and reality comes crashing back...

so, as some of you may have noticed, i have not been around for awhile. that is because i was on the best.vacation.ever. and surprisingly, this vacation involved both my children and my in-laws. i know, right?!?! my husband's family and i spent last week in nags head, north carolina and it is a vacation i HIGHLY recommend. we started out last saturday at 6am (for real, yo) by loading all five children and way too much clothing into the car. we made great time until we reached north carolina where we hit mad shore traffic. however, everything worked out perfectly (we're good like that, haha) because, as we pulled up to the realtor, they handed us the key. even though we were half an hour early (it was 3:30 pm...you can do your own math figuring how long we were in the car) and even though most of the other people staying with us had been at the house since, like, noon (fools. they should take punctuality lessons from tommy and i). tommy (my wonderful husband who is the real life eddie haskell) was able to schmooze the key out of the dragon lady a little early.

from there we drove the seven miles to our house at mile post 11 (i sound like a real obx'er, now, don't i?). we had a seven bedroom (there were 13 adults and 9 kids in the house for the duration), oceanfront house with a pool and hot tub. it was the best set-up ever! we did not leave the grounds for the entire week. we woke up everyday and had a big breakfast (lucky for them, they had a "classically trained french chef" with them. me.), then suited up and went out to the pool or beach. at some point, someone would do something for lunch, even delivering it to those sitting on the beach). after a while, i would start dinner and when it was ready, everyone would come up and eat. sometimes, the kids would get baths and put on their jammies. a couple of nights, the guys lit a bonfire on the beach and we just went back down there. i think, there was maybe two days total that anyone in my family actually wore anything other than a bathing suit or pajamas (note to self...do not pack outfits for everyday in the outerbanks). it was a totally relaxing vacation, which is REALLY saying a lot with that many children in one house.

and because tommy and i can never do anything easily, we left nags head at 4am friday morning so he could come home and dj a wedding. friday night, my parents 9i have the best.mom.EVER.) picked up the kids and took them to the shore for "family day" on the beach (this is a day when all of my mom's cousins and their families go to the same beach to hang out and party...games for the kiddies...prizes...etc.). the theme this year was "rock stars" and my kids went as the jackson 5. they all had a t-shirt that said "we're the jacksons and we're bad!" along with glittery microphones and the mandatory sparkly white glove. apparently, they loved it (tommy and i had a wedding saturday night, so we missed this year)! hopefully, someone will send me some pictures soon (HINT, HINT). needless to say, saturday was a wonderful/crazy fun day for tommy and i. sunday, the children were delivered home.

this is where reality pokes her nasty head in. tommy got up and went to work this morning. at 8am, the rest of the family woke up and converged in my bedroom. in case you were wondering, 6 people in a queen size bed is too many. just sayin'. i have broken up more fights and screaming matches today than ever before. dennis has been carried up to bed twice in the middle of a crazy screaming fit and thomas and jack have been banished from my sight. i have been on hold with school for 15 minutes to see why my school loans have not been applied yet (if everything is not paid by tomorrow, they'll drop my classes). oh, and tommy got laid off. tomorrow will be his last day. welcome home, right? sigh. sometimes reality is a nasty bitch, ain't she?

anywho...vacation rocked and i am so glad we were able to go. as stated previously, i highly recommend a trip to the outerbanks. i even more highly recommend coming home from your vacation and having someone take your kids away for two days. haha. i kid. sorta. hopefully, i will soon have pictures of vacation to post (my camera is broken again, so i used a disposable. i took like 6 pictures or something. i know...rotten mother). so, in conclusion...no worries, folks, i have not abandoned you and now i am back to spread my joy and hilarity to all. ha.

ps - the picture is actually of the beach deck on the back of our rental home. how great is that view?

conversational gems

i thought i'd share a sample of some recent conversations that i've been privy to lately. they may give you a glimpse of why i am the way i am...

breakfast table this morning:
jack, thomas and dennis all whispering with huge smiles on their faces as mommy sits at the table.
jack: my happiness is in my mumblemumblemumble
me: what did you just say?! (at this point, i totally heard him say "my happiness is in my penis", but am waiting to see if he'll own up to it)
jack: nothing
me: you said something
jack: if i telly you i'll get sent upstairs because it's bad
me: then why would you say it if you already know it's bad?
jack: because it is still funny
at this point the conversation ends because who can argue with that? having a five year old tell you that his happiness is in his penis actually is very funny, while being a bad thing for him to say. also, as an aside...srsly, jack?!?! you don't even really know yet what that thing can do! what is he going to be like then?!?!?!

