The Mac Family Update Part One (The Kids)

THE KIDS

This is why you haven’t heard from me in a while. I’m hardly ever online because we’re either homeschooling or running around or hanging with friends/family or … maintaining the every-messy household.

Joel is Mr. Social like always and loves hanging out with all his friends. He rides his bike all over the place. Michael has been doing great with his OCD … he has therapy once a week and hasn’t had a bad day in a few weeks, thank God. Callie has been sleeping in her newly remodeled bedroom the last few nights like a big girl. Eva is into everything all the time and I would need a full-time housekeeper to keep up with her messes. She’s also potty training. Sam is following in her footsteps and is running all over the house with his little temper and huge smile. He loves to say Mom and Up.

Somebody at church the other day saw Sam running around and said to me, “You don’t have any babies anymore.” I smiled sweetly and thought, “Shut up, Lady! Don’t remind me that my FIFTH child is growing away from me every single day!”

Bloggy shout-out to Kay from church for the AWESOME Halloween sugar cookies! If you saw me walking home from church that day it was because I partook of many, many of the cookies and needed to get rid of some calories!

And please write me in the Comments section so I know what YOU have been up to. If you have a blog, shamelessly plug it with a link so I can come see you in CyberWorld!

Oh, crap, gotta go. Sam just got into the wax paper, foil and Saran Wrap drawer and I’m sure you can imagine the rest.

Next update: Homeschooling

Mama's Got a J.O.B.

Last week the idea came to me to check out doing magazine deliveries around town on a monthly basis like we used to do in 2007. So I made some phone calls and miraculously got hooked up with a great guy from a great company and now we start our new delivery job TOMORROW! Maybe I'm just lucky or something, but it's stuff like this that happens to/for me that makes me roll my eyes at whiners who sit around crying about money but do nothing to go out and make any. If I can get a good-paying job in my neighborhood that I can take my kids along on (no sitter costs) with flexible hours only a few days a month, then surely more moms like me can find something to do that is similar.

Women, I am empowering you to stop whining and start earning. My income sources include babysitting at my house, magazine delivery, ebooks and articles. And all with no college degree!  And if you do happen to be a writer, don't forget about my ebook (Get Published in Regional Parenting Magazines) to earn some extra income.

Stairs, Thinking Outside the Box and My Kids

Isn't it sad how the space under stairs is so often wasted? Some people get creative and build cool little play or storage nooks under their stairs if they are able, but a lot of times this space is just empty.

I think we need to make stairs like doors ... you can lift them and store things under them and then close them. I understand there may be some structural problems with this concept, but I'm sure my kid Michael would be able to figure this out.

I thought I was pretty open-minded, but since having a think-outside-the-box kid like Michael, I think of things in new terms. I invent things in my mind that I think should be invented, even though I don't have the time or the money or the patent to put them into action.

Don't tell my kids, but they are homeschooling me more than I am homeschooling them.

4/17/12 obviously someone read this post because I saw this idea on Pinterest, only the drawer handles seemed to stick out, which could be a little dicey!

Ahhhh, Grand Lake, Colorado

After a few crazy days running around to every possible kid place in Colorado Springs, we got to Grand Lake, Colorado and let out a deep breath as we watched our kids happily play outside our hotel room by the lake.  Nature rocks.  More to come.

Focus on the Family Welcome Center in Colorado Springs, CO 2010

Our last day in Colorado Springs we went to the Focus on the Family Welcome Center. We had so much fun! They had a 4-story slide that the boys enjoyed. And I ran into a homeschooled kid who was working at the soda shop by choice. Her homeschooled sister and brother had all kinds of college degrees, but she was finding herself and hanging out at a J.O.B. for a while, which is admirable. We don't all want to go to college, people!  Nor do we need to. So all you haters out there who wonder how Aron and I can afford to pay for college for our growing brood, you can bite me.  Each of our kids has a savings account, thank you very much, and they will continue to add to it not only from current chores, but also in the future when they are babysitting and mowing lawns.  Then they can use it for college or to start a business or whatever.

We had a fun time there and then dropped some serious cash at the bookstore. Really, when do I EVER shop?  Let me have my fun buying Adventures in Odyssey CDs and books like Dobson's new Bringing Up Girls.

P.S. Happy birthday to my god-daughter, who I know doesn't read this blog (she's smart!), but I want her to know I'm always thinking of her on her birthday and that I love her very much. She is one cool kid.