There's something about Nicole!
Today just seems right to tell the world about how fabulous my friend Nicole is and how blessed I am to have her in my life.

Nicole just has a way about her. She is friendly, funny, smart, beautiful, talented and so much more. She is an amazing mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and support system to many. She has a flair for drama and dancing too, so it is ALL good.

I feel like I've known her all my life. She's the closest thing to a sister that I have in my life right now. Sure, I have great friends (waving to Patricia, Kathylnn, Sandee, Jenin29, Heather, etc.) but Nicole is involved in my life daily. Our kids are friends, but we would be friends anyway I'm sure of it.

The saying 'it's the little things' applies to how thoughtful Nicole is. She has been there with random flowers for a quick pick-me-up; she has shuffled my kids when I don't have last minute babysitting; she is just THERE. Yesterday for my b-day, she arranged a small luncheon. It couldn't have been more perfect. Just 5 adults, but it was filled with wonderful conversation, laughs, and delicious food. All of my gifts were so ME and I love them all, but the CD Nicole made for my car is just priceless. Assorted tunes that she picked b/c they are inside jokes, representative of our friendship, or just plain fun. It can be a serious song that I will just laugh to b/c of what it means to us. (Kelly Clarkson's Because of You isn't supposed to be funny.............hmmmmmm, wonder why she didn't put RedNeck Woman on my CD?)

And to top it all off, she is my tap-dance teacher on Tues. mornings.

Thank you for being my friend.

FALL.....where for art thou?

Sure, you have come in the form of Santana Winds and HEAT(!), but I was hoping for something a little different this year. I'll even take highs in the 70s as opposed to the 50-60s that normal people experience.

The insane winds make me crazy. So that's where I have been the last week; busy living a chaotic schedule topped with weather of 10-15% humidity, crazy wind, DRY skin, chapped lips, electrified fingers, and a wind-blown yard that looks like we've had a small hurricane.

Pass the lotion please.

It's hard to believe today she is SEVEN! There is something about Amanda that you can't quite put your finger on; people just love her to pieces. It's been that way for years. I remember my friend Sandee saying "I love all your kids, but Amanda just steals my heart." Yeah, mine too.


(pictured here in 2005) She still takes tap and now acro-jazz, but she is mostly a 'tom-boy' at heart. Can't you just see her guns.

She and Ian have always shared a special bond.
She has grown up so much in the last year. She took to the stage twice, improved greatly in swimming and is doing great in first grade (SO GLAD we did the bonus year)
She reminds me of my niece Ann --- beautiful, smart, funny, sporty, quirky, and independent! She even looks a lot like Ann; she's got Ann's silly face NAILED.
Happy Birthday Miss Amanda - we love you!

So let's talk TV shall we.......
with the help of the DVR, I'm watching House, the Biggest Loser, Survivor, Amazing Race, Desp. Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice. Well b/c of a programming snafu, I missed Private Practice - GAH! Really, really bummed.

Survivor --- not sure what to think this season, other than that Marcus is yummy (Charlie thinks so too, but "that's not how I roll" says Marcus, HA!). I'm not sure how Mr. I-Hate-the-World Randy is still around; he is masking his stupidity well. I'm hoping Bob sticks around b/c I'm thinking he could be a good MacGyver.

Amazing Race --- meh. A bit disappointed so far. I'm sad to see the bee keepers go; they could have made it a lot of fun. I can't say that I'm rooting for anyone at this point; although I laughed really hard at them trying to maneauver the little truck carts in Brazil. For the record, I would have likely fainted if I had to do that net thing......sweaty palms just thinking about it........I still think it would be an awesome thing to do.

Desp. Housewives -- good stuff! Just when I started to wonder about where "Bree's" baby was and then they toss in a twist. Awesome.

All hail the DVR!

I know I posted about this eons ago and I never got around to actually renting it. Well, guess what is recording on my DVR right now! WOOT!

I knew what it was by the music and ran into the living -- PEE WEE! Sean actually watched the first few minutes before I shuffled him off to bed. Seeing his reaction and his fits of laughter just sealed it for me. It's so much fun to share this with my 8yo especially. It's the perfect silly for him, but he did think Pee Wee's bike was really cool.