same breakfast table, slightly later in the meal:
katie: daddy, yous eyes is yellow
tommy: no they're not kate, they're blue
katie: no daddy. they's yellow
tommy: i hope not. then i'd be jaundiced
katie: YOU NOT A JAUNDICE BROTHER! we watch the jaundice brothers on tv. daddy, you silly

two hours into a car trip to the shore that should be over but is taking about two and a half hours, instead:
me: come on guys, settle down. we'll be at grandmom's in like five minutes
jack (slightly under his breath): five minutes later...are we there yet?

in bed one morning with jack as he is just waking up:
me: come on, jack, let me get this pull up off and put your underwear on
jack (looking down at his morning wood): mommy! look at my bird! it looks just like the eiffel tower!
admittedly, this one and the next one took place a couple of months ago, but they still rank as some of the funniest conversations i have ever had.

jack and dennis in the bathtub:
dennis: i have to pee
at this point, i lay a towel down on the floor and help dennis out of the tub. he goes to the toilet and pees like austin powers after he is cryogenically unfrozen.
jack: he is austin powers!
me: i know, right?
jack: do you know why?
me: umm...no. why?
jack: he can pee like that because his bird is powerful. he told me.

now that i have put these down in writing, i realize how many of them revolve around my boy's anatomy. i would be worried about that, but let's face it...i have three boys. it's not ever going to get any better. my only fear is for when it gets worse. ewww.

new babies

on sunday, we welcomed a brand new member to our family. my sister-in-law gave birth to my new nephew, aidan james, who may be the most prompt person i have ever met, being born on his due date, with no induction or anything (the promptness is DEFINITELY something he gets from his mother, by the way). he's perfect. his birth has been making me realize a few things.

i don't feel that i am an overly sentimental person, especially when it comes to babies. i don't feel any burning need to hold them and snuggle with them. in fact, it is a running joke in the family that when someone sees me holding a baby, they ask me what i am doing. i think, no...i know, that this is a result of having so many babies of my own so close together. you see, i had four babies in a span of twenty-eight months. i'll repeat that for you...FOUR children in TWO YEARS and FOUR MONTHS. that means i was essentially pregnant from approximately september 2004 to september 2006. it's kinda made me feel like i am just "over" the whole baby thing. in addition to eternal pregnancy, i had a constant baby on my hip, or my shoulder, or my lap, etc. it gets to be overwhelming.

however, with the birth of aidan, i realize that...gasp...i am a little sad that i'll never have that brand new baby of my own. (don't get me wrong. i would probably have to be committed if i found out i was going to have another child, but...) i really, truly believe that the days in the hospital and immediately after the baby is born are the best days in a person's (read woman's) life. it seems like the whole world stops and focuses on this new life. it doesn't matter what time it is or what was originally planned. nothing else is as important as this new person's (and to some extent, his mother's) comfort and happiness. there is a certain peacefulness about bringing home a new baby that you can never quite achieve at any other time.

i wish at this point that i had spread my children's births out a little so that i was better able to appreciate this time in our lives (something you should know...i never "tried" to get pregnant. it was more an issue of not trying hard enough NOT to get pregnant). i hope that my brother and sister-in-law are able to fully appreciate how great this time in their lives are and enjoy the overall newness of aidan. and, i hope that at some point, i am able to borrow a little of his peaceful newness for myself.

it's tuesday...time for random thoughts

so here are some of my random thoughts for today. i don't have a whole lot. i think my children are draining all of my brain cells.

1) laurie berkner, moose a. moose and zee suck.

************************************************************

2) sometimes...i don't even think i like people, kids especially. today is one of those days.

************************************************************

3) i wonder if i person's head can actually explode from hearing the same things repeated enough times. examples would be: the word "mommy" and the question "can i have something to eat?"

************************************************************

4) i am continually amazed by the number of people that wear jeans and work boots to the gym. how can that be comfortable? who looks at that and says "this would be the optimal ensemble for me to go exercise and sweat my ass off in."?

*************************************************************

5) the punctuation in number 4 is bugging me, because i don't know if it is done correctly, but i don't quite care enough to research and fix it if it is wrong.

************************************************************

6) if you refer to yourself in the third person, you are a tool. if you refer to yourself and your wife in the third by the media's pet name combining your two first names your are an extreme tool. if you run a charity race dressed like uncle sam and his slutty counterpart and say the quote "there is nothing speidi loves more than america," i may hunt you down and kill you myself. i am 99% percent positive that i would be acquitted of the crime as a justifiable homicide for sheer, outrageous tool-ness. ****************************************************************

7) i hate spencer pratt.

