Not Me Monday

It's that time again. Not Me Monday. Time to join in with women around the world as we admit our imperfections to one another....yay!! Seriously. It's so nice to know that we're all doing the best we can, and we all don't meet the "mark" each and every day.

So what didn't happen to me this last week? Well, let me start with Sunday morning. I didn't wake up at 7:00 for church when I'm supposed to wake up at 6:00 to get this family moving. It takes the full 2 1/2 hours to get us all ready for our day at church. Then I didn't have this happen to me. I most certainly didn't have my next to oldest walk up to me and ask me to get the sticker out of her hair only to find that it wasn't a sticker...it was bubblegum. Her sweet dad definitely didn't let her have gum the day before without making sure that he got the gum back after her gum-chewing session. Seriously, I make it a habit to ask for gum back when I do let Abby and Isabella have this fun treat. That was I don't find it later in the van, on the floor, or in this case in my child's hair.

Well, I didn't proceed to try to wash it out of her hair and then remember that once my mom used peanut butter to get it out of my own hair when I too slept with bubblegum in my hair. I most certainly didn't holler to my husband to bring the jar of peanut butter to the shower to help (it wasn't coming out so well on its own). I then of course didn't smear loads of peanut butter in her hair and then slide the gum right on out. Aren't you glad you found this entry? You may seriously need to use this home-grown knowledge one day on your own kiddos!! And I did wash her hair 3times after that just to be sure that she didn't smell like a PBJ in Sunday School.





What else didn't happen to me this week? My same child, I think I see a pattern here, didn't steal a Green Apple Airhead at Shoe Carnival. Not my child. We ran in there because I couldn't find a size 13 pair of Keds to save my life for my oldest. Now all Southern girls have white Daphne t-strap Keds in the winter. It's like an unwritten rule. Well, when you get to a size 13, you have to get the laceup kind. Yuck. If you're a Keds representative reading this, please please consider making the Daphne in larger sizes (at least a 2 or 3 please). I digress.





While I was trying on shoes, two of the employees started talking to me...and yes, they were two of my former students from my middle school teacher days. And here they were seniors in high school now...and helping me with my shoe crisis! Well, the one teenager says to me, "That one eating the candy is so cute!" And I didn't reply, "What candy?!?" That's when we unfolded that Isabella had helped herself to an Airhead while I was catching up with my students. While she had stolen (and we had to have a long talk about this and of course actually pay for the already digested airhead), she had at least found a garbage can and thrown away the wrapper so as not to make a mess. I must have trained that backwards...clean up: important....stealing: not so much. I totally joke! Of course, it's the honesty that's most important, and she's young. I don't think she honestly realized that the candy wasn't there for her to just munch on while we shopped. So we had to have a very long explanation about that one!


This week Matt most certainly didn't accidentally put Grant in Ali Kate's white Rosalina shirt. You know, the Sir John ones are for boys and Rosalina for girls. Well, Matt didn't miss the scalloped collar and mistake it for Grant's shirt. Explanation? It was a 2T. Seriously? And he chides me for dressing Grant too "girly"...I may put him in smocked tractor jon jons, but at least I don't put his sister's clothes on him for church!! Honey...when you read this...I love you!!
It really could have happened to any of us!




And this week I didn't take my kids to the bakery for a special "treat" because I wanted one myself. And my linebacker of a 17 month old son most certainly didn't holler "COOKIE!" at the bakery lady until she selected one for him and fed it to him herself....seriously! And the next morning, Grant most certainly didn't say cookie as soon as he got downstairs for breakfast. Not a kid after my own heart. I'd never eat a cookie for breakfast! Not me!

Works For Me Wednesday...Toddlers and Preschool Prep

Join us on the Works for Me Wednesday Blog Carnival hosted by "We Are That Family."

This year we took a big leap when we had to get 3 of our 4 little, tiny kids ready for preschool and Bible study 3 mornings a week. So what works for us? Prep, prep, prep. Now...let me confess that I'm not always as prepared as I am tonight. Yay for me tonight though. Now I can sleep till 6:30 tomorrow morning unless our little guy decides to wake up before the sun does. Seriously. He will.

We're the king and queen of assembly lines here at our house! Matt and I are both of the thought that if we can streamline as much as possible, then life will be easier. And with four kids ages 1, 2, 4, and 5, we're right on this one thing for sure!

Here are the girls' clothes and shoes all laid out already for tomorrow...did I cheat a little this time? Yeah. I went shopping today and got them all matching outfits that they're going to wear tomorrow. So I didn't have to do any real work to pull this together. We've got panties, socks, shoes, outfits, and matching bows ready to go! I really do try to get these things laid out in the kitchen at night so that in the mornings they can get dressed right before breakfast in peace. My morning goal? To enjoy them before I take them to preschool. I want them to be happy and ready for fun!




While this looks like a huge mess, it's actually most of the bags we'll need for tomorrow. We've got 3 lunches, 3 backpacks, 1 diabetes care bag, and 2 nap mats. Nap mats aren't even shown here (they're on the floor). I've already packed their lunches...and take a guess...they're all the same food. Sometimes I'll sneak a small sweet into Isabella or Ali Kate's but otherwise all 3 are the same for my sanity and simplicity. PBJ, PBJ, PBJ. Banana, banana, banana. Cheetos, cheetos, cheetos. There's something nice about doing things exactly the same. Of course I vary it from time to time to make them feel special or give them their individual favorite treats but usually it's the same as their sisters.