Of course, there's me tucking him in Pee-Wee style with "I don't make monkeys I just train 'em". He said he was going to say it at school and everyone would laugh without knowing where it came from. I told him he was probably right although his teachers WOULD and would likely crack up as well. I'm such a good influence sometimes.

I'm now trying to convince him to be PeeWee Herman for Halloween -- the character, no relation to the real human that is creepy.

At this exact moment, I AM NOT HAPPY...........it's 102*. It's freaking October 1st. If I wanted to live in this heat I would live in Arizona. Gumble, gumble, growl.

Here is where I complain about the cost of food. I've been stewing on this over the last few months and have finally decided 'enough is enough'. $3.49 for a loaf of Sarah Lee whole wheat bread; $6.79 for a gallon of organic milk; .79/lb. for bananas; even $1.99/lb. for apples seems crazy when just a couple of months ago they were $1.49 or cheaper/lb. (even CRAPPY school lunches are $3.25 this year, I'm not even kidding. Thus the reason my kids are only buying on 'pizza' days)

For years I've done the grocery game (and if you don't do it, you should be!). I've always clipped coupons but this just made using them more efficient. I also am not name-brand loyal so if Wishbone Ranch is on coupon & sale then that is what I get; sorry Hidden Valley, I've got kids to feed. They even know -- if ain't on sale AND I don't have a coupon, don't even ask.

I do use Costco for some things ---example: I usually get ground meat there, but last week Ralph's had ground sirloin for $1.99 so that was even better. I always buy butter, milk, and eggs at Costco but I don't make a special trip just for those items; I also do Costco to stock-up on juice packs for lunches/ gatorade for sports/ cheese/ trash bags/ laundry detergent/ assorted meds.&vitamins. Things like toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, and 'lady supplies' are grocery game items that Costco can't touch the price on. I DO buy organic milk and thank goodness we aren't using four gallons a week anymore. I'll hit Trader Joe's when I need to grab just a few items, but overall I shop at Ralph's.

I don't spend my time or precious gas money driving around town store hopping with the assorted ads. I DO save money ($87 this week specifically) but I'm curious about what else I could be doing. Feeding 6 people (Sean could almost be counted twice sometimes) is HARD when I'm trying to be creative, healthy, and thrifty. When I see whole wheat bread on sale, I grab two --one to use, one for the freezer. Same goes for bnls/skls. chicken breast, etc.

Here is my question -- HOW do you do it? What can I improve upon? Tonight dinner was white beans with rice/ cornbread&greens casserole thing (so good! and I didn't lie when they asked me if it was spinach - it wasn't) and fresh mango with raspberries. Example: I had gotten one HUGE mango and cut that for the kids and then the pack of raspberries got divided by six (poof-it's gone!). I have leftover casserole & beans that I will eat for lunch this week or as a quick catch-can dinner. Tomorrow is marinated london broil; homemade pasta salad; steamed green beans; whole wheat hawaiian rolls. [It looks like a lot but when you know that the meat is starting out at 1-1/4lbs. before grilling for six, that is a smallish portion of meat]

Come out of lurkdom and toss me some suggestions......sorry, with all due respect, vegetarian isn't an option.

Things that make me happy today:
my new favorite breakfast --- oatmeal made with skim milk and sprinkled with 1/2 banana; a few crumbled walnuts; and a tsp. of brown sugar.

the Amazing Race started last night!

I just purchased tickets for family fun at Christmas (not happy about the $$, but oh well)

AND it's currently raining outside. I don't know where it came from but we were awakened at 6:30am to the rumble of thunder and rain. We don't get much rain here so I really appreciate the little we get (and it will hopefully help a little bit to ward off the crazy wildfires we see in Oct.). I wouldn't mind one bit if our 'rainy' season started early.

A little taste of Fall is so refreshing.

I really, really wish you could see the dude play. He just loves it.

This weekend will be week four of our football season. We have yet to lose; and have only had one touchdown scored on us thus far. We have a great group of kids and a lot of talent.

