Eva Turns One

My baby (and 4th child) is one today. It’s interesting how differently you treat a first birthday from kid to kid.

I still sent in her picture to the local news station so they’d show it on the First Birthdays thing they do, where they roll pictures and play a strange version of “You Say It’s Your Birthday.”





We are still having a party, we just aren’t inviting the whole world (that would scare the crap out of her anyway).

We are still giving her a fun gift. We just aren’t letting anyone else give her anything since we have a whole toy store contained in our house. We have made it clear that her savings account will always accept donations.

No, she’s not walking yet, and I’m happy. She has 3 teeth. She is always happy.



Happy Birthday, Eva Peeva. We love you!

My Bumper Stickers

Aron got me this as a surprise. It’s kinda weird having all of our names on the back of our van. I’ve already warned the kids not to turn around if someone says their name when we’re out in public. We clearly have needed a new one for about a year. I keep putting Eva on in Sharpie when she fades, but it’s time for those white stick-figure people for the back of the van, methinks.


Got this at the Unity Bookstore this summer. My dad raised me to appreciate all things Beatles and John Lennon. I especially love his Christmas song. These lyrics are from “Imagine” in case you’ve been living under a rock or were born in the 80s.


Aron also got me this one and he has one, too. He found it while surfing the Internet (for what, don’t ask) and also got me a rhinestone T-shirt that says the same thing. I enjoy looking in my rearview mirror to see reactions. Usually I catch people pointing and laughing, but that could also be because I have a sticker with 4 kids and they think I’m nuts for procreating so much.


What do your bumper stickers say?

High School Musical

Okay, so I’ve officially turned into a 9-year-old girl. I love the first 2 High School Musicals and can’t wait until I can get the 3rd at the library. It couldn’t be because my not-yet-four-year-old daughter watches them every chance she gets, could it? That music grows on you.

Back in my day, I had Grease and Xanadu. Excellent music? Check. Crush-worthy actors? Check. Hokey? Oh, yeah. Perfect for little kids? Yep.

It pains me to see Jeff Conaway from Grease on Celebrity Rehab these days. He’s still kinda cute, even all hunched over and using a cane. By the way, forget the DARE program. I personally show my kids pieces of Celebrity Rehab for their “Don’t Do Drugs” homeschool education.

On the HSM2 DVD we got from the library, we watched videos of the movie songs in about 10 different languages AND watched a tutorial from the cast on how to do some of the opening dance.

Really, though. Check this music out. I’m asking Santa for the soundtracks for Christmas.

Here's one song.

And another.

Okay, just one more.

Callie calls it High Schoosical, like Seussical.

What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?

Bedtime Rituals

Bedtime rituals and times differ so much from family to family.

It’s no secret that we have a family bed and always have. AND we homeschool, so we don’t have to be anywhere in the morning. Gradually this has turned me from a morning person into a bit more of a night person. The kids seem to stay up later and later (past 10 p.m. … gasp!), sleep in, and their homeschooling still gets done. The only problem arises when the boys spend the night with my dad and stepmom, who most likely ends up crashing before the kids do.

One friend of mine is totally structured. She puts all 5 of her kids – who range in age now from 5 to 12 – to bed by 8 p.m. every night regardless of age. If they are not tired, they read or chat, but they have to be quiet until they fall asleep. If there’s a show on TV she is dying to see (a rarity), she’ll put them to bed even earlier. I admire her discipline and realize I’m a total wimp.

I know of someone who put their kids to bed by 6 p.m. when they were little, before her husband even got home from work. First of all, I WANT my kids to know who their father is. Second, what the hell time do those kids WAKE UP????? I didn’t become a stay-at-home mom so I could wake up earlier than when I was a working girl (meaning I had a job, not that I was a prostitute).

If your kid is in school or goes to daycare, I realize you have to be up early, which means an early bedtime. But if you homeschool or are a new stay-at-home mom, for instance, how does bedtime go in your household?
And for those of you with grown kids, I’d love to know how and what time you got your kids to bed, too.

I can see my mom’s comment now: “You were in bed by 8:30 at the very latest EVERY SINGLE NIGHT in elementary school and you LIKED it.”

Cussin' on the Way to Church

Originally titled Mass Chaos.

For some reason, Sunday mornings are always difficult. Maybe it’s because by their very nature Sundays are supposed to be lazy and relaxing. It is our Day of Rest in our family (we don’t spend money on Sundays and try not to work).

So making sure 6 people are ready for church (clean, wearing underwear, teeth brushed, wearing “acceptable” clothing, hair brushed, diaper bag packed, activity bag packed) can be stressful. Especially when I have a husband who insists on making a big breakfast AFTER he’s slept in.

Let’s just say I am ashamed to admit I do my best cussing on the way to church.

So one Sunday in November we are all settled in our pew (like Pepe Le Pew!). It’s time for the children’s part where they congregate in front of the priest for a second while he talks to them and then they go downstairs for a kid version of Mass for about 20 minutes. I’m seeing Joel will have problems on this particular day because there’s a 6-year-old girl who is jumping up and down like a kangaroo and putting her hands all over Joel’s head and face. I whisper to Aron, “That girl is screwing around again. Who’s going downstairs to help supervise?” He said he would do it since the baby was about to fall asleep on me.

So the baby crashes and Michael and Callie promptly get into a LOUD fight. Callie almost wrote on his notebook, which I told her she could do. Michael YELLS her name. She YELLS back. They tussle a bit on the kneeler. By now the baby has woken up and is fussing. I’m turning red and trying to figure out how to get them the hell outta there.

What would you do?

Public spanking = not only a bad option if you want to keep your kids in your own home until they turn 18, but also ineffective.

Gritted teeth/Crazy Face = not working as well as hoped.

So I put Eva on my left hip and grabbed Callie somehow around her middle with my right Popeye arm and swiftly walked to the back of the church and out into the hallway. I put Callie down, looked through the glass of the door, caught Michael’s eye and gave him my very best, “Get your butt out here NOW, little man” glare.

For those of you who must simulate this move, my only advice is NEVER make eye contact with ANYONE while you are disciplining your child.

So I turn around and who is standing there? A chick Aron and his twin used to date. Thankfully she is super cool and very understanding about my situation. Anyone with highlights of about 10 different colors is okay in my book.

Man, the blog for the month of November sure has made my kids sound bad. They really are great most of the time. I tell these stories mostly to amuse. The more these things happen to me, the easier it is to look into the future and see myself laughing about each situation (well, most of them, anyway … the ones where I kept my cool and still managed to put the fear of God into the kids).

edited to add: Today at Mass we got many comments about how great our kids behaved, how wonderful they are. Just goes to show things aren't always as they seem. We SEEMED to be all with-it today, yet about 25% of the time I'm carrying a tantruming kid out of church.