later I realized what I'd thought and was astounded at my stupidity.There went another brain cell. In my defense, maybe (maybe?) it's because I don't think of it as abbreviated. And Daisy has been robbing me of a full night's sleep for 5 weeks now.
Pictures coming soon of the little braincell killer, I hope.
Rose

Pictures

The quality didn't seem to be too great with these pictures, but if you click on them, you can see them larger and much clearer.

Daisy Madelyn
Born 4-11-12
7 lbs. 9 1/2 oz.
6:39 p.m.

Here are some pictures for the world to see. This has taken about a day and a half to get posted, so captions will be brief.

I decided on Tuesday the 10th I'd better get some baby-belly pictures. I had suspected my water was leaking earlier that morning, and while I was waddling around the yard setting up the tri-pod for these pictures, I was sure my water had broken. I thought we'd be seeing our baby withing a few hours since normally hard contractions follow pretty soon after my water breaks.  I didn't know then that it would be another 30 hours before we'd see her. But now she's here, we're home and everybody loves her. :)

And here are some of the first pictures  we took:

 Meeting the siblings:

 Going home (hooray!)

Lissy's new haircut

Painting one day while the older kids went with Aunt Jessica to an art shop and painted pictures for fun.

Easter morning:

 ("Smile Micah." "I can't smile." And so we have a serious picture of Micah.)

"And stay by my cradle..." Cassie loves to watch her baby sister.