A good response to the naysayers

When people find out that I am planning to take my 7 children and move to Honduras, I get so many opinions. I don't ask these people for their opinions, but yet they feel free to give them to me. I have one friend (my landlord) who tells people he talks to through out the day (people who have no clue who I am) about me and me moving to Honduras, then he will tell me the next time we talk all of the comments that he has gotten. I keep telling him, and others, I don't care.

Its my life, my husband, my children. MY FAMILY. My choice. See the pattern? MY. The word MY - it is a word that relates directly to ME. MY has nothing to do with YOU. See how that works?

Well in one of the groups that I am a member of, someone put up something that really made me smile. I think I am going to use it when people start to talk about me moving to such a poor country. The quote is as follows...

"I had this funny conversation with God on the way thru Trujillo. I said, look at the poverty Lord. He said, what poverty? you in the US are in poverty, this is not poverty! Your country lives in such debt and doesn't own what they have. These people live simply and they
own what they have. Thats not poverty."

Tagged, and Levi's birth announcement - both by Anelys

Anelys is a friend of mine who lives in the Dominican Republic. She does awesome design work, and I had her do my birth announcements for Levi. I sent her a link to my bedding, because I love my crib bedding so much, I wanted it to match it. (Wanna see my crib bedding?)

She did such a good job with the announcements, I wanted to post it here to share with all of you!

I have them done in English and Spanish, but since the majority of my readers speak English, I will post the English version.

She also does other types of design things as well - and is VERY reasonable priced. If you want more information check out her web-page, or her blog. Then send her an email!

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I was tagged by Anelys as well.

Ok, here's the game plan. There are a few rules one must follow to play the game. When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list eight random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to eight other people.

So, without further ado, here are 8 random things about me. (you can't wait can you?)

1. I have 3 sisters, 3 brothers and yet I am an only child. My father had 4 kids with his first wife, then got married to my mom, and they had me. My mom had 2 kids with her first husband, then got married to my dad and had me. So I am the baby - and my oldest sibling is 49 years old. The youngest besides me is 38 years old. (I am still a baby at 31 hehe)
2. I have always said I wanted to have 10-12 kids, but I don't think I really meant it. Then after I had Levi I realized I want at least 3 more kids, which would bring me to 10 kids.
3. I have issues with hairy people. Especially those with hairy chests. EEWW. I get freaked out just thinking about it.
4. I used to call one of my brothers hairball when I was younger because he used to chase me around the house in a tank top with his arms raised, trying to get his armpit hair to touch me - which I think contributed to the whole hair phobia thing.
5. I love math, and anything with numbers. I am really good at math, and good at memorizing most things that have numbers in them - phone numbers, license plates, birthdays, etc. etc.
6. We used to have discussions at the dinner table when I was growing up that most people would not be able to eat afterward. It was me, two of my brothers (my moms kids) and 2 step brothers. It was always a contest to see who could be the grossest.
7. I have very big feet. My feet are bigger than my husbands and my brothers as well. I wear a 12 in men.
8. I am so tall, thanks to my father. My father was 6'9", and wore a size 23 shoe. Of his kids, I am the second smallest. The shortest sister is 5'11". Only a half an inch shorter than me. Then my other two sisters are 6'2", and 6'3". My brother - his first born - is 6'8". My neice is 6'5".

Well I hoped that you have enjoyed learning some oddities about me and my life. I am now supposed to tag 8 people but I dont know how many of you all have been tagged or not already, so I will do it this way. If you were not tagged then you are now tagged, LOL. Just leave me a comment letting me know that I tagged you.

Twilight Zone...AKA Conversations with My Grandfather

When I talk to my brothers or my grandparents I swear I feel like I am in the twilight zone. At least my grandparents are old, and hard of hearing (that is an understatement for my grandfather - he is at least half deaf)... My brothers, who knows what their excuses are.
Here are some excerpts from conversations with my grandfather.

Background...they went to Florida to visit, and on impulse bought a condo, came home, sold all their possessions (the condo came with EVERYTHING) and decided to wait until the house sold. My poor grandparents in their house with no furniture nothing for 4+ months.