I just hope it cools off a little. Yesterday it was 90*; still searching for fall here.

When I found out I was pregnant with Maggie WAY back in Aug./Sept. 1997, I was quick to grab What to Expect When You Are Expecting and received The Baby Book (Sears) as a gift quickly thereafter. Like many expectant Moms, I wanted to do the best for my baby and try to prepare for what was to come. I was gearing up for sleepness nights, teething, babywearing, sore boobs, and unending love for my growing baby.

Collin and I have been very blessed with four healthy children. Sure, each had their challenges when they were a baby: Maggie was our guinea pig and managed to survive us being 1st time parents; Sean was crawling at 4-1/2 mos. so he emerged quickly as a busy, busy baby; then came Miss Amanda, the 3rd child in 3-1/2 yrs. and HOLY GUACAMOLE did she have colic. I was toast. I can hardly remember how I got through my days when I look back on those days. Thanks goodness for scrapbooks to help me remember the good stuff. Then along came Ian....a shock and a blessing. I think my biggest challenge with him was just hoping he wouldn't have colic (he didn't, phew!) and to keep him alive despite his siblings wanting to "carry him & play with him." Over the years, the difficulties we've have had truly seemed minor when you look at the big picture.

I've always been told "Wow, you must have your hands full" and "Geez, four little must be so hard." I'm really learning quickly that they are actually easy when they are little. I know, I know --- parenting littles IS hard and challenging and exhausting, but lately I (we) are facing the reality of parenting four kids that all have activities/friends/homework/etc. The schedule we shuffle is basically insane. We don't HAVE to do these things, but we want the kids to be in activities. It's just that we have so many kids (lol!).

And the schedule isn't even the hardest part. They are four individual children with completely seperate needs (and it is always fluctuating). Maggie's latest is that she is in tutoring to help her struggle less in school. She is a challenge anyway (at 10-1/2) but I don't want her to fall behind any more. Sean is starting to have some incredible anxiety issues that we are desperately trying to deal with. We have been amazingly patient and met with the school today to figure out how to help him get through his day. It is just gut-wrenching to know that I just can't completely help him so we are going to seek some outside counseling for him. Amanda is mostly on an even keel right now, but she remains incredibly stubborn and independent which doesn't always match well. And then Ian, well he keeps me sane most days by making me laugh except when he digs his 4yo heels in and won't get out of the car.


I love them with all my heart, but .....sigh.....who took the parenting manual? (What kind of rubber room with I need when I have the ages of 17, 15, 14, and 11? that was a RETORICAL question!)

Found in my camera. Along with video instructions of 'how to brush your teeth [don't forget the toothpaste]' and 'how to brush your hair'.


Apple doesn't fall far from the tree and all that.

School is off to a great start. I think we are on our 10th day and my kids have been on time everyday so far, so I'm patting myself on the back. Here are the some assorted pictures from August.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ian starts our last year at the preschool tomorrow. We've been there since Fall 2001 consecutively. He has one of my all-time favorite teachers so I couldn't be happier. He can't wait.

It's the end of an era. Since the 'big' kids are in school for a while, Ian and I have time to spare. He is such an easy going little guy that he will happily play beside me if I'm doing something like cleaning out a closet. Yesterday I worked on finishing the boys' room. The beloved Tupperware shape-sorter is moving on; it is in the donation bag for the preschool along with the peg-style puzzles for toddlers. I have given away all of our little people stuff except for the garage b/c it's the only one left that Ian still loves. ....sigh... And some of the board books. Although I kept Goodnight Moon/The Big Red Barn/and Barnyard Dance b/c I can't part with them. Ian is more into 50pc. puzzles/trains/legos/and picture books now.


He just made a bed on the floor out of my bed pillows. And he is content and asleep right where he lay when he stopping talking for more than one second. We are enjoying our one-on-one moments before he gets lost in the land of school-aged kids.

The Dude! Sean is loving football as much as I love watching him. He is handling the transition to tackle well. They had their first game on Sat.; they won 34-0. Sean played middle linebacker for a bit and some quarterback.
here he is recovering his own fumble and then he advanced the ball 10yds.