And while I didn't do it tonight, last night I actually fixed everyone's breakfast and poured their sippy cups (leaving them in the fridge of course) so that this morning would go smoothly. It's very hard getting all of them out of the house fed, cleaned, and looking cute...and most importantly keeping my testimony intact as I love on them before they start their days...without getting everything done the night before. Pack lunches, fix breakfast, lay out clothes.

Oh, and one more thing....I lay out clothes and shoes from youngest to oldest, left to right to keep things straight. Especially since my 3 girls are almost the same sizes. I do the same when folding their laundry. Left to right...works like a charm!

Not Me! Monday

I've participated once before in this blog carnival, and I thought it'd be fun to do again today while I'm supposed to be printing orders. I'm tired and need a break for a few minutes. Here's are some things that I definitely have NOT done this last week (the theme of this carnival is of course to admit some things that show we're really not perfect...seriously, a mom, not perfect? Don't let the kids know!)...

Right now underneath my stove there is most certainly not a GoGurt tube from a couple of days ago. My husband would NEVER have forgotten to finish this important task of retrieving the gogurt that my little sweet Ali Kate most certainly didn't throw underneath our stove in a fit of rage because it wasn't the right flavor. And of course I most certainly didn't nag him at least 10 times to retrieve the gogurt!!

This morning I most definitely didn't do this: Same kid...she's 2...so let's keep that in mind. She did not have a small accident at her big sister's school because she didn't scoot back far enough on the toilet...I most certainly didn't leave my 3 kids in the restroom with strict instructions to not touch anything in site while I definitely DIDN'T run back into big sister's kindergarten class to grab her extra panties in her extra clothes bag that the teacher keeps on hand. The teacher then didn't have a look of horror on her face when I said we had an accident because she of course DID NOT think that it was our 5 year old (rather than the 1, 2, or 4 year olds). Then after cleaning everything and changing into big sister's spare panties...I most certainly didn't let my child wear her dress/leggings set sans leggings the rest of the day (after confirming with her preschool teacher that they weren't going outside today). Not me...never!!

And I did not throw 2 fun size kit kat bars into my purse this morning for breakfast...never would I eat chocolate candy bars for breakfast.

And to top it all off today, I most certainly didn't wait in line forever to buy the cutest Little English overstock smocked dresses for my girls and some other clothes for my handsome little guy. I most certainly don't have a horrible weak spot for smocked clothes at discounted prices, no not me. And I of course have no weakness for chocolate. Or boutiques...not me! And if you're one of my friends reading this and you happen to go to the sale later this week when they've marked things down more, call me while you're there...I'd like a few more pants for Grant...seriously....

As for more things I haven't done this week. I definitely did not have my sweet husband install and then teach me how to use my new diecut machine to make girly die cut letters and invitations. I most certainly didn't have him making swirly vinyl letters...and I'm not now sharing that with the entire Internet. Honey, you are the best!!

For whatever reason...this is fun to admit my shortcomings...I've got my fair share...because too often we take ourselves so seriously and think that everyone else has it all together. Just read some of the other people's entries...none of us is perfect...and it's quite a chuckle to share what we've NOT done lately!!

Oh, to catch up!

To begin to catch up blogging would be overwhelming to say the least. The last entry on here was right before Abby started kindergarten....so I thought it appropriate to add some first day of school pictures at the top. Of course, to blog about everyone's first day will take a while...and one day I should sit down and do it. But not right now.

Since my last entry, we've been swamped!! I've sent Abby off to kindergarten, Isabella off to 4k, and Ali Kate off to preschool. And Grant...well, he's stuck at home with me and loving it! We've not made it but to 2 days of preschool though. Strep, fevers, and stomach viruses ravaged our household for the better part of 5 weeks. I'm not kidding. We'd get sick, get well, get sick, get well. Never the same kid twice in a row. We went through cycle after cycle of getting sick, waiting to be not contagious to go somewhere, then watch someone else get sick. Repeat cycle. And did I mention it rained for weeks on end I think. Seriously. So most of September was spent indoors with sick kids on rainy days. My TV worked overtime! I'm not an advocate of TV viewing for more than maybe 2 hours a week....oh, but we logged at least an hour each day during sick fest 09. I'm ashamed, but it's true. We hit survival mode a few points, and I had to let Olivia or Franklin babysit one kid while I took care of a feverish baby or a throwing up toddler. We even had to say goodbye to a car seat that couldn't be used again after a throwing up incident.

During September, I think we successfully cancelled every bunco, church meeting, girls' night, playdate, you name it. We were just quarantined by choice.

Then as that all finally let up I began to face some serious medical issues which I'll not go into right now....I'm still waiting to get some answers but am very thankful for modern medicine. Without modern medicine I wouldn't be able to sit here and type. My sudden onset of arthritic issues rendered me unable to care for my own children for almost 2 weeks. Matt has been home way too much, and my dad has had to come in and save us. He even took the dynamic duo back with him for a week to relieve me. I'm doing fine now thanks to the meds. If I miss them though, I can't move. Seriously. It's that bad.

Now that we're all finally well...and I'm on the right medications...we're going to have a fabulous October. We've already decorated, and we've been fall clothes shopping lately. We've been doing some crafts too. I'll have to post pictures! And of course playing outside in this nice,cool weather. I absolutely love fall...and the baking that goes with it!

I've got some great stories and more to write soon....just when I'm not so sleepy!