(words that are in between ** mean my thoughts, not what I said)

So Paw Paw, you bought a condo in Florida huh?

Yeah we bought a condo in Florida

It has everything in it?

Yeah it has everything in it.

I guess you are itching to move then.

What? Why would you ask me that. That is none of your business.

What is none of your business?

If I am in the nude or not. **In the nude??**

No Paw Paw. A-R-E Y-O-U I-T-C-H-I-N-G T-O M-O-V-E? You know to Florida.

No we aren't watching the news on Florida. Why what is happening?

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Background...When I was diagnosed with my crazy arthritis, I called to tell my grandmother about my arthritis issues in my feet, as she has a (different) crazy arthritis too. But she was on the cell phone with my Aunt, so I spoke with my grandfather. We were talking about I don't remember what and he asked me if I was watching this tv show.

No Paw Paw, I am not watching tv

There is this new show on. It has all of these pretty women on it carrying suitcases with money in it

Oh, you are talking about Deal or No Deal

No, it isn't called deal or no deal - it is called something else. It has these people who pick a suitcase, then the banker guy calls - I don't think it really is a banker though. They never show his face, just some shadow. Why wont they show his face? If he was a real banker he would show his face. But the banker tries to get the contestant to sell him his suitcase.

Yeah Paw Paw, it is called deal or no deal

No, that isnt the name, it is something else. I have never heard of Deal or No Deal. I don't even think that is a show.

then we talk for a few minutes

Oh wait, here is the commercial - it is called Deal or No Deal

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I have learned he hard way that when I call him on the phone, and he answers, I need to address him by saying Hey PAW PAW, so that he knows it is me - otherwise he thinks I am my mom, and listening in on those conversations is even funnier, as I think he knows who he is talking to, and he thinks he knows who he is talking to, and then as we are talking no one has a clue what the other one is talking about

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Background...When my father died, I went to the funeral home with m sisters to help pick out flowers for his casket. My father loved to go fishing, so my sisters decided to get his casket flowers to be in the shape of a fish - a bass to be exact. (can we say REDNECK) So I called my grandfather to tell him how funny/stupid that was.

Hey Paw Paw I just left the florist, you will never guess what my sisers have decided to get for the flowers that go on my fathers casket.

What did they choose?

They want to put a fish on there.

A what?

Yeah I know, isn't that stupid. How rednecky can you get?

Yeah I know they are rednecks, but what did they want to get put on there?

A fish paw paw, a fish.

WHAT?

FISH.......F......I.......S......H **here we go**

WHAT? I can't hear that last word

You know - what you find in the lake and the ocean. Ok, here, I will spell it for you. F- you know as in Frank (the name of my brother in law, Connie's husband)

Frank? I know he is going to be there with Connie right?

No Paw Paw F as in Frank. The first letter in Franks name - write that down.

Oh. F - is that what you said?

Yes Paw Paw, F. Then I.......as in igloo

I??

Yes, I. Then S.......as in Sam

S?? (actually we had problems with that one too, but can't remember what was said about it Then H........... as in ham.

Ham? You all are going to have ham there? I like ham.

No Paw Paw, well maybe there will be ham, but that is not what we were talking about. Remember I am giving you the first letter to spell the word.

What word?? **AWWW Hell**

Is grandma there paw paw? Hello? Grandma, can you tell him that the word is fish. I was trying to explain that my sisters are getting fowers in the shape of a fish, standing on its side, with its tail flipped to put on my fathers casket.

A Fish?

Yeah grandma, just tell him Fish

Hey Hun.. SHE SAID FISH YOU IDIOT......FISH

Death becomes her... And why Johan needs more brothers

Mickey is fascinated with death. She talks about death all the time. Anytime she can get someone to listen to her, she talks about going to Honduras. But what she talks about is death and killing. Not in a bad sense, but still. She tells that when she gets to Honduras, she is going to run super fast after the chickens and catch them. Then she is going to break their necks like this (as she makes the motion of wringing their necks) then she will take a knife, cut its throat, hang it upside down, then once all of the blood is out, cook it. I guess she plans on eating the feathers? While that sort of is how you kill chickens, she is 4. Well she will be 5 in March, but still. No one has told her this, and I don't know where she got the idea that she is in charge of killing the chickens, and why she thinks she is going to be able to carry around a knife either. If we get there, and start finding dead, headless chickens strung up all over the place, I know who to look for.

