Adventures in singlemotherhooding it.

My text to Mike one fateful evening:
MIIIIIIIIKE!!!!!Bird trauma.Call ASAP.  

Here's the story.  I came home from work the other day and the house was a little chilly so I decided I should light a fire, cuz I'm super handy like that.  Audrey was at work, Goose was feeding her goats, Grant was out riding his bike and Elsie was downstairs with me.

I noticed there was already a lot of newspaper in the stove, but I didn't think much of it--I figured someone was going to light a fire earlier and decided not to.  I opened the stove and started to add kindling to the paper and then decided I should probably wad the paper back up tighter so I reached in and out flew a bird!!!
Right at my face.

Let us pause here for a moment and discuss my feelings towards birds.  Birds are fine.  Birds are beautiful and majestic.  I have absolutely no problem with birds...as long as they are not in or any where near MY SPACE.  I don't like birds swooping down near me.  I don't like birds fluttering by me.  Is that so wrong??
And let me be VERY clear here...my house is most definitely MY SPACE.
 
So, the bird is flying around the room, Elsie and I are both screaming and the cats (Gertie and Ethel) are trying to figure out what is going on.  The bird crashes into the window over by the freezer and Gertie jumps up and grabs it.  So now we have Elsie and I screaming Gertie with the flapping bird and Ethel still trying to figure out what is going on.  By this point Elsie had run into the bathroom for cover and was just peeking out the door, I was by the back door trying to decide if I should just leave the house all together and let the bird take over.

Gertie takes the flapping bird into Elsie and Grant's room.  I had gained enough composure to tell Elsie to go shut the bedroom door so at least then the bird and the cat would be trapped in a room and I could call someone for help.

She is telling me she can't and I am trying to convince her she can...after some frantic discussion between the two of us she takes a step or two out of the bathroom when suddenly the bird escapes from Gertie, flies out of the bedroom and starts flying around the family room again.

I opened the back door, not totally sure if it was for my freedom or the bird's, (alright fine! It was for me--but I decided not to abandon Elsie) so I had the door opened all the way and I was cowering behind it trying to decide what to do next when the bird must have seen the escape route and flew out.

WHEW!

After Elsie confirmed that it did indeed fly out I slammed the door shut and we hugged each other ....it was at this point that she told me,
"Oh yeah, Grant said there was a bird in the stove."

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?

This tidbit of information would have been good to know about five minutes prior.  Needless to say, I did not start a fire that night.  And my throat was sore for a few days from all the screaming I did.  And Mike could hardly stop laughing when I told him of the encounter.

It was traumatic, but I think I'll recover.  The bird, however, may never be the same and will regret the day it flew down our chimney for the rest of it's little bird life I'm sure. 

So....Here's some news.

A mere four days after I sent a tiny piece of my heart to Mexico a sent another piece of my heart to Boise.
Granted, the departure wasn't nearly as traumatic, but I did send Mike on his way to Boise.

Why???
Oh, just because after five loooonnnngggg years of under employment for my dear old Mikey he now has a FULL TIME JOB.
And we are happy about that.  We are so happy about that.  We are ecstatic about that.  We are delighted.  We are down right tickled about that.  It is a good good good thing.

This, in turn, means that the old farmgirl fam will be moving again.  This time to Idaho's capital city.  I hear it's pretty nice up there.  For an Idaho born and bread gal I can't say that I've spent much time in Boise, but I'm excited to discover all it has to offer.

Here's the crazy story of how this all came to be:
When I was offered a full time job, Mike and I decided that he would dial back the job search and focus more on helping out around the house until I was licensed and we had Adam off.  And then one day out of the clear blue sky he got a phone call from a friend that works for a lumber company (we actually worked for this company 16 years ago when we lived in Montana) telling us there was a position opening up in the sales department in the Boise branch and asked if Mike would be interested.  Less than a week later an offer was on the table and we took it.  Pretty crazy how things work out.

Funny that as soon as we stopped chasing after it, the perfect job landed right in our laps.  There is something to be said for just making the most of what the Good Lord hands you.  Do the best you can with what you've got, quit worrying about what you don't have and it all seems to work itself out in the end.