****************************************************************

8) katie and cara need haircuts. when they need them, i pull their bangs up into a little ponytail on the top of their heads with a bow. it makes them look like snorks (see the picture of cara and baby tom {how cute is he?!?} for proof) .

****************************************************************

aaaand...i'm spent...
for really, true randomness visit keely at the unmom. enjoy!

i'm it...part II

so, the second tag that i've received lately is from isabel princes over at mommy is in the bathroom. this is a "meme" tag (which i think is called that because it is all about me, get it?).

Here are the rules:
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag other people.Sounds simple enough, right?

What is your current obsession? reading blogs and textsfromlastnight.com. sad but true. i'm guessing that those will soon be replaced with school work. otherwise, i'm in trouble.
What are you wearing today? right now a pair of sweatpants and a green and gray striped night gown (had to throw the sweats on when i got the boys ready for camp. don't think my brother in law needs to see me in a night gown first thing in the morning). after i shower, most likely a gray t-shirt dress with flip flops.
What’s for dinner? not sure yet. i am going food shopping after i feed my two addictions for the day.
What would you eat for your last meal? tough one...i just finished the rest of this post and still haven't come up with an answer for this. maybe, i would just be happy with something someone else cooked and served to me.
What are you listening to right now? the wonder pets singing about being small. i really hate the wonder pets.
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? the beach. any beach as long as it was nice and i could sit there and read or nap for the hour.
Which language do you want to learn? french
What do you love most about where you currently live? i live in the city which i love. good food, cool stuff to do, etc. philadelphia is also ideally located because it takes to hours to drive to nyc, two hours to drive to the shore, two hours to drive to the mountains. i really like living in philly, come to think of it.
What style is your current home decorated in? ummm...pretty traditional/classic i guess. nothing too funky, which i would totally change if i was rich.
If you were a time traveler what era would you live in? i'm pretty sure it's the 50's. whenever marilyn monroe and jayne mansfield were hot. i would totally rock then. this ultra skinny thing is totally not me.
What is your favorite color? red, i guess, but i wear black A LOT.
What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? hmmm...way too difficult...probably my black patent leather shoes with the big bow across the toes.
What were you doing ten years ago? leaving my four month old baby with babysitters to start a new job.
If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on? probably bills. maybe stuff for our vacation, but if i got to be totally frivolous and irresponsible with it, i would get one of my tattoos redone.
What are you going to do after this? shower and go food shopping, then pick the boys up from camp
What are your favorite films? dirty dancing, wedding crashers, old school, the hangover, the commitments.
Your favorite books? gone with the wind, little women, wicked, natural born charmer
Do you collect anything? books. i could save SOOOO much money if i would go to the damn library. i really like to own my books though. i totally reread ones i like. someday i will have a room with bookshelves and i can fill it (even if most of them are romance novels). oh, and i guess accessories. i really have a lot of shoes and jewelry (cheap, fun stuff, not good stuff)
What makes you follow a blog? someone that is funny and that i can relate to
What was the most enjoyable thing you did today? sat at the computer reading blogs and drinking coffee while the boys are at camp and the girls played nicely together.
Ann's Question:What makes you comment on a blog? when i have something to say about the post or if it is someone who frequently comments on my blog
Amy's Question:What is your favorite thing to do when you have some free time? read
Annissa's Question:As you know I homeschool -- If you could would you? Do you agree with homeschooling? not totally. i think kids need the interaction with others and i also need the break, honestly.
Tonya's Question:What is a talent you wished you had? i wish i could play the piano
Kyooty's Question: If you could be any other animal other then Human, what would you be? i guess a dog, because people treat them like humans without the responsibilities. i'm totally not a dog person, though.
Carrin's Question: Rush just told me that by 2042, white people will be the minority. Do you believe that? Would that be a big deal to you? that's pretty crazy. i guess i believe it, but i'm not really sure how i feel about it.
isabel's Question: Would you want your blog to be as popular as Dooce? What would be some of the pros and cons? i guess i would want to be the popular because then i could probably make money from blogging or someone would ask me to write a book and that would be a good thing. however, i would imagine that it is a lot of work to keep that many people amused, and i don't know if i have the kind of time/dedication to my blog to do that.
my question: what made you start writing a blog in the first place?
i am going to pass this on to alicia at it ain't easy being cheesy and karie at one fish, two fish... because they seem like they would do this kind of thing (even though i totally understand if they don't). have fun, girls!