GO #20!

I'm currently sitting here laughing so hard that I have tears streaming down my face. It's because of Ian; and Maggie's Ipod. The boy loves music and is taking the opportunity to jam to Maggie's Ipod while she is at school (muhahahaha!)

I'm guessing he is listening to Push It to the Limit from Disney's High School Musical. It goes like this.........."uh, oh, eeeeeeehhhhh, ah, eh, to the limit, limit, oh yeah." (some garbled mumbling that I can't even type) "work it now, eh, uh, uh, uuuuuuh, push it" complete with dance moves.

a SCREAM I tell ya.

And the best part, he just says loudly to me WITH the earplugs in "What is so funny, Mom?"

Man, I wish I knew how to video for YouTube.

aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh........can you hear the angels singing? The heavens parted and school started yesterday! Maggie is in 5th grade; Sean is in 3rd grade; and Amanda is in 1st grade.

WOOT! Ian doesn't start his T/Th. Pre-K routine until next week, but I am loving the quiet of my home. Ian is happy to do playdough/puzzles/watch TV and help with stuff like cleaning his closet. There isn't a constant hum of children bickering or wanting something to do. Just the hum of my fingers on the keyboard at the moment.

More photos to come of our end-of-the-summer chaos and pics. of the 1st day of school, but I'm currently having trouble uploading. Stay tuned.

Trying to squeeze in one last post for August --
whether you pray or just want to think good, positive thoughts, please take a moment to think of my Mom, brother & his family, and all of my extended family along with numerous friends who live in the New Orleans area. Hurrican Gustav is looming large and I hope that the area gets minimal damage; they truly can't handle it. The city is really just getting rolling again, but many people were still living in FEMA trailers. 14mos. post-Katrina there was still so much emptiness and work to be done.

You can never be fully prepared whether it's packing and evacuation or coming home with fingers crossed to see what kind of damage was done.

I hate hurricane season.

One of the best movie quotes -- Matthew Broderick from Biloxi Blues "it's hot; it's Africa hot; I don't think I'm going to be able to stay here if it's this hot"

That about sums up how THIS family of SoCal a/c spoiled folks feels.

Our a/c pooped out yesterday so we are on our 2nd night of open window suffocation. During the day it's over 80* in my house. Blech.

Downstairs is bearable in the evening; upstairs is just gross until about 3am when it finally cools off.

As I was 'tucking' Sean in bed, I had to toss out "I'm sure people in India or Africa don't have a/c and they sleep" b/c his whining was just incessant. I'm sure I won some Mom points with that.

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone - I'm thinking about sleeping on the cold tile floor.

I am grumpy today.

I am doing procrastinated girl scout paperwork. I am working on bid sheets/organizing/prepping the football silent auction that my husband is in charge of. I have had a neck ache for two day since I slept on the couch listening for the dog in case he needed to be let out in an emergency while he was sick. (how's that for a run-on sentence?)

Other than their commitments of football and/or dance and/or tutoring, my children haven't been anywhere in three days. I KNOW -- poor deprived souls. I fear that their brains are melting though b/c if they aren't in front of the TV or the computer, they are arguing about something stupid. (like who get's to be Spongebob/Patrick/or whoever b/c they act out the show while it is on b/c they have seen it so many damn times) How many times can they watch High School Musical 2? GAH!

I AM taking them to the beach on Friday. I WILL take them to the Science Center at some point next week.

But for now, I'm going to take a shower since it is 11:30am.

Poor Fritz Pup --- had his first trip to the advanced critical care last night. He appears to have colitis. Not fun for any of us. He's been a bit droopy and not eating for a couple of days and I was going to take him in today, but after detecting bloody stools (icky, sorry) I had to take him in.

I thought he might have eaten a stuffed animal eyeball or one of the green army men. His x-rays were clear and his bloodwork was good so they think it is a random illness. Let's hope.

Mini-schnauz. are prone to pancreatinitis so we have to be careful. He does get weird and won't eat much along with accidents when I go to AZ and such, but I'm hoping that is just stress and not something bigger.

He is our spoiled baby dog so he is digging this extra pampering.