Soooo, Mike is in Boise and I am here.
With the children.
Working full time.
And being a single parent.
Until summer.
It's kind of a lot.  The weeks are super busy, I hardly have time to breathe let alone miss Mike.
The good news is I can do anything...for a while.

The Morning I Sent a tiny Piece of My Heart to Mexico.

The day came and the day went.  

Honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated.

Yes, I will miss him--I already do.

But what else would I choose for him? Nothing.

I am not in mourning, nor did I sob all the way home.

  My heart is too happy for that.

 

First of all, let me say it was EARLY.

Or late.

How ever you would like to look at 1:00 in the morning,

which is the time we woke the kids up to get ready to leave.

Adam's flight left at 6:15 so he needed to be at the airport at 4:15.

 I pretty much dressed this zombie while he was sleeping.

I know, why did I bother with pajamas in the first place?

Don't know.

Moving on.

 Here we are walking to the airport shuttle.

 I'm sorry, did I mention it was early??

We ended up waiting for the place to open so that he could check his luggage.

FYI This was my first moment of tearing up...

watching him standing there so ready to go.

 

After he checked his luggage we walked him down to security.

That's where we could go no further.

 So we visited for a few minutes more and then decided to take

some pictures.

Pictures weren't too bad either.

I was still holding it together quite well.

Look at how happy that boy is!  Oh, I just love him!!

 A very kind gentleman offered to take one last family picture for us.

He told me he had a missionary leaving in four months.

I told him Don't Blink.

And then hugging shenanigans started.  And it was pretty much all

over for me and holding it together.

  Adam and Grant.  

Or Goober as Grant is loving referred

to by his older brother.

 Adam and Elsie.

She made us all Valentines and saved candy from school

for each of us.  She had one for Adam too.

We'll have to send it to him when he gets to Arkansas.

 

 Adam and Goose.

This was a tough one.These two have a pretty special bond.

 They are best buds.

 Adam and Audrey.

Audrey was our photog for the morning and did a fabo job.

See, there I am crying watching all my kids

tell him good bye.

Adam and Mike.

That was one big bear hug.

  

 Adam and Me.

It was really hard.  Still makes me cry just looking at it.

I was trying to take in enough of him to last me for two years.

I kept telling him these are happy tears.

Ahhh, my first born.

I like him.

 And he's off.

We stayed and stood on tip toes to watch him go all 

the way through security.

After he got his suit coat back on and shoes on and 

put his bag back over his shoulder

he turned and gave us one last big smile and wave.

 And then he turned and headed up the escalator.

And that was it.

 I know I'm more than a little biased here,

but I think he's going to be

GREAT.

YO.

Let me begin by saying, I should be studying.  I'm fully aware of this little fact so I'll keep things short, sweet and to the point.  Well..as much to the point as I ever do.

First:
The reason I need to be studying...I did not pass all of my test in December.  I passed one quarter of the test.
On Monday I passed two more portions and missed the last one by two stupid points. grrrr.
I am scheduled to test again on this coming Monday.
I would really really love to be done with this little thorn in my side.
I am slowly adjusting to working full time.  I don't mind the work and while I'm there it's really no biggie.
It's the coming home that gets a little crazy...it is at that point that I am quickly reminded that I have not been home all day. 
I don't really love working full time, but it is what it is.
So there you go.

Second:
This boy.

 

Oh, hello handsome man.  He leaves in just two short weeks.  It is so so crazy.  And I am so so excited for him.  I keep telling myself I still have time with him...and I do, but it's not much.  He, on the other hand, is chomping at the bit.  

Third:

I really do miss blogging.

Life is all around just pretty good.  Not what I expected it would be, but pretty good all the same.

I didn't expect to have my 18 year old son graduate early and be leaving on a mission so soon.

I didn't expect to be working full time outside the home....ever.

I didn't expect that Mike and I would be trading roles....ever.

I didn't expect a lot of things.