i'm it

i have been tagged for a few different things from other bloggers lately and i figured i would do a little catch up work today. sweet mama jones tagged me in this picture meme, which i think is kinda fun. here are the rules:

1) Go to your photo folders

2) Select the sixth file folder

3) Open it and select the sixth photo in that file folder

4) Write a story for that picture, post it and

5) Select five bloggy friends to tag

6) Be sure to let them know they've been tagged

i'm going to break the rules (i know, the guilt is already eating me up) and not assign it to anyone, but if you want to grab it, feel free. anyway, the sixth picture in my sixth folder is one of jack on his birthday. he looks a little excited and a little nervous. not sure why. he's cute anyway, though, isn't he? i love that kid.

i am going to do the second tag in another post, because honestly, i get exhausted looking at really long blog posts and then sometimes skip them because i don't feel i can make the kind of commitment required to read it. i have issues, i know.

i'm back

so, i feel like i haven't posted in forever, but we have had a busy couple of weeks here. the week before last, tommy's brother (who lives in california) was home for a visit, so we had lots of family type "get the kids together as much as possible before they have to leave again" things to do. all of which was very...hmmm...fun. i guess. fun in the "it's good to see these people but life becomes totally crazy and stressful" sense.

anywho...i was very busy last week getting things ready for september...when i go back to school. i spent a good part of tuesday at community talking to advisors and people in the transcript office figuring out what the best courses would be for me to take so that i can apply to nursing school. i also filed my fafsa forms and am trying to get everything in order. it's all a little nerve wracking, but i am actually excited. i look forward to being able to use my brain again for something other than reading textsfromlastnight. i also, really look forward to the day when i am able to go out and function as an independent adult and be compensated for it. i really really miss getting a paycheck. now...i'll i have to do is get through a half million science classes. sigh. i went and met with an admissions person at a nursing school in our area, too, to help me figure out what to take. overall, it was a pretty productive week.

on friday, the kids and i (and tommy's cousin lizzie) got ourselves in the car at 7am (yes. you read that right. 7AM!) and drove to wildwood to spend the day at the water park with the rest of the family. it was a great day. my mom has this theory that if kids are crabby, put them in water. as usual, she is right. we got to the water park at 9am and left at 3pm and my kids were good. all day. maybe it's the sea air or something. i don't know. but whatever it is, it works for us. by the way, i don't have any pictures because last time i was at the beach, i dropped my camera in the sand and it is still not working. sigh.

on saturday, we had a family barbecue. actually, before we got to the bbq, cara and i spent a little time at the er of children's hospital. she keeps getting really bad abscesses on her body that burst and then drain pus and blood and are in general, really horrible. we went there to have it drained and cultured. i am waiting to get test results back and hoping it's not mrsa. we shall see. so, back to the bbq. we went to tommy's uncle's house where there is a killer pool (which sucked a little because cara was not allowed to go in, it, so i kept katie out, too) and a dog (which totally sucks as the three youngest hate dogs and become clinging spider monkeys of fear whenever the dog is near them). there is also a raft race in their town where at least 4 people have to compete in a race on the river on a raft that is completely homemade (the theme of tommy's uncle's raft this year was "the justice league" hence superman and the green lantern in the picture with the boys). it's so very "small town america" and i love it. we all walk down to the river to watch the race with all the kiddies past all of the old victorian homes. it's a really good day (although, i do admit to being pretty crabby this year based on a total lack of sleep, er visit and keeping two small children out of a pool that they really wanted to go in). i've posted some pictures from saturday with the gang in their 4th finery (not thomas, however. since i was at the hospital all morning, it didn't occur to either tommy or thomas that thomas needed to get showered and dressed. the other 4 were dressed before i left. i guess the outfit that matched jack's that was laying on the side of thomas' bed was not a strong enough clue for them. sigh).

sunday was a NOTHING day and it was awesome. i love days when there is nothing to do. nobody even got changed out of their pj's on sunday and we totally needed it. today was a day with a tremendous surprise in it. thomas was to start camp this morning at one of the local rec centers. we got there early and everyone was playing in the playground when the women that ran the camp asked how many of the kids were here for camp. ummm...how many will you keep?!?! it turns out that they also have a tot camp for 3 to 6 year olds, so ALL THREE OF THE BOYS ARE AT DAY CAMP FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS! i don't even know what to do with myself! it's just me and the girls here now! i should probably clean something or do something like that, but i am catching up on blogs instead. haha. maybe tomorrow i'll be motivated.