In one of our all about chicken books, it shows you how to clean a chicken out, once its been plucked and what not, and how to cut a chicken - down the breast bone, and anytime she has a free moment, you will find her studying that book, on that page. (the best part was when she was describing the picture to Isa. - in the picture was them cutting the breast bone, and Mickey was telling Isa that they have to cut out the butt to get all the poop out so that you dont eat a poopy chicken, LMAO)

It isn't just the chickens that she talks about killing and death. She will ask me about my father (who died back in 04) and ask me why he died. What caused it, who killed him. (He died due to heart issues, and kidney failure issues - no one killed him.) And she will tell Isa and Johan stories about who killed my father, or really about anything - but alot of the time it involves death. Tonight her and Johan were looking at an Oriental Trading catalog, and they have a set of beanie baby style animals - and this set was a set of dinosaurs. And she was telling Johan that the terradactyl one doesn't like the guy with the gun, so he is going to fly down and chop chop chop the gun guys head off. Again, I have no idea where she gets this from - there is nothing like that on Nick Jr. And she isn't saying it like she is trying to scare someone, she is talking about it like telling Johan that a banana is yellow.

And here is proof that Johan needs more brothers close to his age...

And he isn't letting them do this to him. When the girls start to change clothes playing dress up, he goes through the buckets of clothes that don't fit the girls and picks out his own items to put on.

2 weeks, Lightning McQueen, Biz's Beat of the Day and Soldier Boy

Two weeks

Can you believe the boy is two weeks old already? I know when you have little ones in the house, the time goes by much faster. Does that mean time goes by 7 times as fast in my house? He such a sweet boy, and he is a PIG. He was eating 5 ounces, then an hour later another 3-4 ounces, then waiting 3-4 hours and doing it all over again. Trying to slow it down, I added 1 teaspoon of rice cereal to his bottles, and he is no longer eating like that. Instead he is eating 5 ounce bottles every 2 hours. So far this afternoon/evening he has eaten at 4pm, at 6pm, at 8pm and 10pm. 5 oz bottles each time. Some of them had cereal, some didn't. I dont want to give him to much cereal either. At this rate he is going to be bigger than the house in no time. He is also doing well holding up his head. I will put him on his belly for a bit, and he will raise up on his arms (his forearms like) and raise his head up and look all around. He can do that for 5 or so minutes before his neck muscles get tired.

Here are some pics taken today...

Lightning McQueen

Here is a picture of Johan's Lightning McQueen car. Only to Johan it isn't just a car. It is also his Lightning McQueen skateboard. Can you guess what happens when the boy gets on?

Yup, you got it, he falls down...

He does however, have no fear. I caught him standing on the "skateboard" at the top of the steps getting ready to skate (surf?) down. Thank God I caught him before he did it, because it is to cold to have to take 7 kids to the ER tonight.

Biz's Beat of the Day

Have any of you ever seen Yo Gabba Gabba? It is a semi new tv show that is on Nick Jr. My kids love it. Well on Monday when all the little ones were off from pre-school they were sitting there watching it, and Biz's Beat of The Day came on. (Biz is Biz Markie - from Just a Friend fame) and I heard all of the little ones - Lana, Johan, Isa and Mickey - doing the beat of the day along with Biz. It was so funny, I thought I would share it with you all... (don't you all just feel so lucky)

And Finally, Soldier Boy

Also Mickey came up to me today asking me if she was singing Crank Dat Soldier Boy right. I had no clue what she was even talking about. However I quickly found out. She had heard the song a couple of times while in the room with Jordan, and Mickey, being the musical child that she is, she memorized a good portion of it. So again, I am sharing... (she got shy though seeing me with the camera, so she didn't do nearly as well as she did when she was asking me if she was doing it right, LOL - and yes that is Jordan in the background trying to copy the moves on the video)

Well after all that excitement *insert eye roll here* that is my day, I am off to veg in front of the tv for the next hour until my boy wants to eat again...