And that's okay...because I guess I should learn to expect the unexpected.

Come what may and love it, right?

Peace Out.

:o) 

Let me 'splain.

No, there is too much.  
Let me sum up.


Holy Schmoly.  Where to begin??

Adam's Mission Call: 
This crazy kid of mine went ahead a grew up even though I did not authorize it.  He decided he wanted to graduate from high school early to serve a mission.  After MUCH discussion from us (making sure he had thought about everything--just doing my job, really) we were all on board and last spring he started the process to graduate in January.  We dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's (which, btw there are kind of a lot of when you are preparing your mission papers).
On October 24th his mission call came in the mail.  It was such a fun experience watching his excitement, matched by my own, as we waited for all the family to get here to open it.
Drum Roll Please....He will be serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Little Rock Arkansas Mission, Spanish speaking.  He will report the the Mexico Mission Training Center on February 12th.
He is so excited.  He is thrilled he gets to go to Mexico to the MTC.  I am thrilled for him,  I love that he will be a Spanish speaking missionary.

And in other news...

Remember that December??
You know, the one where I nearly lost my mind??
Oh yeah...that's right NOW.

So I'm a liker of change.  Really I am.  I like to change the furniture arrangement.  I like to change up my wardrobe.  I like to change the menu.  I like to change my hair.  Change is good.

I am feeling like I have had a wee bit too much change in my life recently and it is killing me.
Slow and painful.  Killing me.

Here's the story, Morning Glory:
Besides being deep in the midst of getting a missionary ready, with in the last 6 weeks I  have...
-Been released from being Young Women's President
-Been called to teach the 16/17 year old Sunday School class
-Been completely reassigned visiting teaching wise (new companion, new people to visit)
-Quit 2 part time jobs (that I quite enjoyed)
-Started a new job
-Working full time away from home
-Started being a "working mom" 
-Been studying my guts out for the Insurance Licensing Exam
        (my brain is mush. kids are brain cell killers)

Long story short, I am feeling like I am coming up short in pretty much every area of change.  What ever semblance of sanity and order I had going for me have gone out the window. 
I am no longer the mother with the warm cookies when the kids get home.  Or the clean house mother.  Or the dinner ready mother.  Or the doer of the laundry mother.  Or patient mother.  Or the around during the day mother.

Don't get me wrong, the fam has stepped up like the champs that they are and I do appreciate it.
But, I think I am mourning the lose of a life that I don't get to live any more.

I really liked doing all the homey mom stuff.  I was good at it.
I liked being the YW Pres.  I was good at it.
I liked my Lunch Lady job.  I was good at it.
Don't mind me, I'm just having a small pity party cuz it is late and I am tired.
My mantra of late is:  It will get better.  This will get easier.

I know these changes are blessings.  This job working for an insurance agency fell right in my lap.  I wasn't looking, it just came.
And maybe, just maybe if the Heavens shine down upon me Monday morning when I go to take this 4 hour exam and by some crazy twist of fate I pass it I will be feeling much better about life in general.

Really, it will be like a Festivas Miracle.  WAIT!  Back up the Bus!!
I just realized my test is on the 23rd and that really is Festivas...let's all start praying for a Festivas Miracle together!!  At 8AM send all the Festivas energy you can possible muster to me in my time of need. 

Thanks.
 Peace Out

Fire it up...

You know those days when you feel like telling the kids to grab 5 personal items, (doesn't matter if it's clothing, toys, books, whatever they choose) and choose them wisely--because you're burning the rest?

I'm not just having one of the days, I'm in a serious 'fire it up and burn it down' mode.  This morning I am ready to heave 90% of our belongings.  For real.

But I will try not to do anything too drastic like burn the house down with my sleeping hubby (he is working the night shift these days...err umm...nights I mean) in it.  Instead I have decided to take my frustrations out on the big old mess in my yard I like to call the 'Once upon a time they were pretty flower beds, then they became an overgrown and weed infested jungle and now are dead and frozen flower beds' project.

