Grandma Theresa

Mom taking the dog for a walk. We miss her already!

Finally, a family photo of all 10 kids with Mom!

Happy 13th Birthday Landon!

And I am not exactly sure what got into your 13 year old head today when you decided to take the flat screen television off the wall by yourself, set it up in the office so you could plug in your XBox 360 and have a game fest with your best friend.

Is this a sign of what 13 is going to bring me? Is it bad that a 13 year old is on restriction on his birthday????

Ugh. Let's just eat cake and move on, shall we?

"The Best Burger Ever"

According to my kids--I should sell these burgers on the street corner. I may just end up doing that if my grocery bill keeps growing the way it has been lately! Previously I tried that thick turkey burger recipe with chopped green apples that Oprah recommended and my kids say this one beats that one--and all others, hands down.

Ground Turkey Breast
Chopped sweet onion
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained. (Make sure you squeeze out all the water).
A few squeezes of your favorite barbeque sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)

Combine everything together in a bowl and mix with your hands. Form into patties and pop onto the grill. I usually use a little more than 2 pounds of turkey breast for this recipe--so use less of the spinach if you are only using one pound. You will find that these burgers are even better the next day as leftovers--so make extra!

Dew you miss me?

I think I have finally kicked my habit. My deep love for the sweet, green devil juice called Mountain Dew has finally been severed. It hasn't been easy to kick a habit that started in high school, took me through many a late night study sessions in college, and later helped me with the energy to cook dinner for my children every night.

It has officially been 2 months. Well, sort of.

Ok--so I did break down twice--one per month and you can guess maybe what time of month that was for me and let's face it--in the spirit of that mindset--I should be able to have whatever the heck I want during said time of the month! So suck it! Literally. And I did just that,..through a straw in a parked car at the closest Taco Bell to my house. Because THEY, my friends are one of the few drive-thrus that will sell you the sweet devil juice.

I was reduced to carrying my break down to the anonymity of a drive through window for fear that one of my kids,..or their friends would find out. Anyone who has kids knows that once you announce your plans to do something, change something, whatever--your kids are suddenly the protectors and reminders of all that is good. They become something very similar to your very own seizure dog. Anytime they see a break in the promise coming,...they literally jump on you to prevent you from crossing the line. I cannot tell you how many times I heard, "Mom,...don't do it. I am going to tell Dad!" Knowing this, I took matters into my own hands,...into that dark Taco Bell parking lot--away from the judging eyes of my children. How dare they!

So yes, it has been two months. On the positive side, I have lost a few pounds and I don't have caffeine or sugar crashes anymore. I just feel a whole lot better. I am not making any promises on whether or not the devil juice will ever touch these lips again, because, let's face it,..promises made OUTSIDE of that time of the month are null and void to the demon who owns me DURING that time of month.

Hello?

This year's bowling tournament was a blast,...even though I bowled barely over 100 (yuk), I had a nice surprise when I met up with a friend I knew in high school who works for an ad agency here--and I never knew it! We are both in the same business and in the same town! Here is a picture of he and I in high school at Disney World. (He is directly behind Mickey,..I am in the front to the right).


I asked him what happened to all that blonde hair,..he asked me what happened to all that curly hair. The straight iron is what happened,..THANK GOD.


So timewise things are going to get better for me in a week or so,..the school year ends and I will have my days back to focus on work and the kids. Oh--guess what? Landon decided he wanted to do this part time homeschool option for next year and I am really excited about it. He takes classes 2 days a week and works at home for 3 days. This Christian school is a combo home school and regular school option and I think it rocks for him. He will go to classes twice a week and then get the benefit of moving at his pace the other 3 days. He has a hefty schedule (He's taking Latin, Old Testament Study and Robotics along with his core classes (Algebra, English Lit, Science and Social Studies). He is growing like a weed, voice deepening every day,...and well to be honest,..he's making me feel really old. I cannot believe I will be the mom of a teenager in just a few short weeks! I want my baby back!

Ellie is a pill as always. I just love who she is becoming,..a sweet girl with quite a strong moral compass and huge heart. She still climbs up into my lap and nuzzles herself into my neck like she did when she was a baby. She is getting so tall and heavy,..it actually hurts now when she does it, but I dare not say anything for fear these moments will end. Her 8th birthday party was a blast,..I loved watching the girls interact with each other at the "Spa Party" at our house. They are just too cute.


Mom leaves for Colorado in the end of June for 6 months to stay with my sister for hurricane season. I cannot believe it's already time for her to go,..seems like she just got here! I am planning a family night out at the symphony with her before she goes--whether she likes it or not! (She doesn't like to go anywhere these days because she feels like a burden,...no matter how much you tell her that you are just thankful to help her do anything at all!) I just realized something,...my oldest baby is going to leave the nest--lol! She'd cringe if she heard me say that!

Spreading his wings

Landon has decided he doesn't want to be homeschooled anymore. I thought that taking him around on a few school tours this year might change his mind--but no go. He's not even complaining about the possibility of wearing a private school uniform--something he absolutely hated the idea of before today! I think it was the dark haired ninth grade beauty who gave him a wink at today's open house that sealed the deal on his decision. He was gushing from head to toe and suddenly wanted to know the exact date that school started. He's absolutely girl CRAZY right now!

I get a giggle and a lump in my throat. all at once.

Is it bad that I seriously contemplated yelling out to that girl, "Hey--he's never even kissed a girl other than his mother and sister?!"