I'm hoping it will curb my enthusiasm / freakishness / aggression.
If not I may need to resort to warm brownies later.

Wish me luck.

p.s.

I currently have a 

7 year old I am 

considering selling to

 the Gypies if he doesn't 

get his chores done asap.

Grrrr.

The mediocre mother.

School time is back in full swing. With the school day lasting a whooping eight hours these little chickadees are purty durn tired by the end of it. 

I try to keep to a routine--I am by nature a very routinesk person.  Back in the days of very small children I was very very good at keeping a routine.  That, of course, as I said was back in the day. Today is today, today is not back in the day.  But, we do try our best.  Me and mine, we do much better when we know what the plan is...even when we are tired.

All five punks are in school full time this year.  Might I just say that is a lot of information, stories, homework and junk to deal with when they get home from school at 4:30 in the afternoon.  So, the "plan" or "routine" goes like this: they walk in the door and I am in the kitchen with a snack ready (they are starving), we have a snack and catch up on the day (slightly time consuming process), we then discuss who has what homework and go over papers for me to look at, they are then responsible to take care of any clean laundry and their back packs and we are off and running like a herd of turtles.

Now, bear in mind that two of the four nights a week we are not just chillin' at home...Monday is FHE and Tuesday is mutual.  Which means we have to put everything into high gear in order to get it all accomplished.  The older kids are quite self sufficient when it comes to homework, the younger ones not so much. The youngest one really not so much.  We are in the stage of sitting and reading together (which I LOVE to do btw--but it  takes time).  In the midst of being engrossed in a first grade reader I am constantly being told 'one more thing I forgot to tell you about school' and 'just one quick question'.  Throw in a nightly dinner, showers, and  bed time extravaganza and you have yourself the makings of a three ring circus.

I am ready for them to come home every afternoon.  Here's a little confession, (and for anyone that knows me well knows how strange this is)  I have been turning on a little Pandora in the afternoons...been jamming out to a little Abba lately.  Weird.  I never used to turn on music.  I have always enjoyed the quiet when it came, but it gets a little too quiet around here.  Nowadays I make a snack with a little background music.  What I am saying is that I am geared up and happy to see them every day.

However, my excitement seems short lived.  By 8:00ish I am just about done in and I want to retreat to the mediocre mother world.  The world where some one else puts the youngsters to bed and some one else finishes the kitchen and someone else makes sure everyone gets showered and has their homework done and someone else gets everything ready for the morning and someone else stays up until all the punks are nestled snug in their beds.

I am amazed daily at how quickly I run out of steam.  It's quite pitiful really.  Raising kids is exhausting, and don't let anybody tell you differently.  It's fantastic and the older they get the more enjoyable it is to watch them turn into fabulous young adults, but it's a boat load of work.

Here's the deal-e-o...I don't live in the mediocre mother world.  I may not be great at a lot of things, but I am a good mum.  Although I do think those things pretty much every evening I don't actually do those things every evening.  I keep going and get the job done.  I think that makes me an A-okay mom.  And  I'm pretty happy about that. Plus I make a killer chocolate chip cookie....pretty sure that's worth a ton of points in the 'good mom' rule book.

And then there were none....

School started just over a week ago for the kiddos.  

So far everyone is happy and enjoying the new school year...including me.

 I LoVe this pic of my punks.

They are really a good looking bunch.

 Adam is a Senior.

Craziness.

 Audz is a Sophmore.

Craziness.

 Goose is in 8th Grade.

Craziness.

 Elsie-Girl is in 5th Grade.

Craziness.

Grant Delish is in 1st Grade.

Craziness.

And then there were none....

All my kiddos are in school all day.

And I'm not exactly as excited about it as I thought I would be.

Except on Friday's, when they are all out of school...

then it seems really great that they are all gone Monday-Thursday.

:o)

Can I get a Howdy?!?

Howdy!!!

Wow!  Do I even remember how to blog??  Umm...Yes.  Yes, I do. 

I would like to start the list of excuses with the fact that our lovely computer came down with a terrible virus.  My new (in addition to my old) job's IT guy came to check it out and told me how special we are because he only sees viruses like that one once or twice a year.  Awesome.  (Yes, btw I have a new job. Long story short I'm doing some medical billing stuff.)
Sooo...we had to factory restore our trusty old computer, which took forever.  Did I say forever?  Because I meant FOREVER.
That's excuse #1.

Excuse #2...no camera.  My punks love to make movies and take crazy pictures and all that great stuff that entertains them for hours on end. The downfall??...they are really hard on stuff.  I call them little consumers for a reason.  Granted, the camera was quite old, but it still worked.  Sort of.  The bright side??....Lucy got a little video camera for her bday.  Unfortunately this was after the little punks consumed my camera.  Let's face it, blogging is more fun with pics.

Excuse #3- #110....it's summer for crying out loud.  Where, oh where did my summer time go?  Oh where, oh where did it go???  With it's days so long and it's nights so cool, oh where, oh where did it go??  Seriously.  Don't know.  I was busy.  But, for reals, it went by in a blink.  A blink!

And here we are just 4 short days until the kiddies go back to school.  FOUR DAYS.  Four days and all my little chick-a-dees are off on the grand, blissful adventure called school.

Tonight was 'Back to School' for Elsie and Grant.  I kinda like the way they do back to school here in Good Ole P-town.  The kids bring all their school supplies, meet their teacher, check out the classroom and get settled in.  On the way uptown the kids were talking about their new teachers.  Elsie decided they should play a game called "Guess what your teacher looks like".  She went first.

She thought her teacher would have blonde hair, be medium height and be middle-aged.
Grant thought his teacher would have dirty blonde hair (dirty, dirty blonde hair), be medium height and be almost full-aged.
Which begged the question from me...what exactly is full-aged? He told me his teacher last year (who btw was fresh out of college and looked to be about 14 years of age) was juussst about middle-aged.  I then asked what I was, if this young little filly of a teacher is almost full-aged I must be like...ancient, right?  He and Elsie explained to me that I wasn't all the way full-aged yet, but that I was close.  And the crazy thing is Elsie just chimed right in like this is a term used in everyday life????
Hmmph...kids.  They are so weird.

Well, tonight is the much anticipated 'Cousin Sleepover End of Summer Grand Adventure'.  It includes shenanigans such as Wild Race Car Driving, Sunset Watching, Tramp Sleeping (for the boys) and Hammock Sleeping (for the girls).  Please bless that they will eventually pass out....hopefully before the crack of dawn.

Party on Wayne.  Party on Garth.
Party on Peeps.

Summer Laundryfest.

I finally had the first
"I-will-get-all-the-laundry-done-
today-or-you-
will-find-my-cold-dead-body-underneath-it"
day of the summer.
Yes, I do realize we are a week+ into summer.  What??  I've been busy.
So here it is.  All the masses of laundry.

Does that look like a lot?  Cuz it sure felt like a lot to me.
And this is just the punks laundry and I hadn't even folded the levis yet.
Holy Crap.
In their defense it had been quite sometime since I had really hit the laundry hard.
But still, Holy Crap.
My corpse would of been stinking it up a wee bit before anyone
found me under that mountain of fabric.

Since then we have had a Come to Jesus talk about laundry
(p.s. this is not the first Come to Jesus laundry talk we have had, 
probably they just really enjoy these little chats)
 and summer.
Something to the effect of who has two thumbs and
will not be spending her summer vacation
being buried alive under mounds of laundry?  THIS MOM.
Something to the effect of you people do not need to put clothes
 in the hamper that you have just looked at or even thought
about putting on your cute little bodies.

Hello?...Isn't one of the fundamental joys of summer
wearing the same clothes for three days straight?
No?...Maybe that was sipping lemonade in the hot summer sun
and star gazing on cool summer nights.
Eh well, I really think wearing the same clothes for three days
straight should be one of the fundamental joys of summer.

Live it up, Peeps.  Let loose and wear the same clothes day in and day out.
That's what my Punks will be doing.

:o) Peace Out.
Happy Summer.